In May, the Colonial Pipeline was hit by a cyber-attack that disrupted fuel supplies along the East Coast for several days. The company – and the FBI – paid hackers $4.4 million in Bitcoin to regain control of the system.

Colonial Pipeline was not the only corporation that paid hackers an exorbitant amount of money. The NBA, Kia Motors and JBS Foods have also been victimized by cyber-attacks where hackers demanded millions of dollars. CD Projekt RED, a Polish video game developer, was also a victim of a cyber-attack, but since they had backups in place, they never had to pay the demanded ransom.

Across the world, hackers are targeting and exploiting security weaknesses and holding data hostage.

While these are all big organizations, that does not mean that small and medium-sized businesses are safe. These stories made the news because companies paid millions of dollars to regain control of their data. When a small or mid-size business (SMB) gets attacked, they can’t pay millions of dollars to recover stolen information. Instead, these hackers will usually go after customer and employee information as well as financial records and statements. When a hacker attacks an SMB, it often ends in the business closing their doors for good.

The year 2021 set a record for cyber-attacks, and 2022 is shaping out to be no different. If you’re a business owner, you need to wake up to the reality of cyberthreats and cyber security before it’s too late.

Here are a couple of the best cybersecurity practices you should put into place immediately.

Hire A Managed Services Provider for Your IT Needs

Cybersecurity awareness has grown over the past five years, but there are still plenty of SMB owners who think there is no need for cyber security measures or that they’re too expensive. The simple truth is that every business can be a victim of cyber-attacks. If you think it’s too expensive to have your own IT team watching over your cyber needs, think again. Hiring an MSP is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to ensure that your network and information are protected.

MSPs can be incredibly beneficial to any business. They’re designed to recognize and fix weak points in your IT infrastructure. MSPs work proactively to ensure that your business is fully protected in the cyberworld. They offer around-the-clock monitoring, data backup and recovery, firewall and network protection, real-time threat prevention and so much more. MSPs provide you with a dedicated team of IT professionals who are available to assist with any IT needs. If you have not investigated hiring an MSP for your business, you need to consider it.

If you’re interested in hiring an MSP or want more information about the benefits, reach out to us and we will assist with any concerns or questions you may have.

Create A Cyber-Secure Culture

Many cyber-attacks stem from employee error or misunderstanding. You need to make sure that all your employees are aware of the risks associated with cyber-attacks. When you first hire an employee, train them on cybersecurity. In addition to this, your current employees should go through a reminder course at least once a year.

You’ll need to inform your employees about the dangers of phishing e-mails and texts, downloading malware, social media scams and improper password protection. If you have employees working remotely, you should ensure that their devices have security measures built into them. If your employees are informed about the risks, they will be more observant so they can spot any potential threats. Your entire team needs to buy into the cyber-secure culture if you want your training to be effective.

In today’s day and age, you can never be too careful when it comes to your cybersecurity. You need to be proactive and put into effect all of the security measures you possibly can. The year 2021 saw cyber-attacks reach new heights, and it’s likely that these numbers will continue to rise even higher this year. Take preventive action and don’t let your business add to the cyber-attack statistics. If you’re unsure of where to begin when it comes to buffing up your cybersecurity practices, give us a call, and we will be glad to help.

Worldwide Services joins Dutch Cloud Community

When you think of Europe, you quickly think of the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a country that is at the forefront when it comes to technical innovations. Many new and improved techniques come from the Netherlands. This puts this small country central on the map in the field of IT and makes it an important player in the European broadband market.

We are delighted to join the industry organization leader Dutch Cloud Community. Through this cooperation we will strengthen our position in the Netherlands and we will be able to bundle our IT strengths. We look forward to exchanging information, learning from each other and sharing new technologies.

Good service has always been of paramount importance to Worldwide Services. That’s why we are happy to partner with Dutch Cloud Community to strengthen the market in the Netherlands and Europe. Dutch Cloud Community’s mission is to create preconditions for a healthy Dutch hosting, cloud and internet sector and to contribute to an open, safe and free internet. Worldwide Services can identify with this and therefore finds it a logical step to join this leading sector association.

The Dutch cloud market is currently experiencing gigantic growth. The Netherlands is at the forefront of innovations in the IT world and is busy creating a strong, inviolable position in order to provide the best service to customers, organizations, companies and governments. The IT market is now almost as large as the construction sector in the Netherlands, so this means a solid, central position in the field of IT in Europe.
 

“With our progressive outlook and goal to strengthen the broadband market in Europe and the Netherlands, we find collaborations with leading organizations such as Dutch Cloud Community an important part to realize this. The opportunities are doubled by having two passionate organizations working together, so more organizations and customers will benefit from the vibrant Dutch IT market. We are therefore delighted with this partnership.” – Marald van den Berg, Worldwide Services.

“We are extremely happy with organizations like Worldwide Services, because they bring new knowledge and come up with new ideas and opportunities to strengthen the Dutch IT market. We experience Worldwide Services as an innovative party, which fits in well with the ever faster changing broadband market in the Netherlands and Europe. We therefore see a lot of value in this great sustainable partnership.” – Ruud Alaerds, Dutch Cloud Community.

Worldwide Services Returns to ANGA COM May 10 – 12 – Cologne, Germany

(Visit Us at Hall 8, Booth # A71)

Worldwide Services (WWS) has been building up its presence in the European broadband market for years now and considers its position to be extremely important. We would like to take every opportunity to be as prominently present as possible in this growing market. This way we can provide even more (potential) customers with positive customer experiences. We would therefore like to share our American quality with the growing IT market in Europe. One of the ways Worldwide Services can help businesses is by reducing the long OEM lead times that companies are facing for critical network infrastructure.

The global supply chain issues are causing companies to face months of waiting from the major OEMs. With strategic stocking locations around the world, WWS has a $1 billion inventory of network, server, and storage products in stock and ready to ship. Aside from hardware solutions the areas we are highlighting this year include Professional Field Services, Multimedia Over Coax Adapters (MoCA), as well as Network Inventory Software powered by our partner Ni2.

The broadband market in Europe is currently experiencing a significant growth. The tech world is getting bigger and working more closely together every day. Worldwide Services offers the highest quality and would therefore like to strengthen Europe by selling our services and hardware to this region.

To strengthen our position within the growing European market, we find it important to be visible to future customers and fellow branch organizations. ANGA COM is a major event where Europeans and non-Europeans have the opportunity to meet and work together. We will therefore be present at this important event and are looking forward to discovering new faces, organizations and technologies.

The European market is currently growing at a tremendous rate and Worldwide Services is noticing a lot of this. The ICT companies in Europe are getting further and further ahead with their innovations, which are also occurring at a rapid pace.

“The European broadband market is a good challenge for us. Worldwide Services has a lot to offer in this market and is therefore keen to invest in its relationship, so that we can sell our services to an even larger segment in Europe. Our collaborations so far in Europe have gone very well and we notice that there is a demand for a company like Worldwide Services to provide customers in the broadband market.” – Marald van den Berg, Worldwide Services.

Learn More About ANGA COM

How Much Does Third-Party Maintenance Cost?

Today, around 64% of businesses use third-party managed services for at least 1 IT function. While many organizations realize the importance and benefits of third-party maintenance, some are reluctant to jump on the bandwagon.

Perhaps you are in the latter group but are open to using these services if the price is right.

What are the advantages of third-party maintenance, and how much does it cost? Read on to find out so budgeting for third-party maintenance services is easier and see a real-world pricing example to illustrate just how much you can save.

Advantages of Choosing Third-Party Maintenance Over OEMs

OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) usually offer maintenance services with their hardware, but you need to keep in mind that they are in the business of selling hardware.

This perverse incentive means their ultimate goal is to get you to buy more products, not to get the most out of the equipment you have already purchased.

It is also a widespread practice to charge more for maintenance on older equipment to further promote this agenda. Third-party maintenance (TPM) companies offer you a much more cost-effective solution. TPM providers focus on helping you get the most out of your existing technology and not forcing you into unnecessary equipment upgrades.

In addition, you have much more freedom over your IT infrastructure. Contracts are flexible, and you can even get maintenance coverage for equipment that OEMs no longer even support. As a result, you will enjoy significant cost savings.

Other benefits include:

• Personalized and prompt support solutions.
• Customized sparing programs.
• Ability to leverage third-party maintenance with OEM coverage for a hybrid solution.

How Much Does 3rd-Party Maintenance Cost?

We will start by answering this central question that is on your mind. However, as you might have already guessed, there is no single answer, as many variables can affect your costs.

Below, we will explore what some of these factors could be and how they would impact what you pay for managed IT services.

Level of Service

What is great about third-party maintenance is that companies can offer an array of service options. They range from phone and online technical support to operating system support, remote monitoring, onsite field services/engineering assistance, cost-management strategies, and multiple service level options from which to choose.

Essentially, you can pick on an a la carte basis.

Of course, many third-party maintenance companies offer bundles to help you save on costs. Make sure you take full advantage of these.

Length of Contract

Every organization will have its own needs for third-party maintenance. While one might need it for one year, others might only want to have a more extended contract over a few years.

However, as we have stated above, regardless of contract length, the cost will still be significantly lower than comparable OEM services.

So How Much Does Third-Party Maintenance Really Cost?

Knowing the factors that affect third-party maintenance costs is undoubtedly helpful, but it still does not give a ballpark figure of how much your organization will have to pay.

We understand the frustration, as many other managed IT service companies tend to shy away from showing their prices online, but we at Worldwide Services are here to help you in any way we can, which is why we are transparent with pricing.

Below, you will find a scenario where we compare our pricing with an OEM’s pricing. Not only will this allow you to get an estimate of how much third-party maintenance will cost, but it will also demonstrate the cost-effective value of our company.

Worldwide Services NetGuard vs. Cisco SmartNet Maintenance comparison:

Pricing Example Based on Cisco WS-C3850 Maintenance Support

• Cisco: SMARTnet 8x5xNBD: CON-SNT-WSC388PE = $1,392
• WWS: NetGuard Maintenance 8x5xNBD: NG-WS-C3850-48P-E = $525

WWS Solution = 62% savings

As you can see, Worldwide Services can save you significant money through their NetGuard maintenance solution.

Get Help with Affordable Third-Party Maintenance Today

Hopefully, you now understand the factors affecting what you pay for third-party maintenance. More importantly, we hope that it has also been helpful with our real-world pricing scenario.

Worldwide Services offers lower cost and better value than with an OEM–especially on items that are EOL/EOS. So, please take full advantage of this fact and get the managed IT services you need for your server, storage, or networking products.

Would you like to reap the benefits of first-class managed IT services without paying OEM rates? Then schedule a 15-minute call with one of our IT Solutions Experts for a free quote and evaluation.