system administration

Inside BITS: Q&A with an Associate System Administrator

May 23, 2022

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a BITS team member at Beacon? If you’re a client of ours, you’ve likely spoken to us over the phone and may already be familiar with some of our technicians and what they do. For this month’s blog, we interviewed Dustin Shives, our Associate System Administrator to get the scoop on what his day-to-day is like as a member of our team. Read ahead to discover the IT issues Dustin gets calls about the most often, some of his personal tips & tricks, and more!:

Are You Ready for 2022? Our Top 5 Tech Predictions

January 26, 2022

Here we are at the end of January already, racing ahead into 2022. Are you still keeping up with those New Year’s resolutions? Because the BITS team is still ready and raring to go this year! We’re already preparing for what the coming months will bring our way. As we leave 2021 behind us, we want to share a few hot topics that will be sticking points in the tech world during 2022.

how to keep your network safe from ransomware

How To Protect Your Business From Costly Ransomware Attacks

June 24, 2021

It’s never good news when cybersecurity is in the news. Unfortunately, that’s certainly been the case this year, as story after story has emerged of cyber attacks and hacks crippling major corporations and utilities. The ransomware attack that halted Colonial Pipeline, hiking prices and causing gas shortages on the East Coast, was one of the most well-known recent incidents, but certainly not the only one: hackers also targeted food suppliers, insurance companies, communication companies, and many more. Indeed, one prediction from Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that businesses will be attacked by ransomware every 11 seconds by the end of 2021.

Avoid A DIY Disaster: Call in the Pros for Your IT Needs

May 25, 2021

We get it: when you’ve got a problem, the temptation to handle it yourself is strong. It’s why there’s a whole do-it-yourself (DIY) industry, devoted to giving you the tools you need to get the job done on your own. And it’s so satisfying and fulfilling, isn’t it? Fixing your house and putting together a new piece of furniture are great DIY projects. So it’s easy to say, “I can fix it”, when your computer, network, or something else in your information technology (IT) setup needs attention, right? Here’s the thing about IT DIYs though: Don’t.

Business on Top, PJs on the Bottom: Optimize Your Remote Office To Keep Working For You

March 24, 2021

“Are you working from home?” It’s become a common question this past year as the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives. When it was suddenly unsafe to work in the offices we’d spent years commuting to every day, we adapted fast: spare rooms were transformed into makeshift offices, old chairs were drafted into service as desk chairs, and our home wireless routers were pushed to their limits handling the new wave of traffic from video calls, file transfers, and Slack conversations.

A True Love Connection: Reliable Networks and Caring Service

February 16, 2021

Ah, February. The season of Valentine’s Day, of romance. What, you don’t find the gray skies and mushy, freezing rain common to the bleakest winter months romantic? Have some chocolates. Anyway, what is romance all about? Love, trust, support, and most of all, connections. Ok, we know what you’re thinking now: why is this IT services company blog going on about romance and connections? Because here at Beacon IT Services (BITS), connections are what we do: network connections, cloud connections, and connections with customers like you so that you can then connect with your customers.

Client Spotlight: W. Schillig – “BITS Keeps Us On Track”

January 15, 2021

When it comes to business, you never want there to be any downtime that can get in the way of delivering for your customers or getting the job done. And when your business is spread across the globe in multiple time zones, it’s absolutely essential that your network is reliable and working all hours of the day and night. “If somebody from one of our factories in Germany calls us at 3 AM, our computers and servers have to be running,” says David Most, Vice President of Sales with W. Schillig. Fortunately, David and his team don’t have to worry about service outages because they partner with Beacon IT Services (BITS).

Top 3 Scariest Cyber Attack Trends of 2020

October 26, 2020

For many, October is a time to embrace the truly scary in the world. Whether in costumes or in late-night horror-movie binges, people steer into all things spooky for a thrill. But, as with anything truly scary, it’s the threats closest to home that really get the hair on the back of your neck standing on end. What’s worse than the threat you can’t see? What’s scarier than the threat that might already be knocking on your door ?

Connect Everywhere: Why You Need a Reliable VPN

September 24, 2020

So. Here we are. Still working from home. (Well, many of us.) Still not back to normal. (Not going to reiterate everything that’s going on. You know what’s up. And if you’re reading this in the future and have no idea what I’m referring to… well… you’re very lucky.) So yes, here we are, and here we stay. One thing to learn from everything happening now is that you need to be prepared for anything. Even if you’ve been able to get through 2020 largely unscathed, the general chaos and disruption right now should illustrate the need to be adaptive and ready to roll with whatever comes next.

Take a Rest, We Got IT: What Your IT Team Does When You’re On Vacation

August 24, 2020

It’s 8:44 AM. You wanted to sleep in later, of course, but it was still nice to not wake up to the sound of your phone alarm buzzing. You go to the kitchen and make some coffee, then sit down on your couch, enjoying the quiet. A worry creeps into your mind. Will everything be OK while you're on vacation? No worries, you can relax. You know that even while you’re taking your much-deserved rest, your information technology partner – your IT team – is still hard at work, keeping your network and infrastructure running so your business can keep doing business.

close up image of computer screen text that says security

What’s Hot in IT? New Programs to Keep Your Data Cool

July 28, 2020

Whew! It’s the height of summer and it is HOT. Take your breath away hot. Cook an egg on the hood of your car hot. Don’t go outside unless you can jump in a pool hot (or at least dip your toes into a kiddie pool in your backyard). In other words, it’s a good time to stay inside. And while you're inside, cooling off with a glass of something cold and refreshing, you can think about a different kind of heat, like what’s generating interest and excitement in the world of information technology services.

The History and Evolution of Managed IT Services

June 25, 2020

History: we’ve lived through it, and more is being made every day. And while what’s happening in IT services may not seem quite as dramatic as what’s happening in the rest of the world, there’s no doubt that the industry is rapidly evolving in ways that will change how IT business is done going forward. And it’s not just that the way IT services are handled: it’s in the increasing need for every business to have a robust online presence, and with that, the need for trusted managed IT service providers. So how did we get here? As always, to get a sense of where we are going, it’s worthwhile to take a look back.

Document Storage Solutions for the Work-From-Home Era

April 23, 2020

Last month, as many businesses were amending their operations to function in a global pandemic, we wrote about managing the transition to remote work and what small businesses needed to do to make the new arrangement possible. If there’s one positive arising from the COVID-19 crisis, it’s that many of us have been forced to learn the skills necessary to function in the 21st-century economy. In the last several weeks, tens of millions of employees have become intimately familiar with video conferencing, VPNs, online collaboration tools, cloud-based document storage, and more.

client spotlight for rsvp communications

Client Spotlight: RSVP Communications, Inc.

September 25, 2019

At Beacon, our success hinges on how well we know our clients. That’s what empowers us to anticipate their needs and deliver the right solution to the right problem at the right time. That doesn’t just happen by accident. It happens with a purposeful effort to get to know and understand our clients, their business needs and future goals. And, as with any successful relationship, it all starts with asking questions. Every once in a while, we wrangle one of our clients for an honest conversation about what we’re doing well and how we can improve. After all, you’ll never know if you don’t ask. This month, we had the privilege of chatting up Ken Dobbins, Vice President and General Manager of RSVP Communications, Inc.

Small Medical Offices: How to Stay on the Right Side of Data Security

August 28, 2019

In the last decade, the healthcare industry has undergone a dramatic evolution in the way that medical records are managed. If you work in the medical field, whether as a doctor, nurse, technician or administrator, you could not escape the implication of the “big switch” to EMR (electronic medical records).

Employee Monitoring: Balancing Security & Productivity

July 25, 2019

Is your small business optimized for digital security and productivity? Pretty much every business takes measures to protect its network and IT infrastructure. With the extraordinary proliferation of malware and ransomware attacks in recent years, it’s just prudent planning to set up strong defenses against potential intruders. Managed IT services, which focus on more mundane tasks like updating and patching business applications, typically don’t receive the same level of scrutiny. But, they also play a key role in protecting your company’s key digital assets.

graham personnel representative in office

Client Spotlight: Graham Personnel Services

June 25, 2019

How do BITS customers really feel about the job we do for them? We’re sure that almost every business asks itself a variation of the same question. After all, being successful is all about maintaining relationships. Here at BITS, we really wanted to know the answer. So, we decided to take the radical step of, you know, actually talking to our clients about how our services impact them.

Five Assumptions of a Great Email Backup Solution

May 22, 2019

Your company’s email accounts represent some of the most vital assets of your business. They contain important client correspondence, extensive team processes and projects, working copies of various reports and deliverables, and a host of additional valuable bits of information. A loss of a record, or the inability to find or retrieve archived information, can cause tremendous harm to a business relationship with a client, vendor, regulator or even your own employees. That’s why responsible business administrators take steps to protect their business email accounts through comprehensive email backup solutions.