With cyber threats emerging continually, companies spend more than $120 billion a year on cybersecurity. It’s part of strategic risk management for many companies.
The increasing number of cyber breaches has highlighted businesses’ need to partner with expert IT cybersecurity firms. Some firms outsource IT help.
If you’re looking for IT support in Los Angeles, keep reading for five questions to ask your IT provider.
1. How Do You Protect My Data?
There’s more than one answer to this question. A business IT services provider can’t answer it until they’ve evaluated your network.
Still, there are some key terms you should look for in their answers. These terms might include:
- Awareness
- Governance
- Proactive
Today, cyber defense goes beyond antivirus software. It also goes beyond using a firewall and patching and updating all your software. A potential IT support provider should recommend a holistic approach to secure your network.
Today’s cybersecurity environment also requires the latest strategies. They should include an assessment of network vulnerabilities and the securing of endpoints.
Understanding Data Protection
Contemporary cybersecurity requires proactive strategies. These strategies might include:
- Access controls
- Cloud computing in Los Angeles
- Remote monitoring
- Virtual desktops
Governance is also necessary for today’s business environment. Now, companies must remain in compliance with policies such as the relatively new GDPR.
Your providers should also suggest cybersecurity training for your employees. This training should deliver ongoing awareness of the latest potential threats to your company.
2. What’s Your Response Time?
An IT business services and security provider should respond to events in a reasonable amount of time. They should make themselves available for any problem with your IT network. However, response times may vary depending on the agreed-upon support level.
It’s important to understand the meaning of “guaranteed response time.” The term means an IT service will address your problem in a certain amount of time. It’s not a guarantee they’ll fix the problem within a certain amount of time.
With this in mind, you should exercise caution with IT service providers that promise to fix issues within a specified timeframe. This is a hollow guarantee. Sometimes, it can take much longer than expected to resolve a cybersecurity issue.
3. Will We Have a Dedicated Team?
Ideally, your IT cybersecurity service should provide a high-level single point-of-contact in their company. You want to build a long-term relationship with this individual.
Over time, your point of contact will get to know your business. They’ll ensure your network accommodates your needs.
However, it’s unreasonable to think you’ll always work with the same service technician. Many outsourced tech support companies send the best technician for a specific job.
However, you may want to assess a company closer if it promises you’ll always have the same technician. This answer could indicate the firm is short-staffed.
4. How Do You Manage Accountability?
Any IT partnership for local businesses is a two-way street. An IT services Los Angeles based company is responsible for providing you with technology. They must also deliver an effective cybersecurity strategy.
As a firm, it’s your responsibility to implement the strategy. You must also use all the tools the IT cybersecurity service provides.
For instance, your staff members play an important role in protecting your network. It’s your job to ensure you provide cybersecurity training to employees. They must learn to use tools like multifactor authentication and software updates whenever appropriate.
5. How Would You Respond to a Cyber Breach?
In a perfect world, you should never experience a cyber breach if you’ve partnered with a well-qualified local IT support provider. However, no security plan is infallible.
Malicious actors create new network attacks every day. In these instances, a cybersecurity solution may not exist for a new attack vector.
A data breach can put your company out of business. How you respond to that breach can mean the difference between staying in business and closing your doors.
Your IT managed support services provider should help you develop an effective disaster recovery plan. Your plan should prioritize mission-critical data.
It should also minimize downtime. Furthermore, the plan should protect your sensitive data.
Diving into IT Provider SLAs
It’s essential to understand a provider’s service level agreement (SLA). It can reveal an abundant amount of information when interviewing IT services.
The SLA outlines the level of service you can expect. It also highlights how you can track the performance of the service provider.
Many service providers offer a standard SLA. However, you may find you need to modify the SLA to meet the unique needs of your company.
Keeping Your Data Safe
You should work with an IT cybersecurity service provider that can perform an effective audit. This service is essential for finding possible risks. It will also help you understand the effectiveness of your current network security.
It’s critical you understand your network’s vulnerabilities. If not, you face an increased risk of deploying the wrong cybersecurity resources.
In SoCal, an effective IT services Los Angeles security team leverages intelligent software. The software offers insight into existing threats. It combines this information with the potential for any future data breaches and the current security status of your network to assess potential threats.
Trust Us to Harden Your Network
Now you know five questions to ask your IT provider. Be Structured Technology Group is your solution for a holistic approach to network management and cybersecurity. We are proud to be called one of the best cyber security companies Los Angeles has to offer.
Our experts can help you audit your network for continuous security. You can count on us for high-level security that ensures your network remains hardened against vulnerabilities.
We’ll help you monitor your network for vulnerabilities. We’ll also deploy the best security solutions for your network.
Feel free to contact one of our specialists at (323) 331-9452 or connect with us online to schedule a free IT support consultation.