# Be Structured Technology Group, Inc.

> Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based managed IT services and cybersecurity provider (MSP/MSSP), founded in 2007. The company delivers proactive managed IT services, 24/7 IT support and help desk, cybersecurity and managed security services (MSSP), network management, cloud services, backup and disaster recovery, and ransomware protection and response. Be Structured serves small and midsize businesses and nonprofits throughout Los Angeles and Southern California, and has been recognized as a top IT services company by Clutch and UpCity.

> Contact: sales@bestructured.com

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#### 10 Managed IT Services and Trends You Should Know Right Now
These days, around half of enterprise-level companies make use of IT as a service, or "Managed IT", within their company. The concept is growing every year as more companies see its benefits. Because of this, it is important to know what it can offer you so you do not miss out.

This article will explain how IT services in Los Angeles are changing and what trends you can expect to be at the forefront of managed IT services in 2022. By the end, you should have a good understanding of how the future will pan out so you can plan for it moving forward. So, read on and improve your workplace's services.
1. Automation, Automation, Automation
There is more data than ever coming into companies after people use services or perform their jobs. Because of this, it is becoming much easier to analyze patterns in behavior.

Analytics has improved again and again over the past decade. It has gotten to the point where we can make use of artificial intelligence to analyze it and provide recommendations.

An AI can look at the work done and provide early warnings based on patterns it detects in a computer network then offer several options for a solution. For example, it can provide an automated response which it uses to mitigate any problems and keep a system running. It can then inform a human IT manager of any long-term repercussions or provide data for the manager to make decisions in the long term.

Automation in this case is much faster than any human can respond. It can cut off malicious access, increase processing power, or manage data in a larger system without a person needing to lift a finger. Many users will not even realize that anything is happening behind the scenes as resources move around.
2. Data-Driven Customer Service
While automation might make drastic use of data to perform a job better, the same data is also useful across the company to make other major changes.

For example, in the customer service area, representatives can get information on ongoing issues as they occur. No longer do they need to wait for that data to get passed their way by a third party. With such data, they can make plans to communicate with clients and customers before problems noticeably rear their heads.

Similarly, if long-term patterns energy, then the company can choose to react to them well before they happen. For example, managers can plan for more customer service reps to be around during specific periods. For example, when they expect peak calls every year. Or, managers can optimize inventory to be ready for an influx of new communication about specific problems that occur, or are likely to occur.

This is better than the analytics of the past, where people had to regularly retrospect on issues and resolve things as they happened. Gone are the days when an unexpected change would catch you out and that would cause an increase in customer service workload or other changes.

Instead, many other things can give you forewarning. Examples include external trends, your competition's actions, or annual events. Instead, they can now give you an early warning of work you might need to do sooner.
3. Deeper Cooperation With Partners
Moving forward, we are likely to see more examples of both clients and outsourced tech support companies evolving and changing together. In the past, it was more expected that each separate entity would change their systems in isolation as technology improves. But, greater co-operation is now recognized as leading to better innovation on both sides of the relationship.

These days, clients have the opportunity to design and develop their own UIs, solutions, journeys. It allows them to create something that is custom-tailored to their processes.

At the same time, IT services provide the core underlying architecture that allows the solutions to work. IT services provide APIs that can allow this to work without having to create bespoke systems that work with the client.

To support this, an IT manager working for a service is likely to offer an outcome-based contract. It is rarer that services offer a very specific solution in the contract. Instead, the agreement communicates specific performance objectives the IT service must meet. The IT company then has greater freedom in how to resolve issues themselves and can innovate while doing so.
4. Increased Budget
It might sound blunt, but the simple fact of the matter is that with a larger budget, a managed IT service can do a lot more. In general, it is forecast that across the world, IT support spending looks like it will go up by almost six percent in 2022. That money can go towards your IT service management in a way that ensures you are getting a service worth paying top dollar for.

On top of that, to have a well-managed system, you need a highly-competent organizer. To get one of those for your IT system, you need to pay them an IT manager salary.

A larger budget allows you to put money aside to pay a good worker what they are worth. You will be able to both hire high-quality IT managers as well as keep hold of them if they have options to go elsewhere but your pay is too good to resist.

On top of this, it is true that many solutions to IT problems are not simple affairs. Many of them take large amounts of time and effort to put in place, and this costs money. This is without even thinking about long, ongoing support and bug fixes that made need to occur over time.

An increased budget mitigates some of the worries of this by letting solutions take as long as they need to. This prevents your service from rushing the solution the first time, or only half-completing it in preference of newer issues. You can also make sure that you can upgrade your managed IT service if you need to by buying a better or more comprehensive package.
5. Just In Time
These past few years we have found that new problems have hit every aspect of life. COVID and other healthcare issues have meant that any part of a work chain might go into disarray at any time.

This is true when we are thinking of a physical supply chain from manufacturer to client. But it is also true for the ability for managed IT services to stay on top of network issues. Not to mention, IT services need physical hardware or expect the completion of software or firmware on time.

As we move into 2022, we are starting to see data analytics used in this area of business also. Supply chains are starting to move from a front-heavy plan to a just-in-time process, communicating with all other steps as they move along. As any slowness affects supply chains, they can prepare and either change their plan or communicate any problems as necessary.

Just-in-time allows for better planning and better use of time across the board. Bottlenecks will be a thing of the past and prove an IT project manager's salary to be worth its price.
6. Consolidation of MSPs
Commercial progress continues to occur in the world of MSPs. In the past few years, we have seen more and more interest from investors in the world of managed service providers. As such, we can expect some of these to come together under larger umbrellas as investors start to buy the more successful of these out.

While there are no platforms that currently stand out, it is not long before the diamonds in the rough begin to shine. When that happens, we can expect investment money to start to flow and the core MSPs to start buying up add-ons and utility investments.

We should expect many MSPs to be operating on a national scale within the next few years, if not 2022 alone. Then we will have a true two-tier market with both national companies and local ones. This is when USPs will come into play to determine who garners the most success.
7. Customers Demand More Strategic Thinking
It is often true that small to mid-sized businesses need to pay much more attention to digital business to stay afloat in their early days. They are not in a position to pay for a full executive team and often need more expertise in-house.

This is where a virtual CIO can come to the fore. In 2022, you should expect to see more temporary CIOs brought on board as companies realize they need their help.

Those already in the company may not have the required strategic thinking that comes from a CIO. Otherwise, they may have their head down in the trenches too often to sometimes look up and get a lay of the land.

Moving forward, expect virtual CIOs to advertise as someone who understands the market better than others. Providers will present them as someone who can choose and put in place an IT service management system and ensure it is the correct one to use. They will also be able to make several recommendations to help keep a company's IT structure relevant long into the future.
8. The Right Vertical Markets Pay Off
Several investments have happened over the past few years into specific areas of IT management. The global crisis of COVID caused people to focus on far fewer USPs when it came to IT services. This prioritization was risky, but in 2022 we could see it paying off.

With the depressing nature of the global pandemic, many companies refocused. They paid attention to engagement with employees as well as the user experience of their client's customers.

In some industries, consumers were the default market, such as entertainment and banking. Investing in these markets has paid off as more users are engaging more with their IT infrastructure. Online banking services are becoming more popular than ever, and more people using home entertainment than ever.

Other areas of business, such as the B2B sector, have not been as affected. People will be engaging with them the same way they always have. If anything, they may still be on the steady climb back to where they were before the pandemic.
9. Reduced Code
Low-code tools have had a renaissance recently. In the past, developers have seemed hesitant to use them, for fear of putting themselves out of business. Though they have now reached a critical mass where it is easy enough to get ahold of them, so now every company must think about their implementation.

With low-code tools (or no-code tools), developers can refocus. They can investigate business growth development or innovative solutions rather than coding. Perhaps even putting greater focus into the prevention of hacking and cyber attacks.

Also, you can onboard new developers faster than ever before. This allows new minds to engage with the company and new ideas to be at the forefront of the IT service industry.
10. Responsive Service
Security in the IT service industry is more important than ever. We are always at the stage where the advanced systems used by malicious actors are only a few steps behind solutions, if not ahead. Businesses must be able to respond faster than ever before to the dangers of being online.

As such, you must put in place an agile IT service in 2022 to be able to act when catastrophe strikes. Companies must have real, functional abilities to respond to problems as they happen. IT service management must also have the agency to take action before the issue even becomes a problem.

If your Los Angeles IT services company does not have the freedom to take action in this way, it is only a matter of time before it becomes a victim.
How Managed IT Can Help You
You should now have a much better understanding of how managed IT trends are affecting the face of IT services in 2022 and beyond. You might still have questions, though, and we would be happy to help you answer them.

You only need to phone us or send in a message and our specialists will work with you to ensure that you get the perfect IT service you need. So, give us a call today.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs, Tips & Tricks, Trending

#### 10 Questions To Ask Your Outsourced IT Support Company
If your business resides in Southern California, are you considering outsourcing your IT support in Los Angeles to a managed IT services company?

This can be a major step forward for your company, delivering impressive cost savings and improved performance while freeing up your internal teams. However, it's a big decision, and one to consider carefully. Not every IT team will be a great fit for your company, and asking the right questions now can save you time, money, and headaches down the road. If you're looking into the IT consulting Los Angeles has to offer, we're here to make the process a little easier.

Today, we're sharing 10 critical questions to ask any prospective company before moving forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Kind of Services Does Your Team Provide?
Not all IT consultants provide the same range of services. Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you clearly understand what you're paying for and what you can expect.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we're proud to provide all-inclusive managed IT services for your organization. This covers all of the IT tools that your company needs to realize unparalleled success, such as:

 	x424/7 monitoring
 	IT consulting
 	Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) services
 	Comprehensive cloud services
 	Data backup and protection
 	Antivirus protection
 	Comprehensive cybersecurity
 	Network and infrastructure management
 	Vendor relationship management
 	Live IT support

If the provider that you're considering can't provide a list similar in depth and breadth to this one, then you could wind up overpaying for performance that under-delivers. Our services are designed to stack onto one another, providing a solid IT foundation that meets your company's specific needs. Read more about our local IT support to learn how we go above and beyond the competition.
2. How Much Experience Do You Have?
It's true that everyone has to start somewhere. Still, you don't want to trust your IT consulting services to someone who's brand new to the tech space. Before you get too far into the interview, ask the representative to detail the level of experience that their team members possess.

You can read all about how Be Structured got its start, but there are some of the highlights you need to know. First, though we've been together as a company since 2007, our staff and leaders have years of combined IT experience. Even our CEO has advanced IT knowledge and expertise!

It takes a ton of real-world skill to keep an entire business network up and running. You need a team that's capable of handling everything you need, from daily end-user problems and server management to infrastructure planning, cybersecurity, and more.
3. How Are Your Pricing Plans Structured?
As you browse the full library of managed IT services offered by a given company, it can be difficult to gauge how much you'll wind up spending on the effort. After all, there isn't a one-size-fits-all type of price. Rather, these plans will be customized to fit the unique needs of each company.

While this type of support can be challenging to budget, the best companies have simple, straightforward pricing models that make this step infinitely easier. When you know these numbers up-front, it becomes much easier to predict and manage your monthly bill. This way, you can plan for the future growth of your company, as well!

One red flag to avoid? Be wary of companies that are overly vague about how their pricing models work. It's not uncommon for unscrupulous providers to conceal their pricing until the very last minute. Or, you might encounter some that will advertise flat, hourly rates that sound manageable at first but overflow your budget in no time.

By billing on a per-user basis, top-tier managed services providers help you avoid unnecessary surprises. This way, you can rest assured that each person in your company is fully covered.
4. Do You Offer Around-the-Clock Monitoring and Support?
Viruses and intruders don't clock out at 5:00 p.m. That's why you need 24/7 monitoring and support services to protect your systems, even when you can't be there.

When you partner with a best-in-class managed services provider, you can be confident that your hardware and software are constantly safeguarded against hazards, and protected in emergency situations. Not only does this provide invaluable peace of mind, but it can also make your teams more productive.

Think about it: What would you do if your network went down for even a few hours? Your workforce could be rendered virtually unproductive, which can negatively impact your operations, as well as your bottom line.

Our team at Be Structured is always on guard, monitoring client systems for any signs of intrusion or any type of unusual behavior.

Our staff is available for immediate support 12 hours per day, five days a week. If you need assistance outside of those hours, don't worry. One of our technicians is always on-call to assist in emergency situations or manage high-priority issues.

If the company you're interviewing doesn't offer the same level of service, consider the cost implications of leaving your network open to such security gaps. You deserve to trust your systems to a provider that will handle them with the same level of care and attention that you would.
5. What Is the Average Onboarding Time?
Whether you're switching from an in-house IT consulting team or another managed services provider, it can take time to get up and running with a new consultant.

While the onboarding process may sound complicated and complex at first, it doesn't have to be that way. An experienced, reliable IT services company can take the reins more effortlessly than you might expect. Though it can take some time to set up your network to accommodate remote hosting, expert implementation managers know how to streamline the process so you can get started as soon as possible.

This reduces your overall downtime and gives your productivity a boost. Your internal teams can get back to doing what they do best, while we'll take care of every IT aspect for you.
6. What Industries Do You Serve?
Before you partner with an IT services provider, you want to make sure that they've worked with a company in your industry before. While this doesn't necessarily have to be a deal-breaker, it does help to know that they're familiar with the intricacies of your particular niche.

We're transparent about the industries that we've served and supported in the past. You can read more about them on our network services industries page. A few representative ones include:

 	Financial services
 	Non-profit organizations
 	Professional services
 	Wealth management
 	Architecture firms

These are just a few of the sectors that our team has helped managed. However, we recognize that every individual industry has its own set of IT needs. We're dedicated to freeing up your staff members so they can focus on your core organizational goals.

While you're asking about the industries that a specific company serves, a strong follow-up question would be, "How many customers do you currently have?" Larger, more established managed services providers will have a large number of clients, representative of many different industries.

This is a good indicator of their experience, thought leadership, and marketplace recognition. If the company has online reviews, feedback, or customer testimonials, take the time to read them, too. They can include details to help you learn how others have enjoyed their partnerships and gauge how yours might go.
7. What Geographic Areas Do You Serve?
You don't want to get too attached to a managed IT consultant only to find that they don't provide service to your area. To save you that setback, we clearly share the areas we serve right on our website!

Our office is located in the heart of the LA financial district, close to the historic city center. As such, we're passionate about supporting small and mid-sized downtown businesses and giving them the boost they need to succeed.

Consider just some of the major cities we serve:

IT support in Culver City

IT support in Santa Monica

IT support in Pasadena

IT support in Burbank

IT support in Orange County

IT support in Northridge

and many, many more.

Our geographic range is wide-reaching and vast. We serve the greater Los Angeles and Orange County regions, and we'd love to add you to our list of satisfied local partners.
8. Do You Offer a Free Consultation?
Be wary of support firms that require you to commit to a plan before you even know if the services are right for your company. It's also concerning when a consultant charges for an initial consultation, as this is simply an introduction and brainstorming session that can lead to a greater partnership down the road.

We're proud to offer a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your company's IT support needs. This is an opportunity for us to learn more about the applications that your business currently uses, as well as your future goals. Then, we'll share how our services can help reduce your in-house IT burden, improving productivity and lowering costs over time.
9. What Is the Size of Your Staff?
There isn't a right or wrong answer to this question. It all has to do with the size and scope of your company's IT needs.

If they're substantial and complex, then you might require the services of a large-scale team that's big enough to handle it all. Or, you may prefer to work with a smaller company that can take a more personal approach to every client account. Then, there are companies like Be Structured that strike the perfect balance.

Although our team is large in size, we still manage to provide dedicated, personal service to each client we serve. We're committed to providing top-notch security, supporting your company's daily functions, and responding quickly to every need.

Ultimately, you want to hire a company that has a large and well-staffed help desk like ours. This way, you'll know they're always there to help with your issues, no matter how big or how small they might be. They should also be dedicated to training and empowering their Account Managers, who are tasked with providing routine support and strategic assistance.

Generally, the bigger and better-equipped a consultant's team is, the more varied and diverse their experience is, too. This is a definite plus that can help you maximize your technology budget and get the most out of your investment.
10. What Separates You From the Competition?
Finally, it's critical to ask each consulting company what sets them apart from the rest of their peers. In other words, what is their defining characteristic that no one else in this space can claim?

For our team at Be Structured, our core differentiator is our real-world IT experience. As you do your research and due diligence, you'll quickly find that many managed services providers are simply salespeople and executives. While you need a degree of sales knowledge, that's only the tip of the iceberg.

You don't want to be stuck paying for services that you can't use, simply because you felt pressured to agree to a plan. Our leaders are experts in the information technology space, with years of experience they can bring to the table. This makes them especially qualified to recognize core issues in your operations and recommend unique solutions that fit the bill.

We'll design your IT solution from the bottom up, empower and support your employees, and safeguard your data. What's more, we'll provide it all under a comprehensive, cost-effective package that's more affordable than a full-time, internal IT expert.
IT Consulting Los Angeles Can Trust
Your IT systems are too valuable to trust them to just any managed services provider. When you need a reliable, around-the-clock team that will provide the full range of support you need, we're here to help.

There's a reason why Be Structured has quickly become the leading outsourced technical support group in LA. We offer the all-inclusive solutions you need to keep your network protected at every turn, all without the heavy workload and high costs of a dedicated, on-staff IT team.

We're the experts in IT consulting Los Angeles knows to trust, and we've love to talk to you about how we can help your company succeed. To learn more about the services we provide, go ahead and schedule a free consultation!
- Categories: IT Support, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Cybersecurity, IT Budgeting, IT Compliance, Los Angeles IT Support, MSP, Network Security, Outsourced IT Support

#### 10 Reasons Why Your Company Should Outsource Technical Support
Outsourcing is a business strategy that contracts out a task to specialized providers. Companies commonly outsource its accounting and bookkeeping duties, customer service, HR management, and technical support.

Good IT support teams are especially hard for companies to build and maintain, which makes it a common function that companies would rather outsource to companies that focus on providing those services specifically.

However, why do companies outsource? Do the benefits outweigh the advantage of having your own team?

Outsourcing provides a lot of benefits, especially to small businesses with limited resources. If you’re thinking of outsourcing your technical support, but you’re still on the edge about it, read the following reasons why doing it is a good business move.
1. Reduces Costs
Reducing labor and equipment costs is one of the major reasons why companies outsource IT services. Employing a company to do the work for you is cheaper than hiring a whole IT staff. The employees’ initial training to get them onboard plus the regular training to ensure their knowledge is up to date add to the cost as well.

Buying all the equipment you need for a functional IT department and maintaining the system also costs a lot of mone. Removing these factors and paying a fixed cost contract will also help you manage your annual operating costs more easily.
2. Increases Productivity
Companies that try to save on costs delegate IT tasks to their existing employees instead. Not only will this produce disastrous results, especially when the employees in question don’t have the necessary knowledge, it will also decrease their productivity in their original roles. Instead of having them focus on their responsibilities in your business, they’ll spend their time resolving IT issues.

Their poor handling of the system might also result in decreased productivity of the whole staff. If a problem occurs that the untrained IT guys don’t know how to handle, it might have a direct impact on the workflow of the team.
3. Provides Support 24/7
If your business is one that needs to be open to customer calls 24 hours a day, that’s one of the reasons to outsource. Instead of getting another IT staff, which will only cost you more, solely for answering calls outside of your normal working hours, outsourcing to a company will guarantee that someone is always available to help your customers.

This will also ensure that a professional will answer the call and provide technical support, not just anyone you deem to have some degree of IT knowledge.
4. Adjusts According to Demand
When the demand suddenly increases and more calls start coming in, what do you do if you have a permanent staff?

Hiring temporary employees poses a lot of issues. You don’t know when the demand decreases, which will force you to terminate them immediately. You’re also not sure of the technical skills and personality if you’re in a rush to get someone onboard.

Meanwhile, an IT company can easily scale up or down depending on your needs because of their access to vast resources.
5. Gives Access to Cutting-Edge Technologies and Industry Experts
Security of your data and your customers’ data is paramount. That’s why Facebook is in a lot of heat nowadays, its platform is vulnerable to third-party entities mishandling the users’ data. Even large companies are susceptible to attacks, with hackers successfully gaining access to JP Morgan’s 76 million households plus 7 million small businesses in 2014.

To keep your data safe and secure, however, you must have the newest technologies and the knowledge of industry experts. You and your staff must be up-to-date with the industry standards, which might be hard to do if you’re a small-time player.

Outsourcing solves this problem. It’s their job to get cutting-edge technologies and train their employees regularly so you don’t have to do it. Getting access to these will also ensure that your systems are working smoothly.
6. Increases Competitiveness
If you have a dedicated IT department, the costs of maintaining, training, research, development, and implementation will cost you big bucks. However, businesses don’t always shoulder those costs. It’s the customers who will likely experience the added costs.

If your operating cost is high, you will likely pass it on to customers by raising your product prices. This makes you lose your competitive edge. A small business with a small technical staff will also move more slowly in development, giving competitors a lead.
7. Ensures 24/7 Maintenance
As part of an outsourced IT support contract, there’s likely a team who monitors your IT network on a 24/7 basis. This allows them to recognize flaws and bugs even before they affect your infrastructure and business.

This reduces the possible downtime and loss of productivity. Your own IT staff will likely work on a break/fix set-up, which means they fix a problem when something breaks. This would have already led to decreased productivity and a possible loss of revenue.
8. Decreases Risks
Every investment carries a certain level of risk, and that includes hiring and maintaining a whole department. Companies providing technical support assumes these risks. With their industry knowledge, they can better assess and take steps.
9. Removes the Recruitment Process
Another one of the reasons for outsourcing is that it completely removes the process of hiring from the equation. Recruitment is time-consuming and challenging, especially for a hiring officer who doesn’t know what skill set should the business be looking for in a potential employee.

The lack of the right knowledge opens up the risks of hiring people without the right technical skills for the role. The HR may not even be able to properly define the role if they don’t know what they need.
10. Allows You to Focus on Your Business
When you no longer have to worry about the security and integrity of your system, it allows you to focus on what you need to do in order to grow your business. Your employees, without network interruptions and possibly the added IT responsibilities, will also be able to perform with their best for the company.

You can focus on improving your products and services while the outsourced IT team deals with the technical issues so you and your staff can keep on working without worry.
Outsource Technical Support Now
If you need these benefits, you might now want to outsource technical support. Contact Us and let’s form a solution based on your business’ current needs. We provide a no-obligation IT assessment so we can cover all your technical demands.
- Categories: Hiring, MSPs, SMB, Tips & Tricks

#### 10 Tips for Finding the Best Los Angeles Managed Service Provider for Your Business
The global managed services market reached $65.94 billion in 2022. By 2032, it's estimated to reach an impressive $203.88 billion. This is the result of technological advancements, like cloud computing, cybersecurity threats, and the growing complexity of IT environments.

It's also the result of businesses increasingly recognizing the value of outsourcing their IT needs to specialized providers. Doing so allows them to focus on core operations while leveraging the expertise and scalability of managed service providers.

In the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, innovation often meets ambition. Finding the perfect Los Angeles managed service provider (MSP) can be the key to unlocking your business's full potential.

With multiple options available, selecting the right MSP tailored to your unique needs is paramount.

Discover the top 10 tips to find the best MSP in Los Angeles below.
1. Define Your Outsourced IT Solutions Needs
To find the best Los Angeles managed service provider, you need to determine the managed IT services trends to know right now. This means understanding exactly what IT support your business requires.

Start by identifying your current technology challenges and goals. Consider factors like the size of your business, the complexity of your IT infrastructure, and the level of support your team requires.

You should also think about the specific services you need. For example, are you looking for network monitoring, cybersecurity, or helpdesk support?

Consider whether you need 24/7 monitoring and support or if regular business hours are sufficient.

Make sure to define your budget for IT services and any specific requirements or regulations your industry may have. This can help you narrow down your options while also considering your organization's budget.

The right managed IT services partner will allow you to achieve long-term growth and maintain a competitive edge in today's rapidly evolving business landscape.

By clearly defining your needs, you can narrow down your search for an MSP that can provide the right level of support and services for your business.
2. Check IT Support Companies Experience and Reputation
Checking the experience and reputation of a managed service provider is essential for ensuring reliable service. Look for an MSP that has been in business for several years, as this indicates stability and expertise.

Research online reviews and testimonials from other clients to gauge their satisfaction levels. This is especially important for the 18-34-year-old age group, as 91% of them trust online reviews as much as they would from a family member, friend, or other acquaintance.

You can also ask the MSP for case studies or examples of their work. This allows you to see, firsthand, if they have experience in your industry or with similar businesses.

Check if the MSP has any relevant certifications or partnerships with technology vendors, as this can demonstrate their expertise and commitment to quality service.

Choosing IT managed IT support services saves time and money and  can give you confidence in their ability to meet your IT needs.
3. Assess Network IT Support Services Offered
Assessing the services offered by a managed service provider is crucial. You need to ensure that they can adequately meet your specific IT needs.

Begin by viewing their website to understand the range of services they provide. You can also speak to a representative.

Ask about their approach to service delivery and how they measure performance to ensure they can provide the level of service you expect. Look for services such as:

 	Network security
 	Cybersecurity
 	Cloud services
 	Data backup
 	Disaster recovery planning
 	Helpdesk support

Consider your current and future IT needs to determine if the MSP offers services that align with your business goals. Discuss any specialized services or industry-specific requirements your business may have to ensure the MSP can meet these needs.

It's also important to check if the MSP provides proactive maintenance and monitoring to prevent IT issues before they occur.

Selecting an MSP that offers a comprehensive range of services can help ensure the proper support for your business effectively. This allows you to achieve your IT goals.
4. Evaluate Response Time
Evaluating the response times of a managed service provider is important to ensure your IT issues are addressed promptly. Inquire about their average response time for different types of requests, such as emergencies or general inquiries.

Some inquiries may be answered in as little as 20-30 minutes, while others can take a full 24 hours to receive a response. Check if they offer 24/7 support and how quickly they can respond outside of regular business hours.

Evaluate the MSP's ability to handle emergencies. This is imperative, as every second counts in the case of situations like disaster recovery planning. Discuss their process for escalating issues that require immediate attention to ensure they have a clear and efficient system in place.

You should also ask about their communication channels and how you can reach them in case of an emergency. Consider their location and if they have local technicians who can quickly respond to on-site issues if needed.

Finding a Los Angeles managed service provider with a fast and reliable response time can help minimize downtime. This also ensures your IT systems always remain operational and secure.

Thanks to our central downtown Los Angeles location, Be Structured has proven time and again to have the quickest emergency response times to business in the greater Los Angeles area.
5. Consider Scalability
In 2024, 79% of organizations are planning to increase their cybersecurity budgets. This relates to meeting increasing concerns over digital threats, like malware, ransomware, hackers, and data breaches.

Scalability is a vital aspect when choosing a managed service provider to ensure they can grow with your business. Discuss your future growth plans with the MSP and ensure they can accommodate your expanding IT needs.

Check that they have experience working with businesses of a similar size and growth trajectory to yours. Inquire about their process for scaling up services and if there are any additional costs involved. Ensure they have the flexibility to adjust their services and resources to meet your changing requirements.

Ask about their ability to integrate new technologies or services as your business evolves. You should also consider their track record with other clients in terms of scalability, and if they were able to effectively support their growth.

Identifying a Los Angeles IT support company that can scale with your business ensures you can continue to receive the IT support you need as your company grows and evolves.
6. Verify Technical Certifications
Verifying the certifications of a managed service provider ensures they have the necessary expertise and skills to support your business. Check if the MSP has certifications from major technology vendors such as:

 	Microsoft
 	Cisco
 	Amazon Web Services (AWS)
 	Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
 	VMware

These certifications indicate that the MSP has undergone the proper training. They also validate that the MSP has met specific requirements to demonstrate their proficiency in using and leveraging these technologies.

Ask the MSP to provide proof of their certifications. Be sure to inquire about the expiration dates to ensure they are current. Verify if the MSP has any industry-specific certifications or compliance certifications relevant to your business model.

For example, in a medical or healthcare business, you'll want to verify the necessary HIPAA-compliant certifications. A business that involves payment processing will need to have PCI DSS certifications.

A Los Angeles IT services company with relevant and up-to-date certifications can give you confidence in their ability to provide quality IT services and support for your business.
7. Review Security Measures
Cybercrime is at an all-time high. In 2023, U.S. cybercrime jumped 22% from the previous year. It also amounted to more than $12.5 billion in costs.

Reviewing the security measures of a managed service provider is critical to protecting your business data and systems. Inquire about their unique approach to managing cybersecurity.

Most importantly, do they maintain cybersecurity compliance?

Investigate specific measures they have in place to protect against common threats such as malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. Check if they conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify and address vulnerabilities in your IT infrastructure.

Ask about their data encryption practices to protect sensitive information both at rest and in transit. Discuss their backup and disaster recovery plans. This ensures your data can be quickly restored in the event of a security breach or other disaster.

Research their employee training programs to confirm their staff is educated on the best practices for cybersecurity.

We find that several unique protection strategies that only the best IT support companies in Los Angeles utlizie include things like:

 	Advanced Endpoint Protection
 	Penetration Testing Services
 	DNS Based Email Protection

and many more, along with creating a Zero Trust Network Architecture.

The key beyond these kinds of security protocols, make it a point to consider CMMC compliance with industry standards and regulations, like GDPR or HIPAA, if applicable to your business.

An MSP with robust security measures can help protect your business from cyber threats while assuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data.
8. Understand Pricing
You must also understand the pricing of a managed service provider. Doing this allows you to see how it will fit into your budget. It also allows you to see how these services offer value for the money.

Ask the MSP for a detailed breakdown of their pricing structure. Be sure to include any recurring fees or one-time costs. Inquire about any additional charges for services outside the standard agreement, such as emergency support or project work.

Discuss the payment schedule and terms to ensure they are manageable for your business. Consider the scalability of the pricing. You need to determine if will increase as your business grows or requires additional services.

Ask if there are any discounts available for long-term contracts or bundled services. Compare the pricing of the MSP with other providers to confirm it's competitive.

Understand what is included in the pricing. This includes the level of support, the range of services, and the availability of resources. Verify there are no additional hidden costs.

Finding a Los Angeles managed service provider with transparent and reasonable pricing can help you budget effectively for your IT needs and avoid unexpected costs.
9. Look for Customization Options
Seeking out customization options when choosing a managed service provider is also beneficial. It means your managed service partner can tailor their services to meet your specific needs.

Discuss your business requirements with the MSP and inquire about their ability to customize their services to align with your goals. Check if the MSP offers flexible service agreements that can be adjusted as your needs change.

Inquire about their ability to integrate with your existing IT provider,  infrastructure, and applications. Ask if they can provide personalized solutions for unique challenges your business may face.

Consider their approach to service delivery and if they can adapt their processes to meet your preferences. Discuss any industry-specific requirements or regulations your business must comply with and ensure the MSP can accommodate these needs.

A Los Angeles managed IT services provider that offers customization options will help you receive the level of support and services that best fit your business.
10. Seek References
Seeking references when choosing a managed service provider can provide valuable insights into their performance and reliability. Just as with any job interview or service provider hiring, it's necessary in order to get an idea of the quality of work you can expect to receive.

Ask the MSP for references from current or past clients who can speak to their experience working with the provider. Contact these references to ask about their overall satisfaction with the MSP's services.

Gauge certain attributes including their responsiveness, expertise, and ability to meet their IT needs. You should also inquire about any challenges the references faced while working with the MSP and how the provider handled them.

Ask about the MSP's communication style and if they were proactive in addressing issues or providing updates. Discuss any specific requirements or concerns you have with the references to see if they're well-equipped to address them.

Consider the length of time the references have been working with the MSP. Long-standing relationships can indicate a high level of satisfaction and reliability.

Seeking references can help you make an informed decision when hiring a Los Angeles managed service provider. It also helps determine the level of service and support your business needs.
Make Be Structured Technology Group Your Los Angeles Managed Service Provider Today
The modern world requires an advanced approach that can help you meet your technology and security needs head-on. You need more than just an IT provider; you need a managed services partner that understands and supports how you do business.

Be Structured Technology Group is the Los Angeles outsourced IT support services provider you need. We offer full-service managed IT services from network installation and maintenance to cyber security, data backup and recovery, and everything else in between. We'll tailor an approach to meet your IT needs.

Want to see what Be Structured can do for you? Contact us today to schedule a free IT consultation.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, cybersecurity compliance, Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### 11 Signs It's Time to Switch to Managed IT Services
There's a lot of talk of how the pandemic negatively impacted the business world, and in some industries this was true.

However, it's not all gloom and doom for US businesses. Many company owners were quick to adapt to changing circumstances by launching online e-commerce options. Others happened to be involved in the medical or tech industries and found demand for their products soaring.

If your business falls into the second category, you may have experienced record growth since the start of COVID-19. Or perhaps your brand has already been gaining traction for many years.

Either way, you might be wondering, "Is it time for managed IT services?"

For local companies, here are 11 sure signs that it's time to take a look at a managed service provider in Los Angeles.
1. You're Worried About Cybersecurity
If you run a small-to-medium-sized business, you may not give much thought to hackers and cyberattacks. After all, it's always the major corporations that land in the headlines for data breaches, right?

Don't be so quick to dismiss the possibility that it could happen to you. The truth is that hackers and viruses don't discriminate based on the size of your company. Even if you only have a few dozen employees and clients, their personal information is just as valuable — and just as vulnerable.

Between January and October 2021, over 281 million people were affected by some sort of data breach. Ransomware and phishing schemes continue to be the most popular tools for hackers because (sadly) they continue to work.

Is your company 100% prepared to protect your sensitive data? Have you trained your employees to identify potential threats that land in their inboxes? The problem is only going to get worse as technology advances, so the time to protect your business is right now.
2. Your Infrastructure Is Outdated
Maybe you had the latest and greatest hardware and software installed when you started your company. But how long ago was that?

Last year? Five years ago? Ten years ago? Do you even remember?

These days, both software and hardware components evolve with blinding speed. The latest technology is quickly outdated as new updates and models roll out. If you're unable to keep up, you're leaving your business wide open to cyberattacks, unexpected downtime, and other potential problems.

Understandably, many small businesses struggle to keep up with the latest changes. They can also be held back by the prohibitively high costs of upgrades.

If this sounds like your dilemma, managed service providers have the answer. They partner with vendors to offer you discounts as well as automatic software updates or patches.

For Southern California businesses, this allows you to take advantage of all the latest IT support Los Angeles solutions - without breaking the bank
3. Your IT Costs Are Unpredictable
Do you find it impossible to predict your IT costs from one month to the next?

Maybe the "pay as you go" model worked when your company was just starting out. Maybe you've managed to skate by only seeking IT services when you faced a problem. Or maybe you're working with several different vendors that keep raising their prices or charging for services you don't need.

If you can relate to any of these things, you need professionally managed IT services. You can consolidate all your outsourced IT support needs into one service from one provider. Most importantly, you'll incur a consistent, predictable monthly bill that you can work into your business budget.

Don't wait for something to break (or worse). Just like routine maintenance for your home or your car, a proactive approach to IT is sure to save you time and money.
4. You Struggle With Performance Issues
You never know what you're going to get when you enter the office. Some days, your system functions beautifully. Other days, your servers go down and your network has ongoing connection problems.

These issues can wreak havoc on workplace efficiency, not to mention leave you wide open to security threats.

Ideally, your IT department will keep your network operational 99.999% of the time. This concept of "five-nines availability" means that your network will only be unavailable for six minutes or less in an entire year.

This is an amazing goal for every business, but let's face it — it's a high bar to set.

If your in-house team struggles to hit this mark (or doesn't even come close), it's a sure sign you could benefit from managed IT services. They have the skills and tools required to prevent unnecessary downtime and keep your network running smoothly.
5. You Need More Support for Remote Workers
If the world was already trending towards remote work before 2020, the pandemic kicked this trend into high gear.

At the end of 2020, 71% of Americans were working from home at least part-time. Many company owners already have plans to allow remote or hybrid work options in the future — even after COVID-19 is behind us.

Were you forced to transition to remote work environments in the past 18 months? If so, you likely faced a unique set of challenges you weren't prepared for. It's harder to keep everyone in the loop and oversee a team when they're not physically in the office.

Although there are plenty of remote IT tools available, it's possible that your staff is too busy to use them. They may also lack the knowledge they need to use them effectively. Another possibility is that their home office setup is outdated or otherwise less than ideal.

How can you increase workplace efficiency and communication when your team is spread out across the country (or the globe)?

Again, an IT managed support services provider can help. They can recommend and install remote access software for you, as well as provide ongoing support for these systems. There might be other practical steps you can take as well, such as hosted VoIP solutions to optimize communication.
6. You Don't Have a Disaster Recovery Plan
When you're first starting out, you're focused on surviving. You're so busy getting your business up and running that you may not consider the possibility of everything crashing.

But as your company expands, it's vital to create a solid disaster recovery plan. In the unfortunate event of a hardware crash or a security breach, all of your essential business data could vanish in an instant. Even a simple staff error, like someone clicking a seemingly innocent link, could spell disaster for your data.

A managed IT services provider knows just how catastrophic a situation like this can become. That's why they'll take time to craft a disaster recovery plan tailor-made to the needs of your business. This could include cloud computing and off-site data backups, as well as encryption and blockchain technologies.

Of course, regular data backups are essential no matter the size of your business. But when you consider the risks associated with a hardware crash or cyberattack, you'll likely agree that you need the help of professional IT services.
7. You Don't Have Sufficient IT Support
In the early days of your business, maybe you were your own "tech support." As your company grew, you likely onboarded one or two people to create an in-house support team.

How's that arrangement working for you now? It might have been fine in the beginning, but many business owners quickly find their company growth outpacing their IT capabilities.

Rather than an efficient in-house team, you're left with a few overworked and overwhelmed employees who can't keep up with their workloads. Or you could end up relying on service technicians in an endless break-and-fix cycle. As a result, you may lose valuable data, suffer network outages, or experience frequent hardware crashes.

Don't get us wrong — it's great that business is booming! But as your company continues to expand, your IT needs will change. It could simply be that you've become too big for a small in-house team to manage.

Free yourself from the break/fix mindset and adopt a more proactive approach to your IT needs. Unlike your frazzled employees, managed IT services can provide 24/7 support and monitoring to ensure your IT requirements are met.
8. You Want to Migrate (But You Don't Know How)
Everyone's telling you it's time to migrate to the cloud. Maybe you've looked into it but you feel overwhelmed by the process. It's a daunting prospect for sure, especially when you consider the consequences of doing it incorrectly.

It's also possible that you need to migrate to a new operating system or start using new software, but you're not sure how the process will affect your company's existing data.

For as complicated as these dilemmas are, the solution is simple. Managed service providers are experts in every type of migration. They can analyze your company's needs and design a custom migration strategy that suits your business.

When done correctly, the benefits of migrating outweigh any potential risks. You'll enjoy cost savings and better scalability, as well as increased productivity and enhanced security. Look for managed IT services that provide network installation and custom cloud migration services so you don't get left behind.
9. You're Stressed About Compliance
Do you work in an industry that requires regulatory compliance? Do you get a headache just thinking about acronyms like HIPAA, GDPR, or CCPA?

New data privacy and protection laws get passed each year, and it can be a challenge to keep up with the latest changes. At best, you could get slapped with fines for compliance violations.

At worst, your entire business could get shut down.

Don't put yourself or your company at risk. The last thing you want to do is get into legal trouble because you (knowingly or unknowingly) broke a rule about customer data or credit card information.

To ensure you're meeting your industry's IT requirements, it's best to partner with a professional service provider. They'll be up to date on the latest laws and regulations that affect your industry. They'll also keep your network and data as safe as possible to prevent any costly mistakes.
10. You Lost Track of Your IT Assets
What starts out as a simple network setup in a small office can quickly grow into something complex. Before you know it, you've lost track of how many PCs you have or which versions of Microsoft are running on which computers.

When's the last time you took a detailed inventory of your assets? If you don't know exactly what you have, how can you possibly expect to keep it updated and protected?

It could be that some of your computers are missing critical data. You might also find that some get updated and maintained regularly while others get neglected. Without an effective system for monitoring and patch management, you're leaving yourself wide open to security risks.

Managed IT services can identify potential problems or threats before they become critical. They'll start with a complete inventory and assessment of your network. Then they can provide a custom maintenance plan to keep everything in good working order.
11. You Want Peace of Mind
We've talked a lot about technicalities, but let's focus on the bigger picture. If you're lying awake at night worried about unresolved security problems, it's time to take action.

But where to start?

You can go through the Google process of searching for "IT support near me", but then you have to reach out to a bunch of different companies.

Be Structured Technology Group is the leading Los Angeles IT services company that can quickly and efficiently manage all of your essential IT needs. This will also free up valuable time to focus on the core aspects of running and growing your business.

When you look at it from this perspective, the benefits of outsourcing IT work to professionals are priceless.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
If you were nodding as you read this article, outsourcing IT work is the solution you're looking for.

Simply put, your company can't afford any unexpected downtime — let alone a cyberattack or a data breach. If your business has grown and your in-house IT department can't keep up, it's time to consider managed IT services.

Be Structured Technology Group proudly provides IT support services to companies throughout the Los Angeles area. From 24/7 monitoring and disaster recovery to cloud migration and network installation, we have everything you need to keep your business up and running.

Give us a call at 1-323-331-9452 or click here to learn more about our managed IT services.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Cloud Solutions, IT Support, Managed IT

#### 13 Steps to Ensure Cybersecurity Compliance for Your Company
Cyberattacks are on the rise-increasing globally by 7% in Q1 2023. Cybersecurity has become an essential concern for companies of all sizes.

The consequences of a breach can be devastating. This can range from financial losses and reputational damage to legal liabilities.

It is imperative for organizations to prioritize cybersecurity compliance. They must protect their sensitive data, and intellectual property, and maintain customer trust. To learn what your company can do, read our listicle below.
1. Understand the Regulatory Landscape
It's crucial to first understand the relevant laws and regulations governing your industry. This will largely depend on your location and the nature of your business.

You may need to adhere to certain cybersecurity compliance protocols like:

 	GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
 	HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
 	CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)

Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to severe penalties and legal ramifications.
2. Conduct a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment
The foundation of your cybersecurity compliance strategy will be performing a thorough risk assessment. This helps to see any potential threats, vulnerabilities, and the impact of security breaches on your business.

Important factors to consider include:

 	The type of data you handle
 	Your network infrastructure
 	The security protocols in place

Any areas in need of immediate attention can be handled. You can now allocate resources more effectively.
3. Develop a Comprehensive Cybersecurity Policy
You will need a well-crafted cybersecurity policy. This will serve as a roadmap for your organization's security efforts.

It should encompass:

 	Guidelines on data protection
 	Employee access controls
 	Incident response procedures
 	Acceptable use of company resources

To ensure that the policy aligns with the unique needs of your company, be sure to involve stakeholders in the process.
4. Employee Training and Awareness
Employees are often the weakest link in an organization's cybersecurity defense. Conduct regular training sessions to educate your staff about potential cyber threats, phishing attacks, and the importance of following security best practices.
5. Implement Strong Access Controls
To maintain cybersecurity compliance, you'll also want to limit access to sensitive data. If an employee leaves the company or changes roles, promptly revoke access.

Here are some steps to get started:

 	Utilize role-based access controls
 	Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
 	Regular access audits

Contact your local IT support to get everything set up properly.
6. Regularly Update and Patch Systems
To take your team's cybersecurity to the next level, think like a hacker. Many know that they can exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software and operating systems.

For this reason, regularly update and patch all your systems and applications. This will help to protect yourself from potential attacks.
7. Secure Network Perimeters
Protecting your network perimeter is vital in preventing unauthorized access.

Deploy and monitor:

 	Firewalls
 	Intrusion detection systems
 	Intrusion prevention systems

Regularly review and update these security measures to stay ahead of emerging threats.
8. Encrypt Sensitive Data
You want to ensure that all data is encrypted. In the event of a breach, encrypted data remains incomprehensible to unauthorized parties. This minimizes the potential impact of the attack.
9. Regularly Monitor and Audit Security Measures
Continuous monitoring and auditing processes must be implemented as well. Real-time monitoring helps identify suspicious activities and potential threats early. This allows your team to respond promptly and minimizes the damage.
10. Incident Response Plan
No matter how robust your cybersecurity measures are, there is always a possibility of a breach. Your comprehensive incident response plan should outline the immediate actions to be taken in case of a cyber attack.

Test this plan regularly through simulated exercises to ensure a swift and coordinated response in a real-world scenario.
11. Regularly Review and Update Policies
Cybersecurity compliance evolves rapidly. What works today may not be sufficient tomorrow. This is why it's imperative to update your cybersecurity policies regularly.

This will help you to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging threats. You'll be more equipped to comply with any changes in relevant regulations.

Engage with cybersecurity experts and stay informed about the latest industry best practices.
12. Secure Third-Party Relationships
Many businesses rely on third-party vendors and partners for various services, such as cloud storage, software development, or data processing. These relationships can also pose cybersecurity risks.

Ensure that your third-party partners maintain a high level of security and comply with the same standards you expect from your own organization. Include specific cybersecurity requirements in your contracts and regularly audit their compliance to mitigate potential risks.
13. Foster a Culture of Cybersecurity
Encourage a culture of cybersecurity. Make sure everyone understands their role in safeguarding sensitive information.

You want your employees to report any suspicious activity promptly. Make it clear that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility across all levels.  Acknowledge and reward individuals who adhere to security best practices and contribute to the overall safety of the organization.
Cybersecurity Compliance Starts With You
Most cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles will tell you that cybersecurity compliance is not a one-time task-it's an ongoing journey. Adopt a proactive and comprehensive approach. Doing so will help to minimize the risk of data breaches and protect sensitive intel.

The longevity and success of your business depends on this. The digital age is an ever-evolving thing, so do your best to stay ahead of the curve.

The good news is that you're not alone in the process. Our IT support company will work with you every step of the way.

If you are in need of cybersecurity, do not hesitate to contact Be Structured Technology Group. Your business is depending on you to make the right call.
- Categories: cybersecurity compliance

#### 18 Data Security Tips For Small Businesses
When you think about cyber-crime, you may associate it with big business. But small businesses are just as vulnerable to cyber attacks. Protecting your data and your customers has never been more important. Since the pandemic, cyber-crimes have increased, and all businesses are at risk, including businesses that specialize in IT consulting in Los Angeles. Ensuring your data security should be a primary concern. A little planning can help you avoid becoming the victim of theft, fraud, or hacking. Here are 18 tips for IT support in LA.
1. Provide Employee Training
Your employees are one of your greatest weapons against cyber threats. Providing ongoing training is important to keep sensitive information safe and secure.

Employees should have training on basic security practices and policies. This includes ensuring they maintain strong passwords and follow appropriate Internet usage guidelines.

Make sure employees understand the importance of following security protocols and where to turn when they have a question or concern.
2. Back Up Everything
Backing up your data is critical. Never store important or sensitive data in one place or on a single device.

Always have an external drive for backup. You want to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

Critical data may include:

 	Financial files
 	Employee data
 	Business documents
 	Human resource files
 	Accounts receivable/payable data

Make sure your system backs up data automatically. There are various cloud storage options available. You may want to consider keeping hard copies of important records as well.
3. Make Encryption a Priority
For hackers to use your business data, they must be able to read it. You can counter this possibility by using encryption.

Using various algorithms and mathematical schemes, data is scrambled into an unreadable format. The only one who can read it is the one with the encryption key.

Be sure to install encryption on all your drives and devices. Encrypt emails containing sensitive information as well.
4. Maintain Firewall Security
A firewall prevents others from accessing your data using a private network. Make sure your Wi-Fi network is secure and hidden.

Don't broadcast your network name or information. Your router should be password protected.

Using encryption and a firewall protects your data from prying eyes. These safeguards add an additional level of security to protect your sensitive business data.
5. Protect Your System From Viruses
Your business, large or small, is vulnerable to viruses, malware, and spyware. One way to mitigate these risks is with anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

The top brands are continually updating their products to protect against these cyber threats. Make sure you are running regular checks and updates on your anti-theft software.
6. Consider Mobile Device Security
Mobile devices are more of a security risk than you may realize. They present a significant security threat. This is especially true if they hold sensitive information or are connected to the corporate network.

All mobile devices should be password protected. Encrypt data and install security apps to deter data theft while on public networks.

Make sure employees understand protocols for mobile devices and how to report lost or stolen devices.
7. Control Physical Access
Encourage all employees to keep their laptops password protected and locked when not in use. Prevent unauthorized individuals from using business computers.

Don't hand out administrative privileges to all your employees. Reserve this for IT personnel and management to prevent data leaks or downloads of pirated software.

Although you want to trust your employees, you have to be careful. Too many people with various passwords is never a good plan.
8. Require Password Authentication
Layers of password authentication can help you protect your critical business data. Require each employee to have a unique password and encourage them to change passwords every three months.

Consider using multi-factor authentication. This requires users to know additional information beyond a password to gain access.

Check with your vendors, accountants, financial institutions, or any outside associates who handle your sensitive business data. Ask if they use multi-factor authentication to access your accounts.
9. Secure Wi-Fi Networks
Unsecure Wi-Fi networks are an invitation for cyber theft. You need a Wi-Fi network for your business. But make sure it's as secure as possible.

Your network information should be encrypted and hidden from public view. Ensure your wireless access point or router doesn't broadcast the network name or Service Set Identifier (SSID). Be sure to password protect Wi-Fi access.
10. Ensure Best Practices With Payments
You want to be able to take payments without any issues. Your customers depend on you to safeguard their financial information. They want a fast and safe payment method.

Make sure banks or financial institutions you use employ the latest tools and anti-fraud services. Isolate your payment systems from less secure programs.

Make sure employees don't use the same computer to accept payments, surf the Internet or attend to their personal business.
11. Update Software
A clean computer is essential for smooth online service. It's also a good defense against online threats.

Make sure your computer systems are up-to-date and running on the latest software. Ensure you're receiving automatic updates as they become available.

A clean system is your best defense against viruses, malware, spyware, and other online threats.

Have an IT professional set antivirus software to run a scan after software updates. Be sure you're getting relevant updates as they become available.
12. Monitor Personal Devices
If you're a small business owner, you probably don't provide employees with mobile devices for personal use. Because of this, there's always a risk when employees access company data.

One option to consider is monitoring software to ensure your sensitive data remains secure. You do not need to invade employee privacy or disallow specific apps.

The aim is to protect your business from employees on their personal devices.
13. Recognize Common Scams
The purpose of a scam is to fool you, and cyber criminals are masters at it. That's why it's so important to be aware of potential scams.

Educate your employees so they know what to watch for. Hackers or cyber criminals frequently use tactics like phishing emails or texts, social media spam, social engineering attacks, and malware downloads.

Something that appears as innocent as a text or email could have serious consequences for your business.

Being aware and implementing protective measures can help keep your sensitive data protected. This can save you a lot of time, stress, and money in the long run.
14. Perform Background Checks
When you think of cybersecurity, you may automatically think of outside attacks. But cybersecurity must start within.

In fact, it could be happening right before your eyes. Employees are the biggest threat to your business. Although you can't ever be 100% certain an employee is honest, you can take measures to weed out those with a history of theft.

It's important to be vigilant with your hiring and onboarding processes. Make sure you do background checks and verify references.

Maintain a connection with your employees. Be observant about what is going on in the workplace.

Have an open-door policy and encourage all staff members to speak up if they notice something out of the ordinary.
15. Shred Business Documents
It's not just digital data that needs to be safeguarded. Physical documents are a concern as well.

Access to sensitive documents should be limited. All other access should require authorization.

If your employees have access to sensitive documentation, it's hard to determine the source if it goes missing. Limiting access can help you determine a paper trail.

Shred old records or hard copies of sensitive data. Have a process in place and someone to oversee it.
16. Check Your Vulnerability to Hacking
As a business owner, it's smart to know where your vulnerabilities lie. One way to determine system weaknesses is to take a good look at your current security measures and identify where you can improve.

Professional IT services in Los Angeles can audit your system to check for weaknesses. They can help you develop new strategies to protect your data and keep your business running as it should.

Making changes to secure your computer systems protects your business, your employees, and your customers from potential cyber threats.
17. Prepare for the Worst
Cyber attacks happen every day. And you could be next. Because these types of attacks are prevalent, it's smart to prepare yourself for the worst.

Unless you're a cybersecurity expert, don't try to go it alone. Enlist the help of IT support in Los Angeles. They can help you recognize and prevent cyber theft. And they can help you create a plan for your business in case disaster strikes.
18. Don't Mix Work and Pleasure
If you're a busy professional, it's normal for your work and family life to blur at times. You may take work home with you or handle personal business in the office on occasion.

Whenever possible, try to keep your business operations separate from your home life. Don't store business data on the same devices you share with family members or friends.

This puts your data at unnecessary risk. It's a much better practice to keep your work technology out of the hands of anyone who shouldn't have access to it.
Types of Threats to Small Businesses
Cybercriminals are fearless in their pursuit of sensitive data. Although they are always creating new scams and schemes, here are a few common methods to be aware of.
Phishing Scams
This occurs when a cybercriminal targets an email recipient and tries to entice them into opening a malware-laden link or malicious attachment.

This is a very common scam, and innocent people fall prey to it every day.
Drive-By Downloads
With a drive-by download, a malicious website attempts to install software on your computer without your consent. This occurs when operating systems are out of date and proper security measures are not in place.
Watering Holes
This occurs when legitimate websites are hacked and turned into malicious websites. This typically occurs without the knowledge of the site's owner.

The goal is to install malware on a device. This requires the user to complete an action such as clicking on a link, entering personal information, or downloading a file.
Best Practices for Small Businesses
When your business is a victim of a cyberattack, a data breach may occur. This can reveal a variety of sensitive data, including documents, intellectual property, social security numbers, financial information, credit card numbers, and more.

Cybercriminals may attempt to mine information about your employees and customers. This is a growing global problem, and every business is at risk.

Cybersecurity begins with awareness. You want to know the risks and the best practices for protecting your business from these potential threats.

If you're searching for IT support in LA, make sure you hire a reputable team of experts to help you develop a plan to protect your business data.

The more proactive you are regarding cybersecurity, the better you're able to secure your company's information.
Finding IT Support in LA
Cyber crimes are a growing concern for business owners. It's crucial to understand the need for cybersecurity for your business.

Your business is a huge investment and one of your greatest assets. You want to do everything you can to protect your company from a cybersecurity breach.

Consult an IT expert to help you review your security practices and create a plan to protect your business, employees, and customers from ruthless cyber criminals.

If you're looking for IT support in LA, we'd love to assist you with all your technology needs. We can assist you with IT security, consulting, and support. Contact us today to learn more.
- Categories: IT Support

#### 2019 Best Places to Work in LA
The Los Angeles Business Journal named Be Structured Technology Group #4 out of 100 on their 100 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles list. We were honored to receive the nomination last month but are thrilled to have been chosen for the award.
Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, promotes a solid work-life balance for all our employees. The company provides flexible schedules, work from home opportunities, and a significant benefits package which includes a generous commuter allowance. The management team actively invites employee feedback on ways to improve the work environment via weekly confidential surveys and face-to-face employee reviews with 360-degree feedback.
The greatest strength of Be Structured is our outstanding staff. We are committed to providing the best customer service and meeting our project goals, deadlines and budgets. It is our staff values, respectful collaboration, and passion for our work that leads to our belief that we have the best team in the industry. We are always looking for dedicated new members too! Check out our careers page and send in your resume if you’re looking for one of the best places to work an Information Technology Career in Los Angeles.
The 13th annual “Best Places to Work in Los Angeles” luncheon and awards celebration was hosted by the Los Angeles Business Journal at the LA Grand Hotel on Monday, August 9th. The event saluted companies that, according to the people who work for them, are the most successful in business and in nurturing their own.  Though many companies competed for this award, the one thing that set the winners apart was a “commitment to the concept that employees’ well being directly impacts a company’s well being—in the eyes of the public, its business partners, customers and shareholders.”
This survey and awards program were designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in Los Angeles, benefiting the county’s economy, workforce and businesses. The list is made up of 100 companies. Companies from across the county entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics.  The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience.
- Categories: Awards, Hiring, Press
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support

#### 24/7 IT Support for Manufacturing: Maximizing Uptime and Productivity
In the high-demand world of manufacturing, where production schedules are tightly aligned with market needs, unplanned downtime is not just an inconvenience—it’s a direct threat to revenue and reputation. 
For companies operating under these intense conditions, the benefits of 24/7 IT support for manufacturing has become a necessity.
Modern manufacturing relies heavily on complex networks of machinery, software, and communication systems. From robotic automation to IoT-enabled devices, these technologies have revolutionized the industry but also increased its dependency on seamless IT infrastructure. 
Around-the-clock IT monitoring ensures these systems function optimally, minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity.

The Need for Reliable IT Support in Manufacturing 
To appreciate the significance of 24/7 IT monitoring, one must first understand the critical role uptime plays in manufacturing. Uptime refers to the period during which a system or machine operates without failure. Even brief interruptions can cascade into delayed production schedules, missed delivery deadlines, and substantial financial losses.
For example, a 2019 survey by ITIC revealed that an hour of downtime can cost companies up to $300,000 on average. In manufacturing, this figure can escalate due to the sheer scale of production processes, making uninterrupted IT support indispensable.
However, maintaining high uptime is easier said than done.


Common Challenges in Manufacturing IT Support
Manufacturing companies face numerous IT-related challenges that threaten productivity:


 	
Aging Infrastructure: Many manufacturing plants still rely on outdated systems that struggle to keep up with modern demands. These legacy systems are more prone to failures and incompatible with emerging technologies.

 	
Cybersecurity Risks: Increasing digitization has made manufacturing systems attractive targets for cyberattacks. Ransomware and malware can bring production to a standstill.

 	
Complex Systems Integration: With various tools and platforms working together, integration issues can lead to inefficiencies and breakdowns.

 	
Limited In-House Expertise: Many manufacturers lack the internal IT resources needed to monitor and address these challenges effectively.


Without proper IT network support services, these issues can significantl disrupt operations.
How 24/7 IT Support for Manufacturing Helps Address Challenges
Continuous IT monitoring provides a proactive approach to preventing downtime and resolving problems before they escalate. Unlike reactive support that waits for issues to arise, 24/7 IT services actively track system performance to detect anomalies early.

Benefits of Continuous IT Monitoring

 	
Real-Time Alerts: Instant notifications of system errors allow IT teams to act swiftly, minimizing the impact of potential failures.

 	
Routine Health Checks: Regular evaluations of infrastructure identify vulnerabilities and ensure all systems remain operational.

 	
Proactive Problem Resolution: With round-the-clock monitoring, IT experts can often resolve issues before they become noticeable to users.


For example, a manufacturing plant that uses managed IT services can expect a significant reduction in downtime after implementing real-time monitoring, demonstrating the tangible benefits of a proactive approach

Boosting Employee Productivity with Reliable Outsourced IT Support
The effects of uninterrupted IT support extend beyond machinery and systems. Employees also benefit significantly from stable IT environments, leading to higher morale and productivity.

Key Advantages for Employees

 	
Reduced Downtime Stress: Employees can focus on their tasks without disruptions caused by system failures.

 	
Streamlined Processes: Automated troubleshooting and quick IT resolutions eliminate delays in workflows.

 	
Greater Confidence: Knowing that IT systems are continuously monitored fosters trust in the organization’s infrastructure.


By empowering employees with reliable tools and resources, manufacturers can optimize their workforce’s efficiency and satisfaction.

The Long-Term ROI of 24/7 IT Support for Manufacturing 
While investing in continuous IT support may seem costly upfront, the long-term financial benefits far outweigh the expenses.


 	
Minimized Downtime Costs: With reduced interruptions, companies save on lost production and labor expenses.

 	
Extended Equipment Lifespan: Regular IT maintenance prevents wear and tear on technology, delaying costly replacements.

 	
Improved Efficiency: Optimized workflows and fewer disruptions lead to higher output and profitability.


Moreover, manufacturers that adopt 24/7 IT support gain a competitive edge by ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality products on schedule.




Emerging Technologies and the Future of IT Support


As technology evolves, so do the demands on IT systems in manufacturing. Innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are poised to revolutionize how manufacturing operations are monitored and optimized.


 	AI for Predictive Maintenance: AI algorithms can predict when equipment is likely to fail, allowing for preemptive repairs that prevent downtime.
 	IoT Integration: Internet of Things (IoT) devices enable real-time data collection and analysis, enhancing decision-making processes.
 	Cloud Solutions: Cloud-based systems offer scalability and flexibility, ensuring manufacturers can adapt to changing demands.

By staying ahead of these trends, manufacturers can future-proof their operations and continue to thrive in a rapidly changing industry.

Taking the Next Step Toward Maximizing Uptime
In the competitive manufacturing sector, downtime is not an option. Investing in 24/7 IT support ensures systems run smoothly, productivity remains high, and costly disruptions are minimized.
At Be Structured, we specialize in providing reliable 24/7 IT support tailored to the unique needs of manufacturing companies. From proactive monitoring to expert integration of cutting-edge technologies, our services are designed to help you maximize uptime and productivity.


Take the first step toward uninterrupted operations—schedule a free consultation today!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, IT support for manufacturing, Managed It Services
- Tags: IT support services, Network Monitoring

#### 2FA vs. MFA: What's the Difference?
When you’re setting up a website, it’s important that you put the right security measures in place. Not only do you need to secure your website against viruses and hackers, but you also need to ensure your customers are protected. Picking the right authentication factor system could be the key to keeping your customers’ data safe.



When you’re picking a security system for your site, there are a couple of different authentication factor systems you can use. Read on to learn more about the differences between 2FA vs. MFA and when you should use each.



Importance of Appropriate Security 



Before we dive into the differences between two factor authentication vs multi factor authentication, let’s talk some about the importance of having the right security. These days, every part of our lives interacts with the internet in some form or fashion. We check our bank balances online, we interact with friends online, we communicate with our doctors online, and we even work online.



While this level of connectivity is convenient and has been crucial in the last year, it does put us at somewhat higher risk. If websites don’t have proper security, almost anyone can get in and steal our most sensitive information. Appropriate security keeps us protected from hackers, identity thieves, and others who would take advantage of that vulnerability.



What Are Authentication Factors?



Authentication factors are the tools websites use to ensure that the person signing into their service is who they say they are. There are a variety of different things that can serve as authentication factors, which we’ll discuss more in a moment. Most of the time, this takes the form of a piece of knowledge that only you would have.



Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably run into authentication factors before. When you were a kid, your parents may have had a secret code word that adults had to give you if they picked you up from school. That passcode was a real-life example of an authentication factor used to keep you safe.



The Four Authentication Factors 



There are four different kinds of authentication factors websites may use. These are knowledge, possession, inherence, and location.



Of these four factors, knowledge is by far the most common. Like the secret code when you were a kid, knowledge authentication relies on the user providing a piece of information only they would know. This can include a password, a PIN number, a security question answer, an address, or more. 



Possession authentication relies on the user having a specific object that provides additional proof of their identity. You’ll see this most commonly when a website sends a temporary passcode to your email or phone. Only the person with that phone number or email address could get the passcode.



Inherence authentication uses qualities of who you are to verify your identity. Most often, this authentication takes the form of biometrics. You probably use it every day when you use your thumbprint or Face ID to unlock your phone, although voice recognition and retina scans can also be used.



Finally, location-based authentication uses your physical location to help verify your identity. This is often tracked through GPS signals, IP addresses, and other such tools. Your bank uses this form of authentication when they let you know that someone in France is attempting to use your credit card when you live and work in Idaho.



What Is 2FA? 



So now that we know a little more about authentication factors, let’s talk some about what 2FA is. Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is a method of identity verification that relies on two of the factors we listed above. These two factors can be in the same category, or they may rely on two different methods entirely.



You’ve seen 2FA at work when you’ve logged into an online account and then they’ve sent you a temporary passcode that you needed to enter. Your phone also uses two-factor authentication, even if you have Face ID turned on. From time to time, you may need to re-enter your passcode or an app password to ensure that you still can provide those two authentication factors.



How It Works 



2FA is based on the idea that it’s much harder to get two sensitive pieces of information about someone than one. For instance, let’s say you have a password to get into your bank account and that’s all. Hackers can steal your password from a vulnerable device or simply try millions of different passwords until they get the right one and then have access to your bank account. 



But a hacker is much, much less likely to be able to steal or guess both the correct password and the correct PIN number. Stealing your phone and getting the right password will be even harder. And in order for them to get both your password and your fingerprint or Face ID, they would have to kidnap you to break into your bank account.



Advantages of 2FA 



Of course, the big advantage 2FA has over single-factor authentication is that it’s much more secure. For the reasons we just talked about, it’s rare that accounts protected by 2FA get broken into. This means you can rest easy at night knowing that your most sensitive information is safe from theft. 



2FA also provides a nice balance between security and convenience. As we’ll discuss more later, MFA can get cumbersome and can start to have a negative impact on your experience. But 2FA is simple enough that you can still log into your accounts securely and with minimal hassle.



Disadvantages of 2FA



What 2FA gives you in convenience, however, it sacrifices in security. This is especially true if the particular 2FA system a website is running uses two of the same types of authentication factors. It’s much, much easier to steal two knowledge-based factors or to get access to one possession-based device than it is to steal MFA information.



And although it’s more convenient than some MFA systems, 2FA can also be a pain to deal with. Not only do you have to remember the specific password for that account, but now you also have to keep track of a PIN number or remember the answer to a security question. People may start to reuse the same passwords and PINs just to make things easier, canceling out the security 2FA is supposed to provide in the first place.



What Is MFA?



As you might guess from the name, multi-factor authentication, or MFA, uses three or more authentication factors to verify a user’s identity. Although this may sound cumbersome, you likely encounter it more often than you think. For instance, consider the process you go through to check your bank balance on your phone.



First, you must have a phone that you can unlock (possession and knowledge factors), and you must know your bank account password (knowledge factor). If you have a phone with a touch ID or Face ID, you may be able to use those to log into your account (inherency factor). And if your bank notices a log-in attempt from an unusual location, they may ask for an additional form of verification (location factor). 



How It Works



The idea behind MFA is to make it almost impossible for a hacker to gather all the information they’d need to break into a specific account. The only person in the world who will have all the authentication factors needed is the person who rightfully owns the account. Missing even one factor will keep the person locked out for good. 



The best MFA systems use a combination of different factor types and ones that come naturally to the users. You’ll never have to try to remember what your fingerprint is or where you normally live and work. But those authentication factors can be among the most challenging for hackers to replicate when they’re trying to break into your account.



Advantages of MFA



It should come as no surprise that the biggest advantage MFA systems offer is security.
Multi-factor authentication does strengthen your defense against hacks and cyber attacks.These systems are popular for the most sensitive information we have online, including bank accounts and medical data. As our lives move more and more online, MFA systems can protect our privacy and keep us safe.



MFA systems also allow for greater use of different authentication factor types. 2FA can use at most two of the authentication factor types, which still leaves opportunities for hackers. But by diversifying which factor types a system uses, it becomes almost impossible for someone to get all the factors correct and fake their way into an account.



Disadvantages of MFA



One of the major disadvantages of MFA, of course, is that it can get incredibly cumbersome if not handled right. Ideally, an MFA system will use factors that come naturally to you, such as security questions, location, or biometric identifiers. But if you have to remember three different passcodes to access an account, you may give up on it altogether.



MFA can also turn into something of a deadlock situation for users who may legitimately have forgotten their passwords. If they don’t know their password, an MFA system may ask for a different passcode that they also don’t know in order to access the system to reset the first password. A legitimate user may wind up locked out entirely or may have to call a support center for help.



When to Use 2FA



While each system has advantages and disadvantages, there are appropriate times to use each of the authentication systems we’ve discussed. When you need convenience to take priority over security, 2FA is the way to go. These systems provide enough security to keep your customers’ data safe without all the hoops MFA systems have.



2FA systems are well-suited to online shopping systems, social media platforms, and other such websites. These sites can have some sensitive customer data, and they need the protection 2FA systems provide. But they aren’t as critical as things like bank accounts and medical information, so convenience can take a higher spot on the priority list.



When to Use MFA



When your customers’ security is the most important thing of all, you need to implement MFA security measures. Not only is the extra protection critical to your operations, but your customers will also appreciate it. They may not even mind as much jumping through the extra hoops if they know it’s keeping them safe.



MFA systems should be used for financial institutions, medical applications, and school logins. Some companies may want to consider these systems for the platforms where their remote workers log in to do their work. When security is paramount and convenience doesn’t matter as much, MFA systems are the right place to put your trust.



Learn More About 2FA vs. MFA



When you run an online business or website, maintaining appropriate security measures is critical. Knowing the difference between 2FA vs. MFA can help you set up the right security measures for your situation. When convenience matters more than security, go for 2FA; when security is critical, MFA is the right choice for you.



If you’d like to get help setting up the most secure system possible, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We support, protect, and secure your website, as well as helping you strategize for the future. Contact our sales department today for a free IT support consultation and discover the benefits of working with an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm
- Categories: Cybersecurity, IT Support, multi factor authentication

#### 3 Steps to Take If You Have Lost Equipment With Institutional Data
If you're down a computer, you're not the only one.

More than 600,000 laptop computers go missing every year — and that's in the U.S. alone. And we can only expect this number to go up now that more employees are working at home or otherwise out of the office. In those cases, employees are taking their computers and data with them.

Losing something, let alone a computer, never feels good. But there's an added layer of trouble when that computer happens to be one that you use for work.

Losing such a device — or any other that carries institutional data — can be a huge issue for your company and its security.

That's why we're here to help you figure out what to do when you have a lost device.

Here are three steps to take to keep your data safe no matter who ends up with your important equipment.
1. Report It
Start by reporting the missing piece of equipment. This can mean reporting it in several different ways, depending on the resources that your company has.
Report Stolen Equipment to the Police
You probably know this already, but just in case — you should report any stolen devices to the police. You can simply visit your local police department to file a report of the incident, providing all of the details you can remember about the time and location, as well as the perpetrator.

Once the police report is completed, you'll want to keep a copy. It will be a great help for you if you seek to make an insurance claim on the missing device. Most insurers will ask for proof that your device was stolen before paying out your claim, and a police report is ironclad evidence.
Cancel the Company Card
Think of what information you had saved on the computer or device. If someone was using the company credit card then you will want to report that as quickly as possible, too.

You'll start by reaching out to your card provider. Then, you'll probably want to take the next steps to securing your company account. This can be done by changing the password and monitoring any charges for which no one on staff can account.

You must always be thinking about applying the best managed IT security services available to your business.
Reach Out to the Manufacturer
Finally, the equipment's manufacturer may be able to help you relocate or turn off your device from afar. You'll just have to call and have your device's serial number to hand.

They'll then register that number as stolen and, if they see any activity on the device, they can alert the police. Not all manufacturers will provide this, but it's worth checking to see if your device's brand has a hotline for theft or a general helpline.
2. Protect It From Afar
Luckily, today's computers, phones, tablets and other devices can be accessed remotely. This is great news if you lose a device with institutional data — you can lock it or delete it, no matter where it has ended up.
Change Your Passwords
You may not be able to remember all of your passwords that are saved onto your device. It's a great idea to get online ASAP and change as many of them as you can. That way, even if they're saved to auto-fill in an internet browser, for example, they won't work. And whoever has your hands on your laptop won't be able to get into your accounts.

On that note, you may be able to remotely turn off autofill, too. Google Chrome has this network security feature — in the settings menu, you can turn off auto-fill for your username that's attached to your lost device.
Remotely Sign Out
On that note, you can sign out of your device from afar, meaning the person who has it can't log in and access your institutional data easily. On a Mac computer, for example, it may be as simple as logging onto your Apple ID via their website and un-linking the device from your ID.

You can do the same if your equipment revolves around a Google account or if you use web browsers including Safari and Firefox. Be sure to un-check any box that offers you auto-login on any other devices while you're at it so that your missing equipment can't be re-activated from afar.
Wipe the Drive
Finally, you may be able to delete all of your data from the device if and when you realize you won't be getting it back. This will probably require the device to still be connected to the internet.

Even if you do somehow manage to get the device back, you should still consider wiping it and starting afresh. Someone could have installed spyware to track your usage and access your data through you, even if you have your equipment back.
3. Call in the Experts
All of this may seem overwhelming, and it certainly feels that way when you lose equipment that carries vital information. If you have a Southern California business and this happens to you, call in an IT support Los Angeles based team of experts to help you as soon as you can.

Not only can outsourced tech support companies help you to protect your data after a piece of equipment is stolen, they can bulk up your security for an future incidents like this one. They can make sure passwords are strong, data is encrypted, and everything is backed up somewhere safe.

The business IT services and security that Los Angeles IT services experts can provide is immeasurable, and absolutely worth paying for. If your company doesn't have them on staff already, consider adding a team to your payroll as soon as possible.
We Can Help You With the Steps to Take
With that being said, Be Structured Technology Group can help you with the above tasks and any other steps to take to secure your data before and after a breach. That way, you'll feel assured in the wake of a loss and less worried about a similar situation occurring afterward.

In other words, you'll know your institutional data is safe — and for many businesses, that's the most valuable thing to protect.

If you're interested in learning more about our services, click here to contact us.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Security

#### 3 Ways IT Support Companies Prevent Cyber Attacks
Prevention is the best cure for cyber attacks in today’s ever-changing software and network landscapes. These are three next-level strategies your company should utilize to prevent vulnerability to cyber attack:
 	Risk Assessment
 	Vulnerability Testing
 	Penetration Testing
Cyber attacks remain the bane of every industry - small or large - operating in today’s cyberworld. No business is immune to the threat of a cyber attack, and many cyber criminals are now attacking business networks for no measurable gain other than to find out if they can simply do it. Hacking is a game both for fun and profit.
At the same time, cyber attacks are no longer limited to specific high-risk industries such as finance, health or government organizations. Cyber attacks have recently struck manufacturing businesses and energy providers, among other companies in sectors that may not have been high-risk targets even a decade ago.
There are many forms of cyber attacks from malware to phishing to denial of service to many, many more. These attacks can result in security breaches, theft of sensitive data and paralyzation of systems making data unavailable or lost and completely unrecoverable.
It’s estimated that by 2021, damage caused by cyber attacks will eclipse $6 trillion annually. That’s trillion with a capital “T”!
The increased risk of a cyber attack is due in part to networks growing significantly more complex without businesses taking proactive measures to address risks as they arise. And that’s not to ignore the increase in accessibility of cyber attack tools available to hackers. For less than the price of lunch, someone can target your email systems to infiltrate your network and compromise sensitive data.
There are some very obvious ways to help make your network as secure as possible. One Los Angeles network support company suggests heightened security protocols, either implementing or, for start-ups, beginning with the following security procedures:
 	Double authenticated password protected platforms
 	Strong data encryption
 	Constant data backup
Double authenticated password protected platforms
Make sure your network is sophisticated in its password protection strategies always backed up by two-way authentication for an extra layer of security.
Strong data encryption
Unless your in-house IT group understands the latest and greatest encryption services available, it may be best to consult with an outsourced IT support company to ensure you're always up-to-date with encryption and one step ahead of the hackers always trying to beat the system.
Constant data backup
Even with double authentication security and hardcore encryption software, you may still be vulnerable for attack by sophisticated hackers armed with company killing ransomware. That’s why any tech support will preach backup, backup, backup. Daily or at worst weekly.
Obviously with cloud computing companies now offering easy-to-use automated backup systems, it’s easier than ever to make sure your data is backed up by the minute.
If you still don’t see the need to take a more proactive network security approach, did you know that the applications your organization relies on for daily operations can open your system up to cyber threats that you may not even be aware of? All it takes to leave your network open to a cyber security vulnerability is installing new software on your network. That’s why a stagnant cyber security platform is a dangerous one.
In this post, we’ll explore some of the data security strategies you need to incorporate into your network defenses if you want to stay protected in an ever-changing cyber threat landscape.
Ongoing Cyber Attack Risk Assessments
How often does your business perform cyber attack risk assessments? Ongoing risk assessments aren’t a task that can be pushed aside until you have nothing else on the docket for the day (hint: that day rarely—if ever—comes). Instead, risk assessments are most effective when handled on a periodic basis.
At Be Structured, we frequently recommend that risk assessment be carried out on a bimonthly (once every two months) or quarterly basis. By defining specific intervals and implementing policies that establish accountability, you can minimize the risk of oversight.
The Basics of a Network Risk Assessment
What should ongoing risk assessments cover? First, your team needs to clarify which cyber threats pose the highest risk to your organization. When developing a risk assessment platform, you should:
 	Take into account both internal and external risks
 	Define the impact of each threat on your day-to-day operations
 	Rank threats based on their likelihood and impact
 	Establish what strategies you have in place to mitigate the risk
 	Explain how you plan to respond should a threat strike
As part of your approach to threat assessment, your team also needs to clarify how they’re responding to ongoing threats. Just because you’ve adequately addressed a vulnerability at the beginning of the year doesn’t mean you’re still protected by year’s end.
As such, an effective threat assessment platform doesn’t merely address a risk and forget about it; instead, your team should use ongoing risk assessments as a reminder to revisit risks that came to light during the last network assessment.
Vulnerability Testing - An Automated Network Inventory
Unlike ongoing IT risk assessments, vulnerability testing offers a more hands-off approach to your network security strategies. That’s because vulnerability scans are most frequently an automated process that requires little to no monitoring on your part.
Vulnerability scanning tools generally come in the form of software or physical hardware installed on your network. These software and/or hardware testing tools then monitor your network infrastructure and operations to pinpoint any evolving vulnerabilities.
A comprehensive vulnerability scanner first creates an inventory of all the devices operating on your network, including:
 	Servers
 	Laptops
 	Desktops
 	Virtual machines
 	Firewalls
 	Switches
 	Containers
 	Printers
Flagging Potential Vulnerabilities
After creating a holistic inventory of each device installed on your network—including the operating systems (OS) along with any software installed—the vulnerability scanner then compares this information to a database of known network vulnerabilities. Should the scanner detect any known vulnerabilities, they’re flagged, and your network administrators are alerted to their presence so that an effective solution can be implemented.
Vulnerability scanners work on an ongoing basis, continually updating your network inventory as devices are added or removed while regularly checking devices against a vulnerability database that updates in real time. That means, among network protection strategies, a vulnerability scanner requires the least work and maintenance until a potential threat is detected.
A Real-World Example
Let’s say you’ve recently installed a new firewall device on your network to block potentially malicious activity. That new firewall may actually be open to exploitation if it has any open ports you were unaware of. Open ports offer unrestricted network access for designated applications, and if vulnerable applications have open port access to your network, your data is at a higher risk of a breach. Fortunately, a vulnerability scanner can detect these open ports along with the software running through them to determine if they’re safe to run on your network.
Potential Network Performance Issues
One thing to note about vulnerability scans, however, is that depending on the scrutiny and intensity of the scans, they can affect network performance and cause network bandwidth issues. That’s why it’s generally best practice to schedule automated scans so they occur outside of regular business hours or when your network experiences the least amount of traffic.
Penetration Tests - What is Penetration Testing?
Whereas vulnerability testing is intended to detect known network vulnerabilities, penetration tests are designed to identify any unknown vulnerabilities lurking on your network. Think of it like the difference between simply adding a Ring or some other security system to your home’s front door versus then actually having someone sneak to your front door to steal that latest drop from Amazon.
Vulnerability provides a virtual showcase of what can go wrong. Penetration testing actively shows what can go wrong in real-time by real people. And by real people, we mean a team of hackers. Or in this case, faux hackers. You see, penetration testing involves a team of what’s oxymoronically called “ethical hackers” who perform a simulated cyber attack or attacks to determine if they can gain entry into your network. It’s hacker practice to make your network perfect.
Because vulnerability testing is an automated, software-driven process, penetration tests require a more human approach with a security team attempting to infiltrate your network just as cyber criminals would.
If this penetration test is performed by an outsourced IT service, at the end of a penetration test, your team receives a complete list of any vulnerabilities your security partner was able to exploit. From there, you have a detailed list of system threats existing on your network, so you can rectify them before real-world hackers are able to use them against you.
In addition, your network consulting company who identified the security breach can also work with you to solve the specific vulnerabilities they find. After all, they discovered the threats in the first place—so who better to solve them than the friendly thieves themselves.
The Ideal Frequency of Penetration Tests
Because penetration tests require a more human approach to network security, they’re often more expensive and intrusive than ongoing risk assessments and vulnerability scans. But since they offer a more in-depth outlook of your broader network security strategies, they don’t necessarily have to be performed as frequently.
While the ideal frequency for performing penetration tests will vary from business to business, we generally recommend that they be conducted any time you make significant network upgrades or changes. At the very least, they should be performed on a biannual basis, according to Be Structured executives, a leading Los Angeles-based IT support company.
Outsourced IT Services in Los Angeles
Are you ready to take your network protection platform up a notch? Be Structured specializes in structuring a cyber security toolkit around your day-to-day operations. If you’re ready to start exploring how your organization can take a more proactive approach to network defenses, contact our cyber security experts today to get started.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Attack Risk Assessment, Managed Cyber Security Services, Reduce the Risk of Cyber Attack, Vulnerability Testing

#### 4 Ways Architecture Firms Can Benefit From Local IT Support
People spend more than $525 billion on the IT consulting industry every year in the United States alone. There are more than 483,000 IT consulting businesses around the country that employ more than 2.3 million people.

IT support for architecture firms are one of the biggest sectors that technical companies service. That is because architecture firms depend as much as any other company on reliable technology to maintain firm operations. Especially as we go through difficult economic times, it is essential for architecture firms to find ways to cut costs.

But outsourced IT support is useful for much more than cutting costs. Read on to learn all about the most important benefits that come with using IT services for architecture firms!
What Are IT Services for Architecture Firms?
In many ways, IT services for architecture firms are the same as services for other firms and companies. At the same time, there are certain idiosyncrasies in the architecture industry that some IT services providers understand better than others.

In general, managed IT services allow architecture firms and other companies to outsource their technical needs. The alternative is for an architecture firm to find an in-house technical expert. Some firms even resort to having another member of the firm manage technical problems even though they are not trained to do so.

It is easy for architecture firms to underestimate how much damage a temporary technical problem can cause. The faster you can get things up and running again, the better for the firm. On top of that, finding an expert to manage your problems means letting your staff focus on what they are best at.
The Advantages of Outsourced IT Support in Architecture
One of the best things about outsourced technical support is that it scales well. A small architecture firm might only require a few hours of technical support every week. It is inefficient for them to hire a full-time or even a part-time technical expert to manage their occasional problems.

It will be much more affordable for them to buy access to IT services that they can call on whenever they need.

Consider also the case of an architecture firm that needs about as much technical support as a single full-time staff member can provide. Can they benefit from outsourcing IT support?

Imagine what happens if that architecture firm grows or shrinks. If it gets larger, the single technical staff member will have to deal with a workload that is too large.

Soon, the firm will be dealing with technical problems that their single expert cannot resolve in time. They are then forced to hire a second technical expert even though they may only need a few extra hours of technical support each week.

In contrast, if a local architecture firm is working with a Los Angeles IT  support provider, they can simply call on their IT services a little more often as they grow and start to experience more technical problems.

The same principle applies if a firm starts shrinking. Instead of keeping a full-time staff member who manages a smaller and smaller workload, they can just pay less for less support from a third-party IT support company.

Here are just four primary benefits.
1 - Enjoy Local IT Support Whenever You Need It
There is a lot to be said for the cost efficiency of IT services for architecture firms. But IT services also provide superior service. No matter how good an in-house technical expert is, they cannot be available every hour of the day and night.

Many managed service providers (MSP) provide support around the clock. That support can also be available for customers or anyone else who is trying to access your website outside of work hours.

proper IT support for architecture firms can also efficiently streamline project management issues.
2 - Depend on Disaster Recovery Practices
Architecture firms gather more and more vital data the longer they operate. Most architects focus on architecture and do not have the time to keep up with the latest disaster recovery practices. As understandable as that is, it can lead to disaster when something goes wrong.

Many architects have a feeling that they should really get around to implementing a backup system for their data, but keep putting it off. IT services can manage disaster recovery for you. And they can do so using the latest and most powerful techniques.
3 - Enjoy the Benefits of Hosted Cloud Solutions
More and more companies are learning about the value of using cloud hosted solutions for processing and data storage. Modern cloud services provide excellent security and can provide cost savings.

Those cost savings can be especially important as architecture firms go through difficult economic times with everybody else.

One of the great things about the cloud is that it is flexible. You can put all of your data on the cloud, or you can use hybrid cloud models. These allow you to combine cloud and non-cloud systems for managing and processing your data however you want.

This may sound complicated, but your managed service provider in Los Angeles can set it up to operate smoothly.
4 - Enjoy the Safety of a Secure Network
People don't like to think about it, but cybercrime is on the rise. On top of that, cybercrime is more and more about financial gain. Technological advances are allowing new cyber techniques as well as allowing people to generate mass attacks against huge numbers of targets at the same time.

Of course, criminals tend to target easy targets. The right cybersecurity and data security practices can keep you safe. However, the best practices for cybersecurity change from year to year.

Working with an outsourced IT support company can help you enjoy the benefits that come with using the latest security techniques to protect your data and business.
Understand How Architecture Firms Can Benefit From IT Services
Many people do not realize how much architecture firms depend on technical support and data security. The more you appreciate what helps an architecture firm keep running, the more you will understand how much value the right IT services can provide. Finding quality IT services is an investment that will contribute to the success of an architecture firm over many years.

To learn more about IT support for Los Angeles based architecture firms, reach out and get in touch with us here!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT

#### 5 Benefits of Working with an IT Support Company
In 2021, global cybercrime inflicted a total of $6 trillion in damages. By 2025, damages could reach $10.5 trillion.

Unfortunately, an attack could hurt your brand's reputation long-term. In fact, 59% of buyers will avoid companies that suffered attacks in the past year. With help from an IT support company, you can remain secure.

That's not all! Read on to discover the top benefits of working with a Los Angeles managed service provider this year.

After reading this guide, you can make an informed decision for your company's future.
1. Focus on Your Business
How often do you have to pause what you're doing due to an IT issue? Technical difficulties can hurt your entire team by reducing productivity. If these problems occur often, your employees might get frustrated enough to quit, too.

Unfortunately, many businesses still utilize the "break-fix" method to resolve IT issues.

They wait for a problem to impede productivity, pause everything, then waste time troubleshooting before finding a solution. The break-fix method for fixing problems can waste valuable time, energy, and money. Meanwhile, you'll lose time you could otherwise spend on growing your business.

Relying on help from an experienced and local IT support company will allow you to focus on your business, employees, and customers. Your employees won't have to stop what they're doing to fix a technical issue, either. Instead, they can maintain their attention on the job at hand.

If there's ever an issue, you can feel confident knowing one of your dedicated IT technicians are on it.

They can get you back up and running immediately, allowing you to focus on revenue-generating opportunities instead.
2. Access to Relevant Expertise
It's sometimes difficult to make informed decisions regarding your IT infrastructure if you lack relevant experience. Neglecting to make informed IT decisions could waste valuable time and money. Meanwhile, you might neglect to choose products, services, or programs that can help your business grow.

Before you CIO starts searching for "IT support companies near me", make a list of the goals you want to accomplish in the upcoming year. Then, determine which IT services will help you accomplish those goals.

Your local IT support team can help you make a customized service plan based on your needs. With their help, you can accomplish your goals by making informed decisions for your company.

Their years of experience and expertise can benefit your company in the long run.

Choose a company that has experience helping businesses within your niche, too. Their relevant experience could give you an advantage within your industry. These outsourced tech support companies will have a better understanding of your business, industry, competitors, and customers.

They'll have an easier time recommending IT services that align with your current and long-term needs.

You can also leverage their expertise if you have a specific problem outside the scope of your in-house IT team's abilities. If you're working on a specific project, you can even outsource complex tasks to an IT professional. Meanwhile, your in-house team can focus on projects within their scope.

Having access to experienced, knowledgeable IT professionals can give your business the support it needs to grow.
3. Increased Security
Remember, cyberattacks can hurt your business. For example, a hacker can hold delicate customer information for ransom. An attack could lead you to shut down your business.

An attack can hurt your brand's reputation as well. Future and current customers might not trust your brand if you've fallen victim to an attack. They might decide to take their business elsewhere as a result.

Enhancing your company's security with IT support services can help you provide customers with a better experience. There's an 80% increase for businesses that focus on improving customer experiences. In fact, 44.5% of companies compete based on customer experience.

Over 70% of customers also claim that customer experience can drive their buying decisions. About 86% will even pay more if they'll receive a better customer experience.

Utilizing the skills of a cyber security company in Los Angeles can help you provide the safest and best possible experience for your customers. Improving the customer experience can help you generate brand trust and loyalty. Loyal customers will help you generate repeat sales, boosting your company's ROI.
4. Remain Relevant
If you're not utilizing managed IT services at the moment, your business could fall behind the curve. You could give your competitors the chance to take the lead instead.

Consumers want to choose brands they can trust. If your business is using antiquated programs, they might struggle to trust your brand. They'll turn to one of your competitors instead.

You might unintentionally struggle to remain compliant as well. You might receive a hefty fine if you're not up-to-date with the latest compliance regulations.

Your IT support company will ensure you never fall behind. Instead, they can help you find new ways to get ahead of the competition. With their help, you can remain informed and relevant.
5. Gain Immediate Help
If your team encounters an IT issue, you can't wait to resolve the problem. The longer you wait, the more likely the issue will hurt your operations and productivity. Remember, consumers might get frustrated with your business as well.

Investing in managed IT support in Los Angeles will ensure you always have immediate help when you need it

Your managed IT support team can step in if there's ever a problem. Some IT companies even offer 24/7 remote monitoring and management services. If your business is closed for the evening, they'll step in to fix the problem before you arrive in the morning.

Knowing they're available to help can give you peace of mind for the future.
Experience the Benefits of Partnering With an IT Support Company in Los Angeles Today
Don't let your business falter this year. Instead, consider the benefits of partnering with an experienced IT support company. Leveraging their experience and expertise can help you set your business up for success.

With our managed IT services, you can boost productivity, customer loyalty, and your ROI.

Want to experience these benefits firsthand? Be Structured Technology Group is here for you.

Contact us today to get started.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### 5 Must-Read Strategies to Help with Cyber Attack Prevention for Your Company
Cyber attacks are a real threat to businesses of all sizes.

The damage they’re causing is no laughing matter.

It’s estimated that cyber attacks could lead to damages of over $6 trillion in the next few years. That’s almost double the damage caused by cyber crimes in 2015.

If you run a business, it’s important to take cybercrime seriously. Denying the risks, or failing to prepare could cost you—big time.

Read on for a closer look at cyber security and five strategies that will help you and your organization with cyber attack prevention.
Understanding Cyber Security
Many businesses and organizations are spending big bucks on cybersecurity and with good reason.

There’s nothing more disheartening than losing important to data to a less than scrupulous individual or group.

The potential financial losses can be significant too. Hackers can take both money and important data and documents.

While immediate financial losses have an obvious impact, having your data compromised can have long-term consequences. Customers and partners may lose trust in your brand and stop doing business with you. If your data security is compromised, it could have serious long-term effects on your business.
What Cyber Security Looks Like
Cybersecurity is more than just using anti-virus software or setting up a firewall.

Keeping your business safe electronically is a holistic approach that involves protecting all of your organization’s data and electronic assets. It’s important to have a cybersecurity plan in place that covers all aspects of your business. This includes everything from your policies, to how you manage mobile devices and software.
1) Assess the Risks You Face
Before you get started preventing cyber attacks, it’s important to take a look at your motivations and what you’d like to achieve. Every business is different and will have security requirements specific to their structure and the products or services they produce.

Take a look at your organization’s hardware and data usage. Are employees working online most of the day? Or are most offline with limited electronic needs.

It’s also important to understand the different types of cybersecurity threats and which ones could affect your business. The threats a bank faces, likely don’t apply to a local hardware store.

Understanding the weak points, where malware or other threats are most likely to infiltrate your organization is vital to preventing cyber threats.
2) Make Security Part of your Culture
One of the most effective things you can do to keep your company safe from cyber attacks is to foster a culture that’s focused on security.

Employees are often the place where security threats infiltrate an organization.

The thing is… We’re all human. We make mistakes. Employees will sometimes choose an insecure password or fall prey to a phishing scam via email or the phone.

The best way to prevent these sorts of issues is by properly training all employees in good cybersecurity practices and building those practices into the company culture. Encourage employees to do the right thing with passwords and other sensitive information and be aware of simple threats like phishing or malware.
3) Encrypting Data
If your organization stores a lot of data on customers, employees, or for other purposes, it’s vital that you encrypt the data.

Hackers are on the lookout for that extra bit of data—a social security number, bank account number, or otherwise—that can help them gain access to something of value. If you’re storing a lot of sensitive data and not protecting it with encryption, it’s that much easier for someone outside of your organization to gain access to it.

How you encrypt your information depends entirely on how your data is stored and what systems you’re using. But, don’t let details or software limitations prevent you from taking action on this important point before it’s too late.
4) For Cyber Attack Prevention: Make Sure Your Hardware is Secure
Another important aspect of cyber attack prevention is ensuring your hardware is up to the task.

Not only is it important to make sure your computers are up to date, it’s also vital that you keep them from walking away. While this might not seem like a cybersecurity issue, stolen computer equipment can lead to big-time security problems.

Make sure you have firm policies in place about what can and can’t be done with computer hardware–and where it can be taken. Using secure docking stations and devices with features like Kensington locks built in can really help keep portable items like laptops more secure.

Important hardware like servers should remain in a closed, locked room at all times.
5) Monitor Access Rights
Monitoring and restricting access rights is another reliable way to help secure your organization from cyber attacks.

Let’s face it, not everyone in your office needs access to everything on your network. Some users just need access to basic features, while others will need more robust permissions.

Setting up an environment that controls and limits access can help prevent employees from compromising sensitive information.

It’s also important to adjust access once an employee leaves the company or transitions to a different role.

Setting up two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA or MFA) where possible is another great way to help reduce the likelihood that an employee’s account will be compromised. This may be the single simplest things most companies can do these days!
Putting It All Together
Cyber attack prevention is serious business.

Keeping your Los Angeles based organization secure from data or financial loss is vital to surviving—and thriving—in the twenty-first century.

But, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Keep your organization safe and secure by preventing security risks before they become a problem.

Need help securing your business from cyber threats? Get in touch with us today.
- Categories: MSPs, Security, SMB

#### 5 Office Relocation Tips for Small Business Owners
Relocating your office could provide advantages for 68% of your workforce. That's because it can improve working environments by providing more comfort, space, and motivation.

Perhaps you're in need of an upgrade to your office and are looking to move to another location.

Then, you've come to the right place.

We're here to give five office relocation tips so you can enjoy better productivity from your employees.

But here is the most important office relocation tip from the IT support experts t Be Structured:



Keep reading to find out more.
1. Get Your Planning in Order
It's best to start planning your relocation well in advance. Then, you can ensure you've got everything in place to make the move. There's a lot that goes into office planning, like spaciousness, the area you're moving to, and how welcoming it will be to your employees.

Depending on your current location and the location you're moving to along with the size of your company you can either DIY the process or hire an outsourced IT support services company to help you out.

If you're moving to the Southern California area, hiring an IT support Los Angeles based company can assure that your network and tech is properly re-routed and set up correctly.

Find your new spot and look at all the fine details, including the layout. This will prevent you from getting stressed out about moving. It enables you to allow your workforce to plan for the new space that you'll be moving into. Think about where all of your equipment needs to be placed.

Come up with a floor plan with a map. Then, it will make the process easier for all parties involved. That goes for you, your employees, and the moving company.
2. Hire a Moving Moving Company Beforehand
It's best to get a full estimate of the costs from your moving company before you relocate. You don't want to get caught out of pocket. This will ensure that you get your move at the right price.

Think about all of the equipment, painting work, and any renovations needed. Perhaps your new office will need a refurbishment. Make sure the company you choose is professional, has the experience, and is properly certified to carry out whatever work it is that you need to be done.

Have your moving company attend the site and carry out an assessment. Then, get your quote from them before you make your decision. You'll want to do this all in good time to make the move as smooth as possible.

Remember to get referrals from others who have worked with the same company before. That way, you'll know they're trustworthy and can carry out the job to a top-quality level.

At Be Structured, we offer top-level office relocation has been in the business for years. Whether you moving in or out of the same region, we're here to support you all the way. We make the whole procedure as simple as possible.
3. Order Equipment With Good Timing
Having your orders put in for new equipment will serve you well. Around one to two months' notice should be enough to give you time to make all of the preparations you need. Then, all of your furniture and equipment will be ready for you to collect and start decorating your new office.

Watch out for the sizing of the equipment you order. Otherwise, you could end up having to pay twice for it. You may have to spend on having them shipped to your old office space and then once again.

Try downsizing as much as possible and hire a company that will move your new equipment directly to your where you're relocating. The best way to do this is to connect with the suppliers so that they arrive well in time for your move.
4. Ensure You Clean Well Before Moving
Only being essentials with you and having the rest moved out of your old office space. Get rid of all unnecessary documents and files. Also, you can sell or donate furniture and equipment that you don't need anymore to charity.

Anything you donate could have the tax removed from it. This will, therefore, be a smart decision when it comes to checking in with your accountants and all the dealings they have the make.

Make sure to deep clean your office space. You'll want it to be free from any dust or dirt so that whoever moves in will have a well-polished office. Leave it the way you'd expect your new office to look when you're moving in.

Hoover, scrub down the walls and clean all of the furniture you're leaving behind. Otherwise, have a company do this for you. Although, if you do it yourself, you'll cut some costs.
5. Make Sure Your IT Department Plays Their Part
Ensure your IT team is well informed about moving all necessary equipment that you'll need to carry out daily business tasks. This will include technical, phone, and internet equipment. Ensure all of these plans get taken with you so that you don't have to take new ones when you relocate.

Your IT department will need to make an assessment of the new office for any improvements that can be made regarding  IT infrastructure. In addition, the new equipment brought to the office will need to be checked to ensure it's compatible with all of the office space regulations.

You can also find a local IT support company to assist you in the move to make sure everything gets down right.

When moving, you want all your technical operations to be in the right order. So, three months will be plenty of time for your IT team to get on track.

In South California, many businesses turn to our award-winning IT support networks. We have retained a good customer base due to our high levels of skills and abilities within this area. Having customers satisfied with their previous move is what makes us thrilled and we continue to provide excellent service with every relocation we make.
Choose Us for Your Smooth Office Relocation Tips and Move
Relocation to your office should never leave you feeling anxious or in distress. It should be an easy process that runs without any issues. Now you know five office relocation tips to make the whole move simpler.

As long as you plan well in advance, clean up your office space, and your IT team pulls their weight, you shouldn't have any problems.

It's time to join the best of our happy customers and get your office relocated with our trusted company.

Contact us today! Be Structured is here to make your move as easy as it should be.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks

#### 5 Questions to Ask Your Los Angeles IT Support Team
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### 5 Reasons Data Backups Are Critical
The data your company maintains is one of its most valuable possessions. After all, there’s a reason why hackers seek to compromise sensitive information. In the near future, one company specializing in IT support in Los Angeles expects the cybercrime industry to be worth more than ever. So, it’s essential that you take the necessary steps to protect your data. Let’s explore the primary reasons why data backup is so important and how you can do so.



Frequently Asked Questions
What Exactly Is a Data Backup?



As you can discern from the name, a data backup involves archiving or copying essential data from a device in order to protect it. In practice, this means that you store it within a secure location that is kept separate from the original device.



Additionally, you properly label or categorize the data so that you can easily find it in the future. This last step is essential when it comes to emergency response, since acting as quickly as possible will help you minimize downtime.



Why Is It Important?



Interestingly, many organizations neglect the importance of properly archiving their data. Put simply, this process can often mean the difference between recovery from data loss and struggling to accommodate it.



Depending on the scenario, even a single data breach could cost your organization hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, you might even experience other parties taking legal action against you.



To clarify, let’s assume that your company operates within the healthcare space. This means that you are obligated to follow certain regulations when it comes to sufficiently protecting patient information.



If a patient who has been affected by a data breach can successfully argue that you did not properly secure this information, you may be ordered to pay a substantial amount in compensation.



It’s also important for a business to safeguard its information in order to prevent the dissemination of trade secrets. It’s not impossible for a hacker to procure highly valuable data from a specific company and that distribute it to its competitors.



What Type of Information Should I Backup?



While you don’t need to back up every single file stored within your organization, there are certain types that you need to prioritize. Doing so will help ensure that you are able to access this information in the future if you need to.



Let’s explore some of the most notable.



Important Documents



This will vary depending on what documentation your organization considers to be important. In general, however, it should always archive documentation that would negatively impact your business if it were to become compromised.



Additionally, doing so can help establish a document timeline that your organization can reference in the future.



Customer Databases



Most companies spend years adding information to their customer database. In the event that a hacker prevents access to this information, the results can be catastrophic.



Instead, ensure that you regularly archive your customer databases so that you can pull from this information in the future if necessary.



Configuration Files



As you might guess, losing access to your company’s configuration files can easily cause a significant setback. Fortunately, you can circumvent this issue by keeping a thorough archive of the necessary information.



This will allow you to quickly restore systems in the event that a cyberattack occurs.



What Are the Primary Threats to My Sensitive Information?



There is a large handful of threats that could affect your business. Although not all of these are potentially catastrophic, some cyberattacks could easily cause a major disruption.



It’s imperative that you keep the primary risks in mind. Listed below are some of the most significant.



Social Engineering Attacks



For those who are unfamiliar, a social engineering attack involves a hacker manipulating somebody else into providing access to sensitive data. For instance, a cybercriminal may pose as an official source or individual before asking for certain information.



In some cases, this tactic is so effective that victims often remain unaware any wrongdoing has occurred until well after the data has been compromised.



Although a trained eye can easily recognize an attempted social engineering attack, it’s impossible to guarantee that you will never suffer from one in the future.



Phishing



Most of us have heard this term before. In fact, most of us have also experienced a phishing attack before, as well.



Although there are multiple different types of phishing attacks, one of the most common involves receiving a fraudulent email. This email often appears to come from a falsely represented source in order to gain the victim’s trust.



The victim is then prompted to click a link that installs malware on their computer. In practice, it’s also not as easy to avoid a phishing attack as you might think.



Someone might receive an email from their financial institution asking them to confirm recent changes to their account. Without thinking, they click the link in order to do so.



It only takes a few seconds for data to become compromised. When this happens on a business-level scale, you run into issues that could involve providing the hacker with access to client information or financial data.



Data Breaches



Not every threat to your sensitive information involves misleading key players of your company. Sometimes, hackers prefer to take a more direct route in order to gain access to valuable data.



Data breaches come in many forms, and one of the most common involves the use of malicious software to facilitate access. A hacker might use malware that allows them to navigate through the user’s computer undetected.



In some scenarios, the hacker may be able to maintain access to the device indefinitely. This will provide them with the opportunity to immediately procure information from the machine.



As we’ve seen through the 2017 Equifax data breach, this type of occurrence can be potentially catastrophic for organizations that are affected.



Improper Employee Training



Proper employee training can go a long way when it comes to maximizing the security of your company’s information. One of the best practices that you can implement is requiring employees to present multiple forms of identification before accessing key data.



For example, an employee may be required to input a password as well as a specific access code that is sent to their email address. This will prevent unauthorized users from accessing certain information.



Additionally, you could keep devices with important data within rooms that require identity badges to enter.



The passwords that your employees use should always be a complex string of numbers, letters, and special characters.



We all know that it’s more convenient to choose a password that is easy to remember. But, hackers have methods that can easily crack these passwords and render them useless.



One of the primary ways in which they do so is known as a brute-force attack. This involves the use of specialized hardware or software that works to deduce every possible combination of characters that could comprise a password.



What Solutions Are Available?



Although the present threats might seem difficult to accommodate, there is a variety of solutions available. It’s also best to partner with an experienced outsourced IT support team to take advantage of more than one solution in order to establish comprehensive protection.



Below are some of the most useful that you should consider.



Cloud Storage



Storing your company’s data remotely is one of the most effective routes that you can take. But, this is only true if you are able to work with a reputable cloud storage provider. This means that you should look for a firm that prioritizes the security of its clients.



Some service providers place a heavier emphasis on access and convenience for their clients. Although this means that using the service is often highly useful, major issues could occur in the event of a data breach.



So, keep this in mind when searching for a potential firm to work with.



When your cloud storage is kept properly secure, it serves as a reliable way for you to maintain access to crucial information. This also means that you can access this data remotely and forego the need to have a physical hard drive.



External Hard Drives



However, this doesn’t mean that you should neglect the utility that an external hard drive is able to provide. Since it’s always possible for hackers to gain access to cloud data, archiving your data on a physical device can provide an extra layer of protection.



Of course, this comes at the cost of a notable amount of convenience. Additionally, physical drives could end up damaged or stolen.



If an external hard drive was the only method that you leveraged to backup your data, you may have to rebuild from the ground up if something happens to it.



Backup Services



As the name suggests, backup services offer a comprehensive level of protection compared to other methods. This involves utilizing the help of a professional in order to protect your data as sufficiently as possible.



In many cases, you will have a representative of the firm personally overseeing the security of your information. This option is ideal for larger organizations or those that have extremely sensitive information (such as high-value trade secrets).



What Else Do I Need to Know?



In addition to the above information, the tips listed below can help you add a bit more protection. So, is essential that you take them into consideration.



Let’s take a look.



Always Keep Physical Copies



As previously mentioned, physical drives are able to protect data in a way that cloud storage cannot. But, this shouldn’t be your primary method of data backup.



Instead, you should keep a physical drive in addition to backing your data up via remote storage. In the event that an issue occurs with the data that you store remotely, you will still be able to have access to it.



Since many cyberattacks can affect entire networks, this is a crucial option to keep in mind.



Overestimate Your Storage Needs



When deciding how much storage you would like to allocate for your data backups, it’s highly recommended to overestimate your total needs. This will allow you to easily scale your level of storage in the future.



Otherwise, you may run into a situation where you cannot add any additional information to your remote storage without getting in touch with your provider.



Although this issue is not overly common, it can prevent you from backing up additional data until it is resolved. If a data breach or data loss were to occur before you could archive this additional information, it could become permanently lost.



Backup On a Regular Basis



Performing regular backups is one of the most important obligations that you have as a business owner. As such, it’s in your best interest to schedule them to occur on a frequent basis.



Some organizations even perform daily backups of their data.



To help better organize your information, you can also arrange backups by month, year, etc. so that accessing certain information becomes easier in the future.



This will prevent you from scrambling to find the right data if your company experiences downtime.



Proper Data Backup Is Essential



It’s highly recommended that you keep the above information in mind. From here, you will be able to utilize a data backup in order to keep your organization’s information as safe as possible.



Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Backup
- Tags: Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cyber Attack Monitoring, Cybersecurity Threats, Data Backup, Data Protection, Data Recovery, Disaster Recovery

#### 5 Security Benefits of Outsourcing Your Backup and Recovery Needs
Data breaches are a growing threat these days that can destroy a company if left unmonitored. In the past, security breaches would have to happen in person because all your information was documented on paper. Now, everything can happen over the internet.

Regular backup and recovery of your systems is one way to bolster your online security. However, it can take a long time to run these processes, especially if your company has a lot of data. Having outsourced IT support services is one way to solve this problem.

Here are five of the security benefits of outsourcing security services for your company.
1. Experienced and Thorough Services
Data backup is important because you never know when something will go wrong with your systems and all your data ends up corrupted or lost. When that happens, you can always rely on a backup to restore the data.

The only problem is that backups only work well if they're kept up to date. When you're dealing with the amount of data a company uses, it could take hours. You also have to take into account how often to do it, how to store the backup, and how to fit it into your daily work schedule.

For example, one of the best data backup practices is to do it regularly and frequently. Data backup should not be a monthly thing. At most, it should be performed daily, if not at least once a week.

That's why every Southern California business should consider a Los Angeles IT services company that knows how to take care of your data. They'll take the time to do the backups, prioritize offsite storage, and encrypt the data without your input. You won't have to worry about dedicating an on-site team to do all the work.
2. Affordability
One of the struggles of performing data backup is affording it. If your company were to do the task itself, it'd need external hard drives, employees to do the data transfers, and a place to keep these backups safe and protected. All of these different factors add up and could cost you a lot over time.

In addition to online security, one of the benefits of outsourcing your IT needs is that they're an affordable option that frees up your time. They handle the backup and storage. Meanwhile, your employees can focus on other tasks important to your company.

Many IT companies these days perform backups over the internet using cloud storage. It's cheaper and more convenient than buying physical hard drives.

For example, Google's Cloud Storage is accessible from any smart device with an internet connection. The price to use their storage scales, depending on the amount of data, the type of storage, and your location. Even Google One allows up to 2TB of storage for $9.99 a month.
3. Reduced Risk
The security benefits of routine backups include reduced overall risk for your company. Imagine that someone gets access to your systems from a remote computer. There isn't much you can do at that point other than disconnect everything, assuming they haven't already deleted or stolen the data they targeted.

If you don't perform regular backups, you could lose days, if not weeks worth of information. Even if you did make backups, your company may or may not have the skill or dedicated team to restore all of your computers to working order.

IT support systems monitor for threats in advance. They set up defense systems to help prevent breaches, as well as check for viruses and other dangers.

In a worst-case scenario, they rely on backups that are kept up to date. Those backups are protected through a combination of encryption and safe storage.
4. Scalability
It's a natural concern that as your company grows and expands, you'll eventually accumulate an amount of data that's difficult to store and handle. New backups can go from taking a few hours to a few days.

Companies that provide IT support in Los Angeles are equipped to handle the IT needs of multiple different companies at once, which all have varying amounts of data. As such, you never have to worry about your company outgrowing them anytime soon. Regular backups performed by them also won't take nearly as long because they're updating data rather than completely replacing it.

Cloud storage is one type of backup service that's built around the idea of scalability. Most services offer different tiers of storage with varying prices and allocated space. It's simple to upgrade or downgrade your plan whenever you need to.

You also benefit from the ease of access to their hosted cloud solutions. No need to lug around a case full of hard drives. All you'd need to recover your systems is internet access.
5. Improved Disaster Recovery
One mistake a company may make is storing its backups in the same building as its computers and servers. But what happens if there's a fire or a natural disaster? You could very well lose complete access to your data, regardless of whether or not you thought you were being careful.

When you outsource your IT services in Los Angeles, you also leave your information in their hands. They store your backups in a safe place, whether it's on their servers, on the cloud, or on external hard drives.

More importantly, your disaster recovery partner should have a plan specific to your company and infrastructure. This may include designating certain areas as essential and setting recovery timelines.

You can and should include this disaster recovery plan in your organization's Business Continuity Plan.
Get Security Benefits for Your Company
Outsourcing your IT needs is about more than fixing bugs in your systems. One of the main security benefits is quickly and efficiently backing up your systems and restoring them after data loss. They can also encrypt your data to provide more comprehensive protection.

Be Structured provides award-winning IT support in Los Angeles. Some of the types of IT services we cover include security, cloud, and hardware.

Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about our offerings.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, Managed IT, Security

#### 5 Tips for Choosing Local IT Support Services
It's Monday morning.

Your most important client is at reception waiting for a meeting. You're about to give the most important pitch of your life. You're in the meeting room, making last-minute preparations.

Then it happens.

Your network goes offline, and you can't access that presentation.

It's a scenario that's all too familiar to many businesses. It's often only after disaster strikes that you realize the importance of reliable IT.

That's why choosing a dependable local IT support team is so important. Here are five tips to help you do that.
1. Focus on Your Business's IT Support Priorities
When you hire an outsourced IT support company versus an in-house team, your first job is to assess your business's needs. That will help you get clarity on what you need and your priorities.

First, conduct an in-house audit of your current IT setup. That will help you spot strengths and weaknesses. You may prefer to hire an external auditor if you lack expertise in-house.

When running this audit, it's essential to be thorough. So, consider issues like hardware, network security, and aging software.

Once you've done this audit, it's time to single out those areas that require the most urgent attention.

You can use this information to create a roadmap for the future, outlining what changes and upgrades you need and in what order and timescale. You should always align this with your core business strategy.

For example, suppose you have a new product launch happening later this year. In that case, you might want to think about prioritizing marketing tools that will help you promote that launch.

Remember to think about where newer technologies could be beneficial to your business. That might include AI, robotics, or cloud computing.
2. Look for Expert Local Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
If you have a business in LA, it's essential to focus on an IT help desk that's nearby. Proximity will ensure they are in the same time zone and readily available by phone or person to help with a technical problem.

Expertise is also vital. Not all IT support services in LA and worldwide sometimes have identical specialisms or depths of knowledge.

Yet, reliable and trustworthy outsourced IT support means having technical people who can assess and fix any complex problem.

When you shortlist local IT support providers, examine their history in the industry.

Have they served other LA businesses of a similar size?

Do they have other clients in your industry?

If they have case studies on their website, these are useful to read. They'll tell you a bit more about their experience and approach.

Look at the technical specialisms you need for your business. View the provider's list of services to see if it's a good match.

For example, if you are in the financial or healthcare industry, you'll need advanced security expertise from your specific support team.

In those cases, look for a company that specifically provides IT services for financial industry needs or healthcare IT managed service providers.
3. Understand the Service Level Agreement
Each IT support company will have an SLA - a service level agreement.

This agreement outlines the scope of the support you'll receive for your company and targets for how and when issues will get fixed. It's vital to grasp the details of this as it can vary. You need one that is fully aligned with your business.

The first thing to look at is what services it includes.

For example, perhaps you need someone to manage your hardware, but you have people in-house to oversee your network and software. Or you might need something more comprehensive.

Another factor to check is the timescales for responding to a support issue. If you are a 24/7 business, you'll need the same level of support for your IT.

You want to avoid a Monday-to-Friday service agreement and have a critical issue unattended over a weekend.

Look at the flexibility of these arrangements and whether they are scalable. If you are growing as a business, you'll want a support arrangement that can grow with you.

For example, you may need new financial software soon, and you must choose a company with the knowledge and capability to help you scale your IT.
4. Choose an Outsourced Tech Support Team With Excellent Customer Service
You want a support team with an excellent track record in looking after their customers. Responsiveness and first-rate communication skills are two qualities to compare in your shortlisted companies.

It means that when a problem happens, you'll have a dependable team to get started on a fix and keep you informed of their progress. That will be critical to your business operations.

Read through any online reviews or customer testimonials. Read through customers' comments to get a feel for the company.

It's also essential you speak to the IT support team directly. Ask the group how they handle customers and their customer service principles.

You should also help a support team manage your expectations. Be clear about what you want.

If you wish to receive hourly updates by phone when there is an issue, tell them to provide this and ensure it's part of your service agreement. It's always best to do this upfront to ensure both teams work harmoniously.
5. Consider Value for Money for IT Services in Los Angeles
You may feel tempted to compare the quotes side-by-side when comparing different IT support providers.

But remember that a final quote doesn't always show the complete picture. What's more important than the cost is the value for money you'll get in that agreement.

Take security monitoring, for example. If one package includes network monitoring, the team may be able to spot potential threats to your environment.

By spotting issues before they happen, you'll save yourself the trouble of a security breach.

That could come at a financial cost and reputational damage. In other words, low-cost services may not be valuable for money if they include critical services that help your business in the long run.
Choosing the Best Local IT Support Company in Los Angeles
An excellent local IT support company is like an extension of your team.

They'll keep your technology up and running when it matters most. It means you have peace of mind that your business operations won't break at those critical moments.

Now it's time to see what the Be Structured Technology Group can offer your LA business.

Our passion and expertise for technology means you'll have trusted experts to hand - when you need them.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### 5 Tips for Choosing the Best Los Angeles IT Support Company
The managed services provider market could reach $393.72 billion by 2028. By 2025, at least 60% of organizations will depend on managed IT services. Unfortunately, not every business IT services management team has the expertise you'll need.

Here are five tips that can help you choose the best outsourced tech support management service provider. With these tips, you can make sure the right team is streamlining your IT infrastructure.

With their monitoring and management, you can boost your efficiency, increase your output, and watch your ROI rise.

Start searching for a local IT support company with these tips today.
1. Look for Years of IT Support Experience
If your business resides in the Southern California area, start your search by Googling, "IT support near me".

Better yet, talk to other business owners within your professional network about their IT support Los Angeles experience. Ask if they've worked with an IT services provider in the past. If they have, learn more from their firsthand experience with the company.

Gathering professional referrals can help you build a list of companies to research further.

Next, look into each company's history. Determine how long the company has run and operated by visiting their BBB profile. Otherwise, check for an About Us page on each company's website.

Try to find a company with years of hands-on experience within the tech support industry. These companies likely have an efficient process in place for helping clients. You won't have to worry about operational issues like ticketing, billing, or communication problems.

A managed IT company in Los Angeles with years of experience can leverage the group's expertise to ensure you receive the help you need, too. Determine how much experience each technician has in the industry. Otherwise, ask if you'll work with a dedicated technician.

Working with the same IT technician each time can streamline your experience as a customer. You won't have to explain the IT issues you experienced in the past. Your dedicated technician will already understand your business and IT infrastructure, too.
Industry-Specific Experience
Ask each IT support company if they have experience helping companies within your industry. Finding a company that understands what your business does is imperative. They'll already understand the hardware and software you use on a daily basis.

If they don't understand your industry demands on a technical level, they might struggle to make informed recommendations regarding your IT needs.

If the company has worked with businesses within your industry, ask about the IT services those businesses requested. Ask how those services were able to help the client improve their operations, too.

Finding a company that understands your industry and needs can streamline your experience working with them in the future.
2. Ask About Proactive Approaches
Ask each IT service management provider if they take a proactive approach.

Many businesses make the mistake of waiting until they experience IT issues to fix those problems. This break-fix method of fixing IT issues can waste time, causing costly delays. A proactive approach, on the other hand, can help you avoid those problems before they strike.

Ask each company how they've helped their clients in the past. Determine which services have helped their clients improve their productivity.

Otherwise, ask the company how they'll track and process any IT issues you experience in the future.

About 847,376 complaints of cybercrime were reported by the public in 2021.

Look for a company that is prepared to handle cybersecurity threats or other issues right away. Their proactive approach can help you avoid downtime. Instead, you can ensure your team can get back up and running as soon as possible.

Otherwise, your clients might get frustrated every time they encounter an IT issue. Your clients might decide to take their business elsewhere as a result. They might even tell friends about their negative customer experiences with your company.

Your company's reputation could get hurt if you continue experiencing IT issues.
3. Explore Their Services
Ask each company about the IT management services they provide.

First, determine if the company can manage remote, hybrid, and traditional work environments. Determine if they offer remote monitoring and management services, too.

You won't have to worry about waiting for a technician to arrive at your place of business. Instead, they can start finding a solution to the IT problem as soon as possible.

Find a company that offers a range of IT services to improve your overall daily performance.

For example, you might need:

 	Disaster recovery
 	Data backup and protection
 	Antivirus and intrusion protection
 	Network security
 	Cloud computing
 	Hosted VoIP solutions
 	Office relocation services
 	Network installation

Make a list of your needs and concerns. Then, find a business IT services  company that offers the services you need. If they offer a limited number of services, or their services don't align with your needs, remove them from your list.
4. Read Client Reviews
You can also learn more about each company by reading online reviews. Check the company's website for a testimonials page. You can also find reviews on their Google Business listing.

Look for a managed IT services company that already has a strong reputation. You can feel more confident choosing a business that has earned the trust and respect of their clients.

Look for any comments about problems communicating with the company. You don't want to hire an IT service management provider you can't reach in an emergency.
5. Compare Prices
Once you have a list of IT management service providers, ask each company for an itemized list of their services. Make sure you understand what's included with each estimate, too.

Get quotes from at least three different companies on your list. Then, compare your options.

If one company's pricing is higher than another's, question why that is.

Then, review your notes to choose the best Los Angeles IT services company available!
Partner With the Best Los Angeles IT Support Company Today
Don't make the mistake of choosing an inexperienced IT company. Instead, use these tips to find the best managed IT services available. With these tips, you can feel confident in your final choice.

The best team can boost your productivity, helping your business grow long-term.

Want to simplify your search? Be Structured Technology Group can help.

Contact our team today to discover the IT management services you need.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### 5 Tips for Hiring Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
The global IT professional services market reached $821.58 billion in 2022. Between 2023 and 2030, the industry could grow by a CAGR of 9.1%. More businesses are turning to local managed IT services to ensure their long-term growth and success.

Not sure how to choose managed IT services in Los Angeles? Here are five tips that can streamline your search.

With these tips, you can narrow down your options for IT support companies with ease. Then, you can benefit from their services firsthand.
1. Read Reviews
When choosing a managed IT services Los Angeles based provider, it's important to find a team that already has a strong, positive reputation. Their reputation could speak to the company's ability to meet your needs and expectations. Reading online reviews will also help you differentiate trustworthy IT teams from the rest.

You can start by turning to other business owners within your community. Ask if they've hired Los Angeles IT services in the past year.

Determine how long each business owner has partnered with their IT company, too. Look for a business owner who has benefited from managed IT services long-term. You can learn from their years of experience with the company.

As you speak to business owners within your professional circle, consider asking questions about the IT company's:

 	Experience
 	Areas of expertise
 	Services
 	Team
 	Response times

Determine if the business owner has any complaints or encountered any issues with the IT company. If they did, ask if the IT company tried to resolve the problem. Choose an IT company that strives to offer clients the best services and experiences.

Otherwise, check online for client reviews. You can find reviews on the IT company's website, BBB profile, or Google Business listing. Make a note of any companies with five-star ratings and glowing reviews.

You can feel more confident beginning your search with a list of companies that have already won the respect of their clients.
2. Explore Their Business It Services
As you learn more about each MSP Los Angeles company, take a moment to consider your needs.

For example, where has your team experienced bottlenecks? Perhaps you haven't moved to cloud computing yet or need to update old systems.

Consider services that can streamline your team's operations as well, including:

 	Antivirus and intrusion protections
 	Data backup and protection
 	Disaster recovery
 	Server virtualization
 	Network security
 	IP video surveillance
 	Public cloud vendors and migrations
 	Hosted VoIP solutions
 	Hosted Cloud solutions
 	Cloud migration services
 	Network installation
 	Office relocation

Consider your current, future, and long-term needs. Then, prioritize finding IT support companies that offer the services on your list. If the company only offers one or two services, keep searching.

Finding a company that offers all the services you need in the same place will give you peace of mind. You'll know you can call the same company for any assistance you might need. All-inclusive managed IT services in Los Angeles can save you time, money, and stress in the long run.

For example, you might want to consider a company that specializes in business IT services and security. Cybersecurity services can protect your business, customers, and reputation.

Unfortunately, over 90,000 websites are hacked every day. A malware attack could cost your company $2.4 million, halting your progress and effectiveness. Malware also costs 50 days of downtime on average.

Meanwhile, consumers might struggle to trust your business after you've suffered a cyberattack. If they can't trust you with their personal data, they might turn to one of your competitors. Your brand's reputation might plummet, impacting your ability to attract new customers in the future.
3. Consider Their IT Support Process
As you continue narrowing down your options, try to learn what you can about the company's team and process.

First, consider how many technicians work for the company. Determine how many clients they're helping, too. If the company is understaffed, you might experience long wait times.

As you wait, your employees and customers will experience downtime, which could cost you customers.

Instead, learn more about each company's process for managing tickets. Will you submit your ticket online or by phone? Determine the company's average wait time, too.

Ask the company if they will provide you with a dedicated technician as well. Working with the same specialist each time will streamline your experience as a client. You won't have to repeat yourself with every call.

Learning more about the company's process will help you manage your expectations.
4. Determine Their Outsourced Technical Support Experience
Determine how long each company has offered IT services in Los Angeles. Consider how many clients they've helped over the years, too. If you can, find a company that has helped businesses within your niche.

These companies will have a better understanding of your customers, IT needs, and infrastructure. Their experience helping businesses like yours could further benefit your business as well. For example, the company might know of solutions you haven't considered for streamlining operations.

If you work with a dedicated technician, learn more about their experience. Make sure their expertise aligns with your needs.
5. How to Compare Pricing
Ask more than one IT company for an itemized list of all the services they offer. Request quotes from at least three Los Angeles IT companies. Then, compare your options.

Is one company's pricing extremely higher than the rest? Determine why that is.

The company shouldn't push you to purchase services you don't need. Instead, look for a company that will work with you to develop a customized plan. These companies will have your best interests in mind.
Find a Managed IT Los Angeles Company That Fits Your Needs
Don't choose the first managed IT services in Los Angeles you find. Instead, use these five tips to vet each company on your list. With these tips, you can find the best outsourced tech support companies in town.

Then, you can choose a company that's capable of meeting your needs and accomplishing your goals.

Ready to get started? Be Structured Technology Group can't wait to help.

Contact us today to learn more.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Managed It Services, MSPs, Tips & Tricks

#### 5 Types of Cloud Migration Services for Your Business
Cloud migration services are a growing segment that is essential for the rapid development of areas such as the healthcare industry. The reason for its importance is that new technologies are always being rolled out every year.

Companies need to adopt these technologies to stay relevant, but they also need to retain all the data and processes they already have. SoCal businesses can reach out to managed IT services in Los Angeles have the tools and skills to handle cloud migration on your behalf. They can also serve as your ongoing IT support company. 

Here are five different types of cloud migration services you may need. 
1. Rehosting
Rehosting is the most common form of cloud migration. It involves moving your applications and operating systems onto a new cloud infrastructure. This would happen if you decided to change your current cloud service provider to another one that will serve your company better. 

For example, another hosting company may provide better scalability, improved performance, and better security. They may also offer other features, such as AI learning and automation. 

In most cases, rehosting requires exporting applications via migration tools and unpacking them on your new server. It has very little potential to disrupt your business and doesn't risk your current app or workload. 

The main problem with rehosting, or "lift-and-shift", is that your applications and workload will still be configured for your own platform. They may not full advantage of the cloud and could cost you more later if you need to make adjustments. 

Regardless, it's a good first step if you're migrating your apps to the cloud. 
2. Re-platforming
Re-platforming is considered an upgrade version of rehosting that involves making minimal changes to your workloads and apps. This is ideal, as your apps will most likely not be optimized for your new platform. They may run less efficiently than they were before, or they may be able to work better after you make these changes. 

Another reason re-platforming is important is if you plan on updating or making changes to your underlying codebase. Minor changes could require thorough retesting, and not every change may play well with your new cloud environment. 

The benefit of re-platforming is that your apps will be better optimized for the cloud. A managed service provider in Los Angeles can handle the bulk of this work to help you save time. They'll also be able to tell you what cloud features you can utilize to improve your workflow. 

However, re-platforming may not be recommended if you need to make a quick change. It's also more difficult to perform on your own without the assistance of an outsourced IT support company.
3. Refactoring
In contrast to the previous two types of cloud migration, refactoring is much more complex. It accepts that your workloads and apps will need a significant overhaul to make the best use of your new cloud environment. As such, refactoring involves rewriting code, data storage, networking, security, and much more. 

One of the reasons to refactor rather than rehost is because it helps keep your code clean. It can improve the performance of your application and remove any outdated lines of code. In addition, you'll save time and money in the future and reduce your technical debt. 

However, it's highly recommended that you utilize local IT support services in your area when refactoring. It's a complicated process that could take months to finish per application.
4. Retaining or Using a Hybrid Cloud
Adding cloud services to your company doesn't mean that you need to completely abandon your on-site ones. In some cases, you'll want to continue performing some workloads on-premises to maintain cybersecurity compliance obligations.

Another reason to utilize a hybrid cloud setup is if certain applications would work better in a cloud setting, while others do not require updates or changes. You'll get the best of both worlds with all the control and security you're already familiar with.

It's also a good option if you have sensitive data that you want to keep secure. If all of your information is online, then there's always the chance that it all becomes vulnerable at the same time. 

The downside of a hybrid cloud is that it can be difficult to manage. You'll essentially have to manage two hosting environments, including the data, workloads, and compliance. Using local IT support in Los Angeles will be key to managing it all effectively. 
5. Multicloud
The last type of cloud migration service available to your company is a multicloud one. This involves using two or more different cloud providers instead of a single one. The reason you'd want to do this is to make use of their different features and services for your different types of workloads. 

For example, you may want to utilize different cloud providers if you're a media company that uses powerful editing programs. The first provider will give you the computing power to edit, while the second provider may be more focused on automated data processes. 

By splitting up your workload like this, they each gain access to all the necessary features. 

However, using a multicloud setup isn't recommended for smaller businesses or those not focused on growth. It's complex to set up and requires more resources than may be available to you. It's also difficult to maintain compliance across multiple providers.
Find the Right Cloud Migration Services
The type of cloud migration consulting services you utilize for your business or organization will depend on what kind of applications you use. Smaller businesses won't need to invest in a multicloud environment or even a hybrid cloud. In contrast, a larger company may have more complicated workloads that require refactoring. 

Be Structured Technology Group is your local source for Los Angeles IT services.

Our business IT services include security, cloud solutions, hardware installation, and more. Talk to one of our consultants today to learn more. 

 
- Categories: Cloud Solutions

#### 5 Ways Office Relocation Services Can Benefit Your Business
Considering moving offices?

In one study, 68% of employees said that office relocation had a positive effect on them in the workplace. However, we know that there are a lot of added factors and stressors that can make this kind of move daunting for most business owners.

Are you in the process of moving your business to a new location? If so, you might be wondering if it's worth hiring office relocation services. We think they’re worth it. However, we’re here to back that opinion up with some facts and benefits.

From business IT services to simple office relocation assistance, there are several ways that hiring professionals can benefit your business. Here are five of them.
What Are Office Relocation Services?
There’s no denying that moving office locations can be a daunting task. This is especially true when you're trying to keep operations running smoothly and meeting deadlines. This is where office relocation services come in.

Companies offering office relocation services specialize in planning and executing office moves. Their goal is to ensure the transition is efficient and stress-free.

This can include:

 	Packing office supplies and equipment
 	Arranging transportation,
 	Setting up computer systems and office furniture at the new location
 	Disposing of any unwanted items

You can also look into office IT relocation services. These services often include setting up the new office space with the necessary technology infrastructure. This can include installing the necessary network wiring and setting up office computers with the appropriate software.

In addition, office IT relocation services may also involve transferring data and data backup from old office equipment to new equipment. They might also include updating office technology to a more efficient system.

In the end, the right relocation services will help ensure you and your employees can focus on work instead of getting stuck in the logistics of a move. Whether it's for a change in location or expansion purposes, these services can significantly ease the process of relocating an office.
What to Consider With Office Relocation
When it comes to relocating an office, there are a few things to consider.

First, determine if the move is necessary. Will it benefit the company in the long run? Then, gather input from employees about their preferences for the new location. Ensure they understand why you're moving and how it will affect them. It's also important to consider the budget and projected costs for the move. Factor in any potential downtime during the transition.

However, one of the most important aspects to consider is the transfer of all of your business equipment and data.

When relocating offices in the Southern California area, it's important to consider your Los Angeles IT support management and data security measures. Make sure all of your computer equipment is physically secure during the move, such as placing servers in locked racks and securing laptops with locks or tracking devices.

It's also essential to update security software and update access privileges for any new employees or contractors at the new location. Additionally, make sure any sensitive documents are securely disposed of, whether by shredding or using a professional disposal service.

Taking the time to carefully plan and execute these measures can help protect against potential threats to IT systems and sensitive data during the transition to a new office space.
5 Benefits of Office Relocation Services
Thinking that office relocation is a good idea for your business? Perhaps you’re not quite convinced yet. Regardless of what you decide to do, here are five of the top benefits of office relocation services for businesses of any size.
1. Minimize Productivity Loss
Office relocation professionals handle everything from planning the move to unpacking at the new location, allowing you and your employees to focus on work instead of the logistics of moving.

They can also assist with any necessary technical upgrades or office layout planning to ensure minimal disruption to your workflow. This minimizes productivity loss and helps ensure a smooth transition to the new office space.

In the end, utilizing office relocation services allows you to focus on running the day-to-day tasks of your business while they handle the logistical complexities of an office move, ultimately helping to minimize any loss in productivity.
2. Save Money
Office relocation companies can help ease the burden and save you both time and money. They have experience with office moves and can accurately plan for any logistical concerns, such as scheduling elevators or coordinating movers.

This saves you from wasting time and resources on unexpected issues or mishaps. In addition, office relocation services may have connections with reputable moving companies, allowing them to negotiate better rates than if you were to hire a company on your own.
3. Save Time
As mentioned above, local IT support and office relocation services and general office relocation services can help you save time as well as money.

Hiring office relocation services allows you to focus on running your business instead of spending valuable time on the logistics of the move.
4. Protect Your Equipment
While regular movers might protect your office equipment, dedicated specialists are going to know exactly how to move your computers and other expensive equipment to prevent damage.

This helps protect your equipment from damage during transport. It also reduces the risk of injury for you and your employees. In addition, office relocation services can help set up and configure your new office space, including your new IT infrastructure.
5. Improved Network Connectivity
Moving office spaces is a great opportunity to improve your existing business network. It may also be a prime opportunity for a brand new network installation that will save time and money in the long run.

Perhaps there are ways that you can optimize your entire network. This could help increase employee productivity. This could also be an opportunity to upgrade or update your technology as necessary. It’s worth looking into as you prepare for the big move.
Get Office Relocation IT Services in Los Angeles
Interested in business IT services and office relocation services? We suggest ensuring that you take advantage of office relocation IT services to ensure your new office’s network is properly and quickly set up for your employees immediately upon arrival.

Click here to learn more about Be Structured's Los Angeles IT support during an office relocation and then get in touch with any questions or for a quote.
- Categories: IT Support, Office 365

#### 5 Ways to Protect Your Business From Email Malware
In recent years, the prevalence of malware and other kinds of cybercrime has increased by more than 60%. The more advanced and widespread technology becomes, the easier it becomes for bad actors to engage in digital crime.

Email malware is one of the most common ways that cyber criminals target people and businesses, so it is vital to learn about how to protect your business from it.

Fortunately, many of the ways you can improve your defenses against email malware are simple to implement.

Read on to learn all about the most important steps to take to keep your business safe!
1. Teach Employees About Business Security
Locally, one of the most important things to understand about IT security in Los Angeles is that every person is a potential vulnerability. If a company has fifty people, only one of them needs to make a serious mistake for a bad actor to gain access to company information.

For that reason, it is important to realize that a strong cybersecurity defense is a team effort. Every member of your company's workforce will need to learn about how to avoid making a mistake with email malware.

Scheduling employee training can help them learn how to recognize malware when they see it. In most cases, refusing to open weird emails or to click on links from mysterious addresses is enough to keep email malware from hurting your business.

However, this can also be a good time to teach employees about other aspects of digital security like how to create strong passwords.

A simpler way is to partner with an outsourced technical support company to assure you're protected 24/7 and 365 days a year.

As time goes by, different types of cybercrime will become more popular, so employees will need new training so that they are not potential points of entry for digital criminals. You might as well start regular training in cybersecurity practices for your workforce with an understanding of how to avoid falling prey to email malware.
2. Invest in Anti-Malware Software
Even with the best training, there is a chance that someone at your company will make a mistake. In such cases, it is essential to have a second line of defense. That is the main purpose of tools like antivirus and anti-malware software.

Setting up human defenses against cybercrime is good, but it has to deal with the possibility of human error. On the other hand, software tools never turn off and are always vigilant.

If someone exposes your company to email malware, you may not suffer any negative results if you have strong anti-malware software.
3. Read Tech Security Guide Updates
The techniques of email malware and other forms of digital crime continue to change as technology evolves. The techniques that work today may not still work in six months.

As a result, it is important to stay at the forefront of cybersecurity developments. Keeping up to date on this information will let you know when you need to update company policies to defend against the latest versions of email malware.
4. Invest in Professional Cybersecurity
Learning what to do to increase your cybersecurity and executing it can be a time-consuming process. In most cases, company leaders would prefer to focus on growing the business. One way to streamline your cybersecurity improvements is by hiring a professional cyber security company in Los Angeles to do this work for you.

Not only will this save you time and effort, but it will also lead to better results. Professional cybersecurity services have much more experience helping companies to put together a powerful defense against email malware.

They are already familiar with all of the latest information about the most popular kinds of email malware. They will also be able to assess your current antivirus and anti-malware software and give recommendations about whether or not you need an upgrade.

One important thing to realize is that you do not need to have defenses so strong that it is impossible for cyber criminals to overwhelm them. Instead, all you need are defenses strong enough that cyber criminals focus their attention on easier targets.
5. Keep Your Software Updated
In many cases, it is the most vulnerable companies that end up feeling the majority of the impact of cybercrime. As long as you have the essential protections in place, there is a good chance that your business will be unaffected by the attempts of would-be cyber criminals.

However, it is vital that you eliminate potential vulnerabilities in your system. One reason that software tools update so much is that they need to install new defenses against new digital crime techniques.

Companies often end up using dozens of different kinds of software to help manage their operations. If these software systems are not allowed to update, then you will be missing defenses against the latest criminal techniques. That is why it is essential for every person at your company to keep their software updated on all of their company devices.

You can often set up your software to update automatically. You might find some software tools that will not update on their own. In that case, you might need to send out reminders to your workforce to install manual updates.
Understand How to Protect Your Business From Email Malware
With email malware on the rise, it is more important than ever before to stay up to date on the most effective cybersecurity measures you can take. We hope learning about these ways to protect your business from email malware has been helpful for you. Investing in powerful cybersecurity can keep your business safe and help it flourish into the future.

To learn more about how to strengthen your defenses against digital crime, reach out to the Be Structured Technology Group and get in touch with us here at any time!
- Categories: Email, Managed IT, Security

#### 5 Ways You Can Improve Your Network Security for 2023
The new year is upon us, so it's time to start thinking about ways to improve your network security.

A recent study by UpCity found that only 50% of U.S. small businesses had a cybersecurity plan in place in 2022. It's safe to assume that 50% of companies won't have the proper network security protocols in place for 2023.

Yet, your business doesn't have to be one of them. Now more than ever, network security is essential in today's interconnected world. A breach of your network can have devastating consequences, both for your business and for your customers.

In addition, it's important to cybersecurity regulatory compliance. If you own a business in Southern California, you should consider talking with one of the cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles.

That's why we've put together this list of five ways you can improve your network security, relax and enjoy the benefits of cybersecurity for 2023. By implementing even a few of these changes, you can significantly reduce the risk of a security breach. So let's get started!
1. Implement Two-Factor Authentication
One of the best ways to improve your network security is to implement two-factor authentication (2FA).

2FA adds a layer of security by requiring users to provide two pieces of information before granting access to your network. This could be a password and a one-time code generated by an app on the user's phone.

It is essential to keep in mind that implementing two-factor authentication is an investment. The cost of adding two-factor authentication to an existing security network can vary widely. It depends on the size and complexity of your current system and its capabilities.

The average cost of adding two-factor authentication to a smaller business is around $30,000. This estimate includes the cost of software licenses and hardware, such as tokens or smart cards; training costs; installation costs; maintenance fees; and additional IT services needed to support the new technology.

For example, suppose you have an existing network with just one server. This may mean upgrading your network with additional servers and software licenses to accommodate the extra bandwidth needed for two-factor authentication.

Suppose you add two-factor authentication to an enterprise-level network with multiple servers and complex applications. In that case, the average cost could be closer to $100,000 because this type of system typically requires more extensive upgrades than small businesses need.
2. Use a VPN
Another great way to improve your IT security in Los Angeles is to use a virtual private network (VPN).

Many IT support companies insist that VPNs are one of the best ways to protect your data from hackers, governments, and ISPs. They encrypt your traffic, making it impossible for others to see what you're doing online. This is especially important for business owners who need to access sensitive client information when working remotely.

VPNs also unblock websites and apps effortlessly. Many companies block specific websites and apps on their network. This is to prevent employees from wasting time at work or downloading malware onto the company's computers.

With a VPN installed on your personal computer or smartphone, your employees can bypass these restrictions and unblock any app or website they want. That includes Facebook, YouTube, and more, without you having to worry about it.
3. Keep Your Software Up-to-Date
One of the most important things you can do to improve your network security is to keep all your software up-to-date. This includes the operating system on your devices and any applications you have installed.

Software updates often include critical security fixes, so you must install them as soon as they're available. This helps ensure that known vulnerabilities are patched before hackers can exploit them.

You also want to make sure your software can be updated automatically. Automatic updating ensures that every software on your computer has the latest security patches. This works well to improve your network security because you don't have time to manually check for updates every day (or even once a week).
4. Use Strong Passwords
Another important step you can take to improve your network security is to use strong passwords. A strong network password is at least eight characters long and includes a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.

It would help if you never used the same password for multiple accounts or across multiple devices. This includes different websites or services. If one of those accounts gets hacked or compromised, this can comprise your entire security network.

You should also change your password often. Try changing it every few weeks or months rather than every year or two.
5. Educate Your Employees
One additional way to improve your network security is to educate your employees about best practices. You want to ensure they know how to spot phishing emails and how to keep their passwords secure. For example, rules such as never opening unsolicited email attachments, not clicking links, or downloading files from unknown sources are a start.

You should be providing regular training for all employees on new threats and how to keep themselves safe online. You also want to remind employees not to share confidential information over email or social media.

This should be done regardless of how well they think they know the person they're talking to. You should also provide employees with information about how to report security concerns. Helping your employees understand how to respond if they suspect a security incident is taking place is vital.

Another way to educate your employees to improve network security is through awareness programs. You can develop an employee security awareness program tailored to your organization's specific security needs.
Ready to Improve Your Network Security?
Your network's security should be a top priority. You do this by using two-factor authentication and VPNs. Keep your software up to date and improve passwords. Finally, you want to educate your employees about network security.

By implementing even a few of these changes, you can significantly reduce the risk of a security breach.

So get started with a Los Angeles managed service provider who can assist you in setting up your network safely and soundly.

Contact us today if you need help implementing these changes or have questions about network security. We're here to help!
- Categories: Security

#### 5G Security Risks
An Overview of The Biggest Security Risks Associated with 5G
All the wireless network connections that take place today use the 4th Generation (4G) technology.  The first versions of this were deployed in Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden, back in 2009.  Because of the recent advancements in technology and the explosive demand for instantaneous services from the Cloud, the need for an even faster wireless protocol has risen. 5G technology addresses these issues but also comes with its own set of security risks.
Essentially, the 5G consists of many microprocessors that transmit data packets at a very high rate of speed amongst one another.  At the core of this is the Radio Access Network (RAN).  This is connected to the many routers, hubs, and switches that exist in the global network infrastructure.  It is from this point that the interconnectivity takes place, and where objects and devices can gain much quicker access to the Internet than ever before. 
Some of the main concerns with 5G are listed below. Although
this is not an exhaustive list, these are the most prominent issues that all
consumers should be aware of.
Security Risk 1: 5G will encompass all levels of infrastructure
Once 5G has been fully adopted, it will essentially be the main form of connectivity between all types of infrastructure, both physical and digital.  For example, all wireless devices that connect to the Cloud at some point will transition over to 5G, as well as even to all facets of critical infrastructure.  This includes the national electrical grid, nuclear power facilities, gas and oil pipelines, water supply lines, and even the major agricultural distribution nodes.  This dual nature increases the probability of leaving many covert “backdoors” to be discovered and opened by the hacker.  Once these security points of entry have been penetrated, it is quite possible that the Cyber attacker can launch massive disruptions or even shut down the mission-critical functionalities of a city’s infrastructure.
Security Risk 2: 5G Increases Dependency Upon Third Party
Suppliers
Because there are many more components that are involved with 5G, the dependency upon other vendors has also proliferated.  One of the biggest Cybersecurity issues here deals with the Chinese manufacturer known as Huawei.  At the present time, they are the world’s largest supplier of the equipment that is needed to run an efficient 5G wireless network.  It currently has one of the largest market shares, driven primarily by its low cost, heavy investments that are being made in research and development, as well as its ability to offer complete end to end solutions for both the wireless carriers and the telecom data centers.  Unfortunately, the United States government has expressed grave concerns over the security practices of Huawei, and the Department of Commerce currently restricts the use of Huawei based equipment in wireless networks.  
Security Risk 3: 5G is Getting Away From a Centralized Approach
4G uses a centralized approach (also known as the “hub and spoke”), which utilizes hardware devices as the main intersection points connecting wireless devices together and providing access to the Internet.  5G does not use this same methodology. This new technology uses a distributed approach known as “digital routing”, which is entirely software-driven.  As a result, it is much more difficult to deploy and maintain the proper levels of security controls with the 5G versus the 4G protocol.
Security Risk 4: 5G Functionalities Are Now Virtualized
Because of the software-driven approach of 5G, all critical functionalities are now Cloud-based, or “virtualized”.  All types of Cloud infrastructures (which include those primarily of the IaaS, PaaS, and the SaaS) have their own set of exclusive security risks that come with them.  This only increases the vulnerability levels of 5G, when combined with the issues of greater interconnectivity.  
Security Risk 5: 5G Uses Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is now becoming a tool of choice for automating repetitive tasks and performing other managerial functions in a software-based environment.  5G is also making use of AI in this regard.  But it is important to keep in mind that many of the AI tools that are being used are still deemed to be that of the first generation.  Although they can be advantageous, AI can also be manipulated and misconfigured by the cyber attacker in order to serve their nefarious purposes as well.
Security Risk 6: 5G Increases Expansion of Bandwidth
5G will also usher in a new era of greater bandwidth.  As a result, many metropolitan areas and smaller towns all across the United States will be deploying small cellular-based antennas in order to effectively serve this purpose.  These cellular-based sites will make use of what is known as “Dynamic Spectrum Sharing”.  This breaks up the increased levels of bandwidth into slices so that they can be used more efficiently.  But even here, each slice that is created has the potential to bring in its own set of security vulnerabilities, compounded by the fact that the antennas themselves can also be a source of prey for the Cyberattacker.
Security Risk 7: 5G is designed for the IoT
The 4G protocol was designed more for applications and people to communicate with another in a seamless fashion.  But 5G has been designed specifically to serve what is known as the Internet of Things. (IoT) This is the environment in which devices in both the physical and virtual worlds are all connected with each other.  Eventually, all of this interconnectivity will give rise to Smart Homes and even Smart Cities, where all tasks will eventually become automated that were once conducted by a physical means.  While all of this certainly has its advantages, it has one insurmountable security risk:  The attack surface has been greatly increased, which will prove very difficult to overcome.  Not only this, but it is highly anticipated that 5G will eventually be only compatible with those devices and products that are “Smart” in nature.  For example, through a backdoor in the 5G network, a cyber attacker can easily commandeer a Smart Car and cut off all communications to it. This obviously would put the driver and passengers in grave danger.  Or worst yet, a hacker can easily gain access to a smart medical device that has been implanted into a patient, putting their life into the hands of a nation-state threat actor.
Don’t Let 5G Create Vulnerabilities In Your Productivity & Security
Be Structured Technology Group is a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) who can help you address the security issues associated with 5G. Cyber Security and providing top-notch Managed IT Support is our passion. If you have a business or office located in the Los Angeles area, we can you help you manage these 5G security risks with our specialized network security services. Contact us today to set up your free consultation.
- Categories: Networking
- Tags: 5G, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, IoT Networking, Network Security

#### 6 Benefits of Working with a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider
Between 2023 and 2030, the global managed services market could grow by a CAGR of 13.6%. More businesses are relying on managed services to meet their IT needs. Help from a managed service provider can improve core competencies, cut expenses, and drive market growth.

On the fence and located in Southern California?

Here are six reasons to start working with a Los Angeles managed service provider. After reading this guide, you can determine if managed services suit your company's needs and goals for growth.

Discover the benefits of managed services today. 
1. Cost Reduction
Relying on Los Angeles managed service providers can help you cut costs. You'll no longer have to worry about:

 	Vetting and selecting
 	Hiring
 	Training
 	Purchasing new hardware

These processes can become costly over time. With Los Angeles managed IT services, you won't have to worry about training and hiring expenses. You can cut overhead to spend more money on your business instead. 

You can also develop a personalized plan based on your company's unique needs. The scalability involved will ensure you never overspend. Instead, you can adjust your IT budget as needed.

As your business begins to grow, you can start increasing your IT budget to suit your current needs. 

Meanwhile, your managed service provider can help you make more cost-effective decisions based on your budget. You can choose between different packages to avoid overspending. Their cost-saving services and software could become invaluable over time.

Managed service providers (MSPs) work with experts to ensure you choose affordable, robust licensing opportunities. If you're concerned about your IT budget, talk to an MSP today. They can work with you to develop a customized service package that suits your IT needs and budget. 
2. Improved Security
Your business needs to prioritize cybersecurity, whether you're a small business or a huge corporation. In fact, over 40% of all attacks target small businesses. About 60% of businesses that fall prey to these attacks close within six months. 

There was a 424% increase in small business cyber breaches last year. These attacks cost small and medium businesses over $2.2 million annually. 

It's no wonder that 66% of small businesses are now concerned about cyber security risks. Unfortunately, only 14% of small businesses believe they're able to mitigate risks and attacks. About 47% of small businesses have no idea how to protect themselves against these attacks. 

Over 50% have no plan in place to react to an attack, while 65% have failed to act following an incident in the past. 

If you're not sure how to protect your business or employees from attacks, you need to consider an IT security Los Angeles based company this year.

Business IT services and security MSPs can offer an abundance of services and tools to ensure you're protected. They use the best and most current products and services to safeguard their clients. 

You can discuss two-step factor authentication, firewalls, network monitoring, and company-wide training to remain secure.

MSPs can even leverage artificial intelligence to detect potential attacks and viruses. They can offer data backup and disaster recovery as part of your security plan. Disaster recovery can minimize downtime if there is an incident. 

Relying on your managed service provider's cybersecurity offerings will give you peace of mind. They could become vital to your company in worst-case scenarios. 
3. Expert Support
Whether you're starting a new business or trying to grow an existing one, it's important to make informed IT decisions. Neglecting to make the right IT decisions can impede your growth.

Some companies try to keep up with every IT trend possible to "remain relevant." However, not every trend suits your needs, budget, or industry. Outsourced tech support companies can help you make informed decisions based on your needs.

You can also talk to your provider about federal and state regulations. Neglecting to remain compliant could lead to heavy fines. However, it's sometimes difficult for businesses to remain informed about new regulations.

Your service provider can shoulder the burden. With their help, you can keep up with privacy, education, and financial acts. They can ensure your company's compliance, which will benefit you and your customers. 

Relying on their experience and expertise can help you make the most cost-effective choices. With their help, you can improve your IT operations to ensure your business runs smoothly year-round. 
4. Access to Tools
Working with an MSP can also give your company access to premium tools and IT solutions.

It can take time to implement new solutions on your own, especially with technology changing quickly. Your small business might fall behind if you're not looking at the latest solutions.

Rely on your managed service provider's knowledge. They can help you choose solutions that won't cause a financial burden. 
5. Reduced Downtime
Working with an experienced MSP can help you reduce unnecessary downtime. 

For example, it's possible your company is still using the break-fix method to remedy IT issues.

With the break-fix method, companies wait until problems arise before researching, exploring, and trying different solutions. This process can cause unnecessary downtime. 

Instead of waiting for problems to arise, your MSP can review your existing infrastructure. They can make recommendations to help you avoid downtime in the future. 
6. Increased Productivity
Working with an MSP can improve your team's productivity and morale.

If your employees continue experiencing basic IT issues, they could get frustrated. You might struggle to retain employees, leading to hiring and training costs. Your team's overall productivity could suffer.

Meanwhile, your small IT department will continue fixing minor IT issues when they could focus on bigger projects.

Rely on the best Los Angeles IT support providers this year. Outsourcing will allow your staff to remain focused and productive year-round.
Work With a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider
Don't handle your IT needs alone. Instead, consider working with a Los Angeles IT services company this year. With help, you can improve operations, cut costs, and boost productivity.

Start experiencing these business benefits with help from your MSP today. 

Want to explore your options? Be Structured Technology Group is here to help.

Contact us today to learn how we can benefit your company. 

 

 
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### 6 Major Benefits of Effective Network Security
Cyber attacks can be expensive. How expensive exactly? Experts put the figure at an average of $200,000.

That's chump change for a big corporation like JP Morgan Chase or Amazon. Their stock may take a hit, but at the end of the day, they'll stay afloat. For a small business, though, $200,000 is a lot.

Solid business IT services and security is the solution. Everything begins and ends with your network, so the sort of network security solutions you choose will determine your security posture.

In this guide, we'll discuss the 6 major benefits of an effective network security service.
1. Effective Network Security Helps Ward Off External Attacks
The internet continues to be the wild west. While certificates and strong authentication have mitigated much of the risk, bad actors are always lying in wait. As the saying goes in the cyber security community: it's not if they'll hack you, but when.

Like all criminals, hackers look for novel ways to compromise a system. The most common method of doing this is through a zero-day exploit. This is an exploit that security companies are not yet aware of.

Hackers may also try to compromise you with phishing emails. These are what appear to be official communications that trick your employees into giving up vital information. Or, they convince the employee to download malware disguised as a legitimate file.

The point is, there's a lot of scary stuff out there. Network firewall security is not enough. Here a just a few things your managed IT team can do:

 	Update software on a regular basis
 	Lockdown high-level privileges
 	Encrypt all data
 	Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication
 	Hire third parties for penetration tests and a cyber security threat analysis

2. It Helps Ward Off Internal Threats, Too
Believe it or not, almost half of all security breaches happen from an insider. That means there's about a 50% chance that one of your employees will cause a security breach.

This is not always malicious. It may involve a high-level employee who is not careful with their credentials. A hacker could blackmail them to obtain access.

In other cases, it is intentional. An employee makes a deal with a competitor to sell your information. There's a lot of financial incentive sometimes for a disgruntled or unscrupulous employee to make some extra side money.

Fortunately, you can mitigate inside threats, too, with the following:

 	Regular employee training
 	Limiting high-echelon credentials to a select few
 	Pro-active firewall network security and monitoring to detect malicious behavior
 	Investigate suspicious behavior

3. It Saves You Money
This may be the most obvious one on the list, but it's the one small businesses never think about twice. Using a managed IT Los Angeles service saves you money in the long run if your business resides in Southern California.

As mentioned at the outset of this article, the average breach costs around $200,000. Even if you could bounce back from that, things would be tight. This would be a devastating blow, whether to a public or privately traded company.

Further, that puts doubt in investors. A security breach might give them cold feet or might lead them to believe that your company is incompetent. The media attention would likewise do great damage.

But if you come prepared with a network security service, you have nothing to worry about.
4. It Keeps Your Reputation Strong
Following off the last point, a security breach puts doubt in your abilities. It's not just investors or the media that should concern you. It's your current and future customers.

Failure to prevent a breach does not inspire confidence. The black cloud of a successful security breach will follow your company around for years.

Obtaining industry-leading IT support services in Los Angeles can prevent that.
5. It Keeps Your Company Running
What often goes unmentioned after a cyber attack is the hit to your efficiency. When a breach happens, work might often come to a stop. A cyber post-mortem involves a lot of investigation that will interrupt normal operations.

You can attribute much of the cost of a cyber attack to lost profits. Lost profits mean customers get their services late--or don't get them at all. There's a huge risk that your services may even be subpar.

Network firewall security from a trustworthy managed IT service can keep your company running smoothly.
6. It Keeps You Compliant
What often happens after a security breach is the discovery that you failed to stay compliant. Compliance can be related to how you handle customer information, to how you store it. You may not even realize you weren't compliant until the breach happens.

Managed IT services can help you to identify ways that you are failing compliance. They can help you build a strategy to get compliant and stay that way. Then you're prepared if a breach happens.

Compliance protects your customers, too. It's much harder for a hacker to compromise you if you're following the correct security standards. There's a smaller chance personal information will make its way to the internet.
Get Managed IT Security Services
Network security is the be-all and end-all of a safe, secure network. Taking the time and effort to ensure that your company is protected from hackers will pay dividends. It will save you a lot of money in the long run and help your company to run smoothly besides.

The easiest way to put a security network into practice is with managed IT services. This offloads the stress of managing an IT team to a third party, freeing you up for what you're best at - building your brand.

Contact Be Structured and see what difference managed services can make.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### 6 Productivity Benefits of Having 24/7 Los Angeles IT Support
Did you know that the global industry for outsourcing IT services was worth approximately $161 billion in 2021?

You're trying to run your business and you don't have time for computer problems. Computers are a necessary part of any business, but they can also be a huge headache when they're not working properly.

With 24/7 local IT support, you can rest assured that your computers will always be running smoothly and that any technical issues will be taken care of promptly.

This means you'll have more time to focus on what's important - running your business.

Keep reading to learn the 6 productivity benefits of having a 24/7 managed service provider in Los Angeles working for you.
1. Increased Uptime
The importance of uptime in the modern business world cannot be overstated. In an age where nearly every aspect of operations is reliant on technology, any extended period of downtime can quickly lead to a loss in productivity and revenue.

Fortunately, by working with a Los Angeles IT support company, you can rest assured that your infrastructure will be supported around the clock. With a team of experienced technicians on call at all times, any issues that arise will be quickly resolved, minimizing downtime and ensuring that your business remains up and running.

In today's competitive landscape, the ability to keep operations running smoothly is more important than ever before. partnering with a 24/7 IT support company is one of the best ways to ensure that your business has the uptime it needs to succeed.
2. Improved Customer Service
Few things are more frustrating than trying to reach a customer service representative after hours only to find that the phone line has been disconnected. Or, even worse, being put on hold for an extended period only to be told that the office is now closed.

With a 24/7 Los Angeles managed service provider, your customers will always be able to reach you, no matter what time of day or night it is. This increases customer satisfaction and loyalty. Because they know that you are always available to help them, they are more likely to do business with you again in the future.

In addition, 24/7 support also allows you to resolve problems quickly before they have a chance to escalate. As a result, your company will save money and improve its reputation.
3. Enhanced Security
In today's digital age, IT security in Los Angeles is more important than ever before. Hackers are constantly finding new ways to gain access to sensitive data, and businesses of all sizes are at risk. Having an IT support team available around the clock can help to mitigate these risks.

By monitoring systems and implementing security measures, cybersecurity service providers can help to ensure that your data is always safe. In the event of a breach, they can also help to minimize the damage and get your systems up and running again as quickly as possible.

In other words, having business IT services and security on hand can give you peace of mind knowing that your business is always protected.
4. Greater Efficiency
Managed IT services are an essential part of any business, large or small. By having a dedicated team on hand to troubleshoot problems and help with technical issues, you can be confident that your systems are running smoothly and efficiently. This helps to boost productivity and reduces the chances of errors.

In addition, IT support can provide valuable insights into how your systems can be improved and streamlined. As a result, investing in IT support is an important part of ensuring the long-term success of your business.

By having a dedicated team of IT professionals on hand, you can be sure that any technical problems will be quickly resolved, helping you to avoid costly downtime. In addition, regular maintenance and updates will help to keep your systems running at peak efficiency.
5. Reduced Costs
Everyone knows that feeling when their computer suddenly stops working or starts running slowly. It's frustrating, time-consuming, and can even a little bit panic-inducing. What if all your important files are lost? And what if it takes days or even weeks to get your computer fixed?

The good news is that there is a way to avoid all of this stress and expense: by having 24/7 IT support. With around-the-clock coverage, you can rest assured that any issues with your computer will be quickly resolved, often before you even realize there was a problem.

In addition, regular maintenance and monitoring can help to prevent issues from arising in the first place. As a result, having an IT support company can save you money by avoiding costly downtime, repairs, or unnecessary customer service issues.
6. Peace of Mind
In today's increasingly digital world, having reliable IT systems is essential for any business. However, computers and other digital devices can sometimes experience problems, leading to costly downtime. 24/7 IT support can help to prevent these issues, ensuring that your systems are always up and running.

This can give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your IT needs are taken care of, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business. In addition, 24/7 support can also provide you with access to expert advice and assistance when you need it, helping you to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles Pays for Itself
Outsourcing your business IT services isn't right for every company. However, it can be a great option for those that have outgrown the capabilities of in-house IT.

If you're looking to take your SoCal business to the next level, consider partnering with a Los Angeles managed service provider like Be Structured Technology Group.

Be sure to contact us today to see how we can assist you with24/7 support.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### 6 Types of Cybersecurity Compliance Frameworks
It's hard to overstate the long-term impacts of a cybersecurity breach. Revenue loss, downtime, legal fees, and other effects contribute to a global average cost of $4.35 million per breach.

That's without mentioning the loss of trust from customers and shareholders!

Worse, the cost might be even higher if you aren't following the right cybersecurity compliance framework.

These frameworks lay out guidelines for data protection and digital security. While some are optional best practices, many are mandatory for certain businesses and industries.
Los Angeles IT Support Helps Ensure Cybersecurity Compliance
If you want to protect your organization while avoiding fines for non-compliance, you'll need to keep the right frameworks in mind. Let's take a look at six key frameworks worth considering and their guidelines for ensuring cybersecurity compliance.
1. NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is one of the largest cybersecurity compliance frameworks in the U.S.

NIST is a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Its cybersecurity framework was first created in 2014 for U.S. defense contractors. Industry leaders, academics, and government experts were stakeholders in the decision-making process.

Today, the NIST framework is popular with private and government organizations around the world. The best practices of this framework help users manage their cybersecurity protocols and reduce their risk.

There are five areas of focus:

 	Identify: identify equipment, software, and data that need protection
 	Protect: create protections for your systems and data
 	Detect: check for and investigate unusual activities and unauthorized access
 	Respond: respond to and contain attacks
 	Recover: recover from attacks and restore systems

Considering these main functions helps businesses assess and protect themselves from potential threats.
2. HIPPA
The HIPPA framework focuses on protecting patient privacy. Data protection is crucial in the medical industry, especially with patient health information (PHI) on the line.

HIPPA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Developed in 1996, this framework covers the various protections that healthcare organizations need to better protect patients.

There are three main types of safeguards.

First are administrative safeguards. These are the administrative procedures and policies that protect PHI.

Next are physical safeguards. These are measures that keep unauthorized individuals from gaining physical access to things they shouldn't. These policies protect buildings, computers, and physical equipment and tools.

Last are technical safeguards. These tech security best practices ensure that organizations manage data in secure ways. They can also reduce the risk of cyber attacks.
3. GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects data for citizens of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). Even businesses located elsewhere must follow GDPR standards if they store any data from users who live in the EU or EEA.

The framework of GDPR covers many of the same standards as other frameworks. In addition, it lays out specific requirements for things like data breach notifications, the use of cookies, and user-friendly privacy notices.

The GDPR stands behind seven key principles of data protection:

 	Lawfulness: maintains fairness when processing personal data
 	Purpose limitation: allows users to understand what companies will do with their data
 	Data minimization: forces companies to collect the minimum amount of data
 	Accuracy: ensures the accuracy of collected data
 	Storage limitation: forces companies to delete data when it is no longer needed
 	Security: focuses on secure data processing
 	Accountability: makes businesses take responsibility for adhering to these principles

Fines for failing to comply can be expensive. The GDPR is often strict about enforcing its standards and penalizing companies who breach consumer rights.
4. ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has created many industry standards. The ISO standards ensure that organizations follow standard tech security procedures. This includes compliance in terms of equipment, employees, and processes.

Companies can get ISO certification through a rigorous inspection process. ISO certification helps organizations show they are focused on the best practices for cyber risk management. This can be crucial for gaining customer and shareholder trust.

There are many different types of ISO certifications. ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002 are both ideal for cybersecurity.
5. PCI DSS
PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. As the name suggests, the credit card industry developed these standards for the management of credit card data. The goal is to protect consumers from data breaches.

Annual compliance checks help protect cardholder data.

Failing to comply with PCI DSS isn't illegal. However, organizations that don't meet the framework's standards may have to pay fines.

They may also be unable to keep their merchant license. This can put merchants at a higher risk of cyber attacks and make it impossible to process credit cards.

PCI DSS focuses on several key cybersecurity principles:

 	Build and maintain secure network controls
 	Focus on secure configuration for all systems
 	Protect stored cardholder data
 	Use strong passwords and cryptography
 	Protect systems from malware and cyberattacks
 	Develop secure apps and systems
 	Limit access to cardholder data to a need-to-know basis
 	Limit physical access to cardholder data
 	Monitor network and data access
 	Test security processes and systems
 	Develop a cybersecurity policy

Note that these requirements should not be "one-and-done" procedures. Organizations must show that they are constantly maintaining and updating their security practices.
6. FISMA
Last, but not least, is the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA). This framework protects federal agencies from cyber threats. It's also necessary for contractors, vendors, and other parties who do work on behalf of the U.S. government.

FISMA outlines the minimum requirements for risk management and security maintenance. It calls for organizations to maintain and organize their digital systems, IT infrastructure, and sensitive information. It also requires regular cybersecurity risk assessments and security reviews.
Focus on Your Cybersecurity Compliance
Whether you're hoping to protect user data or avoid the latest computer viruses, the right framework can help. The cybersecurity compliance frameworks above allow organizations to heighten their security and minimize their risk. Even better, adhering to these frameworks shows a commitment to data protection and superior security.

That's where an experienced IT firm like Be Structured comes in. Complying with any required frameworks can be hard for small businesses, but our team can help. Get in touch with us today to learn what we can do.
- Categories: cybersecurity compliance

#### 6 Ways Hackers Break Into Your Computer System
Unfortunately, the Port of Los Angeles alone grapples with "nearly 40 million monthly cyber attacks? But, of course, cyber attacks can affect any computer system—anytime. If you're a previous victim of hacker attacks, your system doesn't have to be a sitting duck.

The best defense against computer hackers and cyber theft starts by reading this guide. Understanding the dangers of password spraying and spear phishing can help thwart computer hackers.

And if you're not a cyber theft victim, don't dismiss this article. Unsecured systems open the door to expensive ransomware demands.

These six hacker attacks might save your company time and money.
1. Phishing Computer Systems
Phishing is a hacker attack that disguises itself as a friendly source. The goal is to win your confidence by clicking a link to obtain private information. Los Angeles computer systems should consider these top phishing hacker attacks.
Email Phishing
Computer systems daily contend with nearly "3.5 million fake emails." Expert hackers attempt to fool you with subject headers that appear to come from a reliable source.

The computer hacker's goal is to get you to open the fraudulent email and, ultimately, a link to a malicious website. These spam-infested websites can steal your computer system's passwords, and other vital information. Of course, you can read about anti-phishing services to aid your systems.
Spear Phishing
Spear phishing involves the general phishing techniques. But unlike general phishing, spear phishing targets specific individuals and computer systems. These attacks might involve researching an individual's background or business to find cyber security loopholes.
2. Malware Computer Hackers
Malware is software to hack your systems or for cyber theft. Some malware causes severe cyber infections that destroy your systems. Here are some pervasive malware forms for cyber theft.
Beware of Phishing Malware
Sometimes these phishing emails might have authentic attachments, like photos. However, clicking them might activate malware installation on your computer systems.
Viruses
Unfortunately, approximately "30,000 websites suffer daily hacker attacks." And computer viruses play a large part. Computer viruses infect your systems and can spread throughout your entire network.

Computer viruses weave into the critical software code. And sometimes it becomes impossible to remove them. These viruses can remain hidden on your system until an event triggers them.

And if these viruses blend in the executable files, computer hackers can take over your computer system. If you're a local California-based business and have not already partnered with an IT support Los Angeles company, here are some signs to spot computer viruses:

 	Unwanted or too many pop-ups
 	Unauthorized sent emails
 	Sluggish computer systems

Also, if your system crashes often, you might have a virus. Our expert staff is happy to help you with our antivirus services.
Trojan and Spyware Hacker Attacks
While viruses activate on computer systems, trojans work behind the scenes. For example, cyber thieves use Trojans to monitor your computer activity and data.

Some Trojans are so effective that you might know your computer system has them. Trojans might come bundled with legitimate software. Spyware allows computer hackers to spy on personal data like passwords and bank statements.
3. Unguarded Systems
Some cyber theft happens when unwanted persons are directly on your computer system. Therefore, having your computer systems in a secure area is best. You might also consider having only authorized personnel around your computer systems.

Uninvited individuals can make copies of private data, leading to possible blackmail or extortion. Also, these same individuals can install malware directly on the computer system. With the right Trojan and spyware, cyber thieves can steal your data.

Don't neglect unused computer systems. Because they still have data, you might want to erase them or destroy them permanently. You might also consider our professional network IT security services.

Our network security services provide logs that detail your employees' computer servers' activities. In addition, monitoring workers with malicious intent can help thwart hacker attacks.

Your company might consider our IP video surveillance services as part of your cyber security. This modern tactic works with your built-in video surveillance system.

We also advise you to cancel login access from former employees. Disgruntled employees might resort to cyber theft.
4. Unsecured Network Access
It's paramount that your system only connects to secure networks. Otherwise, seasoned hackers can hijack your network and commit cyber theft.

Likewise, unsecured Wi-Fi presents many cyber challenges. While Wi-Fi gives you internet connectivity without Ethernet cables, it might have insufficient encryption measures.

These back doors provide ripe opportunities to spy on your network activity or worse. Your system might have to deal with password spraying. Password spraying is when a network intruder tries to force an entry into your computer systems.
Ransomware Cyber Theft
Unsecured computer systems open the door for ransomware. Ransomware is a cybercrime where the hackers demand payment to end the threat. If your company is in Los Angeles, please know that California endures the most ransomware attacks, according to cyber records.

A professional IT support company can help protect against any cyber threats or attacks.
5. Mobile Computer System Access
Sometimes your employees might need to access your computer system outside the office. These devices—especially mobile devices, need the same network security.

These outside connections can connect to your computer systems if they contain malware or viruses. Your employee doesn't have to have any malicious intent. However, their infested computers can indirectly cause others to spy and steal from your network.

Mobile network logins present unique challenges. For example, mobile apps might contain malware and spyware as well. Also, malicious apps can steal your employees' private data—including your network's login information.
6. DoS and DDos Hacker Attacks
A Denial of Service (DoS) is a hacker attack that overwhelms your computer systems with fraudulent requests. These computer attacks can interfere with your business activities.

DoS hacker attacks might prevent you from performing routine tasks like checking computer system files. A Disrupted Denial of Service (DDoS) operates like DoS attacks. However, these attacks come from more than one site or computer.
More Security Options for Computer Systems
We have a strong passion for providing you with exemplary IT support. Our IT experts are ready to help your business's computer system against cyber theft.

You don't have to be a large Los Angeles-area company to gain our support. Your small Los Angeles business receives the same outsourced IT support services and anti-cyber theft attention as the next.

We especially look forward to architecture and law firms with their IT needs. You can visit our office in the heart of Los Angeles' financial district. Or, if convenient, our staff can commute to you within our Los Angeles-area service range.

Contact us about how we help you against hacker attacks. Providing local IT support for financial and wealth management computer systems is also our specialty.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### 7 Benefits of a Los Angeles IT Support Company
A recent poll shows that employees lose more than 100 minutes of productivity each week due to tech problems. 

Jammed printers, security breaches, and misuse can stop a business in its tracks and delay work from getting done. Although there are downsides to using tech— when it works, it can improve your company. It's important to learn what is an IT consultant so you can avoid some of these roadblocks and keep profits rising. 

Keep reading to discover the benefits of hiring a business IT services company to start getting more done! 
1. Increase Productivity
Having an outsourced tech support consultant on-site can improve processes around the office and warehouse. 

Tech problems often arise and businesses must hire an IT consultant to overcome them. Whether you have a small or large business, Be Structured Technology Group has nearly 30 years of experience as a leading Los Angeles managed service provider who can help your company succeed. 

If you hire one of our in-house tech experts, you will have 24/7, 365 day per year access to solutions and can keep pushing forward. Instead of holding up meetings for 30 minutes because of tech errors, IT consulting firms can resolve the issue before it delays progress. 

Another way that our team can help your company be more productive is by streamlining processes.
2. Save Time 
Working with an IT support company can help save you time (and money), especially on your days off.

It may seem like internet and tech issues only occur when you aren't around to fix them. If this is a common occurrence, you can work with our IT consulting firm to solve the root of your problems. 

You'll save time with outsourced IT support services since you won't have to fix these problems again. Be Structured offers consultations to business owners feeling overwhelmed in the office. With a financial plan in place, you can afford services that will save you thousands of dollars in time and labor. 

Our local IT support team can help you get more done each day and you'll get the chance to focus on bigger-picture tasks. 
3. More Opportunities for Training
You and your HR department can only take on so much hiring and training at once.

Getting employees ready for their job is one task, but setting them up in the company software and portals can be a challenging task. Be Structured Tech Group can help your employees navigate devices with confidence and fewer mistakes.

It's common for accidents to occur when staff isn't trained on computer programs well enough. Having an extra person around who understands the programs can help your team get on the same page and learn more about operations.

With extra training, it's easier to promote from within and expand the company.  
4. Fewer Security Concerns
Unless you have a degree in business IT services, you likely won't know all the security risks involved while managing a company. 

Many owners want to hire an IT consultant to protect records and prevent theft. Business IT services and security concerns involving technology are complex, and reading code is essential. If you want to rest easy at night, you can hire IT personnel from Be Structured Tech and trust that your data is secure. 

Businesses and people get hacked every 39 seconds, don't let your firewall down and get help from professionals. 
5. Better Ability to Identify Core Issues
Data can't lie and our IT consultants know what numbers and figures to analyze to determine weaknesses in a company. 

Many local companies hire managed IT services in Los Angeles so they can be successful in the short and long term. While you're busy resolving issues, our in-house team can take a closer look at your records to see if there is money getting wasted or going missing. 

An IT support company can help increase sales since they make your team more efficient. With quick help when tech problems come up, your business can work at an optimum level. It's also good to have IT experts since they can prevent hackers from messing with your data or taking money from business accounts. 

If your company struggles to retain employees, and it's impacting business, IT consultants can remedy the issue. Surveys often show that many people leave jobs because of inadequate training and resources. With additional support, you can ensure that your new employees are set up to succeed in their careers. 
6. Learn about New Innovations
IT consultants at Be Structured stay updated on news in the industry. 

When new tech comes out, they are some of the first people to explore software, devices, and programs. Our team can help recommend solutions that are practical for your budget, business, and devices. Our team hires a variety of IT consulting professionals, some are fresh out of college while others have more experience. 

Staying up to date on the latest business and tech trends can become overwhelming. You won't have to spend the little free time you get on researching the latest solutions. 
7. Enhance Website Functionality
Whether you or a graphic designer builds your company site, it still needs to be maintained. 

Our Los Angeles IT consultants can help you troubleshoot problems and find resources to enhance your site. IT techs can improve loading speeds and protection. This will help customers and vendors better navigate your platform. 

It's best to hire a graphic designer, rather than an IT person for website creation. IT techs specialize in reading code and working behind the scenes. 
Our Los Angeles IT Support Consultants Help Your Company Succeed  
No matter what technical issues your company is facing, an outsource technical support team can help resolve them or point you in the right direction. 

Learning about what is an IT support Los Angeles based team will help fix issues and protect the business. Aside from being the leading cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles, our team can help your website's performance and identify issues in the workplace.  

Learn how to start using Be Structured's Los Angeles managed service provider capabilities to improve your business.

Schedule your free consultation today!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support

#### 7 Benefits of Hiring an IT Support Los Angeles Based Company
A recent poll shows that employees lose more than 100 minutes of productivity each week due to tech problems.

Jammed printers, security breaches, and misuse can stop a business in its tracks and delay work from getting done. Although there are downsides to using tech - when it works - it can improve your company.

It's important to learn what is a managed IT services consultant so you can avoid some of these roadblocks and keep profits rising.

Keep reading to discover the benefits of hiring local IT support to start getting more done!
1. Increase Productivity
Having an outsourced tech support consultant on-site can improve processes around the office and warehouse.

Tech problems often arise and businesses must hire an IT consultant to overcome them. Whether you have a small or large business, Be Structured can help your company succeed. If you're looking for cybersecurity and day-to-day IT support in Los Angeles, contact our tech professionals for assistance!

If you hire one of our in-house tech experts, you will have quick access to solutions and can keep pushing forward. Instead of holding up meetings for 30 minutes because of tech errors, IT consulting firms can resolve the issue before it delays progress.

Another way that our team can help your company be more productive is by streamlining processes.
2. Save Time
Working with a Los Angeles IT support company can help save you time (and money), especially on your days off.

It may seem like internet and tech issues only occur when you aren't around to fix them. If this is a common occurrence, you can work with our IT consulting firm to solve the root of your problems.

You'll save time with an IT support company since you won't have to fix these problems again. Be Structured offers consultations to business owners feeling overwhelmed in the office. With a financial plan in place, you can afford services that will save you thousands of dollars in time and labor.

Our local IT support team can help you get more done each day and you'll get the chance to focus on bigger-picture tasks.
3. More Opportunities for Training
You and your HR department can only take on so much hiring and training at once.

Getting employees ready for their job is one task, but setting them up in the company software and portals can be a challenging task. Be Structured Technology Group can help your employees navigate devices with confidence and fewer mistakes.

It's common for accidents to occur when staff isn't trained on computer programs well enough. Having an extra person around that understands the programs can help your team get on the same page and learn more about operations. With extra training, it's easier to promote from within and expand the company.
4. Fewer Security Concerns
Unless you have a degree in business IT services, you likely won't know all the security risks involved while managing a company.

Many owners want to hire an IT consultant to protect records and prevent theft. Security concerns involving technology are complex, and reading code is essential. If you want to rest easy at night, you can hire IT personnel from Be Structured and trust that your data is secure.

Businesses and people get hacked every 39 seconds, don't let your firewall down and get help from professionals.
5. Better Ability to Identify Core Issues
Data can't lie and our IT consultants know what numbers and figures to analyze to determine weaknesses in a company.

Many companies get IT support in Los Angeles so they can be successful in the short and long term. While you're busy resolving issues, our in-house team can take a closer look at your records to see if there is money getting wasted or going missing.

Managed IT services consultants can help increase sales since they make your team more efficient. With quick help when tech problems come up, your business can work at an optimum level. It's also good to have IT experts since they can prevent hackers from messing with your data or taking money from business accounts.

If your company struggles to retain employees, and it's impacting business, IT consultants can remedy the issue. Surveys often show that many people leave jobs because of inadequate training and resources. With additional support, you can ensure that your new employees are set up to succeed in their careers.
6. Learn about New Innovations
IT consultants at Be Structured stay updated on news in the industry.

When new tech comes out, they are some of the first people to explore software, devices, and programs. Our team can help recommend solutions that are practical for your budget, business, and devices. Our team hires a variety of local IT support professionals, some are fresh out of college while others have more experience.

Staying up to date on the latest business and tech trends can become overwhelming. You won't have to spend the little free time you get on researching the latest solutions.
7. Enhance Website Functionality
Whether you or a graphic designer builds your company site, it still needs to be maintained.

Our IT consultants can help you troubleshoot problems and find resources to enhance your site. IT techs can improve loading speeds and protection. This will help customers and vendors better navigate your platform.

It's best to hire a graphic designer, rather than an IT person for website creation. IT techs specialize in reading code and working behind the scenes.
Our Managed IT Support Los Angeles Consultants Can Help Your Company Succeed
No matter what technical issues your company is facing, an IT consultant can help resolve them or point you in the right direction.

Learning about what is an IT consultant will help fix issues and protect the business. Aside from fixing security issues, our team can help your website's performance and identify issues in the workplace.

Be sure to consider Be Structured's Los Angeles IT support services and schedule your free consultation today!
- Categories: IT Support

#### 7 Cybersecurity Tips for Your Small Business
The average cost of a data breach for a business is over $4 million. Most businesses don’t have the resources to absorb that kind of unexpected cost. Having and acting on cybersecurity tips can make the difference between a business ruining event and a regular day.

In a recent Website Rating article, 20 business IT services and security experts including Be Structured's CEO, Chad Lauterbach weighed in on their favorite tools to protect online privacy and ensure security.

Here is a summary of seven key tips that will help your business remain safe and secure in today's digital marketplace.
1. Multi-Factor Authentication
Years ago, the only thing you needed to sign into any account was a username and password. The vulnerabilities in this setup became obvious as hackers and scammers became better. Now, most major services offer multi-factor authentication.

To stay safe online, you can and should link your accounts to a cell phone or other device. This means that no one who doesn’t have your cell phone can access your accounts, regardless of the username or password. Adding this extra layer of protection has revolutionized cybersecurity.

There’s no reason not to use multi-factor authentication. It will make your business more secure, and it will make your customers feel safer.
2. VPNs
VPN stands for virtual private network, and it can be a game changer for security. This means that no one will be able to track your activity back to a physical location. Depending on the VPN, it can originate from a different country or state.

There are a lot of benefits when it comes to accessibility with a VPN. Not only does it protect your data and bandwidth, but it also helps if you need to scale up your network. A service that can provide internet security and expansion is a win-win proposition.

Managed IT security services are a cornerstone of company cybersecurity. Employing a VPN is one of the best ways to prevent attacks from happening in the first place. Your business is already a target, so the better hidden any vulnerability is, the less open to attack you are.
3. Stay Up to Date
Patches and software upgrades are always being rolled out as vulnerabilities are discovered. Major companies have entire teams of developers working on cybersecurity issues. It is important that you stay updated so that you can take advantage of their work.

In the realm of business cybersecurity, one attack exposes weaknesses in all systems. Applying all patches and updates is the only way to ensure you don’t fall victim to an exploitable weakness. The older and more out of date your system is, the easier it is to find weaknesses.

Hackers and scammers share information, too, so once one figures out a weakness, the knowledge spreads.

It's also important to make sure that when you run an email marketing campaign, that you create security parameters that avoid anything that might appear as phishing or spamming exercises.
4. Avoid Phishing Scams
You should always be skeptical of emails and calls that are seeking information. If you receive something that you feel is suspicious, the chances are it is. There are warning signs to look out for, and training your staff is key to stopping a phishing attack.

It is expected that by the end of 2022, there will have been over 6 billion phishing attacks made. You can’t rely on any software to keep you safe from phishing. While steps have been made to improve security, the best defense against phishing is training and awareness.

As countermeasures are developed, phishing attacks become more sophisticated. For better or worse, you have to always plan like your business is under attack. You are a target for every hacker and scammer on the planet.
5. Password Management
This area of cybersecurity often comes down to procedures and policies. It is important to require employees to change their passwords often, but that alone isn’t enough. You need to make sure they understand how important keeping their password secret is.

There are many ways that hackers and scammers go about discovering weaknesses in cybersecurity. The more complicated and non-standard a password is, the more chance you have of it surviving an attack.

Two-factor authentication works great, but it needs to be part of the solution, not the entire solution. One of the best cybersecurity tips you can receive is never to use the same password for more than one account. Don’t reuse passwords, and make sure they include capital letters, numbers, and symbols.
6. Back up Data
Not all attacks result in a data breach. Some actors are more destructive than malicious. Viruses and other malware can destroy sensitive data. One of the best ways you can protect yourself is to back up all the data you have.

This accomplishes two things. First, it prevents a catastrophic loss of operational data that could destroy your advantage. Second, it allows you to have a fallback point for your servers and computers to go back to.

Cybersecurity involves avoiding attacks, but it also means being able to survive one. Never put your entire business at risk, always maintain contingency options.
7. Wi-Fi and Remote Workers
This applies to businesses that have remote workers or ones where information gets taken home. The security of home wifi systems is integral to protecting your business. Train and remind your staff that they should be changing their passwords at home as well as in the office.

For remote workers, the need for this is obvious, but it is easy to forget. Building a culture of cybersecurity awareness is a key to success. With so many threats present and so many ways of exploiting any vulnerability, constant vigilance is the only shield.

You may also need to take the step of restricting what information can leave the building. This will prevent anything sensitive from exposure to security threats.
Cybersecurity Tips
The threat of a cyber attack is always present and will always be present. The best way to prevent an attack is to remain aware of the risks and the most common tactics employed.

Be Structured is leading provider of Los Angeles IT support, and we can help provide the IT solutions your business needs. Be Structured has been around since 2007 and our employees have many years of IT experience.

Cybersecurity tips are helpful, but if you want to take your security to the next level, contact Be Structured today!
- Categories: IT Support, MSPs, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### 7 IT Service Cybersecurity Threats From Inside a Company And How To Defend Against Them
Cybersecurity threats are the Internet's version of digital terrorism and whatever the circumstances that the planet is undergoing, they will always be a threat to a peaceful Internet world.
1. Account Misuse or Abuse
2. Compromised Accounts
3. An Infected Host
4. Internal Network Reconnaissance
5. Lateral Movement
6. Insider Fraud
7. Data Exfiltration
In today’s world of technology, we see greater, more elaborate attacks every day.  What’s worse, many times these threats don’t even come from an outside source. It’s like the classic horror film, “When a Stranger Calls,” when the victim is told by authorities that the scary calls she keeps receiving are actually traced to coming from inside her house.
So reassessing your cybersecurity strategies, especially in terms of how you defend against internal network threats, is paramount to keeping you cyber safe which is stressed by executives at Be Structured, a Los Angeles-based Managed Service Provider.
Many organizations dedicate the bulk of their network security strategies to mitigating the risk of external cyber threats without realizing that a comprehensive threat intelligence platform also accounts for the threat of internal cyber-attacks. In fact, 60% of companies experienced cyberattacks that were generated from inside the company itself.  That means many businesses are actually at a higher risk of falling prey to an internal threat than to an external one, and even more, aren’t doing enough to stop insider attacks in the first place.
But what exactly is an internal cybersecurity threat, and how can you stay protected in 2020 and beyond?
What Is an Insider Cyber Security Threat?
Most people think of cyber attacks as something that targets a network from the outside, but an insider threat circumvents barriers to entry altogether by attacking a system from within. As a result, insider threats mostly frequently originate from an employee, former employee, or a malicious actor. If your network isn’t structured properly, they may have been granted network access or they may have found a way to gain entry into your network without being detected. If your business is trying to manage these risks on your own, it will pale in comparison to partnering with an MSP to mitigate risk.
Some insider threats are intentional; others are due to negligence, but ultimately they involve using your system against you. Internal cybersecurity threats can be categorized into seven general types based on how they originate.
1. Account Misuse or Abuse
Account misuse occurs when an authorized network user performs unauthorized network functions. This misuse can happen intentionally or unintentionally. If users realize they have access to valuable parts of your network, they may use that as leverage to benefit themselves or threaten your organization. When this occurs, it becomes account abuse. On the other hand, users may have access to sensitive data on your network but not realize it. As a result, they may accidentally delete data, reconfigure network settings, or even leak confidential information.
Account misuse and abuse threats may arise for a multitude of reasons, including:
Nonexistent, loose, or poorly configured user access controls
Storing company documents, files, and folders on a universal server
Not updating user access as roles and responsibilities within the company change
Scaling cloud services without reassessing user access
Because most instances of account misuse or abuse stem from access control, the best strategy for protecting your network is to start by establishing clearly defined user permissions. From there, it’s critical to review access controls periodically to ensure they align with your network security measures.
The best way to delineate user access is by following the “need-to-know” rule. If an employee doesn’t need to have access to specific data or parts of your network to complete their daily tasks, they likely shouldn’t have access to it. After all, it’s easier to grant access when required than it is to take access away after a data breach.
2. Compromised Accounts
A compromised account refers to when an unauthorized individual gains access to an authorized account on your network. They can then use that account just as an authorized user would—but with malicious intent. An unauthorized individual on an authorized account can originate from within your organization or from outside of it. When undetected, a compromised account can wreak havoc on a network. As we’ve already mentioned, granting need-to-know access control can be one of the best defenses against a compromised account.
From inside your organization, compromised accounts can occur when:
 	An employee finds another employee’s password written down
 	An employee guesses another employee’s password (e.g., a pet or child’s name)
 	Organizations use generic, standard passwords for shared accounts
To protect your organization from these risks, outsource your technical support and make it known that employees are never to write down passwords under any circumstances. They should also use complex passwords composed of a series of letters, numbers, and symbols that would be impossible for someone close to them to guess. Similarly, it’s also helpful to enact policies and safeguards that require employees to change their passwords periodically.
From the outside, compromised accounts are most often the result of an employee losing an unsecured device or a successful phishing attack on your network. Even with stringent user access controls, however, a malicious actor can use a compromised account to trick other users on your network into divulging sensitive data or granting unauthorized permissions.
To combat the risk associated with compromised devices, ensure that all devices on your network are appropriately secured and encrypted so they can’t be used against you if they’re lost, misplaced, or stolen. To protect your network from phishing attacks, one of the most effective strategies is implementing an ongoing phishing awareness training program for employees.
3. An Infected Host
An infected host occurs when one of your internal network resources begins behaving abnormally, most frequently due to unauthorized access, third-party control, or malware. Although the source of an infected host generally originates from an external source, it becomes an internal threat as soon as your network perimeter is breached. That’s because an infected host can operate just like any other device on your network.
A compromised host can potentially:
 	Send junk, spam, or phishing emails to other systems
 	Distribute malicious software on your network
 	Distribute network data to other networks
 	Collect personal user data, including usernames, passwords, and account numbers
One of the best ways to mitigate the risk of an infected host compromising your network in the first place is with a managed cybersecurity service provider. However, because the scope of this post relates to internal network threats, we’ll focus on what to do after an infected host infiltrates your network.
With an infected host, your security incident response team will primarily be conducting damage control. That’s because some level of data has likely already been compromised; after that, it’s about minimizing the extent of the damage. Implementing an around-the-clock automated network monitoring system is a vital first step to detecting an infected host as quickly as possible.
From there, integrating effective quarantine measures into your network can promptly contain a compromised host until your threat detection and response team can take back control of the device.
4. Internal Network Reconnaissance
Internal network reconnaissance occurs when an authorized user or a malicious actor—having gained undetected network access—researches your network environment from the inside. With a deeper understanding of how your network functions, they’re then able to plan and prepare for future objectives, such as stealing sensitive information or channeling network traffic to a third-party server.
A cybercriminal or malicious insider may perform reconnaissance to find out more about your network’s:
 	File sharing systems
 	User access controls
 	Network diagrams
 	Admin accounts
 	Network applications
 	Anti-virus systems
From there, a hostile user can begin to identify critical network information, download tools to collect additional information, elevate their own user access privileges, move laterally throughout your network, and create an ideal environment for funneling your critical data to a third-party network.
The solution for addressing this malicious insider threat is not quite as simple as with some of the other threats. The first step to counteracting insider network reconnaissance is by detecting any abnormal activity. As with an infected host, automated network monitoring systems can work around the clock to identify any unusual network activity and alert administrators.
Depending on the competence of the attacker, however, they may be able to sidestep your monitoring systems. That’s why early detection is vital. Once you’ve detected a potential recon user, you can deploy a honeypot security service that serves as a decoy to lure cybercriminals away from critical network operations.
Some cybersecurity vendors, such as SKOUT Cybersecurity, have even developed platforms for flagging and tracking suspicious users based on significant network events. These systems are called SIEM's (Security Incident Event Management) and SOC's (Security Operations Center). If you want to stay a step ahead of the threat of network recon, a dedicated user flagging and tracking platform with honeypot capabilities is currently your best option.
5. Lateral Movement
Once a malicious actor has infiltrated your network, lateral movement techniques involve using low-level web servers, employee devices, email accounts, and other foundational system features to move within your network. That means most lateral movement threats occur after a network endpoint has been breached by a malicious actor or when an authorized user attempts to circumvent user access controls.
As with internal network reconnaissance, the goal of lateral movement is not merely to exploit these low-level targets but to use them to gain access to your network’s most sensitive data and operations. Successful lateral movements allow cybercriminals to steal additional user credentials, pinpoint weak network configurations, and even exploit software vulnerabilities that can open your network up to further exploitation. That’s why internal network reconnaissance and lateral network movement often go hand in hand.
To effectively defend against lateral movers on your network, you can proactively solidify your network’s endpoint security measures and user access controls. But once the lateral movement has already been detected on your system, the best strategy is to track and contain movement by deploying a honeypot. After the threat is identified and contained, you’ll be better poised to eliminate any compromised accounts or devices on your network.
6. Insider Fraud
Insider fraud can be perpetrated by any number of malicious network insiders, including:
 	A current employee
 	A former employee
 	A contractor
 	A business partner
Insider fraud occurs when one of these individuals intentionally misuses network access to bypass security measures for their own personal gain or to do damage to an organization’s confidentiality, integrity, or information. Most frequently, this happens when network insiders manipulate data and documents for their own financial enrichment.
Because the individuals most likely to commit insider fraud are frequently the ones most closely tied to your day-to-day operations, it can be challenging to detect or prevent the threat in the first place.
One of your best options for mitigating the risk of insider fraud is to reduce or eliminate the opportunities for insiders to commit fraud. Again, user access controls play a critical role in minimizing the exploitation of sensitive data, and following a “need-to-know” data access rule can keep your network protected.
In addition, for areas that are prone to natural attacks in the form of fires or earthquakes like Los Angeles, employing a cloud-based IT support solution can provide backup in case of an attack where the entire network fails and maybe crashes for good.
You can also implement policies for performing periodic audits of data and processes that present a higher risk of insider fraud while heightening monitoring measures related to information access and use. That can include automatically freezing network access when an employee goes on vacation, travels out of the country, or takes a leave of absence. Because many insiders are driven to commit fraud due to financial struggles, initiating a program to help employees experiencing money problems can actually protect your organization in the long run.
7. Data Exfiltration
For many of the internal cybersecurity threats we’ve discussed above, the ultimate goal of a malicious insider is data exfiltration, also known as data extrusion. Data exfiltration occurs when someone on your network transfers unauthorized data to another device or network.
Exfiltration can happen when someone has access to a physical device on your network and manually transfers unauthorized data, or it can be an automated process by which network data is automatically directed to another system. The threat can be the result of a network insider funneling out data, or it can happen when a malicious actor posing as an authorized user reconfigures network settings to redistribute sensitive data. Data exfiltration is what happens when companies fall prey to a large-scale data breach, as happened to Yahoo, Equifax, Capital One, and Home Depot in the past decade.
With Home Depot’s breach, cybercriminals stole a vendor’s login credentials. From there, they were able to move laterally within Home Depot’s computer network to install custom-built malware that posed as antimalware software. The malware infected Home Depot’s point-of-sale (POS) systems, exfiltrating the data of 56 million customers between April and September of 2014, ultimately costing the company about $172 million.
Stopping data exfiltration begins with robust endpoint security. But once data exfiltration occurs, that data may be lost forever. As with Home Depot’s breach, malicious actors often use seemingly innocuous software programs to direct data exfiltration. That’s why it’s a smart idea to block end users from installing new applications on network devices without receiving administrative permission first.
In the event that data has already been extruded, the malware operating on your network needs to be able to communicate with an external server and transmit data. If your incident response team can pinpoint where that unauthorized communication is occurring on your network, they can effectively block the exfiltration of data and from there, focus on damage control.
Los Angeles MSSP (Managed Services Security Provider) and Cybersecurity Experts
How well is your organization prepared to defend against and respond to the ever-present risk of insider threats? If you’re concerned that there’s more you could be doing, the experts at Be Structured can help. From detecting compromised hosts on your network to minimizing the risks of compromised network accounts, we specialize in developing a comprehensive network security platform that protects you inside and out.
Contact our team today to take the first step toward a more secure future.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Attack Monitoring, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, Internal Cyber Attack, Managed Cyber Security Services, MSSP

#### 7 Reasons to Bring on a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO)
Transforming your small business in Southern California into a global enterprise is your front-and-center goal for 2023. And that will require you to beef up your information technology, or IT, presence in Los Angeles. Perhaps you may choose partner with a Los Angeles IT services company.

The question is, should you hire an in-person chief information officer to do the job, or will a virtual chief information officer (vCIO) suffice?

If you're thinking about going the virtual route, you're in good company. Research shows that the market value for outsourced tech support is slated to increase by 5% between 2020 and 2024. That means it will reach more than $486 billion by the year 2024.

From helping you to make tough IT decisions to aiding in campaigns, hiring a virtual CIO offers numerous benefits.

Here are seven reasons to bring on a vCIO in 2023.
1. Generate Cost Savings
One of the top reasons to hire a virtual chief information officer is that this will produce cost savings for you.

If your IT budget is limited, you may have a hard time justifying the hiring of an in-person CIO. However, hiring a vCIO will cost you less. On top of this, outsourcing the CIO piece will provide you with fixed, predictable monthly costs.

When you bring a vCIO on board, you'll also enjoy a more reliable and consistent IT environment. This will reduce your downtime and lead to greater efficiencies, which will save you even more in the long run.
2. Boost Your Security
Another reason to hire a virtual chief information officer is that they can help you to elevate your business's security.

Unfortunately, research shows that when small businesses fall victim to cyberattacks, 60% of them end up closing their doors in six months or less.

Sadly, many hackers target small businesses since they are easier to hack. However, a virtual chief information officer may help you to uncover any gaps present in your existing security infrastructure and introduce you to  professional cyber security companies in Los Angeles. Then, they can help you to create a cybersecurity and risk mitigation roadmap.

The virtual chief information officer can additionally conduct regular security audits and risk assessments. These assessments can help you to constantly uncover vulnerabilities in your business's network.

Your vCIO can even visit your physical location routinely to provide your employees with cybersecurity education. This will help your employees to more easily pinpoint potential security risks in their day-to-day operations.

With a vCIO, you can also receive remote system monitoring, security patches, updates, and important firewalls. All of this can help you to guard your business against a future security breach.

A virtual chief information officer can additionally help you to apply cybersecurity frameworks to your business. An example of such a framework is the Center for Internet Security Framework.
3. Stay Up to Date on Technology
Yet another reason to choose a vCIO is that they'll keep your business current from a technology standpoint.

Many businesses consider technology to be one of the most important drivers for reaching their business objectives. With the help of a vCIO, you can stay knowledgeable about the latest products available in the quickly evolving technology industry. This will increase your chances of achieving success.

A vCIO can especially keep you up to date in the areas of data storage and management -- two areas that can be hard to keep up with. They can also guide you through the process of replacing your aging equipment and software.
4. Create an Information Technology Strategy
A vCIO can also help you to create a winning IT strategy for your firm. This means they'll make sure that your software and computer needs are met. In addition, they'll provide you with a customized technology roadmap that will give you the competitive edge you need in your industry.
5. Access a Full IT Support Los Angeles Based Team
Hiring a vCIO furthermore gives you the benefit of being able to access an entire technology team. That means you don't have to hire your own IT staff. Also, if you have an existing IT staff, you can free these professionals up to concentrate on special projects, for example.

Your vCIO's IT team can help you to troubleshoot computer problems and address security issues as needed. These experts can also help you to automatically update your business's systems.
6. Simplify Your CIO Recruitment
Another reason to hire a vCIO is that the recruitment process is simple.

Hiring and then training full-time chief information officers requires considerable time. These steps also usually require an HR department's support. However, if you decide to outsource the CIO role, you can quickly put a vCIO in place with the help of a managed IT support Los Angeles  company.
7. Bring in an Outside Perspective
Finally, hiring a vCIO will bring a fresh perspective and approach to your business's IT operations.

A virtual chief information officer might not have much familiarity with your business's inner workings right away. However, they can provide you with unbiased guidance and advice. In addition, they can bring you fresh ideas based on the successes they have experienced at other companies.
How We Can Help You If You Need a Virtual Chief Information Officer
A virtual chief information officer can help you to grow your business by creating a winning IT strategy. They can also help you to stay ahead of the technology curve in your industry.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we are excited to offer top-tier local IT support to companies small and large in the greater Los Angeles area.

Get in touch with us to learn more about our services, and book a consultation today!
- Categories: Hiring, IT Support, Tips & Tricks

#### 7 Reasons to Hire a Local IT Support Company
About 37% of small businesses outsource both accounting and IT services. About 24% of these businesses choose to outsource to increase efficiency. Increasing available expertise and gaining more flexibility were top reasons for outsourcing as well.

On the fence about outsourcing to a local IT support company? Read on for seven reasons you shouldn't wait!

After reviewing this guide, you'll recognize how Los Angeles IT support services can strengthen your business operations.

Read on to learn more!
1. IT Support Companies Offer Experienced Experts
Most small businesses have a small, in-house IT team (usually made up of only one or two people). Others wait to grow before hiring an IT specialist, instead handling all IT hiccups alone. Unfortunately, you might lack the necessary experience and know-how to handle every IT issue.

Too many small businesses rely on the break-fix method when it comes to IT support issues.

They wait for a problem to impact productivity, pause everything, and try to troubleshoot the problem alone. Once they recognize the problem, they use trial and error to find the best solution. Unfortunately, this technique can steal time and attention away from your business and customers.

If you lack experience with malware, software, hardware, hosted cloud  solutions, and other areas of expertise, you could waste hours trying to fix the problem alone.

Choosing a local IT support company in Los Angeles will give you access to a range of specialists. You can talk to a specific technician based on the IT services you need.

Relying on industry experts will ensure you receive the help you need, when you need it. You won't have to waste time digging around for answers or using trial and error.

Turning to an industry expert will help you make informed decisions regarding your business. You can determine which IT services and solutions will benefit your business in the long run.

After hiring IT services in Los Angeles, let them know about your goals and the problems you've faced in the past. They'll leverage their prior experience with other companies in your industry to help you make smarter choices for your business. With help, you can streamline your operations in no time!

If you ever have a question or concern, you can feel confident knowing your IT support team is only a call away.
2. Ensure Security
One of the top reasons more companies are turning to local IT support services is to ensure their security.

New threats to your business pop up every single day. If you don't have the proper safeguards in place, you're leaving your business and customers vulnerable.

A cyberattack like malware or a phishing attack could impact your company's productivity, too. Your employees and customers might encounter problems that cause unnecessary downtime. Every second your systems are down is a second you're not making money.

Your chosen cybersecurity company in Los Angeles can help you determine the best ways to secure your business. You can update your firewall or malware to protect your company long-term.

Choosing the proper security options can help you show customers you care about their personal data and security, too.
3. Maintain Brand Trust
If your business has suffered a cyber attack, your customers might struggle to trust you with their private data.

In fact, about 25% of consumers would abandon a product or service in favor of a competitor following a single ransomware service disruption or failed transaction. Unfortunately, 70% of consumers believe businesses aren't doing enough to secure their private information. If you don't have the proper safeguards in place, it could hurt your company's reputation.

Future customers might refuse to do business with you if they can't trust you. Your previous customers might complain online, further hurting your brand's reputation.

If brand trust can't grow, you'll never retain loyal customers. Gaining loyal customers, on the other hand, can help you boost repeat sales. Generating repeat sales from a loyal customer can boost your ROI.

Relying on Los Angeles IT support can help you retain customers, allowing your business to grow.
4. No Downtime
Without local IT support services, you could continue experiencing problems. Remember, each time you pause operations to fix the problem, you're losing money.

Your employees might get frustrated enough to quit. Your customers might turn to one of your competitors as well.

Instead of allowing downtime to hurt your business, talk to an IT specialist. They can recognize bottlenecks in your current infrastructure. Then, they can help you make the necessary changes to avoid those problems in the future.

With help, you can boost productivity by streamlining your operations.
5. Staying Ahead of Evolving Technology
With new business IT services and security issues emerging each day, it's easy to fall behind. Unfortunately, your customers might take notice. They might recognize you're behind before turning to your competitors.

Before that happens, consider IT consulting in Los Angeles. An IT support company will help you recognize which services are relevant to your business and industry.

With their help, you can get leagues ahead of competing businesses!
6. Personalized IT Support Help
You don't have to request every IT support service available. With the right IT support company, you can develop a plan based on your needs.

Requesting the services you need will ensure you're making the most of your budget. You can make the necessary changes to strengthen your business without wasting time or money.
7. Improve Your ROI
Working with a Los Angeles IT support company will benefit your ROI long-term.

You can avoid wasting money on hardware, software, or IT services you don't need. You can also streamline your operations to boost your team's productivity and efficiency.

As your ROI improves, you'll have an easier time experiencing long-term growth.
Request Local IT Support for Your Business Today
Don't miss this chance to help your business grow! Instead, consider these seven reasons to hire a local IT support company. With help, you can ensure your company's lasting success without breaking your budget!

Consider discussing your IT needs today.

Eager to get started? Be Structured Technology Group is happy to help.

Contact us to learn more!
- Categories: Managed It Services, Security

#### 7 Reasons to Use Managed IT Services
The cheapest IT professionals cost over $30 an hour in the United States.

This can add a lot of cost to the overhead of a business. What if there was a way to get managed IT services without having to employ someone who is going to cost you a lot in wages whether they are working or not?

Here are seven reasons why you should consider using a professional, outsourced IT support company.
1. Predictable Costs
One of the major reasons you should invest in managed IT services is the predictable cost of it. No matter what happens, you’ll know how much you will have to spend. This is part of the agreement that you make for the outsourced technical support services provided.

If you have an in-house IT support department, all bets are off when it comes to knowing the cost. The larger and more complicated the job, the longer it will take them. If a complication occurs, this can force the cost up higher than anticipated.

These unforeseen costs can be damaging to any business, but it is worse for a small business. IT for small businesses is vital, if they want to stay competitive, it doesn’t have to break their budget.
2. Technical Knowledge
One of the key benefits of outsourced IT services in Los Angeles is that you gain a collective wealth of knowledge. No single person knows everything about IT services, so being able to hire a single individual won’t help as much.

With a professional IT consulting service, you can rest assured that the IT professionals collaborate and share knowledge.

This reduces the chance that you’ll have to deal with lost time and costly mishaps. It also means that you can rely on your service provider to understand the complexity of your system. In fact, often, the system can be simplified so that it works better and is more intuitive.

Access to this knowledge and all the benefits it brings would take an entire department of IT professionals. The only people who have the budget for that are major corporations. Even the playing field for your business and hire managed IT services.
3. Cyber Security
One thing that is prevalent in the modern world that no business wants to deal with is a data breach. This can expose your customers to attack and ruins their faith in your business. Staying on top of cyber security trends is a full-time occupation, one that your managed IT services are already engaged in.

This is also why it’s important to get the best managed IT services available in your area. Your customers and business will appreciate the added level of security. In an age when a single attack can break a business and chase away its customers, don’t run the risk of being a statistic.
4. Scalability
One thing is true in business, expect the unexpected. If your business experiences a boom, your needs will change. If you have your own IT department, this can be a nightmare, interviewing and searching for the right people to expand with. With a local IT support Los Angeles based business at the ready, it’s not a problem to combat any technical difficulties 24/7 and 365 days a year

A good managed IT service will have all that you need on hand to expand or will be able to get it for you in short order. This allows your business to remain flexible without having to over-commit to an expansion that may not be relevant in a few months or years.

If one thing could be said about the modern marketplace, the more agile and responsive companies always win. Small businesses that capitalize on their agility can even challenge major corporations.
5. Plethora of Services
Instead of having to hire a person to take care of each aspect of your IT needs, outsource it. A hired IT professional is expensive and comes with a skillset limited by their own knowledge. With a managed service, you get access to all their services without having to pay for each individual one.

Controlling costs and having your IT needs met can help keep the business out of the red. In many cases, you can have access to services that you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of on your own. Your IT needs should enhance your business, not limit your possibilities.
6. Productivity
What is the real reason why IT services are so important to a business? It all comes down to productivity. Having on-demand outsourced technical support will help to limit interruptions, which can cost you time and productivity.

Any disruption to routine operations not only limits productivity but also annoys customers. In modern business, any inconvenience or annoyance to a customer can result in the loss of that customer. Keep your IT systems operating so that staff and customers can benefit from them.
7. Focus On Your Business
Instead of consuming large amounts of your time, information technology exists to make business easier. When you hire a professional IT service, you will free up the time and resources to focus on growing your business.

The proper role of information technology in most businesses is as a background piece. It should only exist to facilitate excellence in your business and customer service. If it dominates too much of your time, the rest of your business will suffer.

Not only does a professional IT service allow you to focus, but it can also provide tailored solutions. Not every business niche requires the same IT solutions, in fact, quite the opposite. A good team of IT professionals will come in with an understanding of what your business needs.
Managed IT Services
No business can survive in the modern world without information technology. Hiring managed IT services helps to give your business the competitive edge it needs to stay ahead of the curve. Leave your competition behind, and make sure that you have what it takes to reach the next level.

Be Structured can provide you with the tools, resources, as we're the leading managed service provider Los Angeles has to offer. We will give your company the outsourced tech support you need to succeed. If you are in the Los Angeles area, contact us.
- Categories: Hiring, IT Support, Managed IT

#### 7 Services and Solutions Offered by an IT Support Company
In the fast-paced world of digital evolution, partnering with an IT support company isn't just a choice-it's a strategic imperative.

Join us on a journey through the innovative landscape of services and solutions that propel businesses forward in the ever-changing tech terrain.

Let's go through the pros and cons of outsourced tech support.
1. Help Desk and Outsourced Technical Support
An IT support company is critical in providing help desk and technical support services to organizations. That ensures the smooth operation of their IT environments.

The help desk serves as a frontline support system. They offer users a point of contact for reporting issues and seeking assistance. This service typically involves a team of skilled technicians who provide remote support.

They can help your employees through different troubleshooting steps and resolve common problems efficiently.

Technical support includes things like software and hardware support, diagnosing network issues, and addressing connectivity problems.

For a small to medium Southern California business, managed IT services in Los Angeles minimizes downtime by swiftly addressing issues. That helps maximize productivity.

IT support for small businesses often extends beyond traditional business hours. Some IT support companies offer 24/7 help desk services. That ensures critical issues can be addressed promptly, regardless of the time.

This around-the-clock support is particularly valuable for businesses that operate globally. It's also useful for companies that have employees working in different time zones.
2. Network Management
An IT support company in LA offers comprehensive solutions for designing, implementing, and maintaining networks. They'll ensure you can always rely on your network support.

Network management services include the configuration and management of routers, switches, and other network devices. In that way, they allow for problem-free communication and properly-flowing data flow.

Scalability is another critical aspect of network management services. Business-managed IT experts work to design networks that can adapt to the changing needs of the organization.

This involves planning for future growth. They can look at integrating new technologies. And they can ensure that the network can accommodate increased traffic without compromising performance. This can also include mobile device management.

In the event of network issues, IT support companies provide prompt troubleshooting. This may involve diagnosing connectivity problems, addressing configuration issues, and restoring network functionality.
3. Server Management
Server management starts with setting up the server.

IT support teams work closely with clients. They help them determine appropriate server architecture, hardware specifications, and operating systems that align with the organization's needs.

Regular maintenance and updates are integral components of server management. IT support professionals monitor servers for software updates, security patches, and firmware upgrades. This can also include advanced endpoint protection and penetration testing services.
4. Cloud Services
Most businesses also need cloud services in today's day and age. One primary need is cloud migration services.

IT support teams assist businesses in transitioning their on-premises systems and applications to the cloud environment

Cloud infrastructure management is also important. IT support companies oversee and optimize the infrastructure components within cloud environments.

This includes managing virtual machines, storage resources, and network configurations. By efficiently allocating resources and adjusting configurations based on demand, these services help organizations achieve cost savings and maintain optimal performance.

Cloud backup systems are becoming more and more popular. A good IT company can make sure you're properly set up for success and that your data is protected.
5. Cybersecurity Service Providers
All companies need strong cybersecurity services. One key offering is threat detection and prevention. IT support teams deploy advanced security tools to identify and mitigate potential cyber threats in real time.

Employing a security operations center as a service (SOCaaS) is one way to do so. This involves monitoring network traffic. Companies might analyze patterns. Then, they can employ technologies such as intrusion detection and prevention systems to proactively thwart cyber attacks.

IT support companies conduct thorough assessments to identify weaknesses in an organization's infrastructure. Penetration testing involves simulated attacks to gauge the resilience of systems and discover potential entry points for cybercriminals.

Then, IT support teams can recommend and implement strategies to address vulnerabilities and strengthen defenses.
6. Remote Monitoring and Management
Remote management has become more and more important in today's day and age since more and more employees have been working remotely or as part of a hybrid model.

IT support teams use specialized tools to monitor servers, networks, and endpoints. This constant vigilance allows for early issue detection. This should also include mobile device management to make sure every employees cell phones and tablets remain secure.

They'll be able to identify performance bottlenecks. They can also find security threats more quickly. All of this allows for swift intervention before these problems get worse and impact your company's operations.

These professionals remotely deploy software updates, patches, and security updates across the organization's systems. This ensures that operating systems, applications, and other software are up-to-date with the latest security features and bug fixes. These updates reduce vulnerability to known exploits.

IT support teams can access systems remotely to diagnose and address issues without the need for on-site visits. This approach speeds up issue resolution.

It also reduces the costs and disruptions associated with physical intervention. You won't have to fly a professional across the country to help you fix issues for remote employees.
7. Hardware Help
A good IT support company in LA can also help you work out your hardware.

IT support companies assist organizations in selecting the appropriate hardware components. They can base this on your needs, budget, and future scalability requirements.

This includes servers, computers, networking equipment, and peripherals. Once selected, the IT support team manages the installation process. That ensures proper configuration and integration into the existing infrastructure.

Regular maintenance is crucial for extending the lifespan and optimizing hardware performance. IT support professionals install preventive maintenance routines.

Examples include cleaning, updating firmware, and checking for potential issues. This approach helps prevent unexpected hardware failures and minimizes downtime.

Hardware replacement and repair services are provided when hardware components reach the end of their lifecycle or experience irreparable damage. IT support companies help replace faulty hardware. That helps ensure minimal disruption to operations.

IT support teams may also help you in cases where repairs are feasible and cost-effective.
Hire an IT Support Company Today
An IT support company can provide a ton of helpful services for your business. Now that you know all the benefits, it's time to start searching for service providers that suit your needs.

Are you searching for an IT support company in Los Angeles? Look no further than BeStructured Technology Group.

We offer outsourced technical support for all the areas in and around LA including Burbank IT support, Hollywood IT services and even Pasadena IT support needs.

Drop us a line to see how we can support your technical needs.

Start working with us today.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed It Services

#### 7 Steps to the Cloud Migration Process
As cloud adoption moves ahead, many organizations are looking to throw their hat into the ring. But is the cloud the right fit for your business?

Save for a few edge cases, the answer is yes. The truth is, the cloud is far more scalable than on-premise data centers. Its extensive array of services and resources can save your business a lot of time, money, and effort.

The one downside to the cloud is that migrating to it requires a lot of planning and preparation. If you're not sure where to start, here's a complete guide to the cloud migration process.
1. Determine the Right Approach
Choosing a migration approach is the biggest decision you'll make during this process. Everything depends on it, from costs to architecture options.

The most direct approach is to rehost your applications to the cloud. Also known as a "lift and shift," this approach simply redeploys your data without any modifications. That said, this doesn't work with all types of apps.

You can also refactor your apps to take advantage of the cloud's improved performance. This approach only modifies a small part of the codebase. The rest of the process is a lot like rehosting.

If you want to use more of the cloud's native services, consider the revision approach. The main features of your workload will remain unchanged, but the code will likely see extensive modifications.

Finally, there's the rebuilding approach. This involves rebuilding the workload from scratch for the most effectiveness. If you have an aging legacy workload, this may be the best bet for your business.
2. Evaluate Costs and Needs
Once you've settled on a preferred datacenter co-location strategy, it's time to look into the details. That starts with evaluating your costs and needs.

First, assess the costs of procuring a local server and maintaining it. Then, consider your workload's local performance. Use an APM tool to check metrics such as bandwidth usage and transactions per second.

With this data in hand, have your managed IT Los Angeles team compare these costs and metrics to those of cloud migration. Keep in mind that a cloud migration service will become a recurring item in your budget.
3. Choose a Cloud Environment
Your cloud environment should reflect your company's needs. Your main three options are a private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud.

A private cloud is a small-scale cloud that uses existing infrastructure. It requires a lot of commitment and isn't as scalable as other environments. It's great for businesses that want to keep complete control over their data.

A public cloud is your standard cloud service offered by third-party providers. These clouds are extensive, scalable, and offer a variety of individual services. They typically involve a pay-per-use model.

A hybrid cloud is the best of both worlds. It offers high levels of control, scalability, and flexibility. That said, it also costs the most to implement and may need more maintenance.
4. Choose Your Provider
There are three main public cloud providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. They all offer various Logging as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) deployments.

Beyond the basic features, though, their operations have major differences. For instance, Google Cloud is most notable for its machine learning services. Before choosing a provider, consider the scope of services they offer.

Common private cloud providers include Dell, VMware, HPE, and OpenStack. If you're interested in migrating to a private cloud, consider how easy it will be to integrate it with your existing services.
5. Opt for a Deployment Model
There are several ways you can access cloud services. The main differences in these approaches lie in the level of convenience they offer.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is the typical model for cloud migration services. It mimics traditional data center infrastructure, including storage, networking, servers, and monitoring.

PaaS offers a more integrated environment. It does that by including both hardware and software-based resources. The latter include databases, runtimes, development tools, and so on.

Your final cloud data migration option is Software as a Service (SaaS). This is a ready-made application where the SaaS provider handles the business's workload. SaaS offerings include email apps, HR workloads, and more.
6. Consider the Architecture
Most IaaS users have a cloud architect design an architecture for their workload. If you belong to this group, it's worth doing research on it.

First, the architecture can be simple or complex. The former will use a single compute and storage instance to manage a rehosting. A complex architecture can support many related components, including microservices.

Before choosing the right fit for your business, the architect will consider your budget and costs. They'll also extensively test and refine the entire project before the actual migration takes place.
7. Execute Your Migration
With all the infrastructure in place, your next step is to develop the migration plan. The plan should detail the steps needed to execute the migration.

One thing any migration plan should include is informing your users and customers. You should also transfer the data your workload will need. Establishing contingency plans, such as rollbacks, can be crucial as well.

Once everything's ready, all that's left is to implement the migration plan. Other than migrating the workload, this process also involves making network changes. These include setting up security and configuring IP environments.

After the migration, test the workload for both performance and functionality. Collect your workload metrics and identify vulnerabilities. Have your migration staff do the basic testing, then open up the workload to all users.

Finally, keep in mind your cloud will need maintenance. Create a plan for monitoring your workload's performance to identify bottlenecks. You'll also want to check the bills to ensure your cloud stays within its budget.
Cloud Computing in Los Angeles Made Easy
The bottom line: cloud migration involves a lot of major steps. Even a single wrong decision can throw the entire project into disarray.

Interested in professional cloud computing consulting services? Our award-winning IT support team can help you identify the right cloud solution for you. Contact us here to learn more about our services!
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Managed IT, Tips & Tricks

#### 7 Tips for Choosing a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles
The global managed services market size reached $238.71 billion in 2021. By 2030, the industry could grow by a CAGR of 13.8%, potentially reaching $680.08 billion. More businesses are relying on managed service providers!

If your business hasn't requested managed services yet, it's time to give it serious thought.

Not sure who to trust for outsourced IT support?

Here are seven tips for choosing a managed service provider in Los Angeles that can help.

With these tips, you can make an informed choice based on your company's needs. Read on to learn more.
1. Establish a Budget
Before you begin researching and interviewing managed service providers, establish your IT support budget. Establishing your budget ahead of time can help you narrow down your list of options.

When you begin comparing managed service providers, ask at least three companies for an itemized list of the services they offer. Determine how they calculate their pricing and what's included with each quote.

Make sure you get every quote you receive in writing. Having a written quote will ensure you can hold the company accountable for its pricing.

Requesting more than one estimate can also help you comparison shop. If one company's pricing is astronomically higher than the rest, determine why.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when choosing a managed service provider is selecting the cheapest option available. A company might set higher prices if they offer access to premium tools and services.

Determine if the company is able to scale its pricing too. For example, they might offer different packages. Determine if they can develop a customized plan (and price) based on your IT support needs.

Choosing a company that offers scalability can benefit your business in the long run. You can choose additional services as your company grows. If you realize you're not using the tools or support you requested, you can scale down instead.

These companies will ensure you never pay for more than you need.
2. Outline Your IT Support Needs
To make an informed decision when choosing a managed service provider, outline your needs and IT goals.

For example, maybe you want your team to start working remotely to reduce overhead fees. Consider cloud computing services. Your team can work from anywhere in the world while collaborating with ease.

You'll also want to find a local IT support company near you. So a Southern California based company would search for Los Angeles IT services to find a provider in your neck of the woods.

Perhaps you're concerned about cybercrime and vulnerabilities. Consider prioritizing IT cybersecurity services instead.

As you begin interviewing providers, they should take the time to learn about your business, industry, employees, and customers. Prioritize providers that care about your unique needs. These companies will determine the appropriate strategies to help your business grow and thrive.

If the company doesn't ask about your business, they'll likely use a one-size-fits-all approach to your IT support. However, there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Your business is unique and therefore has unique needs.

Finding a provider that cares about your needs and goals can help you develop a path toward success.
3. Request Outsourced Tech Support References
Learn more about each managed service provider by talking to business owners who were once in your position. Ask each provider you interview if they can provide at least three references. If they can't, it's likely they haven't been in business long enough to have long-term, loyal clients.

Check online for client reviews as well.

Have a list of questions you want to ask each client you speak with, such as:

 	Is the provider experienced and knowledgeable
 	What services do you utilize
 	Are you satisfied with their work
 	Do they have quick response times
 	Did you experience problems

Look for a managed IT services provider who already has a solid reputation in the managed services industry. These companies will work hard to preserve their good name by offering the best possible services.
4. Review Each Local IT Support Company's Services
Outlining your IT needs and goals can help you determine what IT support services you need.

If you need a specific service, look for a managed IT provider that specializes. If you need multiple services, look for a jack-of-all-trades. You can rely on a single team for the multiple IT support services you need.

For example, you might need:

 	24/7 monitoring and support
 	Antivirus and intrusion protection
 	Collaboration/UCAAS
 	Data backup and protection
 	Disaster recovery/BCP
 	IT consulting/vCIO
 	Server virtualization

You can learn more about all-inclusive managed IT services here.

Look for a company that can improve your cybersecurity. About 47% of small businesses have no idea how to protect themselves from an attack. Nearly 70% say their biggest concern is customer data.

Improving your security can help your doors stay open while improving your reputation.
5. Discuss Their Approach
Learn more about each company's approach to IT support.

For example, how will you submit a support ticket? Determine if you'll work with a dedicated technician too. Look for a company with an efficient process in place to ensure you'll receive the help you need promptly.
6. Consider Response Times
Look for a company with a large team. If they only have a few IT specialists on staff, you might have to wait hours (or even days) for support. Slow response times can cause downtime, hurting your team's productivity.

Instead, find an IT support company that can respond when you need help. Look for companies that offer around-the-clock support, too.

It will also be beneficial if the areas they serve are less than an hour from your business in case an emergency onsite visit is necessary.

The further away, the longer the potential downtime in the case of a cyberattack or server outage.
7. Prioritize Their Experience
As you research each company on your list, it's important to find an established IT-managed service provider. An established business has years of experience in the industry. They can leverage their experience and expertise to help your business accomplish distinct goals.

Determine if they have experience helping businesses within your industry too. These teams will have a better understanding of your needs, customers, and operations.

They can help you develop a customized plan to ensure you receive the IT support you need most.
Find a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider Today
Don't rush to hire the first managed service provider in Los Angeles you call. Instead, use these seven tips to make an informed choice. The right managed service provider will help your business grow for years to come.

Choose the best IT support possible today.

Need help right away? We can provide the tools you need to succeed.

Contact us Be Structured Technology Group to learn more.

 
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### A Comprehensive Guide to Firewall Management
It only takes a few moments for a normal workday at your business to turn into something catastrophic. This is particularly true regarding your company's data security.

The average data breach costs businesses approximately $4.4 million, and even a single incident can have disastrous consequences. Your firewall management policy will play a large role in how safe you keep your company's data, but not everyone understands how to get started.

Let's now explore what you should know about enterprise firewall policies and how a firewall can protect your business so you can maximize your company's network security.
What Is Firewall Management?
As the name implies, this is the process of maintaining, configuring, and monitoring a firewall. This helps ensure it's operating properly and protecting against threats. Some of the key tasks involved in firewall management include:

 	Looking into suspicious traffic sources
 	Handling security incidents that arise
 	Examining firewall logs for anomalies

Regular audits and tests should be conducted to gain insight into the firewall's performance.
Different Types Firewalls
There are different firewall types for different purposes. Each has its advantages, and using them appropriately can dictate whether you meet your goals. Let's look at these in further detail.
Proxy Firewalls
This type of firewall operates at the application layer and is designed to offer additional protection compared to regular firewalls. This firewall will intercept traffic and determine whether it should be blocked or allowed through. You can think of proxy firewalls as intermediaries between your company and external networks.

They also handle Internet connections. All requests are filtered before they make it to your network, which allows you to filter potentially harmful traffic.
Next-Generation Firewalls
As the name implies, these provide advanced security features and capabilities compared to other firewall types. They make use of multiple firewall functionalities to achieve this.

Key features include deep packet inspection, application awareness, and intrusion prevention. A primary advantage of next-generation firewalls is the ability to handle advanced threats, such as target attacks and botnets. These firewalls can quickly identify and block specific applications, behavior, and protocols.
Traditional Firewall Management Services
This type of firewall monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic. It operates at the transport or network level. Data packets are then blocked or permitted based on certain criteria. These often include:

 	Protocols
 	Port Numbers
 	IP Addresses

This system works by comparing traffic to predefined rules. If there are discrepancies in network traffic, the firewall will filter it.

A solid example is the use of a stateful firewall. This only allows traffic that satisfies specific criteria and blocks all other traffic.
Key Components of Firewall Management
Proper firewall management involves several nuances you'll need to keep in mind. This will dictate how efficiently you keep your company protected. Let's take a closer look.
Policy Control
Firewalls allow you to set specific policies that allow or block specific traffic. They're often based on attributes like IP addresses, protocols, and port numbers. You can configure policies to ensure that your network traffic complies with your company's security policy.

It can also help you meet your industry's compliance standards. Even a single incident can have major consequences. These are often difficult or even impossible to overcome, especially for small businesses.

They can also damage your company's reputation. A great example is the 2017 Equifax data breach.

Not only did this cause major issues for the company, but it irreparably damaged how their customers viewed them. They were never able to fully recover, and they had to pay millions to the affected victims.
Threat Management
Your firewall can comprehensively manage potential threats, and it's even possible to respond to them in real time. If suspicious activity is discovered, your system will alert your security team and network administrators.

They can then take the appropriate course of action to keep your business as safe as possible. Threat management is only effective if you properly define threats, though. Otherwise, harmful traffic could slip past your defenses.
Graphical Interfaces
Working with a smooth graphical interface is essential for properly managing a firewall. Otherwise, you may find this process to be unintuitive and inefficient. This could potentially cause threats to penetrate your network security.

Simplifying these tasks through an intuitive GUI also allows your team to focus on other responsibilities. This goes a long way toward optimizing your company's efficiency.

For this reason, many cyber security companies in Los Angeles and across the state prioritize firewall software that's easy to navigate.
Third-Party Integration
Firewalls will sometimes have conflicts with other software your company uses. While these are often innocuous, they could cause complications at times.

For instance, imagine if your firewall couldn't function properly alongside your intrusion detection system. This could lead to major contingencies that threaten your data.

Only use firewalls that don't have compatibility issues. Some compatibility issues can also impact your company's overall efficiency. It might take a bit of trial and error to find appropriate software.

Keep in mind that you may be able to work through compatibility issues. Proper configuration can often resolve problems that occur, so don't be disheartened at first if complications happen.
Scalability
This is one of the most important attributes of firewall management. If your firewall isn't scalable, you'll have a hard time adjusting to new threats that manifest.

You also might not be able to accommodate your company's growing size. Your firewall should be able to handle an increase in both traffic and total number of devices.

Your firewall's scalability is often directly tied to the provider you work with. Scalable firewalls take a large amount of support to maintain.
Finding Good IT Support Companies
It's essential to work with the right managed IT services provider to get the best results. This will play a large role in how effectively you secure your company's data. Listed below are some of the most notable attributes to keep an eye out for.
Reputation
What do other people have to say about the provider's reputation? Research the company online and read through previous reviews. You can also look for client testimonials to gain insight into the company's performance.

Pay attention to how the company responds to criticism. Never hire someone who blames their clients. This indicates they aren't willing to help people overcome their issues.

You should also look for fake reviews during your search. These are often posted in batches and contain many of the same keywords.

It's also recommended to avoid companies that don't have any feedback at all. You'll be rolling the dice in situations like these.
Pricing
Never hire a firm that offers rock-bottom rates. This often indicates they'll fall short of your goals. However, you don't have to spend as much money as possible during your search.

There's a point of diminishing returns regarding how much you budget for. Instead, you can look for a company in the middle of the price range. This will help you get the results you desire without stretching your budget.

You should also ensure they don't charge miscellaneous fees. There's nothing worse than encountering financial surprises after finding a managed service provider. This could also require you to hire another firm to handle your needs, causing you to spend more money.
Service-Level Agreements
It's in your best interest to find a firm that offers a service-level agreement. This guarantees you receive a certain level of service.

For instance, firewall vendors will guarantee that their enterprise firewall protection can provide a certain level of security. If the company doesn't hold up its end of the bargain, certain terms will come into effect. It's not uncommon for the firm to offer discounts on future services as a result.

They might also allow their clients to get out of their contracts early. It's often worth hiring an attorney to review the agreement with you before signing it.

This will prevent you from agreeing to terms that aren't in your favor. Some companies are put off by having to spend extra money on attorneys, but it's well worth the investment.
Ongoing Support
Overcoming issues on your own can be complicated and frustrating. It's best to find a provider that has a robust customer support policy.

They should be easy to get in touch with and enthusiastic about helping you find solutions to your problems. It's customary for providers to offer 24/7 monitoring and support.

This often comes in the form of chatbots, outsourced employees, or both. Regardless of how they provide customer support, ensure that you'll be able to get in touch with them when necessary. This could dictate whether you're able to overcome the obstacles you face.
Knowledge of Contemporary Threats
There's no shortage of hackers looking to develop ways to steal valuable data. New threats are always arising, and it only takes a single oversight for disaster to occur.

Some firms don't have a strong knowledge of contemporary threats. You should avoid companies like these at all costs.

It's crucial to work with someone who strives to stay updated on evolving trends. Reputable firms will advertise this attribute and shouldn't have trouble finding one who can satisfy this requirement.
Firewall Best Practices
Implementing certain practices will allow you to handle your firewall management appropriately. This goes a long way toward getting the results you need without complications. Let's examine key ones to keep in mind.
Keep Track of Authorized Users
Unauthorized users can become major threats to your organization. Without the right access measures in place, you risk experiencing legal liabilities, data theft, and damage to your company's reputation. Zero-trust policies are great ways to maintain access control.

As the name implies, this assumes that no user can be trusted by default. They'll need to authenticate themselves each time they access certain information. Simple measures like these can improve how you safeguard your data.
Audit Your Rules and Policies
As time passes, you should audit your rules and policies to determine their effectiveness. Security trends can influence how well these safeguard your company's information.

To clarify, imagine hackers recently developed new ways to exploit your firewall technology. The policies you set six months ago may no longer be effective. If you don't audit them regularly, you won't discover this until it's too late.

Cybercriminals would then have the potential to ravage your company's network. The cybercrime industry as a whole is projected to cost the world over $10 trillion each year by 2025. Much of this cost stems from compromised business data.
Block All Access by Default
It's in your best interest to block all access by default. This will quickly help you reduce the risk of unauthorized data access since only authorized traffic can pass through your firewall. This applies to both inbound and outbound traffic.

You should also apply the principle of least privilege. Doing so grants the minimum level of access for applications to perform their required tasks. This could potentially protect against a data breach even if an application becomes compromised.

For example, imagine if a hacker penetrated your CRM software looking for customer data. If the application didn't have permission to transmit this information, they might not be able to acquire it.
Don't Neglect Firewall Updates
Your firewall is only as effective as its last update. The cyber threat landscape changes fast, and it's essential to keep your software updated. Missing even a single update puts your information at risk, as many updates are in response to hackers finding exploits.

They also improve usage quality by providing bug fixes and features. There are some cases where updating your software might bring unwanted changes, such as modification to the firewall's GUI. However, these inconveniences are easily worth the added security.
Never Overlook Firewall Management
Without the right firewall management policies in your organization, your sensitive data will be at risk of compromise. The info in this guide will help you start on the right track. Just be sure to choose the right service provider.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we help our clients in need of Los Angeles IT support, Burbank IT support and even Orange County IT support overcome their IT challenges.

We've partnered with industry-leading vendors and providers to provide stellar results for each project. You can learn more about the amazing benefits we offer when you schedule a call with us today.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Hardware, IT Support, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### A Guide to Data Backup and Recovery
A Comprehensive Guide to Data Backup and Recovery Strategy
Imagine one day you wake up to discover all of your company files have disappeared. You have no customer logs, inventory records, tax documents, employee handbook, employee files, price lists, nothing. How will your company recover, and how will you keep running in the meantime?

If you don’t have an answer to that question, you need to make a data backup and recovery plan. Read on to learn about why this is so important and how you can set one up for your business.
Why Data Backup Is Important
Before we get into all the specifics of establishing a data backup plan, let’s talk some about why it’s important. These days, nearly every aspect of our lives, both personal and professional, are online. This means that most or all of your company records, files, data, reports, and communications are stored digitally.

The problem is that, just like physical files, digital files can be susceptible to loss or theft. Whether your servers crash or a ransomware hacker locks down your files, losing access to this data could mean total destruction for your business. Having a backup can save you from disaster and help you keep your company running without a hitch.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
The first step to creating a data backup plan is conducting a risk assessment for your company. In essence, this assessment takes a look at what sorts of potential problems could keep your business from running smoothly. In this case, you’ll want to focus on the digital threats that could shut your business down if not handled properly.

During your risk assessment, it’s a good idea to look at how likely your company is to become the victim of a cyberattack, including ransomware attacks. You may also want to consider whether you’re likely to lose data through other means, including system failures or employee theft. Once you know the risks, you’ll be better prepared to create a strategy to deal with them.
Conduct a Business Analysis
Once your risk assessment is done, you’ll need to turn your attention to a business analysis. This is a general look at your business, how it operates, and how various factors will impact its ability to operate. Like the risk assessment, you’ll want to focus specifically on the impact of data loss for this analysis.

Take a look at the role your digital files play in your day-to-day operations and set up scenarios for what would happen if those files were to become inaccessible. Remember, this shouldn’t include plans for how you’ll recover from such a loss yet. At this point, you need to know the impact a loss would have on your business, including specifics of your operation limitations.
Decide What Data Needs Backup
At this point, you should have a pretty good idea of what certain data losses would mean for your business and what your company needs to function. This means it’s time to start deciding how to protect that data and prepare for those scenarios. The first step is to decide which data needs to be backed up.

Not every piece of company data will be essential to back up, especially regularly. However, some data will be more critical to your company’s operation and need to be regularly backed up. Prioritize your data based on how critical it is to your business operation and how frequently it needs to be backed up.
Determine Backup Frequency
Once you’ve established your data backup priorities, it will be time to turn your attention to backup frequency. At first, you might be tempted to back up your data every night just to be safe. But the truth of the matter is that nightly backups can be incredibly time-consuming, not to mention expensive and largely unnecessary.

Your backup frequency will depend on your risk level and which files are most critical to your business’s operation. If you have essential files to your operation and that change often, you might need to back those up every night. But if you can operate on week-old data without much hassle, a once-weekly backup might be plenty.
Full vs. Incremental Backups
Of course, you don’t have to commit to one timeline for backing up all of your company data. You can conduct either full or incremental backups on different schedules, depending on your company’s needs.

A full backup stores all your company data and will take a significant amount of time to complete. It’s a good idea to do a full backup about twice a month to ensure your files are never too out of date.

An incremental backup stores only information that’s most time-sensitive and critical to your company’s operation. It may be a good idea to do these three to five times a week, depending on how often that information changes.
Hardware vs. Software vs. Cloud
With your backup timeline in place, you’ll need to decide how you want to manage your data backups. You have three basic options: use a piece of hardware designed to store backups, use a piece of software that can conduct backups, or use cloud storage for your backups.

In most cases, backup hardware is a disk-based machine with a data center where your information is stored. This hardware can include external hard drives, external servers, and so on.

Backup software is a program that allows you to create and store copies of your data. Typically, these programs will store these files on a piece of backup hardware or in the cloud.

Cloud storage allows you to use off-site servers that are accessible from anywhere through an internet connection. You don’t have to worry about maintaining these servers, and you can be certain that your data is secure.
Backup Vendor or Platform
Once you’ve decided what combination of hardware, software, and cloud storage options you want to use, you’ll need to settle on a backup vendor or platform. There are dozens of different options available, and many offer different levels of service. These providers offer cloud-based and software-based services, as well as other data storage options.

Some vendors also offer cybersecurity services in addition to data backup programs. Some will automatically run backups for you, while others offer a self-service platform and access to data storage. When you’re deciding on a vendor, make sure to consider both your budget needs and what level of service you want.
Make a Specific Plan
By this time, you should have all the basics of your data backup plan in place, and it’s time to start getting down to the specifics. This will be the nuts and bolts of how you’ll implement your backup plan daily. Setting up specific procedures for this will help you ensure that your data gets backed up on schedule.

Decide what days will be best to run your full system and incremental backups and arrange a schedule for those. You also need to designate a specific member of your team responsible for either running or checking on backups. Add your backup vendor to the billing schedule, and arrange to check on your backups from time to time to make sure they’re going through smoothly.
Decide on a Recovery Method
Once you have your data backup plan established and implemented, it will be time to start planning for the worst. While none of us like to think about it, having a plan for what you’ll do in the event of data loss is critical. This can help you recover quickly and with as little disruption to your business as possible.

First, you need to figure out exactly how you’ll retrieve your backed-up data in the event of a loss. Talk to your backup service provider about how they usually manage restoring lost files. Will you need to download your files, or will they send them to you through a secure channel?
Establish Your Minimum Function Requirements
You’ll next need to turn your attention to what steps you need to take immediately after a data loss. The unfortunate truth is that it’s not practical for you to recover all of your files right away. Those downloads will take some time, and every moment your company spends waiting on critical files, you lose money.

Determine which files you absolutely must have to be able to function at all. Prioritize those to be recovered first, and then figure out which documents will help you get back to a full-service footing. Continue organizing documents into tiers this way so that you can recover them in order of importance if you suffer a loss.
Set Your Recovery Timeline
You also need to set up a recovery timeline that you can follow in the event of a data loss. These will be the specific steps you follow once a data loss has been discovered. Having a solid timeline will help you react quickly and calmly to get your business back online as soon as possible.

Determine who will be called in the event of a data loss and what steps they’ll take. Figure out how long it should take to recover your essential files and what information will need to be distributed to your employees. Also, set out a timeline for bringing more and more of your company back online as you recover more data.
Incorporate Backup into Your DR Plan
In addition to your data recovery plan, you should have an overall company disaster recovery plan. This is your plan for what you’ll do if a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado hits your business or if it’s destroyed by fire. Data recovery should be an important part of your overall disaster recovery plan, too.

Once you have your data recovery plan in place, fold it into your existing disaster recovery plan. Determine where those files should be sent if your normal offices are destroyed or inaccessible and how your company will securely handle those documents from a remote footing. Having these plans incorporated can help you to come out of a disaster stronger than ever.
Test and Revise
Of course, once your data backup and recovery strategy is in place, your work still isn’t over. You may have a solid plan, but the only way to make sure it works is to test it on the ground. Hopefully, you’ll never have to exercise your recovery plan, but testing it is smart, so you don’t discover some huge flaw in it at a moment of crisis.

Evaluate your data backup plan every so often and make sure it’s working both for your team and for your recovery plan. It’s also smart to periodically review your data recovery plan. Make sure your essential documents are still the same and that your protocols are up to date with your current company operations.
Make a Plan for Data Backup and Recovery
These days, data is every bit as valuable an asset as your physical inventory. Making sure you have a solid plan for data backup, and recovery can help protect you from ransomware attacks, server crashes, and much more. Set up a detailed plan, and make sure to review it and update it as needed from time to time.

If you’d like to learn more about protecting your company’s digital assets, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We’re an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm that provides responsive IT service, IT consulting, and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation with us today, and let us show you how great IT support in Los Angeles can be.
- Categories: Backup
- Tags: Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, Data Backup, Data Protection, Data Recovery, Disaster Recovery

#### A Quick Guide to Email Security
Did you know that over 90% of all targeted cyber attacks start with email?

For most organizations, this should be a wake-up call. Even if you're not exchanging state secrets, hackers still care about your emails. And with how quickly email attacks evolve, keeping up with them can be difficult.

The good news: a proper security strategy will solve most of these issues. Here's what you need to know about email security and how to use it.
What Is Email Security?
These days, managed IT security services include email security that can refer to a variety of procedures. The one thing they have in common is that they protect your emails against bad actors.

See, the thing about the email is that it was originally designed to be an open format. Accessibility was—and still is—the name of the game. That's part of the reason why email became such a popular communication method.

Unfortunately, this accessibility comes at a price. Since email is an open format, anyone who intercepts it can view it as well. As a result, many hackers use email as an entry point to come by valuable company data.

To address these issues, organizations started investing in various email security solutions. These procedures protect email accounts and content against any kind of unauthorized access.
Common Email Security Threats
Not sure which email attacks are the biggest threats to your business? Here are four security threats that you're most likely to encounter today:
Phishing
Phishing email is a fraud method that disguises a malicious email as being from a trusted source. The intent is to trick the recipient into installing malware on their computer or sharing sensitive information.

A targeted phishing attack is best known as spear phishing. Both attacks use emails to reach victims, but the latter sends customized emails to a specific person. Hackers often research their target before sending the email.
Spam
We tend to think of spam as annoying rather than dangerous. That said, spam emails can include malware, trojans, and harmful links. Most spam comes from networks infected by worms or other viruses.
Spyware
Spyware is a type of software that's installed on a computer without its user's knowledge. It often comes with data capture, activity trackers, and other ways to gather information about a person.
Pharming
Pharming involves redirecting the user's traffic to a fake website that appears official. Once they think they're connected to a real site, they may use it to enter their personal information.
Benefits of Effective Email Security
Is your organization starting to get complacent about securing the data shared in emails? If so, here are three benefits of prioritizing email safety and IT security in Los Angeles and beyond:
Identifies Suspicious Actors
An online security platform can check outbound messages for spam and other threats. In doing so, you can detect compromised accounts that are sending and receiving large volumes of emails.
Provides Phishing Protection
As phishing attacks evolve, your security needs to evolve with them. Most security measures stop phishing emails before they get to users' mailboxes. Other measures focus on using anti-impersonation software.
Prevents Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware attacks encrypt files on a computer to make it unusable. Then, hackers demand a ransom in exchange for the encryption key. By identifying and blocking suspicious links, you can prevent this from happening.
Best Practices for Email Security
Now that you know why email safety is important, it's time to bring it to the next level. These five email security tips will help you achieve that.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
Strong passwords help, but they may not be enough to deter hackers. To kick your security up a notch, use multi-factor authentication (MFA). This protocol requires users to input a PIN or code before gaining account access.

If the MFA is active, hackers will need more than a password to get through. These systems are common in Gmail and other cloud-based email servers. For added security, you can use password generators as well.
Set up Email Security Protocols
The purpose of email security protocols is to keep employees safe from the above threats. These protocols prevent hackers from using your company's name and verify that all outgoing messages are safe.

One example of an effective security protocol is DMARC. As hackers try to make their phishing emails seem credible, they may imitate your domain. With DMARC, you can prevent domain spoofing and see the email sender.
Secure Email Attachments
When it comes to cybersecurity tips, securing email attachments should be near the top. Oftentimes, these attachments contain information that's even more valuable than the email itself.

The best way to protect your attachments is to encrypt them. For starters, this prevents them from getting hacked in transit. Beyond that, encryption also prevents recipients from sharing attachments with outsiders.
Add a Legal Disclaimer
Many email recipients aren't aware that they're receiving confidential data. To change that, include a legal disclaimer at the bottom of emails that contain private data. These include legal contracts, health records, and so on.

In some industries, disclaimers are a legal requirement as well. Even if they aren't, they hold up in legal disputes better than you may think. That said, make sure that your disclaimers are relevant to your compliance.
Help Employees Stay Compliant
Speaking of compliance, your employees need to be aware of it too. Ensure they know what sensitive data is and when they're likely to come across it. Awareness training can do wonders for making people more alert.

If you don't have rules about email security, create them. Let your employees know that all emails should be work-related. Oftentimes, using broad rules and making exceptions is easier than listing all prohibitions.
Email Security Made Easy
At the end of the day, email security is all about doing research. Access your situation objectively and identify the biggest threats to your business. Then, use the above list to protect yourself against them.

Don't have the time to invest in maintaining an email security infrastructure? An outsourced IT support company like Be Structured can help ensure you're up-to-date with the latest email safety protocols.

Contact us right here—we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
- Categories: Email, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### A Review of Cryptojacking
A Review of Cryptojacking
To some degree or another, most of us have heard of the term “Virtual Currency”.  This is essentially the cloud-based version of the traditional paper money.  For example, with Ransomware a Cyber attacker wants to be paid with this new type of currency, usually in the form of Bitcoin.  There are other types of virtual currencies that are out there, and collectively, these are also known as “Cryptocurrencies”. As a side note, we also provide bitcoin recovery services if you've had bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies in the past and need help recovering them.
Cryptojacking Defined
The Cyber attacker is entering into this realm, with a new threat called “Cryptojacking”, which is essentially mining the various Cryptocurrencies for monetary value.
But first, it is important to define what Cryptomining is all about, and it is as follows:
“Bitcoin mining is done by specialized computers. The role of miners is to secure the network and to process every Bitcoin transaction. Miners achieve this by solving a computational problem which allows them to chain together blocks of transactions (hence Bitcoin’s famous “blockchain”). For this service, miners are rewarded with newly-created Bitcoins and transaction fees.” (source 1)
Technically, Cryptojacking can be defined as follows:
“Cryptojacking is the unauthorized use of someone else’s computer to mine cryptocurrency. Hackers do this by either getting the victim to click on a malicious link in an email that loads crypto mining code on the computer, or by infecting a website or online ad with JavaScript code that auto-executes once loaded in the victim’s browser.”  (Source 2)
Cryptojacking Explained
Now that we have defined Cryptomining and Cryptojacking, we can put these in simpler terms.  We all have an idea of what a virtual currency is. Since there is no way to actually track down this digital currency, it needs to be made secure on the Internet.
So, this is where the mining aspect of it comes into play.  It is their job to protect all of these currencies and transactions, by having the ability to solve very complex math problems.
Once this has been done in a successive fashion, all of these transactions then form a “block” (aka the “Blockchain”) which creates the line of defense to protect these virtual currencies and their associated transactions.  In return for their services, these miners (which are legal entities), are paid a certain fee percentage.
How a Cryptojacking Attack is Launched
The cyber attacker now wants to gain their foot into this game because of the return that is associated, and become cryptominers themselves, but of course illegally. Keep in mind, there are very complex mathematical problems to solve in order for the miner to be rewarded. This of course takes a lot of computing and processing power.
The Cyber attacker does not want to spend the money in terms of procuring the extra hardware to do this, so he or she will hijack your computer. From there, steal the processing power as well as the electricity in order to mine the Cryptocurrencies.  You may be asking at this point; how can they do this to your computer?
It’s quite easy.  All they have to do is send you a Phishing like Email, which contains a malicious link or attachment.  Once you have fallen victim to this, a specialized Cryptomining code is then installed onto your computer or even mobile device.
An even stealthier way is when you visit a website, there could be infected pieces of Java source code running behind the site you are viewing and the Cryptomining code can then be covertly loaded onto your computer. At this point in the game, the Cryptomining code is now technically malware.
The problem with this new malware is that it is very difficult to spot on your computer, and can installed and deployed in a very sneaky manner.  In these instances, the Cyber attacker is not just exclusively targeting computers and wireless devices, they will go after anything that will give them free electricity.  This includes servers, routers, cable modems, firewalls, network intrusion devices, etc.
It is also important to keep in mind that there is no specialized package that the Cyber attacker has to deploy onto a device – the malware is just a few lines of infected source code, which makes it all the more difficult to detect.  Because of the extremely low overhead that is required, and its sneaky nature, the rise in Cryptojacking has increased significantly.
For example, McAfee has just discovered almost 3 million new cases of it, which is a staggering 629% increase from 2017.  So, what are some of the telltale signs if your computer has been hijacked for the purposes of Cryptojacking?  Here are some clues:
 	 Slowdown in the speed of your computer;
 	Very slow load times when trying to connect to the Internet;
 	A slow increase in your electricity bill.
Conclusions
In response to all of this, tech giants like Google and Apple whom have mobile app stores are taking proactive actions to protect their customers.  For example, with the former, they no longer allow for browser extensions in its Web Store that mine cryptocurrencies. The Google Play Store allows for customers to pick extensions and apps that personalize their Chrome web browser, but this will now become highly restricted. In fact, a recent study (conducted by a Cyber security firm known as Sophos) detected 25 rogue mobile applications which had the infected Cryptojacking source code in them.  These mobile apps were downloaded at least 120,000 times by different end users.
Sources:
Source 1 :  https://www.buybitcoinworldwide.com/mining/
Source 2:  https://www.csoonline.com/article/3253572/internet/what-is-cryptojacking-how-to-prevent-detect-and-recover-from-it.html).
Source:  https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/your-computer-could-be-quietly-mining-bitcoin-someone-else-n922101)
The details of the Sophos study can be seen here:
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2018/09/24/cryptojacking-apps-return-to-google-play-market/
- Categories: Crypto, Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats

#### Advantages of the Hybrid Cloud Model for Your Los Angeles Company
Projections show that the global hybrid cloud market will reach a value of $171.9 billion by 2025.

The world has gotten more complicated over the last year. People are looking for ways to protect themselves and their businesses. Enter the hybrid cloud model.

The concept of a hybrid cloud is becoming increasingly attractive because of the many benefits it offers. So what are hosted cloud solutions and, specifically, a hybrid cloud? And what could it mean for your Los Angeles based business?

Keep reading to find out.
What Is a Hybrid Cloud Model?
A hybrid cloud model contains elements of both private and public cloud systems. Because of this, they can be made up of on-site infrastructure/data centers, colocation infrastructure, and off-site hosting services.

Hybrid cloud systems can distribute a workload across several working environments. This can help better coordinate such workloads, giving improved levels of control over systems and resources.

Be Structured, the leading IT support Los Angeles tech partner, offers hybrid cloud computing, as well as a range of Los Angeles computer services that can help your business adapt and grow.
Common Hybrid Cloud Uses
Recent years have seen a sizable increase in the use of hybrid cloud solutions. Businesses use them for a range of specific tasks.
Cloud Migration
As advances have been made in managed IT security services, cloud computing has become more popular. Hybrid cloud systems can help a business migrate to a fully cloud-based system. The purpose of this is often to increase efficiency, lower costs, and reduce time-to-market.
Optimizing Resources
All businesses have a certain amount of resources to work with. With hybrid cloud computing, you can better optimize these, increasing the overall efficiency of your business.
Data Protection
With more businesses moving online, cyber security has never been more important. Your company must protect all data that it handles, and hybrid cloud services are suitable for this.

Cloud computing Los Angeles IT services can be ideal for helping with this to ensure you have the best possible security in place.
Data Processing
Hybrid cloud models can improve the capabilities of your business. Increased data handling can speed up processes and provide better results for your company and your customers. You'll be able to easily access the resources needed for data analysis, leading to better insights that can help with business decisions.
The Advantages of the Hybrid Cloud
Be Structured Technology Group provides professional IT services in Los Angeles with hybrid cloud being among the most useful to many businesses. It offers a range of advantages that can increase productivity and help your business grow.
Meet High Service Demands
Many businesses experience changes in demand at different times. When there is a spike in demand, it can be difficult to meet the needs of customers.  With a hybrid cloud model, you can adjust private cloud apps to 'burst' into the public cloud, helping meet demands.

Cloud bursting is often used by businesses that see a lot of fluctuations in demand. An example of this would be the retail sector during holiday periods where people are buying a lot more.
Remote Worker Access
One of the main benefits of all cloud computing services is remote access. With this, your employees can work from anywhere with an internet connection.

Sometimes specific apps may struggle over a standard cloud network. Hybrid cloud architecture can give improved access to anyone with permissions to both cloud-based and on-site applications.
Law Compliance
Organizations in certain industries need to follow specific privacy and data security regulations, such as:

 	HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
 	GDPR (European General Data Protection Regulation)
 	PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

In some countries, it's also a requirement that businesses only store customer data within the country it operates. All of this is easily done with hybrid cloud systems.
Enhanced Security
Securing data is essential, and hybrid cloud systems provide increased flexibility for this. By storing the most important data on-site it can be better protected from security threats. Less sensitive data can instead be stored on the public cloud, making access quicker and easier.
Scalability
Your business will likely grow with time, and scaling is often difficult without cloud computing services. A hybrid cloud setup can allow you to easily scale up with an increase in demand, or for managerial requirements, without the need to increase on-site data centers.
Technology Access
If you're running all of your computing services in-house, you might not be making upgrades as often as you should be. At Be Structured, we ensure that the technology we provide for our clients is the most up-to-date, cutting-edge tech available.

This will ensure the best possible performance and results, the highest level of security, and the most advanced features.
Lower Costs
One of the key benefits many companies have seen when implementing cloud computing is reduced costs. This comes in part from not having to worry as much about on-site infrastructure, especially when scaling up. The hardware needed for your computing services could be quite significant, so being able to outsource this can help save a lot of money.
The Future of the Hybrid Cloud
The hybrid cloud model has proven to be very effective in recent years. As the technology continues to advance, it's clear that it will only further improve the capabilities of businesses that adopt hybrid cloud computing.

Be Structured Technology Group is a Los Angeles IT support company that serves all areas of Southern California offering hybrid cloud services. We also provide a host of other services such as managed security, disaster recovery, and data backup/protection. If you have any questions about our services or how they could help your business, click here to contact us today.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, IT Support, MSPs

#### AI Acceptable Use Policy for Business: Why Every Company Needs One
What is an AI acceptable use policy for business?
An AI acceptable use policy for business is a formal document that governs how employees are permitted to use AI tools, which platforms are sanctioned, and what data can and cannot be shared with those systems. Without one, businesses face a growing wave of shadow AI risk, compliance exposure, and unchecked data leakage. An AI acceptable use policy is no longer a "nice to have" — it is a foundational layer of modern IT governance.
AI adoption in the workplace is accelerating at a pace that most IT departments are simply not prepared for. ​According to a survey, about 1 in 5 U.S. workers say at least some of their job is done using artificial intelligence, up from 16% a year earlier, signaling steady growth in workplace AI adoption.
The challenge is not whether your employees are using AI. The challenge is whether they are using it safely, with your knowledge, and within the boundaries your organization has defined.
As a Los Angeles-based managed service provider, Be Structured is quickly adapting to the wonderful new challenges of AI in our marketplace.
This article explains what an AI acceptable use policy should include, how to build one, how to prevent unauthorized AI use in your workplace, and why managed IT services play a critical role in enforcing it.
What Is Shadow AI and How Do You Prevent It?
Shadow AI refers to the use of artificial intelligence tools by employees without the knowledge, approval, or oversight of IT or leadership. It is the AI equivalent of shadow IT, and it is already widespread.
Research shows that 81% of the workforce uses unapproved AI tools at work, and that figure rises to 88% among security professionals, the very people responsible for protecting organizational data. The implications are serious.
When an employee feeds a client proposal into an AI writing tool, pastes internal financial data into a chatbot, or uses an AI summarization tool to process confidential meeting notes, they are potentially exposing that data to third-party systems that have not been vetted, contracted, or approved.
Unlike traditional shadow IT, which might mean an unapproved project management app, shadow AI directly involves the processing of information, raising the stakes considerably.
Part of the problem is organizational culture. Many businesses, in their relentless push for productivity and efficiency, have created environments where employees feel pressure to hide their AI usage to keep pace with expectations.
Without an AI acceptable use policy, businesses face a growing wave of shadow AI risk, compliance exposure, and unchecked data leakage.
This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: leadership demands output, employees turn to AI tools to meet those demands, IT blocks access, and employees simply find workarounds, often riskier ones. Preventing shadow AI is not just a technology problem; it is a policy and culture problem.
Preventing shadow AI requires a combination of clear policy, employee education, technical controls, and ongoing monitoring. Each of these is covered in the steps below.
What Should an AI Acceptable Use Policy Include?
A strong AI acceptable use policy is specific, practical, and enforceable. Vague statements like "use AI responsibly" do not constitute a policy.
Below are the core components every AI policy for employees should contain:
 	Scope and applicability. Define who the policy applies to (all employees, contractors, vendors) and which tools fall under it (generative AI, AI-powered extensions, chatbots, AI within existing software).
 	Approved and prohibited tools.  Maintain a living list of sanctioned AI tools and a clear prohibition on unapproved alternatives. Update this list regularly as new tools emerge.
 	Data classification rules. Specify which categories of data (confidential, personally identifiable information, financial, client data) may never be entered into any AI tool, approved or otherwise.
 	Use case guidelines. Describe acceptable use cases (drafting, summarizing, research) and unacceptable ones (legal decision-making, HR evaluations, processing protected health information without compliance review).
 	Employee responsibilities. Make clear that employees are accountable for output accuracy and are not absolved of responsibility because AI generated a result.
 	Reporting requirements. Establish a mechanism for employees to report unauthorized tools they have encountered or used, without fear of retaliation.
 	Enforcement and consequences. Define the disciplinary process for policy violations, including escalation procedures.
 	Review cadence. Commit to a defined review schedule (quarterly or semi-annually) to keep the policy aligned with rapidly evolving AI capabilities.
AI Acceptable Use Policy: Key Components at a Glance
Approved/Prohibited Tools List
Defines which AI tools are sanctioned
Eliminates ambiguity; reduces shadow AI
Data Classification Rules
Restricts what data can enter AI systems
Prevents confidential data leakage
Use Case Guidelines
Defines acceptable vs. prohibited AI applications
Sets clear behavioral expectations
Employee Accountability Clause
Employees own AI-generated outputs
Reduces over-reliance and errors
Reporting Mechanism
Safe channel to flag unauthorized tools
Improves visibility without blame culture
Enforcement Policy
Outlines disciplinary consequences
Gives the policy teeth
Quarterly Review Commitment
Keeps policy current with AI developments
Prevents policy from becoming obsolete
Why Businesses Can't Wait to Implement AI Governance
The window for proactive AI governance is narrowing. According to Gartner, global IT spending is on track to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, a 10.8% increase from the prior year, with a significant portion of that growth driven by AI-related investments.
Organizations that have not established governance frameworks are absorbing that spend with no visibility into how AI tools are actually being used. The OECD has been equally direct: measuring the return on digital investments is no longer optional.
Digital tools, including AI, are now foundational to economic and business performance. Organizations that cannot account for how those tools are being used or what they are producing cannot credibly measure ROI, manage risk, or demonstrate compliance.
Many employees use unapproved AI tools at work to help simplify tasks.
For small and mid-sized businesses, the risk profile is arguably higher. Enterprise organizations have dedicated legal, compliance, and IT governance teams. Small businesses typically do not.
A single data exposure incident, such as an employee pasting client contracts into an unauthorized AI tool, can trigger breach notification requirements, contractual penalties, and reputational damage that can take years to recover from.
How to Build and Enforce an AI Acceptable Use Policy: A Step-by-Step Guide
The following steps represent a practical, proven path to implementing an effective employee AI policy — from initial assessment through ongoing enforcement.
 	Audit your current AI usage landscape. Before writing a policy, understand the reality. Survey employees, review expense reports for AI subscriptions, and run an automated discovery scan through your IT management platform to surface AI tools that are already in use with or without approval.
 	Classify your data. Work with legal, HR, and department heads to assign data classifications (public, internal, confidential, restricted) across your key data types. This classification directly informs which data categories your AI policy will restrict from entering unsanctioned tools.
 	Define your sanctioned tool list. Convene a cross-functional review that includes IT, legal, and relevant business units. Evaluate AI tools against criteria including data privacy terms, vendor security posture, compliance certifications, and contractual obligations. Publish the approved list and establish a process for employees to request additions.
 	Draft the policy document. Using the components outlined above, write a policy that is specific and actionable. Avoid generic language. Define terms. Include examples of acceptable and unacceptable use. Have legal counsel review for any industry-specific compliance implications (HIPAA, CCPA, SOC 2, etc.).
 	Conduct mandatory employee training. A policy that employees have not read or do not understand is not enforceable. Roll out mandatory training, not a passive PDF, that walks employees through the policy, explains the rationale, addresses the most common questions, and includes a signed acknowledgment.
 	Implement technical controls. Policy alone is not sufficient. Work with your IT team or managed service provider to enforce the policy technically: block unauthorized AI domains at the DNS level, configure identity provider controls to restrict AI app sign-ins with company credentials, and set up monitoring for unapproved tool registrations.
 	Establish a monitoring and alerting workflow. Deploy continuous monitoring so that when a new AI tool appears in your environment, IT is alerted immediately, not at the next quarterly audit. This is a core function of a modern SaaS management platform and a critical capability for enforcing an employee AI policy over time.
 	Review and update on a defined schedule. The AI landscape changes faster than any static document can accommodate. Commit to a quarterly policy review that incorporates new tool approvals, emerging risks, updated compliance requirements, and lessons learned from any policy violations or near-misses.
Managed vs. Unmanaged AI Governance: A Side-by-Side Comparison
Shadow AI visibility
None — tools adopted invisibly
Automated discovery and real-time alerts
Data exposure risk
High — no restrictions on data input
Reduced — data classification rules enforced
Employee accountability
Unclear — no defined expectations
Explicit — employees sign acknowledgment
Compliance posture
Reactive — issues discovered post-incident
Proactive — policy maps to frameworks
Tool approval process
None — ad hoc adoption
Formal review and sanctioned list
Onboarding/offboarding
AI access rarely tracked or revoked
Access managed through identity controls
Policy enforcement
Manual, inconsistent
Technical controls + monitoring workflows
How to Stop Employees From Using Unauthorized AI Tools
Blocking unauthorized AI is not primarily a technical challenge but a behavioral one. Technical controls are necessary but not sufficient. Here is how to address both dimensions effectively:
 	Address the underlying pressure. Employees reach for unauthorized tools because they feel they have no choice. If your organization demands productivity improvements without providing approved, capable AI tools, shadow AI will fill the gap. Offering a curated, approved set of AI tools that genuinely help employees do their work is one of the most effective prevention strategies available.
 	Use DNS filtering to block unauthorized domains. Configuring your network to block access to unapproved AI platforms at the DNS level is one of the most reliable technical controls available. Unlike application-layer blocks, DNS filtering works across devices and browsers and is difficult to circumvent without bypassing the network entirely.
 	Enforce identity provider controls. Require that all approved AI tools be accessed through your organization's single sign-on (SSO) solution. This gives IT visibility into which tools employees are using with company credentials and allows access to be revoked immediately when an employee departs or a tool is removed from the approved list.
 	Monitor for new app registrations. Integrate your SaaS management platform with your identity provider to receive real-time alerts whenever a new application, including AI tools, is registered using company credentials. This converts shadow AI detection from a periodic audit into a continuous monitoring function.
 	Create a safe reporting channel. Employees who have already used unauthorized tools are unlikely to disclose that if they fear discipline. Establish an amnesty-style reporting window when rolling out the policy, allowing employees to disclose unauthorized tools they have been using without penalty. This gives IT a more accurate picture of the current risk landscape and removes the incentive for concealment.
The Role of Managed IT Services in AI Policy Enforcement
For most small and mid-sized businesses, enforcing an AI acceptable use policy is not a one-time project but an ongoing operational discipline that requires dedicated tooling and expertise. That is precisely where managed IT services deliver measurable value.
An AI acceptable use policy for small businesses is a practical risk management tool.
A managed service provider with AI governance capabilities brings several critical functions to your environment:
 	Automated discovery of new AI tools as they appear
 	Real-time alerting when employees access or register unapproved platforms
 	Enforcement of identity provider controls
 	DNS-level blocking of prohibited domains
 	Regular reporting to leadership on the organization's AI risk posture.
Beyond tooling, an experienced managed IT partner helps translate your AI acceptable use policy into a technically enforceable set of controls. This closes the gap between what the policy says and what actually happens in your environment.
They also help you keep pace with emerging tools, updating approved and prohibited lists as the AI landscape evolves.
Frequently Asked Questions About an AI Acceptable Use Policy for Business
Q: What is an AI acceptable use policy for business?
An AI acceptable use policy for business is a formal document that defines how employees are permitted to use artificial intelligence tools in the workplace. It specifies which tools are approved, what types of data can and cannot be entered into AI systems, acceptable use cases, employee responsibilities, and consequences for violations. It is a core component of modern IT governance and data protection strategy.
Q: Why does my company need an AI acceptable use policy?
Without an AI acceptable use policy, employees make individual decisions about which AI tools to use and what data to share with them, often without understanding the risks. This creates exposure to data breaches, regulatory violations, and reputational damage.
A formal policy sets consistent expectations, reduces shadow AI adoption, and gives IT the foundation to enforce controls technically.
Q: What is shadow AI and why is it dangerous?
Shadow AI refers to AI tools used by employees without IT approval or organizational oversight. It is dangerous because it typically involves entering business data such as client records, financial information, and internal communications into third-party systems that have not been security-vetted or contractually bound to protect that data.
Research indicates that 80% of employees use unapproved AI tools at work, making shadow AI one of the most prevalent and underaddressed security risks in modern organizations.
Q: What data should be restricted from AI tools?
At minimum, the following data categories should be restricted from entry into any AI tool without explicit IT and legal approval: personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), financial records, client contracts, intellectual property, source code, confidential business strategy, and any data subject to regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, CCPA, or GDPR.
Q: How do I enforce an AI acceptable use policy technically?
Technical enforcement typically involves four layers:
 	DNS filtering to block access to unauthorized AI domains at the network level
 	Identity provider controls requiring that approved tools be accessed through SSO
 	SaaS management platform monitoring that surfaces new unauthorized AI tool registrations in real time
 	Endpoint monitoring for browser-level AI extensions or locally installed tools
A managed IT service provider can implement and maintain all four layers on your behalf.
Q: How often should an AI acceptable use policy be reviewed?
At minimum, quarterly. The AI tool landscape changes faster than almost any other technology category — new platforms emerge, existing tools add AI capabilities, and regulatory guidance evolves. A policy that was accurate six months ago may already be incomplete.
Build a recurring review process that includes IT, legal, HR, and business unit representatives, and treat the approved and prohibited tool lists as living documents.
Q: What is AI governance for small businesses?
AI governance for small business refers to the policies, processes, and technical controls that smaller organizations use to manage how AI is adopted, used, and monitored across their workforce. While small businesses may lack dedicated compliance teams, their governance obligations and exposure to AI-related risks are comparable to larger organizations, and in some cases more acute, given fewer resources to recover from an incident.
A managed IT partner can deliver enterprise-grade AI governance capabilities scaled to small business needs and budgets.
Turn AI Acceptable Use Policy Into Protection
An AI acceptable use policy for business is not a bureaucratic formality, but a practical risk management tool for an era in which AI is embedded in virtually every productivity application your employees use.
The organizations that establish clear policies, train their teams, and back those policies with technical controls are the ones that will harness AI's productivity benefits without absorbing its risks.
The cost of inaction is rising. With more than 8 in 10 employees already using unapproved AI tools and the global IT landscape expected to exceed $6 trillion by 2026, the gap between organizations with mature AI governance and those without will only widen.
Delaying policy development does not reduce your organization's AI exposure, it simply means that exposure is growing unmonitored.
Be Structured is a Los Angeles-based IT support company that provides security and compliance services and DNS filtering solutions that help Los Angeles businesses enforce AI acceptable use policies with real technical controls, not just documents.
Our team can help you discover what AI tools are already in your environment, implement the right blocking and monitoring infrastructure, and build the governance framework your business needs to use AI confidently and safely.
Contact Be Structured today to learn more about our all-inclusive managed IT services in Los Angeles and how we can implement AI governance for your organization.
- Categories: AI, Tips & Tricks

#### AI Advancements and Cybersecurity
2020 was difficult for governments, the businesses we work for, and the man in the street. We all had to transition to new ways of working, and the transition has continued to speed up.

The advantages and benefits of the online, digital age are evident. But, it also has several drawbacks. One of the most severe concerns is that data and our personal information are now more exposed than ever.

There have been many cases of identity theft, money loss, and data breaches in the last few years. Every day the news channels report more and more breaches and cyber incidents.

Read on to learn more about the most recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancements and managed IT security services now available to most businesses.
Recent AI Advancements and Cybersecurity
There have been developments in AI in most sectors of industry. All the below industries have begun to use AI:

 	Transportation
 	Healthcare
 	Banking
 	Retail
 	Entertainment
 	E-Commerce
 	Security

There are essentially three types of AI: narrow, general, and super AI.

Narrow AI focuses on one task at a time. Siri is an excellent example of a narrow AI. It has a pre-defined range of functions.

General, or strong AI, has some way to go. Research is underway to develop computer consciousness with cognitive ability.

Super AI is when a computer can perform automated tasks faster and better than a human. To make super AI real, scientists will need to develop emotional capability in computers.

From the above, it is clear that narrow AI is the only type of AI available for cybersecurity automation. Narrow AI depends on a programmed instruction set, challenging in the ever-changing cyber threat landscape.

Machine Learning allows computers to apply and adjust algorithms based on their data, learn from it, and identify the required improvements.

In the case of cybersecurity, this means that machine learning allows the computer to foresee hazards and detect anomalies significantly more accurately than any human.
What Is a Cyber Attack?
Cyberattacks are pervasive, affecting everyone from individuals to businesses to government agencies. Cyberattacks have become very elaborate.

Threat actors have also become adept at disguising their attacks. For every method of attack exposed and shut down, dozens more are created.

There have been more than 2,000 distinct vulnerabilities revealed this year alone. Managing security vulnerabilities with traditional technology or human resources is challenging. AI can handle this far better.

The world faces two serious cybersecurity challenges. First, hackers can reach their targets from anywhere globally.

Secondly, hackers have all the time to plan and action their attacks. When an attack happens, we have minutes, if not seconds, to respond and defend ourselves and our businesses.

A typical cyber-attack involves adversaries (sometimes referred to as threat actors) or cybercriminals attempting to gain unauthorized access to, alter, or damage a target's computer network and data. It is the systematic, calculated, and deliberate use of technology to infiltrate and disrupt governments, businesses, and the man in the street.

The most common forms of cyberattacks are:

 	Malware and Ransomware
 	Phishing
 	Man-in-the-Middle (MitM)
 	Denial of Service (DOS and DDOS)
 	Password attack

Other attacks are SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, Zero-day Exploit, Rootkits, and Internet of Things (IoT) attacks.

Cyberattacks are getting more complicated and diversified, with each malicious intent requiring a particular type of attack.
AI Can Monitor Cyber Risk
Artificial intelligence applications have been critical in saving lives and building economic resilience during the pandemic, facilitating far-reaching health and safety improvements.

Improvement in AI capabilities, ranging from autonomous driving and natural language processing to cybersecurity, has continued surprisingly.

"To prevent whatever the attackers are trying to achieve, organizations must be able to detect a cyberattack in advance," explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, an award-winning outsourced IT support company in Los Angeles.

Artificial Intelligence has proven beneficial in detecting cyber threats based on data analysis and recognizing a danger before exploiting a weakness in information systems.

The daily volume of cyber threats is too significant for humans to handle, making AI the only alternative.

Imagine if you are a Systems Administrator (SysAdmin) responsible for:

 	Ten servers
 	25 workstations
 	Three printers
 	2 Network Storage Devices (NAS)
 	Three routers, and
 	Two network switches

Each device requires security patching, at least weekly. Each patch takes 10 minutes so this small network requires 450 minutes or 7.5 hours a week for patching. That’s one working day a week gone!
Can AI Speed Up Cyber Incident Response Times?
AI-based systems do not wait for an online threat to exploit a vulnerability. Instead, these AI-based solutions hunt for potential weaknesses in organizational information systems, combining elements such as hackers' dark web chats, the hacker's repute, the patterns used, and so on.

Then, these systems can examine these parameters and use the data to predict when and how the danger will reach vulnerable targets.

Formulating security policy and determining an organization's network topography are crucial aspects of a network's managed IT security services. Unfortunately, both of these activities are time-consuming.

We can now use AI to speed up these procedures by analyzing and learning network traffic patterns and recommending security measures. This saves time and a lot of work and resources that can be put to better use in areas like technical growth.
The Impact of AI On Cybersecurity
While having AI take over completely is appealing, we must remember that AI is made up of many different components and thus is quite adaptable. While AI is beneficial to cybersecurity, it is also being used by hackers for wrong objectives. It has the potential to do exponential damage and become an even more significant threat to cybersecurity in the wrong hands.

As technology advances, adversaries improve their assault methods, tools, and approaches to exploit individuals and organizations. Artificial Intelligence is beneficial, but it also has its drawbacks.

AI and machine learning can detect and prevent assaults before they happen. As AI advances, we will be able to see how far we can push this technology to be both a blessing and a curse to cybersecurity and society in general.
As Threat Grows, So Does Security
As discussed above, AI advancements and cybersecurity threats and risks are increasing, but AI can assist in stopping hackers in their tracks.

AI is becoming more critical in cybersecurity, with security technologies analyzing data of millions of cyber incidents and using it to identify threats.

The only way to defend everything you've worked so hard to create is to be cautious about cybersecurity. If you'd like to learn more about how managed services might benefit your business, give us a call; we're here to help you!
- Categories: AI, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### AI Governance Policy for Small Business: A Practical Framework for 2026
Why an AI Governance Policy Can’t Wait
AI adoption inside the workplace has moved past the early-adopter phase. Gallup’s most recent workplace tracking found that 13% of U.S. employees now use AI daily, and 28% use it at least several times a week — both all-time highs. That’s roughly three in ten employees making regular, unsupervised decisions about what data goes into an AI system, without any governance structure telling them what’s permitted.
The visibility problem compounds the risk. According to the 2025 State of Shadow AI Report, 81% of the general workforce and 88% of security professionals — the people responsible for protecting company data — use AI tools that were never approved by their organization. In a ten-person small business, that statistic suggests eight or nine employees are already using unapproved AI tools right now.
Part of this is cultural. IDC’s research on workplace AI adoption found that when leadership pressures employees to hit productivity targets without providing approved tools, employees hide their AI usage rather than disclose it. Shadow AI — the AI-specific version of shadow IT — thrives in exactly that gap.
None of this liability lands on the employee. If an unapproved AI tool processes client data, produces a discriminatory output, or triggers a compliance violation, the business is the responsible party — in a regulatory proceeding, in a breach notification, and in the eyes of the client whose data was exposed. A governance policy doesn’t eliminate that risk, but it creates the documented framework that demonstrates due diligence and gives leadership a basis to act.
With global IT spending on track to hit $6.15 trillion in 2026, a growing share of that driven by AI, businesses without a governance structure are absorbing that spend with zero visibility into how it’s actually being used.
AI Governance Policy vs. AI Acceptable Use Policy: What’s the Difference
These two documents get used interchangeably, but they answer different questions.
An AI governance policy is the structural layer: who owns AI decisions, how tools get vetted before anyone can use them, what data classification applies across the business, how usage gets logged, and how often the whole framework gets reviewed. It’s written for leadership and IT.
An AI acceptable use policy is the employee-facing layer underneath it: the specific rules a person reads, signs, and is held to — what they can and can’t do, tool by tool, data type by data type. It’s written for every employee.
Every small business needs both, and the governance policy is what makes the acceptable use policy enforceable rather than aspirational. If you haven’t drafted your acceptable use policy yet, our AI acceptable use policy for business guide walks through exactly what to include, how to prevent shadow AI, and ready-to-adapt language for prohibited uses and enforcement — this article focuses on the governance structure that sits above it.
An AI governance policy is a practical tool for managing real legal, financial, and reputational risk in a business.
The Five Components of an AI Governance Policy
A governance policy that’s just a data classification chart and a values statement won’t hold up when something goes wrong. Five components need to be in place.
1. Data Classification Rules
Every governance policy needs a shared definition of what data can go into an AI system, and what can’t. A practical four-tier model for small businesses:
Data Tier
Definition
AI Handling Rule
Public
Information already available externally (published marketing content)
Usable in any approved AI tool without restriction
Internal
General business information not intended for public release
Approved AI tools only, with basic handling guidelines
Confidential
Client records, contracts, financial data, PII, strategy documents
Approved AI tools only, with explicit platform restrictions
Restricted
Data under regulatory protection (HIPAA, GLBA, CCPA)
No AI processing without legal and IT sign-off, regardless of approved-tool status
2. Vendor Approval Process
Not every AI tool carries the same risk, so the governance policy needs a standing review process rather than a one-time list. For each tool under consideration, document:
 	Data residency — where the vendor stores and processes data
 	Training opt-out — whether customer inputs train the vendor’s models, and whether that can be disabled
 	Admin controls — whether the business can manage access, audit usage, and enforce settings centrally
 	Compliance certifications — SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAA capability, and other relevant credentials
 	Breach notification terms — the vendor’s contractual obligations if a security incident affects your data
3. Accountability and Ownership
Governance without a named owner drifts. Assign a specific person or role — this doesn’t need to be a dedicated hire at a small business. It’s commonly the IT manager, the COO, or an outsourced IT partner. That owner is responsible for maintaining the approved tool list, reviewing exception requests, tracking violations, and making sure the policy actually gets reviewed on schedule rather than going stale.
4. Audit Logging and Monitoring
A governance policy without a logging component is unenforceable in practice. At minimum, specify that all AI tool usage involving non-public data is trackable to individual users, that access logs are retained for at least 12 months, and that anomalous usage patterns trigger review. For most small businesses, this runs through the admin console of whichever enterprise AI platform they’ve standardized on, rather than custom tooling.
5. Review Cadence and Exception Process
AI tools change faster than almost any other category. Commit to a quarterly review of the approved and prohibited tool lists, and build a lightweight exception process so employees can request a new tool be reviewed instead of just using it anyway.
An AI acceptable use policy is a component of a broader AI governance framework.
Choosing Your Enterprise AI Platform
Which platform a business standardizes on determines how much of this framework can be enforced through admin controls versus manual policy alone. The three dominant options differ on the criteria that matter most for governance:
Feature
Microsoft Copilot
ChatGPT Enterprise
Google Gemini (Workspace)
Data residency
Microsoft regional data centers; EU data boundary available
OpenAI servers; US-based; limited regional options
Google data centers; regional storage available for Workspace
Training opt-out
Not used by default
Not used by default
Not used by default
Admin controls
Extensive via Microsoft 365 admin center
Admin console with usage reporting
Google Admin Console; per-OU controls
Audit logging
Full Microsoft Purview integration
Usage logs via API and admin dashboard
Google Vault integration
HIPAA BAA available
Yes
Yes
Yes
SOC 2 Type II
Yes
Yes
Yes
Pricing (per user/mo)
Included in M365 Business Premium, or $30 add-on
$30/user (150-user minimum)
Included in Workspace Business, or $20–$30 add-on
Best for
Businesses already on Microsoft 365
Businesses needing maximum model capability
Businesses already on Google Workspace
Pricing and feature availability change frequently — confirm current terms directly with each vendor before publishing.
All three offer meaningful protection when configured correctly. The governance risk doesn’t come from these platforms — it comes from employees defaulting to free-tier or personal accounts instead. A governance policy that mandates one of these platforms, with admin controls actually turned on, closes most of the shadow AI gap on its own.
How to Build an AI Governance Policy: An 8-Step Framework
 	Audit current AI usage. Survey employees, check expense reports for AI subscriptions, and ask department heads what their teams are actually using. Most small businesses find adoption is further along than leadership realized.
 	Define your data classification tiers. Use the four-tier model above and map it to the data types your business actually handles.
 	Build your vendor approval process and initial approved list. Run current tools through the criteria above and document which pass. Your managed IT provider can run the security assessments if your team doesn’t have the bandwidth.
 	Assign a governance owner. Name the person or role accountable before you publish anything — policies without an owner don’t get maintained.
 	Draft or adopt your acceptable use policy. This is the employee-facing document referenced above — see our full guide to building one for the specific language and prohibited-use examples to include.
 	Implement technical controls. Configure admin controls on your approved platform, add DNS-level filtering to block prohibited AI domains at the network level, and turn on audit logging.
 	Train employees and collect signed acknowledgments. A policy nobody’s read isn’t enforceable. Store signed acknowledgments in personnel files.
 	Set your review cadence. Commit to quarterly tool-list reviews and an annual full policy review, or a review immediately after any incident.
FAQs About AI Governance Policy for Small Business
What is an AI governance policy for a small business?An AI governance policy for a small business is a documented framework that defines how AI tools are adopted, approved, and monitored across the organization. It establishes who owns AI-related decisions, how new tools are vetted before employees can use them, what data classification rules apply, how usage is logged, and how often the policy is reviewed. It is the structural layer that sits above an employee-facing acceptable use policy.What’s the difference between an AI governance policy and an AI acceptable use policy?An AI governance policy defines the ownership, vendor approval process, data classification rules, and audit requirements that structure how a business manages AI risk. An AI acceptable use policy is the narrower, employee-facing document built underneath it — the specific rules a person signs and is held accountable to. A small business typically needs both: the governance policy for leadership and IT, the acceptable use policy for every employee.Who is liable when an employee uses an unapproved AI tool and something goes wrong?In most cases, the business bears the liability, not the individual employee. If an unapproved AI tool processes client data, produces a harmful or discriminatory output, or creates a regulatory violation, the business is the responsible party in any regulatory proceeding or civil claim. A documented governance policy with signed employee acknowledgments, technical controls, and audit logging demonstrates that the business exercised reasonable care; the absence of a policy is typically treated as negligence in a post-incident review.Who should own AI governance at a small business?Governance needs a named owner, but it doesn’t need to be a dedicated hire. In most small businesses, the role falls to the IT manager, the COO, or an outsourced IT partner. That person is responsible for maintaining the approved tool list, reviewing exception requests, tracking violations, and ensuring the policy is reviewed on its committed schedule. Governance without a named owner tends to drift within a year.What should a vendor approval process for AI tools include?A vendor approval process should evaluate each AI tool against five criteria: where the vendor stores and processes data, whether customer inputs are used for model training and whether that can be disabled, whether the business can centrally manage access and audit usage, what compliance certifications the vendor holds (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAA capability), and what the vendor is contractually obligated to do if a breach affects your data.Does a small business need both a governance policy and an acceptable use policy?Yes. The governance policy establishes the structure — ownership, vendor vetting, data classification, and audit requirements. The acceptable use policy translates that structure into specific, signed rules for employees. A governance policy without an acceptable use policy has no enforcement mechanism at the individual level; an acceptable use policy without a governance policy has no ownership or process behind it. Most small businesses build the acceptable use policy first, since it’s the document employees interact with directly, then formalize the governance layer around it.How often should an AI governance policy be reviewed?At minimum, quarterly for the approved and prohibited tool lists, and annually — or immediately after any incident — for the full policy. The AI tool landscape changes fast enough that a governance policy that was comprehensive six months ago may already have gaps.
Governance Is the Framework. Enforcement Is What Makes It Real.
A policy without technical enforcement is aspirational. Enforcement without a documented policy has no foundation to stand on when something goes wrong. The two need to move together: a governance policy that assigns ownership and sets the rules, and the managed IT services and technical controls that actually enforce them day to day.
Be Structured helps Los Angeles small businesses build AI governance policies that hold up in practice — from DNS filtering that blocks unauthorized AI platforms at the network level, to security and compliance services that map your controls to regulatory obligations. If you haven’t built the employee-facing half of this framework yet, start with our AI acceptable use policy for business guide.
Contact Be Structured to schedule an AI governance assessment for your organization.
- Categories: AI
- Tags: IT Compliance

#### AI IT Support for Small Business: Practical Applications Beyond the Hype
​Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to research labs or billion-dollar corporations. 
For many companies, especially those working with limited resources, AI is proving to be a practical and affordable tool. When applied strategically, AI enhances small business IT by automating repetitive work, analyzing data more efficiently, and improving security. This allows smaller enterprises to compete effectively with larger competitors despite having fewer people and smaller budgets.
While headlines often highlight futuristic applications, the real value of AI for small businesses lies in accessible tools and simple integrations. Affordable platforms and free services make it possible to leverage AI without heavy upfront investment. When combined with managed IT support, these solutions enable businesses to optimize workflows, reduce risk, and achieve more with limited capital.

Why AI Tech Support Matters for Small Business 
Small businesses often face tighter financial constraints than enterprise organizations. Hiring large IT departments, buying complex infrastructure, or investing in advanced analytics platforms is rarely possible. AI, however, levels the playing field by offering affordable or even free solutions that integrate into existing systems.
From customer service chatbots to AI-driven cybersecurity monitoring, these tools reduce labor costs and allow employees to focus on higher-value tasks. For business leaders evaluating how to stretch limited budgets, AI represents a strategic advantage that balances efficiency with cost savings.

How to Use AI in IT Support
AI is most useful when it addresses pain points that smaller organizations regularly encounter. These include slow customer support, limited data analysis, weak cybersecurity defenses, and inefficient manual processes.
One of the biggest IT challenges for small businesses is the lack of specialized staff. While larger organizations can hire in-house IT professionals, smaller ones often rely on external providers or overburden existing employees. This results in slower response times and increased vulnerability to downtime. AI tools help bridge this gap by automating many of the tasks that would otherwise require human attention.
Another bottleneck is the difficulty of maintaining strong cybersecurity with limited budgets. Threats like phishing, ransomware, and data breaches impact organizations of every size. Without proactive defense, small businesses often find themselves unprepared for these risks. AI-driven monitoring and detection tools provide affordable protection against attacks that could otherwise cripple operations.


Sometimes using AI can be a confounding, frustrating experience.
Practical AI Applications for Small Businesses
For small businesses, the goal is not to implement the most advanced AI technologies available, but rather to adopt tools that deliver immediate and tangible benefits.

Customer Service and Support
AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants handle common questions, schedule appointments, and provide instant responses to customers. Platforms like Zendesk, Intercom, and Tidio offer scalable solutions that are affordable and easy to implement. By managing repetitive inquiries, these tools free up employees to handle more complex customer needs.

Marketing and Content Creation
AI can generate social media posts, optimize advertising campaigns, and even draft blog outlines. Tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Canva’s AI features make it easier to maintain a strong online presence without hiring a full creative team. For small businesses competing in crowded markets, this reduces the time and cost of producing high-quality marketing materials.

Data Analysis and Reporting
One of the different types of AI that benefits smaller companies is machine learning for analytics. AI can review sales numbers, customer behaviors, or supply chain data to highlight trends and suggest improvements. Google Analytics and Microsoft Power BI already integrate AI-driven insights, making them cost-effective solutions that provide enterprise-level intelligence to smaller firms.

Human Resources and Hiring
Recruiting and onboarding employees can drain time and resources. AI platforms like HireVue and Zoho Recruit automate resume screening, schedule interviews, and provide predictive analytics for hiring decisions. This helps ensure businesses select candidates who are the best fit while reducing the workload on HR teams.

Cybersecurity Defense
AI and cybersecurity go hand in hand. AI tools can detect anomalies in network traffic, identify suspicious login attempts, and block malware in real time. Services like CrowdStrike and SentinelOne offer scalable AI-driven protection designed for smaller organizations. This type of proactive monitoring ensures that even businesses without full in-house IT teams remain secure.

How Does AI Help IT support teams? 
AI does not operate as a mysterious black box. At its core, how AI works involves training algorithms on large sets of data and then applying those models to recognize patterns, make predictions, or generate outputs. For example, a chatbot learns from past conversations to answer future questions more accurately. An AI-powered security tool studies traffic data to identify unusual patterns that may indicate a breach And also allow you to stay within the guidelines of an AI governance policy.
For small businesses, this means that AI applications continually improve over time. The more data they process, the better they become at predicting outcomes or identifying risks. This evolving intelligence allows organizations to maximize efficiency without significant additional costs.

Addressing Security Needs with AI
Cybersecurity continues to be one of the greatest risks for small businesses. Research shows that nearly half of all cyberattacks target small and medium-sized businesses. Attackers often assume that smaller organizations lack the resources to mount strong defenses.
AI helps correct this imbalance by detecting and blocking threats in real time. Small businesses can use AI tools to scan emails for common security threats, monitor endpoints for suspicious behavior, and alert IT teams when anomalies arise. Unlike traditional tools that rely on fixed rules, AI adapts to new attack methods, giving companies stronger protection without requiring extensive human oversight.
For organizations that cannot afford a full cybersecurity department, AI-driven solutions provide practical and cost-effective defense mechanisms.


But in most cases, AI can be a godsend for small business owners.
The Role of AI for Tech Support 
While AI tools are accessible, successful integration still requires strategic planning. Businesses need guidance on which tools to implement, how to connect them with existing systems, and how to train employees on their use.
This is where managed IT providers add value. With expertise in implementation and maintenance, IT professionals help businesses adopt AI effectively without overextending their budgets. They also ensure that new systems integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure, reducing disruptions during adoption.
The importance of constant IT services cannot be overlooked. AI tools require updates, monitoring, and oversight to remain effective. Managed IT providers deliver that support, ensuring that AI continues to serve business goals long after initial setup.

AI for Industry-Specific Applications
Different industries benefit from AI in unique ways. For real estate, AI tools streamline property searches and customer communication. For healthcare, AI-driven scheduling and records management improve patient care. For manufacturing, predictive maintenance prevents equipment failures and minimizes downtime.
With support from an outsourced managed IT services provider, small businesses can adopt solutions that are customized to their industry. Instead of implementing generic tools, companies gain access to technology that directly supports their workflows and customer needs.

Preparing for Long-Term Growth with Small Business IT
AI is not just a short-term advantage. It lays the foundation for scalable operations that adapt as businesses grow. A small team may initially use AI to automate basic tasks like customer service or reporting. As the company expands, those same tools can scale to handle more complex workloads without requiring equivalent increases in staffing or costs.
This scalability makes AI particularly valuable for startups and small businesses with limited capital. Instead of struggling to keep pace with larger competitors, they can use AI-driven efficiencies to stay competitive in crowded markets.

Making AI Work for Small Businesses
Artificial intelligence is no longer out of reach for smaller companies. Through affordable tools and accessible integrations, it enhances small business IT by automating processes, strengthening security, and providing insights that once required enterprise-level budgets.
At Be Structured, we work with companies across industries to help them identify AI opportunities, integrate tools into their workflows, and maintain the systems that keep them secure and productive. With our industry-specific IT solutions, businesses gain the confidence to use AI strategically without overspending.
Schedule a free consultation today and see how AI can empower your organization to do more with less.
- Categories: AI, IT Support
- Tags: AI, Business IT Support, Small Business

#### Application Security: Best Practices and Vulnerabilities
Did you know that the software your organization relies on can actually open your network up to cybersecurity vulnerabilities? Unfortunately, software developers don’t always prioritize application security. That’s why it’s up to your organization to ensure that the software you depend on doesn’t compromise critical data. Understanding how application security relates to your broader cybersecurity platform is the first step. From there, you need to identify and remediate application vulnerabilities before cybercriminals do. Here’s how.
The Fundamentals of Application Security
Have you or your IT team assumed that your software partners and developers take care of application security? It’s a mistake that many businesses make because they don’t understand the deeper relationship between applications and network security. While reliable software developers certainly do everything they can to secure applications before releasing them, that’s not always enough.

First, you need to understand that the ways software interacts within your network context has a significant impact on security. Your software can potentially interact with:

 	Network devices
 	Infrastructure
 	Other applications
 	User data
 	Network settings
 	Access controls

These interactions can open your network up to vulnerabilities that not even the developers can always foresee. In the wrong hands, these vulnerabilities can be actively exploited by cybercriminals to take control of your network. While monitoring application interactions is a vital first step to pinpoint potential threats, there are some supplemental steps you should be taking to prioritize network security.
Application Security Best Practices
The Role of Vulnerability Scans and Penetration Testing
Since application security threats can often be unique to your network, regular vulnerability scans and hands-on penetration testing are a must for preventing applications from introducing deeper system vulnerabilities. Vulnerability scans work by regularly scanning your network devices, applications, and infrastructure to ensure they aren’t opening your network up to any known vulnerabilities—known being the operative word here. While vulnerability scans identify potential weaknesses that have already been discovered, that doesn’t mean they’re able to identify unknown vulnerabilities that haven’t yet been identified.

Pinpointing these unknown vulnerabilities is where penetration testing comes into play. While vulnerability scans are generally an automated, software-based process, penetration testing involves a team of ethical hackers actively working to exploit your network as real-world cybercriminals would. If they’re able to exploit backdoor access, they can identify the vulnerability and remediate the risk before cybercriminals breach your defenses. On the other hand, penetration testing is a success when a cybersecurity team is unable to exploit a weak spot in your network defenses. Ultimately, that means cybercriminals will have a more difficult time gaining access to your network and likely won’t even be able to exploit your system altogether.
The Optimal Frequency of Vulnerability Scan and Penetration Tests
At Be Structured, our clients frequently ask how frequently vulnerability scans and penetration should be scheduled. If your vulnerability scanning platform involves a software-based solution, chances are, it’s already scanning network applications in the background to proactively identify potential threats. However, you want to make sure deep scans run any time new software is installed, network settings are changed, or infrastructure upgrades are made.

For penetration testing, the ideal frequency varies based on a variety of factors, including the likelihood, frequency, and proficiency of cyberattacks on your network. You also need to consider that the more software platforms your organization uses, the more likely the risk that one of those applications will open your system up to a potential threat. Generally, we recommend that intensive penetration testing should be conducted whenever new software is deployed, infrastructure changes are made, or new devices are added to your network.
The Importance of Software Documentation
If your organization is serious about prioritizing application security, your team needs a rigorous set of standards and guidelines to build your strategies on. Assess your network operations in terms of risk and resiliency. What threats might your software be opening your network up to? How are you identifying and remediating those threats? Answering these questions can help you establish specific goals to drive your application security strategies and keep your team in sync. When developing an application security framework, it’s also critical to outline how every aspect of your network interacts and opens you up to threats from the outside.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re a Los Angeles business looking to prioritize application security, get in touch with the cybersecurity experts at Be Structured today. We’ll work with you to pinpoint software vulnerabilities and structure an application security platform around your unique network. Our experts can even handle ongoing vulnerability scanning and penetration testing to keep your network operations as agile as possible.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Application Security, Los Angeles IT Support, Software Development

#### Are Personal Mobile Devices a Security Threat to Your Business?
In today’s world, just about everyone has a cell phone. For businesses, that means employees have a powerful tool at their disposal—one that is also a potential avenue for distraction or, worse, dangerous security exposure. Developing a bring your own device (BYOD) policy is critical to facilitating a more mobile workforce while ensuring that your team members are using their devices to maximize productivity.
With this in mind, Be Structured, a Los Angeles-based IT support company, has outlined four key factors to consider as you begin developing a BYOD policy for your business.
Which Mobile Devices Are Allowed?
The phrase “mobile device” has become an umbrella term that a variety of electronics may fall under. Mobile devices may include cell phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches, handheld gaming consoles, portable music players, and digital cameras.
Productivity is the key to how mobile devices are utilized within the workplace. If you have a client who prefers being contacted via text, then your phone becomes your key go-to for making that client feel unique and always within your reach.
On the flip side, many employees abuse the freedom of having their mobile devices at their work station. Texting friends, tweeting updates about last night’s game or even checking Spotify to see what new music has dropped that day will kill productivity and decrease focus on the business tasks at hand.
When you develop a BYOD plan, the natural place to start is by clarifying what’s allowed and what isn’t. That way, you don’t have to worry about policy loopholes being exploited later on. Do you want employees to only be able to use smartphones during business hours? Make sure the policy explicitly states which devices are allowed and which devices have to stay at home.
Mobile Security Policies
Once you’ve established what devices are allowed, the next step is ensuring that the mobile devices your team uses won’t leave your business’s network vulnerable to security breaches. Mobile security measures can be as simple as requiring that employees use passwords and lock screens to protect the devices they bring.
You can even require that they install security software that proactively monitors devices for threats.
However, since mobile devices and the workplace have become so commonly linked, many employees unknowingly keep access to sensitive, private material from their company stored in apps or in bookmarked links on their smartphones or tablets. The company data then becomes vulnerable to a variety of ways the mobile device, and thus the business’s core data, can be breached.
The most common mobile security threats include: 
 	Data Leakage - usually hiding in free apps where innocent users grant permission without thoroughly checking security.
 	Network Spoofing - where phony Wi-Fi services lure users to join and create an account, often using a username and password they’ve used before.
 	Phishing Attacks - when users open an attachment on their mobile device that looks legit, but ends up infecting their entire OS.
 	Spyware - aka “Stalkerware” where an app is installed to track the owner’s whereabouts. If an employer ever asks you to install such tracking software so they can log how long you’re at a meeting, just say no.
 	Broken Cryptography - where apps have been created with weakly encrypted algorithms that leave “back doors” wide open for hackers to exploit and crawl the user’s device for passwords and other info.
Because using mobile devices at work is a privilege, not a right, a BYOD security policy is critical to protecting your business’s data and network.
While security issues relating to mobile devices remain a major concern for companies worldwide, in larger cities like Los Angeles, IT support companies can help assure that every employee's device is set-up with the greatest security protection possible. For businesses large or small, the investment in consultation is worth the risk of breach. 
Establishing Boundaries
Since employees still retain ownership over their devices, you need to determine where your responsibilities for these devices begin and end. Your BYOD policy needs to outline what level of support your IT team is willing to offer for employee-owned devices.
How far are you willing to go to ensure that an employee’s device is able to connect to your network? Will you provide temporary devices in the event that an employee’s primary device is being repaired or replaced? By clarifying your duties beforehand, you can save a lot of trouble and miscommunication in the long run.
Which Apps Are Allowed?
Beyond establishing which devices are allowed, you also need to outline which applications are permitted during business hours. If using social media isn’t a part of the job, you may want to consider whether you want employees using social media at work.
Beyond apps that present potential distractions, apps can also create potential security vulnerabilities on devices with sensitive company data. A managed service provider in Los Angeles will help educate local business owners as to which apps your employees are using at work is the first step to ensuring that they have the tools to focus on the task at hand while protecting your company’s data.
Trust is a key component in the employer-employee relationship. You hired Bob Beluga for a reason and if you think Bob’s going to spend more time updating his Facebook profile than calling clients, then your judgement as an employer is poor to begin with.
Personal devices cannot be confiscated by employers, but if a business does want more control over what’s being used on a phone, then issue key employees who rely on mobile devices to make business happen on a company-sponsored device.
This gives the employer greater discretion as to what the employee can and can’t access during business hours to the point of even blocking specific apps for safety like social or cloud-based apps on that phone.
Learn how a Managed Service Provider like Be Structured can help your organization better develop a BYOD policy.
- Categories: BYOD
- Tags: BYOD, Cyber Security, Los Angeles IT Support, Mobile Security, Mobility

#### Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack?
We live in a world that revolves around sophisticated technology. Computer systems, mobile smartphones, and tablets are just some of the primary tools that we use in our everyday lives. Technology is not something that remains stagnant. Every day, IT manufacturers are searching for ways to outdo themselves by creating state-of-the-art solutions that are more advanced than its previous model. Yes, technology is always evolving, but unfortunately, that means that cyber threats are also becoming more advanced as well. If you are a business owner, then this should be a huge concern for you.

Just because you have a firewall and some antivirus software installed, it doesn’t mean that your network is completely invincible. There are many security vulnerabilities that you should be concerned about. All it takes is for one person to fall victim to a phishing attack or a spam trap for hackers to gain access into your network. If this happens, then it may put you at risk of losing your most valuable information like business reports, financial information, and other important credentials.

When it comes to threat management, you can never be too prepared, however, ignorance can lead to a lot of downfalls. After all, it’s the fine details that you really need to be paying attention to. If you think that you need better cybersecurity protection, then these are the signs that you should be looking for:
Your Passwords Are Weak:
You might be surprised how many companies rely on passwords that end in “12345.” This is basically like handing a thief the keys to your car. If you really want to prevent a cyber attack, it would be in your best interest to use a password generator when changing passcodes. This will help you create stronger passwords that are harder for hackers to guess.
Operating Systems Are Performing Slowly:
If you’re starting to experience slower connections, then this might be a sign that a cyber attack is near. Do you find your internet dropping more frequently than usual? If that’s the case, then you might be a victim of a DoS attack. This overloads your system, creating sluggish connections and exploiting vulnerabilities in the process.
You Don’t Know Where The Vulnerabilities Are:
Penetration testing is a surefire way to identify vulnerabilities within your network. When it comes to computer security, this is one of the best methods to help you condition your network. Penetration testers will intentionally poke holes in your network to search for weaknesses. This will help give you a leg up so you can perfect your enterprise security program.
Your Employees Aren’t Continually Trained:
Simulated attacks are smart ways to keep your employees conditioned to fend off cyber attacks. Whether it’s a phishing assessment or any other type of data breaching test, utilizing this technology is a great way to expose your employees to real-life emergency scenarios. This will help prepare your workforce to apply threat remediation if they do come face to face with an actual cyber attack.
Your Network Isn’t Being Monitored:
Just because you have a firewall system and antivirus software installed, doesn’t mean it’s ok for you to take your eyes off of the network. Disaster can strike at any time from practically any angle. It’s important to work with a network security provider that delivers managed IT solutions. They’ll be able to spot threats from afar, which will help you be more prepared when disaster ensues.
You Don’t Have a Backup Plan For Your Backup Plan:
You may have a disaster recovery plan, but some cyber threats are severe enough to put this program to shame. Disaster recovery is a great source of support, but it’s not the only recovery strategy that you should rely on. Make sure you are backing up your data in an offsite data center that is monitored by professional network security providers. Additionally, it would be wise to establish a business continuity plan to supplement your disaster recovery technology in the case of an emergency.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: BCDR, Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Los Angeles IT Support, Network Monitoring

#### Are You Vulnerable To A Phishing Attack?
Remember the good old days when spam was so easy to recognize for anyone that had been using email for more than a month.
There were the Nigerian princes who decided on a whim that you, of all people, deserved a portion of their inheritance and that all they needed was your bank’s routing number to make the deposit.
There were also the cyberextortionists who claimed to have Trojan Horsed your system and screen grabbed all the "naughty" sites you had been to with the threat of releasing said discoveries to friends, family, and employers unless a payment was made (usually in Bitcoins) to a specific address.
Well, gone are the days of simple cybercriminals pretending to be billionaire Nigerian princes or porn-finding extortionists trying to gain access to your private data or cash reserves.
“Today’s cybercriminals are employing more complex social engineering tactics to deceive individuals,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, a provider of IT services in Los Angeles. “These ‘phishing emails' are now designed to be subtle and crafty ways of accessing a consumer’s credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, or even a company’s entire network.”
From re-creating internal emails with compromised links to replicating emails from trusted organizations, phishing attacks can now deceive even the most diligent employees.
What Are Phishing Emails?
Phishing emails are often cleverly disguised to appear as if they’re being sent from a company you know or trust. They could look like they’re from a well-known banking institution or a credit card company you’re familiar with. They could also seem to have emanated from a social media platform you probably frequent a lot, so why wouldn’t you want to see what so-and-so has been up to?
Once the user’s (misled) trust has been established, the emails will trick you into opening an attachment or clicking a link, oftentimes to “update your personal information” even disguised in the ironic message of being, “for your security’s sake.”
Phishing email scams reportedly cost duped consumers more than $57 million in 2019 according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Being proactive and earning awareness about these phishing scams will help prevent more heartbreak and monetary losses.
Here are the latest—and more subtle—indicators to recognize and avoid phishing scams.
Phishing Scams - Key Warning Signs
Phishing emails are just the latest form of cyberattacks that every company and every individual should be aware of.
Some of the lesser-known phishing email indicators you should be on the lookout for include:
You Don’t Recognize the Sender
The first thing you should consider when examining an email for legitimacy is the sender. If you don’t recognize the sender or the sender distorts a seemingly familiar email address, you should be careful about its content.
Anytime you receive an email from a sender you don’t recognize, you should immediately be suspicious and not engage any of its content (i.e., clicking links, forwarding, or download attachments) until you have confirmed its legitimacy.
At the same time, just because you recognize the sender of the email doesn’t immediately mean it’s safe. Cybercriminals can compromise email accounts and use them to exploit other users. In fact, the Be Structured IT support group in Los Angeles, has even seen internal phishing attacks purportedly sent by a company’s CEO, in which case why wouldn’t a faithful employee trust to open it.
These types of phishing attacks can be a little more difficult to discern. Keep reading to discover some of their telltale traits.
Asking for Personal Information
You should also be immediately suspicious of any emails requesting personal information you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing online. This information includes your name, address, logins, passwords, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, credit card numbers, and anything else you wouldn’t post online.
Legitimate institutions and businesses never reach out to confirm confidential information over email. If you receive an unexpected email that asks for personal information, it’s almost always going to be a phishing attempt.
External Linking
If an email encourages you to click on a link, you should always be careful before clicking. Oftentimes, links are masked as legitimate but redirect you to an unsafe URL. If you hover over the link and notice a URL you don’t recognize, chances are it’s unsecured. Online anti-phishing tools like isitPhishing and PhishingCheck can help you determine whether a link’s URL is legitimate or if it redirects you to another site.
Suspicious Attachments
One of the most common ways for cybercriminals to infiltrate an organization’s network structured foundation is by spreading unsafe attachments via phishing emails. Simply by downloading and opening an unsafe attachment, your network can be exposed to threats such as malware, data breaches, and even ransomware.
Cybercriminals do everything they can to make attachments look legitimate even when they aren’t. Before opening or downloading any attachments, make sure they have been run through your organization’s virus scanner and have been confirmed as credible.
A Sense of Urgency
Just as infomercials encourage you to buy products right away by offering a limited-time deal, phishing emails trick individuals by claiming an urgent matter needs to be addressed to avoid unwanted consequences.
What to Do Next
Fortunately, harm rarely comes from merely opening a phishing email. In fact, opening the email can often help you determine whether it’s phishing or legitimate. The danger comes when you interact with the mail by clicking links, replying with personal information, or downloading and opening attachments. Once you’ve determined that an email is phishing, you shouldn’t engage the email or the sender in any way. You can also personally mark the mail as spam in your mail program.
Depending on your organization’s policies, you should report the email to your IT department or your outsourced technical support team as phishing. They will investigate the matter further and get to the bottom of the issue. In the best-case scenario, you prevent a phishing attack and inform your IT team of tactics cybercriminals are using to target your organization. In the worst-case scenario, the email may not turn out to be phishing, but you’re better off safe than sorry.
In short, if you’re in any way suspicious that an email may be phishing, go ahead and report it. Little harm comes from a mistaken report, while a lot of mistakes can happen because of unreported phishing.
If your organization doesn’t have any phishing policies in place, it should. If you receive a phishing email, this means cybercriminals are targeting your organization, and you need to have concrete strategies in place to guard against these threats. In the meantime, you can mark the email as spam to filter out future emails.
Ongoing Phishing Training Solutions
Just as cybercriminals are continually adapting their tactics to exploit networks, you need to be prioritizing ongoing training that empowers your team to respond to ever-changing threats.
Continue to read up on the latest ways to recognize and avoid phishing scams.
Fortunately, today’s marketplace overs a variety of ongoing phishing training solutions like KnowBe4 and Rapid7 to keep your team on their toes.
Virtual phishing training works by sporadically sending out automated, simulated phishing emails to your team. The email works like a real-world phishing attack by encouraging them to click a link, reply with information, or open an attachment.
If they fall for the attack, they’re required to complete virtual training within a specified time frame. If they spot the attack and report it as phishing, they’re congratulated and encouraged to keep up the excellent work.
Sitting your team down and informing them of the key warning signs that an email may be phishing is a critical first step. However, they need concrete experience to be able to respond appropriately to real-world phishing threats. Simulated phishing attacks bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering a safe environment for your team to test their skills while keeping them alert to real-world vulnerabilities.
In any case, with the days of Nigerian princes and Trojan Horse infiltration behind us, it's time everyone took a more proactive approach to the potential danger and network debilitation of today's sophisticated phishing emails.
And if you're looking for a fun virtual event to check out take a look at our friends over at Two-Headed Dreams. Witness real magic in a show you’ve never seen before. Join Zabrecky, Penn & Teller, Michael Carbonaro, and more in this sophisticated interactive Extravaganza (not a zoom show).
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Attack, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, Phishing, Phishing Email, Phishing Scams, Security

#### Be Structured - 2020 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles
Be Structured Technology Group listed in Los Angeles Business Journal 2020 Best Places to work in Los Angeles!



Be Structured is a Managed IT Services provider bring best in class IT Support in Los Angeles. We are provide MSP, MSSP, vCISO, cloud services and much more. Be Structured was recently named as one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. This fourteenth annual program was created by the Los Angeles Business Journal and Best Companies Group.




Los Angeles Business Journal best Places to Work 2020




This survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in Los Angeles, benefiting the county's economy, workforce and businesses. The list is made up of 100 companies. Be Structured has been named one of this year’s Best Places to Work in Los Angeles.



To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:




Be a for-profit, not-for-profit business or government entity;
Be a publicly or privately held business;
Have a facility in Los Angeles;
Have at least 15 employees in Los Angeles;
Be in business a minimum of one year.




Companies from across the county entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Los Angeles, analyzed the data and determined the final rankings.



The actual rankings were revealed at a special virtual event on August 5, 2020, and will be published in the August 10, 2020, issue of the Los Angeles Business Journal.



To see the rankings, visit https://labusinessjournal.com/bpw2020/
- Categories: Awards, Hiring, Press
- Tags: 2020 Best Places to Work, Best Places to Work in Los Angeles, LABJ, Los Angeles Business Journal

#### Be Structured Chosen As A Leading B2B Company in Los Angeles
We are excited to announce that Be Structured has been choose for a second year in a row as a B2B IT company leader for IT Support in the Los Angeles area once again by Clutch.
Here at Be Structured, we provide a full range of IT Solutions to empower your business and make technology work for you. Be Structured provides hardware, software, and services to create a combined package of IT solutions our clients need.
We are very excited to be named a leading B2B company in Clutch’s latest report of the top B2B service providers in Los Angeles. Clutch has named us among the top IT companies based on our ability to provide excellent service, our online brand presence, and overall strength in our market. Clutch is a market research firm located in Washington DC. They collect reviews on behalf of thousands of companies in the digital space. We are overwhelmed by the positive reviews from our loyal customers and look forward to further establishing ourselves as a global leader in developing innovative MSP, MSSP, and IT Services to our clients.
Overall, this award is a testament to the work we’ve accomplished over the past few years. After founding the business in 2007 it took us years of operation to get this recognition, we are honored to be named by Clutch as a leading B2B IT company in Los Angeles for 2019. We will keep our sights set on the future and the developments that our team has yet to make. If your firm is ready to reap the benefits of outsource IT consulting, then look no further than our team here at Be Structured!
- Categories: Press
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Service Provider

#### Be Structured Continues to Grow!
Two New Team Members in January!
A big start to 2019 for Be Structured Technology Group and our Los Angeles based IT Support team.
CJ Crisostomo - Systems Administrator
CJ has nine years of IT experience ranging from home support to networking support. He spent 5 successful years working for another managed service provider. CJ has held positions from Service Desk Engineer to helping with leadership roles for the help desk department. Outside of work, he likes to do photography, videography, camping, and the outdoors in general. In CJ's spare time, he enjoys editing pictures or designing concepts for keychains and jewelry using a laser cutter.
We are excited to welcome CJ to the team and we know he will bring a lot of value to all of our clients.
Excerpt: Another new staff member here at Be Structured as we welcome in our new Systems Administrator and Service Desk Engineer, Nestor Lopez to our Be Structured Team! Nestor has over six years of experience in the IT field with extensive MSP experience coming to us from Cal Net. During his years of experience he has held positions as a Service Desk Engineer, DR engineer and NOC engineer.
- Categories: Hiring

#### Be Structured Listed As Top 20 Best Los Angeles MSP’s
We are honored to be listed in Expertise’s directory of Best IT Managed Service Providers in Los Angeles. Expertise identifies the top service professionals in different industries across the united states. Their team conducts a manual review to verify that each company on their list is truly one of the best. We are grateful to have been included in this dynamic catalog of leading organizations.
At Be Structured Technology Group Inc. we pride ourselves on our customer service, reliability, efficiency, and fulfilling the needs of our clients since 2007. All our engineers are trained to provide personalized attention for every client's concern and to ensure that their technology is at peak performance. We are always looking for new additions to our team who enjoy providing innovative solutions across many industries. Check out our career page and submit your resume if you’d like to be a part of one of the best places to work! 
Be Structured was also featured in the SMB Hot 101 and MSP 101 list as well as being named one of the Best Places to Work in the Los Angeles Business Journal. 
- Categories: Awards
- Tags: Awards, MSP

#### Be Structured Makes 2020 MSP 501 and SMB Hot 101 Channel Futures Lists!
Be Structured continues to grow and make waves in the MSP/MSSP community. We were featured this year in the annual 2020 Channel Futures SMB Hot 101 and 2020 Channel Futures MSP 501 in the same year. Channel Futures identifies Best-in-Class Global MSP Businesses & Leading Trends in Small and Midsize Managed Service Market
August 26, 2020: Be Structured has been named as one of the world’s best SMB managed service providers on the new annual Channel Futures SMB Hot 101 rankings for 2020 as well as making the cut for the long term MSP 501 list in position #330!
Applicants completed an exhaustive survey and application this spring to self-report product offerings, annual total and recurring revenues, profits, revenue mix, growth opportunities, and company and customer demographic information. Winners were ranked on a unique methodology that weights revenue figures according to how long-term health and viability; commitment to recurring revenue; and operational efficiency.
Channel Futures is pleased to name Be Structured to the 2020 SMB Hot 101.
“We are very excited and honored to be recognized by Channel Futures in both the top 101 SMB managed service providers as well as the well known MSP 501 list,” said Chad Lauterbach, CTO of Be Structured. “We have an amazing team and have worked hard to fine-tune our offering the last few years, especially focusing on scaling our cloud practices and security. Our team's ability to execute is unmatched by most of our Los Angeles competitors and we consistently win business from other LA-based MSP's”
In the 13 years since its inception, the MSP 501 has evolved from a competitive ranking list into a vibrant group of service providers, vendors, distributors, consultants and industry analysts working together to define the growing managed service opportunity.
“We here at Channel Partners and Channel Futures believe that entrepreneurship is the backbone to the American economy and that the SMB is the lifeblood of the IT channel,” says Kris Blackmon, Senior Content Director at Channel Partners and Channel Futures. “We have worked for over a year to create a program that recognizes those small-but-mighty MSPs that keep our industry strong, healthy, and growing, and I am thrilled at the quality of the partner businesses reflected in this inaugural list.”
The data collected by the annual MSP 501 program drives Channel Partners’s and Channel Futures’ market intelligence insights, creating robust data sets and data-based trend reports that support our editorial coverage, event programming, community, and networking strategies and educational offerings. It serves as a lynchpin to dozens of programs and initiatives.
The complete 2020 MSP 501 and 2020 SMB Hot 101 lists are available at Channel Futures.
2020 Channel Futures SMB Hot 101
 
2020 Channel Future MSP 501
Background
The 2020 MSP 501 list is based on data collected by Channel Futures and its sister site, Channel Partners. Data was collected online from Mar. 1 through June 30, 2020. The MSP 501 list recognizes top managed service providers based on metrics including recurring revenue, profit margin and other factors.
About Be Structured
Be Structured Technology Group Inc. was founded in 2007. We created this business because we are passionate about technology and the effective solutions that it can deliver to workplaces like small businesses and nonprofits. We are not like every other IT service provider, our experts deliver realistic strategies with predictable budgeting and the technical expertise to align our skills with your goals. At Be Structured, we believe that you deserve technology that works for you and not against you.
About Informa Tech
Channel Futures, Channel Partners Online, Channel Partners Conference & Expo and Channel Partners Evolution are part of Informa Tech, a market-leading B2B information provider with depth and specialization in the Information and Communications (ICT) Technology sector. We help drive the future by inspiring the Technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through our market-leading research, media, training and event brands. Every year, we welcome 7,400+ subscribers to our research, more than 3.8 million unique visitors a month to our digital communities, 18,200+ students to our training programs and 225,000 delegates to our events.
MEDIA CONTACT:Allison FrancisEditor, Channel Futures & Channel PartnersEditor, MSP 501Allison.Francis@informa.com

 
- Categories: Awards, Press
- Tags: 2020 Channel Future MSP 501, 2020 Channel Futures SMB Hot 101, Awards, MSP 501, SMB Hot 101

#### Be Structured Makes Channel Futures 2021 Top 501 Managed Service Providers
Be Structured Technology Group ranks in Channel Futures MSP 501!
MSP 501 is the world's largest and most comprehensive survey and ranking list in the IT world. Every year countless MSPs fight to make the list. To be considered, applicants complete an exhaustive survey. The MSP 501 survey covers identifying the MSP's product offerings, annual and recurring revenues, profits, revenue mix, growth opportunities, and company and customer demographic data. Winners are then ranked based on long-term health and viability and operational efficiency.


For the fourth year in a row, Be Structured has been recognized as one of the best-managed services providers by Channel Futures MSP 501.
“We are honored that Channel Futures MSP 501 is recognizing our amazing team for their hard work and dedication. Focusing on network security has certainly paid off for our customers. We pride ourselves in unmatchable client retention rates  by most of our Los Angeles competitors, and we consistently win business from other LA-based MSP’s.” - Chad Lauterbach, Founder and CEO



Channel Futures MSP 501 has become the definitive listing of the most influential and fastest-growing managed services providers in the technology industry. The standard of success in the tech sector is the ability to build a business around recurring revenue. By examining the growth of specific solutions and the impact of cloud and other emerging technologies each year, MSP 501 helps MSPs decide where they need to focus their business-building efforts. It also includes a quarterly confidence poll of MSP 501 executives that further extends the Channel Futures franchise. Through their digital media platform, webinars, industry-recognized research, and in-person events, Channel Futures explores and explains the trends disrupting the business world today and provides our audience with the information, guidance, and tools they need to achieve business success.

 

About Be Structured

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. was founded in 2007. We created this business because we are passionate about technology and the effective solutions IT can deliver to workplaces like small businesses and nonprofits. We are not like every other IT service provider; our experts deliver realistic strategies with predictable budgeting and the technical expertise to align our skills with your goals. At Be Structured, we believe that you deserve technology that works for you and not against you.

 

 
- Categories: Awards
- Tags: 2021 Channel Future MSP 501, 2021 MSP awards, Awards, MSP, MSP 501

#### Be Structured Makes The Los Angeles' Business Journal Best Places to Work 2021
Be Structured Technology Group listed in Los Angeles Business Journal 2021 Best Places to work in Los Angeles!
For the fourthconsecutive year, Los Angeles Business Journal is pleased to name Be Structured Technology Group as one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles award recipients! The rankings were revealed at a special event on August 4, 2021, and will be published in the August 9, 2021 issue of the Los Angeles Business Journal

The award was designed to identify, recognize, and honor the top employers in Los Angeles. The list is made up of 100 companies. To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Be a for-profit, not-for-profit business or government entity;
- Be a publicly or privately held business;
- Have a facility in Los Angeles;
- Have at least 15 employees in Los Angeles;
- Be in business a minimum of one year.

The top companies are identified by participating in a detailed survey conducted by the Best Companies Group. The survey ranks companies on criteria such as effective leadership, corporate culture, and internal communications. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration, survey process, and analyzed the data.

The two-part survey to determine the rankings consists of an evaluation of each nominated company’s workplace culture, including an assessment of their policies, philosophies, and practices. The second part measures the employee experience. Los Angeles Business Journal combines the two-part survey score to determine the final rankings.

Be Structured promotes a solid work-life balance for all employees. The company provides flexible schedules and a significant benefits package, including a generous commuter allowance. The management team actively invites employee feedback on ways to improve the work environment via weekly confidential surveys.

For more information on the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkLA.com
- Categories: Awards
- Tags: Awards, Best Places to Work in Los Angeles, LABJ, Los Angeles Business Journal

#### Be Structured Named an UpCity 2023 Excellence Award Winner
Be Structured Technology Group is proud to be named by UpCity as an 2023 Excellence Award winner in the prestigious category of best Los Angeles managed service provider.

Every year, the world-renowned directory, UpCity, uses a proprietary, data-driven model to identify the very best IT services in Los Angeles. 

The award recognizes those few Los Angeles IT support companies who exceed in such important categories as helpfulness, credibility and trustworthiness.

“Be Structured Technology Group exemplifies every one of these qualities,” the company's award committee wrote in its award certification letter. “UpCity honors the B2B managed service providers who are the best of the best, as measured by their UpCity Recommendability Rating.”
What Is the UpCity Recommendability Rating
The UpCity Recommendability Rating is an assessment of how recommendable an IT support company is in comparison to the other managed service providers in their category. 

This rating is derived from a proprietary algorithm designed to help business owners find a trustworthy partner that is best suited to help their business succeed.

In total, only 184 providers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK met or exceeded the qualifying rating to earn a National Excellence Award, the highest honor UpCity gives out over the course of the year. 

Additionally, there are 713 Local Excellence winners in and around the major metropolitan areas of the U.S. and Canada.
How the UpCity Recommendability Rating Is Determined
UpCity has devised an exclusive algorithm that harnesses digital signals to evaluate the credibility and trustworthiness of each of our esteemed Certified Partners. 

This algorithm forms the foundation for calculating the UpCity Recommendability Rating, which assesses the level of recommendability of a service provider in comparison to others. By analyzing a wide array of data points, we aim to assist business owners in finding the most suitable and trustworthy partner.

The Recommendability Rating of a managed service provider serves as a guiding tool for us to rank and recommend the top service providers in each local market and across the nation. 

They strive to provide businesses with a reliable resource that aids them in selecting the perfect partner for their needs.

It is important to note that Recommendability Ratings cannot be acquired through monetary means. Instead, they are determined solely by factors that significantly impact a service provider's level of recommendability.

To calculate the UpCity Recommendability Rating, eight key factors are considered which encompass information derived from both the UpCity community and external sources:

UpCity Profile Completion

 With over 50,000 provider profiles listed on UpCity, focusing on nearly 40 data points for each provider. These encompass details such as services offered, target markets, price points, and more.

UpCity Engagement

Businesses rely on UpCity to discover trustworthy providers. By actively engaging with their community, including recruiting and responding to reviews, and maintaining an up-to-date profile, outsourced tech support companies can demonstrate their commitment to ensuring a positive experience for businesses.

UpCity Reviews

The reviews on UpCity offer a comprehensive view of how an IT support company’s customers perceive them and their services. They serve as a crucial element in determining the likelihood of UpCity recommending a provider to businesses seeking services. Both the quantity and quality of reviews are taken into account.

 	Google Reviews

The reviews collected on Google My Business also contribute to UpCity's assessment of an MSP. Both the quantity and quality of these reviews when calculating the Recommendability Rating.

 	Presence in Search Engines

This signal evaluates the prominence of a service provider in search engine rankings, serving as an indicator of overall authority and domain expertise. To gauge this, UpCity tracks over 56,000 industry keywords to identify providers excelling in their respective industries and geographic regions.

 	Location Consistency

UpCity verifies that the contact information listed on Google Business Profile aligns with the service provider's details on UpCity. Ensuring listing accuracy is vital, as Google relies on it to determine the trustworthiness of local business search results.

 	Domain Authority

UpCity employs a trusted domain authority metric to predict the level of authority a provider's domain holds in the eyes of Google and other entities. This metric is then statistically normalized across our community.

 	Website Speed & Experience

The speed and user experience of a service provider's website can significantly impact a prospect's initial impression of the business. Tools like Google's PageSpeed scoring can offer valuable insights to businesses on how to improve these aspects.
How the UpCity Recommendability Rating Benefits Businesses in Finding the Ideal Partner
While the UpCity Recommendability Rating draws on information provided by managed IT services in Los Angeles, businesses, and public and third-party sources, it should not be the sole basis for making a purchasing decision. 

Instead, it serves as an accurate assessment of a managed service provider's credibility, complementing other available information such as client reviews and testimonials, industry endorsements, and peer recommendations.

The rating system helps identify service providers that consistently deliver reliable, high-quality services to their clients. The ultimate goal is to provide business owners with peace of mind, ensuring they partner with someone they can trust with their business.

It is important to emphasize that the UpCity Recommendability Rating cannot be influenced through monetary means. Their rating factors solely rely on elements of a service provider that directly impact businesses and potential clients. UpCity does not offer the option for any provider to purchase a higher preferred rating.

Furthermore, the directory continuously refines and improves its rating algorithm. They actively listen to feedback from businesses seeking services on UpCity, as well as from the service providers represented in the community. This collaborative approach allows UpCity to continually develop and iterate their model, ensuring its accuracy and relevance since its inception.

The UpCity Recommendability Rating serves as a robust tool that combines data-driven insights with user feedback, empowering businesses to find the right partner with confidence.

Be Structured is proud to have been chosen as an UpCity Excellence organization for the category of IT support companies in the Los Angeles area for 2023. 

 
- Categories: Awards

#### Be Structured Named One of the Best MSPs in 2023
Be Structured Technology Group, a Los Angeles IT services provider, has continued to make giant waves in the MSP/MSSP community as it maintains its position as one of the world's finest managed service providers according to Channel Futures. 

In 2022, Be Structured was recognized for its excellent services by Informa Tech's Channel Futures, earning its spot in the annual SMB Hot 101 and MSP 501 lists.

The rigorous evaluation process involved an exhaustive survey and application where applicants self-reported their product offerings, annual revenues, growth opportunities, company and customer demographics, and revenue mix. 

Winners were ranked according to a unique methodology that weighs revenue figures based on long-term health and viability, commitment to recurring revenue, and operational efficiency.

More importantly, Be Structured was recognized as a leader in customer support, providing limited to no downtime for its clients with high marks in providing cutting-edge cybersecurity services.

Be Structured was recognized in the MSP 501 list, reflecting its ability to execute, deliver quality services, and scale its cloud practices and security. 

The company's CEO, Chad Lauterbach, expressed excitement and gratitude for the recognition, acknowledging the company's hard work and the amazing team behind it.

“We are proud to again be recognized by Channel Futures as one of the leading managed IT services companies,” asserted Chad Lauterbach, Founder and CEO of Be Structured, one of the most prominent Los Angeles IT services companies. “Our team’s ongoing ability to evolve and execute our practices is the reason why we are annually recognized with this honor. As always, our goals are to continue to evolve our services to provide the latest cybersecurity and IT support initiatives for our Los Angeles based clients.” 
About Informa Tech's Channel Futures
Informa Tech is a market-leading B2B information provider specializing in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. 

Channel Futures, Channel Partners Online, Channel Partners Conference & Expo, and Channel Partners Evolution are some of the platforms that Informa Tech uses to drive the future by inspiring the Technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through their market-leading research, media, training, and event brands.
A Leader in Los Angeles IT Support
Be Structured Technology Group Inc. continues to deliver excellent outsourced IT support to its customers and is recognized globally as one of the world's best MSPs. 

Its spot in the 2022 Channel Futures SMB Hot 101 and MSP 501 rankings reflects its commitment to delivering quality services, operational efficiency, and long-term viability. The company's focus on scaling its cloud practices and business IT services and security has set it apart from its competitors in the outsourced tech support space. 

Be Structured Technology Group's recent awards from MSP 501 is a testament to their commitment to excellence in the MSP industry. Their focus on proactive IT management, coupled with their dedication to delivering tailored solutions and giving back to their community, has set them apart as a leading provider of managed IT services. If you are looking for a reliable and trustworthy MSP to handle your company's IT needs, Be Structured Technology Group is a great choice.
- Categories: Awards, Managed It Services

#### Be Structured Named Top 500 Managed Service Provider
For the fifth year in a row, Be Structured Technology Group has the honor of being named as one of the Top 500 Managed Service Providers (MSP) in the world, according to Channel Futures, a leading media platform company focused on the Information and Communication Technologies industry.

Be Structured placed #443 out of the 500 top MSP across the globe. 

This group of managed service providers from around the world proved they had the business acumen, discipline, good judgment and professional drive in 2022 to grow their managed and professional services, EBITDA, recurring revenue and revenue per employee — the ranking’s key judging criteria. 

According to Channel Futures, “These companies achieved those milestones during a year of great change, uncertainty and opportunity, a year that’s considered among the most important and pivotal moments in the last decade of the IT industry.”

For Be Structured, it’s just another day at the office.

“We continue to be humbled and proud to be recognized for the consistent work we do for every one of our clients year after year,” explained Chad Lauterbach, CTO of Be Structured Technology Group. “It’s really all about treating every client as if they were your company. We pride ourselves in providing customized IT support to Los Angeles companies and making sure their tech is always running smoothly and securely.”
About Be Structured
Since 2007, Be Structured has been a leading Los Angeles managed service provider to a growing number of companies. 

Providing superior outsourced tech support to a variety of local industries and non-profits as well as offering every Southern Californian business with high-level “IT support near me”, Be Structured has established itself as a business IT services company that’s reliable and affordable for over 15 years.
About Channel Futures
Channel Futures is a dynamic media and events platform that caters to companies operating in the information and communication technologies (ICT) channel industry. 

With a keen focus on providing valuable insights, industry analysis, peer engagement, business information, and in-person events, Channel Futures plays a pivotal role in fostering growth and facilitating connections within the entire channel ecosystem. Their vibrant community encompasses technology and communications consultants, integrators, sellers, and managed service providers.

The Channel Futures MSP 501 is a renowned list that recognizes and celebrates the most influential and fastest-growing providers of managed services in the technology industry. This prestigious ranking showcases the exceptional achievements and innovations of MSPs, highlighting their contributions to the channel ecosystem.
About Channel Futures MSP 501 List
The Channel Futures MSP 501 has become the definitive listing of the most influential and fastest-growing providers of managed services in the technology industry. The standard of success in the tech sector is the ability to build a business around recurring revenue. 

The MSP 501 helps MSPs make decisions about where they will focus their business-building efforts by examining the growth of specific solutions and the impact of cloud, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies each year. 

If you’re a small to medium-sized business in the greater Los Angeles or Orange County area, let Be Structured save you time and money with our award-winning outsourced technical support.

Contact us for a free evaluation of your business IT support needs and cybersecurity strategies to keep you safe and sound. 
- Categories: Awards, MSPs

#### Be Structured Ranks High on the Global Top MSP Companies for 2026 
Be Structured Technology Group ranks No. 282 among the top MSP companies worldwide on the 2026 MSP 501, the managed services industry’s definitive global performance ranking. The company climbed 161 positions from its No. 443 placement in 2023 and is the highest-ranked MSP headquartered in downtown Los Angeles. The MSP 501 ranks providers on financial performance, recurring revenue strength, profitability and operational efficiency — not on size alone.
A 161-Spot Climb in Three Cycles
For 19 years, the MSP 501 has stood apart from simple revenue rankings by demanding a comprehensive analysis of financial performance, operational efficiency and business health. It has become the gold standard for identifying the world’s best-run managed service providers, and the official MSP 501 awards program publishes the full ranking each summer.
Be Structured’s trajectory on that list tells its own story. The company entered at No. 443, jumped nearly 100 positions to No. 345 in the 2024 MSP 501, and has now moved into the top 300.
Be Structured’s MSP 501 Placement History
Year
Rank
Climb
Position on the 501
Milestone
2023
No.443
First year
 
11.6%
First placement in the current run
2024
No.345
▲ 98 spots
 
31.2%
Nearly 100-position jump
2026
No.282
▲ 63 spots
 
43.8%
Entered the top 300
Net, 2023–2026
No. 443 → No. 282
▲ 161 spots
 
+32.2 pts
Top 300 for the first time
Position on the 501 shows how far up the ranking Be Structured sits, from No. 501 at 0% to No. 1 at 100%.
That climb happened without acquisition, without a rebrand, and without moving out of downtown Los Angeles. It came from the same thing that gets a provider ranked in the first place: recurring revenue that renews because clients stay.
What the MSP 501 Actually Measures
The MSP 501 survey uses a quantitative methodology to rank companies on annual revenue, profitability as measured by EBITDA, and recurring revenue. Applicants that qualify must also pass a rigorous review by the MSP 501 research team and editors, who weigh financial performance according to long-term health and viability, commitment to recurring revenue, and operational efficiency.
Unlike traditional lists that reward size alone, the MSP 501 recognizes organizations that demonstrate sustainable growth, recurring revenue strength, profit optimization, and the strategic discipline that defines true industry leadership. That distinction matters for the businesses reading this: a No. 282 ranking is not a statement about how big Be Structured is. It is a statement about how well the business runs — which is exactly what you want from the company handling your outsourced IT support.
“The 2026 MSP 501 winners represent the highest-performing and most innovative IT providers in the industry today. Everyone wants to be a 501 because they stand head and shoulders above the competition,” said Robert DeMarzo, vice president of content at MSP Summit. “Today’s managed services organizations serve as the backbone of the world’s small, medium, and large organizations, and the MSP 501 sets the standard for all other MSPs.”
Why This Matters for Los Angeles Businesses
California is well represented on the 2026 MSP 501 — more than 35 providers statewide, spread from San Diego to Sacramento. Narrow the map to the city of Los Angeles and the field collapses to four companies. Narrow it again to firms headquartered in the downtown Los Angeles financial core, and Be Structured is the highest-ranked of them.
For a business in the Financial District, Bunker Hill or the Arts District, that proximity is not a marketing detail. It is the difference between a technician on site in twenty minutes and a ticket that waits for someone to drive across town — which is why local IT support in downtown Los Angeles is worth weighing alongside the ranking itself.
Plenty of firms will tell you they are among the best IT companies in Los Angeles. Far fewer have submitted audited financials to a third party, passed an editorial review, and been ranked against 500 other providers worldwide. If you are comparing managed IT services across a shortlist, that distinction is a usable filter.
“Climbing into the top 300 of the MSP 501 is validation of something we have never changed: we treat every client’s network as if it were our own company’s,” said Chad Lauterbach, CTO of Be Structured Technology Group. “Rankings like this measure recurring revenue and client retention. Those numbers only move in the right direction when clients stay, and clients stay when the work is good. That is the whole formula. Our team earned this one call at a time.”
Chad Lauterbach and Chad Becker are the founders and Chief Officers of Be Structured.
Request Your Free Assessment
How to Verify a Managed Service Provider’s Credentials Before You Hire
Third-party rankings are one input, not the whole decision. Here is a five-step process any Los Angeles business owner can run in under an hour before signing a managed services agreement.
 	Confirm the ranking is independent and current. Ask which list, which year, and what rank. A provider citing a 2019 placement is telling you something. Verify the placement on the publisher’s own site rather than on the MSP’s marketing page.
 	Ask what the ranking measured. Awards based on nominations or advertising spend are not the same as rankings based on audited revenue, EBITDA and recurring revenue. Ask the provider directly which category their award falls into.
 	Check the licensing. In California, low-voltage cabling and network hardware installation require a C-7 contractor’s license. Ask for the license number and verify it using the California Contractors State License Board license check tool. Be Structured holds CA License #1140088.
 	Request three references from businesses your size and in your industry. Ask each reference two questions: how long they have been a client, and what happened the last time something broke badly.
 	Review the service-level agreement before the sales conversation ends. Confirm response-time commitments, after-hours coverage, escalation paths, and what is included versus billable in an all-inclusive managed services plan. Get it in writing.
A provider that answers all five without hesitation is running the same kind of disciplined operation the MSP 501 methodology is designed to detect — and the same discipline you should expect from any partner handling your managed cybersecurity.
Recognition at MSP Summit
The 2026 MSP 501 winners will be honored during an awards gala on September 30 at MSP Summit, which takes place September 28–30 at the Loews Royal Pacific in Orlando, Florida.
FAQs of the Top MSP Companies
What are the top MSP companies in 2026?The 2026 MSP 501 ranks the 501 top-performing managed services firms worldwide. The ten highest-ranked are Zayo Group, TPx, Abacus, Expedient, New Era Technology, AKATI SEKURITY, Thrive, Creative ITC, Assured Data Protection and GTT. Rankings are based on annual revenue, profitability measured by EBITDA, and recurring revenue, so the list favors well-run businesses over merely large ones. Be Structured Technology Group ranks No. 282 on the 2026 list.What is the MSP 501 list?The MSP 501 is an annual global ranking of the top 501 managed services firms, published for 19 years and now presented by MSP Summit, previously under the Channel Futures banner. It ranks managed service providers using a quantitative methodology based on annual revenue, profitability measured by EBITDA, and recurring revenue, followed by an editorial review of long-term business health, commitment to recurring revenue, and operational efficiency. It is widely regarded as the managed services industry’s definitive performance benchmark.Where did Be Structured Technology Group rank on the 2026 MSP 501?Be Structured Technology Group ranked No. 282 on the 2026 MSP 501. That placement moved the company into the top 300 for the first time and represents a climb of 161 positions from its No. 443 ranking in 2023 and 63 positions from No. 345 in 2024.Which Los Angeles companies made the 2026 MSP 501?Four MSP 501 honorees are headquartered within the city of Los Angeles. Be Structured Technology Group, at 500 S. Grand Avenue, is the highest-ranked of those based in the downtown Los Angeles financial core. The remaining three are split between downtown and the Westside, in the Westwood and Brentwood areas. Across California more than 35 companies made the list, but most are based in San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Irvine, Torrance and Sacramento rather than in Los Angeles proper.What criteria does the MSP 501 use to rank managed services companies?The MSP 501 scores applicants on annual revenue, profitability as measured by EBITDA, and recurring revenue, then weighs those figures against long-term business viability, commitment to a recurring revenue model, and operational efficiency. Unlike rankings that reward size alone, the methodology is designed to identify sustainably run businesses. Qualified applicants must also pass a review conducted by the MSP 501 research team and editors.How large is the 2026 MSP 501 class collectively?The 501 honorees generated aggregate revenue of more than $32 billion in the qualifying period, with average revenue growth of 10.1%, client account growth of 13.4%, and staffing growth of 7%. The list included 401 U.S. companies, 36 Canadian companies, and 64 providers headquartered outside North America, representing nine countries in total.Does an MSP 501 ranking mean a provider is right for my business?No single ranking should decide a managed services relationship. An MSP 501 placement is evidence that a provider’s financials, recurring revenue and operational discipline held up to third-party scrutiny, which is meaningful, but it does not tell you whether that provider understands your industry, your compliance obligations, or your response-time requirements. Use the ranking to build a shortlist, then evaluate licensing, references and the service-level agreement before signing.When are the 2026 MSP 501 winners formally recognized?The 2026 MSP 501 winners are honored at an awards gala on September 30, held as part of MSP Summit, which runs September 28 through 30 at the Loews Royal Pacific in Orlando, Florida.
About Be Structured Technology Group
Operating since 2007, Be Structured Technology Group is a leading Los Angeles managed service provider delivering outsourced IT support, managed cybersecurity, cloud services and IT consulting to businesses and nonprofits across Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071. CA License #1140088. Sales: (323) 331-9452. Support: (323) 617-5126.
About the MSP 501
The MSP 501 recognizes the most influential and fastest-growing managed service providers in the world. Now in its 19th year and presented by MSP Summit, the ranking emphasizes recurring revenue business models and examines growth across specific solution areas and emerging technologies including cloud and cybersecurity. The 2026 MSP 501 winners are honored at MSP Summit, September 28–30 in Orlando, Florida.
- Categories: Awards, Press

#### Be Structured Recognized for Excellence in Managed IT Services
Los Angeles, CA, March 4, 2019 – Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Be Structured Technology Group, Inc to its 2019 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Pioneer 250 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with innovative approaches to managed services. These services help customers improve operational efficiencies, maximize return on IT investments, and continuously help them navigate the complexities of IT solutions.

Managed service providers are integral to the success of businesses everywhere. They empower companies to implement and operate complex technologies while staying within their budgets and keep a focus on their core business. CRN’s MSP 500 list identifies the most groundbreaking managed service organizations, with advanced solutions that have endless potential for growth.

This annual list is divided into three categories: the MSP Pioneer 250, recognizing companies with business models weighted toward managed services and largely focused on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, recognizing large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on-premises and off-premises services; and the Managed Security 100, recognizing MSPs focused primarily on off-premises, cloud-based security services.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. was founded in 2007. We created this business because we are passionate about technology and the effective solutions that it can deliver to workplaces like small businesses and nonprofits. We are not like every other IT service provider, our experts deliver realistic strategies with predictable budgeting and the technical expertise to align our skills with your goals. At Be Structured, we believe that you deserve technology that works for you and not against you.

“Capable MSPs enable companies to take their cloud computing to the next level, streamline spending, effectively allocate limited resources and navigate the vast field of available technologies,” said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. “The companies on CRN’s 2019 MSP 500 list stand out for their innovative services, excellence in adapting to customers’ changing needs and demonstrated ability to help businesses get the most out of their IT investments.”

“We are ecstatic to have been chosen to be a part of the CRN MSP 500 list. It’s our first major list to have been on and I couldn’t be happier to to be connected with The Channel Company and CRN. It’s exciting to finally be recognized at this level of the industry” – Chad Lauterbach, CEO

The MSP500 list will be featured in the February 2019 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/msp500.

About Be Structured Technology Group, Inc.

Be Structured is a Downtown Los Angeles IT Support, IT Service and IT Consulting Company. Best Outsourced Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) in LA.

Be Structured Technology Group, Inc.
500 S. Grand Ave. 22nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
323-331-9452

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook

Copyright ©2019. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Channel Company Contact:
Jennifer Hogan
The Channel Company
jhogan@thechannelco.com
- Categories: Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support

#### Be Structured Technology Group Featured on Clutch for Being Excellent
The relentless waves of technological advancement of the past decade have changed and continue to change nearly every industry imaginable, with new developments greatly raising the capabilities of many businesses. But this is not always the case. Most businesses lack the capability to capitalize on these developments on their own, contracting the help of industry experts to aid them.

We are proud to be one such partner, helping firms across several industries move their data and operations into the 21st century. We have spoken before about our inclusion on Clutch, and we are pleased to share that we maintain our status as one of the top Managed IT services in Los Angeles on their directory of vendors. We were recognized as an industry leader before, but we have risen through the ranks and are now listed as fifth overall out of the 126 firms included on this directory.

Our status as one of the leading IT firms in Los Angeles is due mostly to what our clients have said about us. Especially feedback such as this,

“They follow a step by step procedure and test to make sure all is order before moving forward. Projects are executed flawlessly from start to finish.”
- CCO, Salem Partners, LLC

Verified feedback is the best way for us to gauge our success for our clients, and the reviews that we have received have been immensely helpful. We look forward to continuing to use these reviews to improve our services and hone our trade. 

Clutch Be Structured MSP Profile

In addition to our presence as a top firm on Clutch, we are also featured as one of the top IT consultants in Los Angeles on their sister-site, The Manifest. 

The Manifest is an industry resource to firms of all shapes and sizes, offering curated insights and how-to guides to address a wide array of challenges. 

We were included thanks to the quality of our work and the size of our team, and our presence as a top firm on two industry resources helps highlight our status as a trusted digital partner. 

And to further demonstrate that level of quality to the world, we have created a profile on Visual Objects, a platform for firms to share portfolio items with their prospective clients.

We are grateful to be recognized as a leader in our industry, we have full confidence in the quality of our work but it is nice to receive the occasional accolade. 

Thank you to everyone who has helped us reach this point, your support is a true gift, and we could not have reached this point without you. 

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk shop, you know how to reach us.
- Categories: MSPs, Press

#### Be Structured Technology Group Ranks on Channel Futures 2024 Top MSP 501
Annual Channel Futures MSP 501 Identifies Best of the Best in the Managed Services Industry
Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) has been named as one of the world’s top-performing managed service providers in the prestigious 2024 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings. 

The Channel Futures MSP 501 list, a technology industry benchmark, ranks companies based on their growth, profitability and innovation. In short, this is the tech industry’s most prestigious list of Managed Service Providers worldwide. 

For the past 17 years, every IT managed service provider around the globe has submitted applications for inclusion on this prestigious and definitive listing. 

BSTG was proud to not only appear on the list for the second consecutive year, but actually improve by nearly 100 positions from placing #443 in 2023 and #345 this year. Then, in 2026, Be Structured climbed to No. 282 on the 2026 MSP 501. 

It is a milestone achievement for any IT managed support services provider to be included on the list. 

The Channel Futures MSP 501 survey uses a quantitative methodology to rank companies based on their annual revenue, profitability measured by EBITDA, and recurring revenue.

MSPs that qualify for the list must also pass a rigorous review conducted by the Channel Futures research team and editors. Channel Futures ranks applicants using a unique methodology that weighs financial performance according to long-term health and viability, commitment to recurring revenue and operational efficiency. 

“As an MSP Los Angeles based company, we are absolutely thrilled and honored to be recognized in the global MSP 501 awards for the fifth time,” asserted Chad Becker, CEO/CFO of Be Structured. “This achievement underscores our commitment to excellence and innovation in the managed services industry. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team. We're excited to continue pushing boundaries, delivering top-notch solutions, and exceeding expectations for our clients." 

This year’s list is one of the most competitive in the survey’s history. Winners will be recognized on the Channel Futures website and honored during a special ceremony at MSP Summit, Sept 16-19, 2024 in Atlanta, GA.

The MSP 501 represents the best in the technology services industry delivering outstanding vendor and platform neutral advice and value to small, midsize and enterprise customers. 

This year, the MSP 501 generated aggregate revenue of nearly $25 billion with average growth or recurring revenue of 19%. These are truly the best of the best. Many of their services and technology offerings focus on customer needs in the areas of AI, cloud, security, collaboration, networking, help desk and remote monitoring and management. 

The Channel Futures MSP 501 is responsible for keeping their global customers safe, connected and efficient.

“The 2024 Channel Futures MSP 501 winners survived a challenging market and emerged as the highest performing and most innovative IT providers in the industry today,” said Dave Raffo, MSP editor and MSP 501 project manager. “The most impressive thing about the MSP 501 winners is they deliver for their customers every day. These are the most innovative, driven, and successful MSPs in a fiercely competitive industry.”

“For a managed service provider to attain a spot on the Channel Futures MSP 501 everything must be operating at peak performance. This list represents the most productive, profitable, fastest-growing, organizations in the technology industry focused on driving their customers to new heights.” said Bob DeMarzo, VP Content, Informa Channels. 

“These are the best of the best in the managed services industry as defined by Channel Futures’ extensive research. The MSP 501 companies are the most sought after by peers who want to understand today’s best practices and by technology suppliers who want to partner with these organizations,” DeMarzo stated. “At their core, these are vendor and platform neutral partners focused on doing what is right for their customers.”

The Channel Futures media organization, owned and operated by Informa, is the only channel-centric events, media and research company that can provide such insight into the managed services market. 

The data collected by the annual MSP 501 helps every company on the list and every provider with a managed services practice, benchmark their performance and uncover new ways to grow.
- Categories: Awards, Managed It Services, MSPs

#### Being a Victim of Ransomware – Pt. 1
Introduction
Our last series of blogs reviewed what Ransomware is, how it is deployed, and the various types of attacks which can occur. Essentially, it is a type of Cyber-attack that can literally lock up your computer screen, all of your mission critical files, and even the data that your company depends upon on a daily basis.

The only way that you can ever hope to recover your files is if you pay a ransom to the Cyber attacker. But, here is the tricky part. Simply paying in hard currency is not enough. It has to be in a Crypto currency like Bitcoin. The reason for this is that by paying up with a virtual currency, the tracks of the Cyber attacker cannot be detected as easily if marked currency was actually used.

In this series, we are going to look at some of the ways as to how you can protect your business from a Ransomware attack.
The Top Tips
1. Always back up your data:
This should be a no brainer, and in fact it is one of the oldest mantras in the word of Cyber security. There are various methods in which you can back your data. For instance, you can have both an on premises and off premises solution. In fact, depending upon the size of your data and files, it is recommended that you have both. With the former, it is highly recommended that you keep this backup in a different physical location, and with the latter, using the Cloud is the prime choice. Equally important is to make sure that you back up all of your mission critical files on at least a daily basis, if not more. So, if you ever do become a victim of a Ransomware attack, all you have to do is just procure another computing device(s) and restore your files from backup.
2. Do not open up any suspicious links or attachments in your E-Mail:
Believe it or not, sending out a Phishing E-Mail is still one of the most favored techniques of the Cyber attacker. Therefore, as it has always been said, do not click on any suspicious links or open any kind or type of E-Mail attachment that you are not expecting to receive. Be especially careful of those file extensions that end with .DOC, .PPT, and .XLS. In this regard, it is also important to keep in mind, that a Cyber attacker will very often use the name and E-Mail address from an individual in your electronic address book, in an attempt to make the fake E-Mail look legitimate. If you receive an E-Mail like this (in other words, not expecting it), always contact the sender to confirm if he or she has actually sent this E-Mail or not. If they did not, delete it immediately!!! This also goes for those pop-up messages that appear in your web browser. They often make use of scare tactics so that you will be tempted to click onto the link that is embedded into them. Very often, these links contain the Ransomware .EXE files which will very quickly find their way into your computer if clicked on.
Conclusions
Our next blog will examine the other ways in which you can protect your business from a Ransomware attack.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats

#### Benefits of a Managed IT Service Provider
Have you ever had a printer that you’d swear could sense when you had a major presentation coming up? How much time have you spent arguing with a computer that just wouldn’t do what you needed it to? Have you ever gotten an error message and had no idea what it meant or how to deal with it? All of these problems arise in the modern workplace every day, and your company needs a good IT department to solve them. But why should you pay to maintain an in-house IT team when you could outsource that to the pros? Read on to learn more about the IT support Los Angeles has to offer and what benefits it can bring your company.
Single Point of Contact
One of the biggest benefits of working with managed IT services in Los Angeles is that you gain a single point of contact. When you’re working with an in-house IT team, you may have to talk to different people for every different issue. You may have different technicians who specialize in different areas, or you may simply have to deal with whoever’s available that day.

Managed IT service providers designate a single account manager who’s in charge of handling all communications with your business. Any time an issue or question arises, you can go to them for answers. This simplifies your issue resolution process and helps to build an ongoing working relationship.
Dedicated Security Team
Cybersecurity is an incredibly important issue for modern business owners. Nearly everything you do goes through a computer system, whether that be detailed company financial transactions or communications about product development. A breach in security could be devastating for your company.

While an in-house IT team might have one or two team members who focus on security, a managed IT service provider will have a dedicated security team. They’ll be trained in dealing with the latest threats, as well as cutting-edge security protocols. They can prevent breaches from happening and work with your team to create a disaster response plan in case those safety measures fail.
Improved Vendor Management
In order to maintain the functionality and security you need from your computer systems, you may have to work with a variety of different vendors. They may provide software, hosting services, security assistance, and so on. But handling all these different vendors yourself can get difficult and confusing, not to mention expensive.

When you work with IT consulting in Los Angeles, all that headache goes out the window. For one thing, your IT service provider can let you know about vendors who may provide more than one of the services you need. But they can also help to work with those vendors and even get discounts, saving you time, money, and hassle.
Lower Infrastructure Costs
When you run your own IT department, you have to supply them with all the equipment, software, and training they need. Although this is just one small part of your business, you may have to pay for everything from updated computers to cybersecurity training seminars. As your company grows, the expenses of your IT department will grow, too.

But managed IT services already have all the infrastructure that they need to keep your computer systems up and running in place. You won’t have to carry those costs by yourself because they’ll use that same infrastructure to support all their clients. Although you’ll pay more for the service itself, you’ll still save money on infrastructure costs.
Small Initial Investment
One of the problems with those huge infrastructure costs we discussed is that it drives up your initial investment in your business. Whether you’re trying to use your own savings to launch your company or you’re seeking a loan, those extra expenses can hurt you. Keeping your initial costs down can improve your chances of finding success with your business launch.

When you sign up with IT support in LA, you don’t have to pay all those up-front costs. In fact, your initial investment will be only the monthly fee you’ll pay to maintain that service. While this is an added monthly expense, it gives you more room to spend your initial investment budget on other areas.
Predictable Monthly Costs
On the subject of monthly costs, maintaining a steady flow of incoming and outgoing cash is one of the secrets to a good business. Even if you have a solid, steady month, all that profit won’t do you any good if your expenses fluctuate wildly. If you have an IT crisis with your in-house team, there’s no telling how much money you might have to spend to resolve it.

When you work with a managed IT service, your expenses will stay the same month to month. You’ll have your normal fee and any additional costs for extra vendor services. You won’t have to pay for hardware upgrades, disaster recovery expenses, or any other such abnormal expenses.
Scalability
As your business grows, you need an IT support team that can keep up with your needs. Trying to scale up an in-house team can get expensive – you’ll have additional payroll, office space requirements, infrastructure, and so on. You’ll be able to take advantage of the economy of scale to a degree, but not as much as you would with a managed IT provider.

Because a managed IT provider already has all their infrastructure in place, scaling up your IT support is a matter of a simple phone call. They can dedicate as many team members as you need, and your monthly costs will go up relatively little as you grow your support. And, if you ever have to scale your support back for whatever reason, you have the freedom to do that with little to no hassle, too.
Expert-Level Support
If you hire an in-house IT team, of course you would aim to hire the top experts you could find. But your hiring options may be limited by salary, location, industry, and other such factors. You may wind up with a team that’s adequate, but you’re not likely to get the best IT team working in the field today.

Managed IT providers specialize in recruiting the most talented people working in the IT industry today. They provide them all the training those employees need to stay up-to-date on IT practices. You get all the benefits of a world-class IT department without having to recruit and pay them yourself.
Cutting-Edge Technology
In addition to top-notch IT employees, you also want to make sure you have all the latest technology. The technological world is evolving at the speed of light, and having out-of-date systems could leave you trailing your competitors. Hackers are also always coming up with new ways to break into your system, so being behind the curve could leave your company vulnerable.

While you don’t have time or money to keep up with all the latest technology trends, your managed IT service provider does. They can invest the time and money to stay on the cutting edge of the industry, and you get to reap the benefits. Your team could move faster and be safer without it costing you an extra dime.
Rapid Issue Resolution
When problems do arise with your computer systems, every second they’re down costs you money. You may be delayed meeting customer needs, and your team can’t be productive when your systems aren’t working. You need solutions, and you need them fast, but does your in-house team have the resources to address these problems quickly?

A managed IT service team spends all day every day doing just that – providing solutions to their clients as fast as possible. They may already know the solution to your problem, and if they don’t, they have all the resources they need to find it. You can expect to get your team back up and running in a matter of hours, not days, in all but the most extreme cases.
Solid Compliance
Depending on what sort of business you run, there may be several technological regulations you have to comply with. You may be required to maintain certain documentation of your activities, or you might have to keep up with certain security protocols. Your files might have to be structured a certain way, and you might have to have specific data under password protection.

Trying to maintain compliance with all these regulations yourself can be a headache, and things might fall by the wayside. But when you work with a managed IT service provider, they can help you maintain solid compliance with any applicable regulations. They may be able to set up automated systems that meet regulatory requirements, and they can even dedicate a team member to keeping you in line with the rules you have to follow.
Business Productivity
On the subject of keeping your team productive, you may be surprised to learn that having a managed IT service can improve your overall productivity. When you try to handle IT issues yourself, it takes time away from your primary business focus. Your team members have to work with your IT department to figure out what’s going wrong, and in the meantime, they can’t focus on their jobs.

But because managed IT services have the extra expertise and resources they need, they can get your team members back to work faster. They may be able to resolve long-standing headaches that leave your employees frustrated and unable to work as efficiently. And because they have more knowledge of the programs that are available on the market, they may be able to guide you to more efficient systems that increase your company output.
IT Productivity
While having a managed IT service can be a huge help, it may not eliminate your need for an in-house IT department entirely. You might need a team on the ground to help you build custom solutions or set up new employee workstations. But if you do still maintain an in-house IT team, working with a managed IT provider can make them much more productive.

Your IT department will be able to focus only on their core relevant tasks when they’re not trying to handle the entirety of your IT needs anymore. This will allow them to come up with more innovative solutions and designs for your needs. Meanwhile, the managed IT service can handle the day-to-day problems that arise in your company.
Greater Focus on Core Business
One of the biggest benefits you gain when you work with a managed IT service is peace of mind. You don’t have to spend your time managing an IT department, putting out fires, or staying up to date on the latest technological advances. You can relax knowing your company’s IT needs are in good hands.

This frees up your time and energy to turn your attention back to your most important task: running your business. You can focus on interfacing with customers, planning marketing campaigns, and reviewing product developments. With more time to focus on your core business, you can take your company to all new heights of success.
Find the Best IT Support Los Angeles Has to Offer
While IT departments play a critical role in keeping your business up and running, they can also be expensive and difficult to maintain in-house. Working with a managed IT Support in Los Angeles can help you get the support you need for much less money. Your team will be more productive, your system will be more up-to-date, and you’ll be able to focus on running the business you’ve always wanted to.

If you’d like to find the best IT support Los Angeles has to offer, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We can show you how great IT support in Los Angeles can be with responsive IT service, consulting, and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation with us today and discover the joy of working with an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Business IT Support, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Cyber Security Services, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### Benefits of Blockchain Technology
11 Reasons Why Blockchain Can Grow Your Business

While blockchain technology is most commonly associated with the popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, its reach is far more vast than that. There’s no denying that Bitcoin catapulted blockchain into the limelight. It has most certainly contributed to its success. But today, the benefits of blockchain are far-reaching.

This is a type of technology that can totally transform your business — no matter your industry. And it’s predicted to grow into a $39 billion industry in just four years. 

So, if you’re a business owner that has not yet considered the power of blockchain, you might want to check out the rest of this blog. Here you can learn all about projecting your business model into the future. 
What Is Blockchain Technology and How Does It Work?
Blockchain is no simple application. 

It’s an entirely new form of technology that is transforming the business world and its many transactions across the globe. 

But how does this technology actually work? 

Blockchain is a form of technology that stores data in a sequence of blocks (which are really groups of transactions). They are then chained together and this blockchain of data is distributed among users. 

In essence, the blockchain is a digital ledger of economic transactions. It’s capable of recording all types of transactions as they happen — and they’re not just financial. Blockchain technology can virtually record anything of value.

The transactions that blockchain records do not require any form of external authority. This means that the data is not subject to validation or authenticity. In other words, you can literally store anything on the blockchain without ever changing it. This makes the data immutable. 

While blockchain is often labeled as ”new” technology, it has actually been around since 1991. Since then, it has sky-rocketed into popularity thanks to global cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin. 
The Value of Blockchain Technology 
So, how is blockchain so valuable when it’s not even a tangible object? 

This is because of the distributed security of the system. In short, the system is virtually impenetrable. There are five key concepts that form the basis of blockchain, and they include the following: 

 	The cryptographic hash 
 	The immutable ledger 
 	The peer-to-peer network i.e. virtual currency 
 	Consensus protocol 
 	Block mining or validation

To better understand what blockchain is and its value, here’s what blockchain technology is not. First of all, it’s not a cryptocurrency, which is the most common misconception. However, blockchain is the technology that supports cryptocurrency transactions. 

In the very near future, IT support companies are going to be utilized by merchants to install and support blockchains so companies can better use cryptocurrency to complete transactions. 

Blockchain is not a programming language nor is it a cryptographic codification of any form. 

Some people get blockchain technology mixed up with artificial intelligence or machine learning. It is neither of these things. Finally, blockchain is not a framework of any kind or a Python library, i.e. a reusable chunk of code. 
What Are the Benefits of Blockchain Technology for Businesses? 
Contrary to what many people think or know about blockchain, it’s a type of technology that is incredibly diverse. So diverse that it is applied in almost any business industry today. Just some of these include banking, healthcare, e-commerce, mining, logistics, and transport. The list is endless.

By understanding it better as a business owner, you can assess how it can be beneficial to your business. Let’s take a look at the advantages of the blockchain:
1. Enhance Your Business Transparency
Industry and business transparency is a major issue today. Essentially, this issue revolves around business ethics and industry practices. But transparency in any business is crucial to foster client and employee trust as well as a good reputation.

Some businesses turn to the tactic of implementing rules and regulations to improve transparency. However, centralization does not always lend itself to 100 percent transparency.  

This is where blockchain technology can change things. You can implement a decentralized network where there is no need for a central authority. This, in turn, improves your system’s transparency.

You are able to entrust your employees and colleagues with greater responsibility. Blockchain means their transactions don’t need approval or validation — and this is just one of the benefits of blockchain transparency. 

However, if you still want to include an element of validation, then it’s best to use the consensus method. This means that the blockchain records a copy of each transaction and keeps it there permanently.  
2. Bolster Your System Security 
As mentioned, blockchain technology is very difficult, if not impossible to penetrate. This is because of the advanced security measures in place. And compared to other platforms, the security of blockchain wins every time. 

You can also record all transactions within the blockchain via the consensus method, which allows you to keep tabs on all system activity. To add to this, blockchain encrypts all transactions and links them to one another via a hashing method. 

The security of your system is further enhanced as each node within the blockchain holds a copy of all transactions ever performed. So, if a hacker attacks your system, it would be impossible to make changes to transactions as other nodes in the system would reject the request. 
3. Reduce Your Vendor Overheads
There’s no denying that a good chunk of every business’s budget goes toward improving their current systems. But if you’re looking to reduce this cost, blockchain is your answer. 

Blockchain technology can help to lower the cost of outsourced technical support or hiring third-party vendors to maintain your system. Due to blockchain’s decentralized nature, you won’t need to pay money to a centralized player. It’s all virtual and you control the system.

Blockchain also allows for less interaction when validating business processes or transactions. This means you don’t have to fork out money every time you make an update or a change to your systems.  
4. Blockchain Offers True Traceability
When it comes to the business supply chain between vendors and suppliers there’s always plenty of room for error. This may include things like theft, loss of goods, counterfeit items, and loss of profit. This is because it’s difficult to trace all items 100 percent of the time. 

With blockchain technology, you can eliminate all of this error. Your supply chain could become 100 percent transparent and easy to track. This technology allows you to enter, trace, and track goods to ensure they are not misused or replaced during the process.
5. Blockchain Is Fast and Highly Efficient 
From an industrial sense, blockchain offers unrivaled efficiency and speed. This is because the technology aims to automate all time-consuming processes and maximize your business output. 

You can also eliminate the chance of human error thanks to this type of efficient and speedy automation. Blockchain’s digital ledger means that you can store everything in one place. This streamlines your automation processes even more and makes it easier than ever to access your data. 
6. It’s Resistant to Technical Failure 
Blockchain, as a system, lives on a hugely distributed network of nodes. This is great news when it comes to technical difficulties as it’s very resistant to malware attacks and system failure. The blockchain nodes are unique. They are able to replicate and store your data on a vast database, meaning there is no single-point-of-failure. 

In other words, there is no chance that a single node will go offline and create a loophole or jeopardize the security of the entire system. Which is often a common issue with many other business systems. 
7. Blockchain Is Incredibly Stable 
Recorded blocks of data within the blockchain are irreversible. As we mentioned earlier, once you load data onto the system, you cannot change it and it’s difficult to remove. This is one of the key benefits of private blockchain technology. It’s one of the most stable on the market today.

It’s particularly beneficial for storing financial transactions. Or any other transactional data for that matter. This is due to the very clear-cut audit trail. Every single change is traceable, tracked, and recorded, then distributed on the blockchain ledger for all to view. 

This also makes blockchain very useful when it comes to tracking fraudulent activity within the workplace. You cannot hide suspicious transactions. They’re always recorded within the network — and stay there permanently. 
8. It’s a Reliable, Trustless System
All businesses operate some form of payment system that includes transactions between two parties. Generally, the merchant and customer. But most of the time, a third-party is also involved, i.e. your bank, a payment provider, or your lender.

When you use blockchain technology, you can cut out the third-party and keep your transactions between two parties. This is because of the blockchain distributed network and its nodes. Each node verifies every transaction through blockchain mining. 

As such, you can rely on blockchain because it’s a trustless system. It also reduces your overheads in terms of transaction fees when you cut out the third-party, saving your business more money.
9. You Can Diversify Your Payment Options
By adopting blockchain technology, you have the chance to embrace new forms and options of payment for your products or services. Today, people want options, so what better way to embrace what your customers want? 

Blockchain is the technology that supports cryptocurrency transactions. So, this means you can start accepting bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency. 

There are also some other benefits to accepting cryptocurrency. For one, it shows your customers that you are up-to-date with the times. It also shows a willingness to extend the types of services you offer. 

Accepting cryptocurrency means you can deal with your customer directly. And it also minimizes your transaction costs. Payments are also direct and permanent — so there’s no way for clients to default on payments. 

However, there is a little extra work required when it comes to rolling out this new form of payment. As a business, you’ll need to spend some money on a digital wallet, a merchant gateway, and other services. 
10. Make the Most of Smart Contracts 
What are smart contracts and why do they matter for your business? In a nutshell, a smart contract is one that is self-verifying. It is also self-enforcing and you cannot change information once it’s recorded in the blockchain ledger.

Essentially, this means that no one can manipulate information without you knowing. These types of contracts could include almost anything, such as employee contracts, vendor agreements, a commercial lease, etc. 

To add to this, a smart contract offers your business a level of protection that you would have otherwise paid for. For example, you may have had to fork out money to an attorney to draw up an irrevocable contract. With blockchain, you can skip this step and save money.  
11. Raise Capital for Your Business 
If you’re a small business owner and looking for smart, efficient ways to raise capital, then blockchain is a great tool. It offers an alternative method in the form of Initial Token Offerings (ITOs). 

You have an alternative option to borrowing money from a bank, a lender, or investors. Instead, you can trade your ITO tokens for capital. And you can do so freely. ITO tokens are 100 percent compatible with revenue and other forms of equity. 

If you find an investor that’s interested in your business, they can buy into what you’re offering. They will then receive blockchain ITOs from your company. You can choose what you want the token to represent, too. 

For example, it could offer equity in some type of utility or service your company offers. Or it could represent an actual stake in your business. ITO trading has become a popular means of raising capital for businesses over the years. Today, it’s a trusted and reliable alternative when it comes to business funding. 

You can also purchase tokens from other businesses, trade-off tokens, and sell them in various marketplaces. 
Expert IT Management at Your Fingertips 
The key benefits of blockchain are undeniable. But it takes a keen understanding of this type of technology to implement it into your business transactions. In essence, you’ll have to rethink your entire business IT model and you may need some expert help with this. 

If you’re looking for an expertly managed service provider in Los Angeles, Be Structured Technology Group is your go-to. We can work with you and your business to implement the best managed IT, cloud, and security system to meet all of your needs. 

Learn more about the array of industries we serve and how we can help support your business. 
People Also Ask
What is blockchain and how does it work?

Blockchain is a cyber currency exchange that records transactions and every time a transaction happens on the blockchain, it is added to each individual’s personal ledger.

What is blockchain used for?

A blockchain is utilized to create a permanent accounting ledger of transactions to track payments to creators of content like artists or musicians.

 
- Categories: Crypto, Tips & Tricks

#### Benefits of Using a VPN to Protect Your Data
Thanks to encryption technology, logging on to public Wi-Fi is safer than ever. This being said, you still have to take measures to protect yourself.
If a hacker is dedicated enough, they can break encryption. The best way to make sure you remain anonymous on the web is with a VPN - Virtual Private Network.
Do I need a VPN?
While using one may drag down your connection speeds, it can also provide cost-effective protection against cybercriminals. It can provide an extra layer of security for remote workers, and it's compatible with multiple smart devices.
These are only a few reasons why you should consider investing in a VPN. Continue reading to learn more.

What Is a VPN?
Using a VPN will give you an encrypted server that will mask your web presence. Your IP address will be hidden from corporations and hackers alike.
This software is ideal for remote workers, gamers, streamers, and business professionals who enjoy traveling.

Do I Need a VPN?
There are many advantages of a VPN. Using one will allow you to browse the web anonymously.
VPNs are cost-effective, and they will allow you to access websites from anywhere in the world. As stated above, VPNs are perfect for remote employees, and they work with a variety of smart devices.

Public Wi-Fi Network Security
Being able to access public Wi-Fi on your phone is convenient, but it's dangerous. As you answer emails and browse through your company's Facebook page, a hacker might be looking over your shoulder.
Having a VPN will allow you to get your work done while you're accessing another network. It will mask your browsing history, block out your banking information, and prevent cybercriminals from getting their hands on your passwords.

Data Privacy
Connecting to your home or business Wi-Fi is much safer than logging onto a public network, but you're still not invulnerable. Your internet service provider (ISP) can peek in to check out your browsing habits and sell them to advertisers.
Your ISP isn't the only one that makes the habit of collecting data. Certain apps on your phone may do the same.
The best way to keep your information out of the hands of advertisers is to obscure your IP address with a VPN.

Security for Remote Workers
Over 40% of all workers are doing their jobs from home. That means security is more crucial than ever before.
Remote work puts companies at a higher risk of a data breach. If your employees aren't careful, they could lose your customer's valuable information.
For example, let's say that an employee decides to spend their workday in a coffee shop. If they send you a file over public Wi-Fi, they may fall victim to a man-in-the-middle attack.
The hacker will intercept the file while it's on its way to you, copy it, and pass it on. You and your employee will be none the wiser.
If the worker had been using a VPN, the hacker wouldn't have seen them access the network, let alone pass along a file.

VPNs Provide Cost-Effective Protection
Investing in the latest antivirus technology and firewalls can be a bit expensive. In most cases, you have to pay licensing fees.
If that's not something you can afford, consider picking up a VPN instead. It won't allow you to scan your computer for malware or inform you when you're attacked, but you won't need these features if you're invisible while scrolling through the web.

VPNs Work With Multiple Smart Devices
While most people use VPNs on their laptops, they're available on almost all smart devices.
VPN plans can vary depending on what device you're on, but they work with cell phones, tablets, and desktop computers.

Access Content From Anywhere in the World
Let's say that you're on a business trip in Europe. You want to access a TV show on Netflix, but it's not available where you are.
If you want to continue binge-watching while you're in your hotel room, a VPN will be able to help you. You can use it to make it seem as if you're in the region where the content is accessible.
It's not only helpful for getting on your favorite streaming service while you're overseas. You'll be able to enter almost any website that wouldn't be available otherwise.

No Bandwidth Throttling
Some internet service providers will slow down your connection when you perform certain activities on the web. This practice is bandwidth throttling.
If you encrypt your traffic and hide your activity, your provider won't be able to limit you.

Are There Any Downsides to Using a VPN?
There are a few downsides to using a VPN. Setting one up and maintaining it uses up a lot of bandwidth. It can slow down your internet speeds.
Many outsourced tech support companies can assist you with the fastest and most fluid way of properly setting up your VPN to enhance your network setup.
If you're using a free VPN, they're likely selling your information to third parties. Setting up a VPN can be complicated, and if you do it the wrong way, you'll leave your device vulnerable to data leaks.
Like your internet connection, it's possible for VPNs to drop. When that happens, you'll no longer be able to remain hidden.
More and more, we're seeing traditional VPNs being replaced by SASE - Secure Access Service Edge.

Keep Your Data Protected
Do I need a VPN? Using one will allow you to hide your web usage while using public Wi-Fi.
Once you're invisible, you can pass along files and work without anyone accessing your passwords or bank information. You'll be able to get into websites from all over the world, and they're cost-effective.
If you're looking for more information on VPNs and IP access control, access our leading IT services Los Angeles has to offer with Be Structured Technology Group.  Contact our team of experts.

ABOUT BE STRUCTURED
Be Structured is an award-winning, full-service Los Angeles IT support company that provides best in class outsourced IT support services that include managed IT security services, cloud computing consulting services, network migration and 24/7 local IT support.
- Categories: Networking, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Best Companies to Work For in Los Angeles: Why Be Structured Keeps Earning This Honor
Be Structured Technology Group is one of the best companies to work for in Los Angeles — recognized in 2026 by Best Companies Group as a Best Places to Work Southern California honoree, and named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list three consecutive times.
What makes a company one of the best companies to work for in Los Angeles?
Independent employee surveys, verified by third-party research firms, consistently point to Be Structured’s flexible work culture, technical leadership, and long employee tenure as the defining factors.
What Makes a Company One of the Best Companies to Work For in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles has a uniquely competitive labor market. IT professionals in LA have no shortage of options — from entertainment and media giants to startups, agencies, and managed service providers. For an IT company to consistently be recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Los Angeles, the culture has to be genuine, not manufactured for an award cycle.
The independent research firms that administer best-workplace programs — including Best Companies Group and the Los Angeles Business Journal — evaluate employers on a two-part basis: a detailed audit of workplace policies and benefits, and a direct anonymous survey of employees. The company cannot influence the employee survey. That is what separates a meaningful award from a marketing exercise.
What the Research Firms Measure
 	Leadership and management quality — Do employees trust and respect their direct managers and senior leadership?
 	Corporate culture and communications — Do employees feel informed, heard, and aligned with the company’s mission?
 	Role satisfaction — Do employees find their work meaningful and appropriate to their skill level?
 	Work environment — Does the physical and remote work environment support productivity and wellbeing?
 	Benefits and compensation — Are benefits competitive and does compensation reflect the value employees provide?
 	Overall engagement — Would employees recommend this company to a friend or colleague?
Be Structured scores well across all six dimensions — and has done so consistently enough to earn recognition in three consecutive LABJ programs and now a Southern California-wide designation.
Why Be Structured Is One of the Best Companies to Work For in Los Angeles
Founded by a Technologist, Not a Salesperson
Be Structured was founded in 2007 by Chad Lauterbach, who began his career as an outsourced CTO, CIO, and CISO — a technology practitioner first, not a sales executive. That founding philosophy shapes the entire employment experience: employees are hired to solve problems and master their craft, not to hit revenue quotas. In an industry where many IT firms are sales-led organizations that happen to employ technicians, Be Structured is a technician-led organization that happens to have a sales function.
The result is a workplace where engineers are valued for their expertise, account managers are empowered to give clients honest assessments, and leadership decisions are made with long-term technical quality in mind rather than short-term margin pressure.
Benefits and Practices That Back the Culture
Culture claims are easy to make. The specifics are harder to fake — and Be Structured’s benefit structure is specific:
Benefit / Practice
Details
Flexible work schedules
Accommodates work-life balance across the team
Remote/hybrid work options
Work-from-home opportunities built into the culture
Generous benefits package
Competitive for a company of Be Structured's size
Commuter allowance
Meaningful for a downtown Los Angeles-based team
Weekly confidential surveys
Employees provide anonymous feedback every week
360-degree performance reviews
Face-to-face reviews with full directional feedback
Weekly anonymous employee surveys in particular are rare in the SMB IT space. Most companies survey employees annually at best. Be Structured’s weekly pulse creates a continuous feedback loop that surfaces problems before they become turnover — and gives leadership real-time data on how the team is actually doing, not how it’s doing on a single survey day in November.
A Team That Stays
Long employee tenure in IT support is one of the most reliable signals of a healthy workplace. The field has historically high turnover — which makes the depth of experience on Be Structured’s team notable. Chad Becker, who joined in 2015, brings expertise across business process, security, and account management alongside credentials that include Eagle Scout and expert skier. Krishna Kosgi, with the company since 2017, leads technical projects in networking, cloud services, and engineering. These are career professionals who evaluated their options and chose to stay — year after year.
How to Evaluate Whether a Company Is Truly One of the Best Companies to Work For in Los Angeles
Step-by-Step: What to Look For
 	Verify the award is independently administered. Best Companies Group, the Los Angeles Business Journal, Inc. Magazine, and Fortune all use third-party employee surveys. Awards that rely on self-nomination or paid entry without employee verification carry less weight.
 	Look at tenure, not just headcount. A fast-growing company with high turnover is not a great place to work. Look for evidence that employees stay — LinkedIn profiles, team bios, and average tenure data in Glassdoor reviews all tell this story.
 	Read the CEO’s background. Leadership background shapes culture more than any policy document. A CEO who came up through sales builds a sales culture. A CEO who came up through technology builds a technical culture. Know which one you’re walking into.
 	Assess the feedback structure. Does the company have a formal mechanism for employees to raise concerns anonymously? Annual reviews alone are not enough. Weekly or monthly pulse surveys signal that leadership is genuinely interested in employee input.
 	Check benefit specifics, not just benefit lists. "Competitive benefits" means nothing without specifics. Ask about flexibility, remote work policy, commuter support, and how benefits have changed over the past three years.
 	Review Glassdoor and Indeed ratings independently. Don’t rely solely on what the company’s own website says. Third-party review platforms with verified employee submissions give a more complete picture.
Be Structured’s Full History of Best-Workplace Recognition in Los Angeles
The 2026 Best Places to Work Southern California nomination is the latest in a sustained pattern of independent recognition:
 	2019 LABJ Best Places to Work — #4 out of 100 — The Los Angeles Business Journal ranked Be Structured 4th among 100 honorees.
 	2020 LABJ Best Places to Work — Second consecutive year, recognized during one of the most challenging years for employers in modern history.
 	2021 LABJ Best Places to Work — Third Consecutive Year — An unbroken three-year streak in the LABJ program.
 	Best Places to Work Southern California 2026 — Best Companies Group
 	MSP 501 Award — Top 500 managed service providers globally
 	SMB Hot 101 Award — Most impactful SMB-focused technology companies
 	UpCity Excellence Award — 2023
Three consecutive LABJ recognitions followed by a Southern California designation is not luck or marketing spend. It is the output of a workplace culture that was built deliberately and maintained consistently since 2007.
Frequently Asked Questions About Being One of the Best Companies to Work For in Los Angeles
What makes a company one of the best companies to work for in Los Angeles?The best companies to work for in Los Angeles are recognized through independent, third-party research programs that require verified anonymous employee surveys — not just executive applications. Factors assessed include leadership quality, corporate culture, role satisfaction, benefits, work environment, and overall employee engagement. Companies like Be Structured that earn recurring recognition across multiple programs have embedded these qualities into their operating model, not just their award applications.How is Best Companies to Work For in Los Angeles determined?The Los Angeles Business Journal’s Best Places to Work program and Best Companies Group’s Southern California program both use a two-part evaluation: an employer questionnaire assessing workplace policies, benefits, and culture, followed by a direct anonymous survey of employees. The employee survey typically accounts for the majority of the final score. Companies that score above a set threshold in both components are recognized. The process takes several months and cannot be gamed by marketing spend or executive participation alone.Why does Be Structured keep appearing on best-workplace lists in Los Angeles?Be Structured has earned recurring best-workplace recognition in Los Angeles because the practices that generate high employee survey scores — weekly anonymous feedback, 360-degree performance reviews, flexible and remote work options, technical leadership, and transparent communication — have been part of the company’s operating model since its founding in 2007. These are not initiatives launched in response to award cycles. They are how the company operates every week.Is Be Structured a good place to work for IT professionals in Los Angeles?Yes, based on three consecutive independent best-workplace recognitions from the Los Angeles Business Journal and a 2026 Southern California designation from Best Companies Group. IT professionals at Be Structured work in a technician-led culture where expertise is valued over sales performance, flexible scheduling is built into the model, and long tenure is common. Current openings are posted on the Be Structured IT Careers page.Where is Be Structured Technology Group located?Be Structured is headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071 — in downtown Los Angeles. The company serves businesses throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, with on-site support available across the greater LA area including Burbank, Hollywood, Pasadena, and San Fernando.Does Be Structured offer remote work?Yes. Remote and hybrid work options are built into Be Structured’s employment model, alongside flexible scheduling that accommodates work-life balance across the team. This is one of the specific factors cited in the company’s recurring best-workplace recognition.What types of IT careers does Be Structured hire for in Los Angeles?Be Structured hires across technical support, engineering, project management, and operations roles. The company looks for adaptable problem-solvers with strong technical skills, clear communication, and genuine character — not salespeople. Learn more at the IT Careers Los Angeles page.
About Be Structured Technology Group
Be Structured Technology Group is a Los Angeles-based managed IT services provider founded in 2007. Headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071, the company delivers outsourced IT support, cybersecurity, network installation, cloud computing, hosted VoIP, and compliance services to small and mid-sized businesses across Southern California. With a Domain Rating of 45 — the highest among all direct LA MSP competitors — a site health score of 98/100, and 141 AI citations across four platforms in April 2026, Be Structured is the highest-authority local IT firm in Los Angeles and consistently recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Los Angeles.
Contact us for more info about a career with Be Structured.  |   (323) 331-9452   |   500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
- Categories: Awards, IT Support

#### BeStructured Technology Group Proud to Announce Placement in 2019 MSP 501 Rankings
Los Angeles, Ca, June 24, 2019 - BeStructured Technology Group, Inc. is proud to announce our placement in the 2019 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings. MSP 501 is the “IT channel’s largest and most comprehensive ranking of leading managed services providers”. The MSP 501 annually recognizes the biggest and most successful managed service providers worldwide. This past year MSP 501 has received the largest number of applicants competing for a coveted spot in the 2018-2019’s rankings. Be Structured is humbled and honored to have been included in this year’s MSP 501 as Los Angeles Managed Services Provider.
As managed service providers become more integrated into technical business operations globally, they allow organizations to implement complex technologies economically and efficiently. Hiring a MSP can cost one-third to one-half less than a full-time, salaried IT person, and third-party experts bring more specialized skills. The MSP 501 recognized our “commitment to taking risks on strategic business decisions, dedication to customer support and intuitive knowledge of the managed services market” to beat out other competitors and include BeStructured in their list of top MSPs.
“Before we brought Be Structured in to manage our IT environment our IT spending was out of control, and the service we were receiving didn’t effectively meet our company’s needs. I found that I was spending more and more of my time dealing with day to day IT issues, of which I knew little and so was only marginally effective, but more importantly was distracted from the more critical issues affecting our business. The team at Be Structured quickly identified our major problems, built a project plan to get us to where we needed to be, and turned our IT problems into an IT solution. Since we have implemented Managed IT Services by Be Structured they have provided a complete solution for supporting our technology and improved their already fast response times. I strongly recommend Be Structured.”
– Bruce Roberts, Sterling Transportation
About BeStructured Technology Group, Inc.
BeStructured Technology Group Inc. was founded in 2007. We created this business because we are passionate about technology and the effective solutions that it can deliver to workplaces like small businesses and nonprofits. We are not like every other IT service provide, our experts deliver realistic strategies with predictable budgeting and the technical expertise to align our skills with your goals. At Be Structured, we believe that you deserve technology that works for you and not against you.
- Categories: Awards, Press
- Tags: 2019 Channel Futures MSP 501, MSP 501

#### Biggest IT Challenges For Small Businesses
A huge 89 percent of Americans have a computer in their home. For the vast majority of businesses, too, they're indispensable. Yet they are not without their faults. When you run a business, you're going to come up against certain IT challenges. These range from the minor, such as software incompatibilities, all the way up to business-threatening problems like data breaches. To thrive, you need to be able to overcome these problems with your IT systems and avoid disruption to your business as much as possible.



In this guide, we're going to take a look at some of the most common IT problems that businesses face and what you need to do to overcome them. Are you ready to start making your business more robust? Then read on!



Security Problems



Staying safe is of paramount importance to businesses. Getting infected with malware can lead to data breaches, business downtime, and inconveniences for you and your customers. Let's take a closer look at some of the issues that fall under the umbrella of security issues, and what you need to do to solve them.



Malware Infection



Nearly 1 million pieces of malware are discovered every single day. Each one has the capacity to cause issues for your business, so you need to know how to combat them.



If you leave virus protection up to individual employees, you're leaving massive gaps in your collective armor. Not every employee is going to install a security program and the ones that do may not set it up correctly.



You need to present a united front to malware, and to do this, you need endpoint protection. Endpoint protection allows a managed security services provider to install the same antivirus software across all of your business' devices, which can then be maintained by their experts.



This takes the responsibility for security software out of your hands, and places it into the hands of trusted professionals who can keep your business safe.



Phishing



Phishing is a serious issue and attacks are getting more and more sophisticated. Today, the consummate hacker doesn't send out a scam email pretending to be a Nigerian prince. Instead, they'll pose as someone you know, and even use the same email design as said person.



Your staff need to learn how to recognize suspicious emails and the links in these emails. It's better to delay a response momentarily and double-check an email than it is to give out sensitive information to a hacker.



Network Security



When your employees work from home or on public wifi, the data they transmit is vulnerable. These types of networks are usually not secured to the same standard as work networks, which means that a hacker can intercept the data. If this leads to a data breach, you could be on the hook for millions of dollars.



You can't control networks outside of the workplace but you can give employees the tools they need to make these networks safer. This is where a virtual private network (VPN) comes in handy.



A VPN creates a secure tunnel between your employees' devices and the work network. Any data they send, if intercepted, would be practically impossible to decipher. Setting up a VPN is essential, especially with many of us set to be working from home for the foreseeable future.



Password Problems



Shockingly, the most common password is "123456," with the perennial favorite "password" still appearing in the top 10. It's plain to see that if you let employees come up with their own passwords with no guidelines, you're going to have some issues on your hands.



The answer is to ensure that your employees have some guidelines to follow that can help them come up with secure passwords. It's recommended that your passwords have a mix of capital and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. 



However, we recognize that there's a core problem at the heart of secure passwords: they can be very hard to remember. To solve this issue, you could consider using a password manager, which can also generate secure passwords for you and your employees.



The Importance of 2FA



Sadly, having a strong password is often not enough to prevent determined hackers. Keyloggers, targeted attacks, and other issues can lead to passwords falling into the wrong hands. To solve this issue, you should implement two-factor authentication or 2FA. 



2FA is a system that you may already be familiar with, which has users verify their identities via text or another system, to verify that they are who they say they are. While it's still possible to hack accounts that use 2FA, it is far more difficult.



This means that making this one change can make a massive difference to the security situation at your business.



Disaster Recovery



Let's say that the worst happens and your business network completely fails. Perhaps you've been the victim of a malware attack, maybe you've been hacked, or maybe there's been a natural disaster that's knocked out power to your business.



Whatever the cause, your business network has collapsed and you need to recover it. You need a disaster recovery plan.



A disaster recovery plan is a cohesive and coherent document that you can use to get your business back on track after an emergency. It should include the essential steps that you need to take, who needs to be contacted, and anything else that needs to be done.



Without a disaster recovery plan, it's possible that the operation would prove too complex or difficult and your business stays down for longer than necessary. Creating a disaster recovery plan is all about planning for the worst, and could save you a lot of money.



The Importance of Backups



Backups are an essential part of disaster recovery plans. For instance, if you have been infected with ransomware, you will need to wipe your business' hard drives to remove the virus. If you don't have backups, you've just lost all your customer data, all your business data, and all your projects.



This is not a scenario that you need, want, or will be able to deal with.



Therefore, you need to ensure that you have all your critical data backed up off-site. This way, if disaster befalls your business, your backups will be safe and you can recover your business data fast.



You should create backups regularly, at least once a month, but preferably more often.



Avoiding Upgrades



Your IT budget is going to be limited. This means that it's easy to put off upgrades or replacements until something breaks but this is a bad idea for your business. When something breaks, it's going to take something with it: this could be an employee's whole working day or your website, depending on what breaks.



Long-term IT planning is all about recognizing that your devices have a limited lifespan and working around this. You're going to need to replace your desktops eventually, so why not do it gradually, outside of business hours, so that there's minimal disruption?



A lack of IT planning leads to upgrades being suddenly demanded, rather than planned. If a PC breaks and can't be fixed, you need to replace it, yet you could have replaced it a while ago and saved yourself all these issues.



Account Issues



Your users' accounts should be tailored to their needs and their job. What do we mean by this? Well, there's no reason that a customer service assistant should have access to network configuration tools.



Often in small businesses, computer accounts are left on admin privileges, which can lead to serious issues. Admin privileges give the user access to a huge range of powers that can cause serious issues for your business if they're misused.



Insider threats, where a disaffected employee or former employee accesses their account and wreaks havoc, are a serious problem for IT security. Limiting what their accounts can do will prevent an insider attack.



However, it's not only insider threats that can exploit elevated user privileges. Malware like ransomware can only affect files that the user has access to. This means that if their account is locked down, the malware won't be able to do much, but if they have access to almost everything, they can pose a serious threat to data security.



You should regularly analyze your users' accounts to check that they have access to what they need to do their job and no more. Everything else that you give their account is a hole in your security.



Not Updating Software



It's very easy to ignore a notification. Yet ignoring updates poses a severe risk to your business security. Many updates to your operating system and software are there to patch up security holes.



When you leave these security holes unpatched, more malware will be able to find its way into your system. New security holes are being found all the time, so you still need to be on your guard, however, updating regularly will close up known gaps and keep your system safe from harm.



It should not be the employee's responsibility to keep their computers updated. Instead, have your admin schedule updates so that they happen outside business hours and cause the minimal disruption possible.



Poor Internet Coverage



If you have large business premises, your internet coverage is likely not consistent across them. One router cannot cover your entire office if it's more than a single room. This means that some employees are going to have slower internet than their colleagues, which means worse productivity.



If this sounds familiar, you need to take a look at your network infrastructure. Do you have enough routers? If you do, do you have enough repeaters?



It may come down to your internet connection being too slow, so maybe you'll need more than one.



A network services company can install better network infrastructure at your premises that will help you stay more productive.



Mobile Device Security



Your employees may well bring their own mobile devices to work and connect them to your wifi network. While this is fine, you need to ensure that the devices are secure.



When employees bring their own devices to work, you should have an IT specialist take a look at them and vet them to make sure that they are safe to connect to the network. They should also be password protected to keep any sensitive data stored on them safe.



If you'd prefer to avoid this step, your only other option is to stop your employees from connecting to the wifi network on their own personal devices. Which is the better choice for your company will depend on your specific needs.



A Lack of IT Professionals



If you are a small business, you may not have an IT department, especially if you employ a small number of people. This is understandable but it does put you in a very vulnerable position. If you don't have access to IT expertise, your business is at risk of security issues and it will also take longer to solve routine IT problems.



If your budget is limited and you can't afford an IT department, what should you do? The answer is to use managed service providers, who can offer you expert advice and help without needing to be on the payroll. When you hire a provider, you'll know the costs up-front, so you can work them into your annual budget.



We Can Help You Overcome These IT Challenges



These IT challenges pose problems for small businesses, yet with expert guidance, they can be overcome. We can help you overcome all of these issues, and more.



If you'd like to learn more about our services, take a look around our website. If you have any questions or if you'd like a quote, please don't hesitate to contact us.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Data Backup, Data Protection, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Cyber Security Services, Managed IT Services, MSP, Small Business, SMB

#### Biometrics for Cloud Infrastructure -Pt.4
Introduction
Our last blog reviewed what the “Platform as a Service” (or “PaaS”) part of the Cloud is.  It is essentially the second layer, which contains of both hardware and software components for your IT Infrastructure.  In this blog, we look at third and final component of the Cloud, which is known as the “Software as a Service”, or “SaaS”.
This is in fact the most heavily used part of the Cloud, as many software applications can be rented or purchased on demand, at an affordable and fixed monthly pricing.  Also, we will examine how Biometrics can protect the SaaS layer.
The SaaS
A specific definition of the SaaS is as follows:
“The (SaaS) allows users to connect to and use cloud-based apps over the Internet. Common examples are email, calendaring, and office tools (such as Microsoft Office 365).”
(SOURCE:  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-saas/).
Typically, the SaaS platform will reside in the same part of the PaaS server where that has its own set of software applications (as just described).
How Can Biometrics Be Used to Protect the SaaS?
Since at this point, we are now discussing securing software applications, Physical Access Entry is no longer the issue, it is now how to secure the Logical Access Entry side of this equation. In this scenario, there are four assumptions that are made:
 	The PaaS Server (which also contains the SaaS Platform) will have a separate “Authentication Server” which will store the Enrollment Biometric Templates of the subscriber’s whom have purchased SaaS based applications;
 	Fingerprint Recognition will be the predominant Biometric Technology to be used in this regard;
 	A Web Browser will be used to access the SaaS applications;
 	 The use of APIs is also made in the authentication process.
(SOURCE: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-the-cloud/)
Step 1:
The end user submits their fingerprint via a Fingerprint Recognition Device connected to their computer via a USB connection.  From here, the raw image is compiled, the unique features are extracted, and the Biometric Template (which is a mathematical file) is created.  This then becomes what is known as the “Model File”.
Step 2:
The “Model File” is then sent from the Fingerprint Recognition application (which actually resides in the device itself) to the API Service using what is known as a “REST Call”.
Step 3:
The “REST Call” then connects to the Authentication Server; it sends it the “Model File”, and also requests for the authentication process of the end user to begin.
Step 4:
The Authentication Server then confirms the Enrollment Template it has of the end user with the information that is presented in the “Model File”.
Step 5:
If the authentication proves to be successful in Step #4, the Authentication Server then ends over an API based username/password combination.
 Step 6:
Now having the username/password combination that was established in Step #5, the API now sets up a new session on the web interface for the end user to access the SaaS application that he or she needs access to.
Step 7:
The API then creates and sends over the Session ID to the end user’s computer.
Step 8:
The end user can now download this specific SaaS based application onto their own computer and access via a Graphical User Interface (GUI) through the web browser of their choice.
Step 9:
The SaaS Platform can further manage this connection and service that is being provided through the Session ID that was created in Step #7.
Conclusions
This concludes our series on how Biometrics can be used in the Cloud.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cloud Solutions, Cyber Security

#### Budgeting For IT Services in Los Angeles
When you’re trying to run a business, technology troubles can become more than an inconvenience or a headache. The more time you spend with your computers on the fritz, the more money you lose. It’s critical that you have a good IT support team to help you when your system goes down. But finding the service you need for the right price can seem like a trick. Read on to discover how much you can expect to pay for the best IT services Los Angeles has to offer.
Break-Fix Services
There are several different sorts of IT services you can get, and costs will vary for each of them. Break-fix services are among the simplest and lowest commitment services you can use in the IT world. As the name suggests, you call a break-fix service when something breaks or a problem arises and they fix it for you.

Most of the time, you won’t have a contract with a break-fix service; you’ll just call them when you need them. As we’ll discuss more later, they often charge hourly, and they may have a minimum service charge. These services are a good option if your technical needs are few and far between and if you know enough about technology to handle many questions yourself.
Comprehensive Managed IT Services
Managed IT services offer a much more comprehensive approach to technological support. Whereas break-fix services only provide assistance when you have a problem, a comprehensive managed IT service can provide you support around the clock. They handle every aspect of your IT needs for you, and you’ll only pay one flat monthly fee.

As you might guess, a comprehensive managed IT service will provide complete support for all parts of your IT operations. They’ll do everything from working with you to craft an IT plan for your company, to running software updates. When problems do arise, they’ll help you address them and put a plan in place to keep them from happening again.
Partial Managed IT Services
In some cases, you may not need every single one of your IT needs contracted out to the professionals. If you’re tech-savvy, you may be able to handle running updates on your software. But that doesn’t mean that you’re prepared to set up and maintain an entire server system on your own.

In these cases, partial managed IT services can provide the best of both worlds for your tech support. You can pick and choose which sectors of your IT operations you want managed out-of-house. This also allows you to customize your costs to a degree so you can find a solution that fits both your support needs and your budget.
Built-In Vendor IT Services
You may have noticed that some of the software your company uses includes built-in IT support. For instance, if you have an Adobe Creative Cloud license, you can get assistance with certain issues that may arise with those programs. This support is included as a part of the cost of the program, and you’re most likely to find this sort of support with subscription-based software.

While this form of support may be “free” (or at least included in the costs you’re already paying), it is extremely limited. Adobe isn’t going to help with your server setup, and they aren’t likely to provide emergency support if you need it. You should only rely on these services if your other IT needs are very well managed.
Full-Time IT Support Manager
Perhaps the highest level of support you can get for your IT needs is to hire a full-time in-house IT manager. This team member will dedicate their full attention and time to keeping your technical systems up to date and running smoothly. They won’t have any other clients, and they’ll be available at any time to handle problems that arise.

While this option is the most thorough of the IT management options, it’s also the most expensive. You’ll need to pay for at least one salary, and possibly more if you need a full department behind your IT manager. This can be a great option only if you have a larger company that needs a lot of full-time support.
Complexity of Your System
When it comes to IT support pricing, there are a number of factors that can impact how much you pay. One of the biggest factors is the complexity of the system your support team will be working on. As you might expect, the more complex your system is, the more you’ll likely have to pay for your service.

The more workstations you have and the more server support you need, the more your IT support may cost. Providing wifi for guests, as well as employees, antivirus software, and internet controls may also drive up your price. You can also expect to pay more if you need remote site connectivity or warehouse connectivity.
Level of Service
It will come as no surprise that, as you move up the levels of service, your support costs will also go up. This primarily applies to managed IT services; built-in vendor IT services, break-fix services, and full-time IT managers all use different pricing structures. This also applies mostly to partial managed IT services, as comprehensive services tend to use a flat fee.

If you need server support, help maintaining network security, and assistance setting up new workstations, you’re likely to be on the higher end of the managed support price scale. However, if you only need help in one or two areas, you’ll fall on the lower end of the scale. This flexibility in pricing can be helpful when you’re trying to balance support needs with your budget.
Extra Services
In the case of comprehensive managed service providers, you may need some additional niche support for your business. Although these may be outside the normal purview of your provider, they may be willing to accommodate those needs. However, you can expect to pay more for this extra service.

Some of these extra services may include 24/7 support, which may be critical if you’re running a business that can’t afford any downtime whatsoever. You might also need some special arrangements or additional security to support your team’s needs. If you determine that you do need some specialty services, you’re going to be looking at the higher end of the IT services pricing scale.
In-House Team Costs
Let’s start our discussion about IT service pricing with a look at how much it will cost you to maintain an in-house team. If you’re a relatively small company, you might be able to manage with one IT specialist who handles all your company’s needs. But if your system is complex or you have a mid-size to large workforce, you’ll need to hire more people.

The average base pay for an IT specialist in Los Angeles is just over $70,000, and that’s without additional benefits. You can expect to pay anywhere between $1,215 and $37,821 for additional benefits, with those costs averaging out around $7,000. You’ll also have to pay for hardware, software, training, and continuing education for every additional specialist you hire.
Hourly Fees
Assuming you don’t have $95,000 a year to spend on an in-house IT specialist, let’s say you decide to work with a break-fix service. These services usually charge hourly, and you’ll often have to pay a base service fee – usually the rate for an hour and a half of service. After the first hour and a half, the normal hourly fee will kick in, although you may be able to get a discount for buying blocks of hours in advance.

On average in Los Angeles, you can expect to pay between $125 and $225 per hour for a break-fix service. It’s important to note that these services may or may not offer an option to set up new systems for you; it will depend on the company you work with. But if you need an average of just two hours a month with these services, you’re looking at paying up to $450 each month for these services.
Per-Device Pricing
When you get into the realm of managed IT services, there are two ways pricing might be handled: per device or per user. Per-device pricing will be based on the sorts of hardware you’re using. There may be different prices to help maintain a server versus setting up or maintaining a workstation for an employee.

In Los Angeles, you’re looking at paying somewhere between $100 to $400 for each server you need to maintain. You can expect to pay $50 to $100 for each workstation you have and $30 to $75 for each firewall. Switches will cost you between $15 and $40 each, and all of these fees will be assessed monthly.
Per-User Pricing
You may also work with a company that prefers to use the per-user pricing model. This setup assumes that no matter what your system is like, there will be a certain amount of work required to support each user on your team. If you’re a small company with a more complicated setup, this pricing structure may be the best option for you.

Per-user pricing will vary depending on which specific services are included in the contract. You may also get discounts as you move into higher tiers of users; each user may cost less if you have seventy-five users, rather than ten. But in general, you’re looking at paying somewhere between $75 and $175 per user for these services.
Managed IT Support Fees
Some companies may also prefer to work with a flat fee pricing structure, rather than a per-user or per-device setup. These companies tend to offer a more comprehensive level of service and will often still offer packages with different levels of support. While these options may not be the cheapest pound-for-pound, they offer a more reliable pricing structure and better scalability for your business.

The fully comprehensive managed IT services may cost your company somewhere around $250 a month for a flat fee. But let’s take a quick look back at the other structures; you’re looking at paying more than $7,000 a month. Break-fix services might cost you almost $500 a month, and you could easily pay more than $1,000 per month for either per-device or per-user services.
Software Vendor Cost
When you’re evaluating your overall IT support costs, you will need to factor in the support you’re already paying for. How much you pay for software vendors will vary hugely depending on your company’s needs. Not only will you need to account for which programs you’ll use, but you’ll also have to consider which package levels you need.

Some software companies charge for support on a per-incident basis, with costs ranging from $50 to $500. Others prefer to work on a time-based system, with annual support costs landing anywhere between $300 and $$3,000. Be sure to talk to your software vendors and find out how much you can expect to pay for different levels of support from them.
Find the Best IT Services Los Angeles Has to Offer
Keeping your company’s computer systems running smoothly is key to managing a successful business. Finding the right IT support model for you can be a great way to ensure you never have to worry about your systems crashing. Managed service providers give you the most bang for your buck and may be the most affordable option at the end of the day.

If you’d like to find the best IT services Los Angeles has to offer, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We provide responsive IT service, IT consulting, and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation with us today and discover the joy of working with an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, Data Backup, Data Protection, IT Budgeting, IT Compliance, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Service Provider, MSP

#### Building IT Resilience: Lessons from Supply Chain Disruptions
​Global disruptions over the past several years have reshaped how organizations view IT resilience, especially as operational stability becomes harder to maintain across increasingly complex vendor ecosystems. Industries facing physical supply chain slowdowns also encounter digital bottlenecks, which reinforces the need for local IT support services and stronger solutions for manufacturing companies that depend on continuous uptime to keep production environments moving.
Unexpected lockdowns, transport delays, geopolitical tensions, chip shortages, and regional crises demonstrated how vulnerable both physical and digital systems can be when external shocks cascade through connected networks. These events revealed weak points in vendor dependencies, aging infrastructure, cloud misconfigurations, and resource constraints that made recovery slower than expected.

How Supply Chain Disruptions Exposed IT Weaknesses
Global events have repeatedly highlighted how fragile digital supply chains can be when disruptions occur upstream. Manufacturers were particularly impacted because production environments rely on synchronized digital workflows, automation systems, remote monitoring tools, and inventory platforms. 
Disruptions in one system can spread quickly through the infrastructure, causing delays across the entire operation. Shortages in networking equipment and semiconductors forced businesses to extend the life of aging hardware longer than intended, which introduced performance limitations and increased vulnerability. 
These issues reinforced the importance of a thorough risk assessment that maps critical dependencies, identifies bottlenecks, and highlights systems that require modernization. When teams understand which assets maintain essential operations, they can develop more strategic plans to strengthen continuity.

Why IT Resilience Matters in Volatile Environments
Resilient IT systems protect core operations by ensuring secure, consistent, and reliable performance even when volatile conditions emerge. Strong resilience allows organizations to withstand outages, cyber incidents, supply shortages, or vendor failures without halting essential activities.
Manufacturers depend heavily on uptime because production, scheduling, delivery coordination, and equipment automation all rely on digital connectivity. Even brief interruptions can disrupt output, damage customer relationships, and create costly delays.


A package is on its way out of a warehouse to be delivered.
Resilience also matters for cybersecurity because attackers increasingly target supply chain dependencies to gain indirect access to connected systems. Vendor platforms, shared software tools, and distributed networks create potential entry points that can be exploited when defenses are inconsistent.
A strategic approach to resilience gives organizations greater control over how they respond to operational challenges. It also supports long-term continuity planning, broader risk visibility, and improved decision-making across critical systems.

The Role of Redundancy in Strengthening IT Resilience
Redundancy forms the foundation of resilient infrastructure because it ensures that no single point of failure can interrupt core services. Organizations use multiple layers of redundancy to secure their environments and maintain stability during unexpected events.
Network redundancy helps maintain connectivity by supporting alternative communication paths. Hardware redundancy reduces downtime by providing backup components that activate automatically when primary systems fail.
Cloud redundancy offers scalable, geographically distributed failover capabilities that protect operations during physical disruptions. Application redundancy ensures essential software platforms remain available even if one environment becomes compromised.
Redundancy works best when combined with strategic planning and performance monitoring. When teams understand asset behavior and potential failure points, they can design systems that remain dependable under pressure.

Diversifying Vendors and Reducing Single Points of Dependency
Vendor diversification helps organizations reduce exposure to disruptions that originate outside of internal control. When manufacturing environments depend on a single supplier for hardware, software, or connectivity, any interruption can create operational setbacks.
Diversification also extends to cybersecurity tools, monitoring platforms, and automation systems. Using multiple layers of defense and varied technology partners strengthens the overall security posture and limits the impact of a breach affecting one provider.
Organizations that diversify effectively gain flexibility during procurement challenges, regulatory shifts, or sudden disruptions across global markets. These advantages support more resilient long-term operations.

Strengthening Cybersecurity to Support IT Resilience
Cybersecurity remains one of the most critical components of resilience because external disruptions often create opportunities for attackers to exploit weaknesses. Strong protection ensures that operations continue even when threat conditions escalate.
Strengthening cybersecurity includes implementing multi-factor authentication, securing remote access tools, deploying modern endpoint protection, and maintaining strict patching schedules. Network segmentation and access controls limit the spread of attacks if a breach occurs.
Training internal teams improves resilience by helping employees recognize social engineering attempts and malicious activity linked to broader global events. Resilient operations rely on both strong technology and informed teams.

Building Resilience Through Strategic Infrastructure Optimization
Organizations strengthen resilience when they optimize their IT infrastructure to support critical workloads efficiently. This requires evaluating hardware condition, software compatibility, network capacity, and disaster recovery preparation.
Infrastructure optimization includes improving configuration management, reorganizing workflows, and implementing automation to reduce manual intervention. These improvements reduce the likelihood of human errors that can compound during periods of disruption.
Manufacturing environments benefit particularly from optimization because automated processes require reliable and predictable performance. Ensuring infrastructure stability supports smoother operations and improved productivity.

External Events Demonstrate How Supply Chains Influence IT Stability
Recent global disruptions revealed how geopolitical events affect global supply chains, influencing the availability of hardware, software components, and vendor services. These events also exposed how deeply digital systems depend on physical supply networks.
Conflicts, trade restrictions, natural disasters, and political instability affect lead times, shipping availability, and access to critical materials. These factors force organizations to adjust procurement plans, delay refresh cycles, or modify infrastructure strategies.
Monitoring international developments helps organizations anticipate disruptions and adjust operations proactively. This awareness forms a key component of modern continuity planning.


Warehouse worker and supply chain manager tracking inventory.
Emerging Technologies Support Long-Term Resilience
Advanced technologies are shaping the future of supply chain and IT resilience. Automation, AI-driven analytics, and real-time tracking tools improve visibility and accelerate decision-making.
In particular, technologies such as blockchain can help improve supply chain resilience by offering transparent, tamper-resistant tracking across vendor networks. Blockchain enhances trust and makes supply disruptions easier to trace.
IoT sensors, digital twins, and predictive systems help manufacturers forecast bottlenecks and maintain stable environments. These tools also support maintenance planning, reducing reliance on manual check-ins or subjective assessments.
Organizations that adopt modern tools gain faster insights and more accurate operational control. These enhancements contribute to long-term resilience that aligns with digital transformation goals.

Protecting Data During Disruptions
Strategies centered on data backup and protection ensure critical information remains accessible even when systems fail. Backups stored across multiple locations, including on-premises appliances and cloud repositories, provide essential redundancy. 
Secure storage methods protect information from ransomware, corruption, or hardware failure. Organizations also benefit from regularly testing restoration processes to confirm systems can recover quickly during emergencies.
Data protection plans integrate with broader resilience strategies to maintain continuity and safeguard essential operations.

The Role of Managed Services in Supporting Manufacturing Resilience
Manufacturing operations benefit significantly from external support such as managed services for manufacturing, which provide specialized expertise and proactive oversight. Managed providers help organizations maintain stable systems, strengthen cybersecurity, and monitor infrastructure continuously.
Partnering with experienced teams accelerates recovery after disruptions and enhances visibility across distributed environments. Providers also support long-term planning by identifying vulnerabilities, recommending upgrades, and aligning systems with operational needs.
At Be Structured, we design tailored strategies that reinforce infrastructure, diversify dependencies, and strengthen digital resilience across complex environments. Schedule a free consultation with our team today to build an IT foundation that withstands disruption and supports long-term operational success.

​FAQs About IT Resilience and Supply Chain Disruptions
1. What is IT resilience and why does it matter for manufacturers?
IT resilience is the ability of systems to continue operating during outages, cyber incidents, and supply disruptions. For manufacturers, resilience prevents production stoppages, protects delivery schedules, and preserves customer relationships.
2. How do physical supply chain problems affect digital systems?
Delays in hardware, semiconductors, and networking gear can force organizations to keep aging equipment in service longer, increasing failure and security risk. Those hardware shortages can cascade into software incompatibilities and slower recovery from incidents.
3. What is the role of redundancy in improving IT resilience?
Redundancy provides backup paths for networks, compute, and storage so a single failure does not halt operations. Combined with monitoring and failover automation, redundancy reduces downtime and preserves critical workflows.
4. Why should organizations diversify vendors?
Relying on a single supplier creates a single point of failure for critical components or services. Vendor diversification spreads risk, increases procurement flexibility, and reduces the impact of regional disruptions.
5. How do global events increase cybersecurity risks?
Geopolitical instability and supply shocks create windows of opportunity for attackers to exploit misconfigurations, unpatched systems, or rushed deployments. Disruptions also strain defenses, making social engineering and supply-chain targeting more effective.
6. What infrastructure optimizations help maintain uptime during disruptions?
Configuration management, automation, and predictive maintenance reduce human error and identify failing components before they cause outages. Optimizations also include capacity planning and segmented networks to limit the blast radius of failures.
7. How can emerging technologies support long-term resilience?
AI-driven analytics, IoT sensors, and digital twins improve visibility into asset health and predict bottlenecks before they escalate. Blockchain and real-time tracking increase transparency across vendor networks, helping teams respond faster to supply issues.
8. What data protection strategies are essential during supply chain disruptions?
Maintain geographically distributed backups, test restoration procedures regularly, and apply strong encryption and access controls to backup stores. Regular recovery testing ensures data accessibility and minimizes production impact after incidents.
9. When should a manufacturer engage managed IT or specialist support?
Engage managed services when internal teams lack the capacity, specialized expertise, or continuous monitoring required to maintain resilience. External partners accelerate recovery, provide strategic planning, and help implement redundancy and security best practices.
10. How can organizations stay proactive about future supply chain risks?
Continuously map dependencies, monitor global events, and run scenario exercises to identify weak points and recovery options. Combining vendor diversification, predictive analytics, and a tested incident response plan keeps operations more resilient.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery, IT support for manufacturing
- Tags: supply chain management

#### CCPA vs. GDPR: What LA Businesses Need to Know About Data Privacy Laws
​The landscape of data privacy compliance has grown increasingly complex. 
For organizations in Los Angeles, the challenge lies in balancing California-specific regulations with international standards that affect global operations. Two of the most influential laws shaping this environment are the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 
While both aim to safeguard consumer data, their scope, requirements, and enforcement mechanisms differ in significant ways. Businesses that operate in LA but serve clients or partners abroad often find themselves navigating both.
Failing to align with these regulations comes with steep penalties and reputational damage. Beyond legal consequences, the public now expects organizations to treat personal data with transparency and responsibility. 
For LA-based companies, mastering the nuances of CCPA and GDPR is no longer optional. It is central to building trust, mitigating risk, and staying competitive.

Why Data Privacy Compliance Matters for Los Angeles Companies
California has set the pace for U.S. privacy laws with the CCPA, and its successor, the CPRA, has expanded consumer rights even further. Meanwhile, GDPR has reshaped international standards by imposing strict rules on data processing, consent, and accountability.
Organizations in Los Angeles, especially those in industries like finance, healthcare, and entertainment, are particularly exposed. Data collection and transfer are essential to these sectors, yet they come with obligations that must be managed carefully. The global average cost of a data breach is $4.4M, a figure that underscores the financial and operational impact of noncompliance.
Compliance is not just about avoiding fines. It is about demonstrating responsibility in how personal information is gathered, stored, and shared. For businesses, prioritizing privacy is now a strategic differentiator.

Core Principles of CCPA
The California Consumer Privacy Act gives residents greater control over their personal data. Under the CCPA, consumers have the right to know what data is being collected, request deletion of their data, and opt out of the sale of their information.
Compliance requires companies to update privacy notices, create mechanisms for consumer requests, and ensure vendors also follow these rules. The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which amends the CCPA, strengthens enforcement and expands consumer rights even further.
For LA companies, this means reviewing all data-handling processes, from marketing campaigns to third-party partnerships. Transparency is the cornerstone of CCPA compliance.


Computer keyboard with California Consumer Privacy Act written across.
Key Features of GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation applies to any organization processing the personal data of EU residents, regardless of location. For Los Angeles businesses that have international customers, GDPR’s reach cannot be ignored.
The regulation emphasizes lawful processing, explicit consent, and the right to data portability. Unlike the CCPA, which focuses on consumer rights within California, GDPR has broader extraterritorial impact. Penalties for noncompliance are steep, with fines reaching up to 4% of annual global revenue.
GDPR compliance often requires more rigorous data protection measures than U.S. laws, including appointing Data Protection Officers and conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments.

Comparing CCPA and GDPR in Practice
Although both laws share the goal of protecting personal data, they diverge in how rights are granted and enforced. CCPA focuses on giving consumers visibility and choice, while GDPR emphasizes explicit consent and accountability across the data lifecycle.
For instance, under GDPR, consent must be clear and affirmative. Pre-checked boxes or implied agreement do not suffice. CCPA, meanwhile, allows businesses to collect data unless a consumer opts out. These distinctions may seem subtle, but they have major implications for compliance strategies.
Businesses that serve both Californian and European markets often design policies that satisfy the strictest requirements to streamline operations. This reduces the risk of falling short in either jurisdiction.

Data Privacy Compliance Challenges in Los Angeles
Organizations in LA face unique hurdles due to the city’s global connections. Entertainment studios, tech startups, and financial firms often process data from multiple jurisdictions. This makes compliance a multi-layered challenge.
One major obstacle is governance. A recent survey found that 63% of organizations admitted to lacking governance policies, especially when it comes to dealing with AI. As AI becomes more integrated into data processing, ensuring compliance requires new oversight mechanisms.
Another challenge is aligning cybersecurity compliance frameworks with privacy regulations. Many businesses treat cybersecurity and compliance as separate efforts, but effective strategies must integrate both. 
The difference between network security and compliance is important here: security protects systems from threats, while compliance ensures adherence to legal standards. Neglecting either side leaves businesses exposed.

The Role of Technology in Compliance
Emerging technologies can support compliance efforts but also introduce new risks. For instance, cloud compliance has become a pressing issue. Cloud services enable scalability and flexibility, but they also complicate data storage and jurisdictional boundaries. Businesses must ensure that their providers meet CCPA and GDPR requirements.
Artificial intelligence presents both an opportunity and a liability. AI-driven analytics can enhance risk detection, but they also raise ethical and privacy concerns. Ensuring transparency in automated decision-making is a growing priority under both regulations.

Expanding Regulatory Pressures
Beyond CCPA and GDPR, new frameworks continue to emerge. Federal initiatives in the U.S. may eventually establish nationwide standards, while industry-specific regulations are already gaining traction. For example, CMMC compliance has become critical for companies working with the Department of Defense.
These overlapping requirements create a patchwork of obligations. Businesses in Los Angeles must stay vigilant, monitoring developments not just in California and Europe but across the broader regulatory landscape.


GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) text and icon between a man's hands.
Why Cybersecurity Compliance Is Important for Privacy Laws
Privacy and security are two sides of the same coin. Regulatory compliance cannot be achieved without robust security measures. Breaches undermine consumer trust and trigger regulatory investigations. This is why cybersecurity compliance is important for LA companies.
The right safeguards, such as encryption, access controls, and continuous monitoring, help meet both CCPA and GDPR standards. More importantly, they protect the brand reputation that takes years to build but can be destroyed overnight by a single incident.

Actionable Steps for Building a Strong Compliance Program
Meeting the requirements of both CCPA and GDPR requires a structured approach. Companies can strengthen their compliance posture through these key steps:


 	Map all data flows to understand where personal information is collected, stored, and shared.
 	Update privacy policies and consumer-facing notices to align with transparency requirements. 
 	Implement secure mechanisms for handling consumer requests under CCPA and GDPR.
 	Train employees to recognize their role in protecting personal data.
 	Review vendor contracts to ensure third parties also comply with privacy laws.
 	Invest in monitoring tools that track and report compliance metrics.
 	Establish incident response plans that prioritize transparency and regulatory reporting.

Each of these measures requires coordination across departments. Legal, IT, and executive leadership must work together to build a compliance-first culture.

Building a Culture of Compliance in Los Angeles
Compliance should not be treated as a one-time project. Regulations evolve, technologies shift, and consumer expectations rise. For Los Angeles businesses, creating a culture of compliance means embedding privacy and security into everyday operations.
Leadership must set the tone, but every employee plays a role in handling data responsibly. Regular audits and continuous training help sustain compliance efforts. Partnering with experienced IT providers can also provide the technical depth needed to meet regulatory demands.

Taking the Next Step Toward Data Privacy Compliance
CCPA and GDPR represent two of the most influential privacy laws shaping today’s digital environment. For Los Angeles businesses, the overlap between these regulations demands careful attention and proactive planning. Building strong governance policies, integrating security with compliance, and embracing continuous monitoring are essential steps forward.
At Be Structured, we help organizations in LA navigate this complexity. From aligning with CCPA and GDPR to strengthening broader data privacy compliance programs, our team provides the expertise and tools to stay ahead. 
Protecting sensitive data and meeting regulatory standards is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to earn trust and stand out in a competitive market. Schedule a free consultation today and take the first step toward compliance with confidence.
- Categories: cybersecurity compliance
- Tags: Cybersecurity, IT Compliance, Network Compliance

#### Choosing the Best  IT Support Company in Los Angeles
Have your IT requirements started to expand beyond the scope of your in-house personnel? Or, are you finding that you're overburdening your internal staff members with technical questions, obligations, and general problem-solving requirements?

Maybe the costs of maintaining a full-time IT professional have simply become too much to financially bear. In any case, it's time to research the different types of IT support in Los Angeles can offer.

Of course, not just any managed IT Support in Los Angeles will do. Your hardware and network support and software systems are far too valuable and high-priced to trust them to an inexperienced or incompetent team. You need a local consultant that's the best in the business, with a reputation for providing the type of reliable, around-the-clock support you need.

Today, we're sharing the key features to look for as you begin interviewing companies. Jot these down and refer to the list to help you find a team you can trust.
Fast Response Times
Arguably no other factor is more important than an IT support consultant's ability to respond quickly to any issue that might arise. Usually, this means looking for a company that can provide 24/7 support, so there's always someone on call when a problem occurs.

At Be Structured Technology Group, our managed IT services in Los Angeles experts are available to provide real-time, immediate support for 12 hours per day, five days a week. Yet, that doesn't mean we'll leave you hanging if you need help outside of that timeframe. There's always an expert technician on call, who can handle any emergency situations or high-priority issues.

Why is this feature so important?

Consider the costs associated with even a small amount of downtime at your business. If you can't access your network systems, it isn't long before workplace productivity crashes, along with your sales and bottom line.

According to one report, one minute of downtime costs the average company $5,600. In another survey, 98% of business leaders claimed that a single hour of downtime costs their companies well over $100,000.

The bottom line?

You can't afford to twiddle your thumbs. You need to be confident that your systems are being managed proficiently from afar and anything less than that is a risk you can't afford to take.
Experienced IT Experts
When you work with a Southern California outsourced IT support company, you're working with real people, not machines. To this end, you want to make sure that the team members responsible for managing your services are experienced and qualified to do so.

In your initial interviews, ask about the size of the IT support company. How many employees are currently on staff? Then, ask about their vetting process and the level of experience that you can expect from each technician assigned to your account.

We're proudly transparent of our experience at Be Structured. Though we've been in business since 2007, our team members have more than 15 years of combined IT Support in Los Angeles, including our CEO!

At the end of the day, you don't need a team of salespeople running your systems. You need IT experts who know the industry forward and backward and are dedicated to delivering a superior level of service. Once we essentially become your Los Angeles IT support department, you'll never have to worry if you're in good hands.
Wide Library of IT Services
You don't want to partner with an IT company that only does one thing really well. While this business model might work in some sectors, it could leave you stranded if an issue occurs that's beyond the consultant's scope of work.

Instead, look for a company that can provide a wide library of IT services for you to choose from. You can check out all of our IT support company offerings online! A few examples of our all-inclusive offerings include:

 	24/7 monitoring
 	IT consulting
 	Antivirus and intrusion protection
 	Vendor relationship management
 	Unified-communications-as-a-service (UCaaS)
 	Data backup and protection

Ask any prospective partner to detail the range of services that they can offer. You want to make sure you're covered at every turn. Plus, a well-equipped team can also help you navigate new technology implementations in the future!
Cost-Effective Tech Services
Even the best-of-breed IT consulting services won't help if you simply can't afford to keep them going. Before you get too far into your initial interviews, ask each company representative to describe their associated pricing plans.

Most will charge on a per-user basis, although this isn't always the case. Keep in mind that even if the numbers surprise you at first, don't be afraid to dig a little deeper. Most top-tier IT companies are experienced in helping clients create custom, personalized plans that fit into their budgets.

If you already know how much you're able to spend, you can share this information and inquire about the level of services that you can receive for that amount. This way, you'll receive the best level of services possible while still remaining financially sound.
Experience in Your Industry
The "business" industry is divided into countless niches, from financial services to manufacturing. As such, it isn't enough for an IT consultant to simply have business experience. You need a team that's worked in your specific niche before and understands its unique technology requirements.

A few of the top questions to ask on this topic include:

 	Have you ever worked in my industry before?
 	How many projects have you completed that are similar in size and scope to mine?
 	Have you earned any awards or certifications specific to my industry?

If the answer to all of these questions is "no", then consider expanding your search to include companies that are more familiar with your day-to-day operations. Otherwise, the consultants could recommend different services and technology solutions that aren't a great fit, and you'll wind up paying more than you need to.
Local Headquarters
It's true that a majority of your communication and contact with your IT services company will be performed virtually. For instance, you may call a technician for a troubleshooting request or message your Account Manager with a question. However, it's still smart to look for a team that has a local company headquarters.

Why is this so important? You'll be able to receive quicker support in the event that an on-site issue arises.

Consider what would happen if your firewall failed and required total replacement. If your IT support company can't visit your on-site premises that day, then they'll have to coordinate a third-party company to help. Depending on their availability, it could take days to finally resolve your issue.

If you're in Los Angeles or Orange County, we're your go-to local IT services provider. We provide a long list of the areas we serve online, and you can easily see our dedication to supporting small and mid-sized downtown businesses from IT support in Century City to IT services in Santa Monica.

In addition to problem-solving, it can sometimes be easier to meet in person to discuss key business goals or updates to your service plan. This is infinitely more doable when both parties are located close to one another. If your company has multiple branches, ask how support will be handled.
Support For Your Operating Systems
For years, the Windows operating system reigned supreme. As such, it was relatively easy to find an IT consulting firm that provided Windows-specific technical support services. Now, however, other OS solutions including Mac and Linux are becoming more popular than ever before.

Does your business run on either of these operating systems? If so, make sure to find a managed services provider that can support and work on it. Otherwise, the only solution is to switch over your entire infrastructure, which can be incredibly expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming.
Emphasis on Data Security
Data security is no longer a nice-to-have feature. It's a critical part of your network management and should be a non-negotiable part of your service plan.

As you explore your options, look for IT Support in Los Angeles that has deep data security expertise. The team should be able to create a unique security plan that fits both your organizational needs and your operational budget. There should also be an emphasis on ongoing technician training to ensure that all team members are up to speed on the latest cyberthreats.

Keeping this in mind, it's also important that you can identify lip service when you see it. Even with the most robust security tools and best-trained employees, an IT services firm cannot guarantee that your network will be 100% secured against every type of vulnerability. If they advertise this level of service, it's inaccurate and suggests that they could be glossing over other parts of their plan, too.
Great Customer Reviews
Did you know that 84% of people now trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family members? We're increasingly hopping online to learn what others have to say before we choose a restaurant, shop at a store, or make any kind of virtual purchase.

This type of curiosity should also extend into the IT space. Before making a final decision, take the time to read what others have to say about the company you're eyeing.

Some will have these reviews posted directly to their website, usually organized into a dedicated webpage. Others will include a separate section in their social media pages for past customers to weigh in on their experience. While you don't have to read every piece of feedback, scan them to find general themes.

Are most people talking about the company's response times? Is there regular mention of the team members' expertise and professionalism? Write down any common talking points and bring them up when you conduct your interview or meet with company representatives.
Proactive Infrastructure Management
Yes, you need your IT consultant to react and respond to service tickets. You want them to fix broken hardware, troubleshoot software problems, and answer user questions as they arise.

However, these are all reactive services. In addition, you also need your IT services provider to take a proactive approach to infrastructure management. At the basic level, this means monitoring your network for system outages, though it should extend far beyond this level.

If you want to secure the best IT Support in Los Angles can provide, then look for a company that also guides you toward smart, budget-friendly tech tools that can make your staff more productive and reduce overall downtime. Top-tier companies will meet with you regularly to go over your business goals and create a plan to help you meet them.
Industry Awards and Recognition
Looking for a good indicator that a managed IT services company is an expert in their space? Check their website or social media platforms for signs of industry-specific awards, certifications, and qualifications.

You can find all of Be Structured's recent recognitions on the righthand side of all of our web pages. Some of the most recent ones include:

 	Expertise Top 25 Best Managed IT Service Providers in Los Angeles
 	2020 Channel Futures SMB Hot 101
 	2021 Channel Futures MSP 501
 	Los Angeles Business Journal: 2021 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles
 	Business profile featured on UpCity

The provider you're considering doesn't need to share these same awards. Yet, there should be some indication that they're making waves in their niche and paving the way for other subject matter experts. If you don't see any indications online, be sure to ask!
Looking For IT Support Los Angeles? Start Here
We know that you've got plenty on your plate. You shouldn't have to stress over juggling your IT needs along with every other part of your operation. That's why we're proud to offer the best IT support in Los Angeles.

Through the years, we've climbed the ranks to become the city's best managed IT services provider. We can help offset the costs and burdens of maintaining an in-house IT expert, all while making your network more secure and productive than ever before. Contact us to schedule a free consultation and let's take this next step forward together.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Data Protection, IT Budgeting, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Cyber Security Services, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### Cloud Based Server Backup Services: A Data Disaster Mitigation Plan
You're a small business owner, and you're afraid of a nightmare scenario: lost data. So how can you protect your company and your clients?

One great method is to try cloud based backup for small business safety.

Today, we're giving valuable insights on leveraging cloud based backup solutions. We're here to ensure your business isn't just prepared for the worst, but fully resilient in the face of it.
Understanding Data Disasters
Imagine your business as a bustling marketplace. Every day, you exchange information just like goods. But what happens when disaster strikes, wiping out all your goods in an instant?

This is what a data disaster can feel like for a small business. It's not just about losing files or emails; it's about losing the very core of your business operations.

Data disasters come in many forms. They can be natural events like floods or fires, but they can also be tech troubles like hacking or system failures.

No matter the cause, the result is the same: valuable business data is lost.

This loss can hit a small business hard. Imagine not being able to access customer information, financial records, or inventory lists. It's like being locked out of your own store, and the impact of losing data can be huge.

For a small business, it can mean losing money every minute you're not operating as usual. It can damage your reputation too. Customers trust you with their information.

If it's lost or stolen, they might not trust you again. Plus, getting back to normal after losing data takes time and effort. You might have to recreate documents from scratch or try to recover lost information. This can keep you from doing your usual business tasks.

This is why being prepared is so important. Think of it as having a plan to quickly reopen your store after a disaster. Data protection strategies are your plan for getting back to business as usual, with as little loss as possible.

These strategies can help you keep your business running smoothly, even when things go wrong.
Hosted Cloud Solutions & Backup for Small Business Safety
When we talk about protecting your business data, think of cloud based backup as your digital safety net. It's a way to keep your business's information safe and sound, even when unexpected things happen.

Let's break down what this really means and why it's a game-changer for small businesses.

Cloud based backup means storing your business data on remote servers. These servers are managed by service providers.

You can access your data over the Internet. This is different from storing data on your own computers or hard drives.

The beauty of the cloud is that it can hold a lot of data. It's also away from your business site, which is great if something happens there.
Cloud Server vs Physical Server Backup Solutions
In the past, businesses would keep extra copies of their data on tapes or external drives. This method worked but had its downsides. For one, it took a lot of time to set up and maintain.

It also required physical space to store the backup drives. And if a disaster hits your business location, your backups could be lost too. Thus the need for a system that offers disaster recovery.

So, it's best to understand the pros and cons of the cloud vs a physical server.

Cloud based backups offer a smarter solution. They save you time and physical space. There's no need to handle physical devices.

Plus, your data is stored far from your business site. This means it's safe even if something happens to your physical location.
Key Features to Look For in Cloud Solutions
When choosing a cloud based backup service, there are a few key features to keep an eye out for. First, look for services that offer automatic backups.

This means your data is backed up regularly without you having to do anything. Encryption is another important feature. It keeps your data secure, so only authorized people can access it.

Versioning is also useful. It saves different versions of your files. This can be a lifesaver if you need to go back to an earlier version of a document.

Cloud based backup is a reliable, efficient way to protect your small business's data. It's like having a digital safety net, ready to catch your data if anything goes wrong. With the right service, you can keep your business running smoothly, no matter what happens.
Types of Backups and Their Importance
Not all backups are created equal. There are different types of backups, and each has its own role in keeping your business data safe. Understanding these types can help you create a more effective backup strategy.

Full backups are the most comprehensive type. Think of it as taking a complete snapshot of all your data at one point in time. This includes everything from documents and emails to databases and applications.

While full backups give you the most complete protection, they also take the longest time to perform and require the most storage space.

Incremental backups are more focused. After you do a full backup, incremental backups only save the changes made since the last backup. This means if you edit a document or add new files, only those changes are backed up.

Incremental backups save time and storage space because you're not backing up everything every time.

Differential backups are a bit like incremental backups, but with a twist. They save the changes made since the last full backup, not just since the last backup of any type.

This makes recovery quicker than with incremental backups because you only need the last full backup and the last differential backup to restore all your data.

Using a mix of these backup types can offer a balanced approach to protecting your business data. Full backups provide a complete safety net, while incremental and differential backups keep things up to date without taking up too much time or space.

Cloud based backup solutions can support all these types, making it easier to implement a comprehensive backup strategy. This way, you're prepared for anything, from minor edits to major disasters.
Selecting the Right Cloud Based Backup Solution
Security features should be at the top of your list. You need to make sure your data is protected from unauthorized access. Look for encryption, both for data being transferred and data stored in the cloud.

Compliance with regulations is another big point. Depending on your industry, there may be specific rules about how and where data can be stored.

Storage capacity is important, too. Think about how much data you need to back up now and in the future. Some services offer unlimited storage, while others charge based on the amount of data you're storing.

Ease of recovery is critical. In case of a disaster, you want to be able to get your data back quickly and easily. Check how the service lets you recover your data and how long it takes.
Comparing Online Backup Services
There are many online backup services out there, each with its own set of features and pricing. Some popular options include services like Backblaze, Carbonite, and Dropbox. Backblaze is known for its simplicity and unlimited storage.

Carbonite offers a range of plans tailored to different business sizes. Dropbox is not only for file sharing but also offers backup features with versioning and easy recovery.

When comparing these services, consider what matters most to your business. Do you need unlimited storage, or are specific security features more important?

Think about your budget, too. Some services may offer a low cost per month but have additional fees for retrieving data.
Assessing Your Business Needs
Think about your daily operations and what kind of data you need to back up. Are you handling a lot of sensitive customer information? Do you have large files like videos or design projects? Your specific needs will guide you in choosing the right service.

Also, consider your team's tech skills. Some backup solutions are very user-friendly, while others might require a bit more tech knowledge to set up and manage.
Steps and Best Practices
The first step is evaluating what data is most critical to your business. Think about the information you use every day to make decisions, serve customers, and operate effectively.

This could be customer data, financial records, or project files. Deciding what's most important will help you focus your backup efforts where they're needed most.

Next, select the types of data backup that best fit your needs. As we discussed before, you might use a mix of full, incremental, and differential backups. This choice depends on how much data you have, how often it changes, and how quickly you need to be able to recover it.

Setting up and scheduling your backups is the final step. With cloud based services, this is often a matter of setting preferences in a software program. You'll decide how often backups happen and what gets backed up. Automating this process means backups are less likely to be forgotten or skipped.
Best Practices for Ensuring Effectiveness
Regular testing of backup restores is crucial. This is how you make sure that, in an emergency, you can actually get back what you've backed up. Schedule regular tests to restore some data from your backups.

This helps catch any problems before you're in a situation where you really need that data.

Maintaining strong security practices is another important best practice. Use strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and make sure your backup data is encrypted.

This helps keep your data safe, both where it's stored and when it's being transferred to and from the cloud.

Monitoring backup processes is also key. Even automated systems can run into issues. By keeping an eye on your backups, you can make sure they're happening as scheduled and without errors. Many cloud based backup services offer tools to help with this monitoring.

Implementing a cloud based backup strategy is about more than just setting up software. It's about making sure your business's data is safe, secure, and recoverable no matter what happens.

By following these steps and best practices, you can create a backup system that supports your business today and as it grows in the future.
Overcoming Challenges and Managing Network Downtime
One common challenge is dealing with limited bandwidth. This can slow down your internet speed when backups are happening, especially if you're backing up large amounts of data at once.

To manage this, you can schedule backups for off-peak hours. This means setting your backups to run at night or on weekends when your business isn't using the internet as much.

Some backup services also let you adjust the amount of bandwidth they use, so you can find a balance that works for you.

Security concerns are another big challenge. Keeping your business data safe is crucial. This means choosing a cloud backup service that offers strong encryption for your data, both when it's being transferred and when it's stored.

It's also a good idea to regularly review who in your business has access to your backups. Make sure only the people who need the data can get to it.

Finally, managing network downtime is key to keeping your business running smoothly. Network downtime can happen for many reasons, from technical issues to scheduled maintenance.

Having a cloud based backup means your data is still accessible, even if your local network is down. This can be a lifesaver in keeping your business operational during these times.

It's also worth having a backup internet connection, if possible. This could be as simple as a mobile hotspot that can keep your key business functions online until your main connection is back.
Cloud Based Backup Can Save the Day
In navigating the digital landscape, cloud based backup for small business safety emerges as a crucial safeguard, offering a lifeline in the face of data disasters.

By embracing this strategy, businesses can ensure data protection, maintain operational continuity, and foster resilience, ultimately securing their future in an unpredictable world.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is a downtown Los Angeles IT support company founded in 2007.

We provide realistic strategies on time and within budget. It's our goal also to assure our technical expertise aligns and exceeds your goals.

Contact us for extra guidance on all things tech and, especially, your server needs.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Managed IT, Networking, Tips & Tricks

#### Cloud Computing and Its Impact on IT Support Companies
Did you know that 67 per cent of enterprise business structure is cloud-based?

Datacenter co-location has changed not only the way that many businesses get things done but also what IT support companies are capable of producing. The cloud has made it possible for many services to be carried out remotely, and it's become a lot easier for many business owners to find everything they're seeking within one company rather than multiple.

What does that change look like in practice, though?

What impact can it make on your business?

Read on to learn everything you need to know.
Business Scalability
Traditionally, scaling has been somewhat of a challenge for the IT support market. The state of the industry can be volatile, and a lot can happen at a moment's notice. The cloud, however, has made that a thing of the past.

As a business grows, owners no longer have to predict its growth to accommodate server needs, nor do they have to purchase physical storage. All you have to do is contact your service provider and adjust your plan as needed. From there, they can allocate the extra space to your plan.

So, if you find your business experiencing rapid growth, it's a lot simpler to scale up than it might've once been.
Improved Performance
With improved data storage comes improved performance.

Not only does cloud storage help to optimize your data storage, but you can also use it to optimize other aspects of your business. It's now easier to track and reference specific data points for later use. Making use of this data is a great way to give yourself in-depth insights and analyses that can help you achieve improved performance.

Whether it's your social media channels, website speeds, or even brand recognition, you can leverage your data to improve processes across the board.
Better Security
Cloud operations are also great for providing better security for your business and its data. Data on cloud servers is already secure, but working with a Los Angeles IT services company if you're near LA, can help you lock things down further — especially if the provider has hosted private cloud services.

With a private server, your provider will be responsible for things like safeguarding your data's infrastructure. They'll also need to give you access to the physical hosts and network on which these things run. The company safeguards your data, but you'll still have to bear some of the burdens as well.

A few of the best things you can do to protect your data are:

 	Limit access privileges
 	Keep a list of managing users
 	Safeguard access to these accounts
 	Establish security protocol

Basically, your side of security is ensuring compliance within your business. Without regular routines and tracking, you'll never who has access to your data at any given moment. Remember, protecting data is a team effort between you and your local IT security Los Angeles based business provider.
Reduced Operating Costs
When you partner with the right IT support company, you're giving yourself unlimited access to industry experts. They'll be able to provide you with custom solutions and services made to align with your business and each of its goals. Rather than building your business on basic solutions made for multiple clients, you can have something tailored to your unique needs and ideas.

If you ever run into problems with your business IT services solutions, you can also turn to your service provider for advice. They'll be able to advise you on the most effective upgrades and advancements so you don't have to spend unnecessary money.

You can also be sure they have your best interest at heart. Your success is also theirs, and it's more important to provide you with an effective IT structure than it is to sell you things you don't need.

If you feel like your service provider does nothing but upsell you on things you don't need, however, it might be best to find a new one. With the right team by your side, you won't have to worry about your data or infrastructure at all.
Automation
When you hire an IT support company in Los Angeles, you're essentially automating your technological processes. They work to provide you with the storage and protection you need, but they'll also update and maintain any of the infrastructure in their care.

This means you won't have to waste employee hours or pay on things like updating programs or learning new procedures. The IT support company you've hired will take care of all of it for you.

You're also going to reduce the risk of human error. Often, providers have their own way of tending to their internal systems, meaning a lot of automation of their own. If they do have humans that tend to these processes, though, any mistakes made are on their part, not yours.
Increased Mobility
Finally, you have access to remote work when you adopt cloud computing. A lot of workplaces have already done this, but if your team is still confined to one area or office, you'll be gaining the freedom that allows everyone to work from home.

When teams need to collaborate, they'll be able to access the things they need with the click of a button, so you won't have to worry about documents or other important material ending up missing or forgotten when it's needed the most.
Outsourced Technical Support Companies Can Help Your Business
With the help of a business IT services company, cloud computing can make running your business a lot easier than it's ever been. With the extra time you'll gain, you can finally focus on what matters most — expanding your ideas and entering new markets. It can feel difficult to get started once you've made up your mind, but it doesn't have to be.

Luckily, Be Structured Technology Group is here to help you every step of the way. Contact us today to get started.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, IT Support

#### Cloud Computing Services for Small Business: How to Evaluate Providers Beyond AWS, Azure, and Google
Cloud computing services for small business give organizations scalable access to IT infrastructure, storage, and software over the internet — without the cost or complexity of managing physical hardware. While Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud dominate the market, they aren't always the right fit for smaller organizations with straightforward workloads and tighter budgets.
Evaluating a broader range of cloud migration services allows businesses to find solutions that better align with their actual needs, costs, and operational goals.



However, defaulting to these platforms without deeper evaluation can lead to unnecessary complexity and misaligned costs. Not every workload requires the scale or breadth of a hyperscaler.



Why Organizations Look for Alternative Cloud Providers

The appeal of major cloud providers is clear, especially for teams seeking proven infrastructure and global reach. Choosing a well-known platform often feels like the safest option, even when requirements are relatively simple.
This familiarity can create blind spots that lead to overprovisioning and underutilized services. Over time, teams may struggle to manage pricing complexity and operational overhead.
Research indicates that cloud adoption continues to grow, yet about 25% of organizations are expected to face significant dissatisfaction by 2028 due to unrealistic expectations, poor implementation, or uncontrolled costs. This highlights the importance of evaluating options beyond default providers.
A more effective approach involves comparing a wider range of cloud computing solutions and aligning infrastructure decisions with business goals. This ensures that each workload is placed in an environment that supports both performance and cost efficiency.


What Are the Best Cloud Computing Services for Small Business


Alternative cloud providers operate outside the dominant hyperscaler ecosystem while offering focused capabilities. These platforms often prioritize simplicity, transparency, and ease of deployment.



They typically deliver streamlined infrastructure and more predictable pricing models. For many organizations, these advantages translate into faster deployment and easier management.


Cloud adoption continues to grow, yet organizations are expected to face significant dissatisfaction due to unrealistic expectations.



Niche Infrastructure Providers


Platforms like DigitalOcean and Linode are known for developer-friendly environments and straightforward pricing. They are well-suited for web applications, startups, and development workloads.



These providers reduce complexity by offering simplified configuration and deployment processes. Teams can focus on building applications rather than managing infrastructure layers.



Enterprise-Focused Hosting Platforms


Providers such as OVHcloud and Vultr offer scalable infrastructure with strong performance and competitive pricing. Many also emphasize data sovereignty and regional compliance.



They often provide more responsive customer support compared to larger providers. This can improve resolution times and overall operational efficiency.



Hybrid And Private Cloud Options


Some organizations require greater control over infrastructure and sensitive data. Hybrid and private cloud solutions allow businesses to maintain on-premises systems while extending capabilities to the cloud.



This approach supports compliance requirements and reduces latency for certain applications. It also provides flexibility in managing workloads across environments.



Key Criteria For Evaluating Alternative Cloud Providers


Selecting the right provider requires a structured evaluation based on measurable criteria. Each organization should assess providers based on workload requirements and long-term objectives.



Cost Transparency And Billing Predictability


Many organizations struggle with unpredictable billing in hyperscaler environments. Alternative providers often offer simpler pricing models with fewer variables.



Predictable costs make budgeting easier and reduce the risk of unexpected charges. This is especially important for businesses with stable or recurring workloads.



Performance And Reliability


Consistent performance is critical for maintaining application stability and user satisfaction. Many alternative providers deliver reliable infrastructure tailored to specific workloads.



Concerns about reliability are often outdated or overstated. Most established providers offer strong uptime guarantees and service-level agreements.



Geographic Availability And Data Requirements


Global reach is important for organizations serving distributed users. While hyperscalers have extensive networks, alternative providers also maintain strategically located data centers.



Regional providers may offer better alignment with data sovereignty and compliance requirements. This can be a key factor for regulated industries.



Security And Compliance


Security remains a top priority when evaluating any cloud provider. Alternative platforms typically support industry-standard certifications and best practices.



Organizations should review encryption, access controls, and compliance capabilities. These factors ensure that data is protected across all environments.



Scalability And Flexibility


Scalability is essential for supporting growth and changing demand. Many alternative providers offer flexible scaling options that align with real usage patterns.



This reduces the risk of overprovisioning and unnecessary costs. It also allows organizations to scale resources efficiently as needed.



Support And Customer Experience


Support quality can significantly impact operational success. Alternative providers often differentiate themselves through accessible and responsive support.



This is particularly valuable for organizations without large internal IT teams. Faster support responses can reduce downtime and improve productivity.



Addressing Common Misconceptions About Alternative Cloud Providers

A common misconception is that alternative providers lack enterprise readiness. In reality, many operate modern infrastructure and deliver strong performance.
Another assumption is that smaller providers cannot support critical workloads. Many organizations successfully run production systems on these platforms with high reliability.
There are trade-offs to consider when evaluating alternatives. Some providers may offer fewer advanced services such as AI or machine learning capabilities.
Organizations should assess whether these advanced features are necessary for their workloads. In many cases, simplicity and cost control outweigh the need for extensive service catalogs.


The Role Of Hybrid And Multi-Cloud Strategies

Many organizations are adopting hybrid and multi-cloud strategies to balance performance and cost. This approach allows businesses to use different providers based on workload requirements.
Gartner predicts that 90% of organizations will adopt a hybrid cloud approach through 2027, with data synchronization becoming a critical challenge. This trend reflects the need for flexibility across environments.
By distributing workloads across providers, organizations can reduce vendor dependency. This also improves resilience and supports better cost optimization.


Running pilot projects allows organizations to test performance and usability before full adoption.


Practical Steps For Evaluating And Transitioning to Alternative Cloud Providers

A successful cloud strategy begins with a clear understanding of current workloads. Organizations should audit systems to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for optimization.
This includes identifying overprovisioned resources and underutilized applications. These insights help guide decisions on where alternative providers can add value.
Migration planning is another critical step in the process. Common challenges include understanding application dependencies, assessing costs and technical feasibility, and prioritizing which workloads to migrate.
Running pilot projects allows organizations to test performance and usability before full adoption. This reduces risk and provides valuable insights for long-term planning.
It is also important to align cloud decisions with business objectives. Infrastructure choices should support growth, efficiency, and operational stability.


Aligning Cloud Strategy With Business Outcomes


Cloud strategy plays a direct role in operational performance and scalability. Organizations that take a structured approach are better positioned to manage costs and improve efficiency.



A balanced strategy often includes a mix of hyperscalers and alternative providers. This allows businesses to leverage the strengths of each platform.



Explore Alternative Cloud Providers and Build A Smarter Cloud Strategy

Exploring alternative cloud providers enables organizations to move beyond default choices and create tailored environments. This approach supports better alignment with workload requirements and financial goals.
Be Structured helps organizations evaluate their cloud environments and identify opportunities for improvement. With expertise in selecting the right cloud platform, along with comprehensive cloud migration services and cloud transition support, businesses can build scalable, cost-effective infrastructure.


If your organization is reassessing its cloud strategy, now is the time to explore alternative options. Schedule a discovery call with Be Structured to find the right cloud mix for your needs.

FAQs for Small Business Cloud Computing
Q: What are cloud computing services for small business?
Cloud computing services for small business give companies access to IT infrastructure, storage, software, and processing power over the internet — without owning or maintaining physical hardware. Providers host these resources remotely, and businesses pay for what they use, making it a scalable and cost-effective option for organizations with limited IT budgets.
Q: Do small businesses need AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud?
Not necessarily. While AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are powerful platforms, they are often more complex and costly than small businesses require. Alternative providers like DigitalOcean, Linode, and OVHcloud offer simpler pricing, easier management, and performance that is well-suited to the workloads most small businesses actually run.
Q: How do I choose the right cloud provider for my small business?
Start by auditing your current workloads and identifying what you actually need — storage, compute, backup, or software hosting. Then evaluate providers on cost transparency, reliability, security certifications, and support quality. Running a pilot project with a shortlisted provider before full commitment is a low-risk way to validate your choice.
Q: What is a hybrid cloud strategy and is it right for small businesses?
A hybrid cloud strategy combines on-premises infrastructure with one or more cloud environments, allowing businesses to keep sensitive data local while moving other workloads to the cloud. It can be a good fit for small businesses in regulated industries or those with legacy systems, but it does add management complexity that should be weighed against the benefits.
Q: How much do cloud computing services cost for a small business?
Costs vary widely depending on the provider, workload size, and services used. Hyperscalers like AWS and Azure use variable pricing models that can be difficult to predict, while alternative providers often offer flat-rate or simpler tiered pricing. A managed IT services provider can help small businesses evaluate total cost of ownership and avoid overprovisioning.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Cloud Migration, Cloud Solutions

#### Cloud Migration Services: What are Common Cloud Migration Challenges?
Many people are shocked to hear about how large the market is for cloud computing in Los Angeles.

Even though cloud migration really only became a common thing a few years ago, the market for cloud migration services is already worth more than $119 billion every single year!

On top of that, the market for cloud migration services is growing faster than almost any market for any service in the world! Every year, the cloud migration services market grows by about 28%. That is fast enough for the entire market to nearly triple in value every six years!

Those numbers strongly indicate just how much value proper cloud migration can provide. However, you may need the help of a quality IT support Los Angeles company focused on cloud migration to enjoy these benefits. Many people run into the same set of common problems while trying to migrate to the cloud.

So what exactly are these problems?

Read on to learn all about the most common challenges you are likely to face when you try to migrate to the cloud!
Watch Out for Outsourced Los Angeles IT Services With Bad Planning
Migrating to the cloud can be a big project. Some people get halfway through only to realize that their early approach will not work to finish the process. They then have to start over from scratch.

This can lead to significant delays. And in the world of business, the wrong delay can mean lost customers and profits.

On top of that, some people try to migrate to the cloud without proper planning and discover that their approach works for some of their business data but not for all of it.

The end result of this problem can be that you do not fully enjoy the benefits that the cloud can provide. If you are not careful, you could end up with multiple systems on the cloud in different places.

For many businesses, the whole point of migrating to the cloud is to put everything in one place for maximum accessibility and efficiency. In order to achieve this result, you will need to apply proper planning. You will need to check everything that you wish to migrate to the cloud and make sure that you select a migration strategy that works for all of your tools and data.
Find IT Services in Los Angeles That Emphasize Your Security
Many people worry about migrating to the cloud because they are worried about security. Fortunately, many of these concerns are unjustified.

Once your data and tools are in the cloud, they are often safer than they were before. However, it is true that you have to pay careful attention to security and privacy while you are migrating to the cloud.

In many cases, you end up trusting your sensitive and essential data in the hands of third parties. In the past, many people and businesses have gotten away with not paying much attention to this concern.

However, cybercrime of all kinds is on the rise. On top of that, new developments in the cybercriminal world are making it easier and easier to execute mass attacks on the data of businesses.

Businesses that continue to be incautious are likely to end up suffering much of the brunt of the increase in cybercrime. It likely will not be long before businesses have to place a greater priority on having a proper cybersecurity plan. That necessity will likely soon be recognized as common knowledge.
Look Out for Managed IT Los Angeles Computer Services That Cannot Avoid Downtime
In the process of moving your data over to the cloud, it can be extremely harmful to suffer from a loss of the internet. Losing your internet in the middle of moving your data can mean losing that data. As a result, it is absolutely essential to have an extremely reliable network while you are migrating to the cloud.
Avoid Cloud Computing Los Angeles Services That Cannot Overcome Adaptability Problems
The cloud offers the potential to have all of your tools and data in one centralized location. However, that requires experts to find a way to make all of your tools and data adapt to cloud structures. This can be difficult, and many businesses fail when they do not find the right cloud migration services to help them.
Beware the Dangers of Lacking Proper Data Storage
We already talked about how losing the internet while migrating your data can mean losing your data. We also discussed how you can be the victim of cybercrime, another way for you to lose your data. On top of that, there are natural accidents.

Altogether, there is a long list of ways that you can potentially lose your essential data. One way to handle all of these problems all at once is simply to make sure to have proper backups for all of your data.

That way, you will not have to pay ransoms to criminals who attempt to force you to pay to access your data after they delete it. On top of that, you will have all of your essential data even if something goes wrong during the migration process.
Understand the Most Common Challenges for Cloud Migration Services 
We hope learning about the most common challenges you might face during cloud migration has been helpful for you. Managing cloud migration smoothly often requires finding the right cloud migration services to help you. The more you understand about how cloud migration works, the more you may appreciate how much it can help to lean on the expertise of those with a good track record of helping businesses migrate to the cloud.

To learn more about challenges during cloud migration and how you can find services to help you, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Managed IT, Networking

#### Cloud Services for Los Angeles Businesses
More Los Angeles-area businesses than ever are migrating their operations to a cloud solution, experiencing increased flexibility, on-demand scalability, and reduced operating expenses. Businesses looking to maximize their potential on the cloud need a team of experts to help them understand their options and find a solution for their unique needs. In short, a cloud platform is only as strong as the team of experts backing it.
If yours is one of the businesses looking to elevate your operations with cloud computing, but you’re not sure where to begin, Be Structured is here for you. We’ll work with you to understand your team’s workflows from the inside out. Once you’ve taken the time to assess your needs, we’ll develop a cloud solution by collaborating with you throughout the decision-making process. After installing and thoroughly testing your platform, our team provides ongoing support and service to ensure your system is always working for your team. If you’re ready to learn more about the cloud solutions we deliver, here’s a full catalog of our cloud offerings.
Public Cloud Solutions
One of our most popular solutions is a hosted cloud platform that uses public cloud resources. Because public clouds are managed and supported by a third-party vendor, a public cloud is one of the most straightforward cloud strategies. Our team works to help you leverage, manage, and maintain your public cloud resources with industry-leading providers. We have strong partnerships in place with public cloud vendors such as:
 	Microsoft Azure
 	Amazon Web Services
 	Rackspace
 	Egnyte
 	Box.com
 	Jive
Any other cloud providers you’re interested in exploring? We can help foster a relationship with anyone in the industry to develop a solution that aligns with your vision for the future.
Hosted Private Clouds
With a hosted private cloud, you can enjoy the on-demand scalability and cost-effective results of a public cloud platform with greater control over how your resources are managed and secured. As a vendor-agnostic IT partner, Be Structured works continuously to find you the best value in the industry. We work hand in hand with a variety of partners to leverage your options and find a private cloud solution for your goals and budget. Whether you want to host your private cloud from your own facility, at ours, or through a third-party vendor, we have the tools and resources to make the transition as seamless as possible.
Hybrid Cloud
Our hybrid cloud offering merges the benefits of a public cloud with the control of a private cloud. By delivering the ultimate in flexibility and customization, a hybrid cloud is ideal for organizations that want to streamline day-to-day operations while prioritizing security for mission-critical data. At the same time, your team can enjoy the on-demand scalability of public cloud resources along with the contained environment of a private cloud. Ultimately, our hybrid cloud solutions allow us to find the ideal balance between cloud resources, so we can optimize your network for peak efficiency, performance, and cost.
Hosted VoIP
The way your team communicates with clients and collaborates with each other is the backbone of your entire operation. Shouldn’t your communication platform be optimized for the unique challenges of the 21st century? With a hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution from Be Structured, it can be.
We partner with the service provider Jive to deliver effective and advanced phone services built around your needs. Our services are able to equip your business with capabilities such as video conferencing that allow your team to collaborate no matter where work takes them. With hosted VoIP, your team is never tied to any particular devices, enabling next-level mobility. Our team has hands-on experience developing and deploying a hosted VoIP network, so you can make the transition to a modern platform without slowing your team down.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to expand your business operations as cost-effectively as possible by migrating to the cloud, contact the experts at Be Structured today. We’ll make the transition as seamless as possible while developing a customized cloud solution, so you can stay focused on business growth.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions
- Tags: Hosted VoIP, Hybrid Cloud, Los Angeles IT Support, Private Cloud, Public Cloud

#### CMMC - Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification: What Are the Benefits?
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
The military contracting industry is worth trillions of dollars. This means that it could be incredibly profitable to work as a contractor for a military organization.
With that said, there's risk as well as opportunity. Those working with military secrets could find their company targeted by advanced persistent threat groups or other cybercriminals.
Due to these kinds of threats, most military contracts will require that your company displays cybersecurity competence. If you want to work with the United States Department of Defence (DoD), you'll likely need to demonstrate CMMC compliance.
So what exactly does this entail and what are some of the main benefits of getting this kind of certification for your company? This article lists everything you need to know about this kind of certification.
What is CMCC Compliance?
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the defense industrial base sector. This is a broad collection of companies that work with the DoD responsible for military research and development.
Many of these companies are responsible for designing, producing, delivering, and maintaining critical weapons systems. This means these companies make an attractive target for cybercriminals.
Often, these kinds of contracts require the DoD to share sensitive but unclassified information with contractors and subcontractors. To help ensure these companies adequately safeguard national security by protecting such sensitive information from cybercriminals and US adversaries, the DOD developed the CMCC system.
Cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles where many military bases are located, understand that the intention here is to create a formalized system that reassures the DoD that these contractors are correctly storing and safeguarding sensitive documents.
CMCC 1.0 vs. 2.0
Presently, there are two iterations of the CMCC, versions 1.0 and 2.0. In version 1.0, there are five different levels of certification.
The first level represents the most basic level of compliance which may be suitable for less sensitive information. To achieve this certification level, a contractor must show basic cyber hygiene. Level five requires that the contractor demonstrates the capacity to protect sensitive data from advanced persistent threats.
Most companies working with the DoD only require between levels one to three. Levels four to five are generally only necessary for contractors dealing with sensitive information that a foreign adversary may try to acquire.
In November 2021, the DoD announced version 2.0 of CMCC. The DoD has streamlined the CMCC process using feedback from the previous version. The intention behind this new model was to create a more streamlined, reliable, and flexible system.
The most noticeable change in this new model is that the system now has only three levels of compliance instead of five. At the time of writing, the 2.0 version has yet to be a contractual requirement for companies working with the DoD, but that will likely change once the DoD fully implements the new standards.
Advantages of CMCC
While some may consider cybersecurity compliance rules to be a hindrance, there are actually many formal and informal benefits to your company getting CMMC compliance along with normal business IT services and security.
Opportunity for Defense Contracting
Of course, one of the main advantages of getting CMMC is that it allows your company to work on contracts for the DoD. CMMC is quickly becoming a mandatory prerequisite for doing any work for the DoD involving sensitive information. If your company is involved in any defense contract, you won't be able to avoid having this kind of certificate.
Given that military contacts account for around $3.4 Trillion of government spending per decade, you can't afford for your company to miss out on these kinds of contracts.
Long-Term Security
Another advantage of CMMC is that it facilitates long-term organizational security. By having a standardized security system, you ensure your company's security doesn't depend on any specific employee. For example, let's say you have someone working for your internal local IT support services who manages your company's security systems.
If that individual bases his work around CMMC standards, this ensures you could easily replace the employee with another worker trained in the same standards.
Based on Widely Accepted Standards
While it may seem like CMMC is only suited to military-based projects, the certification has a much broader scope. The DoD has based the certification on widely accepted National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity standards.
This means that by complying with the DoD standards, you might also make your company compliant with various other non-military cybersecurity standards. In some situations, you might be able to work on both civilian and military projects using only one set of CMMC standards.
Reduced Assessment Costs
One significant downside to many cybersecurity certification standards is the high assessment costs. The good news is that CMMC can significantly reduce those costs. Under the CMMC 2.0 system, companies operating at level one (and a subset of companies operating at level two) can demonstrate compliance through a self-assessment. Not only does this help to save your company money, but it also reduces how much your company needs to rely on external actors.
Flexibility and Speed When You Need It
Finally, CMMC can give your company flexibility and speed when you need it the most. If you're in a situation where compliance is difficult or impossible, you may be able to contact the government and waive some of the CMMC requirements. While this is only applicable in a limited number of situations, this aspect of CMMC could potentially help prevent your project from going off the rails.
Make CMMC Compliance Work for Your Company
While implementing a CMMC compliance system could streamline your company and make it more secure, that initial adoption period often poses a challenge. It makes a lot of sense to work with a professional IT support service to ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
Are you looking for Los Angeles IT support that can help you make your CMMC vision into reality?
Contact Be Structured today and we can work with you to devise a plan to make your whole company CMMC compliant.
- Categories: CMMC, cybersecurity compliance, Security

#### CMMC Compliance and Cybersecurity: How to Safeguard Your Business
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
You want your company to be able to withstand cyber attacks today, and also be prepared to adapt as new threats emerge.

So... what can you do?

Enter the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). CMMC compliance is about fortifying your defenses and enhancing your cybersecurity posture.

Today we're diving into the nuances of this important component of keeping your business safe in today's digital climate!
What Is CMMC or Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?
CMMC stands for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. It's a way to make sure that companies working with the U.S. Department of Defense protect their sensitive information properly.

CMMC is a set of rules and practices that help businesses keep their and their customers' information safe from hackers and cyber threats.
The Importance of CMMC for Businesses
Keeping information safe is vital for any modern business. With cyber attacks becoming more common and sophisticated, it's essential to have strong defenses in place.

CMMC maturity model certification is important because it provides a clear framework for these defenses. It helps businesses identify where they need to improve. And it offers a structured path to better cybersecurity.

This isn't just about avoiding fines or following the law. It's about making sure your business can resist cyber attacks and protect the information that matters.
Overview of the CMMC Framework
The CMMC framework is designed to help businesses achieve a high level of cybersecurity through different levels of certification.

There are five levels of CMMC certification, each with its own set of requirements. These levels range from basic cyber hygiene practices at Level 1 to advanced protections against sophisticated threats at Level 5.

The idea is to start at the level that matches your current cybersecurity practices and work your way up. As you move up the levels, your business becomes better at protecting itself against cyber threats.

This gradual approach helps businesses make continuous improvements without getting overwhelmed.

Each level of CMMC covers different aspects of cybersecurity, from protecting information to how to respond to cyber threats.

The framework is about having the right tools or technology. But it's also about how you manage risks, train your staff, and plan for possible cyber attacks.

This comprehensive approach ensures that all areas of your business contribute to your overall cybersecurity.

CMMC framework offers a clear and structured path to stronger cybersecurity, from basic protections to advanced defenses.
The CMMC Model Explained
When we talk about the CMMC, we're diving into a well-organized system designed to protect businesses from cyber threats. The CMMC model covers various aspects of cybersecurity, broken down into domains, capabilities, practices, and processes.

It's similar to building a house, in that there are different rooms with different purposes. For CMMC, each room is a domain that focuses on specific areas of cybersecurity.

Within these domains, there are capabilities. These are like the tasks you need to complete to make each room functional.

And then to achieve these tasks, there are practices and processes. In our house analogy, these would be the actual steps and methods you use to organize each room.

This structure ensures that businesses are not just randomly throwing security measures around but are systematically securing their operations from cyber threats.

To help secure cybsecurity compliance, Be Structured uses several strategies to prevent or thwart hacks and breeches including:

 	Endpoint Deteion and Response (EDR)
 	Penetgration Testing Services
 	Zero Trust Network Architecture

among many other unqiue operatives.
Level Requirements and Certification Process
So, what is CMMC compliance? It all starts with the primary levels.

CMMC levels are like milestones on your journey to becoming fully protected against cyber attacks. There are five levels, starting from basic cyber hygiene practices at Level 1 to advanced and progressive cybersecurity measures at Level 5.

Each level builds on the previous one, meaning as you move up, your business's cybersecurity gets stronger. Getting certified is about proving your commitment to cybersecurity at each step of the way.

To get certified, a business must go through a detailed assessment conducted by authorized personnel. This assessment looks at how well the business meets the requirements of the level they are aiming for.

The process requires preparation, like reviewing your current cybersecurity practices and making the necessary improvements.

Achieving a higher level of certification not only means better protection, but it also shows clients and partners that your business takes cybersecurity seriously. This journey requires effort and dedication, but the rewards in terms of trust and security are well worth it.
CMMC Compliance Checklist
Start by understanding where your business stands in terms of cybersecurity. This means taking a good look at your current security practices and seeing how they match up with CMMC's levels.

Next, focus on identifying the gaps. Find out what you're missing to reach the level of security you're aiming for.

This could involve updating your technology or training your team on cybersecurity best practices. After you know what needs to be done, make a plan to address these gaps.

This plan should include clear steps and a timeline. Don't forget to regularly check how you're doing against this plan and adjust as needed. Keeping track of progress is key to making sure you don't miss anything important.

And finally, when you're ready, go through the official assessment to get your certification.
Implementing CMMC
Before you begin, it's important to assess your starting point. This is where a gap analysis comes into play for businesses aiming for CMMC compliance.

During a gap analysis, you take a close look at your current cybersecurity measures and compare them to the CMMC standards. This analysis helps identify the areas where your security practices might be lacking.

It highlights the gaps between where your cybersecurity stands and where it needs to be according to CMMC levels. Knowing these gaps is the first step in strengthening your defenses against cyber threats.

It sets the stage for making improvements and moving towards compliance. Without this crucial assessment, businesses might miss key areas that need enhancement, leaving them vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Developing a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M)
After identifying the gaps through analysis, the next step is to lay out a roadmap for addressing them. This roadmap is known as the Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M). It's a detailed plan that outlines the specific actions needed to cover the gaps in cybersecurity practices.

Each item on the list is a step towards a safer, more secure environment. The POA&M includes what actions are required and who will be responsible for them. It also dictates when they should be completed.

It's about fixing problems as well as setting clear goals and deadlines to ensure progress.

This plan is a living document, so it can be updated as situations change or new information comes to light. Keeping the POA&M up to date helps businesses stay on track towards achieving CMMC compliance.

It provides a clear view of the journey ahead, making it easier to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity improvement.

By following the POA&M, businesses can systematically address their cybersecurity weaknesses and move closer to the desired level of CMMC certification.
Los Angeles IT Support and Services for CMMC Compliance
Navigating the path to CMMC compliance can feel incredibly dense and tough to navigate.

Thankfully, IT outsourcing services can act as a guide, helping businesses find their way. These outsourced IT support services play a big role in making sure a business meets the cybersecurity standards required by CMMC. They offer expertise and resources that might not be available in-house, especially for small or medium-sized businesses.

For example, vulnerability assessments are a type of service that can be particularly helpful. These assessments help identify weak spots in a business's cyber defenses.

Another valuable service is cybersecurity training for employees. Many cyber attacks happen because of simple mistakes, like clicking on a harmful link. So training can greatly reduce this risk by educating staff on what to avoid.

Local IT support can also assist with setting up secure networks and monitoring systems for any suspicious activity. By working with IT support services, businesses can ensure they're not only compliant with CMMC but also have a stronger defense against any cyber threats that come their way.
Maintaining and Improving Cybersecurity Post-CMMC Certification
Earning CMMC certification is a significant achievement. But the journey doesn't end there. Keeping your cybersecurity strong and up-to-date is an ongoing process.
Continuous Monitoring and Improvement
After getting certified, continuous monitoring becomes key. This means always keeping an eye on your systems to catch any unusual activity that could signal a cyber threat.

Regular check-ups are also part of this process. These are like health check-ups for your cybersecurity, making sure everything is working as it should.

Improving your managed IT security services is just as important. As technology evolves, so do cyber threats. Staying ahead means regularly updating your defenses with the latest security measures.

This could involve updating software, adding new tools, or changing procedures to make them safer.
Training and Awareness for Employees
Employees play a huge role in keeping a business safe from cyber threats. Most cyber attacks happen because of small mistakes, like clicking on a link in a phishing email.

This is where training and awareness come in. By teaching employees about the risks and how to avoid them, you're building a human firewall to fight  cybersecurity issues. It's like teaching everyone in your family how to spot a burglar.

Training should cover the basics of cybersecurity, how to recognize phishing attempts, and safe online practices. It's not a one-time thing, either.

Regular updates are important since cyber threats are always changing. Your business should continue education programs where the curriculum evolves to keep up with new threats.

Awareness campaigns within the company can also help. These might include regular updates about new threats and tips for staying safe online. It could also include reminders of the company's cybersecurity policies.

It's about keeping cybersecurity at the forefront of everyone's mind, so it becomes part of the daily routine.

Maintaining and improving cybersecurity after achieving CMMC certification is vital for keeping your business safe. It's an ongoing commitment to protecting your data, your employees, and your customers.

This not only helps in safeguarding your business but also in maintaining the trust of your clients and partners.
Challenges and Considerations in Achieving and Maintaining CMMC Compliance
Getting and keeping your CMMC certification can be tricky. Like any big project, there are challenges along the way.

One common hurdle is understanding the technical requirements. These rules can be complex and might seem like a foreign language at first.

It's important to take the time to really get what they mean for your business. This might involve some extra studying or getting help from experts.

Another challenge is making sure everyone in your company is on board. This is key because cybersecurity isn't just about fancy technology. It's also about how people behave, like being careful about what links they click on or emails they open.

Getting everyone to follow new rules or adopt new habits can take time and patience.

When it comes to keeping your certification, staying up to date is a big deal. Cyber threats are always changing, and so are the technologies to fight them.

This means you can't just get certified and then forget about it. You need to keep learning and adapting. Think of it as an ongoing mission to keep your business safe.

To smooth out the journey, planning is essential. Know what you're up against, get the right help, and keep your team informed and involved. By staying alert and ready to learn, you can navigate these challenges and keep your business secure.
Achieving Long Term CMMC Compliance
Achieving and maintaining CMMC compliance is a continuous journey that strengthens your business against cyber threats. It requires understanding, effort, and commitment at all levels of your organization.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is a Los Angeles-based IT support company founded in 2007. We pride ourselves on being unlike other IT service providers.

We provide realistic strategies on time and within budget.

At Be Structured, we believe you deserve IT services and cutting-edge technology that works for you and not against you.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you!
- Categories: CMMC, Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance

#### Computer Network Installation Done Right: Why It's Crucial for Long-Term Business Success
A high-performing network is the backbone of any modern business. Without a reliable infrastructure, communication suffers, productivity declines, and security risks increase. 
Professional network installation ensures that businesses operate efficiently while staying protected from costly downtime and cyber threats.
The tech support managers at Be Structured recently shared the ultimate guide for installing a network in just ten steps. Now let's look at why the proper instal is so vital to a company's long-terms health and growth.

The Critical Role of Professional Network Installation
Proper network installations do more than connect devices. It enhances efficiency, strengthens security, and prepares businesses for future growth. Rather than dealing with frequent disruptions or performance issues, companies with a well-structured network can focus on strategic objectives.
Professional network installation lays the groundwork for seamless operations. Expertly designed systems prevent bottlenecks, improve data flow, and optimize resource distribution. As businesses scale, a well-planned network adapts to new demands, supporting additional users and technologies without sacrificing performance.
Boosting Productivity and Reducing Downtime
Operational efficiency hinges on uninterrupted access to critical resources. A professionally installed network minimizes downtime, ensuring employees can perform their tasks without disruption. When systems run smoothly, workflows become more efficient, leading to increased productivity and better collaboration.
Unplanned outages can have serious consequences. Delays in communication, lost data, and missed deadlines can damage a company’s reputation. By working with a managed service provider, businesses gain access to 24/7 monitoring and support, which helps prevent costly interruptions before they occur.

Installing your network properlythe first time saves time and money later.
Strengthening Security Through Expert Network Setup
Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, making a secure network more important than ever. A professional network IT support company implements best practices to safeguard sensitive data and protect against unauthorized access. Firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encrypted connections help mitigate potential threats.
Security also extends to access control. Businesses must ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information. 

A well-configured network provides role-based access, multi-factor authentication, and real-time threat monitoring. Investing in professional security solutions reduces vulnerabilities and keeps critical assets safe.
Scalability: Preparing for Future Growth
A company’s network must evolve alongside its growth. A structured, scalable design ensures that businesses can integrate new technologies, accommodate additional users, and expand operations without experiencing performance bottlenecks.
Cloud integration plays a vital role in modern network strategies. Businesses that adopt cloud-based solutions benefit from greater flexibility, remote accessibility, and cost efficiency. 

As an IT support company specializing in network installation, we can seamlessly integrate cloud services, optimizing performance and security while ensuring smooth data transfers.
Key Components of Professional Network IT Support
A well-designed network requires continuous support and maintenance. Several factors contribute to long-term network stability:


 	Structured Cabling: An organized cabling system reduces signal interference and enhances data transmission speeds.
 	Cloud Integration: Seamless connectivity to cloud platforms improves accessibility and operational efficiency.
 	Proactive Monitoring: Continuous oversight ensures early detection of potential issues, reducing downtime and security risks.

Partnering with a local IT support provider ensures that businesses receive expert guidance, troubleshooting, and optimization tailored to their specific needs.

The Role of Network Installation in Business Continuity Planning
A professionally installed network plays a significant role in business continuity planning. A robust network infrastructure ensures that operations remain uninterrupted, even during unexpected events such as cyberattacks, power failures, or natural disasters.
Redundancy and failover systems are essential components of a resilient network. By implementing backup connections and cloud-based recovery solutions, businesses can minimize the impact of outages and maintain seamless operations. 

Professional network installation services provide businesses with strategies for mitigating risks and ensuring operational stability in uncertain situations.
Optimizing Network Performance for Maximum Efficiency
A well-installed network goes beyond basic connectivity. Optimizing performance requires strategic planning and the use of advanced technologies to ensure seamless communication and data transfer. This includes:


 	Quality of Service (QoS) Configuration: Prioritizing essential applications and services to maintain optimal performance.
 	Load Balancing: Distributing network traffic efficiently to prevent bottlenecks and slowdowns.
 	Wireless Network Optimization: Ensuring strong, reliable Wi-Fi coverage throughout the workplace.

By implementing these strategies, businesses can maintain a high-performance network that supports daily operations without slowdowns or interruptions.

Compliance and Regulatory Considerations
Many industries are subject to strict compliance and regulatory standards regarding data security and network management. Businesses operating in healthcare, finance, and manufacturing must adhere to regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO standards.
Professional IT support in Los Angeles ensures that network installations meet industry-specific compliance requirements. Secure data handling, encrypted connections, and regular audits help businesses avoid regulatory penalties while maintaining trust with clients and partners.
Future-Proofing Your Business with AI and Automation
As businesses continue to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies, network installation must evolve to support these advancements. AI-driven analytics, automated threat detection, and predictive maintenance require a network that can handle increased data loads and processing demands.
A well-structured network supports seamless AI integration, allowing businesses to leverage automation for improved decision-making, enhanced security, and more efficient workflows. By investing in scalable network solutions, businesses can stay ahead of technological advancements and maintain a competitive edge.

24/7 monitoring is almost as important as a professional network installation
Supporting a Remote and Hybrid Workforce
The rise of remote and hybrid work models has increased the need for reliable network infrastructure. Businesses must ensure seamless connectivity for remote employees while maintaining security and performance. 
A professional outsourced IT support company can implement VPNs, secure remote access solutions, and cloud-based collaboration tools to keep remote teams productive and secure.
By prioritizing secure and efficient remote network solutions, businesses can adapt to changing work environments without compromising performance or data protection.
Industry-Specific Network Solutions
Different industries have unique networking requirements. For example:


 	Healthcare: Requires HIPAA-compliant networks with robust security measures and fast access to patient data.
 	Manufacturing: Needs IoT connectivity for automated systems and real-time equipment monitoring.
 	Finance: Demands high-security standards to protect sensitive financial transactions and client information.

Partnering with an experienced IT support company ensures that industry-specific networking needs are met, optimizing both performance and compliance.

Ongoing Support for Long-Term Network Stability
Network installation is not a one-time project—it requires ongoing management to remain efficient and secure. A managed IT services provider offers continuous monitoring, routine maintenance, and security updates to keep systems performing at their best.
Preventative maintenance is essential in mitigating risks. Regular performance assessments, security audits, and software updates prevent vulnerabilities from developing into major problems. With outsourced IT support, businesses can access specialized expertise without the overhead costs of an in-house IT team.
Take the Next Step Toward a More Reliable Network
A professionally installed network is a vital investment in your business’s success. From improved efficiency to enhanced security and long-term scalability, expert network installation sets the foundation for seamless operations.
Don’t wait for network failures to disrupt your business. Be Structured provides comprehensive network installation and IT support in Los Angeles to help companies optimize their infrastructure. 

Secure a competitive advantage with a reliable, future-ready network. Schedule a free consultation today to strengthen your business’s IT foundation.
- Categories: Managed It Services, Network installations
- Tags: Network Installation, network support

#### Computer Systems Breach: What to Do?
Although some people are excited about the benefits of progressing technology, other people have their eye on the increasing prevalence of crime that depends on advanced computer systems.

For example, cyber attacks target more and more businesses all the time. Although some businesses have gotten away so far with ignoring cyber security, it is probable that the future culture of business will emphasize the importance of protecting sensitive data

That is why it is so important to learn as soon as possible what to do after a computer systems breach. The local SoCal businesses that choose to make IT security in Los Angeles a priority will flourish while their competitors will learn from hard experience the importance of adapting to the new technological landscape.

So what should you be doing when you suffer a computer systems breach?

Read on to learn all about the most important steps to take to minimize the damage in the aftermath of a breach!
Announce When a Computer System Is Breached
The first thing to do is make a careful announcement of the situation. Businesses have at their disposal a lot of essential information and technical expertise among their employees.

To make the most of this resource, people need to know what is going on. On top of that, your clients have a right to know about the state of the data that they have provided you with.

It can be difficult to face telling customers that something so negative has happened. However, it is far better to do so as soon as possible than to put it off or try to hide it.

Putting it off can make customers think that you do not have their best interests at heart. Trying to hide things multiplies this problem many times over.

At most, you can sit down and put together a plan for how to manage the breach. That way, you can announce what you intend to do to customers when you inform them about the breach.

If you are unsure, you can reach out to a Los Angeles managed service provider or outsourced tech support companies near you to strategize the best way to proceed.

No matter what, always keep in mind that it is not only the right thing to do and a savvy business strategy to inform your customers. If you do not inform your customers, you may be subject to lawsuits down the line.

It is also worth remembering that even if you try to hide a data breach from customers, your employees are going to know. If they perceive mistakes in how you manage the data breach, they may lose trust in you and you may lose essential talent.
Secure Your Computer Operating Systems
Some people react in the aftermath of a data breach in a way that makes things worse. When you become aware of a breach, you need to be very careful about how you proceed.

For example, you should not shut down your computer or even hit the power button. If you decide to turn off your computer systems in the end, you should do so by unplugging the power. Otherwise, your computer will modify system files while shutting down, which is often just what a piece of malware needs to secure its hold.

You should also get as much information as possible about a breach when it happens. Store all the logs you can in a separate location. You may find logs on your general systems as well as in specific tools like firewalls and routers.

You should also record every action you take in response to a breach. Otherwise, it may be impossible to retrace your steps and figure out how to proceed in the future.

When you find a data breach in one system, you should start monitoring all of your systems for similar problems. You don't want to let an initial problem become a distraction that keeps you from noticing other problems.
Find Out What Data Was Breached
You need to know with precision what data you have lost. There is a big difference between how to respond to lost financial information and lost data that would allow criminals to steal the identities of customers, employees, or business leaders.

You should keep in mind that even simple information like the date of birth of a person can be enough to help a bad actor steal their identity. On top of that, a lost email account password can provide bad actors with access to huge quantities of internal communications between business leaders and employees.
Test Security Measures on Your Computer Systems
Apply pressure to your cyber security measures to find out where they break. Going through this process can help you figure out how to improve your business IT services and security systems in the future.
Update Your Delta Computer System Defenses
Once you know what went wrong during the breach as well as what could go wrong in the future, update your cybersecurity to defend against all known breach vulnerabilities. However, you should still keep in mind that you may be subject to further breaches in the future.
Update Protocols When a Computer System Is Breached
In order to prepare for the worst, make sure you update your response protocols. When people know what to do in response to a breach, you can help them keep from taking a bad situation and making it worse.
Back Up Your Data
You can minimize the damage from many kinds of breaches by having backups of all of your data. At the very least, that can mean that you have the data you need to continue to operate your company while managing a breach. On top of that, backing up your data can protect you from employee errors and other issues.
Understand What to Do After a Computer Systems Breach
When you know what to do after a computer systems breach, you can run your business with greater peace of mind. That can free up essential cognitive resources to devote to growing your business rather than worrying about how bad actors might undo what you have done. That makes getting your computer systems breach protocols and defenses in place an investment that will more than pay for itself.

To learn more about how to manage your cybersecurity, reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!
- Categories: Security

#### Continuity Without Compromise: How Thomas Safran & Associates Maintains Seamless Onsite IT Support with Be Structured
IT Support Los Angeles Case Study
Written by Director of Customer Success, Dave Lopez


Client Profile
Thomas Safran & Associates (TSA) is a Los Angeles-based real estate development and property management firm with a portfolio of over 6,000 residential units across 75+ properties. Known for its leadership in affordable and supportive housing, TSA partners with public and nonprofit organizations, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to provide housing that strengthens communities and serves vulnerable populations.
Challenge
With more than 250 employees across multiple locations, TSA depends on responsive, hands-on IT support to ensure daily operations run smoothly. Since 2020, Be Structured Technology Group has supported TSA through a dedicated On-Premise Resource, Nestor — a full-time System Administrator embedded within TSA’s team.

Over time, Nestor became a trusted presence in the organization, known for his professionalism, composure, and ability to resolve issues quickly, especially for executive-level staff. When he prepared to take parental leave, the leadership team had understandable concerns about maintaining continuity.

“I had a concern… We do have a couple of people that are pretty high-maintenance… and Nestor deals really well with all of that,” said Renee Groves, CFO of Thomas Safran & Associates. “As the CFO… when something goes wrong, I need it fixed right now. I can’t go into a long queue.”
Solution
To ensure uninterrupted service, Be Structured deployed Aaron, a secondary On-Premise Resource selected for both his technical skill and his interpersonal fit with TSA’s culture. The transition was thoughtfully coordinated, allowing Aaron to become familiar with TSA’s systems and team before taking over fully.

“It was the smoothest transition ever… absolutely seamless — and that’s super unusual in any position. He was collected, responsive. It was seamless.”

Behind the scenes, Aaron was supported by Be Structured’s Service Desk and a Technical Account Manager (TAM) with long-standing knowledge of TSA’s environment. This layered model provided proactive planning and real-time escalation support throughout the leave period.
Results
The temporary coverage period passed without issue. Service levels remained consistently high, and the leadership team — including executive users — continued to receive timely, personal support.

“We’re happy to have Nestor back, but now we miss Aaron. You’ve hired some phenomenal people… I would steal them in a heartbeat.”

More than just a successful short-term coverage effort, this experience demonstrated the strength and reliability of Be Structured’s On-Premise Resource program as it services IT support for real estate and property management. The model is built to deliver consistent, human-centered IT support, even through planned or unexpected transitions.
Why It Works
Be Structured’s On-Premise Resource program delivers full-spectrum IT support tailored to the day-to-day needs of customer environments. Each resource is backed by a Technical Account Manager who serves as a fractional IT Director, along with HQ-based system administrators and engineers who provide overflow and escalation support.

When a primary resource is unavailable, Be Structured makes intentional staffing decisions based on both capability and fit.

“It changed the experience, not just in perception of service, but in the experience of the service.”
Advice to Other Companies
Renee shared that she was initially skeptical of the managed services model. But after years of partnership and a seamless transition during Nestor’s leave, she now strongly endorses the On-Premise Resource approach.

“I didn’t think Be Structured was the right choice for us when we first got into this… but Nestor coming in changed everything. Having the resource sit in your office is 100 times worth it, especially for a company our size. When I walk in and hand someone my laptop, it feels different. It feels personal, like someone understands how urgent it is.”
Looking Ahead
With Nestor scheduled for another upcoming leave, TSA has already arranged for Aaron to return. That kind of planning and confidence is made possible by a service model built around continuity, adaptability, and a deep commitment to customer care.

“You did a phenomenal job in that transition. I can’t say enough about it.”

 
- Categories: IT Support, IT support for Property Management, Managed It Services

#### Corporate Data Backup and Hacker Protection: The Ultimate Guide
Your corporate data backup strategy is like a seatbelt for your company. You never think you need it until you're in a crash.

If your data were a car, it's not just about locking the doors and parking it in a good neighborhood. You need an impenetrable fortress surrounded by an unscalable wall and moat filled with virtual alligators.

It's not being paranoid. It's about being prepared.

Whether it's safeguarding sensitive client information, vital internal documents, or proprietary software, this guide is your ultimate roadmap to not only protecting your assets but also thriving in today's digitized business world.

So, get ready as we steer your company toward a journey of fortified data safety and hacker resilience. This is the go-to guide you've been waiting for, the one that will turn question marks into action plans. Stick around, and let's navigate this complex, ever-changing landscape together.
Collecting Data: The Lifeblood of Your Business
Data is to your business what oxygen is to humans; you can't survive without it. And it's not just any data; we're talking about various types of data like customer data, financial data, and operational data.

Oh, and let's not forget that random data about how many cups of coffee your team consumes in a week. Every snippet counts!

But gathering data is only the first step; you also need to store it safely and make it accessible to the right people at the right time. This is where an IT support company comes into play. For businesses in Southern California, seeking out local IT support and managed IT services in Los Angeles can provide you with a robust framework to collect, store, and manage your data securely.
Cybersecurity: More Than Just Hacker Protection
While preventing hackers (and they're next level this year) from accessing your treasure trove of data is an ongoing battle, it's not the only fight in town. There's also the task of making sure you follow all the rules and regulations, like CMMC compliance or general cybersecurity compliance.

Let's be clear; these aren't just pesky boxes to tick. They're designed to make sure you're driving your data car safely and responsibly. Ignoring these could lead to dire consequences like hefty fines or, worse, a total shutdown.

But don't fret; this is where local IT services in Los Angeles shines. They act as your navigational system, helping you not just avoid hacker roadblocks but also ensuring you stay within the lines of legal requirements.
Outsourced IT Support: The Way to Go?
The thought of managing every aspect of your company's IT needs in-house is as daunting as trying to build a spaceship in your backyard. It might be possible, but why go to those lengths when there are experts who can do it better?

Finding the best outsourced technical support, especially if you're based in the vast regions of Los Angeles, can take this monumental task off your plate. They have specialists who eat, sleep, and breathe IT security.

For instance, if you're in need of specialized cyber protection, there are cyber security companies in Los Angeles focused solely on creating secure firewalls. They implement effective data backup strategies and ensure that your business is as hacker-resistant as a vault at Fort Knox.
Finding the Right IT Support: A Los Angeles Story
Being in a bustling city like Los Angeles gives you more than just great weather and Hollywood glamour; it gives you options, especially when it comes to IT support. There's a wide variety of services to pick from, such as general IT services to specialized Los Angeles IT support.

But don't just go with the first name that pops up in a Google search. You'll want to find a local IT support provider that understands not just the tech landscape but also the unique business environment of your area.

This isn't about just outsourcing tech work; it's about building a partnership with a provider that gets you and your business.
Keeping All Your Outsourced IT Support in Sync
Sure, there are a ton of services you need, but how do you get them all under one roof? This is where business IT services and security packages come into the limelight.

The beauty of this approach is that you don't need to source different vendors for data backup, cybersecurity, and system management. Especially in areas like Los Angeles, you can find outsourced tech support companies offering a comprehensive suite of services.

Think of it like a one-stop shop for all your tech needs, reducing your need to micromanage multiple services and freeing up your time to focus on growing your business.
The Dollars and Cents: Why They Matter
You might look at the costs for managed IT services and think, "Is this really necessary?"

The answer is a resounding yes.

We're talking about an investment in your business's future and safety. One slip-up and one data breach can cause irreparable damage to your company's reputation and bottom line.

Managed IT services, whether through IT support companies in Los Angeles or other locations, provide a security net that helps you avoid financial pitfalls and keeps your reputation gleaming.
Business IT Services: Beyond Just Data
While data is a significant component of your business, it's not the only thing that requires your attention. Other technical elements like network installation, maintenance, and cloud migration are also crucial.

Business IT services aren't just about putting up hacker-proof barriers or backing up data. They're about creating a resilient and efficient operational environment.

In places with a competitive tech scene like Los Angeles, you can find a range of services. We're talking about services such as IT consulting to full-blown managed service providers. They're all geared towards making your business as agile and secure as possible.
Corporate Data Backup in a Nutshell
If you're still reading, bravo! Your commitment to keeping your data secure is commendable. The main takeaway about corporate data backup?

Think of data backup and hacker protection as the yin and yang of corporate health. One complements the other, and both are essential. And hey, you don't have to go it alone.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we offer reputable managed IT support services that will enhance your enterprise.

To learn more, get in touch with us today!
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### Creating a Comprehensive Security Plan: Combining Dark Web Scanning and Phishing Prevention
Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, and attackers are getting bolder and more creative. An effective security strategy must go beyond antivirus software and firewall protections. 
For those serious about preventing data breaches and identity theft, integrating dark web phishing prevention is essential.


Dark web phishing prevention involves knowing how to handle phishing attacks combined with proactive monitoring of leaked credentials and training users to recognize phishing attempts. 
Together, dark web scanning and phishing email training can help identify potential risks before they become full-blown attacks. When implemented as part of a layered security strategy, this approach can significantly reduce vulnerabilities.

The Link Between the Dark Web and Phishing Threats
Cybercriminals use the dark web to buy and sell stolen information, including login credentials, credit card numbers, and sensitive business data. Once data is exposed, phishing attempts often follow. Criminals pose as trusted entities, leveraging stolen details to trick employees into sharing even more access.
Phishing protection isn’t just about blocking malicious emails. It’s about understanding the lifecycle of a phishing attack—from data theft to user deception. That’s why dark web scanning and phishing email training are critical. Scanning helps detect compromised credentials, while training helps users spot the signs of an attack.

Building Blocks of an Integrated Security Strategy
A comprehensive cybersecurity plan must include several key components working in concert. Password policies, advanced endpoint protection, secure configurations, and network monitoring are foundational. But these measures must be reinforced with continuous monitoring of stolen credentials and training to resist social engineering.


Don't get caught on the wrong end of line when it comes to clone phishing attacks.
Dark web phishing prevention is one of the most effective ways to close these gaps. Scanning tools continuously monitor underground marketplaces for signs that your data has been compromised. When paired with phishing protection tools, organizations gain both visibility and defense.

Recognizing and Handling Phishing Attacks
One of the most dangerous aspects of phishing is how convincing attacks can look. Scammers often impersonate vendors, coworkers, or executives. Knowing how to spot a phishing email can mean the difference between a secure system and a compromised network.
Telltale signs of phishing emails include unusual requests, misspellings, mismatched URLs, or unexpected attachments. Training users to identify these cues is as important as the filters used to block malicious emails. Empowered users are a powerful line of defense.
Organizations should also document procedures for handling phishing attacks. Prompt reporting and quarantine steps can help contain threats. A fast response also provides IT teams with valuable insight into what tactics are being used.

Why Businesses Should Care About Dark Web Monitoring
The dark web might seem distant and abstract, but its impact on your business is direct. Once employee credentials or client information make it into the hands of cybercriminals, the path to financial loss and reputational damage is short.
Proactively monitoring the dark web allows organizations to detect threats before damage is done. For instance, if a business email and password combination appears in a breach, the company can immediately enforce password resets and access reviews.
This visibility is crucial for preventing privilege escalation and lateral movement within networks. Dark web phishing prevention closes the loop between what’s leaked and how it could be used to launch targeted phishing campaigns.

Phishing Email Training as a Culture Builder
Cybersecurity is no longer just the responsibility of IT departments. Every employee plays a role.

Dark web scanning and phishing email training foster a culture of awareness and accountability.

Simulated phishing exercises provide employees with safe, real-world experience. These exercises 

reveal knowledge gaps and improve readiness. Over time, this leads to better reflexes and reduced 

susceptibility to attacks.


Training should be ongoing, not a one-time event. Cyber threats evolve constantly, and so must your team’s awareness. Pair this training with real-time monitoring of the dark web for a dynamic, responsive defense.

Secure Your Web Browser
Web browsers are often the first point of contact for phishing attacks. Cybercriminals use malicious ads, fake login pages, and drive-by downloads to exploit vulnerabilities. That’s why securing the browser environment is a non-negotiable part of your cybersecurity strategy.
Use browser extensions that block pop-ups and enforce HTTPS connections. Keep all browser software updated. And consider implementing centralized browser management policies for company devices.
Combining these steps with dark web phishing prevention strengthens your defense against attacks that begin with browser-based exploits. This is how you can secure your web browser from threats.

The Role of Access Management in Dark Web Phishing Prevention
Phishing attacks often aim to gain access to internal systems. Once inside, attackers escalate privileges or exfiltrate data. Strong access control can prevent this.
Use the principle of least privilege to limit access to what each user needs. Require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all critical systems. Monitor login attempts and flag unusual behavior.
Integrating these controls with dark web scanning ensures that if stolen credentials are detected, actions can be taken immediately to restrict access.

Dark Web Scanning for Credential Exposure
Credential exposure is one of the biggest threats from dark web activity. With so many data breaches occurring across third-party services, it’s easy for a user’s work email and password to end up online without their knowledge.
Dark web scanning continuously searches for these exposures. When a match is found, IT can initiate immediate remediation. This might include resetting passwords, revoking access tokens, or initiating a forensic investigation.

Combined with phishing protection tools, this creates a loop of detection, prevention, and response.
Remote Work and Increased Exposure
The shift to remote and hybrid work has opened up new vulnerabilities. Employees may access systems from personal devices or unsecured networks, increasing the risk of phishing and credential theft.
Dark web phishing prevention is especially important in these environments. Monitoring for leaked credentials, training remote employees to detect phishing, and securing endpoints are vital for maintaining strong defenses.
Organizations should also deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor activity across devices.

The Importance of Regular Risk Assessments
Cybersecurity isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. Threats change, systems evolve, and new vulnerabilities emerge. Regular security assessments help identify blind spots and keep defenses current.
As part of these assessments, businesses should evaluate their phishing defenses and dark web monitoring efforts. Are credentials showing up in breaches? Are employees passing simulated phishing tests? These insights help guide strategy.
Routine audits also support compliance efforts and provide documentation for incident response planning.


Protect your business against the dark web.
Pairing Threat Intelligence with Employee Training
Threat intelligence platforms offer insight into emerging phishing tactics and known malicious domains. This data can be fed into email filtering systems and awareness training programs.
Sharing intelligence with employees—without overwhelming them—keeps security top of mind. For example, showing real phishing samples from recent campaigns can increase vigilance.
Dark web phishing prevention doesn’t just rely on software. It thrives when people understand the threats and are trained to respond appropriately.

Collaboration Between Security Tools and Human Vigilance
No tool is perfect. Even the best filters can miss a cleverly crafted phishing email. That’s why combining technology with human intuition is essential.
Dark web scanning and phishing email training complement each other. Scanning alerts IT to potential risks. Training helps users recognize and avoid them. Together, they create a security framework that adapts to evolving threats.
Security awareness platforms that integrate both training and incident reporting can turn employees into active participants in your security strategy.

Making Security a Shared Priority in Dark Web Phishing Prevention
Every organization has assets worth protecting. Cyber threats don’t take breaks, and neither should your defenses. To prevent breaches, businesses must invest in both proactive monitoring and ongoing user education.
Dark web phishing prevention is not just a checkbox. It’s a continuous, adaptive process that requires vigilance, strategy, and commitment. Protecting your systems means staying ahead of the attackers by anticipating how and where they’ll strike.
Start by evaluating how your current security measures address phishing and credential exposure. Implement dark web scanning. Train your team regularly. Build a system that evolves as threats do.


At Be Structured, we build layered, adaptive cybersecurity solutions that include dark web monitoring and phishing protection. Schedule a free consultation to see how we can help you reduce risk and strengthen your organization’s defenses.
- Categories: Clone phishing, Cybersecurity, Email
- Tags: dark web, Phishing

#### Credential Theft Prevention: Implementing Smarter Access Controls
Credential theft is no longer an abstract cybersecurity concern—it’s a pressing reality with the power to disrupt operations, tarnish reputations, and inflict financial harm. 
In a world increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure, access security is the frontline defense against evolving cyber threats.
As hackers refine their techniques and insider threats grow more common, organizations must adopt access control strategies that are proactive, adaptive, and deeply integrated with broader IT systems. 
The path to stronger security begins with understanding how credentials are compromised—and how smarter, layered defenses can keep attackers out.

Credential Theft and Its Consequences
Credential theft occurs when malicious actors gain unauthorized access to usernames, passwords, and other authentication data. These stolen credentials are often sold on the dark web or used directly to infiltrate systems.
The consequences can be severe:


 	Unauthorized data access and exfiltration
 	Deployment of ransomware
 	Financial fraud and intellectual property theft
 	Compliance violations and legal penalties

For organizations that rely on IT network support services, compromised credentials don’t just represent an IT issue—they pose a strategic risk that impacts every department, from operations to finance.

How Cybercriminals Steal Credentials
Credential theft rarely involves brute force alone. Threat actors employ a variety of techniques:


 	Phishing: Attackers impersonate trusted entities to deceive users into entering login information.
 	Credential Stuffing: Using stolen credentials from one breach to access accounts on other platforms.
 	Man-in-the-Middle Attacks: Intercepting data transmissions to capture login details.
 	Session Hijacking: Stealing session tokens to bypass authentication entirely.
 	Social Engineering: Manipulating employees into sharing credentials under false pretenses.

These methods exploit both technological vulnerabilities and human psychology, which is why modern must be multifaceted.


Why Passwords Alone Are Obsolete
Passwords are notoriously insecure, especially when users rely on simple or repeated combinations. A single weak password can open the door to your entire network. According to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of a breach is $4.88 million, with stolen credentials being responsible for around 16% of breaches. 
As companies adopt hosted cloud solutions and hybrid work environments, the traditional password barrier becomes even easier to bypass. What’s needed now is a layered defense model that assumes no entry point is safe without verification.

Expanding the Toolkit: Advanced Access Security Measures
Implementing smarter access controls requires a blend of technologies and policies that go beyond password protection. These are some of the most effective strategies:

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA adds layers of security by requiring users to present multiple forms of verification. Whether through a time-based token, fingerprint scan, or security key, MFA reduces the likelihood of unauthorized access—even if a password is compromised. For example, the benefits of implementing 2FA into your business also include improved customer experience.

2. Single Sign-On (SSO)
SSO simplifies user authentication by enabling one set of credentials across multiple platforms. It not only improves user experience but also decreases the chances of password reuse, a common vulnerability exploited in breaches.

3. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
RBAC ensures that users only access systems relevant to their job. By limiting permissions, organizations reduce the potential damage in the event of a compromise.

4. Privileged Access Management (PAM)
With PAM, organizations control and monitor high-level accounts that have access to critical systems. Time-bound access, credential vaulting, and real-time monitoring enhance oversight.

5. Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust network architecture eliminates assumptions of trust within a network. Every access request is evaluated in real time based on user identity, device status, location, and more.
These five methods form the foundation of modern access security frameworks. But for true protection, businesses must also consider context-driven and behavioral defenses.

Context-Aware Access: Taking Security a Step Further
Context-aware access dynamically adjusts authentication requirements based on situational risk. For example, a login attempt from an unknown IP address or during off-hours may trigger additional verification steps. Key elements of context-aware access include:


 	Geo-location data
 	Device fingerprints
 	Time-of-day analysis
 	Behavioral analytics

This adaptive model aligns with the principles of Zero Trust and provides deeper visibility into user behavior. It’s particularly effective when integrated into outsourced IT solutions that monitor and respond to security anomalies in real time.

The Growing Role of AI in Access Security
Artificial intelligence is changing the way organizations think about cybersecurity. AI-powered tools can detect abnormal access patterns, flag unusual login attempts, and automate threat responses.
For example:


 	An AI engine might recognize that a user who typically logs in from California is suddenly trying to access a system from Europe.
 	It can correlate this with device ID and access time to determine risk levels.
 	Based on predefined policies, access can be granted, denied, or escalated to a human administrator.

This level of automation not only strengthens security but also improves efficiency for cybersecurity managed service providers who need to scale protection across multiple clients.

Email Security and Access Control Go Hand in Hand
Credential theft often begins in the inbox. Phishing emails are still one of the most effective ways to trick users into revealing their login credentials, that’s why it’s important to learn how to recognize phishing emails from regular emails.
A strong email security strategy is critical to preventing credential-related breaches:


 	Advanced spam filtering and sandboxing
 	Link scanning and URL rewriting
 	Real-time threat intelligence
 	End-user phishing simulations and training

Many organizations bundle email protection with access security protocols to ensure end-to-end defense against social engineering and malware delivery.


Regulatory Pressures and Compliance Requirements
Regulations such as HIPAA, SOX, and GDPR increasingly mandate strong access control measures. Failure to comply can result in steep penalties and loss of customer trust.
To meet compliance obligations, businesses often turn to managed IT services providers that specialize in policy implementation, audit preparation, and ongoing system monitoring.
Modern access security frameworks help ensure:


 	Proper documentation of access controls
 	Timely deprovisioning of former employees
 	Encrypted credential storage
 	Audit trails for all login activity

In regulated industries, access control isn’t just best practice—it’s a legal requirement.

How Access Security Supports Business Growth
Implementing advanced access controls isn’t just about defense. It also enables agility and scalability.
Secure remote access allows businesses to support distributed teams without compromising data. Role-based permissions improve collaboration while keeping sensitive assets protected. And robust PAM makes it easier to onboard third-party vendors or contractors securely.
For organizations embracing digital transformation, strong access security is an enabler—not a limitation.

Our Role in Your Access Security Strategy
At Be Structured, we don’t offer cookie-cutter solutions. We work directly with your team to assess risks, define access policies, and implement tools that fit your operational needs. We help organizations:


 	Deploy MFA and SSO with minimal disruption
 	Design Zero Trust roadmaps that scale with growth
 	Monitor user activity with behavioral analytics
 	Integrate context-aware access into existing platforms
 	Implement secure identity solutions for remote and hybrid teams

Whether you’re a small firm needing basic protections or a growing enterprise navigating compliance, our IT outsourcing company delivers strategic, scalable solutions that evolve with your needs.

Secure Access, Secure Business
Every access point is a potential target. With cyber threats on the rise, relying on traditional passwords is no longer viable. Forward-thinking organizations are investing in smarter, integrated access control frameworks that prevent breaches before they start.
The tools are available. The technology is proven. What’s needed now is action.


Schedule a free consultation with our team to explore how smarter access controls—custom-built for your environment—can fortify your defenses, reduce operational risk, and support your growth with confidence.
- Categories: Cybersecurity
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Phishing Scams

#### Cryptojacking - Part 2
In A Review of Cryptojacking, we examined how a Cryptojacking attack is launched. Many attacks are now launched towards Cloud based Infrastructures as well, which is the focal point of this blog.
Cryptojacking & The Cloud
It is important to keep in mind that the Cryptojacker is not just out to steal the processing and electrical resources of your individual computer and/or wireless device.  They are also out to attack the overall Cloud Infrastructure, as there are many more resources that can be used to launch even stealthier and more covert Cryptojacking attacks.
A prime example of this is Tesla. They are an auto manufacturing company and have used the Amazon Web Services (AWS) for their Cloud Infrastructure needs.  In this particular instance, they made use of an open source platform available from Google called the “Kubernetes System”.  This is an application which allows for businesses and corporations to completely automate the deployment, scaling, and the management of containerized Cloud based applications.
Tesla had deployed the Kubernetes System onto their AWS Platform, but it was not made secure enough (there was no administrative password that was created and implemented), so various Cryptojackers were able to gain access to their overall AWS Environment. After this was accessed, numerous Cryptojacking mining scripts were then covertly installed onto the particular Kubernetes System instances.
As a result of this, the Cryptojacker was then able to gain 100% control of Tesla’s AWS processing and electrical resources, and then use that to launch multiple Cryptojacking attacks.  They were also able to gain access to sensitive information and data, which were located in Tesla’s AWS Simple Storage Service (S3) buckets.
The Cryptojackers also used other tactics to avoid detection. For example, they made use of private Mining Pool Software packages, which was then utilized to instruct the mining scripts to connect to an unlisted endpoint. By making use of this approach, existing Domain and IPI based threat detection systems could not pick up on the Cryptojacking activities that were taking place.
The Cryptojackers were also able to mask the true IP address of the mining pool by hiding them behind a Content Delivery Network known as “CloudFlare.”  They were even able to make use of nonstandard Network Port Numbers to secretly communicate with the hidden IP addresses.  This is was all done in an effort to keep CPU usage low. This strategy allowed for any type of suspicious network-based traffic to go undetected for long periods of time.
Typically, Cryptojackers have made use of JavaScripts to leverage their attacks.  Now, they are using more advanced techniques such as the exploitation of Zero Day Vulnerabilities and compromising Network Endpoints in order to create Cryptojacking Botnets.  In fact, 80% of organizations that rely upon the AWS or Microsoft Azure to house their IT Infrastructures are at risk of falling victim to a Cryptojacking attack.
Although not using a password (or even a weak one for that matter) can be a major cause for these kinds of attacks, the implementation of very poor-quality API Access Rules also exposes root accounts to be further manipulated in order to launch Crpytojacking attacks.
Conclusions
Our next and final blog in this series will provide various tips and recommendations as to you how you can protect your IT Infrastructure from a Crpytojacking Attack taking place.
- Categories: Crypto, Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats

#### Cybersecurity Compliance: What Your Business Needs to Know
Are you aware that 60% of small businesses close within six months of a cyberattack?

In today's world, keeping your business's data safe can be the difference between success and closing your doors.

For B2B businesses, protecting your data means protecting your clients' trust. Cybersecurity compliance is the key to staying secure. Without it, your business risks losing money, facing legal trouble, and damaging its reputation.

This article will show you what you need to know to achieve and maintain cybersecurity compliance and ensure your business stays safe and strong.
What Is Cybersecurity Compliance?
Cybersecurity compliance means following rules and guidelines to protect your business's data. Governments and industry groups set these rules to protect sensitive information. Compliance involves putting security measures in place, like:

 	Firewalls
 	Encryption
 	Regular security checks

It also means training employees to recognize and prevent cyber threats. By following these rules, businesses can reduce the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.
The Importance of Cybersecurity Compliance
For B2B businesses, cybersecurity compliance is crucial. When you handle sensitive data from clients and partners, you need to ensure it stays safe.

A data breach can damage your reputation and cause clients to lose trust in your business, which can lead to lost contracts and revenue. Additionally, failing to comply with cybersecurity regulations can result in hefty fines and legal trouble.

There are several strategies to help cybersecurity compliance including Endpoint Detection and Response as well as penetration testing.

By prioritizing cybersecurity compliance, B2B businesses can:

 	Protect their data
 	Maintain strong client relationships
 	Avoid costly penalties

Key Regulations to Know
B2B businesses must follow various regulations to keep their data safe. These rules ensure that companies protect sensitive information and maintain trust with clients.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
The GDPR applies to any business handling the personal data of EU citizens, even if the company is outside the EU. It requires businesses to protect personal data and respect privacy rights.

Key points include:

 	Getting consent for data use
 	Ensuring data security
 	Reporting breaches within 72 hours

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
HIPAA is a U.S. law that applies to healthcare providers, insurers, and their business partners. It sets standards for protecting sensitive patient information. Businesses must ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of health data.

They must also train employees on data privacy and implement strong security measures.
CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)
The CCPA gives California residents more control over their personal data. It applies to businesses that collect or sell the personal information of California residents.

Key requirements include:

 	Informing consumers about data collection practices
 	Allowing them to opt out of data sales
 	Providing access to their data

Consequences of Non-Compliance
Failing to meet cybersecurity regulations can have serious consequences for B2B businesses.

One of the biggest aspects that can affect your bottom line is the large fines for non-compliance imposed by regulatory bodies. For example, GDPR violations can result in fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. HIPAA fines can range from $100 to $50,000 per violation, with a maximum annual penalty of $1.5 million.

Data breaches can result in costly legal fees, compensation to affected clients, and expenses for repairing the damage. Businesses may also face increased insurance premiums.

A failure to comply with cybersecurity regulations can harm a business's reputation. Clients and partners may lose trust and negative publicity can deter potential clients and affect future business opportunities.

Victims of data breaches can sue businesses for failing to protect their information.

One common lawsuit is a class action that can result in substantial settlements and legal costs. Regulatory bodies may also take legal action against non-compliant businesses.
Common Cybersecurity Threats and Data Breaches
Understanding the impact that comes with non-compliance highlights the importance of strong cybersecurity measures. B2B businesses must stay vigilant to protect their operations and maintain the trust of their clients.

The first step to compliance is to understand the threats that risk your business' integrity.
Phishing
Phishing attacks trick employees into revealing sensitive information. Cybercriminals use emails that look real, like messages from banks or business partners. These emails contain links to fake websites designed to steal login details or other information.

Once criminals have access, they can:

 	Steal data
 	Make unauthorized transactions
 	Launch more attacks

Teaching employees to spot phishing attempts is crucial to provide phishing protection for the entire company.
Malware
Malware, or malicious software, includes:

 	Viruses
 	Worms
 	Spyware
 	Trojans

It can enter systems most commonly through email attachments and software downloads. Once inside, malware attacks can damage files, steal information, and monitor user activity.

Some malware can spread across networks, affecting many devices. Using antivirus software and keeping systems updated helps protect against malware.
Ransomware
Ransomware locks down a business's data or systems until a ransom is paid. These attacks often start with a phishing email or a software vulnerability.

Once activated, ransomware encrypts files, making them inaccessible. The attackers demand payment for a decryption key. Paying the ransom does not guarantee data recovery. Businesses must have strong backups and recovery plans.

Regularly updating software reduces vulnerabilities.
Insider Threats
Insider threats come from within the organization and can be either malicious or accidental. Malicious insiders might steal data, sabotage systems, or sell information. Accidental insiders, like careless employees, can harm the business by ignoring security rules or falling for scams.

Both types can lead to big data breaches and disruptions. Using strict access controls, monitoring activities, and fostering a security-conscious culture can help prevent insider threats.
Impact of Data Breaches on B2B Businesses
A data breach can halt business operations, causing downtime and lost productivity. Restoring systems and data can take time and money.

For example, ransomware can lock businesses out of critical systems. This forces them to operate manually or shut down. The disruption affects internal processes and client services, which can lead to missed deadlines and unfulfilled contracts.

Clients expect their data to be secure. A data breach can erode trust and cause clients to take their business elsewhere. This loss of trust is hard to rebuild. For instance, if a financial services firm loses client data, clients might move their accounts to a competitor.

Failing to protect data can result in hefty fines and legal action. Regulatory bodies may impose penalties for not following data protection laws. For example, violations of the GDPR can result in huge fines.

Legal battles and settlements can further drain resources.

News of a data breach can spread quickly and hurt a business's reputation. This bad publicity can scare off potential clients and partners and a tarnished reputation can take years to fix. Businesses must act fast to manage public relations and show commitment to better security.
Steps to Achieve Cybersecurity Compliance
Achieving cybersecurity compliance involves several key steps. The following can be great first steps on how B2B businesses can meet regulatory requirements and protect their data.

If your business resides in Southern California, consulting with a cyber security company in Los Angeles can have many money-saving benefits as well.
Conducting a Risk Assessment
Start by assessing potential risks and vulnerabilities within your business. Identify where your sensitive data is stored and who has access to it.

Evaluate your current security measures and find any weaknesses. This helps you understand the risks your business faces and prioritize the areas that need the most attention.
Implementing Security Measures
Once you know your risks, implement strong security measures to protect your data, with:

 	Firewalls
 	Encryption
 	Secure access controls
 	And more

Firewalls act as a barrier between your internal network and external threats. They monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on security rules to block unauthorized access to your systems.

Encryption converts data into a code to prevent unauthorized access. Use encryption for data stored on devices and for data transmitted over the internet. Even if data is intercepted, it cannot be read without the decryption key.

Limit access to sensitive information to only those who need it. Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security. Penetration testing is also a viable way to protect against potential threats.

Install antivirus and anti-malware software to protect against malicious attacks. Regularly update all software and systems to fix security vulnerabilities. Implement a robust backup strategy to ensure you can recover data in case of a breach or system failure.
Regular Monitoring and Audits
Keep an eye on your network and systems to detect any unusual activity. Use security information and event management (SIEM) tools to collect and analyze data from various sources.

Conduct regular audits to review your security measures and ensure they are effective. Audits help identify any gaps in your security protocols and provide an opportunity to update them. They also ensure that your business remains compliant with regulatory requirements.
Employee Training and Awareness
Educate employees about cybersecurity best practices and the importance of following security protocols. Training should cover topics like:

 	Recognizing phishing emails
 	Safe internet browsing
 	The proper handling of sensitive information

Run regular awareness campaigns to keep cybersecurity top of mind for your employees. Use emails, posters, and meetings to remind them of the importance of data security and the role they play in protecting it.
Cybersecurity Compliance for Small B2B Businesses
Small businesses often have limited budgets and fewer employees. This makes it harder to invest in advanced cybersecurity tools and hire dedicated IT staff. With fewer resources, small businesses may struggle to implement comprehensive security measures.

Many small businesses lack in-house cybersecurity expertise. Without trained professionals, it's challenging to understand and address the complexities of cybersecurity compliance. This can leave small businesses vulnerable to threats and regulatory penalties.

Cybercriminals often target small businesses because they assume these companies have weaker security. A successful attack can have a devastating impact on a small business, more so than large enterprises as they may withstand financial losses and damaged reputation.
Cost-Effective Solutions for Small B2B Businesses
Thankfully, there are solutions on the market that may alleviate some of the costs without compromising cyber compliance.

One effective solution is to outsource IT services to a managed service provider (MSP). MSPs offer a range of cybersecurity services, including:

 	Monitoring
 	Risk assessments
 	Incident response

On top of that, there are many affordable security tools available that can help small businesses protect their data. For example, using free or low-cost antivirus software, firewalls, and encryption tools can provide essential protection.

However, these free tools may not provide the same protection as a premium tool.

Investing in employee training is a cost-effective way to enhance cybersecurity. Educating employees on best practices can significantly reduce the risk of attacks.

Even with limited resources, small businesses can implement basic security measures to improve their defenses. This includes:

 	Setting up secure access controls
 	Backing up data regularly
 	Ensuring all devices are protected with up-to-date software

These simple steps can make a big difference in enhancing security.

Cloud services can offer robust security features at an affordable price. Many cloud providers offer built-in security measures, such as encryption and regular backups.

Using cloud services can also reduce the need for expensive on-site hardware and IT infrastructure.
Introducing Be Structured Technology Group
At Be Structured Technology Group, we understand the challenges small B2B businesses face in achieving cybersecurity compliance.

Our expert managed IT services offer around-the-clock monitoring and risk assessments to identify and fix vulnerabilities. We provide affordable and scalable solutions, ensuring you get the best protection within your budget.

We customize security plans to meet your specific needs, including:

 	Firewalls
 	Encryption
 	Regular audits

Our proactive threat management keeps your business safe by continuously monitoring systems and updating security measures.

We also offer reliable disaster recovery and backup solutions to protect your data. With personalized support and attention, we are dedicated to securing your business and ensuring compliance.
Achieve Cybersecurity Compliance With the Leading Cybersecurity Providers in Los Angeles
Ensuring cybersecurity compliance is crucial for your business's success. Without it, your business is at risk of losing the trust of your clients, which can lead to significant financial losses.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we provide top-tier IT support to help you stay compliant and secure. Partnering with us is like having your own professional IT department. We tailor our services to drive productivity and growth, allowing you to focus on your core business.

Let us handle your tech support and security needs, so you can focus on growing your business.

Get in touch with us for a 100% free consultation.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance, Tips & Tricks

#### Cybersecurity Essentials for 2025: Protecting Your Business from Current Threats
​The digital threats businesses face in 2025 are increasingly advanced and disruptive. Cybercriminals are moving beyond traditional malware and phishing, targeting critical infrastructure, exploiting supply chains, and using AI to amplify their success. To remain resilient, organizations must prioritize cybersecurity essentials more than ever.
The surge in breaches affecting financial and healthcare data proves no industry is safe. Cybersecurity essentials today go well beyond firewalls and antivirus software. Companies face threats from organized crime groups, sophisticated phishing campaigns, and evolving ransomware tactics. 
Attackers exploit both technology gaps and human behavior, making security a board-level concern as much as an IT function. With incidents escalating in frequency and cost, multi-layered defenses that integrate technology, people, and policies are no longer optional.

Why Cybersecurity Essentials Matter in 2025
Cybersecurity has become more than a defensive measure. Today, it is a business continuity requirement. With the cost of a global data breach averaging $4.4 million in 2025, according to IBM, and projected to grow in 2025, failure to secure sensitive information can be devastating. 
Beyond financial penalties, organizations risk reputational harm and long-term trust issues with customers and partners. Cybersecurity essentials for 2025 include a mix of technical tools, security policies, and human readiness. 
Firewalls and endpoint detection systems are only one piece of the puzzle. Businesses must adopt layered strategies that address both external threats and insider risks.

Current Threat Trends Businesses Must Watch
Hackers are constantly adapting, and their methods in 2025 are more sophisticated than ever. The following categories reflect the most pressing risks companies need to understand and defend against.

Ransomware Attacks
​Ransomware remains one of the most destructive threats. Modern strains often use “double extortion,” where attackers not only encrypt files but also steal sensitive data to threaten public release. 
The FBI reported ransomware complaints increased 33% year-over-year in 2024, with damages surpassing $16 billion. Some attackers now target backup systems, forcing companies to weigh ransom payments against complete data loss.


Cybercriminals are using AI to target critical infrastructure and supply chains.
Phishing and Social Engineering
Phishing remains one of the most common entry points for breaches. Attackers now employ AI to create personalized messages that mimic trusted senders with alarming accuracy. Unlike traditional spam, these campaigns are highly targeted and convincing.
Phishing messages often bypass filters and exploit human psychology. That makes phishing protection an essential layer of defense. Companies must combine detection technology with employee awareness to minimize the likelihood of a successful attack.

Supply Chain Exploits
Rather than targeting a single organization, attackers often compromise vendors or software providers to gain broader access. These attacks ripple across industries, as seen in the infamous SolarWinds breach. 
In 2025, attackers increasingly exploit trusted integrations like cloud services or third-party SaaS platforms. Businesses need to carefully vet vendors and establish strong monitoring practices. The supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, making this one of the most difficult attack surfaces to secure.

AI-Powered Cybercrime
Generative AI tools now allow attackers to create deepfake audio and video impersonations of executives. These are used for financial fraud, manipulation, or even spreading misinformation about a company. Deepfake-driven scams are harder to detect and erode trust in digital communication.
For businesses, AI-powered threats underline the importance of being proactive with cybersecurity threats. Traditional detection methods may not be enough to counter adversaries using advanced automation.

Case Studies: When Cybersecurity Fails
The consequences of a single breach can ripple across industries. Recent examples highlight why companies need to prepare with both technology and policy safeguards.
In March 2025, Allianz Life, a leading insurer, disclosed a breach affecting around 200,000 customers. Attackers accessed personal and financial data, forcing Allianz to notify regulators and impacted clients. While Allianz acted quickly to contain the incident, the reputational damage underscored how even highly regulated industries remain vulnerable.
The January 2025 Episource breach showed how ransomware can cripple organizations tied to critical industries. Episource provides risk adjustment and analytics services for healthcare. When attackers disrupted its systems and exposed sensitive patient data, healthcare partners faced disruptions in reporting and compliance. This incident highlighted how attackers exploit pressure points in industries where downtime is unacceptable.
Both cases emphasize that breaches don’t only affect the compromised company. They also endanger clients, partners, and entire industries dependent on those services.

Core Cybersecurity Threats for 2025
Protecting against today’s threats requires a layered approach. These essentials form the backbone of any modern defense strategy.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Passwords alone are insufficient. Multi-factor authentication requires users to provide additional proof of identity, such as a text message code, app confirmation, or biometric verification. This drastically reduces the success rate of credential theft attacks.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
With employees using multiple devices in remote and hybrid settings, monitoring endpoints is critical. EDR systems track unusual activity and allow IT teams to respond quickly before threats escalate.

Network Segmentation
Separating critical systems from general operations limits the spread of attacks. If ransomware hits one part of the network, segmentation can prevent it from reaching sensitive databases.

Regular Security Audits
Proactive assessments help organizations spot vulnerabilities before attackers do. These include penetration testing, vulnerability scans, and compliance audits to ensure ongoing resilience.

Security Awareness Training
Employees remain a key target, making the importance of security training impossible to ignore. Staff who understand how to recognize suspicious emails, unsafe links, or social engineering attempts are less likely to fall victim to common traps.


AI allows cybercriminals to use deep fake videos to scam unsuspecting targets.
Public-Facing Asset Protection
Every digital asset is a potential entry point. Businesses must monitor and secure their public website and domain protection strategies to prevent hijacking, spoofing, or defacement. These attacks harm credibility and can redirect customers to malicious sites.

Incident Response Planning
Even with strong defenses, incidents can still occur. A written response plan outlines the steps to contain, investigate, and recover from a breach. Organizations that test and refine their plans regularly experience less downtime when attacks happen.

Beyond Tools: Building a Cybersecurity Culture
Technology solutions are vital, but culture is equally important. Organizations that treat cybersecurity as a shared responsibility across departments are better equipped to withstand attacks.
This means encouraging employees to report suspicious activity, fostering transparency after near-miss incidents, and investing in continuous improvement. Building resilience requires collaboration between leadership, IT teams, and every employee.
Culture also means allocating proper resources. While tools like firewalls and EDR provide protection, organizations must budget for ongoing maintenance, updates, and response capabilities. That investment reinforces long-term security instead of relying on quick fixes.

Why Proactivity Matters More Than Ever
The attacks of 2025 show that reactive approaches are insufficient. Allianz Life and Episource acted quickly after their breaches, but they still faced significant fallout. Prevention, rather than recovery, should guide strategy.
Being proactive means monitoring networks 24/7, educating employees, and updating defenses regularly. It also means engaging experts who specialize in IT outsourcing and managed security services. For many organizations, outsourcing offers access to advanced expertise without the cost of building large in-house teams.
Hybrid models, where internal staff collaborate with external experts, are particularly effective. They provide local insight combined with global threat intelligence, ensuring layered coverage from multiple perspectives.

Taking Action on Cybersecurity Essentials
Cybersecurity in 2025 demands vigilance, layered defenses, and a proactive mindset. The most recent breaches prove that attackers are relentless and highly capable of exploiting weak points in even the most secure environments. 
Businesses that adopt cybersecurity essentials, from MFA and EDR to awareness training and incident response planning, will be positioned to minimize risk and safeguard their reputation. At Be Structured, we help organizations strengthen their defenses with comprehensive IT security services. Our team delivers continuous monitoring, expert response, and advanced protections tailored to industry needs. 
We understand the many benefits of managed IT services, including resilience against evolving threats and reduced costs compared to hiring an entire in-house team. 
Protecting your business in 2025 requires action today. Schedule a free consultation with us and learn how we can help you build a security strategy that keeps your organization ahead of emerging risks.
- Categories: Cybersecurity
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats

#### Cybersecurity for Law Firms in Los Angeles: What ABA, CCPA, and California Compliance Rules Require
Cybersecurity for law firms is the set of technical and administrative controls — access management, encryption, monitoring, and incident response — that a legal practice must have in place to protect privileged client data, satisfy ABA Model Rule 1.6, and meet California's data protection requirements under CCPA and Formal Opinion 2020-203. It differs from general business cybersecurity because a single misconfiguration doesn't just create a data breach risk; it can create a professional responsibility and bar complaint risk. For a full breakdown of managed IT services for legal practices, see our IT support for law firms in Los Angeles page — this piece focuses specifically on the security and compliance layer underneath that support.
What Makes Law Firm Cybersecurity Different From General Business Cybersecurity?
Law firm cybersecurity has to account for attorney-client privilege in a way that standard business security frameworks don't. A generic cybersecurity provider will encrypt data, patch systems, and run antivirus — and still miss the controls a law firm specifically needs: ethical wall enforcement between attorneys on conflicting matters, access permissions structured around individual client matters rather than departments, e-discovery-ready data retention, and integration with legal-specific platforms like document management systems. That gap is exactly why specialized IT support for law firms exists as its own category rather than a subset of general business IT.
Around 79% of law professionals now use AI in their workflow, which adds a new and largely ungoverned attack surface most cybersecurity frameworks weren't built to address. A firm's security posture has to extend to those tools, not just its network perimeter.
The Compliance Landscape Los Angeles Attorneys Must Navigate
Before evaluating security controls, it helps to understand the specific legal and ethical obligations that define what "adequate" cybersecurity actually means for a California law firm.
ABA Model Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Information
ABA Rule 1.6 is the foundation of attorney confidentiality obligations. It requires lawyers to make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of client information.
Critically, the ABA has clarified through formal opinions that "reasonable efforts" in the current environment means implementing appropriate technical safeguards — not just following general data security practices, but actively addressing the specific risks that legal technology introduces.
For a Los Angeles law firm, Rule 1.6 compliance has direct cybersecurity implications. Every system that stores, transmits, or processes client information must be configured with access controls, encryption, and monitoring appropriate to the sensitivity of that data. A misconfigured document management system, an unencrypted email attachment containing privileged communications, or an improperly decommissioned server are not just security gaps — they're potential ethics violations.
Around 79% of law professionals use AI in their workflow.
California Formal Opinion 2020-203 and CCPA
California has gone further than the ABA's national guidance. California Formal Opinion 2020-203 makes clear that attorneys practicing in California must take active, reasonable steps to protect electronically stored client information, and that the standard of care evolves as technology and threats evolve. This opinion has specific implications for cloud storage, third-party vendor access, and the use of AI tools in legal practice.
The California Consumer Privacy Act adds another layer for firms that handle personal information belonging to California consumers. While attorney-client privileged information has specific CCPA carve-outs, law firms that collect personal data outside the direct attorney-client relationship — intake forms, marketing databases, vendor contracts — carry CCPA obligations that require documented data handling practices and the ability to respond to consumer rights requests.
The ABA Technology Survey Reality
The ABA's 2025 technology survey found that nearly three-quarters of law firms now use cloud-based legal platforms for document management or practice management. Yet only 60% of firms have formal cybersecurity policies in place.
That gap — widespread cloud adoption without corresponding security governance — is precisely where law firm cybersecurity risk concentrates. The same survey found that while multi-factor authentication adoption has grown, phishing and ransomware remain the dominant attack vectors targeting law firms, with smaller firms disproportionately affected due to less mature security infrastructure.
Law firm cybersecurity has to account for attorney-client privilege in a way that standard business security frameworks don't.
What Law Firm Cybersecurity Actually Covers
The distinction between a general cybersecurity provider and a legal-specialized one isn't technical competence in isolation — it's domain knowledge that prevents compliance-damaging decisions from being made in the first place.
Document Management System Security
Los Angeles law firms rely on a handful of enterprise document management platforms, each with different security and configuration requirements.
NetDocuments is a cloud-native document management system widely used by mid-to-large firms. Security configuration must include Single Sign-On, document-level access permissions, version control audit trails, and integration with the firm's identity provider.
iManage is an on-premise or cloud-hosted DMS with a more complex infrastructure footprint. It requires SQL Server database management, specific network port configuration, and careful integration with Microsoft 365. Backup procedures for iManage must account for its proprietary database structure — a generic backup approach will produce unusable restoration data.
Clio is a cloud-based practice management platform widely used by small to mid-sized firms. Security requirements are lighter than iManage or NetDocuments, but proper configuration of Clio's two-factor authentication enforcement and integration with billing systems still requires platform-specific knowledge.
Ethical Wall Enforcement
Ethical walls (also called information barriers) are technical and administrative controls that prevent attorneys working on conflicting matters from accessing each other's client files. For firms handling matters with actual or potential conflicts — common in litigation, corporate, and real estate practice — ethical wall enforcement is an ethics obligation, not just a security configuration preference.
A legal-specialized cybersecurity provider knows how to implement ethical walls within document management systems, email platforms, and shared drives: configuring access permissions at the matter level, auditing those permissions regularly, and ensuring configurations survive system updates and migrations. A general provider is unlikely to flag an ethical wall failure as a risk because they may not know what an ethical wall is.
E-Discovery Readiness
E-discovery obligations can arise with little warning, and the ability to respond to a legal hold notice quickly is both a legal requirement and a competitive differentiator for litigation firms. Cybersecurity infrastructure must support:
 	Legal hold implementation — preserving specific custodians' data immediately, preventing routine deletion policies from destroying responsive material
 	Data mapping — knowing where client matter data lives across email, document management, cloud storage, and collaboration platforms
 	Collection and processing — collecting data in formats compatible with review platforms like Relativity, Everlaw, or DISCO
 	Chain of custody documentation — audit trails that establish the integrity of collected data
AI Governance and Shadow AI Risk
Around 79% of legal professionals now use AI tools in their practice, but most of that use is happening without formal governance. Attorneys using personal or free-tier AI accounts to draft documents or summarize depositions may not understand the data handling implications — and entering privileged client communications into an unapproved AI platform may constitute a disclosure under Rule 1.6. Law firm cybersecurity now has to include an AI governance framework, not just network and endpoint protection.
Document Management Platform Security Comparison
NetDocuments
iManage
Clio
Deployment model
Cloud-native
On-premise or hosted
Cloud-native
Best fit
Mid-to-large firms
Firms with complex infrastructure needs
Small-to-mid firms
Core security requirement
SSO + document-level permissions
SQL Server hardening + M365 integration
2FA enforcement + billing integration
Ethical wall support
Matter-level access controls
Matter-level access controls
Basic role-based permissions
Backup complexity
Moderate
High — proprietary database structure
Low
Identity provider integration
Required for enterprise use
Required
Optional
The Technical Controls Every Los Angeles Law Firm Needs
Beyond platform-specific expertise, law firm cybersecurity must deliver a baseline of controls that satisfy Rule 1.6's reasonable-efforts standard and California's data protection obligations.
Multi-factor authentication should be enforced across email, document management, remote access, and any cloud platform the firm uses. With phishing remaining the dominant attack vector against law firms, MFA is the single most effective control for preventing unauthorized access from compromised credentials.
Encrypted remote access (VPN) is essential for any attorney working outside the office. Unencrypted remote connections — still common in smaller firms — create privilege exposure every time an attorney connects from home, a hotel, or a client's office.
Next-generation firewalls perform deep packet inspection, application-layer filtering, and intrusion detection. A basic firewall that filters by IP address is insufficient for a legal environment where threats include sophisticated phishing, lateral movement, and application-layer data exfiltration.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) should run on every device that accesses firm data, including personal devices under BYOD. Basic antivirus is not EDR — EDR platforms monitor device behavior continuously and catch threats signature-based antivirus misses.
Email security with attachment sandboxing, phishing detection, and impersonation protection is not a place to economize, given that phishing remains the primary attack vector against law firms.
Data loss prevention (DLP) controls detect and block the transmission of sensitive data outside approved channels — including client data sent to personal email accounts, uploaded to unapproved cloud storage, or processed by unauthorized AI tools.
How to Audit Your Law Firm's Cybersecurity Posture
Follow these steps to assess whether your firm's current cybersecurity meets the standard expected under ABA Rule 1.6 and California's attorney data protection obligations.
 	Map where privileged data lives. Identify every system that stores or transmits client information — local drives, email, document management, cloud storage, shared folders — and who has access to each one.
 	Test your ethical wall configurations. Pick a matter with an actual or potential conflict and verify that attorneys outside that matter cannot access the file. If your firm has no documented ethical wall procedure, that's a gap that needs immediate attention.
 	Confirm MFA is enforced everywhere, not just on email. Compile a list of every system that touches client data and check enforcement one by one — a single system without MFA is a potential entry point for the whole network.
 	Pull your backup and restoration records. Verify backups cover your DMS, email, and cloud platforms, and request documentation of the last successful restoration test.
 	Run an e-discovery tabletop exercise. Walk through a hypothetical legal hold notice covering a specific matter over the past three years. If implementing the hold and locating responsive data would take days rather than hours, your readiness needs work.
 	Survey attorneys and staff on AI tool usage. Compare what's actually being used against your approved tool list, if one exists. The gap between the two is your current shadow AI exposure.
 	Review your incident response plan for legal-specific obligations. Confirm it addresses bar counsel notification, client notification, and cyber insurance reporting timelines — a generic incident response plan built for a retail business will miss these.
Only 60% of firms have formal cybersecurity policies despite 73% already using cloud legal platforms.
FAQs: Cybersecurity for Law Firms in Los Angeles
What is cybersecurity for law firms?Cybersecurity for law firms is the set of technical and administrative controls — including access management, encryption, endpoint protection, and incident response — built specifically to protect privileged client data and satisfy an attorney's confidentiality obligations under ABA Model Rule 1.6. It differs from general business cybersecurity because it must also account for ethical walls between matters, e-discovery readiness, and the security requirements of legal-specific software like document management systems.What does ABA Model Rule 1.6 require from a cybersecurity standpoint?ABA Model Rule 1.6 requires attorneys to make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of client information. In practice, this means every system that stores, transmits, or processes client data needs access controls, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and ongoing monitoring. The ABA has clarified that "reasonable efforts" evolve as technology and threats change, so controls considered adequate five years ago may no longer meet the standard.Does California impose cybersecurity obligations beyond ABA rules?Yes. California Formal Opinion 2020-203 requires California attorneys to take active, reasonable steps to protect electronically stored client information, and explicitly acknowledges that the standard evolves with technology. The California Consumer Privacy Act adds further obligations for firms that collect personal information outside the direct attorney-client relationship, such as intake forms and marketing databases.What is an ethical wall and how does cybersecurity support it?An ethical wall (or information barrier) prevents attorneys on conflicting matters from accessing each other's files and communications. It's enforced through matter-level access permissions in document management systems, email access restrictions, and audit logs that confirm the wall is working. These configurations need to survive system updates and migrations and should be reviewed regularly.What e-discovery capabilities should be part of a law firm's cybersecurity setup?A firm's cybersecurity infrastructure should support legal hold implementation, data mapping across every system that stores matter data, collection in formats compatible with review platforms like Relativity or Everlaw, and chain-of-custody documentation. These capabilities should be configured in advance, not assembled after a legal hold notice arrives.How does AI use create a cybersecurity risk for law firms?When attorneys use AI tools to process client information, the tool's data handling practices have to be consistent with Rule 1.6 confidentiality obligations. Using a free-tier or personal AI account to process privileged communications may constitute an unauthorized disclosure. Firms should implement an AI governance policy identifying approved tools with appropriate data protection agreements and prohibiting personal accounts for firm work.What baseline technical controls does law firm cybersecurity require?At minimum: multi-factor authentication across every system touching client data, encrypted VPN access for remote attorneys, a next-generation firewall with intrusion detection, endpoint detection and response (EDR) on every device, email security with phishing and impersonation protection, and data loss prevention controls to catch client data leaving approved channels.
Law Firm Cybersecurity Is a Professional Responsibility Issue
The compliance and ethics obligations that govern Los Angeles law firms don't pause when a phishing email reaches a paralegal's inbox or a document management misconfiguration exposes privileged files. The standard of care under ABA Rule 1.6 and California Formal Opinion 2020-203 applies continuously, which means the cybersecurity infrastructure supporting that compliance has to be continuously maintained, monitored, and updated by people who understand what's at stake.
Be Structured provides cybersecurity and managed IT services for law firms in the Los Angeles area, with deep experience in legal document management, ethical wall enforcement, e-discovery readiness, and the compliance frameworks that govern California attorneys. For a broader look at our managed IT services for legal practices, contact us today to schedule a cybersecurity assessment for your firm.
- Categories: cybersecurity compliance, IT support for law firms

#### Cybersecurity for Nonprofits: Risks, Warning Signs & How to Get Protected
Cybersecurity for nonprofits means applying the same threat monitoring, email security, backups, and compliance controls that large corporations use, scaled to organizations that rarely have a dedicated security team or budget for one. It matters because nonprofits are frequent targets, not despite their limited resources but because of them: within six months of a cyberattack, 60% of small and mid-sized organizations close for good, according to the National Cybersecurity Alliance. Be Structured Technology Group helps Los Angeles nonprofits close that gap with proactive, budget-conscious cybersecurity and managed IT support.
That's why comprehensive, proactive cybersecurity for nonprofits is no longer optional—it's mission-critical.
Nonprofits play an essential role in shaping communities, responding to crises, and driving positive social change. But as these organizations increase their reliance on digital platforms, they also open the door to new and growing cybersecurity risks.
While mission-driven, many nonprofits operate on tight budgets and lean teams. This often translates to under-resourced IT departments or no dedicated IT support at all. That gap can lead to misconfigured systems, outdated software, and poor cybersecurity practices, which attackers are quick to exploit. 
The solution lies in strategic, proactive cybersecurity, tailored to meet both technical and financial realities. For a complete breakdown of what a dedicated managed IT services for nonprofits in Los Angeles plan should include, see our full guide
Why Nonprofits Are Easy Targets for Cybercriminals
Many nonprofits rely on a blend of volunteer labor, aging infrastructure, and patchwork technology solutions. This environment creates a perfect storm for cybersecurity breaches, especially when proper protections aren’t in place. Outdated operating systems, weak password protocols, and unsecured personal devices can leave networks wide open to attacks.
Moreover, nonprofit organizations often store a wealth of personally identifiable information, including donor names, addresses, and credit card details. This data, if compromised, can damage public trust and incur serious legal repercussions. 
That risk is well documented — as noted, 60% of small and mid-sized organizations close within six months of a cyberattack, per the National Cybersecurity Alliance — and a report by DiVa found that only 56% of nonprofits have documented policies related to cybersecurity in the first place.
Adding to the risk is the diversity of skill levels among nonprofit staff and volunteers. With limited IT onboarding, many users unknowingly engage in risky behavior, such as clicking phishing emails or using public Wi-Fi without protection.
Core Cybersecurity Services Every Nonprofit Needs
The right IT support doesn’t just fix problems when they arise—it prevents them from happening in the first place. It should prioritize security, reliability, and scalability, all while remaining budget-conscious.
Cybersecurity must be central to any plan. Partnering with cybersecurity managed service providers gives nonprofits access to professional-grade tools and threat monitoring. These providers help identify weaknesses before they become breaches.
Email security is another high priority. Nonprofit teams are often targeted with phishing attempts. Secure gateways, real-time threat detection, and regular simulations reduce risk and educate staff simultaneously.
Effective nonprofit cybersecurity also includes automated backups and disaster recovery strategies.
With hosted cloud solutions, organizations can take advantage of encryption, access controls, and remote collaboration. These platforms support operational agility while protecting sensitive data.
How Outsourced IT Solutions Empower Nonprofits
Because internal IT teams can be cost-prohibitive, many organizations look to IT outsourcing companies for support. These partnerships bring full-service IT capabilities without the expense of hiring in-house staff.
Outsourced IT solutions offer 24/7 monitoring, proactive maintenance, and immediate support when issues arise. This minimizes downtime and enhances network reliability.
A major advantage of working with IT outsourcing companies is their ability to scale services. As nonprofits grow, their IT needs evolve. Providers of managed IT services, particularly in Los Angeles, adapt infrastructure to meet those needs efficiently.
Expertise is another benefit. Many providers specialize in nonprofit environments and understand compliance standards like PCI-DSS or HIPAA. They tailor services to address sector-specific challenges.
Staff and Volunteer Security Training
Technology alone isn’t enough. People must be trained to use systems securely. That's why a strong nonprofit cybersecurity program includes staff and volunteer training.
Training sessions should teach users how to recognize and handle phishing attacks, use multi-factor authentication, and maintain secure credentials. A cybersecurity-first mindset helps reduce accidental breaches.
Organizations should also create clear internal policies. These might cover password management, remote access, and mobile device use. Reinforcing these policies regularly keeps security practices strong.
Communication is key. Use reminders, visual aids, and short video refreshers to make training a continuous process, not a one-time event.
Choosing an IT Network Support Partner
Nonprofits should evaluate IT providers carefully. Look for vendors that offer IT network support services along with clear, actionable security frameworks.
Effective partners act as strategic advisors, not just repair crews. They guide long-term planning, monitor trends, and help organizations prepare for future challenges.
Avoid one-size-fits-all solutions. The best providers tailor services to organizational goals and offer flexible pricing structures that respect budget constraints.
Proactive approaches—such as regular vulnerability scans, endpoint protection, and detailed audits—show a commitment to partnership and resilience.
Tools and Technologies That Support Nonprofit Missions
Reliable IT support enables nonprofits to do more with less. That means deploying tools that reduce manual workload, enhance collaboration, and protect data.
Secure file-sharing platforms and real-time communication tools streamline teamwork, especially across remote and hybrid setups. Cloud-based software ensures consistency, even when team members are distributed.
Automation can further reduce strain on staff. Tasks like software updates, security patches, and data backups should run automatically to reduce the risk of human error.
Compliance and Risk Management
Data compliance is critical. Many nonprofits handle sensitive financial, health, or personal information. Falling short on regulatory standards can result in fines, damaged reputation, and loss of funding.
Strong nonprofit cybersecurity practices include tools that help maintain compliance with laws like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR.
Managed providers also guide documentation and audit preparation. This ensures nonprofits remain ready for reviews from grantors, boards, or regulatory bodies.
A recent study by IBM reported that the average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million, marking a 10% increase over the previous year.
Warning Signs Your Nonprofit Needs Better Cybersecurity
Not all support is created equal. Nonprofits should take notice if they experience frequent outages, slow response times, or unclear security protocols.
Other red flags include missing or outdated disaster recovery plans, poor training options, or generic service packages that don’t match operational needs.
If your current support doesn’t evolve with your organization, it may be time for an upgrade. The right partner will bring strategic guidance, such as reiterating the importance of a disaster recovery plan, not just temporary fixes.
FAQs About Cybersecurity for Nonprofits
What are the warning signs a nonprofit needs better cybersecurity?Common warning signs include frequent network outages or slow response times from your current provider, no documented disaster recovery plan, unclear or informal security protocols, and a generic service package that hasn't been adjusted as your organization has grown. If your IT support only reacts to problems after they happen rather than monitoring for them proactively, that's also a sign the coverage doesn't match the risk nonprofits actually face.How much does a data breach actually cost a nonprofit?IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report put the average breach at $4.88 million across all organizations, and nonprofits are especially exposed to costs beyond the technical cleanup: donor trust, grant eligibility, and public reputation can all take a hit once a breach becomes public. Because 60% of small and mid-sized organizations close within six months of a cyberattack, the real cost for a nonprofit is often measured in survival, not just remediation dollars.What compliance regulations apply to nonprofit IT systems?The regulations depend on what data a nonprofit handles. Organizations that process credit card donations need to meet PCI-DSS requirements, those with health-related programs may fall under HIPAA, and nonprofits with international donors or beneficiaries may need to consider GDPR. Even without a legal mandate, funders and grantors increasingly expect documented data-security policies as part of grant compliance.Do nonprofit staff and volunteers need cybersecurity training?Yes. Volunteers and seasonal staff often have limited IT onboarding and are frequent targets for phishing attempts, so training on recognizing suspicious emails, using multi-factor authentication, and following basic password hygiene is one of the highest-value, lowest-cost security investments a nonprofit can make. Short, recurring training, rather than a single annual session, keeps the habits current as staff and volunteers turn over.What should a nonprofit ask before hiring a cybersecurity or IT partner?Ask whether the provider has direct experience with nonprofits specifically, since budget constraints, volunteer turnover, and grant compliance all change what "good IT support" looks like. Ask how they price services (flat monthly fee versus hourly break-fix), whether 24/7 monitoring is included or an add-on, and whether they can point to specific experience with donor management or case-management platforms rather than only generic small-business IT support.
Strengthening Security and Stability for the Long Term
Nonprofits don’t have the luxury of downtime or reputational damage. They need technology partners who deliver reliable, cost-effective, and scalable solutions.
The foundation of any successful partnership is a shared commitment to proactive, security-first operations. By investing in long-term support that addresses both technical and human vulnerabilities, organizations can fulfill their missions more confidently.
At Be Structured, we specialize in providing reliable cybersecurity and managed IT services for nonprofits that meet the real-world needs of community-focused organizations.
Schedule a free consultation and discover how we can protect what matters most.
- Categories: Nonprofit IT support
- Tags: IT support, IT support for nonprofits

#### Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2023
The global cybersecurity market could reach $352.25 billion, with an annual growth rate of 14.5%, by 2026. Losses due to cybercrime damages reached $6 trillion in 2021. As a result, 55% of businesses increased their cybersecurity budgets.

Neglecting to consider the latest cybersecurity challenges could leave your business vulnerable. 

We spoke with several of the largest cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles to compile a list of cybersecurity trends to consider applying to your business in 2023.

Recognizing these trends can help you remain proactive. You can protect your business before there's an attack.

Read on to learn more. 
Human-Centric Security
Human error and system error account for 52% of data security breaches. However, 54% of business owners believe their business is too small for a cyberattack. As a result, another 54% don't have a plan in place for reacting to attacks.

Meanwhile, 43% of all attacks target small businesses. About 60% of small businesses go out of business within six months of a cyber attack. 

There was also a 424% increase in new small business cyber breaches last year.

Whether your business is big or small, you are vulnerable. One of the biggest vulnerabilities to your business is your employees. 

Human-centric security design considers the role of your employees. You can adopt human-centric security design practices. These practices can reduce cybersecurity-induced friction.

Unfortunately, most traditional business IT services and security programs don't recognize or reduce insecure employee behaviors. To improve your current cybersecurity, you need to review past incidents. Then, you can identify major sources of cybersecurity induced-friction among your team.

Following this trend can ease the burden on your employees. You can adopt more human-centric controls to reduce friction and risk. 

Most cybersecurity leaders don't consider the people who improve their technology or processes. New trends are taking a human-centric talent management approach. You can attract and retain talent to improve functional and technical maturity.

Enhancing people management can ensure security program sustainability. It can also help you avoid systemic cybersecurity and recruitment challenges.  
Threat Exposure Management
There was a 10% increase in the cost of cybercrime in the past year. About 30,000 websites get attacked daily. A company falls victim to an attack every 14 seconds. 

Unfortunately, a modern enterprise's attack surface is complex. Businesses need to evolve assessment practices to identify potential exposure to threats. Consider implementing a continuous threat exposure management (CTEAM) program.

If you need help, try to find the best cybersecurity company in Los Angeles. Outsourcing your IT needs will save you time and money. With managed IT services, you can protect your business from potential threats. 

Businesses with a CTEM program will suffer fewer breaches. Continue refining threat assessment programs with help from a cybersecurity company. 
Identity Fabric Immunity
Misconfigured elements in your identity fabric can cause a fragile identity infrastructure. Using identity fabric immunity principles can prevent attacks. You can reduce the financial impact of breaches, too.

Identity fabric immunity can protect IAM components. You can use identity threat and detection response (ITDR) to fortify it.
Supporting Value Creation
Technology is moving away from central IT functions. Now, there's a focus on corporate functions, individual employees, and fusion teams. Most employees already perform some kind of technology work. 

Businesses can adjust cybersecurity operating models. Your employees will need to know how to balance:

 	Financial risks
 	Reputational risks
 	Cybersecurity risks
 	Competitive risks
 	Legal risks

Measuring success against your business outcomes can help support value creation. 
Composable Security
Composable businesses need composable security. Composable security involves integrating cybersecurity controls into architectural patterns. They're applied at a modular level in composable technology implementations.

More core business applications use composable architecture. This also requires new approaches to securing applications. 

Using composable security can protect your business by introducing undiscoverable dependencies. You can embed privacy and security using reusable security control objects. 
Cybersecurity Validation
Use new processes and tools to validate how attacks might exploit an identified threat exposure. These tools can automate predictable aspects of assessments. 

More organizations are using consolidated platforms to run validation assessments. Use security control benchmarks to make cybersecurity improvements. 
Platform Consolidation
More vendors are consolidating platforms around major cybersecurity domains. Consolidation can help simplify operations.

For example, you can use a single platform for identity security services. The platform will combine privileged access, governance, and access management features. 

Using a single platform can reduce redundancy. 
Ransomware Extortion
Ransomware started as malware that used data encryption to extort payments. Attackers could demand a ransom for the recovery of data. The increase in ransomware threats encouraged focused security research.

Companies can now restore data from backups without paying a ransom. 

To protect your business, look into Los Angeles cybersecurity companies this year. With help, you can protect your business before a ransomware attack occurs. 
Cloud Third-Party Threats
Unfamiliarity with cloud computing security could leave your business vulnerable. Attackers are now targeting cloud service providers. Cybercriminals can gain access to your customer's sensitive data and IT infrastructure.

Attackers are thereby increasing the scale and impact of their attacks. 

When looking into cybersecurity services, consider cloud computing security as well. 
Mobile Malware
Mobile malware involves masquerading malware as harmless applications. Attackers can infect a mobile device using fake or customized, legitimate apps. 

Attackers are also weaponizing legitimate tools, which aren't often recognized as malware.
Apply These Cybersecurity Trends Today
Don't wait until a hacker or malware threatens your business. Instead, discuss these cybersecurity trends with your managed IT company. Working with one of the top cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles.

They can help protect your business. 

You can take a proactive approach to your cybersecurity needs today.

Want to learn more?

Be Structured Technology Group is here for you.

Contact us today to learn more about cybersecurity services. 
- Categories: cybersecurity compliance, Tips & Tricks

#### Data Backup and Recovery for Remote Workers: Essential Tips and Tools
Cloud platforms, collaboration apps, and flexible schedules have made remote work the new norm. But this shift in workplace dynamics brings a pressing challenge: backup for remote work. 
Dispersed teams, unmanaged endpoints, and personal devices create data vulnerabilities that traditional IT policies were never built to handle.
Without a unified backup framework, files become scattered, updates are missed, and recovery becomes unreliable. To keep business operations secure and resilient, organizations must rethink how they approach data backup and protection for remote workers.

Why Data Backup Services for Remote Work Requires a New Approach
Unlike traditional office environments, remote setups often lack central control over devices and storage. Home networks introduce more variables. Laptops may not connect to the corporate server daily. Employees might use external drives, unsanctioned apps, or personal cloud accounts.
These behaviors are common and understandable. Remote workers prioritize accessibility and speed, but this convenience often comes at the cost of data integrity. Backups become inconsistent. Security policies are harder to enforce. And when files go missing, recovery becomes more complex than simply restoring a shared drive.
This is why data backup and recovery strategies must be tailored to the realities of hybrid and remote workforces. Protecting information no longer depends on securing a central location. Instead, it depends on covering every endpoint, every cloud sync, and every human behavior in between.

The Risk of Informal Backup Habits
One of the biggest threats to data protection isn't ransomware or hardware failure, but employee behavior. Remote workers, without realizing it, often adopt fragmented backup habits that put data at risk.
Many download large numbers of files without syncing them back to shared systems. Some leave laptops unlocked or unencrypted at home. Others use personal devices or unsanctioned cloud platforms that lack centralized oversight. According to recent research, only 15% of IT managers and 12% of users follow best practices by storing backups both locally and in the cloud.
This gap is significant. It means the vast majority of teams are relying on habits, not systems. Without clearly defined tools and protocols, even the most skilled employee can fall into risky behavior.


Reasons Data Backups Are Critical for Remote Teams
Modern business runs on data. Whether it’s a client proposal saved on a laptop, accounting spreadsheets in a shared folder, or product assets stored in the cloud, information must always be recoverable. For distributed teams, any data loss, whether accidental or malicious, can delay projects, impact revenue, or trigger compliance failures.
The reason why data backups are critical goes beyond the threat of system crashes. They include accidental deletion, software corruption, device theft, cyberattacks, and misconfigurations. Even something as simple as a lost USB stick or an outdated app can wipe out weeks of work.
Having a strong backup policy in place doesn’t just protect files. It protects business continuity. It gives teams the confidence that no matter where they work or what devices they use, their data remains safe and recoverable.

Features to Look for in Remote Backup Solutions
Not all backup systems are suited for distributed teams. Legacy solutions often depend on fixed schedules, in-office connectivity, or manual processes. These limitations don't work for employees who may only connect intermittently or operate on personal devices.
Modern tools should support real-time backups, version control, and automatic syncing across multiple platforms. They should include robust encryption during transit and at rest. Just as importantly, they must offer centralized management so IT teams can monitor the health and status of all backups across locations.
Scalability is also key. As businesses grow or contract, backup solutions must adapt without disrupting workflows. Granular control over users, folders, and permissions ensures that only the right people have access to the right data.
This is the foundation for choosing the right data backup and recovery solutions for your business. Look for platforms that integrate easily with your existing stack, support various operating systems, and provide transparent reporting. Recovery time and data retention policies should be clearly defined and adjustable based on your operational needs.

The Ultimate Data Backup and Recovery Guide for Remote Work
Designing the right strategy means thinking beyond storage, and it starts with categorizing data by importance and sensitivity. Not every document needs to be backed up every hour, but financial records, legal contracts, and customer data certainly do.
Next, define where backups will live. A hybrid approach, which combines local storage and cloud-based repositories, offers both speed and resilience. Local backups ensure fast restoration when there’s a failure, while cloud copies protect against physical loss or regional disruptions.
The system must also include clear restore procedures. It’s not enough to know data is being backed up. Teams must know how to retrieve it quickly when something goes wrong. Training and awareness play a major role here, especially for employees who manage their own devices.
Finally, test your backups. Run simulations. Restore old versions. Audit logs. These steps ensure that the system performs under real conditions and evolves with your business.

Challenges Businesses Face Without a Unified Plan
Companies that fail to centralize their backup policies often run into avoidable problems. When devices go offline without syncing, critical files may exist in only one location. If that device is lost or compromised, recovery becomes impossible.

Another issue is conflicting tools. Different departments may use different backup apps, cloud accounts, or retention policies. This fragmentation leads to compliance gaps, inconsistent restore points, and extra IT overhead. In the event of a breach or audit, the lack of visibility becomes a liability.
A dependable backup for remote work setup eliminates these risks. It streamlines operations by giving IT teams full visibility while ensuring end users stay productive. Instead of relying on individual habits, businesses gain confidence through consistent, tested systems.

Turning Backup into a Competitive Advantage
A comprehensive backup plan reduces risks and creates agility. Businesses with reliable data recovery can pivot faster, restore services quickly, and onboard new remote workers without lengthy configuration steps.
These systems also reduce stress on IT teams. Rather than constantly troubleshooting lost files or misconfigured permissions, they can focus on strategic improvements. The result is a more efficient, secure, and productive workforce.
In some industries, strong backup practices even serve as a selling point. Clients want to know their information is protected. Vendors expect compliance. Regulators require detailed records. A well-built backup infrastructure supports all of these needs while reducing business exposure.

Why Partnering with a Backup Specialist Matters
Choosing the right provider can make or break your remote backup strategy. A seasoned partner understands the nuances of remote work. They offer not just tools, but also consulting, implementation support, and security integration.
An expert team helps tailor backup policies to your workflows, user behavior, and risk profile. They also provide testing procedures and compliance audits to ensure your system works not just in theory, but in practice.
That’s what separates basic storage from strategic protection. It’s not just about where the data lives. It’s about how quickly you can restore it, how reliably it’s secured, and how confidently your teams operate knowing their work is protected.

Secure Your Remote Teams Now
Distributed workforces are here to stay. As more businesses embrace flexible models, the need for reliable backup for remote work becomes even more urgent. Remote employees need systems that protect their files no matter where they are, how they connect, or what devices they use.
We’ve seen how fragmented backups, weak policies, and a lack of oversight can threaten productivity and security. That’s why we believe data resilience is not just an IT concern but a business priority.
At Be Structured, we help organizations design and deploy customized backup solutions for today’s hybrid workforces. Our team combines deep technical knowledge with a hands-on approach to ensure your systems remain secure, recoverable, and future-ready.
Schedule a free consultation to build a smarter, safer backup strategy for your remote teams.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery, Remote employee management
- Tags: Backup and Disaster Recovery, Data Backup

#### Designing a Robust Hybrid Cloud Environment
If you’ve decided your organization needs the best of a private cloud and public cloud environment, it’s time to start designing a hybrid cloud architecture. With the virtually limitless possibilities of hybrid cloud computing, you’re probably wondering where to begin. In this post, we’ll break the hybrid cloud development process into five general steps, so you have a better understanding of the process at every level. That way, you’ll be able to fine-tune your hybrid cloud strategies around your organization’s needs and workflows.
Step 1: Clarify Needs
Because a hybrid cloud uses two different cloud environments, the best place to begin is by clarifying what you need from each. For example, does your organization require the on-demand scalability of a public cloud service while storing mission-critical data on a private cloud? A successful hybrid cloud initiative depends on understanding your organization’s needs and achieving the ideal balance between public and private cloud resources.
By clarifying specific goals for each platform, you’ll be able to understand which processes and data are better suited for which environment and plan accordingly. At the same time, planning a hybrid cloud architecture offers an ideal opportunity to trim the fat from your network. Look at all the tools, applications, and data your team relies on for day-to-day operations, pare it down to the essential, and streamline performance.
Step 2: Leverage Public Cloud Services
Once you’ve clarified your organization’s needs and goals for a hybrid cloud model, we recommend leveraging public cloud resources to match your broader cloud framework. It’s generally best to begin with public cloud resources because they can usually take care of the bulk of your organization’s cloud needs.
Again, make sure you’re clarifying what you need from a public cloud vendor. Do you need guaranteed Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance, rapid scalability, the most cost-effective solution, or an intuitive interface? Once your team understands what you need from the public cloud, take the time to research options and shop around to find a vendor that aligns with your operations.
Step 3: Develop a Private Cloud
When developing a private cloud platform, you have further options worth exploring. You can host your private cloud in-house, through a managed service provider (MSP), or even with a third-party cloud vendor. Ultimately, this decision will be driven by your organization’s reasons for deploying a private cloud.
If you want total control over how your private cloud is managed and resources allocated, an on-site private cloud is often ideal. Some managed service providers (MSPs) may also allow similar levels of control or customization on a private cloud hosted at their facility. When you partner with an MSP for a hosted private cloud, they can streamline the process, making this step much more straightforward. Third-party vendors often offer solutions for hosting a private cloud at their facility while you oversee installation, maintenance, management, and repairs as though it were an on-site server.
Organizations looking to take advantage of a private cloud will need to plan accordingly. Whether an internal IT team oversees design and installation of private cloud infrastructure or you partner with an MSP, developing a successful private cloud means clarifying your organization’s needs and building a foundation around them.
Step 4: Integrate and Deploy
Once you have the requisite infrastructure and plans in place for a private and public cloud environment, it’s time to integrate the two. Chances are, you’ll want the two environments to coexist to streamline workflows. Integration is the key to striking the ideal balance between public and private by understanding which resources perform best on which environment.
After creating an integration framework that clarifies how the two cloud platforms can operate and unison, you’re ready to deploy your system and migrate network operations to the new environment.
Step 5: Refine and Adjust
Once your new hybrid cloud environment is deployed, the process isn’t over yet. One of the most significant benefits of a hybrid cloud is flexibility. As your organization’s needs, workflows, and goals evolve, your team needs to continually refine and readjust cloud strategies to better align with those changes. Using data to forecast cloud usage and implementing other strategies to control cloud costs is a fundamental part of protecting your organization’s bottom line while ensuring your team has the tools they need to succeed on the cloud.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re a Los Angeles business in the process of planning a hybrid cloud platform, the experts at Be Structured can answer any questions or solve any problems. Whether you just need an extra pair of helping hands to facilitate your migration to the cloud or you need the robust leadership to oversee the entirety of a project, our team is here to bridge the gap between your ideas and reality.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Networking
- Tags: Hybrid Cloud, Private Cloud, Public Cloud

#### Disaster Recovery Planning: A Guide to Minimizing Business Disruptions
Did you know that downtime for the average business could cost over $100,000 per hour? For this reason, it's essential that you implement disaster recovery planning (DRP).

However, not everybody understands how to integrate a disaster recovery plan into their business operations. Here's how our Los Angeles IT services company prepares for the worst with everything you need to know, beginning with common threats and how you can develop the best recovery plan possible.
What Are the Most Common Threats My Company Faces?
As you may assume, every business is different and faces unique threats. However, there are a few threats that tend to be the most common. Natural disasters, power outages, cyber-attacks, equipment failure, data loss or corruption, and general human error.

Let's take a closer look at each of these.
Natural Disasters
Disasters such as floods, fires, earthquakes, and other extreme weather conditions can wreak havoc on your business operations.

They can also cause a loss of data, property damage, and disruption in service. Depending on the location of your business, some natural disasters may be a nonissue.
Power Outages
A power outage can be caused by natural disasters or simply an unexpected technical issue from the electric company.

When this happens, it results in a complete shutdown of your company’s systems and operations. Power outages can occur at any time, and they often have severe consequences for businesses.
Cyberattacks
The cybercrime industry is projected to be worth over $10 trillion by the end of 2025. That's why IT security in Los Angeles - and every city - is so important.

Cyberattacks can come from hackers or malicious software, and they can cause data breaches, system shutdowns, and other issues.

Data loss or corruption caused by cyberattacks can lead to financial losses as well as legal repercussions. Some of the most common cyberattacks include fishing, malware, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
Equipment Failure
Equipment failures often occur due to mechanical malfunction, power problems, environmental conditions, or software issues. Preventative maintenance and regular inspections can help reduce the threat of equipment failure.

Unfortunately, equipment is still prone to fail even with the right precautions. This makes it crucial for companies to have a disaster recovery plan in place.
Data Loss or Corruption
Data loss or corruption can happen due to a number of reasons, including power outages, cyberattacks, human error, and system crashes.

Having a reliable data backup strategy is key to avoiding this situation. Otherwise, you may find yourself struggling to manage the aftermath. In some cases, this could be an impossible situation to recover from.

Partnering with a local IT support company can also be of great benefit to be proactive to data loss rather than reactive.
Human Error
Human error is the most common cause of downtime.

This can include anything from accidental deletion of data to failure to follow procedures or instructions. Establishing clear protocols and training your staff on these processes can help reduce the chance of human error-related downtime.

In the event that something does occur, however, your DRP will help you manage the situation at hand.
How Can I Develop a Solid Disaster Recovery Plan?
Once you understand the most common threats and sources of downtime, it's time to start developing a solid disaster recovery plan.

This should include strategies for responding quickly and efficiently to any potential disasters. If your a SoCal business, it's easy to save time and money by hiring a Los Angeles IT services company.

Whatever path you choose, here are a few tips on how to get started.
Assess the Risks
Take the time to assess all of the potential risks that your business faces.

This includes natural disasters, cyberattacks, data loss or corruption, and any other threats you may encounter. As long as you have a strong understanding of the threats to your business, you will be able to protect against them appropriately.
Prioritize Prevention
Be sure to prioritize prevention strategies such as regular maintenance and inspections for your equipment, and data backups. Establish protocols and train your staff to follow them properly so they can be better prepared in the event of a disaster.

The best way to manage the threats your company faces is to prevent them entirely. So, don't neglect this obligation when moving forward.
Work With a Professional
It's always a good idea to hire a professional IT support company and disaster recovery consultant to help you develop and implement your plan. They can provide valuable insight and advice, as well as access to the necessary resources for success.

A professional has all of the tools and resources necessary to help get you started on the right track. They will also be able to discern weaknesses or shortcomings. Many companies would not be able to discover these on their own.

Put simply, working with a professional is one of the best steps that you can take. When looking for a firm, consider its past reputation. This will provide a look into what you can expect from hiring them.

It will also give you an idea of what past clients have had to say.
Test Your Plan Regularly
Once you have developed your disaster recovery plan, it's important to test it regularly to ensure it is effective. This allows you to identify any weak spots or potential issues so that they can be addressed before disaster strikes.

The more you test your plan, the better protected you will be in the future. You will be able to eliminate strategies that do not work and emphasize those that do. Over time, you can create a comprehensive DRP that allows you to fully protect your business.
Disaster Recovery Planning Is Easier Than It Seems
Sometimes, disaster recovery planning can seem overwhelming.

The above guidelines will help ensure that you avoid problems you may have otherwise dealt with. Looking for more information on what Be Structured Technology Group can do? Reach out to us today to see how we can help.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, IT Support

#### Disaster Recovery vs Business Continuity: A Comparison Guide
When your business faces a crisis, which armor is stronger: disaster recovery or business continuity?

This isn't a question of choice but of understanding the distinct shields each one offers.

In a world rife with uncertainties, businesses are often blindsided by unforeseen calamities; be it a cyberattack or a natural disaster.

The aftermath?

A cascading effect of operational disruptions and potential financial hemorrhages.

This article is your guide through the nuanced maze of a disaster recovery plan vs business continuity. Continue reading to unlock the secrets to fortifying your business against the unpredictable.
What Is Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning
Disaster recovery is the process and set of procedures put in place to prepare for, react to, and recover from events that can significantly disrupt business operations. These events range from natural calamities like earthquakes and floods to man-made disasters such as cyber-attacks and data breaches.

The goal of a disaster recovery plan is to minimize downtime and data loss. It ensures the business can continue to function or quickly return to normal after a disaster.
What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan
A well-structured disaster recovery plan includes several key components. First, it identifies critical business functions and the IT resources that support them. This step is crucial for understanding which systems must be recovered first to minimize operational impact.

Next, the plan outlines the procedures for responding to a disaster. This includes steps for:

 	Data backup
 	Securing the physical and digital infrastructure
 	Communication protocols for employees and stakeholders

A crucial aspect of the plan is the Recovery Time Objective (RTO). This defines how quickly the company needs to restore its functions to avoid unacceptable consequences.

Similarly, the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) determines the maximum age of files that must be recovered from backup storage to resume normal operations without significant losses.
The Role of Disaster Recovery Services
Disaster recovery services play a vital role in implementing these plans. These services often include offsite data backup, cloud-based solutions, and professional support during and after a disaster.

By utilizing disaster recovery services, businesses can benefit from expert knowledge and advanced technology to ensure a more robust and reliable recovery process.
Real-World Importance of Disaster Recovery
In the real world, the importance of disaster recovery can be highlighted by alarming statistics. For instance, The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that 25% of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster. This stark reality underscores the necessity of having an effective disaster recovery plan in place.

One notable example of disaster recovery in action is the response to cyberattacks. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in ransomware attacks targeting businesses of all sizes. Companies with a solid disaster recovery plan have been able to restore their operations more quickly and with less financial damage.
Tailoring Disaster Recovery to Your Business
Every business is unique, and so should be its disaster recovery plan. While a generic plan provides a basic framework, it's crucial to tailor the plan to the specific needs and operations of the business.

This customization includes understanding the business's unique risks, resources, and critical functions. For example, a financial services firm will have different recovery priorities and data security needs compared to a retail business.
What is Business Continuity Planning?
Business continuity involves maintaining, resuming, and recovering the business's core functions in the aftermath of a disruption, regardless of its nature. Unlike disaster recovery, which focuses primarily on IT and data restoration, a business continuity plan encompasses a broader scope.

It's about keeping all aspects of the business running during and after a crisis. This might mean shifting to remote work during a pandemic or finding alternative suppliers if a primary supplier faces a shutdown.

Key elements of a business continuity plan include:

 	Identifying essential business functions and processes
 	Understanding the resources required to maintain these functions
 	Establishing clear procedures for emergencies

The plan also involves training employees on their roles during a disruption and regularly testing and updating the plan to ensure its effectiveness.

Communication is a critical component of a business continuity plan. It's essential to have a clear strategy for communicating with employees, customers, and stakeholders during a crisis. This communication ensures that everyone knows what's happening and what they should do.
Business Continuity in Action
A practical example of business continuity is how companies handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses quickly adapted to remote working setups to ensure that their employees could continue their tasks without physical office access. This transition required not only technological adjustments but also a change in the management and operational strategies.

Another example is a retail company experiencing a supply chain disruption. A well-prepared business continuity plan might involve having a list of alternative suppliers or a stockpile of essential inventory to continue operations despite supplier issues.
Disaster Recovery vs Business Continuity
Disaster recovery and business continuity are two sides of the same coin, yet they serve distinct roles in a company's strategy for handling crises. Understanding these differences is key to preparing for and managing business disruptions effectively.
Focus and Scope
Disaster recovery is specifically focused on IT and data restoration. It's about getting systems and networks back online after a disruption. For example, if a company experiences a server failure, the disaster recovery plan kicks in to restore data and applications.

In contrast, business continuity is broader. It includes not only IT but also the continuation of all critical business functions. This could mean setting up temporary offices or finding new ways to deliver services if the usual methods are disrupted.
Timeframe and Objectives
The timeframe of response is another key difference. Disaster recovery plans typically have a shorter-term focus. They aim to restore critical systems as quickly as possible to minimize data loss and downtime.

Business continuity, on the other hand, is concerned with maintaining operations over a longer period following a disruption.
Examples in Real-World Scenarios
Consider a natural disaster, like a flood, impacting a business. Disaster recovery would involve restoring IT systems that were damaged or lost. Business continuity, meanwhile, would focus on how the company can keep operating, perhaps by relocating to a temporary space or switching to remote work until the flood's effects are mitigated.
Planning and Preparedness
The planning process for each also differs. Disaster recovery planning tends to be more technical, focusing on IT infrastructure and data backup solutions. It requires an understanding of the technology and processes that keep the business's digital assets safe.

Business continuity planning, however, is a broader exercise. It involves identifying critical business functions and processes and planning how to maintain these in the event of a disruption. This might include:

 	Identifying alternative suppliers
 	Training staff for emergency procedures
 	Establishing communication plans to keep employees and customers informed during a crisis

Integrating Both for Comprehensive Protection
While they have distinct roles, disaster recovery and business continuity plans should not exist in isolation. A comprehensive approach integrates both. This ensures that while IT systems are restored, the business continues to operate effectively, minimizing financial and reputational damage.

For instance, a company facing a cyberattack would need to activate its disaster recovery plan to secure and restore data. Simultaneously, its business continuity plan would ensure that customer services continue, perhaps through alternate channels, to maintain client trust and operational stability.
Developing Effective Strategies
Developing effective strategies for disaster recovery and business continuity requires careful planning, regular testing, and a balance between technology and human resources.

Many Southern Californian based businesses look for a strong IT support company in Los Angeles to handle their outsourced tech support needs in the event of any disaster or recovery mission. That way, the business doesn't have to continue spending time and money re-inventing their infrastructure

By considering the specific needs of the business and preparing both technologically and operationally, companies can ensure they are well-equipped to handle any crisis.
Crafting a Solid Disaster Recovery Plan
Creating a disaster recovery plan is a crucial step for any business. This plan ensures that a company can recover its IT systems and data quickly in case of a crisis.

The first step is to identify the most critical data and systems. For instance, a retail company might prioritize its inventory management system, while a law firm might focus on client data protection.

Then, decide on the best data backup method. Options range from cloud-based solutions to on-site backups. The key is to have a reliable and easily accessible backup system.

Regularly testing the disaster recovery plan is also essential to ensure it works as expected when needed.
Building a Comprehensive Business Continuity Plan
A business continuity plan goes beyond IT and data. It involves maintaining all critical business operations during a crisis.

Start by identifying essential business functions and processes. This might include customer service, manufacturing, or logistics, depending on the business type.

Developing strategies for maintaining these operations is the next step. For a manufacturing company, this might involve identifying alternative suppliers or production methods. For a service-based business, it might mean setting up remote work capabilities or alternative service delivery methods.

Training staff on their roles during an emergency is also critical. Employees should know what to do and who to contact in different scenarios. Regular drills and updates to the plan ensure everyone stays prepared and the plan remains effective.
Integrating Technology and Human Resources
A successful strategy combines technological solutions with human resource planning. Technology can provide the tools needed for quick recovery, like cloud computing for remote access to data.

However, employees are the ones who will execute the plan. Their understanding and readiness are just as important as the technology in place.

For example, a company might use cloud-based tools to enable remote work, but if employees aren't trained or equipped to work from home, the strategy will fail. Therefore, investing in both technology and employee training is crucial for an effective strategy.
Challenges and Solutions
When implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans, businesses often encounter several challenges. One major challenge is the complexity of IT infrastructure.

As technology advances, maintaining an up-to-date disaster recovery plan can be daunting. For example, a company that recently switched to cloud-based services will need to update its disaster recovery plan to reflect this change.

Another challenge is the cost. Developing and maintaining comprehensive plans can be expensive. Small businesses, in particular, may struggle with allocating sufficient funds for these critical plans.

Employee training and awareness are also hurdles. Employees must understand their roles in these plans for them to be effective. Unfortunately, training can sometimes be overlooked or not taken seriously, which can lead to confusion and delays during an actual crisis.
Offering Practical Solutions
To address the complexity of IT infrastructure, companies can seek assistance from IT support services that specialize in disaster recovery. These experts can help simplify the process to ensure that a business's plan aligns with its current technology setup.

For the cost issue, one solution is to prioritize the most critical elements of the plan. Not every part of a business needs the same level of protection. By focusing resources on the most crucial areas, businesses can develop effective plans without overspending.

To tackle the issue of employee training, businesses can incorporate regular drills and training sessions into their annual schedule. Making these activities engaging and relevant helps ensure that staff take them seriously and remember their training when it counts.
Adapting to Change
Businesses must also be prepared to adapt their plans as circumstances change. This could be due to technological advancements, changes in business operations, or new types of threats, like emerging cyber threats. Regular reviews and updates to the plans are essential.

For instance, with the rise in remote working, businesses have had to reconsider how this trend affects their business continuity plans. Ensuring remote access to essential systems and data, while maintaining security, has become a new focus area.
Forging Resilience with Expert IT Support
When it comes to safeguarding your business, Be Structured stands as a pivotal partner. We don't just offer solutions; we craft a safety net woven with expertise in disaster recovery services and robust business continuity plans. Our unique approach integrates hacker protection, data backup, and infrastructure redundancy to ensure your business is not just protected but prepared.

Don't leave your business's fate to chance when deciding between disaster recovery vs business continuity. Embrace the security that comes with foresight and expert IT support.

Ready to shield your enterprise from the unforeseen? Schedule your free consultation with Be Structured today and step into a future fortified against any disaster.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery

#### Do You Have A Disaster Recovery Plan?
When disaster strikes, the first thing we should be worried about is the well-being of our loved ones and the people around us. In the moment, there isn’t always time to be concerned about our business and the bottom line. That is why it is so vital to plan ahead to protect the continuity of your company. Making sure you don’t close your doors and go out of business protects your employee’s livelihood, and once the danger passes from whatever incident has occurred, they will be happy their jobs are still secure.
Disaster Can Come From Many Directions
There are a multitude of hazards and natural disasters that can negatively impact your business. There are tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods, blizzards, targeted cyberattacks, and even more. It is impossible to predict when all of these might take place or how severe the consequences could be. This is why when we talk about a backup disaster recovery plan, we create a plan that can adapt to different circumstances and solutions that apply to multiple scenarios.
When Was The Last Time You Updated Your Plan?
You might be thinking that you already have a disaster recovery plan in place. You created it years ago, and all the preparations are secure. The hard truth is that planning for bouncing back from a disaster requires routine upkeep and continual testing. The world is always changing, and there are new technologies to take advantage of every day. If your plan is not up-to-date, you could be missing out new tech or services that could make it much easier to recover.

The threats we face are also always growing and changing. Your old backup services could be obsolete and ineffectual against the next upcoming incident. It is crucial that you know the difference between a business continuity plan and a disaster recovery strategy as well. Business continuity is more focused on the future of your company and how you can ensure your operations continue for years to come. Disaster recovery is about the immediate response to crises and incidents as they arise.
A Guide To Disaster Recovery Preparations
There are many steps to building an effective disaster recovery strategy. We are providing this checklist on the broad strokes of building your own plans and strategies.
Assess Your Situation

 	Perform a business impact analysis (BIA) of the most likely disasters to strike your company and how your mission-critical functions will respond to them.
 	Establish recovery time objectives (RTO) of how long it should take to get the functions of your business up and running again.

Assign Responsibilities
People need to know who to look towards for direction in an emergency. Create a list of key personnel who will take charge during a disaster.

 	Who will make decisions on relocation?
 	Who will monitor the impact on your budget?
 	What tasks are most essential to perform first?

Put Your Team Members First
In the case of disasters or incidents that risk bodily harm to your customers or employees, the first priority is their safety.

 	How you reach urgent medical care?
 	What emergency supplies do you have?
 	You’ll need more than a first-aid kit to maintain the well-being of your people.

Look At Backup Locations
We’re not saying you need to invest in a secondary location, but you should have some idea of where people could work if your current location is damaged or inaccessible.

 	Can your people work remotely or from home on a short-term basis?
 	Look into rental space that is able to accommodate your needs quickly.

Figure Out Your Equipment Needs
Let’s say you’ve lost your current location and have no access to everything inside. You’re running a skeleton crew and running mission-critical operations.

 	How many computers will you need?
 	What other equipment will you need?
 	Where will you get it?

Backup Your Data

 	Every company needs to have a solution in place for their own data backups. Data loss can be impossible to come back from, you can’t just replace it like a computer.
 	Your backup solution could be off-site drives or a cloud-connected data center.
 	You need to know where your data backups are, and the amount of time it will take to restore them.

Make Communication A Priority

 	Be sure that you and your employees have access to emergency service contact information.
 	Set up a plan for communicating your own workforce whether they are on or off-site.
 	What devices will you need?
 	What if cell-phones are not working and the internet is down?

Reevaluate Your Plans Regularly

 	Being prepared is a work in progress. Your job is never truly done in this area.
 	Make sure that your plans are not out of date and update anything that has become obsolete.

You don’t want to find out some crucial piece no longer works at the moment you need it most.

To get the most step-by-step advice and assistance, reach out to Be Structured today. We are prepared to be your partner in securing the operations of your business and making sure your IT is ready to respond.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery
- Tags: BDCR, Business Continuity, Data Backup, Disaster Recovery, Los Angeles IT Support

#### Does Your Business Need IT Support?
How to Tell If Your Business Needs a Dedicated IT Department
Does your business need a dedicated IT department? We explain the telltale signs the answer is yes with tips on how to get started.
Managing the growth of your business can be challenging. It can be tough to decide when to bring on new employees. It can be even tougher to decide when you need to expand to a dedicated IT department.

Most companies don't have a dedicated IT department. It's not that it wouldn't help their business. It's just that having a dedicated IT department in-house requires a lot of resources.

But, what could you and your team do if you had a dedicated IT department? IT is becoming more important by the day. Data is quickly becoming a business's most important asset.

Sure, it may cost some money to set up a dedicated IT department. And, there's a chance your business may not be ready for it. But, if you take the time to set it up properly, an IT department could be just the thing you need to maximize your team's potential.

Today, we're going to show you exactly why you need to consider creating a dedicated IT department. We'll talk about what it is and show you some signs that you're ready to bring IT staff on board.

So, read on and discover what the right IT solutions can do for you and your business.
What Is a Dedicated IT Department?
A dedicated IT department is a way for small businesses to leverage the power of having their own IT department in-house without having their own IT department in-house. Confusing? Not really.

As we mentioned earlier, data and data management are becoming more important by the day. Small businesses need to be able to keep up. But, a full-blown IT department could cost enough to bankrupt small to midsize businesses.

That's where a dedicated IT department comes in. Small businesses can receive the same tech support as a major corporation for a fraction of the cost. The result is that businesses can focus on growing and scaling without worrying if their system will support their efforts or not.

A dedicated IT department can help you achieve this by providing their IT services on a subscription basis. You don't have to bring them in-house. They don't work as part of your team.

But, when you hire them, they become part of the team and are there to help guide you through every IT issue.
You Can't Do It Alone
It's easy for entrepreneurs to think they can handle everything themselves. Most of them feel that no one does things as well as they can. And, while that may be true, someone can do it well enough.

You may think because you've been around modern technology and you're pretty handy with a computer, you're ready to handle your company's IT needs. While we support your confidence level, we encourage you to think about leaving it to the professionals.

You're supposed to be focused on the highest and best use of your time. For an entrepreneur, that's growing your business. A dedicated IT staff allows you to do that without breaking the bank.
The Cost of IT
If you don't work with a dedicated IT department, what's the alternative? Well, the alternative would be hiring an in-house IT department. Let's take a look at what that costs.

According to payscale.com, the average salary for an IT support specialist is $50,732. You'll also need to pay to train them, bring on HR staff, and pay for other administrative duties. Experts say that may run you about another $65,000.

But, those are the numbers for one person. You're going to need an IT team. You may need at least one or two more support specialists. And, you'll need to put an IT manager in place to run the show.

By the time you're all said and done, having a proper IT department in-house can cost you well into six figures in expenses. Leading companies in the field say that running an IT department properly can cost a company anywhere between $240,000 and $400,000.

Small businesses can still receive the same level of support for a fraction of the cost by hiring a dedicated IT service.
Signs You Need a Dedicated IT Department
You might be wondering, "does my business need an IT department?" Although it's the better option for small businesses, hiring a dedicated IT department or service still costs money. And, when your business is small, budgeting is very important.

That's why you need to make sure your company is ready to outsource IT services. Here are the top signs that you need to hand off your IT responsibilities to the pros.
1. There's Been a Cyberattack
If you and your team have recently been through a cyberattack, you may want to consider bringing on some outsourced IT support. Most businesses experience a cyberattack at some point. So much of our business is done on the cloud, that it's only a matter of time.

A large portion of hacking victims are small businesses. Each time one of these attacks are successful, it can cost your team a lot of money. It can cost you in lawsuits, lost revenue, and damage to your reputation.

Some businesses are lucky enough to go through a cyberattack and come out the other side with minimal damage. Either way, after a cyberattack it makes sense to consider hiring a dedicated IT service.

They can offer you expertise that you don't have access to in-house. They can also help you to see things from a perspective you didn't have before. A new set of eyes on a problem never hurts.
2. Your Team's Going Through Burnout
If you're fortunate enough to have a small IT team on board already, you want to keep them as sharp as possible. Relying on them for every single IT task, big and small, is a surefire way to overburden them. The result is your IT staff being tired, overworked, and it leaves them with low employee morale.

When employees are in that sort of condition, that's when important things start to slip through the cracks. Bringing on a dedicated IT department will relieve your team of some of their burden.

They are free to focus on more hands-on IT tasks like software updates and minor fixes. Then, they can leave the tasks that require more advanced IT skills to your dedicated team of professionals.

Less stress, less pressure, and fewer headaches mean better performance all around.
3. Customer Service Problems
For your business to thrive, you need to have a robust online presence. As a result, problems are going to pop up often. If you're spending all of your time putting out "IT fires", when are you going to have time to serve your customers?

Attracting new customers, caring for their needs, and caring for the customers you have are the most important functions of your business. Part of the new era of business is that customers want you to cater to them. Experts in sales and customer service say customers want you to cater to their individual needs now more than ever.

They want an individualized experience from your business. And, they want it faster than ever before. If your customers have a bad experience, they'll end up going elsewhere.

Even worse, your customers may take to social media to tell everyone what a bad experience they had. That's the last thing you want for your business.

Putting IT in the hands of a dedicated IT department will allow you to focus on the people that got you here: your customers.
4. Wasting Time and Money
Cybercriminals are getting smarter by the day. It's getting to the point where it's becoming hard for businesses to keep up. If cybersecurity risks are starting to occupy most of your time, thoughts, and money, it may be time to outsource your IT.

Hiring a dedicated IT service allows you to sleep better and focus more time on what's important. It also allows you to budget more efficiently.

It's hard to budget for IT services if you don't know what that cost is going to be every month. And, if you're running around trying to manage your IT department yourself, that's exactly what's going to happen. Costs will fluctuate as you do whatever it takes to keep your cybersecurity afloat.

With dedicated IT services, you can keep better track of your expenses. You can count on that bill being the same month in and month out. This allows you to focus your time and energy to budget for more important aspects of the business like marketing and customer service.
5. You Handle Sensitive Data
If you're in an industry where you handle sensitive data you can't afford to make a mistake. Certain industries like healthcare and government work are governed by data compliance laws. The most popular of these is in the healthcare space.

Everyone has heard of HIPAA laws. These laws govern the way that healthcare workers manage patient data. Patients' personally identifiable data needs to be protected at all costs.

If healthcare workers violate these laws, even by accident, they can be subject to significant fines and legal penalties. If the industry you work in has similar laws in place, you may want to consider farming out your IT and cybersecurity.

An IT company that provides dedicated IT services will be equipped with resources you don't have access to. They'll have the latest and greatest equipment and cybersecurity on hand to make sure your data stays protected at all times. They also have the financial resources to hire the best and brightest in the field.

The result is state-of-the-art equipment and innovative solutions at your disposal.
6. Your Team Meetings Take Forever
Meetings have their purpose. But, most of the time, meetings are a huge time suck. And, if you're in a meeting where nothing is getting accomplished, it can drain employee energy and morale.

A lot of time is wasted getting the meeting up and running in the first place. You or your staff need to get the Wi-Fi to work. Then, you need to fire up GoToMeeting or Zoom.

When the meeting finally starts, there are still issues getting team members to show up on-screen or hearing others' input without the audio breaking up. Any of these issues could take a 15-minute meeting and easily make it last an hour.

This might seem like an insignificant reason for IT services, but minutes wasted over time can add up. A dedicated IT department can help you troubleshoot these issues so they no longer slow your team down.
7. You Don't Have A Backup Plan
Attacks on your system are inevitable. That's why cybersecurity is such an important part of what dedicated IT services can do for you. But, in addition to cybersecurity, you also need to protect your system on the backend.

If a hacking attempt gets through your front-end security measures, you and your team need to have a backup and recovery plan in place. You'll also need a backup plan to protect you from any server or hard drive crashes.

It can be overwhelming to decide what needs to be backed up. Especially when you're dealing with a whole company's worth of files.

That's one of the benefits of a dedicated IT department. The IT professionals you're working with can show you exactly what you need to backup. They can also advise you on which type of backup to choose.

Depending on your business, it may make more sense for you to backup your data on-premises. Other businesses may benefit from a cloud or hybrid solution. It's the job of your dedicated IT team to know what's best for your business.

Once they show you what to back up, and how to back it up, they can use this knowledge to help you create an effective disaster recovery system.
Dedicated IT Delivers
If your small business is experiencing any of the problems above, you owe it to yourself to check out a dedicated IT department. Our team at Be Structured can provide you with whatever IT services your team may need.

Contact us today to see how to get started. If you have any other IT questions, we'd be happy to help you with those as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read our article and we look forward to helping you on your small business journey.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Business IT Support, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### Domain Protection: Essential Measures to Secure Your Online Assets
Today, the threat of cyber attacks looms large, with a number of businesses falling victim to such breaches over the years. As the backbone of online presence, websites are prime targets for malicious actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities and compromise sensitive data. 
This underscores the critical importance of domain protection in IT security to protect your business. From domain hijacking to unauthorized access, the risks posed by cyber threats are real and immediate, necessitating robust strategies to safeguard online assets.



In this article, we examine the imperative of domain name protection, exploring the risks posed by cyber threats and the actionable measures to mitigate these dangers effectively.














 

Understanding Domain Name Protection: A Vital Shield for Online Assets

Cyber threats pose a myriad of risks to online assets, with domain hijacking and unauthorized access standing as prominent dangers. In recent years, numerous high-profile cyber attacks have underscored the vulnerabilities of unprotected websites, shedding light on the real and immediate perils faced by online businesses. 
For instance, the 2020 Twitter hack, where high-profile accounts were compromised, exemplifies the potential ramifications of inadequate domain protection. This breach not only tarnished the platform's reputation but also raised concerns about the security of user data, highlighting the urgent need for robust protective measures.


In the face of evolving cyber threats, the imperative for domain protection becomes increasingly pronounced. 
The recent SolarWinds cyber attack, a sophisticated supply chain breach, reverberated across industries, underscoring the far-reaching impact of cyber vulnerabilities. This breach compromised numerous organizations, highlighting the cascading repercussions of inadequate domain protection. As businesses navigate the digital realm, the looming specter of cyber threats necessitates a proactive stance in fortifying domain security.


The aftermath of such cyber attacks resonates across industries, amplifying the urgency for businesses to fortify their domain protection strategies. The repercussions of unauthorized access and domain hijacking extend beyond data breaches, encompassing financial losses, reputational damage, and legal ramifications. 
These tangible consequences underscore the imperative of proactive domain protection, as the absence of robust security measures exposes online assets to multifaceted risks. 
As the digital realm continues to evolve, the prevalence of cyber threats necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the pivotal role domain protection plays in safeguarding online assets.


Strategies for Effective Domain Protection

In fortifying domain name protection, businesses can implement a range of actionable strategies to mitigate cyber risks and secure online assets effectively, including the following:


DNS Security

Implementing robust DNS security measures is paramount in safeguarding against domain hijacking and DNS spoofing. By leveraging DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions), organizations can authenticate DNS data, mitigating the risk of unauthorized modifications and ensuring the integrity of domain information.
Privileged Access Management (PAM) strategies will also help ensure the security of your domain.
Additionally, deploying DNS firewalls and intrusion detection systems fortifies defenses against DNS-based cyber threats, enhancing overall domain security. An IT support company can play a crucial role in setting up these protections, ensuring DNS records are correctly configured and updated as necessary.


SSL Certificates

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates serve as a cornerstone of secure communication, encrypting data transmitted between web servers and browsers. 
By integrating SSL certificates, businesses establish encrypted connections, thwarting potential eavesdropping and data tampering. Furthermore, the adoption of Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates bolsters trust and authenticity, assuring visitors of a website's legitimacy and enhancing overall security posture.


Multi-Factor Authentication

Embracing two-factor authentication (2fa) augments access controls, requiring users to verify their identity through multiple authentication methods. 
By combining passwords with additional factors such as biometrics or one-time codes, MFA fortifies defenses against unauthorized access attempts, reducing the likelihood of account compromise and enhancing overall domain protection.














 

Regulatory Compliance and Domain Protection

In the realm of domain protection, regulatory compliance stands as a cornerstone in fortifying online assets against cyber threats. 
Understanding CMMC compliance and domains within industry standards and legal requirements is paramount, shaping the framework for robust domain protection practices. 
Key regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), mandate stringent data protection measures, directly impacting domain protection strategies. 
These regulations necessitate the implementation of comprehensive security protocols to safeguard user data, underscoring the critical intersection between regulatory compliance and domain protection.



Moreover, industry-specific regulations, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for e-commerce businesses, impose specific requirements for securing online transactions and customer data. 
Adhering to these standards not only mitigates the risks of data breaches and financial fraud but also fosters trust among consumers, bolstering the credibility of online businesses. 
Additionally, regulatory frameworks governing domain registration and WHOIS data management play a pivotal role in ensuring transparency and accountability in the digital ecosystem. 
By navigating and complying with these regulations, businesses can fortify their domain protection strategies, aligning with legal mandates while enhancing the security posture of their online assets.


The Future of Domain Protection: Emerging Technologies and Trends

The future of domain protection is intricately intertwined with emerging technologies and innovative trends that are reshaping the industry's security landscape. 
AI-driven security solutions stand at the forefront of this evolution, offering advanced threat detection and response capabilities. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, these solutions can analyze vast datasets to identify patterns indicative of cyber threats, enabling proactive mitigation and rapid incident response. 
The integration of AI-driven security not only enhances the efficacy of domain protection but also empowers businesses to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.



Blockchain-based authentication emerges as another pivotal trend, revolutionizing the verification and validation of online identities and transactions. 
The decentralized nature of blockchain technology ensures the immutability and integrity of domain records, mitigating the risks of unauthorized alterations and domain hijacking. 
This innovative approach to authentication fosters a secure and transparent digital environment, bolstering the resilience of online assets against malicious activities. 
Furthermore, predictive analytics plays a transformative role in domain protection, enabling businesses to anticipate and preempt potential cyber threats.
 By harnessing data-driven insights, organizations can proactively fortify their domain protection strategies, mitigating risks and enhancing the security posture of their online assets.


Challenges in Domain Protection

Implementing effective domain protection measures is not without its challenges, as businesses navigate a dynamic landscape fraught with evolving cyber threats and resource constraints. 
The rapid evolution of cyber threats presents a formidable challenge, requiring businesses to adapt their domain protection strategies to counter emerging risks continually. 
From sophisticated clone phishing to ransomware campaigns, the diverse and evolving nature of cyber threats demands a proactive and agile approach to domain protection. 
Moreover, resource constraints, including budgetary limitations and staffing shortages, pose significant hurdles in fortifying domain protection. The allocation of adequate resources for security measures, including personnel, technologies, and training, is essential to bolstering the resilience of online assets against cyber threats. Which is why many businesses turn to outsourced IT solutions to help satisfy their security needs and bolsters their network.



Organizational barriers also contribute to the complexity of implementing effective domain protection measures, as businesses grapple with issues such as siloed security practices and varying levels of security awareness across departments. 
Overcoming these barriers necessitates a holistic approach to security, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability across the organization. B
y addressing these challenges head-on, businesses can fortify their domain protection strategies, mitigating risks and enhancing the security posture of their online assets.


Measuring the Effectiveness of Domain Protection

Evaluating the effectiveness of domain protection strategies hinges on the meticulous measurement of key performance indicators and metrics. The security posture of online assets serves as a fundamental metric, encompassing the overall resilience of the digital infrastructure against cyber threats. 
By assessing the security posture, businesses can gauge the robustness of their domain protection measures and identify areas for improvement, fostering a proactive security stance. 
Additionally, incident response effectiveness stands as a critical metric, reflecting the organization's ability to detect, contain, and mitigate security incidents. A swift and efficient incident response capability is indicative of a well-structured domain protection strategy, minimizing the impact of cyber threats on online assets.



Furthermore, security operations compliance adherence serves as a pivotal aspect of measuring the effectiveness of domain protection initiatives. The alignment with regulatory requirements and industry standards underscores the commitment to safeguarding user data and online assets, reflecting the maturity of domain protection practices. 
By comprehensively evaluating these metrics, businesses can gain valuable insights into the impact of their domain protection strategies, enabling informed decision-making and continuous improvement in security measures.














 

Collaborative Approaches to Domain Protection

Collaborative approaches play a pivotal role in fortifying domain protection, underscoring the collective responsibility of the industry in combating cyber threats. Partnerships between businesses, industry organizations, and security providers foster a collaborative ecosystem, enabling the exchange of best practices and threat intelligence. 
By leveraging these partnerships, businesses can benefit from shared insights and collective defense mechanisms. Information-sharing networks further enhance collaborative efforts, facilitating the dissemination of threat intelligence and proactive security measures across the industry. 
This collective approach strengthens the resilience of online assets, enabling businesses to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats through unified vigilance and response.



Collective defense strategies, such as threat information-sharing platforms and joint security initiatives, amplify the industry's capacity to mitigate cyber risks. By pooling resources and expertise, businesses can proactively address common security challenges, fostering a unified front against cyber threats. 
Moreover, collaborative approaches engender a culture of shared responsibility, emphasizing the interconnected nature of domain protection and the imperative of collective vigilance. Through these collaborative endeavors, businesses can mitigate risks and enhance the security posture of the digital ecosystem.


Impact of Domain Protection on Business Continuity

Robust domain protection directly influences business continuity and resilience, serving as a critical safeguard against potential disruptions caused by cyber-attacks. 
The consequences of a cyber attack on business operations can be far-reaching, encompassing financial losses, reputational damage, and operational disruptions. 
From service downtime to data breaches, the impact of cyber attacks can erode customer trust and confidence, leading to long-term repercussions for the business. 
However, by fortifying domain protection, businesses can mitigate these disruptions, maintaining operational continuity and safeguarding their reputation.



Domain protection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the potential consequences of cyber attacks, enabling businesses to uphold their operational integrity and service reliability. 
By proactively securing online assets, businesses can minimize the impact of cyber threats, ensuring uninterrupted service delivery and preserving customer trust. Moreover, the resilience afforded by robust domain protection empowers businesses to recover from security incidents swiftly, minimizing the duration and extent of operational disruptions. 
This proactive approach not only safeguards business IT servcies and security, but also reinforces the organization's capacity to navigate and mitigate the impact of cyber threats on its operations.


Safeguard Online Assets from Escalating Cyber Threats

The critical importance of safeguarding online assets from escalating cyber threats cannot be overstated. 
The prevalence of cyber attacks underscores the imperative for proactive measures, collaborative efforts, and ongoing vigilance to fortify domain protection. 
By embracing actionable strategies, leveraging emerging technologies, and fostering a culture of shared responsibility, businesses can bolster their security posture and mitigate the potential impact of cyber threats on their operations. 



As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the call to action is clear: prioritize domain protection as a fundamental pillar of cybersecurity and collectively strive to safeguard the integrity and resilience of online assets in the face of relentless cyber threats. 



Our services extend beyond just DNS based email protection to encompass end-to-end protection for all your outsourced IT support services. 
Contact Be Structured Technology Group, he top cybersecurity company in Los Angeles for more information on how you can safeguard your IT infrastructure against cyber attacks!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Email Security Policy: Safeguarding Your Inbox Against Modern Threats
Email is the backbone of modern business communication. But as inboxes fill with contracts, invoices, and sensitive data, they’ve also become prime targets for cybercriminals. That’s why email security is no longer just an IT concern—it’s a business-critical priority.
Phishing, spoofing, and malware-laced attachments are growing more advanced and more common. From impersonated vendors to AI-written scams, email threats now operate on a scale and sophistication that most traditional filters can’t keep up with.
Building layered email security protocols—complete with authentication protocols, malware protection, and end-user training—is essential for reducing risk and maintaining trust.

E mail Security: Still the #1 Attack Vector
Email remains the most common entry point for cybercriminals. Its ease of use and universal access make it the perfect vehicle for scams, malware, and data theft.
According to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, social engineering—dominated by phishing—accounted for 17% of breaches. What’s more alarming is that AI-generated phishing in emails has doubled over the past two years.
These numbers tell a clear story. Cybercriminals are investing heavily in smarter, more deceptive emails—and many organizations are still unprepared.

How to Spot a Phishing Email
Spotting phishing emails isn’t just an IT task. Every employee plays a role in defense.
Some red flags include:


 	Unexpected requests for login credentials or wire transfers
 	Email addresses that mimic legitimate domains with subtle typos
 	Urgent language pressuring users to act immediately
 	Attachments that don’t match the subject or sender's usual behavior
 	Links that lead to look-alike websites or password prompts

Training employees on how to spot a phishing email dramatically reduces breach risks. It also creates a security-aware culture where suspicious emails are flagged before damage is done.


Learn how to spot a phishing email before you get caught.
What Are Email Security Services That Prevent Phishing Email Attacks
Technology is only part of the defense. Process and people matter just as much. IT services help prevent phishing email attacks with layered protection. This includes email filtering, malware detection, sandboxing for unknown attachments, and machine learning models that identify suspicious behavior.
Managed security services offer proactive email threat intelligence, DMARC enforcement, and integration with threat detection platforms. These tools adapt to new threats faster than traditional filters.
Equally important are employee training, phishing simulations, and real-time alerts. IT teams monitor patterns, identify targets, and refine defenses over time.

The Surprising Impact of DNS-Based E-mail Security
Many organizations overlook DNS when considering email protection. That’s a critical mistake.
DNS-based protections like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) create authentication checkpoints that verify the legitimacy of senders.
The surprising impact of DNS-based email security lies in its ability to block spoofed emails before they even reach the inbox. When properly configured, DNS records prevent hackers from impersonating your domain—one of the most common tricks in spear-phishing attacks.
Implementing these protocols not only protects internal communications but also builds trust with clients and vendors by proving your domain is secure.

Effective Ways to Protect Your Business from Email Malware
Malware is often delivered through file attachments or malicious links. It only takes one click to compromise an entire network.
Effective ways to protect your business from email malware include advanced attachment scanning, behavioral threat analytics, and browser isolation tools. These technologies prevent suspicious code from executing, even if an employee opens the file.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools can also isolate infected devices and remove threats before they spread.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a second layer of protection. Even if credentials are stolen, access to inboxes or cloud apps remains blocked without the second verification step.

How to Keep Your Email Accounts Protected
Security doesn't end at the inbox. Credentials, access permissions, and user behaviors all contribute to risk exposure.
To improve how to keep your email accounts protected, enforce strong password policies and limit the use of shared inboxes. Implement MFA across all devices and regularly review account access logs.
Limit administrative privileges. Ensure role-based access control is in place so that users only access the systems and data they need.
Cloud email platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer built-in protections, but these must be configured properly. Customize threat detection settings, enable secure attachments, and activate anomaly detection features to get full value from these platforms.

Email Security Services in the Age of AI
AI is reshaping both sides of the email security battle. Attackers now use generative AI to write flawless phishing emails in multiple languages. They clone writing styles and personalize attacks at scale.


Is your company's email secure? An IT support company can provide a thorough assessment of your vulnerabilities.
On the other side, defenders use AI to detect behavior-based anomalies. These tools can recognize if a CFO suddenly logs in from another country or if an invoice is sent from an unapproved account.
Threat actors now use highly targeted and AI-enhanced attacks to breach inboxes, hijack threads, and compromise data. These aren’t just isolated attacks. Global phishing losses in 2024 reached $17.4 billion, marking a staggering 45% increase from the previous year.

Compliance and Regulatory Pressure
Email breaches aren't just technical issues—they’re legal liabilities.
Industries bound by HIPAA, GDPR, and FINRA are required to enforce secure communications and protect PII and client records. A single breach can trigger audits, fines, and lawsuits.
Email archiving and encryption help meet compliance requirements. But full protection also means logging access attempts, storing emails in tamper-proof archives, and generating audit-ready reports.
Being able to demonstrate due diligence is as critical as the protections themselves.

The Business Cost of Email Breaches
While technical terms may dominate the conversation, the consequences of email attacks are often financial.
According to recent data, the average email compromise incident now costs businesses over $125,000 in recovery, legal fees, and customer loss. This doesn’t include the long-term damage to brand trust.
And with phishing-related breaches accounting for 17% of all incidents, the cost of inaction is rising fast.
Business interruption, loss of intellectual property, and vendor distrust are real consequences when email security is ignored or underfunded.

Building a Resilient Email Security Strategy
Email security isn’t a one-time setup. It’s a constantly evolving strategy that must adapt to new technologies, employee behaviors, and threat trends.
Best practices for email security start with a layered defense model: DNS protection, endpoint detection, cloud app security, and user education.
Schedule regular threat assessments. Run internal phishing drills. Monitor outbound traffic for anomalies. Stay current with updates and security patches. And above all, ensure there’s a clear plan of action if a breach does occur.
A resilient strategy protects not just email accounts, but your reputation, your clients, and your operations.
At Be Structured, we believe great email security blends technology with strategy. We build customized security stacks that combine AI-driven protection, employee training, DNS authentication, and continuous monitoring. We don’t rely on filters alone—we protect the full communication chain.
Schedule a free consultation today and let’s take the first step toward securing every message, every account, every time.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Email, Security
- Tags: email security, Phishing Email

#### Enhancing Cybersecurity With IT Support for Financial Services
The financial services industry has become a prime target for cyberattacks, as institutions handle enormous volumes of sensitive financial data and transactions every day. 
In response, cybersecurity has risen to the forefront as a critical pillar for maintaining customer trust and protecting operational integrity. This has made IT support for financial services an indispensable element in ensuring the security and continuity of financial IT services.


As cyber threats evolve, having robust IT infrastructure is no longer optional—it’s essential for staying compliant with regulations, mitigating risks, and responding to potential security incidents effectively.

Growing Cyber Threats in Financial IT Services
Financial institutions are some of the most targeted entities by cybercriminals. The complexity of modern banking systems, combined with the value of the data they handle, makes them particularly vulnerable. Some of the most common cyber threats faced by financial institutions include:


 	
Phishing Attacks: Clone phishing continues to be a top threat in financial services. Attackers use fraudulent emails and messages to trick employees or customers into revealing sensitive information, such as account details or passwords.

 	
Ransomware: Cybercriminals encrypt sensitive data and demand ransom payments in return for its release. Financial services institutions are often willing to pay hefty sums to recover data and avoid operational disruptions.

 	
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks: These DDos attacks aim to overwhelm a network with traffic, leading to service outages and potentially causing severe disruption to transaction processing.

 	
Insider Threats: While external attacks are prevalent, insider threats pose significant risk. Whether intentional or accidental, an insider with access to sensitive systems can cause major data breaches.


The rise of digital banking, mobile transactions, and third-party fintech integrations only adds to the complexity of securing financial data. The need for reliable IT support for financial services has never been greater to stay ahead of these evolving threats.


The Importance of Compliance with Regulations
Cybersecurity compliance with industry regulations is essential for financial institutions, as failing to meet security standards can lead to catastrophic consequences, including heavy fines and reputational damage. Key regulations include:


 	
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): GDPR imposes stringent requirements on organizations handling the personal data of EU citizens, regardless of where the company operates. Financial institutions must ensure that data protection policies align with these regulations, especially when handling international transactions.

 	
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): PCI DSS governs the handling of credit card data and requires institutions to adopt a series of security measures, including encryption, network monitoring, and access control.

 	
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA): GLBA mandates financial institutions to explain how they protect and share customers' private information. Failure to adhere to this regulation can lead to penalties, including legal action.


In a landscape where regulatory requirements are increasing in both number and complexity, effective IT support for financial services ensures that institutions stay compliant while minimizing risks associated with non-compliance.

The Role of Managed IT Servcies for Financial Institutions
A proactive approach to cybersecurity starts with comprehensive IT support for financial services. IT professionals can implement multi-layered security strategies designed to protect financial data, secure networks, and ensure seamless business continuity. Key services include:


 	
Firewall Management: One of the first lines of defense against cyberattacks, firewalls act as barriers between internal networks and external threats. Local IT support with 24/7 services provide round-the-clock monitoring and maintenance of firewall systems to prevent unauthorized access.

 	
Network Security: Securing the entire network infrastructure is critical. Financial institutions often use virtual private networks (VPNs), intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to safeguard data during transmission. IT support companies work to set up Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) that will ensure these systems are configured correctly and updated regularly.

 	
Data Encryption: Sensitive financial data must be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. Encryption ensures that even if data is intercepted, it cannot be read without the decryption key. IT support teams help financial institutions implement strong encryption protocols across all systems, making it much harder for attackers to compromise data.

 	
Patch Management: Hackers often exploit vulnerabilities in outdated software. Patch management is the process of regularly updating software to ensure that known vulnerabilities are addressed before they can be exploited.


A well-rounded IT network support framework also involves developing strong incident response strategies to act quickly and decisively in the event of a cyberattack.

Proactive Monitoring and Incident Response
Proactive monitoring is one of the most crucial aspects of modern cybersecurity strategies. IT support for financial services includes continuous monitoring of networks and systems to detect any abnormal activity before it escalates into a full-blown attack. 
With the help of advanced monitoring tools, potential security breaches can be spotted early, giving IT teams the opportunity to intervene and minimize damage. Additionally, having an incident response plan in place is essential for addressing cyberattacks swiftly and minimizing damage. A strong incident response plan includes:


 	
Preparation: Training employees and developing protocols for managing cyber incidents.

 	
Detection and Analysis: Quickly identifying the nature of the threat, determining the scope of the attack, and developing strategies for containment. With our clients, we demand the installation of an advanced endpoint protection strategy to maximize security. 

 	
Containment and Recovery: Isolating the threat to prevent further damage and recovering systems and data as soon as possible.


This holistic approach ensures that when a cyber incident occurs, the response is swift and efficient, minimizing both financial loss and reputational damage.

Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Strengthen Cybersecurity
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are revolutionizing cybersecurity for financial institutions. IT support for financial services is evolving alongside these technologies, helping financial institutions integrate innovative solutions to enhance security. Some of the key advancements include:


 	
AI-Powered Threat Detection: AI can analyze vast amounts of data in real-time to detect patterns indicative of cyberattacks. By identifying these threats early, IT support teams can respond faster and prevent potential breaches.

 	
Automated Security Tools: Automation plays a significant role in managing routine security tasks such as patch management, system updates, and threat scanning, allowing IT support teams to focus on more complex security challenges.

 	
Blockchain for Data Security: While still in its early stages, the benefits of blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize data security in financial services. By decentralizing and encrypting data, blockchain can help create immutable records that are more resistant to tampering or unauthorized access.


These advancements represent the future of IT support, where automation and AI can provide stronger defenses against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.


Securing the Future with IT Support for Financial Services
In a world where cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, local IT support for financial services must remain a top priority for institutions seeking to protect their data and their customers' trust. By leveraging managed IT services, financial institutions can stay compliant with regulations, implement proactive monitoring, and establish robust incident response plans to address potential security breaches.
To stay ahead of the curve, financial institutions should also explore the benefits of emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and blockchain to further enhance their cybersecurity posture.
Now is the time for financial institutions to invest in tailored business IT services and solutions, such as comprehensive firewall management, data encryption, and proactive monitoring. These tools ensure that financial institutions can operate securely in an increasingly digital world, minimizing the risk of devastating data breaches and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Take Action Now to Strengthen Your Managed IT Security Services
In today’s rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, financial institutions cannot afford to be complacent. Don’t wait for a breach to compromise your operations. Proactive IT support for financial services is key to fortifying your defenses, ensuring compliance, and safeguarding sensitive data. 


Act now by scheduling a consultation to assess your cybersecurity needs and explore a customized outsourced IT support strategy tailored to your organization.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance, Managed It Services, Security

#### Enterprise IT Support Los Angeles Solutions
In the United States alone, the industry for business analytics and enterprise software publishing is worth more than $74 billion every single year! All of that demand supports more than 148,000 employees in this industry.

So why do Enterprise IT solutions generate so much demand from so many businesses?

These solutions provide a long list of benefits for companies and other organizations.

Read on to learn all about the most important things to understand about it Enterprise IT services in Los Angeles solutions and what they might be able to do for your business!
IT Support Services for Los Angeles Enterprises Provide Centralized Information
Businesses generate huge amounts of data. Everything they do gets turned into a record of some kind. When business leaders need to consult those records, they often have to hunt through many different sources of data.

On top of that, the larger a business gets, the more widely its data can be dispersed. Many businesses build up clunky processes to help them access this information when they need it.

Although this is sometimes technically functional, it is far from efficient. One of the main things that people use enterprise IT solutions for is to centralize their information.

This allows business leaders, employees, and sometimes even customers to easily access any relevant information about the company.

Many businesses do not make good use of all of their information. After all, why even bother thinking of ways to use that information if it is so costly to access and organize it?

Once businesses can access their information nearly instantaneously, they often find that they can use that information to inform high-level business decisions.

The end result is savvy business moves and greater growth.
Benefits of Enterprise IT Solutions Include Cost Savings
Enterprise IT solutions are an investment in the true sense of the word. Of course, they come with an initial cost. But in the long run, they more than pay for themselves.

One way that enterprise's IT support solutions can save a business money is by replacing other software. Many businesses pay individual fees for many separate software tools which collectively cost much more than enterprise IT solutions.

Enterprise IT solutions are often powerful enough to replace several or even all other software tools a business might be using.

Some businesses also buy many types of different software over the years. Over time, they lose track of everything they have. Unfortunately, subscription cost means that they continue to pay for them even though they do not use them anymore.

That is one of the inevitable results of a business becoming more and more complicated and difficult to keep track of. However, that is exactly the kind of thing that enterprise IT solutions are so good at solving.

With the right enterprise IT tools, you will be able to easily take stock of all the software you are paying for. Anything you are not using can be quickly phased out. That will save you money immediately.

And many of the software tools you are using can also be replaced, saving you even more money.
Enterprise Solutions Can Save You Time
However, it would be a mistake to think of enterprise software as providing the same product at a lower price. Rather, enterprise software will help you perform important business tasks more efficiently, saving you time as well.

Not only will enterprise software make it easier to perform recurring tasks, but it will also make it much easier to onboard new employees. The system will be much easier to learn to use, making it less costly to acquire new talent.
Enjoy Greater Security With Enterprise Solutions
But enterprise software does even more than provide the same type of product at a lower price with better quality. Enterprise software can provide things that alternatives do not.

For one thing, enterprise software can help you set up security measures to ward off potential cybercriminals. These days, cyber crime is on the rise.

It is likely that every business is going to need to start investing more in security as technology grows and crime in the digital world becomes more common. Enterprise software can help you set up security as efficiently as possible.
Scale Up or Down Easily With Enterprise Solutions
Different types of software are suitable for different sizes of companies and organizations. Unfortunately, that means that business growth can mean having to discover new software tools to manage new problems.

A similar problem can occur with a business that is shrinking. They will have to abandon their old software tools and find new ones suitable to their new size.

On the other hand, enterprise software is universally useful. No matter how large or small your business becomes, you can keep using the same enterprise software to manage everything.

And finding the right IT support companies near me - or you in this case - can save both time and money.
The Importance of Enterprise IT Solutions for Reducing Human Error
Many companies rely on manual data entry instead of software tools. Unfortunately, manual data entry is much more susceptible to human error.

Switching over to enterprise solutions can mean far fewer errors in your official data.

Small mistakes in your data can inefficiency and lost opportunities.

Big mistakes can lead to stagnation and compliance problems. Enterprise solutions can help you avoid all of these problems!
Understand the Benefits That Come With Enterprise IT Solutions 
We hope learning about Enterprise IT solutions has been helpful for you.

As the world of technology continues to progress, the most competitive businesses continue to adapt to new technology. The growth of Enterprise IT solutions is helping businesses to operate more efficiently than ever before.

To learn more about Enterprise IT solutions or to speak with experts who might be able to help you streamline your business, feel free to get in touch with us here at any time!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT

#### Entertainment Industry IT Support: Creative Business IT Services for Creative Companies
In the creative industry, smooth operations set the stage for creativity to shine. For most functions, a single glitch can close the curtains on any show.

Tech glitches happen even in big concerts where you expect perfection. Earpieces can malfunction. Microphones may fail to work. And sometimes, the whole system may go off.

Glitches during performances are the tip of the iceberg. More hiccups may occur due to poor data management or when adopting new technologies. Hence IT support for the entertainment industry should be accessible, efficient, and reliable.

How can you enhance IT support for your entertainment company?

The answer is creative outsourced IT support solutions and here's how to go about it.
Tailoring Hollywood IT Services
Your company could need more efficient processes. For example, you may experience incomplete data sets across systems. A film company could struggle with difficulty editing software and large media files.

No IT solutions can be one-size-fits-all for the entertainment industry. The industry is broad, with players in the film, streaming, gaming, or live events. Each company has unique Hollywood IT Support needs and challenges.

A creative way to ensure IT solutions suit your company is to seek personalized services. Leverage managed IT services that are customized for your company. You can access the necessary technical capabilities without internal teams.

Look for a provider specializing in professional IT support for the entertainment industry. The right provider understands the industry's security, mobility, analytics, and other needs.

They can deliver proven solutions to support productivity and innovation. This will allow creative professionals to concentrate on what they do best.

An IT partner who knows the latest tools can help you work smarter. A customized approach considers the workflows and objectives unique to each creative organization. The goal is to use technology to empower your business as they bring your visions to life.
Offering Need-Based Outsourced IT Support for the Entertainment Industry
Apart from your company being unique, the entertainment industry is also unique. One major example is the need to store and transfer large media files. Video production companies generate massive amounts of data from filming in high-resolution formats.

This high-resolution digital content requires robust storage infrastructure and fast network connectivity. Media companies need quality servers with plenty of capacity.

Users and systems need speedy local storage networks for file transfers. Additionally, they need enough internet speeds for efficient file handling.

Collaboration depends on transferring large files across various locations and devices. When using cloud services, the connection must support high production. At the same time, it should not disrupt active workflows.

Your company may need to invest in more IT resources to become competitive. Outsourced IT support services are an opportunity to improve IT structure and connectivity. Your provider can address your challenges without heavy upgrading costs.
Ensuring Reliability in Media
You've landed a deal to handle ticketing for a major music festival. Thousands of fans are eager to snap up tickets.

But your outdated ticketing system crashes under pressure. IT's lack of reliability can jeopardize your business and damage your brand's reputation.

The entertainment industry runs on tight deadlines and demanding production schedules. Your company can only afford downtime that disrupts workflows and results in missed deadlines. Even short downtime can have cascading effects that throw off entire projects.

Building a reliable entertainment IT infrastructure is a must. Some of the ideas to improve reliability include.
Proactive Prevention: No More IT Nightmares
You're minutes away from airing the season finale of a hit reality show. Yet, your servers are showing warning signs.

With managed IT services, your IT help desk is already on top of it. They've monitored and maintained your infrastructure, preventing issues before they become disasters.
Load Balancing
Remember that viral dance challenge that broke the internet? With managed IT services, you can handle the heat.

Their knowledge of load balancing ensures that your systems can handle traffic surges. This prevents crashes and keeps your audience engaged. This means no more buffering screens or frustrated viewers.
Real-time Failover
Power outages and system crashes can be costly. A real-time turnover with redundant systems ensures operational continuity. You won't have to panic in the event of disruptions.
Disaster Recovery
You may have heard cases of companies going down after a cyber attack. According to an IBM report, the global average cost of data breaches is USD 4.45 million.

Having a team of cyber security specialists around the corner is essential. These IT specialists can be expensive to maintain, so it's best to use managed IT services.

A skilled IT support company can install strong recovery protections. These protections will secure your systems and data. They can also ensure you're back up and running in no time.

Reinforced disaster recovery reduces worry about losing files or reputation. You can access IT support specialists at any time to weather any storm.
Adopting Proactive Security Measures
One of the things that tend to keep you on your toes is the extreme vulnerability of your data. The entertainment industry's data is often sensitive and valuable.

Most companies in this industry handle valuable intellectual property and media assets. These assets need strong protection.

Leaks of films, TV shows, or music before release can be disastrous. Laptops left in taxis often lead to leaked scripts online. Unfinished edits from these laptops also circulate on the internet.

Hackers may attempt to steal or ransom media files and confidential documents. Disgruntled employees could leak materials. Meanwhile, errors in access controls can expose sensitive data.

The  expectations of outsourced IT Support can help protect your company by providing:

 	Use strong security software that protects against viruses and hackers
 	Keep your data safe in the cloud with tight access controls
 	Make sure your information is coded for safety, whether moving or stored
 	Block devices that shouldn't access your system and stop data leaks
 	Manage who can enter your system and what they can do
 	Teach your team about staying secure online
 	Prepare for issues by having a plan for when things go wrong

Embrace Agile IT Services for Media
The entertainment industry moves fast. Projects ramp up quickly, requiring an immediate influx of resources. Just as fast, projects wrap up, and those resources need to move on.

An agile IT solution offers the flexibility to adjust resources as needed. This includes both bandwidth and computing resources for scaling purposes.

You won't maintain unused capacity during slow periods or scramble when demand surges. Instead, you can deploy the right IT abilities for the work.

Cloud computing and virtualization make creating new servers and storage simple. You can activate extra software licenses on demand. More user accounts and credentials get created instantly.

This agility prevents delays while waiting for IT procurement and configuration. The focus stays on the project timeline, not IT logistics.

When production needs shift elsewhere, you can free up resources or turn them off to avoid waste. The enterprise only pays for active consumption rather than idle capacity.

The agility to scale IT on demand gives your company an edge. You can pursue more simultaneous projects and opportunities. Resources shift fast to active initiatives rather than sitting dormant.
Building for Collaboration to Enable Creativity
To unlock your company's potential, build systems that encourage collaboration. The creative industry thrives on collaboration.

Artists, producers, directors, and crews must collaborate and exchange ideas. They need to work together to refine concepts and create the final product. The right collaboration tools empower this creative process.

Managed IT providers offer secure cloud solutions to help teams collaborate anytime, anywhere. Media asset management systems provide a central repository to store and organize data.

Teams can easily find the resources they need for projects. They can work together no matter where or what device they use.

Advanced collaboration tools enable collaborative brainstorming and feedback cycles without geographic limitations. Robust access controls and user permissions ensure content security while facilitating open collaboration.

By implementing effective collaboration technologies, you can end departmental silos. You can also tighten integration and build knowledge sharing into workflows. Teams can stay aligned, and work gets done faster.
Integrate Mobility in IT Systems and Support
Building for collaboration sets the foundation for a creative company. If you want to take productivity to the next level, improve the mobility of systems.

Mobility in IT is necessary for supporting remote working and improving efficiency. In the digital age, your team needs to be able to work together on projects from anywhere.

Creativity arises in an unhinged environment. People don't want to feel limited because they want to be in the best shape of their minds to ooze ideas.

Investing in mobile systems may mean investing in remote and cloud-based systems. Production crews deploy phones and tablets while maintaining sensitive media assets.

The right IT solutions provide flexibility for a mobile workforce by improving security. Some functions can include securing remote access to enable remote working.

Systems and workflows need optimization to achieve the desired efficiency. Remote staff need to access everything from their phones and tables effortlessly.

An IT partner can focus on improving mobile access. This helps keep your team productive and connected. It also ensures they stay connected even when not in the office. Working from anywhere allows you to scale production and post more efficiently.
Leverage Data in Decision Making
The entertainment industry generates massive amounts of data daily. New media workflows produce terabytes of information from video files to collaboration software. Having the proper IT infrastructure and expertise to turn this data into insights would be best.

Managed IT providers in the media industry offer advanced analytics platforms. You can use these platforms to mine workflow data. Their analytics services can provide the following benefits.
Identifying Inefficiencies in Content Production Pipelines
You can analyze the data for time spent in each stage. By doing so, you can optimize workflows and improve efficiency.

For example, a media company finds that editing takes longer than expected. They can install a new scheduling system to optimize the editor workload.
Optimizing Hardware resource Allocation
To cut costs and improve productivity, you must track resource usage. Data analytics can help you track data usage in CPUs and RAM. You can divide resources based on real-time needs, reducing costs and preventing bottlenecks.

Suppose your media company uses data to identify unused servers during off-peak hours. You can put in place a cloud-based resource pool. As a result, you'll scale resources up and down based on demand, saving on infrastructure costs.
Predict Future Infrastructure Needs More
You can predict the future. Data lets you peek into the content pipeline. You can see what infrastructure muscle you'll need to flex tomorrow.

For example, based on gathered data, a streaming service predicts a surge in viewership for a new show. They invest in more server capacity to ensure smooth streaming without outages.
Gain Visibility into the Usage of Media Assets
Optimizing for data analytics can enhance resource usage. For instance, You can track the use of video footage, music, and other assets across your projects. Then, you can identify underused assets and boost storage, licensing, and production workflows.
Automate Redundant Tasks
Redundancy is a productivity killer. Repetitive tasks can slow down production and affect profits.

Managed IT services can automate tasks like transcoding, subtitling, and social media scheduling. This frees up human resources for more creative and strategic work.
Track ROI on Technology and Workflow investments
After investing in outsourced IT support, you need to test its effectiveness. Leveraging data ensures that you can measure the impact of new technology. You want to justify investments and make data-driven decisions about future tech adoption.
IT Support for the Entertainment Industry: The Way Forward
Are you looking outsourced IT support services?

The first step to success in finding the best IT support for the entertainment industry is to find an industry expert. And also a company that has worked in the Los Angeles area for several decades.

For a Hollywood-based company having the local IT support of a company that understands the Los Angeles landscape and technology grids is key to preventing and overcoming any technical issues.

Creative IT support specialists are people who understand the industry. They have the experience and talent to create a custom IT management plan for your firm.

The big problem is finding experienced and creative tech professionals. But you can save time and costs by hiring entertainment industry IT services.

We can tailor IT support services to suit your needs and demands. Contact Be Structured Technology Group to find out how you can improve IT quickly,  efficiency, and within your budget.
- Categories: IT Support

#### Expert Tips for Choosing the Right Cyber Security Company in Los Angeles
By the end of 2025, the cybercrime industry is projected to cost the world over $10 trillion annually. Even a single incident can be difficult or impossible for most companies to overcome. You also risk irreparably damaging your company's reputation.

For LA-based companies, working with the right cyber security provider can ensure you maintain the right levels of data protection. Not everyone knows what to look for in cyber security providers in Los Angeles, though.

Let's explore how to find the right cyber security companies in Los Angeles for your needs.
Their Level of Experience in Network Support
This is one of the most important attributes to consider during your search. Inexperienced firms aren't likely to meet your needs and could cause unnecessary risks.

For example, an inexperienced firm might not understand the unique nuances of your situation. What was once a minor issue could evolve into something much greater. It's best to find someone with at least a decade of experience in the industry.

This will help guarantee they can provide the results you need. Reputable companies will proudly display their level of experience on their websites, making finding a suitable candidate straightforward.

Be wary of companies that seem to dodge questions about their experience. This could indicate they can't meet your expectations.
Enthusiasm for IT Support
Never hire someone who isn't enthusiastic about helping you. There's a good chance they'll fall short of your goals.

For example, assume you hired a firm that doesn't particularly care about how your company performs. There's a good chance they won't be available when you need support.

They also won't be proactive about monitoring for threats. You can gauge their level of enthusiasm by assessing how many questions they ask about your company. Firms interested in your project will want to learn as much as possible about your ambitions.

They'll also proactively reach out to you to provide important details or ask for clarity. Pay close attention to these details when making your decision. This can often be the difference between whether you get the desired results.
Scalability for Managed IT Services
As your company grows, so will its security needs. Large companies are much more difficult to handle, and outgrowing resources is a common issue people face.

Scenarios like these can also prevent you from keeping your customers satisfied. The provider you choose should be fully equipped to handle your company's growth. Ask them how they adapt to situations where their clients' needs change drastically.

It's best to find a business with a solid plan for handling these obligations. They should also allow you to scale back your services if necessary. For instance, some companies operate seasonally.

Others might need to downsize during times of economic hardship. If you're stuck paying for services you don't need, this can quickly cut your revenue.
Communicativeness
Getting left in the dark when problems arise can be frustrating. It can easily derail your productivity and detract from your other obligations.

In some situations, the problems you face could be impossible for your company to accommodate. You should have no trouble getting in touch with your provider's customer support team.

Most businesses will offer some form of 24/7 support. It typically comes in the form of outsourced employees or chatbots. Before moving forward, determine what type of support they provide.

The last thing you want is to be stuck with a low-quality chatbot if issues occur outside of business hours. You should also ask how they handle common issues that arise, such as data breaches. This will help you provide them with necessary information if incidents like these arise.
Cybersecurity Compliance
The company you hire should have no problem adhering to your industry's security standards. For example, companies in the healthcare space must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Breaching regulations like these can result in costly fines and similar penalties. It can also damage your company's reputation. Before making your decision, ask how the firm maintains compliance with the required standards.

They should have plenty of experience working with businesses like yours. If they can't give you a comprehensive answer, explore other opportunities.
Service-Level Agreements
Service level agreements are amazing ways to narrow down your options. As the name implies, these guarantee a certain level of service after you hire a cyber security provider in Los Angeles. The terms you encounter will vary depending on who you work with.

Some companies might guarantee more favorable levels of service than others. The agreement you sign should be detailed enough to give you accurate expectations.

Don't sign anything that has ambiguous language, as this could cause problems later on. A great way to make your decision between providers is by considering response times. The shorter the response time, the better.

Even a few moments can make a difference when handling a cyber attack. The same can be said about recovering from disaster recover and data loss.
Cost-Efficiency
It's not impossible to handle cyber security responsibilities on your own. However, you'll spend more time and resources doing so. It's better to budget for a professional.

You'll need to make sure you choose a cost-efficient firm. This means you should get a substantial level of service for the money you spend.

This comes with the added benefit of allowing you to invest in other areas of your business. When you don't have to worry about your cyber security responsibilities, you can focus on improving your company's key metrics.
Outsourced Technical Support Red Flags
Understanding red flags will help you avoid hiring the wrong companies. Keep a close eye out for these, as they aren't always readily apparent. Listed below are some of the most notable.
Instilling Urgency
Never work with someone who urges you to make a decision. This is a sign you should stay far away from them. Companies that do this often want you to decide before you have a chance to see if the details aren't in your favor.

This often occurs when someone needs to sign an agreement. Instead, look for someone who has no issue letting you take your time before making your choice. They should also offer a free quote for their services.

Avoid companies that charge for consultations. This is a sign they care more about money than providing excellent service. It also means you're less likely to be satisfied with their service.

To clarify, they wouldn't need to charge for consultations if they made enough money from working with their clients. Their work should speak for itself and entice people to hire them.
A Focus on Sales
If the firm seems overly concerned with sales, you should look elsewhere. While sales are important for every business, they shouldn't prioritize them above your satisfaction.

These are often easy to recognize, as they'll typically steer the conversation toward upselling. They might also seem pushy if you're on the fence about working with them.

If they make you feel like another sales number instead of a unique client, chances are they'll fall short of your goals. The good news is behavior like this is often easy to discern. Once you recognize it, you can avoid that company and focus your efforts elsewhere.
Poor Transparency
It's imperative to find a company that has no problem offering insight into their practices. This should be true regardless of how long you've worked with them. For example, the firm should provide detailed information about how they'll help you with cloud solutions, network security, and your overall data strategy.

The more you know about how they operate, the easier it will be for you to make your decision. Companies that aren't transparent are likely to outsource their key roles.

While there's nothing inherently wrong with this, it could lead to lower-quality results. You might also experience security concerns depending on who they outsource to.
Refutable Claims
Are the claims they make verifiable? They should provide reliable resources for all of their claims. These should be links to reputable websites or press releases.

Never choose a company whose claims are easily refutable. For example, they might declare they can help your company eliminate cyber threats.

While this is something to strive toward, it's impossible to fully prevent certain attacks. Keep this in mind on moving forward so you can avoid wasting your time and money on the wrong firm.
Low Pricing
You often get what you pay for when choosing a cyber security firm. This is not an obligation you want to cut corners on.

Selecting the cheapest firms is sure to fall short of your expectations. However, many people make the mistake of assuming they'll get better results if they choose expensive options.

There's a point of diminishing returns regarding what you pay. Spending more money doesn't always mean that you'll get a better outcome. Somewhere in the middle of the price range can likely meet your needs without stretching your budget.
Risk of Choosing the Wrong Company
There's a handful of risks you'll face if you choose the wrong company. It's imperative to avoid shady companies so you don't place your company in jeopardy. Let's explore some of the most notable.
Risk of a Cyberattack
As you might assume, working with a poor-quality professional increases your risk of a cyberattack. You'll have fewer safeguards in place, and the software your company uses could be outdated. Regardless of the situation, this poses an enormous risk.

For example, a hacker could slip through your company's defenses and hit you with a ransomware attack. This scenario involves a criminal encrypting crucial data and preventing access to it. They then demand that you pay a ransom in cryptocurrency.

If you don't satisfy their demands, they leave your data encrypted indefinitely. Under no circumstances should you pay the ransom. The hacker will only use the money to facilitate future attacks.

Even the FBI states you shouldn't satisfy the hacker's demands. A single attack can have long-lasting consequences, so it's best to avoid situations like these at all costs. You can do so by working with the right provider.
Extended Downtime
Even a brief period of downtime can lead to substantial issues. If your customers can't engage with your business, they'll turn to a competitor instead. In scenarios like these, it's virtually impossible to get your previous customers back to your company.

Now, imagine for a moment what could happen if you have extended downtime. Let's assume you pay a team of 10 workers an average of $50 per hour each.

For each hour they can't work, it costs your company $500 in lost productivity. If they can't work for a full workday (usually eight hours), you'll burn $4,000 per day. This can quickly add up and get out of control.

This scenario also doesn't consider other costs, such as missed opportunities and reputational damage. Disreputable companies have fewer resources and won't use them as effectively as they should. You'll likely have major issues avoiding obstacles if you don't hire someone ideal for your situation.
Overspending
Many people overlook how much they'll end up overspending if they work with the wrong company. The less effective they are at handling your projects, the longer it'll take them to meet your needs.

This means you'll spend more money per task. Small companies might deal with financial hardship as a result. This can make it difficult to handle your company's other obligations.

Overspending comes with other consequences, as well. Choosing the wrong firm means you'll eventually have to budget for the right provider, causing you to spend more money than you anticipated.
Finding a Professional Cyber Security Company in Los Angeles Is Simple
The consequences of not having cybersecurity managed service providers can be dire. But don't let the process of finding the right fit deter you making the calls and setting up the interviews.

The process is actually much more straightforward than most people anticipate. From here, you'll have no issue getting the best results for your needs.

Since 2007, the team at Be Structured has helped our clients overcome their IT needs and keep their data safer. We strive to deliver outstanding results that meet all of your needs while maintaining transparency throughout the process.

You can learn more about how we can help when you schedule a consultation today.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance, Disaster Recovery, Managed It Services, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Fileless Malware Attacks: What You Need to Know
At Be Structured, we’re committed to keeping our clients protected by staying ahead of the latest cybersecurity threats. One emerging threat we’re staying on top of is fileless malware. In this post, we’ll take a look at the basics of fileless malware, how you can detect potential threats, and strategies to keep your network protected.
What is Fileless Malware?
Fileless malware is a cyberthreat that does not require installation on a device to infect and exploit data. Fileless malware also may be referred to as:
 	Non-malware
 	Zero-footprint
 	Macro attack
Traditional malware generally needs to be installed or downloaded on a hard drive to infect a device. Fileless malware, on the other hand, exists on a computer’s random access memory (RAM) by exploiting system processes to insert compromised code and initiate network attacks.
Cybercriminals often use pseudo-advertisements or phishing emails to encourage users to click on unsafe links. These links redirect users to a malicious site that loads compromised processes and executes commands to upload and run malicious code on a device’s memory or basic input/output system (BIOS).
Fileless Malware Quick Facts
Some of the most notable characteristics of fileless malware include:
 	Generally undetectable by most antivirus tools
 	Exists on a device’s RAM or BIOS
 	Compromises native operating system processes
 	Often works in conjunction with other malware
Because fileless malware on a device’s RAM requires power to store data, simply shutting down your computer can be enough to stop a fileless malware attack. However, cybercriminals may use fileless malware to install another form of malware or exploit an ulterior vulnerability to compromise a device.
Signs of Fileless Malware Attacks
So far, most fileless malware attacks have been largely directed against financial organizations. However, with 42% of companies reporting at least one fileless malware attack in 2017, businesses in any industry are at risk.
While fileless malware can be difficult to detect using traditional methods, some indicators are worth noting. Look out for unusual network patterns, traffic, and traces. Unusual network patterns are a tell-tale sign that your computer may be connecting and sharing data with external servers. Taking advantage of an around-the-clock network monitoring solution can accomplish this for you and deliver the ultimate peace of mind.
Your team can also keep an eye out for any signs of malicious code operating on their devices. Another key indicator that your computer may have been compromised is it continually restarts even after you try to shut it down.
How to Keep Your Network Protected
If you want to take a proactive approach to protecting your network from fileless malware attacks, a few strategies are worth considering.
Prioritize Endpoint Protection
While fileless malware can often circumvent anti-malware software, ensuring you keep the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems on your network up-to-date can protect against fileless malware by detecting suspicious activity.
Store Critical Data on the Cloud
Because fileless attacks depend on RAM and BIOS to compromise data, storing sensitive data on the cloud provides an additional layer of protection for your network. A cloud platform offers a contained environment for you to encrypt and store data at a data center, where fileless malware won’t be able to infiltrate as easily.
Train Your Employees
Providing your team with ongoing cybersecurity awareness training goes far beyond protecting against fileless malware attacks. However, making sure they’re familiar with how fileless malware works, some of the characteristics, and how it’s spread are all essential first steps in protecting your network.
Upgrade Your Servers
As fileless malware attacks become more prevalent, cybersecurity companies are unveiling hardware specifically designed to combat firmware attacks. Working with a cybersecurity partner like Be Structured can enable you to leverage the cybersecurity market to find a solution that protects your network from specific threats with the latest technology.
Worst Case: Unplug the Machine
If you think a fileless malware attack has compromised a device on your network, you can always just unplug or remove the battery from the machine. Since fileless malware generally relies on RAM to compromise data, cutting off power to the memory minimizes the impact the malware can have on your network. From there, you can reimage the device to undo any of the harm an attack may have done.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to start taking a more proactive approach to protecting your network, the cybersecurity experts at Be Structured are here to help. We stay ahead of the latest security threats to make sure your team has the knowledge, resources, and tools to protect your network at every level.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, fileless malware, IT security

#### Finding the Best IT Support LA Offers
IT is crucial to every single industry. Without it, contacting customers, managing orders, completing administrative tasks, and more would all be impossible. Yet how can you ensure that your IT system is kept in good condition? The answer is to use professional IT services to help you. IT support in Los Angeles can help you to stay secure, solve problems, and maintain productivity. Yet how can you choose the very best manage IT support provider?

In this guide, we're going to take a look at the most important points to consider when you're choosing a managed service provider. Put these tips into practice, and you'll be able to find highly effective IT support in LA that can take care of every aspect of your IT.

Are you ready to learn more and bolster your IT? Then read on!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are They Within Your Budget?
One of the best reasons to hire managed IT support is to lower their operating costs for many businesses. In-house IT staff are expensive, and as you grow, you'll need more and more of them.

Hiring a managed IT support company will often keep costs lower, as you have a predictable cost that doesn't change from month to month.

However, the precise price that you'll have to pay changes from company to company, and will also depend on the level of services you choose.

Before you settle on an IT support service, consider how much you're spending on IT currently. Use this as a baseline figure and compare quotes to find a great IT support company that offers the services you need at a lower cost than your in-house IT crew or those that you're going to replace with managed IT services.

The only exception to this rule is if you want to have your managed services provider take over your IT staff's current duties and do more. If you're improving the quality or quantity of your IT services, you may need to pay a little more.
2. Are They Great Communicators?
If you're hiring someone to take care of your IT needs, they need to discuss complex IT issues using simple language. No matter how well you understand IT, there will be employees who aren't as well-versed in the topic.

This is an essential quality for an IT support service or helpdesk. If something goes wrong with one of your employees' computers, they'll need to give the employee clear instructions on fixing the issue.

So, how can you gauge whether someone is a good communicator?

The solution is to gauge how well they communicate in emails and over phone calls, and in person. When you're talking to the team about their expertise and experience, are they easy to talk to and friendly, or condescending and irritable?

You can treat the hiring process like a job interview, using questions that gauge interpersonal skills to see whether they'd be a good fit for your business.
3. Do They Have Experience in Your Industry?
While no two businesses will have the same IT needs, there are some commonalities between businesses in the same industry. If you're in the entertainment industry, for instance, your IT needs will likely be similar to other entertainment businesses.

This means that you should ask your prospective IT service provider whether they have any specific experience in your industry. If they don't have any experience in your industry or don't understand the problems that it faces, you may want to look elsewhere, as they may not give you the level of protection or assistance you're looking for.
4. Understand the Contract
Some IT service companies will try to tie you into a very long contract, but this isn't the best option if you're a new customer. If you've never used the company before, you need to treat the first few months of using them as a trial or probationary period.

In this time, you can see the level of service that the company offers and their communication and problem-solving style. While this doesn't mean that you should avoid long-term contracts at all costs, it's worth being cautious: take a look at the minimum term of the contract and whether the company offers a trial period.

Term length isn't the only factor to consider when looking at a contract, either. You should also look at the details about the services that you're choosing, and make sure that they're what you agreed to. It's also worth checking that there isn't a limit on the number of times you can ask them for help.

Scrutinize the contract your managed IT services company offers you before you sign it and make sure that it's fair and reasonable for both parties.
5. Are They Proactive?
Reactive IT maintenance isn't good enough anymore. This is the type of IT maintenance where nothing gets fixed until it's broken. So, for instance, instead of taking action to bolster your business' security, you instead wait until a data breach happens, incurring millions of dollars in costs, before you try to fix the issue.

This isn't only a security issue either. If done reactively, routine IT maintenance will cost you a lot more money than analyzing your infrastructure for possible problems and solving them before they go wrong.

Reactive IT support incurs increased costs and can also result in slower infrastructure. You'll be waiting for that aged server to go wrong before you replace it, resulting in slower service for your customers.

When you're choosing a managed service provider, make sure that they offer proactive IT services. You need them to be able to spot issues before they happen and step in to solve them. Of course, they should offer reactive support in case something goes wrong, but this shouldn't be their primary purpose.
6. Do They Monitor Your System at All Times?
Problems can happen at any time, day or night. For this reason, you need to make sure that the IT services company that you're hiring will monitor your business' IT around the clock.

If malware infects your system at 3 AM, you want your IT services company to already be taking action before the start of the next working day. If a network switch goes down and causes serious issues at your company, they should let you know and start fixing it immediately.

Never settle for an IT support company that will only help you out during business hours. Your security needs to be active at all times, and so do they.
7. What Qualifications Do Their Engineers Have?
When you hire IT support in LA, you want to make sure that their engineers are as well-trained as your in-house IT staff. The best way to find out about this is by asking what qualifications their team members have.

Do they have degrees in computing or computer science? Do they have certificates from Microsoft or other companies?

If they don't all have formal qualifications, do they have equivalent professional experience?

If the managed services provider isn't willing to tell you about their technician's qualifications, you should look elsewhere. They may be trying to hide a lack of experience or training.
8. Is It Easy to Speak to a Technician or Engineer?
If you call up your IT support company, you should be able to speak to a technician or engineer right away. There shouldn't be any need to go through their customer services team first or deal with complicated menus.

Time is of the essence when it comes to IT maintenance or support. Every minute that your equipment isn't working is lost productivity, which could cumulatively add up to thousands of dollars or more.

Some companies offer dedicated technicians and engineers who only work for one client, but this isn't always the case. If it isn't the case, it should still be easy to get through to someone familiar with your company, its needs, and what your infrastructure looks like.
9. How Long Will It Take Them to Respond?
As we mentioned, time is of the essence for IT support. You need to find IT support in Los Angeles to give you clear-cut response times and stick to them.

Before you hire them, ask them about their average response times and how they can respond quickly.

Note that response times mean how long it takes for the managed IT services company to respond to your support ticket. It does not mean how long it will take for them to solve the issue: this time can vary dramatically from job to job depending on its complexity, which means that it's impossible to offer a standard response time for all jobs.
10. Will They Help You Make a Disaster Plan?
One important service to consider when hiring a managed IT support company is business continuity and disaster planning. Disasters, both natural and artificial, can occur to any company and range in severity from a break-in or a data breach to being caught up in a terror attack or severe earthquake.

There are two main priorities to consider, no matter what kind of disaster you're facing:

 	Keeping your employees safe
 	Protecting customer data

You need to create an exhaustive business continuity plan that will cover every aspect of your business. You need to know how your IT will withstand a disaster and keep customer and business data safe while also knowing how you could help your employees stay safe.

When you've created this plan, you need to be able to drill it and make sure everyone knows what their role is in the event of a disaster.

A great IT services company will help you create a strong and robust plan that will help you in any disaster.
11. What Do Their Previous Customers Have to Say?
You can tell a lot about a company by what its previous and current customers have to say. Many people trust online reviews as much as their friends' recommendations. You'd check the reviews for a product on Amazon, and you need to check out reviews of a managed IT services company before you hire them too.

While you can read the testimonials page on the company's website, this is unlikely to present an unbiased picture, as the company will have selected these reviews.

If you want to get a more objective picture, we'd recommend looking at Google reviews of the company in question. If you find something particularly worrying, you could also look up the company on the Better Business Bureau to see what people often complain about.
12. Do They Work Well With Your Company Culture?
Company cultures can be hard to pin down, but ultimately, you want your support staff to slot into it broadly. For instance, if you run a financial services company, you'll want to hire an IT services company that is highly professional in its manner. In contrast, a marketing company may call for a little more easy-going and casual company.

Note that no matter how casual your company is or the IT support company is, they should still offer timely and professional service.
Finding the Best IT Support in Los Angeles
If you're searching for the best IT support in Los Angeles, this may seem like a lot of points to consider. However, each of these is vital if you want to hire the best company to work for you.

We are one such company. At Be Structured, we'd be happy to help you solve a wide range of IT issues, from security to office relocation to cloud migration. If you'd like to learn more about our services or get a quote, please contact us today!
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cyber Security, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### Finding the Right Server Support for You: 5 Top Tips
When you run your own business, you have to wear a lot of different hats. You have to learn about marketing, tax law, payroll, supply chain, and much more. But one area of expertise that you may not want to try to tackle on your own is setting up the server system that powers your company’s digital records.

Having a good server support provider can help you keep your business running without a hitch. Read on to learn how to find a good server support provider and why you need one in the first place.
What Is Server Support?
Before we get into all the factors you should consider when choosing a server support provider, let’s talk some about what server support is. Servers are where all your business’s information is stored and the location your computers access it from. Maintaining your servers well is critical to keeping your business running smoothly and without interruption.

A server support provider helps you do just that; they maintain your servers so you don’t have to worry about them. They help to prevent any disasters that could take your servers down and leave you unable to run your business. But they also keep your servers updated and running as efficiently as possible.
You Can’t Afford In-House Support
The first step in choosing the right server support provider for your company is determining if you need a server support provider. There are several clues that may indicate this is something you should contract out, rather than handling in-house. The first clue is if you find that you don’t have room in your budget for in-house server support.

Maintaining your own server support team can get expensive; for one thing, you’ll have to pay a team of dedicated employees. But you’ll also have to provide them with the hardware, software, and training they need to keep your servers running smoothly. This can get a lot more costly than outsourcing your server support to an expert team.
Your Business Is Growing
Another sign that you may need to outsource your server support is if your business is growing rapidly. When your business is on the rise, you need to be able to scale up your systems quickly enough to keep up with demand. But when you manage your own servers, you’ll have to go through the entire recruitment and hiring process every time you need to grow your support.

Working with a server support team can give you the flexibility in the service that you need. As your business grows, you can scale up your support to meet your current needs. Your server support team already has the staff and infrastructure they need in place, so you can increase your support with a simple phone call.
You Don’t Have a Disaster Plan
Although no one likes to think about it, planning for what you’ll do in the event of a disaster is important when you’re a business owner. You may have insurance in case a flood or fire damages your building or an employee gets injured on the job. But what will you do if your servers crash and all the information stored on them is lost?

Having a disaster recovery plan for your digital information is incredibly important, and if you don’t have one, it’s a good sign you need better server support. A server support team can not only help you create a disaster recovery plan, but they can also help you implement it. They can help you set up file backups and safety measures so that even if your servers do go down, your information isn’t lost.
You Have Lots of Downtime
On the subject of your servers being down, did you know that server downtime costs you more than just time and frustration? Let’s say you work with a team of ten employees, all of whom get paid $35,000 a year, and each of them has to spend an hour and a half a week trying to get the servers to cooperate with them. Over the course of a year, you’re losing about $12,000 in employee time alone, not to mention drops in customer service.

If you experience a lot of server downtime (or even just inefficient server function), you could benefit from the expertise of a professional server support team. They can help you to uncover the problems that are bringing down your servers and prevent them from happening in the future. They can also suggest more efficient systems to keep things moving smoothly.
Technology Isn’t Your Strong Suit
Another fantastic reason to hire server support is if technology isn’t your strong suit. Server configuration can get confusing, and, after all, that’s not what you started your business to do. You should be able to spend your time focused on running your business, growing your opportunities, and making your customers happy.

When you work with a server support company, you can rest easy knowing your server needs are taken care of. You’ll be working with an expert team that can handle any updates, changes, or adjustments that may need to happen. You don’t need to know the difference between WAN and LAN – you just need to know how to run your business.
24/7 Service
When you’re looking for a server support provider, one of the first things you need to look for is 24/7 service. Although your business likely has normal hours, you never know when disaster may strike with your servers. You may also need to run updates on your servers during the middle of the night, when your customers aren’t likely to be on your website.

Ask your potential server support provider whether they provide round-the-clock support and, if so, for what circumstances. Some companies may offer 24/7 support for emergencies, but not for routine maintenance. Be sure that there are provisions for holidays and weekends in case something goes wrong during those off days.
Ongoing Staff Training
These days, technology is evolving at the speed of light, and staying on top of the latest developments is a never-ending task. Every day, there are new developments that make servers faster, more efficient, and more effective. Server experts need to constantly work to stay on top of these latest developments.

Talk to your potential server support team and ask how they handle staff training. They should provide ongoing education for their employees on how to manage the latest developments in server technology. They may even have documentation from training seminars or special certifications that they can show you to establish their expertise.
Lots of Experience
On the subject of expertise, you want to make sure that the team you work with has plenty of experience. You may encounter a wide variety of situations that impact your server needs, and you want to make sure your server support team knows how to handle them. Making sure they have plenty of experience helps to guarantee you’ll get reliable solutions as quickly as possible.

Ask your potential support providers about their experience, both in general and working with businesses like yours. Ask about the most challenging situation they’ve encountered and how they handled it to deliver a positive result for the client. If you’ve had previous challenges with your servers, ask if they have experience handling those problems and how they’d address them.
Guaranteed Response Times
When your servers are down, time becomes incredibly important. The more time you spend waiting to hear back from your support team, the more money you lose on productivity and customer satisfaction. You can’t afford to sit around waiting for a call back while your business stalls out.

Talk to your server support provider about whether they offer a guaranteed response time. Many companies will guarantee a response within a number of hours. It is important to note that response time is not the same as resolution time; depending on the nature of the problem, it may take longer to get it fully addressed.
Flexible Support Options
As we mentioned earlier, if your business is growing quickly, the amount of support you need may change month to month. You might need to expand your digital systems, upgrade your website, and create new mechanisms for satisfying customer needs. You don’t want to be locked into a contract that limits the growth of your business.

Ask any potential server providers what sort of flexibility they offer in their services. You’ll need to know how long it will take to increase your service if you need it and what the pricing will look like for those higher tiers of service. And if, for whatever reason, you need to scale back your service, be sure you’ll have that option, too.
Good References
Asking a server support company about themselves is all well and good, but it should come as no surprise that any company is likely to present the best face for their business. You may be able to get an idea of the sorts of services you can expect during discussions with the provider themselves. But if you want to get a sense of what it’s like to really work with the company, you need to talk to previous clients.

Ask your potential server support team whether they have any references you can talk to. Be sure to ask these references what they like best about working with that company and what troubles they’ve had, if any. Both good and bad feedback will give you a better idea of what it will really be like to work with this company.
Backup Strategy Implementation
We mentioned earlier that you need to have a backup strategy in case something goes wrong with your servers. File backup may need to be set up on an automated schedule so you make sure you never lose too much information. You may also need to make contingency plans for how you can keep your business running in the event of a server crash.

One of the wonderful things about working with a professional server support team is that they can help you put those backup strategies in place. Not only will they help you devise a strategy that will work well for your company, but they’ll also help to put those plans in motion. Make sure to ask potential server support providers what sort of backup strategy implementation they offer and whether it’s included as part of their standard service
Physical Location
One of the surprising qualities you need to look for in a server support company is a physical location. Many server support businesses farm out their work to a group of contractors that may be located all over the world. While this can provide a somewhat more flexible support model, it may also result in more unreliable service.

Ideally, you want to have one dedicated point of contact who handles all your communication and support needs. In order for a business to maintain this sort of consistency, they’ll need to have an office that their team can work out of. If a server support company has no physical address, you may want to make some extra inquiries about the level of support you can expect.
Find the Right Server Support Provider for You
Getting a good server support team can help your business run smoother both day-to-day and in an emergency. Make sure you ask what sort of experience and ongoing education your potential server support provider has. Talk to them about support options, and ask for references who have worked with this company before.

If you’d like to find the right server support provider for you, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We provide responsive IT service, IT consulting, and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation with us today and discover the joy of working with an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Backup and Disaster Recovery, Data Backup, Data Protection, Data Recovery, Disaster Recovery, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, Server Virtualization

#### Fixing The Break/Fix Model With Outsourced Technical Support
It’s become apparent with every passing year that doing business online and now working remotely means that companies are relying on technical support more than ever. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that any good business will only go so far as its IT department will take them.
The foundation of today’s business is IT support and without quality and trustworthy IT department - whether located in house or offsite is a key component to assuring all systems are “go”, day and night and 365 days of the year.
Have IT hardware failures or subpar network support services hindered your business’s success? If so, you already understand the inadequacy of a break/fix IT support model. If not, it’s only a matter of time before a hardware failure interferes with your broader business goals.
How does your business think about IT? Do you wait until something breaks to repair it? That’s the basic idea behind a break/fix mentality. Or do you have an ongoing plan in place for proactively repairing and replacing IT components before critical failure? That’s the approach a managed service provider (MSP) can help you adopt.
In short, break/fix is a reactive approach to problem solving as opposed to managed IT services that takes a proactive posture to assure IT issues don’t negatively affect your company’s bottom line. It’s the old adage, do you wanna play it cheap and risk losing more money due to an extended outage than you would be paying an MSP a monthly fee to always be watching your network’s back?
That’s an executive business call that’s a lot like rolling the dice at a crap’s table. You just never know when your number will hit -- or not.
Let’s explore the pros and cons of the break/fix IT support model and explain why a more proactive approach is vital to your ongoing business success.
The Fatal Flaw of a Break/Fix Support Model
When your business adopts a break/fix IT strategy, you only reach out to an IT provider when you require their services, most frequently when something breaks down or for a particular project. When something “breaks,” the IT provider of your choice “fixes” it, hence the term break/fix.
As CEO of one of the largest IT support companies in Los Angeles, California, Chad Lauterbach knows the pitfalls of adhering to the break/fix credo. “The problem is timing,” he explains. “We can’t fix a problem until it exists which means doing a fast hustle to identify the issue and strategize a fix. That’s kind of operating from a position of defense instead of offense.”
Having that managed service provider in place and on a monthly retainer allows them to constantly be monitoring your network’s structured foundation to assess problems before they become just that: problems.
Let’s run through a hypothetical scenario that commonly affects businesses still relying on a break/fix service model—your network stops working. With a break/fix model, it’s going to remain down until you follow through on a number of inefficient steps:
 	You contact an IT provider or several providers to figure out when they can send out a technician at their earliest convenience.
 	After you’ve decided which provider to go with, you then have to wait for the technician to arrive. If you’re a new customer, your network isn’t their top priority, so you may have to wait for hours or even days. All the while, your team struggles to remain productive, your clients are left by the wayside, and you’re losing revenue.
 	The technician arrives and works to identify the problem. Depending on the severity of the issue, this may take hours. If the provider is unfamiliar with your network, it may take days.
 	Once the problem has been identified, the IT provider clarifies your options for repair. Prospective solutions often vary in terms of cost, timeliness, and the sustainability of a solution. Your team then has to decide which option is best for your ongoing needs.
 	After you’ve decided on a solution, the IT provider has to go about procuring the necessary network components and planning the repair. This process can take anywhere from days to weeks when hard-to-find parts are required.
Starting to see the problems with a break/fix mentality? In short, the break/fix route breeds inefficiency. That’s because the IT services provider takes a hands-off approach to your organization’s technology needs. This is where the smarter companies will engage an IT services company like Be Structured in Los Angeles to manage their systems ongoing and hourly.
Your team is responsible for day-to-day network management, and when something that’s outside of your team’s capabilities goes wrong, you’re left at the mercy of the regional IT market.
So why do businesses continue to rely on a break/fix approach to their information technology?
When planning IT expenses, companies frequently look for ways to cut technology costs, and on the surface level, a break/fix model allows them to accomplish that goal in the short run. The thinking goes that they won’t have to pay anything for IT until they absolutely have to. While a break/fix approach may save them money today, it actually ends up costing more in the long run when network and technology problems inevitably arise.
Break/Fix vs. Managed Services
If you’re looking for more than a break/fix IT platform, what’s your best option? For businesses that want to break free from break/fix, managed IT services offer the ideal solution. Instead of putting off IT costs until something breaks, you partner with an ongoing IT service partner. Your organization pays them a fixed amount for IT services each month.
Unlike with a break/fix partnership, managed services allow your IT partner to provide a hands-on approach to your network needs. They take the time to understand the intricacies and operations of your network on a personal level.
While keeping you one step ahead of any proactive repairs or upgrades that may need to be made, they also work continually to leverage the latest technology and optimize network performance. Should a problem arise, you’ll know exactly who to call, and your managed IT partner will be able to pinpoint the problem and develop a solution significantly faster than a break/fix provider ever could.
Depending on the terms of the contract, you may not even have to pay for network repairs or upgrades other than your normal monthly fee. Ultimately, when you partner with the right MSP, they work to save you money in the long run by protecting you from surprise IT expenses and extensive network downtime.
That helps companies grow and lets executives sleep sounder at night.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Break/Fix IT Support, IT Budgeting, Managed IT Services

#### Getting the Most From Your Managed Service Provider
How to Get the Most From Your Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles
One of your most important obligations as an entrepreneur is properly managing your IT infrastructure. This is more crucial than ever before given that eCommerce has exploded in growth over recent years.

Regardless of the type of business that you run, this is a responsibility that simply cannot be overlooked. However, not everyone understands how to get the most from their managed service provider.

Looking to make the most of this opportunity? Let's explore everything that you need to keep in mind.
Have a Clear Understanding of Your Goals
Interestingly, many people expect their managed IT services provider to set all of their business goals for them.

While they can certainly help you reach your target metrics, you will need to establish goals for your performance in order to get the most out of this service. This means taking a step back and analyzing the areas in which you could improve.

It also requires you to recognize the strategies that are currently working so you can emphasize them in the future. The more detail you are able to give to your city's IT support company, the better they will be able to accommodate you. The good news is that a reputable firm will be able to guide you in the right direction if they need more information from you.

So, don't worry about having answers to every possible question before you get in touch with them.
Don't Rush to the Cheapest Option
When it comes to working with an information technology service provider, you often get what you pay for. This means that the cheaper options on the market will likely fall far short of your expectations.

In context, they might attempt to cut as many corners as possible. Or, they may not offer benefits that you would experience when working with other providers.

In contrast, hiring the most expensive firm you can find isn't necessarily the best option. Depending on your location and industry, certain managed service providers might charge far more than they should simply because they can. In general, finding a firm that offers rates somewhere in the middle of the average range will be your best option.

This will convey that they are not predatory with their customers and that they don't cut corners with their services.

Your best bet is to search for an "IT support company near me", to make sure your benefitting from an IT support who understands the needs of your community and the challenges that your location may involve. IT support in Santa Monica may pose different IT support difficulties than what IT services in Pasadena may require.
Work With Someone Who Is Communicative
Communication is key when it comes to getting the results that you desire. If you have trouble getting in touch with your provider on a regular basis, you can't expect to reach the goals that you've laid out for yourself.

Additionally, your provider should frequently update you on any concerns that need your attention. If your prospective service provider seems to be unwilling to establish ongoing communication with its clients, it's best to continue your search.

In this context, there is no such thing as hearing from your service provider too often.
How Is Their Past Reputation?
A business’s online reputation can tell you plenty about what type of experience you will get from working with them. For example, let's assume that you have found a firm that you would like to hire. However, you then notice that they have a large number of negative reviews from past customers.

These reviews all seem to claim the same type of issues, as well. To make matters worse, many of these reviews were published within the last six months.

This is a situation that should make you rethink hiring them. A company with a large volume of reviews as well as a high rating is one that you should prioritize.

If it doesn't satisfy both of these criteria, you are essentially rolling the dice by hiring them. It's also important to consider that a poor reputation can easily outweigh the benefits that you might receive from working with them. After all, having access to high-quality software and equipment won't matter if they are negligent when managing your IT infrastructure.
Trust Their Guidance
To get the most out of your relationship with your firm, you have to trust their guidance. Many entrepreneurs struggle with this.

This is often due to the fact that many business owners are not used to relinquishing control. They often have the final say in any decisions that are made, and input from other people is often a suggestion instead of a command.

You cannot have this mindset when working with a managed service provider. They have all of the experience and tools necessary to take your IT infrastructure to the next level.

If you do not implement their strategies, you will only be holding yourself back. More specifically, you will be wasting an abundance of time and resources by hiring them and then refusing to accommodate their needs.

This is one of the most important tips to keep in mind, so be sure that you acknowledge it in the future.
Do They Emphasize Security?
The cybercrime industry is growing daily.

By the end of this decade, it will be worth over $10 trillion in value. A large portion of this value will stem from hackers procuring sensitive data from businesses. Some entrepreneurs might think that only larger organizations will be the target due to the abundance of data that they have.

However, small businesses are often a priority since they typically do not have the tools to protect themselves against modern strategies and malware. To help combat this, small companies hire IT firms and delegate the security responsibilities to them. If your firm does not prioritize security, however, you will still be put at risk.

This means that the provider you work with should frequently hold comprehensive training to ensure their employees recognize and eliminate threats as quickly as possible. Additionally, they should be well-versed in industry trends and network installation so that they can adapt to evolving threats. Since cybercrime is becoming so prolific, it's not a matter of if you become a target — it's a matter of when.

As long as you work with a firm that incorporates the right network security safeguards, you shouldn't have much to worry about. In the event that you are a victim of an attack, they can help get you back on track as quickly as possible.
Understand That This Is a Partnership
From the perspective of your provider, working with clients is very nuanced. Each client has different needs, and a certain level of business agility is needed in order to overcome obstacles and maintain peak productivity.

So, you will need to look at your relationship with your provider as a partnership instead of a business-client relationship. This is the only way to ensure that you will continually be able to satisfy your needs. In contrast, the provider you work with should also understand that the relationship you have with them is a partnership.

This means that they should be highly adaptable and willing to come up with solutions to issues that you encounter when moving forward.
Narrow Down Your List of Potential Options
As with most other decisions in life, making the best choice involves coming up with multiple options.

Similar to how you shouldn't rush to the cheapest provider, you also shouldn't choose the first suitable one you find. This could prevent you from finding an even better provider to work with.

To get started, you should create a list of as many viable firms to partner with as possible. Afterward, you can slowly begin crossing off names that don't fit more specific criteria.

After a bit of deliberation, you should be able to narrow down your list to only a handful of firms. From here, you can choose the one that provides the greatest overall benefit to your company. Keep in mind that not all positive attributes are weighted equally.

To elaborate, imagine if a firm has amazing customer service but poor security. The threat of experiencing a data breach would not be worth how easy it is to get in touch with them. Don't neglect this obligation, because it will often mean the difference between whether or not you make the right choice.
Do They Make Use of Contemporary Software/Hardware?
The only way to achieve peak performance is to make use of the most contemporary software and hardware. This is simply a result of the fact that technology is constantly evolving and more efficient strategies are created. This will continue to occur at a rapid pace.

Additionally, new applications and equipment are often necessary in order to combat the latest cyber threats. As previously mentioned, some providers attempt to cut corners in order to save as much money as possible. While there is nothing wrong with budgeting, the equipment and software that your firm uses is the wrong area in which to be frugal.

Put simply, a business that does not prioritize this segment of its budget will likely cause you to fall short of your goals. This directly translates into a situation where you are paying more money for a lesser service.

Service providers are often proud to showcase the software and hardware that they use. So, it shouldn't take long for you to find a provider who is properly equipped to work with your organization.
Prioritize a Firm With Stellar Customer Service
Customer service is an attribute that cannot be compensated for. If your experience is not pleasant, you won't be able to get the most out of the relationship you form with your provider. To clarify, let's assume that the firm you hire is not communicative at all.

Additionally, they seem to speak to you in a condescending way when you have questions or concerns. This could deter you from getting in touch with them when you have a legitimate problem.

Or, it may prevent you from optimizing certain methods due to the fact that you will not want to reach out to them. In contrast, a firm with outstanding customer service is one that makes you feel welcome and heard. They should have no issue with handling any concerns that you voice.

They should also be more than happy to provide guidance that can help prevent problems from arising in the future.
Are Their Services Easily Scalable?
As your company grows, so will its IT needs. Under most circumstances, scaling an IT department is simply too costly and difficult. However, the provider that you work with should be able to scale seamlessly.

Under most circumstances, all it takes is a phone call or email to expand the level of service that they provide. If you cannot do so, you won't be able to accommodate the new needs of your company. This could cause you a large number of issues, such as eroding customer relationships.

Of course, you should be wary of any fees associated with scaling your service so that you can budget for them appropriately. Before you sign any form of agreement, ensure that you have a comprehensive understanding of how your provider will help you scale when the time comes.
Getting the Most Out of Your Managed Service Provider Doesn't Have to Be Difficult
In many cases, you will even find that it is easier than you anticipate. As long as you keep the above information in mind, you'll have no trouble finding the managed service provider that is right for you. From here, you can easily fulfill your needs and hit target metrics like never before.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs, Networking

#### Guide to Hosted Private Clouds
A Complete Guide to Hosted Private Clouds
If you're like the average SMB, you likely store around 162.9 TB of data. Larger businesses like your growing enterprise also can expect to expand their databases to hold about 347.56 TB of information.

Because this is such a vast amount of storage, it's critical that you select a hosting plan that works for you. Hosted private clouds are an option that keeps your sensitive information safe and secure while providing you with easy access.

But what exactly are private clouds? What benefits do they offer? Read on to answer these questions and to get some insight into whether this is the right storage system to meet your LA business needs.
What Are Hosted Private Clouds?
Private clouds are cloud computing systems in which all resources are specifically dedicated to one customer. These resources include both hardware and software features. The only individual or enterprise that has any information in a private cloud is the one that pays for the environment.

This is in contrast with public clouds that store information for multiple users or enterprises. While public clouds have security measures in place to stop unauthorized access to data, others still will have access to the storage space.

This is a drawback for companies that work with a lot of sensitive data. Such data may include personally identifiable information, financial records, confidential information, and intellectual property.

Many companies also choose hosted private clouds in Los Angeles because they need to meet company compliance regulations. Some enterprises or local regulations stipulate that their information must be stored in a private setting rather than a public one. Not doing so could land companies with hefty fines and poor reputations.
How Do Private Clouds Operate?
Unlike public clouds, hosted private alternatives are hosted on-premise at the company using them. They reside in the enterprise's data center hardware and are managed close to the business. This is ideal for some because data access is speedy, efficient, and high-quality.

However, having on-premise hardware also has its downsides. It requires more space for the necessary hardware and on-site IT assistance during potential downtime and malfunctions. Furthermore, storing your hardware on-site means that you will need to wait for experts to come to update it (even if software updates can happen remotely).

That's why many people choose to have their private cloud hardware stored in an offsite data center. You have complete control of the hardware without needing to store it yourself. It's your choice when to upgrade it or perform routine maintenance checks.

This hardware stores cloud computing software built to meet your company's individual needs. Unlike using AWS or Azure, accessing a private cloud in LA gives you control over all aspects of your storage space.
Is This Different From Dedicated Hosting?
The distinction between private cloud vs dedicated hosting systems can be difficult to see. However, these two concepts are actually quite different, and cloud computing has a plethora of benefits that dedicated servers don't offer.

Dedicated servers are physical servers that your business can rent or purchase. All of your information is stored within this physical server either on-site or at a third-party location. The data isn't stored digitally but rather is stored in one well-secured location.

Dedicated servers are secure and meet high-capacity business data needs. However, they also leave your data susceptible to issues if the hardware malfunctions or is destroyed in a natural disaster.

This is where hosted cloud servers come into play. Rather than being hosted on a single piece of physical hardware, cloud servers exist in a private virtual environment.

You pay for the amount of server space you use rather than for an entire piece of hardware. This space is 100% private despite being virtualized and therefore affords you the same privacy benefits as dedicated servers offer.

Cloud hosting plans are better for some enterprises because they back up all data automatically and have clear disaster recovery plans in place. While private clouds require hardware, you don't need to worry about maintaining it and putting exorbitant fees into updates. Instead, your Los Angeles cloud provider will automatically take care of these routine maintenance activities.
Architecture for Private Clouds
The main difference between dedicated servers and private clouds is their architecture. The main architectural feature that sets private clouds apart is virtualization. IT resources are separable from the physical hardware used to host them.

This lets information be stored across multiple virtual machines and containers. Data and stored applications are accessible by multiple users in different areas of LA (or the country) rather than simply those near the server itself. It makes business more agile, flexible, and scalable than ever before.

Automation is also made possible with hosted private clouds. Integrating applications and provisioning data no longer need to be performed manually (as would be required prior to virtualization). The decreased need for manual intervention heightens efficiency and allows for self-service delivery of resources.
The Benefits of Private Clouds
Private clouds are primarily beneficial in that they're secure and scalable. Not only do you have exclusive access to your server, keeping unauthorized users out, but you also can increase or decrease your server size as you see fit.

Companies are always growing and needs are constantly changing. Your data and application storage systems need to be able to grow and shrink depending on your current needs. If they don't, you may find yourself sacrificing necessary data to make room for new applications.

Private clouds let you purchase more space whenever necessary. You aren't stuck to one single amount just because it's what you immediately invested in.

You also can shrink your server space when you aren't using it. Since private cloud storage is unlike dedicated hosting in that you only pay for what you use, you can save money at times when you need less space.
Mobile Access to Information
With 1 in 4 Americans working remotely in 2021, more people are engaging in work from home than ever before. This pandemic-induced phenomenon also looks like it's here to stay. By 2025, experts estimate that 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely, which is 87% more people that worked from home before the pandemic began.

Additionally, more than half of global internet users currently access the web with mobile devices. Because of this, it's important that authorized users can access data and applications from any device at any time.

Public clouds allow for mobile access, but they don't allow for the specialized space or compliance regulations that some companies value. Dedicated servers struggle to provide remote access because proximity to the server means higher speed. If you have remote workers across the nation, this isn't a good option.

The private cloud is the best way to give people mobile access to data. Assuming they're authorized users, those working with the information on the cloud can get it on any device. Since the cloud is virtual, it also will be accessible across not just the US, but also across the globe.
Consistently Up-to-Date Services
Though we've discussed the benefits of private clouds at length, it's time to look at the reasons that you should invest in one that's professionally hosted.

While many companies try to perform system and software updates on their own, this is a huge challenge. It's expensive to have in-house IT professionals do this because of the skilled labor and training required. Outsourcing updates saves both money and time on training.

Additionally, professionals are experienced experts in performing these updates the right way. Performing incorrect updates not only fails to optimize your network but can result in lost data. Whether you want to start migrating to the cloud, optimize your performance, or set up hybrid cloud services, professionals can make it happen quickly and efficiently.
Save Time and Money
Hiring a new employee costs a company an average of 42 workdays and $4129. These figures are likely higher for IT positions because of the highly niche skills required for the job. You'll need to invest in training, technology, and more.

Outsourcing your cloud storage means outsourcing your IT. You won't need to invest in training and onboarding since experts will perform all essential functions for you off-site.

Private clouds also help you to save time and money on maintenance. Because all updates are automated by professionals who know what they're doing, you don't need to research how to perform routine maintenance. This lets you invest time in other areas of your business such as developing core products and improving client outreach.

Another way that you save time with private cloud hosting is a scalable payment model. Since, as we brushed on earlier, you only pay for the server space you actively use, you can reduce your overall IT budget. You can then redirect your money towards other technologies that cooperate and integrate with your cloud solutions.
Quality Customer Support
While it's a versatile and easy-to-use technology, cloud computing can come with any number of questions. How do system updates impact your enterprise's day-to-day? How can you optimize your mobile devices to best connect to the private cloud?

Having a hosted private cloud automatically means that there are experts you can reach out to with any questions that you have. Our customer support team is happy to talk with you via phone or email and get back to you with answers to all of your inquiries.

Customer support for your organization also allows you to better communicate your needs with us. Since private clouds are solutions independently tailored to your specific needs, we can tweak and alter them to meet your individual requests. This is unlike a public cloud since you would have no say in the storage, system applications, and user features of something accessible by multiple parties.
Constant Backups and Recovery Options
Backups are one of the most frequent things you would need to do if you chose on-site hosting or public cloud plans. While this may sound straightforward, the issues that a poor backup could cause are great. You could lose sensitive information such as corporate data.

Private clouds don't just make backing up data easy but make it simple to restore data when it gets lost. Because the information is stored in a virtual environment, hardware damage won't lose it.

Even if your hardware is destroyed in a flood or fire, the data that you've stored is on the cloud. This makes it possible for you to download it to new hardware and back it up to that system.
Fully Customizable Environments
Finally, unlike public clouds, private cloud environments are 100% customizable. Systems like AWS and Microsoft Azure are fast and flexible, but they don't let you optimize performance for your specific use. This makes sense- after all, those systems don't belong to you.

On the other hand, though, private clouds are uniquely yours. You can add or eliminate features as you see fit. You also can integrate other applications with your system to ensure that it functions appropriately.

Ultimately, using Be Structured is a great way to tailor your storage and data to your individual business.
Store Your Data the Right Way
Ultimately, hosted private clouds are a place where you can store your data away from potential threats. Assuming that you select a provider that works to meet your individual needs, your private cloud will keep your information scalable, accessible, and easy to manage.

Now that you know the benefits of a hosted private cloud in LA, it's time to get started. Reach out to our experts with any remaining questions that you have. We're also happy to give you a quote for your own private server, so contact us ASAP!
- Categories: Cloud Solutions
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Private Cloud, Public Cloud

#### Hardware Worth Incorporating Into Your IT Budget for 2020
With 2020 right around the corner, now’s the ideal time to start planning for next year’s IT budget while clarifying technology goals. Although business IT platforms are increasingly moving toward cloud platforms, hardware components are still a critical aspect of your network’s backbone. From servers and security appliances to storage and devices for employees, your organization can’t get far without accounting for the costs of IT hardware.
But with the next groundbreaking development in IT seemingly popping up every other month, how can you be certain what hardware can add lasting value to your operations and what you should pass on? In this post, we’ll explore some of the tried-and-true IT hardware that’s sure to keep your organization ahead of the curve in 2020.
Start With Core Network Operations
Your organization only has a fixed amount of money to spend on technology, and deciding where to invest that capital can seem like a daunting task. That’s why focusing on your core network operations and working out from there provides a practical framework with which to begin. These core operations include:
 	Servers
 	Storage
 	Networking
 	Security
Are any of these systems nearing their end of life or slowing down your organization’s growth? If so, start developing a plan to overcome these inefficiencies in 2020, and make upgrading those systems central to your hardware budget. Doing so will not only empower your team with a faster network, but you’ll also be taking the necessary steps to mitigate security threats.
Calculating Storage Demands
When your team runs out of storage space on your network, you’re left scrambling to find a solution to minimize downtime. That’s why it’s always wise to plan out the year’s storage demands in advance. Begin by calculating the computer resources and total data storage your organization will need for the year. These projections will give you a clearer idea of the infrastructure you’ll need to support those network demands, including the number of switches and how many layers you’ll need at your on- or off-site data center.
Making Room for Big Data
As data-driven analytics and insights are increasingly used to drive business decision making at every level, storage is in higher demand than ever before. If your business already generates a lot of data right now, that number is only going to increase over the next few years. Make sure you’re scaling your infrastructure to keep up with these ever-growing demands.
For scalable, reliable network storage devices, solid-state drives (SSDs) and non-volatile memory express (NVMe) are currently the two best options on the market. When properly designed and deployed, these systems allow your organization to scale storage systems without interrupting normal network operations. If you’re looking to immediately improve system-wide performance while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow, SSD/NVMe is one of the best investments you can make today.
Network Load Balancing
Even the latest IT hardware and infrastructure can bottleneck when not properly configured and deployed. As network demands increase, investing in network load balancing components can help you further minimize network bottlenecks. Load balancers work by automatically monitoring server traffic to keep operations running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. If one server is absorbing a disproportionate amount of traffic, a load balancer can circumvent traffic to other circuits and achieve a more balanced state.
Redundant Routers
Many businesses rely on one router even when redundancy could help minimize downtime throughout the year. When a router goes down, so do your network operations. If you can fit redundant network routers into your IT budget, you can take an extra step to mitigate the consequences of a network outage.
At the same time, redundant routers quickly pay for themselves by minimizing the lost revenue and time associated with outages over the course of a year. In the event that one router goes down, the other one can keep functioning as usual, so your team stays on track with day-to-day tasks.
Los Angeles IT Support
Does your organization need help clarifying your IT hardware budget for 2020? If so, the experts at Be Structured are here to help you pinpoint your goals for the coming year, so your team has a technology platform that aligns with your broader business objectives.
- Categories: Hardware, Networking
- Tags: 2020 IT Hardware, IT Budgeting, IT Hardware

#### Healthcare IT Support: Key Technologies That Keep You Running
When critical healthcare systems go down, the impact is immediate. From delayed diagnoses to inaccessible patient records, technology failures can directly affect the quality of care. 
Technology powers nearly every touchpoint of patient interaction and clinical operations. Keeping that technology running efficiently and securely requires more than occasional troubleshooting. It calls for expert IT services for healthcare that understands the stakes involved.
Hospitals, clinics, and care providers rely on a wide array of digital tools to function. Electronic health records (EHRs), imaging systems, smart medical devices, scheduling software, and telemedicine platforms form the foundation of modern care. These systems don't just enhance convenience. They are integral to diagnosis, treatment planning, patient monitoring, and ongoing care.
Despite their advantages, these technologies are only as strong as the infrastructure supporting them. Even brief system outages can lead to canceled appointments, lost data, and serious patient safety risks. That’s why many healthcare organizations are turning to managed IT services to safeguard uptime, protect sensitive data, and streamline operations.
 Managed IT opens the door to high level technology without placing the burden of upkeep entirely on internal staff.

Why IT Support for Healthcare is Crucial
Consider the EHR system. It holds detailed patient histories, test results, and physician notes. If it becomes inaccessible, clinicians lose access to critical information that could determine how a patient is treated in an emergency.
 Similarly, radiology departments depend on imaging software that stores and shares scans across networks. When that platform fails, diagnoses are delayed and lives can hang in the balance.
Beyond care delivery, administrative technologies also keep healthcare organizations functioning. Appointment scheduling, billing systems, and insurance processing tools all rely on stable IT environments. 
When one piece of the puzzle fails, the ripple effect can disrupt an entire facility.
Maintaining this ecosystem requires constant monitoring, rapid response times, and preventative maintenance. These demands exceed what in-house IT teams can often manage on their own—especially when their focus is pulled toward day-to-day support requests. 
That’s where managed IT services provide a significant advantage.


Tech support for the healthcare industry is paramount to keep the systems running smoothly.
What Expert IT Support Looks Like in Healthcare
True IT support for healthcare is far more than help desk solutions. It requires specialized knowledge of healthcare regulations, workflows, and system interdependencies. 
Expert support teams don't just fix problems after they arise. They build resilient systems that minimize the risk of failure in the first place.
This proactive approach includes continuous network monitoring, automated updates, and regular security audits. It also involves strategic planning to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with growing demand and evolving regulations. 
IT support teams work behind the scenes to configure redundancy systems, backup protocols, and failover networks that ensure technology remains available when it’s needed most.
Support also includes vendor coordination, compliance management, and seamless integration across platforms. When done well, it provides invisible yet essential stability that clinicians and administrators depend on daily.

The High Price of Downtime in Healthcare Technology
Technology failures come with measurable consequences. According to research, the average cost of IT downtime across all industries is over $9,000 per minute. That figure includes lost revenue, overtime pay, and patient care disruptions.
But beyond the dollars, the human cost is even more significant. When systems go down, care is delayed or rerouted. Lab results may not be available in time. Critical information can be lost. In worst-case scenarios, these failures can contribute to medical errors and compromised patient outcomes.
There’s also the reputational fallout to consider. Patients and stakeholders expect a level of digital reliability. Repeated outages or security breaches can erode trust, reduce referrals, and trigger legal consequences. These risks make it imperative to invest in healthcare IT support for your medical practice before problems occur—not after.

The Key Benefits of Healthcare IT Managed Services
For organizations that rely on technology around the clock, managed IT services offer stability, scalability, and peace of mind. 
The key benefits of healthcare IT managed services include:


 	Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance: Issues are detected and resolved before they escalate.
 	Stronger Cybersecurity Posture: IT teams implement multi-layered defenses to protect patient data and ensure HIPAA compliance.
 	System Optimization: Regular assessments help eliminate bottlenecks and improve system performance.
 	Reduced Internal Workload: In-house teams can focus on strategic initiatives instead of being bogged down by routine tasks.
 	Scalable Infrastructure: Managed services grow with the organization, supporting expansion without system disruptions.

These benefits translate into more efficient care delivery, fewer operational interruptions, and a stronger overall patient experience.

Enhancing Data Security Through Expert IT Management
Patient records are among the most sensitive types of data. Protecting them is not just a legal requirement—it’s an ethical obligation. Cyberattacks on healthcare organizations have risen sharply. In 2023, over 88 million individuals were affected by large breaches of personal health information, marking a 60% increase from the previous year. 
Notably, 77% of these breaches were attributed to cyberattacks.
Managed IT providers strengthen defenses by implementing encryption protocols, multi-factor authentication, and access controls. They also conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration testing to identify weak points before attackers can exploit them.
This is how IT support for healthcare organizations enhances patient data security. It ensures systems are not only available but also resilient against growing digital threats.


Tech plays a vital role in the current healthcare system.
Managed Services Keep Critical Systems Running
Downtime isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it's slow performance that causes delays or frustrates staff. Over time, these minor issues compound, leading to workflow inefficiencies and burnout. 
Managed IT service providers address these problems by optimizing software, balancing loads, and ensuring network health.
They also maintain redundant systems that keep essential platforms running even if one component fails. Whether it’s a server crash or a localized outage, these systems continue functioning without disrupting care. 
That level of continuity is only possible with thoughtful, ongoing infrastructure planning.
With the right partner, healthcare providers gain access to tools like cloud backups, virtualization, and automated disaster recovery—all without having to build the architecture from scratch. Managed IT opens the door to high-level technology while reducing implementation friction and risk.

How to Find the Best Managed IT Support for Healthcare
Not all managed service providers are created equal. To protect critical healthcare technologies, you need a partner who understands the industry’s unique demands.
When exploring options, look for providers with:


 	Proven experience in healthcare environments
 	Deep knowledge of HIPAA compliance and data security
 	Transparent service level agreements (SLAs) with guaranteed response times
 	Scalable solutions tailored to your organization’s size and needs
 	A track record of strong client relationships and positive outcomes

Knowing how to find the best managed IT service provider can mean the difference between smooth operations and chronic tech headaches. Ask for case studies, interview current clients, and insist on a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Take the Next Step Toward Reliable Healthcare Technology
Every moment of downtime is a missed opportunity to deliver quality care. In an industry where precision and timing are critical, your technology must operate without fail. Managed IT services provide the structure, security, and support to keep vital systems running under any conditions.
Here at Be Structured, we believe in building long-term partnerships that allow healthcare organizations to focus on what they do best—caring for patients. While we stay focused on your technology, you can stay focused on outcomes.
Schedule a free consultation today to explore how we can help safeguard your healthcare systems and strengthen your digital foundation.
- Categories: Healthcare IT support
- Tags: IT support for healthcare, managed IT services for healthcare

#### Helpful Guide On How to Patch A Server
Did you know that 57% of businesses who have suffered a cyberattack report their breaches could have been prevented by installing an available patch?

Your business depends on the quality of your network and server to keep your enterprise going. So, when your network needs patching, you need to know how to get your server patched fast.

While you can hire outsourced tech support companies to have either one patched for you, it's always helpful to know how the process works. This way, you can provide your workers with the tools and knowledge they need.

Read on for some help on knowing when you need to patch a server or network. Be ready to automate the server patching process with some automation.
What You'll Need
When you're looking for a server patch for your server, there are three things you'll need.

First, a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit: You'll need a text editor to open the necessary files and make changes.

Second, an FTP client like FileZilla or WinSCP: You'll need an FTP client to connect to your server so you can make changes.

Third, your server's IP address: You'll need this so you can connect to your server in the first place.
Step-By-Step Guide
Now that you have everything you need, let's look at how to patch a server to avoid vulnerability. Let's look at this now:
1. SSH Into Your Server
The first step is to open up a terminal and Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) into your server. You'll need your server's IP address for this.
2. Update Your Server
Once you're logged in, the next thing you'll want to do is update your server. To do that, conduct the ensuing command:

sudo apt-get update
3. Upgrade Your Server
After you update your server, the next thing you'll want to do is upgrade it. To do that, run the following command:

sudo apt-get upgrade
4. Reboot Your Server
Once you upgrade your server, you'll want to do is reboot it. To accomplish that, execute the subsequent command:

sudo reboot
5. Check Your Server's Status
After your server is rebooted, the next thing you want to do is check its status. To do that, run the following command:

sudo systemctl status ssh

If everything is working properly, you'll see a message that says "active (running)."
Patching a Server Basics
Now that you know how to patch a server, it's time to learn the basics of this process. Let's dive in:
1. Identify the Problem
When trying to identify a problem, it is important to look at all available data. This can include error messages, logs, or other system data. By looking at this information, it may be possible to identify the root cause of the problem.

Once the problem has been identified, it can then be addressed. This may involve changing a setting, installing a patch, or taking other corrective actions.

By taking the time to identify the problem, it is possible to resolve it and prevent it from happening again in the future.
2. Download the Patch
Once you've identified the problem, the next step is to download the patch. Patches are usually available from the vendor or developer's website.

Keep in mind that you'll need to know which version of the software you're using to choose the correct patch. In some cases, you may also need to know which operating system you're using.

Once you have the patch, follow the instructions carefully to apply it correctly. In most cases, you'll simply need to run the patch file and follow any prompts.
3. Install the Patch
The next step after downloading the patch is to install it. You can do this by using a variety of methods, depending on the type of patch. One common method is to use a patch management system.

This system will automatically do a computer network installation of the patches on the server. Another method is to manually install the patches. This requires more work, but you can do it if you don't have a patch management system.

Whichever method you choose, make sure that you follow the instructions carefully to ensure that the patch is installed correctly.
4. Reboot the Server
Once the patch is installed, the next step is to reboot the server. This will ensure that the changes take effect and that the server is running smoothly.

If you have any concerns about the patch or the server, be sure to consult with your in-house or outsourced IT support company before proceeding.

Rebooting the server should only take a few minutes, but it is important to make sure that everything is running smoothly before proceeding.
5. Test the Server
After the server is rebooted, the next step is to test it. This can be done by running a variety of tests or by using a monitoring tool.
Tips and Tricks
There are a few tips and tricks to help you with patching a server. Let's look at them now:
1. Use Automation
One of the best ways to make patching a server easier is to use automation. There are a variety of tools available that can help with this.
2. Keep Your Software Up-To-Date
Another way to make patching a server easier is to keep your software up-to-date. This can be done by setting up automatic updates.
3. Use a Backup
Another way to make patching a server easier is to use a backup. This way, if something goes wrong, you can restore your system to a previous state.
4. Test
Another way to make patching a server easier is to test. This can be done by running a variety of tests or by using a monitoring tool.
5. Follow Best Practices
Finally, one of the best ways to make the server patching process easier is to follow best practices. This includes things like keeping your system up-to-date and using automation.
Patch a Server With Managed IT Services
Managing a server environment can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. By following the steps in this server patching guide and reaching out to us for help, you can keep your systems running.

If you have more IT issues, have you thought about outsourcing your IT departments to a Los Angeles managed IT services company?

If so, contact us to find out how our professionals can help!
- Categories: Hardware, Managed IT, Tips & Tricks

#### Hiring a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider: Exploring the Benefits
Since the pandemic, businesses of all kinds are relying more and more on the digital world to find and keep customers. That is one of the main reasons that the demand for outsourced IT support services over inhouse is so enormous.

These days, the United States alone spends about $666 billion on the IT consulting market every year.

But why are so many people interested in finding a IT support company?

If you're a business based in Southern California, you should look for a downtown Los Angeles IT support company to provider local IT support and reap the long list of benefits.

Many businesses first get interested in working with outsourced IT services because they hear from someone they know about how much they can help. But what is so great about IT consulting, and how can it help your business? Read on to explore the benefits that the right IT consulting in downtown Los Angeles might be able to provide for you!
Los Angeles IT Services Contributes to Your Growth
One of the greatest things about working with IT consulting services is that you will be better prepared for business growth. If your business enjoys a sudden spurt in growth, you may find yourself with more IT support needs than you are used to.

You could respond by putting up some ads for new IT employees. However, it can take weeks or months to find the qualified talent you need to help you manage this influx of IT help requests.

Meanwhile, your business might struggle to grow larger until you manage your IT issues.

On the other hand, working with an IT support company in Los Angeles means that you can get more help almost instantly. If your business enjoys sudden success, you can simply ask your IT consulting services to start providing you with more help than before.

This can also come in handy if your business faces significant challenges. If you rely on an in-house IT team, then you might need to lay some team members off if your business shrinks for a while.

However, with IT consulting services, you can simply ask for less help until your business starts to grow again.
Cybersecurity Providers in Los Angeles Let's You Enjoy the Safety
These days, businesses are getting more concerned about cybersecurity threats than ever before.

There is good reason for this!

As technology advances, it is getting easier and easier for people to become cybercriminals.

Individuals, businesses, and even institutions like hospitals have encountered significant threats from ransomware. The good news is that there are a lot of people out there working on how to provide stronger cybersecurity defenses than ever before.

However, it is difficult for many companies to stay on the cutting edge of cybersecurity threats. It is often easier for them to outsource their security  to knowledegable cybersecurity service providers to services that specialize in it.

Managed IT security teams help provide cybersecurity for many different businesses. That gives them the breadth of experience necessary to handle almost any cyber threat imaginable.

Among other things, your IT consulting team can also help you maintain reliable backups of all of your data.

Ransomware cannot threaten you with the loss of your data if you have dependable backups ready. Having this kind of data backup system in place can also come in handy if you lose data due to an accident.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles Cuts Costs
Depending on your situation, you might find that it is much more affordable for you to work with managed IT services than to employ an in-house team. Having an in-house team can cost you in terms of salary as well as in the time of payroll employees and managers.

The leaner you can keep your business with managed IT services help, the simpler it will be for you to respond to business challenges.
Get Help With Cloud Computing
Another great way that managed IT services can help you save money is by migrating your data to the cloud for you. There is a reason that demand for cloud services is exploding the way it is. However, many IT employees don't know how to make the most of cloud services.

Working with an experienced managed IT services team can help you transfer your data to the cloud and enjoy the benefits that come with it. You will not need to invest as much in hardware to store and process your data. You can also allow employees and business leaders to access your data from around the world.

In the era of remote work, that kind of accessibility can provide more value than ever before.
Retain Talent With Smooth IT Operations
IT consulting teams also develop an incredible breadth of experience as they handle IT problems for different businesses. The next IT problem you encounter is one they have probably encountered many times before.

In many cases, that also means they have workshopped different potential solutions. You will get to benefit from whichever solution has turned out to be the most effective and permanent.

This can make your company operations smoother than ever before. That might even help you retain talent. After all, nobody likes working at a business where there are constant IT problems.
Enjoy the Benefits of IT Support in Los Angeles
You might be surprised by how much finding the right IT consulting in downtown Los Angeles can do for your business operations and growth.

Depending on your situation, working with outsourced IT support services can save you money while helping you enjoy better results at the same time. If you have not worked with such services before, you might want to see for yourself what benefits they can provide.

Be Structured is here to help.

To learn more about how you can find the best IT consulting help for your business, contact us here at any time!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed It Services

#### Home Network Security: Intrusion Protection Tips and Best Practices
As more devices in our homes connect to the internet, from smartphones and computers to smart appliances and security systems, the risk of cyber threats increases. 
Increasing your home network security and protecting it from unauthorized access is critical for maintaining your privacy and safeguarding your data. A compromised home network can expose sensitive information, allow unauthorized access to devices, and even open pathways to more serious threats like identity theft and exposure to the dark web.


Why Home Network Security Matters
Home networks have evolved from simple connections between a few computers to intricate systems involving multiple devices like smart TVs, IoT gadgets, gaming consoles, and more. Each device connected to your home network is a potential entry point for cybercriminals, making it essential to implement robust security measures.
Cyberattacks on home networks can lead to severe consequences, including stolen financial information, identity theft, and unauthorized access to your personal files. Worse, cybercriminals can use your compromised network as a launching pad for larger attacks on other networks or organizations, implicating you in the process.
Securing your home network isn't just about protecting your data but also about preventing potential legal liabilities and ensuring that your connected devices function as intended. Below, we’ll explore critical actions you can take to enhance your home network security.


Secure Your Wi-Fi Router
Your Wi-Fi router is the central hub for all devices connected to your home network. As such, it must be properly secured to prevent unauthorized access. Here are some key steps to follow:

1. Change Default Login Credentials
When you first set up your router, it typically comes with a default username and password. These are often well-known and easily accessible online. Changing these credentials is one of the most basic but critical steps you can take to secure your router. 
Choose a unique username and a strong password—ideally, one that includes a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using easy-to-guess passwords such as “password123” or your home address.

2. Use WPA3 Encryption
Encryption scrambles the data that flows between your devices and the router, making it difficult for outsiders to intercept or understand the information. WPA3 is the latest encryption standard and offers enhanced security compared to its predecessor, WPA2. If your router supports WPA3, ensure it is enabled in your security settings. If not, use WPA2 as the next best option.

3. Disable WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
WPS is a feature designed to simplify the process of connecting devices to your home network by using a PIN. However, it has significant security flaws that allow attackers to easily guess the PIN through brute-force attacks. Disabling WPS on your router can prevent this vulnerability from being exploited.

4. Change Your SSID
Your network’s SSID, or the name that appears when searching for available Wi-Fi networks, is another aspect you should consider changing. Many routers use a default SSID that includes the manufacturer’s name, making it easier for hackers to identify vulnerabilities based on the router model. 
Customize your SSID to something unique and avoid revealing personal information (like your name or address) in the SSID.

5. Create a Separate Guest Network
If friends, family, or guests frequently need access to your Wi-Fi, setting up a separate guest network can help keep your primary network secure. 
Guest networks are isolated from the devices on your main network, meaning that even if someone inadvertently downloads malware or connects a compromised device, it won’t affect your core systems or files.

6. Regularly Reboot Your Router
Rebooting your router regularly is a good practice that can help clear out potential malware or viruses that may have infected your home network. Additionally, it can help improve network performance and stability.

Implement Strong Password Policies
Passwords are often the first line of defense against unauthorized access, so using weak or easily guessable passwords is a recipe for disaster. Here’s how to ensure your passwords are up to the task:

1. Use a Password Manager
Given the number of devices, accounts, and systems we use daily, it can be difficult to create and remember unique passwords for each. 
A password manager is an excellent tool that generates strong, complex passwords for you and stores them securely, so you don’t have to memorize them. This can drastically reduce the likelihood of using weak or repeated passwords across different accounts.

2. Change Passwords Regularly
No matter how strong your password is, it's good practice to change it regularly—especially for critical systems like your router or banking accounts. If a password is compromised, regular changes ensure that unauthorized access can’t persist for long.

3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Many services now offer two-factor authentication (2FA), which adds an additional layer of security by requiring a password and a second form of identification. This could be a code sent to your smartphone, a fingerprint scan, or a hardware token. Enabling 2FA on services connected to your home network adds another level of protection, making it harder for attackers to gain access even if your password is compromised.

Use Firewalls and Monitoring Tools
Firewalls and monitoring tools serve as critical components in maintaining a secure home network. Here’s how firewalls and network monitoring tools can be used effectively to protect your home network:

1. Enable Your Router's Firewall
A firewall acts as a barrier that filters incoming and outgoing network traffic, blocking unauthorized access while allowing legitimate traffic through. Most routers have built-in firewalls, but they may not always be enabled by default. Check your router’s settings to ensure its firewall is turned on and properly configured.
Proper firewall management is crucial for protecting your network. You can also install software firewalls on individual devices for added protection. For advanced configurations, consider seeking assistance from cybersecurity managed service providers to help manage your firewalls and ensure they provide adequate protection for your home network.

2. Install Network Monitoring Tools
Network monitoring tools can help you keep track of all devices connected to your network and alert you to unusual activity. Some tools provide real-time monitoring, allowing you to identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. 
With such tools, you can receive notifications when new devices connect to your home network, helping you quickly identify any unauthorized access attempts.

3. Keep an Eye on Unusual Activity
By regularly reviewing your router’s logs or using a network monitoring tool, you can spot suspicious activity, such as unknown devices attempting to connect to your Wi-Fi. If you notice any unexpected devices or unfamiliar activity, immediately change your network password and investigate further.

Keep Firmware and Software Updated
Cybercriminals often exploit vulnerabilities in outdated firmware and software. Manufacturers frequently release updates to patch these weaknesses, so keeping your systems up to date is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to secure your home network.

1. Enable Automatic Updates
Ensure that your router and any connected devices have automatic updates enabled. This applies to everything from your router’s firmware to the operating systems of your computers and smartphones. 
By enabling automatic updates, you won’t have to worry about manually checking for new versions and can rest assured that your systems are always running the latest and most secure software.

2. Regularly Check for Firmware Updates
Unlike software updates, firmware updates for routers don’t always happen automatically. Log in to your router’s control panel periodically to check for firmware updates. Manufacturers release these updates to improve performance and address security vulnerabilities, so installing them as soon as they’re available is essential.






Use Strong Network Encryption
In addition to WPA3 (or WPA2 if WPA3 is unavailable), it’s important to use encryption to secure not just your Wi-Fi network but also the data stored on your devices. Many modern operating systems come with built-in encryption tools, such as BitLocker for Windows or FileVault for macOS, which can help protect sensitive information from being accessed even if your device is compromised.
For those handling particularly sensitive data, full disk encryption ensures that even if someone physically accesses your device, they won’t be able to retrieve your files without the encryption key.

Professional IT Support for Home Network Security
While many of the steps outlined here are simple enough for homeowners to implement, the increasingly complex nature of home networks—especially with the proliferation of IoT devices—makes working with a top IT support company an attractive option for many.
Los Angeles IT support professionals, for instance, can assist with tasks such as configuring firewalls, setting up monitoring tools, and ensuring that your network stays secure with the latest best practices. They can also perform routine security audits to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities you may not be aware of.
In particular, Be Structured Technology Group offers specialized services for home network security, helping clients safeguard their digital environments from intrusion and ensuring their systems remain resilient against ever-evolving cyber threats.


Protecting your home network is a necessity. You can significantly reduce the risk of intrusion by taking the proper steps to secure your Wi-Fi router, implementing strong passwords, keeping your software updated, and using firewalls and encryption. 
For those seeking professional assistance, Be Structured Technology Group offers expert consulting to help keep your home network secure and your personal information private. 
Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can tailor a security solution for you.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Security

#### Hosted Private Cloud vs. Public Cloud: What You Need to Know
One Tuesday morning, Amazon's servers went down. And it took a whole bunch of services down with it.

Amazon's hosted public cloud provides an affordable service to businesses that don't have servers. It allows them to outsource their online activities to experts. But it comes with its own set of downsides, too.

There are two main options when it comes to cloud computing consulting services: a hosted private cloud, and a public cloud. Both of these come with their own advantages and disadvantages.

In this article, you'll learn the ups and downs of each. And how you can get the best out of your servers with Los Angeles IT support.
What Is a Hosted Private Cloud, and What Is a Public Cloud?
A hosted private cloud means you're hosting your cloud services on your own hardware. That means you have a set of servers serving content. That also means you have an IT team that dedicates itself to maintaining this infrastructure.

When you use a private cloud, you're handling everything. Unless you use Los Angeles IT services, it's up to you how successful your implementation will be. You're responsible for server house leases, digital security, hardware costs, and power costs.

A public cloud, on the other hand, goes through a third party. Amazon AWS is an example of public cloud hosting. They run everything for you.

This means you're not responsible for the building leases, digital security, or anything else. You pay the rent, and you get the service. The only thing you need to worry about is updating your services since a public cloud service won't usually do that for you.

Now let's cover some of the unique benefits and downsides of each.
Operational Costs
On the whole, public cloud hosting is cheaper. Public cloud services know how to cut costs and provide stellar service. This depends on how many server racks you need, of course.

If you have a small business, you might only need one server rack to run your operations. There's a good chance a public hosting service can do this for you for less than if you did it yourself.

A large organization might find that public hosting is actually more expensive. Depending on your situation, you may be able to run your own servers for a fraction of the cost. For Los Angeles computer services, it helps to consult with a local IT support expert.
Security
It's important to keep in mind that when you use a public cloud, you're sharing server racks with other companies. In some cases, there might be a virtual server serving your services right next door to another company.

Public hosting has some of the best security in the industry. You need not worry that hackers will steal your data with ease. However, it's important to understand that it's not a matter of if they hack you, but when.

If a hacker compromises your public hosting, there's a good chance they will compromise everyone. That's why it pays to have the best security possible on your server implementation. Even so, once a hacker gets in that gives them a lot of leverage.

The public cloud hosts a lot of major companies. That makes this an attractive target for hackers.

Further, you have to trust the employees of the public cloud organization. They may vet their employees thoroughly, but bad actors can still get through.

This is where a hosted private cloud excels. If you have a quality IT staff, they can provide the best security in the industry. You know your employees, so you can have more trust in your organization.
Outages and Downtime
Servers go down from time to time. The reasons vary from equipment failure to routine maintenance. Cloud computing relies on the surrounding network, too.

When you use a public cloud, you're at the mercy of your managed service provider. If the public cloud goes down, your servers go down. If they need to perform regular scheduled maintenance, you go down as well.

Make sure to keep in close contact with your public cloud's support team. Stay up to date with their planned maintenance. But know that you have no real control if their servers aren't operational.

If you have a hosted private cloud, when your servers go down is up to you. Barring an act of God or a hack, you control how long they stay up. You can choose when your team performs maintenance.

That means you can install as many backups as you like. If you want to keep up and running during a power outage, you can install backup battery power. If you want to avoid any downtime whatsoever, you can plan to only take a few servers offline at a time to do maintenance.
Scalability
Your server needs may increase over time as your business grows. Or you may have demand that fluctuates throughout the day. The only way to remedy this is to have more servers for cloud computing in Los Angeles for times of increased demand.

This is problematic for a hosted private cloud. You can use server virtualization to increase the number of servers to handle increased demand. However, any more than that and you'll need to install more servers.

This can be costly for a hosted private cloud in your facilities. You're responsible for purchasing the hardware, hiring the installation, and running the new racks.

But this isn't an issue with the public cloud. You can increase demand as you need it. In most cases, you can rent more server space in minutes so that you can meet a sudden spike in demand.
Find Out What Kind of Hosting You Need
A hosted private cloud and a public cloud give options to businesses with widely varying needs. There are other options we didn't discuss today, such as a hybrid cloud. Whatever your business needs, there's a solution perfect for you.

If you're not sure what approach works best, get in contact with an IT support services Los Angeles based company like Be Structured Technology Group to find out.

The leading Los Angeles IT consulting company is here to help.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, IT Support, Managed IT, Tips & Tricks

#### How 24-7 Cyber Security Managed Service Providers Prevent Cyberattacks
24-7 monitoring has become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity. With cyber threats growing in frequency and sophistication, continuous monitoring is essential for identifying and mitigating risks in real-time. 
This article explores the technologies behind 24-7 monitoring and how they help protect against cyber threats.

The Rising Importance of 24-7 Monitoring in Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity threats are evolving at an unprecedented pace. Traditional security measures, which rely on periodic checks and updates, are no longer sufficient. Cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities within minutes, making continuous vigilance essential. This is where 24-7 monitoring steps in, providing a proactive approach to threat detection and response.
The necessity of 24-7 monitoring is underscored by the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks. From ransomware to advanced persistent threats (APTs), the landscape is fraught with dangers that can cripple businesses. Continuous monitoring ensures that any suspicious activity is detected immediately, allowing for swift action to mitigate potential damage.
Moreover, the cost of a data breach can be astronomical, not just in terms of financial loss but also reputational damage. Businesses cannot afford to be reactive; they must be proactive. 24-7 monitoring offers this proactive stance, ensuring that threats are identified and neutralized before they escalate.








Core Technologies Enabling 24-7 Monitoring
The backbone of 24-7 monitoring lies in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and real-time analytics. 
These technologies work in tandem to provide a robust defense against cyber threats. AI and ML algorithms analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and anomalies that could indicate a security breach.
Real-time analytics further enhance this capability by processing data as it is generated. This allows for immediate detection and response to potential threats. 
For instance, if an unusual login attempt is detected, the system can automatically trigger an alert and initiate countermeasures. This rapid response is crucial in preventing damage and data loss.
Moreover, these technologies continuously learn and adapt. Machine learning models improve over time, becoming more adept at recognizing new types of threats. This dynamic adaptability ensures that the monitoring system remains effective even as cyber threats evolve.
In addition, integration with other security tools enhances the overall effectiveness of 24-7 monitoring. For example, combining real-time analytics with advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems provides a comprehensive security solution. This multi-layered approach ensures that threats are detected and neutralized at various stages, offering a higher level of protection.

Real-Time Threat Detection and Response
24-7 monitoring systems excel at real-time threat detection and response. By continuously analyzing network traffic, user behavior, and system activities, these systems can identify anomalies that may indicate a cyber threat. For example, an unusual spike in data transfer or multiple failed login attempts can trigger immediate alerts.
Common threats such as phishing attacks, malware, and ransomware are swiftly identified through these monitoring systems. When a phishing attempt is detected, phishing testing services can block the malicious email and alert the user. Similarly, if malware is identified, the system can isolate the affected device to prevent the spread of the infection.
Ransomware attacks, which can encrypt critical data and demand payment for its release, are particularly damaging. Continuous monitoring can detect the early signs of such an attack, such as unusual file access patterns, and take preemptive actions. This might include disconnecting the affected system from the network and initiating a backup restoration process.
Furthermore, these systems provide detailed logs and reports, enabling security teams to understand the nature of the threat and the effectiveness of the response. This information is invaluable for refining security protocols and ensuring that similar threats are mitigated more efficiently in the future.

Future Trends for Business IT Servcies and Security
The future of 24-7 cybersecurity monitoring is set to be shaped by several key innovations. Predictive analytics is at the forefront, leveraging historical data to forecast potential threats before they materialize. By identifying patterns and trends, predictive analytics can provide early warnings, allowing organizations to bolster their defenses proactively.
Automated response systems are another significant advancement. These systems can take immediate action without human intervention, reducing response times to mere seconds. 
For instance, if a threat is detected, the system can automatically isolate affected devices, block malicious IP addresses, and initiate data backups. This level of automation ensures that threats are neutralized swiftly, minimizing potential damage.
Additionally, advancements in AI and machine learning continue to enhance the capabilities of 24-7 monitoring systems. These technologies are becoming more sophisticated, enabling more accurate threat detection and response. AI-driven systems can adapt to new types of threats, ensuring that monitoring remains effective even as cyber threats evolve.
Integration with other emerging technologies, such as blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT), is also on the horizon. Blockchain can provide enhanced security for data transactions, while IoT integration ensures that all connected devices are continuously monitored. 
These innovations will further strengthen the overall cybersecurity posture, making 24-7 monitoring an indispensable tool for businesses.

Adopting 24-7 Managed IT Security Services for Your Business
Implementing 24-7 monitoring for your business requires a strategic approach. Start by assessing your current cybersecurity posture. Identify existing vulnerabilities and determine the specific needs of your organization. This initial assessment will guide you in selecting the right technologies and solutions.
When choosing a 24-7 monitoring system, consider key factors such as scalability, integration capabilities, and ease of use. Team up with cybersecurity service providers and look for solutions that can grow with your business and seamlessly integrate with your existing IT infrastructure. Compatibility with other security tools, such as firewalls and endpoint protection, is crucial for a cohesive defense strategy.
Integration is another critical step. Ensure that the new monitoring system works harmoniously with your current setup. This may involve configuring APIs, setting up data feeds, and ensuring that all components communicate effectively. Proper integration maximizes the efficiency of your monitoring efforts and provides a unified view of your security landscape.
Continuous improvement is essential for maintaining robust cybersecurity. Regularly review and update your monitoring protocols to adapt to new threats. Conduct periodic audits and vulnerability assessments to identify areas for enhancement. Training your IT staff on the latest security practices and technologies will also ensure that your monitoring system remains effective and up-to-date.








The Role of IT Support Staff in 24-7 Monitoring
IT managed support services play a pivotal role in the success of 24-7 monitoring cybersecurity systems. Their expertise ensures that these systems operate efficiently and effectively. They are responsible for configuring and maintaining the monitoring infrastructure, ensuring that it integrates seamlessly with existing IT environments.
Key skills required for an IT support company include a deep understanding of network security, proficiency in using monitoring tools, and the ability to analyze and interpret data. They must be adept at identifying potential threats and responding swiftly to incidents. Continuous learning is also crucial, as the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving.
In addition to technical skills, an outsourced IT support staff needs strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail. They must be capable of diagnosing issues quickly and implementing solutions that minimize downtime and disruption. 
Effective communication skills are also essential, as they often need to coordinate with other departments and explain complex technical issues in understandable terms.
Furthermore, an outsourced tech support staff should be proactive in optimizing the monitoring system. This involves regularly updating software, fine-tuning detection algorithms, and conducting routine audits. By staying ahead of potential threats and continuously improving the system, they ensure that the organization remains protected against evolving cyber risks.

Outsourcing 24-7 Monitoring to IT Companies "Near Me"
For many businesses, managing 24-7 monitoring in-house can be a daunting and resource-intensive task. Finding local IT support near your business will always be advantageous to assuring your business is always up and running in the event of a local problem or natural disaster.
Companies like Be Structured offer outsourced IT support to handle your continuous monitoring needs, ensuring that your systems are always protected against cyber threats.
Outsourcing your IT support to a trusted partner like Be Structured not only enhances your cybersecurity posture but also allows you to focus on your core business operations. 
Contact BeStructured today to learn how their managed IT services can benefit your business and help you stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.
 
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Cybersecurity, Managed It Services

#### How A Firewall Can Protect Your IT Network And Business
Think about how long it takes to pour a cup of coffee. 

That’s actually more time than it takes for a cyberattack to occur somewhere in the United States.

It has been noted that every 30 seconds there is a hacker attack which affects one in three Americans every single day. That’s a staggering figure that kills productivity and revenues throughout the world. Of these cyberattacks, 43% of them target small businesses.

With that anti-productivity comes a steep cost. The total cost of these cybercrimes is $600 billion annually. If you own a small business, these statistics should terrify you. Becoming a victim of cybercrime can hurt or even financially destroy your small business. And many companies don’t have an emergency plan for when these disasters do happen.

If you’re a small business owner, you may want to start protecting yourself and your network but you may not know where to start. Is there a way to prevent cyberattacks that is also customizable for your company’s needs?

“The easy way for an extra layer of protection is the incorporation of a firewall,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CTO of Be Structured, a outsourced technology company with decades of experience in IT support for Los Angeles businesses. “Firewalls have been the first line of defense against cyberattacks for nearly three decades and their sophistication and protection continue to evolve.”

What Is a Firewall?

Put simply, a firewall is a network support service and security system that automatically monitors both in and outbound traffic traveling through your network that when properly set up intuitively parses good and bad traffic, allowing the former and blocking the latter.

Just like the Great Wall of China built to block marauding invaders, a firewall can protect your network against harmful breeches.

You’ve probably heard of a firewall, but you might be asking yourself “How does a firewall work?” and “What can it protect against?” 

The answers are both incredibly simple and complex.

Herein is a simple and easy guide to firewalls and how they work. Managed properly and set up by a professional network support service, a firewall can go a long way to keeping any small business safe.

How Does a Firewall Work?

Let’s answer two of your most burning questions about firewalls. What is a firewall? And how does a firewall work?

A firewall, in simple terms, is like a filter for your network. It works like an actual firewall to contain and prevent the spread of dangerous material to or from your computer. It determines what network streams are a threat to your computer and attempts to stop them in their tracks to prevent the spread of malicious traffic.

Now you’re probably wondering “How does the firewall know what information is a threat and what isn’t?” A firewall can function either with inclusive or exclusive parameters. 

This means that the firewall allows in some information and disallows other information. The firewall has an access control list which sets up some guidelines that allow or prevent access to a specific computer or network. This list can be customized to suit the needs of any computer or network. 

Modern firewalls also do deep packet inspection to do further analysis of the traffic contained in each packet and data stream.

What Kinds of Firewalls Are There?

Now that we’ve answered “How do firewalls work?” let’s move on to the different types of firewalls.

There are many different ways of categorizing firewalls so let’s start with one of the simplest: hardware and software. 

The main difference between these two firewalls is that software comes in the form of a computer program that can be installed. Conversely, hardware is a physical device. Though software offers great protection hardware offers better protection because of how close it is to the router.

Hardware firewalls stop threats before they make it into the network. Hardware firewalls scan any incoming information to find a threat. 

Software firewalls depend on things like browsers or operating systems to provide protection. Firewalls are also categorized based on how they block traffic. 

There are four different methods firewalls use to block traffic. These include:

 	Circuit level
 	Network level
 	Stateful multilayer
 	Application-level

Circuit Level Gateway Firewall

Circuit-level gateway firewalls work by interfering with the way computers communicate. Basically, the firewall looks at information sent by other computers and determines if it’s legitimate.

In the case of a denial of service attack, it can also hide the network from the outside world. This is often one of the cheapest forms of firewall protection according to one leading managed service provider in Los Angeles.

Network Level Firewall

Network level firewalls, also called packet filters, were the first firewalls ever commercially available.

They work by filtering traffic to the network by using their destination, IP address, and source of the information. This process is known as packet filtering.

Though these firewalls usually come with most modern day routers they have limitations. They usually don’t understand online languages like XML (extensible markup language) or HTML hypertext markup language.

Stateful Multilayer Firewall

Similar to the network level firewall, this firewall filters information from the network before it reaches its destination.

However, this firewall uses a process called dynamic packet filtering. This means that the firewall monitors the active connections in the network. Then, it uses the information to determine what packets to let through the firewall.

Though this firewall has a lot of benefits, its main drawback is that it can be very expensive. More expensive, in fact, than actually utilizing outsourced IT support to a third-party company that will manage and watch your network 24/7 for all 365 days of the year.

Application-Level Firewall

Application-level firewalls are also known as proxies or deep packet inspection (DPI) firewalls. They function the same way as circuit-level gateway firewalls but they only work on individual applications. They block all traffic from the firewall and stop information from getting through based on web content and not IP addresses.

The main drawback to this kind of firewall is time and price. These firewalls must be configured manually for each new user which can take a lot of time. And the application must manually examine packets of data which is also time intensive.

The kind of firewall security that is right for your company is going to depend on your size and budget. But there are easy ways of assessing your company’s security needs. One of these ways is by using a network security plan.

What Do Firewalls Protect Against?

Now that you know about the many different kinds of computer firewalls you may be wondering “What do firewalls protect against?”

The answer is that it depends on the type of firewall but generally, firewalls protect from a whole range of threats from viruses to denial of service attacks. Denial of service attacks are cyber attacks that make a network inaccessible to its target users.

One of the most important things firewalls protect against is unauthorized web users from connecting to your private networks. For a lot of companies, this is their greatest fear because it can lead to unauthorized users stealing information and using it to harm your business. Preventing this makes your business safer and protects any information you’re sending online.

What are Managed Firewalls?

It can cost thousands of dollars to add an IT department to your company. For many small businesses having a dedicated IT department is far too expensive. Small businesses often want to take serious security measures like installing firewalls but they’re afraid that it will require hiring new staff dedicated to IT. And for many, this will be too expensive.

But there is an option and that is managed firewalls. Managed firewalls monitor all the information about the traffic going to and from your computer. This makes your data safer at a lower cost. When you install a managed firewall you are connected to a professional that oversees your firewall without having to pay outrageous fees.

Managed firewalls also come with features like Web content filtering and application control. Web content filtering prevents your computer from accessing any objectionable content that poses a threat to your site. Application control rate-limits specific features to improve employee output and focus.

Another benefit of this software is that because it is cloud-based, it is updated automatically. This means you won’t have to stop work every time there is a software update scheduled.

Asking the right questions of your IT support company will go a long way to assuring you’re getting the level of security your business requires.

So asking the question, “How does a firewall work?” will be one of the most important questions you ask before designing your data security plan.

Understanding how firewalls work is only the first step in making sure your network is safe. There are many different elements in a good security emergency plan that can be overwhelming. 

Be Structured has been providing award-winning support and managed IT services for Los Angeles area companies for over two decades. 

Contact the Be Structured team for a network evaluation and find the security package that best fits your needs. 

As always, the best defense against a debilitating cyberattack is having in place a excellent protection plan. 
People Also Ask
What does a firewall actually do?

A firewall is a security device installed on your network that helps assess and filter potentially nefarious traffic and block unwanted outsiders from accessing the sensitive data stored on your network.

What are 3 types of firewalls?

 	Packet filters
 	Stateful inspection
 	Proxy server firewalls

How does a firewall know what to block?

A firewall intuitively analyzes traffic that hits your company’s servers based authentication rules put in place that recognizes traffic from suspicious or unsecured sources.

Do firewalls protect against viruses?

Yes. A quality firewall, properly installed, will stop unwanted and dangerous traffic from accessing the info on your servers thus preventing cyberattacks, malware installation and many other forms of viruses from installing themselves on your system.

 

 
Excerpt: Every 39 seconds there is a hacker attack which affects one in three Americans. Of these cyber attacks, 43% of them target small businesses. And the total cost of these cybercrimes is $600 billion annually. If you own a small business these statistics should terrify you. Becoming a victim of cybercrime can hurt or even financially destroy your small business. And many companies don't have an emergency plan for when these disasters do happen.
- Categories: Hardware, MSPs, Security, SMB
- Tags: firewall, firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems, Intrusion Prevention Systems, Security

#### How a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles Fights Cyberattacks During a Pandemic
If the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic that crippled the globe in 2020 taught us anything, it’s vulnerability. On a physical level, human fragility was never more evident as people of all ages, races and locations succumbed to the debilitating, sadly sometimes fatal disease that shook the human constitution to its core. 
The deadly virus also forced us to find new ways to run or conduct our business. Workers were sequestered at home and tele-commuting on a heretofore unforeseen level. And while even the most robust in-house IT support solution works hard to stay hack and attack free within the firewalls of a structured office environment, porting those skills and solutions to a remote network of workers became an extra added necessity. 
As an IT support company in the greater Los Angeles area, Be Structured found itself teaching old dogs new tricks when it came to shoring up vulnerability and preventing cyberattacks when it seemed the hackers had the upper hand. 
During the time of Corona, no industry was more in the spotlight than our heroic healthcare workers. Doctors and nurses and medical examiners in every city of the world put their lives on the line to help the sick and dying. 
Many of those same health care professionals themselves succumbed to the virus showing their own vulnerability. In spreading themselves so thin, it’s a tragic human condition that cyberattackers would pounce and take advantage of precisely that industry that was already threaded so thinly.
Coronavirus is obviously on everyone’s minds these days. The entire country is rallying behind those in the healthcare industry to fight the natural progression of the outbreak curve to relieve the burden this epidemic puts on their staff, supplies and available beds. As many of us are practicing social distancing and isolating ourselves from the rest of society to slow the spread of the virus, our eyes and ears are only tuned into the news of updates and statistics that would give us hope as to when all of this will end. Beyond those daily reports lurks another tragedy the Healthcare Industry is facing: Coronavirus Cyberattacks.
What Does Coronavirus Have to Do with A Healthcare Cyberattacks?
Cyberattacks are being launched on our technology every day. As mentioned in a previous blog regarding Coronavirus phishing email scams, hackers often ride on the waves of trending topics, and there are millions - if not billions of emails being sent about Covid-19 every single day. It’s easy to slip a malicious email into the mix while people are distracted by the constant state of panic.  
A heightened level of stress often means you are unable to think clearly and logically in certain areas of our lives - especially those who are under the enormous weight of responsibility like those serving in the healthcare industry. Not practicing the standard IT support protocols of recognizing malicious emails gets put on the back burner when so many lives are at stake.
The result of these distractions, demands and stress levels create a massive vulnerability. This is a weakness that isn’t reported on the news or even known to the patients coming in who have tested positive for Covid-19. Cyberattackers know that it is far easier to launch an assault in an email if inboxes are being flooded with the same theme of email. 
Hiding malware, spyware or even ransomware in what seems to be a legitimate email about the ever-changing Coronavirus protocol and updates is an evil manipulation. Opening these emails could cripple the hospital, private practice, drug company or anyone else in the healthcare industry.
Why Is The Healthcare Industry Such a Prime Target For A Security Breach During The Coronavirus Epidemic?
Obviously the vulnerability in the healthcare industry plays a huge part in this - but the REAL reason hospitals, drug manufacturers, urgent care centers, and so many others are a prime target is because of all of the Personal Identifying Information they store in their networks. And large cities like Los Angeles sees IT support services strapped even harder with trying to protect the grids.
Not only that, but financial information can also be stored from billing and payment transactions. It doesn’t take much for a cybercriminal to start mining, manipulating and extorting the information they find in a security breach. A hospital is a goldmine of information and the potential payouts could be thousands if not millions on the Dark Web.
How Is Health Information Technology Different Than Everyday IT
Whereas any successful and evolving business relies on IT to make the engine run, the Health Information Technology (HIT) can literally make the difference between life and death.
Vital electronic data and records are patient-specific and need to be accessed in an instant when a desperate person needs immediate attention.
It’s from these patient files that doctors will make critical decisions regarding diagnostic and treatment options based on the patient’s medical history, allergies and potential pitfalls.
In addition, and especially during a pandemic where simply going to the doctor isn’t as easy or accessible, the use of telcare applications to ease communication between healthcare providers and patients needs to be fully functional and fast 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
There is no downtime for a network when a person’s health - and maybe even life - is on the line. There are also functional apps that can monitor a patient’s vital signs remotely. That app can never fail and is just one of many reasons why many Los Angeles-based IT support companies recommend an outsourced solution to enhance the HIT department on the physical premises.
Coronavirus Ransomware is Trending Among Healthcare Industries
Aside from phishing and mining attacks for information, ransomware attacks have been launched in the past several months to hold the hospital’s information technology systems hostage. 
Imagine being in the middle of the ER on any “normal” night and the chaos that would ensue if hospital staff didn’t have access to the computers that keep their communication and business organization fully functioning. Now imagine exponential ER drama in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic. It would not only cripple the hospital of the vitality of their technology and communication infrastructure but can also cause enough delays to put patient’s lives at risk!
The Cybercriminal knows that a hospital or anyone in the healthcare industry is more likely to pay the ransom while they are in crisis mode. They need to get fully functional to keep saving lives, and in some cases, only have a matter of minutes to do it. The coronavirus pandemic that has swept the globe is creating a tidal wave of opportunity for evil to thrive in places most of us never think about.
Additional IT Support Is Needed For Healthcare To Thrive During The Coronavirus Crisis
Many hospitals and healthcare-related businesses have their own internal IT departments to handle the daily ticket requests for printers not working, email issues, software updates, and safeguarding digital assets during the company’s offboarding and onboarding processes. These departments usually have as many as six people managing an entire organization’s needs just to keep their technology running daily.
Now more than ever. hospitals and medical facilities need outsourced IT support in Los Angeles and cities around the world. This past month there were reports of hospitals and healthcare organizations around the world that have faced attacks - even before the coronavirus was named a worldwide pandemic. 
As previously mentioned - the vulnerabilities are magnified in times of crisis so it’s important that extensive security procedures are being practiced in your organization BEFORE a crisis hits.
Outsourcing IT Support During The Coronavirus Eases the Strain on the Healthcare Industry and Lowers Cyberattack Risk
The thought of having a hospital’s IT department also manage the ever-changing cyber threats that get launched daily will not only contribute to poor digital hygiene - it’s a digital disaster! Learning the ever-changing ways and means of new cyber threats is a full-time, ongoing defense strategy. 
The hospital’s security guard is there to prevent attacks that are visible. But you wouldn’t want that security guard to prevent attacks and perform surgery. Nor would you want the surgeons to leave the operating room to make sure the foyer is clear of threats or danger. 
In the same spirit, a hospital’s IT department already works full time to keep the network up and running and virus-free. But to also be on alert for potential, hidden attacks can be overwhelming to an already taxed department. 
That’s why Be Structured, a Los Angeles-based IT consulting company, provides that extra layer of cyber security while bringing over a decade’s worth of network consulting to bolster a medical facility’s protection and security. In an industry that heavily leverages insurance to provide service, an outsourced IT solution is just that: an extra layer of cyber insurance against current - and future forces of nature that today we can’t even foretell.
Does Your Healthcare Company Have Excellent Digital Hygiene?
If your hospital or medical facility is in Southern California, it’s optimal in this day and age to outsource a portion of these security responsibilities to an experienced Los Angeles Managed Service Provider who can monitor these viruses and ‘cleanse’ any infected technology. Outsourcing a portion of their IT Support also diversifies their risk of having a data breach happen from an internal source.
Not one IT Support personnel has the ability to work around the clock. For every patient that comes through the doors of an emergency room- there is literally a team supporting that person’s health and wellbeing. Does your IT Department have the ability to call in for ‘back up’ when things get digitally messy? 
These behind the scenes employees are faced with an onslaught of challenges and issues - especially in times where the coronavirus is changing the landscape of the healthcare industry every hour it runs without a cure.
Establishing a cloud computing based backup support network is not only advantageous, but a necessity in times of crisis. The last thing your staff, surgeons and, especially, patients should be concerned with is whether the system is running and secure. 
Get Your Initial Digital Check-Up With a Dark Web Scan
If you are looking to outsource a portion of your IT department to diversify the security and relieve some of their growing pain points- we would love to partner with you. A great way to take the first step is to see if any information from your organization is lurking on the Deep Web. This would be a real-life indicator that your security has been breached and likely to face more attacks. Please contact us and ask for your complimentary, no obligation Dark Web scan today.
- Categories: Trending
- Tags: coronavirus, Cyber Attack, Cybersecurity Threats, healthcare, Ransomware Attack

#### How Advanced Endpoint Protection Helps Against Evolving Cyber Threats
The exponential surge in cyber threats targeting endpoints has become a pressing concern for organizations across industries. As the frequency and sophistication of endpoint attacks continue to escalate, the imperative for robust security measures has never been more pronounced. 
In this exploration of advanced endpoint protection, we look into the pivotal role of cutting-edge solutions in fortifying organizations against evolving cyber threats.



This article offers practical insights and actionable guidance for navigating the complex terrain of endpoint security, from the historical evolution of endpoint protection to the critical significance of advanced strategies in the current threat landscape.














 

The Evolution of Advanced Endpoint Protection

Advanced endpoint protection has undergone a remarkable evolution, mirroring the relentless advancements in cyber threats and technology. Initially, traditional endpoint security primarily relied on signature-based antivirus solutions, offering rudimentary defense mechanisms against known malware. 
However, the escalating sophistication of cyber attacks necessitated a paradigm shift in endpoint protection strategies. The proliferation of zero-day exploits, polymorphic malware and virus, and targeted attacks rendered traditional approaches increasingly inadequate, propelling the demand for more robust and adaptive security measures.



The emergence of advanced endpoint security solutions marked a pivotal juncture in the evolution of cybersecurity. Key catalysts such as the rise of cloud computing, the proliferation of mobile devices, and the expanding threat landscape propelled the development of advanced strategies that could effectively combat multifaceted threats. This shift heralded the integration of proactive threat detection, behavioral analytics, and machine learning capabilities into endpoint security frameworks, empowering organizations to defend against dynamic and elusive cyber threats proactively.



The evolution of endpoint protection reflects a compelling narrative of resilience and innovation in the face of escalating adversarial tactics. As organizations grapple with the imperative to safeguard their endpoints against an ever-expanding array of threats, the evolution of endpoint protection stands as a testament to the industry's unwavering commitment to fortifying digital ecosystems against relentless cyber adversaries.


Key Components of Advanced Endpoint Protection

Explore the essential features that define advanced endpoint protection, emphasizing its distinct attributes compared to traditional strategies.


Behavioral Analysis

 	
Advanced protection leverages behavioral analysis to detect anomalous patterns and activities, enabling proactive threat identification based on deviations from normal user behavior.
 	
By continuously monitoring endpoint activities and correlating behavioral patterns with known attack vectors, this approach enhances the ability to identify and mitigate emerging threats in real-time.

Machine Learning

 	
The integration of machine learning algorithms empowers advanced endpoint protection solutions to adapt and evolve in response to evolving threat landscapes.
 	
Machine learning enables predictive endpoint detection and response for improved network security, and proactive mitigation of potential security risks by analyzing vast datasets and identifying nuanced threat indicators.

Threat Intelligence

 	
Advanced protection incorporates comprehensive threat intelligence feeds, providing organizations with real-time insights into emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and attack methodologies.
 	
By leveraging threat intelligence, organizations can proactively fortify their endpoints against known and emerging threats, bolstering their security posture and resilience against sophisticated attacks.


These components collectively epitomize the transformative capabilities of advanced endpoint protection, transcending the limitations of traditional security approaches to defend endpoints against an ever-expanding array of cyber threats.


The Role of Advanced Endpoint Protection in Cybersecurity

In the current threat landscape, the critical significance of advanced endpoint protection in combating evolving cyber threats cannot be overstated.


Effectiveness Against Sophisticated Threats

 	
Advanced endpoint security solutions have demonstrated their efficacy in thwarting sophisticated attacks, with real-world examples showcasing their ability to detect and neutralize previously unknown threats.
 	
By leveraging advanced capabilities such as behavioral analysis and machine learning, these solutions have proven instrumental in mitigating the impact of zero-day exploits, file-less malware, and other elusive attack vectors.
 	
Advanced protection solutions have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in thwarting sophisticated threats such as ransomware, file-less malware, and zero-day exploits, which often evade traditional security measures.
 	
By leveraging advanced threat detection mechanisms, these solutions can intercept and neutralize elusive threats, mitigating the potential impact of cyber attacks on organizational endpoints.

Real-World Impact

 	
Real-world case studies underscore the tangible impact of advanced endpoint protection in fortifying organizations against diverse cyber threats, showcasing its pivotal role in averting data breaches and operational disruptions.
 	
Statistics reveal a substantial reduction in successful endpoint compromises following the implementation of advanced protection measures, highlighting the tangible benefits of mastering advanced endpoint security solutions.


Advanced endpoint protection's increasing relevance in the current threat landscape is underscored by its demonstrable effectiveness in mitigating sophisticated attacks and bolstering organizations' resilience against dynamic threat actors.













Implementation of Best Practices for Advanced Endpoint Protection

Implementing advanced endpoint protection effectively within organizations necessitates a strategic approach that encompasses seamless integration, user education, and ongoing management.


Seamless Integration

 	
Organizations should prioritize the seamless integration of advanced endpoint protection solutions with existing security infrastructure and workflows, ensuring minimal disruption to operational processes.
 	
Collaborative engagement with IT and security teams is essential to streamline the deployment of advanced solutions, aligning them with organizational objectives and security policies.

User Education

 	
Comprehensive user education programs are instrumental in maximizing the effectiveness of advanced endpoint protection, empowering employees to recognize and respond to potential security threats.
 	
By fostering a culture of security awareness and best practices, organizations can augment the protective capabilities of advanced solutions, leveraging the human element as a proactive defense against social engineering and phishing attempts.

Ongoing Management

 	
Proactive and continuous management of advanced endpoint protection solutions is paramount to sustaining their efficacy in the face of evolving threats and operational dynamics.
 	
Regular updates, patch management, and performance monitoring are integral facets of ongoing management, ensuring that advanced solutions remain adaptive, resilient, and aligned with the organization's security posture.


By adhering to these best practices, organizations can optimize the implementation of advanced endpoint protection, fortifying their security posture and enhancing their resilience against diverse and dynamic cyber threats.


Future Trends and Innovations in Endpoint Protection

The future of endpoint protection is poised to be shaped by transformative trends and innovations that are set to redefine the cybersecurity landscape.


AI-Driven Security

 	
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms is anticipated to revolutionize endpoint protection, enabling proactive threat detection and adaptive response capabilities.
 	
AI-driven security solutions will empower organizations to analyze vast datasets, identify complex threat patterns, and autonomously respond to emerging threats in real-time, bolstering their resilience against sophisticated attacks.

Zero-Trust Architectures

 	
Zero-trust architectures are emerging as a paradigm-shifting approach to endpoint security, emphasizing the principle of "never trust, always verify" in the context of network access and data protection.
 	
By implementing a zero trust network architecture, organizations can fortify their endpoints against insider threats, lateral movement of attackers, and unauthorized access attempts, fundamentally redefining the traditional perimeter-based security model.


These anticipated developments underscore the dynamic evolution of endpoint protection, heralding a future where AI-driven security and zero-trust architectures are poised to redefine the boundaries of cybersecurity and fortify organizations against the relentless onslaught of advanced cyber threats.


Challenges in Adoption

Adopting advanced endpoint protection solutions presents organizations with a myriad of challenges that necessitate strategic navigation and proactive mitigation.


Complexity

 	
The inherent complexity of advanced endpoint protection solutions can pose challenges in terms of deployment, integration with existing infrastructure, and ongoing management.
 	
Organizations often encounter difficulties in aligning advanced security measures with their operational workflows and security policies, requiring comprehensive planning and collaborative engagement across IT and security teams.

Resource Constraints

 	
Resource constraints, including budgetary limitations and staffing shortages, can impede the seamless adoption and effective utilization of advanced endpoint protection solutions.
 	
Mitigating resource constraints necessitates a strategic allocation of resources, leveraging managed security services, and cultivating partnerships with security vendors to optimize the deployment and management of advanced solutions.

User Resistance

 	
User resistance and adoption hurdles can impede the effective implementation of advanced endpoint protection, particularly in the context of security awareness training and behavioral changes.
 	
Overcoming user resistance requires a multifaceted approach encompassing comprehensive user education, transparent communication, and the cultivation of a security-conscious organizational culture.


By addressing these challenges proactively and leveraging strategic approaches to deployment and management, organizations can effectively navigate the complexities of adopting advanced endpoint protection solutions, fortifying their security posture against evolving cyber threats.













Measuring the Effectiveness of Advanced Endpoint Protection

Measuring the effectiveness of advanced endpoint protection solutions entails the strategic utilization of methodologies and metrics to gauge their impact and value within organizational security frameworks.


Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

 	
Organizations can assess the effectiveness of advanced endpoint protection through key performance indicators such as threat detection rates, incident response times, and the reduction in successful endpoint breaches.
 	
By tracking these KPIs, organizations can quantify the tangible impact of advanced solutions in fortifying their endpoints against diverse and evolving cyber threats, enabling informed decision-making and resource allocation.

Assessment Frameworks

 	
Using comprehensive assessment frameworks, such as MITRE ATT&CK and the Cyber Kill Chain, enables organizations to evaluate the efficacy of advanced endpoint protection in the context of threat detection, prevention, and response.
 	
These frameworks provide a structured approach to assessing the effectiveness of advanced solutions, offering insights into their capabilities across various stages of the cyber kill chain and the mitigation of advanced attack vectors.


Leveraging these methodologies and assessment frameworks helps organizations effectively measure the impact and value of their endpoint protection strategies, empowering informed decision-making and continuous optimization of their security posture.


Regulatory Compliance

In the realm of cybersecurity, the intersection of cybersecurity compliance and advanced endpoint protection underscores the imperative of aligning security measures with industry standards and data protection regulations.


Importance of Alignment

 	
Aligning advanced endpoint protection with regulatory requirements is essential for organizations operating within regulated industries, ensuring adherence to data protection laws and industry-specific mandates.
 	
By integrating advanced solutions that encompass regulatory compliance considerations, organizations can fortify their endpoints while demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding sensitive data and upholding legal obligations.

Implications for Endpoint Security

 	
Regulatory compliance exerts significant implications on endpoint security strategies, necessitating the implementation of advanced solutions that facilitate compliance monitoring, data protection, and endpoint response (EDR) capabilities.
 	
The role of endpoint protection in meeting regulatory mandates extends beyond threat mitigation, encompassing the proactive management of data privacy, access controls, and audit trails to align with regulatory expectations.


The convergence of regulatory compliance and advanced endpoint protection underscores the pivotal role of advanced solutions in meeting industry standards, safeguarding sensitive data, and fortifying organizations against multifaceted cyber threats while upholding regulatory obligations.


A Critical Imperative in the Modern Cybersecurity Landscape

In an era defined by escalating cyber threats, the evolution of endpoint protection from traditional methods to advanced solutions has emerged as a critical imperative for organizations seeking to fortify their digital assets. 
The historical progression of endpoint protection, driven by the relentless advancement of cyber threats, has culminated in the emergence of advanced solutions equipped with behavioral analysis, machine learning, and threat intelligence. 
These components collectively epitomize the transformative capabilities of advanced endpoint protection, transcending the limitations of traditional security approaches to safeguard endpoints against an ever-expanding array of cyber threats.


As organizations navigate the complex cybersecurity terrain, the implementation of best practices and the anticipation of future trends and innovations in endpoint protection are poised to shape a resilient defense against sophisticated endpoint attacks, ensuring a proactive security posture in the face of dynamic threat landscapes.


Contact Be Structured, one of the top cybersecurity managed service providers in Los Angeles, secure your business with our penetration testing services to ensure your operations are protected from potential cyber threats!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance

#### How Antivirus and Intrusion Protection Systems Complement Each Other
The effectiveness of antivirus software is crucial in safeguarding businesses from evolving cyber threats and ensuring operational continuity. 
With over 70% of businesses experiencing at least one cyber attack in 2023, the importance of robust antivirus and IPS solutions cannot be overstated. This article delves into the cost of ignoring cyber threats, the evolving landscape of modern cyber threats, and the key features of effective antivirus software. 
Additionally, it explores the benefits of hiring professional IT outsourcing services, the ongoing role of antivirus in cybersecurity strategy, and the future of antivirus technology.

Understanding Modern Cyber Threats

The landscape of cyber threats is constantly evolving, posing significant risks to businesses. Ransomware attacks, for instance, have become increasingly sophisticated, encrypting critical data and demanding hefty ransoms for its release. These attacks can cripple operations, leading to substantial financial losses and reputational damage. 
Phishing protection from attacks are another prevalent strategy, where cybercriminals use deceptive emails or websites to trick employees into revealing sensitive information. These attacks often exploit human vulnerabilities, making them difficult to detect and prevent. Businesses must educate their staff on recognizing phishing attempts to mitigate this risk.
Zero trust network exploits represent a particularly insidious threat. These attacks target undisclosed software vulnerabilities, giving cybercriminals a window of opportunity before patches are developed and deployed. The unpredictability and potential severity of zero-day exploits make them a critical concern for businesses.


Key Features of Effective Antivirus Software
Effective antivirus and IPS software is essential for protecting businesses from the myriad of cyber threats they face. One of the most critical features is real-time scanning, which continuously monitors files and activities on a system to detect and neutralize threats as they occur. This proactive approach helps prevent malware from executing and causing damage.
Heuristic analysis is another vital component. Unlike traditional signature-based detection, heuristic analysis identifies new and unknown threats by examining the behavior and characteristics of files. This method allows antivirus software to catch emerging threats that have not yet been cataloged in virus databases.
Automatic updates are crucial for maintaining the effectiveness of antivirus programs. Cyber threats evolve rapidly, and antivirus software must be regularly updated to recognize and defend against the latest malware. Automatic updates ensure that the software remains current without requiring manual intervention, providing continuous protection.

Why Hiring IT Support Companies Beats DIY
Hiring a professional IT support company offers significant advantages over a DIY approach, particularly when it comes to integrating antivirus and IPS software into a business's IT framework. 
Outsource IT solutions brings a wealth of expertise and experience, ensuring that antivirus solutions are implemented correctly and efficiently. This expertise helps prevent common pitfalls and ensures that the software provides maximum protection.
Consistent monitoring is another key benefit of outsource IT support services. Cyber threats can emerge at any time, and continuous monitoring is essential for early detection and response. 
IT support teams can provide round-the-clock surveillance, identifying and mitigating threats before they can cause significant damage. This proactive approach is far more effective than the reactive measures often associated with DIY efforts.
Tailored solutions are a hallmark of professional IT support. Every business has unique needs and vulnerabilities, and a one-size-fits-all approach to cybersecurity is rarely effective. 
IT support teams can assess a business's specific requirements and design a customized antivirus and IPS strategy that addresses those needs. This tailored approach ensures comprehensive protection and aligns with the business's overall IT strategy.
Be Structured Technology Group exemplifies the benefits of professional IT support.
With years of experience in the industry, Be Structured offers expert guidance, consistent monitoring, and customized outsourced IT solutions that integrate seamlessly into a business's existing IT framework. 
This approach enhances security and ensures that businesses can focus on their core operations without the constant worry of cyber threats.


The Ongoing Role of Antivirus in Cybersecurity Strategy
Antivirus software remains a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. Despite advancements in other security technologies, antivirus programs provide a foundational layer of defense against a wide range of threats. 
Regular updates are essential to maintain the effectiveness of antivirus software. These updates ensure that the software can recognize and neutralize the latest malware, keeping systems protected against emerging threats.
Employee training is another crucial aspect of a robust cybersecurity strategy. Even the most advanced antivirus and IPS software can be compromised by human error. T
raining employees to recognize phishing attempts, avoid suspicious downloads, and follow best practices for data security can significantly reduce the risk of cyber attacks. Regular training sessions help keep cybersecurity top of mind and ensure that employees are aware of the latest threats and how to avoid them.
Integrating antivirus software with other security measures enhances overall protection. Firewall management, intrusion detection systems, and VPNs work in tandem with antivirus programs to create a multi-layered defense strategy. This comprehensive approach ensures that if one layer is breached, others can still provide protection, minimizing the risk of a successful attack.

The Future of Antivirus and IPS Technology
The future of antivirus technology promises significant advancements that will enhance business security. AI-driven threat detection is at the forefront of these innovations. 
By leveraging artificial intelligence, antivirus software can analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and anomalies indicative of cyber threats. This capability allows for faster and more accurate detection of malware, even those that have not been previously identified.
Machine learning further augments the capabilities of antivirus programs. Through continuous learning from new data, machine learning algorithms can adapt to evolving threats. This dynamic approach ensures that antivirus software remains effective against the latest cyber threats, providing businesses with a more resilient defense mechanism.
Behavioral analysis is another area where future advancements are expected. By monitoring the behavior of applications and files in real-time, antivirus software can detect suspicious activities that may indicate a cyber attack. 
This proactive approach allows for immediate intervention, preventing potential damage before it occurs.

Best Practices for Antivirus and IPS Maintenance
Maintaining antivirus software is crucial for ensuring its optimal performance and effectiveness. Regular updates are the first line of defense. Antivirus software must be updated frequently to recognize and combat the latest threats. Automatic updates can simplify this process, ensuring that the software remains current without manual intervention.
System scans are another essential practice. Schedule regular full-system scans to detect and remove any malware that may have bypassed real-time scanning. These scans can identify hidden threats and ensure that the system remains clean. Additionally, consider running quick scans more frequently to catch any immediate threats.

Monitoring is vital for maintaining antivirus software. Continuous monitoring allows for the early detection of suspicious activities and potential threats. Utilize the software's monitoring features to keep an eye on system performance and security alerts. 
This proactive approach helps in addressing issues before they escalate.
Here are some actionable tips for maintaining antivirus and IPS software:


 	
Enable automatic updates: Ensure that the software is set to update automatically to stay protected against new threats.

 	
Schedule regular scans: Set up a schedule for full-system scans and quick scans to maintain system integrity.

 	
Monitor security alerts: Pay attention to any alerts or notifications from the antivirus software and take immediate action if necessary.

 	
Review logs and reports: Regularly review the software's logs and reports to understand the types of threats being detected and addressed.

 	
Perform periodic audits: Conduct periodic security audits to assess the effectiveness of the antivirus software and make necessary adjustments.


Integrating Antivirus and IPS with Other Security Measures
Integrating antivirus software with other cybersecurity measures is essential for creating a comprehensive security strategy. Firewalls act as a barrier, preventing unauthorized access to the network. VPNs secure data transmission, ensuring that sensitive information remains encrypted and protected. 
Intrusion detection systems monitor network traffic for suspicious activities, providing an additional layer of defense.
Combining these tools with robust antivirus software enhances overall security. Each component addresses different aspects of cybersecurity, working together to provide a multi-layered defense. This approach ensures that if one layer is breached, others can still offer protection.
The effectiveness of antivirus and IPS software is crucial in safeguarding businesses from evolving cyber threats. Understanding modern threats, choosing the right antivirus solution, and integrating it with other security measures are vital steps. 
Regular updates, employee training, and professional IT support further strengthen this defense. By adopting a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, businesses can protect their assets and ensure operational continuity. 


Stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity threats by partnering up with a dependable managed IT services provider in Los Angeles. 
Contact Be Structured for a free consultation today!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Managed It Services, Security

#### How CIS-CAT Is Simplifying Configuration Complexities
Around the world, one business becomes a victim to an attack by ransomware software every fourteen seconds. Every company must also face an average of over twenty security breaches every year. For these reasons, the security of your infrastructure is imperative to keep customer trust. Luckily for you, infrastructure assessment tools such as CIS-CAT exist to test for vulnerabilities in your system. If you do not know what this tool is, then this article is for you. By the end of this piece, you should have a good rundown of what CIS-CAT is and why it is making configuring your system so much simpler.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is CIS-CAT?
The Center for Internet Security's Configuration Assessment Tools is a set of controls. With them, you can judge how secure your tech infrastructure is. They do this by comparing your network's setup with a set of standards it has on file.
These standards are configurable and customizable. This means you can check particular areas of your network against different benchmarks. Thus, CIS-CAT allows you to rest assured that those looking at the network can consider the appropriate context for each area of the system.
CIS-CAT produces reports that are sharable with anyone in your company. This allows you to start conversations with your peers in a way that lets you discuss improvements. You can also all speak the same language and have the same context for the discussion before it begins.
What Is CIS-CAT Doing for You?
CIS-CAT allows your company to focus on cybersecurity in a way that is reliable and repeatable. It offers the following perks in how it simplifies the process of configuring your network.
Improved Internal Security
The primary reason for using this assessment tool is to allow your engineers and IT personnel to empower your system's defenses. In this way, they can continue to defend it against cyberattacks.
Having a comprehensive ability to scan your network for potential vulnerabilities is invaluable. CIS-CAT enables you to prevent any other threats that may come up in the future from both a technological or personnel angle, or any other.
Configuration Assessment
CIS-CAT can look at the system you use and compare it to a benchmark of policies. By evaluating the cybersecurity of a system in this way, it helps companies save money. It does this by giving them a set of advice and instructions for how it can meet its cybersecurity requirements.
Those using the CIS-CAT system can rest assured that they are doing everything they patch out known vulnerabilities.
Remote Capabilities
You do not need to complete the assessments CIS-CAT performs at the location of the infrastructure. You can instead perform these checks from another remote location. This allows a technician to maintain several areas of the network without having to factor in travel time.
This feature simplifies the entire configuration process. In doing so it saves time and resources in a way that would otherwise be unattainable.
Comparison With Benchmarks
CIS-CAT can assess machines on the network and compare them to the recommendations given by the CIS for what the benchmarks should be. Following this, you should be able to begin your own road map for how you should improve your system.
Once you have run the benchmark tests and determined the current state of your network, you can work with your team to secure the system. You and those you work with can determine what opportunities are available for you. These may be automation, consolidating your network, simplifying the systems you have, or reducing costs.
When you have implemented any changes along these lines, you can look at your system with a critical eye. You can aim to maintain security while you modernize your infrastructure. After you do this, your team will be free to look at your security strategy moving forward.
Once you have full visibility of your network after running a CIS-CAT diagnostic, you can ensure you maintain any wins you have gained. Keeping an eye on these benchmarks over time, you can ensure your system does not slip.
You should continue to assess your network for behaviors that cause further problems. To do this, you can use CIS-CAT alongside your other security measures to keep your infrastructure secure.
Why Is CIS-CAT Good for Configuration Management?
CIS's suite of tools is perfect for allowing you to ensure that your configurations match your needs across your networks. It does this in the following ways:
Appropriate Tools
CIS-CAT is a wide set of tools. This includes assessment applications and dashboards that work together. In all, they provide a wide bevy of information to the user.
These tools are compatible with several other solutions provided by the Center for Internet Security. This allows you to use them as part of a suite of actions you can take to better improve cybersecurity in your organization. With the many CIS benchmarks available, you can assess how much else the CIS organization can assist you.
Best Practices
CIS-CAT bases its recommendations on best practices accepted across the industry. Thus, you can combine the best tools and the best practices to create a comprehensive method to secure your systems.
For that reason, CIS-CAT keeps a relevant and up-to-date set of system recommendations. These best practices are often changed based on the technology moving forward, so need to remain relevant.
Why Is CIS-CAT Good for Configuration Security?
This system has several unique selling points that make it perfect for a technician. They can use it to configure their infrastructure's security. The following is a short list of examples of how configuring the security for a system works well for all users.
User Experience
The CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard has a strong focus on usability and understandability. It makes use of the tenets of good UX to allow both old and new users a simple method to assess a network.
The dashboard does this by providing a graphical view of the systems it investigates. This interface can then display the results of the assessment in a clear yet detailed manner.
This graphical user interface allows for a greater level of accessibility to the system. This means that you do not need to train users for as long in how to use its advanced features. Thus you can let your IT personnel take the lead in using it to the best of their ability.
Drill Down
The infrastructure of a system can become especially complex over time through growth. Using the CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard, you can look at this system through several different levels of fidelity.
The application allows you to view a summary overview of your system. This can give you a broad idea about the level of security currently in your network. Similarly, you can choose to drill down into each assessment's details to get more information.
This ability empowers you to be able to get the exact information you need on specific systems. Using CIS-CAT, you can thus produce reports that have as much detail as you need for different target audiences.
Exceptions
CIS-CAT software exists with the understanding that not all systems are identical. While other assessment apps may judge all infrastructures the same, you can customize CIS-CAT to a large degree.
You can apply exceptions to the rules of cybersecurity in CIS-CAT to allow it to take specific circumstances into account. This way, you can ensure you give not only an accurate level of oversight to your server configuration but a relevant one.
After applying exceptions, you can then get the system to recalculate the scores you earn for your system. These can be output and reported on in the same way as ones without exceptions.
This will prevent you from needing to explain every minor detail to those who are not in the Information Technology department. As several questions may come up when you make security changes, this can be very useful.
Tags
There are times when you may need to pass your knowledge of the system forward to others. There are also other times when you yourself need summaries and reminders of how you should configure a system.
For these instances, and several others, CIS-CAT allows you to apply tags to specific systems in your network. You can ensure that the different areas in your infrastructure have the context they need. This way, mistakes are not made when reconfiguring them.
This can prevent downtime from situations where you misunderstand the status of a particular system. Similarly, if you bring in new hires, they can see what each system needs, summarised in the tags applied to it.
Your configuration decisions can then live long into the future of your system, documented for future work.
Why Is CIS-CAT Good For Remote Security?
CIS-CAT is a tool that supports online interaction with external servers. Using a web-based application, you can log in to the system from anywhere online with the correct credentials. This has specific benefits when you start being able to ensure you can assist from any location.
Remote Capabilities
CIS-CAT Pro v4 can assess remote systems. This lets individuals be able to be "on-call" from remote locations. Thus, reducing the need for complicated schedules for administrators.
Your employees can be available only as and when they need to be. They can go online to assess and fix issues only when you call them to action following an issue becoming known.
Dashboard Alerts
You do not need to enter the application and check the status of your system many times in quick succession over the day. Instead, CIS-CAT allows you to set up dashboard alerts.
You can customize these automatic alerts. They can assign different levels of priority to different situations that CIS-CAT may detect. Once they alert you, you can then open CIS-CAT and start the process of diagnosing the flagged issue in its system.
These dashboard alerts allow you to stay up-to-date on any problems, resolving them before they escalate any further.
This can save you significant amounts of money over the lifetime of your company. IBM reported recently that the average cost of a data breach in the USA is $3.86 million, so attempting to stop that before it can even happen is imperative.
The customizability of this system also prevents false red flags from occurring. The nature of your specific infrastructure may mean that you should allow for a little extra "give" when it comes to the speed and actions of your system. CIS-CAT allows for that, and lets you set its automated assessments to a level where you will not receive a warning unless there are real issues.
Automated Update Alerts
Like the automated dashboard alerts for problems in your system, CIS-CAT can inform you of when security procedures need an update. This includes when CIS-CAT itself needs a renewal of its policies.
This active method of informing you that security policies need updating can have a significant effect. It can mean the difference between ensuring your system is up-to-date and falling behind. In a world of technology that is fast-moving, this can mean the difference between security and vulnerability.
After an update, CIS-CAT is also aware of the realities of changing policies. When assessing your infrastructure, it can inform you of configuration changes. These are a form of "drift" between one assessment and another.
Having this knowledge allows you to determine for yourself whether this drift is a problem or something you should ignore.
Where Can You Learn More?
Now you have read through this article, you should have a deeper understanding of how CIS-CAT can simplify your security processes. You should be able to configure your system in a much more fast and easy manner. If you still have further questions, though, you can always get in contact.
Our teams are available for you to chat about CIS-CAT and your systems. You can ask any questions you may have about how we can help you to get started upgrading your cybersecurity solutions moving forward.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks

#### How Cloud Computing is Revolutionizing Business IT Services and Security
Did you know that the cloud computing market around the world is growing at a spectacular rate of 14% each year?

In 2022, people and businesses were already spending more than $483 billion on cloud services.

What is responsible for the incredible success of the cloud computing industry?

For local LA businesses, cloud computing in Los Angeles can be an ideal solution if you are looking for a way to improve your business IT services and security. In fact, integrating the cloud into your business model can improve your IT results while helping you save time and money at the same time.

So what do you need to know about the benefits that cloud computing might be able to provide for you? Read on to learn all about the top ways using the cloud can improve your IT services and security!
Cut IT Costs With Datacenter Co-Location
When businesses first start out, they often don't need much hardware to keep track of all their data. However, as a small business starts to enjoy more success, hardware costs go up at an incredible rate.

This is one of the reasons that so many businesses find managed IT security services to help them improve efficiency. However, you can also cut down on costs by storing your essential data in the cloud. That way, you never need to buy or maintain the hardware in your office.

On top of that, using the cloud saves you from having to estimate how much hardware you are going to need. After all, underestimating your storage and processing needs can mean facing problems with your operations while overestimating them can mean paying extra for unnecessary hardware.
Scale Up Local IT Support With the Cloud
If your business is growing or shrinking, you might find that your IT resource needs are changing as well. In such situations, it can be helpful to have all of your data on the cloud.

If you are processing more data than ever before, you can have your IT team or managed IT services request more storage and processing power from the cloud.

On the other hand, if your business is shrinking, you can cut down on your use of cloud resources. Either way, using the cloud will make it easier and faster for you to adjust when you are dealing with good or bad times.
The Cloud Can Improve IT Accessibility
However, the cloud is not just convenient. It can also provide you with improvements in accessibility you may not be able to get any other way. When you use cloud services, your IT team can access your data from anywhere in the world.

As valuable as that is on its own, it is even more valuable in the day of remote work. Using the cloud may also mean that you can offer more remote work options to your IT team. That can even make it easier for you to find valuable talent since many tech workers are interested in remote work.

But it can also be helpful for your business leaders to be able to access your important data even when they are traveling around the world. The cloud is often the best way to make your data as accessible as possible while still keeping it safe.
The Cloud Protects Data With Backups
These days, it is more important than ever before to protect your data from potential cybercriminals. In particular, ransomware is becoming a serious problem for businesses and even institutions like hospitals.

The good news is that you can be immune to the threat of ransomware when you have your data backed up. Having a reliable backup of your data also comes in handy if you encounter another kind of disaster. When you work with cloud services, you can enjoy reliable backups to protect your essential data from criminals and accidents alike.
Make Cybersecurity Compliance Simpler With the Cloud
As cybercrime becomes more common, the law is getting updated to require businesses to follow different practices. When you store your data on your own hardware, it can be difficult to keep up with all of the new things you have to do for cybersecurity compliance purposes.

On the other hand, you can ignore many of these tasks when you rely on cloud services to store your data for you. Cloud companies handle steps to ensure cybersecurity compliance for your company so their customers don't have to.
Enjoy Security Expertise With the Cloud
In the past, some people worried that the cloud would not provide as much safety as personal storage. However, as time has gone by, it has become clear that storing your data on the cloud is safer in many ways than storing it yourself. Because cloud companies store such incredible quantities of data, they also pour an incredible amount of effort into keeping that data safe from criminals.

Once your data is safely on the cloud, it will be protected by a wide variety of security measures and practices. Although you could create a similar series of defenses for your data yourself, it is much more affordable to allow datacenter co-location providers to do it for you.
Enhance Your Business IT Services and Security
The invention of cloud computing has done a lot to it improve business IT services and security. However, some business leaders are still learning about how they can make the most of cloud computing. We hope that this article has helped you see how you can take your business IT performance to the next level with cloud computing tools.

To learn more about how you can find the best Los Angeles IT support company for your needs, contact Be Structured Technology Group at any time!
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, cybersecurity compliance, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### How Companies Can Prepare for the CMMC Assessment Process
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
Cybersecurity threats have been on the rise in recent years. Data breaches and cyber-attacks are more frequent and sophisticated than ever before. The US government has responded to this growing threat.

They introduced the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework. More than 300,000 businesses in the United States will need CMMC compliance. That is if they want to continue doing business with the US government.

Let us explore how an IT support company or managed IT services in Los Angeles can help local businesses. You must prepare for the CMMC assessment process to maintain cybersecurity compliance.
Understanding the CMMC Assessment Process
To prepare for the CMMC assessment process, businesses must first understand the different levels of CMMC. Then you can begin the assessment process itself.
Explanation of CMMC Levels
The CMMC framework consists of five levels of cybersecurity maturity. Each range from basic cyber hygiene to advanced cybersecurity practices. Each level builds upon the previous one.

Level one is the least stringent and level five is the most rigorous. The level of CMMC that a business must meet will depend.

It depends on the type of work they perform for the government. It also depends on the sensitivity of the information they handle.
Overview of the CMMC Assessment Process
The CMMC assessment process involves third-party assessment organization (C3PAO). They evaluate a business's compliance with the specific level of CMMC required for their work. The assessment includes a review of the business's:

 	Policies
 	Procedures
 	Practices related to cybersecurity

The assessment process also involves an on-site visit. The C3PAO evaluates the implementation of these policies and procedures.
Differences Between Self-Assessment and Third-Party Assessment
There are two types of assessments that businesses can undergo. There is self-assessment and third-party assessment. A self-assessment involves a business assessing its own compliance with the CMMC framework.

They provide evidence to the government that they meet the required level of cybersecurity. Most businesses need a third-party assessment.

A third-party assessment uses a C3PAO. They test a business's compliance with the CMMC framework. They provide an independent assessment of their cybersecurity posture.

This is the preferred method for the government. It provides a more objective and thorough evaluation of a business's cybersecurity practices.
Steps to Prepare for the CMMC Assessment Process
To prepare for the CMMC assessment process, businesses must take a number of steps. They ensure they are meeting the required cybersecurity standards.
Identify Your Company's CMMC Level
The first step is to find the level of CMMC that your business must meet. The basis of this is the work you do for the government.

It also accounts for the sensitivity of the information you handle. This will help you understand the specific requirements that your business needs to meet.
Conduct a Gap Analysis
The next step is to conduct a gap analysis. This involves evaluating your current cybersecurity practices. You must find areas where you need to improve to meet the required level of CMMC.

Gap analysis will help you find any deficiencies in your current cybersecurity posture. You can then decide the steps you need to take to achieve compliance.

If this all sounds terribly intimidating, reach out to a cyber security company in Los Angeles to help initiate cmmc compliance.
Develop and Implement a Plan of Action
Here you discuss any deficiencies identified during the gap analysis. This plan should include specific actions and timelines for implementation.

It is important to engage key stakeholders in the development of the plan. This ensures buy-in and support for its implementation.
Implement Continuous Monitoring and Improvement
Finally, businesses must carry out continuous monitoring and improvement processes. This is for maintaining their CMMC compliance over time.

This includes:

 	Assessing and monitoring their cybersecurity posture
 	Addressing any identified deficiencies
 	Improving their cybersecurity practices

Tips for a Successful CMMC Assessment
To ensure a successful CMMC assessment, businesses should follow these tips. Review your CMMC requirements often, as they are subject to change.

Businesses must stay up-to-date with any updates or changes to meet the latest standards. Reviewing CMMC requirements often will help businesses stay informed. You can make any necessary adjustments to your cybersecurity practices.
Train Employees on CMMC Requirements
Employee training is crucial to meeting CMMC compliance requirements. This is for all employees who have access to sensitive information.

They must understand the importance of cybersecurity. They must know the role they play in protecting that information.

Provide regular training and awareness programs on CMMC requirements. This will help ensure that employees are following the necessary cybersecurity practices.
Maintain Accurate and Up-to-date Documentation
Documentation is a critical component of the CMMC assessment process. Businesses must maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation. It must show compliance with the CMMC framework.

This includes:

 	Policies
 	Procedures
 	Records of cybersecurity practices

Having organized and thorough documentation will help streamline the assessment process. This can ensure a successful outcome.
Engage with Third-party Assessment Organizations
Engaging these organizations early in the process can be beneficial to businesses. These organizations can give guidance on meeting CMMC requirements. They can help find any area where a business needs to improve.

Engaging with a C3PAO early can help ensure a smoother assessment process. It can increase the chances of achieving the desired level of CMMC compliance.
Outsource to Cybersecurity Providers in Los Angeles
Here's one way for LA businesses to ensure their CMMC compliance. You can partner with IT support companies or managed service providers in Los Angeles.

They can give businesses the necessary expertise. They have the resources to help them navigate the complex CMMC requirements.

An IT support company in Los Angeles can offer a wide range of services to businesses. These include:

 	Managed IT services
 	Hosted cloud solutions
 	Cybersecurity solutions
 	Data backup and recovery

More companies now use outsourced tech support companies. This way businesses can ensure that their IT infrastructure is secure. It is an efficient way to stay compliant with CMMC regulations.

A managed service provider in Los Angeles can help businesses with:

 	Proactive IT support
 	Monitoring
 	Management services

MSPs can help businesses find and address potential security risks. They carry out best practices for data protection. They also ensure that all systems and applications are up to date and compliant with CMMC requirements.
Get Local IT Support from a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles
Preparing for the CMMC assessment process is a complex and time-consuming task. It is essential for businesses that work with the government. To ensure success, businesses should take a strategic and proactive approach to cybersecurity.

Be Structured Technology Group is a leading Los Angeles IT support and consulting firm. We offer comprehensive IT support services. Our team of experienced professionals can help businesses navigate the CMMC assessment process.

Take the first step towards protecting your business. Contact us today.
- Categories: CMMC, cybersecurity compliance, IT Support

#### How Custom Network Installation Solutions Can Optimize Your IT Infrastructure
A tailored network installation and network infrastructure is a game-changer in a world where connectivity drives productivity. Industries like financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and wealth management rely heavily on robust and secure networks to function smoothly. 
Yet, many organizations struggle with generic network installations that fail to meet their unique needs, resulting in inefficiencies, security vulnerabilities, and lost opportunities.
Custom network installation solutions offer a path to streamlined operations, improved security, and scalability. 
These systems are designed to address the specific challenges faced by different industries, empowering  businesses to thrive in an increasingly digital environment. 
By prioritizing a tailored approach, organizations can transform their network IT support infrastructure into a strategic asset rather than just a utility.

Why Customization Is Essential for Network Installations
When it comes to network installations, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Industries like financial services and healthcare operate in environments where data security, compliance, and reliability are paramount. A generic network may leave critical vulnerabilities that compromise performance and security.
Tailored network installations, on the other hand, take into account each organization’s specific needs. This process involves assessing current infrastructure, understanding operational workflows, and aligning with long-term goals. A customized approach ensures that your network is equipped to handle today’s challenges while being scalable for future demands.

The Role of Assessment in Customization
An in-depth evaluation of your existing IT setup is the cornerstone of a successful custom network installation. During this phase, key aspects such as bandwidth requirements, security protocols, and potential bottlenecks are analyzed. 
This detailed understanding allows IT support companies to craft a solution that addresses specific pain points and optimizes overall performance.


Benefits of a Customized Network Installation & Infrastructure
A well-designed network infrastructure can revolutionize how businesses operate. The benefits go beyond connectivity, offering tangible improvements in efficiency, security, and scalability.

Enhanced Data Flow and Communication
Customized networks streamline the flow of information, reducing latency and ensuring faster communication across teams and systems.
For example, in manufacturing, where IoT devices constantly transmit data, an optimized network can enable real-time decision-making. This can lead to smoother workflows, fewer delays, and higher productivity.

Scalability for Growth
As businesses expand, so do their network requirements. Generic systems often struggle to adapt to increased demand, leading to disruptions and inefficiencies.
A tailored network installation is built with scalability in mind. Whether you’re adding new locations, integrating advanced technologies, or onboarding additional users, the system grows with you seamlessly.

Enhanced Operational Efficiency
A customized setup minimizes downtime by optimizing configurations to suit specific business needs. This is especially important in industries like wealth management, where even a brief interruption can have significant consequences.
For instance, IT support for financial services require a tailored network to ensure significant reduction in system downtimes, resulting in improved client trust and higher employee productivity.

Challenges Addressed by Custom Network Installations
Industries that depend on connectivity face numerous obstacles, including cybersecurity threats, compliance demands, and technical limitations. A custom network installation can address these challenges effectively, providing organizations with a robust and secure IT infrastructure.

The Measures of Cybersecurity Service Providers 
With cyberattacks on the rise, businesses must prioritize data protection. Customized network solutions include advanced security protocols, such as:


 	
Firewalls: Proper firewqall management prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data.

 	
Intrusion Detection Systems: Identify and mitigate potential threats.

 	
Encryption Technologies: Ensure secure communication and data storage.


These measures are critical for industries like healthcare, where patient data must remain confidential to comply with regulations such as HIPAA.

Redundancy and Failover Systems
Unexpected downtimes can cripple operations, but redundancy features ensure uninterrupted connectivity. Backup connections and failover mechanisms keep systems running even during primary network failures.
For example, a IT solutions for manufacturing with a redundant network setup avoided production delays during a server outage, saving thousands in potential losses.

Real-Time Monitoring and Analytics
Proactive monitoring tools integrated into custom network installations provide actionable insights into system performance. This allows IT support teams to identify issues before they escalate, ensuring consistent uptime and reliability.

Industries That Benefit Most from Custom Network Installations
While any business can gain from tailored networks, certain industries stand out due to their reliance on connectivity and data security.


 	
Financial Services: Protecting client information and meeting regulatory requirements demand secure, scalable networks.

 	
Manufacturing: IoT and automation rely on robust infrastructures to maintain efficiency and reduce downtime.

 	
Healthcare: Patient data must remain secure, and systems must remain operational 24/7 for critical care.

 	
Wealth Management: Seamless communication and real-time access to financial data drive better decision-making.


Each of these industries has unique needs that a custom network installation can address effectively.


Why Partner with a Los Angeles Managed IT Service sProvider for Network Installations
If you oversee a Southern California business, a local IT support team offers the expertise and resources needed to implement and maintain custom network infrastructures. By partnering with an MSP, businesses gain access to:


 	
Specialized Expertise: Industry knowledge ensures solutions are tailored to specific requirements.

 	
Ongoing Support: From routine maintenance to troubleshooting, MSPs provide consistent IT support.

 	
Cost-Effective Solutions: Outsourcing IT needs reduces the costs of maintaining an in-house team.


Managed IT servcies in Los Angeles, such as those offered by Be Structured, are particularly beneficial for businesses in need of immediate assistance or hands-on support.

Future-Proof Your IT Infrastructure with a Custom Network Installation
Investing in a customized network infrastructure is more than a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic move. As industries continue to evolve, staying ahead requires robust, scalable, and secure IT solutions. By working with a trusted IT services company, organizations can ensure their networks remain resilient in the face of new challenges.
Start by evaluating your current setup. Identify weaknesses, prioritize areas for improvement, and work with IT experts to design a system that aligns with your business goals. Custom network installations can transform your organization, boosting efficiency, security, and scalability. Don’t let outdated systems hold you back.


Partner with Be Structured to develop a network infrastructure tailored to your needs. Remember, your business deserves a network as dynamic and innovative as you are. Schedule your free consultation today.
- Categories: Extra, IT Support, Managed IT
- Tags: IT services Los Angeles, network installations

#### How Datacenter Co-Location Can Help Your Business Save Money
Did you know that nearly 20% of businesses fail within the first two years?

The good news, however, is that there are steps you can take to prevent this from happening.

Cutting costs is one of the most important obligations that entrepreneurs have when it comes to ensuring the longevity of their company.

However, many people are unaware of how datacenter co-location can help them do so.

Let's take a look at how managed cloud hosting solutions can help save you money as time goes on.
Increased Productivity
One of the most significant advantages of using datacenter co-location is that they can help increase employee productivity. By having access to files and applications from anywhere at any time, employees will be able to work more efficiently and get more done in less time.

This increased productivity will save your business money in the long run by reducing operational costs.
Scalability
Another significant advantage of datacenter co-location is that they are highly scalable. This scalability gives businesses the ability to easily and quickly increase or decrease their use of resources as needed without incurring any additional costs.

This feature is incredibly beneficial for businesses that experience sudden spikes in demand or need to downsize.
Lower IT Support Costs
One of the most significant financial benefits of datacenter co-location is that they can help lower your IT costs.

With a managed cloud hosting solution, you will no longer need to invest in expensive hardware or software since everything will be taken care of by your provider. You will also save money on energy costs since hosted solutions are more energy-efficient than traditional on-premises solutions.
Less Money on Staffing
Another way that datacenter co-location can help save your business money is by reducing the need for in-house IT staff. By working with an outsourced tech support team, all of the server maintenance, updates and security will be taken care of by your provider.

This will free up your employees to focus on more important tasks and save you money on staffing costs.
Lower Utility Costs
It should come as no surprise that one of the most significant benefits of datacenter co-location is that they can help lower your utility costs. Hosted solutions are more energy-efficient than traditional on-premises solutions, which means that you will use less electricity and water.

This will lead to lower monthly bills and more money in your pocket.
Increased Data Security
datacenter co-location can also help increase your data security. By storing your data off-site, you can protect it from physical disasters such as fires and floods.

Your data will be less vulnerable to cyberattacks since it will not be stored on-site. This increased security will give you peace of mind and
Improved Disaster Recovery
datacenter co-location can also help improve your business's disaster recovery capabilities. With a managed cloud hosting solution, all of your data will be backed up off-site so that you can quickly and easily recover it in the event of a disaster.

This can help minimize any downtime and save your business a significant amount of money.
What Should I Look For in a Provider?
When you're looking for datacenter co-location, there are a few key things that you should keep in mind.

First and foremost, you need to make sure that the provider offers a solution that is right for your business. It's also important to look for a provider that offers 24/7 support so that you can always get help when you need it.

Finally, you should also make sure that the provider has a good reputation and is able to meet your specific needs.
What Red Flags Should I Watch Out For?
There are also a few red flags that you should watch out for when you're looking for a datacenter co-location provider.

It's essential to be wary of any provider that doesn't offer a free trial.

You should also avoid any provider that doesn't have 24/7 support or that doesn't have a good reputation. You should also be wary of false reviews you encounter.

When you know how to recognize fake reviews, you can avoid being misled during your search.

Finally, you should also avoid any provider that is trying to sell you on a solution that isn't right for your business. This is a predatory practice that shady management firms use to take advantage of unsuspecting businesses.
How Do I Get Started?
If you're interested in finding a datacenter co-location for your business, the best place to start is by doing research online. Search for the term, "IT support companies near me".

This will allow you to compile a list of potential providers that you can work with.

You should also take the time to compare different providers to find the one that offers the best solution for your specific needs. Once you've found a provider that you're happy with, you can then contact them to get started.
You Shouldn't Overlook Datacenter Co-Location
datacenter co-location can offer a wide range of benefits for businesses of all sizes. If you're looking for ways to save money, then datacenter co-location may be right for you.

Just make sure that you do your research and choose a reputable provider so you can get the results you're after.

Learn more about what Be Structured can do to help you.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Tips & Tricks, Trending

#### How Difficult Is It to Transfer to a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?
As a local business owner, you probably spend a lot of your time thinking about IT issues. You may have a managed service provider in Los Angeles to help you handle your routine IT maintenance.

But what do you do if you’re not satisfied with the service you’re getting from this provider?

Transitioning to a new managed service provider may seem like a daunting process, but it doesn’t have to be.

Read on to learn more about this process and what to expect during the transition process.
What Is Managed IT Services?
Before we get into how you can switch to a managed service provider, let’s talk about what a managed service provider is. A managed service provider (MSP) is a company that handles all of your IT needs for you. These services can provide plenty of IT expertise and the support you need to focus on running your business.

A managed service provider can provide a variety of different levels of service, depending on what you need.

You can get 24/7 monitoring, data backup and protection, antivirus and intrusion protection, and more. They can also provide comprehensive cloud services and live support services, as well as network and infrastructure management.
Benefits of a Managed Service Provider
If you already work with a managed service provider and you’re not happy, you might be wondering if you should even pay for an MSP at all. One of the biggest reasons MSPs are important is because it enables you to focus on your business. Instead of spending your valuable time handling IT problems, you can focus on managing and growing your business.

MSPs also bring expertise that your in-house team may not have. Because outsourced tech support companies have dedicated their careers to mastering the IT field, they know how to deal with almost any problem you come up against.

This can get your business back online sooner and save you from losing money during downtime.
When to Consider a Switch to MSP
So when is it time for you to start looking at switching managed service providers?

First of all, your MSP should be using the latest technology, both in terms of hardware and software. This is especially important in cybersecurity tools, since that field is always evolving to protect your business against new threats.

You also need good customer service from your managed service provider; when you call them with a crisis, you need to know that they’ll respond quickly. They should be a partner of your business and should work to make sure you have everything you need to be successful. If you don’t have this experience with your current MSP, it may be time to consider a switch.
What to Look for in a New MSP
When you’re shopping for a new MSP, there are a few things you’ll want to look for in a good IT support company.  Of course, plenty of technical experience and expertise is a must for your new MSP. You want to look for a company that hires top industry experts who will be able to tackle any problem that comes up during your business operations.

Your new MSP should also be able to help you reduce your downtime when emergency events do happen. They should be able to help you protect against these accidents, including setting up a bulletproof cybersecurity system. And their services should fit with your budget needs, including offering flexible support plans.
Read Your Contract
When you get ready to transfer to an MSP, the first thing you need to do is to read your current contract.

You may have to take certain steps when you’re ending your relationship with your MPS. Knowing what steps you have to take ahead of time can make your transition process smoother.

You may need to give your current MSP a certain amount of notice that you plan to terminate service with them. Look into the procedures to do this; do you need to send written notice, or will a phone call suffice? Also, look into how ending your payment structure will work, particularly when you will submit your last payment.
Inventory Your Equipment
Once you’ve gotten familiar with your termination procedure, it will be time to start taking a look at your IT needs. This should begin with taking a look at your computer equipment, including the equipment that belongs to your current managed service provider. Removing this equipment may be part of your offboarding process with your old MSP.

When you get ready to start a relationship with a new MSP, they may need to know what equipment you own.

They may provide you with a variety of different equipment, depending on your needs. However, if they can’t provide the equipment you need, you may have to purchase some of your own during the transition process.
Audit Your Existing Environment
In addition to taking a look at your hardware, you also need to audit your entire IT environment. Before you can start working with a new MSP, they need to know about your system needs. This can include everything from the size of your system to the specific areas where you need support.

Work with your new MSP to create a report detailing what sort of software, if any, you have to handle antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-spam needs. Discuss what sort of firewalls you use and what sort of data backup plan you have. It’s also a good idea to provide them with some network specifications so they know what size of system you’re working with.
Give Your Current MSP Notice
Once you’ve finished your system audit with your new MSP, you’ll be ready to give your current MSP notice that you’ll be terminating your service. You may need to provide them with a thirty- or ninety-day notice so they can wrap up their service with you and schedule off-boarding. You may also need to submit this notice through some sort of official channel.

While you may want to handle this notice yourself, your new managed service provider can also handle this notice. This can accomplish a few things; for one, it removes that responsibility for that call from your plate. It can also facilitate some of the practical conversations that your two MSPs will need to have during the transition process.
Schedule Off-Boarding
Once you’ve notified your old MSP that you’ll be ending service with them, you’ll need to schedule off-boarding. This will be when your old MSP withdraws from your IT network, removing log-ins and shutting down accounts. They’ll turn over the needed information to your new provider and officially close out your account with their company.

Before shutting down your account, your old MSP may need to schedule a time to come pick up any hardware they own. There may be an uninstallation fee associated with this, so be sure to clarify that in your contract ahead of time. Of course, you may be expected to pay for any damaged equipment that belongs to your old MSP.
Typical Off-Boarding Timelines
Off-boarding can take some time, and you may need to plan for some downtime during this transition. However, most MSPs work to make sure this transition has as little of an impact on your business as possible. The two companies will coordinate with each other to get old equipment moved out and software uninstalled before the onboarding process begins.

In general, your old MSP will likely set up their off-boarding time for a Friday evening after business hours. This ensures that the downtime your company does experience will impact your day-to-day operations as little as possible. Removing the old hardware may need to happen at a different time, possibly earlier in the week before the official off-boarding.
Start Onboarding
Once your old managed service provider has officially signed off, your new MSP will be ready to take over. In general, they’ll want to start their onboarding process as soon as your old provider finishes off-boarding. This keeps your downtime to a minimum and ensures a smooth transition.

Most MSPs will start their onboarding the same night that your old MSP signs off for the last time. They’ll install any new software that you’ll need, and they may even bring in and install the new hardware you’ll need. They’ll also check to make sure your old MSP removed everything from your network that was under their control.
Hand Over IT Control
During the onboarding process, your new managed service provider will need to take control of your IT environment. Given that they’ll be running it for you every day, this control won’t be unusual even after onboarding is wrapped up. But this control is especially important when they’re getting your new system set up and ready to go.

Your new provider will likely change all access codes and passwords that allowed your old MSP to access your system. This helps to keep your company safe, especially from disgruntled former employees of your old provider. They’ll provide you with these new logins so that only you and them will have access to your system.
The Transition Process
After all your passwords are changed, the full onboarding process can begin. Your new managed service provider will likely start by performing a full data backup of your entire system. This helps them to ensure that no data gets lost during the transition process and establishes the new routine for these backups.

They may also take a closer look at your cybersecurity system and try to fix any weaknesses or loopholes they encounter. They’ll update any software that needs it and set up patches and fixes as needed. If all goes according to plan, your new MSP should be done setting up your system before you open for business on Monday.
Transitioning Your Employees
Even once the onboarding process is finished, your MSP’s work is far from over. In addition to getting your system up to date, your new managed service provider will also need to help your employees transition to the new environment.

This step will likely involve an in-person visit to your office so they can meet with and train your employees.

Your MSP may meet with your employees and go over relevant information about the new system. They’ll get any logins updated as needed and provide training in any new programs or protocols your employees may be using. This meeting also gives your employees a chance to meet the people who they’ll call when trouble arises.
Working with Your New MSP
With onboarding done and your initial transition wrapped up, you’ll be ready to settle into a working relationship with your new managed service provider.

A good MSP should be available to help you navigate any questions or challenges that come up during the course of your business. Not only should they help you through a crisis, but they should be an active partner in helping you to prevent downtime from happening in the first place.

There will likely be a longer transition period when your company works out the kinks of your new MSP relationship. Your team will learn how to work with your new MSP, and your new MSP will learn your business routines. As time goes on, this relationship should improve and your service should become a natural part of your business rhythm.
Find a New Managed Service Provider
A managed service provider can be a fantastic partner for your company, but you need a company that fits well with your needs. Switching to a new managed service provider is a bit of a process, but not an odious one. Make sure to provide your old MSP with plenty of notice and schedule a convenient time for your new MSP to do their onboarding.

If you’d like to find your new managed service provider, check out the rest of our site at BeStructured Technology Group. We are an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm that provides IT service, IT consulting, and managed IT services.

Schedule a consultation with us today and let us show you how great IT support in Los Angeles can be.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs, Security

#### How Do I Keep My Email Accounts Protected?
Of all the ways a hacker can penetrate and violate your network, a lack of email IT security may be the easiest path to a full-blown cyberattack.

Face it, we’re living in an era of hacking on such a large scale that the United States was hacked into a massive gas shortage.

As technology evolves, so do the methods of hackers. Data breaches are all too common and can often be associated with expensive consequences. Our delicate, personal data is plugged into the eternity of the Internet.

More than ever, it is crucial for to understand the different levels of vulnerabilities our emails are subject to.

Your email is for personal use and running a small business. This means email security protocols are at the forefront of your financial safety. Vulnerable email accounts are subject to phishing, scams, and the abyss of the dark web.

Protecting an email account starts with having the right outsourced IT support in place to practice prevention and damage control. Let's identify the major risks and learn how to avoid them with email security.
It Gets Dark
There are countless terms in our technology vernacular.

Over the last decade alone, we’ve taken technology as we know it and transformed it into artificial intelligence. One of those terms you may have heard along the way is the "dark web".

The dark web is a network of private websites that can only be accessed with a specific browser.

While there can be a handful of adequate uses for that network, it mostly serves as a cesspool for illegal online activity thanks to its anonymity. The dark web harbors information that can be utilized to cause damage through nefarious means.

If you're a Southern California-based business, the proper managed service provider in Los Angeles can swiftly monitor the dark web network to keep your company safe and secure.

An IT consulting firm can keep you informed of security breaches to protect your sensitive personal information. In the event that your organization has compromised data, your provider will identify the breach.

They will take immediate action to isolate and protect the rest of your information.

If your business handles your clients' sensitive information, you want to protect that at all costs. This ensures that your customers can maintain their trust and confidence in you. And the act of successful prevention will keep loyal customers coming back and bringing their friends and family with them.

It may not seem like much at that moment, but your online reputation is one of the most common ways for prospective clients to connect with you.

The majority of web users look to reviews to determine if a business is a good fit for their needs. So when they click on your reviews for your business, ranking higher quality in your email security just might be exactly what they need to hear.
Two-Factor Authentication
In the same way that capture helps avoid bots and hackers, two-factor authentication is a pillar of identity verification. Cyber security breaches can occur through hackers accessing private networks through lucky guesses or mining for critical data.

When a user attempts to log in to their email or network, they will be required to type in an additional piece of data to confirm and verify their identity. That user will receive a push notification that will spit out a code to enter into their device.

That code is never the same for anyone. So after 30 seconds of stalling, a hacker will struggle to infiltrate even though they may know the user's password. While two-factor authentication tucks a security blanket around our critical data, it is not bulletproof. It would be a rare occurrence to hear about someone successfully hacking two-factor authentication usernames and passcodes.

While this process is relatively low maintenance and easy to integrate, it’s not uncommon to receive employee pushback. You may receive feedback that this layer makes the login process far more complex. And while it does take a little extra time, the trade-off for protecting their and your business's data is invaluable. You can walk your staff through tutorials provided by your email security support.
Prevention in Email Security
The Internet is capable of unimaginable things, from crowdfunding surgeries to gifting someone a new home. And with all of that good intention, there are still risks between the lines.

We never want to assume the worst about someone, but the Internet provides a thick veil of anonymity that plenty of people have learned how to take advantage of. Phishing attacks run rampant through all areas of the Internet. It's one of the easiest ways to manipulate a person online, especially if that person is not well-versed in email security.

It is estimated that 3.4 billion scam emails are sent each day phishing for your sensitive data. And as the Internet and technology evolve, so do the approaches of phishers and hackers. Spear Phishing is probably one of the most alarming versions of email scams.

Viruses are a specific version of a program that can infiltrate and take over your business's network systems by manipulating its payload, otherwise known as malicious codes.

These emails will mirror an organization's tone and language and might even plagiarize your letterhead or logo. These minute details are so hard to catch, making email security measures even more appealing. The other piece of this terrifying puzzle comes from downloading hyperlinks and viral attachments.

This type of malware has a broader range and can look like any type of link or document. In true hacker fashion, it appears legitimate to the naked eye for a reason. Certain malware programs will passively collect information and bounce that back to you on a private server for a hacker to inconspicuously collect down the road.

The good news is, as cyber-attacks and scammers get smarter, so do security systems. When you implement the proper framework, your business's network will be able to filter and block malicious attempts like never before.
Protecting an Email Account
As a local business, when you connect with an IT security services company in Los Angeles or surrounding areas, you will be setting your business up to weather the toughest cyber intruders.

Having proper email security support and practicing prevention hygiene is one of your best practices. You can utilize a broad range of measures to keep your privacy high and tight. Endpoint security protection is a brilliant method that can help detect malware.

Its framework is a well-oiled machine that navigates configuration and surveillance coordination. Endpoint plays both offense and defense by highlighting threat detection device management and response time. The security program is controlled by a central host server installed throughout your network.

Detecting malicious activity and offering immediate remedy gives businesses flexibility and actionable results.

E-mail attacks can be prevented through Endpoint security tools. Allowing your IT security provider to equip your business with Endpoint software and other malware and antivirus tools helps siphon malware and spam emails into a specific route. It prevents these emails from accessing a direct gateway to your entire network.

Your business monitors its devices. Endpoint can identify and confirm that your staff members' devices are meeting or exceeding security protocols and expectations. Taking advantage of the encryption services they offer can add an extra layer of protection to beef up your email security.

The content of your messages, including attachments, will remain encrypted as they’re sent out to their receivers. There are plenty of gaps in upper-level email security. A proper safeguard can mean the difference between losing revenue and compromising an entire project.

Email servers themselves are also susceptible to harm from criminals hiding out in the cyber security world. Your IT support team can protect you with securing the servers and limiting the chance of risk by adding restrictions.
Action and Awareness
While some of this information might sound brand new and almost like a foreign language, your managed IT security services system will help train your team and equip them with the knowledge necessary to fine-tune prevention practices. There are plenty of best practices that you were already familiar with and probably use in your day-to-day outside of the office.

Making sure that your malware prevention, firewalls, and other levels of security are current can help illuminate bugs, glitches, and gaps. The more current your software, the easier it is to filter even the sneakiest scams and vulnerabilities.

The right MSP will guide your team on how to monitor their account activity. Knowing what suspicious activity looks like in your network is the first step to illuminating any risks of exploitation. Once you know those risks, you can work on encryption, making strong passwords, and being able to catch a phishing scam in its tracks.

Identify these fraudulent spam messages that might slip through other security measures. When it comes to data leaking prevention, we dive deeper into keywords. We explore subcategories or other types of markers that can spot confidential information.

Your IT security team can offer the proper route to take in the event of that sensitive data falling through the cracks. A common example would be your support team blocking sent emails with any type of personal information. This includes Social Security numbers, financial information, and other vulnerable pieces of the human puzzle.

And all of this brings us right back to why encryption can be one of the greatest layers of external protection against viruses and malware. Your business uses email to accomplish endless tasks throughout the day today. Corporate email security is an invaluable resource that companies of any size can benefit from.
Quick Tips for IT Security in Los Angeles
Even though there are no shortcuts in life, there are a few quick tips that might help you spot a scam before it happens.

When it comes to dangerous download links specifically to malware sites, take a look at the URLs before you open them. Many malware websites cut URL links to keep the truth about the page you’re going to veiled. Many people blindly click on any and everything, especially if there are words around it to trick you into thinking it’s important.

If you see bit.ly, that should raise your eyebrows at the very least. It is a common method used by invaders, so connect to your IT team to have them check it out if you have any questions. Your email security software can offer you precautions around scanning attachments.

This comes in handy in the event that a virus is attached when you execute an appendage. And the simple act of using a set standard of criteria for passwords can make all the difference. A mixture of uppercase, lowercase, and special characters in a scramble to order can always make it harder for a hacker to infiltrate.

Frequently changing your passwords is also an important preventative measure. We talk about preventatives a lot because it is one of the easiest control methods in the game. It’s sort of similar to the way you can’t be mad at your puppy for eating your sock that you left on the floor.

When you manage your environment better, you keep your belongings from being subject to risk.

Cyber attack criminals will scan for patterns. If they pick up on patterns in your password changes, it makes it easier for them to hack and tear accounts. Using different combinations of passwords can also offer an extra layer of protection.
A Leg Up on Outsourced Technical Support
With a third-party prevention team, hindsight doesn’t have to exist.

Your business can flourish in the now, running with efficacy and the security it deserves. Leading by example and showing your team how important these practices are will encourage them to feel confident in protecting their personal information.

If you’re interested in learning more about email security and email account vulnerabilities,  connect with our website to learn more and keep your business safe.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Data Protection, Phishing Email, Phishing Scams

#### How Does Cybersecurity Protect You?
When you think about how you’ll keep your home or business safe, chances are your mind goes to physical protection. You may start thinking about locks and alarms, motion sensors and cameras, and all of those can be important in protecting your physical assets. But what will you do if your business becomes the victim of a cyberattack? Cybersecurity is a critical way to protect your digital assets, which can be at least as valuable as your physical assets. But what is cybersecurity?



Read on to learn more about this line of defense and the threats it can protect you from.



What Are Cyberattacks?



Before we dive into the world of cybersecurity and why it’s important, let’s talk some about cyberattacks. Cyberattacks are malicious attempts to steal or manage information stored in digital systems. This can take a variety of different forms, which we’ll discuss more in-depth in a moment.



Cyberattacks may try to steal and sell your private information for profit or to harm you. They may lock down data you need or crash your system entirely. Sometimes these viruses are aiming to make a profit, and sometimes hackers create them just to hurt you, either for revenge or for the sake of chaos.



Cost of Cyberattacks



Some people may argue that cyberattacks are no big deal; after all, they aren’t attacking any “real” physical assets. But you may be surprised to learn that these attacks cost people around the world more than $6 trillion every year. For context, if those costs went unpaid, they would outstrip the U.S. national debt in just five years.



Aside from the monetary costs, cyberattacks cause real harm to people and businesses every day. People may be put in danger or have their lives upended if their private information gets leaked. Others may lose valuable files or have their information corrupted by cyberattacks.



Malware



One of the most common types of cyberattacks is malware, a portmanteau of the words “malicious software.” These attacks are what we more commonly refer to as viruses, and they can take a variety of different forms. In fact, some of the attacks we’ll discuss in a moment are different forms of malware.



Malware encompasses any computer program that’s written with the goal of causing harm to a computer, network, or server. Malware may hide in the background and record every keystroke you make on your computer, allowing hackers to steal the information – such as passwords – that you’re typing. Or it may be more overt, locking down certain files on your computer or even launching disruptive popups.



Ransomware 



Ransomware is one of the more insidious forms of malware in use today. As the name suggests, these programs take sections of your computer hostage and refuse to unlock them until you pay the ransom they demand. In some cases, they can lock you out of your entire system, making it impossible for you to access any of your files or data.



The trouble with ransomware is that it takes advantage of the latest and greatest in encryption technology. These programs put a security lock on your files and encrypt them with security measures that are all but impossible to break through. On average, victims of ransomware attacks pay more than $300,000 before they get their files and systems back.



DoS Attacks



Another common form of cyberattack is something known as a denial of service attack, or DoS. These attacks aim to overwhelm a system, whether that be a website, chat system, or online order system. They flood the system with too many requests, which causes it to get jammed up so legitimate users are unable to access it.



There’s also a subclass of DoS attacks known as a distributed denial of service attack, or DDoS attack. Rather than coming from one single machine, these attacks use dozens or even hundreds of compromised computers. This can greatly increase the load on the target system, as well as making it somewhat harder to counteract.



Phishing



Phishing is a form of cyberattack that has a more personal touch. Rather than exploiting technology to access data, these scams exploit people’s trust in digital relationships. In essence, a phishing scam pretends to be someone a user trusts, in order to convince the user to hand over personal information, including credit card data and passwords.



A phishing scheme may contact a victim and tell them that their computer is full of viruses and, if they’ll pay the scammer, they can clean their computer off. They may also pretend to be a financial institution, the IRS, or even the police, threatening dire consequences if the person doesn’t pay some invented charge. These scams have become very sophisticated and can be difficult for even the most tech-savvy person to spot.



What Is Cybersecurity? 



So now that we know more about some of the threats lurking in the digital world, let’s talk some about cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is an umbrella term that encompasses all efforts to keep these different cyberattacks from happening. There are a few different types of cybersecurity, which we’ll delve into more next.



Cybersecurity is incredibly important for any person or business who wants to make sure their data stays safe. While some cybersecurity measures cost money, they can also save you a lot in cyberattack recovery costs. They can also help make sure that your business can keep running smoothly with no interruption in customer service.



Endpoint Security 



One of the major types of cybersecurity is called endpoint security or endpoint protection. This sector of cybersecurity focuses on individual machines, such as laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets. These are the endpoints of any cyberattack scheme and so are the last line of defense against these attacks.



You may already be familiar with endpoint security, whether you realize it or not. Programs like Norton and McAfee are popular endpoint security systems designed to stop malware in its tracks. But endpoint security can also include things like passwords, biometric IDs, and more.



Cloud Security



As cloud computing has become more popular, it’s ushered in a new sector of cybersecurity: cloud security. Cloud computing moves past the traditional boundaries of what files are located on a certain machine. Instead, you can access files from any machine, as long as you have the appropriate credentials.



Unfortunately, this convenience can leave files more vulnerable to hackers. Cloud security works to protect files and systems that operate in the cloud, often involving setting up secure servers and networks. Some systems may also require a two-step verification process to prevent hackers from accessing files stored in the cloud.



Application Security



Application security is the level of cybersecurity between endpoint and cloud security. This sector focuses on removing security threats within applications and programs located on a machine or in the cloud. Without application security, hackers could make their way into your system through a weak point in an application and gain access to the rest of your files from there.



Application security, like many of the other types we’ve discussed here, may begin with password protection on sensitive areas of the program. Developers are also constantly on the lookout for holes in their coding that could allow security breaches. This is part of the reason it’s so important to update your programs when they request it.



Network Security



One of the first lines of defense you have against cyberattacks is your network security system. This sector of cybersecurity focuses on making sure your network itself is secure, whether that be your wifi network or another computer network. Network security is also an important component of cloud security.



Without network security, a hacker could gain access to the wifi network all your information is being sent through. From there, all they would need to do is download files and messages as they went by. This can also give them access to some of the computers on your network, providing even more opportunities for mayhem.



Identifying Risks



There are four primary stages in the cybersecurity process, the first of which is identifying risks. In order to protect yourself against various cyberattacks, you need to know what sort of attacks you’ll be facing. From there, you can make a strategy to protect yourself against these threats.



Identifying cyber threats is a long and ongoing process that requires staying up-to-date on the latest in the cybersecurity world. As fast as cybersecurity is adapting, hackers are making new and worse viruses. Your cybersecurity strategy needs to continuously adapt to address new emerging risks.



Reducing Risks



Once you know what sort of risks you’re facing, your team can make a plan to reduce those risks. There may be some basic steps you can take to reduce your risk of a cyberattack, no matter what specialized risks you face. Requiring stronger passwords, installing malware protection, and training your team on how to spot phishing schemes can improve your cybersecurity.



However, you may also need to take additional steps to keep your team protected from cyberattacks. If you have a development team, they may need to be on the lookout for security holes in their coding. You may also want to consider working with a network security specialist to ensure your network is as safe as possible.



Detecting Attacks 



No matter how secure your system is, there’s still a chance that you’ll fall victim to a cyberattack at some point. If and when this happens, you need to have systems in place that can detect the breach. The sooner you find out you’re under attack, the sooner you can start taking steps to counter it and protect your data. 



You need to have alert systems in place that will let you know if someone accesses your data from an unauthorized location. You may also want to set up protocols with your team that will help you avoid phishing schemes. And having your team perform security checks on a regular basis can help you discover cyberattacks as soon as possible.



Recovering from Attacks



The last step in the cybersecurity process is one you hope you never have to take: recovering from an attack. After a cyberattack is over, you may be left with corrupted or deleted files, monetary losses, customer complaints, and more. You need to have a game plan in place for how you’ll recover from these attacks. 



One important step in the recovery plan is to make sure all your systems and files are backed up on separate systems to reduce your risk of losing files. You may also want to talk about how you’ll communicate with your customers in the event of a cyberattack. And briefing your team on their roles during a cyberattack can help keep things running smoothly, even during a crisis.



Learn More About Cybersecurity



These days, cybersecurity is as important as physical security, if not more so. Your team needs to know what threats are out there so you can prepare to meet them. Be sure you have a plan for how you’ll identify and reduce risks, detect attacks, and recover after the crisis is over.



If you’d like to discover more answers to the question, “What is cybersecurity?” check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We can help you support, protect, and secure your business, as well as strategizing about ways to better manage your technological assets. Schedule a free IT support consultation today and discover why we’re an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: 2FA, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, Data Protection

#### How Financial IT Services Drive Efficiency and Security in the Financial Sector
In the modern financial ecosystem, efficiency and security are the twin pillars of success. 
The growing complexity of financial operations, coupled with the relentless rise in cyber threats, underscores the critical role of IT for financial services. 
These services go beyond mere outsourced IT support—they streamline operations, fortify security, and ensure compliance with stringent regulations. 
By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and innovative strategies, financial institutions can achieve operational excellence while safeguarding sensitive client information.


Challenges in the Financial Sector
The financial industry operates in a high-stakes environment where even minor inefficiencies or security lapses can lead to significant losses. Among the key challenges faced by financial institutions are:

Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory and CMMC compliance is one of the most significant challenges for financial institutions. Navigating a labyrinth of constantly evolving regulations is a major hurdle for financial institutions. 
Compliance requires meticulous attention to detail and significant resources. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines, reputational damage, and operational setbacks.

Cybersecurity Threats
Another major challenge is cybersecurity, which continues to grow more sophisticated. 
The financial sector remains a prime target for cybercriminals due to the sensitive nature of the data it handles. 
Data breaches, ransomware attacks, and phishing schemes are persistent threats. For example, the global financial sector suffered losses of over $6 trillion due to cybercrime in 2021, highlighting the pressing need for robust IT solutions.


Legacy Systems
Many financial institutions also struggle with outdated systems. These legacy systems are incompatible with modern technologies. They are prone to inefficiencies, lack integration capabilities, and expose institutions to security vulnerabilities.

Manual Processing Inefficiencies
Finally, reliance on manual processes can significantly hamper productivity. Manual processes slow down operations and increase the likelihood of human error. 
From processing transactions to generating reports, reliance on manual workflows can create bottlenecks that hamper overall productivity.

The Role of Financial IT Services in Driving Efficiency
Financial services IT solutions play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. They provide innovative solutions that streamline operations and modernize outdated processes.

Automation of Repetitive Tasks
One of the most significant contributions of financial IT services is the automation of repetitive tasks.
By automating processes such as data entry, compliance reporting, and transaction processing, financial institutions can significantly reduce human error and free up resources for more strategic initiatives.

Benefits of Automation:

 	Increased Productivity: Automation accelerates workflows, allowing institutions to handle higher volumes of transactions with ease.
 	Cost Savings: Reduced reliance on manual labor translates into lower operational costs.
 	Regulatory Compliance: Automated systems ensure accuracy in data reporting, helping institutions meet stringent compliance requirements.

For instance, a regional credit union that implements an automated compliance reporting system can reduce its processing time and decrease audit-related errors.

Integration with Existing Systems
Automation is just one piece of the puzzle—system integration is equally important. 
Modern IT support are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing financial infrastructure. This integration creates a unified operational environment that enhances functionality and optimizes performance. 
This approach enables smoother transitions from legacy systems to modern platforms, whether by saving time and money aith managed IT services or tailored IT solutions for financial institutions.

Enhancing Security Through Managed IT Services for Financial Instituions
Efficiency alone is not enough—security is paramount in the financial sector. Financial IT services ensure a multi-layered defense strategy to protect sensitive information.

Key Security Technologies
Before diving into specific examples, it’s important to understand the core technologies underpinning these services.


 	
Encryption: Encrypting data both in transit and at rest ensures confidentiality and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.

 	
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple forms of verification, reducing the likelihood of unauthorized access.

 	
Real-Time Monitoring: Continuous monitoring helps detect and respond to potential threats immediately, minimizing damage.


Proactive Threat Detection
Understanding the technologies is crucial, but how do they work in practice? 
Real-time monitoring and proactive threat detection are essential for staying ahead of cybercriminals. 
These measures enable financial institutions to identify vulnerabilities and address them before they are exploited. 
For example, a global investment firm that we consulted with implemented real-time threat monitoring and successfully thwarted a ransomware attack, saving millions in potential damages.
This is where IT outsourcing companies can really help an industry-specific company protect their customers and assets without having to train new tech teams from within.

Leveraging Data Management for Informed Decision-Making
Financial IT services go beyond security—they also enable smarter decision-making through effective data management.

Benefits of Data Analytics
Data analytics is transforming the way financial institutions operate, offering several benefits:


 	
Improved Risk Management: Data-driven insights allow institutions to assess risks more accurately and develop effective mitigation strategies.

 	
Enhanced Customer Experience: Analyzing customer behavior helps institutions tailor their services to meet client needs.

 	
Operational Optimization: Real-time data analytics streamline processes, improving overall efficiency.



Practical Applications of Data Analytics
How are these benefits being realized in the financial sector? For example, a national bank that decides to integrate advanced analytics tools into its operations can identify patterns in loan default rates, allowing it to adjust its lending strategies and reduce its losses.

Securing the Future of Finance
Financial IT services are both tools and strategic enablers that drive operational efficiency and bolster security in the financial sector. Institutions that embrace automation, real-time monitoring, and data analytics position themselves for success in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Actionable Insights:


 	
Invest in automation to reduce manual inefficiencies and human error.

 	
Prioritize cybersecurity by implementing multi-layered defenses and real-time monitoring.

 	
Leverage data analytics to enhance decision-making and customer satisfaction.

 	
Stay ahead of regulatory changes by partnering with a trusted IT services company or managed IT services provider.


Ready to Transform Your Financial IT Services?
In a competitive industry where security and efficiency are paramount, having a reliable IT partner can make all the difference. 
Be Structured offers tailored managed IT services for financial institutions, including 24/7 monitoring and proactive support, ensuring your organization operates at peak efficiency while staying secure.


Take the first step toward a more secure and efficient future. Schedule a free consultation today and discover how Be Structured can empower your financial institution to thrive.
- Categories: IT Support, IT support for financial services
- Tags: financial IT services, IT services

#### How Important Is Network Infrastructure to My IT System?
Have you ever considered the importance of your network infrastructure?

Countries depend on civil infrastructure. It delivers access to needed resources like roads and railroads.

Likewise, companies depend on IT infrastructures. It enables employees to help firms meet their goals.

Keep reading to learn how important network infrastructure is to your IT system.
Understanding Network Infrastructure
Network infrastructure includes your company’s hardware, software, networks, and digital resources. You use these resources to work toward a common goal. They enable you to perform tasks, such as:

 	Controlling
 	Delivery
 	Development
 	Monitoring
 	Testing

These tasks support your business environment.

Well-managed network infrastructure supplies operational continuity. It ensures improved connectivity, productivity, and network security. Still, you must update your network infrastructure regularly.
Why Your Infrastructure Matters
Network infrastructure transforms your organization into a collaborative, knowledgeable, customer-centric machine. It helps you end latency and waste.

Your network also helps you balance resources and demand. Furthermore, it empowers you to speed up your business processes.

In California, a skilled IT consulting Los Angeles based company can help you transform your legacy infrastructure. You, too, can enjoy the benefits of today’s converged cloud-based network services.
Today Data Is Just as Important as Your Core Focus
More companies have embraced digital transformation. Network infrastructure is common among many firms.

Here, it helps to understand modern networks. Employee, customer, IoT, and customer devices now make up your network infrastructure.

These components are the “edge.” People use these devices to connect to your network. This makes them part of your infrastructure.

As a result, networks must evolve. Fixed legacy systems don’t consider edge networking. They’re becoming irrelevant.

Your company needs a reliable infrastructure. Without it, your organization will face challenges. They’ll impact your customers and employees.
Good Network Infrastructure Helps You Make the Most of Talent
It’s becoming challenging to find and keep skilled talent. Most likely, you invest considerably in finding and hiring qualified personnel.

However, the best talent in the world would do little good without a reliable IT infrastructure. Your network infrastructure must support maximum productivity. It’s essential to invest in the best networking solution for your company’s needs.
Defining Your Network Infrastructure
Most people equate network infrastructure with the IT environment. In this environment, multiple devices connect to your network.

They use wired and wireless connections. There are also software and hardware components that connect to your network.

Together, these components accelerate or enable many network functions. These functions might include:

 	External communication
 	Internal communication
 	Connectivity
 	Management
 	Operations

You need the right network infrastructure management techniques to enjoy the best performance. The proper techniques will also improve resource availability. What’s more, they’ll help you find solutions quickly for the problems you face every day. Outsourced IT support can be a huge help to maintain the proper infrastructure techniques.
How Your Network Affects Your Company
Your network can give you critical opportunities to enhance your agility. You can use your network infrastructure to transform your business.

It’s a tool that supports resource sharing throughout your organization. It’s also critical for facilitating next-generation digital practices.

Your network should evolve as you embrace digital transformation. Yet, it’s also critical to avoid disruptions in service.

You must keep network resources available as much as possible. Your customers won’t wait for your digital transformation.
Challenges
Companies face many challenges when managing network infrastructure. For example, duplicate data is an issue faced by many companies. In some instances, duplicate information can make up 50% to 70% of network traffic.

You must learn to centralize and merge traffic. It’s possible you operate several websites, subnets, and physical locations.

If so, it’s essential to deploy a centralized network hub. It will help you track your network.

A centralized hub will also help you improve network visibility. More importantly, it will make network infrastructure management easier and more practical.

You must also think about network infrastructure. Consider how it applies to the growth of your company.

As your company grows, your network will evolve. Each time your network grows, you add potential points of failure.
Overcoming Infrastructure Obstacles
IoT implementation is increasing. It’s become the core of companies’ digital transformation strategies. The number of connected endpoints is growing in tandem.

Today, Wi-Fi is an important way of connecting to network infrastructure. It speeds access compared to hardwired connections.

Yet, Wi-Fi does something else. It creates a combination of many new connections.

These new connections include IoT endpoints and mobile devices. They also include cloud computing. In turn, these devices create new security risks.

You must shift your network infrastructure. You need a reliable framework to enhance your network infrastructure security. Firms can no longer rely on one massive firewall usually used to protect legacy networks.
What Managed Services Can Do for You
There’s a lot to process if your company is undergoing digital transformation. As a result, many companies partner with an IT provider.

A skilled IT support company offers in-depth networking expertise. They can help you run a clean, efficient network infrastructure.

Today, networks are a mix of cloud and in-house networks. Network infrastructure is often composed of an assortment of vendors. It includes various external networks.

These components are the foundation for successful companies. At the same time, protecting and cultivating a healthy network infrastructure in this environment is a complex job.
Is Your Network Infrastructure Future-Ready?
Now you know how important network infrastructure is to your IT system. Be Structured Technology Group can provide you with the right insight.

We’ll help you through your digital transformation. By partnering with us, you can overcome problems specific to your industry.

Our technicians will help you create a network infrastructure that’s reliable and boosts performance. We can build a foundation that supports your daily functions securely.

Feel free to learn more about our network installation services.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Networking, Tips & Tricks

#### How IT Solutions Empower Teams and Boost Sales
Only 36% of American employees are actively engaged while on the job. This low figure often stems from frustration, a lack of assistance, and feeling unappreciated. It is also likely so low because employees are unimpressed by daily activities or slowed down by the network or office environment.

Here, we're going to talk about some ways that IT support solutions for any industry can get employees engaged and increase sales performance. Read on to learn how improving your technology can also improve sales.
IT Support Reduces Downtime
Downtime is one of the most common time-wasters for businesses. It can also lose you a lot of money. The average organization will lose about $600,000 annually to downtime.

This is because business and production processes abruptly end when the network goes down. Sometimes it may glitch because of a network outage, but other times it may be technical. Application shutdowns and unavailability also are common causes of downtime.

For local businesses, IT services in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas can stop your business from losing too much money to downtime. They do this by constantly monitoring network trends, identifying blips in those trends, and troubleshooting them before a network or application outage can take place.

This increases sales performance on multiple levels. First, people won't need to take time away from sales because of a lack of access to the network. This means that they won't waste hours, days, or even weeks just sitting in the office waiting for their portal to work again.

They also will feel as though the company cares about sales enablement. They won't become frustrated and disengaged because the network shuts down. They will be more willing to improve sales because of higher interest in their jobs.
IT Consulting Ensures Less Frustration
Computer frustration is a very real issue that many businesses contend with. Sales jobs are dependent on technology, and the typical user has computer problems about once every 4 months. They will spend 12 hours monthly trying to troubleshoot and resolve these issues.

Because good business IT services prevent downtime and glitching, your employees won't need to contend with as many computer issues. This stops them from becoming annoyed and irritated while at work.

They're more likely to prioritize sales, feel loyal to the company, and be pleasant and engaging when talking with clients. They won't have a negative impact on morale or become upset with the company.

They also are more likely to experience job satisfaction and continue working with you long-term. This means that you can add more money to sales department funding since you won't need to constantly hire and onboard new sales members.
Outsourced Tech Support Improves Team Cohesion
Outsourced IT support also helps you to make the most of existing communication tools. Messaging applications and calling software won't go offline. Sales team members can better communicate with one another about their jobs.

They can also better collaborate with other departments in your company. For example, if your sales staff needs to get in touch with the accounting department, a fully-managed 24/7 IT support company can make sure that the application is up and running consistently. They also will provide constant updates and upgrades to keep everything running smoothly.

Better access to communications tools also means that sales teams can effectively communicate with clients, make sales, and resolve customer service issues.

Average companies lose $62 million per year because of bad communication between employees. Don't let this happen to you.
Providing Consistent IT Support and IT Security
Regular support is one of the best ways that fully managed IT can improve your sales team. Outsourced tech support companies like Be Structured Technology Group are always available to assist sales associates with IT issues that they're facing.

We work tirelessly to keep applications up and running. However, when there is a problem, we're willing to work toward an immediate solution. This means that there won't be any long-term issues with glitching and downtime that keep sales teams from doing their jobs.

It also ensures that everyone is in the know about how to use their technology. IT teams will tell them exactly how applications should work and what they should do in the event of an issue. They won't be left wondering how to fix it and getting frustrated with an inability to do so.

Outsourcing tech support not only provides better support, but it also has financial impacts on your business. You won't need to find, hire, train, and onboard an in-house IT expert. This saves you the money of hiring a new employee.

You also won't need to worry about the quality of your hire and help. Managed IT services already vet their employees. The assistance will truly be of professional quality.
How to Provide Better Security
A single data breach can cost an American company over $5 million. These costs have been increasing steadily over time and are likely to go up even more in 2023.

With Managed IT solutions, you will get:

 	Top-notch professional-grade firewalls
 	Multifactor authentication features
 	24/7 trend monitoring for unusual network activity
 	Immediate real-time notifications when an issue is detected
 	Support and communication throughout any potential problem

This can keep your sales team productive in several ways. They will feel safe and secure while conducting business and can rest assured that their information may not be stolen.

It also creates sales enablement because clients will feel protected. Your sales team can inform them of how they secure personal and financial information. For many clients, this may help you stand out over competitors.
Boost Sales Performance With IT Solutions
Now that you know how top-notch IT solutions can bolster sales performance, it's time to work with California's best tech team for sales enablement. At Be Structured, we're committed to providing fully-managed IT solutions to businesses of all sizes.

We'll provide constant updates, support, and security checks to make sure you're running at full capacity. Contact our award-winning team to learn how we can improve your communication tools and sales enablement strategies.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services, MSPs, Tips & Tricks

#### How IT Support Companies Distinguish Between Disaster Recovery And Business Continuity
Business continuity and disaster recovery are two necessary evils in today’s tech-reliant business world. On the one hand, the terms are used interchangeably and even sometimes grouped together as the acronym BC/DR. 
In easy, layman’s terms they each serve to help every business - big or small - prepare for any disruptive occurrence. Those technically disruptive events can range anywhere from a tornado blowing out your network to a small power outage caused by the city’s mangled installation of new copper wire.
But while the concepts sound like they serve the same purpose on the surface, digging deeper finds subtle differences that outsourced technical support companies insist every business should be aware of. 
Understanding the key distinctions between business continuity and disaster recovery is critical to protecting your day-to-day business operations from the unexpected. While many people use these terms interchangeably, they have some key differences. It’s important to explore the distinctions and understand how prioritizing both is critical to your business’s success.
Understanding Disaster Recovery
Let’s start by explaining the core priorities of a disaster recovery platform, as that is the first thing to consider following a network outage. 
Disaster recovery encompasses all the things needed to be done by a business’s tech team after a major type of disaster. In Miami, this could be restoring your network services after a major hurricane barrels through. In Los Angeles, IT support would scramble to get back online following an even moderate earthquake. Additionally, disaster recovery isn’t always necessarily caused by acts of God. Sometimes a computer virus caused by malware would require the IT troops to battle the recovery issues.
Disaster recovery covers all the systems and strategies your organization has in place to get your mission-critical network operations back up and running following an outage.
Whether that outage is caused by a natural disaster or a cyberattack, the core goal of any disaster recovery platform is to get essential network functions operational as quickly as possible. For example, a company that depends on voice over internet protocol (VoIP) for making sales calls would implement a disaster recovery platform that prioritizes restoring VoIP network operations following a disaster. Then, they’d worry about making sure the backups servers were restored and so on down the mission critical priority road.
What Is Business Continuity?
Similarly, a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) helps a company during times of disaster both big and small. The difference between the two, however, may be best explained by “action” versus “reaction”. 
Whereas a disaster recovery plan focuses on a company’s restoration of their most vital IT operating systems after a devastating event has occurred, a BCP operates on a longer-term goal of assuring that all of your company’s entire system continues functioning after a similarly awful occurrence. 
While disaster recovery strategies prioritize restoring core, necessary  operations such as network restoration or reinstallation of your structured cabling system, a business continuity platform takes a bigger-picture approach by focusing on maintaining and restoring all standard functionalities across your entire network from the big - like servers - to the small - like printers and fax machines. 
So whereas a disaster recovery platform prioritizes the essential, a business continuity solution focuses on restoring all the tools your business uses but doesn't necessarily depend on for daily operations.
Timeline Differences
Because the focus of disaster recovery is on the essential operating systems while business continuity prioritizes a bigger-picture approach, recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) are different for each. 
RTOs and RPOs for disaster recovery systems are generally measured in minutes or hours. RTOs and RPOs for business continuity platforms, on the other hand, may be measured in days or weeks, depending on the severity of the outage.
Risk Management Assessment
Prioritizing business continuity and disaster recovery strategies is critical to your business’ ongoing success. Without a clear plan for how to respond to the unexpected, your team will be at a loss following a disaster, quickly resulting in lost revenue, missed opportunities, data loss and the potential loss of customers and clients. 
“A complete Business Continuity Plan will be your ultimate disaster insurance policy,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, a Los Angeles-based Managed Service Provider. “A business that goes down means revenues go down, and the best thing about outsourcing your company’s IT is having eyes and hands on deck 24/7 to support in the event of an unforeseen technical disaster.”
4 Steps to Developing a Strong Business Continuity Plan
1 - Conduct a business impact analysis and determine those time-crucial functions necessary for keeping the business upright and what resources will be needed to restore them.
2 - Compile and document a business continuity plan and make sure those plans of action are not just sitting on your potentially whacked network, but also stored in a cloud-based computing system for safe keeping. 
3 - Identify a business continuity team and define their roles in overcoming a business disruption of any kind.
4 - Like fire drills back in grade school, conduct training exercises and sister relief scenarios for the BC team to constantly reevaluate how your strategy and plans will play out in the event of an actual emergency.
When you have concrete strategies in place, and every member of your team understands his or her role, you can minimize the repercussions of a network outage, ensuring your network gets back up and running as soon as possible.
As you begin planning your business continuity and disaster recovery strategies, the best place to begin is by clarifying the systems your organization depends on most for day-to-day business. Start by creating a list of the systems each team relies on. From there, you can begin exploring how regularly they use these systems and which ones they will need most following an outage. If they’re using a software application day in and day out, make sure your disaster recovery platform accounts for that.
Los Angeles IT Support
Now that you understand the crucial differences between business continuity and disaster recovery, you may be looking for a little more help further refining your disaster preparedness strategies. If that’s the case, the experts at Be Structured are here to help. Our team takes the time to understand your organization’s workflows, potential threats, and network operations, so we can develop a customized recovery and continuity solution and restore critical business functions quicker than you thought possible.
- Categories: Backup, Cloud Solutions, Disaster Recovery
- Tags: backup, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, Data Backup, data backups, Data Protection, Data Recovery, Disaster Recovery

#### How IT Support Companies in Los Angeles Geared up Against COVID-19 Changes
The world has changed so much in just six months. 
In January, Be Structured was talking blissfully about all the potential for technological and security upgrades and changes in 2020. Now, half a year later, there’s been a massive pivot in the landscape of IT support and the previously “normal” workplace. IT will forever be changed as more brick-and-mortars realize that virtual employees may be even more productive and cost-effective to their bottom line.
The bottom line is businesses everywhere have had to adapt to unprecedented exodus across offices and corporate buildings across the United States. Tech giants big and small have not only adapted to employees working from home for the near future, but some like Amazon and Google are considering a permanent change to home office telecommuting in perpetuity even after the COVID-19 scare passes or, at least, dies down.
On the economic front, we’ve already seen governments worldwide allocating more than $13 trillion to stabilize economies in freefall and restart growth. But even as the world slowly starts to pull itself out of the economic crater, we still need to deal with the small stuff of stabilizing the infrastructure of businesses large and small to adapt to the new potential work culture of all employees at home all the time.
IT Challenges of Working From Home
If employees are virtual, chances are your IT department can become the same as well. More and more, you’ll see businesses turning to IT outsourcing. Especially now that previously internal IT workers are still loath to physically be at work, you can actually improve productivity with outsourced IT services who do nothing but implement and monitor your network’s health and security 24/7.
Here are some considerations:
Does your Company’s Disaster Recovery Plan Include Home Workers?
There are many challenges of working from home but thanks to technology, companies can continue to thrive in the midst of crisis. If your company is not prepared for the risks of sending their employees to work in environments out of their control, it can have a negative ripple effect in business profitability, productivity and most of all - IT security.
A Los Angeles-based Managed Service Provider recommends a Disaster Recovery Plan in place and ready to go at a minute’s notice. Such a plan is vital in times like these when so many variables can literally shake a company off its foundation. Many of us think of preparing for natural disasters that affect our geographical region. 
In California - having a disaster recovery plan for earthquakes or damage caused by fires would be standard protocol. For other parts of the country - Disaster Recovery Plans outlining the steps of protecting and restoring business during a flood, tornado, or hurricane would be the norm. 
However, many businesses have only focused on a partial backup plan for their storage, data and servers. Many did not prepare for a medical emergency that would put an entire population in quarantine.
The Challenges of Working From Home
Deploying an entire company to work from home seems like it would just require everyone to have a laptop and they can hop on to their emails and keep working. 
Many people don’t realize there is a massive technological backbone to their company’s productivity - both seen and unseen. Aside from the obvious challenges of staying focused and having the space to dedicate to work from home, deploying this technology in a non-office environment can put a strain on everyone’s sanity.
Working From Home Often Requires Employees to Bring Their Own Device
It’s easy to assume that most people have their own laptops or desktop computers at home. In fact, 76% of American households own both a desktop and laptop computer. Thirty-six per cent own a smartphone, tablet, and computer. Chances are, your employees will have at least one device they can use to keep connected and working through the murky days of the coronavirus outbreak. 
However, just because they have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy doesn’t mean they will have the technology standards of your company in mind while working from home. So when it comes to BYOD in Los Angeles, a tech support company can help you understand the security pros and cons of using a personal device for business.
Can’t I Just Buy New Equipment for Employees?
Not exactly. Supply and demand of hard drives, laptops and tablets have skyrocketed since the world shuttered behind closed doors. 
Expecting to walk into your local Best Buy or Mac store to buy whatever they have in-stock is no longer a reality. Since the Coronavirus first broke out in Wuhan, China - supply chain demands on the tech industry have skyrocketed while Chinese manufacturing and production have come to a screeching halt. 
The demands are far outpacing the supplies  - so this means whatever your employee can offer as their work from home device, you may just have to work with it.
Working From Home Can Lead to Less Productivity
Well, yes and no.
We may encounter the normal distractions to keep productivity levels low and procrastination levels high: daytime TV, the constant temptations of a refrigerator stocked with enough food to survive the zombie apocalypse, stir-crazy kids, adorable pets…the list is endless. 
That garden you never had time to plant suddenly sounds more appealing than sitting in your dark basement trying to work.
Getting frustrated or mentally shutting down is a daily battle. Employees no longer have the IT support at their fingertips; from simple questions to more complex - that chain of command is no longer there to assist when there are technology-related issues. 
It’s a miserable way to start a workday when an employee can’t get connected to their company’s server or living with the harsh reality that their internet service at home is barely able to handle all the devices connected to the network now that entire families are quarantined together.
Many employees outside of the tech department could care less how to troubleshoot a tech issue. They’re paid to do a marketing or management job, and struggling with viruses, cyberattacks or simply not being able to connect creates frustrations. 
That’s where an outsourced IT support company like Be Structured can help ease the transition into home working and handle all the day-to-day issues that slow down an employee, and thus a company’s productivity.
By keeping every employee online and risk-free, a business can actually capitalize on the work-from-home paradigm by increasing productivity. According to a recent study by Airtasker, remote employees work almost one-and-a-half days more per month than their office-based counterparts, resulting in more than three additional weeks of work per year. 
It makes sense, there’s no commute and the ability to take periodic breaks and walk the dog, pet the cat, jump on a treadmill or just simply have your choice of foods at the ready does make workers generally happier to do the work and work longer hours.
Cybersecurity Should Be A Priority While Employees Are Working From Home
IT Security should be at the forefront of both planning and executing a work from home mandate. It doesn’t matter if your organization only has a few employees or several thousand working from home- having your team working remotely can exponentially expose the vulnerability of your organization to a cyberattack. Security protocol while working from home shouldn’t come with the same lax attitude about makeshift home office dress codes.
It has been said that hackers do not cause security breaches, they just find the weaknesses to easily access information. External networks can be the most susceptible to modifications, eavesdropping, and information interception. In other words - a breeding ground for weakness and vulnerability!
14 IT Security and Support Tips While Working From Home
Keeping your hardware updated is essential but may not be possible with employees supplying their own devices. No matter who is supplying the device - make sure the software has been updated and patched and that the network support is secure.Password safety is essential. Make sure employees are practicing any company protocol for password management. If you don’t use a password manager- consider using one now.Establish an external network. This network should be a separate network that is dedicated to remote access.Use a site-to-site VPN connection. Multi-Factor authentication is a must! Employees should have to identify themselves and their credentials through multiple layers to access information.Consider using session locking and encryption to protect critical dataDo not allow employees to configure their own firewalls and anti-malware/anti-virus software. You need to have your Managed Service Provider or IT Support Service do this for them.Restrict browser extensions. Any unknown and often unnecessary extensions have tracking codes or can be used to spread malware.Consider setting up session timeouts on any remote networking connections and automatic screen locks on computers after inactivity. Make sure you have end-point detection and response so you can keep tabs on what is happening on your IT systems.Make sure all mobile devices are equipped with TFA/MFA layers to protect any company data while on the go. Creating a Mobile Device Management policy is essential to secure and protect data in the event of loss or theft.Make sure you clear employees working from home with your particular any industry regulators such as HIPAA, FINRA, Etc. if applicable.Manage the privileges employees have to certain data. This is foundational for the success of your IT security while your employees are working from home.Train employees BEFORE the start working from home so they know how the first defense of IT security for your company starts with them. Now would be a great time to brush up on email phishing scams (especially those specific to the coronavirus) and social engineering attempts to gain access to accounts.
Enable Your Employees To Work From Home With A Managed Service Provider
The best way to control these factors and have the most successful work from home transition is to make sure you have a stellar Managed Service Provider. Even if you have internal IT support, the demands on the few people to serve the entire company will be more than a small staff can handle. 
Consider outsourcing this task to a qualified MSP to get your company deployed with the technology they need to succeed. Partnering with an MSP who uses this technology daily will get your company back to as much productivity as possible while the entire country is still floundering.
Please keep in mind that having employees bring their own devices does pose more of a risk to the company even though it’s more cost-effective. Make sure your company is not only willing to accept the risks of employee provided devices as the weakest link to your IT security but is also willing to invest in all of the preparations needed for your employees to work from home.
If you are looking for help getting your staff set up to be able to work remotely during the coronavirus outbreak, or need to start the conversation for disaster recovery or business continuity - please contact Be Structured Technology Group for a free consultation today. We are here to help you succeed in the midst of a global crisis.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery
- Tags: Business Continuity, BYOD, coronavirus, Cyber Security, Disaster Recovery

#### How IT Support for Healthcare Organizations Enhances Patient Data Security and Compliance
In today's healthcare landscape, technology is both a revolutionary force and a significant risk factor. On one hand, digital innovations like electronic health records (EHR) and telemedicine have transformed the way healthcare providers manage patient care. 
On the other hand, the rapid digitization of healthcare systems has exposed organizations to a host of cybersecurity risks. Protecting sensitive patient data is no longer optional—it is a crucial responsibility that every healthcare organization must prioritize.
Cybersecurity breaches in healthcare can have devastating consequences. A single incident can lead to severe financial penalties, potential lawsuits, and a loss of patient trust that could take years to rebuild. Furthermore, healthcare organizations are required to comply with industry regulations such as HIPAA and HITECH, designed to safeguard patient information. Non-compliance can result in hefty fines and operational disruptions.
This is where tailored IT support for healthcare organizations comes into play. Effective IT support services are essential for protecting sensitive data, maintaining compliance with regulations, and ensuring that healthcare providers can focus on delivering quality care without constantly worrying about data security failures.

Healthcare IT Support: Understanding Patient Data Vulnerabilities
Patient data is highly sought after by cybercriminals due to the wealth of information it contains. Unlike many industries that handle financial data or personal identifiers, healthcare data often includes both of these, along with highly sensitive medical histories and treatment plans. This makes patient data an extremely valuable target, and cybercriminals are constantly evolving their tactics to breach healthcare systems.


Some of the most common types of cyber threats healthcare organizations face include:


 	
Phishing Attacks: Cybercriminals send fraudulent emails - aka clone phishing attacks - that appear legitimate to trick healthcare employees into revealing sensitive login credentials or other private information.

 	
Ransomware Incidents: Attackers encrypt critical data and demand payment to release it, halting medical services and delaying patient care in the process.

 	
Insider Threats: Employees, whether intentionally or by accident, can expose sensitive information, especially if security protocols are not followed.


In addition to these threats, many healthcare organizations still rely on outdated, legacy systems that were never designed to handle modern cybersecurity challenges. 
Compounding this is the need for healthcare providers to access patient data in real-time, which adds another layer of complexity to security efforts.
Healthcare managed IT services can help organizations address these challenges by modernizing systems and implementing robust cybersecurity protocols.

Strengthening Security with Tailored Healthcare IT Support 
Healthcare organizations need customized IT support to protect their patients’ sensitive data. Tailored IT solutions address the unique challenges healthcare providers face and offer comprehensive services that improve security and streamline operations. Key elements of effective IT support for healthcare include:


 	
Encryption Technologies: Encrypting data both at rest and in transit ensures that even if data is intercepted, it remains unreadable to unauthorized individuals. This is a fundamental component of any healthcare security strategy.

 	
Access Controls: Implementing role-based access controls restricts data access to only those who need it for their job functions. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized access, especially from lower-level employees who may not need to view all patient records.

 	
Threat Monitoring Systems: Continuous monitoring of network activity is critical for detecting unusual patterns or suspicious behavior. Managed IT services often deploy sophisticated threat monitoring tools that can identify potential attacks and initiate rapid responses to mitigate risks.


For example, a healthcare organization that partners with a managed service provider (MSP) can benefit from the use of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems. These systems monitor all data traffic and alert IT teams to any anomalies that could indicate a breach. The ability to identify and address these threats in real-time is invaluable to protecting sensitive patient information and preventing significant damage.

Navigating Compliance with IT Solutions for Healthcare
In the healthcare sector, ensuring compliance with industry regulations is just as important as securing patient data. 
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets the national standards for the protection of sensitive patient information, while the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act strengthens these regulations by promoting the adoption of secure health information technologies.
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in substantial fines, legal challenges, and reputational damage. For example, a data breach that exposes protected health information (PHI) could cost a healthcare provider millions of dollars in penalties. Beyond the financial risk, the loss of patient trust can have long-lasting repercussions for healthcare organizations.
Tailored IT support ensures compliance by providing a range of critical services, including:


 	
Regular Security Audits: Managed IT services companies can conduct regular audits of a healthcare organization’s systems to identify any vulnerabilities or areas of non-compliance. These audits are essential for staying ahead of potential threats and ensuring that the organization meets regulatory standards.

 	
Employee Training Programs: One of the most significant risks to patient data comes from human error. A local IT support company can deliver a hands-on, in-person training program to help healthcare staff recognize common cyber threats, such as phishing emails, and teach them best practices for maintaining data security.

 	
Incident Response Documentation: In the event of a security breach, proper documentation of the incident and the steps taken to address it is essential for compliance reporting. Outsourced IT support companies can handle this process, ensuring that all relevant documentation is in place.


By partnering with an IT support company, healthcare organizations can manage these complex compliance requirements while also improving their overall data security posture.

Integrating IT Support with Healthcare Operations
Healthcare providers are under constant pressure to deliver high-quality care while managing costs, maintaining compliance, and securing sensitive data. Seamlessly integrating IT support into everyday operations can help healthcare organizations achieve these goals.
For instance, many healthcare organizations are adopting electronic health record (EHR) systems to streamline patient data management. An IT services company can help implement these systems and ensure that they are secure, reliable, and compliant with HIPAA standards. 
Additionally, IT support can improve workflow efficiency by automating tasks such as scheduling, billing, and patient communication.
Moreover, fostering a culture of security awareness among healthcare staff is critical for minimizing the risk of internal data breaches. 
Managed IT services companies can offer continuous training and education, equipping employees with the knowledge they need to identify and avoid potential security threats. This proactive approach helps healthcare organizations protect patient data while optimizing their daily operations.


Emerging Trends in Healthcare IT Managed Services
As technology evolves, so too must the strategies used by healthcare organizations to protect patient data and maintain compliance. Some emerging trends in IT support that are reshaping healthcare security include:


 	
Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI-powered systems can analyze vast amounts of data to detect patterns and predict potential security breaches before they occur. This allows for faster, more effective responses to cyber threats.

 	
Blockchain Technology: Blockchain offers a decentralized, tamper-proof method of storing patient data, making it much harder for cybercriminals to alter or steal sensitive information. It also provides a transparent record of any access or modifications made to the data.

 	
Zero Trust Architecture: The zero trust network model operates on the principle that no user or device should be trusted by default, even if they are within the organization’s network. By requiring constant verification, healthcare organizations can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.


IT support comapnies in Los Angeles and other regions is adapting to these emerging technologies, helping healthcare providers stay ahead of evolving threats while maintaining a secure and compliant environment.

Securing the Future of Healthcare
The protection of sensitive patient data is non-negotiable. As healthcare organizations continue to embrace digital transformation, the need for specialized IT support has never been more critical. 
From encryption and access controls to continuous threat monitoring, tailored IT services ensure that healthcare providers can focus on what matters most: delivering quality patient care.
But the future of healthcare security isn’t just about reacting to current threats—it’s about staying ahead of them. Healthcare organizations can safeguard their data against even the most sophisticated cyberattacks by investing in advanced technologies like AI and blockchain.


Now is the time to secure your healthcare organization’s future. Be Structured Technology Group offers tailored IT support services that help protect sensitive patient data while ensuring compliance with industry regulations. 
Don’t wait until a breach occurs—contact us today to schedule a free consultation and learn how our managed IT services can keep your organization secure and compliant.
- Categories: Healthcare IT support, IT Support

#### How IT Support Systems Can Help Companies With Data Management
In 2019, worldwide IT spending was projected to reach around $4 trillion. With such a large amount of spending, the question is, how could your business benefit from IT support systems?

Data management is one of the most important roles played by IT support systems. Most IT departments are only too happy to eliminate this problem by farming out data management duties to external solutions providers. This allows companies to focus on their core competencies.

The only downside is finding a data management service that suits your needs can be tricky. That's why it's important to know how IT support systems can help companies with data management.

In this article, we'll look at data management solutions in Southern California and the options for IT support in Los Angeles for data management.
What Are IT Support Systems?
Before we go into the importance of data management, let's look at what IT support systems are. IT supports systems are services that are put in place to ensure that the IT department in your business is functioning properly.

One common thing that happens in IT departments is that unexpected problems can arise and it's important to know how to manage this data.

By having support systems in place, there is an on-hand IT support team that is there to solve any immediate problems that affect your business.

Without a support team, IT issues may never be solved and this can cost you a lot of time, energy, and money in the long run.

Another part of IT support systems is having a team of dedicated IT experts who will work on your IT needs for you. This means that they will oversee your data management and work with you to ensure it's stored safely and is dealt with appropriately.

In terms of the dad to day running of your business's IT needs, they will take care of everything for you and ensure that regular maintenance is done.

This can include fixing any problems with minor bugs, coding, and other maintenance issues that may affect data.
How IT Support Systems Can Help Companies With Data Management
When it comes to data management there are several ways that IT support systems can help. While they may seem straightforward they could end up helping your business in a big way.

One way IT systems help with data management is by monitoring for any threats. Data can be personal and highly confidential so having an IT team can help with ensuring it doesn't get in the wrong hands.

This can be through doing things like checking for viruses, dealing with them, and ensuring the data is in a safe and secure place. It doesn't take long for viruses to access protected areas which is why monitoring from an IT team is crucial.

Another way that outsourced tech support companies help is by offering data backup. This is particularly important if something goes wrong or some data goes missing.

Having a team behind you who can not only retrieve the data but also restore it is a huge convenience. Of course, these are just a few of the ways that IT support systems can provide data management solutions.
The Benefits of IT Support Systems
There are also many ways that IT support systems can benefit your company. One benefit is that it can give you peace of mind. Typically if you are running a business, you have a lot on your plate.

If there is an unexpected IT issue, you don't have to worry about getting it fixed. Instead, you will have a dedicated team of experts who will work on it for you.

In terms of how to manage data, IT support will also ensure information isn't stored in an easily accessible place. Instead, it will be stored securely and monitored closely.

Another benefit is that IT support will free up some of your time to focus on your expertise. IT can take up a lot of time — but when a team is taking care of it for you, you can focus on more important things in your business.

Aside from freeing up time, it will help give your business more structure. Having an IT team who are working on IT tasks will keep your business more organized which maximizes efficiency.
Where to Find a Good Provider
If getting IT support services is something you are considering then it's important to know where to find a good provider. There are some things you should look for in a provider and things you will want to avoid.

The first thing we recommend you do is to look at the history of the provider you are considering. This stage is crucial as it will let you know how dependable, trustworthy, and high-quality the provider is. Also, bad providers will typically have bad reviews.

A great place to find an IT service is online. There are lots of different providers online and they usually include their reviews on their company website.

Another way to find a  24/7 Los Angeles IT support provider is by looking around in your local area. Simply Google "local IT support near me" and start clicking on the results. From exploring your local options you can usually get first-hand reviews and talk to the staff in person.

This allows you to get a better idea of how high quality they are.
Get It Support Systems Now
Finding an IT support system can seem challenging but once you get an idea of what you are looking for it gets easier. We hope that this guide on how IT support systems can help companies with data management has helped.

If you do find yourself in need of IT support systems that you can rely on, then contact us today.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Backup, Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### How Local IT Support in Los Angeles Improves Business Growth
"Shop local" has become a rallying cry in recent years, especially during and after the pandemic. Research suggests that many of us continue to support local brands in the wake of the lockdowns, with around half of us shopping for and searching online for businesses with a local presence.

Grabbing fresh local produce and supporting local artists is an easy concept to swallow, but should you be hunting for local IT support as well? Does a smaller company really make a difference when you could just get remote services from a big national brand? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Partnering with a Los Angeles IT services provider is a great way to enhance your business's security, support, and even compliance. If you're not sure why finding a local brand makes a difference, let's take a look at some of the perks you'll enjoy from a business like Be Structured.
Local IT support Means Quick Response Times
With the ease of modern connectivity, it's easy to hire IT services based across the country or around the world. Of course, these far-flung companies may not be your best bet when you need fast customer support.

Time differences can make it tough to reach out to a support team elsewhere in the world. Worse, every minute can be invaluable when you're dealing with a potential threat, website downtime, or other serious issues.

With local service, you can expect prompt responses and solutions without delay. Thanks to their close proximity, any follow-up service or extra help will often happen in far less time as well. When you need emergency assistance, be sure to trust your IT needs to a Los Angeles provider!
An On-Site IT Support Company
Most forms of data protection and IT support can happen from anywhere. Providers can often fix problems without ever coming to your business.

However, don't underestimate the value of in-person assistance! When it's easier or faster to fix an issue right on your property, a local IT support company can send a technician to help. In addition, some IT problems may require on-site support.
An "IT Support Company Near Me" Means Face to Face Meetings
For some business owners, in-person meetings are preferable. Explaining pain points, difficulties, and inefficiencies face to face is often easier than by email or phone, and it may result in a speedier fix.

This benefit gets even better if you or your team need education on your IT services or systems. Depending on the local IT company, you may be able to arrange on-site training to help your business learn cybersecurity best practices, understand new software or equipment, and more.
VIP Treatment
It's not hard to find a major corporate IT company to partner with: a simple online search will do the trick. These companies serve hundreds and even thousands of clients, and they do it by delivering the same standard services to everyone. This is often fine until you need to get hold of them fast or you want personalized support!

When you partner with a local outsourced IT support company, you can trust that you're getting VIP treatment every time. Smaller brands offer a wealth of benefits that big-box companies can't.

Quick, direct support is a given, along with fast resolution. However, one of the biggest benefits of working with a small, local brand is personalized services. Local IT companies are often able to tailor their services to your company's needs, making it easy to get exactly what you want.
Personalized Attention
Though it's a smaller benefit, personalized attention is another great perk of a local brand.

Larger, out-of-state IT companies often need constant refreshers on your brand and what you do. Without this knowledge, they may try to upsell you to plans and services that would never work for the type of operation you run.

If you're hoping to find technicians who get to know you by name, remember your company's needs and pain points, and talk to you like you're part of the team, a local IT company is ideal.
Fuel Your Local Community
If you represent a small business in Los Angeles, you already know how important local brands can be for our community. Supporting regional businesses stimulates the local economy, ensuring that your money gets invested back into the community. In fact, small businesses put $68 back into the local economy for every $100 spent with them!

Working with local brands also keeps jobs local. It nurtures growth and innovation within the city, which helps keep our local region competitive.

If you encourage others to support your local brand, why not keep those profits cycling throughout LA? Trusting local IT services is a great way to benefit the neighborhoods and communities you love. If you're grateful to buyers who support your brand, consider paying it forward!
Outsourced IT Support Services Benefits
In addition to the benefits above, supporting a local managed IT company lets you reap the same benefits you'd get from any other outsourced provider. This includes the following:

 	A versatile, experienced team of technicians
 	Reduced labor costs when compared with hiring an internal employee
 	Easy, flexible budget control for growing companies
 	Scalable services that grow with your brand
 	The ability to focus on your core business needs rather than your IT needs
 	Decreased cybersecurity risk
 	Guaranteed compliance
 	Better disaster planning and recovery
 	High-quality services due to IT specialization

In other words, if you are considering outsourcing your brand's IT services to take advantage of the perks above, choosing a local company earns you additional benefits you won't want to miss!
Partner With the Right Local IT Support Company
Local IT support is an easy way to upgrade your business fast. No matter the size of your brand, local support helps you get the personalized services you need the minute you need them. For companies concerned about cybersecurity risks, IT support, or downtime, finding a provider based in Los Angeles should be a no-brainer!

Whether you're hoping to outsource your IT services for the first time or you want to downsize from a huge international provider, Be Structured can help.

As a trusted Los Angeles IT services team, we're here to help you get the flexible, secure services you need to grow your brand.

Learn more about what Be Structured Technology Group can do by calling (323) 331-9452 or by filling out our online form.
- Categories: IT Support

#### How Managed EDR Services Enhance Business Cybersecurity
You know that cybersecurity is crucial for protecting your business, but how can you ensure your defenses are truly effective? Have you considered the benefits of managed EDR?

Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) services offer a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating cyber threats.

Let's take a closer look into how managed EDR services enhance business cybersecurity, exploring their components, benefits, and the future of this essential protection.
Understanding Managed EDR
Endpoint Detection and Response, or EDR, is a technology that monitors and responds to suspicious activities on computer systems and networks. It focuses on endpoints, which are individual devices like laptops, desktops, and servers.

EDR tools collect data from these endpoints, analyze it, and detect potential threats. This helps in quickly identifying and addressing security incidents.

Managed EDR takes this a step further. It involves a third-party service provider managing the EDR tools for a business. These experts handle everything from setting up the software to monitoring and responding to threats.

Managed EDR includes several components: continuous monitoring, threat detection, and incident response. Continuous monitoring ensures that all endpoints are under watch at all times.

Threat detection uses advanced algorithms to find unusual activities that might indicate a security issue. Incident response is the process of addressing these issues when they arise.
Managing and Optimizing EDR for Effective Cybersecurity
Managing and optimizing EDR is vital for effective cybersecurity compliance and protection. Without proper management, even the best EDR tools can fail. Experts who manage EDR services ensure that the software is always up-to-date.

They also fine-tune the settings to match the specific needs of the business. This optimization helps in reducing false alarms and improving the accuracy of threat detection.

Effective management also includes regular reviews and updates to the security policies. This ensures that the EDR system adapts to new threats and changing business environments.
The Need for Managed Detection and Response
Cyber threats are constantly changing. Hackers are always finding new ways to break into systems. This means that what worked for cybersecurity a year ago might not work today.

Businesses need to stay ahead of these evolving threats. Traditional security measures often fall short because they can't adapt quickly enough.

Managed EDR helps by using up-to-date methods and technologies to detect and respond to new types of attacks. This ensures that businesses are better protected against the latest threats.

Managed Detection and Response, or MDR, offers a proactive approach to cybersecurity. Instead of waiting for an attack to happen, MDR looks for signs that an attack might be coming. This involves continuous monitoring of systems and networks.

When something unusual is detected, the managed EDR team investigates right away. They can then take action to stop the threat before it causes damage.

This proactive approach is more effective than just reacting to attacks after they occur. It helps to minimize the impact of cyber incidents on the business.
Identifying and Mitigating Advanced Threats
Managed EDR plays a key role in identifying and mitigating advanced threats. Advanced threats are more complex and harder to detect than regular cyber attacks such as clone phishing.

They often involve sophisticated techniques that can bypass traditional security measures. Managed EDR uses advanced analytics and machine learning to find these hidden threats.

By continuously analyzing data from all endpoints, managed EDR can spot patterns that indicate a possible attack. Once a threat is identified, the EDR team takes immediate action to contain and eliminate it. This helps to prevent data breaches and other serious security incidents.
Key Benefits of Managed EDR Services
Managed EDR services offer significant advantages in threat detection. Traditional security measures often miss new and sophisticated threats. Managed EDR uses advanced technologies, like machine learning, to detect these threats.

This means that unusual activities are spotted and investigated quickly. By analyzing data from all endpoints, managed EDR can identify patterns that indicate a potential attack. This enhances the ability to catch threats early and take action before they cause harm.
Faster Response Times
One of the biggest benefits of managed EDR is faster response times. When a threat is detected, immediate action is crucial to minimize damage. Managed EDR services provide round-the-clock monitoring, ensuring that threats are addressed promptly.

The managed EDR team is always ready to respond, reducing the time it takes to contain and eliminate threats. This quick response helps prevent data breaches and other security incidents from escalating.
Comprehensive Security Coverage
As one of the leading cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles, we at Be Structured have found that an experienced managed EDR offers comprehensive security coverage for all endpoints. This means that every device connected to the network is monitored and protected. Managed EDR services integrate seamlessly with existing security measures, creating a multi-layered defense system.

This holistic approach ensures that no endpoint is left vulnerable. By covering all devices, managed EDR helps maintain a strong security posture across the entire network.
Coverage of Various Endpoints and Integration with Existing Systems
Managed EDR services cover a wide range of endpoints, including laptops, desktops, servers, and mobile devices.

This extensive coverage ensures that all potential entry points for cyber threats are monitored. Managed EDR also integrates with existing security systems, enhancing their effectiveness.

By working together with other security tools, managed EDR provides a more robust and cohesive defense against cyber attacks.
Benefits of Holistic Security
Holistic security is another key benefit of managed EDR services. This approach considers all aspects of a business's cybersecurity needs.

Managed EDR doesn't just focus on individual threats. It looks at the overall security environment.

This means that all potential vulnerabilities are addressed, creating a more secure and resilient system. With managed EDR, businesses can be confident that their entire network is protected.
Advanced Threat Protection with Managed EDR
Advanced threat protection is a key feature of managed EDR services. It goes beyond basic security measures to address more complex and dangerous threats.

These threats often use sophisticated methods to bypass traditional defenses. Managed EDR employs advanced technologies to detect and neutralize these threats. This ensures that businesses are protected against the most serious cyber risks.
Advanced Analytics and Machine Learning
Managed EDR uses advanced analytics and machine learning to identify threats. These technologies analyze vast amounts of data from all endpoints. They look for unusual patterns and behaviors that might indicate a threat.

Machine learning helps the system get better over time by learning from past incidents. This means that the more data it processes, the more accurate it becomes at detecting threats.

Advanced analytics provide deeper insights into potential risks, allowing for more effective threat detection and response.
Improved Business IT Services and Security With Managed EDR
Business security services cover a wide range of needs, from basic protection to advanced threat management. Managed EDR is a vital part of these services.

It focuses on monitoring and protecting endpoints, which are often the most vulnerable parts of a network. Managed EDR fits into a broader security strategy that includes firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other tools. Together, these services provide a comprehensive defense against cyber threats.
Customized Solutions
Every business has unique security needs. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work when it comes to cybersecurity. Managed EDR services offer customized solutions tailored to each business.

This means that the EDR system is set up and managed based on the specific requirements of the business. For example, a small business might need a simpler setup, while a large enterprise may require a more complex solution. Customization ensures that the EDR system is effective and efficient, providing the best possible protection.

Managed EDR services don't work in isolation. They integrate seamlessly with other business security services to create a unified defense system. This integration enhances the overall security posture of the business.

For example, managed EDR can work alongside intrusion detection systems to provide real-time monitoring and threat response. It can also integrate with security information and event management (SIEM) systems to offer a complete view of the network's security status. This holistic approach ensures that all aspects of the business's security are covered.
Implementing Managed EDR in Your Business
Implementing managed EDR in your business involves several key steps. First, you need to assess your current security setup. This helps identify any gaps that managed EDR can fill.

Next, choose a managed EDR provider that suits your business needs. Look for a provider with a strong track record and good customer support. Once you have selected a provider, work with them to install and configure the EDR software.

This setup phase is crucial to ensure the software works effectively with your existing systems. After installation, the managed EDR team will begin monitoring your endpoints for threats.
Best Practices for Seamless Integration
To ensure seamless integration of managed EDR services, follow some best practices. Communication is key.

Keep an open line with your managed EDR provider and ensure they understand your business's unique needs. Training your staff on the new system is also important.

They should know how to report any issues and understand the basics of how the system works. Regular updates and maintenance are essential. This keeps the EDR software current and capable of handling new threats.

Finally, conduct periodic reviews of the EDR system's performance. This helps identify any areas for improvement and ensures the system continues to meet your security needs.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Managed EDR Provider
When choosing a managed EDR provider, there are several key considerations. First, evaluate the provider's experience and expertise. Look for a provider with a proven track record in managing EDR services.

Check their certifications and the technologies they use. Customer support is another critical factor. Make sure the provider offers reliable and accessible support to help you address any issues quickly.

Cost is also an important consideration. Compare pricing plans and make sure they align with your budget while still meeting your security requirements.

And look at the provider's ability to scale their services. As your business grows, your security needs will change, so choose a provider that can adapt to these changes.
Future Trends in Managed EDR
The field of EDR and cybersecurity is constantly evolving. New trends and technologies are emerging to address the growing complexity of cyber threats.

One of the major trends is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These technologies enhance the ability of EDR systems to detect and respond to threats more accurately.

They analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and predict potential attacks. Another trend is the increased focus on automation. Automated responses to threats reduce the time it takes to mitigate risks, minimizing the impact on businesses.
The Future of Managed Detection and Response Services
Managed detection and response services are expected to become even more essential in the future. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, businesses will need advanced solutions to stay protected.

The future of MDR services includes more integration with other security tools. This integration provides a unified approach to cybersecurity, making it easier to manage and more effective.

There will also be a greater emphasis on customization. Providers will offer tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of different industries and businesses. This personalized approach ensures that businesses get the most effective protection possible.
How Businesses Can Stay Ahead of Cyber Threats
To stay ahead of cyber threats, businesses must adopt evolving managed EDR solutions. Staying informed about the latest trends and technologies is key. Businesses should work closely with their managed EDR providers to ensure their systems are up-to-date.

Regular training and awareness programs for employees can also help. These programs educate staff on the latest threats and best practices for cybersecurity. Businesses should also conduct regular security audits.

These audits identify any weaknesses in the system and help in making necessary improvements. By staying proactive and working with experienced managed IT services, businesses can maintain a strong defense against evolving cyber threats.
Cybersecurity Solutions and Advanced Threat Protection
Managed EDR services offer essential protection against evolving cyber threats. By providing advanced threat detection, faster response times, and comprehensive security coverage, managed EDR ensures businesses stay secure.

Be Structured Technology Group  is a Los Angeles IT support company founded in 2007. We created this business because we are passionate about technology and the practical solutions that tech can deliver to workplaces big and small, and even nonprofits.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help protect your business!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### How Managed IT Services Allow You to Scale a Business
The managed IT services Los Angeles market only came to prominence a short time ago, but it has already exploded in popularity. On top of that, expert forecasts show that the industry will continue to grow at a rate of more than 12% for at least the next several years or so.

Many people turn to outsourced IT support because they want to scale a business. Other people are unaware of the benefits that managed services can provide when it comes to enjoying business growth.

The better you understand managed IT solutions, the easier it will be for you to appreciate how they can facilitate business growth.

So what makes managed IT services such a great option when you are trying to take your business to the next level?

Read on to learn all about the most vital things to understand about how managed services providers can come in handy when you are growing your business!
Managed IT Services Can Help You Scale Up
Many businesses are not big enough to require the help of a full-time technical employee. However, they may still encounter technical problems from time to time. Sometimes, in these kinds of situations, the company owner or another employee ends up taking care of technical problems despite it not being part of their particular expertise.

A Los Angeles managed service provider can solve this problem. They allow people to enjoy the technical support they need without having to hire in-house employees. However, managed IT solutions can also come in handy no matter what size a business is.

Many businesses find it difficult to grow because they have to scale up every part of the business at the same time. If the business is processing 20% more sales, then the company may need 20% more IT employees.

Finding the right people to help you scale up can take time and slow down business growth. However, you can use managed IT solutions to enjoy all of the technical support you need whenever you need it.

That means that you can stop worrying about having to wait on the IT support team before you can take your business to the next level. You can grow as fast as possible while knowing that you will be able to purchase more technical support from your managed services provider whenever you need it.
Managed IT Support in Los Angeles Help When Scaling Down
We can also imagine the case of a business that needs the support of one full-time tech employee. What happens if such a business starts to shrink?

If a business like this shrinks by 40%, then it may no longer need the full-time support of this technical support employee. However, the company may struggle to fire this employee because they still need some amount of technical support.

On top of that, when a company shrinks, it is often the case that it will grow again later. If it fires the only tech employee, then it will have to hire someone else later if the business begins to grow again.

This is another problem that can be solved with managed services providers.

When you need more tech support, you can pay more for it and enjoy the benefits right away. Likewise, if you need to diminish your access to tech support, you can buy less access and keep taking care of your technical problems without having to pay the full salary of an in-house technical team.

Whether your business is growing or shrinking, managed services providers can help you manage the process smoothly without interrupting technical support.
MSP Los Angeles Options Help You Focus on Business Growth
Business leaders have so many things to manage that it can sometimes be difficult to focus on growing the business. Whenever you can take something off of the plate of company leaders, you make it easier for them to focus on the future rather than putting out fires in the present.

Even if a company has an in-house technical team, such teams do not manage themselves. There is a lot of work that goes into managing current employees as well as onboarding and offboarding as you manage employee turnover.

It is much simpler to find outsourced IT support services. That way, they will take care of all of the management and technical support for you.

That will free up time and attention to focus on business growth!
Cut Expenses to Make Scaling a Business Easier
In many cases, businesses find it easier to grow when they stay lean and cut expenses. Managed services providers often provide necessary technical support at much lower prices than having an in-house technical team. That means that managed services options can sometimes help you cut costs and grow profits.
Enjoy Quality Outsourced Tech Support
Managed services teams work with a wide variety of businesses. As a result, they encounter a wide variety of technical problems. They also get to solve the same problems over and over again, improving their solutions.

The end result is that managed services teams often provide better support than in-house technical teams. No matter how knowledgeable a technical expert is, it is difficult to compete with a team of experts who work with a wide variety of problems similar to those you are likely to encounter at your company.
Understand How an IT Support Company in Los Angeles Can Help You Scale a Business
When you are trying to scale a business, every little advantage helps. Using managed IT solutions can provide you with a list of advantages that will combine to make business growth easier to achieve. Cutting costs while enjoying better results is almost always a savvy business move.

To learn more about what managed IT solutions might be able to do for you, reach out and get in touch with Be Structured Technology Group any time!
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs, Tips & Tricks

#### How Managed IT Services Can Help Improve Network Reliability
Around the globe, there is enough demand for managed IT services to create an industry worth more than $260 billion every single year.

However, demand for managed IT services is growing year by year at a rate of more than 13%. With that rate of growth, the managed services industry will double in size in only six years!

There are few industries that grow fast enough to double in such a short time. What is it about managed IT services that inspires this kind of demand?

Outsourced technical support can help improve network reliability and practically any other aspect of IT support.

In fact, there are many ways that IT managed support services contribute to their clients' network reliability. Read on to learn all about the biggest ways managed IT services can help improve your network reliability!
Prevent Problems With Managed IT Services
When you partner with managed IT services, you may find that you encounter fewer problems with your network to begin with.

As great as it is to be able to fix problems well, it is even better to be able to prevent them from ever occurring in the first place. Managed IT services can help with both parts of this equation.

Many network problems arise from the same few technical issues. The experts on your managed IT services team will be able to detect any problems with your system that lead to network reliability problems. By resolving these problems, you may find that your network reliability issues go away all by themselves.

At the same time, every company faces the occasional issue with its network. When that happens, you will want to have a local IT support solution on your side.
Enjoy a Wide Range of Expertise
One of the most powerful things about managed services is that they combine the technical skills of a whole team of experts. In many cases, there will be a specific person or a team that will act as the go-between for your company and your managed IT services provider.

However, that person or team may someday face a problem with your technical needs that they do not know how to solve. However, they have many other technical experts that they can call upon.

No matter what your technical problems are, it is almost a guarantee that someone from your business IT services company will know how to solve them. So no matter what causes your network reliability issues, the right managed IT services team will be able to fix it.
Solve Network Security Problems Faster
All of this expertise means that an outsourced MSP often solves the same tech problems much faster, especially if the IT support company is close in proximity to your business.

If your business resides in Southern California, then partnering with an IT support Los Angeles based company makes the most sense.

One reason for this is that managed service providers help so many different companies. As a result, they see a much wider range of technical problems than someone who works at a single company does.

Whatever issue interferes with your network reliability, your managed IT services team will probably have seen and solved it many times before.

When it comes to network reliability, time is often of the essence. Every hour that goes by without a reliable network function is an hour of impeded company productivity.

It can be a lot easier to notice how much money a company is losing when it is coming out of its bank account. It is not as easy to notice how expensive lost productivity can be. However, the faster you can resolve your network reliability issues, the faster you can get back to finding new customers and keeping your old ones.

Losing network reliability at the wrong time can threaten the trust that your customers have in your business. That is one more reason why it is so valuable to have outsourced tech support that can solve your problems faster.
Solve Network Problems Better
With an outside IT support company on your side, you will enjoy solutions that are not only faster but also better. When a technical support employee is rushing to solve an urgent network problem, the first solution they come across might not solve the problem permanently.

However, a reputable IT support company in Los Angeles has probably solved the same problems over and over again for many different companies. That means that they polish and improve their solutions over time.

When it comes to your network reliability issues, there is a good chance that they will already have a polished solution ready to go for whatever your problem is. Not only will that solve the problem with maximum speed, but it will solve it in a more permanent way.
Outsourced IT Services Are Available 24/7
One underappreciated fact about managed IT in Los Angeles is that they are often available around the clock. Employees often think that network reliability only matters during normal work hours. However, when a company is facing a crisis, its leaders will often be working at unusual hours.

If a network problem comes up during off hours, you may not have tech support employees at hand to manage it. That is when it is even more valuable to have an MSP ready to help.
Improve Network Reliability With Managed IT Services
Many people have said that we should add the internet to the list of infrastructural basics that we consider to be necessities. In the modern day, a company without solid network reliability will find it almost impossible to flourish.

Finding quality Los Angeles IT services can be the perfect way to improve network reliability and every other aspect of your IT support as well.

To learn more about where our award-winning IT services in Los Angeles, reach out and get in touch with Be Structured Technology Group today!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### How Mobile Device Management (MDM) Revolutionizes Employee Productivity
In today's fast-paced digital era, Mobile Device Management (MDM) has become essential for businesses aiming to enhance employee productivity. 
By streamlining workflows and reducing downtime, MDM tools enable companies to manage devices efficiently, ensuring that employees can focus on their core tasks without technical interruptions. 
This article explores how MDM solutions are transforming modern business operations, driving productivity, and securing data in an increasingly mobile workforce.


The Digital Era's Demand for Efficient Workflow Management
In 2023, over 70% of businesses reported significant productivity improvements through the adoption of Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions. This statistic underscores the growing necessity for efficient workflow management in the digital age. As companies increasingly rely on mobile devices for daily operations, the ability to manage these devices effectively becomes crucial.
MDM tools offer a centralized platform for managing a fleet of devices, ensuring that software updates, security patches, and policy changes are uniformly applied. This centralized approach reduces the time and effort required for manual updates, allowing IT teams to focus on more strategic tasks. Furthermore, automated processes within MDM solutions minimize human error, leading to more reliable and consistent device performance.
The demand for efficient workflow management is driven by the need to maintain high productivity levels while navigating the complexities of a mobile workforce. MDM solutions address this by providing real-time insights into device usage and performance, enabling proactive management and swift resolution of issues. 
As a result, businesses can maintain seamless operations, even as they scale and adapt to new technological challenges.


Mobile Device Management Solutions
MDM tools offer a range of features designed to streamline business workflows and enhance operational efficiency. One of the most impactful features is automated software updates. By automating this process, MDM solutions ensure that all devices run the latest software versions without manual intervention. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of security vulnerabilities associated with outdated software.
Centralized device management is another key feature that simplifies workflow management. With a single dashboard, IT administrators can monitor, manage, and configure all devices within the organization. This centralized approach eliminates the need for individual device handling, significantly cutting down on administrative overhead. 
Additionally, it allows for quick deployment of new applications and policies, ensuring that all devices are uniformly updated and compliant.

Reducing Downtime Through Proactive Mobile Device Management
Mobile device management solutions play a crucial role in minimizing device downtime through real-time monitoring and remote troubleshooting capabilities. Real-time monitoring allows IT teams to track device performance continuously, identifying potential issues before they escalate into significant problems. This proactive approach ensures that devices remain operational, reducing the likelihood of unexpected downtime.
Remote troubleshooting is another powerful feature of MDM tools. IT administrators can diagnose and resolve issues from a central location, eliminating the need for physical intervention. 
This capability is especially valuable for organizations with remote or geographically dispersed teams. By addressing problems swiftly, businesses can maintain productivity and avoid the costly disruptions associated with device failures.

Enhancing Business IT Services and Security
MDM solutions significantly enhance security and compliance for businesses by incorporating robust features such as data encryption and secure access controls. 
Data encryption ensures that sensitive information remains protected, even if a device is lost or stolen. This layer of security is crucial for safeguarding business data against unauthorized access.
Secure access controls are another vital component of Mobile Device Management. These controls allow IT administrators to define and enforce access policies, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access specific data and applications. This reduces the risk of internal threats and helps maintain the integrity of business operations. Additionally, MDM tools can remotely wipe data from compromised devices, further mitigating security risks.
Cybersecurity compliance with industry regulations is a critical concern for many businesses. MDM solutions help organizations adhere to these regulations by providing tools for monitoring and reporting compliance status. 
For example, IT support for healthcare includes compliance with HIPAA regulations, which mandate strict data protection measures. MDM tools can automate compliance checks and generate reports, simplifying the process of maintaining regulatory adherence.

Optimizing Remote Work with Mobile Device Management
MDM solutions play a pivotal role in optimizing remote work by ensuring secure and efficient access to company resources. With remote work becoming the norm, businesses need to provide employees with seamless access to necessary tools and data. 
MDM tools facilitate this by enabling secure connections and managing access permissions, ensuring that remote employees can work without compromising security.
One of the key benefits of MDM in remote work is the ability to enforce security policies across all devices, regardless of location. This includes implementing VPNs, encrypting data, and setting up multi-factor authentication. 
These measures protect sensitive information and maintain the integrity of business operations, even when employees are working from various locations.
MDM solutions also enhance remote work productivity by providing real-time support and updates. Outsourced IT solutions can remotely troubleshoot issues, deploy software updates, and manage device configurations, ensuring that employees experience minimal disruptions. This proactive management approach keeps devices running smoothly and allows employees to focus on their tasks.


Integrating Mobile Device Management with Existing IT Infrastructure
Integrating Mobile Device Management with existing IT infrastructure presents several challenges, but following best practices can ensure a seamless transition. One common challenge is compatibility with legacy systems. Older systems may not support modern MDM features, requiring updates or replacements. To address this, businesses should conduct a thorough assessment of their current IT landscape and identify any potential compatibility issues.
Another challenge is data migration. Transferring data from existing systems to the new MDM platform can be complex and time-consuming. To mitigate this, businesses should develop a detailed migration plan that includes data backup, validation, and testing phases. This approach minimizes the risk of data loss and ensures a smooth transition.



Best practices for integrating Mobile Device Management include:



 	Conducting a Pilot Program: Test the MDM solution on a small scale before full deployment. This allows for the identification and resolution of any issues.
 	Training IT Staff: Ensure that IT personnel are well-versed in the new MDM system. This training enables them to manage the integration process effectively and provide ongoing support.
 	Phased Implementation: Roll out the MDM solution in stages to minimize disruption. This approach allows for adjustments based on feedback and performance metrics.

Seamless integration of MDM with existing IT infrastructure can significantly enhance overall IT efficiency. By centralizing device management, businesses can streamline operations, reduce administrative overhead, and improve response times to technical issues. This integration also enables better resource allocation, allowing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine maintenance tasks.

Employee Training and Adoption
Effective employee training is crucial for the successful adoption of MDM solutions. Without proper training, employees may struggle to utilize the full capabilities of the MDM tools, leading to suboptimal performance and potential security risks. Comprehensive training programs ensure that employees understand how to use the MDM system effectively, adhere to security protocols, and troubleshoot basic issues.
Training should cover key aspects such as:


 	
Device Enrollment: Educate employees on how to enroll their devices into the MDM system.

 	
Security Practices: Highlight the importance of following security guidelines, such as using strong passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication.

 	
Feature Utilization: Demonstrate how to use various MDM features, such as accessing company resources and updating software.


Statistics underscore the impact of training on Mobile Device Management utilization and productivity. 
A recent study found that organizations with robust training programs saw a 20% increase in MDM adoption rates. Additionally, these organizations reported a 15% boost in overall productivity, as employees were better equipped to leverage the MDM tools effectively.
Investing in employee training not only facilitates smoother MDM adoption but also enhances the overall efficiency and security of the organization. By ensuring that employees are well-versed in using MDM solutions, businesses can maximize the benefits of their investment and maintain a secure, productive work environment.

Future Trends and Workflow Optimization
Emerging trends in Mobile Device Management technology promise to further enhance workflow efficiency and reduce downtime. One significant development is the integration of AI-driven device management. AI can analyze vast amounts of data to predict potential issues before they occur, allowing for proactive maintenance and reducing unexpected downtime. This predictive capability ensures that devices remain operational and employees stay productive.
Predictive analytics is another trend gaining traction in the MDM space. By leveraging historical data, predictive analytics can forecast device performance and usage patterns. This insight enables IT teams to optimize resource allocation, schedule maintenance during low-usage periods, and anticipate future needs. As a result, businesses can maintain seamless operations and avoid disruptions.

Maximized Productivity, Minimized Risks

Effective integration with existing IT infrastructure and comprehensive employee training further amplify these benefits. Real-world case studies demonstrate significant improvements in operational metrics post-MDM adoption. Looking ahead, advancements like AI-driven management and predictive analytics will continue to optimize workflows and minimize disruptions. As technology evolves, MDM will remain a critical component in maintaining a productive and secure digital workplace.
Be Structured is a top IT support company in Los angeles that provides a wide range of managed IT security services, including phishing protection, which are designed to safeguard your operations from the latest cyber threats.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable Los Angeles IT support and services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape. With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards. Contact us now!
- Categories: Cybersecurity

#### How Much Does Office 365 Cost? Microsoft 365 Business Pricing in 2026
How Much Does Office 365 Cost? Microsoft 365 Business Pricing in 2026
Last updated September 1, 2026

How much does Office 365 cost for businesses in 2026? Microsoft 365 Business plans range from $7 to $22 per user per month on annual commitment. Business Basic costs $7 per user per month and covers web and mobile apps plus core cloud services. Business Standard costs $14 per user per month and adds full desktop app installations. Business Premium costs $22 per user per month and includes advanced security, device management, and compliance tools. Microsoft raised these prices on July 1, 2026: Basic rose 16.7 percent, Standard rose 12 percent, and Premium did not change. Paying month to month instead of annually costs about 20 percent more.

If you have been searching for a straightforward answer to how much Microsoft 365 costs for your business, you are not alone. The product has gone through naming changes, plan restructuring, and repeated pricing updates, including a commercial price increase that took effect on July 1, 2026. That makes it genuinely difficult to compare options, especially if you last evaluated Microsoft 365 a few years ago.

This guide cuts through the noise and focuses on what matters most: not just what each plan costs today, but which one actually makes sense for the way your business works, and what changed this summer.
Business Plans vs. Personal Plans: Which One Are You Shopping For?
This guide covers the Microsoft 365 Business plans, which are licensed per user, include business email on your own domain, and support up to 300 users. If you are shopping for a household instead, the consumer plans are a separate product line priced per subscription rather than per user: Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 per year, Family is $129.99 per year for up to six people, and the newer Premium consumer tier is $199.99 per year.

The consumer plans were not affected by the July 2026 commercial price increase, and they do not include business email, Teams for work, or any of the security and device management tooling described below. If you need a shared company domain, a managed email environment, or control over company devices, you need a Business plan.

It's important, especially for small businesses, to discuss the difference between a business plan and a personal plan to see which is more appropriate for your circumstances.
Did Office 365 Prices Go Up in 2026?
Yes. Microsoft raised Microsoft 365 commercial list pricing effective July 1, 2026. It was the first broad list price increase to the small business plans in several years, and it did not land evenly across the lineup.


Microsoft 365 Business Price Changes, July 1, 2026Per user, per month, annual commitment. Source: Microsoft, August 2026.


Plan
Before July 1, 2026
After July 1, 2026
Change




Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$6.00
$7.00
+16.7%


Microsoft 365 Apps for business
$8.25
$10.00
+21.2%


Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$12.50
$14.00
+12.0%


Microsoft 365 Business Premium
$22.00
$22.00
No change




Three things are worth pulling out of that table, because they change the advice most businesses were given a year ago.

Business Premium was the only Business plan Microsoft left alone.

Before July, Business Premium cost 76 percent more than Business Standard. Today it costs 57 percent more. The gap narrowed from $9.50 to $8.00 per user per month, or from $114 to $96 per user per year. If you priced out Business Premium last year and decided the security upgrade was too expensive, the math has moved in your favor without you doing anything.

Business Basic took the largest percentage increase.

At 16.7 percent, the entry-level plan rose more than any other Business tier, which weakens the common "start on Basic and upgrade later" strategy. The gap between Basic and Standard actually widened, from $6.50 to $7.00 per user per month.

Existing customers are not billed the new rate immediately.

Current subscribers keep their previous pricing until their first renewal event after July 1, 2026. A Los Angeles business that renewed a 12-month term in June 2026 is still paying $12.50 per user for Business Standard and will not see $14.00 until that term renews in 2027. Knowing your renewal date is the difference between budgeting for this increase and being surprised by it.

Microsoft bundled some previously paid capability into the increase, including Copilot Chat enhancements such as inbox and calendar awareness, additional mailbox storage, and expanded Defender for Office 365 coverage on several tiers. Whether that offsets the increase depends entirely on whether your team uses any of it.
What Is Microsoft 365 and What Has Changed?
Microsoft 365 is the subscription version of what most people still call Office 365. The name changed in 2020, but the confusion has lingered, and Microsoft has not helped by continuing to use both names in different contexts. For practical purposes, if someone says Office 365 or Microsoft 365 in a business setting, they are talking about the same product family.

What has changed meaningfully is the scope of what the subscription includes. Microsoft 365 is no longer just a productivity suite. It is a platform that combines the familiar Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) with cloud storage through OneDrive, communication and collaboration through Teams, enterprise-grade security tooling, device management through Intune, and increasingly, AI capabilities through Microsoft Copilot.

For small to mid-sized businesses, that evolution matters because choosing a plan is no longer just about which apps you need. It is about which combination of productivity, security, and IT management capability fits your business, and which gaps you would otherwise fill with separate tools at additional cost.

One app is on its way out. Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 and has already been removed from Microsoft’s published app list for Business Standard. If your marketing or operations team still builds anything in Publisher, that migration belongs on your 2026 planning list.

Before deciding on the Microsoft 365 business plan, it's important to do a search and see what other small businesses are saying about the different types of plans.
Microsoft 365 Business Plans: What You Actually Get
Microsoft offers three primary business plans for organizations with up to 300 users, plus a fourth option that covers desktop applications only. Here is what each one includes at its August 2026 price.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic — $7.00 per user per month
Business Basic is the entry-level plan and the most commonly misunderstood one. It does not include desktop installations of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. This plan is web and mobile only. If your team works primarily in a browser, that distinction may not matter. If they rely on desktop Office applications with full functionality, it will.

What Business Basic does include is genuinely useful for a small business:

 	Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote
 	Microsoft Teams for chat, video calls, and collaboration
 	Exchange Online business email with a custom domain
 	SharePoint for intranet and team file sharing
 	OneDrive with 1 TB of cloud storage per user
 	Microsoft Bookings, Forms, Planner, and Lists
 	Standard email filtering and anti-malware protection (advanced threat protection requires Business Premium)

There is also a Business Basic variant without Microsoft Teams at $5.40 per user per month, which is a practical option if your company already standardized on Slack, Zoom, or another communication platform and only needs email, web apps, and storage.

Business Basic is the right starting point for businesses with light productivity software needs, remote teams that work mostly in the browser, or organizations that want cloud collaboration and email without paying for desktop apps.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard — $14.00 per user per month
Business Standard is where most small to mid-sized businesses land, and for good reason. It includes everything in Business Basic plus full desktop installations of the Office applications across PC, Mac, tablet, and phone, on up to five devices per user. This is the plan most comparable to what people have historically thought of as "Office."

What Business Standard adds over Basic:

 	Desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Access (PC only)
 	Microsoft Teams with webinar hosting for up to 300 attendees
 	Attendee registration and reporting tools for events
 	Collaborative workflow tools through Microsoft Loop and Planner
 	Video editing and content creation through Microsoft Clipchamp

For most businesses whose employees do meaningful work in Office applications, Business Standard is the practical minimum. The jump from $7 to $14 per user per month is a real cost increase, but replacing desktop Office with web-only alternatives typically creates more friction than the savings justify.

Microsoft also sells Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50 per user per month, which bundles the AI assistant into the license rather than adding it separately.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium — $22.00 per user per month
Business Premium is the plan IT professionals consistently recommend for businesses that take security seriously. It includes everything in Business Standard plus a substantial layer of security, compliance, and device management capability that would otherwise require separate products.

The security and management features that justify Business Premium include:

 	Microsoft Intune Plan 1 for mobile device and endpoint management
 	Microsoft Entra ID P1 for advanced identity, access management, and conditional access policies
 	Microsoft Defender for Business with endpoint detection and response
 	Microsoft Defender for Office 365 for advanced phishing and ransomware protection
 	Microsoft Purview information protection and data loss prevention
 	Exchange Online Archiving for advanced archiving and compliance retention

Here is the number that decides it for most businesses. Purchased separately at Microsoft’s own list prices, Intune Plan 1 ($8.00), Entra ID P1 ($7.00), and Defender for Business ($3.00) come to $18.00 per user per month. Moving from Business Standard to Business Premium costs $8.00 per user per month and includes all three, plus Purview data loss prevention and Defender for Office 365. The bundle is roughly 2.25 times cheaper than assembling the same stack piece by piece. Current standalone rates are published on Microsoft’s small business security pricing page.

For any business in a regulated industry, handling sensitive client data, or managing a hybrid workforce with personal and company devices touching business systems, Business Premium is the plan to model first rather than the upgrade to consider later. A Business Premium with Copilot bundle is also available at $32.00 per user per month.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business — $10.00 per user per month
Apps for business occasionally creates confusion in comparisons. It provides full desktop Office application installations plus OneDrive storage, but it does not include Exchange Online business email, Microsoft Teams, or SharePoint.

It is designed for businesses that host email elsewhere and need desktop Office apps plus cloud storage, which is a fairly narrow use case. It also took the largest percentage increase in July 2026, rising from $8.25 to $10.00. Most businesses evaluating Microsoft 365 for the first time will be better served by one of the three Business plans above.

Microsoft 365 Business Plans: Features and Pricing (2026)US list price, per user per month, annual commitment unless noted. Source: Microsoft, August 2026.


Feature
Business Basic
Apps for business
Business Standard
Business Premium




Price per user/month (annual)
$7.00
$10.00
$14.00
$22.00


Price per user/month (monthly billing)
$8.40
$12.00
$16.80
$26.40


With Copilot (annual)
Not offered
Not offered
$23.50
$32.00


Annual cost per user
$84
$120
$168
$264


Desktop Office apps
No
Yes
Yes
Yes


Web and mobile Office apps
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


Business email (Exchange Online)
Yes
No
Yes
Yes


Microsoft Teams
Yes
No
Yes
Yes


OneDrive storage per user
1 TB
1 TB
1 TB
1 TB


SharePoint
Yes
No
Yes
Yes


Microsoft Bookings
Yes
No
Yes
Yes


Webinar hosting
No
No
Yes (300)
Yes (300)


Microsoft Intune device management
No
No
No
Yes


Microsoft Entra ID P1
No
No
No
Yes


Defender for Business (EDR)
No
No
No
Yes


Purview information protection / DLP
No
No
No
Yes


Conditional access policies
No
No
No
Yes


Maximum users
300
300
300
300




 

Depending upon the size of your team, Microsoft Office 365 will have a variety of different costs. Make sure you take an accurate headcount with a thought to the future of growth before making decisions on your purchase.
What Office 365 Costs by Team Size
Per-user pricing is easy to underestimate at scale. Here is what each plan costs annually at four common company sizes, at annual commitment rates.

Annual Microsoft 365 Cost by Team SizeTotal annual cost for the whole team, annual commitment rates. Source: Microsoft, August 2026.


Team size
Business Basic
Business Standard
Business Premium




5 users
$420 / yr
$840 / yr
$1,320 / yr


10 users
$840 / yr
$1,680 / yr
$2,640 / yr


25 users
$2,100 / yr
$4,200 / yr
$6,600 / yr


50 users
$4,200 / yr
$8,400 / yr
$13,200 / yr




Hidden Costs and Add-Ons Worth Knowing About
The per-user pricing above covers the core plans, but several add-ons and adjacent costs affect the total picture.

Monthly billing costs about 20 percent more

Every price in this guide assumes an annual commitment. Month-to-month billing carries roughly a 20 percent premium, so Business Standard runs $16.80 instead of $14.00. For a 25-person business, choosing month-to-month flexibility over an annual term costs an extra $840 per year.

Microsoft Copilot

Copilot is an AI assistant that works across Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 apps. Microsoft now sells bundled plans that include it: Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50 and Business Premium with Copilot at $32.00, uplifts of $9.50 and $10.00 respectively. Purchased as a standalone add-on, Microsoft 365 Copilot has commonly been priced at $30 per user per month, so the bundled SKUs are substantially cheaper. Which option applies to a given tenant depends on your licensing agreement, and it is worth confirming before you buy.

Copilot Chat

A more limited version of Copilot is included with paid Microsoft 365 plans at no additional cost, and it gained inbox and calendar awareness in July 2026. It is worth testing across your team before committing to the full Copilot license.

Other common add-ons

 	Audio conferencing, which allows meeting attendees to dial in by phone, is not included in the standard business plans
 	Microsoft 365 Backup, for extended backup retention beyond default limits
 	Power Platform capability (Power Automate, Power BI, Power Apps) beyond what the business plans include
 	Additional Exchange and SharePoint storage above the included allowances

For businesses planning a cloud migration to Microsoft 365, the licensing cost is rarely the largest variable. Migration complexity, data volume, and the expertise required to configure the environment correctly are typically bigger cost drivers than the per-user subscription fee. A Microsoft Office 365 migration handled correctly the first time is almost always cheaper than remediating one that was not.
Can You Buy Office 365 Just for Business Email?
Yes. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the email-focused plan. It includes Exchange Online business email on your own domain, web and mobile Office apps, SharePoint, and 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user for $7.00 per user per month on annual commitment, or $5.40 without Teams. It does not include desktop installations of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

In practical terms, business email hosting on a custom domain for a 10-person company runs $840 per year with Teams, or $648 per year without it. That is the realistic floor for professional email on Microsoft 365.

The inverse case is Microsoft 365 Apps for business at $10.00 per user per month, which gives you the desktop applications and OneDrive but no email at all. Businesses that need both, which is most of them, are choosing between Business Standard and Business Premium.
Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace: Cost Comparison
After the July 2026 increase, something unusual happened: the three main Microsoft 365 Business tiers now cost exactly the same as their closest Google Workspace equivalents.

Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace: 2026 Price ComparisonPer user, per month, annual commitment. Source: Microsoft and Google, August 2026.


Tier
Microsoft 365 plan
Price
Google Workspace plan
Price




Entry
Business Basic
$7.00
Business Starter
$7.00


Mid
Business Standard
$14.00
Business Standard
$14.00


Top (SMB)
Business Premium
$22.00
Business Plus
$22.00


Entry-tier storage
1 TB per user
30 GB pooled per user


Mid-tier storage
1 TB per user
2 TB pooled per user




Because price is now identical at every tier, it is no longer a differentiator. The decision comes down to capability and fit. Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes full mobile device management through Intune, identity and conditional access through Entra ID P1, and endpoint detection and response through Defender for Business. Google Business Plus includes Vault and enhanced endpoint management but no direct equivalent to Intune, and its compliance tooling is generally less mature for regulated industries.

Storage cuts the other way at the entry level, where Google Business Starter offers 30 GB pooled per user against Microsoft’s 1 TB. Organizations already invested in Windows devices and Office file formats will usually find Microsoft 365 the more natural fit; teams that live in Google Docs and Chromebooks generally will not.
Microsoft 365 and Business Growth
Microsoft 365 does not operate in isolation for most growing businesses. Combined with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for CRM and ERP functions, it becomes a considerably more powerful platform for managing sales pipelines, customer relationships, and operational workflows.

That matters most for small to mid-sized businesses trying to scale without adding headcount. The integration between Microsoft 365’s productivity tools and Dynamics 365’s business data creates workflow efficiencies that standalone CRM implementations cannot replicate.

Digital transformation for small businesses increasingly runs through Microsoft 365 as a foundation, not just for Office apps and email, but as the identity, security, and collaboration infrastructure that other business systems are built on. Choosing the right plan from the start, and configuring it correctly, establishes a platform that scales with the business rather than requiring rearchitecting every few years.
How to Choose the Best Microsoft 365 Business Plan for Your Company
Choosing between Business Basic, Standard, and Premium is less about comparing feature lists and more about understanding what your business actually needs, and what not having a specific capability would cost you. Work through these steps before deciding.

 	Determine whether your team needs desktop Office applications. This is the first and most decisive question. If your employees work primarily in a browser, Business Basic at $7.00 may be sufficient. If they depend on desktop Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for complex documents, formatting work, or offline access, Business Standard is the minimum. Survey your heaviest Office users before assuming web apps are an acceptable substitute.
 	Price out your security requirements honestly. If your business handles sensitive client data, operates in a regulated industry, manages a hybrid workforce, or has had a security incident in the past two years, run the math. Intune Plan 1, Entra ID P1, and Defender for Business purchased separately total $18.00 per user per month. Moving from Standard to Premium costs $8.00 and includes all three plus data loss prevention. The comparison usually ends the debate.
 	Check your renewal date before you budget. The July 2026 increase applies at your first renewal after July 1, 2026, not immediately. If you renewed in the spring, you have months of runway at the old rate and time to plan. If you are renewing this quarter, build the new pricing into your budget now.
 	Count your actual users and project growth over 12 to 24 months. Microsoft 365 is priced per user, so the right plan at 10 users may not be the right plan at 30. Factor in anticipated hiring, and consider whether all users belong on the same plan or whether mixed licensing (Premium for staff handling sensitive data, Basic for limited-access roles) makes more sense.
 	Audit your current tool stack for redundancy. Many businesses paying for Microsoft 365 are also paying separately for video conferencing, file storage, project management, or security tools that Microsoft 365 already includes. A thorough audit of existing software spend often reveals that upgrading to a higher Microsoft 365 tier costs less than maintaining the redundant tools it replaces.
 	Decide whether to add Copilot now or later. If AI-assisted productivity is a near-term priority, compare the bundled SKUs ($23.50 for Standard with Copilot, $32.00 for Premium with Copilot) against the standalone add-on before you commit, and identify which users would actually use it daily. If it is a future consideration, make sure you are on Standard or Premium so the option stays open.
 	Account for migration and configuration cost alongside licensing. The subscription fee is the visible cost. Moving email, files, and workflows from a previous system, configuring security policies, setting up Teams, and training staff is frequently larger. Working with one of the best outsourced tech support companies in Los Angeles for the migration typically costs less over time than a do-it-yourself approach that requires remediation after go-live.
 	Plan for ongoing management. Microsoft 365, and Business Premium in particular, requires active administration: license management, security policy updates, conditional access configuration, device enrollment, and regular review of security alerts. If your business does not have internal staff with Microsoft 365 administration experience, factor in the cost of all-inclusive managed services to keep the environment properly configured and current.





The Right Plan Is the One That Fits How You Actually Work
Microsoft 365 remains one of the most cost-effective technology investments a small business can make, but only when the plan is matched to what the business actually needs. Underpaying for Business Basic when your team depends on desktop Office applications creates daily friction. Overpaying for Business Premium features nobody uses wastes budget that could go elsewhere.

The July 2026 price increase changed the calculus in one specific way worth acting on: Business Premium held at $22.00 while Business Standard rose to $14.00, so the security upgrade now costs $8.00 per user per month instead of $9.50. For most Los Angeles small businesses, Business Standard is the right starting point, with a serious look at Business Premium for any firm handling client data, managing remote employees, or operating under regulatory obligations. The cost difference between plans is modest. The cost of inadequate security or a misconfigured migration is not.

Be Structured can help you select, deploy, and manage the right Microsoft 365 plan for your organization. As an experienced managed IT services provider serving Los Angeles businesses, we handle everything from initial plan selection and Microsoft Office 365 migrations to ongoing administration, security configuration, and user support, so your team gets the most out of the platform from day one.

Contact Be Structured today to review your renewal date and confirm which Microsoft 365 plan is right for your business.


FAQs on The Cost of Microsoft Office 365


How much does Microsoft 365 cost for a small business in 2026?
Microsoft 365 Business plans range from $7 to $22 per user per month with annual commitment pricing as of August 2026. Business Basic is $7 per user per month and includes web and mobile apps, Teams, and Exchange email but no desktop Office installations. Business Standard is $14 per user per month and adds full desktop Office apps. Business Premium is $22 per user per month and includes advanced security, device management, and compliance tools. For a 10-person business, that translates to $840, $1,680, or $2,640 per year respectively.


Did Office 365 prices go up in 2026?
Yes. Microsoft raised Microsoft 365 commercial pricing effective July 1, 2026. Business Basic went from $6.00 to $7.00 per user per month, a 16.7 percent increase. Apps for business went from $8.25 to $10.00, a 21.2 percent increase. Business Standard went from $12.50 to $14.00, a 12 percent increase. Business Premium did not change and remains $22.00 per user per month. Existing customers keep their previous rate until their first renewal after July 1, 2026.


What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?
Office 365 was rebranded as Microsoft 365 in 2020. The products are the same. Microsoft 365 is the current name for the subscription-based productivity and cloud services platform that includes Office apps, Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Microsoft continues to use both names in various contexts, which contributes to ongoing confusion, but there is no meaningful functional difference between what was sold as Office 365 Business and what is now sold as Microsoft 365 Business.


Does Microsoft 365 include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint?
It depends on the plan. Business Basic at $7 per user per month includes only web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with no desktop installations. Business Standard at $14 per user per month and Business Premium at $22 per user per month both include full desktop installations on up to five devices per user. If your team relies on desktop Office applications, Business Standard is the practical minimum.


Is Microsoft 365 Business Premium worth the extra cost?
For most businesses handling sensitive data, managing remote or hybrid employees, or operating in a regulated industry, yes. Business Premium adds Microsoft Intune for device management, Microsoft Entra ID P1 for advanced identity controls, Microsoft Defender for Business, and Microsoft Purview data loss prevention. Purchased separately at list price, Intune Plan 1, Entra ID P1, and Defender for Business total $18.00 per user per month, while upgrading from Business Standard to Business Premium costs $8.00 per user per month. Business Premium was also the only Business plan that did not increase in price in July 2026, which narrowed the gap over Business Standard from $9.50 to $8.00 per user per month.


Is there a cheaper Microsoft 365 subscription for business?
Yes. Microsoft sells a Business Basic plan without Microsoft Teams at $5.40 per user per month on annual commitment, compared to $7.00 with Teams. This is a practical option for businesses that already standardized on another communication tool such as Slack or Zoom and only need business email, web and mobile Office apps, and cloud storage. Separately, paying month to month instead of annually costs roughly 20 percent more across every plan, so annual commitment is the single easiest way to reduce cost.


Can I buy Office 365 just for business email?
Yes. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the email-focused plan. It includes Exchange Online business email with a custom domain, web and mobile Office apps, SharePoint, and 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user for $7.00 per user per month on annual commitment, or $5.40 without Teams. It does not include desktop installations of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Businesses that need only desktop apps and already host email elsewhere would use Microsoft 365 Apps for business at $10.00 per user per month instead.


Is there a one-time purchase version of Office instead of a subscription?
Yes. Microsoft sells perpetual, one-time-purchase versions of the Office applications separately from the Microsoft 365 subscription. These include the classic desktop apps but do not include business email, Teams, cloud storage, security tooling, or ongoing feature updates. For a business that needs shared email, collaboration, and managed security, the subscription plans are the practical choice. Note also that Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 in any version.


What is Microsoft Copilot and does it cost extra?
Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant integrated across Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 apps. Microsoft sells bundled plans that include it: Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50 per user per month and Business Premium with Copilot at $32.00 per user per month, uplifts of $9.50 and $10.00 respectively. Purchased as a standalone add-on, Microsoft 365 Copilot has commonly been priced at $30 per user per month, so the bundled plans are substantially less expensive. A more limited version called Copilot Chat is included with paid Microsoft 365 plans and gained inbox and calendar awareness in July 2026.


Can I mix Microsoft 365 plans within the same organization?
Yes. Microsoft allows organizations to assign different plan tiers to different users. A common approach is to assign Business Premium to staff who handle sensitive data or need device management, while assigning Business Basic or Standard to employees with lighter needs. Mixed licensing requires slightly more administrative overhead but can meaningfully reduce per-user cost for organizations with varied needs across their workforce.


How does Microsoft 365 compare to Google Workspace?
As of August 2026 the two are priced identically at every comparable tier: $7.00 per user per month for Business Basic and Business Starter, $14.00 for both Business Standard plans, and $22.00 for Business Premium and Business Plus. Because price is no longer a differentiator, the decision comes down to capability. Microsoft's device management, identity, and compliance tooling is generally more mature for regulated industries, while Google offers more storage at the entry tier with 30 GB pooled versus Microsoft's 1 TB per user. Organizations already invested in Windows devices and Office file formats typically find Microsoft 365 the more natural fit.


Do I need an IT provider to set up Microsoft 365?
Small deployments of Business Basic or Standard can be self-configured by technically comfortable business owners. Anything beyond a straightforward setup, such as migrating from a previous email system, configuring Business Premium security policies, setting up Intune device management, or deploying Teams across a larger team, benefits meaningfully from professional assistance. Configuration errors in Microsoft 365 security settings are a common source of compliance gaps that are not obvious until something goes wrong.
- Categories: Managed It Services, Office 365, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Microsoft Office, Office 365

#### How Nonprofits Benefit From MSPs
How Nonprofits Benefit From Managed IT Services
According to reports, only 11% of nonprofits say they manage digital resources in a “highly effective” way. Furthermore, merely 20% consider themselves leaders in tech adoption.
Most nonprofits don't directly compete with profit-generating companies. However, this doesn't mean nonprofits don't need progressive IT solutions. In fact, quite the opposite applies. The right IT frameworks can help nonprofit organizations reach and exceed their goals.
A lot of nonprofit organizations don't have the in-house IT functions to achieve this. Instead, they're often left dealing with cumbersome, outdated systems, and too few hands on deck to improve things.
Enter managed IT services.
Managed IT holds a variety of benefits. These benefits can be particularly valuable and impactful for nonprofits.
If yours is a nonprofit organization, and you're on the fence about whether or not to IT managed services is right for your needs, keep reading. In this guide, we get into understanding what is effective IT support for non profits and the benefits of managed IT services.

Managed IT Services Can Give You Access to Industry-Leading Expertise
One of the big benefits of managed IT services is it gives you access to industry-leading expertise. This can be especially beneficial for nonprofit organizations.
Many NPOs don't have the resources to devote to a fully-fledged in-house IT function. Even if they do, the expertise they gain access to will be limited to what their IT personnel can provide.
Are you only employing a couple of IT personnel? If so, this means that your organization's IT functions are running on their know-how alone.
With managed IT services, your organization can benefit from pooled expertise from dozens of IT professionals. What's more, you might also be able to benefit from transferred industry experience.
For instance, here at Best Structured, we have served many nonprofit organizations over the years. Not only can we give them access to cutting-edge IT solutions, but we also have specialized experience with their needs.
We can take our experience dealing with similar organizations, and apply it to your specific case.
Lastly, hiring managed IT services also enables you to pick the brains of tried and tested IT professionals. Any team member of a managed IT company that's worth its salt will be gaining ongoing experience. Most managed IT services professionals also engage in ongoing education.
When utilizing a managed IT services provider, you can tap into this at the drop of a hat. On the other hand, when you hire an IT staff member, you will be responsible for them receiving ongoing education.

Managed IT Services Are Highly Cost-Effective
According to statistics, the number one reason (70%) for outsourcing is cost reduction. In other words, 70% of organizations outsource functions because it is more cost-effective for them.
Outsourcing your tech needs and hiring managed IT services can be a source of substantial savings. Managed IT can be particularly cost-effective for nonprofit organizations. One of the reasons for this is that it is well suited to cyclical operations.
There are a few other reasons why managed IT can be so cost-effective.
Firstly, managed IT can save you money in hiring and staff-related costs. When utilizing managed IT services you can reduce expenditure on things like:


 	Onboarding expenses
 	Training expenses
 	Office overheads
 	Employee benefits

These areas of savings can significantly offset your managed IT services cost.
Besides this, managed IT services can also save you money through economies of scale. One of the benefits of managed IT is that providers often have access to bulk discounts that aren't available on a retail level. They can leverage supplier relationships to unlock savings on software and hardware components.
Managed IT services providers often pass down these savings to their clients.
Another way that managed IT services can save you money is by reducing licensing and consulting costs. Although these expenses don't go away, if you opt for managed IT you can streamline these by getting them all from one provider.
Additionally, managed IT also allows you to convert a capital expense into an operational expense. When you outsource IT, your managed IT services cost will be a monthly, fixed fee. Instead of having to pay for everything upfront, your IT expenses will be divided up into monthly payments that are easy to budget for.

Better Donor Management
Donor management is a vital area of focus for nonprofit organizations. Unfortunately, donor management can be very challenging at the best of times. Without the right IT solutions, nonprofits can run into hurdles, even if they are utilizing the best fundraising platforms.
One of the nonprofit-specific benefits of managed IT is more secure and centralized donor management.
If you hire the right managed IT services provider, they will ensure that your donor data and donations are secure and backed up.
Besides this vital function, a managed IT services provider can also help you set up systems to track, analyze, and provide reports on your results. This type of transparency can be key to keeping large donors satisfied their money is going to a good cause. It can also help to attract further donors.
Lastly, a knowledgeable managed IT services company can also help you establish systems that keep you in full compliance so you can maintain tax-exempt and nonprofit status.

Access to Professional Advice on Highly Specific Compliance Areas
One of the critical areas when it comes to nonprofits and IT management is compliance.
Most nonprofits have specific compliance requirements that need to be met while managing data and running operations. Without the right IT solutions in place, staying compliant can seem like a hit-and-miss situation.
Instead of losing sleeping over accidental noncompliance, you can seek the advice of a seasoned managed IT provider. A managed IT services provider who's got experience with NPOs will be able to supply valuable advice on how to respond to the necessary regulations in an IT context.
This is vital for almost any NPO, but particularly those that deal with health information (which is protected by HIPAA) and accept credit card payments, which are subject to PCI compliance.
If you work with overseas currencies or data, then your compliance requirements will be even more unique.
These areas of compliance aren't something where an NPO can afford to make a misstep. Therefore, it's wise to get access to professional advice and assistance when it comes to your IT systems.

Enhanced Security
Another of the valuable benefits of managed IT is it facilitates enhanced security.
The costs of security and data breaches have always been significant. But lately, these costs have escalated even further.
Reports show that data breach costs have risen by 10% since last year. Typical data breaches now cost companies an average of $4.24 million.
Cyber and data security is a fast-paced field. New threats arise on a continual basis, and organizations need to be equipped to protect themselves against evolving risks.
Besides this, data systems are becoming more complex
Unfortunately, in-house IT functions are often poorly equipped to keep up with ever-changing security requirements. If you engage a managed IT services provider, they will usually be able to audit and upgrade your security protocols far more effectively.
Companies that specialize in managed IT have entire teams dedicated to security. It is also in their best interests to keep up with the latest developments in online security. As their client, you directly benefit from this focus on security.
Just like most other organizations, nonprofits often have to manage significant amounts of sensitive data. This can include payment information, customer data, employee data, etc. It's vital that you protect this with the latest encryption, threat detection methods, and organization.
If you don't, and your NPO gets hacked, you will not only incur vast expenses, but you'll also lose the trust of your donors and customers. Losing trust on this level is something that most nonprofits can't survive. Therefore, a security breach can often mean the end of your organization.
A good managed IT services company will ensure that you've got rock-solid security in place so that this doesn't happen.

Managed IT Is Effortless to Scale
When it comes to nonprofits and IT management, another of the valuable advantages of managed IT is easy scaling.
Scaling in-house IT functions is notoriously costly and hard to do. It can also be especially challenging for NPOs.
Many nonprofits deal with highly cyclical work. Others manage a wide variety of projects each year. These unpredictable workflows and volumes can make accurately predicting IT needs very complex.
What's more, with in-house IT you can't scale operations up and then pull them back at the drop of a hat. For example, when you hire new IT staff, they present an ongoing, long-term expense that you can't adjust from month to month.
With managed IT services, you can dial your needs up and down according to what projects and cycles are happening. If your IT needs suddenly increase, your provider should be able to meet these. If they drop for a period, you can scale back your package and save on unnecessary expenses.

Managed IT Services Can Facilitate Enhanced Efficiency Within Your Organization
Besides being cheaper and more effective, managed IT services can also trigger enhanced productivity within your organization.
A managed IT provider will be able to analyze your tech needs and implement solutions that maximize productivity and enhance your teams' workflows. Instead of having employees wasting time on tech issues and cumbersome systems, they can get more done in less time once given the right solutions.
Another way managed IT can increase productivity is through reduced downtime. Analysis shows that the average cost of one minute of IT downtime is $5,000.
One of the reasons why downtime can be so expensive is lost productivity. When IT systems are down, many employees can't carry on with their work. Workflows are disrupted, and even once systems are back up it can take a while for productivity levels to recover.
IT downtime is much more likely to happen if your systems are:


 	Old
 	Outdated
 	Poorly configured
 	Overloaded
 	Inexpertly managed

Depending on the size of your nonprofit, expecting in-house IT personnel to ensure all systems are running smoothly 100% of the time can be a lot to ask.
With managed IT services, you can rest assured knowing there is an entire team dedicated to ensuring you're "online" at all times. Through 24/hour monitoring and proactive maintenance, they will ensure that downtime is kept to an absolute minimum.

Managed IT Can Help You Achieve Better Remote Workflows
Do you have remote workers on your team? If so, it's essential that you set up systems and processes that facilitate issue-free remote workflows.
Figuring these out on your own can be challenging. An experienced managed IT services company will be able to draw on their knowledge of other, similar organizations to devise the perfect configuration of tools and solutions for remote needs.
They will also take the necessary steps to ensure solid security for your remote processes.

Are You Looking for a Managed IT Provider You Can Trust?
Managed IT services offer a range of benefits for most businesses. However, managed IT can be particularly advantageous for nonprofit organizations.
Leveraging managed IT can save you money, give you access to industry experts, and increase security and compliance. It is also easily scalable, facilitates better donor management, and is simpler to budget for.
Are you ready to revolutionize your IT functions while saving on costs?
If so, we can help.
Here at Best Structured, one of our favorite client types is nonprofit organizations. We understand your service attitude, and our primary goal is facilitating your success. We get that you think about your goals differently from other businesses.
We also have the experience to help you meet these goals. Different measures of success require unique IT solutions. Besides keeping your IT functions humming day and night, we can provide you with donor management, marketing automation, and management software for your unique needs.
Over the years we have witnesses the one-of-a-kind hoops NPOs have to jump through and have developed solutions to help you navigate them.
Contact us today to get started.
- Categories: MSPs
- Tags: Business IT Support, IT Professionals, IT Sevices, Managed IT Services, MSP, nonprofit

#### How Outsourced IT Services Come in Handy When Moving Office
2021 saw around 5.4 million new businesses either launching or preparing to launch. Some of these businesses will function as brick-and-mortar operations, while others will adopt an online-only approach.

Regardless of the type of business, though, all of them will depend on IT support to some extent.

With e-commerce making up over 14 percent of all retail sales, businesses can't afford to ignore it or the IT demands that go with it.

With IT professionals commanding huge salaries, many small businesses opt for outsourced IT support services. One overlooked perk of these managed IT services is that they'll prove handy when you move office locations.

If you're a business residing in the greater Los Angeles area, keep reading to learn about the benefits of partnering with an outsourced IT support Los Angeles based company during your move.
Cybersecurity Goes with You
One of the biggest concerns for every business right now is the problem of protecting customer information and in-house data. This is a particular problem for small businesses that can't afford a full-time cybersecurity expert.

A key advantage of outsourced IT support is that you can get access to a cybersecurity professional. They can help you upgrade your hardware and software with data protection in mind. Plus, you can get network security to help avoid or identify intrusion attempts.

When you move offices, you must disassemble your entire on-site IT infrastructure and reassemble it at the new offices. If all of your cybersecurity is an in-house operation, that can leave you vulnerable until everything is up and running.

With outsourced tech support services, all of that security is waiting for you as soon as you get back online.
Redundancy
Smart businesses back up their data in at least one place, but preferably two. That habit becomes even more important when you move your offices.

Like it or not, things happen during a move. Someone drops a box. A piece of equipment gets too close to a magnetic field.

All of a sudden, your carefully saved data doesn't exist anymore or needs the services of a data retrieval firm. While damaged hardware is never good news, the loss of data is often a worse blow.

Losing in-progress work for a client or an in-house project can set you back weeks while you try to cobble together pieces of the project or simply re-do the work. If you run e-commerce operations, you can potentially lose all kinds of recent transaction information.

Data backups are one of the more valuable IT services you can outsource. Not only do you get ongoing protection of your data while you stay put, but it also serves as a redundancy during the move. If your equipment gets damaged in the move, you can simply download what you need from the off-site backup.
Get Back to Work Fast
Moving to a new office space is a profoundly disruptive process for every employee. It's particularly frustrating for employees when they come back and must wait on the IT person to run updates on software, operating systems, and anti-virus programs.

Rather than go in for all locally-installed software that you must manage and update, some businesses opt for cloud-hosted applications or even full virtual desktops. Many Los Angeles IT services will even help you set up your cloud environment.

Since all of the software effectively runs in the cloud, your employees just fire up their computers and get back to work immediately. All of their applications and, with luck, all of their data show up as soon as the machine finishes powering up.
Doublechecks Your Work
You've moved into your space and taken on the Herculean task of getting all of your IT equipment set up and operating. Everything functions alright, so there's no need to worry. Hey, it might prove true.

In reality, you don't really know if there's a problem until someone points out that something isn't working the way it used to work at the old office. Even worse, most problems with IT don't occur with only one possible cause.

If you have managed IT services, though, they can often identify problems remotely through network monitoring. In other words, they can see where something on the network takes too long or demands too much bandwidth.

This can help you narrow down problems and fix them, particularly if they're hardware installation issues. If they're software or firmware issues, that may still take a service call to sort out.
Move Assistance
Let's say that you're moved into your new office. All of your IT hardware is up, connected, and running. Everything is great, right?

Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn't. If you did that work yourself, there is always the chance that something didn't get configured the right way at the new location. Maybe you didn't pick the optimal location for WiFi routers or mesh network nodes, so the signal remains weak in parts of the office.

Without the right tools, pinning down problems in an IT infrastructure can prove maddeningly difficult.

Fortunately, some managed services will help you with the move itself. They'll take on the task of helping you design the new layout, determine cabling and power needs, identify the best place for a server room, and optimize any videoconferencing equipment.

Unlike a DIY setup, you can start your first day at the new office confident that your IT infrastructure will meet your needs right out of the gate.
Outsourced IT Support and Your Next Move
Operating any business these days means at least partial dependence on information technology. Yet, a move to a new office can make that dependence feel particularly onerous.

If you work with outsourced IT support company, though, it can make your next move much easier.

An IT support company in Los Angeles can keep your data safe in backups, have your cybersecurity waiting, and even help you set up your cloud services. Pick the right service and they'll even help you design and install your system at the new office.

Be Structured Technology Group offers outstanding IT services in Los Angeles.

For more information, contact Be Structured today.
- Categories: Managed IT

#### How Real Estate IT Support Can Improve Business Returns
The reliance on technology has changed how properties are bought, sold, and managed. With large amounts of client data, real-time property listings, and fast-moving transactions, technology plays a central role in real estate operations. 
As a result, IT support for real estate is no longer optional. It has become a necessity for companies looking to maintain efficiency, safeguard sensitive data, and improve customer service.

The Role of Managed IT Services in Real Estate
Real estate companies rely on digital platforms for transactions, marketing, and communication. Property management firms depend on databases, tenant portals, and maintenance scheduling software. This reliance makes IT systems the backbone of daily operations. 
Managed IT services ensure that these systems remain secure, reliable, and scalable. They provide proactive monitoring, security protections, and technical expertise that prevent disruptions while supporting business growth.
Having a structured IT foundation also means real estate professionals can focus more on closing deals and less on troubleshooting technical issues. A dedicated IT partner provides immediate solutions to problems that otherwise stall transactions or frustrate tenants.

Benefits of Proactive IT Support for Real Estate
Managed IT services help reduce risks and increase uptime by offering preventive measures. 
This includes monitoring systems around the clock, updating software, and securing networks against unauthorized access. Instead of reacting after a system failure, proactive support ensures potential issues are addressed before they cause major disruptions.
We have worked with a number of property management and real estate firms throughout our history of T support in Los Angeles. So, we understand first hand how every second counts when a real estate website suddenly goes down. Time-critical listings are suddenly off the consumer's radar giving creedance to competitor's listings when your should be live and visible.
In fact, our corporate headquarters are in a building that's managed by one of our biggest clients. We were honored to have built that trust in our client-owner relations with them that they entrutsed their tech suport to Be Structured.


Property management software faces recurring challenges that expert IT services can help address.
Common Bottlenecks in Real Estate and Property Management
Despite the reliance on technology, many real estate and property management firms face recurring IT challenges. These bottlenecks impact efficiency, customer trust, and even compliance with industry regulations. Addressing them with the right IT support can transform daily operations and long-term profitability.


 	Data Security Risks: One of the largest concerns is data security. Real estate firms store sensitive client information, from financial data to personal identification records. Without strong protections, these records become attractive targets for hackers. A breach can cause financial losses and erode trust among clients. Managed IT services implement advanced firewalls, encryption, and security monitoring to protect these assets.
 	Slow and Outdated Systems: Outdated systems cause delays in processing transactions, uploading property listings, or communicating with clients. Slow software reduces employee productivity and frustrates tenants waiting for quick updates. Modern IT support ensures that systems are upgraded, optimized, and aligned with current industry tools.
 	Communication Breakdowns: Effective communication is central to property management. Whether it is handling tenant requests, coordinating with contractors, or updating property owners, delays create dissatisfaction. IT-managed services integrate unified communication systems that improve responsiveness and keep everyone connected in real time.
 	Compliance and Regulatory Challenges: Real estate businesses must comply with data protection laws and industry-specific regulations. Failure to maintain compliance can result in penalties or lawsuits. Managed IT services keep track of regulatory changes and implement measures to ensure compliance, providing peace of mind for businesses.
 	Rising Operational Costs: Technology failures often lead to unexpected expenses, from emergency data recovery to rushed hardware replacements. These issues can drain resources and impact profitability. With managed IT support, businesses gain predictable IT budgets while being able to reduce costs and downtime with preventive strategies.

The Value of IT Services for Real Estate and Property Management
Property management has unique challenges compared to traditional real estate. Tenant portals, maintenance requests, and rental payment systems all depend on technology. When these tools fail, property managers face frustrated tenants and possible revenue loss. 
That is why IT support for property management is vital. A managed IT partner ensures that portals stay accessible, databases remain secure, and operations run smoothly.


 	Handling Tenant Data Safely: Tenants expect their personal and financial information to be protected. Property managers that lack strong IT infrastructure risk data breaches. Managed IT services build defenses around tenant portals and payment systems, preventing unauthorized access while ensuring secure transactions.
 	Supporting Maintenance Operations: Maintenance requests must be addressed quickly. A failing IT system could result in delays that frustrate tenants and damage property assets. With managed IT services, property management companies benefit from reliable scheduling systems, communication tools, and response tracking.

Outsourced Managed IT Support for Real Estate
Many real estate companies lack in-house IT teams with the expertise to handle complex security and operational needs. Partnering with an outsourced managed IT services provider fills this gap. These providers bring specialized knowledge, industry experience, and advanced tools to help real estate companies overcome IT obstacles.
An external provider also offers scalability, adjusting services as the business grows or fluctuates with market conditions. This flexibility helps firms adapt without the overhead of managing an internal IT department.
Working with an external provider gives companies access to enterprise-level technology at a fraction of the cost. It also ensures access to 24/7 support, which is especially critical when managing tenant portals or time-sensitive real estate transactions.


Real estate companies can rely on managed IT services to improve efficiency and customer service.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Real estate businesses cannot afford extended downtime. An unexpected cyberattack, natural disaster, or system crash can disrupt transactions, delay property closings, and harm client relationships. This makes the importance of a disaster recovery plan clear. 
A managed IT partner designs strategies that ensure data backups, redundancy, and fast recovery. This planning keeps companies operational, even when disruptions occur. It also ensures continuity in the face of power outages, server crashes, or natural disasters. Having reliable backups and tested recovery procedures keeps business processes running without major losses.

Strategic Advantages of IT Support for Real Estate
Beyond solving immediate problems, IT support provides long-term strategic benefits. Companies with strong IT infrastructure gain a competitive edge in the fast-moving real estate market. They deliver faster services, protect client data more effectively, and scale operations with confidence.

Enhancing Customer Trust
When clients and tenants know their information is safe, they are more likely to remain loyal. Businesses that demonstrate robust IT practices build stronger reputations and stand out from competitors. Trust becomes a differentiating factor in an industry where customer relationships are central.

Streamlining Workflows
Automation and system integration reduce administrative workloads. From property listings to financial reporting, IT support ensures that workflows remain smooth and efficient. This streamlining frees up employees to focus on customer service and growth strategies.

Experience Strong Managed IT Support for Real Estate
Technology has become a critical asset in real estate and property management. Without strong IT support, companies risk security breaches, downtime, and rising operational costs. With the right managed IT partner, firms gain reliable security, smooth operations, and future-ready infrastructure. 
At Be Structured, we provide tailored solutions for real estate and property management companies that want to eliminate bottlenecks and gain a competitive advantage. Our managed IT services are designed to secure data, streamline workflows, and prepare businesses for long-term growth. 
Schedule a free consultation with us today to see how our IT expertise can transform your operations.
- Categories: IT support for Property Management
- Tags: IT support for property management, IT support for real estate

#### How to Build a Cybersecurity Strategy: Lessons from Recent Security Threats
Cyberattacks no longer operate in the shadows—they’re front-page news. 
From ransomware that halts city services to data breaches exposing millions of users, the threat landscape is bold, sophisticated, and relentless. 
These developments underscore one message: a passive defense is no defense at all. Organizations must shift toward proactive IT security strategies that anticipate and deflect threats before they take root.
And while large-scale breaches often grab headlines, the implications stretch far beyond the enterprise level. 
Small and midsize organizations, once considered less likely targets, are increasingly in attackers’ crosshairs due to their often underdeveloped defenses. This evolving reality reinforces the need for a strategy that’s not only robust but also adaptive, scalable, and future-proof.

Learning from Recent Cyberattacks
High-profile incidents offer invaluable lessons on what not to do. Here are three notable examples:


 	City of Oakland Ransomware Attack (2023): Critical public services went offline for weeks due to poor network segmentation and outdated infrastructure.
 	T-Mobile Data Breach (2023): More than 37 million users were affected after an undetected API exploit remained open for months.
 	MOVEit File Transfer Vulnerability (2023): A zero-day exploit in a commonly used tool compromised major corporations and federal agencies alike.

What do these incidents have in common? A lack of proactive IT security practices—delayed patches, poor visibility, and limited incident preparedness.

Key Elements of a Proactive IT Security Strategy
A resilient cybersecurity framework doesn’t start at the firewall. It begins with a mindset shift: prepare for the inevitable, and assume that any system could be a target.

1. Comprehensive Risk Assessment and Threat Modeling
Identifying and prioritizing digital assets is foundational. From servers and databases to remote devices, every endpoint represents potential risk. Risk assessment modeling includes analyzing potential adversaries, their tactics, and the most likely points of entry.
Why It Matters: Understanding what’s vulnerable lets organizations allocate security resources where they’ll have the biggest impact. Without this clarity, security efforts can be misplaced or ineffective.

2. Continuous Network Monitoring and Anomaly Detection
Real-time visibility enables teams to detect abnormal behavior before it escalates into a breach. Monitoring tools collect data across endpoints, servers, and networks to identify potential indicators of compromise (IOCs).
Why It Matters: Proactive IT security depends on early detection and fast response. Automated alerts and threat intelligence can drastically reduce mean time to detect (MTTD), allowing teams to intervene before data is exfiltrated or systems are locked down.


Let outsourced IT support put the power of security protection in your hands.
3. Automated Patch Management
Delays in applying updates can open the door to preventable attacks. An automated patching strategy keeps systems up-to-date across all platforms, including operating systems, applications, and firmware.
Why It Matters: Exploits often occur within days of a vulnerability being published. Fast updates close that window. Additionally, automated patch management reduces human error and administrative overhead.

4. Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Phishing and social engineering are as dangerous as software exploits. Regular employee training improves frontline defenses. Training should include simulated phishing campaigns, password hygiene education, and real-time feedback.
Why It Matters: People are often the weakest link. Educating them strengthens every other layer of your proactive security strategy. Continuous training transforms employees from liabilities into active participants in threat prevention.

5. Incident Response and Recovery Planning
A detailed incident response plan enables swift recovery, minimizing damage and restoring trust. Plans should include clear roles, step-by-step procedures, communication protocols, and escalation paths.
Why It Matters: There are many secure ways to minimize the risks of a security breach, and how an organization responds to a breach can be as important as preventing one in the first place. Regular drills and tabletop exercises help teams respond confidently under pressure.

6. Zero Trust Security Model
Zero Trust network architecture requires continuous identity verification for all users and devices. Policies are based on the principle of least privilege, and access is segmented to minimize lateral movement.
Why It Matters: This model eliminates blind spots inside the network and is critical for remote and hybrid work environments. It provides granular control and limits exposure even if one system is compromised.

Vendor and Third-Party Risk Management
Even if internal systems are well secured, vulnerabilities can creep in through third-party services. Supply chain attacks are increasingly common and often go undetected until it’s too late. To avoid possible risk, companies should:


 	Audit vendors’ cybersecurity protocols.
 	Require regular third-party compliance assessments.
 	Use contract language that holds vendors accountable for breaches originating from their services.

Why It Matters: Your cybersecurity is only as strong as your weakest partner. Including third-party risk in your proactive IT security strategy is essential.

Leveraging Hosted Private Cloud Solutions Securely
Hosted cloud solutions offer scalability, cost efficiency, and flexibility. But without proper configurations, they can introduce new vulnerabilities. Misconfigurations are one of the leading causes of cloud breaches. To secure your data, here are some things you could do:


 	Use encryption for data at rest and in transit.
 	Enable multi-factor authentication for cloud platforms.
 	Conduct regular access reviews and audits.
 	Deploy cloud-native security tools and logging systems.

Why It Matters: Proactive IT security requires consistent oversight, even in outsourced environments. Cloud misconfigurations can lead to major data leaks if not caught early. Companies can avoid this by designing a robust hybrid cloud environment. 

Regulatory Compliance and Proactive Security
Cybersecurity regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA are no longer optional for many industries. Being compliant isn’t just a checkbox but a security imperative. Here are some primary steps to take:


 	Stay updated on compliance requirements in your sector.
 	Conduct regular audits.
 	Align policies with both legal requirements and best practices.
 	Document all procedures and maintain an audit trail.

Why It Matters: Compliance-driven controls often mirror those required for a proactive IT security posture. Regulatory scrutiny can also drive accountability and structured security improvements.

Business Continuity and Redundancy Planning
Cyber resilience is about ensuring the business survives one. Disaster recovery plans and system redundancies keep operations running during crises by ensuring the following:


 	Backups stored both onsite and in the cloud.
 	Clearly defined communication protocols.
 	Simulated disaster recovery exercises.
 	Failover systems and redundant network paths.

Why It Matters: A proactive security strategy includes not just defense, but continuity under pressure. Business continuity plans can mean the difference between a temporary disruption and permanent closure.


Keeping your data secure is the highest priority a company should embrace.
Role of Managed IT Services in Proactive Security
Partnering with cybersecurity managed service providers provides 24/7 monitoring and support, threat intelligence, and specialized expertise without requiring in-house teams to shoulder the full load. Benefits include:


 	Reduced downtime and faster incident resolution.
 	Access to tools and techniques typically unavailable to small IT teams.
 	Scalable services that grow with business needs.
 	Custom strategies from IT outsourcing companies familiar with your industry.

These partnerships are particularly beneficial for organizations leveraging managed IT services—particularly in Los Angeles—or seeking outsourced IT solutions for cost-effective protection. Businesses in regulated industries or with lean IT departments benefit the most from this strategic support.

How We Enable Proactive IT Security
Here at Be Structured, we understand the challenges of building resilient defenses from the ground up. Our services are designed to help clients transition from reactive approaches to fully integrated, proactive IT security strategies. Our capabilities include:


 	Conducting in-depth risk assessments and compliance audits.
 	Deployment of email security tools and real-time monitoring systems.
 	Managed patching and IT network support services.
 	End-user training to fortify human-centric attack surfaces.
 	Zero Trust architecture design tailored to your workflows.

We also specialize in IT support for nonprofits, financial firms, and manufacturing businesses with strict compliance and uptime requirements.

Secure Your Future Before Threats Take Root
Threat actors don’t wait for permission to breach your systems. Their tactics evolve faster than any single security measure. But with a proactive IT security mindset, your business can stay one step ahead.
Strengthen your infrastructure, educate your team, and align with cybersecurity experts who know what’s at stake.
Schedule a free consultation today and learn how we can help you fortify your digital defenses before the next breach makes the news.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Security, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Cybersecurity, IT security

#### How to Build an Incident Response Plan for Small Businesses
Cyber incidents are no longer rare events — and for small businesses, the consequences can be severe. Building a solid incident response plan for small businesses is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your operations. Without one, even a single attack can create lasting disruption. Attackers frequently target smaller organizations because of weaker defenses and less formal processes.
Attackers often view small organizations as easier targets due to fewer protections and less formal processes. Studies show that 74% of breaches involve human factors, and smaller businesses are disproportionately targeted because of weaker defenses.
Preparation and response speed often determine whether an incident remains manageable or escalates into a major disruption. A well-defined incident response plan provides structure, reduces confusion, and helps teams act quickly when every minute matters.
Why Small Businesses Need A Structured Incident Response Plan
Many small businesses rely heavily on reactive IT support when incidents occur. This approach can delay containment and increase the overall impact of an attack.
An incident response plan ensures that everyone knows what to do and when to act. It creates clarity during high-pressure situations and helps protect businesses against cybersecurity issues before they escalate.
Without a structured plan, even minor incidents can spiral into larger disruptions. Teams may waste valuable time deciding next steps instead of taking immediate action.
A documented approach also improves accountability across the organization. Everyone understands their role, which reduces confusion and overlap during critical moments.
Defining Roles And Responsibilities
A strong plan begins with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Each team member should understand their role in responding to an incident.
Leadership should oversee decision-making and communication. IT teams should handle technical containment and recovery, while designated personnel manage internal and external communications.
An incident response plan clearly defines responsibilities and timing, so each team member can act quickly and appropriately.
Organizations should also assign a primary incident response lead. This individual coordinates efforts and ensures that actions are aligned with the plan.
Backup roles are equally important in case key personnel are unavailable. Redundancy ensures continuity during high-pressure situations.
Establishing Detection And Reporting Processes in an Incident Response Plan
Early detection is critical to minimizing damage during a cyber incident. Employees should be trained to recognize suspicious activity and report it immediately.
Research from IBM indicates that it takes an average of 258 days to detect and contain a breach, which translates to nearly nine months of exposure. Reducing detection time can significantly limit the scope of an attack.
Organizations should implement monitoring tools and centralized reporting systems. These tools help identify unusual activity and trigger alerts for investigation.
Clear reporting channels ensure that employees know exactly how to escalate concerns. Faster reporting leads to faster containment and recovery.
The Core Phases of an Incident Response Plan
A structured incident response plan follows a series of defined phases. Each phase plays a critical role in minimizing damage and restoring operations.
Identification
The first step is identifying that an incident has occurred. This may involve alerts from security tools, unusual system behavior, or employee reports.
Accurate identification ensures that the response process begins quickly. Delays at this stage can allow threats to spread further.
Organizations should establish clear criteria for what constitutes an incident. This helps teams respond consistently and avoid uncertainty.
Containment
Containment focuses on limiting the impact of the incident. This may involve isolating affected systems or disabling compromised accounts.
Quick containment prevents attackers from accessing additional systems. It also helps preserve evidence for further investigation.
Short-term containment may involve immediate isolation of systems. Long-term containment focuses on maintaining operations while addressing the issue.
Eradication
Once the threat is contained, the next step is removing it completely. This may include deleting malicious files, closing vulnerabilities, and patching systems.
Thorough eradication ensures that attackers cannot regain access. Skipping this step can lead to repeated incidents.
Organizations should also investigate root causes during this phase. Addressing underlying issues prevents similar attacks in the future.
Recovery
Recovery involves restoring systems and returning to normal operations. This may include recovering data from backups and verifying system integrity.
A strong recovery process minimizes downtime and ensures that systems are safe to use. This is where preparation and backup strategies play a critical role.
Testing systems before full restoration helps confirm that threats have been removed. This reduces the risk of reintroducing vulnerabilities.
Post-Incident Review
After recovery, organizations should review the incident and identify lessons learned. This helps improve future response efforts and prevent similar issues.
Documenting findings ensures that improvements are implemented effectively. Continuous refinement strengthens overall resilience.
Reviews should include both technical and operational perspectives. This provides a complete view of what worked and what needs improvement.
Common Incident Scenarios And How To Respond
Small businesses face a range of cyber threats that require specific response actions. Preparing for these scenarios improves readiness and reduces uncertainty.
Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware remains one of the most disruptive threats for small businesses. It continues to rank among the most expensive types of cyberattacks due to downtime, recovery costs, and potential data loss.
In a ransomware scenario, affected systems should be isolated immediately. Disconnecting from the network can prevent the spread of the attack.
Organizations should avoid paying the ransom whenever possible. Instead, they should rely on secure backups and validated recovery processes.
Compromised Email Accounts
Email account compromises can lead to phishing attacks and unauthorized access to sensitive information. Quick action is essential to prevent further damage.
Steps should include resetting credentials and enabling multi-factor authentication. Reviewing account activity helps identify unauthorized actions.
Organizations should also notify affected contacts if suspicious messages were sent. This helps prevent further spread of phishing attempts.
Data Breaches
Data breaches involve unauthorized access to sensitive information. These incidents often require coordination with legal teams and regulatory authorities.
Organizations should preserve evidence and assess the scope of the breach. This ensures accurate reporting and supports investigation efforts.
Clear communication with stakeholders is essential during a breach. Transparency helps maintain trust and meet regulatory requirements.
The Importance Of Communication Planning
Effective communication is a key component of any incident response plan. Both internal teams and external stakeholders need timely and accurate information.
Internal communication ensures that employees understand their roles and responsibilities. This reduces confusion and improves coordination during incidents.
Communication is a key component of any incident response plan.
External communication may involve customers, partners, and regulatory bodies. Organizations should prepare templates and guidelines in advance.
Knowing when to involve legal counsel and insurance providers is also critical. Predefined communication strategies streamline decision-making under pressure.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Creating an Incident Response Plan
Many small businesses make avoidable mistakes when preparing for cyber incidents. These gaps can significantly increase risk and response time.
One common mistake is relying solely on IT teams without involving leadership. Effective response requires coordination across the entire organization.
Another issue is the lack of documentation and testing. Plans that are not regularly reviewed or practiced may fail during real incidents.
Failing to maintain updated backups is another critical risk. Without reliable backups, recovery becomes significantly more difficult.
Organizations may also overlook employee training. Human error remains one of the leading causes of security incidents.
How To Build And Maintain An Incident Response Plan
Creating an incident response plan requires a structured and ongoing approach. Organizations should begin with a risk assessment to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities.
Documenting procedures ensures that all steps are clearly defined and accessible. This documentation should include roles, processes, and escalation paths.
Regular testing is essential to ensure that the plan works effectively. Tabletop exercises allow teams to simulate incidents and identify areas for improvement.
Employee training is also critical for early detection and reporting. Ongoing education helps reduce human error and strengthens overall security posture.
Organizations should also integrate incident response with broader security strategies. This alignment improves overall effectiveness and coordination.
Plans should be updated regularly to reflect evolving threats and business changes. Continuous improvement ensures that the organization remains prepared.
Build Resilience with an Effective Incident Response Plan
Preparation is the key to minimizing the impact of cyber incidents. A well-documented and tested plan provides the structure needed to respond quickly and effectively.
Be Structured helps small businesses strengthen their cybersecurity posture through tailored strategies and proactive planning. With services that include advanced network security solutions, reliable data backup and protection, and effective phishing protection, organizations can improve resilience and reduce risk.
If your business is not fully prepared for a cyber incident, now is the time to act. Schedule a discovery call with Be Structured to ensure your incident response plan is ready when it matters most.
Frequently Asked Questions: Incident Response Plan for Small Businesses
What is an incident response plan for small businesses? An incident response plan for small businesses is a documented set of procedures that outlines how a company should detect, contain, and recover from a cyber incident. It defines roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and step-by-step actions so that teams can respond quickly and consistently when an attack or breach occurs — without wasting critical time figuring out next steps in the moment.
Why do small businesses need an incident response plan? Small businesses are disproportionately targeted by cybercriminals because they typically have fewer security protections and less formal processes than larger organizations. Without a structured response plan, even a minor incident can escalate into a major disruption. A documented plan reduces confusion, improves response speed, and limits the financial and operational damage caused by a cyberattack.
What are the main phases of an incident response plan? The core phases of an incident response plan are identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident review. Identification involves detecting that an incident has occurred. Containment limits the spread of the threat. Eradication removes it completely. Recovery restores normal operations. The post-incident review captures lessons learned to strengthen future responses.
How long does it take to detect a cyber breach? According to research from IBM, it takes an average of 258 days — nearly nine months — to detect and contain a breach. This extended window gives attackers significant time to cause damage. Small businesses that implement monitoring tools, employee training, and clear reporting processes can dramatically reduce detection time and limit the overall impact of an incident.
What should be included in a small business incident response plan? A small business incident response plan should include clearly defined roles and responsibilities, detection and reporting procedures, step-by-step response phases (identification through post-incident review), communication templates for internal and external stakeholders, backup and recovery protocols, and a schedule for regular testing and updates. Employee training should also be treated as a core component, not an afterthought.
What is the most common cyber threat small businesses face? Ransomware is one of the most disruptive and costly threats for small businesses. It can encrypt critical files, halt operations, and lead to significant downtime and recovery costs. Other common threats include compromised email accounts, phishing attacks, and data breaches involving unauthorized access to sensitive customer or business information.
How often should a small business update its incident response plan? An incident response plan should be reviewed and updated at least once a year, or whenever there are significant changes to the business, its technology, or the threat landscape. Regular tabletop exercises — simulated incident scenarios — help teams practice their response and identify gaps before a real incident occurs.
Do small businesses need outside help to build an incident response plan? Many small businesses lack the internal resources or expertise to build a comprehensive incident response plan on their own. Working with a managed security provider or IT partner ensures that the plan is thorough, up to date, and aligned with current threats. Outside expertise can also help with testing, employee training, and integrating the plan into a broader cybersecurity strategy.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Disaster Recovery, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Cybersecurity

#### How to Choose a VPN
Unfortunately, the cybercrime industry is projected to be worth over $10 trillion by 2025. So, it’s more important than ever before to keep your sensitive data safe.



But, it’s also important to maintain a certain level of privacy while browsing the Internet. Making use of a virtual private network (VPN) can help you achieve this, but not everybody understands how to choose a VPN.



We’ve put together a guide to help you make your decision. Let’s dive in.



Make Sure It’s Compatible With Your Devices



A common oversight that new users make is failing to determine whether or not their prospective VPN is compatible with their devices. Since not all VPNs are available on every platform, it's essential that you find a suitable one that you can actually use.



It’s also recommended to search for a VPN that is compatible with both your mobile devices and your primary computer since some VPNs don’t offer cross-platform compatibility.



This means that you won’t be able to use the same VPN for a Windows computer and iPhone. Additionally, some VPN providers impose a limit on the total amount of devices that you can connect, something that isn't ideal for large teams.



If you’re someone who uses a large number of devices on a regular basis, be sure to look into this information.



Payment Plans



When people begin their search for a VPN, they’re often tempted to take advantage of free options. However, it’s highly recommended that you avoid doing so.



Under most circumstances, free VPNs do not offer a sufficient level of security. This could easily put your sensitive data at risk, specifically your browsing activity.



When choosing from paid VPNs, consider whether or not the provider offers a private payment option. It’s not uncommon for users to be able to pay with cryptocurrency in order to avoid using any of their personal information during the transaction.



As far as subscriptions go, this is generally up to personal preference. You may be required to purchase multiple months at a time, but many VPN providers allow users to pay month-to-month.



The overall price of the subscription is also something to consider during your search.



While rates will vary between providers, you shouldn't be paying something like $100 per month in order to use a VPN with a basic level of functionality. A bit of research in this area will allow you to find a provider who can accommodate your needs for a reasonable price.



Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind of Logs Does Your VPN Keep?



This information is crucial to investigate.



Ideally, your chosen provider won’t keep any logs at all about your browsing activity. Not only does this provide customers with a significant amount of privacy, but it’s also easier on the provider's resources.



There are some VPNs that keep a minimal amount of logs in order to gain insight into network performance. These records often only contain basic information and may only be collected during a certain window of time.



However, this still entirely defeats the purpose of using a VPN in the first place. It’s not impossible for the information your VPN accrues to come back to haunt you in the future.



Instead, keep an eye out for a VPN that can satisfy your other needs without logging any information about your behavior.



How’s the User Interface?



No matter how effective a VPN is, you won’t be able to make full use of it if it doesn’t have an intuitive user interface.



To elaborate, the VPN you choose should be easy to configure and navigate. This will ensure that you’re able to quickly set the necessary parameters and keep your browsing as secure as possible.



This is especially important for those who are not familiar with using a VPN, as working with one can often be confusing for someone who is inexperienced. If you’re concerned about the potential level of usability, it’s best to look for a VPN that makes the initial setup as effortless as possible.



Over time, you can fine-tune your configuration to better suit your needs and make the software much more pleasant to use.



Don’t Neglect the Importance of Customer Service



Inevitably, there will come a time where you need to get in touch with customer service. This could be due to a complication with the VPN's performance, or you may simply have a concern that you need feedback on.



As you might expect, it can easily become frustrating in this scenario if you’re unable to reach a member of the support team. In general, it’s best to look for a VPN provider that offers 24/7 customer service.



This is especially useful given the fact that VPN functionality changes on a regular basis.



The most reliable type of customer support is often live chat. Users typically find that communicating through email or opening a support ticket can require hours to resolve a simple issue.



If a provider doesn’t prioritize high-level customer service, there’s a chance they might not be protecting your privacy as thoroughly as they should be.



How Many Servers Does Your Provider Offer?



In order to get the highest level of functionality out of your VPN, you'll want to choose one that has a wide array of servers. More specifically, your VPN provider should have a large number of servers throughout multiple countries.



In many cases, the number of servers they implement could even be in the thousands.



The area in which the servers are concentrated, though, will depend on what you intend to use your VPN for. For instance, let’s assume that you’re working abroad in China and are looking to circumnavigate the country’s Internet censorship to utilize a certain resource.



If the majority of your VPN servers are based in China, you likely won’t be able to get the results that you want. You might even encounter legal issues based on local censorship laws.



The same can be said for those who are attempting to circumvent throttling, caps on download or upload speeds, etc. Keep this in mind when searching for a VPN provider so that you can ensure you’re able to get the level of functionality you’re after.



Are There Any Limitations?



Many users take advantage of VPNs in order to avoid throttling by their Internet service providers (ISP). Since their ISP won’t have insight into their online activity, they can’t actively throttle their connection.



Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop some VPN providers from throttling the connections of their users. This is often the result of high bandwidth usage, which is typically achieved through streaming movies, music, etc.



Combined with the fact that more people than ever before are now using VPNs, you can easily see why this can likely become an issue. As a result, it’s best to avoid VPN providers who impose any type of restriction on bandwidth usage.



But, a common exception people make is when the bandwidth limit is far higher than they could feasibly use within a given billing cycle. In these scenarios, bandwidth caps are imposed to regulate users who abuse the VPN service.



It’s also essential that you consult the fine print of your agreement with your VPN provider. They often have specific terms referring to certain actions, such as filesharing.



To ensure that you don’t violate the terms of your agreement, it’s also recommended to reach out to the support team with any questions you may have.



Does Your VPN Implement a Kill Switch?



If the VPN connection fails, all of the user data that passes through it can become accessible to another party. For this reason, reputable VPN providers implement a kill switch system in order to protect this information.



This ensures that the VPN connection is immediately locked if a failure were to occur, meaning that it won’t automatically attempt to use a conventional Internet connection to facilitate access.



Otherwise, a VPN could accommodate a network failure by using an unsecured network. As you might guess, this could cause a large number of complications in the future.



To make matters worse, the user won’t always be notified that their network security has changed, leading someone to engage in browsing activity that they typically wouldn’t while using an unsecured connection.



Finding a provider that utilizes this functionality is also relatively easy, as many of them prominently advertise it.



Can You Use Multiple Connections at Once?



When most people get started with using VPNs, they don’t anticipate needing to use more than one device at a time. The truth is, though, that the capability to establish multiple concurrent connections can drastically improve your overall experience with the software.



A common scenario could involve a handful of employees using different devices that are connected to the same VPN.



There are even instances where a user may find it favorable to route all of their devices to two different VPN servers while they are in use.



This attribute is particularly important to keep in mind now that working remotely is so common. The capability to use multiple devices at once on a single VPN network could drastically improve your overall productivity.



Regardless of your situation, it’s recommended to find a provider who allows at least two or three simultaneous connections. A provider that offers less than this number could easily leave you dissatisfied.



What Are the Supported Security Protocols?



The protocols that your VPN provider utilizes are essentially the backbone of the network’s security.



Some protocols are more favorable than others, and using a VPN that incorporates the wrong ones could put your information at risk. For those who are unfamiliar with this topic, it can be difficult to understand what protocols to look out for.



During your search, it’s essential that you stay away from VPNs that advertise the use of PPTP. This term stands for ‘point-to-point tunneling protocol’ and has been consistently found to have a large number of security flaws.



In fact, it’s one of the easiest types of encrypted connections for other parties to compromise.



The same can be said about using VPNs that incorporate a combination of L2TP and IPsec. Despite having an extra layer of encryption, this protocol is notoriously easy for other parties to block and also has a handful of security concerns of its own.



So, it’s worth researching your prospective VPN provider and seeing what others have to say about their experiences with the primary protocols they use. A short investigation could save you a significant amount of time and frustration in the future.



Does the Provider Offer a Free Trial?



It should come as no surprise that you won’t be able to develop a strong understanding of the VPN without trying it out for yourself.



Without a sufficient trial period, though, this endeavor can become highly difficult or impossible. This will leave you to essentially roll the dice on choosing a VPN provider and hope that it works out for the best.



As a general rule of thumb, users should fully test a VPN's capability before they decide to subscribe to its service.



Understanding How to Choose a VPN Can Seem Complicated



Fortunately, the above information will ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible. From here, you’ll know all that you need to regarding how to choose a VPN and will be able to make the decision that’s best for you.



Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks

#### How to Choose the Best IT Provider for Your Company
Information technology (IT) is a $5 trillion field today, making it one of the largest in the world. This isn't surprising when you consider that every company, brand, and individual today uses some IT technology whether in-house IT support or outsourced IT support.

The internet and data communication has advanced to the point that you should only have a professional oversee this infrastructure for you. Learning how to choose the best IT pros is something that every business must come to grips with.

So, how can you get started? These tips will help you find the right IT support Los Angeles based provider for your Southern California company.
Map Out Your IT Needs
Take the time to research the best outsourced IT technical support provider for your company's needs. Consider the size of your company, how many devices you use, and whether your teams work completely in-office or remotely.

Here are a few IT needs you'll need to think about:

 	Setting up a private server room
 	Onboarding new employees and setting up secure accounts
 	Software and app design
 	Tweaking or building your backend or company website
 	Backups and disaster recovery services

Once you're clear on the type of IT work you need, it becomes far easier for you to find the local IT support company that can handle the work for you piece by piece.
Study the Expertise of Your IT Provider
Always choose a company that is best suited to handle your business IT needs. A company specializing in weddings on a yacht will have different needs than one that deals with professional search engine marketing.

In this case, one is a B-to-C business that needs its site up and running 24/7 to make sure a potential customer can inquire about scheduling a yacht wedding.

The other is a B-to-B business who definitely needs the site running properly, but won't significantly suffer if their service is down for a short period of time.

Since IT is such a vast field, you'll want to consider the specialty of the pros handling the work for you.

Here are some specialties that different outsourced tech support companies focus on:

 	Data analytics IT work
 	Networking and cabling
 	Business intelligence
 	The management of data centers
 	Digital forensics
 	Database administration
 	Help desk and troubleshooting

By looking into these different specialties you'll make sure that your company remains online with optimal uptime and as few disruptions as possible.
Decide Between In-House and Outsourcing IT Services
The major decision typically comes when you figure out whether you want to hire a professional or outsource managed IT services with a company. Some companies prefer to hire a professional or team of professionals on salary so that they develop a deep institutional knowledge of the company, which they work for exclusively.

You might also choose to outsource your company IT needs. When you outsource technical support, you'll reduce costs and will have access to an expansive team of professionals with access to the best skills and diverse skill sets.
Get Help With Cybersecurity
Regardless of what kind of work you do, it's critical that you invest in stellar cybersecurity. Small businesses are the target of roughly 43% of cyberattacks. You need to arm your company with the defense that it needs since these attacks are costly and often involve stealing or damaging your precious data.

IT companies can help you put together a plan of action both for preventing cyberattacks and getting you back online after you've dealt with a breach. Cybersecurity is one of the most important forms of IT right now since these attacks becoming more prevalent and advanced.

Some of the different cyber attacks that you will have to be aware of and contend with include:

 	Phishing attacks
 	Man in the middle (MitM) attacks
 	SQL injection attacks
 	Cryptojacking
 	Malware
 	Ransomware attacks
 	Denial of Service attacks

These professionals will safeguard your data and put together a solid and detailed set of policies so that your company isn't left vulnerable and at the whim of cybercriminals.
Consider Any Specialty Software as a Service (SaaS)
Today, many companies are dependent and reliant on all sorts of software platforms. Working with a Los Angeles IT support company is important because they can develop a custom SaaS platform for your industry, or make sure that you always have updates based on your industry standards.

Managed IT services often mean that you get updates as soon as they come available without having to pay for individual upgrades. With upgrades, you'll get rid of bugs and setbacks, and can count on your software serving your company. All of your managers and employees will have access to individual logins and licenses.

During a consultation, ask the IT pros about the types of SaaS they can provide.
Look Into Their Awards and Certifications
Ask the "IT support company near me" about any professional awards and certifications they have gotten throughout the years. The awards show their proficiency at what they do so you know that all of your data is handled efficiently.

Some of the IT certifications that you should look for in an IT pro include:

 	Certified cloud security professional (CCSP)
 	Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
 	CompTIA A+
 	ISACA Certifications
 	Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect (GCP)

Figure out which certifications are best for your business needs. You'll know that you're working with legitimate pros based on their pedigree and background.
Ask About Price and Contracts
Finally, make sure to discuss contracts and prices with any company that you do business with. This lets you know upfront how much you'll need to budget, and you can compare it with your operating costs and how much you can afford.

Working with managed service IT pros give you the best chance to cut costs so that you can stick to your budget. Find out the term and length of the contract so you know what you're signing up for and what services are included.
Find a Quality IT Provider
Choosing an IT provider is essential if you're hoping to take care of your data and communication needs. Use these tips as your starting point to get the help that you need.

Let Be Structured Technology Group assist you with whatever IT needs that you have. Schedule a free IT support consultation using our contact form, or call us at (323)331-9452.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### How to Choose the Right Data Backup and Recovery Solutions for Your Business
Is your business prepared for a data loss disaster? 
In our current environment, the risks and costs associated with inadequate data protection are higher than ever. A robust business data backup solution is not just a luxury but a necessity. Relying on DIY approaches can leave your business vulnerable; having dedicated IT support and managed services ensures that your data is managed and protected effectively.

The Critical Importance of Disaster Recovery Backup Solutions
Data loss can cripple a business, leading to significant financial and reputational damage. A robust data backup solution mitigates these risks by ensuring that critical information is always recoverable. Without proper data protection, companies face downtime, lost revenue, and potential legal consequences.
Inadequate data protection can result in the loss of customer trust and competitive advantage. Businesses must prioritize data backup to safeguard their operations and maintain continuity. Effective data backup solutions provide peace of mind, knowing that data is secure and accessible when needed.
IT support staff play a crucial role in managing and maintaining data backup solutions. They ensure that backups are performed regularly, data is encrypted, and recovery processes are tested. Their expertise helps prevent data loss incidents and ensures quick recovery when issues arise.








Key Features to Look For in Data Backup and Recovery
When selecting a business data backup and recovery solution, several key features are essential for ensuring reliability and security. Encryption tops the list, as it protects data from unauthorized access during storage and transmission. Automated backups are equally crucial, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring that data is consistently backed up without manual intervention.
Scalability is another vital feature. As your business grows, your data backup solution must be able to handle increasing amounts of data without compromising performance. 
A scalable solution adapts to your needs, providing seamless expansion capabilities. Ease of use is also important; a user-friendly interface ensures that your team can manage backups efficiently without extensive training.
IT support staff bring invaluable expertise in evaluating and implementing these features. They can assess the specific needs of your business, recommend the best solutions, and ensure proper configuration. Their role is critical in maintaining the effectiveness and reliability of your data backup strategy, providing ongoing support and troubleshooting as needed.

Understanding Different Types of Data Backup
Data backup solutions come in various forms, each with its advantages and drawbacks. Cloud-based solutions offer flexibility and scalability, allowing businesses to store data offsite and access it from anywhere. They typically require less upfront investment and provide automatic updates. However, they depend on internet connectivity and may involve ongoing subscription costs.
On-premises systems store data locally, giving businesses complete control over their backups. These systems can offer faster data recovery times and do not rely on internet access. However, they require significant initial investment in hardware and ongoing maintenance. Additionally, they may be vulnerable to physical damage or theft.
Hybrid approaches combine the best of both worlds, using a mix of cloud and on-premises solutions. This setup provides redundancy, ensuring data is protected in multiple locations. It offers flexibility and can be tailored to meet specific business needs. However, managing a hybrid system can be complex and may require more sophisticated IT support.
Your internal or outsourced IT support staff are essential in navigating these options and ensuring proper implementation. They can evaluate the specific needs of your business, recommend the most suitable solutions, and handle the technical aspects of deployment and maintenance. Their expertise ensures that your business data backupdata backup strategy is both effective and reliable.

Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Data Backup Solutions
Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of data backup solutions involves several factors. Upfront costs vary significantly between cloud-based and on-premises systems. Hosted cloud solutions often have lower initial expenses but come with ongoing subscription fees. On-premises systems require a substantial initial investment in hardware and software, along with regular maintenance costs.
Ongoing maintenance fees also differ. Cloud providers typically handle updates and security, reducing the burden on your IT team. On-premises solutions, however, require dedicated resources for upkeep and troubleshooting. These ongoing costs can add up, making it essential to consider the long-term financial impact.
Potential savings from preventing data loss incidents are another critical factor. A robust backup solution can save your business from costly downtime, lost revenue, and reputational damage. Investing in a reliable system now can prevent significant financial losses in the future.
IT support staff play a vital role in optimizing costs. They can assess your specific needs, recommend cost-effective solutions, and ensure efficient implementation. Their expertise helps avoid expensive pitfalls and ensures that your data backup strategy provides maximum value for your investment.

Best Practices for Implementing a Data Backup Strategy
Implementing a robust data backup strategy requires adherence to several best practices. Regular testing of backup systems is crucial. This ensures that data can be restored quickly and accurately in the event of a loss. Schedule periodic tests to verify the integrity and reliability of your backups.
Updating backup protocols is another essential step. As your business evolves, so do your data needs. Regularly review and update your backup procedures to accommodate new data types, increased volumes, and changing regulatory requirements. This keeps your backup strategy aligned with your business objectives.
For example, hacker protection for businesses provides its own unique set of data backup strategies.
Compliance with industry regulations is non-negotiable. Ensure that your data backup strategy meets all relevant legal and regulatory standards. This includes data retention policies, encryption requirements, and audit trails. Staying compliant protects your data and shields your business from legal repercussions.
IT support companies are instrumental in executing these best practices. They bring the technical expertise needed to test, update, and maintain your backup systems. Their role ensures that your data backup strategy is both effective and compliant, providing peace of mind and operational continuity.








The Role of Data Backup in Compliance and Security
Data backup solutions play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with industry regulations and enhancing security. Adhering to data retention policies is essential for meeting legal requirements and protecting sensitive information. Properly configured backup systems help businesses maintain these policies by securely storing data for the required periods.
Encryption is another key component. Encrypting data both in transit and at rest protects it from unauthorized access and breaches. This is particularly important for businesses handling sensitive customer information or operating in regulated industries. Encryption ensures that it remains unreadable and secure even if data is intercepted.
Regular audits are vital for maintaining compliance and security standards. Conducting periodic reviews of your backup systems helps identify vulnerabilities and ensure that all protocols are being followed. Audits provide an opportunity to update security measures and address any gaps in your data protection strategy.
IT support staff are indispensable in maintaining compliance and security standards. They have the expertise to implement and manage encryption, conduct audits, and ensure adherence to data retention policies. Their role is critical in safeguarding your data and ensuring that your backup strategy meets all regulatory and security requirements.

Making an Informed Decision for Your Business
Choosing the right data backup solution is crucial for protecting your business from data loss disasters. 
A robust backup strategy involves understanding the importance of data protection, evaluating key features, and considering different types of solutions. 
Cost-effectiveness and best practices for implementation are also essential factors. 
Cybersecurity compliance and security must be prioritized, with the IT support staff playing a vital role in managing and maintaining these systems. By critically assessing your current backup strategy and leveraging expert support, you can ensure your data remains secure, accessible, and compliant with industry standards.
Companies can hire an IT support company to help them with their business data backups. Companies like Be Structured can provide outsourced IT support and offer one of the best benefits of managed IT services in Los Angeles today.
Contact Be Structured to schedule a free IT support consultation!
 
- Categories: Backup, Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance, Disaster Recovery

#### How to Choose the Right Mobile Device Management Solution for Your Business
Work is no longer confined to office walls. From client meetings to logistics updates, nearly every business interaction today can happen through smartphones, tablets, and laptops. That flexibility has transformed operations, but it’s also exposed new risks. That’s why smart mobile device management selection is now a foundational part of modern IT strategy.
Whether your team is fully remote, hybrid, or distributed across multiple facilities, the ability to secure, monitor, and manage mobile endpoints is essential to protecting your data and maintaining operational control.

What Mobile Device Management Does—and Why It Matters
Mobile device management (MDM) refers to the centralized administration of mobile devices such as phones, tablets, and laptops. It ensures these devices adhere to company security standards, regardless of location.
MDM platforms enable companies to enforce encryption, lock or wipe lost devices, deploy updates remotely, and restrict risky app usage. These tools reduce the burden on internal IT teams while keeping sensitive data secure in transit and at rest.
As mobile endpoints grow in volume and variety, MDM becomes the backbone of endpoint security and employee enablement.

The Security Imperative Behind MDM
A staggering 70% of data breaches are now linked to mobile devices, underscoring the growing role these endpoints play in both operations and vulnerability.
Unlike desktops inside corporate networks, mobile devices frequently access unsecured Wi-Fi, handle sensitive information offsite, and blend personal use with corporate access. Without strong management tools in place, every mobile device becomes a potential entry point for attackers.

Strong MDM solutions enforce password policies, mandate device encryption, and prevent unauthorized access—even when the device is offline or outside the company network.

Prioritizing User Experience During Mobile Device Management Selection
Adoption is just as important as capability. MDM tools only succeed when they’re easy to use and fully adopted by end users and IT teams.
Research shows that 65% of buyers are frustrated by complex interfaces. They prefer user-friendly design and transparent pricing, which significantly improve ROI and reduce learning curves.
Dashboards should provide clear visibility into devices, updates, security status, and user behavior. Look for MDM platforms that simplify rather than complicate daily IT operations.

Scalability and Cross-Platform Compatibility
Not every employee uses the same operating system or device type. A good MDM solution should support iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS without bias or restriction.
As your organization grows, so will your mobile ecosystem. Your MDM platform should scale easily from a dozen to hundreds—or thousands—of endpoints. It should accommodate both corporate-owned devices and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies without compromising security or control.
Scalability also applies to role-based access controls, group policies, and hierarchical permissions. These help IT admins efficiently manage different teams without micromanagement.

How Mobile Device Management Revolutionizes Employee Productivity
It’s not just about security. MDM also streamlines workflows and reduces IT overhead. Mobile device management revolutionizes employee productivity through real-time provisioning, remote troubleshooting, and automated policy enforcement.
New hires can be onboarded quickly with pre-configured devices that are secure and ready to go. IT doesn’t have to physically touch each device. This improves time to productivity and ensures a smooth experience from day one.
MDM also enables silent installation of business apps, scheduled updates during off-hours, and faster resolution of technical issues—all of which minimize employee disruption.

Compliance and Audit Readiness
Industries like finance, healthcare, and legal require strict compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, and SOX. MDM platforms help organizations demonstrate and maintain compliance.
Automated audit logs, activity reporting, and policy enforcement reduce the manual burden on IT and prepare businesses for regulatory inspections. Lost device? Wipe it remotely. Suspicious activity? Disable access instantly.
With regulatory pressure rising, the ability to manage devices centrally and prove policy enforcement is no longer a luxury—it’s a legal necessity.

Key Features to Evaluate in Mobile Device Management Selection
During mobile device management selection, consider the following feature categories:


 	Security Controls: Encryption enforcement, remote lock/wipe, jailbreak/root detection
 	Compliance Tools: Audit trails, policy templates, reporting dashboards
 	Device Inventory: Real-time tracking, health monitoring, OS/version stats
 	Application Management: App whitelisting/blacklisting, license tracking, push installations
 	Remote Support: Remote view/control, diagnostics, geofencing, and location tracking
 	Automation: Scheduled updates, zero-touch provisioning, conditional access rules

No single tool fits every organization. Your final choice should reflect your current needs and future growth plans.

How to Manage Remote Workforces with Mobile Device Management Solutions
The rise of remote work has added complexity to IT management. Different time zones, varied device types, and limited physical access all challenge traditional support models.
Managing remote workforces with mobile device management solutions lies in cloud-based control. MDM solutions built for distributed workforces allow IT teams to push updates, run diagnostics, and enforce policies without ever touching the device physically.

They also make it easier to provide a consistent experience across teams, regardless of location. Mobile VPNs, single sign-on (SSO), and integrated collaboration tools can all be deployed securely through MDM.
This ensures that remote employees stay productive and compliant—without waiting for IT to catch up.

Pricing Models and Hidden Costs
Cost predictability matters. Many MDM platforms offer tiered pricing based on feature sets or device count.
Look beyond the base price. Consider licensing limits, support costs, and the expense of add-on modules. Transparent pricing helps IT teams stay within budget while avoiding unexpected charges down the road.
Free or freemium tools may appear attractive but often lack enterprise-grade security, integration, or automation capabilities. In most cases, investing in a robust MDM platform reduces costs related to downtime, breaches, and manual support.

Integration With Existing IT Infrastructure
Your MDM platform should integrate easily with your current systems—such as Microsoft 365, Active Directory, endpoint detection platforms, and help desk software.
Siloed solutions increase administrative burden and expose security gaps. Look for open APIs and compatibility with major security and productivity suites.
The smoother the integration, the faster the rollout and the stronger your IT ecosystem becomes as a whole.

Evaluating Vendor Support and Roadmap
Finally, consider the vendor’s long-term support model and development roadmap.
Do they offer 24/7 support? How often are patches released? What does their customer onboarding look like? Are there community forums, training materials, or account managers available?
A strong MDM partner evolves with your business, delivers consistent improvements, and responds rapidly to new threats or OS changes. Choose a provider that aligns with your business values—not just your budget.
At Be Structured, we help companies choose and deploy MDM solutions that fit their operations, growth goals, and security standards. We don’t push tools. We architect strategies—designed around your team, not someone else’s template.
Schedule a free consultation today and get expert insight on managing every mobile device, from anywhere, at any time.
- Categories: Mobile device management
- Tags: mdm, mobile device management

#### How to Choose the Right Server Virtualization Solution
Selecting the right server virtualization solution is crucial for modern businesses aiming to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. With many companies already leveraging these technologies, understanding the key features and performance metrics becomes essential. 
This article will guide you through evaluating top features, performance metrics, security considerations, cost factors, and best practices to help you make an informed decision.










Key Features to Look For in Server Virtualization
When evaluating server virtualization solutions, focus on key features that directly impact business performance. 
Scalability is paramount; your solution should easily adapt to growing workloads without compromising performance. This flexibility ensures that your infrastructure can handle increased demand seamlessly.
Security is another critical feature. Robust security measures, including data encryption and access controls, protect sensitive information and maintain compliance with industry standards. A secure virtualization environment minimizes risks and safeguards business continuity.
Resource optimization is essential for maximizing efficiency. Effective resource allocation and management reduce waste and improve overall system performance. This optimization leads to cost savings and better utilization of existing hardware.
Having a skilled IT support team is crucial for leveraging these features. They ensure that the virtualization solution is properly configured, maintained, and optimized. Their expertise helps in troubleshooting issues, implementing security protocols, and scaling the infrastructure as needed.

Performance Metrics That Define Success
Performance metrics are vital for assessing the effectiveness of server virtualization solutions. Uptime is a key metric; it measures the availability of your virtualized environment. High uptime ensures that your systems are reliable and accessible, minimizing disruptions to business operations.
Latency is another critical metric. 
It gauges the time delay in data processing and transmission. Low latency is essential for maintaining fast and efficient system performance, which is particularly important for applications requiring real-time data access.
Resource utilization measures how effectively your system uses available resources. Optimal resource utilization indicates that your virtualized environment is running efficiently, reducing waste and improving performance. Monitoring this metric helps in identifying bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
Top IT support companies, such as Be Structured, play a crucial role in monitoring and optimizing these performance metrics. They ensure that the virtualization solution maintains high uptime, low latency, and optimal resource utilization. Their expertise in managing and troubleshooting the system is essential for sustaining peak performance.

Security Considerations
Security is a paramount concern in server virtualization. Data protection is essential; encryption and secure data storage prevent unauthorized access and data breaches. Implementing strong encryption protocols ensures that sensitive information remains confidential and protected.
Access control is another critical aspect. Role-based access control (RBAC) restricts system access to authorized personnel only. This minimizes the risk of internal threats and ensures that users have the appropriate level of access based on their roles and responsibilities. 
Compliance requirements must also be addressed as we at Be Structured have dealt with first hand. It's vital to adhere to industry standards and regulations, such as GDPR or HIPAA, is crucial for avoiding legal penalties and maintaining customer trust. Regular audits and compliance checks help ensure that your virtualization environment meets these standards.
Teaming up with the best IT support companies is indispensable for implementing and maintaining robust security measures. They configure encryption protocols, manage access controls, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Their expertise is vital for creating a secure and compliant virtualized environment.

Cost Considerations and Licensing Options
Cost considerations are crucial when selecting a server virtualization solution. Initial setup costs can be significant, including hardware, software, and implementation expenses. It's essential to budget for these upfront costs to avoid financial strain.
Maintenance costs are ongoing and include updates, patches, and technical support. Regular maintenance ensures that your virtualization environment remains secure and efficient. Neglecting these costs can lead to performance issues and security vulnerabilities.
Licensing fees vary based on the chosen model. Common licensing options include per-CPU, per-user, and subscription-based models. Each has its implications for scalability and cost management. For instance, per-CPU licensing might be more cost-effective for larger deployments, while subscription models offer flexibility for growing businesses.
An IT support company is invaluable for managing these costs effectively. They can optimize resource allocation, ensure efficient use of licenses, and handle maintenance tasks. Their expertise helps in making informed decisions that align with your budget and business needs.

Implementation Best Practices
Effective implementation of server virtualization solutions begins with thorough planning. Assess your current infrastructure and identify the specific needs and goals of your organization. This initial step ensures that the chosen solution aligns with your business objectives and technical requirements.
Deployment should be systematic and phased. Start with a pilot project to test the solution in a controlled environment. This approach allows you to identify potential issues and make necessary adjustments before a full-scale rollout. Documenting each step of the deployment process helps in maintaining consistency and addressing any challenges that arise.











Ongoing management is crucial for sustaining the benefits of virtualization. Regular monitoring and maintenance ensure that the system remains efficient and secure. Implementing automated tools for resource management and performance tracking can streamline these tasks and reduce the burden on your IT team. An IT support team is essential for facilitating these best practices. Their expertise in planning, deploying, and managing virtualization solutions ensures a smooth transition and ongoing success. They can provide valuable insights, troubleshoot issues, and optimize the system to meet evolving business needs.

Making the Final Decision on Server Virtualization Solutions
Choosing the right server virtualization solution requires careful evaluation of key features, performance metrics, security considerations, and cost factors. 
Scalability, security, and resource optimization are essential features that impact business performance. 
Monitoring uptime, latency, and resource utilization helps assess the effectiveness of different solutions. Robust security measures, including data protection and access control, are crucial for maintaining a secure environment.
Cost considerations, such as initial setup, maintenance, and licensing fees, must be analyzed to ensure financial feasibility. Implementing best practices in planning, deployment, and ongoing management ensures a smooth transition and sustained benefits. 
A skilled IT support team is indispensable throughout this process, providing the expertise needed to optimize and maintain the virtualization environment. By focusing on these aspects, businesses can make informed decisions that align with their specific needs and goals.
Contact Be Structured, a provider of outsourced IT support to help businesses stay updated with the latest industry security standards.
- Categories: IT Support

#### How to Conduct An IT Security Check
Consumers across America lost around $56 billion to identity fraud last year. While there are many reasons that theft happens, businesses being too lax with both their own information and customers is a key one. If your small to medium business stores data on a digital system, it's important to secure your network and avoid disaster.

But what exactly is an IT security check? How can it help prevent fraud? How are these checks carried out?

Read on to answer these questions and to protect yourself, your employees, and the consumers that trust you.
What Is an IT Security Check?
Security checks are tests that look into how protected your network is. Its purpose is to find vulnerabilities, risks, and threats on your network so that you can better prevent a breach. By finding vulnerabilities, you will know exactly how to better safeguard your system and react if disaster does strike.

There are multiple types of security testing that businesses should engage in. The most common are vulnerability and security scanning, which use AI systems to scan networks for known signatures of vulnerability. The goal is to let information technology teams learn the best ways that they can reduce the biggest risks.

Risk assessment is another security check facet that analyzes the vulnerabilities that your scans found. The vulnerabilities will be classified from low-risk to high-risk. Professionals can then prioritize which threats should be dealt with first.

Penetration testing and ethical hacking are also important. An authorized user safely simulates a cyberattack to see whether or not the system is actually vulnerable. They can then see why the attack worked and how the malware was allowed into the system.

Basically, a 'security test' is anything that detects threats before they can arise. Even though there are many ways to test your network's safety, they all share the common goal of giving IT teams information that allows for security enhancement.
Why Is This Important for Data Security?
Analyzing your current security and giving IT experts the knowledge that they need to move forward means that you can choose the next steps. You may not know exactly what to do after a check, but managed IT teams have the experience necessary to determine what must be done.

Assuming that you choose one of the better outsourced tech support companies, you can automatically have new security applications, authentication features, and firewalls installed after a test. Professionals have seen vulnerabilities before and therefore know how to best cope with each individual situation.
Opportunities for Preventative Measures
The first reason that performing data security checks is important is that it allows organizations to be proactive. Reactive security is an important failsafe, but disaster has already struck at the point that you're using it. This means that your IT team will be struggling and scrambling to stop a disaster that's already reared its head.

When this happens, it's unlikely that you'll be able to stop all damages from occurring. Some data will be unsalvageable at the point where malware or unauthorized users are already in your system. You will already have lost some money and potentially sensitive information by the time that reactive measures begin.

When you know the ways that your system is vulnerable, you can appropriately determine what software you need to prevent breaches in the first place. You know exactly where the holes in your network are and can appropriately fill them with software that acts as a barrier.

This means that unauthorized users will have a far more difficult time penetrating your network in the first place. You won't need to lose even a small amount of data before driving cyber criminals out. They won't be able to reach or steal anything because they'll be kept out by an ironclad security system.

You should also explore the benefits of implementing Two Factor Authentication for your business.
Simulated Disaster Recovery
However, it's important that you also work to come up with a good disaster recovery plan in the event of a breach. Regardless of how good your authentication and firewall systems are, there always is the possibility of penetration. That's why you need to know exactly what to do in the event of an emergency.

Security checks include something called ethical hacking. An IT expert that you employ will access malware tools like those that modern hackers would have. They then install this fake "malware" onto your network and see where and how it got in.

This doesn't just work to identify necessary preventative measures. It lets employees respond to a breach in real-time. This simulated disaster means that your workers can run a disaster recovery drill so they know their place in the event of a disaster.

You can then see where your team can improve when it comes to disaster recovery. They also will know exactly what to do in a digital crisis and can respond automatically and with less stress. Preparing for a disaster means increased readiness if one happens.
Legal Compliance
Many companies have regulatory requirements for their workplaces, employees, and supervisors. Even those that do not may be bound by legal requirements in their jurisdiction or area. This makes sense since keeping employees and consumers safe is a measure that protects constituents within a legal jurisdiction.

Some of these requirements (whether by the company or the law) may have to do with the frequency of data security checks. For example, you may face fines if you do not perform a comprehensive check annually. This makes checks directly needed for legal compliance in some situations.

In other cases, checks are needed for compliance in a more indirect way. There are likely rules dictating the vulnerabilities that cannot exist within your network. Similarly, guidelines may also say that you need to update certain security features to meet current standards.

In these situations, security checks help you to identify what you need to update. Without them, you may not find out what you're required to do. This could lead to consequences including shutting down your business in extreme cases.
Conducting a Cyber Security Check: A Complete Guide
Conducting a cybersecurity check is a challenging multi-step process. It generally comes in five phases. The first, initiation, is what gives you the means to figure out what you're testing.

This initial process is where you determine the scope of what network applications you're testing. Do you want to check the entire thing for vulnerabilities or only specific areas? What do you want to document?

Here, you'll answer these questions and endeavor to understand the functionalities of all of your applications. You can then look into what you want to be done and develop a scanning schedule. This lets you choose when checks begin and conclude so that you can make the most of your time.
Evaluating Your Network
After you know what you're doing, it's time to evaluate the infrastructure that you're currently working with. For Southern California based companies, you should ask a company that specializes in IT support in Los Angeles to analyze the coding of applications and network functions. Identify loopholes and logical issues that your business faces when working on your system.

It's also at this point that you will do smaller checks prior to vulnerability testing. Authorization checks for user access are key. Scheduling manual and automated application scanning tools is also an important process.

At this point, you can list the tools you're using for security testing. It's then time to get started.
Discover Vulnerabilities
This is the stage of the security check process that you likely think of when you consider testing. Here, you'll perform penetration tests that find vulnerabilities in your system. This is where ethical hacking comes in.

After the process is complete and vulnerabilities are found, you will need to catalog all of them. Make sure that you verify your findings to remove instances of error. Analyzing the system as you move through it is critical so you can find and analyze the exact areas in which vulnerabilities arise.
Report Your Findings
After security tests conclude, the final step is to report findings. This means documenting all of the potential areas that need improvement and determining how vulnerable each application is. You also will need to look into how easy it is to exploit these vulnerabilities.

At this point, you know exactly what you're working with and can get recommendations for how to fix your system. You then will need new technology installed onto your system to eliminate the vulnerabilities that were exposed during testing.

If you are legally mandated to have security audits completed, make sure that you also request a certificate stating that you completed the process.

Does this process sound overly challenging? That's natural for most business owners or managers. Luckily, you don't need to manually perform any of these tasks.

Outsourced IT experts take care of security scanning for you. Be Structured's experts will carry out these checks using a couple of core tools: Nessus and CIS-CAT security scanning.
Nessus Security Scanning
One security scanning option available to you is Nessus. This software is distinct from other technologies because of its reliability and thorough testing. It doesn't just let your Be Structured IT support professionals assess your blind spots.

Instead, it also lets us look at length around all areas of your server and system for open areas. We look into the locations that are low on security and automatically determine how we can patch up risks. We also look for places that there have been or are likely to be malicious attacks, consider what these attacks might look like, and come up with expert preventative measures.

Nessus is also unique because it can create a target profile for your network. This profile notes information from audits to see if you have a high-quality network configuration. It also notes whether you already have malware present on any application or whether sensitive data is already missing from your system.

You can also ask IT professionals to customize Nessus' scanning software. There are more than 127,000 plugins that you can install when optimizing your security checks. This ensures that you get the best possible security check for your network's individual needs and specifications.
CIS-CAT Scanning
CIS-CAT scanning is another technology that Be Structured uses to optimize network security. While Nessus security testing identifies vulnerabilities, CIS-CAT scanning helps you find the best security configurations for all tools. Nessus identifies problems; CIS-CAT identifies solutions.

The CIS-CAT program scans your network and lists out all of the applications and programs that you use. It then searches its pre-made catalog to find the right type of security settings for these programs. Once it identifies optimal benchmarks, it will compare them to the security settings that you actually have on the program.

One of the best things about CIS-CAT is that it gives a quantifiable measurement of how good your security system is. It scores your network security from 0-100 depending on how airtight your system is.

However, the single best thing about CIS-CAT is that it gives you actionable recommendations to improve your compliance. Rather than simply identifying vulnerabilities, it gives you a way to combat potential breaches. This makes CIS-CAT both unique and necessary for all businesses.
Increase Your Network Safety Today
While keeping your data safe at work can be a challenge, conducting data security scans can keep your mind at ease. Now that you know the basics of how you can conduct an IT security check for your business network, it's time to get started.

We're committed to providing you with the top network security features in all areas of your network. Contact Be Structured with any remaining questions that you have about security scanning and other professional web security features.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Backup, IT Support, Security

#### How to Conduct An IT Security Check in Los Angeles
Consumers across America lost around $56 billion to identity fraud last year.

While there are many reasons that theft happens, businesses being too lax with both their own information and customers is a key one. If your small to medium business stores data on a digital system, it's important to secure your network and avoid disaster.

But what exactly is an IT security check?

How can it help prevent fraud?

How are these checks carried out?

Read on to answer these questions and to protect yourself, your employees, and the consumers that trust you.
What Is an IT Security Check?
Security checks are tests that look into how protected your network is. Its purpose is to find vulnerabilities, risks, and threats on your network so that you can better prevent a breach.

By finding vulnerabilities, you will know exactly how to better safeguard your system and react if disaster does strike.

There are multiple types of security testing that businesses should engage in. The most common are vulnerability and security scanning, which use AI systems to scan networks for known signatures of vulnerability.

The goal is to let information technology teams learn the best ways that they can reduce the biggest risks.

Risk assessment is another security check facet that analyzes the vulnerabilities that your scans found. The vulnerabilities will be classified from low-risk to high-risk. Professionals can then prioritize which threats should be dealt with first.

Penetration testing and ethical hacking are also important. An authorized user safely simulates a cyberattack to see whether or not the system is actually vulnerable. They can then see why the attack worked and how the malware was allowed into the system.

Basically, a 'security test' is anything that detects threats before they can arise. Even though there are many ways to test your network's safety, they all share the common goal of giving IT teams information that allows for security enhancement.
Why Is This Important for Data Security?
Analyzing your current security and giving IT experts the knowledge that they need to move forward means that you can choose the next steps. You may not know exactly what to do after a check, but managed IT teams have the experience necessary to determine what must be done.

Assuming that you choose the right outsourced IT support company, you can automatically have new security applications, authentication features, and firewalls installed after a test.

Professionals have seen vulnerabilities before and therefore know how to best cope with each individual situation.
Opportunities for Preventative Measures
The first reason that performing data security checks is important is that it allows organizations to be proactive.

Reactive security is an important failsafe, but disaster has already struck at the point that you're using it. This means that your IT team will be struggling and scrambling to stop a disaster that's already reared its head.

When this happens, it's unlikely that you'll be able to stop all damages from occurring.

Some data will be unsalvageable at the point where malware or unauthorized users are already in your system. You will already have lost some money and potentially sensitive information by the time that reactive measures begin.

When you know the ways that your system is vulnerable, you can appropriately determine what software you need to prevent breaches in the first place. You know exactly where the holes in your network are and can appropriately fill them with software that acts as a barrier.

This means that unauthorized users will have a far more difficult time penetrating your network in the first place.

You won't need to lose even a small amount of data before driving cyber criminals out. They won't be able to reach or steal anything because they'll be kept out by an ironclad security system.
Simulated Disaster Recovery
However, it's important that you also work to come up with a good disaster recovery plan in the event of a breach. Regardless of how good your authentication and firewall systems are, there always is the possibility of penetration. That's why you need to know exactly what to do in the event of an emergency.

Security checks include something called ethical hacking.

For example, if you're a Southern California based business, you would hire a company that focuses on unique IT support in Los Angeles to come in and access malware tools like those that modern hackers would have. They then install this fake malware onto your network and see where and how it got in.

This doesn't just work to identify necessary preventative measures. It lets employees respond to a breach in real-time. This simulated disaster means that your workers can run a disaster recovery drill so they know their place in the event of a disaster.

You can then see where your team can improve when it comes to disaster recovery. They also will know exactly what to do in a digital crisis and can respond automatically and with less stress. Preparing for a disaster means increased readiness if one happens.
Legal Compliance
Many companies have regulatory requirements for their workplaces, employees, and supervisors. Even those that do not may be bound by legal requirements in their jurisdiction or area. This makes sense since keeping employees and consumers safe is a measure that protects constituents within a legal jurisdiction.

Some of these requirements (whether by the company or the law) may have to do with the frequency of data security checks. For example, you may face fines if you do not perform a comprehensive check annually. This makes checks directly needed for legal compliance in some situations.

In other cases, checks are needed for compliance in a more indirect way. There are likely rules dictating the vulnerabilities that cannot exist within your network. Similarly, guidelines may also say that you need to update certain security features to meet current standards.

In these situations, security checks help you to identify what you need to update. Without them, you may not find out what you're required to do. This could lead to consequences including shutting down your business in extreme cases.
Conducting a Cyber Security Check: A Complete Guide
Conducting a cybersecurity check or audit is a challenging multi-step process. It generally comes in five phases. The first, initiation, is what gives you the means to figure out what you're testing.

This initial process is where you determine the scope of what network applications you're testing. Do you want to check the entire thing for vulnerabilities or only specific areas? What do you want to document?

Here, you'll answer these questions and endeavor to understand the functionalities of all of your applications. You can then look into what you want to be done and develop a scanning schedule. This lets you choose when checks begin and conclude so that you can make the most of your time.
Evaluating Your Network Installation
After you know what you're doing, it's time to evaluate the infrastructure that you're currently working with.

Analyze the coding of applications and network functions. Identify loopholes and logical issues that your business faces when working on your system.

It's also at this point that you will do smaller checks prior to vulnerability testing. Authorization checks for user access are key. Scheduling manual and automated application scanning tools is also an important process.

At this point, you can list the tools you're using for security testing. It's then time to get started.
Discover Network Vulnerabilities
This is the stage of the security check process that you likely think of when you consider testing. Here, you'll perform penetration tests that find vulnerabilities in your system. This is where ethical hacking comes in.

After the process is complete and vulnerabilities are found, you will need to catalog all of them. Make sure that you verify your findings to remove instances of error. Analyzing the system as you move through it is critical so you can find and analyze the exact areas in which vulnerabilities arise.
Report Your Findings
After security tests conclude, the final step is to report findings. This means documenting all of the potential areas that need improvement and determining how vulnerable each application is. You also will need to look into how easy it is to exploit these vulnerabilities.

At this point, you know exactly what you're working with and can get recommendations for how to fix your system. You then will need new technology installed onto your system to eliminate the vulnerabilities that were exposed during testing.

If you are legally mandated to have security audits completed, make sure that you also request a certificate stating that you completed the process.

Does this process sound overly challenging?

That's natural for most business owners or managers. Luckily, you don't need to manually perform any of these tasks.

Managed IT services in Los Angeles are available to local business with experts take care of security scanning for you. Contact the Be Structured Technology Group's experts who will carry out these checks using a couple of core tools: Nessus and CIS-CAT security scanning.
Nessus Security Scanning
One security scanning option available to you is Nessus. This software is distinct from other technologies because of its reliability and thorough testing. It doesn't just let your Be Structured IT support professionals assess your blind spots.

Instead, it also lets us look at length around all areas of your server and system for open areas.

We look into the locations that are low on security and automatically determine how we can patch up risks.

We also look for places that there have been or are likely to be malicious attacks, consider what these attacks might look like, and come up with expert preventative measures.

Nessus is also unique because it can create a target profile for your network. This profile notes information from audits to see if you have a high-quality network configuration. It also notes whether you already have malware present on any application or whether sensitive data is already missing from your system.

You can also ask IT professionals to customize Nessus' scanning software. There are more than 127,000 plugins that you can install when optimizing your security checks. This ensures that you get the best possible security check for your network's individual needs and specifications.
CIS-CAT Scanning
CIS-CAT scanning is another technology that Be Structured uses to optimize network security. While Nessus security testing identifies vulnerabilities, CIS-CAT scanning helps you find the best security configurations for all tools. Nessus identifies problems; CIS-CAT identifies solutions.

The CIS-CAT program scans your network and lists out all of the applications and programs that you use. It then searches its pre-made catalog to find the right type of security settings for these programs. Once it identifies optimal benchmarks, it will compare them to the security settings that you actually have on the program.

One of the best things about CIS-CAT is that it gives a quantifiable measurement of how good your security system is. It scores your network security from 0-100 depending on how airtight your system is.

However, the single best thing about CIS-CAT is that it gives you actionable recommendations to improve your compliance. Rather than simply identifying vulnerabilities, it gives you a way to combat potential breaches. This makes CIS-CAT both unique and necessary for all businesses.
Increase Your Network Safety Today
While keeping your data safe at work can be a challenge, conducting data security scans can keep your mind at ease. Now that you know the basics of how you can conduct an IT security check for your business network, it's time to get started.

We're committed to providing you with the top network security features in all areas of your network. Contact Be Structured with any remaining questions that you have about security scanning and other professional web security features.
- Categories: IT Support, Security

#### How to Defend Against E-Skimming Cyber Attacks
As one of the ubiquitous car commercials says during the holiday season, “Make it a December to remember.” This year, however, won’t be as memorable for buying your spouse that Lexus or Mercedes they always wanted, but more for how we all are buying holiday gifts this year.

The normal end of year gift purchases have been moving online and away from brick and mortars for years. This year will see its largest increase yet as people are forced to stay home and avoid crowded malls and department stores.

It’s estimated that online sales figures will hit almost $190 billion in the last two months of this year which marks a remarkable, if not quite unexpected, increase of 33% over 2019.

Today, instead of bundling up and fighting for parking spots and the best deals, we’ll stay cozy and curled up on our couches. That way, we’ll let our fingers do the legwork finding the perfect gifts at the most promising prices.

Obviously, with the explosive advancements that have taken place in wireless technology, there is no longer the need to visit the old-fashioned brick and mortar stores anymore.

Within minutes, we can visit an online store and pick out products we want. A few clicks of the mouse later, we make our payment and select how it will reach the recipient with the guidance of IT services.

Best of all, with any web-enabled device, we can do our online shopping from anywhere and anytime we want to.  While all of this may sound great, this is also the season for the Cyberattacker to come out and launch various threat vectors in an attempt to steal your credit card information and other forms of Personal Identifiable Information (PII) without you even knowing about it. Until it is too late.

One such attack is known as “E-Skimming”.

How E-Skimming Works

E-Skimming typically preys upon the online stores of merchants that have a virtual presence.  For instance, when we visit an online store, we always assume that the site is safe to visit, and that precautions have been taken to not only protect our identity, but our financial information as well. But this is far from reality.

The Cyberattacker uses this threat variant in such a way that it is very covert and is also a very difficult action to spot at first glance.

In an E-Skimming attack, the Cyberattacker implements a special programming software which is technically known as the “Skimming Code”.  These are very often deployed at the last stage of the online shopping process, which is the checkout stage.

This is where we enter our credit card information or other kinds of banking data in order to make payment for the products that we are intending to purchase.  By making use of this specialized code, the Cyberattacker can very easily capture all of this and use it for their financial gain.

Or, they could even sell this data on the Dark Web, where another Cyberattacker could procure them and make fraudulent purchases on a massive scale.  There are a number of ways that the Skimming Code can be installed, which include the following:

 	Taking advantage of an unknown weakness or vulnerability of the E-Commerce platform that is being used by the merchant.
 	Gaining access into the network structured platform that is used by the victim by sending out a Phishing Email in which they are tricked into clicking onto a malicious link or downloading a file which contains malware (in this case, it would more than likely be a Key-Logging software application).
 	Attaching this code onto the JavaScript that is being used by the online store.
 	Launching a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) Attack in which the victim is tricked and redirected to phony, but very authentic looking payment processing site where the malicious JavaScript has been installed.

E-Skimming is also more specifically known as “Magecart Attacks”, and this term refers to the consortium of Cyber attackers that carry out and launch this kind of threat vector assault exclusively.  There are 7 known groups involved with this and it’s important to understand ways to make your online shopping experience safe - especially during the holidays, but every day as well.

How To Avoid Being A Victim

In the end, anybody is prone to becoming a victim of an E-Skimming Attack.

“Despite all the preventative measures that an online merchant and their managed service provider takes to protect their customers, there is still no guarantee that this will not happen,” admits Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Los Angeles-based IT support company, Be Structured. “But there are a number of steps that you can take to help mitigate the risks of this happening to you.”

Here are a few ways to protect yourself:

 	Always, check your credit card and banking information on a daily basis.  Don’t just simply wait to get the paper statement, get an online account so that you can view all activity at least 2-3 times a day.  This may sound a little excessive at first, but the sooner you can catch any sort of fraudulent activity, the better off you will be.  Most transactions are recorded in real time on these portals as they occur.
 	When making an online purchase, never use a debit card.  If the information on this has been hijacked and compromised, you are responsible for the entire financial loss.  But, if you use a credit card instead, your losses are limited to only $50.00, which is stipulated by federal law.
 	Try not to enter your credit card or other banking information in large frequencies.  You should only shop at those online stores that are the most reputable, and that also give you the option to store your financials in a safe and secure manner.
 	If possible, try to make use of a mobile wallet, primarily that of ApplePay.  With these kinds of applications, your credit card information is stored securely, and never has to be entered again as you make payments online.  But the caveat here is that the online store must support this kind of payment mechanism.
 	Never click on any sort of pop ad that instantly appears in your web browser.  More than likely, this is another vehicle that is being used to deploy the malicious E-Skimming Code.
 	If you are using your Smartphone for your online shopping, make sure you can use Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) on it.  This is where you are required to present more than just one type of credential in order to confirm your identity.
 	Always use strong passwords that are difficult to guess.  In this regard, consider seriously making use of what is known as a “Password Manager” such as LastPass.  These are software applications that enable you to create long and complex passwords and store them for you in a secure repository, so you do not have to remember them.  Best of all, your passwords can be reset automatically, without any intervention needed on your part.
 	Consider freezing any credit that you may have with the three major reporting bureaus (which are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to prevent any new accounts being opened up with your PII, just in case that you do become a victim of Identity Theft.

"The bottom line is be smart and safe when you buy online," asserts Lauterbach the founder of a leading Los Angeles IT support company. Look for websites that use the URL prefix https:// instead of those that only show http://. That “s” in the previous URL signifies the website is “secure” and provides greater security assurance that your data will be safe.

Especially during the holiday months where buyers are most susceptible to letting their guards down, it’s important to not be suckered by unknowing emails or random pop-ups. Do some research and only shop at the sites that have the greater IT support infrastructure to assure a safe and secure experience.

By all means take the stress out of the holidays, but keep a close, vigilant eye on your online credit card statements to assure what they think you’ve purchased, you really have.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, e-skiming, e-skimming attacked

#### How to Evaluate an IT Company in Los Angeles: Criteria, Scorecard, and Questions to Ask
The best way to pick an IT company in Los Angeles is to score a short list against the same written criteria, in the same order, and to make every provider answer the same ten questions. This page is that scorecard. It covers the ten criteria that actually separate one LA managed service provider (MSP) from another, how much weight each one deserves, the questions that force a specific answer, the red flags worth walking away from, and what the market charges.
Disclosure: Be Structured Technology Group publishes this page, and we are one of the companies you might be evaluating. We have not ranked ourselves against anyone here, and we do not name other providers. The criteria below are the ones we would want a buyer to hold us to. Use them on us too.
Start by naming what you are buying
Three different purchases get called "IT support" in Los Angeles, and they have different vendors, different prices, and different failure modes.
Fully managed IT. The provider owns the help desk, monitoring, patching, security, backups, and vendor management for a flat monthly fee. This is the right shape when you have no internal IT staff.
Co-managed IT. You keep an internal person or team and buy the parts they cannot cover alone: after-hours coverage, a security stack, escalation engineering, documentation. The scope split is what makes or breaks this one, so get it in writing.
Project work. A network build, an office move, a Microsoft 365 migration, a cabling job. Priced per project, no ongoing obligation on either side.
Deciding this before your first call is what keeps you from paying for coverage you do not need, and it narrows the field immediately. A provider who cannot tell you which of the three they are best at is telling you something.
The ten criteria for evaluating an LA MSP
Ordered by how often they turn out to be the thing that mattered. Each one names what to ask and what a real answer sounds like.
Written response commitment, by severity. Ask: what is your guaranteed response time for a critical, business-down issue, and where does that number appear in the contract? A real answer names a severity scale, a target for each tier, and the page of the agreement it is written on. A weak answer is a single number quoted verbally with nothing behind it, or a "typical" response time, which is an average and not a commitment.
On-site coverage for your actual address. Los Angeles is a drive-time problem, not a map problem. Ask: where are your engineers physically based, how long does it take one of them to reach my office at rush hour, and how many site visits are included in the monthly fee? A provider with no LA staff can still deliver good remote support, but they cannot put hands on a failed switch in your suite.
The security stack, named by product. Ask: which endpoint detection and response (EDR) product do you deploy, who watches its alerts and at what hours, what identity controls come standard, and is any of it an upsell? Named products can be researched. "Enterprise-grade security" cannot.
Who holds the administrative credentials, and where. Ask: which accounts will you hold in my tenant, are they named accounts or shared, is privileged access behind multi-factor authentication, and do I get a copy of the credential store? The answer tells you what an exit looks like before you are in one.
Documentation ownership. Ask: what documentation do you produce about my environment, how often is it updated, and do I get an export on request during the contract, not just at the end of it? Documentation you can only see through their portal is documentation you do not own.
Contract term, notice period, and exit terms. Ask: what is the initial term, does it auto renew, how much notice do I owe, and what exactly do you hand over on the last day? Get the offboarding obligations written into the agreement you sign, because that is the only moment you have leverage over them.
Pricing model, and the list of exclusions. Ask for the flat per-user or per-device rate, then ask for the list of work that falls outside it. Projects, after-hours work, hardware, third-party licensing, and on-site visits are the usual exclusions. A provider who says nothing is excluded has not read their own agreement.
Compliance experience that matches your obligations. A law firm, a medical practice, a CPA firm, and a defense subcontractor all have different homework. Ask which of your specific frameworks they have supported, and how they describe their role. The honest framing is that a provider helps you meet requirements and does not issue certifications, and any provider who claims to certify you is describing something that does not exist.
References at your size, in your industry. Ask for three clients in your vertical within roughly your headcount, and call them. Ask the references one question that matters: what happened the last time something went badly wrong? Awards and directory listings are secondary signals. A client who will pick up the phone is a primary one.
Bench depth and after-hours reality. Ask: how many engineers do you employ, who answers at 2 a.m., is that person an employee or an answering service, and what happens when your senior engineer is on vacation during my outage? Small teams can be excellent, but you should know the size of the bench you are buying.
How to weight the criteria
Not every criterion deserves the same vote. The weights below are a starting point for a 10 to 250 person business with no internal IT team. Shift them to your situation: if you already run a compliance program, criterion 8 goes up; if your staff is fully remote, criterion 2 goes down.
CriterionWeightWhy it carries that weight
1. Written response commitment15It is the only part of service quality you can enforce.
2. On-site coverage for your address10Remote support cannot replace a hardware failure visit.
3. Named security stack15The largest single difference in outcome between providers.
4. Credential custody10Determines whether you can ever leave cleanly.
5. Documentation ownership10Same reason, and it shortens every future onboarding.
6. Contract term and exit terms10Cheap to negotiate now, expensive to fix later.
7. Pricing model and exclusions10Surprise invoices are the most common source of a bad relationship.
8. Compliance experience10Situational. Raise it if you are regulated, lower it if you are not.
9. References at your size5Confirms the rest; rarely changes a decision on its own.
10. Bench depth and after-hours5Matters most when something breaks on a holiday weekend.
Total100
The evaluation scorecard
Score each provider 1 to 5 on every criterion, multiply by the weight, and add it up. Fill one column per provider and do it on the same day, while the calls are fresh.
CriterionWeightScore (1 to 5)WeightedEvidence you were given
Written response commitment15Contract clause number
On-site coverage for your address10Engineer location, drive time quoted
Named security stack15EDR product name, who monitors it
Credential custody10Named vs shared accounts, export policy
Documentation ownership10Sample document, export on request
Contract term and exit terms10Term, notice period, offboarding clause
Pricing model and exclusions10Rate card plus written exclusion list
Compliance experience10Frameworks named, role described
References at your size5Three names, three phone calls made
Bench depth and after-hours5Engineer headcount, who answers overnight
Total100
Two practical rules. A score of 1 or 2 on criterion 1, 3, or 4 should disqualify a provider no matter how the total comes out, because those three are the ones you cannot repair later. And if two providers land within about 5 points of each other, the scorecard has told you they are equivalent; decide on the people you would be working with.
Ten questions to ask any LA MSP
Ask these in the first meeting, in this order, and write down the answers verbatim. The value is in the specificity of the reply, not the reply itself.
What is your guaranteed response time for a business-down issue, and which clause of the agreement contains it?
Where are your engineers based, and how long is your on-site response to my address during business hours?
Which EDR product do you deploy, who reviews its alerts, and during what hours?
Which administrative accounts will you hold in my Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant, and are they named to individuals?
What documentation do you keep about my environment, and can I export it on request while we are still under contract?
What is the term, what is the notice period, and what precisely do you hand over on the last day?
What work falls outside the flat monthly fee?
Which compliance frameworks have you supported for clients like me, and how do you describe your role in them?
Can you give me three references in my industry at roughly my headcount?
Who answers the phone at 2 a.m., and are they your employee?
Red flags
No written service level, at any severity. If the response commitment lives only in the sales conversation, it does not exist.
Refusal to name the security products. Every provider uses specific tools. Declining to name them usually means the stack is thinner than the pitch.
Shared administrative accounts. A single admin login used by the whole provider team means no audit trail and no clean revocation on the day you leave.
Vague or missing offboarding language. Ask to see it before you sign. Providers who intend to hand over cleanly have already written it down.
A promise to make you compliant or to certify you. An MSP supports readiness. Certification bodies and assessors certify, and they are not your MSP.
Pricing that cannot be explained without a discovery call. A range with the variables behind it is reasonable. A total refusal to talk about money is a preview of the invoices.
No references you can call. Confidentiality is a real constraint, but a provider with no client willing to speak has a pattern, not a policy.
Break-fix billing sold as managed services. Hourly billing means the provider earns more when your systems fail. That is the incentive you are trying to leave behind.
What it costs, so you can sanity check a quote
Most Los Angeles small and mid-size businesses pay between $125 and $300 per user per month for fully managed IT, with the position inside that band set by seat count, security tier, compliance obligations, and how much on-site work you need. Our full breakdown of what moves the number is in the Los Angeles managed IT services pricing guide. A quote far below that band usually excludes the security stack; a quote far above it usually includes project work you have not scoped yet. Either can be right, so ask which it is.
How Be Structured answers these questions
Since we published the criteria, here is where we stand on them, in the same order. We have been a Los Angeles company since 2007, working out of 500 S. Grand Avenue in downtown, so criterion 2 is answered by the address rather than by a claim. We are a managed security services provider as well as an MSP, so the security stack, the monitoring, and the identity controls come from the same team that runs the help desk. On compliance, we help clients meet requirements and prepare for assessments; we are not an official certifying body or auditor, and we describe our role as support and readiness. On credentials and documentation, ask us for the export policy in writing, the same way you should ask anyone else.
If you would rather compare us against a provider you already have, the provider handover guide covers what to demand from an outgoing MSP.
➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing an IT Company in Los Angeles
How should I compare IT companies in Los Angeles?Score them against the same written criteria on the same day. The ten that matter most are the written response commitment, on-site coverage for your address, the named security stack, who holds administrative credentials, documentation ownership, contract and exit terms, the pricing model and its exclusions, compliance experience, references at your size, and bench depth. Weight them, score each provider 1 to 5, and multiply. The scorecard on this page is the format we would want to be judged by.
What questions should I ask an IT company before signing a contract?Ten of them, and the value is in how specific the answers are: the guaranteed response time and the clause it lives in, where the engineers are based and the on-site response time to your address, which EDR product they deploy and who watches it, which admin accounts they will hold in your tenant, what documentation you can export while under contract, the term and notice period and what they hand over on the last day, what falls outside the flat fee, which compliance frameworks they have supported, three references in your industry, and who answers the phone at 2 a.m.
How much do IT companies in Los Angeles charge?Most LA small and mid-size businesses pay between $125 and $300 per user per month for fully managed IT. Where you land in that band depends on seat count, the security tier, compliance obligations, and how much on-site work is included. Break-fix hourly billing looks cheaper on a quiet month and is usually more expensive across a year, because the provider earns more when things break. The variables behind the range are broken down in our managed IT services pricing guide.
What is the difference between an IT company and a managed service provider?An IT company is any business that sells technology services, from a solo consultant to a national integrator. A managed service provider takes ongoing responsibility for your whole environment under a flat monthly fee: monitoring, help desk, patching, security, backups, and vendor management. The distinction that matters to a buyer is the incentive. An hourly provider is paid more when systems fail; an MSP is paid the same either way, so keeping things running is the profitable outcome.
What are the biggest red flags when evaluating an LA MSP?Four of them are disqualifying on their own: no written response commitment at any severity level, refusal to name the security products they deploy, shared administrative accounts instead of named ones, and missing or vague offboarding language in the agreement. Add to that any provider who promises to make you compliant or to certify you, since an MSP supports readiness and does not issue certifications.
Should I hire a local Los Angeles IT company or a national provider?It depends on whether you need hands in your office. A national provider with a strong remote practice can run your help desk well. What they usually cannot do is reach your suite in an hour when a switch fails, a cable run is damaged, or a new office needs building out. Ask any provider where the engineer who would come to your address actually sits, and how long that drive takes at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday.
How long does it take to choose and onboard a new IT provider?Plan on two to four weeks to evaluate and 30 to 90 days to complete a handover from an existing provider. The evaluation is short because the scorecard is short. The handover is longer because it involves credential transfer, documentation, licensing, DNS and domain control, backup verification, and a monitoring cutover. Our provider handover guide sets out the 30, 60, and 90 day sequence.
Does the number of awards or online reviews tell me anything useful?They are secondary signals, useful for confirming a shortlist and close to useless for building one. Awards say a company entered an awards program. Reviews say something about the average client experience but rarely about how a provider behaves during an outage or a breach. A reference at your size and in your industry who will take your call is worth more than either.
- Categories: Awards, IT Support, Managed It Services

#### How to Find the Best Managed IT Service Provider
Managed IT services are an ideal fit for many modern businesses. With IT budgets in flux due to the coronavirus pandemic, hiring a managed IT company brings a lot of peace of mind: you have a regular predictable cost and a set of services that you can rely on. Yet how can you choose the best managed IT services in Los Angeles and guarantee a noteworthy and positive impact on your business?

There are many different factors that you need to consider when choosing between different IT services companies, and each company will do its level best to sell you on their particular array of services.

In this guide, we're going to cut through the technical jargon that pervades the world of IT to offer you a usable checklist of what you need to look for in an IT company.

Are you ready to find out how to choose the best IT support in Los Angeles? Then read on!
Find an IT Support Company That Knows Your Industry
No two industries have exactly the same security concerns. If, for instance, your business is part of the healthcare industry, you need to contend with the stringent HIPAA regulations. If you're in the world of finance, downtime can be truly disastrous.

When you do a search for "IT services near me," don't simply go with the first company that comes up. Check their experience and see which other companies they have worked with, especially companies that are in the same industry as you.

If you are curious about the company's experience and their website isn't much help, you can always schedule a consultation with the company. In the consultation, you can ask them direct questions about their experience, including about their knowledge of industry-specific threats.

The company needs to be able to develop a specific strategy that is tailored to both your company and its industry. Without the right security measures, the right support, or the right infrastructure, your business won't be able to grow as efficiently, so find a company that will work with you to create a custom solution.
Pricing Considerations
The first consideration that you need to make, when it comes to price, is whether or not the company will fit your budget. A managed IT services company has the potential to replace your existing IT department, but if this is the case, are you getting a better deal from the managed IT support company?

Compare the services that they offer against those that you're currently working on in-house, then look at how much your bill will be for these services. Are you getting more services for the same price or a slightly increased price, and are you willing to spend that much? If you want to cut costs, what packages do they offer that will be lower than your in-house IT?

You should also take a look at how the company charges for their services. If they charge per hour, you should think about using another company: one of the joys of using a managed IT support company is the predictability. It should cost the same amount of money every month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are They Available at All Times?
Your company likely doesn't work every hour of the day, but that doesn't mean that your IT support company shouldn't. Downtime is expensive and you can't afford to have your business go down at any time of the day. Customers always need to be able to access your company's website and resources.

Your IT support company should always have people working and monitoring your business. This way, no matter what happens, you can fix it faster. Take a malware infection for instance: removing the malware fast means less lost productivity, which means higher profits.

Your business depends upon this support. They need to be available all day, every single day of the year.
What Services Do They Offer?
When perusing between different companies offering IT Services in Los Angeles, you're going to notice that some offer services that others do not. In some cases, these services will be a must-have for your business.

For instance, while every business needs protection from malware, you may also want to invest in disaster recovery. This particular service aims to limit the impact that disasters, both natural and man-made, will have on your business. They're all about business continuity, maintaining uptime, and protecting both your business and its employees.

If a lot of your employees telecommute, then you may wish to find a managed IT Services in Los Angeles company that will design and implement a VPN for your business. This type of connection creates an encrypted tunnel between your employee's computer and the computers at your company, which keeps your data secure. This can protect your company from man-in-the-middle attacks and data breaches.

Think of the particular services that your business needs, as well as those that may be useful in the future. Find a company that offers as many of these as possible.
Are They Curious About Your Company?
In a consultation, you shouldn't be the only one asking questions. Just like in a job interview, there should be some back and forth, and any good managed services provider should be interested in your company.

If they're going to work well with your company, they need to know a lot about it, right down to granular details. This kind of curiosity is essential: they should know the right types of questions to ask that will result in a tailored solution for your company.

If you feel that you're the only one asking questions, they may want to offer you an off-the-shelf solution that won't be able to effectively serve your business.
Are They Good Communicators?
One essential skill for any MSP is clear communication. No matter what your experience level is, your company is full of people who have no practical experience in IT. If they get bombarded with complex language and explanations that cause more issues than they solve, they're not going to be receptive to working with them.

You can use your consultation and any emails or telephone calls to gauge their communication style. A great managed IT Services in Los Angeles will be able to explain difficult concepts in non-technical terms so that any of your employees could understand what's going on.

They will also be able to relay instructions to your staff in a friendly manner, which will make them a pleasure to work with. If any of their staff seem poor communicators, rude, or a combination of both, then you should look elsewhere for your IT support.
Do They Outsource Any of Their Services?
The more companies that are involved in your IT support, the more needlessly complex things become. If the company outsources their support to yet another company, this should ring alarm bells.

Instead of clear communication with the MSP, you'll need to speak to another company through them, which will complicate matters. They will also need to take any instructions that you've given them and pass them on to the outsourced company. This could compromise any solutions that you're looking for, as there is a risk of particular elements of the solution getting lost in translation.

This will also make your IT weaker, potentially. Let's look at one possible scenario: perhaps a security hole has been discovered in some software that you use, and you need to update the software right away. If your security support has been outsourced, these instructions will need to come from that company, to your MSP, to you.

You need to be able to look your technicians and support staff in the eye. If you can't do that, then find another company to help you.
How Will They Be Held Accountable?
If you're looking for IT consulting in Los Angeles, it's because you need to find a company that will have a big impact on your own. Yet if you can't hold the company accountable, you're simply throwing money away.

When you sign a contract with the company, make sure that they can be held accountable if you don't see the improvements that they promise. If, for instance, they say that they will be able to improve your network speed and security and this doesn't materialize, then you should have the right to leave and find someone else to work with.

They should also have some form of liability should your company suffer due to their negligence or incompetence. For instance, if they have implemented a security solution for your business but don't keep it updated, leading to a malware infection, you should not be the one on the hook for any issues that this has caused.

Make sure that the company takes your security and your IT as seriously as you do. Ensure that they will work as hard as necessary to keep you safe, secure, and productive.
Are They Proactive?
Reactive IT support isn't good enough anymore. This kind of IT support only kicks into action when there's a problem, waiting until things have gotten bad before attempting to solve the key issue.

The problem with this is that your problem could already be too severe to deal with easily by this point, and it could have already done serious damage. Let's look at just one common problem that companies need to deal with: ransomware.

A reactive approach to ransomware would mean waiting until your files have been encrypted and you're being asked to pay the ransom before you deal with this insidious type of malware. If, for any reason, you don't have backups, you have two choices: pay the ransom (which has tripled in recent years) and potentially get your files back, or lose all of your files.

This is not a pleasant situation to find yourself in. Let's rewind, and consider what the proactive solution would look like.

A proactive approach to dealing with ransomware would involve making it as hard as possible for malware to infect your computers by utilizing strong security software, employee training, and the right network infrastructure. With this kind of approach, you're far less likely to get an infection in the first place.

It's clear to see which approach is better, and proactive IT support isn't limited to malware, either. You need proactive IT support to keep downtime to a minimum, ensure strong and secure connections, and to make regular backups.

If the company is more focused on reactive IT support, they are not the right company for you.
Find Out What Previous Customers Have to Say
You can tell a lot about a company by what their previous customers have to say. While the testimonials page on a managed IT company's website is a good place to start, it's worth bearing in mind that these have been cherry-picked by the company in question.

If you want to get an unbiased look at the company, you could consider asking the company for references that you can speak to. Ask them about any pain points that they experienced, what was good about working with the company, and if they'd use them again.

Another good place to look for unbiased reviews is on Google. Take a look at the reviews that come up when you search for the business' name. Are they good or bad?
Finding the Best IT Services in Los Angeles
Finding the right IT services in Los Angeles for your company can seem like a difficult task. However, if you use the tips that we've given you, you should be able to find a strong IT support company that's within your budget.

At Bestructured, we work with companies of all sizes in a large variety of industries. We offer world-class IT support and a wide selection of services that could all be of benefit for your business.

If you'd like to speak to us and arrange a consultation, you can contact us here. Alternatively, you could call us on 323-331-9452.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Service Provider, MSP

#### How to Find the Right Managed IT Services Near Me
​Selecting the right managed service provider can define how well an organization scales, secures data, and maintains operational efficiency. The challenge lies in knowing how to choose an MSP that aligns with business goals, communicates transparently, and delivers measurable value over time.
Managed service providers have become integral to modern IT ecosystems. They handle responsibilities like infrastructure management, cybersecurity, cloud support, and system monitoring. When chosen wisely, an MSP becomes a true technology partner. Selecting poorly, however, leads to unnecessary costs and recurring disruptions.
Finding the right provider requires clear evaluation standards. The best relationships are built on transparency, accountability, and proven performance. Knowing how to choose an MSP that checks all those boxes ensures lasting value and peace of mind.

Why Knowing How to Choose an MSP Matters
As IT systems grow in complexity, managed service providers are now being viewed as more essential than ever before. They help businesses simplify hybrid environments, safeguard data, and maintain performance across multiple platforms. A dependable MSP becomes a strategic partner, reducing costs and improving security through automation and proactive management.
The U.S. managed services market continues to expand, driven by cybersecurity demands and the shift to cloud-based infrastructure. Companies partnering with the right MSP can lower IT spending and increase productivity. 
Treat the selection process as a long-term investment rather than a short-term fix. The right MSP should be able to explain their tools, reporting methods, and success metrics clearly. When a provider demonstrates that level of detail, it reflects a mature and reliable operation.

Red Flags to Avoid When Deciding How to Choose an MSP
One of the clearest warning signs during evaluation is poor communication. If a provider is slow to respond or avoids technical questions early on, it’s unlikely their support process will improve later. Transparent and timely communication is a good indicator of a well-managed service desk.
Another major red flag relates to onboarding. Onboarding new customers takes up a significant amount of MSP time. The global average is 114 hours, and in the U.S. and Canada, it’s about 118 hours. Anything beyond that threshold suggests inefficiency or a lack of streamlined processes. A drawn-out onboarding process can delay productivity and increase downtime before the partnership even begins.


Managed service provider agent working on a PC, providing technical support.
Lack of pricing transparency is another signal to proceed with caution. Reputable MSPs should be upfront about costs, deliverables, and service tiers. Hidden fees or vague contracts often lead to frustration later. Reliable providers will clarify what’s included, how incidents are prioritized, and how success is measured.
It’s also important to verify technical capabilities. Some MSPs rely heavily on third-party contractors, which can cause service inconsistencies. A trustworthy partner will have in-house specialists for cybersecurity, compliance, and network administration. When learning how to choose an MSP, prioritize those with demonstrated technical depth and certifications.
Finally, check for business stability. The MSP market experiences frequent acquisitions, with roughly 10 percent of providers merging or closing each year. High turnover or shifting ownership can disrupt service continuity. A proven track record of steady leadership and long-term clients is a clear green flag.

Green Lights That Signal You’ve Chosen Well
Knowing how to choose an MSP also means identifying positive signals. The strongest MSPs begin relationships with a detailed technology assessment, showing they want to understand your infrastructure before suggesting solutions. This approach builds trust and ensures alignment between technology and strategy.
Automation is another important indicator of quality. Leading MSPs use advanced tools for patching, monitoring, and reporting, ensuring consistent performance and faster response times. They focus on prevention instead of reaction, helping businesses maintain uptime and avoid unnecessary disruptions.
Look for providers offering all-inclusive managed services, which provide greater cost predictability and eliminate the complexity of juggling multiple vendors. These comprehensive packages typically include cybersecurity, backups, cloud management, and continuous monitoring and support under one unified plan.
Another green flag is accountability. Strong MSPs provide measurable data, such as issue resolution rates and response times. They share reports proactively and use metrics to demonstrate the value they bring. Transparency in performance builds long-term confidence and strengthens partnership trust.
Finally, MSPs that discuss scalability and disaster recovery early in the process demonstrate foresight. A provider that plans for future growth and risk mitigation shows a commitment to long-term value rather than short-term profit.

The Advantages of Outsourced IT Support
Partnering with the right MSP allows organizations to save valuable time and money while maintaining secure, high-performing systems. Outsourcing IT functions brings predictable costs, expert support, and reduced downtime. It transforms technology from a constant maintenance concern into a driver of efficiency and innovation.
The advantages of outsourced IT support extend far beyond budget savings. Businesses gain access to specialized talent, around-the-clock coverage, and consistent system updates without increasing internal headcount. MSPs also negotiate better vendor pricing, manage software licenses, and reduce compliance risk.
Strong MSPs bring various IT solutions under one umbrella, covering everything from cybersecurity and disaster recovery to cloud hosting and endpoint management. This unified approach simplifies oversight and ensures consistency across the entire infrastructure.
Most importantly, outsourcing gives internal teams freedom to focus on strategic projects rather than troubleshooting and system maintenance. The combination of proactive management and automation allows companies to maximize the value of every technology investment.

How to Choose an MSP That Becomes a Long-Term Partner
When deciding how to choose an MSP, it’s important to look beyond cost comparisons. The best partners act as advisors who help align IT with business outcomes. They offer regular reviews, improvement roadmaps, and continuous optimization to keep systems efficient.
Flexibility is also critical. A capable MSP adapts as your organization evolves, scaling services to match growth and new priorities. Providers that maintain vendor relationships and invest in staff training are more capable of supporting emerging technologies.


Female software engineer writing code on a computer and providing outsourced IT support services.
Communication and accountability are equally vital. Dependable MSPs assign dedicated account managers and follow structured escalation paths for critical issues. They also provide consistent reporting to demonstrate how their services deliver tangible value.
Industry knowledge is another differentiator. Providers with sector-specific experience—such as financial, healthcare, or manufacturing IT—understand compliance frameworks and can tailor solutions to fit operational needs. Knowing how to choose an MSP that understands your industry reduces risk and speeds up ROI.

Turning Evaluation Into Action
The process of how to choose an MSP begins with defining expectations. Decision-makers should establish clear success criteria, request documented service-level agreements, and seek out providers who emphasize collaboration over transaction.
Ask for examples of proven outcomes, such as reduced downtime, increased system visibility, or measurable cost savings. MSPs willing to share real results demonstrate accountability and confidence.
Equally important is cultural alignment. The right MSP will work as an extension of your internal team, communicating openly and adapting to your processes. When the relationship feels cooperative rather than contractual, service quality naturally improves.
Lastly, prioritize innovation. A top-tier MSP continually evaluates new tools, security practices, and automation methods to enhance client performance. This ongoing evolution ensures your systems remain resilient and scalable as technology advances.

Build a Partnership That Delivers
Learning how to choose an MSP is about more than comparing service lists. It’s about identifying a trusted partner who shares your goals and builds lasting operational value. A provider that delivers transparency, automation, scalability, and proactive planning will not only optimize performance but also strengthen business resilience.
At Be Structured, we take pride in delivering those outcomes. Our all-inclusive managed services combine automation, real-time monitoring, and strategic consulting tailored to each client’s industry. Whether serving financial firms or manufacturers, we provide proven solutions that enhance efficiency and reliability. Schedule a consultation today. 
To experience the difference of a proactive partnership, schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: Managed IT, Managed It Services, MSPs
- Tags: Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider

#### How to Handle a Data Breach if Your Business Becomes a Victim
Are cyber attacks on the rise?

The answer is yes, according to recent data, with an 11% jump in security breaches this year. That's over 2 billion recorded cases of cyber threats.

A data breach is one of the most concerning issues for any modern company. And as a small business, you may wonder what actions you must take to secure your systems and data.

As one of the largest

As one of the largest cyber security companies in Los Angeles, Be Structured has put together this guide on how your business should handle a data breach.
Alert Your Security Team
When you have a data breach, you need to act fast.

So you should create a written security breach process that your team understands beforehand. That way, if the worst happens, they can start taking action immediately without any confusion or waiting for orders.

With that in mind, your first step for any potential security breach (even if it's only suspected) is to notify your core, internal security team, or your managed IT support team.

Whatever your company size, ensure you have someone who will take on the security management role and follow through on your written process if a data breach happens as part of your business IT services and security protocol.
Secure Physical Locations
While you might feel your focus is on networks, starting with physical security is essential.

Any physical breaches can be far more catastrophic for a company. The first step for your team is to assess and secure all physical space, such as your offices and server locations.
Take Systems Offline
One of your first tasks when you have a suspected data breach, one of your first tasks is to take all your business systems offline temporarily. That will cut contact with the network (and potential hackers).

However, after taking the systems offline, don't shut them down. You'll need to access the data later to assess damage and data loss. You must investigate your IT systems to trace the breach forensically.
Identify the Source
You'll need to find the source of your data breach.

For most businesses, that's best handled by a managed IT firm like ours that can offer professional experts in IT security in Los Angeles. However, if you run a large company, you might have someone in-house who can do this.
Notify Your PR Team
As early as possible, notify your PR team about the breach so they can prepare a statement to release to your customers (and the press if you have a high-profile company).

This approach will help your business get the correct information out to the public before rumors or damaging misinformation spreads online.

If you suspect a criminal element to the data breach, you will need to notify the relevant authorities at this point, too.
Track Hacked Data Online
You'll need to see if any sensitive data from your business has appeared online. So get your security team to run a full audit.

You may need to use legal routes to remove data breaches from third-party websites, so ensure you have data security experts who can do the necessary audit and follow-up.
Remove Data Breaches
Always remove data breaches at the source, reviewing all your IT systems to identify and remedy any vulnerabilities.

You must have experts do this, as any oversight could cause a secondary data breach which is catastrophic for the reputation of any business.

Reviewing data breaches involves more than assessing weaknesses in your network and infrastructure. You'll also need to examine your data to see if any information has been added, altered, or removed during the breach.
Use a Security Consultant to Fix and Test Vulnerabilities
When you've found issues or vulnerabilities in your network, you'll need to work on a plan to remedy this.

If you don't have a cybersecurity expert internally, you should hire someone for this responsibility, as you must get it right.

Fixing your network and infrastructure will also require security testing to ensure you've strengthened your defenses against further attacks.
Communicate Internally
Employees can offer a security vulnerability to your organization. So you must implement appropriate security policies such as network access and password management for your business.

In the case of a data breach, you should ask all employees to update and change their passwords, and you might want to go a step further and audit any access on the network to ensure your staff is fully aligned with your security policies.
Take Recommended Steps to Improve Your Security
After you've taken immediate action to secure your environment, it's time to think about a longer-term plan to protect your data. You'll need to review your security processes for your business and assess all your infrastructure and network.

It may be the case that you need to invest in more updated (and secure) systems to stop the problem from happening again, whether that's hardware, software, or network elements.

Research best practices and get recommendations on the most secure systems for your business.

Though this may need an upfront investment, many business systems are now available on the cloud to help you manage the cost (and a best-in-class cloud-based system often offers the highest level of security).
Communicate the Breach to Customers
Data breaches are a tough test for any PR department. It damages trust in your business if you don't handle your communications with customers effectively from the start.

The best way to manage communications is to contact your customers and offer as much information as you can about how you are handling the breach.

Your task here is to reassure customers that their personal information wasn't stolen. If you suspect data theft, you should contact the customer directly and use one of your senior customer service representatives to make that call.

Work with the customer to help secure their data and answer any questions they have as thoroughly as you can.
Protect Your Business from a Data Breach
Data security can feel like a massive task for any business. But protecting your company and your customers from a data breach is essential for your reputation and operational continuity.

You can get the proper security using our managed IT services in Los Angeles.

We designed our managed services to provide businesses like yours with the peace of mind you need regarding IT security.

Find out more by contacting us to learn about our services.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Security

#### How to Handle Phishing Attacks
Phishing attacks are getting more sophisticated as technology improves. We explain how to handle phishing attacks in this guide.
Today, a large percentage of our lives take place online. Between our smartphones, tablets, and computers, it seems as though we're constantly connected to a digital world.

While most of the applications we use daily enhance our lives, we need to be careful. More time on the internet means more opportunities for hackers. Things like phishing attacks and malware are in the news more often than we'd like to think about.

Companies and individuals alike can have their safety threatened or their life savings drained. All from a successful hacking attempt.

But, we can't live in fear. The internet does us so much good that we can't let the evil-doers of the world prevent us from moving forward. So, how do we keep these attacks on our personal lives at bay?

Well, one way is to hire an outsourced IT support company.

Well, that's exactly what we're going to talk about in this article. We're going to dive deep on the topic of phishing attacks. You're going to learn what they are, how they happen, and how to prevent them.

There's a lot of information to cover to make you a phishing attack guru. So, we need to get going!
What Are Phishing Attacks?
A phishing attack is an online attempt by a hacker to gain your personal information. Usually, it's an attempt to gain access information like usernames and passwords. Once hackers have this data in hand, they can turn around and use it to access sensitive information.

Financial data, network systems, and other forms of sensitive data are all susceptible to phishing attacks.

How do they do this? Well, the most popular method is by infiltrating your email. A lot of people feel that email is "safe" because it's been around for a while.

Unfortunately, that's not true. The number of spam emails is multiplying every year. The emails that hackers use, and the hackers themselves, are getting more intelligent every year.

As a result, your defenses against phishing attacks need to do the same.

Any effective plan to defend against phishing has three key phases: detection, prevention, and response. Let's take a look at each one.
It Starts With Detection
"The emails that hackers are using are getting better and better by the day," according to Chad Lauterbach, CEO of a company that specializes in IT support in Los Angeles. When you open your inbox, an email a hacker is using to collect your sensitive data will look no different than a normal email. This is why the detection part of your plan needs to be airtight.

Good detection means you can get out in front of phishing attacks before they start.
Check Hyperlinks
One of the first things your employees can do to prevent a phishing attack is to check hyperlinks in your emails. A company may email them asking them to reset a password or "verify your account information" by clicking a link. If you show them how to hover their cursor over that link, the link's destination URL will pop up.

Phishing emails will have minor changes in those links. For example, if the link is to wellsfargo.com a phishing email might have it as "wellsfarg0.com".

Most people aren't checking the URLs attached to these links. And, even if they did, a change that small might be unnoticeable as they're sifting through dozens of emails per day.

Once they get to the site, it will look like a normal Wells Fargo login page, as well. They may start handling their financial accounts like nothing's wrong. When, all the while, a hacker is gaining their personal information and infiltrating the company's system on the other end.

Keep in mind this is an elementary example. But, it's a good illustration of how far hackers will go to obtain sensitive information.

The challenge is that you can't just content block email services. Employees need to access email daily to do their job. And your employees are even more likely to receive spam emails in a corporate setting than at home.

Having phishing attack training for your team on awareness and prevention is one of the best things you can do to keep your company's IT estate safe.
Read Emails
With so many emails coming in on a daily basis, it's easy to get in the habit of "skimming" inboxes. Taking the time to actually read the emails we receive can go a long way toward preventing phishing.

Once your employees start to read the contents of their emails, they'll start to see trends. They'll be able to spot emails that come through with a lot of spelling and grammar errors or look strange.

These emails are a red flag. These types of grammar and spelling errors are tell-tale signs of a phishing attack. If an employee sees one, there should be a protocol in place for what they're supposed to do or who they're supposed to contact.

But, this doesn't mean that all phishing emails contain errors. A lot of the time they do, but phishing emails can also look identical to a normal email you'd receive. Hackers can copy greetings, company logos, and more to make their emails look potentially harmless.

Hackers can close these emails exactly. That's why teams need to be aware of what emails they normally receive. Employees should get a "feel" for their inbox after working on your team for a while.

But all it takes is one wrong click. It's better to have them trained and aware than the alternative.
Report Suspicious Activity
If an email comes through that is asking for personal information, or information important to the company, it should be reported. If a major company needs personal information from you or the managers in your organization, they will most likely ask for verification.

Companies handling important data will rarely ask for sensitive data via email. Companies like banks, credit card companies, and other important businesses will always ask for some sort of verification. They will text you with a code or ask you to go through some other sort of security measure.

If an email is asking you to simply "reply" with sensitive information, it should be reported to your local IT support staff.
Don't Take the Bait
Another way hackers will attempt phishing attacks is through dangling "bait" in front of email users. I'm sure we've all heard of the "Nigerian Prince" email by now. Millions of people received an email from a Nigerian prince telling them he had money available for them.

All they needed to do was give him their account information and he'd wire it over. It's easy for users to fall for this type of scam because the emails look legitimate. Emails can also contain long, heartfelt sob stories about someone who's fallen on hard times.

Tugging on someone's heartstrings is an effective way to get them to give money. There are also emails that tell users they've won prizes. But, when they go to "claim" their prize, they're lead to a site that captures their info.
Phishing Prevention
Now, we know the lengths hackers will go to to "hook" your team with phishing attacks. The next step is putting measures in place to prevent these attacks.

You and your team should be going through proper security training whenever necessary. Employees need to be made aware of all of the techniques mentioned above. They should also be on the lookout for any suspicious email attachments, as well as URL redirects and embedded links.

Do your research. Have resources available for your team to study so they can hone their skills for detecting phishing attacks. This training should be scheduled at regular intervals. And, any time a new phishing technique makes it to the news, articles and other reading material should be circulated to educate your team.

Several online platforms allow you to run phishing attack simulations within your organization. Phishd, Phishproof, and Phishme are all available platforms to help you run phishing tests.

You can send these fake phishing attacks to your team and monitor their reaction. This way, you know what your team does well and what they need to work on.
Software Solutions
In addition to training and education, you can also implement software solutions to prevent phishing attacks in your business. We talked earlier about content-blocking email services. Unfortunately, that's not an option if you still want to conduct business.

What you and your team can do, however, is install an email security software platform. Once you implement the email security software, you can teach it to discard phishing emails before they reach your inbox.

If you spot a phishing email, flag it as junk or spam. Over time, the email security software will recognize those particular emails by itself and filter them accordingly.

Protecting your email is only one phishing prevention measure. You and your team should also consider installing endpoint security or antivirus software. These types of security will help prevent malware from entering your company's system before it's downloaded.

This type of security is a good form of backup prevention. If for some reason, an employee clicks a link or downloads a file they shouldn't, your endpoint security or antivirus will come through and save the day.
Phishing Response
All of the education, training, and security software mentioned above are there to help your team handle emails cautiously. That's the number one way to prevent phishing attacks.

But, people are human and hackers are crafty. As a result, a phishing attack may slip by your defenses. If that happens, speed is your friend.

You and your team need to work quickly to see who in your organization has been targeted. Identify the malicious email and identify which area of your network it's targeting.

Larger companies should hold a company-wide review after attacks take place. The purpose of this review is to assess the damage and limit it from going further. It's also a great opportunity to train staff on what went wrong and help them to prevent future mistakes.
You Opened A Bad Link...
If you opened a link that's harmful to your company's IT network, it's not the end of the world. There are still steps you can take to minimize the damage.

The first step is to disconnect your computer from the company's network. The sooner you disconnect, the better. This helps to prevent the malware or phishing virus from spreading further through the system.

Next, you'll want to perform a virus scan on your computer. This will be done with your company's antivirus software. You should be able to conduct this scan offline.

If any sort of pop-up or notification tells you to connect to the internet, ignore it. Once the scan is done, the antivirus software will give you instructions on how to remove any malicious files or malware from your machine.

The final step would be to change your information. Work with your company's IT department, like Be Structured, to change any important username or password information on sensitive company accounts.

If it's an attack on your personal computer, you may want to change passwords and banking information. If you think that the attack reached your financial information, you may want to notify your bank. They can instruct you on the proper steps to take to minimize the damage to your account.
Phish Out of Water
Phishing attacks are a part of our modern society. There is no way to prevent them entirely. Hackers are getting smarter and smarter by the day.

The best thing you can do is remain educated and educate your team. Regular training, smart internet practices, and quick response are the best ways to minimize the harmful effects of phishing attacks.

If you're looking to have IT professionals handle your cybersecurity and monitoring, contact Be Structured today. Our friendly staff is here to help answer any questions and find the internet security solution that's right for you.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Attack, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, Data Protection, Los Angeles IT Support, Phishing, Phishing Email, Phishing Scams, Security

#### How to Handle Phishing Attacks
Today, a large percentage of our lives take place online. Between our smartphones, tablets, and computers, it seems as though we're constantly connected to a digital world.

While most of the applications we use daily enhance our lives, we need to be careful. More time on the internet means more opportunities for hackers. Things like phishing attacks and malware are in the news more often than we'd like to think about.

Companies and individuals alike can have their safety threatened or their life savings drained. All from a successful hacking attempt.

But, we can't live in fear. The internet does us so much good that we can't let the evil-doers of the world prevent us from moving forward. So, how do we keep these attacks on our personal lives at bay?

Well, that's exactly what we're going to talk about in this article. We're going to dive deep on the topic of phishing attacks. You're going to learn what they are, how they happen, and how to prevent them.

There's a lot of information to cover to make you a phishing attack guru. So, we need to get going!
What Are Phishing Attacks?
A phishing attack is an online attempt by a hacker to gain your personal information. Usually, it's an attempt to gain access information like usernames and passwords. Once hackers have this data in hand, they can turn around and use it to access sensitive information.

financial data, network systems, and other forms of sensitive data are all susceptible to phishing attacks.

How do they do this? Well, the most popular method is by infiltrating your email. A lot of people feel that email is "safe" because it's been around for a while.

Unfortunately, that's not true. The number of spam emails is multiplying every year. The emails that hackers use, and the hackers themselves, are getting more intelligent every year.

As a result, your defenses against phishing attacks need to do the same.

Any effective plan to defend against phishing has three key phases: detection, prevention, and response. Let's take a look at each one.
It Starts With Detection
The emails that hackers are using are getting better and better by the day. When you open your inbox, an email a hacker is using to collect your sensitive data will look no different than a normal email. This is why the detection part of your plan needs to be airtight.

Good detection means you can get out in front of phishing attacks before they start.
Check Hyperlinks
One of the first things your employees can do to prevent a phishing attack is to check hyperlinks in your emails. A company may email them asking them to reset a password or "verify your account information" by clicking a link. If you show them how to hover their cursor over that link, the link's destination URL will pop up.

Phishing emails will have minor changes in those links. For example, if the link is to wellsfargo.com a phishing email might have it as "wellsfarg0.com".

Most people aren't checking the URLs attached to these links. And, even if they did, a change that small might be unnoticeable as they're sifting through dozens of emails per day.

Once they get to the site, it will look like a normal Wells Fargo login page, as well. They may start handling their financial accounts like nothing's wrong. When, all the while, a hacker is gaining their personal information and infiltrating the company's system on the other end.

Keep in mind this is an elementary example. But, it's a good illustration of how far hackers will go to obtain sensitive information.

The challenge is that you can't just content block email services. Employees need to access email daily to do their job. And your employees are even more likely to receive spam emails in a corporate setting than at home.

Training your team on awareness and prevention is one of the best things you can do to keep your company's IT estate safe.
Read Emails
With so many emails coming in on a daily basis, it's easy to get in the habit of "skimming" inboxes. Taking the time to actually read the emails we receive can go a long way toward preventing phishing.

Once your employees start to read the contents of their emails, they'll start to see trends. They'll be able to spot emails that come through with a lot of spelling and grammar errors or look strange.

These emails are a red flag. These types of grammar and spelling errors are tell-tale signs of a phishing attack. If an employee sees one, there should be a protocol in place for what they're supposed to do or who they're supposed to contact.

But, this doesn't mean that all phishing emails contain errors. A lot of the time they do, but phishing emails can also look identical to a normal email you'd receive. Hackers can copy greetings, company logos, and more to make their emails look potentially harmless.

Hackers can close these emails exactly. That's why teams need to be aware of what emails they normally receive. Employees should get a "feel" for their inbox after working on your team for a while.

But all it takes is one wrong click. It's better to have them trained and aware than the alternative.
Report Suspicious Activity
If an email comes through that is asking for personal information, or information important to the company, it should be reported. If a major company needs personal information from you or the managers in your organization, they will most likely ask for verification.

Companies handling important data will rarely ask for sensitive data via email. Companies like banks, credit card companies, and other important businesses will always ask for some sort of verification. They will text you with a code or ask you to go through some other sort of security measure.

If an email is asking you to simply "reply" with sensitive information, it should be reported to your IT staff.
Don't Take the Bait
Another way hackers will attempt phishing attacks is through dangling "bait" in front of email users. I'm sure we've all heard of the "Nigerian Prince" email by now. Millions of people received an email from a Nigerian prince telling them he had money available for them.

All they needed to do was give him their account information and he'd wire it over. It's easy for users to fall for this type of scam because the emails look legitimate. Emails can also contain long, heartfelt sob stories about someone who's fallen on hard times.

Tugging on someone's heartstrings is an effective way to get them to give money. There are also emails that tell users they've won prizes. But, when they go to "claim" their prize, they're lead to a site that captures their info.
Phishing Prevention
Now, we know the lengths hackers will go to to "hook" your team with phishing attacks. The next step is putting measures in place to prevent these attacks.

You and your team should be going through proper security training whenever necessary. Employees need to be made aware of all of the techniques mentioned above. They should also be on the lookout for any suspicious email attachments, as well as URL redirects and embedded links.

Do your research. Have resources available for your team to study so they can hone their skills for detecting phishing attacks. This training should be scheduled at regular intervals. And, any time a new phishing technique makes it to the news, articles and other reading material should be circulated to educate your team.

Several online platforms allow you to run phishing attack simulations within your organization. Phishd, Phishproof, and Phishme are all available platforms to help you run phishing tests.

You can send these fake phishing attacks to your team and monitor their reaction. This way, you know what your team does well and what they need to work on.
Software Solutions
In addition to training and education, you can also implement software solutions to prevent phishing attacks in your business. We talked earlier about content-blocking email services. Unfortunately, that's not an option if you still want to conduct business.

What you and your team can do, however, is install an email security software platform. Once you implement the email security software, you can teach it to discard phishing emails before they reach your inbox.

If you spot a phishing email, flag it as junk or spam. Over time, the email security software will recognize those particular emails by itself and filter them accordingly.

Protecting your email is only one phishing prevention measure. You and your team should also consider installing endpoint security or antivirus software. These types of security will help prevent malware from entering your company's system before it's downloaded.

This type of security is a good form of backup prevention. If for some reason, an employee clicks a link or downloads a file they shouldn't, your endpoint security or antivirus will come through and save the day.
Phishing Response
All of the education, training, and security software mentioned above are there to help your team handle emails cautiously. That's the number one way to prevent phishing attacks.

But, people are human and hackers are crafty. As a result, a phishing attack may slip by your defenses. If that happens, speed is your friend.

You and your team need to work quickly to see who in your organization has been targeted. Identify the malicious email and identify which area of your network it's targeting.

Larger companies should hold a company-wide review after attacks take place. The purpose of this review is to assess the damage and limit it from going further. It's also a great opportunity to train staff on what went wrong and help them to prevent future mistakes.
You Opened A Bad Link...
If you opened a link that's harmful to your company's IT network, it's not the end of the world. There are still steps you can take to minimize the damage.

The first step is to disconnect your computer from the company's network. The sooner you disconnect, the better. This helps to prevent the malware or phishing virus from spreading further through the system.

Next, you'll want to perform a virus scan on your computer. This will be done with your company's antivirus software. You should be able to conduct this scan offline.

If any sort of pop-up or notification tells you to connect to the internet, ignore it. Once the scan is done, the antivirus software will give you instructions on how to remove any malicious files or malware from your machine.

The final step would be to change your information. Work with your company's IT department to change any important username or password information on sensitive company accounts.

If it's an attack on your personal computer, you may want to change passwords and banking information. If you think that the attack reached your financial information, you may want to notify your bank. They can instruct you on the proper steps to take to minimize the damage to your account.
Phish Out of Water
Phishing attacks are a part of our modern society. There is no way to prevent them entirely. Hackers are getting smarter and smarter by the day.

The best thing you can do is remain educated and educate your team. Regular training, smart internet practices, and quick response are the best ways to minimize the harmful effects of phishing attacks.

If you're looking to have IT professionals handle your cybersecurity and monitoring, contact Be Structured today. Our friendly staff is here to help answer any questions and find the internet security solution that's right for you.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, Phishing, Phishing Email, Phishing Scams

#### How to Handle your Office 365 Migration
The migration of information technology services might sound an intimidating turn of phrase, but it really is just a natural part of your development as a business. These types of transitions can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common reason is for an upgrade in services. Migration itself is a routine part of expanding your business resources, but the proper execution of the process takes an experienced and expert hand.

The Be Structured Technology Group are experts in the migration to the Office 365 suite of services. At this point, we have moved thousands of user mailboxes to Office 365 and can do the same for your business. Across several industries, Office 365 has gained the reputation of Microsoft’s fastest growing business venture yet. It has become exceedingly popular for its’ various features and reliable service.
What Does Office 365 Offer To Me?
Microsoft defines Office 365 as, “an integrated experience of apps and services, designed to help you pursue your passion and grow your business.” That might just sound like good advertising, but the advantages it offers are real. This subscription service will give you access to apps like:

 	Word
 	Excel
 	Powerpoint
 	Outlook
 	OneNote
 	Sharepoint Online
 	Publisher
 	Access
 	Skype for Business
 	InfoPath
 	And even more...

All of these services and applications will be updated monthly with the latest advances and fixes, at no additional charge to you.
Why Do I Need Be Structured To Help Me?
When you look at all of the advantages that come with Office 365, you might wonder what holds businesses back from just adopting it all on their own. The truth is that data migration might be common, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple. A reliable migration plan can be difficult to build when you are running your business at the same time.

If you are moving to a new house, wouldn’t it be nice to hire a professional moving company to show up and take care of everything for you? That same philosophy applies to the Office 365 migration path. When you hire Be Structured, we can manage the entire process with our practiced Office 365 migration steps.
Let Us Manage The Process
One of the reasons that businesses hesitate to make the move to Office 365 is that they don’t know where to start and don’t have the time to learn. One of our core values at Be Structured has always been providing services that allow our customers to focus on their own goals and objectives. We are a service provider and we are here to support the functions of your business.

Exchange mailboxes are among the most commonly used email services across several industries. Migrating mailboxes from older versions of Exchange Online to the Office 365 productivity suite is a well-traveled path for us at this point. We can create a migration plan for your business that will allow you have access to your new technology quickly and with as little disruption in your typical operations as possible.

Every migration is unique to the company that we are working with, but there are some steps that are universal. It begins with an active directory that maps out your present data so we can ensure that everything is transferred completely and re-formatted correctly to work in your new applications. We always want to make your migration process as seamless as possible. With us, you can feel confident that your data will be migrated in its entirety and accurately.
Ways To Prepare for Office 365 Migration
Be Structured Technology Group will be able to handle the entire migration process for you, but there are some ways you can make the process easier for us to put in action. Here are some questions to think about before we show up with our migration tools to begin.

 	What is your current email service?

 	Your current email solution will heavily influence your options for migration. Many Office users typically already use Outlook, but that is not always the case and knowing in advance will help us deliver more effective results.


 	Do all of your users have Office 2010 or newer?

 	This makes a difference because your users might have to get upgrades before we can even start the migration process which can take up a lot of time. If we try to migrate your services with the older versions, you will likely have issues and run the risk of losing data.


 	What devices and applications do you have that rely on your current email service?

 	It will help to have an inventory of any services and devices that are linked to your current email solution. Without it, after the migration, you will have hardware failure as printers and scanners start sending your documents to a source that no longer exists.


 	What is your password security posture like currently?

 	Many offices do not have a password policy in place. If you don’t, it is likely that some of your users have passwords like “Password01.” These are not effective ways to protect your data, which is why Office 365 requires complex passwords. You’ll need to be prepared to create and remember new passwords.


 	Does your business use calendar sharing frequently?

 	The permissions on calendar sharing might not automatically transfer to Office 365, so your business will need to have a backup plan in place to protect crucial appointments and avoid missed assignments.


 	Are there any other new features you would like to implement along with the migration?

 	We have a library of technological products and managed services that are available to any customer. An Office 365 migration can be an excellent time to start a lasting relationship with Be Structured Technology Group.



Contact us today to start talking about your migration to Office 365.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Cloud Solutions, Los Angeles IT Support, Microsoft Office, Office 365, Office 365 Migration

#### How to Keep Your Business Safe From Hackers
A key component in the longevity of your business is keeping your sensitive data as safe as possible. Unfortunately, hackers are becoming more and more effective as time goes on.

This means that you will need to prioritize certain security measures in order to prevent them from gaining access to this information. The good news is that it's not quite as difficult as you might expect. Let's explore key information about how to protect against hackers.
Train Your Team Appropriately
Training your team appropriately will go much further than most people anticipate when it comes to how you keep business safe from hackers. This is simply due to the fact that even a single employee could put the company in jeopardy. For example, let's assume that your employees have not been instructed on how to create secure passwords.

They might also be unaware of what type of data they should never share with certain individuals. A phishing attack, for instance, is a scenario where untrained employees could disseminate company data. This could easily result in a situation where unauthorized users gain access to sensitive company information.

The consequences of this scenario will vary, but they have the potential to be catastrophic. In some cases, an industry competitor could get ahold of trade secrets.

This could be an obstacle that is impossible to overcome for many different types of businesses. This is particularly true for companies that exist within highly competitive industries.

Hackers sometimes threaten to release trade secrets to the public or even industry competitors.
Always Use The Most Current Versions of Software
Interestingly, many people are unaware of the fact that even slightly outdated software is a large security risk. After all, this is the primary reason why developers push updates so often.

As time goes on, online hackers begin to find different ways to exploit software. In response, developers aim to eliminate these risks through official patches.

Although this process will continue, falling behind could allow hackers to compromise data on your device. The good news is that it is relatively simple to keep your software updated. Most applications even give users the opportunity to automatically download and install new updates as they are released.

In the event that you are using software that is no longer supported by the developer, it's best to consider an alternative instead. Eventually, hackers will find a way to exploit abandoned software and gain access to company information.
Implement Multifactor Authentication
As the name suggests, multifactor authentication is the process of using multiple criteria to grant access. In a conventional setting, you might only need a password to log into a certain account. With multifactor authentication, however, you might also need to input a security code that is sent to your company email.

This is an effective way of ensuring that an authorized individual is the one entering the login credentials. There are other forms of multifactor authentication, as well. These can even include biometric data, such as a fingerprint.

In general, more factors will be required to access highly sensitive information. Even a single additional factor, though, can add an effective layer of protection. Multifactor authentication only works if your organization is secure as a whole, though.

Inputting a verification code alongside a password won't be difficult for a hacker if they have also compromised an employee's email.
Consider Working With a Professional
It's important to understand that you may not be able to recognize all of the potential threats to your business. Hiring a professional IT support company will provide insight into existing security flaws.

The professionals you work with will also help develop solutions to these issues. It should come as no surprise that it is in your best interest to work with a professional before you find yourself needing one. It's much easier to prevent a data breach than it is to recover from one.

Managed service providers also have the capability to implement active monitoring. This allows them to immediately detect threats as they arise. It's not uncommon for service providers to find and eliminate threats before the business is even aware they exist.

This allows you to focus on the core aspects of your business. In fact, many companies find they are more productive when using outsourced tech support.

Keep this information in mind when moving forward.

You can check out this resource to learn more about the benefits you can expect.
Establish a Hierarchical Data Structure
Not every employee within your organization should have the same level of access to company data. To clarify, an entry-level worker should not be able to access information that executives can.

So, you'll need to establish a hierarchical data structure at your company. This means allocating access privileges based on certain criteria.

In general, you'll want to minimize the number of people who have access to data that your company. This means that employees should only be able to log into certain accounts, open certain files, etc. if they are relevant to their role.

The more people who have access to certain information, the larger the risk that hackers present. As you can assume, it's often much easier to compromise basic employee accounts as opposed to those that belong to executives.

In the event that there is a change in personnel (such as an employee leaving the company), the appropriate changes should be made to data access. This often means changing passwords and removing people from teams. As long as they can no longer access data they should not be able to, you should not encounter issues in the future.
Develop a Contingency Plan
Unfortunately, there's a good chance that you will inevitably encounter a situation with a hacker. While this doesn't guarantee you will experience data loss, it may cause a disruption in your workflow. For example, a hacker might take down one of your internal systems and prevent you from communicating with your teams.

In the event that you do not have a contingency plan in place, you may suffer from extensive downtime. This will directly translate into a loss in revenue. However, there is also the other side of the spectrum to consider.

It's entirely possible for a data breach to occur on a massive scale. Having the ability to navigate this situation is the only way you will be able to effectively recover from it.

So, it's highly recommended that you make a list of the most outstanding threats to your business. You should then come up with multiple solutions for each scenario to determine the best course of action in the face of disaster.

The additional solutions you come up with can serve as backup plans in the event that your primary method is unsuccessful.
Understand How to Recognize Common Threats
The best way to defend against hackers is to understand the methods that they use. So, training your team to recognize common threats will be one of the most effective tools at your disposal.

In general, hackers utilize malware in order to carry out their attacks. This is a type of malicious program that can perform a number of different functions once it infects a machine.

It could provide the hacker with information about everything you type on your keyboard. Or, it could surreptitiously send information from your device back to the hacker. Some of the most dangerous malware can even infect other devices on the same network.

This can turn what would have been a minor situation into something catastrophic. Everyone in your organization should understand how to recognize a suspicious file/link, a phishing attack, and the type of behavior that hackers exhibit.

Under most circumstances, data breaches can only occur through user input. So, someone on the other end of the hacker's attack will need to click on a download button or visit a fraudulent website. This means that you generally have the opportunity to prevent an attack before it starts.
Have a Plan for Remote Workers
The pandemic drastically changed the way that most businesses operate. More companies than ever before have been forced to accommodate remote workers. While this allowed businesses to function, it also came with additional risks.

Most notably, many companies did not take the proper safeguards to secure their networks. Now that remote workers are consistently accessing and sending sensitive information, you'll need to take certain steps to protect it.

This means encrypting the connection between your remote workers and your company network. It also means implementing policies that limit the type of activity your employees can conduct on company devices.

A common scenario can involve an employee using a work computer to pirate software. In the event that they get a virus while downloading software, that hacker could inadvertently gain access to company information on the computer.

Under some circumstances, they could even use that device to access the company network. It's imperative that your business assesses these risks and determines how it will prevent issues from arising.

Otherwise, the convenience of having remote workers can easily turn into a liability.
Archive Your Data Consistently
Performing backups on a regular basis is the only way that you can ensure you can fully recover from a hacker.

After all, recovery often involves restoring affected data from an archive. For this reason, it's highly recommended that you establish a system for your data backups.

Core data should be archived once every 24 hours. Less important information can be backed up less often, such as once per week or even once per month.

It's also important for you to back up your data at multiple locations. This includes remote storage and external hard drives.

This even involves keeping archived information off-site. In the event that something like a natural disaster, robbery, etc. affects your business, you run the risk of losing all of your archived information if you keep it all within one place.

As you might guess, those who back up information should always protect it. Implementing passwords and encryption is vital when it comes to keeping your data as safe as possible. It's also recommended to carefully control access to this type of information.

Many businesses that store data backups on-site do so within rooms that require identification to enter. This will help you minimize the chances that someone within your organization causes issues.
Adhere to Industry Regulations
No matter what industry you work within, there's a good chance that there are outstanding regulations you have to deal with.

This is especially true for businesses that work in the tech or healthcare industries. However, many people overlook the fact that adhering to these regulations will make your business safer. This is achieved by sufficiently protecting your customers.

For example, healthcare facilities are required to store patient data in a certain manner. This is done in order to protect these individuals from having this information compromised. A result of this, though, is making it harder for hackers to access this information.

Many regulations have to do with the way you store digital information. So, following these standards will eliminate many common issues before they arise. It also comes with the benefit of boosting your brand reputation.
Dealing With Hackers Can Seem Overwhelming
It may even seem impossible at first. However, the guide above has key information that you can use to protect your business from hackers in the future.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Backup, Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Security

#### How to Manage Remote Workforces with Mobile Device Management Solutions
Managing a remote workforce presents unique challenges, especially when employees rely on various devices to stay connected and productive. Ensuring secure and efficient management of these devices is critical for businesses to thrive. 
Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a proven solution that enables organizations to manage remote employees effectively by streamlining operations, protecting sensitive data, and fostering collaboration. By leveraging MDM, businesses can navigate the complexities of remote work with confidence and ease.

Why Mobile Device Management Is Essential to Manage Remote Employees
Remote work has become a fixture of the modern workplace, and its success depends on how effectively companies manage remote employees. Mobile Device Management provides a structured framework for overseeing all company-issued or personal devices used for work purposes.
An MDM system enables IT teams to monitor devices, enforce security protocols, and optimize application usage without disrupting workflows. This ensures employees have the tools they need to remain productive while maintaining strict data security standards. With the rise of remote and hybrid work models, businesses must prioritize MDM to manage remote employees efficiently and remain competitive.

Key Features of Mobile Device Management
Mobile Device Management integrates essential capabilities to simplify oversight when you manage remote employees. By securing devices and enabling remote access, businesses can create an organized and secure digital workspace.


Device Tracking
Device tracking helps businesses maintain a comprehensive inventory of devices used by remote employees. IT administrators can monitor location, status, and usage, ensuring unauthorized access is prevented. If a device is lost or stolen, tracking tools allow for quick recovery or remote deactivation to safeguard sensitive company data.

Data Security
Data security is a critical concern when managing remote employees. MDM solutions provide encryption, secure access controls, and remote wipe capabilities. 
If a device is compromised, IT teams can erase company data to mitigate risks. Partnering with an outsourced IT support company can enhance these strategies with continuous monitoring and assistance.
Here's an article specific to managed cybersecurity for remote workers.

Application Management
MDM simplifies the deployment, management, and removal of applications on employee devices. By ensuring that only approved software is used, IT teams can prevent unauthorized apps from creating vulnerabilities. This centralized management optimizes productivity and reduces downtime.

Policy Enforcement
To effectively manage remote employees, businesses must establish consistent security and usage policies. MDM tools allow IT administrators to enforce rules, such as multi-factor authentication, password requirements, and access restrictions. These policies help maintain accountability and streamline operations.

Benefits of Mobile Device Management for Managing Remote Employees
Implementing MDM solutions offers numerous benefits for businesses aiming to manage remote employees effectively.

Enhanced Data Security
For companies with remote employees, data security is a top priority. MDM tools help secure sensitive data with encryption, secure logins, and remote wipe capabilities, reducing risks from cyber threats.

Improved Productivity
When you manage remote employees using MDM, IT teams can ensure seamless access to essential tools and resources. In fact, we've found in our experience that mobile device management revolutionizes employee productivity. By minimizing technical disruptions, employees remain focused and productive. 

Cost Savings
Lost or compromised devices can result in significant financial losses. MDM reduces these risks by enabling real-time tracking, secure data protection, and efficient software management. Centralized oversight also lowers unnecessary software and licensing costs.

Compliance Management
Compliance with industry regulations is crucial when businesses manage remote employees. MDM helps enforce security protocols and ensures devices meet regulatory standards. Collaborating with IT outsourcing comapnies like Be Structured can provide additional expertise for navigating complex compliance requirements.

Addressing Employee Concerns About MDM
While MDM offers significant advantages, employees may have concerns about privacy and monitoring. Addressing these issues transparently is key to fostering trust and acceptance.

Clear Communication
Organizations should communicate how Mobile Device Management benefits both employees and the company. Highlighting its role in securing data and streamlining workflows can help build understanding.

Privacy Protection
MDM solutions can be configured to monitor only work-related activities, ensuring personal data remains private. By working with trusted IT support, businesses can strike a balance between employee privacy and security.

Employee Training
Training employees on how MDM works, including what data is monitored, can ease concerns and promote adoption. Clear education fosters trust and ensures smoother integration.


How Managed IT Services Support Mobile Device Management
Implementing and managing MDM effectively requires technical expertise and support. Managed IT services providers simplify this process by offering:


 	Proactive monitoring and maintenance of MDM solutions
 	Policy creation and enforcement assistance
 	Rapid issue resolution to minimize disruptions
 	Expert guidance on compliance and data security

For businesses seeking local IT support, collaborating with experts ensures tailored MDM strategies to manage remote employees seamlessly.

Future-Proofing Remote Work to Manage Remote Employees
As remote work continues to shape modern workplaces, businesses need solutions that enhance security, productivity, and collaboration. Mobile Device Management empowers companies to manage remote employees efficiently while reducing risks and costs.
By implementing MDM tools and partnering with IT support providers, organizations can navigate the evolving remote work landscape with confidence, ensuring employees remain productive and connected.

Take Charge of Managing Remote Employees
A secure, efficient remote work environment is achievable with Mobile Device Management. If you’re ready to manage remote employees more effectively, prioritize security and productivity with tailored MDM solutions.
Schedule a free consultation today to discover how Be Structured can help you implement MDM strategies that meet your unique business needs. Together, we’ll create a secure, productive digital workspace that empowers your team to succeed.
- Categories: IT Support, Mobile device management, Remote employee management
- Tags: mobile device management

#### How to Measure ROI on IT Investments: A Non-Technical Business Owner's Guide
How do you measure ROI on IT investments? To measure ROI on IT investments, divide the net benefit (total gains minus total costs) by the total cost, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage. Effective IT ROI measurement goes beyond upfront expenses and includes total cost of ownership (TCO), payback period, cost avoidance, and productivity gains. 
Business owners should establish baseline metrics before implementation, track both direct savings (reduced labor, lower infrastructure costs) and indirect benefits (improved uptime, stronger cybersecurity), and review performance regularly. With global IT spending projected to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, measuring IT investment ROI is essential for data-driven decision-making and sustainable business growth.​
Many business owners invest in technology with the expectation of better efficiency, stronger security, or improved performance. However, without a clear measurement framework, it becomes difficult to determine whether those IT investments are actually delivering value.
This challenge is common, especially for organizations without a technical background. Pairing ROI evaluation with effective IT asset management helps create visibility into spending and outcomes.
Technology spending continues to rise across industries. Gartner forecasts that global IT spending will reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, representing a 10.8% increase from 2025.
With this level of investment, measuring results becomes essential. Business owners need practical ways to evaluate performance and ensure technology supports growth.
Why ROI Matters For IT Decisions
Return on investment, or ROI, helps quantify the value generated from a specific investment. It allows business owners to compare costs against measurable business outcomes.
ROI measurement is no longer optional because digital investments are now central to business performance. This makes ROI a key part of strategic decision-making.
ROI also helps prioritize competing initiatives. When budgets are limited, focusing on higher-return projects improves overall efficiency.
Breaking Down ROI In Simple Terms
At its core, ROI compares what you gain from an investment to what you spend. This relationship can be expressed through a simple formula.
This formula applies to a wide range of IT initiatives. Examples include cloud migrations, cybersecurity tools, automation platforms, and managed services.
The key is identifying both costs and measurable benefits. These benefits can include cost savings, productivity gains, or risk reduction.
Identifying The True Cost Of IT Investments
One of the most common mistakes is focusing only on upfront costs. IT investments often include additional expenses that are not immediately visible.
These may include implementation, training, maintenance, and support. Ignoring these factors can lead to inaccurate ROI calculations.
ROI helps quantify the value generated from a specific investment.
Total cost of ownership, or TCO, provides a more complete financial picture. It accounts for all costs over the lifecycle of a solution.
By calculating TCO, business owners can better understand long-term impact. This helps avoid underestimating expenses and improves planning accuracy.
Measuring Direct And Indirect Benefits
The benefits of IT investments extend beyond immediate cost savings. Some returns are direct, while others require estimation.
Direct benefits may include reduced labor costs or lower infrastructure expenses. Indirect benefits often involve improved productivity or reduced downtime.
For example, faster systems reduce the time employees spend waiting on tasks. Over time, these small gains accumulate into measurable business value.
Stronger cybersecurity reduces financial risk exposure. Preventing a single breach can save significant recovery and reputational costs.
Key ROI Methods Business Owners Can Use
Different calculation methods provide additional insight into IT investment performance. These approaches help evaluate value from multiple angles.
Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO)
TCO measures the full cost of a solution over time. This includes purchase, deployment, maintenance, and replacement.
Using TCO improves accuracy when comparing vendors. It ensures that decisions are based on complete financial data.
Payback Period
The payback period measures how quickly an investment recovers its initial cost. This is especially useful for cash flow planning.
A shorter payback period indicates faster returns. This can make certain investments more attractive in the short term.
Cost Avoidance
Cost avoidance focuses on expenses that are prevented rather than incurred. This is common in cybersecurity and disaster recovery scenarios.
For example, avoiding downtime or a data breach can result in significant savings. These avoided costs should be included in ROI calculations.
Productivity Gains
Productivity improvements often represent a major portion of ROI. These gains can be measured by tracking time saved or increased output.
For example, automation tools can reduce manual work across teams. This allows employees to focus on higher-value activities.
Translating Technical Improvements Into Business Outcomes
Technical improvements must connect to measurable business results. Business owners should focus on outcomes that impact revenue, cost, or efficiency.
Reduced downtime directly supports revenue continuity. Every hour of uptime helps maintain operations and customer satisfaction.
Improved system performance enhances employee productivity. Faster tools allow teams to complete tasks more efficiently.
Organizations can also use business intelligence for better IT management by tracking performance data. This helps validate ROI and guide future decisions.
Real-World Examples Of ROI Calculations
Applying formulas to real scenarios makes ROI easier to understand. Consider a business evaluating a new helpdesk platform.
If the platform saves 20 hours of labor per week, that time can be converted into cost savings. Comparing those savings to the platform cost provides a clear ROI figure.
Another example involves network upgrades. If improved reliability reduces downtime by 10 hours annually, the avoided losses can be calculated.
Backup and disaster recovery investments also provide measurable value. Reduced recovery time directly lowers operational and financial risk.
Common Challenges In Measuring ROI
Measuring ROI is not always straightforward. Some benefits, such as user experience improvements, are difficult to quantify.
Hidden costs can also affect calculations. These may include integration challenges or ongoing maintenance requirements.
Another challenge is overly optimistic projections. Vendor estimates may not reflect actual business conditions.
Using conservative estimates improves accuracy. Internal data should always guide ROI calculations whenever possible.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Many organizations make similar mistakes when evaluating IT investments. Avoiding these pitfalls leads to better outcomes.
One mistake is focusing only on upfront costs. This ignores long-term expenses and reduces accuracy.
Aligning IT investments to business goals helps streamline operations and supports scalable growth.
Another issue is failing to revisit ROI after implementation. Ongoing measurement ensures that expected results are achieved.
Businesses may also skip baseline tracking. Without benchmarks, it becomes difficult to measure improvement.
How To Start Evaluating IT Investments
Getting started with ROI evaluation can be simple and structured. Business owners should begin by defining success metrics upfront.
These metrics should align with business goals such as cost reduction or productivity gains. Clear metrics make evaluation easier and more accurate.
Next, gather baseline data before implementing new technology. This provides a reference point for measuring improvement.
Working with IT partners can help model expected outcomes. They can identify risks and provide realistic projections.
Regular reviews are essential for maintaining accuracy. Comparing actual performance to expectations helps refine future decisions.
Maximizing Value From Technology Investments
Organizations that take a strategic approach often see stronger results. Aligning IT investments with business goals improves efficiency and scalability.
Research shows companies can achieve greater value from enterprise technology when they fully leverage AI to transform operations and create new opportunities. This highlights the importance of ongoing optimization.
Focusing on measurable outcomes builds confidence in decision-making. It also ensures that investments contribute to long-term growth.
Turning IT Investments Into Measurable Business Value
Evaluating ROI allows business owners to move beyond assumptions and make data-driven decisions. Clear frameworks help prioritize investments and manage costs effectively.
Be Structured helps organizations evaluate technology through a business-first lens. Providing all-inclusive managed IT services in Los Angeles, businesses gain visibility into performance and ensure that IT investments deliver measurable value.
If you want to better understand the impact of your technology decisions, now is the time to take action. Schedule a discovery call with Be Structured to uncover the ROI potential of your current and future IT initiatives.
****
Frequently Asked Questions on Measuring ROI on IT Investments
What is ROI on IT investments?
ROI on IT investments is a financial metric that compares the value generated by technology spending against its total cost. It is calculated by subtracting the total investment cost from the net benefits, dividing that figure by the total cost, and multiplying by 100 to express it as a percentage. A positive ROI indicates that the IT investment produced more value than it cost, while a negative ROI signals that the investment underperformed expectations.
How do you calculate ROI for IT investments?
To calculate ROI for IT investments, use the formula: ROI = (Net Benefit ÷ Total Cost) × 100. Net benefit includes direct savings like reduced labor costs and lower infrastructure expenses, plus indirect gains such as improved productivity, reduced downtime, and avoided cybersecurity incidents. Total cost should include purchase price, implementation, training, ongoing maintenance, and support. For more accurate results, use total cost of ownership (TCO) instead of just upfront costs.
What is a good ROI for IT investments?
A good ROI for IT investments typically falls between 20% and 30% annually, though this varies by industry, investment type, and business size. Cybersecurity investments often show ROI through cost avoidance rather than direct revenue, while automation and cloud migration projects may deliver ROI of 50% or higher within two to three years. The key is comparing actual results against baseline metrics and industry benchmarks to determine whether the investment is performing as expected.
What is the difference between ROI and TCO in IT?
ROI measures the return generated from an IT investment, while TCO measures the total cost of owning and operating that investment over its full lifecycle. TCO includes purchase, deployment, training, maintenance, upgrades, and eventual replacement costs. ROI uses TCO as an input to produce a more accurate measurement of value. Using TCO instead of upfront costs alone helps business owners avoid underestimating expenses and makes vendor comparisons more reliable.
How long does it take to see ROI on IT investments?
The payback period for IT investments typically ranges from 6 months to 3 years, depending on the type of technology and implementation scope. Productivity tools and automation platforms often show returns within 6 to 12 months, while larger infrastructure projects like cloud migrations or ERP systems may take 18 to 36 months. Cybersecurity investments often show ROI only when a threat is prevented, making cost avoidance the primary measurement method.
What are the most common mistakes when measuring IT ROI?
The most common mistakes when measuring IT ROI include focusing only on upfront costs, ignoring indirect benefits like productivity gains, failing to establish baseline metrics before implementation, relying on overly optimistic vendor projections, and skipping post-implementation reviews. Business owners should also avoid measuring ROI too early, as many IT investments require time to deliver full value. Using conservative estimates and internal data produces more accurate results than relying on external projections alone.
Can small businesses measure IT ROI effectively?
Yes, small businesses can measure IT ROI effectively by focusing on a few key metrics tied directly to business outcomes. Start by identifying one or two clear goals, such as reducing downtime or cutting manual labor hours, then track performance against a baseline. Small businesses often benefit from working with a managed IT services provider who can model expected outcomes, establish benchmarks, and deliver regular reporting. Simple tracking tools and quarterly reviews are usually sufficient for accurate measurement.
Why is measuring IT investment ROI important for business owners?
Measuring IT investment ROI is important because it transforms technology decisions from assumptions into data-driven choices. Without ROI measurement, business owners cannot verify whether their IT spending supports growth, reduces costs, or improves efficiency. With global IT spending rising by 10.8% in 2026, accountability for technology investments has become critical. ROI measurement also helps prioritize competing initiatives, justify budgets to stakeholders, and ensure that every dollar spent on technology delivers measurable business value.
- Categories: IT budget optimization, IT Support

#### How to Minimize the Risk of a Security Breach
Many people are used to thinking about cyber crime as a rare event that happens to other people or companies who are far away. The truth is that cyber crime is on the rise, and advances in technology may make cyber crime more common as the years go by.

Studies show that cyber crime is more and more about financial gain and that it affects millions of people. The risk of a security breach will keep going up as tech advances.

At some point, so many companies will suffer that it will become common practice to use better security practices. However, it is best to avoid becoming one of the companies that acts as an example of why it is important to have strong managed IT security services.

So how can you minimize the chance of suffering a data breach?

Read on to learn all about the most powerful techniques to keep your data safe!
Train Employees and Business Leaders
Some companies rely only on software tools and security companies to keep them safe. The reality is that every person in your company is a potential security vulnerability.

Left to their own devices, people will naturally engage in normal activities that can make them susceptible to cybercrime. That can then allow cyber criminals access to company data. Invest in training your employees and leaders.
Update Your Password Policy
One of the most important things for everyone to understand is how to create a safe password. This is even more important because most people have mistaken ideas about how to make a password safe.

Does this sound familiar?

Safe passwords are the result of combining complicated sequences of uppercase and lowercase letters with random extra symbols and numbers.

The truth is, this kind of password does next to nothing to prevent data breaches. In fact, it can even make you more vulnerable to data breaches.

People who use passwords like this give up on remembering them. Instead, they rely on writing them down or staying logged in to everything all of the time. That security weakness is even more tragic because it is unnecessary.

Proper password practices allow you to create impenetrable passwords that are easy to remember. How is this possible? The real thing that makes a password secure is that it is long, not that it is complicated.

That is because cyber criminals do not guess passwords to break into systems. Instead, they use systems that guess as many possible passwords as possible as fast as possible. The longer a password is, the harder it is for these systems to figure it out.

And the effect can be astounding. Adding a few extra characters to a password can make it thousands or even millions of times harder for brute force systems to guess.

But if a password is longer, won't it be hard for people to remember? In fact, long passwords can consist of simple phrases that are easy to remember. A password like elephantsandgiraffes is easy to remember, but extremely difficult for a brute force system to guess.

It is also important to avoid the most common passwords.
Use Lockouts for Extra Security
We already talked about brute force systems that try to guess passwords. The existence of these kinds of criminal tools is why lockout practices exist. These practices limit the number of times people can enter a password within a certain amount of time.

Setting up these kinds of practices that your company will protect you from many cyber criminal techniques.
Update Your Business IT Services and Security Tools to Prevent Cyber Risks
Companies acquire a long list of software tools to help them operate. Each of these tools is a potential security vulnerability. However, popular tools are popular because they provide security protections.

At the same time, criminal techniques continue to advance. The protections that worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. That is one reason why software tool creators update their tools. They add the latest defenses against the latest criminal techniques.

But you will not enjoy these protections if you do not update your software. Make sure that everyone in your company sets their software tools to update automatically.
Use the Best Data Encryption You Can
Using the best data encryption and authentication practices possible may sound difficult and expensive. The truth is that encryption has reached a stage of incredible sophistication. End-to-end encryption is a tool that is impossible to break as far as anyone knows.

It is simple to use and makes it so that even the systems that pass data from one place to another cannot see that data while they transport it.
Implement Changes Over Time
Some companies make the mistake of updating security practices, announcing them, and then considering their work done. The reality is that people will struggle to implement a list of new practices that they learn about all at the same time.

"The best strategy to achieve compliance with security practices is to instruct employees a little bit at a time," explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of BE Structured Technology Group, a leading IT support Los Angeles based company. "Give employees a simple new rule to follow, answer their questions and help them to follow it."

Make sure you check up to ensure that everyone is following the new security policy. At that point, you can implement another security policy edition.

It is tempting to change security policies in many ways all at the same time. However, that will not get you to safety faster. Instead, it means that many employees will not bother trying to implement every new practice.
Use Cyber Risk Assessments
It is important to test your systems to find out if they have security vulnerabilities. Every so often, look over your system for any vulnerabilities you can find. You may need to hire security experts to run these kinds of cyber risk assessments for you.
Use the Most Effective Techniques to Minimize Your Risk of a Security Breach
The idea of a security breach can be frightening. However, the right safety practices will keep your data and company safe. The more that you understand about the importance of cybersecurity, the better you can appreciate the importance of investing in proper data security practices.

To learn more about how to keep your data safe, feel free to reach out to the leading cyber security companies in Los Angeles and get in touch with Be Structured today!
- Categories: Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### How To Overcome Cloud Migration Challenges Using Outsourced IT  Support 
The notion of the cloud has become omnipresent in personal and public life. Simply put, the cloud is a network server structure where a multitude of servers are located all over the world and managed by outsourced technical IT support teams. The cloud's infiniteness allows users from any part of the globe to access files and apps from any device, any time anywhere.

On a personal level, the cloud allows individuals to safely keep data files, family photos and financial records in a safe, secure space that isn’t their hard drive. There’s security in knowing that tax records and those digital vacation photos of that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Belize are stored in a place that won’t suddenly crash and erase a lifetime of memories.

For businesses, utilizing the cloud can eliminate some IT overhead and in-house server maintenance. Especially now, as companies have been forced to turn into virtual environments, having a cloud-based platform makes it easier for employees to share work files and interact with data-driven tasks.

Why Are Businesses Moving To The Cloud? 

The short answer is a cloud-based network environment offers a number of critical business benefits, including:

 	On-demand scalability
 	Minimal infrastructure
 	Access anytime, anywhere
 	Disaster preparedness

Could your business' IT services objectives benefit from any of these competitive advantages? If so, it’s worth exploring the possibility of migrating at least some of your operations to a cloud platform. But for all of the upsides, there inevitably have to be some downsides, right?

Fortunately, many of the disadvantages associated with a cloud-based network can be overcome by leveraging both private and public cloud resources in the right places with a hybrid cloud setup.

Common Barriers to Cloud Computing

But that doesn’t address the specific barriers businesses may encounter when moving to a cloud environment in the first place. In this post, we’ll clarify the most common barriers to cloud adoption that organizations deal with and how your team can overcome those specific challenges.

1. Legacy Systems and Infrastructure
If your organization relies on your network for day-to-day operations, team members may struggle to understand why cloud migration is necessary to prepare for the future. They’ve already invested years in developing, supporting, and using legacy systems and infrastructure.

They’re comfortable with these processes, and as such, your organization may encounter resistance as you begin migrating operations to the cloud.

That’s why a critical part of any cloud migration strategy is accounting for potential opposition while integrating existing legacy infrastructure and systems. A few tactics worth exploring include:

Clarifying a vision for how the advantages of a cloud platform will streamline operations and daily tasks.

Instead of abandoning legacy systems altogether, explore possibilities for integrating them into your new platform. Giving team members ownership over cloud migration projects. By approaching the support for legacy processes as an opportunity to develop a more robust cloud solution, you can constructively counter opposition while working toward a solution that works for everyone on your team.

2. Budget Constraints
Organizations are continually looking for ways to minimize or at least maintain existing technology budgets, and the cloud migration process may seem like a costly initiative that disrupts anticipated annual IT costs.

Although public cloud resources offer a more cost-effective option, your organization may need to leverage private cloud infrastructure to achieve your project goals. Ultimately, though, the scale and scope of project possibilities are primarily dictated by budget requirements.

“When framing budget concerns around the need for digital transformation, it’s essential to remember that a cloud platform ultimately empowers organizations with the ability to run leaner while getting the most out of monthly budgets,” explains Chad Lauterbach, a founding member of the Los Angeles-based IT support company, Be Structured. “That’s because your organization only pays for the specific cloud services you require on a month-to-month basis.”

In other words, a cloud platform lets you scale down network resources when business is slow and scale up just as quickly to prepare for growth.

At the same time, you don’t have to worry about absorbing the high cost and extended timelines of infrastructure upgrades that an onsite network requires. It’s under this microscope that an outsourced technical support team will provide tremendous advantages. When viewed through this lens, you’ll quickly discover that a cloud solution is one of the most cost-effective network platforms available today.

3. Network Security and Compliance
Whether your organization operates in a sector with strict compliance requirements or not, it’s your team’s responsibility to keep employee, client, and internal data safe at every level. Many organizations are wary of migrating to a cloud environment because they fear doing so may increase the risk of a data breach during migration. Others also incorrectly believe that an offsite cloud is less secure than an onsite network when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Critical data is actually safer at an offsite data center than it is on in-house servers. That’s because storing data offsite minimizes the risk of theft and data loss, thanks to redundant resources.

Plus, many cloud partners such as Be Structured, the IT services specialists in Los Angeles, have many decades of expertise in solutions specifically for meeting the strict compliance requirements of:

 	The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
 	The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
 	Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS)
 	NIST 800-171r2 and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)

By essentially outsourcing your network’s regulation requirements to a competent cloud partner, you can simplify compliance projects for your team while ensuring data is managed by security experts.

4. Real-Time Support
If your organization has previously relied on an internal team or outsourced IT for 24-hour live support, you may be concerned about how a cloud provider will handle network issues. The key here is choosing the right cloud partner with a support program that meets your team’s needs before you migrate data to the cloud. As with any network IT support service, issues will inevitably arise; the question is how you’re preparing to respond to those problems.

With a cloud platform, your organization will ultimately experience less network downtime than with an on-premise system. That’s because cloud platforms use redundant network resources to deliver always-on network performance.

With a more reliable network, you don’t have to worry about the costs of a network outage, and you’ll become less dependent on IT support. At the same time, your internal team or an outsourced partner such as Be Structured can support your internal infrastructure and devices to provide the same level of support you’ve come to expect.

5. Moving Data
Cloud migrations don’t happen overnight (unless you’re migrating your network’s email system to Office 365). The extensive planning required to successfully migrate and deploy a cloud solution can cause some businesses to put off migration altogether.

You’ll find that with the right cloud migration partner, thorough planning makes the process of moving data as straightforward as possible. With a team of experienced cloud experts, you can even eliminate network downtime altogether while transitioning to a new cloud platform.

For businesses big or small, it’s important to understand the different options available and how outsourcing technical support can be a boost. Taking the day-to-day management out of IT support can relieve internal headaches and actually make the company run in a more profitable and seamlessly successful manner.

Even in dark times, the cloud can be your company’s best friend with the help of outside support.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions
- Tags: Barriers of Cloud Computing, Barriers to Cloud Adoption, Challenges of Migrating to the Cloud, Why Are Businesses Moving to the Cloud?

#### How to Prepare for IT Support in Los Angeles
From glitchy programs to strange pop-ups, IT problems can disrupt operations. These seemingly minor inconveniences can make your business vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Did you know that Los Angeles is the top target for cybercrime in the US?

California alone lost $600 million to different cybercrimes in 2020. Among the victims, businesses often incur the highest losses. Strong tech support can help you move through your operations safely.

However, incorporating new technology is challenging. Serious problems can develop with a single, incorrect implementation. Read on to learn how to prepare for bringing on a Los Angeles managed service provider.
What Is IT Support?
Network and IT support provides technical help to resolve issues involving digital devices and networks. With your staff working as the primary users, they can access IT services anywhere and at any time.

Having a company managing your IT services in Los Angeles promotes regular maintenance, reduced downtime, and quick solutions.

If you observe, working with tech support can improve staff productivity and engagement. With everything in proper function, your business can thrive in a competitive, technology-based environment.
How to Prepare Your Business IT Services and IT System for Change
When implementing a new system, IT professionals seldom make mistakes. However, unexpected things can happen along the way. To reduce the impact of potential risks, prepare your business and your system.
Back-up Data
From company files to sensitive data, protecting data is crucial for businesses. Losing them to hardware failure, theft, and human error leads to costly problems.

When preparing your business for IT support, you need to back up your data. It abolishes the possibility of losing irreplaceable data.

Today, there are various tools to store valuable information and files. It includes a cloud system and an external hard drive. Among these, invest in one you find more convenient for your business.
IT Network Support Troubleshooting
Are you having problems with your business system? Whether big or small, IT issues can disrupt operations. Failure to deal with the situation can hinder company growth and incur costs.

Troubleshooting is a logical approach to determining faults in a system. It allows you to understand problems and identify appropriate solutions through hardware testing and data examination.

In preparation for tech support, troubleshooting can identify problems to address. Communicate the results with your support team. As IT professionals, they can resolve issues you cannot with simple troubleshooting.
Perform an IT Solution Audit
In some cases, troubleshooting fails in identifying system problems. Resolving issues without knowing their roots can be challenging.

Before deciding what to do with your IT, perform an in-depth IT support audit. Doing so reveals issues and inefficiencies you fail to identify with troubleshooting. This allows you to assess your IT infrastructure, data use and management, and operational processes.

When choosing IT services, check if they can resolve the problems you discovered. Working with reliable outsourced IT support benefits your business in different ways.

It includes abolishing risks, reducing costs, and optimizing IT management services.
Organize Project Kick-off
Changes crowd your system once your Los Angeles IT support system begins working. From tools to procedures, everything becomes unfamiliar to you and your staff. Navigating a new IT system becomes a challenge.

Like your business and system, your staff needs time to adjust and adapt. You must explain the need for tech support and the benefits it brings. Communicate with your team to get their opinion on the idea.

For a smooth IT support transition and implementation, good project management is vital. Making your team, assigning responsibilities, and creating a plan help in project realization. Moreover, it prevents problems from developing and promotes a trouble-free environment.
Train Your Staff for IT System Changes
Even the best tools are useless if no one knows how to use them.

Apart from communicating with your staff, you must train them for IT system changes. It is an essential step because it allows them to adjust and adapt. Without proper training, your staff cannot use the full potential of the new system.

To ensure change adoption and acceptance, deliver system-specific training. Explain how it works, show the application, and conduct training and practice tests.

However, keep in mind that the training must go beyond the project kick-off. You must develop and demand for continuous learning. It encourages your staff to understand the system and stay updated with changes.

In your training package, you can consider running a user acceptance test.
Transfer Data to New System
When you work with tech support, your IT system changes. They introduce you to new tools and techniques appropriate for your operations. However, you cannot use them without the data you need.

Before the implementation of a new IT system, prepare your data. Keep sensitive data, delete unnecessary files, and organize folders. When it's ready, move your data from the old system to the new one.

Before transferring, check the volume, format, and content because these can cause problems. Consult your LA tech support if you find issues impending data migration. Unless no more complications arise, keep two sets of data.
Measure the New IT Network Support Results
Remember, not all available systems can work with your business. They can have gaps and deliver benefits less than expected. So, how can you determine the system that works with your system?

First, set clear metrics to measure implementation success. You can develop key performance indicators to assess progress and outcomes. Moreover, this gives you and your tech support a sense of accountability.

Next, keep tabs on potential risks during implementation. It prevents problems from persisting. When you see gaps or other concerns, inform your tech support.

Assess possible security concerns that can develop from the new system. Conduct a security audit to identify any weaknesses in the system. To increase data protection, consider integrating encryption mechanisms.
Preparing for IT Services in Los Angeles
Getting Los Angeles IT support benefits your business. From systems to operations, it increases productivity, protects data, and implements updates. However, preparing your business and its system is necessary to avoid problems.

Not sure where to start? With Be Structured Technology Group, you can get the LA tech support you need. Get in touch with one of our representatives here to get practical IT solutions for your business.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### How to Prevent Data Loss
Safeguarding your company’s information is one of the most important responsibilities that you have as a business owner. Unfortunately, many organizations fail to take the necessary precautions when it comes to keeping their data safe.



Below, we will explore tried-and-true methods that you can use to help defend against data loss and prevent complications from arising in the future.



What Is Considered Data Loss?



Interestingly, not everyone is sure about what data loss actually is. Although temporarily deleting a file might seem like data loss, it doesn’t quite fall into this category.



More specifically, data loss refers to a scenario in which information becomes permanently inaccessible. This could be due to deletion or corruption.



Regardless of the cause, the user is left in a situation where they can no longer interact with this data in any form.



What Are the Primary Threats to Data?



The first step to preventing data loss is understanding the primary threats to your company's information. Although there is only a handful, each one has the potential to cause a significant disruption in your company’s performance.



Let’s explore a few of the most notable that you need to keep an eye on.



Malicious Software



It should come as no surprise that malicious software is one of the primary risks that your company faces in terms of data loss. Even a single incident could result in widespread data inaccessibility.



Although malicious software is often used by cybercriminals to explicitly target a certain organization, there is a chance that your machines could inadvertently become infected. To elaborate, one of your employees may click a fraudulent link that they receive through a phishing email that was sent on a massive scale.



Afterward, you may later discover that spyware was installed onto the affected device that aimed to relay key information back to the hacker.



In many cases, this information can be notably difficult to remove from the machine. There is also always the risk that you will not discover the presence of the software until it is far too late.



A common scenario involves a hacker using ransomware in order to encrypt sensitive information. They then demand that you pay a ransom in the form of cryptocurrency so that the transaction is untraceable.



Failure to do so will often result in them leaving the data encrypted indefinitely. In most circumstances, you will never be able to access this information again in the future.



Hardware Failure



Unfortunately, hardware failure is not always preventable. Manufacturer defects, improper storage, and even relatively benign physical damage could all cause some form of hardware failure.



But, hard drives don’t always become immediately unusable once failure begins to occur. To elaborate, hardware sometimes exhibits an extensive failure process that gives you enough time to migrate your data to another device.



In general, you may be experiencing hardware failure if you notice any of the following:




Overly slow performance when performing low-intensity tasks
Frequent freezes or spontaneous crashes
Unreasonably hot temperature
Grinding, stuttering, or clicking sounds from the device




If you notice any of the signs, it’s imperative that you copy your data to another location as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a situation where the data loss that you experience could have been prevented.



Environmental Hazards



This comes in the form of damage from natural disasters, spills, fires, etc.



Damage that occurs from spilled liquids is one of the most common ways that data loss occurs. This is particularly true if someone spills a soda onto a device, as these drinks contain harmful acids that could corrode the device's essential components.



But, tapwater is capable of causing just as much damage.



As long as your devices are properly cared for and stored appropriately, the risk of this type of data loss can be significantly mitigated. This is particularly true when it comes to storing devices that have archived data.



Hardware Theft



Not every entrepreneur considers the risk that hardware theft poses to their organization. In reality, however, a single stolen laptop or external SSD could lead to prolonged issues.



More often than not, hardware theft occurs during a break-in. Criminals often target businesses that utilize a large number of computers since this equipment can be formatted and sold for a significant profit.



Hardware theft also occurs during business travel, and many people find that their laptops go missing after leaving them in their hotel room or car.



Unfortunately, the risk of this occurrence can become exacerbated if you have a large team of employees who use laptops for work obligations. This means that data loss could occur if any one of these individuals finds that their computers become compromised.



User Error



Not every situation that involves data loss has a complicated cause. Sometimes, it can all be traced to user error.



An employee may have accidentally deleted crucial information by mistake while removing old files from their computer. Or, they may have emptied the recycle bin without checking to ensure that only relevant data was placed within it.



Regardless of the cause, user error can result in just as many complications as the above scenarios.



What Are the Consequences of Data Loss?



Even mild data loss situations come with a large number of consequences. While your important information might not always fall into the wrong hands, your company may still need to put in a significant amount of work in order to reacquire this data.



Let’s take a look at some of the most common.



Extensive Downtime



This is one of the primary risks of a data loss incident. Research has proven that even a short period of downtime can cost an organization tens of thousands of dollars.



For smaller companies, this may be a situation that is impossible to accommodate. It’s not uncommon for small businesses to temporarily close once they have experienced a large amount of data loss.



Additionally, downtime also causes a negative experience for your customers. During the period in which your business can operate, they will likely turn to competitors instead and may stay loyal to them in the future.



Legal Consequences



Depending on the industry that you work in, your company will need to meet certain standards. This is particularly true for businesses that work in the tech or healthcare space.



To clarify, let’s assume that you operate a clinic that manages a large amount of patient information. You are required by law to adhere to the regulations within the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). If you fail to do so, you could experience a number of fines and fees that can quickly accumulate.



But, you may also experience legal complications in the form of lawsuits. This commonly occurs when an organization fails to properly safeguard customer data.



If a data breach occurs and a patient was negatively impacted by it, they may file a lawsuit against you in order to acquire compensation.



Performance Hardships



Although often overlooked, performance hardships can easily occur from data loss. Most commonly, this results from a blow to your organization’s reputation.



If your audience discovers that your company experienced major data loss, they may begin to question whether or not you took the appropriate steps to protect your information (and by extension their information). In the future, they may opt to choose a competitor instead.



Other performance issues can occur if a hacker who compromises valuable trade secrets decides to sell them to your industry competitors. This is essentially a doomsday scenario for many businesses that don’t have an extensive presence within their industry.



Although this scenario is relatively uncommon, it can result in severe complications.



How Can I Prevent This From Happening?



Data loss comes with a large number of consequences that can be highly difficult to recover from. But, this doesn’t mean that you can’t protect yourself. Consider the following steps when determining how to take action.



Establish a Disaster Recovery Plan



One of the most important methods you can implement when it comes to preventing data loss is establishing a disaster recovery plan. While this won’t outright prevent the loss of information from occurring, it can help you accommodate the situation far more smoothly.



When creating one for your organization, it’s imperative that you ensure your entire team is on the same page. Similarly, you should ensure that you are able to maintain power for your critical systems. This includes production equipment, network devices, and essential computing systems.



Otherwise, you might lose a large amount of information and find it impossible to recover.



It’s also recommended that you reassess your current disaster recovery plan periodically throughout the year. As time goes on, new cyber threats emerge that you may not have a sufficient defense against at the moment.



If your plan is well configured, though, you will likely only be required to make minor changes.



Vigilantly Control Access



As previously mentioned, user error is a common reason behind data loss. However, maintaining vigilant control over the access to certain information can serve as a powerful safeguard.



This is often implemented in the form of multifactor authentication. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, it refers to protecting sensitive information until the user is able to provide multiple forms of identification.



To elaborate, an employee at your business might need to scan their fingerprint in order to enter a room that contains certain devices. Then, they will need the appropriate password in order to access these devices.



An alternative situation could involve a user receiving an automatically generated security code after they attempt to log into a device or server. This code is sent to their work email and will expire after a short period of time, ensuring that it can’t be reused.



Integrating this level of access control within your organization can also help protect you against hackers.



Constantly Backup Your Information



Regardless of how efficient your disaster recovery plan is, there is still a large chance that you will experience data loss in certain situations. Fortunately, this becomes far less of an issue if you have access to recent data backups within your organization.



So, it’s in your best interest to archive key information on a regular basis. You can easily achieve this by scheduling data backups outside of business hours so that the process has no impact on your company’s productivity.



Work With a Professional



Although you may have the requisite tools to help prevent data loss on your own, not every organization knows how to use them properly. Working with a professional will ensure that you are quickly able to recognize problem areas and take the necessary action to improve upon them.



Additionally, you can receive valuable input from them that you can use to revamp your entire internal system. Afterward, you’ll find that your company is far better protected than it was previously. Keep this in mind when developing your strategy, as the benefits of doing so are invaluable.



Managing Data Loss Might Seem Complicated



Fortunately, the above information will help ensure that this process goes as smoothly as possible. From here, you will have no issue minimizing your risk of data loss and keeping your organization safe from the consequences associated with it.



Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Backup
- Tags: Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, data loss, Threat Assessment

#### How to Protect Your Company and Prevent Phishing Attacks
It should come as no surprise that it’s essential for you to take steps to protect your company’s data. This is true regardless of what industry you operate within, as there always be someone who can benefit from compromising sensitive information. Phishing attacks are some of the most common ways hackers look to procure this data. But, not everybody knows how they can protect themselves.



We’ve put together a comprehensive guide that details everything you need to know. Let’s get started.



What Exactly Is a Phishing Attack?



For those who are unfamiliar with this term, a phishing attack is a method that hackers use in order to compromise valuable information. More often than not, this can include financial data, login credentials, etc.



To make matters worse, it's not always easy to recognize this malicious tactic. In fact, some individuals are entirely unaware that they have been a victim of a phishing attack until it’s too late.



The primary ways the hacker will get in touch with the victim is through text message, email, or direct message on a social media platform. Once the hacker has gotten in contact with the victim, they will likely send a fraudulent link or pose as someone the victim would trust.



In the event that the victim clicks on a fraudulent link, a handful of different outcomes could occur.



One of the most common is the victim being redirected to a false web form that aims to procure the credentials they type. In some cases, though, this link could install malicious software onto the victim’s computer.



Depending on the situation, the consequences could range from minor concern to catastrophic.



How Can I Recognize One?



The first step toward protecting your organization against a phishing attack is learning how to properly recognize one. Unfortunately, there is a handful of different varieties of phishing attacks that hackers use, and some are more difficult to discern than others.



Let’s take a look at a few of the most notable.



Spear Phishing



In many cases, phishing attacks seem to use more of a shotgun approach in order to achieve the results the hacker desires. To elaborate, the main goal is to target the largest number of people possible in order to maximize your chances of somebody falling for the scam.



Spear phishing, on the other hand, uses a much more precise strategy. This type of phishing gets its name from the fact that the cybercriminal will add personal touches to the message in order to make it seem more legitimate.



This can include the victim’s name, phone number, the business that they work at, or other personal info. More often than not, this succeeds in getting the victim’s attention and makes them more susceptible to the scammer’s influence.



An example might involve a hacker sending a spoofed email to the victim that claims to be from an employee of a financial institution they use. The message could declare that they need the victim's immediate feedback on a particular document and then provide a downloadable attachment.



As you might guess, this attachment is malware that activates when the victim downloads it.



Executive Fraud



At first glance, it doesn’t seem likely that executive fraud phishing attacks would work. During particularly stressful or fast-paced times, though, they can be highly effective.



To elaborate, let’s assume that nearly every employee at a particular company is working overtime for the remainder of the quarter. Internal emails are constantly being sent at a large frequency on a daily basis.



Somewhere in the mix, a hacker slips an email to their victim that is disguised as being from the company’s CEO. The message conveys that the victim needs to provide certain financial documents in order to receive their overtime pay for the past few weeks.



When certain factors align, the victim might provide this information without thinking twice about it only to later discover the CEO never sent an email asking for these documents.



Vishing



Unlike conventional types of phishing attacks, vishing utilizes phone calls as opposed to emails or messages in order to take advantage of their victim. But, this type of attack is far more different than a conventional scam call that you might get.



Criminals who use vishing even go as far as spoofing the identification credentials that appear with the victim receives their call. With the right technology in place, it’s possible for a malicious actor to pose as virtually any individual or institution.



When the victim answers the phone, the scammer will also typically use a large amount of technical jargon in an attempt to convince the victim of their false identity. This is particularly true when scammers target people who work in the technology or healthcare sectors.



Occasionally, they may even mumble when posed with a direct question in hopes that the victim will simply accept the answer. In both scenarios, those who conduct vishing attacks are very aggressive on the phone and are likely to use fear as a motivator.



In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for people to receive phone calls declaring that their Social Security number was currently under investigation due to being associated with a federal crime. They are then asked to provide a certain amount of information in order to prove their identity, which the hacker then steals and uses for their own gain.



Cache Poisoning



Just like how hackers are able to spoof caller ID, they can also spoof the identity of an entire website. These scenarios are far more dangerous because it is often the individual themselves who is attempting to access the website.



In the case of receiving a phone call, the victim more than likely did not expect to receive a call asking for sensitive data.



Cache poisoning most often occurs when a hacker hijacks a DNS server and reconfigures it to return the hacker's IP address as opposed to that of the site owner. For example, let’s assume that a cybercriminal managed to successfully hack the login page of Twitter and create a false version of this page that is accessed through a specific link.



When users interact with this false page, they might have their login credentials stolen if they enter them into the appropriate fields. Additionally, they might also inadvertently have malware installed on their computers.



Using the aforementioned Twitter example, you might receive an email that fraudulently poses as being from Twitter’s support team. In context, this message might say something like “our team flagged a recent post you made. Please review it here.”



It’s exceedingly unlikely for this scenario to occur if you type the address of the website into your browser on your own. So, keep this in mind when you receive a link from a suspicious source.



What Can I Do to Protect Myself?



Protecting yourself against phishing attacks might seem overwhelming. This is especially true given how many variants exist.



Fortunately, there is a handful of steps that you can take in order to protect your organization. Listed below are some of the most effective.



Be Vigilant When Reading Emails/Messages



One of the easiest ways to recognize a phishing attack that you encounter is through the presence of errors in the message. For example, there could be numerous misspellings, the message could be addressed to the wrong individual, etc.



Additionally, the message might ask for information that you don’t have access to.



To keep yourself safe as possible, though, it’s highly recommended to vigilantly read messages they receive even if they are from a trusted source. As previously mentioned, even a single mistake could have adverse consequences that can be difficult to recover from.



It’s also worth mentioning that you should keep an eye out for messages that you receive from foreign sources. Unless your organization frequently deals with international clients, there’s a large chance that these messages are attempting to procure valuable data from you.



Watch Out for Threats or Short Deadlines



Like we mentioned before, fear is an effective motivator in many scenarios. So, many phishing attacks will incorporate threats or quickly approaching deadlines in an attempt to scare people into providing their personal data.



In most cases, the deadlines imposed by a legitimate source will be fairly lenient.



For instance, the financial institution might give someone 30 days to take a particular action before the consequence occurs. They wouldn’t give somebody 24 hours to do so.



Similarly, a legitimate source would never use aggressive language that aims to instill fear into the victim.



Using the financial institution example, you won't get a message from a bank that tells you that they are about to immediately remove access to your accounts, freeze your funds, etc. unless you take a certain action.



Things can get a bit complicated when a malicious actor poses as a representative of a government agency, though.



Consequences for not following government regulations are often harsh and even legitimate messages can seem threatening. If you are unsure, follow up with the institution the message claims to be from.



Generic Greetings



Messages that require you to take a specific action will almost always be addressed to you as an individual. So, they will often start with your name, title, etc.



If a message already seems suspicious and then you notice it begins with “dear lady,” there’s a strong chance that this is a phishing attack that has been sent to hundreds of thousands of people.



More often than not, a message that begins with a generic greeting will ask you to follow a link or download an attachment in order to learn more information about the reason behind the message.



Inconsistent Email Domains



This is an attribute of a phishing attack that many people tend to overlook. But, it’s a notably common occurrence.



In practice, the malicious actor will send the victim a message under the guise of being from a legitimate source. However, the email domain that they use will not align with the institution they claim to be from.



To elaborate, let’s assume you receive a message from Apple claiming that your Apple ID has been compromised and that you need to immediately change your password. But, the email comes from an address called applesupporthelp@gmail.com and not the official source.



If you overlook this information, there’s a chance that you may believe the message and click the link they provide in order to change your password. Of course, this link will ask you for your login information, which will then be relayed to the hacker.



First-time senders



All senders are first-time senders at some point. But, if you receive a message claiming to be from a familiar source that your email application marks as a first-time sender, this is a huge red flag that you need to consider.



More often than not, any email that has a link or attachment will be flagged if it is sent from an address you have never interacted with. Phishing attacks are relatively common, so receiving a message like this isn’t an abnormal occurrence.



What is out of the ordinary, however, is having a message flagged by your email platform even though it appears to be from a familiar source. Always be wary of this scenario so that you can avoid falling for online scams.



Preventing Phishing Attacks Is Essential



So this is an obligation that simply can’t be ignored.



Fortunately, the above information will ensure that you will be able to efficiently prevent phishing attacks and protect your company’s sensitive information.



Want to learn more about what Be Structured has to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Security

#### How to Secure Your Web Browser From Threats
We spend a huge amount of our day-to-day lives online. According to recent statistics, we spend around 100 days per year on the internet for both work and leisure. This means that web browser security is of the utmost importance: keeping our browsing safe can cut down on a lot of computer security risks.



Yet what does good web browser security look like in practice? What steps do you need to take to secure your web browsers and keep your computer safe?



In this guide, we're going to take a look at what steps you should take to make your web browser's security stronger, both at work and at home. Ready to learn more and stay safe? Then read on!



1. Keep Your Browser and Plugins Updated



The most important step that you can take to improve your web browser's security is to keep your browser updated. As with other software, web browser updates tend to be in place to improve security and patch up any existing security holes. 



Your browser will typically notify you when there is an update available, and we'd recommend that you install the update as soon as you can. The longer you go without updating, the higher the risk of your existing security flaws being exploited by hackers.



The same rule applies to any extensions that you're using. As a general rule, your browser will keep the plugins updated without any input on your part, but there are times when an update will need new permissions and you'll need to review them and manually allow the update. When this happens, make this a priority and close off any potential security flaws!



2. Block Ads



Malware is a serious threat to businesses. It can cost you working hours, it can take your website down, and it can lead to lost data. However, even if you try your best to lock down your computer and limit attack vectors, your web browser could be letting you down.



Malware can lurk in advertisements, hiding their malicious code in an ordinary-looking banner ad. This is called malvertising and it's a common way for malware to spread.



So, how can you protect against malvertising? 



Turn on Your Pop-Up Blocker



The first thing that you should do is turn on your browser's pop-up blocker. Most browsers come with a feature that blocks pop-ups but it's not always enabled by default. You should be able to find it in your browser's settings menu.



To turn it on Chrome, you need to go to settings, then click on "privacy and security," then "site settings," and finally "pop-ups and redirects." Here, you can turn this protective feature on and cut out some of the most annoying and potentially dangerous online ads.



Install an Adblocker



Next up, you should install an adblocker. These add-ons block a huge range of ads and come with blacklists that are updated regularly, so you're always getting great protection against ads.



There is a wide range of different adblocker extensions but two of the most popular ones are Ublock Origin and Adblock Plus.



By using one of these and your browser's pop-up blocker, you'll considerably cut the risk of being infected by malvertising.



3. Force an HTTPS Connection



HTTP is the standard protocol for the World Wide Web, yet it isn't secure by default. A standard HTTP connection doesn't encrypt any of your information.



This is why looking for the little padlock icon in your address bar is important when you're making a payment or transmitting other sensitive information. The padlock means that you're not connected with HTTP, but with HTTPS. 



HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL technology to encrypt any information that you transmit. This means that to anyone who intercepts it, your information will be scrambled, rendering it useless. 



Normally HTTPS is only used for certain pages, but you can force an HTTPS connection to any website that you want with a simple extension called HTTPS Everywhere.



This add-on makes every connection secure and keeps your information safe from interception.



4. Synchronize Your Browser Data



Many browsers now allow you to create an account that lets you synchronize your browser data across multiple devices. This can be very convenient and save you time, but it can also boost your security.



This is because it will synchronize your bookmarks. 



When you bookmark a page, you can go back to it with a single click. This prevents you from mistyping the URL and being the victim of typosquatting. This is where a fraudster will register a domain that is very similar to a legitimate domain, hoping to catch and defraud people who make typos.



For example, if you wanted to visit YouTube, a typosquatter could register "Youtub.com" and use it to harvest YouTube account details.



Synchronizing your bookmarks across all of your devices means less time spent typing in URLs and cuts the risk of typosquatting significantly.



5. Use a VPN



If you want to go a step beyond HTTPS, you should consider using a virtual private network, or VPN. This software creates a secure tunnel between your computer and an end node situated elsewhere, and between these two points, all of your data is encrypted.



This means that when you're using public Wi-Fi, which is typically unsecured, your data will still be secure. Unlike HTTPS, VPNs also protect other data and other protocols on your computer, too.



So, for instance, if you need to connect to your workplace's file server using FTP, a VPN will keep your files secure in transit. If you need to use remote access to log into your work computer, this will be secure.



Using a VPN is a must when you're on home and public networks and is an essential component of a strong network security setup. 



6. Only Use Extensions That You Can Trust



If you're using a popular browser, you'll have a lot of different extensions that you can choose from. However, adding an extension to an online library isn't difficult and the permissions that extensions can request are extensive. This means that extension libraries can be a hive of malware.



There's no guaranteed way to know whether an extension is safe or not, even if you have antivirus software installed. So, what can you do to lessen the likelihood of installing a malicious extension?



First off, we would recommend taking a look at the number of people who use the extension. If millions of people have installed the extension, it's likely safe. While it may be easy to upload to the extension libraries, their owners delete extensions that are known to be malicious: the more people who have installed it, the more likely it is that a malicious extension would be noticed.



Secondly, you can Google the extension and see whether it's been reviewed by an established website or magazine. If there's anything problematic about the extension, they're likely to have detected it.



You can also take a look at who made the extension. If it's made by a large and well-known company, it's more likely to be safe.



7. Use a Password Manager and 2FA



As with many facets of computer security, good browser security also depends on strong passwords. If you use the same password for everything and enter it on one typosquatted or otherwise fraudulent site, those fraudsters now have your login for everything else, too.



The answer is to use a strong password on each site, yet remembering these tough passwords can be difficult. The solution lies in using a password manager. This software keeps all of your passwords safe in an encrypted vault that you access with one master password, which means this is the only one you need to remember.



When you make a new account, most password managers will also make a secure password for you that's made up of letters, numbers, and special characters.



However, sometimes strong passwords aren't enough. Even the strongest passwords can get cracked. When it comes to your most important accounts, you should be using two-factor authentication or 2FA.



When you use 2FA, you have to have another method to verify your login. So, for instance, you may ask the site to text you a code that you can enter to verify that it is you that's logging in. You could also use a physical dongle, an authenticator app, or biometrics.



This adds an extra level of security to your most important accounts, an invaluable addition.



8. Check Links Before You Click



Whether you're browsing your email inbox, checking out Twitter, or reading a blog, it's a poor idea to click your links without checking where they go. Hover over a link, and you can see where you'll go if you click it, and it may not be where you think!



This tactic is often used by fraudsters in phishing emails. They may tell you to click a link to go to PayPal, which will instead take you to another website entirely. 



If the link isn't going to take you to the right website, don't click it. 



9. Turn Autofill Off



While autofilling your contact details, billing address, or even card details can be a very useful feature, it also opens you up to a lot of risks. As this GitHub program shows, it's very easy for criminals to hide certain fields from the user that are nevertheless filled by your browser's autofill feature. This means that while you may think you're only autofilling your name, you're actually giving your attacker a lot of information.



Not only is it risky for this reason, but autofill could also cause problems if your device is stolen.



You can find autofill in your browser's settings. In Chrome, you need to go to settings and then "autofill" to turn it off. 



10. Limit Cookie Tracking



While cookies are an important part of the modern internet, they can also cause security issues. Cookies are small files that store useful information and can track you around the internet. 



If you turn them off completely, you can break a lot of websites, yet if you leave them on, malware can use the information that's stored inside them to its advantage. So what's the right solution?



The solution is to limit cookie's tracking abilities. To do this, you need to block third-party cookies. If you want to do this in Chrome, you need to open up settings, then go to "privacy and security," then "cookies and other site data." 



Here, you're able to turn off third-party cookies in either incognito or regular browsing, as well as turning off all cookies.



11. Clear Your Cache Regularly



Your browser caches information that it's downloaded once, which can make it quicker to access next time. While this can be handy, it also has the potential to cause security issues, especially if it caches sensitive data such as online banking pages.



You can set your browser to clear your cache every time you close it, which can eliminate this risk. To do this in Chrome, you need to go back to the "cookies and other site data" page in your settings, then scroll down and click on "clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome."



These Tips Give You the Web Browser Security That You Need



If you follow the tips that we've outlined, your web browser security will be far stronger, which can eliminate a massive range of threats. However, this is only one facet of computer security. 



If you run a business, computer and network security should be one of your top priorities, but managing security for your business can feel like a full-time job. We're here to help you: our expert staff can make your business safer and more resilient, giving you the protection you need and allowing you to focus on running your business.



For more information about how we can help you, get in touch with us.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, malware, Ransomware

#### How to Select the Best Business IT Services Provider
The IT industry is worth a massive $5.2 trillion, and as more people and businesses find a need for IT services, it will continue to build in value.

Are you searching for time and money-saving business IT services?

If so, you've come to the right place. We've got some tips on choosing the best business IT services and security for your company. Read on to learn more now.
Determine What Your Tech Needs Are?
The first thing you need to do is assess the current technology needs of your company. It may help to create a list of your needs to ensure the managed IT services you select align with these needs.

You've got to understand where your company is starting and the goal of where you want to end up after hiring an IT support company. You should ask yourself some things to determine the best path to take.

How much of an investment does your company want to make in its IT services, whether short or long-term? Do you plan to begin an expansion project within the next five years?

Where is your company currently concerning its IT activities? These are just a few questions, but they provide great insight into your needs moving forward.

When you need to make any decisions for your organization, you have to understand the company's starting point. By doing this, when you do find the managed IT services provider you want to use, they can help create a plan that will be used to help you reach the goal.
Ask Your Network
The next step in choosing an IT service provider is to ask people within your network for their recommendations. If they have a business similar in size to yours, they may already have success working with an IT service provider.

If they utilize an IT service provider, take this as an opportunity to ask various questions. How much do they budget to pay the provider? What is the communication style of the provider?

Are they proactive or reactive-modeled? Asking for a referral gives you firsthand knowledge of the company you could potentially work with. If you don't know anyone that could provide a referral, you could always take some time to review past client testimonials.

They will provide information about the pros and cons of working with the IT agency. Once you've taken the time to review what people have had to say, you can determine if you want to move forward with hiring them.
Go With Proactive Over Reactive
As mentioned above, you need to consider whether a company uses a proactive or reactive model when providing its IT services. There is a significant difference in the approaches because if a company is reactive, it means they are only taking action after something like a security breach occurs.

The issue is that valuable client data can be lost before your IT provider determines a breach is in progress. However, if you choose Los Angeles IT support that is proactive, it means they take the inactive to decide on the potential risks that could happen and implement the proper security measures to mitigate them.

By being proactive, you can ensure that breaches that cost you data or loss of company funds in penalties are avoided.
Is Security a Priority
With IT security in Los Angeles, you need to ensure that providing optimal security is of the utmost importance to the company. When a security breach takes place, not only is data lost, but it can also lead to your reputation being damaged.

This happens because your clients provide you with data they trust you to manage and use properly. They also provide it to you with the understanding that you will protect the data you're given.

If these things don't happen, you can quickly ruin the reputation you've worked hard to build. The best way to mitigate dealing with this is to ensure that the outsourced tech support companies you work with put security first.

To assess their practices, ask about the security practices they use. It should also be asked how the provider manages data privacy for their clients.
Look For a Customizable Plan in Your Area
It's always beneficial to find local IT support to be available quickly in case of an emergency.

Southern California based companies should look for Los Angeles IT support firms to assure that a tech will be quick to respond if remote help is not an option and an onsite visit is suddenly necessary.

Next, when searching for the right Los Angeles IT support, you'll want to find managed IT services that allow you to customize the plan to your business needs. As a business, you don't want to pay for services you're not using or going to use.

No company is the same, which means the needs and wants of your company won't be the same for other companies that might be operating within the same niche. Therefore, you need the flexibility to create an IT security plan that works for your business.

The best way to do this is to start by setting a budget you will allocate to your business IT services and security. After you've determined the amount of money you will dedicate to these services, you can find providers with plans that fall within your budget.

If they don't have plans that meet your budget, you can ask if you can piece together services to create a plan that will remain within your budget and fulfill your needs.
Choosing Business IT Services Correctly
When you're choosing business IT services, there are several things you can do to ensure you make the right choice. We recommend asking someone within your business network for a suggestion.

It also helps if you set a budget before hiring a company to provide these services. Contact Be Structured Technology Group and allow us to fulfill all your outsourced tech support needs.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### How to Tell If Your Business Needs Dedicated Managed IT Services
Managing the growth of your business can be challenging. It can be tough to decide when to bring on new employees. It can be even tougher to decide when you need to expand to dedicated outsourced IT support services.

Most companies don't have a dedicated IT department. It's not that it wouldn't help their business. It's just that having a dedicated IT department in-house requires a lot of resources.

But, what could you and your team do if you had a dedicated IT department? IT is becoming more important by the day. Data is quickly becoming a business's most important asset.

Sure, it may cost some money to set up a dedicated IT department. And, there's a chance your business may not be ready for it. But, if you take the time to set it up properly, an IT department could be just the thing you need to maximize your team's potential.

Today, we're going to show you exactly why you need to consider creating a dedicated IT department. We'll talk about what it is and show you some signs that you're ready to bring IT staff on board.

So, read on and discover what the right IT solutions can do for you and your business.
What Is a Dedicated IT Department?
A company dedicated to managed IT services in Los Angeles, for example, is a way for small Southern Californian businesses to leverage the power of having their own IT department in-house without having their own IT department in-house.

Confusing?

Not really.

As we mentioned earlier, data and data management are becoming more important by the day. Small businesses need to be able to keep up. But, a full-blown IT department could cost enough to bankrupt small to midsize businesses.

That's where a dedicated IT department comes in.

Small businesses can receive the same tech support as a major corporation for a fraction of the cost. The result is that businesses can focus on growing and scaling without worrying if their system will support their efforts or not.

A dedicated IT department can help you achieve this by providing their IT services on a subscription basis. You don't have to bring them in-house. They don't work as part of your team.

But, when you hire them, they become part of the team and are there to help guide you through every IT issue.
You Can't Do It Alone
It's easy for entrepreneurs to think they can handle everything themselves. Most of them feel that no one does things as well as they can. And, while that may be true, someone can do it well enough.

You may think because you've been around modern technology and you're pretty handy with a computer, you're ready to handle your company's IT needs. While we support your confidence level, we encourage you to think about leaving it to the professionals.

You're supposed to be focused on the highest and best use of your time. For an entrepreneur, that's growing your business. A dedicated IT staff allows you to do that without breaking the bank.
The Cost of Outsourced IT Support Servcies
If you don't work with a dedicated IT department, what's the alternative? Well, the alternative would be hiring an in-house IT department. Let's take a look at what that costs.

According to payscale.com, the average salary for an IT support specialist is $50,732. You'll also need to pay to train them, bring on HR staff, and pay for other administrative duties. Experts say that may run you about another $65,000.

But, those are the numbers for one person. You're going to need an IT team. You may need at least one or two more support specialists. And, you'll need to put an IT manager in place to run the show.

By the time you're all said and done, having a proper IT department in-house can cost you well into six figures in expenses. Leading companies in the field say that running an IT department properly can cost a company anywhere between $240,000 and $400,000.

Small businesses can still receive the same level of support for a fraction of the cost by hiring outsourced tech support companies.
Signs You Need Managed IT Services
You might be wondering, "does my business need an IT department?" Although it's the better option for small businesses, hiring a dedicated outsourced IT department or service still costs money. And, when your business is small, budgeting is very important.

That's why you need to make sure your company is ready to outsource IT services.

Here are the seven top signs that you need to hand off your IT responsibilities to the pros.
1. There's Been a Cyberattack
If you and your team have recently been through a cyberattack, you may want to consider bringing on some IT help. Most businesses experience a cyberattack at some point. So much of our business is done on the cloud, that it's only a matter of time.

A large portion of hacking victims are small businesses. And, each time one of these attacks are successful, it can cost your team a lot of money. It can cost you in lawsuits, lost revenue, and damage to your reputation.

Some businesses are lucky enough to go through a cyberattack and come out the other side with minimal damage. Either way, after a cyberattack it makes sense to consider hiring a dedicated IT service.

They can offer you expertise that you don't have access to in-house. They can also help you to see things from a perspective you didn't have before. A new set of eyes on a problem never hurts.
2. Your IT Support Team Is Going Through Burnout
If you're fortunate enough to have a small IT team on board already, you want to keep them as sharp as possible. Relying on them for every single IT task, big and small, is a surefire way to overburden them. The result is your IT staff being tired, overworked, and it leaves them with low employee morale.

When employees are in that sort of condition, that's when important things start to slip through the cracks. Bringing on a dedicated IT department will relieve your team of some of their burden.

They are free to focus on more hands-on IT tasks like software updates and minor fixes. Then, they can leave the tasks that require more advanced IT skills to your dedicated team of professionals.

Less stress, less pressure, and fewer headaches mean better performance all around.
3. Customer Service Problems
For your business to thrive, you need to have a robust online presence. As a result, problems are going to pop up often. If you're spending all of your time putting out "IT fires", when are you going to have time to serve your customers?

Attracting new customers, caring for their needs, and caring for the customers you have are the most important functions of your business. Part of the new era of business is that customers want you to cater to them. Experts in sales and customer service say customers want you to cater to their individual needs now more than ever.

They want an individualized experience from your business. And, they want it faster than ever before. If your customers have a bad experience, they'll end up going elsewhere.

Even worse, your customers may take to social media to tell everyone what a bad experience they had. That's the last thing you want for your business.

Putting IT in the hands of a dedicated IT department will allow you to focus on the people that got you here: your customers.
4. Wasting Time and Money
Cybercriminals are getting smarter by the day. It's getting to the point where it's becoming hard for businesses to keep up. If cybersecurity risks are starting to occupy most of your time, thoughts, and money, it may be time to outsource your IT.

Hiring a dedicated IT service allows you to sleep better and focus more time on what's important. It also allows you to budget more efficiently.

It's hard to budget for IT services if you don't know what that cost is going to be every month. And, if you're running around trying to manage your IT department yourself, that's exactly what's going to happen. Costs will fluctuate as you do whatever it takes to keep your cybersecurity afloat.

With dedicated IT services, you can keep better track of your expenses. You can count on that bill being the same month in and month out. This allows you to focus your time and energy to budget for more important aspects of the business like marketing and customer service.
5. You Handle Sensitive Data
If you're in an industry where you handle sensitive data you can't afford to make a mistake. Certain industries like healthcare and government work are governed by data compliance laws. The most popular of these is in the healthcare space.

Everyone has heard of HIPAA laws. These laws govern the way that healthcare workers manage patient data. Patients' personally identifiable data needs to be protected at all costs.

If healthcare workers violate these laws, even by accident, they can be subject to significant fines and legal penalties. If the industry you work in has similar laws in place, you may want to consider farming out your IT and cybersecurity.

An IT company that provides dedicated IT services will be equipped with resources you don't have access to. They'll have the latest and greatest equipment and cybersecurity on hand to make sure your data stays protected at all times. They also have the financial resources to hire the best and brightest in the field.

The result is state-of-the-art equipment and innovative solutions at your disposal.
6. Your Team Meetings Take Forever
Meetings have their purpose. But, most of the time, meetings are a huge time suck. And, if you're in a meeting where nothing is getting accomplished, it can drain employee energy and morale.

A lot of time is wasted getting the meeting up and running in the first place. You or your staff need to get the Wi-Fi to work. Then, you need to fire up GoToMeeting or Zoom.

When the meeting finally starts, there are still issues getting team members to show up on-screen or hearing others' input without the audio breaking up. Any of these issues could take a 15-minute meeting and easily make it last an hour.

This might seem like an insignificant reason for IT services, but minutes wasted over time can add up. A dedicated IT department can help you troubleshoot these issues so they no longer slow your team down.
7. You Don't Have A Backup Plan
Attacks on your system are inevitable. That's why cybersecurity is such an important part of what dedicated IT services can do for you. But, in addition to cybersecurity, you also need to protect your system on the backend.

If a hacking attempt gets through your front-end security measures, you and your team need to have a backup and recovery plan in place. You'll also need a backup plan to protect you from any server or hard drive crashes.

It can be overwhelming to decide what needs to be backed up. Especially when you're dealing with a whole company's worth of files.

That's one of the benefits of a dedicated IT department. The IT professionals you're working with can show you exactly what you need to backup. They can also advise you on which type of backup to choose.

Depending on your business, it may make more sense for you to backup your data on-premises. Other businesses may benefit from a cloud or hybrid solution. It's the job of your dedicated IT team to know what's best for your business.

Once they show you what to back up, and how to back it up, they can use this knowledge to help you create an effective disaster recovery system.
Dedicated IT Delivers
If your small business is experiencing any of the problems above, you owe it to yourself to check out a dedicated IT department. Our team at Be Structured can provide you with whatever IT services your team may need.

Contact us today to see how to get started. If you have any other IT questions, we'd be happy to help you with those as well.

 
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Extra, IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs, Tips & Tricks

#### How to Use Business Intelligence for Better IT Management
​Every organization depends on technology to deliver results, but not every organization uses that technology intelligently. The difference between success and inefficiency often comes down to how well decisions are informed by data. 
Strong IT service management connects every aspect of technology performance, cost, and security to measurable insights that guide smarter business outcomes.
Business intelligence gives IT leaders the ability to move from reaction to anticipation. Instead of waiting for systems to fail or budgets to tighten, data-driven IT management helps predict issues, optimize spending, and improve service quality before problems arise. 
With the right tools and processes, technology teams can make decisions grounded in facts rather than assumptions. As organizations integrate analytics into IT management, they not only improve technical performance but also align technology investments with broader business goals. Data turns IT from a cost center into a strategic driver of value.
Why Data-Driven IT Management Matters
Data has become one of the most powerful resources for organizations, and IT departments sit at the center of it. The growing reliance on cloud services, digital collaboration tools, and automation has created massive volumes of information about performance, usage, and user behavior. 
Turning that information into actionable insight is what separates high-performing organizations from the rest. Research shows that organizations that are highly data-driven are three times more likely to report significant improvements in decision-making than those relying less on data. This advantage reflects more than access to information, as it also represents the ability to use that information effectively.
IT management services informed by data allows teams to monitor performance trends, track asset utilization, and measure service levels with precision. These insights make it easier to justify technology investments and identify areas where improvements will have the greatest impact.
Linking Business Intelligence with IT Management Services
Business intelligence and IT management share a common goal: improving decision-making. The two disciplines intersect when technology teams use analytics to assess infrastructure performance, system reliability, and risk exposure. 
With automated reporting tools, organizations can monitor uptime, track application usage, and analyze costs across departments. When paired with visualization dashboards, these insights make performance data accessible and understandable to both technical and business leaders.
Intelligence (BI) and business analytics (BA) with key performance indicators (KPI) dashboard concept.
Instead of reviewing isolated incidents, decision-makers can identify patterns over time, such as recurring network bottlenecks or peak usage hours, and use that knowledge to prioritize resources effectively.
Data-driven monitoring also improves forecasting. Predictive analytics can identify when hardware will need replacement, when cloud storage costs might spike, or when usage trends indicate that additional bandwidth will be required. This proactive approach allows IT leaders to plan ahead rather than react under pressure.
Building a Culture of Data-Driven IT Management
Technology alone cannot transform an organization. The shift toward data-driven IT resource management requires cultural alignment. Teams must value evidence over assumption, transparency over guesswork, and long-term optimization over quick fixes. 
That mindset empowers IT departments to act as advisors rather than troubleshooters. Strong governance frameworks are essential for maintaining consistent data quality. Inaccurate or incomplete information can lead to poor decisions and wasted investment. 
Automated data collection and centralized dashboards help ensure that decision-makers always work with reliable information. Evidence also shows that data-driven decision-making was found to be strongly associated with increased productivity. 
The more consistently organizations use analytics to guide their actions, the more efficient and resilient they become. That's the benefits of IT asset management. This pattern holds true across industries, proving that better data directly contributes to better outcomes.
Improving IT Performance Through Monitoring and Analytics
Modern IT environments are complex, often spanning multiple data centers, cloud platforms, and hybrid networks. Monitoring performance across this landscape requires tools that collect and analyze data in real time. 
Intelligent monitoring platforms consolidate alerts, performance logs, and usage statistics into a unified view. These systems help teams detect inefficiencies, track response times, and identify vulnerabilities before they affect users. 
With data-backed visibility, IT managers can pinpoint issues at the source and prioritize fixes based on business impact. This approach prevents small problems from escalating into costly outages. Incorporating predictive analytics further enhances performance management. 
Historical data can reveal patterns that suggest when systems are likely to fail or degrade. Addressing these risks proactively prevents disruptions and extends equipment life cycles.
Using IT Security Management to Strengthen Security
Data-driven IT management also strengthens cybersecurity strategy. Tracking user behavior, login activity, and system changes helps identify anomalies that could indicate breaches. Correlating this information with asset inventories allows teams to spot unauthorized devices or outdated software before they become threats.
Strong analytics practices also make compliance reporting easier. Regulatory frameworks often require detailed records of data access, retention, and incident response. Automated reports save time while improving accuracy and accountability.
Security also depends on backup resilience. Data analytics can verify the frequency, integrity, and recovery performance of backups. This ensures that systems remain ready to prevent data loss and recover quickly from any incident.
Safeguarding Data Integrity and Availability
An intelligent IT management strategy includes a focus on business continuity. System monitoring and automation can minimize downtime, but resilience ultimately depends on strong backup and recovery planning.
Reliable data backup and protection services are essential for organizations that rely heavily on digital infrastructure. Automated backups, offsite replication, and encryption protect valuable assets from both physical and cyber threats.
Interactive data dashboards, emphasizing analytics and visualization in business strategies, enhancing decision-making through insightful data representation.
These measures ensure that critical data can be restored quickly after an incident, minimizing disruption to operations. Equally important is access control. Proper configuration of permissions and identity management systems helps keep company data safe from unauthorized access. Continuous auditing of these systems ensures compliance and reduces the likelihood of accidental data exposure.
Turning Data into Continuous Improvement
Effective IT management is not a one-time initiative but a continuous process of improvement. Analytics tools can measure how technology changes affect performance, allowing teams to evaluate ROI and refine strategies over time.
For example, performance data might reveal that certain workloads perform better on specific cloud platforms, or that automated patching reduces incident rates by a measurable percentage. These insights allow organizations to reallocate budgets and refine architectures for maximum efficiency.
Continuous improvement also supports sustainability goals. By tracking energy usage and hardware performance, IT teams can identify opportunities to reduce consumption and extend the lifespan of existing equipment. Data-driven planning creates an environment where every investment contributes to long-term efficiency.
Aligning Technology Decisions with Business Outcomes
The ultimate goal of using business intelligence for IT management is alignment and ensuring that technology decisions support business objectives. When IT leaders use data to measure outcomes and guide resource allocation, technology becomes an enabler of growth rather than a source of risk.
Collaboration between IT and other departments plays a major role in this alignment. Finance, operations, and leadership teams must all have access to the same performance data and understand how it connects to business metrics. This shared visibility fosters accountability and helps align technology priorities with organizational goals.
As the reliance on digital infrastructure continues to grow, the organizations that succeed will be those that make data central to every IT decision. Insightful analysis will replace guesswork, creating more agile, secure, and cost-efficient operations.
Turning Data into Direction
Data-driven IT management turns every system interaction into an opportunity for improvement. Through business intelligence, organizations can transform raw information into actionable strategies that improve performance, strengthen security, and optimize costs. 
The most successful technology leaders use analytics not only to track performance but to anticipate future challenges and opportunities. At Be Structured, we specialize in helping organizations unlock the power of their data through advanced monitoring, analytics, and security integration. 
Our industry-specific solutions combine business intelligence with hands-on IT expertise to enhance decision-making, performance, and resilience. Let us help you build a smarter, more data-driven technology environment. Schedule a free consultation today.
FAQs on Data-Driven IT Solutions
1. What is data-driven IT management? Data-driven IT management uses analytics and business intelligence to guide technology decisions based on measurable insights rather than assumptions. It helps organizations monitor performance trends, track asset utilization, and predict issues before they impact operations, transforming IT from a cost center into a strategic driver of value.
2. Why does data-driven IT management matter for businesses? Organizations that are highly data-driven are three times more likely to report significant improvements in decision-making. Data-driven IT management enables teams to optimize spending, improve service quality, and align technology investments with broader business goals through actionable insights.
3. How does business intelligence improve IT service management? Business intelligence connects technology performance, cost, and security to measurable insights that guide smarter decisions. Automated reporting tools and visualization dashboards make performance data accessible to both technical and business leaders, enabling them to identify patterns and prioritize resources effectively.
4. What role does predictive analytics play in IT management? Predictive analytics identifies when hardware needs replacement, when cloud storage costs might spike, or when additional bandwidth will be required. This proactive approach allows IT leaders to plan ahead rather than react under pressure, preventing disruptions and extending equipment life cycles.
5. How does data-driven IT management strengthen cybersecurity? Tracking user behavior, login activity, and system changes helps identify anomalies that could indicate security breaches. Correlating this information with asset inventories allows teams to spot unauthorized devices or outdated software before they become threats, while automated reports improve compliance accuracy.
6. What are the key benefits of IT performance monitoring and analytics? Intelligent monitoring platforms consolidate alerts, performance logs, and usage statistics into a unified view that helps detect inefficiencies and identify vulnerabilities before they affect users. Data-backed visibility enables IT managers to pinpoint issues at the source and prioritize fixes based on business impact.
7. How do automated backups support business continuity? Automated backups, offsite replication, and encryption protect valuable assets from both physical and cyber threats, ensuring critical data can be restored quickly after an incident. Data analytics can verify backup frequency, integrity, and recovery performance to minimize downtime and prevent data loss.
8. What cultural changes are needed for data-driven IT management? Organizations must value evidence over assumption, transparency over guesswork, and long-term optimization over quick fixes. Strong governance frameworks ensure consistent data quality, while automated data collection and centralized dashboards help decision-makers work with reliable information.
9. How does data-driven IT management support sustainability goals? By tracking energy usage and hardware performance, IT teams can identify opportunities to reduce consumption and extend the lifespan of existing equipment. Data-driven planning ensures every technology investment contributes to long-term efficiency and environmental responsibility.
10. How can IT align technology decisions with business outcomes? Using business intelligence to measure outcomes and guide resource allocation ensures technology supports business objectives rather than creating risk. Shared visibility across finance, operations, and leadership teams fosters accountability and helps align technology priorities with organizational goals.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services
- Tags: Business IT Support

#### How to Write IT Service Level Agreements That Protect Your Business
​Service failures rarely announce themselves in advance, which is why IT service level agreements exist to formalize expectations before problems occur. When organizations rely on outsourced tech support, a well-constructed SLA becomes the primary mechanism for defining accountability, performance standards, and response obligations that protect day-to-day operations.
An SLA is more than a contractual formality. It establishes how technology services are delivered, measured, escalated, and corrected when performance falls short.
Without clear agreements, even capable providers can create operational risk through delays, misaligned priorities, or unclear ownership. Strong SLAs reduce ambiguity and create predictable outcomes.

Why IT Service Level Agreements Matter More Than Ever
Modern IT environments depend on external providers for cloud platforms, security tools, software updates, and infrastructure support. Each dependency introduces risk when expectations are not explicitly defined.
SLAs translate technical services into measurable commitments. They provide clarity around uptime, responsiveness, and resolution responsibilities.
As technology ecosystems become more complex, SLAs help ensure service delivery aligns with operational requirements rather than vendor convenience. This alignment protects continuity and reduces exposure to avoidable disruptions.

A Real-World Example of SLA Failure Risk
In 2024, Delta Air Lines experienced widespread operational disruption linked to a faulty security update from CrowdStrike. The incident caused system outages, flight delays, and cascading operational impacts across the airline’s network.


SLA contract signing.

Having a proper IT service level agreement will make all of your business interactions run smoothly.
While CrowdStrike tools are widely trusted, the event highlighted how third-party updates can affect critical systems when controls, testing, or rollback processes fail. Incidents like this illustrate the exact risks IT service level agreements are designed to mitigate.
Effective SLAs define how updates are tested, deployed, validated, and reversed. They also clarify responsibility when vendor actions directly impact business operations.

IT Service Level Agreements Best Practice
Strong SLAs clearly define the scope of services covered. This includes which systems, applications, and environments fall under the agreement.
Performance metrics form the foundation of enforceable SLAs. Uptime percentages, response times, and resolution targets must be measurable and realistic.
Escalation procedures ensure issues receive appropriate attention when initial response efforts fail. Defined escalation paths reduce delays during critical incidents.
Penalties and service credits reinforce accountability. These mechanisms encourage consistent performance and provide recourse when service levels are missed.

Defining Uptime Guarantees That Reflect Operational Reality
Uptime guarantees must reflect actual business requirements rather than generic benchmarks. Not all systems carry the same operational importance.
Critical systems often require higher availability thresholds and faster response times. Less critical services can tolerate longer restoration windows.
SLAs should specify how uptime is calculated and measured. Clear definitions prevent disputes during performance reviews.
Including maintenance windows and exclusions avoids confusion. Transparency ensures expectations remain realistic for both parties.

Response and Resolution Times That Support Continuity
Response time defines how quickly a provider acknowledges an issue. Resolution time defines how long it takes to restore service.
Both metrics matter, but resolution targets typically carry greater operational impact. A fast response without timely resolution offers limited protection.
SLAs should differentiate between severity levels. High-impact incidents require faster resolution commitments than minor service issues.
Well-defined timelines help internal teams plan contingencies and manage stakeholder expectations during disruptions.

Escalation Procedures and Decision Authority
Escalation clauses specify when and how issues move beyond frontline support. They also define who has authority to make corrective decisions.
Clear escalation paths prevent delays caused by internal handoffs or unclear responsibility. They also reduce frustration during high-pressure incidents.
Decision authority matters during outages that require rapid action. SLAs should clarify who can approve changes, rollbacks, or emergency fixes.
Without defined escalation processes, even capable providers may struggle to respond effectively under stress.

Common Pitfalls in SLA Drafting
Vague language undermines enforceability. Terms like “reasonable effort” or “best practice” lack measurable meaning.
Unrealistic performance targets can be just as damaging. Overly aggressive metrics may lead to corner-cutting or chronic noncompliance.
Another common pitfall is incomplete coverage. SLAs that omit update management, security incidents, or third-party dependencies leave critical gaps.
Periodic review clauses are often overlooked. SLAs must evolve as technology environments change.

Aligning IT Service Level Agreements with Business Objectives
Technical metrics alone do not capture business impact. SLAs work best when they align service delivery with operational outcomes.
Organizations that develop SLAs around business priorities report stronger vendor relationships. Studies show that organizations using business-aligned SLA frameworks experience higher satisfaction and greater perceived value from service investments compared to purely technical agreements.
Outcome-based metrics encourage providers to focus on reliability, performance, and user experience. This alignment strengthens long-term collaboration.
SLAs should reflect how technology supports revenue, productivity, and risk management rather than isolated system performance.

Avoiding the Trap of Transactional SLA Compliance
Industry research cautions against focusing exclusively on checkbox compliance. Analysts note that organizations measuring only transactional SLA metrics often constrain innovation and long-term value.
Gartner has advised organizations to incorporate outcome-driven metrics tied to business results rather than relying solely on compliance statistics. This approach encourages continuous improvement rather than minimum adherence.
Balanced SLAs combine quantitative metrics with qualitative performance reviews. This structure supports adaptability as technology needs evolve.
Providers perform best when SLAs reward long-term value creation rather than short-term metric optimization.

Measuring Compliance and Enforcing Accountability
Effective SLA management requires consistent monitoring and reporting. Metrics must be tracked independently and reviewed regularly.
Automated monitoring tools improve accuracy and transparency. Shared dashboards reduce disputes and build trust.
Review cycles provide opportunities to address recurring issues. They also help refine metrics that no longer reflect operational priorities.
Enforcement mechanisms must be practical. Service credits and remediation plans work best when tied to meaningful impact rather than punitive measures.


It's important to have a service-level agreement that both parties can equally agree upon in order to have a strong business partnership.
Flexibility for Evolving Technology Environments
Technology environments change rapidly through cloud adoption, security updates, and infrastructure modernization. SLAs must accommodate this evolution.
Change management clauses allow services to expand or shift without renegotiating the entire agreement. Flexibility prevents SLAs from becoming obstacles to progress.
Review triggers tied to major technology changes keep agreements current. This ensures SLAs continue to protect operations as dependencies evolve.
Rigid agreements often fail under change. Adaptive SLAs support resilience.

SLAs for Managed and Consulting-Based Services
Organizations relying on managed IT services face unique SLA considerations. Continuous monitoring, proactive maintenance, and incident prevention require different metrics than break-fix support.
Consulting engagements also benefit from clear SLAs. Defined deliverables, timelines, and communication standards reduce ambiguity.
Working with expert IT consultants requires clarity around scope, milestones, and accountability. SLAs help align advisory services with execution expectations.
Regional context also matters. Providers offering IT consulting in Los Angeles may need to account for local compliance requirements, response logistics, and infrastructure realities.

Practical Steps to Strengthen SLA Effectiveness
Start by auditing existing SLAs for clarity, relevance, and coverage gaps. Identify metrics that no longer align with operational priorities.
Engage stakeholders across IT, operations, and leadership. Cross-functional input improves alignment.
Define success criteria before negotiating metrics. Outcomes should drive measurement.
Establish regular review cycles with providers. Continuous dialogue strengthens performance.

Building Stronger Protection Through Smarter SLAs
Well-designed IT service level agreements protect operations by defining accountability, aligning performance with business priorities, and reducing vendor risk. Strong SLAs clarify expectations before incidents occur and provide structure when service delivery falters. 
At Be Structured, we help organizations design, negotiate, and manage IT service level agreements that safeguard infrastructure, improve reliability, and support long-term operational resilience. Schedule a free consultation today to strengthen your SLA strategy and reduce technology risk.

FAQs about IT Service Level Agreements

 	
What is an IT service level agreement (SLA)?An IT SLA is a contract that defines service expectations, performance metrics, responsibilities, and escalation procedures between a business and its IT provider.

 	
Why are IT SLAs important for businesses?SLAs reduce operational risk by setting clear accountability for uptime, response times, and issue resolution. They protect businesses when service failures occur.

 	
What should be included in an IT service level agreement?Key elements include service scope, uptime guarantees, response and resolution times, escalation procedures, and penalties or service credits for missed targets.

 	
How do SLAs help prevent IT service failures?SLAs establish testing, deployment, and rollback expectations before incidents happen. Clear procedures reduce delays and confusion during outages.

 	
What is the difference between response time and resolution time in an SLA?Response time measures how quickly an issue is acknowledged, while resolution time measures how long it takes to restore service. Resolution time has greater operational impact.

 	
What are common mistakes in IT SLA agreements?Common mistakes include vague language, unrealistic performance targets, incomplete coverage, and failure to update SLAs as technology environments change.

 	
How should uptime guarantees be defined in an SLA?Uptime should reflect system criticality and clearly state how availability is measured. Maintenance windows and exclusions should be explicitly documented.

 	
How do SLAs align IT services with business objectives?Business-aligned SLAs focus on outcomes like continuity, performance, and user experience rather than isolated technical metrics. This improves long-term value.

 	
How are SLA compliance and performance measured?Compliance is measured through monitoring tools, performance reports, and regular review meetings. Independent tracking improves transparency and accountability.

 	
Do managed IT services require different SLAs than break-fix support?Yes, managed services SLAs emphasize proactive monitoring, prevention, and continuous support rather than reactive issue resolution alone.
- Categories: IT Support, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: IT support

#### How You Can Maintain a Server Room
Dig into the digital economy! 10.2% of America's GDP was based on internet activity in 2020. That's more than $2 trillion.

Your company needs to have good internet access and document storage in order to make money. That's why building a server room - even a virtual server room - is so important.

But you can't get shove a few servers into a closet and call it a day. You need to know about good server room maintenance tips.

What is the best server room like? What conditions should you control inside your room? How can you keep your room clean?

Answer these questions and you can have a safe and successful server room for years to come. Here is your quick guide.
Check the Condition of the Server Room
Before you bring your server hardware in, you need to find a good room for it. The room must be big enough to store everything while providing space for employees to walk around. It should have outlets that you can plug devices into.

Once you've found a room, take a look at the floors, ceiling, and walls. Identify any faults in the piping or infrastructure that can lead to a fire or flood.

You must correct these faults as soon as possible. Even a small fire or leak can damage your server hardware irreparably. If you're having trouble finding these faults, hire network installation services and a building inspector to do a thorough evaluation.
Remove Hazards
Besides fires and leaks, you need to think about trips and falls. A worker can trip over a cable so keep your cables short and move your servers against the walls. The floor should be level, but you can put a carpet or slip-resistant materials on the ground to prevent accidents.

You should also remove any pests. Never allow workers to bring food into your server rooms, and leave trash bins in your rooms so workers can throw papers and other things away.

Conduct an evaluation of your server room every few months or so. Think about how else you can make the room safe.
Install a Cooling System
Companies have different recommendations for how cold your server room should be. But a good Los Angeles managed service provider will recommend that you keep your room below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. At 80 degrees, your servers may overheat, which can damage the CPU.

You should only buy servers that have CPU fans in them. But fans may not provide enough cool air to prevent an overheating problem.

You should install a cooling system that will remove the heat that servers make and circulate cool air. Put an environment monitoring system that will monitor the air temperature and run fans to keep cool air flowing.

Do not set your cooling system up and then forget about it. You should have a professional check the system regularly and fix problems as they arise.

You should also have a backup in case your system fails. You can use desk fans and other devices to cool the servers off, and you can run the servers at lower settings until the cooling system is back up.
Keep the Electricity Flowing
The average American experienced more than eight hours of electric power interruptions in 2020 alone. Going offline for just a few minutes can damage your servers and computers.

Your servers should have an uninterrupted power supply. During a blackout, the servers should run off of batteries or another source of electricity that is off the grid.

For Southern Californian based companies, the threat of blackouts can be even more pronounced due to triple digit heat waves. A Los Angeles IT support company can help equip your company with the most effective servers in a temperature controlled server room to avoid outages and down time as much as possible.

Talk to an electrician about installing a mission-critical electrical infrastructure. As with your cooling system, you should have inspections of your infrastructure every few months or so.
Clear the Air
Humidity can be as big of a problem as high temperatures and blackouts. High humidity can cause corrosion, but low humidity can lead to the production of static electricity, which damages servers.

Your cooling system may have a humidity function that lets you maintain the moisture in the air. Go for a moderate amount. Do not allow employees to bring in water, and provide rags and towels so they can clean up spills and prevent moisture from getting into the air.

You also need to remove dust and airborne pollutants, which can become trapped in your servers. You should take steps to get rid of skin and fabric particles as well as pollen.

Ask your workers to scrub off their clothing before they go into your room. You can leave brushes on a table so employees can remove dust from the server storage equipment.
Clean Your Server Room Every Three Months
You should do a top-to-bottom cleaning of your server room every three months. This includes cleaning your subfloor and the gap between your ceiling and lower ceiling.

A team of employees should use a vacuum to remove dust off the ground and walls. They should dust every surface of the server technology, especially gaps where dust and debris may have built up.

You can use chemicals, as long as they are specifically for server rooms and electronics. Never use a wet mop to clean any surface in a server room.
Create a Great Server Room
Your server room needs your help. Find a big room with adequate air circulation and few hazards. Check your room regularly for any hazards, including pests.

You need to control the environment in your room. Keep the temperature and humidity moderate, and have an air filtration system that removes contaminants.

Have professionals stop by to check your environmental systems. Hire a crew to do a deep clean every three months.

You should also hire someone to help you with your servers. Be Structured provides IT support for Los Angeles-area businesses. Contact us today.
- Categories: Backup, Hardware, Managed IT, Tips & Tricks

#### IIoT Environment
Introduction
There are many devices, computers, workstations, wireless devices, and even IT Infrastructures that are now interconnected amongst one another.  There is a technical term for all of this interconnectivity, and it is specifically known as the “Internet of Things”, or “IoT” for short.
What Is the Internet of Things?
A definition of the Internet of Things is as follows:
“The internet of things, or IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs – such as a TCP/IP Address) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.” (Source 1)
In other words, the objects that we come into contact with on a daily basis, both in the physical and virtual worlds, are connected amongst one another, and can share information and data about us, individually, in just a matter of seconds.
Typical examples of this include a medical patient that has a heart monitoring device wired into them, all of the sensors in an automobile that alerts the driver if there is something that goes wrong; and even animals that have biochip sensors implanted them into them as well in order to keep track of their daily movements and activities.
But this level of interconnectivity can be expanded and go even deeper into our homes (this is coined as the “Smart Home”), the cities we live in (such as the “Smart City”), and even into what is known as the Critical Infrastructure that provides a population with their daily necessities of living.  This includes the water supply, the electrical power grid, the gas and oil lines, the power plants, the food processing facilities, etc.
If a Cyberattack were to be launched against just one of these components, it would have a cascading effect onto everything else that is interconnected, and the fear is that the way we live our lives could literally come to a grinding halt.  The primary reason for this is that with the Internet of Things, the attack surface for the hacker has been greatly expanded, because all of these points of connection are not centrally managed, and thus, remain unprotected.
As a result of all of this, we are now witnessing a convergence of the worlds of IoT and Operational Technology (these are the devices, the sensors, the software applications, etc. that are needed to support the Critical Infrastructure) into now what is known as the “Industrial IoT” (or “IIoT”) – and the need to beef up the lines of defenses to protect this has become of paramount importance.
Conclusions
Overall, this blog has examined what an IoT is, and some of the Security concerns that go along with it.  Our next blog will examine some of the security procedures that be implemented to protect the IIoT.
Sources
 	https://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/Internet-of-Things-IoT
- Categories: AI, Security
- Tags: AI, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats

#### IIoT Environment - Pt.2
Introduction
Our last blog introduced the concept of the Industrial Internet of Things, also known as the “IIoT” for short.  In this blog, we examine some of the mechanisms that can be implemented to secure it.
What Can Be Done?
Here are some key strategies to help further secure the Industrial IoT:
 	Make use of Integrated Firewalls:
There have been many advancements that that have been made in the technology behind Firewalls.  Therefore, it is crucial that your organization to pick the right hardware that meets the Security requirements that your IT Staff has set forth.  For example, procure what are known as the “Next Generation Firewalls”.  These kinds of devices have complete visibility over your network traffic, and the various devices that the data packets are being sent to.  Also, with this newer type of technology, you can easily create and enforce different kinds of Security Policies onto your Network Infrastructure.
2. Maintain the right levels of Access Control:
Just like giving your employees the rights and permissions to what they only need to conduct their daily job duties, the same holds true for the devices that make up your IIoT environment.  In other words, you need to actively manage and control the level of access that the IIoT devices have been assigned.  This is can be accomplished through the “Network Access Control” or the “NAC” functionalities in the IIoT devices.  For instance, you can craft and assign customized Access Rules and Policies based upon the who, what, where, and when factors when either an actual person or an object in the virtual world is trying to access the network that makes up your IIoT environment.
3. Establish Profiling:
Every IIoT device will have their own set of specific functionalities and requirements in order for them to operate in the most efficient manner.  With profiling, the wireless network in which your IIoT environment resides upon will be able to identify a particular IIoT device through the variables that have designated for each one of them.  With this, you are creating a sense of visibility of what exactly is transpiring.  This is a crucial step in securing the IIoT environment.
4.Implementing Preventative Measures:
In order to do this, it is imperative that along with the Firewalls, you also deploy Network Intrusion devices and other kinds of preventative tools in your IIoT environment.  This will serve two purposes:
 	It will help to detect and even to a certain degree mitigate any Cyberattacks that are coming from the external environment towards the IIoT devices; and, even help to detect Insider Attacks that are occurring from within the IIoT environment itself;
 	It will allow you to use any kind of suspicious behavior or anomalies as an initial trigger point from which IIoT devices can either be blacklisted or even quarantined.
5. Just don’t create an IIoT environment without Security:
This simply means that before you actually deploy an IIoT environment, first design it with how Security will be implemented into it, then deploy the IIoT devices.  In other words, the reverse should not happen when the devices are installed and configured first, with Security becoming just a mere after thought.  In order to achieve this, consider examining first a list of best practices and standards, such as the following:
 	The IIoT Security Framework from the Industrial Internet Consortium;
 	The Cybersecurity Framework from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
6. Consider using the PSA Framework:
When developing your IIoT environment, it is suggested that you make use of what is known as the “PSA Framework”.  It consists of the following:
 	Analysis:  Create a threat model analysis for those IIoT devices that are classified as a high risk in terms of being a target by the Cyberattacker, and how these risks can be mitigated.
 	Design:  Think about the entire IIoT ecosystem as a whole, as how to all of the devices will be connected with and communicate with each other, in a secure manner.
 	Implement:  Once the above two have been very careful evaluation, implement your IIoT devices in a test environment before they go live in a real-world setting.
7. Harden the Gateway of your IIoT Infrastructure:
This is considered to be a crucial piece, as IIoT environments can also be interconnected with others as well.  In other words, as the they continue to further evolve, they will not be just reliant upon the resources that reside just within them.  They will also depend accessing and sharing the resources from other environments as well.  Thus, in this regard, the connections in between the IIoT environments need to be hardened as much as possible, so that they do not also become an attack surface.
Conclusions
Overall, this series of blogs has examined what an IoT is, and some of the Security concerns that go along with it.  It has also reviewed the IIoT, and some of the procedures that can be taken to help secure this kind of environment.  This is by no means an all-inclusive list, and as the IIoT environments continue to grow in size and complexity, you need to carefully examine the benefits versus the risk of deploying one, especially from the standpoint of Cybersecurity.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, IIoT

#### Importance of a Disaster Recovery Plan
Did you know that the global cost of data loss is around $3.6 million yearly? This amounts to around $141 per data record that is compromised. Since 58 records are stolen around the world in a single second, this can be detrimental to affected businesses.

Luckily, having a solid disaster recovery plan can mitigate the harms associated with data breaches.

But what is disaster recovery? What does it entail? Why is it important?

Here, we're going to talk about why disaster-related IT services are critical for Los Angeles businesses. Read on to ensure that your enterprise stays safe even after being compromised.
What Is Disaster Recovery?
Disaster recovery is part of any company's business continuity plan. Its purpose is to set plans for the business if a data breach is ever to take place.

Plans do this by outlining what should take place when LA IT support teams find blips in your normal business data trends.

Disaster mitigation and prevention are what IT teams do to prevent potential problems before the actual disaster occurs. However,  disaster recovery pertains to what happens after a breach has taken place.

Disasters are inevitable no matter how good you are at minimizing risks. That's why a disaster recovery plan is an essential business document. It outlines what each department, team member, and IT worker must do if data is lost.

These documents should be comprehensive, concrete, measurable, and easy to understand. They also must be available to team members at all times. Disaster, after all, can strike at any time.

They also must be available even if other data and documents are lost. As a result, they usually are stored in a third-party server.

Additionally, it's critical that your team run a simulated disaster recovery test. Similar to how fire drills prepare teams for dangerous fires, disaster recovery drills ensure that everyone knows what they are to do when data is lost or stolen.

Use bullet points, short sentences, and easy-to-read graphics to maximize the impact of your plan. It needs to be easy to interpret in the event of an emergency.
What Should Be Included In a Disaster Recovery Plan?
There are multiple types of disasters that could cause businesses to lose data. This means that recovery plans need to be extremely comprehensive.

You need to think through different disaster scenarios. The most common are cyberattacks, floods, fires, employee errors, and hardware malfunction. Plans need to be in place for each of these systems.

Some questions to ask yourself include:

 	What are the necessary actions to take after a breach?
 	What are the steps that you need to take to carry out your plan?
 	What order will these steps take place in?
 	Which individuals/departments need to carry out various actions?
 	How must people work together to mitigate disaster?
 	What software can you use to backup data?
 	Where is the backup data stored and how can you access this location?
 	Who must contact IT support (and what should they say?)
 	What happens if a key player in disaster recovery is not present?
 	How will you deal with customers/clients after a data breach?
 	How will you deal with other employees after a data breach?
 	How can you mitigate reputation-related damages after the disaster?

Software Breaches
The first and most important part of a disaster recovery plan is cybercrime prevention and troubleshooting measures. Cybercrime has increased 300% throughout 2020 and 2021.

You need to have plans in place for when hackers get onto your network. These plans may include who is responsible for stopping the data breach, the security software that you need to run in order to do so, and the techniques required to restore data.

Employee errors can also cause data loss. For example, someone may click on an email or popup that installs malware on the network. You'll need similar disaster recovery plans to those that you have for cybercrime.

Software restoration is the key focus.
Hardware Destruction
Other issues like natural disasters and hardware failure will require you to take information from another location and install it onto new hardware. Cloud storage plays a key role in this.

A water-damaged physical server will need to be replaced, and the only way to regain data is cloud backup. Whether this is from the public, private, or hybrid cloud doesn't matter. You simply need a backup and a disaster recovery plan to help you restore lost information.

Hardware restoration- and linking existing data to new hardware- is the key focus.
Why Are These Systems Important?
Disasters can happen extremely suddenly. They can eliminate your entire corporate network or database within minutes.

Because of this, there's no time for hesitation when a breach happens. Employees need to act.

Having a disaster recovery plan ensures that mitigating the harms associated with disaster is much easier. It makes your organization operate like a well-oiled machine.

By providing everyone with the knowledge on these documents and doing drills, you make the process second nature.
Preventing Bad Last-Minute Decisions
Panic disengages the region of the brain responsible for flexible decision-making. Studies show that people who are in anxiety-inducing stressful situations are more likely to make bad decisions.

Because IT disasters are exceedingly stressful, it's likely that those without solid disaster recovery plans will make poor last-minute decisions.

Having a well-thought-out plan that employees constantly analyze will stop last-second decisions from happening at all. Everyone will be trained to follow the protocols outlined in the document. With the right training, they should be able to follow the plan in their sleep.

Sometimes- albeit rarely- unique disasters will pop up that are not completely outlined in the documents. Employee familiarity with these plans will make them more likely to make better choices even while in panic mode. They can draw on the knowledge from their disaster recovery training.
Decreasing Recovery Time
Having a well-oiled machine for disaster recovery also decreases the time needed for it to happen. This stops excessive downtime and the costs associated with it.

Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) found that 40-60% of businesses never reopen after a disaster. This is because they're unable to restore the information that they need. Remaining open isn't feasible since they can't afford to restore the information.

When you decrease the time that it takes to recover, you have less downtime. You also are less likely to have trouble restoring information that could lead to a shutdown. The longer your data is gone, after all, the more difficult it will be to restore.

Decreasing recovery time is also a priority because businesses can't afford to exist without making a profit. If you need to close your doors for a week, you may no longer be financially viable. You'll struggle to reopen.

Disaster recovery plans can quite literally save your business.
Higher Level Security
IT consulting Los Angeles services offer many security features that your business can benefit from. Security services include:

 	Dark web scanning
 	Training against phishing emails
 	IP access control
 	IP surveillance platforms
 	Two-factor authentication
 	Overall network security training
 	Windows Defender/Active directory hardening
 	Antivirus/antimalware software

When you get disaster recovery services, you give these features the chance to do their job. Any other software will alert your IT team when a breach is about to take place (or has taken place already).

Many threats can be caught and remediated by previously installed software. Some of them will require human intervention. However, it's unrealistic to expect that humans from your office will immediately respond to threats at any time of day or night.

Disaster recovery makes it easier to control threats that have gotten through your security features. Even if the worst happens, IT teams will know exactly what to do post-data loss. This is an essential step towards restoring data and preventing the problems associated with it.
Preventing Legal Issues
Data loss is exceedingly costly for many reasons. You need to recover the data, spend time worrying about breaches, and recreate lost spreadsheets and documents. This wastes a lot of time and financial resources, but it isn't the only way that your business can suffer.

If you lose employee or client data, your organization might be susceptible to lawsuits. Identity theft and selling information on the dark web is fairly common after data is stolen. This applies especially to personal and financial data.

Identity theft can cost a person a lot of money. It can also greatly damage their credit and reputation after stealing money from their bank accounts.

If your business is the cause of these harms, victims may be well within their right to sue. They may demand a lot of money to mitigate severe harm. Even with a good lawyer, your business will suffer many legal fees even if you win the case.

Disaster recovery plans restore client data and ensure that it stays out of the wrong hands. It also keeps your employees safe and protected.
Better Employee Satisfaction
Keeping your employees safe is critical, especially for businesses that need skilled laborers. Unsatisfied employees are more likely to quit. You would need to invest in training new workers, paying hiring teams, and onboarding.

Additionally, employees who feel safe feel valued. Employees who feel valued will feel more satisfied in their jobs. Workplace satisfaction is linked heavily to productivity, so you'll make more money when you keep your employees secure.
Higher Customer Retention
Your employees aren't the only ones that disaster recovery protects. These systems also keep your client's information secure.

Customers are more likely to trust businesses that have measures in place to keep their information secure. If you inform them that you have disaster recovery plans in place as well as other security measures, they'll see that you value their safety. This will set you apart from your competitors and make them more likely to work with you.

On the flip side, not having disaster recovery could lead you to lose client data. When this happens, your reputation won't just be damaged. It will be destroyed.

If you want to remain a leader in your industry, you need a system in place to deal with and mitigate threats to your systems and data. This will keep customers satisfied and stop you from facing harsh accusations that lead to loss of business.
Assessing and Reassessing Your Plan
Because businesses and the technology associated with them are always changing, it's important that you constantly update your plan. You need to account for new software and changes within your staff.

Do a monthly audit of your disaster recovery plan. Make sure that all the information in it is up-to-date.

Make sure that you go through alterations with your employees whenever a change takes place. You want to make sure that they're ready for a disaster if it occurs in the present rather than if it did with outdated technology.

Make sure that you talk to LA IT experts when there's a change in your specific industry. Professionals can help you to implement a plan that makes sense for your business.
Implement a Disaster Recovery Plan Today
Now you know why disaster recovery plans are essential for any business. That means it's time to begin implementing an effective one.

Schedule a consultation with our IT support Los Angeles providers to discuss your enterprise's specific needs.

We're committed to ensuring that your organization is ready to combat any digital threats that could cost your business untold time and money. Because we'll work to ensure that all of your information is stored securely and backed up to an unbreachable server, we look forward to getting in touch.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery
- Tags: Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cyber Security, cybercrime, Data Backup, data loss, Disaster Recovery, Hybrid Cloud, Private Cloud, Public Cloud

#### Improve Communication, Upgrade your VoIP System
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Thanks to technology, we now have several cutting-edge ways of connecting with colleagues and customers, but phone calls are still one of the best ways to network and connect with others. The value of phone services hasn’t changed, but the technology that supports them have. Analog phones have been replaced with cloud-based VoIP phone systems.
Traditional phones had their day—they used to be the only way for people to connect across vast distances. As the modern world advanced, those phone lines proved to be a less efficient form of communication. Traditional telephone services are not flexible and cannot be easily scaled up and down for business needs. Plus, large-scale phone systems are expensive to implement and don’t always deliver the high-quality calls that businesses require.
What is a VoIP Phone System?
A VoIP solution is a phone network that uses an internet connection and cloud technology to provide superior clarity and connections to people inside and outside of your business. It is less expensive and offers more features than traditional phone lines. They are one of the fastest growing trends in businesses today, but not everyone is getting the performance they expect and deserve.
I Already Have A VoIP Phone System; Why Do I Need An Upgrade?
Sometimes people hear about all of the advantages that these services offer and jump on board without making sure they have a superior provider. You could have a VoIP service in your workplace, but is it delivering the kind of reliability and clarity that you deserve? Does it have all the features that you were promised?
No matter what technology you are deploying, you need an expert guiding the implementation and installation. At Be Structured, we have helped many small businesses with their hosted VoIP services by upgrading their phone systems to a whole new level, at a minimal cost.
The Advantages of VoIP Services
If you have an inferior VoIP phone system, then you probably aren’t able to take full advantage of all of the benefits that these systems offer. Let’s take a look at some of the most significant features and advantages you can receive with superior VoIP phone solutions from Be Structured Technology Group.
 	Ease of Installation: A VoIP system installation is simpler and easier than traditional phones. You won’t need to run wires or cables, because the network relies on your existing internet connection. This is where some small businesses or service provider fall because they do not plan ahead for the strength of internet connection that is required.
 	Be Structured can work with you to make sure that your internet is strong enough to support a system like this reliably. There is no hardware or software to install, you just need IP phones and service provider that knows what they are doing.
 	Scalability: Old phone systems were expensive to scale up and difficult to scale down. With a hosted VoIP system, you can add a new line as soon as you hire a new employee. There is no waiting period or long-term budget constraints, you can always have the number of phone lines that you need.
 	Mobility: Thanks to their internet connection and advanced design, a VoIP phone number can travel with you anywhere that there is an internet connection. That means you can leave the office and still remain in touch with your colleagues on a mobile device for crucial moments of communication. It also means that if you ever move desks or office, the number can easily travel with you which reduces confusion with your business contacts.
 	Unified Communications: One of the biggest productivity killers in any business is miscommunication and misunderstandings. Your business needs direct, practical, and adaptable paths of communication. When you and your employees can collaborate effectively, you’ll have greater success. A VoIP phone system allows for your workforce to communicate more efficiently with more clarity and less miscommunication.
 	Future-Proof: The world of technology is constantly advancing, and it can be costly to try to keep up. Old-school traditional phone services were limited in what they could do, and there was little opportunity for advancement. VoIP phone systems were built on internet technology and based on software that can be adapted or upgraded.
 	You won’t need to replace your system in a few years when new technologies become available. You can receive later upgrades that provide new features and push service quality even higher. This is the kind of investment that will pay for itself in the money you won’t be spending in the years to come. VoIP systems are the high-tech option of the future.
 	Supports Legacy Systems: You can take a step into the future without sacrificing the older technology that you have come to rely on. Even in this day and age, it is sometimes necessary to still send someone a fax or document image. Virtual faxing allows you to receive faxes without the need for paper and toner. You get the same access without the cost of the physical resources.
 	VoIP phone systems can also be integrated into existing traditional phone lines if you don’t want to give up on your landline just yet.
 	Premium Features: There are several advanced features that come with a VoIP phone system. They offer all new ways of interacting with your coworkers and your customers. You can actively create and join video or phone conference calls. This will enhance the collaboration in your office and create the opportunity for new innovative strategies.
 	There are custom call routing options to manage the high volume of voice calls that you might get on a daily basis. You can have pre-set pathways for calls to be forwarded or set up alerts to let you know when a caller has been waiting for too long. This advances your customer service abilities and enables you to reach more people on a given day.
 	Cost-Cutting: Legacy systems and traditional phone lines are costly to install, and any reconfiguring takes a significant amount of time, which costs you more money. The actual phone calls you make won’t cost as much either because they are made over the internet.
 	International calls will no longer cost you an arm and a leg. This reduced price global reach will open up new doors for your business. Even if you currently have a VoIP system, you might not be enjoying all of the monetary advantages if your system wasn’t properly managed.
Contact Be Structured Technology Group today to get your VoIP phone system installed or upgraded to the superior level of performance that your business deserves.
- Categories: VoIP
- Tags: Cloud Solutions, Los Angeles IT Support, VoIP, VoIP Solutions

#### In-House vs. Managed IT: Which Is Better?
Did you know that 90% of companies that leverage outsourcing enjoy an ROI of 25% and over?

This is one of the reasons why many companies are turning to managed IT support in Los Angeles.

If you are still using in-house IT to cover all of your needs, it's high time that you looked into whether or not managed IT could benefit your organization.

Managed IT support options have a number of advantages over in-house IT support.

To ensure that you make the right decision for your business, continue reading to find out the differences between in-house vs managed IT support, and which is the best choice for you.
Pros of in-House IT Support
Although businesses are turning to outsourced IT en mass, this doesn't mean that in-house IT support isn't without its benefits.

These include additional control and instant access (within working hours).
You Can Pick the Individuals You Hire
One of the advantages that comes with in-house IT is that you can pick the people you hire to work in your IT department. If you're picky about the type of person you hire, this can be of benefit.

However, take note you can also exercise similar judgment when it comes to hiring managed IT services. Although you might not be able to individually choose which individuals will work with your company, you can get a general feel of their staff and customer service.

If all the representatives you've spoken to are friendly and efficient, chances are so are the individual technicians who will support your business's day-to-day IT functions.
Immediate Access
Are you someone that likes to have staff at your beck and call? If so, then another benefit of in-house IT support is that you'll be able to have immediate access and control over your IT personnel.

As their boss or superior, you can ask for their attention at any point, go over and talk to them in their cubicle, or ask them whether they recommend the latest iPhone.

This, of course, doesn't mean that managed IT support services don't give you instant service. They do, and they can usually fix problems far quicker than in-house IT support. However, you won't have the same level of control over the individuals that work there as you would over an employee.
Extra Control
Speaking of control, this is the final potential benefit of in-house IT support. If you choose to go with in-house IT support, this will give you ultimate control over your IT functions. You can choose what hardware you wish to install, what cloud solutions to use, what employees to hire, etc.

However, with control also comes a lot of responsibility. Should something fail, you'll also be in charge of seeing that your IT staff can rectify it.
Cons of in-House IT Support
Although it does give you additional control, in-house IT support has a variety of cons. Overall it tends to be more expensive, less reliable, and more stressful to manage.

Let's take a look at some of these areas in more detail.
You Might Have Overtime Costs
One of the substantial drawbacks of in-house IT support is that you don't get round-the-clock support. Your IT staff are only available during working hours.

If something goes wrong after hours, you will need to pay your IT employees overtime to attend to the problem.

What's more, if you only have one IT staff member, when they go on vacation you will be entirely without IT support.

If you choose to use managed IT services, you won't have either of these problems, as someone will be around to help you day or night.
Limited Resources
Another disadvantage of in-house IT support is that you will have access to limited resources. This applies to various areas, including:

 	Talent, knowledge, and experience
 	Bulk discounts
 	Support

When you work with a good managed IT services provider they will have an array of IT-related resources at their disposal. An in-house team on the other hand is limited to the resources that your company can provide them with.
More Expensive
Besides triggering overtime costs, in-house IT support is also more expensive in other areas. With every in-house IT employee you hire you will likely trigger the following costs:

 	Hiring and onboarding costs
 	Training costs
 	Office overheads
 	Payroll expenses (including paid time off, sick leave, etc.)

What's more, these costs aren't always fully justified by the workload. If your business is growing, there will be a point where there is too much IT-related work, and you will need to hire. However, there might not be quite enough of a workload to fully utilize your new IT hire and justify the cost they pose to the business.
Unpredictable Costs
Additionally, in-house IT support also comes with a large number of unpredictable costs.

Unless you have an extensive, cutting-edge IT team operating for you, it will be hard to predict when what components are likely to fail or need replacing.

When this happens, you invariably have to lay out a substantial amount to have your system upgraded. These costs can come out of the blue, and be hard to budget for.
Pros of Managed IT Support
Are you wondering whether you should opt for outsourced IT support in Los Angeles? If so, there are a number of attractive advantages to going this route.

Not only is it cheaper, but you also get more comprehensive support, better security and compliance, and it's great for scaling.
You'll Get 24/7 Support
One of the valuable benefits of outsourced IT services in Los Angeles is that you will almost always get access to round-the-clock support. This is a feature that most managed services providers offer, but particularly ones that serve large metropolitan areas.

If you choose to sign up with a managed IT services company, they will have teams on-call 24/7. If you experience an issue after hours, they will be there to help, no matter how late it is.

System failure can be highly disruptive to any business. Being able to have issues rectified immediately ensures that your business isn't held back by unexpected technical problems.
Pro-Active Maintenance
Another advantage of managed IT services is you'll benefit from proactive maintenance. Traditionally, IT departments and service companies operated on the break/fix model. When a component failed, it would be repaired or replaced.

Recently, however, managed services providers have been adopting proactive maintenance methods. Through ongoing system monitoring, managed IT support teams can pick up on early indicators and issues.

Instead of waiting for components to fail, they can implement fixes ahead of time. This reduces disruption and downtime.
On-Demand Access to Industry-Leading Expertise
One of the reasons why 74% of businesses outsource IT to one degree or another is it gives you on-demand access to industry-leading expertise and a wider talent pool.

Have you struggled to attract IT talent in the past?

Unfortunately, North America is facing a chokehold talent shortage that is only predicted to get worse with time. According to survey results, more than 1,500 CIOs agree that there is a serious deficit in IT talent, one which can impact IT operations if you're in need of new hires.

The good news is that if you choose to utilize managed IT support in Los Angeles, you won't need to worry about this. Instead, you get to tap into a pool of collective knowledge and IT expertise.

As we said above, when you're hiring employees for IT support, your options may be somewhat limited. However, even if you find a highly skilled and experienced hire, you'll only have access to what they bring to the table. In short, you can only leverage the collective expertise of the people you hire.

An IT support company, on the other hand, will invariably employ dozens of IT professionals. Their clients get to profit from this combined pool of knowledge and experience.
Managed IT Support Is Highly Cost-Effective
One of the most attractive advantages of managed IT services in Los Angeles is that it is highly cost-effective when compared to in-house IT support.

According to research, companies that outsource their IT requirements can save up to 55% of their IT costs.

What's more, like we mentioned earlier, managed IT also reduces your variable expenses. Instead, it replaces these with fixed costs that stay the same month after month.

Additionally, with many managed IT support services you won't have to worry about upfront hardware and software costs. Instead of having to fork out for replacement and upgrades, the cost of these is already incorporated into your monthly service fee. This is ideal for budgeting and easy expense claims.
Outsourced IT Is Easy to Scale
If you're like 99% of other businesses out there, you probably want to grow your operations. However, scaling a business is no easy task, and scaling IT functions is one of the biggest challenges growing businesses can face.

Fortunately, managed IT services makes scaling your IT needs easy and risk-free. Instead of having to lay out money on large systems, or bring on new hires before you can really utilize them, you can simply ask your provider to upgrade you to a higher service tier.

Didn't grow as quickly as you thought you would? No problem. In this case, as long as you chose a good managed services provider, you should be able to easily downgrade.
Better Security
Did you know that cyber-attacks cost businesses $200,000 on average? Or that 70% of cyber-attacks are targeted at smaller businesses? But what's more alarming is what happens after the dust has settled.

According to reports, 60% of SMBs that experience a cyber-attack close down within 6 months.

Stats like this show just how important it is to maintain watertight security for your organization.

Besides costing you less, outsourced IT can also result in better compliance and security. IT is a specialized field—and one that contains numerous sub-field. Therefore, although they might be very competent, the general IT technician you hired might not have the specialized training and experience it takes to protect your entire organization from online security threats.

On the other hand, a managed IT support provider will usually have an entire team of specialists dedicated to security. It is their job to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in cybersecurity and implement the most cutting-edge security measures for your business.
Cons of Managed IT Support
Although managed services will usually get you the best IT support there are also a couple of potential cons to be aware of.

For one, an outside provider won't have inside knowledge of your organization. This can be both a plus and a minus. While they might not have an understanding of things like your company culture, they also won't have any personal agendas.

Another concern that some people have when trying to choose between IT support options is security. Surely putting your systems into an outside organization's hands isn't safe? Fortunately, IT services providers have very little to gain by "hacking" or taking control of one of their clients' systems.

As long as you go with a reputable provider, your organization's data and systems won't be in any danger.
Are You in Need of IT Support in Los Angeles?
Although there are pros and cons to both in-house IT support and outsourced IT services, for most businesses outsourced services are the way to go. Not only will they save you money, but you'll also get access to pooled talent and expertise, cutting-edge security protocols, and pro-active maintenance.

Are you in need of IT support in Los Angeles? If so, you have come to the right place.

Here at Be Structured, we specialize in managed IT services, as well as IT consulting in Los Angeles. We are also a managed security services provider (MSSP).

Contact us today to discuss your needs.
- Categories: IT Support

#### In-House vs. Outsourced IT Services
Outsourced IT support hasn't been around that long, but they are growing at an incredible rate.

In 2021, the global industry for outsourced IT services was worth about $161 billion. However, with a growth rate of more than 12% per year, this is expected to reach $311 billion by 2027.

Most industries on the planet never achieve this kind of growth. What is responsible for this incredible increase in demand for outsourced IT services? More and more businesses are realizing how many advantages local managed IT services can provide.

Read on to learn all about the most important advantages that outsourcing IT might be able to provide for you as well!
Managed IT Can Provide Faster Solutions
Many people are unclear about what managed IT services are. Instead of having technical experts work only at your company to take care of only your technology needs, outsourced technical support teams provide technology support for many companies at the same time. This is the essential structural difference in outsourced IT services that lead to all of their advantages.

For example, if someone in IT at your company gets sick, you might have to deal with less technical support until they get better. However, with a managed IT Los Angeles based team, someone else can pick up the slack for your company if you need support.

Local IT support can also provide faster solutions to many technological problems. When technical experts work at a single company, they often have to deal with new problems that they have never seen before. After all, most companies do not suffer from most technical problems.

When a novel problem arises at a company, in-house experts have to figure out what is going on so that they can come up with a solution. Contrast this to IT support companies geared to provide 24/7 technical services to businesses that reside close by.

That means, if your require Pasadena IT support or Burbank IT support, you want to partner with a company that's centrally located to your business. So if there is a problem that cannot be remedied remotely, that outsourced IT support near you can be on site within minutes to prevent long periods of downtime.

Because an IT support Los Angeles company provides services for so many companies, they have probably seen any problem you experience many times before with other companies. That means that they spend much less time figuring out what is going on and coming up with a solution.

Instead, their standard procedure is often to simply apply whatever best solution the team has come up with before in similar situations. That means that your technical problems can be resolved with a minimum of delay.

Considering how much time is of the essence when it comes to maintaining the technology that allows a business to function, this can be a reason all by itself to go with managed IT services.
Outsourcing IT Can Lead To More Permanent Solutions
The solutions that an outsource technical support team provides will not only come faster. There is also a good chance that they will work better. After all, when an in-house technical expert comes up with a solution, you are often seeing their first attempt to solve a novel problem.

In contrast, a skilled Los Angeles managed service provider has workshopped many potential solutions to most problems. Sometimes, poor solutions solve a problem only in the short term. Then, you have to solve them again when things go wrong again weeks or months later.

However, when this happens without outsourced IT teams, they try different solutions. Eventually, they come up with a solution that solves the problem as well as possible. That is the solution that you will be enjoying without delay when you work with an outsourced tech support team.
Outsourced Technical Support Often Costs Less
When people hear about a service that provides better quality, they often assume that they will be paying more for it. However, the opposite is often the case when it comes to outsourcing information technology needs.

When someone makes their entire living by providing technology support to a single company, they have no choice but to charge that company enough money for them to live off of. However, outsourced tech support companies can afford to charge each of the many companies they work with a lower price because they work with so many companies.

That means that you can often enjoy superior results at a lower price.
Hiring a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider Increases Flexibility
Outsourced IT support services also increases flexibility.

What happens to a company when it grows by 30%? It may need about 30% more technology support. However, it may be difficult to grow the in-house technology support team by 30%.

That is even more true when it comes to small companies that only have a single technology support member. However, if such a company does not hire anyone new, the single technical staff member may have more work than they can manage on their own.

Outsourcing IT can be the solution. If you need 30% more support, you can pay for extra support and be done with it. You don't have to hire anyone new.

This may be even more helpful when it comes to shrinking needs. If your company goes through a difficult time and shrinks, you may find it difficult to lay off technology support staff members.

But you can pay for a little less support from an outsource team instead. That way, you only pay for the technology support you need.
In-House Versus Outsourced IT Availability
No matter how skilled a technology expert is, they cannot provide service around the clock. It takes a team of people to be able to provide support whenever a company needs it. That is another advantage that outsourced IT teams can provide.

Many such services provide technology support around the clock every day of the week.

They may even be able to provide the same support for your customers. That can improve the customer experience, leading to higher growth rates. Such service may even become expected.
Understand the Advantages of Outsourced IT Services
The more you know about the advantages of outsourced IT services, the better you can understand why there is so much demand for them. Whether you want to cut costs or increase performance, outsourcing IT is often the right answer.

If you've Googled, "outsourced IT support near me" recently and have yet to find a fit, get in touch with Be Structured  and discover our professional and affordable 24/7 local IT support solutions today!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT

#### Industries That Significantly Benefit From Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
The global digital transformation (DX) remains firmly on course. By the end of 2022, an estimated 65% of global GDP will be digitalized. Total expenditure in direct DX between 2020 and 2022 will amount to a colossal $6.3 trillion.

In today's business world, investing in local IT support is essential for success. But keeping up with the latest technology trends in-house can be expensive and time-consuming.

That's where managed IT services come in.

By outsourcing your technology management to an IT support company, you can focus on running your business while knowing that your IT needs are in good hands.

Bundled managed IT services are also significantly cheaper than running an IT department in your business.

But which businesses industries stand to benefit from managed IT services? Read on to learn more.
Healthcare
One of the industries that benefit the most from managed IT services is healthcare. The fact is medical facilities are often under immense pressure to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

To meet these goals, healthcare organizations are turning to managed IT services for help. They can provide a number of benefits for healthcare businesses, including:

 	Improved patient care
 	Increased efficiency
 	Lower costs

By increasing efficiency, managed IT services can help healthcare organizations free up resources. These resources can then be used to direct care to patients.

In addition, they also help to ensure that critical data is readily available to clinicians. That makes it easier for them to make informed decisions about patient care.
Finance
Finance and accounting firms IT support deal with sensitive client data on a daily basis. To secure your IT services and keep this data secure, you need to have a reliable IT infrastructure in place.

Managed IT services can help finance and accounting firms secure their data by conducting IT security checks. They also use the latest security patches and updates.

Also, managed IT services can also help finance and accounting firms keep their systems up-to-date so that they can run smoothly.
Retail & Manufacturing
IT support in the retail industry, shows technology is playing an increasingly important role. Stores are choosing point-of-sale systems to track inventory and sales. Many are also adopting e-commerce platforms to reach a wider audience.

As a result, Retail businesses need to have a reliable and robust IT infrastructure in place in order to compete.

Managed IT services can help retail businesses by providing them with the support they need to keep their systems up and running. Also, managed IT services can provide valuable insights into how technology can be used to improve operations.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry is always looking for ways to improve efficiency and cut costs. One area where managed IT services in manufacturing can make a big difference is in the area of production planning.

By using data from sensors and other sources, businesses can get real-time insights into their production process. This can help them to make better decisions about where to allocate resources.

Managed IT services can help automate tasks that are currently being done manually. This can free up time for employees to focus on more strategic tasks, and it can also help to reduce errors and improve quality control.
Property Management
Property managers have a lot on their plates. These include:

 	Juggling tenant requests
 	Maintaining buildings
 	Overseeing repairs
 	Staying up-to-date with the latest technology

A managed IT service provider can take care of all your technology needs, from setting up Wi-Fi to providing 24/7 support. This frees up your time so you can focus on what you do best: managing property.

Furthermore, a managed IT service provider can help you save money in the long run by preventing issues before they arise and by giving you access to the latest technology at a fraction of the cost.
Telecommunications
Managed IT services can help to streamline communication between different departments within a telecom company. By integrating various forms of communication, such as email, instant messaging, and VoIP, managers can easily keep track of customer inquiries and resolve issues more quickly.

In addition, they can help to optimize the use of telecom resources. Through careful monitoring and analysis, managed IT service providers can identify areas where telecom companies are wasting resources, such as underutilized phone lines or unused data capacity. By implementing changes in these areas, telecom companies can reduce their costs and improve their efficiency.

Finally, managed IT services can also help telecom companies to manage their customer database better.
Legal
Lawyers and legal IT support use a variety of software to manage cases, communicate with clients, and store important documents. As a result, having reliable and up-to-date IT systems is essential for any legal business.

Managed IT services can provide legal businesses with IT support to ensure their systems are running smoothly. With these services, businesses can enjoy increased efficiency and productivity, as well as reduced downtime.

In addition, managed IT services can help to keep legal businesses compliant with data security and privacy regulations.
Non-Profit Organizations
Like other businesses, non-profit organizations IT support needs require reliable IT systems in place to support their operations. However, non-profits often have limited budgets and staff. As a result, they may not have the resources to effectively manage their IT systems.

Managed IT services can help non-profits overcome these challenges by providing them with the support they need to keep their systems running smoothly.

They can help non-profits save money by preventing issues before they arise and by giving them access to the latest technology at a fraction of the cost.
Use Managed IT Services to Elevate Your Company
In today's constantly changing business landscape, it's essential for businesses to have access to the latest IT solutions. Managed IT services can provide you with the support they need to stay ahead of the competition.

Are you on the market for the most reliable managed IT solutions in your area? Get in touch with us today and learn how we can help.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT

#### Information Technology Audit Checklist
A comprehensive information technology audit checklist can be a daunting endeavor. 

However, the effort required to plan and execute an IT assessment is well worth it when you need to identify hazards, evaluate risks, and ensure that your IT security and disaster recovery systems are prepared to minimize downtime and protect critical data.
Click here to download our Free IT audit checklist
The IT audit process follows these four fundamental steps:

 	Planning
 	Defining
 	Collecting
 	Evaluating and Reporting

Let’s cover each one of these steps individually to give you a deeper understanding of the importance of regular IT assessments and how each step of the risk assessment process plays a role in providing the best IT services in Los Angeles for your business.
How IT Support Companies Plan an IT Audit
Although planning never really ends, it’s important to spend some dedicated time before the audit gaining a deeper understanding of how your organization operates. 

First, outline the organizational structure of your business. Depending on the size of your operation, you may want to break down how each department or even each team member uses technology on a daily basis. From there, you can begin to understand the importance of each aspect of your network infrastructure. 

By clarifying which system components and processes your organization depends on the most, you’re laying the groundwork to begin pinpointing and addressing risks.

At the very least, a comprehensive IT audit should assess these critical network operations:

 	Virtual and Physical Firewalls
 	Computers and Network Devices
 	Network Performance and Speed
 	Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policies
 	Wireless Access Points and Routers
 	User Accounts and Access Controls
 	Antivirus and Anti-Malware Software
 	Software Patch Management
 	Automated Data Backups
 	Data Encryption Policies
 	Cloud Storage Management
 	Industry Compliance Requirements


Defining an IT Audit
Now that you have a deeper understanding of how your organization uses technology, next it’s essential to determine what the primary goal of the audit process is. Do you want to mitigate security risks, test your disaster recovery systems, or understand how you can minimize operating costs? 

These are all reasonable goals to aim for when planning and executing an IT assessment. At the definition stage, you’re merely stating how your network can be improved and how that improvement aligns with your overall growth goals.

For many Southern Californian companies, some common approaches to improving your network include hiring a company specializing in Los Angeles managed IT services, but can also include :

 	Reviewing control measures of your systems to ensure that they’re adequate and effective
 	Evaluating system performance for servers, networks, and individual devices
 	Reviewing security systems

Collecting Information During the IT Audit
Once you’ve defined what you hope to gain by performing an audit, you now need to consider how you’re going to collect concrete evidence and data relating to your overarching goal.

The three most common approaches to gathering evidence include:

Interviews

You can simply interview team members to gain qualitative and quantitative information to gain a better understanding of your systems. For example, users of an application can be interviewed to clarify how effectively they’re using security measures built into the system.

Questionnaires

Using specific questions, you can quickly gain deeper insights into how well your team understands security threats and what they’re doing to mitigate them.

Even the most basic questions are of value and there never is such a thing as a bad question. Invite all of your employees to ponder the value and security of your network. Especially now that so many employees work remotely, it’s imperative that there’s a basic understanding of how the network operates and protects sensitive information like sales data, Zoom meetings and email interactions.

Flowcharts

Flowcharts help you better understand network controls and pinpoint particular risks that are exposed by inefficient workflows.

These charts should be shared among all pertinent team members so that everyone is on the same page when it comes to how the network properly functions and what to look out for when systems aren’t running properly.

Being aware and prepared are the best defenses to possible threats and cyber attacks. If you prefer to use outsourced technical support for 24/7 network monitoring instead of handling the tasks in house, the outside team should also prepare a work flow chart so that management at least has a basic understanding of what the plan is in case of an attack.
Evaluating And Reporting After the IT Audit
Once you’ve collected an adequate amount of data for the scope of your assessment, you now need to turn that data into valuable information. Fortunately, there’s a variety of industry-specific auditing software to help you do just that.

Many software solutions also offer simplified reporting tools to ensure that your information is as valuable as possible to your organization. Once you’ve clarified system threats and weak points, your team will be empowered to address them on a proactive basis.

Although an IT audit may at first seem like more trouble than it’s worth, a managed service provider like the downtown Los Angeles IT services that Be Structured Technology Group offers can simplify every step of the process. We’re committed to helping businesses of all sizes take a proactive approach to staying protected from IT threats.
Click here to download a free IT audit checklist
Contact the Be Structured team today to learn more about how a comprehensive IT support company in Los Angeles can streamline your team’s workflows and keep you protected from tomorrow’s threats.
People Also Ask
What does an IT audit do?

A comprehensive IT audit analyzes a business’s network tech infrastructure to determine if systems are running properly and efficiently.

What is IT auditing and why do companies do it?

To make sure that the company’s tech network is running smoothly and meets compliance regulations.

 
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Cyber Security Audit, IT Audit, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Service Provider

#### Intrusion Detection, Intrusion Prevention, and Antivirus: The Differences
If you’ve ever researched network security strategies, you’ve probably come across phrases like intrusion detection hardware, intrusion prevention systems, and antivirus software. They all kind of sound like they might accomplish the same thing, don’t they? While it’s true that the goal of each of these platforms is similar—protecting your network—the ways they go about accomplishing this goal can be notably different.

In this post, we’ll explore a few of those differences along with some of the areas where they overlap.
Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) vs. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
We’ll begin with the two systems where the differences are often least apparent—intrusion prevention and intrusion detection. The goal of an IPS is to proactively stop potential network threats before they even have a chance to breach your system. An IPS can involve any combination of administrative, hardware, software, or technical controls to stop network threats before they start, thereby preventing any harm to your network.

Whereas an IPS does all of the work to proactively prevent threats in the first place, an IDS retroactively works to mitigate the damage done in the event of a network breach. Like an IPS, an IDS can involve a mixture of administrative, hardware, and software controls to identify and detect network abnormalities. In short, when your IPS works, your IDS doesn’t have to do anything. When your IPS fails, your IDS kicks in to clean up the mess. That’s why having both systems in place is critical to protecting your network both inside and out.
The Overlap Between IDS and IPS
When implementing an IDS or IPS, the systems can involve both software and physical network devices. Whether it’s a software program or a piece of hardware operating on your network, these systems possess a database of known malicious signatures that indicate a network threat. These signatures are updated in real time as your IDS and IPS platforms continually monitor network traffic for potentially malicious activity.
What About a Network Firewall?
You may be wondering: Shouldn’t a system’s firewall already be proactively detecting and preventing network threats before they enter the network? Chances are, your network already uses some sort of firewall, and if so, that means you already have an IPS platform in place.

Although every network security platform is going to look slightly different, often IPS software can be integrated into your existing firewall hardware. That way, your network has the added benefit of two layers of protection. Should a malicious anomaly make it past your firewall, the more stringent IPS software can provide a last point of defense to stop a network breach. At the same time, while a firewall may not alert network administrators of blocked malicious activity, an IPS often does.

If you wish to supplement your existing firewall defenses, developing your IPS strategies offers an ideal place to start.

Whether you’re interested in incorporating an additional IPS device into your infrastructure or you’d rather bolster your prevention methods with IPS software, both can take network protection to the next level. It’s worth noting, however, that IPS tools are often more expensive than comparable IDS platforms.

Additionally, IPS protocols are often fairly strict, and when misconfigured, they can end up blocking legitimate network traffic and inadvertently disrupting normal operations.
Protection From Unknown Network Threats
You may have noticed earlier that we explain how both an IDS and IPS protect you from known threats by either quarantining them or blocking them altogether.

You’re probably wondering: What about the unknown threats?

This is a legitimate concern but often doesn’t affect the majority of networks. Because malicious anomaly databases are updated in real time based on evolving threats, an IPS or IDS platform can protect you from just about any threat your network may come up against.

However, for organizations that are prone to repeated attacks, more adept threats, or just want to stay protected from the unknown, an IDS or IPS won’t cut it.

That’s where the need for more advanced measures such as automated vulnerability assessments and hands-on penetration testing factor in. While a comprehensive IPS and IDS platform provides a solid foundation for protecting day-to-day operations, implementing vulnerability assessments and penetration testing keeps you protected from the unknown threats that haven’t made it into the IPS/IDS database.
The Role of Antivirus Protection
Now that we’ve covered the nuances of intrusion protection and intrusion detection, you’re likely wondering where antivirus software fits in the picture.

Although IPS and IDS tools can involve hardware or software, antivirus protection tools are only ever software programs. At the same time, IPS and IDS tools monitor and protect every device connected to your network, but antivirus software only protects devices on which its installed.

Lastly, while IPS and IDS platforms continually analyze incoming network packets, an antivirus program only scans for malicious files on a specific device.

If your IDS and IPS tools are doing their jobs, why would you need to install antivirus software on network computers? Remember, IDS and IPS platforms only protect devices that are connected to your network when they’re connected to the network. That means that if an employee takes a laptop and connects to WiFi at a client’s facility, their device won’t be protected.

Without effective antivirus software, computers, tablets, and phones remain vulnerable to threats when connected to other networks. They can even carry those threats back to your network when they reconnect, and that’s why all three of these platforms are crucial to comprehensive network protection.

We've also discovered in our exprimenting with greater ways to protect businesses that using antivirus and intrusion protection systems complement each other for maximum security protection.
The Los Angeles IT Support Experts
Has this post helped you realize that there’s more you should be doing to protect your network from both internal and external threats? If so, contact our cybersecurity experts at Be Structured today. Ready to learn more about network security? Read on about malware attacks and what you need to know that is plaguing organizations in every industry. Quick hint: comprehensive IPS is one of the most effective ransomware protection strategies available today.
- Categories: Networking
- Tags: Antivirus Software, Cybersecurity, Intrusion Detection Systems, Intrusion Prevention Systems, Ransomware Protection

#### Intrusion Protection Systems: How They Work and Why You Need One
Intrusion Protection Systems (IPS) are essential for safeguarding digital assets. With cyberattacks on the rise, understanding the technical components and benefits of IPS is crucial. 
This article will explore the core elements of IPS, their advantages, and why relying on professional IT support staff is vital for effective implementation and maintenance.

What Are Intrusion Protection Systems?
In 2023, cyberattacks surged by 20%, underscoring the critical need for robust security measures like Intrusion Protection Systems (IPS). This alarming increase highlights the vulnerabilities that businesses face daily. IPS solutions are designed to detect and prevent unauthorized access, ensuring that sensitive data remains secure.
Effective management of Intrusion Protection Sysytems requires skilled IT support staff. These professionals configure, monitor, and update the systems to adapt to evolving threats. Without their expertise, even the most advanced IPS can fall short.
Furthermore, an in-house or outsourced IT support staff play a crucial role in interpreting IPS alerts and taking appropriate action. They ensure that false positives are minimized and genuine threats are swiftly addressed. 
This proactive approach is essential for maintaining a secure digital environment and works in tandem with a solid advanced endpoint protection strategy.








Core Components of Intrusion Protection Systems
IPS consist of several key components that work together to detect and prevent unauthorized access. The first component is the sensors, which monitor network traffic for suspicious activity. These sensors are strategically placed to capture data from various points within the network.
Next, the analysis engine processes the data collected by the sensors. It uses predefined rules and algorithms to identify potential threats. This component is crucial for distinguishing between normal and malicious activity. Accurate analysis is essential for minimizing false positives and ensuring timely threat detection.
The response mechanism is the final component. Once a threat is identified, the IPS takes action to mitigate it. This can include blocking traffic, alerting administrators, or isolating affected systems. Effective response mechanisms are vital for preventing damage and maintaining network integrity.
Professional cybersecurity managed service providers are indispensable in configuring and maintaining these components. They ensure that sensors are correctly placed, analysis engines are updated with the latest threat intelligence, and response mechanisms are fine-tuned for optimal performance. Without their expertise, the IPS cannot function effectively.

Benefits of Implementing Intrusion Protection Systems
Implementing IPS offers several key benefits that enhance overall cybersecurity. One of the most significant advantages is real-time threat detection. IPS can identify and respond to threats as they occur, minimizing potential damage. 
Similar to penetration testing services, this immediate response is crucial for maintaining the integrity of sensitive data and systems. Another benefit is the reduced risk of data breaches. By continuously monitoring network traffic and identifying suspicious activity, IPS helps prevent unauthorized access. 
Cybersecurity compliance with industry regulations is also a major benefit. Many industries, such as healthcare and finance, have stringent data protection requirements. IPS helps organizations meet these standards by providing robust security measures. Compliance not only avoids legal penalties but also enhances the organization's reputation.
IT support staff play a critical role in maximizing these benefits. They ensure that the IPS is properly configured, regularly updated, and effectively monitored. Their expertise allows the system to function at its highest capacity, providing the best possible protection against cyber threats.

Comparing Traditional Security Measurreal Times to Modern IPS
Traditional security measures, such as firewall management and antivirus software, primarily focus on blocking known threats. While effective to a degree, these methods often fall short against sophisticated attacks. Modern Intrusion Protection Systems (IPS) offer a more dynamic approach, capable of detecting and responding to emerging threats in real-time.
One key difference is adaptability. 
Traditional measures rely on static rules and signature-based detection, which can be easily bypassed by new attack vectors. In contrast, IPS uses advanced algorithms and machine learning to identify unusual patterns and behaviors, making it more adaptable to evolving threats. This adaptability significantly enhances overall security.
The IPS strategy is just one part of what we call a Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA). You simply always make the assumption that everyone is out get you because (Psssst) tehy are.
Technological advancements also set modern IPS apart. Features like deep packet inspection and behavioral analysis provide a more comprehensive view of network activity. 
These capabilities allow IPS to detect threats that traditional measures might miss. For instance, IPS can identify and mitigate zero-day exploits, which are often undetectable by conventional methods.
A solid managed IT services staff is essential for ensuring a smooth transition from traditional security measures to modern IPS. They handle the integration process, configure the system to meet specific needs, and provide ongoing maintenance. 
Their expertise ensures that the IPS operates at peak performance, offering robust protection against a wide range of cyber threats.

Choosing the Right Intrusion Protection System for Your Needs
Selecting the right IPS requires careful consideration of several factors. 
First, assess the size of your network. Larger networks may need more advanced IPS solutions with higher throughput capabilities, while smaller networks can often manage with less complex systems.
Budget constraints also play a significant role. While high-end IPS solutions offer extensive features, they come at a premium. Evaluate your budget and prioritize features that align with your most critical security needs. Sometimes, a mid-range IPS with essential functionalities can provide adequate protection without straining financial resources.
Consulting with the best IT support company is crucial for making an informed decision. They can provide tailored recommendations based on your network's architecture, security requirements, and budget. Their expertise ensures that you choose an IPS that not only fits your current needs but also scales with your organization's growth.

Future Trends in IPS
Emerging trends in IPS are set to revolutionize cybersecurity strategies. One significant advancement is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). AI enhances IPS by enabling more accurate threat detection through machine learning algorithms. These algorithms can identify patterns and anomalies that traditional methods might miss, providing a higher level of security.
The potential impact of these advancements is substantial. AI and behavioral analysis can significantly reduce false positives, streamline threat detection, and improve response times. These technologies make IPS more adaptive and capable of handling sophisticated cyber threats. Organizations that adopt these trends will likely see enhanced security and reduced risk of breaches.
Communicating with your local IT support team plays a crucial role in staying updated with managed services trends as they continuously educate themselves on the latest advancements and integrate them into existing IPS frameworks. Their expertise ensures that the organization remains at the forefront of cybersecurity, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to protect digital assets.








Maintaining and Updating Your Intrusion Protection System
Regular maintenance and updates are crucial for the ongoing effectiveness of IPS. Cyber threats constantly evolve, and an outdated IPS can quickly become ineffective. Regular updates ensure that the system can recognize and respond to the latest threats, maintaining a high level of security.
Dedicated IT support staff are essential for these tasks. They have the expertise to perform regular system audits, apply updates, and make necessary adjustments. Their role is critical in ensuring that the IPS remains effective and responsive to new threats. Without their ongoing support, the system's performance can degrade over time.
Additionally, your IT support staff can monitor the IPS for any signs of malfunction or inefficiency. They can quickly address issues, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous protection. Their proactive approach helps maintain the integrity and reliability of the IPS, providing peace of mind for the organization.

Securing Your Digital Future with Intrusion Protection Systems
Intrusion Protection Systems are vital in today's cybersecurity landscape. They offer real-time threat detection, reduce the risk of data breaches, and help meet industry regulations. Dedicated IT support staff ensure these systems remain robust and responsive. Investing in IPS and professional IT support is essential for securing your digital future. 
Businesses can hire an IT support company to help them maintain their IPS. Companies like BeStructured can provide top IT support and are one of the best Los Angeles managed IT service provider in Southern California.
Contact BeStructured and schedule a free IT support consultation now!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance, Managed It Services

#### Is it Time to Switch to a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider?
Many company owners were quick to adapt to changing circumstances by launching online e-commerce options. Others happened to be involved in the medical or tech industries and found demand for their products soaring.

If your business falls into the second category, you may have experienced record growth since the start of COVID-19. Or perhaps your brand has already been gaining traction for many years. Either way, you might be wondering, "Is it time for managed IT services for your Los Angeles based business?" Here are 11 sure signs that it's time to take a look at managed IT providers in Los Angeles or any locale.
1. You're Worried About Cybersecurity
If you run a small-to-medium-sized business, you may not give much thought to hackers and cyberattacks. After all, it's always the major corporations that land in the headlines for data breaches, right?

Don't be so quick to dismiss the possibility that it could happen to you. The truth is that hackers and viruses don't discriminate based on the size of your company. Even if you only have a few dozen employees and clients, their personal information is just as valuable — and just as vulnerable.

Between January and October 2021, over 281 million people were affected by some sort of data breach. Ransomware and phishing schemes continue to be the most popular tools for hackers because (sadly) they continue to work.

Is your company 100% prepared to protect your sensitive data? Have you trained your employees to identify potential threats that land in their inboxes? The problem is only going to get worse as technology advances, so the time to protect your business is right now.
2. Your Infrastructure Is Outdated
Maybe you had the latest and greatest hardware and software installed when you started your company. But how long ago was that?

Last year? Five years ago? Ten years ago? Do you even remember?

These days, both software and hardware components evolve with blinding speed. The latest technology is quickly outdated as new updates and models roll out. If you're unable to keep up, you're leaving your business wide open to cyberattacks, unexpected downtime, and other potential problems.

Understandably, many small businesses struggle to keep up with the latest changes. They can also be held back by the prohibitively high costs of upgrades.

If this sounds like your dilemma, managed IT service providers have the answer. Managed  IT service providers partner with vendors to offer you discounts as well as automatic software updates or patches. This allows you to take advantage of all the latest IT support solutions — without breaking the bank
3. Your IT Costs Are Unpredictable
Do you find it impossible to predict your IT costs from one month to the next?

Maybe the "pay as you go" model worked when your company was just starting out. Maybe you've managed to skate by only seeking IT services when you faced a problem. Or maybe you're working with several different vendors that keep raising their prices or charging for services you don't need.

If you can relate to any of these things, you need professionally managed IT services. You can consolidate all your IT needs into one service from one provider. Most importantly, you'll incur a consistent, predictable monthly bill that you can work into your business budget.

Don't wait for something to break (or worse). Just like routine maintenance for your home or your car, a proactive approach to IT is sure to save you time and money.
4. You Struggle With Performance Issues
You never know what you're going to get when you enter the office. Some days, your system functions beautifully. Other days, your servers go down and your network has ongoing connection problems.

These issues can wreak havoc on workplace efficiency, not to mention leave you wide open to security threats.

Ideally, your IT department will keep your network operational 99.999% of the time. This concept of "five-nines availability" means that your network will only be unavailable for six minutes or less in an entire year.

This is an amazing goal for every business, but let's face it — it's a high bar to set.

If your in-house team struggles to hit this mark (or doesn't even come close), it's a sure sign you could benefit from managed IT services. They have the skills and tools required to prevent unnecessary downtime and keep your network running smoothly.
5. You Need More IT Support for Remote Workers
If the world was already trending towards remote work before 2020, the pandemic kicked this trend into high gear.

At the end of 2020, 71% of Americans were working from home at least part-time. Many company owners already have plans to allow remote or hybrid work options in the future — even after COVID-19 is behind us.

Were you forced to transition to remote work environments in the past 18 months? If so, you likely faced a unique set of challenges you weren't prepared for. It's harder to keep everyone in the loop and oversee a team when they're not physically in the office.

Although there are plenty of remote IT tools available, it's possible that your staff is too busy to use them. They may also lack the knowledge they need to use them effectively. Another possibility is that their home office setup is outdated or otherwise less than ideal.

How can you increase workplace efficiency and communication when your team is spread out across the country (or the globe)?

Again, managed service providers can help. They can recommend and install remote access software for you, as well as provide ongoing support for these systems. There might be other practical steps you can take as well, such as hosted VoIP solutions to optimize communication.
6. You Don't Have a Disaster Recovery Plan
When you're first starting out, you're focused on surviving. You're so busy getting your business up and running that you may not consider the possibility of everything crashing.

But as your company expands, it's vital to create a solid disaster recovery plan. In the unfortunate event of a hardware crash or a security breach, all of your essential business data could vanish in an instant. Even a simple staff error, like someone clicking a seemingly innocent link, could spell disaster for your data.

Managed service providers know just how catastrophic a situation like this can become. That's why they'll take time to craft a disaster recovery plan tailor-made to the needs of your business. This could include cloud computing and off-site data backups, as well as encryption and blockchain technologies.

Of course, regular data backups are essential no matter the size of your business. But when you consider the risks associated with a hardware crash or cyberattack, you'll likely agree that you need the help of professional IT services.
7. You Don't Have Sufficient Local IT Support
In the early days of your business, maybe you were your own "tech support." As your company grew, you likely onboarded one or two people to create an in-house support team.

How's that arrangement working for you now? It might have been fine in the beginning, but many business owners quickly find their company growth outpacing their IT capabilities.

Rather than an efficient in-house team, you're left with a few overworked and overwhelmed employees who can't keep up with their workloads. Or you could end up relying on service technicians in an endless break-and-fix cycle. As a result, you may lose valuable data, suffer network outages, or experience frequent hardware crashes.

Don't get us wrong — it's great that business is booming! But as your company continues to expand, your IT needs will change. It could simply be that you've become too big for a small in-house team to manage.

Free yourself from the break/fix mindset and adopt a more proactive approach to your IT needs. Unlike your frazzled employees, managed IT services can provide 24/7 support and monitoring to ensure your IT requirements are met.
8. You Want to Migrate (But You Don't Know How)
Everyone's telling you it's time to migrate to the cloud. Maybe you've looked into it but you feel overwhelmed by the process. It's a daunting prospect for sure, especially when you consider the consequences of doing it incorrectly.

It's also possible that you need to migrate to a new operating system or start using new software, but you're not sure how the process will affect your company's existing data.

For as complicated as these dilemmas are, the solution is simple. Managed service providers are experts in every type of migration. They can analyze your company's needs and design a custom migration strategy that suits your business.

When done correctly, the benefits of migrating outweigh any potential risks. You'll enjoy cost savings and better scalability, as well as increased productivity and enhanced security. Look for managed IT services that provide custom cloud migration services so you don't get left behind.
9. You're Stressed About Compliance
Do you work in an industry that requires regulatory compliance? Do you get a headache just thinking about acronyms like HIPAA, GDPR, or CCPA?

New data privacy and protection laws get passed each year, and it can be a challenge to keep up with the latest changes. At best, you could get slapped with fines for compliance violations.

At worst, your entire business could get shut down.

Don't put yourself or your company at risk. The last thing you want to do is get into legal trouble because you (knowingly or unknowingly) broke a rule about customer data or credit card information.

To ensure you're meeting your industry's IT requirements, it's best to partner with a managed IT service provider. They'll be up to date on the latest laws and regulations that affect your industry. They'll also keep your network and data as safe as possible to prevent any costly mistakes.
10. You Lost Track of Your IT Assets
What starts out as a simple network setup in a small office can quickly grow into something complex. Before you know it, you've lost track of how many PCs you have or which versions of Microsoft are running on which computers.

When's the last time you took a detailed inventory of your assets? If you don't know exactly what you have, how can you possibly expect to keep it updated and protected?

It could be that some of your computers are missing critical data. You might also find that some get updated and maintained regularly while others get neglected. Without an effective system for monitoring and patch management, you're leaving yourself wide open to security risks.

Managed IT services can identify potential problems or threats before they become critical. They'll start with a complete inventory and assessment of your network. Then they can provide a custom maintenance plan to keep everything in good working order.
11. You Want Peace of Mind
We've talked a lot about technicalities, but let's focus on the bigger picture. If you're lying awake at night worried about unresolved security problems, it's time to take action.

Managed I service providers can help you rest easier by taking care of all of your essential IT needs. This will also free up valuable time to focus on the core aspects of running and growing your business.

When you look at it from this perspective, the benefits of outsourcing IT work to professionals are priceless.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
If you were nodding as you read this article, outsourcing IT work is the solution you're looking for.

Simply put, your company can't afford any unexpected downtime — let alone a cyberattack or a data breach. If your business has grown and your in-house IT department can't keep up, it's time to consider managed IT services.

Be Structured Technology Group proudly provides IT support services to companies throughout the Los Angeles area. From 24/7 monitoring and disaster recovery to cloud migration and network installation, we have everything you need to keep your business up and running.

Give us a call at 1-323-331-9452 or click here to learn more about our managed IT services.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs, Security
- Tags: IT Sevices, IT Support in Los Angeles, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Managed IT Solutions, Managed Service Provider, managed services, MSP, Outsourced IT, Outsourced IT Support

#### IT Asset Management: Tracking and Optimizing Your Tech Investment
​Every modern organization relies on technology to keep operations running smoothly, but few have a clear picture of where their investments actually go. Devices, software, and cloud services accumulate over time, leading to inefficiencies, overspending, and unmanaged risk. 
Effective IT asset management turns that chaos into clarity. It gives companies the visibility and control they need to make confident technology decisions, reduce costs, and enhance operational performance.
A well-managed IT ecosystem begins with a complete understanding of the hardware, software, and services that make up an organization’s infrastructure. Asset management tools provide that visibility, allowing teams to monitor usage, license compliance, and lifecycle status. 
When implemented strategically, IT asset management services goes beyond tracking inventory. It becomes a foundation for data-driven decision-making and a key driver of business efficiency.

What Is IT Asset Management 
Organizations are operating in an increasingly digital environment, with assets spanning on-premises servers, virtual machines, and cloud applications. Each of these assets has its own cost, maintenance schedule, and security considerations. 
Without accurate tracking, expenses multiply and performance suffers. Studies show that companies with mature asset management programs can reduce IT costs by up to 30 percent, largely by eliminating unused licenses and optimizing procurement cycles.
Visibility also reduces risk. Knowing exactly what devices and applications are connected to your network makes it easier to identify vulnerabilities before they become threats. 
In regulated industries such as finance and healthcare, this visibility is essential for compliance. For growing businesses, it’s the difference between proactive management and reactive firefighting.

Automation and Operational Excellence in IT Asset Management Services
Automation is transforming how organizations handle IT assets. Modern asset management systems integrate with help desks, procurement platforms, and security tools to create a single, accurate source of truth. 
Routine processes like onboarding new employees, assigning devices, and managing warranties can all be automated. This not only saves time but also reduces the human error that leads to downtime and lost productivity.


Icons representing standard features of an automated IT asset management system.
When automation is paired with strong operational practices, IT teams gain both efficiency and insight. Real-time dashboards can show performance trends across systems, highlight underutilized resources, and identify assets nearing end-of-life. 
With these insights, technology leaders can plan upgrades and replacements more strategically, extending the value of existing investments and improving service delivery.

Turning Data into Actionable Intelligence
The real strength of IT asset management lies in its ability to generate actionable data. By analyzing asset performance, usage patterns, and cost data, organizations can align technology investments with business goals. 
For instance, if monitoring reveals that a particular department consistently underuses its licensed software, those licenses can be reassigned or retired. The savings from even small optimizations can be substantial when scaled across an enterprise.
Unfortunately, many organizations still struggle to maintain accurate asset data. Poor data quality costs organizations an average of $12.9 million annually, often due to inconsistent reporting, manual errors, and lack of integration between systems. 
That financial drain is avoidable. By centralizing data collection and ensuring that each asset record is updated automatically through connected systems, IT teams can make more reliable decisions and justify technology budgets with confidence.

Integrating Security with IT Asset Management
IT asset management is not only about cost control. It’s also a vital component of cybersecurity. Every unmanaged device or untracked license represents a potential entry point for attackers. 
Integrating privileged access management into asset tracking systems helps mitigate these risks. When IT teams know exactly which devices have elevated permissions and who can access them, they can prevent misuse and strengthen compliance across the organization.
Asset management tools can also tie into monitoring and support platforms to provide real-time visibility into potential security incidents. When an asset behaves abnormally, such as accessing data outside of its normal scope, alerts can be triggered automatically. 
This combination of asset tracking and continuous monitoring builds a stronger defense posture, allowing organizations to detect and respond to threats faster.

Working With IT Asset Management Companies for Efficiency and Expertise
Even with automation, maintaining a full-scale IT asset management program requires specialized skills and consistent oversight. For many businesses, this is where external expertise becomes a strategic advantage. 
Organizations are seeking external assistance to supplement internal capability in addressing their biggest pain points. Partnering with a managed service provider allows companies to focus on their core operations while ensuring their technology investments are tracked and optimized by professionals.
Through outsourced technical support, businesses can gain 24/7 visibility into their asset performance, compliance status, and software utilization without expanding their internal IT staff. Managed providers bring advanced tools and established best practices that smaller teams may not have access to. 
They also offer guidance on scaling infrastructure, implementing automation, and integrating asset management with broader business systems.

Maintaining Infrastructure Resilience
While cloud adoption has reduced dependence on physical infrastructure, many organizations still maintain a server room or hybrid environment to support critical workloads. In these setups, asset management becomes even more crucial. 
Physical assets like servers, switches, and storage devices must be monitored for temperature, energy use, and performance. Automated asset tracking ensures that replacement parts are available when needed and that maintenance schedules are never missed.
A resilient infrastructure also requires a comprehensive view of dependencies. For example, if a core application relies on an outdated server or unsupported operating system, IT asset management systems can flag that risk early. This allows teams to plan migrations before failures occur, preventing costly downtime and service disruptions.

Leveraging IT Asset Management for Continuous Improvement
The insights gained from IT asset management extend far beyond inventory. When used strategically, these systems become a roadmap for continuous improvement. 
Performance analytics can uncover patterns that indicate inefficiencies in network configurations, storage allocations, or software deployments. These discoveries help technology leaders refine processes and reallocate resources more effectively.


Asset management system showing investment planning, financial goal tracking, ROI analysis, and performance monitoring for efficient resource utilization
Asset management also supports sustainability initiatives. By tracking energy usage and device lifecycles, companies can plan environmentally responsible upgrades and reduce electronic waste. 
A data-driven approach to technology management ensures that every dollar invested contributes to both operational performance and corporate responsibility goals.

Building a Data-Driven IT Culture
Technology investments only deliver their full value when they’re managed proactively. IT asset management helps build a culture of accountability and foresight, where decisions are based on measurable outcomes rather than assumptions. 
This culture shift requires collaboration across departments, wherein finance, operations, and IT must work together to align asset management with overall business strategy. To make this shift successful, leadership must commit to maintaining accurate data, automating routine processes, and using analytics to guide decisions. 
It’s not just about managing what the company owns, but about understanding how each asset contributes to productivity, security, and long-term growth.

Turn Insight into Action
IT asset management is more than an administrative task. It’s a strategic capability that drives efficiency, resilience, and smarter decision-making. By combining automation, analytics, and security integration, organizations can gain complete control over their technology investments and reduce waste across the board. 
A well-structured IT asset management program leads to better forecasting, improved service delivery, and stronger business continuity. At Be Structured, we help organizations turn these principles into practice through our industry-specific managed IT solutions and usage of IT assets management tools. 
Whether optimizing infrastructure for financial institutions, modernizing systems for manufacturers, or improving cybersecurity readiness, we bring the tools and expertise to elevate performance. 
To see how a proactive, data-driven approach can strengthen your IT foundation, schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, IT Support, Managed It Services
- Tags: IT asset management

#### IT Budget Optimization: The 80/20 Rule Applied to Technology Spending
Organizations rarely struggle because they spend too little on technology. More often, they struggle because they spend in the wrong places which makes IT budget optimization so important. Hardware refresh cycles continue without scrutiny. Software subscriptions multiply quietly. 
Legacy systems remain in place long after their usefulness fades. Meanwhile, strategic initiatives that could drive productivity, resilience, and scalability are delayed.
True IT budget optimization is not about cutting indiscriminately. It is about focusing resources where they generate the greatest return. One of the most powerful frameworks for doing so comes from an idea introduced more than a century ago.

The 80/20 Lens on Technology Spending
Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that a small percentage of inputs often drives a large percentage of outcomes. This observation became known as the Pareto Principle, commonly referred to as the 80/20 rule.
Applied to technology, the principle suggests that roughly 20 percent of systems, applications, and initiatives deliver 80 percent of business value. Conversely, a large portion of spending may be tied up in tools that contribute little to performance, growth, or risk reduction.
In practice, many organizations discover that a small group of platforms powers revenue generation, customer engagement, and internal productivity. At the same time, they maintain a long tail of underused software licenses, redundant tools, and aging infrastructure that consume disproportionate resources.
When leadership teams view budgeting for IT services through this 80/20 lens, the conversation shifts. Instead of asking, “Where can we cut?” they begin asking, “Which investments truly move the business forward?”

The Global Spending Context
Technology investment continues to rise at a rapid pace. According to projections from Gartner, global IT expenditures are forecasted to reach approximately $6.15 trillion in 2026, representing a 10.8 percent increase over 2025 levels. 
That scale of spending reinforces a critical point. Technology is no longer a back-office utility. It is a central driver of competitiveness.


True IT budget optimization is not about cutting indiscriminately. It is about focusing resources where they generate the greatest return.
Gartner consistently frames technology as a value engine rather than a support function. Organizations that treat IT as a strategic lever outperform those that regard it solely as an operational expense. This perspective is foundational to effective IT budget optimization.
If technology is a value driver, then its budget must be aligned to measurable business outcomes such as revenue growth, operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and risk mitigation.

Where IT Budgets Commonly Go Wrong
Before organizations can optimize, they must understand where waste and misalignment typically occur.

Overspending on Maintenance
A significant portion of many IT budgets is dedicated to maintaining legacy infrastructure. Servers that should have been retired years ago continue to require patching, monitoring, and troubleshooting. 
Outdated systems demand specialized support, which increases labor costs and complexity. While some maintenance spending is unavoidable, excessive allocation to legacy systems often crowds out innovation.

Redundant and Underused Software
Software sprawl is another common issue. Departments independently adopt tools to solve immediate problems, resulting in overlapping functionality across platforms. 
In some cases, only a fraction of purchased licenses are actively used. Without centralized oversight, subscription costs accumulate quietly, eroding the budget.

Underinvestment in High-Impact Areas
Ironically, while money flows toward low-value maintenance and redundant software, organizations frequently hesitate to invest in IT security, automation, or cloud scalability. These areas often produce outsized returns by reducing risk, improving uptime, and enabling growth.
This imbalance illustrates the need for structured evaluation.

How to Optimize IT Budgets
Step One: Map Spending to Business Outcomes
The first step in IT budget optimization is visibility. Leadership teams must clearly understand where funds are allocated and what business function each investment supports.
An effective approach includes:


 	Categorizing expenses by function such as infrastructure, applications, security, and support.
 	Identifying which systems directly contribute to revenue or operational efficiency.
 	Measuring usage rates for software and platforms.
 	Assessing risk exposure tied to outdated or unsupported technologies.

When each expense is mapped to a measurable outcome, low-value spending becomes easier to identify.

Step Two: Identify the High-Impact 20 Percent
Not all systems are created equal. Some platforms are mission-critical. Others are convenient but not essential.
High-impact investments often share certain characteristics:


 	They directly support revenue generation.
 	They enhance employee productivity at scale.
 	They reduce risk or regulatory exposure.
 	 They enable future growth and scalability.

For example, implementing advanced endpoint security services may significantly reduce the likelihood of costly breaches. Deploying automation tools that streamline workflows can save thousands of labor hours annually.
These are the types of initiatives that frequently represent the 20 percent driving the majority of value.

Step Three: Eliminate or Consolidate the Low-Value 80 Percent
Optimization requires disciplined decision-making. Once underperforming systems are identified, leadership must determine whether to eliminate, consolidate, or replace them.
Common actions include:


 	Decommissioning unused applications.
 	Consolidating overlapping tools into a single platform.
 	Migrating aging infrastructure to more efficient environments.
 	Renegotiating vendor contracts.

Cloud strategy often plays a pivotal role here. In many cases, managed cloud hosting solutions can help you save money by reducing capital expenditures, lowering maintenance overhead, and improving scalability. 
Instead of maintaining physical infrastructure that may be underutilized, organizations can align costs with actual usage. The savings generated through consolidation should not simply disappear into general expense reduction. They should be redirected toward high-impact initiatives.

Security as a Strategic Investment
Security is frequently treated as a compliance checkbox rather than a strategic advantage. Yet breaches carry immense financial, operational, and reputational costs.
Organizations that adopt a proactive stance and partner with a managed security services provider in Los Angeles or similar regional specialists often gain access to expertise that would be cost-prohibitive to build internally. These partnerships can provide 24/7 monitoring and support services, ensuring threats are detected and mitigated before they escalate.
From an 80/20 perspective, strengthening cybersecurity may represent a relatively small percentage of total IT spend while delivering disproportionate value in risk reduction. When leadership views security as a core business enabler rather than a reactive expense, the case for strategic investment becomes clear.


Organizations that embrace the 80/20 mindset are better positioned to scale.
Aligning IT with Executive Strategy
IT budget optimization cannot occur in isolation. Technology leaders must collaborate with executive teams to align investments with broader business objectives.
This alignment includes:


 	Participating in strategic planning discussions.
 	Translating business goals into technology roadmaps.
 	Defining measurable KPIs for IT initiatives.
 	Reporting on outcomes rather than activities.

When CIOs and IT directors articulate how technology initiatives drive revenue growth, customer retention, or operational efficiency, budget conversations shift from cost containment to value creation.
Organizations that embrace this mindset are better positioned to scale. They are also more resilient during economic uncertainty because their technology investments are tied directly to business priorities.

Continuous Optimization, Not a One-Time Exercise
IT environments evolve rapidly. New tools emerge. Threat landscapes change. Business models shift. As a result, IT budget optimization must be continuous.
Best practices include:


 	Conducting quarterly or biannual spend reviews.
 	Auditing software usage regularly.
 	Benchmarking performance against industry standards.
 	Reassessing vendor relationships.

Over time, this disciplined approach creates a culture of intentional investment. Instead of reacting to budget pressures, organizations proactively allocate resources where they matter most.

The Leadership Imperative
Ultimately, IT budget optimization is a leadership responsibility. It requires courage to retire familiar systems. It demands discipline to measure outcomes objectively. It calls for collaboration between finance, operations, and technology teams.
When applied thoughtfully, the 80/20 framework reveals that optimization is less about reduction and more about reallocation. By identifying the small set of technologies that truly power the enterprise and trimming the rest, organizations unlock both efficiency and growth.

Building a Smarter IT Spending Strategy
Organizations that approach technology spending strategically position themselves for long-term success. They recognize that not every dollar spent on IT delivers equal value. They understand that small, focused investments can produce significant returns when aligned with clear business objectives.
Be Structured helps companies apply this disciplined approach. Our all-inclusive managed IT services are tailored to help organizations assess their technology environments, uncover inefficiencies, and build smarter IT spending strategies. 
Ready to take a more intentional approach to IT budget optimization? 
The next step is simple.
Schedule a discovery call today and let’s begin building a technology strategy that drives measurable business value.

FAQs for IT Budget Optimization
1. What is IT budget optimization?
IT budget optimization is the strategic process of reallocating technology spending so resources are directed toward initiatives that generate the greatest business value. Rather than cutting costs across the board, it involves mapping every expense to measurable outcomes like revenue growth, efficiency, and risk reduction, then shifting funding from underperforming systems to high-impact investments.
2. How does the 80/20 rule apply to technology spending?
The Pareto Principle suggests that roughly 20 percent of an organization's technology systems deliver about 80 percent of total business value. This means a small group of platforms typically powers revenue and productivity, while a large portion of spending remains tied to underused licenses, redundant tools, and aging infrastructure that contribute little to performance.
3. What are the most common areas of IT budget waste?
The three most common areas are overspending on legacy infrastructure maintenance, software sprawl from redundant or underused applications, and underinvestment in high-impact areas like cybersecurity and automation. Legacy systems demand costly specialized support, departments adopt overlapping tools without oversight, and subscription costs accumulate while strategic initiatives get delayed.
4. How can organizations identify which IT investments deliver the most value?
Organizations should map every technology expense to a specific business function and measurable outcome. High-impact investments typically share key characteristics: they directly support revenue generation, enhance employee productivity at scale, reduce risk or regulatory exposure, and enable future growth and scalability.
5. Why is cybersecurity considered a strategic investment rather than just a compliance requirement?
Breaches carry financial, operational, and reputational consequences that far exceed the cost of proactive protection. From an 80/20 perspective, cybersecurity may represent a small percentage of total IT spend while delivering outsized returns in risk reduction, especially when organizations partner with managed security providers for 24/7 monitoring and specialized expertise.
6. How does cloud migration help optimize IT budgets?
Cloud migration replaces capital-intensive physical infrastructure with scalable, usage-based models that align costs with actual demand. This reduces capital expenditures, lowers maintenance overhead, and improves scalability. The savings generated can then be redirected toward high-impact strategic initiatives rather than absorbed into general expense reduction.
7. How often should organizations review their IT budgets for optimization opportunities?
Organizations should conduct reviews quarterly or biannually rather than treating optimization as a one-time exercise. IT environments evolve rapidly, so regular software usage audits, performance benchmarking, and vendor relationship assessments are essential to maintaining a culture of intentional, proactive investment.
8. What is the first step a business should take to start optimizing its IT budget?
The first step is achieving full visibility into current spending. Leadership teams should categorize expenses by function, identify which systems contribute to revenue or efficiency, measure software usage rates, and assess risk exposure from outdated technologies. Once each expense is mapped to a measurable outcome, low-value spending becomes much easier to identify and reallocate.
- Categories: IT budget optimization, IT Support
- Tags: IT Budgeting

#### IT Disaster Recovery Plan for Southern California Businesses:  Wildfire, Earthquakes & What Your Plan Is Missing in 2026
What should an IT disaster recovery plan for small business include?
An IT disaster recovery plan for small business should define a recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO), establish cloud-based or offsite data backups tested against those targets, identify a recovery site model (cold, warm, or hot), assign a documented incident response team, and include a communication plan that functions when primary systems are offline. For Southern California businesses, the plan must also account for wildfire-related power and connectivity outages and earthquake-triggered infrastructure damage — two threats that operate on overlapping timelines and require different recovery assumptions.
For any Los Angeles business that relies on technology to operate — which is every business — an IT disaster recovery plan is not optional infrastructure. It is the documented difference between recovering from a disruption in hours and losing the business entirely.
This guide walks Southern California companies through how to build, test, and maintain a managed disaster recovery plan that holds up under the specific conditions this region creates: year-round wildfire risk, constant seismic exposure, and the power and connectivity failures that follow both.
Southern California businesses face a threat combination that is unlike almost anywhere else in the country: wildfire seasons that now run nearly year-round, and seismic risk that never goes away. If your IT infrastructure goes down during a disaster, the clock starts immediately and it's important to understand the difference between disaster recovery and business continuity. 
For small businesses, unplanned downtime can cost roughly $100,000 per hour. For larger organizations, the figure climbs much higher. A current, tested disaster recovery plan is the difference between a disruption your business recovers from and one it does not.
Why Southern California Businesses Need to Refresh Their DR Plans Right Now
Cal Fire data shows that California's most destructive wildfire periods have increasingly extended beyond the traditional fall window, with significant fire activity now occurring from late spring through winter. June marks the point at which fire weather conditions in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties begin to intensify. 
The January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires were a stark reminder of how quickly conditions can escalate. The Palisades and Eaton fires caused widespread power outages, forced evacuations across commercial districts, and disrupted business operations for weeks in some areas. 
Many businesses discovered during that event that their disaster recovery documentation was outdated, their backups had not been tested, or their recovery procedures assumed access to physical office infrastructure that was no longer available.
Earthquake risk adds a separate but equally serious layer. The USGS estimates a 60% probability of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake striking the greater Los Angeles area within the next 30 years.
A comprehensive wildfire recovery plan for business helps organizations protect critical systems, minimize downtime, and recover faster after a disaster.
Unlike wildfires, earthquakes provide no warning period at all. A DR plan built only around events with some lead time (evacuations, weather forecasts) will have critical gaps when applied to a seismic event.
The business case for updating your plan now is straightforward. According to research, the costliest consequences of downtime that IT leaders consistently identify are lost revenue (cited by 53%), lost productivity (47%), and lasting damage to corporate reputation (41%). All three compound the longer a business remains offline.
Defining RTO and RPO: The Foundation of Any IT Disaster Recovery Plan
Before choosing any specific technology or recovery site, a business needs to define two numbers that will drive every other decision in the disaster recovery plan.
 	
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum amount of time your business can afford to be offline before the disruption causes unacceptable damage. A business with an RTO of four hours needs to be back online within four hours of a disaster. A business with an RTO of 24 hours has more flexibility but still needs a plan that reliably hits that target.
 	
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum amount of data loss your business can tolerate, expressed as time. An RPO of one hour means your backups must be current enough that you never lose more than one hour of data. An RPO of 24 hours means daily backups are sufficient.
For most Los Angeles small businesses, an honest assessment of RTO and RPO reveals that their current backup and recovery setup does not actually meet their own tolerance for loss. A business that says it cannot afford to lose more than two hours of data but only backs up nightly has an RPO gap of up to 22 hours.
Cold Site vs. Warm Site vs. Hot Site: Choosing Your Recovery Model
The three standard recovery site models represent different tradeoffs between cost and recovery speed. For Southern California businesses, the right choice depends on your defined RTO, your budget, and the nature of your operations.
Disaster Recovery Site Comparison: Cold vs. Warm vs. Hot
Definition
Empty facility with power and connectivity only
Partially equipped with hardware and some systems pre-configured
Fully operational mirror of primary environment
RTO
72 hours or more
4 to 24 hours
Minutes to 2 hours
RPO
24 to 72 hours
1 to 24 hours
Near-zero to 1 hour
Monthly cost (SMB estimate)
$200 to $1,000
$1,500 to $5,000
$5,000 to $20,000+
Hardware on-site
None
Partial
Full mirror
Best for
Low-criticality operations, tight budgets
Most small to mid-sized businesses
Healthcare, finance, e-commerce, mission-critical ops
Wildfire suitability
Limited (slow activation)
Good (if site is outside fire zone)
Best (immediate failover)
Earthquake suitability
Poor (assumes staff can access site)
Moderate
Best (cloud-based hot site removes site access dependency)
For most Los Angeles SMBs, a warm-site model delivered through cloud infrastructure represents the best balance of cost and capability. Cloud-based warm sites eliminate the geographic vulnerability of a physical alternate location (which could itself be affected by a regional disaster) and allow activation without staff needing to physically travel anywhere.
A fully cloud-based hot site is worth the premium for businesses where even two to four hours of downtime has direct revenue or compliance consequences, including medical practices, legal firms, financial services, and e-commerce operations.
The Real Cost of Getting This Wrong
Small businesses with fewer than 25 employees can face downtime costs of approximately $100,000 per hour. Larger organizations see that figure climb to between $500,000 and $1 million per hour, with healthcare and financial sector businesses exceeding $5 million per hour in high-stakes scenarios.
For context: the average wildfire-related business disruption in Los Angeles during the January 2025 fires lasted between three days and two weeks for businesses in affected areas. At even the low end of SMB downtime costs, a 72-hour outage represents $7.2 million in losses. Most small businesses do not survive that scenario without a working recovery plan already in place.
This is also why the recovery site model you choose matters so much. A cold site with a 72-hour RTO exposes a small business to the full weight of that downtime cost. A warm or hot site with a four-hour or sub-two-hour RTO contains the damage to a fraction of that figure.
How to Build an IT Disaster Recovery Plan: A 7-Step Checklist for Southern California Businesses
This checklist is designed for businesses that already have some form of IT disaster recovery documentation but have not formally reviewed or tested it within the past 12 months. Each step is actionable and can be completed with internal resources or with the support of a managed IT services partner in Los Angeles.
1 - Pull your existing DR plan and identify what has changed since it was last updated
Start by locating your current documentation. If it references hardware, software, staff members, office locations, or vendors that have changed, those sections are immediately outdated and must be revised before anything else. Pay particular attention to contact lists, which go stale quickly, and any references to physical office infrastructure that may have changed due to remote or hybrid work arrangements.
2 - Reconfirm your RTO and RPO with current leadership
Business priorities shift. The RTO and RPO that were acceptable two years ago may no longer reflect your current operations, client obligations, or contractual requirements. Bring key stakeholders together for a short working session to reconfirm these numbers. If you serve clients with their own uptime requirements (such as SLA-bound service contracts), their requirements set a ceiling on your RTO.
3 - Audit your current backup configuration against your RPO
Pull a report from your backup system showing the last 30 days of backup jobs. Verify that backups are running on schedule, completing successfully, and storing data at a frequency that matches your defined RPO. If you have a one-hour RPO but your backup logs show daily jobs with frequent failures, you have a critical gap. Reviewing your data backup and protection setup at this stage will surface problems before a disaster does.
4 - Test your recovery procedure, not just your backups
Running a backup and being able to restore from it are two different things. A backup that has never been tested is an assumption, not a safety net. Conduct a restoration test using a non-production environment and document how long the full restoration takes. Compare that time against your RTO. If the actual restoration time exceeds your RTO, you need either faster recovery infrastructure or a revised plan.
5 - Assess your recovery site for geographic and seismic risk
If your DR plan relies on a physical alternate location, verify that it is outside the fire risk zones identified in Cal Fire's current hazard severity maps for Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties. Also assess whether the site is in a different seismic zone from your primary location. A backup site five miles from your office offers limited protection in a regional earthquake. For businesses that want to minimize business disruptions from regional events, cloud-based recovery removes geographic vulnerability entirely.
6 - Update your communication and escalation plan
Your DR plan should specify exactly who contacts whom, through which channels, and in what order when a disaster occurs. Verify that all staff contact information is current, that the escalation chain reflects your current organizational structure, and that the plan does not assume communication methods that may be unavailable during a disaster (such as phone calls when cell networks are overloaded, or email when your server is offline). Designate out-of-band communication options such as a group text thread or a pre-established check-in protocol.
7 - Document the refresh and schedule the next one
Date-stamp the updated plan, note what was changed, and identify who reviewed and approved it. Then schedule the next review before you close the document. For Southern California businesses, a twice-yearly review cadence (once before fire season in late spring, once before the wet season in November) aligns the refresh cycle with the regional risk calendar. Your data recovery solutions should also be reviewed on this same cadence to ensure technology choices remain current.
Wildfire vs. Earthquake: Different Disasters, Different DR Requirements
A DR plan built only for one disaster type will have gaps when the other strikes. Here is how the two primary Southern California threats differ in their IT recovery implications.
Warning time
Hours to days (evacuation orders)
None
Primary IT risk
Power loss, facility damage, evacuation
Physical hardware damage, network infrastructure failure
Staff availability
May be evacuated or displaced
May be unable to travel to office
Internet/connectivity
Often disrupted in affected zones
Fiber and cell infrastructure may be physically damaged
Recovery site access
Staff can typically relocate
Staff may be unable to travel
Cloud recovery advantage
High (access from anywhere)
Critical (no travel required)
Key DR priority
Offsite backup accessibility, remote work capability
Hardware redundancy, cloud failover
This comparison illustrates why cloud-based recovery infrastructure is particularly well-suited to the Southern California threat environment. Both wildfire and earthquake scenarios benefit from recovery models that do not require physical access to a specific location. 
A fully cloud-hosted recovery environment can be activated from any device with an internet connection, by staff working from home, a coffee shop, or a temporary office space.
Create a Wildfire Disaster Recovery Plan for Business with Managed IT
For most small to mid-sized businesses, maintaining a current, tested disaster recovery plan is not something the internal team has the bandwidth to prioritize consistently. It competes with daily operations, help desk demands, and a dozen other IT priorities. 
This is precisely where managed IT services deliver value that is difficult to replicate internally. A managed IT partner takes ownership of the DR lifecycle: maintaining documentation, monitoring backup jobs, conducting restoration tests, updating recovery procedures when systems change, and coordinating the response when an actual event occurs.
Testing backups and defining recovery objectives are essential steps in building an effective wildfire recovery plan before fire season begins.
They also bring vendor relationships and infrastructure options that most small businesses cannot access independently, including enterprise-grade cloud recovery platforms and colocation partnerships.
For a Los Angeles business evaluating its DR readiness ahead of fire season, the practical question is not whether a managed IT partner is affordable. It is whether the cost of a managed DR program is less than the cost of 72 hours of downtime. 
FAQs: IT Disaster Recovery Plan for Los Angeles Businesses
What is a wildfire disaster recovery plan for business?A wildfire disaster recovery plan for business is a documented set of procedures that defines how a company will protect its IT systems and data before a wildfire event, maintain operations during a disruption, and restore normal business function afterward. For Southern California businesses, it should specifically account for power outages, facility evacuations, and extended connectivity disruptions, and it should include cloud-based or offsite backup infrastructure that can be accessed without physical presence at the primary office.How often should a Los Angeles business update its disaster recovery plan?At minimum, once per year. For Southern California businesses, a twice-yearly review cadence is more appropriate, with one review completed before fire season begins in late spring and another before the winter storm and wind season in November. The plan should also be reviewed after any significant change to your IT infrastructure, staffing, office location, or key vendor relationships.What is the difference between RTO and RPO?
 Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum time your business can be offline before the disruption causes unacceptable damage. Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum amount of data loss your business can tolerate, expressed as a time period.  
 
 Together, these two numbers define the performance requirements for your entire disaster recovery infrastructure. All backup frequency decisions, recovery site choices, and technology investments should be evaluated against your defined RTO and RPO. 
What is the difference between a cold site, warm site, and hot site?
 A cold site is a facility with power and connectivity but no pre-configured hardware, resulting in recovery times of 72 hours or more. A warm site has partial hardware and system configuration in place, enabling recovery in 4 to 24 hours.  
 
 A hot site is a fully operational mirror of your primary environment, enabling recovery in minutes to two hours. For most Los Angeles small businesses, a cloud-based warm site delivers the best balance of cost and recovery speed given the regional risk environment. 
Does a disaster recovery plan cover earthquakes as well as wildfires?
 A well-designed disaster recovery plan should cover both, but the two threats have different implications for IT recovery. Wildfires typically provide some warning time (evacuation orders) and primarily affect power and facility access.  
 
 Earthquakes provide no warning and can cause direct physical damage to hardware and network infrastructure, as well as preventing staff from traveling to office or recovery locations. Cloud-based recovery infrastructure addresses both scenarios more effectively than physical alternate sites, since it can be accessed from any location with internet connectivity. 
How do I know if my current backups are actually working?
 The only way to verify that backups are functional is to test restoration from them. Many businesses run backup jobs that appear to complete successfully but produce corrupted or incomplete data that cannot actually be restored.  
 
 A backup audit should include pulling a restoration test in a non-production environment and documenting the time required to complete a full restore. That time should then be compared against your defined RTO. If the restoration time exceeds your RTO, your current backup infrastructure is not sufficient to meet your recovery objectives. 
What should be in a business communication plan for a disaster event?
 A disaster communication plan should specify the escalation chain (who contacts whom and in what order), the communication channels to be used (and backup channels when primary options are unavailable), staff check-in procedures, client notification responsibilities and messaging, and vendor contact information for critical IT and business services.  
 
 It should not rely exclusively on communication methods that may be unavailable during the event itself, such as office phone systems or email hosted on affected infrastructure. 
Building and Maintaining Your IT Disaster Recovery Plan With a Managed IT Partner
Southern California's disaster calendar does not align with IT project timelines. Fire weather conditions in the greater Los Angeles area begin intensifying in June and can produce major incidents through the following winter.
The businesses that weather those events without lasting damage are the ones that updated their recovery plans before the season started, not during it. If your DR documentation has not been reviewed since last year, or if your backups have not been tested in recent months, now is the time to close that gap. 
For most small to mid-sized businesses, maintaining a current, tested IT disaster recovery plan is not something the internal team has the bandwidth to prioritize consistently. It competes with daily operations, help desk demands, and a dozen other IT priorities.
This is where managed IT services deliver value that is difficult to replicate internally. A managed IT partner takes ownership of the full disaster recovery lifecycle: maintaining documentation, monitoring backup jobs, conducting restoration tests, updating recovery procedures when systems change, and coordinating the response when an actual event occurs.
For Southern California businesses evaluating DR readiness ahead of fire season, the practical question is not whether managed disaster recovery services are affordable. It is whether the cost of a managed program is less than the cost of 72 hours of downtime — which, for a small business, can reach $7.2 million.
Be Structured provides IT disaster recovery planning, data backup and protection, and all-inclusive managed IT support specifically designed for Los Angeles businesses operating in a high-risk environment. From initial DR assessment through implementation and ongoing plan maintenance, our team keeps your recovery infrastructure current, tested, and ready before the next event — not after it.
Contact Be Structured today to schedule a disaster recovery assessment.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery
- Tags: wildfire disaster recovery plan for businesses

#### IT Disaster Recovery Solutions: Lessons from California Wildfires and Earthquakes
​When disaster strikes, technology can determine whether a business survives or shuts down. Wildfires and earthquakes have long shaped California’s landscape, but they also continue to challenge how organizations protect their data and maintain operations. 
Developing a resilient disaster recovery plan for IT is no longer optional. It is the foundation of business continuity in a region defined by natural risk.
An IT disaster recovery plan involves more than backing up data. It requires preparation, automation, and ongoing testing to ensure systems can recover quickly when physical infrastructure is compromised. 
The strength of this plan often determines how fast critical services resume, how much data remains secure, and how costly downtime becomes. Recent years have underscored the urgency of preparedness. 
The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires, coupled with California’s seismic activity, make it essential for organizations to create comprehensive recovery strategies. Each incident reveals new lessons about resilience, from better backup practices to stronger incident response coordination.
The Cost of Natural Disasters on IT and Operations
Natural disasters leave deep scars not only on communities but also on digital ecosystems. The economic impact of California’s environmental events provides a sobering perspective on what is at stake. 
The 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County are estimated to have caused between 4.6 and 8.9 billion USD in lost economic output over a five-year period. These losses stemmed from operational shutdowns, damaged infrastructure, and disrupted communications.
Technology failures often compound these losses. When data centers or cloud facilities experience outages during such crises, recovery becomes increasingly complex.
The interior of a telecommunication data exchange center before disaster strikes.
Earthquake-related damage, for example, can extend far beyond physical destruction. Earthquakes can trigger complete data-center failure, disrupting not only local operations but also any dependent systems across multiple regions.
Businesses that lack redundancy or clear recovery procedures often struggle to restore service quickly. Every hour of downtime can translate into thousands of dollars in lost revenue, missed transactions, and damaged customer trust.
The Importance of IT Disaster Recovery Solutions 
An effective disaster recovery plan for IT establishes clear priorities for restoring systems, applications, and communications after an incident. It identifies which data is mission-critical, where it is stored, and how it will be recovered. 
Plans should include contact lists, recovery time objectives, and offsite backups that can be accessed remotely if local facilities become unavailable. Equally important is testing. Many organizations document their recovery procedures but fail to validate them through simulations or failover drills. 
Testing exposes weak points, whether in backup integrity, connectivity, or vendor support. These exercises transform theory into practice, ensuring that response teams are ready when disaster hits.
Integrating recovery planning into regular IT operations makes resilience part of everyday culture rather than a one-time initiative. The more frequently a plan is reviewed and tested, the faster and smoother recovery becomes.
Building a Data Disaster Mitigation Plan
A well-crafted data disaster mitigation plan focuses on prevention and preparedness. It identifies potential threats, outlines control measures, and defines how to minimize damage once an incident occurs. 
This type of planning complements a disaster recovery strategy by emphasizing proactive protection rather than reactive repair. For example, during wildfire season, organizations may choose to relocate backup servers out of high-risk zones or increase the frequency of offsite replication. 
Earthquake-prone regions might invest in seismic bracing, uninterruptible power systems, and redundant connectivity. These steps reduce the likelihood of data loss and enable faster recovery.
The goal of mitigation planning is to minimize business disruptions even when circumstances are unpredictable. When every department knows its role and every system has a fail-safe, continuity becomes achievable.
Strengthening Backup and Recovery Systems
Reliable data backup remains the foundation of any disaster recovery strategy. Yet not all backups are created equal. Local-only backups may fail if physical facilities are compromised, while cloud-only solutions can be vulnerable if they rely on a single region. 
A hybrid approach that combines on-premises speed with cloud redundancy offers both flexibility and safety. To achieve resilience, organizations must choose the right data backup and recovery solutions that align with their infrastructure and risk profile. 
Backup frequency, retention policies, and encryption standards all play a role in how effective recovery efforts will be. The right technology should support automated backups, fast restoration, and remote access in the event of a total site loss.
Automation enhances reliability by reducing the human error that often undermines recovery efforts. Monitoring systems should continuously verify backup completion and alert teams when failures occur. The faster an issue is identified, the faster it can be corrected before disaster strikes.
Integrating Security into Disaster Recovery
Security and recovery share a common goal: protecting data integrity. Cyberattacks often increase during natural disasters, as criminals exploit confusion and reduced oversight. A comprehensive disaster recovery plan must therefore include both physical and digital security controls.
Encryption, access management, and endpoint protection all help maintain confidentiality during crises. Secure communication channels ensure that recovery teams can coordinate even when normal infrastructure is unavailable. Additionally, multifactor authentication safeguards recovery consoles and cloud dashboards from unauthorized access.
Incident response plans should also address potential data exposure during transfer or restoration. Integrating recovery with cybersecurity ensures that systems return to operation safely, without introducing new vulnerabilities.
The Role of Cloud and Virtualization in IT Recovery
Cloud computing has changed how organizations approach resilience. Virtualization allows entire systems to be replicated and restored in hours instead of days. Cloud environments can host virtual backups of servers, databases, and applications, making recovery faster and more flexible.
However, cloud resilience depends on configuration. Replicating data to multiple regions protects against localized outages, while snapshot technology allows for quick rollback in case of corruption. Managed recovery services further improve efficiency by providing continuous monitoring and automated failover.
Computer scientists in a data center using a laptop to develop disaster recovery plans.
The cloud also supports scalability during emergencies. When demand spikes or systems are relocated, virtual infrastructure can be adjusted instantly without waiting for new hardware. This adaptability gives organizations a distinct advantage when recovering from unexpected disruptions.
Training and Communication During Crisis Response
Technology alone cannot ensure a successful recovery. People play a critical role in every phase of incident response. Training ensures that employees know how to execute recovery procedures, communicate updates, and operate within alternate workflows when systems are down.
Regular communication drills help establish familiarity with command structures and decision-making protocols. These rehearsals reduce confusion during real incidents and improve coordination between IT teams, management, and external vendors.
Clear communication also maintains customer trust. Keeping clients informed about recovery progress demonstrates professionalism and transparency, even under difficult circumstances.
Turning Lessons into Lasting Resilience
California’s recent natural disasters have proven that recovery is not just about technology, but about foresight, preparation, and adaptability. Every event, from wildfires to earthquakes, highlights the value of strong IT planning. 
A modern disaster recovery plan for IT must include not only backups and hardware but also risk analysis, communication strategy, and ongoing process improvement.
Organizations that treat recovery planning as an evolving discipline adapt faster, protect assets more effectively, and return to operation sooner. They invest in automation, diversify data storage, and prioritize security to safeguard long-term stability.
Preparedness Starts Before the Next Crisis
A strong disaster recovery plan for IT can mean the difference between temporary disruption and irreversible loss. From data protection and backup selection to security integration and communication drills, preparedness must be a continuous process. Every improvement adds resilience and strengthens operational confidence.
At Be Structured, we specialize in helping organizations protect critical systems from the unpredictable. Our recovery and continuity solutions combine automation, offsite backups, and managed security to ensure operations continue even when conditions are at their worst. 
Whether supporting financial institutions, manufacturers, or professional services, we tailor our strategies to reduce risk and accelerate recovery.
Schedule a consultation to learn more about how we can build your resilience.
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Disaster Recovery
1. What is an IT disaster recovery plan and why is it essential for California businesses?
An IT disaster recovery plan is a comprehensive strategy that outlines how to restore critical systems, applications, and data after a disruptive incident. For California businesses, it's essential because the region faces recurring threats from wildfires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that can compromise infrastructure and cause costly downtime.
2. How much can natural disasters cost businesses in terms of IT downtime and data loss?
The 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires alone caused an estimated $4.6 to $8.9 billion in lost economic output over five years. Every hour of IT downtime can translate into thousands of dollars in lost revenue, missed transactions, and damaged customer trust.
3. What's the difference between a disaster recovery plan and a data disaster mitigation plan?
A disaster recovery plan focuses on reactive measures—how to restore systems after an incident occurs. A data disaster mitigation plan emphasizes proactive protection and prevention strategies to minimize damage before disaster strikes.
4. How often should businesses test their disaster recovery plans?
Businesses should test their disaster recovery plans regularly through simulations and failover drills, ideally on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Frequent testing exposes weaknesses and ensures response teams are prepared when real disasters occur.
5. What are the best data backup and recovery solutions for disaster-prone regions?
A hybrid approach combining on-premises backups with cloud redundancy offers the best protection. This provides both the speed of local restoration and the safety of offsite cloud storage across multiple regions.
6. How does cloud computing improve IT disaster recovery capabilities?
Cloud computing enables virtualization, allowing entire systems to be replicated and restored in hours instead of days. Cloud environments offer multi-region redundancy, automated failover, and instant scalability during emergencies without requiring expensive backup hardware.
7. Why is cybersecurity important during disaster recovery?
Cyberattacks often increase during natural disasters as criminals exploit confusion and reduced oversight. Integrating security measures like encryption, multifactor authentication, and secure communication channels protects data integrity throughout the recovery process.
8. What role does employee training play in successful disaster recovery?
Regular training ensures employees understand how to execute recovery procedures, operate alternate workflows, and communicate effectively during crises. Well-trained teams improve coordination and can maintain customer trust through transparent communication about recovery progress.
9. How can businesses protect data centers from earthquake damage?
Protection requires physical measures like seismic bracing, uninterruptible power systems, and redundant connectivity. Businesses should also implement geographic redundancy by replicating critical data to facilities in different seismic zones.
10. What should be included in a business continuity plan for wildfire season?
A wildfire season plan should include relocating backup servers out of high-risk zones, increasing offsite replication frequency, and establishing redundant communication systems. Pre-season testing of remote access capabilities and cloud failover systems ensures operations can continue from alternate locations.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Backup and Disaster Recovery, Disaster Recovery

#### IT for Manufacturing: Tech Requirements for Smart Factory Implementation
​The shift toward smart factories has reshaped what it means to deploy IT manufacturing solutions. Industrial IoT devices, cloud-based systems, and AI-driven insights are no longer optional investments but core requirements for scaling. 
To succeed with Manufacturing 4.0, companies must design IT frameworks that enhance connectivity, secure vast amounts of data, and streamline production processes.

Why Managed IT Services for Manufacturing Has Become a Core Requirement
Manufacturers adopting smart systems cannot rely solely on machinery upgrades. Every automated line and digital sensor depends on a strong IT backbone. Without reliable networks and data systems, factories risk downtime, security gaps, and underutilized technology.
Implementing IT manufacturing strategies also ensures that connected devices and platforms work seamlessly. These systems must handle real-time data processing, cloud integration, and cybersecurity, all while supporting compliance obligations.

The Role of IoT in Smart Factory Infrastructure
Industrial IoT devices provide granular insights into performance and quality. Sensors track equipment health, detect anomalies, and send alerts before breakdowns occur. However, each connected device creates new demands on IT infrastructure.
To make IoT viable at scale, factories need robust networks with low latency, automated monitoring, and tools to prevent overload. At the same time, system visibility becomes vital because IT teams must know exactly how devices are functioning to avoid blind spots.

Data as the Foundation of Manufacturing 4.0
Data collection has become one of the most valuable assets in modern manufacturing. Machines, sensors, and even supply chain platforms produce constant streams of information. The challenge lies not in collecting data but in managing it effectively.
Manufacturers must build systems capable of storing, analyzing, and visualizing insights. Cloud platforms, data warehouses, and AI-powered dashboards make real-time decision-making possible. For companies hesitant to move fully to the cloud, hybrid approaches allow for both speed and compliance.

Cybersecurity as a Manufacturing Priority
A connected factory faces more risks than traditional operations. Cyberattacks targeting operational technology (OT) systems can halt production lines and cost millions in downtime. The manufacturing sector is among the top five industries hit by ransomware.
Protecting factories requires advanced cybersecurity controls. Monitoring tools, endpoint protection, and secure remote access are essential. Employees also need training to recognize phishing and insider risks. A comprehensive cybersecurity plan ensures resilience while protecting intellectual property.


A manufacturing company using industrial IoT.
Workforce Training and Adoption
The success of smart factories relies on human expertise. As new technologies arrive, IT and production teams must learn how to integrate and operate them effectively. Without ongoing training, businesses risk adopting tools that are never fully utilized.
Upskilling programs help bridge the gap between traditional operations and advanced systems. Training reduces resistance to change and allows staff to maximize the potential of new digital investments.

IT Solutions for Manufacturing That Enable Smart Manufacturing
No two factories have identical needs, which is why manufacturers are increasingly turning to tailored IT strategies. IT solutions for manufacturing include advanced ERP systems, predictive analytics, and cybersecurity protections designed for industrial operations.
These solutions enhance supply chain visibility, automate compliance reporting, and allow production managers to act quickly when disruptions occur. A flexible IT roadmap ensures that investments align with long-term business goals.

Adoption Rates and Market Momentum
Global adoption of smart factory technologies is accelerating. A recent industry report shows that 56% of manufacturers are piloting smart manufacturing, 20% are using it at scale, and 20% are planning to invest in it. While adoption is growing, scaling remains a challenge for smaller manufacturers with limited IT resources.
Companies that invest early in scalable systems tend to reduce operational costs faster and stay more resilient against disruptions.

Why Around-the-Clock IT Support Is Essential
Manufacturing rarely operates on a 9-to-5 schedule. Production often runs 24/7, and downtime at any hour can cause major financial losses. Having all-day IT support for manufacturing companies ensures quick responses to outages, network issues, and cyber incidents.
Support teams that understand factory environments can address problems without slowing production. Around-the-clock assistance has become a competitive necessity for global manufacturers.

Managed IT Services for Industry 4.0
The complexity of Industry 4.0 often exceeds the capacity of in-house IT teams. This is why many companies rely on managed IT services for manufacturing companies. Outsourcing provides access to experts in IoT, cloud, and cybersecurity, all without requiring significant hiring.
Managed service providers can monitor systems in real time, prevent downtime, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. This model reduces strain on internal staff while boosting operational efficiency.

Competitive Advantages of Smart Factory IT
The competitive advantage of IT solutions for smart factories lies in efficiency, security, and scalability. Factories that embrace digital transformation are able to minimize downtime, predict equipment failures, and achieve faster time-to-market.
Beyond efficiency gains, IT-driven automation enhances quality control, improves supply chain coordination, and provides a clear edge in highly competitive markets.

Cloud and Edge Computing in Smart Factories
As data volumes grow, manufacturers must rethink how they process information. Cloud platforms enable large-scale storage and advanced analytics, while edge computing ensures critical decisions happen on-site without latency.
A hybrid cloud-edge approach allows manufacturers to balance speed with scalability. While the cloud centralizes analytics, edge devices handle immediate tasks like machine adjustments or safety triggers. Together, they form a resilient architecture for smart factory operations.

Digital Twin Technology and Predictive Maintenance
One emerging trend in IT manufacturing is the use of digital twins, or virtual replicas of physical machines. These models allow manufacturers to simulate operations, test changes, and predict equipment failures before they occur.
Digital twins reduce maintenance costs and extend equipment lifespan. When combined with predictive analytics, they help factories schedule repairs strategically instead of reacting to sudden breakdowns.


A worker in a smart factory controlling production.
Industry 4.0 Explained
Industry 4.0 is the term used to describe the fourth industrial revolution, driven by automation, AI, IoT, and advanced analytics. It is a broad movement that covers not only manufacturing but also logistics, energy, healthcare, and other industries adopting smart systems.
At its core, Industry 4.0 integrates cyber-physical systems with digital platforms. Machines can communicate with each other, adapt to changing conditions, and support human decision-making with predictive insights. This marks a shift from traditional automation to truly intelligent operations.

Manufacturing 4.0 vs. Industry 4.0
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Industry 4.0 is a broader concept that applies across industries. Manufacturing 4.0 is the subset focused specifically on the factory floor.
Manufacturing 4.0 applies Industry 4.0 principles in production environments, emphasizing automation, robotics, and predictive maintenance. While Industry 4.0 might include smart healthcare or logistics systems, Manufacturing 4.0 zeroes in on how connected IT systems transform the way products are designed, built, and delivered.
Understanding this distinction helps businesses allocate resources more effectively. Factories implementing Manufacturing 4.0 strategies are part of the broader Industry 4.0 movement but with a sharper focus on physical production and operational efficiency.

Industry 4.0 as a Global Shift
Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the way companies manufacture. From robotics and 3D printing to AI-driven supply chains, the future of production depends on the seamless integration of IT and operations.
For manufacturers in Los Angeles and beyond, the challenge lies in balancing modernization with security, compliance, and workforce readiness. Those who succeed will stay competitive in an increasingly digital global market.

Building the Smart Factory of Tomorrow
Smart factories depend on IT as much as machinery. From IoT sensors to predictive analytics, every aspect of Manufacturing 4.0 requires reliable, secure, and scalable systems. Companies that invest in the right infrastructure gain efficiency, resilience, and long-term growth.
At Be Structured, we provide tailored IT solutions for manufacturing that align technology with operational needs. Our expertise covers automation, cloud integration, and cybersecurity for industrial environments. Schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: IT support for manufacturing
- Tags: IT support, IT support for manufacturing

#### IT Outsourcing Companies: The Secret to Getting 24/7 IT Support Without Breaking the Bank
IT support is an obvious necessary evil in successfully operating a business today.
But the question we're often asked is, what are the benefits of partnering with IT outsourcing companies as opposed to handlign managed IT services in hoouse. 
When asked, we like to be transparent with a potential client. After meeting with them and seeing their tech support needs first-hand, we offer a truthfull assessment of whether the company would benefit from IT outsourcing services or whether their needs could be properly with an small, dedicated in-house team.
There definietly are pros and cons of hiring IT outsourcing companies.
But one thing is constant: local IT support companies offer a cost-effective solution, providing businesses with access to 24/7 support, cutting-edge technology, evolving cybersecurity—all without exceeding their budgets.

Why IT Outsourcing Servcies can be the Smart Choice
IT outsourcing allows companies to delegate their technology management to external experts, such as a managed service provider, enabling them to focus on their core operations. By partnering with an IT services company, businesses can enhance operational efficiency while minimizing risks associated with downtime, data breaches, and outdated systems.
Contrary to the common misconception that outsourcing is expensive or risky, a well-structured outsourcing partnership ensures secure, reliable, and scalable IT solutions. 
For example, an outsourced IT support company employs advanced security tools and practices to protect sensitive data, often surpassing the capabilities of in-house teams. This approach not only ensures robust cybersecurity but also provides peace of mind.

The Evolution of IT Support
Traditional IT support models typically limited to in-house teams working standard business hours, often leave organizations vulnerable to technical issues outside those hours. In contrast, outsourced IT support offers uninterrupted assistance, ensuring problems are addressed promptly, no matter the time.
Technological advancements have significantly enhanced the effectiveness of outsourced IT support. For instance, providers, like Be Structured, utilize innovative tools to deliver managed IT services that streamline operations and fortify cybersecurity. Businesses leveraging outsourced support benefit from a proactive approach to IT management, reducing downtime and mitigating risks before they escalate.


The Cost-Effectiveness of IT Outsourcing
One of the most compelling advantages of IT outsourcing is its ability to reduce costs without compromising quality. Maintaining an in-house IT team involves expenses such as salaries, benefits, training, and equipment—all of which can strain budgets. By outsourcing, businesses eliminate these overheads and only pay for the services they need.
Additionally, IT outsourcing offers scalability, allowing companies to adjust their IT support as their needs evolve. This flexibility ensures that businesses can grow without the burden of hiring and training additional staff. Instead, resources can be redirected toward innovation and expansion while an IT support company manages the technical aspects.

Access to Expertise and Advanced Technology
Outsourcing IT support provides businesses with access to a diverse pool of specialists and state-of-the-art tools. For instance, Be Structured offers IT solutions for financial institutions and other industries, ensuring tailored support for unique challenges.


 	Specialized Skills: Outsourced teams include experts in various IT domains, from cybersecurity to cloud computing, delivering high-quality services tailored to each business.
 	Advanced Tools: Leveraging cutting-edge technologies, managed service providers optimize operations, enhance security, and improve efficiency.

This combination of expertise and technology enables businesses to navigate the complexities of today’s digital landscape with confidence, knowing they are backed by reliable support.

Enhancing Cybersecurity Through Outsourcing
In an era where cyber threats are constantly evolving, businesses must prioritize cybersecurity to protect sensitive data and maintain customer trust. A managed security services provider specializes in implementing robust security measures tailored to each client’s unique needs.


 	Proactive Threat Management: Managed service providers use advanced threat detection tools to identify and neutralize risks before they escalate.
 	Compliance Expertise: Outsourced teams are well-versed in regulatory requirements, ensuring businesses remain compliant with industry standards.
 	Employee Training: Many providers offer cybersecurity training to help employees recognize and avoid potential threats.

By leveraging these services, businesses can significantly reduce their risk of cyberattacks while ensuring that their IT infrastructure remains secure and compliant.

The Importance of 24/7 IT Support
Uninterrupted IT support is vital for maintaining smooth business operations. Industries such as e-commerce, healthcare, and finance rely heavily on technology and cannot afford prolonged downtime. For example, an e-commerce business experiencing a technical issue during peak sales hours could face significant revenue losses. Similarly, healthcare providers depend on constant IT support to safeguard patient data and ensure accessibility.
Be Structured’s commitment to providing 24/7 support ensures that businesses remain operational and secure at all times. 
This level of reliability not only minimizes downtime but also enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty, as clients can trust businesses to deliver consistent, high-quality service.

Boosting Productivity with Outsourced Tech Support
Another significant advantage of IT outsourcing is its ability to enhance productivity across the organization. By delegating time-consuming IT tasks to external experts, in-house teams can focus on strategic projects that drive growth.


 	Streamlined Processes: Outsourced IT providers optimize workflows by implementing efficient systems and automating repetitive tasks.
 	Reduced Downtime: Proactive maintenance and rapid issue resolution ensure minimal disruptions to daily operations.
 	Employee Empowerment: With reliable IT support in place, employees can work confidently, knowing that technical challenges will be swiftly addressed.

This boost in productivity translates into improved business outcomes, from increased revenue to enhanced employee morale.


Choosing the Right Managed IT Servcies Partner
Selecting the right IT outsourcing partner is crucial for maximizing the benefits of IT outsourcing. Businesses should evaluate potential providers based on their expertise, communication practices, and ability to align with organizational goals.
Key considerations include:


 	Proven Expertise: Look for a provider with a track record of success in your industry.
 	Effective Communication: Ensure the partner maintains open and responsive communication channels.
 	Goal Alignment: Choose a provider that understands your objectives and tailors their services accordingly.

Be Structured excels in these areas, offering managed IT services and local IT support services that cater to businesses across various industries. Establishing clear expectations and performance metrics from the outset ensures a productive partnership, enabling businesses to achieve their IT goals efficiently.

Unlock Your Business Potential with Outsource IT Support Services
IT outsourcing empowers businesses to thrive in a competitive environment. By leveraging outsourced IT support, organizations can:


 	Reduce operational costs
 	Gain access to specialized expertise
 	Ensure 24/7 support for uninterrupted operations
 	Focus on core competencies while leaving IT management to the experts

In Southern California, as the demand for reliable Los Angeles managed IT services and beyond continues to grow, partnering with an experienced managed service provider like Be Structured can make all the difference.

Embrace IT Outsourcing Services With Be Structured
Embracing outsourced technical support requires a thoughtful approach. 
Start by assessing your business’s unique needs and identifying areas where outsourcing can add value. 
By partnering with Be Structured Technology Group, you gain access to tailored IT solutions designed to enhance efficiency and security. 
Ready to transform your local IT support strategy? 
Schedule a free consultation today and discover how outsourced IT support can propel your business forward.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support
- Tags: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT outsourcing, IT support

#### IT Outsourcing: How to Know If It's Right for Your Business
If you're a business owner, the last thing you want to be doing is managing IT; it's such a headache. That's why so many companies choose to outsource their IT departments, even small businesses.

But how do you know if outsourced tech support will be right for your company?

Here are some questions that will help you figure it out.
What Is Outsourced IT Support in Los Angeles?
Outsourcing is when a company hires an outside company to take over part of its operations. It's not uncommon in the software industry, but it is also widespread in the IT industry.

For example, if you're a small business owner who needs help with your computer network, you can outsource that work to someone else. This way, you don't have to hire an in-house employee who's trained specifically on the type of systems you use. You can keep everything running smoothly for years to come.

It's important to note that outsourcing isn't limited to just hiring people from other companies. You can also outsource tasks within your organization as well!

Let's take this example. If all of your employees are already busy working on projects for clients and other internal tasks besides their regular jobs (e.g., purchasing supplies) then why not bring on another person whose sole responsibility will be ordering new equipment?

This frees up those individuals so they can focus solely on what they do best. You're still getting things done quickly and efficiently without worrying about any administrative details getting overlooked along the way.
Outsourcing Can Be a Lifesaver for Struggling Businesses
Outsourcing can be a lifesaver for struggling businesses. If you're not growing, you may be losing money and time doing things that don't drive revenue. Outsourcing can help you cut costs, give you more time to focus on your core competencies, and improve customer service while increasing profits.

Outsourcing can also help businesses grow by allowing them to focus on what they do best without having to take care of the "boring stuff" themselves.

For example, if a business sells products online but doesn't have any tech expertise or knowledge of IT would be better off outsourcing its e-commerce site development whilst focusing on the products. The same goes for IT.
Local IT Support Is One of the First Departments Companies Outsource
For many companies, IT is one of the first departments they outsource. The reason for this is simple: it's a complicated department that requires a lot of attention and often acts as a bottleneck for growth.

For example, say your company needs to hire an in-house IT support staff member for a new office location opening in another state. You might struggle to find good candidates locally because there are other businesses in town also looking for IT talent.

The competition drives up salaries and makes it difficult to attract top talent from outside the city limits because they have so many other options closer by.

If you're a local business in, say, Southern California, then hiring an IT support Los Angeles based company makes a ton of sense. They can be onsite in case of an emergency within minutes.

As another example, let's say you want to expand into Asia but don't know anyone there who can help you with choosing vendors or navigating the cultural landscape (and certainly not all your employees).

You could send someone over there on assignment full-time. Alternatively, you could use an outsourcing agency with offices already established throughout Asia that has already worked with some local partners who can help bridge those gaps between cultures while keeping an eye on quality control back home (if necessary).
Start by Talking to Your Staff
Before you start the process of outsourcing, it's important to get your staff's input.

Ask them the following:

 	What do they think about outsourcing?
 	Would they be open to it if it meant growing the company in other areas?
 	What are some pros and cons of outsourcing that they see?
 	What companies have done well with outsourcing?

They know the company best and will be able to give you valuable insight on whether or not it's worth pursuing.
Outsource to Those With IT Experience
If you're considering outsourcing, it can be a good idea to find potential candidates who are willing to learn new things. This will help ensure that the person you hire is flexible and open-minded enough to work with the team at your outsourcing company.

Another way to recruit someone with the right qualities is by looking for a candidate that has a good attitude. A good attitude means someone willing to work hard, be professional, and have fun while doing so!

You're best bet is to start with a Google search of "IT support companies near me" to find a IT partner who is close by that you can interact with face-to-face.

It's also important that they have the right skills, such as coding or website design expertise. Or whatever else may be required by your business model. Lastly, make sure that their experience matches what your company needs; if not, then maybe it's time for them (or another employee) to take some classes at night school!
Outsourcing Can Be a Great Idea for Growing Companies
In general, outsourced tech support services can be a great idea for growing companies. The right IT outsourcing partner will free up your time and resources to focus on what you do best. Or on expanding into new markets or increasing innovation—while they handle the rest.

This is especially true if you're just starting out and don't have enough money to hire an entire team of in-house tech specialists. In addition, hiring more people in your core business means that there are more opportunities for them to learn from each other and grow as employees together. This ultimately benefits everyone involved with the company!
Outsourcing Is a Great Way To Scale Up as Your Company Grows
Outsourcing can be a great way to grow your business. By outsourcing, you'll be able to focus on your core competencies instead of the day-to-day hassles that come with running a company like cybersecurity, even though it's important.

An IT outsourcing service helps you increase profit margins by reducing costs and improving customer service in areas where it matters most: sales and marketing.

Outsourcing can even reduce stress by taking care of tasks like payroll, taxes, and accounting. More so that you have time and energy left over at the end of each day to focus on running your business instead of worrying about all these tedious tasks!
IT Outsourcing Is Great
Outsourcing IT isn't right for every company. However, it can be a great option for those that have outgrown the capabilities of in-house IT. If you're looking to take your business to the next level, consider outsourcing some of your IT needs.

Be sure to contact us today to see how Be Structured Technology Group can assist you with IT outsourcing.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### IT Procurement in Inflationary Times: Strategic Purchasing Approaches
​Navigating IT procurement in times of inflation requires forward planning, careful budgeting, and an eye for value as technology costs rise across hardware, software, cloud services, and outsourced support. 
Recent announcements from major vendors highlight this pressure, with price hikes planned for commercial IT products starting in December 2025 due to global chip and memory shortages that are driving costs higher industry-wide, and with warnings that ordering early may not lock in current pricing.
Inflation impacts not just purchasing power but procurement strategy because fixed budgets must stretch further to secure the same technology capabilities. Without a strategic approach, organizations risk supply delays, budget overruns, and gaps in service continuity. Proactive procurement helps maintain operational efficiency even when external cost pressures fluctuate.
IT procurement now intersects with long-term infrastructure planning more than ever before, and strategic purchasers understand that cost control, risk mitigation, and efficiency are core objectives. 
Technology buyers who adapt their procurement approach can secure better pricing, minimize disruption, and position their organizations for future challenges.

Rising Technology Costs and Market Dynamics
The inflationary effects on IT procurement emerge from a mix of supply constraints, demand surges, and macroeconomic forces. Rising raw material costs and logistics expenses increase the base price of hardware components and cloud services. 
Global memory chip shortages, especially in DRAM and NAND storage, have forced major vendors like Dell to raise prices across its commercial laptop and desktop product lines, in some cases between 10% and 30%, and indicate broader pressure that could extend into 2026.
Competitors across the PC and workstation market are also adjusting pricing in response to these pressures, indicating a systemic shift in the cost of enterprise technology assets.
These cost increases affect procurement decisions because they influence timing, vendor choice, bundling strategies, and total cost projections. Understanding market signals helps procurement teams anticipate price changes and adjust their negotiation strategies accordingly.


Reading market signals enables procurement teams to anticipate price movements and refine negotiation strategies.
Conducting Cost Transparency and Total Cost Analysis
Cost transparency is essential in inflationary IT procurement because list prices only tell part of the story. Tracking not only purchase cost but the ongoing expense of maintenance, support, depreciation, and disposal provides a clearer understanding of long-term financial impact.
This broader view, often referred to as the total cost of ownership (TCO), helps procurement teams compare options beyond the upfront price tag. For example, hardware with a slightly higher initial price may offer better durability, lower maintenance costs, or longer service life. Procurement teams that integrate TCO into decision-making reduce the risk of hidden expenses later.
A clear cost transparency framework also supports budgeting accuracy. Procurement teams can model cost trajectories, project future maintenance expenses, and align spending with financial forecasts.

Negotiating with Vendors and Contract Flexibility
Vendor negotiation remains one of the most powerful levers in strategic IT procurement. Especially in inflationary times, buyers benefit from negotiating pricing tiers, volume discounts, and extended warranties. Aggregating demand across departments or committing to multi-year agreements can unlock better terms.
Contract flexibility is equally important. With pricing volatility, contracts that allow for adjustable pricing, performance escalators, or index-linked terms enable organizations to adapt without being locked into unfavorable conditions.
Performance-based contracts reward vendors when they exceed service levels and protect buyers when outcomes fall short. These contracts shift some risk back to the vendor and align incentives with reliability and performance.

Diversifying Suppliers to Mitigate Risk
Supplier concentration increases exposure to price shocks, production delays, and geopolitical disruptions. Diversifying the supplier base spreads risk across multiple sources.
Research indicates that over 71% of companies and organizations see that having at least 50 suppliers will help them effectively ensure that their supply chains are running smoothly, highlighting the strategic value of supplier diversification.
Multi-sourcing helps procurement teams respond when one vendor raises prices or faces supply shortages. It also enhances bargaining power, because organizations can compare offers across providers rather than relying on a single supplier’s pricing structure.
Supplier diversification is particularly important for high-dependency categories such as servers, laptops, storage arrays, cloud services, and security appliances. Procurement teams should evaluate not only price but delivery performance, service quality, and ecosystem compatibility.

Aligning Procurement with IT Asset Management
Integration between procurement and IT asset management and tracking ensures that purchases align with actual technology needs rather than guesswork. Asset tracking systems reveal when equipment is underutilized, approaching end of life, or requiring replacement. This level of insight supports smarter purchasing decisions.
Asset lifecycle data also feeds into budget planning, helping identify when refresh cycles should occur and which assets can be deferred in times of inflation. Knowing the precise condition of existing assets empowers procurement teams to prioritize upgrades that yield the most value.
Asset management also informs decisions about cloud transitions versus on-premises hardware, supporting hybrid strategies that balance cost with performance and resilience.

Automation and Procurement Workflow Efficiency
Automation accelerates procurement workflows and reduces administrative overhead. Automated systems can handle requisition approvals, vendor comparisons, quote generation, and purchase order management.
These tools also improve compliance by flagging contract exceptions, enforcing approved vendor lists, and tracking spend against budgets. Automation minimizes manual errors that become more costly when prices are rising.
Modern procurement platforms also integrate analytics that highlight spend patterns, forecast demand, and identify cost-saving opportunities. These capabilities enhance decision quality and speed.

Strategic Use of Procurement Technologies
Leveraging AI in procurement introduces advanced data modeling into purchasing decisions, enabling spend forecasting, anomaly detection, and supplier risk scoring. Predictive insights help procurement teams anticipate price movements and supply disruptions.
AI tools can recommend optimal purchasing windows, simulate supplier negotiations, and evaluate complex trade-offs between cost, performance, and risk. These capabilities extend beyond basic automation to strategic foresight.
Procurement technologies are particularly valuable in environments with rapid cost shifts, helping teams stay ahead of inflationary trends and identify opportunities that manual processes might overlook.

Balancing Cloud, Software, and Service Procurement
Inflationary pressures extend beyond hardware into software licenses, cloud subscriptions, and outsourced IT support contracts. Software vendors may adjust pricing based on usage tiers, consumption patterns, or support levels.
Cloud services often operate on consumption-based pricing, which requires careful monitoring to avoid unexpected overages. Procurement teams must align cloud service agreements with usage forecasts and performance requirements.


Procurement teams must align cloud service agreements with usage forecasts and performance requirements.
Outsourced support agreements, including 24/7 monitoring and support, should be evaluated for scalability, response time, and cost predictability. Choosing contracts that combine monitoring with proactive maintenance can improve system uptime while keeping support costs manageable.
Strategic reviews of software and service contracts help identify opportunities for consolidation, renegotiation, or transition to more favorable terms.

Protective Measures Through Smart Procurement Strategy
Effective procurement during inflationary times improves IT infrastructure resilience and protects operational continuity. Strategic sourcing reduces unplanned expenditures and offsets some of the pressure from rising technology costs.
Planning purchases around refresh cycles, aligning procurement with business goals, and integrating procurement workflows with financial planning reduces surprises. When procurement teams act early, they secure better terms and avoid the urgency that drives premium pricing.
Risk mitigation also involves preparing for price volatility through scenario planning, stress tests, and budget contingency reserves. Organizations that anticipate change can adapt procurement approaches quickly and deliberately.

Strengthening Procurement to Support Resilience
Inflationary environments demand more than routine purchasing; they require procurement that anticipates price pressures, diversifies risk, and aligns technology investments with long-term objectives. Procurement strategies that incorporate vendor negotiation, diversified sourcing, automation, and comprehensive cost analysis enable organizations to maintain service levels without sacrificing quality. 
Strong procurement foundations support infrastructure resilience, reduce reactive spending, and improve operational stability. At Be Structured, we help organizations refine their IT procurement strategy, optimize vendor relationships, and implement cost-effective purchasing practices that align with broader infrastructure goals. 
Schedule a free consultation with our team today to strengthen your procurement strategy and build resilience in inflationary times.

FAQs about IT Procurement

 	
How does inflation affect IT procurement?Inflation increases the cost of hardware, software, cloud services, and IT support, forcing organizations to rethink budgets, timing, and vendor strategies to maintain the same capabilities.

 	
Why are IT hardware prices increasing in 2025?Global chip and memory shortages, higher logistics costs, and increased demand have led major vendors to raise prices on commercial IT products, with impacts expected to extend into 2026.

 	
What is total cost of ownership in IT procurement?Total cost of ownership includes not just purchase price but maintenance, support, depreciation, energy use, and disposal costs over the asset’s lifecycle.

 	
How can companies reduce IT procurement costs during inflation?Organizations can reduce costs through early planning, vendor negotiation, volume discounts, contract flexibility, supplier diversification, and automation of procurement workflows.

 	
Is it better to order IT equipment early during inflation?Ordering early can reduce supply delays, but it does not always guarantee price protection, as some vendors reserve the right to adjust pricing even after announcements.

 	
Why is vendor diversification important for IT procurement?Relying on multiple suppliers reduces exposure to price hikes, shortages, and disruptions while improving negotiation leverage and supply resilience.

 	
How does IT asset management support procurement strategy?IT asset management provides visibility into usage, lifecycle status, and replacement needs, helping procurement teams avoid unnecessary purchases and prioritize high-value upgrades.

 	
What role does automation play in IT procurement?Automation reduces manual errors, accelerates approvals, improves compliance, and provides analytics that help identify savings opportunities during periods of rising costs.

 	
How does inflation impact cloud and software procurement?Inflation drives higher subscription fees, usage-based cost increases, and revised licensing terms, making usage monitoring and contract reviews essential to control spend.

 	
What is the best IT procurement strategy during inflation?The most effective strategy combines proactive planning, cost transparency, flexible contracts, diversified suppliers, and technology-driven procurement tools to manage risk and control costs.
- Categories: Extra, IT Support

#### IT Security for Your Los Angeles Business
In today’s ever-changing cybersecurity landscape, your Los Angeles business needs a team of dedicated security experts to keep your operations protected from cybercriminals. Cybersecurity threats aren’t going away anytime soon. The annual costs of cybercrime are expected to rise to $5 trillion by 2020. Now’s the time to solidify your network defense strategies to protect your mission-critical operations today while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.
If you’re ready to prioritize a cutting-edge security platform to support your business operations, Be Structured offers a robust network security catalog that we can customize for your specific needs. From physical security platforms such as IP access control to disaster recovery, Be Structured has the tools to protect your business from internal and external threats. We design and support a seamless security platform that stands as the backbone of your organization. Here are some of the key strategies we offer to accomplish that.
Holistic Managed Network Security
One of the driving goals at Be Structured has always been our commitment to ensuring your technology continually works for you—never against you. As one of our most popular managed IT services, Be Structured’s managed cybersecurity solutions prioritize your network’s security, so you can stay focused on day-to-day operations. By understanding your system, facility, and workflows from the inside out, we offer a holistic approach that secures your network at every level. Our security platforms include the following features:
 	Continuous network monitoring
 	Email and spam filters
 	Antivirus software management
 	Backup and disaster recovery
 	Data protection
On top of comprehensive network security solutions, our team also specializes in industry-specific compliance management. We’ve worked with organizations in the medical field, law firms, and financial companies to ensure their networks remain compliant with ever-changing regulations. With Be Structured as your cybersecurity partner, you’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing your network is in the hands of security experts, paired with confidence that your employee and client data never end up in the wrong hands.
Next-level security solutions for every aspect of your operations.
When you partner with Be structured, we deliver turnkey security solutions that protect your organization today while preparing for tomorrow.
IP Surveillance
If your organization still relies on traditional closed-circuit television (CCTV) to secure your facility, it’s time to upgrade to a platform that’s designed for the 21st century. An IP surveillance solution from Be Structured takes the capabilities of CCTV to the next level by recording and storing video footage via your computer network instead of on analog tapes or discs. By integrating a digital video surveillance system with your larger IT network, Be Structured delivers a seamless security platform that streamlines network performance and security.
When you partner with Be Structured for your video surveillance needs, we design and deploy a turnkey solution that’s optimized for your facility and the threats you want to guard against. Whether that means motion-based sensors or around-the-clock camera monitoring, our team takes the time to understand your facility’s strengths and weakness to enhance every aspect of your security platform.
IP Access Control
In addition to our IP surveillance solution, Be Structured delivers IP access control platforms designed to protect your facility from unauthorized access. With the ability to deliver selective facility access, your facility and assets stay protected while ensuring your security controls never slow your team down. As criminals develop new ways of compromising your operations, deploying a comprehensive IP access control platform is more important than ever. From mobile-based control to door controllers, Be Structured can customize your security platform from the ground up for a solution that’s built around your needs.
Be Structured’s IP access control systems allow for seamless control of your facility’s card readers, door controls, and IP controllers from a unified point of control. Whether you’re looking to upgrade an outdated security system or you want to prepare your security platform for the latest threats, streamlining your security strategies under an IP access control network offers a system designed to maximize your facility’s security.
Los Angeles IT Support
When you partner with Be Structured for your physical and cybersecurity needs, your Los Angeles-area organization can experience the benefits of a seamless security platform. We develop our solutions around your needs, goals, and threats to ensure neither internal nor external security problems slow your team down. Contact us today to tell us what needs protecting, and we’ll find a way to defend your operations so that you can stay focused on your business.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Antivirus Software, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Data Protection, Email Filters, IP Access Control, IP Surveillance, Los Angeles IT Support, Network Monitoring, Network Security

#### IT Security in Los Angeles: What You Need to Know
If you and your business aren't worried about IT security in Los Angeles, you should be.

Nearly 70% of small and mid-sized businesses suffer from repeated cyber attacks and don't have the right protections to prevent them.

If the only precaution you're relying on is cybersecurity software, it's time to up your game. With real IT services in Los Angeles, you can get proactive about your digital security.

What kind of managed IT services can you get for your LA business? As the best IT services Los Angeles has to offer, we're here to inform you.

Read on to learn more about IT security in Los Angeles and why it matters.
The Importance of IT Security in Los Angeles
Many small business owners assume that IT security is only a must for large businesses. Large businesses garner more online attention, complete more online sales, and have larger amounts of digital information at stake. However, as we mentioned earlier, almost 70% of small and mid-sized businesses have dealt with cyber security attacks in the last year.

If you're part of the 50% of small businesses that haven't invested in IT security, it's time to make a change. Recovering from IT threats and security breaches can lead to short-term shutdowns and major expenses. Budgeting for IT security can save you both time and money in the long run.

Plus, IT security is about more than just protection. It's also about maximizing your time and money by implementing better digital strategies. From disaster recovery to server virtualization, the right IT services can improve the way your business functions now and in the future.
What Is a Complete Managed IT Support Los Angeles Plan?
What can you expect if you partner with cyber security companies in Los Angeles? At Be Structured, we offer comprehensive managed IT services catered to your business's exact needs. Let's take a look at some of the services you can receive when you use our Los Angeles IT support.
24/7 Monitoring and Support
As a business owner, you spend your day-to-day making sure that your products are improving, your marketing strategy is successful, and your profits are on the rise. You don't have time to monitor your online systems for signs of vulnerability or external threats—but we do. We keep track of all of your online resources to spot and tackle everything from service disruptions to data breaches.
Antivirus Protection
Unfortunately, viruses and malware can strike at any moment. Just last year, LA's second-largest school district was brought to a halt after a ransomware attack shut down its entire computer system. Our antivirus protection services destroy digital viruses and detect signs of malicious behavior before it's too late.
Collaboration and UCAAS
Things move fast in LA, and that includes your team and the clients that depend on you. That's why we include collaboration and UCAAS (unified-communications-as-a-service) in our managed IT services package. With our help, we'll have all of your online communication tools streamlined into one simple platform, speeding up important conversations and preventing slowdowns caused by miscommunication.
Data Backup and Protection
Your digital data faces constant threats in LA, from cyber-attacks that wipe out files to natural disasters that destroy hard drives. With our data backup and protection services, you can rest assured that every file you create is backed up to both internal and cloud servers. From emails to quarterly reports to HR files, everything you need to run your business is safe no matter what happens to your technology.
Disaster Recovery
If you're not prepared for a cyber-attack, you're probably not prepared for the recovery efforts your business would have to make on the other side of one. At Be Structured, we'll work with every department in your company to create a business continuity plan in the event of a business-threatening event. That includes restoring lost data but also handling both internal and external communication to stay on the same page, maintain control over the narrative, and avoid losing more revenue than necessary.
IT Consulting
Most small and mid-sized businesses can't afford a full-time CIO. However, CIOs fulfill an important role. They handle elements such as:

 	creating technology budgets
 	decreasing operating costs
 	analyzing tech usage and reporting findings
 	managing IT compliance and security

With Be Structured, you'll get a virtual CIO at an affordable price. Outsourcing your IT consulting ensures that you have all of the protections and planning you need while staying within your budget.
Server Virtualization
In the digital age, businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on technology. That means that almost all of your business's most important information is stored on a server—and that losing that server would have a disastrous impact. By investing in Los Angeles IT support, you can receive seamless server virtualization, allowing you to run multiple virtual servers on one device and move servers from one device to another with ease.
The Leading Cybersecurity Providers in Los Angeles
Is your business safe from cyber-attacks? Do you have a disaster recovery plan? Is your data backed up so that it will always be accessible?

If not, it's time to invest in IT security in Los Angeles. Be Structured is proud to offer managed IT services that are custom tailored to fit your needs.

Ready to find out more about how we can improve your business? Contact us to schedule your free IT support consultation. We'll analyze your business's current vulnerabilities and discuss the ways that we can help before you ever sign a contract.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### IT Security Incidences vs. Security Breaches: How Do They Differ?
Are you looking to improve your business' cyber security?

You may have come across managed IT security services issues and security breaches. Not knowing what these two are and how to prevent them can cost you damages, loss, and data theft. If you want to know how these two things differ, then keep on reading.

Did you know that 3,813 security breaches got reported only during the first half of 2019? These breaches affected and compromised over 4.1 billion data records.

With the number of breaches increasing, you need to be more proactive in protecting your data. In this article, we'll show you the differences between security incidences and breaches. This will help you understand how these two work and how to move forward.
IT Security Los Angeles Area Incidents
While a security breach and incident have a close relationship, they're distinct terms. An IT security incident is a violation of a company's policy on security. This happens when systems by a company to protect data have failed or gotten compromised.

It is important to note that when this happens, an authorized person is accessing data. This is the key difference between a security incident and a breach. Most security incidents and breaches are often connected and happen together.

When a security incident happens, a network breach follows. This is because data has gotten compromised, making it easier to breach. What you do after a security incident happens is crucial to preventing a breach.

Preventing the transition from an incident to a breach is critical in making a security plan. This is why it's recommended to have layers of defense systems including a protected firewall. Having these precautions helps slow down any attackers from getting to your data.

Portable storage devices getting mishandled can also be a security incident. Distributed denial of service is also classified as an incident. Every IT security incident should get recorded using a security incident report.
Security Incidence Examples
An example of a security incident is having malware in your network. Having malware does not equate to a breach, as they have not done anything to your data. In this case, having malware is still a security incident.

There is a wide variety of security incidences that can happen to your company. A security incident can also be a spam message in your company email or a phishing email. Any mishandling of IT equipment and infrastructure can also be a security incident.
What Is a Security Incident Report?
Whenever an incident or breach happens, it is vital to have a security incident report. A security incident report is an account of what happened during a security breach. This helps you keep a record and also patch up security vulnerabilities.

When writing a report, make sure to explain in detail what had happened. This should include the what, when, where, why, when, who, and how of the incident. Make sure to state others who saw it and make them file a report if they experienced it as well.
Security Breach
A security breach happens when an unauthorized party gains access to your data. This is any incident where any data gets damaged, stolen, or taken from your system. A key difference is that this occurs without consent from the system's owner.

There are many kinds of security breaches. This can include the loss or theft of a physical or hard copy of notes. Security breaches also occur with USB drives, work computers, and even personal computers.

It's not only work computers you should look after, but also phones. Some sensitive company data may also get stored or shared through workers' phones. An instance of this is the Apple security breach, which was able to infiltrate phones.

This security breach used spyware surveillance that gives people access to your data. This access to data can leave you vulnerable to data breaches and misuse of your data. Having a data breach can cost damage to you and your company's image.

A common effect data breaches have besides data leaks are the loss of trust from your customers. This is because sensitive or personal and private information gets accessed. Data breaches may result in you losing customers and incurring financial losses.
Security Breach Example
Going back to our malware example, let's say that malware is now used to gain access to your data. It then becomes a security breach. A security breach happens the moment any unauthorized party interacts with your data.

This unauthorized party may have malicious intent, like damaging and stealing your data. While they have no consent, the reasons for data breaches are not always malicious. Data breaches occur even without malicious intent as long as data gets accessed.

Most data breaches happen due to malware attacks or targeted hacking. Data breaches also occur due to insider leaks or trusted individuals leaking access. Loss or theft of devices with sensitive information stored also causes a data breach.
What Can You Do To Prevent A Security Breach?
The best way to prevent a security breach is to have a security plan in place. Many small businesses struggle with having a security plan for their data. For local business in Southern California, hiring a Los Angeles managed service provider can help protect and create a security plan is a great first step.
Hire Be Structured Technology Group
If your IT team consists of one guy or none at all, it might be best to hire an outsourced IT support company. Outsourcing your IT support helps takes stress off of you by having vetted local IT support experts. Technology is fast-paced, and you might not be able to keep up with your company's IT needs.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is a Los Angeles IT services company based in downtown LA.

Be Structured offers industry-standard IT tools that help to protect you. We can also provide expert strategies and plans to avoid breaches. We also offer services such as data backup and data recovery after disasters.
Get Protection From Security Breaches Today
These are only a few key differences between security incidences and security breaches. Why stop here when there's a lot more to learn when it comes to protecting your data?

Are you looking for a way to prevent a security breach and protect your data? Then contact us for IT Support in Los Angeles today.

With Be Structured, you are sure to see results on time and within your budget.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery, Managed IT, Security

#### IT Security With Hybrid Work Operations
The pandemic brought unprecedented changes throughout most industries across the world. One of the most significant obstacles that companies had to overcome was transitioning to operating remotely.

As pandemic-related restrictions began to be lifted, many organizations adopted hybrid models. This is essentially a workflow that incorporates both on-premise and remote work.

However, there are many IT security concerns associated with hybrid work operations that can't be ignored. Let's dive deeper into what you need to know.
There Are More Data Access Points Than Ever
As more and more companies adopt hybrid models, the number of access points exponentially increases. This is simply due to the fact that each employee will be required to have their own device to work remotely.

However, you must also consider the existing devices at the brick-and-mortar location. In some cases, this can effectively cause your number of data access points to double or triple.

With this occurrence comes a drastic shift in vulnerability. If not handled correctly, your organization could be put at risk when you allow your employees to work from home. In fact, even a single overlooked device could cause substantial issues.

So, it's essential that you account for every access point that your company manages. In many cases, this also requires you or your managed IT services Los Angeles based company to extensively audit employee activity at your business to determine any potential issues.
Security Risks Are Increasing
Unfortunately, hackers are fully aware of the opportunities that a hybrid workforce provides them.

This is one of the primary reasons why the cybersecurity industry is estimated to be worth over $10 trillion before the end of this decade. As a result, cybercriminals are painstakingly developing new methods to procure data.

Businesses across virtually every industry will be more at risk than ever. By preemptively understanding this situation, you'll be able to make the necessary adjustments to help protect your organization. For instance, you should recognize that all data transmission between remote sources and your company should be fully encrypted.

You should also have complete control over who is able to access certain information. Failure to do so could have catastrophic consequences. In some cases, these could be impossible to recover from.

For example, hackers don't always simply sell your data after they steal it. They may attempt to extort you by threatening to provide trade secrets to your competitors. Or, they may contact public news outlets and provide them with details of the data breach.

This is something that will alert the public that your network security standards are not up to par.
Compliance Issues May Arise
In many industries, there are certain regulations that must be adhered to at all times.

For example, let's assume that your business operates within the healthcare sector. You would be bound by the standards imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Breaching these regulations results in fines, penalties, etc.

More often than not, maintaining compliance involves taking a specific set of actions under most circumstances. This means that you must change the way you manage your organization.

When implementing a hybrid model, you may be required to transmit data to a remote worker that would normally be kept within your office. Transferring this information may actually breach compliance standards in some situations. Unfortunately, there is no universal solution for this issue.

Your course of action will depend on the standards that are in place in your industry. Regardless, it's essential that you educate yourself on how your hybrid model will affect your compliance. This is the only way you can ensure you will not encounter problems in the future.
Your Employees Are Now Your Biggest Liability
This is an important truth to acknowledge. You will no longer have the amount of control and management that you once had when all of your employees were working at your facility. This means that they are much more liable to make mistakes.

This comes not only in the form of incorrect behavior but also in falling victim to common scams. As previously mentioned, hackers are working harder than ever to take advantage of organizations that employ hybrid models. For example, you can expect employees to receive a much larger number of phishing emails.

These are fraudulent messages that attempt to mislead the recipient into taking a specific action. The reason they are so successful is that they appear to be from a legitimate source. Your employees must also know how to recognize signs of a malware infection and how to determine whether or not a resource is legitimate.

When developing IT security protocol for your business, be sure to take this into consideration. The way you manage your employees will need extra attention when implementing a hybrid model.

The good news is that it shouldn't take long for you to get competent employees up to speed and prevent issues from arising.
Old Training Methods May Not Be Relevant
What worked in the past will most likely not be sufficient today.

As you might guess, this is due to the fact that hybrid models have never been this prevalent before. As a result, it's crucial for you to update your training methods to reflect the required changes. For instance, onboarding new employees will require you to educate them on best practices for remote working.

This extends to how they manage data on their computers, what they use company devices for, and how they communicate with others. If any ambiguity is left in this area, you run the risk of having your employees fall short of your expectations. It's also worth mentioning that you should be willing to make amendments to your training protocol.

New issues may arise, new methods may develop, etc. If you do not readily integrate these into your company training program, your employees may become a more significant liability than they should.

Under circumstances like these, it will be worth it to outsource technical support to professionals to help get you on the right track.

This is especially true for small businesses, as they are often not ready to fully adjust to a hybrid model. Attempting to manage this responsibility on your own could cost more time and resources than it should.
Expect Contingencies to Increase
The advent of hybrid models has made contingencies much more likely to arise.

This means that businesses of almost every type will encounter more issues they have never dealt with before. For instance, imagine a situation where you are dealing with a data breach that occurred while an employee was working remotely on a project.

This project itself was stored on a remote server, but the server log does not detail any interference from a third party. You would need to know under this circumstance that what likely occurred is that one of your workers’ computers had become compromised. If you can't proactively respond to unexpected scenarios, you run the risk of bearing the full brunt of the consequences.

Unfortunately, even a short period of downtime could cost your company tens of thousands of dollars (or more). If the complications are severe enough, your business may not be able to feasibly recover.

This brings upon numerous issues on its own, such as eroding relationships you have with your investors. Put simply, you should plan for every situation that could realistically occur. If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, do your best to research trends in your industry.

You could also take a look at companies of a similar size to yours and see what struggles they have had to deal with in terms of IT security.
Don't Overlook the Utility of Cloud-Based Software
Cloud-based software is going to provide more useful than ever before for businesses. In order to handle all of the nuances associated with a hybrid workforce, you will need to use the appropriate software.

In context, this means having a centralized platform to monitor employee activity, manage data, and establish secure connections between parties. When integrated correctly, cloud software can allow interactions to be both safer and more efficient.

So, it's worth reworking your budget in this area if you were not already heavily investing in this type of technology. In the past, it was often a luxury for many small businesses.

Today, however, it’s quickly becoming a necessity.

The good news is that you can a reputable IT support company in downtown Los Angeles who can help ensure that everything is configured correctly. When searching for one to work with, it's essential that you consider their past reputation with previous clients.

This will help ensure that you choose a firm that is ideal for your company. For example, some providers only have experience working with larger organizations and not small businesses.

What works for bigger companies might not work for you.
Adapt to Changes
It's no secret that hybrid work operations bring about widespread changes.

In order to thrive in the wake of these changes, you will need to be highly adaptable. It's also worth noting that your competitors are more than likely doing everything they can to adapt as quickly as possible. You may find yourself left behind in terms of performance or productivity if you encounter security issues.

There is a primary factor to consider in this regard — your brand reputation. If word gets out that you can't facilitate secure connections or keep your data safe, you will lose clients and customers.

This is also true regardless of what type of business you run. Obviously, nobody would trust a financial institution that is liable to experience a data breach. This is something we all witnessed during the 2017 Equifax incident.

However, let's assume that you run an independent clothing brand. If people do not feel that their personal/financial information is safe when buying products on your website, they will likely go elsewhere instead. Changes will continue to occur as people begin to optimize hybrid workforces.

Staying educated on these trends will allow you to implement new strategies as quickly as possible.
Safeguard Stored Data
As previously mentioned, you need to have full control over the data access at your organization.

This means there should be some sort of hierarchy implemented to prevent unauthorized parties from interacting with certain information. One of the best policies to implement is known as zero trust. As the name suggests, this means that you should never assume that the individual who is requesting access is a legitimate actor.

All too often, data breaches occur because devices are compromised and a hacker assumes somebody else's identity. A zero-trust policy would require this person to provide key identifying information to prove that it's really them.

One of the key components of a zero-trust policy is known as multifactor authentication (MFA). This means that users need to input different forms of verifiable proof instead of just one (such as a password).

Of course, a password could be a key component of the required MFA. The other element could be an access code that is sent to the user’s company email which is presumably something only they would be able to access.
Prioritizing IT Security Is Essential
Otherwise, there's a chance that you may encounter complications in the future that could put your organization in jeopardy. So, be sure that you keep the above information about IT security in mind when adopting a hybrid model so you can circumvent them.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: IT Support, Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity, IT security, IT services Los Angeles, MSSP

#### IT Security With Hybrid Work Operations
The pandemic brought unprecedented changes throughout most industries across the world.

One of the most significant obstacles that companies had to overcome was transitioning to operating remotely.

As pandemic-related restrictions began to be lifted, many organizations adopted hybrid models. This is essentially a workflow that incorporates both on-premise and remote work.

However, there are many IT services and security concerns associated with hybrid work operations that can't be ignored.

Let's dive deeper into what you need to know.
There Are More Data Access Points Than Ever
As more and more companies adopt hybrid models, the number of access points exponentially increases. This is simply due to the fact that each employee will be required to have their own device to work remotely.

However, you must also consider the existing devices at the brick-and-mortar location. In some cases, this can effectively cause your number of data access points to double or triple.

With this occurrence comes a drastic shift in vulnerability. If not handled correctly, your organization could be put at risk when you allow your employees to work from home. In fact, even a single overlooked device could cause substantial issues.

So, it's essential that you account for every access point that your company manages. In many cases, this also requires you to extensively audit employee activity at your business to determine any potential issues.
Security Risks Are Increasing
Unfortunately, hackers are fully aware of the opportunities that a hybrid workforce provides them.

This is one of the primary reasons why the cybersecurity industry is estimated to be worth over $10 trillion before the end of this decade. As a result, cybercriminals are painstakingly developing new methods to procure data.

Businesses across virtually every industry will be more at risk than ever.

By preemptively understanding this situation, you'll be able to make the necessary adjustments to help protect your organization. For instance, you should recognize that all data transmission between remote sources and your company should be fully encrypted.

You should also have complete control over who is able to access certain information. Failure to do so could have catastrophic consequences. In some cases, these could be impossible to recover from.

For example, hackers don't always simply sell your data after they steal it. They may attempt to extort you by threatening to provide trade secrets to your competitors. Or, they may contact public news outlets and provide them with details of the data breach.

This is something that will alert the public that your network security standards are not up to par.
Compliance Issues May Arise
In many industries, there are certain regulations that must be adhered to at all times.

For example, let's assume that your business operates within the healthcare sector. You would be bound by the standards imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Breaching these regulations results in fines, penalties, etc.

More often than not, maintaining compliance involves taking a specific set of actions under most circumstances. This means that you must change the way you manage your organization.

When implementing a hybrid model, you may be required to transmit data to a remote worker that would normally be kept within your office. Transferring this information may actually breach compliance standards in some situations. Unfortunately, there is no universal solution for this issue.

Your course of action will depend on the standards that are in place in your industry. Regardless, it's essential that you educate yourself on how your hybrid model will affect your compliance. This is the only way you can ensure you will not encounter problems in the future.
Your Employees Are Now Your Biggest Liability
This is an important truth to acknowledge. You will no longer have the amount of control and management that you once had when all of your employees were working at your facility. This means that they are much more liable to make mistakes.

This comes not only in the form of incorrect behavior, but also falling victim to common scams. As previously mentioned, hackers are working harder than ever to take advantage of organizations that employ hybrid models. For example, you can expect employees to receive a much larger number of phishing emails.

These are fraudulent messages that attempt to mislead the recipient into taking a specific action. The reason they are so successful is that they appear to be from a legitimate source. Your employees must also know how to recognize signs of a malware infection and how to determine whether or not a resource is legitimate.

When developing security protocol for your business, be sure to take this into consideration. The way you manage your employees will need extra attention when implementing a hybrid model.

The good news is that it shouldn't take long for you to get competent employees up to speed and prevent issues from arising.

Partnering with an IT support company can also help ease the burden of adding extra in-house staff to monitor any issues.
Old Training Methods May Not Be Relevant
What worked in the past will most likely not be sufficient today.

As you might guess, this is due to the fact that hybrid models have never been this prevalent before. As a result, it's crucial for you to update your training methods to reflect the required changes. For instance, onboarding new employees will require you to educate them on best practices for remote working.

This extends to how they manage data on their computers, what they use company devices for, and how they communicate with others. If any ambiguity is left in this area, you run the risk of having your employees fall short of your expectations. It's also worth mentioning that you should be willing to make amendments to your training protocol.

New issues may arise, new methods may develop, etc. If you do not readily integrate these into your company training program, your employees may become a more significant liability than they should. Under circumstances like these, it will be worth outsourcing to professionals to help get you on the right track.

This is especially true for small businesses, as they are often not ready to fully adjust to a hybrid model. Attempting to manage this responsibility on your own could cost more time and resources than it should.
Expect Contingencies to Increase
The advent of hybrid models has made contingencies much more likely to arise.

This means that businesses of almost every type will encounter more issues they have never dealt with before. For instance, imagine a situation where you are dealing with a data breach that occurred while an employee was working remotely on a project.

This project itself was stored on a remote server, but the server log does not detail any interference from a third party. You would need to know under this circumstance that what likely occurred is that one of your workers’ computers had become compromised. If you can't proactively respond to unexpected scenarios, you run the risk of bearing the full brunt of the consequences.

Unfortunately, even a short period of downtime could cost your company tens of thousands of dollars (or more). If the complications are severe enough, your business may not be able to feasibly recover.

This brings upon numerous issues on its own, such as eroding relationships you have with your investors. Put simply, you should plan for every situation that could realistically occur. If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, do your best to research trends in your industry.

You could also take a look at companies of a similar size to yours and see what struggles they have had to deal with in terms of information technology security.
Don't Overlook the Utility of Cloud-Based Software
Cloud-based software is going to provide more use than ever before for businesses. In order to handle all of the nuances associated with a hybrid workforce, you will need to use the appropriate software.

In context, this means having a centralized platform to monitor employee activity, manage data, and establish secure connections between parties. When integrated correctly, cloud software can allow interactions to be both safer and more efficient.

So, it's worth reworking your budget in this area if you were not already heavily investing into this type of technology. In the past, it was often a luxury for many small businesses.

Today, however, it’s quickly becoming a necessity. The good news is that there are many reputable managed IT services in Los Angeles who can help ensure that everything is configured correctly. When searching for one to work with, it's essential that you consider their past reputation with previous clients.

This will help ensure that you choose a firm that is ideal for your company. For example, some providers only have experience working with larger organizations and not small businesses.

What works for bigger companies might not work for you.
Adapt to Changes
It's no secret that hybrid work operations bring about widespread changes.

In order to thrive in the wake of these changes, you will need to be highly adaptable. It's also worth noting that your competitors are more than likely doing everything they can to adapt as quickly as possible. You may find yourself left behind in terms of performance or productivity if you encounter security issues.

There is a primary factor to consider in this regard — your brand reputation. If word gets out that you can't facilitate secure connections or keep your data safe, you will lose clients and customers.

This is also true regardless of what type of business you run. Obviously, nobody would trust a financial institution that is liable to experience a data breach. This is something we all witnessed during the 2017 Equifax incident.

However, let's assume that you run an independent clothing brand. If people do not feel that their personal/financial information is safe when buying products on your website, they will likely go elsewhere instead. Changes will continue to occur as people begin to optimize hybrid workforces.

Staying educated on these trends will allow you to implement new strategies as quickly as possible.
Safeguard Stored Data
As previously mentioned, you need to have full control over the data access at your organization.

This means there should be some sort of hierarchy implemented to prevent unauthorized parties from interacting with certain information. One of the best policies to implement is known as zero trust. As the name suggests, this means that you should never assume that the individual who is requesting access is a legitimate actor.

All too often, data breaches occur because devices are compromised and a hacker assumes somebody else's identity. A zero trust policy would require this person to provide key identifying information to prove that it's really them.

One of the key components of a zero trust policy is known as multifactor authentication (MFA). This means that users need to input different forms of verifiable proof instead of just one (such as a password).

Of course, a password could be a key component of required MFA. The other element could be an access code that is sent to the user’s company email which is presumably something only they would be able to access.
Prioritizing IT Security Is Essential
Otherwise, there's a chance that you may encounter complications in the future that could put your organization in jeopardy. So, be sure that you keep the above information about IT security in mind when adopting a hybrid model so you can circumvent them.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Extra

#### IT Services for Property Management Reduces Costs and Downtime
Technology plays a crucial role in property management. From processing tenant payments to overseeing building operations, reliable IT systems ensure seamless workflows. 
However, IT disruptions can result in financial losses and dissatisfied tenants. Downtime caused by software failures, security breaches, or network issues can quickly escalate into operational chaos.
Partnering with an outsourced IT managed service provider offers a proactive approach to IT management. 
With IT support for property management, firms can optimize their IT infrastructure, secure tenant portals, and implement cloud-based solutions to minimize downtime and enhance efficiency.
The Importance of IT Support in Property Management
Property managers rely on various digital tools to streamline operations. These include tenant communication platforms, payment processing systems, and building security solutions. Without proper IT support, these critical systems can experience failures, disrupting business continuity.
A managed IT services provider ensures that property management firms have access to:
 	Reliable software solutions that function without frequent crashes.
 	Secure tenant portals that protect sensitive information.
 	Proactive network monitoring to prevent potential issues before they cause downtime.
 	Cloud-based IT infrastructure to ensure scalable and remote-friendly operations.
 	Data compliance solutions to help property managers adhere to legal and industry regulations.
By investing in expert IT support company services, property managers can eliminate costly delays and maintain high levels of tenant satisfaction.
That's why it's important to understand how outsourced IT support can grow real estate businesses.
Common Challenges in IT Support for Property Management
Without a strong IT foundation, property management firms face multiple challenges that can disrupt operations. 
The role of IT support in modern property management addresses some of the most pressing issues including:
1. Unreliable Software and System Failures
Outdated or poorly maintained property management software can lead to frequent crashes, slow performance, and data loss. These disruptions can:
 	Delay tenant inquiries and maintenance requests.
 	Cause errors in rent collection and financial reporting.
 	Reduce overall operational efficiency.
2. Cybersecurity Risks and Tenant Data Protection
Tenant portals contain sensitive financial and personal information. Without proper cybersecurity measures, firms risk data breaches that can result in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Common security threats include:
 	Phishing attacks targeting employees.
 	Ransomware that locks critical files and systems.
 	Unauthorized access to tenant records due to weak authentication methods.
 	Data leaks caused by outdated or unpatched software vulnerabilities.
Learn more about the latest technology trends for property managers to stay ahead of the tech curve.
3. Lack of Network Visibility and Monitoring
When property managers lack insight into their IT network, small issues can go undetected until they become major problems. Without managed IT services, firms may struggle with:
 	Network outages that disrupt communication and operations.
 	Slow internet speeds affecting cloud-based applications.
 	Difficulty troubleshooting IT issues without dedicated support.
4. Compliance and Regulatory Challenges
Property management firms must adhere to strict data protection and financial compliance regulations. Without proper IT oversight, firms risk non-compliance, leading to fines and legal complications. IT services company providers help ensure compliance with:
 	Data protection laws like GDPR and CCPA.
 	Secure payment processing standards.
 	Industry-specific IT regulations.
 	Secure document storage and access control.
5. IT Budget Constraints
Many property managers struggle with allocating sufficient resources for IT management. Investing in outsourced IT support company services can provide cost-effective solutions, ensuring firms receive high-quality IT services without exceeding their budgets.
How Outsourced IT Solutions Reduce Downtime
A local IT support services provider can help property managers minimize downtime by addressing these challenges through proactive IT management. Key strategies include:
Ensuring Software Reliability
A managed service provider ensures that all property management software remains functional and up to date. This includes:
 	Automated updates to patch vulnerabilities and enhance performance.
 	24/7 IT support for immediate issue resolution.
 	Cloud-based backups to prevent data loss and ensure business continuity.
 	Software performance monitoring to detect potential failures before they occur.
By maintaining software reliability, property managers can handle tenant requests efficiently and keep operations running smoothly.
Strengthening Tenant Portal Security
Tenant portals are essential for rent payments, lease agreements, and communication. Without proper security, they can become targets for cybercriminals. An IT support company can implement:
 	End-to-end encryption to protect data in transit.
 	Multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized access.
 	Regular security audits to identify and mitigate risks.
 	User activity monitoring to detect suspicious behavior.
 	Cloud-based tenant management solutions to enhance security and accessibility.
Enhanced security measures build tenant trust and protect property managers from data breaches.
Implementing Proactive Network Monitoring
Instead of waiting for IT issues to occur, a managed IT services provider proactively monitors networks to detect problems before they escalate. This includes:
 	Real-time performance tracking to identify slowdowns or disruptions.
 	Automated alerts that notify IT teams of potential threats.
 	Routine system maintenance to prevent downtime.
 	Redundant network solutions to ensure continuous connectivity.
With continuous monitoring, property managers can prevent unexpected outages and maintain seamless operations.
Leveraging Cloud Solutions for Increased Efficiency
Cloud technology has revolutionized property management by offering scalable, secure, and accessible IT solutions. By partnering with an outsourced IT support company, firms can take advantage of:
 	Remote access to systems, enabling property managers to work from anywhere.
 	Automated backups, ensuring data remains safe even during system failures.
 	Scalability, allowing firms to expand their IT capabilities as needed.
 	Cost-efficient IT infrastructure that reduces the need for expensive on-premise hardware.
Cloud solutions reduce reliance on outdated hardware, minimize downtime, and improve collaboration across teams.
The Role of Cybersecurity in Property Management IT Support
Cyber threats are a growing concern in property management. A single data breach can compromise tenant information, lead to financial loss, and damage a firm's reputation. Cybersecurity managed services providers can implement robust security strategies to prevent these risks.
Key Cybersecurity Measures for Property Managers
 	Firewall Protection: Blocks unauthorized access to the network.
 	Employee Training: Reduces the risk of phishing and social engineering attacks.
 	Advanced Endpoint Security: Protects devices from malware and unauthorized access.
 	Incident Response Planning: Ensures quick recovery in case of a cyberattack.
 	Data Encryption: Protects tenant and financial records from unauthorized access.
 	Regular Security Assessments: Identifies vulnerabilities before they become threats.
 	AI-driven security solutions: Detects suspicious activities in real-time.
By prioritizing cybersecurity, property management firms can safeguard tenant data and maintain regulatory compliance.
Elevate Your Property Management with Reliable IT Support
Downtime and IT disruptions can have serious consequences for property management firms. With IT support in Los Angeles, property managers can reduce system failures, enhance tenant security, and improve operational efficiency.
Be Structured offers all-inclusive managed IT services tailored to the unique needs of property management firms. Our proactive IT support, cybersecurity expertise, and cloud solutions ensure seamless operations and business continuity.
Don’t let IT issues slow you down. Schedule a free consultation and discover how Be Structured can optimize your IT infrastructure for long-term success.
Frequently Asked Questions on IT Support for Property Management
Why is IT support essential for property management companies?Property management firms depend on digital systems for tenant communication, rent collection, maintenance tracking, and building security. IT support ensures these critical systems remain operational, minimizes downtime, protects sensitive tenant data, and helps property managers maintain efficient workflows. Without reliable IT support, software failures and security vulnerabilities can lead to financial losses and tenant dissatisfaction.What are the most common IT challenges property managers face?Property managers frequently encounter outdated property management software that crashes or performs slowly, cybersecurity threats targeting tenant information, network outages disrupting daily operations, compliance issues with data protection regulations, and limited IT budgets that make it difficult to maintain robust infrastructure. A managed IT services provider addresses these challenges through proactive monitoring and strategic planning.How does outsourced IT support help reduce operational downtime?Outsourced IT support reduces downtime through proactive network monitoring that identifies issues before they escalate, automated software updates that patch vulnerabilities, 24/7 technical assistance for immediate problem resolution, and cloud-based backup solutions that ensure business continuity. This approach prevents small technical glitches from becoming major operational disruptions.What cybersecurity threats should property managers be most concerned about?Property managers should prioritize protection against phishing attacks that trick employees into revealing credentials, ransomware that encrypts critical files and demands payment, unauthorized access to tenant records through weak passwords, and data leaks from unpatched software vulnerabilities. Implementing endpoint security, employee security awareness training, and regular security assessments helps mitigate these risks.How can property management firms protect tenant portal data?Tenant portals require robust security measures including end-to-end encryption for data in transit, multi-factor authentication to verify user identities, regular security audits to identify weaknesses, user activity monitoring to detect suspicious behavior, and secure cloud hosting with redundant backups. These measures protect sensitive financial and personal information while building tenant trust.What are the benefits of cloud-based property management solutions?Cloud technology offers property managers remote access to systems from any location, automatic data backups that protect against hardware failures, scalable infrastructure that grows with business needs, reduced capital expenditure on on-premise servers, and improved collaboration between team members. Cloud solutions also provide disaster recovery capabilities that traditional systems cannot match.How do managed IT services differ from break-fix IT support?Break-fix support only responds after problems occur, leading to unpredictable costs and extended downtime. Managed IT services take a proactive approach with continuous network monitoring, scheduled maintenance, strategic IT planning, and predictable monthly costs. This model prevents issues rather than just reacting to them, resulting in more reliable operations and better budget management.What compliance requirements should property management IT systems meet?Property management firms must comply with data protection laws like GDPR and CCPA depending on their location, secure payment processing standards for rent collection, industry-specific regulations governing tenant information handling, and document retention requirements. An IT services provider helps implement proper access controls, encryption protocols, and audit trails to maintain compliance.How can property managers determine if their current IT infrastructure is adequate?Warning signs of inadequate IT infrastructure include frequent software crashes or slow system performance, recurring network connectivity issues, difficulty supporting remote work, security incidents or near-misses, and inability to scale technology as the business grows. A comprehensive IT assessment from a managed services provider can identify gaps and recommend improvements.What should property managers look for when choosing an IT support partner?Property managers should evaluate potential IT partners based on experience with real estate and property management technology, availability of 24/7 technical support, comprehensive cybersecurity capabilities, familiarity with industry compliance requirements, scalable service offerings, and transparent pricing structures. Local providers often offer faster on-site response times when hardware issues require physical intervention.How does proactive network monitoring prevent IT problems?Proactive monitoring uses automated tools to track network performance in real-time, detecting anomalies like unusual traffic patterns, storage capacity issues, or failing hardware components before they cause outages. Automated alerts notify IT teams immediately, allowing them to resolve potential problems during off-hours when they won’t disrupt business operations.What is the typical return on investment for managed IT services in property management?Property management firms typically see ROI through reduced downtime that would otherwise delay rent collection and tenant services, prevented security breaches that could result in regulatory fines and legal costs, improved staff productivity from reliable systems, extended hardware lifespan through proper maintenance, and avoided emergency repair costs that exceed planned IT budgets.
- Categories: IT support for Property Management, Managed It Services
- Tags: IT support for property management, managed IT support

#### IT Services Say “Be Prepared” With Data Backups
Does your organization depend on your network IT support services for day-to-day operations? One quick way to answer this question is by asking, “If my network stops working, can my team keep working?” 
When they can’t, the consequences of a network outage are frequently fourfold:
Reduced productivity
Lost revenue
Irreparable data loss
Dissatisfied customers
However, a comprehensive data backup and disaster recovery platform can help mitigate the effects of a network outage and even restore normal operations sooner than you thought possible. 
The term “disaster recovery program” is actually something of a misnomer. The word “recovery” suggests an action that happens after the fact. On the contrary, the key to a quality IT recovery program starts with what happens before disaster strikes. 
IT support companies should adopt the Boy Scouts credo of, “Always be prepared.” In a professional recovery plan, there is clear documentation and direction for action before, during and after a debilitating occurrence. 
This plan should be tested over and over so as to create clear and concise documentation of actions to be taken. Doing so will take the guess-work out of how to respond when disaster strikes, quickly and efficiently. 
There are five basic areas to consider when building your disaster recovery program:
Form a strong disaster recovery team
Identify and document disaster threats
Outline critical applications, documents and resources
Document backup and off-site storage protocols
Test, test and test the disaster recovery program
In a recent SpiceWorks study, 23% of businesses who have some form of a disaster recovery plan in place admit they never test that plan. As a result, 31% of the businesses surveyed admitted they lost between $10,000 and $100,000 during a 12-month period due to outages or hardware failure.
With testing, these olutages could have been either foreseen or acted on quicker to minimize the loss of revenue. 
Let’s explore some things your company will need to know to erect strong backup strategies and protocols to protect your network at every level.
What You Need to Know About Data Backup Systems
When it comes to protecting your network with frequent data backups, the key is achieving the ideal balance between cost and results. In order to find that balance, here’s what you need to know:
The Importance of Redundancy
And to get the best results, you need to prioritize some level of redundancy. If you’re only storing one version of your data backups, you remain vulnerable to threats like ransomware and corrupted files. 
“We always recommend that you store multiple backup images when possible,” asserts Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, a Los Angeles based IT services agency. “We also strongly believe that even backups should be stored in at least two different locations.”
This theory goes back to the idea of being prepared and not assuming that a solitary backup will do the trick. 
Onsite and Offsite Backups
On top of redundant backups, it’s important to utilize both onsite and offsite backup systems whenever possible. 
Onsite backups make it easy to quickly restore files in the event of minor issues like data corruption or accidental deletion. However, when you store onsite backups on devices like external hard drives, they can be vulnerable to natural disasters, theft or hardware failure. Also, depending on the size of your network, they may not have the data storage capacity to accommodate your backup needs.
A redundant offsite backup system helps protect against the vulnerabilities of onsite backups. Offsite backups will still be there even if your onsite infrastructure is destroyed. They can’t be stolen, and data centers also utilize multiple servers to guard against hardware failure. 
At the same time, however, offsite backups may not always be possible due to regulatory compliance requirements. That’s why it’s critical to implement a backup platform that balances both onsite and offsite backup systems.
Automated Backup Methods
Both onsite and offsite backup systems can be set up to automate the backup process. When you automate your backup platform, you significantly reduce the risk of human error. Relying on your team to follow through with regular backups can actually interfere with your data security measures: people forget, miscommunication occurs, specific files or folders can be missed, and data breaches become more likely. 
By automating the process, you add an additional layer of protection to your data security measures. At the same time, your team can focus on more critical day-to-day tasks. Thus, you don’t have to worry about mistakes compromising data or files.
Recovery Objectives
When you’re planning a data backup platform, you need concrete metrics to measure the effectiveness of your strategies. These metrics are called recovery objectives and are primarily measured in two different ways:
Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)
Your network’s recovery time objectives pinpoint the maximum allowable amount of time that a device, network or application can be down following a network outage. Generally, this timeframe is determined based on practicality as well as the length of time before serious repercussions begin to occur. For example, if your organization depends on your phone system to make sales, the RTO for your VoIP platform may be 15 to 30 minutes.
When we’re talking about data recovery, your RTO measures the maximum amount of time your disaster recovery plan can take to provide access to mission-critical business files and applications. That’s why your RTO needs to be at the forefront of your mind while planning and practicing data recovery strategies.
Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)
In short, a recovery point objective measures the frequency with which you need to back up files. When your network goes down, and you lose data, your RPO measures how long ago the last backup occurred. That means if your RPO is 8 hours, backups need to be set up to happen every 8 hours. 
In the event of data loss, an RPO of 8 hours guarantees that your team will be able to recover files as they were at least 8 hours prior to the outage.
Los Angeles’ IT Support And Data Backup Experts
While you may have an in-house team that built a data backup and recovery plan from scratch. That’s a great start, but it never hurts to involve another set of eyes and brain power when it comes to the crucial needs of security and backup.
An outsourced IT services company like Be Structured in Los Angeles can consult for a quick review of your plan and where they might get even stronger. Think of it as getting a second doctor’s opinion for that swelling that won’t go away. 
Just like backing up your data in multiple ways on multiple platforms, backing up your procedures with a quick consultation might save you time and money. In the event of an unforeseen disaster, you want all the protection and insurance you can get. Limiting downtime and loss of delicate data are the pillars of business continuity during a critical moment. 
Again, be prepared.
- Categories: Backup, Cloud Solutions, Disaster Recovery
- Tags: data backups, Data Recovery, Disaster Recovery

#### IT Solutions for Manufacturing Companies: The Competitive Advantage
In the intricate world of manufacturing, operational success hinges on the ability to stay ahead of the competition. Modern IT solutions for manufacturing offer a critical edge by optimizing processes, improving efficiency, and enhancing data management. 
These solutions go beyond just handling routine tasks; they enable manufacturers to integrate cutting-edge technologies like automation, ERP systems, and cybersecurity protocols. By embracing tailored IT services, companies can secure their data, streamline production, and reduce costly downtime.
In this article, we will explore how IT solutions empower manufacturing companies to gain a competitive advantage. From saving time and money with managed IT services that ensure smooth operations to ERP integrations that unify business processes and enhance supply chain transparency, we’ll cover how manufacturers can unlock new growth opportunities. 

Harnessing IT Solutions and IT Support for Manufacturing
In today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment, IT solutions have become the driving force behind operational excellence. Integrating technologies like automation, ERP systems, and cybersecurity service providers enable manufacturers to increase efficiency and gain real-time insights into their processes. By managing these systems effectively, manufacturers can transform data management from a cumbersome task into a strategic asset that drives decision-making.
With the right IT infrastructure in place, manufacturing companies can move away from reactive problem-solving and embrace proactive innovation. In turn, they reduce costly downtime, streamline production, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive industry.


Streamlining Production with Automation
Automation has become a cornerstone of modern manufacturing, enabling companies to improve production rates while maintaining high-quality standards. AI-driven systems and robotic technologies can take over repetitive tasks, reducing the risk of human error and enhancing overall efficiency.
For example, a manufacturing plant producing consumer electronics might employ robotic arms to handle assembly tasks. Not only does this speed up the production process, but it also ensures consistent quality, reducing the need for reworks or replacements.
Managed IT services play a pivotal role in supporting automation. By ensuring that systems are continuously optimized and updated, partnering with a "managed IT service provider near me" can minimize disruptions. With prompt troubleshooting and system maintenance, companies can ensure uninterrupted operations and keep productivity levels high.
Benefits of Automation in Manufacturing:


 	
Faster production rates.

 	
Consistent quality control.

 	
Reduced labor costs.


Embracing automation allows manufacturers to focus on innovation and strategic growth, while the technology handles routine tasks with precision.

Integrating ERP Systems for Operational Efficiency
At the heart of many modern manufacturing operations lies the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. These powerful platforms bring together various business functions, from finance and human resources to supply chain management. By centralizing data into a unified system, ERP integration enables manufacturers to monitor their entire operation in real time, making data-driven decisions easier and faster.
One of the most significant advantages of ERP integration is its impact on supply chain management. Manufacturers can track inventory levels, coordinate with suppliers, and adjust production schedules based on demand fluctuations. This level of visibility is crucial for optimizing resource allocation and ensuring timely product delivery.
Key Benefits of ERP Systems:


 	
Real-time data access: Make informed decisions based on live data.

 	
Supply chain transparency: Improve collaboration with suppliers and distributors.

 	
Resource optimization: Allocate materials and labor more efficiently.


For instance, a clothing manufacturer utilizing an ERP system can monitor their stock levels in real time, preventing both overstocking and stockouts. This ability to manage resources effectively results in reduced operational costs and improved customer satisfaction.

Enhancing Supply Chain Transparency with IT Solutions
As manufacturing operations become more complex and global, ensuring transparency across the supply chain is vital. IT solutions such as cloud-based systems and real-time data analytics provide manufacturers with the tools to gain full visibility into their supply chains. 
This transparency enables companies to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies quickly, allowing for faster resolutions and improved logistics. However, with increased connectivity comes a heightened need for cybersecurity. 
Protecting sensitive data such as supply chain logistics, customer information, and proprietary production techniques is essential in today’s digital landscape. Manufacturers must implement robust cybersecurity protocols, including firewalls, encryption, and intrusion detection systems, to safeguard their operations.
Critical Cybersecurity Measures:


 	
Regular software updates.

 	
Employee training on cybersecurity best practices.

 	
Implementation of firewalls and encryption.


By adopting comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, manufacturers can protect themselves from cyber threats and ensure the integrity of their operations.

The Value of Outsourced Technical Support
For many manufacturing companies, managing the complexity of IT systems in-house can be overwhelming. This is where outsourced IT support companies offer immense value. By outsourcing IT services, manufacturers gain access to specialized expertise, advanced technology, and around-the-clock support, all while reducing operational costs.
Outsourcing IT support enables manufacturers to focus on their core business while IT support companies handle everything from system maintenance to cybersecurity. This ensures smoother operations and allows companies to innovate more freely, confident that their IT infrastructure is secure and up-to-date.


Advantages of Outsourced IT Support:


 	
Access to the latest technology and specialized expertise.

 	
Reduced operational costs through optimized IT services.

 	
Focus on core business activities, leading to improved innovation.


A textile manufacturer that outsourced its IT services, for instance, saw a 20% reduction in system downtime, translating into improved operational efficiency and higher profitability. These real-world examples highlight the significant impact managed IT services can have on manufacturing companies.

Drive Innovation with IT Solutions for Manufacturing Companies
In an increasingly competitive manufacturing landscape, companies cannot afford to ignore the power of IT solutions for manufacturing. Manufacturers can enhance operational efficiency, improve supply chain transparency, and protect critical data by leveraging technologies such as automation, ERP systems, and cybersecurity. 
Outsourcing IT support offers additional value, allowing companies to innovate and focus on growth while optimizing their IT systems. Now is the time to assess your current IT strategies and explore how managed IT services can help you stay ahead of the competition.

Unlock Your Business Potential with IT Solutions for Manufacturing

Don’t let your manufacturing operations lag behind. Schedule a free consultation with Be Structured today to discover how tailored IT solutions can transform your business.
- Categories: IT Support, IT support for manufacturing, Managed It Services

#### IT Support Companies in Los Angeles Recommend Having a Sound Disaster Recovery Plan
One of the biggest fears of any business - as much as profit and loss - is literal loss of data or work completed that is not properly saved and stored.
Every worker knows this nightmare: You’ve been slaving for days on end to complete a complicated project. Your deadline is now just hours away, and you’re in the final stretch.
Suddenly an earthquake rocks the office and the power goes out.
When power is finally restored, you re-boot your system and wait.
And wait.
And after an interminable amount of the screen’s frustrating spinning hourglass, you see nothing but the blue screen of death.
Your hard drive is toast.
If your company had a disaster recovery plan, you wouldn’t have to worry too much because you’d have backups. If not, well, you just lost days of work that no amount of coffee and energy drinks will restore anytime soon.
For all cases, a business needs a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that proactively protects your network with just the right balance of automated backup frequency in case the world suddenly slips off its axis. It all starts in the planning phase of any start-up or quickly evolving business.
Business Impact Analysis
A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) helps organizations and IT support services get out in front of potential business disruptions or disasters by discovering what would be needed in such a scenario to get back up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible. Risk should be assessed ahead of time and preparation for a force majeure needs to be positioned and practiced in case an act of God suddenly shuts down our old normal.
The BIA is the process of evaluating any potential threat to your business. This can be financial, personal, legal and even public opinion. It covers the exact impact that these factors will have, and the method that you should follow to fix it. One of the most important “in case of emergency” practices is how your system backs up critical data.
The Importance of Redundancy
To get the best results, you need to prioritize redundancy. If you’re only storing one version of your data backups, you remain vulnerable to threats like ransomware and corrupted files. That’s why we always recommend that you store multiple backup images when possible while storing backups in at least two different locations.
Onsite and Offsite Backups
On top of redundant backups, it’s important to utilize both onsite and offsite backup systems whenever possible. Onsite backups make it easy to quickly restore files in the event of minor issues like data corruption or accidental deletion. However, when you store onsite backups on devices like external hard drives, they can be vulnerable to natural disasters, theft or hardware failure. Also, depending on the size of your network, they may not have the data storage capacity to accommodate your backup needs.
A redundant offsite backup system helps protect against the vulnerabilities of onsite backups. Offsite backups will still be there even if your onsite infrastructure is destroyed. They can’t be stolen, and data centers also utilize multiple servers to guard against hardware failure. That’s why it’s critical to implement a backup platform that balances both onsite and offsite backup systems.
Automated Backup Methods
Both onsite and offsite backup systems can be set up to automate the backup process. When you automate your backup platform, you significantly reduce the risk of human error.
Relying on your team to follow through with regular backups can actually interfere with your data security measures: people forget, miscommunication occurs, specific files or folders can be missed, and data breaches become more likely. By automating the process, you add an additional layer of protection to your data security measures. At the same time, your team can focus on more critical day-to-day tasks, and you don’t have to worry about mistakes compromising data or files.
Keep Everything Updated
You want to make sure your data is always up to date. Having irrelevant information can cost you and not be helpful for the issue at hand. It’s a good idea to use management applications to remind you of updates.
In terms of consistency, you should update across the board at least once every quarter. Be Structured, a managed service provider in Los Angeles, recommends updates closer to monthly or every 45 days . If you have to store client’s information on a regular basis or if you stay up all night worrying about your network, then you can update more often. Maybe monthly or biweekly updates will make you sleep better. Regardless of what you do, make sure you and your IT department make a habit of the backup process.
Take Responsibility
You should never assume that someone or some backup system is going to always be there to take care of things for you. At the end of the day, each member of the workforce could be just as responsible as anyone else with data loss.
Whether it is accidental or unavoidable, things happen and your data storage habits can make or break you in times of crisis.
If your business resides in or around Los Angeles, your IT tech support team should outline a disaster recovery plan that always includes making backups upon backups of your important documents. Make sure your team and even your clients are doing the same.
It’s also an excellent rule of thumb for private individuals in their home. Always copy your important documents to a cloud-based storage system. At the very least dump a copy onto a flash or external hard drive. For triple protection, email your important documents to a secure, private email address to ensure safekeeping and extra backup.
Appoint a Team for Recovery
You should always have a special team of well-trained employees who have an intimate working knowledge of your system and who to extract potentially lost data.
Whether your business pays to have an experienced IT department in-house or prefers to offload the data duty to an IT support company that offers network security, any company needs a contingency plan in case of emergency. So when it comes to information technology, operations, and human resources, who can help employees with back up, and get remote workers up and going.
They should have a list of contact information for important personnel and be given all the outside help that they need so they can work effectively from the inside and go straight to you when there is an issue. It’s always a plus to have an extra set of technical eyeballs.
Prioritize Your Needs
During the creation of your BIA, you will need to know where your priorities lie. It’s hard to keep up with everything and if you try to pour your recovery efforts into data that has no prevalence it takes away from the stuff that needs more attention to protect.
Separate these things and list them from the most important to the least. This will make sure you put all of your efforts into your business’s key agenda.
Make Use of the Cloud
In Los Angeles, a cloud computing platform is optimal to assure that no data ever gets lost or accidentally trashed. The cloud is the most cost-effective way to save data securely. It’s a wonder why so many companies are turning towards a cloud-based platform.
Beyond simple security, the cloud comes in handy when large buckets of data need to be saved and shared, making all information accessible to a wide range of employees. It shouldn’t be your only source for data storage, but it is the most reliable, and there are quite a few services available for you to choose from.
It can even help you in the event of a payroll mishap. If the worst happens and you lose data you still have to be able to pay invoices and payroll as you recover.
By using a cloud-based accounting system and a great third-party payroll provider you can help ensure financial continuity. If you add business interruption coverage you can get help covering some of the costs that it will take to bounce back. As you can see, the cloud can do a lot for your business.
Losing your data isn’t the only disaster that your company needs to be prepared for. Natural disasters are always something that is hard to plan for simply because they can pop up at any time. Your company has to be ready in the event of a tornado or a fire or, if your business IT support is in Los Angeles, earthquakes as well.
Identify Evacuation Routes
Beyond loss of data, a business should obviously never overlook the human aspect of an unforeseen disaster.
Every company and every employee needs to conceive of a physical disaster and escape plan which should be practiced monthly for retention. You need to determine evacuation routes or places where your employees can find shelter when the unfortunate happens.
Make sure these places are marked and placed where they can be seen by everyone. Go through drills often like you did as a student in school. It might seem silly, but it will help your team be prepared and calm in an emergency.
What is Your Disaster Recovery Plan?
If you don’t have a disaster recovery plan in order, you can lose days or weeks worth of work due to not having backups of your data.
Since corruption can happen at any time, make sure you’re saving data or anything relevant and important to the job onto flash drives and up to the cloud. All of your employees should know what to do in the event of a data breach or, worse, a natural disaster.
If you aren’t too good at maintenance, it might be time for you to hire a third-party vendor to handle all of your IT needs. Contact Be Structured today so you can stick to doing what you do best -- running your business.
Excerpt: You're working on a big project for your business. You were up all night thinking about it and planning so you grabbed a coffee on your way to work. Suddenly, in your half-asleep stupor, you dump it all over the computer and lose the progress that you made.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Disaster Recovery, MSPs, SMB

#### IT Support Companies: 12 Tips for Hiring IT Managed Services
Partnering with a top IT support company can significantly benefit your business. You gain access to IT experts without the hassle of managing an in-house IT team. This is particularly advantageous for businesses seeking cost-effective IT support services.

While IT talent can be pricey, managed IT services make it accessible to businesses of all sizes, including small businesses and startups. These services relieve you from the burden of assembling and managing high-level IT teams.

Besides, IT managed services often offer a wide range of IT support services in one place. You may have specific IT challenges, but accessing a comprehensive suite of services from a single provider makes IT support more affordable and convenient.

However, finding reliable outsourced IT support services can be challenging. Amid many providers making bold promises, you must ensure professionalism and competence.

How do you find an IT services provider that meets your needs and fits your budget?

This guide will help you in that process. Here are twelve tips for hiring IT-managed services.
1. Define Your Managed IT Services Needs
Managed IT services involve a time-bound, short-term, or long-term relationship. Addressing your current pressing challenges is crucial to ensure your investment yields impact.
Conduct a Needs Assessment for Local IT Support
One common mistake is sourcing IT support companies without proper planning. The foundation of a solid IT support plan is a needs assessment.

This involves reviewing your firm's IT challenges and needs.

The first step in your IT needs assessment is studying your workflow. Identify critical technology-related issues and consider your goals to shape your IT services strategy. Conduct a technology audit to identify strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and growth opportunities.

Consider IT consultancy services during your needs assessment, especially if your company lacks a tech-savvy team or individual. IT experts are more likely to provide valuable insights to align your IT strategy with your business goals.
Outline Your Business Goals
After conducting a needs assessment, you'll find that your challenges are unique to your business. For instance, if you recently faced a malware attack, your priority might be hiring cybersecurity services.

Outlining your IT goals helps you align your budget effectively. This ensures that you allocate financial resources efficiently to address your IT needs. You can focus investments in specific IT services, maximizing the value you derive from your IT support partner.

An example of an IT goal is to reduce costs by 10%. Partnering with a managed service provider can help achieve savings. You can avoid costly infrastructure investments and enjoy predictable monthly pricing.
2. Identify Potential IT Support Companies
Start your search by creating a list of companies you want to work with. Having a comprehensive list makes it easier to narrow down your options effectively. After researching each option, you will compare notes to determine the top IT support companies you'll consider.

Consulting with your business partners can be invaluable when seeking recommendations for outsourcing services. Their firsthand experience with service providers makes their insights trustworthy and reliable.

Leveraging Google searches can yield fruitful results, mainly targeting companies within a specific region. Use relevant keywords such as "IT support Pasadena" or "IT support Beverly Hills" to refine your search and find local IT support near you.

Pay attention to Google Ratings to identify top-rated IT support companies. Look for companies with high ratings, which indicates a strong track record of delivering reliable IT support.

Other valuable resources are IT magazines and review blogs. These platforms often feature in-depth reviews and insights into various IT service providers, helping you make informed decisions.
3. Verify Technical Expertise
Finding a reliable IT support company requires time and effort. The last thing you want is to discover that your service provider lacks competence. You can avoid this risk by emphasizing experience.

Experienced IT support companies have encountered various challenges and honed their skills. Their familiarity with different technologies and industries enables them to provide practical solutions tailored to your needs.

When assessing experience, focus on their expertise and qualifications. Look for certified professionals with CompTIA A+, Network+, or Security+ credentials. These certifications indicate a solid understanding of IT fundamentals.

Also, please take into account their business location. Opting for a company nearby ensures quicker support when needed. Selecting a local IT support company in the city or nearby allows for faster response times to urgent issues. This proximity facilitates efficient on-site assistance when required.

It would also be best to prioritize companies with a track record of serving in your industry. Suppose you're looking for IT support services in the finance industry. In that case, they should know your unique challenges and regulatory requirements, such as PCI-DSS compliance.
4. Leverage a Comprehensive Service Scope
IT support is essential for business operations. Consolidating services with one provider can streamline processes and enhance accountability.

Focus on comprehensive offerings that cover various IT services, including cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is essential, as data breaches can lead to financial losses and reputational damage.

Ensure the provider offers solutions to protect your business from cyber threats such as malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. Beyond that, consider critical services like data backup and disaster recovery. These are essential for mitigating the impact of potential data loss incidents.

A reliable IT support company should offer customized services. You want to address your specific challenges and goals effectively. Consider specific services such as 24/7 IT monitoring, server virtualization, or antivirus protection.
5. Focus on Achieving Scalability and Flexibility
In any business, adaptability makes overcoming risks and challenges easier. As your needs evolve or your company grows, you may also want to change your IT strategy.

Technology also evolves fast, and businesses adapt to meet regulations. If you're upgrading to new technologies for your business, you want your IT support to provide relevant support.

Managed IT services should adapt and accommodate your needs. It would be best to partner with an IT company that ensures your tech can keep up without any hiccups.

They should also offer custom IT support to make their services friendly and flexible. A custom service structure lets you add or remove IT support services as needed. This way, you're only paying for what you use.

When exploring features, you should also take flexibility capabilities into account. For example, opt for cloud computing consulting services. They're flexible and scalable, meaning you can easily adjust your IT setup as your business expands without significant upfront costs.

With cloud-based tools, your team can access essential data and tools from anywhere with an internet connection. This makes remote work a breeze and keeps your operations flexible.
6. Ensure Cost-Effectiveness of IT Services
Cost is a significant factor when aiming to save both time and money. Your choice of managed IT services provider can greatly impact your total expenses. You can find technical support companies that offer their services at affordable rates in several ways.

Firstly, it's important to clearly define your needs and then request a quote aligned with those needs. A quote gives you an estimate, which you can use to compare the pricing of different providers.

When comparing costs, consider the salaries, benefits, and training expenses associated with maintaining an internal IT staff. Often, facilitating internal IT teams becomes more costly than outsourcing to IT support services. Structured offers many affordable support services without expanding your IT team.

Remember to weigh the cost-benefit of hiring top IT support companies versus cheaper alternatives. Think about the potential return on investment (ROI). Consider factors like reduced downtimes, reliability of the provider's expertise, and quality assurance when making your decision.
7. Ensure Proactive Maintenance
IT failures can be expensive. When IT systems fail, it often leads to downtime, during which employees cannot work. Downtime can result in lost productivity, missed deadlines, and delayed projects,

If IT failures affect customer-facing systems, such as e-commerce platforms or online services, it can lead to a loss of revenue. Customers may be unable to make purchases or access services. This can result in lost sales and damage the organization's reputation.

Proactive IT support services are necessary to prevent IT failures. Proactive IT support focuses on identifying and resolving issues before they happen. If your IT support agents focus on looking for potential issues, they can prevent IT failure losses.

You can quickly identify proactive IT support companies. Look at their primary focus, especially when they recommend their services. A concerted effort to provide robust IT security and data backups can show proactiveness.

A focus on providing IT support with 24/7 monitoring is another impressive sign. If your IT support team prevents emergency issues, they must be on their toes around the clock. In the event of a problem, you can easily reach out for relevant support.
8. Establish Clear Communication and Transparency
Hard skills are one of many requirements for assessing technical support companies. People skills are also crucial in driving your success. These skills refer to the elements of communication and empathy.

Empathy is the ability of an IT support provider to understand your feelings and needs. Communication skills refer to the ability to convey information and comprehend your ideas.

Empathetic providers are more likely to create custom solutions based on your needs. Their communication skills allow them to explain their services to your team. You want to see the big picture and visualize their IT solutions in your company.

Pay close attention to the initial interaction with the IT support company. Responsive providers respond promptly and professionally to your inquiries. They will be courteous and patient when addressing your questions.

Analyze their company's website content, social media presence, and marketing materials. Look for clear, concise, and jargon-free language. This indicates a commitment to clear communication and understanding technical concepts.

Outsource to a company that demonstrates a genuine interest in understanding your specific IT challenges and business goals. They should actively listen to your concerns and tailor their solutions accordingly.
9. Ensure Compliance and Regulations
Depending on your industry, you may be subject to specific compliance requirements and regulations governing data privacy and security. Choose an IT support company that understands your industry's regulatory landscape.

Look for industry certifications and compliance standards relevant to your business. For example, manufacturing companies often deal with sensitive data related to customer information. They must comply with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) regulations for data protection.

Ask the IT-managed services provider for documentation regarding compliance with relevant regulations and standards. This might include audit reports, certifications, or attestations from third-party auditors. Please review these documents carefully to ensure they meet your organization's IT requirements.
10. Use References and Case Studies
Client feedback and testimonials provide valuable insights into the reliability and reputation of an IT support company. Positive testimonials indicate that the company has successfully met the needs and expectations of its clients.

By reviewing client feedback, you can assess the quality of service provided by the company. Look for testimonials highlighting specific instances where the IT support company delivered effective solutions and demonstrated professionalism.

Testimonials serve as a validation of the company's claims regarding the quality of its services. Satisfied clients will likely share their positive experiences, reinforcing the company's credibility.

In addition to testimonials on the company's website, seek out neutral reviews on platforms like Google My Business (GMB). These reviews offer unbiased perspectives from clients interacting with the company's services.
11. Schedule Consultations
Reaching the final stage of selecting an IT support company requires scheduling consultations with shortlisted providers. These consultations allow you to delve deeper into their service offerings, assess their compatibility with your business goals, and solidify your decision.

Go beyond the company's website or brochure. Ask detailed questions about their specific services and how they align with your unique IT challenges.

Discuss your business goals and objectives with the representatives. Ensure they understand your vision and can demonstrate how their services can contribute to achieving those goals.

This is your chance to clarify any doubts or concerns you may have. Inquire about their experience with businesses similar to yours. Seek clarification on specific service inclusions and pricing structures.
Find the Top IT Services in Los Angeles
Finding your area's best IT services and security companies is now easier than ever. Choose the right IT support company to enhance your business's efficiency, security, and bottom line.

If you're still undecided, consider partnering with the Be Structured IT team to streamline your IT operations. Invest in professional IT managed support services tailored to your business needs and objectives.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### ​IT Support for Accountants: A 2026 Compliance Guide
IT support for accountants in Los Angeles has become a compliance requirement, not a convenience. CPA firms and tax practices handling client financial data must now satisfy three overlapping federal frameworks — IRS Publication 4557, the FTC Safeguards Rule, and AICPA cybersecurity standards — each of which carries direct IT infrastructure mandates. A firm that lacks multi-factor authentication, encrypted storage, a Written Information Security Plan, and documented incident response procedures is already out of compliance, regardless of how strong its client relationships are.
This guide covers what Los Angeles accounting practices need to know — and do — in 2026.
Why Accounting Firms Are High-Value Targets for Cybercriminals
The data held by a CPA firm or tax practice is among the most sensitive and actionable information a cybercriminal can obtain. Social Security numbers, bank account details, income records, business financials, and tax identification numbers are all present in a typical client file. A single compromised dataset can fuel identity theft, fraudulent tax filings, and financial fraud for years.
The financial stakes of a breach are significant across every industry, but the accounting and financial sector sits near the top of the exposure curve. According to IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the global average cost of a data breach is $4.44 million. The financial services sector specifically averages $5.56 million per breach — second only to healthcare at $7.42 million. For a 10–25 person CPA firm, an incident at even a fraction of that cost could be existential.
This is the environment Los Angeles CPA firms are operating in, and it is the baseline against which every IT decision should be evaluated.
The Compliance Frameworks Every CPA Firm Must Understand
No single regulation defines cybersecurity compliance for accounting firms. Instead, CPA practices must navigate several overlapping federal and professional frameworks, each addressing different aspects of protecting taxpayer and financial data. Together, these standards establish the baseline security controls, documentation requirements, and operational practices firms are expected to maintain.
IRS Publication 4557: Safeguarding Taxpayer Data
IRS Publication 4557 is the foundational federal guidance for tax professionals on protecting taxpayer information. The IRS requires all tax professionals who access federal tax information to implement and maintain security measures consistent with its requirements.
The key obligations under Pub 4557 include:
 	Developing and maintaining a Written Information Security Plan (WISP) tailored to the firm's size and complexity
 	Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all systems that access taxpayer data
 	Encrypting taxpayer data both at rest and in transit
 	Restricting and logging access to tax preparation software and client records
 	Conducting annual risk assessments and updating the WISP accordingly
 	Training staff on data security practices and phishing awareness
 	Establishing an incident response plan with IRS notification procedures
The IRS has made clear that a data breach involving taxpayer information must be reported to the agency, and that firms without documented security measures will face heightened scrutiny in any subsequent investigation.
FTC Safeguards Rule for Tax Preparers
The Federal Trade Commission's Safeguards Rule, updated in 2023, explicitly classifies tax preparation businesses as financial institutions. This means the full scope of Safeguards Rule requirements now applies to CPA firms, enrolled agents, and tax preparers of all sizes. The FTC Safeguards Rule requires:
 	A written information security program overseen by a designated coordinator
 	Encryption of customer financial information on all systems and during transmission
 	Multi-factor authentication for any employee accessing customer financial data
 	Access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel only
 	Regular monitoring and testing of the security program
 	Vendor management procedures ensuring third-party service providers maintain appropriate safeguards
 	An incident response plan and breach notification procedures
The FTC has enforcement authority and has demonstrated willingness to pursue action against firms that fail to comply. For Los Angeles accounting practices, the Safeguards Rule adds a federal regulatory layer on top of California's already stringent data privacy requirements under the CCPA.
AICPA Cybersecurity Standards
The American Institute of CPAs has developed a cybersecurity risk management reporting framework that addresses both internal security practices and the communication of security posture to clients and stakeholders. While AICPA standards are not federally mandated in the same way as the IRS and FTC frameworks, they represent the professional standard of care against which accounting firms will be evaluated in any legal or regulatory proceeding following a breach.
AICPA's guidance emphasizes entity-level controls, logical access controls, change management, and risk monitoring — all of which have direct IT infrastructure implications. Firms that cannot demonstrate alignment with AICPA standards face professional liability exposure that goes beyond regulatory penalties.
Tax Season vs. Off-Season: The IT Load Reality for CPA Firms
One of the most underappreciated IT planning challenges for accounting firms is the dramatic swing in system demand between tax season (January through April) and the remainder of the year. IT infrastructure sized for off-season baseline load will buckle under tax season demands. Understanding this cycle is essential to designing the right IT support model for a CPA firm.
Tax Season vs. Off-Season IT Requirements
IT Requirement
Tax Season (Jan–Apr)
Off-Season (May–Dec)
Concurrent software users
Peak — all staff active simultaneously
Reduced — partial staff, lower concurrency
Tax software in active use
Lacerte, ProSeries, UltraTax, CCH Axcess, QuickBooks Hosted
Minimal or maintenance mode
Data transfer volume
Very high — large return files, e-filing submissions
Low to moderate
Remote access demand
High — staff may work extended hours from multiple locations
Standard
Help desk ticket volume
3–5x baseline
Baseline
Backup frequency needs
Daily minimum, real-time preferred
Daily standard
Phishing/attack risk
Elevated — IRS-themed campaigns spike Jan–Apr
Moderate baseline
Compliance deadline pressure
Critical — filing deadlines non-negotiable
Lower urgency
IT support response time needed
Immediate (under 1 hour)
Standard (4-hour)
This table illustrates why a one-size-fits-all managed IT support for accountants contract often fails. The right provider will include provisions for elevated response times during tax season, proactive performance monitoring during peak periods, and scalable infrastructure that adjusts to demand without requiring firms to permanently over-provision.
Tax Software Compatibility: What a Managed IT Support for Accountants Provider Must Know
Los Angeles CPA firms rely on a handful of enterprise tax platforms with specific, non-negotiable IT requirements. A provider of IT support for accountants who is unfamiliar with these platforms will create friction at exactly the moments when reliability matters most.
Common Tax Software and Key IT Considerations
Software
Deployment
Key IT Requirements
Common Issues
Lacerte (Intuit)
Local or hosted
SQL Server backend, specific port requirements, antivirus exclusions
Slow performance without SSD/RAM optimization
ProSeries (Intuit)
Local install
Windows compatibility, network share configuration
Update conflicts, multi-user access errors
UltraTax CS (Thomson Reuters)
Local or Virtual Office CS
Citrix or RDP for hosted, specific firewall rules
Licensing errors, VPN latency on hosted version
CCH Axcess (Wolters Kluwer)
Cloud-native
Reliable high-bandwidth internet, browser compatibility
Performance tied to internet stability
QuickBooks Hosted
Cloud/hosted
Thin client or browser access, MFA enforcement
Session timeouts, printer mapping issues
Every one of these platforms requires specific antivirus exclusions, firewall rules, and network configurations to perform reliably. An IT provider that applies generic configurations to a tax software environment will generate support tickets and downtime at the worst possible times. This is why outsourced IT support for accountants should come from a provider with documented hands-on experience in these environments — not general IT expertise applied broadly.
How to Build an 8-Step IT Compliance Checklist for a 10–25 Person CPA Firm
The following checklist is designed specifically for small to mid-sized accounting practices that need to meet IRS Pub 4557, FTC Safeguards Rule, and AICPA standards without the internal IT resources of a large enterprise. Each step is actionable and maps directly to a specific compliance requirement.
Step 1: Develop or update your Written Information Security Plan (WISP). Every CPA firm subject to IRS Pub 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule is required to maintain a WISP. For a 10–25 person firm, the WISP should identify a designated security coordinator, document all systems that handle client data, and outline procedures for access control, breach response, and staff training. Review and update it annually, and after any significant system change or incident.
Step 2: Implement multi-factor authentication across all systems. MFA is explicitly required by both the IRS and FTC frameworks. Enable MFA on all systems that access taxpayer data — including tax software logins, email, remote access tools, cloud storage, and the firm's Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace environment. Authenticator app-based MFA is preferred over SMS codes, which are vulnerable to SIM-swapping attacks.
Step 3: Audit and control access permissions. Apply the principle of least privilege: every staff member should have access only to the client files and systems their role requires. Conduct a full access audit at the start of each tax season and immediately following any staff departure. Shared logins must be eliminated. Individual accounts with role-based permissions are a baseline compliance requirement.
Step 4: Encrypt client data at rest and in transit. Encryption is required under both the IRS and FTC frameworks. Ensure that laptops and workstations holding client data use full-disk encryption (BitLocker for Windows, FileVault for Mac). All data transmitted to clients or between offices must use TLS-encrypted channels. Unencrypted email attachments containing tax documents are a compliance violation.
Step 5: Configure and test your backup and recovery system. Data loss during tax season is a liability. Implement automated daily backups with off-site or cloud redundancy, and test restoration procedures at least quarterly. For a 10–25 person firm, the recovery time objective (RTO) should be defined and documented in the WISP. Know exactly how long it will take to restore operations after a ransomware attack or hardware failure — before it happens. See how Be Structured approaches data backup and protection for compliance-sensitive environments.
Step 6: Deploy endpoint protection and email security. Every workstation and laptop used by firm staff must have enterprise-grade endpoint detection and response (EDR), not basic antivirus. Email security should include spam filtering, phishing detection, and sandboxing of attachments. Configure antivirus exclusions for tax software installations (Lacerte, ProSeries, UltraTax) to prevent performance conflicts, but ensure those exclusions are carefully scoped. Our IT security services for Los Angeles businesses cover all of these controls.
Step 7: Conduct annual staff security training with phishing simulations. The IRS explicitly requires security awareness training as part of Pub 4557 compliance. For a 10–25 person firm, annual training should cover phishing recognition, password hygiene, safe handling of client data, and the firm's incident reporting procedures.
Step 8: Establish a vendor management and third-party access review process. Both the FTC Safeguards Rule and AICPA standards require firms to assess the security practices of vendors and service providers that handle client data. Review IT vendors, cloud storage providers, document management platforms, and any third-party portal used for client file exchange. Require written security commitments from vendors with access to sensitive data, and review those commitments annually.
What to Look for in a Managed IT Support for Accountants Provider
Not every managed IT provider is equipped to support a compliance-driven accounting environment. The right partner for a CPA firm brings a specific combination of regulatory familiarity, tax software expertise, and responsive support during peak periods.
The managed IT support for accountants that matters most for accounting firms goes beyond standard help desk support. Look for a provider that can demonstrate:
 	Familiarity with IRS Pub 4557, FTC Safeguards Rule, and AICPA cybersecurity standards
 	Hands-on experience supporting Lacerte, ProSeries, UltraTax, CCH Axcess, or QuickBooks Hosted environments
 	The ability to assist with WISP development and documentation
 	Guaranteed response times during tax season that reflect the urgency of compliance deadlines
 	Proactive monitoring rather than reactive break-fix support
 	A clear process for handling staff onboarding and offboarding, including immediate access revocation
For Los Angeles firms specifically, a dedicated IT support for accounting firms provider with physical proximity offers an additional advantage: on-site support is available when remote resolution is not sufficient. Server issues, hardware failures, and network outages during tax season require a provider who can respond in person, not just remotely.
FAQ: IT Support for Accountants and CPA Firms
What IT compliance requirements apply to CPA firms?CPA firms and tax preparers in the United States are subject to three primary compliance frameworks with direct IT implications: IRS Publication 4557, which requires a Written Information Security Plan, multi-factor authentication, and data encryption for all firms handling taxpayer data; the FTC Safeguards Rule, which classifies tax preparation businesses as financial institutions and mandates a comprehensive information security program; and AICPA cybersecurity standards, which define the professional standard of care for client data protection. California-based firms must also comply with the CCPA, which adds state-level data privacy obligations on top of federal requirements.What is a Written Information Security Plan, and does my firm need one?A Written Information Security Plan (WISP) is a documented policy that describes your firm's approach to protecting sensitive client data — including the security controls you have implemented, your process for conducting risk assessments, your access control procedures, your incident response plan, and your staff training program. Both the IRS and the FTC Safeguards Rule require tax preparers and accounting firms to maintain a WISP. It must be reviewed and updated at least annually.What does the FTC Safeguards Rule require for tax preparers?The FTC Safeguards Rule classifies tax preparation businesses as financial institutions and requires them to implement a written information security program that includes designation of a security coordinator, encryption of customer financial data at rest and in transit, multi-factor authentication for all employees accessing customer data, access controls limiting data to authorized personnel, regular security monitoring and testing, vendor management procedures, and a documented incident response plan. The FTC has enforcement authority and can take action against non-compliant firms.How does tax season affect IT infrastructure requirements for CPA firms?Tax season (January through April) creates a significant spike in IT demand relative to off-season baselines. Concurrent user loads on tax software platforms peak, data transfer volumes increase substantially with large return files and e-filing submissions, remote access demand rises as staff work extended hours, and phishing attacks targeting tax professionals increase measurably. Help desk ticket volume during tax season typically runs three to five times the off-season baseline for accounting firms. IT infrastructure and support contracts should be specifically designed to account for this seasonality, including elevated response time guarantees during the January–April window.What tax software platforms should my IT provider support?The most common enterprise tax platforms in use at Los Angeles CPA firms include Lacerte and ProSeries (both Intuit), UltraTax CS (Thomson Reuters), CCH Axcess (Wolters Kluwer), and QuickBooks Hosted. Each has specific IT requirements around server configuration, antivirus exclusions, network port access, and remote access setup. An IT provider without hands-on experience with these platforms will create configuration problems that surface as performance issues and outages during the periods when reliability matters most.What should I do if my firm experiences a data breach?If your firm experiences a breach involving taxpayer data, immediately contain the breach by isolating affected systems, then notify the IRS using the Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft reporting procedures — a mandatory requirement under Pub 4557. Notify affected clients as required under applicable state breach notification laws (California requires notification within 72 hours for CCPA-covered breaches). Engage legal counsel early in the process. Document every step of your response for regulatory and insurance purposes.Does my CPA firm need cybersecurity insurance?Cybersecurity insurance is not mandated by any of the primary compliance frameworks, but it is strongly advisable for any firm handling sensitive client financial data. Policies typically cover breach notification costs, forensic investigation, legal fees, client notification, and some portion of business interruption losses.How is managed IT support for accountants different from standard IT support?Managed IT support for accountants is built around the specific compliance rhythms, software environments, and security obligations of accounting practices — rather than applying a generic IT framework. It includes provisions for elevated response times during tax season, familiarity with platforms like Lacerte, ProSeries, and UltraTax, WISP development assistance, and proactive security monitoring calibrated to the threat landscape facing tax professionals. Standard IT support typically addresses none of these vertical-specific requirements by default.
Solve Compliance Issues with Managed IT Support for Accountants
The compliance obligations facing Los Angeles CPA firms in 2026 are not abstract regulatory requirements. They are specific, technical mandates that require specific, technical infrastructure: multi-factor authentication, encrypted storage, access-controlled systems, documented incident response, and ongoing monitoring to detect and respond when something goes wrong.
Be Structured provides all-inclusive managed IT services in Los Angeles built specifically for the compliance requirements and operational rhythms of CPA firms and accounting practices. From WISP development and MFA deployment to tax software configuration, security monitoring, and tax season support coverage, we handle the full IT compliance stack so your firm can focus on serving clients and meeting deadlines.
Contact Be Structured today to schedule a compliance assessment for your Los Angeles accounting practice.
- Categories: IT Support, IT support for accountants
- Tags: IT support for accountants

#### IT Support for Architecture Firms: Streamling Project Management
Architecture firms rely on technology to bring designs to life, collaborate with teams, and manage complex projects. 
However, without the right IT support for architecture firms, software crashes, data loss, and security vulnerabilities can disrupt workflows and cause costly delays. Ensuring seamless collaboration and protecting intellectual property requires a strategic approach to IT management.
An IT managed service provider specializing in architecture IT support can optimize CAD/BIM software performance, implement secure file-sharing solutions, and maintain IT infrastructure tailored to architectural needs. With the right IT support company, firms can eliminate technology-related bottlenecks and focus on design excellence.

The Role of IT Support in Architectural Project Management
Efficient project management in architecture hinges on smooth communication, reliable software, and secure data handling. Without proper IT infrastructure, firms face setbacks that compromise productivity and client satisfaction. Outsourced IT support company services provide proactive solutions to ensure operational efficiency.

Enhancing Collaboration and Communication
Successful projects require real-time collaboration between architects, clients, and contractors. Cloud-based solutions enable seamless file sharing and instant feedback, preventing miscommunication and project delays.

Key advantages of cloud-enabled collaboration:

 	Simultaneous file access: Multiple users can work on design files without version conflicts.
 	Task management integration: Assigning responsibilities and tracking progress becomes effortless.
 	Mobile accessibility: Team members can collaborate from anywhere, enhancing project flexibility.

By partnering with a local IT support services provider, firms can implement robust cloud-based tools that facilitate communication while ensuring data security.

Improving Remote Work Capabilities
As remote and hybrid work becomes more common, architecture firms must ensure that employees can securely access project files and collaboration tools from any location.


Architects need IT suport too.
Key components of effective remote work IT support include:

 	Secure VPN access: Enables safe and encrypted connections to company networks.
 	Cloud-hosted design software: Ensures that CAD/BIM tools can be accessed remotely without performance loss.
 	Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Adds an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access.

A managed IT services provider can help architecture firms implement these solutions, ensuring that remote teams remain productive while maintaining data security.

Optimizing CAD/BIM Software for Peak Performance
Architects rely on CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) software to develop and refine their projects. However, these applications demand high processing power and continuous updates to function at their best.

Challenges of Poorly Managed CAD/BIM Software

 	Slow rendering times: Inefficient systems delay project completion.
 	Frequent crashes: Outdated or misconfigured software disrupts workflows.
 	Storage limitations: Large design files can overwhelm local storage without proper data management.

A managed IT services provider ensures that CAD/BIM tools operate at peak efficiency by performing regular system audits, optimizing hardware configurations, and providing real-time troubleshooting. With professional IT support, architects can work without technical interruptions, maximizing productivity and creativity.

Leveraging High-Performance Computing for Complex Designs
Advanced architectural designs often require high-performance computing (HPC) resources to handle large data sets and complex simulations. An IT support company can implement HPC solutions that:


 	Enhance 3D rendering speeds
 	Improve simulation accuracy
 	Reduce system crashes and lag times

Investing in the right IT support ensures that architectural firms can push creative boundaries without being limited by hardware constraints.

Secure File Sharing and Data Protection
Architecture firms handle vast amounts of intellectual property, from conceptual blueprints to finalized project plans. Ensuring the security of these files is critical to preventing data leaks and unauthorized access.

Essential Security Measures for Architecture Firms

 	End-to-end encryption: Protects sensitive files during transmission.
 	Role-based access control: Restricts file access to authorized personnel only.
 	Automated backups: Prevents data loss in case of hardware failures or cyberattacks.
 	Cybersecurity training: Educates employees on best practices to avoid phishing attacks and data breaches.

A managed IT support services provider with expertise in cybersecurity can implement these protections, ensuring that architectural firms maintain compliance with industry security standards while safeguarding client data.

Preventing Downtime with Disaster Recovery Solutions
An IT support company specializing in disaster recovery can help architecture firms prepare for unexpected disruptions. Key disaster recovery strategies include:


 	Cloud-based backups: Ensures that projects can be restored quickly after data loss.
 	Redundant servers: Maintains system uptime in case of hardware failure.
 	Incident response planning: Provides a roadmap for handling cyber threats and data breaches.

By implementing a robust disaster recovery plan, architecture firms can minimize downtime and maintain business continuity.

IT Infrastructure Tailored for Architectural Workflows
Unlike generic business setups, architecture firms require IT infrastructure that can handle large-scale rendering, real-time collaboration, and secure remote access. An IT support company specializing in architecture-specific solutions can tailor infrastructure to meet these demands.

Key Components of a Robust IT Infrastructure

 	High-performance workstations: Optimized for CAD/BIM applications.
 	Scalable storage solutions: Secure, cloud-based storage for easy access to design files.
 	Reliable network connectivity: Ensures seamless collaboration across locations.
 	Automated software updates: Keeps all tools running smoothly without manual intervention.

By investing in custom IT infrastructure, firms can future-proof their operations and ensure a seamless workflow for architects, engineers, and project managers alike.

The Rise of Automation in Architecture
Automation is revolutionizing architectural workflows, reducing manual effort, and increasing efficiency. IT support enables firms to integrate automated tools that streamline repetitive tasks such as:


 	Auto-generated floor plans based on predefined parameters.
 	AI-driven project analysis to detect design flaws before construction.
 	Automated rendering to accelerate visualization processes.

A managed IT services provider can implement these solutions, allowing firms to improve the accuracy and efficiency of their designs.


Find the right IT solutions for architecture firms.
Sustainable IT Solutions for Architecture Firms
Sustainability is a growing concern in the architecture industry. IT solutions can contribute to eco-friendly practices by reducing energy consumption and paper waste. Strategies include:


 	Cloud computing to reduce reliance on physical servers.
 	Energy-efficient hardware to lower carbon footprints.
 	Digital project management tools to minimize paper usage.

A forward-thinking IT support company ensures that firms adopt sustainable practices without compromising performance.

AI-Driven Project Management in Architecture
Artificial intelligence is reshaping architectural project management by predicting project risks and optimizing workflows. AI-powered solutions offer:


 	Predictive maintenance to prevent IT failures before they occur.
 	Automated budgeting tools to track expenses in real-time.
 	AI-driven design recommendations to enhance creativity.

By leveraging AI, firms can stay ahead of the competition while ensuring smoother project execution.

Elevate Your Architecture IT Support
Unreliable IT infrastructure and inefficient software can stall even the most well-planned architectural projects. By investing in industry-specific Los Angeles IT services, firms can streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and protect their intellectual property.
Be Structured provides unique IT support for architecture firms, ensuring that firms have the technology foundation needed to thrive. From CAD/BIM optimization to secure file-sharing solutions, we offer tailored IT strategies that enhance productivity and safeguard sensitive data.
Take the next step in transforming your firm's IT capabilities. Schedule a free consultation and discover how Be Structured can optimize your IT infrastructure for seamless project management.
- Categories: IT Support, IT support for architecture
- Tags: IT support, IT support for architecture

#### IT Support for Architecture Firms: Why Outsourced IT Support Matters
The architectural industry is undergoing a digital revolution, with technology reshaping how firms design, collaborate, and manage projects. The right IT services for architect firms enhance efficiency, protect intellectual property, and enable firms to leverage cutting-edge tools that push creative boundaries.
From cloud computing that facilitates seamless teamwork to cybersecurity that safeguards sensitive data, IT services have become indispensable. 
This article explores the critical IT services for architect firms, including cloud solutions, cybersecurity measures, Building Information Modeling (BIM) support, and managed IT services. Firms that embrace these technologies will be better equipped to navigate an increasingly competitive industry.

The Necessity of IT Services for Architect Firms
Technology is no longer optional in architectural practice. Firms that integrate IT solutions streamline operations, improve design accuracy, and enhance client collaboration. Digital tools reduce errors, optimize workflows, and enable architects to create high-quality, innovative designs. 
There several ways architecure firms can benefit from local IT support. By partnering with a trusted IT services company, firms can ensure their technology infrastructure supports their creative vision and business goals.

Essential IT Support for Architecture Firms
To remain competitive in an evolving industry, amaintaining robust architecture IT support will enhance efficiency, security, and collaboration. 
From cloud computing to managed IT support, the right technology solutions can streamline workflows, protect intellectual property, and optimize project execution. 
Firms that embrace modern IT services not only improve operational efficiency but also gain a strategic advantage in an increasingly digital landscape.


Architecture firms can focus on new business when their tech support is properly being managed.
Cloud Computing Solutions for Seamless Collaboration
Cloud computing has revolutionized architecture by providing centralized access to critical project data. Teams can collaborate in real time, regardless of location, ensuring projects progress without delays. The benefits of cloud-based solutions include:


 	Real-Time Collaboration: Team members can edit and update designs simultaneously, ensuring alignment and minimizing miscommunication. With version control features, firms can track changes and revert to previous versions when necessary.
 	Secure File Sharing: Large design files, including blueprints, 3D models, and project documentation, are easily accessible without the risk of data loss or corruption. Secure cloud environments prevent unauthorized access and accidental deletions.
 	Scalable Storage: Firms can expand cloud storage as project demands grow, eliminating the need for costly on-site servers. Cloud storage solutions also improve disaster recovery capabilities, ensuring data can be retrieved even in the event of system failures.

With the help of a managed service provider, firms can optimize cloud-based solutions to enhance efficiency while maintaining security and compliance.

Cybersecurity Measures to Protect Intellectual Property
Cyber threats are a growing concern in the architecture industry, making cybersecurity a top priority. Sensitive design plans, client information, and proprietary data must be safeguarded against breaches and cyberattacks. Effective security measures include:


 	Regular Software Updates: Keeping all systems up to date reduces vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. Software patches address security loopholes and improve overall system stability.
 	Data Encryption: Ensuring that confidential files remain secure, even if intercepted. End-to-end encryption protects sensitive data in transit and at rest, preventing unauthorized access.
 	Access Controls: Limiting access to sensitive information to only authorized personnel. Role-based access ensures that employees only have the permissions necessary for their specific tasks.
 	Cybersecurity Training: Educating employees on best practices to prevent phishing attacks and malware infections. Regular training sessions help staff recognize and respond to security threats effectively.

An experienced IT support company can implement these security measures to protect valuable assets and maintain client trust.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Software Support
BIM software is a game-changer for architectural firms, enabling detailed 3D modeling, efficient project management, and enhanced collaboration. However, without proper IT support for architecture firms, maximizing BIM's potential can be challenging. Key support services include:


 	Implementation Assistance: Ensuring seamless integration into existing workflows. IT teams help configure BIM software to align with project requirements and firm-wide standards.
 	Ongoing Training: Keeping staff proficient in using BIM software effectively. Regular training sessions allow employees to leverage advanced features and improve productivity.
 	Technical Support: Resolving software issues quickly to minimize downtime. With 24/7 technical assistance, firms can address errors, software crashes, or compatibility issues without delaying projects.

Partnering with an outsourced technical support company ensures that BIM software runs smoothly, allowing architects to focus on design rather than troubleshooting technical issues.

Managed IT Services for Efficiency and Innovation
Outsourcing IT management enables architecture firms to focus on design excellence while ensuring their technology infrastructure remains optimized. The benefits of managed IT services include:


 	Proactive System Monitoring: Identifying and resolving issues before they impact operations. Regular performance audits and security checks prevent costly system failures.
 	Expert Guidance: Access to specialized IT knowledge tailored to architecture firms. IT experts provide recommendations on software, security, and hardware to optimize workflows.
 	Cost-Effective Solutions: Reducing overhead costs associated with maintaining an in-house IT team. Managed IT services eliminate the need for full-time IT staff while ensuring access to enterprise-level support.

With 24/7 monitoring and support, a managed IT services provider can prevent downtime, enhance system performance, and facilitate the adoption of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR).


Design firms rely on technology to advance their brand.
Leveraging Emerging Technologies in Architectural Design
Architecture firms increasingly rely on AI and VR to improve design workflows and client presentations. AI analyzes data to optimize designs, while VR provides immersive visualizations of projects before construction begins. To stay competitive, firms should:


 	Invest in Training: Ensure employees can fully utilize AI and VR tools. Hands-on workshops and simulations help staff integrate new technologies into design processes.
 	Stay Updated on Industry Trends: Regularly assess new technologies for potential integration. Following developments in AI-driven design, smart materials, and automation keeps firms ahead of the curve.
 	Experiment with New Tools: Encourage innovation by exploring emerging software and digital solutions. Early adoption of new tools allows firms to enhance efficiency and attract tech-savvy clients.

By adopting these technologies with the support of a local IT support services provider, architecture firms can enhance design capabilities and deliver exceptional client experiences.

IT Compliance and Data Protection for Architect Firms
Compliance with industry regulations and data protection standards is crucial for architecture firms handling sensitive information. Key areas of compliance include:


 	Data Privacy Regulations: Adhering to laws like GDPR or CCPA ensures firms handle client data responsibly and securely.
 	Disaster Recovery Planning: Implementing robust backup and recovery strategies minimizes risks from cyberattacks, power failures, or data corruption.
 	Secure Communication Channels: Encrypting emails and using VPNs protect confidential communications and remote collaborations.

With the guidance of a managed IT services provider, architecture firms can stay compliant while safeguarding their digital assets.

Remote Work Solutions for Architect Firms
The shift toward remote and hybrid work models has made flexible IT infrastructure a necessity. Firms must adopt tools that allow seamless collaboration and productivity outside the office. Essential remote work solutions include:


 	Cloud-Based Project Management: Ensuring architects and designers can access, edit, and share files from anywhere.
 	Secure VPN Access: Enabling employees to connect to internal networks securely from remote locations.
 	Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): Providing architects with remote access to high-performance computing environments for rendering and modeling.

By leveraging remote work solutions, architecture firms can maintain business continuity and support global collaboration without compromising security or efficiency.

Building a Digital Future
Is your firm maximizing its IT potential? Now is the time to strengthen your technology strategy. Be Structured provides expert IT support in Los Angeles, helping architecture firms streamline operations, enhance security, and leverage emerging technologies. 
Schedule a free consultation today and take your firm to the next level.
- Categories: IT support for architecture
- Tags: IT support for architecture

#### IT Support for Creative Agencies: Managing Large Files & Collaboration
Creative agencies in Los Angeles require IT infrastructure built for high-volume file storage, high-speed networking, and collaborative Adobe ecosystem workflows. Be Structured provides managed IT support for creative agencies specifically designed for these demands, with tailored support for media production, advertising, and post-production environments.​
Creative agencies thrive on speed, innovation, and flawless execution. In competitive markets such as Los Angeles, where film, advertising, music, and digital media intersect daily, technology infrastructure can either fuel creativity or quietly undermine it.
Agencies managing high-resolution video, animation assets, photography libraries, and complex campaign deliverables face technical demands that traditional office networks were never designed to handle. For these firms, investing in strategic IT services for creative agencies is not optional. It is foundational to staying competitive.

Why do Creative Agencies in Los Angeles Have Unique IT Needs?
California continues to stand at the forefront of the global creative economy, maintaining its leadership position even as the industry navigates economic pressures and technological disruption. Los Angeles remains a central hub for content creation, production, post-production, branding, and experiential marketing.
At the same time, the media and entertainment landscape is undergoing a dramatic shift in how content is produced, stored, and distributed. The growing use of ultra-high-definition formats such as 4K, 8K, and immersive VR has dramatically increased the volume of data generated during production. 
These formats demand storage environments that can scale rapidly while delivering extremely high bandwidth and low latency performance. For creative agencies, this means that yesterday’s file servers and basic NAS devices are no longer sufficient.

The Unique Infrastructure Challenges Agencies Face
Creative firms operate differently from most businesses. Their core product is intellectual property, and that product exists in the form of massive digital assets.

Massive File Storage Requirements
Raw footage, layered design files, motion graphics projects, and multi-version campaign deliverables quickly accumulate terabytes of data. When multiple teams access the same asset library simultaneously, performance bottlenecks can emerge.
Without scalable storage architecture, teams waste time waiting for files to upload, download, or render. These delays compound over tight production timelines.

Bandwidth and Network Constraints
Video editors and animators require high-throughput networks to move large files across departments. Insufficient bandwidth results in lag, incomplete transfers, and project slowdowns.
To address this, agencies often need to optimize IT infrastructure with custom network installation solutions that prioritize high-speed switching, segmented traffic, and redundancy. A well-designed network reduces latency between creative workstations, shared storage, and cloud environments.

Version Control and Collaboration Issues
Creative workflows are inherently collaborative. Designers revise assets. Editors adjust timelines. Clients request changes. Without structured version control systems, teams risk overwriting files or working from outdated drafts.
Inefficient collaboration tools create friction between internal teams and external stakeholders. In markets like Los Angeles, where clients expect rapid turnaround, these inefficiencies can damage reputation.


Creative agencies often need to optimize IT infrastructure with custom network installation solutions that prioritize high-speed switching, segmented traffic, and redundancy.
The Risk of Data Loss in Creative Environments
Creative agencies often underestimate the financial impact of data loss. A corrupted project file or lost footage can represent weeks of work and significant billable revenue.
Every agency should learn how to prevent data loss by implementing layered backup strategies. This includes local redundancy, automated cloud backups, and offsite replication. Reliable recovery protocols ensure that even in the event of hardware failure or ransomware, projects can be restored quickly.
Understanding how generative and agentic AI are transforming workflows adds another layer of complexity. AI-assisted editing, content generation, and asset tagging tools are increasing both productivity and data creation rates. 
As agencies integrate AI into their pipelines, storage and processing demands will continue to expand.

How Does Cloud Computing Benefit Creative Agencies
Industry research consistently highlights cloud and edge computing as dominant forces shaping the future of IT architecture. Analysts, including McKinsey, identify distributed computing models as central to performance and scalability in modern enterprises.
For creative agencies, the ability to elevate operations with cloud computing provides significant advantages. Cloud platforms enable elastic storage, remote collaboration, and rapid scaling during peak production cycles. 
Edge computing supports real-time rendering and localized processing, reducing latency for high-demand tasks. When integrated effectively, cloud and on-premise environments create hybrid infrastructures tailored to creative workflows.

What IT Infrastructure Does Adobe Creative Cloud Require
Most agencies rely heavily on platforms such as Adobe Creative Cloud. These tools are powerful but resource-intensive. Large Photoshop files, Premiere Pro timelines, and After Effects compositions demand high-performance storage and GPU-enabled workstations.
Infrastructure must support:


 	Fast shared storage for collaborative editing.
 	Secure remote access for distributed teams.
 	Role-based permissions to protect sensitive assets.
 	Automated backups that capture frequent file changes.

Without these elements, teams experience delays that disrupt creative flow.

Scaling Infrastructure with Project Demands
Production cycles are rarely consistent. A boutique agency may handle moderate workloads most of the year, then suddenly manage multiple large-scale campaigns simultaneously.
This variability makes scalability critical. Agencies must ensure that their systems can handle spikes in rendering, storage consumption, and client collaboration without performance degradation.


Strategic investment in IT services for creative agencies ensures that infrastructure enhances, rather than hinders, the creative process.
Many firms in Southern California rely on managed service providers for the film industry or agencies specializing in IT support for the entertainment sector to design environments capable of adapting to fluctuating demand. These providers understand the urgency and precision required in creative production.
In Los Angeles specifically, access to trusted IT support services offers local expertise familiar with the region’s media ecosystem. Proximity matters when on-site response times can affect production deadlines.

Evaluating Current Infrastructure
Creative leaders should periodically assess whether their existing environment supports current and future needs. A structured evaluation includes:


 	Auditing storage capacity and performance metrics.
 	Reviewing network throughput during peak usage.
 	Testing backup restoration times.
 	Assessing remote collaboration workflows.
 	Evaluating security posture against evolving threats.

If teams regularly complain about slow file transfers, rendering delays, or access issues, infrastructure may be the underlying cause.
Security is equally critical. Agencies often handle confidential campaign materials, embargoed releases, and client data. Unauthorized access or breaches can lead to contractual penalties and reputational damage.

Building a Future-Ready Creative Infrastructure
Forward-thinking agencies approach infrastructure strategically rather than reactively. Key components of a modern creative IT environment include:


 	High-performance hybrid storage systems.
 	Redundant networking with failover capabilities.
 	Secure VPN or zero-trust remote access.
 	Automated backup and disaster recovery protocols.
 	Cloud-based collaboration tools integrated with creative platforms.

These investments reduce friction between creatives, editors, producers, and clients. They also provide a foundation for integrating emerging technologies such as AI-driven content workflows.
As AI continues to automate tagging, editing suggestions, and content generation, infrastructure must handle increased processing and storage loads. Agencies that plan ahead avoid costly retrofits later.

Creativity Thrives on Reliable Technology
In Los Angeles’ fast-paced creative market, speed and reliability are competitive advantages. When infrastructure functions seamlessly, creative professionals can focus on storytelling and design rather than troubleshooting file transfers.
Conversely, inefficient systems introduce delays, increase risk, and frustrate teams. Bottlenecks between editors and clients, missed upload deadlines, or lost files undermine trust and profitability.
Strategic investment in IT services for creative agencies ensures that infrastructure enhances, rather than hinders, the creative process.

Powering Creative Performance with IT Services for Creative Agencies
Creative agencies require technology environments as dynamic as the work they produce. Scalable storage, resilient backups, high-speed networks, and secure collaboration tools are essential components of sustainable growth.
Be Structured supports creative agencies with tailored managed IT services and environments designed for performance, security, and collaboration. By aligning infrastructure with production demands, we help firms eliminate bottlenecks, protect valuable assets, and maintain seamless teamwork across distributed teams.
Schedule a discovery call today.

IT Support for Creative Agencies FAQs
What IT services do creative agencies in Los Angeles need?
Creative agencies in Los Angeles need managed IT services that address high-volume file storage, high-speed networking, Adobe Creative Cloud infrastructure support, secure remote collaboration, automated data backup, and cybersecurity. Given the size of 4K and 8K production files, agencies also require scalable hybrid storage systems that can handle simultaneous access by multiple team members without performance degradation.
Why is standard IT support insufficient for creative agencies?
Standard IT support is designed for general office environments, not the demands of video production, animation, or advertising workflows. Creative agencies deal with terabyte-scale file libraries, GPU-intensive rendering, and time-sensitive delivery schedules that require infrastructure specifically configured for high throughput, low latency, and creative tool ecosystems like Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
How does managed IT support improve creative workflows?
Managed IT support eliminates the technical bottlenecks that slow creative teams down — slow file transfers, storage performance issues, unreliable remote access, and unplanned downtime. With proactive monitoring, properly architected shared storage, and optimized networking, creative professionals spend more time producing and less time troubleshooting.
What is the best storage solution for a creative agency?
The best storage solution for a creative agency is a hybrid architecture that combines high-performance on-premise NAS or SAN storage for active project files with cloud-based storage for archiving, backup, and remote collaboration. This approach delivers the speed needed for editorial workflows while providing the scalability and redundancy required to protect valuable assets.
How can a creative agency prevent data loss?
Creative agencies can prevent data loss by implementing a layered backup strategy that includes local redundancy, automated cloud backups, and offsite replication. Recovery protocols should be tested regularly to ensure projects can be restored quickly in the event of hardware failure, ransomware, or accidental deletion. A managed IT provider can automate and monitor these processes continuously.
What cybersecurity risks do creative agencies face?
Creative agencies frequently handle confidential client materials, embargoed campaign releases, and proprietary intellectual property — making them targets for data theft and ransomware. Key cybersecurity risks include unauthorized access to asset libraries, phishing attacks, unsecured remote connections, and insufficient access controls. A zero-trust security model with role-based permissions and encrypted remote access significantly reduces exposure.
Does BeStructured provide IT services for creative agencies in Los Angeles?
Yes. BeStructured is a Los Angeles-based managed IT provider that has been serving Southern California businesses since 2007. BeStructured supports creative agencies with tailored infrastructure including high-performance storage, secure collaboration tools, Adobe ecosystem optimization, and a hybrid support model that combines dedicated on-site technicians with remote team backup.
How does cloud computing benefit creative agencies?
Cloud computing gives creative agencies elastic storage capacity, the ability to collaborate across distributed teams in real time, and rapid scalability during peak production periods. Cloud platforms also support automated backup and disaster recovery, reducing the risk of data loss. When integrated with on-premise systems, cloud environments create flexible hybrid infrastructures suited to the variable demands of creative production.
What network infrastructure does a video production company need?
A video production company needs a high-throughput network with gigabit or 10-gigabit switching, segmented traffic to prioritize editorial workloads, redundant connections to prevent downtime, and optimized routing between workstations, shared storage, and cloud environments. Without proper network architecture, moving large video files between departments causes lag and project delays.
How do I choose a managed IT provider for my creative agency?
Look for a managed IT provider with direct experience supporting creative workflows, not just general business IT. Key criteria include familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud infrastructure, experience designing high-performance storage and networking environments, proven backup and disaster recovery capabilities, local presence for on-site support, and a proactive monitoring approach. Providers specializing in the Los Angeles media and entertainment sector will be most familiar with the production timelines and asset management demands creative agencies face.
- Categories: IT Support, IT Support for Creative Agencies
- Tags: IT support for entertainment industry

#### IT Support for Entertainment Industry: Streaming, Storage, and Security
High-definition streaming. Cross-device accessibility. Lightning-fast editing workflows. 
These expectations have become standard in today’s media-driven world. 
The entertainment sector, which spans film, television, music, and digital content creation, now hinges on dependable infrastructure that enables speed, agility, and airtight security. 
From massive production studios to nimble content creators, the need for  entertainment industry IT support has never been greater. This demand goes far beyond convenience. It’s about safeguarding assets, streamlining workflows, and ensuring uninterrupted access to media libraries, even as threats evolve and technologies advance.
And being a downtown Los Angeles IT support company, means we are smack in the middle of the enetratinment industry. We've worked with IT support for several small Hollywood production studios and production companies so we've seen first-hand what the special needs are to keep these types of businees cooking.

Why IT Support for the Entertainment Industry Is Non-Negotiable
The entertainment world no longer operates on local servers alone. Projects are edited, rendered, and stored on cloud platforms. Media is streamed across continents in seconds. And deadlines are often razor-thin.
Such a fast-paced environment leaves zero room for outdated IT frameworks or reactive support. Downtime means missed broadcasts. Lag means creative setbacks. And data breaches can compromise months of unreleased material or confidential contracts.
The shift toward multi-cloud storage, virtual production environments, and remote teams has expanded attack surfaces. As a result, IT must evolve from a support function to a strategic asset that proactively monitors, secures, and optimizes operations from end to end.

Cloud Growth Is Reshaping Digital Production
According to research, the global media and entertainment cloud computing market was valued at US$ 81.3 billion in 2024, with projections pointing to a CAGR of 22.6% through 2030. This surge reflects an industry-wide move toward scalable, flexible, and geographically accessible infrastructure.
Studios, animators, and post-production houses increasingly rely on public, private, and hybrid cloud models to collaborate in real time and manage growing digital archives. However, this also means the need for smart orchestration between environments, reliable storage tiers, and built-in redundancy.
It’s not just about scale. It’s about control. Proper configuration and proactive security measures are essential to ensure seamless cloud access without introducing unnecessary risk.


What Streaming Really Demands from IT Servcies for the Entertainment Industry
Behind every viral video, global premiere, or live-streamed concert is a robust digital framework. This includes content delivery networks (CDNs), scalable encoding infrastructure, and real-time analytics platforms.
IT professionals must ensure video assets are compressed without loss of quality, served to end users with minimal latency, and analyzed for viewer behavior to inform content strategy. When configured correctly, this entire pipeline runs invisibly in the background. But even one weak link, like a storage bottleneck or DNS misrouting, can break the viewer experience.
IT services for creative companies should account for peak traffic loads, performance testing, and built-in redundancy. They should also offer strategic guidance on which platforms and technologies best suit specific media formats and distribution goals.

Disasters, Downtime, and the Cost of Being Unprepared
In mid-2024, a routine CrowdStrike software update triggered a major outage affecting 8.5 million systems worldwide. Sky News went off-air. Production pipelines froze. Major broadcasters scrambled to switch to backups or rebuild environments from scratch.
The incident served as a wake-up call across the entertainment landscape. IT planning must now assume worst-case scenarios such as global outages, zero-day exploits, and unpredictable supply chain vulnerabilities.
The new standard includes AI-driven threat detection, offline failover systems, and multi-cloud disaster recovery strategies that can spin up mirrored environments within minutes. These measures don’t just protect operations. They protect reputations.

Storage and Post-Production Infrastructure
Entertainment teams often deal with terabytes of raw footage, audio sessions, and motion graphics. Storing this data, let alone editing it collaboratively, demands more than just hard drive space.
Performance tiers must be assigned according to usage. Real-time editing requires high-throughput SSDs or cloud render farms. Archived material needs encrypted cold storage with searchability features. Proper lifecycle management prevents cost overruns and accidental data loss.
Professional IT support services for the entertainment industry should include a full audit of current storage workflows, with a focus on optimizing access, automating tiering, and enforcing security policies at every touchpoint.
IT support also plays a critical role in render farm management. Coordinating high-speed local processing with off-site rendering nodes ensures consistent output while controlling infrastructure costs.

Security Is Now a Creative Asset
Protecting unreleased footage or music files is no longer just an IT concern. It’s a brand imperative. Data leaks can damage reputations, breach contracts, and lead to legal consequences.
Unfortunately, entertainment companies remain frequent targets. Their digital assets are high-value, their infrastructures often complex, and their endpoints widely distributed.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR), role-based access controls, and behavioral analytics are now baseline defenses. These systems must be constantly updated, monitored, and tested—not just installed and forgotten.
24/7 monitoring and support for Hollywood businesses allows teams to focus on their craft while maintaining full confidence that their systems are being watched over.
IT support teams also play a crucial role in compliance. Whether you're dealing with licensing agreements, NDAs, or regulatory frameworks like GDPR or CCPA, strong governance tools are vital to avoiding fines and legal exposure.

The Hybrid Work Reality of Entertainment Tech
Remote collaboration is here to stay. Editing suites, writing teams, and project managers are no longer always located under the same roof. But creativity cannot afford to be slowed down by remote access issues or inconsistent environments.
IT support for the entertainment industry now includes managing secure VPNs, setting up virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and enabling remote rendering through cloud-based production tools. These measures ensure that distributed teams work with the same speed, file access, and security as their in-house counterparts.

Hollywood’s Unique Requirements Call for Local Expertise
The entertainment hub of Los Angeles is home to thousands of production teams, post facilities, and creative freelancers. These professionals need rapid on-site service, secure hybrid environments, and local infrastructure that understands their pace and priorities.
Proactive 24/7 IT support involves more than remote troubleshooting. It means proactive system health checks, equipment procurement, and direct communication with local internet providers and data centers. Support should extend to studio locations, home offices, and live event venues across the region.


Creative Cities Like West Hollywood Have Distinct Needs
West Hollywood remains a hub for smaller production houses, design firms, and digital storytellers. While their scale may differ from that of major studios, their need for fast and secure infrastructure is just as pressing.
From cloud-based asset management to real-time collaboration tools, IT support in West Hollywood must be equally agile and future-focused. Managed services should accommodate mobile workforces, diverse creative platforms, and the constant need for secure external collaboration.

IT Integration and Workflow Automation
As media companies scale, automation and systems integration become critical. From ingest and tagging to asset delivery and rights management, modern IT ecosystems must connect everything without increasing manual labor.
Intelligent automation helps reduce time-consuming tasks, ensures compliance, and improves turnaround times. Workflow orchestration platforms that integrate with editing software, MAMs, and cloud storage give studios the ability to produce faster and more safely.
IT support for the entertainment industry should include consultation and implementation of workflow management tools that match each team’s creative rhythm.

Next Steps: Make Infrastructure an Enabler, Not an Obstacle
Production delays, streaming outages, or accidental leaks should not be accepted as routine. With the right IT partner, modern entertainment teams can turn infrastructure into a creative advantage.
The shift to cloud workflows and AI-based security is not just reactive. It’s strategic. With proper planning, support, and proactive monitoring, your tech environment can evolve with the speed of your ideas.
At Be Structured, we specialize in building the kind of scalable, secure, and agile IT ecosystems creative teams depend on. From real-time storage to cybersecurity frameworks and multi-cloud orchestration, we offer IT support Hollywood businesses can trust.
Schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: IT Support, IT support for entertainment industry
- Tags: IT support for entertainment industry

#### IT Support for Financial Services
Did you know that 80% of businesses get hacked? Especially smaller businesses that lack an in-depth security system.

IT support for financial services can help combat some of these issues. However, it’s important to be able to manage the technology that helps conduct business.

Are you looking for more information? Keep reading!
What is IT Support?
IT is also known as informational technology. It’s the use of hardware and software to operate a business.

IT support ensures that your business can handle all the information technology that it needs to operate. This is essential for any business.

But in the financial sector, it's vitally important to understand how specific and strategic financial IT services drive efficiency and security to those in this highly specialized industry.
What Would an IT Support Los Angeles Company Do?
The main goal of local IT support is to ensure that IT systems are running well across the organization. This can help businesses become more competitive, serve their customer base, and be more stable.

IT support also ensures that the IT infrastructure can keep up with the company’s changing needs.
Importance of Managed IT Services in Los Angeles for Financial Services
Los Angeles IT services is necessary for the financial sector because of the many technological systems that are required to run a business. This can include accounting, payroll, customer service, and many other aspects.

IT support ensures that all the systems that support these functions can continue to do so. This makes it much easier for your company to do business and reach its goals.
Benefits of Outsourced Tech Support for Financial Services
Of course, you can hire your own IT team to handle all of your programs and systems. But there are some drawbacks to hiring your own.

For example:

 	High expense
 	Valuable time lost
 	Cumbersome and difficult to manage

On the other hand, partnering with outsourced tech support companies can benefit your company. Take a look at what they can do!

 	
Control Costs


Considering that your company works in the financial sector, you know the importance of costs. Instead of variable costs, you'll have fixed costs, which allow you to budget, set goals, and manage your finances, including the ones of your clients.

 	
Security


Outsourcing can help you because you'll have specialists working for you. This means your IT systems will always be kept up to date and secure.

 	
Time-Saving


Outsourcing your IT helps you save time because experts are handling the problems for you. They know all the problems and how to fix them. You won't waste valuable time trying to figure out what's wrong.

 	
Reduce Training Costs


When you outsource, you'll have all the IT support you need. You won't need to train anyone because you'll have certified experts on hand.

 	
Become More Efficient


Outsourcing IT support helps you become more efficient. You won't be spending so much time or money on your IT team, which means you'll be able to concentrate on your business and do more.
Types of Los Angeles IT Services for Financial Services
IT support comes in various forms. There are different types that you can choose from, depending on your needs.

The two main types of IT support are:

 	
On-site Support


On-site support means that the team works at your office or facility. You'll receive assistance from professionals who can install, manage, and maintain your IT systems.

This is the most common and popular type of IT support.

 	
Remote Support


Remote support means that your IT professionals are in a different location than your office.

While this might seem like an issue, you can connect with them through video, phone, or an online chat.

Whether you want on-site or remote support, you should make sure that your team can:

 	Manage your IT systems
 	Troubleshoot your problems
 	Update your software
 	Train your employees

How to Choose IT Support Companies Near Me
If you want to outsource your IT team, there are several things you should keep in mind. Take a look!

 	
Technical experience


The best IT management companies will have certified, trained, and skilled professionals on hand. They'll have the right equipment and software to help you with your needs.

 	
Help with Employee Training


Outsourcing your IT can also help you with your employee training.

Make sure the IT outsourcing provider can provide you with customized training. This will ensure proper communication and an efficient workforce across all teams.
IT Support Services in Los Angeles for Financial Services
If you and your team provide financial services to your clients, you must have IT support. It will help you offer better services to your clients while also saving time and money.

Although, the most important factor for financial services is to have a secure network to protect your client's files.

At Be Structured, we offer managed IT services specifically designed for financial services.

Take a look!

 	
Data Backup


By using a managed IT service provider, you can protect your sensitive data from cybersecurity threats. They can provide you with the best backup and recovery solutions.

 	
Antivirus Protection


Most personal computers aren't equipped to handle cybersecurity threats. Therefore, we recommend using a managed IT service.

Not only can they scan for viruses and malware, but they can also help you protect your network from common threats.

 	
Disaster Recovery


While it's uncommon, a natural disaster could strike your business.

If you're worried about a disaster, make sure you have a backup plan. You can have your IT provider create a disaster recovery plan for you.

This will save your business from spending thousands on server installation and reloading your data.

 	
Continuous Testing


Every managed IT provider should regularly test their managed services. This will help them detect problems before they affect your business.
Need IT Support in Los Angeles? Get Yours Today
With technology changing regularly, it is crucial that your company gets the support it needs.

At Be Structured, we provide managed IT support for financial services and go above and beyond to protect you, your team, and your clients.

Curious of the pros and cons of Los Angeles based IT support?

Contact us today for a free consultation!
- Categories: Backup, IT Support, Managed IT

#### IT Support for Law Firms: The True Cost of IT Outages in Legal Practice
Deadlines in the legal world are non-negotiable. 
When systems go down, even for a short time, it isn’t just inconvenient—it can jeopardize cases, miss court filings, and erode client trust. That’s why investing in reliable law firm IT support is not only smart—it’s critical.
Legal practices run on uptime. From email servers and case management platforms to research databases and secure client portals, every minute lost to outages translates into real costs. And those costs compound quickly in environments driven by billable hours and deadlines.

Why IT Support for Law Firms Is Important
Legal professionals depend on precision, timeliness, and discretion. When any part of the technology stack fails, the ripple effects are immediate.
Missing a court e-filing window due to a crashed server can result in a default judgment. An inaccessible discovery database can derail trial prep. Even a brief loss of email during negotiations can delay settlements or confuse stakeholders.
The importance of IT support for law firms comes down to more than just uptime. It’s about protecting the integrity of the legal process, meeting ethical obligations, and defending the firm’s reputation.

The Financial Reality of Downtime
For most mid-sized firms, every hour of downtime represents thousands of dollars in lost productivity. Consider this: the average cost of a single hour of downtime now exceeds $300,000 for over 90% of mid-size and large enterprises.
Even on a smaller scale, the math is striking. A mid-sized law firm with 20 attorneys billing $300 per hour could lose $14,800 during a four-hour email outage—and that doesn’t account for paralegal time, IT intervention, or missed court filings.


Finding the right IT solutions for law firms is critical.
Legal work is deadline-driven and detail-dependent. Interruptions don’t just pause progress—they can force attorneys to repeat work, reschedule depositions, or lose strategic momentum in litigation.
Downtime also introduces indirect costs—like lost opportunities, delayed verdicts, and eroded client trust. In some cases, firms may face regulatory or financial penalties if service disruptions interfere with compliance obligations.

Real-World Scenarios: How Downtime Disrupts Legal Work
Consider a discovery deadline in a litigation case. If the firm’s secure file system goes offline, attorneys may be unable to access depositions or document bundles needed for disclosure.
Or imagine a case management platform going down hours before trial. Teams lose access to exhibits, timelines, and witness prep materials—all during the most critical phase of the case.
Another common risk: email server failures during contract negotiations. When both sides are working against a deadline and communication collapses, it can cost firms not just billable hours, but client confidence.
Video conferencing tools failing during remote depositions, or time tracking software crashing before invoices are sent, are more examples of how small failures result in large losses. In each case, delays introduce uncertainty—and uncertainty erodes credibility.

Top Tech Support Challenges for Law Firms
Law firms face unique IT challenges compared to other businesses.
Top tech support challenges for law firms include:


 	Handling large volumes of sensitive data while meeting strict compliance standards
 	Supporting hybrid and remote teams while preserving confidentiality
 	Managing a mix of legacy and cloud-based systems
 	Securing communications between partners, clients, and courts

These hurdles are made more complex by the fact that many firms operate lean IT departments, often reactive rather than proactive.
Many also rely on fragmented systems—outdated document management tools paired with modern collaboration software—creating inconsistent user experiences and potential security gaps.
As a result, unmanaged systems, delayed patching, or overlooked security settings can become high-risk vulnerabilities.

Security Breaches Are on the Rise
According to the American Bar Association, 29% of law firms reported experiencing a security breach. This includes incidents ranging from malware infections and stolen credentials to unauthorized access or lost devices.
For a profession that thrives on confidentiality, these breaches carry heavy reputational and legal consequences. Breached client data can lead to malpractice claims, regulatory penalties, and client loss. This is the importance of understanding cybersecurity compliance requirements for California law firms.
Law firms are increasingly being targeted because they are seen as "data-rich and defense-light." Without strong firewalls, endpoint protection, and email security, even a single phishing email can lead to widespread compromise.
Strong IT support for law firms and attorneys offices includes not just real-time threat detection but proactive prevention—like endpoint protection, access controls, encryption, and breach response plans.
Firms also need tools to manage mobile devices securely, as attorneys often work from tablets or phones while on the move. Mobile device management systems can reduce risk in these cases.

Managed Service Providers for Law Firms
Many firms are turning to managed service providers for law firms to fill skill gaps and ensure 24/7 system stability.
These providers offer fully outsourced IT services, including help desk support, security monitoring, cloud infrastructure management, and backup/disaster recovery solutions.
Managed services reduce the burden on internal staff while introducing higher-tier tools and around-the-clock oversight. This means faster incident response, regular maintenance, and stronger long-term IT strategies.
Plus, MSPs help ensure compliance with legal-specific regulations like the ABA’s Formal Opinions, local data handling laws, and data retention requirements.
An experienced provider understands not only how to support general IT needs, but how to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of legal data.

Reducing Downtime With Preventive Measures
Preventing downtime requires more than just backups. It involves holistic planning, monitoring, and redundancy.
High-availability systems, real-time failover options, and 24/7 monitoring are key to minimizing disruptions. Backup internet connections, uninterruptible power supplies, and cloud-based file systems further protect continuity.


Tech has become a crucial part of any law firms daily routine.
Routine testing is also crucial. Disaster recovery drills, simulated outages, and automated recovery workflows help identify weak points before real damage occurs.
Cyber insurance may also play a role in financial recovery, but it cannot restore lost trust or recreate missed legal opportunities.
Modern IT support should not only restore systems quickly but minimize the likelihood of outages in the first place.

How the Right IT Partner Helps Law Firms Stay Billable
IT should enable—not hinder—your firm’s ability to bill time. Reliable systems ensure lawyers can focus on clients, not configurations.
The right IT partner:


 	Monitors your systems continuously to prevent downtime
 	Secures sensitive client information against cyber threats
 	Maintains compliance with ABA and regional standards
 	Streamlines onboarding of new staff with secure device management
 	Reduces manual IT overhead through automation and managed updates

Cloud-based systems also help streamline collaboration and reduce reliance on vulnerable on-premise systems. Encryption, multi-factor authentication, and secure document sharing tools allow attorneys to work securely from anywhere.
Law firms should think of IT support as a strategic asset, not just a troubleshooting service.

Future-Proofing Legal Practice with Smart Technology
Remote court appearances, AI-driven legal research, and digital case files are becoming standard. These innovations demand more resilient IT infrastructure than ever before.
Firms that embrace proactive IT strategies can onboard new tools faster, improve collaboration, and meet client expectations for speed and transparency.
Cloud platforms, secure remote access, encrypted communication channels, and mobile device management tools are all part of this transformation.
To thrive in modern legal practice, law firms must align their technology with their mission: delivering accurate, timely, and confidential service.
At Be Structured, we understand how crucial uptime is to legal work. Our team helps law firms build secure, reliable, and high-performance IT environments that support court deadlines, client meetings, and every billing cycle. We don’t wait for systems to fail—we keep them running at peak performance, always.
Schedule a free consultation today and let’s protect your firm from costly disruptions before they happen.
- Categories: IT support for law firms, Managed It Services
- Tags: IT support, IT support for law firms

#### IT Support for Law Firms: Why Is It Important?
What if your law firm's confidential client data got hacked tonight? Would you be prepared?

Cybersecurity isn't just a buzzword. It's a fortress for your sensitive legal records and ongoing cases. Yet, an alarming number of law firms overlook the crucial role of IT services for law firms.

Forget losing a case; a simple IT glitch could result in breaching attorney-client privilege or, worse, legal repercussions. With advanced technologies, such as cloud-based case management, time tracking, and billing systems becoming the backbone of legal operations, effective IT support is no longer an option; it's a requirement.

This article will uncover why IT support for law firms is non-negotiable in today's tech-driven world. You'll learn how it can protect your client's data, streamline your daily operations, and ultimately, save your firm from a legal catastrophe. Read on.
The Rising Cybersecurity Threats in the Legal Industry
Law firms are no longer just the keepers of legal counsel; they're also vaults of valuable and sensitive information. From client data to financial reports, legal firms are a treasure trove for cybercriminals.

Take for example the case of Proskauer Rose. In April of 2023, the firm revealed that a staggering 184,000 files had been exposed due to an unsecured cloud server.

These weren't just ordinary files. They contained privileged financial and legal documents, contracts, and more. The data was accessible by anyone savvy enough to look in the right place, and it was exposed for six months before action was taken.

Another chilling example occurred in May 2020, when Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks suffered a ransomware attack by the REvil group. The attackers weren't just after money. They also threatened to release confidential information about celebrities like Lady Gaga.

The hackers initially demanded $21 million, only to double it to $42 million later. While the firm claims to have not paid the ransom, significant data remains lost and potentially available for purchase on the dark web.

Devastating breaches such as these highlight the specific ABA, CCPA, and California compliance rules law firm cybersecurity must satisfy in order to be protected.
Why Traditional Outsourced IT Support Measures Are No Longer Enough
While many law firms have implemented IT security protocols, these measures are increasingly falling short in the face of more sophisticated cyber-attacks.

For instance, HWL Ebsworth, one of Australia's largest law firms, recently suffered a ransomware attack by the Russian-linked group ALPHV/Blackcat. The firm had the Australian federal government among its clients, yet this heavyweight client roster didn't protect them from hackers who claimed to have accessed over 4TB of sensitive data.

Traditional IT measures, like firewalls and anti-virus programs, aren't equipped to handle advanced cyber threats like ransomware-as-a-service and highly targeted phishing campaigns. In another case, international firm Jenner & Block accidentally shared the W-2 forms of 859 employees due to a phishing scheme. Even two-factor authentication and strong passwords aren't bulletproof, as criminals are finding innovative ways to bypass these protocols.

In fact, relying solely on traditional IT security measures can create a false sense of security. Law firms need to adopt a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity that goes beyond traditional methods. This should include continuous monitoring, timely updates, staff training, and a robust incident response plan to address vulnerabilities and respond to threats as they occur.
Local vs Outsourced IT Support Services: What's Best for Law Firms?
When it comes to maintaining a smooth workflow, network IT support is critical for law firms. But the question remains: should you opt for local IT support or look to managed service providers for law firms? Each approach has its own merits, and the choice often hinges on specific needs and circumstances.
Accessibility and Speed
One of the advantages of local IT support is the immediacy of service. When a computer crashes or the network goes down, local teams can arrive quickly to troubleshoot the issue. This can be a lifesaver when under tight legal deadlines.

On the other hand, outsourced tech support companies usually operate remotely, which could lead to slower response times.
Expertise and Specialization
Outsourced IT support often brings with it a broader range of expertise. These companies usually handle IT support for various industries, including specialized business IT services like cybersecurity compliance.

A law firm can benefit from this diversified skill set. In contrast, local IT support might not offer the same breadth of services.
Cost Considerations
Generally, outsourcing is seen as a more cost-effective solution. With local IT support, there are overhead expenses like office space, benefits, and salaries. But remember, cheaper doesn't always mean better, especially when you consider the value of prompt and efficient service.
How Proper IT Support Can Make or Break Your Law Firm
The role of IT support in a law firm extends far beyond fixing computers and troubleshooting network issues. Proper IT support is integral to the efficient functioning of any law firm. A good IT support company can offer a range of services, including data backup, software updates, and crucially, maintaining cybersecurity compliance.
Risk Mitigation
Let's face it, the stakes are high when it comes to legal work. A breach in data can lead to severe consequences like lawsuits and loss of client trust. A robust IT support system can actively monitor your firm's digital infrastructure to prevent these kinds of disasters.
Client Trust and Reputation
Clients put immense trust in law firms with their sensitive information. The mere act of selecting an appropriate IT support company that excels in cybersecurity compliance can serve as a selling point. When clients know that you take their privacy seriously, it instills confidence, thereby enhancing your firm's reputation.
Streamlining Operations
An effective IT support system can streamline your daily operations by automating routine tasks. It allows your legal team to focus on what they do best: practicing law. The right business IT services can optimize workflow, make data retrieval more efficient, and keep the lines of communication open and secure.
Secure Your Firm's Future with Robust IT Support for Law Firms
The legal industry's complexity calls for a specialized approach to IT management. Outsourcing your IT support can offer expertise, secure your data, and leave your team free to focus on what they do best. Partnering with a technology-first team, such as Be Structured, ensures that you get the best value without unnecessary add-ons.

Ready to alleviate the stress of IT management and enhance your firm's efficiency? Contact Be Structured for a free consultation and discover how our specialized IT support for law firms can bring you peace of mind.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Managed It Services, Security

#### IT Support for Manufacturing Companies: What Are the Competitive Advantages
A single unscheduled outage can stall production lines, delay fulfillment, and strain supplier relationships. In the digital era of lean manufacturing and real-time supply chain demands, downtime is no longer a technical inconvenience—it’s a strategic threat. That’s why investing in robust IT solutions for manufacturing is no longer optional.
Modern manufacturers rely on interconnected systems, real-time data analytics, and industrial IoT. These technologies demand IT environments that are secure, scalable, and, most importantly, constantly available. As production cycles become more automated and less forgiving, the case for 24/7 IT support for manufacturing companies has never been clearer.

Why Downtime Is So Expensive in Manufacturing
Unplanned downtime is an operational and financial drain. Every minute a production line stops translates into idle workers, delayed orders, and unmet contracts.
Ransomware has emerged as one of the most damaging threats to uptime. On average, manufacturing companies lose $1.9 million per day to downtime from ransomware attacks. That figure does not include reputational damage, compliance penalties, or the cost of recovery.
In 2024, French energy and automation giant Schneider Electric fell victim to two separate cyberattacks. These incidents were not isolated—they’re evidence of the aggressive pace at which the manufacturing sector is being targeted.
Beyond cyber threats, even small hardware failures or software glitches can interrupt robotic systems, warehouse management tools, or ERP platforms. This makes the case for how 24/7 IT support for manufacturing maximizes uptime and productivity, not just by reacting to issues quickly, but by preventing them entirely.

Real-Time Visibility: Why Round-the-Clock Monitoring Matters
Automation is only as good as the network behind it. Sensors, controllers, and supply chain interfaces all feed into centralized platforms that require continuous uptime.
Without real-time monitoring and incident response, small anomalies can escalate into widespread disruptions. For example, a delayed software update might seem insignificant. But on a production floor, it could result in misconfigured robotics, halted operations, or defective products.

IT support for manufacturing companies needs to go beyond reactive help desks. Proactive, 24/7 monitoring allows for performance optimization, immediate remediation, and better asset utilization. It reduces the need for manual oversight and ensures that systems can support peak production demands without lag.

Cybersecurity: Manufacturing’s Most Urgent Threat Vector
The manufacturing sector is now the most attacked industry worldwide, according to several recent threat intelligence reports. These attacks are growing not only in volume but in sophistication.
Many manufacturers still operate on legacy systems that were not designed with modern cybersecurity threats in mind. This exposes vulnerabilities across their operational technology (OT) and IT layers.
The advantage of IT solutions for manufacturing lies in hardening these systems—applying endpoint protection, securing remote access, and enforcing real-time patching across devices. Industrial systems can’t afford to be taken offline for maintenance, so automated security workflows are crucial.
An integrated security posture also ensures compliance with regulatory standards, like NIST, ISO 27001, and ITAR, which many suppliers and clients now require as a baseline for partnership.

Cost Control and Predictability with Managed Services
IT budgets are no longer confined to infrastructure and software. They now include expenses related to threat detection, compliance, support, and training. Managing these areas internally requires hiring specialized staff and maintaining expensive tools.
That’s why more manufacturers are turning to managed service providers. One of the top benefits of managed IT services for manufacturing companies is predictable, fixed monthly costs. It’s far more cost-effective than hiring a full internal IT team, and it allows organizations to access higher-tier capabilities without capital investment.
MSPs provide economies of scale, giving small to mid-sized manufacturers access to enterprise-grade tools, ticketing systems, reporting dashboards, and security operations centers (SOCs). This enables IT maturity without the bloat or the burden.

Seamless Integration Across Systems and Locations
Manufacturing operations are increasingly global. Plants in different regions rely on synchronized data, inventory coordination, and shared planning systems. Disjointed IT can fragment workflows and slow down response times.
Modern IT solutions for manufacturing offer centralized control panels and cloud-based infrastructure that allow different facilities to operate as one unified system. Whether it’s updating CAD files, automating BOM adjustments, or aligning procurement schedules, systems integration is key to business continuity.
Mobile device management (MDM), virtual desktops, and secure remote access also empower managers and engineers to work across devices and locations without compromising security.

Business Continuity Planning with Built-In Disaster Recovery
Business continuity planning is not just for global disasters—it’s for localized threats, power outages, and failed updates. For manufacturing companies, where production runs can be measured in tens of thousands of units per shift, even a one-hour disruption can skew profitability.
24/7 IT solutions include disaster recovery as a core function. From cloud backups to redundant server configurations and failover strategies, the goal is to ensure zero data loss and near-zero downtime.

Effective disaster recovery planning also includes incident simulation and runbooks, helping staff respond with confidence and clarity in real-time. This dramatically reduces recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO).

Scalable Solutions for Growing Operations
As product lines diversify and facilities scale, manufacturers need IT infrastructure that can grow without compromise. Adding new machinery, sensors, or software shouldn’t require a full system overhaul.
Scalable IT support for manufacturing companies ensures that each addition—whether it’s a new machine, production site, or customer portal—is easily onboarded into the existing system architecture. Modular services, cloud-native applications, and API-enabled tools make this possible.
Flexible scalability also applies to workforce changes. Contractors, seasonal hires, or offsite engineers can be provisioned and deprovisioned seamlessly with role-based access controls and authentication protocols.

Data-Driven Decision Making
Manufacturing thrives on data: machine utilization, defect rates, lead times, and supplier performance. But the real value of this data depends on how quickly and accurately it can be analyzed.
Advanced IT solutions enable real-time dashboards, predictive analytics, and AI-based quality control. With strong IT support, plant managers can receive automated alerts when metrics fall outside defined ranges, allowing for instant course correction.
Data centralization also allows different departments—engineering, procurement, logistics—to make synchronized decisions based on a single source of truth.

The Bottom Line: IT Solutions for Manufacturing is a Competitive Advantage
Today’s manufacturers need more than just networks that work—they need strategic IT environments that adapt, scale, and protect. From minimizing unplanned downtime to securing intellectual property and streamlining operations, the impact of 24/7 IT cannot be overstated.
The competitive advantage of IT solutions for manufacturing is their ability to transform operational resilience into business growth. Every second saved in uptime, every risk proactively addressed, and every workflow automated brings manufacturers one step closer to market leadership.
At Be Structured, we understand the unique demands placed on manufacturing IT. Our team designs, supports, and secures IT infrastructure that keeps machines running, data flowing, and teams focused. We don’t wait for alerts to act—we monitor, optimize, and protect every layer of your environment, day and night.
Schedule a free consultation today and discover what’s possible when your IT never sleeps.
- Categories: IT support for manufacturing
- Tags: IT support for manufacturing

#### IT Support for Non-Profits
Did you know that only 11% of non-profits consider their applications of technology as highly effective? While other sectors of the economy have rushed to invest in the latest technology, charitable organizations have lagged behind.

Funding is often a reason for this delay in acquiring new technology, and understandably so. Non-profits have very limited funds, as well as many reporting requirements to satisfy donors.

However, this barrier is actually one of the main reasons non-profits should invest in more technology. Investing in technology that supports operations will ultimately lead to less wasted money.

There are a growing number of digital tools that can help non-profits track donors, funds, and outcomes. This will make reporting easier and faster while requiring less overhead, especially if you're partnering with an outsourced IT support Los Angeles based company.

As more and more organizations come to this realization, they will also need to invest in IT support for non-profits in order to ensure that their technology is put to its most effective and efficient use.
Overview of Technology and Non-Profits
One of the biggest challenges non-profits face is data collection. The longevity of an organization relies on its ability to maintain high levels of transparency, report meticulously on spending, and accurately track outcomes. Reports for funding therefore require that non-profits be extremely organized in the way they manage data.

However, those of you who have worked at non-profits know that this is easier said than done. A lack of centralization and an overstretched workforce make coordination challenging. Data collection often requires a lot of back and forth in communication and clarification.

This leads to another area where technology can support non-profits: communication. This applies to both internal communication between staff, and external communication with clients, volunteers, and potential donors.
Types of Technology That Support Non-Profits
Many non-profits will want to turn to donor management systems designed for organizations that rely on maintaining funding. These systems help you track past and potential donors in a centralized manner. This makes fundraising headaches a thing of the past.

Another form of technology that can support non-profit fundraising is a marketing automation system. It makes the process of managing multifaceted campaigns and marketing initiatives automatic and effortless.

These kinds of programs can help organizations increase their funding. This makes it a worthwhile investment that will come full circle.

Board management software is another digital tool that non-profits can benefit from. This kind of programming supports board members in managing annual, meeting, and development cycles.

One final example of helpful technology for non-profits is cybersecurity platforms.

A frightening number of companies experience cyber attacks: as many as 1 in 5. Attacks can devastate an organization and lead to closure. Cybersecurity may seem to some like a bridge to cross later on. In reality, it is an urgent concern for any non-profit wishing to remain sustainable.

All these options and more can save organizations time, money, and confusion.
IT Support for Non-Profits
An essential consideration for organizations amplifying their digital programming is how to maintain consistency and continuity. Technology can make organizations run more efficiently, but it requires its own maintenance. Understanding the benefits of IT support for non-profits is therefore essential.

Managed IT services in downtown Los Angeles for SoCal non-profits offers organizations a wide range of services without having to add official staff to the payroll. This makes it easier to factor into a budget. Another benefit to hiring an IT support company is that you will have access to the strengths and skills of an entire team of dedicated IT experts.

This way, as your needs change and you invest in new technology, the service you receive will also evolve. This is preferable to identifying needed training for an in-house IT staff member, or dealing with errors as they adjust to the new tech.

Another benefit to non-profit IT support is being prepared for IT problems in advance. This is better than dealing with them as they come.

It may be tempting to hold off. However, in the end being prepared will save you and your staff wasted effort and frustration!
How to Find the Best IT Support for Non-Profits
It's important for you to know what to look for when selecting your local IT support provider.

Firstly, you will want to ensure that you find a company that already caters to non-profits. While they face many of the same challenges as for-profit businesses, there are some aspects unique to non-profits. Ensuring that your selected IT support provider understands your organization's special needs can help avoid misconceptions.

Another aspect to consider is the breadth of knowledge of the IT support company. It is advisable to find one where not only the IT support specialists, but also the leadership and administration have extensive IT expertise.

Companies such as these are more likely to provide comprehensive, quality services that stay on the cutting edge of the latest technological developments.

As a non-profit with limited funds and staff, you will want to find a company that provides all-inclusive services. This way, you won't waste any of your resources on troubleshooting IT issues. All-inclusive managed IT services provide organizations with specialized packages that cover all needs and offer predictable billing.
Does My Non-Profit Need IT Support?
Non-profits don't like to think of themselves as in competition. They exist to help others, and this concept contradicts their ethos. However, we live in a globalized world of more than 10 million non-profits. It's important to stay at the forefront of new developments rather than lagging behind.

Investing in targeted technology and IT support for non-profits is shifting from "a step ahead" to an "absolute necessity." Don't let your organization fall to the back of the line!

If you would like to learn more about IT support services, feel free to reach out using our contact form!
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### IT Support for Nonprofits: How Managed IT Services Help Them Grow
Managed IT services for nonprofits encompass a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to empower organizations with limited resources. From robust cloud storage and advanced cybersecurity measures to expert technical support, these services address the unique challenges nonprofits face. 
By adopting a proactive non profit IT support strategy, nonprofit organizations can focus more on their mission and less on technological hurdles, paving the way for greater impact.
However, nonprofits often grapple with financial constraints and a lack of in-house expertise, which can hinder growth and leave them vulnerable to inefficiencies. Without the right tools and support, these organizations risk losing sight of their goals. 
Outsourced IT support companies offer a game-changing solution—enabling nonprofits to maximize their resources, enhance outreach, and operate more effectively.
Several of the top executives and technical leaders of Be Structured come from the nonprofit industry. In fact, our current Chief Operating Office, Morgan Owen worked for years in the nonprofit space, so she knows first-hand the needs and budget constarints of a thriving nonprofit.
With her help, Be Structured has tailored their technical expertise and have become a top IT support company for the nonprofit industry in Southern California.


In fact, if you search, "nonprofit managed IT service provider near me", you'll find Be Structured Technology Group listed at or near the top.


To fully understand the impact and advantages of these specialize IT support services, it’s essential to delve deeper into what is effective IT support for nonprofits and how they cater to the specific needs of nonprofits.

What are Managed IT Services?
Managed IT services for nonprofits provide a range of solutions tailored to meet organizational needs. These services typically include:


 	Cybersecurity Measures: Protecting sensitive data from cyber threats.
 	Cloud Storage Solutions: Enabling secure and scalable data storage.
 	Technical Support: Offering expert assistance to resolve IT issues quickly.

Unlike traditional IT support, which reacts to problems after they occur, managed IT services adopt a 24/7 proactive approach. Providers anticipate and address potential issues before they escalate, ensuring smoother operations and minimal disruptions.
IT outsourcing companies are especially critical for nonprofits that lack the resources for an in-house IT team. With the help of a managed service provider, nonprifts can enjoy the advantages of reliable IT support services without overstretching their budget.

Why IT Support for Nonprofit Organizations Makes Good Sense
Nonprofits face unique IT challenges that can impede their mission fulfillment:


 	Budget Constraints: Operating on tight budgets limits access to cutting-edge technology.
 	Limited Expertise: A lack of in-house technical staff can lead to inefficiencies and vulnerabilities.
 	Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring compliance with data protection laws can be complex without specialized support.

By partnering with a managed service provider, nonprofits gain access to tailored solutions that address these challenges, enabling them to allocate resources more effectively.

Key Benefits of Managed IT Services for Nonprofits
When nonprofits adopt IT outsourcing services, they unlock several advantages that support their mission-driven work.
Let’s explore these benefits in greater detail.

Financial Stability
IT support services help nonprofits maintain financial stability by:


 	Predictable Budgeting: Fixed monthly fees make it easier to plan and allocate funds.
 	Reduced Downtime: Proactive monitoring and maintenance minimize disruptions, allowing teams to focus on their mission.
 	Cost Savings: IT outsourcing services reduces the need for expensive in-house IT staff and equipment investments.

Enhanced Data Security
Data and network security is critical for nonprofits handling sensitive donor and beneficiary information. 
Outsourced tech support for nonprofits provide:


 	Comprehensive Security Protocols: Protecting data from breaches and ensuring regulatory compliance.
 	Continuous Monitoring: Identifying and mitigating threats in real-time.
 	Disaster Recovery Plans: Ensuring quick recovery from data loss incidents, minimizing operational disruptions.

Operational Efficiency
Outsourced technical support services improve overall efficiency by:


 	Access to Advanced Technology: Providing nonprofits with the latest tools without requiring significant upfront investment.
 	Expert Guidance: Offering strategic advice from IT specialists to optimize systems and processes.
 	Streamlined Processes: Automating routine tasks, such as backups and software updates, to save time and effort.

By leveraging these benefits, nonprofits can enhance their operational capabilities while focusing on their core objectives.


Transitioning to managed IT services may seem daunting, but addressing common concerns can help organizations feel more confident in making the switch.

Addressing Common Concerns About Managed IT Services

Despite the many benefits, some nonprofits may have concerns about working with an IT support company like Be Structured. 



 	Is It Affordable? Managed IT services are designed to be cost-effective, especially for organizations with tight budgets. The predictable monthly fees allow nonprofits to avoid unexpected costs.
 	Will It Disrupt Current Operations? Providers work closely with nonprofits to ensure a smooth transition. Comprehensive onboarding processes minimize disruptions.
 	Can It Scale with Our Needs? Managed IT services are flexible and scalable, adapting to the changing needs of growing organizations.


By addressing these concerns, nonprofits can better understand how managed IT services fit into their long-term strategies.

Steps to Implement Managed IT Services
A strategic approach to implementation ensures that nonprofits can seamlessly integrate managed IT services into their operations. Here’s how:

Conduct a Needs Assessment
Before adopting managed IT services, nonprofits should assess their current IT setup. This includes:


 	Identifying key challenges and gaps in their existing infrastructure.
 	Gathering input from staff and volunteers about technology pain points.
 	Outlining organizational goals that technology can support.

Research and Select a Provider
Choosing the right managed IT service provider is crucial. Nonprofits should:


 	Look for providers with experience in the nonprofit sector.
 	Evaluate their offerings, client testimonials, and case studies.
 	Ensure they provide comprehensive services, such as cybersecurity, cloud solutions, and 24/7 support.


Foster a Technology-Friendly Culture
Successful implementation requires a supportive organizational culture. Nonprofits can:


 	Train staff and volunteers to embrace new technologies.
 	Create an environment where team members feel comfortable seeking IT support.
 	Regularly communicate the benefits of managed IT services to maintain staff buy-in.

Implementation is just the beginning. Managed IT services can also be applied to enhance key aspects of nonprofit operations.

The Role of Managed IT Services in Long-Term Success

Managed IT services are more than a short-term solution; they are a strategic investment in the future of nonprofit organizations.


Building Resilience Through Technology
Managed IT services empower nonprofits to adapt to changing circumstances and challenges. By investing in advanced IT solutions, nonprofits can:


 	Scale their operations more effectively.
 	Improve collaboration among staff and stakeholders.
 	Ensure consistent service delivery even during disruptions.

Strengthening Community Impact
With optimized IT infrastructure, nonprofits can:


 	Deliver services more efficiently.
 	Strengthen relationships with donors and beneficiaries through secure and reliable communication tools.
 	Use data analytics to measure impact and refine strategies.

Empowering Nonprofits Through Strategic IT Partnerships
As we’ve seen, IT support comapnies for nonprofits are becoming a necessity. By partnering with a reliable provider, nonprofits can transform their technological challenges into opportunities for growth. This proactive approach ensures that every dollar spent on IT services translates into greater mission impact.
Nonprofit leaders should evaluate their current IT setup, identify areas for improvement, and explore partnerships with experienced providers. Be Structured, a trusted managed service provider offers tailored solutions that help nonprofits overcome their challenges and maximize their resources.
Investing in managed IT services today ensures a more effective tomorrow. Schedule a free consultation with Be Structured to discover how we can support your mission.
- Categories: Managed It Services, Nonprofit IT support
- Tags: Managed IT Services, Managed IT Solutions

#### IT Support for Restaurants: Beyond POS Systems
A restaurant’s technology environment now influences the speed of service, order accuracy, and overall guest satisfaction. As digital tools multiply across front-of-house and back-of-house operations, IT support for restaurants has become a foundational element of daily performance rather than a background function.
Modern restaurant operations depend on far more than point-of-sale terminals. Ordering platforms, kitchen systems, workforce tools, and payment technologies must work together seamlessly to support consistency and resilience. Without reliable IT support for restaurants, even minor technology failures can disrupt service during peak hours.
Why Restaurant IT Support Extends Beyond POS
Point-of-sale systems remain central to transactions, but they represent only one layer of the restaurant technology stack. Inventory platforms, digital menus, loyalty systems, and online ordering tools now shape how restaurants operate and compete.
Industry research shows a gap between how technology is perceived by operators and guests. According to the National Restaurant Association, consumer expectations often differ from those of restaurant operators, as operators focus on competitive differentiation while consumers prioritize convenience through web-based and app-based ordering. 
This disconnect highlights the need for integrated systems that support both operational goals and customer experience.
The Core Components of a Modern Restaurant Technology Stack
A functional restaurant technology stack includes POS systems, kitchen display systems, inventory management, workforce scheduling, and integrated payments. These tools must exchange data in real time to prevent delays, errors, and manual workarounds.
Online ordering platforms and delivery integrations have become essential. When these systems are poorly connected, order accuracy and fulfillment speed suffer. Strong IT support for restaurants ensures that integrations remain stable and scalable.
When technology works seamlessly, customers notice. When it fails, they leave.
Real-Time Integration Drives Performance
Speed and accuracy depend on systems communicating instantly. Orders placed through mobile apps, kiosks, or third-party platforms must flow directly to kitchen displays and inventory systems without delay.
Key technology priorities now center on integration and automation, particularly across ordering and payment platforms. Automation reduces manual entry and helps maintain consistency during high-volume periods. Integrated systems also improve reporting accuracy for sales and labor metrics.
Customer Experience Is Tied to Technology Reliability
Guest expectations increasingly revolve around convenience and speed. Technology influences not only how orders are placed, but also where customers choose to dine.
Research from Kiosk Industry indicates that 4 out of 5 customers say technology plays a role in where they eat, with most using self-service tools at least occasionally, even though many have encountered technical issues. These issues often stem from unstable networks, outdated hardware, or poorly supported software.
Reliable IT support for restaurants helps reduce these friction points. Stable systems protect the guest experience while preserving staff efficiency.
Digitization and Growth in Restaurant Operations
Digital transformation continues to reshape the hospitality sector. Digitization has emerged as a primary growth driver, with approximately 74% of restaurants worldwide adopting digital tools such as order management and inventory tracking.
As digital adoption accelerates, technology complexity increases. Restaurants must manage more devices, platforms, and vendors than ever before. This complexity makes proactive IT support for restaurants essential for sustainable growth.
Network Reliability as the Foundation
Every digital system relies on a stable network. Wi-Fi connectivity supports POS terminals, kiosks, handheld devices, and guest access simultaneously.
Network outages during service hours create immediate operational disruption. Consistent hardware and network support ensures that routers, switches, and cabling can handle peak demand without degradation.
The Role of Cloud-Based Systems
Many restaurant platforms rely on cloud computing to centralize data and support multi-location operations. Cloud-based systems enable remote access to reporting, menu updates, and pricing changes across locations.
However, cloud reliability depends on local network performance. IT support for restaurants must address both cloud architecture and on-site connectivity to maintain uptime and responsiveness.
Managing Vendor Sprawl in Restaurant Technology
Restaurants often rely on multiple technology vendors for POS, online ordering, loyalty programs, and delivery integrations. Each vendor introduces additional complexity and potential failure points.
Vendor sprawl can create gaps in accountability. Clear coordination and centralized oversight help prevent finger-pointing during outages. Effective IT support for restaurants acts as a single point of accountability across vendors.
Cybersecurity Risks in Hospitality Environments
Restaurant systems process payment data, customer information, and employee records. These systems are frequent targets for cyberattacks due to high transaction volume and distributed endpoints.
Security measures must extend across POS systems, networks, and cloud platforms. Proactive monitoring and patch management reduce exposure while protecting sensitive data.
Proactive Monitoring Prevents Downtime
Waiting for systems to fail before responding leads to lost revenue and frustrated customers. Proactive monitoring identifies performance issues before they escalate into outages.
Centralized dashboards provide visibility into network health, device status, and application performance. IT support for restaurants that emphasizes prevention helps maintain consistent service during peak periods.
Scaling Technology for Multi-Location Operations
As restaurants expand, technology challenges multiply. Multi-location operations require standardized configurations, centralized management, and consistent support.
Cloud-based tools and remote monitoring simplify scaling. Consistency across locations improves training, reporting, and customer experience. Strong IT support for restaurants enables growth without sacrificing reliability.
Evaluating IT Support Capabilities
Choosing the right technology partner requires careful evaluation. Restaurants should understand what to look for in an IT support services company, including hospitality experience, response times, and integration expertise.
Industry knowledge matters. Providers familiar with restaurant workflows understand the urgency of downtime during service hours. Specialized IT support for restaurants aligns technology decisions with operational realities.
IT support for restaurants has become a foundational element of daily performance
Aligning Technology With Staff Workflows
Technology should support staff rather than slow them down. Poorly designed systems increase training time and frustration.
Integrated platforms reduce complexity at the point of service. When technology aligns with workflows, staff can focus on delivering quality service instead of troubleshooting devices.
Building a Resilient Restaurant Technology Strategy
A resilient technology strategy balances innovation with reliability. Regular assessments help identify outdated hardware, unsupported software, and security gaps.
Planning for redundancy and failover reduces risk. Restaurants that invest in proactive IT support for restaurants experience fewer disruptions and faster recovery.
Turning Technology Into a Competitive Advantage
Technology investments only deliver value when systems perform reliably. Integrated platforms, stable networks, and proactive monitoring turn technology into a competitive asset.
Restaurants that prioritize IT resilience improve consistency across locations and service channels. Technology becomes an enabler of growth rather than a source of risk.
Supporting Restaurant Operations With the Right IT Foundation
Modern restaurant operations depend on a complex, interconnected technology stack. Reliable performance requires proactive monitoring, secure networks, and seamless system integration.
Actionable steps include auditing current systems, consolidating vendors, strengthening network infrastructure, and implementing continuous monitoring. These measures improve uptime and protect both revenue and reputation.
At Be Structured, we help restaurants manage complex technology environments with all-inclusive managed IT services in Los Angeles designed for hospitality operations. Our approach supports scalability, reliability, and security through proactive monitoring, integration expertise, and network support and installation. 
Strengthen your restaurant’s technology foundation. Schedule a free consultation today.
FAQs: IT Support for Restaurants
1. Why do restaurants need specialized IT support instead of general tech services?
Restaurant technology operates under unique conditions that general IT providers often don't understand. Systems must perform flawlessly during high-volume service hours when even minutes of downtime directly impact revenue and guest satisfaction. Specialized IT support for restaurants accounts for the urgency of hospitality environments, the complexity of integrated ordering and payment systems, and the specific compliance requirements around payment data security.
2. What systems are included in a modern restaurant technology stack?
A complete restaurant technology stack extends far beyond point-of-sale terminals. It includes kitchen display systems, inventory management platforms, workforce scheduling tools, online ordering integrations, third-party delivery connections, loyalty program software, digital menu boards, and integrated payment processing. All these systems must communicate in real time to maintain operational efficiency and order accuracy.
3. How does poor system integration affect restaurant operations?
When restaurant systems operate in silos, manual workarounds become necessary. Orders placed through mobile apps or third-party platforms may require re-entry into POS systems, increasing the risk of errors and delays. Disconnected inventory systems lead to inaccurate stock counts and potential menu item unavailability. Poor integration also compromises reporting accuracy for sales, labor, and food cost metrics.
4. What role does network reliability play in restaurant technology performance?
Network connectivity serves as the foundation for every digital system in a restaurant. Wi-Fi supports POS terminals, handheld ordering devices, kitchen displays, self-service kiosks, and guest internet access simultaneously. A network outage during peak service hours creates immediate operational disruption across all connected systems, making reliable network infrastructure essential for consistent performance.
5. How do cloud-based restaurant systems depend on local IT infrastructure?
While cloud platforms centralize data and enable remote management across multiple locations, their reliability depends entirely on local network performance. Slow or unstable connections cause delays in order processing, menu updates, and reporting. Effective IT support for restaurants must address both cloud architecture and on-site connectivity to maintain the responsiveness that hospitality operations require.
6. What cybersecurity risks do restaurants face?
Restaurants process significant volumes of payment card data, customer information, and employee records across distributed endpoints. This combination of high transaction volume and multiple access points makes hospitality environments attractive targets for cyberattacks. Security measures must extend across POS systems, wireless networks, cloud platforms, and third-party integrations, with proactive monitoring and regular patch management to reduce exposure.
7. What is vendor sprawl and why does it create problems for restaurants?
Vendor sprawl occurs when restaurants rely on multiple separate technology providers for POS, online ordering, loyalty programs, delivery integrations, and other systems. Each vendor introduces additional complexity and potential points of failure. When problems arise, accountability becomes unclear and troubleshooting slows down. Centralized IT oversight helps coordinate across vendors and provides a single point of accountability during outages.
8. How does proactive IT monitoring benefit restaurant operations?
Reactive IT support—waiting for systems to fail before responding—leads to lost revenue and frustrated customers during the repair window. Proactive monitoring identifies performance degradation, connectivity issues, and potential hardware failures before they escalate into full outages. This approach maintains consistent service during peak periods and reduces the frequency and duration of technology-related disruptions.
9. What should restaurants consider when scaling technology across multiple locations?
Multi-location expansion multiplies technology challenges significantly. Successful scaling requires standardized hardware and software configurations, centralized management platforms, consistent security policies, and reliable remote monitoring capabilities. Cloud-based tools simplify administration across locations while maintaining the consistency needed for accurate reporting, streamlined training, and uniform customer experiences.
10. How can restaurants evaluate whether an IT support provider is the right fit?
Restaurants should assess potential IT partners based on hospitality industry experience, guaranteed response times during service hours, integration expertise across common restaurant platforms, and the ability to serve as a single point of accountability across multiple vendors. Providers familiar with restaurant workflows understand that technology failures during dinner service carry different urgency than typical business IT issues.
- Categories: IT Support, IT Support for Restaurants
- Tags: IT support, IT support for restaurants

#### IT Support for Small Businesses: Signs It's Time to Outsource
When you run a small business, there are a lot of different jobs you may contract out to expert companies. You likely hired an accountant, bought business insurance, and paid a professional designer to create your logo and website. So why would you keep your IT team in-house when it’s such an important part of your business. As your business grows, you may start to notice things aren’t running as smoothly as they once did. Read on to discover some of the signs that it may be time to get IT support for small businesses.



Lots of Downtime



One of the earliest signs you’ll see that you need to outsource your IT support is that your system starts experiencing a lot of downtime. When your IT support department gets overwhelmed, they may not be able to do the work needed to prevent crashes. And when they do happen, it may take longer for them to get your system back online. 



If you’ve started seeing lots of downtime in your system, it could be a sign that your IT team is getting overwhelmed. A professional team can help you get your system back online more quickly so your team can get back to work. They can also take steps to prevent these crashes before they ever begin.



No Disaster Recovery Plan



If your system does crash, what’s your plan for keeping your business running without a hitch? Do you have system backups, and do you know what you’ll do if one of your computers becomes unavailable? If you don’t have an answer to these questions, it may be a sign that you need to outsource your IT support. 



When disaster strikes, you want to have a plan in place so you can get your business back on track faster. A dedicated IT team can help you develop a plan for how to cope when the worst happens. And better still, they can help you implement that plan if the day does ever come that you need it.



High Labor Costs 



One thing many small businesses are always looking to do is to lower their labor costs. You want to pay your employees and contractors a fair wage, but at the same time, labor costs may be eating an enormous portion of your revenue. If you’re looking for a way to bring down your labor costs, one fantastic option may be to contract out your IT work.



When you pay for an IT service, you get the benefits of a full support team without having to deal with the cost of paying them all. You also don’t have to provide insurance or other benefits because the company you work with takes care of that. Outsourcing this work can help you save money while gaining even more benefits.



Cumbersome Technology 



Used correctly, technology can be an amazing tool that makes our lives easier and more efficient. But when you don’t know how to use it, that same technology can become a hindrance and a pain. You may spend more time arguing with the systems you have in place to make your work easier than you would just doing it the old way.



If you find yourself in this place, it may be time to hire an IT support team. These professionals can set up your programs and systems so that they work more efficiently for you. They can also train you and your staff in how to use them so you don’t spend your time trying to stumble through a new system anymore.



Delayed Update Schedule



If you’ve been struggling with your technology systems, you may be reluctant to run any updates that may change things further. Or if you have an in-house IT support team, they may be so busy putting out fires that they don’t have the time needed to dedicate to updates. Either way, outdated infrastructure is not only inefficient, but it can also pose a security risk.



It’s incredibly important for both your team and your customers that you keep your infrastructure updated. While your in-house team may not be able to deal with it, a professional IT support team certainly can. They can also teach you how to handle any changes these updates bring so you’re secure and always on the cutting edge.



At-Risk Data



On the subject of security risks, as a business owner, you handle sensitive information on a daily basis. This can range from something as basic as your employees’ tax information to customer data and even corporate secrets. Without the proper security measures, this data could be vulnerable to theft or ransomware attacks.



A professional IT support team can help you ensure that your sensitive data is always protected. They can set up encryption, arrange levels of security access, and keep your programs up-to-date with the latest virus protection. You and your customers will be able to rest easy at night knowing that your most precious information is safe. 



Poor Compliance



Depending on what kind of business you run, compliance may be a huge part of your daily operations. You may need to maintain nonprofit compliance, Nacha compliance, tax compliance, security compliance, and more. One of the big parts of many of these compliance requirements is maintaining appropriate digital security measures.



Your in-house IT team may not know the ins and outs of compliance requirements or what the latest changes have been. But a professional IT support team spends their days focused on nothing but that. They’ll make compliance effortless for you so you can focus on what you really want to be doing: running your business. 



Slow IT Response 



When a member of your team discovers a problem and submits an IT request, how long does it take them to get a response? If the answer is anything more than a few hours, that’s far too long. That’s time that employee can’t do their job, which means you’re losing money during that entire time period.



Oftentimes, these delays may not be your in-house IT support team’s fault. If you have fifteen active IT requests and two IT support workers, it’s going to take them some time to handle all of these problems. A professional IT support team has the resources to take care of problems within a few hours, keeping your team running smoothly. 



Outdated Infrastructure



Technology moves at the speed of light these days – in some cases, quite literally. If your company wants to keep up with the times, you need to have an IT department that can handle regular system upgrades. If your IT team is already struggling to keep up with your current system, they may not have the time to do the work they need to do to replace systems that are starting to get outdated. 



A professional IT team knows the latest and greatest in system upgrades and can help you put them in place. Not only do they have the know-how needed to install these systems, but they also have the time. You can simply focus on your business while the professionals keep you running the best systems around.



No IT Scalability



When you see an opportunity to grow your business, you need to be able to take it. But when you have an in-house IT team, you may hesitate to hire more employees or expand your sales offerings for fear of overwhelming the IT department. This can limit your bottom line and hold your business back from its full potential.



When you work with a professional IT company, you can get as much scalability as you need. Whether you need the occasional question answered or a full-time team working for you, you can expand as much as you need without worrying about whether you’ll have the support you need. Some companies even allow you to scale your pricing plan to pay for only the support level your company needs.



High IT Turnover



Another warning sign that it might be time to contract out your IT work is if you start having a high turnover rate among your IT department. When your internal IT support workers start getting overwhelmed with requests, their stress levels go up, they may have to start working longer hours, and they have to work harder during those hours. They may not stick around for too long under those work conditions, and you might find yourself constantly conducting IT interviews.



Contracting out your IT support to a professional company can help to ease the load on your current support team. You can even combine the two – keep on your in-house team and allow the pros to provide some backup as needed. This way no one carries too much workload and your IT team will stick around.



Need for In-House Expertise



While having an in-house team can be fantastic, especially if these are employees who have been with you for years, sometimes you need some extra expertise. You may bump up against an unexpected problem or have a very specialized question. No matter how good your in-house team is, they may not have the answers you need right off hand.



A professional IT support team is more likely to have the answers you need at their fingertips. And when you work with the right company, you shouldn’t have to wait hours or days to get a response. It will be like having the full team under one roof, without the extra stress and expense.



Split Focus 



When you’re running a business, you have to wear a lot of hats on a daily basis. You have to be an accountant, a manager, a warehouse manager, a salesperson, a conflict mediator, and more. And when you run your own IT support department, you also have to add “computer expert” to that list of demands.



Sometimes, you just want to be able to focus on what you love most – running your business. Outsourcing your IT support can take one of those distractions off your to-do list. You can let the pros handle your IT expertise needs while you keep your focus on your customers and your products.



Slowed Revenue Growth



Having your focus split and your IT support limited can do more than make your business a little harder to manage. It can actually start to slow down your revenue growth. If your system is outdated, unsafe, slow, and out of commission half the time, customers will start to notice, and your employees won’t be able to work as effectively.



Hiring in a professional IT company can cost you some money, but you’ll more than make it up in revenue growth. These companies can ensure that your system provides a solid experience for both your customers and your employees. And with you able to focus on the work that’s really important to you, you’ll see your revenues start to rise in almost no time. 



Less Competitive Edge



One of the most important things you can do to keep your business successful is to make sure you keep an edge over your competitors. Customers will be loyal to the company that provides the best experience for them. You have to be able to wow your customers from the moment they encounter your business if you want to stay afloat.



A professional IT support team can help you give your customers the most seamless experience possible. They’ll ensure all your systems run smoothly and your team has the morale they need to provide an excellent customer experience. They can also give you more time to focus on the next thing you can do to stay on the cutting edge of business. 



Get IT Support for Small Businesses



Running a small business puts a lot of demands on you, but handling your own IT support doesn’t have to be one of them. Getting the right IT support can help you keep your in-house IT team happier, your system running better, and your revenues on the rise. They can also give you the space you need to focus on what’s most important to you in running your business. 



If you’d like to get the best IT support for small businesses, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We help support, protect, and secure your business, as well as helping you strategize for the future. Contact us today and discover what an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm can do for you.
- Categories: IT Support

#### IT Support in Los Angeles Can Help You Fight Cybersecurity Issues
Cybersecurity is one of the most important considerations for any modern business. 

A data breach can be seriously expensive, racking up an average cost of $8.19 million in the United States. However, data breaches aren’t the only problem that malware and hackers can cause. If malware infects your system and corrupts your files, if an attacker manages to breach physical security and steal valuable data, or if your network is compromised, you could be in serious trouble.

If you run a Southern California business and want to stay safe, IT support in Los Angeles can help you. 

In fact, IT services in Los Angeles can protect every aspect of your business, including your physical premises and your network. So, how exactly can a managed service provider help your company?

In this guide, we’re going to take a look at the measures that you can take to protect your company and stay safe. 
1. Improving Physical Security
Physical security may not be the first thing that you think of when it comes to IT security, but it’s a vitally important step, and one that a good IT security company in Los Angeles can help you with.

Great physical security is paramount: you can have the best network and computer security in the world, but if you keep your premises’ doors unlocked, you’re already compromised. You need to make your premises as secure as your computers, so let’s take a look at how you can do that.
IP Video Surveillance
One great place to start is by installing IP video surveillance. 

IP video surveillance involves connecting CCTV cameras to your wifi network. This removes the need for extra cabling and makes storage easy: you can store your surveillance footage on the cloud, safe from any intruders.

It also makes it very easy to search through hours upon hours of footage to find those few crucial frames that you need after a burglary. IP video surveillance also offers a better image quality than traditional CCTV, with video quality ranging from 720p to 4K and beyond.

IP video surveillance also allows you to capitalize on deterrence, as CCTV is one of the best ways to deter thieves and other criminals from breaking into your premises.
IP Access Control
Video surveillance might help you deter attackers, but IP access control can help you prevent bad actors from breaking through your locks. IP access control can utilize tools like keycard readers and even biometric readers, preventing any unauthorized personnel (including your employees) from accessing certain parts of your building.

If anyone attempts to break through your locks, you can be notified by the software immediately. You can also track your employees across the building via access logs, which means you can swiftly identify insider threats and take action.

IP access control also allows for customizable user privileges. If you’ve promoted an employee and they need to access new parts of the building, you can log on to the software and grant them those privileges within minutes.

IT support should include the prevention of malware attack.
2. Protecting Against Malware and Hackers
Malware is a serious threat to business, with many new pieces of malware emerging daily. How can you stay safe against this constant tide of new malicious software?
Strong Antivirus Software
The first and most important step is to have a very strong antivirus software installed across your entire network. The only issue with this is that most antivirus software needs tweaks before it reaches maximum efficacy. You should err on the side of caution while tweaking these settings, yet you may not understand what this involves due to their complex nature.

This is where managed IT services come in handy.

If you enlist the help of a managed security provider, they will be able to configure your software for you and manage what is done with any detected pieces of malware. This allows you to sit back and relax, knowing that your security is as tight as can be.

This kind of protection is known as endpoint security protection. You’ll still have client software installed on your machines, but your services provider will handle all the configuration and management.
Intrusion Prevention
Malware isn’t the only thing that you need to worry about. You also need to make sure that hackers aren’t able to break into your business: believe us, they will be trying to.

To protect against intruders, you need to have a firewall in place. You also need to make sure that you configure it correctly so that you allow your own traffic through while blocking any malicious access.

Be Structured, a leading managed service provider in Los Angeles, has developed a next-generation firewall that can help you lock down intruders before they get in. The firewall features real-time deep memory inspection that can help to block any intrusion attempts as they occur. We can also encrypt your data on the go so that it’s safe from any prying eyes.

A strong firewall and malware suite will protect your business from autonomous threats like malware as well as hackers.
3. Strong Network Security
You should think of your network as an extension of your business premises. You wouldn’t leave your premises unlocked: you shouldn’t have an unsecured network either.

The first step to good network security is ensuring that your network has a strong password. Leaving the default password in place is a severe security risk, as anyone with access to your router will then be able to access the network. You should use a very strong wifi password that your IT service provider can make for you: it’ll need to be a mix of numbers, letters, and special characters.

If you want to be extra secure, you can use ethernet cables to connect your computers to the network. It’s a lot harder to intercept data across a wired network.

 	
Robust Device Security


Another aspect of network security is monitoring the devices that are allowed to access your network. If your business operates on a “bring your own device policy,” you need to make sure that each device is secure.

If one employee has an infected laptop and they bring it to work, the malware could spread across the network like wildfire. You’ll also want to make sure that the device is running the latest version of its OS, as older versions will have unpatched vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit.

You should never allow an employee to introduce new devices to the network without having IT experts check it over first.

 	
Network Security Outside the Workplace


A great network security policy doesn’t end outside of the workplace. If your employees like to work from home or public wifi like you’d find at a cafe, you can help them bolster their security by offering them access to a VPN.

A VPN will create an encrypted tunnel between your employee’s device and your business network. This protects the data while it's in transit.

This is a very important tool in your security arsenal, as it protects your employees from man-in-the-middle attacks, where a hacker intercepts data as it travels between the device and the network’s router.

If you don’t use a VPN, your confidential data will be easy to access and steal. Make sure that your employees always use a VPN when they’re working remotely.
4. Update Management
We touched upon the importance of updates on employee devices, but you need to make sure that your business’ computers are up to date too. Whichever operating system you use, you need to keep it up to date, as this will ensure that any vulnerabilities are patched as soon as possible.

This is a step that many business owners skip. As recently as 2019, a third of businesses still had active Windows XP deployments, an OS that is no longer receiving updates.

However, it’s not only your OS that needs to stay up to date. You also need to make sure that every other piece of software on your machine stays up to date. This includes everything from CRM software to office software.

Managing all of these updates can be very difficult. Over time, you may end up needing more and more updates to get back up to date. Avoiding this snowball is crucial.

Partnering with an outsourced technical support company will be able to help you keep your machines up to date, which will help you avoid many different security risks. They will also be able to schedule the updates to take place outside of normal business hours, which means that they won’t disrupt employee productivity.
5. A Stronger Password Policy
Many people use weak passwords across all of their accounts, with some of the most common passwords being “abc123,” “111111,” and “password.” Even if you personally use a strong password, just one employee using a weak password like this on work machines is putting your business at risk.

You need to have a strong password policy in place across your business. You should make sure that your employees use passwords that are a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. An IT services company will be able to help you put this policy together, but there’s something else that they can help you with too: two-factor authentication (2FA).

Using 2FA across your business is vital. A 2FA system adds another layer of security to your business. Here’s how it works:

 	Your employee will log on as normal
 	If the login is from a new system, the 2FA system will activate
 	The system will text or email a code to the employee
 	The employee will enter the code
 	The 2FA system will authorize the login

There are other ways that an employee can verify their identity, too, including biometric data such as using a fingerprint. However the employee verifies their identity, 2FA can prevent unauthorized personnel from accessing your network.
6. Dark Web Scanning
Hackers don’t typically frequent normal websites. Instead, they ply their trade on the dark web, the area of the internet that search engines don’t index, and that can only be accessed through software like TOR or I2P.

This means that knowing whether your data has leaked or not can be difficult. Dark web scanning is absolutely vital.

If you partner with a great IT service provider like Be Structured, we will scan the latest dark web data dumps for any information that concerns your company. If any passwords or confidential data has leaked, you can take action immediately and keep your company safe.

We’ll be able to pinpoint what data has leaked, allowing us to come up with a custom plan that will negate the leak.
7. Disaster Continuity and Backup Management
Disaster continuity is a very important thing to consider. If a disaster, natural or man-made, strikes your company, how will you be able to minimize downtime and ensure that your data stays secure?

Let’s look at one common example: ransomware. You come into work one morning and find that your entire network has been infected with ransomware and your files are now encrypted. If you want to access them again, you need to pay a ransom.

This isn’t your only option. If you’ve put a disaster continuity plan in place and made sure to backup all of your data regularly, you can simply wipe your systems and restore them from backups, negating the ransomware’s threat.

A managed IT services company will be able to manage your backups for you and also put together a disaster plan that will help your company get back to work as quickly as possible in the event of a disaster.
You Need IT Support in Los Angeles
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at how IT support can help you maintain good information security. Here at Be Structured, we want your business to stay as secure as possible.

If you partner with us, you’ll be able to choose an all-inclusive security package or pick and choose different elements that you’d like us to manage. No matter what size your business is or what state your security is in, we will be able to bring it up to speed.

For more information or to request a quote, contact us today!
People Also Ask
How can I improve cyber security?

 	Create a strong network security
 	Improve physical security with video surveillance
 	Protect against hackers using the most up-to-date network security systems
 	Install stronger password protection strategies
 	Have a disaster recovery plan in place
 	Have multiple backup redundancies
 	Hire outsource technical support to manage your network
- Categories: IT Support, Security
- Tags: 2FA, Antivirus Software, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity attacks, Cybersecurity Threats, Intrusion Prevention Systems, IP Access Control, malware, Network Security

#### IT Support Los Angeles: Cryptojacking Trends
It Support and Cryptocurrencies
To some degree or another, most of us have heard of the term Virtual Currency.  This is essentially the cloud-based version of the traditional paper money.  For example, with Ransomware a Cyber attacker wants to be paid with this new type of currency, usually in the form of Bitcoin.  There are other types of virtual currencies that are out there, and collectively, these are also known as “Cryptocurrencies”. An IT Support Specialist can help you through yet another hacking trend. We also offer bitcoin recovery services in Los Angeles.
There was a time last year, when Cryptocurrencies were all the rage, especially in the financial markets.  Futures contracts and even indexes were created and tracked for them and were traded heavily.  For a period of time, the value of them went sky high, and people thought that this would be the real thing again, just like the .com craze back in the early 90’s.
Can IT Support Assist with  Cryptojacking Cyber Attacks?
But, as that came to a crashing end, so did the volatility of the Cryptocurrencies.  They are still being traded, but not with the volume and the market capitalization that it once had.  Now, here is another twist to the story.  The Cyber attacker is entering into this realm, with a new threat called “Cryptojacking”, which is essentially mining the various Cryptocurrencies for monetary value.
Can IT Support Assist with Cryptomining From Hackers? 
Let’s review what Cryptomining is all about.  By using specialized machines, miners process as many Bitcoin transactions as they can by solving complex mathematical equations that allow them to put together, or chain, various blocks of transactions together in a sequential fashion (thus the term Blockchain).
On the other hand, Cryptojacking is the unauthorized use of a computer to mine cryptocurrency. Hackers do this by either getting the victim to click on a malicious link in an email that loads crypto mining code on their computer, or by infecting a website with JavaScript code that auto-executes it is accessed by the computer’s web browser. 
 
Will I Need IT Support During a Cryptojacking Attack?
Because of the return that is associated, the Cyber
attacker now wants to gain their foot into this game, and become cryptominers
themselves, but of course illegally.  But keep in mind, there are very
complex mathematical problems to solve in order the miner to be rewarded. 
This of course takes a lot of computing and processing power.
The Cyber attacker does not want to spend the money in
terms of procuring the extra hardware to do this, so he or she will hijack your
computer, and from there, steal the processing power as well as the electricity
in order to mine the Cryptocurrencies.  You may be asking at this point;
how can they do this to your computer?
It’s quite easy.  All they have to do is send you
a Phishing like Email, which contains a malicious link or attachment. 
Once you have fallen victim to this, a specialized Cryptomining code is then
installed onto your computer or even mobile device.
But what is even stealthier is that even if you visit
a website, there could be infected pieces of Java source code running behind
the site you are viewing, and from there, the Cryptomining code can then be
covertly loaded onto your computer. At this point in the game, the Cryptomining
code is now technically malware.
But the problem with this new malware is that it is very difficult to spot on your computer and can be installed and deployed in a very sneaky manner.  In these instances, the Cyber attacker is not just exclusively targeting computers and wireless devices, they will go after anything that will give them free electricity.  This includes servers, routers, cable modems, firewalls, network intrusion devices, etc.
Increase Trends in Cryptojacking
It is also important to keep in mind that there is no
specialized package that the Cyber attacker has to deploy onto a device – the
malware is just a few lines of infected source code, and as a result, this makes
it all the more difficult to detect.  Because of the extremely low
overhead that is required, and its sneaky nature, the rise in Cryptojacking has
increased significantly.
For example, McAfee has just discovered almost 3
million new cases of it, which is a staggering 629% increase from 2017. 
So, what are some of the telltale signs if your computer has been hijacked for
the purposes of Cryptojacking?  Here are some clues:
Slowdown in the speed of your computer;
Very slow load times when trying to connect to the Internet;
A slow increase in your electricity bill.
Neglecting IT Support: Tesla’s Cloud Cryptojacked
It is important to keep in mind that the Cryptojacker
of today is not just out to steal the processing and electrical resources of
your individual computer and/or wireless device.  They are also out to attack the overall Cloud
Infrastructure, as there are many more resources that can be used to launch
even stealthier and more covert Cryptojacking attacks.   
A prime example of this is Tesla. They are an auto manufacturing company and have used the Amazon Web Services (AWS) for their Cloud Infrastructure needs.  In this particular instance, they made use of an open-source platform available from Google called the “Kubernetes System”.  This is an application which allows for businesses and corporations to completely automate the deployment, scaling, and the management of containerized Cloud-based applications.
Tesla had deployed the Kubernetes System onto their AWS Platform, but it was not made secure enough (there was no administrative password that was created and implemented) because various Cryptojackers were able to gain access to their overall AWS Environment. After this was accessed, numerous Cryptojacking mining scripts were then covertly installed onto the particular Kubernetes System instances.  
As a result, the Cryptojacker was then able to gain 100% control of Tesla’s AWS processing and electrical resources and use that to launch multiple Cryptojacking attacks.  They were also able to gain access to sensitive information and data, which were located in Tesla’s AWS Simple Storage Service (S3) buckets. 
 
IT Support Exposes Cyptojacking Tactics
The Cryptojackers also used other tactics to avoid detection. For example, they made use of private Mining Pool Software packages, which were then utilized to instruct the mining scripts to connect to an unlisted endpoint.  By making use of this approach, existing Domain and IPI based threat detection systems could not pick up on the Cryptojacking activities that were taking place.
Also, the Cryptojackers were able to mask the true IP address of the mining pool by hiding them behind a Content Delivery Network known as “CloudFlare.”  They were even able to make use of nonstandard Network Port Numbers to secretly communicate with the hidden IP addresses.  This is was all done in an effort to keep CPU usage low. This strategy allowed for any type of suspicious network-based traffic to go undetected for long periods of time.  
Typically, Cryptojackers have made use of Javascript from which to leverage their attacks.  But now, they are using more advanced techniques such as the exploitation of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities and compromising Network Endpoints in order to create Cryptojacking Botnets.  In fact, 80% of organizations that rely upon the AWS or Microsoft Azure to house their IT Infrastructures are at risk of falling victim to a Cryptojacking attack.
Can IT Support Help With Cryptojacking on Mobile Apps?
But just like how a Cloud Infrastructure is prone to a Cryptojacking attack, so are mobile apps. In fact, a recent study (conducted by a Cybersecurity firm known as Sophos) detected 25 rogue mobile applications which had the infected Cryptojacking source code in them.  These mobile apps were downloaded at least 120,000 times by different end-users.  
Tech giants like Google and Apple who have mobile app stores are taking proactive actions to protect their customers.  For example, with the former, they no longer allow for browser extensions in its Web Store that mine cryptocurrencies. The Google Play Store allows for customers to pick extensions and apps that personalize their Chrome web browser, but this will now become highly restricted.
IT Support Can Expose Cryptojacking Vulnerabilities
Not using a password (or even a weak one for that
matter) can be a major cause for these kinds of attacks. The implementation of
very poor-quality API Access Rules also exposes root accounts to be further
manipulated in order to launch Cryptojacking attacks.
So, what can a business do protect their Cloud
Infrastructures from being used by a Cryptojacker?  Here are some recommended strategies:
Take ownership of your Security responsibilities.  
Although it is up to your Cloud Provider to provide all of the Security features that they can, it is still your primary responsibility to work with your Cloud Provider to make sure that everything is properly configured.  If you are offered default Security settings, don’t use them and create your own that specifically tailored to your Security requirements.  Also make use of advanced Encryption techniques if they are offered by your Cloud Provider.
Strengthen Login Credentials.
Many cloud based Cryptojacking attacks can be traced back to poor login credentials (once again, using very weak passwords).  Make use of a Password Manager to create long and complex passwords.
Limiting Virtual Machines.
Set up your Virtual Machines as you absolutely need
them.  Do not create extra ones that you
are not going to use, as this will simply increase the attack surface for the Cryptojacker.
Educate Employees and Staff.
Make sure that you educate anybody in your
organization that is tasked to manage your Cloud Infrastructure in its proper design and secure deployment.  
If you are a Los Angeles or Southern California business and want further information on how to be proactive in your protection against Cryptojacking, Be Structured has a team of cybersecurity specialists an IT Consultants who can answer your questions and review any possible vulnerabilities. We are a Managed Security Services Provider and provide tailored IT Support to fit the specific needs of your business and your industry. Contact us today for further details.
- Categories: Crypto, Security
- Tags: cryptojacking, Cybersecurity, IT Consulting, Los Angeles IT Support

#### IT Support Solutions for Common Workplace Problems
Efficiency with IT Support Solutions.
Every business strives for it. Often, the backbone of creating efficiency is finding new, innovative ways of handling workplace tech issues that can slow an employee and organization down. IT Support Solutions are here to help.

In those glorious days of yesteryear - aka last year - when workers still embraced the novel practice of going into a workplace building five days a week, an in-house IT department usually handled all tech issues big and small to help streamline workflow.

Today, after the devastating strike of the COVID-19 virus, workplaces as we previously knew them have changed and transmogrified into a completely different kind of experience. At the same time, the old-fashioned notion of “working 9-to-5” has changed. Many workers in our new normal often create their own daily routines and time schedules that suit their work-at-home lifestyle with the constant interruption of family, pets and the lure of watching your new, favorite daytime soap opera.

So with the “always open” mentality in today’s workplace, there’s a need for secure and reliable access to your network day and night. Thus a managed service provider that is available 24/7 to handle sudden issues is essential to help streamline and support the workflow process.

Communication is key and companies are turning more and more to outsourced technical support, the clutter that can bog down a company’s productivity must be managed and improved. There are four simple, but vitally important areas that should be analyzed and streamlined to prevent frustrating workplace mistakes that slow the systems down:

1 - Cumbersome Email Management

2 - Duplicate Work

3 - Complex Data Management

4 - Switching Between Multiple Platforms

It goes without saying that the work from home environment is creating new problems and challenges for IT departments.

In today’s business environment, offices have to be flexible enough to support a variety of work styles. At the same time, your team needs to be looking for ways to streamline processes and drive efficiency. “Unfortunately, the solutions for accomplishing these goals don’t always overlap,” admits Chad Lauterbach, CTO of Los Angeles-based managed service provider, Be Structured . “That’s where more hands-on business IT support is often required, but your organization may not have the time, budget or skills for that at the moment.”

Fortunately, there are a variety of common technology problems that can be solved with simple IT solutions while:

 	Supporting different work styles
 	Streamlining processes
 	Driving workplace efficiency
 	The goal is to find solutions that are as cost-effective as possible.

IT Issues in Business

As with many major cities, Los Angeles IT support companies often over promise and under deliver. That’s why, you want to listen to those companies that keep it simple and speak in terms that you understand.

So, when it comes to streamlining systems and unclogging the bottleneck of everyday redundancies and anti-productive avenues, understand that these are some of the most common IT problems and technology issues that businesses encounter.

1 - Cumbersome Email Management

How much time does your team spend culling through their inboxes to figure out what’s worth keeping and what isn’t? From there, how much time do they spend trying to find a particular email after they’ve saved it? Without effective email management strategies, the emails only continue to pile up until your team falls further and further behind.

A recent study by the Association of Intelligent Information Management (AIIM) found that barely 10% of organizations have initiated and then finished an enterprise-wide email management initiative. That means they’re helping worker’s manage one of the most critical aspects of communication within the organization.

A good email management solution simplifies your team’s email platform. Whether you want to migrate to an online platform so emails are accessible from anywhere, or your team needs to tighten down spam filters, there is help.

Have you struggled with adding new users in the past? A good IT department will be able to add new accounts that same day, so new team members have the tools they need to succeed from day one.

Your tech team should even be able to quickly set up filters to immediately send specific emails to particular folders. That way, less of your team’s day can be spent digging through emails, and more time can be spent staying on task. Who doesn’t like showing up to work in the morning with a neat, tidy inbox to greet them?

2 - Duplicate Work

It’s estimated that the average employee spends about 2.5 hours—about 30% of each workday—re-creating or duplicating work that has already been performed. For a business with 100 employees, this inefficiency equates to roughly $2.5 million lost each year.

From our perspective, the simplest solution for mitigating the widespread problems of duplicating work is by migrating your operations to a cloud platform. By transitioning to the cloud, your team can work on the same concurrent database, edit documents in real time, and find exactly what they’re looking for. If the work has already been completed, they’ll be able to check its status, and you don’t have to worry about the documents getting lost on someone else’s desktop.

3 - Complex Data Management

Why do workers ultimately end up duplicating so much work? Most often, it’s because they can’t find what they’re looking for. They struggle with document requests and sharing, or they struggle with tracking document versions and revisions. Ultimately, these struggles make it easier for them to duplicate the work on their own than to get access to the work that’s already been done.

Your IT service company should specialize in simplifying even the most complex data management plans and platforms via IT Support Solutions. From creating more intuitive server file paths to streamlining document sharing, it’s important to make sure your team can always find what they’re looking for, so they never have to bother with duplicating work that’s already been completed.

With the ability to search for documents by using keywords while simultaneously parsing through a document’s internal content, your organization can take back control of data management. Plus, cloud-based operations make it easy to prioritize transparency and accountability because you can always see who’s working on what while they’re working.

4 - Switching Between Multiple Platforms

Does your team have to switch between multiple software platforms to complete tasks throughout the day? Chances are, there’s already a more efficient platform out there that can help them accomplish those same tasks without having to switch back and forth between windows.

Whether you’re looking for one software solution that can help you do it all, or you simply want a cloud-based project management platform, you should leverage all available options and deploy the solution that best aligns with your needs and goals. That way, when your team starts a task, all of the tools they need are already just a click away, and they’ll be able to get more done than ever before.

Office Relocation & Downsizing the Work Space

Another piece of collateral damage during the coronavirus is the actual office space. Many workers currently mandated to work from home will continue to do so and some offices are being shuttered completely.

As a result, many businesses no longer will have the need for that 25,000 square foot office and instead may want to keep a physical presence with smaller scale digs to save money on wasted space and an unnecessarily bloated lease.

Tackling the relocation services can be a tricky proposition and requires a skilled IT service that understands your employee bandwidth needs today and in the future.

Los Angeles IT Support Solutions

Is your office plagued by any of these common workplace problems? The IT experts at Be Structured are here to help. We work with businesses throughout the Los Angeles area to identify areas ripe for improvement, so they can take efficiency to the next level.
- Categories: Managed IT
- Tags: Business IT Support, Common Workplace Problems, IT Consulting, Managed IT Solutions

#### Keep Your Business Safe From Hackers
How to Keep Your Business Safe From Hackers
A key component in the longevity of your business is keeping your sensitive data as safe as possible. Unfortunately, hackers are becoming more and more effective as time goes on. This means that you will need to prioritize certain cybersecurity measures in order to prevent them from gaining access to this information

The good news is that it's not quite as difficult as you might expect. Let's explore key information about how to protect against hackers.
Train Your Team Appropriately
Training your team appropriately will go much further than most people anticipate when it comes to how you keep business safe from hackers. This is simply due to the fact that even a single employee could put the company in jeopardy. For example, let's assume that your employees have not been instructed on how to create secure passwords.

They might also be unaware of what type of data they should never share with certain individuals. A phishing attack, for instance, is a scenario where untrained employees could disseminate company data. This could easily result in a situation where unauthorized users gain access to sensitive company information.

The consequences of this scenario will vary, but they have the potential to be catastrophic. In some cases, an industry competitor could get ahold of trade secrets.

This could be an obstacle that is impossible to overcome for many different types of businesses. This is particularly true for companies that exist within highly competitive industries.

Hackers sometimes threaten to release trade secrets to the public or even industry competitors.
Always Use The Most Current Versions of Software
Interestingly, many people are unaware of the fact that even slightly outdated software is a large cybersecurity risk. After all, this is the primary reason why developers push updates so often.

As time goes on, online hackers begin to find different ways to exploit software. In response, developers aim to eliminate these risks through official patches.

Although this process will continue, falling behind could allow hackers to compromise data on your device. The good news is that it is relatively simple to keep your software updated. Most applications even give users the opportunity to automatically download and install new updates as they are released.

In the event that you are using software that is no longer supported by the developer, it's best to consider an alternative instead. Eventually, hackers will find a way to exploit abandoned software and gain access to company information.
Implement Multifactor Authentication
As the name suggests, multifactor authentication is the process of using multiple criteria to grant access. In a conventional setting, you might only need a password to log into a certain account. With multifactor authentication, however, you might also need to input a security code that is sent to your company email.

This is an effective way of ensuring that an authorized individual is the one entering the login credentials. There are other forms of multifactor authentication, as well. These can even include biometric data, such as a fingerprint.

In general, more factors will be required to access highly sensitive information. Even a single additional factor, though, can add an effective layer of protection. Multifactor authentication only works if your organization is secure as a whole, though.

Inputting a verification code alongside a password won't be difficult for a hacker if they have also compromised an employee's email.
Consider Working With a Professional
It's important to understand that you may not be able to recognize all of the potential threats to your business. For example, if your have a business in Southern California, hiring an IT support Los Angeles based company will provide insight and greater exposure into existing cybersecurity flaws.

The professionals you work with will also help develop solutions to these issues. It should come as no surprise that it is in your best interest to work with a professional before you find yourself needing one. It's much easier to prevent a data breach than it is to recover from one.

Managed service providers also have the capability to implement active monitoring. This allows them to immediately detect threats as they arise. It's not uncommon for service providers to find and eliminate threats before the business is even aware they exist.

This allows you to focus on the core aspects of your business. In fact, many companies find they are more productive when using outsourced IT  support. Keep this information in mind when moving forward.

You can check out this resource to learn more about the benefits you can expect.
Establish a Hierarchical Data Structure
Not every employee within your organization should have the same level of access to company data. To clarify, an entry-level worker should not be able to access information that executives can.

So, you'll need to establish a hierarchical data structure at your company. This means allocating access privileges based on certain criteria.

In general, you'll want to minimize the number of people who have access to data that your company. This means that employees should only be able to log into certain accounts, open certain files, etc. if they are relevant to their role.

The more people who have access to certain information, the larger the risk that hackers present. As you can assume, it's often much easier to compromise basic employee accounts as opposed to those that belong to executives.

In the event that there is a change in personnel (such as an employee leaving the company), the appropriate changes should be made to data access. This often means changing passwords and removing people from teams. As long as they can no longer access data they should not be able to, you should not encounter issues in the future.
Develop a Contingency Plan
Unfortunately, there's a good chance that you will inevitably encounter a situation with a hacker. While this doesn't guarantee you will experience data loss, it may cause a disruption in your workflow. For example, a hacker might take down one of your internal systems and prevent you from communicating with your teams.

In the event that you do not have a contingency plan in place, you may suffer from extensive downtime. This will directly translate into a loss in revenue. However, there is also the other side of the spectrum to consider.

It's entirely possible for a data breach to occur on a massive scale. Having the ability to navigate this situation is the only way you will be able to effectively recover from it.

So, it's highly recommended that you make a list of the most outstanding threats to your business. You should then come up with multiple solutions for each scenario to determine the best course of action for disaster recovery.

The additional solutions you come up with can serve as backup plans in the event that your primary method is unsuccessful.
Understand How to Recognize Common Threats
The best way to defend against hackers is to understand the methods that they use. So, training your team to recognize common threats will be one of the most effective tools at your disposal.

In general, hackers utilize malware in order to carry out their attacks. This is a type of malicious program that can perform a number of different functions once it infects a machine.

It could provide the hacker with information about everything you type on your keyboard. Or, it could surreptitiously send information from your device back to the hacker. Some of the most dangerous malware can even infect other devices on the same network.

This can turn what would have been a minor situation into something catastrophic. Everyone in your organization should understand how to recognize a suspicious file/link, a phishing attack, and the type of behavior that hackers exhibit.

Under most circumstances, data breaches can only occur through user input. So, someone on the other end of the hacker's attack will need to click on a download button or visit a fraudulent website. This means that you generally have the opportunity to prevent an attack before it starts.
Have a Plan for Remote Workers
The pandemic drastically changed the way that most businesses operate. More companies than ever before have been forced to accommodate remote workers. While this allowed businesses to function, it also came with additional risks.

Most notably, many companies did not take the proper safeguards to secure their networks. Now that remote workers are consistently accessing and sending sensitive information, you'll need to take certain steps to protect it.

This means encrypting the connection between your remote workers and your company network. It also means implementing policies that limit the type of activity your employees can conduct on company devices.

A common scenario can involve an employee using a work computer to pirate software. In the event that they get a virus while downloading software, that hacker could inadvertently gain access to company information on the computer.

Under some circumstances, they could even use that device to access the company network. It's imperative that your business assesses these risks and determines how it will prevent issues from arising.

Otherwise, the convenience of having remote workers can easily turn into a liability.
Archive Your Data Consistently
Performing backups on a regular basis is the only way that you can ensure you can fully recover from a hacker.

After all, recovery often involves restoring affected data from an archive. For this reason, it's highly recommended that you or your IT support company establish a system for your data backups.

Core data should be archived once every 24 hours. Less important information can be backed up less often, such as once per week or even once per month.

It's also important for you to back up your data at multiple locations. This includes remote storage and external hard drives.

This even involves keeping archived information off-site. In the event that something like a natural disaster, robbery, etc. affects your business, you run the risk of losing all of your archived information if you keep it all within one place.

As you might guess, those who back up information should always protect it. Implementing passwords and encryption is vital when it comes to keeping your data as safe as possible. It's also recommended to carefully control access to this type of information.

Many businesses that store data backups on-site do so within rooms that require identification to enter. This will help you minimize the chances that someone within your organization causes issues.
Adhere to Industry Regulations
No matter what industry you work within, there's a good chance that there are outstanding regulations you have to deal with.

This is especially true for businesses that work in the tech or healthcare industries. However, many people overlook the fact that adhering to these regulations will make your business safer. This is achieved by sufficiently protecting your customers.

For example, healthcare facilities are required to store patient data in a certain manner. This is done in order to protect these individuals from having this information compromised. A result of this, though, is making it harder for hackers to access this information.

Many regulations have to do with the way you store digital information. So, following these standards will eliminate many common issues before they arise. It also comes with the benefit of boosting your brand reputation.
Dealing With Hackers Can Seem Overwhelming
It may even seem impossible at first. However, the guide above has key information that you can use to protect your business from hackers in the future.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Attack Monitoring, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, Phishing Scams, Ransomware Attack

#### Keeping Your Companies Data Safe
IT Security: How to Keep Your Companies Data Safe
When you think of company security, what comes to mind? Many of us may imagine locks on doors, burglar alarms, security badges, non-disclosure agreements, and even physical security guards. But do you ever think about server firewalls, authentication factors, antivirus software, and data encryption?

Having a strong IT security system is every bit as important as securing your company’s physical assets. Read on to learn more about data security and how you can protect your business from devastating cyberattacks.
Make It a Priority
The first and most important thing you can do to protect your company’s data is to make cybersecurity a priority. Many business owners tend to have a mindset of “It won’t happen to me” or “I know how to avoid cyberattacks.” But the truth is that hackers don’t discriminate, and an attack could come from anywhere at any time if you’re not prepared.

Ransomware attacks alone cost large U.S. companies more than $5.6 million each year on average. And this is just one of the dozens of different attacks your company may face if you don’t take security seriously. You need to dedicate company time and resources to making sure you’re protected from these attacks.
Establish a Security Strategy
One of the first things you should do when improving your company’s cybersecurity is to establish a security strategy. In essence, this strategy will be your guidelines to what you’re working to protect and how you’re going to protect it. It will help to direct all of your cybersecurity efforts so you can use your resources wisely.

Take a look at your data and determine how much protection each piece of information needs – in other words, how critical it is to your company operation. Then take a look at the sorts of attacks you might be susceptible to and the latest protection against those attacks. Finally decide what sorts of internal controls you’ll implement to lower your risk of becoming a victim of these attacks.
Choose Your Employees Carefully
Oftentimes, the way that hackers get access to your company information is through your employees. Your employees have the most access to your company and deal with your sensitive information every day. Whether intentionally or not, they can give hackers an opening to steal your data.

When you’re hiring on new employees, make sure you conduct background checks on them, especially if you work in an especially data-sensitive field. It should go without saying that you don’t want to hire an employee with any history of cyberattacks. But you also want to watch out for people with any history of theft, embezzlement, fraud, or extortion.
Promote Employee Awareness
Even if your team is filled with stellar employees who would never knowingly endanger your company information, hackers can be clever. In fact, phishing schemes are among the most common forms of cyberattacks. These attacks involve tricking a person or business into revealing sensitive personal information, believing they are providing this information to a trusted person or organization.

Make sure your employees are aware of the most common forms of cyberattacks and how to spot them. Teach them appropriate cybersecurity measures, including the importance of protecting their personal machines. It’s a good idea to give regular training seminars so your employees stay up to date on the latest threats in the cybersecurity world.
Manage Permissions
While training your customers to recognize and avoid cyberattacks is important, it’s also a good idea to carefully manage permissions around your data. An employee can’t compromise information they don’t have, and not everyone in your company needs to know everything. While you certainly want to avoid setting up data silos, partitioning information can minimize the impact of a cyberattack if one does occur.

Determine which of your employees need different pieces of information and set up permissions for them to be able to access only those documents. This is especially important with top-security data that only upper-level managers and executives should have access to. It is a good idea to set up a permissions request system so employees have a route to get access to data they may need.
Require Strong Authentication
Once you have your permissions set up, it will be time to turn your attention to your authentication methods. Authentication is how a user – in this case, your employees – confirms that they do have permission to access the file they’re attempting to open. In many cases, this takes the form of passwords, but there are a number of different authentication options you can choose from.

Biometric authentication uses a person’s biology (usually their fingerprint) to confirm their identity. You can also require access to a different device or account to retrieve a confirmation number through text or email. In the best case scenario, you should use two factor authentication factors to protect your most sensitive documents.
Use Antivirus Software
Now that you’ve handled the personnel end of your cybersecurity concerns, you’ll need to take a look at your technological systems. One of the first steps you should take to secure your system is to install antivirus software on company computers. As the name suggests, these programs work to fight viruses and other malware that may try to infiltrate your system.

There are dozens of different antivirus software providers you can choose from, beginning with McAfee and Norton. Kapersky and Bitdefender also provide great protection, as does Webroot. ESET, Malwarebytes, and Sophos can all provide you the protection you need to keep your data safe.
Run Updates
How often do you see a software update reminder and close it out without running the update? We know that running updates can be time-consuming and may create challenges in keeping your systems running smoothly. But it is also one of the most important parts of your overall cybersecurity strategy.

While current security measures are designed to protect against current threats, hackers are always evolving. As soon as a new defense comes out, they find their way around it, and software developers must find a way to guard against that threat. Many software updates contain new patches that protect your system from new and emerging cybersecurity threats.
Run Regular Backups
In addition to running updates on a regular basis, it’s also incredibly important to run system backups. In essence, a backup saves all the data in your system to a secondary location that’s separate from your system itself. Not only can this protect you in the event of a system crash, but it can also protect you against some cyberattacks.

Certain forms of cyberattacks – ransomware, in particular – aim to attack your company by shutting down access to your data. Having a backup can completely nullify their attack strategy, since you can get access to your files from your secondary source. It is important to run backups on a regular basis so that you keep your information up to date.
Encrypt Your Files
The other way to keep your files safe from hackers and malware is to encrypt your data. Encryption scrambles your data so it looks like gibberish to anyone who tries to read it, but it can be unscrambled with a specific key. In fact, encryption is how ransomware scammers lock down your data before demanding money to send you the decryption key.

While some older forms of encryption could be broken by a skilled enough programmer, today’s methods are all but infallible. By encrypting your data, you make it useless to anyone who might want to use it with malicious intent. It may still be vulnerable to malware attacks, however, so the other measures we discussed are still important.
Focus on Network Security
Your company wireless network is another potential access point for potential hackers. While your individual files may be secured, a talented hacker could work their way into your digital network. From there, they may be able to grab encryption codes and sensitive files, not to mention inserting harmful programs that wreak havoc on your system.

It’s important to make sure your company’s network is as secure as your individual files. Start by encrypting your network itself with the strongest encryption available. You can also turn off the broadcasting function, making your network invisible to anyone who doesn’t know specifically how to find it.
Consider Cloud Storage
It may sound counterintuitive to suggest that, when you’re trying to keep your data safe, you should store it in the cloud. Many of us think of cloud storage as being unreliable and more prone to hacking. However, cloud security has evolved a lot in the last several years, and today’s security measures are among the best available.

Because cloud storage companies are in the business of securely storing data, they can dedicate a significant amount of their resources towards developing the most secure networks in the world. Even if your company invested a good amount into network security, your system wouldn’t match the caliber of these cloud storage companies. Storing your data in the cloud can keep it safer from malware and hackers.
Plan for Personal Device Use
All of the security measures we’ve discussed so far have related to your company systems. Employee training, backups, encryption, antivirus software, and so on are all under your control. But what do you do when an employee brings an unmanaged factor – a personal device – into your company sphere?

Banning personal devices at work isn’t practical, especially in today’s world of remote work. You need to account for these devices as part of your security strategy. Making sure your data is secured on the storage and network ends and that you have strong authentication requirements can help keep things safe even when employees work on personal devices.
Safeguard While Traveling
Oftentimes, physical theft gets overlooked when we’re talking about cybersecurity. You can have the safest network in the world with the best encryption and authentication requirements available. But if an employee stores logins or sensitive files on their computer and that computer gets stolen, your data could still be compromised.

Train every member of your team to use care when traveling with a device that’s used for company work. They should always lock laptops and other electronic devices in the trunk when they’re traveling by car. At hotels, laptops should go into the safe when not in use, and employees should take care to avoid laptops being snatched when they’re using public transit.
Handle Data Disposal Properly
Many people also forget to consider their data disposal when they’re securing their systems. Your current files may be perfectly protected and very hard to access. But if you dump last week’s backups into an unsecured recycling bin, a hacker could still retrieve incredibly sensitive company information.

Always make sure you delete files permanently right away, rather than dropping them in recycling bins. When an employee leaves the company, ensure that all their permissions are revoked immediately and that any company computers they may still have access to have their hard drives wiped. Likewise, make sure to wipe any computers that get replaced.
Set Up Strong IT Security
In today’s digital world, cybersecurity is every bit as important as locking up your physical merchandise and assets. Good IT security starts with well-trained employees and a strong security strategy. It’s also a good idea to use encryption, strong authentication requirements, and physical safeguards to protect your most sensitive information.

If you’d like to start setting up a better IT security system, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology group. We are an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm that provides responsive IT service, IT consulting and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation today and discover just how great IT support in Los Angeles can be.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Attack Monitoring, Cyber Security, Data Protection, Security

#### Law Firm IT Support: Top Tech Support Challenges and Solutions
Law firms operate in a unique IT landscape where confidentiality and regulatory compliance form the bedrock of their practice. Protecting sensitive client data isn't just a checkbox on a to-do list—it's a non-negotiable commitment that, if neglected, can lead to catastrophic consequences. 
As the legal sector grapples with evolving technology, the stakes have never been higher. Understanding the prevalent IT challenges and the need for IT support for law firms is essential for maintaining operational integrity and client trust.
Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, introducing both opportunities and risks. For law firms, embracing IT solutions isn’t optional—it’s essential for staying competitive and secure. 
However, the complexity of modern IT systems and the increasing threat of cyberattacks demand professional guidance. Partnering with an experienced IT support company ensures law firms can navigate these challenges effectively while focusing on their core legal responsibilities.

Common Challenges for Law Firm IT Services
Law firms encounter a variety of IT challenges that can disrupt operations and jeopardize sensitive information. From safeguarding data to managing remote work environments, these challenges require strategic solutions tailored to the unique needs of the legal sector.

Data Security Threats
In the legal sector, data security is paramount. Law firms are prime targets for cybercriminals due to the sensitive nature of the information they handle. 
Breaches and ransomware attacks can lead to devastating consequences, including loss of client trust and severe reputational damage.
Professional IT support provides robust solutions to protect your firm’s reputation and your clients’ trust. Advanced security measures include:


 	Regular security audits to identify vulnerabilities.
 	Multi-factor authentication to enhance access control.
 	Data encryption to safeguard sensitive information.

By implementing these strategies, your firm remains resilient against evolving threats. Additionally, IT support for financial services, which often share similar security concerns, can serve as a model for effective data protection practices in the legal sector.


Software Compatibility and Updates
Law firms often rely on intricate case management systems and e-discovery tools, which can create compatibility issues. Keeping software up-to-date is essential for maintaining operational efficiency. Outdated systems can lead to errors, data loss, and increased downtime.
An outsourced managed IT services provider can take a proactive approach to software management, ensuring that systems are always current and functioning smoothly. Their services may include:


 	Routine software updates to prevent security vulnerabilities.
 	Compatibility assessments to ensure all tools work seamlessly together.
 	System optimization to enhance performance and user experience.

Outsourced IT support companies also focus on minimizing disruptions during updates, allowing your firm to maintain productivity.

Remote Work Challenges
The rise of remote work has transformed how law firms operate, presenting unique challenges in secure collaboration. Ensuring that attorneys can access files and communicate effectively while maintaining security is crucial.
Outsourced IT support companies specialize in deploying secure remote access solutions that keep your team connected and your data protected. Their offerings include:


 	Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for secure internet connections.
 	Cloud-based collaboration tools that prioritize security.
 	Remote desktop solutions that allow secure access to office systems.

These tools enable your team to work from anywhere without compromising the integrity of your firm’s data. Furthermore, leveraging managed IT services ensures consistent support for remote work infrastructure.

Lack of In-House IT Expertise
Many law firms operate without dedicated IT personnel, leading to prolonged downtimes and inefficiencies. This gap can hinder productivity and increase operational risks.
Partnering with a local IT support company fills this void with an expert team that provides seamless problem resolution and ongoing support. Their services typically include:


 	24/7 IT support to address issues as they arise.
 	Incident response planning to minimize downtime during crises.
 	Regular training sessions to keep staff informed about new technologies and best practices.

Access to experienced IT professionals ensures your firm can adapt to technological changes without compromising operational efficiency.

How IT Managed Services for Law Firms Solves These Challenges
Effective IT support for law firms addresses these challenges through strategic and tailored solutions. 
By prioritizing security, efficiency, and adaptability, professional IT services empower law firms to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Enhanced Data Protection
Professional IT support is essential for enhancing data protection in law firms. These providers employ advanced encryption techniques and conduct comprehensive security audits to safeguard digital assets. Their approach includes:


 	Implementing firewalls to block unauthorized access.
 	Regular vulnerability assessments to identify and mitigate risks.
 	Incident response strategies to quickly address potential breaches.

By leveraging the expertise of a managed service provider, your firm can confidently navigate the complexities of data security.


Proactive Network IT Support & IT Management
Proactive IT management is key to maintaining seamless operations in a law firm. Managed IT service providers excel at providing routine software updates and system optimization to ensure technology infrastructure runs smoothly. 
Their proactive services include:


 	Scheduled maintenance to prevent issues before they arise.
 	Performance monitoring to identify and resolve bottlenecks.
 	Backup solutions to protect against data loss.

This proactive approach reduces downtime and enhances overall productivity, allowing your firm to focus on delivering exceptional legal services.

Tailored Solutions for Remote Work
As remote work becomes increasingly common, tailored IT solutions are crucial for law firms. IT support companies ensure that your firm can access resources securely and efficiently, allowing attorneys to work from anywhere without compromising security. Their tailored solutions include:


 	Customizable access controls to manage who can view sensitive information.
 	Secure file-sharing options that protect client data.
 	Mobile device management to secure personal devices used for work.

By prioritizing security and accessibility, these solutions support flexible work arrangements while safeguarding your firm’s integrity.

Ongoing Training and Support
Ongoing training and support are vital for keeping staff updated on best practices in technology and security. A trusted IT services company’s training programs empower your team to leverage technology effectively and securely. Their training initiatives include:


 	Workshops on cybersecurity awareness to prevent phishing and other attacks.
 	Hands-on training for new software tools to enhance productivity.
 	Regular updates on industry best practices to keep your team informed.

This emphasis on education equips your team with the skills to navigate technological challenges confidently.

Securing Your Firm’s Future with IT Support for Law Firms
The legal landscape is fraught with IT challenges that can jeopardize client trust and operational efficiency. To navigate these turbulent waters, law firms should conduct regular risk assessments and invest in advanced cybersecurity measures. 
A proactive approach is your best defense against potential threats.
Moreover, ongoing training for your staff is essential. Equip your team with the knowledge to tackle technology and security challenges head-on. 
Finally, if your business resides in Southern California, consider partnering with a dedicated Los Angeles managed IT services provider like Be Structured Technology Group. This collaboration not only enhances your operational resilience but also reinforces the trust your clients place in you.


In a world where technology is both a tool and a potential threat, staying ahead is not just smart—it’s essential.
Schedule a free consultation with Be Structured today.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, IT Support, IT support for law firms
- Tags: IT support for law firms, IT support services

#### Local LLM Inference Server: What It Really Costs to Build One for Your Business
What Is a Local LLM Inference Server?
A local LLM inference server is a GPU-accelerated computing system that runs a large language model entirely on hardware your business owns or controls — with no data sent to cloud AI providers like OpenAI or Anthropic. A starter setup for a 7B parameter model costs $3,500–$6,000 in hardware; a production 70B model server runs $80,000–$120,000+ before factoring in power, cooling, and IT overhead.
Having said that, building a local LLM inference server is one of the most technically demanding infrastructure projects a business can undertake — and one of the most misunderstood. Organizations considering private AI server hosting often underestimate what is actually required: not just GPUs and software, but power capacity, cooling infrastructure, physical space, network architecture, and ongoing operational expertise.
Be Structured's outsourced IT service consultants believe that running a local LLM server for business involves far more than choosing a model and turning on hardware. From infrastructure requirements to ongoing energy costs, decision-makers need a clear view of the full investment before moving forward. For organizations that lack robust network hardware support, the gap between expectation and reality can be significant.
What Is a Local LLM Inference Server and Why Are Businesses Considering One?
A local LLM inference server is a dedicated computing system, typically GPU-accelerated, that runs a large language model entirely within your own infrastructure, without relying on cloud-based AI services like OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic. Rather than sending queries to an external API, all processing happens on hardware your organization owns or controls.
The business case is compelling on the surface: data never leaves your environment, there are no per-token API costs, and you maintain full control over model selection and customization. For industries with strict data privacy requirements, such as healthcare, legal, finance, and defense contracting, a private LLM hosting service is not just a preference; it may be a compliance necessity.
But the full cost and complexity picture looks very different once you move past the concept. What follows is an honest accounting of what on-premise LLM server setup actually involves.
What Hardware Do I Need to Run a Local LLM?
The hardware requirements for a local LLM inference server scale directly with the size of the model you want to run. LLMs are measured in parameters: the 7 billion, 13 billion, 70 billion, and 405 billion parameter tiers each carry very different infrastructure demands.
The GPU is the critical component. LLMs require massive parallel processing capability, and the GPU's VRAM (video memory) is the primary constraint. The model weights must fit into VRAM to run at useful inference speeds, and those weights are large.
GPU VRAM Requirements by Model Size
7B parameters
Mistral 7B, LLaMA 3 8B
8–16 GB
NVIDIA RTX 4090 (24GB)
13B parameters
LLaMA 2 13B, Vicuna 13B
24–28 GB
2x RTX 4090 or A6000
30–34B parameters
CodeLlama 34B
48–64 GB
A100 40GB x2, or H100
70B parameters
LLaMA 3 70B, Mixtral 8x7B
80–140 GB
A100 80GB x2, or H100 SXM
405B parameters
LLaMA 3.1 405B
400GB+
Multi-node H100 cluster
For most small to mid-sized businesses exploring a local LLM server for business, a 7B to 13B model running on one or two consumer-grade or prosumer GPUs represents the realistic starting point, not the 70B flagship models that generate most of the press coverage.
Building a local LLM inference server is quite demanding, especially for businesses that don't understand what it's for.
Beyond the GPU, a complete inference server requires:
 	CPU: A modern server-grade processor (AMD EPYC or Intel Xeon) with at least 16 cores. The CPU handles pre- and post-processing, tokenization, and system orchestration.
 	RAM: System RAM should be at least double the GPU VRAM. For a dual-A100 setup, that means 256–320 GB of ECC RAM.
 	Storage: NVMe SSDs for fast model loading. A 70B model in 4-bit quantization occupies roughly 40 GB; full-precision weights can exceed 140 GB.
 	Motherboard and PCIe bandwidth: Multi-GPU configurations require PCIe Gen 4 or Gen 5 lanes with sufficient bandwidth to avoid becoming the bottleneck.
 	Server chassis: Rack-mounted server chassis designed for high-density GPU configurations (typically 4U or larger).
Estimated Hardware Cost by Configuration
Single RTX 4090 workstation
7B models
$3,500 – $6,000
Dual RTX 4090 server
13B models
$8,000 – $14,000
Dual A100 40GB server
34–70B models
$35,000 – $55,000
Dual H100 80GB server
70B+ models
$80,000 – $120,000+
Multi-node H100 cluster
405B models
$400,000+
These figures represent hardware only before software, networking, installation, power infrastructure, or cooling.
What Are the Power and Cooling Requirements for an LLM Server?
This is where many businesses encounter their first major surprise. AI infrastructure is, at its core, an energy challenge as much as a compute challenge.
According to data projections and what we've experienced at Be Structured, AI workloads are expected to account for 75% of data center energy demand by 2030, which is a figure that reflects just how power-intensive sustained GPU inference really is.
Power draw by configuration:
Single RTX 4090 workstation
~150W
~600W
~$630/year
Dual RTX 4090 server
~300W
~1,200W
~$1,260/year
Dual A100 server
~800W
~2,500W
~$2,628/year
Dual H100 server
~1,200W
~3,800W
~$4,000/year
8x H100 cluster node
~3,000W
~10,000W+
~$10,500+/year
The energy figures above assume continuous inference workloads. For intermittent business use, actual consumption may be 40–60% lower. However, the power infrastructure must be provisioned for peak demand regardless of average utilization, which has implications for your facility.
Cooling is the compounding challenge. GPU servers at these densities generate enough heat to require active cooling systems that go well beyond standard office HVAC.
At the higher end of the spectrum, AI workloads produce sufficient thermal output to necessitate water-cooled or liquid-cooled rack systems — infrastructure that most office environments simply do not have and cannot practically install.
Facility power requirements add another layer of complexity. A dual-H100 server drawing 3,800W at peak requires a 20-amp dedicated 240V circuit at minimum, and most offices have neither the electrical panel capacity nor the physical wiring to support it without significant renovation.
Operating server racks demands a lot of energy use.
For multi-GPU clusters, you are looking at a three-phase power infrastructure typically found only in purpose-built data center environments.
Research and infrastructure analysts have consistently shown that power availability, not GPU supply or software capability, has become the primary limiting factor for AI deployment even at major enterprise organizations. If Fortune 500 companies are hitting power ceilings, small businesses face the same constraint at a fraction of the budget.
Is It Cheaper to Self-Host an LLM or Use Cloud AI?
This is the question that drives most of the conversation, and the answer is more nuanced than most vendors on either side will tell you.
The break-even analysis depends heavily on usage volume. Cloud AI APIs are priced by token. OpenAI's GPT-4o charges approximately $2.50 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens at current rates. For a business sending 50 million tokens per month, that is $125 per month in API costs, before factoring in output.
Against that, a self-hosted 7B model on a single RTX 4090 workstation costs roughly $5,000–6,000 upfront plus ~$630/year in energy. At $625/month in avoided API costs, the hardware pays for itself in under a year, on paper.
What the break-even analysis typically omits:
 	IT staff time for setup, maintenance, model updates, and troubleshooting
 	Facility upgrades for power and cooling (potentially $5,000–$50,000+)
 	Networking infrastructure for secure access by multiple users
 	Downtime costs when the server requires maintenance
 	Software licensing for inference frameworks, monitoring, and security tools
 	Model quality gap — a self-hosted 7B model is meaningfully less capable than GPT-4o or Claude Sonnet
The honest conclusion: self-hosting is cost-competitive only when usage volume is high, data privacy requirements justify the premium, and the organization has the IT infrastructure and expertise to support it. For most small businesses, managed IT services that include AI infrastructure support will deliver better value than attempting a fully independent deployment.
Cloud AI vs. Self-Hosted LLM: Total Cost Comparison
Upfront hardware cost
$0
$5,000–$14,000
$80,000–$120,000
Monthly API/compute cost
$200–$2,000+
~$55/month (energy)
~$350/month (energy)
Facility/power upgrades
$0
$0–$5,000
$10,000–$50,000+
IT staff overhead
Low
Medium
High
Model capability
High (GPT-4o, Claude)
Moderate (7–13B)
Good (70B)
Data privacy
Depends on vendor
Full control
Full control
Break-even timeline
N/A
6–18 months*
3–5+ years*
Assumes high-volume inference workloads. Break-even extends significantly at lower usage volumes or when facility upgrades are required.
How Do I Set Up a Private AI Inference Server for My Business?
Setting up a private AI inference server involves more than assembling hardware. Here is Be Structured's step-by-step process that reflects a realistic deployment path for a business environment.
Setting up a private AI inference server is made easier with the help of a managed IT service company.
 	Define your use case and model requirements. Before purchasing any hardware, determine what you actually need the LLM to do. Internal document Q&A, code assistance, customer service drafting, and data extraction each have different performance requirements and acceptable model sizes. This determines whether a 7B or 70B model is appropriate — and therefore your entire hardware budget.
 	Assess your facility's power and cooling capacity. Have an electrician evaluate your panel capacity, dedicated circuit availability, and the feasibility of the cooling load your target configuration will generate. If your office cannot support the power draw, address this before purchasing hardware, not after.
 	Select and procure your GPU server hardware. Based on the model size you identified in step one, select GPU(s), server chassis, CPU, RAM, and storage. Source from reputable enterprise hardware vendors with warranty support. Consumer GPUs (RTX series) are cost-effective for smaller models; professional-grade GPUs (A100, H100) are required for larger deployments and offer significantly better reliability and support.
 	Evaluate colocation as an alternative to on-premise. If your facility cannot support the power and cooling requirements, data center colocation is a compelling middle path. You own the hardware and maintain full control over your data and model, but the server lives in a facility with proper power, cooling, physical security, and network infrastructure already in place. This eliminates most of the facility upgrade cost while preserving the privacy benefits of private AI server hosting.
 	Install and configure your inference framework. Popular options include Ollama (beginner-friendly, excellent for smaller models), vLLM (production-grade, optimized for throughput), and llama.cpp (highly optimized for CPU and consumer GPU inference). Each has different installation requirements, performance profiles, and API compatibility.
 	Secure your inference endpoint. By default, most inference frameworks expose an unprotected API. Before connecting any business data or users, implement authentication (API keys or OAuth), TLS encryption for all traffic, network architecture to restrict access to authorized users and systems, and audit logging for all inference requests.
 	Integrate with your business workflows. Connect your inference server to the applications and workflows that will use it, such as internal tools, document management systems, customer service platforms, or developer environments. Test thoroughly with realistic workloads before rolling out to end users.
 	Establish a monitoring and maintenance cadence. GPU servers require active monitoring for temperature, power draw, VRAM utilization, and inference latency. Model updates, driver updates, and framework updates must be applied regularly. Plan for maintenance windows and consider redundancy if the use case is business-critical.
Private AI Server Hosting: On-Premise vs. Colocation vs. Cloud
Data sovereignty
Full
Full
Partial (depends on vendor)
Upfront cost
High
Medium-High
None
Ongoing cost
Low (energy)
Medium (rack/bandwidth fees)
Variable (per-token)
Facility requirements
Significant
None
None
Scalability
Limited by hardware
Moderate
Instant
IT overhead
High
Medium
Low
Best for
High-volume, compliance-driven
Privacy-focused, facility-constrained
Variable workloads, lower volume
FAQ: Local LLM Inference Server for Business
Q: What is a local LLM inference server?
Think of it as your business's own private version of ChatGPT, running on a server in your office or a data center you control. Instead of typing a question into a website that sends your data to OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google, every query stays inside your network and is answered by hardware your organization owns.
The "inference" part refers to the act of generating a response from a trained AI model — as opposed to training the model from scratch, which is a far larger undertaking that requires hundreds of GPUs and is not something most businesses do themselves. A local inference server is purpose-built for that single job: taking a user's prompt, running it through an open-source model like Llama, Mistral, or Mixtral, and returning the answer — all without any external API call, internet round-trip, or third-party logging.
Organizations choose this setup for three main reasons: regulatory requirements (HIPAA, attorney-client privilege, ITAR, CJIS) that prohibit sending sensitive data to external AI providers, predictable costs at high query volumes, and the ability to fine-tune models on proprietary data without exposing that data to a vendor. It is most common in healthcare systems, law firms, financial services, defense contractors, and government agencies — though increasingly, any business handling confidential client information is evaluating whether private AI infrastructure makes sense for its risk profile.
Q: Can I run a local LLM on a regular office computer?
Technically yes, but practically no for any business use case. A typical office desktop or laptop with 16GB of RAM, an integrated GPU, and a consumer CPU can run very small quantized models (1B–3B parameters like TinyLlama or Phi-3 Mini) using lightweight frameworks like Ollama or llama.cpp — but inference speeds will be slow (often 2–5 tokens per second), output quality will be noticeably weaker than ChatGPT or Claude, and the computer will be largely unusable for other work while the model runs.
For a usable business-grade local LLM, you need a dedicated machine with a discrete GPU containing at least 8GB of VRAM (for 7B models) or 24GB+ (for 13B models). A standard office PC lacks the VRAM, thermal headroom, and sustained power delivery to handle these workloads reliably. Attempting production inference on shared office hardware also creates a single point of failure: if the model is running, the employee can't use their computer effectively, and if the employee needs their computer, the model is unavailable to everyone else.
The minimum realistic entry point for a true business deployment is a dedicated workstation with an NVIDIA RTX 4090 (24GB VRAM) starting around $3,500 — not a repurposed office computer.
Q: What hardware do I need to run a local LLM?
The minimum hardware for a functional local LLM server includes a GPU with sufficient VRAM to hold the model weights (8–24 GB for 7B models, 80–140 GB for 70B models), a server-grade CPU, ECC RAM at roughly double the GPU VRAM, fast NVMe storage for model loading, and a server chassis with adequate cooling.
The GPU VRAM is the single most important specification. If the model weights do not fit in VRAM, the model will run on system RAM or storage, which is 10–50x slower.
Q: How much does it cost to build a local LLM server?
Hardware costs range from approximately $3,500–$6,000 for a single-GPU workstation capable of running 7B models, to $80,000–$120,000+ for a dual-H100 server capable of running 70B models. These figures exclude facility upgrades for power and cooling, networking infrastructure, IT labor, and software. 
The total cost of a production-ready private AI inference deployment is typically 1.5–2x the hardware cost alone.
Q: Is self-hosting an LLM cheaper than using cloud AI?
It depends on usage volume and the full scope of deployment costs. At high inference volumes, self-hosting a smaller model can break even against cloud API costs within 6–18 months. However, most break-even analyses omit facility upgrades, IT staff time, maintenance overhead, and the model quality gap between self-hosted open-source models and frontier cloud models. 
For businesses with moderate usage or limited IT resources, cloud AI typically delivers better total value.
Q: What are the power requirements for running an LLM server?
Power requirements range from approximately 600W peak for a single RTX 4090 workstation to 10,000W or more for an 8-GPU cluster node. Most office environments cannot support the electrical and cooling demands of mid-to-high-end GPU server configurations without dedicated circuits, panel upgrades, and enhanced cooling. 
This is why power availability, not hardware access, has emerged as the primary constraint for AI infrastructure deployment.
Q: What is the difference between on-premise LLM server setup and colocation?
On-premise means the server physically resides in your office or facility, which requires you to provision adequate power, cooling, physical security, and network connectivity. Colocation means your server lives in a third-party data center that provides all of that infrastructure.
You own and control the hardware and software, but the facility overhead is handled for you. For businesses whose offices cannot support the power and cooling demands of GPU servers, colocation is often the most practical path to private AI server hosting.
Q: What is a private LLM hosting service?
Private LLM hosting service refers to running a large language model on infrastructure dedicated exclusively to your organization, either on-premise hardware or collocated servers, rather than on shared cloud AI platforms. It ensures that your data and queries are never processed on multi-tenant infrastructure and gives your organization full control over the model, its configuration, and access controls.
Building a Local LLM Server Is an Infrastructure Decision, Not Just a Technology Decision
A local LLM inference server can deliver genuine value for the right organization. But it is not a plug-and-play project. It is a facilities decision, a power infrastructure decision, a networking decision, and a long-term operational commitment.
For businesses evaluating a move, the honest starting point is not "which GPU should we buy" but "can our facility support this, and do we have the IT resources to maintain it?" If the answer to either question is uncertain, there are better paths than doing it alone.
Be Structured helps Los Angeles businesses evaluate, plan, and deploy AI infrastructure that fits their actual environment. Whether that means on-premise deployment, colocation, or a hybrid approach.
From office relocation involving new server room buildouts, to network installation for secure AI access, to server virtualization that maximizes existing hardware investments, we handle the full infrastructure stack, so your team can focus on what the AI is actually doing for your business.
If you are exploring on-premise LLM server setup or need a partner to assess your readiness, our all-inclusive managed IT services team is the right starting point. Contact Be Structured today.
- Categories: AI, Tips & Tricks

#### Los Angeles IT Services Specialist Be Structured Nominated for CFO of the Year Award
Be Structured Technology Group is proud to be nominated for the 2023 CFO of the year award.

The Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ) congratulates the Be Structured account management team and its leader Chad Becker on becoming one of this year’s nominees which recognizes the most successful Chief Financial Officers in Los Angeles.

In the nomination process, LABJ singled out the Be Structured account management team for revising their "Virtual CIO" process, incorporating enhanced reporting with timely and accurate follow-up, and consistent interaction with their clients.

In so doing, Be Structured has onboarded new tools to better monitor and track their clients' IT cybersecurity needs for internal and compliance security requirements. 
About Be Structured 
Founded in 2007, Be Structured has built a loyal following within the Southern California business community as a leading Los Angeles managed service provider specializing in network installation, hosted cloud solutions and IT security in Los Angeles.

Throughout its history, Be Structured has created long-term relationships with businesses looking for professional, reliable and committed outsourced tech support. 

Chad Becker is Be Structured's nominated CFO of the Year candidate.
About Chad Becker
In his dual role as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and Chief Financial Officer at Be Structured, Chad Becker assumes responsibility for overseeing various management roles, ranging from account management to service desk management to office management. 

He exemplifies leadership by providing mentorship and continuous motivation to his team, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment. 

In addition to his revenue-focused responsibilities, Chad possesses expertise in optimizing business processes, enhancing productivity, ensuring security measures, and excelling in account management. His multifaceted skill set enables him to effectively guide and streamline operations across different functional areas within the organization. 

Chad's adeptness in delegation, decision-making, and conflict resolution further enhances his effectiveness in his management roles. His leadership style encourages teamwork and enables the team to thrive and achieve their goals. 
How the CFO Affects Be Structured’s Clients
After joining Be Structured, Chad Becker demonstrated proficiency in overseeing the support team, resulting in improved KPI and employee retention. He was able to transition from this to an operations role into a revenue-generating position. 

By working directly with clients instead of solely managing an internal team, Chad discovered a better fit for his skills and was able to take what he learned in his operational role to develop a sales process that not only inspired confidence but also fostered loyalty among both new and existing clients. 

Chad Becker's team has expanded client management and achieved retention through enhancements in reporting and cadence of touch points with clients. 

By leveraging web-based tools and integrating them with existing business systems, Becker's team has successfully identified internal areas for improvement, in turn allowing them to cater to client needs more effectively. 

As a result, there has been a 30% increase in client retention and a 20% boost in inside sales and new business from their existing client base. They have also seen a 7% overall growth in sales revenue, driven by increased resales income and acquisition of new clients. 

The prestigious CFO Awards will be announced at a gala event in the famous Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel on September 21, 2023 beginning at 6:00pm.

 
- Categories: Press

#### Los Angeles IT Services: What Are My Options?
The average data breach costs over $4 million. This could be catastrophic to businesses in any industry — especially if the company is small.

Working with the right IT support company can help ensure that you stay protected from threats like these. With so many Los Angeles IT support options to choose from, it can seem difficult to make the right decision.

Let's explore the key attributes you should consider when searching for IT support companies.
Understand Your IT Support Needs
To get started, it's crucial to understand your needs. This will play a large role in finding the ideal candidate. Do you need access to remote storage?

How is your current server infrastructure? Answering these questions can help get you started on the right track. It's worth noting that reputable professionals can help you determine this information. They can often pinpoint the services and features your business needs the most.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is Their Security Architecture?
This is an attribute you can never overlook. No matter how proficient an IT service provider is, it won't mean much if they don't prioritize security.

Even a single security incident can become a major setback. Unfortunately, there's no shortage of cybercriminals looking to extort businesses. They often do so through the use of ransomware, which is malicious software that encrypts sensitive data.

The hacker then demands a ransom in cryptocurrency in exchange for restoring access to this information. However, there's no guarantee the hacker won't take the money and run. In fact, the FBI recommends against paying ransoms to these criminals.

Working a specialist in IT security in Los Angeles can help your local business prevent attacks today and in the future.
Check Their Reputation
It’s always in your best interest to work with a managed service provider who has a solid reputation. Check out with past clients have had to say about their experience. This will provide insight into what you should expect from them. It's also worth looking at examples of their past work.

Check to see if they frequently collaborate with companies like yours. For instance, a small business owner wouldn't want to hire someone who primarily works with corporations. Researching this information can help you get the best results from your provider.
Are They Flexible?
They should have flexible plans and policies to help you get the most out of your relationship with them.

To clarify, your plan should be easily scalable in the event that your company grows or needs to downsize. If they won't accommodate you, it's best to look elsewhere. The IT support company you choose should have no problem handling the changing needs of your business.
Are They Communicative?
The last thing you want is to be unable to get in touch with your IT provider. They should be highly communicative and willing to answer questions or concerns. It's not uncommon for IT service providers to offer 24/7 support, which is an attribute you shouldn't overlook. Transparency is also important to consider.

For instance, there may come a time when your service provider changes policies that affect their customers. They should inform people of these changes ahead of time so they can adapt appropriately.
How Is Their Customer Support?
Stellar customer support is one of the most important aspects of a reliable IT service provider. Your provider should always strive to help you resolve issues you encounter. Otherwise, your company could experience unnecessary downtime.

Working with a customer support representative should be a quick and pleasant process. If their support team doesn't seem willing to help you fix your problems, steer clear of this business.
Consider Their Billing Structure
Financial surprises are never pleasant to deal with. In some cases, they can prove to be a substantial amount of money.

Take a close look at their billing structure before you sign an agreement. Keep an eye out for businesses that aren't willing to elaborate on their billing policy. This is a red flag you shouldn't ignore, as they may attempt to charge unnecessary fees.

Keep in mind that some providers are willing to negotiate. However, the buyer will need to initiate. It's not uncommon for a provider to offer lower rates if a client signs a multiyear agreement, for example.
Look for Certifications
You should never work with a provider that does not have the proper certifications. This helps establish proficiency in certain areas, such as software development or cybersecurity. Unfortunately, you simply won't know if the provider is qualified to meet your needs without these in place.

So, you'll essentially be rolling the dice if you work with someone who is not properly certified. The good news is that a certified providers are more than happy to show off their certifications. You can often easily find them on their website.
Disaster Recovery Solutions
Disasters aren’t always preventable, and having the right plan in place can mean the difference between whether or not your company recovers.

The provider should have both onsite and offsite data backups to help you get back on track. For example, a natural disaster could destroy your company's facility and ruin the computers/hard drives you own. They should offer ongoing support after a disaster until your business is back to normal. This will go a long way when it comes to minimizing lost revenue.
Hiring the Right Los Angeles IT Support Company
Working with the right professional is crucial when it comes to the longevity of your business. Consider the above information about finding Los Angeles IT services so you can make the best decision.

Get in touch with us at Be Structured to see how we can help.

Our team of reputable professionals has the experience and resources to handle all of your IT needs.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### Los Angeles IT Support Company Deals With Malware and Ransomware
Cyber attacks are on the rise. It’s estimated that cyber crime damages will be in excess of $6 trillion by 2021. Cyber crime damage comes in many forms from data destruction to intellectual property theft. There are often major financial fallout from money stolen or embezzled and personal information compromised which has all sorts of financial repercussions.
That’s not even taking into consideration the disruption of businesses with hacked systems needing to be patched or replaced and compromising your customer’s confidence in your network's ability to maintain stability and, most importantly, safety.
One of the most common threat vectors to damaging your cyber security continues to be malware and ransomware.  There have been some very nasty types of ransomware that have been deployed recently, such as Ryuk, Sodinokibi, LockerGoga and many others, and they all have caused a lot of damage both in terms of downtime and the bottom line to the businesses and corporations that have been impacted by them.  In fact, in a previous article, we outlined the five worst Malware attacks in history.
But when one thinks about Malware, attacks such as Ransomware, Phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) often come to mind.  But there is another threat vector that is gaining strong traction – Document based Malware.
What Is Document Based Malware?
A formal definition of this is as follows:
“It is malware that is hidden directly in the document itself or an embedded script downloads it from an external website,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CTO of Be Structured, an IT support company in Los Angeles. 
Simply put, the malware can be anything from a malicious .EXE file or even a macro that is embedded in the document itself.  Once the victim downloads it onto their computer, the payload is then deployed and launched.  
From there, the damage then starts, whether it is destroying the files on the victim’s computer, or covertly hijacking the Personal Identifiable Information (PII) on the otherwise structured network.
The Trends In Document-Based Malware
Consider some of the latest statistics on just how Document based Malware is becoming so rampant:
Almost half (specifically 48%) of all Malware based files came from and were deployed by some document format; the most common infected files were those of Excel (.XLS), Word (.DOC), and Adobe Acrobat Reader (.PDF).
In a recent study that was conducted by Barracuda Networks, there were more than 300,000 unique, malicious documents that were identified.  This indicates that this is now becoming a prime choice for the Cyberattacker when they launch their specific threat vectors.
From the above, almost 59% of all the malicious documents that were detected in just the first quarter of 2019 alone.  This is an 18% growth rate from the same time period in 2018.
Of this, there were more than 47,000 infected PDF files, and close to 51,000 infected Microsoft Office files.  These have become even more difficult to detect by anti-malware and anti-spyware software applications, and other security mechanisms.
In the financial sector, the most commonly used Document Malware downloader is known as “Emotnet”, along with its variant, “Trickbot”.  Both of these make use of Email distribution lists that are available from the Dark Web and utilize the PowerShell tool (this is an object-oriented scripting language) in order to deploy the malicious documents to the unsuspecting end user.
Once the victim has downloaded the infected file, the Malware in the document is either installed automatically, or by tricking them to enable the macro functionality that is available.  By default, this is disabled in Microsoft Office, it has to be enabled by the end user.
The most common types of Malware that are used to infect documents include the following:

Viruses
Trojan Horses
Spyware
Worms
Ransomware

It’s often hard to identify a malware issue with an in-house IT department that doesn't spend the majority of their time studying the varying types and tactical twists of the ever-evolving viruses. 
That’s why in these challenging technological times, outsourcing technical support has become the preferred method of providing network support services. Those on the outside looking in are more likely to attend ongoing master classes in the latest attacking trends. The offsite IT company can then make recommendations on how to best prevent a malware attack before it happens rather than react to the issue after the fact. 

 
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, Managed Cyber Security Services, MSSP, Ransomware, Ransomware Attack, Ransomware Protection, Ransomware Virus

#### Los Angeles IT Support Company Finds Phishing Emails Expose Vulnerability
How IT Support Services Prevent Phishing Emails During COVID-19
As the eyes of the world turn attention to the ominous threat of the Coronavirus, cyber-attackers have used this compounding concern to send out an army of their own viruses. 
Piggy-backing on the millions of emails circling the globe concerning Covid-19, businesses are now faced with the threat of dealing with technology-related viruses. This growing trend is like salt in the wounds of a booming economy that seems to have tanked overnight.
Taking Cybersecurity measures seriously and having a disaster recovery plan in the midst of a health crisis is absolutely vital to the health, productivity, and future longevity of a business, enterprise, or government entity.
What Are Phishing Emails?
Phishing is an obvious play on “fishing”, where a cyber fisherman uses email as his bait to lure in unsuspecting users who see an email that appears to be legit but is, in fact, a trap. Often, the email comes from what appears to be a trustworthy and upstanding company - like Wells Fargo or Fidelity. 
With the appearance of legitimacy, users are asked to go to the “company’s” website and enter sensitive information about their account. Usually there's a kind of urgency to the missive in the form that alludes to your account being exposed or overdrafted.
The link, however, literally baits and switches you to a site that may appear to be the corporate’s actual site, when in fact it is not. And the information you enter there dumps directly into the waiting hands of the hackers who set it up. 
Unlike straight-up hacking which can take a little more effort on the criminal’s part, phishing is as simple as drafting the phony email and hitting send. The rest falls on the user to let his or her guard down, open and click the email and voluntarily open up their valued security and all sorts of sensitive information. Credit card data, account info, social security numbers and addresses are among the secrets that unknowing people suddenly give up.
Phishing In The Age of COVID-19
No thanks to the paranoia brought on by the Coronavirus, Phishing has become a big business of cyberattackers ready to pounce on the confusion and uncertainty of the virus-riddled times, according to one IT service in Los Angeles.
With millions of people responding to the fear and the preparedness of the coronavirus outbreak with a heightened sense of urgency, hackers capitalize on this by also communicating urgency in their emails. If you are surrounded by a constant or chronic state of emergency, your ability to respond logically wanes by the day. The inability to filter what is truly urgent from what is perceived to be urgent becomes difficult. 
This makes it easier for the cybercriminal community to manipulate the emotions and responses to their recipients by sneaking in an email amongst an avalanche of real emails that fall under the same theme.
Think about how many emails are being sent internally and externally from hospitals, drug companies, pharmacies, and other medically-related companies in response to Covid-19. Then think about the urgency of these emails for this specific segment of the market. 
This becomes an easier target for a cyberattack just based on the sheer number of emails being exchanged every day. A wolf in sheep’s clothing is much harder to spot in a herd of sheep running around in a panic.
How Can I Protect My Computer From Coronavirus Phishing Emails?
Some of these tips seem obvious - but in a state of world pandemic and crisis, going over the basics is akin to remembering the ‘stop, drop, and roll’ drills we are taught as kids if we ever found ourselves on fire. Employing any of these tactics will help mitigate risks flowing into your inbox. The more you employ, the increased probability of your data security.
Beyond data security, prepare for an accidental breach of your internal network by making sure your data is backed up whether at home or in the office. In Los Angeles county, cloud computing resources are one strong way to make sure your personal or business network systems are thoroughly backed up in case of a disaster - be it from a hacker or a natural disaster like an earthquake outage.
Corona Virus Emails Do Not Come From A Credible Sender
Sometimes the non-credibility of a sender seems obvious - but not even this is a sure way to eliminate risk as hackers are getting smarter about posing as top-level executives in real-time by monitoring their social media accounts to start an email off with a piece of personal or privileged business information to gain instant credibility.
Not one credible email will come from a public email domain. Not even employees at Google use Gmail for their internal business emails! If you are not familiar with the domain name after the @ symbol, check the domain in a secure web browser to see if any other red flags come up. This still can be hard to spot as cyber attackers are building out fake news and website domains to legitimize their emails.
You’re also advised not to take the link in the actual email. If the email appears to have come from a company that you do happen to engage in business with - like a bank or credit card company - then you probably already have this institution’s website bookmarked, cached or saved in a password vault like Last Pass. 
Then go to the site using your link and see if there is any indication on the trusted site that what was being alluded to in the email is legit. If the email had asked you to verify your social security number, for example, but the actual corporate site mentions nothing about then you’ve avoided the phishing scam.
Now go back to that original email and flag it as spam in your email service. 
Also take note of the prefix in a URL to see whether the hypertext transfer protocol contains an “S” after the http:domain.com in the thread. The “S” in the https://domain.com refers to an encryption level of security and the presence of an SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate meaning that the information you pass on that site will be protected. 
Coronavirus Hacking Emails Have Misspelled Domain Names
Have you ever been so busy that you didn’t notice you typed 2 letters in the wrong sequence or have read a word that had two letters that looked similar? Exchanging an M for an R and an N to mimic the letter in the desired word like in this email address randalscott@creativernedia.com may seem obvious when viewing on this blog. However, if your inbox is anything like the average American’s inbox with 100-200 emails pouring into any given day - it’s much easier for your mind to miss it. Add stress and exhaustion to the mix and watch the vulnerability of your inbox skyrocket.
Check through your emails and scan with a detailed eye for these clever mistakes. Cybercriminals love to use this tactic especially when they are trying to mimic a c-level executive giving instructions to an employee in their organization. These emails command the authority of the owner in which they mimic and can be more effective in their false financial directives.
One Los Angeles network structured support service even goes so far as to recommend the proper installation of a robust and secure network hardware support system from the beginning of starting a business. Cyber security is the first line of defense in preventing breaches and cyber attacks down the road. 
Coronavirus Phishing Emails Are Repetitive
Cybercriminals are looking for weaknesses. Oftentimes they can determine vulnerabilities in an organization based on user actions. Opening a phishing email multiple times around the office can translate to who is going to be easier to target. Hackers will send a series of emails to weed out people who are starting to catch on to their email campaign and will then focus on people who have a higher open rate.
Even if they do nothing that the email instructs, it’s still enough for the cybercriminal to analyze the effectiveness in his campaign and then create a bigger hacking tactic or plant ransomware based on the organization’s weaknesses. The best way to avoid this is to slow down, check your sender information, and also equip your nearest IT support company in Los Angeles with phishing email education and regular testing by planting safe phishing emails in their inbox.
Unsafe Emails Are Poorly Written
Poorly written emails are a sure sign that the sender is up to no good. Although poorly written emails are more associated with direct email scams and less with phishing attacks- we can all learn from this one fact: People who open and respond to poorly written emails are more likely to fall victim to a scam. If an email is written in broken English and full of spelling errors and it doesn’t raise a red flag in the recipient’s mind, that translates to gullibility and puts digital crosshairs right into your inbox.
Check For Grammar in Phishing Emails
Phishing attacks are more associated with poor grammar. Scanning through the email for grammatical errors is a basic red flag. A majority of these emails are coming from cyber attackers who do not speak English as their native language. If you find yourself consciously or even subconsciously noticing errors in the way the content flows because of simple grammatical errors- raise your flag of concern.
With so much technology at our fingertips - both spelling and grammatical errors are automatically brought to our attention through red, blue, and green lines as we type. There is no excuse for poorly written emails full of spelling errors coming from someone within our organization, client, or vendor databases.
Coronavirus Phishing Emails Have Suspicious Attachments Or Links
Malware comes packaged so beautifully. Cybercriminals are getting better and better on the delivery of their payload by packaging it to look real. They will label attachments as invoices, embed logos of major companies within their email to make it seem legitimate. 
If your business is in Los Angeles county, consulting with a managed service provider can help advise your staff what to look for in assaulting emails and can also set up certain email protocols and firewalls to thwart any attempted attack. 
Hackers are hoping you will download the attachment to infect your computer with malware or ransomware, or direct you to a fake website to enter sensitive information.
This tactic is trying to manipulate the recipient by his or her perceived responsibilities through demanding some sort of professional transaction. Invoicing, banking, registrations or any online data offering can elicit a natural reaction to take care of an urgent matter and provoke enough curiosity to open an attachment or click a link to find out more information.
Phishing Email Education is The Best Prevention
Your first line of defense always starts with the individual. If someone inside of your organization doesn’t know how to spot something suspicious from the attacks coming from the outside, how can they ever be effective in protecting your digital assets? We learn not to talk to strangers when we are kids. We learn to NEVER open the door for anyone the first time our parents let us stay home alone. 
Teaching the next generation the imminent dangers of the environment around them is part of passing down generations of basic wisdom.
Phishing email training is one of the best ways to educate yourself and your employees on how to spot a phishing or ransomware attack. This is even more crucial if you have to send your employees to work from home. 
As technology changes daily, keeping up with the wisdom and knowledge of recognizing outside threats coming into our inbox gets more and more complicated. Cyber attackers are like chameleons in the tech space. They will cloak themselves in the disguise of the digital environment they are trying to penetrate.
Keep Your Email Training and Policies Updated
Training that happens only while onboarding the employee will quickly become outdated. Regular testing and training must be done with your entire team to ensure their knowledge stays current to the latest attack trends. ID Agent’s Dark Web Scan with Phishing Email Training is a great product that can not only check for your information on the Deep Web, but also helps employees spot malicious email through their regular training modules. Contact Be Structured Technology Group if you are looking for corporate email training and creating a solid Disaster Recovery Plan for your business.
- Categories: Trending
- Tags: coronavirus, Disaster Recovery, Phishing Email, Phishing Scams

#### Los Angeles IT Support Leaders, Be Structured, Wins Most Innovative Finance Team Award From LABJ
Be Structured Technology Group wins Most Innovative Finance Team honors awarded by the Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ). CFO Chad Becker and his Be Structured team were honored with the award in a live presentation at The Biltmore Los Angeles on September 21, 2023.

In recognition of Be Structured’s winning financial department, the LABJ recognized the “Virtual CIO” process that Becker’s team has perfected along with the company’s dedication to timely and accurate reporting.

It was also noted that a consistently high level of customer interaction and quality customer service also helped set Be Structured apart from the other experienced companies in Los Angeles.

Be Structured Technology Group wins Most Innovative Finance Team honors awarded by the Los Angeles Business Journal
A Leading Cybersecurity Company in Los Angeles
Beyond Be Structured’s dedication to quality financial oversight is our commitment to the finest cybersecurity protections for both our company and to our clients.

We continue to stay ahead of the cybersecurity protection mandates and CMMC compliance to assure every client’s technology platform is safe and thoroughly protected.
About Chad Becker
As the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and Chief Financial Officer at Be Structured, Chad Becker takes on a dual role overseeing a wide array of managerial functions. These responsibilities span from managing accounts to supervising the service desk and even handling office management duties.

Chad leads by example, offering guidance and unwavering motivation to his team. He fosters a work environment characterized by collaboration and support, setting the tone for success.

Beyond his primary focus on revenue, Chad brings a wealth of expertise to the table. He excels in optimizing business processes, elevating productivity, fortifying security protocols, and demonstrating excellence in account management. His diverse skill set empowers him to effectively steer and streamline operations across various functional areas within the organization.

Chad's proficiency in delegation, decision-making, and conflict resolution further bolsters his effectiveness in his managerial roles. His leadership approach champions teamwork and empowers the team to flourish, ultimately helping them achieve their objectives.
How an Outsourced IT Support Company’s CFO Improves the Client Experience
As a founding member of Be Structured, Chad Becker continues to improve the client experience from the onboarding process through day-to-day management of the accounts.

Working directly with clients, rather than solely managing an internal team, Chad draws on his experience in operations by crafting a sales process that not only instills confidence but also cultivates loyalty among both new and existing clients.

Under Chad Becker's leadership, the client management team has expanded its reach over the years, achieving higher retention rates by refining reporting methods and intensifying interactions with clients. By harnessing web-based tools and seamlessly integrating them with existing business systems, Becker's team pinpoints areas for internal improvement, thus enabling them to cater to client needs with increased efficiency.

These efforts bore fruit, resulting in a remarkable 30% surge in client retention and a notable 20% uptick in inside sales and new business stemming from their existing client base.

Furthermore, the company experienced an overall 7% growth in sales revenue, driven by heightened resales income and the acquisition of new clients.

The entire Be Structured team commends Becker’s continued dedication to his craft and congratulates him on the honor of being Los Angeles’ Most Innovative Finance Team this year.
- Categories: Awards

#### Los Angeles Managed Services Provider Pricing vs. Hiring In-House IT
To outsource or not outsource IT? For Los Angeles small businesses, that often is the question.

Of course, the answer is not so simple. On one hand, having an in-house specialist (or multiple specialists) offers a certain peace of mind. If there’s a problem with your IT, someone down the hall is available to fix the problem. On the other hand, turning to a managed service provider (MSP) delivers small businesses a level of convenience and a different peace of mind in knowing that they won’t be flying blind with their technology.

An objection to using an outsourced managed services provider might be pricing. The cost can seem unreasonable for small businesses wondering if having someone in-house is a better alternative. Examining the costs of an MSP versus hiring a dedicated IT person is important to determine which truly is the more cost-efficient option. The results may surprise you.
What Should You Spend on IT?
Naturally, a small business’s IT budget depends on plenty of factors, including number of employees, e-commerce capabilities, the nature of the business’s product or service, and so on. There is no magic number or percentage that works for every organization. However, research has shown that small businesses tend to spend a greater percentage of their overall revenue on IT than their midsized and large counterparts. This could suggest that technology impacts small businesses more (and is thus more expensive), and it also could suggest that these organizations are spending too much to secure the IT they require. You must budget enough so that your IT works for you and your customers, but be careful not to spend too much and cut into your bottom line.
Ask Yourself Some Questions
Assessing your IT requirements is imperative to establishing a budget and determining if the pricing of a managed services provider fits your game plan. Some questions to ask yourself include:

 	How much computing power do you require to effectively run the business?
 	How much do your customers interact with your technology?
 	Do you engage in e-commerce to sell your product?
 	If your systems suddenly went down, how much business would be lost in the downtime?
 	Do many of your employees work remotely?
 	How often are your systems targeted by cyberattacks?
 	Is anyone currently on staff capable of handling an IT crisis?

Answering these questions can give you a better idea of what you need to spend on IT—and whether a managed service provider is worth the price.
Location Matters
Small businesses in small towns face a challenge: The amount of IT talent in their regions might be limited, so hiring in-house can be difficult. Alternately, IT experts in tech-heavy areas such as San Francisco or Austin can be challenging to hire—you may not have the budget to pay what these specialists can command. Fortunately, Los Angeles doesn’t encounter either scenario, though as a big city, you will still need to provide a decent salary to hire in-house. That said, LA tech talent is strong, and whether you outsource or put someone on payroll, you can find the expertise you seek.
The Showdown: MSPs vs. In-House IT
Here is the MSP/in-house comparison this post has been building up to—and this is where the surprises start rolling in. These comparisons show the cost-effectiveness of managed services provider pricing:

 	Technical support: If something goes wrong with your IT, yes, your salaried tech may be able to fix the problem during office hours, but what happens if your computer melts down when your business is on the clock but your IT person isn’t? Or what if your tech is on vacation? The downtime can be costly—but it’s avoidable if an MSP is just a phone call away.
 	Technology development: Few individual IT specialists are experts in everything. If you want to expand your technology into an area your salaried tech isn’t proficient, the process will be slow and costly, or you’ll be paying a third party to do the job on top of what you already pay your in-house person. MSPs are experts in multiple disciplines (and constantly updating their skills) so that however you want to expand, your partner will be up to the task.
 	Turnover: What happens when your in-house IT person—who holds all the knowledge of your technology workings—moves on to the next stage of his or her career? Not only will you need to hire a replacement, but you also must replace the established IT intelligence specific to your business. With an MSP, you don’t run that risk.
 	Total costs: Hiring someone in-house involves more than just a salary. You must also consider health insurance, 401(k), vacation time, overtime, hiring costs, training, development, and so on. These costs add up—and often might be more than working with an MSP.
 	Expertise: The person you hire might be an expert in some areas and not as proficient in others. As already stated, any knowledge gaps may lead to hiring a third party anyway, or you can assemble a team of techs and watch your IT budget balloon. An MSP delivers that team, but for a reasonable cost.

Finding the IT Knowledge You Need
Another challenge for small businesses with IT talent is that, not knowing much about technology, they don’t know what to look for when evaluating someone for an in-house position. Hire the wrong person, and costs can skyrocket. The best managed service providers deliver experience without a lot of sweat on your part. This gives you the confidence that your IT will be handled the right way and frees you up to concentrate on what you do best: running and growing a successful business.
Excerpt: Having an in-house specialist (or multiple specialists) offers a certain peace of mind. If there’s a problem with your IT, someone down the hall is available to fix the problem. On the other hand, turning to a managed service provider (MSP) delivers small businesses a unique level of convenience.
- Categories: Hiring, MSPs

#### Making a Smooth Transition with Los Angeles IT Support
Are you a local company looking to make big changes to your IT support Los Angeles based business?

When it comes to the tech side of your business, you've really got two options: to hire in-house IT workers or outsource your IT support to a Los Angeles managed service provider. Whatever you decide to do, it's important to understand that it's never too late to make a switch when you're not satisfied with your current IT situation.

In this post, we're going to tell you how to make a smooth transition with Los Angeles IT support. Running a business today requires you to utilize a great deal of technology.

With that, you need to be thinking about cybersecurity, troubleshooting problems, and building networks. Quality business IT services and security will make it much easier to tackle all of these complex necessities, so keep reading and learn how to make the switch and what some of the benefits of doing so will be.
Why It's Important to Make a Smooth Outsourced Tech Support Transition
Changing the way you do IT can be a stressful endeavor for any business owner. When you take your IT infrastructure and overturn it, there's a lot that can go wrong during the interim. Accounting for all that can and will go wrong will help you make a smoother transition.

Some of the biggest things you'll need to worry about are security and data breaches while you're moving from network to network. Incorrect data mapping is another that can result in wrong information being uploaded to your systems.

There's also your reputation that you'll need to consider. If operations are severely disrupted during your IT transition or if you have security issues, your customers will be affected. This can negatively impact your reputation in myriad ways.

A smooth transition that accounts for all of these possibilities can only be done with intense preparation. When you're switching to a top-notch Los Angeles-based managed IT service, you can work with them to ensure nothing goes awry.
Tips for Switching Business IT Services and Security
There are right and wrong ways to go about an IT transition. Here, we'll give you some essential tips to guarantee everything goes smoothly.
Control Your Network
If you fail to make sure that you've got full control of your files and data backups. When you hire an outsourced technical support company, you entrust them to oversee all aspects of the tech side of your business.

All of your data is stored on the equipment that they have control of. If you don't make a point to take control back or they refuse to cooperate with your transition, you could end up locked out of your systems. It's important to change passwords in order to maintain your hold on your company.
Obtain Your Current Network Map
As you're letting go of your former IT provider, make sure to obtain all IT documentation. This includes network maps, passwords, user names, hardware, software, and accounts.

You'll need to hand this over to your new IT provider so that they can quickly get to know your current system and diagnose any issues you might be having. This is how they'll be able to come up with suitable solutions for the new network installation.
Make Sure Security Is Your #1 Priority
When switching over, ensuring that security is in place will be of utmost importance. Your new IT service should perform a thorough security check as they're coming in, especially if you've been exposed in the past.

Avoiding common security breaches will depend a lot on timing. Make sure that you notify your current provider of the switch with plenty of notice. Set up an appropriate time to transition so that there's minimal downtime where your cybersecurity will be vulnerable.

You should also let your employees know ASAP when the switch is being planned. A lot of security risks are down to human error, so your workers should be well-versed in what's going on.

Now would also be a great time to discuss and understand your company's cybersecurity compliance. A good cybersecurity provider in Los Angeles can help explain what you'll need to do to become compliant and avoid future headaches down the road.
How to Find the Best Los Angeles IT Support Service
As soon as you feel that your IT support isn't doing enough, it's time to make a switch. Some of the common reasons why companies switch IT services include:

 	Noticing the same network glitches over and over
 	Finding hidden fees on your bills
 	Your business is expanding and your current IT service isn't meeting your needs any longer

When you choose to make an IT switch, you'll need to find the right Los Angeles IT support service. The first step will be looking at ratings and reviews from past clients. This will tell you a lot about an IT service's reputation and ability to meet your needs.

The next thing you'll want to look at is the services provided. You need to make sure that they're going to be able to scale upward with your business so you don't run into any more walls. You'll also need to ensure they can provide the cybersecurity infrastructure to ensure your business stays safe.

Lastly, you'll want to understand the costs involved. Get quotes from a few different services and compare the services on offer with how much they'll cost you each month.

Remember, having fantastic tech services, and IT security in Los Angeles can save you money long-term. It does so by keeping your data safe, preventing costly shutdowns, and ensuring your equipment and network are always in good shape.
Get the Best IT Services in Los Angeles
Making the decision to switch your Los Angeles IT support is a consequential one for your business. As long as you follow this guide and know what to look for in a quality IT service, you'll bring more stability, safety, and scalability to your business.

Be Structured Technology Group is an all-inclusive Los Angeles managed  service provider that has helped countless LA-based businesses with the tools they need to succeed.

To book a free consultation and find out what we can bring to the table, don't hesitate to contact us ASAP.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### Malware Injection Attacks
The Types of Malware Injection Attacks
The Cloud Computing Infrastructure is susceptible to Malware Injection Attacks. In these instances, the Cyber attacker creates a malicious application and injects it into the SaaS, PaaS and the IaaS, respectively. Once the injection is completed, the malicious module is executed as one of the valid instances running in the Cloud Infrastructure. From  this point, the Cyber attacker can then launch any sort of attack, such as covert eavesdropping, data manipulation, and data theft.

It is important to note that amongst all of the malware injection attacks, it is the SQL Injection Attack and the Cross-Site Scripting attack are the two most common forms that can be launched against a Cloud Computing Infrastructure.
The SQL Injection Attack
SQL injections are a type of malware injection attack that targets SQL servers in the Cloud Infrastructure that run vulnerable database applications. Thus, the Cyber attacker exploits the vulnerabilities of the web servers, and from there, injects a malicious code in order to circumvent the login credentials and gain unauthorized access to the backend databases.

If this is successful, the Cyber attacker can then further manipulate the contents of the SQL Server databases; retrieve confidential data; remotely execute system commands; or even take control of the web server for further criminal activities.  The SQL injection attacks can also be launched by a botnet.

For example, the Asprox botnet used a thousand bots that were equipped with an SQL injection kit to fire an SQL injection attack (SOURCE:  1). The bots first sent encoded SQL queries containing the exploit payload to Google for searching web servers that ran the ASP.net framework.

Then, the bots started executed a SQL injection attack against the web sites returned from those queries. In the end, over 6 million URLs belonging to 153,000 different web sites that were hosted on various Cloud Infrastructures were impacted the Asprox botnet.
Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
Cross Site Scripting attacks are a type of malware injection attack where the Cyber attacker injects malicious scripts, such as JavaScript, VBScript, ActiveX, HTML, and Flash, into a vulnerable dynamic web page in order  to execute these various scripts on the victim’s web browser.  Afterwards, the Cyber attacker could then steal the session cookie used for authorization for the purposes of accessing the victim’s account or tricking the victim into clicking a malicious link.

For example,  Cyber researchers recently in Germany have successfully demonstrated an XSS attack against the Amazon AWS Cloud Computing Platform. The vulnerability in the Amazon store allowed the team to hijack an AWS session and gain successful access to all of the customer data (this included  authentication data, tokens, and plain text passwords). (SOURCE: 2).
The Wrapping Attack
Wrapping attacks are a type of malware injection that make use of the XML signature wrapping (or XML rewriting) to exploit a weakness when web servers validate signed requests. This type of Cyber-attack is accomplished during the translation of SOAP messages between a legitimate user and the web server.

The Cyber attacker embeds a bogus element (the wrapper) into the message structure, moves the original message body under the wrapper, and replaces the content of the message with malicious code.  From here, it is then sent to then to the server hosted on the Cloud Computing Infrastructure.

Since the original message body is still valid, the server will then be tricked into authorizing the message that has actually been altered. As a result, the Cyber attacker is then able to gain unauthorized access to protected resources. From here, the illegal operations can then proceed.

Since cloud users normally request services from cloud computing service providers through a web browser, wrapping attacks can cause damage to cloud systems as well. Amazon’s EC2 was discovered to be vulnerable to wrapping attacks in 2008 (SOURCE: 3).

The research showed that the EC2 had a weakness in the SOAP message security validation mechanism. A signed SOAP request of a legitimate user could be intercepted and modified. As a result, the Cyber attacker could then take unprivileged actions on victim’s accounts in the Cloud Environment.

By using the XML signature wrapping technique, the Cyber researchers also demonstrated an account hijacking attack that exploited a vulnerability in the Amazon AWS (SOURCE: 4). By altering authorized digitally signed SOAP messages, the Cyber researchers were then able to obtain unauthorized access to a customer’s account. They could also delete and create new images on the customer’s EC2 instance, and also perform other administrative tasks.
Conclusions
Now that you've learned about malware injection attacks our next blog will examine other types of threat variants to a Cloud Infrastructure.
Sources

 	N. Provos, M. A. Rajab, and P. Mavrommatis, “Cybercrime 2.0: When the Cloud Turns Dark,” ACM Communications, Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 42–47, 2009.
 	Researchers Demo Cloud Security Issue With Amazon AWS Attack, October 2011.                 http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/405419/researchers_demo_cloud_security_issue_amaz on_aw s_attack/
 	N. Gruschka and L. L. Iacono, “Vulnerable Cloud: SOAP Message Security Validation Revisited,”          IEEE International Conference on Web Services, Los Angeles, 2009.
 	Researchers Demo Cloud Security Issue With Amazon AWS Attack, October 2011.                                                            http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/405419/researchers_demo_cloud_security_issue_amaz on_aw s_attack/
- Categories: Security
- Tags: cross site scripting, Cyber Attack, Cyber Security, malware, sql injection, wrapping attack

#### Managed Cybersecurity for Remote Workers: Protecting Your Business From the Outside In
Remote work offers flexibility, but it also introduces significant cybersecurity challenges. 
Many remote employees rely on personal devices that often lack the robust security measures found in traditional office settings. 
This creates vulnerabilities ranging from unsecured home networks to the absence of centralized monitoring, making sensitive company data an easy target for cybercriminals.
Enterprise-grade security solutions are essential for mitigating these risks. Antivirus software, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and endpoint security serve as the foundation of a secure remote work environment. 
This article explores key managed cybersecurity threats remote workers face, the importance of using antivirus for remote work, and the best practices businesses can implement to safeguard company data.

Key Cybersecurity Threats Faced by Remote Workers
Remote employees encounter numerous cybersecurity threats that exploit their unique working conditions. One of the most common threats is clone  phishing attacks. 
Cybercriminals craft deceptive emails that mimic legitimate communications, tricking employees into clicking malicious links or divulging sensitive information. For example, an email appearing to be from HR may request verification of personal details, compromising an employee’s credentials.
Ransomware is another critical threat. Attackers target remote workers by infiltrating their devices and encrypting files, demanding payment for their release. This can lead to financial losses and operational disruptions. 
A remote employee might unknowingly download ransomware from a compromised website, causing company-wide consequences.
Unsecured networks further exacerbate these risks. Many remote workers use public Wi-Fi or home routers with inadequate security configurations, making them easy targets for hackers. 
An employee working from a coffee shop may unknowingly expose sensitive company data to cybercriminals intercepting unsecured transmissions.
Insider threats are also a growing concern. While external attacks are a primary focus for cybersecurity measures, internal security risks—whether intentional or accidental—can be just as damaging.
Also being aware of how to specifically manage the mobile devices of remote workers is key to keeping your business secure.
Employees may misuse company data, fall victim to social engineering tactics, or inadvertently share confidential information, increasing the risk of data breaches.

Importance of Antivirus for Remote Work
To combat these threats, organizations must invest in enterprise-grade security solutions. Advanced antivirus software is a crucial first line of defense. Unlike consumer-grade options, enterprise-level antivirus programs offer real-time threat detection and mitigation, ensuring that malware and other malicious programs are neutralized before causing harm. 
Antivirus for remote work is particularly essential for detecting and blocking sophisticated cyber threats that target employees working from home or using personal devices. Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) add another critical layer of security by monitoring network traffic for suspicious activity and blocking potential threats.


Antivirus focus is important to protect remote workers from outside threats.
Implementing an IPS allows organizations to proactively defend against cyberattacks and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive company resources. Endpoint security is also essential for securing the diverse range of devices remote workers use.
With comprehensive endpoint security solutions, organizations can monitor and protect all connected devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. This enhances visibility and control over the remote workforce, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches.

Best Practices for Secure Remote Work
Implementing best practices is key to enhancing cybersecurity in remote work environments. One of the most effective strategies is the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). VPNs encrypt internet traffic, ensuring that data transmitted over public networks remains secure. This is especially important for employees frequently connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) provides an additional layer of security. By requiring multiple forms of verification, such as a password and a mobile authentication code, organizations can minimize the risk of unauthorized access. This measure is particularly effective in preventing account takeovers, even if login credentials are compromised.
Regular security updates and patch management are equally vital. Cybercriminals exploit software vulnerabilities to gain access to systems, making it imperative for remote workers to keep their devices updated.
 Organizations should establish a structured process for rolling out security patches to ensure comprehensive protection.

Additional Managed Cybersecurity Strategies for Remote Work
Securing Cloud-Based Applications
Many remote workers rely on cloud-based applications to access company resources. While these tools enhance collaboration and efficiency, they can also introduce security risks if not properly managed. 
Businesses should implement strict access controls, requiring authentication and encryption for all cloud-based services. Additionally, regular audits should be conducted to monitor access logs and identify any suspicious activity.

Implementing Zero Trust Security
A Zero Trust network security model is an effective way to enhance cybersecurity for remote workers. This approach assumes that no user or device should be trusted by default, even if they are inside the network. Instead, it enforces strict identity verification, continuous monitoring, and least-privilege access policies to minimize security risks.

Encouraging Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Human error is one of the most significant contributors to cybersecurity breaches. Regular cybersecurity awareness training can help employees recognize and respond to potential threats.
Training programs should cover topics such as identifying phishing emails, safe password management, and secure file-sharing practices. Businesses should reinforce cybersecurity protocols through simulated phishing exercises and periodic security assessments.

Enforcing Data Encryption
Data encryption is a fundamental security measure for remote work environments. Encrypting files and communications ensures that sensitive information remains secure even if intercepted by cybercriminals. Organizations should require end-to-end encryption for emails, cloud storage, and file transfers to prevent unauthorized access.


Data encryption provides extra security
Restricting Access to Sensitive Data
Not all employees require access to every company resource. Implementing role-based access control (RBAC) can help minimize security risks by restricting access based on job responsibilities. By limiting data exposure, organizations reduce the risk of insider threats and accidental data leaks.

Strengthening Device Security Policies
Beyond antivirus for remote work, businesses should enforce strict device security policies. Employees should be required to use company-approved devices with pre-installed security software. Additionally, businesses should implement remote wipe capabilities, allowing IT teams to erase data from lost or stolen devices to prevent unauthorized access.

Enhancing Email Security Measures
Email remains one of the most exploited attack vectors in cybercrime. Organizations should deploy advanced email security solutions that filter out phishing attempts and malicious attachments. Email authentication protocols such as DMARC, DKIM, and SPF can help prevent email spoofing and ensure that messages are from legitimate sources.

Establishing a Secure Remote Work Culture
Cybersecurity is not solely about technology—it’s also about creating a culture of security awareness. Organizations should encourage employees to report suspicious activity and engage in continuous learning about emerging cyber threats. Establishing clear security policies and guidelines can help remote workers stay vigilant and proactive in protecting company assets.

Strengthening Remote Work Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity threats targeting remote workers are evolving rapidly, and organizations must stay ahead by implementing robust security measures. From phishing attacks to ransomware, the risks are significant. However, businesses can enhance their cybersecurity posture by deploying enterprise-grade antivirus solutions, intrusion prevention systems, and endpoint security tools.
Now is the time to take proactive steps to secure your remote workforce. Strengthen your cybersecurity strategy with Be Structured’s Security, Antivirus, and Intrusion Protection Services. Protect your business, safeguard sensitive data, and ensure that remote work remains a safe and efficient option for your employees. 
Schedule a free consultation to learn how our Los Angeles IT solutions can help secure your organization against evolving cyber threats.
- Categories: Cybersecurity
- Tags: Cybersecurity

#### Managed IT Services for Healthcare: Solving the Challenges of Healthcare Data Management
In the ever-evolving world of healthcare, data management presents a formidable challenge. The complexity of securely storing, managing, and accessing an ever-increasing volume of patient information can feel overwhelming for healthcare providers. 
With the rise of electronic health records (EHR), telemedicine, and personalized care approaches, healthcare organizations must deal with vast amounts of data while ensuring strict compliance with regulations like HIPAA and HITECH. Simultaneously, they must navigate the pressing concerns of data breaches and cybersecurity threats, which can cause immense damage to patient trust and healthcare operations.
Professional and industry-specific IT services for healthcare provides the tools and strategies needed to streamline data management, safeguard sensitive information, and maintain seamless regulatory compliance. 
By turning to a managed IT services provider, healthcare organizations can overcome these daunting challenges and focus on what matters most—providing excellent patient care.
Be Structued has worked with several healthcare providers in our 20 years of doing business in the greater Los Angeles area. When we meet with any healthcare firm data security is the foremost concern.
This concern has only evolved as cyberattacks have become more prevalent  in the health industry because providers have so much valuable patient-sensitive data to steal.

The Complex Landscape of Healthcare Data Management
Healthcare IT managed services presents no simple task. 
Unlike other industries, healthcare data isn’t just about quantity—it’s about sensitivity, security, and accessibility. The healthcare sector deals with millions of personal records, from patient histories to billing information, that must be stored and managed with the utmost care.
One of the most significant challenges is scalability. 
As the volume of healthcare data grows exponentially, healthcare organizations need systems that can store and retrieve information without compromising performance or security. 
Many healthcare providers still rely on outdated or fragmented systems, which can cause inefficiencies, errors, and, in some cases, data breaches.
In addition, the increasing integration of technology in healthcare has led to a surge in digital data that requires protection. Because of the high value of medical records, patient information is vulnerable to cybercriminals who target healthcare organizations. 
Data breaches not only result in financial penalties but also cause irreparable damage to patient trust. According to the Ponemon Institute, the healthcare industry continues to experience the highest costs related to data breaches, with the average cost of a breach reaching over $10 million in 2024.


The Role of Managed IT Services for Healthcare
Outsourced IT support saves time and money and provides a powerful solution to the challenges of healthcare data management. 
Rather than relying on in-house IT teams, which may be ill-equipped to handle the growing complexity of healthcare technology, managed IT services offer a comprehensive and scalable approach to data management. 
With these services, healthcare providers can optimize data storage, implement robust security protocols, and ensure compliance with industry regulations.
Here are a few ways managed IT services contribute to healthcare data management:

1. Scalable Data Storage Solutions
One of the primary benefits of managed IT services is their ability to provide scalable data storage solutions. 
As healthcare organizations collect more data from medical devices, patient monitoring systems, and telehealth services, the demand for secure storage grows. Managed IT services offer flexible storage solutions that expand as needed, allowing providers to adapt to their data needs without costly hardware upgrades.
Cloud-based storage, in particular, is becoming a popular option in healthcare due to its scalability, accessibility, and security features. With managed IT services, healthcare organizations can implement cloud storage that complies with HIPAA regulations, ensuring patient data is protected and easily retrievable when needed.

2. Enhanced Security Protocols
Security is a top priority when it comes to healthcare data. Managed IT services help healthcare organizations stay ahead of the latest cybersecurity threats by providing advanced security measures tailored to the needs of the healthcare industry. These measures include:


 	
Encryption: Data encryption ensures that patient information is protected both in transit and at rest, making it unreadable to unauthorized users.

 	
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Requiring multiple forms of identification helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.

 	
Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems: These security tools help prevent, detect, and respond to potential cyber threats before they cause damage.


Managed IT services also continuously monitor systems for potential vulnerabilities, conducting regular security audits to ensure compliance with regulations. By proactively managing security risks, healthcare providers can prevent costly data breaches and protect patient trust.

3. Compliance Management
Staying compliant with healthcare regulations such as HIPAA and the HITECH Act is critical for healthcare organizations. These regulations set the standards for the security and privacy of patient information. Failing to comply can result in substantial fines, legal consequences, and reputational damage.
Managed IT services assist healthcare providers in maintaining compliance by ensuring that their data storage, transmission, and access methods meet regulatory requirements. From regular system audits to up-to-date documentation and training, managed IT services help healthcare organizations stay aligned with ever-changing healthcare laws.

4. Seamless Integration and Data Accessibility
Accessibility is another major challenge in healthcare data management. Healthcare professionals need immediate access to accurate patient information, whether they are in a hospital, clinic, or remote setting. Yet, many healthcare systems are siloed, making it difficult to integrate data across platforms seamlessly.
Managed IT services enable seamless integration between different healthcare systems, such as EHRs, imaging software, and practice management tools. By creating a unified platform, managed IT services ensure that healthcare providers can access patient data quickly and efficiently, improving care coordination and reducing the chances of errors.

5. Proactive Local IT Support and Maintenance
Healthcare organizations rely on technology to keep their operations running smoothly, from patient records to billing systems. Managed IT services provide proactive support and maintenance, ensuring that systems are always up and running. This minimizes downtime and keeps healthcare professionals focused on patient care rather than IT issues.
A managed service provider offers 24/7 monitoring, ensuring that any potential IT issues are detected and resolved before they impact daily operations. This proactive approach not only improves efficiency but also enhances the overall security posture of healthcare organizations.

The Future of Healthcare Data Management
As healthcare continues to embrace digital transformation, the demand for managed IT services will only increase. 
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT) are set to revolutionize healthcare data management. 
AI and ML, for instance, can help healthcare providers analyze vast amounts of data more efficiently, identifying trends and patterns that can lead to improved patient outcomes.
Telehealth and remote patient monitoring technologies are also changing how data is collected, stored, and accessed. As more patients engage with their healthcare providers through virtual channels, managed IT services will be critical in ensuring the secure management of this data. 
The future of healthcare will depend heavily on the ability to store, manage, and protect data across a variety of platforms, and managed IT services will be at the forefront of this transformation.



Taking Control of Data Management and Healthcare IT Support

Navigating the complexities of healthcare data management doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Managed IT services offer healthcare providers a way to securely store, manage, and access patient information while staying compliant with regulations. 
From enhanced security protocols to scalable data storage solutions, managed IT services enable healthcare organizations to focus on their core mission—providing excellent patient care—without being bogged down by IT challenges.
By partnering with a trusted managed service provider, healthcare organizations can ensure they are prepared for today’s data management challenges and equipped to handle future advancements in healthcare technology. 
Investing in these services today is an investment in the future of your organization and the safety and security of your patients’ most sensitive information.

Managed IT Security Services for Healthcare Data 

Don’t let data management challenges compromise the quality of your patient care. Discover how managed IT services can transform your healthcare data management strategy and ensure compliance with industry regulations. 
Schedule a free consultation today with Be Structured Technology Group to learn more about tailored IT solutions for your healthcare organization.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Healthcare IT support, Managed It Services

#### Managed IT Services Opens The Door To High-Level Technology
Managed IT services have become the latest way for a company to make technical advances without the expense and resource drain of hiring a slew of in-house IT pros and hope they will fit together.
In short, working with a managed service provider affords companies the opportunity to delegate their IT services and network structure to an independent, outside, third-party team who specialize in taking care of all the primary business’s technical needs.
While managed IT services offer your organization a variety of benefits, one of the most crucial advantages is that they make high-level technology accessible to your team without the hassle. If your business is looking for ways to drive growth and secure assets with the latest technology, a managed service provider (MSP) can help you achieve your broader goals.
In this post, we’ll take a look at a few of the next-level technology platforms your team can take advantage of by working with a managed IT partner.
Server Virtualization
Server virtualization offers one of the quickest ways to immediately improve server performance and network speed without requiring substantial infrastructure upgrades. However, the finer details underlying the process require expert oversight. As a result, server virtualization often falls beyond the skillset of in-house IT teams.
Virtualization essentially works by partitioning a single physical into multiple virtual server environments. This strategy allows you to run specific applications and operating systems on a dedicated server, thereby maximizing resource utilization. That means your organization doesn’t have to invest in a new server or a new network installation to immediately increase performance or network capacity.
With an MSP, however, the process becomes much more straightforward. MSP teams already have the requisite experience helping other organizations take advantage of server virtualization.
At the same time, when you work with an MSP to virtualize your server, you can minimize downtime for your operations by mitigating the impact of foreseeable problems.
Cloud Migration
In today’s business world, moving operations to a cloud solution has become a fundamental first step to prepare for the future. However, your team may not have the time or knowledge to make cloud migration as seamless as possible. At the same time, leveraging public, private, and hybrid cloud solutions often requires expert oversight to maximize your potential on the cloud.
When you partner with an MSP to manage your migration to cloud services, your team can stay focused on more pressing day-to-day tasks. Migrating operations to the cloud has become one of the most common projects MSPs help businesses with, so they have the skills to painlessly transition your team to a cloud-based productivity platform. Plus, they can help with training and support to ensure your organization has the resources for long-term success.
Penetration Testing
Your organization likely already has rudimentary systems in place to scan your network for viruses and known vulnerabilities. That’s a critical step to defending your network. However, the operative word here is “known”. How, then, can you protect your network from the unknown? That’s where ongoing penetration testing bridges the gap in your network defenses.
While computer network scans are generally an automated process, penetration testing offers a more hands-on approach to identifying and remediating network threats. A team of ethical hackers tries to infiltrate your network defenses as a real-world cybercriminal might. If they’re able to gain access to your network, you discover a set of vulnerabilities you need to address. If, however, they’re unable to breach your system, you know you’re in pretty secure standing for the time being.
When you partner with an MSP to perform ongoing penetration tests, you accomplish two key goals. First, you gain an objective perspective on your network defenses. Your internal team may have become so familiar and comfortable with your current systems that they can overlook potential vulnerabilities. An outside team, on the other hand, is able to step back and provide you a more realistic critique of network security.
Second, partnering with an MSP for penetration testing gives you access to a team of cybersecurity experts who can help you resolve any vulnerabilities. Pinpointing vulnerabilities is only half of the process. If you don’t have a plan for addressing those vulnerabilities, you’re not any better off than when you started. At the same time, you need to ensure that resolving vulnerabilities doesn’t open up a new set of network weaknesses. That’s where the skills and expertise of an MSP become key to maximizing network security.
IT Support Los Angeles
As a leading Los Angeles IT support organization, the team at Be Structured are experts in organizing and growing your organization’s technology needs. Whether you’re looking for a way to bolster network defense or you’re ready to migrate to the cloud, your company will almost always be better off working with outsourced IT experts to develop a roadmap geared toward your ongoing success.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, MSPs, Networking, Security
- Tags: Cloud Migration, High-Level IT, Penetration Testing, Server Virtualization

#### Managed Service Provider Issues In Los Angeles?
The backbone of just about every company today starts with technology. But that backbone can be fragile and take a company down before it ever even gets off the ground.
Whether you’re a small company selling socks online or a large company offering a multi-platform sales or subscription service, the strength of your managed service provider cannot be overstated.
What Does a Managed Service Provide Actually Provide?
Simply stated, a managed service provider (MSP) is an outside company that helps manage a company’s IT services on a remote basis.
Managed service providers have evolved over the years from helping companies launch their initial business plan by suggesting or recommending software and hosting that made the most sense for a business’s size and future scope to now managing almost every aspect of a company’s vital backbone.
As years passed from the early 90s to today, managed service providers have evolved to differentiate and expand their roles. Today the service offered by a sophisticated MSP can include everything from data storage to cloud computing services, firewall admin to  multi-layered security systems and disaster relief recovery options.
Pricing for an MSP will vary based on al-a-carte services being offered or even a flat, monthly fee if a broad spectrum of needs are being covered both on the maintenance side and the ongoing programming side.
Regardless, many businesses recognize that maintaining an off-site managed service provider who employs its own staff of IT professionals skilled in every nuance of current technology is often preferable to hand-picking and building your own internal IT department.
The price a company pays to interview, hire and train IT employees, not factoring insurance and payroll costs will often be more - way more - than hiring a local IT support company.
Consider also that many start-ups or small-to-medium-sized businesses have limited in-house IT personnel bandwidth. For these companies, IT outsourcing makes the most sense for the reasons stated above.
For larger companies, having a managed service provider as back-up or guidance for the in-house staff simply adds an extra layer of support - another set of IT eyeballs - as an insurance policy to make sure the IT train stays on the tracks and never wavers in its efficiency.
That doesn’t always mean a company can find the right outsourced IT support solution. There can be unforeseen frustrations of dealing with a managed service provider whose services aren’t aligned with your business goals and priorities. Just because you’ve hired an outside team doesn’t mean that as business owners you still don’t need to manage that team. It may sound strange, but it’s important to a successful relationship to properly manage a managed service provider.
At Be Structured, we often get frustrated with the managed service provider landscape in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California. That’s why we’re committed to revolutionizing what businesses can expect from their managed service providers. In fact, we’ve noticed that more clients than ever are coming to us because they aren’t happy with their current managed service provider.
Here’s our assessment of the situation and what we’re doing about it.
The Los Angeles Managed Service Provider Landscape
Recently, there’s been an increased evolution of mergers and acquisitions among managed service providers. This environment has created a dichotomy of sorts; you have large providers that were once several small companies, and the small providers looking to sell or remain small.
As a result, there’s a void in the market for growth-oriented companies looking for a managed service provider that’s prepared to grow with them while still meeting their day-to-day IT support services in Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
At the same time, these mergers and acquisitions rarely go as anticipated. Trying to reconcile different people, processes and tools frequently results in a less than personal IT experience. Many of these managed service providers are also backed by private equity or venture capitalists whose primary concern is obviously making money rather than providing sound technology and customer satisfaction.
Intuitively, if you feel your IT needs are not being met like you would with any doctor’s assessment of a physical condition, it’s best to get a second opinion.
What Be Structured Does Differently
At Be Structured, our priorities are substantially different from other managed service providers. Rather than looking to sell out or acquire our competitors, we’re committed to working with you to develop IT support services that grow your business while adding lasting value to your operations. While other managed service providers use their time and energy to help themselves, we dedicate our time and energy to your continued business success.
Other managed service providers count their successes by the number of clients they have; we count our successes based on the number of employees’ jobs we can make easier with the help of technology. Our goal is to make our client’s grow and scale without adding to their existing workforce or payroll.
It’s also important to develop and communicate an IT solution that’s easily handed off and comprehended by the on-site IT department. After all, they’re the ones who are going to keep the tech ship sailing smoothly. Of course, there is always the option of outsourced IT support especially if you’re a Los Angeles-based company. Be Structured is available to offer just such support and we’re right down the freeway from wherever your business is located in Southern California.
That’s because we put people and technology first, with the understanding that our success depends on your success. And as always, we’re the same owner-operated, grassroots managed service provider we’ve always been, so you can count on us for a long-term technology-strong partnership.
Considerations When Hiring a Managed Service Provider
Whether you are a small or large business, there are several basic questions your staff should ponder when looking for any kind of network and tech support companies.
Ease of Integration
What are your business’s goals? Is a new or total redesign of the existing IT network. Or simply and ongoing maintenance of that network. Understand your needs and ascertain a real sense of how easily the MSP will fit into those needs.
Response Time
Always determine how quickly and efficiently a managed service provider can respond to an issue - big or small. In the event of an IT emergency is the company located so that someone could physically be on site in a matter of minutes or hours?
Vendor Management
Does your MSP have a skilled and thorough knowledge of the multitude of software, hardware, hosting and other service providers in your area? Better they can offer several priced solutions rather than simply defaulting to a long-time crony. 
Budget Strength
You need an IT support solution you can trust. And trust starts with money management. All too often we hear horror stories of a managed service provider quoting a company one number for a given service only to “upsell” them when they get the gig with enhanced features or storage that the company may not need. Make sure the quote is fair and, again, compare, compare, compare.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Always make sure that your MSP has an adequate disaster recovery plan and how quickly it can be implemented. Ideally, this plan is proactive instead of reactive and is in place the moment they begin work with your company.
Security Monitoring
Security is often the best way to avoid disasters in the first place. Being in Los Angeles - a geo target for breaches - you need an IT support company that guards against hackers, malware, and other possible vulnerabilities while also preventing the potential for new ways of attacking the network.
Daily backups and an extensive knowledge of the cloud-based platforms are a necessity. If your managed service provider thinks daily backups are excessive, they’re in the wrong business.
It’s also important to gauge the levels of the managed service provider’s knowledge of 5G security risks and not just the ones associated with 4G. Always looking to the future and staying ahead of the curve makes a successful network support team and thus a successful business.
Quality Customer Service
You also need a network support company that speaks to laymen. The employees and even executives of many companies don’t speak the language of technology and a good MSP can provide real-time help desk support to assure that all questions are quickly and efficiently answered.
Concerned About the Transition Process?
One of the biggest complaints we hear about companies looking to switch managed service providers is they’re worried about the downtime of transitioning. We always say this: You’ll experience more downtime dealing with an impersonal, incompetent managed service provider in the long run. Plus, we’ve already helped dozens of companies in just about every industry transition away from a managed service provider they were unhappy with.
Our team has the skills and experience to make the transition as smooth as possible while minimizing downtime, because we do it a lot. At the same time, we don’t have a bureaucratic hierarchy that slows us down. We’re able to make the transition quickly and efficiently because the project managers facilitating the transition are the same ones overseeing your overarching technology platform.
Los Angeles IT Support
At Be Structured, we continually strive to be the single source for all of your organization’s technology needs. From delivering comprehensive managed services to overseeing your migration to the cloud, our team has the skills and expertise to deliver technology solutions optimized for your operations and designed to propel growth. Contact our team today to start exploring how much a managed service provider can do for you.
- Categories: MSPs, SMB

#### Managed Service Providers and the Coronavirus Pandemic
What if the best business solution to the coronavirus pandemic was already here? 



During the pandemic, managed IT service providers helped make daily business easier, safer, and more efficient for businesses all around the world. Unfortunately, many businesses who would benefit from these services don't know much about what managed service providers are or the benefits they can provide.



Are you wondering if outsourced IT services are right for your business? Keep reading to discover the answers!



What Are Managed Service Providers?



Our guide is going to explore the benefits of managed service providers (MSPs) and what they can potentially do for your business. First, though, we need to answer an essential question: what are MSPs?



Simply put, a managed service provider is a third party that delivers certain services to your business. This includes application, network, infrastructure, and support services.



With MSPs, these services are not a one-time thing. Instead, they provide regular support and customer service and effectively become a major part of your business.



Now that you know a bit more about what MSPs are, let's examine why you would specifically want to use managed IT services.



Why Use Managed IT Services?



Strictly speaking, there are many different managed services your company could take advantage of. So why should you make managed IT services a priority?



The short answer is that IT is integral to both the maintenance and growth of your business. For example, IT support is crucial to facilitate employees working from home (more on this later). On a related note, IT support is more important than ever for maintaining network security when some workers are on-site and others are at home.



Finally, proper IT support is crucial for creating a smoother and more productive workplace. Whether you are trying to grow your business or simply recover from the economic losses of the COVID-19 pandemic, managed IT services can help to keep every employee moving towards the company's most important goals.



Your Business Is Ready



Earlier, we mentioned how many employees and sometimes entire businesses switched to a "work from home" model during the pandemic. If your business did this, even temporarily, then you are more than ready to use managed service providers.



That is because some of the only hurdles to working with MSPs involve coordinating with offsite professionals and aligning them towards your company goals. And just a few years ago, this would have seemed very difficult for most SMBs.



However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses switched to remotely coordinating with employees who are working from home. And that meant that much (if not all) of your employees transformed into offsite professionals.



So working with MSPs will provide many of the benefits we will describe in this guide. And the actual act of coordinating with a reliable managed service provider is no more difficult than coordinating with your own employees.



Pandemic-Proof Services



Many businesses and employees are doing their best to think of the COVID-19 pandemic as a thing of the past. And while vaccinations are increasing, many business owners and managers can't help but ask: what if another pandemic were to happen? What would that do to your own business?



Part of why MSPs have become so popular recently is that they are effectively pandemic proof. There is no direct human contact when you are remotely working with these professionals.



And these professionals know enough to really hit the ground running. This is much easier and effectively much safer than trying to make some more in-house hires and go through the lengthy process of interviewing and training them.



MSPs are perfect for businesses recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. And if there is another pandemic around the corner, making MSPs a regular part of your business infrastructure can help make sure you are prepared for whatever the future brings.



Work From Home Isn't Going Anywhere



Early on in the pandemic, businesses of every size were operating under the same assumption: that working with many remote employees was going to be a temporary thing.



However, having most (or all) of your workforce working from home has become the new normal. Employees like it because they don't have to leave their homes and are more productive because of this. Meanwhile, many business owners began realizing how much money they could save if everyone worked from home instead of working in downtown offices with expensive monthly rents.



No matter how you feel about working from home, though, the increase in remote employees meant that your IT department had to really step up their game. Employees needed access to collaborative technology and apps, and there are now so many different apps to choose from that it can be pretty confusing.



This is where managed IT services come in. A good MSP can help to train employees in safe and secure collaborative processes, including training them in the most effective collaborative apps.



It Will Save You Money



It's easy to see the many benefits of managed service providers. However, plenty of businesses hesitate to use MSPs for a simple reason: they are worried about it costing too much.



However, when done right, relying on MSPs will actually save your business money. It all comes down to the relative cost of working with an MSP versus working with an in-house IT team.



There is no doubt that having an in-house IT team is very valuable. But you need to pay the full salary and benefits for every member of the team. This keeps most SMBs from hiring a very big IT team.



And if your business has employees working from home, you're effectively paying in-house IT prices for a team that is no longer in the house. If you're going to be working with IT specialists remotely, why not switch to MSPs that will cost a fraction of what a large in-house IT team would cost you?



It Will Save Time



We have reviewed how using MSPs can save your business money. But would you believe that MSPs can also help save time throughout every workday?



Once again, this all comes down to working with an in-house IT team versus working with an MSP. Even if you can afford a good in-house team, it takes time to train them. And it takes even more time when your business encounters an IT issue and your team has to figure out how to overcome the problem.



With a good MSP, no extra training is required. And they usually don't need much time to develop a solution. That is because MSPs have had a lot of practice anticipating and solving some of the common network and security issues caused by a remote workforce.



Again, we have no doubt that you have worked with some absolutely amazing in-house IT gurus. But managed IT services give you an opportunity to enjoy a faster and more robust service that costs a lot less than what you are paying now for an in-house team.



MSPs and the Sales Cycle



So far, we have focused primarily on how outsourcing IT services can help you provide better tech support to your employees. However, many businesses are surprised to learn that MSPs can also help to improve their sales and marketing efforts.



One reason for this is that even your best salesman is only as good as the tools he has available to him. And if your business started working with employees remotely, chances are that your sales division has struggled to keep up with the changes.



By providing better collaborative apps and training, MSPs can provide your sales team with the support they need. Even better, the MSP can help sales and marketing coordinate with each other and with management to meet their monthly sales goals.



Sales are the lifeblood of any business. And managed service providers can help boost sales while offering your employees the level of support and service that they deserve.



Tomorrow's Technology Today



The COVID-19 pandemic led to much development of collaborative and networking technology. And this turned into a stark reminder for many businesses that technology is evolving faster than most of us can keep up with.



And like it or not, technology is the best way to stay ahead of the competition. When you're using better tech than your rivals, you are likely to be more successful. But if you're still using yesterday's technology, a rival with better tech can quickly eclipse your success.



This is another area where MSPs really shine. A good managed service provider is keeping up with changing technology so you don't have to. You will get access to cutting-edge technology as well as access to experts who know how to make the most of it.



Best of all, you get access to this technology through your MSP rather than having to pay for it separately. In addition to keeping your company technologically innovative, this is one more way that using an MSP can help your business save money.



Full Legal Compliance



One of the darker aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic involved employee layoffs. Many businesses suffered during the pandemic, and some of them are still recovering. Simply put, countless businesses just like yours were forced to lay off employees during these turbulent times.



And this wasn't always a cut and dry process. For example, if a state-mandated lockdown ends and one of your employees doesn't want to return to work, what do you do? Laying that employee off may be the simplest solution, but if done the wrong way, it may open your company up to some expensive lawsuits.



Easy legal compliance is actually one of the more hidden benefits of working with an MSP. These companies are responsible for keeping their own practices in full legal compliance. This frees you and your HR team up to worry about other matters while also greatly reducing the potential for unwanted legal complaints.



Protecting Your Data



Most of us remember 2020 as a dark and miserable year. But there is one group that had an amazing time that year.



Of course, we are talking about cybercriminals. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to coordinate remotely with employees for the first time. And this made it easier than ever for cybercriminals to exploit people and businesses in a number of different ways.



Sometimes, these criminals used hacks. Other times, they used even sneakier methods such as viruses and ransomware. And even if the targeted businesses were able to quickly recover from an attack, any downtime they experienced was likely to impact their bottom line in a big way.



However, managed service providers are experts when it comes to network security and data protection. They can ward off attacks while keeping all of your important data safe and secure.



No matter what the cyber threat is, a reliable MSP will help you focus on growing your business.



Become Proactive Rather Than Reactive



If we're being honest, most businesses are reactive rather than proactive. That means when the unexpected happens, it can take such a business time to figure out the best way to respond.



That was the real threat that the COVID-19 pandemic represented to the average business. Even when certain solutions seemed simple (like switching to remote operations), the fact that these businesses had never tried the solutions before made them harder to implement.



The best thing about working with an MSP is that they can help your business finally become proactive rather than reactive. They can help you to sense threats on the horizon that may come from changing technology and emerging apps. Better still, they can help devise solutions to these problems before the problems actually manifest.



At the end of the day, the best businesses are future-proof. And an MSP is the best way to future-proof your own business.



Your Next Move



Now you know what managed service providers can do for your business. But do you know where to find an MSP that best suits your need?



The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing IT solutions and support to businesses just like yours since 2007. To see what kind of managed IT services we can offer your company, just contact us today!
- Categories: Managed IT

#### Managed Service Providers for Law Firms
How Managed IT Support Compliments The Legal Industry



There really isn’t one industry sector that hasn’t been impacted by the generational pandemic of COVID-19. While virtual business becomes the new normal, some industries are prone to even greater technological breakdowns and the need for even greater IT support than ever before.



Consider law firms. Due to the often tight deadlines and mountains of sensitive information, the legal industry has become even more reliant on a reliable and rock-solid IT support structure than many other professions. 



Indeed, in recent years, Managed Service Providers (MSP) have become an invaluable information technology system for many different and diverse industries. As the world continues to move more and more towards online and virtual data storage and business functions, the simple fact is that the old break/fix model simply will not cover the needs of any type of company that wishes to stay viable and productive.



This is no truer than in the legal industry where documentation and strict schedules are more important than anything else other than the actual skills and talents of the attorneys. 



But even the best lawyer is unable to effectively handle a case when they don’t have the proper technical support behind them. In today’s advanced and the evolving legal world - where even the use of artificial intelligence in legal circles is starting to become commonplace -  there are many reasons why legal firms should consider the features and benefits of moving to a dedicated IT managed service provider.



Managed Service Providers Address The Unique Needs of Legal Professionals



There are many industries where small delays or incorrect/incomplete documentation can be easily overcome and offer very little overall disruption to their processes; this is not the case in the legal field. In an arena where even a typo can completely unravel a case, there is no room for error. This means that attorneys need to make sure that everything required for their cases, past, present and future, is properly organized and available at any given moment.



MSPs Help Digitally Secure Mountains of Legal Documents



We’ve all seen courtroom shows on TV where lawyers are sitting at a huge boardroom table with piles of paperwork stacked up from one end to the other. While the entertainment industry tends to take quite a bit of liberty when presenting the dramatized events of everyday professions, in these instances, there is very little exaggeration.



Business contracts, discovery materials, various records, sworn statements, along with numerous other types of paperwork can all be involved in any kind of case. And when it comes to class action lawsuits or other high-level cases, “Entire rooms can be filled with boxes containing the statements of the plaintiffs alone,” surmises Chad Lauterbach, CTO of Be Structured, a leading IT services company in Los Angeles. “Having the proper IT management to deal with this kind of volume is crucial to organization and ease of access.



Managed Service Providers Help Manage The Information of Constantly Changing Schedules



Legal professionals quite possibly function on the tightest and strictest timelines of any industry. Their mastery of the use of schedules, exhibits and other addendums must be overseen with incredible detail and attention. Not a minute or smallest aspect of the protocol can be lost or mismanaged. 



Going between court appointments, client meetings, and office briefings means that one little change at any given point could throw their entire day’s itinerary out of order if they aren’t notified of it immediately. The tech solutions that MSPs provide make sure this kind of information gets uploaded and displayed in the proper places immediately.



Managed Service Providers Create A Steady Flow of New/Incoming Information



Another unique aspect that has a profound impact on the work of a law firm is the fact that things like discovery or changes in contract language happen instantly and without notice. If an attorney is in court or working on finalizing a document with a client without the updated material, it can sometimes be disastrous.



The Importance of Accessibility and Documentation with your MSP’s Help



In regard to the specific paperwork, documents, and various discovery materials that are continually being added to the existing files in any given case, they are of little help if attorneys cannot instantly access them online at a moment’s notice. The ability to either pull up these items on mobile devices or even print them and have them in physical form can be the difference between a successful endeavor and a failed one.



All of this depends on reliable, fast, and secure IT services such as those specifically provided by an MSP. Here are just a few of the many critical services that these professionals provide which can help legal firms tremendously:




Docketing
eDiscovery
Practice management
Court and .gov website organization
Client/Document management




These and several other services include the need for not only cloud infrastructure but also a cloud computing and storage provider. These features assist in streamlining office management and other back-end aspects of the function of a law firm and are all included with the right Managed Service Provider. They also help to increase efficiency across the board in every area of a practice which, in turn, assists in building and maintaining your reputation, as well as maximizing profits.



How a Managed Service Provider Can Specifically Benefit a Legal Practice



While many of the things that are offered by an MSP are universally applicable to any type of business, there are some aspects or specialized services that are particularly helpful to running a successful law office. Here are a few examples:



Managed Service Providers Enhance Security and Protection



Law firms deal with the most sensitive and confidential information. Anything from personal financial records to medical history to sealed legal agreements are all common documents which lawyers (and their service cloud) have access to. Managed Service Providers not only work constantly to update and upgrade network security options such as firewalls and other anti-hacking software to support network security, but they are also able to contain breaches in real-time when they happen.



Managed Service Providers Increase a Law Firms Mobility



As we previously mentioned, the ability to obtain new or revised information on the fly is crucial to making sure that your attorneys always have the most up-to-the-minute documentation necessary for the task at hand. And since these types of professionals are rarely in the office, it is essential that they are able to access it from anywhere that they might be.



MSPs Create Protection For Your Law Firm’s Most Critical Data



Since the information law offices handle is so sensitive and private, they know better than anyone the importance of keeping it confidential. They also know the severe legal liabilities that they face should they allow such information to be accessed or stolen from unscrupulous bad actors online. This is why having someone manage this extremely important data (as well as back it up with computer security software) is non-negotiable.



Managed Service Providers Help Maximize Productivity and Billing



Ultimately, as with any other type of business, the goal is to not only help people and provide a necessary service but also to make as healthy of a profit as is reasonable. Law firms that have not joined the next generation of IT services which are provided by top-notch MSPs are leaving a lot of those profits on the table.



And considering how much time and resources are invested in this type of work, it makes very little sense to not invest in making it as efficient and seamlessly functional as possible. Otherwise, you and everyone at the firm is being paid less than you are worth.



Should My Law Firm Partner With a Managed Service Provider?



Even though all of the points already covered in this article highlight the need for legal offices to turn their data management and IT solutions over to the most qualified professionals to handle, some of our readers may be looking for more specific circumstances of when it may be time to finally make the move. Here are just some of the many obstacles that you may be dealing with from your current IT provider that signal the need for a change:



1. Noticeable Downtime



2. Poor System and Application Performance



3. Lack of or Insufficient IT Availability



4. Outdated Security Technology



5. Issues with Line of Business Application Integration



If you have experienced any of these problems with your current IT management, every day that you spend without improving your service brings you one day closer to an event that could end up being a major disaster.



Loss of critical data, negligence to protect sensitive information or documents, a system-wide failure, or a major security breach or cyber attack can all cost you, your colleagues, and your clients years of hard work, planning, and profit in a single moment. There really is no need to risk such a potential catastrophe when the solution is so easily accessible in the form of an experienced and skilled Managed Service Provider. 
- Categories: MSPs
- Tags: law firm, Lawyer, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP

#### Managed Service Providers in the Film Industry
 



The Film Industry Needs Managed Service Providers



Exponential growth in this global market means the need for IT Services that can address the specific security and progressive technology is also desperately needed. All facets and phases of the Film Industry need some form of technology to take a film from concept, to contract, to a beautifully produced and profitable piece of entertainment. Any company involved in the Film Industry that is currently not using a Managed Service Provider is not only putting their company at risk but also jeopardizing the success of the movie.



From the production houses, studios, post-production companies. from the conversations over an artist’s storyboard and renderings to re-writes of the script, pre-production planning, casting, contracts, emails, the financials, special effects secrets, photos of film locations or costumes, the digital filming files, the musical score, the editing room files, to anything related to marketing and distribution- keeping this confidential data secured is crucial to the overall success of protecting intellectual, PPI, and Financial properties.



 



How Do Managed Service Providers Play A Part in The Success of the Film Industry?



The Dark Overlord sounds like he could be Lord Voldemort’s tech-savvy brother, but to anyone on the Dark Web, he’s just as famous as Harry Potter’s arch-nemesis and making his name known to the film industry. Modern-day Cybercriminals take on some of the same evil manipulations that many on-camera villains do. Armed with their robust knowledge of technology and a keen eye to find vulnerabilities, stealing unaired TV episodes, unreleased movies and their promotional materials before their release dates can have a massive impact on profits. It is estimated that piracy costs the entertainment industry billions of dollars in lost revenue every year.



The Dark Overlord did just that with episodes of Orange Is The New Black; releasing several episodes online after his ransom was not paid. But Netflix wasn’t the only victim in his sights. He has boasted of acquiring other material from several studios around the world on the Dark Web.



 



Why a Managed Service Provider Should Be Included in Your Production Budget



Disney was also a victim to a claim that they were hacked with an entire feature film as the ransomed victim. After an investigation with the FBI, it was determined that those claims were false- but the credibility of properly securing their assets was tainted which prompted new security measures to take place company-wide.



It seems like just yesterday when emails were hacked at Sony Picture Studios and the PR nightmare that ensued back in 2014. Exposing emails from top-level executives as well as the pay gap for several actors and actresses which spawned a social movement within the industry for equality in payment. The intel leaked also included information on upcoming movies which pinned the cyberattack and other threats on North Korea which canceled the release of the movie titled, The Interview.



 



Managed Service Providers Secure the Vulnerability of the Film Industry



Managing schedules, tight deadlines and all the moving parts in capturing creative perfection keeps most people off the need for security, technological efficiency, and optimal productivity. Even in large studios- where thousands of devices are being used every day, a break/fix mentality can easily creep in as crucial deadlines drive the attention of everyone towards the goal of profitability.



This mentality is the breeding grounds for sloppy security execution and data management which broadcasts vulnerability to cyber attackers. Having offsite Managed IT Support Services greatly reduces the risk to the Film Industry because of the dedicated tools, time, resources, knowledge, and technicians who can address issues before, during, and after an incident.



Internal IT Support Departments never have enough man-power to keep up with the ever-evolving technology and trends in threat management. They spend their days working on basic fixes in technology around the company but rarely have time to commit to defense strategies and implementation for an entire organization. You can read more about this here for a complete rundown on why adding a Managed Service Provider to your IT Support Department can take your company to the next level.



 



Managed Service Provider Tips for Film Industry IT Security



Managing risks within your organization won’t be a one-size-fits-all service. Just like the costuming department tailors their wardrobes to each cast member, a Managed Service Provider will also tailor their services to the company’s needs. The following list includes some of the basic services that will reduce exposure for your digital assets.




Education- Teaching your personnel about email phishing scams and training them on how to manage your company’s data should be part of their onboarding process. Employees are oftentimes on the frontline to your IT Infrastructure success and failures
Audit Trail- logging every person in the company that touch digital assets and other sensitive information so analyze weaknesses and give crucial insights during an investigation
Two Factor Authentication- creating layered security makes it harder for cyber attackers to penetrate critical data. Because they are looking for weaknesses rather than strengths, this is a great deterrent because they would rather find an easier target. For more on TFA- read here.
Penetration Testing- Checking your cybersecurity perimeter regularly for holes is essential. As technology gets upgraded, devices added to a workstation, and employees coming and going- this is essential to do regularly
Digital Rights Management- A DRM should be part of your production cycle. Not only does it deter illegal copying and access, but it also boosts security.




 



Film Industry Security Checklist Includes IT Support Management



Along with these basics, getting familiar with the Content Delivery and Security Association’s guidelines on how to deal with data breaches and cybersecurity is a must. Because intellectual property is in the hands of every person involved in filming, knowing how to treat that property on-set, near-set, or on-location is a must.



Creating a new security standard within the entertainment company was the 18-month brainchild between the executive teams at some of the top film production studios in the world. Amazon, Walt Disney Studios, Netflix, Paramount, Fox, BBC, Warner Brothers, The Producers Guild of America, as well as many other studios contributed to this change in the industry’s security practices.  



Prevention and defense against unauthorized access to intellectual property in an era of cyber threats is a technical issue that has become more of an epidemic than ever before. Creating a successful plan also requires flexibility within different types of productions and scenarios.



Curious to learn more? Be Structured Technology Group is a Los Angeles based Managed Service Provider with award-winning IT support. Contact us for a free consultation on what we can do to protect your production company from cyber threats, boost device productivity, and help you understand the importance of a disaster recovery plan.
- Categories: MSPs
- Tags: entertainment industry, film industry, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Service Provider

#### Managed Services vs. Outsourcing: What's the Difference?
If you think of hardware like Jeff Pesis (i.e. hardware is the part of the computer that can be kicked) or computers in general like Steve Wozniak (i.e. never trust a computer you can't throw out a window), then we're willing to bet IT at your company is...colorful. Unfortunately, running a business without functional computers nowadays is a lot like trying to write a list without a pen. So if you can't tell your IT from your elbow, outsourcing IT support LA services is less of a good idea and more of a lifeline.

Here's the catch: while outsourced services and managed services are often used interchangeably, they actually represent a different suite of services--and choosing the wrong one can lead to a lot of frustration. Here's a closer look at outsourcing vs. managed IT and how to find the right fit for your company.
What are Outsourced Services?
Technically, outsourced services cover a wide variety of tasks, including managed IT. And while the image of outsourcing involves a company firing a domestic employee so they can hire a remote overseas contractor to do the same work on the cheap, outsourcing services simply involve hiring an outside contractor to do what an in-house employee could. These could be simple or advanced tasks.

According to Gartner, IT outsourcing is the use of an external service provider to deliver IT business processes and support to enable business solutions. When organizations outsource, they typically choose specific functions and seek a partner to fulfill them.

Outsourced IT can operate anywhere in the world, so it's not uncommon for them to work remotely, though there are local outsourced IT options as well. It depends on the type of outsourcing you use. Either way, these services typically run on a break-fix IT model (as in: once it breaks, we fix it).
What is Included in Outsourced IT Support Los Angeles
Outsourced IT support (Los Angeles or anywhere else in the world) can include almost anything you can think of. Some common examples of outsourced services include things like:

 	Tech support
 	Communications support
 	Data recovery
 	Datacenter management
 	Email management
 	Infrastructure installation
 	Infrastructure support
 	Security and threat protection
 	Web development
 	Application support

Either way, outsourced IT follows the same basic model: access to specialized IT skills with minimal supervision on the customer side.
Benefits of Outsourced IT Consulting Los Angeles
One of the biggest advantages of outsourcing IT is gaining access to skilled expertise--often at a reduced cost.

The rule of thumb in business is that it costs 1.25 to 1.4 times their salary to hire someone, so if you pay an IT technician $35,000 per year, you're looking at a hiring cost of $43,750 to $49,000. That's a lot for a small business to sink, especially if they don't already have the IT knowledge necessary to understand what they need from a professional.

Hiring outsourced IT allows a company to access a much wider talent pool with more candidates than might be available in your area. Plus, outsourcing is highly scalable and for a better price--when you need more, you add to your plan, and when you need less, you scale back.

Plus, unlike in-person, in-house IT, outsourced IT support allows you to maintain 24/7 monitoring for stronger security. That way, you can rest easy at the end of each day.
Disadvantages of Outsourced IT Support Los Angeles
That said, there are a few disadvantages to outsourced IT.

The major disadvantage is that you give up a lot of control over your IT services. Unlike in-house IT, where you can completely customize services and expectations, outsourced IT companies only offer specific services in a certain way.

You also relinquish some control of your system to a third-party partner. However, those concerned about network security shouldn't avoid outsourced IT at all costs--third-party IT providers prioritize communication and transparency, and doing your due diligence will allow you to find a partner that's well-matched to your cybersecurity practices.
What is Managed IT Services Los Angeles?
Managed IT technically falls under the umbrella of outsourcing, though the focus is slightly different. As the name implies, managed IT services offer a suite of management tools.

Like outsourced services, managed IT services allow businesses to offload IT processes to a third-party partner. Managed IT offers a wide array of IT tools, ranging from IT training for in-house staff to IT monitoring and support. They take over part of your operation and offer specialized skills to help you achieve your business goals, which are defined at the start of the relationship.

The idea is simple: to gain access to specialists who can run an aspect of your business better than you can.
What is Included in Managed IT Support LA
Broadly speaking, managed IT support services are comparable to those seen in standard outsourcing. They take over certain elements from your in-house team, like technical support. They typically assist with things like:

 	Network security
 	Monitoring network activity
 	Ongoing maintenance
 	Managing mobile devices

However, what sets managed IT apart is the ability to offer a more comprehensive, end-to-end approach. They also provide expert consulting services to help you improve upon the in-house IT team you already have, which allows you to keep (and improve) your in-house IT in certain functions while enlisting expert services in other areas.
Benefits of Managed IT Consulting Los Angeles
Managed IT consulting (Los Angeles or anywhere else in the world, for that matter) is a partnership, rather than a one-off service. This often means the benefits are harder to quantify.

One of the major benefits of managed IT consulting is that these services usually take a proactive approach, rather than a reactive approach. Rather than responding once something is already broken, managed IT providers can offer advice to keep your system operating at its full potential for longer. For example, they may offer advice on IT upgrades to save money in the long-run, or advice on how to make your in-house IT team more efficient.

Because of this focus on preventative maintenance (i.e. addressing maintenance before there's a problem to reduce the risk of failure), this can significantly reduce your overall downtime and the cost of downtime when it arises.

Plus, managed IT often specializes based on industry, so you can find a service that understands the needs of your unique business.
Disadvantages of Managed IT Support LA
The disadvantages of managed IT are usually attached to control and finances.

Because managed IT is comprehensive, these models typically operate on a subscription basis, rather than paying to fix problems once they arise. This means managed IT appears to have a higher sticker price than outsourcing, which can drive some businesses away. Plus, it can be harder to scale a comprehensive service rather than a service that allows you to pay for what you need.

In addition, because managed IT providers focus more on consultation, they may not be able to offer the specialized services you could find if you hired an in-house technician or went with traditional outsourcing. That's why it pays to think critically about the services you need before you hire a managed IT service so that you can find an option that works for your business no and in the future.
Outsourcing vs. Managed IT
With that in mind, let's talk about the differences between outsourcing and managed IT services.

Again, managed IT is a branch of outsourcing (after all, you're still paying a third-party partner to do a job that an in-house specialist could perform). Because of this, managed IT and outsourcing have more similarities than differences, though there are a few critical differences that can help you decide which one is the right fit.
What Do They Have in Common?
It's easiest to think of managed IT as a style of support under the umbrella of outsourcing. Specifically, managed IT as a consulting-style service. However, on a basic level, outsourced IT and managed IT offer the same suite of services.

Both outsourced and managed IT can offer you basic IT services, including technical support, communications support, data management, data recovery, and network security, to name a few. If your computer breaks down, either service could fix it in place of an in-house IT technician.

They both do this through remote services, though some local IT services in your area may also offer an in-person component. They can be fully managed, 24/7 support services or more piecemeal depending on your arrangement with the provider.
What are the Differences?
When it comes to matters of scale, managed and outsourced IT have significant differences.

Outsourced IT is a short-term solution with a narrowly defined strategy and generic services. They operate on a break/fix model and only offer support for services explicitly outlined in the contract, making them ideal for project-based or event-based IT.

Managed IT is a long-term solution with an all-encompassing strategy and services tailored to meet the specific needs of the customer. Unlike outsourcing, which provides one-time support at the time of service, managed IT provides continuous service with real-time accountability, which means the relationship is ongoing and payment operates on a subscription basis.
Finding the Best IT Service Near Me
The best IT service for your business depends on your business needs and what you want from your IT. Outsourced IT and managed IT each have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it's mostly a question of your priorities.

Broadly speaking, the perfect IT service will grow alongside your business, offering solutions that continue to enable your success as your needs evolve over time. Again, this is strongly shaped by your preferences and needs.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.
The Right Managed Service Provider
If you're shopping for a managed service provider, you're looking at a comprehensive, specialized solution. Providers customize their offerings based on your needs and goals, and continuity of service means that there's a high level of accountability.

Because of this, a good managed provider should be highly customer-focused. The idea is to fit their services to your needs, not the other way around. They should also have a specialized understanding of your industry which allows them to tailor solutions based on your unique needs.

In addition, because managed IT services have continuous access to your system, you should only work with a partner who prioritizes security above all. They are responsible for your sensitive data and have access to your intellectual property, which means you cannot afford lax security measures. They should be up-to-date on all the latest data security regulations and techniques to ensure their access does not compromise your system.
The Right Outsourced Service Provider
If you're shopping for an outsourced service provider, you're looking for a solution that saves time and money with minimal input on your end. And because you pay for services as you need them, you're looking for a scalable solution.

You should not expect outsourced services to tailor their services to you, but you should be able to cherry-pick the services you need to craft a contract that serves you.

If you're employing outsourced IT on a project basis, such as strengthening network security or building your infrastructure, you should look for a third-party provider with access to the latest technology. The provider should regularly update their technology and offerings so that you know you're always getting the best available solution for the money.
The IT Services You Need in Los Angeles
Hey, we get it. Finding the right IT support LA team is tricky. But the right experts make a world of difference for your organizational performance. That's why we're here to offer a wide array of IT expertise, all delivered with the same unmatched professionalism.

Looking for managed IT services? Our services empower you for success with excellent, dependable IT support that optimizes your business functions while allowing you to make the most of your resources.

Looking for outsourced IT services? We're the leading outsourced technical support group in Los Angeles, with fewer overheads, high transparency, and round-the-clock service you can always count on.

So if you're ready to take a smarter approach to your technology, get in touch to learn more about our available services and find the perfect fit for your team.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Disaster Recovery, IT Budgeting, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Cyber Security Services, Outsourced IT Support

#### Mastering Advanced Endpoint Security
In today's cybersecurity landscape, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software has become indispensable. EDR solutions provide robust threat detection and response capabilities, essential for safeguarding organizational data and infrastructure. 
This guide delves into the implementation and optimization of EDR software, offering practical insights to enhance your cybersecurity strategy.


The Rise of Endpoint Detection and Response
Top EDR solutions have revolutionized cybersecurity by enhancing threat detection and response capabilities. Traditional antivirus software often falls short in identifying sophisticated threats. EDR fills this gap by continuously monitoring endpoints, detecting anomalies, and providing real-time responses to potential threats.
The proactive nature of EDR allows organizations to identify and mitigate threats before they escalate. This is crucial in an era where cyberattacks are increasingly complex and frequent. EDR tools offer detailed visibility into endpoint activities, enabling security teams to quickly pinpoint and address vulnerabilities.
Moreover, EDR solutions integrate seamlessly with other security tools, creating a cohesive defense strategy. They provide actionable insights through advanced analytics, helping organizations understand the nature and scope of threats. This integration not only enhances security posture but also streamlines incident response processes.
In summary, EDR has become a game-changer used exclusively by cybersecurity service providers. Its ability to provide continuous monitoring, real-time threat detection, and integration with other security measures makes it an essential component of modern cybersecurity strategies. It's also acts as second mode of hacker prevention along with penetration testing, which simulates a cyber attack to discover a solution.


Implementing Advanced Endpoint Protection
Implementing advanced endpoint detection and response security software requires a structured approach to ensure success. Start with a comprehensive assessment of your current security posture. Identify gaps and vulnerabilities that EDR can address. This initial step is crucial for tailoring the EDR solution to your organization's specific needs.
Next, select the right EDR solution. Consider factors such as scalability, integration capabilities, and ease of use. Evaluate different vendors and choose a solution that aligns with your security objectives and IT infrastructure. A well-chosen EDR tool will provide a solid foundation for your cybersecurity strategy.
Once you've selected an EDR solution, plan the deployment process. Develop a detailed implementation roadmap that includes timelines, resource allocation, and key milestones. Ensure that all stakeholders are informed and involved in the process. Clear communication and collaboration are essential for a smooth deployment.
After planning, proceed with the installation and configuration of the EDR software. Follow best practices and vendor guidelines to optimize the setup. Configure the software to monitor critical endpoints and set up alert thresholds. Proper configuration ensures that the EDR system functions effectively from the outset.

Optimizing for Maximum Efficiency
To maximize the efficiency of your EDR software, fine-tuning is essential. Start by configuring alerts to minimize false positives. Excessive alerts can overwhelm your security team and lead to alert fatigue. Set thresholds that balance sensitivity and specificity, ensuring that only genuine threats trigger alerts.
Automation plays a crucial role in optimizing endpoint detection and response performance. Automate routine tasks such as threat detection, initial analysis, and response actions. This not only speeds up incident response but also frees up your security team to focus on more complex threats. Use automation scripts and playbooks to streamline these processes.
Regularly update and patch your EDR software. Vendors frequently release updates that enhance functionality and address vulnerabilities. 
Keeping your EDR system up-to-date ensures it remains effective against evolving threats. Schedule regular maintenance checks to apply updates and verify system integrity.
Additionally, leverage advanced analytics and machine learning features. These tools can identify patterns and predict potential threats, providing a proactive defense mechanism. Analyze historical data to refine your EDR settings and improve threat detection accuracy.

Overcoming Common Challenges
Implementing EDR software comes with its own set of challenges. One common issue is the high volume of alerts, which can overwhelm security teams. To address this, fine-tune alert settings to reduce false positives. Implementing machine learning algorithms can also help in distinguishing between benign and malicious activities.
Another challenge is the integration of EDR with existing security infrastructure. Compatibility issues can arise, leading to gaps in coverage. Ensure that your EDR solution is compatible with your current systems. Conduct thorough testing during the implementation phase to identify and resolve any integration issues early on.
Resource constraints can also hinder effective EDR deployment. Smaller organizations may lack the necessary expertise or budget to manage EDR systems efficiently. Consider outsourcing to managed advanced endpoint security service providers (MSSPs) who specialize in EDR. This can provide access to expert knowledge and advanced tools without the need for significant in-house resources.
Data privacy concerns are another obstacle. EDR systems collect extensive data, which can raise privacy issues. Implement strict data governance policies to ensure compliance with regulations. Encrypt sensitive data and restrict access to authorized personnel only.

Measuring the Impact of Endpoint Detection and Response Solutions
Evaluating the effectiveness of endpoint detection and response solutions requires specific metrics and KPIs. Start by measuring the detection rate. This metric indicates how effectively the endpoint detection and response system identifies threats. A high detection rate signifies robust threat identification capabilities.
Next, assess the response time. This KPI measures the time taken from threat detection to response. Faster response times reduce the window of opportunity for attackers, minimizing potential damage. Aim for a response time that aligns with industry standards and your organization's risk tolerance.
False positive rate is another critical metric. High false positive rates can overwhelm your security team and lead to alert fatigue. Monitor this rate closely and adjust your EDR settings to maintain a balance between sensitivity and specificity.
Consider the mean time to resolution (MTTR). This metric tracks the average time taken to resolve security incidents. Lower MTTR indicates efficient incident management and quicker threat neutralization. Regularly review and optimize your incident response processes to improve this metric.
Finally, evaluate the coverage and visibility provided by your EDR solution. Ensure that all critical endpoints are monitored and that the system provides comprehensive visibility into endpoint activities. This holistic view is essential for identifying and mitigating threats effectively.
By focusing on these metrics and KPIs, you can gauge the impact of your EDR implementation and make informed decisions to enhance its effectiveness.


Future Trends in Advanced Endpoint Security 
Emerging trends in EDR technology are reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. One significant development is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). AI enhances threat detection by analyzing vast amounts of data and identifying patterns that may indicate malicious activity. This leads to more accurate and faster threat identification.
Cloud-based EDR solutions are also gaining traction. These solutions offer scalability and flexibility, allowing organizations to monitor endpoints across diverse environments. Cloud-based EDR can easily adapt to changing needs, providing robust security without the need for extensive on-premises infrastructure.
Behavioral analytics is another innovation transforming endpoint detection and response. By analyzing user and entity behavior, EDR systems can detect anomalies that traditional methods might miss. This proactive approach helps in identifying insider threats and advanced persistent threats (APTs) more effectively.
Integration with other security tools is becoming increasingly important. Modern EDR solutions are designed to work seamlessly with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, firewalls, and other security technologies. This integration creates a unified defense strategy, enhancing overall security posture.

Best Practices for Maintaining Endpoint Detection and Response Systems
Maintaining EDR systems requires consistent effort and strategic planning. Regularly update your EDR software to ensure it has the latest threat intelligence and security patches. Vendors frequently release updates that enhance functionality and address vulnerabilities, so staying current is crucial.
Conduct periodic audits of your endpoint detection and response configurations. Review alert settings, detection rules, and response protocols to ensure they align with evolving threats and organizational changes. Adjust configurations based on audit findings to maintain optimal performance.

Real-World Applications
EDR software finds practical applications across various industries, each with unique security needs. In the financial sector, EDR helps protect sensitive customer data and financial transactions. 
By monitoring endpoints for suspicious activities, financial institutions can quickly detect and respond to potential breaches, ensuring regulatory compliance and customer trust.
Healthcare organizations also benefit from EDR solutions and partnering with company specializing in managed IT services for healthcare. 
With the increasing digitization of patient records, utilizing advanced endpoint protection for sensitive information is paramount. EDR systems provide continuous monitoring and rapid response capabilities, safeguarding patient data from cyber threats and ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations like HIPAA.
In IT support for manufacturing, EDR plays a crucial role in securing industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT). These systems are often targeted by cyberattacks aiming to disrupt production processes. EDR solutions help detect anomalies and unauthorized access, protecting critical infrastructure and maintaining operational continuity.
Retail businesses use EDR to secure point-of-sale (POS) systems and customer data. With the rise of e-commerce, retailers face increased cyber threats targeting payment information. EDR systems provide real-time monitoring and threat detection, helping retailers protect customer data and prevent financial losses.

The Road Ahead for Advanced Endpoint Protection

In conclusion, endpoint detection and response software is a critical component of modern cybersecurity strategies. 
Its ability to provide continuous monitoring, real-time threat detection, and seamless integration with other security tools makes it indispensable. Implementing and optimizing EDR requires careful planning, regular updates, and ongoing training. Overcoming common challenges and measuring effectiveness through specific metrics ensures robust performance. 
Staying abreast of future trends and maintaining best practices will keep your EDR system effective. By understanding real-world applications, organizations can leverage EDR to protect their data and infrastructure. Continual refinement and adaptation are essential for staying ahead of evolving cyber threats.
Reach out to Be Structured for the best Los Angeles IT services and learn the ropes, from fundamentals to cutting-edge techniques, and ensure your organization stays ahead of cyber threats. 
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Mobile Banking Software Data Breaches on the Rise
Every 39 seconds there is a cyberattack.

By the time you finish this article, there will have been over a dozen. By the same time tomorrow, there will have been hundreds.

In an increasingly digital world, things such as mobile banking software data breaches are becoming all too common.

Businesses without the best in enterprise IT find themselves undefended against breaches of their mobile banking security. Let's discuss what you're up against, and how an enterprise IT support solution will spare you from digital disaster.
Mobile Banking Software Data Breaches
Most hackers want it easy.

While Hollywood portrays the majority of hackers as stealing only the most forbidden fruits, the reality is that they're just looking for the easiest, most convenient vulnerabilities out there.

So hackers try to be efficient. Rather than going one device at a time, they often attempt to take on as many devices as they possibly can. That means that hackers are going to target devices and applications that have the largest amount of users.

Financial institutions are often the first point of attack when it comes to cyber vulnerabilities. They're a tempting target, being that they hold not only money but highly sensitive personal information. In 2021, data breaches cost an average of $5.72 million.

Some of the largest financial breaches in history have occurred just in the past 10 years!

These data breaches not only cause a significant source of embarrassment, but the financial fraud that occurs can also cost even more. Users will not be likely to trust an institution that lost their personal information.

Business IT services and security for mobile banking is the perfect target for a hacker who wants to make it big.
How Bad Can It Get?
Stuxnet is a case study of how much damage malicious code can do.

Stuxnet was a worm that brought an Iranian nuclear fuel plant to its knees in 2010. That's right, a high-security facility designed to produce fuel for nuclear reactors--and nuclear weapons.

It should concern you that in our digital age, a hacker can hack anything that's connected to the internet. They can even hack your car.

Stuxnet was 500 kilobytes of code. That's less than one selfie on your phone.

The worm slipped past multiple layers of defenses. It wasn't discovered until much later when the damage had already been done.

And by damage, you're talking the millions of dollars it took Iran to fix this facility and make sure nothing like this ever happened again.

A hacker can do catastrophic damage with less data than that pic of your kids you uploaded to Instagram the other day.

The important takeaway here is that your mobile banking security doesn't just risk failing, it risks failing hard. All it takes is one exploit!

Is the security for mobile banking in your institution up to snuff?
IT Support for Financial Services
Clearly, the place hackers are going to strike first is your mobile banking apps. The security for mobile banking varies widely. It's essential to have an outsourced technical support solution that can make up for any deficiencies in your financial institution's system.

Having the best in local IT support can make all the difference if a hacker decides to come knocking on your door.
How to Protect Yourself Against Data Breaches
It's tempting to reduce the budget in your IT sector. You might believe that having up-to-date software and the latest hardware is all it takes.

But more important than keeping up with maintenance is being proactive, instead of waiting for signs of a data breach. Many businesses take a reactive approach; that is, they wait until the attacks happen, and then apply a solution.

Not only will this reactive approach cost money, but the delays and damage it does to your infrastructure could also put work on hold for hours, days, or even longer.

To put it simply, proactive cybersecurity means constantly being aware of vulnerabilities and not waiting for them to turn into disasters. You need to keep on top of monitoring the network, evaluate all high-elevation changes made to the system, and implement filtering that can catch problems when they first arise.
Mobile Banking Software Data Breaches on the Rise
An Intertrust report reveals that as many as 77% of financial apps have at least one major vulnerability.

Smartphones have exploded in popularity, and people now have their entire lives on them. Hackers understand this. Your apps are constantly reminding you to update them not just to annoy you, but because mobile developers are slaving day and night to close holes in security.

Besides software developers patching bugs, there are a lot of security procedures that can strengthen your mobile apps. One of the best to implement is two-factor authentication.

A dedicated IT support company can ensure all your employees (and customers) are up to date. It can make sure they're not inadvertently endangering the security of the company as a whole.
AI Cybersecurity and Your Mobile Banking Security
AI will make a massive impact on cybersecurity, both in improving it and threatening it. AI may allow your systems to self-monitor, actively seek out threats, and keep track of their hardware integrity.

However, AI is costly. It requires significant computing power. AI data sets are expensive, and a company would need to invest a lot of resources into developing its own.

Keep in mind, this means that hackers are using this same automation. They can use neural networks (programs that can teach themselves how to perform tasks) to discover vulnerabilities in their target system. They can automate their attacks so they are replicated against dozens of victims.

Therefore, it's essential for businesses to employ security measures that are up to date with the latest in AI cyberattacks. Your mobile banking software will require a dedicated IT team to ensure nothing goes wrong.

With that said, your company needs to ensure data is backed up in the event of ransomware. Solid backup and protection are no longer an option in today's internet-driven world.
Finding the Right Enterprise IT Solution for You
IT solutions in this day and age must not only make the most of the available technology, but they must also be versatile and comprehensive. Hackers do not rest, and with the advent of AI, they can continue their onslaught even when they sleep.

Mobile banking software data breaches are not a threat to a small subset of the population, they are a threat to practically everyone who has a bank account and owns a mobile phone!

Your business needs an IT solution that understands its unique needs and can protect it. Speak with a professional today and discover how to leverage the best enterprise IT in the business!
- Categories: Disaster Recovery, Managed IT, Security

#### MSPs for Wealth Management
Managed IT Support for Your Bottom Line



Wealth Management is all about diversifying your investments to manage the risks involved in volatile markets and political unrest. In today’s world of global business, and interconnectivity, the technological needs of just about every type of industry have changed dramatically from what they were twenty years ago. MSPs provide diversification of your technological assets to ensure your company is safe no matter how the world of cybersecurity and technology changes on the daily.



Without these crucial services that are provided by IT companies, imagine how unproductive and unadvanced we would be without the ability to work remotely or take advantage of technology as it consistently upgrades. Partnering with an MSP for your Wealth Management company is absolutely crucial to keep your clients PII secure, and your business practices compliant with FINRA.



Imagine a construction project where the management had to wait for huge packages of blueprints, technical specifications, and other job-related documents had to be mailed through the postal service instead of emailed and stored in a large capacity data management system.



Think about how waiting by the phone for an inside scoop would completely cripple a journalist or reporter’s ability to break stories and report quickly on various topics of interest. Without online resources and communication, they would always be behind the rest of the field. These are just two small examples of the fact that technology has now become necessary for every aspect of life- especially for Wealth Management firms!



We wanted to take a closer look at how Managed Service Providers (MSPs) work to help one particular industry; wealth management and financial services. We'll also delve a little deeper into how IT solutions deal with the many functionalities and priorities it must address on a regular basis.



The Benefits of Having an MSP For Your Wealth Management Company



There are a number of universal services and features of an MSP that help businesses and individuals all across the spectrum of digital usage. Basic security protection, such as the use of firewalls, antivirus and antispyware programs, the detection and removal of malware, data storage, network upgrades, and other services are all ways in which this particular specialty of IT management can make life easier and more productive for everyone.



But in looking at the specific needs of financial service providers as well as wealth and asset management in particular, there are certain requirements of any Managed Service Provider (MSP) tasked with overseeing the Wealth Management company's day-to-day operations.



Unique Aspects of Wealth Management Service Protection With an MSP



Even though there are several services MSPs provide that are highly beneficial to any type of wealth management business that handles financial planning and retirement. The confidential PII records of a wealth management company can be massive. This storage of massive amounts of data from an in-demand personal finance specialist, or basically anyone else in this highly diverse and specialized field, will need to beef up their protection efforts, particularly in cybersecurity and data management.



MSPs Decrease in Identity Theft and White-Collar Cybercrime for Wealth Management Companies



It is important to note that these types of companies face an incredible amount of attacks from hackers looking for easy financial gains, unscrupulous competitors looking to gain an edge or unsteady the confidence of clients in their current firm’s ability to safeguard their information. U.S.- based wealth management companies are a big target as well to foreign malicious actors that may want to wreak havoc on some of the wealthier citizens of the world.



Wealth Management Companies Naturally Provide Multiple Payoffs in One Central Location For a Cyberattack



One of the biggest factors in why organizations or individuals that provide long-term financial consulting and management have to be especially diligent about their security is because these firms represent numerous clients who possess great financial resources and very valuable assets. Without the help of an MSP that is closely monitoring all threats on your behalf as well as keeping vulnerable hardware and software updated, these threats become minimized exponentially.



Unlike accessing a few random bank accounts where you might find that the highest available balance could be a few hundred dollars, most victims in a cyber breach at a wealth or retirement financial services company would already have considerable portfolios, making every piece of data highly valuable. Finding an MSP who can thwart these threats is critical for having a successful wealth management firm.



MSPs Keep Up With Constantly Evolving Intrusion Tactics Deployed On Wealth Management and Financial Firms



Another reason Managed Service Providers are so critical to the security aspect of your company is because invasive software and digital “lock-picking” devices are being developed and refined daily. They target the financial industries before the techniques and software have had time to be analyzed and neutralized. This fact alone makes getting instant security updates, upgrades, and troubleshooting necessary. A qualified MSP will be able to constantly keep your security measures in check as well as notify your company of an attempted breach.



MSPs Protect The Security of Sensitive Information



There are multiple types of highly confidential information that MSPs deal with on a daily basis, both in this particular field and several others. Taking a look at this short but informative list will let you know how seriously they take the responsibility of protecting your client’s private data and how some of the most important industries in the world trust them to do so:




Medical records
Customer/Client data
Proprietary business data
Government data




Understanding that one of the main jobs of a Managed Service Provider is to exhaustively oversee the safety and security of every piece of data and information that their clients have. Many important organizations and industries rely on them to take care of these and many other technology-related needs. Wealth management companies should have the utmost confidence in their capabilities to not only protect you defensively but be proactive in their protection offensively.



How MSPs Serve on the Front Lines Against Cybersecurity Attacks For Wealth Management Companies



To better understand how MSPs and other Managed IT Security Service Providers perform these essential security functions, it is first necessary to understand the nature of the various types of strategies that cybercriminals employ in an attempt to gain access to private and confidential information.



Daily Assult to the Wealth Management Firm's Firewall



First, highly prized systems that contain a large volume of valuable information by far the most attention from the immoral individuals that practice digital white-collar crimes. One of the techniques that they use it to set up non-stop remote attacks aimed at the firewall all day, every day. This is not so much to actually create a breach that can be exploited but to get a feel for what the security software is capable of. This collection of data will map out where vulnerabilities may lie for a successful future cyber assault.



Cybercriminals Switch Up Their Strategies



Secondly, these hackers and digital criminals rarely (if ever) use the same strategy twice. In fact, that is one of the tricks of their trade. By constantly feeding new malware, spyware, viruses, and every other type of digital thievery tool at their disposal, they are working hard to “distract” the IT security program. Making a minor intrusion on a different part of the network appear to be another outdated, minimal-threat invasion is exactly what they want. In reality, it is a cleverly disguised entrance into that prized database, or a successful mining of data to eventually get them there.



MSPs Constantly Monitor Attacks on Wealth Management Firms



MSPs provide the literal second by second attention it takes to each of these types of cyberattacks as well as the countless others being developed every day. To make sure that your wealth management organization’s sensitive records and data are uncompromised, it is vital for you to partner with a qualified MSP who can mitigate, protect, and deploy assistance within seconds of a security breach.



MSPs are able to do this by numerous daily updates and upgrades, rotating security commands, and monitoring individual aspects of the system that seem to be getting pinged with various random digital processes. There are several other well-known proprietary strategies and techniques that can be tailored to a wealth management company's needs. These functions are simply too much for one, dedicated IT Support Technician or even an entire IT Department to handle on their own.



MSPs Provide Other Non-Security Benefits for Wealth Management Firms



It is also important to note some of the other essential services that a wealth management and financial advisory organization might have that don’t actually relate so much to cybersecurity. MSPs specialize in building efficient IT network infrastructure. The ability to store and organize massive amounts of data is also crucial as this sector of business is one of the most paperwork-laden sectors in existence.



Not only is it important to store and manage that vast cache of information, but all of it also needs to be backed up on some type of cloud infrastructure. This not only protects the data in the case of some type of cyber breach or keep business continuity during a natural disaster, it also preserves it in the rare case of a digital or real-world disaster with the MSP itself.



Besides data storage, you also have a number of other features that are also critical to the success of any type of financial services company. Things like email and correspondence organization and access, virtual helpdesks to provide employees with urgent IT solutions, as well as device management to allow consultants to easily navigate between laptops and desktops, mobile phones, and various other devices.



While these are by no means a comprehensive example of what kinds of services that MSPs offer to those who work in the wealth and asset management industries, they do offer a glimpse of how important it is to partner up with a Managed Service Provider or a Managed Security Services Provider as soon as possible. Contact Be Structured today to chat about what we can do to help your wealth management company thrive!
- Categories: MSPs
- Tags: Business Continuity, Cybersecurity, Financial Company, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Wealth Management

#### Multi-Factor Authentication: Strengthening Your Defense Against Unauthorized Access
Cybersecurity continues to be a top concern for organizations striving to safeguard sensitive data and maintain operational continuity. 
With top cybersecurity threats like phishing attacks, ransomware attacks, and credential stuffing becoming increasingly sophisticated, traditional password protection is no longer enough. That’s where multi-factor authentication (MFA) plays a critical role in enhancing cybersecurity posture.


Multi-factor authentication enhances digital security by requiring users to verify their identity through multiple means before gaining access. Typically, this involves a combination of something the user knows (password), something the user has (authentication app or token), and something the user is (biometric verification).
Unlike single-factor authentication, MFA creates a significantly higher barrier to unauthorized access. This additional layer of verification drastically reduces the likelihood of compromised credentials being used maliciously.

Why Multi-Factor Authentication Matters in Cybersecurity
One of the core challenges in cybersecurity is the human element. Employees may reuse weak passwords, fall for social engineering attacks, or inadvertently expose credentials. MFA mitigates this risk by ensuring that even if a password is stolen, access to critical systems is not easily granted.
Cybercriminals are constantly developing new tactics. It is no longer a question of if an attack will occur, but when. That reality underscores the extreme importance of being proactive with cybersecurity threats.
 Organizations that incorporate MFA stand a better chance of minimizing exposure.
MFA is also a foundational requirement in many compliance frameworks. Standards such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR either strongly recommend or mandate multi-factor authentication for access to sensitive systems. Implementing MFA not only strengthens your defense, but also demonstrates due diligence.

How Multi-Factor Authentication Works to Improve Cybersecurity
Multi-factor authentication relies on verifying at least two out of three categories:


 	
Knowledge: Something you know, like a password or PIN.

 	
Possession: Something you have, like a smartphone with an authentication app.

 	
Inherence: Something you are, like a fingerprint or facial recognition.


When users attempt to log in, they must provide their password and verify with a second factor. For example, entering a time-based one-time password (TOTP) from an app like Google Authenticator, or approving a push notification on their phone.

Some organizations adopt hardware tokens for even stronger authentication. These physical devices generate unique codes or interact directly with machines. This highlights the vital role of hardware in an effective cybersecurity strategy.

Types of Multi-Factor Authentication for Cybersecurity
There are several methods for deploying MFA:


 	
SMS-based codes: A one-time code sent to the user’s phone.

 	
Email verification: A link or code sent via email.

 	
App-based authenticators: TOTP or push notifications through mobile apps.

 	
Hardware tokens: Physical devices such as YubiKeys.

 	
Biometric verification: Fingerprint or facial recognition.


Each method has strengths and trade-offs. While SMS is convenient, it’s vulnerable to SIM-swapping attacks. App-based methods and hardware tokens offer better protection.

Cybersecurity Best Practices with Multi-Factor Authentication
Implementing MFA is an excellent first step, but it should be part of a broader strategy. Businesses should:


 	
Regularly audit and update MFA policies.

 	
Provide training to employees about MFA and its role in security.

 	
Use MFA in conjunction with strong password policies and regular rotation.

 	
Implement conditional access policies to enforce authentication under certain conditions.


Another essential component is pairing MFA with other tools. For example, understanding how antivirus and intrusion protection systems complement each other can elevate the overall security posture.

The Benefits of Implementing Two Factor Authentication
Organizations that deploy MFA can expect immediate advantages:


 	
Stronger access control: Reduces the risk of unauthorized access.

 	
Regulatory compliance: Helps meet cybersecurity mandates.

 	
User trust: Enhances customer and employee confidence.

 	
Data protection: Shields sensitive information from breaches.


The benefits of implementing two factor authentication for your business are clear. It not only defends against account compromise but also reinforces the message that data security is a priority.

Addressing Common Challenges of Multi-Factor Authentication in Cybersecurity Strategy
Despite its effectiveness, MFA can face resistance due to perceived complexity. Users may find it inconvenient or difficult to navigate. To address this, organizations should:


 	
Choose user-friendly authentication methods.

 	
Offer training and clear communication.

 	
Use single sign-on (SSO) integrated with MFA for a seamless experience.


Balancing usability with security ensures smoother adoption and higher compliance.
Keeping Your Business Secure
MFA should be deployed across all critical systems including email, cloud platforms, and VPNs. IT teams should also monitor for anomalies, such as repeated failed attempts or logins from suspicious locations.
Keeping your business secure with two factor authentication is not a one-time effort. It requires ongoing attention and adaptation to emerging threats. Consistent evaluation and refinement will help maintain its effectiveness.

Cybersecurity for Remote and Hybrid Workforces
As remote and hybrid work environments become standard, organizations must adapt their cybersecurity approaches. MFA is a crucial tool for protecting remote access points, cloud applications, and mobile devices.
Remote employees often access systems from personal devices or unsecured networks. Without MFA, these access points become prime targets for cybercriminals. MFA ensures that even in distributed environments, identity verification remains robust.
Combining MFA with secure VPNs, mobile device management (MDM), and advanced endpoint protection solutions can significantly reduce vulnerabilities.

Multi-Factor Authentication and Incident Response in Cybersecurity Planning
Incorporating MFA into your incident response plan strengthens your organization's ability to contain and mitigate breaches. If login credentials are exposed, MFA can prevent attackers from escalating access or moving laterally across networks.
Incident response teams should test how MFA behaves under simulated attack scenarios. This helps fine-tune settings and identify gaps in authentication workflows. MFA logs can also provide valuable forensic data during post-incident investigations.

Why Cybersecurity Needs Continuous Improvement
Cybersecurity is not static. It demands ongoing evolution to keep up with threats. MFA should be regularly assessed for effectiveness and updated as needed. Organizations must stay informed about emerging technologies and threat vectors.
Evaluating new MFA methods, such as behavioral biometrics or risk-based authentication, can future-proof your security stack. Automation, AI-driven analytics, and contextual access controls can enhance MFA effectiveness.

Cybersecurity Trends: Multi-Factor Authentication in the Context of Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust security models are gaining traction as businesses move to the cloud. In a Zero Trust network framework, trust is never assumed. Every access request must be verified, regardless of origin.
MFA is a foundational element of Zero Trust. It ensures that identity verification is robust and continuous. Combined with micro-segmentation and least privilege principles, MFA plays a vital role in enforcing Zero Trust policies.
As companies adopt cloud-first strategies, embedding MFA into every layer of their cybersecurity architecture is a strategic imperative.


Cybersecurity in Industry-Specific Contexts
From financial institutions to manufacturers, every sector benefits from strong access controls. In highly regulated environments like finance, MFA helps protect sensitive client data and supports compliance. In manufacturing, where intellectual property is a prime target, MFA can prevent espionage and sabotage.
Different industries have unique requirements. For instance, IT support in Los Angeles can help you fight cybersecurity issues by tailoring MFA deployment to your specific operational environment.

Layered Defense: Multi-Factor Authentication as a Core Component of Cybersecurity
MFA is most effective when integrated into a layered security strategy. Firewalls, endpoint protection, employee training, and network monitoring all work in concert.
A layered approach reduces the impact of a single point of failure. If one control is breached, others still stand in the way of the attacker. This model is known as defense in depth, and MFA is a critical part of that system.

Make Multi-Factor Authentication a Cybersecurity Priority
Every business should take decisive action against today’s digital threats. Cybersecurity isn’t optional. It’s an essential investment in the continuity and integrity of your operations.
Start by assessing your current access protocols. Evaluate which systems are most vulnerable and implement MFA as a first line of defense. Expand your security stack to include endpoint monitoring and network intrusion detection. Educate your team about threat vectors and response procedures.


At Be Structured, we believe that proactive security measures make the difference between recovery and catastrophe. 
Schedule a free consultation today and discover how our IT and security solutions can help protect what matters most.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, multi factor authentication, Security
- Tags: 2FA, mfa, multi factor authentication

#### Network DLP (Data Loss Prevention): Best Practices and Solutions
The global average cost of a data breach is $4.35 million, the highest it's ever been. While you might not have to pay millions of dollars for a data breach at your business alone, you can expect major consequences.

Data breaches costing thousands of dollars can bankrupt some businesses. Not to mention, you lose credibility as a trustworthy brand, which can tank your income drastically.

With a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) plan, you can protect your data from loss and theft. Keep reading to learn about network DLP and the best practices your business can implement.
What Is Data Loss Prevention?
Data loss prevention is a strategy filled with tools and practices to help your business prevent data breaches. DLP solutions can identify, monitor, and protect sensitive data from being leaked or stolen.

DLP works by scanning and analyzing data while it moves throughout different channels, such as:

 	Cloud storage
 	Email
 	Endpoints
 	Network file shares

Organizations can use DLP solutions to comply with data privacy regulations. More on that below.
Do You Need a Data Loss Prevention Strategy?
Your business might rely heavily on data within your IT infrastructure. A network DLP strategy is especially beneficial for large businesses, but businesses of any size should have some level of data loss prevention.

A data loss prevention strategy can help your business avoid fines for non-compliance. With a plan in place, you can stay compliant with these key frameworks:

 	NIST
 	HIPPA
 	ISO
 	FISMA

The digital world is filled with potential hazards that can cause harm to your organization. Adopting a stance against data loss can help you avoid these potential threats:
Ransomware
Ransomware is one of the most common cyberattacks affecting businesses. It mainly exploits human error vulnerabilities.

To avoid ransomware, you and your employees must follow best practices for cyber safety. Everyone in your organization should have access to your data loss prevention strategy.

Ransomware spreads through messages that appear to be real but are scams. Once the illegitimate link is opened, malware can spread through the database and take critical data.

Ransomware is a severe threat because there aren't many remedial options. Your best defense against ransomware is prevention.
Insider Threats
Security measures against data disruption are better than they've ever been. Insider attacks can still diminish the work developed against hackers.

There are threats your business can face from insider criminals. Your employees likely know of any potential security vulnerabilities your business might fail to address.

Working with cybersecurity service providers who have a suitable data protection plan includes possible insider attacks and how to prevent them.
Software Corruption and Hardware Issues
IT infrastructures aren't only susceptible to security threats; they are at risk of various threats. Software corruption and hardware issues can lead to data loss without you knowing it.

These issues can happen quickly and damage can be insurmountable. A well-structured plan will mitigate these risks and help keep your business operating efficiently.
Network DLP Best Practices and Solutions
Data security should be at the forefront of your business, especially if you handle customer data. Data loss events can be catastrophic to your business, so it's important to create prevention plans.

These are the steps you can take to improve your network DLP plan:
Identify and Classify Data
Data classification can help your business stay organized. You can categorize your data based on how it impacts your business, its value, and its sensitivity. With this, you'll be able to effectively prioritize critical data.

Once you identify the most important data, you can implement more resources to critical categories. Access control and encryption are great tools to utilize to prevent unwanted access.

Access control will limit who can access data by requiring a form of authentication. Not everyone working for your business should have access to the most sensitive data. Keep this in mind when setting up access control.

Encryption can convert data into an unreadable format to prevent unauthorized eyes as well.

Classifying your data and applying appropriate security best practices reduces the risk of theft. You can maintain the confidentiality that your most important data requires.
Enable Access Control
As briefly discussed above, access control measures can restrict unwanted access to sensitive data. Certain data will only be available to authorized individuals who need it to complete job functions.

The most basic form of access control is a password-protected account. You can add a layer of security with multi-factor authentication.

Access controls are beneficial for eliminating insider threats. It's also helpful for other types of threats, but can immediately improve your insider threat DLP strategy.
Monitor Data Access
Monitoring data access means tracking who can access data. You can also see when someone accesses data and what they do with it.

Monitoring data access is beneficial because it allows businesses to quickly identify where data is most susceptible to a breach. With this information, you can take action and implement best practices to prevent unauthorized access.

Here are some of the most common ways you can monitor data access:

 	Implementing real-time monitoring tools
 	Logging access attempts
 	Reviewing activity logs

Real-time monitoring tools will help your business detect suspicious activity. If anything suspicious comes up, security personnel will be alerted. You can stop potential data breaches as they occur.

Logging access attempts and analyzing the details will help you organize unauthorized access attempts to provide a record of who accessed sensitive data.

Reviewing these logs provides insight that can help you identify potential security weaknesses.

Monitoring access allows you to quickly detect and respond to potential threats. Many data security standards and regulations require data access monitoring.
Complete Security Audits
Regular security audits can provide you with a complete overview of your security procedures and controls. The purpose of an audit is to identify vulnerabilities and how they can be improved.

Any successful DLP strategy will include regular security audits. An IT support crew will uncover vulnerabilities within:

 	Software
 	Hardware
 	Network Infrastructure
 	Security policies and procedures

Once these vulnerabilities are identified, you can address them before hackers take advantage. The easiest solution is to patch software and update your hardware regularly.

You might need to go as far as implementing a new security control plan with new policies. As security threats change, your plan of action needs to change with them.

Regular security audits can keep your business cybersecurity compliant with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) require regular auditing.
Train Employees
Human error is at the forefront of data loss events. Your network DLP policy must include training and educating your employees on the dangers of data breaches.

Employees who are well aware of cybersecurity best practices are less likely to fall victim to cyberattacks, such as ransomware or phishing emails. You can train employees to:

 	Identify phishing emails
 	Avoid suspicious links
 	Use secure passwords
 	Use multi-factor authentication

Employees who have access to sensitive data should learn the best data handling policies. Requiring your staff to use encrypted storage devices is a common theme in business.

One-time training is not enough for data governance and security. Reinforce your policies to ensure employees know their role in protecting sensitive data.

Keeping employees informed about the latest security trends can help prevent data loss and theft. Not only will you reduce your risk of a cyberattack, but you can maintain data confidentiality.

A DLP policy should include education for stakeholders. As main users of data, they need to understand the best practices to safeguard information.
Create an Incident Response Plan
Data breaches can occur even if you implement security best practices. There are unknown vulnerabilities that can pop up. Hackers become more advanced over time as well.

An incident response plan will outline the steps necessary to take if a data breach occurs. A clear incident response plan will minimize damage from a data breach and can prevent a complete loss of a good reputation.

To quickly get back to business as usual, you'll need to follow these incident response steps:

 	Identification
 	Containment
 	Notification
 	Investigation
 	Remediation

We'll go over each of them briefly to help you make a detailed plan.
Identification
Identifying the nature and scope of the infiltration is the first step to remediation. You need to find out the data that has been compromised and who it affects. If you can, figure out how the breach occurred.
Containment
To limit the spread of data loss, you need to contain the breach. This could involve a variety of steps. Consider isolating the affected systems or shutting down the affected services.
Notification
Those who are affected by the data breach should be notified. Chief security officers, stakeholders, and regulatory authorities must be notified by law and should be included in your company's policy.

To prevent disputes in the future, notification should be accurate and timely. Provide clear details about the breach and how you are planning to address it.
Investigation
A thorough investigation will determine the culprit. As well as getting to the bottom of the cause of the breach, you can investigate to determine the extent of damage.

A managed IT company can use forensic analysis or other investigative techniques to analyze affected systems. Employee interviews can also shed light on some important details.
Remediation
To prevent similar breaches from happening in the future, implement new security protocols. Corrective actions might involve:

 	Revising policies and procedures
 	Patching vulnerabilities
 	Upgrading security controls

All of these steps are essential to a comprehensive network DLP strategy.
Automated Backups and Disaster Recovery
Companies can quickly recover from data loss situations with automated backups. Automated backups should be regularly scheduled to ensure critical data is always backed up.

The 3-2-1 backup strategy is a common method for easily recovering data that has been properly duplicated.

It involves three copies of your original data and two duplicate versions. There are two duplicate versions in case one of your backups gets stolen or lost.

The two storage types can help uncover important documents in the event of a data loss. One copy is stored away from your business in case the property is damaged in some way.

Data backup options are growing to meet business demands. You can use a combination of data backups to maximize your protection. Any single option is better than nothing, but try to pick between two of these methods:

 	Removable device
 	External hard drive
 	Cloud backups
 	Computer/device backups

Depending on how often you use your devices, you should perform backups at least weekly. Daily backups might be the best option for large businesses.
Consider Data Retention
At a certain point, there's no reason to keep certain data. A data retention policy ensures that data is retained only as long as it needs to be.

In industries where data retention policies are mandated by the law, staying ahead of the game by adding data retention to your DLP plan is key.

Storing only essential information should be at the top of your priority list. You can't lose data that you no longer have.

In your data retention strategy, make sure you include a plan for disposing of data correctly.
Harden Your Systems
To ensure your operating system is as secure as it can be, eliminate unnecessary apps and services that are prone to vulnerabilities.

It's best to have a baseline operating system for employees and add functionality based on their need to access data. All confidential data requires tracking. This includes reports on who is accessing the data and from where.
Working Together to Minimize Data Disruption
Minimizing data disruption is not a one-size-fits-all task. It's an ongoing journey that will depend on your business needs and technology preferences.

With a network DLP strategy in place, you can prevent cyber threats from happening and be prepared if a hacker slips through the cracks. You can provide your business and employees with training and local trends.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we know that your business deserves technology that works for you, not against you.

Since 2007, we've been delivering superior outsourced IT support and quality tools.

Partner with an IT company that shares your goals now.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance, Disaster Recovery, Tips & Tricks

#### Network Performance Monitoring: Key Metrics That Actually Matter
Network performance monitoring is the practice of continuously measuring key infrastructure metrics — latency, packet loss, bandwidth utilization, and application response times — to ensure your network is actively supporting business productivity, not quietly undermining it.
Modern IT environments generate a constant stream of technical data. Dashboards display CPU usage, memory allocation, interface statistics, jitter levels, and dozens of additional indicators. 
Yet despite this abundance of information, many organizations still struggle to answer a simple question: Is the network truly supporting business performance?
Effective network performance monitoring is not about collecting more data. It is about identifying the metrics that translate directly into user experience, productivity, and operational resilience. 

What Poor Network Performance Monitoring Costs Your Business
Downtime is not merely an inconvenience. Industry data from IBM suggests that a single hour of unplanned downtime can cost enterprises anywhere from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars, depending on size and sector. 
Lost transactions, idle employees, reputational harm, and recovery costs accumulate quickly. Research from Uptime Institute indicates that while outages may occur less frequently than in the past, the severity of major incidents is increasing, largely driven by intentional cyberattacks and complex system dependencies.
These realities reinforce two important lessons. First, monitoring must detect issues before they escalate. Second, visibility must extend beyond infrastructure health to business impact. When it comes to monitoring performance, here are the key metrics that actually matter.

1) Latency: The Silent Productivity Killer
Latency measures the time it takes for data to travel from source to destination. Even small increases can disrupt workflows, particularly in cloud-based environments.
High latency affects:


 	 Voice and video conferencing quality.
 	Cloud application responsiveness.
 	File transfers and database queries.

For employees, latency translates into sluggish applications and repeated clicks. Over time, these delays reduce productivity and increase frustration. 
Monitoring latency trends helps IT teams identify congestion points, misconfigured routes, or external provider issues before users flood the help desk.
Establishing a baseline is critical. Teams should measure average latency during peak and off-peak hours, then define acceptable thresholds tied to business tolerance.

2) Packet Loss: Small Drops, Big Consequences
Packet loss occurs when data packets fail to reach their destination. While minor packet loss may seem insignificant, sustained loss degrades real-time applications and corrupts data transfers.
Voice calls may sound distorted. Video streams may freeze. Transaction systems may stall. Monitoring packet loss alongside latency provides a clearer picture of network reliability. 
If both metrics spike simultaneously, the issue may involve congestion or hardware failure. If packet loss increases independently, configuration errors or faulty equipment may be the culprit.

3) Bandwidth Utilization: Knowing When You Are Near Capacity
Bandwidth utilization measures how much of the available network capacity is in use. Consistently operating near maximum capacity increases the risk of slowdowns and dropped connections.
However, high utilization alone does not always indicate a problem. The key is understanding patterns.


The ultimate objective of network performance monitoring is prevention.
Are spikes predictable during scheduled backups or peak business hours? Or do they occur unexpectedly, suggesting unauthorized usage or inefficient traffic routing?
Organizations should avoid the mistake of expanding bandwidth automatically without analyzing root causes. In some cases, traffic shaping or application prioritization resolves performance issues more effectively than purchasing additional capacity.

4) Uptime: More Than a Percentage
Uptime is often expressed as a percentage, such as 99.9 percent availability. While these figures appear reassuring, they can obscure real impact.
For example, 99.9 percent uptime still allows for nearly nine hours of downtime annually. If those hours occur during peak revenue periods, the consequences are severe.
This is why monitoring must align with disaster recovery planning. Uptime metrics should connect directly to recovery objectives, including Recovery Time Objectives and Recovery Point Objectives. The goal is not simply high availability, but rapid restoration when disruptions occur.

5) Application Response Times: The Metric Users Feel
Infrastructure may appear healthy while users experience delays. This disconnect often occurs when organizations focus exclusively on hardware metrics rather than application performance.
Application response time monitoring tracks how long it takes for a system to complete user requests. It directly reflects end-user experience.
If response times degrade despite stable network indicators, the issue may reside in application code, database queries, or cloud service dependencies. Correlating infrastructure and application metrics prevents blind spots.

Common Network Performance Monitoring Mistakes to Avoid
Despite investing in sophisticated tools, many organizations fall into predictable traps.

Collecting Excessive Data Without Actionable Thresholds
Monitoring platforms can generate overwhelming volumes of statistics. Without defined thresholds tied to business impact, alerts become noise. Teams either ignore them or waste time chasing minor fluctuations.
Effective monitoring establishes clear escalation criteria. For instance, latency exceeding a defined threshold for more than five consecutive minutes during business hours may trigger investigation. Minor, short-lived spikes may not.

Focusing Only on Infrastructure
Monitoring switches and routers is necessary but insufficient. Modern business operations depend heavily on cloud platforms and SaaS applications. 
If those services degrade, internal infrastructure metrics may not reveal the problem. A holistic strategy examines end-to-end performance, including external service providers.

Ignoring Security Signals
Performance and security are closely linked. Traffic anomalies, unexpected bandwidth spikes, or unusual connection attempts may indicate malicious activity.
This is one reason why companies should prioritize cybersecurity compliance in tandem with performance monitoring. Structured compliance frameworks often require documented logging, monitoring, and incident response procedures that strengthen both security and reliability.
Organizations that invest in IT security, including advanced endpoint security services, gain enhanced visibility into suspicious behavior that could otherwise masquerade as performance degradation.
In regions with dense business ecosystems like Los Angeles, many firms benefit from partnering with expert cybersecurity providers to integrate monitoring with threat detection and compliance oversight.


Network performance monitoring succeeds when it focuses on actionable metrics that directly influence user productivity and business continuity.
How to Establish Baselines for Network Performance Monitoring
Effective network performance monitoring begins with baseline measurement. IT leaders should collect performance data during stable operating conditions to determine normal ranges.
Key steps include:


 	 Recording average latency, packet loss, and bandwidth utilization.
 	Measuring application response times during peak hours.
 	Documenting typical daily and weekly traffic patterns.
 	Identifying seasonal fluctuations.

Once baselines are defined, deviations become easier to detect and interpret.

Setting Business-Aligned Alert Thresholds
Alerts should correspond to business impact rather than technical perfection. For example:


 	 A minor bandwidth spike at 2:00 AM may not require intervention.
 	A latency increase during customer-facing operations likely does.

Thresholds should be calibrated based on business tolerance. This prevents alert fatigue while ensuring meaningful incidents receive attention.

From Reactive to Proactive Monitoring
The ultimate objective of network performance monitoring is prevention. Reactive approaches wait for user complaints before investigating. Proactive strategies identify trends early.
Trend analysis reveals gradual increases in latency or bandwidth usage that signal future capacity constraints. Predictive monitoring allows organizations to upgrade infrastructure or adjust configurations before service degradation occurs.
Working with a managed IT services provider in Los Angeles can help organizations implement proactive monitoring frameworks that integrate performance data, security insights, and recovery planning into a cohesive strategy.

Monitoring as a Risk Management Tool
Monitoring should not exist in isolation. It must connect to broader risk management initiatives. For example, performance metrics inform disaster recovery testing. 
If recovery failover introduces unacceptable latency, configurations require adjustment. Monitoring data also supports capacity planning and vendor negotiations by providing objective evidence of service levels.
By linking metrics to operational risk, IT leaders transform dashboards into decision-support tools.

Prioritize What Truly Matters
Network performance monitoring succeeds when it focuses on actionable metrics that directly influence user productivity and business continuity. Latency, packet loss, bandwidth utilization, uptime, and application response times provide a meaningful foundation when aligned with business thresholds and proactive response plans.
Be Structured helps organizations implement monitoring strategies that prioritize actionable metrics, improve visibility, and reduce operational risk. Through integrated performance tracking, security alignment, and recovery planning, we ensure monitoring frameworks translate technical signals into strategic insight.
Schedule a discovery call today and let’s start building a monitoring strategy that protects performance and supports long-term growth.
- Categories: Network installations, Networking, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: 24/7 Network Monitoring

#### Network Security and Compliance: Why you need to know the difference
Taking precautions to defend the integrity of your business’ systems and network is essential to the continued growth of your company. Depending on your industry, it is likely that there is at least one information privacy or security standard that applies to your business. These regulations can come from federal agencies or industry regulatory organizations. Most of these security controls have been put in place to protect the safety of customers, and if your business does not comply, you can face fines, penalties, and legal action.
Being Secure and Being Compliant Are Two Different Things
Many people mistake being compliant with being fully protected. It’s crucial that your business abides by these security policies, but simply remaining compliant does not mean you have entirely secure web security. All of the federal and industry standards are just that, the standard level of security. Your business and your customers deserve more than just the minimum precautions and defenses, especially in light of today's advances in AI technology. Now more than ever it's important to understand what an AI governance policy framework looks like and how you meet its needs.
Managing Security Compliance
By partnering with a service provider, like Be Structured, your business will gain access to both network compliance tools and secure computer networking. Ensuring compliance can be a complicated process and requires an in-depth knowledge of all of the appropriate regulations that apply to your industry and business.

As an outsourced managed service provider, we understand the value of receiving assistance from the experts in a given specialty. This is why we have partnered with a trusted network support company to provide compliance testing to our customers. Don’t worry about juggling multiple providers though, we will still operate as your single point of contact for compliance network support.
Taking Network Security To Another Level
The reliability and stability of your network are integral to your day-to-day activities and long-term productivity. Any disruption in your operations could have severe consequences. Downtime spent repairing a breach and restoring services will cause a loss in revenue. If your security is compromised, it could get even worse for your customers. If you run a financial services institution, your customers are trusting you to keep their information protected. Once they are compromised, and you lose their trust, it can be nearly impossible to earn back. A good name is hard to earn, and even harder to restore.
The Security Features Of Managed IT Services
True network security takes a layered approach of multiple levels of onsite technical support. It involves managed support services like 24/7 monitoring, antivirus protection, and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). Our full-time onsite IT support will deliver defenses like this and more to your wireless network devices. Depending on your collaboration structure, we can also work to secure mobile devices and tablets.
The Advantages of Compliance and Network Security
We’ve talked about how these two concepts are different, but your business needs both of them to be well-defended. Be Structured can provide the ideal scenario where you are compliant with appropriate standards and safe from online intrusions. Our services won’t just protect you; they offer advantages to your business operations as well.

 	Peace of Mind: You can rest easy knowing that your systems and network are safe. Running any business is a risk, but it’s a calculated risk we must all take to be successful. With Be Structured, you’ll be able to think and work creatively without the fear of putting yourself at too much risk.
 	Productivity: Continuous uptime will boost your employees’ productivity across the board. One of the biggest productivity killers is a breakdown in communications or technical errors caused by security problems. Without those hurdles in your way, your team can move cohesively to a brighter future.
 	Employee Education: The overall security for your business requires a team effort. Some of the most common online intrusions are caused by an employee unknowingly opening the wrong link or innocently visiting the wrong site. When you start taking more network security precautions, there will be the opportunity to educate your employees on safer practices.

If you are in Los Angeles or Orange County, get in touch with Be Structured today to find out more about how we can help you get a more secure and stable network for your business.
- Categories: Security, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: IT Compliance, Los Angeles IT Support, Network Compliance, Network Security

#### Network Support: Everything You Need to Know
The internet has changed everything about how we conduct our lives, including how we run our businesses. These days, companies handle everything from project collaboration to customer sales through digital channels. 

We pay employees, search for new job candidates, conduct meetings with clients, attend training seminars, launch marketing campaigns, and communicate with coworkers through the internet.

All of this connectivity means your company needs to have an excellent digital network in place. 

If your business operates in the Southern California area, hiring a managed IT services Los Angeles based company can help you find the best solutions for your company and keep them up to date so you can stay ahead of the competition. 

Read on to learn more about network support services and the benefits they can bring to your company.
What are the Basics of Computer Networks?
Before we get into all the benefits of outsourced technical support, let’s talk some about the basics of computer networks. 

In simplest terms, a computer network is a system of connected machines that can be used to share information, files, and communication. The most common computer network you likely interact with on a daily basis is the Internet.

Computer networks can be made up of a number of different components. This may include servers, routers, computers, printers, phones, tablets, and even lighting systems.

In today’s era of smart technology, refrigerators, ovens, washers, dryers, and other such appliances can be part of a network. These devices can communicate through a system of copper wires or fiber optic cables. They may also use wireless solutions like Bluetooth and the telephone network.
What Is Network Support?
Now that we know a little more about what computer networks are, what is network support and why is it important? 

As you might guess from the name, network support is a service that helps to maintain and update a computer network. A network support specialist may work on any piece of a network, from the individual devices to the system itself.

In the business world, network support services help companies to maintain the computer systems that keep them running. As we’ll discuss more, this may involve everything from setting up computers for new employees to handling network crashes. 

Having the right network IT support team could make a huge difference in your company’s productivity and success.
Upgrade to a Standardized System
One of the biggest advantages of working with a network support team is that you can set up a standardized system for your company. When you devise a network installation plan on your own or – worse yet – let your employees set up their own systems, you get a thousand different versions of the same system.

This makes it almost impossible to implement new solutions without redesigning everyone’s system. And it’s quite difficult to communicate efficiently in non-standard systems.

A network support team knows the gold standards for the computer industry and can help you set up a system that complies with those standards. 

Your team will be able to communicate better since they’ll all be working on identical versions of the same system. And you’ll avoid any unusual setups that can lead to more network crashes or downtime.
Improve Your Security
Cybersecurity is an incredibly important issue for any business operating in the modern world. Everything from hiring and payroll to product development and marketing happens through computers. Keeping your network secure could be critical to keep you at the top of your industry.

Unfortunately, as fast as developers are coming up with new security measures, hackers are coming up with new ways to evade them. Your network support team will be up-to-date on the latest and greatest in cybersecurity. This can help you prevent costly cyberattacks and keep your information secure.
Handle Computer Setup
When you hire a new employee, one of the first things you’ll need to do is to get them set up with a computer system. 

They’ll need the physical hardware setup – the monitor, a printer, and so on – in addition to account access to all relevant areas of your network. But do you really want to ask one of your other employees to take time out of their work to set up that system?

Locally, finding a company in your area like a West Hollywood IT support company can more easily handle computer setup for you because they reside close by, avoiding costly productivity losses and travel times. 

They can make sure the new system fits into the standards your company adheres to and grant your new team member access to all the appropriate programs and information. They can even get the printers hooked up and everything ready for your new hire to transition smoothly into their role.
Improve Productivity
You might be surprised to learn that working with a network support team can actually help to improve your overall company productivity. 

For one thing, your team won’t have to dedicate their time to handling problems with your network anymore. They can focus on doing the jobs you hired them to do and keeping customers happy.

But your network support team can also suggest ways to make your system work more efficiently. 

They might be able to configure a network that moves faster or interacts more natively with the system you’re running. Or they may be able to find solutions that provide more of the functionality you need with less hassle.
Troubleshoot Daily Issues
No matter how strong a system you build, problems are going to arise from time to time. If you have the proper precautions in place, you should be able to avoid most major network disasters. 

But every now and then, a team member will have trouble connecting to the program they need to or your printer will go on the fritz.

A local IT support team can help to troubleshoot these problems to get your team back up and running faster. For one thing, they have the expertise to recognize common problems and know how to solve them. And since network support is their primary role, they can resolve the problem while your other team members focus on other aspects of their job.
Resolve Larger Network Problems
In addition to small daily hiccups, your company may also find that your network setup has larger structural issues. You may outgrow your setup, or a new technology may come on the market that could transform your daily operations. 

No matter the reason, you may find yourself coping with larger network issues that are much more complex than a printer that won’t connect.

Your IT services team will be able to guide you through these transitions and help you find a solution that works better for you. 

If you decide you need to upgrade to a new system, they can advise you during that process and design a system that fits your needs. And if you need to make changes to your current system, they can implement those with the least amount of disruption for your team.
Reduce Downtime
We all know how frustrating it can be when the network goes down or runs slowly, but did you know it can cost your company a lot of money too? 

Let’s say each of your employees spends an hour a week fighting with the network instead of being able to focus on their work. If you have just ten employees who make $35,000 a year each, you could lose about $12,000 a year on downtime alone.

Having a good network support team can help you to reduce these costs and keep your network running more consistently. In addition to resolving issues quickly when they arise, they can help to identify the problems that are slowing down your team members every day. They can address these and keep things running smoothly and without a hitch.
Lower Operations Costs
You might be surprised to learn that hiring an outsource technical support company could actually help to save your company money. It is true that you’ll have to pay for these services, but the relative costs (which we’ll discuss more later) will still put you in the black at the end of the day. Let’s look again at our example of a ten-person company whose employees all make $35,000 a year.

Normal daily slowdowns will cost your company $12,000 a year, and if you have just twenty hours of total network downtime in the year, that will account for another $3,500. 

You can expect to pay far less than that for professional network support. And this is without accounting for the money you save by not having to run your own network support department.
Stay Up to Date
As you may have gathered from some of the points we’ve already talked about, keeping your network up to date is very important. Maintaining an updated network can improve everything from your security to your efficiency. But trying to keep up with all the latest developments in computer networks can be time-consuming.

Your tech support team, however, can dedicate the time needed to stay abreast of the constantly changing tech world. They can let you know about new opportunities when they arise and make a plan for implementing them in your workplace. They can also filter out solutions that won’t work for your company so you can focus on running your business, knowing your network is in expert hands.
Address Your Hardware Needs
Have you ever tried to buy a personal computer and found yourself lost in reviews within the first ten minutes? Knowing what hardware you need can be a complicated process even when you’re buying just one computer. How will you know when you need a repeater hub versus a protocol converter?

A good IT support company can help you get all the hardware you need to run a reliable system. They’ll know which components you need, what the best options for each component are, and how to set them all up properly. 

They can also advise you when different pieces of hardware need to be upgraded and help you manage that in a way that works for your budget.
Costs
So how much will it cost you to get a network support team that can provide you all these wonderful benefits? Your network support costs will vary depending on where your company is based out of, how much support you need, and so on. But there are some general price ranges that can give you a general sense of how much to expect to pay.

If you only want desktop computer management, you should expect to pay around $50 a computer. 

Server management should cost you about $250 per month per server you’re maintaining. 

And if you want full network support, you can expect to pay somewhere around $300 a month, with additional fees for added services.
Discover the Benefits of Outsourced Certified Technical Support 
Getting network support for your company can be one of the best ways to improve productivity and save you lost time and money. 

An offsite tech support team can help you find the best solutions for your company and keep your systems up to date. They can handle network problems when they arise, improve the overall function of your network, and save you a lot of money on downtime costs.

If you’d like to discover the benefits of network support services for yourself, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. 

We provide responsive IT services in Los Angeles, IT consulting, and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation with us today and discover the joy of working with an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm.

 
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, Security
- Tags: Cyber Attack Monitoring, Cyber Security, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Network Security, network support

#### No Code Automation Tools: Reducing IT Tickets Through Self-Service
No code automation tools are software platforms that allow IT teams to design, automate, and manage workflows through visual interfaces — without writing a single line of code — reducing ticket volume and freeing staff to focus on higher-value work.
Growing organizations often reach a point where IT teams spend more time reacting than improving. Ticket queues fill up with routine requests such as password resets, access approvals, and software installations. 
Each task may be simple, but the cumulative impact slows down progress, delays response times, and diverts attention away from strategic initiatives. No-code automation tools offer a practical way to address this challenge. 
By enabling self-service and automating repetitive workflows, organizations can significantly reduce ticket volume while improving the employee experience.

The Hidden Cost of Repetitive IT Tickets
Many IT teams operate in a constant cycle of incoming requests that require manual handling. Password resets, onboarding tasks, and access permissions are among the most common. While these tasks are necessary, they rarely require deep technical expertise.
The real issue lies in scale. When dozens or even hundreds of similar requests come in each week, IT teams become overwhelmed. This leads to slower response times, increased frustration among employees, and a backlog that limits the team’s ability to focus on infrastructure improvements, cybersecurity, and innovation.
Employee expectations are also shifting. Research from Microsoft shows that around 90% of customers globally expect organizations to provide an online self-service support portal. 
While that statistic focuses on customer experience, the same expectation applies internally. Employees want quick answers and immediate resolutions without waiting in a queue.
Despite this demand, adoption has not fully caught up. Today, only about 14% of issues are completely resolved through self-service channels, leaving a significant gap between expectation and reality. This gap presents a clear opportunity for IT leaders to rethink how support is delivered.

What No Code Automation Testing Tools Actually Do
No-code automation tools allow organizations to design workflows, automate processes, and create self-service experiences without writing code. These platforms typically offer visual interfaces where users can map out actions, triggers, and conditions.
Instead of relying solely on developers or engineers, IT teams and even non-technical departments can build and manage workflows. This flexibility makes it easier to respond to evolving business needs and continuously refine processes.


No-code automation tools offer a practical way to help reduce IT tickets.
Popular platforms such as Microsoft Power Automate and ServiceNow focus heavily on workflow automation, approvals, and service management. These tools integrate with existing systems to automate tasks like account provisioning, ticket routing, and notifications.
The result is a shift from reactive ticket handling to proactive process design.

Turning Common IT Requests Into Self-Service Workflows
The most effective way to reduce ticket volume is to identify repeatable requests and convert them into automated workflows. No-code platforms make this transition straightforward.

Password Resets and Account Recovery
Password-related issues are among the highest-volume IT tickets. With automation, employees can reset their passwords through a secure self-service portal that verifies identity and updates credentials instantly.
This eliminates wait times and removes a large portion of repetitive tickets from the queue.

Employee Onboarding and Offboarding
Onboarding involves multiple steps, including account creation, software provisioning, and access permissions. A no-code workflow can trigger all required actions once a new hire is entered into the system.
Offboarding workflows can just as easily revoke access, archive data, and notify relevant teams. This ensures consistency and reduces the risk of missed steps.

Role-Based Access Provisioning
Instead of manually assigning permissions, organizations can define access rules based on job roles. When an employee changes roles or joins a department, the system automatically grants or updates access.
This reduces delays and improves security by ensuring permissions are aligned with responsibilities.

Chatbot-Driven Support for Common Questions
Chatbots integrated with knowledge bases can handle frequently asked questions and guide users through troubleshooting steps. For many basic issues, this removes the need to submit a ticket entirely.
Over time, these systems become more effective as they learn from user interactions and expand their knowledge base.

Operational Benefits That Go Beyond IT
Reducing ticket volume is only one part of the value. No-code automation tools improve operations across the organization.
Faster resolution times are one of the most immediate benefits. Employees no longer need to wait for IT to respond to simple requests. This reduces downtime and allows teams to stay productive.
Consistency also improves. Automated workflows follow predefined rules, ensuring that processes are executed the same way every time. This minimizes errors and eliminates variability that can occur with manual handling.
Another key advantage is scalability. As organizations grow, the volume of requests increases. Automation allows IT teams to handle this growth without needing to scale headcount at the same rate.
There is also a growing recognition of the role automation plays in proactive support. Around 85% of IT professionals believe that AI and automation solutions, including predictive maintenance and root-cause analysis, can reduce ticket volume by identifying issues before they affect users. 
This shift from reactive to proactive support has a direct impact on system reliability and user satisfaction.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Implementing Automation
While no-code automation tools offer significant advantages, poor implementation can lead to inefficiencies or new challenges. A thoughtful approach is essential.
One common mistake is automating processes without fully understanding them. If a workflow is flawed, automation will simply replicate those flaws at scale. It is important to map out processes clearly before building them.
Over-automation is another risk. Not every task should be automated. Some situations require human judgment, especially when dealing with complex or sensitive issues. Clear escalation paths should be defined to ensure users can reach IT when needed.


Poor implementation of no-code automation can lead to inefficiencies or new challenges.
Documentation is often overlooked. Workflows should be documented so that teams can maintain and update them over time. Without proper documentation, even simple systems can become difficult to manage.
Finally, tools should align with actual needs. Selecting a platform without analyzing ticket trends and user behavior can result in low adoption. The goal is to solve real problems, not introduce unnecessary complexity.

How to Get Started With No-Code Automation Tools
Organizations looking to reduce IT tickets through automation can take a structured approach.
Start by analyzing ticket data. Identify the most common request types and prioritize those that are repetitive and rule-based. These are the best candidates for automation.
Next, map out the process for each request. Define triggers, actions, approvals, and outcomes. This step ensures that workflows are accurate and complete before they are automated.
Choosing the right platform is also critical. Consider factors such as integration capabilities, ease of use, and scalability. Platforms like Microsoft Power Automate and ServiceNow offer robust features, but the right choice depends on the organization’s existing ecosystem.
Once workflows are built, establish governance. Define who can create or modify workflows, set standards for documentation, and monitor performance to ensure continuous improvement.
Training and communication are equally important. Employees need to understand how to use self-service tools and where to go for support. Adoption increases when tools are intuitive and clearly communicated.
Organizations may also evaluate the benefits of hiring a managed service provider, especially when internal resources are limited. A provider can help design workflows, implement automation tools, and ensure systems are optimized for long-term success.

Turning Automation Into Long-Term IT Efficiency
No-code automation tools provide a practical way to reduce IT ticket volume by enabling self-service and automating repetitive processes. By shifting routine requests away from manual handling, organizations can improve response times, enhance employee satisfaction, and free IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
Be Structured works with organizations to design and implement automation strategies that align with real business needs. Through managed IT services, supported by 24/7 IT monitoring and support, and tailored software development, businesses in Los Angeles can build scalable systems that reduce operational friction and support long-term growth.


If your IT team is overwhelmed with repetitive requests, it may be time to explore automation opportunities. 
Schedule a discovery call with Be Structured to identify where no-code automation can make the greatest impact in your environment.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks

#### Office Relocation Services: IT Challenges You May Not Suspect
A seamless office relocation depends on more than just moving desks and chairs. For any modern organization, technology forms the backbone of operations. 
Every server, workstation, and cloud configuration must be accounted for during the move. Partnering with an experienced IT relocation company can be the difference between minimal disruption and prolonged, costly downtime.

Why IT Systems Are Central to Any Office Relocation
Relocating an office means more than updating your business address. Beyond the physical move, there’s an entire digital infrastructure that powers your operations. Systems must be carefully shut down, moved, and brought back online without data loss or extended downtime. Even minor oversights can delay communications, disrupt workflows, or expose sensitive data.
The role of IT support in office relocation planning ensures a stable transition for networks, hardware, software, and connectivity. From auditing existing infrastructure to planning deployment in the new space, every step must be executed with precision.

The High Cost of Poor IT Planning During a Move
When technology systems go offline, the impact ripples throughout an organization. The cost of downtime has reached critical levels, with studies showing it can cost large enterprises up to $9,000 per minute. This isn't just a financial loss as it erodes client trust, stalls service delivery, and damages your brand’s reliability.
Security risks also increase during transitions. A survey revealed that only 50% of organizations encrypt sensitive data in transit or during physical transport. That means half of businesses move valuable information through unsecured channels. Without proper oversight from a skilled IT relocation company, the risks of a breach during your move are higher than many realize.

How an IT Relocation Company Helps Keep You on Track
One of the most significant advantages of working with an IT relocation company is having expert oversight across every technical stage of your move. Instead of scrambling to reconnect systems or troubleshoot configuration issues on move-in day, you have a structured roadmap that accounts for network design, bandwidth planning, hardware handling, compliance needs, and software compatibility.


Office relocation is more than just moving boxes, it's moving your technology as well.
This kind of planning isn’t just about logistics. It's about alignment. Your IT partner will help align the move with your broader business goals, whether that means redesigning your network for scalability, consolidating legacy systems, or streamlining your cybersecurity framework.

How Do You Plan an Office Relocation with IT in Mind?
So, how do you plan an office relocation while keeping technology top of mind? Begin with a complete inventory of all IT assets, including hardware, licenses, and systems currently in use. From there, define which equipment should be upgraded or decommissioned. This is often a perfect time to retire outdated devices, move services to the cloud, or revisit your backup and disaster recovery strategies.
The planning phase should include collaboration with department heads, facilities management, internet service providers, and building landlords to make sure infrastructure requirements are met before moving day. A detailed move plan ensures that cabling, electrical work, server placement, and connectivity will be ready in advance, and not improvised onsite.
Installation timelines should also be staggered intelligently to test and validate systems in phases, not all at once. A trusted IT relocation company brings the experience and foresight to handle all of this while keeping your internal teams focused on day-to-day business.

How an IT Relocation Company Addresses Security Concerns
Relocating an office introduces serious vulnerabilities that can’t be overlooked. Devices are often disconnected from their secure environments. Firewalls may not be properly configured. Data might be copied to unprotected drives for transfer, putting critical information at risk. Temporary internet setups can also serve as entry points for cyber attackers.
To reduce exposure, your relocation plan should involve encrypting all sensitive data prior to transfer, implementing physical safeguards for servers and storage devices, and performing system integrity checks once everything is online in the new space. A knowledgeable IT relocation company ensures these safeguards are implemented proactively, not as damage control after something goes wrong.
Post-move, security audits should be conducted to verify firewall configurations, access controls, VPN tunnels, and remote work systems. These verifications help restore peace of mind and eliminate security gaps that could have otherwise gone unnoticed.

What Goes Wrong When IT Support Isn’t Prioritized
Many organizations underestimate the complexity of their IT infrastructure until relocation exposes the gaps. Delays in activating internet service, missed license renewals, forgotten backup devices, or incomplete asset documentation can stall business for days. Even more subtle missteps, such as mismatched device settings or outdated firmware, can disrupt critical software functions.
Unlike furniture or filing cabinets, IT systems are not plug-and-play. They require pre-planned sequencing, compatibility checks, and backup contingency protocols. An effective IT relocation company anticipates these risks by developing detailed configurations, coordinating testing windows, and establishing fallbacks for key systems.
Businesses that attempt to manage these tasks internally often learn the hard way that general movers and facilities coordinators aren’t equipped to handle enterprise-grade networks, firewall settings, or compliance-specific equipment needs.


Create a checklist of tech support needs to reference as you move.
Office Relocation Tips for Small Business Owners
Office relocation for small business owners requires special consideration. Many small businesses operate without a dedicated IT department, which makes external guidance critical. Unlike larger companies with full-time infrastructure teams, smaller operations rely on lean systems and limited resources.
To mitigate risks, small businesses should schedule moves during weekends or off-peak hours to reduce customer impact. Pre-move assessments should prioritize data backup and cloud-based transitions to limit dependence on physical equipment. Before employees return to work, systems must be tested, email accounts synced, printers configured, and applications fully operational.
It's also important to treat the move as a chance to reset, where you review what tech is no longer serving your needs, and invest in streamlined, cloud-compatible tools that can scale with your growth. A good IT relocation company doesn’t just get your systems moved. They help modernize them.

Turning Your Move Into a Strategic Advantage
A physical relocation is an ideal time to reset your technology footprint. Many businesses take this opportunity to modernize their infrastructure by moving to cloud-hosted systems, upgrading routers and switches, or restructuring their internal networks to support hybrid work environments.
Rather than duplicating the old setup in the new space, an IT relocation company helps you design a more efficient layout. That may include implementing VoIP systems, increasing cybersecurity layers, or automating your backups and patching processes. These changes don’t just protect your business during the move, but set the stage for greater performance long after.
The most successful relocations preserve operations and improve them. With every move, there’s a chance to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce licensing waste, and introduce scalable solutions that save time and money in the long term.

Move Forward with Confidence
Technology is the nervous system of any modern organization. Whether you're expanding into a larger space or consolidating offices, IT must be prioritized from day one. The risks of oversight are high, but the benefits of proactive planning are even greater.
We’ve seen too many companies rush their move without addressing their digital backbone. A successful office relocation depends on more than just physical logistics. It requires foresight, precision, and a knowledgeable partner who can handle the complexities of modern IT infrastructure.
At Be Structured, we’ve helped organizations navigate complex moves without losing momentum. We bring expert project coordination, cybersecurity vigilance, and post-move optimization to every relocation. Schedule a free consultation to start planning your next move the right way.
- Categories: IT Support, Office relocation services
- Tags: IT support services, Office relocation

#### Office Space: How Do You Plan an Office Relocation?
Are you ready for new scenery? Is the same old office becoming boring and crowded?

If so, you may need an office relocation.

There are plenty of reasons that you may choose to relocate. No matter the reason, relocating an office is a big task. And, it's likely that your business may struggle with the moving period.

Keep reading to learn how to deal with your office relocation. We'll cover everything you need to know about moving the office and handling the changes that come with it.
How to Successfully Relocate An Office
In order to successfully relocate your office, you need to break everything down into chewable steps.

To help, we've organized your move into three phases: (1) planning, (2) packing, and (3) moving.
Phase 1: Planning
The first phase includes all of the steps you need to take while you're planning your office relocation.

This may be the most important phase. Your success in this phase affects your success in the others.
1. Choose Your Office Relocation Hub
Communication runs rampant when these kinds of changes happen. People start chatting and sending messages across platforms and important points can get lost.

To prevent this, you need to designate one office relocation hub. This platform/chat should be the one place that people can go to to get the information they need for the move.

Using something like Google Teams or Slack can help you divide information as needed. You may want different sections for announcements, events, things to do, questions and answers, and more.
2. Organize Your Important Documents
We're sure there are several documents your company needs to keep track of during the move. By separating these documents from everything else, you can be sure that they're in a safe place while things are moving.
3. Send Your Office Relocation Announcement
Once you've chosen a channel for announcements and grabbed your important documents, you can make the office relocation announcement.

It may be difficult for some of your employees to come to terms with the change. So, you should include messaging and communication options for those who may struggle with the announcement.
4. Communicate With Your Employees
We're going to have this step several times throughout the move. This is because keeping an open communication flow with your employees is the most important step.

Not only can it reduce company attrition due to office relocation, but it can also strengthen employee bonds and reduce confusion.

At this point, you should keep an open flow of communication about where you're moving, why you're moving, and what the plans will be (as you develop them in the next few steps).
5. Create A New Move-Related Email Address
If you haven't done so already, you should create a place for people to send questions about the move. If you opted for a multichannel platform like Google Teams or Slack, you can add a Q&A portion to the channel.

However, you should also have a private channel for people to speak with upper management. There may be personal concerns.

To address these, you should develop a separate email address like move@companyname.com. Make it easy and convenient for your employees to bring up their questions and concerns.
6. Build Your Office Relocation Budget
You and other company leaders should come together to build a budget for the upcoming move. This will give everyone a guideline to work with when they're making move-related decisions.

The more detailed it is, the better off the company will be financially.
7. Record Wants And Needs
As you're preparing for a move, you need to think about what your company needs and wants out of their new office.

Make note of how many employees you need to seat and what other amenities you may want. Once you have your list done, you can start thinking about the layout of the new office.
8. Consider Office Differences
As you're considering the layout of your new office, you need to consider what the differences are between your two offices.

How are you going to arrange employees? Is the parking lot bigger or smaller? Are there more window offices?

Considering these small details can help you determine where you should seat employees and arrange furniture.
9. Bring Managers Together
All of the office managers need to be on the same page when it comes to this move. This will present a unified front as well as provide a continuous stream of communication across departments.

You may consider making a chat for managers to speak about upper-level decisions throughout the moving period.
10. Gather Your Moving Committee
The last step in the planning phase is getting your moving committee together. You should ask around the office to see who's willing to help out.

Or, you may have an events committee already banded together for this kind of event.

Either way, they should be ready to go by the time you hit phase two.
Phase 2: Packing
Now that you've planned out the move and have everything in order, you need to get packing.

It's time to get your stuff ready!
1. Ask For Recommendations
Ask around to other companies and professionals to see what resources they've used. They may be able to tell you what moving company they used.

When in doubt, make a quick online search.
2. Hire Professional Movers
Once you get some recommendations, you can hire the professional team that you want for your company's move. You should also consider whether your company needs moving vans and other, related supplies.

Before agreeing to work with another company, you should get a quote and read the company's terms.
3. Gather Moving Boxes
Now, it's time to gather moving boxes to get all of the supplies to the new building. Get plenty of boxes in different sizes to get everything you need over to the new office.
4. Designate Loading And Unloading Zones
To prevent confusion, you should also take time to designate the loading zone at the old office and the unloading zone at the new office. Make clear signage for all incoming and outgoing vehicles.

This will also make it easier for your loaders and unloaders to move everything out of your old office and into your new one.
5. Choose A Cleaning Service
Before you ditch the old office or move into the new one, you want to make sure the space is clean. This is where a professional cleaning service comes in.

Find good times for a cleaning service to clean the old office after everything is gone and clean the new office before everything gets moved in.
6. Predict Obstacles During Office Relocation
The only way to prevent surprises is by anticipating them.

So, you should write down all of the obstacles that your team is facing. You should consider everything from accounting for office relocation to company attrition due to office relocation.
7. Reduce The Items You're Moving
To make the move easier, you should get rid of some items. A company move is a great time for spring cleaning.

Go through your furniture and see if there are any old pieces you'd like to get rid of. Consider upgrading appliances.

You could plan a warehouse sale to raise funds for the move.

Anything can help lighten the load for the move. And, it may boost morale for your entire team.
8. Start Packing Things One By One
Now it's time to start packing things individually. Be sure to label everything as you go.

It may help to go room by room or category by category. Keeping things organized now will make unpacking easier.
9. Assign Seats In The New Office
Once you have a clear idea of your new office and the things that you're putting into it, you can assign seats in the office.

The assignments don't have to be the same or similar to the current arrangement. Feel free to change things up if you feel that it'll make your office more productive.

If you're unsure what to do, reach out to your employees and ask.
10. Communicate With Your Employees
Through the packing process, you should communicate with your employees.

Let them know what's staying and what's selling. Give them insights about their new seating. And, allow them to give input along the way.
Phase 3: Moving
You've made it to the third and final phase: moving. It's time to start getting things over to the new office so that you and your team can settle.
1. Organize Your Packed Boxes
Once you get everything over to the new office, you should organize your boxes into the general area where you're going to unpack them.

By doing this, you'll save time on the backend. And, your unpacking team will have an easier time organizing things as they're unpacking them.
2. Enlist Help With Unpacking
Once you're ready to unpack the things from the old office, you'll need an army. So, it's time to bring in the moving committee and gather volunteers.

Get unpacking and start getting the new office together.
3. Organize Your New Office
As you're unpacking your old things, you should organize the desks, paperwork, and other supplies.

Figure out the office flow before employees start pouring in the front doors.
4. Communicate With Your Employees
As you're unpacking things, you need to keep open communication with your employees. They should know when it's okay for them to go into the office again.

And, they should understand what they need to do at home while they're waiting.

Again, you should keep an open line of communication for employees to ask questions as needed.
5. Connect Utilities At The New Office
Before your employees start pouring into the new building, you need to make sure that water, power, Internet, and other utilities are ready to go.

Unless you have a robust tech team in the building, you'll want to choose from tech support companies near you to handle things like network installation.

Perform test runs and make sure that your utilities will be able to withstand your employees coming back. This will make the first few days back run more smoothly.
6. Finish Packing The Old Office
As you're pulling employees into the new office, you're likely finishing things up at the old office. Make sure to run through the old office to ensure that you're not forgetting anything.
7. Create A Decoration Plan
Once all of the basic furniture is in, you need to figure out how you're going to decorate the office. The sooner you get the decorations in, the quicker your employees will become accustomed to the space.
8. Check On The New Building as Needed
As employees start coming into the new office, you should check on the building.

Make sure that utilities are running strong. Check on how employees are doing with the transition. Consider changes to the seating chart, if needed.

As always, you should consider your employees' feelings after the transition as well. See how they're holding up and consider their questions and comments.

The first few months after moving may involve making lots of changes. But, that's normal.

It's okay to change and adapt to the new circumstances.
9. Tie Up Any Loose Ends
At this point, you should have settled your old and new buildings. Your employees should be settling in, and you should be ready to continue work as normal.

If there are any loose ends, now is when you can tie them up and move on.

You may need to return the old building's keys or unpack the last box.
10. Celebrate Your Office Relocation Success
Once you're done with the last task, you and the rest of your staff should take time to celebrate. Moving an entire office is a big deal and you deserve to sit back and celebrate your success.

Don't forget to thank everyone who has been helping along the way.
Depend On Office Relocation Consultants
Office relocation is a big task. But, breaking it up into smaller steps like these can help relocation become more manageable.

If you're ready to relocate your office and you need IT support along the way, you can turn to our team at Be Structured Technology Group. You'll get seamless IT support throughout the move, which will decrease company attrition due to office relocation.

Feel free to contact our team when your office is ready to make the next big move.
- Categories: Extra, Networking, Power Supply, Tips & Tricks

#### Outsourced IT or in-House Team? The Pros and Cons of Both
It’s no secret that you need to properly manage your IT obligations in order to establish long-term success for your business. But, it’s not always as simple as many entrepreneurs expect it to be. To clarify, many business owners have trouble deciding whether or not they should leverage in-house IT or outsourced IT. So, we’ve written a comprehensive guide that outlines all of the information you need to keep in mind. Let’s get started.



In-House IT



it’s not uncommon to have an in-house IT team. This is especially true for small businesses, as they might leverage their existing employees to help handle IT-related obligations.



Listed below are some of the most notable pros and cons of this method.



Pros



In-house IT comes with plenty of positives. In fact, the benefits it can provide are often sufficient enough for many entrepreneurs.



Take a moment to consider the following.



Familiarity With Your Company



One of the most significant attributes of managing an in-house IT team is the level of familiarity they have with your company. This scenario is particularly prevalent for businesses that delegate IT responsibilities to employees within other roles.



Regardless of whether or not your in-house worker is strictly responsible for IT, they know exactly how your company works and what its goals are.



Although this might not seem overly significant at first, it can help you stay on track it comes to IT management. For this reason, it's not uncommon for business owners to prefer this option.



This allows them to circumvent the ‘getting to know each other’ period associated with working with an outsourced IT professional. Additionally, the owners of some companies may not trust other people with the knowledge they will accrue of the company’s data.



Little Training Required



Since your IT employees are already familiar with your network setup, equipment, etc., they won’t require any training in order to continue doing their jobs. The only time this would come into effect is if you hired an additional in-house member for this obligation.



In this scenario, however, you would have a team of dedicated employees who would be able to quickly get them up to speed. Since even a day of training a new employee can cost a significant amount of money, it’s in your best interest to minimize training duration as much as you can.



So, an in-house IT team could help your company save money as your business begins to expand.



Direct Involvement



As you might expect, you will be able to maintain direct involvement with your in-house IT team. This directly translates into a reduction in the amount of time it takes for you to communicate with them.



So, you’ll have no issue learning about any problems, important updates, etc. that need your attention. This level of direct involvement will also make your IT management more efficient.



It’s much easier to convey your needs and track progress when working directly with them.



Cons



Of course, in-house IT management doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Whether or not these significantly impact your organization will depend on the scenario.



But, they are worth keeping in mind.



Employees Might Be Stretched Thin



As previously mentioned, it’s not uncommon for in-house IT workers to have other responsibilities in different roles.



A common scenario could involve a group of 10 people working at a startup firm. Although each person has their own roles, IT obligations may be allocated amongst them.



Unfortunately, this could easily create a situation where they are not able to perform optimally. If your team neglects its IT responsibilities, this puts you at risk of data loss, security concerns, etc.



Difficult to Replace



Interestingly, many business owners don’t consider the possibility of a key employee leaving. The truth is, however, that skilled professionals will often follow the path that comes with the most money.



So, if you have an efficient, reliable member of your in-house IT team, you need to consider what could happen to your organization if the individual were to leave.



You may be able to come to an agreement with them that involves getting other team members up to speed before they transition to their new job. But, it is still highly likely that you will encounter difficulty replacing them.



To make matters even more complicated, there’s no guarantee that the new individual you hire will be an appropriate fit for your organization. Additionally, there is a risk that they will also leave in pursuit of another job.



Less Knowledge Than a Dedicated Professional



In most scenarios, an IT professional who works in-house at an organization will have less knowledge than a dedicated outsourced IT professional. This is simply due to the fact that the in-house employee works at a single organization and deals with a limited set of software, equipment, etc.



On the other hand, a professional who handles outsourced work will manage a wide variety of IT responsibilities. Over time, this results in them establishing a much more thorough foundation of knowledge, something that often translates into more reliability as a worker.



If you’re concerned about achieving maximum performance, keep this in mind.



Outsourced IT



Since so many businesses operate entirely online these days, outsourcing IT has become more commonplace than ever. In fact, there are plenty of companies that have never even had an in-house IT employee.



Let’s explore what you should know about this option.



Pros



It’s no secret that outsourced IT comes with plenty of positive attributes. After all, it allows you to delegate a notoriously complicated role to people who have a strong understanding of it.



Listed below are notable positives of outsourcing your IT obligations.



Comprehensive Knowledge



You simply cannot argue against the fact that outsourced IT employees have a breadth of knowledge in this area. More often than not, they will be able to recognize issues before they arise and take care of them without your business ever feeling the consequences.



Additionally, they will be able to provide you with comprehensive answers to any questions or concerns you may have.



Although it is not impossible for an in-house IT employee to exhibit the same level of performance, these scenarios are few and far between. In-house employees with this level of expertise are also often far more expensive long term.



Team Diversity



Achieving peak performance requires a team with a diverse level of knowledge. The same can be said about overcoming obstacles that arise.



More specifically, outsourcing to an IT service provider gives you immediate access to developers, software engineers, and other professionals who can help you meet your goals. Since outsourced teams are so diverse, they also don’t have a single key member like an in-house team would.



More often than not, your outsourced IT team could change drastically without you ever experiencing different results.



Contemporary Equipment and Software



It’s no secret that many small businesses are well behind when it comes using to the most contemporary equipment and software. This is often due to budget restrictions, but it can also stem from a lack of awareness.



Outsourcing your IT allows you to take advantage of the most current programs and hardware without having to purchase them for yourself. For companies that have fallen behind in this regard, the difference in performance is often night and day when they make the transition.



Scalability



Conventional scaling typically requires an exorbitant amount of money. Even purchasing a few more pieces of equipment could cost tens of thousands of dollars.



As a result, many businesses are stuck in a position where they would like to scale but simply can’t afford to do so. Outsourced IT services, however, are highly scalable no matter what your needs are.



In fact, you can work with your provider to ensure that you are only paying for the level of service that you desire. As your needs grow in the future, you can then increase your level of service as required.



Boosted Security



The increase in security that you experience through outsourcing can’t be ignored. This is particularly true considering the fact that the cybercrime industry is estimated to be worth over $10 trillion by 2025.



Not only do IT service providers prioritize network security for their clients, but they also implement active monitoring. This means that they are able to immediately detect any issues or anomalies that occur.



More often than not, they will be able to quickly resolve these problems without any further complications occurring. If necessary, your service provider can also advise your organization on how to circumvent particular issues.



Cons



Even though outsourcing your IT comes with plenty of positive attributes, there are still cons associated with it. Fortunately, there are relatively few.



Let’s get started.



Not as Accessible As an in-House Team



Reputable managed IT services are surprisingly accessible. In fact, some may even have a 24/7 support team that can help you with minor or moderate issues.



But, no level of communication could replace the way you can interact with an in-house team. Not only do you see them on a frequent basis, but you are able to take a firsthand look at issues, progress, etc.



In most cases, the difference in accessibility isn’t an overt issue. When you are struggling to meet a deadline or need comprehensive insight, however, your outsourced provider may not be able to satisfy these obligations as efficiently.



Difficulty in Finding the Right Service Provider



When looking to outsource your IT, some entrepreneurs have difficulty finding the right provider. This issue is further complicated by the fact that there is a large number of different managed IT firms to choose from.



So, you’ll need to extensively research the professional that you wish to work with before coming to any sort of agreement. To elaborate, be sure to inquire about the terms of your service, any fees that aren't directly outlined, etc. Otherwise, you might find yourself overpaying for a service that doesn’t sufficiently meet your requirements.



Some Businesses Have Difficulty Transitioning



A commonly overlooked fact about outsourcing your IT management is the associated difficulty with doing so. Your organization will have to quickly get used to an entirely new system, and you will find that you have less flexibility than you previously did with your in-house team.



Fortunately, many of these problems can be circumvented by working with a reputable service provider. Many managed IT services prioritize making this transition as smooth as possible.



Taking a bit of extra time to look for a provider that is able to accommodate you can go a long way when it comes to optimizing your experience.



Employee Morale



Occasionally, outsourcing IT means that you will need to eliminate jobs within your company. When other employees learn that your in-house team has been let go, they may begin to fear for their own job security.



Depending on the situation, this could result in them looking for another job before they lose their position they have at your company. Consider this factor when making the change, as this can be a difficult situation to recover from.



In-House vs. Outsourced IT: Which Is Best?



Although there is no definitive answer for every scenario, most businesses can benefit more from leveraging outsourced IT. Keep the above information in mind in order to help you make your decision and ensure that you continue down the right path.



Want to learn more about what we at Be Structured have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Managed IT

#### Outsourced IT Solutions: A Strategic Advantage for Scaling Your Business
As technology continues to evolve, outsourced IT services have become a powerful strategy for businesses seeking to scale efficiently. 
By leveraging external expertise, companies can enhance their technical capabilities, optimize costs, and maintain a secure and reliable IT infrastructure. 
The ability to access specialized skills, strengthen cybersecurity, and streamline operations makes outsourcing a valuable tool for companies aiming for sustainable growth.

Understanding IT Outsourcing Servcies
IT outsourcing involves delegating IT functions to specialized external providers, allowing businesses to focus on core operations while ensuring their technology needs are managed by experts. Companies can choose from different outsourcing models based on their operational needs. Offshore outsourcing involves working with service providers in distant countries, often to take advantage of lower labor costs. 
Nearshore outsourcing provides the benefit of working with providers in nearby countries, ensuring better time zone alignment and cultural compatibility. Onshore outsourcing, on the other hand, involves partnering with local IT services companies, making communication and compliance with regulatory standards more straightforward.
Despite common concerns about losing control over IT operations, a well-structured outsourcing strategy enhances efficiency and maintains high service standards. Businesses that collaborate with a reputable IT services company can ensure their technology infrastructure is managed effectively while focusing on their long-term goals.

Access to Specialized Skills
One of the most significant advantages of IT outsourcing is the ability to access specialized expertise that may not be available in-house. Many businesses struggle to hire professionals with deep knowledge of cybersecurity, cloud computing, data analytics, and software development. 
Partnering with an IT support company ensures businesses stay ahead of technological advancements without the burden of continuous training or hiring.


There are many benefits to having an outsourced IT support company on your side.
Technology evolves rapidly, and keeping pace with innovation requires ongoing investment in skill development. Outsourced IT providers employ experts with up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, making them well-equipped to implement cutting-edge solutions. 
By leveraging a managed service provider, businesses gain access to a diverse team of professionals with broad experience across multiple industries. 
This depth of expertise fosters innovation, enhances problem-solving capabilities, and enables companies to develop new products and services more efficiently.

Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency
IT outsourcing provides financial advantages by reducing overhead and infrastructure costs. Businesses no longer need to invest heavily in hiring full-time IT staff, purchasing expensive hardware, or maintaining complex software systems. A managed IT services provider saves time and money by deleivering these resources more efficiently, allowing companies to allocate their budgets toward growth-oriented initiatives.
Outsourcing IT functions eliminates the costs associated with recruitment, salaries, benefits, and ongoing training. Instead, businesses pay for the services they need, whether it’s IT support, cybersecurity management, or cloud solutions. 
Additionally, outsourcing reduces expenses related to maintaining on-premise infrastructure. Companies that partner with an outsourced IT support company can benefit from cloud-based solutions, which minimize the need for physical servers and reduce maintenance costs.
Scalability is another advantage of outsourcing IT services. Businesses experience fluctuating demands, and outsourcing enables them to adjust IT resources accordingly. 
Whether scaling up during peak periods or reducing services during slower seasons, outsourcing ensures companies have the flexibility needed to operate efficiently.

Strengthening Security With Outsourced Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity threats continue to grow, making data protection a top priority for businesses of all sizes. IT outsourcing provides access to advanced security measures that in-house teams may struggle to implement effectively. 
A dedicated IT support company can proactively monitor systems, identify potential threats, and implement preventive measures to protect sensitive data.
Many outsourced IT providers offer 24/7 monitoring and support, ensuring businesses remain protected against cyberattacks, malware, and data breaches. Proactive threat detection minimizes vulnerabilities and ensures rapid response in case of security incidents. 
Additionally, an IT services company can help businesses comply with industry regulations, ensuring they meet legal and data protection requirements.
Cybersecurity measures such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, and regular security audits enhance protection against evolving threats. By outsourcing cybersecurity management, businesses can strengthen their defenses while reducing the risks associated with internal security gaps.

Enhancing Business Focus and Productivity
Outsourcing IT functions allows businesses to concentrate on their core competencies. Instead of dealing with IT-related disruptions, internal teams can focus on strategic initiatives that drive business growth. A well-managed IT environment enhances employee productivity by minimizing downtime and ensuring seamless access to essential tools and resources.
When businesses work with a local IT support services provider, they benefit from faster response times and personalized support. This ensures IT-related issues are resolved promptly, minimizing disruptions to daily operations. 
A company leveraging IT support in Los Angeles can ensure that its workforce remains focused on innovation, customer service, and expansion rather than troubleshooting IT problems.
Additionally, outsourcing IT management improves customer experiences. Reliable IT infrastructure ensures smooth communication, secure transactions, and uninterrupted service delivery. 
Businesses that invest in managed IT services can maintain operational efficiency while enhancing customer satisfaction and brand reputation.

Enabling Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Another critical benefit of IT outsourcing is the assurance of business continuity. Unexpected disruptions, such as cyberattacks, power outages, or natural disasters, can cripple an organization. 
A managed IT services provider offers robust disaster recovery and backup solutions to minimize downtime and data loss.

Businesses rely on secure data backup and recovery solutions to protect critical information. Outsourced IT providers implement cloud-based backup systems that ensure business data remains intact, even in the event of a system failure. 
With 24/7 monitoring and support, businesses can quickly recover from disruptions, reducing the impact of downtime on productivity and revenue.
Comprehensive risk management strategies provided by IT outsourcing help companies proactively assess potential threats and implement measures to mitigate them. Whether addressing cybersecurity risks, hardware failures, or software malfunctions, a strong disaster recovery plan ensures businesses remain operational even in times of crisis.

Leveraging Cloud Computing for Scalability
The rise of cloud computing has made IT outsourcing even more valuable. Many businesses now rely on cloud-based solutions to enhance flexibility, scalability, and security. Cloud computing enables companies to store and access data remotely, allowing employees to work efficiently from any location.
IT outsourcing allows businesses to adopt cloud-based applications that support remote work, enhance collaboration, and improve efficiency. Cloud services reduce the need for on-premise servers, lowering operational costs while ensuring seamless connectivity across teams. 
By partnering with a managed service provider, businesses can maximize the benefits of cloud computing while maintaining a secure and scalable IT environment.

Embracing the Future of IT Outsourcing
IT outsourcing is not just a trend—it is a strategic necessity for businesses looking to stay competitive. The ability to leverage external expertise, reduce costs, and strengthen cybersecurity makes outsourcing an essential component of modern business strategies. 
Companies that embrace IT outsourcing gain a competitive edge by streamlining operations, improving efficiency, and fostering innovation.
As technology continues to evolve, businesses must adapt by integrating outsourcing into their IT strategies. Partnering with the right managed IT services provider ensures companies remain agile, secure, and prepared for future challenges. Now is the time to take action and optimize IT operations for long-term success.
Schedule a free consultation today and discover how Be Structured can enhance your IT strategy and drive sustainable growth.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services
- Tags: IT outsourcing, Outsourced IT Support

#### Outsourced Tech Support Companies: What You Need to Know
American companies outsource about 300,000 of their jobs to foreign countries. And the top industry they outsource for? Information technology, for which they task 37% of their work.

Finding the best outsourced tech support companies are a mainstay for many businesses, large or small. They help save money without skimping on the quality. If you've never considered it before, though, what can you expect?

Today, we take a look at outsourced tech support in greater detail so you are prepared to proceed with them.
Why Hire Outsourced Tech Support Companies?
What sorts of roles can a dedicated IT support company handle?

In reality, they can do virtually any task that your regular, salaried employees perform. In terms of tech support specifically, they may take over the following:

 	Take inbound calls
 	Make outbound calls
 	Work a text help desk
 	Work in data entry
 	Manage accounts
 	Handle client relations
 	Customer satisfaction research

It's important to understand that outsourcing tech support does not lead to a reduction in reliability or quality. Employees in foreign countries may accept lower pay, but they work just as hard. They often have the same level of skill and experience as their counterparts in the US.
Benefits of Outsourcing Technical Support
Consider a Southern California business. When that company looks for hiring an IT services in Los Angeles based outfit, how does it compare to an in-house tech team?

Let's take a look at a few advantages outsourcing may provide.
Trimming Down Operational Costs
Companies turn to outsourcing for one of two reasons. One, to cut costs, or two, to grow their business. In either case, it helps to shave down operational expenses without a commensurate hit to quality.

Outsourced employees require smaller paychecks, and foreign offices cost less to rent and less to supply. HR, talent acquisition, and training also require a smaller allocation of funds to get the ball going. Remote work in these foreign countries serves as another method to slash operational expenditures.
Easier Tech Support Scaling
As your business grows, so do your tech support needs. Scaling up to meet them can be prohibitively expensive, especially when you need those funds to support other modes of expansion. Outsourcing helps to keep costs within reason as you upgrade in size.

We are not just talking about growing in terms of employee headcount. You can expand your capabilities with new departments and talent for new processes. At the same time, you ensure that the growth is compliant with your business standards, regulations, and local laws.
More IT Support Talent
Your HR department has to work with a limited talent pool. That problem gets compounded when hiring in the office. There are only so many IT specialists working in your area, and only so many are willing to relocate.

By outsourcing, you expand your talent pool to the entire world. Not only do you get more options for new hires, but you also get access to countries that have an ever-growing IT industry. Take for example, India, which features a massive candidate pool of skilled IT employees.

Other countries, such as the Philippines, excel in customer service roles. The infrastructure is already in place in these areas, as is the hiring process and talent acquisition. You just have to pull the trigger on outsourcing your operations.
Delegation of Non-Core Activities
Many companies use their outsourced staff to handle less essential responsibilities and tasks. In particular, the tedious and time-consuming bookkeeping that requires precision and accuracy. With the outsourced team taking care of that load, the in-house team can focus on important core responsibilities.

Think of it as a way to free up your most skilled, talented, and effective team members. It's better to direct their energies to the things that really matter, not drudgery that other low-level employees should handle.
Maintain Longer Business Hours
You can have the best local IT support team in the world, but when the day is over, they clock out and go home. Another benefit of outsourcing is that international employees are awake when the rest of the team is asleep.

This allows you to get more work done or expand your business hours later into the day.

Outsourced teams can adapt to any schedule you need. If you plan to maintain the same business hours, there's no need to worry about these new teams having to switch to a graveyard schedule.
Disadvantages of Dedicated Technical Support Outsourcing
While outsourcing is, on the whole, effective and reliable, it doesn't come without its disadvantages. Let's discuss a few key things to keep in mind that may present growing pains.
Cultural and Linguistic Barriers
Most of the countries where your international team will be working have English as a second language or high general English proficiency. However, there may still be difficulties in comprehension and speech. Employees may struggle to understand the complex industry jargon, or customers may struggle to understand a thicker accent.

Cultural boundaries are more complex. An international employee may do something with the best intentions, only for it to appear rude or inconsiderate in your company's home culture. You may have to deal with occasional escalations that lead to small liabilities.
Lengthier Problem Resolution
With outsourcing, you are using an intermediary (a contractor) to organize and run your international team. This will be a third party that handles operations and then reports to you, not your core team managing them.

If something is going wrong, or if you need to make changes, it may take longer. Expect a few roadblocks, especially in terms of time, to streamline and resolve errors.
Should You Consider Outsourcing IT Network Support?
There's only really one question you need to ask yourself: do you benefit from cutting costs? If the answer is yes, then outsourcing may be for you.

The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. There are always ways to solve problems with outsourced teams to get things back on track. In truth, there are a few reasons to not outsource.
Find Network Security in Los Angeles
Outsourced tech support companies provide a cost-effective, high-quality alternative to constructing a team of local talent. It lends itself to scaling up your operations, extending business hours, and more.

Although there will be cultural and linguistic barriers, these pale in comparison to the benefits you get in return.

Be Structured Technology Group has been providing best-in-class IT services in the Los Angeles area since 2007.

Contact Be Structured to get started with outsourcing your tech support services the right way.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support

#### Penetration Testing – Part 1
Introduction to Penetration Testing
In the world of Cyber Security, there are obviously many technologies that one can use to fortify the lines of defense for their business or corporation. To a certain degree, depending upon how well these devices have been deployed and implemented, they should block any malicious traffic coming into your IT Infrastructure (such as malformed Data Packets, assuming that a combination of Firewalls, Network Intrusion Devices, and Routers are being used).

Then there are those tools that scan for any unseen vulnerabilities, or “holes” in your lines of defense. Examples of this include Port Scanners, Network Sniffing devices, etc. Keep in mind that no matter how sophisticated these tools are, they will not be able to detect everything.
A Definition of Penetration Testing
Thus, this is where the role of Penetration Testing comes in. With these types of exercises being conducted, your defense perimeters will be examined in great detail from both the internal and external environment. It is only through this kind of exhaustive testing that all hidden vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and holes will be unearthed.

But in order to carry out such an exhaustive task, you need highly qualified individuals to form what is known as a “Penetration Testing Team”. In this regard, Pen Testing team can be defined as follows:

“Penetration testing — also known as pen testing — views your network, application, device, and/or physical security through the eyes of both a malicious actor and an experienced cybersecurity expert to discover weaknesses and identify areas where your security posture needs improvement . . . it also simulates a real-world attack to determine how any defenses will fare and the possible magnitude of a breach.” (SOURCE 1)
A Review of The Penetration Testing Teams
In today’s world of Penetration Testing, there is no set method upon how the teams are actually organized. The number of actual Penetration Testers involved in a project will depend primarily upon key three factors:

 	The types of Penetration Tests that will be occurring;
 	The size of the business or corporation in question (this can be a direct function of employee size).
 	The complexity of the IT Infrastructure that is to be Penetration Tested.

For example, if the organization that wishes to have a Penetration Testing conducted upon its premises is a small one, with less than 20 employees, one can assume that the IT Infrastructure is relatively simple.

Thus, in this particular instance, a complete Penetration Testing team may not be needed. Rather, just two or three Pen Testers in order to execute and complete the required tests, and compile the report(s) which will summarize both the findings and recommendations.
Conclusions
In the next blog, we will examine how exactly the Penetration Teams are structured, and how your business can benefit from it.
Sources

 	RedTeam. (2018, March 21). What Is A Penetration Test And Why Do I Need It? Retrieved from https://www.redteamsecure.com/penetration-test-need/
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats

#### Penetration Testing Services: Unveiling the Untold Secrets
How do organizations ensure the resilience of their cybersecurity measures against sophisticated threats? 
Penetration testing, a critical practice in the cybersecurity domain, plays a pivotal role in identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. 
This article delves into the multifaceted nature of Penetration Testing, exploring its methodologies and tools to reveal how it fortifies digital defenses.

What Is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing, or pen testing, involves a series of methodical steps designed to uncover and exploit vulnerabilities within an organization's digital infrastructure. 
The process typically begins with reconnaissance, where testers gather information about the target system. This phase includes activities like network scanning and enumeration to identify potential entry points. 


Revealing the Complexities of Penetration Testing
Once the initial data is collected, testers move on to vulnerability assessment. Here, they use specialized tools to scan for known vulnerabilities in the system. Tools like Nessus and OpenVAS are commonly employed to automate this process, providing a comprehensive overview of potential weaknesses.
Following the assessment, the focus shifts to exploitation. This phase involves actively attempting to exploit identified vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access. Techniques range from SQL injection to buffer overflow attacks, each tailored to the specific weaknesses found. The goal is to understand the impact of these vulnerabilities if they were to be exploited by malicious actors.
Finally, the process concludes with reporting and remediation. Testers compile their findings into a detailed report, outlining the vulnerabilities discovered, the methods used to exploit them, and recommendations for mitigation. This step is crucial for organizations to understand their security posture and take corrective actions to fortify their defenses.

Advanced Penetration Testing Techniques and Tools
Advanced Penetration Testing techniques go beyond basic vulnerability assessments to simulate real-world cyber threats. Social engineering is one such technique, where testers manipulate human behavior to gain unauthorized access. This could involve clone phishing emails, pretexting, or baiting tactics to trick employees into revealing sensitive information.
Another sophisticated approach is red teaming. Unlike standard pen testing, red teaming involves a full-scale attack simulation, often without the knowledge of the organization's internal security team. 
This method tests not only the technical defenses but also the response capabilities of the organization. Red teams use a variety of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to mimic advanced persistent threats (APTs).
To execute these advanced strategies, cybersecurity professionals rely on cutting-edge tools. Metasploit is a popular framework for developing and executing exploit code against a remote target machine. 
Burp Suite is another essential tool, particularly for web application security testing. These tools provide a robust platform for identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities, making them indispensable in the arsenal of a penetration tester.
Incorporating these advanced techniques and tools into pen testing strategies allows organizations to gain a deeper understanding of their security posture. By simulating sophisticated cybersecurity attacks using hardware, they can identify and address vulnerabilities that might otherwise go unnoticed, thereby enhancing their overall resilience against cyber threats.

Navigating Regulatory Compliance and Best Practices
Regulatory compliance plays a crucial role in shaping robust cybersecurity frameworks. Various regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS, mandate regular Penetration Testing to ensure data protection and privacy. Compliance with these regulations not only helps avoid legal penalties but also strengthens an organization's security posture.
To navigate these regulatory requirements, organizations must adopt industry best practices. 
One key practice is regular testing. 
Conducting Penetration Tests at least annually, or after significant changes to the network, ensures continuous security improvement. Additionally, comprehensive documentation of testing procedures and results is essential for audit purposes and future reference.
Another best practice involves third-party assessments. Engaging external experts to perform pen testing provides an unbiased evaluation of the organization's security measures. 
These experts bring a fresh perspective and advanced skills, often uncovering vulnerabilities that internal teams might overlook.
Finally, employee training is vital. Educating staff about cybersecurity threats and safe practices can significantly reduce the risk of social engineering attacks. Regular training sessions and simulated phishing exercises help employees recognize and respond to potential threats effectively.
By integrating these best practices with regulatory compliance, organizations can build a resilient cybersecurity framework that not only meets legal requirements but also proactively defends against evolving cyber threats.

Real-world Applications and Impact
Penetration Testing has proven its value across various industries by fortifying organizational resilience against cyber threats. In the financial sector, for instance, IT support for financial services regularly conducts Penetration Tests to protect sensitive customer data and ensure compliance with stringent regulations like PCI-DSS. These tests help identify vulnerabilities in online banking systems, preventing potential breaches that could lead to significant financial losses and reputational damage.
In the healthcare industry, Penetration Testing is crucial for healthcare IT managed services to safeguarding patient information. Hospitals and healthcare providers must comply with HIPAA regulations, which mandate the protection of electronic health records (EHRs). By simulating cyber-attacks, Penetration Testing helps healthcare organizations uncover weaknesses in their systems, ensuring that patient data remains secure and confidential.
The retail sector also benefits from Penetration Testing, particularly in protecting e-commerce platforms. Retailers face constant threats from cybercriminals aiming to steal credit card information and personal data. Regular Penetration Tests help identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in payment processing systems, thereby enhancing customer trust and preventing costly data breaches.
Moreover, government agencies and critical infrastructure providers rely on Penetration Testing to protect national security. These entities face sophisticated cyber threats from state-sponsored actors and other malicious groups. By employing advanced Penetration Testing techniques, such as red teaming, these organizations can simulate real-world attacks and strengthen their defenses against potential threats.
These real-world applications demonstrate the instrumental role of Penetration Testing in mitigating cybersecurity risks. By proactively identifying and addressing vulnerabilities, organizations across various sectors can enhance their security measures and protect their critical assets from cyber threats.


The Future of Penetration Testing
The landscape of Penetration Testing is continually evolving, driven by emerging technologies and new threat vectors. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, the tools and techniques used in Penetration Testing must also advance. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are increasingly being integrated into Penetration Testing tools, enabling more efficient and accurate identification of vulnerabilities. These technologies can analyze vast amounts of data quickly, uncovering patterns that might be missed by human testers.
Cloud security is another area where Penetration Testing is becoming more critical. With the widespread adoption of cloud services, organizations must ensure that their cloud environments are secure. Penetration Testing in the cloud involves unique challenges, such as multi-tenant architectures and dynamic scaling, which require specialized tools and methodologies.
The rise of Internet of Things (IoT) devices also presents new challenges for Penetration Testing. IoT devices often have limited security features, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals. Penetration Testing must adapt to assess the security of these devices and the networks they connect to, ensuring comprehensive protection.
Blockchain technology is another frontier for Penetration Testing. As blockchain applications expand beyond cryptocurrencies to areas like supply chain management and smart contracts, ensuring their security becomes paramount. Penetration Testing can help identify vulnerabilities in blockchain implementations, safeguarding these innovative solutions from potential attacks.
In an era of escalating cyber threats and dynamic digital environments, the future of Penetration Testing will likely involve a combination of advanced technologies and specialized techniques. By staying ahead of emerging threats and continuously evolving their methodologies, cybersecurity professionals can ensure that Penetration Testing remains a vital component of organizational security strategies.

Uncover Your Hidden Vulnerabilities: The Next Steps in Advanced Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing is an indispensable practice for organizations aiming to safeguard their digital assets against sophisticated cyber threats. By employing core methodologies like network scanning and vulnerability exploitation, and advanced techniques such as social engineering and red teaming, organizations can uncover and mitigate vulnerabilities effectively. 
Navigating regulatory compliance and adopting best practices further fortify security frameworks, ensuring robust protection. Real-world applications across various industries highlight the tangible impact of Penetration Testing in enhancing organizational resilience. 
As the cybersecurity landscape evolves, integrating emerging technologies and adapting to new threat vectors will be crucial. Ultimately, Penetration Testing remains a vital component in the ongoing battle to secure digital environments. 
To ensure proper techniques of pen testing is being practiced in your business, consider looking into outsourced IT solutions or contacting a local IT support company.
Be Structured is a top IT support company based in Los Angeles committed to delivering high-quality, reliable IT outsourcing services that help businesses manage and secure their systems against ever-evolving cyber threats.
Secure your business with Be Structured's expert penetration testing services and ensure your operations are protected from potential cyber attacks!
- Categories: Cybersecurity

#### Phases of the Cyber Attack Lifecycle
In today’s cyber security landscape, no business is ever completely safe from the threat of a cyber attack. That’s why mitigating the risk of a cyber attack is a critical aspect of any cyber security platform. But in order to effectively evade threats, you first have to understand how cyber criminals target and attack business networks.

Generally, cyber criminals will attack a network for one of two reasons:

 	Because they can. If cyber criminals notice that your system is easily exploitable, they may infiltrate your network just to see if there’s anything of value they can access. They may treat it like practice or attempt to use your data against you to extort money with ransomware. This threat applies to organizations of all sizes, including small to medium-sized businesses in Los Angeles.
 	Because they know your data is valuable. For high-profile organizations, cyber criminals will target networks because they know that network data is intrinsically valuable. Whether the cyber criminals try to leverage that data against an organization, sell it to competitors, or release it to the public, well-known organizations are often targeted for monetary gain.

Of course, cyber criminals may have other motivations for attacking a network. Still, to sidestep a potential threat before it becomes a full-scale attack, the most important thing is understanding why and how they target a system in the first place.

In this post, we’ll detail each phase of the cyber attack life cycle so you can gain a deeper understanding of how to keep your business’s network protected. At the same time, by gaining insight into how a cyber criminal thinks, you can proactively address vulnerabilities and improve your chances of averting a data breach in the first place.
Phase 1: Network Reconnaissance
The best time to avoid a cyber attack is before it starts. For organizations looking to proactively defend against network threats, you need to be keenly aware of what cyber criminals are looking for in potential targets. Generally speaking, when cyber criminals target small to medium-sized businesses, they’re looking for the low-hanging fruit. They want to gain access to networks that will allow them to turn a quick dollar with readily deployable tactics such as ransomware or phishing attacks.

During the network reconnaissance phase of a cyber attack, cyber criminals haven't yet gained access to your network. Instead, they’re surveying viable networks to determine which are most vulnerable to specific types of attacks and which are worth attacking to begin with.

Common methods they may use to gain information on a business’s network include:

 	Researching your website and clients
 	Information collection through social engineering
 	Exploiting social media accounts and public information
 	Assessing the web services your team uses
 	Purchasing information on the dark web

Ultimately, during the first phase of a cyber attack, hackers are looking for potential areas of vulnerability they can use to gain access to your network. If cyber criminals survey your network and can’t pinpoint any readily exploitable vulnerabilities, they’ll often move onto a weaker network, thereby minimizing the threat of an attack on your system before it can begin.
Phase 2: Deployment and Delivery
Once cyber criminals have pinpointed which networks are worth targeting, they decide on the most effective way to gain entry and compromise data across a network.

Some of the most common cyber attacks include:

 	Ransomware: Businesses that retain high-value, mission-critical data on their network without deploying advanced backup systems are susceptible to a ransomware attack.
 	Phishing attacks: Businesses with inadequate cyber security awareness training programs are at a higher risk of falling prey to a phishing attack.
 	Password attacks: Businesses with weak policies for user password creation can fall victim to a password attack.

At this stage, your network can still be saved with minimal harm done. With the right systems in place, such as automated network monitoring, network administrators can potentially detect any network anomalies and deny access before a full network breach occurs.
Phase 3: Exploitation and Installation
After cyber criminals successfully gain entry to your network, they can start moving across the network to work toward their ultimate objective. Once they’ve gained a foothold, they can move laterally across your user base, exploit web services, install malware, encrypt data, redirect data and network traffic, and even lock users out of the network altogether.

At this stage of a cyber attack, it becomes increasingly difficult to identify and block malicious actors on your network. From here, your organization is forced to focus on damage control while preserving any mission-critical data as day-to-day jobs are affected across the organization—and that’s if you’re even able to detect malicious activity in the first place. After all, it took the average company in the U.S. 206 days to detect a data breach and even longer to do something about it. For cyber criminals, the longer they can remain undetected on a network, the more they can exploit.
Phase 4: Command and Control
If a data breach remains undetected or unresolved for long enough, cyber criminals will eventually be able to take over complete control of your network. Acting with the full privileges of a network administrator, they’ll drain your data for anything that may be of value to them, and they’ll leave your team to clean up the mess. At this stage, your network has become theirs, and it’s likely too late for damage control. Your business may be forced to shut down network operations altogether and start anew, as it may be impossible to detect how widespread the breach is.
Phase 5: Objective Point
As we mentioned at the beginning of the post, cyber criminals typically target a network with a specific objective in mind. That objective may be as simple as seeing if they can do it or as complex as exploiting data to sell to your organization’s competitors. Either way, after they’ve taken complete control of network operations, they will be able to use your data against you and complete their final objectives. In the aftermath, your team will have to deal with the negative repercussions while struggling to restore normal operations. That’s why it should come as no surprise that 60% of small businesses go out of business within six months of a cyber attack.
The Los Angeles IT Support Experts
If you’re ready to stay one step ahead of cyber criminals throughout the cyber attack lifecycle, partner with Be Structured today. We specialize in developing robust cyber security platforms that keep your operations protected at every level, so your team can stay focused on productivity without having to worry about security.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Common Cyber Attacks, Cyber Attack, Phases of a Cyber Attack

#### Phishing Protection 101: How to Ensure Your Network Is Safe
Did you know that 95% of network security breaches happen due to human error?

There's no doubt that hackers are getting smarter and more sophisticated every day. If hackers can figure out how to steal personal data for 533 million Facebook users, rest assured they can infiltrate your IT network too.

Still, at the end of the day, the biggest threat to your company's data is an unsuspecting employee. Many company owners go to great lengths to set up their IT department - whether in-house or using a local IT support company. Either way, they overlook an equally important part of the puzzle: educating workers.

What do you and your employees need to know about phishing attacks? What steps can you take to ensure phishing protection? And what role does cyber security play in protecting your sensitive data?

We'll answer these important questions and more, so keep reading below.
What Are Phishing Attacks?
Just like a fisherman uses bait to hook unsuspecting fish, a "phishing" attack dangles innocent-looking requests in front of internet users to gain access to sensitive information.

Phishing attacks began as fraudulent emails with the goal of stealing personal data. These days, hackers have expanded their tactics to include social media channels as well as vishing and smishing (hacking via phone calls or SMS messages).

No matter the type of attack, the goal is always the same: to steal logins, passwords, banking details, credit card details, and other personal information.

Here are some common types of phishing attacks:

 	Phishing emails with attached malware or a link to a malicious webpage
 	Phishing websites with landing pages designed to look like the legitimate website (i.e., PayPal or Wells Fargo)
 	Phishing messages via SMS or messaging apps that install Trojan horse files
 	Phone phishing pretending to be a bank, a government agency, or another trusted institution

For the sake of this article, we'll focus on email phishing, which continues to be the most popular type of phishing attack. Hackers continue to use email, not only because it works, but because it's easier to remain anonymous and send bulk mailings.
How to Spot Phishing Emails
Just in case you think the threat of phishing attacks is overrated, consider this fact: 97% of people globally cannot identify phishing emails. The same study found that 80% of users misidentified at least of their phishing tests, which is all it takes to become a victim.

As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The best way to avoid falling victim to phishing attacks is by educating workers (and yourself) so you know what to look for.

Here are five tell-tale signs to watch out for.
1. Spelling & Grammatical Errors
Legitimate big businesses will never send an email that contains typos or grammatical mistakes. You can rest assured that Facebook, PayPal, American Express, and your local bank have the resources available to compose error-free emails.

Phishing emails come from all over the world and often from hackers who do not speak English as their primary language. As a result, you might see a pattern of strange expressions and misspellings.

Of course, a hastily written email from a legitimate person could contain a typo or two — we all make mistakes. But beware of a pattern of strange speech or words used incorrectly, especially if it claims to come from a well-known business. If it "just doesn't sound right," don't ignore your gut feeling.
2. Public Email Domain
If Google sends you an email, it will come from an @google.com email address. If PayPal sends you an email, the sender's address will end with @paypal.com.

One of the easiest ways to spot a phishing scam is to examine the sender's email. No legitimate big business will ever send an email from gmail.com, yahoo.com, outlook.com, or other public domains.

Of course, hackers are intelligent people. They may try to fool users by sliding in the name of the company somewhere. For example, support@paypal.com.work or paypal@notice-access-386.com.

One of the goals of digital literacy and phishing protection is teaching your employees to look at the email address — not just the sender's name.
3. Misspelled Domain Name
Since we're on the topic, here's something else everyone should watch out for: a cleverly disguised domain name.

A common swap is a "0" for an "o" in the email address. This turns "outlook" into "0utlook" or "chipotle" into "chip0tle." If you're just glancing through the email, you could easily miss this subtle but significant detail!

One podcast highlighted how effective this trick is by highlighting an ethical hacker who bought the domain name gimletrnedia.com (the actual business was gimletmedia.com). He then sent out emails that supposedly came from the company's producer. The scam was so successful he managed to dupe the hosts, the company president, and even the CEO!

This is just one example of why companies need to prioritize keeping their business safe from hackers.
4. Strange Links or Attachments
These types of phishing attacks come not only through email but also through social media posts or text messages. The unsuspecting user clicks what appears to be a normal link, only to open the door for malware or a virus to enter their device and disrupt their IT security in Los Angeles or any city nationwide.

This is especially sneaky because these nefarious attachments can slip right past your IT security net.

Why?

Because most sandboxing technology only scans attachments for malware — not links.

To avoid a potential disaster, train your employees to hover over a suspicious link or attachment without clicking on it. A small pop-up will appear that shows the destination address. If it's not the expected website, it's more than likely a phishing attempt.

Another option is to instruct employees to visit a website directly rather than click on any link or attachment within the email. For example, if their PayPal account has supposedly been suspended, they should open a new tab and go directly to paypal.com. Then they can log in and verify the facts without the risk of clicking on anything in an email.
5. Creates a Sense of Urgency or Panic
How do you feel when you read the following statements?

 	"Your account has been breached!"
 	"Your recent transaction couldn't be processed..."
 	"You need to respond to this request immediately..."
 	"If you don't log in within 24 hours..."

Scammers know how to create a sense of urgency. They know that without it, you'll procrastinate (at best) or study the email more closely until you notice something is wrong with it.

As a result, phishing attempts will always prompt you to take action now — before it's too late. This is especially common in Windows, Netflix, and PayPal scams, as problems with those accounts could cause major inconveniences.
How to Protect Against Spear Phishing
In a recent survey, 67% of Americans admitted that they know phishing scams can occur across multiple platforms. As we just discussed, though, this doesn't mean they know how to identify these threats.

As part of your phishing protection education program, here are some important safety rules that every employee should know.
1. Don't Do Anything Rash
If there's a sense of urgency in the email, that should be an immediate red flag. For example, if the CEO really needed you to contact him immediately, he would have contacted you in a different way.

When urgent action truly is needed, someone will call you, text you, or reach out via another platform. Your employees should know to stay alert (or even get nervous) if they receive an email that prompts them to do something rash.
2. Don't Click Links or Buttons
This is phishing protection 101, no matter whether you're in a professional or a private setting. As mentioned earlier, it's always best to visit the actual website to enter or verify your credentials.

Hackers often create fake landing pages that look almost identical to the real websites. If you click that email link to Twitter, you could land on a site that looks so similar to Twitter you don't notice the difference — until it's too late.

The only exception to this rule is if you receive a confirmation you were already expecting and you need to click something to active or verify an account.
3. Double-Check Special Requests
A common phishing scam is to send employees an email that appears to come from an internal source — perhaps the company's president or CEO. The request might be to log in to verify credentials or to transfer money or cryptocurrency to another account.

In some cases, it might even appear to come from a colleague or direct superior.

Whatever the case, train your employees to think before they act. It only takes a few seconds to pick up the phone or send a message to verify the request. A simple, "Did you just send an email asking me to...?" is all it takes.
4. Don't Ignore Web Browser Warnings
Your company's IT department and certainly outsourced tech support companies should include many layers of protection to keep data safe.

One of the most basic protocols is a pop-up that warns of a suspicious website. Usually, this appears in the form of a warning about security problems or the domain's certificate. While there's a tiny chance that the site administrators forgot to renew a security certificate, 99% of the time you can bet you're dealing with a phishing attempt.

Make sure your employees know not to ignore those warnings and not to proceed to the website.
5. Don't Trust Phone Calls
Vishing, or voice phishing, has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic. A hacker that has already obtained some of your personal information then takes the scam a step further by following up with a phone call.

Similar to email phishing, the caller tries to create a sense of urgency. They might claim to be from your bank, your credit card company, or another trustworthy organization. First, they need you to verify your credentials; then they'll request for you to make a payment or transfer funds.

The same principles apply here. Just like you wouldn't click on a link in an email, you should never provide personal information to an unexpected caller. The best solution is to hang up and call the organization back directly — you'll learn very fast whether there's a legitimate concern or not.
Educating Workers With Phishing Tests
As you can see, there's a lot that most people don't know about phishing protection. Without specific training, you can't expect your employees to know all of the important details we discussed above.

This is why many company owners prioritize digital literacy and sign up for phishing email training for their employees. These helpful programs send out simulated phishing emails at random times to your workers. Those who fall victim to phishing tests or don't handle the email correctly can then receive specific training to improve their knowledge.

These tools and techniques include:

 	Quizzes
 	Training videos
 	Custom templates for phishing emails and fake webpages
 	Group management for different levels of training
 	Detailed reports that show which employees need more training (and what type)

Best of all, it's easy to bundle this phishing protection training with other valuable IT services.
Does Your Company Need Phishing Protection?
We can't overstate the risks of phishing attacks. One "innocent" click of a link could compromise your company's most sensitive data and cause serious damage to your IT network — and your reputation.

Don't let this happen to you. Review the suggestions listed above and consider whether you've done enough to educate your employees about the dangers of phishing. If the answer is no, it's time to take action.

Be Structured offers more than just the leading managed service provider in Los Angeles. We also empower company owners and their employees with the knowledge they need for phishing protection.

Our BullPhish ID application provides valuable phishing training for everyone in your company. It doesn't replace the need for firewalls and virus scanners, but it adds another valuable layer of protection to your cybersecurity efforts.

Click here to learn more about BullPhish ID and our other managed IT services.
- Categories: Extra

#### Preventing Data Breaches: Discovering the Power of Privileged Access Management
In today's digital age, cybersecurity is paramount for enterprises. Privileged Access Management (PAM) plays a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive data by controlling and monitoring privileged accounts. 
By effectively managing these high-level access points, PAM tools significantly reduce the risk of data breaches, ensuring robust security for organizations.


The Rising Threat of Data Breaches
In 2023, over 80% of data breaches involved privileged credentials. This alarming statistic underscores the growing threat posed by cybercriminals targeting high-level access points within organizations. As data breaches become more frequent and severe, enterprises face significant financial and reputational damage.
The increasing sophistication of cyberattacks demands robust security measures. Traditional security protocols often fall short in protecting privileged accounts, which are prime targets for attackers. Unauthorized access to these accounts can lead to catastrophic data leaks and operational disruptions.
Privileged Access Management (PAM) addresses these challenges by providing comprehensive control over privileged accounts. By implementing PAM, organizations can mitigate the risks associated with data breaches, ensuring their critical assets remain secure.

What Is Privileged Access Management (PAM)
Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a security framework designed to control and monitor access to critical systems and sensitive information. At its core, PAM focuses on managing privileged accounts, which have elevated permissions and can significantly impact an organization's operations if compromised.
Privileged Access Management solutions typically include several key components:


 	
Credential Vaulting: Securely storing and managing privileged credentials to prevent unauthorized access.

 	
Session Monitoring: Tracking and recording privileged sessions to detect and respond to suspicious activities.

 	
Access Control: Enforcing strict policies to ensure only authorized users can access privileged accounts.


 

Key Features of Effective Privileged Access Management Solutions
Effective Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions incorporate several key features that collectively enhance security. One of the most critical features is multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA requires users to provide multiple forms of verification before accessing privileged accounts, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Another essential feature is session monitoring. PAM tools track and record all activities during privileged sessions, providing real-time visibility into user actions. This monitoring helps detect suspicious behavior and enables immediate intervention, preventing potential security breaches.
A PAM strtagey should be used in conjunction with penetration testing to see what hackers see when they attack your network.

Privileged Access Management Tools: Real-World Applications
PAM has proven its value across various industries by mitigating insider threats and securing sensitive data. When it comes to IT support for financial services, for instance, banks use PAM to control access to critical systems, ensuring that only authorized personnel can perform high-risk transactions.
 This reduces the likelihood of fraud and data breaches.
MSP for healthcare organizations also benefit from PAM. Hospitals and clinics implement PAM to protect patient records and comply with regulations like HIPAA. By monitoring and managing privileged accounts, they prevent unauthorized access to sensitive medical information, safeguarding patient privacy.
Looking at IT solutions for manufacturing, PAM helps secure industrial control systems (ICS). Manufacturers use PAM to restrict access to operational technology (OT) networks, preventing cyberattacks that could disrupt production processes. This ensures the integrity and availability of critical manufacturing operations.

Implementing Privileged Access Management in Your Organization
Integrating Privileged Access Management (PAM) into your organization's security infrastructure requires a strategic approach that is not dissimilar to advanced endpoint protection strategies. 
Start by conducting a thorough assessment of your current privileged access landscape. Identify all privileged accounts, their access levels, and associated risks. This inventory will serve as the foundation for your PAM implementation.
Next, establish clear policies and procedures for managing privileged access. Define who can access what, under which conditions, and for how long. Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to ensure that users only have the permissions necessary for their roles. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.
When selecting a PAM solution, prioritize features such as multi-factor authentication, session monitoring, and automated credential management. These features enhance security and streamline the management of privileged accounts. Ensure the chosen solution integrates seamlessly with your existing IT infrastructure.

The Future of Privileged Access Management in Cybersecurity
Emerging trends in Privileged Access Management (PAM) technology promise to further bolster enterprise security against evolving cyber threats. 
One significant development is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into PAM solutions. These technologies enable more sophisticated threat detection by analyzing user behavior patterns and identifying anomalies in real-time.
Another trend is the increasing focus on zero-trust architecture. PAM solutions are evolving to support zero-trust principles or a ZTNA VPN, ensuring that every access request is thoroughly verified, regardless of the user's location or device. This approach minimizes the risk of unauthorized access and enhances overall security.
Cloud-native PAM solutions are also gaining traction. As more organizations migrate to cloud environments, PAM tools are being designed to seamlessly integrate with cloud platforms. These solutions offer scalable and flexible security measures, addressing the unique challenges posed by cloud infrastructure.
Additionally, advancements in biometric authentication are enhancing PAM capabilities. By incorporating biometric factors such as fingerprint or facial recognition, PAM solutions provide an extra layer of security that is difficult to bypass. This reduces reliance on traditional passwords, which are often vulnerable to attacks.

Common Pitfalls in Privileged Access Management Implementation
Implementing Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions can be challenging, and organizations often encounter common pitfalls. One frequent mistake is underestimating the complexity of the implementation process. 
PAM solutions require careful planning and integration with existing systems. Rushing the deployment can lead to misconfigurations and security gaps.
Another common issue is inadequate user training. Employees need to understand the importance of PAM and how to use the new tools effectively. 
Without proper training, users may bypass security protocols, undermining the effectiveness of the PAM solution. Investing in comprehensive training programs such as mobile device management is crucial for successful implementation.
Organizations also often fail to conduct a thorough inventory of privileged accounts. Overlooking accounts or not properly categorizing them can result in incomplete protection. A detailed inventory ensures that all privileged accounts are identified and managed appropriately.
Additionally, some organizations neglect continuous monitoring and regular audits. PAM is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution. Continuous monitoring and periodic audits are essential to detect and respond to suspicious activities promptly. 
Regular reviews help maintain the integrity of the PAM system and adapt to evolving threats.


Regulatory Compliance and Privileged Access Management
PAM plays a crucial role in helping organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements. Many industry standards and legal mandates, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX, require stringent controls over access to sensitive data. PAM solutions provide the necessary tools to enforce these controls effectively.
One of the primary ways PAM aids in the all-important cybersecurity compliance debate is through detailed audit trails. PAM solutions record all activities performed by privileged accounts, creating comprehensive logs that can be reviewed during audits. These logs help demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements by providing clear evidence of who accessed what data and when.
PAM also supports compliance by enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA). Many regulations mandate the use of MFA to secure access to sensitive information. By integrating MFA into the access control process, PAM ensures that only authorized users can access critical systems, thereby meeting regulatory standards.
Additionally, PAM solutions facilitate the implementation of role-based access control (RBAC). Regulations often require that access to sensitive data is limited to individuals with a legitimate need. RBAC allows organizations to assign permissions based on user roles, ensuring that employees only have access to the information necessary for their job functions.
Furthermore, PAM helps organizations maintain compliance by:


 	
Automating Credential Management: Regularly rotating and managing passwords to meet regulatory requirements.

 	
Providing Real-Time Monitoring: Detecting and responding to suspicious activities promptly to prevent data breaches.

 	
Generating Compliance Reports: Offering pre-configured reports that align with specific regulatory standards.


Privileged Access Management and Cloud Security
Securing cloud environments presents unique challenges, making Privileged Access Management (PAM) essential. Cloud infrastructure often involves multiple platforms and services, each with its own set of privileged accounts. Managing these accounts effectively is crucial to prevent unauthorized access and potential data breaches.
One key strategy for managing privileged access in cloud-based systems is implementing centralized access controls. PAM solutions can integrate with various cloud platforms, providing a unified interface for managing all privileged accounts. This centralization simplifies oversight and ensures consistent security policies across the entire cloud environment.
Another important aspect is the use of just-in-time (JIT) access. JIT access grants privileged permissions only when needed and for a limited time. This reduces the risk of prolonged exposure to sensitive systems and minimizes the attack surface. PAM solutions can automate JIT access, ensuring that elevated permissions are granted and revoked as required.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is also critical in cloud security. By requiring multiple forms of verification, MFA adds an extra layer of protection for privileged accounts. PAM solutions can enforce MFA across all cloud services, ensuring that only authorized users can access critical resources.
To address the unique challenges of cloud infrastructure, consider the following strategies:


 	
Centralized Access Management: Integrate PAM with all cloud platforms for unified control.

 	
Just-in-Time Access: Implement JIT access to minimize exposure.

 	
Enforce MFA: Require multi-factor authentication for all privileged accounts.

 	
Continuous Monitoring: Monitor privileged activities in real-time to detect anomalies.


Why Privileged Access Management Is Important
Real-world applications across various industries demonstrate PAM's effectiveness in mitigating insider threats and securing sensitive data. Implementing PAM requires careful planning, user training, and continuous monitoring. Consider cybersecurity managed service providers such as Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG). 
We offer a wide range of business IT support and cybersecurity solutions designed to safeguard your operations from the latest cyber threats, including phishing protection. Future advancements in PAM technology will further bolster enterprise security. 
By addressing common pitfalls and ensuring regulatory compliance, organizations can leverage PAM to protect their critical assets and maintain a robust security posture.
- Categories: Cybersecurity

#### Pros and Cons of Video Conference Solutions
Do you sometimes feel like you live at work meetings?

You're not alone.

Experts estimate that Americans attend as many as 55 million meetings every day.

In the past, you may have trudged into the company's conference room for daily or weekly updates. In recent years, video conferencing has become increasingly popular — especially since the start of COVID-19.

During 2020, video conferencing saw an astounding 535% increase in daily traffic. No doubt your company contributed to this figure as many of us worked from home or shifted to hybrid work models.

As you probably realized, though, not all video conference solutions are created equal. Maybe you've tried a few different platforms and software, but you're still unsure which is the best option for your business needs.

Since video conferencing is here to stay, it's vital to choose the right solution for your company. Keep reading and we'll help you analyze the pros and cons of the most popular video conference software.
What Are the Benefits of Video Conferencing?
Let's start our discussion with an overview of the many benefits of video conferences. After that, we'll outline some potential drawbacks to be aware of that could affect your final decision.
1. Saves Time & Money
The most obvious benefit of a video conference is the amount of time and money it saves you (and your employees). There's no need to travel to the office or another meeting point. It also eliminates the need for expensive business trips to other cities or countries.

All you need to do is open a video conference and invite employees or clients to join you virtually. Once you've finished your discussion, everyone can immediately return to work from their current location — no cars, taxis, or planes required.
2. Easy to Use
Chances are that anyone you need to contact via video conference already has everything they need to connect to the meeting. The only requirements are a steady internet connection and a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

There's no need to purchase expensive equipment or webcams, and you don't need to set up a dedicated conference room or specialized telepresence system (unless you want to).

Depending on the software you choose, you can easily scale up or down to suit your needs. You can host a private meeting with one subscriber or invite dozens of people to a group meeting. You can even create and host a webinar that thousands of people can view simultaneously.
3. Security & Privacy
Of course, you will want to make sure your network installation and security are up to par, especially if you're discussing sensitive information during your business meetings. But you can rest assured that the best video conference solutions have built-in security features such as:

 	Video and chat encryption
 	Security audits
 	TLS protocols
 	The ability to discard chats
 	Two-factor authentication
 	Security audits

Different software offers different security features, which we'll discuss in more detail later. For now, keep in mind that these features are designed to protect you against the most common cybersecurity threats.
4. Enhanced Communication
A lot can get lost during a telephone conversation. When you can't see someone's reactions or facial expressions, you can't always tell whether you're communicating effectively.

A video conference is superior to an old-fashioned phone conference because it's the virtual version of a face-to-face meeting. It retains a lot of the "human" element that's so vital to doing business. It also eliminates many of the distractions associated with in-person meetings.

Video conferencing enables you to share important information with ease. You'll find an array of collaboration tools from media sharing and whiteboards to conference recording and electronic voting.
5. Improved Productivity
Did you know that 60% of employees are more productive when they work from home? Video conferences are one more tool you can use to communicate clearly and allow everyone to get back to work more quickly.

There's no distracting lead time or travel time required, and virtual meetings tend to be shorter than in-person meetings. As soon as the conference is over, everybody can immediately implement the new directions.
What Are Some Potential Drawbacks?
Video conferencing has many clear benefits, but like everything else in the tech world, they have their limitations too. Before we discuss specific video conference solutions, let's briefly consider some potential cons.
1. Technical Problems
In a perfect world, we would all have lightning-fast internet connections and the latest computers and hardware.

In reality, though, video conferences can easily fall prey to technical glitches. Someone's internet connection may be unstable, resulting in poor video or sound quality. You might also encounter issues with the video conference software, your office hardware, or network failure.

You may not be able to control things on the other end, but 24/7 IT support and monitoring on your end will give you the best chance of hosting trouble-free video meetings.
2. Different Time Zones
If you were planning to fly people in from different parts of the country (or the world), you'd normally have some jetlagged individuals at your business meetings. Video conferencing does eliminate this concern, but it creates another one — finding a time that's suitable for everyone.

US time zones are easy enough to coordinate, but what if you have employees or clients in Europe, Asia, or Australia? No matter which time you choose, someone is going to have to attend the meeting after dinner or in the wee hours of the morning.
3. "Zoom Fatigue"
Named after one of the most popular video conference solutions, Zoom fatigue (also called virtual fatigue) has become a real concern since the start of the pandemic.

Common signs of virtual fatigue and burnout include:

 	Exhaustion
 	Apathy
 	Forgetfulness
 	Brain fog
 	Trouble concentrating
 	Irritability
 	Insomnia
 	Physical aches and pains

To help prevent Zoom fatigue, try to keep video conferences short and to the point. Or you may find that it's more helpful to have one longer video call at the beginning of the workweek rather than shorter calls every day.

You can also help your employees by giving them actionable tips to improve their digital wellness.
Video Conferencing Solutions & Features to Consider
Now that we've discussed the overall pros and cons of video conference solutions, let's turn our focus to your business. Here are some important criteria to consider before you consider specific platforms.

 	How many participants will regularly attend your meetings?
 	How important is the quality of the video feed?
 	How much and how often will other participants communicate during the meeting?
 	Will some of your participants be joining from a mobile device?
 	Do you want the ability to record audio and video for later viewing?
 	Would it be helpful if the platform could integrate with other common applications, such as Microsoft?
 	How important is the ability to share your screen, videos, or other documents?
 	What level of encryption and security do you need?

There are no right or wrong answers here — it all boils down to the unique needs of your company. Jot down your answers to these questions and keep them in mind as we review the most popular video conference platforms below.
Video Conference With Zoom: Pros & Cons
Zoom Video Communications has been around since 2011, but it quickly became the go-to choice for video conferencing during the pandemic. In fact, it's now become part of our mainstream vernacular as people use it to refer to any type of video meeting.
Pros of Zoom
There's a reason Zoom is so popular: It's one of the easiest and most accessible tools on the market today.

It's ideal for managing remote teams or setting up virtual client meetings. From your personal meeting room, you can create and share a meeting link with just a few clicks. Participants need only click the link or enter the numeric meeting ID and password to gain access.

Zoom offers these features for free:

 	One-on-one and group meetings (up to 100 participants)
 	Unlimited number of meetings
 	Up to 40 minutes per video call
 	HD video and audio quality
 	Screen sharing abilities
 	Private and group chat options
 	Scheduled or spontaneous meetings
 	Custom backgrounds

For both the host and the participants, Zoom is (arguably) the easiest and most intuitive platform to use.
Cons of Zoom
To host larger meetings and access more advanced features of Zoom, you'll need to upgrade to one of their paid plans:

 	Pro plan: $150 per license per year (up to 100 participants per video call)
 	Business plan: $200 per license per year (minimum 10 licenses, up to 300 participants per video call)
 	Enterprise plan: $250 per license per year (minimum 50 licenses, up to 500 participants per video call)

A few years ago, there were some security concerns surrounding Zoom, but those have largely been resolved. Zoom also offers the least integration compared to other options on our list.
Video Conference With Teams: Pros & Cons
Another major player in the video conference world is Microsoft Teams. It was launched in 2017 and largely replaced the former communication hub of Skype for Business.
Pros of Teams
The most obvious benefit of using Teams is its seamless integration with all the other Microsoft products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, etc). It's an ideal solution because includes a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 — something your business probably uses every day anyway.

Unlike other software, Microsoft Teams does more than just video conferencing. It's designed to be an "always on" platform your team can use for messaging and collaboration. Video calls are just an added feature of an already extensive platform.

Their free plan allows up to 100 participants per video call with a 60-minute time limit. It also offers the most advanced security features, including encrypted chats and mute options.
Cons of Teams
Although the majority of Teams' features are positive, there are a few potential drawbacks to be aware of.

If you'll regularly be connecting with participants that aren't Office 365 members, they won't be able to access some in-meeting features. Anyone accessing the web version will only find full support if they use Chrome or Edge. Other web browsers offer little or no support for Teams meetings.

To access more advanced features and host larger meetings, you'll need to upgrade from the free version. Current pricing plans are:

 	Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $5 per user per month
 	Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per user per month
 	Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $20 per user per month
 	Office 365 enterprise plans: start at $8 per user per month
 	Microsoft 365 enterprise plans: start at $32 per user per month

It's also important to know that while there is data encryption in transit and at rest, there's no end-to-end encryption for video meetings with Teams.
Video Conference With Meet: Pros & Cons
A final platform we'll consider is Google Meet. It's included with Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) and is free to anyone with a Google account.
Pros of Meet
Google Meet integrates seamlessly with other Google applications, such as Google Calendar, Docs, Drive, and Gmail.

Although it's more basic than some of the other software mentioned above, its recent upgrades have created a much better user experience. For example, the platform offers live automated captions in five languages as well as a consolidated navigation bar.

The free version of Google Meet allows up to 100 participants in a video call, with a 60-minute time limit.
Cons of Meet
Like the other platforms, you'll need to upgrade your subscription to access better features. The current pricing plans include:

 	Google Workspace Business Starter: $6 per user per month (up to 100 participants)
 	Google Workspace Business Standard: $12 per user per month(up to 150 participants)
 	Google Workspace Business Plus: $18 per user per month (up to 250 participants)
 	Google Workspace Enterprise: custom pricing options (up to 250 participants)

Compared to Zoom or Teams, Meet offers fewer "bells and whistles" in terms of in-meeting features. Like Teams, it also does not offer end-to-end encryption.
How Be Structured IT Services Can Help
Whether you love it or hate it, video conferencing has become an integral part of the way we do business. Whether you're managing a remote team or hosting virtual client meetings, you need the right video conference solutions.

As we discussed above, there are pros and cons of all the major video conference software. While they all share similar features, some might offer extra perks that are especially suitable for your business.

Do you need help choosing the right video conferencing software for your Los Angeles-based company? Is it time to enhance your network security, upgrade your hardware, or migrate to the cloud?

Whatever your IT needs, Be Structured has the solutions. Click here to learn more about our services and how we can help you better reach your business goals. Or, if you prefer, schedule a free consultation with us at (323) 331-9452.
- Categories: IT Support, Office 365, Tips & Tricks

#### Protecting Business From Ransomware Attacks
When it comes to protecting your business from exterior threats, malware is one of the most important risks to focus on. More specifically, businesses should assess how vulnerable they are to a ransomware attack.

Having a proper contingency plan in place is essential, but not everybody understands the best course of action to take. Let's explore everything that you need to know about ransomware attacks and how to handle them.
Train Your Employees Appropriately
Your employees will be the primary risk at your organization.

This is simply due to the fact that they are likely interacting with a large number of different people on the Internet on a daily basis. For instance, even a single sales representative could deal with hundreds of emails within a single shift.

All it takes is a minor slip-up to put your company at risk of a ransomware incident. As a result, it's imperative that you hold comprehensive training for your workers. These should include information about how to recognize potential ransomware attacks on businesses as well as how to respond to them.

An already bad situation can easily become much worse if a worker is not sure how to report or handle signs of a ransomware attack. It's also important to consider that hackers continuously develop new tools to target victims. So, you will likely need to update your training as time goes on.
Ensure Your Software Is Up-to-date
Using outdated software is one of the most common reasons why people become affected by this type of malware. Even if an application is only a few versions behind, it could still pose a significant security risk to the organization. In many cases, there is simply no reason why you should not be using the most current version of the software.

Outliers include situations where the newest available version is not compatible with your current device or operating system. In general, however, you should configure your applications to automatically download and install the most recent updates. Although it might seem simple, this will go a long way in terms of keeping your company safe.
Back up Information on a Regular Basis
The primary function of ransomware is to prevent you from accessing key information. After all, this is the reason why people rush to pay the ransom whenever they are affected by this malware.

However, there's no guarantee that attempting to work with the hacker will get you the results that you want. Unfortunately, there are some criminals who simply wish to cause as much chaos as possible. This means that they might encrypt company information and then delete the data anyway after receiving the ransom.

As you might guess, this could easily create a scenario that is virtually impossible to recover from. This is particularly true for small businesses, as these companies likely don't have the resources to manage this type of issue.

"By archiving your information, you will be able to regain access to all of the affected data," explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, a leading managed service provider in Los Angeles. "This is true whether or not you pay the ransom."

From here, your primary concern becomes removing the malware from the affected devices. In general, it's recommended to back up your data based on how sensitive the information is.

To elaborate, highly valuable information should be archived once per day. Less valuable information can be archived once per week, once per month, etc.
Work With a Professional
Under most circumstances, businesses can highly benefit from working with a professional. This is typically in the form of an IT support company that offers 24/7 network monitoring and multiple layers of protection.

For instance, they can integrate a tool known as active monitoring to constantly search your network for anomalies. In the event that one is discovered, they will immediately implement resolutions for the issue. They will also help you optimize the security of your business.

Oftentimes, companies feel as though they are sufficiently protected despite having notable security flaws. Having professional insight can easily help you put the proper safeguards in place. You can check out this resource to learn more about what a managed service provider can offer.
Keep an Eye Out for Suspicious Activity
Although it's been previously established that your employees will assume much of the risk, it’s also important to understand how to recognize suspicious activity on your own. For example, being able to quickly determine if you are dealing with a fraudulent email is essential.

The same can be said about network activity that may occur within your organization. So, it's in your best interest to educate yourself thoroughly. This often means keeping up-to-date on the latest cybersecurity trends and methods that hackers might use during their ransomware attacks.

This is another benefit of working with a managed service provider. They can offer a comprehensive breakdown of the exact information you need to know so that you can avoid becoming a victim in the future. It's much better to have this understanding before an attack as opposed to learning after one.
What Should I Do if I Become a Victim of an Attack?
Unfortunately, even having the proper protections in place does not always guarantee that you will not become a victim.

This becomes increasingly true as time goes on, as hackers will begin to use different tools in order to carry out their attacks. However, understanding the course of action that you should take can mean the difference between properly managing an attack and suffering from one.

Let's explore exactly what you need to do for disaster recovery in the event that your company devices become infected with ransomware.
Don't Panic
One of the most important concepts to remember is that you should never panic. Panicking during a scenario like this will lead you to make suboptimal decisions.

To clarify, ransomware is designed to instill fear. The malware interface often appears abruptly and typically contains dark colors/imagery. There may be red text, and you may even see skull icons.

From here, the hacker will tell the victim that they only have a certain amount of time to make their decision before the attack is fully carried out. The doomsday scenario is contingent upon the hacker themselves.

To elaborate, some hackers will simply leave the data encrypted if they don't receive the payment. Other hackers, however, are much more malicious.

They might permanently delete the information if their demands are not met. In some circumstances, they could even leak your compromised information to your industry competitors.

Another scenario that is just as alarming is having the hacker contact the media about the incident. There will then be documented media coverage about the data breach at your business, something that can easily erode the trust people have in your brand. So, it's essential that you remain levelheaded throughout the incident.

This is the only way that you will be able to navigate it appropriately.
Disconnect From Your Network
Interestingly, many people are unaware of the fact that ransomware can spread to other devices on the same network.

This means that having even a single computer become infected could eventually cause all of your computers to become infected. This is a scenario that you want to avoid at all costs, as having data encrypted on each device will inevitably result in downtime. Even a brief period of downtime could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

When combined with the consequences of a ransomware attack, this is a situation that many businesses struggle to handle. As soon as you notice that your device has become compromised, disconnect from your network immediately. It's also in your best interest to check each device that was connected to the same network.

Some types of ransomware are programmed to spread as quickly as possible. Even a few seconds of having an infected device on a network could cause it to spread to other computers. It's not recommended to turn off your network, though.

You should aim to maintain network continuity while minimizing the chances of the virus spreading.
Don't Pay The Ransom
You should never pay the ransom under any circumstances.

As previously mentioned, hackers can't be trusted to hold up their end of the deal. If you pay them, there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your data.

There is another factor to consider, though. Paying the hackers will only help facilitate future attacks.

This means that you will be directly contributing to other incidents in the future. It also helps hackers leverage additional tools, come up with ways to avoid detection, etc. So, you will need to eliminate this as a possibility in your contingency plan.

In the vast majority of scenarios, paying the ransom will only make the situation worse.
Restore Your Data Immediately
To ensure that you can remove the virus from your device, it's best to restore your data right away. For those who keep frequent archives of company information, this will only be a minor inconvenience.

Those who do not archive their data on a regular basis, though, we'll have a bit more difficulty. Businesses in this scenario might find that they aren't able to restore all of their information.

This could be due to the fact that they hadn't made the appropriate backup over the past seven days, for example. Restoring your data as soon as possible also comes with the added benefit of minimizing the time you spend handling this issue. Even after people decide they will not pay the ransom, they may still spend time developing a plan.

If you already have a plan in place, a ransomware attack becomes much more benign. To ensure that this is a possibility for you in the future, you should frequently assess how efficient your data backups are.

If you find any vulnerabilities, you will need to revamp your policies regarding how often you archive your business data.
Report The Incident to The FBI
The FBI is constantly combating hackers that use this type of software.

The more information they know about different types of attacks, the better they will be able to handle them in the future. So, you will need to report the incident to the FBI as soon as one occurs. You should also provide them with as many details as possible.

This means the type of operating system the device was using when the incident happened, as well as that the message that the program displayed. Since there are so many different types of ransomware, the FBI typically categorizes similar ones based on what the programs say to the victims. In some cases, you might find that the malware itself clearly names the group responsible for the attack.

Regardless of the situation, providing this information to the FBI will help make these attacks more difficult for hackers to complete in the future. They can also help you determine your best course of action and provide information about how that particular program works.

So, it's highly unlikely that you will ever suffer from the same ransomware twice.
Dealing With Ransomware Attacks Might Seem Overwhelming
Fortunately, managing this risk is not nearly as difficult as people anticipate at first. As long as you keep the above information in mind, you'll find that handling the complications associated with ransomware attacks is a relatively straightforward process that can help keep your company as safe as possible.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Security

#### Ransomware Resurgence: How to Protect Your Network
We’ve seen a noticeable resurgence in ransomware attacks over the past several months. Baltimore and two cities in Florida recently fell victim to large-scale ransomware attacks. Baltimore ended up spending millions cleaning up their networks, while Riviera Beach and Lake City, FL, had to pay $600,000 and $500,000, respectively, to unlock their data. These attacks are a reminder that anyone can be the target of a ransomware attack.

What strategies does your organization have in place to defend against ransomware? If you don’t have a concrete answer to this question, this post will explore some of the fundamental strategies you can implement to protect your network from ransomware at every level.
Backup Data
Backing up your network data to protect against ransomware should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway. Most important, however, ransomware often encrypts all network data, including backups, making network backups inaccessible for restoration. That’s why it’s essential to back up data to an external drive or use a cloud backup service that’s only connected to your network while performing the backup.

Prioritizing redundant network backups that remain isolated from core network operations is a fundamental first step to defending against ransomware attacks. If you always have a recent, unencrypted backup of your network data, you’ll never have to worry about losing it to ransomware.
Filter Out Executables
If you’re using a gateway mail scanner with the ability to filter out emails containing specific files, you should consider filtering out emails containing .EXE files. There’s rarely a justifiable reason for sending executables via email (it’s much more efficient to share executables via a flash drive or a cloud drive anyway), and if you receive an email from a suspicious sender with an .EXE attached, chances are it’s malware of one form or another and possibly even ransomware. Filtering out emails containing executables significantly reduces the risk of an employee clicking on a malicious .EXE attachment without thinking and compromising your network data.
Disable Remote Desktop Protocol
Cybercriminals have been exploiting machines using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), a built-in Windows tool that lets others access and control a computer remotely. While there are legitimate uses for RDP, including remote IT troubleshooting services, consider disabling it if your team doesn’t rely on it for day-to-day operations. This prevents cybercriminals from remotely accessing a device on your network and decrypting data.
Use a Robust Security Suite
If you aren’t already doing so, installing anti-malware software on all the computers on your network can help identify, contain, and remediate potential threats before data is compromised. While they’re not foolproof, they can help catch malware that may turn out to be a latent ransomware threat. If you want to take your security suite to the next level, consider partnering with a managed service provider for around-the-clock network monitoring to detect suspicious activity.
Prioritize Updates and Patches
Make sure you’re regularly updating and patching all the software on network devices. Cybercriminals often target and exploit devices using outdated software with known security vulnerabilities. Outdated software frequently offers cybercriminals backdoor access to your network, so simply updating software can help protect your network by patching over known security vulnerabilities.
Worst Case: Disconnect!
We’ll use this last tip to offer a simple suggestion on what you should do if you suspect your computer has been infected with ransomware. If you accidentally opened an .EXE or downloaded a suspicious file you realize may have been malware, disconnect your computer from all network cables and the power source immediately. While some damage may have been done, you can drastically mitigate that damage merely by disconnecting your device from the network. It takes some time to encrypt all the files on a network, so disconnecting a compromised device as soon as possible may curb some damage and is a better alternative than doing nothing.
The Los Angeles Cybersecurity Experts
If you’re ready to start taking a proactive approach to protecting your network from ransomware attacks, contact the cybersecurity experts at Be Structured today. Our team leverages the latest cybersecurity strategies such as vulnerability and penetration testing to unearth any potential security loopholes. We’ll work with you to pinpoint industry-specific threats and develop a customized cybersecurity platform that protects your network at every level while defending against the latest threats.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Network Security, Ransomware

#### Real Estate IT Support: Technology Trends for Property Managers
​Property management IT support now rely heavily on digital systems, and real estate technology has become central to how buildings are managed, monitored, and optimized. As portfolios grow more complex, early adoption of IT support for property management helps ensure new PropTech tools integrate cleanly into existing environments without disrupting daily operations.

What Is PropTech
PropTech consulting refers to a broad set of technologies designed to improve how properties are operated, leased, and maintained. These platforms influence everything from tenant communication to building performance analytics.
Integration determines whether technology delivers value or creates friction. Without a cohesive IT foundation, even well-designed PropTech software development platforms can fragment data and increase operational risk.

Real Estate Technology and the Shift Toward Digital Property Operations
Real estate technology adoption accelerated as property teams sought better visibility across distributed portfolios. Cloud platforms and mobile tools now support real-time decision-making across locations.
Operational data has become a strategic asset. Property managers increasingly rely on centralized dashboards to track occupancy, maintenance, energy usage, and tenant engagement.
This shift requires infrastructure that supports secure connectivity and scalable data flows. Technology decisions now influence long-term efficiency rather than serving as isolated upgrades.

Core PropTech Categories Shaping Property Management
Modern property management systems centralize leasing, accounting, work orders, and tenant communications. These platforms replace disconnected tools with unified workflows.
Smart building technology adds automation through access control, HVAC optimization, and energy management systems. Sensors continuously collect data that improves building performance.
IoT devices expand monitoring capabilities by tracking equipment health, environmental conditions, and usage patterns. These systems depend on stable networks and secure data transmission.


IT support for real estate websites can assure that users can quickly find the information they need to make a purchase.
Digital leasing platforms streamline tenant onboarding and document management. Data analytics tools transform operational data into insights that support budgeting and forecasting.
Together, these categories illustrate how PropTech is changing commercial real estate by shifting operations toward data-driven models. Integration determines whether these systems work cohesively or remain siloed.

Integration Challenges in Real Estate Technology Environments
Legacy systems present one of the most common barriers to PropTech integration. Older platforms may lack modern APIs or cloud compatibility.
Data fragmentation often follows when systems operate independently. Information becomes scattered across applications, reducing visibility and increasing manual effort.
Cybersecurity risks also increase as more devices and platforms connect to networks. Each integration point introduces potential vulnerabilities that require oversight.
Addressing these challenges early prevents operational slowdowns and long-term technical debt. Infrastructure planning ensures technology supports growth rather than complicating it.

Cloud Infrastructure Enables Scalable PropTech Integration
Cloud platforms provide the flexibility required for modern real estate technology stacks. Centralized hosting supports consistent access across properties.
Cloud environments simplify updates and scalability. New features and integrations can be deployed without extensive on-site changes.
API-driven software allows platforms to share data securely and efficiently. This interoperability reduces redundancy and improves reporting accuracy.
Cloud infrastructure also supports disaster recovery and business continuity. Data remains accessible even during localized outages.

Centralized Monitoring Improves Operational Visibility
As technology ecosystems expand, monitoring becomes essential. Centralized monitoring tools provide insight into system health, network performance, and security posture.
These tools help teams identify issues before they impact tenants or operations. Proactive alerts reduce response time and prevent escalation.
Centralized visibility also supports better planning decisions. Usage patterns and performance metrics guide future investments.
Reliable monitoring contributes to efforts that reduce costs and downtime across property portfolios. Preventing outages is more cost-effective than reacting to failures.

Expanding Data Visibility Across Property Portfolios
As portfolios scale, fragmented reporting becomes a growing challenge. Different buildings often operate on separate platforms with inconsistent data standards.
Unified data models allow organizations to compare performance across locations. Centralized reporting improves budgeting accuracy and operational transparency.
When data flows freely between systems, leadership gains a clearer picture of portfolio health. This visibility supports faster adjustments to staffing, maintenance, and capital planning.

Cybersecurity Considerations for PropTech Integration
PropTech environments handle sensitive information, including tenant data, financial records, and access credentials. Protecting this data is critical.
Increased connectivity expands the attack surface. IoT devices, cloud platforms, and third-party integrations require consistent security controls.
Strong identity management, network segmentation, and encryption help mitigate risk. These measures limit unauthorized access and lateral movement.
Organizations benefit from deploying advanced cybersecurity tools that monitor threats across endpoints and networks. Continuous protection reduces exposure as systems scale.

Data Protection and Ransomware Preparedness
Ransomware remains a significant threat to property operations. Disruptions can impact leasing, maintenance, and tenant services simultaneously.
Protecting operational data requires layered defenses. Backups, access controls, and incident response planning form the foundation of resilience.
Clear recovery procedures ensure systems can be restored quickly. Regular testing confirms backups function as intended.
Proactive strategies help protect your data against ransomware while maintaining operational continuity. Preparedness reduces both financial and reputational risk.

Compliance and Privacy Considerations in PropTech Environments
Regulatory requirements continue to evolve across jurisdictions. Property management systems must align with privacy laws that govern tenant data handling and storage.
Cloud platforms simplify compliance through standardized controls and audit trails. Consistent enforcement reduces the risk of accidental violations.
Organizations benefit from documenting how data is collected, stored, and shared across platforms. Clear governance improves accountability and reduces legal exposure.

Managing Vendor Selection and Integration Strategy
Evaluating PropTech vendors requires more than feature comparisons. Compatibility with existing infrastructure is a critical factor.
APIs, security standards, and data ownership policies influence long-term integration success. Vendors should align with established IT governance practices.
Pilot programs help assess performance and usability before full deployment. Testing reduces the risk of unexpected disruptions.
Clear documentation and support models also matter. Vendors should provide transparency around updates and integrations.

Supporting Remote and Hybrid Property Operations
Remote access has become a core operational requirement. Maintenance coordination, leasing approvals, and reporting often occur outside traditional office environments.
Secure remote connectivity allows teams to respond faster to issues without compromising data integrity. Mobility improves service quality while maintaining oversight.
PropTech platforms that support remote workflows depend on reliable infrastructure. Connectivity and security must scale together to avoid disruptions.

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Real Estate Technology
AI is increasingly embedded within PropTech platforms. Predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, and automated leasing processes rely on advanced analytics.
These capabilities depend on high-quality data and reliable infrastructure. Without integration, AI tools deliver limited value.


PropTech showing different offers of property online.
Industry analysts point to AI’s enormous potential to reshape real estate through smarter decision-making and automation. Realizing this potential requires cohesive systems.
Preparing for AI adoption includes ensuring data accuracy and system interoperability. Strong foundations support advanced capabilities.

The Role of Ongoing IT Support in Property Management
Technology environments evolve continuously. Ongoing support ensures systems remain secure, updated, and aligned with operational needs.
Support teams help manage integrations, resolve issues, and plan upgrades. This oversight prevents small problems from escalating.
Partnering with a local IT support services provider offers faster response and familiarity with regional compliance considerations. Local expertise improves coordination across properties.
Consistent support allows property teams to focus on operations rather than troubleshooting technology.

Long-Term Infrastructure Planning for Real Estate Technology
Technology roadmaps help property management teams plan upgrades proactively. Aligning infrastructure investments with portfolio growth prevents reactive spending.
Lifecycle planning ensures platforms remain supported and secure. Aging systems increase integration complexity and risk.
Regular assessments help organizations adapt as new PropTech capabilities emerge. Planning ahead keeps technology aligned with operational goals.

Building a Secure and Integrated Real Estate Technology Environment
Successful PropTech integration depends on infrastructure design, security alignment, and ongoing support rather than individual tools. Coordinated systems improve efficiency, tenant experience, and data visibility across property portfolios. 
At Be Structured, we help property management organizations design secure infrastructure, integrate PropTech platforms, and maintain reliable operations through industry-specific IT expertise. Schedule a free consultation today to build a real estate technology environment that scales with confidence.

FAQs About PropTech Integration








 	
What is PropTech in property management?PropTech refers to digital tools and platforms used to manage, monitor, lease, and optimize real estate operations. It includes property management software, smart building systems, IoT devices, and data analytics tools.

 	
Why is IT support important for PropTech integration?IT support ensures PropTech platforms integrate securely and reliably with existing systems. Proper support reduces downtime, data silos, and cybersecurity risks.

 	
What are the main types of real estate technology used today?Core categories include property management systems, smart building technology, IoT sensors, digital leasing platforms, and analytics tools. Each relies on stable infrastructure and secure data flow.

 	
What are common challenges when integrating PropTech systems?Common challenges include legacy system compatibility, fragmented data, lack of APIs, and increased cybersecurity exposure. Early infrastructure planning helps mitigate these risks.

 	
How does cloud infrastructure support property management technology?Cloud infrastructure enables scalability, centralized access, faster updates, and easier system integration. It also supports disaster recovery and business continuity.

 	
How can property managers improve data visibility across multiple buildings?Centralized platforms and unified data models allow consistent reporting across properties. This improves budgeting accuracy, operational oversight, and portfolio-level decision-making.

 	
What cybersecurity risks are associated with PropTech?Risks include unauthorized access, data breaches, and vulnerabilities introduced by IoT devices and third-party integrations. Strong access controls, encryption, and monitoring reduce exposure.

 	
How does IT support help protect against ransomware in property operations?IT support implements backups, access controls, and incident response plans. Regular testing ensures systems can be restored quickly if an attack occurs.

 	
What should property managers consider when choosing PropTech vendors?Key factors include system compatibility, API availability, security standards, data ownership, and vendor support quality. Pilot testing helps validate integration before full deployment.

 	
How is AI shaping the future of real estate technology?AI enables predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, and automation through data analysis. Its effectiveness depends on integrated systems and high-quality, centralized data.
- Categories: IT support for Property Management
- Tags: IT support for property management, IT support for real estate

#### Reasons to Hire IT Support for Accounting Firms
IT Support for Financial Services - Why They Need It
Imagine running an accounting firm that meets all of your target metrics and has no trouble handling your clients' needs. One day, within seconds, everything goes awry.

It only takes a few moments for a data breach to completely derail an accounting firm's performance. One of the major reasons is that companies in this space are highly lucrative targets for hackers. The average data breach in 2023 cost businesses approximately $4.5 million, a scenario that's virtually impossible to recover from.

For this reason, many entrepreneurs choose to hire managed IT services for financial institutions. Let's explore the key information you should keep in mind during your search.
Financial Services IT Solutions & Maintaining Compliance
Compliance issues can quickly set your accounting firm back. Not only will you encounter costly fines and fees, but you'll also damage your company's reputation.

There's no shortage of industry standards that accounting firms need to adhere to. Your firm will help ensure you avoid making decisions that could lead to compliance problems. They'll also research how these standards change as time goes on, ensuring you always follow regulations.
Cost Efficiency
When you work with the right firm, you'll get plenty of return on what you invest in their services. In many cases, you'll save a substantial amount of money compared to hiring an in-house employee. To clarify, let's assume you'd need to pay an internal IT employee around $4,000 per month.

There will likely be many scenarios they're incapable of handling simply because they're only one person. By outsourcing, you can leverage your budget to the fullest extent. You can spend the same amount of money to have access to an entire third-party team only when you need them.

It's often impractical for companies to scale their internal teams. Small businesses might not even have the resources to do so. Cost efficiency is one of the most important attributes to consider, so keep this in mind when moving forward.

Be Structured has worked with many financial institutions over the year, especially ones located near our downtown Los Angeles IT support headquarters.
24/7 Ongoing Support
The last thing you want is to encounter IT problems you can't resolve on your own. Hiring an outsourced technical support firm provides access to ongoing support that can help you navigate complications that arise.

For example, your system could unexpectedly exhibit performance problems and disrupt your operations. Even a brief period of downtime can cost a substantial amount of money. In some cases, it can also damage your company's reputation.

A great way to assess the impact of downtime is by considering how much you'll pay your employees regardless of the work they complete. Let's assume you had an internal IT team that paid a total of $1,000 per day.

For each day they can't handle their responsibilities, you're essentially losing $1,000. There are also other factors to consider, such as missed opportunities that downtime prevents you from pursuing.
Low Upfront Investment
Small businesses typically don't have much capital to work with. This can make it difficult for them to find the right employees.

Regarding IT, this complication puts your business at risk. The longer you go without the right IT support, the more likely contingencies can occur. The cybercrime industry is estimated to cost the world over $10 trillion by the end of 2025.

It's more important than ever to manage your data appropriately. Outsourcing your IT responsibilities is a great way to get your foot in the door. It requires a low initial investment for the level of service you receive.
Data Security
It's alarming how much a single data breach can impact an accounting firm. Imagine a scenario where your company has its sensitive consumer data stolen.

Your audience will likely never trust your business in the future. Depending on the scenario, you could even face legal action if you didn't properly secure this information.

Companies in the finance industry are some of the most lucrative targets for hackers. The number of cyber crimes increased in 2023, and cyber criminals are showing no signs of slowing down. The business IT services and security firm you hire can implement a variety of safeguards to keep your data safe.

One of the most notable is active monitoring. As the name implies, this involves checking your systems for signs of malicious activity. If your IT firm finds areas of concern, they'll take action to quarantine and eliminate the threat.

In many cases, they'll handle problems before you ever know they exist. They can also assess your security architecture as a whole and make suggestions on how to make improvements.
Improved Productivity
If your company is constantly plagued by IT problems, your workers won't perform at their best. Your internal systems might be slow, or they could have trouble communicating with each other. Hiring a professional managed IT services provider will help you maintain user efficiency.

They can even help train your team if they lack certain knowledge. This is commonly seen with new employees who don't yet understand the company's systems. Improved productivity can easily translate into increased revenue.

You can invest this extra money in other areas of your company to further improve how well it runs. This can help you scale earlier than anticipated, as well.
Scalability
Your company's needs will increase exponentially as your business grows. A situation to avoid at all costs is being unable to handle your new obligations once you scale.

This could damage your reputation and make it difficult to maintain your operations. Since your IT firm will have far more resources than the majority of businesses, they can easily pick up the slack.

It's in your best interest to hire a firm before you scale instead of after. It's much easier for them to help you when they understand your goals instead of reacting to your needs. Most companies find it notably easy to scale and maintain operations when they outsource.
Predictable Costs
Many people overlook how beneficial this attribute can be for their companies. Your agreement will establish what you'll regularly pay, allowing you to budget accurately. This is great for companies that have trouble managing their finances.

There's also something to be said about the ability to consolidate the services you outsource. For instance, a company might work with multiple vendors to handle their accounting firm's IT needs.

This can involve a large amount of paperwork and can be inconvenient to manage. Instead, you can work with a dedicated service provider to streamline your outsourced IT and keep your costs easy to anticipate.
Finding a Provider
At first, it can seem difficult to find the right provider. The good news is that it's much simpler than people anticipate. Start with a basic Google search of "IT service provider near me".

Now look at the results and start exploring the key information you should keep in mind during your search.
Reputation
Explore what other people have to say about what it was like to work with the local IT company. Were they satisfied with the overall experience they had? Were there problems the firm couldn't help them overcome?

It's essential to consider nuances like these so you can avoid potential issues. Find a company that has positive customer testimonials, as well.

These are more in-depth than reviews and can provide better insight into what you'll expect. If a prospective firm doesn't have a large amount of stellar feedback, you should continue your search elsewhere.
Experience
Do they have substantial experience working with companies like yours? To handle your CPA firm's IT obligations, they'll need to understand the nuances of your operations.

No matter how much industry experience they have, it won't mean much if they don't typically work with accounting firms. In general, it's best to choose companies that have handled projects like yours for at least a decade.

But do understand everything you need to know about network support before you get started.

You can narrow down your potential options by only looking for companies that specialize in providing services for accounting firms. The good news is that firms with specializations proudly advertise this attribute. It shouldn't take long for you to find someone who can handle your project.
Service Level Agreement
A service level agreement establishes terms regarding the service you receive from your provider. For example, they might guarantee 99% uptime for their clients. Finding a company with a solid service level agreement is essential.

However, you should be sure to read through the agreement thoroughly. This will provide valuable information, such as what occurs if they fall short of their obligations. It's not uncommon for service providers to waive fees (or sometimes entire bills) if they don't adhere to the agreement's terms.

Others might allow you to exit an agreement early under certain circumstances. When reviewing the agreement, it's worth briefly employing an attorney. You should do so after you've spoken with multiple different providers so you can eliminate options that don't meet your needs.
Pricing
Never overlook how much the firm charges for their services. The cheaper they are, the more likely they'll fall short of your goals. It's best to avoid firms that are priced well below what you'd expect to pay.

However, you don't need to budget as much money as possible. This will only lead to you overspending. To clarify, there's a point of diminishing returns regarding what you spend.

Paying more money doesn't necessarily guarantee better results. Somewhere in the middle of the price range can likely meet your needs without stretching your IT budget.

Ask about the additional services they provide, as well. Doing so will help you budget appropriately. The last thing you want is to encounter financial surprises after you sign an agreement.
Enthusiasm
How enthusiastic are they about working with your business? Do they ask questions about your needs? Do they listen when you express concerns?

Never hire someone who doesn't seem like they'll prioritize your company. You'll inevitably encounter issues that can be frustrating to deal with. They should have no problem providing insight into how they can accommodate your business.

Ask them how many other clients they manage concurrently. Some firms stretch themselves too thin by taking on too many clients. Avoid businesses like these so you can find someone who prioritizes your success.
Tools/Resources
The tools and resources your provider uses will play a large role in the results you achieve. Reputable companies will have access to premier software to expertly manage your firm's accounting data. This allows you to forego purchasing the tools for yourself, saving you thousands of dollars in some cases.

However, it can also allow you to avoid the learning curve that often comes with accounting software. Training your team on how to use certain programs effectively could require a major time investment. Outsourcing allows you to focus on your company's other obligations instead of learning how to use tools on your own.
Emphasis on Data Security
If they don't seem to prioritize data security, it's essential to look elsewhere. It takes knowledge, dedication, and the proper tools to protect against cyber threats.

Having lax security measures in place will prevent your firm from adequately protecting your company. They should be fully transparent about the data protection strategies they'll use. It's a red flag if they fail to elaborate on how they can keep your data safe.

For instance, they might not want to disclose that they outsource to third parties for data security. Without access to the necessary information, it will be impossible to know if you're making the right decision.
Onsite vs Cloud-Managed
When searching for providers, you'll encounter a decision between on-site servers and cloud servers. Under most circumstances, cloud servers will be the most appropriate option.

These allow you to easily scale and have minimal downtime. Onsite servers are expensive to purchase and maintain. You also risk hardware failure, which can be impossible to recover from.
Don't Overlook Managed It Services for Accounting Firms
Under the right circumstances, managed IT services for accounting firms can help you take your performance to the next level. They can also help you safeguard crucial information and prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands.

Since 2007, Be Structured Technology Group has proudly leveraged premier solutions to help our clients reach their goals. We believe technology should work for businesses and not against them, and we stop at nothing to achieve this. You can learn more about the benefits we offer when you book a call today.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### Save Valuable Time and Money With Managed IT Services
Did you know that 60 percent of small businesses that suffer data loss will shut down within six months? Data loss can cost money while also affecting a business' reputation. In the worst-case scenario, this can make customers hesitate before turning to their services or products.

Because of the risk to small businesses and the prevalence of data breaches and losses, more companies are turning to IT solutions like outsourced tech support companies.

If you have a small business, having a robust cybersecurity platform and other managed IT services can save you time and money. Read on to know what managed IT support companies provide and the benefits they offer.
Save Time and Money: What Are Managed IT Services?
IT managed support services are services a third party provides for your business. They can offload general tasks to an expert, helping you reduce costs and increase productivity.

The managed service provider is responsible for keeping equipment and services functioning. The subscriber pays a monthly fee which can be adjusted as the business expands.

Common services that managed IT providers offer are remote monitoring of servers, network protection, systems management, and more. The traditional type of managed IT services follows a break and fix model. The experts monitor systems and only step in when there is a malfunction

More modern managed IT service providers take a proactive approach. They identify potential security breaches, offer predictive maintenance, and set up continuity assessments.
See Increased Productivity
Unplanned downtime can reduce your employees' productivity, resulting in lost revenue and client dissatisfaction. If your technology malfunctions, your business will not work as efficiently as it needs to.

In Los Angeles IT services companies will take preventative measures to avoid technological breakdowns. It can free up your employees, who can focus on the tasks they were hired for instead of dealing with IT concerns.

If you have an IT in-house team, bundled IT services lets them manage tasks other than dealing with malfunctioning equipment and user issues.
Get Continuous Support
With a managed IT services provider, you know you can get your systems back up and running quickly. Most small businesses cannot afford to have an in-house IT department on call at all hours. Outsourcing these services allows them to get continuous coverage without the crippling expense.

Security breaches are a constant concern for small businesses. There are risks from viruses, spyware, malware, phishing, and hackers. You also need to check for system outages and software and hardware failures.

A small in-house IT team cannot provide all these services.

When you hire IT support companies, you also receive technological advice from experts. They will assess your business and show you what options will work best for your company. With their help, you can select quality hardware and software.
Receive Risk Assessments
Small and medium-sized businesses do not have the expertise to prepare risk and continuity assessment plans. Since having a strategy in place can prevent companies from serious breaches and crashes, you want experts to prepare them for you.

A managed IT services provider will take steps toward disaster planning. They will create documented plans for data backups and plan offsite storage. To prevent power disruptions, they will also set up emergency power supplies.

The provider will put a team in place to ensure your business can run even when disaster strikes.
Reduce Costs
Managed IT services reduce infrastructure costs. You will be able to rely on the third-party IT team's data centers instead of having to invest in infrastructure changes at your business site. You save on the cost of purchasing hardware, as well as on its maintenance and the energy needed to run it.

Data losses and security breaches are crippling to a business. Managed IT services will work to prevent these. They will help you avoid losing revenue during recovery time as well as any legal costs that come as a consequence of breaches.

You will save on licensing, consulting, and training. Hiring and training IT staff will no longer be a concern since the monthly cost of managed IT services covers these expenses under service level agreements (SLAs). You don't need to worry about the associated costs of maintaining full-time employees, either.

Updating software subscriptions can get pricey if you try to handle them individually. The team of local IT support specialists will manage software subscriptions for you as part of their fee.

Managed IT services allow for scalability. You get only the services you need at the moment while retaining the option of scaling up as necessary. The provider will help you assess your business's immediate needs to set up a plan that fits your budget and timeline.

No matter how much support you need, bundled IT service providers will charge a fixed fee each month. Knowing what you can expect to pay allows you to budget accordingly.
Transform Your Business With Managed IT
Outsourced technical support will let you save time and money while also offering the peace of mind you need. These services will reduce the costs of hiring an IT team, dealing with expensive data losses, and more. With a monthly fee, you can protect your business and allow it to grow.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we provide a business-first solutions approach. We understand technology should be a tool to help your business grow, not another concern.

Our team of experts takes into consideration each business's special requirements. We provide services that are not one-size-fits-all but are as unique as your business. Schedule a free IT support consultation today!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### Server Virtualization Benefits for Remote Work: Ensuring Business Continuity
Server virtualization has revolutionized the way businesses operate in the age of remote work. By enabling multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server, this technology maximizes efficiency and optimizes resource utilization. It has become indispensable for organizations striving to maintain productivity while reducing operational costs.
At Be Structured, we see server virtualization as a vital tool for achieving business continuity and enhanced productivity in today’s work environment. 
By embracing this technology, businesses can empower their teams to access critical applications and data from anywhere, ensuring seamless operations regardless of location.

What Is Server Virtualization?
Server virtualization abstracts the hardware layer, allowing multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine. This not only optimizes resource utilization but also enhances operational flexibility. 
Through strategic implementation, organizations can deploy applications and services more efficiently, cutting down on time and costs associated with traditional server setups.

Types of Server Virtualization

 	Full Virtualization: This approach allows multiple operating systems to function independently on the same physical server. It is ideal for organizations needing diverse environments for testing and development.
 	Paravirtualization: Here, guest operating systems are aware of the virtualization layer, leading to improved performance—especially beneficial for applications requiring high throughput.
 	Hardware-Assisted Virtualization: This technique leverages hardware features to enhance virtualization performance. It is essential for running resource-intensive applications and is commonly used in modern servers.

At Be Structured, we customize these virtualization solutions to align with our clients' specific needs, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.


Operational Efficiency and Cost Reduction
One of the most compelling advantages of server virtualization is its ability to reduce operational costs by up to 80%. By consolidating physical servers, businesses can significantly lower expenses related to hardware procurement, maintenance, and energy consumption. 
This aligns with our mission to help clients optimize their budgets without compromising performance.

Key Benefits of Server Virtualization

 	Resource Optimization: Virtualization ensures better utilization of hardware, allowing more applications to run on fewer servers.
 	Scalability: As business needs evolve, virtualization facilitates effortless scaling of resources without extensive hardware investments.
 	Reduced Downtime: Virtual environments can be quickly restored or migrated, minimizing disruptions during maintenance or unexpected failures.

With these benefits, Be Structured helps organizations enhance operational efficiency, enabling remote teams to focus on their core tasks without worrying about physical infrastructure management.

Enhancing Business Continuity
In an unpredictable business landscape, ensuring continuity is crucial. Server virtualization supports robust disaster recovery and data protection strategies, areas where we excel. Virtualized environments allow for quick backups and restorations, ensuring that critical data remains accessible even during a disaster.

Key Features for Business Continuity

 	Snapshot and Cloning: Snapshots provide recovery points for minimizing data loss, while cloning creates duplicate environments for testing and fail-safes.
 	Load Balancing: Workloads are distributed across virtual servers, preventing bottlenecks and improving reliability.
 	Automated Failover: In case of a server failure, traffic is redirected to backup servers, ensuring uninterrupted service availability.

Centralized management further enhances business continuity. IT teams can monitor and manage resources from a single interface, facilitating remote access and support. 
This is particularly beneficial for distributed teams, ensuring that employees have consistent access to the tools and resources they need.

Server Virtualization for Remote Work Collaboration
Server virtualization plays a pivotal role in enabling seamless collaboration among remote teams. By providing a centralized platform for applications and data, it ensures that team members can work together effectively, no matter their physical location.

Strategic Advantages of Virtualized Environments

 	Improved Communication: Virtualized platforms support collaboration tools like video conferencing and instant messaging, fostering better communication.
 	Access to Resources: Employees can access critical applications and data from anywhere, ensuring they have the tools needed to perform effectively.
 	Increased Flexibility: Organizations can quickly adapt to shifting business demands, whether scaling resources for new projects or accommodating workforce changes.

Virtualization also helps bridge gaps in communication across time zones and departments. By standardizing access to software and tools, businesses can ensure a cohesive work environment. Furthermore, virtualized servers often integrate with cloud-based solutions, enhancing data accessibility and security.
At Be Structured, we prioritize solutions that enhance productivity and foster a collaborative culture, empowering businesses to thrive in remote work settings.

Overcoming Challenges with Virtualization for Remote Work
While server virtualization offers numerous benefits, it’s not without challenges. For organizations new to this technology, the initial implementation process can be complex. However, partnering with an experienced IT support services company ensures a smoother transition.

Common Challenges and Solutions

 	Complex Setup: Implementing server virtualization requires careful planning and expertise. Partnering with a managed service provider like Be Structured simplifies this process.
 	Security Concerns: Virtualized environments must be properly secured to prevent data breaches. Employing robust security measures, such as firewalls and encryption, can mitigate risks.
 	Resource Allocation: Overloading a single physical server with too many virtual machines can lead to performance issues. Monitoring tools and load balancing help maintain optimal performance.

By addressing these challenges proactively, businesses can unlock the full potential of virtualization while ensuring a secure and efficient infrastructure.


The Role of IT Support in Virtualization
Partnering with an IT services company is critical for successfully implementing and managing server virtualization. Experienced providers offer valuable insights and ongoing support, helping businesses optimize their infrastructure. 
Whether you’re looking for IT support in Los Angeles or need outsourced IT support services, choosing the right partner makes all the difference.

Benefits of Partnering with IT Experts

 	Tailored Solutions: Every business has unique needs. An experienced IT support company can design and implement virtualization solutions that align with your goals.
 	Proactive Maintenance: Managed IT service providers monitor and maintain virtualized environments, ensuring consistent performance and minimizing downtime.
 	Comprehensive Support: From initial setup to troubleshooting, IT experts provide end-to-end support, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations.

At Be Structured, our team specializes in providing local IT support services tailored to meet the demands of modern businesses. Whether you need IT solutions for financial institutions or other industries, our expertise ensures reliable and scalable systems.

Embracing the Future of Work
Server virtualization is not merely a technological upgrade; it’s a strategic foundation for businesses navigating the challenges of remote work. By evaluating your current infrastructure and identifying opportunities for virtualization, you can enhance collaboration, ensure business continuity, and boost productivity.
Investing in server virtualization is an investment in resilience and adaptability. As remote work continues to shape the business landscape, organizations must prioritize technologies that enable seamless operations and empower their teams. By leveraging the expertise of a managed service provider, you can unlock the full potential of virtualization and secure a competitive edge.
At Be Structured, we specialize in designing and implementing tailored virtualization solutions that align with your unique operational needs. Whether you require IT solutions for financial institutions or local IT support services, our expertise as a managed service provider ensures that your organization remains resilient and adaptable.


Take the next step in transforming your business operations. 
Schedule a free consultation with us today to discover how server virtualization can revolutionize your approach to remote work. 
Let Be Structured helps you build a robust and scalable IT infrastructure, ensuring your success in the evolving workplace.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Server Virtualization, virtualization for remote work

#### Signs You Need to Get IT Support in Los Angeles
Are you tired of constant technology issues dragging down your business operations? Your company needs technology to survive and thrive. Navigating today's technology can be quite a challenge, especially if you don't have the tech support you need.

As your business grows, your technology concerns will only increase. Having an outsourced IT support company can be a lifesaver. For any local LA company, here are some telltale signs you need IT support in Los Angeles.
Internet Connection Problems
You and your staff need to be able to hop on the Internet throughout the day. If you're having trouble connecting, it costs you time and money.

Dealing with slow, patchy Internet access is frustrating. It's irritating for employees and customers alike.

You don't want customers waiting longer than they should. And trying to fix the problem yourself is impossible.

You need an expert. Professional IT services can identify the cause of your Internet issues and work to resolve the problem.
Sluggish Computer Issues
Are your computers slow booting up? This is a common, frustrating problem for business owners.

A slow system may be the result of a variety of issues. Viruses, software issues, or outdated equipment could be the culprit.

Trying to run a business with a slow computer system is almost impossible. It can affect your productivity and create a stressful environment for your employees.

You need real solutions, not just a quick fix.

A professional IT consultant can evaluate the situation, inform you of the problem, and help you resolve your technology issues.
You've Been Hacked
If your business has been a victim of ransomware, malware, denial of service (DoS), or phishing attacks, you aren't alone. Cyberattacks are at an all-time high. And these types of attacks have increased since the start of the pandemic.

Being hacked is a stressful experience. You may be worried about what can happen next and how this might affect the future of your business.

When this sort of crisis occurs, you need an expert in cybersecurity. Managed IT professionals have advanced training to keep them up-to-date on the latest advances in business IT services and security.

Their expertise can help keep your business and data safe when the unexpected happens.
Limited Staff
In the tech world, nothing stays the same. Falling behind the times is bad news for your business.

If your employees or an in-house IT staff is handling your technology issues, they may not be aware of the latest technical advancements. If you have a small staff, they may not have the time or the expertise to handle the job.

Managed service providers are constantly handling tech issues. They see it all and work with multiple clients on real-world tech issues and solutions.

Having this kind of expertise in your corner is a win for your business. A team of IT pros can ensure your business is up-to-date in the latest technology that'll benefit your day-to-day operations.
Rising IT Costs
How are you paying for your IT needs? If you're depending on pay-as-you-go IT support, you're probably paying too much. This is a reactive approach rather than a proactive one.

By the time they get to you, you've already lost time and money dealing with the problem.

An in-house tech team is costly as well. You have to pay for salaries, benefits, training, office space, and more. This is money you could be putting back into your business.

Outsourcing your technology needs may make more sense for your business.

With managed IT services, you can expect a proactive approach. And you only pay for the services you need.
Freezing Software
Do you deal with your computer software freezing and crashing on a regular basis? This is such a frustrating situation.

These types of technology issues indicate a major problem with your system. It could be a virus, malware, or a host of other issues.

Any lag in your system interferes with your business operations and erodes customer satisfaction.

A managed IT company deals with these issues all the time. They know how to fix it and get you back to business.

Having an IT team in place offers peace of mind when technology problems strike.
Company Growth
As your business grows, so do your technology needs. You want your technology and systems to meet the demands of your growing company.

That requires an effective IT strategy. You want a clear plan to ensure you have the right technology systems in place.

A managed service provider understands the tech needs of a growing business. They'll consider your current needs but keep a long-term plan in mind as well.

You'll receive 24/7 support and the assurance that they'll be there to meet the technology needs of your growing business.
Too Much Downtime
Too much downtime is a sure sign that your current IT plan isn't working. Downtime can drag down your operations, annoy your employees, and drive away customers.

It's a loss for your business. And you need to fix the problem quickly. Good IT support is critical for a successful business.

Professional IT services can discover the root problems causing your downtime. They can work to solve the problem and prevent future issues.

When you're busy running your business, there's no time to waste. Let managed IT services provide the help you need to get your computer system up and running as it should.
Security Issues
The security of your business is a primary concern. Even if you're vigilant with security measures, your system is still at risk.

You may experience data leaks or find your sensitive business data has been exposed without your knowledge. As technology advances, so must your security measures.

Without the proper safeguards in place, your business data is at risk. Having a team of IT security experts in place is the best way to protect your systems, employees, and customers.
Preventative Maintenance
If you wait until you have a problem to address your technology issues, you're already a step behind. Waiting until you have a crisis can end up costing you more in downtime and loss of revenue.

When your business depends on technology, you have to think ahead. Preventative maintenance is key to ensuring your technology works when you need it most.

Professional IT services can evaluate your current technology systems and keep them running smoothly. Staying on top of the latest technology and the best programs for your particular needs is critical for your long-term success.

Preventing problems before they occur can save you time, money, and frustration. Enlist the help of managed IT services Los Angeles based business today.
Extra Support for Remote Staff
The pandemic has changed the way we do business. There are now more remote workers than ever. And that trend is here to stay.

Remote workers need the right tools, support, and technology to be successful. Supporting these workers can bring on new challenges for business owners.

IT support for remote workers is complicated. Your current IT staff may be unfamiliar with remote IT support tools. Or they may be too busy with in-house IT demands.

Managed IT services understand the challenges of dealing with remote staff members. They can recommend and install the right software and supply the ongoing support your remote employees need.
Help Desk Support
Many business owners use managed service providers for help desk support issues. When you have a question or sudden tech issue, it's great to have instant access to an expert. Having a quick response time is key.

The amount of support you receive is up to you. Taking the burden of computer issues off your employees can free them to focus on their role in your company.

Having help desk support can result in less downtime for your business. It can increase productivity and decrease stress. Your employees will love having tech support whenever they need it.

Managed IT services are available 24/7, providing the tech support you need to keep your business moving forward
System Updates
Installing network installation and updates can be challenging. This is especially true if you don't have a tech expert on staff.

These updates are critical for keeping your technology running as it should. If you're concerned about these processes, it's a good sign you need some additional tech support.

Managed IT professionals can evaluate your tech needs and recommend the proper updates for your system. They have the knowledge and experience to install network system updates correctly.

Knowing you have the finest tech support available can be a huge relief for you and your employees.
No Backup Plan
Does your business have an effective data backup plan? Do you have someone in place who is knowledgeable in this area?

Having the right IT infrastructure is critical for your business. It protects your important data and can save you money as well.

If something happens, you need a backup plan in place to protect and save your data. If you're uncertain about data backup, it's best to have the expertise of an IT professional on your side.

Leaked or corrupted data can be devastating for your business. Enlist the help of a professional IT company to ensure you're protected.
Migrating Technology
Migrating from one system to another can be a challenging process. One small mistake can lead to extensive downtime, lost revenue, lost data, or security issues.

System migration has many benefits. As technology advances, a new system can offer more savings, increased productivity, enhanced security, or better scalability.

Changing systems without expert help is a bad idea. You need an experienced service provider to oversee the process. You want the process to be smooth and secure.

A managed service IT pro can analyze your current system, recommend changes, and create a migration strategy that fits your business needs.
Unhappy Employees
Computer problems are a source of frustration for your employees. If they aren't happy with your current IT provider, it can add to workplace stress.

When your computer system isn't functioning properly, it affects productivity and morale. It can interfere with customer service and send customers elsewhere to meet their needs.

Your employees should be focused on their role in the company, not on dealing with IT issues. Having managed IT support is great for your business and your employees.

With the right support in place, you can boost morale, productivity, and your bottom line.
Peace of Mind
As a business owner, you have your share of worries. You don't have the time to tend to every minor issue that arises.

If IT issues are a major concern, it's time to get the help you need.

Today's businesses rely and thrive on advanced technology. If your systems aren't up-to-date, fast, and efficient, you're already behind.

From routine matters to cybersecurity to recovery abilities and more, outsourcing your IT needs is a smart business move. Hiring a managed IT service can solve all your tech issues bring you peace of mind.
Get the Best IT Support in LA
Your business needs IT support to function as it should. If your current IT solutions aren't working, you should consider managed IT support services for your business.

Our team of tech experts can help you with all your technology needs. From troubleshooting IT issues to managing system upgrades and installations, we have you covered.

Don't waste your time worrying about IT problems. Get the help you need to keep your technology running and meeting the demands of your customers.

We'd love to talk with you about your IT needs. For the best IT support in LA, contact us today.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cyber Attack Monitoring, Data Backup, Data Protection, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Outsourced IT Support

#### SOC 2 Compliance for Businesses: Is It Worth the Investment?
​For small and midsize businesses, the question is rarely whether security matters, but rather whether SOC 2 compliance for businesses is worth the time, cost, and operational effort. 
For companies handling customer data, delivering SaaS solutions, or selling into enterprise environments, the answer increasingly depends less on company size and more on customer expectations.
This SOC 2 compliance guide examines what the framework entails, why it has become a market differentiator, and how smaller organizations can approach it strategically.


What Is SOC 2 Compliance

SOC 2 was developed within the standards framework of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. It was designed to provide assurance that service organizations manage customer data responsibly.
The framework is built upon five Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. In essence, the SOC 2 framework relies on a defined set of principles and control requirements created by the AICPA to assess how effectively organizations safeguard information and operate their systems.
Unlike prescriptive regulations, SOC 2 is flexible. It allows organizations to design controls appropriate to their environment, provided they can demonstrate that those controls function effectively over time.


SOC 2 and the Growing Compliance Landscape

Today’s businesses operate within a complex ecosystem of regulatory and contractual obligations. There are numerous different types of cybersecurity compliance frameworks, including ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and NIST-based standards. Each addresses specific risks, industries, or regulatory demands.
SOC 2 audit for small business has emerged as particularly important for technology providers and cloud-based companies because enterprise customers increasingly request it during vendor due diligence. Even small startups may find that a prospective client will not move forward without proof of a formal security audit.


For small and midsize businesses, the question is rarely whether security matters, but whether pursuing a formal SOC 2 audit is worth the time, cost, and operational effort.
For many SMBs, the push toward compliance is not internally generated. Research consistently shows that smaller organizations often cite executive or board-level directives as the primary catalyst for launching a formal compliance initiative. 
In other words, mandates from senior leadership frequently become the strongest driver behind a company’s structured compliance program.


Compliance Is Not the Same as Security

One common misconception is that strong security automatically equals compliance. Understanding the difference between network security and compliance is essential.
Network security refers to the technical measures used to protect systems, such as firewalls, endpoint protection, and intrusion detection tools. Compliance, by contrast, is the structured process of documenting, validating, and auditing those controls against a recognized framework.
An organization may have solid technical defenses yet fail a SOC 2 audit if it lacks formal documentation, policy enforcement, access reviews, or change management procedures. SOC 2 evaluates not only whether controls exist, but whether they are consistently applied and monitored.
This distinction clarifies why companies should prioritize cybersecurity compliance rather than viewing it as optional bureaucracy. Compliance creates repeatable processes, accountability, and external validation. These elements strengthen security while also demonstrating trustworthiness to customers and partners.


Is SOC 2 Worth the Cost for SMBs?


For small businesses, concerns typically fall into four categories: financial investment, time commitment, internal strain, and readiness uncertainty.



Financial Investment


SOC 2 audits involve external auditors, preparation tools, and possibly technology upgrades. Costs vary depending on scope and complexity. However, the return on investment should be evaluated in the context of revenue opportunities.



If SOC 2 certification enables entry into enterprise markets or shortens procurement cycles, the revenue gained often outweighs the audit expense. In competitive SaaS markets, lacking SOC 2 may disqualify a vendor entirely.



Time and Resource Demands


Preparing for SOC 2 requires documenting policies, reviewing access controls, implementing logging mechanisms, and formalizing processes. For lean teams, this can feel overwhelming.



However, preparation does not need to happen all at once. A staged approach reduces strain and allows gradual maturity.



Readiness Uncertainty


Many SMB leaders assume they are too small or too early-stage to pursue SOC 2. In reality, the determining factor is not headcount. It is whether the organization handles sensitive data or seeks enterprise partnerships.



If customers entrust the company with financial records, personal information, or proprietary data, the conversation shifts from optional to strategic.



Practical Benefits Beyond the Audit Report


SOC 2 should not be pursued solely to obtain a certificate. The process itself delivers operational advantages.



Stronger Security Posture


By aligning controls with the Trust Services Criteria, companies formalize how they manage access, monitor systems, and respond to incidents. This reduces vulnerabilities and clarifies accountability.


SOC 2 preparation often prompts organizations to reexamine why companies should always have a data backup and recovery strategy. Reliable backups and tested recovery plans are foundational to both availability and business continuity. 


Formalizing these processes strengthens resilience against ransomware and outages.



Smoother Enterprise Sales Cycles


Enterprise procurement teams frequently request SOC 2 reports early in vendor evaluations. Having a completed audit accelerates due diligence and builds credibility.



Instead of responding to lengthy security questionnaires from scratch, companies can provide validated documentation. This shortens sales cycles and reduces friction.



Improved Customer Confidence


Trust is a competitive differentiator. Customers are more likely to engage with providers that demonstrate independently verified safeguards.



For small businesses competing against larger players, SOC 2 can level the playing field by signaling maturity and reliability.



Clearer Internal Processes


The act of documenting controls improves operational clarity. Employees understand responsibilities. Change management becomes formalized. 



Incident response protocols are defined rather than improvised. These internal improvements often produce efficiencies that extend well beyond compliance.


For small businesses competing against larger players, SOC 2 can level the playing field by signaling maturity and reliability.



Preparing for SOC 2 in Stages


SMBs can reduce risk and cost by approaching SOC 2 methodically.


Conduct a Readiness Assessment


Before engaging an auditor, organizations should evaluate current controls against SOC 2 criteria. A readiness assessment identifies gaps in documentation, access management, logging, and risk assessment practices.



This stage provides a roadmap, preventing costly surprises during the formal audit.



Prioritize Relevant Trust Services Criteria


Not every organization needs to include all five criteria initially. Security is mandatory, but availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy can be added based on operational relevance.



For example, a SaaS platform that guarantees uptime may emphasize availability, while a healthcare-adjacent provider may prioritize confidentiality and privacy.



Document and Formalize Controls


Policies must be written, approved, and communicated. Access reviews should occur regularly. Logging and monitoring systems need to generate evidence.



This is where external expertise can be particularly valuable. Many organizations find that partnering with expert cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles helps streamline implementation, ensuring controls are properly configured and documented.



Choose Between Type I and Type II


A Type I report evaluates controls at a single point in time. A Type II report assesses operating effectiveness over a defined period, often six to twelve months.



Many SMBs begin with Type I to demonstrate commitment, then progress to Type II as processes mature.



Compliance as a Strategic Signal


SOC 2 compliance communicates seriousness. It signals that leadership understands risk management and values customer trust.


For smaller organizations seeking growth, this signal can be transformative. Rather than viewing compliance as a defensive measure, forward-thinking companies treat it as a strategic investment in brand reputation and market expansion.


The real question is not whether a business is large enough for SOC 2. It is whether its customers expect demonstrable accountability.



Making the Decision


Deciding whether to pursue SOC 2 requires balancing immediate costs against long-term opportunity. Leadership should evaluate:


 	Customer expectations and contract requirements.
 	Competitive positioning.
 	Internal security maturity.
 	Growth ambitions.



When aligned with strategic goals, SOC 2 becomes less of a burden and more of a catalyst.



Take the Next Steps in SOC 2 Compliance for Your Business

SOC 2 compliance can feel complex for small businesses, but it does not need to be overwhelming. With careful planning, phased implementation, and expert guidance, the process becomes manageable and value-driven.
Be Structured helps organizations evaluate their compliance readiness, implement security controls, and navigate the SOC 2 process efficiently through our managed IT services. From initial gap assessments to ongoing monitoring and documentation support, we provide structured, strategic guidance tailored to each client’s operational needs.


Ready to strengthen trust, accelerate sales cycles, and build a more resilient security foundation? Schedule a discovery call today.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance, Security
- Tags: SOC 2 compliance

#### Spear Phishing - Part 1
Introduction to Spear Phishing
As we know it today, Phishing has become one of the most commonly used tactics by the Cyber attacker in order to garner personal information and data.  This primarily involves our physical addresses, E-Mail addresses, credit card numbers, banking and other types of financial information; Social Security numbers, etc.
Phishing involves sending an E-Mail, either with a malicious file (such as those .DOC and .XLS), or link.  Once the victim has downloaded the files or clicked on the link, then the malware (most likely a Trojan Horse) spreads itself onto the computer or wireless device of victim.
Generally, Phishing attacks involve sending mass E-Mails out; in other words, there is not one targeted individual or organization.  Whatever contact information the Cyber attacker can get their hands on is used. Although lately, there appears to be a new trend developing:  a tactic known as “Spear Phishing”.
A Definition
It can be defined specifically as follows:
“It is a phishing method that targets specific individuals or groups within an organization. It is a potent variant of phishing, a malicious tactic which uses emails, social media, instant messaging, and other platforms to get users to divulge personal information or perform actions that cause network compromise, data loss, or financial loss.”
Thus, in these instances, the Cyber attacker has already done their research ahead of time and knows who or what they want to specifically target.  In a way, this is similar to that of Business E-Mail Compromise (BEC) attack, in which the C-Level executive is primarily targeted to transfer funds.
In this blog, we examine the recent trends of Spear Phishing attacks.
The Trends
Just consider some of these alarming statistics:
 	77% of the Spear Phishing attacks are laser focused – targeting only 10 E-Mail inboxes, and only 33% of them focused upon just one E-Mail inbox.
 	47% of Spear Phishing attacks lasted less than 24 hours.  All other types of Phishing schemes lasted at least 30 days or more.
 	Another tactic that the Cyber attacker uses is what is known as the “Drip Campaign”.  For example, 35% of the Spear Phishing attacks lasted at least 12 months or even longer.
 	The Cyber attacker has become even stealthier when it comes to bypassing the E-Mail Spam filters.  In these instances, 20% of Spear Phishing based E-Mails were able to get around these filters, and their way into the inbox.
 	42% of IT Security professionals consider Spear Phishing to be amongst one of the top 3 Cyber-attack concerns.
 	At least 30% of the Spear Phishing campaigns are deemed to be successful.
 	Compared to a general Phishing campaign, Spear Phishing campaigns are cost 20X per victim, and the return is 40X greater.
 	A Cyber attacker will spend an enormous amount of time also trying to find a hidden “crack” or “hole” in the organization in as a stepping stone to collect the relevant information/data on their victim.
So, how is the Cyber attacker so successful when launching these kinds of campaigns?  First, they are consistently sharpening and refining their skills in conducting the research needed in order to launch a laser focused attack.  Second, the Cyber attacker does not rely upon fancy technology in order to execute a Spear Phishing campaign.  Rather, they rely upon the old the old-fashioned techniques of Social Engineering in which to thrust their attacks forward.
The Cyber attacker demonstrates a considerable amount of patience.  For instance, they spend an enormous of time researching their primary target.  They are in no rush to get this task accomplished.  The more accurate the information that they have, the greater the statistical probability that their well-crafted E-Mail will make it through the Spam Filters.
They often rely upon Social Media sites that the individual or even the organization uses.  They try to glean as much contact information as possible.  Also, the use of Internet based background searches is a commonly used tool as well.
Conclusions
Our next blog will examine the specific areas of interest that a Cyber attacker targets in their Spear Phishing campaigns.
Sources
1)       https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/spear-phishing
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, Phishing

#### Spear Phishing – Part 2
What the Spear Phisher is After
Our last blog examined what a Spear Phishing attack is.  In today’s blog, we examine what the primary targets are:
1)     Money, Money, Money and lots of it:
While other Phishing based campaigns focus on getting any kind of personal information and data, the Cyber attacker in this case, wants just one thing: Your cash.  As a result, they tend to target the following:
 	Credit card companies;
 	Insurance organizations;
 	Credit Unions;
 	PayPal;
 	Amazon.
In their Spear Phishing E-Mail, the Cyber attacker does not traditionally attach a .DOC or .XLS file.  Rather, they will instead attach a .HTML file, or include the relevant HTML data in the body of the message.  If the victim either downloads this particular attachment or clicks on the link, then he or she will be taken to a very authentic looking, but spoofed website in which they enter in their password.  From this point, the Cyber attacker then hijacks it, and logs into whatever online financial account they know that the victim possesses and steals as much money as they possibly can.  According to the FBI, over 7,000 financial related institutions have been targeted since 2015, which has resulted in a loss of well over $612 Million.
2)     Waiting for particular times of the year:
It is important to note that Spear Phishing attacks do not just occur at any time of the year.  Rather, they occur at special points in time, where there is a lot of activity happening, especially between the financial organization and the individual or organization during tax season.  A typical example of this is tax season.  To launch their Spear phishing campaign, the Cyber attacker will covertly pose themselves as some sort of tax related entity (primarily that of the IRS) requesting the tax preparer to send over sensitive information of the victim (primarily their Social Security number).  This request will often come in the form of an E-Mail message, with the sending address being typically one of the followings:
 	assupport@gov.com
 	support@link2.gov
These types of E-Mail messages often contain a VBA script that is malicious in nature, and worst yet, it will automatically execute itself once opened.  Another example of when a Spear Phishing attack will typically occur is at during a catastrophic event, such as a natural disaster.  For example, in these types of scenarios, the Cyber attacker will send out an E-Mail from the Red Cross asking for donations or other kinds of financial assistance.  Very often, when the victim clicks on that link, they will be taken once again to a very authentic looking, but spoofed website.  But rather than asking them to login into a website so that their login information can be captured, the victim is asked to donate money.  From, there it then gets deposited into a phony bank account that is set up by the Cyber attacker.
3)     Stealing corporate data:
Another prime interest of the Cyber attacker is that of stealing of sensitive data in this regard.  This typically includes contact information of their customers, such as names, phone numbers, E-Mail addresses and the like.  Once this is collected, the Cyber attacker then has enough information at hand in order to conduct further and deeper research into their intended victims.  Also, at stake here is the information that is pertinent to the IT infrastructure of the business or corporation, so that a Ransomware attack can be launched, targeting the organization’s workstations, servers, and wireless devices.
Conclusions
Our next blog will review several incidents of real life attacks, and just devastating a Spear Phishing attack can be.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, Phishing

#### Spear Phishing – Part 3
Incidents of Spear Phishing
As we have reviewed, Spear Phishing, is quite different than the normal Phishing attack.  In these cases, the Cyber attacker just merely launches an all-out attack, in the hopes of being able to harvest sensitive information and data.  In these cases, typically, a hijacked e-mail address book (or even many of them) is what used to launch the attack.  But with the Spear Phishing attack, the victim(s) is (are) specifically targeted.
For example, the Cyber attacker will take great lengths and even a good amount of time into researching the background information of their intended victims.  Below are some examples Spear Phishing attacks, and the devastation that it has caused in its wake:
1)     Ubiquiti Networks:  Total loss of $46.7 Million to scammers
This attack actually occurred on June 5th, 2017.  The company was hit by a Spear Phishing attack with a disastrous financial toll.  They were able to reclaim roughly $45 million of the stolen funds, and it was determined that this attack was the direct result of “employee impersonation and fraudulent requests from an outside entity targeting the Company’s finance department.”  (SOURCE:  https://blog.barracuda.com/2017/08/25/four-big-spear-phishing-attacks-you-may-have-forgotten/).  Further details can be seen here.
2)     FACC:  Total loss of $55 Million to scammers
FACC manufactures the interior engine components for the major aircraft manufacturers that include Boeing and Airbus.  They were hit with a Spear Phishing attack on January 19, 2016.  The company lost 17% of its total stock value, and the CEO was immediately fired as a result.  Outside attackers were the culprit in this incident.  More details of it can be seen here.
3)     The Crelan Bank:  Total loss of $75.8 Million
Also, on January 2016, this major financial institution located in the Netherlands fell victim to a Spear Phishing attack.  The bank claimed that it has taken further steps to protect their customers, their information, and their data.  More details of this attack can be seen here.
4)     Facebook and Google:  Total loss of $100 Million
Although no specific details have been revealed it is believed that these two major tech companies were hit with a Spear Phishing attack as well on March 21,2017.  Additional details can be seen here.
Conclusions
 	Now the question is, how does an organization prevent it from happening?  Here are some tips:
 	Always install the latest Security patches and software updates to your servers, workstations, and wireless devices.
 	Always employ encryption to protect corporate information and data, especially when sending it to another recipient.
 	Make use of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance), Sender Policy Framework (SPF), & DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) technologies.  They compare address of the incoming E-Mail message to what is stored in your data base.  If the two do not match up, then the E-Mail message is automatically rejected and never makes into the corporate E-Mail Server(s).
 	Deploy Two Factor Authentication (2FA) whenever and wherever possible.
 	Keep your employees on their toes with Security awareness training workshops and also test their knowledge. With the latter, you can send out a phony E-Mail to your employees to see if they will fall for it.
 	Always confirm any suspicious E-Mail with the sender.  If they didn’t send it, then immediately delete it!!!
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, Phishing

#### Spear Phishing vs. Phishing: Expert Protection Tips
In 2023, 75% of data breaches involved phishing attacks, underscoring the critical threat these cyber tactics pose to business cybersecurity. 
Phishing and spear phishing, while often conflated, differ significantly in their targeting and sophistication. Understanding these differences is crucial for businesses aiming to bolster their defenses.


What Is Phishing: Understanding the Basics
Clone phishing is a cyberattack method where attackers impersonate legitimate entities to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial details. 
These attacks typically occur through email, but can also happen via text messages, social media, or malicious websites. The primary goal is to trick recipients into clicking on malicious links or downloading harmful attachments.
Common clone phishing tactics include creating fake websites that closely resemble legitimate ones, sending emails that appear to come from trusted sources, and using urgent language to prompt immediate action. 
For instance, an email might claim that a user's account has been compromised and direct them to a fraudulent site to "reset" their password. These tactics exploit human psychology, making them highly effective.



Large-scale clone phishing attacks have significantly impacted businesses globally. Notable examples include the 2016 attack on the Democratic National Committee, which exposed sensitive emails, and the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, which spread through phishing emails and affected organizations worldwide. These incidents highlight the widespread and damaging potential of phishing.
Be Structured has extensive experience in identifying and mitigating phishing threats for clients. By implementing advanced DNS-based email  protection systems, conducting regular security awareness training, and employing multi-factor authentication, Be Structured helps businesses reduce their vulnerability to phishing attacks. 
This proactive approach ensures that clients are better prepared to recognize and respond to phishing attempts, safeguarding their critical data and systems.

What Is Spear Phishing: Targeted and Sophisticated
Spear phishing represents a more targeted and sophisticated form of phishing. Unlike generic phishing attacks, which cast a wide net, spear phishing zeroes in on specific individuals or organizations. 
Attackers often conduct extensive research to craft personalized messages that appear highly credible, increasing the likelihood of success. These messages might reference specific projects, colleagues, or other insider information to deceive the recipient.
High-profile spear phishing incidents have demonstrated the severe risks associated with these attacks. For example, in 2016, cybercriminals used spear phishing to infiltrate the email accounts of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, leading to a significant data breach. 
Another notable case involved the CEO of a major European company, who was tricked into transferring $243,000 to a fraudulent account due to a convincing spear phishing email.
Be Structured helps businesses defend against spear phishing attacks by employing advanced endpoint detection systems that analyze email content for signs of spear phishing, such as unusual language patterns or suspicious attachments. 
Additionally, Be Structured provides tailored training programs to educate employees on recognizing and reporting spear phishing attempts. By combining technology with human vigilance, Be Structured ensures a robust defense against these highly targeted threats.

Comparing Phishing vs Spear Phishing
Phishing and spear phishing differ significantly in targeting, methodology, and impact. Phishing attacks are broad and indiscriminate, aiming to deceive as many people as possible. They often use generic messages and fake websites to lure victims. In contrast, spear phishing is highly targeted, focusing on specific individuals or organizations. Attackers customize their messages based on detailed research, making them appear more legitimate and harder to detect.
The methodologies also vary. 
Phishing typically involves mass emails sent to thousands of recipients, hoping that a small percentage will fall for the scam. These emails often contain urgent language and generic threats. 
Spear phishing, however, involves personalized emails referencing specific details about the target, such as their job role, recent activities, or colleagues. This level of customization increases the likelihood of the recipient taking the bait.



The impact of these attacks can also differ. 
While phishing can lead to widespread but often less severe consequences, spear phishing can result in significant financial losses, data breaches, and reputational damage. 
For example, a successful spear phishing attack on a high-level executive can compromise sensitive company information, leading to severe business repercussions.
Be Structured addresses these differences with tailored solutions such as broad-spectrum defenses and advanced threat detection systems, and provides specialized training to high-risk individuals within an organization. 
This dual approach ensures comprehensive protection against both types of attacks, safeguarding businesses from a wide range of cyber threats.

Protecting Your Business: Effective Strategies
Businesses must adopt a multi-layered approach to defend against phishing and spear phishing. Employee training is crucial. Regular workshops and simulated phishing exercises can help employees recognize and report suspicious emails. 
Since our inception, Be Structured has offered customized training programs that educate staff on identifying phishing attempts and understanding the importance of cybersecurity hygiene.
Advanced security technologies also play a vital role. Implementing email filtering systems can block many spear phishing emails before they reach employees' inboxes. 
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security, making it harder for attackers to gain access even if they obtain login credentials. Be Structured integrates these technologies into the client’s IT infrastructure, ensuring robust phishing protection against dangerous threats.
Real-world examples highlight the effectiveness of these strategies. In one case, Be Structured provided IT services for financial industry clients that  faced frequent phishing attempts. These firms saw a significant reduction in successful phishing attacks by deploying advanced email filters and conducting regular employee training. 
Another client, that required healthcare IT support, implemented MFA and experienced enhanced security, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive patient data.

Why Hire Outsourced IT Support Services vs an In-House IT Staff
Hiring an experienced IT support company offers significant advantages over a DIY approach. A dedicated outsourced IT support team provides comprehensive protection by implementing industry best practices and leveraging advanced security technologies. They possess the expertise to configure and maintain robust defenses, ensuring that all potential vulnerabilities are addressed.
Continuous monitoring is another critical benefit. Professional managed IT services teams offer 24/7 monitoring of your systems, identifying and mitigating threats in real-time. 
This proactive approach minimizes the risk of data breaches and promptly addresses any suspicious activity. In contrast, a DIY approach often lacks the resources and expertise to maintain such vigilant oversight.



Quick response to threats is essential for minimizing damage. Professional IT teams have established protocols for incident response, allowing them to act swiftly and effectively when a security breach occurs. 
Be Structured's rapid response capabilities ensure that any threats are contained and resolved with minimal disruption to business operations. DIY efforts, on the other hand, may struggle with delayed responses and inadequate solutions.
Additionally, professional IT support provides ongoing education and training for employees, keeping them informed about the latest threats and best practices. This continuous learning environment fosters a culture of cybersecurity awareness, further strengthening the organization's defenses. By hiring a dedicated IT team, businesses can ensure robust cybersecurity, allowing them to focus on their core operations without the constant worry of cyber threats.

Cybersecurity Service Providers Focues Only on Your Protection
Understanding the differences between phishing and spear phishing is crucial for effective email security. Phishing casts a wide net, while spear phishing targets specific individuals with tailored messages. Both pose significant risks, but their methodologies and impacts vary. 
Businesses must adopt comprehensive strategies, including employee training and advanced security technologies, to defend against these threats. 


Investing in a top IT support company like Be Structured is essential for maintaining a secure business environment. A dedicated IT network support team ensures robust protection by providing continuous monitoring and quick responses. 
Contact Be Structured and schedule a free consultation today!
- Categories: Clone phishing, Cybersecurity, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Staying Safe: Recent Malware Attacks and Trends
Are you worried about your business's online security?



It's only natural that you worry about it. After all, there have been over 9.9 million malware attacks recorded in 2019. However, it's a relief that the number is much lower than the one recorded in the year prior to it.



This is because technology helped up pick up the pace in protecting ourselves against malware. With the pandemic hitting us hard, though, there has been a surge in recent malware attacks. Falling victim to even one of these recent attacks can mean the doom of your business.



To prevent that, you need to know what you're up against. Read on to learn about the recent malware trends to learn what you can do to prepare against them.



Biggest Malware Attacks To Date



To know how damaging malware attacks can be, here's a list of the recent attacks over the past year. These have been the most notable due to how much the attacks cost their victims. 



The Pittsburg Unified School District of California



One of the first major attacks in 2020 targeted the Pittsburg Unified School District of California. This small community located in Contra Costa County had to take its servers down because of a malware attack. The school district didn't respond to the threat, though, and didn't disclose any more information to the public.



What makes this incident notable is that the ransomware spread quickly throughout the entire district. Multiple universities became affected by the attack. While not much got disclosed, we can only imagine there was an information leak. Otherwise, the schools wouldn't need to have a large scale server shutdown.



The attack even affected the major offices and services in the area. This meant that, if an information leak was the resulting effect of the attack, the hackers would have had the transaction information, personal information, and even the credit information of everyone in the area.



This even affected the Contra Costa County library system. This incident followed at the heels of the initial attack in the area. It caused the network outage of 26 branches over several days.



The Travelex Incident



Travelex is a foreign exchange company based in the UK. Because of the pandemic, their business model suffered a lot. The changes it brought prevented them from generating income.



To make matters worse, they also became the victim of another ransomware attack. The hackers held back some data and demanded the company pay 2.3 million USD in ransom. Travelex complied and paid them through the use of cryptocurrency.



To date, the company still exists. However, it had to lay off 1,309 employees to survive. They also had to go into administration, which is the UK's version of declaring bankruptcy. Despite all that it's faced, though, it gets to have another chance at success.



Habana Labs Attack



Habana Labs is another foreign company that suffered a malware attack. It's among the most recent malware attack recorded to date, too. What makes this notable is that it's one of the growing trends of hyper-localized attacks.



This is because Habana Labs is an Israeli company that develops AI processors. They're essential in creating functional AI components for their parent company, Intel. All these qualities made it a prime target for Pay2Key.



Pay2Key is ransomware that often targets companies in the area. It attacked Habana Labs in December 2020, leaking sensitive data online. The ransomware also codes to various documents that detailed Habana Labs's various transactions.



This meant that both Habana Labs and Intel were in dire straits after the incident. To date, there have been no follow-up reports by either company. Both companies continue with their functions, though, as of today.



The Attack on Three Universities



Last year, three universities fell victim to the same ransomware attack. The attack came from NetWalker, a ransomware family that uses Ransomware as a Service. How it works is that they hold encrypted data hostage and sell it back to who they stole it from.



Columbia College Chicago was the first victim of the NetWalker ransom gang. They threatened to sell the data they collected on the dark web. The only way they would abstain is if the college paid the extortion payment.



The college handled it well and sent out a blast email to all students. It reassured students that nothing suspicious happened to their credit score after getting hacked. To this day, it's unsure whether the college negotiated or paid the ransom.



The University of California in San Francisco faced the same threat. In their case, their IT staff detected malicious activity before it spread too much. They were able to halt unauthorized access to the rest of the school's IT environment.



However, they still opted to pay the 1.14 million USD that the hackers demanded. By doing this, though, they were able to recover the data the attackers encrypted.



Michigan State University was the last victim - and one who handled it poorly. The attackers claimed they'd leak their students' data if not paid. The data concerned personal and banking information.



According to MSU, the hack only affected the Department of Physics and Astronomy. They then issued a statement saying the hackers are only looking for a quick buck. They also opted not to pay the ransom. 



Following this, MSU discovered a data breach involving their online store. The lack of website security compromised the information of over 2,600 individuals.



Foxconn Blackmail



Foxconn is a giant in the global electronics scene. However, they also fell victim to a malware attack. This shows that even companies with enough resources can become victims without proper malware protection.



The company became a victim of the DoppelPaymer ransomware. The source was one of their facilities in Mexico. The hackers encrypted their data and offered their decryption tool for a price.



They demanded 1.804 BTC, which equaled 34 million USD at the time. Foxconn didn't opt to pay, so they lost all the data the hackers held hostage. This amounted to 1,200 encrypted servers, and 100 GB of unencrypted files. 



What's worse is that the hackers deleted up to 30 TB of backups. This could have been easily avoided, though. Preparing your backups the right way allows you to recover all your files no matter how bad the hack gets. 



The Law Firm Incident



The most controversial attack happened to Grubman, Shire, Meiselas, & Sacks law firm. They're a firm that handles mostly A-list celebrities. As you can imagine, targeting them would lead to a high-profile case.



This was the goal of the ransom group REvil. They got a hold of over 756 GB worth of confidential client data. This included the personal records and correspondences of notable celebrities.



They demanded 21 million from the firm to prevent the disclosure of said data. The firm refused, though, and that's when their demand increased to 42 million. Because of the firm's refusal to cooperate, they've released data on Madonna and Lady Gaga.



They plan on auctioning off more if the first doesn't cooperate. This incident proves that law firms need a dedicated IT managed service provider. The data they carry is too confidential to risk getting leaked.



Recent Malware Trends



Those were the biggest attacks in 2020. They were either brought about by over-confidence in an organization's security system, or the absence of it in a company. This makes it important for you to have 24/7 monitoring and support to prevent these attacks from ever getting worse in your business.



You can also prepare against them by knowing about the latest trends in malware threats. This way, you can prepare the best malware protection measures against them. Here's a list of the newest malware trends today.



Worms are Making a Comeback



Worms are malicious software that dominated the malware scene way back when. They became a big problem at the height of email messaging's popularity. They would hop aboard and present itself as an email attachment.



A notable trait of worms is that they're self-replicating. Once someone opens a wormed email, it would spread to other devices connected to the network. This may be what's behind the attack on the Pittsburg School Districts.



The speed at which the malware got spread in the area was too fast for any other malware. If worms were behind the attack, then it means they're poised to resurface as a huge threat.



They can't do it alone, though, as messaging systems can filter them out with ease. The threat they pose is still something to fear, but we'll touch more on that later.



More Ransomware Attacks



As you may notice above, ransomware attacks are the most common malware attacks. They've picked up in popularity among hackers because of the pandemic. It's easier for them to get into devices and networks because of the need for essential programs.



They often hitch a ride on legitimate programs and wait for someone to open them. Once opened, they'll hold your data hostage until you compensate them for the amount they want.



What's great is that basic virus and malware protection is enough to stave them off. However, ransomware is evolving to the point that traditional programs can't detect them. You'll need to keep your programs updated to keep up with the latest malware trends.



Fileless Attacks Will Become More Common



Malware is also getting past most security measures because there's nothing to detect. Traditional security measures review files that enter your system for any known threats. However, more fileless attacks are happening all over the world.



Most fileless attacks happen through browsers. A malicious line of code injects itself into your device if you click on something on the Internet. Once injected, the malware will then do its functions and cause chaos in your device.



This is becoming a trend because more people are working from home because of the pandemic. This caused employers to send software to allow their new setups to be a part of their network. While it may sound harmless, this gives hackers opportunities to spread themselves.



While the network is allowing employees to integrate their devices into the network, the malware is doing the same. It's a seamless way for it to infect other people in the network, too.



Topical News Will Become Weaponized



As the news about the pandemic develops, more people will tune in to find out what's new. This is enough for malware to gain access to your device. All they need to do is come up with a clickbait title to pique your interest.



Hackers then share their weaponized articles on social platforms. This way, more people get to see it, giving them a long list of potential victims.



This is enough of a reason for you to be careful of what you open. Even if someone you know shares it, it's best to vet the link's domain, first. Doing this allows you to determine if the domain is trustworthy or not.



Hybridized Malware Attacks



We mentioned that worms are going to be making a comeback. They can't do it alone, though, or they'll get filtered out with ease. If combined with other malware, though, it can result in fast-spreading malware attacks.



This is the hybridization of malware. They take the qualities of one form of malware and combine them with others. This can cause a widespread ransomware attack, like the one that happened in Pittsburg.



Other combinations can result in harder-hitting attacks. Trojan and RATs combined allows for coordinated and evasive attacks. This makes it harder for an organization's IT department to detect and prevent their hack.



What's great is that you can still prevent hybrid attacks with basic malware protection measures. Preventing access to your network's backdoors prevents RATs and Trojans from getting close in the first place. Updated firewalls are great at preventing these.



Learn About the Recent Malware Attacks Today



Protecting your business against these threats is essential for survival nowadays. With these attacks evolving regularly, learning how to adapt to them will help you keep your business safe. So, learn about these recent malware attacks to prevent yourself from falling victim to them today!



Are you looking for some extra help in protecting your business? Hiring professionals to help you manage and monitor your website is the best way to protect yourself against these threats. Contact us here, and we'll get in touch with you as soon as we can!
- Categories: Security

#### Strategies for Maintaining IT Compliance
If you work in a regulated industry, you likely already understand the importance of network compliance. Leaving your network vulnerable to cybercriminals can result in data breaches, lawsuits, hefty noncompliance fines, and a tarnished public image. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the fundamental strategies you need to be using if you want to prioritize IT compliance.
Start with Cybersecurity
Your organization’s network security platform stands as the backbone of compliance strategies. Your security platform should not only meet compliance requirements; it should exceed them if you want guaranteed compliance. Start with simple approaches like implementing policies for regularly updating, patching, and upgrading software and network infrastructure.
From there, you can explore the possibility of partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) or a team of cybersecurity experts who specialize in overseeing your industry-specific compliance requirements. Since compliance can change at a moment’s notice and technology is continually evolving, having dedicated experts monitoring these changes offers the most proactive approach to staying compliant, no matter what industry you’re in.
Take Time for Training
Once you’ve done everything you can to bolster your network defenses and protect against external threats, the next vulnerability is your own internal team. Fifty-five% of organizations that experience a security incident or data breach find it was due to a malicious or negligent employee. That’s why taking the time today to properly train your team on cybersecurity measures and compliance regulations can pay off tomorrow. At the same time, don’t treat training as a one-and-done strategy. Instead, implement regular training schedules to ensure your team doesn’t become complacent or forget critical information over time.
Implement User Access Controls
Staying compliant is also about ensuring nobody in your organization has access to data they aren’t authorized to view. Implement user access controls across your network to ensure employees can only access data and applications relevant to their day-to-day jobs. Doing so mitigates the risk of exploited loopholes that result in data breaches and leaks.
Encrypt Network Data
Encrypting sensitive data on all your organization’s devices is a straightforward step that can take your compliance platform to the next level. If devices are lost, stolen, or end up in the wrong hands, the data on them will essentially be useless to criminals as long as it’s encrypted. On top of encrypting stored data, make sure you’re encrypting sensitive data transmitted over your network as well as data relayed to authorized external systems.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you need some help bolstering your organization’s compliance strategies, contact the security experts today. No matter what industry you’re in, our team has the experience and to help you meet and exceed your specific compliance requirements so your network stays protected at every level.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: IT Compliance, Network Security, Security Trainign

#### Supply Chain Cyber Attacks: Protecting Your Business from Third-Party Risks
​Cybercriminals continue to refine their methods, and supply chain attacks have become one of the most effective ways to infiltrate trusted networks. These breaches exploit indirect pathways to compromise organizations that may otherwise have strong internal defenses. 
Because supply chain attacks often start outside the perimeter of a company’s direct control, they can evade traditional detection methods, making them difficult to spot before significant damage occurs. As supply chain attacks increase in scale and impact, businesses need stronger strategies to anticipate, mitigate, and contain the ripple effects of a compromised partner.
How Cyber Supply Chain Attacks Work and Why They’re Hard to Detect
The rising frequency of vendor-related incidents underscores how widespread the issue has become. Recent analyses show that 30% of breaches are linked to third-party involvement, demonstrating how often attackers manipulate trusted relationships to gain unauthorized access.
Supply chain attacks bypass conventional defenses by compromising a trusted partner instead of attacking a business directly. When a vendor provides authenticated access, software updates, integrations, or services, the threat actor inherits that trust and uses it strategically.
Indirect attacks often blend into normal business operations. They are harder to detect because malicious activity appears to originate from a legitimate service provider. This gives the attacker time to quietly observe systems, encrypt or exfiltrate data, or set up long-term persistence mechanisms.
Lessons from the SolarWinds Attack
One of the most widely examined examples of a supply chain event is the SolarWinds attack, which highlighted how deeply suppliers can influence downstream security. Attackers infiltrated the SolarWinds Orion platform and inserted malicious code into a routine software update. When clients installed the compromised update, the attackers gained a foothold in networks belonging to government agencies, private companies, and critical infrastructure organizations.
The event set a new benchmark for how far-reaching a supply chain compromise can be and how critical vendor risk oversight has become.
Lessons from the MOVEit Attack
Another major incident revealed how rapidly a single vulnerability can cascade across global organizations. The breach stemmed from a zero-day flaw in MOVEit Transfer, a widely used file transfer application. Threat actors exploited the vulnerability to infiltrate environments, steal sensitive files, and launch extortion-driven attacks.
Because so many organizations relied on MOVEit for secure file transfers, the compromise spread rapidly and became one of the most impactful supply chain attacks to date.
Warehouse employee using warehouse management software to check stock.
Why Indirect Vulnerabilities Are Harder to Manage
Direct security measures such as firewalls, endpoint protection, and identity controls are designed to protect internal environments. But when attacks begin upstream, outside the organization’s perimeter, traditional defenses lose visibility.
Several factors contribute to this challenge:
1) Limited insight into vendor security hygiene
Businesses rarely have full visibility into a vendor’s development practices, patching cadence, or internal incident response processes.
2) Trust-based integrations
APIs, service accounts, cloud connectors, and authenticated integrations often grant far-reaching access. Once a trusted partner is compromised, attackers can leverage this access to bypass internal controls.
3) Complex, layered dependencies
Organizations not only rely on vendors. They rely on their vendors’ vendors, and those vendors rely on additional suppliers. This creates deep interdependencies that are difficult to audit thoroughly.
4) Speed of propagation
Supply chain attacks can spread quickly across environments that use the same tools or shared services. Organizations may not recognize the threat until the vendor issues an advisory, giving attackers an early advantage.
Because of these challenges, companies need a more resilient approach to monitoring, auditing, and governing vendor risk.
Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against Supply Chain Attacks
A robust defense requires visibility, segmentation, and deliberate oversight of every entity touching the network. No single solution eliminates supply chain exposure, but a layered strategy significantly reduces the likelihood of escalation.
Here are essential practices that help organizations mitigate third-party risks:
Strengthen Vendor Screening and Ongoing Oversight
Vendor selection should go beyond cost and functionality. Businesses benefit from reviewing risk posture, data-handling procedures, and incident history. Evaluating the strength of security controls before onboarding a new partner reduces exposure early.
Periodic reviews are equally important. Companies can request updated security reports, review audit findings, and monitor for emerging vulnerabilities across the vendor ecosystem. In some cases, organizations establish contractual requirements that ensure vendors maintain appropriate safeguards throughout the relationship.
A practical first step is to conduct a backup and recovery risk assessment tailored to how a vendor interacts with the environment. This includes evaluating access levels, reviewing data flows, and identifying any potential weaknesses in the integration.
Adopt a Zero-Trust Approach to Access and Authentication
Because attackers can exploit trusted pathways, stricter access controls help reduce lateral movement. Many organizations are shifting toward zero-trust network architecture, which applies continuous verification, least-privilege principles, microsegmentation, and endpoint validation.
Zero-trust frameworks assume no user, device, or vendor system is inherently trustworthy. Instead of relying on one-time authentication, systems continuously validate identity, behavior, and device posture. This approach ensures that even if a vendor connection becomes compromised, the attacker cannot move freely throughout the network.
Enhance Monitoring, Logging, and Anomaly Detection
Continuous monitoring across internal systems and third-party integrations helps identify unusual activity. Supply chain attacks often involve subtle behavior changes such as unexpected file transfers, unusual authentication patterns, elevated privileges, or suspicious connections to command-and-control servers.
Organizations benefit from:
 	Centralized logging and SIEM platforms
 	Behavioral analytics to highlight deviations
 	Real-time alerting on suspicious vendor activities
 	Monitoring changes to software packages or update channels
These tools increase visibility into high-risk interactions and reduce the time it takes to detect a breach.
Prioritize Patch Management and Software Integrity
Both the SolarWinds and MOVEit incidents demonstrate the importance of timely patching and secure update mechanisms. Organizations can implement stricter procedures to track vulnerabilities, verify update signatures, and ensure patches come from legitimate sources.
Software bills of materials (SBOMs) also help identify dependencies within applications, especially open-source libraries. This transparency makes it easier to detect whether a vulnerable component is present within internal systems.
Warehouse staff using a tablet to manage inventory in a distribution center.
Build Robust Backup and Recovery Protections
Supply chain attacks often lead to data theft, encryption, or corruption. A resilient backup strategy ensures critical operations can resume quickly, even if a vendor compromise spreads into internal systems.
Organizations can strengthen continuity by incorporating a data disaster mitigation plan that outlines backup frequency, storage methods, geographical distribution, and recovery time objectives. Regular testing confirms that backups remain reliable and that recovery procedures function as expected.
These measures support stronger business continuity planning, helping minimize downtime and operational losses during a major vendor-related incident.
Improve Incident Response Coordination with Vendors
Effective response requires collaboration with third-party partners. Establishing shared communication channels, notification requirements, and containment protocols helps streamline actions during a breach.
Organizations may include vendor-specific procedures in their incident response plans, ensuring they know who to contact, which systems to isolate, and how to relay critical information quickly.
Formalizing these steps reduces confusion and expedites decision-making during a supply chain event.
Elevate Cybersecurity Awareness and Internal Training
Even the most advanced tools cannot compensate for poor security hygiene. Training helps teams recognize malicious updates, suspicious vendor requests, unexpected access changes, or social engineering attempts linked to third-party impersonation.
Regular exercises simulate vendor compromises and help staff understand how quickly threats can progress. These scenarios reinforce policy adherence, reporting procedures, and internal escalation protocols.
Strengthen Your Third-Party Security with a Strategic Partner
Supply chain attacks will continue to evolve, and modern businesses depend on a network of vendors that expands every year. Protecting critical systems requires more than traditional security tools, as it requires continuous oversight, rigorous vendor evaluation, layered defenses, and a proactive strategy that addresses risk at every point of connection. 
At Be Structured, we provide industry-specific solutions, ongoing monitoring, zero-trust principles, and comprehensive security practices that help organizations strengthen their resilience against third-party threats.
Schedule a free consultation with our team today to begin reducing the risks posed by your expanding digital ecosystem.
​FAQs About Supply Chain Attacks
1. What is a supply chain attack in cybersecurity?
A supply chain attack occurs when cybercriminals target a trusted vendor or partner to infiltrate another organization. This indirect pathway lets attackers bypass traditional defenses.
2. How do supply chain attacks usually start?
They often begin with compromised software updates, vendor credentials, or third-party integrations. Once the attacker gains indirect access, they can blend in with normal activity.
3. Why are supply chain attacks hard to detect?
Malicious actions appear to come from legitimate vendor systems, which delays detection. This allows attackers to stay hidden while exfiltrating data or establishing persistence.
4. How do compromised software updates contribute to supply chain attacks?
Attackers can insert malicious code into legitimate software updates distributed by trusted vendors. When organizations install these updates, the attacker gains indirect access to internal systems.
​5. Why do vulnerabilities in third-party tools spread so quickly across organizations?
Many businesses rely on the same software, services, or libraries, which creates shared exposure. When a flaw is discovered, attackers can exploit it across multiple environments before vendors issue patches.
6. What makes third-party vulnerabilities harder to control?
Organizations have limited visibility into vendor security practices and their dependencies. This creates blind spots that attackers can exploit upstream.
7. How can zero-trust architecture reduce supply chain risk?
Zero trust applies continuous verification rather than relying on inherited trust. Even if a vendor becomes compromised, lateral movement is minimized.
8. What tools improve detection of supply chain attacks?
Centralized logging, SIEM platforms, and behavioral analytics help identify unusual patterns tied to vendor activity. Real-time alerts shorten the time to detection.
9. Why is patch management essential for preventing vendor-related breaches?
Timely patches close vulnerabilities before attackers can weaponize them. Verifying update authenticity ensures malicious code cannot slip through trusted channels.
10. How can businesses recover faster after a supply chain attack?
Reliable backups, tested recovery plans, and coordinated incident response with vendors reduce downtime. Strong continuity planning limits operational and financial impact.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, IT support for manufacturing, Security
- Tags: IT support for manufacturing

#### Technology in the Super Bowl
Technology in the Super Bowl



 



With the Superbowl over and all of us fans reminiscing the highlights of play and the low lights of this year’s stint of commercials, tech played a huge part in every fan’s NFL experience. The Superbowl is not only the most celebrated day in American sports, but the NFL continues to be a catalyst and international platform for new technologies to emerge.



Superbowl Data Collection



 



With rapid advancements in the tech space over the past 3 decades, storing all of the data from each game, every player past and present, NFL contracts, stadium vendors, and employees is a behemoth IT undertaking. This data breakdown is quite common and what you would expect from any large business or enterprise, but some of the latest advances in data collection technology slamming the NFL servers in real time on game day are literally changing the way football is played.



NFL Chief Information Officer Michelle McKenna said in an interview with local Fox Station that collecting data on all players has a three-prong purpose: health and safety, game planning, as well as enhancing the fan experience.



From the shoulder pads and helmets, to the sticks and the goal posts, every component of the plays, the score, and the athleticism of each player is being tracked by embedded microchips.



 



Superbowl Stats in Real Time



 



Microchip tracking and data collection has been going on for several years, however new to the 2020 Superbowl the ability for fans to see stats, speed, and yardage on any player they hold their Wi-Fi enabled smart device up to. Think of it as an invisible QR code. Once a player is recognized through the camera, their stats- even in the middle of a play- will display on the screen of their phone or tablet. When Harrison Butker kicked a field goal to give the Chiefs the lead in the first half of the game, fans with their phones on the player could see the yardage calculation of the goal as it was happening. If they were scanning Damian Williams running for the 4th quarter touchdown to seal the win for the Chiefs, they saw how many miles per hour he ran as he was closing in on the end zone.



For those lucky enough to be sitting in the Hard Rock Stadium, seeing these stats is possible because they are tapping into one of the most advanced Wi-Fi network infrastructures in the world. Thanks to Cisco’s Connected Stadium Wi-Fi, congestion on the network will be kept to a minimum.  Extreme Networks will be handling the data collection and analytics.



First 5G Superbowl 



Both AT&T and Verizon have invested heavily into making the Hard Rock Stadium and Miami’s surrounding areas outfitted with the latest wireless telecommunications technology. The $165,000,000 investment between the two communication giants was required to ensure that not only fans could snap their selfies to social media without a hitch, but also ensure that emergency personnel could respond within seconds with the upgraded network speeds.



Two-hundred thirty miles of fiber-optic cable installed in and around the stadium as well as small cell towers and DAS antennas for 4g LTE. 5G Nodes were installed inside the stadium to enhance the fan experiences with ultra-wideband service. 1,500 antennas littered the stadium seating area with 2,000 Wi-Fi access points. Verizon also outfitted surrounding cities and popular hotels with upgraded networks as well as installing 5G small cells in areas where other Super Bowl activities were held.



ATT also deployed Cell on Wheels also known as COWS around the stadium to beef up their network inside the stadium which carried 5G Plus capabilities. Satellite Cells on Light Truck known as SatCOLTs were placed in and around the stadium for Disaster Recovery purposes in the off chance of a natural disaster or major power outage that would disable the network. These units don’t require power or a physical connection as they work off of a satellite and a generator.



In addition to ATT and Verizon, all major phone carriers spent millions bolstering their networks to provide the fans the support they needed.



Superbowl IT and Event Security 



With over 65,000 fans flooding the stadium, and an additional 6,000 employees, contractors, and NFL staff members under one roof, security is a top priority when planning out such a massive live event. Vulnerabilities in security can be in issue inside the stadium as well as any city blocks in the vicinity of the stadium. Though there are literally thousands of security protocols going on behind the scenes, security technologies are the foundation for all aspects of a successful public event.



Fusus Live Feed Event Security Network



Fusus is a relatively new product to the market- but is already revolutionizing how law enforcement and first responders plan and execute physical security in a large public event or in highly trafficked metropolitan areas. This Situational Awareness Platform provides livestream and GPS officer tracking for aiding in swift deployment and complete data integration at all first responder headquarters.



 



Securing Super Bowl Public Wi-Fi Networks



Public Wi-Fi networks are great and convenient for the entire Super Bowl experience, however we all know that an unsecured public WiFi network can be a gateway for thieves and cyberattackers- but just because this network is public, cybersecurity measures were put in place on the backend infrastructure to ensure fan’s information was safe from criminals- even on a publicly shared network.



Superbowl Entertainment Technology 



The NFL is serious about fan experience, as they should be since the average price of this year’s Super Bowl tickets were fetching a whopping $9,000. Shelling out that kind of money for a single ticket comes with the ever-increasing expectation of entertainment brilliance. The demand for technology in entertainment keeps the NFL on the forefront of this niche in the tech industry.



Superbowl True View 3D Replays 



Ever wonder how the instant replays with complete 360-degree views happen almost instantly during the commentary? This is made possible through Intel’s True View 3D replays. Between 30-50 ultra high end 5K cameras are installed around the playing field to capture every angle. The capture is immediately rendered into 3-Dimensional pixels called ‘boxels’ and transmitted into servers for use within seconds of the play. Analyzing every angle comes in handy reviewing controversial calls and praising nail-biting plays.



Superbowl Halftime Show Technology 



With the technology touching every aspect of our lives, one thing is certain: The music and entertainment industry has been on the forefront of pushing the creative possibilities. Companies have invested heavily in improving technology to catch up to artist’s imaginations that visually express their music. The unexpected X factor in a live music production always makes the show memorable and set apart from any previous show. Involving fans in the overall design of the production is one of the many ways lighting and production designers achieve those experiences.



We saw this magic during the Pepsi Halftime Show when Jennifer Lopez and Shakira hit the stage for the Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show, fans had illuminated Pixmob wristbands that lit on cue to be part of the performance. Each one of those wristbands have a radio transmitter and wirelessly connected to a DMX lighting console. On top of the wristbands, many of the lighting fixtures must run wirelessly as well. One of the other prominent wireless fixtures were the politically charged LED cages that housed children in the last few minutes of the show.
This wireless lighting is achieved on the ArtNet lighting network which allows multiple DMX universes to connect to each other or give the ability to connect multiple lighting consoles to accommodate the show's needs. 
A traditional, yet powerful WiFi network may also be used to connect these lighting products as well. No doubt the Lighting Designers were using this technology to pull off a perfectly synced and colorful display that also net the pre-production demands for a lightning quick set up.
What many fans don’t realize watching from home, is that it the production crew only has roughly 13 minutes to set up all of the staging as well as whatever portable wireless lighting and sound fixtures that need to be placed in and around the field. This means no time for setting up and taping down the long cables of traditional sound and lighting you would see at JLo’s Las Vegas Residency or even on Shakira’s last tour. The entire stage was also one massive LED screen, rolled out in pieces, and put together before the last commercial ends before the show can start. These also require wireless communication and spot on synchronicity.



Los Angeles Superbowl 2022 Planning



Reps from our own Los Angeles Police Department were onsite learning first had what local emergency services planned and executed for this massive sporting event in preparation for the 2022 Super Bowl which will be hosted in the new So-Fi Stadium. Having the IT infrastructure on point at any of these events not only ensures security and safety, but also guarantees fans as well as staff, vendors, and emergency personnel that they have the technological backbone they need to pull of one of the biggest sporting events in the United States.



Los Angeles IT Support



Many of the IT support and planning within the NFL franchise will come from their existing technology partners, but this event will undoubtedly bring local businesses and outsourced vendors plenty of projects and opportunities.
This is where having a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider here ahead of the big game will serve you well as you scale your business to meet the demands of Super Bowl 2022, or any other IT-related needs that come your way. Cyber Security, IT Support, Disaster Recovery planning, and Network Consulting are all things that we provide our clients here at Be Structured Technology Group. Contact Us to find out how we can support the security of your business today.
- Categories: Trending
- Tags: Trending

#### Technology Refresh Cycles: When to Upgrade vs. When to Replace
​Many organizations struggle to determine the right moment to invest in a technology refresh, especially when aging systems still appear operational on the surface. A carefully planned technology refresh cycle helps support performance, security, and operational continuity, but deciding whether to upgrade, extend, or retire older systems requires a structured approach. 
When businesses evaluate hardware age, software compatibility, and total cost of ownership with a long-term strategy in mind, the refresh cycle becomes a powerful tool for stability and growth.

Why Technology Refresh Cycles Matter
Technology refresh cycles give businesses a framework to decide when equipment deserves continued investment and when it’s time for a full replacement. This structured approach helps eliminate guesswork and improves long-term planning. 
Performance degradation is one of the earliest signs of aging infrastructure. Hardware begins to wear down as processors, memory modules, and storage components experience prolonged use. 
Industry data shows that the average computer hardware lifespan is between 3 and 5 years, before it starts to wear down, making periodic evaluations essential to maintaining speed and reliability. When performance issues escalate, employees experience slower workflows and reduced productivity.
Security concerns also increase with age. Software that no longer receives patches or upgrades becomes vulnerable to exploitation. Studies consistently reveal that outdated IT software often increases the risk of cyberattacks, especially when developers stop issuing security fixes. 
Cost efficiency is another key factor. Reactive spending often exceeds the cost of a structured refresh, particularly when hardware failures cause downtime or force a rushed procurement process. Refresh cycles keep costs predictable while supporting long-term planning.

Identifying When an Upgrade is Sufficient
Not every technology decision results in a full replacement. In many cases, an incremental upgrade extends the life of existing systems without requiring significant capital investment. 
The challenge lies in determining when an upgrade promotes stability and when it simply delays an inevitable retirement. Upgrades are often appropriate when the core hardware remains stable but performance or compatibility issues arise. 
Memory expansions, storage upgrades, software updates, or firmware improvements can help aging systems meet modern demands. Organizations may also upgrade systems to support new business applications, enhanced cybersecurity tools, or cloud workflows.


An IT engineer is inspecting data center servers.
Upgrades also make sense when evaluating downtime risks. If a component can be replaced or enhanced without disrupting operations, the investment may help reduce downtime while maintaining existing assets. In these cases, partial enhancements achieve better cost efficiency than a full refresh.
Strategic upgrades should align with long-term planning. They are most effective when used to extend the lifespan of essential equipment while the organization prepares for eventual modernization. 
When upgrades become frequent or start to approach the cost of new devices, a replacement becomes the more sustainable option.

Signs It’s Time to Replace Legacy Systems
Eventually, all technology reaches a point where replacement is the only practical option. Hardware that falls outside its optimal lifecycle risks failure, incompatibility with new applications, and increased exposure to cyber threats. 
Replacement becomes necessary when systems no longer meet operational requirements or when rising maintenance costs outweigh the value of continued investment. Some indicators of replacement include frequent system crashes, performance lag, hardware overheating, or difficulty sourcing compatible parts. 
Cybersecurity concerns often accelerate the need for replacement. Systems that cannot run current antivirus tools, encryption standards, or security patches increase organizational risk. This is particularly concerning given the prevalence of the most common cybersecurity threats, which increasingly target unpatched systems and unsupported software. 
Replacement becomes a strategic priority when aging devices can no longer meet baseline security standards. Growing data volumes, larger user bases, and new operational needs require updated systems that can handle expanded workloads. 
When older systems no longer support future growth, a full refresh ensures that technology keeps pace with organizational objectives.

Evaluating Total Cost of Ownership
Total cost of ownership (TCO) plays a critical role in determining whether to upgrade or replace aging systems. TCO includes not only the upfront cost of hardware but also maintenance, security, energy usage, downtime losses, and integration expenses.
Older equipment typically costs more to maintain. Replacement parts become harder to source, repairs become more frequent, and support costs rise. Downtime associated with aging systems also carries a significant financial impact. 
Productivity losses, missed deadlines, and service disruptions accumulate quickly when equipment fails unexpectedly. In many cases, replacing outdated equipment reduces overall risk and produces better long-term value. 
Modern systems are more efficient, compatible with new applications, and equipped with stronger security controls. When replacement costs align with strategic planning, organizations gain a more stable foundation for future operations.

Balancing Longevity with Security and Performance
A balanced technology refresh strategy considers performance, compatibility, risk exposure, and cost efficiency. The goal is not to replace equipment prematurely but to avoid extending its use beyond a reasonable operational threshold.
Monitoring software end-of-life timelines helps determine when updates or patches will no longer be available. Continuous evaluation makes it easier to identify when an upgrade supports ongoing needs and when replacement is the more responsible choice. 
These evaluations depend on consistent, dedicated IT support, which helps teams analyze asset performance, anticipate aging issues, and align refresh cycles with budget planning. As technology environments become more complex, accurate asset visibility becomes essential to making informed decisions.

Building a Long-Term Technology Refresh Strategy
Long-term refresh planning aligns technology investments with business goals. An effective strategy begins with asset inventory management, ensuring every device, server, and application is documented and monitored. 
This visibility supports predictive analytics that highlight aging equipment, performance trends, and upcoming upgrade requirements. A well-defined refresh cycle supports stable budgeting. Instead of reacting to failures, teams allocate funds for scheduled upgrades, replacements, and modernization projects.


Maintenance engineer using a computer to update server settings.
This predictable approach reduces unexpected costs and supports more sustainable financial planning. Organizations also benefit from developing lifecycle policies that define how long various asset categories should remain in service. 
For example, endpoints may follow a three-to-five-year cycle, while servers follow a slightly longer schedule. Aligning these timelines with operational needs keeps technology efficient and secure. 

The Benefits of Managed IT Planning 
​Support structures such as all-inclusive managed IT services simplify the ongoing tracking and management of hardware and software assets. These services centralize monitoring, patch management, security updates, and upgrade planning under a unified strategy. 
The benefits of hiring a managed IT service provider extend beyond equipment management. Managed providers offer strategic planning, scalable solutions, and future-focused insights that ensure technology investments continue to deliver long-term value. Their proactive oversight helps identify risks early, optimize system performance, and modernize environments efficiently.

Supporting Scalability and Operational Efficiency
A proactive refresh cycle ensures that systems scale effectively without causing bottlenecks. Cloud adoption, hybrid workflows, remote collaboration, and automation all depend on modern infrastructure capable of supporting advanced workloads.
Consistent modernization also enhances user experience. Employees benefit from faster devices, reliable applications, and streamlined workflows that improve productivity. When systems operate smoothly, teams focus on higher-value tasks instead of troubleshooting outdated equipment.

Build a Strategic Refresh Plan with a Trusted Partner
A structured technology refresh cycle helps maintain performance, enhance security, and reduce long-term costs. Modernizing aging systems strengthens operational efficiency, minimizes downtime, and supports safer digital environments built for future growth. 
At Be Structured, we help organizations develop refresh strategies that combine asset visibility, predictive analytics, and cost-effective modernization planning. Schedule a free consultation with our team today to align your refresh cycle with your long-term technology goals.


FAQs About Technology Refresh Cycles

1. What is a technology refresh cycle?
A technology refresh cycle is a planned schedule for upgrading or replacing hardware and software to maintain performance, security, and reliability. It helps businesses avoid unexpected failures and budget more effectively.
2. How often should businesses refresh their IT hardware?
Most hardware performs optimally for three to five years. After that point, performance, reliability, and security typically decline.
3. What are the signs that an upgrade, not a replacement, is enough?
Upgrades make sense when core hardware remains stable but needs improved memory, storage, or software capability. Small enhancements can extend lifespan without requiring major investment.
4. When is it better to replace legacy systems entirely?
Replacement is best when systems have frequent failures, can’t run current security tools, or no longer support business applications. Rising maintenance costs are also a key signal.
5. Why does outdated technology increase cybersecurity risks?
Older systems often lack patches and modern security features, making them easier for attackers to exploit. Unsupported software is especially vulnerable to known threats.
6. What factors define the total cost of ownership for aging systems?
TCO includes purchase price, maintenance, energy use, downtime, repairs, and integration expenses. Older systems often cost more to maintain than to replace.
7. How do refresh cycles improve business continuity?
A proactive refresh cycle reduces downtime caused by unexpected hardware failures. Predictable upgrades help teams avoid rushed purchases and service disruptions.
8. How does a technology refresh support scalability?
Modern systems handle larger workloads, cloud computing, automation, and remote collaboration more effectively. This ensures smooth performance as the organization grows.
9. What role does asset inventory management play in refresh planning?
Accurate inventories help identify aging hardware, track performance trends, and prepare for upcoming replacements. This visibility supports smarter long-term planning.
10. How do managed IT services support technology refresh cycles?

Managed providers centralize monitoring, patching, and lifecycle planning to keep systems current. Their strategic guidance helps organizations modernize efficiently and reduce long-term costs.
- Categories: IT Support, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: IT infrastructure

#### The 5 Most Notorious Cyber Attacks In History... So Far
Cyber attacks not only continue to grow but they are continuing to evolve. Just any form of terrorism, cyberthreats know no boundaries. They are cleverly disguised assaults on networks and businesses that can threaten any part of the world in a number of various harmful forms.

Yet no matter how much network support services continue to evolve, cyber threats still continue. They are also expected to grow only further in size and magnitude.  A new kind of threat vector that is expected to emerge is the intentional misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools.

These tools can have the great benefits of helping the IT support staff of any organization.  They help quickly analyze the tons of information and data that they receive from their log files and to model what future threats look like. However, there is also a huge downside to them as well.

For example, the cyber attacker can also use these tools in order to predict the daily, virtual movements of their potential victims. In so doing, they  penetrate through when they least expect it.

The goal here is to stay much longer from within the confines of their victim. Then proceed very slowly to go after and accomplish their mission. That mission can prove to be launching Identity Theft attacks, stealing their financial information and so on.

Unfortunately, the victim will never know that they have been hit until it is much too late for he or she to do anything meaningful in the way of recovery.

It is also expected that Phishing will still continue, but this time around, it will be almost impossible to tell what a real website is, and which is a fake one.  The Cyber attacker is now even discovering new ways in which to inject malicious payloads from within the content of a legitimate website itself.  So, although it may be really authentic, you could still pick up a piece of nasty malware just by visiting the website.

In this blog, we examine some of the most notorious Cyber attacks of all time.

The Most Lethal Cyber Attacks

1 - WannaCry

This has probably been deemed as the worst kind of Ransomware of its kind in history.  The hacking group who was primarily responsible was known as the “Equation Group”.

This was basically an Encryptor which locked the screens and various files of its victims. WannaCry spread itself very quickly over a four-day period and took out a staggering 200,000+ computers in 150 countries. But the effects of this had far-reaching impacts.

For example, it even impacted the critical infrastructure of the healthcare industry in many of these countries, by totally locking out mission critical medical equipment and devices.  There were other targets as well, which included many logistics and supply chain facilities as well as factories.

Because of this, the companies impacted in this market segment had to shut down production entirely, which resulted in financial losses for them estimated at about $4 – $5 Billion.

Even managed service providers across the globe scrambled to learn WannaCry and how to protect personal and network computers, which are especially vulnerable if they are running the Windows Operating System..

2 - NotPetya/ExPetr

This Ransomware has been deemed to be the costliest cyber attack of all time, even worse than that of WannaCry.

This malware used both the EternalBlue and EternalRomance exploit tools.  The danger with this one is that the encryption that was deployed on the victim’s computer was totally irreversible.  However, the primary target for this Ransomware were corporations and businesses of all kinds, it wasn’t after the individual consumer per se.

NotPetya/ExPetr was initially launched through the Security weaknesses of the “MeDoc” (which is a financial software application) update server.  Because of this, the software upgrades and patches were infected with the Ransomware, and thus spread itself very quickly.  The total financial damage of this has been estimated to be well over $10 Billion.

3 - Stuxnet

This is probably the most publicized Malware attack of all time and proved just how vulnerable a network can be to a cyber attack.

What was unique about this cyberattack is that its main objective was to greatly curtail the nuclear weapon development program of Iran.  This was achieved by deploying Stuxnet into the controllers that powered the uranium-enrichment centrifuges and setting them at a spin level that was way too high. As a result, they were completely destroyed. But this Malware also spread itself very quickly onto unintentional targets on a global basis, even onto computers that were connected to a WAN or a LAN.

4 - Dark Hotel

What is unique about this specific piece of Malware is that it was designed to be launched at just one exclusive target:  The Wi-Fi networks of the hotel and hospitality industry.  When the staff members at various leading hotels worldwide logged into their corporate Wi-Fi___33 network, they were prompted to download a major update for a software application that was associated with the network.  But instead, they downloaded a nefarious piece of Spyware which has termed the “Dark Hotel”.

The objective of this major cyberattack was to log and record the keystroke patterns of these employees. From there, covertly hijack all of the passwords that were possible.  Once this was achieved, major Phishing attacks were then launched towards the same employees.

5 - Mirai

This is a Botnet type of cyber attack. This attack can be technically defined as a, “collection of compromised computers running malicious programs that are controlled remotely by cybercriminals,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, an IT support company based in Los Angeles. “These criminals then target those devices in which Security was totally ignored, and were a critical aspect of the Internet of Things (IoT).”

In other words, these devices then infected other similar ones, until the Botnet grew to a huge magnitude in size.

Then on October 21, 2016 this threat vector was launched towards digital video cameras, IP cameras, and other associated recording tools that made use of the DNS service provider known as “Dyn”.

In the end, Dyn could not withstand this kind of cyber attack, and as a result, those online services based in the United States that were dependent upon its functionality were rendered totally useless. This included PayPal, Twitter, Netflix, PlayStation and Spotify.

Fortunately, these services were repaired and came back online again, but made people rethink just how insecure the IoT really is.

Cyber Attack Conclusions

In identifying the five most notorious cyber attacks we’ve seen so far it cannot be stressed enough that no one knows what the future holds. The one thing IT service companies will admit is that cyber attacks will continue to develop and evolve in their skill and deadliness.

For any business or organization that relies on a secure network, it’s important to have your IT department or managed service provider continually investigate the latest and greatest ways people are being hacked or shut down.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats

#### The Advantages of Having On-Site IT Support Near Your Los Angeles Business
​Los Angeles is home to a diverse range of industries, from film production and healthcare to finance, law, and technology. While each sector faces unique challenges, they all rely on a stable and secure IT infrastructure. 
Reliable Los Angeles IT support ensures that companies have immediate help when systems fail, networks go down, or sensitive data is threatened. 
Having IT experts nearby can mean the difference between a short interruption and a costly shutdown. Local IT services are not just about convenience. They provide a level of responsiveness and reliability that remote-only providers cannot match. 
Whether it is an urgent hardware failure, a server outage, or a cybersecurity incident, having skilled IT professionals based in Los Angeles ensures businesses stay productive and secure.

The Importance of Proximity in IT Support
While many companies rely on remote monitoring and troubleshooting, some IT emergencies demand a physical presence. When a critical server crashes or when wiring and network hardware need to be repaired, having a support team located miles away can leave a business waiting. With Los Angeles IT support, on-site help can arrive quickly and prevent extended downtime.
Being located in downtown Los Angeles means IT teams are close to key business hubs. Local IT professionals can access freeways and reach clients within minutes. This responsiveness can be vital for companies that cannot afford delays during outages or security incidents.

Why On-Site IT Support Matters
On site IT support provides advantages that remote troubleshooting alone cannot cover. Some problems require technicians to inspect physical equipment, reset systems, or install new hardware. For example, a business experiencing a sudden power surge might have damaged switches or routers that need immediate replacement. 
In these cases, local IT specialists can intervene quickly, preventing long stretches of downtime. The ability to deliver hands-on support also reassures businesses that their IT provider can handle urgent issues in real time. Instead of waiting for parts to ship or relying on long-distance coordination, a local IT support team is equipped to bring replacements and install them immediately.
We recently discussed our hybrid model of on-site & remote it support. which gives you the best of both worlds.


IT support specialists examining a broken server on-site.
Addressing Common Problems with Los Angeles IT Support
IT challenges can slow down even the most efficient businesses. Some bottlenecks are universal across industries, while others are more specific to Los Angeles companies that rely on real-time collaboration and high bandwidth. A local support team can identify these issues early and implement solutions before they disrupt operations.

Downtime and System Failures
One of the most significant bottlenecks is downtime caused by system failures. Even a brief outage can interrupt workflows, delay client communication, and reduce customer satisfaction. 
With Los Angeles IT support, technicians can address hardware breakdowns or software crashes quickly. This responsiveness reduces the financial impact of downtime and restores business continuity faster than relying on remote-only providers.

Cybersecurity Threats
Cybercrime continues to rise, with phishing, ransomware, and social engineering attacks targeting businesses of all sizes. A local IT team can provide tailored security strategies based on industry needs and compliance requirements. Local experts can also conduct on-site audits and employee training, which makes it easier to close security gaps that attackers often exploit.

Network and Connectivity Issues
Many Los Angeles companies rely heavily on fast and reliable internet to communicate with clients, manage cloud platforms, and process data. When connectivity slows or drops entirely, productivity takes a hit. 
Local IT providers can troubleshoot wiring, routers, and modems directly on-site to restore connectivity. For businesses where uptime is critical, this can save hours of frustration.

Software Integration and Updates
Real estate firms, law offices, entertainment companies, and healthcare providers all use specialized software to manage daily operations. When software updates conflict or integrations fail, workflows can grind to a halt. With dedicated IT experts close by, these problems can be resolved efficiently, preventing delays and minimizing employee stress.

Compliance Requirements
Regulations such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or FINRA require businesses to maintain strict IT security measures. Compliance failures can result in steep penalties and reputational damage. A local IT partner can implement monitoring tools, encryption, and data backup strategies to ensure businesses remain compliant. They can also perform on-site audits to confirm that systems meet regulatory standards.

Scalability and Growth with Local IT Support
Los Angeles companies often experience rapid growth, whether through expansion into new markets, hiring additional staff, or adopting innovative technologies. Scaling IT infrastructure to keep up with growth requires careful planning and timely execution. Local IT experts can evaluate hardware, network capacity, and software needs in person to design scalable systems.
With scalable solutions in place, businesses can avoid frequent disruptions during expansion. Instead of reacting to problems after they occur, local IT support allows organizations to prepare proactively for growth.

Why You Should Partner with Local Los Angeles IT Support Experts
A Los Angeles-based IT team offers several strategic benefits beyond fast response times. They provide specialized knowledge, industry experience, and personalized service that remote providers cannot replicate.

Industry-Specific Expertise
Local IT teams understand the industries that dominate Los Angeles, such as film production, real estate, and healthcare. This allows them to design customized solutions that address unique challenges, whether it is supporting editing suites for post-production houses or maintaining secure networks for medical offices.


A managed IT service provider dispatched to fix a malfunctioning server.
Personal Relationships
When IT professionals are based nearby, they can build stronger relationships with their clients. Frequent in-person visits allow them to understand unique workflows, technology needs, and long-term goals. This personalized approach creates a stronger partnership that improves communication and trust.

Rapid On-Site Support
For industries where downtime directly impacts revenue, local IT support ensures immediate on-site help. Whether it is IT support in Burbank, Santa Monica, or Pasadena, proximity allows businesses across the region to benefit from faster service and minimal disruption.

Advanced Services from Local IT Providers
Modern businesses need more than break-fix support. Local IT teams offer advanced services that improve efficiency, security, and reliability.

24/7 Monitoring and Response
Continuous monitoring allows IT providers to detect potential issues before they escalate. When suspicious activity occurs or a server shows signs of failure, the team can respond instantly. The benefits of 24/7 IT support for businesses include reduced risk of cyberattacks, faster recovery from outages, and greater peace of mind for leadership.

Security Solutions
Cybersecurity remains a top priority for every business. Local IT providers can deliver firewalls, intrusion detection, antivirus solutions, and employee training directly tailored to company needs. On-site support ensures that systems are implemented correctly and adjusted as threats evolve.

Cloud and Remote Solutions
Many businesses rely on cloud platforms for collaboration and data storage. Local IT support helps configure secure cloud systems while also providing on-site backup solutions. This combination reduces the risk of data loss and ensures that employees can access resources securely from anywhere.

Comprehensive Packages
Working with a provider that delivers all-inclusive managed services ensures businesses have everything they need to operate smoothly. From hardware procurement and installation to monitoring and cybersecurity, a single point of contact simplifies IT management and reduces costs.

Making the Right Choice for IT Support
Selecting a trusted partner requires more than comparing price quotes. Factors such as industry expertise, service flexibility, and response time all play a role. Businesses often ask how to choose the best Los Angeles IT support company, and the answer involves looking at both technical capabilities and the ability to deliver responsive, personalized service.
Evaluating testimonials, reviewing service packages, and asking about response times can help ensure the right choice. A strong local IT partner should provide both proactive strategies and rapid on-site assistance whenever it is required.

Why Local Support is the Smarter Choice
Technology is the backbone of modern business, but it can also become a bottleneck when problems arise. Having Los Angeles IT support means gaining the confidence that issues will be resolved quickly, securely, and effectively. With local experts available to handle emergencies, manage compliance, and prepare systems for growth, businesses gain technical assistance and a strategic advantage.
At Be Structured, we are located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, with quick access to Pasadena, Burbank, Santa Monica, and other surrounding areas. Our team is positioned to deliver fast on-site service alongside proactive monitoring, cybersecurity solutions, and scalable IT strategies. 
For businesses that need responsive local expertise, we provide the complete package of managed services. Schedule a free consultation today and learn how we can keep your business running without interruption.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services
- Tags: Managed IT Services, managed IT services in Los Angeles

#### The Basics of Network Security
The Internet has evolved to be one of the most useful tools the world has ever seen. But, it doesn’t come without its share of complications. Properly securing your company’s network is an essential practice that simply can’t be overlooked. But, not everybody understands what it involves. Let’s take a look at everything that you should keep in mind about network security so that you can better prioritize it in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Exactly Is Network Security?
As the name implies, network security is the process of properly safeguarding your devices and associated data. In practice, this means both physically and digitally protecting your intellectual property from potential threats.
So, network security can be thought of as a blanket term that involves taking the appropriate measures to keep your company’s data safe.
Why Is It Important?
More likely than not, having your company’s data compromised by an unauthorized party could be catastrophic. Depending on the industry that you operate within, you may even run into legal complications.
For example, organizations within the healthcare industry must adhere to regulations imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Failure to remain compliant could result in fines, fees, and even having a lawsuit filed against you.
Unfortunately, researchers estimate that the cybercrime industry as a whole will be worth over $10 trillion by the beginning of 2025. As a result, it’s more important than ever before to prioritize implementing network security measures.
What Are Common Security Risks?
In order to sufficiently protect your organization’s network, you’ll need to understand the most common security risks that you face. Although these might seem intimidating, they aren’t quite as difficult to manage as you anticipate.
Let’s explore a few of the most notable.
Poor Password Management
Interestingly, an alarmingly high number of organizations fail to properly manage their passwords. Regardless of the scenario, this involves facilitating unauthorized access to this information.
A common example could involve someone writing down a list of passwords and keeping them on their desk. It’s not impossible for an employee within your organization to compromise this information and use it to access sensitive data.
Another common practice involves using passwords that are easy to guess or that contain personal information. Even simple, impersonal passwords can be relatively easy for a hacker to deduce.
Outdated Software
As time goes on, cybercriminals develop more and more tools to help them carry out their attacks. In response, developers focus on making their software as secure as possible in an attempt to safeguard users from unauthorized access.
As such, maintaining outdated software on the devices within your organization carries significant risk. Even if you haven’t updated your primary software within the last six months, hackers could use contemporary cybercrime methods to easily find exploits.
From here, it’s not unlikely that they gain full access to data that should never fall into the wrong hands.
A Lack of Physical Security
It’s imperative that your organization considers the physical security of its devices. In order to maintain the greatest level of protection, there should be physical barriers that prevent unauthorized users from accessing certain information.
This could come in the form of keeping hard drives locked within a storage room. Or, employees might require a key card or identification badge to gain access to certain parts of your facility.
Insufficient Employee Training
Properly training your employees will go a long way when it comes to sufficiently securing your data. This practice involves conveying how to properly manage passwords, policies regarding the sharing of information, etc.
It’s also highly recommended to update your organization’s policies as new threats emerge. There’s a strong chance that your initial guidelines may not be sufficient as time goes on.
What Attacks Do I Need to Be Aware Of?
As previously mentioned, cybercriminals are working harder than ever before to develop new ways to compromise valuable information. So, it’s in your best interest to stay fully aware of the attacks that could affect your organization.
Otherwise, you will not be able to develop a comprehensive response plan to accommodate one.
A scenario like this could easily lead to prolonged downtime, something that could cost your organization tens of thousands of dollars (or even more).
Listed below are some of the most important to consider.
Malware Infection
It should come as no surprise that malware infection is one of the most significant risks that your organization faces. Unlike a conventional situation where an average computer user encounters a virus, malware that is used to attack businesses is often highly developed.
This means that it is both more difficult to detect and get rid of.
Hackers often make use of ransomware to fund their future attacks. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts crucial business information and prevents employees from accessing it.
The hacker then demands that the victim pay a ransom in cryptocurrency.
In the event that the victim does not satisfy the hacker's demands, the hacker will then delete the encrypted data. In many cases, this could be a highly difficult scenario to recover from.
Those who find themselves affected by a ransomware attack should remember the following:
Immediately contact the FBI
Never pay the ransom the hacker demands
By paying the ransom, you will only help facilitate future attacks. So, it’s best to avoid doing so at all costs.
Other malware attacks include more conventional computer viruses, such as a Trojan horse.
Social Engineering
This type of attack can be deceptively effective.
At first, a social engineering attack can seem relatively unintimidating. In practice, however, hackers have become highly efficient at disguising themselves as trustworthy sources and individuals.
In some cases, hackers are even able to fully spoof an email to appear as though it is from an official sender.
In practice, the hacker may send a fraudulent email to the employee of an organization and ask for sensitive information. During this interaction, the hacker will often pose as an executive or other reputable party (such as a member of the IT team).
When this attack is pulled off correctly, the victim may not realize that any wrongdoing has occurred until long after the information has been compromised.
Data Breaches
Not all types of attacks are as dramatic as the use of ransomware. Sometimes, cybercriminals simply want to access certain information without being detected.
Most commonly, hackers will utilize stolen login credentials in order to carry out this type of attack.
Depending on the type of information that the hacker procures, the data breach could be relatively inconsequential. But, there’s also a significant chance that that comes with a large number of adverse consequences.
Password Theft
Although relatively uncomplicated compared to other types of cyberattacks, the threat of password theft is still something that your organization needs to acknowledge. As the name suggests, criminals will do what they can in order to gain access to this information.
Although simply guessing a password is always a possible method, hackers typically utilize a method known as a brute-force attack.
The strategy involves using a specialized device or software to systematically guess every possible combination of characters that could comprise the password. Longer, more complicated passwords are more difficult to crack in this manner, which is why it is always recommended to avoid using simple passwords.
What Are the Available Solutions?
Fortunately, there are a number of solutions that you can take advantage of in order to protect your network. When implemented correctly, the following solutions can drastically improve the overall security of your network.
Let’s dive in.
Multifactor Authentication
In order to sufficiently protect sensitive data within your network, you will need to implement additional layers of security. Multifactor authentication requires users to provide multiple forms of identification in order to access data.
In practice, this often involves providing unique info in addition to a password.
For instance, let’s assume that an employee is attempting to log into a server within your organization. After inputting the password, they might receive an email with a temporary access code.
They must then input this code in order to be granted access.
Encryption
Most of us have heard this term before, but not everybody understands what it means.
Encryption simply involves intentionally scrambling data to make it incomprehensible. In order to access this data, you will need to decrypt it.
This can be achieved through the use of a key or password. Encryption is a powerful method to implement since it prevents unauthorized access to data even if this information becomes compromised.
Antivirus Software
Of course, you can’t neglect the utility that antivirus software is able to provide. While this isn’t the only security measure that should take, this type of software can quickly discover and quarantine malicious programs on your computer.
As previously mentioned, it’s essential for you to keep this software updated so that it can perform its role appropriately.
Proper Network Segmentation
This term refers to dividing your main network into different subnetworks. These are known as segments, and this process can go a long way when it comes to optimizing your overall protection.
If one segment experiences a cyberattack, unauthorized access, etc., the other segments will remain unaffected since they operate independently.
What Else Can I Do to Protect My Organization?
In addition to the above solutions, there are also other steps that you can take to protect your network. These are similar in nature but can prove to be highly effective when implemented.
The following are some of the most notable ways you can do so.
Constantly Monitor Access
Access to sensitive information should always come from predetermined sources. So, active monitoring of this data will immediately provide insight into unauthorized access.
In many cases, this can often mean the difference between suffering from a cyberattack and mitigating one.
Properly Secure Your Devices and Servers
Under no circumstances should a device that contains sensitive information be left in a public area. This includes hard drives, laptops, computers, and servers.
In general, it’s imperative to secure these devices in locations that require multifactor authentication. This will ensure that only the appropriate parties are able to access this data.
Additionally, you should take the same precautionary measures when it comes to backup or archived data. Some organizations tend to neglect securing devices that are no longer in use.
But, the information on these devices could still be highly valuable to criminals.
Manage Your Passwords Appropriately
Passwords should always be a complex string of numbers, letters, and special characters. Although it may be more convenient to choose a simple password that is easy to remember, this comes with a significant amount of risk.
For the best results, it’s highly recommended to use a password manager. This is an application that generates a complex password and also stores it within the program itself.
In order to gain access to the passwords you store, you will need to input a master password. Since this application runs offline, you can minimize the risk that this information becomes compromised.
Proper Network Security Is Essential
So, be sure to keep the above guidelines in mind. As long as you prioritize your network security properly, you’ll be able to avoid a large number of complications in the future.
Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Security

#### The Benefits of Having Hybrid Managed IT Services
​Technology disruptions can slow productivity and frustrate employees. For many organizations, the question is not whether your business needs IT support, but rather what type of model offers the most value. 
Outsourced IT support has gained traction because it allows companies to access skilled technicians without hiring an entire department. 
Still, some leaders remain hesitant, wanting a reliable face in the office who understands the nuances of their environment. 
A hybrid IT support model that pairs outsourced IT with an on-site technician bridges this gap.

What Makes Hybrid Tech Support Different
Traditional IT outsourcing involves handing over all technical support responsibilities to an external provider. While this model delivers efficiency, some decision-makers worry about the lack of a personal touch. 
A hybrid setup ensures that one dedicated technician is stationed on-site while the rest of the support comes remotely from the provider’s larger team. This balance gives businesses both immediacy and depth of expertise.

On-Site Presence with Full Remote Capabilities
Having a technician physically available brings reassurance. Employees know exactly whom to turn to when something goes wrong. The on-site representative also develops familiarity with company culture and workflows, which reduces friction when solving problems. 
At the same time, the technician has the backing of a wider network of remote experts who can handle specialized tasks. This combination extends capabilities far beyond what a single in-house hire could manage.
We recently chronicled the hybrid IT support case study of one of our longest-tenured clients: Thomas Safran & Associates who have raved over the years about having one fullt-ime Be Structured employee onsite to relate any quick-developing issues or tech changes back to the BSTG team headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
Our employee, Aaron was supported by Be Structured’s Service Desk and a Technical Account Manager (TAM) with long-standing knowledge of TSA’s environment. This layered model provided proactive planning and real-time escalation support.

Cost Savings Without Compromising Service
Staffing a full IT department is expensive. Salaries, training, and benefits quickly add up. A hybrid outsourced model lets organizations get 24/7 IT support without breaking the bank. Instead of hiring five or six full-time professionals, companies only cover the cost of one in-house technician supported by a remote team. This results in significant budget relief without a decline in service quality.


A female IT support employee providing tech assistance on-site.
Access to Broader Expertise
No single technician can be an expert in every area of technology. Cybersecurity, cloud solutions, compliance, and disaster recovery require different skill sets. With hybrid IT support, the on-site employee acts as the connector to a vast pool of specialists. 
When a challenge arises that requires advanced expertise, the remote team steps in. This model ensures that niche problems are addressed with precision rather than temporary fixes.

Stronger Security Management
Cybersecurity threats continue to rise. A dedicated on-site technician can help enforce internal security practices like password policies and device monitoring. Yet, the more complex aspects of cybersecurity demand outside resources. 
A hybrid setup allows local enforcement while leveraging a remote security team to handle advanced detection tools, threat response, and audits. This combination minimizes risks more effectively than relying on a single in-house professional.

On-Site Support Makes a Difference in Security Incidents
Cybersecurity threats are one of the most pressing concerns for organizations today. While remote monitoring can often detect and mitigate risks quickly, there are times when having a professional physically present accelerates recovery. 
The 2021 ransomware attack on Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) is a clear example. The attack disrupted hospitals and healthcare offices across the country, crippling access to critical systems. 
Recovery required both remote expertise and boots on the ground. Ireland’s Defence Forces deployed cybersecurity specialists directly into facilities to help decrypt and restore devices. 
Their physical presence accelerated the recovery process, enabling hospitals to return to service faster than remote assistance alone could achieve.
This real-world case underscores the importance of having a hybrid model. A single on-site technician may not single-handedly resolve a crisis, but their ability to coordinate with external teams, assess physical systems, and provide immediate support can dramatically reduce downtime in an emergency.

Hybrid IT Support Model's Scalability for Growing Businesses
Technology needs to expand as organizations grow. What works for a team of 20 employees may not suffice when that number doubles. Hybrid outsourced IT support makes it easier to scale. 
The provider can adjust resources behind the scenes, increasing remote staffing as needed while maintaining that single in-house connection point. This adaptability means the support model grows alongside the business without frequent hiring cycles.

Faster Problem Resolution
Employees waste time when they struggle with technical issues. Having someone in the office reduces downtime because help is immediate. At the same time, when larger issues occur, such as server crashes or network outages, the remote team can step in quickly. Together, these layers of support shorten resolution times and prevent small problems from snowballing into major disruptions.

Improved Employee Confidence
Technology frustration often lowers morale. Employees may hesitate to call a help desk if they feel it is disconnected or impersonal. Having an in-house technician creates trust.
 Workers know that a real person is present and invested in their success. This confidence encourages employees to report issues faster, resulting in fewer hidden problems and smoother workflows.


A male IT tech support employee is giving servers a quality check.
Flexibility with Embedded IT Technician Services 
Hybrid support models also allow organizations to tailor services. Some may require heavier cybersecurity measures, while others may prioritize cloud migration or compliance support. 
Because the outsourced team covers many areas, the company can flexibly allocate resources where they matter most. The on-site technician ensures those priorities align with daily operations, creating a balanced approach to technology management that standard outsourcing does not always provide.

A Local Partner with Global Reach
Working with a managed IT services provider in Los Angeles ensures that support is grounded in local business realities while also connected to a global talent pool. The on-site technician embodies this duality, serving as a local point of contact while leveraging external specialists when necessary. This relationship creates a partnership where geography no longer limits expertise.

The Many Benefits of Managed IT Services
Hybrid setups highlight the many benefits of managed IT services in practice. Cost control, broad expertise, constant monitoring, and rapid scaling are just the beginning. 
When paired with an in-house representative, these advantages become more tangible and accessible. The business receives strategic oversight, daily assistance, and long-term planning, all within one structure.

Hybrid Support in Action
Consider a manufacturing company reliant on equipment monitoring software. The on-site technician ensures that machinery integrates properly with digital dashboards. When a system patch requires specialized coding, the remote team provides assistance. 
Similarly, in financial services where compliance audits are routine, the on-site technician can gather local data while remote experts ensure standards are met. This division of responsibilities allows both sectors to remain efficient and compliant.

Why Hybrid Models Are Growing in Popularity
The rise of hybrid work environments has made hybrid tech support more appealing. As more employees split time between office and home, IT demands have become more complex. 
Having one trusted in-house figure helps maintain continuity across hybrid workplaces, while the remote team ensures that no challenge is too specialized to address. This versatility makes the model future-ready.

Hybrid IT Staffing Solutions for Businesses: A Balanced Approach to Outsourced IT Support
Organizations want the assurance of a human presence and the depth of an expert team. Hybrid tech support delivers both. It offers cost savings, broader expertise, stronger security, and improved employee confidence. 
Most importantly, it prevents the need to fund an entire IT department internally. At Be Structured, we deliver this balance through our managed IT services. 
Many clients who once felt uncertain about IT outsourcing find peace of mind knowing they have a dedicated on-site technician backed by our full support team. 
This model ensures continuity, security, and scalability while reducing costs. Schedule a free consultation today to see how our hybrid outsourced IT support can strengthen your technology foundation.
- Categories: Hybrid managed IT services, IT Support, Managed IT
- Tags: IT outsourcing, Outsourced IT Support

#### The Benefits of Implementing Two Factor Authentication (2FA) for Your Business
Imagine waking up to find your business's sensitive data exposed, all because a single password was compromised. 
It’s a chilling thought, but one that businesses face every day. 
Cybercriminals are relentless, and traditional password protection is no longer enough to keep them out. That’s why implementing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is more than a security upgrade—it’s a necessity. 
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of 2FA.

Understanding Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a security process that requires users to verify their identity through two separate forms of authentication before gaining access to a system. 
Think of it like a double-lock system on your front door. If someone gets hold of the first key (your password), they still need a second verification—such as a text code, fingerprint, or hardware token—to enter. This extra step significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access.
In today’s landscape, where cybersecurity threats are growing more sophisticated, single-factor authentication (like passwords alone) leaves businesses vulnerable to breaches. For IT support companies like ours, implementing 2FA has become a critical part of protecting businesses from attacks, identity theft, and data loss.


The Benefits of 2FA for Business Security
The benefits of 2FA are numerous, and they go beyond just stopping unauthorized logins. Here are some key advantages:

Enhanced Security
The primary benefit of 2FA is its ability to add an extra layer of security. By requiring two forms of identification, it becomes significantly harder for cybercriminals to compromise accounts. Even if a password is stolen, the second verification step acts as a safety net that keeps sensitive data secure.

Reduced Risk of Identity Theft
Password leaks are alarmingly common. Research shows that over 80% of hacking incidents involve weak or stolen credentials. With 2FA, even if a password is compromised, the second authentication factor prevents hackers from gaining access. Businesses that use 2FA effectively mitigate the risk of identity theft and data breaches.

Building Customer Trust
In an era where consumers are more aware of data security, businesses must prioritize protecting customer information. By implementing 2FA, you demonstrate a proactive approach to security, which can enhance your reputation and build trust. When customers know their data is safe, they are more likely to remain loyal and recommend your business to others.

Improved Compliance
Many industries, such as healthcare and finance, have strict regulations around data protection. Implementing 2FA helps businesses comply with security standards like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR. Compliance avoids costly penalties and reassures clients that their data is handled responsibly.

Affordable and Easy to Implement
Unlike security measures requiring significant investments, 2FA is a cost-effective solution. Modern tools, including those offered by managed IT services providers, allow businesses to implement 2FA seamlessly. Many platforms integrate 2FA into existing systems without requiring complex overhauls.

How 2FA Enhances User Experience
One common misconception about 2FA is that it adds unnecessary friction for users. However, modern 2FA methods are designed to strike a balance between security and user experience. Here’s how:

Push Notifications
Push notifications allow users to approve login requests with a single tap on their mobile device. This method is not only fast and user-friendly but also highly secure.

Biometric Authentication
Using fingerprints or facial recognition for verification eliminates the need for manual input. Biometric authentication is seamless, secure, and widely adopted in mobile devices today.

Backup Codes and Recovery Options
For situations where users may not have access to their primary verification method, 2FA systems provide backup codes and recovery options to ensure a smooth user experience.
When implemented correctly, 2FA enhances security without compromising convenience. As a local IT support services provider, we ensure businesses adopt 2FA solutions tailored to their needs, making the process seamless for employees and customers alike.

Implementing 2FA: Best Practices for Businesses
While the benefits of 2FA are clear, businesses must follow best practices to ensure successful implementation:

1. Choose the Right 2FA Solution
Not all 2FA methods are created equal. Businesses should select a solution that aligns with their operations and user preferences. For example, companies handling sensitive data might prioritize biometric verification, while others may opt for text-based codes or push notifications.

2. Educate Employees
User resistance can be a hurdle when adopting new security measures. Educating employees on the benefits of 2FA and providing clear instructions on its use can ease the transition and promote widespread adoption.

3. Test the System
Before fully rolling out 2FA, businesses should conduct pilot tests to identify and address any potential issues. This ensures a smooth implementation process.

4. Integrate 2FA Across Platforms
For maximum security, 2FA should be integrated into all critical systems, including email accounts, cloud storage, financial software, and customer management platforms. Partnering with an IT support company can simplify this process.


The Future of Authentication: Beyond 2FA
While 2FA is currently a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity, authentication methods continue to evolve. Emerging trends like adaptive authentication are gaining traction. Adaptive authentication assesses the risk of a login attempt based on factors such as location, device, and user behavior, adjusting security requirements dynamically.
For example, the system might require additional verification steps if a user logs in from an unfamiliar device or location. This approach provides a flexible, risk-based security model that complements 2FA and improves overall protection.
As a leading outsourced IT support company, we emphasize the importance of staying ahead of these trends. Businesses that adopt innovative security solutions today will be better equipped to face the cyber threats of tomorrow.

Secure Your Business with 2FA
Implementing 2FA is a practical, cost-effective way to protect your business against cyberattacks, identity theft, and data breaches. Beyond enhancing security, it builds trust with customers, improves compliance, and ensures keeping your business secure without disrupting user experience. 
Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and businesses cannot afford to rely solely on passwords. By adopting 2FA now, you’re taking a proactive step to safeguard your future.
Don’t wait until a security breach forces you to act. Schedule a free consultation with Be Structured today, and let us help you implement the right 2FA solution for your business.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Security
- Tags: 2FA, Cybersecurity, Data Protection

#### The Benefits of IT Support Los Angeles With a California State Contractor License
In the world of IT support, not all managed service providers are built the same. At Be Structured Technology Group, we don’t just offer IT expertise—we bring a level of operational efficiency and professionalism that’s hard to find elsewhere. 

One of the most overlooked advantages we provide our clients is this:

We hold a California State Contractor License.

And that makes a big difference.
CA License #1140088 | C-7 Low Voltage Contractor

What Does That Mean for You?
Most IT providers need to bring in third-party contractors to pull permits when low-voltage cabling or physical infrastructure work is required. Not us. 

As a licensed C-7 contractor in California, Be Structured can handle your IT projects end to end—from initial network design to physical network installation and permitting.
Why This Matters to Your Business
No Delays from Third Parties
Working with an MSP that needs to outsource basic infrastructure work can lead to frustrating bottlenecks. You wait for permit approvals, schedule conflicts, or worse—coordination issues between your IT team and the contractor. 

At Be Structured, we eliminate that middleman. We are the contractor, which means we move faster and with fewer roadblocks. And if you’re looking for fast and efficient relocation services, we have you covered.
Cost Savings Passed to You
Hiring a separate contractor doesn’t just add complexity—it adds costs. 

By managing the entire scope of your IT implementation ourselves, we help you avoid third-party markup fees and unnecessary administrative overhead. That translates into real, measurable savings for your organization.
True One-Stop IT Support
Imagine having one trusted team responsible for your cloud migration, cybersecurity, hardware installation, and network wiring—all under one roof. With Be Structured, you get that seamless experience. There’s no need to coordinate multiple vendors or wonder who’s accountable for what. We handle it all, efficiently and professionally.

Local Knowledge and Legal Compliance

As a licensed contractor based in Los Angeles, we understand the ins and outs of California’s building codes and regulations. From city-specific permitting processes to ADA compliance and low-voltage standards, we’re already ahead of the curve. You don’t have to worry about costly compliance missteps—we’ve got it covered.
Experience the Be Structured Difference
Holding a Ca State Contractor License isn’t just a credential—it’s a commitment to offering our clients streamlined service, faster turnaround, and full accountability. When you choose Be Structured as your choice for the best “managed services providers near me”, you’re not just getting technical support. You’re getting a fully licensed partner who can see your IT project through from the ground up—literally.

Want to learn more about how our licensing advantage can benefit your next project?

Let’s talk. Your infrastructure deserves a team that can do it all—and do it right.

 
- Categories: Licensed contrator

#### The Consequences of Not Having Managed Cybersecurity Services
Did you know that about 60% of small businesses that are the victims of cyberattacks end up going out of business within just 6 months? Yet, almost 50% of small business owners admit to not knowing how to protect themselves against cyberattacks properly.

This could leave your small business in quite the conundrum if you ever face any serious cybersecurity threats. It could potentially result in your company having to close down in the not-too-distant future.

This will be one of the biggest consequences of not having managed cybersecurity services in place. But it isn't the only consequence that should be on your radar.

There are also other drawbacks that'll come along with not taking advantage of cybersecurity services. Learn about some of the other consequences below. Use them as motivation to start working with one of the best cyber security companies in Los Angeles.
Could Cause Your Company to Experience Extensive Downtime
If a cyberattack is ever launched against your company and you don't have managed cybersecurity services in place, it's likely going to lead to your whole network going down. You'll have to pivot and set your sights on thwarting a cyberattack as opposed to conducting business like usual.

This could result in your company having to deal with extensive downtime. Your company's employees might not be able to carry out their normal tasks until you've successfully shut down a cyberattack.

All of this downtime could cause unnecessary delays within your company. You'll have to bring your business operations to a halt to get a handle on a cyberattack before you can do anything else.

A company that offers managed IT services should be able to limit the downtime caused by a cyberattack. A Los Angeles managed IT services provider can keep your business operating like normal in spite of cybersecurity threats.
Could Result in Your Company Losing Important Data
More often than not, a cyberattack launched against your company is going to take aim at all the data that you have stored. Whether you have it stored on a server or utilize cloud computing, hackers will make it their mission to get to the data if they can.

If they're able to access this data, it could result in you losing the data altogether. Or at the very least, some or even all of this data could be corrupted while a cyberattack is taking place. It could turn into a huge catastrophe for your company either way.

Fortunately, finding a leading IT support company can stop your company from losing important data due to cyberattacks. One of the best managed IT services in Los Angeles will be able to provide your data with all the protection it needs.
Could Cost Your Company a Whole Lot of Money
If your company is ever the victim of a cyberattack, you're going to lose more than just data in most cases. You're also going to run the risk of losing money, and in some instances, you might lose a lot of money because of a cyberattack.

In fact, it isn't uncommon at all for companies to lose hundreds of thousands and sometimes even millions of dollars due to a cyber attack. If nothing else, they'll need to cover the costs associated with making immediate repairs to their hardware and networks.

There might also be costs associated with:

 	Paying randoms following ransomware attacks
 	Setting up a customer service number to handle cyberattack questions from customers and clients
 	Paying fines related to cybersecurity compliance issues

Your company may be able to avoid all these costs by utilizing managed cybersecurity services. Although you will have to make an investment in these services, they might be able to save you so much money in the end.
Could Damage Your Company's Reputation
You want your company's customers and clients to be able to trust you to prevent cyberattacks from occurring. They might not be able to do this if they ever hear about a cyberattack impacting your business in a big way.

You'll notice your company will take a huge hit in the reputation department after a cyberattack. People will begin to lose trust in your company. They might even decide to take their business elsewhere because of it.

Having an IT support company in Los Angeles provides you with managed cybersecurity services will show your customers and clients how committed you are to keeping their data safe. You won't have to worry about a single cyberattack wiping out whatever trust you've been able to establish with customers and clients.
Could Force Your Company to Face Class-Action Lawsuits
In a worst-case scenario, your company's customers and clients might be so unhappy with your business following a cyberattack that they'll decide to take legal action. They may claim you knowingly decided to open up your company to cybersecurity threats. This could lead to you facing class-action lawsuits.

In this case, you might be forced to spend a small fortune to settle class-action lawsuits. You'll be subjected to attorney fees, court costs, and, of course, settlement amounts that could put you out of business. It'll make you wish you had contacted one of your local outsourced tech support companies for help sooner.
Let Us Set Your Company Up With IT Security in Los Angeles
Is your company taking cybersecurity as seriously as it should right now? If not, you should look into changing that immediately.

Be Structured Technology Group can provide you with the Los Angeles managed IT services and cybersecurity services you need. They'll reduce the chances of you having to deal with any of the consequences listed here.

Would you like to learn more about how our managed cybersecurity services work? Contact us today to get more information on the business IT services we can deliver.
- Categories: Managed It Services, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### The Difference Between IT Support and Managed Services
The global managed services market reached $267.3 billion in 2022 as more businesses began outsourcing their IT needs. In fact, the industry could grow by a CAGR of 13.6% between 2023 and 2030. Requesting managed services can minimize downtime and boost productivity.

Even so, many business owners don't know how to choose between an IT support company and managed IT services company.

What's the difference?

Read on to find out before choosing the best option for your business today. 
Traditional IT Support Companies
Before discussing the difference between IT support and managed IT services, let's look at each specific to serving businesses in Southern California.

What is traditional Los Angeles IT support?

Traditional IT support is also called "break-fix" support. The process is reactive in nature. When there's a problem with your IT infrastructure, you normally call your IT support team to fix the problem. 

Waiting for a problem to arise can cause unnecessary downtime, though. You'll have to wait for your IT team to respond, diagnose the problem, and find a solution. In most cases, an IT support desk only offers services during standard business hours.

You can choose to outsource your IT support needs or have an IT team in-house.

Most small businesses don't invest in an outsourced model. Instead, they keep a small in-house IT team for day-to-day support. In-house support teams are common in medium to larger businesses.

These businesses usually aren't technical in nature and therefore don't rely on an IT support team 24/7.

A traditional IT support team can help fix an array of problems. If your business is growing in complexity, however, you might notice limitations. As your company grows, you might need a larger IT support team in-house.

Traditional IT support is ideal for your business if you:

 	Have applications that don't need frequent upgrades
 	Don't require specialized IT skill sets
 	Don't need IT specialists to maintain training

Before choosing between traditional IT support and managed IT services, consider your company's current needs. Outlining your needs and long-term goals will help you determine the level of support you need. 
Los Angeles Managed IT Services
What are managed services, then?

While the term "IT support" is a narrow, focused term, "managed services" is broader. 

Managed IT services are services provided by a third party. You can outsource your IT needs to ensure specialists are maintaining your infrastructure around the clock. 

Remember, with traditional IT support, you'll follow the break-fix model. With managed services, however, you'll have access to help 24/7. You can choose coverage options based on your business needs to ensure help is only a phone call away.

Managed IT services offer a scalable model. You can determine which solutions and services suit your needs and budget.

With the break-fix model, you'll need to wait for a specialist to arrive and fix the problem. With managed services, your support team will remain available in the background at all times. They can predict possible disruptions to take proactive actions before problems occur.

With managed services, you can streamline your company's current operations. Avoiding problems before they occur can minimize downtime. You won't have to worry about customers or employees getting frustrated due to IT issues.

Avoiding possible disruptions can boost employee morale, customer satisfaction, and productivity. Your ROI will rise, helping your business grow.

With managed services, you can leverage a pool of experts in different areas of IT. You can choose skill sets based on your company's needs and goals. Meanwhile, you'll never have to pay for unnecessary resources or services. 
Choosing the Right Outsourced Tech Support for Your Business
Before choosing between IT support services and managed services, outline your needs and concerns. For example, about 60% of small businesses believe they won't be targeted by a cyberattack. Unfortunately, about 34% of organizations reported malware in a single year.

Another 28% experienced ransomware attacks. 

If you're concerned about your business IT services and security, consider managed IT services. Remember, with managed IT services, you can take a proactive approach. You can protect your business before there's an attack, saving you money in the process.

If your business requires around-the-clock IT services, consider managed services. An in-house team won't remain available for 24/7 support. Your managed IT team, on the other hand, will.

They can proactively work to solve problems before they hurt your business, minimizing excess downtime and stress.

Your managed IT team can also make patches and upgrades as needed. Failing to make the necessary software or patch upgrades could leave your business vulnerable. The risk of potential breaches could hurt your data security and organization.

Managed services are more cost-effective, too. Remember, you'll only pay for the services you need, when you need it.

You can work with a managed service provider in Los Angeles to determine which services suit your company's needs. They'll help by developing a customized plan based on your needs, goals, and budget.

You can even make adjustments to the plan as needed to ensure you're not paying for unnecessary services. 

To choose the best business model for your organization, consider consulting an IT specialist. They can help you review the pros and cons of each option. With help, you can protect your business, streamline operations, and ensure lasting growth. 
Request Managed IT Services Today
Choosing between IT support and managed services shouldn't feel stressful. Instead, consider consulting an IT company to determine which option suits your needs. With managed IT support services, you can streamline operations to minimize downtime.

Your company's productivity and ROI will rise, allowing you to experience long-term growth and success. 

Want to discuss your options with a member of our team? The Be Structured Technology Group has decades of experience helping local Southern Californian businesses stay on top of their tech support.

Contact us today to learn more.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### The Extreme Importance of Being Proactive With Cybersecurity Threats
Did you know that cyberattacks are considered to be one of the top risks that compromise global stability?

These breaches are the 5th most likely and 7th most impactful disasters for individuals, companies, and nations alike. This makes preventing data theft is more important than ever before.

It's critical to take proactive measures against business IT services and security threats. Doing so will stop the theft of personal, company, and financial information.

Here, we're going to talk about what proactive cybersecurity means for SMBs and how it differs from reactive measures. Read on to learn how you can be more preventative in combatting risks and what the impacts of proactivity are.

You should also be aware of how to match important cybersecurity tools to your risk profile and tolerance as outlined in this short video from Be Structured's CEO, Chad Lauterbach.


The Problem With Reactive Cybersecurity
Most small organizations tend to take a reactive approach to cybersecurity. This is exactly what it sounds like- the company's security team responds to a breach after it takes place. While there are plans in place for what to do after a breach, no action is taken until the network and data within it are already compromised.

This almost always leaves some disaster that needs to be dealt with after the attacker is fought off. The team begins to assess and clean up this damage after they can stop focusing on removing the threat.

Unfortunately, an average data breach costs a company around $3.86 million. Disaster recovery only takes effect after a lot of information and money are lost.

Employees' personal and financial information may also be compromised in a breach. This can lead to identity theft and subsequent lawsuits even if you recover the lost data for your business.
What Are Proactive Cybersecurity Measures?
Proactive cybersecurity means that you don't wait until a breach happens to take action. This form of protection is also called preventative cybersecurity. You implement procedures before there ever even is a threat.

Studies show that companies taking a proactive approach to cybersecurity have 53% fewer breaches than those that don't. Investing in this mindset and these technologies pays off greatly.

Companies taking a proactive approach are constantly monitoring and reviewing network data. The intent is to ensure that there are no blips in regular network trends. They immediately examine any changes to proactively ensure that no malware or unauthorized users make their way onto the network.

Preventative cybersecurity enthusiasts also keep up with the latest technologies in the field. They implement, configure, and supervise both software and hardware that works to keep unauthorized users out of the system. The technologies do all of the heavy lifting to proactively stop threats from making their way into your system in the first place.

Some proactive technologies include:

 	Advanced firewalls that come pre-equipped with hardening services
 	Multifactor authentication technologies
 	Web content and email filtering
 	Active directory monitoring software
 	Intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
 	Identity access management
 	Security Information Event Management systems

These are only a few of the systems that you'll need to implement to prevent threats from making their way onto your network.
Cybersecurity and the Cloud
There are a plethora of different types of Cloud technology. All Cloud storage systems are fairly secure on their own because data is stored in a heavily encrypted form. Additional features are also essential for maximum protection.

it's important to implement preventative features. This is true whether you have a hosted private Cloud storage system, a hybrid model, or data stored on the public Cloud.

With the right provider, this is a challenge made easy. Experts that understand all of these systems will know exactly which solutions to implement. They also will know how to integrate them with your specific Cloud server.
Preventative Cybersecurity Implementation Challenges
As a business professional or company executive, you may worry about the challenges you'll face when attempting to integrate these technologies into your existing platform. This is a fair concern, especially when you consider the time taken to implement these strategies.

For someone who isn't an expert in IT, these technologies can take months to implement. During this long timeframe, you would be susceptible to breaches.

Hiring an in-house IT expert would make sense, but it also is extremely expensive. You'd need to train such an employee in your company policies and existing software. That could cost thousands of dollars in onboarding alone.

There are also so many technology systems that you need to implement. An in-house IT provider would struggle to integrate all of them together on their own.

That's why there are so many benefits to partnering with a company that specializes in outsourced IT support services.
Outsourced Tech Support Companies: A Top-Notch Solution
Outsourcing your IT to a managed service provider in Los Angeles like Be Structured is the ideal method for implementation.

We not only know corporate networks like the back of our hands but also offer a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) approach. This means that we constantly will update your systems to ensure that you have the best possible cybersecurity features.

Our MSSP plan offers all of the technologies that we have previously discussed and more. We're happy to provide an all-inclusive service package that offers data loss and intrusion prevention systems. These solutions are offered in addition to many more preventative software options.

Unlike other MSSP services, Be Structured also offers a huge number of additional services when you purchase our packages. These services include:

 	Solution research and integration
 	Management and updates for all security technologies
 	Managing both devices and logs
 	Automatic network audits and report generation
 	Consulting services with our experts
 	Training and education for those working with your network

If you're looking to secure your Los Angeles business, make sure to consider these plans.
Aspects of Proactive Cybersecurity
Experts have many ways that they can implement preventative cybersecurity features for businesses. The first is internal and external penetration testing.

During these tests, an authorized user will simulate a cybersecurity breach. Ethical hackers install safe software that your network registers as malware and treats as such. Your team will then take measures needed to fight against this "malware" as it makes its way through your network.

This has many proactive benefits including:

 	Making sure that all company employees understand their role in combatting threats
 	Encouraging teamwork between those who are fighting against the threat
 	Helping you to understand how your Be Structured IT technicians can help you in the event of a cybersecurity disaster
 	Showcasing the technologies used during a breach (so your employees can familiarize themselves with how they actually work)
 	Generating data on how well those reacting did
 	Showcasing information on how reactions and reaction times can improve so that teams know what to focus on in training and in future tests

Knowing these things before a disaster arises ensures that everyone knows their place in the event of an emergency. There's nothing more proactive than being prepared.
Behavior Indicator Studies
Earlier, we brushed on the idea of monitoring your network for hiccups in normal trends. Indicators of behavior (IoB) aim to understand how authorized users behave within the network. In addition to looking at human users, IoBs also look at the normal functions of applications and other software.

By understanding these normal behaviors, IoB software can pinpoint unusual activity. For example, if someone uses an external storage device to take data from the network, the IoB will understand that this isn't normal behavior. It can then notify you and your outsourced IT provider of this activity so that you can monitor it.

More importantly, IoB technologies can take measures to prevent unusual activity automatically. It can change permissions and shut the user that's engaging in these behaviors out of the system. It can also make alterations to the way that the network functions such as isolating individual devices or endpoints.
Zero Trust Approaches
Zero Trust is an increasingly common cybersecurity model. It requires verification and authorization for everything that goes on in a network.

Every device, application, and user needs to be verified before accessing information. The logic behind this is that no company should automatically trust a user simply because it got into its firewalls.

The bottom line of Zero Trust? Your SMB can trust nothing and no one until they prove themselves an authorized user or agent.

This makes a lot of sense considering the rise of data breaches in recent years. All unauthorized malware and users managed to make it behind the firewall and authentication systems of the company that they breached.

Proactive businesses will understand the importance of firewalls. However, they also will understand that firewalls aren't impenetrable. Smart companies will take action based on this fact.

When you implement a Zero Trust model, you can lock the doors to your network before an unauthorized user even notices its existence. Make sure to talk to your MSSP provider about what this model entails and what technologies you'll need to implement it. You won't regret it.
The Benefits of Proactive Cybersecurity
The first reason to be proactive about cybersecurity is, of course, to save money. Even if your team is able to react to breaches quickly and minimize damages, there are still going to be some damages. A few thousand dollars can mean the difference between keeping your SMB's doors open and being forced to close them.

This is also an optimistic figure that assumes that you don't have a lot of data and your team reacts very fast. You need to be careful about cybersecurity so that a single breach doesn't drive your business into the ground.
Constant Reaction Is Unnecessary
Trying to react to potential cybersecurity threats can be exhausting. Teams at reactive businesses will always be wondering when the next problem is going to occur. Knowing that there's nothing that they can do until the crisis begins can take a mental toll.

Additionally, being unprepared when threats do arise puts employees in disaster mode. The need to put out fire after fire isn't just anxiety-inducing but can lead to stress-induced mistakes. Remaining calm in the event of a disaster is essential to putting things right, and those who are in crisis mode won't have that opportunity.
You Can Root Out Internal Sources of Breaches
Since 34% of data breaches come from within an organization, it's crucial that you keep your eyes open for threats inside your company.

Reactive cybersecurity measures only find threats from unauthorized users that breach your system. On the flipside, proactive measures look into suspicious activities both from within and without.

If you see an employee making the same errors over and over or engaging in strange behaviors, you'll know to keep an eye on them. This is imperative since you can find suspicious staff activity before they have a chance to attack your system from the inside.
You Can Improve Your Reputation
Having a proactive network installation and security system also allows your clients and customers to feel more confident in their decision to work with you. Since most SMBs store client information within their system, telling your clients about the security measures that you have will make them feel secure.

This can lead to people choosing to work with your business rather than your competitors. You'll have more opportunities to grow and to get good reviews online, which can drive even more people through your doors.
Combat Cybersecurity Threats Today
Cybersecurity threats can cost businesses a lot of money. Whether your SMB has 20 or 500 employees, you might find yourself out millions of dollars after a breach. That's why proactive prevention is crucial as you move into the new year.

We're committed to providing you with the best MSSP solutions in the Los Angeles area. These services include IT support, cybersecurity tech implementation, and Cloud computing services. Contact our team to discuss proactive cybersecurity plans.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Disaster Recovery, Extra, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### The Foundation of Your Business: Network Installation
Your network is not something that can be left to amateurs. This infrastructure is a crucial part of your overall operations. It is the foundation that every other system and service depends on. It needs to dependable, flexible, and built for your unique requirements. This is not an area to cut corners or for short-term thinking; your office network setup is a long-term investment. Whether you need a small office network or an enterprise-wide restructuring of network planning, we are equipped to be your single source of solutions for network installation.
Factors To Consider About Your Network
Be Structured is prepared to be your turnkey network support company, but there are some essential questions that you can prepare for to make your design and installation process easier. We know how to network an office, but to network your office, we need to know your unique situation and requirements.
The Type of Growth You Are Expecting
How many new employees are you expecting to hire? Are you planning any remote or at-home operations? Are there mergers or acquisitions in the future that will change the nature of your workspace?
Current Internet Connectivity
How does your business currently connect to the internet? Do you own your equipment or is it rented? If we upgrade the internet connection, it may require upgraded equipment as well.
Application Requirements
What applications are essential to the operations of your business? We need to know especially which voice and video applications are critical so we can plan how best to support them. We want to maintain a high-quality level of service.
Your Number of Users and Types of Equipment
Take an inventory of current users and equipment like wireless routers and wireless access points. It would also help to provide us with your predicted growth over the next 12 months at a minimum.
Your Existing Infrastructure
What is the current physical layout of your network? Is your network cabling running overhead? On the floors? In the walls? When we are planning new equipment placement, we need to take your physical infrastructure into account.
The New Services You Will Require
What type of services will you need to add in the future? We want our network installation services to be prepared for your future needs as well as your current requirements.
Temperature and Climate Concerns
In the wrong environment, network hardware can become overheated. If the level of humidity is too high, there can be issues with moisture. You will need a network hardware space that is away from ventilation ducts or cold air return vents.
Security and Privacy Concerns
What are your current security precautions? We might be able to get rid of extra hardware and streamline your security measures.
Your Wireless Network Needs
Are you planning on moving from a wired network to a wireless one? A mix of the both? How expansive is the area that the wireless network needs to service? All wireless access points are limited by specific ranges to maintain expected performance levels.
Budget Limitations
We will always work to stay within the limitations of your budget. We will help you find the balance between how much you want to invest and the services that you want upgrade or install.
Reliability and Uptime Requirements
How much downtime can your business sustain before there is profit loss? Expecting 100% uptime all the time is going to be costly and ultimately impractical. How much reliability can your business afford?

To learn more about our network installation services and how Be Structured can help your business, reach out to us today. We will find the solutions that are right for your situation.
- Categories: Hardware, Networking
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support, Network Installation, Wireless Networks

#### The Future of Remote Work: Building Hybrid IT Infrastructure That Scales
​The way work gets done has permanently changed, and the future of remote work with emerging technologies now carries more responsibility than ever before. As organizations adapt to evolving work patterns, the future of remote work depends on infrastructure that supports flexibility without sacrificing performance or security. 
This shift places new demands on IT environments, particularly around connectivity, access control, and data backup and protection services. Hybrid work has moved from temporary accommodation to long-term strategy. 
Fully centralized offices and fully remote models both present limitations at scale. Hybrid infrastructure has emerged as the model that balances resilience, productivity, and operational control in the future of remote work.

Why the Future of Remote Work Favors Hybrid Models
Employee expectations have reshaped workplace strategy. Research shows that remote or hybrid flexibility now outweighs salary for a large majority of workers, with many willing to leave roles or accept lower pay to preserve flexibility. These preferences have forced organizations to rethink how work is supported technically.
Hybrid work allows organizations to meet flexibility demands while maintaining collaboration and oversight. It also creates a need for infrastructure that performs consistently across offices, homes, and mobile environments. The future of remote work depends on how well technology adapts to this blended reality.

Hybrid Adoption Is Now the Norm
Hybrid work is no longer experimental. Since 2023, roughly 73% of IT companies have adopted hybrid work models, reflecting a broad shift in how technology teams operate. This adoption has influenced infrastructure design across industries.
At the same time, remote participation continues to grow. By 2025, remote work accounted for approximately 48% of the global workforce, increasing reliance on distributed systems. These trends confirm that hybrid infrastructure is a long-term requirement, not a temporary solution.


Employees can work anywhere when systems are designed to perform everywhere.
Core Infrastructure Components Supporting Hybrid Work
Hybrid IT environments depend on several foundational components. Cloud platforms enable centralized data access and scalable application delivery. 
​In the future of remote work, identity becomes the new perimeter. Identity and access management plays a central role.
Secure remote access ensures employees can connect safely from varied locations. Controlling who can access systems, devices, and data reduces risk while maintaining productivity. 

Endpoint Security and Device Management
Distributed work expands the number of endpoints accessing corporate systems. Laptops, mobile devices, and home networks all become potential entry points. Endpoint security ensures these devices meet compliance standards before gaining access.
Device management platforms allow IT teams to enforce policies remotely. Updates, patches, and configuration changes can be deployed without physical access. This capability is essential for maintaining consistency across hybrid environments.

Network Performance and Connectivity Challenges
Hybrid workplaces strain on networks that were designed for centralized use. Applications must perform reliably across VPNs, cloud gateways, and varied internet connections. Poor network performance directly affects collaboration and productivity.
Monitoring tools provide visibility into latency, bandwidth usage, and connection stability. Proactive monitoring allows teams to resolve issues before they disrupt work. The future of remote work requires networks that are both flexible and observable.

Collaboration Tools and Real-Time Communication
Collaboration platforms have become mission-critical infrastructure. Video conferencing, messaging, and shared workspaces support daily operations across distributed teams. Reliability and integration are essential.
When collaboration tools fail, productivity drops immediately. Ensuring uptime and performance requires careful configuration and ongoing oversight. Hybrid infrastructure must treat collaboration systems as core services rather than optional tools.

Data Protection in Hybrid Environments
Hybrid work increases the risk of data loss through device failure, human error, or security incidents. Strong data backup and recovery strategies protect information regardless of where work occurs. These strategies must account for endpoints, cloud applications, and on-premises systems.
Backup policies should be automated and tested regularly. Recovery time objectives must align with operational priorities. In the future of remote work, data protection becomes a distributed responsibility.

Security Consistency Across Locations
One of the biggest challenges in hybrid environments is enforcing consistent security policies. Office networks, home Wi-Fi, and mobile connections introduce variability. Without standardized controls, gaps emerge.
Security frameworks must apply uniformly across all access points. Encryption, authentication, and monitoring should follow the user rather than the location. This approach supports flexibility while maintaining control.

Hybrid Models and Worker Outcomes
Hybrid work has implications beyond technology. Studies suggest that hybrid workers are more likely to thrive in life compared to fully remote workers, indicating that balanced models may support long-term health and productivity. Technology plays a key role in enabling that balance.
Reliable systems reduce frustration and cognitive load. When tools work seamlessly, employees can focus on outcomes rather than troubleshooting. Infrastructure quality directly influences work experience.

Automation and Standardization
Automation simplifies management in complex hybrid environments. Automated provisioning, patching, and monitoring reduce manual effort and error. Standardized tooling improves predictability and scalability.
Standardization also supports security and compliance. When systems follow consistent patterns, risks are easier to identify and mitigate. The future of remote work depends on reducing variability without limiting flexibility.

Visibility and Reporting
Hybrid environments require enhanced visibility. IT teams must understand system health, access activity, and security posture across locations. Centralized dashboards consolidate this information.
Reporting supports informed decision-making. Trends in performance, usage, and incidents guide infrastructure planning. Visibility transforms reactive support into proactive management.

Business Continuity and Hybrid Work
Hybrid infrastructure must support continuity during disruptions. Power outages, network failures, or regional incidents can affect distributed teams differently. Planning must account for varied scenarios.
Many organizations rely on outsourced disaster recovery and IT support to ensure rapid response. External expertise supplements internal capabilities and provides redundancy. Continuity planning is inseparable from hybrid infrastructure design.

Compliance and Regulatory Considerations
Hybrid work introduces compliance complexity. Data may be accessed from multiple jurisdictions and devices. Regulatory requirements around privacy and security still apply.
Infrastructure must support auditability and reporting. Logging, access controls, and documentation help demonstrate compliance. The future of remote work includes stronger governance alongside flexibility.


Hybrid environments require consistent security controls across home, office, and mobile networks.
Scaling Hybrid Infrastructure Over Time
Hybrid environments must evolve as organizations grow. New locations, tools, and work patterns introduce additional complexity. Scalable design prevents fragmentation.
Cloud-native services and modular architecture support growth. Regular reviews ensure infrastructure aligns with changing needs. Scalability protects long-term investment.

Supporting Productivity Without Sacrificing Security
Productivity and security are often seen as competing priorities. Hybrid infrastructure proves they can coexist. Well-designed systems reduce friction while enforcing controls.
Single sign-on, secure access gateways, and automated security checks streamline workflows. These capabilities improve user experience and reduce risk simultaneously.

Strategic Planning for the Future of Remote Work
Hybrid work is not static. Emerging technologies, changing regulations, and workforce expectations will continue to reshape requirements. Strategic planning must anticipate these shifts.
Roadmaps should include technology refresh cycles, security enhancements, and capacity planning. Regular reassessment keeps infrastructure aligned with business goals.

Building a Resilient Hybrid Future
The future of remote work depends on infrastructure that balances flexibility, performance, and security. Hybrid environments require thoughtful design, standardized tools, proactive monitoring, and strong data protection. Organizations that invest in these areas position themselves for long-term resilience.
Actionable steps include assessing current infrastructure, standardizing security controls, strengthening backup strategies, and improving visibility across distributed systems. These measures support productivity while reducing operational risk.
At Be Structured, we help organizations adapt to the future of remote work through scalable hybrid infrastructure, proactive monitoring, and integrated security delivered via all-inclusive managed IT services and managed security services. 
Strengthen your hybrid IT foundation and support evolving work models. Schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: Hybrid managed IT services, Remote employee management
- Tags: IT infrastructure, Network Infrastructure

#### The Hidden Costs of Free Business Software for Small Businesses: What SMBs Really Pay
​Free tools can seem like a lifesaver for companies operating on tight budgets. At first glance, relying on “free” software for small businesses looks like the perfect way to cut costs while still keeping operations running smoothly. 
These tools are easy to access, often user-friendly, and cover a wide range of needs from communication to project management.
But behind the appealing price tag of zero dollars lies a set of hidden costs. As businesses grow, the limitations of freemium tools can lead to inefficiency, wasted time, and even significant security risks. What starts as a way to save money can quietly drain resources and stall growth.

Why Free Software for Small Businesses Remains Popular
For small enterprises with limited capital, free tools lower the barrier to entry. They allow teams to manage projects, communicate with customers, and track expenses without a large upfront investment. When funding is tight, the appeal is obvious.
However, the long-term trade-offs often go unnoticed. As organizations expand, these free versions frequently fail to keep pace with evolving demands. The lack of advanced features, limited integrations, and restricted scalability eventually create more problems than they solve.

The Realities of the Freemium Model
Many platforms use freemium models to attract small businesses. The free tier provides basic functionality but locks critical features behind a paywall. Companies that rely heavily on these tools eventually face a decision: upgrade to the paid version or cobble together multiple free services to fill the gaps.
This approach may look cost-effective in the short term, but it leads to inefficiencies in the long run. Employees often spend extra time managing disconnected apps, creating redundant processes, or searching for workarounds. The productivity loss quietly chips away at bottom-line savings.

Hidden Bottlenecks That Stall Growth
The most common drawbacks of free platforms become more apparent as businesses expand. These bottlenecks are not only frustrating but also financially draining.


Office employee working on a computer using free software.
Some of the most damaging include:


 	Integration Gaps: Free versions rarely integrate well with other systems, creating silos of information that waste employee time.
 	Storage and User Caps: Many freemium tools limit how much data can be stored or how many users can access the platform, which forces businesses to adopt multiple systems.
 	Limited Automation: Basic versions often lack workflow automation, meaning staff must handle repetitive tasks manually. 
 	Support Limitations: Customer support is usually unavailable in free plans, leaving teams stranded during outages or disruptions.

These restrictions don’t just slow operations; they can also erode employee morale. Over time, the frustration of dealing with inefficient tools can affect retention and productivity. Companies end up paying the price in lost efficiency and disengaged staff.

Security Risks in Free Tools and Software for Small Businesses
One of the biggest costs hiding in free software is the lack of security. While free applications often promise convenience, they rarely include advanced protections like end-to-end encryption, compliance features, or secure backups.
Small businesses already face a disproportionate share of risk when it comes to security threats. Without proper safeguards, customer data and internal records can be exposed to breaches or ransomware attacks. For a small enterprise, even a single incident can cause irreversible damage to finances and reputation.

Data Security Should Be a Priority
Paid software typically offers stronger protections and ongoing updates to close vulnerabilities. For example, enterprise-grade solutions may include features such as multi-factor authentication, compliance certifications, and secure cloud storage. These protections help prevent costly disruptions and ensure regulatory obligations are met.
Simple data security tips, such as enforcing stronger passwords or enabling two-factor authentication, can help. But the real advantage lies in choosing platforms designed with security in mind. Free software rarely delivers that level of protection.

Productivity Losses Add Hidden Costs
Every moment wasted on workarounds or downtime represents lost revenue. Free platforms are notorious for outages, and without live support, businesses are left waiting for fixes. Even short interruptions in communication or access to data can cause missed deadlines or lost sales opportunities.
Paid tools often come with service-level agreements that guarantee uptime and performance. These agreements not only reduce downtime but also give businesses peace of mind that operations will not grind to a halt during a critical moment.

IT Challenges Multiply with Free Platforms
As businesses grow, the shortcomings of free tools become magnified. What worked for a three-person team often falls apart for a staff of 20 or more. This leads to overlapping processes, inconsistent recordkeeping, and employee confusion. These IT challenges for small businesses can hinder growth and make scaling more expensive than necessary.
Switching platforms later also adds costs. Migrating data, retraining staff, and integrating new systems all require time and money. The investment could have been minimized if the business had started with scalable solutions in the first place.

AI Features: Limited in Free Versions
Artificial intelligence is now integrated into many business tools, streamlining everything from customer support to data analysis. Reports show that 78% of global companies report using AI in their business operations. But free versions of platforms usually restrict these features, offering only basic functionality.
Paid platforms, on the other hand, often provide more advanced AI-driven tools. These include predictive analytics, fraud detection, and intelligent automation that improve efficiency and competitiveness. Small businesses relying on free tiers miss out on the benefits that their competitors may already be leveraging.

Why Professional IT Guidance Matters
Managed IT services can help companies assess the true costs of free versus paid software. An experienced provider evaluates scalability, efficiency, and security to ensure businesses choose tools that align with their growth goals.
For small enterprises, professional support also brings peace of mind. Providers that offer 24/7 IT support for small businesses ensure that issues are resolved quickly, reducing downtime and avoiding hidden costs. This proactive support often pays for itself by preventing larger problems.


Woman using freemium software on a computer.
Benefits of Paying for Reliable Software for Small Businesses
The decision to invest in paid platforms creates lasting benefits for businesses. The key advantages include:


 	Scalability: Paid software grows with the organization, supporting more users and larger data sets.
 	Security: Advanced safeguards protect against breaches and compliance risks.
 	Support: Live technical support reduces downtime and frustration.
 	Efficiency: Integrations and automation save time and prevent errors. 

These benefits directly contribute to growth by freeing up resources, protecting sensitive data, and ensuring smooth operations. Unlike free tools, paid solutions are designed with business continuity in mind.
Paid solutions also prepare businesses for the future. With digital transformation accelerating, companies must remain agile. Scalable platforms supported by IT professionals provide the flexibility needed to adapt quickly.

The Role of Constant IT Services
Beyond software choices, the importance of constant IT monitoring services cannot be ignored. Businesses need monitoring and proactive maintenance to ensure systems remain reliable and secure. With round-the-clock oversight, risks are reduced, and teams can focus on strategic work instead of troubleshooting technical problems.
This is where managed IT services play a transformative role. By handling security, software management, and infrastructure needs, they allow small companies to compete with larger organizations without being limited by their size.

Rethinking “Free” Software for Small Businesses
While free software may seem like a smart starting point, the hidden costs become clear over time. From security risks to inefficiencies and limited scalability, these tools often hold businesses back instead of pushing them forward. The smarter investment is in scalable, reliable platforms backed by professional IT services.
At Be Structured, we guide small businesses through these challenges by helping them choose the right tools and strategies for growth. Our managed IT services ensure security, efficiency, and scalability from day one. Don’t let free software limit your future. 
Schedule a free consultation with us today and see how the right IT support can help move your business forward.
- Categories: Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Small Business

#### The Hybrid Cloud Explained
90% of companies use some type of cloud service. The cloud offers many benefits. Businesses can store their data on a centralized platform without investing in their own servers. The cloud is also flexible — there are many cloud computing options that offer different levels of storage, security, and more. One of the most popular cloud types is the hybrid cloud.



Hybrid combines the public and private cloud, giving businesses plenty of security while offering a flexible solution for integrations and more.



Is the hybrid cloud a good option for you? Here, we explain the hybrid cloud definition and how it works.



What Is the Hybrid Cloud?



The hybrid cloud combines the functionalities of a public and private cloud.



The average hybrid cloud product combines a private server with one or more public cloud services. This is possible by using multiple apps that run in the same IT environment, offering a flexible yet secure cloud computing solution.



The goal of the hybrid cloud is to provide businesses with an effective cloud computing solution while maintaining flexibility and lower costs. Businesses will also have more control over their private data, which is something they may not have when only using the public server.



Hybrid clouds also offer a single-pane management platform. This is ideal for businesses with a large staff, specifically a remote staff. The cloud connects to a single network, so your whole team can access the necessary files and applications.



How Does the Hybrid Cloud Work?



The hybrid cloud works in the same way as public and private clouds. The cloud uses data storage (software-defined storage, containers, or server virtualization), a network, and an environment where the application can run.



But what makes a cloud hybrid? All of these aspects run together. Interconnectivity is the driving force behind the hybrid cloud’s success. Management, workloads, and processes are all unified.



Why Are Hybrid Clouds So Popular?



What separates the hybrid cloud from other types of cloud computing? Many businesses prefer the hybrid because you get the best of both worlds. You can connect multiple sources to your cloud while having the high security of the private cloud.



Different Types of Hybrid Clouds



Like all types of cloud computing, the hybrid cloud is undergoing many advancements. That’s why there are two main types: traditional and modern hybrid cloud architecture.



Traditional Hybrid Cloud Architecture



Traditional hybrid clouds connect a private cloud server to a public one. Middleware connected these servers; in order to move workloads between these environments effectively, the middleware used had to be extremely powerful.



However, the traditional cloud proved to be ineffective. The middleware adds a layer of complexity, so something has to be done to make it more reliable.



Modern Hybrid Cloud Architecture



Today’s modern hybrid cloud solutions focus less on connecting the two types of cloud servers and focus on the apps that run in the environment, ensuring they have maximum portability.



The apps have independent and small coupled services. It runs on a micro service architecture that’s supported by containers. This not only increases security but supports more collaboration.



Since they run on the same IT operating system, they run on the same unified platform as the public cloud. Apps can be moved from one environment to another without you worrying about the system breaking.



Hybrid Cloud Benefits



The hybrid cloud offers many of the same benefits as other cloud servers, such as flexibility and reduced costs.



However, it offers one main benefit: supporting digital transformation. Since it advances constantly, it’s a great way for businesses to move their workspace to a digital platform.



The hybrid cloud won’t only save your business money, but you’ll make your ROI. It optimizes IT performance and agility. This makes it more convenient for businesses to make certain demands and gives them a competitive edge.



It also better supports teams, specifically remote teams. Since it is available over a shared network, staff members can access the files and data from anywhere. This increases collaboration and productivity.



Possible Issues With the Hybrid Cloud



The hybrid cloud offers many solutions for businesses. Unfortunately, it’s not perfect. While it offers many security benefits, there are a few security loopholes in the system.



The biggest is compliance. Businesses in specific industries need to not only comply with strict data privacy regulations but also check to ensure they’re meeting these regulations. There aren’t many ways to automate this system, which presents a challenge for these businesses.



While it is a great solution for data security, there may still be some weaknesses. If your sensitive data isn’t stored within a wall of encryption, you’re vulnerable to hackers. Your data also becomes more vulnerable during a data migration if you’re not encrypting your data in motion.



Are Hybrid Clouds More Secure Than the Private Cloud?



Before it's adoption, many businesses used the private cloud for security purposes. This was important for businesses in niches such as finance, where there was a lot of compliance behind client security.



Unfortunately, the private cloud isn’t flexible since the owner runs their own private server, as opposed to using a server on the same operating system in a public environment. Since businesses were responsible for their own updates, this also increased costs.



The hybrid cloud was a great solution since it offered plenty of security, more flexibility, and reduced expenses.



But does that mean it is just as secure as a private server? It offers plenty of security, but as long as it’s properly integrated, designed, and managed. Since the hybrid runs on multiple environments, this can be an effective security defense.



However, it does face its fair share of risks, from losing data during data migration to a hacker compromising a large part of your system and data. This is why businesses need to be responsible with their sensitive data and always have a disaster recovery strategy.



The Other Cloud Types



We have been mentioning the public and private cloud. But what are they?



Public Cloud



Most individuals and small businesses use the public cloud. These services are often free and come with limited storage (though you can pay for more storage).



What makes a cloud server public is whether or not you own the server. In a public cloud environment, you’re essentially renting a part of the cloud’s server.



Public clouds are scalable and fully automate any updates. This not only makes the public cloud efficient and reliable but also affordable.



However, the public cloud can be expensive if your data requirements become too big. You also have less control over the server and the security settings. This is why larger businesses and those in specific niches chose the private cloud.



Private Cloud



In a private cloud, you set up your own dedicated cloud infrastructure. While you can host your private cloud server yourself, most businesses hire a third-party to host their cloud. This gives you greater control over your server.



While this can result in added costs, businesses can save money since the private server will inevitably decrease operating costs. Since you own the firewall, you’ll secure your data. While the private cloud lacks advanced security features, you can easily migrate your data if necessary.



However, the private cloud does come with more responsibilities. Since you’re paying for maintenance or for a third-party to manage your server, this will increase costs. You also won’t be able to scale a private cloud as easily as a public cloud.



Who Uses the Hybrid Cloud?



The hybrid cloud offers many benefits for businesses. But who uses the hybrid cloud? Does the hybrid cloud benefit specific businesses?



Different businesses of all sizes and across all industries utilize the hybrid cloud. It prevents the strain of server management and reduces costs.



But they specifically benefits businesses in the health and finance niches. These industries have strict data compliance regulations, so a standard public server won’t give these businesses the type of security they need.



The hybrid cloud also offers more storage and improve computing power. Businesses in these niches have a platform that keeps up with customer demands while offering plenty of storage for all of their data.



They also prevents these businesses from running their servers on-site. Most organizations don’t have space and resources to run on-premise servers, so it offers an effective digital alternative.



On-premise servers may also lack security features compared to digital alternatives. Organizations have to manage, maintain, and update their own servers. This is done automatically on the public sector of a hybrid server, and businesses can maintain their own private server on this platform.



When You Should Use the Hybrid Cloud



Are you still debating if the hybrid cloud or another cloud platform is a better solution for you? Here are some scenarios to help you decide.



Separating Workloads and Data



Most businesses have general data they access daily, such as enterprise applications, as well as sensitive data such as customer information. It can let you utilize both public and private clouds, making it easy to separate your data and workloads.



Changing Workloads



The hybrid cloud is agile, which creates a dynamic workplace. If you frequently change your workload, it can keep up with these demands. In addition, you can change what’s necessary. In other words, you can leave sensitive data on a private server.



Use the Cloud at Your Own Pace



Since it is flexible, businesses can use it at their own pace and utilize any solutions they need. You can expand your cloud server as needed and use a mixture of public and private servers.



Big Data Processing



The hybrid cloud also benefits big data processing. You can keep your sensitive data behind a firewall while running other big data resources through your public cloud.



Unpredictability



No business can predict the future. In case there’s an unpredictable event, you can scale your servers. You can match your needs to several of it's functions, no matter how much your needs change.



Temporary Solutions



It also offers temporary solutions. For example, let’s say you’re working on a short-term project and need data storage. You can adjust your settings to run on a public cloud, reducing costs.



You Simply Want the Best of Both Worlds



Can’t decide if you need a public or private cloud? You can choose the hybrid cloud if you want the best of both worlds. 



How to Manage a Hybrid Cloud



Did you decide that the hybrid cloud is an effective solution for your business? Since part or most of it is ran on a public server, a lot of the maintenance is automatically done for you. But if you utilize more private servers, you’ll have to manage that part of the cloud.



Most have a single interface that manages all services within the cloud. If it doesn’t, managing the hybrid cloud would be extremely complex. Each cloud solution has its own storage protocols, API, and networking capabilities.



For best results, businesses shouldn’t try and DIY and their hybrid cloud maintenance. Seeking professional help will ensure your different servers will communicate effectively while handling all cloud solutions.



This way, you can ensure your cloud is always up and running.



Are You Looking for a Hybrid Cloud Solution?



The hybrid cloud model is attractive for businesses for many reasons. You can utilize both public and private servers for flexibility while increasing security. But without the right hybrid cloud solution, you may not experience all of the benefits.



Our hybrid cloud architecture is a one-stop-shop for all businesses. We can customize the model to your needs. Learn more about our hybrid cloud services.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions

#### The Importance of 24/7 Network Monitoring for Businesses
Almost 20% of US businesses fail within the first two years. With the right strategies in place, though, you can avoid this.

One of the most important responsibilities entrepreneurs have is implementing network monitoring services. Otherwise, they run the risk of experiencing network downtime, data breaches, and similar issues.

Let's take a look at the importance of outsourced IT support which provides 24/7 network monitoring for your company.
Insight Into Network Activity
As you might guess, 24/7 monitoring can provide you with insight into your network activity. This is an invaluable resource, as it helps you quickly identify potential issues and address them promptly.

As a result, businesses can reduce the amount of time customers experience outages or technical difficulties due to poor network performance.
Greater Visibility
In any city, but especially in one as sprawling as Los Angeles, a managed IT services Los Angeles based company can provide you with greater visibility. This includes noticing if any malicious activity is occurring on the network and taking steps to prevent it from affecting your business.

It also allows them to identify opportunities for optimization, so you can avoid wasting time and money in unnecessary areas.
Reduced Risk
With frequent scans and regular patching, you can help ensure that any potential vulnerabilities are addressed quickly before they become a problem.

This also ensures compliance with industry standards, protecting you from costly penalties or lawsuits. For example, consider the consequences of the 2017 Equifax data breach.

Not only was the company ordered to pay out millions to those affected, but it also irreparably damaged the reputation of the business.
Improved Reliability
This functionality helps to provide reliable service by continually improving your environment. This includes identifying and correcting issues before they become major problems, as well as maintaining system uptime goals.

As a result, you can rest assured that your network is running optimally at all times. This will directly translate into increased business performance, which also means improved revenue.
Enhanced Efficiency
Outsourced tech support companies improve overall efficiency by cutting down on the amount of time your team spends on manual tasks. Automated processes can also help reduce potential human errors, thereby increasing operational accuracy.

It's also worth noting that using automation allows you to detect threats much faster than you would otherwise be able to.
What Are the Most Common Threats My Company Faces?
Understanding the threats to your business will go a long way when it comes to helping you protect yourself.

Listed below are some of the most notable.

Let's dive in.
Phishing Attacks
Phishing is a type of cyber attack where malicious actors send emails and other communications posing as legitimate companies. These messages contain links that can install malware on the recipient's system.

In some cases, phishing attacks could appear to be from an entirely legitimate source. This makes them difficult to discern under certain circumstances.
Malware
Malware refers to software specifically developed for malicious purposes, such as data theft or destruction. Common examples include spyware and Trojans.

The good news is that having the right protections in place can allow you to prevent a malware attack.
Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks
These attacks are designed to overload a server, denying users legitimate access to the system or causing it to crash completely. Smaller companies may not have the resources to overcome them.

However, even larger businesses could fall victim to a DDoS attack.
Social Engineering
Social engineering is a tactic used by cybercriminals where they try and gain access to sensitive information by exploiting people's trust.

This could involve sending messages from fake emails or making phone calls pretending to be an employee of the company. Although this is similar to a phishing attack, it is not identical.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that locks down the affected system and demands a ransom in exchange for unlocking it.

In the event that you don't satisfy the requirements of the hacker, they will often delete all of your data. They could also leave it encrypted indefinitely. In extreme cases, though, they might leak your data to the public or sell it to a competitor.

This could be a situation that is difficult or even impossible to recover from.
How Do I Find the Right Professional For Me?
It shouldn't come as a surprise that not all professionals deliver the same results. For this reason, you need to research the options available to you. It's essential that you take a look at their past reputation.

The feedback past customers have left is a great resource. Look for a local IT support company that goes out of its way to resolve issues. However, you should also consider their industry experience.

You should never work with a business that cannot prove its worth. The good news is that reputable companies often offer free consultations.

The business you choose should have plenty of experience working with people like you. If they can't create an actionable plan for your goals, you should continue your search.

What does their billing structure look like?

With this in mind, you can avoid unnecessary costs. If you are uncomfortable communicating with them, it's best to walk away. The right company for you is one that you have no problem contacting.
Network Monitoring Doesn't Have to Be Overwhelming
Initially, network monitoring may seem daunting. The good news is that the guide above has everything you need to know to make the process simple.

Looking for more information about Los Angeles IT services and what Be Structured Technology Group can do? Reach out to us today to see how we can help.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Networking

#### The Importance of Data Backup and Hacker Protection for Businesses
Cybercrime is a serious and growing threat to public safety and economic prosperity in America. In 2023, small business cyber incidents spiked, with the median number of attacks reaching 4, up from 3 in 2022.

With cyberattacks on the rise, you want to keep your business safe and secure. A good starting point is to understand the importance of data backup and hacker protection for your business.

This guide explores why these two aspects are critical for safeguarding your business data.
What Is Data Backup and Why Is It Important?
Data backup involves making copies of all your important business information, and securely storing it elsewhere. In the event of data loss due to a cyberattack to simple human error, you can restore your original data in no time. This system acts as a fail-safe, maintaining your business's operational continuity.

Implementing data backup involves:

 	Deciding what data to back up
 	How often to back up
 	Where to store the backups

You typically want to back up your most crucial data daily to minimize the amount of information that could be lost. Depending on your business, you may need to use a combination of data backup solutions to protect your data.
What Are the Different Data Backup Solutions Available?
Prevention can also be your best backup plan by avoiding any threats to your network in the first place. That's why we recommend a privileged access management strategy to thwart attacks before they happen.

Still, having an effective backup solution is non-negotiable when safeguarding your business's critical data. But not all solutions are created equal. This makes it vital to understand your options.

Data backup solutions fall into two main categories - onsite and offsite. Each type offers distinct advantages and can be implemented in various ways depending on your business needs.

Here are key considerations when choosing the right data backup and recovery solutions for your business.
1. Onsite Data Backup
This method involves storing copies of your data physically close to your business location, typically within the same building. It uses storage devices that are directly accessible from your business's network.

Here are some of the common types of onsite data backups for businesses:
External Hard Drives
These are portable storage devices that you can physically connect to your computer. They're a good option for smaller businesses or for backing up specific files regularly.
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
A NAS device allows multiple computers within your business to access and back up their data to a central unit. It's like having a mini data center in your office, readily accessible to everyone who needs it.
Backup Tape Drives
These conventional drives are a reliable and cost-effective option for businesses with a lot of data. However, they can be slower to access compared to other options.
Solid-State Drives (SSDs)
These are high-speed drives often used for storing frequently accessed data. While not a standalone backup solution, some businesses might use them alongside other methods for faster recovery of data in case of an incident.

With onsite backups, you maintain complete control over the backup hardware and the data itself. There are no third-party providers involved, which can be crucial if your business handles highly sensitive data. Plus, you can access and restore your original data quickly, as the backup devices are physically close and directly connected to your network.
2. Offsite Data Backup
This data backup method involves storing copies of your data at a location separate from your primary business site. Here are some common offsite data backup options for businesses:
Cloud Backup
Imagine storing your data in a giant virtual vault somewhere "out there" on the internet. That's cloud backup for you. It's convenient, automatic, and accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS)
This takes cloud backup a step further, providing a complete recovery system. When disaster strikes, you can restore your entire computer network and applications from the cloud, getting your business back up and running again in no time. It's like having a complete digital replica of your office systems, ready to be activated at a moment's notice.
Remote Backup to Another Location
This option involves moving your backup data to a separate physical location, often another office or a data center. It might involve using external hard drives or tapes.

Offsite backups are perfect for businesses that face a high risk of theft or damage to their premises. They offer an extra layer of protection against disasters like physical damage to your office or even a cyberattack that encrypts your local data.
What Is Data Backup?
Effective data backup practices are essential for securing your data against loss from cyberattacks, technical failures, or physical disasters. Here are a few best practices you should consider to create an effective and reliable data backup strategy:
3-2-1 Backup Rule
One of the golden rules in data backup is the 3-2-1 strategy. This means you should have at least three total copies of your data - one primary data set and two backups.

Store the copies on two different media types to protect against different types of hazards. For example, one backup on an external hard drive and another in a cloud backup solution.

Keep one backup copy offsite. Offsite storage protects against the possibility of physical damage to your primary location.
Automate Data Backup and Recovery Processes
Human error or forgetfulness can lead to missed backups. Using automated tools helps maintain your backup schedule without intervention. Schedule backups during off-peak hours to minimize the impact on system performance and business operations.
Test Backups Regularly
Testing your backups regularly to ensure they can be restored is also vital. There's nothing worse than thinking you're protected, only to find out during a critical moment that your backup isn't up to scratch.

Keep your backup strategy simple, consistent, and robust, and you won't lose everything in a single disaster.
Secure Your Backups
Implement strong access controls and authentication methods to restrict access to backup data. For example, encryption helps protect data both in transit and at rest. This is critical if data is intercepted during transfer or stolen in physical form.
Use Redundant Data Backup Methods
Diversify your backup methods by combining onsite and offsite storage solutions. This protects against both local disasters and systemic failures that might affect a single backup method.

Consider cloud storage options for scalable and flexible backup solutions that can be accessed remotely.
Monitor and Update Data Backup Systems
Keep your backup systems updated with the latest software patches and security updates to protect them against vulnerabilities. Also, monitor backup processes through logs and alerts to quickly identify and address failures or irregularities in the backup process.
Retain Backup Versions
Implement versioning control where multiple historical copies of data files are saved. This allows you to revert to a specific point in time. This can be critical for recovering from data corruption or ransomware attacks.

Make sure you set clear retention policies that meet regulatory compliance needs and business objectives for how long data should be retained before it's destroyed.
Educate Your Team
Train staff on the importance of backups and their roles in the backup and recovery process. Make sure they understand how to respond in the event of data loss. Conduct regular reviews and drills involving all relevant employees to ensure everyone knows how to act quickly and efficiently under pressure.
What Is Hacker Protection and Why Is It Important?
Hacker protection is a digital security shield for your business. It's a set of tools and strategies like advanced enpoint protection that work together to keep cybercriminals (hackers) out of your computer systems and away from your valuable data.

Some key hacker protection tools and strategies include:
Firewalls
Think of a firewall as a bouncer at the door of your network, checking and managing the internet traffic that comes in and out of your business. There are different types of firewalls block unauthorized access while allowing legitimate traffic through. They are the first line of defense in preventing attackers from accessing sensitive data.
Antivirus Programs
These programs scan, detect, and remove malicious software, also known as malware. This includes viruses, worms, and trojans which can steal or damage your data. Keeping your antivirus software up-to-date is crucial to protect against the latest threats.
Anti-Spyware
Spyware is a type of malware that monitors the user's activities without permission and reports it back to the attacker. Anti-spyware tools work to detect and remove these hidden programs. This ensures that your business's confidential information remains private.
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
An IDS monitors your network for suspicious activities that might indicate a potential threat, like a cyberattack. It acts like a security camera, alerting you to what might otherwise go unnoticed, so you can respond quickly to prevent possible breaches.
Hardware Solutions
Secure routers and encrypted storage are the hard hats and safety goggles of your IT infrastructure. Secure routers help direct traffic safely across your network, protecting the data as it moves.

Encrypted storage scrambles your data so that even if someone were to get their hands on it, they wouldn't be able to understand it without the key.
Procedural Safeguards
Procedural safeguards include things like security audits, penetration testing, and user training. They form an essential part of your cyber defense strategy.

Security audits and penetration testing involve regularly checking your systems for vulnerabilities. User training educates your employees on the importance of security practices, such as recognizing phishing scams and choosing strong passwords.
What Are the Best Practices for Hacker Protection?
Protecting your business from hackers is a fundamental part of your operational stability. Implementing robust security measures and continuously updating them can significantly reduce your vulnerability to cyber attacks. Here are some effective practices to enhance your data protection efforts:
Keep Your Software Updated
Regular updates are crucial. They fix IT security holes and protect your data. Make it a routine to update all software, from your operating systems to applications, as soon as new patches are available.
Use Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication
Encourage your team to use complex passwords that are hard to crack. Combine this with two factor authentication (2FA) or even multi-factor authentication (MFA), which adds an extra layer of security by requiring additional verification to access sensitive systems. This ensures that a stolen password alone isn't enough to breach your defenses.
Educate Your Employees
Your team can be your strongest defense or your weakest link. Regularly train them on how to identify and prevent threats like:

 	Phishing protection
 	Malware and penetration testing
 	Spoofing
 	Password attacks
 	Ransomware

When your team knows how to identify and prevent potential breaches, your business will be better protected against hackers. This helps safeguard your valuable data.
Backup Your Data
Backups are your safety net. Ensure you regularly backup all critical data in multiple locations, including offsite storage. This practice helps you recover quickly in case of data loss due to a cyberattack or other disasters.
Implement Network Security Measures
Use firewalls to block unauthorized access to your networks and deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) to monitor network traffic for suspicious activity. These tools can enhance your perimeter security.
Secure Your Physical Assets
Physical security often gets overlooked when discussing cyber threats. However, securing your servers, workstations, and other sensitive equipment is just as important. Use controlled access to your IT environment to prevent unauthorized physical access.
Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing
Conducting regular security audits and engaging in penetration testing are effective ways to discover vulnerabilities before hackers do. These practices assess your infrastructure's security strength and the effectiveness of your current defense strategies.
Create a Comprehensive Incident Response Plan
Having a plan in place for managing security breaches can significantly reduce recovery time and costs. Your incident response plan should include procedures for containment, eradication, and recovery, alongside clear communication strategies.
Importance of Data Backup and Hacker Protection: Get Local IT Support Today
As cyberattacks continue to escalate, you want to ensure that your business's cybercrime countermeasures are effective at combatting them. Understanding the importance of data backup and hacker protection is a crucial first step in keeping cybercriminals at bay.

At Be Structured, we offer Los Angeles IT support services to cater to the diverse needs of modern businesses. Founded in 2007, we are passionate about technology and its ability to provide practical solutions in the workplace.

If you're looking for IT support in Los Angeles or the surrounding areas, we can provide you with tailored business IT services.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss how we can help.
- Categories: Backup, Tips & Tricks

#### The Importance of IT Support for Property Management
In property management, maintenance requests play a crucial role in tenant satisfaction. A leaky faucet or a broken heater isn't just a repair job—it’s a defining moment in the tenant experience. 
Quick and effective resolutions make tenants feel valued and secure, while delays lead to frustration and a potential loss of trust. This is where IT support transforms property management. 
By integrating cloud-based platforms, automated ticketing systems, and AI-driven chatbots, property managers can streamline maintenance operations and enhance tenant engagement. 
Implementing these technologies leads to faster response times, improved efficiency, and better tenant retention. In short, quality IT support in property management reduces costs and downtime.

How Maintenance Requests Impact Property Management
A maintenance request begins when a tenant identifies an issue, such as a plumbing leak or HVAC malfunction. Traditionally, these requests are made via phone or email, often getting lost in slow and inefficient communication channels. This outdated approach creates several challenges:


 	Delayed Responses: Requests may sit unnoticed in an inbox for days before a property manager sees them. This delay can cause minor issues to escalate into significant maintenance problems, increasing repair costs and frustrating tenants.
 	Miscommunication: Without a structured system, tenants often receive little to no updates about the status of their request. They might assume their request has been ignored, leading to unnecessary follow-ups and dissatisfaction.
 	Inefficiencies: Manually tracking requests using spreadsheets or email chains can result in overlooked issues, duplicated efforts, or delayed resolutions. Property managers may struggle to organize and prioritize requests effectively.

These issues can slow down maintenance processes and negatively impact tenant satisfaction and retention. Property managers must find solutions that ensure timely responses and effective issue resolution.

The Role of IT Support for Property Management
Technology has become a game-changer in modern property management, addressing longstanding inefficiencies in maintenance request handling. Traditional methods, such as phone calls and emails, often lead to miscommunication, slow response times, and tenant dissatisfaction. 
With IT support, property managers can now leverage advanced tools that enhance workflow automation, improve communication, and ensure timely resolutions.


Propoerty management companies have enough to worry about without stressing IT support.
One of the biggest advantages of integrating IT support for property management is the ability to centralize and streamline maintenance request processes. 
Hybrid cloud-based solutions, automated ticketing systems, and AI-powered chatbots allow property managers to monitor, prioritize, and resolve issues with greater efficiency. These tools not only reduce administrative burdens but also enhance the overall tenant experience, leading to increased satisfaction and retention rates.
Additionally, cybersecurity considerations are crucial in the digital transformation of property management. 
Ensuring that tenant data remains secure while utilizing IT solutions is a fundamental aspect of modern operations. With robust security measures in place, property managers can confidently adopt technology-driven solutions to enhance their services and optimize their workflows.

Cloud-Based Platforms for Centralized Communication
Cloud-based platforms have revolutionized property management by offering a centralized system for maintenance requests. Tenants can submit requests through an intuitive portal, which logs and categorizes each issue for streamlined management.
With cloud-based IT support for property management, property managers benefit from:


 	Centralized Communication: All requests and updates are stored in one platform, eliminating lost or overlooked requests. Property managers, tenants, and maintenance teams can access real-time data, ensuring smooth coordination.
 	Faster Response Times: Managers can instantly assess requests, assign tasks, and track progress, significantly reducing downtime for tenants.
 	Real-Time Tracking: Tenants and property managers can monitor the status of requests at any time, ensuring transparency and accountability in the resolution process.
 	Mobile Accessibility: Many cloud platforms offer mobile-friendly interfaces, allowing property managers to handle requests while on the go and ensuring continuous workflow efficiency.

Automated Ticketing Systems for Efficient Issue Resolution
Automated ticketing systems enhance maintenance workflows by organizing requests based on urgency. A heating failure in the winter, for example, is classified as high priority, while minor cosmetic concerns are given lower priority.
By leveraging an outsourced IT support company, property managers can integrate automated ticketing systems that:


 	Assign Priority Levels: Requests are automatically sorted based on severity, ensuring that critical maintenance tasks are handled first while less urgent issues are scheduled accordingly.
 	Provide Real-Time Notifications: Tenants receive instant updates about their maintenance requests, from confirmation to resolution, reducing follow-up inquiries and improving satisfaction.
 	Improve Coordination: Property managers can efficiently allocate tasks to maintenance personnel or external vendors, reducing downtime and optimizing workforce utilization.
 	Generate Performance Reports: These systems offer insights into maintenance trends, technician response times, and service quality, allowing property managers to make data-driven decisions for operational improvement

AI-Driven Chatbots for Immediate Assistance
AI-powered chatbots are changing how property managers handle tenant communications. These bots can instantly answer common inquiries like "How do I submit a maintenance request?" or "When will my repair be completed?" 
By handling routine questions, chatbots free up property managers to focus on critical tasks.

Benefits of chatbot integration include:


 	Instant Responses: Tenants receive immediate answers without waiting for human intervention, improving their overall experience.
 	Reduced Workload: Staff can focus on complex maintenance issues rather than spending time addressing repetitive inquiries.
 	24/7 Availability: Unlike human agents, AI chatbots can operate round the clock, ensuring tenants always have access to assistance.
 	Multilingual Support: Some advanced chatbots can communicate in multiple languages, catering to diverse tenant communities and ensuring inclusivity in property management services.

Strengthening Cybersecurity in Property Management
As property management becomes more reliant on IT solutions, cybersecurity is a top concern. Protecting tenant data is essential to maintaining trust and compliance with industry regulations.
A managed service provider ensures that property managers implement best practices for data security, such as:


 	Data Encryption: Sensitive tenant information, such as lease agreements and personal identification details, is protected against unauthorized access and cyber threats.
 	Regular System Updates: Ensuring all software and security measures are up to date reduces vulnerabilities and minimizes potential cyber risks.
 	Access Controls: Implementing role-based access controls restricts data access to only authorized personnel, reducing the likelihood of internal data breaches.
 	Cybersecurity Training: Educating staff on best security practices helps prevent phishing attacks, password breaches, and other common cyber threats.

A local IT support services provider can also conduct security audits and risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities before they lead to breaches. With 24/7 monitoring and support, property managers can ensure tenant data remains protected at all times.

Elevate Your Property Management Strategy Today
Technology is revolutionizing property management, and staying ahead requires proactive IT solutions. Be Structured provides IT services for real estate  property management, equipping you with the tools to improve maintenance processes, enhance tenant communication, and protect valuable data.
Now is the time to upgrade your property management strategy with the right IT support. Schedule a free consultation today and take your operations to the next level.
- Categories: IT support for Property Management, Managed It Services
- Tags: IT support for property management

#### The Importance of Security Training
If your organization wants to maximize your network security platform, partnering with a team of security experts is a critical first step. However, many businesses make the mistake of thinking IT security ends there. As with most things, the ideal IT security platform strikes an ideal balance between expert strategies and ongoing support for your team. An effective network security platform incorporates regular employee awareness training that prepares your team to identify and respond to threats appropriately. Since cybercriminals are always finding new ways to compromise business operations, your team needs to be on alert and prepared to respond to ever-changing threats.

If you’re looking for some ways to start prioritizing security training and developing a more comprehensive network security approach, here are some critical strategies to get you started.
Prioritizing Security Awareness Strategies
To get your team started with training that bolsters your network defenses, here are some proven tactics from our security experts.
Get Started From Onboarding
As soon as a new employee joins your team, make security awareness a priority from the beginning. Incorporate an online security training module into your organization’s new employee training process. Security training isn’t just for IT employees. Ensure everyone at your organization has the fundamental tools to keep your network protected from the inside out.

Many managed IT service providers offer security awareness courses that educate your team so they can identify threats before they interfere with your operations. By beginning with a strong network security foundation, you can ensure your network is protected from the ground up. At the same time, if you’re just implementing a training platform, make sure existing employees have access to the same information as new employees, so no gaps are left in your security approach.
Keep an Eye Out for Emerging Threats
With today’s security landscape, new cybersecurity threats evolve and develop at a moment’s notice. While introductory training is critical, ongoing training that covers new and emerging threats is just as important. Partnering with a team of experts to develop cutting-edge training solutions can help keep your organization’s data protected from the latest threats. Training your employees to defend against last year’s threats is helpful, but leaves your network vulnerable. Don’t treat IT security training as a one-and-done task. Ongoing training is just as critical to maximizing your cybersecurity strategies by protecting you from emerging threats.
Put Your Strategies to the Test
Targeted simulations can pinpoint areas of risk and opportunities for growing your cybersecurity platform. Partnering with a team of security specialists also can give you the tools to test your team and uncover how effective your awareness training is. Simulated phishing attacks are a simple strategy that businesses of all sizes can deploy to bolster network security. As opposed to ongoing training, simulated attacks keep your team on their toes by offering real-world training that hones their instincts. At the same time, you’ll receive reports that show you how well your strategies are working.
Prioritize Passwords
Too many users still rely on predictable passwords that leave gaping holes in your network defenses. Require your team to use complex passwords composed of varying letters, numbers, and symbols. At the same time, develop policies that require users to change passwords regularly to maximize security.
Today’s Top IT Security Threats
If yours is a small or medium-size business in Los Angeles, the most common cybersecurity threats are phishing and ransomware attacks. Here are some fundamental ways you can keep your organization protected from each.
Phishing Attacks
With comprehensive anti-phishing platforms such as PhishMe and KnowBe4, your team can take a proactive approach to protecting against phishing attempts. Both platforms provide training tools and can automate simulated attacks that keep your team on alert.
Ransomware Attacks
Protecting your network from ransomware attacks involves a bit more than defending against phishing. A managed service provider (MSP) like Be Structured can help you leverage the latest cloud services to develop a more robust security strategy that keeps your mission-critical data protected in the event of a ransomware attack.
Los Angeles IT Support
If your organization is looking for a team of security experts to keep your network protected, prioritize ongoing security training, and ultimately support your business with the latest technology, contact Be Structured today. We’ll work with you to understand your needs and goals and ensure your team has the tools to succeed.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Anti-Phishing Platforms, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Platform, Cybersecurity Threats, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Network Security Platform, Phishing, Ransomware, Simulated Phishing Attacks

#### The Importance of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) and Zero Trust VPNs
The concept of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) has emerged as a pivotal paradigm in safeguarding digital assets. With the escalating prevalence of insider threats and external breaches, traditional security measures, including Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), are facing unprecedented challenges. 
This article examines and compares ZTNA and traditional VPNs, dissecting their respective strengths and weaknesses. By unraveling the practical implications of these security approaches, we aim to equip businesses with the insights needed to fortify their cybersecurity strategies effectively.














 

Traditional VPNs: Legacy Security Solutions in the Digital Era

Traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have long been regarded as stalwart guardians of data transmission and remote access. Initially designed to establish secure connections over untrusted networks, VPNs played a pivotal role in enabling remote work and securing sensitive communications. 
However, the digital landscape has undergone a seismic shift, rendering traditional VPNs susceptible to a myriad of vulnerabilities and limitations.


Historical Significance of VPNs

The historical significance of traditional VPNs cannot be understated. These networks were instrumental in facilitating secure communication channels across the nascent internet, allowing organizations to extend their private networks over public infrastructures. 
This innovation revolutionized remote work capabilities and laid the foundation for secure data transmission in an increasingly interconnected world.


Vulnerabilities and Limitations of VPNs

Despite their historical importance, traditional VPNs exhibit notable vulnerabilities and limitations in the contemporary cybersecurity paradigm. The inherent trust placed in users upon successful authentication, coupled with the potential for lateral movement within the network, poses significant security risks. 
Moreover, the reliance on network perimeter defenses and the binary access control model often proves inadequate in thwarting sophisticated cyber threats, leaving organizations susceptible to data breaches and unauthorized access.



The inadequacies of traditional VPNs have become increasingly apparent in the face of evolving cyber threats and the proliferation of remote work. 
As such, the need for a more robust and adaptive security framework has propelled the emergence of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) as a compelling alternative.


Comparative Analysis: ZTNA vs. Traditional VPNs

Amidst the evolving cybersecurity landscape, a comparative analysis of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) and traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) unveils distinct strengths, weaknesses, and practical implications across diverse security scenarios. 
By dissecting these security approaches, organizations can discern the most effective strategies to fortify their digital perimeters and safeguard critical assets.
How your network IT support staff or company prepares for these intrusive and often debilitating attacks is key to how quickly a business can respond and keep itself safely online–and many outsourced tech support companies can assist you with the fastest and most fluid way of properly setting up your VPN to enhance your network setup.


ZTNA Strengths and Weaknesses
ZTNA Strengths

 	
Granular Access Control: ZTNA adopts a fine-grained access control model, ensuring that users only access authorized resources based on contextual parameters.
 	
Dynamic Trust Evaluation: ZTNA continuously evaluates trust levels during user sessions, adapting access privileges in real-time to mitigate potential security risks.
 	
Application-Centric Security: ZTNA focuses on securing individual applications rather than entire networks, enhancing protection against lateral movement and unauthorized access.

VPN Strengths

 	
Network-Level Security: Traditional VPNs establish secure network connections, enabling encrypted data transmission and secure remote access to organizational resources.
 	
Established Infrastructure: VPNs are well-established in organizational networks, offering IT teams familiarity and ease of implementation.

ZTNA Weaknesses

 	
Implementation Complexity: The adoption of ZTNA may entail complex integration processes, requiring meticulous planning and expertise to ensure seamless deployment.
 	
Performance Overhead: The dynamic trust evaluation and application-centric security of ZTNA may introduce performance overhead, necessitating careful optimization.

VPN Weaknesses

 	
Perimeter Reliance: Traditional VPNs rely on network perimeter defenses, potentially leaving organizations vulnerable to insider threats and lateral movement within the network.
 	
Binary Access Control: VPNs often employ binary access control models, granting users extensive access privileges upon successful authentication, increasing the risk of unauthorized access.













Photographer: DC Studio

Practical Implications

In diverse cybersecurity scenarios, the choice between ZTNA and traditional VPNs carries profound practical implications. While traditional VPNs continue to offer secure network-level connections, the limitations in access control and susceptibility to insider threats underscore the need for a paradigm shift towards ZTNA. 



Embracing ZTNA's granular access control and application-centric security allows organizations to proactively mitigate evolving cyber threats and fortify their security posture in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape. 


Implementing ZTNA: Best Practices and Practical Considerations

Incorporating Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) into cybersecurity frameworks necessitates a strategic approach, encompassing critical considerations and best practices tailored to the organization's specific requirements. 
By adhering to industry-specific insights and practical guidance, businesses can effectively integrate ZTNA to fortify their security posture and adapt to the evolving threat landscape.


Critical Considerations

 	
Contextual Access Policies: Establishing contextual access policies is paramount, as well as ensuring that access privileges are dynamically adjusted based on user behavior, device posture, and environmental variables.
 	
User Experience Optimization: Balancing stringent security measures with a seamless user experience is crucial, warranting careful consideration of access workflows and authentication mechanisms to minimize friction.
 	
Comprehensive Visibility: Gaining comprehensive visibility into user activities and resource interactions is essential, empowering security teams to detect and respond to anomalous behavior effectively.

Best Practices

 	
Zero Trust Principles Adherence: Aligning ZTNA implementation with Zero Trust principles is foundational, emphasizing the continuous verification of trust and the principle of least privilege.
 	
Multi-Layered Security Controls: Implementing multi-layered security controls, including identity and access management, encryption, and behavioral analytics, fortifies the ZTNA framework against diverse cyber threats.
 	
Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation: Embracing a proactive security stance involves continuous monitoring and adaptation, enabling real-time response to emerging threats and evolving user behaviors.

Industry-Specific Insights

 	
Healthcare Sector: In the healthcare sector, ZTNA implementation must accommodate stringent regulatory requirements, patient data privacy considerations, and the diverse access needs of healthcare professionals across varied environments.
 	
Financial Services: Within the financial services industry, ZTNA integration demands robust authentication mechanisms, real-time fraud detection capabilities, and seamless user access across banking and financial applications.


By meticulously addressing critical considerations, adhering to best practices, and embracing industry-specific insights, organizations can navigate the complexities of ZTNA implementation, fortifying their cybersecurity defenses and fostering a resilient security posture.


The Future Landscape: ZTNA's Role in Shaping Cybersecurity Strategies

As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) is poised to play a pivotal role in reshaping organizational cybersecurity strategies along with new strategies like Advanced Endpoint Protection and Penetration Testing Services.
By embracing ZTNA's principles and adaptive security framework, businesses can proactively mitigate emerging cyber threats and fortify their digital perimeters in an era characterized by unprecedented connectivity and digital transformation.


Adaptive Security Posture

ZTNA's emphasis on continuous verification of trust and dynamic access control aligns with the evolving cybersecurity landscape, where traditional perimeter-based defenses are proving inadequate against sophisticated cyber threats. 
By fostering an adaptive security posture, ZTNA enables organizations to respond to evolving threat vectors and user behaviors in real-time, bolstering their resilience against cyber attacks.


Contextual Risk Mitigation

The contextual risk mitigation capabilities inherent in ZTNA are poised to revolutionize cybersecurity strategies, enabling organizations to tailor access policies and security controls based on dynamic contextual parameters. 
This approach empowers businesses to mitigate risks associated with insider threats, unauthorized access attempts, and anomalous user behaviors, fostering a proactive security stance aligned with the Zero Trust principles.


Future Trends and Statistics

Statistics and trends underscore the imperative nature of ZTNA in shaping future cybersecurity strategies. With the proliferation of remote work and cloud adoption, the traditional network perimeter has dissolved, necessitating a paradigm shift towards ZTNA's application-centric security and granular access control. 
As organizations grapple with the escalating frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks, ZTNA's role in fortifying cybersecurity strategies becomes increasingly pronounced, heralding a future where adaptive, context-aware security measures are paramount.














 

Emerging Threats: Adapting ZTNA to Combat Evolving Cybersecurity Risks

In the face of rapidly evolving cybersecurity threats, organizations are confronted with a diverse array of risks, ranging from sophisticated malware and ransomware attacks to insider threats and social engineering exploits. As cyber adversaries continually refine their tactics and exploit vulnerabilities, the need for adaptive security measures becomes increasingly pronounced. Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) stands poised to adapt to these emerging threats effectively, offering a dynamic security framework that aligns with the evolving threat landscape.


Adaptive Threat Mitigation

ZTNA's adaptive nature enables organizations to mitigate emerging cybersecurity threats by dynamically adjusting access privileges and security controls based on contextual risk factors. This approach empowers businesses to proactively respond to evolving threat vectors, anomalous user behaviors, and emerging attack methodologies, fostering a resilient security posture that transcends traditional perimeter-based defenses.


Insider Threat Resilience

The proliferation of insider threats underscores the criticality of ZTNA in combatting evolving cybersecurity risks. By implementing granular access controls and continuous trust evaluation, ZTNA enables organizations to mitigate the risks posed by insider threats, unauthorized data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network. 
This adaptive security approach aligns with the Zero Trust principles, emphasizing the verification of trust for every user and device interaction, irrespective of their location within the network.


Context-Aware Security

ZTNA's context-aware security capabilities equip organizations to combat evolving cybersecurity risks effectively. By considering dynamic contextual parameters such as user behavior, device posture, and environmental variables, ZTNA enables businesses to tailor security controls and access policies in real-time, fortifying their defenses against emerging cyber threats. 
This adaptive, context-aware security paradigm aligns with the evolving cybersecurity landscape, offering a proactive stance against the dynamic nature of modern cyber-attacks.


Regulatory Compliance: Navigating Security and Privacy Regulations with ZTNA

Navigating the intersection of Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) with security and privacy regulations presents a multifaceted challenge for organizations, necessitating a nuanced approach to compliance. 
As businesses strive to align their cybersecurity strategies with cybersecurity regulatory compliance, ZTNA's adaptive security framework offers insights into addressing compliance challenges and formulating effective strategies to uphold security and privacy regulations.


Compliance Challenges

 	
Data Privacy Regulations: ZTNA implementation must align with stringent data privacy regulations, necessitating robust encryption mechanisms, data residency considerations, and user consent management to safeguard sensitive information.

 	
Access Control Mandates: Compliance with access control mandates requires organizations to implement granular access policies, multi-factor authentication, and continuous trust evaluation to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.

Strategies for Compliance

 	
Continuous Monitoring and Auditing: Implementing continuous monitoring and auditing mechanisms enables organizations to demonstrate compliance with security and privacy regulations, providing visibility into user activities and access controls.
 	
Policy Customization: Tailoring access policies and security controls to align with specific regulatory mandates foster compliance, ensuring that ZTNA implementation adheres to the intricacies of diverse security and privacy regulations.

Regulatory Alignment

ZTNA's adaptive security framework offers organizations a pathway to effectively navigate the complexities of security and privacy regulations. 
By aligning with regulatory mandates through robust encryption, granular access controls, and continuous trust evaluation, ZTNA enables businesses to fortify their cybersecurity posture while upholding the tenets of data privacy and regulatory compliance.


User Experience and Productivity: Balancing Security and Convenience with ZTNA

Balancing security and user experience is a critical consideration in implementing Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA), as it directly impacts productivity and operational efficiency. 
The seamless integration of robust security measures with a user-friendly experience is essential for fostering a productive work environment while fortifying the organization's digital perimeters.














 

Impact on User Experience

 	
Seamless Access Workflows: ZTNA's adaptive security framework enables seamless access workflows, allowing users to access authorized resources without cumbersome authentication processes, enhancing user experience.
 	
Context-Aware Authentication: Context-aware authentication mechanisms, such as adaptive multi-factor authentication, bolster security without unduly burdening users, striking a balance between security and user convenience.

Productivity Considerations

 	
Remote Work Enablement: ZTNA facilitates secure remote access to organizational resources, empowering employees to work from diverse locations without compromising security, thereby enhancing productivity.
 	
Application Performance Optimization: Optimizing application performance within the ZTNA framework ensures that security measures do not impede operational efficiency, fostering a productive work environment.

Achieving a Seamless Balance

Striking a seamless balance between security and user experience necessitates the adoption of best practices tailored to the organization's specific requirements. By leveraging adaptive authentication mechanisms, optimizing access workflows, and prioritizing user-centric security controls, businesses can achieve a harmonious equilibrium between robust security measures and a frictionless user experience. Consider looking into cybersecurity managed service providers to assist you with monitoring, maintaining, and managing IT infrastructure and systems.


Embracing Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA)

Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) emerges as a transformative paradigm in fortifying cybersecurity strategies. It offers a dynamic and adaptive security framework that aligns with the evolving threat landscape. 
By embracing ZTNA's principles, organizations can proactively mitigate emerging cyber threats, foster a resilient security posture, and effectively navigate the complexities of security and privacy regulations.



The seamless integration of ZTNA not only bolsters security measures but also enhances user experience and productivity, striking a harmonious balance between robust security controls and operational efficiency.
Be Structured Technology Group offers outsourced IT support services for those who are interested in keeping their businesses up to the newest security standards in the industry. 
Reach out to us to learn how we can help you!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Networking, Security

#### The Key Benefits of Healthcare IT Managed Services
Managed IT services for healthcare are becoming a game-changer, transforming how medical facilities handle their IT operations while focusing on patient care. 
The healthcare industry, driven by the need for accurate data management, operational efficiency, and strict regulatory compliance, faces mounting challenges when relying on outdated systems. 
Not only do these old systems slow down daily operations, but they also increase the risk of patient safety and data security breaches. Managed IT services offer healthcare organizations a proactive solution, allowing them to shift their focus from IT struggles to what matters most: delivering exceptional care.
Hiring an outsourced healthcare IT support company improves efficiency, reduces downtime, improves patient data security, while adopting better compliance with regulatory demands. 
Let’s explore how managed IT services can reshape the healthcare landscape and support the future of patient care.

Transforming IT Services for Healthcare
Managed IT services refer to outsourcing IT management and responsibilities to a third-party provider, often known as a managed service provider. This approach is crucial for healthcare organizations facing the growing complexity of technology and regulatory requirements. 
Internal IT teams, while capable, are often overwhelmed by the ever-expanding demands placed on healthcare systems. By partnering with an experienced outsourced IT support services company, healthcare facilities can shift from a reactive, problem-solving mode to a proactive one that anticipates and prevents issues before they impact daily operations.
Managed IT services provide continuous support, ensuring that the technology healthcare facilities depend on remains up-to-date, secure, and reliable. This proactive approach translates to more efficient workflows and fewer disruptions in patient care.


Driving Improved Operational Efficiency
One of the most significant advantages of managed IT services is the boost in operational efficiency. Healthcare organizations rely on a wide array of systems—from electronic health records (EHRs) to telemedicine platforms—and ensuring these systems work seamlessly is essential for efficient patient care.
Managed IT services optimize workflows and streamline operations, leading to fewer delays and faster patient service. By automating routine administrative tasks such as data entry or patient records management, healthcare providers free up staff to focus on direct patient care rather than backend operations. 
For example, a mid-sized healthcare provider that integrated managed IT services saw a 30% decrease in administrative tasks, allowing its staff to spend more time addressing patient needs.
Moreover, a dedicated IT team provided by a managed service provider ensures that technical issues are resolved quickly, minimizing disruptions. This leads to an overall improvement in operational efficiency, which in turn improves patient satisfaction and health outcomes.

Minimizing Downtime and Enhancing System Reliability
Healthcare organizations cannot afford system downtimes. Every minute of downtime can result in missed diagnoses, delayed treatments, and compromised patient safety. Managed IT services are critical in reducing system downtimes and enhancing reliability.
One of the core benefits of managed IT services is the implementation of robust backup and disaster recovery solutions. Should an issue arise—whether it be a server failure or a cyberattack—managed IT service providers ensure that data is not lost and can be quickly restored. 
Continuous monitoring of IT systems also allows potential issues to be detected early and resolved before they lead to significant outages. For instance, a hospital utilizing managed IT services reduced its downtime by 50%, ensuring that patient data was consistently accessible and operations ran smoothly. 
The proactive support from an IT support company ensured minimal disruption, which had a direct positive impact on patient care and organizational efficiency.

Bolstering Patient Data Security
In healthcare, protecting patient data is a top priority, especially as data breaches are becoming more prevalent. Managed IT services play an essential role in securing sensitive patient information against internal and external threats. 
Healthcare organizations deal with massive amounts of personal data—protected under laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—which requires a stringent level of data protection.
Managed IT services employ advanced encryption methods, access control protocols, and continuous threat monitoring to secure patient data. By adopting these measures, healthcare providers reduce the likelihood of data breaches and ensure that sensitive information is accessible only to authorized personnel.
In one case, a healthcare facility that partnered with an IT support company reported a 70% reduction in security incidents. With data continuously monitored and updated security protocols in place, the facility significantly minimized the risk of breaches and data loss, safeguarding patient trust.

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance
The healthcare industry is governed by a range of regulations, such as HIPAA, which dictate how patient data is handled, stored, and shared. Non-compliance can result in hefty fines, loss of accreditation, and damaged reputations. Managed IT services simplify compliance by ensuring that healthcare organizations meet regulatory standards.
A key advantage of working with a managed IT services provider is the routine audits and system updates they perform to ensure regulatory compliance. These providers are experts in understanding the latest regulatory changes and can seamlessly integrate these into a healthcare facility’s IT infrastructure. They also provide documentation management, helping healthcare organizations maintain the necessary records to demonstrate compliance during regulatory audits.
By outsourcing IT compliance to experts, healthcare providers are free to focus on what matters most—delivering top-tier patient care without worrying about regulatory violations.


Focusing on Patient Care by Outsourcing IT Support
Outsourcing IT management allows healthcare organizations to concentrate their resources on patient care, which is increasingly becoming the cornerstone of their strategies. Technology should support healthcare providers, not bog them down with constant troubleshooting and updates. 
Managed IT services ensure that healthcare systems are always updated with the latest technology, whether that’s for secure patient data storage, telehealth services, or optimized internal communication systems. With IT handled by specialists, healthcare organizations can reallocate their staff and financial resources towards enhancing patient outcomes and innovating care delivery. 
Telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and AI-driven diagnostic tools are just some examples of technology-enabled care models supported by managed IT services. 
A healthcare organization that partnered with a network and IT support company in Los Angeles recently experienced a surge in patient satisfaction, thanks to seamless tech-driven services and optimized patient care workflows.

Embracing the Future of Healthcare IT Support
Healthcare managed IT services is not just a trend—they are a necessity. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, organizations must keep pace with technological advancements to remain competitive and provide the best care possible. The benefits of managed IT services, from operational efficiency to patient data security, are clear.
Healthcare leaders should consider managed IT services as an investment in the future, one that allows them to direct their resources toward patient care and innovation. 
By working with an experienced outsourced IT support company, healthcare organizations can ensure that their IT systems are always reliable, secure, and compliant. This, in turn, improves the quality of care delivered to patients.

Take Action for Healthcare Transformation
Don't let outdated IT systems hold your healthcare organization back. Revolutionize your IT operations, secure patient data, and ensure compliance with managed IT services. 
To see how your organization can benefit, schedule a free consultation with Be Structured Technology Group today!
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services

#### The Keys to Keeping Your Business Secure With Two Factor Authentication
Did you know that 66% percent of small businesses have experienced a cyber attack in the last 12 months? That means more than half of the companies in operation had a data breach. This means personal information such as their username and password were exposed.

In some regions of the country, like Los Angeles, your business is especially vulnerable. Especially with the area's high concentration of tech companies.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your business especially if your partner with a managed IT services Los Angeles based company.

One of the most effective security measures you can take is using two factor authentication. There are many benefits of two factor authentication. Yet, if you are trying to understand how it will help your business stay secure, this blog post is for you.

Here's what you need to know to learn more about keeping your company safe using two factor authentication.
What is Two Factor Authentication?
Two factor authentication, or 2FA, is an extra layer of security. For example, it can protect programs like your Google Account, Gmail, Blogger, YouTube, and other Google services. Two factor identification also works on other programs you may use.

It requires users to provide two forms of identification before being granted access to an account or system. The first form of identification is typically a password.

The second form of identification can be a code from a physical token or a biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint or iris scan. It can even be as simple as a one-time code generated by an app on a smartphone. For instance, Google's Authenticator app is an excellent example of two factor authentication.
The Benefits of Two Factor Authentication
There are many benefits of using two factor authentication. For starters, it makes it much harder for hackers to gain access to your systems. Even if they get a user's password, they will still need a second form of identification to log in.

This significantly reduces the chances of a successful cyberattack. Additionally, two factor authentication can also make it easier to track down the source of an attack if one does occur. It provides an audit trail that can be used to identify the culprit.

Two factor authentication can also help protect against phishing attacks. When criminals send fake emails designed to trick you into clicking on links, it gives them the chance to access your accounts. By requiring something else apart from just a password (like a text message with a code), two factor authentication can help make sure that only you get access to your account.

Another benefit of two factor authentication is it helps protect against man-in-the-middle attacks. This kind of cyber security attack is where someone impersonates you. Then they retrieve sensitive information from websites or apps.

With two factor authentication enabled on your device, the attacker will not be able to access your data. This is because they won't have access to the second piece of information.

Using two factor authentication for your business can also improve compliance. Many industries have regulations that require the use of 2FA. By using 2FA, you can ensure that your business complies with these regulations.

One last benefit of using two factor authentication is enhanced customer trust. Customers want to know their personal information is safe when doing business with you. Using 2FA can show your customers that you are serious about protecting their data.
How to Implement Two Factor Authentication
There are many different ways to implement two factor authentication. The best approach for your business will depend on your specific needs and resources.

Make sure that you have all the necessary hardware in place. You need a smartphone or other device for each employee who will be using two factor authentication. If you don't have enough devices available, buy more, so everyone has one.

Make sure that all software is up-to-date and functional on each device. Your employees should be able to access their accounts at any time. This includes without any problems or errors occurring during the process.

If they notice any glitches or issues while logging in, they should report these problems immediately. You should also work to resolve them as quickly as possible.

If you're unsure where to start, partnering with companies like Be Structured Technology Group can help. As a leading Los Angeles IT support company, they will assess your needs and develop a customized solution for you.
Training Your Employees to Use Two Factor Authentication
While two factor authentication works well to keep your business secure, to use it effectively you should create a training program. There are a few tips on how to get employees trained to use two factor authentication.

You want to make sure your employees understand why it's needed. Most people don't need much convincing when protecting their personal information. Especially when you remind them that the consequences of not doing so could be devastating for them personally and professionally (i.e., identity theft).

However, there may be times when you need something more tangible than words alone to help sell the idea of adding an extra layer of security before accessing sensitive data.

For example, if you have employees whose job requires access to important systems. Providing real-world situations to help ensure they understand possible security risks.

It will also help to train new hires on using two-factor authentication. Before they start working with sensitive materials or company data, they should have security training. Make sure that everyone understands how two factor authentication works and what steps they need to take when setting up their accounts for the first time with this feature enabled.
Protect Your Business Data
Two factor authentication may seem like an inconvenience, but it's not. As you see, there are benefits of two factor authentication. It's necessary to protect your business from simple to sophisticated cyberattacks.

If you're unsure how to get started with two factor authentication, our managed IT services team at Be Structured Technology Group wants to help you.

Contact us today to learn more about protecting your business!
- Categories: IT Support, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### The New SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules: Impact on Private Companies
​Cyber incidents now influence business valuation, customer trust, and long-term viability. As regulatory oversight increases, cybersecurity compliance is important to business stability rather than a technical afterthought. The introduction of the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules reflects a fundamental change in how organizations are expected to govern and communicate cyber risk.
Although these rules directly apply to public companies, their impact extends well beyond SEC registrants. Private companies increasingly operate within regulatory ecosystems shaped by public-company requirements. Understanding the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules is now essential for organizations that want to remain credible partners, vendors, and service providers.

Overview of the SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules
The SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules establish formal requirements for how cyber incidents and governance practices must be reported. The new rules have two components: public companies are now required to disclose material cybersecurity incidents and file annual cybersecurity risk governance disclosures. These disclosures elevate cybersecurity into financial and operational reporting structures.
Material incident disclosures must occur within a defined timeframe after determination. Annual disclosures must describe governance oversight, risk assessment processes, and how cybersecurity integrates into enterprise strategy. This framework embeds cybersecurity into executive accountability.

Why the SEC Introduced Cybersecurity Disclosure Standards
Before these rules, cybersecurity disclosures varied widely across industries. Investors often lacked clarity around how organizations assessed and managed cyber risk. The SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules address that inconsistency.
These rules aim to provide consistent, comparable, decision-useful disclosures to investors about incident reporting and cybersecurity governance. Standardization improves transparency while incentivizing organizations to strengthen controls. Clear disclosure requirements also discourage underreporting and delayed response.


Cybersecurity governance is no longer optional. It is a core business requirement.
Evidence That Governance Improves Outcomes
Regulatory structure influences operational behavior. Early data suggests governance-driven cybersecurity improvements are producing measurable benefits. The new rules have contributed to a measurable reduction in the average cost of a data breach, dropping from approximately 9.44 million USD before implementation to about 4.4 million USD after.
Lower breach costs reflect faster detection, better response coordination, and reduced dwell time. Organizations with defined reporting obligations tend to invest more in preparedness. That investment pays dividends during incidents.

Why Private Companies Are Indirectly Affected
Private organizations are not exempt from the effects of the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules. Many support public companies through software, infrastructure, logistics, financial services, or professional services. Public companies must now assess and document third-party cyber risk.
As a result, private companies face increased scrutiny during vendor onboarding and renewal. Security posture, documentation quality, and incident readiness influence whether partnerships proceed. Cyber maturity is becoming a commercial requirement.

Cybersecurity Expectations Are Expanding Across Contracts
Contract language is changing in response to the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules. Public companies increasingly require vendors to meet specific security standards. These include incident notification timelines, audit rights, and evidence of governance practices.
Private companies lacking structured security programs may struggle to meet these demands. This creates operational friction and competitive disadvantage. Organizations that anticipate these expectations gain leverage during negotiations.

Governance Is No Longer Optional
The SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules emphasize governance transparency. Boards and executives must demonstrate oversight rather than deferring responsibility entirely to IT teams. Cybersecurity is now framed as an enterprise risk.
Private companies are expected to mirror this approach. Clear ownership of cybersecurity responsibilities strengthens accountability. Governance alignment also simplifies interactions with customers, auditors, and insurers.

Aligning with Established Cybersecurity Frameworks
Framework alignment helps organizations demonstrate maturity. Common types of cybersecurity compliance frameworks include NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and CIS Controls. These standards provide structure for risk assessment, control implementation, and documentation.
Framework adoption also supports scalability. As regulatory expectations evolve, organizations with structured programs adapt faster. Alignment reduces uncertainty and accelerates compliance conversations.

Incident Response Under the New Regulatory Lens
Incident response has taken on new urgency under the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules. Public companies must determine materiality quickly and disclose within mandated timelines. That pressure extends to private vendors supporting critical operations.
Private companies should maintain documented response plans with defined roles and escalation paths. Testing these plans builds confidence and reduces chaos during real incidents. Preparedness directly influences outcomes.

Documentation Is Becoming a Strategic Asset
Cybersecurity documentation is no longer a back-office task. Policies, risk assessments, response plans, and governance records now influence business relationships. Clear documentation demonstrates discipline and reliability.
Organizations that maintain up-to-date records respond more efficiently to audits and questionnaires. Documentation also supports leadership decision-making during crises. Clarity reduces delay.

Third-Party Risk Management Is Under the Microscope
Vendor risk oversight is central to the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules. Public companies must understand how suppliers affect their security posture. This shifts responsibility across the supply chain.
Private companies should expect more frequent assessments and ongoing monitoring requests. Strong internal controls make these interactions smoother. Transparency builds trust and reduces onboarding delays.

Cyber Insurance and Disclosure Alignment
Cyber insurance providers are also adapting to regulatory changes. Underwriters increasingly examine governance structures and response capabilities. Organizations aligned with SEC-driven expectations often receive more favorable terms.
Clear disclosure processes and documented controls reduce perceived risk. Insurance alignment reinforces the value of proactive cybersecurity investment. Preparedness lowers premiums over time.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Cyber Readiness
Cybersecurity has become a critical factor in due diligence. Buyers and investors now assess security posture alongside financials. The SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules reinforce that scrutiny.
Private companies with weak governance face valuation risk. Those with strong controls position themselves as lower-risk assets. Cyber readiness influences deal velocity and outcomes.


Faster detection and coordinated response reduce breach impact and recovery time.
Operationalizing Proactive Cybersecurity
Regulatory pressure highlights the importance of being proactive with cybersecurity threats rather than reactive. Organizations that wait for incidents incur higher costs and reputational damage. Prevention reduces exposure.
Proactive practices include continuous monitoring, regular risk assessments, and leadership engagement. These efforts improve detection and response. Cybersecurity becomes predictable rather than chaotic.

Security Reporting as a Management Tool
Security reporting is evolving from compliance artifact to decision support. Dashboards, metrics, and trend analysis inform leadership about risk posture. Visibility enables prioritization.
Clear reporting also supports alignment with customer expectations. Transparency fosters confidence during audits and reviews. Data-driven insight replaces assumption.

Preparing for Long-Term Regulatory Alignment
The SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules signal broader regulatory momentum. Other agencies and industries are adopting similar frameworks. Early alignment reduces future compliance burden.
Organizations should review governance structures annually. Continuous improvement ensures resilience. Regulatory alignment becomes sustainable rather than disruptive.

Turning Regulatory Pressure into Preparedness
The SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules have reshaped how cybersecurity is governed across the market. Private companies are increasingly affected through vendor relationships, audits, and contractual obligations. Preparation is now a strategic necessity.
Actionable steps include formalizing governance ownership, aligning with recognized frameworks, strengthening incident response, improving documentation, and enhancing reporting discipline. These measures reduce risk and improve credibility.
At Be Structured, we help organizations navigate evolving cybersecurity and compliance expectations through proactive planning, continuous monitoring, and governance alignment delivered through reliable managed IT support. Srengthen your cybersecurity posture and stay ahead of regulatory change. Schedule a consultation today.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Extra
- Tags: Cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliance

#### The Power of Penetration Testing: Revealing What Hackers See
In today's cybersecurity landscape, penetration testing is a critical practice for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. 
Let's dive into the techniques and tools used in penetration testing, offering insights into how businesses can proactively uncover security gaps. Along the way, we'll learn about various testing methods, essential software, and the importance of integrating these insights into a robust defense strategy.


The Hidden World of Cyber Vulnerabilities
How can businesses uncover hidden cyber vulnerabilities before hackers do? 
The answer lies in the proactive identification of security gaps. By simulating attacks, penetration testing reveals weaknesses that might otherwise go unnoticed. This proactive approach is essential in a world where cyber threats evolve rapidly.
Identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited can save companies from significant financial and reputational damage. Regular penetration testing services help businesses stay ahead of potential threats. It ensures that security measures are not just reactive but also preventive. This proactive stance is crucial for maintaining robust cybersecurity defenses.


A Deep Dive Into Penetration Testing Techniques
Penetration testing employs various techniques to uncover different types of vulnerabilities. Black-box testing simulates an external attack without prior knowledge of the system. This method reveals how an outsider might exploit weaknesses, providing a realistic assessment of external threats.
White-box testing, on the other hand, involves a comprehensive analysis with full knowledge of the system's architecture. This approach allows testers to identify internal vulnerabilities that might be missed in black-box testing. It is particularly effective for uncovering flaws in code, configuration, and system logic.
Social engineering tests the human element of security. 
By attempting to deceive employees into revealing sensitive information, this technique exposes vulnerabilities in organizational processes and employee awareness. 
Social engineering highlights the need for robust training and awareness programs to mitigate human-related risks.

What Is Penetration Testing?
Effective network penetration testing services rely on powerful tools to simulate attacks and identify weaknesses. Metasploit, a widely used framework, allows testers to exploit vulnerabilities in a controlled environment. By mimicking real-world attacks, Metasploit helps businesses understand how an attacker might breach their defenses.
Nmap, another essential tool, excels in network discovery and security auditing. It scans networks to identify open ports, services, and potential vulnerabilities. Nmap's detailed reports enable organizations to pinpoint and address security gaps in their network infrastructure.
Burp Suite focuses on web application security. It provides a comprehensive set of tools for testing and analyzing web applications. Burp Suite can detect issues like SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other common web vulnerabilities. Its intuitive interface and powerful features make it a favorite among security professionals.

Building a Robust Defense Strategy
Integrating insights from penetration testing into a comprehensive cybersecurity compliance strategy is crucial. Having a cybersecurity compliance strategy is important to any business. The vulnerabilities identified through testing should inform the development of targeted security measures. This approach ensures that defenses are not only reactive but also proactive, addressing potential threats before they can be exploited.
Continuous testing and monitoring play a vital role in maintaining robust security. Cyber threats evolve rapidly, and a one-time assessment is insufficient. Regular penetration testing along with advanced endpoint protection helps organizations stay ahead of emerging threats. Continuous monitoring, on the other hand, ensures that any new vulnerabilities are promptly identified and addressed.
A robust defense strategy also involves educating employees about security best practices. Human error remains a significant risk factor, and training can mitigate this. By fostering a culture of security awareness, businesses can reduce the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks.

Case for Regular Penetration Testing
Regular penetration testing significantly reduces the risk of security breaches as well as a robust privileged access management plan. According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, organizations that conduct frequent penetration tests experience 50% fewer breaches than those that do not. This data underscores the importance of ongoing assessments in maintaining a strong security posture.
Industry best practices recommend conducting penetration tests at least quarterly. This frequency ensures that new vulnerabilities are identified and addressed promptly. Additionally, businesses should perform tests after any major system changes, such as software updates or infrastructure modifications, to ensure continued security.
Implementing a robust schedule for penetration testing involves several key steps:


 	
Regular Testing: Conduct tests quarterly or after significant changes.

 	
Comprehensive Coverage: Ensure tests cover all critical systems and applications.

 	
Actionable Reporting: Generate detailed reports with clear recommendations for remediation.

 	
Continuous Improvement: Use test results to refine and enhance security measures.


Future Trends in Penetration Testing
Emerging trends in penetration testing are revolutionizing the field of cybersecurity. AI-driven testing is at the forefront, leveraging machine learning to identify vulnerabilities more efficiently. 
These systems can analyze vast amounts of data quickly, uncovering patterns that might be missed by human testers. This advancement enhances the speed and accuracy of penetration tests.
Automated vulnerability assessments are also gaining traction. These tools continuously scan systems for weaknesses, providing real-time insights. 
Automation reduces the time and effort required for manual testing, allowing security teams to focus on remediation. This shift towards automation ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed promptly.
Another trend is the integration of penetration testing with DevSecOps practices. By embedding security testing into the development lifecycle, organizations can identify and fix vulnerabilities early. This proactive approach reduces the risk of security issues in production environments and promotes a culture of security within development teams.


Common Misconceptions About Penetration Testing
Many misconceptions surround penetration testing, often deterring businesses from adopting this crucial practice. One common myth is that penetration testing is prohibitively expensive. While costs can vary, the investment in penetration testing is far less than the potential financial losses from a security breach. Moreover, many scalable solutions fit different budget sizes, making them accessible for businesses of all sizes.
Another misconception is that penetration testing is overly complex and requires extensive technical expertise. While it is true that skilled professionals conduct these tests, many tools and services simplify the process. 
Managed services and automated tools can handle much of the complexity, allowing organizations to benefit from penetration testing without needing in-house experts.
Some believe that penetration testing is a one-time activity. In reality, cybersecurity is an ongoing process. Regular testing is essential to keep up with evolving threats. Continuous testing and monitoring ensure that new vulnerabilities are identified and addressed promptly, maintaining robust security over time.
If you work with an outsourced IT support company, they will handle regular penetration testing p[rotocol so you don't have to worry about it.

Legal and Ethical Considerations of Penetration Testing
Legal and ethical guidelines are crucial in governing penetration testing. Unauthorized testing can lead to severe legal consequences, including fines and criminal charges. Therefore, obtaining explicit permission from the organization being tested is essential. This permission is typically documented in a "Rules of Engagement" agreement, outlining the scope and limitations of the testing.
Ethical considerations also play a significant role. Testers must adhere to a strict code of conduct, ensuring that their actions do not harm the organization or its stakeholders. This includes maintaining confidentiality and integrity throughout the testing process. 
Ethical testers follow established frameworks, such as the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) guidelines, to ensure their methods are both effective and responsible.
Adhering to these standards helps avoid potential legal issues and builds trust between the tester and the organization. Clear communication and transparency are key. 
Testers should provide detailed reports of their findings and recommendations, ensuring that the organization understands the results and the steps needed to address any vulnerabilities.

Penetration Testing in Different Industries
Penetration testing is crucial across various industries, each facing unique challenges. In the finance sector, the primary concern is protecting sensitive customer data and financial transactions. 
Obviously, IT support for the financial industry, is of prime importace in securing super sensitive data.  Penetration testing helps identify vulnerabilities in online banking systems, payment gateways, and internal networks. By addressing these weaknesses, financial institutions can prevent data breaches and ensure regulatory compliance.
With IT solutions for healthcare, the focus is on safeguarding patient information and ensuring the integrity of medical devices. Penetration testing in this sector often targets electronic health record (EHR) systems and connected medical devices. Identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities in these areas helps protect patient privacy and ensures the reliability of critical healthcare services.
The retail industry faces challenges related to securing point-of-sale (POS) systems and e-commerce platforms. Penetration testing can uncover vulnerabilities in payment processing systems and customer databases. By addressing these issues, retailers can prevent data breaches and protect customer information, thereby maintaining consumer trust.
Each industry requires tailored penetration testing approaches to address its specific security concerns. By understanding and addressing these unique challenges, businesses can build robust defenses and protect their critical assets.

Beyond the Breach

Utilizing industry-standard tools like Metasploit, Nmap, and Burp Suite enhances the effectiveness of these tests. Integrating insights from penetration testing into a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, along with continuous testing and monitoring, ensures robust defenses. 
Regular testing significantly reduces the risk of security breaches, and emerging trends like AI-driven testing and automated assessments are shaping the future of cybersecurity. Addressing common misconceptions and adhering to legal and ethical guidelines further strengthens the practice. 
Across industries like finance, healthcare, and retail, tailored penetration testing approaches help protect critical assets. Implementing regular penetration testing is crucial for maintaining strong cybersecurity and safeguarding against evolving threats.
Today, penetration testing has evolved into a crucial element of cybersecurity for companies of all sizes. It is a dynamic field that continuously adapts to counteract new threats in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Don't wait for a hacker to expose your vulnerabilities!
Learn more about what hackers can see and take control of your security posture at Be Structured.
As a leader in network IT support and cybersecurity solutions in Los Angeles, we are well-equipped to help local businesses fortify their IT environments against cyber threats–from ongoing outsourced IT solutions to advanced penetration testing services, our tailored solutions are designed to ensure that your technological infrastructure supports your business operations and protects them.

If you’re looking for a Los Angeles-managed cyber security company for a proactive approach to IT security, consider BSTG as your trusted partner.!
- Categories: Cybersecurity

#### The Pros and Cons of a Cloud Provider vs a Physical Server
Has your business outgrown its physical server? Are you expanding to different locations or even different countries? Or is it simply time to upgrade your old server to keep up with business demand?

You don't need us to tell you how important your company's server is to your business. Depending on the size of your company, an hour of downtime can cost you anywhere from $10,000-$50,000 (or even more) in lost revenue. The same survey states that 37% of SMBs have already lost customers due to unexpected downtime.

Maybe you're a bit old-fashioned and you like the idea of a physical server for a business. Maybe everyone is telling you to make the switch to a cloud provider, but you have some doubts. Is the cloud the best option for modern businesses, or is there room for a hybrid model?

Be Structured, a Los Angeles managed service provider, believe the truth depends on your company's specific needs.

Keep reading as we discuss the pros and cons of a cloud provider vs a physical server.
Cloud Provider vs a Physical Server
Before we start getting technical, let's take a moment to make sure we're all on the same page. In case you haven't had the chance to ask your IT provider these questions, here's a brief overview of our topic today.
What Is a Physical Server?
Back when "the cloud" was something floating in the sky, businesses had only one option for storing their company's data: a physical server. (You might also hear them called dedicated, local, or in-house servers.)

This includes all the physical hardware needed to run the business, such as:

 	A motherboard
 	CPUs
 	SSDs
 	Memory (RAM)
 	An operating system
 	Network connectivity assets

Servers are usually stored in a data center for the business to use. In most cases, one physical server runs a single application.
What Is a Cloud Server?
Experts first coined the term "cloud computing" in 1996, although the technology didn't become available to the general public until 2006. In recent years, a cloud server has become the go-to choice for many businesses.

So what is "the cloud," exactly? A cloud server is a virtual machine that does everything a physical server can do — except it operates in the digital realm. Rather than physical hardware sitting in a data center, it's a virtual, software-based digital platform.

Cloud servers are built, hosted, and delivered through the internet, which means the data isn't tied to any single location. Rather, a cloud server offers access to data anywhere, at any time — as long as you have an internet connection.
Is a Server for a Business Really Necessary?
Since cloud storage and SaaS (software as a service) are the latest and greatest solutions, is there really any need for servers anymore?

We'll dive into this topic in more detail later, but the short answer is yes.

For example, you'll still need a server to host applications that don't have a digital counterpart, such as internal or proprietary programs. Servers also act as domain controllers to manage your Windows devices and environments.

Many IT support companies see the need to consider the costs of cloud storage vs physical storage. If your company has a lot of data or you don't already use services like DropBox or OneDrive, an old-school file server might still be your best solution.
Pros & Cons of a Cloud Server
It's clear that there's room in the business world for both physical and virtual servers. It's also clear that this is a critically important decision to make, as server problems can have a catastrophic effect on your business.

To put things in perspective, consider these shocking stats:

 	95% of businesses experience unexpected downtime
 	One in 10 servers has at least one outage every year
 	The average server outage lasts for 117 minutes

Which option will help you avoid these outcomes and keep your business running smoothly? Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of each, beginning with a cloud provider.
Benefits of a Cloud Provider
Contrary to popular belief, the cloud isn't a one-stop-shop that's guaranteed to solve all your problems. IT experts will tell you that it is a powerful tool — but only if you use it the right way.

Here's why many businesses have decided to migrate to the cloud.
1. Quick to Set up and Scale
Unlike all that bulky hardware, you can set up and deploy a cloud server in seconds. Whenever you need to upgrade your storage or add more resources, all it takes is a few clicks. There's no need to order or install any new physical equipment.

You'll also pay for only what you need. If your business experiences rapid expansion, simply call your provider and sign up for more storage. If you no longer need the server, you can cancel the service without having to worry about offloading physical hardware.
2. Less Capital Required
The cost of a physical server and onsite hardware add up quickly. At a minimum, you'll pay $1,000 to buy a new server (or $100-$200/month to rent one). Keep in mind that this is just one small part of your network installation.

For startups or small businesses with limited funds, the costs of in-house servers may be out of reach. Contrast that with the cost of cloud storage, which averages anywhere from $5-$40/month. This makes it a more economical option for many business owners.
3. Easy to Back up and Restore
As long as you have an active internet connection, you can back up and restore cloud data from anywhere. This includes a smartphone, tablet, or computer located away from the physical office.

You'll have peace of mind knowing business continuity won't be a problem — no matter where you and your employees are working from.
4. Improved Recovery Time
Speaking of data backups, a cloud server is an integral part of any solid disaster recovery plan. If the worst should happen — a cyberattack, a fire, or a flood — you don't have to worry about physical server damage.

Cloud servers enable you to back up all your data as often as every 15 minutes. This will greatly minimize data losses and improve recovery time in the event of an emergency.
5. Enhanced Security and Compliance
When configured correctly, cloud servers can be even more secure than physical servers. Why is this the case?

As an example, Microsoft spends $15 billion annually on cloud research and development. $1 billion alone is dedicated to cybersecurity research. No matter how skilled your in-house team — or how big your budget — you simply can't compare with resources like that.
Drawbacks of a Cloud Provider
So far, a cloud provider sounds like an obvious winner. To present both sides of the argument, let's consider a few potential drawbacks of using a cloud storage service.
1. Latency Issues
When you move everything to the cloud, your access is only as good as your connection. Both user experience and the service itself are limited by the speed of the internet connection.

Even if you have fast, reliable internet in your physical office, you may share virtual server space with other businesses. If they're particularly data-hungry, you may notice poorer performance on your end.
2. Security Risks
Some third-party cloud services may be able to access your data. That's why it's important to choose only the most trustworthy providers that operate under strict regulations.

There's also the unavoidable fact that cloud data is a bigger target for cyberattacks than a physical data center. Even tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft have fallen victim to attacks and service outages.
3. High Costs of Data Recovery
In the unfortunate event that you need full data recovery, the process is often expensive and time-consuming. If your company isn't very dependent on uptime, the costs could potentially outweigh the benefits.
4. Internet Disruptions
Internet separation anxiety is real. Think of how frustrated you feel if you're cut off from the online world for even a few minutes.

Now imagine that the internet is down, either on your end or the server's end, and you can't access any of your company's information. This is a real scenario that can happen (albeit temporarily) to businesses that move all of their data to the cloud.
5. Potential Data Caps
In theory, you can upgrade your cloud data storage limit anytime you like. All you have to do is pick up the phone or log in to your account and request the change.

In reality, though, you may always not be able to afford the costs of extra storage. There's also the possibility of reaching the provider's maximum cap since "unlimited" cloud storage still comes with some limitations.
Pros & Cons of a Physical Server
Does a physical server for a business still make sense? In many cases, the answer is yes. To round out our discussion, let's take a closer look at the upsides and downsides of using an in-house server.
Benefits of a Physical Server
Here are some common reasons why you might choose a hybrid storage model that still includes physical servers.
1. Physical Control
Let's face it — some of us like the security of being able to walk into the office and physically touch our servers. Sometimes it's worth it just to take one less worry off your mind.

However, there are some advantages to having physical access to your servers. You have greater control over data backups. And if something does go wrong, you can get to work on a solution immediately (rather than waiting for a cloud service provider).
2. No Third-Party Access
All your critical data will be physically stored in-house, which can take another burden off your shoulders. There's no need to worry about the possibility of unapproved third-party access.
3. No Reliance on Internet Connection
As we mentioned above, an interruption in your internet connection will separate you from the cloud. A physical server eliminates this concern as well since you can still access all your company data as long as the power is on.
4. Fewer Compliance Concerns
Depending on your industry, there may be regulations that require you to store sensitive information in-house. The same is true if you do business with countries in Europe, Asia, or Africa that have strict data localization and privacy laws.
Drawbacks of a Physical Server
What are some reasons you might decide that a cloud provider is the better option? To conclude, let's consider some potential drawbacks to continuing to use physical servers in your business.
1. Higher Costs
It's almost always more expensive to host physical servers on your business premises than it is to store data in the cloud. It requires a sizeable capital investment upfront, both for the hardware and the network infrastructure.
2. More Space and In-House Support
You'll need to have enough space in your office for a rack or server room to hold your equipment. You also need to factor in the costs of in-house or outsourced IT support to come to the office and maintain your servers.
3. More Susceptible to Data Loss
Like all physical items, in-house servers can make a disaster situation even worse. If there's a fire, flood, or another disaster, you could permanently lose critical data due to server damage. This is one more reason why regular (offsite) data backups are so important particularly in larger cities where power outages can be swift and often. Many Los Angeles IT support companies have several server farms in various locations such as offering backup managed IT services in Pasadena or Orange County.
4. No Guarantees
With physical servers, there's no guarantee of uptime or recovery time if something goes wrong. You're limited by what you and your in-house support team are able to do.
Be Structured: Caring for All Your IT Needs
As you can see, there's no one-size-fits-all answer for choosing the right server for a business. What makes sense for one company might not be as advantageous for another.

That's why the best IT companies won't recommend the same solution for everyone.

Here at Be Structured, we understand that each business has unique needs when it comes to networking and security. We'll take the time to analyze your risks and customize a solution that best addresses the needs of your business. This could include a cloud provider, a physical server, or a hybrid of the two options.

Would you like to learn more about how we can secure and enhance your Los Angeles business? Contact us today and let's discuss your needs.
- Categories: Backup, Cloud Solutions, IT Support

#### The Rise of Quantum-Resistant Security: Preparing Your Business for Post-Quantum Cryptography
​Quantum computing is accelerating quickly, and its future impact has pushed organizations to explore quantum-resistant security strategies that can protect long-term data confidentiality. 
Many teams are beginning to rely on local IT support services to help evaluate exposure areas and strengthen defenses as part of a broader approach to building a cybersecurity strategy that remains effective well into the post-quantum era.
Preparing for this transition requires forward-thinking security planning, practical risk assessments, and proactive investment in safer algorithms.
 Organizations can begin their preparation now by inventorying their encryption usage, mapping high-value data assets, and aligning technology roadmaps with emerging global standards.

What Quantum Computing Means for Encryption
Quantum computing uses the physics of superposition and entanglement to perform calculations far faster than classical machines. This capability threatens widely used encryption methods because quantum algorithms like Shor’s algorithm can theoretically break RSA and ECC in a fraction of the time required today.
Classical encryption is built on mathematical problems that are hard for current computers but easier for quantum machines. This mismatch creates a long-term vulnerability known as “store now, decrypt later,” where attackers collect encrypted data in anticipation of future quantum breakthroughs.
Organizations handling sensitive information face the highest exposure because certain data types must remain secure for decades. This includes financial data, healthcare records, legal documents, government communications, and intellectual property.
The transition from classical encryption to quantum-resistant alternatives requires significant planning because it affects hardware, software, applications, security tools, and vendor systems. Early preparation reduces complexity and improves future resilience.

Post-Quantum Cryptography and Why It Matters
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) refers to classical algorithms designed to withstand attacks from both conventional and quantum computers. These algorithms run on today’s devices and can be integrated into modern systems without requiring quantum hardware.
NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, plays a central role in standardizing PQC algorithms. In 2022, NIST announced four first-round selections for public-key encryption and digital signatures, marking a major milestone in quantum-era security planning.


A digitized lock representing the concept of quantum-resistant security.
The migration to PQC matters because current encryption standards will become obsolete once quantum computers reach sufficient scale. Delaying preparation risks leaving long-term data unprotected, even if quantum breakthroughs occur several years from now.
Industries that rely heavily on confidentiality, authentication, and secure transactions must take particular care. Financial institutions, healthcare providers, legal firms, and manufacturers all manage information that must remain secure far beyond today’s capabilities.

Timelines and Global Research Insights
Scientists continue to debate the exact timeline for quantum supremacy in cryptographic breaking, but momentum is undeniably accelerating. Laboratories worldwide are making significant advancements in qubit stability, error correction, and scaling techniques.
Experts emphasize that the transition to PQC should begin long before quantum computers reach full cryptanalytic capability. Migration efforts are lengthy and often involve several years of system redesign, testing, and vendor coordination.
Some research offers alarming projections. Studies suggest that quantum computers could be powerful enough to crack Bitcoin by 2030, illustrating how quickly quantum advancements may influence real-world systems. While projections vary, the risk horizon is shrinking, and postponing preparation is increasingly unsafe.
Global organizations such as ENISA, the NSA, and academic institutions are pushing for early adoption to prevent exposure. Their collective guidance encourages businesses to assess their cryptographic dependencies now rather than waiting for formal deadlines.

Quantum-Resistant Security and the Difference From Quantum Cryptography
Quantum-resistant security focuses on protecting classical systems from quantum attacks using upgraded algorithms, hardened key management, and modern cryptographic frameworks. These methods work within existing infrastructure and support large-scale migration without specialized hardware.
This differs from quantum cryptography, which uses quantum mechanics to secure communication channels. Quantum cryptography offers strong protection but requires highly specialized equipment and is not yet practical for most businesses.
Understanding this distinction helps organizations create realistic roadmaps that rely on accessible technologies while staying alert to future innovations. Preparing for PQC does not require quantum hardware, but it does require careful planning, testing, and industry awareness.
Aligning these efforts with operational needs ensures long-term security even as quantum systems continue to evolve. The ultimate goal is to ensure data remains secure both now and decades into the future.

The First Step: Performing an Encryption Inventory
Preparing for quantum attacks begins with mapping the full scope of encryption usage across the environment. Every system, application, device, and integration depends on cryptographic controls that may require upgrades.
An inventory helps identify algorithms, key lengths, certificate types, and cryptographic libraries currently deployed. This visibility allows teams to determine which systems are most vulnerable and which will require the most significant updates.
Organizations also benefit from documenting vendor dependencies. Many third-party tools rely on encryption as part of their security posture, and these systems must be evaluated carefully.
Conducting this analysis early prevents last-minute gaps and helps prioritize systems that contain highly sensitive or long-lived data. It also reduces migration complexity and improves communication with external partners.

Testing Hybrid Cryptographic Models and Transition Paths
Hybrid cryptographic models combine classical algorithms with PQC algorithms in the same system. This approach offers transitional protection while maintaining compatibility with existing infrastructure.
Testing hybrid models allows organizations to evaluate performance, interoperability, and system impact before committing to full migration. It also provides a fallback option in case early PQC algorithms require modification or replacement.
Organizations with large digital infrastructures benefit from step-by-step testing to ensure stability. Hybrid solutions reduce disruption and allow teams to upgrade encryption gradually while staying aligned with emerging standards.
Testing also highlights dependencies that require special planning. Applications with strict latency requirements, for example, may respond differently to PQC algorithms depending on performance patterns.

Strengthening Endpoint Protection During the Transition to Quantum-Resistant Security
Endpoints remain one of the most vulnerable components in cybersecurity because attackers frequently target laptops, workstations, and mobile devices. Strengthening these devices supports broader resilience during the PQC transition.
Modern tools improve visibility, detect anomalies, and automate remediation actions. Advanced controls support encrypted communications, secure certificates, and hardened authentication protocols.


An IT specialist updating server settings to increase security in a data center.
Organizations that implement endpoint protection early gain better stability and reduced exposure as quantum threats evolve. Strong endpoint controls complement larger cryptographic migration plans and improve overall system integrity.
Among the emerging technologies worth noting is advanced endpoint security, which helps detect sophisticated threats that may exploit weaknesses during the transitional period. Strengthening endpoints helps maintain control across distributed environments.

Cloud Preparation and Migrating Toward Future-Ready Infrastructure
Cloud environments play a central role in quantum-resistant planning because many applications rely on cloud-based encryption and certificate management. Upgrading cloud systems requires coordination with providers and accurate mapping of cryptographic workflows.
Organizations benefit from cloud migration services when planning for PQC adoption, especially when shifting workloads to platforms that support modern cryptographic frameworks. Cloud platforms often adopt new standards faster than on-premises systems, making them efficient places to implement and test PQC solutions.
Migrating certain workloads to cloud environments reduces complexity during major cryptographic upgrades. This hybrid approach enhances flexibility and accelerates preparation across large ecosystems.
Cloud-based encryption management also simplifies key rotation, certificate renewal, and hybrid model deployment. These capabilities make cloud platforms valuable partners during the transition to quantum-safe standards.

Industries at Higher Risk of Quantum-Era Exposure
Some industries face greater exposure because their data must remain secure for extended periods. These sectors depend heavily on encryption to protect sensitive transactions, personal details, and intellectual property.
Financial institutions face a significant urgency because attackers often target financial transactions and authentication systems. Organizations that enhance cybersecurity for financial services reduce risk and improve stability as quantum computing advances.
Healthcare institutions must also safeguard medical records that remain sensitive for a patient’s lifetime. Legal firms manage long-term confidentiality requirements that extend across decades.
Manufacturing environments face challenges related to intellectual property protection, secure automation, and vendor communication. Their interconnected supply chains and cloud integrations require consistent encryption management.
Industries that act early gain long-term protection, reduced migration stress, and improved resilience during future technological shifts. The earlier preparation begins, the easier the transition becomes.

Practical Steps to Take to Prepare for Quantum-Resistant Security
Preparing for quantum-resistant security does not require immediate overhaul, but early planning ensures a smoother transition. Organizations can begin by inventorying encryption systems, reviewing vendor dependencies, and documenting long-lived data assets.
Teams can start implementing hybrid cryptographic models to test compatibility and evaluate system performance. These models offer transitional protection while preserving backward compatibility.
Organizations should also assess their readiness using NIST guidance and established standardization timelines. This alignment helps reduce confusion and ensures a coordinated migration approach.
Security partnerships help businesses gain expert insight throughout the transition. Teams benefit from working with a managed IT services provider or other experienced professionals who understand PQC migration planning and long-term cybersecurity needs.
Preparing now helps organizations avoid rushed implementation once new standards become mandatory. A proactive approach ensures systems remain reliable and secure during major global shifts in computing capability.

Strengthen Your Quantum-Resistant Security Foundation with a Trusted Partner
Quantum-resistant security will shape the future of data protection, and early preparation helps reduce long-term exposure to emerging threats. Strengthening cryptographic systems, enhancing infrastructure, and planning for post-quantum standards ensures business continuity throughout the transition. 
Here at Be Structured, we help organizations build forward-compatible security frameworks that protect critical data against quantum-era risks and keep systems aligned with evolving standards.
Schedule a free consultation with our team today to begin preparing for the post-quantum future.

FAQs About Quantum-Resistant Security and Post-Quantum Preparation
1. What is quantum-resistant security?
Quantum-resistant security refers to cryptographic methods designed to withstand attacks from both classical and quantum computers. These algorithms help protect data that must remain confidential for decades.
2. Why is quantum computing a threat to current encryption?
Quantum computers can use algorithms like Shor’s to break RSA and ECC much faster than classical machines. This makes long-term encrypted data vulnerable to future decryption.
3. What does 'store now, decrypt later' mean?
Attackers collect encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it once quantum computing becomes strong enough. This makes long-lived data especially vulnerable.
4. What is post-quantum cryptography (PQC)?
PQC is a set of new cryptographic algorithms built to resist quantum attacks while running on today’s hardware. These algorithms will eventually replace traditional public-key encryption standards.
5. When will quantum computers break modern encryption?
Experts disagree on the exact timeline, but major breakthroughs in qubit scaling and error correction suggest growing urgency. Migration should begin now because transitioning to PQC takes years.
6. Why is the NIST PQC standardization process important?
NIST’s selections guide global cryptography adoption and ensure algorithms are thoroughly vetted. Following NIST standards reduces risk and supports compatibility across industries.
7. What is the first step organizations should take to prepare for PQC?
Start by conducting a full encryption inventory to map algorithms, keys, certificates, and data dependencies. This identifies vulnerable systems that will require migration.
8. What are hybrid cryptographic models?
Hybrid models combine classical and post-quantum algorithms for transitional protection. They allow organizations to upgrade gradually while maintaining compatibility.
9. Why are certain industries at higher risk from quantum attacks?
Sectors like finance, healthcare, law, and manufacturing handle data that must remain secure for decades. Their long-term confidentiality requirements make early PQC adoption essential.
10. How can managed IT services support post-quantum security planning?
Managed providers assist with encryption inventories, PQC testing, cloud preparation, and migration strategies. Their expertise helps organizations avoid misconfigurations and transition smoothly.
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Trending
- Tags: Cybersecurity

#### The Role of IT Support in Office Relocation Planning
When faced with the challenge of office relocation, the mere thought of unplanned downtime is enough to stir a sense of urgency among business leaders.

Why?

Because every moment lost to transition can translate into significant financial losses and missed opportunities.

This is where IT support for office relocation becomes a critical asset in ensuring your move is as seamless as possible. Picture this: a move so meticulously planned and executed that your operations never skip a beat, your staff remains productive, and your business continues to thrive even amidst change. This is the promise of integrating robust IT support into your office relocation plan.

An office relocation is not merely about transferring equipment. It's about ensuring continuity, efficiency, and the uninterrupted success of your business.

Keep reading to discover how specialized IT support can transform your office move from a potential nightmare into a strategic advantage.
The Vital Role of IT Support During an Office Move
Moving an office is no small feat, and the role of IT support in this process cannot be overstated. In today's business world, almost every aspect of operations relies on technology, from client communications to data storage.

This means that a smooth transition of IT systems during an office relocation is critical to minimizing operational disruptions and avoiding costly downtime.
Keeping the Lights On
Imagine an office move where computers don't start, internet connections are unstable, and phones are silent. This isn't just a nightmare scenario. It's the potential reality if IT support isn't fully integrated into the relocation plan.

An effective IT support company ensures that from day one in the new location, all systems are go. For example, a well-executed move enables employees to log in to their systems and access necessary files without a hitch to ensure that business operations continue without a pause.
Navigating Common IT Challenges
Office relocations come with a host of IT challenges, from the physical move of hardware to the setup and testing of networks in a new environment.

One of the most significant hurdles is ensuring that the new office's infrastructure can support the company's current and future technology needs. This may involve upgrading internet bandwidth or installing additional cabling to accommodate growth.

Moreover, safeguarding sensitive data during the move is paramount. The loss or compromise of data due to improper handling can lead to significant legal and financial consequences. IT support plays a crucial role in implementing secure data backup and recovery plans to mitigate these risks.

Another common challenge is the disruption to communication channels, both internal and external. IT support ensures that email systems, phone lines, and other communication tools are transferred seamlessly to maintain the flow of information without interruption.

Consider the impact on customer service if communication lines are down even for a few hours. The right IT support can prevent such scenarios, keeping the business's reputation intact and avoiding potential revenue losses.
Laying the Groundwork for Your Office Move
Moving an office isn't just about packing boxes and loading trucks. It's a complex operation where every detail counts, especially when it comes to your IT setup.

Planning and preparation are the bedrock of a smooth transition to ensure that your business remains operational and your staff stays productive throughout the move.

Be Structured has perfromed hundreds of office moves in our nearly two decades in the business IT services and security business. Here are our top 5 tips for office relocation moves.
The Role of a Detailed IT Relocation Checklist
A detailed IT relocation checklist is your roadmap through the complexities of moving your tech. It starts with taking inventory of your hardware and software.

Knowing exactly what you have is crucial as is what to consider in an office move. It's easy to overlook items when you're dealing with everything from servers to individual keyboards.

This checklist should also outline the steps needed to safely disconnect, transport, and reconnect your IT equipment. This ensures nothing gets lost or damaged along the way.

Local IT support can be a game-changer during this phase. They can help you craft a detailed checklist that's tailored to your specific needs to ensure you don't miss any critical steps.

For example, if your business relies heavily on internet access, local IT support can assist in setting up temporary internet solutions to keep you online during the move.
Inventory Assessment
Inventory assessment goes beyond merely listing your physical assets. It involves evaluating the condition and performance of your equipment to decide what should make the move and what might need an upgrade.

This is the perfect time to dispose of outdated technology and plan for new acquisitions. Not only does this streamline your move, but it also positions your business for better efficiency in your new location.
Ensuring Compatibility
Infrastructure planning is all about making sure your new space can support your current and future IT needs. This might involve anything from ensuring sufficient power outlets to planning the layout of your new server room.

It's also a time to consider upgrades to your network to handle increased demand or to incorporate new technology solutions.

Securing local IT support early in the planning process can save you a lot of headaches. They can conduct a thorough review of the new location to identify potential challenges and solutions, like enhancing Wi-Fi coverage or ensuring your layout supports efficient cable management.
Assessing and Upgrading IT Infrastructure for the Future
Moving your office presents a unique chance to evaluate and possibly upgrade your IT infrastructure. This critical step can help ensure that your business technology aligns with your current needs and future growth plans.
Evaluating Your Current IT Setup
The first step is to take a close look at your existing network IT  support and infrastructure. This means examining everything from your hardware, like servers and computers, to software systems and network capabilities.

It's about asking the tough questions:

 	Is your current setup meeting your needs?
 	Can it handle an increase in demand as your business grows?
 	Are there any recurring issues that need addressing?

For instance, if your team often complains about slow internet speeds or if your servers are constantly at their capacity limit, these are clear signs that upgrades are necessary. An office move is the perfect time to address these issues head-on.
Seizing Upgrade Opportunities
An office relocation is an ideal time for IT upgrades for several reasons.

First, moving IT equipment provides a natural pause in operations which makes it less disruptive to implement changes. Second, the new office space might offer infrastructure that better supports modern technology solutions.

Upgrading your IT infrastructure can take many forms. For some businesses, it might mean transitioning to cloud-based services to enhance data accessibility and collaboration among employees. For others, it could involve installing more robust cybersecurity measures to protect against increasing cyber threats.

For example, the introduction of a more sophisticated Wi-Fi system could ensure that all parts of your new office have reliable internet access, boosting productivity. Similarly, replacing older servers with newer, more energy-efficient models can reduce operational costs and enhance performance.
Mastering the Move
The big day has arrived. It's time to move your office. But a smooth transition doesn't just happen. It requires careful planning, especially when it comes to your IT infrastructure.

Let's break down how to tackle the logistics of moving IT equipment and what steps to take once you've arrived at your new location to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The Move: Securely Transporting Your IT Equipment
When it comes to moving IT equipment, the priority is keeping everything safe and secure. This involves more than just packing up computers and servers. It's about understanding the vulnerabilities and taking steps to mitigate them.

For instance, hard drives contain sensitive data and are prone to damage. Using anti-static packaging and padding can prevent data loss and physical harm.

Additionally, clearly labeling each piece of equipment and its corresponding cables can save hours of confusion during the setup process in the new office.

It's also wise to create a detailed inventory list. This list acts as both a checklist and a record to ensure that all equipment arrives safely.
Setting Up: Re-establishing Your IT Environment
Once you're in the new space, the immediate task is getting your IT environment up and running as quickly as possible. This starts with setting up your core systems: servers, network infrastructure, and internet access.

Having a pre-move visit by IT professionals to the new office can help identify the best locations for routers and servers to optimize performance.

Next, workstations need to be set up. This is where the detailed labeling and inventory list from the move come into play to ensure each employee's setup is as they left it. The goal is to minimize disruption and allow employees to dive right back into their work with minimal issues.
Beyond the Move: Support and Adjustments
The job isn't done once everything is plugged in. The days and weeks following the move are crucial for identifying and resolving any issues that arise. It's common for there to be hiccups in the system, whether it's:

 	Network instability
 	Hardware malfunctions
 	Software configuration problems

Providing ongoing IT support is key during this time. Employees should have a clear point of contact for reporting issues, and there should be IT staff available to address these problems promptly.

Additionally, this period is an opportunity to make adjustments based on employee feedback and new office dynamics. Perhaps the layout of the open office requires tweaking Wi-Fi access points for better coverage, or maybe the server room needs additional cooling.

It's all part of fine-tuning your IT infrastructure to fit your new space perfectly.
Ensuring Continuity
When moving your office, it's crucial not to overlook the importance of data backup and disaster recovery planning. These steps are essential for maintaining business continuity throughout the relocation process.

Imagine this: during the move, a critical server gets damaged, resulting in the loss of crucial business data. Without a proper backup and recovery plan in place, this scenario could severely disrupt your business operations.

To avoid such disasters, businesses must implement robust data backup strategies before the move. This involves creating multiple backup copies of all critical data, which can be stored in different locations, including off-site or on the cloud.

Cloud-based backups, in particular, offer a secure and flexible solution that can be accessed from anywhere.

Additionally, a well-thought-out disaster recovery plan outlines specific steps to be taken in the event of data loss. This plan should include a detailed inventory of all data and applications, prioritized by their criticality to business operations. It should also specify the roles and responsibilities of team members during a recovery operation to ensure everyone knows what to do.
The Role of a Top IT Support Company for Office Relocation
Companies specializing in business IT services, such as outsourced tech support companies, offer expertise that can significantly reduce the risk of downtime during and after the move. For businesses in Southern California, finding reliable IT support in Los Angeles can be a game-changer for their relocation process.

These professionals provide an array of services designed to address every aspect of an office move, from planning and packing IT equipment to setting up and testing systems in the new location.

One of the key advantages of hiring professional IT support is their ability to foresee potential issues and mitigate them before they cause any disruption. This foresight includes everything from ensuring that the new office's infrastructure can support your IT needs to setting up robust data backup and disaster recovery solutions.

Moreover, once the move is complete, professional outsourced IT support doesn't just end there. Post-move support is crucial for addressing any unforeseen issues that may arise.
Ready to Relocate? Let's Make It Seamless
In navigating through the complexities of an office move, we've underscored the indispensable role of IT support for office relocation.

From minimizing downtime to safeguarding your data, the right IT support is key to a transition that is not only smooth but also positions your business for immediate resumption and future growth.

Be Structured Technology Group stands at the forefront of providing comprehensive IT services in Los Angeles, specializing in office relocations that demand precision and expertise.

Our unique approach ensures that your IT infrastructure is not just relocated, but optimized to meet and exceed your operational needs.

Schedule a free consultation and turn the potential stress of relocation into a strategic step forward for your business.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks

#### The Role of Technology in Improving Digital Wellness for IT Workers
How much time do you spend staring at a screen each day?

Assuming you work on a computer, that's an automatic eight hours each workday. Then factor in your daily smartphone usage, which averages between four and five hours (as of April 2021).

This means the average adult spends anywhere from 12-13 hours a day using digital technology — and this doesn't even include watching television! With numbers like these, it's no wonder there's so much talk of digital wellness.

But what does digital health and wellness involve, exactly? What makes digital wellbeing so crucial in our era? And what are some tips that you and your employees can use for improving digital wellness?

We'll dive into these important topics and more, so keep reading!
Defining Digital Wellness
"Digital wellness" may sound like this year's newest catchphrase, but the concept has been around for at least a decade.

The advent of the internet brought us into the digital era but, as mentioned at the outset, smartphones have drastically increased the amount of time we spend online. Now, a year and a half into a global pandemic, many of us spend most of our waking hours staring at a screen.

Digital wellbeing involves using technology properly so that it doesn't have a negative impact on your physical or mental health. In some cases, this might mean reducing the amount of time we spend using our computers and smartphones.

Of course, for IT workers and others who rely on technology for their jobs, reducing screen time may not be an option. Therefore, digital wellness also includes setting personal boundaries and striving to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Before we discuss some specific ways to achieve this, first let's see why improving digital wellness is so important.
The Struggle to Achieve Digital Wellbeing
For years, researchers have studied the link between digital usage and an array of physical and mental health conditions. Not surprisingly, people who compulsively go online and prefer social networking to real-life interaction have a higher risk of developing depression.

More recently, researchers have looked at the connection between social media and digital health and wellness. The results, sad to say, are shocking. One study found that teens who spend five hours a day on electronic devices are 71% more likely to contemplate suicide than those who spend one hour.

If overusing tech can affect teens that haven't even entered the workforce yet, how much more so can it affect adults in the working world?

Of course, mental health is only one side of the coin. Sitting at a computer all day creates a sedentary lifestyle that can increase the risk of developing:

 	Obesity
 	Heart disease
 	Diabetes
 	High blood pressure
 	Stroke
 	High cholesterol
 	Osteoporosis
 	Colon, breast, and uterine cancer

The majority of IT workers and other tech professionals acknowledge these risks and express the desire for a healthier lifestyle. In one recent survey, 76% of employees felt they could better manage their health through reduced or restricted use of technology.

What's the takeaway, then? Are we all doomed to be slaves to our electronic devices? Is technology always "the bad guy?"

Not at all! The key to achieving digital wellness is to find the right balance with our device usage. After all, our generation will rely on technology for all of our working lives, so the time to focus on forming healthy habits is right now.

This is just one of many problems we want to help you solve, starting with the following tips.
7 Tips for Improving Digital Wellness
Now that you understand the importance of digital wellbeing, let's talk about some actionable tips you can take to get started. Be sure to share them with your employees and colleagues so they can work on improving digital wellness too!
1. Try to Limit Screen Time
We'll start with the most obvious solution first: reducing the amount of time you spend tied to technology.

Granted, this is easier to accomplish in some industries than in others. If your job depends on you looking at a screen, there's not much you can do during the 9-to-5 grind. However, there are still some things you could consider to help yourself (and your employees) cut back a little bit.

For starters, step away from the screen during your lunch break and coffee breaks. Encourage your employees to do the same by initiating a "lunchtime step challenge." Award prizes for the number of steps each employee takes during their lunch break.

If it's possible, another idea is to switch from a fully remote workplace to a hybrid model. Rather than having every employee work from home 100% of the time, have them spend one or two days a week at the office. The trick is to use these in-office days for non-computer tasks that they can't accomplish from home.

For example, you could organize some team-building exercises, brainstorming sessions, or learning lunches. Remember: the goal is to reduce screen time and boost real-life interactions.
2. Allow Yourself to Switch Off
At the height of the pandemic, 70% of US employees worked remotely. Today, that figure hovers around 50%.

While there are some terrific benefits to working from home, it comes with some unexpected side effects. Many people admit that they have a hard time transitioning from "work time" to "home time." And in one report, 30% of remote workers admitted they often continue working after-hours.

In a world as interconnected as ours is, this comes as no surprise. It's all too easy for emails and messages to come rolling in after the workday ends, especially if your team is in different time zones.

If you manage a team of remote employees, encourage digital wellness by allowing them to switch off at the end of the day. Set the core hours they need to be available and encourage colleagues not to contact them outside those times (unless it's an emergency). To help in this endeavor, use a digital wellness app that blocks notifications on your phone and computer.

Bonus tip: If you're the boss, you're allowed to switch off sometimes too!
3. Avoid Virtual Meeting & Video Call Fatigue
Companies can accomplish amazing things through VoIP solutions and video conferencing tools. However, like other workplace tools, they can be overused and quickly lead to burnout.

True, video calls and virtual meetings can be effective time-savers when they have a clear purpose. It also helps to keep the human connection alive, especially in a 100%-remote workplace.

However, meetings also require your employees to be "on," which can tire them out if they become excessive. Too many meetings — especially those with no clear objective — only create stress and anxiety for your employees.

Before you schedule another meeting or conference call, ask yourself if it's really necessary. You might also reconsider your current meeting schedule and look for ways to cut back. Rather than a daily team meeting, could you hold one longer meeting on Monday morning to discuss your goals for the week?
4. Consolidate & Limit Digital Communication
Most office workers today are bombarded with emails and messages. Constantly being inundated with communications can have a devastating impact on digital wellbeing.

In a report cited earlier, two-thirds of employees struggle to accomplish their daily tasks because of the influx of messages and emails. In fact, many spend up to 20% of their workday reading and replying to digital communications.

Not only does this affect productivity levels, but it also causes unnecessary stress and anxiety.

What's the solution? Moving communication to the right platform (and communicating with the right people) is key.

For example, you could use an app like Slack or Microsoft Teams and create relevant channels for different teams or projects. These allow for instant notification and collaboration, rather than sending out a string of emails. Notify the right people with @ mentions or message them privately to avoid disrupting the entire team.

Another suggestion is to encourage phone or video calls for complex subjects. You can often accomplish more with a quick five-minute call than you can with an hour of (stressful) back-and-forth emails.
5. Promote Digital Wellbeing on the Company Intranet
Your company's digital workspace should include more than just work tasks and goals. It should also be a safe haven where employees can have conversations about things other than work.

Set up a page or start a channel dedicated to digital wellness. Organize regular coffee chats about non-work topics. You could also invite guest speakers to talk about meditation, mindfulness, yoga, or other relevant topics.

Share helpful content on these platforms, such as articles or YouTube videos dedicated to self-care or mental health. This is also the perfect place to display national helplines and internal contact information for company resources.

Unfortunately, there's still a stigma in many workplaces when it comes to discussing mental health concerns. In a report mentioned earlier, 40% of employees said they'd feel comfortable discussing a topic like cancer with their boss. However, only 10% would feel comfortable having a discussion about depression, self-harm, or bipolar disorder.

Of course, this isn't to say it's your place to pry into your employees' personal lives. The goal is to foster a workplace where your employees feel free to discuss important matters like mental health and wellness if they want to.
6. Use a Digital Wellness App
We've focused a lot on reducing our dependence on technology, but let's not forget a vital fact: Tech isn't the bad guy. In fact, there are many ways you can use technology to improve your digital health.

Here are some apps you might consider based on your needs and interests:

 	Moment (tracks app usage and overall screen time)
 	f.lux (blue light filter to reduce eye strain and headaches)
 	Headspace (science-based mindfulness and meditation)
 	OurPact (goal setting and activity trackers for colleagues or family members)
 	Calm (soothing music and guided meditation)
 	The Worry Box (self-help through a worry cognitive diary)
 	7 Cups of Tea (connects users to online counselors and therapists)
 	Acupressure: Heal Yourself (self-massage techniques to relieve stress and pain)

If you find an app that you love, be sure to share it on that company wellness channel we mentioned earlier. The only thing better than improving your own digital wellness is helping your colleagues do the same.

In fact, this leads nicely into our final tip: IT outsourcing services.
7. Ease the Workload by Outsourcing
Do you have a dedicated in-house IT team? If not, do you often delegate data, security, and hardware tasks to employees who aren't fully qualified to perform them?

It's tempting to try to save costs with these DIY efforts. When it comes to the security of your business, though, you can't afford to cut corners.

In addition, pushing extra tasks onto unqualified employees will only frustrate and overwhelm them. At best, they'll do a mediocre job. At worst, their mental health and digital wellbeing will suffer.

For these reasons (and many others), savvy business owners choose to outsource their IT needs to a team of experts. Managed IT services ensure your company has everything it needs to succeed — without placing an unnecessary burden on your staff.
IT Workers: Make Digital Health and Wellness a Priority
Digital technology is a fundamental part of society now and there's no going back. As time goes on, our reliance on technology will only continue to grow.

What does this mean for IT workers and others who spend long hours in front of a screen?

The time to prioritize digital wellbeing is right now. As we've discussed, digital wellness involves having a healthy relationship with the technology we use. It means setting boundaries where appropriate and striving to achieve a good work-life balance.

In some situations, it may also mean reducing stress by outsourcing your IT and security tasks to a trusted support company. Doing so will allow you and your employees to better focus on the core aspects of your business.

Does this sound like the solution you've been looking for? Are you interested in partnering with a managed IT service provider in the Los Angeles area? Click here to learn more or schedule a free consultation.
- Categories: Managed IT, Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Business Continuity, Managed IT Services, MSP

#### The Security Benefits of Two-Factor Authentication
The average person today has 80 different passwords to remember for various parts of their lives. Passwords have become so synonymous with our day-to-day, we hardly remember a time when we didn't use them.

From our Netflix log-ins to our banking accounts, we use them in every area of life from personal to business. With the wide range of information we keep online, passwords are a crucial component in keeping our information safe. However, passwords don't always cut it completely when it comes to security.

That's where two-factor authentication (2FA) comes in.

If you're wondering how you can keep your online information safe in today's digital landscape, we've got you covered. Keep reading to learn about the business IT services and security benefits of two-factor authentication.
What is Two-Factor Authentication?
2FA is a security process that falls under the multi-factor authentication umbrella. It's employed as a security tool anytime a user needs to gain access to a specific system or a specific service. This extra layer of security prevents unauthorized access to sensitive information.

When basic usernames and passwords fail, 2FA swoops in to save the day. It works as a fail-safe for sensitive information. This security method utilizes two different factors. Factors include a password or code, alongside something like a security token or facial recognition.
Benefits of Two-Factor Authentication
It's difficult today to keep personal information safe behind a simple password. This is due to the static nature of regular passwords. Static passwords are generally easily accessible and the least secure form of authentication. People don't typically change their passwords on a regular basis - this is where 2FA comes in.

2FA should be a major component of any secure network. The benefits of having 2FA implemented as part of your network security range from fraud reduction to simplified login processes. Let's take a quick look at a few of the security benefits of 2FA.
Increases Security
Without a doubt, increased security is the most important benefit this form of authentication brings to the table. With the amount of information saved online, having more than one line of defense is critical. To keep such information safe is crucial for IT security in Los Angeles and beyond.

The risk of a password being hacked is all-too-common. But having two lines of defense makes it more difficult for criminals to gain access to information stored online. The security of 2FA reduces instances of various cyber crime issues like identity theft or financial fraud.
Increases Trust
For any organization that handles large amounts of customer data, keeping that data secure is paramount. To that end, a major benefit of using 2FA is the knowledge that customer data stays secure.

Taking proper steps to ensure sensitive data remains free from online attacks shows customers that your business is trustworthy. Not only that, but it indicates to customers that your business truly cares about them. It does so by keeping their private information safe from prying eyes.
Reduces Operating Costs
The amount of time and money it takes to notify customers of a breach in sensitive data is high. In addition, taking the time to continually help customers reset passwords in the event of a breach takes time away from help desks.

This further adds to operating costs.

By adding in extra security, you'll not only give back time to your employees but customer data will be kept safe. This enables staff to focus on more pressing customer service and day-to-day operations.
Logging on Gets Simplified
One form of network authentication used is known as an OTP or one-time password. This form gets used in conjunction with 2FA security measures as the second step in the login process.

One-time passwords help mitigate risk by utilizing time-sensitive codes sent via email, SMS, tokens, or phone calls. These quick login credentials get sent to the user safely and securely. These codes then disappear or are invalid after a specific period of time.

The unique, time-sensitive nature of these codes simplifies the login process while still maintaining safety and security for everyone involved.
Increases Awareness
Oftentimes when information gets breached, most businesses are unaware until it's too late. With proper cybersecurity measures like 2FA, businesses receive an alert or notification immediately upon access.

When we live so much of our lives online, preventing data breaches is a crucial step in any business's security plan.

2FA gives users a way to receive alerts of inconsistent online activity or logins. With authentication measures, users are able to report issues or concerns before further information gets used or stolen.
Streamlines Online Transactions
The rise in eCommerce means that many people complete their transactions and purchases online. For personal users and businesses alike, transactions made through a mobile device are hotspots for cybercriminals.

Making purchases online leaves room for hackers to access sensitive information. Information could include anything from bank accounts to home addresses. Having a second step of identification helps. With 2FA, people are able to complete transactions online not only quickly but safely as well.
Signing On
Overall, enhancing security is easier with two-factor authentication employed.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we believe that every organization deserves to have technology in place that works for them, not against them. With decades of experience under our belt, we're here to enhance your workplace with technology and IT support you can trust.

If you're looking for award-winning Los Angeles IT services, you've come to the right place. Contact our tech team today to partner with an IT firm that shares your security goals. We look forward to enhancing your security today!
- Categories: IT Support, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### The Semiconductor Chip Shortage: What Caused It and When Will It End?
What do a fire in Japan, freezes in Texas, and droughts in Taiwan have in common? Other than adding to the strangeness of last year, they all happen to have directly affected a global semiconductor chip shortage.

On their own, and even combined, these events are only contributing factors. There's a larger issue within the industry and how the global supply chain works in general.

What are the largest factors to this semiconductor chip crisis, and how can we solve this shortage of semiconductor chips?

Keep reading to see what solutions for chip production various industries are looking toward.
What Is a Semiconductor Chip Anyway?
A semiconductor is a material that isn't an insulator but also isn't a conductor. It is a hybrid material that depending on the environment and situation can act as both. Silicon plays this role very well, which is why it's so common in the semiconductor chip industry.

There are two types of semiconductors that take advantage of the same technologies in photovoltaic cells. Metallic single-crystal silicon wafers and monocrystalline silicon wafers are the same things. They're made the same way for both industries.

The two types of semiconductors created are the N-type semiconductor and P-type semiconductor.

The N-type of semiconductor is intentionally doped with an impurity. These are impurities like phosphorus, arsenic, bismuth, or antimony. These impurities are pentavalent atoms — atoms with five electrons in their outer shell.

P-type semiconductors get doped with trivalent atoms like aluminum or boron.

These impurities enhance the desired capabilities and create electron holes. These holes get exploited to allow the flow of electrons from the sun, in the case of PV cells. In the case of the computer, electrons get pushed into the system from an outside source — a power cable, for instance.

In a semiconductor chip, the physical geometry of the chip gets modified to create patterns. These patterns create logical functions. Functions such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

These logic chips are CPUs, GPUs, DPUs, and so on that perform logic functions.

Memory chips store information temporarily or permanently. Temporary storage is fast to read and write, but as soon as current flows stop, the data is lost. Permanent storage means (relatively) slow reading and writing.

This forms the basis for DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and NAND Flash (USB thumb drives and SSD technology) chips.
Who's Affected by the Semiconductor Chip Shortage?
Can you think of a device, appliance, or even physical ID card that doesn't contain transistors?

Today our cars, trucks, airplanes, phones, passports, credit cards, pencils and pens, radios, TVs, blenders, refrigerators, coffee machines, and even lightbulbs get packed with semiconductors.

Ultimately, it isn't one industry or person who's affected. We're all affected deeply by this global semiconductor chip shortage, whether we know it or not. These effects will linger for years and deeply scar certain industries for a decade.

Even outsourced tech support companies are on high alert to combat the chip crisis.
The Automotive Industry
Renesas makes about one-third of the microcontroller semiconductor chips that carmakers use. On March 19, nearly the same time countries around the world were imposing lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Renesas had a fire.

This impacted their manufacturing capacity and contaminated their ultra-sensitive cleanroom operation. Months later, they were near 100% production speed. But the impact of losing 3.9 million units is an estimated $110 billion loss to the automotive and transportation industry.

Combined with the lockdowns and plant shutdowns for GM, Ford, and others, they were forced to renege on semiconductor orders. Not only automotive manufacturing, but also practically every manufacturing industry took this same hit.

Why?

Because of just-in-time supply chain practices.

Those semiconductor chips and companies were diverted elsewhere.

Since automotive chips use legacy technologies, it's difficult for chipmakers to change gears quickly. After their pivot, they're less engaged in helping out the automotive market. Rather, they prefer to focus on more profitable markets and give automotive companies attention when it's better for them.

This has put automotive companies at the back of the line in terms of demand and priority.
IoT Devices, Edge Networks, and Cloud Computing
IoT stands for the internet of things. This internet of things includes all of the devices in our homes outside of traditional data points like PCs and phones. These are all those appliances we mentioned before and even more.

You can wirelessly control and connect to your doorbell, security system, thermostat, TV, and more at the tap of a finger. A shortage of semiconductors means that companies may not iterate their products, and choose to go with what they have on hand.

Usually, this is because they have two scenarios going on. Newer products mean newer chips and almost always mean more of them.

All of these devices need controls and servers nearby, at the edge of the network where the devices physically reside. These servers are called "edge" networks and help to handle the load locally where they can.

Most data for analysis and other more permanent or back-end tasks get moved further into the bowels of the network via cloud computing. Another growing trend is "fog" computing, which acts as a bridge between cloud networks and the outside world.

All of these devices and servers need the latest chips and chipmaking processes. Only cloud computing on its own is expected to grow by nearly one-quarter (23.1%) during 2021.

This is an unprecedented growth rate, pushed beyond its natural growth rate by the new work-from-home paradigm. New 5G data pipelines also need the latest chips and enable these IoT services to get connected.

All of these technologies emerging and working together at once would stress the industry by itself. Not to mention all the other things that 2020 through 2021 has brought.
Smartphones, Tablets, PCs, and Gaming Consoles
Smartphones are getting faster and tablets are getting more powerful. iPad Pro and Surface users are starting to edge out the notebook market, except where a little more power is needed.

Gaming laptops and ultrabooks are serving business professionals and software developers. Desktop computing generally remains the realm of extreme gamers and creative professionals.

Likewise, gaming consoles have custom-made chips that are different than consumer-grade electronics. Ones such as the Playstation series of consoles are extremely popular, with millions of units sold per year.

The release of the Playstation 5 console was difficult for the entire global semiconductor chip shortage.

One part of the issue is also the various types of chips that smartphones, consoles, and high-end PCs or laptops contain. More on that coming up.

The long and short of it is that those producers couldn't make quite as many varieties of computers as their consumers are used to. There are only a limited amount of chips available for any specific task, and therefore only a limited amount of options.

Imagine you go to buy a car and you're used to there being five or six trims available, but there are only three. Oh, by the way, there are only three colors available in each trim, too.

It's no wonder that Apple and others said that their color and other options are limited this year, compared to other years. Not to mention their hopes for expanding options into a wider array.
Cryptocurrency Miners and ASICs
Cryptocurrency mining, Bitcoin and Ethereum, in particular, add even more pressure to the mix. Let's do a quick overview of why this is the case.

Not only is there a supply chain breakdown, but an upswing in price surges demand in GPUs and ASIC chips. ASIC chips are "application-specific integrated circuits," such as WiFi chips or some other chip designed to do only one task and to do it well.

Mining cryptocurrencies involves trying SHA-256 or other encryption methods time after time. This is a brute-force search for the right key to unlock the nonce of the block they're mining.

There's a specific algorithm that dictates the way the encryption works. You can create a chip that calculates only the encryption algorithm that Bitcoin uses to give those miners an edge. This is different than a CPU that performs basic calculations for general purpose applications.

GPUs are very handy for physicists, video games, and for general arithmetic for various blockchains. Their aptitude for mathematics makes them ideal for jumping from one blockchain to another, such as Ethereum, Monero, Litecoin, Ethereum Classic, and others.

Jumping from one blockchain to another usually gets decided by which is most profitable at that particular moment. To complicate matters, you also have to decide how many you can mine before an automatic difficulty adjustment gets made.

If this is over your head, don't worry. It's still over the heads of most people in the SEC, FTC, and several other multinational government organizations, too. If you need to get a bit more of a backstory, check here for more about how a blockchain works.
When Will the Semiconductor Chip Shortage End?
Supply-chain problems prevent shipments from going through the world due to a lack of shipping containers out of China and other Asian countries. That's right, there's a massive shipping container shortage.

Container ships are sitting off the coast of countless ports, stuck due to the pandemic and related procedures. Rail cars are thus held up in the states with empty containers waiting to be shipped out.

The only reason they're empty (along with practically every US store's shelves) is that there are no products coming through customs to make the assemblies that will be shipped back out to the rest of the world. There's an additional shortage of truck drivers to send those products across the US.

Until these problems due to the pandemic can get resolution, shipping of any kind, including semiconductor chips, is going to be slow-going and pricey.

That being said, new factories are getting made around the world as we speak. Elon Musk believes that the shortage will end soon. But it isn't as simple as a few new factories, even if they cost upwards of $10 billion per factory.

Indeed, Intel, one of the foremost chip designers and fabricators says it will cost the world at least a two-year chip shortage.
How to Cope Through the Shortage Until the End
We might as well face it: we live in a world that depends on semiconductors. For an industry that deals in tens of billions of dollars per month in sales, mere moments of downtime are critical.

This is compounded all the more as the weeks, months, and even years drag on. It's always a gamble, for these industries, if the $10 billion investment in a new factory with new technologies will pay off.

Since it may take four months for their product to come into the market, there may be a better technology around the corner that performs better. Now there are 3D gates and all kinds of possibilities opened up to chip designers.

The best way to cope: live with what you can and don't expect beyond what you can't live with.

Everyone is suffering and whining about it won't fix anything. If multibillion-dollar companies can't solve the problem overnight, no one can. But they're trying their best to solve the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible.
The Semiconductor Chip Shortage: Under Control?
The semiconductor chip shortage may last for some time longer. Some estimate a few months while others estimate a few years.

No doubt, there will be certain industries that feel the pinch more than others. This is why it's critical to do the best with what you have and the technologies at hand.

Moore's law has lulled us into a moment of expecting ever-better results, while not taking into account the human condition. In very binary and computer terms, the solution may seem simple and carefree, the reality is far from this.

Be Structured Technology Group is far from a mindless, soulless company hoping to turn a profit. We pride ourselves on our personal connection with our clients, fellows, and partners. We are a local IT support company that has served Los Angeles area business for three decades.

Contact Be Structured today to see the difference that a personal touch in your managed IT, security, cloud computing, hardware and software, and other needs can achieve.
- Categories: Extra

#### The Surprising Impact of DNS-Based Email Security
Email spoofing has become a pervasive threat, with cybercriminals constantly devising new tactics to infiltrate organizations. Surprisingly, DNS-based email protection has emerged as a formidable defense, significantly increasing phishing protection.



This article delves into the unexpected role of DNS-based email protection in bolstering cybersecurity, uncovering its specific mechanisms, implementation strategies, and future innovations. 
By shedding light on the power of DNS-based protection, we aim to equip businesses with the knowledge and insights needed to fortify their email security measures effectively.













 

Unveiling the Role of DNS-Based Email Protection

DNS-based email protection stands as a formidable defense against the pervasive threat of email spoofing and clone phishing. By leveraging the Domain Name System (DNS) to authenticate and filter incoming emails, this innovative approach has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in thwarting phishing attacks. Let's delve into the specific mechanisms through which DNS-based email protection bolsters cybersecurity:


Authentication and Verification

DNS-based protection operates by authenticating the sender's domain and verifying the legitimacy of incoming emails. This process involves cross-referencing the sender's domain with the DNS records, ensuring that the email originates from an authorized source. 
By validating the sender's identity, this method effectively mitigates the risk of spoofed emails infiltrating the organization's network.


Real-Time Filtering and Analysis

Moreover, DNS-based email protection incorporates real-time filtering and analysis of incoming emails. By scrutinizing the email's metadata, content, and attachments, this approach swiftly identifies suspicious elements indicative of phishing attempts or malware-laden content. 
Through this proactive filtering, organizations can significantly reduce the likelihood of falling victim to email-based cyber threats.


Seamless Integration and Minimal Disruption

One of the key advantages of DNS-based protection is its seamless integration into existing email infrastructure. This minimizes disruption to the user experience while fortifying the organization's defenses against email-borne threats. 
With minimal user intervention, DNS-based email protection operates in the background, bolstering cybersecurity without impeding the flow of legitimate communication.


Proactive Cyber Threat Prevention

DNS-based protection goes beyond reactive measures, proactively preventing malicious emails from reaching their intended recipients. 
By intercepting and neutralizing potential threats at the DNS level, organizations can effectively mitigate the risk of malware infiltration and data breaches stemming from email-based attacks.



Understanding Email Spoofing Vulnerabilities


Email spoofing, a deceptive practice wherein cybercriminals forge the sender's email address to appear as a trusted source, poses significant vulnerabilities to cybersecurity. This tactic often involves impersonating reputable entities or individuals, luring recipients into divulging sensitive information, or executing malicious actions. 
The consequences of email spoofing can be dire, leading to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage for organizations. 
Let's explore the intricacies of email spoofing vulnerabilities and their potential impact on cybersecurity:


Impersonation and Social Engineering

Email spoofing relies on the art of impersonation, exploiting the trust established with the recipient to deceive them into taking unauthorized actions. By masquerading as a known contact or a legitimate organization, cybercriminals manipulate human psychology, leveraging social engineering tactics to elicit sensitive information or prompt unwarranted transactions.


Malware Distribution and Payload Delivery

Beyond social engineering, email spoofing serves as a conduit for the distribution of malware and malicious payloads. Through carefully crafted emails, attackers embed malware-laden attachments or malicious links, aiming to compromise the recipient's system or network upon interaction. T
his method poses a substantial threat to organizational cybersecurity, potentially leading to widespread data compromise and operational disruption.


Brand Impersonation and Phishing Scams

Moreover, email spoofing enables brand impersonation, wherein cybercriminals mimic the branding and communication style of reputable organizations to orchestrate phishing scams.
If you tend favor surfing the so-called "Dark Web", you should be especially careful of dark web email scan tactics.
These fraudulent emails often prompt recipients to disclose sensitive credentials, financial information, or personal data under the guise of urgent requests or enticing offers. 
The ramifications of falling victim to such phishing scams can be severe, encompassing financial fraud, identity theft, and compromised organizational security.


Regulatory Non-Compliance and Legal Ramifications

In addition to the immediate cybersecurity risks, email spoofing can engender regulatory non-compliance, leading to legal ramifications for organizations. 
Breaches resulting from email spoofing attacks may contravene data protection regulations, exposing businesses to penalties, litigation, and reputational harm. As such, understanding the multifaceted threats posed by email spoofing is imperative for organizations seeking to fortify their cybersecurity posture.














Photographer: TippaPatt

The Power of DNS-Based Email Protection

DNS-based email protection serves as a robust defense mechanism, significantly reducing the risk of malware infiltration and fortifying organizational cybersecurity. 
Let's uncover the specific mechanisms through which this innovative approach minimizes malware infiltration by 75%, along with concrete examples of successful malware prevention:


Real-Time Malware Scanning and Blocking

DNS-based protection incorporates real-time scanning and blocking of malicious content embedded within incoming emails. By leveraging advanced threat intelligence and pattern recognition, this method swiftly identifies and neutralizes malware-laden attachments or links, preventing their delivery to the recipient's inbox. This proactive approach to malware prevention mitigates the risk of inadvertent user interaction with malicious content, bolstering the organization's overall security posture.


Domain Reputation and Authentication

Moreover, DNS-based email protection evaluates the reputation and authenticity of sender domains, discerning legitimate sources from potential threats. To this point, domain name protection is another strategy that can protect your business from vulnerabilities.
By cross-referencing the sender's domain with established reputation databases and authentication protocols, this method effectively filters out emails originating from untrustworthy or compromised sources. This proactive domain-level scrutiny minimizes the likelihood of malware-laden emails bypassing the organization's defenses, safeguarding against potential data breaches and system compromise.


Behavioral Analysis and Anomaly Detection

Furthermore, DNS-based protection incorporates behavioral analysis and anomaly detection to identify aberrant patterns indicative of malware dissemination. By scrutinizing email metadata, content, and user interaction patterns, this approach detects deviations from normal behavior, flagging potentially malicious emails for further scrutiny. 
This proactive anomaly detection mechanism empowers organizations to preemptively thwart malware infiltration, fortifying their cybersecurity defenses against evolving threats.


Case in Point: Mitigating Ransomware Attacks

Concrete examples of successful malware prevention through DNS-based protection include the mitigation of ransomware attacks. By intercepting and neutralizing ransomware-laden emails at the DNS level, organizations can effectively prevent the encryption of critical data and the extortion of ransom payments. 
This proactive defense strategy underscores the pivotal role of DNS-based email protection in safeguarding against financially motivated cyber threats.


Implementing DNS-Based Email Protection in Cybersecurity Strategies

Integrating DNS-based email protection into comprehensive cybersecurity strategies entails strategic planning and adherence to best practices to maximize its efficacy. Let's explore the practical steps and considerations for implementing DNS-based protection, along with the benefits and potential challenges associated with its integration:


Strategic Integration and Policy Development

 	
Organizations should strategically integrate DNS-based email protection into their cybersecurity frameworks, aligning it with existing security measures and policies.
 	
Developing clear and comprehensive policies governing email security, user awareness, and incident response is crucial for the effective implementation of DNS-based protection.

User Education and Awareness

 	
Educating users about the role of DNS-based protection in mitigating email-borne threats is essential for fostering a security-conscious organizational culture.
 	
Communicating the potential risks of email spoofing, phishing, and malware infiltration, along with the protective capabilities of DNS-based protection, empowers users to actively contribute to the organization's cybersecurity efforts.

Vendor Selection and Configuration

 	
Selecting reputable vendors offering DNS-based email protection solutions and configuring them to align with the organization's specific security requirements is paramount.
 	
Customizing the configuration to optimize threat detection, minimize false positives, and streamline incident response processes enhances the overall effectiveness of DNS-based protection.

Potential Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

 	
Organizations may encounter challenges related to user acceptance, false positives, or the complexity of integration with existing email infrastructure.
 	
Mitigating these challenges involves proactive communication, user training, and ongoing refinement of the DNS-based protection configuration to strike a balance between security and operational efficiency.

The Future of Email Security: Innovations and Trends

The future of email security is poised for dynamic changes, with emerging innovations and trends reshaping the landscape of cyber defense. DNS-based email protection is set to play a pivotal role in this transformation, leveraging advanced technologies and strategic adaptations to fortify organizations against evolving threats. 
Let's explore the innovations and trends that are shaping the future of email security, with a specific focus on the role of DNS-based protection:


Advanced Threat Intelligence and Machine Learning

 	
Future iterations of DNS-based email protection are expected to harness advanced threat intelligence and machine learning algorithms to enhance threat detection and response capabilities.
 	
By leveraging predictive analytics and anomaly detection, these innovations will enable organizations to preemptively identify and neutralize sophisticated email-borne threats, including polymorphic malware and zero-day exploits.

Context-Aware Behavioral Analysis

 	
The future of DNS-based protection will likely integrate context-aware behavioral analysis, enabling the system to discern normal user behavior from potentially malicious actions.
 	
This contextual understanding empowers the protection mechanism to adapt dynamically to evolving threats, mitigating the risk of false positives and enhancing the precision of threat identification.












 

Interoperability and Ecosystem Integration

 	
Future trends in DNS-based email protection will emphasize interoperability and seamless integration with broader cybersecurity ecosystems, fostering cohesive defense strategies.
 	
By aligning with threat intelligence platforms, security information, and event management (SIEM) systems, and incident response frameworks, DNS-based protection will contribute to a holistic and orchestrated approach to cyber defense.

Evolving Threat Landscape and Adaptive Defenses

 	
As the threat landscape continues to evolve, DNS-based email protection will adapt to address emerging threats, including AI-generated deepfakes, highly targeted spear-phishing campaigns, and supply chain vulnerabilities.
 	
The future of this protection will prioritize adaptive defenses, enabling organizations to proactively respond to novel attack vectors and rapidly evolving cyber threats.

Challenges in DNS-Based Email Protection

DNS-based email protection, while a potent defense mechanism, is not without its challenges and limitations. Understanding and addressing these factors is crucial for optimizing the effectiveness of protection and fortifying organizational cybersecurity. 
Let's delve into the potential challenges associated with this tytpe of protection and explore strategies for overcoming them:


Evolving Tactics of Cybercriminals

 	
Cybercriminals continually adapt their tactics to circumvent email security measures, posing a challenge for DNS-based protection to keep pace with novel attack vectors.
 	
Overcoming this challenge necessitates proactive threat intelligence gathering, continuous refinement of protection mechanisms, and strategic collaboration with cybersecurity experts to anticipate and counter emerging threats effectively.

User Acceptance and Education

 	
Ensuring user acceptance and compliance with email security protocols is essential for the efficacy of this tytpe of protection, as human error remains a significant vulnerability.
 	
Overcoming this challenge involves comprehensive user education initiatives, simulated phishing exercises, and ongoing reinforcement of security best practices to cultivate a vigilant and security-conscious organizational culture.

False Positives and Operational Impact

 	
Mitigating the risk of false positives, wherein legitimate emails are erroneously flagged as malicious, is crucial for minimizing operational disruption and maintaining user confidence in the protection system.
 	
Overcoming this challenge requires meticulous tuning of the protection mechanisms, leveraging feedback loops for false positive identification, and implementing robust incident review processes to rectify misclassifications promptly.

Integration Complexity and Scalability

 	
The integration of DNS-based email protection into complex and diverse email infrastructures may pose challenges related to configuration, interoperability, and scalability.
 	
Overcoming this challenge involves strategic planning, meticulous vendor selection, and close collaboration between IT, security, and email administration teams to ensure seamless integration and optimal performance at scale.

Regulatory Compliance and DNS-Based Email Protection

The intersection of regulatory requirements and email protection is pivotal for organizations seeking to align their email security practices with industry regulations and standards. 
Let's delve into the considerations and strategies for ensuring regulatory compliance while leveraging DNS-based protection to fortify email security:


Data Protection Regulations and Email Security

 	
Data protection regulations, such as the GDPR and the CCPA, mandate stringent measures for safeguarding personal and sensitive data, including email communications.
 	
By aligning DNS-based email protection with the requirements stipulated in data protection regulations, organizations can ensure the secure transmission and storage of sensitive information, mitigating the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties.

Industry-Specific Compliance Frameworks

 	
Various industries, including finance, healthcare, and government sectors, are subject to industry-specific compliance frameworks that dictate stringent email security requirements.
 	
By tailoring DNS-based email protection to align with industry-specific compliance frameworks, organizations can address sector-specific email security mandates, such as encryption standards, access controls, and audit trails, to ensure comprehensive regulatory adherence.

Incident Reporting and Compliance Documentation

 	
Regulatory compliance necessitates robust incident reporting mechanisms and comprehensive documentation of email security practices, incident response protocols, and protective measures.
 	
By integrating DNS-based protection with incident reporting and compliance documentation processes, organizations can demonstrate their adherence to regulatory requirements, facilitate audit trails, and streamline compliance assessments.

Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation

 	
Regulatory compliance is an ongoing endeavor, requiring continuous monitoring of regulatory updates and proactive adaptation of email security practices to align with evolving requirements.
 	
By staying abreast of regulatory developments and adapting this protection accordingly, organizations can maintain regulatory compliance, mitigate compliance-related risks, and demonstrate a commitment to upholding industry standards.

Leveraging DNS-Based Protection for Resilience

As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, the strategic integration of email protection and the proactive mitigation of its challenges will be instrumental in ensuring robust email security. 
With a focus on continuous monitoring, adaptation, and regulatory adherence, organizations can harness the power of DNS-based email protection to safeguard against email-borne threats and uphold industry standards, ultimately fortifying their resilience in the face of evolving cyber threats.



Be Structured is an expert outsourced company specializing in IT managed support services for Los Angeles based companies that not only assures your network’s stability but also works to find new, innovative ways to prevent future attacks.
Contact us now for a free consultation on how you can transform your network infrastructure into your biggest asset!
- Categories: Clone phishing, Cybersecurity, Email

#### The Ultimate Data Backup and Recovery Guide for Remote Work
Data backup and recovery is a critical process that ensures your business is protected from unexpected data loss, cyber threats, and disruptions, particularly for companies embracing remote work setups. 
With more businesses relying on cloud-based tools and digital infrastructure, securing your data has never been more important. In this guide, we will explore the various data backup solutions available, the importance of a robust backup strategy, and how it guarantees business continuity.

Why Data Backup and Recovery is Crucial for Remote Work
Remote work has transformed how businesses operate, giving employees flexibility and allowing companies to scale quickly.

However, it also introduces unique challenges, especially in securing data across multiple locations and devices. For remote teams, data backup is essential in maintaining operations, ensuring that work can continue seamlessly even if data is compromised or lost.
Increased Cybersecurity Risks in Remote Work
With remote teams, cybersecurity threats are heightened. Employees working from home may inadvertently expose company networks to vulnerabilities like phishing attacks, ransomware, or malware. These risks are amplified when personal devices are used or when public Wi-Fi networks are accessed. Without a solid backup plan in place, these cyber threats can lead to devastating data loss or downtime.
Furthermore, bad actors often exploit weak points in security to infiltrate systems and steal sensitive information. The rise of the dark web has made it easier for cybercriminals to sell stolen data or disrupt operations. Businesses must ensure that their remote workforce is backed up regularly to safeguard against these threats.


Types of Data Backup Solutions
When developing a data backup strategy, businesses have several options, each suited for different needs. Below are the most common backup methods that companies should consider.

1. Cloud-Based Backup
Cloud-based backup solutions are a popular choice for remote teams because they provide flexibility, scalability, and accessibility. With cloud backups, employees can access data from anywhere, ensuring that data is automatically updated and stored in real-time.
Cloud providers also offer robust security features like encryption, multifactor authentication, and compliance with global data protection standards. This makes them an ideal option for businesses looking to protect sensitive information.
Additionally, cloud backups allow companies to save on physical storage costs and infrastructure investments. However, it’s essential to choose a reliable IT support company that can configure your cloud environment securely and manage backup scheduling effectively.

2. Physical Storage Backup
For businesses that require offline backups, physical storage options such as external hard drives, USB drives, or network-attached storage (NAS) systems offer an additional layer of protection. Physical backups can serve as a secondary solution in case of a cloud service outage or breach.
However, physical backups need to be managed properly. They must be stored securely, away from environmental hazards like floods or fires. Moreover, regular maintenance is necessary to ensure that these backups remain viable over time.

3. Hybrid Backup Solutions
Hybrid backup solutions combine the benefits of cloud-based and physical storage. Businesses can store their data in the cloud for quick accessibility while maintaining a physical copy for added security. This dual approach ensures redundancy and protects against multiple points of failure.
Hybrid backups are particularly useful for companies with high storage demands or those that require a balance between accessibility and security. With firewall management and network security solutions in place, hybrid backups provide comprehensive data protection.

How Regular Backups Ensure Business Continuity
Data backups are not just about recovering files; they play a crucial role in maintaining business continuity. When critical files are backed up, businesses can continue to operate, even in the face of disasters like hardware failures, cyberattacks, or accidental data deletions. Here’s how regular backups support continuity:

Protection Against Data Loss
Data loss can happen unexpectedly—whether through human error, equipment malfunction, or cyber incidents. With a reliable backup solution, companies can quickly restore lost files, reducing downtime and avoiding disruptions to remote workflows. Network IT support is essential for regularly checking backup integrity and ensuring that restoration processes are fast and efficient.

Reducing Downtime
Every minute of downtime can have a significant financial impact on businesses. With proper backup solutions in place, companies can minimize disruptions by quickly recovering critical data, allowing remote teams to resume work. A robust backup strategy includes testing recovery protocols to ensure they can handle worst-case scenarios.

Compliance and Security
For many industries, especially those dealing with sensitive or regulated data, having a backup system is not just a best practice—it’s a legal requirement. Many data protection laws, such as GDPR or HIPAA, mandate that companies have reliable backup strategies in place. Partnering with cybersecurity service providers ensures your data backup complies with relevant regulations, protecting your business from penalties.



Creating a Custom Backup Strategy for Remote Teams
Every business has unique data backup needs, and creating a custom strategy ensures that those needs are met effectively. Here are a few key considerations when building a backup plan for remote teams:

1. Assess Data Volume and Types
Understanding the type and volume of data you’re backing up is essential. Some data may need to be backed up daily, while less critical files can be backed up weekly or monthly. Companies should categorize their data and establish a tiered backup schedule based on its importance.

2. Choose the Right Backup Tools
Selecting the right backup tools ensures that remote teams can back up their data efficiently. Cloud solutions are ideal for small businesses and teams, while larger companies may need more comprehensive hybrid setups. Partnering with an IT support company can help businesses navigate these decisions and implement the appropriate tools.

3. Set Backup Frequency
For critical business data, backups should happen frequently. Daily or even real-time backups can ensure that no information is lost between work sessions. Establishing backup frequency also requires planning for periods of high activity, where the risk of data loss may increase.

4. Secure Remote Connections
Remote work means remote data transmission, which opens up vulnerabilities if proper security measures are not taken. Los Angeles IT support experts can help configure virtual private networks (VPNs) or secure access points to ensure that all data backups are transmitted securely without risk of interception or exposure.

5. Test Backup Recovery
Having a backup system in place is not enough. Businesses must routinely test their recovery protocols to ensure that data can be restored quickly and without errors. Simulating disaster recovery scenarios can help identify gaps and improve response times.
Trust the Experts for a Reliable Data Backup Strategy
Businesses that handle large amounts of sensitive data, especially in remote setups, need a trusted partner to create and maintain a backup strategy. With the evolving nature of threats and the increase in data breaches, a well-structured approach is key to keeping your information secure.
At Be Structured, we specialize in creating custom backup solutions that fit your specific business needs, ensuring that your remote teams have secure, reliable access to their data at all times. Our comprehensive backup services include secure cloud storage, physical backup options, and expert support in creating strategies to protect your business.

Secure Your Remote Work Data with Be Structured
As remote work becomes a long-term solution for many businesses, a robust backup strategy is essential for safeguarding data and ensuring business continuity. 
By leveraging cloud-based, physical, or hybrid backup solutions, businesses can protect against data loss, minimize downtime, and stay compliant with security regulations.


To learn more about how Be Structured can help your business create a custom backup strategy and offer remote IT support for seamless data recovery, schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery

#### The Ultimate Network Installation Guide: Installing a Network in 10 Steps
Network installation is the process of planning, cabling, and configuring the hardware that connects computers, devices, and servers within a business environment. 
A proper installation involves selecting the right network type (wired, wireless, or hybrid), running structured cabling to each data point, and configuring routers, switches, and modems to work together reliably. For small and mid-sized businesses, a well-executed network installation reduces connectivity issues, improves speeds, and creates a secure foundation that supports growth — while a poorly planned one becomes a recurring source of downtime and cost.
Network setup can seem expensive upfront, but you have two options: hire an affordable IT support company in Los Angeles or, with the right guidance, handle portions of it yourself. This guide walks through everything you need to know.
Network Installation: 10-Step Checklist
 	Choose Your Network Type – Decide between wired, Wi-Fi, or hybrid based on your security, speed, and flexibility requirements.
 	Plan Your Installation – Map cable routes, determine which rooms need connections, and calculate your total data point count.
 	Calculate Cable Amounts – Select a central hub location, measure distances to each data point, and add a 10% buffer.
 	Get the Right Materials – Acquire ethernet adapters, switches, routers, modems, and appropriate cabling for your network type.
 	Gather Your Tools – Collect a punch down tool, crimping tool, and network cable tester before beginning.
 	Position Your Wall Plates – Mark accessible locations, maintaining at least 6 inches of separation from electrical outlets and conduit.
 	Cut Holes in Walls – Turn off building power, then cut appropriately-sized openings at each marked location.
 	Run Your Cable – Run individual cable lines from the hub to each data point, labeling each run at both ends.
 	Test Your Cable – Terminate both ends, connect wires to color-coded terminals, and verify with a cable tester.
 	Install Wall Plates and Set Up Router/Modem – Secure wall plates, then connect and configure your router and modem to establish connectivity.
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How Do You Choose the Right Network Type?
The three primary network types for businesses are wired, Wi-Fi, and hybrid. Most small businesses today benefit from a hybrid approach — wired connections for desktops and servers, wireless for mobile devices and common areas. The right choice depends on your security requirements, building layout, budget, and how your team works.
When choosing, factor in not just your current needs but your growth trajectory. A network designed for 10 users that needs to scale to 30 within two years requires a different architecture than a static setup.
Feature
Wired
Wi-Fi
Hybrid
Speed
Fastest (up to 10 Gbps with Cat6)
Moderate (Wi-Fi 6: up to 9.6 Gbps theoretical)
Depends on configuration
Real-World Speed
Near full rated speed
Typically 40–60% of rated speed
High on wired segments
Security
Highest
Moderate
High (wired segments)
Flexibility
Low — devices must be plugged in
High — connect anywhere in range
High
Upfront Cost
Higher
Lower
Highest
Ongoing Complexity
Low
Low–Moderate
Moderate
Best For
Desktops, servers, security cameras
Mobile devices, guest access
Most SMB environments
What Are the Advantages of a Wired Network?
A wired network uses physical ethernet cables to connect each device directly to a switch or router, delivering the highest possible speeds and security of any network type. 
It is significantly harder for unauthorized parties to access a wired network than to intercept wireless signals, making this the preferred configuration for environments handling sensitive financial data, healthcare records, or any compliance-governed information.
Wired networks eliminate the performance variability that wireless networks experience. A Cat6 cable installation supports speeds up to 10 Gbps and experiences virtually no interference from walls, appliances, or neighboring networks. Cat5e — the previous standard — handles up to 1 Gbps, which remains adequate for most small offices but falls short for high-bandwidth applications like 4K video production or large file transfers.
The main tradeoff is flexibility. Every device needs its own cable run from the hub, which means stationary workstations and an upfront investment in cabling labor and materials. For businesses with strict network security requirements — financial services, healthcare, legal — the added complexity is almost always worth it.
What Are the Pros and Cons of a Wi-Fi Network?
A Wi-Fi network uses wireless access points to connect devices without physical cables, offering maximum flexibility at lower upfront installation costs — but with real tradeoffs in speed consistency and security. These networks are ideal for environments where mobility matters: showrooms, open-plan offices, healthcare waiting areas, and any space where devices move frequently.
The flexibility advantage is real, but so are the limitations. Most wireless networks operate at 40–60% of their advertised speeds in real-world office environments. Walls, HVAC equipment, filing cabinets, microwaves, and even other wireless networks in neighboring suites all degrade Wi-Fi performance.
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) has significantly improved multi-device performance and theoretical throughput — up to 9.6 Gbps — but physical obstructions still limit what reaches each device. Security is the more significant concern for business use: wireless signals broadcast beyond your walls and are accessible to anyone within range unless properly secured with WPA3 encryption, network segmentation, and strong authentication practices.
What Is a Hybrid Network and When Should You Use One?
A hybrid network combines wired and wireless infrastructure within the same environment, connecting stationary, high-priority devices via ethernet while serving mobile devices over Wi-Fi. This is the configuration Be Structured Technology Group recommends for the majority of Los Angeles-area small and mid-sized businesses — it delivers the security and speed of a wired connection where it matters most while maintaining the flexibility teams expect.
A typical hybrid setup wires desktops, servers, VoIP phones, printers, and security cameras directly to a managed switch. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones connect to wireless access points — or on a segmented guest VLAN for added security.
Businesses already leveraging a hybrid cloud model will find this network architecture naturally complementary, as both prioritize flexible access with security-controlled boundaries.
The added complexity requires a router designed to handle both wired and wireless connections simultaneously. Initial costs are higher than a purely wireless setup, but the long-term reliability and security advantages typically outweigh that investment for businesses with more than 10 employees or any compliance obligations.
How Do You Plan a Network Installation?
Effective network installation planning starts with a physical walkthrough of the space, mapping exactly where each device will live, how cable routes will run, and how many data points each room requires. Skipping or rushing this step is the single most common reason business network installations require expensive rework.
Start by deciding whether cables will run through the ceiling or under the building. Cable should never run adjacent to power outlets or electrical conduit, as electromagnetic interference degrades signal quality. The TIA-568 structured cabling standard, which governs commercial cabling installations, recommends a maximum horizontal cable run of 90 meters (295 feet) from the patch panel to the wall outlet.
A general planning rule: budget one data point per workstation plus one additional point per 150 square feet for shared devices, printers, and future growth. For a 2,000-square-foot office with 15 workstations, that typically means 28–30 data points minimum before accounting for server rooms, conference rooms, and security equipment.
Be Structured Technology Group has completed network installations across hundreds of Los Angeles-area businesses. The most common planning mistake we see is underestimating data point needs before cabling begins — retrofitting cable after walls are closed is significantly more expensive than planning upfront.
If you're a Southern California business, our managed IT services in Los Angeles include pre-installation network planning consultations.
How Do I Calculate My Cable Amounts?
To calculate the cable needed for a network installation, identify your central hub location, measure the distance from that hub to each individual data point, sum those distances, and add a 10% buffer for slack, patch leads, and any unexpected routing changes.
Begin by selecting a central hub location — ideally a dedicated network closet or equipment room near the geographic center of the space. Centrality matters because you cannot splice ethernet cable; each data point requires its own continuous run from the hub. The closer the hub is to the average data point, the less cable you'll use overall.
Measure each run individually, including any vertical distance if cable must travel between floors or down through walls. Add approximately 3 feet per data point for termination slack at each end. Sum all runs, then multiply by 1.10 to get your final cable order quantity. Ordering short is a common and costly mistake — a 1,000-foot box of Cat6 typically costs less than a single return trip for additional cable.
What Materials Do You Need for a Network Installation?
The materials required for a network installation depend on your network type, but every installation needs cabling, a switch or router, wall plates, keystones, a patch panel, and a modem if connecting to external internet service.
For a wired or hybrid network, you'll need:
 	Cat6 ethernet cable (the current standard; supports 10 Gbps up to 55 meters and 1 Gbps up to 100 meters)
 	Managed or unmanaged network switch (sized to your data point count plus 20% for growth)
 	Router compatible with your network type (wired, wireless, or dual-function for hybrid)
 	Modem (or a combined modem/router unit for smaller installations)
 	RJ45 keystone jacks for wall plate termination
 	Ethernet wall plates and faceplates
 	Patch panel for organized hub-side terminations (see our structured cabling services for professional-grade installation)
 	Patch cables for connecting the patch panel to the switch
For wireless or hybrid networks, add enterprise-grade ceiling-mounted access points (not consumer routers) and a PoE switch if your access points require Power over Ethernet rather than separate power adapters.
Avoid consumer-grade equipment in a business environment — these devices are designed for household traffic loads and lack the management features, security controls, and reliability ratings that commercial installations require.
What Tools Are Required for Network Installation?
The three essential tools for a network cable installation are a punch down tool, a crimping tool, and a cable tester — without all three, you cannot properly terminate, join, or verify your cable runs.
A punch down tool is used to terminate cable wires into keystone jacks and patch panel ports. Look for a model with an integrated wire-snipping blade for both 110 and 66 block terminations, with adjustable impact settings for different cable gauges.
A crimping tool is used to attach RJ45 connectors to cable ends — primarily at patch cable ends or anywhere a direct connection is needed rather than a wall plate termination.
A network cable tester verifies signal continuity across all eight wires in a terminated cable run. Choose a model handling 8P8C (RJ45) and 6P (RJ11/RJ12) connections. Be Structured's certified network technicians use Fluke Networks cable testers on every installation to verify signal integrity before wall plates are closed.
Optional but recommended: a fish tape or cable snake for running cable through finished walls, a stud finder to avoid framing during wall penetrations, and a label maker to document each run at both ends.
How Do You Position Network Wall Plates?
Wall plates for network data points should be positioned in accessible locations at standard outlet height (18 inches from the floor), never directly adjacent to electrical outlets, and always with planned cable clearance behind the wall.
Before marking any locations, confirm stud positions so you can cut between them rather than into framing. Mark each location with painter's tape and use a level to ensure consistent placement across the room. Standard practice places data outlets on the same wall face as the nearest workstation's primary working position — this minimizes visible cable runs once equipment is connected.
Maintain a minimum 6-inch separation from any electrical outlets or junction boxes. In California, network cable installation in commercial buildings requires a C-7 low-voltage license. Be Structured Technology Group holds CA License #1140088 (C-7 Low Voltage Contractor).
How Do You Cut Holes in Walls for Network Cabling?
Before cutting any openings for wall plates, turn off power at the main breaker for the affected circuits — not just the room, but any circuit that may run through the walls you're cutting into.
With power off, use a drywall saw or oscillating tool to cut an opening sized for your wall plate bracket at each marked location. Standard single-gang openings measure approximately 2 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall. Always cut slowly on the first pass to detect any unexpected obstructions — pipes, electrical conduit, or cross-bracing.
If you're not confident about what's inside a particular wall, a borescope camera (widely available for under $50) allows you to inspect the cavity before cutting. This is particularly useful in older commercial buildings where as-built drawings may not accurately reflect what's inside the walls.
How Do You Run Network Cable?
Run cable from the central hub location out to each data point individually — never splice or join cable mid-run, as this degrades signal quality and violates TIA-568 structured cabling standards.
Work one run at a time. Feed cable from the hub room through the ceiling, wall cavity, or floor pathway, pulling it through to the wall plate opening at the data point end. Leave 12–18 inches of slack at each end for termination.
Label each run at both ends before moving to the next — a simple numbered label scheme (Run 01, Run 02, etc.) prevents the confusion that comes from having 20 unlabeled cables emerging from a patch panel.
During the pull, avoid sharp bends. Cat6 cable has a minimum bend radius of approximately four times the cable diameter — forced tight bends at corners degrade performance. Use cable management clips or J-hooks to support cable runs in ceiling space rather than letting them sag or pile up.
How Do You Test Network Cable After Installation?
Test each cable run individually before closing up walls or terminating patch panels — catching a wiring error during installation costs minutes, while finding it afterward can mean cutting into drywall.
After terminating both ends of a cable run, connect the main unit of your cable tester to the patch panel end and the remote unit to the wall plate end.
A properly wired Cat6 cable in T568B configuration will show all eight wires lighting in sequence (1 through 8) on both units. Any light that fails to illuminate indicates an open circuit; any that light out of sequence indicate a crossed pair or miswire.
The most common termination errors are reversed pairs (wires 4-5 or 7-8 swapped) and split pairs (wires from different pairs mixed at termination). Both are fixed at the keystone jack by re-punching the correct wire into the correct terminal.
Color-coded keystone jacks include T568A and T568B diagrams on the housing — match your entire installation to one standard and do not mix them.
How Do You Install Network Wall Plates?
Once all cable runs are tested and verified, secure each keystone jack into its wall plate faceplate, route excess cable neatly into the wall cavity, and screw the faceplate into the mounting bracket.
Follow manufacturer guidance for cable management behind the wall plate — most keystones include a cable guide that reduces stress on the terminated connection. Snap the keystone into the faceplate, verify it's seated flush, and secure the plate to the bracket with the included screws.
Patch any drywall cuts around the plates that won't be covered by the faceplate. In finished commercial spaces, a clean installation means plates sit flush with the wall surface and any gaps around the cutout are filled and painted before furniture is moved in.
How Do You Set Up Your Router?
A router directs internet traffic between your internal network devices and your external internet connection — it must be configured before any devices can reach the internet, even if all your cable runs are complete.
Place your router in the hub room near the patch panel and power source. Connect a patch cable from your router's WAN port to the modem's ethernet output. Connect additional patch cables from the router's LAN ports (or from your managed switch) to the appropriate patch panel ports.
Access the router's configuration interface at its default IP address (commonly 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1). Configure your SSID, set a strong admin password immediately — factory defaults are publicly documented and among the most exploited vulnerabilities in small business networks.
Enable WPA3 encryption (WPA2 at minimum) and configure DHCP. For business networks, assign static IP addresses to servers, printers, and any device that needs a consistent address.
How Do You Set Up Your Modem?
A modem converts the internet signal from your ISP into ethernet traffic your router can distribute — it's the bridge between your internal network and the internet. In some installations, a single combined modem/router unit handles both functions.
Connect the modem to your ISP's service entry point using the appropriate cable (coaxial for cable internet, RJ11 for DSL, or ethernet for fiber). Power on the modem and allow 2–3 minutes for it to authenticate with your ISP. Once connected, link it to your router's WAN port with a patch cable.
If you're using a business-class fiber connection, your ISP will typically provide an ONT (Optical Network Terminal) — connect its ethernet output directly to your router's WAN port.
What Does Wireless Network Installation Involve for a Business?
Business wireless network installation goes well beyond plugging in a consumer router — it involves strategic access point placement, channel planning, VLAN segmentation, and security configuration to deliver consistent coverage across an entire commercial space.
Consumer Wi-Fi routers are designed for small homes with predictable traffic from a handful of devices. In a business environment with 20, 50, or 100+ devices, open-plan layouts, and varying usage patterns, enterprise-grade access points (APs) are required. These ceiling-mounted units — from vendors like Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti, or Aruba — support far more simultaneous device connections and allow centralized management across multiple APs on a single network.
Access point placement is critical. A single AP can realistically serve a radius of 30–50 feet in a typical office environment. A common mistake is installing too few APs and boosting transmit power to compensate — this creates one-way coverage where devices can "hear" the AP but can't respond effectively. Professional wireless site surveys use spectrum analysis tools to map signal propagation before any hardware is mounted.
Channel planning prevents APs from interfering with each other. In 2.4 GHz networks, only channels 1, 6, and 11 are non-overlapping. The 5 GHz band offers significantly more non-overlapping channels and less interference, making it the preferred band for business traffic.
Wi-Fi 6 access points support both bands simultaneously and introduce the 6 GHz band (Wi-Fi 6E) for additional capacity in high-density environments.
Network segmentation separates employee, guest, and IoT device traffic onto different VLANs. A guest network should never have access to internal resources — this is a basic security configuration that prevents a visitor or vendor device from reaching shared drives, servers, or printers on your primary network.
Be Structured Technology Group performs professional wireless site surveys for Los Angeles businesses before any AP installation, ensuring coverage, capacity, and security are designed into the network from the start. Learn more about our network installation services in Los Angeles.
What You Need to Know Before Starting a Network Installation
If you're running a business, reliable internet connectivity isn't optional — and neither is getting the installation right the first time. Knowing the basics of network installation helps you avoid expensive fees or recognize when a professional installer is the more cost-effective choice.
For Southern California businesses that want professional network installation, configuration, and ongoing support, Be Structured Technology Group has served the Los Angeles area since 2007.
We hold a California C-7 Low Voltage Contractor license (#1140088) and provide managed IT services that cover everything from initial network design through day-to-day monitoring and maintenance — including outsourced IT support for businesses that want fully hands-off IT management.
Schedule a free IT support consultation and let us help you build a network that grows with your business.
FAQs About Network Installation
What are the basic requirements for setting up a network for a small business?
A small business network requires, at minimum, a modem (provided or approved by your ISP), a business-grade router, a network switch sized to your device count, ethernet cabling or wireless access points, and a network cable tester for verification. Most small offices also benefit from a patch panel for organized hub-side terminations and a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to protect networking equipment from power fluctuations. The exact hardware list depends on whether you're running a wired, wireless, or hybrid network.
Should I opt for a wired or wireless network for my small business?
For most small businesses, a hybrid network is the right answer. Wired connections deliver the highest speeds and security for stationary devices like desktops, servers, and VoIP phones, while wireless handles mobile devices and provides the flexibility teams expect. A purely wireless setup is cheaper to install but introduces performance variability and security risks that grow as the business scales. If you have compliance obligations — HIPAA, PCI, FINRA — a wired or hybrid network with proper segmentation is essentially required.
How do I choose the right network switch for my business?
Start by counting every device that will connect via ethernet — workstations, printers, VoIP phones, servers, security cameras, and wireless access points. Choose a switch with at least 20% more ports than your current count to accommodate growth. A managed switch is worth the extra cost for most businesses — it enables VLAN configuration, traffic monitoring, QoS bandwidth prioritization, and remote troubleshooting. If your wireless access points don't have separate power adapters, you'll also need a PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch.
How do I configure the router for my business network?
Access the router's admin interface via browser at its default IP address (typically 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1). Run the setup wizard to configure your WAN connection type, set your SSID and password for wireless, configure DHCP for automatic IP assignment, and set static IP reservations for servers or printers. Change the default admin username and password immediately — factory defaults are publicly documented and one of the most frequently exploited vulnerabilities in small business networks.
How can I ensure the security of my business network?
Network security starts with strong, unique passwords for all router and switch admin interfaces. Enable WPA3 encryption on all wireless networks (WPA2 at minimum), disable WPS, and segment guest and IoT traffic onto separate VLANs. Enable your router's built-in firewall and consider a dedicated DNS filtering service for additional protection. For a comprehensive security framework, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework provides widely adopted guidelines that translate well to small business network security practices. Schedule firmware updates quarterly and review access logs monthly.
How do I troubleshoot network connectivity issues?
Start at the physical layer: verify all cable connections are fully seated at both the device and wall plate ends. Restart the affected device, then the switch it connects to, then the router, then the modem — in that order, waiting 30 seconds between each. Check that the device is receiving a valid IP address (not a 169.254.x.x self-assigned address, which indicates a DHCP failure). If only one device is affected, the issue is likely that device or its cable. If all devices are affected, the problem is upstream — the router, modem, or ISP connection.
How can I manage and monitor my business network?
Your router and managed switch built-in interfaces handle basic day-to-day monitoring — traffic logs, connected device lists, and bandwidth usage by port. For more comprehensive visibility, network monitoring platforms like PRTG, Auvik, or SolarWinds provide real-time alerting, historical trending, and automated device discovery. Cloud-managed solutions from Cisco Meraki or Ubiquiti UniFi consolidate switch, wireless, and firewall management into a single dashboard — particularly valuable if you manage multiple office locations.
How do I set up a VPN for my business network?
A business VPN requires a VPN server (a dedicated appliance, a router with built-in VPN server functionality, or a cloud-based VPN service) and VPN client software on each remote device. Use WireGuard or OpenVPN — the current recommended protocols for small business use. Set up certificate-based or multi-factor authentication rather than passwords alone. Define split tunneling rules so remote devices access internal resources without routing all internet traffic through the VPN, unless your security policy requires full-tunnel routing for compliance purposes.
What is QoS and why is it important for my business network?
QoS (Quality of Service) is a router and switch feature that prioritizes specific types of network traffic, ensuring that latency-sensitive applications — VoIP calls, video conferencing, cloud-hosted applications — receive adequate bandwidth even when the network is under load. Without QoS, a large file download or software update running in the background can degrade call quality or slow access to business-critical systems. Most business-grade routers allow QoS configuration by application type, device, or network port.
How can I future-proof my business network?
Future-proofing starts at the cable level: install Cat6 rather than Cat5e, even if your current devices don't require 10 Gbps speeds — the marginal cost difference doesn't justify limiting your infrastructure to the previous standard. Choose switches with SFP uplink ports for high-speed connections between switches as your network grows. Deploy Wi-Fi 6 access points rather than Wi-Fi 5, as the multi-device efficiency improvements are already relevant at today's device densities. Build on a managed platform from day one — the ability to monitor, segment, and reconfigure remotely becomes increasingly valuable as your team and security requirements evolve.
- Categories: Network installations, Networking, Tips & Tricks

#### The Vital Role of Hardware in an Effective Cybersecurity Strategy
As time goes on, sufficiently protecting your company against cyber threats becomes more and more important. To clarify, the cybercrime industry as a whole is projected to be worth over $10 trillion before the end of the decade.

To make matters worse, the majority of this value will come from compromised business information. Interestingly, many entrepreneurs overlook the importance of hardware when it comes to sufficiently protect yourself against cyber threats.

The truth is that hardware is an integral part of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. Let's take a look at all you need to know about it.
Hardware Is More Vulnerable Than You Think
As previously mentioned, it's not uncommon for those who are in positions of power to neglect hardware vulnerabilities. When it comes to managing cyber threats against your business IT services and security, hardware is one of the most important factors to consider. Although not quite as common as other forms of cybercrime, a hardware attack can prove to be crippling.

This is especially true if your organization is unprepared to handle one. Recognizing this vulnerability is the first step toward establishing the proper level of protection.
What Exactly Is a Hardware Attack?
During a conventional attack, a hacker will use malicious software transmitted over a network to infect a specific machine. A common scenario involves sending someone a fraudulent email and coercing them into downloading an attachment or clicking a link.

Of course, this inevitably involves having the user install malware on their device. To differentiate between a software attack and a hardware attack, you can consider the following:

A software attack involves using applications to reach the end goal and also involves the instructions that are performed the attack. 

A hardware attack involves the device itself.

Part of what makes this type of incident so dangerous is that you can't implement a quick fix like you can during a conventional attack. To elaborate, the software can be updated, re-downloaded, etc., but hardware cannot be changed. A typical hardware attack involves a criminal integrating malicious software into a computer chip. This chip is then placed into a device in order to carry out the attack.

Part of what makes this type of attack so complicated is that it is virtually impossible to tell if you have a malicious chip until the attack is initiated. To make things even more convoluted, hackers often wait to trigger hardware attacks.

For example, the malicious chip may be set to activate on a particular day of the year. This date could be months from today. Attacks like these are facilitated so that a large number of machines are affected simultaneously.

As you might expect, hackers are also able to trigger infected ships by sending specific data to the device. A particularly complex scenario could involve hardware having a malicious GPS chip installed. Based on the instructions that the hacker set, the attack may only trigger if that device enters a certain geographical region.
Overt Attacks Vs Covert Attacks
It shouldn't come as a surprise that overt attacks are fairly obvious to the user. Hackers choose these when they do not care about going undetected after the attack has been initiated.

They might also choose to make an overt attack if they wish to intentionally disrupt or impair the use of the device. Hardware that is particularly vulnerable to overt attacks includes military technology. Under scenarios like this, the hardware may or may not be able to function correctly during a time of need.

In contrast, covert attacks are meant to remain as clandestine as possible. More often than not, the purpose behind this is to exfiltrate as much data as possible. An ideal situation for a cybercriminal would be to monitor an infected device at a financial institution.

Over time, they would slowly begin to procure valuable data. Due to how lucrative information like this can be, hackers tend to prioritize certain types of businesses. These include those in the healthcare, tech, finance, and telecommunications fields.

It's worth mentioning that there is also a third type of attack that hackers tend to carry out. As previously mentioned, infected GPS chips could be activated when the device enters a certain area. This type of attack allows the device to continue operating but modifies certain data on the device.

In this context, the device would function normally but would trigger the malware on the GPS chip when certain parameters are met. This method could be used in a multitude of other ways.

A common scenario might involve an infected chip facilitating backdoor access to a device. The hacker could then send malicious software to the device through the opening created by the malware on the computer chip.
How Does Chip Complexity Affect Vulnerability?
Many people tend to believe that more complex chips are harder to compromise.

In reality, the inverse is true. As chips become more complex, they began to exhibit a larger number of vulnerabilities. However, this isn't the only factor at play.

As chips become more and more complex, manufacturers need to add more power to smaller components. This means that the teams working on them grow larger and larger. In the past, a small, dedicated team was the only group of people that worked on chip design and manufacturing.

Today, hundreds or even thousands of people could be involved. This means that it is easier than ever before for someone to compromise the integrity of a computer chip and install malware on it.

This is further complicated by the fact that a large number of contributors from third-party groups have no personal stake or interest in how the chip performs. This means that they have virtually no reason not to compromise a chip if they desired to do so.

This results in a large number of complications during chip production. Teams should be sufficiently vetted and selected before they can contribute to a project.
What Are the Challenges Associated With Hardware Security?
There's a large number of different challenges associated with hardware security. Cyber threats aren't the only ones to consider, either.

Let's explore some of the most notable challenges associated with establishing hardware security.
Globalization of Design
For those who do not have a grasp of the computer chip creation process, it's virtually impossible to install malware during the manufacturing segment.

This is due to the fact that the chip has not fully been created yet. To help put this in perspective, imagine distributing malware to a computer that has not been put together. It simply doesn't work.

As the design process becomes more expansive, we encounter issues similar to the ones mentioned before — a larger number of hands being involved in the overall creation of the chip. Some people might be confused about how such a complex device could be worked on by such a vast number of people.

Although the end product contains many different nuances and functional areas, it's comprised of segments known as blocks. It's possible for dedicated teams to be responsible solely for creating a single block. This means that different teams are outsourced across the entire world to design a single chip.

In practice, a US-based company might outsource to multiple countries within Asia for different responsibilities. This is primarily due to the fact that the cost of labor in this region is much lower than in other parts of the world.

One of the biggest risks during scenarios like these is having the outsourced company intentionally provide a corrupted chip design. Something that is more likely, though, is having that company insufficiently protect its intellectual property.

If the third-party company does not properly secure its cloud servers, for instance, hackers may gain access to design data. Under the right circumstances, these criminals may be able to alter or corrupt the chip design without the third party's knowledge.

Of course, it's also possible for someone within the organization itself to be responsible for chip corruption.
Training
Proper training can eliminate a large number of issues.

However, it isn't exactly easy to train hundreds of different people across many different teams. Companies that are involved in chip design should be highly protective of the information that they disseminate. Anything that they tell a third party should only be done on a need-to-know basis.

This means that chip designers should only know information that is relevant to the task at hand. Someone working on the portion of a chip that handles video display, for instance, doesn't need to know anything about how the chip will interact with wireless devices. Chip design companies should also acknowledge the very real threat of a hardware attack.

This is something that is not even considered by many organizations. However, it is just as dangerous as a conventional malware attack. To help facilitate this, internal training should be conducted about how to properly interact with outsourced clients, data storage, etc.
The Challenge of Sufficient Testing
It's much more difficult than many people believe to detect corrupted chip designs. Although testing occurs during the design and manufacturing phases, this primarily focuses on performance.

It does not necessarily look for all potential security threats. Unfortunately, this creates a situation where design firms may initially believe that there are no security risks. There are also scenarios in which a hacker will send highly specific information to a device in order to trigger an attack.

In a situation like this, the chip could be tested hundreds of thousands of times and still produce no indication that anything is wrong. As you can tell, this creates a highly complex situation that is not easy to overcome.

Fortunately, corrupting chip data isn't exactly easy. It requires a large number of factors to align before anyone has a chance of doing so.
How Can I Protect My Hardware?
In order to protect hardware for your business, you will need to stay aware of ongoing trends in the industry or hire a local IT support company to stay on top of new threats for you. If any information comes out about particular chips you use within your devices, it's imperative to take action immediately. This is particularly true if you work in an industry that is considered high-value by hackers.

This also means that you should prioritize devices that have chips with integrated defenses. As time goes on, chip developers are becoming more efficient at detecting threats and automatically thwarting them.

Of course, there is always the concern of protecting hardware at your company. Properly training your teams and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity by employees can go a long way when it comes to keeping the hardware at your organization uncompromised. Even a single incident could result in a data breach that causes a large number of complications.

To elaborate, let's assume that an employee intentionally corrupted information on devices at your facility. You run the risk of experiencing extensive downtime, which can translate into reduced sales. You might also experience a blow to the reputation of your business.

Put simply, you need to prioritize hardware security as much as you would software security. Keep this in mind when moving forward so that you can stay as protected as possible.
Considering Hardware Is Essential For Your Cybersecurity Strategy
Otherwise, you may fall short when protecting your organization. As long as you develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, you are unlikely to encounter major issues down the road.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Extra, IT Support, Managed IT, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Threat Hunting: Being Proactive – Part 1
There is very often a fallacy in the world of Cybersecurity that simply implementing various types of Security Technologies towards the lines of defenses of a business or a corporation will mean greater levels of protection.

While in theory this may be true, but reality often dictates the opposite of this. For example, by simply deploying various Security tools, you are actually increasing the attack surface for the Cyber attacker.

A CIO or a CISO may think that deploying ten firewalls is better than just having one in place. With this thinking, they have given the Cyberattacker nine more avenues in which to attack the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the IT Infrastructure.

Instead, it is far better to spend the critical financial resources for just two firewalls, making sure that they are strategically placed where they will be the most effective.

This mindset of determining where Security Assets need to be placed is actually a very proactive one. The primary reason for this is that CIO/CSIO’s and their IT Security staff are taking the time to discover what areas are most at risk in their organization as well as what tools will be most effective and where, rather than spending money in a haphazard fashion.

In fact, this preemptive way of thinking needs to be extended to the world of Threat Hunting as well. With this, the IT Security staff are using various kinds of methodologies and tools in order to scope out and mitigate the risks of any Cyberthreats that are lurking from within their IT Infrastructure.

Being successful at doing this on a daily basis requires that the CIO/CISO and their IT Security staff to go above and beyond the proverbial “extra mile”. How this can be achieved is reviewed in this series of blogs.
A Formal Definition of Proactive Threat Hunting
A formal definition of proactive based Threat Hunting is as follows:

“[It] is the process of proactively searching through networks or datasets to detect and respond to advanced cyberthreats that evade traditional rule- or signature-based security controls. Threat hunting combines the use of threat intelligence, analytics, and automated security tools with human intelligence, experience and skills.”

(SOURCE: 1)

In other words, there are two sub components of this definition:

Being proactive in any type of Threat Hunting exercise means that the CIO/CISO has to break away from the conventional ways of thinking, and have the ability to “think out of the box”. For instance, what works in one situation more than likely will not work in another due to Cyberthreat landscape changing on a very dynamic basis.
Being proactive simply doesn’t involve the use of the latest and most sophisticated Threat Hunting tools. Rather, it takes not only that, but the use of reliable information and data as well as deep motivational levels, experience, and technical know-how from the IT Security staff.
This process can be diagrammed as follows:

 	Intelligence
 	Metrics
 	Technical Know-How
 	Tools
 	People
 	Visibility

(SOURCE: 1)

Despite the importance of Threat Hunting in Cybersecurity today, not too many businesses and corporations are implementing it, which is observed by these stats in a recent survey in which 306 organizations were polled:

 	Only 27% of the respondents actually had a well-defined Threat Hunting methodology and were actually utilizing it;
 	Only 45% of the respondents had a formal plan in place in order to launch and execute a specific Threat Hunting exercise.

(SOURCE: 2)

 	88% of businesses feel that their existing Threat Hunting approaches need to be greatly improved;
 	56% of organizations feel that conducting a Threat Hunting exercise with their own resources (or “in-house”) takes too long and consumes resources from carrying out other IT Security related duties;
 	53% of organizations feel that their Threat Hunting methodologies and activities are actually “tipping off” Cyber-attackers.

(SOURCE: 3)

Why are businesses and corporations not taking a proactive approach to Threat Hunting? The following reasons are cited:

 	The use of different tools can make Threat Hunting a very time-consuming proposition;
 	The collection of information and data can be a very labor-intensive process which requires third part involvement and verification;
 	There is not enough time to conduct proactive based Threat Hunting exercises because the IT Security staff has to respond to so many false alarms that are sounded off on a daily basis;
 	Because of the enormous time constraints that are involved, only about 1% of all Security Alerts are actually probed into and further examined (SOURCE: 4);
 	Threat Hunting can be a huge financial drain;
 	Threat Hunting requires a very special kind of mindset – recruiting candidates for this specific talent can be very difficult.

Despite these obstacles, proactive Threat Hunting is still a much-needed function for every business and corporation and is a process that can be achieved.
Conclusions
In our next blog, we examine how your IT Security staff can actually initiate the Threat Hunting process and the various components that are involved with it.

Sources

 	“Proactive Threat Hunting Combining the Use … – Raytheon.com.” Raytheon, www.raytheon.com/sites/default/files/cyber/rtnwcm/groups/iis/documents/content/proactive-hunting-datasheet.pdf.
 	“Proactive Threat Hunting: Taking the Fight to the Enemy.” Dark Reading, www.darkreading.com/partner-perspectives/juniper/proactive-threat-hunting-taking-the-fight-to-the-enemy-/a/d-id/1331084.
 	GLOBAL THREAT REPORT – Go.crowdstrike.com. go.crowdstrike.com/rs/281-OBQ-266/images/Report2018GlobalThreatReport.pdf.
- Categories: Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Threats to The Cloud
An employee caused data breach and what to do about it.
Cyber security threats to the Cloud Infrastructure can transpire from both within outside of and businesses, corporations, and organizations. In fact, according to the CyberSecurity Watch Survey conducted on over 600+ businesses, government agencies, Security professionals and consultants, 21% of cyber-attacks were caused by insiders.

In fact, according to the survey:

 	33% of the respondents believed that insider attacks were more costly and damaging to business entities;
 	63% of the respondents claimed that the most common inside attacks were unauthorized access to and use of corporate information and data;
 	57% of the respondents believed that the unintentional exposure of private or sensitive data continues to exist;
 	37% of the respondents felt that viruses, worms, or other malicious codes were launched by inside attacks;
 	32% of the respondents also felt that the most dangerous insider attack threat was that of the theft of Intellectual Property.

A majority of the respondents firmly believed that the vulnerabilities to a Cloud Computing Infrastructure to a malicious insider attack are as follows:

 	Unclear roles and responsibilities;
 	Poor enforcement of role definitions;
 	Need-to-know principles and methodologies were not effectively  applied;
 	AAA vulnerabilities;
 	Server, IT Systems and/or OS vulnerabilities;
 	Inadequate physical security procedures;
 	The impossibility of processing data in encrypted form;
 	Software application vulnerabilities and/or poor patch and software upgrade management techniques.

What are the types of Cloud threats?
1. The rogue Network Administrator:

They have the privilege to steal unprotected files, brute-force attack over passwords, and download sensitive customer information and data from the victim business, corporation, or organization.

2. The Malicious Insider:

They can exploit the vulnerabilities of a Cloud Computing Infrastructure in an attempt to gain unauthorized access to confidential data in an organization; and ether selling this sensitive data or use the information for their own future businesses transactions.

3. The  Malicious Insider whom use the Cloud Computing Infrastructure to conduct nefarious activity:

They carry out attacks against their own employer’s IT infrastructure. Since these kinds of insiders are familiar with the IT operations of their own companies, the attacks are generally difficult to be traced using forensic analysis.
Online Cyber Security Threats
Cloud computing services provide users and business entities with very powerful processing capabilities and massive amounts of storage space.  For example, Netflix leases computing space from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide subscription service for watching television-based programs  and movies. Dropbox offers cloud storage service to customers and businesses alike for storing terabytes of data.

However, in the meantime, the sensitive information and data that is stored on a Cloud Computing Infrastructure thus becomes an attractive target to online cyber theft.  In fact, according to the analysis of data breaches of 209 global companies in 2011, 37% of information/data breaches cases involved malicious attacks. The average cost per compromised record is $222.

The covert stealing of information and data stored on a Cloud Computing Infrastructure also occurs on social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In.  According to a recent USA Today survey, 35%  of adult Internet users have a profile on at least one social networking site.

However, the private data that is stored on these Social Media Sites can be hacked by online cyber thieves, provided that they find a to access the Cloud Computing Infrastructure upon which these Social Media Sites are hosted on. For example, LinkedIn, the world's largest professional networking website that has well over 175 million subscribers, reported that their password database was compromised in a security breach.

Online cyber attackers could also use stolen passwords to launch malicious attacks against the subscriber base of these Social Media Sites.  For example, Dropbox confirmed that its users were victims of a spam attack  Usernames and passwords stolen from the Social Media Sites were used to sign in covertly into Dropbox accounts.

Online Cyber attackers could also take the advantage of the computing power offered by cloud computing service providers to launch massive Cyber-attacks. For example, the AWS EC2 cloud service was used by hackers to compromise private information and data about its user base. By signing up Amazon’s EC2 service with phony information, the Cyber attackers then rented a virtual server and launched an attack to steal confidential information and data from Sony's PlayStation Network.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Security
- Tags: Cloud Solutions, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats

#### Tips For Finding the Best Outsourced Tech Support Companies
Did you know that the average business owner uses three different technology platforms to run their organization?

As technology becomes increasingly complex, many businesses find it challenging to maintain their IT infrastructure and provide excellent technical support to their customers.

This is where outsourced IT support companies come in. Outsourcing allows businesses to focus on their core competencies while leaving technical support to experts.

But finding the right outsourced tech support company can be overwhelming, especially for B2B businesses. To make things easier for you, we've written an IT support guide. Keep reading to find out more.
How to Find a Local IT Support Company That Offers the Right Options
Having a reliable tech support team is crucial to maintaining productivity.

IT support companies offer a range of services to help businesses manage their IT infrastructure. This might include resolving software issues and providing network security solutions.

The best tech support companies offer various support agreement options. This can make it easier to create a budget for outsourcing tech support services.

It's essential to choose a company that understands your specific business needs.

It's also essential to find a company that is near to where your business resides. That way, in case of a dire outage or breach emergency, your business can have a human being at your facility within minutes to dissect and correct the issues.

So, for example, if your business resides near downtown LA, you'd want to find a Los Angeles managed service provider. If you work in Beverly Hills, it may be best to Google "local IT support near me" and find a Beverly Hills IT support team. In the O.C. partnering with an Orange County IT support crew  would be beneficial.

And so on.
Choose a Robust Business IT Services Team
Having a diverse team with various skill sets can ensure that all aspects of your project or operation are covered. This means that you will get better results.

When looking for a robust team, look for individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and strengths.

For instance, developers, project managers, quality assurance analysts, and customer service representatives can each bring a unique perspective to your business.

By hiring an IT support company with a robust team, you can have confidence that your operation is in good hands. You will avoid delays, stay on budget, and achieve your goals.

Plus, a team with various perspectives and skill sets can foster innovation. This means that it will become easier for you to overcome common tech-related business challenges.
Finding IT Support Companies With Experience in Your Industry
When it comes to choosing a tech support company for your B2B business, industry experience matters.

The best companies for your needs will be able to understand the unique requirements of your business. They will offer efficient tech support solutions that align with your goals.

Look for IT consulting companies that can provide references from satisfied clients. It's also essential to consider the different roles and expertise that the company brings to the table.
Understanding Client Reviews
Client reviews can help you understand the experiences of others who have worked with the company. This will give you a sense of what to expect.

To read client reviews, all you need to do is visit a company's website. It can also be helpful to check out independent review websites like Google Business Profile or Yelp.

Be sure to read a variety of reviews to get a well-rounded view of the company's strengths and weaknesses.

Reading client reviews can also help you identify any red flags. Avoid companies with a history of poor service or unethical practices.

If you see many negative reviews or a pattern of similar complaints, it's a good idea to avoid that company. You should instead look for one with more positive feedback.

It's important to remember that not all companies are created equal. By doing your research, it will become easier for you to make an informed decision about which outsourced IT support company to work with.
The Importance of Awards and Certifications
These accolades can give you an idea of the company's expertise. This will also help you find out about their commitment to providing high-quality service.

However, you'll need to make sure that these awards and certifications are earned and not bought.

This is because some companies may purchase awards or certifications. They do this in order to make themselves appear more reputable than they actually are. This can be misleading.

To find out if a company's awards and certifications are legitimate, you can do some research online.

Look for information on the organization that awarded the certification. You should also find out about the criteria that must be met to receive the award.
Understand Their IT Support Onboarding Process
A solid onboarding process will guarantee a smooth transition to the new service provider. This will also minimize disruption to your business operations.

A great onboarding process should include an assessment of your current IT infrastructure. They should also have a detailed implementation plan.

To find out if a managed IT services company has a great onboarding process, you can ask for references from past clients.

A company that takes onboarding seriously will be happy to answer your questions. They will also provide details about their process.
Takes Their Own Security Seriously
A company that takes its own security seriously is more likely to focus on the security of its clients. It will also be better equipped to protect sensitive data.

Working with a company that doesn't focus on its own security can leave your business vulnerable to data breaches. This can be costly and damaging to your business's reputation.

By choosing a company that takes its own security seriously, you will feel more confident.

And if you're looking for the best cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles, then be sure to ask about their knowledge of CMMC compliance and cybersecurity regulatory compliance.

Before hiring a company, make sure to ask about its security policies and procedures. Look for companies that use up-to-date security measures. This should include encryption and multi-factor authentication.

You can also look for companies that have cybersecurity-related certifications or accreditations.
Find the Best Outsourced IT Support Companies
It can be difficult to find the best outsourced tech support companies. This is why it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the top tips and tricks.

Before hiring a company, take time to read through their client reviews. It is also a good idea to hire a company that offers tech solutions that meet your business's unique needs.

Are you ready to hire a tech support company for your B2B business? If so, Be Structured Technology Group can help you.

Don't hesitate to contact our sales team to get started today!
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Tips & Tricks

#### Top 10 Benefits of 24/7 IT Support for Businesses
Click the screen above to watch a short video on this blog.


It's 2am on a Tuesday morning where your business lives and the power has suddenly died.
Do you have a data backup plan? Do you have an IT support company that has been alerted and is online at 2:01am to start implmenting the backup plan and assuring your down is negligible if at all?
System downtime, cyber threats, and technical malfunctions are just some of the banes of today's online industry. To mitigate these risks, many organizations are turning to 24/7 IT monitoring and support services. 
Round-the-clock support ensures that systems are always being watched, and any potential issues are resolved before they escalate into costly problems. 


This article will explore the top benefits of 24/7 monitoring for businesses, emphasizing how proactive managed IT services can protect your operations, reduce risks, and optimize performance.


1. Increased Uptime
One of the most obvious benefits of 24/7 monitoring is increased uptime. System downtime can severely disrupt operations, costing businesses not only time but also potential revenue and customer trust. 
With 24/7 monitoring, IT teams can ensure that any issues are detected and addressed before they result in system failure. Monitoring tools such as penetration testing services continuously scan the network for signs of trouble, whether it's a malfunctioning server, poor network performance, or vulnerabilities that could lead to a crash.
Increased uptime means businesses can maintain seamless operations, especially those that rely on online systems or hosted cloud solutions create a data disaster backup plan. Downtime can result in lost productivity, frustrated clients, and even permanent loss of business. In an age where every second counts, consistent uptime is crucial for success.

2. Faster Issue Resolution
Another key benefit of 24/7 monitoring is the ability to resolve issues faster. Even with the best preventative measures in place, occasional issues can arise. The difference between a minor hiccup and a critical failure often lies in how quickly the issue is detected and resolved. With 24/7 monitoring, outsourced IT support professionals are always on standby to troubleshoot and resolve problems in real-time.
Whether it's a network outage, a system malfunction, or a security threat, rapid response times significantly reduce the impact on business operations. Round-the-clock monitoring and support teams can often resolve issues before users even realize there's a problem. 
This level of service is invaluable in industries where every minute of downtime has a financial cost, from e-commerce platforms to manufacturing facilities.

3. Proactive Problem Detection
One of the key benefits of 24/7 IT monitoring is its ability to detect and address issues before they escalate. Rather than waiting for something to break, proactive monitoring identifies potential vulnerabilities, warning signs, or minor anomalies in your systems that could indicate a larger issue.
For example, an IT support company may use monitoring tools to detect excessive CPU usage or bandwidth consumption, which could indicate malware activity or an imminent system failure. By addressing these issues early, businesses can avoid more severe disruptions later. This proactive approach minimizes downtime and protects against long-term damage, ensuring the longevity of the systems in place.

4. Enhanced Managed IT Security Services
In today's cyber threat landscape, security is one of the most critical aspects of business operations. A lapse in security can lead to data breaches, financial loss, or irreversible reputational damage. 
24/7 monitoring plays a significant role in enhancing a company's security posture, especially when it comes to firewall management, patching vulnerabilities, and defending against dark web threats.
Cybercriminals often operate during off-hours when systems are less monitored. With round-the-clock support, businesses are never left vulnerable, even in the dead of night. 
Continuous monitoring ensures that any suspicious activity is immediately flagged and addressed, whether it's an attempted data breach or a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack. Additionally, compliance with security standards is easier to maintain with 24/7 oversight, keeping your business protected against costly fines and legal repercussions.

5. Improved Customer Satisfaction
For businesses that rely on providing excellent customer service, any downtime or delay can quickly sour customer experiences. Whether you're running an e-commerce site, a customer support center, or a Security Operations Center as a Servcies (SOCaaS) platform, customers expect immediate service and uninterrupted access.
At Be Structured, we have several clients that require IT support for financial services. These clients rely on data security and protection to assure their client's sensitive information remains intact and hidden.
In these cases, we've found having a 24/7 emergency alert system allows to basically know if there's a security breech before it happens. It's that proactive approach that allows these clients to sleep peacefully at night while we're on the watch.
With 24/7 monitoring, you can ensure that your systems are always operational, reducing any potential downtime that might inconvenience customers. 
Faster issue resolution times and increased uptime also mean that customer-facing platforms and services are always performing at their best. 
Consistency in your services fosters trust and reliability, which are key components of building a loyal customer base.


6. Cost Savings from Avoiding Downtime
The financial benefits of 24/7 monitoring cannot be understated, especially when it comes to avoiding costly downtime. Downtime can cost companies hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars, depending on the length and severity of the disruption.
And if you're an e-commerce company that depends on real-time transactions, every second counts.
Beyond lost sales and productivity, businesses may also have to deal with the cost of repairing the damage, whether it's from hardware replacement, lost data recovery, or even legal penalties due to breached contracts.
With 24/7 monitoring and suppor of your business IT servcies, the risk of experiencing extended downtime is minimized, resulting in significant cost savings. 
Whether it’s a small business or a large enterprise, preventing issues from escalating is far more cost-effective than reacting to major failures or breaches. 
Proactively safeguarding systems reduces the need for expensive fixes, making IT monitoring an essential part of a company’s financial strategy.

7. Access to Network IT Support Experts Anytime
Not every business has the resources to maintain an in-house IT team, let alone one available 24/7. 
By partnering with a Los Angeles IT support provider, local SoCal businesses can leverage a team of IT experts who specialize in monitoring, troubleshooting, and resolving issues around the clock.
This access ensures that you have knowledgeable professionals managing your systems at all times, from patching vulnerabilities to managing large-scale incidents. 
Having 24/7 access to skilled IT professionals also means you can get answers to technical questions or advice on system optimization anytime you need them, boosting operational efficiency.

8. Scalability and Flexibility
24/7 monitoring services offer businesses the scalability they need to grow. As your business expands, your IT infrastructure must keep up with increased demand. A network IT support provider can ensure that your systems are monitored to handle higher levels of traffic, more devices, and the expansion of services.
This scalability is especially important for companies with fluctuating workloads, such as those that experience seasonal traffic surges or sudden spikes in demand. By adjusting monitoring and support services to meet your changing needs, 24/7 IT support ensures you maintain operational efficiency without overspending on resources.

9. Better Resource Allocation
When businesses use 24/7 monitoring services, their internal teams can focus on other essential tasks without being bogged down by IT issues. 
Rather than reacting to every IT problem that arises, your team can rely on a trusted external provider to handle these tasks proactively. This shift allows your team to allocate resources toward innovation, strategy, and growth, while the IT monitoring provider ensures your systems run smoothly in the background.
Outsourcing to an IT support company not only frees up internal resources but also ensures that critical IT functions are being handled by experts, reducing the burden on your team while maintaining high levels of system performance.

10. Compliance and Peace of Mind
Certain industries, such as healthcare or finance, must comply with strict regulatory standards when it comes to data management and security. 24/7 monitoring services can help ensure your systems meet all necessary compliance requirements. 
Through continuous monitoring, security patches, and cybersecurity service providers' oversight, businesses can rest assured that they are adhering to regulations while keeping their data safe from breaches.
Additionally, with a monitoring team in place, business owners and IT managers can enjoy peace of mind knowing that their systems are being watched around the clock. 
No more worrying about potential threats going unnoticed while you're off the clock – instead, you can focus on running your business, knowing that your IT infrastructure is secure and compliant.

Elevate Your Business with 24/7 Monitoring and Support
In today's fast-paced business environment, downtime and security breaches can lead to significant financial and operational losses. The benefits of 24/7 monitoring go far beyond immediate issue resolution—they encompass proactive problem detection, enhanced security, and better resource allocation, all of which contribute to a business's long-term success.
At Be Structured Technology Group, our 24/7 monitoring and support services ensure that your business remains operational, secure, and compliant at all times. Whether you're looking to prevent downtime, increase security, or gain a competitive edge, our round-the-clock services provide the protection you need.


Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how Be Structured can safeguard your business from costly disruptions and security threats.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, cybersecurity compliance, IT Support

#### Top 10 Ways to Recognize Clone Phishing Emails
In today’s interconnected world, clone phishing emails have become one of the most common and effective tools used by cybercriminals to steal sensitive information. 
These fraudulent messages are often disguised as legitimate emails from trusted companies, tricking people into revealing personal details, downloading malware, or visiting malicious websites. 
Whether you’re a business owner or an employee, recognizing phishing emails is crucial to safeguarding your company’s data and avoiding costly security breaches.


This guide outlines the top 10 ways to recognize phishing emails and provides practical steps you can take to prevent cyberattacks. By identifying key warning signs, businesses can reduce their exposure to online threats and educate employees on how to stay vigilant.



1. Suspicious Email Addresses

One of the easiest ways to recognize a phishing email is by checking the sender’s email address. Phishing emails often come from addresses that appear to be from legitimate sources but include subtle changes, such as additional numbers, misspelled company names, or incorrect domains. 
For example, you might see an email from "admin@paypa1.com" instead of "admin@paypal.com." These small differences are easy to miss but can signify a phishing attempt.
Always double-check the email address and domain before interacting with any email. Legitimate companies typically use official email addresses that are easy to verify. If something seems off, it’s best to proceed with caution and avoid clicking on any links.

2. Unsolicited Attachments
Phishing emails often contain unexpected attachments that are designed to deliver malware or ransomware onto your system. These attachments might appear as PDFs, invoices, or shipping notices but are actually harmful files. Downloading such attachments can compromise your company’s network, leading to data breaches or financial loss.
If you receive an unsolicited attachment from an unknown source or even from someone you know but weren’t expecting, do not open it. Verify with the sender through a separate communication channel before downloading any file. 
Utilizing firewall management and robust antivirus software can also help detect and prevent malicious downloads.

3. Generic Greetings
Cybercriminals often use generic greetings such as “Dear Customer” or “Dear User” because they send phishing emails in bulk. Legitimate companies, particularly those with whom you have an ongoing relationship, usually address you by name. If an email uses a vague or impersonal greeting, it’s a potential red flag.
When receiving an email that addresses you generically, take a moment to scrutinize the message. Authentic businesses tend to personalize their communications, especially when sensitive information is involved.

4. Urgent or Threatening Language
Phishing emails often use urgent or alarming language to create panic and compel recipients to act quickly. Messages might say things like “Your account has been compromised, act now!” or “Your payment is overdue; please provide your information immediately.” The goal is to push recipients into making hasty decisions without verifying the legitimacy of the request.
If an email demands immediate action or threatens negative consequences, it’s crucial to remain calm. Reputable companies and IT support companies will never pressure you to provide sensitive information under duress. Take the time to contact the company through official channels to confirm whether the request is valid.

5. Suspicious Links
A common phishing tactic involves including malicious links that appear to direct you to legitimate websites but actually lead to fraudulent pages. These fake sites may mimic real businesses, prompting you to enter personal details, such as passwords or credit card information. To avoid falling victim to this, always hover your mouse over the link to see the actual URL before clicking.
If the URL looks strange, contains odd characters, or doesn’t match the company’s official website, do not click on it. For example, a link like “https://secure.amazon-update.com” may look like an Amazon website at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it’s clearly a phishing site. Businesses should employ cybersecurity service providers to deploy email filtering tools that detect these phishing attempts before they reach employees' inboxes.

6. Requests for Sensitive Information
Legitimate organizations will never ask you to share sensitive personal information via email, such as passwords, Social Security numbers, or credit card details. Phishing emails frequently request this type of information, often under the guise of account verification or fraud prevention. If you receive an email asking for this data, it’s almost always a phishing attempt.
Instead of responding directly to the email, visit the company’s official website or contact their customer service through a verified phone number. Many businesses, especially network IT support providers, include clear warnings on their websites about avoiding phishing scams and what to do if you encounter them.

7. Grammatical Errors and Poor Spelling
Another giveaway of phishing emails is poor grammar, awkward phrasing, and spelling mistakes. While legitimate businesses typically ensure their emails are polished and free of errors, phishing emails are often hastily composed and riddled with mistakes. This could be due to language barriers, as many phishing scams originate from overseas.
If you receive an email that is filled with grammatical errors or awkward phrasing, proceed with caution. Such errors, combined with other red flags like suspicious links or requests for sensitive information, strongly suggest that the email is a phishing attempt.

8. Unfamiliar or Incorrect Contact Information
Phishing emails often include fake contact details that don’t match the official information provided by the company. For example, a phishing email might direct you to call a fake support number, where a scammer will ask for your personal details. To protect yourself, always cross-check the contact information with the company’s official website before engaging with the email.
Many organizations, especially IT support companies, emphasize the importance of verifying contact details as a key step in avoiding phishing scams. Any discrepancies between the contact information in the email and what is listed on the official site should be a major red flag.



9. Too-Good-to-be-True Offers

Scammers often entice their victims with offers that seem too good to be true, such as promises of free vacations, lottery winnings, or discounted products. While these offers may seem appealing, they are almost always a ploy to get you to click on a malicious link or provide personal information.
If an offer seems too good to be true, it likely is. Avoid clicking on any links or providing your information, and report the email to your cybersecurity service provider for further investigation.

10. Suspicious Unsubscribe Options
Many phishing emails will include an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email, which may seem like a legitimate way to stop receiving the messages. However, clicking on this link could potentially confirm your email address to the scammer or direct you to a malicious website.
Instead of clicking on suspicious unsubscribe links, mark the email as spam or report it to your IT support department or IT support company for further investigation. Most email platforms offer ways to block future emails from the sender without interacting directly with the suspicious content.

Stay Ahead of Phishing Scams
Phishing emails continue to be a significant threat to businesses, often leading to security breaches, financial losses, and stolen personal information. By following these top 10 ways to recognize phishing emails, companies can protect their employees and data from falling victim to cybercriminals.
At Be Structured, we specialize in providing solutions that help businesses safeguard against phishing attacks. From phishing email training to dark web scanning and email filtering tools, our comprehensive services reduce your risk and help your organization stay secure.


Schedule a free consultation today to learn how Be Structured can enhance your company’s cybersecurity practices and protect you from phishing emails.
- Categories: Clone phishing, Cybersecurity, Email, Tips & Tricks

#### Top 100 finalist as one of the 100 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles!
We are very honored that the Los Angeles Business Journal Awards has selected Be Structured Technology Group as a top 100 finalist as one of the 100 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, believes in making an often stressful job easier to handle by creating a cool and calm atmosphere for our people. We believe in hiring great people and treating them the best we possibly can. Part of that is by offering big company benefits even though we are a relatively small shop. We go beyond just the standard medical, dental, and vision with a matching 401(k), monthly outings, a very generous commuter benefit, and more.

The greatest strength of Be Structured is our outstanding staff. We are committed to providing the best customer service and meeting our project goals, deadlines and budgets. It is our staff values, respectful collaboration, and passion for our work that leads to our belief that we have the best team in the industry. We are always looking for dedicated new members too! Check out our careers page and send in your resume if you're looking for one of the best places to work an Information Technology Career in Los Angeles.

This survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in Los Angeles, benefiting the county’s economy, workforce and businesses. The list is made up of 100 companies. Companies from across the county entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics.  The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience.
- Categories: Awards, Hiring, Press

#### Top 3 Issues Affecting Network Reliability at Your Office
Read this scenario common to small and midsized businesses (SMBs) and see if it sounds familiar: You and/or your employees arrive at work, energized to take on the day, tackle new projects, deliver excellence for your customers, and be the pinnacle of productivity.

Alas, something gets in the way of your enthusiasm: slow computers—or, more specifically, a slow network.

Can you relate with the frustrating turn of events? Network reliability issues may be the biggest productivity killer for SMBs, more so than uninspired employees, economic factors, or other IT problems.

Moreover, a slow network and everything associated with it—slow-loading webpages, timeout errors, applications refusing to work properly—are incredibly morale-sapping to your employees. Often when the people are ready to be productive, the network doesn’t cooperate.

The technical causes of network reliability issues can be described in terms such as packet loss, bandwidth saturation, and latency, but this level of technical detail would be unhelpful for an office whose IT experience might be limited to rebooting, or turning computers on and off.

Avoiding all the jargon, the three most common causes (in no particular order) of network reliability issues are the following: poor/outdated infrastructure, congestion, and bad configuration.

With nearly 20 years as a leading Los Angeles IT support and hardware specialist team, we've encountered each of these issues and have learned the best ways to prevent and overcome each.

Read on to learn how.
1. Poor/outdated infrastructure
The software and hardware employed by your network simply may be inadequate to handle the current level of organizational needs. Think about how much computing has changed over the past 10 years: More videos are streamed, businesses use more cloud applications, and people easily access the web from their mobile devices. 

If parts of your network installation and infrastructure are aged, reliability issues are inevitable simply because decade-old hardware can’t meet the demands of year-old software.

Even newer infrastructure might not be suitable for your organization’s needs. Small businesses with little or no in-house IT resources may attempt to piece together a network and unintentionally choose poor hardware or unnecessary software that subsequently affects network reliability. Unfortunately, without more technical expertise, fixing the mess is difficult.
2. Network Congestion
Companies grow, but often, the network infrastructure required to support such expansion doesn’t grow with it or does so at a slower rate than needed. Before you know it, you have more users than bandwidth —and the system slows down. 

Moreover, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications and cloud services may be added with the thought they will result in more efficiency, but without the proper network resources, productivity gains are lost because it costs employees too much time to take advantage of the new apps.

Congestion has also emerged as a serious reliability issue, simply because employees are connecting their smartphones and other mobile devices into the network. They do so because it may be faster, it doesn’t burn up their personal data, or the company’s mobile policies require a more secure connection.

As a result, each user may be connected to the network two or three ways, but your network may not be designed to handle that traffic.
3. Bad Network Configuration
Configuration issues are often more than just which office closet holds your servers and routers (though these are valid concerns). The elements of your software stack must be configured in the right way to maximize the effectiveness of your network.

Any sort of deviation can result in a network slowdown and the inability to access apps and data when needed. Most configuration problems are the result of human error—something isn’t installed correctly, or the wrong infrastructure choice was made.

The configuration challenge is that SMBs with limited IT resources may not recognize the problem and how to fix it. This is where a Los Angeles managed service provider can deliver the expertise necessary to sort through network reliability issues.

The best outsourced tech support companies assess their clients’ needs, offer and implement solutions, and remain available to help with any problems. Such a strategy often costs less than hiring a full-time IT person, who may not even have the network experience you seek.

Furthermore, because poor network reliability can result in lost revenue, the investment in a third-party expert can save money in the long run.

Is network reliability an issue with your business? If so, give Be Structured Technology Group a call or contact us today to see how we can help.
People Also Ask
Q: How can I improve network reliability in my office?

A: To improve network reliability in your office, you can take several steps. First, ensure that you have a robust and well-configured network infrastructure in place. This includes using high-quality networking equipment, such as routers, switches, and cables. 

Regularly update and patch your network devices to ensure they have the latest firmware and security features. 

Additionally, consider implementing redundant network components, such as backup power supplies and alternative connectivity options, to minimize downtime.

Q: What factors affect network reliability in an office setting?

A: Several factors can affect network reliability in an office setting. These include the quality of network equipment, the configuration of the network, the number of devices connected to the network, the bandwidth available, and the presence of any physical or environmental obstacles that may interfere with the network signal. 

The distance between devices, the presence of electromagnetic interference, and the overall network traffic can also impact reliability.

Q: How can I troubleshoot network reliability issues in my office?

A: When troubleshooting network reliability issues in your office, start by checking the physical connections and ensuring all cables are securely plugged in. Restarting the network devices, such as routers and switches, can often resolve temporary issues. 

Verify that the network settings are correctly configured, including IP addresses, subnet masks, and DNS servers. If the problem persists, consider using network diagnostic tools to identify and resolve any specific issues, or consult with a network specialist if needed.

Q: What are the common causes of network outages in an office environment?

A: Common causes of network outages in an office environment include power failures, hardware failures, software glitches, network congestion, configuration errors, security breaches, and external factors such as natural disasters or construction work. It is important to have contingency plans and backup systems in place to minimize the impact of such events on your network reliability.

Q: What steps can I take to ensure a reliable network connection for my office?

A: To ensure a reliable network connection in your office, start by conducting a thorough assessment of your network infrastructure. This includes evaluating the capacity and performance of your network equipment, ensuring proper ventilation and cooling, and addressing any physical or environmental factors that may degrade the network signal. 

Implementing network monitoring tools can help you identify and address issues proactively. Regularly updating and maintaining your network devices, as well as educating your staff about best practices for network usage, can also contribute to improved reliability.

Q: Are there any specific network equipment or technologies that can enhance office network reliability?

A: There are several network equipment and technologies that can enhance office network reliability. Redundant networking components, such as dual power supplies or backup routers, can provide failover options in case of hardware failures. 

Implementing Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms can prioritize critical traffic and minimize congestion. Load balancing and link aggregation techniques can distribute network traffic evenly across multiple connections, improving performance and reliability. 

Additionally, investing in enterprise-grade networking equipment from reputable vendors can offer advanced features and better long-term support.

Q: How can I minimize network downtime and ensure continuous connectivity in my office?

A: Minimizing network downtime and ensuring continuous connectivity in your office requires proactive measures. Regularly monitor your network infrastructure for performance and potential issues. 

Establish proper backup and disaster recovery mechanisms to quickly restore network connectivity in case of failures. Implement redundant internet connections from different service providers to ensure continuity even if one connection goes down. 

Properly train and educate your staff on network usage policies and security measures to minimize human error.

Q: What are the best practices for maintaining network reliability in an office setting?

A: Best practices for maintaining network reliability in an office setting include performing regular network maintenance tasks, such as firmware updates, security patches, and equipment checks. 

Implementing network segmentation can help isolate and contain potential network issues. Regularly monitoring network traffic and performance can help you identify and resolve bottlenecks before they impact reliability. 

Conduct periodic network audits to ensure compliance with security standards and policies.

Q: How can I optimize my office network infrastructure to improve reliability?

A: To optimize your office network infrastructure for improved reliability, start by assessing your current network design and identifying any potential single points of failure. 

Consider implementing redundancy at critical network components such as routers, switches, and firewalls. Evaluate your bandwidth requirements and upgrade your network connection if necessary. 

Properly manage and prioritize network traffic to ensure critical applications and services receive adequate resources. Regularly review and optimize your network configurations, such as VLANs, subnetting, and routing protocols, to improve efficiency and reliability. 

Implement robust network security measures to protect against unauthorized access and potential threats.

Q: Are there any reliable network monitoring tools or software available for office networks?

A: There are several reliable network monitoring tools and software available for office networks. Some popular options include SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, PRTG Network Monitor, Nagios XI, and Zabbix. 

These tools provide real-time monitoring of network performance, bandwidth utilization, device health, and can send alerts or notifications when issues are detected. They often offer comprehensive reporting features to analyze historical data and identify trends. 

Choose a monitoring tool that aligns with your specific requirements and budget to effectively monitor and ensure the reliability of your office network.

 
Excerpt: Network reliability issues may be the biggest productivity killer for SMBs, more so than uninspired employees, economic factors, or other IT problems.
- Categories: Networking, Tips & Tricks

#### Top 5 Reasons to Invest in Healthcare IT Support for Your Medical Practice
In today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, technology has become indispensable for providing high-quality patient care. 
From electronic health records (EHR) to telemedicine platforms, the digital landscape drives medical practices forward. However, when systems fail or lag, it can disrupt workflows, frustrate staff, and affect patient satisfaction. This makes investing in healthcare IT managed services a strategic imperative, not just a luxury.
Dedicated IT support can minimize technical disruptions, enhance patient care, ensure compliance with HIPAA, protect against cyber threats, and optimize the performance of practice management software. 
This article outlines the top five reasons why investing in specialized healthcare IT support is crucial for medical practices aiming to stay efficient and competitive.

1. Minimizing Technical Disruptions
In the healthcare setting, time is often of the essence. When IT systems malfunction, it’s not just frustrating—it can halt critical operations, delay patient care, and put sensitive data at risk. 
By investing in healthcare IT support, practices can minimize downtime and address technical issues swiftly.
Specialized IT services for healthcare that solve data management includes proactive system monitoring and regular maintenance, ensuring your technology runs smoothly. 
With a dedicated team, healthcare providers can focus on their patients while IT experts handle technical problems, saving time and reducing operational inefficiencies. For instance, routine system checks can prevent common issues like slow network performance or data access problems, keeping the practice running efficiently.


2. Enhancing Patient Care
Patient care is at the heart of any medical practice, and healthcare IT support directly contributes to improving it. With reliable IT systems in place, healthcare providers can quickly access patient information, make informed decisions, and coordinate care more effectively.
Streamlined IT systems enhance patient interactions, from appointment scheduling to billing, by integrating practice management software with electronic health records. 
Automated systems, such as appointment reminders and patient portals, improve communication and reduce administrative burdens. When staff can focus on patient care instead of battling technical problems, satisfaction and clinical outcomes improve.
One of the hidden advantages of specialized IT support is the ability to tailor systems to your practice's specific needs. Whether integrating telehealth platforms or simplifying patient intake processes, having expert IT support maximizes the impact of your technology on patient care.

3. Ensuring HIPAA Compliance
Compliance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations is a non-negotiable part of operating in the healthcare industry. Failure to meet these stringent standards can result in hefty fines and damage to your practice’s reputation. 
Healthcare IT support plays a critical role in ensuring that medical practices adhere to these requirements.
With specialized IT services, you can maintain secure patient data storage, regulate access, and implement comprehensive data management strategies. Regular security audits and staff training are other vital components of HIPAA compliance. An IT support company ensures that all systems and processes align with the latest regulations, giving you peace of mind and protecting patient confidentiality.
Managed service providers can also help practices prepare for regulatory audits, maintain up-to-date documentation, and ensure that all IT systems meet the necessary standards, reducing the risk of non-compliance.

4. Protecting Against Cyber Threats
The healthcare industry is one of the primary targets for cyberattacks due to the wealth of sensitive patient information stored in its systems. 
In 2023 alone, there were numerous high-profile data breaches, highlighting the importance of strong cybersecurity measures. Healthcare IT support is crucial for safeguarding medical practices from cyber threats like ransomware, phishing, and malware.
IT support companies implement robust security protocols such as encryption, firewalls, and multi-factor authentication. They also offer continuous monitoring to detect and respond to potential security breaches before they escalate. 
Additionally, incident response plans help ensure your practice can recover quickly from an attack, mitigating potential damage.
By partnering with an outsourced IT support company, medical practices can avoid the devastating financial and reputational impacts of a data breach. 
Regular system updates, software patches, and employee training are part of the security measures that keep patient data safe.



5. Optimizing Practice Management Software

Practice management software is the backbone of many healthcare operations. It streamlines scheduling, billing, patient record-keeping, and overall workflow. However, without dedicated IT support, even the best software can underperform. 
With healthcare IT support, medical practices can optimize their software, ensuring it integrates seamlessly with other critical systems like EHRs and billing platforms.
An IT support company can customize and fine-tune practice management software to fit the unique workflows of each medical practice. For example, an IT team can help integrate software with patient portals, improve communication tools, and enhance reporting capabilities. 
This ensures that medical staff can efficiently handle administrative tasks, giving them more time to focus on patient care.
Moreover, having specialized IT support allows medical practices to stay updated with the latest software advancements and features. 
Regular upgrades ensure that your technology remains efficient and relevant, further enhancing your practice’s operational efficiency.

The Value of Specialized Healthcare IT Support
In the evolving world of healthcare, technology plays a pivotal role in delivering superior patient care and ensuring smooth operations. Investing in healthcare IT support is no longer optional—it’s a necessity for practices that want to minimize disruptions, enhance patient satisfaction, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, and protect against cyber threats.
By optimizing practice management software and proactively managing technical issues, specialized IT support enables medical practices to operate more efficiently, improving both clinical outcomes and operational success.


To stay competitive and maintain a high level of care, now is the time to invest in a dedicated top IT support company. The right managed IT services can elevate your practice from surviving to thriving in today’s digital healthcare environment. 
Schedule a free consultation today with Be Structured and discover how specialized IT services can transform your medical practice.
- Categories: Healthcare IT support, IT Support, Managed It Services

#### Top 9 Server Virtualization Benefits for Businesses
What Is Server Virtualization 
Server virtualization has become a cornerstone in modern business environments, offering a strategic approach to maximizing resource efficiency. 
By abstracting physical hardware into multiple virtual machines, businesses can significantly reduce operational costs while enhancing system performance and reliability. 
This article aims to highlight the top benefits of server virtualization and demonstrate how it can transform business operations and drive growth.

Benefits of Server Virtualization
1. Cost Savings
One of the most compelling benefits of server virtualization is the significant reduction in hardware costs. By consolidating multiple virtual servers onto a single physical server, businesses can minimize the need for additional hardware purchases. 
This not only lowers initial capital expenditures but also reduces ongoing maintenance costs associated with physical servers.
Furthermore, a virtualization server leads to lower energy consumption and cooling costs. Fewer physical servers mean less power is required to run and cool the data center. This reduction in energy usage translates to substantial cost savings on utility bills, contributing to a more sustainable and cost-effective IT infrastructure.








2. Improved Resource Utilization
Server virtualization enables more efficient use of server resources by allowing multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server. This consolidation ensures that computing power is utilized to its fullest potential, reducing the waste associated with underused hardware. 
As a result, businesses can achieve higher performance levels without the need for additional physical servers.
Moreover, a virtualization server significantly reduces idle server time. Traditional servers often operate below their capacity, leading to inefficiencies and increased operational costs. Virtualization addresses this issue by dynamically allocating resources based on demand, ensuring that server capacity is used effectively, and minimizing downtime.
Another key benefit of server virtualization is better computing power allocation. By distributing workloads across multiple virtual machines, businesses can optimize performance and ensure that critical applications receive the necessary resources. 
This balanced approach enhances system reliability and improves overall productivity, allowing businesses to respond more quickly to changing demands.

3. Enhanced Disaster Recovery
Server virtualization simplifies backup and recovery processes, making disaster recovery backup solutions more efficient and reliable. Virtual machines can be easily backed up and restored, often with just a few clicks. This streamlined approach reduces the complexity and time required for traditional backup methods, ensuring that critical data is protected and readily available when needed.
Another significant advantage of a virtualization server is faster restoration times. In the event of a system failure, virtual machines can be quickly restored to their previous state, minimizing downtime and disruption to business operations. This rapid recovery capability is crucial for maintaining productivity and meeting service level agreements (SLAs).
Improved data protection and business continuity are also key benefits of server virtualization. By leveraging features such as snapshotting and replication, businesses can ensure that their data is consistently backed up and can be recovered in the event of a disaster.

4. Increased Flexibility and Scalability
Server virtualization offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability, allowing businesses to easily scale resources up or down based on demand. 
This adaptability ensures that companies can efficiently manage their IT infrastructure without overcommitting to physical hardware. As a result, businesses can respond swiftly to growth opportunities or scale back during slower periods, optimizing resource allocation.
Quick deployment of new applications and services is another significant benefit. Virtual machines can be created and configured in a fraction of the time it takes to set up physical servers. This rapid deployment capability enables businesses to launch new initiatives and services faster, maintaining a competitive edge in the market.

5. Simplified Management and Maintenance
Server virtualization simplifies the management and maintenance of IT infrastructure by centralizing the control of virtual servers. Administrators can manage multiple virtual machines from a single interface, streamlining operations and reducing the time spent on routine tasks. This centralized approach enhances efficiency and allows IT teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Reduced complexity in server maintenance is another key advantage. Virtualization eliminates the need for physical hardware maintenance, such as replacing faulty components or dealing with hardware failures. Virtual machines can be easily moved, cloned, or restored, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous availability of services.
Streamlined updates and patches further contribute to simplified management. With server virtualization, administrators can apply updates and patches to virtual machines without disrupting the entire system. 
This capability allows for more frequent and timely updates, improving security and performance while reducing the risk of vulnerabilities.



6. Better Testing and Development Environments
Server virtualization facilitates the creation of isolated testing environments, allowing developers to test new applications and updates without affecting the production environment. 
These isolated environments mimic real-world conditions, providing a safe space to identify and resolve issues before deployment. This approach minimizes the risk of disruptions and ensures that new software functions as intended.
Safe testing of new applications and updates is crucial for maintaining system stability. Virtual machines can be easily configured to replicate different scenarios, enabling thorough testing under various conditions. This capability ensures that any potential problems are addressed early, reducing the likelihood of post-deployment issues and enhancing overall system reliability.

7. Enhanced MSSP Security
Server virtualization enhances an MSSP or Managed Security Servcie Provider's security by isolating virtual machines, ensuring that each operates independently. This isolation prevents security breaches in one virtual machine from affecting others, thereby containing potential threats. By segmenting workloads, businesses can create a more secure and resilient IT environment.
Easier implementation of security policies is another advantage. Virtualization platforms often come with built-in security features that allow administrators to enforce policies across all virtual machines from a centralized interface. This capability simplifies the management of security measures, ensuring consistent application and reducing the risk of human error.
Reduced risk of hardware-related security breaches is also a key benefit. Virtual machines are not tied to specific physical hardware, which means that vulnerabilities in physical servers do not directly impact the virtual environment. This separation adds an additional layer of security, protecting critical data and applications from hardware-related threats.

8. Improved Performance and Reliability
Server virtualization significantly improves performance and reliability through effective load balancing across virtual servers. By distributing workloads evenly, virtualization ensures that no single server is overwhelmed, leading to more stable and efficient operations. This balanced approach maximizes resource utilization and enhances overall system performance.
Reduced downtime and improved uptime are critical benefits of server virtualization. Virtual machines can be easily migrated between physical servers without interrupting services, allowing for maintenance and upgrades to occur seamlessly. This capability ensures continuous availability of applications and services, meeting the high uptime requirements of modern businesses.

9. Environmental Benefits
Server virtualization offers significant environmental benefits by lowering the carbon footprint through reduced energy consumption. Fewer physical servers mean less power is required to operate and cool the data center, leading to a substantial decrease in energy usage. This reduction not only cuts operational costs but also contributes to a more sustainable IT infrastructure.
Another advantage of server virtualization is its contribution to corporate sustainability goals. Many organizations are committed to reducing their environmental impact, and virtualization aligns with these objectives by promoting energy efficiency and resource conservation. 
By adopting virtualization, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, enhance their corporate reputation, and meet regulatory requirements.



Transform Business Operations with a Managed IT Services Provider
Server virtualization offers numerous benefits that can transform business operations. From cost savings and improved resource utilization to enhanced disaster recovery and increased flexibility, the advantages are clear. 
Simplified management, better testing environments, and enhanced security further underscore its value. 
Additionally, improved performance, environmental benefits, and future-proofing capabilities make server virtualization a strategic investment. Adopting server virtualization is crucial for businesses looking to optimize their IT infrastructure and drive growth. 
Explore server virtualization solutions to stay competitive and ensure long-term success.
Get ready to transform your business operations with the best IT support company in Los Angeles. Contact Be Structured and schedule a free consultation.
- Categories: Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### Top Benefits of Managed IT Services for Manufacturing Companies
If you thought the explosion of cyber attacks and recent years was just a fluke, you thought wrong. In 2023, there were more cyber attacks during the first nine months of the year than in the entirety of the previous.

The answer is clear: digital protection and cybersecurity compliance are no longer optional. Every business needs to shore up its defenses against cyber attacks to come. For those looking at managed IT services, are they worth the cost?

Today, we take a look at how managed IT services for manufacturing can help scale your business. We'll discuss the many benefits the manufacturing industry IT has to offer.
What Are Managed IT Solutions for Manufacturing?
Every business needs an IT team as they scale up. Someone needs to handle the security of employee systems, growing databases, and implementation of new apps and technology. Unfortunately, it can be quite expensive to build your own team.

Think of managed IT services as a highly versatile form of outsourcing your IT. You can fully outsource it, or have a blend with a co-managed IT services team.

Managed IT can serve as an IT support company, local IT support, or provide IT consulting in Los Angeles - or abroad.

Managed IT services bring a ton of benefits to the table, which we will go into greater detail about later. But to give a simple and sweet overview, they give you the full power of an IT team without having to build it yourself. Most importantly, they make it affordable to run any sort of specific IT solution you need.
Challenges for the Manufacturing Industry
Manufacturing companies are at increased risk in the modern age. It used to be that manufacturing operations were mostly analog and off the wire. That is, factories did not rely heavily on connectivity and smart technologies to conduct their daily affairs.

Nowadays, factories use complex computing to run their machines. They have sorting algorithms and calibration data running through expensive manufacturing robots. Human factory workers usually serve to make sure the robots are performing, and handle the few jobs that they cannot.

Long story short, the most important operations are happening in code and in the cloud. This makes factories and plants highly vulnerable.

Cyber attacks against these installations are not uncommon, nor are they against only small organizations. Toyota had to suspend operations after one of its suppliers suffered a cyber attack in 2022. That's one of the world's largest auto companies brought to its knees by hackers!
Consequences of Cyber Attacks in Manufacturing
Halting the production line is a huge deal. Multimillion or multi-billion-dollar companies can bleed thousands upon thousands of dollars in the wake of a mere shutdown. But that's only the beginning of the consequences of not having a managed service provider.

Another huge threat is the loss of intellectual IP. Hackers could steal blueprints or other industry secrets. Loss of these schematics and formulas could do severe damage to a company's product future.

If the IP is not stolen, then the result could be ransomware. This is when hackers hold data hostage and only release it for a price. Companies could lose everything if they fail to comply, and spend millions to get it back if they do.

Then there is the threat of suffering actual damage. A classic example is the Stuxnet attack that occurred in Iran in 2010. Although this did not target a company specifically, it physically damaged an enrichment plant and ruptured operations.

Case in point, business IT services are a necessity in this day and age. Now, let's look at the benefits.
Benefits of Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
Most companies are used to having their own in-house IT team. Making a smooth transition to Los Angeles IT services could seem like a rocky process with diminishing returns. Here are the reasons you should reconsider that assumption.
A Los Angeles Managed Service Provider Is Affordable
Running cyber security companies in Los Angeles is quite expensive. For starters, it requires a lot of expensive equipment and upkeep. Servers, computers, and network installations are a big upfront investment and need regular maintenance.

Plus, companies need highly skilled staff to run their operations. IT professionals command some of the highest salaries in the nation. Therefore, even a small team costs a lot more to pay than a comparable team in another industry.
A Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles Is Cheaper
A Los Angeles managed service provider is able to keep costs down for you because it services multiple clients. Thanks to multiple revenue streams, it can provide IT security in Los Angeles for less. In essence, it's stretching its dollars and efforts further to minimize expenses.

This doesn't mean that managed IT services are inferior in some way. On the contrary, they provide top-notch services and 24/7 support.
It's Versatile
IT isn't one single discipline. It's a complex field that involves everything from database maintenance to penetration testing. So when someone says "IT team" it could mean virtually anything.

Manufacturing companies need to have their hands in a lot of cookie jars, so to speak. They need cyber security prowess to protect their networks as well as independent contractors to vet system stability. These are all very different disciplines requiring trained professionals and varying types of hardware.
Managed Services Provide Versatility
Managed IT services in Los Angeles specialize in being a jack of trades. That is, they can tackle any problem you need and provide any solution you require.

Do you need to set up a cloud migration services strategy for system management? They can help you do that. At the same time, they can monitor your systems for breaches, maintain data backups, and everything else.
It Helps You Stay Compliant
Compliance is a big topic in this day and age. Large companies like Apple and Google have suffered penalties in the millions for failing to obey the compliance legislature.

The problem is that staying compliant is easier said than done. Compliance laws are complex and often require companies to take a long list of steps to get back into that state of compliance.
Local IT Support Services Maintain Compliance
Third-party Los Angeles IT support is in the same boat as you. If you have compliance issues, then you are going to fire them. It's in their best interest - as it is in yours - to stay vigilant and keep to current regulations.

Since managed services are handling the backend for so many companies, they know compliance backward and forward - especially for manufacturing-related compliance.

Compared to a homegrown IT team, they have far greater experience and how to handle these situations. It doesn't matter if it's GDPR or CMMC compliance. They'll set your company straight and avoid lawsuits.
Outsourced IT Support Requires Less Physical Resources
Running an IT team, as we have mentioned, is expensive. But expense isn't the only issue.

An IT team needs its own physical space to conduct its affairs. It produces a resource in utilities to maintain operations, and so on.

This can present an issue for a company that can't just knock down a wall and build an IT department. There are a lot of considerations that go into building an IT space, such as server security and restricted access.
IT Support Companies Handle Things Remotely
Managed business IT services and security excel at running things from a distance. Our modern internet networks are robust, with lightning-fast fiber connections that make the distance negligible. Thanks to this infrastructure, your managed IT team can handle nearly everything remotely.

This is due in great part to cloud computing. An IT team can set up virtual servers, digital work suites, and almost anything your team requires via the Internet. As long as you have computers to access them, there is very little that needs to be done, physically, on your end.

Of course, you can also hire local IT support for business growth. This is the ideal solution for growing businesses in the Los Angeles area that need rapid, on-site support. Whether you want a fully managed experience, or a co-managed one, it provides the flexibility required to keep your manufacturing company up and running.
An IT Support Company Provides Cutting Edge Security
IT security can feel like a rat race sometimes. After all, IT experts are playing a whack-a-mole game as new exploits and viruses crop up every second of every day. For someone not seasoned in the industry, the whole prospect can seem overwhelming.

This adds to the cost mentioned before. New systems with new hardware security implementations are essential. New software (often with a hefty subscription price tag) inflates your budget.

Then there is the understanding of how to use these tools. It requires a person to be on top of all recent developments in cyber security. Missing out on new vulnerabilities and new solutions to them could be devastating for a company.
Managed IT Services Are Up-to-Date
Again, managed IT companies sink or swim depending on their success in protecting their clients. Letting their clients suffer ransomware attacks or data breaches would destroy their business. As a result, they are up-to-date with everything going on in the industry.

That means you will be getting the best, most cutting-edge security available on the market. New developments won't trip them up. If a zero-day hack appears that threatens your business, they will know about it.
Outsourced IT Support Provides Excellent Customer Support
Some people may be skeptical of managed services given their prior experiences with IT support companies. An IT support company in Los Angeles - and anywhere else in the world - may give long wait times over the phone. Fixing an issue may require calling back multiple times.

Given that you would likely be working remotely with a managed team, this might seem less than ideal. For many, it seems a lot easier to handle these transactions in person.
Managed IT Services Give Attentive Support
Outsourced tech support companies, once more, live or die by the quality of their support. They take on big clients that provide a substantial amount of income. Should they fail to provide anything less than the best service, then they can kiss their ROI goodbye.

Managed IT services are not like your typical IT support helpdesk. They are online 24/7 and dedicated to your vital operations.

Of course, if you're not a fan of working remotely with them, then you can get local IT support. Businesses in the Los Angeles area can get same-day, face-to-face meetings to handle important matters. There's no need to sit there frustrated because it feels like no one is meeting your needs.
It Helps in a Crisis
There's a saying in the IT industry: "It's not a matter of if they hack you, but when."

The sad reality is that the vast majority of companies will suffer some sort of security incident at some point. It could be something minor, such as a phishing scam, or something major like a crippling security breach.

The fact that this sort of thing is inevitable points to how important it is to be prepared. How a company reacts in the midst of a crisis determines whether they sink or swim. A flawed, delayed reaction could quite literally spell the end for a company.
Managed Services Help Put Out Digital Fires
In security breach situations, every second counts. Managed IT services understand this better than anyone else.

They know that it's vital to work fast to isolate the problem and mitigate the damage. Getting things up and running ASAP will prevent a more devastating loss of income.

Where an in-house IT team might run around like a chicken without its head, managed teams get straight to work. Again, they have many clients in many different industries. Experiences have taught them the best strategy to deal with these sorts of emergencies.
Hire IT Outsourcing Services Today
Managed IT services for manufacturing are no longer an option in today's Internet age. The benefits are numerous: cost-effectiveness, versatility, access to bleeding-edge tech, and customer service excellence. Manage services provide a robust, affordable, and effective means of running your business's IT affairs.

Be Structured has been a leader in local and managed IT services in the Los Angeles area since 2007. We've won awards for our heartfelt, high-quality, and comprehensive solutions.

Become one of our happy clients today by scheduling a free consultation.
- Categories: Managed It Services

#### Top Cybersecurity Threats Known
While technology is a regular part of our lives, it’s more recent. The first mechanical computer can be traced back to 1822 by Charles Babbage. The word computer traces back to 1613 in the book “The Yong Mans Gleanings” by Richard Braithwaite.

With the ease and use of technology comes greater threats. If you’re a small-medium-sized business owner, then you’ll want to be mindful of cybersecurity threats.

While these threats can be overwhelming, there’s hope. This article will take a look at some of the top threats out there online. Read on to explore these threats, and ensure that you’re secure today.
What Is a Cybersecurity Threat?
This is a malicious and intentional effort by an individual or organization to breach a system. This can include sabotage, espionage, financial gain, and informational theft.
1. Data Theft
Cybersecurity threat intelligence doesn’t just attack small-medium-sized companies, but they’re the principal targets. Many criminals see these companies as a way into larger companies. They know that many smaller businesses don’t have the security to prevent theft.

Many small businesses handle threats on their own which puts yourself and your business in danger of cybersecurity threats. In order to avoid threats, you’ll need to understand a hacker’s thinking, and your best option is to hire an IT professional for your business.
2. Cyber Espionage
If you’re storing your information on the cloud, it’s important to understand regulations for sensitive data. First, it’s a good idea to have an IT company set up your business on the cloud securely instead of doing it yourself. Having a lack of resources and expertise necessary can lead to hacking.
3. Phishing
Phishing attacks are becoming more intelligent, as they fool you into clicking on a link. Once you click on the link then the malware is installed onto your computer.

Now that many organizations are becoming mindful of the suspicious links, hackers are upping their game. Hackers now use machine learning to distribute and craft fake messages to convince people that they are who they say they are. Once they’re in, they can steal your financial information including credit card and login info.
Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Multifactor authentication methods include one-use texted codes, biometrics, and physical tokens. They’re a way to protect your information from hackers instead of just passwords and usernames. You can also use tools to check email attachments for malware.
4. Cryptojacking
One of the top cybersecurity threats in 2021 is cryptojacking. This is where criminals will hack into work or home computers and mine for cryptocurrency.

Since this requires much computer processing power, they often piggyback off of someone else’s system. This can cause serious problems for companies since it can be expensive to track down and resolve the issue.
5. Malware
There are hundreds of thousands of malware created each day. As time goes on, hackers will take older malware programs, and update them so that they’re unrecognizable to antivirus programs.
Trojans
This is a type of malware that pretends to be a trustworthy company. It tricks you into installing it onto your computer. They do extensive damage since they have a trojan horse masquerading as a trustworthy program.
Worms
Worms can spread in several ways, including through email. They’ll search file-sharing systems and contact databases. Worms will be sent as an attachment.
Ransomware
This is a type of software that encrypts your data storage drives and makes them unusable for you. You’ll then receive an ultimatum such as asking for a payment in order to receive the encryption key. If they don’t receive their money, then they delete the key, and the data will be lost.
6. Hidden Backdoor Programs
A hidden backdoor program is when a manufacturer for computers or parts installs a program in order to allow a computer to be remotely accessed. It’s dangerous since it allows the person who installs the backdoor to access the computer.

Huawei Technologies Co. received allegations that it had sanctions on Iran. This company is accused of trying to steal trade secrets from a business partner.

Vodafone Group Plc admits that it found vulnerabilities over the years. They state that the issues are resolved now, but this might damage the reputation of the company further.

Vodafone has asked Huawei to remove all backdoors in the internet router. While they were told the problems were fixed initially, there were still vulnerabilities.
7. Your Employees
Your employees can be the largest threat to your organization since they have access to personal information. Accidents can occur where an employee clicks on a suspicious link.

Ensure that your employees have limited access to data. This makes it harder for them to steal information. Have cybersecurity training for all employees, and teach them what attempts to avoid.
8. Distributed Denial of Service
One of the common categories of cybersecurity threats is the distributed denial of service. This is when they overwhelm a target system and make it stop functioning. You won’t be able to access the system when this occurs.

They can stop one or all computer devices on a network. This can be combined with other cyber threats as well. They often create confusion in order to distract you while they carry out their attacks.
Smurf Attack
This is when Internet Control Message Protocols (ICMP) are sent to the victim’s IP address. The requests are from spoofed IP addresses. It overwhelms the target.
Botnets
This is where bots carry out attacks. They can launch grand attacks across millions of devices.
TCP SYN Flood Attack
This is where attacks go after the target system with connection requests. When the target system tries to complete the connection, the attacker’s device won’t respond. This causes the target system to time out.
9. Man in the Middle
This is when an attacker places themselves between the target and a user. Once an attack occurs, they might be able to attack a user’s credentials, and steal sensitive data.
IP Spoofing
This is when an attacker makes you believe that you’re working with a trusted network. The attacker then receives access from the user. They use the IP address of the trusted host instead of its own.
Session Hijacking
This is where an attacker goes between a client and a network server. They use the IP address of the client. This leads to the server believing they’re corresponding with the client.
Eavesdropping Attack
Attackers will take advantage of an unsecured network communication to receive information transmitted between a server and client. They’re hard to detect since it appears that the network is acting normally.
Replay Attack
This is when you have an attacker eavesdrop on network communication and replays messages. They pretend to be the user. Replay attacks can be stopped by using timestamps for network communications.
10. Bring Your Own Device
This is when you allow your employees to bring their own devices to work. They can work remotely on their own devices as well.

The problem with this is, it brings a large number of unique threats. You can protect yourself from these threats by incorporating 2-factor authentication, and role-based access.

Require your employees to use strong passwords. Also, come up with a strategy to protect the company’s data and devices for when employees leave a company.
11. DevOps
Many companies choose to move to DevOps due to higher speeds and better efficiency. This can also lead to cybersecurity threats as well. Many organizations don’t have proper security control for DevOps.
False Positives
Since environments change, false positives can be created that your system can’t keep up with. Attackers can take this issue and hide their activity behind different processes.
Security Group Misconfiguration
Managing larger groups is difficult, and a slight misconfiguration can lead to security problems. This is due to the environment becoming large, and leading to hundreds and thousands of security groups.
Public Data Exposure
If your data isn’t configured well, it can cause public access to valuable and sensitive data. This is because the data is placed into an accessible Simple Storage Service bucket.
Protecting Your Company
In order to protect your company, you’ll want to have a recovery plan. This needs to include how you’ll prevent attacks, and how to decrease damage if it does occur.
Choose Managed IT Services
Next, consider hiring managed IT services for your company. This can save you money instead of having an internal team that you have to worry about bonuses, benefits, etc.

For many of these companies, you’ll pay them a flat rate per month or per year. They’re experts in their field and are constantly educating themselves on the newest cyber threat trends.
Funding Is Necessary
Many companies are putting their money toward the growth of their business and forgetting to have funding for preventing cybersecurity threats. Your company needs funding to prevent severe cyber attacks.

First, create a budget for yourself and place the resources you can afford. Next, reach out to an IT service provider in your area.
Have Policies
You must have a cybersecurity policy for your company. This is because security breaches are at an alarming rate recently. Get your employees on board with the cybersecurity policies as well.

Your policies need to include:

 	Protect company information and networks
 	Detect unauthorized activity
 	Address risks with remote access to client information
 	Risks with cybersecurity
 	Have oversight processes, procedures, and policies
 	Detect unauthorized activity

Penetration Testing
A managed IT service provider can perform penetration testing. This is where they’ll determine how an attacker might break your system. This is in order to check for security gaps that they can close before you receive malicious attacks.

A penetration test can vary from company to company. This is because your risk profile and security architecture will vary from another company’s.

This test normally includes someone to run the penetration test at a set date/time. Next, there will be an audit of an existing system to see what assets are vulnerable.

The people running the attacks will then try to find any weaknesses. You as the organization will see if your company has the tools necessary to stop this planned attack.
Past Incidents
One large cybersecurity attack is when in March 2021, Chinese hackers used Facebook in order to send malicious links to journalists, activists, and dissidents abroad. The U.S. Cyber Command found that they had completed more than 2 dozen operations ahead of the U.S. election.

In February 2021, Iranian hackers had control of a server in Amsterdam to control and command the center for attacks against political opponents there. Their other attacks include political opponents in India, Germany, and Sweden.

In February 2021, 10 members of a cybercriminal gang were arrested after they tricked telecom companies into providing celebrities’ phone numbers to new devices. This lead to over $100 million in cryptocurrencies.

In January 2021, hackers that were a part of Hezbollah, breached internet service providers, hosting providers, and telecom companies. It happened in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, the US, UK, Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority for intelligence gathering and data theft, and the UAE. If you see a cyber incident, report it to the National Cyber Awareness System.
Exploring the Top Cybersecurity Threats
Now that you’ve explored this guide on the top cybersecurity threats out there, you should have a better idea of what to expect. Don’t wait to come up with a cybersecurity plan for your business.

Are you wanting to protect your company from cybersecurity threats? Don’t wait.

Contact us today, and we’ll come up with an action plan to meet your needs. From managing the cloud to security services, we have you covered!
- Categories: Security
- Tags: cyber espionage, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, ddos, malware, Phishing, Phishing Email, Phishing Scams

#### Top Reasons Why Businesses Should Invest in Professional Network Installations
In today's technology-driven world, proper network installations are the foundation of successful business operations. From enabling seamless communication to supporting advanced applications, a reliable network ensures businesses remain productive, secure, and efficient. However, not all networks are created equal. 
DIY installations often lead to vulnerabilities, inefficiencies, and costly downtime. Investing in professional network installation is a strategic decision that can drive long-term growth and protect business-critical processes. 
With the support of experienced managed IT services companies and skilled professionals, businesses can benefit from customized network solutions designed to meet their unique needs. 
By partnering with trusted IT outsourcing companies, organizations can future-proof their network infrastructure and stay ahead of the competition. 

Why a Reliable Network is Critical for Businesses
A dependable network serves as the backbone of modern business operations. Every department, from customer service to finance, relies on uninterrupted connectivity to perform daily tasks efficiently. Delays caused by slow or unreliable networks can have severe consequences, including lost productivity, frustrated customers, and reduced revenue.
For example, imagine an e-commerce company facing network downtime during a major sale event. 
Orders cannot be processed, customers abandon their carts, and the business loses valuable sales opportunities. Scenarios like this highlight why professional network installation is vital for minimizing disruptions and ensuring consistent performance.
Professional network installation provided by a managed service provider guarantees more than just a working network. It ensures optimal performance, reliability, and scalability to support business operations, both today and in the future.


Enhanced Security Through Professional Computer Network Installation
Cybersecurity remains a top priority for businesses of all sizes, particularly as cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated. Professional network installation incorporates advanced security measures to safeguard sensitive business data and protect against external threats.

Key Security Benefits of Professional Network Installation

 	Secure Configurations: DIY installations often leave security loopholes, such as default passwords or poorly configured firewalls. A company providing professional IT network support services will ensure that every aspect of your network is configured securely from the start.
 	Advanced Firewalls and Encryption: Modern networks require strong defense mechanisms. Professional installation incorporates firewalls, encryption protocols, and access controls to mitigate risks and prevent unauthorized access.
 	Ongoing Monitoring and Support: Network vulnerabilities evolve over time. By partnering with outsourced IT support companies, businesses can benefit from continuous network monitoring to detect and resolve issues before they escalate.

Investing in professional services significantly reduces the likelihood of data breaches and cyberattacks, which can otherwise cause reputational damage and financial loss. A secure network is the cornerstone of safe, reliable business operations.

Customized Network Solutions for Unique Business Needs
No two businesses are identical, and neither are their network requirements. Professional network installation goes beyond basic setups by delivering tailored solutions that align with a company's specific needs and goals.

The Process of Tailored Network Installation

 	Comprehensive Assessment: Skilled professionals conduct a thorough evaluation of the business's current network infrastructure, identifying gaps, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.
 	Scalable Design: Network solutions are designed with scalability in mind, ensuring that businesses can seamlessly expand their systems as operations grow.
 	Expert Implementation: A local IT support services team ensures flawless installation and integration with existing systems, minimizing disruptions. And because they're local, they have the ability to physically come to your business if need be to fix problems that can't be fixed remotely.

For instance, a fast-growing law firm may require secure remote access for employees, along with the ability to handle large data transfers. That's where a team specifically trained in law firm IT support becomes clutch.
Meanwhile, manufacturing IT support might prioritize real-time system monitoring and reduced latency for connected devices. Professional network installation ensures businesses receive solutions tailored to their unique operational demands.

Cost-Effectiveness and Long-Term Savings
While DIY network setups may appear cost-effective initially, they often result in expensive problems down the line. Frequent outages, poor performance, and security breaches can lead to significant financial losses.
By investing in professional network installation, businesses can achieve substantial long-term savings through:


 	Reduced Downtime: Professionally installed networks are designed for reliability, minimizing unexpected interruptions that can halt productivity.
 	Lower Maintenance Costs: Expert installations reduce the likelihood of technical issues, lowering ongoing repair and maintenance expenses.
 	Improved Resource Allocation: A properly configured network ensures optimal utilization of bandwidth, devices, and software.

Businesses partnering with IT outsourcing companies can count on proactive monitoring and maintenance further enhance cost savings by catching potential issues early. Over time, the initial investment in professional services delivers measurable ROI.

Future-Proofing Your Business with Scalable Networks
A major benefit of professional network installation is its ability to grow alongside your business. As companies adopt new technologies, such as cloud-based applications and IoT devices, their network infrastructure must adapt to meet increased demands.

The Importance of Scalability
Scalable network solutions provide businesses with:


 	Flexibility: Networks designed for scalability allow seamless integration of new tools, applications, or locations without disrupting current operations.
 	Performance Optimization: As the number of users and devices grows, professionally installed networks ensure consistent performance and connectivity.
 	Enhanced Competitiveness: Businesses equipped with adaptable networks are better prepared to embrace innovation and stay competitive in their industries.

Partnering with an experienced IT support company ensures businesses receive networks that can handle both current requirements and future expansions.


Why Professional Network Installation Is Worth the Investment
Investing in professional network installations deliver immediate and long-term benefits that outweigh the costs. Businesses gain a secure, reliable, and scalable network infrastructure that supports seamless operations and fosters growth.

Summary of Benefits:

 	Enhanced security through expert configurations, firewalls, and monitoring.
 	Tailored solutions that align with specific business needs.
 	Significant long-term savings by reducing downtime and maintenance costs.
 	Scalable networks that adapt to business growth and technological advancements.

With the expertise of a managed service provider, businesses can avoid the pitfalls of DIY network setups and focus on achieving their strategic goals.

Take Action and Secure Your Network Today
A robust, secure, and efficient network is essential for any business to thrive in today's digital landscape. From enhanced security to seamless scalability, professional network installation delivers the foundation for success.
Partner with Be Structured to transform your network infrastructure and ensure your business stays ahead of the curve. Schedule a free consultation today and let our experts design and implement a network that meets your unique needs.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Network installations
- Tags: Network Installation

#### Transferring to a Managed Service Provider
How Difficult Is It to Transfer to a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?
As a business owner, you probably spend a lot of your time thinking about IT issues. You may have a managed service provider to help you handle your routine IT maintenance. But what do you do if you’re not satisfied with the service you’re getting from this provider?

Transitioning to a new managed service provider may seem like a daunting process, but it doesn’t have to be. Read on to learn more about this process and what to expect during the transition process.
What Is a Managed Service Provider?
Before we get into how you can switch to a managed service provider, let’s talk about what a managed service provider is. A managed service provider, or MSP, is a company that handles all of your IT needs for you. These services can provide plenty of IT expertise and the support you need to focus on running your business.

A managed service provider can provide a variety of different levels of service, depending on what you need. You can get 24/7 monitoring, data backup and protection, antivirus and intrusion protection, and more. They can also provide comprehensive cloud services and live support services, as well as network and infrastructure management.
Benefits of a Managed Service Provider
If you already work with an outsourced IT support services company and you’re not happy, you might be wondering if you should even pay for an MSP at all. One of the biggest reasons MSPs are important is because it enables you to focus on your business. Instead of spending your valuable time handling IT problems, you can focus on managing and growing your business.

Managed service providers also bring expertise that your in-house team may not have. Because these professionals have dedicated their careers to mastering the IT field, they know how to deal with almost any problem you come up against. This can get your business back online sooner and save you from losing money during downtime.
When to Consider a Switch
So when is it time for you to start looking at switching managed service providers?

First of all, your MSP should be using the latest technology, both in terms of hardware and software. This is especially important in cybersecurity tools, since that field is always evolving to protect your business against new threats.

You also need good customer service from your managed service provider; when you call them with a crisis, you need to know that they’ll respond quickly.

That's why it's important to search for "IT support near me". If your business resides in Southern California, you should always work with a company that specializes in IT support in Los Angeles.  That way, your offsite IT service team is just a quick car ride away from instant help. They should be a partner of your business and should work to make sure you have everything you need to be successful. If you don’t have this experience with your current MSP, it may be time to consider a switch.
What to Look for in a New MSP
When you’re shopping for a new MSP, there are a few things you’ll want to look out for from outsourced tech support squad. Of course, plenty of technical experience and expertise is a must for your new MSP. You want to look for a company that hires top industry experts who will be able to tackle any problem that comes up during your business operations.

Your new MSP should also be able to help you reduce your downtime when emergency events do happen. They should be able to help you protect against these accidents, including setting up a cybersecurity system. And their services should fit with your budget needs, including offering flexible support plans.
Read Your Contract
When you get ready to transfer to an MSP, the first thing you need to do is to read your current contract. You may have to take certain steps when you’re ending your relationship with your MPS. Knowing what steps you have to take ahead of time can make your transition process smoother.

You may need to give your current MSP a certain amount of notice that you plan to terminate service with them. Look into the procedures to do this; do you need to send written notice, or will a phone call suffice? Also, look into how ending your payment structure will work, particularly when you will submit your last payment.
Inventory Your Equipment
Once you’ve gotten familiar with your termination procedure, it will be time to start taking a look at your IT needs. This should begin with taking a look at your computer equipment, including the equipment that belongs to your current managed service provider. Removing this equipment may be part of your offboarding process with your old MSP.

When you get ready to start a relationship with a new MSP, they may need to know what equipment you own. They may provide you with a variety of different equipment, depending on your needs. However, if they can’t provide the equipment you need, you may have to purchase some of your own during the transition process.
Audit Your Existing Environment
In addition to taking a look at your hardware, you also need to audit your entire IT environment. Before you can start working with a new MSP, they need to know about your system needs. This can include everything from the size of your system to the specific areas where you need support.

Work with your new MSP to create a report detailing what sort of software, if any, you have to handle antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-spam needs. Discuss what sort of firewalls you use and what sort of data backup plan you have. It’s also a good idea to provide them with some network specifications so they know what size of system you’re working with.
Give Your Current MSP Notice
Once you’ve finished your system audit with your new MSP, you’ll be ready to give your current MSP notice that you’ll be terminating your service. You may need to provide them with a thirty- or ninety-day notice so they can wrap up their service with you and schedule off-boarding. You may also need to submit this notice through some sort of official channel.

While you may want to handle this notice yourself, your new managed service provider can also handle this notice. This can accomplish a few things; for one, it removes that responsibility for that call from your plate. It can also facilitate some of the practical conversations that your two MSPs will need to have during the transition process.
Schedule Off-Boarding
Once you’ve notified your old MSP that you’ll be ending service with them, you’ll need to schedule off-boarding. This will be when your old MSP withdraws from your IT network, removing log-ins and shutting down accounts. They’ll turn over the needed information to your new provider and officially close out your account with their company.

Before shutting down your account, your old MSP may need to schedule a time to come pick up any hardware they own. There may be an uninstallation fee associated with this, so be sure to clarify that in your contract ahead of time. Of course, you may be expected to pay for any damaged equipment that belongs to your old MSP.

That's when your new MSP can begin its network installation.
Typical Off-Boarding Timelines
Off-boarding can take some time, and you may need to plan for some downtime during this transition. However, most MSPs work to make sure this transition has as little of an impact on your business as possible. The two companies will coordinate with each other to get old equipment moved out and software uninstalled before the onboarding process begins.

In general, your old MSP will likely set up their off-boarding time for a Friday evening after business hours. This ensures that the downtime your company does experience will impact your day-to-day operations as little as possible. Removing the old hardware may need to happen at a different time, possibly earlier in the week before the official off-boarding.
Start Onboarding
Once your old managed service provider has officially signed off, your new MSP will be ready to take over. In general, they’ll want to start their onboarding process as soon as your old provider finishes off-boarding. This keeps your downtime to a minimum and ensures a smooth transition.

Most MSPs will start their onboarding the same night that your old MSP signs off for the last time. They’ll install any new software that you’ll need, and they may even bring in and install the new hardware you’ll need. They’ll also check to make sure your old MSP removed everything from your network that was under their control.
Hand Over IT Control
During the onboarding process, your new managed service provider will need to take control of your IT environment. Given that they’ll be running it for you every day, this control won’t be unusual even after onboarding is wrapped up. But this control is especially important when they’re getting your new system set up and ready to go.

Your new provider will likely change all access codes and passwords that allowed your old MSP to access your system. This helps to keep your company safe, especially from disgruntled former employees of your old provider. They’ll provide you with these new logins so that only you and them will have access to your system.
The Transition Process
After all your passwords are changed, the full onboarding process can begin. Your new managed service provider will likely start by performing a full data backup of your entire system. This helps them to ensure that no data gets lost during the transition process and establishes the new routine for these backups.

They may also take a closer look at your cybersecurity system and try to fix any weaknesses or loopholes they encounter. They’ll update any software that needs it and set up patches and fixes as needed. If all goes according to plan, your new MSP should be done setting up your system before you open for business on Monday.
Transitioning Your Employees
Even once the onboarding process is finished, your MSP’s work is far from over. In addition to getting your system up to date, your new managed service provider will also need to help your employees transition to the new environment. This step will likely involve an in-person visit to your office so they can meet with and train your employees.

Your MSP may meet with your employees and go over relevant information about the new system. They’ll get any logins updated as needed and provide training in any new programs or protocols your employees may be using. This meeting also gives your employees a chance to meet the people who they’ll call when trouble arises.
Working with Your New MSP
With onboarding done and your initial transition wrapped up, you’ll be ready to settle into a working relationship with your new managed service provider. A good MSP should be available to help you navigate any questions or challenges that come up during the course of your business. Not only should they help you through a crisis, but they should be an active partner in helping you to prevent downtime from happening in the first place.

There will likely be a longer transition period when your company works out the kinks of your new MSP relationship. Your team will learn how to work with your new MSP, and your new MSP will learn your business routines. As time goes on, this relationship should improve and your service should become a natural part of your business rhythm.
Find a New Managed Service Provider
A managed service provider can be a fantastic partner for your company, but you need a company that fits well with your needs. Switching to a new managed service provider is a bit of a process, but not an odious one. Make sure to provide your old MSP with plenty of notice and schedule a convenient time for your new MSP to do their onboarding.

If you’d like to find your new managed service provider, check out the rest of our site at BeStructured Technology Group. We are an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm that provides IT service, IT consulting, and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation with us today and let us show you how great IT support in Los Angeles can be.
- Categories: Managed IT
- Tags: Managed Service Provider, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### Understanding CMMC Levels and Domains
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
Did you know that over 60% of small businesses experience a cyberattack each year? With the growing number of threats, the Department of Defense (DoD) has introduced the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) to ensure the protection of sensitive information.

In this article, we'll dive into the details of CMMC levels and domains to help you better understand their importance in securing your business.
Overview of CMMC Domains
CMMC domains are different areas of cybersecurity that the CMMC focuses on. They help to create a clear structure for improving the security of companies working with the DoD.

There are 17 domains in total, each covering a specific aspect of cybersecurity. These domains play a crucial role in assessing a company's security measures and ensuring that they are strong enough to protect important information.

The 17 CMMC Domains are:

 	Asset Management (AM)
 	Access Control (AC)
 	Awareness and Training (AT)
 	Audit and Accountability (AU)
 	Security Assessment (CA)
 	Configuration Management (CM)
 	Identification and Authentication (IA)
 	Incident Response (IR)
 	Maintenance (MA)
 	Media Protection (MP)
 	Physical Protection (PE)
 	Personnel Security (PS)
 	Risk Management (RM)
 	Recovery (RE)
 	Situational Awareness (SA)
 	System and Communications Protection (SC)
 	System and Information Integrity (SI)

In-depth Look at CMMC Domains
Let's explore some of the domains in detail:

Asset Management (AM) focuses on keeping track of devices, software, and data that a company uses. This helps to make sure that everything is accounted for and protected.

Access Control (AC) is about making sure that only the right people can access important information. This includes setting up passwords, permission settings, and other methods to keep data safe.

Awareness and Training (AT) involves teaching employees about cybersecurity. As well as their role in keeping the company's information safe. This training helps everyone understand the risks and how to avoid them.

Incident Response (IR) deals with how a company reacts when a security breach happens. This includes having a plan in place to handle the situation and making sure that everyone knows what to do.

These are just a few examples of the domains covered by CMMC. Each one plays an important part in ensuring the overall security of a company's information.
CMMC Levels: A Gradual Approach to Cybersecurity Maturity
CMMC includes five levels of security, with each one building on the previous level. This approach allows companies to grow their cybersecurity measures over time. It also helps the DoD understand how well a company is protecting sensitive information.

The five CMMC levels are:

 	Level 1: Basic Cyber Hygiene
 	Level 2: Intermediate Cyber Hygiene
 	Level 3: Good Cyber Hygiene
 	Level 4: Proactive Cybersecurity
 	Level 5: Advanced/Progressive Cybersecurity

Each level has specific requirements that a company must meet in order to achieve certification. Companies might work with a Los Angeles managed service provider or an IT support LA company to help them meet these requirements.
Breakdown of CMMC Levels
In this section, we'll discuss each CMMC level in more detail. Here are the requirements and focus areas for each level:
Level 1: Basic Cyber Hygiene
At Level 1, companies are expected to have basic security measures in place. This means they're taking some steps to protect their information and systems from common threats.

Some examples of practices at this level include using antivirus software and making sure that employees have strong passwords. Companies might rely on local IT support to help set up these basic security measures.
Level 2: Intermediate Cyber Hygiene
When a company reaches Level 2, it should have stronger security practices in place. The focus at this level is on documenting security measures and making sure they are followed consistently.

Companies might work with IT services in Los Angeles to review their security practices regularly and make improvements as needed. This level also helps companies prepare for handling controlled unclassified information in the future.
Level 3: Good Cyber Hygiene
Level 3 is the minimum level required for companies that handle sensitive information. At this stage, organizations must have a solid security foundation in place. This includes having policies and procedures to protect controlled unclassified information.

Companies may continue to work with IT services in Los Angeles to ensure their security measures are strong enough to protect this type of information.
Level 4: Proactive Cybersecurity
At Level 4, companies are expected to actively monitor and improve their security measures. This means staying ahead of potential threats by keeping up with the latest security trends and technologies.

Organizations at this level may work closely with cybersecurity experts and invest in advanced security tools to protect their information. The goal is to reduce the risk of advanced threats and be prepared to respond to incidents quickly.
Level 5: Advanced/Progressive Cybersecurity
Level 5 is the highest level of CMMC.  It's designed for organizations that face advanced threats. Companies at this level must have cutting-edge security measures in place and be continuously innovating to stay ahead of potential risks.

This might involve working with cybersecurity experts or specialized IT services Los Angeles to develop new security strategies and tools. Organizations at Level 5 are committed to the highest level of cybersecurity. Often leading the way in protecting sensitive information.
Assessing and Achieving CMMC Compliance
To achieve CMMC compliance, companies must go through an assessment process. This involves working with a certified assessor who will review the organization's security practices. They will determine if your company meet the requirements for a specific CMMC level.
The Assessment Process
During the assessment, the assessor will review documentation and evidence provided by the company. This might include security policies, procedures, and records of security activities. The assessor will also verify that the company is following the practices required for their desired CMMC level.
Importance of Documentation and Evidence
Having clear and accurate documentation is crucial for achieving CMMC compliance. Companies should keep records of their security activities. These can include employee training sessions and incident response plans.

This documentation will help the assessor understand how the company is working to improve its cybersecurity measures. Plus, whether it meets the requirements for a specific CMMC level.
CMMC 2.0: The Next Evolution in Cybersecurity
In response to feedback from stakeholders, the DoD has introduced CMMC 2.0, an updated version of the CMMC. This new version is currently being implemented and it aims to simplify the certification process.

CMMC 2.0 consolidates the original five levels of certification into a more manageable three-tier system. This should reduce the complexity and cost for small and medium-sized businesses seeking certification. The updated model also focuses on refining the assessment process and providing better guidance for companies on their journey to achieving compliance.
Secure Your Business with CMMC Compliance
Understanding CMMC levels and domains is essential for companies that work with the DoD and want to protect sensitive information. If you're looking to enhance your cybersecurity measures and achieve CMMC compliance, Be Structured Technology Group is here to help.

As a leading managed service provider in Los Angeles, Be Structured Technology Group has the expertise to guide you through the process and tailor solutions to meet your needs. Contact us today to see how we can help you strengthen your cybersecurity posture and reach your desired CMMC level.
- Categories: CMMC, cybersecurity compliance, IT Support

#### Understanding the Importance of User Identity Management
In a previous post, we provided an in-depth discussion of insider network threats and how you can defend your network against them. You may have noticed that for the majority of insider threats, one of the most common strategies for staying protected is user access controls and identity management. That’s because properly implemented user identity management not only makes it more difficult for unauthorized users to get in; effective access controls also make it more difficult for cyber criminals to manipulate your network even after gaining entry.
But what does effective user identity management look like, and how exactly does it work? The experts at Be Structured have the answers.
The Fundamentals of User Identity Management
End users and endpoint devices pose two of the most significant vulnerabilities networks of any size experience. Oftentimes, these vulnerabilities only increase as a network and the number of users expand. That’s why no matter the size of your system, a comprehensive identity and access management (IAM) platform is fundamental to securing your network both inside and out.
To put it simply, user identity and network access management is the process your organization uses to identify, authenticate, and authorize access to your network, applications, and other information systems.
Some fundamental IAM strategies include:
 	Username and password management
 	User authentication tools
 	Multi-step authentication
 	Account recovery tools
Ultimately, an effective IAM platform ensures that users really are who they say they are before they’re granted access to your network and network devices. These access controls apply to both virtual network systems and the physical devices operating on your network while protecting you from internal and external threats.
First, IAM strategies make it more difficult for a malicious actor to gain unauthorized access to your network. Second, should a cyber criminal gain entry to your network, user access controls limit their ability to use your network against you.
With proper IAM controls, network administrators always know precisely:
 	Who is on your network
 	Which devices they’re using
 	What they have access to
 	What processes they’re running
With this critical information, your team has the ability to monitor for suspicious activity, flag and track any potentially malicious behavior, and keep your network protected at every level.
The Role of Multi-Factor Authentication and Endpoint Security
In today’s cyber security landscape, two of the most prominent tools for prioritizing IAM include multi-factor authentication and endpoint security. Multi-factor authentication requires that users take multiple steps to verify their identity before being granted network access. Often the steps they take must reflect the sensitivity of the data they’re trying to access.
For example, to access your network’s email platform, users may be required to enter their password along with a verification code sent to the mobile phone linked to their account. However, for higher-level access like logging into a network administrator account, users may be required to enter a password and answer a question before being sent a verification code.
Compromised accounts are frequently the result of lost, unattended, or stolen network devices. That’s why endpoint security is a must for protecting your broader network operations. Ensuring network devices automatically lock when they are put to sleep or left unattended for an extended period is a simple step you can take right now to minimize the risk of unauthorized access. For more comprehensive protection, application whitelisting—the practice of only letting users visit specific sites and applications—provides the most effective approach for defending against compromised devices.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) vs. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
The difference between two-factor authentication and multi-factor authentication is quite simple. Two-factor authentication is a form of multi-factor authentication whereby users are only required to follow two steps of verification before being granted account access. In the example above, users first enter a password followed by a verification code sent to their mobile device to log in. Multi-factor authentication can be used to describe two-factor authentication, but two-factor authentication can’t always be used to describe multi-factor authentication.
That’s because multi-factor authentication may require two or more steps to verify a user’s identity, including:
 	Entering a password
 	Answering a security question
 	Swiping a card or entering a pin
 	Entering a one-time verification code
 	Downloading a VPN client
 	Scanning a fingerprint
 	Attaching a USB hardware token
Again, the number of steps a user must follow to verify their identity should reflect the level of importance that information has to your network. For email accounts, 2FA is often enough to provide an additional layer of security. However, to gain access to more valuable network resources, three or four verification steps may be a better choice.
The Los Angeles IT Support Experts
Are you looking for ways to protect your network from unauthorized access? The experts at Be Structured can help. We specialize in assessing your existing network security to develop a user identity management solution that protects your network and users at every level. If you want to start structuring a cyber security platform around your mission-critical operations, contact our team today to get started.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: 2FA, Two-Factor Authentication, User Identity Management

#### Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and Their Role in Protecting Against Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks are on the rise.
This should come as no surprise because as the Internet population continues to grow at a breathtaking pace, so do those who prey on the users and the company’s vulnerable networks.
Cyber attacks take many different forms. From malware attacks using8 clever virus or ransomware strategies to phishing email scams that breach an innocent user’s false sense of security all the way to Denial of Service assaults where a company’s network is flooded with bogus traffic designed to prevent legitimate business requests from transacting.
This year will see a record number of Internet users surpassing 4.6 billion active surfers. On the dark side, it’s estimated there will be 445 million cyber-attacksr this year alone.
How your IT support staff or company prepares for these intrusive and often debilitating attacks is key to how quickly a business can respond and keep itself safely online.
4 Steps To Recovering From A Cyber Attack
For any Small-to-Medium- sized business owner, recovering from a Cyber attack or a security breach involves these procedures:


 	Immediately securing the lines of defense at your organization.
 	Understanding what to check for in your IT Infrastructure after your business has been impacted.
 	Knowing whom to notify in the case that a Cyber attack has actually indeed happened.
 	Having ready the kind of letter that should be written to the impacted parties (primarily those groups of customers, and any other third parties that you deal with, such as suppliers and distributors).
There are many tools that can help fortify the lines of defense at your business. 

First off, you want your network structured to be hyper secure with rigid encryption software backed up by 2-factor authentication (2FA) protocols. A constant round of data backup will also be clutch in the case of any breach.
But another tool that can also better strengthen your attack defense position is often overlooked: the “Virtual Private Network” (VPN).
Essentially, with VPN technology, you are masking your network lines of communication.  For example, if your remote employee logs in to access resources which are located at your place of business, that particular connection will actually appear to be “invisible” to the outside world.
What Is A Virtual Private Network
A Virtual Private Network is essentially a dedicated network in and of itself.  It is highly specialized, with the main intention of securing the flow of communication between the sending and the receiving parties (with the example above, the former would be the corporate servers and the latter would be the remote employee attempting to login).
In its simplest form, the Virtual Private Network takes the data packet in which the plain text message (for example, the login credentials of the remote employee) resides in. This plain text message cannot just be sent by itself. It needs to have a vehicle in which to travel across the network medium, (which is the data packet), and then further encrypts it on as needed basis.
This encryption tool is actually just another data packet.  Meaning, the data packet which contains the plaintext message (the login credentials of your remote employee) is further wrapped inside by another data packet, in order to provide that extra layer of protection.
This process is technically known as “encapsulation”.
“Once this process has been accomplished, the Virtual Private Network then establishes a dedicated network connection, or even a dedicated network channel, in which the encapsulated data packet can be sent in,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be structured, a leading Los Angeles-based Managed Service Provider.
Although this specific connection makes use of the public network infrastructure and related systems, this special type of network connection established and used by the Virtual Private Network cannot be seen by others, as this connection cannot be picked up by network sniffers.
Thus, when using a VPN, the user is routed through an encrypted forest to a server controlled by the VPN company. Now, your ISP and connection to your router is no longer visible. Your IP address is hidden since the traffic seems to emanate from the VPN’s server.
This makes it near impossible to detect your location. This adds an extra level of security onto your network where simply adding a secure server (“https”) may not be secure enough.
Limitations Of VPNs To Consider
As with any form of cyber attack, the criminals become more sophisticated by the day, hell, by the minute. So it’s nearly impossible to always be out in front of them on the defense side.
What a VPN won't do is make your surfing patterns completely anonymous. One way to get closer to anonymity is to ask an IT service for its recommendations about anonymity software programs that then routes your data through several volunteer computers which then makes it near impossible to be tracked.
One of the most valued aspects of any good VPN is trust. A VPN should assure you that it will go to tremendous lengths to secure your data and online activities as possible. Sometimes, a VPN sales team will promise a ton of security that they cannot - or simply won’t - be able to deliver.
“We always tell our clients to let us do the legwork for you when it comes to recommending a quality, trusted VPN platform,” Be Structured’s Lauterbach contends. “If you spend the time to outsource your technical support, then let us be your eyes and ears to find what VPN and other security solutions will be the best suited for your company’s individual needs.”
In fact, Secure Access Service Edge  or SASE are starting to replace traditional VPNs.
Employing multiple security protocols above and beyond a VPN will always be key in creating the best offense by constructing an even better defense.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: 2FA, Cyber Security, Cybersecurity Threats, virtual private network, vpn

#### Virtual Servers: Everything You Need To Know
Did you know that there are over 600,000 new businesses that start up in the United States each year? However, many of these companies fail within the first few years.

As you might guess, you cannot expect your company to thrive if you do not properly manage your IT support responsibilities.

One of the most beneficial steps you can take is implementing virtual servers.

However, not everybody understands what using this type of server entails. We've put together a brief guide that outlines the key information you need to know about.

Let's take a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Virtual Server?
As the name suggests, it is a server that exists in a virtual environment.

It is created by using virtualization software to divide a single physical server into several smaller virtual servers. Put simply, you can have multiple virtual servers running on a single physical server. They are often used for software development/testing.

Not only does this allow you to avoid taking processing power away from other tasks, but you can also have full control over the environment the software operates within. This means you can test for different use cases.

It also makes debugging much simpler. Web hosting is another common way that business owners leverage virtual servers.
What Benefits Do They Provide?
Each virtual server can run its own operating system and can be independently rebooted.

This means that if one virtual server crashes, the others will not be affected. Virtual servers are also much easier to scale than physical servers.

If you need to add more capacity, you can simply create a new virtual server. You don't need to worry about the cost and hassle of buying and setting up new hardware.

This is one of the most important factors to consider. For example, imagine if you needed to purchase a handful of new hardware servers. This could easily cost your company thousands of dollars that could have been spent elsewhere.

As previously mentioned, having full control over the server is something that you shouldn't overlook.

This will allow you to isolate certain applications or programs in their own environment. Having this level of control also ensures that you get the most out of your virtual server.

This is due to the fact that you can fine-tune the resources you allocate to it.
Are There Any Drawbacks?
The main downside of virtual servers is that they are more complex than physical servers. They require more technical expertise to set up and maintain. Another potential issue is that virtual servers can be less secure than physical servers.

This is because they are shared environments and if one server is compromised, the others may also be at risk. To clarify, the cybercrime industry is projected to be worth over $10 trillion by the end of 2025. This means that more criminals than ever before are looking for ways to procure sensitive business data.

Compromising access to virtual servers is one of the most lucrative ways they can do so. Having a robust security architecture is crucial to protect your company’s information.
Who Are Virtual Servers For?
Virtual servers are suitable for businesses of all sizes. They are especially beneficial for companies that need to scale up their server capacity quickly and easily. When determining whether or not you need one, consider your business needs and whether or not a physical server would be able to meet them.

If you find that your physical servers don't have enough power on their own, a virtual server might be the answer. This is especially true if you plan on scaling in the near future.
How Do I Get Started?
If you're interested in using virtual servers for your business, the first step is to find a reputable provider.

Once you've done that, you'll need to decide which type of virtualization software you want to use. The provider you work with will help you determine which type of software is ideal for your needs.

Once you've chosen your software, you'll need to install it on your physical server. Once that's done, you can start creating virtual servers.

Finally, you'll need to set up security measures to protect your virtual servers from being compromised.

This includes setting up firewalls and taking other steps to ensure that only authorized users can access your servers. It's worth noting if your business resides in Southern California that hiring a Los Angeles managed service provider will allow you to delegate all these responsibilities to them instead.
What Should I Look For in an Outsourced Tech Support Provider?
It's crucial that you look for a provider that has a strong reputation. It's also advisable to find a local IT support company for the fastest response time to any issues that may arise.

There should be plenty of positive feedback from previous clients. Fortunately, a brief Google search can also tell you everything that you need to know. As you might guess, it's also imperative that you hire someone experienced.

Although newer firms won't always fall short of your goals, they likely won't be able to provide the same outstanding level of service. It's also likely that they have fewer tools and resources at their disposal.

Finally, be sure to choose someone you feel comfortable communicating with. They should be more than willing to help you manage your needs and go above and beyond to provide stellar results.
Understanding Virtual Servers Is Easier Than It Seems
Be sure that you keep the above information about virtual servers in mind. This will help ensure that you make the best decision when it comes to hiring server management services.

Want to learn more about what we can do? Let the Be Structured Technology Group help you with all IT services in Los Angeles.

Be sure to reach out to us today and see how we can help you.
- Categories: Hardware, Tips & Tricks

#### VoIP Business Services: How VoIP Can Streamline Business Communication
Did you know that 16% of businesses hire exclusively remote workers? Not only that, but 18% of Americans work from home full-time. The workforce is rapidly moving towards a remote model, and your business needs to adapt alongside this change. VoIP business services help to make your business more flexible, scalable, and remote. But what are these services? What are their benefits?

Read on to answer these questions and learn how IT support Los Angeles computer services can help you implement VoIP communications.
What Are VoIP Business Services?
VoIP is a common acronym that stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. This term refers to a system in which business phone calls take place online. They generally are connected to a broadband internet connection, which makes them distinct from the physical landlines that traditional businesses have used for decades.

VoIP systems take your voice and convert it into very small packets of information. These packets can be transmitted online rather than relying on regular phone lines.

This online transmission is extremely quick because of your high network speed. The packet arrives at the destination even more quickly than your voice would be transmitted via an analog landline connection. Because of its speed and quality, your voice will be clearer when the packet is automatically unpacked.
Increase Remote Work Capabilities
About 78% of American employees prefer remote work. They would be more likely to stay with their current workplace if they were able to work from different locations. Additionally, 95% of workers want schedule flexibility.

Offering remote positions keep your business a competitive place to work. It also inspires loyalty from those you employ since they will feel that their time is valued. People will choose to work for companies with hybrid or remote models rather than competitors without these offerings.

The choice is clear: employing remote workers presents opportunities for businesses.

VoIP phone systems are a great choice because any authorized user can access business communications from whatever device they choose. Employees can take work calls on smartphones miles away from the office.
Streamline Phone Communications
Regardless of whether business calls are taking place in your office or states away, VoIP makes communication more efficient. This is because of the call quality that it allows. Those who use VoIP find that their voices are clearer and less garbled when they reach the endpoint.

Similarly, they find that they are better able to hear and understand their interlocutor. This makes communications easier, less frustrating, and less time-consuming since people won't need to repeat themselves multiple times.

Additionally, higher-quality transmission results in fewer dropped calls. This means shorter hold times. It also means not losing leads because a call dropped before your team can make the sale.
Boost Customer Satisfaction
As you might expect, clearer calls and less dropping make the lives of customers much easier. They don't want to be on hold for several minutes while you figure out how to improve sound quality. Once calls are dropped, they also are unlikely to want to call (and be placed on hold) again.

In fact, the average consumer will become annoyed around 3-and-a-half minutes in. If the call is important, they'll only stick around for a few more minutes, hanging up after about 10 minutes and 54 seconds.

Using VoIP services means that your sales team will have more of a chance to make an impact. You're sure to sell more goods and services to the consumers that have contacted you at the end of the marketing funnel.

You also will be able to provide higher-quality customer service for existing clients. This means higher rates of customer satisfaction, retention, and brand loyalty.
Flexible and Scalable
Using hosted VoIP services is an extremely flexible process because you can quickly add or remove lines. Traditional landlines must be removed manually, which takes time. Professionals will also manually need to add more lines, leaving some employees without the technology they need to best do their jobs until they can.

On the flip side, a VoIP internet phone system can be altered in minutes. Los Angeles IT services can quickly add more VoIP connections to your business. You can also eliminate lines that you do not need to prevent paying for a service you're not using.

"This means that VoIP doesn't just save you time during calls; it also prevents maintenance downtime," explains Chad Lauterbach, CTO of the leading Los Angeles managed service provider, Be Structured Technology Group. "The end result is money saved and fewer frustrated employees."
Add-Ons and Customization
You also will be able to choose other custom features to streamline your daily operations. VoIP systems often have add-ons including:

 	VoIP texting (via SMS)
 	Sending files/images to other endpoints
 	Video conferencing (with other branches, corporate headquarters, and important clients)
 	Free and reduced-rate international calling (so that you can expand globally)
 	Connection to other applications on the network
 	Call recording for quality and training purposes
 	Voicemail-to-text
 	Text-to-voice (on SMS messages, emails, faxes, etc)
 	Automated faxing

You can pick and choose which of these features you need. Ultimately, the way that you change and grow your communications is up to you. Plus, since you can choose a higher network bandwidth and more VoIP technology, there's no limit to what you can do.
Setting Up Voice Over Internet Protocol
Setting up VoIP solutions is extremely easy when you choose to work with a reputable Los Angeles IT services provider. Be Structured can make your transition seamless by interfacing with other communication applications.

We also can hook your VoIP systems to hardware throughout your workspace such as traditional-looking phones. This lets you switch your landlines to operate over the web seamlessly.

We also will make the VoIP applications you use accessible to remote workers. This includes those who work remotely some of the time. Both managers and employees will be able to access business communications anytime, anywhere.
Hire a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles Today
While VoIP business services may sound like a challenge to implement, it's extremely simple to make the switch. This is especially true when you work with the top IT support LA outsourcing firm.

Now that you know some of the advantages of VoIP, it's time to discuss your needs with Be Structured. Our team is committed to customer service and high-level technology. Contact our sales team to discuss outsourcing your IT and streamlining your business communications.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, VoIP

#### Web Worries: Can You Be Tracked on the Dark Web?
About 96% of internet use is not accessible to daily users. What you see online regularly is just a small fraction of what's out there.

The deep and dark web constitutes the majority of the internet. While this may sound scary to those who don't know about these parts of the web, they mostly are made up of databases and legal transactions. Still, people love the idea of having secure and anonymous online interactions.

But are these interactions actually untrackable?

Here, we're going to answer this question and take a look at how the dark web works. Read on to learn what this section of the web can mean for your managed IT services in Los Angeles and how you can stay safe against threats.
Categories of the Internet: What Is the Dark Web?
The Clear Web
Generally, there are three categories of the internet. The first, the clear web, is what you are using to read this blog post. Also known as the surface web, this part of the internet is publicly visible so you can access it via search engines like Google.

Online activity on the clear web is completely traceable. You have a search history that people can access if necessary. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are also on the clear web and gather information about user activities for marketing.

The clear web only makes up about 4-5% of the internet. There is a lot more under the surface.
The Deep Web
Beyond the clear web, there is a second online category: the deep web. This part of the web is generally hidden from the eyes of the public because you can't access it with standard search engines. Instead, you'll need to access it in other ways.

Most of the deep web is made up of informational databases that owners simply want to keep secure. This might include university registration lists, medical records, and banking information. Authorized users may be able to securely access this information via the clear web assuming that they have the appropriate passwords.
The Dark Web
The dark web is an even deeper area of the internet that makes the user's IP address anonymous. While the clear and even deep web showcases this unique online identity, the complex systems that run the dark web make it difficult to figure out what computer the dark web user is on.

Many people don't know how to get on the dark web, but it actually is very simple.

You will need to use the Tor browser to gain access to the deep web. This completely legal service works similarly to Google Chrome or Firefox but grants you access to dark web websites. It also shields your IP to make you anonymous.

You then can begin making searches just as you would on Google. The results that appear will be dark web pages that you otherwise could not access on the clear web. The user simply clicks on the pages that they want to see and begins anonymously browsing.
Can You Be Tracked on the Dark Web?
One of the most appealing things about the dark web is that users are nearly untraceable. Generally, tracking users on the dark web is a task that requires high-level technologies that the government reserves for violent criminals and terrorists. The average user is fairly challenging to find.

However, there are also tracking scripts on some dark web pages. Approximately 27% of pages that dark web researchers found had scripts attached to them, largely from the clear web. If the dark web page's scripts match surface web scripts, those using it could trace user activity.

This is generally a problem for those using Tor browsers because they serve as a link between the dark and surface webs. If you choose to go on the dark web, there's a possibility that you will be tracked. Of course, the same applies to hackers that are looking to compromise your business information.
Scanning the Dark Web
Unfortunately, many hackers already know about this issue and switch on script blocking features. They also have higher-level tools that let them access the deep web without the surface-web link that Tor creates. This prevents you from tracking them.

If you haven't already, your business should familiarize itself with dark web scanning and phishing email training.

Even if you cannot find these users, you can find out what stolen information is on the dark web. Dark Web ID™ is a monitoring system that looks all over the dark web for information related to you or the business you represent. When you use this technology, you get an immediate notification if something pertaining to your investigation appears.

You cannot be tracked when using these technologies. There's no way for hackers to find you. You can't identify them, either, but you can find out what information they put on the web and track that down.
What Happens on the Dark Web?
Accessing the dark web is not illegal. Much of the activity on the dark web is also perfectly legal. People like to engage in secure sports betting, sell legal goods in exchange for bitcoin, and set up embarrassing but harmless blogs.

However, it's important to note that the dark web does attract a lot of criminal activity. Anonymity through encryption is attractive to cybercriminals.

You likely have already heard horror stories of hired hitmen, drug sales, and human trafficking on the dark web. Luckily, this doesn't describe the majority of what goes on there. Most illegal dealings on the dark web are scams.

However, hacking and data theft also take place on the dark web. These operations can prove detrimental to any small business, especially those with 20-500 employees that have sensitive information stored on your network.

That's why it's important to develop a comprehensive security plan that combines dark web scanning and phishing protection.
Hackers and the Dark Web
No matter how well you secure your company's network, there will be ways for dark web hackers to breach it. Since they're constantly coming up with new ways to gain access, this is an inevitable truth.

Account compromises can happen via regular user accounts, admin accounts, domain accounts, and VPN. There are a myriad of dark web software systems that they may use to anonymously scan your network and look for vulnerabilities.

Once they find a hole in your security system, they can exploit the vulnerability and get access to information meant only for authorized users. They can then use other hacking tools to move through the network and gather sensitive data.

Unfortunately, you may not know when this is taking place. Some hackers have the tools necessary to secure their entrance without alerting anyone.

While many cybercriminals can be immediately identified by high-level outsourced tech support companies, others won't alter your network trends at all. That's why it's important to constantly be alert and keep your network security updated.
Cybercriminals Selling Information
At this point, it's fairly clear what the hackers' endgame is. They don't simply want to steal your information and keep it for no reason. Instead, they want to make a profit.

Some hackers simply want to exploit personal information for their own gain. They make get new credit cards in the names of those whose information they stole. They also may make online purchases, withdraw funds from checking accounts, and make fraudulent health insurance claims.

Usually, though, monetizing data theft means selling it for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on one of many illegal dark web forums. Buyers can buy stolen data that fits their specific needs and use it for whatever activities they like. This means applying for loans in a victim's name, filing false taxes, and using email information for phishing.

The price of stolen information ranges depending on where criminals sell it. Credit card details may cost $150-240 while PayPal accounts can cost $500-1000.

It really depends on the balance of the card or the account, but prices are low. This means that more people will be willing to buy your stolen business data. It also means that hackers will need to strike more often and steal more information if they want to be lucrative.
Securing Your Business Against Dark Web Hackers
A single breach can cost an SMB $4.24 million. Because of this high cost, it's important that you think about the threat that dark web hackers pose and proactively combat them. This means hiring an experienced managed IT professional like those that work for Be Structured.

Our experts have the knowledge and tools necessary to help you build a battle plan to keep dark web hackers out of your network. You can invest in managed two-factor authentication tools. These digital walls serve as a barrier between hackers and the information that you're looking to secure.

People can only access information behind an encrypted firewall if their mathematical code matches that of the firewall. These codes serve as a key that's only accessible to authorized users. Even if a hacker found a vulnerability and penetrated your network, they would need to exploit multiple vulnerabilities in this second, equally-strong barrier.

Be Structured's professionals can also monitor your regular network trends and instantly notify you of any blips in the usual patterns using advanced endpoint protection. This alerts you to when you should be monitoring the network and planning for disaster recovery possibilities.
Phishing Email Training
Employee negligence and poor training cause about 40% of data breaches. That's why sufficiently training workers is a critical step in securing your network from threats on the dark web.

Put your employees through a thorough and strict training regimen. Make sure that you showcase the difference between valid emails vs those intended to get dark web hackers onto your network. It's critical that they learn to spot fake email addresses, giveaways that a subject line is fake, and more.

Our Bullphish ID email training tool makes testing your results simple. You can create a fake phishing email and send it out to employees at random over the course of multiple days. This lets you see who clicks on the phishing email and requires more training.

Those that do click on the email can reap the benefits of multiple training materials. These include training videos, quizzes, group management, and visual reports. You can then send out another fake phishing email to ensure that this training was effective.
Dark Web Monitoring
We brushed on the fact that you can monitor information on the dark web earlier. But how exactly does this work?

Dark Web ID™ looks at all possible areas of the dark web to find information pertaining to your organization. It does this by using a combination of sophisticated artificial intelligences and utilizing endpoint detection and response software or EDR. These high-tech bots and Be Structured's human experts work together to identify, analyze, and monitor each piece of data on the dark web to identify any compromising information about your business.

The software looks over all dark web data in real-time. This ensures that you don't get outdated information. You'll always know exactly what information about your business is out there.

One key benefit to Dark Web ID™ is that you'll know whether a data breach has taken place. You can implement damage control when necessary. This means upgrading your security, but it also means preparing employees and clients for potential trouble by informing them of the breach.

Knowing what information is out there also helps you to identify where and when potential breaches may happen. You may be able to find out if your information is coming up consistently on specific sites or areas of the dark web. You can then research these areas, learn more about them, and be better prepared in the event of a future breach.
Boost Your Network Security With Local IT Support
The idea that hackers can steal your business information and sell it on the dark web is a scary prospect. However, you can see what information is out there when you work with the tools that a managed IT provider has to offer. Now that you know how to secure your business against most dark web threats, it's time to get started.

We're committed to keeping your business secure and ensuring that network breaches do not devastate you. Contact Be Structured with any remaining questions you have about dark web monitoring and to come up with a security plan that's right for your specific needs.
- Categories: IT Support, Security

#### What Are Managed IT Services?
Every industry needs IT: companies spent trillions of dollars on IT in 2019, yet not every company has the capability to take care of IT in-house. If this sounds familiar, you may wish to take advantage of managed IT. If you're looking for IT services in Los Angeles, we're here to explain exactly what managed IT is, how it can benefit your business, and other key managed IT benefits.

When you've finished this guide, you'll have a much better understanding of what hiring a managed IT company can do for you and how you can hire them. Are you ready to learn more? Then read on!
What Are Managed IT Services?
If you hire managed IT support in LA, what can they do for you? What services will be involved with managed IT services and how do they compare to other IT management methods? Let's take a closer look!
Managed IT Services Take IT Out of Your Hands
For some small and medium-sized businesses, having an in-house IT department can be a massive drain on your bottom line. Employing these specialists is expensive, and you can't go without them. Maybe you've tried running your IT services yourself and found yourself overwhelmed by technological jargon.

Managed IT services in Los Angeles will take IT management out of your hands.

There are a few key benefits to this. Firstly, you'll have more time to focus on your work, no matter what your position in the company. Secondly, you can rest easy, knowing that professionals are taking care of your computer systems and keeping your network safe, secure, and maintained.
What Can a Managed IT Company Do for My Business?
A managed IT support company can take care of every aspect of your business' IT if you'd like. This means monitoring everything about your network and its components for signs of issues while shoring up your business' security and infrastructure.

This all-inclusive approach offers fantastic coverage of everything on your business' network. The managed IT services company will be able to curate a number of different programs that will offer overlapping protection, redundancy, and create a stronger foundation for your business' computers.

However, this approach isn't going to be for everyone. Perhaps you'd simply like to bring in a group of experts to create a strong VPN for your business, an essential tool when many employees are working from home. Maybe you'd like to bolster your physical security with the help of IP video surveillance.

A managed IT services company will be able to help you put these solutions in place and monitor them for you after installation.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles Tend to Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive
When it comes to your IT, being reactive is a security risk. Being reactive means responding to issues as they arise, rather than preventing them from happening.

This can be catastrophic for your business. Increased website downtime or being unable to communicate with your customers can cost you some serious cash and damage the trust that you've built up with your customers over the years.

It can also result in serious issues for your business: if you get infected with malware, for instance, you'll need to restore from backups, potentially losing a lot of working hours. If malware infects your system, it's also possible that you'll end up with a data breach, which can cost your business millions of dollars.

The only way to stop these kinds of issues from spiraling into something worse is by stopping them from happening in the first place. A proactive approach, which a great IT support company will offer you, will be able to keep things running smoothly.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles Could Save You Money
IT costs can be somewhat unpredictable, especially if you're reactive. You may need to upgrade your infrastructure, remove malware, hire and fire staff, train your employees and put new IT policies in place.

This means that IT costs can fluctuate a lot from month to month, and you can never be sure quite how much it's going to cost you.

Managed IT services take care of this. When you hire a managed IT services company, you'll be given a monthly bill that covers it all. There aren't any hidden fees, and you'll have a much more predictable cost that you can budget around.

This is especially true if you have all-inclusive managed IT services: everything computer-related will be taken care of in that one bill, giving you freedom and peace of mind.
Managed IT Services Bring Increased Adoption and Scalability
Many businesses aren't using the latest technology, and this could spell trouble for them in the future. For instance, in 2019, one-third of businesses still had Windows XP deployments, despite Microsoft ending official support for the OS in 2014.

This use of old software, OSs, and even hardware can put your business at risk. If there aren't any more updates for your software or firmware updates for your hardware, there are going to be some security holes that won't ever be fixed, and you're essentially giving criminals a free pass into your network.

Your company needs to adopt more modern tech that comes with official support if it is to be safe and secure over the coming years.

Yet adopting new tech isn't only good for security: it also offers a great way to keep your records safe in private clouds, make Office 365 migrations easier, and more.

Technology adoption is far easier if you've got the backing of a great managed IT services company that can help you make the switch. It takes a lot of stress off you and your colleagues and ensures a smooth transition.

IT consulting in Los Angeles can also help you to scale your IT to your business. As your business grows, your network's capabilities need to as well, as does your level of security and your level of IT support. It's simple to scale up your IT services: simply ask for the new services, add them to your bill, and start using them right away.
Key Types of Managed IT Services
Managed IT services is a term that covers a huge number of different services that you and your business can benefit from, In this section, we'll take a look at some of the most common types of managed IT services and what they specialize in.
Managed IT Security
The security of your business is of huge importance. New malware is created daily, and if you want to stay safe, you need to take a multilayered approach to security.

Your business' security should include key features such as firewalls and antimalware software, but you need to go deeper than that if you want to protect yourself from new and unknown malware. This is where more advanced techniques such as hardening Microsoft Windows, update management, and dark web scanning come into their own.

This array of techniques, when used in combination with each other, will help to prevent malware infections, data leaks, and other security issues that affect modern businesses.
Managed IT Support
IT support is a key part of business. It's inevitable that, from time to time, your employees are going to have technical issues that they don't know how to fix. When this happens, they're going to need the help of an IT support professional.

While you can do this in-house, it adds to the workload of your IT staff, which is usually pretty high anyway. It also takes up a lot of their workday, meaning that they can't do more important things such as installing new infrastructure, tweaking security settings, and more.

Hiring IT support in LA will take a lot of the work off your IT team's shoulders. They can focus on taking care of bigger issues while another company helps your employees stay productive and fix minor issues.
IT Analysis
It's worth having an outsider audit your IT setup. If you're a new company, in particular, you might not have a lot of experience with IT, and it's possible that there's a lot of room for improvement.

IT consulting services can come to your business and analyze every aspect of your IT setup. They can then put a report together and help you take the necessary action that's needed to bring your setup up to speed.
Cloud and Data Management
If you're having issues with knowing how to store customer data securely, or where to store your confidential company files, a managed services company can help you. They can help you create a private cloud and migrate to it, as well as helping you maintain backups of your company data.

Having your data stored securely is essential: you need to be able to protect data from prying eyes while making it easy for employees to access.  Backups are vital in case something goes wrong, and you need to restore your business' files from a backup.
How to Choose Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
Now that we've taken a look at what managed IT services are, how they can help you, and the different types of IT services companies, it's time to look at how to choose the right company for you. Choosing an IT services company that you can trust is essential, given the sheer responsibility that you are handing over to them.
Budgeting
This is particularly key if you're hiring a managed services provider to replace your IT department. If you end up paying more for the same level of service, you'll likely regret your choice.

You should also make sure that the company doesn't charge you by the hour. Ideally, you will have a flat bill to pay per month, no matter how much they've helped you out.
Accountability
You're handing over a lot of responsibility to the managed services provider. They need to be accountable, should something go wrong as a result of their negligence.

Check the contract carefully to make sure that they would be accountable instead of you, should something go wrong with their solutions. You should also check that they are well-insured.
Are They Good Communicators?
While this is most important if you're bringing in a provider to take care of your IT support, it matters no matter their specialization. The provider needs to be able to communicate complex and technical issues clearly to laypeople.

If they can't do this, it's likely that they won't be of much help to you or your employees. Make sure that they're able to simplify difficult topics.
Previous Experience
You should take a look at the company's previous experience. Which industries have they worked in and what do they know about the specific threats that your company may face?
Reviews From Previous Customers
It's always worth taking a look at what previous customers have to say about a business. While the company's testimonials page is a good place to start, they aren't exactly balanced.

If you want to get a more objective view of what this company is like to work with, Google the business and take a look at the reviews on there. They're not cherry-picked like the testimonials, so they may be a more reliable aid.
Understanding Managed IT Services
We hope you've enjoyed this look at managed IT services and what they are. If you're interested in hiring managed IT services in Los Angeles, Bestructured can help you.

Our team of experts can help you with every aspect of your company's IT and can create custom solutions that are tailored to your company. We've helped many businesses across several key industries and would love to add you to our list of clients.

For more information about us and our services, contact us today!
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: IT services Los Angeles, Managed IT Services, Managed IT Solutions, Managed Service Provider, managed services, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### What Are SASE Benefits and Why They're Replacing Traditional VPNs
Cloud computing, hybrid workforces, and the shift toward decentralized IT infrastructure have exposed a critical vulnerability in many organizations: outdated network security models. In particular, traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) struggle to keep pace with modern security requirements and user expectations.
As a result, a new framework—Secure Access Service Edge, or SASE—is emerging as the preferred solution for secure remote access.
This isn’t a passing trend.
SASE is fundamentally reshaping how businesses secure user connections across distributed environments. It combines robust security protocols with intelligent networking to deliver both protection and performance in a cloud-native architecture.

Why Traditional VPNs No Longer Work
Virtual Private Networks were originally designed to extend a secure perimeter to remote employees by routing all traffic through a centralized gateway. For a while, this approach worked. But today’s digital landscape is vastly different. Users access data from multiple devices and locations. Applications live in the cloud. And threats evolve in real time.
VPNs force all traffic—whether it’s heading to the cloud, internal tools, or SaaS platforms—through one chokepoint. This creates latency, strains bandwidth, and introduces potential failure points. Worse still, once users connect, they often have broad access to internal systems. That’s a glaring security risk, especially if credentials are stolen or a device is compromised.
In contrast, SASE is designed to facilitate fast, efficient, and secure remote access without exposing the entire network. It ensures users only reach the specific apps or services they are authorized to use.

What Is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
SASE is a cloud-native security architecture that merges networking functions (like SD-WAN) with key security services (like Zero Trust network, firewall, and secure gateways). It operates at the edge, close to the user, instead of relying on centralized infrastructure.


The model flips the traditional perimeter-based security mindset. Instead of securing a single location, SASE focuses on securing the connection between any user, any device, and any resource—no matter where they are.
Be Structured offers SASE to organizations looking to modernize their network security. The platform, powered by modern cloud architecture, delivers consistent, policy-driven access across environments. It replaces patchwork VPN deployments with a unified approach to secure remote access.


How SASE Delivers Secure Remote Access
At its core, SASE enables secure remote access by integrating several technologies into a single solution:


 	
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Validates every user and device before allowing access. No one is trusted by default, not even those inside the network.

 	
Cloud-native Firewall as a Service (FWaaS): Delivers perimeter-less security controls directly from the cloud.

 	
Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Filters internet traffic to block malicious sites and enforce compliance.

 	
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): Monitors and manages access to cloud applications and data.


These components are orchestrated through a centralized management console, which gives IT teams visibility into network activity and granular control over policies.

Key Benefits of Secure Access (SASE)
1. Advanced Security from Edge to Cloud
Unlike VPNs that open broad pathways into a network, SASE tightly restricts what each user can access. It leverages encryption, endpoint validation, and continuous authentication to verify identity and device posture. Features like keeping your business secure with two-factor authentication further strengthen defenses against unauthorized access.

2. Faster, Smarter Connections
SASE minimizes latency by routing traffic through cloud-based edge locations rather than funneling everything through a centralized server. This improves performance for remote employees, especially when accessing cloud-based tools or platforms hosted across multiple regions.

3. Scalability Without Hardware
With SASE, organizations can scale up or down without worrying about VPN hardware limits. Whether supporting ten users or ten thousand, the cloud-native platform adjusts to demand, making it ideal for growing teams or companies with seasonal workforce fluctuations.
The increasing demand for scalable, cloud-native access is evident—the SASE market is projected to grow from USD 6.38 billion in 2023 to USD 21.89 billion by 2029, according to market forecasts.

4. Streamlined Management
Administrators can enforce IP access control, monitor user behavior, and roll out security policies from a central dashboard. This unified management approach simplifies operations while maintaining compliance with frameworks like HIPAA, GDPR, and others.

5. Protection for Every Industry
From financial firms to manufacturing operations, SASE brings tailored solutions that meet industry-specific requirements. SASE supports integrations with legacy systems and modern cloud apps, ensuring compatibility without compromising security.

6. Cost-Efficient Deployment
Organizations eliminate the need for expensive on-premises VPN equipment, maintenance contracts, and the overhead of managing multiple security point solutions. The flexible subscription model of SASE means you only pay for what you need.

What Makes SASE Different?
The key differentiator for SASE is that it aligns security with the modern user experience. It doesn’t just restrict access—it enhances productivity while protecting sensitive assets.


 	
Contextual Access: SASE adapts permissions based on location, device health, and user behavior.

 	
Granular Policies: Security controls are applied at the application level, not the network level, allowing for tighter control over sensitive tools and data.

 	
Real-Time Analytics: Built-in monitoring tools alert administrators to unusual activity, providing a foundation for rapid response.


This type of dynamic, policy-based access is critical for implementing effective privileged access management—another reason organizations are turning to SASE as a long-term solution.


Secure Remote Access Use Cases
Remote Work Enablement
Employees can connect to business tools securely from anywhere, whether at home, on the road, or at a client site. Unlike VPNs, which may slow down over congested connections, SASE maintains high-speed access with consistent security enforcement.

Third-Party Vendor Access
Organizations can grant access to contractors or partners without exposing internal systems. Permissions are tightly scoped, and activity is monitored through audit logs and access trails.

Cloud and SaaS Adoption
As businesses migrate services to the cloud, SASE ensures that cloud apps are accessed securely. CASB and SWG functions work behind the scenes to prevent data leaks and maintain compliance.

Why Secure Access Is Now a Strategic Imperative
Cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and antivirus software anymore. It’s about aligning security with how and where people work. As cloud reliance grows, so too does the attack surface. Organizations need security strategies that evolve alongside technology, and that’s where SASE delivers.
It goes beyond protecting endpoints. It redefines the network perimeter entirely. By enforcing Zero Trust, controlling access down to the individual user and device, and optimizing performance, SASE makes secure remote access a default standard, not a workaround.
Notably, 70% of organizations now rely on external providers to manage their SASE deployments, signaling a move toward specialized, expert-driven implementations that ensure both performance and compliance.
When supported by solutions like SASE, businesses can enforce essential measures to secure your online assets while enhancing flexibility and productivity across the board.

The Future of Remote Access Is Here
The conversation has shifted. It’s no longer about whether you need secure remote access—it’s about how quickly and effectively you can implement it to protect your organization. Hybrid work environments, third-party integrations, and cloud-first strategies are now standard business practices. That means the traditional, perimeter-based approach to network security is no longer viable.
SASE meets this challenge head-on.
It offers a unified, cloud-native solution that simplifies access management, enhances performance, and strengthens security—all without adding complexity. As threats become more sophisticated and users become more mobile, businesses need a security framework that keeps pace.
SASE provides that framework. It evolves with your infrastructure, scales with your workforce, and adapts to changing risk landscapes. Organizations that adopt SASE are not just reacting to current demands—they’re laying the groundwork for long-term resilience and growth.


We’ve helped companies across industries streamline their security posture and enable secure, reliable access from anywhere.
Now it's your turn.
Schedule a free consultation with Be Structured and take control of your network security with Secure Access (SASE).
- Categories: Cybersecurity
- Tags: sase, secure access service edge

#### What Are the 3 Types of Access Control?
The three types of access control are Discretionary Access Control (DAC), Mandatory Access Control (MAC), and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) — the three core models businesses use to decide who can enter a building or access a network. DAC lets individual owners or managers grant access at their own discretion; MAC gives that authority exclusively to system administrators for maximum, non-negotiable security; and RBAC assigns access based on job role, making it the most practical fit for most small and mid-sized businesses. Choosing the right one depends on how much control you want to give employees versus centralize with IT.
The stakes are real: a cyber burglary happens every 26 seconds across the US — around 3,300 cases per day and over 1 million annually. If you're the owner of a building or the manager of a business, securing your facility against these attacks starts with the access control model you choose. Below, we break down all three types, their pros and cons, and how to pick the right one for your business.
What Is Access Control?
Access control is a system that controls who enters a location at a given time.
At its core, access control might be the simplest, yet most important aspect of business IT services and security your company can control.
The person trying to access your world might be an employee or a contractor that only is supposed to work during certain business hours. They also may be an unauthorized visitor that your facility wants to keep out for security reasons.
Employing robust penetration testing services is one way to prevent attacks before they happen.
Access control also isn't limited to a single type of location. Any company of any size - especially those with 20-500 employees - needs an access control system in place. The facility may be a store, an office building, a development headquarters, or even a warehouse.
Those who discuss physical access control systems generally are talking about an electronic system that exists in lieu of traditional keys. Authorized users swipe an access card to gain entrance into certain areas of the building. This lets you regulate who has access to what areas in addition to who has access to the building.
Access control systems also log who has passed through the system. It saves and takes note of who has swiped their card, chip, key fob, or smartphone application to get into the space. That way, owners and managers know exactly who to talk to if there is a data breach or physical theft.
How Are Physical Security and IT Security in Los Angeles Related?
For businesses, IP access control is the preferred method of building security. This is only slightly different from a traditional access panel that you would use to get into a hotel room. It's more complex because the access panel has a small computer within it that determines whether or not the user gets access.
Access control is completely network-based. When you swipe your access card, it connects to the network of your facility. The network assesses the data within the key fob and determines whether to allow or deny access based on data storage.
The network compares the information from the user's swipe to the information on the network. If the data matches up, the system allows access. It's essentially the physical form of a network authentication system- if there is a virtual lock, the virtual key must match up to authorize the user.
Therefore, access control isn't just a physical system that allows people into a venue.
It's also a network installation and security measure.
Network Disaster Prevention With Access Control
Additionally, physical security has more roles to play in IT security which should include an IP video surveillance platform.
Hackers are more likely to steal information from a network within their physical building. Keeping these cyber criminals out of your physical facility makes it more difficult for them to compromise your virtual network.
Keeping unauthorized users out by using a privileged access management strategy also prevents hardware theft. When burglars get access to the physical hardware from the workplace, they can steal all of the passwords and sensitive data on the hard drives. This leads to immediate data theft as well as the potential for future breaches.
Thieves may also move the information on poorly secured computers onto a USB drive.
You might not know that your data has been compromised until it already is too late to stop the disastrous consequences. It's impossible for people to do this without access to your facility, so IP access control is essential here.
What Is Discretionary Access Control (DAC)?
There are three core types of IP access control: discretionary, managed, and role-based.
Discretionary access control is extremely flexible and nonrestrictive compared to its alternatives.
This is because access rights are specified by users. The owner of a company can decide who has access to the office space. A manager can decide who has access to specific meeting rooms or areas of the facility (assuming that the owner allowed this).
Individual end-users therefore have complete control over the buildings they own and their objects within them. They also have control over the software programs and data associated with these objects (data stored on hard drives, etc).
Pros and Cons
There are several benefits to this:
 	Flexible and scalable (owners can always change and limit access for some users while allowing more for others)
 	Gives the owner full control
 	Easy to configure to your facility's specific needs
 	Generally less expensive than more rigid IP access systems
There are also some downsides:
 	High effort on the user end
 	Easy to overlook certain actions
 	Requires more manual updates and changes from the end-user
 	May leave the network open to malware when mismanaged
Ultimately, DAC systems are ideal for those who want control and are vigilant about managing both physical and digital systems. If you are the type of person who accidentally might overlook specific facets of your access control system, this isn't right for you.
Managed/Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
Managed access control is the complete opposite of DAC. Also called mandatory access control, it allows the end-user zero control over their access to a facility. Only the system administrators have the power to permit or deny access.
On the user end, this means that owners cannot change permissions for those that have access to their buildings. They cannot restrict access without professional assistance and they cannot grant it to new people without authorization. They also cannot determine specific areas to allow certain people access to.
This is a very strict system that is generally used for governmental facilities and military bases.
Pros and Cons
There are some great advantages to this system:
 	A hierarchal approach that classifies information from most to least sensitive to avoid confusion
 	Users only gain access to tiers of data that match their authorization tier
 	More secure than other access control system types
 	Cannot be compromised due to negligence on the user end
There are also many disadvantages:
 	Absolutely no control over who gets access and who doesn't on an individual level
 	No flexibility (changing access controls is extremely difficult)
 	Requires a lot of planning for implementation
 	Needs a consistently high level of system management
Ultimately, MAC is only right for high-level institutions that need the highest level of security. If you run a small business and want to use access control in an office setting, this isn't right for you. It's over the top and doesn't allow you the flexibility you need to change employees' access to spaces.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Role-based access control is the most sought-after solution on the market today. This makes sense when you consider that RBAC combines the best traits that DAC and MAC have to offer.
In RBAC systems, the owner or system administrator assigns access based on the key holder's role in the organizations. Everyone has roles and privileges that they are assigned based on their position. Their position also dictates the limitations that will be imposed on them.
Access privileges are therefore based on job titles and employment status.
Managers will have full building access while specific teams will only have access to necessary spaces for their positions. People are compartmentalized to tiers rather than being granted access on a case-by-case basis, though administrators can create a one-person group with unique privileges.
This sets it apart from DAC models where owners must control and monitor each person individually. However, it also is different from MAC positions in that it's a user-friendly model. Owners and on-site administrators can change the access capabilities of certain groups based on their current needs.
Pros and Cons
An RBAC system has significantly more benefits than other systems:
 	Clear hierarchal structure for security so everyone knows where they stand
 	Separation of duties so that no one has complete control over a task
 	Everyone has at least some control over access capabilities
 	Owners can choose who to grant access to locations and when to do so
 	Improves compliance with company rules and state/local data regulations
 	Easy to review and monitor for owners and system administrators
 	Adjustable so that IT organizations can alter permissions whenever they wish to
It has a couple of disadvantages, though they're few and far between:
 	May not comply with regulations for high-level government buildings or military bases
 	Must create a single-person group for anyone who requires unique capabilities, which can be frustrating
RBAC is the right choice for most SMBs. Grouping your 20-500 employees into smaller units and allowing access based on these units is easy, effective, and flexible.
The Benefits of IP Access Control Systems
For businesses in the Southern California area, if you choose an experienced and reputable managed service provider in Los Angeles, the correct type of access control system will greatly enhance your security.
The first reason for this is that employees can lose traditional keys, leaving them to be picked up by unauthorized individuals. Key fobs can be shut off when they are lost, which means that the finder will never have access.
It's also impossible to log when people enter into a space with a metal key. IP access control systems leave a network audit trail to show when the user entered a location. This gives owners all necessary information and holds people accountable for their behavior.
Easy Permissions and Restrictions
An access control system doesn't just control who has access to a space- it can micromanage that access on a smaller scale. You can stop certain individuals from using specific doors, restricting their ability to get into storage spaces. You can prevent unauthorized people from opening cash register drawers or safes to ensure that you know who is handling your money.
Additionally, you can determine what times people have access to your building. People can use traditional keys at all times of the day or night, but you can switch network fobs off during off-hours. This prevents people from coming in after hours and potentially causing network security problems.
You can also customize who has access to the building at a given time. Some lower-level employees may only be able to enter during standard shift time. However, upper-level employees and senior staff can still be given the ability to enter the site at any time.
Industry-Specific Benefits
Access control systems also have benefits unique to specific industries. For example, access control makes healthcare facilities HIPAA compliant by safeguarding both network information and physical files. Laboratories, like these healthcare facilities, can benefit from keeping dangerous chemicals and scientific machinery safe.
Educational institutions such as college campuses have multi-location security needs. Certain people need access to certain buildings. Professors shouldn't be able to get into student dorms, but students also shouldn't be going into offices and classrooms after hours.
Access control systems mean that you can restrict certain people from going onto certain parts of campus regularly. They can also stop everyone but maintenance professionals from going into computer labs and similar rooms after-hours. This protects computing systems and prevents theft.
These are but a few examples of enterprise-specific benefits. Do your research and learn the ways that access control can benefit your industry.
Secure Your Business Today
While there are multiple means of preventing people from wrongly entering your business, nothing competes with IP access control. It's more secure than regular systems, but it also leaves a network trail of who entered and when. Plus, there are multiple types that you can choose from, so your system will always be tailored to your specific needs.
Be Structured Technology Group is committed to helping you secure both your physical facility and your sensitive data. That's why we're excited to assess your business's individual security needs and come up with a strategy to keep it safe.
Contact us with any remaining questions that you have and to start installing an industrial-level access control system onto your network.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 3 Types of Access Control
What's the difference between DAC, MAC, and RBAC access control?Discretionary Access Control (DAC) lets individual owners or managers decide who gets access — it's flexible but relies on manual oversight. Mandatory Access Control (MAC) puts all access decisions in the hands of system administrators, with no end-user control — it's the most locked-down option and is standard for government and military facilities. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) sits between the two: access is assigned by job role rather than by individual, so a manager can update permissions for an entire team at once without micromanaging each person. Most small and mid-sized businesses land on RBAC because it balances security with day-to-day flexibility.Which type of access control is best for a small or mid-sized business?For most businesses with 20–500 employees, role-based access control (RBAC) is the best fit. It groups employees by job function, so IT can grant or revoke access to a whole department in one step instead of managing permissions person by person. It also creates a clean audit trail — every access event is tied to a role and a person, not a shared key that could belong to anyone. DAC works for very small teams where one owner wants full manual control, and MAC is generally overkill outside of government, defense, or similarly high-security environments.Can a business combine more than one type of access control system?Yes, and many businesses do. A common hybrid approach uses RBAC as the default framework for most employees and areas, with MAC-style restrictions layered on top for the highest-sensitivity zones — a server room, a finance office, or a location that stores client data or controlled substances. This gives most of the organization the flexibility of role-based access while keeping the most sensitive areas locked down to specific, individually-authorized people. An experienced IT support provider can design this layered approach as part of a broader network security setup rather than treating access control as an all-or-nothing decision.How much does an IP access control system cost to install?Costs vary by building size, door count, and whether you're retrofitting existing hardware or wiring a new space, but businesses typically budget somewhere in the range of a few hundred dollars per door for key card or fob readers, plus the cost of the network backend and any ongoing monitoring or software licensing. Facilities with more doors, biometric readers, or integration with video surveillance will land at the higher end of that range. Because pricing depends heavily on the specific building, most IT providers — including Be Structured — quote access control projects after a walkthrough rather than off a flat rate card.Is role-based access control (RBAC) the same as the "principle of least privilege"?They're related but not identical. The principle of least privilege is a security philosophy: give each person the minimum access they need to do their job, nothing more. RBAC is one of the main tools used to put that philosophy into practice — by defining roles narrowly and assigning only the access each role actually requires, RBAC operationalizes least privilege at scale. A poorly designed RBAC system (with roles that are too broad) can still violate least privilege, so the two concepts should be applied together rather than treated as interchangeable.Do access control systems help with HIPAA or other compliance requirements?Yes. HIPAA, PCI DSS, and similar regulatory frameworks generally require businesses to restrict access to sensitive data and systems to only the people who need it, and to be able to show an audit trail of who accessed what and when. A properly configured access control system — particularly RBAC or MAC — satisfies both requirements directly: it enforces need-to-know access by role, and it logs every entry electronically instead of relying on physical keys that can't be tracked. For healthcare, financial services, and legal clients specifically, access control is typically one of the first items reviewed in a compliance audit.How long does it take to install an access control system in an office?For a typical single-floor office with 5–15 doors, installation usually takes one to two business days once hardware is on-site, assuming the network infrastructure is already in place. Larger or multi-floor buildings, or buildings that need new network cabling run to support the readers, can take one to two weeks. Most providers schedule the work outside business hours or in phases so the office doesn't lose access to the building mid-installation. A site survey beforehand is what determines the real timeline — building age, existing wiring, and door count all affect the schedule more than the software configuration does.What happens if an employee loses their key fob or access card?With an IP-based access control system, a lost fob or card can be deactivated remotely within minutes, which immediately blocks whoever finds it from entering the building — this is one of the main advantages over traditional metal keys, which can't be selectively disabled and often require re-keying the whole facility if lost. The employee is then issued a new credential, and the system's audit log shows exactly when the old one was deactivated and when the new one was first used. This is also why access control systems are considered a meaningful security upgrade even for businesses that aren't required to have one for compliance reasons.
- Categories: Security, Tips & Tricks

#### What Are The 5 Biggest Cyber Security Myths A Business Should Ignore?
The band The Kinks once famously sang the words, “Paranoia, the destroyer.” In these very divisive times, lies and fear have begun running rampant to the point where in the technical community we start believing that hackers and cyber stalkers wait around every corner of the internet.
And while it’s true that cyberattacks are occurring with greater frequency every day, that doesn’t mean that everything you read or hear is true. The adage that you, “saw it on TV or online, so it must be true” isn’t always the case.
In industries where things are constantly in flux, myths inevitably arise. The cybersecurity industry is no exception. Recently, the team at Be Structured, a Los Angeles-based IT services company, encountered certain misunderstandings regarding IT network support security with increasing frequency.
So, let's debunk some of the more prevalent cybersecurity myths to help refine your security strategies. After all, there’s plenty enough to worry about when running your business and trying to maintain a strong network structured system without having to worry about problems that don’t exist.
Myth 1: Industry Compliance Equals Security
For businesses operating in industries with specific network compliance requirements, ensuring you’re staying compliant is a critical part of protecting clients, employees, and your bottom line.
However, some organizations believe that by meeting industry compliance requirements, they’re doing everything they need to be doing to defend network data security.
The Reality
While satisfying compliance requirements can help establish a rudimentary data security platform, it’s rarely enough. That’s because compliance audits are generally not rigorous enough to uncover deeper network vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit.
At the same time, merely focusing on compliance can leave your network vulnerable to evolving security threats that compliance requirements haven’t yet addressed.
Myth 2: Consolidating Data Increases Security and Efficiency
As organizations generate and process increasing amounts of data, they often believe that storing and managing that data in one location — either virtual or physical — maximizes security while making it easier to manage.
“Just like having a double authentication system to help prevent cyberattacks, it’s important to maintain redundancy with your network systems and data,” explains Chad Lauterbach, the CEO of Be Structured, an outsourced IT support company in Los Angeles, California. “It may cost a couple more bucks to have the redundancy and stored data across multiple servers both on and offsite, but in the long run it will save your business money if attacked and one platform gets shut down.”
Think of redundancy as an insurance plan. Sure, it costs money today, but think about the losses if your network is structured in a way that’s backed up. The loss of revenues as your IT services department scrambles to recover would cost far more than the ongoing redundant insurance policy.
The Reality
Storing sensitive data on one centralized platform does little to advance security. At the same time, consolidating data can slow your team down since you still need to find ways to turn that data into valuable insights.
That means storing data where it’s most valuable and where it’s actually being used is ultimately in your organization’s best interest, so long as you’re taking the proper measures to secure each platform.
Myth 3: Manual Penetration Tests Are No Longer Necessary
As automation becomes increasingly prevalent, some organizations believe that manual penetration testing is no longer necessary. In fact, there’s an ongoing debate whether manual versus automated testing makes any sense at all
The Reality
While automation is excellent for vulnerability assessments that need to target specific applications a variety of times to be most effective, it only gets you so far. That’s because automated security testing and vulnerability scans generally only reveal known security vulnerabilities.
As a result, uncovering undiscovered security threats often requires a human perspective to keep your network protected at every level. In short, if you’re looking to maximize the effectiveness of your cybersecurity platform, you need to achieve a balance between more frequent vulnerability scans and ongoing penetration testing.
In a case like this, it often makes sense to hire an outsourced managed IT services provider who is paid to monitor your network 24/7, 365 days of the year to assure that all threats are recognized and defended. Often, an internal IT support team will miss the finer details of what could be a debilitating attack.
Myth 4: More Is Always Better
With the increasing number of cybersecurity services and products on the market today, some organizations believe that throwing more money at threats provides the maximum level of security.
Not true.
More can be less. And when it comes to in-house staffing a business owner should ask, “Does having more bodies give me greater peace of mind?” Not always as too many IT chefs in the kitchen can truly ruin the network soup. Often, they will give the false impression of a threat just to secure job security.
With an outsource managed service provider, you can almost always ensure that your best interests are in hand. The IT support company is paid to protect you without false alarms.
The Reality
Trying to implement and deploy all of the cybersecurity strategies and platforms can actually end up stretching your cybersecurity team and partner too thin. Your team can’t be experts in every aspect of the latest platforms and technology.
Instead, focus on responding to your industry-specific threats and cultivating a team that’s great at defending against those threats, instead of providing sub-par defense against every potential danger out there.
Myth 5: You Should Be Handling Everything Internally
As organizations grow, they often reach a point where they think they need to be handling all of their cybersecurity needs internally in order to maximize efficiency.
The Reality
For organizations focused on growth, it doesn’t take long to realize that your internal team lacks the resources to continually respond to ever-changing security threats in real-time.
Trying to manage every aspect of your cybersecurity platform can quickly leave you vulnerable to developing threats while simultaneously making it more difficult for your team to focus on maintaining day-to-day operations. Outsourced managed service providers (MSPs) specialize in providing on-demand services to fill any gaps in your internal resources, so your IT never slows growth.
If your organization has fallen for any of these myths, consider consulting with an outsourced IT support company like Be Structured in Los Angeles.
They can help remedy any issues and get your cybersecurity platform back on track and stable every day. You always want to be protected against the cyberattacks that are - and aren’t real. But knowing the difference will save your business the headaches of downtime and paranoia.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Compliance, Cybersecurity, Penetration Tests

#### What Are The Advantages of Cloud Computing Versus Edge Computing?
Edge computing has recently started popping up in conversations about the future of cloud computing. Advances in cloud technology have primarily been driven by increasing demand for scalability and agility in the business world. The possibilities opened up by edge computing have also developed in response to these needs along with the budding Internet of Things (IoT) revolution.
What is IoT?
To put it simply, IoT is the novel concept of connecting any piece of equipment with an on/off switch to the Internet. Think computers and cell phones, obviously, to refrigerators, washers/dryers, and even an alarm clock. It’s estimated that by 2021, over 26 billion devices of all shapes and sizes and functionalities will be connected to the Internet. 
IoT has infinite possibilities, many of which may not even be on our collective radar as of today. But the future of IoT is endless and boundless. New opportunities will be discovered every day, and with those opportunities will come new challenges for an IT support company, especially in terms of security and ongoing connectivity that remains live and online. 
So how does the notion of IoT relate to the network structure part of a business, specifically the chosen delivery platform? And is edge computing set to replace cloud computing eventually? Probably not. Here’s why.
The Fundamentals of Cloud Computing
We’ve covered the basics of cloud computing before, so we’ll be brief here. Fundamentally, cloud computing works by storing and processing your network data on a network structured with centralized servers, generally at an off-site data center (or multiple data centers). However, cloud platforms can vary greatly, ranging from private to public clouds with hybrid clouds falling somewhere in between.
The key advantages of cloud models are that they allow you to scale network resources as your business evolves quickly. Since a cloud platform allows you near-instant access to additional network storage, your organization can minimize the infrastructure upgrades and capital expenses required to upgrade your network.
Of course, there’s ultimately a tradeoff for on-demand scalability: network and data processing speeds. This tradeoff has become increasingly apparent with the rising of IoT technology, and edge computing is moving in to fill that void.
So how does a company choose cloud computing over edge computing?
Where Edge Computing Fits In
While cloud computing offers the advantages of rapid scalability for growth-oriented businesses, cloud technology often sacrifices speed to make scaling realistic. As enterprises move toward deploying IoT technology, the need for both scalability and speed has become increasingly apparent. That’s because IoT devices generate a lot of data, and that data has to be processed somewhere and processed quickly.
When it’s processed on the cloud, it takes time to transfer data from where it’s generated to where it’s processed. Additionally, moving massive amounts of data requires additional network resources that slow down other operations. Ultimately, cloud architecture is not the ideal environment for deploying IoT technology.
The solution? 
Edge computing.
Edge computing opens up the possibility of processing data right where it’s generated. As the name suggests, edge computing moves critical data processing systems to the “edge” of the network. By structuring a network, so critical data is processed right where it’s generated, network latency is minimized. At the same time, the demand on networks is minimal, so IoT devices can respond faster and more efficiently.
“We tell our clients that it’s key to understanding that these technologies are not interchangeable and do not replace one for the other,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, a Los Angeles-based managed service provider. “In short, cloud computing processes data that is not necessarily time-sensitive, while edge technology drives time-sensitive data.”
The Implications of Edge Computing
While the technology may seem far off today, tomorrow will be here before we know it. The implications of edge computing for future technology are immense. As automation systems become more prevalent in day-to-day life, edge computing makes these systems more viable and safer.
Autonomous vehicles, for example, require nearly instantaneous data processing and decision making to keep passengers and bystanders safe and even alive. With the power of edge computing, autonomous vehicles can collect and process data with virtually no latency, thereby making life-saving decisions in a split second.
For businesses operating in manufacturing, edge computing offers the ability to monitor, optimize, and refine processes in real-time right on the manufacturing floor. 
Talk about instant optimization of your business. With edge computing, you can make vital business decisions on the fly, see those changes play out in real-time, then make additional tweaks or revert to the previous sales strategy within the course of a few minutes. 
Of course, edge computing resources can be balanced with cloud systems for more data-intensive processes that aren’t as affected by data transfer delays. 
In fact, companies that are uprooting their business and looking for fast, but safe relocation services would be best served with having both edge and cloud protocols in place to assure there is little to no downtime during the process. And, more importantly, ensure that no data is lost or compromised during the move.
Unlike a cloud system, edge computing filters all data, especially the sensitive kind, at the source rather than sending it to a more central, perhaps less secure, data center. Thus, the less delicate data that has to be transferred between devices and up to the cloud creates greater security for your business and your customers. 
In addition, the reduction of the need to transport data along with greater storage requirements means many IoT projects can now be achieved at a far lower cost. Greater security. Decreased budget. What could be greater?
Beyond security and cost, every internet user and IT support company understands the need for speed.
If you’ve used a video streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, chances are you’ve already used edge computing to some extent. That’s because it’s anticipated that video traffic will account for 82% of all network traffic by 2022, and providers are looking for strategies to deliver video content closer to end-users. One of our favorite service providers in this area is Cloudflare, which we leverage for several clients in many ways to bring their computing closer to the customer and with more security. As a result, video streaming services are utilizing cloud computing technology to provide on-demand content while continuing to expand the user experience.
Edge Computing and Cloud Computing Working Together
Despite their similarity in names, there is little competition between edge computing and cloud computing at the moment. For the foreseeable future, businesses will rely on both to stay ahead of the latest technological developments. That’s because the two technologies are intended to solve two distinct problems. 
By combining the scalability of the cloud with the powerful data-processing capabilities of edge computing, businesses will be able to use technology to expand operations and refine processes like never before.
A Los Angeles IT Support Company Helps With Integration
Is your organization interested in exploring the possibilities edge computing can open up for your operations? Or are you still planning your cloud migration?
Either way, the experts at Be Structured are here to help your Los Angeles business achieve your true technological potential. Contact our team today to start developing your IT road map for the future.

 
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Networking
- Tags: Cloud Computing, Edge Computing, IoT Networking

#### What Are the Advantages of Outsourced IT Support?
Are you wrestling with the complexities of managing your IT needs?

In an era where technology evolves at lightning speed, keeping up can feel like navigating through a constantly shifting landscape.

This is where outsourced tech support services step in. It offers a lifeline to businesses grappling with the intricacies of information technology. By transferring the burdensome task of IT management to experts, companies are unlocking doors to efficiency, innovation, and growth.

Imagine a world where labor costs are trimmed, professional experience is at your fingertips, and turnaround times are slashed, all while ensuring top-notch IT security and remote access. This is not a distant dream but a tangible reality with IT outsourcing services. Read on to discover how embracing these services can revolutionize your business operations and why missing out on them might mean missing out on significant opportunities.
Cost Efficiency in IT Support Companies
Finding the best outsourced tech support companies can be a game changer for businesses when it comes to cost efficiency. By delegating IT tasks to specialized providers, companies are finding significant financial relief.

The numbers speak for themselves. The global IT outsourcing market is expected to exceed $1.3 trillion by the end of 2023, which showcases its massive financial impact.

A key factor driving this shift is the substantial reduction in labor costs. When you outsource, you're not just hiring a service. You're avoiding the expenses associated with full-time employees like salaries, benefits, and training.

This is especially impactful for small businesses, where resources are often more limited. Approximately 24% of small companies outsource specifically to enhance their efficiency. This indicates a strategic approach to managing costs while maintaining or even improving quality.

Another aspect of cost efficiency comes from the scalability of services. Outsourcing allows businesses to adjust the level of services according to their current needs without the financial burden of maintaining a large, permanent staff.

This flexibility is a significant advantage in the ever-changing business environment, where adaptability can mean the difference between thriving and merely surviving.
IT Services in Los Angeles Gives Access to Local Expertise
Outsourcing IT services is not just about cutting costs. It's equally about gaining access to a pool of professional experience and specialized skills. This is particularly relevant in IT, a field that is both highly technical and rapidly evolving.

It's also important to find a local IT support company so that you can have physical access in a matter of minutes.

In Los Angeles, the ideal IT support company would be one centrally located so whether you require Burbank IT support, Hollywood IT services or even IT support in Pasadena, make sure your IT partner can respond quickly if there is an outage of IT emergency that requires hands-on attention.

Outsourcing provides access to experts who are up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends. This is an advantage that can be challenging to replicate with an in-house team.

The statistics underline this trend. Up to 37% of small businesses outsource at least one of their business processes, with IT tasks being among the most commonly outsourced services. This approach allows businesses to tap into a wealth of knowledge and expertise and ensures they're not left behind in a tech-driven world.

Moreover, 18% of businesses use outsourcing as a strategy to access specialist skills they lack in-house. This approach is particularly beneficial for small businesses that might not have the resources to hire full-time specialists for every IT need. From cybersecurity to cloud computing, the range of specialized skills available through outsourcing is vast.

In addition to broadening the skill set, outsourcing also offers an opportunity to leverage global talent. Companies can benefit from the expertise of professionals from around the world, each bringing unique perspectives and solutions to the table.

This global approach not only enhances the quality of IT services but also injects fresh ideas and innovative approaches into business operations.
IT Services for Small Businesses Lets You Focus on the Core Business
The strategic move of IT outsourcing services allows businesses to amplify their core competencies. Outsourcing IT support services enables companies to optimize operations by focusing internal resources on innovation and primary business functions.

This shift in focus fosters an environment conducive to creativity and staying ahead in industry leadership. Companies that concentrate on their fundamental strengths are more likely to develop new technology that surpasses the competition in sophistication and attract customers willing to pay a premium for such innovations.

By outsourcing IT support, businesses can strategically position themselves for sustained success in the competitive market.

Outsourcing IT services to external providers enables businesses to shift their focus from routine IT tasks to strategic initiatives, research, and development. This not only optimizes operations but also positions the company for long-term success by fostering an environment where innovation thrives.

The realignment of resources toward core business activities helps businesses drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge.
Los Angeles IT Support Provides Scalability & Flexibility
Scalability is a significant advantage of IT outsourcing. Outsourcing allows organizations to scale their services up or down based on their current needs.

This flexibility means that companies can increase resources as they grow or reduce them if demand decreases. The scalability aspect of IT outsourcing ensures that businesses can adapt their IT resources efficiently to their changing requirements without the costs and complexities associated with hiring or laying off employees.

Increased flexibility is another key benefit of IT outsourcing. When businesses outsource their IT needs, they gain access to services tailored to their specific requirements. This means they do not have to pay for more services than they need which allows for better resource allocation and cost efficiency.

By choosing services based on specific needs, organizations can avoid the financial burden of maintaining a large, permanent IT staff. This helps businesses gain much greater flexibility than staffing an internal IT team.
State-of-the-Art Technology in IT Outsourcing
The IT outsourcing industry is evolving rapidly, driven by innovations in technology. Key technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) are at the forefront of this transformation.

AI-powered chatbots and RPA, for instance, are revolutionizing customer interactions. They provide 24/7 support and automate repetitive tasks to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Blockchain technology is another area experiencing significant growth in IT outsourcing. Known for its data safety, security, and transparent transactions, blockchain is increasingly being adopted due to its decentralized nature. This eliminates intermediary fees and enhances transaction efficiency.

The rise of cloud-native outsourcing is also notable. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is emerging as a key development. It provides organizations with the flexibility to customize their computing resources while reducing capital expenditures.

These technological advancements are not only reshaping how IT services are delivered but also enabling businesses to adapt to changing market demands more rapidly. Embracing these state-of-the-art technologies in IT outsourcing engagements offers numerous advantages, including:

 	Enhanced agility
 	Cost savings
 	The ability to deliver innovative solutions

24/7 Support and Proactive Monitoring in IT Outsourcing
Round-the-clock support and proactive monitoring are crucial elements in IT outsourcing. These services ensure that businesses can rely on continuous operational functionality and immediate response to any technical issues.

In today's fast-paced and digitally connected world, the importance of 24/7 monitoring and support cannot be overstated. It provides businesses with the assurance that their IT systems are consistently monitored and maintained. It reduces the risk of downtime and ensures smooth operations.

Proactive monitoring is a key feature of many IT outsourcing services. It involves regular checks and analyses of IT systems to identify and address potential issues before they escalate. This approach not only minimizes the risk of system failures but also optimizes performance by ensuring that IT infrastructure is always running efficiently.

Moreover, the integration of advanced technologies like AI and automation in IT outsourcing services is enhancing the effectiveness of support and monitoring. AI-driven tools can predict potential system issues, while automation allows for rapid resolution of common problems.
Enhanced Network Security and Compliance
In 2023, IT outsourcing has intensified its focus on enhanced security and compliance. This trend is driven by the growing need to safeguard sensitive data and adhere to various regulatory standards.

Key areas of focus in IT security include supply chain security. This is a continued area of focus due to the diverse and complex nature of modern software supply chains. This aspect requires long-term commitment and leadership, rather than just budget allocations.

The adoption of frameworks like the U.S. government's NIST Cybersecurity Framework is on the rise. It offers comprehensive guidance and best practices for managing cybersecurity risks.

This framework is gaining popularity even among organizations not bound by specific industry mandates like HIPAA. It provides a detailed roadmap for:

 	Identifying and detecting threats
 	Responding to them
 	Disaster recovering from them

Additionally, business IT services and security is becoming increasingly crucial as edge computing strategies become more widespread. Similar to cloud computing, edge computing introduces new or different risks and challenges that require proper planning and prioritization to ensure security.
Risk Mitigation
Risk mitigation in IT outsourcing has become more pivotal, given the evolving nature of technology and market demands. Companies are increasingly prioritizing customer value, aiming to deliver unique solutions that support their business goals. This shift towards an outcome-oriented mindset requires IT outsourcers to be adaptable and responsive to client needs.

Quality is another critical aspect, with IT outsourcing companies emphasizing delivering high-quality services. Access to skilled professionals and advanced technology, often expensive in many countries, has led businesses to outsource functions like software development, HR, and business process management. This approach allows outsourcing firms to dedicate more time and resources to projects to deliver high-quality services.

Moreover, there's a growing preference for nearshore over farshore outsourcing. Nearshore services minimize issues like time zone differences and cultural clashes to offer geographical proximity benefits.

However, far-shore service providers often provide more affordable options and a talented workforce. Albeit with challenges like extreme time zone differences and geopolitical complexities.

Business continuity is vital, with organizations aiming to maintain long-term relationships with the same outsourcing companies to avoid disruptions in productivity and output. Constant switching between service providers can lead to a loss of productivity and unpredictability in performance metrics.

This results in businesses focusing on developing strong working relationships with a few outsourcing companies to maintain better continuity.
Risk Mitigation in IT Outsourcing
Risk mitigation in IT outsourcing is crucial for ensuring project success and safeguarding business interests. It involves planning for various risks, including:

 	Operational
 	Data security
 	Compliance
 	Business continuity
 	Reputational damage

For example, operational risks could include software and hardware failures. While data security risks encompass unauthorized access to sensitive information.

To effectively mitigate these risks, businesses must choose the right IT outsourcing partner, ideally one with established control and risk management methodologies. This choice is particularly important in the current environment, where the pandemic has exposed areas lacking proper control structures in many businesses.

The right technology partner can help address these concerns, ensuring a more secure and efficient outsourcing process.
Customized IT Solutions
Customized IT solutions in outsourcing cater to the unique challenges and requirements of different industries. These tailored solutions enable businesses to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and optimize costs.

For instance, in healthcare, IT outsourcing can provide solutions that comply with patient privacy laws while in finance, it can offer secure transaction processing systems.

Collaborative and cross-functional teams in IT outsourcing ensure that diverse expertise is brought together for creative problem-solving and seamless knowledge sharing. This approach promotes agility, efficiency, and adaptability, leading to faster response times, improved decision-making, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Local IT Support Advantage
Local IT support offers significant advantages to businesses. particularly in terms of proximity and understanding of the local business environment. For instance, a Los Angeles-based IT support company can provide tailored solutions to local businesses in Hollywood, Pasadena, Burbank, or Universal City, understanding their unique needs and challenges.

The global IT outsourcing market, valued at $124.52 billion in 2023, is expected to reach $150.06 billion in 2027. This reflects the growing demand for such localized and specialized services.

Local IT support firms can offer immediate, culturally aligned services, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings or miscommunications that can occur with remote or offshored support.
Step Ahead with Be Structured
Choosing Be Structured Technology Group means more than just outsourcing IT services. It's about empowering your business with cutting-edge solutions and unparalleled support. Our expertise in IT security, team support, and a comprehensive IT team approach positions your company for growth and resilience.

Eager to see how our services can reshape your IT strategy?

Connect with us for a free consultation and discover how we can tailor our solutions to meet your unique needs.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Managed IT, Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### What Are the Advantages of Reliable IT Support for Nonprofits?
Three-quarters of nonprofits now have a digital transformation strategy. It means that IT has gone from sitting on the sidelines to central to a modern nonprofit setup.

But technology is complex, broad, and ever-changing. Do you have the expertise in-house to make the most of these investments in technology?

You might find that finding good managed IT services is the smarter solution. Here are some advantages of using reliable outsourced non profit IT support.
More Efficient Operations
Nonprofits must often work harder than their private-sector counterparts to stretch their resources. That means working more efficiently.

But when a nonprofit business has the right IT strategy, that technology can help boost efficient working across the company.

Take software solutions, for example.

Powerful software can help automate many tasks for a nonprofit, like managing a donor database.

It makes the team more productive, provided they use that software effectively.

Local IT support improved business growth. An experienced IT support unit will know how to set up the software correctly in your environment. That means fewer problems with the software, like unexpected downtime.

It also means you have people on hand to customize the setup to fit your team better. For example, that might include remote access so teams can work on it from anywhere.

That is just one way IT can help you become more efficient. But that doesn't stop at software. Business IT services and security can streamline your operations by supporting your website, hardware, network, and infrastructure.
You'll Get More Robust IT Security
Trust is one of the most important values of any nonprofit. Unfortunately, growing cybersecurity threats could jeopardize this trust. A single data breach could leave you with reputational damage that's hard to undo.

It's a risk you must address.

As a nonprofit, you will often find yourself handling sensitive data. For example, you might hold a database of donor details, including financial contributions. You need to ensure that data remains safe and secure.

That's where IT support can help. First, it can put sensible measures in place to aid your security setup, like firewalls and monitoring. Secondly, IT can support your daily security, reacting in real time to potential threats.

Third, if the worst happens, 24/7 IT support is there to minimize the damage. An IT support team can handle urgent tasks like data recovery.
IT Support for Nonprofits Is Cost Effective
As a nonprofit, you must make every penny of your donations count. You need operational costs to stay minimal so your nonprofit can have a significant impact on the world.

Dedicated network IT support is a sensible way to manage your costs more effectively.

An experienced IT team can find solutions that offer value for money-for example, opting for cloud-based infrastructure instead of spending money on hardware.

They can also help you source and optimize tools for your business that save you money, like preventative maintenance. It helps minimize downtime expenses and unexpected IT costs.

Your IT setup will last longer and offer more reliability when you need it.

From the strategy side, an IT support team can also find avenues for reducing your long-term IT expenditure while giving your team the IT setup they need to operate.
Outsourced IT Support Improves Stakeholder Engagement
Your technology is central to how you manage and engage with your stakeholders. Technology helps you to connect and communicate with them.

That's why you need to have IT support on hand to keep that digital environment running 24/7.

With the proper IT setup, you can make stakeholders like donors and volunteers feel more valued and central to your efforts.

For example, you can invest in modern email automation or virtual meeting technology. Both of these powerful tools will make it easier and more effective to communicate with stakeholders.

Behind that sits a dedicated Los Angeles IT support company that can ensure the technology is fast, reliable, and personalized to your organization's needs.

It helps your stakeholders feel like an extension of your team. You'll foster stronger working relationships that could help your nonprofit in many exciting ways.
Los Angeles IT Services Help Business Continuity
IT interruptions are bad for any business, and especially for nonprofits. If your IT is unavailable, it can hurt your reputation and leave you unable to operate.

But you need more than a way to fix a problem if it happens. You need experienced IT teams who can prevent downtime from happening in the first place.

Let's use an example here. Suppose that you have arranged a high-profile charity fundraiser and are running this virtually. If your technology fails during the event, you lose a crucial opportunity to get funding for your nonprofit.

Plus, the reputational damage could stop potential donors from getting involved again.

However, an IT team can help you with an event like this.

They can use their knowledge to source the most reliable technology, test it before the day, and monitor the stability during the event.

Keeping your IT environment stable is crucial for a smooth-running organization. You are busy and have many demands on your time; you don't need the distraction of an unpredictable or unreliable IT setup.
A Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles Helps Future-Proof Your Organization
Your nonprofit needs to stay ahead to thrive, which means it must use the most cutting-edge technology.

But if your focus is on your core operations, turning your attention to something like IT can be challenging. But tech support companies can be on hand to help you with this.

Technology is their core field of expertise, which means they can ensure you get the most benefit from any innovations, whether AI, automation, or virtual technology.

It ensures your organization will continue to reap the benefits of technology, giving you ongoing cost benefits, better productivity, and a more secure setup.
Reliable IT Support for Nonprofits: An Essential Investment
IT support for nonprofits used to be a nice-to-have extra. But times have changed. Information technology is fundamental to the stability and growth of any organization.

But to make the most of it, you need experts on hand. Take the first step now. Explore the range of managed IT services available at Be Structured Technology Group by contacting our tech team today.
- Categories: IT Support

#### What Are the Benefits of Outsourced IT Support?
There was a time when every business could thrive with an in-house IT person. But as your business grows, you're starting to realize that it might not be efficient or economical to keep your IT problems with an internal department.

So... what now?

The answer is outsourced tech support companies!

Today we're going to go over the many benefits these companies provide. You'll discover how outsourcing your technical support can not only solve immediate problems but also propel your business towards sustained growth and customer satisfaction.
Understanding Outsourced Technical Support
When we talk about technical support outsourcing, we're looking at companies that take over the tech support tasks for other businesses.

Imagine you have a business that sells computer software. One day, a customer can't figure out how to install your software on their computer. Instead of you handling their questions, an outsourced tech support company steps in.

They help your customer solve the problem, making sure they're happy and can use your product without any hitches.

These companies are important because they specialize in solving tech problems. They have teams of experts ready to help with any tech issue, big or small.

This is different from having just one person in your company trying to do it all. That one person might be good, but they can't know everything. Outsourced tech support teams bring together a lot of smart people who can tackle a wide range of problems.

There are two main types of support these companies offer: Customer Support Outsourcing and Dedicated Technical Support Outsourcing.

Customer support is all about helping users with basic issues. Think of things like helping someone reset a password or guiding them on how to use a feature in an app. It's about making sure the customer feels supported with their general needs.

Dedicated local IT support is more specialized, focusing on deeper tech issues. This could involve solving complex software bugs or providing technical guidance for advanced features.
The Rising Demand for Outsourced Tech Support
More businesses have started to see the value in outsourcing their technical support. This shift is a response to the changing world of work and technology. As companies grow and reach out to customers around the globe, they face new challenges.

They need to provide help to their customers at any time of day, no matter where they are. This is where outsourced technical support services come in.

They offer support around the clock, ensuring that a business's customers always have someone to turn to when they face a problem.

Digital transformation is another big reason behind this growing demand. As businesses adopt more technology, the need for support increases.

But with more technology comes more potential for issues that need solving. Outsourced tech support companies have the expertise to handle these problems. This makes them an attractive option for businesses looking to stay ahead in the digital age.
Expansion
Global market expansion has also played a part. Companies are no longer content with staying local. They want to reach customers in different countries and time zones.

This ambition requires a support system that's both flexible and responsive. Outsourced technical support can provide this. It offers services in multiple languages and across various time zones. This makes it easier for businesses to connect with and support their customers, no matter where they are.

The need for 24/7 support has become a basic expectation for customers. We live in a world where people expect instant solutions.

Outsourced technical support services make it possible to offer real-time assistance, keeping customers happy and loyal as they know what to expect from IT support.
Key Benefits of IT Outsourcing Services
Keeping a tech support team in-house sounds good because they're right there where you need them. But when you look at the costs, outsourced technical support often ends up being cheaper.

Here's why: if you do it all yourself, you need to spend money on a lot of things.

You need space for the team to work. You need computers and software for them to use. And you need money to train them so they're up to date on the latest tech.

Then, you have to pay their salaries, benefits, and more.

Outsourcing gets rid of many of these costs. You pay the outsourcing company, and they take care of all those expenses. This can save you a lot of money, especially on big costs like training and equipment.
Access to Specialized Expertise
Outsourcing your tech support gives you another big benefit: access to experts.

These outsourcing companies focus on tech support. So they make sure their teams know the latest in technology and customer service.

It's their job to stay current, so they're always learning and improving. This means when you have a tough tech problem, they're more likely to know how to fix it quickly.

 
Network Security
The two things that all outsourced tech support companies should provide is network security and email security. There are several ways to accomplish overall security starting with advanced endpoint protection and penetration testing services.

But make sure your team thinks outside the box to include mobile device management and are up on the latest cyber threats known to the internet.
Scalability and Flexibility
Another advantage of outsourced technical support is how easily you can adjust the size of your support team.

Let's say you launch a new product, and you suddenly have a lot more customers needing help. If your support team is in-house, you'd have to hire more people. That takes time and is a big commitment.

With an outsourced team, you can quickly get more help when you need it and reduce the team size when things slow down.

This flexibility is great for handling the ups and downs of business.
Enhanced Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction
Another perk is the quality of service that customers receive. Technical support outsourcing companies often have teams ready to help customers around the clock. This means when someone has a problem, there's always someone available to help them solve it quickly.

Fast help and solving problems the first time around make customers happy. And as we all know, happy customers are more likely to stick around and keep buying from a business.

They're also more likely to tell their friends about the great service they got.
Focus on Core Business Functions
Another advantage of outsourced technical support is freeing up a business to focus on what it does best. Every business has something they're really good at, whether it's making a product or providing a service.

When a business tries to do too much, it can get distracted from these important areas. By letting an outside company handle the tech support, the business can put more energy and resources into growing and improving its main products or services.

This focus can lead to better products, happier customers, and a stronger position in the market. Plus, it can make the business more efficient and competitive, because it's not spreading itself too thin.
Choosing the Right IT Outsourcing Servcies
The first step is figuring out what kind of help you actually need. This means looking closely at the problems your customers run into and what kind of questions they ask.

Some businesses might find their customers often need help with basic things, like account setup or password resets. Others might discover their customers run into more complex issues, like troubleshooting software problems.
Evaluating Potential Service Providers
After you know what kind of support you need, it's time to start looking for the right company to provide it.

First, does the company have the right expertise? They should know a lot about your industry and the types of problems your customers face.

Then, consider their technology and tools. The best tech support companies use the latest technology to help your customers efficiently. Language capabilities are also key, especially if your customers speak different languages.

And look into their approach to customer service. The way they treat your customers will reflect on your business.

Reviews, references, and track records are also super important. They give you a sneak peek into what working with a particular company might be like. Good reviews from other businesses can be a sign that the company does a great job.

References allow you to ask other companies directly about their experiences. A strong track record shows that the company knows how to deliver great service over time.

Taking the time to check these things can help you make a choice you feel good about, ensuring your customers get the support they deserve.
Contract and Agreement Considerations
When choosing an outsourced technical support company, the contract is a key part of the process. You'll want to look for service level agreements, or SLAs.

These are promises the company makes about how fast and well they will respond to issues. They're important because they set clear expectations for the kind of service you'll get.

Next, confidentiality clauses protect your business's private information. When you share customer data or business secrets with the support company, you need to know they will keep it safe.

And it's always wise to have an exit strategy in the contract. This part talks about how you can end the agreement if things aren't working out, without facing big problems or costs.
Implementing and Managing the Outsourced Relationship
The next step is onboarding them. This means sharing with them how your business works, what your customers need, and how they can best help.

Then you need to maintain a good relationship with the company as they work with you.

This involves talking regularly, checking the quality of their work, and sharing feedback. It's important to speak up if something isn't going as planned so they can fix it.

This ongoing chat helps make sure your customers are getting great help, and it lets you and the support company work together smoothly.
Overcoming Challenges
One common issue businesses face is cultural differences. When your tech support team is in another country, they might not understand the cultural nuances of your customers.

This can lead to misunderstandings or a service that doesn't feel quite right. To overcome this, it's important to choose an outsourcing company that values cultural training. They should prepare their teams to handle these differences with care and understanding.

Communication barriers are another hurdle. Sometimes, it's hard to get your message across when you're not working in the same office or even time zone, as your support team.

This can make it tricky to solve problems quickly or update them on new products. The key here is to set up strong, clear lines of communication.

This might mean regular meetings, using easy-to-understand guidelines, or having a direct contact person for any issues that come up.

Maintaining quality standards is also a big concern.

When you outsource, you're trusting another company to take care of your customers. If they don't do a good job, it reflects badly on you.

To keep the quality high, you'll want to have regular check-ins on performance. This includes looking at customer feedback and response times. It also means examining how well issues are being solved.

If something isn't meeting your standards, don't be shy about discussing it with the outsourcing company. Together, you can work on a plan to make things better.

To tackle these challenges, businesses can also conduct regular training sessions with the outsourced team. This helps the team stay up to date with your products or services and understand your customers better.
Communication and Expectations
Establishing clear communication channels is another solution. This could be through regular video calls or instant messaging apps. Or it could be via occasional in-person meetings.

Setting mutual expectations right from the start is essential. This means being clear about what level of service you expect and how you'll measure success.

The trick is to stay proactive, communicate openly, and remember that this is a partnership. By working closely with your outsourced tech support team and addressing problems as they arise, you can enjoy the many benefits of outsourcing while keeping your customers happy and loyal.
The Many Benefits of Outsourced Tech Support Companies
Outsourced tech support companies offer a strategic advantage, enabling businesses to enhance service quality, focus on core operations, and achieve cost-efficiency.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is a Los Angeles IT services company founded in 2007. We pride ourselves on being unlike other IT service providers. We provide realistic strategies, on time and within budget. At Be Structured, we believe you deserve IT services and cutting-edge technology that works for you and not against you.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you!
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### What Are the Major Security Threats for Small Businesses
Keeping your business safe from external IT threats is one of the most important responsibilities that entrepreneurs have. Even a minor contingency could have adverse consequences that are difficult to recover from.

The main issue that people encounter is simply being unaware of the type of risks their company faces. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of small business security threats to help keep your organization as safe as possible. Let's dive into some of the most notable security threats that businesses of all types face.
Malware
Malware is by far one of the most prolific business IT services and security threats. Interestingly, many people are unaware of the fact that this has to do with a handful of reasons outside of the program itself.

To clarify, small businesses are more likely to use outdated operating systems. It's not uncommon to walk into a smaller company’s office and find that they are using software that hasn't been updated in years. Additionally, they may assume that their organization is not large enough for hackers to target.

This could cause them to forego the opportunity to learn more about how to protect themselves. Unfortunately, small businesses are still lucrative targets for cybercriminals. They are often easier to hack into, and stealing data from a group of small businesses could be more profitable than a single large company.

The malware itself, however, is still the largest threat. This is a category of malicious programs that aim to steal data or otherwise disrupt communication/workflow. One of the most common types of malware is known as a Trojan horse.

This program appears to be innocent at first, often misrepresenting itself as a well-known application. Upon running it, however, a wide range of consequences could occur.

These include your computer crashing to a hacker gaining access to all of the data on the device.
Phishing Attacks
Even if you aren't aware of it, you've likely been exposed to a phishing attack before. If you've ever gotten a strange social media message or email from an unknown sender, this was likely a phishing attack.

Hackers use social engineering in order to gain the trust of victims so that they willingly provide the hackers with sensitive information. For instance, let's assume that a low-level employee at a tech firm receives an email from the CFO.

This message urgently implores the employee to send over a large number of documents so that they can be verified for accuracy. It's not impossible for a hacker to spoof the actual email address of the company CFO and pretend to be this individual.

The employee will then unknowingly send the criminal critical information that belongs to the organization. Not all phishing attacks are this nuanced, however. Hackers often send a massive number of emails to random individuals.

These messages often claim that a bank account, social media account, etc. have an important alert for them.

The message then provides a fraudulent link that takes users to a clone of the login page for these platforms. When users enter their password, they are told their information is incorrect.

However, their login credentials are sent directly to the hacker. This makes phishing one of the largest cybersecurity threats for small business.
Ransomware
The cybercrime industry is projected to exceed $10 trillion in value midway through the decade. Much of this value is expected to come from compromised business data.

However, a malicious type of program known as Ransomware is also projected to bring in significant revenue. For those who are unaware, this program encrypts all of the information on a device and then demands that the victim pay the hacker in order to regain access. The hacker often demands cryptocurrency as the form of payment so that it can't be traced.

In the event that the victim does not pay the ransom, and a number of scenarios could play out. Primarily, the hacker will choose to leave the data encrypted indefinitely or simply erase it. This means that anything that has not been properly backed up will be gone forever.

Out of all the types of security threats for small business, this is a particularly alarming one.

There's also always a chance that the hacker could leak sensitive information to your industry competitors or even the media. This often has consequences that many entrepreneurs do not consider.

For example, let's assume that there was a financial scandal that was dealt with internally within the organization. Making this information public could cause a significant blow to that business’s brand reputation.

The FBI urges victims of this type of attack to avoid paying the ransom at all costs. If you choose to do so, you will only be funding additional attacks in the future. For this reason, it's always recommended to frequently back up your company information so that you can restore it if anything unexpected occurs.
Improperly Trained Employees
Unfortunately, a major risk to your company is its employees. If they have not been properly trained on how to handle sensitive information, they could unknowingly cause issues. For example, your workers could choose to create weak passwords for their business accounts.

This will make them exponentially easier for hackers to break into. If your organization allows workers to access company systems from personal devices, more issues can arise. This is most commonly seen by using their personal devices for work-related activities on unsecured networks.

In the event that this network becomes compromised, criminals would be able to access all of the company data they are working with. This includes emails, files, and other sensitive information.

To help combat this problem, it's recommended to hold training sessions for existing employees and new hires. This will help ensure that everybody is up to speed on your company's security protocols.

Since the tech landscape is always changing, hackers are always coming up with new ways to steal information. This means that you should update your company training multiple times per year.

This can go a long way in helping you protect your organization. You should hold employees accountable for failing to adhere to these regulations.

Even a single person could put the company in danger. Data access should always be hierarchical.

To elaborate, entry-level employees should never be able to access all of the information that an executive can. This safeguard in itself will help prevent a large number of problems in the future.
Poor Network Security
It's not uncommon for a company's network to be less secure than its owners think. As previously mentioned, small business entrepreneurs are often unaware of the threats that they face.

This means that they may mistakenly believe they are fully protected simply because nothing has happened yet. This often creates a situation where they do not prioritize network security.

As you might guess, hackers love to target businesses of this type. It often takes little effort for them to infiltrate the network and exfiltrate data. In many situations, small business owners may not even be aware that their data has been compromised.

For Southern California companies, the good news is that working with a managed service provider in Los Angeles is one of the most efficient ways to beef up your network security. One of the most important tools they implement is known as active monitoring.

As the name suggests, this allows them to immediately detect and resolve issues as they appear. The primary benefit of doing so is the fact that this process can occur outside of business hours. For companies with a bare-bones infrastructure, people might show up to work one day only to find that they have been hit by a cyber attack.
DDoS Attacks
This is one of the most prominent threats that small companies face. A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack aims to take down a particular server or network. This is accomplished by overloading it with a large volume of traffic within a short period of time.

Hackers are often able to achieve this by using compromised computers and directing them to the website. This process is run in the background of these machines so that their users aren't aware of what is occurring.

In order to add more compromised machines to this network, hackers distribute malware on a widespread basis. A business that has been affected by a DDoS attack will likely find that its website is unable to function.

It should come as no surprise that even a brief period of downtime could result in significant financial loss. In some cases, this could be a situation that is virtually impossible to recover from. Companies that do not have optimized networks are at a larger risk of this type of attack.

This is due to the fact that they are less equipped to deal with spikes in traffic.
A Poor Remote Work Infrastructure
It's no secret that the way employees work will likely never be the same.

After businesses were forced to close as a result of the pandemic, tens of thousands of employees began working remotely. Now that a proper system has been established for this type of work, there's a good chance that it will stick around permanently. However, not every business has optimized its remote work infrastructure.

This means that these companies have not accounted for the risks associated with transferring sensitive information across networks. For example, the network at the business itself may be sufficiently secured.

The network that your employees use, however, may not. Hackers have become aware of the fact that many businesses are adopting this type of model.

So, they are actively looking for weak points in the connection between these two parties. This situation can become even more complicated if employees use public networks for work-related activities.

It's common knowledge that you should never assume that a public network is safe. Unfortunately, this doesn't always stop workers from taking advantage of free Wi-Fi at a café in order to finish up a report or project. Although it's not always guaranteed this will cause issues, it does put the organization at risk.
No Set Contingency Plan
At some point during the lifetime of your business, a contingency will arise. This is true for companies in virtually any industry. If you don't have a disater recovery plan in place with details about how to respond, you may not be able to recover effectively.

The longer you take to handle a contingency, the more your business will suffer financially. You will also cause issues for your customers in terms of their satisfaction with your brand.

If they can't use your website, place an order, or otherwise engage with your company, they may turn to a competitor instead. You may also experience a significant setback if you are not able to recover your lost data. A good IT consulting Los Angeles based company can quickly help you determine the extent of your damage and the speed of its recover.

A large component of business efficiency involves referencing information that has been collected over time. This could involve information about your users or the performance of your company itself. If this data is permanently lost, you won't be able to reach previous levels of performance.

Depending on the industry you work in, you might even encounter legal issues. Those who work in the healthcare sector are required to adhere to the standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

A failure to do so could mean a class-action lawsuit is filed against your business.
Managing Security Threats Might Seem Overwhelming
It may even seem impossible at first. However, the above list will provide you with valuable information about the common security threats that small businesses face. From here, you can begin developing a course of action to help you avoid them and keep your sensitive data safe.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery, Extra, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### What Are the Most Commonly Outsourced IT Services?
The modern digital landscape is constantly evolving. As a result, businesses are increasingly turning to outsourcing as a strategic solution. This is done to help them meet their IT needs efficiently and cost-effectively.

Outsourced IT solutions and services have become a common practice. It allows companies to focus on their core competencies while leveraging specialized expertise and cutting-edge technology.

The outsourced IT support market is worth an estimated $617.69 billion in 2024 with an expected growth of $806.53 billion by 2029.

But just what are the most commonly outsourced IT services, and why are businesses opting for this approach? Keep reading to explore these key services below.
What Are the Most Common Outsourced IT Support Services?
The answer to the question: "What are the most common outsourced IT services?" is a multifaceted one.

Behind every successful business lies a network of tools and interfaces all working together. However, some businesses may not have the manpower or the budgeting available to support a full in-house team.

This is where the benefits of outsourced IT support can come in handy. Trained outsourcing specialists can handle many aspects of IT management, such as network monitoring, cybersecurity, and software development. This allows businesses to focus on their core operations.

Outsourcing can be a cost-effective solution, as businesses only pay for the services they need when they need them. Here are some of the most commonly outsourced IT services your business can utilize.
Help Desk Support
Help desk support is one of the most prevalent outsourced IT services. It involves providing technical assistance to end-users facing hardware, software, or other IT-related issues.

Outsourcing IT support allows your businesses to access specialized expertise and resources. This ensures that users receive prompt and effective support. It also helps organizations reduce costs associated with maintaining an in-house support team and infrastructure.

Additionally, outsourcing help desk support can enhance overall IT efficiency. In doing so, it allows businesses to focus on their core competencies while leaving the IT support management to experienced professionals.
Network Security
Another aspect of "what are the most commonly outsourced IT services" is network security. This is a critical aspect of IT infrastructure. It encompasses measures to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data and resources.

Network security involves the implementation of technologies, processes, and policies. They act as safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, or modification of network assets. These measures include aspects such as:

 	Firewalls
 	Intrusion detection
 	Prevention systems
 	Mobile device management
 	Virtual private networks (VPNs)
 	Privileged access management
 	Access control mechanisms

These tools work together to detect and mitigate threats such as malware, ransomware, and unauthorized access attempts.

Additionally, network security involves regular monitoring and auditing of network activity. This helps to identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with security policies and regulations to increase data protection.
Data Backup and Recovery
As much as 67% of data loss is due to system failure or hard drive crashes while 14% is attributed to human error. Data backup and recovery are crucial for protecting your information. It involves making copies of your data to prevent loss.

If your original data is lost or damaged, you can restore it from the backup. Backup copies are often stored on separate devices or in the cloud. Recovery is the process of restoring data from backups.

It's important to regularly back up your data to avoid losing important information. Having a reliable backup and recovery plan through outsourced IT security can help you recover quickly from data loss due to accidents, disasters, or cyberattacks.
Cloud Services
Cloud services are internet-based computing services. They allow organizations to store, manage, and process data on remote servers, rather than on computers or local servers. This means you can access your data and applications from anywhere with an internet connection.

Cloud services offer scalability, so you can easily adjust storage and computing resources as your business needs change. They also provide reliability and security, with data backups and encryption.

Common cloud services include online storage, data backup, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. By 2027, over 50% of industry cloud platforms will be adopted by organizations. Therefore, outsourcing IT cloud services offers flexibility, efficiency, and cost savings compared to traditional on-premises solutions.
IT Consulting
Outsourcing IT consulting involves providing expert advice and guidance on IT-related issues and decisions. Consultants assess an organization's IT infrastructure, systems, and processes to identify areas for improvement. They then recommend solutions and strategies to help achieve the organization's goals.

These IT consultants can also assist with implementing new technologies, upgrading systems, and optimizing IT operations. Their goal is to help businesses use technology effectively to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and achieve their objectives.

IT consulting services can range from strategic planning and project management to technical support and training. This helps organizations make informed decisions and maximize the value of their IT investments.
Managed IT Services
Adding to the list of "What are the most commonly outsourced IT services?" is Managed IT Services. This refers to the practice of outsourcing IT management responsibilities and functions to a third-party provider. These services can include monitoring, maintaining, and managing IT infrastructure and systems.

By outsourcing these tasks, businesses can access specialized expertise and resources without the need to hire and manage an in-house IT team. Managed Services providers often offer proactive monitoring and maintenance, which can help prevent IT issues before they occur.

This approach can improve the overall reliability and performance of IT systems. Utilizing Managed Services can help businesses reduce IT costs and focus on their core operations for increased efficiency and productivity.
Network Management
When it comes to "What are the most commonly outsourced IT services?" network management is also vital. It involves overseeing the operation and maintenance of a computer network. This includes tasks such as monitoring network performance, ensuring network security, and troubleshooting issues.

Network managers are responsible for ensuring that the network meets the organization's needs and operates efficiently. They may use specialized software tools to monitor network activity and diagnose problems. Network management also involves planning for future growth and expansion of the network.

By effectively managing the network, organizations can ensure that their IT infrastructure supports their business goals and operates smoothly. Proper network management is essential for maintaining a reliable and secure network.
Cybersecurity Services
Every year in the U.S., cyberattacks cause billions of dollars in losses. Yet a 2023 report from ISACA found that 71% of organizations have unfilled cybersecurity positions. This highlights a significant gap in the industry's ability to address and prevent these threats.

Outsourced cybersecurity services focus on protecting computers, servers, networks, and data from cyber threats. These services include measures such as installing firewalls and antivirus software. They also involve implementing security policies and conducting security audits.

The main goal is to prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and other cyber attacks. Cybersecurity services are essential for safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of data in vulnerable industries.
Software Development
Software development is the process of creating computer programs or applications. It involves designing, coding, testing, and maintaining software to meet specific requirements.

Developers use programming languages like Java, C++, or Python to write code that instructs the computer to perform certain tasks. They also use development tools and frameworks to streamline the process and ensure the software functions correctly.

Software development can be customized for different purposes. This includes elements such as:

 	Business applications
 	Mobile apps
 	Video games
 	Embedded systems
 	Web applications

It requires collaboration between developers, designers, and project managers to ensure the final product meets the needs of users. Outsourcing software development lets businesses access specialized expertise and resources without the need to hire and manage an in-house team.
Database Management
Database management involves organizing and storing data in a structured manner. This ensures easy access, retrieval, and manipulation of data. It includes creating, updating, and managing databases to meet the needs of an organization.

Outsourced database managers use specialized software to store data securely and efficiently. They also ensure that databases are backed up regularly to prevent data loss. It's pivotal for the success of modern organizations that are reliant on data-driven decision-making.

Effective database management is essential for businesses. It allows them to make informed decisions based on accurate and up-to-date information. It also helps improve efficiency by allowing for quick access to relevant data.
Web Development and Design
Web development and design pertains to the process of creating websites. These websites must be visually appealing, functional, and user-friendly. It includes designing the layout, color scheme, and overall look of the website.

Web developers use programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build the website's structure and functionality. They also use design software and tools to create graphics and other visual elements.

Modern-day websites must also meet the needs of its users. Websites need to be responsive. This means they display correctly on a variety of devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Outsourcing web development and design can be a strategic decision for businesses. It's especially advantageous for those looking to enhance their online presence and reach their target audience more effectively.
Mobile App Development
In today's app-based mobile optimized world, mobile app development is more beneficial than ever. Creating software applications that run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It includes designing, coding, testing, and releasing apps for iOS and Android platforms to create apps that are user-friendly, functional, and visually appealing.

Developers use development tools and frameworks to streamline the process. They also use special programming languages to build mobile apps.

Some languages of note include:

 	Java
 	Kotlin
 	Swift
 	React Native
 	Flutter

Outsourcing mobile app development can offer several benefits such as accessing specialized expertise, reducing costs, and saving time. External providers can also bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. This helps businesses create innovative and effective mobile apps.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Businesses must always be prepared for unforeseen events and potential disruptions to their IT infrastructure. That's where disaster recovery planning comes into play. It involves creating strategies to recover and restore IT systems and data after a disaster.

Businesses can hire external providers to help develop and implement their disaster recovery strategies. Outsourcing this service can bring several benefits. This includes accessing specialized expertise and experience in disaster recovery planning.

External providers can also provide additional resources and technologies that may not be available in-house. For instance, the use of redundant data centers to back up data.
IT Infrastructure Management
In the business world, IT infrastructure management is key. This aspect means overseeing the entire IT environment of an organization. It includes components like servers, storage, networking, and software.

These IT support services include tasks such as monitoring performance and managing security. They also ensure the availability of necessary IT resources.

Outsourced IT managers are responsible for planning, implementing, and maintaining IT systems. They work painstakingly to meet the needs of the organization. They work to optimize IT infrastructure to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

IT infrastructure management involves ensuring compliance with regulations and best practices. Effective IT infrastructure management ensures an organization's IT systems' reliability, security, and performance.
Remote Monitoring and Management
Remote monitoring and management (RMM) is a specific type of outsourced IT service. It entails monitoring and managing IT systems remotely. This includes servers, desktops, mobile devices, and network devices.

RMM tools are used to monitor the health and performance of IT systems. They also detect issues and perform maintenance tasks. RMM providers can remotely access and manage IT systems.

This remote access allows them to troubleshoot problems and perform updates without being on-site. This approach can improve efficiency and reduce downtime. Any issues can be addressed quickly.

RMM also enables proactive maintenance, which helps prevent problems before they occur. RMM is essential for maintaining the stability and security of IT systems.
Elevate Your IT Support in Los Angeles with Be Structured Technology Group
Now that you understand the answer to the question "What are the most commonly outsourced IT services?" you can help your business thrive. With outsourced IT support services, you don't have to do it all on your own.

Be Structured Technology Group is here for you. If you're looking to save time and money with outsourced IT, we can help. We can handle everything from cyber security to cloud migration, data backup and recovery, and more.

Ready to discuss your business's local IT support needs?

Schedule a free IT support consultation today.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed It Services

#### What Are the Pros and Cons of Outsourced Tech Support?
Statistics show that 24% of small businesses are leveraging outsourcing. Large companies outsource at an even greater rate and are 66% more likely to outsource functions than smaller enterprises.

One of the most common functions to outsource is. Outsourced IT support has a variety of valuable benefits. Including cost reduction, access to cutting-edge solutions and talent, enhanced security, and more.

However, there are also a few potential downsides to outsourced IT support.

Before you hire the first managed services provider you find in the Southern California area, it's essential to know the pros and cons associated with IT support Los Angeles based companies so you can avoid any potential pitfalls.

Continue reading to discover the benefits and risks of IT outsourcing.
Pros of Outsourced Tech Support
By nature, IT is a complex function to manage. As processes become increasingly digital companies don't have the luxury of being able to make do with poorly functioning IT.

IT isn't a core operation for most businesses. However, outdated or problematic systems can wreak havoc with companies' productivity, customer service, security, and bottom line.

By using and outsource technical support company, businesses can ensure that their IT processes are always humming. A reliable provider can guarantee that systems are always up-to-date, fully functioning, and secure.

Besides this, IT outsourcing can also relieve companies of a lot of the burdens that come with managing IT in-house.

Here are some of the specific payoffs this can have.
Reduced IT Costs
One of the very attractive benefits of outsourcing IT is reduced costs. This might sound counterintuitive, as having something professionally handled usually costs more.

However, outsourcing IT allows companies to enjoy various reductions on in-house IT costs. So much so that cost-cutting is the number one reason for outsourcing IT for 87% of businesses.

Outsourcing IT enables you to swap out staff-related overheads and hidden costs for a fixed, monthly cost. Every time you hire a new IT staff member this triggers an increase in overheads and payroll expenses, including things like:

 	Office space and equipment
 	Employee taxes and unemployment insurance
 	Payroll costs
 	Benefits
 	Paid time off
 	Training
 	Overtime

Besides this, managing IT in-house can also come with unforeseen costs and capital outlays.

With outsourced IT, you can exchange sudden, unpredictable IT costs for a monthly cost that's fixed and easy to budget for.

Lastly, you also won't need to worry about depreciating IT assets. Their cost will be recorded as an expense rather than asset expenditure.
Less Capital Outlay
IT systems can require a fair amount of capital to put in place and upgrade. Because of this, a lot of businesses end up running on outdated or underpowered systems.

If you opt for outsourced IT, the capital outlays for upgrades will be rolled into your monthly cost. This makes them more affordable and ensures that your organization is never relying on an outdated system purely because of a lack of budget for upgrades.
Easier Access to World-Class Capabilities and Expertise
Another impactful benefit of outsourcing IT is that companies can access world-class capabilities and top talent.

Research shows that 87% of organizations are already suffering the effects of the national talent shortage. IT personnel are particularly in demand, and finding the right talent can be tough.

Small businesses have an especially hard time attracting skilled IT personnel. Because of this, a lack of talent is one of the key IT challenges small businesses face.

With outsourced IT, you can tap into a pool of expertise and IT talent. To remain competitive, IT outsourcing companies have to stay up-to-date on the latest industry developments. Otherwise, they'll go out of business.

What's more, a team of experts is far stronger than one skilled professional in a bubble. By combining knowledge and skillsets, a good managed IT services provider is usually capable of accomplishing better results than an in-house IT department.

Managed IT providers work with various businesses in a variety of industries. They can draw on their experience from other organizations to implement tailored solutions and capabilities your IT department might not have been able to.
Better Security
One of the most valuable benefits of outsourcing IT is that can result in better business IT services and security. In today's age, cyber and data security is of paramount importance for any business.

Security breaches can cost businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars and can even result in business closure. If they involve sensitive customer or employee data, you could also face legal repercussions.

IT outsourcing companies make it their business to stay on top of the latest security threats so they can protect their clients' systems. They are also versed in working with companies on covering often-forgotten bases, such as employee passwords, devices, and 2-factor authentication.

Most good IT outsourcing companies also offer 24/7 monitoring and support. Here at Bestructured, our round-the-clock monitoring and outsourced IT support service is included in your monthly package.

We monitor your systems at all hours for suspicious activity or signs of instruction. If an alert goes off, we can address it immediately.

Besides continuously monitoring your systems, part of an outsourced IT company's role is making sure you have a comprehensive data backup and recovery plan in place.

If you don't have a data backup plan in place, this is one of the signs you need IT support
IT Outsourcing Helps You Focus on Core Operations
Along with protecting your systems and data, IT outsourcing also allows you increased focus on core operations.

If you partner with an outsourced IT provider that provides a standout service, you can leave most of the running of your systems to them. This saves you time and mental energy. Instead of having to continuously address IT issues, you can dedicate more of your focus to revenue-generating operations.

Should an issue arise in your system, all that needs to happen is a phone call to your outsourced IT provider.
Easier Scaling
One of the famous benefits of outsourcing is that it facilitates easier scaling. This is particularly true for outsourced IT.

Scaling IT can be a huge headache. IT hardware and software aren't cheap, and growing your system alongside your business can start to feel like a full-time job. What's more, if you don't have the right expertise on board, you can quickly run into compatibility issues and application siloing.

IT outsourcing offers businesses a way out of the IT scaling nightmare. An experienced outsourced IT provider will be able to make the scaling experience virtually seamless for you. As your demand increases, you can simply move up to a large package with your provider and they'll take care of the rest.
Less Downtime and More Productivity
Outsourcing IT can also result in less downtime and heightened productivity for your business.

Downtime has become mind-bogglingly expensive these days. The average cost hovers around $5,600 per minute for large organizations.

If your business operates on the break/fix IT model, then you're guaranteed to run into downtime.

Outsourced IT providers rarely work on this old maintenance model. Instead, most practice proactive maintenance through remote monitoring. As soon as there is a warning sign of failure, a good outsourced IT provider will jump into action to remedy the problem before it results in downtime.

In the rare instance when an issue does cause an outage, all you have to do is contact your provider. If your provider offers 24/7 monitoring and support, they should be available at all times to implement a fix.

Here at Be Structured, there is always a technician available for emergencies, day or night.
Potential Cons of IT Outsourcing
Although IT outsourcing does have a range of valuable benefits, there are some cons to watch out for as well.

In most cases, the drawbacks of outsourced IT stem from incompetent providers rather than IT outsourcing as a whole.

Currently, it's estimated that there are more than 40,000 MSPs in the US, and not all of these operate to high standards.

To protect yourself from the potential IT outsourcing drawbacks, make sure you take time vetting and selecting a provider. This will help you avoid the cons we have listed below.
Less Control
One of the barriers to outsourced IT adoption is reduced control. When outsourcing IT, businesses have to hand over core services to an outside team of staff to handle. If issues aren't dealt with correctly, it can be incredibly frustrating for management and employees.

If problems are cropping up and your outsourced IT provider isn't addressing them promptly, it can feel like your hands are cut off.

Fortunately, today's technology is sophisticated enough for IT outsourcing companies to be able to deliver the same quality of service as an onsite technician, or even better. If your provider is not doing this, it's time you let them go and took your business elsewhere.
Low-Quality IT and Customer Service
Good outsourced IT providers employ experienced staff and install sound infrastructure. However, there are also lots of fly-by-night, poorly operated providers who cut corners and skimp on customer service.

These types of providers typically employ "copy-paste" IT solutions for their clients. Blanket solutions take the least effort, and can even result in higher profit margins for the provider.

However, these types of standardized IT solutions don't usually serve customer needs very well. Every industry and business is different and requires different combinations of infrastructure and software solutions.

We believe that IT solutions should tie in directly with organizations' goals and business objectives. Instead of bending your processes to fit your IT function, your IT function should be tailored to facilitate business success.

We approach every business we work with as a unique entity with unique requirements. We also have extensive experience providing industry-specific IT support.
Slow Communication
Shifting your IT function from in-house to outsourced can result in communication delays if you choose the wrong provider. Providers that aren't focused on client satisfaction can be slow to respond to communications and requests.

The slower an outsourced IT provider takes to respond to you, the more services will be affected. This can impact productivity and make you wish you never started outsourcing IT.

The best way to protect yourself from providers like this is to evaluate their communication quality and response times before you engage them. If a potential provider is slow in their responses, this is a sure red flag.
Potential Security Risks
Although IT outsourcing can dramatically improve security, it can also erode it in the wrong hands.

Outsourced IT providers that lack professionalism could endanger your system. If a provider doesn't have strong security in place or isn't up to speed on the latest vulnerabilities—this could put you at serious risk.

For instance, if you utilize a remote data center for BDR, and the data center loses your information in a crash or breach, this could be a disaster.

The best way to make sure your security isn't weakened through IT outsourcing is to choose a provider who specializes in security.

We understand how critical water-tight security is to any business. This is why we also offer managed security services alongside managed IT.
Impacted Morale
Depending on the extent to which you outsource IT functions in your business, this can also have an impact on employee morale. IT employees might feel like their jobs are being threatened or that they're being undermined. This can impact their productivity and motivation.

Ensure that you choose a provider who treats everyone with courtesy and respect, including your existing IT staff.
Are You Thinking of Leveraging Outsourced IT?
IT outsourcing can save you money, free up time and focus for core operations, improve security, reduce downtime, and more. However, you have to choose the right provider. Otherwise, you might open yourself up to a host of issues, such as data loss and slow response times.

You might also get landed with solutions that aren't tailored to your needs and end up complicating processes rather than optimizing them.

Are you looking for an outsourced IT provider you can trust? One that will truly cater to your needs and tend to your security?

Be Structured Technology Group is an industry-leading MSP with a core focus on security and tailored solutions. Contact us today to discuss your needs.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### What Business Owners Need to Know About CMMC Compliance
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
After Biden was elected president, he vowed to make cybersecurity a top priority for his administration. This dedication to cybersecurity would extend to any non-government organization that works with the Department of Defense.

In order to ensure that defense contractors are in compliance with current requirements, the CMMC compliance program would be put into place. CMMC, or Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, aims to safeguard important government information from hackers and other threats.

Here's what business owners need to know about CMMC compliance and how it can help with data protection.
What Is CMMC?
The Department of Defense's CMMC was designed to ensure contractors complied with current security requirements. This would help these businesses protect both their own business data as well as any confidential government information that cannot get out.

Originally, the CMMC model structure had five different levels under two categories for processes and practices. A newer version of the program streamlines the requirements to three levels of cybersecurity. It also brings them in line with widely accepted NIST cybersecurity standards.

The three main goals of CMMC compliance include:

 	Protect sensitive defense data
 	Create a unifying cybersecurity standard
 	Ensure accountability for defense companies

CMMC Levels and Requirements
The new version of CMMC cuts down the levels to three by getting rid of the original transition levels. The updated version takes into account the type of information a contracted company may handle in its daily operations.
Level 1
Level 1, also known as the foundational level, only applies to companies that focus on the protection of Federal Contract Information (FCI). To acquire this certification, a company must display adherence to the 17 controls found in FAR 52.204-21.

This clause states that the company must limit access control, enforce identification and authentication, provide physical protection, and much more. It essentially comes down to various methods of protecting their data as well as consumer data.
Level 2
Level 2, or the advanced level, is for companies working with CUI. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is any data that is not classified but still requires safeguarding or dissemination controls.

Instead of the FAR regulations, this would abide by the NIST SP 800-171 regulations. Level 2 specifically aligns with the 14 control families introduced by it. These include access control, awareness and training, incident response, personnel security, and more.
Level 3
The expert level focuses on reducing the risk from Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). These threats use continuous and sophisticated hacking techniques to gain access to private data. Most often, APTs are performed by hacker groups who have ample time and resources.

This certification level combines NIST SP 800-171 and NIST SP800-172 controls for a total of 130 controls. It's the most comprehensive expectation of cybersecurity measures due to the consistent threat posed by hackers.
Who Needs CMMC Certification?
Currently, the changes to CMMC have not gone into effect yet. However, they are expected to become part of contracts as of 2026.

When CMMC 2.0 is fully put into effect, it will become a requirement for most defense contractors doing work for the Department of Defense. The required level will depend on the type of work and the specific contract.

A good way to predict which certification level will apply is by analyzing the company's current requirements.

For example, companies that must adhere to FAR 52.204-21 will most likely only need to achieve CMMC level 1. They'll also need to self-certify once a year that they meet the current requirements.

At level 2, a third-party assessment will be required every three years. They will also need to perform a self-assessment every year.

Companies in contact with highly sensitive information will need to achieve level 3 compliance. This means meeting a laundry list of requirements and implementing the most thorough cybersecurity measures available. However, the Department of Defense has yet to establish strict rules on how to assess this level of compliance.
Cost of CMMC Compliance
If you're a Southern California based business then partnering with a Los Angeles IT support company can help you fight cybersecurity issues.

But cybersecurity compliance does not come without its own costs and considerations, though. It depends on various factors such as the size of your company, what measures you already have implemented, and your budget.

When it comes to the cost of implementing new cybersecurity measures, the main factor is the number of employees accessing this data. It's important that the company limits how many actual employees and technologies can access confidential information.

Newer companies will also have a difficult time adhering to CMMC regulations. It may cost more and require implementing processes and procedures not already in play.

In order to maximize CMMC compliance, your company will need IT support consulting. This will take up the bulk of your budget since they'll need to analyze every aspect of your security measures. You'll then need to budget the cost of a CU technology solution that will cost a certain amount per user.

Without these cybersecurity measures, your company can risk extensive downtime, losing important data, and violating your contract.
Cybersecurity Compliance Tips
In order to remain compliant with new cybersecurity measures, it's important to understand the regulatory landscape. Regulations are constantly changing, and the way you comply one year may not be enough for the next. This is one reason why annual self-assessments are so critical.

Your company will also want to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity policy. Lay out which employees have access to what information. Create procedures to follow in case an incident arises.

Finally, install network security. It's all too easy for hackers to gain access through your WiFi, emails, and installed software. Make sure that you have installed and updated firewalls, detection systems, and prevention systems.
Protect Your Information
CMMC compliance requires that your business make a lot of changes to how it operates and accesses its data. However, these changes are necessary in today's climate if you want to protect your company and avoid lawsuits in the future. It's especially important if you want the Department of Defense to trust your services.

Be Structured Technology Group has been providing managed IT services in Los Angeles for over 15 years. Our services cover security, cloud network installation, hardware installation, and more.

Contact us today to speak with a representative and get a free consultation.
- Categories: CMMC, cybersecurity compliance

#### What Do You Need to Know About Co-Managed IT Services?
In a recent study, Mordor Intelligence found that companies that used MSPs saved a minimum of 25% and improved their productivity by 45%. Those numbers are nothing to sneeze at!

Outsourced IT support doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing decision. With co-managed IT services, you get the best of both worlds-your in-house IT team working with IT experts.

Is this hybrid IT management model right for your company? Read on to discover the key things you need to know as you approach this decision.
Outsourced Tech Support Provides Expertise
Co-managed IT services are like a gold mine of cybersecurity knowledge. They bring specialized skills, helping your team learn the latest defense tactics against cyberattacks.
Cybersecurity: Your Digital Shield
A co-managed IT services provider is more than an advisor; they're your digital guardian. They are tirelessly preventing cyberattacks, from malware to ransomware.
Staying One Step Ahead of Risks
Co-managed service providers don't just react to threats; they anticipate them. They keep your defenses fresh and robust, ensuring your business doesn't just survive but thrives in the digital landscape.
IT Support Companies Provide Sophisticated Tools and Technology
Managed IT services bring high-end software and hardware that might exceed your company's budget. With their systematic monitoring and automated processes, they quickly identify and fix IT problems.
Access to Advanced Technologies
Co-managed MSPs have a broad range of expertise in the latest technologies, including cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data analytics. Businesses can leverage these advancements by partnering with them without investing heavily in training or hiring specialist staff.
Enhanced Visibility and Control for Efficiency
The right tools and technology offer much-needed visibility and control for smooth IT operations. They're not just fancy add-ons but essential gears in the well-oiled machine that is your IT infrastructure.
An Unbiased Third Party Can Evaluate Your Infrastructure
It's hard for an internal IT team to objectively evaluate the company's technology. A co-managed services provider offers unbiased assessments of your infrastructure and procedures. Their outside perspective allows them to:

 	Audit technical components for optimization
 	Assess processes for gaps or risks
 	Check compliance with policies and regulations
 	Validate that systems meet business needs
 	Recommend improvements and upgrades

Getting an impartial review helps you optimize IT operations, shore up vulnerabilities, and align technology with business goals.
Customized IT Support That Fits Your Needs
Co-managed IT services understand that every business is unique. They offer plans tailored to your priorities, systems, and budget. Plus, you can adjust your plan as your circumstances change.
Tailoring Your Co-Managed Services
You have the power to customize your co-managed services. This can range from the level of onsite vs. remote support, project work scope, security tools used, monitoring hours, service desk availability, and technical skills supported to reporting frequency and details.
Flexibility to Scale as Needed
With co-managed services, you can scale up or down to meet your changing needs. It's like having a tailor-made suit for your IT operations. You only pay for what you need when you need it.
After-Hours Support
One of the significant advantages of co-managed IT services is the availability of after-hours support. This means clients can get timely help, even outside typical business hours. This round-the-clock support can minimize downtime and ensure business continuity.
Potential to Reduce IT Operating Costs
Working with a managed service provider results in greater operational efficiency. However, managed IT services cost more than co-managed.

Businesses save money by only paying for the services they need with a co-managed service model. This reduces the costs of full-time IT staff. Benefits include:

 	No cost for recruiting, hiring, or training IT staff
 	Lower software licensing expenses
 	Reduced hardware acquisition costs
 	Access to expertise without salaries
 	Ability to add/reduce support based on needs

Careful coordination eliminates duplicated efforts between your team and the MSP. MSPs handle routine maintenance, upgrades, and patches, ensuring systems run more efficiently, which can lead to extra cost savings over time.
Better Visibility and Control
Co-managed IT models make it easier for organizations to track network performance and KPIs. Businesses can use this increased transparency to make informed decisions about their IT infrastructure. They can also identify areas for improvement.
Focus on High-Value Strategic Projects
Say goodbye to routine maintenance and hello to strategic projects. Your IT team will have fewer everyday tasks like maintenance and software updates. This newfound freedom allows them to concentrate on strategic projects supporting business goals.

Now, they can focus on business intelligence, data analytics, custom app development, workflow automation, digital transformation, and infrastructure improvements.
Valuable Security Services
Co-managed MSPs do regular risk assessments. They follow regulations and have online security measures. By using these services, businesses can reduce the risk of cyber threats and mitigate potential damage.
Disaster Recovery
Around 54% of companies have disaster plans in place. We hope that's not you!

MSPs can help restore lost data and ensure business continuity in a data breach or other IT disaster. This service is crucial for minimizing downtime and preventing loss of revenue.
Backup Services
Regular backups ensure your company's data is safe and can be restored quickly in case of a data loss incident. This not only protects your business information but also provides peace of mind.
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing provides an additional layer of protection. It helps prevent security breaches and protects your business from potential cyber threats.
Stay Compliant
Not only do these measures reduce the risk of cyber threats, but they also ensure regulatory compliance. Your insurance compliance policies can protect your business from potential legal issues. These security measures can also protect your company's reputation, which is very valuable.
Start Optimizing Your Managed IT Services Today
Are you ready to explore the benefits of co-managed IT services for your organization?

If you're a Southern California based company, we've got your Los Angeles IT support needs covered.

Connect with the Be Structured tech team today to start the conversation. We provide a free consultation to assess your needs and create a plan to optimize your IT operations and security.

You benefit from both worlds when you partner with a co-managed services provider. Our additional IT consulting, skills, and resources complement your team's expertise.

Let's discuss how we can help your business reach the next level.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks

#### What Does a vCIO Do?
If your business is growth-oriented, technology is one of its greatest assets in achieving that goal. In today’s market, technology has become critical to maximizing productivity, prioritizing customer engagement, and streamlining day-to-day workflows. That means if your team has hit a work rut, it may be time to take a look at your broader IT strategies. Frequently, businesses focused on growth overlook the IT leadership they need to succeed. If your organization prioritizes technology but lacks the resources to hire a full-time Chief Information Officer (CIO), a virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) may offer the solution you’ve been searching for.

In this post, we’ll explore what exactly a vCIO can offer your organization by ensuring your technology platform aligns with your broader business goals.
The Role of a vCIO
With a traditional CIO, your organization has one individual overseeing your organization’s overarching technology strategies. With a vCIO, however, you gain access to an entire team of technology leaders to fill that same role. Don’t let the word “virtual” confuse you. A vCIO position is filled by human beings whom you can call at a moment’s notice to answer any of your IT questions. As such, your vCIO partner oversees all your business technology needs, including:
Managed Services
As part of a growth-oriented business, your team has more important tasks to focus on than updating servers and installing a new firewall. With a vCIO, your partner works with you to clarify which managed services your team needs for day-to-day operations. Many times your vCIO partner can even deliver those services as one bundled package. At the same time, you maintain a single point of contact for all your IT needs and questions.
Vendor Management
With more options available today than ever before, making sure your organization is getting the best value for the technology you need to succeed can quickly turn into a full-time job. With a vCIO, your partner leverages a national—or even global—network of vendors to ensure you’re getting the most from your IT budget. That way, you can be confident that you’re getting the IT services and infrastructure you need for ongoing prosperity with vendors.
Developing a Technology Roadmap
Developing a comprehensive technology platform is about more than figuring out what your IT can do for you today; it’s also about preparing your team for the challenges of tomorrow. With a vCIO, you can accomplish just that. A vCIO works with your team not only to streamline day-to-day operations right now, but also to explore where your technology can take you a year or five years from now. You know what your long-term business goals are. A vCIO knows how to leverage technology to help you achieve those goals in the long run.
IT Budgeting and Reliability
Along with vendor management and developing an IT roadmap, a vCIO works work with you to clarify your budget and ensure you’re maximizing the value of every dollar spent. If you’ve maintained a hands-off approach to IT in the past, you know how much a break-fix mentality can end up costing you. When equipment malfunctions or breaks, repairs can quickly cost more in a month than you intended to spend on your IT for the whole year. With a vCIO, you can take a more proactive approach to your technology systems, minimizing the risk of surprise expenses and costly network downtime.
Cloud Computing
For businesses ready to grow, a cloud platform is essential to delivering the scalable, on-demand performance your organization needs to expand. In short, if you haven’t yet migrated at least some aspect of your operations to the cloud, you’re hindering growth. At the same time, however, some organizations remain hesitant to make the switch due to the fear of downtime and increased complexity.

With the in-depth experience and leadership of a vCIO, your organization can overcome any of the barriers interfering with a move to the cloud. A vCIO makes the cloud migration process as straightforward and seamless as it can be. Whether you’re interested in transitioning to a public cloud, private cloud, or a hybrid cloud, a vCIO can turn your ideas into a reality.
Los Angeles vCIO Solutions
If you’re interested in gaining access to the IT leadership you need for long-term success and ongoing growth, contact the experts at Be Structured today. We’ll work with you to understand your organization’s workflows to deliver a customized vCIO solution that aligns your technology strategies with your broader business goals.
- Categories: MSPs
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support, managed services, vCIO

#### What Does an IT Support Company in Los Angeles Do?
Computers are an integral part of our daily lives but even more integral to our businesses. Companies have now reached the $4 trillion milestone in 2021 for global spending on IT services, more than 7 times that of marketing. So, what are IT services, and are they really that valuable? What is that they even do? Well, quite a lot actually. Let's talk about what IT support companies do for businesses just like yours.
What Are IT Support Companies?
Informations technology is becoming an increasingly integral part of the business world, as we are advancing further and further into the digital age. While some companies have an IT support team on their payroll, that simply isn't feasible for many businesses.

However, the services provided by IT professionals are simply too valuable to pass up, especially with increased cybersecurity threats and reliance on computer networks. Because of this, many businesses are turning to IT support companies for help with their tech needs.

Their team will typically be full of IT specialists who work collectively for a number of different companies seeking their services. They will spend their time monitoring and improving the IT practices within these companies and provide feedback to business owners.

The convenience to the business owner is that they will have an easy location to access all of their IT information without having to hire an internal team or do it all themselves.

There are plenty of other aspects of an IT team, and every company will be different. However, there's plenty they have in common, so let's talk about some of the services that an IT support company could offer you.
Services They Offer
Every IT company is bound to be different in the packages they offer, and it's important to ask questions ahead of time to make sure you know what you're getting. In terms of the industry standards, here's what you should expect.
1. Strategy
Having an IT strategy is important, just like with any other aspect of your business. You have a marketing strategy, don't you? Well, the same logic applies to your network and technology.

An IT strategy includes cybersecurity strategy, network solutions, response to system failures, and more. Every aspect that we'll be discussing that is offered by an IT company will be an important part of their strategy.

One of the most important parts of managing IT solutions within a company is uniformity of practices. The best way to ensure that practices are uniform across your employees and network is to have an IT team to ensure it.

The right team will be able to sit down with you and discuss your company's current IT standings, what needs to be improved, what protocols need to be implemented, and more. From there, the team should be able to plan and implement a strategy designed specifically for your business.
2. Manage Office Phones
When people think of IT, they think of computers. However, phones are an important part of the information system, and most IT services will be able to easily install and manage office phones for your entire company.

More modern phones will especially allow you to increase your productivity and manage call volumes, so look into all your options and weigh them for your situation.
3. Safe File Sharing
IT companies will be able to provide your company with methods of sharing important documents, especially with sensitive information, with minimal risk of exposure. They may offer a number of file-sharing solutions that will work for your company.

This is especially helpful in fields like medicine where HIPAA compliance is so critical and where such a high volume of sensitive data needs to be exchanged. Sure, medical coding is helpful, but having the proper encryption and modes of sharing provides an extra layer of protection.
4. Employee Training And Support
IT companies can establish and communicate best practices for your business's technology solutions. They'll be able to provide you with policy advice for your staff as well as your guests when it comes to your network, passwords, and software.

They'll also be able to communicate with you and your staff about any concerns involving cybersecurity, including keeping smartphones secured on the company network, establishing a guest WiFi network, and more.

They will also act as an easy point of contact for any employee who is facing an IT challenge at work. There will always be issues with work computers, so having a team that's familiar with your systems able to help on a whim is highly valuable to your employees.

Having a team of employees that work uniformly with your data and follow the best practices recommended by your IT team will be extremely beneficial over time.
5. Virtual Desktop
Many IT support companies will offer you access to your computer without ever touching your computer. That's right. With newer technology, you'll be able to safely gain remote access to your work computer when you are working at home, on a business trip, or traveling. If this is appealing to you, you can learn more about how it works.

With this technology, you'll be able to move from your office to a different location (even your bed) and pick up right where you left off without having to upload anything. This helps keep things uniform and efficient when you are outside of the office, and it allows your staff to transition back into the workplace or for a hybrid work structure after the pandemic.
6. IT Cybersecurity Support
If you've been following the news even passively, you've undoubtedly seen some of the major stories of cybersecurity breaches causing devastation to major companies. The Colonial Pipeline was one of the most crucial examples of this in recent memory.

The truth is that without the proper IT experience, cybersecurity is often a forgotten role in a business, no matter how crucial it is. Here are just a few examples of the cybersecurity tools that the right IT team can bring to your company.
Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery and business continuity are things that every business needs to plan for in the event of a cybersecurity breach. No business in the world is secure enough to guarantee that an attack won't occur, so having a detailed recovery plan is crucial to a business's success.

Some disasters are able to cripple a business, whether it be a cybersecurity breach, system failure, or any other issue. Losing all of that data or exposing sensitive information to the wrong hands could cost you your business.

This is also true for protecting your customers. Think back to some of the largest data breaches. Many of them involved access to millions of people's sensitive data, such as credit card and social security information. No business owner wants to face the public and make that announcement.

The truth is, it takes the average business over half a year, or 191 days to even notice that a breach occurred in the first place, let alone how much damage was caused. Taking the proper steps to find these breaches immediately and preventing them is well worth the investment.
Systems Monitoring
Monitoring the health of your systems across your network plays a crucial role in maintaining high levels of security and fixing flaws within the system. This includes patching the system, monitoring the company uses of the systems and keeping a close eye out for suspicious activity.

Immediate knowledge of a breach could be the difference between sensitive information making its way into the wrong hands or not, potentially avoiding serious disasters from occurring.
Data Encryption
Encryption is another important tool in securing your files and other sensitive data. Having proper encryption that is changed and brought up to date regularly is the best defense against hackers.
Authentication
Most IT companies will require employees and anybody with access to the company network to provide two-factor authentication to log in. For example, this could mean entering in a password and answering a security question, or using a fingerprint scanner and punching in a code from your email.

This is the safest way to ensure that only the right people are gaining access to sensitive data. Any breaches or attempted breaches will trigger the alarms.
Dark Web Surveillance
Phishing scams are very common these days, and information can be leaked or sold on the dark web, which is not always checked by law enforcement or most businesses. The right IT team will be able to monitor and manage these phishing activities and even prevent them from happening in the first place.
Network Services
Your network is an important part of your business. How are you supposed to get anything done without the internet? Well, installation, setup, and management of your network solutions is just one aspect of the services that an IT company can offer you.

It's also important to make sure that your network is secure across the board. Viruses, spyware, or hackers can get into any device attached to the network, including employee or guest cell phones or devices that are connected. Proper network security protocols are a must considering your network holds everything.
Infrastructure Management
Managing software patches, configuring hardware and servers, and fixing security features are all important aspects of infrastructure management, and having a team managing it regularly is invaluable.

One part of infrastructure management is the regular addition of the newest tech. Newer technology, including software, make day-to-day processes easier and more manageable, while also being less susceptible to malware and hackers.

Having a dedicated IT team means that your browsers and computers will be regularly kept up to date with the latest versions, that you're using the newest anti-malware software, and that your employees are able to work at their most efficient level.
7. Data Backup
For most companies in the digital age, their business revolves around their data. If that data is lost, stolen, damaged, or held for ransom, then there is very little you can do if it isn't backed up in a secure location.

The thing is, cybersecurity isn't the only threat to your data. If your system fails or a hard drive is destroyed, you could lose all of it without the proper solutions, which is where an IT team comes into play.

Cloud Solutions
Everything is online these days, and cloud technology is becoming more and more reliable. With the right cloud solutions holding all of your valuable data, your building could catch on fire, all of your computers could be destroyed, but you will still have access to all of your data.

The right IT team will direct your company to use the best of the best when it comes to cloud technology, ensuring that your data is kept in the safest possible location and is prepared, at all times, for the worst.

If the IT team you're looking at does not incorporate any cloud-based solutions into their strategy, that's a red flag. Cloud technology has evolved to become some of the most secure and reliable modes of data storage around, so make sure they're using it.

Public cloud vendors are very promising, but there are also hybrid options available. You could even get hosted private cloud network services to manage your backup data on your own secure platform.
8. Video Surveillance
That's right. IT companies don't just help with your cybersecurity, they can actually help with your audio and video surveillance for your physical office space or business location. They could also provide access control to certain parts of your building and manage the equipment through the network.

You could also be given remote access to the video surveillance in the event that you are away from the office. The right IT services will keep your company protected from all types of theft.
Who Needs IT Services?
IT services are undoubtedly important for some companies, and those companies are spending more and more on IT services across the board, but do they all really need them?

The truth is that if you use computers or telephones for any purpose in your company, you need IT support. However, some companies desperately need IT services, even more so than others. There are some important signs that you need IT services to look for before making a decision.
What To Look For In An IT Company
It's certainly clear that IT support companies can offer you a lot in terms of creating a uniform, reliable network for your business. However, they aren't all the same. Because of this, it's important to know what you're looking for when seeking the services of an IT company. Here are a few things to look into.
Experience
How long have they been in business and what specialties do they have as a team? These are some of the first questions to be asking or looking for when doing your research.

If a team is full of diverse computer specialists and their company background is working with companies of similar size to your own, then you have nothing to worry about.

Also, be sure to look into their industry focus or specializations as a company. For example, if you're looking for a dedicated cybersecurity team primarily, then look for their qualifications within that niche.
Price And Value
Remember that price is only one aspect. You need to examine the package the company is offering and assess whether or not it is providing enough value to justify the price.

IT work is certainly valuable work but it's important to know what you're getting. Will you need 24-hour support? Do you want all communication to be in-person? These are the kinds of questions you will need to answer before evaluating the price of services.
Hiring Practices
When you're taking on an IT support team, remember that the whole team matters to your business. Are they hiring IT professionals or are they training people with basic computer knowledge?

This is one of the practices that makes a low price tag suspicious. Look into who they are hiring for their general team body because that changes the value dramatically. Specialists should be qualified with IT experience as well as a related educational background like a computer science degree.
References And Reviews
When you're outsourcing any services to another company, an important part of vetting is researching their reviews. Read their reviews online and check with your local Chamber of Commerce and other directories to see what is said about their services.

You can also ask for references from the company and speak to other business leaders who have enlisted their services. This is the best way to gauge how trustworthy a company really is.

If you're only reading the reviews they have on their website, then you're only reading the reviews they want you to see. There's an entire internet out there, so do a little research on the company before taking them on!
How Does Hiring An IT Company Work?
Well, it could work a number of different ways, and it depends on the nature and needs of your business. If you're looking for generic IT services that can just monitor your systems and let you know if they see anything that goes wrong, then you can spend your money anywhere. All of that can be done remotely.

Are you looking for a hands-on, in-house team of IT experts? Then you want an IT team that comes into the office regularly. For that, you'll need to hire a local IT company. Just make sure they offer the right services for you, now that you know what to look for.

A local team can help you set up new hardware, train your staff, and handle problems in person in a timely manner. There's no substitute for that in a remote IT team.

The ability to directly access the hardware and network systems will avoid communication errors and maximize your company's cybersecurity and overall IT strategies.
Ask Questions
Look around to find the best IT support company that fits your needs and then reach out to them about their services. Before making any agreements, ask plenty of questions. Ask about their preferred software and see if it's an upgrade from what you're currently using.

Then, ask about the price. It is bound to be lower than taking on your own IT team but make sure that it's within the means of your company. If everything checks out, then it's time to enlist your new IT team.

There's plenty more when it comes to choosing an IT service, so make sure you come prepared with the right questions ahead of time before signing any paperwork.
Contract
Generally speaking, enlisting the services of an IT support team will involve signing some type of contract, whether short-term or long-term. The contract will likely include the services they will provide you, their pricing, and the duration of the agreement.

Read through the contract and make sure it aligns with verbal discussions before signing it. Once it's signed, you'll be able to start receiving their services, sit back, and relax with the peace of mind that your IT systems are in good hands.
Get Secured Today!
Now that you know what IT support companies can do for you, it's time to look into the best solutions for your company. Just be diligent in your research, ask questions, and stay up to date with our latest IT news! If you have any questions about our services, feel free to reach out and ask!
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cyber Security, IT Budgeting, IT Compliance, Los Angeles IT Support, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### What is a Hosted Virtual Desktop?
You’ve likely heard of or may even be using server virtualization already. A hosted virtual desktop (HVD) takes the concepts of server virtualization and translates that into a user desktop experience. Just as server virtualization offers next level in network efficiency and productivity at an organizational level, hosted virtual desktops stand to do the same at the employee level.
But before you can decide if an HVD environment may be a good fit for your business, you have to understand what it is. In this post, we break down the fundamentals of what a hosted virtual desktop is, how it can benefit your business and some common challenges companies face with HVDs.
The Fundamentals of a Hosted Virtual Desktop
A hosted virtual desktop is a physical server hosted either at your facility or out of a data center that allows users access to a virtual desktop environment. Each user’s desktop operates as a virtual machine (VM) on the HVD environment. The server or servers host the operating system and system applications. Users access this virtual environment through either a web browser or proprietary software as though they were accessing a physical desktop.
Benefits of a Hosted Virtual Desktop
Mobility
Because the VM environment is hosted on a server, users can access their desktops on just about any computer with an internet connection, thus freeing the user from being tied to any one particular device. You could use your office computer to access your HVD during the workday and then go home and access the same VM from your home laptop. All of your data and applications are continually synchronized in real-time, allowing you to access critical information from just about anywhere. If your team prioritizes flexibility and mobility, an HVD solution provides an optimal solution by allowing them to work from anywhere, anytime. Off-site resources also streamline the disaster recovery process in the event of critical issues with your computer network.
Cost Savings
If you use a public cloud solution to host your HVD environment, your cloud service provider is responsible for storage, backup, security, and upgrades, so you can minimize operating and overhead expenses while experiencing a streamlined cloud computing platform. Today’s cloud provider prioritize redundancy, around-the-clock availability, and optimized resources so you can count on your data and applications always being there when you need them most. By migrating to an HVD environment, you can maximize the lifespan of your organizations existing desktops and laptops. In all, the cost savings associated with an HVD platform can reduce operating by 30 to 50 percent.
Flexibility
If you utilize a cloud subscription model to host your HVD environment, you have access to on-demand server resources to prioritize elasticity and adaptability. That means you can add desktop users with just a few clicks and at a moment’s notice. With an HVD solution, technology will never slow your business growth down again. As new software is released, you can deploy updates more efficiently across your HVD platform, minimizing downtime, and maximizing productivity.
Control
An HVD platform allows for a central point of control from which you can deploy new administrative policies quickly and efficiently. Instead of having to manage multiple desktops and laptops, you can control administrative policies and rights from one central platform.
Challenges of a Hosted Virtual Desktop
While an HVD platform offers some significant benefits, it also comes with its own set of unique problems and challenges. However, most of these issues can be addressed by finding the ideal cloud partner for your needs. Common problems include:
Network Connectivity
Because the HVD environment is hosted on a server, access requires a reliable internet connection in order to access data and applications. Without a solid internet connection, your team will be left without the mission-critical resources they need for day-to-day operations.
Authentication Configuration
Your HVD platform requires three critical functions in order to operate effectively and efficiently:
 	Security: Security consists of ensuring that users can only access what they should be able to access on your network.
 	Applications: Application authentication is the process through which you ensure that users have access to the applications and tools they need for work.
 	Billing: Billing is how you ensure that your company is being billed correctly for the server resources you’re actually using.
Balancing and prioritizing these functions is critical to ensure that your HVD solution is properly configured and designed to make sure your team has the tools they need to succeed. If you don’t take the time to address these concerns, you will likely find that your HVD environment creates more problems than it solves.
HVD vs. DaaS
While an HVD solution closely resembles a desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution in many respects, the HVD platform generally offers more control, ingrained security, and more personalization features for each user.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re in the Los Angeles area and you’re looking for a team with the technical expertise to develop and deploy a hosted virtual desktop environment for your business, contact the team at Be Structured today. We’ll help you understand your options and work with you to design a network solution that aligns with your growth goals.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Cloud Computing, DaaS, Hosted Virtual Desktop, HVD, Mobility

#### What Is a Local LLM, and Should Your Business Run One?
A practical guide to local LLM hardware, costs, and when it makes sense to deploy AI privately
Quick Answer: A local LLM (large language model) is an AI model that runs entirely on your own hardware — no cloud connection, no third-party data access, no per-query costs. For businesses that handle sensitive data or run high inference volumes, a properly configured local LLM workstation delivers private, fast AI processing for approximately $3,000–$3,500 in hardware. The most practical entry point for most small and mid-sized businesses is a single NVIDIA RTX 4090 paired with 64 GB of DDR5 RAM and 2 TB of NVMe storage, capable of running 7B to 13B parameter models at useful speeds.
AI adoption is accelerating across every industry — but for many businesses, handing sensitive client data to a third-party cloud AI raises real questions about privacy, compliance, and cost at scale. Local LLMs offer an alternative: AI that runs entirely on hardware your company owns and controls.
This guide covers what a local LLM actually requires from a hardware standpoint, what it realistically costs, and how to decide whether a managed local AI setup is right for your business. According to IBM research, 92% of companies plan to increase AI investment in the coming years — and a growing share of that investment is moving toward on-premises or hybrid deployments where data never leaves the building.
Whether you are a business owner evaluating options or an IT manager tasked with deploying private AI infrastructure, this guide covers what you need to know before spending a dollar on hardware. For businesses that want this handled end-to-end, Be Structured’s outsourced IT support services include AI infrastructure planning and deployment as part of our all-inclusive managed services.
A local LLM workstation is a high-performance computer designed to run, fine-tune, and develop large language models locally.
What Is a Local LLM?
A local LLM is a large language model — the same category of AI that powers ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini — that runs on hardware you own rather than on a cloud provider’s infrastructure. The model weights are stored locally, inference happens on your GPU, and no query data is transmitted to an external server.
This distinction matters for three reasons:
 	Privacy: Sensitive documents, client data, and internal communications never leave your network.
 	Cost: Once the hardware is purchased, there are no per-token or per-query fees. High-volume use cases that would cost thousands per month in cloud API fees become essentially free at the marginal level.
 	Control: Your team decides which model runs, when it updates, and who can access it.
The trade-off is infrastructure. Local LLMs require meaningful upfront hardware investment, ongoing IT management, and an acceptance that the most capable frontier models are not available for local deployment. The open-source alternatives are capable and improving rapidly, but a capability gap with frontier cloud models still exists for the most complex reasoning tasks. Businesses evaluating this trade-off may also want to consider hybrid cloud solutions that combine local inference for sensitive workloads with cloud AI for tasks where data sensitivity is lower.
What Hardware Does a Local LLM Actually Require?
The single most important specification for local LLM deployment is GPU VRAM. LLM weights must be loaded into memory to run. For practical inference speeds, that memory needs to be on the GPU — if a model spills into system RAM or NVMe storage, inference speed drops by 10–50x, rendering most interactive use cases impractical.
Model size determines VRAM requirement. Here is how the two map to each other:
Minimum Hardware Requirements by Model Size
Model Size
Example Models
Min VRAM
Recommended GPU
System RAM
3B–7B parameters
Mistral 7B, LLaMA 3 8B, Gemma 7B
8 GB
RTX 4060 Ti (16 GB)
32 GB
13B parameters
LLaMA 2 13B, Phi-3 Medium
16–24 GB
RTX 4090 (24 GB)
64 GB
30–34B parameters
CodeLlama 34B, Mistral 34B
48 GB
2x RTX 4090 or RTX 6000 Ada
128 GB
70B parameters
LLaMA 3 70B, Qwen 72B
80–140 GB
2x A100 80 GB
256 GB
For most businesses exploring local LLM deployment, the 7B–13B parameter range on a single RTX 4090 is the practical sweet spot. It delivers genuinely capable inference — useful for document Q&A, drafting support, code assistance, and structured data extraction — at a hardware cost justifiable without a server-room buildout.
Local LLM workstations feature GPUs, substantial VRAM, and fast processors to handle complex AI tasks privately.
The Full Component List for a Local LLM Workstation
Beyond the GPU, every other component in the build should be sized to support it:
 	GPU: The primary investment. Prioritize VRAM above clock speed or CUDA core count. For most business deployments, the RTX 4090 (24 GB) is the optimal single-card choice.
 	CPU: A modern 12–16 core processor (AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9) is sufficient. LLM inference is not CPU-bound once the model is loaded.
 	System RAM: Match or exceed GPU VRAM. 64 GB DDR5 is the recommended baseline for a 13B model workstation.
 	Storage: NVMe Gen 4 SSD, minimum 2 TB. A 70B model in 4-bit quantization is roughly 40 GB; a collection of several models fills storage quickly.
 	Motherboard: PCIe Gen 4 or Gen 5 support is essential for multi-GPU builds. Verify PCIe slot configuration before purchasing.
 	Power Supply (PSU): Size for peak GPU draw plus 30% headroom. A single RTX 4090 draws up to 450W under load; dual-GPU builds may require a 1,200W+ PSU.
 	Cooling: Air cooling is sufficient for single-GPU workstations in a standard office environment. Multi-GPU builds benefit from all-in-one liquid cooling on the CPU.
 	Case: A full-tower with multiple 140mm fan mounts and clearance for large GPU cards — some RTX 4090s exceed 340mm in length.
Deploying local LLM infrastructure also intersects with your network. Secure local AI access requires proper network segmentation and access controls. Be Structured’s network security services ensure the workstation’s inference endpoint is only reachable by authorized users and devices.
Local LLM Workstation vs. AI Server: What Is the Difference?
A local LLM workstation is a single-user or small-team system designed for interactive use — a developer running inference locally, a business analyst processing documents, or a team using an LLM for drafting support. It sits under a desk or in a tower, connects to standard office power, and is managed like any other PC.
An AI server is a rack-mounted, multi-user system designed for concurrent inference requests, high availability, and sustained throughput. It requires dedicated power circuits, active cooling, and server-room infrastructure — and the cost reflects it.
AI Workstation vs. AI Server: Key Differences
Factor
AI Workstation
AI Server
Primary use
Single user / small team interactive use
Multi-user / production workloads
Form factor
Tower or workstation chassis
Rack-mounted (1U–4U)
GPU configuration
1–2 consumer or prosumer GPUs
2–8 enterprise GPUs (A100, H100)
Power requirements
Standard 15–20A office circuit
Dedicated 30–60A circuits or 3-phase
Upfront cost
$3,000–$15,000
$30,000–$400,000+
IT management
User-managed or light IT support
Dedicated IT or managed service
Best for
Development, testing, private business use
Production APIs, team-wide inference
For the majority of businesses evaluating local LLM deployment for the first time, a workstation is the right starting point. A server becomes relevant when concurrent users, uptime requirements, or model size push beyond what a workstation can reasonably support.
Can Your Business Run ChatGPT-Level AI Locally?
ChatGPT and Claude are frontier models with hundreds of billions of parameters. Running those exact models locally is not currently feasible for any individual or small business. But the open-source model ecosystem has advanced significantly, and for focused business use cases, the gap is narrower than most people expect.
What a single RTX 4090 workstation can handle today:
 	Mistral 7B and derivatives: High-quality writing, summarization, and Q&A
 	LLaMA 3 8B: Meta’s latest small-generation model with strong general performance
 	Phi-3 Medium: Microsoft’s efficiency-optimized model that punches above its parameter count
 	DeepSeek Coder 6.7B: Competitive with cloud models for code completion and review — see Meta’s LLaMA model documentation for a broader overview of open-source model families available for local deployment.
For internal document Q&A, code assistance, drafting support, and structured data extraction, a well-chosen 7B or 13B model running on a capable workstation handles the workload effectively. For open-ended reasoning, complex multi-step tasks, or broad general knowledge queries, frontier cloud models still hold a meaningful capability advantage.
The right framing: a local LLM is not a replacement for frontier cloud AI in every scenario. It is the right tool for specific use cases where data privacy, cost at volume, or offline availability are the primary drivers. Gartner projects that more than 80% of enterprises will have used generative AI APIs or deployed GenAI-enabled applications by 2026 — with on-device and private deployment growing as a share of that total.
AI workstations aren't just PC upgrades but part of a new infrastructure layer that intersects with your network and IT management workflows.
How Much Does Local LLM Infrastructure Cost?
The hardware cost spectrum for a local LLM workstation ranges from approximately $1,400 for an entry-level build to over $6,800 for a high-end dual-GPU configuration:
Local LLM Workstation Build Cost by Tier
Component
Entry Tier
Mid Tier
High-End Tier
GPU
RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB — $450
RTX 4090 24 GB — $1,800
2x RTX 4090 — $3,600
CPU
Ryzen 9 7900X — $380
Ryzen 9 7950X — $550
Threadripper 7960X — $1,400
Motherboard
B650 ATX — $180
X670E ATX — $280
TRX50 HEDT — $600
RAM
32 GB DDR5 — $90
64 GB DDR5 — $175
128 GB DDR5 — $340
Storage (NVMe)
1 TB Gen 4 — $80
2 TB Gen 4 — $150
4 TB Gen 4 — $280
PSU
850W — $110
1,000W — $160
1,600W — $280
Case + Cooling
Mid-tower — $130
Full-tower — $180
Full-tower + AIO — $320
Total (approx.)
~$1,420
~$3,295
~$6,820
A few important context notes:
 	GPU prices fluctuate. RTX 4090 pricing has been volatile — verify current street pricing before finalizing a budget.
 	Enterprise GPU options (NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada at ~$6,800, or A100s at $10,000+) offer higher VRAM and production-grade reliability, but push total system cost to $15,000–$25,000.
 	These figures are hardware only. Add software configuration, inference framework setup, IT deployment time, and network integration costs.
 	For organizations deploying multiple workstations, managed procurement and configuration typically reduces total cost of ownership compared to managing deployments individually.
Cloud API vs. local LLM cost: At low-to-moderate usage volumes, cloud AI APIs are typically more cost-effective when total costs are factored in. A mid-tier workstation ($3,000–$5,000) can break even against cloud API costs in 6–18 months at high inference volumes. The calculation shifts decisively in favor of local deployment when data privacy requirements make cloud AI unsuitable regardless of cost. For a broader look at how to evaluate IT spending decisions like this, see our guide to IT budget optimization for Los Angeles businesses.
How to Set Up a Local LLM for Your Business: Step-by-Step
The following steps apply to workstation-class deployments — single systems for individual or small-team use, not production server infrastructure.
 	Define the use case before selecting hardware. The most common overspending mistake is buying for a theoretical maximum rather than the actual workload. Identify the specific tasks the LLM will handle, the number of concurrent users (if any), and the minimum acceptable inference speed. This determines the model size, which determines the GPU.
 	Select your GPU based on VRAM, not marketing claims. Filter GPU options by VRAM first. For a 7B model, 16 GB is sufficient. For a 13B model, 24 GB is the practical minimum. For anything larger, you are moving into dual-GPU or enterprise GPU territory.
 	Build every other component around the GPU. CPU, RAM, storage, PSU, and case all flow from the GPU choice. Avoid over-investing in CPU or RAM while under-investing in VRAM — the GPU is the bottleneck in nearly every inference scenario.
 	Choose your inference framework before purchasing. Ollama is the most accessible option for most business users — it handles model downloading, quantization, and API exposure with minimal configuration. vLLM is better suited for multi-user or production deployments. llama.cpp maximizes performance on consumer hardware.
 	Install and configure the OS for AI workloads. Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS) is the recommended OS for LLM inference due to superior GPU driver support and inference framework compatibility. Windows works for most consumer GPU setups but adds friction. Ensure NVIDIA drivers, CUDA toolkit, and Python environment are correctly installed before attempting model inference.
 	Download and test your first model. Start with a quantized version of your target model — 4-bit quantization significantly reduces VRAM requirements with minimal quality loss. Run a baseline inference test to verify the setup before integrating with any business workflows.
 	Secure the inference endpoint. If the workstation will be accessed by other users on the network, implement API authentication, restrict access to authorized IP addresses or VPN users, and enable audit logging. An unsecured local inference endpoint is a data and security risk. This step should involve your IT team or a managed services provider — Be Structured’s managed IT services in Los Angeles include endpoint security and network access controls as standard.
 	Integrate with business applications and establish a maintenance routine. Connect the inference API to the tools and workflows that will use it. Schedule regular model updates, driver updates, and framework updates. Monitor GPU temperature and VRAM utilization under typical workloads to establish a performance baseline.
Build, Buy, or Managed: Which Approach Is Right for Your Business?
Not every business has the in-house technical expertise to build and maintain a local LLM workstation. Here is how the three main deployment paths compare:
Local LLM Deployment Options Compared
Approach
Best For
Upfront Cost
IT Overhead
Self-build (DIY)
Developers, technically skilled teams
Lowest
High — fully user-managed
Pre-built AI workstation
Non-technical business users
Medium–High
Medium
Cloud AI API
Low / variable usage volumes
None
Low
Managed AI workstation
Teams without in-house IT expertise
Medium
Low — IT-managed
For businesses without a dedicated IT team, a managed AI workstation deployment — where an IT partner handles procurement, configuration, security hardening, and ongoing support — typically delivers the best outcome. Be Structured provides all-inclusive outsourced IT support that covers AI infrastructure as part of a broader managed services engagement, including network setup, server configuration, and security.
It is also worth thinking about local LLM infrastructure in the context of broader IT planning. When a company expands, relocates, or adds headcount, AI infrastructure requirements should be part of the IT conversation from the start. For Los Angeles businesses specifically, our network installation services ensure the physical infrastructure that supports local AI workstations is properly designed and documented from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions: Local LLM for Business
What is a local LLM and how is it different from ChatGPT?A local LLM is a large language model that runs entirely on hardware your business owns — no internet connection required, no data transmitted to a third-party server. ChatGPT and similar cloud AI services process your queries on external servers. A local LLM gives your business full control over data privacy and eliminates per-query costs, but requires upfront hardware investment and IT setup. The models available for local deployment are generally smaller and less capable than frontier cloud models, though the gap has narrowed significantly in 2025–2026.What is the best GPU for running a local LLM?For most small and mid-sized businesses, the NVIDIA RTX 4090 with 24 GB of VRAM is currently the best consumer GPU for local LLM deployment — it offers the highest VRAM available in a single consumer card at a price below enterprise alternatives (currently around $1,800). For businesses needing to run models larger than 13B parameters on a single card, the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada (48 GB VRAM) is the next tier at approximately $6,800. Enterprise options like the A100 and H100 are cost-justified only for production or multi-user deployments starting at $10,000 per card.Can a standard business PC run a local LLM?A standard office PC can technically run smaller LLMs (3B–7B parameters) using system RAM if no discrete GPU is present, but performance will be extremely slow — typically 1–5 tokens per second — which is impractical for interactive business use. A dedicated GPU with at least 8–16 GB of VRAM is the minimum for usable inference speeds. A workstation purpose-built for local LLM inference will outperform a standard PC by 10–50x on the same model.How much does it cost to run a local LLM for a small business?Hardware costs range from approximately $1,400 for an entry-level build (capable of 3B–7B models) to $3,300 for a mid-tier RTX 4090 workstation (capable of 7B–13B models) to $6,800+ for a high-end dual-GPU configuration. These are hardware-only figures — add IT setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance costs. A mid-tier workstation typically breaks even against cloud AI API costs in 6–18 months at high inference volumes.Is a local LLM secure for sensitive business data?A properly configured local LLM is significantly more secure than cloud AI for sensitive data because no information is transmitted outside your network. However, 'local' does not automatically mean 'secure' — the inference endpoint must be protected with API authentication, restricted network access, and audit logging. An improperly secured local LLM workstation on a business network can expose sensitive data to internal threats or network vulnerabilities. For businesses handling regulated data (HIPAA, legal, financial), a managed deployment with proper security hardening is strongly recommended over a self-configured setup.What software is needed to run a local LLM?The minimum software stack for a local LLM workstation includes: an NVIDIA GPU driver, the CUDA toolkit, and an inference framework. Ollama is recommended for most business users due to its straightforward setup and built-in model management. vLLM is better suited for multi-user or production deployments. llama.cpp maximizes performance on consumer hardware. Python and relevant libraries (transformers, PyTorch) are useful for custom integrations but are not required to run inference through Ollama.What is the difference between a local LLM workstation and an AI server?A local LLM workstation is a single-user or small-team system — typically a tower PC with one or two consumer or prosumer GPUs — designed for interactive, desktop use. An AI server is a rack-mounted, multi-user system designed for concurrent inference requests, high availability, and sustained throughput, requiring dedicated power circuits, active cooling, and server-room management. For most businesses starting out with local AI, a workstation is the appropriate first step. A server becomes relevant when production demand exceeds what a workstation can support.
The Right Local LLM Setup Starts With the Right Plan
A well-configured local LLM workstation delivers genuine business value: private AI inference, no per-token costs, and full control over the models your team works with. But the difference between a deployment that performs and one that sits underutilized comes down to matching the hardware to the actual workload — and ensuring the surrounding infrastructure is ready to support it.
Be Structured helps Los Angeles businesses plan and deploy local LLM infrastructure that is properly integrated from day one. From network installation to ensure secure local AI access, to managed IT services that cover the full technology stack — our all-inclusive team assesses your current infrastructure, recommends the right build tier, and manages deployment so your team can focus on what the AI actually does for your business.
Contact Be Structured today to schedule an AI infrastructure assessment.
- Categories: AI, Network installations, Tips & Tricks

#### What Is a Virtual Server and How Can It Benefit Your Los Angeles Company?
It looks like your servers are struggling under their current loads. You're thinking of purchasing another. But what if there was a solution that allowed you to expand your server capabilities without purchasing more servers?

Introducing a virtual server.

A virtual server can improve the versatility of existing servers. It requires no new hardware. And best of all, you can scale it up based on need.

But what are the benefits of a virtual server? Should you get one for your business?

This article will discuss the advantages of server virtualization. By the end, you'll know how one Los Angeles IT support company can help you to set up server virtualization on existing hardware.
What Is a Virtual Server?
You likely know what a physical server is. These are the big, black racks that every online service needs to serve its contents. Servers are computers that provide digital assets and run online services.

Suffice it to say our world could not run without servers. Websites would not exist without them. Their raw computing power is necessary to keep business operations afloat.

However, a physical server is only one device. It runs only one operating system. That means a server cannot divide and conquer in the event of disparate tasks.

Server virtualization solves this problem. Rather than purchasing a new rack, you can turn your existing server into multiple servers.
Partitioning Resources With a Virtual Machine
This is the same principle as a virtual machine. A virtual machine adds a hypervisor layer over your existing OS and computer.

In a physical server, there is no boundary between hardware and OS. The OS is installed onto the hardware and communicates with it via kernels and daemons. By adding a hypervisor layer, you can create virtual machines on top of a physical machine.

All of this means to say that one machine can be turned into multiple. Each virtual machine (or server) takes a slice of the resources. Each virtual server runs its own OS.

All of these virtual servers behave as one machine separate from the others. You can place them in a sandbox to isolate them from the operations of others. The only limit is how many computing resources your server can dedicate per server instance.
A Physical Server Versus a Virtual Server
So what's the real difference between a physical and virtual server?

To create another physical server, you need to purchase more hardware. That means another motherboard, hard drive, and processor. There's no way to divide an existing physical server into two separate devices.

A virtual server splits up a physical server into smaller pieces. In theory, you could have dozens of virtual servers on a single physical server.

Now let's discuss some of the benefits of a virtual server over a physical server.
Reduced Cost
You might have plenty of processing power, but you need unique servers to handle unique tasks. The only solution for you without server virtualization is to purchase more hardware.

Servers are not cheap. The best servers need high-quality components. Further, they need regular upgrades and maintenance to keep functioning.

By splitting one server into two or more, you save that money for other things. In any case, make sure you trust a professional in Los Angeles IT services to install new hardware.
Better Efficiency and Scale
Physical servers can be difficult to scale. You need to have enough for when your business is at its busiest. But having too many servers during slow periods is wasteful.

You can have as many or as few virtual servers as you want at any time. If you experience a spike in traffic, you can have the system create virtual servers as the need arises. When demand drops, you can get rid of unnecessary servers to avoid idling.

Having multiple virtual servers means you can divide out tasks. If you need a specific operating system for one small task, you can create a virtual server in minutes.

If you still need more servers, scaling up is easy. One new physical server can translate to potentially dozens of virtual servers. That's less cost for you and more efficiency.
Security and Isolation
Virtual servers excel when you need to keep certain data under strict permissions. Having one virtual server with sensitive data prevents employees or users from interfering with it.

Virtual servers are also great for protecting your organization from viruses or spam. Having a virtual proxy server to filter incoming traffic can protect you from bad actors.

Server virtualization sandboxes all digital instances. A sandbox is an isolated partition that can prevent things from getting in or out. If a hacker attacks your business, or a virus hits, you can close off that server and control the spread of damage.

If you're looking for IT consulting in Los Angeles that can boost your business IT services and security, make sure to go with one you can trust.
Limit Downtime
Letting your system go offline could be devastating. With server virtualization, you can add new servers on demand to account for those you take down. While you're performing maintenance on one virtual server, the rest stay up and running.

Compare this to a physical server. If the physical server needs digital or physical maintenance, the whole server goes down.

Even if you do need to perform physical maintenance, the downtime is less severe. Another server can take up the load with more virtual servers if need be.
Set Up Virtual Servers for Your Business
Virtual servers improve the efficiency of your physical servers without extra hardware. They allow one server to handle a wide variety of tasks and provide scale on demand. Their isolation provides security benefits to protect an entire server pool from damage or downtime.

Your situation is unique. Find a virtual server solution that works for your Los Angeles IT Services. Get in contact with professionals to find out how you can use this useful technology.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Backup, IT Support

#### What Is Advanced Network Traffic Monitoring and Why Your Business Needs It
Modern businesses run on digital infrastructure, and networks are the circulatory systems that keep them alive. Every second of downtime, every glitch in performance, and every undetected threat has the potential to cost money, damage reputation, and disrupt productivity. 
That’s why advanced network monitoring is no longer optional. It’s foundational.


Advanced network monitoring refers to a proactive, cloud-based approach to overseeing the health, performance, and security of your entire network. It delivers real-time visibility, automated alerts, traffic analytics, and integrated security insights that empower businesses to maintain a stable and secure network.
Whether you're dealing with a complex multi-site operation or a growing small business, advanced network monitoring provides the control and scalability needed to manage today’s dynamic IT ecosystems.

What Does Advanced Network Monitoring Include?
At its core, network monitoring is about more than uptime checks. It’s a holistic system designed to give IT teams the ability to detect, diagnose, and resolve network issues before they impact operations.
Key components include:


 	
Automated Network Mapping: Creates a living, interactive map of your network infrastructure, allowing IT teams to understand dependencies and monitor device status at a glance.

 	
Real-Time Performance Monitoring: Tracks the health of network devices, application performance, and user connectivity 24/7.

 	
Traffic Analytics: Provides deep visibility into bandwidth usage, application behaviors, and potential congestion points.

 	
Cloud-Based Management: Enables access and control from anywhere, ensuring fast response times even when teams are remote.

 	
Custom Alerting and Reporting: Sends alerts tailored to your environment and produces detailed reports for performance review and compliance tracking.


These tools aren’t just for troubleshooting. They allow businesses to continually improve performance, security, and cost efficiency across their networks.

Why Advanced Network Monitoring Is Business-Critical
With the rise of hybrid work, cloud applications, and secure remote access servers, IT environments have grown more complex—and more fragile. Traditional monitoring tools that wait for failure are no longer enough.


Here’s why advanced network monitoring is critical for any business that relies on digital operations:
1. Preventing Downtime Before It Starts
Downtime is expensive. According to research, the average cost of IT downtime is $9,600 per minute for large organizations. That’s nearly $576,000 per hour.
Advanced network monitoring eliminates the guesswork by identifying issues before they cause outages. Whether it’s a misconfigured switch, failing router, or bandwidth spike, the system provides real-time insights and automatic alerts so your team can take action fast.

2. Maintaining Peak Performance
Even when networks don’t fail, poor performance can frustrate users and stall productivity. Sluggish internet speeds, buffering video calls, or lagging applications often stem from internal network inefficiencies.

With advanced network monitoring, businesses can:

 	
Detect latency and jitter

 	
Track which applications are consuming the most bandwidth

 	
Identify outdated firmware or misconfigured devices


These insights allow teams to fine-tune their environments and deliver a seamless experience for users.

3. Enhancing Cybersecurity Posture
Performance isn’t the only concern. Network vulnerabilities are prime targets for cyberattacks. In fact, weak monitoring tools make it easier for threats to stay hidden until damage is done.
Advanced network monitoring helps reduce risk by:


 	
Identifying abnormal traffic patterns

 	
Highlighting unauthorized access attempts

 	
Detecting potential data exfiltration in real-time


In today’s landscape, awareness of the top cybersecurity threats known—including ransomware, DDoS attacks, and insider threats—is only half the battle. Real-time network monitoring ensures businesses can act on that awareness effectively.

The Importance of 24/7 Network Monitoring for Businesses
Network issues don’t wait for business hours. 
That’s why the importance of 24/7 network monitoring for businesses cannot be overstated. Whether you’re supporting remote employees across time zones or operating a global supply chain, constant visibility is essential.
But there’s often a gap between 24/7 monitoring and support expectations. Many systems claim to offer around-the-clock insights, but they fail to deliver real-time alerts, automated ticket generation, or actionable diagnostics. Advanced network monitoring closes that gap by syncing with ticketing systems, streamlining resolution processes, and ensuring compliance with SLAs.

Scalability for Growing Networks
As businesses grow, so do their networks. More users, more devices, and more applications all add layers of complexity. 
Advanced network monitoring platforms are built to scale—supporting everything from a few local devices to sprawling multi-site infrastructures.
A cloud-based architecture eliminates the need for physical hardware or manual updates. With advanced network monitoring, you can:


 	
Add or remove devices with minimal effort

 	
Monitor performance across multiple locations in one dashboard

 	
Deploy policies and alerts that adapt to new environments


This flexibility makes it easier for businesses to evolve without sacrificing stability.
Operational Efficiency Through Automation
Manual network management is slow, error-prone, and resource-intensive. Advanced network monitoring automates much of this work, freeing IT teams to focus on higher-value tasks.
Key automations include:


 	
Device discovery: New devices are automatically identified and mapped

 	
Configuration backups: Network settings are stored securely for fast recovery

 	
Alert tuning: Smart thresholds reduce false positives and prioritize critical issues

 	
Integrated ticketing: Alerts generate support tickets instantly for fast response


The result is faster troubleshooting, fewer disruptions, and a more efficient IT operation overall.
Case Study: Global E-Commerce Success
A global e-commerce business faced recurring network issues that disrupted order processing and impacted customer satisfaction. With overseas IT teams lacking visibility into each region’s network, the company struggled to pinpoint problems.
By implementing advanced network monitoring through our team, they gained centralized, real-time insights across all locations. Traffic analytics and device health reports helped us uncover performance bottlenecks and optimize configurations.
The outcome? Reduced downtime, faster issue resolution, and more consistent customer experiences. Operational efficiency improved across the board, driving real business results.

Compliance and Reporting Benefits
For industries with strict compliance requirements—such as financial services and manufacturing—network visibility isn’t just nice to have. It’s required.


Advanced network monitoring provides:


 	
Detailed audit trails for all device and configuration changes

 	
Real-time compliance reports

 	
Historical data retention for forensic analysis and review


These features support audits, reduce risk, and ensure that businesses meet internal and regulatory standards.

How to Deploy Advanced Network Monitoring
Getting started with advanced network monitoring is easier than many expect. Our deployment process includes:


 	
Installing the monitoring agent on your network

 	
Setting the appropriate subnets and credentials

 	
Auto-discovering devices and mapping network topology

 	
Tuning alerts to minimize noise and maximize relevance

 	
Syncing alerts with ticketing platforms to ensure fast resolution


Once live, the system begins generating insights and protecting your network within hours.
Who Benefits Most from Advanced Network Monitoring?
While any business with digital infrastructure can benefit, certain use cases stand out:


 	
Hybrid and remote workforces that need secure, reliable connectivity across diverse environments

 	
Manufacturing companies managing OT networks and industrial devices

 	
Financial firms under constant scrutiny from regulatory bodies

 	
Retail and e-commerce brands that rely on high uptime for transaction processing


Whether you're in healthcare, logistics, education, or professional services, advanced network monitoring helps reduce risk, cut costs, and improve performance.

What Sets Be Structured Apart
We don’t just deploy monitoring software—we partner with you to make it work. At Be Structured, our team uses Advanced Network Monitoring to proactively manage your devices, optimize configurations, and resolve issues before they cause downtime.
Our solutions integrate seamlessly with existing systems and scale with your business. We deliver results that go beyond tools and dashboards. We deliver peace of mind.
If you’re ready to reduce network downtime, improve performance, and elevate your IT strategy, it’s time to make a change.


Schedule a free consultation with our team and discover what Advanced Network Monitoring can do for your business.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring
- Tags: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Network Monitoring, network support

#### What is Bluesnarfing?
Did you know that only 14% of Small-to-Medium businesses are prepared to respond to a cyberattack?

This is problematic because cybercrime is such a fast-growing issue. In fact, it's set to cost businesses around the world around $5.2 trillion over the next 5 years.

Bluesnarfing is one of the most serious threats that businesses face moving forward. As we connect more and more mobile and network devices to Bluetooth, hackers have ready access to data via these communication devices.

Read on to learn the ins and outs of bluesnarfing and how you can prevent it.
The Definition of Bluesnarfing
In the most basic terms, bluesnarfing is a type of cyberattack that targets Bluetooth users. Hackers use Bluetooth technologies as a means to access the main device that they are connected to. These devices include smartphones, computers, and tablets.

In 2021, 4.5 billion people around the world used some form of Bluetooth device. Some of these devices are platform devices such as phones and laptops. Others are peripheral devices such as earbuds, sensors, and smart home applications.

With demand for peripheral devices growing, bluejacking will likely be more of an issue than ever before.

People don't usually think to secure wearables that they view as extensions of other devices. Unfortunately, this could leave both personal and business devices vulnerable to a breach.

Hackers find phones and computers that have Bluetooth enabled at the time of the attack. Enabling Bluetooth makes devices "discoverable" so nearby systems can link to them. When used correctly, this is a great tool for users.

However, hackers exploit these vulnerabilities and target the object exchange (OBEX) protocol of the system. This OBEX protocol serves the purpose of exchanging data between devices. When the hacker slips into it, they can pair their mobile device with the victim's and steal information instantly.
Is Bluesnarfing Different From Bluejacking?
When looking into bluesnarfing, you may have noticed a related term: bluejacking. Many people use these words interchangeably, but they actually are very different.

While bluesnarfing is illegal information theft, bluejacking is simply sending unauthorized messages to a Bluetooth device. These signals themselves steal no information.

However, bluejacking is a core part of most bluesnarfing strategies. The unauthorized bluejacking messages can find vulnerabilities in the OBEX protocol of Bluetooth devices and those linked to them. They also can give hackers a foot in the door to access your network.
Bluesnarfing and Data Theft
As you can imagine, bluesnarfing can cause individuals a lot of problems. Most people keep personal notes, banking information, financial data, and sensitive personal information on these devices. Hackers have the means to take this information for their own use or to sell it to third parties.

Unfortunately, bluesnarfing also has severe impacts on businesses. Many computers and similar devices within a workplace are paired to Bluetooth, making them just as susceptible to bluesnarfing as personal mobile devices are.

25% of Americans are also working remotely as of 2021. These people have paired their personal devices with the business network to access information from their homes, coffee shops, and libraries.

This does not even account for the people who usually work in an office but also monitor the workplace from their homes during off-hours.

This is relevant because all of these devices- whether they're in the workplace or remote- are paired to your business network. If hackers pull off bluesnarfing on any one of these devices, they will gain open access to all other devices on the network. They can steal company data from all related devices.
The Impacts of Bluesnarfing
At this point, you may be wondering what information is in danger in a bluesnarfing attack. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is all of the information not just on the Bluetooth-connected device but all of the information on the network.

The average data breach costs a company about $3.86 million. As a business with 20-500 employees, this cost could potentially drive you into the ground.

It's critical that you take active measures to prevent information theft within your network and, locally, working with an IT support Los Angeles based company can provide a better solution for your company's individual needs.

Some of the information that is stolen will also leave you susceptible to lawsuits. Businesses tend to store sensitive employee information on their networks in addition to business data. If employee financial or identity-related information is stolen, they have grounds to sue.

The same applies to clients whose information is saved to your network. In addition to potential lawsuits, your company's reputation will be damaged if you lose customer data.

Bluesnarfing, like many types of data breaches, is cyclical. If a hacker knows how to penetrate your devices via Bluetooth, they open more vulnerabilities within your network. It becomes less secure overall and more hackers can come and steal additional information.
How Can You Prevent Bluesnarfing Threats?
Fortunately, bluesnarfing is just as preventable as it is impactful.

The first way that you can prevent bluesnarfing is simply to monitor your technology. An IT support company can monitor trends in both individual devices and networks. These trends showcase the normal functions of your network and let the IT department know how it should be operating.

When there are any blips in these trends, IT professionals will be notified. They can then root out the source of the problem and figure out whether someone is trying to penetrate your network via a Bluetooth device. This will let them troubleshoot the issue as it is taking place.

However, it is best to take preventative measures so disaster troubleshooting is rendered largely unnecessary. There are steps that you can take to ensure safety. However, a cybersecurity professional will need to assist you with many of them.
Disabling "Discoverable" Connections
One of the simplest things that you can do to prevent bluesnarfing is to secure your Bluetooth devices. These devices generally default to being discoverable. This makes sense- after all, the whole point of a Bluetooth system is to engage devices to work together.

However, you aren't going to be utilizing your Bluetooth system 24/7. This is especially true of those who use platform devices with Bluetooth capabilities. You don't need your Bluetooth connected to a network when you're just surfing the web or typing in a word document on a laptop with Bluetooth capabilities.

Turn off your Bluetooth and stop it from being "discoverable." You can do this by going to your device settings, hitting the Bluetooth button, and tapping the indicator beside "Bluetooth." This will turn the Bluetooth off.

Once that's done, go to the indicator beside the space that says "open detection.' Uncheck that box and your Bluetooth will no longer be visible. This way you don't need to worry too much about bluesnarfing until the next time you need to connect the Bluetooth.
Minimizing Bluetooth-Linked Devices
Americans own an average of 4.4 Bluetooth devices each. In a workplace with 20-500 people, this means you'll have anywhere between 88 and 2,200 Bluetooth devices. This doesn't even count those that exist around the workplace independently of private ownership.

You do not need all of these devices to be Bluetooth-enabled at once. Make sure that you minimize those connected to your network. This provides hackers with fewer openings at which they can enter into your system.

It's difficult to monitor and regulate Bluetooth connections in a business setting. However, you can block all devices except for certain ones from connecting to another device. This lets you ensure that you don't have unnecessary Bluetooth connections that open up network vulnerabilities.
Having a Solid Authentication System
Two-factor authentication can protect your network by adding an additional layer of protection to preexisting security systems. Hackers are becoming more creative at finding ways to penetrate your network via Bluetooth devices. You need to secure all accounts with an additional security layer.

By securing devices with multi-factor authentication, you stop cybercriminals from being able to enter into the device. Even if they manage to hijack the Bluetooth, they will struggle to enter into the device and steal information.

Using two-factor authentication on your network will secure the rest of the devices on that network. Even if a hacker were to bypass the security features on a device, they would need to do so again to get onto your network. This adds multiple layers of security to safeguard your data.

The point is to ensure that users are who they say they are when trying to get onto a network. These strategies are easy to implement when you talk with your outsourced IT provider openly. You won't need to invest in expensive new hardware, software, or employees to get this safety net.
Installing Network Security Software
Multi-factor authentication is part of network security, but it's by far the only thing that you need to do to secure your system. You need to get a professional IT service that protect everything.

Network security systems secure all individual servers as well as devices. Bluetooth, as something that connects to the internet, is something that a network security provider can stay on top of. Unfortunately, this can be a challenge for businesses that have many employees who each have multiple devices.

Luckily, getting the right network installation and security software is simple and streamlined with the right provider. Be Structured works with other security providers to give you and your employees the expert-level support that you need.

Working with us will get you firewall, antimalware, and antivirus technologies all in one go. You also will have access control features that you can use to stop unauthorized users from connecting to your system. The bottom line is that you preemptively stop potential bluesnarfing before any problem even presents itself.
Protecting Yourself With Antimalware Platforms
If you're looking to protect your network, you'll need to install antiviral and antimalware technologies on all Bluetooth-enabled and Bluetooth-compatible devices. These solutions are specially made to stop threats from entering into your network. However, they also are designed to ensure that your network loads quickly and operates at its peak performance levels.

This ultimately ensures that you don't lose time and money as a result of network downtime. You also will save yourself a lot of strife since dealing with potential malware is far less likely. This will let you feel comfortable connecting your Bluetooth to other devices without worrying about the consequences of a device hack.
Communicating With Managed IT Providers
There are several advantages to getting managed IT services. One of the best is constant customer support and communication that helps to secure your network.

You likely don't have access to network monitoring knowledge or tools to troubleshoot problems in-house. That's okay- we'll alert you when there's something to be concerned about. If you're worried for other reasons that we have not yet identified, we also are happy to discuss your individual inquiries.

This can prevent bluesnarfing by removing stress from you and your team. You will be able to focus on training your employees on how to keep safe from threats while in the workplace. This means stronger network security on both internal and external levels.
Secure Your Business With IT Support
While bluesnarfing is a serious and fairly recent risk, there are ways that you can minimize the likelihood of being targeted. Investing in an experienced and reputable managed IT service can help you to remain safe. Now that you know all about bluejacking and how to prevent it, it's time to secure your data.

We're committed to ensuring that your business remains secure and protected against cyber threats of all types. Schedule a consultation with our Los Angeles IT support experts to discuss your individual support needs and how we can fulfill them.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Cyber Security, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity attacks, Cybersecurity Threats, IT security

#### What is Bluesnarfing? (And How to Prevent It!)
Did you know that only 14% of SMBs are prepared to respond to a cyberattack? This is problematic because cybercrime is such a fast-growing issue. In fact, it's set to cost businesses around the world around $5.2 trillion over the next 5 years.

Bluesnarfing is one of the most serious threats that businesses face moving into 2022. As we connect more and more mobile and network devices to Bluetooth, hackers have ready access to data via these communication devices.

Read on to learn the ins and outs of bluesnarfing and how you can prevent it.
What Is Bluesnarfing?
In the most basic terms, bluesnarfing is a type of cyberattack that targets Bluetooth users. Hackers use Bluetooth technologies as a means to access the main device that they are connected to. These devices include smartphones, computers, and tablets.

In 2021, 4.5 billion people around the world use some form of Bluetooth device. Some of these devices are platform devices such as phones and laptops. Others are peripheral devices such as earbuds, sensors, and smart home applications.

With demand for peripheral devices growing, bluejacking will likely be more of an issue than ever before. People don't usually think to secure wearables that they view as extensions of other devices. Unfortunately, this could leave both personal and business devices vulnerable to a breach which is why every business should adhere to a strict mobile device management plan.

Hackers find phones and computers that have Bluetooth enabled at the time of the attack. Enabling Bluetooth makes devices "discoverable" so nearby systems can link to them. When used correctly, this is a great tool for users.

However, hackers exploit these vulnerabilities and target the object exchange (OBEX) protocol of the system. This OBEX protocol serves the purpose of exchanging data between devices. When the hacker slips into it, they can pair their mobile device with the victim's and steal information instantly.
Is This Different From Bluejacking?
When looking into bluesnarfing, you may have noticed a related term: bluejacking. Many people use these words interchangeably, but they actually are very different.

While bluesnarfing is illegal information theft, bluejacking is simply sending unauthorized messages to a Bluetooth device. These signals themselves steal no information.

However, bluejacking is a core part of most bluesnarfing strategies. The unauthorized bluejacking messages can find vulnerabilities in the OBEX protocol of Bluetooth devices and those linked to them. They also can give hackers a foot in the door to access your network.
Bluesnarfing and Data Theft
As you can imagine, bluesnarfing can cause individuals a lot of problems. Most people keep personal notes, banking information, financial data, and sensitive personal information on these devices. Hackers have the means to take this information for their own use or to sell it to third parties.

Unfortunately, bluesnarfing also has severe impacts on business IT services and security. Many computers and similar devices within a workplace are paired to Bluetooth, making them just as susceptible to bluesnarfing as personal mobile devices are.

25% of Americans are also working remotely as of 2021. These people have paired their personal devices with the business network to access information from their homes, coffee shops, and libraries. This does not even account for the people who usually work in an office but also monitor the workplace from their homes during off-hours.

This is relevant because all of these devices - whether they're in the workplace or remote - are paired to your business network. Be Structured, a leading managed service provider in Los Angeles asserts that if hackers pull off bluesnarfing on any one of these devices, they will gain open access to all other devices on the network. They can steal company data from all related devices.
The Impacts of Bluesnarfing
At this point, you may be wondering what information is in danger in a bluesnarfing attack. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is all of the information not just on the Bluetooth-connected device but all of the information on the network.

The average data breach costs a company about $3.86 million. As a business with 20-500 employees, this cost could potentially drive you into the ground. It's critical that you take active measures to prevent information theft within your network.

Some of the information that is stolen will also leave you susceptible to lawsuits. Businesses tend to store sensitive employee information on their networks in addition to business data. If employee financial or identity-related information is stolen, they have grounds to sue.

The same applies to clients whose information is saved to your network. In addition to potential lawsuits, your company's reputation will be damaged if you lose customer data.

Bluesnarfing, like many types of data breaches, is cyclical. If a hacker knows how to penetrate your devices via Bluetooth, they open more vulnerabilities within your network. It becomes less secure overall and more hackers can come and steal additional information.
How Can You Prevent Bluesnarfing Threats?
Fortunately, bluesnarfing is just as preventable as it is impactful.

The first way that you can prevent bluesnarfing is simply to monitor your technology.

For example in Southern California, a Los Angeles managed service provider can monitor trends in both individual devices and networks. That is, if you don't have in-house IT support.

These trends showcase the normal functions of your network and let the IT department know how it should be operating.

When there are any blips in these trends, outsourced tech support companies  will be notified. They can then root out the source of the problem and figure out whether someone is trying to penetrate your network via a Bluetooth device. This will let them troubleshoot the issue as it is taking place utilizing 24/7 managed IT security services and surveillance.

However, it is best to take preventative measures so disaster troubleshooting is rendered largely unnecessary. There are steps that you can take to ensure safety. However, a cybersecurity specialist company will need to assist you with many of them.
Disabling "Discoverable" Connections
One of the simplest things that you can do to prevent bluesnarfing is to secure your Bluetooth devices. These devices generally default to being discoverable. This makes sense- after all, the whole point of a Bluetooth system is to engage devices to work together.

However, you aren't going to be utilizing your Bluetooth system 24/7. This is especially true of those who use platform devices with Bluetooth capabilities. You don't need your Bluetooth connected to a network when you're just surfing the web or typing in a word document on a laptop with Bluetooth capabilities.

Turn off your Bluetooth and stop it from being "discoverable." You can do this by going to your device settings, hitting the Bluetooth button, and tapping the indicator beside "Bluetooth." This will turn the Bluetooth off.

Once that's done, go to the indicator beside the space that says "open detection.' Uncheck that box and your Bluetooth will no longer be visible. This way you don't need to worry too much about bluesnarfing until the next time you need to connect the Bluetooth.
Why Minimize Bluetooth-Linked Devices
Americans own an average of 4.4 Bluetooth devices each.

In a workplace with 20-500 people, this means you'll have anywhere between 88 and 2,200 Bluetooth devices. This doesn't even count those that exist around the workplace independently of private ownership.

You do not need all of these devices to be Bluetooth-enabled at once. Make sure that you minimize those connected to your network. This provides hackers with fewer openings at which they can enter into your system.

It's difficult to monitor and regulate Bluetooth connections in a business setting. However, you can block all devices except for certain ones from connecting to another device. This lets you ensure that you don't have unnecessary Bluetooth connections that open up network vulnerabilities.
Having a Solid Authentication System
Two-factor authentication can protect your network by adding an additional layer of protection to preexisting security systems. Hackers are becoming more creative at finding ways to penetrate your network via Bluetooth devices. You need to secure all accounts with an additional security layer.

By securing devices with multi-factor authentication, you stop cybercriminals from being able to enter into the device. Even if they manage to hijack the Bluetooth, they will struggle to enter into the device and steal information.

Using two-factor authentication on your network will secure the rest of the devices on that network. Even if a hacker were to bypass the security features on a device, they would need to do so again to get onto your network. This adds multiple layers of security to safeguard your data.

The point is to ensure that users are who they say they are when trying to get onto a network. These strategies are easy to implement when you talk with your outsourced IT provider openly. You won't need to invest in expensive new hardware, software, or employees to get this safety net.
Installing Network Security Software
Multi-factor authentication is part of proper network installation and security, but it's by far the only thing that you need to do to secure your system. You need to get a professional IT service that protect everything.

Network security systems secure all individual servers as well as devices. Bluetooth, as something that connects to the internet, is something that a network security provider can stay on top of.

Unfortunately, this can be a challenge for businesses that have many employees who each have multiple devices.

Luckily, getting the right network security software is simple and streamlined with the right provider. Be Structured works with other security providers to give you and your employees the expert-level business IT services that you need.

Working with us will get you firewall, antimalware, and antivirus technologies all in one go. You also will have access control features that you can use to stop unauthorized users from connecting to your system. The bottom line is that you preemptively stop potential bluesnarfing before any problem even presents itself.
Protecting Yourself With Antimalware Platforms
If you're looking to protect your network, you'll need to install antiviral and antimalware technologies on all Bluetooth-enabled and Bluetooth-compatible devices. These solutions are specially made to stop threats from entering into your network. However, they also are designed to ensure that your network loads quickly and operates at its peak performance levels.

This ultimately ensures that you don't lose time and money as a result of network downtime. You also will save yourself a lot of strife since dealing with potential malware is far less likely. This will let you feel comfortable connecting your Bluetooth to other devices without worrying about the consequences of a device hack.
Communicating With Los Angeles Managed IT Services Providers
There are several advantages to getting managed IT services. One of the best is constant customer support and communication that helps to secure your network.

You likely don't have access to network monitoring knowledge or tools to troubleshoot problems in-house. That's okay- we'll alert you when there's something to be concerned about. If you're worried for other reasons that we have not yet identified, we also are happy to discuss your individual inquiries.

This can prevent bluesnarfing by removing stress from you and your team. You will be able to focus on training your employees on how to keep safe from threats while in the workplace. This means stronger network security on both internal and external levels.
Secure Your Business With Outsourced Tech Support
While bluesnarfing is a serious and fairly recent risk, there are ways that you can minimize the likelihood of being targeted. Investing in an experienced and reputable managed IT service can help you to remain safe. Now that you know all about bluejacking and how to prevent it, it's time to secure your data.

Be Structured Technology Group, the leading IT support Los Angeles based company, is committed to ensuring that your business remains secure and protected against cyber threats of all types. Schedule a consultation with our IT experts to discuss your individual support needs and how we can fulfill them.
People Also Ask
What is Bluesnarfing? 

Answer: Bluesnarfing is an unauthorized access method that allows attackers to gain access to confidential or sensitive data on a Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a mobile phone, by exploiting a vulnerability in the Bluetooth connection.

How does Bluesnarfing work?

Answer: Bluesnarfing works by exploiting a vulnerability in the Bluetooth connection between two devices. The attacker searches for and identifies vulnerable Bluetooth devices, then initiates a connection and exploits the vulnerability to gain access to data on the device.

What types of data can be stolen through Bluesnarfing?

Answer: Through Bluesnarfing, an attacker can access and steal any type of data that is stored on the Bluetooth-enabled device, including contacts, text messages, emails, photos, and other confidential information.

What devices are vulnerable to Bluesnarfing?

Answer: Any Bluetooth-enabled device, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices, can be vulnerable to Bluesnarfing if they have not been properly secured or if they are running outdated software.

How can I protect my device from Bluesnarfing?

Answer: To protect your device from Bluesnarfing, you should ensure that your device is running the latest software updates and security patches. You should also avoid using Bluetooth in public places or where there are many other Bluetooth devices present, and keep your device in non-discoverable mode when you are not using it. Additionally, you can disable Bluetooth when you are not using it, or use a Bluetooth-enabled device with a PIN or password to prevent unauthorized access.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### What Is Clone Phishing? A Business Protection Guide
Imagine running a business that had no trouble reaching its target customers, hitting your performance metrics, and keeping its employees happy.

Out of the blue one day, you experience a major data breach that brings your operations to a halt.

Even a single incident like this can be catastrophic. In 2023, the average data breach cost companies over $4.5 million. This is impossible for many businesses to overcome, and you also risk damage to your reputation.

Clone phishing is one of the most prominent attacks modern hackers are leveraging to acquire sensitive business information, but how does a company handle phishing attacks?

Let's explore the key information you should know so you can bolster your network security.
What Is Clone Phishing?
As the name implies, this is a phishing technique that copies the feel, appearance, and content of legitimate messages. The main goal is to gain the victim's trust and have them take the desired action.

For example, a hacker might send a false email to their victim that appears to be from the victim's bank.

It declares there's a problem that needs their immediate attention and offers them a link to the bank's login page. However, the link is to a false website that the hacker can use to record the victim's keyboard inputs.

This allows them to steal the victim's personal information. It's not uncommon for false emails to be identical to legitimate ones. This makes them exceedingly difficult to recognize without the proper training.

You should also be aware of the differences between phishing and spear phishing.
Clone Phishing Signs to Look For
Fortunately, not all cybercriminals are experts at their jobs. They often overlook minor nuances that you can use to determine an email's legitimacy. Let's explore some of the most notable.
Illegitimate Sender Domain
This is one of the most obvious signs you're dealing with a false email. It involves receiving a message from a domain that's different from the organization it claims to be from. Using the aforementioned example, let's assume you got an email from Bank of America.

However, the address the message was sent from is listed as "alfrednucci@teleworm.hu" instead. Keep an eye out for situations like these so you can protect yourself in the future.
Content That Invokes Urgency
More often than not, false emails will aim to invoke a sense of urgency. In some cases, they'll give you a deadline to take action.

These deadlines are often brief and come with serious proposed consequences if they aren't met. A hacker might claim you can lose access to your bank account if you don't log in within the next 12 hours, for instance.
Warnings from Your Email Client
Modern email clients have built-in security functionality that allows them to identify suspicious messages. These warnings typically appear if you receive a message with a link from an address you never communicated with before. Your webmail provider could also warn you if you get a message from an email address that's previously been reported for spam.
Mismatched Hyperlinks
Always double-check the links you receive through emails. If the link doesn't point to the destination you expect, avoid clicking it at all costs. Sometimes, all it takes is visiting a harmful website to infect your computer with malware.

This is possible because websites can be configured to automatically download and open software on the user's computer. Keep in mind that there's no guarantee any of the signs on this list will appear. However, you can use them to increase your chances of identifying a false email.
How Clone Phishing Attacks Work
To better protect yourself, it's crucial to understand how attacks work in context. This will help you recognize situations before it's too late. Let's explore the details further.
Legitimate Email Cloning
This is one of the most dangerous scenarios to find yourself in. Legitimate email cloning involves copying all of a sender's identifying attributes.

The email's content will also correspond with what you would expect from that sender. Copied attributes often include the visible "from:" address, the HTML formatting, and the email account profile picture. It's possible for hackers to directly forge email domains.

However many of these have enough security protocols in place to redirect fraudulent messages to spam folders. An alternative method hackers use is purchasing a domain that looks highly similar to the target domain.

So, they might use "Bank of America.com" instead of "bankofamerica.com" when conducting clone phishing attacks. It's fairly easy for hackers to spoof email content, as they often copy/paste it directly from a legitimate email.

Someone could open a support ticket, for example, and use the response email's content in their attack. A clone email won't do anything on its own other than mislead the victim. The hacker will need to insert malicious content to leverage the victim's trust.
Injecting Malicious Content
More often than not, clone phishing attacks use fraudulent links as their primary form of malicious content. They typically hide the link behind anchor text and hope the victim will click it without thinking.

More often than not, people don't check links before they click them as long as they receive the email from a trusted source. Once victims click the link, hackers typically redirect them to false web pages.

As previously mentioned, these exist solely to procure information. When users interact with them, they'll often receive some sort of error message. Consider a scenario where a victim is asked to log into their social media account to review a "warning" they received for a recent post.

They try multiple times to log in with their username and password, but they receive a message that says "an error has occurred" each time. Frustrated, they use Google to navigate to the social media platform's homepage.

They then log in normally only to find no alert that needs their attention. Confused, they leave the website and assume they must have received the email in error since it looked so convincing. Later that evening, the cybercriminal compiles sensitive information from their private messages and uses it to blackmail the victim.
The Victim's Point of View
Understanding how the attack will look will help ensure you stay prepared. A major red flag to consider is receiving an unprompted email from an institution.

To clarify, let's assume you never submitted a support ticket request yet received a confirmation email from the organization. This is a sign something's out of the ordinary. Checking the link before you click it is also a great way to discern a clone phishing attack.

You can do so by hovering over the hyperlink to the text or highlighting the text and using the ctrl + K shortcut (cmd + K on MacOS). Read the sender's domain carefully. If it doesn't display exactly as it should, the email is fraudulent.
How Does a Business Establish Phishing Protection?
Knowing how to protect yourself goes a long way in preventing situations like these. The good news is these tips are easy to implement. Here are some of the most important to consider.
Train Your Team
To keep your company as safe as possible, it's imperative to install a phishing email training program for your team. They should fully understand how to recognize phishing attacks and know what course of action to take if they receive phishing emails.

It's recommended to hold multiple training sessions per year to ensure your workers have the proper knowledge. Otherwise, you put your company's sensitive information at risk.

Holding multiple trainings will also allow you to accommodate new threats that arise. The last thing you want is to fall victim to an attack due to outdated info.

Establish an open dialogue between your company and its workers. If they have questions, they should have no trouble getting the answers they need. They should also have access to informative resources.
Multi-Factor Authentication
This is one of the most useful safeguards you can implement. Multi-factor or two factor authentication requires numerous forms of identification before logging in. In context, let's assume an employee needed to log into your company's server.

Enormous security risks would be present if they only needed to provide their work email and account password. Instead, you should require them to provide information like their employee badge number. Many platforms will send an automated text or email with a temporary code before access is granted.

While this might seem inconvenient at first, it can drastically improve your company's overall security. Implementing a zero-trust policy is also a great way to protect your company's sensitive data. As the name suggests, this involves requiring authentication no matter how many times someone has accessed data in the past.

Whether you've logged into an account once or 100 times, you'll still need to provide the required info. Hackers might be able to procure login credentials, but they often can't provide multiple forms of authentication.
Specialized Software
Anti-phishing software allows you to safeguard sensitive information effectively. This involves using automated solutions to check for suspicious activity. For instance, the software you use could quickly discern if links are legitimate.

It could also compare the sender's domain against a list of blacklisted demands. Features like these give me the difference between whether your company suffers from a clone phishing attack.
Work With a Professional IT Support Team
Hiring a professional managed IT services team is one of the best ways to keep your company safe. They have the tools and resources to create a robust security protocol. However, it's important to understand how to find the right one to work with.

Keep an eye out for the following attributes.
The Outsourced IT Support Team's Reputation
Do they have a strong reputation online? See what other people have to say about the experiences they have. There should be no shortage of positive feedback. You should also look out for fake reviews.

These are often posted in bashes and contain many of the same keywords. Look for feedback that mentions timeliness, professionalism, and overall results. With enough due diligence, you'll find the ideal choice for your needs.
The IT Support Company's Experience
Do they have experience working with companies like yours? No matter what services they offer, it's imperative to understand the industry's nuances. While working with someone inexperienced won't guarantee poor results, it can make achieving your goals much more difficult.

In general, it's best when hiring local IT support services to find a company that's been in the industry for at least a decade. This essentially guarantees they can handle the issues they encounter.
Their Pricing
Not all companies are created equal, and you often get what you pay for. Avoid the cheapest option to encounter during your search. Rock-bottom prices often indicate that a company can't meet your needs.

They might use outdated tools, or they might outsource to low-quality workers. However, some people make the mistake of spending as much money as possible.

This is another situation you should avoid. There's a point of diminishing returns regarding what you budget for managed services. Somewhere in the middle of the price range can help you meet your goals without stretching your budget.

Stay wary of miscellaneous fees, though. Some companies charge more money for additional services. They should be fully transparent about what you can expect to pay.
Their Enthusiasm
Learn what you need to know about an outsourced technical support provider and find one who's enthusiastic about your project. You can assess their level of enthusiasm by seeing how many questions they ask about your needs. Ideally, they'll want to learn as much as possible.

If they aren't interested in helping you meet your goals, you could encounter a large number of issues. For example, they might not provide the level of ongoing support you require.

This could leave you in the dark when you encounter problems. Overcoming these on your own can be difficult or impossible in many cases.
Protect Yourself ASAP
It's imperative to keep your company as safe as possible from clone phishing. There's no shortage of hackers looking to procure sensitive information. The tips in this guide will help ensure you get started on the right track.

At Be Structured Technology Group, we believe technology should work for you and not against you. We've proudly served our clients since 2007 and strive to deliver timely results without sacrificing quality.

To learn more about how we can help when get in touch with us today.
- Categories: Clone phishing, Cybersecurity, Tips & Tricks

#### What Is Cloud Compliance?
In order for your business to remain successful, you will need to take proactive measures when it comes to safeguarding your essential data. This is particularly true given that the cybercrime industry is projected to be worth more than ever by the year 2025.



As more and more companies begin to integrate cloud storage solutions into their business practices, it’s imperative that you understand cloud compliance. Let’s explore everything you need to know.



What Exactly Is Cloud Compliance?



For those who are unfamiliar with this term, maintaining cloud compliance involves adhering to cloud usage regulations. These standards stem from both industry guidelines and federal law.



For example, a company that operates within the healthcare space must adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) when it comes to storing patient data. Otherwise, a handful of adverse consequences could occur.



More often than not, these come in the form of fines and fees. In practice, cloud compliance involves taking the appropriate measures in order to ensure that you meet these standards.



Why Is It Important For My Organization?



As you might guess, it’s essential for your organization to prioritize cloud compliance. But, this responsibility is constantly evolving.



This is due to the fact that laws, regulations, and even digital threats change as time goes on. So, it’s highly likely that your company could fail to meet current standards if they don’t vigilantly focus on maintaining compliance.



Part of what makes this obligation so difficult to handle this the fact that it exists in multiple forms.



For instance, your organization itself may satisfy all of its cloud compliance standards. But, working with a cloud provider that does not meet these regulations could leave your company liable if certain information becomes compromised.



This is most often seen with companies that are in charge of securing patient or financial information.



If a data breach were to occur as a result of a cloud provider's shortcomings, the organization itself would still be to blame. So, it’s easy to see why many organizations struggle to integrate best practices within their company.



What Dangers Does My Company Face?



As previously mentioned, maintaining cloud compliance is something that simply cannot be overlooked. More often than not, your business will experience significant setbacks or complications by neglecting this obligation.



Listed below are some of the most notable.



Data Breaches



It should come as no surprise that data breaches are one of the most significant threats that your company faces if you don’t take the necessary precautions. For instance, let’s assume that you do not regulate access to client information within your organization.



To clarify, anyone within your company is able to access this data.



In theory, this shouldn't be an issue since you still protect yourself against external threats. But, it’s not impossible for a hacker to implement a social engineering attack in order to gain the trust of one of your employees.



That individual may then unknowingly provide access to the criminal and cause a data breach at your organization. In some cases, nobody within your company may realize any wrongdoing has occurred until it’s far too late.



In the above scenario, having strong control of how data within your organization is able to be accessed would have prevented this issue. The same can be said for a number of other data breach scenarios that could occur.



Legal Issues



Cloud compliance isn’t just a recommended practice. There are laws in place that dictate the steps your organization has to take in order to protect its information.



So, failure to do so could easily result in legal issues.



Depending on the industry you operate within, you may directly experience financial penalties from a governing organization. But, it’s essential that you also acknowledge the possibility of having a lawsuit filed against you.



This is particularly true if your business was responsible for safeguarding highly valuable information.



For example, let’s assume that a hacker was able to access data about a client’s trade secret. If the hacker then distributes this information to the client’s competitors, uses it for themselves, etc., you could be held liable for the complications that the client experiences.



They could easily argue that they missed out on a significant financial opportunity due to your compliance shortcomings. Under the right circumstances, this could also lead to you becoming obligated to pay a significant amount of money to the affected parties.



For example, there is a class-action lawsuit filed against Equifax in response to their 2017 data breach that amounts to over $400 million.



It’s also highly likely that the legal issues that your company experiences could adversely affect your performance. This is particularly true for smaller organizations, as they may not be able to weather the blow as efficiently as a larger company.



Reputation Damage



Even for minor compliance issues, the word can quickly spread that your organization has not sufficiently met the required standards. In turn, this could make clients more reluctant to work with you, deter investors from allocating funds into your business, etc.



Damage to reputation could take years to recover from. During this period, you can expect to have much more difficulty in forming new client relationships and maximizing revenue.



So, it’s imperative that you keep this factor in mind as you develop your cloud compliance strategy.



How Can I Improve Cloud Compliance?



Although it might seem difficult, improving cloud compliance isn’t as complicated as many entrepreneurs believe. In fact, many of the steps you can take to do so are relatively straightforward.



Listed below are some of the most efficient ways to get started.



Prioritize Your Responsibility



Prioritizing your cloud compliance obligations is essential when it comes to fulfilling this responsibility. But, many organizations tend to fall short when they fail to consider practices that their cloud provider employs.



In fact, many companies tend to believe that there is a formal shared possibility between themselves and their provider. In reality, however, your business will be the one to suffer if complications arise in the future.



As we went over before, a data breach that affects your customers or clients can easily damage your reputation or land you in legal trouble.



So, ensure that your organization takes this obligation as seriously as other high-priority responsibilities. It should receive the same level of time and other resources.



Service Level Agreements (SLA) Are Crucial



Introducing a service level agreement is commonplace within many industries. But, most businesses tend to handle them as an afterthought instead of prioritizing them.



To elaborate, it’s not uncommon for a cloud service provider to send a prospective client a boilerplate SLA document. The client may then briefly scan the document before signing it without fully understanding the terms that are in place.



The main risk involved in the scenario is having an insufficient understanding of how your cloud provider handles your company’s information. Instead, it’s essential that you work with a provider who is able to clearly convey exactly how they plan to manage your information.



In practice, this means that the service level agreement should provide information regarding data access, environment segmentation, and geographic location.



However, there is also an additional concern to consider. Although your cloud service provider may claim to adhere to the standards imposed by the SLA, there is no guarantee that they will.



Occasionally, a business may sign an agreement with their cloud provider and fail to check whether or not their provider honors their obligation. As you might guess, this could lead to a handful of issues in the future.



Have a Strong Understanding of Your Cloud Model



A lack of understanding when it comes to the cloud model that your company implements can be hugely detrimental. This is due to the fact that it can be notably difficult to discern security or compliance issues that may be present.



For instance, there is a significant difference between utilizing a private cloud model and a public cloud model. The same can be said about implementing a hybrid cloud model.



Unfortunately, integrating cloud service into your organization’s practices does not guarantee that you immediately fulfill your compliance obligations. Having a sufficient amount of knowledge, though, guarantees that you are able to configure your cloud model in a way that satisfies your compliance responsibilities.



If you find that you are struggling to determine whether or not you are remaining compliant, it’s worth getting in touch with a professional to help you do so. These individuals are specially trained to recognize any issues that may be present.



Then, they can work toward resolving them as quickly as possible.



Properly Manage Employee Access



You can only remain fully compliant if you carefully regulate the access that your employees have to certain information. This means that it is highly recommended to implement multifactor authentication to help safeguard sensitive data.



For those who are unfamiliar with this term, it refers to the practice of requiring multiple forms of identification before you are able to access, manage, or otherwise utilize certain information.



In practice, this might be an internal system within your company that requires employees to input both a password and specialized access code. This code would only be generated at the time of a correct password entry and would become invalid after a certain duration.



A code like this would typically be sent to an employee email in order to guarantee that the appropriate party is the one attempting to access the data.



Similarly, another form of multifactor authentication could require an employee to present an identification badge before entering a locked storage room where hard drives are kept. The employee would then need to input the correct password in order to access information on the drive.



When it comes to cloud access management, many companies change the way they configure their centralized platform. This means that only certain individuals are able to receive access privileges to sensitive information.



In many cases, this means that those without the appropriate level of access may not even be able to view that a particular document exists.



Implement Comprehensive Security



Of course, it’s essential that you implement the appropriate level of security at your organization. Strategies like data encryption critical when it comes to preventing information from falling into the wrong hands.



A key component of this responsibility involves staying aware of the most common threats your company faces. This means that you will need to consistently educate yourself on emerging security trends within your industry.



Similarly, you need to have a disaster recovery plan in place to help you deal with contingencies. Although you can greatly reduce the chance that your organization will suffer from a cyberattack, it’s impossible to completely prevent one.



But, a proper disaster recovery plan can help soften the blow significantly.



Depending on the scenario, this could easily mean the difference between handling your situation and being unable to recover from the circumstances. So, keep this in mind when moving forward to ensure that you take the appropriate steps.



Maintaining Cloud Compliance Can Seem Difficult



But, the above guide will ensure that you handle all of your necessary responsibilities. From here, you can implement effective cloud compliance measures to keep your information as safe as possible.



Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions

#### What is CMMC or Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
Imagine waking up to discover that cybercriminals hacked your company's confidential information. The impact of cyber attacks can be devastating. It's a growing threat that businesses can't afford to ignore.

In this article, we'll examine the role of cybersecurity and CMMC compliance. We will look at how IT support companies and managed IT services in Los Angeles can help you.

By the end of this article, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how these services work. You’ll learn how they can help safeguard your business.
What Is Cybersecurity?
In today's digital age, cybersecurity has become more important than before. Cybersecurity refers to the practice of protecting computer systems, and networks. It safeguards sensitive information from:

 	Unauthorized access
 	Theft
 	Damage

Hackers and cybercriminals use various tactics to gain access to sensitive information. These include:

 	Phishing attacks and scams
 	Malware
 	Social engineering

Cybersecurity measures are necessary to prevent these attacks and keep data safe.
What is Cybersecurity Compliance?
It requires adherence to specific regulations and standards.  They confirm the security of sensitive information. Compliance ensures organizations are taking the necessary steps to safeguard their data.

There are several reasons why cybersecurity compliance is necessary. Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated.

Organizations need to put in place robust security measures to protect against them. Compliance helps to maintain the trust of customers and stakeholders.

The consequences of non-compliance with cybersecurity measures can be severe. Data breaches can lead to the loss of sensitive information. This includes personal and financial data. It can result in:

 	Financial loss
 	Identity theft
 	Reputational damage

Non-compliance can also lead to legal consequences, such as:

 	Fines
 	Lawsuits
 	Criminal charges

CMMC Compliance
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a new standard. Organizations must follow it to ensure their systems are secure.

It requires adherence to specific cybersecurity standards. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) developed them.

The CMMC framework requires organizations to carry out a range of cybersecurity measures. They help to protect sensitive data.
CMMC Framework Explained
It is a five-level model that measures an organization's cybersecurity readiness. Business IT services and security organizations must meet the standards for their level to become compliant.

The five levels are:
1 - Basic Cyber Hygiene
This level requires an organization to put in place basic cybersecurity measures. such as antivirus software and regular password changes. All DoD contractors must have it.
2 - Intermediate Cyber Hygiene
At this level organizations, must establish and document standardized cybersecurity practices and policies. It is also required for all DoD contractors.
3 - Good Cyber Hygiene
The organization must establish, maintain and have a "mature" cybersecurity program. Extra security controls are necessary to safeguard Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
4 - Proactive
The organization needs to check if its cybersecurity practices and processes are working. This helps them find and respond to advanced cyber-attacks that are hard to detect.
5 - Advanced/Progressive
The organization must standardize and optimize its cybersecurity processes across the enterprise. They must enable rapid response to advanced persistent threats.

The CMMC framework includes a range of security controls, such as:

 	Access control
 	Incident response
 	Risk management

The framework includes a certification process.  It involves a third-party assessment of an organization's cybersecurity practices.
Benefits of CMMC Compliance
CMMC compliance offers several benefits to organizations. It demonstrates to customers and stakeholders that the organization is serious about cybersecurity. It shows their commitment to protecting sensitive information.

This could lead to business opportunities, with the DoD and other government agencies. The CMMC framework can improve an organization's cybersecurity posture.  It helps to reduce the risk of cyber threats.
How IT Support Companies Can Help With CMMC Compliance
Outsourced technical support companies provide exactly that: technical help and support to organizations. They help them manage their information technology infrastructure. They offer a range of services.

These include:

 	Software installation
 	Hardware maintenance
 	Network support

With the growing complexity of IT systems, many organizations need technical help. This ensures the smooth running of their systems.
Benefits of Outsourced Tech Support
An IT support company offers several benefits to organizations. They provide technical expertise and support. This allows organizations to focus on their core business operations.

They help organizations save money by identifying and addressing technical issues. This helps to prevent expensive problems. IT support companies provide proactive maintenance to prevent issues from occurring.
How Managed IT Services Help
Cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles help local businesses meet cybersecurity standards, such as CMMC compliance. They provide cybersecurity assessments to identify vulnerabilities. They recommend security measures to address them.

The company can also provide ongoing cybersecurity monitoring and support. This helps to guarantee that systems remain secure.

IT support companies offer employee training.  This helps organizations educate their staff on cybersecurity best practices. It includes training on how to:

 	Identify and prevent phishing attacks
 	Create strong passwords
 	Keep systems up to date with the latest security patches

Managed IT Services Provide More Than Just Tech Support
This is another approach to information technology management.  A third-party provider takes responsibility for managing an organization's IT systems, business IT services provides:

 	Technical support
 	Hardware and software maintenance
 	Cybersecurity services

Small and medium-sized businesses may not have the resources for an in-house IT team. By outsourcing their IT needs, these businesses can focus on their core operations.
Benefits of a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider
If you work in Southern California, a local IT support team offers several benefits to businesses. They provide 24/7 technical support. This allows businesses to resolve IT issues with speed and efficiency.

They provide proactive maintenance, to prevent technical issues before they occur. Managed IT services can help businesses save money by reducing IT-related expenses.
How it Helps
Managed IT services in Los Angeles help businesses adhere to CMMC compliance standards. They provide regular security assessments.

It identifies vulnerabilities and recommends measures to address them. They can also provide ongoing cybersecurity monitoring to detect and prevent cyber threats.

Managed IT services help businesses put in place cybersecurity policies and procedures. This ensures compliance with industry regulations.

They provide employee training to educate staff on cybersecurity best practices. The training helps them recognize and respond to potential cyber threats.
Safeguard Your Business and Get Compliant
Cybersecurity has become a crucial part of business operations. Compliance measures shield your organization from ruinous and expensive cyber attacks.

When shopping for cybersecurity and compliance solutions, check out the Be Structured Technology Group. Our team of seasoned professionals has a commitment to keeping businesses secure.

We help you stay compliant in the evolving digital arena. Don't hesitate to contact us today to learn more. Take the first step towards a future for your business that is secure and compliant.
- Categories: CMMC, cybersecurity compliance, Managed It Services, Security

#### What is Dark Web Monitoring and Why is It Important for Your Business?
How can businesses protect themselves from hidden cyber threats? Ever wondered if you can be tracked on the dark web? 
Dark web scanning identifies compromised data, helping businesses preempt security breaches and mitigate cyber threats effectively. By monitoring the dark web for stolen credentials and sensitive information, companies can take proactive measures to safeguard their assets and maintain robust cybersecurity defenses.

How Dark Web Scanning Works
Dark web scanning involves a systematic approach to uncovering compromised data and potential threats. Specialized tools and techniques are employed to monitor hidden forums, marketplaces, and other dark web locations where cybercriminals trade stolen information. 
These tools use advanced algorithms to search for specific keywords, patterns, and data types that indicate a security breach.
The process begins with data collection, where automated crawlers gather information from various dark web sources. This data is then analyzed to identify any matches with the company's sensitive information, such as email addresses, passwords, and financial details. Machine learning algorithms enhance the accuracy of this analysis by continuously learning from new data patterns and improving detection capabilities.
Once potential threats are identified, the system generates alerts for the security team. These alerts provide detailed information about the compromised data, including the source and nature of the threat. This enables businesses to take immediate action, such as changing passwords, notifying affected parties, and strengthening security measures to prevent further breaches.


Real-World Examples of Dark Web Scanning in Action
In financial services IT solutions, a major bank utilized dark web scanning to uncover a breach involving customer account details. The scanning tools identified compromised data being sold on a dark web marketplace. Prompt alerts allowed the bank to notify affected customers, reset passwords, and implement additional security measures, effectively preventing potential financial losses and maintaining customer trust.
In healthcare IT support news, a healthcare provider faced a similar situation when dark web monitoring revealed that patient records were being traded on hidden forums. The immediate detection enabled the provider to secure their systems, notify patients, and comply with regulatory requirements. 
This proactive approach not only safeguarded sensitive health information but also protected the provider from potential legal repercussions.
In the retail industry, a large e-commerce platform benefited from dark web scanning by identifying stolen credit card information linked to their customers. The platform's security team received alerts about the compromised data and swiftly acted to block fraudulent transactions. This intervention saved the company from financial damage and reinforced its commitment to customer security. Businesses can ensure that they have the proper security measures in place with the help of a top IT support company. 

Key Benefits of Implementing Dark Web Scanning
Implementing dark web scanning offers several key benefits for businesses. One of the primary advantages is enhanced security measures. By continuously monitoring the dark web for compromised data, companies can identify vulnerabilities and address them before they escalate into significant security breaches. This proactive approach strengthens the overall security posture of the organization.
Early threat detection is another critical benefit. Dark web monitoring tools can quickly identify stolen credentials, financial information, and other sensitive data being traded online. Early detection allows businesses to take immediate action, such as resetting passwords, notifying affected parties, and implementing additional security protocols. This rapid response minimizes the potential damage caused by cyber threats.
Dark web scanning also results in improved data protection strategies. By understanding the types of data that are most at risk, businesses can develop targeted security measures to protect their most valuable assets. This includes implementing stronger encryption methods, enhancing access controls, and regularly updating security policies to address emerging threats.

Choosing the Right Dark Web Scanning Service
Selecting the right dark web scanning service is crucial for maximizing cybersecurity efforts. Businesses should prioritize reliability when evaluating potential services. A reliable service consistently delivers accurate and timely alerts, ensuring that no critical threats go unnoticed. Look for cybersecurity service providers with a proven track record and positive customer reviews to gauge their reliability.

Another essential factor is comprehensiveness. The chosen service should cover a wide range of dark web sources, including forums, marketplaces, and private networks. Comprehensive scanning ensures that all potential threats are identified, providing a more robust defense against cyber attacks. Additionally, the service should be capable of detecting various types of compromised data, from login credentials to financial information.
Integration with existing security systems is also vital. The dark web scanning service should seamlessly integrate with the company's current cybersecurity infrastructure. This includes compatibility with security information and event management (SIEM) systems, firewalls, and other protective measures. Effective integration streamlines the process of responding to threats and enhances overall security efficiency.

Future Trends in Dark Web Scanning Technology
Future trends in dark web monitoring technology promise to further enhance cybersecurity measures for businesses. One significant advancement is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These technologies enable more sophisticated analysis of dark web data, allowing for faster and more accurate identification of threats. AI-driven tools can adapt to new patterns of cybercriminal behavior, ensuring that businesses stay ahead of emerging threats.
Another trend is the development of more comprehensive and user-friendly dashboards. These interfaces will provide security teams with real-time insights and actionable data, making it easier to monitor and respond to threats. Enhanced visualization tools will help in understanding complex data sets, enabling quicker decision-making and more effective threat mitigation.
Blockchain technology is also set to play a role in the future of dark web scanning. By leveraging blockchain's decentralized and immutable nature, businesses can create more secure methods for tracking and verifying data integrity. This can help in identifying and preventing data tampering, adding an extra layer of security to the scanning process.

Common Misconceptions About Dark Web Scanning
Many businesses hold misconceptions about dark web scanning, which can hinder their cybersecurity efforts. One common myth is that dark web scanning invades privacy or engages in illegal activities. In reality, dark web scanning is a legitimate and ethical practice that focuses on identifying compromised data to protect businesses and their customers. It does not involve accessing or participating in illegal transactions.
Another misunderstanding is that dark web scanning is only necessary for large corporations. Cyber threats do not discriminate based on company size; small and medium-sized businesses are equally vulnerable. Implementing dark web scanning can provide critical protection for businesses of all sizes, helping them detect and respond to threats before they cause significant damage.
Some believe that dark web scanning is a one-time solution. However, cyber threats are constantly evolving, and new data breaches occur regularly. Continuous monitoring is essential to stay ahead of these threats. Regular dark web monitoring ensures that businesses can promptly identify and address new vulnerabilities as they arise.

Integration with Existing Cybersecurity Measures
Integrating dark web scanning into existing cybersecurity measures enhances a business's overall defense strategy. Start by ensuring that the dark web scanning service is compatible with your current security infrastructure. This includes seamless integration with security information and event management (SIEM) systems, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. Compatibility ensures that all security tools work together efficiently, providing comprehensive protection.
Next, establish clear protocols for responding to alerts generated by dark web scanning. Define roles and responsibilities within your security team to ensure swift and effective action when threats are identified. This might involve resetting compromised passwords, notifying affected parties, or implementing additional security measures. Clear protocols minimize response time and reduce the potential impact of security breaches.

Regularly update and review your cybersecurity policies to incorporate insights gained from dark web scanning. Use the data collected to identify common vulnerabilities and adjust your security measures accordingly. This proactive approach helps in continuously improving your defense mechanisms and staying ahead of emerging threats.
Employee dark web scanning and phishing email training are also crucial for effective integration. Educate your staff about the importance of dark web scanning and how it fits into the broader cybersecurity framework. Training should cover recognizing phishing attempts, using strong passwords, and following best practices for data protection. Well-informed employees act as an additional layer of defense against cyber threats.

Legal and Ethical Considerations
Understanding the legal and ethical considerations of dark web monitoring is crucial for businesses. Compliance with data protection regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, is essential to avoid legal penalties. Businesses must ensure that their scanning activities do not infringe on privacy rights or involve unauthorized access to data. By navigating these considerations carefully, businesses can leverage dark web scanning to enhance their cybersecurity while maintaining legal and ethical integrity.
Ready to take the necessary steps to secure your network? Contact Be Structured to schedule a free consultation with the best-managed IT services provider in Los Angeles.
- Categories: Cybersecurity

#### What Is Dark Web Scanning--And Why Does It Matter?
The moment you mention cybersecurity to the layman, the first thing that will pop in their mind is probably the 2017 Equifax data breach.
With the personal information of 147 million people dumped on the dark web, the damages can't be quantified to the mere risks of identity theft skyrocketing for people with unmasked social security numbers. Customers and businesses are now fully aware of the dangers of not giving cybersecurity the attention it deserves, and there will be no more excuses used for businesses who fail to take their precautions. 
This brings us to one of the key cybersecurity protocols, which is dark web scanning. 
If you're completely unfamiliar with the process, no worries. You've come to the right place. Keep on reading for our full breakdown of what dark web scanning entails, how the scan works, and why you need to do a dark web scan as soon as possible. 
Dark Web Scanning 101: Identifying the Dark Web
Before delving into the nuances of dark web scanning, let's establish what the dark web actually means first. 
In the simplest of terms, the dark web refers to a network of websites that you can't access through the traditional search engines, like Google. Any site hosted on the dark web uses encryption software to hide their locations and their IP addresses. 
One of the reasons behind the fear associated with the dark web is the presence of criminal activity that takes advantage of the heightened privacy protocols, and the complexity of pinning down data about the owners of the websites. Unfortunately, a big section of the dark web is devoted to selling and buying stolen personal and financial information. 
That's how the whole Equifax breach was detected, as identity thieves started using people's information that has been dumped on the dark web. 
Of course, the sheer magnitude of the potential misuse of your information can be overwhelming. Some criminals might decide to use your sensitive information to buy goods like computers, TV screens, or take out loans in your name. It starts becoming more insidious when a nefarious party transfers money from your bank accounts to theirs or engages in identity theft.
What About the Deep Web?
It's crucial to understand the differences between the dark web and the deep web. Generally speaking, the deep web's content is also not accessible by using a search engine. However, there's nothing nefarious about it.
The deep web is the section of the internet that requires personalized credentials to access. For instance, the portals that hold your online banking information, your business' private database, as well as your health insurance platform. All of those are hosted on the deep web. 
Don't fall for the cybersecurity myths about the deep web. It's a healthy section of the internet and it's essential for keeping sensitive data private and protected. 
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does One Access the Dark Web?
The dark web shares similarities with your regular online experience. Basically, the dark web also required the use of a browser. However, this would be a special internet browser, like Tor, which provides an encrypted connection to the dark web, and mask the user's IP address, even from ISPs. 
The anonymity attracts criminals of all stripes. In addition to the hidden IP addresses, you'll find most cybercriminals using cryptocurrency as their main method of payment. This makes the process of pinpointing a person, or an organization, even harder on cybersecurity professionals. 
What Lives on the Dark Web?
We've spoken about how the dark web works, but what about the actual data that lives on the dark web? In short, if it's sensitive data or anything that can be sold for profit, you'll find it a target for cybercriminals. 
Here's a list of the most common data types showcased for sale on the dark web.
Email Addresses: As email addresses are more often used as a part of people's login credentials than not. Also, your email account alone contains highly sensitive information both personal and professional in nature. Social Security Numbers:A common personal item found for sale on the dark web would be social security numbers. Simply attaining a person's social security number, and maybe a couple of other simple data points are more than enough to completely steal someone's identity, open lines of credit, financing, and so much more. Passport Number: Stealing a person's passport number is a target for most cybercriminals due to its validity as a backup ID. If a person loses their driver's license, social security card, or other forms of ID, most organizations will accept a person's passport number.Bank Account Numbers: Nothing can triumph the damage that bank account numbers can do to a person's financial life, which makes it one of the most common items stolen and recirculated on the dark web. After all, nothing is easier than stealing your money from your actual bank accounts with your bank account number on hand.Medical Records: Of course, your medical information is protected under HIPPA, you'd be surprised at the amount of medical information that's been stolen and ended up being displayed on the dark web.Credit/Debit Card Numbers: Another common data point that's rather easy for cybercriminals to grab. With more people saving their credit card information on their browser, they're more easily acquired than other data points. Passwords: Any type of password is fair game to cybercriminals. A simple look at some data dumps will show you all forms of passwords that have been stolen, bought, and sold on the dark web. Simply put, anything that uses a password, from your social media accounts to your bank and government accounts can be stolen. If you're unaware of the humongous size of that problem, we're sad to tell you that there are over five billion passwords on the dark web that are currently for sale. Membership/Retail Cards: From your Trader Joe's to your CVS card, any type of membership account or a rewards account can be used against you and sold on the dark web.
This was only a sample of the most common types of information traded on the dark web. Other specialized data points can also be compromised and sold online. 
Is My Information on the Dark Web?
After showcasing the enormous size of the problem, you're probably wondering whether your personal information is currently up for grabs on the dark web. Truthfully, it's a high possibility.
This probability increases once we've included the parameter of having a personal item or data point stolen at some point in the past. The probability almost reaches 100% when we look at the future data points. 
This brings us to the importance of taking cybersecurity precautions, how critical it is to invest in dark web scanning and data backups frequently. 
The Value of Dark Web Scanning During COVID-19
Did you know that the volume of dark web forum members rose sharply, with visitor numbers surging by 44% during the first COVID-19 lockdowns last year? 
The pandemic has brought our attention to disturbing trends of identity theft and other flavors of cybercrime. With people spending more and more time online, for work purposes or leisure, cybercriminals have been benefiting from the increased online time by sending out scam posts, phishing schemes, as well as misinformation regarding the virus. 
These traps have been successful at tricking people into clicking on links and going to websites that expose their personal information. Unfortunately, for both businesses and individuals, simply being careful isn't enough anymore.
This brings us to the beauty of dark web scanning.
How Does Dark Web Scanning Work?
Dark web scanning works by using specific tools to keep close tabs on problematic areas on the dark web.
The tools will be monitoring the dark web for specific information, so a simple dark web scan will detect sensitive information like passwords, email addresses, social security numbers, bank account numbers, and other data points that match your own data. 
Furthermore, the dark web is compromised of billions of websites, networks, and registries. Thus, you might be a bit skeptical regarding a dark scanning tool's ability to stop a cyberattack cold in its tracks. And, you'd be right to be skeptical. After all, a dark web scan is only responsible for monitoring the dark web. 
It can tell you if your information is being sold, and you're dealing with a breach. However, it's not a comprehensive cybersecurity protocol that you can just put in place and leave. It's essential to have a 24/7 monitoring and IT team for your data to be as safe and secure as possible.
Do I Need a Dark Web Scan: Why Invest in a Dark Web Monitoring Service
The short answer is yes.
As a business, you might be following the best cybersecurity practices, and you're diligent about password security. For example, you already use strong and unique passwords, a password manager, and multi-factor authentication (2FA).
Yet, due to the ubiquity of using third-party platforms and apps, your login credentials are still vulnerable and can be stolen in case of a data breach. Another sad fact would be victims of data breaches being the last ones to know that their information has been compromised. 
A regular organization can spend years on end without detecting a data breach. Moreover, once they've recognized that a breach has taken place, it takes them even longer to notify their customers and users that their information has been stolen. 
Another classical case would be the Marriott Hotel's data breach, where it took them four years to understanding that their reservations systems have been compromised, and they made it even worse when they waited for three more months before falling their nearly 500 million customers that their data has been stolen. 
Needless to say, the U.K.'s data privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), wasn't pleased and the hotel chain was fined 18.4 million pounds as a result of their negligence. 
The math is simple. The sooner you find out that your information has been compromised, the faster you can take action to protect your customers and your business. 
Depending on the size and nature of the breach, you'll want to take additional action. For instance, if the data compromised is financial in nature, you'll want to contact your financial service providers to prevent any unauthorized purchases and transitions. Besides, you can put a freeze on your credit card report to prevent cybercriminals from opening new lines of credit in your name. 
To make a long story short, investing in a dark web scanning service can save you a lot of time, money, effort, and heartache in the future.
Does Dark Web Scanning Come With Limitations?
It's critical to understand what dark web scanning can and cannot do. Now that you're familiar with the nature of the dark web, you know that the idea of scanning the entire thing is an impossible task. 
What a dark web scan offers is monitoring all the known cybercriminals forums, marketplaces, and other sites where data dumps are put up for sale regularly.
While it won't be able to scan everything on the dark web, it's strong enough to catch the overwhelming majority of data breach incidents. Especially, with a specialized service that will be proactively looking up whether your personal information has been put up for sale or not. 
Our advice would be to treat dark web monitoring services as a great cybersecurity tool to have in your arsenal to protect your business and information from cybercrime. However, no single cybersecurity defense is perfect on its own. That's why you'll want to establish a cohesive system, with multiple solutions to get layered protection. 
Banishing the Fear of the Dark Web
We understand that the words like 'the dark web' can strike fear into the hearts of those uninitiated with cybersecurity and IT protocols.
However, by putting the right tools and cybersecurity defenses in place, you can rest easy knowing that cybercriminals will have to bypass a whole host of traps and defenses before making it to your data. Now, you have a solid foundation of what dark web scanning means, and what it can bring to your business. 
If you're interested in seeing how a tailored IT team and security protocols can protect your business data, make sure to contact us. We'd be delighted to hear from you. If not, make sure to check out our blog for all the recent IT advice articles and explainers.
- Categories: Security

#### What Is DNS Filtering? Your Gateway to a Safer Internet
A large number of cybersecurity threats originate from malicious websites, underscoring the urgent need for robust protective measures. 
DNS filtering stands as a formidable barrier against these threats, playing a pivotal role in enhancing online safety. 
In this article, we will delve into the power of DNS filtering, exploring how it intercepts domain resolution requests and filters out malicious sites to prevent malware infections and unauthorized data access. 



DNS filtering operates as a crucial defense mechanism, intercepting domain resolution requests and thwarting access to malicious websites. 
By redirecting users away from harmful domains, it acts as a gatekeeper, preventing malware attacks and unauthorized data access. This proactive approach significantly reduces the risk of cyber threats infiltrating organizational networks, bolstering overall security posture.














 

Technical Mechanism

Filtering functions by analyzing domain name system (DNS) queries and matching them against a list of known malicious domains. When a user attempts to access a website, the DNS filtering system cross-references the requested domain with its database of flagged sites. If a match is found, the system blocks the user's access, effectively shielding them from potential threats.


Preventing Malware Infections

By halting access to malicious domains at the DNS level, filtering mitigates the risk of users inadvertently downloading malware and can help prevent clone phishing attacks. This preemptive measure serves as a frontline defense, proactively safeguarding devices and networks from the detrimental impact of malware.


Thwarting Unauthorized Data Access

Filtering also plays a pivotal role in preventing unauthorized data access by blocking access to known malicious websites that may attempt to steal sensitive information. This proactive stance helps organizations uphold data integrity and confidentiality, mitigating the risk of data breaches and unauthorized exfiltration.


DNS filtering's technical underpinnings and proactive approach are instrumental in fortifying cybersecurity defenses, effectively thwarting cyber threats, and enhancing overall online safety.


DNS filtering offers tangible benefits that extend beyond reducing cyber threats. These include protecting sensitive data and fortifying internet security. 
DNS filtering significantly reduces the risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches, thereby enhancing the overall online experience.


Reducing Cyber Threats

DNS filtering acts as a robust defense mechanism, effectively increasing phishing protection and reducing the risk of cyber threats such as malware infections, and ransomware attacks. 
By preventing access to known malicious domains, it creates a formidable barrier against cybercriminal activities, safeguarding users and organizational networks from potential harm.


Protecting Sensitive Data

One of the key advantages of filtering lies in its ability to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. 
By blocking access to websites known for data exfiltration or unauthorized data collection, DNS filtering helps organizations uphold data integrity and confidentiality, mitigating the risk of data breaches and privacy violations.


Fortifying Internet Security

In fortifying internet security, filtering plays a pivotal role in creating a safer online environment for users. By mitigating the risk of accessing malicious websites, it minimizes the likelihood of unwittingly downloading malware or falling victim to phishing attempts, thereby bolstering overall internet security.


DNS filtering's multifaceted benefits extend beyond email security–in essence, it helps significantly with reducing cyber threats, protecting sensitive data, and fortifying internet security, making it an indispensable tool for organizations seeking to enhance their cybersecurity posture and ensure a safer online experience.


Implementing DNS filtering involves several best practices to ensure optimal internet security. From selecting suitable filtering solutions to regular updates and monitoring, these practices are essential for maximizing the effectiveness of DNS filtering across diverse network environments.


Selecting Suitable DNS Filtering Solutions

When implementing DNS filtering, it's crucial to choose solutions that align with the organization's specific security requirements. Consider factors such as technical scalability, ease of integration, and compatibility with existing network infrastructure. 
Additionally, evaluate the solution's ability to provide comprehensive threat intelligence and real-time updates to effectively combat evolving cyber threats.


Configuration Tips

Proper configuration of DNS filtering solutions is paramount to their efficacy. Ensure that the filtering policies are tailored to the organization's security needs, striking a balance between stringent protection and minimal disruption to legitimate web access. 
Fine-tune the settings to align with the organization's risk tolerance and security objectives, optimizing the filtering process for maximum effectiveness.














 

Considerations for Different Network Environments

Different network environments may necessitate tailored approaches to DNS filtering. 
For example, remote work scenarios and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies require flexible filtering solutions that can adapt to dynamic network access patterns. We also recommend implementing a mobile device management strategy in these scenarios as we've seen business get burned when opening up the security floodgates to employees' personal tablets and devices.
To implement DNS filtering effectively across the organization, consider the unique requirements of each network environment.


Importance of Regular Updates and Monitoring

Regular updates are critical to maintaining the efficacy of DNS filtering solutions. Ensure that the threat intelligence database is continuously updated to address new and emerging cyber threats. Additionally, proactive monitoring of filtering activities is essential to identify and address any anomalies or potential security breaches in real-time.


By adhering to these best practices, organizations can effectively implement DNS filtering to bolster their internet security, mitigate cyber risks, and create a safer online environment for users and critical data.


In the contemporary cybersecurity landscape, the nature of threats continues to evolve, presenting new challenges for organizations. 
Cybercriminals constantly devise sophisticated methods to bypass traditional security measures, making it imperative for cybersecurity solutions to adapt and innovate. 
DNS filtering stands at the forefront of this adaptive approach, countering emerging threats and fortifying internet security in the face of evolving risks.


Adapting to Emerging Threats

Filtering solutions are designed to adapt to the dynamic nature of cyber threats, continuously evolving to address new attack vectors and malicious techniques. 
By leveraging advanced threat intelligence and machine learning capabilities, DNS filtering can proactively identify and block emerging threats, mitigating the risk of zero-day attacks and other rapidly evolving cyber threats.


Role in the Contemporary Cybersecurity Landscape

In the contemporary cybersecurity landscape, DNS filtering plays a pivotal role in creating a robust defense against a wide array of cyber threats. 
From preventing access to newly identified malicious domains to thwarting sophisticated phishing attempts, filtering serves as a proactive and adaptive security measure that aligns with the dynamic nature of modern cyber threats.


Relevance and Effectiveness

The relevance and effectiveness of DNS filtering in the contemporary cybersecurity landscape cannot be overstated. Its ability to adapt to new threats and provide real-time protection against emerging risks positions it as a critical component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. 
By countering evolving threats at the DNS level, organizations can significantly enhance their overall security posture and ensure a safer online environment for users and sensitive data.


In essence, DNS filtering's adaptive nature and its pivotal role in countering emerging threats underscore its relevance and effectiveness in the contemporary cybersecurity landscape, making it an indispensable tool for organizations seeking to fortify their defenses against evolving cyber risks.


In the evolving cybersecurity landscape, filtering stands as a formidable ally in the ongoing battle against cyber threats, significantly reducing the risk of malicious activities and fortifying internet security.


Impact on Reducing Cyber Threats

DNS filtering's proactive approach to blocking access to malicious domains directly contributes to reducing the prevalence of cyber threats. By preventing users from accessing known malicious websites, it effectively mitigates the risk of malware infections, phishing attacks, and other cyber threats. 
This impact extends to safeguarding your IT network support and sensitive data, creating a safer online environment for users and businesses alike.


Protecting Sensitive Data

The role of DNS filtering in protecting sensitive data cannot be overstated. By preventing unauthorized access to malicious websites that may attempt to steal sensitive information, filtering serves as a critical line of defense against data breaches and privacy violations. 
This proactive stance helps organizations uphold data integrity and confidentiality, mitigating the risk of unauthorized data access and exfiltration.


Fortifying Internet Security

In fortifying internet security, filtering plays a pivotal role in creating a safer online environment for users and organizations. By countering evolving risks at the DNS level, it bolsters overall security posture, minimizing the likelihood of cyber threats infiltrating organizational networks and compromising sensitive data. 
This proactive and adaptive approach aligns with the dynamic nature of modern cyber threats, making DNS filtering an indispensable component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.


Essentially, DNS filtering's impact on reducing cyber threats, protecting sensitive data, and fortifying internet security underscores its pivotal role in the evolving cybersecurity landscape, making it an essential tool for organizations seeking to enhance their security defenses and ensure a safer online experience.


In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, the nature of threats continues to shift, presenting new challenges for organizations. Cybercriminals are constantly devising sophisticated methods to bypass traditional security measures, making it imperative for cybersecurity solutions to adapt and innovate. 
DNS filtering stands at the forefront of this adaptive approach, countering emerging threats and fortifying internet security in the face of evolving risks.


Adapting to New Challenges

DNS filtering solutions are designed to adapt to the dynamic nature of cyber threats, continuously evolving to address new attack vectors and malicious techniques. 
By leveraging advanced threat intelligence and machine learning capabilities, DNS filtering can proactively identify and block emerging threats, mitigating the risk of zero-day attacks and other rapidly evolving cyber threats.


Countering Emerging Threats

The role of DNS filtering in countering emerging threats is pivotal in the contemporary cybersecurity landscape. From preventing access to newly identified malicious domains to thwarting sophisticated phishing attempts, DNS filtering serves as a proactive and adaptive security measure that aligns with the dynamic nature of modern cyber threats. 
Its ability to adapt to new threats and provide real-time protection against emerging risks positions it as a critical component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.














 

Relevance and Effectiveness

The relevance and effectiveness of DNS filtering in the contemporary cybersecurity landscape cannot be overstated. Its ability to adapt to new threats and provide real-time protection against emerging risks positions it as a critical component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. 
By countering evolving threats at the DNS level, organizations can significantly enhance their overall security posture and ensure a safer online environment for users and sensitive data.


In essence, DNS filtering's adaptive nature and its pivotal role in countering emerging threats underscore its relevance and effectiveness in the contemporary cybersecurity landscape, making it an indispensable tool for organizations seeking to fortify their defenses against evolving cyber risks.


The future of DNS filtering holds promising developments and advancements that are poised to shape the landscape of internet security, offering innovative solutions to mitigate future cyber risks.


Advancements in Threat Intelligence

Future developments in DNS filtering technology are expected to revolve around enhanced threat intelligence capabilities. This includes the integration of advanced machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence to bolster the identification and mitigation of emerging cyber threats. 
By leveraging predictive analytics and real-time threat data, DNS filtering solutions will be better equipped to counter evolving risks proactively.


Integration of Behavioral Analysis

An emerging trend in DNS filtering technology involves the integration of behavioral analysis to identify anomalous patterns and potential security breaches. 
By analyzing user behavior and network activities, DNS filtering solutions can detect and respond to suspicious activities in real-time, fortifying defenses against sophisticated cyber threats such as insider threats and advanced persistent threats (APTs).


Role in Mitigating Future Cyber Risks

The role of DNS filtering in mitigating future cyber risks is set to become even more pronounced as organizations increasingly rely on it as a proactive security measure. By adapting to new threat landscapes and leveraging advanced technologies, DNS filtering will continue to play a pivotal role in fortifying internet security, mitigating the impact of future cyber risks, and ensuring a safer online environment for users and critical data.


DNS filtering stands as a crucial safeguard in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, offering proactive protection against a myriad of cyber threats. By intercepting domain resolution requests and filtering out malicious sites, DNS filtering significantly reduces the risk of cyber attacks, protects sensitive data, and fortifies internet security.
 As organizations navigate the complexities of modern cyber threats, the adaptive nature of DNS filtering and its pivotal role in countering emerging risks underscore its relevance and effectiveness.
Looking ahead, the future of DNS filtering holds promising advancements in threat intelligence and behavioral analysis, further solidifying its position as a critical component of internet security. Embracing DNS filtering as a proactive security measure is essential in mitigating cyber risks and ensuring a safer online environment for users and organizations. 


Be Structured is a top IT support company located in downtown Los Angeles committed to helping businesses safeguard their operations from potential cyber threats.
Contact us now and let us help you implement and manage effective email security measures that defend your business and support your success!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, IT Support, Security

#### What Is IP Access Control and How Can It Protect Your Business?
Physical security has a vital role to play in IT security. It can prevent on-site attackers from getting their hands on valuable data and accessing secure areas. IP access control is an important aspect of physical security and can stop an attacker in their tracks.



Yet what is IP access control and how does it work? What are the key benefits that come from using this technology? 



In this guide to IP access control, we're going to take a look at how IP access control can secure your facility and how it ties into managed IT services.



Are you ready to find out more and bolster your physical security? Then read on!



What Is IP Access Control?



In essence, IP access control is a network-based physical security measure. It's an umbrella term that relates to door access controls, mobile-based controllers, and other measures but they all work in the same fashion. 



They connect to your network and then manage access to different areas of your facility. They're part of the internet of things, which means it falls into the same category as things like Amazon Echo speakers and other smart devices. They connect to your network but are not part of a traditional computer or mobile device.



How Do They Work?



We've all used traditional access panels, swiping a keycard to access a hotel room, for instance. IP access control is a step up from these devices but the access method is similar: a user can swipe a keycard, use an access pass, or use biometrics to access the area.



Yet inside the panel there is a small computer that will decide whether or not to allow the user access. It doesn't make this based on heuristics, instead, the network will transmit information to the access panel which then compares said information to the keycard/another access method. If they match up, it will allow access.



What makes this such an effective security measure is that the administrator can tweak rules to their heart's content. This means that if someone needs access, you can grant it to them and then rescind it, and so on. 



What If the Internet Goes Down?



If the internet goes down, your IP access control will still function, as it's reliant on the local network rather than the internet. If the local network goes down, your IP access control will also still work!



This is because the computer in the panel will save the latest ruleset. If it can't access the network, those who should be allowed access will still be able to get in, and those who shouldn't be will not be able to.



The Benefits of Using an IP Access Control System



Now that we've covered what IP access control is, it's time to take a look at the biggest benefits that come from using one of them. Read on and let's take a closer look.



Improved Physical Security



We're all used to the idea of countering external threats. Attack vectors like phishing, ransomware, and other types of malware are common security parlance.



What's talked about less is internal security threats, yet these pose a serious risk to businesses. Nearly half of the most costly cybersecurity attacks were caused by insiders.



Insider threats can come from disaffected employees acting maliciously, employees being blackmailed or bribed, and even from employee negligence, with no malicious intent. The best way to prevent an insider attack is with access control. 



Make sure that your employees only have access to what they need, nothing else. This way, the potential for an insider threat is lessened considerably, and should one occur, you can instantly narrow down the list of potential perpetrators.



Physical security is a bulwark of good IT security. IP access control is easy to maintain and is resilient in the face of insider threats.



Easy to Customize Controls



With a traditional access control system, it can be difficult to change permissions. For instance, if you still rely on traditional keycards, you will need to edit the person's card to give them more permissions, which takes time.



With an IP access control system, permissions can be changed at any time, even from mobile devices. This means that if an employee needs emergency access to a restricted location, your administrator can grant them access. It also makes it easier to handle promotions and secondments, as if someone's new role entails accessing new areas, they can get that access within minutes.



Easy to Install and Scalable



Installing an IP-based system is very easy as it uses your business' existing network infrastructure. This means that laying new lines can be kept to an absolute minimum. All you need to do is hook the panels up to a power source and connect them to the network.



There's also no practical limit on the number of access control panels that you can install. If you want to install several more, your network will be able to cope with that.



Resilient



In terms of increased security, one of the best aspects of IP access control is the resilience of the panels and the system. 



The panels are very secure and don't have any visible wires on the exterior that could be used to short out the system. This means that an attacker or a burglar can't short the panel to open the doors, as you may see in popular media. 



The panels are also very resistant to hacking, they have firewalls as well as other security measures that make hacking into them very difficult. 



In short, IP access control doesn't only boost your security, the devices that control it are also very secure themselves.



Accurate and Easy Reporting



If you do suffer an insider attack, you need to know what's happened right away. IP access control makes this very easy, as it will record each new alert in a central database which you can then access from anywhere. 



This means that as soon as something goes wrong, you can start to investigate and find out what caused it and who is responsible. A fast response means that you can solve the issue sooner and prevent further damage. 



You Can Set Access Periods



If you need to lock down your building, you can do that with IP access control. Your administrator can lock the building, restricting access to one person or a group of people who could then enter the building in case of an emergency.



This is very useful if there is a holiday coming up where no one should be allowed access, or if you want to make sure that people of a certain permissions level can only access the building during their working hours. 



A Range of Different Access Methods



You can use IP access control panels with many different kinds of technology. For instance, if you want the convenience of not having to carry a keycard around with you all day, you can use biometrics. 



If you'd prefer contactless technology due to the ongoing pandemic, proximity scanning can be paired with IP access control, too. This variety of choice means that you can customize your IP access control without compromising on security.



Can Be Paired With Smart Locks



If you would like to take your internet of things security approach to the next level, you can also pair IP access control with smart locks. These connect to the network and, like the access control panels, will also remember the last settings it got from the network should the network go down.



These connect to your wireless network too, which means no new infrastructure. It gives you peace of mind and better security, with all the other benefits that we've mentioned so far. 



Depending on their location, you can set these locks to be fail secure, meaning that they stay locked when power goes out, or fail safe, so that if the power goes out in an emergency, they will be unlocked.



Safer and Easier Access for Employees



An unlocked door is a burglar's dream. In the time that it takes for your employee to fumble around looking for a key, unlock the door, enter, and then lock it again, a burglar could shadow them and force access.



It's faster and safer for your employees to scan a keycard or to put their fingers on a biometric scanner. This also eliminates the need for them to lock the door after them, which means there's less time for a bad actor to enter via the open door.



No Need to Chase Old Keycards



If an employee loses their key or keycard, this is a serious problem. The chance of it ending up in a bad actor's hands who then uses it to gain access to the building is too high. This means that the company needs to do the hard work of tracking down the key, which could be anywhere.



Similarly, IP access control also removes the risk of an old employee still being able to access the building. Former employees are a serious security threat, as many leave without giving up their keys, keycards, or access passes.



What this means is that they have the opportunity to come back at any time and access the premises, which poses massive risks to data security. Depending on the circumstances of their dismissal, you should also factor these employees' potential motives into account.



If you have IP access control, you can strip them of their privileges as soon as they leave the company. It takes seconds or minutes to do and then they no longer have access. This completely eliminates the risk of the disaffected former employee.



Security Across Multiple Locations



If your business has more than one location, controlling access can be difficult. When you use an IP-based system, there are no problems. The scalability that we mentioned earlier comes into its own here, as your administrator can control the security across multiple buildings without any difficulties.



This keeps security tight across your whole company, should you use IP door access control at each location.



IP Access Control and Security



IP access control comes with some tremendous advantages. To maintain these advantages, you need to ensure that you keep the access control system secure itself.



One of the potential weakpoints in the system is the IP access control server. You should ensure that the server is well-protected with strong network security. If this server fails, hackers may be able to break into the system and let themselves in, yet with tight security you can keep the possibility of this happening to an absolute minimum.



You should also make sure that you update the firmware of the access control system as soon as an update becomes available. Updates tend to fix security and performance issues, which means that if you don't patch them up, you are opening up security holes that an attacker could use.



Find the Right System for You



Due to the multiple possible configurations that are available for IP access control, there's sure to be one that is right for you and your business' level of security. We're experts on physical and information security, which means that IP access control is solidly in our wheelhouse.



If you would like to make your business safer with access control but aren't sure which type is right for you or are still uncertain about how it works, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team. We're always happy to help you improve your security.
- Categories: Security

#### What Is Mobile Edge Computing & How Can it Benefit Los Angeles Businesses
​Modern organizations rely on an expanding network of vendors, platforms, and service providers to operate efficiently. That dependency has increased exposure to supply chain threats, making IT support in Los Angeles a critical component of modern cybersecurity strategy. 
As businesses adopt cloud services, distributed infrastructure, and managed platforms, supply chain attacks have become one of the most damaging and difficult risks to detect. A supply chain attack occurs when threat actors compromise a trusted third party to gain access to downstream organizations. 
Instead of breaching systems directly, attackers exploit vendors that already have legitimate access. This tactic allows malicious activity to bypass internal defenses and spread quickly across connected environments.
For organizations operating in Southern California, the combination of dense vendor ecosystems and rapid digital transformation makes proactive IT oversight essential. Understanding how supply chain attacks operate is now a baseline requirement for protecting operations, data, and reputation.

Why IT Support in Los Angeles Is Central to Supply Chain Defense
The modern IT environment depends on shared infrastructure and outsourced services. Cloud platforms, managed service providers, and software vendors support daily operations across industries. 
While this model improves efficiency, it also increases reliance on third-party security practices. Many organizations are simultaneously redesigning their infrastructure to support distributed workloads. 
A report from Omdia shows that a significant share of organizations now prioritize edge computing adoption, driven by low latency requirements, stronger security controls, growing data volumes, and regulatory pressure. Each architectural shift introduces new vendors that must be evaluated and secured.
Cybercriminals understand this complexity. Compromising one provider can open access to hundreds of organizations at once. This makes localized, accountable IT support in Los Angeles essential for maintaining visibility across vendors and enforcing consistent security standards.

How Supply Chain Attacks Evade Traditional Security Models
Traditional cybersecurity strategies focus on perimeter defenses, endpoint protection, and internal monitoring. Supply chain attacks succeed because they exploit trust rather than technical misconfiguration. 
Malicious code delivered through legitimate updates often appears indistinguishable from normal system behavior. Once attackers gain a foothold, they can escalate privileges and move laterally without triggering alerts.


Edge computing improves latency and data control but adds complexity to supply chain defense.
These actions blend into routine activity, delaying detection and increasing impact. Many organizations discover breaches only after data exposure or service disruption occurs.
This delay is what makes supply chain attacks so costly. Organizations without strong IT support in Los Angeles often lack the centralized monitoring needed to identify abnormal vendor activity early.

Business Consequences of Third-Party Risk
Supply chain attacks affect far more than IT systems. They interrupt operations, damage trust, and introduce legal and regulatory exposure. Recovery timelines are often extended because remediation depends on external vendors.
Operational disruption is immediate. Systems may need to be taken offline while investigations are conducted. In regulated industries, this can halt transactions and critical workflows.
Financial losses escalate quickly. Incident response, compliance penalties, legal fees, and lost revenue compound. For many organizations, reputational damage outlasts the technical recovery.

Gaining Visibility Across Vendor Relationships
Reducing exposure begins with understanding which vendors have access to systems, data, and networks. This includes software providers, managed platforms, and partners supporting cloud migration services and hybrid infrastructure.
Vendor assessments should extend beyond onboarding. Technology stacks evolve, and new integrations introduce fresh risk. Continuous evaluation of access rights and update behavior is necessary to reduce blind spots.
Access governance is equally important. Vendors should only have permissions required for their role. Excessive access increases risk and complicates incident response.

Establishing Strong Vendor Security Standards
Clear security expectations form the foundation of supply chain protection. Contracts should define minimum security requirements, reporting timelines, and audit rights. These terms create accountability when incidents occur.
Organizations must evaluate how vendors handle authentication, patching, encryption, and monitoring. This is especially important for providers involved in infrastructure changes such as network installation and office relocation, where temporary exposure increases risk.
Consistent review of vendor security practices ensures alignment with evolving threat conditions. Strong IT support in Los Angeles helps enforce these standards across diverse vendor ecosystems.

Monitoring Third-Party Activity in Real Time
Continuous monitoring is critical for detecting supply chain attacks early. Security platforms should track software updates, configuration changes, and access behavior across internal and third-party systems.
Behavior-based detection improves visibility into zero-day threats and unknown exploits. Rather than relying only on known signatures, these tools identify deviations from normal activity patterns.
Centralized logging allows teams to correlate events across vendors and internal infrastructure. This capability accelerates investigation and containment, limiting downstream impact.


As networks become faster and more distributed, supply chain attacks become harder to detect.
Infrastructure Evolution and New Risk Surfaces
As organizations modernize, edge and hybrid computing models are becoming more common. Approximately 53% of U.S. organizations have already deployed edge computing to support artificial intelligence workloads and digital transformation initiatives. These environments improve performance but add security complexity.
Edge infrastructure relies on distributed devices and specialized vendors. Without strong oversight, patch management and monitoring gaps can emerge. Supply chain risk management must extend to every location where data is processed.
At the same time, major enterprises such as Google, Alibaba, and Citi have invested billions in edge computing due to its long-term potential. As adoption accelerates, securing vendor relationships becomes increasingly critical.

Cloud, Edge, and Supply Chain Risk
Organizations often adopt edge infrastructure to address performance and compliance needs. Common advantages of edge computing over cloud computing include lower latency, localized processing, and improved data control. These benefits must be balanced with strong governance.
Hybrid environments require consistent security enforcement across cloud, edge, and on-premises systems. Gaps between these layers create opportunities for attackers.
Effective IT support in Los Angeles ensures architectural decisions align with security requirements, preventing innovation from outpacing risk management.

Incident Response Planning for Vendor Breaches
No organization can eliminate supply chain risk completely. Preparedness determines how much damage occurs when incidents happen. Response plans must explicitly address third-party compromise scenarios.
Teams should know how to coordinate with vendors, legal counsel, and leadership during an incident. Regular exercises help validate procedures and expose weaknesses.
Recovery planning should also account for vendor dependency. Understanding which systems rely on third parties allows organizations to prioritize restoration and maintain continuity.

Strengthening Supply Chain Defense Through Local IT Support
Supply chain attacks exploit trust and complexity. Organizations that depend on third parties must treat vendor risk as a core security priority. Visibility, monitoring, access control, and disciplined response planning reduce exposure and improve recovery outcomes.
A strong and inclusive managed IT support company in Los Angeles plays a central role in enforcing these controls across diverse vendor environments. Local expertise ensures accountability, faster response, and consistent security standards.
At Be Structured, we help organizations strengthen supply chain defenses through vendor oversight, proactive monitoring, and security-focused infrastructure management. To reduce third-party risk and protect long-term operations, partner with the right IT support company in Los Angeles and schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions, Cybersecurity, IT Support
- Tags: IT Support in Los Angeles

#### What Is Penetration Testing: A Top Los Angeles It Support Team Explains
Are you concerned about the security of your business's IT infrastructure?

How can you ensure your company is protected against cyber threats?

The answers lie in understanding when to start penetration testing.

Today, we're taking a closer look into how one top IT support company in Los Angeles enhances cyber security by using penetration testing along with other unique security ensuring measures.
What Are Managed IT Services in Los Angeles?
Managed IT services are a way for businesses to outsource their IT needs to a specialized provider. These services can include everything from network management and data backup to cybersecurity and technical support.

For many small businesses, hiring a full-time IT team is too costly and impractical. Managed IT services offer a cost-effective solution by providing access to experienced professionals who can handle a variety of IT tasks.

The importance of managed IT services for small businesses can't be overstated. Small businesses often lack the resources to manage their IT infrastructure effectively.

This can lead to vulnerabilities and inefficiencies. With managed IT services, businesses can ensure their systems are secure, up-to-date, and running smoothly. This allows business owners to focus on their core activities without worrying about IT issues.

Cybersecurity is a critical aspect of managed IT services. Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and businesses need to stay ahead of potential attacks.

Managed IT services providers have the expertise and tools to protect against these threats. They can implement security measures such as firewall management, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems.

They also monitor systems for any signs of suspicious activity and respond quickly to any security incidents.

IT support companies offer several benefits to businesses. They provide a proactive approach to IT management, addressing issues before they become major problems.

This helps to minimize downtime and keep operations running smoothly. Outsourced IT solutions also offer scalability. As a business grows, its IT needs will change.

Local IT support can easily adapt to these changes, providing the necessary support without the need for significant investment in new infrastructure.
What Is Cyber Security?
Digital attacks are usually aimed at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information. They can also extort money from users or interrupt normal business processes. Effective cyber security measures are essential for businesses of all sizes.

One common type of cyber attack is phishing. This involves tricking users into revealing personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Hackers often do this by sending emails that look like they come from trusted sources. Once they have this information, they can use it to steal money or gain access to a company's network.

This is why it's key in the years we've worked with businesses who care about their network security that we set up a phishing protection and training protocol.
Malware
Another type of cyber attack is malware. Malware is software designed to damage or disable computers.

It can be spread through email attachments, infected websites, or malicious downloads. Malware can steal data, spy on users, or disrupt operations. Ransomware is a particularly dangerous type of malware that encrypts a user's files and demands payment to unlock them.

Managed IT services play a crucial role in cyber security. They provide the expertise and tools needed to protect against these threats. They can implement security measures such as firewalls and antivirus software.

They can also monitor systems for any signs of suspicious activity. If a security incident does occur, they can respond quickly to minimize damage.

Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks. They often lack the resources to implement effective security measures. This is where managed IT services come in.

They can provide the necessary support to keep small businesses safe. By outsourcing their IT needs, businesses can ensure their systems are protected without having to invest in expensive infrastructure.
Signs Your Business Needs Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is a method used to evaluate the security of an IT system by simulating an attack. This process involves identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers. Penetration testing helps businesses understand their security weaknesses and take steps to fix them before a real attack occurs.

In other words, penetration testing reveals what hackers see.

There are several signs that indicate your business might need penetration testing. One of the most obvious is if your company has experienced a security breach or cyber attack.

If this happens, it's important to understand how the attack occurred and what vulnerabilities were exploited. Penetration testing can help identify these weaknesses and prevent future incidents.

Another sign that your business needs penetration testing is if you have recently made significant changes to your IT infrastructure. This could include implementing new software, updating systems, or expanding your network.

These changes can create new vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. Penetration testing can help ensure that your new systems are secure and that any potential weaknesses are identified and fixed.

Regular penetration testing is also important for businesses that handle sensitive data. This includes companies in industries such as finance, healthcare, and e-commerce.

These businesses are often targets for cyber attacks due to the valuable information they hold. Penetration testing can help protect this data by identifying and addressing security gaps.

If your business has never conducted a penetration test, it's likely time to start. Many businesses assume that their existing security measures are sufficient.

But without testing these measures, it's impossible to know for sure. Penetration testing provides a thorough evaluation of your security defenses and helps identify areas that need improvement.
Industry Regulations and Standards
Another indicator that your business might need penetration testing is if you are required to comply with industry regulations and standards. Many of these regulations, such as those in the healthcare and financial sectors, require regular security assessments. Penetration testing is a key part of these assessments and helps ensure compliance.

Businesses that are experiencing rapid growth should also consider penetration testing. As your business grows, so do your IT needs. This can lead to new vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.

Regular penetration testing helps keep your security measures up-to-date and ensures that your growing business is protected.
Timing Factors
Several factors influence the timing of penetration testing. The size and complexity of your IT infrastructure, the sensitivity of the data you handle, and the industry regulations you must comply with all play a role in determining when to conduct these tests.

For example, businesses in industries such as finance and healthcare often have stricter security requirements and may need to conduct more frequent testing. Understanding these factors helps to develop a testing schedule that aligns with your specific needs.

Best practices for scheduling and conducting penetration tests include setting clear objectives and goals for each test. This involves defining what you want to achieve and the specific areas you want to evaluate.

It's also important to work with a qualified managed IT services provider who can conduct the tests and interpret the results. They can help to identify vulnerabilities and recommend the necessary changes to improve your security. Penetration testing is a critical component of a robust cyber security strategy.

By knowing when to start and how to schedule these tests, you can ensure that your IT infrastructure remains secure. Managed IT services in Los Angeles can assist in this process by providing the expertise and tools needed to conduct thorough penetration tests.

They can help to implement the findings and strengthen your overall security posture, keeping your business protected against the ever-evolving threat of cyber attacks.
Integrating Penetration Testing with Managed IT Services
Integrating penetration testing with your IT can significantly enhance your business's security. IT service companies can provide the expertise and tools necessary to conduct thorough penetration tests. By working with a managed IT service provider, you can make sure that these tests are performed correctly and effectively.

One of the key benefits of integrating penetration testing is the continuous support provided.

But a top IT support company doesn't just stop at conducting the tests. They help interpret the results and implement the necessary changes to improve your security. This ongoing support ensures that your IT infrastructure remains secure and up-to-date.

MSP services can also help in maintaining security after a penetration test. Once vulnerabilities are identified and addressed, it's important to monitor your systems to ensure that no new weaknesses arise.

They should also provide regular monitoring and maintenance, keeping your security measures robust and effective. They can also update your systems as new threats emerge, ensuring that your business stays protected.
A Combined Strategy
Combining penetration testing with other IT support services offers a comprehensive approach to security. Managed IT services can integrate penetration testing with other security measures such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems.

This holistic approach ensures that all aspects of your IT infrastructure are covered, providing a stronger defense against cyber threats.

Another advantage of using outsourced IT support servcies for penetration testing is their ability to scale with your business. As your business grows, your IT needs will change.

MSPs can - and should -  adapt to these changes, ensuring that your security measures are always aligned with your current requirements. They can also provide advice on the best practices for maintaining security as your business evolves.
Enhancing Your Cyber Security Strategy
Enhancing your cyber security strategy is essential to protect your business from the ever-evolving threat of cyber attacks. After conducting a penetration test, it's important to take specific steps to strengthen your security measures.

One of the first actions is to address the vulnerabilities identified during the test. This involves applying patches, updating software, and implementing stronger security controls.

Continuous improvement is a key aspect of a strong cyber security strategy. Cyber threats are constantly changing, and your security measures need to evolve as well.

Regularly reviewing and updating your security policies ensures that your business remains protected against new and emerging threats. This proactive approach helps to prevent potential security breaches and keeps your IT infrastructure secure.

Leveraging an outsourced tech support company for ongoing protection is another important step as they can provide regular monitoring and maintenance of your systems.

They can detect and respond to any suspicious activity, ensuring that your security measures are always up-to-date. This ongoing support is crucial for maintaining a strong security posture.

Another important aspect of enhancing your cyber security strategy is employee training. Human error is one of the leading causes of security breaches.
Training and Audits
Training your employees on best practices for cyber security can significantly reduce the risk of an attack. This includes educating them on how to recognize phishing emails, creating strong passwords, and following proper security protocols.

Regular audits and assessments are also essential for maintaining strong security. These assessments help to identify any gaps in your security measures and ensure that they are functioning as intended. By conducting regular audits, you can stay ahead of potential threats and address any weaknesses before they are exploited.

Implementing a comprehensive incident response plan is another crucial step. This plan outlines the steps to take in the event of a security breach, ensuring that your business can respond quickly and effectively. A well-developed incident response plan can minimize the impact of a breach and help to recover from it more quickly.

By taking these steps, you can ensure that your business remains protected against cyber threats. If you don't want to bother with taking the time and money to run these kinds of protections in house, then we recommend you Google, "IT support company near me" to provide the nearby support needed to implement these measures and maintain a strong security posture.
Protect Your Business
Integrating penetration testing enhances your cyber security strategy. Regular testing, continuous improvement, and expert support ensure your business stays protected against cyber threats. By leveraging these services, you can maintain a robust and secure IT infrastructure.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is a Los Angeles IT support company founded in 2007. We created this business because we are passionate about technology and the practical solutions that tech can deliver to workplaces big and small, and even nonprofits.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help protect your business!
- Categories: Cybersecurity, Managed It Services, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### What Is Phishing and How Can You Spot it?
90% of data breaches that occur are the result of someone clicking on a link within a phishing file. While this might not seem like a big deal at the time, once the link is clicked, the hacker now has access to thousands and thousands of pieces of data, including client information, account information, and more.

Phishing attacks are getting more sophisticated as time goes on. It is crucial that you and those who work for your company understand what a phishing attack is and how to spot one.

Once you know how to spot one, you can move forward with training your staff on what to do when they find one nestled innocently in their inboxes waiting to strike. By the end of this post, you’ll have everything you need to know to ensure that your company doesn’t fall victim to phishing scams.
What Is Phishing?
When you hear the word phishing, think of it as a hacker’s favorite pastime. They cast the line waiting for one fish to bite, and once they feel the fish tug the line, they rip them from the water.

Or in the case of online hackers, they steal all the information they possibly can before the company figures out what’s happening and reinforces the firewalls that will stop them from stealing more data. By the time this happens, they’ve stolen thousands of files with sensitive information.

These phishing scams can come in multiple forms, including text messages, phone calls, or emails. It’s up to you and those you work with to always be on the lookout and not blindly click on links because it ‘appears’ to come from a trustworthy source.

As companies become smarter when it comes to spotting these scams, so are hackers, and below you’re going to find everything you need to stay multiple steps ahead of them before they’ve typed in the email address.
Types of Scams
There isn’t one specific scam that a hacker might use to obtain company information. There are several types of phishing scams that a hacker might use interchangeably until they find one that works for them regularly.

To better understand how to put an end to data breaches caused by phishing scams, you’ve got to know the types that they come in. Remember hackers hit when you least expect it, and if they’ve hit once, they will likely try it again.
Act Quickly
None of us like receiving an email or text message that reminds us that we forgot to do something or pay a bill. The first type of scam that you need to be on the lookout for is the one that requires you to act with urgency.

These types of scams might come with some time limit, such as,” if you don’t act now, your prize will be forfeited.” It makes the person reading it think that if they don’t click the link and enter the requested information, they will lose out on something big.

This leads to them clicking the link and entering personal information such as their card number, bank account, cell phone, home address, and more. The thing is, once you’ve provided this type of information, a hacker can move forward with doing things like account takeovers.

An account takeover is when they access your bank account and the funds in it. Once they’ve got the access they need, they will change passwords so that you’re no longer able to access it and lock them out.

After gaining access, they can then use the funds as they please.
Changing the Link
Have you heard of what happened to Shark Tank judge Barbara Corcoran? She lost $400,000 because someone that worked in her office replied to an email that seemed like it came from someone else within the company.

This happened because the employee didn’t take the time to review the email that the message was sent from. Typically hackers find a way to use a trusted email or link to get the information that they're phishing for.

Scientists have proven that without thinking about it, your brain corrects misspelled words. Therefore, when someone receives an email or link that they commonly use, and one or two letters or numbers are out of place, their brains correct the mistake, and they never think anything of it.

Where does the issue come in, you might be wondering? In Corcoran’s case, the employee responded to the email with account information and authorization forms providing the hacker with what they needed to steal the funds.

When you receive a link, you’ve got to check the entire link. If there’s even one number missing, don’t click on it.
Donations Are Needed
We all have a soft spot in our hearts when helping and donating to the less fortunate. While in some cases, your funds do go to helping who it was intended to help.

In other cases, all you’re doing is lining the pockets of hackers. This type of phishing scam might come in the form of a telephone call because, after all, can someone effectively tug all the right emotional strings if you can’t hear the pain in their voice?

Once you’ve answered the phone, the hacker will then begin to go into detail, telling you a story that truly makes you sad for those less fortunate. When they’ve finished telling the story, they will then ask if you’d like to donate to their cause because ‘every little bit helps.’

Before you know it, you’re providing them with your credit card information, including card number, CVV, expiration date, and the name on the card. Once they’ve got this, they will drain you for as much money as they can, and you’ll never hear from them again.
Pop-Up Protection
Have you ever been on your computer, and a window popped up letting you know that your computer and files were unprotected? This is a pop-up phishing scam. What happens is you’ll begin to install the malware because you think you’re protecting your computer.

As your computer goes through the installation process, other installations are going on behind the scenes. Because of your initial installation, you’ve now given hackers complete access to your computer and any data that’s stored on it.
Whale Hunting
Sending emails to employees is one thing, but if a hacker thinks they can do it or have done it before trying to get the big fish to play their game. This means that they will pull out all the stops when sending the executives of a company emails or other messages to pursue sensitive data.

Why would an executive fall for such a trick, you might be wondering? Executives and others that are in higher positions are quite busy regularly. This means that they get multiple phone calls and thousands of emails every day.

While they should read every single word of the emails they are receiving, it doesn’t always happen. In a moment of simply not paying attention or being distracted by a phone call, they’ve given a hacker access to a companies larger files and money.

Before they’ve realized it, thousands have been stolen, and they are left baffled as to how it happened.
Recognizing Phishing Scams
Knowing the kinds of phishing scams out there is useless if you don’t know how to recognize them. There are specific things that stick out about phishing scams that will help you know that something isn’t quite right.

The first thing that should stick out when you’re looking at a phishing email is all the typos and other grammatical errors that are throughout the text. Even the most sophisticated hackers will make a mistake somewhere in the information they are putting to hook someone.

Another thing to look out for is if the email or link provided is missing letters and numbers. There’s no way an email or link will continue to work when it’s misspelled or missing letters.

If the email sent to you appears like it’s come from a notable company, but you’re not able to click anything within the email, it’s likely to be a scam. If the email you’ve received features a generic greeting, it’s likely that it’s a scam.

Especially if someone in your company has sent the email or message, the likelihood of them sending you an email with the greeting ‘hello dear’ is not only unprofessional, but it doesn’t happen. If you’re on the phone and the person you’re speaking to sounds like a recording, or as if they’re rushing you to hurry and provide you their information, it’s likely to be a scam.

Here are some ways that you can protect yourself from these attacks.
Set a Filter
Setting a spam filter on your computer will instantly take all emails that seem suspicious and send them to the spam folder. That way, you never have to see the email, and it reduces the likelihood of you making the mistake of providing sensitive information to someone that shouldn’t have it.

Setting a filter also means enabling your pop-up blocker. The pop-up blocker will ensure that any malware pop-ups prompting you to install them on your computer will all be blocked.

Again you’ll never see them because your computer’s firewall will be doing all the work for you.
Install Anti-Virus Software
If you’re working for a company, the best thing you can do to protect sensitive customer information is to partner with an outside IT company for all your anti-virus and malware needs. While you’re focusing on other aspects of the company, they will be monitoring your security and ensuring that data breaches don’t take place.

They can also provide you with backup and restoration services. This is helpful if files have been stolen and you need to recover the information for your clients before it’s too late.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Having a password on your computer and other devices that store data is the first step in protecting it. But, there is another step that you can take to ensure everything is safe, and even when your personal information is stolen, it can still be challenging to get into your accounts.

On your computer or your bank accounts, this means multi-factor authentication. When you enable this, it means once someone has gotten past the password, they will need to provide their thumbprint or a series of secret passwords to gain full access.

When they aren’t able to do so, the account will be locked, and you will be notified that someone is trying to gain access to your accounts. At this time, you might be prompted by your providers to update your passwords to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Don’t Click Anything
This one seems like the most common sense tip of all the others we’ve provided, but you’d be surprised how many people still click on the links. If you have any idea or suspect that something isn’t right, don’t click anything.

It’s always better to call your supervisor and ask if they sent you a message or email. If they say no, you’ve got the confirmation you need to send that message to the trash bin.
Phishing: Not The Fish You Were Expecting
Phishing scams aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. As your company firewalls become stronger, so do the methods used by hackers. But, there are things you can do to keep them away, like updating passwords or finding quality malware to install.

If you’re in search of a provider that offers these kinds of services, contact BeStructured Technology Group. We know what we’re doing when it comes to cybersecurity and keeping your company’s data safe.
- Categories: Security

#### What Is Phishing? Everything You Need to Know
Each year in the United States, entrepreneurs start over 600,000 new businesses. Many of these companies, though, do not have staying power in their industries. A significant factor that contributes to this is a lack of business security measures.

More specifically, many business owners are unaware of how to deal with phishing attacks.

Let's explore everything you need to know about this process and the relevant cybersecurity protections and terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
So, What Is Phishing?
In short, phishing is a type of cyber attack that involves tricking someone into giving up sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial information. Phishing attacks can come in many forms, but they all have one goal in mind: to steal your data.

Phishing attacks are also becoming more common, so it's important to be aware of what they are and how to protect yourself from them.

There are also sub group of phishing that are called spear phishing you should be aware of.
What Are Common Ways Phishing Attacks Occur?
Phishing attacks can take many different forms, but there are common methods that attackers use. Understanding these will help you protect your company in the future.

It's essential to keep these in mind so here are a few of the most notable ways that phishing attacks occur so to protect your business IT services and security.
Email Phishing
This is the most common type of phishing attack.

Attackers will send out mass emails that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as a well-known company or organization. The email will often contain a sense of urgency or a threat, such as "Your account will be suspended unless you take action now."

The goal of the attacker is to trick the recipient into clicking on a link or attachment in the email that will install malware on their computer or redirect them to a fake website designed to steal their login credentials.

Clicking on links or opening attachments in emails from unknown senders is one of the easiest ways to fall victim to a phishing attack, so it's important to be vigilant about what you click on in your inbox. If an email looks suspicious, even if it appears to be from a legitimate source, don't click on any links or open any attachments.

Instead, delete the email and report it as spam. This will help prevent problems from arising.
Spear Phishing
This is a more targeted form of phishing in which the attacker specifically targets an individual or organization. The attacker will often do their research to gather information about their target before launching the attack.

For example, an attacker might send an email that appears to be from a trusted source, such as a company the victim does business with. The email might contain specific information about the victim, such as their name or account number, which makes it seem more legitimate.

Spear phishing attacks can be more difficult to spot than regular phishing attacks, but there are still some telltale signs. Be wary of any emails that contain personal information or come from an unfamiliar sender.

As with regular phishing attacks, never click on any links or open any attachments in these emails.
Smishing
This type of phishing attack uses text messages instead of emails to try and trick victims into giving up sensitive information.

The text message will often contain a sense of urgency or a threat, much like an email phishing attack. For example, the text might say that your account has been suspended and you need to click on a link to reactivate it.

Clicking on links in text messages can be dangerous, as attackers can use them to install malware on your phone or redirect you to a fake website.

Once again, the best defense against smishing attacks is to be vigilant about what you click on. If you receive a suspicious text message, do not click on any links. Instead, delete the message and report it as spam.
How Can My Business Protect Itself Against Phishing?
There are a few steps you can take to help protect your business from phishing attacks.

One of the most important is to educate your employees about phishing attacks and how to spot them. Make sure they know never to click on links or open attachments in emails from unknown senders. You should also install anti-phishing software that can help detect and block phishing emails.

This software is not foolproof, but it can be a helpful line of defense. Finally, you should have a plan in place for what to do if your business does fall victim to a phishing attack.

This plan should include steps on how to contain the damage and restore any lost data.

Local companies concerned about phishing or any cyber attack can also partner with a Los Angeles IT services company that can help install cyber protection strategies against these potentially harmful attacks.
What Should I Do if I'm a Victim of a Phishing Attack?
If you think you may have been the victim of a phishing attack, there are a few steps you should take. First, change your passwords for any accounts that may have been compromised. Then, run a malware scan on your computer to check for any malicious software that may have been installed.

Report the incident to the proper authorities, such as the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
These Security Terms Don't Have to Be Complicated
Although understanding the security terms might seem complex, it's easier than you might expect it to be.

Keep the above guidelines in mind so you can avoid problems you may have otherwise dealt with. Looking to learn more about how Be Structured can help? Feel free to reach out to us today to see what we can do.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### What is SaaS Management (And Why Your Business Can’t Afford to Skip It)
Quick Answer: What Is SaaS Management? SaaS management is the process of discovering, securing, optimizing, and governing every cloud-based software application used across an organization. The average company runs 106 SaaS apps and wastes $135,000 annually in unused licenses — most without IT's knowledge. A SaaS Management Platform (SMP) gives IT teams full visibility and control over every app, license, and user in their environment, and organizations using one report up to 26x return on investment.
SaaS management is the process of discovering, securing, optimizing, and governing all cloud-based software applications used across an organization. The average company now runs 106 SaaS applications, yet nearly half of all provisioned licenses go completely unused. SaaS spend per employee has climbed to $5,607 annually. 
That’s not a purchasing problem. 
That’s a visibility problem. 
For businesses running 50 or more apps, unmanaged SaaS is one of the fastest-growing sources of wasted IT spend, security risk, and compliance exposure. SaaS management services, delivered by an IT partner using a dedicated SaaS Management Platform (SMP), gives organizations full visibility and control over every app, license, and user in their environment.
What Is the SaaS Sprawl and Why Is It Costing Your Business Money? 
Picture this: your finance team signs up for an invoicing tool. Marketing starts using three different project management apps. A sales rep starts entering prospect data into an AI writing assistant. HR adopts a new onboarding platform.
None of these are approved by IT. None are monitored for security. And when employees leave, access to those apps is rarely revoked cleanly or quickly.
This is the reality of modern SaaS sprawl, and it’s happening at virtually every organization, regardless of size or industry.
When employees sign up for tools without IT approval, organizations accumulate what’s known as shadow IT, or unauthorized applications that drain budgets, create security gaps, and expose sensitive company data to vendors that IT has never vetted.
Research claims that shadow IT accounts for 30–40% of IT spending in large enterprises. The average cost of a cyberattack related to shadow IT? $4.2 million per incident.
The number of SaaS applications running on corporate networks is roughly three times the number IT departments were actually aware of. And that gap has only grown wider as AI tools have entered the equation.
The good news: a modern SaaS Management Platform solves all of it from a single dashboard.
How Big Is the SaaS Management Problem?
These data points quantify the SaaS governance challenge facing businesses of all sizes:
Metric
Stat
Source
Average SaaS apps per company
106 apps
Productiv / XtendedView
Unused SaaS licenses
~49% go unused
Zylo 2024
Average annual license waste
$135,000 per org
Capterra / XtendedView
Shadow IT share of IT spend
30–40% in large enterprises
Gartner
Ex-employee access after departure
90% of US companies affected
Auvik
SaaS logins using username/password
94% (not SSO)
Auvik
Reduction in shadow IT with SMP
35% YOY average
Productiv 2024
ROI with managed SaaS platform
Up to 26x ROI
Auvik
Time saved via SaaS automation
Up to 80% reduction
Auvik
SaaS security incidents (2 years)
50% of companies affected
Auvik
Workers using unapproved SaaS apps
80% of workers
G2
IT leaders citing SaaS as top challenge
Nearly 70%
XtendedView
Managed SaaS vs. Unmanaged SaaS: A Side-by-Side Comparison
The difference between managing your SaaS environment intentionally versus letting it grow unchecked is significant in cost, security posture, and operational efficiency.
Capability
Unmanaged SaaS
Managed SaaS (with Auvik)
App visibility
Partial / siloed
Full inventory, auto-discovered
Shadow IT detection
Manual, reactive
Automated, real-time alerts
License optimization
Manual audit (periodic)
Continuous tracking & reporting
User onboarding/offboarding
Hours of manual IT work
Automated workflows
Security & compliance
Gaps in SSO, shared passwords
Risky behavior detection + alerts
Spend visibility
Spreadsheet estimates
Centralized spend dashboard
Ex-employee access revocation
Often delayed or missed
Immediate, automated offboarding
Reporting for leadership
Ad hoc
Scheduled, role-based dashboards
Shadow AI detection
None
Automated discovery & flagging
Time to first insight
Weeks (manual)
Minutes (automated)
The contrast is stark. Without a dedicated SaaS management program, IT teams are perpetually in reactive mode, responding to security incidents after the fact, discovering wasted spend at renewal time, and manually tracking down app access when employees leave. 
With a managed approach, these tasks become automated, continuous, and proactive.
How do You Get Your SaaS Environment Under Control Step-by-Step?
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to mature an existing SaaS program, the following steps represent a proven path to full SaaS governance. Each step builds on the last, delivering value at every stage of the journey.
SaaS management services gives organizations full visibility and control over every app, license, and user in their environment.
 	Audit your current SaaS landscape. Start by identifying every application in use across your organization, including apps purchased by individual departments or employees outside of IT oversight. Most organizations discover they’re running two to three times more apps than IT is actually aware of. This initial discovery is often the most eye-opening step in the entire process.
 	Connect your identity and SSO providers. Integrate your SaaS Management Platform with identity sources like Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), Google Workspace, or Okta. This provides a unified view of who has access to what across your entire app ecosystem. With Auvik SaaS Management, connecting Microsoft Entra ID takes approximately two minutes, and the platform begins surfacing insights immediately.
 	Identify shadow IT and shadow AI tools. Run an automated SaaS discovery scan to surface unauthorized apps, including shadow AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI writing assistants that employees are increasingly using to process sensitive business data without security review. In 2024, ChatGPT became the single most common shadow IT application in corporate environments. Auvik’s discovery engine flags these tools and maps their usage to specific users and departments.
 	Analyze license utilization. Compare provisioned licenses against actual usage data at the user level. On average, up to 25% of licenses are completely unused. Beyond unused licenses, look for redundant apps: multiple teams independently subscribing to similar project management, file-sharing, or communication tools is extremely common and represents an immediate savings opportunity.
 	Automate onboarding and offboarding workflows. Configure automated workflows so that new employees receive the correct app access on day one based on their role, without manual IT intervention. Even more critically, when an employee departs, all access is immediately and automatically revoked across every connected application. Ninety percent of U.S. companies have reported that former employees retain access to SaaS applications after their departure.
 	Set up continuous security monitoring. Enable real-time alerts for risky user behaviors such as credential sharing, unauthorized data exports, personal account sign-ins, and new unsanctioned app registrations. Map your SaaS environment against compliance frameworks relevant to your industry, such as SOC 2, HIPAA, or ISO 27001, and use your platform’s reporting to document your compliance posture for audits and cyber insurance requirements.
 	Optimize spend and demonstrate ROI. Use your SaaS Management Platform’s spend dashboard to identify licenses available for reclamation, flag contracts approaching renewal before auto-charges occur, and pinpoint apps that can be replaced by tools you already own. Organizations using Auvik SaaS Management report an average of $298,000 in total SaaS savings with a 26x return on investment.
 	Report and refine continuously. SaaS management is not a one-time project, but an ongoing discipline. Establish a regular reporting cadence for leadership that translates SaaS data into business language: cost savings identified, security risks resolved, licenses reclaimed, and onboarding/offboarding efficiency gains. This reporting builds the business case for continued investment and keeps SaaS governance front of mind.
SaaS Management Services: What Your IT Partner Should Be Doing
Many businesses, particularly small and mid-sized organizations, lack the internal resources to continuously monitor, optimize, and secure their SaaS environment on top of everything else IT is responsible for. That’s where SaaS Management as a Service comes in.
When you work with a managed IT provider that offers SaaS management as part of their service portfolio, they take on the full SaaS lifecycle on your behalf, powered by enterprise-grade platforms like Auvik SaaS Management. Here’s what a comprehensive managed SaaS service should include:
 	Ongoing SaaS discovery and inventory management. Your IT partner continuously scans for new apps entering your environment, maintains an up-to-date SaaS inventory, and flags any new shadow IT or shadow AI tools as they’re adopted by employees.
 	License lifecycle management. Rather than discovering waste at renewal time, a managed SaaS partner tracks license utilization in real time, alerts you before unused licenses renew, and proactively recommends consolidation or cancellation throughout the year.
 	Security monitoring and incident alerting. Your partner monitors your SaaS environment for risky user behaviors and alerts your team when a SaaS vendor is affected by a security incident that could impact your data.
 	Automated onboarding and offboarding execution. New hires get the right access from day one. Departing employees are offboarded from every connected application the same day they leave. No gaps, no manual checklists, no lingering access.
 	Executive reporting and business reviews. Your managed SaaS partner translates platform data into clear business reporting: cost savings, risk reduction, compliance posture, and efficiency gains presented in terms leadership teams can act on.
Teams using a SaaS Management Platform were able to decrease shadow IT spend by an average of 35% year-over-year in 2024. But with the rapid acceleration of AI tool adoption, that number will trend back upward for organizations that aren’t actively monitoring their environments.
What Is Shadow AI and Why Is It Now the Biggest SaaS Governance Risk?
If shadow IT was the defining SaaS challenge of the last decade, shadow AI is the defining challenge of this one. Employees are increasingly turning to AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot extensions, AI writing assistants, AI image generators, and more to accelerate their work.
Most are doing so without IT’s knowledge, and many are inputting sensitive company data in the process. In 2023, Samsung discovered employees were entering confidential source code and internal meeting transcripts into ChatGPT.
The company was forced to issue an emergency restriction on the platform’s internal use. Samsung is not unique. It’s simply the most publicized example of a problem happening at organizations every day.
Nearly two-thirds of employee-expensed apps carry a security risk score of “Poor” or “Low,” and AI tools represent a growing share of that category. A SaaS Management Platform with built-in shadow AI detection, like Auvik, gives IT teams the visibility to identify these tools, assess their risk, and make informed decisions about whether to sanction, restrict, or block them.
The organizations that will manage this challenge successfully are the ones building proactive SaaS governance programs now, before an AI-related incident forces their hand.
Why Auvik SaaS Management?
Auvik SaaS Management is a purpose-built platform used by IT teams and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to discover, manage, secure, and optimize SaaS environments at scale. It is rated 4.7 out of 5 on Capterra and 4.5 out of 5 on G2, and is trusted by organizations across healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, education, and more.
The average company now runs 106 SaaS applications, yet nearly half of all provisioned licenses go completely unused.
Key capabilities include:
 	Automated SaaS discovery: Surfaces all apps in use, including shadow IT and AI tools, without requiring manual input from employees or department heads.
 	User lifecycle management: Centralizes and automates onboarding and offboarding workflows across all connected applications.
 	Real-time security monitoring: Detects credential sharing, unauthorized app access, and vendor security incidents with configurable alerts.
 	Spend management and ROI reporting: Tracks license utilization, identifies waste, and generates the data needed to negotiate renewals from a position of knowledge.
 	Multi-client MSP support: Designed with a hierarchical architecture that supports IT teams managing multiple sites and MSPs managing multiple client environments.
For organizations currently managing SaaS manually through spreadsheets, periodic audits, or not at all, the shift to a managed SaaS approach typically pays for itself within the first renewal cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions About SaaS Management Services
What is SaaS management?SaaS management is the practice of discovering, tracking, securing, and optimizing all cloud-based software applications used within an organization. It covers maintaining a full app inventory, managing licenses, automating user access provisioning, identifying shadow IT and shadow AI, enforcing security policies, and controlling SaaS costs, all from a centralized platform or managed service.Why is SaaS management important for small and mid-sized businesses?Small and mid-sized businesses are disproportionately impacted by SaaS sprawl because they often lack dedicated IT governance teams. Without SaaS management, businesses routinely pay for unused licenses, expose sensitive data through unsanctioned apps, and fail to revoke access when employees leave. The average company wastes $135,000 annually in unused SaaS licenses, money that can be directly recaptured with proper management tools and processes in place.What is shadow IT, and how does SaaS management address it?Shadow IT refers to software applications adopted and used by employees without official IT approval or oversight. It is extremely prevalent. In 2024, 42% of apps in use across companies qualified as shadow IT. SaaS management platforms automatically discover unauthorized applications, alert IT teams in real time, and help enforce governance policies without disrupting employee productivity or requiring manual investigation.What is SaaS Management as a Service?SaaS Management as a Service is when a managed IT service provider handles SaaS governance on behalf of a client organization. The provider uses a SaaS Management Platform, such as Auvik, to deliver continuous discovery, license optimization, security monitoring, and automated user lifecycle management. This is typically included as part of a broader managed IT services agreement or offered as a standalone managed service.How long does it take to deploy a SaaS Management Platform?Modern SaaS Management Platforms are designed for fast deployment. With Auvik, integrating Microsoft Entra ID takes approximately two minutes and deploying an endpoint agent takes roughly six minutes. Most organizations begin seeing actionable insights, including unused licenses, shadow IT applications, and security gaps, within hours of initial deployment.What is the difference between a SaaS Management Platform and a traditional ITAM tool?Traditional IT Asset Management tools were designed for on-premises hardware and perpetual software licenses. SaaS Management Platforms are purpose-built for cloud-delivered applications, providing real-time usage data, browser-level app discovery, identity provider integration, and automated lifecycle workflows that legacy ITAM tools cannot support.How does SaaS management help with employee offboarding?When an employee departs, a SaaS Management Platform can automatically revoke access to every connected application simultaneously, eliminating the manual process of logging into dozens of platforms individually. This is critical because 90% of U.S. companies report that former employees retain access to SaaS applications after their departure, creating significant security, data privacy, and compliance exposure.How is Auvik SaaS Management priced?Auvik SaaS Management uses a flat per-user pricing model with no caps on the number of SaaS apps monitored, devices per user, integrations used, or support requests. Pricing scales based on user count, making costs predictable for both internal IT teams and MSPs managing multiple client environments.
Is Your SaaS Stack Working For You or Against You?
Most organizations don’t realize the full scope of their SaaS problem until they start measuring it. The wasted licenses, the shadow AI tools quietly processing confidential data, and the former employees still logged into company systems. These risks are invisible until you have the visibility tools to surface them.
SaaS Management as a Service, powered by Auvik, gives your organization that visibility, plus the automation, security monitoring, and spend optimization capabilities to act on what you find.
Ready to see what’s hiding in your SaaS stack? Contact Be Structured today to learn how we can implement Auvik SaaS Management for your organization. We are located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and are ready to be your go-to L.A.-based MSP for years to come. 
- Categories: AI, SaaS

#### What Is Server Virtualization And How Can It Help My Business?
The term “virtual” has become an ominous metaphor in these changing times thanks to a drastically different world than even one year ago. Everything from business meetings to birthday parties to concerts and even political gatherings are now done virtually and that new normal may never change back to the old normal of actual face-to-face interactions.
The term even applies to IT support strategies that actually have existed for a long period of time, but many companies and in-house IT departments overlook its necessity.
The business benefits of server virtualization are enormous for streamlining network performance, minimizing capital expenses and scaling your operations for growth.
What Is Server Virtualization? 
Server virtualization is the concealing of server resources, including the amount and identities of specific servers, processors and/or operating systems, from the actual server users. With virtualization, an application software system is implemented to separate one physical server into several virtual environments that are isolated from one another.
But what do you do when your server virtualization project doesn’t go as planned or when a deeper problem prevents you from virtualizing your servers in the first place? The possibilities for virtual infrastructure are literally limitless, making it difficult to predict the challenges you may encounter while deploying a virtual platform.
In this post, we’ll explain some of the most common server virtualization challenges, so you’re better prepared to overcome them. If any of these challenges have held you back in the past, we’ll also cover straightforward IT support solutions to each problem.
Virtual Machine (VM) Sprawl
Virtualization sprawl occurs when the number of virtual machines (VMs) operating on a network reaches a critical point where network administrators can no longer efficiently manage them. In the past, deploying a new device on a network represented a considerable amount of time, effort, and money, thereby minimizing the number of devices on a network before it got out of control.
On the other hand, because VMs on a virtualized server are easy to create, they can quickly undo the consolidation benefits virtualization offers. That’s because it can be difficult to track who needs particular VMs on the server and who is using them. As a result, you can lose the performance optimization benefits when resources aren’t balanced.
The solution? Fortunately, VMs are just as easy to destroy as they are to create, so your internal IT organization or your company’s outsourced technical support needs specific policies and procedures in place for tracking the creation, use, and management of VMs. These procedures can allow you to see precisely how your virtual environment is being used and how it can operate even more efficiently.
Congested Network Traffic
Too many VMs operating on a server can also result in network congestion. Because a virtual server is partitioned into separate virtual devices while still running on a singular network device, network loads on a server can surpass the capabilities of the physical hardware itself. When particular applications or processes are sensitive to latency issues, your team can experience errors, poor performance and crashes.
To overcome this problem, you can upgrade server ports to deliver the network bandwidth applications needed to operate on a virtual server simultaneously. You can also explore the possibility of properly balancing server workloads and prioritizing bandwidth-hungry VMs.
A Single Point of Failure
If you have five different applications running simultaneously via VMs on a virtualized server, what happens if that server stops working? Without a business continuity plan in place, you lose access to all five of those applications. A virtualized server, then, can represent a single point of failure for multiple applications or processes.
While you can proactively mitigate the risk of server hardware failure in the first place, it’s also an excellent plan to implement server architecture with integrated failover systems in place. That way, any affected workloads, applications, and data storage automatically carry over to another working server until you can get the malfunctioning server back up and running.
Struggles With Software Licensing
Although licensing varies depending on the software vendor, cloning a VM doesn’t necessarily mean all of the software and operating system licenses will carry over. “You may end up having to purchase separate licenses for each virtual machine you create within a virtualized system,” explains Chad Lauterbach, founder of the Los Angeles-based IT support company, Be Structured which specializes in outsourced technical support. “Before deploying any new software with a virtualized solution, be sure to review and understand the licensing agreement and confirm that it offers the scalability you need.”
Failure to comply with licensing terms can result in legal fees and even open your organization up to a lawsuit; so taking the time to understand each vendor’s licensing plans is well worth it.
The Los Angeles IT Support and Virtualization Experts
If any of these challenges have prevented you from implementing virtualization strategies on your network, contact the experts at Be Structured today. We’ve already helped dozens of Los Angeles–area businesses overcome these hurdles and we’re ready to help your organization next.
- Categories: Cloud Solutions
- Tags: Business Benefits of Virtualization, Server Virtualization, Server Virtualization Challenges

#### What Is the Biggest Threat to Your Los Angeles Business’s IT Environment?
Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in Los Angeles may think that because their organizations are small or midsize, the IT threats that plague larger companies won’t be an issue for them.

Think again …

SMBs are just as vulnerable to cybersecurity threats as their larger counterparts—maybe even more so. In a 2017 report from the Ponemon Institute, 61 percent of SMBs had experienced a cyberattack in the previous 12 months, and another 54 percent suffered a data breach. Both numbers represent increases over 2016. Also, more than half (52 percent) of responding SMBs reported a successful or unsuccessful ransomware attack against them.

That said, the risks to your IT environment aren’t just related to cybersecurity. Here are some of the threats that Los Angeles businesses should know about and take steps to mitigate:
The Obvious Threat: Security
The hackers are out there, and they seem to stay one step ahead of cybersecurity experts, not to mention SMBs trying to protect themselves from digital threats. The Ponemon report also found that 48 percent of respondents experienced phishing attacks. Employee education would seem to be the answer to this problem—workers should simply take better care to not open suspicious emails or click on unknown links, but those suspicious emails increasingly look legitimate.

Cybersecurity naturally should entail safeguarding systems on the digital side, but Los Angeles businesses also must think about the physical security of their IT. If you store sensitive data (including customer data) on servers in your place of business, leaving the door to your server room unlocked 24 hours a day is obviously not a best practice. That scenario may be simplifying the threat, but many Los Angeles businesses have little, if any, governance regarding the physical security of their hardware, or any policies regarding mobile device use. You want to prevent the bad guys from accessing your IT, from the applications you use to the computers at your employees’ desks.
Other Threats Can Be Quite … Threatening
Los Angeles businesses may be so focused on cybersecurity that they forget that other IT threats can be just as damaging to their operations. Although security should never be overlooked or diminished, beware of these additional technology issues that slow down SMBs:
Lack of efficiency:
If your IT systems are consistently causing you grief, operational efficiency for your entire business can suffer. And if efficiency is suffering, the bottom line may ultimately suffer, too. SMBs may not see inefficiency as a threat, per se, but if unaddressed, it can sink a company just like a data breach—just not as spectacularly.
No support for the sales team: Sales teams that rely on technology to be effective need their IT concerns and goals addressed. Yet salespeople’s immediate and long-term concerns might be brushed aside because their role isn’t part of the organization’s core mission. Poor IT hampers sales, and no sales means no profits—and, of course, no profits means no business …
Misaligned IT goals:
IT elements that don’t play nice with each other can destroy efficiency, but often, the misalignment is never fixed and is even exacerbated as companies chart their future technology goals. These businesses may continue to support antiquated software stacks or choose new technology that is incompatible with their current systems. The result often is IT chaos that threatens efficiency and security.
Confused employees:
If something with their computers is amiss, non-IT employees often don’t know who to turn to for help, particularly if a company is small enough that it doesn’t have a dedicated technology specialist in-house. Often, these befuddled workers simply accept the problem and carry on at reduced productivity, or, worse yet, they attempt to fix the problem themselves and make it worse.
Careless employees:
As already mentioned, employees falling for phishing attacks is a serious threat, but other instances of carelessness are just as risky. Stunningly, workers in 2018 still use “12345” or “password” as passwords, giving hackers a far-too-easy path into your systems. Without some teeth behind governance, password and bring-your-own-device policies won’t make a difference for employees who choose convenience over best practices.
Picking the wrong partner:
Los Angeles businesses may opt to work with a managed services provider (MSP) or another technology partner to help with their IT. Though this is a smart strategy, choosing the wrong partner can increase risk rather than decrease it. For example, a provider without an optimized ticketing system may fail to deliver the tech support an SMB needs, subsequently leaving employees wondering whom to call when they have a problem.
Fortunately, the threats outlined in this post can be addressed and minimized with due diligence—and, possibly, some outside help. The best technology partners and MSPs identify the shortcomings in their clients’ IT profiles and present and implement solutions that reduce risk and increase efficiency. The threats are real, but with the right IT strategy, they don’t need to be so scary.

Which IT threat does your SMB most worry about?
- Categories: Security

#### What Is the Difference Between Antivirus and Antimalware?
Did you know that in 2021 there were more than 1.3 billion pieces of malware that had been discovered, with 450,000 new pieces registered every single day?

It only takes one single virus or malware application to cause serious harm to your business. With so many pieces of malware out there, you can't afford to leave your business unprotected.

The good news is that you or a local IT support company can install antivirus and antimalware applications to protect your business. These can help to identify and neutralize malware and virus threats.

What's the difference between antivirus and antimalware?

Do you need both?

Read on to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Malware?
Malware is a term that is short for 'malicious software'. It is a catch-all term to describe any piece of software designed to harm you or your computer or other electronic device.

Malware includes malicious software such as trojans, ransomware, spyware, worms, and even adware. If it's an unwanted program that can cause damage to your computer or cause you problems, then it's malware.
What is a Virus?
In nature, a virus is an infectious agent that is able to replicate itself and spread from person to person.

A computer virus has similar abilities. It is able to replicate itself and spread across a network from one computer to another. It is a piece of malicious software, so a virus is a type of malware. Viruses are just one of the many different types of malware that exist.

Since malware is the catch-all term, all viruses are malware, but not all malware is viruses.
What is Antimalware?
As you would expect from the name, antimalware software identifies malicious software. It then blocks or removes that software to keep your computer protected.

It does this in a number of ways.
Signature Detection
Signature detection involves using the digital signature of a known piece of malware to try and identify it before it can cause damage.

This is why antimalware software makes frequent updates. Any time new malware is detected, the signature uploads to your antimalware software. It can then keep on the lookout for any software that has a similar signature. If it detects this new signature, it will remove the malware.
Behavior Detection
Behavior detection involves monitoring the behavior of software to look for signs that it might be malicious.

The best behavior detection algorithms can identify potentially malicious actions before they are completed. It can then remove the malware before it has a chance to cause any real damage.
How Does Antimalware Keep You Protected?
There are several ways that antimalware works to keep you protected. These are some of the most common.
Scanning
Antimalware software will continually scan through your files to look for any known signatures of malicious software. It will also monitor behavior to look for anything suspicious.
Traffic Filtering
Antimalware software can also protect you from having malware installed in the first place.

It will monitor your internet connection, and filter any traffic that is coming from suspicious servers or sites that are known for spreading malware.
Sandboxing
Sandboxing involves installing potentially malicious software in a walled-off part of your computer system.

If the software does turn out to be malicious, it won't be able to affect the rest of your computer, and can be removed. If the software is not malicious, it can be allowed to install on the main part of your computer.
What is Antivirus?
Antivirus and antimalware are not the same thing, although the lines between them are becoming more blurred.

Antivirus was traditionally focused on identifying and blocking viruses from infecting your computer. However, many antivirus products today will also defend against other forms of malware.

In general, antivirus offers general protection by trying to stop viruses and other forms of malware from being installed in the first place. This is often through signature detection.

We've also had experience with using a combination of antivirus with intrusion protection systems recently to proivde and extra layer of cyber protection.
What’s the Difference Between Antivirus and Antimalware?
As mentioned above, the lines between antivirus and antimalware programs are becoming more blurred, but there are still differences.

"Antivirus software usually tries to identify threats before they get installed and block them before they become an issue," explains Chad Lauterbach, Founder of Be Structured Technology Group, a leading IT support Los Angeles based company. "Antimalware software can identify threats that are already installed and remove them from your system."

Since antivirus is often focused on signature detection, it's intended to identify and protect against known threats. Antimalware on the other hand can detect new versions of malware that wouldn't be recognized by their signature.
Do I Need Both Antivirus and Antimalware?
Although there is an increasing amount of crossover between both antivirus and antimalware protection, the best approach is always to use both.

No harm will come from using both antivirus and antimalware protection in parallel. If you only use one or the other, however, then you may leave yourself more vulnerable to a successful malware attack.

Many of the best applications, such as Webroot antivirus and antimalware, will provide both forms of protection in one package.
Keep Your Business Protected
Now that you know the difference between antivirus and antimalware, you should realize that it's vital that your business uses both to give you the maximum protection against malicious software.

Antivirus and antimalware are just one of the many ways that you should keep your business protected, however. That's where we can help. As well as antivirus and antimalware software, we also offer a range of other security services, including network security, IP access control, Microsoft Windows hardening, two-factor authentication, and more.

We also offer many other IT services to Los Angeles businesses beyond security, including cloud migration services, data backup and protection, disaster recovery, network installation, hosted VoIP solutions, and all-inclusive managed IT services.

Schedule a free consultation with us today!
- Categories: IT Support, Security

#### What Is the Typical Cost of Managed IT Services?
The way that you handle your technology will spell a lot about the results that your company experiences. We live in a digital, data-driven world, so you'll need professional help to keep your systems running.

The global budget for Information Technology (IT) will soon reach nearly $4 trillion as a budget. Managed IT services let you outsource this work to a company that provides comprehensive assistance. Knowing how much these services cost is the first step toward finding the right fit.

In Southern California, these tips are helpful if you'd like to learn the cost of managed IT Los Angeles services and other points of information.
The Cost of Managed IT Services
When you're getting ready to hire a company for outsourced IT support services, it's important that you get to know the cost. These prices are issues in a variety of ways, and companies also have their discretion on what they charge based on a number of factors.

Consider the different managed IT pricing models that companies work under. Examples of these agreements include:

 	Per device
 	Tiered pricing
 	A-la-carte pricing
 	Comprehensive pricing
 	Per user

When charging per device, companies might charge $70 per desktop setup or approximately $300 per server. Companies might charge you anywhere between $50 and $300 per user, per month.

Consider what kind of subscription package you're looking into to make sure that your company's IT services are handled properly.
Why You Should Consider Outsourced Tech Support Companies
Looking into pricing models is important so that you can handle your services long-term. It's important that you set up a local IT support  agreement that works for you so that you're fulfilling your company's objectives effectively.

Managed IT services are helpful because of the following advantages:
You Can Effectively Use Your Time
Hiring companies that provide IT solutions will help you remain more productive. The reason for this is that you're not diverting your attention from other important areas of your company. You're relying on the help of an IT support company that can address your tech needs, troubleshooting, cybersecurity, and other services without losing sight of what you do best.

An IT support company in Los Angeles will also be more productive since they have more local resources and can assist your company with whatever needs you have.
Managed Services Protect Your Data
Take the time to hire an IT company so that you're able to get the most out of your data. They will protect you from cyber threats such as Man in the Middle (MiTM) attacks, SQL injection, ransomware, phishing attacks and others.

By both thwarting these attacks and helping you recover data after a breach, you can minimize losses and make sure your information is secure. This is important if you work in an industry that keeps people's sensitive data and financial information. An outsourced IT support pro will protect your data so that you lower liability risks and other problems.
A Managed IT Service Provider Brings Continuity
Continuity and predictability are excellent when it comes to your IT needs. You create this level of continuity when you bring in a managed IT service provider that can help you.

It offers you more knowledge about your infrastructure and how it is run so that you are able to make informed decisions. Having this understanding allows you to forecast problems before they arise so that you can take the best course of action.
Finding the Right IT Support Near Me
Taking the time to find the best managed IT service provider will help you address all of your tech needs. By doing your research into these companies, you'll keep your IT needs organizing and will know that each task is handled correctly. You also want to partner with an IT support company that's near to you in case an emergency onsite visit is necessary.

If your company is in the greater Los Angeles area, for example, you'd want work with a Los Angeles IT services team.

Here are some ways to find the best managed IT service companies:
Know Exactly What Kind of IT Services You Need
If you're trying to work with an IT managed support service, make sure that you get to know what services your company needs on a regular basis. Regardless of what sort of industry you're in, here are some of the services that you might opt for:

 	Beefing up security with a Virtual Private Network (VPN), malware, ransomware, and intrusion detection
 	Instituting Hardware as a Service (HaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and other subscriptions
 	On-site or remote IT services
 	Managing your cloud computing services
 	Troubleshooting and help desk support

Decide on what sort of services will serve you to create the package that works best. From there, you can consider the price structure and fit it into your budget.
Check Their Background
Do your due diligence when looking into the background of the company. Find out what kind of certifications they hold, and that they are up-to-date with the latest and most important ones.

Consider where they received their degree and ask for a list of references from companies that they have worked with in the past. Choose the most competent and capable pros so that you're in a better position to find an agreement that works.
Consult With the Company Personally
When you're ready to make a hire, book a personal consultation so that you can customize your services to your liking. They will audit your current IT infrastructure and let you know how they can bridge the gap and improve the services.

This is also the best time to gather cost estimates so that you can budget your operating costs accordingly.
Handling Your IT Work
Now that you understand the cost of managed IT services, you can take the next steps. Handling your IT work correctly requires you to find the help of the best company available. Cost is an important criterion, but make sure that you contract with the most capable pros around so that you get the full package.

Be Structured Technology Group can assist you with whatever you're looking for. Take the time to contact us online or by calling (323) 238-6914.
ABOUT BE STRUCTURED
Be Structured is an award-winning, full-service Los Angeles IT support company that provides best in class outsourced IT support services that include managed IT security services, cloud computing consulting services, network migration and 24/7 local IT support.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### What Is Unified Communications as a Service?
Your business needs a tool that can combine various media. And you need it cloud-based.

What now?

Enter unified communications as a service (UCaaS), a revolutionary solution that streamlines collaboration by bringing together voice, video, messaging, and file sharing into a single, cloud-based platform.

Today we're diving into the transformative potential of UCaaS, guiding you through its benefits and how it can elevate your team's collaboration to new heights.

Let's explore how this service can solve your communication challenges, fostering a truly collaborative environment.
What Is UCaaS?
Unified Communications as a Service, or UCaaS, is like a magic tool for businesses. It combines all the ways we talk and work together in one place, but it's all stored on the internet, which is why we call it cloud-based.

This means you can use it anywhere, anytime, without needing a bunch of different tools or gadgets. It helps everyone stay connected, whether they're in the office or working from home.

Let's take a small trip back in time. In the past, companies had to use a lot of different systems to communicate. They might have one system for emails, another for phone calls, and yet another for video meetings.

It was complicated and often frustrating. But then, UCaaS came along. It changed the game by putting everything into one easy-to-use service.

This wasn't just a small step; it was a giant leap towards making work easier and more connected.
What Are UCaaS Tools?
UCaaS includes a bunch of different tools. Imagine having your phone, email, video chats, and file sharing all in one spot.

You can send a message, make a call, have a video meeting, or share documents without having to switch between apps.

It's like having a supercharged work toolbox at your fingertips. This is what makes UCaaS so special. It brings everything together seamlessly.

So, how does UCaaS work? Well, it's all about the cloud.

UCaaS uses this cloud to let you use all its tools without needing to install a bunch of software or buy expensive equipment. You just log in from your computer or phone, and you're good to go. It's simple and efficient, and it makes working together a breeze.
The Structure of Unified Communications
When we talk about the structure of Unified Communications, or UC, think of it as building a big, friendly robot that helps everyone in your company talk to each other.

This robot doesn't live in one place. Instead, it lives in the cloud, which means it can be everywhere at once. This is super handy because it means you can talk to your coworkers, share files, or have a meeting from anywhere in the world.

The heart of this robot is its core architecture. This is a fancy way of saying it has parts that work together to make sure you can send messages, make calls, and share your screen without a hitch.

These parts include things like servers in the cloud that handle all the heavy lifting. This means your computer or phone doesn't have to work as hard, making everything run smoother.

One of the coolest things about UC is how it can become friends with the tools and apps you already use at work. This means you don't have to throw away the things you're comfortable with to start using UC.

It's designed to fit right in and work alongside your current setup. So, if your team uses a special app for tasks or schedules, UC can link up with it, making your workday even easier.

UC also grows with your company. If you start with just a few people and then hire more, UC can handle that.

It's like adding more blocks to a Lego tower. You can make it as big as you need without starting over. This flexibility is great for businesses that are growing or changing how they work.
The Benefits of UCaaS for Collaborative Environment
Imagine if your whole team could share ideas instantly, talk face-to-face with a click, and work on projects together in real time, even if you're miles apart. That's what UCaaS does.

It breaks down the walls between people, making it feel like everyone's in the same room, even when they're not. This means projects move faster, ideas flow freely, and everyone stays on the same page.
Cost Efficiency
Money matters in business, and UCaaS helps save a bunch. Instead of paying for phone lines, separate messaging apps, and video conferencing tools, you get everything bundled together in UCaaS.

This not only cuts down on costs but also makes managing expenses a lot easier. Plus, since it's all in the cloud, you don't need to spend a fortune on hardware or worry about upkeep.
Flexibility and Mobility
With UCaaS, your office is wherever you are. Whether you're at home, in a café, or on a trip, you can connect with your team, access your work, and keep things moving.

This flexibility is perfect for businesses that have people working from different places or for anyone who wants to enjoy the freedom of not being tied to a desk.
Improved Customer Experience
Happy customers are the key to success, and UCaaS helps make them even happier. It lets you respond quicker, solve problems faster, and be there when your customers need you.

With features like instant messaging and video calls, you can offer a personal touch that really makes a difference.
Security and Compliance
Business IT services and security means keeping information safe is super important, and UCaaS has got your back. It comes with built-in security features that protect your network, your conversations and data.

Plus, it meets strict rules and regulations, so you can feel confident that your business is doing things the right way.
Exploring UCaaS Vendors and Cloud Communication Tools
When it comes to picking the right Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) for your business, think of it like choosing the best smartphone. You want one that has all the features you need, is reliable, and fits your budget.

There are a lot of UCaaS vendors out there, each offering different tools and services. Let's break down how to choose the best one for your team and what to look out for.
Criteria for Choosing a UCaaS Vendor
First things first, you need to know what makes a UCaaS vendor stand out. The most important things to look for are reliability and support. You want a service that's always up and running smoothly.

If something goes wrong, you need to be able to get help fast. Think of it as having a reliable car with a good mechanic on speed dial.

Next, consider the features. Different teams need different tools.

Maybe your team does a lot of video conferences. Or maybe you need top-notch security for sharing important files. Make a list of what's most important for your work and find a vendor that matches those needs.

Also, think about the future. Your business is going to grow, and you want a UCaaS that can grow with you.

This means looking for a service that's easy to scale up. It's like buying a house; you want one that fits your needs now but has room for your family to grow.

Lastly, check out the vendor's reputation. Read reviews, ask for recommendations, and maybe even talk to other businesses using their service.

It's a bit like checking out a new restaurant. You want to know it's good before you book a table.
Top UCaaS Vendors and Their Offerings
There are a few big names in the UCaaS world that have earned their reputation for quality service. Companies like Cisco, Microsoft, and Zoom offer comprehensive UCaaS solutions that cover everything from video conferencing to file sharing.

Each has its own set of strengths. Cisco is known for its robust security and reliability.

Microsoft integrates well with other business tools, making it a great choice if you already use software like Office 365. Zoom has become a go-to for video conferencing, offering clear video and audio quality.

But there are also newer players in the market worth considering.
Integration Capabilities
One of the best things about UCaaS is how it can work with the tools you already use. This is where integration capabilities come into play. Some UCaaS solutions are better at this than others.

Look for a service that can seamlessly connect with your current email, project management, and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. It's like getting a new appliance that fits perfectly into your smart home system.
Security and Compliance Considerations
When choosing a UCaaS vendor, pay close attention to their security measures. Look for features like encryption, which keeps your conversations private, and compliance with laws and regulations. This is especially important if you work in industries like healthcare or finance, where there are strict rules about handling information.

Also, ask about the vendor's data centers. You want to know where your data is stored and how it's protected.

It's a bit like choosing a bank. You want to make sure your money is in a safe place.

Remember, the best UCaaS for you is the one that fits your unique way of working and grows with your business.
Implementing UCaaS in Your Organization
Starting with UCaaS is like planning a trip. You need to know where you're going, how you'll get there, and what you'll do once you arrive.

The first step is figuring out what your team needs. Do they need better ways to talk to each other? Share files? Manage projects?

Once you know what you need, it's time to look at different UCaaS options to find the best fit. Think of it like shopping for the perfect travel gear. You want something that has all the features you need.

After picking your UCaaS service, the next big step is setting it up.

This is where you get everything ready for your team to start using it. You'll need to set up accounts, make sure everyone knows how to use the new tools, and maybe even provide some training. It's like showing your team how to use their new travel gear so they're ready for the adventure.

The last part of the journey is actually starting to use UCaaS. This might take some getting used to, but soon, it'll feel like a natural part of your team's day. And just like with any trip, you'll find ways to make the experience even better as you go along.
Overcoming Challenges
You might run into technical issues, or some team members might be hesitant to change the way they work. The key is to stay patient and keep communicating.

Offer help when needed, and listen to feedback. It's like smoothing out the rough spots on a trail so everyone can enjoy the journey.
Measuring Success
Knowing if your UCaaS adventure is a success is important. This means looking at how it's affecting your team's work.

Are projects moving faster? Is communication better? There are tools and metrics you can use to measure these things.

Think of it as looking back on your trip and seeing all the amazing places you visited. It's about understanding the impact UCaaS has had on your team and your business.

Bringing UCaaS into your organization is a journey worth taking. It can transform the way your team works together, making everything more connected and efficient. With the right preparation, support, and tools to measure success, UCaaS can be a game-changer for your business.
Unified Communications as a Service
Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) revolutionizes how businesses communicate, offering a seamless blend of collaboration tools.

By carefully selecting the right UCaaS vendor and leveraging cloud communication tools, organizations can improve productivity, flexibility, and security, ultimately fostering a more connected and efficient workplace environment.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is a Los Angeles IT support company founded in 2007. We provide realistic strategies on time and within budget. It's our goal also to ensure that our technical expertise aligns and exceeds your goals.

We can help with UCaaS, recognizing ransomware threats, and more, so click here to schedule a free consultation today!
- Categories: Managed It Services, Tips & Tricks

#### What Qualities Should You Look For in Your IT Support in Los Angeles?
Did you know that roughly 74% of businesses outsource IT to some extent? There are various reasons why the majority of companies leverage managed IT support. IT services can give you access to pooled expertise, better security, enhanced compliance, and cutting-edge solutions. What's more, it can also trigger substantial cost savings.

According to research, companies who use outsourced IT services can enjoy IT savings of up to 55%.

However, if you're looking for IT support in Los Angeles, you need to be discerning about which IT service provider you choose.

Although there are numerous benefits to using managed IT support, you'll only be able to enjoy these fully if you pick the right provider. If you select an IT services provider who doesn't offer top-notch services, you might end up spending more than you expect, only to receive sub-par support.

The quality of your IT infrastructure can have a direct impact on businesses operations, competitiveness in your market, and, ultimately, your bottom line.

To make sure you partner with the right IT support in LA, keep reading to find out what qualities to look for in providers.
Experience
One of the first things to look for in an IT service provider is experience. Although newly opened operations might not provide a bad service, they don't have a track record behind them. While their offerings might be competitive, there is always the chance with a new provider that they might end up shutting down.

If you go with an established IT service provider, you'll benefit from their industry experience. Established providers are more likely to have dealt with a business similar to yours in the past. In which case they will be better equipped to offer you tailored solutions that work.

IT is a complex, evolving field. If you go with a managed services provider who's been around the block, you can be pretty certain they'll know what's required to make your business's IT department run like clockwork.

Besides this, you can also rest assured that an established IT services provider will remain in business for years to come. Switching IT support providers can be disruptive, and you want to reduce the chance of being forced into this by your provider suddenly closing down.
Innovation
While you want to go with a managed services provider who has experience behind their name, you also want to ensure that the provider you choose focuses on innovation.

IT is a fast-moving area, and you need a provider that will be able to implement the latest solutions. At the same time, you also want one with foresight. A good IT support company will be able to suggest upgrades and integrations that will last into the future, and won't become redundant overnight.

It can be hard to ascertain from the outside looking in whether or not a provider is innovative. However, once you start looking at different IT Support Los Angeles options, you should be able to gauge their overall approach.

Is it forward-thinking? Or do you get the feeling that they are simply copy/pasting solutions across their client base?
A Focus on Security
If you're on the hunt for IT support in Los Angeles, another quality to look for is a focus on security.

Security isn't a glamorous area, which is why it sometimes doesn't get the attention it deserves. However, hacks and security breaches can cost businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars. What's more, it can also result in business closure.

Research shows that 60% of businesses that undergo a data breach or hack close down within 6 months.

Because security breaches can be so detrimental, it's essential that you vet providers in terms of their security offerings. Ideally, you want to choose a managed service provider who specializes in security.

If you're wondering how to gauge whether security is their specialty, check their service pages. Do they feature security as a standalone offering? If so, this can be a good indication that security is one of their core services.
24-Hour Availability
One of the big benefits of managed IT support is that it can give you access to round-the-clock support. However, this is only true if the provider you choose offers this.

Although 24hr support has become an industry benchmark—especially when it comes to IT support in LA—this doesn't mean that every provider offers it. There are still some providers who have yet to grasp the need for 24/7 support services.

According to reports, one hour of downtime can cost SMBs up to $100,000 in losses. Having 24hr support from your IT service provider means that if something does go wrong, you can ensure that it gets rectified immediately. No more waiting until the morning, or paying your own IT staff overtime to get things up and running.

Long story short: double-check that the managed service provider you choose does in fact offer 24/7 support and monitoring.
Swift Response Times
Besides vetting for 24/7 support, you should also ensure that the managed IT service provider you select has fast response times. Waiting around for your provider to get back to you isn't anyone's idea of a good time. What's more, what is the point of 24hr support if you still can't raise someone quickly?

To gauge whether or not a potential IT service provider has fast response times, test them on a few channels. For instance, you can give them a call and see how many rings it takes for them to pick up. You can also shoot them an email, or hit them up on social media.
Employee Support
Another important feature you should look for in a managed services provider is employee support. If you're going to take the leap and hire on outsourced managed IT support, then you want to make sure that your employees can benefit from this.

No matter how tech-savvy your employees are, there will invariably be times when they need tech assistance. In some cases, you might have existing in-house IT staff that can meet this need. However, there are also many situations where this could be better done by your IT service provider.

Therefore, query potential providers and see whether employee support is part of their offerings.
Tailored Solutions
IT isn't usually a one-size-fits-all situation. That's why it's important that you look for providers that realize the importance of tailored solutions.

Ultimately, you need your IT solutions to work for your business, not against it. This is where tailored solutions shine. Instead of you and your employees having to work around the limitations of your systems, a good managed services provider will be able to supply you with solutions that increase productivity and truly meet your individual needs.

When looking into potential providers, try to feel out what types of systems they implement. Do you have generic solutions that they scale up or down according to business size?

Another way to see whether a provider specializes in tailored solutions is if they have pre-priced packages. Pre-priced packages are often, by design, inflexible. On the other hand, if you have to get a custom quote, this usually means that the provider is focusing on individualized rather than blanket IT solutions.
Disaster Recovery Plans
Besides watertight, cutting-edge security, another critical service that your managed service provider needs to offer is disaster recovery plans.

No matter how sound your security and data protection measures are, you still need to have a strong disaster recovery plan in place. If something entirely unforeseen happens, you need to know that your business's IT operations and data is still secure.

What's more a comprehensive disaster recovery plan needs to cover all aspects of your business and its functions. Disaster recovery is an area where your entire company needs to be involved and catered to because everyone has to respond in different ways when disaster strikes.

This is why, here at Best Structured Technology Group, we work with every department of your business when structuring disaster recovery plans. These include sales, c-level employees, and operations. Through this, we build practical plans for how your operations will continue, even if the worst possible scenario unfolds.
Proactive Maintenance
Traditionally, IT departments operated on what is known as the break/fix model. When components broke or software malfunctioned, IT technicians would implement a fix. Fortunately, the world has moved on since those days.

Now, most IT support providers carry out proactive maintenance. What this means is they actively monitor your systems for early signs of failure and malfunction. Once these are detected, technician teams can carry out upgrades and maintenance before anything goes wrong.

This reduces downtime and disruptions and increases productivity for your business.
Remote Monitoring
One of the essential components of proactive maintenance is remote monitoring. Through constant remote monitoring managed IT support providers can pick up and diagnose issues before they even happen, without needing to visit your premises.

Remote monitoring gives providers the data they need to conduct thorough and effective remote monitoring.

Besides this, remote monitoring is also vital for maintaining rock-solid security. This is why we implement 24hr monitoring for all our clients. We watch out for potential threats, intrusion, and unusual behavior.
Vendor Partnerships
One of the reasons why managed IT support services can be so cost-effective is because providers often have vendor partnerships. These allow them to access vendor discounts. These savings they can then pass down to their clients.

Therefore, if a potential managed IT support provider has a number of vendor partnerships, they might supply you with slightly discounted solutions.

Additionally, vendor partnerships are also an indication of trust and professionalism. Large-scale IT vendors aren't likely to partner with fly-by-night IT support operations. Instead, they usually only partner with providers who have been in business for some time and have a good track record of business.
Concentration on Business Results
In essence, IT solutions are a means to an end. The end is enhanced business results. Therefore, you want to engage a managed service provider who is looking to help you achieve your business goals.

You don't want a provider who is only interested in keeping your IT systems up and running. You want a provider who is passionate about the success of their clients and dedicated to helping them achieve this success through the right IT solutions. You also want a provider that is able to plan for the future, and work closely with you to support growth.
CIO-Level Service
Last but not least, make sure that the provider you choose offers CIO-level services. This type of consulting will ensure that your MSP works with you to achieve the business results you need.

Hiring a full-time executive employee that only focuses on IT is often impractical for a lot of SMBs. However, this doesn't mean that you don't need the services and insight of a CIO.

Fortunately, some IT support providers offer virtual CIO services.

For instance, when you sign up for our managed IT support services, you will gain access to IT consulting services that are on par with that of an in-house CIO. We will assign you a c-level employee / IT consultant who can guide and assist you with:

 	IT budgeting
 	Strategies for increased revenue through the right IT solutions
 	Security, disaster recovery, business continuity, and compliance
 	Reducing operating costs

As you can see, these are not areas that a junior IT technician can assist you with. This is why we ensure you have access to c-level consultants who are equipped with strong business acumen.
Are You Looking for IT Support in Los Angeles?
Are you looking for IT support in Los Angeles? Here in LA, we are blessed with having an array of services at our fingertips. However, this doesn't mean that you don't need to be discerning when it comes to selecting an IT services provider.

As you can see, the quality of your provider's offerings matter a lot. In today's age, the functionality of your IT solutions can either be a competitive edge, or a stumbling block that impacts productivity, customer relations, brand image, and more.

Fortunately, if you're on the hunt for the best in managed IT support, you don't have to look far.

At Best Structure Technology Group, we're dedicated to providing our clients with tailored solutions, impregnable security, round-the-clock support, vCIO consulting, and more.

Contact us today to discuss your unique needs.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Threats, Data Backup, Managed IT Services, Managed Service Provider, MSP

#### What to Consider for Office Relocation
Everything to Consider for Office Relocation and IT
Office relocation brings a host of benefits for your company and your employees. A new office provides more space to accomplish tasks and can be a huge boost to sales and employee productivity.

But first, you have to get there.

In a recent survey, 67% of respondents admit that office relocation is a big challenge and a serious distraction. This doesn't even factor in the most complicated part of moving your office — IT.

Today's fast-paced business world leaves no room for downtime. Every minute your company is "offline" during a move is potential sales and business lost. In fact, experts estimate that one minute of downtime will cost the average company $5,600.

What's the key to a smooth, successful office relocation? What steps should you follow to ensure a problem-free office relocation and IT setup? We'll provide these important answers and much more, so continue reading below.
Office Relocation and IT: An Overview
Fifty years ago, office relocation involved moving little more than moving furniture and filing cabinets.

Now, though, telecommunications and IT are the lifeblood of every successful company. If your infrastructure isn't set up and your phones aren't ringing, you're (literally) losing money by the second. Any downtime or delays can have disastrous consequences for your bottom line.

IT experts will also tell you that every business needs 24/7 IT monitoring to guard against hackers and cyber-attacks. So, in addition to physically moving and setting up your IT network, you also need to consider its virtual security.
IT Relocation Checklist
It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're thinking about so many details. That's why we've put together this step-by-step guide for you to follow as you plan your office relocation.
1. Start Planning ASAP
There's an ancient Chinese proverb that states, "The best time to plant a tree was decades ago — the next best time is right now."

The same is true with office relocation and IT. The best time to start planning the move was yesterday (or last week, or last month). The point is: You can never start the planning process too soon, especially if you have an extensive IT network to consider.

Another factor is lead times, which are often a lot longer than you might imagine. The sooner you begin planning, the better your odds of getting everything in place and ready to go on moving day.

This is the time to establish your schedule for the move, including any current or future projects that could be affected. Create a comprehensive budget that factors in all aspects of the moving process. If you're relocating to a new office building, meet with the contractor or architect to discuss your specific needs.

You'll also want to identify how to perform necessary business operations during the move. As there's likely to be a short amount of downtime, make a plan for the minutes or hours these operations are interrupted.
Breaking Down the IT Planning Process
To get started, assign one of your managers (ideally someone from your IT team) to oversee and coordinate this part of the office relocation. Make it their responsibility to contact and get quotes from the best IT support providers in your area. They should look for providers with extensive experience in office relocation, not just basic IT support.

Once you've hired trustworthy office relocation IT services, it's time to book your move date. Do this as soon as possible to ensure you get the support you need, especially if you're relocating over the weekend. If you wait too long, all that awaits you is frustration and network disruption.

Next, arrange for the IT company to visit both your current office and your new location. We'll discuss this in more detail later, but for now, it will give them an overview of your infrastructure and what the move will require.

One last thing you'll need to do in this early planning stage is alert all your service providers and vendors about the upcoming move. This includes your current IT support service (if you have one), as well as your telecommunications providers.
Take a Complete Inventory
With your plans in place, your next step is to inventory your physical hardware and connections. Make an honest assessment of its condition and consider whether it's time to upgrade any of your equipment. If you can coordinate these upgrades with the move, this can simplify the entire process.

Make a list of any equipment that needs to be updated or replaced. If there's any equipment you won't need in the new office (i.e., leased phone or IT equipment), make plans to return it. Create a plan for selling, recycling, or donating hardware or other equipment you no longer need.

In addition to every piece of equipment, you should also inventory your service agreements with your IT and telecommunications providers. Will you be transferring your existing service or terminating the contract? Make these decisions and give notice early to avoid potential fees or disruptions.

If you need to order any new phones, computers, or other equipment, do so early. If possible, test it before the move and provide any necessary training for your staff.

It's also wise to consider how you'll handle any downtime within your network. For example, some companies successfully use redundant hardware or software to support operations during the move.

Bonus tip: Make sure you check with your service provider about the internet speed in your new office location. (At a minimum, you'll want at least 25 Mbps of download speed and 3 Mbps of upload speed.) The last thing you want to do is move office only to discover you're stuck with a slow internet connection.
Visit Your New Office Site
When you meet with your IT service provider, it's your chance to review the configuration plan for your new office. They can also assess your current data, voice, and video setup and help you decide what to keep or replace.

During the site visit, you can address things such as:

 	Seeing where you'll need telephone jacks, power outlets, and network cable points
 	Determining the best locations for workstations, modems, printers, routers, and other equipment
 	Confirming that the new office space supports structured cabling if you need it
 	Confirming that the server room meets requirements for cooling, electrical, security, and dimensions
 	Confirming that wireless networking and computing is possible if that's a priority for your business

At this point, you should have all the information you need to create a detailed blueprint of your new office. Be sure to include not only the layout of workstations but also the IT infrastructure and required fixtures.
Prepare Your Data & IT Equipment
You can never, ever be too careful with your company's data. Make multiple backup copies of all your data systems, including servers and firewalls. Store some copies in a secure off-site data center and store everything else in the cloud.

Speaking of security, it's also a good idea to create a detailed list of employees, administrators, and business groups. Be sure to include their current network access rights. If necessary, update your company's security policies and verification procedures.

After that, it's time to create your Business Continuity Plan (BCP). It's similar to a disaster recovery plan; however, the goal is to prevent major problems before they occur.

Make sure that your BCP includes:

 	Your plan for switching phone numbers, phone lines, and internet connections
 	Your plan for data migration and transferring servers
 	A complete inventory of all your hardware and software
 	A list of business data and priorities (ranked from most to least important)
 	Emergency contact information for IT and telecom providers
 	A "hot site" for keeping your business operations going in the event of a disaster or delay

Once your plan is in place, you need to test it to ensure it will actually give you a full recovery if the worst should happen. If you need any help, your IT service provider can help you to create and test your BCP.
Prepare Your Telecommunications
Are you happy with your current telecommunications providers? If not, office relocation is the perfect time to make the switch. There are so many options to streamline and enhance your business operations, from VoIP solutions to ISDN or PBX systems.

Whether you're switching to a new provider or sticking with your current one, early preparation is (once again) the key. Order new phone lines if you need them, keeping in mind they can take up to 10 business days to install. If possible, have your phone lines and internet routers installed before you move so you can quickly address any issues.

Will you be switching to a new business telephone number? If so, you may need to set up call forwarding until the transition is complete. Otherwise, you'll need to arrange for the transfer of any numbers or extensions you want to keep.

It's also worth looking at your company's projected growth over the next 3-5 years. If you're expecting rapid expansion, it's worth upgrading your telecommunications now rather than scrambling later to keep up.
Get Ready for Moving Day
Chances are you've hired an office relocation company to assist with the furniture and physical files. However, relocating your IT and telecom equipment is best left to the experts. They know exactly how to handle, transfer, and set up your equipment, so don't try the "DIY" approach.

To ensure everything is ready to go when your office relocation IT specialists arrive, complete this checklist leading up to moving day:

 	Create a contact list of everyone involved in the moving process, including vendors and technicians
 	Label all wires and cables clearly, including which piece of equipment they belong to
 	Transport backup copies of data to the new location
 	Order corporate stationery that reflects the new address, phone, and fax numbers
 	Ask your staff to fully shut down all their equipment on the final day at your old location

Bonus tip: Are you moving into a multi-floor building? Will you need to use the passenger or service lift? Find out if there's a call-out time for the lift engineer, or arrange for an onsite engineer on your move-in day.
Test Everything in the New Location
Hopefully, the actual moving process goes smoothly and all your equipment arrives in perfect condition. Once everything is where it should be, the only thing left to do is a test run to ensure it all works.

Here's your final IT relocation checklist to make sure everything is as it should be:

 	Check that all phones, cabling, and IT equipment are in the correct places
 	Test every feature of the new phone system
 	Make sure that call forwarding from the old number is being forwarded to the correct phone(s)
 	Double-check each individual phone line, modem, fax, and other devices within your telecom system
 	Check that everyone can send and receive emails
 	Check your company website, intranet, and extranet
 	Start your data servers and test the network capabilities
 	Ensure that all data has successfully migrated over
 	Do a Broadband Frequency Test on every network connection

Along with your IT provider, you should plan to be on-site to help your staff with any unexpected problems. In the coming days and weeks, follow up with your staff and see how the new system is working for them. Do they feel that the overall infrastructure is better since the move, or is there still room for improvement?
The Best Office Relocation Services in LA
When you're moving to a new office, packing your desk is the easy part. The real challenge is relocating your IT equipment and infrastructure without disrupting your business operations.

For this reason, savvy business owners entrust their move to experienced office relocation services. If you're making your move to or within Los Angeles, we're here to help.

Be Structured Technology Group has proudly served the LA area since 2007. We deliver practical tech solutions to companies of all sizes — including office relocation IT services.

Ready to cross a major item off your checklist? Click here to get in touch or give us a call at (323) 639-5454 and let's discuss your IT needs.
- Categories: Managed IT
- Tags: Cloud Migration, Data Backup, Los Angeles IT Support, Mobility, Office relocation, Outsourced IT Support

#### What To Do if You Get Crypto Ransomware - Part 1
Part 1 - Prevention is the best medicine.
We've all heard of someone being hit by a ransomware attack at this point. But how does ransomware work? Where does it come from? How can we as a community reduce the frequency of these types of attacks happening? And what are the best first line of defenses against it? We explore this and a few other things in this two part blog post about ransomware attacks.
How Does Ransomware Work?
Ransomware works when a malicious piece of software gets installed on your computer, encrypts all your data, and presents you with a screen to pay the hackers (usually with cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin) to decrypt your file. This software can get on your system a variety of ways:

 	You open a malicious software attachment.
 	You browse to a malicious website and authorize a piece of malicious code to run.
 	Someone or something else on your network has been exploited and is transmitting the malicious software to other machines.
 	You've accidentally acquired and run this malicious software on your computer some other way.

Where Does Ransomware Come From?
Regardless of how you've acquired it, this type of software is some of the "best" malicious software ever written for computers. Since the hackers and bad actors have a direct profit motivation from the attack they are willing to expend both financial and labor resources to execute it on your network and make sure it works well. In fact, a whole industry has been born where more sophisticated hackers develop these software packages and sell them as a service to lesser skilled bad actors who can execute it for profit. The original developers get a cut of the revenue.
How Can We Reduce Ransomware in the World?
The best way to stop any criminal activity is to make sure it doesn't pay anymore. For business owners that means making sure you have the proper safeguards in place so you can handle the threat without paying the ransom. The less often people actually pay the ransom, in other words the less often the crime actually works, the less of a threat it will be worldwide because it will become less profitable.
Safeguards You Must Have:

 	A solid backup, restoration, disaster recovery, and business continuity system and plan in place.
 	Make sure your users don't save important data to their local computer.
 	Endpoint protection including anti-virus and anti-malware software on each device.
 	Network protection including an advanced firewall and network segmentation for larger networks.
 	Good network account security practices.
 	Don't allow users to be network or local administrators of their systems.
 	Train your staff what to watch out for online.
 	Deploy Internet monitoring and filtering.

If you don't have any of these safeguards in place or aren't sure, ask your IT person or service provider for details. And if they don't have good answers, be on the alert.  If you're in Los Angeles, give us a call and we would be happy to review your environment for you.
When Backups Alone Aren't Enough
The number one safeguard listed above that you need is a solid backup, restoration, disaster recovery, and business continuity plan. One of the things we learned the hard way at Be Structured is just having a really good copy of the companies' data isn't enough. Ransomware never strikes at a convenient time and the backup, restoration, business continuity, and disaster recovery systems have to be ready to respond with enough performance to meet the organizational needs.

 	Backup System Architecture: First off, you know you need all your systems backed up. That's a given, right? But what you might not think about is how often you need backups. For instance, critical database systems might need snapshots every hour... or even every 15 minutes depending on the business need. So just nightly backups don't cut it anymore for some systems. Make sure you systems are architectured to provide granular file based recovery as well as image-based full system recovery. Both types of recovery are critical these days for ransomware and other malware attacks.  Additionally, there are horror stories out there about backups being hit by the same ransomware their primary systems are. Make sure you have sufficient offline backup systems and consider protecting systems with disparate operating systems (i.e. protect Windows with Linux and vice versa). Generally a malicious program will only be written for one operating system and thus wouldn't affect both at the same time. Our prefered backup partner, Unitrends, gives us the ability to architect all these things and more!
 	Performance Considerations: Something very few backups systems consider these days is backup system performance. We know we can grab a full backup overnight or over a weekend and do incremental updates during the day; however, what if you need all that data back fast? How fast is good enough for your business? If you need your systems back online in a matter for a couple hours you could need to invest tens of thousands of dollars in high performance backup systems and networking gear. And if you don't want to make the investment and can settle for a full days downtime, make sure you have a contingency plan for your business to operate without those systems for the day while they are being restored.
 	Planning The Response: If you've architected your systems to be able to restore the environment in a couple of hours and made the investment, then you know what to do. But for most businesses that have a solid backup plan in place but not the performance to restore quickly, you're left with some difficult choices. Do we restore only critical files right now, losing a few hours of work, and deal with larger restorations going forward? Or do we shut down the whole office for 8 hours while we do a complete restoration? Do we risk data integrity with partial restores or even possibly restoring the original malware/ransomware? Or do we build new systems and restore the data to a clean slate? The more awareness of these issues and decisions you can make ahead of time will help with the response if that fateful day does come.

Stay Tuned for Part 2:
Stay tuned for my second part of responding when the ransomware hits in the worst case scenario... you can't restore everything or can't restore it fast enough. Also, know the above planning goes a long way in making sure you're backup policies are in absolutely tip-top shape too.
Excerpt: What To Do if You Get Crypto Ransomware - Part 1: Crypto ransomware is a scary thing. Make sure you and your business are protected from this scary criminal activity affecting businesses of all sizes, including Los Angeles based small businesses and beyond.
- Categories: Backup, Crypto, MSPs, Security

#### What to Expect from IT Consulting in Los Angeles
Properly managing your IT obligations as a business owner is something that you simply cannot overlook. However, not every company is equipped with the right team to do so. In many cases, outsourcing to a professional is your best option. This is especially true when it comes to consulting. Not quite sure what to expect when working with an IT consulting Los Angeles professional? We’ve got all the info you need to keep in mind.

Let’s get started.
You Can Focus More on Your Core Obligations
One of the most notable benefits of working with outsourced IT services is the capability to focus on your core responsibilities. This is especially true for small businesses.

Smaller companies (or those that are run by inexperienced entrepreneurs) often have trouble implementing the right internal systems. Additionally, they may not know how to proactively maintain their networks.

If they choose to do so on their own, it can distract them from their other obligations. It’s not uncommon for a scenario like this to result in a drop in revenue.

Your consultant will know exactly how to handle the numerous obstacles you face. Working with the right consultant could even allow you to streamline the way you handle IT issues.

As time goes on, your company will become more and more self-sufficient. You will then only need consulting services for major issues that arise.
Increased Security
One of the biggest threats to small businesses is insufficient network security. In fact, hackers often prey upon smaller companies due to the fact that they often do not have the knowledge required to protect themselves.

Unfortunately, this could lead to a situation where a small business experiences a catastrophic data breach. A scenario like this might even occur when they thought they were sufficiently protected.

For those who are unaware, the cybercrime industry will be worth over $10 trillion by the year 2025. Much of this value is projected to be acquired from extorting small businesses or selling their sensitive data.

Your consultant will help implement safeguards that minimize the chances of you suffering from a cyber attack. They’ll also help you properly train your employees on how to recognize data breaches and viruses.

This can be achieved by developing a comprehensive training plan for your internal teams. The consultant you work with will also help ensure that this training is both effective and accessible.
A Refreshing Perspective
Tackling internal problems can sometimes lead to tunnel vision. You might struggle to find a resolution even after accommodating a problem for weeks or months at a time.

Not only can this affect your productivity, but it can also be notably frustrating.

In context, this typically involves an attempt to improve a certain area of your IT system. You might want to make communication between your employees more efficient, for example.

Or, you may encounter a problem where your applications are using more bandwidth than they should.

Having an outside look can offer more value than you might think. Fortunately, an IT consultant’s entire role is centered around doing just that.

This provides a refreshing perspective and can illuminate factors you may not have recognized. You might even discover that the solution was right in front of you the entire time.

Regardless of whether or not you are currently handling a problem, this point of view can allow you to make significant improvements to your organization. So, it’s something that you should keep in mind when moving forward.
Learn Best Practices for Managing IT Staff
Handling an internal IT team is something that many entrepreneurs simply don’t have the experience to achieve. In fact, it’s fairly common for businesses to outsource to an IT service provider for assistance.

Improperly managing your IT staff could also cost your business a significant amount of money in lost revenue. They won’t be able to accomplish enough to justify what you’re paying them.

Additionally, you may experience a high turnover rate due to improper management.

Finding and hiring a suitable IT candidate is something that can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. It also typically takes weeks or even months.

To help ensure that your team functions properly, you’ll need proper management practices. This will also help ensure that your IT team does not become a revolving door of changing employees.

The consultant that you hire will have all of the required knowledge to help you identify weak points in your current management, and they can also recommend best practices.

In many cases, the changes they propose will seem simple at first. However, their years of industry experience allow them to recognize the best solution for the problem.

It’s also worth considering the fact that you can reinvest the money you save into your own business. Many businesses are not able to scale simply due to a lack of funding.

Saving as much money as possible on unnecessary expenses will allow you to grow far sooner than you anticipated.
Ongoing Client Support
Having the right level of managed IT support is crucial when it comes to maintaining productivity. After all, there’s a strong chance that you will have plenty of questions for your consultant after you hire them.

As you might guess, working with a consultant who is inaccessible after providing their services may do more harm than good. You may not fully understand the changes they suggest, and new problems may arise afterward that you have never encountered before.

For this reason, it’s essential that you hire a consultant who is willing to provide ongoing support to their clients.

Although not every consultant is able to offer 24/7 accessibility, there are many who do. It’s in your best interest to find a consultant who is as easy to get in touch with as possible.

The type of accessibility you experience will also depend on the consultant you work with. For example, hiring an individual person may involve you waiting for them to call, email, or text you back.

A consulting firm, though, can offer a much higher level of service. It’s often fairly easy to get in contact with a representative of the organization.

You can also expect more a comprehensive level of service since they have access to a higher number of resources. How quickly you are able to receive support from your consultant is one of the primary factors that you should consider when making your decision.

Ongoing issues have a tendency to have adverse effects on your company. A consultant who is not willing to prioritize your business may have a negative impact on your sales numbers, customer service, etc.
Lay the Foundation for Long-Term Growth
Your business won’t be able to scale optimally unless a proper foundation is in place. In practice, this means having all of your internal teams operating efficiently.

More specifically, though, this means having a stellar form of IT management.

Whether or not you use an internal IT team is up to you. However, your business won't be able to grow without a proper IT system in place.

This affects your overall productivity, the way your teams communicate with each other, and even how you communicate with your clients. Holding video conferences, for example, is a common practice that many businesses benefit from.

Your consultant can provide a highly beneficial service in this context. They can help you determine your projected resource needs as your company grows.

For instance, you may have issues with your current IT system. After you find the appropriate solution, there’s no guarantee that it will work when your company scales.

Having this level of foresight can often mean the difference between successful business growth and struggling to accommodate your expansion. Your consultant can also help you figure out the ideal time to scale your business so that you don’t overreach too early.
Make Improvements to Your Internal Operations
As previously mentioned, a consultant can help you become more efficient overall as a business. More often than not, achieving this level of efficiency is only possible through expert advice.

In fact, you might find that you are able to obtain results from a consultant that would have taken you months or years on your own. Making fine adjustments like these can have a significant impact down the road.

This also comes with a drastic increase in revenue over time.

Working with an IT support LA professional can dramatically improve your overall efficiency. After all, many companies struggle to manage IT responsibilities on their own.

For this reason, entrepreneurs tend to view hiring an IT consultant strictly as an investment into their own business. The productivity increase that you experience will provide an exponential return on the money you spend.

Operating more efficiently will also impact the experience you can provide to your own clients and customers. This will help you establish a solid brand reputation, something that can serve to attract more business opportunities in the future.
Access to a Diverse Pool of Knowledge
Hiring a consultancy firm gives you access to a breadth of IT knowledge. This is simply due to the fact that having an entire agency on your side will help you manage virtually any issue that you encounter.

In order to find a suitable consultant, it’s best to take a look at the type of companies they’ve worked with. This will give you insight into whether or not they can provide sufficient results.

You can also look into their areas of expertise. For instance, some businesses are inherently more at risk than others of data breaches.

This means they'll need advice regarding how to implement optimal security protocols.

To clarify, companies that operate within the tech or healthcare spaces tend to be proverbial gold mines for hackers. In some cases, they may even have legal action taken against them if they did not sufficiently protect their information.
Properly Manage Big Data
For your company to be as successful as possible, you’ll need to have a strong understanding of the big data that your company deals with on a regular basis.

As the name suggests, this term refers to an extremely high volume of data that is very difficult to manage manually. In many cases, it is simply impossible to sift through and analyze it by hand.

For this reason, automation tools are often used for this task. Even after this data has been organized, many businesses do not handle it properly.

IT consultants are thoroughly experienced in managing data of all types. There are even consultancy firms that specialize in helping small businesses handle large volumes of information.

They’ll be able to accurately detect areas where you may not be as efficient as possible. This is something commonly seen when analyzing sales numbers.

Your consultant will also have access to high-quality tools that can aid in big data analysis. From here, you can use this information to build your future marketing campaigns and better understand your audience.

You can also rework areas that need improvement.
An IT Consulting Los Angeles Professional to Be Game-Changing
In many cases, they will be able to quickly identify key issues within your IT systems and propose a solution. An IT consulting Los Angeles professional is an invaluable resource that you should always keep in mind.

Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Cyber Security, IT Compliance, Los Angeles IT Support, MSP, Outsourced IT Support

#### What to Expect From Outsourced IT Support: An Overview
It's 3 a.m. Your company's network has just crashed, and you're losing thousands by the minute.

Does that sound like a nightmare?

It is for thousands of small businesses just like yours.

If your in-house network IT support team spends more time dealing with crises than innovating, it may be time to call the professionals.

Here's a look at what to expect when you partner with outsourced tech support companies.
Managed IT Services: Your Company's Safety Net
Imagine having an entire team of IT support experts at your disposal, working around the clock to protect your business from disasters. That's what you get with managed IT services. They offer disaster recovery and consulting solutions, ensuring you stay prepared for any eventuality.

Do you need collaboration tools or network installation? They've got you covered. They can manage the network cabling installation for a smooth office relocation.

From natural disasters to ransomware attacks, data loss can paralyze operations. A business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan ensures you can quickly restore systems and data.

Your MSP will use backup tools on-site and in the cloud, test restores, and offer emergency support during disasters. You'll gain peace of mind knowing your business can rapidly recover should the worst occur.
IT Consultants Los Angeles
An experienced MSP is a virtual CTO, providing strategic technology guidance tailored to your growth plans. In quarterly consultations, they will make operations more efficient, increase productivity, and reduce expenses.

You benefit from an unbiased outside perspective on optimizing your tech stack. Your MSP will also update you on emerging solutions relevant to your business.
Collaboration and Unified Communications
Collaboration platforms help distributed teams communicate and work together. MSPs can deploy and manage UCaaS solutions while tailoring them to your workflows.

Video conferencing and other tools help team members stay connected no matter where they are. MSPs also provide end-user training and admin support.
Network Installation and Office Relocation
When opening a new office or moving, an MSP will handle all aspects of your network rollout, from cabling to configuring hardware. With their expertise, they optimize network components for performance and stability.

MSPs can also coordinate your office move from packing equipment to unpacking it at the new location. Your staff stays focused on daily tasks rather than facility logistics.
Los Angeles IT Services
MSPs track your routers, switches, firewalls, Wi-Fi, and other infrastructure 24/7. This allows them to catch and address issues before they interrupt productivity.

They'll optimize network performance and install security protocols like segmenting traffic across virtual LANs. Regular network audits also confirm all components are configured as they should.
IT Security in Los Angeles: Your First Line of Defense
The digital landscape can be a dangerous place. Luckily, a quality IT support company in Los Angeles will have advanced tools to strengthen your defense against cyber threats.

With added protections like 2FA, antivirus, and anti-malware solutions, you can rest easy knowing your business is secure. MSPs keep your data, devices, and systems safe through services like:
Dark Web Monitoring
Dark web monitoring allows MSPs to check for compromised credentials that may be for sale on hidden areas of the internet. Early detection through monitoring prevents cybercriminals from exploiting stolen login information.
Managed IT Security Services
MSPs safeguard networks using advanced tools like firewalls and intrusion detection systems. These tools work together to track activity across your infrastructure and block threats.
Email Security
Email is a popular target for phishing scams and other cyber attacks. MSPs offer email security solutions that identify and prevent threats from reaching your inbox.
Access Controls
MSPs can implement access controls across your systems, ensuring only authorized users can access specific data and resources. This reduces the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access.
Employee Security Training
Employees are often the weakest link in a business's cybersecurity defense. Businesses need secure networks and devices because of remote work and BYOD policies. MSPs offer training to educate employees on best practices for safeguarding data and protecting against cyber threats.
Data Protection
MSPs use advanced antivirus software to protect your network from malware. Data protection services protect your business's sensitive information from unauthorized access. This involves implementing data encryption protocols and educating employees on cybersecurity best practices.
Cloud & Data: The Backbone of Your Business
Your data keeps your business running. A managed service provider has the expertise help you transition to hosted, hybrid, or private cloud storage. If you want to migrate to Microsoft Office 365, they can make the process smooth and hassle-free.

MSPs help companies like yours cut costs and boost agility by migrating infrastructure and applications to the cloud. They handle the migration of data/apps and provide ongoing admin support.

MSPs offer backup and disaster recovery services using public cloud storage platforms to protect data. MSPs also configure automation tools to streamline manual data management tasks.
Cloud Computing and Data Management
MSPs help companies cut costs and boost agility by migrating infrastructure and applications to the cloud. They handle the planning, deployment, and migration of data/apps and provide ongoing admin support.
Cloud Migrations
To migrate to the cloud, you must test workloads and plan the best strategy for moving your servers, data, and applications. MSPs handle the entire migration process so you avoid business disruptions.
Backup and Disaster Recovery
MSPs provide backup-as-a-service and disaster recovery-as-a-service using public cloud platforms. It's an offsite safeguard for data restoration during hardware failure, natural disaster, or other crises.
Ongoing Cloud Optimization
After migration, MSPs keep optimizing your cloud environment for performance, efficiency, and cost savings. This includes right-sizing resources, automation, security adjustments, monitoring usage, and monthly expenses.
Find Outsourced IT Support Services Near You
Partnering with an MSP can help your company stay ahead of the technology curve while freeing resources to focus on core business objectives.

A good Los Angeles IT support company won't just solve problems - they will prevent them.

Don't wait until a problem arises. By partnering with a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider, you can focus on what you do best: running your business.

Are you ready to take the leap? Schedule a free IT consultation with Be Structured Technology Group today and experience the difference professional IT support can make.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Managed It Services, Security

#### What to Look for in an IT Support Company in Los Angeles
The IT consulting industry in the US has reached $666 billion in revenue, with over 479,500 businesses contributing to the industry's growth. With so many IT organizations to choose from, it can feel difficult to find support for your business.

Finding the right outsourced technical support company in Los Angeles could prove paramount to your company's success. Here are a few tips that can help you narrow down your options. With these tips, you can find a local IT support team that can meet your needs.

Begin your search for IT services with these tips today.
Outline Your Managed IT Services Needs
Before you begin researching IT support businesses, first take a look at your business. Where is your IT infrastructure falling behind? Outlining your specific needs can help you find an IT team capable of meeting those needs.

Otherwise, you could waste valuable time and money on IT services that don't support your business.

Talk to different departments throughout your business. Determine where they're experiencing IT issues or bottlenecks. Their feedback can help you make more informed decisions about your needs.

Otherwise, consider factors like:

 	Improving your security
 	Moving to cloud computing
 	Meeting new regulations
 	Customer expansion
 	Outdated technology (hardware and software)

About 64% of businesses have prioritized updating their outdated infrastructures. Another 47% experienced increased security concerns. The majority of businesses allocated their IT budget to hardware, software, hosted/cloud-based services, or managed services.

Once you outline your needs, you can determine which services are priorities. Then, you can dedicate more of your IT budget to those areas.

When you begin interviewing IT companies, they should ask about your needs and goals. If they don't, remove that business from your list. An IT company that doesn't prioritize your priorities will waste your time and money.
Request Referrals and Reviews
Once you determine what you need, turn to business owners within your network. Google "IT support companies near me" and start building a list of managed service providers near you. And ask your nearby business neighbors who they use and what their experience has been.  Learn from their experience working with each company, too.

Consider drafting a list of questions you want to ask ahead of time.

For example, is the team experienced and knowledgeable? Remember to look for an IT team that can lend their expertise to your specific needs. If they're not experts in IT security in Los Angeles and that's your top priority to ensure security for your customers, keep searching.

Ask each business owner if they encountered any problems while working with the company. If they did, ask if the IT company tried to fix the problem. Look for a company that prioritizes its customers to offer the best possible experiences.

If your professional network can't provide referrals, begin searching for an IT organization online instead. Once you build a list of options, look for online client reviews. Reading reviews can help you find an IT team worthy of your trust.

If you find a number of complaints against the business, strike them from your list.
Look for Years of IT Support Experience
Determine how long each IT organization has worked in the industry. Try to determine how many businesses they've helped within that time, too. Look for an IT team that already has years of hands-on experience helping clients.

If you can, find an IT company that's helped businesses within your industry or niche.

These IT support teams will have more thorough knowledge about your industry, customers, and competitors. They can leverage their previous experience to benefit your company. With their help, you can make more informed decisions to ensure your company's long-term growth.

Try to determine if a dedicated technician will work on your IT needs, too. Then, learn more about their qualifications. Make sure their experience and expertise align with your needs and goals.

If they lack experience relevant to your needs, ask the company if you can work with a different technician instead.
Prioritize a Proactive Approach
Try to find an IT company that will take a proactive approach to your IT needs.

They should take the time to review your IT infrastructure to determine where there are issues or bottlenecks. Otherwise, the company might use a break-fix approach to your IT problems. They'll wait for an IT issue to impact your productivity, then step in.

This laid-back approach can do more harm than good. A proactive approach, on the other hand, can help you avoid problems. A company that takes a proactive approach will help your company become more cost-effective and efficient.
Review Their Services
Learn more about the different IT services in Los Angeles that each organization offers. Make sure their services align with your goals.

The company shouldn't push you to request services you don't need. Instead, they should evaluate your infrastructure and goals. Then, they should make recommendations that align with your needs.

Consider services like cybersecurity and cloud computing as a starting point.

Ask each IT company about their process and response times, too. For example, how will you submit a ticket? Will you contact a dedicated technician directly, or will your ticket go into a queue?

Understanding how the company operates will help you manage your expectations. If they don't already have an efficient process in place, keep searching.
Compare Pricing
Make a list of the specific IT services you need. Then, ask at least three IT support companies for a pricing list of the services they offer. Compare each company's pricing.

Is one company's pricing dramatically higher or lower than everyone else's? Determine why that is.

Make sure to read over the contract before signing any agreements.
IT Experts: Find Your IT Support Company in Los Angeles Today
Finding the best Los Angeles IT services company can set your business up for long-term success. Use these tips to explore your options as you look for an IT support team. Then, choose the team that's most likely to meet your goals for the year.

With their help, you can boost your productivity and ROI with ease.

Want to discuss your IT needs with a member of the award-winning Be Structured team? We're here for you.

Contact us today to get started.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, MSPs

#### What To Look For In An Outsourced IT Company
The IT industry has faced many dramatic changes over the years. Technology gets more complicated with each passing day. As technology continues to evolve, it becomes more desirable. Unfortunately, some business struggle with a limited amount of resources already so securing these technological advancements might not be a practical solution for their organization.

You could invest in an in-house IT department, but this is a very big financial and time commitment, especially if your business is still in its youth. If that’s the case, then you may want to consider working with a professional support service. Regardless of the size of your company, partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) is a surefire way for your organization to maintain an edge over the competition.

Before you sign a service agreement with just any IT consulting firm, make sure you do your homework. These are some of the main things to consider when you decide to partner with an outsourced IT service provider:
Experience and Reputation:
Managed service providers are highly skilled IT professionals with a plethora of licenses and certifications in their repertoires. The best MSPs to work with are those that have built a proven track record with multiple years of experience. Do some thorough research before you jump into a partnership. Read customer reviews, study company websites, and analyze previous case studies. It’s best to work with a seasoned veteran that has cultivated a history for delivering quality solutions.
A Versatile Skill Set:
The support team that you hire should be able to serve any of your IT-related needs. Whether that be cloud services, disaster recovery, or offsite technical support, it’s best to work with a professional services organization that has many capabilities. Don’t be afraid to ask what the consulting service is specifically good at. The best team to work with is one that is competent in a variety of areas.
Effective Communication:
“How do you communicate with clients?” This is a very important question to ask a professional service firms. A major component that factors into any relationship between a business and a MSP is effective communication methods. As a partner, your service provider should be easily accessible through a variety of methods. Work with an MSP that assigns a dedicated service agent to make collaboration and problem solving a more efficient effort.
Layers of Security:
The best managed service providers are those that will be trusted to monitor your network at all times. They’ll be able to detect security threats from afar and take immediate action to combat the attack. If any cyber attacks do strike your network, then they will need to immediately patch up the vulnerability and enact a recovery solution to preserve data.
Fast Response Times:
A professional MSP will be trusted to attend to emergency matters in a short amount of time. Whether it’s a simple break-fix or you need to replace any infrastructure, you need to be able to trust your MSP to tackle things quickly and efficiently. It doesn’t matter if you need on-site support or just assistance over the phone, managed providers need to be ready to provide an immediate remedy.
Scalability and Flexibility:
Whether you are downsizing or starting to experience explosive growth, working with an MSP will help you keep up with any vertical movement that your company endures. This makes it easy when you need to deploy more technology into the workforce for new employees. Make sure you are working with a managed provider that agrees to align with any business movement.
Call Be Structured
Be Structured is a premier source for managed IT services in the greater Los Angeles area. At Be Structured, we work tirelessly to keep businesses ahead of the curve. We are relentlessly committed to helping businesses of all sizes gain a competitive advantage. Whether it’s IT support or managed services, working with Be Structured will help you secure the peace of mind that you deserve.

If you are looking for superior IT outsourcing in Los Angeles, then be sure to contact the experts at Be Structured today. Give us a call today to schedule a free consultation with the best IT consultants in Los Angeles.
- Categories: Tips & Tricks
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support, Managed Service Provider, Outsourced IT Support

#### What to Look for in Cybersecurity Providers in Los Angeles
Did you know the cybersecurity industry is currently worth more than $225 billion? Did you also know it's expected to nearly double in value by the time 2030 rolls around?

With these statistics in mind, it shouldn't be too hard to find cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles. In fact, there are so many Los Angeles IT support companies that can set your company up with the cybersecurity services it needs.

But which one is right for you and your business?

Just about all of these IT support companies will be able to provide you with protection for your important data. They'll also be able to save you so much time and money when it comes to cyberattacks by preventing them from happening.

But you shouldn't call on just any local IT support company and trust them to set you up with the necessary managed IT services. Instead, you should consider a handful of factors and make it your mission to locate the best IT support company of the bunch.

Here are the top factors to consider when looking at cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles.
Location
Since you're going to be working with a cybersecurity company remotely for the most part, you might not think the location of the IT support company you hire will matter. But when you're in the market for a cybersecurity company in, say, Los Angeles, you should focus your search on the cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles.

Why? Well, there will be times when it might help to have someone from a cybersecurity company pay you a visit. In this case, it'll help you have a company providing you with IT security in Los Angeles as opposed to another city.

If nothing else, you'll appreciate that this cybersecurity company will be situated in the same time zone as you. It'll make it way easier for you to communicate with the Los Angeles managed service provider you choose.
Experience
When you'd like to hire a local IT support company to provide you with cybersecurity services, you might be tempted to simply select the first company you can find after Googling "cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles."

Since their name lands at the top when you conduct a Google search, they must be the best option of the bunch, right?

Not always!

Just because a cybersecurity company lands at the top of Google's first search engine results page doesn't always mean it'll be the right choice. You'll need to do more research on this company and all the cybersecurity companies that will be available to you in the greater Los Angeles area.

While doing your homework on cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles, pay close attention to which companies have the most experience. Ideally, you'll want to track down a company that has a wealth of experience within the cybersecurity industry. It'll let you know that they understand what they're doing when it comes to providing companies with business IT services and security.
Expertise
In addition to checking to see how much experience a company has, you should also sneak a peek at which areas they specialize in. A cybersecurity company's expertise will matter a great deal when you're in the market for one.

In a perfect world, the cybersecurity company you choose to work with should be able to provide an extra long list of cybersecurity services. This should include services like:

 	Dark web scanning
 	Network security
 	Antivirus and antimalware
 	Microsoft Windows hardening
 	And more!

The more services a cybersecurity company can provide you with, the better off you're going to be. You'll appreciate being able to get all your cybersecurity needs taken care of in one place.
Reputation
Just about all of the cybersecurity companies in LA will claim to be the best companies in the business. But obviously, they can't all be the best.

To see which ones are truly better than all the rest, you should skim through as many reviews for different cybersecurity companies as you can. This will shine a much brighter light on which companies are the best at what they do versus which companies are just blowing smoke.

Your goal should be to find IT services in Los Angeles that have almost nothing but positive reviews from all the companies they've assisted in the past. It'll give you a strong indication that these outsourced tech support companies stand behind the work they do and deliver the results other companies need.
Customer Service
In the event that your company is ever forced to deal with a cyberattack, you're going to need to communicate with your cybersecurity company early and often. Therefore, it'll be important for this company to take the right approach to providing customer service.

They should provide great customer service to you at all times, regardless of whether you're asking a simple question or contacting them for help with a cyberattack. If they don't seem to make customer service much of a priority, they might not be the right option for you.
Cost
You shouldn't ever just pick the cheapest option you can find when you're comparing cybersecurity companies. If you do this, it could lead to you choosing a company that isn't cut out to extend the Los Angeles IT services you need.

At the same time, you don't want to spend a small fortune on a cybersecurity company that charges significantly more than its competitors without offering better services. Look high and low for an affordably priced cybersecurity company that'll fit into your budget while providing superior services.
Be Structured Remains One of the Best Cybersecurity Providers in Los Angeles
As you'll see when you start searching for one, there isn't any shortage of cybersecurity companies in Los Angeles. It might make it challenging to choose one over the rest of your options.

But you'll like what you see and hear when you start learning more about the cybersecurity services that Be Structured Technology Group can provide. It won't take you long to figure out why so many companies have trusted us to handle their cybersecurity.

Contact us now for more information.
- Categories: cybersecurity compliance, Security

#### What to Look for in Managed IT Services
Did you know that the cybercrime industry is estimated to cost businesses over $10 trillion by the end of 2025? So, it's more important than ever before to protect sensitive information at your company.

One of the most important steps that you can take when it comes to doing so is properly hiring an outsourced IT support company.

However, not everyone understands what attributes they should keep an eye out for. Let's take a look at everything you need to keep in mind when searching for a managed service provider in Los Angeles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is The IT Support Company's Online Reputation?
The first thing you should consider is the managed IT services company's online reputation. The good news is that a quick Google search often tells you everything you need to know.

Start by searching "IT support near me" and look at the top organic results.

Read through customers' reviews carefully (both positive and negative ones) to gain insight into the quality of service they offer. You should also look for consistency among reviews.

For example, let's assume that many reviews talk about how communicative the provider is. There's a good chance that you can expect the same results.

However, not all outsourced tech support companies are the same.
How Good Are Their Customer Support Services?
Also, make sure the managed IT support company you choose is adept at providing customer support. This includes providing technical support to customers via phone and email, as well as through live chat on their website.

Above all else, they should be attentive and knowledgeable when it comes to dealing with any customer inquiries or complaints. Also, make sure they offer remote and on-site support as well.

You should never work with business IT services that cannot meet your needs in this way.
What Is the Quality of Their Service?
The quality of their services is also important to consider when choosing an IT support company. They should be able to provide secure and reliable servers, along with proactive maintenance and monitoring systems in place.

Ideally, they should be using the latest technologies available in the market to maximize efficiency. This will also help keep your systems up-to-date.
What Is Their Pricing Model?
Make sure you understand the pricing model of the managed IT services company you are considering.

Check if they offer any flat-rate or subscription packages that fit your budget, as well as detailed breakdowns of their services and how much each one costs. Additionally, enquire about any additional fees that may be incurred.

Otherwise, you might end up paying more for your Los Angeles IT services company.
Do They Prioritize Security?
The security of your data is one of the top priorities when it comes to managed IT support companies. Make sure you ask the IT consulting downtown Los Angeles provider about their security protocols and strategies, such as firewalls and encryption.

They should also be knowledgeable about necessary tools for preventing cyberattacks and have measures in place for dealing with any threats that arise. An IT security Los Angeles firm should be fully transparent about how they protect your data.

Business IT services and security are inseparable. Don't work with managed IT services that don't prioritize a security plan.

You could experience a large number of complications later on. In some cases, these can be difficult or even impossible to recover from.
Do They Have a Disaster Recovery Plan?
A reliable Los Angeles managed service provider should also have a disaster recovery plan in place, which outlines the steps they will take in the event of any issues. This is especially important when it comes to safeguarding against data loss or system outages.

Ask them about their policies and procedures so you can rest assured that your systems are in safe hands. This will go a long way when it comes to helping you choose the best local IT support business.
What Is Their Billing Structure Like?
Make sure you are aware of the managed service provider's billing structure.

Ask them about any additional fees and charges that may be applicable during or after your service period. Also, inquire if they provide flexible payment terms for customers who need it. Otherwise, you may be locked into a lengthy, expensive agreement with their IT services Los Angeles.
How Do They Use Automation?
It's also important to understand how the Los Angeles managed service provider utilizes automation.

Automation tools can significantly reduce labor costs and help streamline processes like data backups, software updates, and system maintenance. Ask them what type of automation they use and how it could benefit your business.

This will help ensure you choose the right IT consulting Los Angeles business.
Do They Have a Comprehensive QC Process?
Finally, you should make sure the IT services company has a comprehensive Quality Control process in place. This includes performing regular checks and tests on systems to ensure they are running properly and securely.

Also, inquire whether they offer any guarantees or warranties for their services. The last thing you want us to work with the wrong IT support company.
Hiring Managed IT Services Doesn't Have to Be Overwhelming
Initially, finding the right managed IT services may seem daunting. The good news is that the guide above has everything you need to know to make the process simple. From here, you will be well on your way toward finding the best managed service provider Los Angeles has to offer.

Looking for more information on what we can do? Reach out to Be Structured today to see how we can help.
- Categories: Hiring, IT Support, Managed IT, Managed It Services

#### What Will Be the 5G Network Impact on Business IT Infrastructure in 2026
​Wireless connectivity has entered a new phase, and business IT infrastructure is already being reshaped by the maturation of 5G networks heading into 2026. 
As organizations rethink network design and performance expectations, early collaboration with managed IT services teams helps ensure infrastructure planning keeps pace with expanding wireless capabilities.
Previous wireless generations focused on expanding coverage and increasing throughput. 5G introduces architectural changes that influence how data is processed, where workloads run, and how devices connect at scale.
As adoption continues, organizations must reassess how their infrastructure supports performance, security, and reliability. Decisions made now will determine whether IT environments remain adaptable or become strained as connectivity demands accelerate.

How 5G Differs from Previous Wireless Generations
5G represents a structural upgrade rather than a linear improvement over 4G LTE. It introduces higher bandwidth, ultra-low latency, support for massive device density, and flexible network slicing capabilities.
Bandwidth improvements enable faster data transfer across mobile and fixed wireless connections. This allows applications that once required wired connectivity to operate reliably over wireless links.
Latency reduction is one of the most transformative changes. 5G can reduce response times to milliseconds, which supports real-time analytics, automation, and interactive workloads.
Network slicing allows carriers to create multiple virtual networks on shared physical infrastructure. Each slice can be optimized for different performance, reliability, or security requirements.
These capabilities collectively push infrastructure away from centralized models. Systems increasingly distribute compute, storage, and security closer to where data is generated.

Why 5G Forces Rethinking Business IT Infrastructure
5G adoption changes how infrastructure is planned because connectivity is no longer the primary constraint. With faster and more reliable wireless links, applications and workloads can be deployed more flexibly.
This shift increases the number of connected endpoints across environments. Sensors, mobile devices, industrial equipment, and remote systems generate continuous data streams that must be processed and secured.


5G forces rethinking business IT infrastructure
Traditional hub-and-spoke networks struggle under this load. Infrastructure planning must now account for distributed traffic patterns and decentralized processing.
As reliance on wireless connectivity grows, infrastructure resilience becomes critical. Networks must support consistent performance even as device counts increase and workloads move closer to the edge.

Increased Device Density and Distributed Networks
One of the most visible impacts of 5G is the dramatic increase in device density it can support. 5G networks handle far more simultaneous connections than previous generations.
This enables large-scale IoT deployments across manufacturing floors, warehouses, offices, and remote sites. Devices that were once isolated can now participate in real-time data flows.
Distributed networks become essential in this environment. Traffic no longer flows exclusively to centralized data centers, which reduces bottlenecks but increases architectural complexity.
Infrastructure teams must design networks that manage local processing, regional aggregation, and cloud integration seamlessly. Without proper planning, device sprawl can overwhelm monitoring and security systems.

Edge Computing Becomes an Infrastructure Requirement
Edge computing gains relevance as 5G adoption expands. Processing data closer to the source reduces congestion and improves responsiveness.
Many workloads now benefit from localized compute resources. Video analytics, automation systems, and industrial monitoring rely on rapid feedback loops.
The combination of edge platforms and high-speed wireless connectivity enables new operational models. Applications can run where they deliver the most value rather than where infrastructure historically existed.
In practice, the integration of 5G and edge computing significantly reduces latency, which directly impacts application responsiveness and user experience. This improvement supports workloads that were previously impractical over wireless networks.

Cloud and Hybrid Architectures Expand Further
5G accelerates the move toward hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Wireless connectivity becomes reliable enough to support mission-critical applications outside traditional data centers.
Cloud platforms provide scalability and centralized management, while edge environments handle time-sensitive processing. This hybrid approach balances performance and flexibility.
Infrastructure planning must now consider how data flows between cloud, edge, and on-premises systems. Poorly designed architectures can introduce latency, security gaps, or management blind spots.
Organizations benefit from revisiting application placement strategies. Determining which workloads belong in the cloud, at the edge, or locally becomes a strategic infrastructure decision.

Network Architecture Changes Driven by 5G
Network architecture evolves as wireless connectivity becomes a primary access method. Fixed and wireless networks converge into unified platforms.
Routing strategies must accommodate dynamic traffic patterns. Applications may shift locations based on performance needs, availability, or cost considerations.
5G also supports private networks, which allow organizations to deploy dedicated wireless infrastructure for specific operational environments. These networks provide greater control and predictability.
Implementing these architectures often requires careful network installation planning to ensure coverage, redundancy, and integration with existing systems. Poor implementation undermines the benefits of 5G.

5G Network Security Implications
As networks expand and decentralize, security models must adapt. 5G increases the number of endpoints, access points, and data paths that require protection.
Traditional perimeter-based security becomes less effective. Traffic originates from many locations and flows across multiple environments.
Organizations must account for known 5G security risks, including increased exposure from IoT devices, signaling vulnerabilities, and misconfigured network slices. These risks require proactive mitigation strategies.
Security controls must extend consistently across cloud, edge, and wireless networks. Identity management, encryption, and continuous monitoring play central roles in protecting distributed infrastructure.

Monitoring and Visibility Challenges
5G introduces new complexity in monitoring application performance and network health. Distributed architectures generate more telemetry across more locations.
Legacy monitoring tools often lack visibility into wireless performance, edge workloads, and dynamic routing paths. Blind spots increase the risk of undetected failures or performance degradation.
Modern monitoring platforms must correlate data across networks, devices, applications, and security systems. This holistic view supports faster troubleshooting and informed decision-making.
Infrastructure teams benefit from automated alerts and analytics that highlight anomalies before they impact operations. Visibility becomes essential as environments scale.

Preparing Business IT Infrastructure for 5G Adoption
Preparation begins with assessing existing infrastructure capabilities. Networks, security tools, and application architectures must support increased throughput and reduced latency.
Capacity planning ensures systems handle higher traffic volumes without degradation. This includes evaluating bandwidth, compute resources, and storage performance.
Policy updates are equally important. Access controls, device onboarding procedures, and segmentation strategies must align with expanded connectivity.
Organizations that proactively optimize your IT infrastructure reduce friction during 5G adoption. Optimization creates a stable foundation for future growth and flexibility.

Device Management and Operational Complexity
Managing thousands of connected devices introduces operational challenges. Each device represents a potential failure point or security risk.
Lifecycle management becomes critical. Devices must be tracked, updated, secured, and retired systematically.


The business impact of 5g
Automation tools help manage this complexity by enforcing consistent configurations and security policies. Manual processes do not scale effectively in 5G environments.
Strong governance frameworks ensure that device growth does not compromise stability or security. Clear ownership and accountability support sustainable expansion.

The Business Impact of 5G Growth
Global adoption trends highlight the scale of change underway. The number of 5G global connections is projected to hit 7.7 billion by 2028.
This growth reflects widespread reliance on wireless connectivity for core operations. Infrastructure that cannot support this scale risks becoming a bottleneck.
Organizations that adapt early gain performance advantages and operational flexibility. Those that delay may face costly retrofits or performance limitations.
Planning for growth ensures infrastructure investments remain aligned with long-term connectivity trends.

Strategic Partnerships and Managed Support
Navigating 5G-driven infrastructure changes often requires specialized expertise. Internal teams may lack experience with distributed wireless architectures and edge platforms.
Strategic partnerships help bridge this gap. Experienced providers support planning, deployment, monitoring, and security integration.
Working with a local managed IT services provider improves consistency and reduces operational risk. External expertise complements internal capabilities.
Local insight improves execution quality by aligning infrastructure design with regional connectivity options and compliance requirements.

Supporting 5G-Driven Business IT Infrastructure Transformation
5G reshapes how infrastructure is designed, secured, and managed, requiring thoughtful planning and continuous adaptation. Preparing for increased connectivity, distributed workloads, and expanded security responsibilities ensures systems remain resilient and scalable. 
At Be Structured, we help organizations navigate 5G-driven infrastructure changes through scalable networking, integrated security, and industry-specific IT solutions. Schedule a free consultation today to align your business IT infrastructure with today's demands.

FAQs about 5G Networks' Impact on IT Infrastructure

 	
How does 5G impact business IT infrastructure?5G enables faster speeds, lower latency, and higher device density, which pushes infrastructure toward distributed, edge, and hybrid architectures. Businesses must redesign networks, security, and monitoring to support these changes.

 	
What is the difference between 5G and 4G for enterprise networks?5G offers significantly lower latency, higher bandwidth, and support for many more connected devices. It also introduces network slicing and better support for real-time and mission-critical workloads.

 	
Why does 5G increase the need for edge computing?5G reduces latency enough to make local data processing practical and efficient. Edge computing minimizes delays and congestion by processing data closer to where it is generated.

 	
How does 5G affect network architecture design?5G shifts networks from centralized hub-and-spoke models to distributed architectures. Traffic flows dynamically across edge, cloud, and on-premises systems.

 	
What security risks does 5G introduce for businesses?5G expands the attack surface through more devices, endpoints, and wireless connections. Strong identity management, encryption, and continuous monitoring are required to mitigate risk.

 	
How should businesses prepare their IT infrastructure for 5G?Preparation includes assessing network capacity, updating security policies, and ensuring systems support higher throughput and lower latency. Proactive infrastructure optimization reduces disruption during adoption.

 	
What role do private 5G networks play in enterprise IT?Private 5G networks give organizations greater control over performance, security, and reliability. They are often used in manufacturing, logistics, and campus environments.

 	
How does 5G impact cloud and hybrid IT environments?5G strengthens hybrid models by enabling reliable wireless access to cloud and edge workloads. Businesses must plan how data moves between environments to avoid latency and security gaps.

 	
Why is monitoring more complex in 5G environments?Distributed workloads and wireless connectivity generate more telemetry across more locations. Modern monitoring tools are required to maintain visibility and detect issues early.

 	
Do businesses need managed IT services for 5G adoption?Many organizations benefit from managed IT services due to the complexity of 5G, edge, and security integration. Expert support reduces risk and accelerates successful deployment.
- Categories: Managed It Services, Networking
- Tags: IT infrastructure, Network Infrastructure

#### What You Need to Know About Cyber Insurance for Business IT
With over 30,000 websites being hacked daily and 68% of companies experiencing at least one form of cyber attack, your cyber security is more important than ever. But along with implementing a cyber security policy and changes to how your business functions, you should consider cyber insurance.

There seems to be insurance for everything nowadays. But there is a reason why cyber liability insurance is something you should consider for your business IT. Once, general business insurance policies included some cyber coverage; however, it is a fraction of what cyber attacks will now cost your business.

Hopefully, your cyber security policy will protect your company from security breaches. However, cyber insurance can soften the blow to your company if an issue does arise. Read on to learn everything you need to know about cyber security insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Cyber Insurance?
Cyber insurance is a policy specifically designed to mitigate risks associated with a cyber security incident. Business IT services and security now face many types of risks, including ransomware attacks, data breaches, insider threats, and phishing. However, what they all have in common is they cost your business, which can lead to reputation damage and even bankruptcy.

If a cyber security incident occurs, you can face costs such as security investigations, extortion payments, compliance fines, data recovery, and lawsuits. Cyber insurance aims to reduce these financial risks and protect you from the significant losses cyber attacks can cause your business.
Who Needs Cyber Security Insurance?
No business is safe from the risk of cyber attacks. Over 40% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses. And on average, these attacks cost over $200,000, putting many companies out of business.

So, most businesses can benefit from cyber security insurance. Consider a cyber insurance policy if your company uses technology as part of its daily functioning. If you store sensitive information on computers, such as client data and payment information, then a policy will help protect you if an attack does occur.

If you're unsure where to start in finding the best cyber insurance policy to fit your company's needs, consult with an outsourced tech support company to help you find the best way to go.
What Is Included in a Cyber Insurance Policy?
Several factors will impact your cyber insurance policy coverage, such as the company and the policy's price. You may have the choice to pick first-part coverage, third-party coverage, or both types of coverage for your business. First-party coverage refers to costs associated with company expenses, and third-party cost protection is a vendor, partner, or client sues you.

It is common for a cyber insurance policy to include:

 	Coverage for costs incurred during a cyber security incident
 	Communication cost coverage
 	Coverage for fines, lawsuits, and other issues
 	Coverage for IT security recovery and different response needs

There are a variety of costs associated with security breaches and incidents, which you may not consider until your company experiences one. For example, there may be communication needs, such as paying for staff to provide call-center support. You also may experience business downtime, which can incur huge losses.

Policies also consider legal coverage needs, such as payment for investigations. If your business resides in Southern California, hopefully, you have a Los Angeles IT support team to help with your response time so you can resume operations as soon as possible. However, a cyber security policy will prevent financial obstacles that prevent you from returning to your usual business operations.
What Doesn't Cyber Insurance Cover?
It is essential to know that cyber insurance does not cover all costs associated with business IT issues. Some costs policies do not often cover include:

 	Costs to upgrade IT security after the incident
 	IP theft costs
 	Long-term costs such as ongoing effects impacting profits

There are times when you may have long-term effects from cyber security incidents. For example, there is a risk of an advanced persistent threat (APT), which is a long-term campaign by a hacker. Usually, these types of threats are more complex and aim to infiltrate entire networks.

If you are unsure about your company's coverage, consult with the cyber insurance firm directly. Most cyber insurance policies are sufficient for businesses, and policies are continuing to adapt to the changing cyber threats businesses face.
Cyber Insurance Policy Costs
It is important to note that cyber insurance costs continue to change. It is likely coverage will continue to increase in price due to the growing complexity of cyber security risks. Some cost factors include:

 	Your industry
 	The information on your systems
 	Yearly revenues
 	Cyber security measures you have in place
 	Potential cyber security risks

When considering a cyber insurance policy cost, consider how much a data breach or IT incident will cost your company. Often the benefits outweigh the policy investment. There is a reason why the cyber insurance industry is projected to continue to grow, along with cyber security threats for businesses.
Benefits of Cyber Insurance
Most businesses will benefit from cyber insurance. After all, you are helping safeguard yourself and your business from potential cyber-attacks. While you cannot always protect yourself from cyber security breaches, you can control how you react.

Financial protection will help you react in the most responsive way to cyber security breaches. You will reduce reputation damage and other factors that could extend business downtime. Along with solid IT security support, an insurance policy can provide peace of mind for your business.
How to Find Cyber Security Insurance
There are many cyber insurance policies out there, so take the time to find a policy that suits your business needs. Check the company's reputation and reviews to ensure their promises match their customer service. A reputable company should cover the key elements to protect your cyber security, such as legal expenses and liability costs.
Improve Your Cyber Security
Cyber insurance can help protect your business if there is a security compromise. However, you also need the proper IT support to prevent and manage cyber security threats for your business. One of the best ways of doing this is to partner with a local IT support team. 

At Be Structured Technology Group, we believe in a business-first solutions approach. We want your business to be able to use technology as a tool to thrive, not just survive cyber security threats.

Are you interested in learning more about how we can support your business? Schedule a free IT consultation with us today.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, IT Support, Security

#### What You Need to Know About Structured Cabling
Your network's structured cabling is the backbone of your internal network operations. With high-speed connectivity now critical to daily business operations, your building's cabling infrastructure is something you need to take seriously. However, it can be challenging to grasp how cabling impacts day-to-day operations. In this post, we'll discuss the fundamentals of structured cabling, explore critical subsystems, and discuss the benefits of structured cabling to help you understand how they tie in with your broader business goals.
What is Structured Cabling?
Structured cabling refers to the standardized elements that connect a facility's internal network infrastructure. A structured cabling system consists of multiple subsystems and components to streamline performance and distribution. Generally, a building has a main distribution area (MDA) that functions as the core of network operations. From there, additional subsystems can be added, moved, or changed to adapt to your organization's changing needs.

The core subsystems of a structured cable infrastructure include:
The Entrance Facility
The entrance facility is where a building's internal network connects to external networks, including the internal networks at other buildings. Critical components include:

 	The network demarcation point: The physical point where your private network ends and public networks begin.
 	Cables: Organized cables connecting devices and infrastructure in the entrance facility.
 	Protection devices: Includes physical firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and unified threat management (UTM) devices.
 	Connecting hardware: The hardware that unifies and connects the various devices and components on your network to outside networks.

Equipment Rooms
Equipment rooms provide a centralized location to house network and wiring equipment. Depending on the size of your facility and network, you may have one for the whole building, or you may have one for each floor.
Telecommunications Rooms/Enclosures
A telecommunications room houses your building's telecom equipment, cable terminations, connections, and distribution frames. As with equipment rooms, your building may have one or more telecom room, depending on size and needs.
Backbone Cabling
As the name suggests, backbone cabling—also known as vertical cabling—connects entrance facilities, telecom rooms, and equipment rooms throughout your building. Backbone cabling frequently runs from floor to floor with cables that are no longer than 30 meters long to maximize network performance. These cables can be:

 	Fiber optic cables
 	Coaxial cables
 	Unshielded twisted-pair cables
 	shielded twisted-pair cables

Horizontal Cabling
While backbone/vertical cabling generally connects each floor to your larger internal network, horizontal cabling connects the devices on each of those floors. Cables typically run in the ceiling or beneath the floor and are usually Ethernet cables or fiber optic cables.
Work Areas
Work areas provide a place on each floor to connect user equipment to network communication outlets.
The Benefits of Structured Cabling
With traditional point-to-point cabling systems, your network can quickly become a jumbled, incoherent mess as your operations expand. At the same time, without a centralized point of control, network security vulnerabilities are more likely to develop, and network performance often suffers. Structured cabling can help you overcome these challenges with benefits like:
Minimizing Overhead Expenses
As one of the most efficient cabling infrastructures, structured cabling reduces power consumption and maintenance costs, lowering overhead expenses. At the same time, you end up saving money in the event that problems arise and you have to locate the source of the issue before finding a solution.
Reducing Downtime
When your network stops working, so does your team. That means system downtime leads to lost revenue and missed opportunities you can never get back. Structured cabling minimizes the risk of human error that comes with managing multiple or unorganized cabling structures. In the event of a network outage, it's easier for your team to identify and resolve issues with a structured infrastructure.
Saving Time
As your organization grows, structured cabling simplifies the process of moving, adding, and making changes to your network. That ultimately saves your team on installation, upgrade, and maintenance time, so they can focus on more critical tasks.
Structured Cabling Best Practices
Whether you're partnering with a team of IT experts to manage your structured cabling needs or you're handling the project internally, making sure to follow these best practices can help you get the most value from your infrastructure:
The Importance of Planning
Before installing any network cables or devices, take the time to create a thorough design for how and where devices will be connected. Your plan should include cabling pathways and room locations. At the same time, you need to take into account factors like airflow and cooling systems to maximize network performance while providing a long-term network solution.
Matching Cables for Your Needs
You have a variety of options when it comes to deciding which types of cables are right for your network operations. The key is finding the ideal balance between cost and results. Make sure to research your options, so you can achieve that balance without under-serving your team's connectivity needs.
Don't Bend Cables
While network cables are designed to be bent to a certain extent, be sure your team doesn't bend cables beyond their specified bend radius. Bending cables too far beyond this radius can actually end up constricting data flow and data signals.
Los Angeles' Structured Cabling Specialists
As Los Angeles' leading provider of in-house structured cabling services, Be Structured is here for all your cabling needs. Whether you're looking for IT office relocation services, or you need to expand your existing infrastructure, contact our experts today and we'll make sure your project is completed the right way.
- Categories: Hardware, Networking
- Tags: Cabling Best Practices, Network Infrastructure, Structured Cabling

#### What’s the Connection Between Ransomware and Phishing?
On the surface, ransomware attacks and phishing emails may seem to have nothing in common. After all, ransomware involves encrypting all of the data on your network so you lose access to it unless you pay a “ransom.” Phishing emails, on the other hand, are a form of social engineering whereby cyber criminals pretend to be someone they’re not to trick network users into divulging sensitive information. Once you examine the two cyber threats in more detail, however, you’ll quickly realize that they share a common thread. That’s because ransomware is most frequently spread through phishing emails and spear-phishing attacks.
In this post, we’ll examine the connection between ransomware and phishing in more detail while exploring how cyber criminals spread ransomware and how it can harm your network operations.
How Ransomware Is Spread
If you think of network users as fish in the sea, then phishing emails are the net, and ransomware is the fishing boat. Once the fish are trapped in the net, they don't realize they're in trouble until they're hauled aboard the boat. Since the boat relies on the net to haul in the fish, if the fish become smart enough to evade the net, then they can avoid the boat and live to swim another day.
Similarly, a ransomware attack most commonly relies on targeted phishing emails to first gain entry into your network without users realizing it. From there, cyber criminals can encrypt data so your team is unable to access it. As with the example above, if your network users are aware enough to avoid these phishing attacks, then your network is at a significantly lower risk of falling victim to ransomware.
Do you see the connection? Just as the boat relies on the net, ransomware most often relies on phishing to fool users. Thus, there’s no reason to fear the boat (ransomware) if you can avoid the net (phishing emails). While ransomware can be spread through other means, protecting your network from phishing emails is the first step to defending against ransomware.
How to Break a Ransomware Attack
As with any cyber attack, the earlier you can identify and combat it, the better off you’ll be. The best approach? A proactive one. That’s because it’s much easier to take a few precautionary steps today than it is to piece together a damage control team tomorrow. The first stage of a ransomware attack starts with cyber criminals surveying your network. They’re looking for the low-hanging fruit that’s easy to target and attack. That means having a robust cyber security platform in place can sometimes be enough to avert a potential ransomware attack before it even starts.
For high-value networks, however, this approach isn’t enough. It’s possible that even with comprehensive network security strategies in place, cyber criminals will still decide to target your network. When that happens, they generally employ some aspect of social engineering to gain entry to your networks. That’s when your network users are the next line of defense. Cyber criminals will do their best to impersonate someone trustworthy in order to encourage network users to reveal usernames, passwords, personal information, and account numbers that they can use against your organization.
When employees are properly trained to identify and quarantine potential phishing emails with ongoing cyber security awareness training, the phishing attacks that hackers rely on become substantially less effective. Ultimately, if your team is adequately equipped to respond to phishing attacks, chances are cyber criminals will be unable to deploy a ransomware attack on your network. That’s why taking a staunch stance against phishing messages is one of the most effective strategies for averting a ransomware crisis.
The Los Angeles IT Support Experts
Are you ready to take a more proactive network security stance? Implementing ongoing cyber security awareness training with Be Structured to defend against the threat of ransomware is an excellent place to start. If you’re ready to begin exploring the possibilities for your business, contact our team today. We’ll help you take the first step toward mitigating the risk of a data breach.
- Categories: Security
- Tags: Phishing Email, Phishing Scams, Ransomware Attack, Ransomware Virus

#### Where Are Private Clouds Hosted?
Did you know that 83 percent of enterprise workloads are already stored in the cloud? By 2025, the total number is expected to exceed 100 Zettabytes.

Clearly, a lot of companies trust their work to remain safe in clouds. Not only is this method a cheaper option, but it's usually more reliable and accessible as well. What a lot of companies don't have figured out, however, is what storage option they'd like to use.

With everything from hosted private clouds to free public clouds, it can be overwhelming to choose a system that works for you. Further, where are those clouds even hosted? Luckily, we're here to help to learn everything.

Read on to learn more about private clouds, and where the information inside is hosted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Private Cloud?
Put simply, a private cloud is a cloud that's only offered to one organization. They are typically hosted at a data center managed by the company, and it's only accessed by that company.

Since there are only a few people using this cloud, it ends up being more efficient, powerful, and even scalable. If you're making the transition from a public to a private cloud, it's like the equivalent of having your own bathroom after you've had to share one your entire life.

More freedom, more usage, and no need to worry about the other people that might need to use it!
What Are Hosted Private Clouds?
A hosted private cloud is the same as a private cloud, but the data inside is stored off-premises rather than on. So, third parties are going to be the ones managing your data, and the cloud is going to be hosted remotely.

Some companies offer different cloud companies, but it's important that you're not sold on just one hosting company. There are a lot of different options out there, and it's important that you find the best fit for your business, and that the company you're working with offers access to them.
What Is a Public Cloud?
Public clouds are the most common type of storage. The servers and storage are owned by a third-party cloud provider, and the services are delivered via the internet.

With a public cloud, all of the hardware, software, and other infrastructure tools are owned and managed by the provider. With this option, you'll share the same hardware, storage, and network devices as other users, and you'll access these services through a web browser of your choice.

A few popular public cloud options include Rackspace and Microsoft Azure.

With a public cloud, you're still sharing a bathroom, but the people around you actually help keep it clean. You're not going to notice many hiccups with its use.
Private Cloud vs. Public Cloud
You might think that hosting your data in a private cloud is automatically the better option, but that might not be the case for everyone.

While you do get access to your own cloud with private hosting, you gain access to nationwide networks when you go public. Private cloud hosting is perfect for those looking for an option they can scale and build up themselves, but not every company is going to need that.

That's where a public cloud comes in handy. You're also going to have cheaper options since your hardware is owned by a third party.

With a private cloud, you're going to be able to access a lot more customization and even faster speeds since your resources are only being used by you.
Which Is Better?
In short, the answer is going to depend upon your needs. That's why it's important to choose a service provider that can take the things you're asking for and create a plan that's tailored exactly to what you're looking to find from your cloud.

If you're managing a small business by yourself, then you might be able to get by with public cloud storage, but that won't always be the case. If you're a solo video editor, then you might benefit from having hardware and resources that are all your own.
Can You Create a Hybrid?
The best thing about cloud storage? You're not limited to one option. You can combine any number of storage types for your business to create the perfect solution for you.

This is called the hybrid cloud model, and it's a popular option that many businesses choose to take advantage of. This is a combination of both private and public cloud models, and it allows you to dictate which services go where. It's a whole new level of control over your data, and it's the perfect medium between private and public services.

This strategy also allows you to avoid the weaknesses in both.
How to Migrate to the Cloud
Without proper planning, migrating to the cloud can come with a lot of mistakes. It's not something that has to seem world-altering for your company. In fact, the more you ease into it the better.

It's important to not walk into this process expecting everything to change overnight. The results might be slow, but they'll be well worth it in the end.
Who Is Spearheading the Effort?
The very first thing to decide: who is in charge of leading the migration?

If you're using a cloud computing Los Angeles based company, then get to know your point person on the project.

This person is going to be in charge of planning and completing any and all aspects of the migration. Their core responsibility should be defining necessary changes that will make the migration successful, strategy planning for the migration, and determining the priorities throughout the process.

There are a lot of decisions that have to be made and having one person (or a team of people) in charge of it all can make everything feel less overwhelming.
Make a Plan, Have a Purpose
To start, you'll need to have a plan. Why are you making this change in the first place? Does your business stand to gain anything from it, or are you only doing it out of convenience?

This is going to require a clear understanding of the applications your company already uses, and any that you intend to take on. So, start with auditing your digital assets, and deciding what you can afford to delete and what should stay.

Are there any apps that you could introduce after moving into the cloud? How would you go about implementing them into your systems?

When you're making these decisions, you'll have to zoom out and see how one decision might affect the rest of the chain's overall success. Often, apps require integration and can become dependent on one another to work properly. If you remove one, then you can ruin an entire workflow.

This is how the entire process can look. When you're creating your plan, make sure you're not only getting caught up in small details. Be sure to look at the big picture in order to see what exactly will work and what won't.

If you're a local business, working with a Los Angeles IT support company can have a great deal of advantages. You want to make sure the cloud is set up properly and meets your specific specs.
Evaluate Costs and Needs
This is where having a service provider is going to come in handy. They'll be able to help you create a budget and decide what models and programs might work best for you and your team, and what's best left behind.

During this step, you're going to choose your cloud model: public, private, or hybrid? Once you've done this, you can start making all the necessary changes.
Work With Staff
It's important that your staff is trained to work with cloud applications. There won't be as many questions when the time comes to migrate, and you won't have to worry about accidental data losses.
Automate Your Backups
No matter what your plan or provider, they should have options available for flexible and automated backups. If this isn't the case, then it's best to find a different provider. Automating this particular thing is important, as it's going to help you keep track of your data, and it's going to prevent a lot of unhappy accidents from occurring.
Test the Waters
Before you migrate, set up a test environment for your cloud migration. Examine how your backup plan performs when disaster strikes, and perform the test as many times as you can before you migrate.

This step of the process might end up being time-consuming, but taking the time to thoroughly study the old system in order to make way for the new is important for your migration's overall success.

For the best results, plan out your test scenarios along with your migration testing strategy, and then run tests on both. If you find errors, take the time to fix them and then test again.

Don't rush this process. If you do, you're a lot more likely to run into problems later down the line.
Time to Migrate
Once you've got everything set up, it's time to put your plan into action. At this stage, you'll begin moving all the data and its users over to the cloud infrastructure.

During this process, it's important to remember that you can do a little bit at a time. Rushing through things is only going to make everything harder, and it's going to leave you vulnerable to mistakes and even possible security breaches.
Conduct Security Tests
That brings us to our last step. You should be conducting security tests before you start, during the migration, and after everything is set up and ready to go.

When you're designing these tests, make sure you take note of whose going to have access to the data, where and when they might need to access it, and even how that data is stored when it's idle.

The more thorough you can be during this process, the better the results you're going to find.
Benefits of Migrating to the Cloud
If you're still considering whether or not to adopt the cloud into your company's processes, here are a few benefits you stand to gain.

 	Less demand for increasing resources
 	Ability to innovate more quickly
 	Reduced costs
 	Deliver immediate results
 	Easier management
 	Cloud scalability
 	Improved performance

Any one of these things alone would be enough to convince some, but when you combine them all together you get the perfect resource to call your own.

With a cloud operating model, a lot of processes are operated by analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI). Automating your processes in this way has the power to save you time and money almost instantly, but also later down the road.

Automation is something that a lot of businesses don't feel the need to take on, but really it's the gift that keeps on giving. Cloud solutions don't require a huge learning curve, and they're convenient to switch to with little time and planning. With the right service provider, you'll be well on your way to automation in no time.
Which Is Best for You?
So, which service is going to end up being the best for you? Ultimately, that's for you to decide, but it's easy to figure things out when you're able to switch and try different options. That's the beauty of cloud services.

You can start with a hybrid model if you'd like to access both public and private clouds. If you find you prefer one over the other, then you can switch to only private or only public.
Ready to Get Started?
Now that we've gone over the basics of private clouds, are you ready to get started? Whether this is your first time using cloud storage systems or you're just thinking about making an upgrade, private clouds have something to offer you and your business.

Luckily, Be Structured is here to help you get started. Our team of experts can help you pick the perfect system for you and your team and have you back in business in no time. Contact us to schedule a free consultation today.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, Cloud Solutions, IT Support

#### Who Need a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
Hackers often go after the low-hanging fruit, such as credit cards and bank accounts. But occasionally, they go after the big fish: government agencies. In light of the recent armed conflicts, the US government has warned about the huge risk of foreign cyber attacks.

In order to beef up its security, the Fed has to shore up its defenses with independent contractors. To do this, they established the Cyber Security Maturity Model Certification. A business must be CMM compliant if they want to continue contracting with the US government.

Keep reading as we discuss what the Cyber Security Maturity Model certification is and who needs it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Cyber Security Maturity Model Certification?
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a project of the Department of Defense (DoD). This is one of many government agencies responsible for national security and safety. One of the key areas that they tackle is cyber security for the United States.

Security contractors who are partners of the DIB (Defense Industrial Base) must adhere to strict standards for protecting information. Specifically, unclassified information that they received from the DoD.

The DoD wants to be sure that they can trust any third-party is that they are working with. In essence, the CCM certification process ensures these third parties keep the highest standards. Any time that they handle sensitive information, they need to use proper encryption and protocol.

Recently, the DoD updated its CMMC program with a 2.0 version. It includes the following changes.
Tiered Model
The tiered model means that the more sensitive the data, the better protection it requires. Contractors dealing with highly sensitive data will need to enforce much more rigorous protection protocols.

Further, the DoD wants to protect information that trickles down to any involved subcontractors.
Assessment Requirement
Similar to audits by IT support companies, assessments are tests of compliance. The DoD will thoroughly test all of its partners to make sure that they are CMM compliant.
Implementation through Contracts
After passing the assessment, the DoD contractors have to prove their continual high-security practices. They will have to reach a specific CMMC level. Fail to do so, and they may not receive future contracts with the DoD.
Who Needs the CMM Certification?
As noted earlier, compliance certification is for DoD contractors. This includes anyone working for the DoD directly, or in its supply chain. CMM certification is a condition of winning a DoD contract.

The requirement for CMM compliance extends down to other organizations, such as MSPs (managed service providers). This also includes MSSPs (managed security service providers). It goes without saying that you should be clear about what services you provide; otherwise, you will be guilty of violating the False Claims Act.

You also must be CMM compliant if you are working with anyone who comprises part of the supply chain for the DoD. That means that as a subcontractor for a DoD contractor, you are responsible.

And, as we stated before, contractors have the heaviest burden. If they are passing information down to subcontractors, they must be CMM compliant. This effectively creates mutual accountability between contractors and subcontractors.

You will still need to adhere to CMMC compliance regulations if you are much further down the chain. That said, this compliance will be created at a much lower level. In other words, the DoD will give you far less responsibility based on what exactly you are handling.
Future CMM Certification
You may also require a CMM certification in the near future. This pertains specifically to those with contracts that have a micro-purchase threshold that exceeds $10,000. By the estimate of the DoD, about 48,000 contractors will fall into this category by 2025.
Exceptions to CMM Certification
You have no obligation to get your CMM compliance certification if you are a COTS contact. COTS stands for a commercial off the shelf provider.

That said, experts recommend that you get at least level 1 CMMC controls taken care of. This is because many experts predict that the DOD will include COTS in their future requirements. This is because distributors and manufacturers are having contact more often with unclassified or classified data.
What CMMC Level Is Best for You?
It's impossible to give an exact answer. You will need to find out on your own using DoD guidance how much CMMC responsibility you have. The easiest way to determine this is by how much CUI (controlled unclassified information) you have contact with.

Here are some examples of DOD CUI that your business may be having contact with:

 	Shipping locations
 	Test reports
 	Software source code
 	Technical orders
 	Weekly status reports
 	Time-compliant technical orders (TCTO)
 	Program protection plans (PPP)

Sometimes, it is difficult to tell whether the data you handle falls under this umbrella. We have not covered all of the sensitive data types here. There are more, such as IP, PHI, ACPI, CHD, PII, and FERPA.

Review the DOD's resource pages to get an idea of how to classify your data.
How Long Does CMMC Certification Last?
Certification is valid for three years. Your certification is dependent on whether you pass your assessments. Requirements may change even after you have obtained CMMC certification.

Do understand that CMMC does not apply to your entire organization? Only the components of your networks and information systems that directly handle CUI need to meet CMMC standards.

Naturally, things are changing over time. In the coming years, the DOD could well implement version 3.0.

Also, take note that there is talk that other government agencies may adopt CMMC. Just because your organization does not fall under this umbrella doesn't mean you are exempt. Keep up-to-date with the latest news in case you need to obtain CMMC certification.
Get Rock-Solid Security With Be Structured
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is the DOD's way of ensuring all of its contractors have the best security practice. If you contract or subcontract for the DOD, you may need to get CMM compliant. Regulations are expanding, so in the future other agencies may require it as well.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you could ever want from a Los Angeles IT support outfit.

Get full-featured, 24/7 IT support for your business from the best Los Angeles managed service provider.
- Categories: CMMC, cybersecurity compliance

#### Why an IT Company Turns to VPNs to Keep Work Flowing From Home - Securely
Virtual Private Networks (VPN) have long been a wall of security to protect a person accessing the internet or their company’s network from a remote location. While remote network access has always been something to protect, now more than ever remote security needs to be stressed.
With the global work changes due to COVID-19, the classification of the remote worker as someone who has “called in sick” or is “on vacation” and wants to check stats is a thing of the past. Now, obviously, working remotely is largely mandated by employers and will not be changing anytime soon.
Even after the Coronavirus is dead and (hopefully) gone, the future of on-site, brick-and-mortar office work will never be the same. Home and virtual employment is, for sure, a thing of the present and the future.
Thus, many trusted IT companies now admit that VPNs are more vital and important than ever to keep both work and even private web surfing safe and secure.
What Is a VPN?
A VPN uses a virtualized server connection to create a secure channel between a computer and the internet. It works by facilitating a secure connection between a PC and a remote VPN server that can be anywhere in the world. That server then acts as an intermediary for all data transmitted between your device and external networks.
With a VPN connection, you can be confident that the only ones with access to your network activity are you, your trusted VPN provider, and the websites and services you’re using. Ultimately, a VPN offers an additional layer of security for your network devices by concealing your device’s geographic location and protecting against other devices connected to the same public networks.
In essence, a VPN is a series of data encrypted virtual connections. And if your IPs have encryption already built in to the service, then adding a VPN means adding a second layer of safety.
Many companies, and many of our clients, also require use of a VPN to access corporate resources in the cloud or on-premise servers at their offices which with today's work from home environment is especially important to keep your staff secure and still operational. Corporate VPN's such as SonicWALL's Mobile Connect, Cisco VPN Client, or others allow access to resources users would normally have while working in the office such as file servers, remote desktop servers, enterprise resources planning software, accounting systems, sales systems, and more. Even though more and more resources are moving to the cloud corporate access VPN's are still an important part of today's world as well.
Here’s how a VPN works: Data is transmitted from your machine or device to a spot in your VPN network. The VPN then encrypts the data and pushes it forward through the Internet. At a different spot in your VPN network, the data is decrypted and sent to the appropriate internet resource, be it an email or web server or to your company's internal network. The process is then reversed and the super safe data is sent back to your machine.
How VPNs Solve Security Issues
If your team depends on public networks for accessing critical work files when they’re out of the office, you need specific strategies to keep your organization’s data protected. While the convenience of public Wi-Fi allows your team to work from just about anywhere, public networks open up a new set of cybersecurity threats and challenges.
And these cybersecurity threats aren’t limited to just one city or even continent. The fear is its own global cyber pandemic and whether you live in Hong Kong or Los Angeles, your IT support should include a solid VPN to keep your organization’s data protected.
There are, of course, a plethora of VPNs to choose from, but finding the best solution is often a confounding conversation between executives and the IT support department based on the company’s needs and perceived growth over time. Again, not all VPN are created equal.
Some of the different “off-the-shelf” VPNs include:
 	Private Internet Access VPN (PIA) - Our top pick
 	VyprVPN
 	NordVPN
 	IPVanish VPN
 	ExpressVPN
 	ProtonVPN
 	TorGuard VPN
“Choosing the right VPN for your company is based on many factors including the level of security features and scalability for how many people will need access at the same time,” explains Chad Lauterbach, CEO of Be Structured, a Los Angeles Managed Service Provider. “Knowing your specific needs going into setting up the VPN will save a lot of time and potentially money waste down the road.”
VPNs On a Personal Level
For those who access the Internet without a VPN, using a public Wi-Fi network is like using a public restroom and not washing your hands. You are opening yourself to all sorts of germs, or in this case viruses, and ultimately exposing yourself to a plethora of security breaches and cyberattacks.
For example, when you access your local Panera Bread’s Wi-Fi network, how do you know the network really is related to the sandwich shop? Even a moderately skilled hacker could have created a spoof network with the same name to coax unwitting surfers to reveal all sorts of personal info and private data.
Oddly a 2019 poll revealed only 15 percent of people use a VPN with public Wi-Fi.
In addition, did you know that one of President Trump’s first official mandates was signing a bill, passed by Congress, that no longer mandated that an Internet Service Provider (ISP) needs your consent before selling your personal browsing data.
That’s right, any ISP can now, without you even knowing, sell your browsing history for whatever commercial gain it sees fit. So God forbid your kid or wacky uncle one time jumped on your personal computer and Googled “clown shoes”. You could soon be beseeched by everything from dapper clown apparel to discounts for the closest clown school near you.
To make matters worse, in 2018, the government continued its destruction of anything progressively tied to the Obama administration and struck down Obama’s Net Neutrality law which had required ISPs to offer equal access to all web content.
Instead, today, ISPs can charge extra for different types of content like streaming video or for traffic from corps like Netflix, and if you don’t pay more, they can penalize you with slower response speeds.
It’s suddenly like paying extra for better gasoline when one grade should be the standard and the norm. Thankfully, there is a solution, and that solution is using a VPN to access the superhighway.
When and Why You Should Use a VPN
Many businesses focus on the big IT support issues when establishing their network like hosting platforms, network security and structured cabling. While their decisions and integration are important, so are the little things like how to assure remote access safely and with speed.
That’s where a VPN comes into play.
You and your team should be using a VPN anytime they’re connected to a publicly accessible network like public Wi-Fi. That’s because a VPN server provides an extra level of protection by making it more difficult for hackers to use public networks to access your device and data. A VPN creates a private, secure channel between your device and the online services you’re using, so you don’t have to worry about cybercriminals spying on network activities or accessing data.
Additionally, if your team travels to foreign countries on a regular basis, a VPN can allow them to circumvent regionally restricted sites and services as if they were in the United States. When traveling internationally, the ability to connect to a VPN service ensures you have access to the online tools you need, no matter where you are.
When You Shouldn’t Use a VPN
While a VPN is ideal for concealing network activity even when using publicly accessible networks, you shouldn’t use a VPN with the expectation of complete anonymity on the internet. If you’re looking for total online anonymity, you’ll have to take additional steps beyond using a VPN service. A VPN is a fundamental first step to defending your organization’s data and network activity no matter where you are, but that doesn’t mean it negates security vulnerabilities altogether.
For example, a VPN doesn’t automatically protect your devices from viruses, malware, ransomware, or phishing attacks. If you click a risky link or run a malicious executable, you’re still vulnerable to cyberattacks.
A VPN simply isn’t designed to protect you from visiting unsafe sites; it’s intended to create a secure, private connection between your device and the websites you visit.
Types of VPN Technologies
Different VPNs can use different encryption standards and technologies.
Consider the differences:
 	Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
 	IPSec
 	Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol
 	Secure Shell
Here in Southern California, if your business doesn’t understand the difference between these technologies, a good Los Angeles IT support service will help your team navigate the often confusing waters of the various goods.
Los Angeles IT Support
If your team regularly uses public networks to access work applications and data, they need to be using a VPN service to keep your organization protected. At the same time, teams that frequently travel internationally can significantly benefit from a VPN solution.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of a VPN service, you have a lot of options, and the experts at Be Structured can help you leverage those options. Get in touch with our team today, and we’ll start clarifying your needs to find the ideal VPN platform for your goals and operations.
- Categories: Networking, Security
- Tags: Cybersecurity, virtual private network, vpn

#### Why Businesses Should Care About Dark Web Monitoring
If your business takes place online in any capacity, it’s time you heard about dark web monitoring.

Dark web monitoring ensures the protection of your data. That's super important for ensuring client confidentiality.

We’re here to introduce you to one of the best ways to protect your information online. And, we'll show you why many business owners are looking into dark web monitoring as a way to keep their data safe. Let's take a look!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dark Web?
You’ve probably heard of the deep web, which is the vast area of the internet that includes information that isn’t indexed by search engines. The deep web is actually where you can find most of the information on the internet, but is not publicly accessible.

However, within the deep web is a place called the dark web, and this is the area of the internet that is commonly used by cybercriminals.  There are perfectly legitimate reasons to use the dark web, as all the data on the dark web is encrypted. However, it has gained a reputation as a harbor for illicit transactions.

Today, the dark web essentially acts as an illegal marketplace. It's often used by online vendors to sell drugs, illegal weapons, and most importantly, stolen data.

If you have had your identity stolen, the culprit could easily sell your information on the dark web. They could provide it to those wanting to commit fraud under another person’s credentials.

Dark web monitoring can help take away the worry of having your business’s data leaked by keeping an eye on the dark web to be sure that your information doesn’t get into the wrong hands.
What is Dark Web Monitoring?
Dark web monitoring is exactly what it says it is – it monitors the dark web for you to look for the presence of your business’s data. It acts very similarly to a regular search engine, looking specifically to see if your information is anywhere on the dark web.

If any of your data, such as passwords or client information, has been somehow leaked, dark web monitoring can help to see if it is being shared on the dark web.

While there are business IT services and security tools out there to protect from identity theft or being hacked, dark web monitoring goes a step further by acting as preemptive damage control when your information is already out there.

While ideally, your business would not have to worry about stolen data, it is a more common occurrence than you would think, and dark web monitoring helps ensure that your information isn’t being shared or sold after the fact.
How Does it Work?
We told you dark web monitoring acts almost like a search engine, but what does that really mean? When you look something up on the internet, you use a search engine, like Google, and the search engine brings up the most relevant results.

Dark web monitoring acts like a non-stop search engine, looking in the dark web specifically for your data. It searches keywords pertaining to your business, such as the company name or your email address, and flags you any time that information appears on the dark web.

Dark web monitoring allows you to be aware of where your information is so you can beat cyber criminals to the punch if your data has been stolen.
Why Should I Use Dark Web Monitoring?
Dark web monitoring first and foremost will look for threats to the privacy of your company’s information. By continuously doing this, you can get a better idea of what hackers are doing to try and steal your information, and what they are doing with that information afterward.

When threats are discovered, you are the first to know about them, so you can alert your clients and other members of your business that there has been some kind of breach. Mitigating a cybersecurity threat can be extremely costly, and you can prevent unexpected data disaster expenses simply by utilizing a dark web monitoring system.

The more information you have about how your data is being used on the dark web, the better you can protect it. Dark web monitoring gives you a look into the world of stolen data and can help provide much-needed information on ways to ensure your business’s privacy.

Dark web monitoring will alert you every time your business is mentioned, and this can allow you to see patterns in where you can improve the protection of your data. Being able to pinpoint both the threat and the source will give you the opportunity to mitigate threats before they can cause any further damage.
What Does Dark Web Monitoring Include?
Dark web monitoring scans the internet for a wide variety of threats. The most common are third-party breaches, wherein another person has gotten a hold of some of your business’s information that is kept online.

However, dark web monitoring also looks for online chatter about things that haven’t even occurred yet, so if your business or anyone you work with is at risk, you can shut down any threats before they occur.

If your information was accidentally leaked, or if someone online is attempting to impersonate your business, your clients, or even your domain name, dark web monitoring gives you the opportunity to nip it in the bud.
How to Implement Dark Web Monitoring
Implementing dark web monitoring is easy, and lots of businesses are turning toward this simple tool to help protect their data online. You can also hire a local IT support company to assist you in the monitoring process.

It’s easy to leak your information online without even realizing it when you click an unknown link or download something from the internet that secretly introduces malware to your computer.

Providing your employees with some awareness training will help to prevent information from being leaked, and you can also provide some insight on what dark web monitoring will look like for them.

With a dark web monitoring plan, you can boost your cybersecurity. You do this by not only giving your employees the awareness they need to prevent information from being stolen. And, you also keep tabs on that information when these situations do arise.
Moving Forward
It’s hard to find someone nowadays who doesn’t use the internet, but there are still a vast number of people using it without being aware of its dangers.

Dark web monitoring allows you to sleep a little easier by doing the work for you, keeping tabs on the areas of the internet where your information might be traded. If your business has an online presence of any kind, it might be time to consider keeping your data safe using dark web monitoring.

Get in touch with our Los Angeles IT services team and we'll help protect you from dangerous security breaches.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Why Data Disaster Recovery Is Vital For Businesses of All Sizes
Data breach costs soared to a 17-year-high in 2021, IBM reports. Businesses in the US lost an average of $4.24 million; most could have avoided this with secure IT management.

More companies than ever use remote workstations. This can put your business data at risk. Home systems may be less secure, but even office systems are vulnerable to data loss.

Data disaster recovery helps you mitigate these risks. Managed IT services can defend your data with a disaster recovery plan. This cuts the costs of data loss and keeps your business moving.

But why is data disaster recovery so vital? Do small businesses need it? What methods of data loss prevention are there?

We have a guide with all you need to know. Read on and protect your data.
Why You Need Data Disaster Recovery
Your business can lose data in countless ways. Many of these are less dramatic than you might think. Some seem mundane until they result in major downtime and net losses.

Let's take a look at the main causes of data loss.
Human Error
You are your own worst enemy when it comes to data. Human error is one of the most common causes of data loss. From a spilled drink to theft to clicking the wrong button, human error takes many forms.

Data loss occurs from failing to save, copy, or back up business data. You and your team can overwrite or delete data, corrupt files, or lose physical copies. Mistakes happen, but with a disaster recovery plan, you can move on.
Hardware Failure
Mechanical hard drives can fail; their disks can wear with time. Solid-state drives (SSDs) have fewer moving parts, but they have weaknesses too. Your hardware is vulnerable, but it is an essential tool in your business toolkit.

Power surges or outages can damage your data storage. Outdated equipment may reach the end of its life cycle, taking your data with it.

Relying on hardware for backup makes you prone to data loss. Data disaster recovery assesses your data needs. It optimizes your storage locations for data loss prevention.
Software Failure
Operating systems can crash. Updates may introduce compatibility issues, and files can corrupt during transfers. Bugs exist in most software, and a disaster recovery plan ensures you still have what you need.

This is why consumer computers ask you to back up before system updates. This applies to business systems, but their shared networks make them more complex.
Malware and Cybercrime
KIA Motors, Acer, and the Washington D.C. Police Department suffered ransomware attacks in 2021, reports ISACA.

Malware can corrupt your data or hold it for ransom. Your operating system, applications, and files can harbor malware. Opening a link on the wrong email can install malicious code onto your computer.

There's more than ransomware lurking in the cybercrime depths. Data thieves can use remote access tools (RATs), phishing, and identity theft to steal your data. IT security audits help keep your data safe.
Natural Disasters
Floods devastate your electronic infrastructure. Their effects can ruin a business; even with insurance, you will lose data without a plan. Floods can occur in nature, or even from a burst pipe in the office above you.

Fire, earthquakes, and extreme weather pose threats too. The latter can overheat hardware or freeze essential components. The Texas snowstorm of 2021 is a prime example of our vulnerability to nature.
Methods for Backing Up Your Data
One of the keys to data loss prevention is how and where you back up your data. Hardware solutions must team up with software and cloud solutions to keep you safe.

Data encryption keeps your data out of the wrong hands. The two main classes are symmetric and asymmetric encryption. Both use keys to encrypt and decrypt data.

Even if thieves gain access to your data, its contents will be unreadable without the key. This can cut your business losses and prevent a public relations crisis. Encryption is one of your key data protection tools.

Once you have your data encrypted, you need physical and cloud storage backups. Physical backups can be on hard drives, solid-state drives, and data storage centers. Backing up your data in many places is essential.

Cloud storage lets your team share data, co-work on projects, and gives you a data backup. It saves your data from natural disasters, physical theft, and hardware failures.

Always encrypt cloud data to prevent data theft if your login falls into the wrong hands. IT management services can set up your cloud storage for you. They can integrate it and optimize security.
Create a Data Disaster Recovery Plan
The best data loss prevention methods fall flat without a plan. For this, you need to enlist the help of data professionals. They will identify, evaluate, and protect your data assets.

Choose a data management service in your local area to ensure they are there when you need them. Investing in an IT support company gives you peace of mind. They can keep your business running.

Managed IT services can analyze your data needs to create a disaster recovery plan. This will take into account security, data sensitivity, backups, retrieval, and swift recovery.
Hire IT Management Professionals
We hope our guide to data disaster recovery helped you to protect your data. Your business relies on data to run, and a loss can devastate your progress or worse. With data loss prevention strategies, you can keep your data safe.

Our team at Be Structured Technology Group specializes in data management and security. We can secure your data, create cloud backups, and boost your business performance.

Since 2007, we have lent a helping hand to Los Angeles IT support for local businesses and they have thrived. We serve businesses of all sizes, small, large, and non-profits.

Get in touch today for your free consultation.
- Categories: Backup, Disaster Recovery, Managed IT, Security

#### Why Do Companies Outsource IT Services?
Small businesses outsource tech support 37% of the time. Companies may choose to outsource IT services for many reasons, such as improving efficiency or due to a lack of internal resources. 

People have varying opinions on the idea of outsourcing, but there are benefits to it. Here are a few reasons why a company may choose this path, so you can decide if a local IT support company is the right move for your business. 
Reduce Business Expenses
One of the most common reasons that a company may choose to outsource technical support is to cut down on its expenses. An in-house IT team is costly, and not every business can afford to retain IT staff. 

Investing in managed IT services allows business owners to try new strategies at a lower cost than hiring and training new employees. 

Another common problem that business owners face is unexpected computer problems. 

Slow internet connection speeds, outdated technology, a lack of online security, bandwidth problems and downtime all cost your business. There's always a problem for the IT staff to handle, and it's easy for an in-house team to get spread too thin. 

That's why many businesses turn to outsourced tech support companies for help. 

You'll also have more predictable budgeting. You won't have to worry about any unexpected tech problems eating into your profit margin. Instead, you'll have a set monthly cost to handle, which makes budgeting a breeze. 
Greater Expertise
When you outsource your business IT services, you immediately get access to a wide pool of professionals with years of experience. 

Your internal staff can only do so much on their own. They have limits, and reskilling or upskilling takes time and resources.

If you don't currently have any IT staff, you receive all the benefits of an in-house team, plus you get to see even more advantages. For instance, you get more flexibility and can keep costs low. 

When you outsource IT, you gain access to professionals that specialize in different areas. You'll have a team on your side that can handle cybersecurity compliance, data backup, cloud migration, and much more. These are all in-demand skills that every business needs to thrive. 
Protect Your Brand Reputation
Your clients rely on you to provide consistent and quality service. Unexpected issues, such as downtime or security vulnerabilities, can negatively affect your brand reputation. As a result, you can lose your client's trust and their business. 

When you invest in IT consulting and other services, you can reduce service interruptions and downtime. You won't have to worry about downed customer service lines or website issues that can affect your sales. 

You're also investing in your cybersecurity measures by identifying weaknesses and taking steps to better protect your customer's data. 

The cost of a data breach for small businesses is $2.98 million on average. If you become the victim of a cyberattack, it's up to you to handle direct costs, such as damages and repairs or paying fines. There are also indirect costs to consider, such as a loss of customer trust, reduced productivity, etc. 

Investing in IT support companies can help to protect your business against cybercriminals and prevent you from incurring these costs. 
Improved Efficiency 
When your systems run as they should, and they're protected against outside threats, you don't have to worry as much about the time and money needed to get everything back on track. When there's less downtime, your employees work more efficiently. Your team can focus on their tasks and meet those deadlines. 

Investing in all-inclusive managed services gives you instant access to a team of IT professionals. They know how to focus on local IT support to meet all your needs, regardless of the size of your company. You'll get a customized platform that aligns with your goals and support you can rely on. 

Our experts here at Be Structured Technology Group have a wide variety of skill sets and come from different backgrounds to offer you an unparalleled level of service. 

You and your employees can rest easy knowing that we've got your IT needs covered. 
Outsource Tech Support to Manage Risk
Cyberattacks are a real threat that business owners must consider. Neglecting cybersecurity can have devastating consequences, as we've mentioned above. 

It's imperative that your company complies with all standards and regulations. After all, it's your duty to protect sensitive information entrusted to you by customers and employees. 

Whether your internal IT department is too small to keep up with all the risks or if you don't have the resources to hire an IT staff, you can benefit from outsourced support services. 

Our team of professionals keep up with all the latest in cybersecurity, including new threats and the best practices for protection. 
Scalability to Grow With You
When your needs change, and your business grows, your IT team can adjust to meet the new demands. 

Even if you have IT staff, it's easy for them to become overwhelmed should your company expand. Their list of responsibilities would increase, and it might put too much stress on your team. Overworked employees can suffer job burnout and tend to have lower job satisfaction levels. 

Also, finding a local outsourced technical support company has many advantages in terms of having a team that can quickly arrive onsite in case of a cyber emergency.

For example, if your business is in the great Southern California area,, partnering with a managed IT services Los Angeles based company reduces some of that burden. Your staff can focus on computer operations while you outsource tasks such as IT compliance, cybersecurity, file protection, and more. 

Since IT support companies offer customized plans for each business, you can always adjust the services you receive when you need to or upgrade when the time comes. 
Experience the Benefits of Outsourced Los Angeles IT Support
Companies without an internal team or with a limited number of staff may choose to outsource IT to cut costs and keep up with security compliance. If you fall into this category, you can also experience the advantages of investing in business IT services and security. 

Do you need a managed service provider in Los Angeles, or are you interested in learning more? Contact us to schedule a free IT consultation. 

 
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support, Managed It Services

#### Why Does Your Business Need IT Security in Los Angeles?
Did you know that small businesses are three times more likely to be targeted by cybercriminals than larger companies? With so much sensitive information stored and shared online, it's no wonder that businesses are becoming more vulnerable to cyber threats.
As a business owner, you need to take proactive steps to safeguard your company's digital assets.
In this article, we'll explain why your Southern Californian business needs IT security in Los Angeles and how partnering with an outsourced tech support company can help you protect your business.
We'll cover the most common threats, the importance of data backup and recovery, and the benefits of cloud migration. Read on to learn more.
Overview of IT Security
Business security is crucial for any business. Especially in today's fast-paced and technology-driven world. With the increasing number of cyber threats and the rising amount of sensitive information stored digitally, businesses need to take IT security seriously.
Types of IT Security Services
IT security is the process of protecting your computer networks, hardware, software, and data from unauthorized access, theft, or damage. There are different types of IT security services available, and businesses can choose the ones that best suit their needs. These include:
 	Network security protects your computer network from unauthorized access, malware, and other cyber threats
 	Data security ensures that your data is protected and safe from any data breaches
 	Endpoint security protects your devices, such as laptops and mobile phones
 	Application security ensures that your software applications are secure from any cyber threats
Why Businesses Need IT Security
Business security is vital for businesses of all sizes, as it helps protect their data, reputation, and financial stability. Cyber threats can result in significant financial losses, damaged reputations, and even legal repercussions. IT security can prevent such losses and damage by :
 	Detecting and preventing cyber attacks
 	Backing up data
 	Ensuring that security protocols are in place to protect against cyber threats
By investing in managed IT services in Los Angeles, local businesses can avoid costly consequences and save time and money in the long run.
Protecting Your Business from Cyberattacks
Cybersecurity threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated and frequent. Businesses need to take proactive measures to prevent and mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Types of Cybersecurity Threats
Cybersecurity threats come in many different forms, and they can have severe consequences for businesses. Some of the most common cybersecurity threats include:
 	Malware
 	Phishing attacks
 	Ransomware
 	Denial of service attacks
Why You Need a Cyber Security Company in Los Angeles
Investing in a cybersecurity company is essential to protecting your business from threats. A cybersecurity company can help you: identify and mitigate risks before they become an issue by:
 	Conducting vulnerability assessments
 	Penetration testing
 	Implementing security protocols to prevent cyber attacks
 	Providing employee training
 	Educating your team on best practices to avoid cybersecurity threats.
Additionally, a company specializing in business IT services and security can help you recover from any cyber attacks. They can help with restoring data, repairing damage, and restoring systems.
Ensuring Your Business Can Bounce Back
Data is the lifeblood of any business, and losing it can be catastrophic. That's why data backup and recovery is crucial for every business.
Why Data Backup and Recovery is Important
Data loss can occur due to a variety of reasons, including:
 	Cyberattacks
 	Human error
 	Natural disasters
 	Hardware failure
Losing critical data can lead to downtime, reputational damage, and financial losses. It can also result in legal and regulatory consequences. Having a data backup and recovery plan in place can help you mitigate these risks and ensure that your business can recover quickly from data loss.
How IT Services in Los Angeles Can Help
An IT support company can help you develop a data backup and recovery plan that meets your business's unique needs. They can assist you in identifying the most critical data that needs to be backed up and help you choose the best backup and recovery solutions.
Managed IT services can also help you automate the backup process, so you don't have to worry about forgetting to back up your data. In case of data loss, an IT company can help you recover your data quickly, minimizing downtime and financial losses.
Securing Your Data in the Cloud
Cloud migration has become a popular option for organizations looking to streamline their operations and secure their data. It is the process of moving data, applications, and other digital assets from an on-premises environment to a cloud-based system.
The cloud provides many benefits to businesses, including increased flexibility, scalability, and security. However, migrating to the cloud can be a complex process that requires careful planning and execution.
Why Work with an IT Company that Specializes in Digital Security
Cloud migration and hosted cloud solutions are a critical process that requires a high level of expertise in digital security. Professional IT support services can help you:
 	Help you choose the right cloud solutions that meet your business's unique needs
 	Navigate the complex process of cloud migration
 	Ensure that your data is secure during and after the migration
Why Your Business Needs an Expert IT Support Team
As we've discussed, business security, cybersecurity, data backup and recovery, and cloud migration are essential IT processes that require a high level of expertise. These tasks can be complex, time-consuming, and require specialized knowledge. This is where professional IT support services comes in.
Access to Expertise
An IT support firm provides your business with access to a team of experts with a wide range of skills and experience. By partnering with managed IT services, you can leverage their expertise to ensure that your business is protected against cyber threats, downtime, and other IT issues.
Cost Savings
Hiring and training an in-house IT team can be expensive, time-consuming, and not always necessary for small and medium-sized businesses. Managed IT services, on the other hand, provide a cost-effective solution. You only pay for the services you need and can scale your services up or down as your business needs change.
Peace of Mind
Finally, partnering with professionals provides you with peace of mind. You'll know that your business's IT needs are being handled by experts. Managed IT services will:
 	Monitor your network 24/7
 	Identify potential problems
 	Take proactive measures to ensure the smooth operation of your systems
This means that you can focus on growing your business, without worrying about IT issues.
Handling Your IT Security in Los Angeles
Now that you understand the benefits of using managed IT services for your business's IT security in Los Angeles, it's time to take the next steps.
At Be Structured Technology Group, we offer a range of local IT support, including network installation and maintenance, cybersecurity, cloud migration, data backup and recovery, and more.
Our experienced and certified professionals can help you ensure the smooth and secure operation of your business.
Contact us today to discuss your business's IT security needs.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Why Everyone Should Choose Two Factor Authentication
In the digital transformation era, many businesses are looking for ways to tighten security and protect their data.

The percentage of data requiring security will grow to nearly 90% by 2025. Companies are constantly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on network security.

Yet, a straightforward way to increase password protection for your business is to use Two Factor Authentication" (or 2FA). This is one method of protecting your data that is becoming increasingly popular.

But what is 2FA? And what are the benefits of using it?

Let's take a closer look.
How Does Two Factor Authentication Work?
There are three main types of two factor authentication: something you know (like a password), something you have (like a keycard), or something you are (like your fingerprint).

The most common type of 2FA is something you know plus something you have, such as a password plus a code sent to your phone. When you try to log in to an account that has two factor authentication enabled, you will be prompted to enter the code in addition to your username and password.
Why Outsourced Tech Support Companies Insist on Using Two Factor Authentication?
Two factor authentication provides an extra layer of security for businesses. It requires users to input something that knows. And the user also has to enter something that the user has.

This makes it more difficult for hackers to access accounts because they would need both the password and the code. In addition, two factor authentication helps prevent data breaches because even if a hacker could get ahold of customer information like passwords, they would still be unable to access the account without the second factor.

Most IT support companies recommend two factor authentication gives you peace of mind, knowing that even if someone steals your password, they won't be able to log in unless they also have access to your physical device or phone.

If you use two factor authentication on all of your important accounts, it's easier to keep track of them all you'll never forget which one has which settings! Two factor authentication also helps prevent phishing attacks. The reason being is it requires more than just surrendering a password.
Implementing Two Factor Authentication
There are many ways to implement two factor authentication. The most popular methods are SMS, Google Authenticator, and Hardware Tokens.
SMS or Text Message
This method sends a one-time code to you via an SMS or text message. The code changes every 30 seconds, so it's not as secure as other methods. However, if you're using a mobile device that doesn't have a data plan, this may be your only option for 2FA.
Google Authenticator
This app generates a six-digit code every 30 seconds which can be used in place of your password. It's available for Android and iOS devices, but can be used on any platform with a QR reader app installed (like Barcode Scanner).
Hardware Tokens
These tokens usually come in the form of USB drives or key fobs, which generate one-time codes which change every 30 seconds. They're more expensive than other options but offer greater protection against hackers.
Why Should Businesses Consider Using That Two Factor Authentication
There are a few reasons to consider when using two-factor authentication. Suppose you must protect critical data against malicious attacks and accidental data loss. In that case, two-factor authentication can help prevent unauthorized data access in compromise (e.g., if an employee leaves). Since it adds another layer of security.

For example, company emails should have two factor authentication. You will need to set up an email account with two-factor authentication enabled. Then you should enable 2FA on all accounts you want to be protected by this method of two factor authentication.

It is easy to set up but not very convenient if you do not have access to a computer at all times because you need access to a computer for this method of 2FA to work properly.
Cost of Implementing Two Factor Authentication
The cost of adding two factor authentication to your new security network will vary depending on how much you are currently spending for your existing security system. If you want to upgrade from a basic system, the cost will be higher than an upgrade to a more advanced system.

The average cost of adding two factor authentication to an existing network is $500 per user. This is based on the assumption that you already have the necessary hardware in place and only need to purchase software licenses for each user that needs 2FA support.

The initial license fee for 2FA can range from $10 to $100 per user, depending on the type of software you choose. After this initial fee, there may be annual maintenance fees or subscriptions that must be paid to keep using your new software features.

Another factor that affects the cost of implementing 2FA is whether or not your company already has an existing BYOD policy in place and whether or not you have a mobile device management (MDM) solution installed on your network. Many companies today allow employees to bring their own devices into work and access company data without restrictions.

If that is the case then those devices should have a two factor authentication process to increase reduce data leakage and securities breaches.
Your Business Security Needs Two Factor Authentication
Two factor authentication is an important security measure for businesses. It helps prevent data breaches and protects customer information. Two factor authentication provides an extra layer of security for businesses. If your company does not have two-factor authentication, now is the time to do it!

Be Structured Technology Group is an award-winning Los Angeles IT services firm that is annually honored for 24/7 customer IT support and satisfaction. We specialize in helping companies with a wide variety of IT services.

Contact us today to learn more.
- Categories: IT Support, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Why Having Los Angeles IT Support is Crucial for LA-Based Businesses
Los Angeles IT support plays a vital role in keeping businesses efficient, secure, and competitive. 
From tech startups in Venice to legal firms in DTLA, companies in LA rely on uninterrupted connectivity and system performance to meet the expectations of a fast-paced economy. Technology isn't just a background tool anymore; at most, it is now the backbone of service delivery, innovation, and growth.
As digital infrastructure becomes more complex and threats more sophisticated, LA-based companies face a critical decision: maintain the status quo or invest in specialized, IT support services in Los Angeles that can scale with their needs.

The High Cost of Downtime in LA’s Media Sector
Nowhere is the cost of digital disruption more evident than in LA’s media and entertainment sector. These companies face median outage costs of $2.2 million per hour, making IT stability a business imperative rather than an operational concern. Whether it’s a delayed live stream, missed editing deadline, or system failure during high-volume periods, downtime can result in millions of lost revenue and opportunity.

Why IT Support in Los Angeles Has Unique Demands
Technology in Los Angeles is as diverse as the industries that call it home. The city’s economy includes production studios, SaaS companies, marketing agencies, biotech labs, logistics operations, and law firms. Each sector has specific compliance regulations, infrastructure needs, and cybersecurity risks.
On top of that, LA’s sprawl and traffic make remote monitoring, helpdesk availability, and fast on-site support key differentiators. Businesses need IT support that understands both local operational rhythms and industry-specific technical requirements. Simply outsourcing to a generic provider from another region often fails to meet these nuanced demands.

The Benefits of a Los Angeles IT Support Company
Working with a local partner offers several distinct advantages. A Los Angeles IT support company can provide faster response times for on-site emergencies, tailor security solutions to comply with California-specific regulations, and offer support hours aligned with LA business schedules.
Additionally, close geographic proximity enhances collaboration. Whether rolling out new hardware, updating compliance protocols, or auditing system vulnerabilities, on-site support is easier to coordinate and more effective when it's local.


Local IT support is curcial especially in times of sudden outages.
All-Inclusive Managed Services Provide Long-Term Value
Downtime doesn't just cost money because it also erodes customer trust and derails project momentum. That’s why many LA-based businesses are turning to all-inclusive managed services as part of their IT strategy. These services consolidate IT operations under one umbrella: network management, data backup, cloud solutions, cybersecurity, compliance, and end-user support.
Bundling these services reduces operational friction and ensures nothing slips through the cracks. More importantly, it gives businesses the ability to scale quickly, whether opening a second office in Glendale or launching a new product line across multiple platforms.

Reasons to Hire a Local IT Support Company in LA
Los Angeles businesses face fierce competition. A local IT partner offers familiarity with local regulations, vendor networks, and even challenges like SoCal’s energy grid fluctuations or wildfire-related outages. These localized insights help with contingency planning and infrastructure resilience.
Another key factor? Trust. A relationship with a local partner allows for more frequent in-person meetings, faster escalations, and tighter collaboration on strategic initiatives. These are compelling reasons to hire a local IT support company, especially when compared to outsourced or offshore options that may offer cheaper rates but slower service and limited customization.

Services and Solutions Offered by an IT Support Company
What can businesses expect when partnering with an LA IT provider? Robust service catalogs typically include:


 	 24/7 helpdesk and remote troubleshooting
 	 Network performance monitoring
 	 Disaster recovery and business continuity planning
 	 Cloud migration and optimization
 	 Regulatory compliance consulting
 	 Cybersecurity defenses, including firewalls, endpoint detection, and MFA

These are just a few of the services and solutions offered by an IT support company in Los Angeles. Depending on the provider, offerings can be highly specialized—for example, HIPAA-compliant IT services for healthcare or media-ready workflows for production companies.

Productivity Benefits of Having 24/7 Los Angeles IT Support
LA doesn’t sleep—and neither should your IT infrastructure. With projects spanning global time zones and clients expecting real-time results, downtime during off-hours is no longer acceptable. The productivity benefits of having 24/7 Los Angeles IT support include faster resolution of late-night outages, reduced employee frustration, and zero delay in rolling out critical updates.
Moreover, proactive support prevents problems before they happen. IT partners use advanced monitoring tools to detect anomalies, patch vulnerabilities, and maintain performance across endpoints and networks. This keeps internal teams focused on innovation instead of putting out IT fires.

IT Support in Los Angeles Fuels Innovation and Growth
Tech clusters like Silicon Beach, home to more than 500 tech companies including Netflix, YouTube, Salesforce, and Electronic Arts, are driving a new wave of digital innovation. This region’s density creates both opportunities and challenges. High network demand, frequent collaboration, and intense cybersecurity threats require agile and adaptive IT services.
Reliable IT support in Los Angeles empowers companies to seize opportunities in this high-density environment. Whether launching a new cloud-based app or protecting intellectual property during production, local IT experts ensure operations remain secure and uninterrupted.

Signs You Need IT Support in LA
Many companies don’t realize they’ve outgrown their existing IT setup until a serious issue arises. Some signs you need IT support in LA include:


 	 Frequent outages or unexplained system slowdowns
 	 Inconsistent software updates or backups
 	 Growing concerns about ransomware or phishing attacks
 	 IT requests take days or weeks to resolve
 	 Difficulty integrating new platforms or tools

Having a dedicated IT support team gives businesses peace-of-mind
These red flags often precede more serious failures. Partnering with a local IT support provider brings clarity, structure, and preventative strategies to keep business operations on track.

Tailored Solutions for Diverse LA Industries
IT needs vary dramatically across industries. Financial firms require secure client data handling and compliance with federal laws. Manufacturers depend on automation and operational uptime. Media firms must collaborate on large files in real time without sacrificing speed or security.
That’s why providers offer tailored services to industries like finance, healthcare, logistics, and entertainment. These solutions go beyond one-size-fits-all approaches to address sector-specific workflows, regulations, and performance expectations.
Whether your company needs cloud backup for sensitive client records or secure remote access for distributed teams, LA-based IT support firms can create a custom solution that fits.

Local Insight Enhances Strategic Planning
IT strategy is no longer an afterthought. As more companies migrate to cloud environments, invest in AI, or build hybrid workforces, IT becomes foundational to business success. Local insight adds immense value to strategic planning.
Providers who know the LA market are better equipped to recommend scalable cloud platforms, cybersecurity upgrades, and process automation tools that actually fit the region’s tech ecosystem. They can advise on best practices for integration, vendor selection, and future-proofing infrastructure.

The Case for Strategic Managed IT Services LA
Maintaining a strong digital foundation in Los Angeles means having an IT partner who understands the city’s pace, diversity, and challenges. Whether your company is scaling fast, fighting cyber threats, or trying to reduce internal tech strain, investing in a local IT provider delivers measurable ROI.
At Be Structured, we provide more than break-fix solutions. We offer long-term guidance, scalable technologies, and future-ready support. When you’re ready to streamline operations, strengthen security, and prepare for growth, let’s talk.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed It Services
- Tags: IT Support in Los Angeles, Los Angeles IT Support

#### Why Is Cybersecurity Compliance Important to Business?
According to recent statistics, globally, 30,000 websites are hacked daily. And, 64% of companies have experienced at least one form of cyber attack. In light of these threats, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to comply with cybersecurity regulations and standards.

In this article, we'll explore the importance of cybersecurity compliance for businesses and the steps you meet it. Whether you are just starting out or have been in business for years, it is never too late to take the necessary steps to ensure your company's cybersecurity.

If you're a Southern California-based business, partnering with expert  cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles will also play a key roll in protecting your business.
Understanding IT Compliance
Compliance helps to protect of sensitive information and reduce the risk of cyberattacks. Cybersecurity compliance regulations may require companies to:

 	Regularly update their security systems
 	Store data in a secure manner
 	Train employees on cybersecurity best practices

Different industries and businesses may have different compliance regulations to follow. For example, the healthcare industry has to follow regulations such as HIPAA. While the finance industry has to follow regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Adhering to these regulations is important because it helps businesses to meet industry standards and best practices for protecting sensitive information.

Not complying with compliance regulations can result in significant consequences for businesses. They may face financial penalties and fines, loss of customer trust and credibility, and damage to their reputation.

On the other hand, complying with IT compliance regulations can provide numerous benefits. Benefits of complying include:

 	Improved security and protection of sensitive data
 	Increased credibility and trust with customers
 	Helping businesses to better align with industry standards and best practices

The Consequences of Cybersecurity Non-Compliance
Failing to follow compliance regulations can have serious consequences for businesses. When a business does not have a secure business network, it is more susceptible to cyberattacks and breaches. This can result in the loss of sensitive information and financial damage.

For example, imagine your company stores customer information such as credit card numbers. A breach could lead to this information being stolen and used for illegal purposes.

Another consequence of not following compliance regulations is financial penalties and fines. Many regulators have severe consequences for businesses that do not comply. These can include fines and penalties that can add up quickly.

In some cases, non-compliance can result in lawsuits and legal proceedings. This can be time-consuming and expensive.

Lack of IT compliance can also lead to a loss of customer trust and credibility. When customers know that a business is not following regulations, they may question the security of their personal information. Or worse, choose to do business with a competitor instead.

This can have a significant impact on a business's bottom line and long-term success.

In addition to these consequences, non-compliance can result in reputational damage. When a business experiences a data breach or is found to be in violation of IT compliance regulations, it can harm the company's reputation. And cause long-term damage to the brand.

This is why it is so important for businesses to prioritize  compliance and ensure that their business networks are secure.
Advantages of Cybersecurity Compliance for Businesses
Complying with compliance regulations can bring numerous benefits to businesses. Firstly, it can improve the overall security and protection of sensitive information.

A secure business cybersecurity system helps to prevent cyberattacks and data breaches. A risk that can result in the loss of important information and financial damage.

In addition to improving security, cybersecurity compliance can also increase customer trust and credibility. When customers know that a business is following regulations and has a secure system for storing and handling their information, they are more likely to do business with that company. This can help to establish long-term relationships and build a positive reputation for the business.

Compliance can also help businesses to align with industry standards and best practices. By following these regulations, businesses can ensure that they are operating in the most secure and efficient manner. This can help to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of cyberattacks and data breaches.

Furthermore, compliance can provide businesses with a competitive advantage. By being in compliance, you can differentiate your company from competitors who may not be following the same regulations. This can help businesses to stand out and attract new customers, leading to increased growth and success.
How to Meet IT Compliance Requirements
Ensuring compliance can seem like a daunting task, but there are several steps that businesses can take to meet them. Firstly, it is important to understand which regulations apply to the business and what the specific requirements are. This information can typically be found on government websites or by consulting with a cybersecurity expert.

Once the regulations have been identified, the next step is to assess the current state of the business IT system. This can involve:

 	Conducting a security audit to identify any vulnerabilities
 	Updating software
 	Implementing stronger passwords
 	Establishing a plan for regular security updates

Another important step is to provide cybersecurity training for all employees. This training should cover:

 	Best practices for protecting sensitive information
 	Using the internet safely
 	Specific regulations that apply to the business

This will help employees to understand the importance of IT compliance. And, encourage them to take the necessary precautions to keep sensitive information secure.

Businesses can also implement security technologies and systems to help meet compliance requirements. This may include:

 	Firewalls
 	Antivirus software
 	Encryption tools to help protect sensitive information

Finally, it is important to regularly review and update the system to ensure continued compliance. This can include staying up-to-date with any changes to the regulations and conducting regular security audits to identify and address any vulnerabilities.
Let Us Help You Meet Your Compliance Requirements
From understanding regulations to conducting security audits, there are many steps that businesses can take to meet cybersecurity compliance. By taking these steps and maintaining a secure IT system, businesses can build customer trust and credibility, align with industry standards, and gain a competitive advantage.

Learn more about what our managed IT services might be able to do for you.

Reach out and get in touch with Be Structured Technology Group today!
- Categories: cybersecurity compliance, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Why IT Support Is Essential for Wealth Management Companies
Did you know the portfolio management industry is worth $403 billion? With such a large industry, ensuring your business stands out in any way it can is essential. With such a large client base, it can be hard for people to find businesses they trust. That's why investing in an outsourced IT support company is such a good idea.

Not only can it help your business grow, but it also has the potential to separate you from the crowd.

Read on to learn about everything you stand to gain.
Key Responsibilities of Wealth Management Companies
Wealth management companies are more essential now than ever, and it's important to understand why. Not only do your clients depend on you to provide advice and guidance, but the industry looks for you to accomplish things like:

 	Constant process improvement
 	Cost and efficiency management
 	Cybersecurity management
 	IT system and operations management

The last two are especially important in this field, as it's how you help keep your client's information safe and protected.

For the larger financial institutions - many located near downtown Los Angeles - how can bringing on IT support Los Angeles services actually help?
How IT Support Near Me Helps
Not only can outsourced tech support take a lot of that responsibility off your shoulders, but it can also help you improve a lot of different aspects of your business.

Here are a few of the most important problems that outsourced tech support companies can help you solve.
Better Security
The thing that a lot of wealth management owners choose to focus on is the aspect of enhanced cybersecurity that comes with local IT support. They'll be able to respond to any potential problems you might be having, as well as manage security risks before they pose a threat to your customers.

Companies need to understand the cyber threats associated with wealth management, and then work to minimize the risk they might pose to customers. With the right IT support company, you won't have to focus on this at all. They'll be around to do the work for you.
Less Worrying
Remember that IT system and operations management we were talking about earlier? With the proper IT support services, you no longer have to worry about that.

They'll be able to help you keep up with website maintenance and systems updates. They'll also have access to the industry's best tools, meaning you'll be able to focus on things like integrating your technology across key management processes.

This, in turn, is going to make a lot of your internal processes easier to carry out and focus on.
Improve Decision Making
Decent business decisions are always based on solid market research. The entire process is made possible through video conferencing and reading through public platforms to gain a better understanding of the current state of the wealth management market in regard to your business and its competitors.

With this research comes the need to place it in a safe space. You also need to have easy access to any of the data you find.

Locally, here in LA, the right Los Angeles managed service provider is going to help enhance this process for you and provide constant access to the things you need. They often have access to specialized programs that businesses can use to make their technology decisions and to provide alternatives to the process altogether.
Build Trust
When your clients can trust you, so can the industry as a whole. When you prioritize customer safety with your online services, you place yourself at the forefront of the industry in its entirety. Clients will look to your business because they know they're in good hands.

Other companies will look to your business because they know you have what they need.

You'll also be able to apply new technologies to your customer support systems, meaning you no longer have to face the challenge that comes with the increasing volume of queries and concerns.

As your business grows, your IT support will grow with you, meaning you'll always have access to the tools your business needs to succeed.
More Customization Options
Since wealth management is so different for everyone, having a nice business flow is going to allow differing solutions for every new client your company takes on. Not only this, but you'll also be able to integrate different communication aspects into your business and its platforms, meaning a lot more efficient interactions and happy customers.
Access to Important Data
Access to the right data is essential when you're a wealth manager. The right Los Angeles IT support services are going to be able to help you log and track every appointment, task, and activity your business has daily.

Depending on the tool, you'll also have easy access to that data from a singular platform instead of through different tools.

This can help advisors gain a clear understanding of their clients' needs and situations. They'll then be able to provide unique and singular solutions tailored to their portfolios.

Without the streamlined process that comes with working with managed IT services, certain wealth management companies might never gain access to those kinds of tools. They'd be stuck in the past with no way of moving forward otherwise.
Ready to Take On IT Support?
So, does IT support sound like something your business could benefit from?

In the long run, not only can this investment help your business grow and thrive, but it can also your clients build their wealth. By investing in a company they trust, they're going to reap the benefits that come with everything your business has to offer.

Ready to get started? Schedule a consultation today to learn more about what Be Structured Technology Group has to offer.
- Categories: Backup, IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### Why Its Important for Your Business to Implement Data Backups
Almost 30,000 websites are hacked into every single day. Over 60% of companies have experienced a breach at some point. Losing important data can ruin a business's reputation with its customers.

Those who don't implement regular data backups as part of their ongoing monitoring of business IT services can find themselves having to start over and rebuild from the ground up. It's an expensive and draining process that causes many companies to close their doors for good.

Data backups don't only act as a line of defense against breaches. They can help you easily reboot your systems after a natural disaster and protect you from human error.

Check out this guide to learn more.
Protect Your Data
The main benefit of having a server backup is that it protects the large amounts of data that you gather every day. If you were to lose a customer's information or employee data, it could cause you to have to close your doors.

Having backup information will allow you to recover your systems, no matter how much data you lose.
Preventive Measures Can Fail
You can have a strong firewall and virus protection in place and still fall victim to a hacker. Cybercriminals are crafty enough to find ways around common preventive measures.

Data backup solutions act as a second line of defense. You might not be able to stop yourself from losing data, but you can control the speed at which you recover it.
Human Error Is Common
Hackers aren't the only thing that threatens your data. Employees can be just as large of a risk.

All it takes is one person falling for a phishing email for you to lose everything. You also can't control the strength of your employee's passwords.

One of your workers could delete a file by accident. If you have a backup of that file, it's not a big deal. If you don't, you'll lose it forever.

Disgruntled employees may delete your data on purpose. If you have the proper protections in place, they won't be successful in their attempt to ruin you.
Cybercriminals Are Creative
As stated above, if there are holes in your firewall, a hacker will find them. Cyberattacks are always evolving. While malware is the most common type of attack, it's not the only one that you may have to contend with.

Ransomware is a good example. It's a type of malware in which a hacker will lock your data or computer behind a paywall. Paying the requested ransom doesn't guarantee the release of your information.

If you back up your data, it won't matter. You won't even have to consider giving in to the hacker's demands if you have an extra copy of all the information they stole.

IT support companies can also assist in ongoing backup and recovery should you need help.
Natural Disasters Can Happen at Any Time
Fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes can happen at unexpected times and shut down your servers for months if you're not prepared for them.

If you've backed up your data, you can start over from where you left off with your business. Instead of being shut down for months while you rebuild, you'll only have to stop regular operations for a few weeks or days.
Losing Data Hurts Your Reputation
Losing your reputation is the worst part of a data breach. If you misplace a customer's personal information, they'll be hesitant to do business with you again.

If you're known for losing track of employee data, potential candidates are going to think twice before they put in an application.

That's why you need a data recovery plan. Being able to respond to breaches quickly will prevent your reputation from suffering as much.
You'll Keep a Competitive Advantage
Your competitor's loss is your gain. Let's say that a hurricane blows through your area and hurts several businesses.

If you have a disaster recovery plan in place that includes data backups, and your competitors don't, you'll be able to resume operation faster than them. Their customers will get tired of waiting on them to get their servers going and turn to you.
How to Backup Your Data?
Now that you know why data backups are important, it's time to talk about how you can go about it.

The best options are removable devices, external hard drives, and cloud backup services.
Removable Devices
The simplest way to back up your data is to use a flash drive or disk. For smaller businesses, they will contain enough space to hold all your information.

They won't be as practical if you grow into a large corporation. In order to back up all your data, you'll need several disks. It won't be long before you begin to lose track.
External Hard Drive
External hard drives are easier to keep track of than small flash drives and disks.

They can hold a large amount of data, but they do pose the same kind of problem as disks. As you grow your business, you'll need to invest in more and more hard drives.
Cloud Backup Services
Cloud backup services will hold all your data in a remote location where you can pull from it at any time. Even though it's completely digital, it's safe. Most services use data encryption, and there's no chance of hardware failure.

Backups occur automatically with no effort from you. You won't have to invest in multiple disks or hard drives.
The Importance of Data Backups
Without regular data backups, you leave your servers vulnerable to cybercriminals and natural disasters. Losing customer and employee information will have a large impact on your reputation.

Having backups won't only prevent you from losing data. It will also work alongside your firewall and virus software to keep your company safe.

To get information on our cloud backup services and schedule a consultation with Be Structured, the leading outsourced IT support Los Angeles has to offer. Contact us today.
- Categories: Backup, Cloud Solutions, IT Support, Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Why Managed IT Support Is The Right Solution For Your Business
There are a number of ways that a company can respond to IT issues, but not all of them are equal in value. Creating your own IT department is certainly an option, but you’ll be relying on the limited expertise and you’ll have to manage the department along with paying employee benefits. You might try hiring fee-for-service third-party providers, but that’s not the most efficient way to avoid ongoing issues. Hiring or calling someone to fix issues that have already cropped up is reactive thinking and it wastes resources like your valuable time and money.

You could even try calling an IT amateur that you know personally, like a cousin or an officemate down the hall that knows a bit about computer support. We know that mid-sized and small businesses’ resources are limited, and you need to make the most of your money, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for an inferior technology solution. The truth is that you’ll get more for your money with a professional IT support company like Be Structured. Outsourced IT support offers many advantages that you won’t get anywhere else.
The Benefits of Outsourced IT Support

 	A Depth of Knowledge: One of the reasons that we built out our team at Be Structured the way we did is because we wanted to secure a wide range of specialties. We can say with certainty that there is no single IT professional that has the same depth of knowledge we bring to the table. Your business deserves access to a professional level of expertise.
 	Cost Savings: If you are running and managing your own internal IT department, that means you are spending money on having someone manage the team, planning their budget, and paying their salaries and benefits. With managed IT services from Be Structured you can just have a monthly fee that you pay us for comprehensive support.
 	Predictable Spending: Another bonus of that monthly fee is that it will be fixed and secure for a pre-set period of time. You can write that number in your budget and not have to worry about surprise charges sneaking up on you later. This predictability will allow you to be more flexible elsewhere in your budget and feel secure moving funds where you need them for other operations.
 	Reliability: When you partner with the Be Structured Technology Group, you will be supported with a professional level of customer service. You will have response times that you can rely on. There won’t be anymore wondering when your IT provider is going to show up because we have a complete team of experts at your disposal. We make a point to share robust documentation of our clients’ system so that anyone on the helpdesk team, and their supervisors, will be fully informed to resolve your issues.
 	Proactive Thinking: When you are establishing your IT services, it is essential to have a provider that operates proactively. We want to get in front of your problems before they occur and have precautions in place for the challenges we can’t prevent. Business continuity planning and disaster recovery strategies are vital to the future of your company. Many businesses that are hit with a disaster are never able to recover.

 	With Be Structured, you can have peace of mind in the secure future of your organization. We will implement redundant data backup processes and recommend cloud services to keep your sensitive information secure in a professional data center.




 	Access To Superior Technology: Depending on your old strategies for resolving IT issues, it is likely that you aren’t getting access to the latest technological advancements. When you hire a service like ours, you can have recommendations and designs for superior services like server virtualization or cloud-based hosted VoIP phone systems. Cloud solutions like that will keep your business on the competitive edge in your industry.
 	Free Up Internal Resources: One of the most significant benefits of outsourcing your IT services is that it allows you to remain focused on your core business objectives. Even if you already have an IT department or work in a field like software development, it can be more efficient to have a dedicated service provider managing your network support. Our support team functions as a safety net for your operations and provide an additional level of expertise.
 	Long-Term Planning: One of the fundamental practices in our managed services bundle is IT consulting and VCIO services. We can be your virtual chief information officer and provide our expert consultations on the future path of your information technology. We can assist in planning out migrations to platforms like cloud computing or difficult processes like office relocation.

If you work in the Los Angeles and Orange County area, contact Be Structured Technology Group today to find out all the ways we can support your business with managed IT solutions. We want to make your vision our mission.
- Categories: MSPs
- Tags: Los Angeles IT Support, Outsourced IT Support, vCIO

#### Why More Companies Are Turning to Outsourced IT Support
Imagine navigating a technological labyrinth, where every turn presents new challenges and budget constraints that threaten your progress. 
For many mid-sized companies, the answer lies in a transformative shift: outsourced technical support. The key to balancing exceptional IT support with financial efficiency isn’t just possible—it’s becoming essential for survival in today’s fast-paced market.

The Strategic Shift to IT Outsourcing Services
Businesses today face an increasingly complex technological landscape. The rapid pace of innovation, rising cybersecurity threats, and demand for operational efficiency have forced companies to rethink their IT strategies.
 For many, IT outsourcing offers a strategic solution to these challenges, providing access to expert support without the heavy costs of maintaining an in-house IT department.
By partnering with an IT outsourcing services company, businesses can leverage external expertise, enhance productivity, and focus on core operations. More than just a cost-cutting measure, IT outsourcing serves as a critical tool for driving growth, improving security, and adapting to market demands with agility.


Why Outsourced IT Support Makes Sense for Businesses
Technology evolves at an unprecedented rate, and companies without dedicated IT teams often struggle to keep up. Whether managing cloud migration, upgrading infrastructure, or combating cybersecurity threats, the demands on IT departments have never been greater.
Cybersecurity, in particular, has become a critical concern. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime is expected to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. For businesses, these threats can cripple operations, damage reputations, and result in significant financial losses.
By partnering with an top IT support company, businesses gain access to specialized cybersecurity expertise and tools. Managed IT services offer robust security solutions, including proactive threat monitoring, risk assessments, and disaster recovery strategies—services that are difficult and costly to replicate in-house.

Financial Efficiency and Cost Savings
Maintaining an internal IT department is a substantial financial commitment. Salaries, benefits, training, and software licensing costs quickly add up, especially for mid-sized companies operating on tight budgets. For many, these expenses can limit growth opportunities.
Outsourced IT support companies provide a cost-effective alternative. By outsourcing IT needs, businesses can:


 	Eliminate overhead costs associated with full-time staff.
 	Access a team of experts at a fraction of the price.
 	Allocate resources more efficiently to core business activities.

In addition, outsourced IT solutions often operate on flexible pricing models, such as monthly subscriptions or pay-as-you-go plans. This predictability makes budgeting easier and allows businesses to scale services according to their needs.

Quality IT Support and Expertise
For businesses striving to stay competitive, expertise matters. Partnering with a managed IT service provider grants companies access to a broad range of IT specialists who bring advanced skills and cutting-edge tools to the table. 
This expertise can be particularly beneficial for implementing emerging technologies, optimizing existing systems, and solving complex IT challenges.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) play a key role in ensuring quality. These agreements define expectations for uptime, response times, and overall service performance. Companies can trust that their IT support in Los Angeles will deliver consistent, high-quality results tailored to their specific needs.

Scalability and Flexibility
Modern businesses must adapt quickly to market changes, and IT outsourcing provides the flexibility to do just that. During peak seasons or periods of rapid growth, businesses can scale their IT support up or down without the delays or costs associated with hiring additional staff.
For example, a business experiencing a surge in online traffic during a product launch can rely on local IT support services to handle increased demand efficiently. This scalability allows businesses to stay agile, responsive, and prepared for new opportunities.

Building Strategic IT Partnerships
The relationship between businesses and their outsourced IT providers has evolved beyond transactional services. Today, IT outsourcing fosters long-term strategic partnerships that align technology with business goals. By collaborating closely with companies, IT providers can:


 	Offer tailored solutions that address unique business challenges.
 	Drive innovation by implementing the latest technologies.
 	Align IT strategies with overall growth objectives.

For businesses looking to remain competitive, these partnerships are invaluable. With a proactive, strategic IT partner, businesses can identify gaps, implement improvements, and future-proof their operations.

Key Advantages of Outsourcing Techincal Support
The benefits of IT outsourcing extend far beyond cost savings. By partnering with an outsourced IT support company, businesses can unlock a range of advantages, including:

Enhanced Security Measures
Cybersecurity is a top priority for businesses operating in today’s digital environment. IT outsourcing provides access to advanced security solutions that protect against cyberattacks, data breaches, and system vulnerabilities. Providers implement proactive measures such as threat detection, firewalls, and regular security updates to safeguard business operations.

Focus on Core Business Functions
Managing IT infrastructure can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. By outsourcing IT tasks, internal teams are freed to focus on core business functions, driving innovation and growth. IT providers take on the technical challenges, allowing businesses to concentrate on strategic goals.


Access to Cutting-Edge Technology
Technology evolves quickly, and businesses need the right tools to remain competitive. IT outsourcing ensures companies can access the latest software, hardware, and IT solutions without significant upfront investments. Providers stay ahead of industry trends, offering businesses a competitive edge.

Reliable and Consistent Support
Downtime can be costly, both in terms of lost revenue and damaged reputations. IT outsourcing guarantees reliable, 24/7 support to resolve issues quickly and minimize disruptions. With a dedicated IT partner, businesses can trust that their systems will remain operational and secure.

Embracing IT Outsourcing as a Growth Strategy
The decision to outsource IT services is no longer just about saving money; it’s about positioning businesses for long-term success. With access to expert support, enhanced security, and scalable solutions, companies can navigate the complexities of today’s IT landscape with confidence.
For businesses in need of IT support in Los Angeles, outsourcing provides the tools and resources necessary to drive efficiency, reduce risks, and achieve operational excellence. By leveraging external expertise, companies can focus on innovation, growth, and delivering exceptional value to their customers.

Partner with the Top IT Support Company to Drive Your Business Forward
As technology continues to advance, businesses must remain proactive in their approach to IT management. IT outsourcing offers the strategic support needed to stay competitive, secure, and efficient. Whether you’re looking for flexible solutions, specialized expertise, or scalable IT services, outsourcing provides the answer.
At Be Structured, we understand the challenges businesses face when managing IT operations. Our team of experts is here to help you navigate the complexities of modern IT, offering tailored solutions that align with your business goals.
Schedule a free consultation today to discover how IT outsourcing services can transform your operations and position your business for success.
- Categories: IT Support
- Tags: Outsourced IT, Outsourced IT Support

#### Why Multi-Factor Authentication May Be Here To Stay
Did you know that around 30,000 websites are hacked daily, and a new attack occurs every 39 seconds on average?

The damage that these breaches can cause is huge. Sensitive customer data or business information can be leaked, causing harm to your business and its reputation. Many of these breaches occur because hackers are able to access business networks by simply logging into them.

If a hacker gets hold of the username and password for a business account, then they can access anything that an employee can access. There are a number of ways that hackers can get hold of these credentials, from sophisticated software to simple phishing attacks.

One way to add an extra level of protection to business IT services and security is to make use of multi-factor authentication. Read on as we take a look at why multi-factor authentication is something that is likely to be here to stay for the foreseeable future.
What Is Multi-Factor Authentication?
Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, is a way to keep online accounts safe. It adds an additional layer of authentication beyond a simple username and password.

It means that if hackers do manage to get hold of your password, they would still need to get through additional layers of authentication before they would gain access to the network. These additional layers of authentication can be as simple as a one-time code that is sent to a user's device, or as complex as voice or fingerprint recognition.
How Does Multi-Factor Authentication Work?
MFA works by asking for further authentication once someone has entered a valid username and password.

One of the most common methods is to send a code to a specific phone number or device. Once that code has been received and entered, the authentication is complete, and the user can access the network. It means that if a hacker doesn't have that specific device, they won't receive the code, and shouldn't be able to gain access.

Other systems use apps installed on phones or other devices to generate the codes needed to complete the login. The app is linked to one specific device, so unless you have access to that device, you can't generate the code you need to log in.

Biometric multi-factor authentication uses information unique to a specific individual, such as a fingerprint or voice pattern. Some systems even continuously monitor the way that people type, and lock them out if their typing pattern is not recognized.
Why Use Multi-Factor Authentication?
Multi-factor authentication is a way to help a business stay secure online. It adds a whole extra layer of protection on top of simply using usernames and passwords to protect accounts.

That's because even the strongest password is useless if it has been leaked or hacked. These types of attacks are becoming ever more common, which is why multi-factor authentication is likely to be here to stay.

There are a number of ways that hackers can gain access to login credentials.
Phishing
Phishing is one of the most common ways of gaining access to login credentials.

Phishing attacks are designed to mimic genuine emails and trick users into trying to log in to their accounts. You've probably received these types of emails before, pretending to be from a bank or your PayPal account, and with a link for you to log in. These links are fake, however, and if you do enter your credentials, they will instantly get passed on to the hackers to use as they wish.

Spear phishing is a form of phishing in which the attack is directed specifically at one person in a targeted attack. It may use information gleaned from social media to trick you into believing that the link you are trying to access is genuine.
Keystroke Logging
Keystroke logging is a method of recording every single keystroke that you make on a computer.

This is usually done by installing malware on your computer. This malware records your keystrokes and allows the hacker to see everything that you type. The moment that you type in your username and password, the hacker has access to it.
Credential Stuffing
Credential stuffing is a trial and error method used by hackers. It works on the principle that people like to reuse the same user accounts and passwords.

Your username and password may be leaked from another site, which happens more frequently than you might realize. Hackers will try these same details in as many different sites as they can, in the hope that the credentials are used elsewhere.

One security enhancement that can help to reduce the risk of successful credential stuffing is to use a password manager. This is an application that creates a different strong password for every site that you use. You only need to remember the login details for the password manager, and it will remember all the other passwords for you.
Man-In-The-Middle Attacks
Man-in-the-middle attacks are where hackers manage to sneak into the internet connection between you and the server you are trying to log into.

By reading the traffic between these two places, they can access your login details as you enter them. This type of attack is particularly common in unsecured networks, such as the free Wi-Fi you might use at a coffee shop.
Brute Force Attacks
Brute force attacks use computers to try multiple different passwords in a short space of time.

The intent is to find the right one by sheer weight of numbers. They will often use very common passwords such as 'p4ssw0rd' or '123456' first. That's why having a strong password can reduce the risk of these brute force attacks being successful.
Issues With Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication can help to reduce the risks from the types of attacks listed above, but it does come with some issues.

One of the most common is employee dissatisfaction. Some employees may resent have to go through an additional level of authentication every time they want to log in to do some work. However, good MFA systems add very little time to the login process, and can make a significant difference to how secure your network is.

Some employees may also take issue with having to install an app of their phone. These apps usually take up very little space and are quick and easy to use.
Are You Looking for Help to Keep Your Network Protected?
Using multi-factor authentication is just one way to help protect your business network.

If you're looking for support in incorporating the very latest security infrastructure and strategies into your business, then we're here to help. We can identify industry-specific threats and help you to develop a comprehensive network security solution that’s tailor-made for your operations.

We also offer a range of other Los Angeles IT support services, including network security, cloud migration, hosted VoIP solutions, network installation, data backup and protection, and more.

Contact our team today, and together we can explore how to keep your network protected.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Security

#### Why Professional Structured Cabling Is Vital to IT Management Success
That we’re living in the era of digital technology is no longer in question. By the time 2022 is over, an impressive 65% of the global GDP will be digitalized. In total, the world will invest a mind-boggling $6.8 trillion in digital transformation between 2020 and 2023.

One of the biggest contributors to the exponential growth the local IT support sector is experiencing is businesses' ongoing adoption of digital technologies. About 75% of small businesses say technology helped them stay afloat in 2020.

If you’re keen on boosting your current IT infrastructure, investing in professional structured cabling is something you may want to think about. Structured cabling is a system of cabling and associated hardware that offers a comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure.

This blog will give seven advantages of professional structured cabling.
Looks Neat and Organized
It's important for structured cabling to look neat and organized because it conveys a professional image and ensures optimal performance.

When cables are neatly organized, they are less likely to become tangled or damaged. This makes it easier to add or remove cables as needed and eliminates the risk of tripping over loose cables.

Professionals ensure that cable management is implemented from the start, using products like cable trays, Velcro ties, and zip ties. This not only keeps things looking neat and tidy but also minimizes interference and maximizes airflow.
Ensures Peak System Performance
In order for a business to run smoothly, it is essential to have a reliable and high-performing network. This is where professional structured cabling comes in.

First, they select high-quality materials that are designed to withstand heavy use and wear and tear. They utilize best practices for cable installation, including running cables in a neat and organized manner and avoiding kinks or sharp bends. This way, you have a system that supports network connectivity at all times.

Finally, they test the system thoroughly to ensure that all connections are secure and that there are no weak points in the system. By taking these measures, professional structured cabling can help organizations keep their systems running at peak performance.
Supports Your Current and Future Technology Needs
As technology evolves, it is important to have a cabling infrastructure that can support your current and future needs. Professional structured cabling is designed to do just that.

By using high-quality materials and following industry standards, professional cabling companies can ensure that your cabling will be able to handle any new technology you introduce. In addition, they can also provide you with a seamless upgrade path, so you can keep your business running without interruption.
Can Be Customized to Your Specific Business Needs
When it comes to your business, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. That's why professional structured cabling is so important. Structured cabling is designed to meet the specific needs of your business, ensuring IT management success.

From small businesses to large enterprises, structured cabling can provide the flexible solution you need to stay ahead of the competition. And with the help of a professional cabling company, you can rest assured that your system will be designed and installed to meet your unique requirements.
Offers a Single-Source Solution for All Your Cabling Needs
A professional cabling company can offer you a single-source solution for your cabling needs. This means that they can provide you with all the cabling you need for your business in one place.

This is important because it ensures that all of your cabling is compatible and works together seamlessly. It also saves you time by eliminating the need to source cabling from multiple suppliers.
Boosts Security
In these uncertain times, security is more important than ever. Fortunately, professional structured cabling can help to improve managed IT security services in a number of ways. It helps prevent security breaches by deterring cybercriminals.

Second, structured cabling can also help to improve response times in the event of an emergency. By having a well-organized and clearly marked cabling system, first responders will be able to quickly and easily locate the source of an alarm or problem.

Structured cabling can also help to improve communication between security personnel and other members of your team. By having a clear and reliable cabling system in place, you can be sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to security.
You Get a Warranty
When you get professional structured cabling, you also get a warranty. This means that if something does go wrong, you can get it fixed without having to pay for it yourself. This is vital to IT management whether you're working with an outsourced technical support company or not.

Warranties are important because they give you peace of mind. Knowing that you won't have to pay for repairs if something goes wrong can help you relax and enjoy your new cabling setup.

But how do you know if a cabling company offers a warranty? The best way to find out is to ask them directly.
Can Save You Money in the Long Run
When it comes to wiring your home or office, it pays to go with a professional. Yes, you may have to spend a little bit more money upfront, but in the long run, you'll save yourself time and money.

How?

Professionals know how to wire your space in an efficient way so that you won't have any wasted materials or unused outlets. They also know the building codes in your area, so you can be sure that your wiring will meet all safety standards. And if something does go wrong, you'll have a professional to call on who can fix the problem right away.
Enjoy the Benefits of Professional Structured Cabling
Structured cabling forms the nervous system of your organization. As such, it needs to be designed and installed by professionals. Such a system can do a good job in helping your business meet your current and future technology needs.

Are you in the market for reliable structured cabling services? Get in touch with us today and learn how we can help.
- Categories: IT Support, Managed IT, Networking, Tips & Tricks

#### Why Small Businesses Need 24/7 IT Services
Small businesses are the most targeted and least protected segment in cybersecurity — yet most assume 24/7 IT services are priced for enterprises. They're not. For a company with 5 to 50 employees, continuous IT monitoring typically costs less per month than a single day of unplanned downtime, which the FBI estimates averages $8,000 to $74,000 per incident for small businesses depending on severity. The question isn't whether a small business can afford 24/7 IT services. It's whether it can afford the alternative — and what the right level of coverage actually looks like at your size.
Technology is the backbone of modern business operations. From processing payments to managing inventory, small businesses rely on IT infrastructure to stay competitive and efficient. 
However, unexpected technical issues can disrupt operations, leading to costly downtime and lost revenue. 
Without immediate support, minor glitches can escalate into major crises, jeopardizing productivity and customer trust. 
That’s where 24/7 IT support comes in. Round-the-clock monitoring and rapid response services ensure that businesses can prevent cyber threats, address IT failures, and maintain seamless operations. 
Partnering with an IT support company that offers real-time assistance can make the difference between a minor setback and a full-blown disaster.

Common IT Challenges That Disrupt Small Businesses
Small businesses face a range of IT issues that can impact their daily operations. These challenges include hardware failures, software crashes, cyberattacks, and network disruptions. Without immediate assistance, these problems can cause significant setbacks.

Network Failures and Downtime
A slow or failing network can bring business operations to a standstill. Whether it’s an overloaded system, an internet outage, or a misconfigured router, network failures disrupt communication, transactions, and workflow. A managed service provider offering 24/7 monitoring and IT support ensures that network issues are resolved swiftly to minimize downtime.

Cybersecurity Threats
Small businesses are prime targets for cybercriminals. Phishing attacks, ransomware, and data breaches can lead to financial loss and reputational damage. 
Without proactive IT security measures, businesses risk exposing sensitive data. IT support companies with round-the-clock monitoring can detect and neutralize cyber threats before they cause harm.



Having a 24/7 IT solution let's you rest easy at night.


Software and Hardware Failures
Unexpected software crashes or hardware malfunctions can derail productivity. Outdated applications, system incompatibilities, or hardware failures can slow down operations. 
A managed IT services provider ensures that updates, patches, and proactive maintenance keep systems running smoothly at all times.

Lack of IT Expertise
Many small businesses lack in-house IT specialists, leaving them vulnerable to prolonged technical issues. The benefits of partnering with a managed service provider includes 24/7 access to expert technicians who can troubleshoot and resolve issues efficiently, preventing disruptions and improving system reliability.

Data Loss and Backup Failures
Data loss can occur due to accidental deletions, cyberattacks, or hardware failures. Without a reliable backup solution, recovering lost data can be time-consuming and expensive. A managed service provider ensures automated, secure backups and disaster recovery plans to protect valuable business data.

Compliance and Regulatory Risks
Certain industries, such as finance and healthcare, are subject to strict regulatory requirements for data security and privacy. Non-compliance can lead to hefty fines and legal consequences.
Be Structured has worked closely with both of those industries to provide IT support for financial services as well as healthcare IT support.
In each case, we helps those businesses remain compliant with:


 	Secure data encryption and storage solutions
 	Regular compliance audits to identify vulnerabilities
 	Employee training on data protection best practices

By implementing strong IT compliance measures, businesses can mitigate legal risks while protecting customer trust.

How 24/7 IT Support Mitigates Risks and Enhances Efficiency
Investing in 24/7 IT support provides businesses with proactive monitoring, real-time problem resolution, and ongoing system optimization. This approach minimizes disruptions, strengthens security, and improves overall performance.

Continuous System Monitoring and Threat Detection
A reliable IT services company provides continuous monitoring to identify and address potential issues before they escalate. 
This includes:


 	Real-time cybersecurity monitoring to detect unauthorized access and malware threats.
 	Performance tracking to ensure systems are operating at peak efficiency.
 	Immediate alerts for unusual network activity, preventing security breaches.

By implementing proactive monitoring, businesses can prevent major IT failures and keep their operations running smoothly.

Rapid Incident Response to Minimize Downtime
When IT issues arise, every second counts. 24/7 IT support ensures rapid response times to minimize downtime and prevent prolonged disruptions. This includes:


 	Immediate troubleshooting to resolve software crashes and connectivity problems.
 	On-demand support for urgent IT concerns, available around the clock.
 	Post-incident analysis to identify the root cause and prevent recurrence.

For businesses that rely on seamless operations, having an IT support company available at all hours is critical.

Strengthening Cybersecurity with 24/7 Protection
Cyberattacks don’t follow a 9-to-5 schedule. Hackers exploit vulnerabilities at any time, making round-the-clock security essential. A managed service provider offers:


 	Automated security patches to protect against emerging threats.
 	Multi-layered defense strategies include firewalls, antivirus, and endpoint protection.
 	Incident response plans to quickly contain and mitigate cyberattacks.

With constant vigilance, businesses can reduce their exposure to cyber threats and safeguard sensitive data.

IT Support for Compliance and Data Protection
Industries such as finance and healthcare have strict data protection regulations. Non-compliance can result in hefty fines and legal consequences. An IT solutions provider specializing in compliance ensures that businesses adhere to industry standards by:


 	Implementing secure data storage and encryption methods.
 	Conducting regular security audits to identify compliance gaps.
 	Providing employee training on cybersecurity best practices.

By maintaining regulatory compliance, businesses can avoid penalties and strengthen customer trust.



Having an IT support team that has your back day and night allows you to focus on building your business.


Cloud Management and Remote Access Security
With the rise of remote work, businesses need secure and efficient cloud management solutions. 24/7 IT support ensures:


 	Secure cloud storage and backup solutions to protect business data.
 	Remote access management to prevent unauthorized access to company systems.
 	Continuous cloud performance monitoring to optimize operations and reduce lag time.

A managed IT services provider can help businesses navigate cloud security challenges while ensuring seamless remote access.

Choosing the Right 24/7 IT Support Partner
Selecting a reliable IT support company is crucial for business continuity.
 When evaluating potential providers, consider the following factors:

1. Availability and Response Time
A provider offering true 24/7 IT support should guarantee fast response times and immediate access to skilled technicians. Ensure they have a structured process for handling emergencies.

2. Range of Services
Look for a local IT support team that offers comprehensive solutions, including:


 	Cloud management
 	Cybersecurity protection
 	Network optimization
 	Help desk support

Even though your MSP is not exactly in the office, having them geographically nearby can help in the case of a massive outagae or diaster that cna't be quickly fixed remotely.
As a downtown Los Angeles IT services provider, Be Structured is a quick train ride or freeway jaunt to our clients who are all located in the greater Southern California area.

3. Industry Expertise
Different industries have unique IT requirements. Whether you need IT solutions for financial institutions, healthcare organizations, or retail businesses, choose a provider with experience in your industry.

4. Scalability and Future-Readiness
Your IT needs will evolve as your business grows. A scalable IT support partner ensures that your infrastructure can handle future expansions and emerging technology trends.

Strengthening Business Continuity with Proactive IT Support
Technology is essential to small business success, but it also presents risks that can disrupt operations. Without reliable IT support, businesses are vulnerable to cyber threats, system failures, and costly downtime.
By investing in 24/7 IT support, businesses gain peace of mind knowing that experts are monitoring their systems around the clock. With real-time threat detection, rapid incident response, and proactive maintenance, small businesses can focus on growth without worrying about technical setbacks.


Now is the time to take action. 
If you're a Los Angeles area small business evaluating 24/7 IT coverage, Be Structured's 24/7 monitoring service  is built specifically for companies at this scale. Our expert team provides real-time IT assistance, continuous system monitoring, and robust cybersecurity protection to keep your operations running smoothly. 
Schedule a free consultation to learn how we can safeguard your business and ensure uninterrupted success.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT Support
- Tags: 24/7 Network Monitoring, IT support, IT support services

#### Why Two-Factor Authentication Is the Security Standard for Businesses
According to statistics from 2018, a massive 90 percent of Gmail users don't use two-factor authentication (2FA). This represents a massive problem and a lack of understanding of this security standard, which could cause huge issues for businesses.



Two-factor authentication has been an obstacle to cyber crime for years, but too few of us still actually use it, even though it provides additional protection with minimal complications.



In this guide, we're going to take a closer look at two-factor authentication, what it is, the tremendous advantages it can bring to your business, and how you can implement it. 



Are you ready to learn more and start improving the security of your business? Then read on and learn more.



What Is 2FA?



At its most basic level, two-factor authentication is a security standard that means a user is required to verify their attempt to login on to a new computer. When a user attempts to log into their account, you can have a text sent to their phone that contains a code. They need to type this code in to verify their login attempt and be allowed access.



This code expires within minutes, which means that if they can't get the code, they will need to try and log in again. Depending on the level of security that's required, you can set your 2FA system so a user needs a code every time they log on or have your system remember that machine.



While a lot of 2FA users like receiving the code on their phone, there are other verification methods available. For instance, you can receive the code in a phone call, an app, or use a hardware security key for offline verification. In a particularly slow case of 2FA, Google asks new Maps users to have a code mailed to them to verify their business address.



While text messaging offers strong security, it is possible for sophisticated attackers to redirect texts. For this reason, if you value very high security, you may prefer to use an app or a keyfob to generate your code.



While there are other types of 2FA like asking the "what's your first dog's name" type of questions or using biometric data, these are less common than using single-use codes.



How Does 2FA Work?



Two-factor authentication works with quite a simple mechanism, despite the serious boost it offers to information security. When a user logs into a service, app, or anything else, their password is checked against an encrypted version to ensure that it matches.



If the password doesn't match, the user fails the first layer of authentication and can't log in. If the password is correct, the user can then proceed to the next layer of authentication. This is why using 2FA is so important: if someone can guess your password or phishes for it, and you don't use 2FA, they can access the account: it's that simple.



In cases where the provider and accountholder use 2FA, a password isn't enough. If the device's address has been registered before, the user can skip 2FA but if it fails this check, the service will send a code via SMS or require the use of an authenticator app, etc.



Why You Need to Adopt This Security Standard



Using two-factor authentication is vital in today's world. In this section, we'll take a look at some of the crucial benefits that 2FA offers your business.



A Whole New Layer of Security



Whichever type of 2FA you use, it is another layer that a would-be attacker will need to crack. It removes the possibility of them simply guessing a password and logging in.



A novice hacker may also be deterred by the mere presence of 2FA. While no system is completely hack-proof, adding 2FA is like putting additional armor onto your business' security.



A Variety of Different Approaches



Whatever the size, scope, and budget of your business, there is an approach to 2FA that will work for you. It is easy to scale and can grow and shrink with your business, too. 



Additional Abilities to Investigate Suspicious Activity



Two-factor authentication can aid in investigating suspicious activity. If someone logs in successfully then fails the second layer of authentication, could it be a hacker at work? 



This type of logging is only possible with 2FA, which means that it could play a vital role in figuring out what has gone wrong.



Increased Productivity



Let's say that your employees want to use their own personal laptops to work from home, rather than using one that's been supplied by the business. If there is keylogger malware lurking on that computer, it could record their password and give hackers the key to your network.



If you use 2FA, that risk is mitigated. A hacker may know the password but they will still need more to be able to log in. This means that 2FA can give you a little bit of extra flexibility when it comes to securing devices, which in turn can lead to better employee productivity.



A 2FA Notification Makes Users Aware of Nefarious Activity



Think of all the accounts you have that don't use 2FA. How would you know if someone had hacked into them and were browsing them right now, as you read this? The truth of the matter is that you wouldn't, and a hacker might not leave any trace of their being there.



A 2FA notification when you haven't logged in raises awareness. Immediately, you know that something isn't right and can take action, whether that involves notifying your IT security staff or changing your password. 



An Easier Way for Employees to Reset Passwords



Good password policy is vital for a business. You don't want to end up with employees using the most common passwords like "abc123," "qwerty," or, heaven forbid, "password." 



Yet setting secure passwords can sometimes make those passwords, frankly, easy to forget. When an employee forgets their password, they need to get in touch with your IT helpdesk, who then need to take time out of their workday to reset the password, and in the end, everyone loses productivity. This isn't an ideal solution.



An advantage of 2FA is that you can use it to verify a request to change passwords, too. The user doesn't need to get in touch with anyone else, all they need to do is have their verification method closeby and they can reset it themselves.



Integrating 2FA Into Your Business



While the list of advantages is long, how can you go about integrating 2FA into your business' security? How do you make it as much a part of your security as your antivirus and antimalware software?



Let's take a closer look at what you need to do to make 2FA work for you.



Choose What You Want to Secure With 2FA



Securing everything with 2FA is unnecessary and very inefficient. Not everything is going to contain confidential data, and having to use 2FA to access something mundane is going to frustrate your employees.



More to the point, not everything supports 2FA. You should use 2FA for logging onto your corporate email accounts, as well as for accessing your network or using a VPN, etc. 



Choosing Your 2FA Method



There are multiple 2FA methods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. For instance, earlier we discussed SMS messages and their potential security flaws, which may outweigh the convenience aspect.



A hardware token that generates a code is another possibility, as is a software token that your IT team can install on secure devices. 



Each method comes with its own particular balance of security and convenience, for instance, a hardware token is generally ultra-secure but your employees could lose it. Deciding how you will implement 2FA is an important decision and not one to take lightly.



Using 2FA Outside Your Company's Network



As well as using 2FA to secure your network, you should also consider using it in other parts of your business, too. For instance, do you use 2FA to prevent hackers from logging into your company's social media accounts? If not, you should add 2FA here too, rolling it out at the same time as you add 2FA to the rest of your business.



Training Employees



It's very common to hear complaints from employees when 2FA is being rolled out. One of the most common ones is that it makes logging in too complex or takes too much time.



It is true that 2FA means logging in takes longer, but the extra time it takes is well worth exchanging for the massive increase in information security that it offers.



Yet it's understandable, given the low Gmail 2FA uptake, that your employees will need some time to get used to 2FA when you first introduce it. They may never have used it before or may never have used a hardware/software token before.



Training new users to 2FA means introducing them to the concept, making sure they know to bring a token to work with them (if applicable), and more. So what does 2FA training actually look like?



Explain the Benefits



Employees may be somewhat unclear on what benefits 2FA actually offers. All they may be able to see is the increased time it takes to log in, or they may overestimate the complexity involved.



It's up to you to explain that it's a vital component of your business' approach to information security. Talk about why it matters and how it can stop hackers from accessing their data. You may also wish to explain the benefits it has when it comes to investigation, accountability, and awareness of a hack attempt.



Demonstrate How it Works



You should also demonstrate 2FA to your employees. Load up your own laptop or other device and log into the network. When it prompts you to use 2FA, show them what you need to do and how it works.



Simply demonstrating what they need to do may go a long way to assuaging their fears and removing any ideas of complexity.



Take Time Out to Allow Users to Get Used to it



Rushing into 2FA is only going to complicate matters. Scheduling some time out of a workday so that users can use it for the first time and ask you and your IT team any questions is vital. 



Be Receptive About Questions



Your employees may well have a lot of questions about 2FA after it's been introduced. Be receptive to these questions and make your best effort to answer all of them.



The first few weeks are also the time when there will most likely be some issues with 2FA and its integration. If these occur, make sure that your employees know what they need to do to report problems so that you and your team can solve them as quickly as possible.



An Essential Security Standard



Adding 2FA to your business and letting your employees get used to it will take a matter of weeks, but the additional security for your business lasts forever. If you aren't very sure about which type of 2FA is best for you or how you can add it to your business, then we're here to help you.



We're a team of IT security experts who would be very happy to help you integrate this new security standard into your business. We can help you choose your 2FA method, help you install it, and help train your employees. For more information or if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team.
- Categories: Security

#### Working From Home To Avoid Coronavirus
With the looming threat of the coronavirus outbreak, this week marked an unprecedented exodus across offices and corporate buildings across the United States. Tech giants such as Apple and Google are sending employees home to work remotely as a safety precaution after growing concern over the spread of the Covid-19. The Entertainment Industry has come to a screeching halt as many shows with live audiences such as Jimmy Fallon and Ellen have suspended filming in an effort to protect their live viewers as well as studio crew. Many companies have followed suit and suddenly working from home is the latest precautionary quarantine trend.

On March 13th President Trump officially declared a National Emergency to release funds of over 50 billion in federal reserves to aid in fighting Covid-19. On that same evening, members of the House of Representatives came together to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act which will provide economic relief to the millions of Americans and their employers who are already feeling the financial effects in the coming months as we ride out the global recession wave.
Does your Company’s Disaster Recovery Plan Include working from home?
There are many challenges of working from home but thanks to technology, companies can continue to thrive in the midst of crisis. If your company is not prepared for the risks of sending their employees to work in environments out of their control, it can have a negative ripple effect in business profitability, productivity, and most of all- IT security.

Having a Disaster Recovery Plan is vital in times like these when so many variables can literally shake a company off it’s foundation. Many of is think of preparing for natural disasters that effect our geographical region. In California- having a disaster recovery plan for earthquakes or damage caused by fires would be standard protocol. For other parts of the country- Disaster Recovery Plans outlining the steps of protecting and restoring business during a flood, tornado, or hurricane would be the norm. However, many businesses have only focused on a partial backup plan for their storage, data, and servers. Many have not prepared for a medical emergency that would put an entire population in quarantine.
The Challenges of Working From Home
Deploying an entire company to work from home seems like it would just require everyone to have a laptop and they can hop on to their emails and keep working. Many people don’t realize there is a massive technological backbone to their company’s productivity- both seen and unseen. Aside from the obvious challenges of staying focused and having the space to dedicate to work from home, deploying this technology in a non-office environment can put a strain on everyone’s sanity.
Working From Home Often Requires Employees to Bring Their Own Device
It’s easy to assume that most people have their own laptops or desktop computers at home. In fact, 76% of American households own both a desktop and laptop computer. Thirty-six percent own a smartphone, tablet, and computer. Chances are, your employees will have at least one device they can use to keep connected and working through the murky days of the coronavirus outbreak. However, just because they have a B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Device) doesn’t mean they will have the technology standards of your company in mind while working from home.
Buying new company provided laptops may not be a realistic option.
Maybe you think you can supply your staff with new laptops and call it good. That luxury is also waning as thousands of Americans are being sent to work from home. Expecting to walk into your local best buy or mac store to buy whatever they have in-stock is no longer a reality. Since the Coronavirus first broke out in Wuhan, China- supply chain demands on the tech industry have skyrocketed while Chinese manufacturing and production have come to a screeching halt. The demands are far outpacing the supplies- so this means whatever your employee can offer as their work from home device, you may just have to work with it!
Working From Home Can Lead to Less Productivity
We may encounter the normal distractions to keep productivity levels low and procrastination levels high: daytime TV, the constant temptations of a refrigerator stocked with enough food to survive the zombie apocalypse, stir-crazy kids, adorable pets…the list is endless. That closet you never have time to organize suddenly sounds more appealing than sitting on a metal bar stool crouched over a cluttered kitchen counter trying to ‘work.’

Getting frustrated or mentally shutting down is a daily battle. Employees no longer have the IT support at their fingertips; from simple questions to more complex- that chain of command is no longer there to assist when there are technology-related issues. It’s a miserable way to start a workday when an employee can’t get connected to their company’s server or living with the harsh reality that their internet service at home is barely able to handle all the devices connected to the network now that entire families are quarantined together.
Cybersecurity Should Be A Priority While Employees Are Working From Home.
IT Security should be at forefront of both planning and executing a work from home mandate. It doesn’t matter if your organization only has a few employees or several thousand working from home- having your team working remotely can exponentially expose the vulnerability of your organization to a cyberattack. Security protocol while working from home shouldn’t come with the same lax attitude about makeshift ‘home office’ dress code.

It has been said that hackers do not cause security breaches, they just find the weaknesses to easily access information. External networks can be the most susceptible to modifications eavesdropping, and information interception. In other words- a breeding ground for weakness and vulnerability!
IT Security and Support Tips While Working From Home

 	Keeping your hardware updated is essential but may not be possible with employees supplying their own devices. No matter who is supplying the device- make sure the software has been updated and patched.


 	Password safety is essential. Make sure employees are practicing any company protocol for password management. If you don’t use a password manager- consider using one now.
 	Establish an external network. This network should be a separate network that is dedicated to remote access.
 	Use a site-to-site VPN connection.
 	Multi-Factor authentication is a must! Employees should have to identify themselves and their credentials through multiple layers to access information.
 	Consider using session locking and encryption to protect critical data
 	Do not allow employees to configure their own firewalls and anti-malware/anti-virus software. You need to have your Managed Service Provider or IT Support Service do this for them.
 	Restrict browser extensions. Any unknown and often unnecessary extensions have tracking codes or can be used to spread malware.
 	Consider setting up session time outs on any remote networking connections and automatic screen locks on computers after inactivity.
 	Make sure you have end-point detection and response so you can keep tabs on what is happening on your IT systems
 	Make sure all mobile devices are equipped with TFA/MFA layers to protect any company data while on the go. Creating a Mobile Device Management policy is essential to secure and protect data in the event of loss or theft.
 	Make sure you clear employees working from home with your particular any industry regulators such as HIPAA, FINRA, Etc. if applicable.
 	Manage the privileges employees have to certain data. This is foundational for the success of your IT security while your employees are working from home.
 	Train employees BEFORE the start working from home so they know how the first defense of IT security for your company starts with them. Now would be a great time to brush up on email phishing scams (especially those specific to the coronavirus) and social engineering attempts to gain access to accounts.

Enable Your Employees To Work From Home With A Managed Service Provider
The best way to control these factors and have the most successful work from home transition is to make sure you have a stellar Managed Service Provider. Even if you have internal IT support, the demands on the few people to serve the entire company will be more than a small staff can handle. Consider outsourcing this task to a qualified MSP to get your company deployed with the technology they need to succeed. Partnering with an MSP who uses this technology daily will get your company back to as much productivity as possible while the entire country is still floundering.

Please keep in mind that having employees bring their own devices does pose more of a risk to the company even though it’s more cost-effective. Make sure your company is not only willing to accept the risks of employee provided devices as the weakest link to your IT security but is also willing to invest in all of the preparations needed for your employees to work from home.

If you are looking for help getting your staff set up to be able to work remotely during the coronavirus outbreak, or need to start the conversation for disaster recovery or business continuity- please contact Be Structured Technology Group for a free consultation today. We are here to help you succeed in the midst of a global crisis.
- Categories: Disaster Recovery

#### Your Guide to CMMC - Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification
This article is background reading. For current CMMC requirements, SPRS scoring, POA&M rules, and the contract phase-in dates, see our pillar page: CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors.
Cyber attacks account for billions in damages yearly. This applies not only to large companies. Cybersecurity threats can target any organization - regardless of size or industry.

That's why the Department of Defense created the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). This certification ensures that organizations meet a certain level of cybersecurity standards. Thus, helping to protect them from potential security threats.

This blog will discuss the CMMC, why it matters, and the steps organizations can take to become compliant.

Continue to learn about the five different CMMC levels and what each entails. We will also discuss the importance of meeting CMMC compliance requirements.
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification: What Is It?
CMMC is a rigorous set of standards and requirements that organizations that do business must meet. The CMMC was created to ensure contractors meet security requirements when handling information.

This model also helps protect against cyber threats. For example, data breaches and leaks can cause significant financial losses. The certification is based on the five different levels of security requirements.

Each group requires organizations to meet specific criteria related to cybersecurity best practices. For instance, data protection and access control.

Moreover, the certification is specific to organizations contracted by the Department of Defense. Any organization looking to do business with DOD must meet these security standards.
Why Is CMMC Certification Important?
Becoming certified ensures an organization meets all of the DoD’s standards for handling information. By meeting these standards, organizations can ensure their data is safe and secure.

The certification also assures clients that the organization is taking sufficient advances. These are done to protect itself from cyber threats.

This creates trust between an organization and its customers. Trust is essential for any business relationship. Without trust, there can be no continuous transaction.

Furthermore, meeting CMMC requirements helps organizations stay up-to-date with evolving security threats. This helps protect an organization from potential security risks and vulnerabilities.
How to Achieve CMMC Compliance?
Organizations must first understand the different levels of requirements. After this, they must determine which one they need to meet.

Once they have chosen their story, they should review the CMMC guidelines. This is followed by an assessment of their current cybersecurity practices.

Organizations can then create a plan to address gaps in their practices or procedures. This may involve updating cybersecurity compliance protocols, implementing measures, or investing in cybersecurity tools.

Once an organization has met the minimum for its level of compliance, it must be assessed by a DoD-approved third-party auditor. This is done to ensure they have met all security standards and can be certified compliant.
The Five Levels of CMMC
The five levels of CMMC range from basic security requirements to more advanced practices.

Level 1 is the most basic and includes conducting regular cybersecurity maintenance. For example, patching systems, using anti-virus software and limiting access to sensitive data.

At Level 2, organizations must establish a formal assessment process. This may include vulnerability scanning and malware analysis. They must also create a plan for responding to cyber threats and incidents.

Level 3 requires companies to review their security policies and procedures periodically. It also mandates that organizations develop secure access controls. This is done by restricting user privileges and monitoring system activity.

Level 4 requires companies to protect critical information through encryption and safeguarding data. Additionally, organizations must track system changes. They must monitor user activities to detect potential threats.

Finally, Level 5 is the most advanced level of certification. Companies must implement a comprehensive security program that meets industry best practices.

This includes continually assessing their environment for vulnerabilities. It may also involve regularly testing their systems for compliance with security standards.

By understanding CMMC compliance, organizations can create a plan to achieve certification.

CMMC certification is essential for any organization doing business with or serving the DoD. It ensures that all sensitive data is adequately protected from potential cyber threats.

By achieving certification, organizations assure clients they are taking steps to protect themselves.
Common Mistakes Made With CMMC Compliance
A common mistake when preparing for certification is not assessing current cybersecurity. Organizations should take the time to understand the different levels of compliance. They must determine what they need to achieve before setting out an implementation plan.

Another mistake is to take into account the evolving security threats and technologies. Organizations should regularly review their security measures. They must also update them as needed to avoid potential cyber threats.

Finally, organizations may overlook investing in additional cybersecurity tools and services. Investing in these can help ensure that an organization meets all the requirements for its level of certification.

Achieving CMMC compliance is essential for any organization that does business with or serves the DoD. Organizations should understand the five levels of compliance. They must assess their current cybersecurity practices before creating an implementation plan.
Compliance Made Easy for You
The CMMC Compliance certification provides a greater sense of security. This is true when it comes to the protection of sensitive data. With this compliance, organizations can reduce risk while increasing their overall cybersecurity maturity.

In addition, companies will be better poised to meet requirements from the DoD. They will remain compliant with new regulations in the future.

With this guide, you are now well-equipped to get your organization certified. As a consequence, you will reap the many benefits of CMMC Compliance.

The importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital world can not be overstated. Ensure your organization is up-to-date with all security protocols by getting compliance certification.

Be Structured Technology Group is one of only 34 companies in California that is CMMC certified.

Get in touch with us if you're interested in taking your cybersecurity to the next level.
- Categories: Security, Tips & Tricks

#### Your Guide to IP Video Surveillance & Cybersecurity
Are you holding down the fort with outdated business IT services and security systems?

If so, it's time to evolve into the 21st century with IP video surveillance. IP, or internet protocol, video technology allows you to keep a watchful eye over your operations from anywhere using only an internet connection.

With IP video cameras, not only can you keep an eye on your business in real time, but you can also capture and review footage whenever you need it. But it's not just about security; IP video surveillance can also give you valuable insights into your business operations, helping you optimize everything from employee productivity to customer behavior.

Ready to join the growing number of businesses taking advantage of IP video surveillance today with our expert guidance and support?

Keep reading this guide to learn more about what's involved and why installing an IP security system is worth installing.
What is IP Video Surveillance?
IP video surveillance, also known as network video IP surveillance, is a cutting-edge security system that's revolutionized the way we monitor activities on our premises. Unlike traditional analog camera systems, it allows for remote access and better image quality, making it a game-changer in the security industry.

At its core, IP video surveillance comprises a network of cameras connected to an internet protocol (IP) network. The cameras use sophisticated digital technology to capture high-resolution images and transmit them to a data center or remote storage system. This footage can be accessed through an internet-connected device such as a computer or smartphone.

Compared to analog systems, IP video surveillance provides better image quality, making it easier to identify any suspicious activity. It's also typically more scalable, meaning you can easily add or remove cameras as your needs change.

Need a wider coverage area?

An IP security system allows you to reduce the number of cameras needed while providing high-quality surveillance capabilities. Moreover, it's ideal for remote access, so you can keep an eye on your premises from anywhere in the world, provided you have an internet connection.

Given these advantages, it's no surprise that companies are switching to IP video surveillance. Not only does it improve security and hacker prevention, but it also helps save money by reducing the number of cameras needed and providing data for analysis and optimization.

In short...IP video surveillance is the future of security and is here to stay.
Benefits of IP Video Surveillance
You might think, "This sounds a whole lot like CCTV. Why not just switch to that?" IP video surveillance is not only different than CCTV, but it offers several benefits over traditional CCTV systems. Let's take a closer look at some of these benefits.
Improved Picture Quality
The first and arguably the most significant advantage of IP video surveillance is its improved picture quality.

IP cameras capture high-definition, megapixel-resolution images, producing crisp and clear images of the monitored area. This can help identify intruders, accidents, and other events more accurately, benefiting you and your team.
Remote Access
With IP video surveillance, users can access live or recorded footage remotely via a smartphone, tablet, or computer from anywhere and at any time.

This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses with multiple locations or branches, as all the video feeds can be accessed from one central location.
Lower Costs
IP video surveillance systems can be installed easily as they require minimal cabling compared to traditional CCTV systems. This results in a much more cost-effective solution for businesses looking to implement the video surveillance system.

The system's scalability means it can grow as the business expands. Whether you're a small business in Koreatown or a growing startup in Hollywood, you can customize an IP security system to fit your needs.
High Level of Security
IP video surveillance systems use encrypted data transmission, making it almost impossible for hackers to intercept and access video and audio feeds. In an age where business cybersecurity attacks are growing, this makes it a much safer option than traditional closed-circuit television systems.
Intelligent Analytics
IP video surveillance systems use features like motion detection, facial recognition, and license plate recognition. These features help filter footage and identify potential threats, saving time and increasing the surveillance system's effectiveness.
Components of an IP Security System
When creating an effective IP video surveillance system, there are a few key components to consider. One of the first things you will need to consider is the type of cameras you'll use.
Cameras
There are several types of cameras on the market, ranging from simple fixed-focus cameras to more advanced pan-tilt-zoom models. Choosing the right cameras for your needs will depend on several factors, including:

 	Your company's surveillance budget
 	The size of the area you need to monitor
 	The level of detail you require

Once you've chosen your cameras, you'll need to consider the network IT support and infrastructure supporting them.
Network Support Infrastructure
This will involve installing network switches and other equipment to ensure your cameras and your video management software can communicate with each other.

Sound like a lot of work? It might be if you do it all in-house, but a skilled IT support  company can make this process easier for you. They can help you choose the right hardware and configuring it correctly to ensure your system runs smoothly.
Software
Finally, you'll need to consider the video management software that will tie all of your components together. This software will allow you to:

 	Monitor your cameras in real-time
 	Set up alerts and alarms for specific events
 	Access your video footage from anywhere in the world

The right software can make all the difference to the effectiveness of your IP video surveillance system, so it's important to choose carefully.

Overall, setting up an IP security system is a complex process that requires a lot of technical knowledge and expertise. By working with an experienced IT company, you can ensure that your system is set up correctly and that you have access to the support and guidance you need to keep it running smoothly in the long term.
What's the Best Internet Protocol Camera?
Ready to get started with IP video cameras? With so many makes and models available in the market, it's important to know what features to consider before purchasing.

Again, we recommend speaking with a local IT company, as they'll likely have suggestions. However, until you contact us to start a conversation, we have some recommendations in the meantime.
Resolution
The resolution of your IP camera is critical in achieving high-quality images. We recommend network cameras that capture at least 1080p resolution to ensure you get clear and vivid footage.
Storage
IP cameras can record and store data on-site or remotely. We recommend cameras with cloud storage options for businesses that need long-term storage. If on-site storage is preferred, look for cameras with built-in SD card slots.
Motion Detection
Cameras equipped with motion detection technology can send you alerts when movement is detected. This allows businesses to monitor and respond to suspicious activity in real-time.
Night Vision
You want to choose an IP camera with reliable night vision, especially if you're using the camera to monitor an area at night. Look for cameras with high-quality infrared LEDs that give you a clear view even in complete darkness.
Features
Consider the available features when selecting an IP camera. Some have motion detection sensors or sound detection sensors that send you alerts when something is detected, and others can be remotely controlled to move left or right, up or down.
Best Practices for IP Video Surveillance
IP video surveillance systems can provide peace of mind to business owners. However, implementing and maintaining an effective system requires some attention and thought.

By following these best practices, you can maximize the benefits of your Internet Protocol camera system, keeping your business and assets safe and secure.
Choose the Right Cameras
As mentioned, before installing cameras, you need to decide which types are best suited for your business.

Some cameras are better suited for indoor use, while others work better outside. Some models support night vision and motion detection. Consider your business's layout and security needs to choose the right cameras (and when in doubt, consult a local IT support company to ask their opinion, given your company's layout and security needs).
Place Cameras Strategically
Once you have your cameras, the next step is to place them in strategic locations. The most important spots are where you keep your inventory, your cash register, and where people enter and exit your building.

Depending on your setup, you may need additional cameras for hallways, parking areas, and storage rooms. Take note of areas that may be blind spots and add cameras where necessary.
Set Up Notifications
Your IP video surveillance system doesn't need your constant attention. Instead, set up motion detection or other notifications so that you can be alerted when cameras detect movement in areas that should be empty. This will help you catch potentially dangerous activity in real time without having someone monitoring the cameras constantly.
Implement Access Control
Your IP video surveillance system should be integrated with your access control system. If you have an in-house security team, discuss the best way to set this up and combine the two systems.

Doing so allows you to monitor who's coming and going in your business, and you can link footage to individual events. You can also analyze the footage to find long-term patterns, such as which employees stay too late or which providers consistently deliver late.
Regular Maintenance
Finally, as with any technical device, regular maintenance is essential. Cleaning lenses, checking cables, and ensuring your cameras are correctly aligned all help increase the longevity of your system.

It's also important to regularly update software and firmware to stay current with the latest security features.
Working With Outsourced IT Support Pros
In today's digital age, technology is critical to the success of any business. However, managing IT infrastructure can be time-consuming and complex. That's why hiring a team of experienced local IT support professionals is important to take care of everything for you (and here's why!).
Outsourced Tech Support Expertise
A professional IT support team has the expertise and experience to handle any technical issue. From network installation and maintenance to cyber security, cloud migration, data backup, and recovery, they can (at least they should be able to) address all your IT needs.
Managed IT Security Services
With cyber-attacks becoming more advanced, having a secure network is crucial in preventing your system from being hacked. An IT professional can assess your current network, make necessary updates, and ensure the proper firewalls are in place to protect your system.
Save Time and Money
Hiring business IT services to care for your technology needs means you don't have to expend your internal resources. Instead, you can focus on your core business functions, increasing productivity and ultimately saving you money.
Maintenance and Support
Don't have time to maintain your IP security system? An IT professional can provide regular updates, backups, and troubleshooting if issues arise, giving you peace of mind knowing a team of experts is looking after your system.
Stay Competitive
Partnering with IT professionals ensures your business isn't left behind in the race for technological innovation. They're always up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies and can help you stay ahead of the competition.
Get IP Surveillance Solutions
In today's technologically advanced world, there's no excuse not to protect your business with top-notch security measures. At Be Structured Technology Group, we offer various services designed to make your life easier while keeping your company protected.

From cybersecurity regulatory compliance to data backup and recovery, we are your one-stop shop for all things technical support. But when it comes to IP video surveillance, we shine. Our cameras are equipped with motion detectors that alert your team via email, providing you with an added layer of security that's both reliable and convenient.

Worried about integration?

Don't be!

Our team of experts will work with you to ensure your customized IP surveillance network is seamlessly integrated into your existing technology solutions.

So, if you're ready to take the safety and security of your business to the next level, trust Be Structured Technology Group to get the job done right.

Learn more about our IP video surveillance services to get started.
- Categories: 24/7 Network Monitoring, cybersecurity compliance, IT Support, Security, Tips & Tricks

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#### 24/7 IT Support Los Angeles
24/7 IT support for Los Angeles businesses means your systems are protected and monitored every hour of every day, not just during business hours. Be Structured delivers this through two layers: automated monitoring software that watches your servers, endpoints, and network continuously, and live technicians 07:00 to 18:00 Pacific, Monday through Friday, with the phone answered 24/7 and urgent tickets escalated to an on-call engineer. Threats are detected in real time, tickets are generated within 60 seconds of an anomaly, and genuine emergencies never wait until morning.
24/7 coverage is usually a step up from standard business-hours support; see what 24/7 coverage adds to the cost.
Our IT tech support experts are always giving servers a quality check.
Who is 24/7 IT support for?
This page is written for the owner or operations lead of a Los Angeles business of roughly 10 to 500 employees that has reached the point where an hour of downtime costs real money: a medical or dental practice that cannot see patients when the practice management system is down, a law firm billing by the hour, an accounting practice in tax season, a manufacturer whose line stops with the ERP, or an agency working to a client deadline.
You are probably here for one of three reasons. Something broke overnight and nobody found out until the morning. Your current provider only answers between 9 and 5, and you have started scheduling around that. Or a cyber insurance renewal or a client security questionnaire has asked whether your systems are monitored around the clock, and you cannot answer yes in writing.
Around-the-clock coverage is not the right first purchase for everyone. If you have fewer than about ten employees, no servers, and no compliance obligation, staffed business-hours support and good backups will protect you better per dollar, and we will say so rather than sell you monitoring you do not need yet.
How does 24/7 IT support actually work, step by step?
24/7 IT support is not a single tool; it is a layered system. Here is exactly how Be Structured structures it, from deployment through after-hours incident response.
Step 1: Infrastructure Assessment & RMM Deployment
Every engagement starts with a full audit of your environment: servers, workstations, network devices, cloud accounts, and endpoints. We then deploy Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) agents on every device. These lightweight agents are the technical foundation that makes genuine 24/7 support possible: they collect performance and security data continuously and transmit it to Be Structured's central dashboard.
Most deployments complete within one business day with no disruption to your team. This is also when we document your managed IT services baseline and establish which systems are business-critical.
Step 2: Custom Alert Thresholds by Industry and Compliance Requirement
Not every business needs identical alert sensitivity. A healthcare company has different risk tolerances than an architecture firm. We configure alerting thresholds appropriate for your industry, covering CPU and memory load, storage capacity, bandwidth anomalies, login attempt patterns, backup job completion, drive health signals, and security posture across every monitored device.
For businesses with compliance obligations ( href="https://bestructured.com/managed-it-services-los-angeles/it-consulting-vcio-vcto/hipaa-audit-support/">HIPAA, PCI-DSS, CMMC), alert thresholds are mapped directly to the controls those frameworks require so that monitoring data doubles as compliance documentation.
Step 3: Continuous Automated Monitoring, Every Hour, Every Day
Once deployed, the monitoring platform runs without interruption. It checks your systems every few minutes, scanning for unauthorized access attempts, unusual data transfers, ransomware behavioral indicators, failed backup jobs, hardware degradation, and dozens of other threat and performance signals, including overnight and on weekends when most attacks occur and no one is watching.
This automated layer is what makes the “24/7” in 24/7 IT support operationally real. It never sleeps, never misses a shift, and never needs to be told to check something twice.
Step 4: Real-Time Alert Generation & Severity Classification
When the monitoring platform detects an anomaly, it generates a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds and classifies it by severity: Critical, High, Medium, or Low. This classification determines the response path: Critical incidents trigger immediate on-call escalation regardless of the hour, while routine items queue for next-business-day resolution. The system distinguishes genuine threats from normal network noise, so technician time is never wasted on false positives.
Step 5: Live Technician Support & On-Call Escalation
During business hours, Be Structured's team of certified engineers addresses alerts as they arrive, often resolving issues remotely before your team notices anything wrong. Outside business hours, Critical alerts escalate immediately to a dedicated on-call technician. That technician begins incident response procedures immediately: isolating compromised systems, initiating backup restoration, blocking unauthorized access, and contacting your designated emergency contacts. Genuine IT emergencies do not wait until morning.
Step 6: Monthly Reporting & Strategic Planning
Every month you receive a full visibility report: uptime metrics, incidents detected and resolved, patch compliance status, backup success rates, and a security event summary. This data feeds directly into quarterly vCIO strategy sessions where we identify infrastructure decisions that reduce future risk and align your IT environment with your growth trajectory.
24/7 outsourced tech support 365 days a year
Is 24/7 support worth it compared with break-fix or an in-house hire?
How does managed 24/7 IT support from Be Structured stack up against the alternatives most Los Angeles businesses are choosing between?
Factor
Reactive Break/Fix IT
In-House IT Staff
Be Structured 24/7 Support
Hours of active coverage
None; problems found after failure
Business hours only; overtime for emergencies
Automated monitoring every hour; on-call for critical incidents
Threat detection timing
✘ After the damage is done
~ Depends on staff being at their desk
✔ Real-time, alert within 60 seconds of detection
After-hours critical response
✘ Next business day
~ On-call at significant overtime cost
✔ Dedicated on-call engineer, no extra charge
Monthly cost (25-user business)
Unpredictable, billed per incident
$80,000 to $130,000+ per year per FTE plus benefits
✔ Flat monthly rate, fully inclusive
Depth of technical expertise
Whoever shows up
One person's skill set
✔ Full team: security, cloud, networking, compliance
Compliance documentation
✘ Manual, often missing
~ Only as thorough as the individual
✔ Automated audit logs generated continuously
Remote worker endpoint coverage
✘ No visibility
~ Limited to on-premise devices
✔ Every device, every location
Cloud and Microsoft 365 monitoring
✘ Not included
~ Varies by individual expertise
✔ Azure, M365 and hybrid all covered
Scalability as headcount grows
✘ Costs increase with every incident
✘ Requires additional hires
✔ Add users month-to-month, no hiring required
What does 24/7 IT monitoring include?
Every layer of your environment, from physical servers to remote employee laptops to your Microsoft 365 tenant, is included.
Servers & Core Infrastructure
 	CPU, memory, and disk utilization
 	Hardware health and drive failure signals
 	Service and process availability
 	RAID array integrity checks
 	Uptime monitoring and reboot alerts
Network & Connectivity
 	Bandwidth utilization and anomalies
 	Firewall rule changes and policy drift
 	Router and switch health
 	VPN tunnel status and failures
 	Latency and packet loss trends
Cybersecurity & Threat Detection
 	Unauthorized access attempts
 	Ransomware behavioral indicators
 	Unusual data transfer volumes
 	Brute-force login pattern detection
 	Advanced endpoint protection status
Backup & Data Protection
 	Nightly backup job completion
 	Backup file integrity verification
 	Off-site replication status
 	Recovery point objective compliance
 	Data retention policy adherence
Endpoints & Remote Devices
 	Patch and update compliance
 	Antivirus definition currency
 	Disk encryption enforcement
 	Remote worker device security posture
 	Unauthorized software installation alerts
Cloud & Microsoft 365
 	Azure resource health and configuration
 	M365 login anomalies and MFA compliance
 	Mailbox rules flagged as compromise indicators
 	License compliance and user provisioning
 	SharePoint and OneDrive access patterns
How fast is after-hours response?
Monitoring generates a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds of detecting an anomaly and classifies it Critical, High, Medium or Low. Critical incidents escalate immediately to the on-call engineer, at any hour, and after-hours issues are triaged in about 10 minutes. When an incident needs hands on a device rather than a console, our team reaches most of the Los Angeles area in roughly 30 minutes from 500 S. Grand Avenue.
Standard requests submitted during staffed hours follow the written service level agreement: 2-hour response on Level 1 outages and 4 hours on Level 2. Those numbers are in your agreement, not in a brochure.
Which Los Angeles industries do you cover?
Be Structured configures support coverage to match the compliance requirements, software environments, and risk profiles of each industry, not a one-size-fits-all package.
Healthcare & Medical
Law Firms & Attorneys
Financial Services
Architecture Firms
Manufacturing
Entertainment & Creative
Nonprofits
Property Management
Software Development
Transportation & Freight
Wealth Management
Restaurants
Frequently Asked Questions About 24/7 IT Support in Los Angeles
What does 24/7 IT support in Los Angeles actually include?24/7 IT support includes two layers that work together. The first is continuous automated monitoring: software running on your servers, endpoints, and network devices that collects performance and security data around the clock, flags anomalies within 60 seconds, and generates prioritized tickets without human intervention. The second is live technician availability: Be Structured staffs live technicians 07:00 to 18:00 Pacific, Monday through Friday, with the phone answered 24/7 and urgent tickets escalated to an on-call engineer. Together these layers mean your systems are protected at every hour, not just when someone happens to be at their desk.Is 24/7 IT support the same as having an in-house IT person on staff?No, and in most respects managed 24/7 IT support outperforms an in-house hire for small and mid-sized businesses. A single IT employee in Los Angeles costs $80,000 to $130,000 per year in salary and benefits alone, has one area of expertise, takes vacations, and cannot provide genuine after-hours coverage without significant overtime. Be Structured provides a full team of engineers covering security, networking, cloud, and compliance, plus automated monitoring that runs continuously, at a flat monthly rate that is typically less than a single full-time hire and with far broader coverage.What happens if my systems go down in the middle of the night?Be Structured’s monitoring platform detects outages the moment they occur, before anyone on your team notices, and immediately escalates to an on-call technician. That technician receives the alert, assesses the incident remotely, and begins remediation: restarting services, isolating compromised systems, initiating backup restoration, or contacting your designated emergency contacts. For businesses with a documented disaster recovery plan, the after-hours response follows pre-approved playbooks so there is no delay waiting on decisions. Critical incidents do not wait until morning.How quickly does Be Structured respond to an IT support request?For monitoring-generated alerts, the system creates a ticket within 60 seconds of detecting an anomaly. For critical incidents (server outages, active security threats, ransomware indicators), on-call escalation reaches a technician within minutes, regardless of the time. For standard support requests submitted during business hours, response time depends on severity classification: Critical issues are addressed immediately, High-priority items within the hour, and routine requests within the standard business day. Every client receives a service level agreement documenting these commitments in writing.What kinds of problems does proactive IT support catch before they cause downtime?Proactive 24/7 support routinely catches hard drive failure signals weeks before the drive fails, backup jobs that have silently stopped running and left businesses unprotected, unauthorized access attempts that are the early stages of a breach, ransomware behavioral patterns before file encryption begins, storage capacity approaching limits before systems crash, software licensing lapses before applications stop working, and network performance degradation caused by misconfigured devices or bandwidth saturation. None of these produce a visible error for the end user until they become a crisis, which is exactly why proactive support catches them first.Does Be Structured provide on-site IT support in Los Angeles, or only remote?Both. Be Structured is headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles and provides on-site support throughout the greater LA metro. The majority of issues are resolved remotely via RMM tools, which is faster and less disruptive for most problems. When physical presence is required (hardware installation, office relocations, structured cabling, or hands-on troubleshooting), Be Structured technicians are on-site, typically within the same business day for the central LA area.Can 24/7 IT support help with HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or other compliance requirements?Yes. Continuous monitoring generates the automated audit logs, access records, and security event documentation that HIPAA, PCI-DSS, CMMC, and similar frameworks require. These records capture which systems were accessed, when configuration changes occurred, and how security incidents were handled, exactly what compliance auditors look for. Be Structured offers dedicated HIPAA audit support and PCI audit support as formal services, and monitoring platform records integrate directly into audit preparation.How is 24/7 IT support priced?Be Structured prices 24/7 IT support as a flat monthly per-user or per-device fee, which means IT costs are fully predictable regardless of ticket volume in a given month. Included in the flat rate: continuous automated monitoring, real-time alerting, remote remediation, patch management, backup monitoring, and on-call escalation for critical incidents outside business hours. There are no surprise bills for routine support. Hardware, software licensing, and major infrastructure projects are quoted separately. Contact Be Structured at (323) 331-9452 for a custom quote.Does Be Structured monitor cloud environments in addition to on-premise hardware?Yes. Be Structured monitors both on-premise infrastructure and cloud environments, including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and hybrid configurations. Cloud monitoring covers access logs, configuration drift, licensing anomalies, and performance metrics across your full environment. This is particularly critical for businesses that have migrated workloads to the cloud, where misconfigured settings and unauthorized access are among the most common sources of data exposure.Which areas of Los Angeles does Be Structured provide IT support for?Be Structured provides 24/7 IT support throughout the greater Los Angeles metro area, with the ability to dispatch on-site technicians across the region. Served areas include Downtown Los Angeles, Burbank, Hollywood, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Century City, Culver City, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and every surrounding community from the San Fernando Valley to Orange County.How do I get started with 24/7 IT support for my Los Angeles business?The process starts with a free IT assessment. Be Structured reviews your current infrastructure, identifies gaps in monitoring coverage and security posture, and provides a flat-rate proposal based on your actual environment, at no cost and no obligation. Most deployments complete within one business day with no disruption to operations. Call (323) 331-9452 or schedule a consultation at bestructured.com/contact-sales.
What else should we buy alongside 24/7 support?
Around-the-clock support is the foundation. These services extend your protection across every layer of your IT environment.
Outsourced IT Support Services: bestructured.com/outsourced-it-support-services/
Full-service IT outsourcing with flat-rate pricing; help desk, network management, and strategic planning included.
Managed Security Services (MSSP): bestructured.com/it-security-los-angeles/managed-security-services-provider/
Active threat hunting and security operations that extend well beyond standard monitoring alerting.
Disaster Recovery & BCP: bestructured.com/managed-it-services-los-angeles/disaster-recovery-business-continuity-planning/
Documented recovery plans and tested backup systems so your business resumes quickly after any incident.
Antivirus & Intrusion Protection: bestructured.com/managed-it-services-los-angeles/security-antivirus-and-intrusion-protection/
Next-generation endpoint protection and network intrusion detection integrated directly with our support platform.
Data Backup & Protection: bestructured.com/managed-it-services-los-angeles/data-backup-and-protection/
Automated, verified backup with off-site replication and regular recovery testing built into your support coverage.
IT Consulting / vCIO Services: bestructured.com/managed-it-services-los-angeles/it-consulting-vcio-vcto/
Monthly reporting from your support platform feeds into strategic vCIO planning sessions and infrastructure roadmaps.
24/7 IT Support for Businesses Across Greater Los Angeles
Be Structured is headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles and provides 24/7 IT support to businesses throughout the greater LA metro, including: Downtown Los Angeles, Burbank, Hollywood, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Century City, Culver City, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Long Beach, and every surrounding community from the San Fernando Valley to Orange County.

#### About Our IT Company
We are technologists, not salespeople.
We Created Be Structured To Serve Your Needs
Be Structured Technology Group believes every organization deserves technology that works for them and not against them. 

As a company, we have been together since 2007, but our staff and leaders have decades of IT experience. We are able to deliver superior service and tools because of our approach to Los Angeles IT services. 

We are technologists first. 

We want to enhance your workplace with our methods and practices, but not at the expense of selling you on services or products you don’t need.

You can trust in our recommendations because the Be Structured team is led by technology-first thinkers. Even our CEO has IT expertise and knowledge for us to draw on. We know what we’re talking about and can explain it in a way that makes sense to anyone. 

Be Structured is a technology-first business. We’re not salespeople—we are talented at technology and have a passion for supporting others.
You Know The Value Of Having IT Support Near Me 
All our IT services were developed to deliver the greatest value to our clients.

Why hassle with hiring, training and managing IT support when you can partner with a leading outsourced tech support company like Be Structured. 

IT support for Los Angeles based businesses is now easier than ever. Be Structured’s downtown Los Angeles location means we’re only a short drive or Metro ride away from your business. Local IT support is important to know you have your business IT services handled by someone close by who really cares about your success.

Here are just some of the areas we proudly serve in the greater Southern California area. Here are specifics of how we serve each area individually:

 	Downtown Los Angeles IT support
 	Los Angeles IT support
 	Anaheim IT support
 	Beverly Hills IT support
 	Burbank IT support
 	Century City IT support
 	Compton IT support
 	Culver City IT support
 	Hollywood IT support
 	Inglewood IT support
 	Irvine IT support
 	Long Beach IT support
 	Malibu IT support
 	Northridge IT support
 	Orange County IT support
 	Pasadena IT support
 	San Fernando IT support
 	Santa Clarita IT support
 	Santa Monica IT support
 	South Bay IT support
 	Studio City IT support
 	Thousand Oaks IT support
 	Torrance IT support
 	Universal City IT support
 	Vernon IT support
 	West Hollywood IT support
 	Woodland Hills IT support

Outsourced IT support for all Los Angeles businesses
We Believe You Deserve Top-Notch Business IT Services
Ever feel overwhelmed as you search for IT support in Los Angeles? There are many, so finding the right outsourced tech support company for your business can be a challenge. A lot of needs need to be met, and you deserve the best service possible. You can have a long list of boxes to check when looking for your perfect IT partner. Be Structured hits them all:

 	We focus on your growth and efficiency.
 	We insist on comprehensive disaster recovery backup solutions.
 	We become your IT support department.
 	Our team provides professional and responsive assistance.
 	Our services support your productivity.
 	We take action to prevent issues from occurring.
 	We manage third-party vendor relationships.
 	Our tools and products are cutting-edge.

In our quest to become the leader among IT support services in Los Angeles, Be Structured has developed our library of services to meet all your needs and exceed expectations. 

We’re problem solvers and forward thinkers. We are confident we can improve your operations and provide proper support for your daily functions.
We Have the Skills to Fulfill Your Needs
We are dedicated to helping others achieve their goals through proper IT security, consulting, and support. Clients have come to us time and time again looking to replace their current IT services because they’re disappointed in performance or have been let down by an outside contractor that couldn’t keep up with them. 

Be Structured has been solving these problems for decades, and we’re certain we have solutions for the IT issues that are plaguing your business.

We deliver top-of-the-line tools with friendly and professional assistance. 

From day one, we have had a mission of making your technology work for you and not against you. We have continued to grow as a result of this attitude and our continued success in getting the job done. 

Contact us today to take advantage of our superior IT support and business IT services. We offer free consultations to evaluate your IT business needs. We’ll organize a package that suits exactly what it is you’re looking for and we’ll never force you to take a service or product recommendation you don’t need.

Your IT is safe and secure in our hands, and we look forward to the opportunity to serve you.

 

#### About Us | Be Structured Technology Group
Areas We Serve
We are based in downtown Los Angeles and serve Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Learn More
Blog
Stay current on our services and the latest technology in our industries.

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Careers
The Be Structured team could offer the perfect opportunity for you to join today.

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Our Partners
Be Structured has partnered with industry-leading providers and vendors to provide powerful solutions to our clients.

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Problems We Solve
We have become experts at the common hurdles and unique challenges every business faces.

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Why Be Structured?
We have a passion for delivering innovative solutions tailored to the needs of our clients.

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Word of Mouth
Find out how happy our customers are, in their own words.

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#### Advanced Endpoint Protection
The Evolution of Endpoint Protection
The development of endpoint security has been a cornerstone of IT security strategies for decades.
Initially, endpoint security focused predominantly on antivirus solutions and basic firewall protections, designed to keep unauthorized users and software out of business systems.
As the threat landscape evolved, so did the methods for protecting endpoints from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, including ransomware, zero-day attacks, and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
In the 2000s, as malware and cyber attack techniques became more complex, organizations realized the need for more dynamic and proactive forms of endpoint protection. This era saw the introduction of smarter solutions that not only defend against known threats but also predict and mitigate actions from unknown or emerging threats through behavioral analysis and machine learning.
Today, endpoint security encompasses a broader range of tools and strategies, among them application allow and deny listing, ring fencing, and elevation control.
These methods represent a shift from broad-spectrum defense to more targeted, policy-driven approaches that offer a higher degree of precision in controlling application behavior and user access within corporate networks.

What is Advanced Endpoint Security?
Advanced endpoint security is a comprehensive approach that includes a variety of methods to ensure that only legitimate and safe applications run on an organization's systems.
This approach focuses not only on keeping malicious software out but also on managing the behavior of legitimate software to prevent misuse or exploitation. By controlling application execution, access, and privileges, advanced endpoint security tools provide a robust foundation for defending against both external and internal threats.
Key elements of advanced endpoint security include detailed oversight of which applications can execute, strict control over their interactions with system resources, and management of user privileges.
Similar to the concept of advanced network traffic monitoring, these elements help prevent malicious software from infiltrating the network and limit the potential damage from insider threats or compromised software.

Be Structured’s Advanced Security Capabilities
At Be Structured Technology Group, we recognize the critical threat posed by endpoint systems and offer comprehensive tools to combat it.
Our approach includes:

Application Allow and Deny Listing
Application allow and deny listing is a security measure that controls which applications are permitted to run on a network. This approach is foundational in maintaining tight security controls over approved software, thereby minimizing the risk of malware infections.
Allow listing explicitly permits only known, verified applications to operate, while deny listing blocks applications known to be malicious or unnecessary for business operations.
This selective permission strategy is essential for organizations looking to secure their digital environments effectively against unauthorized software.

Ring Fencing
Ring fencing is a security technique used to isolate running applications in a manner that limits how they interact with other system resources. It involves creating operational boundaries for applications, beyond which they cannot interact.
For instance, an application might be allowed to modify specific types of files within a designated directory but blocked from accessing other parts of the system. Ring fencing is particularly effective in mitigating the risk of lateral movement within a network, which can occur if an attacker gains control over one application and attempts to use it to compromise additional system resources.

Elevation Control
Elevation control, or privilege management, involves defining and enforcing policies that manage the elevation of user access rights within software applications and the operating system.
This capability prevents users or applications from performing unauthorized actions that could harm the system, such as installing software, modifying critical system settings, or accessing confidential data.
Elevation control ensures that users and applications operate under the principle of least privilege, accessing only the resources necessary for their legitimate tasks

Protect your Company with Advanced Endpoint Measures
Implementing advanced endpoint protection measures will protect against cyber threats using applications like allow and deny listing, ring fencing, and elevation control significantly enhances an organization’s ability to defend against sophisticated cyber threats.
These techniques ensure that only authorized activities can occur on networked systems, greatly reducing the risk of malicious attacks or accidental insider damage.

Application Allow and Deny Listing: Your First Line of Defense
In the complex web of modern IT environments, application allow and deny listing acts as a crucial first line of defense. By controlling which applications are allowed to run, organizations can prevent malicious software from ever gaining a foothold.
This method is particularly effective against zero-day attacks, where vulnerabilities are exploited before they are known to security professionals or software vendors. Allow listing ensures that only software with verified security standards is operational, thus significantly reducing the surface area for attacks.

Ring Fencing: Securing Application Interactions
Ring fencing takes security a step further by not just controlling whether applications can run, but also managing how they interact with system resources. This method is particularly useful in environments where the interaction between different applications can lead to potential security vulnerabilities.
For example, ring fencing can prevent a compromised browser from accessing sensitive internal documents or other critical applications. By segmenting application interactions, ring fencing helps contain any damage that might arise from a breached application, thereby preventing a small vulnerability from escalating into a full-blown security crisis.

Elevation Control: Managing User and Application Privileges
Elevation control is vital for managing how privileges are escalated within an IT environment. Unauthorized access or privilege escalation is a common tactic used by attackers once they have penetrated a system.
By enforcing strict elevation policies, organizations can ensure that even if an attacker gains access to a system, their ability to cause harm is limited. This control is crucial not only for preventing malicious actions but also for ensuring that well-intentioned users do not inadvertently perform actions that could compromise system security.

Integrating Advanced Measures for Comprehensive Protection
These advanced endpoint measures are most effective when integrated into a comprehensive security strategy that includes regular security audits, employee training, and the deployment of other cybersecurity technologies like firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
For instance, combining application allow and deny listing with strong network security measures and effective incident response can create a robust multi-layered defense that addresses various attack vectors.

Proactive Cybersecurity: A Strategic Advantage
Moreover, adopting these proactive security measures provides organizations with a strategic advantage. It not only protects against current cyber threats but also prepares businesses for future challenges in the cybersecurity landscape.
Organizations that are well-prepared to manage and respond to security incidents recover quicker and face fewer penalties related to data breaches, compliance failures, or damaged reputations.
By taking proactive steps today to implement advanced endpoint security measures, companies can protect their assets more effectively and ensure a safer business environment for tomorrow.
These strategic investments in cybersecurity foster trust among customers and partners, demonstrating a commitment to maintaining high standards of data protection and integrity.

Comprehensive IT Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
BSTG provides a wide range of outsourced IT support and cybersecurity compliance solutions designed to safeguard your operations from the latest cyber threats, including phishing.
Our Los Angeles IT services extend beyond just email security to encompass end-to-end protection for all your IT needs.
From network security to cybersecurity compliance and beyond, our expert team is dedicated to ensuring your business is equipped with the tools and knowledge to thwart cyber threats. Secure your business with BSTG’s expert penetration testing services and ensure your operations are protected from potential cyber threats.
Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable IT services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape. With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.

Managed IT Services in Los Angeles 
BSTG is your premier provider of IT support and cybersecurity solutions in Los Angeles. We specialize in creating tailored IT environments that are secure, efficient, and aligned with your business objectives.
If you’re ready to take a stand against phishing and other cyber threats, contact us today.

#### All-Inclusive IT Support Services in Los Angeles
Be Structured Specializes in IT Support Services in Los Angeles
If you're looking for a company specializing in all-inclusive IT support services in Los Angeles with guaranteed flat rate pricing, Be Structured has been providing these exact services for over 20 years.
Partnering with the Be Structured Technology Group is like gaining access to your own professional IT department.
As a provider of IT support services in Los Angeles, we specialize in local IT support solutions with flat-rate pricing to meet your needs.
We strive to be a business partner rooted in a commitment to your ongoing prosperity. Our experts structure our services, so they all work together to provide complete coverage for your business operations.
From driving productivity and innovation to boosting sales and growth, we customize an IT platform that aligns with your broader business goals.
You may already have in-house IT personnel, but no one person can deliver the wealth of knowledge that the Be Structured team offers.
Unlike hiring an additional employee, partnering with Be Structured allows you to leverage the strengths and skills of our entire IT team as your needs evolve. As a result, you gain access to a group of experts with diverse backgrounds and skill sets for an affordable flat monthly fee.
When selecting an integrated, IT-managed services package, achieving the ideal balance between costs and results is vital.
Our all-inclusive managed IT services deliver that balance with next-level strategies and predictable billing tailored to the needs of your business. This is what we call our Premium / Full-Stack tier — see exactly where it lands in our full-stack pricing tier breakdown.
At the core, you should always hire a local IT support company you can trust with all the tools you need to run your business:
 	24/7 Monitoring
 	IT Consulting and VCIO Services
 	Data Backup and Protection
 	Comprehensive Cloud Services
 	Disaster Recovery Planning
 	Cybersecurity Platforms
 	SaaS app management
 	Antivirus and Intrusion Protection
 	Network and Infrastructure Management
 	Managing Vendor Relationships
 	Live Support Services
 	Managed Local LLM Workstations 
Don’t Just Address IT Problems as They Arise
Break away from the break/fix mentality with a proactive IT partner.
The best defense is a good offensive approach to your network and its technology. We stay on top of the latest ways of making your system work smarter for you so that downtime never happens.
As your outsourced IT support services partner, we manage your business as if it was our own. We take pride in offering completely seamless outsourced IT support that you can count on not only hour by hour - but minute by minute. We also now offer a hybrid tech support model where you get the best of both worlds - a dedicated onsite Be Structured expert who then utilizes our outsourced team to help keep you up and running.
We also want to save our clients money. Learn how you can still partner with award-winning outsourced technical support on a budget.
Our Integrated IT Support Services in Los Angeles Work Better Together
The Power of Bundled IT Services
Time and time again, we speak with business leaders who are unhappy with their in-house IT or current service provider.
Be Structured knows that a trusted technology partner, a proactive approach, and custom business IT services and solutions are what really make the critical difference for ongoing business success.
To be among the best IT managed services companies, we go above and beyond by offering a library of network installation and network services. Each one is developed to stack on one another while flexing to meet your specific needs. They provide a strong foundation, with our experts looking out for issues and fixing them before they disrupt your business.
When we pinpoint a deeper problem with your IT systems, we never merely patch over it with a quick fix. Instead, we work with you to develop a long-term solution that provides continuous, reliable network protection. It's also important to understand how to measure ROI on IT investments.
A Robust Los Angeles IT Support and Cybersecurity Platform
With services such as 24/7 monitoring and support, our team is always there to keep an eye on the performance and reliability of your network—even after everyone else has gone home.
We back your cybersecurity platform with antivirus and intrusion protection software. These security tools actively scan your system for signs of intrusion and track any suspicious activity.
We also provide help desk assistance where your employees can speak directly to one of our computer engineers for help with any issue—from password problems to accidental email deletion.
Comprehensive Data Backups and Disaster Recovery
Our data backup and protection services are part of a comprehensive business intelligence strategy for your disaster recovery and business continuity planning. In a network outage, we ensure you have a comprehensive recovery plan to minimize downtime.
We develop specific recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) around your mission-critical operations and crucial network tools, so technology never slows your success.
Your time is best spent running and growing your business. Don’t let technology slow you down.
What's Included in Be Structured's IT Support Services
Our all-inclusive packages are built so that every IT support service works in concert with the next — not as a collection of bolt-on tools, but as an integrated platform engineered around your business. Here is a complete breakdown of what Los Angeles businesses receive when they partner with Be Structured.
24/7 Network Monitoring & Help Desk Support
Our team monitors the performance and reliability of your network around the clock — including nights, weekends, and holidays. When something is off, we identify and resolve it before it becomes a disruption. Your employees also have direct access to our help desk, where a live Be Structured engineer can assist with anything from password resets to complex software issues. You are never waiting in a ticket queue with no end in sight.
IT Consulting, vCIO & vCTO Services
Not every Los Angeles business can justify a full-time Chief Information Officer — but every business still needs executive-level technology leadership. Our virtual CIO and virtual CTO services give you access to senior strategic guidance as part of your managed IT services package. We build technology roadmaps aligned to your business objectives, help you plan IT budgets with predictability, manage vendor relationships, and ensure your infrastructure evolves alongside your company. We also provide compliance audit support for HIPAA, PCI, and FINRA-regulated businesses.
Cybersecurity & Antivirus Protection
Every managed services package from Be Structured includes a comprehensive cybersecurity platform. This covers antivirus and intrusion protection software that actively scans your systems for signs of compromise and tracks suspicious activity in real time. Depending on your industry and risk profile, services extend to dark web scanning and phishing simulation training, DNS filtering, two-factor authentication, mobile device management, and more. Cybersecurity is not a separate add-on at Be Structured — it is foundational to every engagement.
Data Backup & Protection
Data loss — whether from ransomware, hardware failure, or human error — can halt operations entirely. Our data backup and protection services ensure your critical business data is continuously protected and recoverable. We design backup schedules and retention policies specific to your operations, and test recovery procedures so that restores work when they are actually needed, not just in theory.
Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning
A backup strategy and a disaster recovery plan are not the same thing. Be Structured develops comprehensive business continuity plans with defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) built around your mission-critical operations. In the event of an outage, ransomware attack, or natural disaster, you have a documented, tested plan — not a scramble. This is particularly important for Los Angeles businesses given the region's unique risk considerations.
Cloud Solutions & Migrations
The cloud can dramatically improve the scalability, flexibility, and performance of your IT environment — but only when implemented correctly. Our team designs cloud solutions using public, private, and hybrid cloud models based on what is right for your workloads and compliance requirements. We handle seamless cloud migrations, Microsoft 365 deployments, Azure environments, datacenter co-location, and hosted VoIP — end-to-end, without disrupting your daily operations.
Network & Infrastructure Management
Your physical and logical network is the backbone of everything your business does. We manage every layer of your network infrastructure — from hardware procurement and lifecycle management to performance optimization and proactive replacement. Services include network installation, structured cabling, and office relocation support for businesses moving within the Los Angeles area. We also employ server virtualization to maximize hardware efficiency and reduce infrastructure costs over time.
The Hybrid IT Support Model
Be Structured offers a unique hybrid tech support model designed for businesses that benefit from a physical presence. A dedicated Be Structured technician works on-site at your location daily, embedded within your team and familiar with your environment. That technician is backed by our full remote team of engineers — giving you the immediacy of local support with the depth of an entire IT department behind it. It is the best of both worlds, and it is available as part of our all-inclusive IT support services in Los Angeles.
Vendor Relationship Management
Managing relationships with software vendors, hardware suppliers, telecom carriers, and cloud providers takes time and expertise that most businesses would rather redirect toward growth. As part of our managed IT services, Be Structured handles vendor management on your behalf — acting as a single point of contact and accountability for your entire technology supply chain.
Your Business Model and Goals Guide Our Technology Services
Customized Infrastructure Management
Cutting-edge technology is an excellent place to start, but customized IT support services in Los Angeles combined with superior technology are even better. We tailor our services to every customer and their operations.
Why?
We know that your needs and goals are unique, and continually aligning technology with your business evolution is what it takes to stay one step ahead of competitors.
Our hands-on approach enables us to leverage the latest technology while developing solutions that help you achieve your larger business goals.
Once we deploy your managed network security platform, Be Structured begins streamlining network performance with methods such as server virtualization to optimize IT hardware and software while our IT consulting Los Angeles-based services develop a roadmap for your future IT strategies.
We manage every aspect of your network infrastructure to ensure that hardware remains up to date and is proactively replaced while delivering rapid repair services. Soon, you too shall see why so many choose us as their go-to for IT services in Los Angeles and beyond.
Cloud Network Solutions
The power of the cloud can transform the reliability, scalability, and performance of your network, but concerns about migration can hinder cloud projects. We specialize in seamlessly integrating cloud solutions with your day-to-day operations.
Although there are some cloud computing consulting services that we generally recommend to any client, we also have the skills to design a customized solution that leverages various factors ranging from public, private, and hybrid resources to the optimal location for data center sourcing.
How to Choose an IT Support Services Provider in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is one of the most competitive markets in the country for managed IT services. There is no shortage of providers — but there is a significant difference between a vendor that reacts to problems and a true business partner that prevents them. Here is what to evaluate before signing any agreement.
1. Proactive vs. Reactive: Understand Their Philosophy
The most important distinction in the IT support services market is the difference between a break/fix provider and a proactive managed services partner. A break/fix model means you pay when something breaks — which creates a misaligned incentive where your provider benefits from your downtime. A true managed services partner, like Be Structured, operates proactively: monitoring your environment continuously, identifying problems before they cause disruption, and working to eliminate recurring issues at their root cause rather than patching over them.
Ask any provider directly: "What percentage of your tickets are proactively identified versus reported by the client?" The answer tells you everything about their model.
2. All-Inclusive Pricing vs. Tiered or À La Carte
Pricing structures vary widely across Los Angeles IT support providers. Some offer tiered packages where security tools, backup services, or after-hours support are add-ons at extra cost. Others offer all-inclusive flat-rate pricing that covers everything under one predictable monthly fee.
Be Structured operates on an all-inclusive flat-rate model. Your monthly fee covers 24/7 monitoring, help desk, cybersecurity, data backup, disaster recovery planning, cloud services, IT consulting, network management, and vendor oversight — with no surprise invoices. When evaluating proposals from any provider, ask for a complete list of what is and is not included before comparing prices.
3. Local Presence & Response Time
For Los Angeles businesses, local presence matters. When an issue cannot be resolved remotely, response time to your physical location is critical. Ask prospective providers where their technicians are based, what their guaranteed on-site response SLA is, and whether they service your specific area — whether that is Downtown LA, Pasadena, Century City, West Hollywood, or the South Bay.
Be Structured is headquartered in Los Angeles and has served businesses across Southern California since 2007. Our hybrid support model means a dedicated technician can be on-site at your location as part of your regular engagement — not just dispatched after a crisis.
4. Depth of Cybersecurity Capabilities
Cybersecurity is no longer a separate consideration from IT support — it is central to it. Evaluate whether a provider's security capabilities are genuine or cosmetic. A strong IT support services provider in Los Angeles should offer endpoint protection, network security monitoring, email security, dark web scanning, employee phishing awareness training, and a clear incident response process.
For businesses in regulated industries — healthcare, financial services, legal, or any firm handling payment card data — ask specifically about HIPAA, PCI, and FINRA compliance support. Be Structured provides audit support for all three as part of our IT consulting and vCIO services.
5. Industry Experience
IT requirements differ meaningfully by industry. A law firm handling confidential client files has different compliance obligations and security posture requirements than a manufacturing company or an entertainment production house. Look for a provider with demonstrated experience in your sector.
Be Structured serves businesses across architecture, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, law, manufacturing, nonprofits, property management, restaurants, software development, transportation, and wealth management — each with tailored IT service plans that reflect the unique demands of those industries.
6. Scalability: Will They Grow With You?
Your IT needs today are not your IT needs in three years. A good IT support services partner builds a technology roadmap alongside you, helps you plan for headcount growth, evaluates new tools before you need them, and advises on infrastructure investments with ROI in mind. This is exactly what Be Structured's vCIO and IT consulting services are designed to deliver — executive-level technology strategy for businesses that want to grow without technology becoming a constraint.
7. References, Certifications & Track Record
Ask for references from businesses similar to yours in size and industry. Look for industry certifications (CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco) that validate technical competency. And pay attention to tenure — a provider that has been serving Los Angeles businesses for nearly two decades has a level of local accountability that newer entrants simply cannot match.
Be Structured has operated in Los Angeles since 2007, holds a CA Low Voltage Contractor License (#1140088), has been recognized on the Channel Futures MSP 501 list, and has received multiple Expertise.com Top Managed IT Service Provider awards.
Any other service offerings you’re interested in learning about?
We’re ready to talk.
Get in touch with the Be Structured Technology Group today to discover how much more you can expect from a managed service company that structures IT around your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Support Services in Los Angeles
What IT support services does Be Structured provide to Los Angeles businesses?Be Structured provides all-inclusive IT support services to Los Angeles businesses including 24/7 network monitoring, help desk support, cybersecurity, data backup and recovery, disaster recovery planning, cloud solutions, IT consulting, virtual CIO and CTO services, server virtualization, network infrastructure management, and vendor relationship management. All services are delivered under a single flat-rate monthly fee with no tiered packages or hidden add-on costs.How does Be Structured's all-inclusive flat-rate pricing work?Be Structured charges a single predictable monthly fee that covers the full scope of IT support services — monitoring, help desk, cybersecurity tools, data backup, disaster recovery planning, cloud management, IT consulting, and vendor oversight. There are no separate line items for after-hours support, security software, or strategic advisory services. This all-inclusive model eliminates surprise costs and makes IT budgeting predictable for Los Angeles businesses of all sizes.What is the hybrid IT support model offered by Be Structured?Be Structured’s hybrid IT support model places a dedicated on-site technician at the client’s Los Angeles location who works embedded within the business daily. That technician is backed by Be Structured’s full remote team of engineers, combining the immediacy of a local on-site presence with the deep expertise and resources of an entire IT department. This model is available as part of Be Structured’s all-inclusive managed IT services packages.Does Be Structured provide cybersecurity as part of managed IT services, or is it an add-on?Cybersecurity is included as a foundational component of every Be Structured managed IT services engagement — it is not a separate add-on. The cybersecurity platform covers antivirus and intrusion protection, dark web scanning, phishing simulation training, DNS filtering, two-factor authentication, mobile device management, and continuous threat monitoring. For businesses in regulated industries, Be Structured also provides compliance audit support for HIPAA, PCI, and FINRA requirements.What is the difference between disaster recovery and data backup in Be Structured’s IT support services?Data backup refers to the continuous protection and storage of business data so it can be restored after loss. Disaster recovery is a broader plan that defines exactly how a business resumes operations after a major outage, ransomware attack, or disaster — including documented Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) specific to each client’s mission-critical systems. Be Structured provides both as part of its all-inclusive IT support services, and tests recovery procedures on an ongoing basis rather than assuming backups will work when needed.What compliance support does Be Structured offer for regulated Los Angeles businesses?Be Structured provides audit support for three major regulatory frameworks as part of its IT consulting and virtual CIO services: HIPAA for healthcare organizations, PCI for businesses handling payment card data, and FINRA for financial services firms. Compliance support is built into the managed IT services engagement rather than offered as a standalone billable project.How does Be Structured handle cloud migrations for Los Angeles businesses?Be Structured manages cloud migrations end-to-end, covering public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud deployments depending on the client’s workloads and compliance requirements. Specific capabilities include Microsoft Azure and Windows Virtual Desktop environments, Microsoft 365 migrations, datacenter co-location, hosted VoIP solutions, and public cloud vendor management. Be Structured designs the migration plan so that day-to-day operations continue without disruption during the transition.What should Los Angeles businesses look for when choosing an IT support services provider?Los Angeles businesses evaluating IT support services providers should assess seven factors: whether the provider operates proactively or reactively (a proactive MSP identifies issues before they cause downtime); what is actually included in the monthly fee versus billed separately; the provider’s local presence and on-site response time; the depth of its cybersecurity capabilities; relevant industry experience; whether it can scale with business growth; and its certifications, references, and tenure in the market. Be Structured has served Los Angeles businesses since 2007, holds a CA Low Voltage Contractor License (#1140088), and has been recognized on the Channel Futures MSP 501 list.Can Be Structured support businesses that already have in-house IT staff?Yes. Be Structured’s all-inclusive IT support services are designed to complement existing in-house IT teams, not replace them. Co-managed IT arrangements allow internal staff to focus on day-to-day operations while Be Structured provides specialized expertise, overflow capacity, 24/7 monitoring coverage, and strategic vCIO guidance that no single in-house employee can replicate. In-house teams gain access to Be Structured’s full bench of engineers with diverse technical backgrounds.What industries does Be Structured serve with IT support services in Los Angeles?Be Structured provides IT support services to Los Angeles businesses across architecture firms, entertainment and media companies, financial services, healthcare organizations, law firms and attorneys’ offices, manufacturing companies, nonprofits, property management firms, restaurants, software development companies, transportation and freight operators, and wealth management practices. Each engagement is tailored to the compliance requirements, operational rhythms, and technology needs specific to that industry.What does proactive IT management mean, and why does it matter for Los Angeles businesses?Proactive IT management means continuously monitoring an IT environment to identify and resolve problems before they cause downtime or data loss — rather than waiting for users to report failures. Be Structured’s 24/7 monitoring service operates around the clock, including nights and weekends, so that network anomalies, hardware degradation, security threats, and performance issues are detected and addressed before they disrupt operations. For Los Angeles businesses where every hour of downtime has a real revenue cost, proactive management is the foundational difference between a managed IT services partner and a traditional break/fix vendor.How long has Be Structured been providing IT support services in Los Angeles?Be Structured Technology Group has provided IT support services to Los Angeles businesses since 2007, making it one of the more tenured managed IT service providers in the Southern California market. The company is headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071, and holds California Low Voltage Contractor License #1140088. Over that time, Be Structured has been recognized on the Channel Futures MSP 501 list and received multiple Expertise.com Top Managed IT Service Provider awards.

#### Antivirus & Intrusion Protection
Leading IT Support in Los Angeles That Actively Combats Threats
Our comprehensive Los Angeles managed service provider services include a state-of-the-art antivirus and intrusion protection system designed to protect your network and data so that your valuable information is kept secure.
Antivirus and intrusion software is designed to detect malicious behavior and destroy viruses that can pose a threat to your network. Antivirus and intrusion protection are used to monitor the behavior of your network to detect and report any unauthorized intrusions, including malicious hackers seeking to damage your network and steal your data.
Whether you’re dealing with a virus from an employee who fell for a phishing scam or a hacker who is trying to steal your data, you’ll be protected.
At Be Structured, we work exclusively with two very reputable partners in the industry, SonicWall and Webroot. We partner with SonicWall and Webroot to utilize tools that allow us to offer unmatched antivirus and intrusion protection services to our clients. Both of these partners are recognized experts in the area of security and protection, and we have the utmost trust in both to provide our clients with the security solutions they need.
 	SonicWall – SonicWall’s advanced threat protection (ATP) service is a cloud-based multi-engine sandbox designed to discover and stop unknown threats and attacks at the door so that they don’t affect your network. Their solution includes antivirus and intrusion software and intrusion prevention technology designed to monitor incoming traffic and ensure that nothing poses a threat to your network. With firewalls, virtual firewalls, email security, wireless security, risk meters, and more, SonicWall protects your data from endpoint to endpoint. SonicWALL also provides robust deep packet inspection (DPI), including application filtering, intrusion prevention system (IPS), content filtering (CF), and gateway level anti-virus/anti-malware (AV/AM).
 	Webroot – Webroot offers next-generation protection for your network. Their antivirus software has the key features needed to stop viruses and other threats to your network. Webroot BrightCloud® Threat Intelligence Services help to give our customers proactive protection against modern threats. Webroot has built one of the market’s most proven security platforms, ensuring that your pertinent data is kept safe from threats. Webroot offers DNS protection, endpoint protection, and antivirus and antimalware software.
One of the key points of both SonicWall and Webroot is that they provide multiple security measures under the same umbrella. This multi-vector security and protection means you don’t need to purchase a separate firewall, antivirus and intrusion program, and other security measures.
It’s all in one package, so there are no compatibility issues. All of your security tools will work effortlessly together without creating any conflicts or leaving any vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit.
These tools also seamlessly integrate with the other solutions Be Structured offers. This type of umbrella protection also makes it easier for you to view your security solutions and understand how each is protecting you. Multiple layers of security are the key and not just relying on one system to protect you. As a part of our MSSP IT services in Los Angeles, we offer additional layers of protection for companies as well.
Quality IT Support in Los Angeles Includes The Security Features You Must Have
Your company needs to be protected, which means using a number of common security features. However, through SonicWall and Webroot, there’s nothing basic or simple about the security solutions we implement for you.
These solutions are state of the art and are constantly evolving to meet your needs and to provide protection against the newest viruses, malware, and hacking tools.
Here are some of the security features you will have available to you through our antivirus solutions and intrusion protection:
 	Firewalls – The next-generation firewall hardware features real-time deep memory inspection to block attacks as they occur. With antivirus and threat protection from both, you’re protected with multiple layers of security. Your data is also encrypted using highly secure encryption methods. This all starts with proper network installation and expert outsourced IT support.
 	Antivirus Protection – Of course, no security solution would be complete without some form of virus protection. These security solutions constantly scan for viruses, malware, ransomware, and other malicious programs. When found, they’re quickly dealt with, and you’re provided a report describing the situation.
 	DNS Protection – The Domain Name System is what directs users to the correct location. Unfortunately, DNS was designed and implemented in an age where cyber-terrorism and attacks were unheard of. This has left websites vulnerable to things such as hijacking, cache poisoning, denial of service attacks, and more. DNS protection protects a website from these issues by routing traffic through a cloud-based security solution.
 	WiFi Security – As more devices cut the cord and go wireless, more security vulnerabilities appear. WiFi security is a must today. Fortunately, the new 802.11ac and 802.11ax technology have made security easier while increasing the range and performance of WiFi.
 	Mobile Device Management (MDM) – Along with WiFi, many people are now using mobile devices. Some of these devices may be company-owned, but employees may bring others in. All it takes is for one employee smartphone with a virus to infect your entire system. Mobile device security controls access, provides security and minimizes these threats. It also protects your servers and mobile devices when employees log in from other WiFi networks.
 	Email Security – Every email server needs protection, and cloud-based security is the new standard. It protects against phishing and fraud attacks by using real-time threat intelligence to catch malicious emails as they come in. Employees won’t click on these phishing URLs because the email will be scanned and quarantined before it hits their inbox.
 	Endpoint Protection – You want your data to be protected from the moment it leaves your server to the minute it reaches the destination device. Capture Client by SonicWall is designed to offer this multiple endpoint protection. It guards against malware and ransomware, encrypts data at both ends, provides monitoring and detailed reports of your system and any attacks.
 	Risk Meters – Risk meters should be part of your ongoing technology audit checklist to help you view your system’s current security status, analyze any vulnerabilities, and help you identify security risks. You can also create various what-if scenarios to determine how your security would fare in various attacks. These scenarios can highlight where you need to focus your efforts.
In addition to these tools, it’s also important that your employees have the training and knowledge needed to deal with any threat that does make it through your security. Webroot offers security awareness training to do just that. It teaches your team about cybersecurity, compliance, and best practices.
They will learn how to recognize phishing and other scams, identify malware, and understand the process for reporting potential threats and attacks. This training can greatly reduce your risk of cyber-attack since the largest percentage of network breaches actually come from user error. By making this training a part of your onboarding process, you can give your employees the education needed to protect themselves and your company.
What is a Managed Services Security Provider (MSSP)?
A managed services security provider offers outsourced monitoring and management of your security systems.
IT services in Los Angeles commonly include firewalls, intrusion detection, virtual private network, vulnerability scanning, and antiviral services. MSSPs use security operation centers (either from their facility or a data center) to provide 24/7 services designed to reduce the number of security personnel needed for your company.
Companies with sensitive information that needs to be kept secure will typically choose to work with an MSSP. There are many benefits to using a managed services security provider:
You can focus on doing the work that only you can do. No one else knows your business like you do, and there are tasks that only you can handle. With an MSSP as your partner, you can let the experts focus on keeping your network secure while you focus on running and growing the business.
MSSP solutions are scalable. These services are cloud-based, which means adding or removing them is simple. If your company expands, your security services can likewise expand to meet those needs. When you need to pull back a bit, that’s also an option. Because everything is done as licenses through the cloud, there are no copies of software going unused or hardware to store.
You have a team of experts on your side. A MSSP has an experienced team with years of experience in computer and network security. Even if you were to hire several IT professionals to work on your security, you wouldn’t be able to get the range of experience a MSSP has. Everyone working on your security solutions is trained in this area and has a deep understanding of what is necessary to protect your data.
You save money by paying one price for your security solutions. Again, if you were to hire an in-house team, you would have to pay salary and benefits, purchase equipment for them to use, allocate facility space for them to work, and more. The MSSP handles all of these costs so you don’t have to budget for them. Instead, you budget the one single fee for security, helping you better anticipate your overall IT costs for the year.
We Monitor Your System 24/7
One of our primary missions is to continually defend the integrity of the functions of your business, and 24/7 security monitoring is one of our best tools for staying on guard. If a malicious program infiltrates you, even if you find and deal with it quickly, it may still have time to do damage to your network or transmit some of your sensitive data elsewhere. We monitor your entire network so any such intrusion can be quickly discovered and malicious programs are blocked. We also watch for suspicious activities such as the activation of old accounts, unusual login times, or accounts trying to repeatedly access restricted data. Sometimes these are actually employees with no malicious intent, but it’s always best to confirm this rather than leave your system open to attack.
That’s because even when an issue isn’t malicious, it still needs to be flagged and investigated. These unusual behaviors could be something as minor as an update that causes a small incompatibility issue, but that issue could still lead to problems or create security vulnerabilities that leave you open to attack. These small issues need to be resolved just as quickly as bigger problems so they don’t grow to become major threats. These small issues can also build upon each other, resulting in huge security vulnerabilities down the line. Don’t let any issue go uninvestigated. Even the smallest problem can become something much worse if you give it time.
When an employee logs in late at night or early in the morning, it could simply be that employee doing some work at an odd hour. However, it could just as easily be a compromised account. Companies that don’t have 24/7 security monitoring may never know that the account was logged in or what was done unless they have a reason to check the logs. If the compromised account is carefully used, it could be weeks or even months before you realize the account is being used to steal data.
Our 24/7 monitoring and support service ensures that you’re never left unaware of what’s going on with your technology. By dealing with malicious programs and attacks as soon as they happen, you can rest easy knowing that your data is safe.
By monitoring how your IT resources are being used and investigating areas that aren’t operating as they should be, we can close any security vulnerabilities while also improving your efficiency and effectiveness.
This also helps us identify tools that will need to be replaced or upgraded soon so you can schedule this process rather than waiting until the tool fails and leaves you in an unexpected lurch.
Worry Less About Your Network’s Security
At Be Structured, it’s important to us that your valuable data stays safe. No virus or potential threat is a match for our antivirus and intrusion protection systems.
We constantly update, adding new virus definitions and information about new phishing methods to our scanning software to catch even the latest malicious programs. To do otherwise would leave you vulnerable to these new forms of attack.
With our solution in place, you can rest assured knowing that your data is safe from all threats and monitoring any suspicious activity. For comprehensive IT consulting in Los Angeles and all surrounding areas that include top-quality antivirus, intrusion detection, and cyber-attack prevention systems, contact Be Structured.
FAQs for Anti-Virus and Intrusion Protection
1. What antivirus and intrusion protection partners does Be Structured work with?
Be Structured works exclusively with SonicWall and Webroot, two recognized experts in security and protection. Both partners provide comprehensive multi-vector security solutions that seamlessly integrate under one umbrella.
2. What is SonicWall's Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service?
SonicWall's ATP is a cloud-based multi-engine sandbox designed to discover and stop unknown threats and attacks before they affect your network. It includes deep packet inspection (DPI), intrusion prevention system (IPS), content filtering, and gateway-level anti-virus/anti-malware protection.
3. How does DNS protection help secure my network?
DNS protection safeguards websites from hijacking, cache poisoning, and denial of service attacks by routing traffic through a cloud-based security solution. This protects the Domain Name System, which was designed before cyber-terrorism became a threat.
4. What is a Managed Services Security Provider (MSSP)?
A managed services security provider offers outsourced monitoring and management of security systems including firewalls, intrusion detection, and antiviral services. MSSPs use security operation centers to provide 24/7 services and reduce the number of in-house security personnel needed.
5. Why is 24/7 security monitoring important for my business?
Twenty-four-seven monitoring allows malicious programs and compromised accounts to be detected and blocked immediately before they damage your network or steal data. It also identifies suspicious activities like unusual login times or old account activations that could indicate security breaches.
6. What security features are included in Be Structured's antivirus solutions?
Security features include next-generation firewalls with real-time deep memory inspection, antivirus protection against malware and ransomware, DNS protection, WiFi security, mobile device management (MDM), email security, endpoint protection, and risk meters.
7. How does email security prevent phishing attacks?
Cloud-based email security uses real-time threat intelligence to scan and quarantine malicious emails before they reach employee inboxes. This prevents employees from clicking on phishing URLs and falling victim to fraud attacks.
8. What is endpoint protection and why do I need it?
Endpoint protection guards your data from the moment it leaves your server until it reaches the destination device. SonicWall's Capture Client provides multiple endpoint protection against malware and ransomware while encrypting data at both ends.
9. What are the benefits of using an MSSP instead of in-house security?
MSSPs provide scalable cloud-based solutions, access to a team of security experts, and cost savings by eliminating salary, benefits, equipment, and facility space expenses. You pay one single fee for comprehensive security services instead of managing multiple in-house costs.
10. How does security awareness training reduce cyber-attack risk?
Webroot's security awareness training teaches employees to recognize phishing scams, identify malware, and understand reporting procedures for potential threats. This training reduces cyber-attack risk since the largest percentage of network breaches come from user error.

#### Antivirus and Antimalware
With Be Structured’s team of IT consulting experts in Los Angeles, we prioritize network security so your team can stay focused on business growth. 

Your team understands the key points of your business that no one else can do, so it makes sense for you to focus on these points while we take care of your cyber security. 

We provide antivirus and antimalware security solutions designed to protect your business from threats, both internal and external, while also ensuring that your network security is operating at peak efficiency. 

For our managed IT services clients we also provide Security information and event management (SIEM) services with more advanced endpoint and network protection including a 24×7 Security Operations Center (SOC).
Our Comprehensive Cybersecurity Outlook
If your organization depends on your network for day-to-day operations, you can’t afford the downtime caused by a data breach. Even if you’re not completely dependent on your network for your business to function, you still have sensitive data that must be protected. Data breaches can quickly lead to a number of horrible situations:

Revenue loss – Time truly is money, and any time your business isn’t operating at peak efficiency, you’re losing money. When your network is down, even if it doesn’t affect your immediate revenue stream, your team is still unable to work at their same speed. 

Your marketing team may not be able to access graphics or your research team may not be able to pull up past studies. While you’re not losing actual money because of this, you are losing time, and that can be just as important.

Missed opportunities – Few other companies are going to want to partner with someone who doesn’t have a secured network. 

If you’re dealing with a data breach or other cyber attack and word gets out to your current and potential business partners, you may lose those partnerships. In fact, many companies these days are requiring their third parties to meet certain security requirements before they will even do business with them. 

Trying to hide the fact that you’ve fallen victim to an attack is even worse, though, because that information may eventually get out. Then you appear untrustworthy and unprepared to protect sensitive data, which is even worse.

Damaged reputation – Besides damaging your reputation with other businesses, a data breach damages your overall public image. Clients may no longer want to work with you, especially if some of their personal information was stolen during the breach. 

Potential customers may look to one of your competitors, while current customers may be very leery of continuing to work with you. In the end, this damage can be even worse than any immediate loss. 

Even if no data was stolen, when people learn that your network security was breached, they may not trust that you will be fully prepared to deal with future cyberattacks more successfully.

Noncompliance penalties – Depending on what industry you’re in, you’re likely to face noncompliance fees if you’ve been hacked and it can be shown that your system didn’t meet the required guidelines for security. 

These fees can be quite costly, too, and can leave your business in dire financial shape.

Lawsuits – Customers who have lost their private information due to a security breach may contemplate suing your company, especially if there’s proof that you were not prepared or did not have a security program that met industry standards or requirements.

All of these situations often occur together. When you add lawsuits on top of noncompliance fees, loss of revenue, and the damage done to your company’s reputation, it can be almost impossible to recover. 

Your company may simply not have the financial resources to cover all of these fines plus rebuild its security and absorb the loss of business partners and customers. Even those that can recover often have to scale back potential expansion plans for years.

The best way to keep your business protected is with a team of business IT services and security experts overseeing your network defenses. 

At Be Structured, we have the hands-on experience and skills to deploy and continually refine a security platform customized to your network and around your operations. 

We have years of experience at creating network security platforms for a wide variety of sectors. 

We take into account all of the required industry regulations plus cyber security best practices to build a system that not only meets all guidelines necessary but goes above and beyond them. 

Your team can stay focused on what you do best while we handle everything related to security.

At Be Structured, we understand that no matter the size of your business or the industry in which you operate, your organization is a potential target for cybercriminals. 

It doesn’t matter how large or small your company is or how much sensitive data you have—you can still be a target. In fact, some hackers intentionally target these smaller companies because they don’t have strong security. 

Others target them for practice or just to see if they can break the company’s security. When it comes to viruses and malware, everyone’s a target. An employee may download an infected file or fall for a phishing scam. Anyone can be victims of malware attacks because they’re designed to spread quickly and without specific targets.

That’s why we take the time to develop a robust security solution that continuously monitors your network for threats, such as viruses and malware, at every level. From firewall systems that filter out external threats to access control platforms that keep internal data protected, our IT support goal is to protect your mission-critical data as if it were our own.

And we serve the entire Southern California community. So, whether you need IT support in Hollywood, IT support in Burbank or IT support in Pasadena, we’re here to provide your company the safety and security it deserves. 
Protecting Your Network At Every Level
We pinpoint industry-specific threats to keep you safe from the latest cyber attacks. 

Hackers are constantly changing their methods of attack, and we know we have to evolve with them in order to keep you safe.

We do everything possible to anticipate new methods of attack and proactively develop antivirus and antimalware protections to these attacks while also quickly reacting to new hacks and vulnerabilities. 

Network security isn’t something that can be put in place and never touched again. We’re always looking for ways to improve your network protections at every level, from account security to firewalls to antivirus and antimalware programs. There are threats available at every level and at every entry point into your system, and they all must be protected.

Your computer system is unique to your business. While it may have started out in a fairly standard configuration, it’s changed as you’ve grown. 

Your network is now unlike any other, and that means it needs a unique security platform to protect it. Everything needs to be configured for your specific needs, which is why we build a custom security solution for every client. 

A one-size-fits-all solution may leave some vulnerabilities that could be exploited later or may not be optimized for your system.

Your computer system is unique to your business. While it may have started out in a fairly standard configuration, it’s changed as you’ve grown. 

Your network is now unlike any other, and that means it needs a unique security platform to protect it. Everything needs to be configured for your specific needs, which is why we build a custom security solution for every client. 

A one-size-fits-all solution may leave some vulnerabilities that could be exploited later or may not be optimized for your system.
Our Antivirus And Antimalware Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured, our goal is to bridge the gap between your network and security strategies for a seamless IT solution. 

As part of our comprehensive cybersecurity package, we incorporate the latest in antivirus and antimalware software into your network operations. 

We have also discovered that a combination of antivirus and intrusion protection systems complement each other for maximum protection.

Tired of constant antivirus and antimalware software notifications haranguing your team throughout the workday? 

We take care of all updates, patches, and upgrades during your team’s off hours, so software never slows them down again.

There are a variety of different types of viruses and malware. Many people lump these threats together under the vague concept of malware. That can actually lead to thinking of these types of attacks as less threatening than what they truly are because it’s so undefined. 

Once you understand what types of threats are out there, it’s easier to understand how they can harm your business. Here are some of the most common cyber attacks that fall under the umbrella of malware:

Viruses – While most people think of viruses as something separate, they are definitely a type of malware. Viruses aren’t actually that common anymore, but they are still out there. 

A virus is the only malware that actually infects and damages files. This makes it difficult to deal with them because the actual file has to be cleansed and then repaired.

Ransomware – Ransomware is one of the most dangerous types of malware, and it’s also one that many people don’t know about until they fall victim to it because it is newer than other malware. 

Ransomware infects the entire computer or network and encrypts everything. Users are unable to access their information or even log in. They receive a message that they have to pay to get access to their information, but there’s no guarantee that those who do pay the ransom will have access restored.

Spyware – This type of malware doesn’t do anything immediately malicious, but it does hide in your computer and log everything a person does. This means it copies all of their keystrokes, including their usernames and passwords. This information is then sent to the hacker, giving them access to your network.

Adware – Adware may seem harmless in comparison to some other types of malware, but it’s still dangerous. 

Many pieces of adware contain spyware. Others redirect browsers to phishing webpages in an attempt to learn usernames, passwords, and other account details. 

Adware also tends to greatly slow down computers, especially those that have several pieces of adware on them.

Trojans – Some programs look legitimate, but they hide malicious coding within them. These trojan horse programs are one of the oldest forms of malware, but they’re still used today, and they’re still incredibly dangerous. Some of the best trojans are nearly indistinguishable from legitimate programs and can fool even experienced IT experts. 

Once the trojan is installed, the hidden code activates and begins stealing information, encrypting files, or disabling your security systems.

Fileless Malware – One of the newer and deadlier types of malware is fileless malware. This malware doesn’t infect files or file systems. Instead, it exists in memory or in non-file objects used by the operating system. 

From there, it can infect programs that are running or use operating system tools to do a number of different malicious things. These attacks are more difficult to detect, too, since they’re not in files.

Our antimalware and antivirus solutions are grounded in Webroot and are supported by the built-in Windows Defender platform and for our MSSP customers also include advanced threat detection, windows hardening, a SIEM, and 24×7 SOC. 

No matter how your team uses computers and other network devices, we can customize a security solution around their day-to-day tasks. At the same time, our cybersecurity experts take pride in remaining ahead of the latest security threats and developments to ensure your organization stays one step ahead of cybercriminals. 

Whether you use mostly mobile devices that connect via WiFi, have a wired desktop computer in every office, or use a mixture of the two, we can craft a security solution that keeps everything locked down and secure. These security solutions are designed to evolve with both your company and with new forms of attack so they can quickly be adapted when needed.

As the first part of our cybersecurity development process, we clarify all of your industry-specific threats and operational vulnerabilities. Even if you’ve done this before, it’s important that we audit your security ourselves because we bring a different perspective to it. 

As an outsourced technical support party, we may see things your team hasn’t caught before. We may also find vulnerabilities that have only recently been discovered that your IT team simply hasn’t had the time to learn about yet. 

An outside perspective may find weaknesses in what appears to be even the most secure network.

By pinpointing your network’s strengths and weaknesses, our team is able to solidify any seams in your defenses while optimizing performance. 

From deploying systems that protect your network from ransomware to training your team to identify social engineering tactics used by cybercriminals, Be Structured ensures your team has the tools to stay protected in today’s connected world.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to start taking a more proactive approach to network security, the team at Be Structured is here for you. We’ll work with your team to identify security vulnerabilities and deploy holistic solutions, all while overseeing updates, upgrades, and monitoring. 

With Be Structured, your team can get back to business with the confidence that your network is in the hands of security experts. Plus, our antimalware and antivirus solutions pair perfectly with our other managed services, so we can be the single source for all of your organization’s IT needs. 

Call or contact us today to get started.

 

#### Areas We Serve
We deliver the services you need.
We Love Partnering With Local Businesses
The Be Structured Technology Group office is in the Biltmore Tower on the southeast corner of 5th Street and Grand Avenue, right in the heart of the financial district and close to the historic center of Los Angeles. We have a passion for aiding businesses in the downtown area or commuting to clients using the nearby Metro stations.

If you are a small to medium business in downtown L.A., we can schedule a time to sit down and talk about your needs. We can meet at your offices or we would be happy to invite you to ours. Be Structured is the best managed IT service provider in the area and we’re practically within walking distance for many of you. We serve businesses with IT consulting throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, including:

 	Downtown Los Angeles
 	IT Support Los Angeles
 	IT Services Los Angeles
 	IT Support Anaheim
 	IT Support Beverly Hills
 	IT Support Burbank
 	IT Support Century City
 	IT Support Compton
 	IT Support Culver City
 	IT Support Hollywood
 	IT Support Inglewood
 	IT Support Irvine
 	IT Support Long Beach
 	IT Support Malibu
 	IT Support Northridge
 	IT Support Orange County
 	IT Support Pasadena
 	IT Support San Fernando
 	IT Support Santa Clarita
 	IT Support Santa Monica
 	IT Support South Bay
 	IT Support Studio City
 	IT Support Thousand Oaks
 	IT Support Torrance
 	IT Support Universal City
 	IT Support Vernon
 	IT Support West Hollywood
 	IT Support Woodland Hills

If your business is in two or more locations (including out of state or internationally), we can still manage your IT needs and coordinate efforts between multiple sites.

Dependable IT Services So You Can Focus On Your Business Goals
Be Structured is there to help you achieve those objectives.
We Believe You Deserve Superior IT Services
Every business is different and has unique needs, but they all share a reliance on technology and a need for reliable IT support. You need systems that are stable, with minimal downtime and outages. We provide experienced, skilled technicians who offer assistance with a friendly, responsive attitude.

Your business needs powerful technology solutions that will be the springboard for your future growth and success. Be Structured provides IT consulting and virtual CIO (vCIO) services that aid you in planning and budgeting for your IT services in the years to come. We have experience in many different industries including, but not limited to:

 	Professional Services
 	Financial Services
 	Manufacturing
 	Software and Application Development
 	Nonprofits
 	Law Firms and Attorney Offices
 	Professional Services
 	Transportation and Freight
 	Architects

What Sets Us Apart
Many of our competitors are led by teams of salespeople and executives who don’t know much about technology and are just focused on selling service plans. This can result in you paying for services you don’t need or use. Be Structured is different because our leaders are also experts in information technology. This allows them to identify issues and recommend solutions uniquely tailored to your needs.

Be Structured designs your IT, supports your employees, defends your data, and does it all for less the cost of a full-time in-house IT professional. We regularly meet clients who are disappointed at the level of service they’re receiving and the performance from their current IT support. Be Structured is the partner you need to make sure your technology is working for you and not against you.

#### AuthAnvil by ID Agent
How Does AuthAnvil Protect My Business?

AuthAnvil Authentication

Online security can be both simple to use and incredibly secure, especially with the use of ID Agent’s AuthAnvil Two-Factor and Multi-Factor Authentication system. For companies located in Los Angeles, two-factor (2FA) and multi-factor (MFA) authentication solutions are in high demand. However, employees want to be able to log in quickly without the need for long, complex security systems. How do you balance these two needs? Here at Be Structured Technology Group, we have found one of the best solutions to balancing security with simplicity is with ID Agent AuthAnvil. This secure access solution provides protection for all of your critical data via multi-factor authentication while also making it quick and easy for employees to sign in. Everything can be set up quickly, too, allowing you to put these protections in place almost immediately.

What Is Two-Factor and Multi-Factor Authentication? (2FA and MFA)

Cybercrime has become a global concern for businesses both big and small. A company’s standard security system often lags behind the innovation and intrusiveness of the attackers. Thus companies are often playing “catch-up” to meet the ever-evolving challenges the hackers pose worldwide.

Sometimes human error or lack of attention being paid to a company’s backend can be the culprit. Regardless of where the blame lies, IT support companies in Los Angeles and around the globe recognize that to protect the security of your systems, businesses need to be proactive rather than reactive.

How ID Agent AuthAnvil Security System Uses Two-Factor / Multi-Factor Authentication (2FA and MFA)

To access almost anything online, whether it’s a company server or a personal social media account, the user has to enter a password. Unfortunately, passwords have a number of weaknesses. Many people use the same password for everything, leaving all of their accounts vulnerable if someone hacks into one account. Other people create very weak passwords, lose their password, share it with others, or even write it down on a sticky note stuck to their monitor. All of these things can create vulnerabilities, leaving your network exposed.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) addresses some of these vulnerabilities by requiring users to enter a second set of credentials in order to access their account. For example, an employee may log into their computer using their usual username and password, but then they will have to press their finger to a fingerprint scanner for the second form of authentication. Other types of authentication include face scans, logging into a second device such as a smartphone with a different username/password, or entering a randomly generated series of characters created by an app. Using ID Agent’s AuthAnvil security solution offers this 2FA, adding extra protection to your network. While employees still need to use strong passwords and keep them secret, losing a password or sharing it with someone outside of the company no longer leaves your data exposed to potential theft.

This two-factor authentication system also makes it easier when an employee is terminated or, worse, quits to go work for a competitor where delicate trade secrets could be breached and compromised. Many businesses have succumbed to such security threats where shared secrets boost a competitor over the originator.

AuthAnvil Basics

Many companies make use of cloud of the cloud computing in Los Angeles to hold data and even software. However, you can’t simply allow every employee access to the entire cloud—they would have access to data they simply didn’t need. This also creates a major security issue. AuthAnvil allows you to easily restrict data to specific individuals.

If you’re looking for a top Los Angeles two factor (2FA) and multi-factor (MFA) authentication solution, a quick search will turn up many, many different options. Why is AuthAnvil, then, one of the best? More and more companies are facing data breaches related to password hacks and related issues. Losing customer data to hackers, especially if that data contains information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, or other financial information, can ruin a company. Your company could lose millions of dollars, but even worse, a data breach can destroy any trust people have in you. This loss of trust results in the loss of customers, and in many cases, compromised businesses never recover.

The use of AuthAnvil also protects your company from potential breaches by laid off, let go or secretly disgruntled employees by making it simple to instantly forbid future access without having to manually kill passwords one by one within your system. The last thing any business wants is to see an employee leave, then  start working with a competitor where with remaining access to his old company’s data, trade secrets could be shared.

AuthAnvil is here to make certain that even if a person’s password is compromised, your data is still safe. The solutions AuthAnvil makes possible for customers include multi-factor authentication, credentials management, password automation, remote access, and single sign-on, plus more. Kaseya, the driving force behind AuthAnvil, is fully dedicated to improving AuthAnvil regularly, layering both new security features alongside tried and true methods to ensure that their customers have the best protection possible regardless of what platform they use or the amount of data they need to protect.

AuthAnvil Offers Different Solutions for Security

Authenticator App

Using one layer of security is simply no longer effective enough. By combining employee passwords with the AuthAnvil Authenticator mobile app, users can log in securely using two-factor authentication. The app provides a one-time code that expires within a short amount of time. If users fail to enter this code and their password correctly, they cannot log in to the system.

Seamless Deployment

Rolling out AuthAnvil’s 2FA to your system is done seamlessly and quickly. The software can sync with your directory, setting all of the security restrictions in place within seconds. The Universal Director function of AuthAnvil lets you use your current infrastructure, too, so you keep all of your systems, users, and groups in-sync across the cloud.

Customization

No system is completely identical to another, and no business’s security needs are exactly the same. AuthAnvil offers a number of different customization options, giving you the flexibility and control you need to best protect your company. All activity is recorded, allowing you to create a report of authentication methods and view how effective and easy they are for your team to use.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Employees don’t need to log into each application every time they need to use it. Instead, with AuthAnvil’s SSO, they log into a secure dashboard that lists all of the applications they have access to. Logging into an application is as easy as logging into and launching the app from the dashboard.

AuthAnvil FastPass

While the dashboard holds all of the apps that support AuthAnvil’s SSO standards, there may be some apps that don’t accept the single sign-on credentials. For those, AuthAnvil offers a Chrome extension that records user login activity for each application and creates a shortcut to quickly and automatically log in to that application.

Credentials Manager

The AuthAnvil credentials manager makes it possible to utilize password vaults and archives to protect current passwords and prevent the use of old passwords. The password template helps users create strong passwords, while the password generator can automatically create complex passwords that are incredibly difficult to hack.

Dashboard Security

Because all logins, passwords, and apps are funneled through the AuthAnvil dashboard and its connected Chrome extension, adding and removing access to specific programs and data is very simple.

AuthAnvil Enrollment is Simple

Making use of AuthAnvil is a very easy IT outsourcing process in Los Angeles, and our crew at Be Structured Technology group will guide you through the process. First, we make use of AuthAnvil On-Demand to create different groups for your users. Together, we will assign these groups specific roles and privileges. We can create stand-alone groups, or you can build in groups that are children of other groups and inherit some of their permissions. All of this is done through the AuthAnvil web portal that can be accessed through Chrome, FireFox, and other browsers. Permissions can be set individually by group, or we can make use of pre-created roles such as Administrator, License Manager, and Security Auditor. We can also use AuthAnvil On-Demand to create policies that allow or restrict logins as needed.

The next step is to select the authentication device each user will use. Users have the choice of downloading an app to their iPhone or Android device, installing an authentication app on their Windows desktop, or even purchasing a U2F token device. Once this is complete, users will be able to access their dashboard.

How Does AuthAnvil Authentication Help Businesses?

AuthAnvil can assist businesses in a number of different ways. One of the factors that puts AuthAnvil ahead of its competition is its policy manager. This manager allows your Managed Service Provider to create custom security policies and apply them across your entire user database and applications. We can create policies that recognize and use criteria such as location, device type, department, or date/time as a form of authentication, locking out users who try to log in from remote locations or who attempt to access data in the middle of the night.

Password Auditing

AuthAnvil’s password auditing function also assists in reducing the amount of risk your company faces via hackers and other malicious individuals. This function allows you to be more proactive by viewing how your team logs in to certain data, when they need that information, and more. This then allows you to create policies that further restrict access to this sensitive information. Password audits can also reveal when incorrect credentials were entered, helping you track down potential security risks or understand when you’re under attack.

Remote Access

Being able to remotely access employee computers to push new security features, program updates, and files is highly useful and helps reduce the amount of time users spend on doing these things. Your IT staff is able to work on a user’s computer even while it’s in-use without disturbing the employee.

Compliance and Security

AuthAnvil Provides Compliance and Security While Remaining Affordable and Agile

One of the main reasons companies are attracted to AuthAnvil for their security needs is that it’s very affordable while also offering a flexible, easy to deploy solution. With AuthAnvil, all users need is one strong password and an authentication app for their smartphone or desktop. They can log in to their dashboard from any location and have access to all of their apps and files from this centralized location. There’s no need for employees to remember multiple login names and passwords. By reducing the number of logins, you reduce the number of channels to your data. The fewer channels you have, the easier it is to protect information and to see where unauthorized access came from.

Simple User Interface

AuthAnvil also makes it simple to administer and manage your user database. Because users access their apps through the desktop, it’s much easier to remove permissions when necessary. For example, when an employee leaves the company, you don’t have to remove their permissions from multiple applications or databases. Simply remove their dashboard privileges and they no longer have access to anything.

When updates to an individual computer are necessary, they can be pushed through the AuthAnvil remote login. Since many apps will be accessed via the cloud through the AuthAnvil dashboard, there aren’t as many apps to update on individual computers. This removes the risk presented by apps that haven’t been updated to the most recent secured version.

Auditing and Compliance

For companies in health, law enforcement, and other industries where regulatory compliance is vital, AuthAnvil can assist with compliance and auditing. All of these regulations, including HIPAA, CJIS, FFIECC, SOX, and PCI-DSS, require specific information to be kept highly secure and viewable only to those who need the information to do their work. AuthAnvil’s two-factor authentication helps ensure only authorized individuals can access the data, while routing access to files through a single dashboard helps reduce the number of ways hackers can attempt to break into your data.

AuthAnvil Basics

Using AuthAnvil is very simple. When a user is ready to log in to the system, they pull up the dashboard website and enter their username and password. They are then asked to enter their authentication token. They open the app on their smartphone or Windows desktop, or they tap the button on their small authentication device. They receive a one-time passcode that will expire within a few minutes. Once they enter the correct passcode, they’re given access to their dashboard.

That’s all employees need to do. From the dashboard, they can access all of their apps. AuthAnvil supplies credentials to the other apps either through the dashboard or via the Chrome extension, so employees aren’t asked for further usernames or passwords. The main thing employees will have to get used to is using the app to get their authentication token. However, because this takes very little time and doesn’t need to be done frequently, it’s a small change that doesn’t inconvenience employees.

Are Two-Factor Authentications (2FA) Vulnerable?

Of course, you do want to learn about potential vulnerabilities in two-factor authentication. Nothing is ever perfect, of course. Some authentication programs do have vulnerabilities, but AuthAnvil makes use of the most up-to-date security methods to protect your information. Because AuthAnvil is designed to integrate into and work with a wide number of different services, you’re not creating small vulnerabilities like you would with a system that isn’t 100 percent compatible.

AuthAnvil’s smartphone app also allows users to verify that they are logging into the network as a form of secondary authentication. Since this is done through the mobile network, it’s a completely separate channel from the one that submitted their user login and password. Hackers would have to break into two separate data channels to intercept both authentication methods, which is incredibly difficult. This out-of-band method used by AuthAnvil makes it a much better authentication option than SMS and TOTP, both of which are more vulnerable.

Let Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. Help You with AuthAnvil Enrollment
If you’re ready to try AuthAnvil, let Be Structured is here to help. As a Los Angeles AuthAnvil consulting and implementation service, we can assist you in exploring everything that this security solution has to offer. Don’t leave your company’s sensitive data vulnerable—doing so can lead to a massive data breach that can end your company. AuthAnvil provides an easy, quick way of deploying custom security solutions across your entire network. With flexibility and scalability, you are able to create solutions that work for you. Contact Be Structured today to discuss how AuthAnvil can help you and to begin enrollment.


What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.


Empower Your Team With Awareness Training

Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware here.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions

When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.

Los Angeles IT Support

If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Beverly Hills
IT Support Beverly Hills Businesses Rely On
When you think of Beverly Hills, you think of the zip code made famous by the teen soap opera Beverly Hills 90210.

Even before that show made its mark, the notion of Beverly Hills conjures images of wealth and glamour. From the ritzy high-end shopping area of Rodeo Drive to the glamorous hotels and restaurants in the city, Beverly Hills remains a millionaire’s club jewel on the West Coast.

With all the high-end merchandise and industry in Beverly Hills comes technological needs to keep the stores and businesses up and running 24/7.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

Be Structured has been providing award-winning Beverly Hills IT services for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Beverly Hills IT support covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Beverly Hills IT consulting solutions that include:

 	Software installation and upgrades
 	Hardware set-up and maintenance
 	Network structured security and storage
 	Data backup

IT Support Near Me in Beverly Hills
When you need fast and reliable outsourced IT support solutions for your Beverly Hills-based business, Be Structured has you covered all day and night, every day of the year.

Be Structured’s downtown Los Angeles IT services headquarters means we’re just minutes away by car or Metro to fulfill your outsourced IT support needs at any Beverly Hills location.

If you’re searching for an IT support company in Los Angeles, Be Structured is happy to visit your office and discuss how we can help. We’ll clarify your goals and needs to determine if our tech support solutions may be the answer you’ve been seeking.

We are proud of our consistent five-star reviews on our Google Business  Profile page.

It’s the pride we take in our Beverly Hills IT support that makes our clients think of us not just as an outsourced managed service provider, but as an IT business partner.

Our mission is to keep your business safe and stable. We are always on the lookout for prevention of cyber attacks, so you can work on growing your enterprise.

We are the leading cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles that adheres to strict CMMC compliance and cybersecurity regulatory compliance. You can rest easy that your compliancy issues are covered so you can grow your business.

#### Bitcoin Recovery Contact
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#### Business Email Compromise Protection for Los Angeles Businesses
Business email compromise is a fraud in which an attacker gains access to, or convincingly impersonates, a business email account and uses it to redirect a payment. There is no malware to detect and no ransom note. There is an invoice with new bank details, sent by someone who sounds exactly like the person who always sends it, because in many cases, it is that person's mailbox.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported an exposed dollar loss from BEC of $55,499,915,582 across domestic and international incidents reported between October 2013 and December 2023, in a public service announcement, I-091124-PSA, published September 11, 2024. Fraud is the most costly category for businesses and is almost entirely preventable with controls already available in your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace subscription.
What BEC actually looks like
Four patterns account for most of what we respond to.

 	Vendor invoice fraud. A real supplier's mailbox is compromised. The attacker monitors the billing thread, waits for a genuine invoice, and then sends a duplicate using the supplier's own address but with different bank details. This is the version that costs the most, because everything about it is legitimate except the account number.
 	Executive impersonation. A lookalike domain or a display name spoof, an urgent request to a finance staffer, a wire that has to go out before a meeting ends. Often timed to a day the executive is traveling, which the attacker knows because the mailbox told them.
 	Payroll diversion. An email from an employee asking HR to update direct deposit details before the next run. Small individually, and easy to repeat.
 	Escrow and closing fraud. Real estate, legal, and title transactions, where a single wire is large and the timing is public. The attacker inserts new wire instructions late in the process.

All four start the same way: credential theft through a phishing page that harvests the password and, increasingly, the session token, which is why "we have MFA" is a necessary answer and not a complete one.
Detection: The signals worth alerting on
BEC is quiet, so detection is about a small number of specific events rather than volume.

 	New or modified inbox rules, especially rules that move messages to a rarely used folder, mark them read, or delete them. Attackers create these within minutes of access so the real owner never sees the replies.
 	External auto-forwarding being enabled on a mailbox.
 	Impossible travel and unfamiliar sign-in properties, which catch the sessions a stolen password opens.
 	OAuth application consent grants, where a user approves an app that then reads mail without needing the password again.
 	Sign-ins from anonymizing infrastructure, or from a device that has never been seen for that user.
 	Lookalike domain registrations against your own domain and against your top vendors.
 	Messages that fail DMARC from a domain that should be passing it.

These have to be watched by someone, not merely enabled. An alert nobody reads on a Saturday morning is the same as no alert, which is why this page sits under our security operations center as a service rather than beside it.
Identity Controls: MFA and conditional access
Multi-factor authentication on every account is the floor, including service accounts and shared mailboxes, as well as the executives who asked to be exempted. Above that floor:

 	Phishing-resistant methods where they can be adopted: passkeys, FIDO2 security keys, or certificate-based authentication. These defeat the token-stealing proxy pages that ordinary MFA does not.
 	Block legacy authentication protocols, which bypass MFA entirely and are still enabled in a surprising number of tenants.
 	Conditional access by device compliance, so mail is reachable from managed devices rather than from anywhere with the right password.
 	Location and risk-based policies, requiring re-authentication on a risky sign-in and blocking the countries you never do business in.
 	Restrict who can consent to applications, so a user cannot grant a malicious app permanent mailbox access on their own.
 	Short session lifetimes for privileged accounts, which limit how long a stolen token is useful.

Mailbox Rule Monitoring
This deserves its own control because it is the highest-value single signal in the whole category. In every BEC incident we have worked on, an inbox rule was created to hide the conversation from the real mailbox owner. We monitor rule creation and modification across the tenant, alert on the patterns attackers use, and periodically audit existing rules and forwarding configuration rather than waiting for a new one to appear. Disabling external auto-forwarding at the tenant level and requiring an exception process for the handful of legitimate cases removes a whole branch of the problem.
Payment Verification: The control that stops the loss
Technical controls reduce how often an attacker gets in. Payment controls decide whether those costs cost you money. These are processes; they cost nothing, and they are the reason some compromised businesses lose a mailbox, and others lose six figures.

 	Out-of-band verification for every bank detail change. Call the vendor at the number you already have, not the number in the email. This one rule stops vendor invoice fraud outright.
 	Dual approval above a threshold you set, with the second approver required to confirm independently rather than to click.
 	A written vendor bank-change procedure that finance staff can follow without asking permission to slow down. Attackers rely on urgency, so the procedure has to make waiting the default rather than the brave choice.
 	No payment instruction changes accepted by email alone, as stated in your own terms and in your vendor onboarding.
 	External sender warnings on inbound mail, so a lookalike domain is visibly external.
 	Standing payroll change verification, the same call-back rule applies to direct deposit updates.

Incident response: the first hour
If you think a wire has gone to a fraudulent account, the order matters, and the clock is short.

 	Call your bank immediately and ask them to recall the wire. Recovery odds fall sharply within the first day.
 	File a complaint at ic3.gov with the transaction details. The FBI asks victims to report regardless of the amount, and the reporting is what enables a recall attempt through the financial system.
 	Revoke sessions and reset the password on the affected account, then re-register multi-factor authentication rather than trusting the existing enrollment.
 	Hunt for the rules. Inspect and remove inbox rules, forwarding, delegated access, and any application consents granted during the window.
 	Establish the exposure window from sign-in and audit logs: what was reachable, for how long, and whether anything was exported.
 	Notify affected counterparties. If the mailbox was used to email your clients, they need to know before they act on something it sent.
 	Preserve the logs before retention expires, because your insurer and any law enforcement referral will ask for them.
 	Notify your cyber insurer within the notice period in your policy.

Our managed security services team runs steps 3 through 7 for clients under an incident response agreement. If you are in the middle of one right now, call rather than email, because the mailbox you would email from may be the compromised one.
Cyber Insurance Requirements
Insurers have moved BEC into its own coverage conversation, usually under social engineering or funds transfer fraud, and it is frequently sub-limited well below the policy's headline number. Two practical implications.

First, read what the sub-limit actually is for funds transfer fraud, because it is common for it to be a fraction of the aggregate limit. Second, most carriers now condition coverage on specific controls, and the application asks about them by name: multi-factor authentication for email and remote access, coverage of privileged accounts, out-of-band verification of payment changes, email filtering, and security awareness training with phishing simulation. Answering those questions inaccurately is a coverage problem later, so answer them from configuration rather than from memory. We provide clients with evidence for each control at renewal.
What we Deploy
For Los Angeles clients on a managed security agreement, BEC protection is a stack rather than a product: identity hardening and conditional access, phishing-resistant authentication where the workforce can adopt it, tenant-wide inbox rule and forwarding monitoring, DMARC enforcement so your domain cannot be spoofed, lookalike domain monitoring, email filtering and sandboxing, and phishing simulation with training. The domain authentication side is covered in more depth on our DNS-based email protection page, and the human side in dark web scanning and phishing email training.

➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions About Business Email Compromise

What is business email compromise?
It is a fraud in which an attacker takes over or convincingly imitates a business email account and redirects a payment. There is usually no malware involved. The four common patterns are vendor invoice fraud, where a supplier's mailbox is compromised, and a real invoice is resent with new bank details; executive impersonation of an urgent wire request; payroll diversion through a direct deposit change; and escrow or closing fraud on a real estate or legal transaction.

How much does business email compromise cost businesses?
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reported $55,499,915,582 in exposed dollar loss from BEC across domestic and international incidents between October 2013 and December 2023, in a public service announcement I-091124-PSA published on September 11, 2024. Exposed loss counts both attempted and actual losses. For an individual small business, the figure that matters is the size of one wire, because BEC is a single-transaction fraud rather than an accumulating one.

Does multi-factor authentication stop business email compromise?
It stops the majority of attempts, but not all. Attacker-in-the-middle phishing pages proxy the login and capture the session token after the second factor is approved, which gives access without the password ever being reused. That is why phishing-resistant methods such as passkeys or FIDO2 security keys matter, along with blocking legacy authentication protocols that bypass multi-factor authentication entirely, and conditional access that requires a compliant device.

What is the single most useful thing to monitor for BEC?
Inbox rule creation and modification. In every incident we have worked on, the attacker created a rule to move or delete replies in the conversation they were hijacking, so the real mailbox owner would not see them. Monitoring rule changes tenant-wide, alerting on the specific patterns attackers use, and disabling external auto-forwarding by default catches the compromise during the reconnaissance phase, before a payment is redirected.

How do we stop a fraudulent vendor bank change from being paid?
Call the vendor at the phone number you already had on file, not the number in the email, and confirm the change verbally with a person you can identify. Put that rule in writing as a procedure so finance staff is not deciding case by case under time pressure, add dual approval above a threshold, and state in your vendor terms that you do not accept payment instruction changes by email alone. This single control defeats vendor invoice fraud even when the vendor mailbox is genuinely compromised.

What should we do in the first hour after a fraudulent wire?
Call your bank and ask for a wire recall, because recovery odds fall quickly after the first day. File at ic3.gov with the transaction details regardless of the amount. Then revoke the sessions on the affected account, reset the password, re-register multi-factor authentication, remove any inbox rules, forwarding, delegate access, or application consents created during the compromise, establish the exposure window from the audit logs, notify counterparties of the email address used, preserve the logs, and notify your cyber insurer within the notice period in your policy.

Does cyber insurance cover business email compromise losses?
Often, under a social engineering or funds transfer fraud extension, and usually with a sub-limit well below the policy aggregate. Read the sub-limit before you rely on the headline number. Carriers also condition coverage on named controls, and the application asks about them specifically: multi-factor authentication on email and remote access, coverage of privileged accounts, out-of-band verification of payment changes, email filtering, and security awareness training. Answer those from your configuration, because an inaccurate answer becomes a claim problem.

Is DMARC enough to prevent BEC?
DMARC stops other people from sending mail that appears to come from your domain, which shuts down one whole attack pattern and protects your customers and vendors from being defrauded in your name. It does nothing about the pattern that costs the most, which is mail genuinely sent from a compromised real mailbox, whether yours or a supplier's. Deploy DMARC at enforcement, then treat identity controls, mailbox rule monitoring, and payment verification as the parts that address the rest.

#### Century City IT Support
IT Support Century City Businesses Can Trust
In the ever-evolving industry landscape of Century City, don’t let a weak IT support solution be the reason you’re not hitting your business goals.

You need technology that works for you and not against you.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who dreamed of owning a business in Century City and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your small- to medium-sized business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Century City IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the financial industry, entertainment or a major law firm, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Century City IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in Century City for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Century City IT support needs covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Century City IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Century City. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### Chad Becker
Exceptional Beginnings
Chad Becker got his start in IT after he graduated from Baylor University. He started his entrepreneurial journey with a few friends and helped found an advertising agency startup. With rapid growth and few people looking after the IT side of things, Chad Becker took on this challenge to assist with the scale and support of the enterprise. His experiences during these formative years launched his passion for problem-solving and protecting the IT backbone of small and medium-sized businesses. After that wild ride and taking the company public multiple times, Chad Becker returned to school to pursue another passion and completed his Masters in Divinity at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. Four children and fifteen years later, after serving in various roles at a church called Mosaic in Los Angeles, Chad Becker returned to his initial calling: IT Support and Information Technology.
Chad Becker Joins Be Structured Technology Group
In 2015, Chad Becker joined Be Structured. Initially, he started as the Director of Operations and Finance. Still, in 2019, he moved to the CRO/CFO position, and in 2024, he took the reigns as CEO, freeing up founder Chad Lauterbach to focus on technology as CTO/CISO. Combining his passion for people, problem-solving, and good IT infrastructure and security, Chad has found the perfect fit to assist our internal team with business processes and our clients with the best technology alignment possible.
Chad Becker Elevates BSTG’s Client Experience
Be Structured is lucky to have an IT professional who focuses on client goals and business optimization with the amount of care and dedication Chad Becker provides. He is an entrepreneur who helps other entrepreneurs efficiently manage their workspaces, devices, security, and data storage to run profitable businesses. His primary focus is meeting client needs and exceeding them with exceptional customer service and support. A professional problem solver – Chad loves decoding the IT hurdles that seem impossible to you. He believes your business – and IT – is worth the investment.

#### Chad Lauterbach
Chad Lauterbach Biography
The Early Days
Chad Lauterbach started in IT and technology at a very early age. He had computers both at school and at home when he was young. He enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together. Early on, he learned some BASIC coding on an old Commodore computer and worked with his teachers in the Apple computer labs. He got his first professional opportunity at 14, working as an Intern at a life insurance company over the summer. They had a mixed AS/400 and Novell setup with Windows workstations. Then, in high school, he got to work on an early Microsoft NT 4.0 roll-out at Mayo Clinic and Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, on the evenings and weekends. This early experience gave him a young start on his journey to being an IT professional.

Chad Lauterbach - Still A Tech At Heart
Be Structured is unique because our Founder, in fact, holds the CTO/CISO titles. He is still highly involved and passionate about the technology our team and clients use. Today, it helps him take high-level business requirements and ensure they are delivered to the configuration level.
Chad Lauterbach's Early Career
In his early days, Chad Lauterbach got his first full-time job as an IT Manager at Pacific Logistics, a logistics company. He built most of the early IT environment from the ground up before setting off for a healthcare startup called Arete Sleep Health, and built the entire environment and team from scratch. Other opportunities presented themselves along the way, including chances to do consulting work with small shops on nights and weekends. Chad began to see a significant need for smaller firms (sub-500 people) to have access to high-quality IT support and IT department-style resources without the required investment.
Chad Lauterbach Starts Be Structured Technology Group
In 2007, Chad Lauterbach finally set off to form Be Structured. Initially starting as a traditional break-fix IT Support company, Chad quickly saw the industry moving to a Managed IT Services Provider model and away from break-fix. In the early days of Be Structured, one constant challenge was working with customers to address issues and aging hardware before they became problems, not after they became emergencies. The fixed fee MSP model allowed us to pivot to provide the proactive support our clients needed at a price they could afford.
Chad Lauterbach Takes BSTG To The Next Level
Be Structured has been lucky to experience consistent growth over the years. With a five-star Google review and many happy customers, we are grateful for the position we find ourselves in within the competitive IT Services space in Los Angeles. Now, with thousands of endpoints, over 25 employees, a fantastic office in downtown Los Angeles, and data center services, we are a one-stop shop for our clients’ IT needs. Recently, we have been expanding into security services with a SOCaaS and compliance manager on our team ready to manage our Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) needs, as well as a practice of moving many of our clients to complete Azure/WVD setups.

Chad also serves on the Board of Directors for The Fault Line, a non-profit news outlet based in Southern California.
Chad Lauterbach is a CMMC Registered Practitioner Advanced (RPA) with the Cyber AB, the accreditation body for the Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.

#### CIS-CAT Scanning
How CIS-CAT Scanning Protects Your Information
Configuring your company’s software to protect your sensitive data requires more than simply installing those programs and going with the default settings. 

Security is absolutely vital to any company, regardless of its size or how much data it takes in. While using basic firewalls, password-protected databases, and other security systems is a great place to start, you also have to make certain those programs and more are properly configured for your network. 

This is why many local companies look to partner with a Los Angeles IT support company for CIS-CAT Scanning. 

Be Structured Technology Group understands how to configure a wide range of programs for many different technologies.
CIS-CAT Scanning For Security Configuration
How do you know if your programs aren’t configured correctly? 

One solution is to make use of CIS-CAT Scanning. 

The Center for Internet Security (that’s the CIS part of the name) created CIS-CAT Scanning to make it simple for companies to find the best security configuration for all of their tools. The program comes in a number of different versions, including the free CIS-CAT Lite option.
CIS-CAT Scanning Basics
Regardless of which version of CIS-CAT Scanning you use, the basic functionality is the same. 

The program will scan your system and create a list of the different programs and applications you have. Then it will search its catalog for the optimum benchmark security settings for those programs, comparing these benchmarks with your current settings. 

It then ranks how well your settings match these optimal ones, scoring your system from 0 to 100. Finally, CIS-CAT Scanning provides you with a list of recommendations you can implement to improve your compliance and, thus, improve your Internet security.
CIS-CAT Lite
CIS-CAT Lite is the free version of CIS-CAT, and it comes in two versions: v3 and v4. Both of these versions are available to use for free and will scan your system to compare your security settings with those determined to be benchmarked. You’ll receive a score for each setting and recommendations on how to improve those scores. 

The Lite versions cover a number of programs and operating systems, including Mac OS, Ubuntu, Google Chrome, and Windows 10, though the versions covered by Lite do change periodically. This version is more limited than CIS-CAT Pro, but it can be a good place to begin learning about this tool and what it can do for you. 

For those on a budget, the cost of working with expert outsourced tech support companies to deploy CIS-CAT can be offset by using the free Lite version.
CIS-CAT Lite Security Compliance
CIS-CAT Lite v3 features a GUI interface that focuses on scanning your local system. Select benchmarks are included in this free version. It provides evidence-based reports, unlimited scans, and will help you assess vulnerabilities. 

CIS-CAT Lite v3 is SCAP 1.2 validated, which means that it complies with the standards set out by the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP). SCAP standards are used to manage and measure vulnerabilities via an automated system. SCAP is also designed to make certain businesses are in compliance with specific security policies such as the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002. While it may be less powerful than the pro versions of CIS-CAT Scanning, it can be a good place to start in your security penetration testing.
CIS-CAT Command-Line Interface
CIS-CAT Lite v4, on the other hand, does not have a GUI at all. It’s a command-line interface only. However, this means it includes the command-line controls assessment module. 

This module allows you to scan both your local system and other systems remotely via a semi-automated setup. It also provides access to the v7.1 implementation group 1, which is considered the best practice standard for cybersecurity in Windows 10. In addition to remote access, this version includes everything that Lite v3 has as well as the ability to access multiple computers at once via centralized workflows.
CIS-CAT Pro
CIS-CAT Pro is the more robust version of CIS-CAT. Unlike the Lite options, however, it does require a yearly subscription fee. There are several licensing options, including membership for academic institutions, nonprofits, government organizations, product vendors, and other companies.
CIS-CAT Pro V3
Like CIS-CAT Lite, there are two versions of Pro: v3 and v4. Pro v3 supports more than 90 different CIS benchmarks. It’s SCAP 1.2 validated, and it offers both the GUI and the command-line interfaces. However, it does not include the command line controls assessment module. 

Like the Lite versions, Pro v3 provides a score of 0-100, reports, unlimited scans, and recommendations to improve security vulnerabilities. Additional features include measuring your defenses against additional SCAP content, various customization options, access to benchmarks in OVAL, XCCDF, and XML, and reports in different formats other than HTML.

 You can also access multiple computers at once like you can with Lite v4.
CIS-CAT Pro v4
With CIS-CAT Pro v4, you get access to more than 65 different CIS benchmarks. However, Pro v4, like Lite v4, is command-line only. This means it does include the controls assessment module. It also offers remote access and everything else offered in Lite v4 and Pro v3. CIS-CAT Pro v4 is the complete option with everything available in every other version.
CIS-CAT Scanning Enrollment is Simple
To get access to CIS-CAT Lite (either version), all you need to do is visit the CIS website and download it. You’ll need to fill out a short form about yourself and your company first, but after that, you’re free to use the Lite version for as long as you like.

Enrolling in CIS-CAT Pro, on the other hand, does involve a little more work. You will need to apply for CIS SecureSuite Membership. There are two categories to choose from. The first is for companies that plan on only using CIS-CAT Scanning themselves. This includes nonprofits, academic institutes, government offices, and single end-users. 

The second category is for consultants, vendors, and service providers that will use CIS-CAT Pro both internally and externally.
CIS-CAT Subscription
The subscription fee also depends on the number of employees who are in your company. For companies that will use CIS-CAT internally, there’s a sliding scale fee. 

Smaller businesses will pay less than large corporations. This scaling price allows these smaller or newer companies to still take advantage of what CIS-CAT Pro offers without causing financial stress. Companies can also lock in their yearly rate by paying for up to three years at once.

For consulting and other internal/external use companies, the annual membership fee is determined by their annual revenue. Companies that make more than a billion dollars every year will pay the highest amount, while those that make under one million annually will pay the lowest fee. 

Individuals can also purchase a membership for a lower rate than businesses would. 

Finally, an annual consulting engagement membership is also an option. This limited membership provides access to CIS-CAT Pro Accessor for 30 days and is designed for consultants such as a an outsourced company that handles managed service provider in Los Angeles that includes security services like CIS-CAT to their clients.

If you’re working with Be Structured to handle the deployment of CIS-CAT, you won’t have to worry about any of this. We will handle determining the correct category for your company and include the cost of CIS-CAT Pro with our full solutions package. 

This option is often the best for those who aren’t comfortable handling software installation or security solutions. Having a Managed Service Provider take on your CIS-CAT Pro management allows you to relax while knowing your system’s security is in good hands and that you don’t have to devote your own time to handing CIS-CAT yourself!
How Does CIS-CAT Scanning Help Businesses?
It’s not always easy to know how to perfectly configure each program for maximum security. Even those with years of IT training may find that they’re not using the best practices for a specific program. CIS-CAT Scanning helps you improve your security by scanning your entire network and highlighting where any such vulnerabilities are.
Understanding Your Applications
Why is it important to understand how to configure your applications? If your security isn’t configured correctly, it can open up small vulnerabilities in your system. 

It might not seem like a major issue, but one small security vulnerability in something like your system settings or your password policy could be exploited by an expert hacker. You can never underestimate these people. Even the smallest opening can be all they need.
Understanding Your Security Settings
It’s also important to realize that your security settings aren’t always set in stone. While you may have everything locked down in the beginning, your network is often changing. You may add in more computers, another server, expand your cloud, or install a number of new apps your employees need. 

Each of these changes can change your security settings, especially if you bring in a new program that needs to interface with an older one. If these two applications aren’t fully compatible, you may have to create a work-around that isn’t as secure as it should be.
Optimal Efficiency of Your Network
To keep your security settings at their optimal efficiency, you need to be scanning your network regularly. While a small change may not seem like it would do much, it can set off an avalanche that can result in some of your most important security settings being lowered or turned off completely. 

Using CIS-CAT Scanning will prevent these little changes from becoming major issues. All versions of the program offer unlimited scanning, so you can continue to check your system as often as necessary. While you may not need to do so daily, you should make it a point to scan your system regularly and to scan it after any change in machinery or software.
Focusing Your Security Efforts
CIS-CAT Scanning Provides Compliance and Security While Remaining Affordable and Agile

While CIS-CAT Scanning may not be an actual security program, don’t underestimate how much it can help you keep your system protected. Understanding where your vulnerabilities are is one of the most important steps in securing your network. 

By comparing your system to those designed at benchmarks, you’ll see where exactly you need to focus your efforts. That can be invaluable as it means you’ll be able to direct your time, money, and other resources to the areas that need the most work.
CIS-CAT Compliance Scanning
In addition to helping you improve your security, CIS-CAT Scanning also includes compliance. As mentioned earlier, it is SCAP 1.2 validated, so it checks security settings to make certain they comply with various national and international best practices standards. 

Some businesses, particularly those in healthcare or that work with government agencies, must be compliant with these standards to avoid fines or loss of contracts. 

This tool will also help vendors who must be PCI compliant. Anyone who takes credit cards should meet these requirements in order to ensure their customers’ private financial data can’t easily be stolen. 

These best practices are designed to protect data as much as possible, so matching or even surpassing them should be your goal.
Scalable Pricing
By making the annual fee dependent on the number of employees in the company or on the annual income, the Center for Internet Security has made sure that CIS-CAT Pro is affordable for businesses of all sizes. 

Even those new or very small businesses that aren’t able to work in the cost of CIS-CAT Pro into their budgets just yet can make use of the protections the Lite versions offer. This means there’s no reason a business shouldn’t have some version of CIS-CAT running.
Let An Expert IT Support Company in Los Angeles Help You with CIS-CAT Scanning Enrollment
If you haven’t used any version of CIS-CAT Scanning yet, it’s time to add it to your list of security programs. 

Be Structured Technology Group offers CIS-CAT consulting to Los Angeles based businesses of all sizes in every city in SoCal. So whether you need IT support in Culver City or IT services in Burbank We’re here to assist you in installing the Lite versions of CIS-CAT and in enrolling in CIS membership to purchase the Pro version.
What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.
Protect Your IT Assets With CIS-CAT Scanning
Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? 

Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. 

Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware here.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. 

Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. 

Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

Contact us today to discuss why CIS-CAT Scanning is a great option for your company and how Be Structured can help you achieve your security goals.

 

#### Cloud Computing Los Angeles CA
Datacenter Co-Location
Our private cloud environment is engineered specifically for your business and its operations.

Learn More
Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud solution is a popular choice because it allows for a vast array of configurations.

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Office 365 Migrations
Migrating from one service to another is all part of your natural growth as a company.

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Public Cloud Vendors
A public cloud offers a larger network of data centers to support your operations and supply computing power.

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Hosted VoIP
A hosted business phone system will improve the way you connect to customers and your own employees.

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Cloud Migration Services
When it's managed professionally, a migration to the cloud can put powerful tools in your belt to build a better future.

Learn More
Be Structured has been providing industry-leading, cloud-computing solutions for every Los Angeles-based business for nearly 15 years. Our Los Angeles Cloud Computing services offer hosted and hybrid cloud environments to support any sized network along with seamless service migrations and VoIP solutions to handle any volume of customer service or company-wide interactions.

#### Cloud Computing Solutions Using Microsoft Azure in Los Angeles Businesses
IT Consulting Los Angeles Based Be Structured Is A Microsoft Azure Expert
Microsoft Azure is a powerful platform that boasts over 100 services and solutions. Accelerate business growth by moving to the cloud, and let Be Structured, the leading managed IT services Los Angeles has to offer, guide you there the right way.

You might not be quite sure what Microsoft Azure or Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) actually are, but don’t worry, that’s not an issue for us. 

Be Structured is an expert when it comes to all things Microsoft Azure. We have helped hundreds of businesses migrate to the platform, and this is propped up by ongoing support when needed.

Microsoft Azure is a hybrid cloud-computing application platform that features platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) solutions under one umbrella. Its scalability and capability make it an attractive option for businesses of all sizes, while the functionality of Microsoft Azure is what keeps them coming back for more. 

You can develop, manage, and deploy applications and data in a secure cloud platform. It is appealing, as you don’t have to buy or maintain an underlying infrastructure, and you can build apps in a quicker and easier fashion than via other methods.

As for how you decide to use Microsoft Azure, this is down to your requirements. 

With a wide range of solutions and services available, your company could have a completely different use for the platform when compared to a different outlet. 

The customizability of Microsoft Azure, where you can tailor it to match your needs, is another positive in its favor. As for the available solutions and services, these include:

 	Mobile app developing and hosting
 	Website developing and hosting
 	Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD)
 	Remote Desktop Servers (RDP)
 	Active Directory and Office 365
 	Integration with on-premise systems/servers
 	Data backup and disaster recovery services
 	ERP/Custom Application Hosting

One other perk is that Azure is fully integrated with every other relevant Microsoft product on the market. This means if you’re fortunate enough to already have a Microsoft infrastructure in place, as many of our customers and prospects already do, Azure will work straight out of the box and complement your current applications and software.

Yet if you want to start enjoying the benefits but don’t have a Microsoft infrastructure, you will have to migrate to Microsoft Azure. 

As one of the biggest IT support companies in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, Be Structured can help with every step of the Microsoft Azure migration process.
The Consulting, Migration And Implementation Process
For a successful migration to Microsoft Azure, various steps need to be taken. If even one element is missing, it could end up being a painful, expensive, and time-consuming process. This is why hiring Be Structured, a Los Angeles IT support specialist, makes all the sense in the world. 

We can ensure the migration not only remains within budget, but also avoids any costly delays when you get your IT services outsourced in Los Angeles.

To achieve these goals, we go through the following process for all Microsoft Azure migrations
Putting The Plan Together
First of all, we will hold a free consultation to understand what you hope to achieve by moving to Azure. 

Along with detailing how the migration will work, our experts offer advice and strategic guidance to help overcome your short- and long-term challenges. 

We can identify the right solutions and services on Azure for your needs, ensuring you hit the ground running once the migration is complete.
An Audit Of Your IT Infrastructure
Once the general consultation is complete, we’ll take a closer look at your current IT infrastructure. 

By conducting an in-depth IT audit, our outsourced tech support will gain a greater understanding of what the migration will entail. These details are then used to produce a report for your viewing pleasure. This report provides a migration process breakdown and the overall cost of the project.

When you’re happy to proceed, we put the wheels into motion for the migration. This begins with the design of the right cloud infrastructure for your business. 

By working with your team, we can understand your business strategy and key challenges, and build an infrastructure that best suits your goals.

The next part of the process involves us putting together a meticulous plan. 

Preparation is integral for the success of the migration. A plan of action will be created, which includes a checklist of everything that needs to be done. This includes various pre-migration tasks. 

We will assist you in completing these pre-migration tasks, and this will place the project in a prime position for success.
The implementation
Prior to the relocation to Azure with Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) or Remote Desktop, a final round of testing is conducted. These pre-migration checks help us to know everything is fine with the cloud infrastructure before completing the transition. 

As a company that offers the best 24/7 business IT support in Los Angeles has to offer, we want the migration to have zero impact on your audience, so a seamless migration is essential.

The implementation sees your data being successfully transferred over to Azure, as well as all application upgrades being completed. 

Also, don’t think we’re gone once the migration is complete. 

At Be Structured Technology Group, your go-to company for outsourced IT in Los Angeles, our team of experts will be on hand to guide you around your new environment, spot optimization opportunities, and help you to maximize your new Azure home.
Making the most of your environment
As mentioned in the previous point, as one of the best managed IT services that downtown Los Angeles has to offer, we’ll be around to assist you with making the most of Azure. This includes highlighting the right services and solutions for your business.

Take Windows virtual machines and Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD)for instance. This is a service that is readily available to use for anyone with an Azure account, and it’s one that has several advantages for certain businesses. 

You can use it to run specific software, test apps in a sandbox-like environment, and more. In fact, you can run your entire organization in the cloud now using WVD and leave the days of on-premise servers in the dust!

A virtual machine is only one example. As an IT consulting Los Angeles expert, Be Structured knows everything that needs to be known about Azure’s various features. 

As one of the best outsourced tech support companies in Los Angeles, we can pick out and apply the most suitable ones for your business.
Advantages of Using Microsoft Azure
If you think migration is too much trouble, you have to keep in mind the many advantages of using Microsoft Azure. Some of these benefits have already been mentioned. Yet if you require further convincing, here are a few more Azure advantages:

 	It optimizes in more ways than one: Thanks to its accessibility and easy-to-use approach, Azure is primed for businesses looking to optimize their output. Firstly, its integrated development environment flattens the learning curve, making it easy for employees to become proficient with the platform. Current apps can be deployed with next to no downtime. In addition, Azure supplies fast worldwide content delivery due to having a presence in many different countries.
 	Lessens the need for in-house operations: When your business operates on the cloud, there’s much less demand for operations to remain in-house. Employees don’t need to remain within the office, which can help boost their overall morale. Furthermore, it puts less pressure on needing certain equipment. By moving to Azure, your IT team can forget about maintaining equipment that is outdated, overused, or underutilized. Instead, their primary focus can be on your business, where they have more time to refine and expand the entire IT infrastructure.
 	Ideal for businesses of all sizes: Azure can be utilized by essentially every type of business, ranging from the humble local butcher to multinational organizations. The accessibility of the platform is only magnified due to its scalable nature. You can easily scale up or down to match your current IT demands. Add in the fact that it has a pay-as-you-go pricing structure, and it is also suitable for any budget.
 	Added security for your business: There’s a reason why Azure is often the choice for high-risk industries that want to get on the cloud. Microsoft places a primary focus on network support with greater security. This is why Azure boasts various compliance certifications to go along with its strong reputation for keeping data safe. It doesn’t just keep businesses safe, either – it also protects end-users. With other features like disaster recovery and multi-factor authentication, Azure ensures it stays ahead of other cloud-based platforms in terms of security.
 	Hybrid cloud environment opens up possibilities: Due to featuring both IaaS and PaaS, Azure provides a hybrid cloud environment. This presents various possibilities for your business. It allows you to decide on whether you want to opt for a public cloud or go the autonomous route. You can also choose different levels of internet connectivity – and even decide to remain offline while still having access to services.
 	Industry-specific apps: Certain industries deal with sensitive and high-risk data. Think about the likes of the government, financial services, healthcare and legal firms IT support systems – they cannot risk having any data being compromised or give customers the feeling their apps are unsafe to use. This is why Azure offers many different applications and features that address these unique requirements. These include simplified compliance, individualized security necessities, and modernized consumer apps. Virtual Machines and Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) can enable 100% cloud, 100% remote workforces in even the most challenging IT environments and applications.

The Best IT Services Los Angeles Has To Offer
Whether you require help with Microsoft Azure and Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) migration or are interested in our all-inclusive MSP services, MSSP security services, or something else, Be Structured is ready to assist with all your IT needs. As a Los Angeles IT solutions expert, we possess the skills and expertise to take your business to the next level.

Forget about compromising your data or suffering from extensive downtime. Contact Be Structured today and start benefiting from a superior IT infrastructure when you work with Be Structured for your outsourced business IT services and security in Los Angeles.

 

#### Cloud Migration
Don’t settle for inferior migration services. Work with a qualified partner.

Not All Cloud Migration Services Are The Same

Service providers often sell cloud-based services around the IT industry as a cure for many issues. The truth is that a cloud environment offers several advantages, but it is a tool that must be managed properly or it can create all-new problems for you. A migration to a cloud infrastructure must be managed and performed by professionals who understand the needs of your business and the ways to use the migration tools at their disposal. This expertise is precisely what Be Structured Technology Group offers.

We judge a successful cloud migration by customer satisfaction and whether you have all the tools you need. The cloud offers many opportunities for almost any company, but the bottom line for us is whether it fits into your operations. We make technology recommendations based on what our experience tells us is best for your business—not just what is the latest piece of tech. We want you to get the solutions that are right for you.

Offices and workplaces that try to make the jump to cloud services without professional assistance can get lost in the weeds. It ends up costing them time and productivity to get back on track. Be Structured creates a cloud migration plan especially for your business. We take all your unique operations into account and execute the strategy that results in the least amount of disruption for you.


You Don’t Want To Miss Any Of The Details In Your Migration Journey.
Let Be Structured develop your migration planning so you don’t miss a step.


Why Are Businesses Moving to the Cloud?
If migrating to the cloud can cause all of these issues, you might be asking yourself why so many companies are making the transition. Organizations across the world are turning to the cloud more and more because they’ve seen the power it has when it’s managed correctly. With qualified experts and a tailored perspective on technology, a cloud environment is cost effective, increases mobility across your operations, and boosts productivity for years to come.

With Be Structured at your side, the cloud can give your employees a form of secure freedom to operate that is rare to find in today’s world. Everyone is worried about cyber security, and they are right to be vigilant about safety. To businesses that are mindful of data security, data migrations to any platform might sound like a security risk. We can identify these risks and create a workspace for your employees that takes advantage of the cloud while keeping your systems and data secure at the same time. This is the power of an experienced team like the people at Be Structured.

Cloud Services Are Going To Change With The Pace Of Technology

Cloud technology is one of the most diverse fields in the IT industry today. It is always changing, and developers are always coming up with new tools. We stay current on these trends and what would help your business the most. Be Structured is your filter for sorting out the tech that is game changing and the advances that are superfluous for your business. We don’t want anyone wasting time or money on technology that won’t help them in some way.

Whether you have 50 employees or 100, we create scalable solutions that suit your current situation and leave room for your growth in the future. We are not just here for quick fixes or small solutions; our team wants to be your partner for today and tomorrow.

We create lasting relationships with our clients that enable us to think about how we can help boost your performance and assist in your success in the long term. Migrations to new forms of technology are a natural part of your company’s growth, and we want to eliminate those growing pains. We want to give you a competitive edge in your industry that allows you to avoid the roadblocks and hurdles of modern technology. Reach out to Be Structured today so we can start planning for your future together.

#### CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 for Los Angeles and Orange County Defense Contractors
If your company holds a Department of Defense contract, CMMC is now a condition of award rather than a plan. The CMMC Program rule took effect on December 16, 2024 (89 FR 83092, published October 15, 2024), and the acquisition rule that puts the requirement into contracts took effect on November 10, 2025 (90 FR 43560, published September 10, 2025). This page covers which level applies to you, what each one requires, how SPRS scoring works, what a plan of action and milestones can and cannot cover, the phase-in timeline, and which parts of the work an MSP does versus which parts stay with you.
Which level do I need?
The level follows the information in the contract, not your company's size.

 	Federal Contract Information only, and no CUI. Level 1. Annual self-assessment, submitted in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS), with an annual affirmation.
 	Controlled Unclassified Information. Level 2. The contract states whether a self-assessment is acceptable or a certification assessment by an authorized third-party assessment organization (a C3PAO) is required.
 	CUI on a program the Department has flagged for the highest risk. Level 3, assessed by the Defense Contract Management Agency's DIBCAC, after a Level 2 certification is already in place.

Most Los Angeles and Orange County subcontractors we work with land at Level 1 or Level 2 (self). The practical first step is not a gap assessment. It is reading your contract and your prime's flow-down clauses to find out which category of information you actually receive, because a large share of companies preparing for Level 2 turn out never to have been given CUI at all.
What Level 1 Requires
Level 1 is the 15 basic safeguarding requirements in the Federal Acquisition Regulation clause at 48 CFR 52.204-21(b)(1)(i) through (xv), adopted directly by the CMMC model at 32 CFR 170.14(c)(2). They are the familiar basics: limit system access to authorized users, control who can execute what, sanitize media before disposal, limit physical access, monitor and control communications at system boundaries, use antivirus software and keep it current, and so on.

Two rules make Level 1 unforgiving in a way people do not expect. All 15 requirements must be assessed as either met or not met in their entirety, with no partial scores. And no plan of action or milestones are permitted at Level 1 at any time, so there is no mechanism to close a gap after the fact. You either meet all 15 on the day you self-assess, or you are not eligible for the award.
What Level 2 Requires
Level 2 is identical to NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2: 110 security requirements across 14 families, from access control and audit and accountability through to system and information integrity. The assessment objectives come from NIST SP 800-171A.

The mechanics:

 	Self-assessment path. Assess every requirement, submit the score to SPRS, affirm annually, and reassess every three years.
 	Certification path. A C3PAO performs the assessment, results are submitted through the CMMC instance of eMASS to SPRS, and the assessment must be repeated within three years.
 	Affirmation is separate from assessment. A senior official affirms continuing compliance annually in both paths, and the affirmation carries personal weight.
 	A System Security Plan is not optional and is not something you can defer, which we return to below.

SPRS Scoring, Plainly
The maximum score is the number of requirements at that level, so 110 for Level 2. Every requirement assessed as not met subtracts its point value from the maximum. Values are 1, 3, or 5 depending on the requirement, and because the subtraction is unbounded, the score can go negative. A score of 105 out of 110 is the kind of figure the rule itself uses as an example at 32 CFR 170.16.

Three points that catch people out:

 	A requirement is met only when all of its assessment objectives are satisfied by evidence, and the evidence must be final. Draft policies and working papers are not acceptable.
 	A requirement that genuinely does not apply is scored not applicable, which counts the same as met.
 	An enduring exception documented in the System Security Plan with its mitigations is assessed as met, and a temporary deficiency being tracked in an operational plan of action is also assessed as met. Documentation is what converts a known gap from a deduction into a defensible position.

What a POA&M can and cannot cover
A plan of action and milestones lets you achieve a conditional CMMC status while you close specific gaps. The rules are narrow and set forth in 32 CFR 170.21.

 	No POA&M at Level 1, ever.
 	At Level 2, you need at least 80 percent of the requirements met: the score divided by the total number of requirements must be 0.8 or higher.
 	Only 1-point requirements are eligible, with one exception. CUI encryption (SC.L2-3.13.11) may sit on a POA&M if encryption is in use but is not FIPS validated, which scores 3.
 	Six requirements are never POA&M eligible: external connections (AC.L2-3.1.20), control of public information (AC.L2-3.1.22), the System Security Plan (CA.L2-3.12.4), escorting visitors (PE.L2-3.10.3), physical access logs (PE.L2-3.10.4), and managing physical access (PE.L2-3.10.5).
 	180 days to close out. A closeout assessment must confirm remediation within 180 days of the conditional status date, or the conditional status expires, and you become ineligible for further awards at that level until you achieve a new status.

The System Security Plan appearing on the ineligible list is the item worth planning around. You cannot promise to write it later. It has to exist and be accurate before the assessment.
The Phase-in Timeline
32 CFR 170.3(e) sets out four phases, each beginning one year after the previous one, starting from the effective date of the acquisition rule on November 10, 2025.




Phase
Begins
What DoD intends to include in solicitations




Phase 1
November 10, 2025
Level 1 (Self) or Level 2 (Self) as a condition of award on all applicable solicitations, with Level 2 (C3PAO) at the Department's discretion.


Phase 2
November 10, 2026
Adds Level 2 (C3PAO) as a condition of award, with Level 3 (DIBCAC) at the Department's discretion.


Phase 3
November 10, 2027
Level 2 (C3PAO) on all applicable solicitations, including option exercises, and Level 3 (DIBCAC) as a condition of award.


Phase 4
November 10, 2028
Full implementation across all applicable solicitations and contracts, including options on earlier awards.




The practical read for a subcontractor: if your work involves CUI and you have not started, the certification path has an assessor-scheduling queue ahead of it, and Phase 2 is the date that matters.
What an MSP does, and what stays with you
This split is the most common source of a stalled CMMC project, because both sides assume the other owns the middle column.




Work
Owned by




Deciding whether you receive CUI and defining the assessment scope
You, with your contracts officer and prime


Enclave design so CUI is contained rather than spread across the whole network
Joint


Technical implementation: access control, MFA, FIPS-validated encryption, logging, boundary protection, endpoint security
MSP


Continuous monitoring, patching, vulnerability management, and log retention
MSP


The System Security Plan
Joint, and you sign it


Policies, procedures, and evidence of practice
You, with MSP input on the technical ones


Physical security, visitor escorting, and access logs
You


Personnel screening and training records
You


SPRS submission and the annual affirmation
You, by a senior official


The assessment itself
You (self) or an authorized C3PAO




Note the last two rows. No MSP can submit your affirmation or perform your certification assessment. We help you meet the requirements; we do not issue the certification itself. We are not an official certifying body or auditor, and we describe our role as support and readiness.
Our CMMC credentials
Be Structured’s founder and CTO, Chad Lauterbach, is a CMMC Registered Practitioner Advanced (RPA) with the Cyber AB, the accreditation body for the CMMC program. That credential covers CMMC consulting and readiness work. It is not an assessor authorization, and it does not make Be Structured a certifying body. Be Structured Technology Group is a CMMC Registered Provider Organization (RPO).
A Realistic Timeline
For a Los Angeles or Orange County manufacturer or engineering firm of 20 to 150 people moving toward Level 2:

 	Weeks 1 to 4. Scope determination and a gap assessment against all 110 requirements, producing an initial SPRS score.
 	Months 2 to 6. Technical remediation and enclave work. FIPS-validated encryption, multi-factor authentication everywhere, logging with retention, and boundary controls are the items with the longest tails.
 	Months 3 to 8. Documentation, running in parallel: the System Security Plan, policies, and the evidence that practices are actually performed. This is where most projects slip, because it cannot be bought.
 	Months 6 to 9. A readiness assessment against the NIST SP 800-171A objectives, then remediation of what it finds.
 	Months 9 onward. Self-assessment and SPRS submission, or C3PAO scheduling, which has its own queue.

Nine to twelve months is normal from a standing start. Companies that already run mature IT operations move faster; companies whose CUI lives on a general-purpose file server move slower, because scope reduction has to happen first.
Related reading
Background articles we have published on CMMC, kept for reference and superseded by this page, where they disagree with it:

 	What is CMMC or Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?
 	Understanding CMMC Levels and Domains
 	How Companies Can Prepare for the CMMC Assessment Process
 	Your Guide to CMMC
 	CMMC: What Are the Benefits?
 	Who Needs a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?
 	What Business Owners Need to Know About CMMC Compliance
 	CMMC Compliance and Cybersecurity

Contact Be Structured to schedule a compliance assessment for your defense contract work.
➤ Schedule Your Free IT Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions About CMMC and NIST SP 800-171

Which CMMC level does my company need?
It follows the information in your contract. If you only receive Federal Contract Information and no Controlled Unclassified Information, you need Level 1: an annual self-assessment submitted to SPRS with an annual affirmation. If you receive CUI, you need Level 2, and the contract states whether a self-assessment is acceptable or a C3PAO certification assessment is required. Level 3 applies to the highest-priority programs and is assessed by DIBCAC. Read the contract and the flow-down clauses from your prime before commissioning any assessment, because many companies preparing for Level 2 turn out never to have received CUI.

What is the difference between CMMC Level 1 and Level 2?
Level 1 is the 15 basic safeguarding requirements from FAR clause 48 CFR 52.204-21, scored as met or not met in their entirety, with no plan of action and milestones permitted at any time. Level 2 is all 110 security requirements of NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2, scored numerically, reassessed every three years, and eligible for a limited plan of action and milestones. Level 1 is a shorter list with a stricter pass condition; Level 2 is a much longer list with a narrow allowance for closing gaps afterward.

How does SPRS scoring work?
The maximum score equals the number of requirements at that level, so 110 for Level 2. Each requirement assessed as not met subtracts its point value, which is 1, 3, or 5 depending on the requirement, and the subtraction is unbounded, so a score can be negative. A requirement counts as met only when every assessment objective is satisfied by final evidence, not drafts. A requirement that genuinely does not apply is scored not applicable and counts as met, and an enduring exception documented in the System Security Plan with its mitigations is also assessed as met.

Can I use a POA&M to close CMMC gaps after an assessment?
At Level 2 only, and within narrow limits set by 32 CFR 170.21. Your score divided by the total number of requirements must be at least 0.8; only 1-point requirements are eligible except for CUI encryption, where encryption is used but not FIPS validated, and six requirements are never eligible: external connections, control of public information, the System Security Plan, escorting visitors, physical access logs, and managing physical access. A closeout assessment must confirm remediation within 180 days, or the conditional status expires. No plan of action and milestones are permitted at Level 1.

When do CMMC requirements start appearing in contracts?
They already do. The acquisition rule took effect on November 10, 2025, starting Phase 1 and including Level 1 (Self) and Level 2 (Self) requirements in applicable solicitations as a condition of award. Phase 2 begins November 10, 2026, and adds Level 2 (C3PAO) as a condition of award. Phase 3 begins November 10, 2027, and Phase 4, full implementation, begins November 10, 2028. If your work involves CUI and you need a third-party assessment, Phase 2 is the date to plan against, because assessor scheduling is a queue.

How long does CMMC Level 2 preparation take?
Nine to twelve months is typical from a standing start for a 20 to 150-person company. Scoping and a gap assessment take about a month, technical remediation runs from month two to month six, and documentation runs in parallel from month three to month eight. The long poles are FIPS-validated encryption, multi-factor authentication across every access path, logging with retention, and the System Security Plan. Companies whose CUI is stored on a general-purpose file server take longer because reducing the assessment scope must come first.

Can an MSP make my company CMMC certified?
No, and any provider who says otherwise is describing something that does not exist. An MSP implements and operates the technical requirements, supports the documentation, and prepares you for assessment. Only an authorized C3PAO can perform a Level 2 certification assessment, only DIBCAC performs Level 3, and only a senior official at your company can submit the annual affirmation. We help you meet the requirements; we do not issue the certification itself, nor are we an official certifying body or auditor.

Is Be Structured a CMMC Registered Practitioner Organization?
No. Be Structured is not a Registered Practitioner Organization (RPO) and is not a C3PAO. Our founder and CTO, Chad Lauterbach, holds the individual Registered Practitioner Advanced (RPA) credential from the Cyber AB, which covers CMMC consulting and readiness advice. That is a personal credential rather than an organizational authorization. We implement and operate the technical requirements and prepare you for assessment; only an authorized C3PAO can perform a Level 2 certification assessment, only DIBCAC performs Level 3, and only a senior official at your company can submit the annual affirmation.

What is the relationship between CMMC and NIST SP 800-171?
CMMC Level 2 requirements are identical to the 110 security requirements in NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2, and the assessment objectives come from NIST SP 800-171A. What CMMC adds is verification. Contractors have been contractually obliged to implement 800-171 under DFARS 252.204-7012 for years on the honor system; CMMC makes the assessment, the SPRS submission, and the senior official affirmation a condition of contract award. The security work is the same work. The accountability is new.

Does CMMC apply to subcontractors in Los Angeles and Orange County?
Yes, when the requirement flows down. A prime contractor passes the CMMC requirement to subcontractors who will handle Federal Contract Information or Controlled Unclassified Information under the contract, and the level required of you depends on what you actually receive, rather than on the prime level. Southern California has a dense aerospace and defense supply chain, and most of the companies affected are small manufacturers, machine shops, and engineering firms rather than large primes.

#### Co-Managed IT for Los Angeles Businesses That Want to Keep Their IT Person
Co-managed IT means your IT person stays and gets a team behind them. You keep the internal hire who knows your business, your people, and your applications, and you buy the parts that one person cannot cover: nights and weekends, the security stack, backup and disaster recovery, patching at scale, and senior planning. It is not a staged replacement, and we will put the division of labor in writing before you sign anything.

Los Angeles-based since 2007 · Channel Futures MSP 501 Ranked
Is this a polite way to replace our IT person?
No, and it is the first question almost every business asks, so it deserves a direct answer rather than reassurance.

Your internal IT person is usually the most valuable technical asset you have, because they know things no provider can learn from documentation: which application the accounting team refuses to give up, which partner never reboots, which vendor actually answers the phone. Losing that costs you more than the salary.

What they cannot do is be awake at 3 am, be a security specialist, a network engineer, and a cloud architect at the same time, and take a vacation. Co-managed IT buys those. If your goal is to reduce headcount, say so at the scoping call and we will scope a fully managed engagement instead. Do not buy co-managed as a quiet transition plan; it makes a bad handover worse, because nobody knows who owns what while it happens.
Who owns which tickets?
This is the part that decides whether a co-managed engagement works. The split below is our default starting point. It is written into the engagement and reviewed at every quarterly business review, not left to whoever picks up the phone.



Work
Your IT person
Be Structured




Day-to-day desk-side support
Primary
Overflow and backup


Application knowledge and user training
Primary
Support on request


After-hours and weekend escalation
Optional, by agreement
Primary, on call


Monitoring, alerting and patching
Visibility
Primary, tooling included


Security stack and 24/7 SOC monitoring
Visibility
Primary


Backup, restore testing and disaster recovery
Visibility
Primary


Projects and migrations
Joint, by capacity
Joint, with a project manager


Vendor management and procurement
Joint
Joint


Roadmap, budget and compliance documentation
Input
Primary, through the vCIO


Coverage during PTO, illness and turnover
Not possible
Primary



Every row is negotiable. A firm with a strong internal network engineer usually moves patching and projects to the left. A firm whose IT person is really an operations manager with technical instincts tends to move most rows to the right. What matters is that the row is assigned before an incident, not during one.
What happens when a ticket has to be escalated?
One queue, one ticket number, and a named path. Your IT person can hand a ticket to our engineers without having to re-explain it, because we are looking at the same monitoring data and the same documentation. There is no second service desk for your staff to learn.

Escalation criteria are agreed in advance, by severity, and so is the containment authority: what we are pre-authorized to do without calling anyone, such as isolating a host, disabling an account, or blocking an address. Monitoring anomalies generates a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds. Our Network Operations Center triages after-hours issues in about 10 minutes, and when an incident needs hands-on a device rather than a console, our team reaches most of the Los Angeles area in roughly 30 minutes.

The escalation that matters most is the one at 11 pm on a Friday, when your IT person is at dinner and should stay there.
Who gets access to which tools?
Both sides, deliberately. Your IT person keeps administrative rights in your own environment; we do not take them away as a condition of the engagement, and a provider who insists on that is buying leverage rather than delivering a service.

What we bring is our tooling: remote monitoring and management agents, the security stack, backup and recovery, and documentation. Your IT person gets a login to the monitoring and ticketing platforms, so they can see the same alerts and the same history we can. Documentation is written for your environment and handed over, so if you ever leave, you leave with a documented network rather than a mystery.

Ask any provider two questions here: does my internal person get read and write access to the tools you deploy, and what leaves with me if we part ways.
If your IT person quits
Nothing stops. That is most of the reason to do this.

Because monitoring, patching, security, backup, and documentation already sit with us, a resignation becomes a hiring problem rather than an outage. We can cover the desk-side gap while you recruit, and hand back to the new hire with documentation they can actually read. Firms that have been through this once rarely go back to a single unsupported internal hire.

The same applies to the smaller version of the problem: a two-week vacation, jury duty, or a bad flu during your busiest month.
What does a co-managed cost compare with a second hire?
The comparison is not co-managed against fully managed. It is co-managed against hiring a second IT person.

A second internal hire in Los Angeles costs a salary plus benefits, plus recruiting, plus onboarding time, and gives you one more person's skill set with the same coverage ceiling: they also sleep. Co-managed pricing is scoped around the division of labor you agree on. Managed security stays per device, commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack, and the managed layer is scoped down from the fully managed rate of $125 to $300 per user per month, depending on which rows your internal team keeps. Project work outside the recurring scope is quoted in advance. Our managed IT services cost page has the full pricing model, including onboarding fees and contract terms.

Agreements generally run one to three years, with a discount on multi-year terms. Ask about the termination clause and what happens to your documentation on exit before a discount persuades you.
When co-managed is the wrong answer
Three cases, honestly:

 	You have no internal IT at all. Then this is just managed IT with extra steps. Look at all-inclusive managed services instead.
 	Your internal person does not want it. Co-managed fails when it is imposed. Bring them to the scoping call; the good ones usually ask better questions than the executives do.
 	You want the headcount reduction. Then scope a fully managed engagement with a proper handover, and be straight with your team member about it.

How to evaluate a co-managed provider

 	Ask for the division of labor in writing before you sign. A provider who will not commit to a row-by-row split will improvise during your first incident.
 	Ask whether your internal person keeps admin rights. The answer should be yes.
 	Ask what tooling access they get. Read-only dashboards are a warning sign.
 	Ask about the escalation path and containment authority by severity. Get target response times in the service level agreement.
 	Ask what happens during PTO and turnover. That is the scenario you are buying for.
 	Ask what leaves with you. Documentation, log history, and licensing should not be hostage to a renewal.
 	Ask them to talk to your IT person alone. How that conversation goes tells you more than the proposal does.

Co-managed IT in Los Angeles
Be Structured has supported Los Angeles businesses since 2007 from 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown LA. Co-managed engagements draw on the same practice as our fully managed work: 24/7 support and monitoring, the managed security services stack, backup and data protection, disaster recovery and business continuity planning, and vCIO planning. If you are still weighing internal versus outsourced IT, our page on MSP versus in-house IT is the place to start, and outsourced IT support services cover the fully managed option.

➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment: contact Be Structured to scope a co-managed engagement, and bring your IT person to the call. Or call (323) 331-9452.
Frequently Asked Questions About Co-Managed IT

What is co-managed IT?
Co-managed IT is an arrangement where your internal IT person or team stays in place and a provider covers the parts one person cannot: after-hours and weekend escalation, the security stack, backup and disaster recovery, monitoring and patching at scale, and senior planning. The division of labor is written into the engagement row by row, not left to whoever picks up the phone.

Are you going to replace our IT person?
No. Your internal person knows things a provider cannot learn from documentation, and losing that costs more than the salary. What they cannot do is be awake at 3 am, be a security specialist and a network engineer at the same time, and take a vacation. If your actual goal is to reduce headcount, say so at the scoping call, and we will scope a fully managed engagement with a proper handover instead. Co-managing is used as a quiet transition plan, making a bad handover worse.

Who handles which tickets?
Our default split gives day-to-day desk-side support, application knowledge, and user training to your IT person, and gives after-hours escalation, monitoring, and patching, the security stack, backup and disaster recovery, and roadmap and compliance documentation to us. Projects, vendor management, and procurement are joint. Every row is negotiable, and the split is reviewed at each quarterly business review. What matters is that the row is assigned before an incident, not during one.

Does our IT person lose administrative access?
No. Your internal person retains administrative rights within your environment and gets a login to the monitoring and ticketing platforms, so they see the same alerts and history we do. A provider who requires you to give up admin rights as a condition of the engagement is buying leverage rather than delivering a service. Ask any provider whether your internal person gets read and write access to the tools they deploy.

What happens when a ticket needs to be escalated to you?
One queue and one ticket number. Your IT person hands the ticket over without re-explaining it, because we are looking at the same monitoring data and the same documentation, and your staff never learns a second service desk. Escalation criteria and containment authority are agreed in advance by severity. Monitoring generates a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds of an anomaly, after-hours issues are triaged in about 10 minutes, and when hands are needed on a device, we reach most of the Los Angeles area in roughly 30 minutes.

What if our IT person quits?
Nothing stops, which is most of the reason to do this. Monitoring, patching, security, backup, and documentation already sit with us, so a resignation becomes a hiring problem rather than an outage. We can cover the desk-side gap while you recruit and hand back to the new hire with documentation they can read. The same protection applies to a two-week vacation, jury duty, or a bad flu during your busiest month.

How much does co-managed IT cost compared with hiring a second IT person?
The comparison that matters is co-managed against a second hire, not against fully managed. A second internal hire in Los Angeles costs salary, benefits, and recruiting and onboarding, and gives you one more person's skill set with the same coverage ceiling. Co-managed pricing is scoped around the division of labor you agree on: managed security stays per device, commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack, and the managed layer is scoped down from the fully managed rate of $125 to $300 per user per month, depending on which rows your team keeps.

What should we ask a co-managed provider before signing?
Get the division of labor in writing, row by row, before you sign. Confirm that your internal person retains admin rights and has write access to the deployed tooling. Get the escalation path, containment authority, and target response times by severity into the service level agreement. Ask what happens during PTO and turnover, since that is the scenario you are buying for. Ask what leaves with you on exit: documentation, log history, and licensing. And ask them to talk to your IT person alone, because how that conversation goes tells you more than the proposal does.

#### Collaboration / UCAAS
When we talk about collaboration, we are talking about more than just your team working together effectively. 

At Be Structured Technology Group, collaboration means unified communication tools. 

 	We streamline communication into a single, unified platform. 
 	We unify your communications as a service so that your business can operate more efficiently. 

By improving communication between your team and between your company and its clients, you reduce the number of errors made through misunderstanding. This also reduces the amount of time it can take to get in contact with the right people and even reduce the cost of doing business.

Whether you have an internal tech support team or rely on outsourced tech support companies, communication will always be the best defense in finding and implementing the proper solutions.
What is Unified-Communications-As-A-Service (UCaaS)?
UCaaS offers a variety of unified communication and collaboration applications that provide services through a cloud platform. UCaaS brings together all of a business’s communication tools, including VoIP, video conferencing, collaboration tools, file sharing, and instant messaging, into a single platform. By doing so, it creates a single space for all of your team’s communications. This makes it easier to find specific information, keep your unified communication tools up-to-date, protect your data, work remotely, and keep all your employees on the same page.

Because it relies on cloud technology, UCaaS didn’t exist prior to 2014. 

Before the cloud, companies often relied on internal communications infrastructures such as PBX switches to provide employees with their own phone number extensions. 

With VoIP and virtual data centers, this has changed, and many companies are now looking to partner with service providers rather than create their own systems. 

That’s where UCaaS comes into play. 

It’s a more flexible solution that is also economical. You can change the services you need at any time without buying equipment or other expensive resources. This scalability is one of the most powerful aspects of any cloud-based application, including UCaaS.

Aside from simplifying communications, UCaaS provides many other great benefits to your business:
Unified Communication Increases Team Productivity
With everything in one central location, your team won’t have to spend time searching through emails, instant messages, file-sharing platforms, and other locations. All contacts, communications, and shared information are in one location, and users will only need to conduct one search to find what they need.

With managed IT services in Los Angeles you can improve your company's productivity and communication
Unified Communication From Anywhere
Because its cloud-based UCaaS offers instant access from anywhere, your team can get an internet connection or cell phone signal. Team members can log in and access the team’s collaborative space from home, while on a business trip, or from a client’s location. VoIP phone numbers travel with the employee, allowing clients to reach them even when they’re not at their desk.
UCaaS Lowers the Total Cost of Ownership
Instead of purchasing and operating multiple communications platforms, everything is consolidated. 

This means one licensing fee, one area to protect, and one place where something could potentially go wrong. 

That lowers your overall cost of ownership since you don’t have to make certain multiple systems are secured or worry about conflicts between systems. 

You don’t have to spend time or money on training employees to use multiple systems, either. There’s little, if any, additional equipment needed.
Unified Communication Enhances Security
With multiple platforms, you have to secure each one. Every one of these platforms can leave you open to attack. Your instant messages could be intercepted if they’re not fully encrypted. Your emails could be hacked or sent phishing attacks. 

Everything has to have its own security, and every one of those managed IT security services has to be set up correctly for your overall network. These systems also need to work together, which isn’t always the case. 

Conflicts between your security can create vulnerabilities. Securing one cloud location for your unified communications allows you to focus on that area, building enhanced security measures into it. 

When it comes time to update or patch applications, the updates are pushed to the cloud server, not individual computers or other devices. This virtually eliminates the risk of someone using a device with older apps that are vulnerable. UCaaS platforms are often also compliant with PCI, HIPAA, and other security regulations.
UCaaS Allows for Transformative Collaboration
“Collaboration” to some employees means meeting up in the conference room or gathering around someone’s desk to bounce ideas off each other. UCaaS transforms collaboration into something much more. Now team members can share files, edit documents together, and chat from any location, allowing collaboration anywhere.
Unified Communication Platforms Provide Superior Reliability
Cloud platforms have several built-in redundancies to ensure that the services you need are available when you need them. This includes redundancies to keep your VoIP lines up and data backups that can be used to restore your written communications whenever needed. Most service providers have backup servers that can quickly and seamlessly come online when your primary server encounters a problem or must be taken offline for maintenance.
We Partner With Unified Communication Leaders in the UCaaS Field
We work with several partners in the Unified Communications field to ensure that all of our clients have the services they need at their fingertips. These partners include Microsoft Office 365, Jive, Lifesize, and BlueJeans.

Cloud communication tools can easily be integrated with Office 365 for simplified scheduling and a better meeting experience. 

For example, BlueJeans is partnered with Microsoft, allowing you to keep track of all of your scheduled video conferencing through your Outlook calendar. Through one-click Office 365 scheduling, employees can give one-click meeting access to users across all Outlook clients. Everything is kept on the same calendar without the need to enter information manually. 

This reduces the chance that someone will forget about their meeting or that their invite will get overlooked. Sharing files, contacts, and other information is also incredibly easy since all of your employees are using the same software. Office 365 collaboration allows for better user experience, simplified scheduling, and enhanced business performance.

We partner with Jive by LogMeIn as our cloud communication tools vendor. Jive is a VoIP provider helping organizations simplify how they manage their phone, conferencing setup, as well as video conferencing. 

Jive provides VoIP phone number management and customization, allowing you to build and oversee your call flow quickly and easily. Their simple management tools allow you to customize your Hosted PBX without reading through pages of tutorials. Jive offers mobile, web, and desktop access.

We partner with Lifesize and BlueJeans to offer video conferencing and meeting room solutions for a modern workplace. Lifesize offers 4k video resolution that seamlessly integrates into your existing system. 

It’s backed by a global network of data centers and employs independent third parties to evaluate its security and privacy regularly. BlueJeans focuses on modernizing the meeting, creating a simple HD video feed that can be set up and shared in seconds. Voice recognition and AI technology help make these meetings more productive and efficient.

In more traditional communication methods, scaling up involved purchasing additional phones and other hardware. This hardware was often costly, and when it was no longer needed, companies had to store it somewhere or sell it for a fraction of their investment. 

During busy seasons or new expansions, it was easy to overestimate need and over-buy hardware. This often resulted in both unnecessary spending and in an “equipment graveyard” of unused hardware that does nothing but collect dust. With a cloud-based system, it’s much easier to scale up or down. 

Simply add additional VoIP phone numbers as needed and release them when they’re not. There’s no extra hardware necessary. You don’t even need to purchase company cell phones since VoIP numbers can be routed to existing cell phones or landlines. VoIP can also be answered through a computer or tablet.
Unified Communication Allows You to Work From Anywhere, With Anyone.
UCaaS opens up a world of opportunities for businesses across the globe. It doesn’t matter where someone is, whether they’re traveling or at their office, or even what time zone they’re in. Employees can log in at any time to view files, share information, message others, or make use of any of the other tools. 

With the smartphone app, there’s never any need to carry a laptop or be at a desk. Even employees who are traveling for work or for personal business can check-in with full access to everything they would see as if they were in the office. 

VoIP phone numbers can be forwarded to cell phones, other office landlines, or can be answered on laptops, computers, or tablets. With UCaaS, no one is ever out of reach.

For large companies with multiple offices, this central communications hub brings together employees who may have never seen or spoken to each other. It takes company collaboration to a new level, allowing those who work across the globe to share ideas and information just as easily as those in the same office. You can harness the resources of your entire company for every project, putting your best team members on it regardless of their physical location.

It also makes it easy to bring contractors, freelancers, and temporary employees onto your team. You don’t need to create multiple accounts for each person since everything is through one system. 

These accounts can be assigned roles that limit what applications they can use and what data they have access to, allowing you to keep your confidential information restricted. This flexibility makes it both simple and safe to bring in extra help when it's needed without leaving your system open to people you may not fully trust just yet. Once these temporary employees are no longer needed, scaling down is just as easy, and there’s no unneeded hardware to store.
Collaboration With the Cloud
Our goal with collaboration and UCaaS services is to provide a simple user experience while driving cost savings, more efficient operations, and improved customer engagement. True collaboration happens when employees can exchange ideas easily and effectively. 

An easy-to-use, widely adopted communications solution provides the right environment for unified communication, collaboration, and business success. Everyone has access to the same tools in the same environment, regardless of where they are.

This type of collaboration is a driving factor in today’s new workplace. While salary is an important part of why someone takes a job, younger professionals emphasize the perks that come with a job. 

In fact, a number of surveys have shown that employees are likely to take a job with better perks over one with a slightly higher salary. One survey conducted by Glassdoor.com reports that 80% of employees would take additional perks over a pay increase. A study conducted by SCORE highlights the benefits employees want, including flexible hours, work-from-home opportunities, and additional vacation time.

With UCaaS collaboration, these benefits are easier than ever to achieve. 

Working from home or working non-traditional hours is possible in many industries, thanks to the improved communications and collaboration tools offered by UCaaS systems. Employees don’t have to be tied to their desk—they can take their laptops and other devices to a common area, a conference room, or even a coffee shop and continue to work with the same level of efficiency and productivity. 

Working from home or a client’s location is no different. Offering these perks may be the deciding factor that makes potential employees sign on with you instead of competitors.

Don’t waste your time with ineffective, outdated forms of communication that hurt productivity. When you partner with Be Structured for our all-encompassing managed IT services, collaboration is something that we offer as a service. 

We want your business to perform as efficiently as possible in every area. By improving your communication tools, unifying them into one platform, and simplifying the user experience, your organization will be more productive than ever. To learn more about collaboration and UCaaS services, contact Be Structured today.

 

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#### Dark Web Scanning and Phishing Email Training
With multiple threats coming from multiple directions, it’s more important now than ever to have a strong, secure platform surrounding your most sensitive data to protect from dark web scanning. 

However, it’s just as important to keep a watchful eye on the dark web and to make certain your own employees understand the importance of security.

Be Structured is the leading managed service provider in Los Angeles that will help you develop a robust cybersecurity platform around your operations.
What Is Dark Web Scanning?
The dark web is a term for a network of hidden websites that require a special browser (called a Tor or Onion browser) to access. As such, you can’t find them using Google or any other popular search engine. 

You can’t even accidentally stumble on them; you have to go out of your way to find them. They are ideal for anonymous browsing because the tools used to access dark web sites make it difficult to track the locations of users and servers.

While there are beneficial uses for the dark web, it has unsurprisingly become a hotbed for illicit online activities due to its anonymous nature. 

According to studies, a large number of these websites contain information that could be used to harm individuals or businesses. 

One such nefarious use is the selling, trading, and sharing of private data. That data can include anything from email addresses and passwords to credit cards and Social Security numbers. 

Of course, the people selling this information don’t own it. 

They stole it via hacking, malware, and other means from businesses and individuals. But how do you know if any of your data has been compromised and floating around on the dark web without going out there and browsing it yourself, something that could leave you open to attack if you’re not careful?

When you partner with a local IT support company like Be Structured, we continually monitor the latest dark web data dumps and security breaches to ensure your critical data hasn’t been compromised. 

In the event that we find any of your organization’s data has been revealed or shared via the dark web, we’ll pinpoint what was revealed and immediately deploy a solution to ensure no further data is compromised. You will know as soon as we do if your security has been violated, and that can make all the difference in how you respond and in how others, including your clients, respond to their data being exposed.

Having any sensitive data on the dark web, no matter how minor it is, can do more damage than you might assume. Your company’s reputation with your clients depends on you keeping any information about them safe. 

Clients don’t want to know that your company was responsible for any information being leaked, even something as simple as their names or email addresses. If this data is discovered on the dark web and traced back to you, your reputation will greatly suffer. 

In some industries, you may also find yourself facing fines and other regulatory penalties if you fail to protect that data in accordance with regulations.

While there may not be much you can do to recover or delete this information from the dark web once it’s out there, you can take steps to improve your security and to let your clients know that their information has been compromised. 

It’s never too late to protect new data or the data that hasn’t been published to the dark web, but you can only do so if you know that your network has been attacked. Without constantly scanning the dark web 24/7, you can’t know if your data has been compromised.
What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this. Many companies are under the impression that a simple antivirus program and a firewall are all they need, especially small businesses that don’t believe they have anything worth stealing. 

However, that’s rarely the case—every company has data they don’t want exposed on the dark web, no matter how minor it may seem. Even companies with strong IT departments that make use of various security programs may be in danger of being hacked if they don’t keep up with new forms of hacking.

That’s why it’s important to back up your security measures with dark web scanning. You want to know as soon as possible if there’s been a breach, and sometimes, the only way to find out is by seeing your data for sale on the dark web. 

It’s also important to remember that what you’re doing to protect your network today may not be much protection at all tomorrow. Hackers are constantly changing their methods of attack, and new malware and viruses are always being developed. This is another reason why dark web scanning is so important. 

If you’ve been attacked by a new way of hacking, you may not even realize that your security has been subverted because the attack comes from a completely different vector than expected. It can be a wakeup call that your current protections are simply no longer enough.
Empower Your Team With Awareness Training
Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. 

This means that the biggest risk to your company’s vital data isn’t coming from hackers who are actively attacking your network. It comes from your own employees who fall for scams. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. 

After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. 

That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

Even companies that are using the latest in security software may even be vulnerable due to this lack of employee training. All it takes is for one employee to open an attachment with a virus or fall for a phishing scam and the doors to your company’s data are wide open. 

This is one of the reasons why it takes some time for large companies to find out that their data has been compromised. 

They believe their security is completely safe, but an employee accidentally gave hackers the keys to the vault weeks or months ago. 

Without dark web monitoring, company leadership may have no idea that they’ve been compromised by a phishing scam for quite some time. 

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. 

Most people know not to open strange attachments from email addresses they don’t know, but how many people know how to recognize a carefully created email forgery? 

How many know to hold their mouse over a link to see what address pops up before clicking on it? Some people might simply click and see a website that appears very authentic. Even if they later realize they may have made a mistake, if they’ve entered information on that fake site, it’s too late.

Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. 

When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks. You can set up how often these phishing tests are sent out and even use templates to create your own text. This lets you truly test your team by changing up your fake phishing emails every time you send them.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. 

Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. 

If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. 

Even the most diligent employees may find themselves failing a phishing test every now and then, which only goes to highlight the fact that people must always be on guard.

These tests are also sent out in staggered waves. 

This means one employee won’t be able to share the time or other specifics about the fake email. Your employees can be sent different emails that come from different fake email addresses, and these emails will all be sent out over a period of a week or so. 

This helps to make sure the test is fair and that all of your employees get the chance to demonstrate that they understand how to recognize phishing emails.

For employees who balk at these tests and the follow-up training, remind them that learning about phishing scams do more than protect you, they also protect the employee. 

Phishing emails do more than target large businesses—they also target individuals. By teaching them how to identify phishing scams, you’re helping your employees protect their own information and financial data just as much as you’re protecting the company’s.

While you may not want to have these fake phishing emails sent out on a regular basis, testing your employees several times a year is not a bad idea. You can even have these tests sent out more regularly if your company has discovered employees are still falling for phishing emails. 

New employees may also need to go through testing several times just to make certain they understand what phishing emails are. Remember, all it takes is for one employee to fall for a phishing scam to leave your business open to attack, so you can’t be too careful.

It's important to perform ongoing IT security checks
Comprehensive IT Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured on a MSSP plan, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. 

Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price. 

You don’t have to worry about finding out that your information was sold on the dark web weeks or months after the fact. We scan regularly for your information and will let you know the instant we discover anything that could have been stolen from you.

Teaching employees about phishing scams and how to avoid them is like a first line of defense for your network. 

This will stop upwards of 95% of security breaches, and it helps your employees see the overall need for security and the role they plan in securing your network. 

If this line fails, you have your network’s security programs, antivirus scanners, firewalls, and other tools. This level exists to stop hackers and catch any malicious programs that may have slipped in due to phishing or other scams. 

Finally, you have dark web scanning. 

This may seem like “too little, too late,” and it is true in the sense that you can’t protect data that has already been stolen. However, it does let you know what was taken and that you need to improve your security.

With a Los Angeles IT services company like Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. 

As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions and employee security training. We cover all the bases of security, from internal accidents to external threats, so your data remains safe and sound.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. 

Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. 

We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

 

#### Datacenter Co-Location
REDUCE YOUR HARDWARE COSTS WHILE EXPANDING YOUR RESOURCES.
Get The Solutions That Are Right For You
You might hear everyone saying that total cloud computing consulting services are the answer to all of your issues. 

While they may not solve every single problem your IT department faces, they can be a great solution to many issues. 

Cloud solutions offer a wide variety of benefits and can be effective in many different situations. They’re also incredibly secure. In fact, many experts recognize that cloud servers are actually more secure than private on-site servers.

There are outsourced tech support providers that will try to sell you on comprehensive cloud services, which sometimes is the right fit, but Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is interested in the cloud solutions that are right for your business and the work you perform. 

We gear all of our services and solutions around your unique needs because this is the best way to support your success and provide you with the right foundation to grow from. 

We know you’re not going to have the same cloud needs as another company, and you shouldn’t pay for “solutions” that don’t truly offer you anything.
What Exactly Is The Cloud?
If you are a business owner, you have probably heard about the cloud by now, but you might not know all of its advantages. 

The cloud is a pool of resources that you and your employees can access from nearly anywhere with an internet connection. The actual hardware that supports your operations can be your own hardware in an offsite data center where you pay a monthly fee for your own dedicated hosting unlike conventional “full cloud” solutions like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to name a few. 

There are advantages to each method, but the key is designing the solution that works best for your company's needs and budget.

Hosting your own cloud servers in our hybrid cloud data center gives you total control over the hardware. You can decide when to upgrade and how often maintenance is performed. 

All of the decisions are yours to make. 

You also know that the servers are physically secure since they are in a Tier 3 data center. 

The downside is exactly the same—you have to make all of the decisions. That puts more pressure on you and your IT staff if you don’t have a technology partner like Be Structured. It also means you have to budget for the upgrades, maintenance costs, and security.

On the other hand, renting a cloud server from an offsite data center means you don’t have to deal with any of those costs or decisions. The data center team takes care of maintaining the cloud server and upgrading it when needed. 

The trade-off is that you don’t have control over any of this, nor do you have control of the physical security of the server. 

Having a backup off-site, though, can be very useful at times, especially if there’s a natural disaster that destroys your office and your equipment. You would be able to get up and running again very quickly because all of your data would be safe at the data center.
Benefits of a Private Cloud Environment
Using a cloud server has more advantages than simply having your data stored off-site and letting others maintain it. 

This strategy offers several benefits:

 	Easy scalability – Your cloud solution grows or shrinks depending on your needs. We can dedicate more cloud server space to your company when you need it, then reduce that space when you don’t. Cloud-based programs can be added or removed as needed as well without the need to purchase the software itself.
 	Pay-for-what-you-use payment models – You’re only paying for the cloud server space you’re using. This helps reduce your overall IT budget and direct your hard-earned money to where it really needs to go.
 	Mobility with access – Access the cloud from anywhere you can connect to the internet. Your team will never be without the resources they need regardless of where they are. This allows your team to work off-site, at satellite offices, and from home while still having access to everything they need.
 	High-volume data availability – If your company takes in a large amount of data on a daily basis, it can quickly overrun your storage solutions. Cloud servers offer high-volume data storage so you can capture and analyze all of the data you need.
 	Customizable environments – Private cloud environments give you the most customizable environments possible that the public cloud environments (Like Azure and AWS) can’t match. Many clients with legacy software or other factors that don’t fit in the public cloud environment can work in our private cloud.

A private cloud environment is engineered specifically for your business and its operations. Be Structured, your go-to local IT support solution, is prepared to build your dedicated cloud environment to boost your productivity and reduce your hardware costs.
Be Structured Takes Personal Solutions Seriously
We deliver custom services and multiple hosting options for all of our clients. Migrating to a private cloud server can transform how your team functions. 

It does more than simply provide you with an off-site location to store all of your data. It can also serve as a solution for a number of other needs.

Using a cloud solution takes some stress off of your own in-house IT support team. They no longer need to worry about maintaining and upgrading your server hardware. 

This leaves them free to focus on solutions that only they can develop. They can work on developing new custom applications for your company or simply maintaining your current level of technology.

The cloud can also remove any need to purchase additional software or update current software. 

By migrating your applications to the cloud, you gain two major benefits. First, if an employee needs access to an application, you simply purchase an additional license for that application. They can immediately access the app via the cloud, so there’s no software to install on their computer. They can then access this application from any computer as long as they can log into your network. 

This also removes the need to update or patch applications on individual machines. Instead, the software on the server will be patched, and anyone who uses it will immediately have access to the updated version.

In addition to applications, you can also run a number of services from the cloud. This includes antivirus and antimalware programs. 

Using the cloud for these business IT services and security measures provides the same benefits as using it for software. The only software that needs to update is what’s saved on the cloud. There’s also no need to make certain every computer receives the latest virus definitions and other patches.

Cloud server hosts also provide backups for all of your data. Even if your main cloud server was to go down due to unexpected drive failure, there’s a backup. This alleviates the need for you to maintain your own backup server, although you certainly can since redundant backups are never a bad idea. Knowing your data is backed up and will always be available can be very reassuring.

Cloud servers are also designed to be incredibly secure. You won’t need to worry about someone stealing your data. 

In fact, cloud servers are actually more secure than having the data on your own network. Everything is stored in one area, so all of the security can be focused on the cloud server. 

There are many pros and cons to hiring an IT support company that maintains your cloud server. Make sure they are highly experienced in security measures, and they deploy the best cybersecurity possible. The servers themselves are physically secured, and the entire premises is under video surveillance and guarded around the clock. 

In short, data centers actually have fewer vulnerabilities than most offices, so your data is actually quite safe.
Private Datacenter Co-Location Solutions
Be Structured will implement your private cloud with space and equipment from our partner provider Coresite. The company has 23 data centers located across the United States, including major locations in Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, New York, Boston, and Miami. 

All of these centers are connected by high count dark fiber that provides stable, reliable, and fast data transfer. Each data center has security personnel on site around the clock every day of the year, top of the line surveillance systems, and biometrics-restricted access to all servers. Their security complies with a wide range of regulations, including HIPAA, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS.

Through our partners, we have direct access to high-performance applications like AWS, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace, Google Cloud, and other domestic and international carriers. Be Structured is agnostic towards a single private cloud hosting company because we only recommend the service that is right for you and your needs. 

We will help you evaluate each hosting option and determine which one best meets your needs now and for future growth. With our help and the help of our partners, you can quickly configure your new server to meet your needs and migrate your data to it.

One of the biggest advantages of the cloud is the number of options that come with migrating your services to one. A datacenter co-location can be your goal or just a stepping stone to a public cloud computing solution. 

Public cloud servers such as Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud offer less management options but usually greater power and storage options. There is also a hybrid cloud option which is a mix of the public and private cloud services. You can choose which operations go where depending on your needs.
Migrating to the Cloud Is Simple
Moving to a cloud server isn’t as difficult as it may sound like. 

The first step is to determine what data and applications you need to move to the cloud. In some instances, you may not want to move all of your data to the cloud right away. You may also not need all of your applications to be cloud-based services. 

In fact, if you use older software or very specialized software, you may need to continue running it from a local computer. Older apps may not be able to be ported to the cloud, while some apps that are very resource-intensive may not run as smoothly.

The next step is to determine your cloud server needs. We will help you find the right cloud option for your current needs that also allows you room to grow. 

This is especially important if you’re not planning on migrating everything to the cloud right away but may want to move more data or apps to it in the future.

Preparing to migrate your data can take some planning. You want to make certain that the migration is done as quickly as possible to minimize the amount of time your system is down. 

You’ll want to plan out the order you migrate applications and make certain everything is moved correctly. We will assist you in planning your server migration so it goes smoothly.

Once everything is planned, it’s time to migrate your data. You absolutely want to have a full backup of everything you’re moving to the cloud. While it’s rare something goes drastically wrong, you never want to leave anything to chance. 

Back up your data so it’s safe. Even if you don’t need it here, it’s always good to have a backup.

After the migration is complete, you’ll want to do some testing to make certain everyone can access all of the apps and data they need. 

If there’s no problems, congratulations! 

You’ve successfully migrated to the cloud.
The Cloud Can Be Part Of A Larger Strategy
Private cloud solutions offer the opportunity to layer your services into a more efficient strategy. Your dedicated environment can be incorporated into data backup or disaster recovery and business continuity planning. Your virtual private cloud easily combines with hosted VoIP phone systems solutions or Office 365 migrations as well. 

Cloud solutions can be a powerful tool for your business, but the best solutions are tailored and selected for your success. 

Contact Be Structured to find the best answers for you today.

 

#### Disaster Recovery / BCP
Unexpected disasters can strike at any time, and when they do, it’s essential that you have a backup business IT services and security continuity plan ready. The problem is most small businesses either have substandard backup plans with limited functionality or none at all.
With disaster recovery services from Be Structured Technology Group, you’ll no longer have to worry. We make sure that your data is monitored at all times and backed up consistently. 
Enjoy peace of mind knowing that all of your important information is backed up and secure. We’ll also sit down with you and help you create a business continuity plan so that you’ll know exactly how to deal with it when something unexpected does occur.
We Work With Your Entire Organization to Build the Best Plan
Disaster Data Recovery for Your Business
Backing up your data, fighting viruses, and network monitoring are all important aspects of IT. However, do you have a plan in place for how business operations will continue in the case that everything goes south? 
At Be Structured, we have the solution. 
As a company that prides itself on being the premier company for IT consulting in Los Angeles, we work with every department of your business, including sales, operations, and your c-level employees, in an effort to build a practical plan for how operations will continue even after the worst possible scenario occurs. 
This is one instance where your entire company needs to be involved because everyone will need to react to a disaster in different ways. For example, your customer relations team will need to be ready to answer customer questions, while your operations team will need to know what operations need to come to a temporary halt and which are safe to continue. 
Everyone needs to know their role in a disaster because such an event affects everyone from the newest hire to the most senior investor.
Let an outsourced IT support services company help you when data is seemingly lost
Disaster Recovery Statistics
Nearly 60 percent of small businesses that lose their data go out of business within six months. This is because not only do they have to deal with stolen information, they also have to handle the PR nightmare that comes with this type of disaster. Clients often abandon a company that has had its data compromised, even if no customer information was lost. 
This loss of confidence in the business is often more damaging than the actual loss of data. When a business becomes known for falling victim to a cyber-attack, it doesn’t matter how strong that business’s security was or what measures they had in place. Customers only see that hackers were successful in attacking the company, and they begin to doubt whether the business can recover.
Even if your network wasn’t attacked and your data not stolen, it’s possible your data was destroyed. A fire, earthquake, tornado, flood, or other natural disasters can level your office, destroy your on-site servers, and ruin your paper backups. 
What do you do then?
 Where do your employees work? 
Where can you meet with your clients, and what services can you possibly offer them if you’ve lost everything? 
This type of disaster can leave you just as vulnerable and lost as a cyber-attack, but how many business leaders have thought of it? It’s easy to say that it will never happen to you, but that way of thinking leaves you open to losing your entire company if it does.
With our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, you don’t have to worry about this happening to your business. After meeting with the various teams at your company and performing a risk assessment of your business, our outsourced IT support services experts will analyze the critical operations and functions of your company.
With all of this information, we will develop your business continuity plan. By analyzing everything, we can effectively predict the recovery time for all of your systems after an incident. We also build a backup strategy and deliver solutions for quick restoration. 
Our solutions utilize hard drives to redundantly backup your data. We store a copy on-site, at a remote location, and for an optional charge, we can even store data at a second remote location in a different geographic zone. By storing the documents away from your primary location, it helps to ensure the redundancy that you’ll need. 
If anything happens to your original data, we can get your business back up and running again. We can also work with you to understand both your recovery point objectives (RPO) and recovery time objectives (RTO) to make sure we craft a solution that meets your precise needs.
Many businesses find themselves at a loss as to what to do after such an event occurs. They don’t know what data they can recover. In the event of a hack, some don’t even truly know what information was taken. Instead of jumping into action to deal with the disaster, upper-level management spends time in meetings coming up with a plan while employees find themselves simply waiting and speculating about the future, especially if they no longer have an office to report to. 
Customers are calling to demand to know if their information is safe, while vendors and partners want to know status updates.
With a business continuity plan, none of this happens. 
By working through various disaster scenarios and creating tailored responses to each, your executives don’t have to come up with a full plan on the spot. At most, you’ll need to tweak one of the prepared plans to fully fit the situation, but often, even that’s not necessary. 
Simply pull up your plan and execute it. Company leadership will know what to do and say, your employees will have tasks to focus on, and you’ll have the talking points you need to craft your own press statements outlining the disaster and how you’re responding to it. 
There’s no panic or sense of loss of control.
What Should my Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan Include?
For a step-by-step breakdown of what a current plan should include, see our updated guide to building an IT disaster recovery plan for Southern California businesses.
 	Where your employees should report if your physical location is damaged or destroyed.
 	The location of important documents and important contacts, including your company insurance policy, how to contact the office landlord, if there is one, and other information. While you likely have this information, remember that your disaster plan may have to be implemented while you’re out of town or otherwise unavailable.
 	The location of data backups and any hard copy backups.
 	The standard operating procedure employees should follow until instructed otherwise. This may be as simple as “remain at home until contacted” or instructions to report to another location.
 	What company executives and employees should tell customers, the press, and anyone else who has questions about the event.
 	A list of all of the equipment the company owns, its value, the date it was purchased, and any other relevant information. This will be useful both for insurance purposes, and so you know what needs to be replaced. Be certain to update this list regularly.
 	Your main business documents, including the mission statement, strategy, how the business is organized, your processes, etc. Having these documents in one place is helpful regardless, but it can be especially helpful to have if you have to rebuild your business.
 	Who will lead the disaster recovery team, and who will be a part of it. These are the people who will be primarily responsible for getting your business back on its feet. This team should include representatives from each major department and shouldn’t necessarily be made up of just executives. Lower-level employees can often bring a unique point of view that helps shorten recovery time significantly.
 	A list of the essential services you need to continue or return to providing as soon as possible. While some companies may not have any essential services their clients rely on, others may have clients dependent on them. Having a timeline for restoring those services is useful not only for your team but also for your clients.
 	Have an overall plan for your business’s recovery phase. This includes where you’ll temporarily work out of, who will continue working and who will not (and whether or not these employees will be compensated), when you’ll begin purchasing new equipment, and other key factors. It’s also important to consider things you will have no control over. For example, if a hurricane hits your location, it may be weeks before you can actually return to the area to work. Your insurance company is likely to be inundated with calls asking about insurance checks. All of this is going to affect your recovery timeline.
 	For Southern California based businesses, it’s also advisable to maintain an updated list of managed IT services organizations simply by Googling IT support companies near me and getting quotes for their services so you’re ready to react at a minute’s notice.
A plan for how the business will continue if no revenue is coming in. In major disasters, you may not be able to reopen your business for days or even weeks. What will your employees do during this time? While it’s not something you necessarily want to think about, having a plan for a major disaster is important. Consider what you’ll do if you simply don’t have the funds or the capability of rebuilding to your previous level.
Be Proactive With an Outsourced IT Support Business Continuity Plan
Preparing for the worst scenario will ensure you are protected for the future. 
Partner with Be Structured for a full BCP. Don’t be caught unaware—if you are, it’s much more likely that your business won’t be able to recover. 
By taking the time now, when you can properly focus on it without feeling stressed or rushed, you can build a business continuity plan that logically thinks through various scenarios. 
We will sit down with your team and help you look at different outcomes and determine the best way for your company to move forward after a disaster strikes.
Some business owners, especially those with smaller businesses, may believe spending the time to create a business continuity plan is wasteful for them. As far as cyber-attacks go, they don’t see their business as a target. After all, they’re a small company that doesn’t make a huge amount of money or has a great amount of consumer data, especially when compared to multi-billion corporations. 
However, cyber-terrorists and hackers often go after these smaller companies because of this very attitude. These small business owners often don’t put as much into their security or have any kind of backup system in place. Attacking them is easier, and when the hacker is done, the business is left to pick up whatever pieces it can and attempt to move on.
Don’t let yourself fall victim to the idea that you have nothing worth protecting. Every business does, even if it’s not sensitive customer data. Your own data, including your internal documents, processes, and methods are vital to your company. 
Keeping them protected, having backups, and being ready for a breach is something you need to focus on. In today’s ever-evolving world of viruses, hackers, and malicious programs, it’s becoming more a matter of “when” rather than “if” a hacker will attempt to get into your system.
Natural disasters are much the same. Just because a tornado, earthquake, or other disaster has never hit your area before, there’s no guarantee that it won’t occur in the future. 
The world continues to change, and that can change the types of disasters that occur. In the midwestern part of the United States, for example, earthquakes have increased in recent years. Today, Oklahoma has more earthquakes per year than California, a state that sits along the earthquake-prone San Andreas fault line and has been the site of some of the largest earthquakes in the U.S. Businesses in the Midwest may have never thought they needed a disaster recovery plan for earthquakes, but they do now.
Be Proactive and Prepare For Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
A disaster strikes, and you lose everything; as a result, the business has to be put on hold. How are you going to serve your clients? Where will employees be working if you lost your office? 
Be Structured provides documented continuity plans for businesses so that your company can minimize downtime during the aftermath of a disastrous event. We consult with you and truly aim to understand your business so that we can write up the ideal plan that prepares you for the worst. 
There is no better time than now to plan for what may happen tomorrow; plan and be prepared with Be Structured. For disaster recovery services and a business continuity plan that will set you up for future success no matter what happens, contact our team at Be Structured Technology Group.
FAQs On Disaster Recovery Plans
1. What is a business continuity plan and why do I need one?
A business continuity plan outlines how your company will continue operations after a disaster like a cyber-attack, fire, or natural disaster. Without one, nearly 60% of small businesses that lose their data go out of business within six months.
2. What should be included in a disaster recovery plan?
Your plan should include backup data locations, employee reporting procedures, emergency contacts, equipment lists, and recovery timelines for essential services. It should also designate a disaster recovery team with representatives from each major department.
3. How often should data be backed up for disaster recovery?
Data should be backed up consistently and monitored at all times to ensure business continuity. Best practices include storing copies on-site, at a remote location, and optionally at a second remote location in a different geographic zone.
4. What is the difference between RPO and RTO in disaster recovery?
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) defines how much data loss your business can tolerate, while Recovery Time Objective (RTO) specifies how quickly systems must be restored. Understanding both helps create a disaster recovery solution that meets your precise business needs.
5. Why do small businesses need disaster recovery services?
Small businesses are often targeted by hackers because they typically have weaker security and fewer backup systems in place. Even without sensitive customer data, your internal documents, processes, and methods are vital assets worth protecting.
6. What happens if my office is destroyed by a natural disaster?
A business continuity plan specifies where employees should report, how to access backed-up data, and which operations to prioritize. This prevents panic and ensures leadership knows exactly what steps to take for recovery.
7. How long does it take to implement a business continuity plan?
Implementation time varies based on your business size and complexity, but working with an IT services provider ensures efficient plan development through risk assessment and analysis. The investment now prevents potentially permanent business closure later.
8. Can a managed IT services company help with disaster recovery?
Yes, managed IT services providers analyze your critical operations, develop backup strategies, and create tailored disaster response plans. They also provide ongoing data monitoring and can help with quick system restoration after an incident.
9. What should I tell customers after a data breach?
Your business continuity plan should include pre-prepared talking points for customers, press, and partners. Having these communications ready prevents panic and demonstrates that you have the situation under control.
10. How do I choose the right disaster recovery solution for my business?
The right solution depends on your recovery objectives, budget, and business requirements. A disaster recovery provider will assess your critical operations, analyze risks, and craft a customized plan that ensures redundant backups and quick restoration capabilities.

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#### DNS Filtering
The Evolution of DNS Security
DNS (Domain Name System) security has been an integral part of internet infrastructure since the DNS was introduced in the 1980s.

Initially designed to convert human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to communicate, the DNS did not include security measures to prevent misuse.

As the internet expanded, so did the potential for cyber threats, leading to the abuse of DNS processes by malicious actors for phishing, malware distribution, and botnet command and control.

Recognizing these vulnerabilities, the late 2000s and early 2010s saw the development of DNS security enhancements, including DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions), to authenticate and defend DNS transactions. However, the increasing sophistication of cyber threats required more proactive measures, leading to the adoption of DNS filtering solutions.

These solutions leverage the DNS itself as a security tool to block access to malicious or unwanted websites, providing an effective first line of defense against online threats.
What is DNS Filtering?
DNS filtering is a network security solution that uses the Domain Name System to block malicious websites and filter out unwanted content in accordance with organizational policies.

By controlling access to specific URLs, DNS filtering helps prevent security threats including phishing protection against attacks, malware infections, and ransomware from reaching network users. It also plays a key role in enforcing internet usage policies by blocking access to inappropriate or non-work-related sites.

This preventative security measure operates by intercepting DNS queries and determining whether the requested sites are allowable under set policies. If a site is recognized as harmful or not compliant with policy, the DNS filter will block the query from resolving, effectively preventing access and safeguarding the network.
Key Features of DNS Filtering
Real-time Threat Prevention
DNS filtering provides real-time threat prevention by blocking access to malicious or compromised websites before establishing a connection. This protects the network from known bad URLs and newly identified threats, thanks to continuous updates to threat intelligence databases.
Content Filtering and Policy Enforcement
Organizations can customize DNS filtering solutions to enforce specific web access policies that align with their needs. This includes blocking access to sites in categories like adult content, social media, gaming, and streaming services during work hours to boost productivity and comply with corporate standards.
Easy Integration and Management
DNS filtering services are typically cloud-based, making them easy to deploy and manage across multiple locations and users without the need for additional hardware or complex configurations.

This simplicity allows for rapid implementation and scalability as organizational needs grow. This will also ease your AI governance policy framework.
Securing Your Organization with DNS Filtering
Implementing DNS filtering empowers organizations to proactively protect their networks and users from a wide array of cyber threats. It provides a crucial security layer that complements other defensive measures such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems.

DNS filtering enhances security and helps maintain compliance with regulatory standards by preventing access to malicious and risky websites.

Furthermore, DNS filtering contributes to an overall improvement in network performance and reduces the risk of network downtime caused by security breaches.

It also offers detailed visibility into web traffic patterns, allowing IT administrators to better understand and manage internet usage within the organization.
Comprehensive Network IT Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) offers a complete suite of IT support and cybersecurity solutions, including advanced DNS filtering services tailored to the unique challenges faced by modern businesses.

We provide comprehensive support from setup and configuration to ongoing management, ensuring that your DNS filtering solution effectively secures your network while supporting your business objectives.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable local IT support services in Southern California that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.

Secure your business with BSTG’s expert penetration testing services and protect your operations from potential cyber threats.
Top IT Support Company in Los Angeles
As the leading cyber security company in Los Angeles, our team is committed to helping local businesses secure their online environments. Whether you want to implement new DNS filtering services or enhance your network security measures, we are here to provide expert assistance.

Contact us today to learn more about our services and discover how we can help you optimize and secure your internet usage.

#### DNS-Based Email Protection
The Evolution of Email Security
Email security has been a critical concern since email became a ubiquitous communication tool in business. Initially, email security measures were rudimentary, often limited to basic spam filters and antivirus scanning.

However, as email became a global primary communication method, it became a significant target for phishing, fraud, and other malicious activities.

To combat these threats, more sophisticated security measures were developed.

In the mid-2000s, standards such as Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) were introduced.

These protocols enhance email security by verifying the authenticity of email messages, thereby helping to prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks.
What is the role of DNS in email security?
DNS-based email protection refers to a set of protocols that use the Domain Name System (DNS) to improve email security and verify the authenticity of email senders.

These protocols include SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI). They work by adding and checking entries in a domain's DNS records to ensure that the emails sent from that domain are legitimate and that malicious parties do not misuse the domain.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF allows email domain owners to specify which mail servers are authorized to send emails on their behalf. The domain establishes a list of approved IPs for sending by creating an SPF record in DNS. Receiving email servers can then verify incoming emails against this list, reducing the chances of email spoofing.

This strategy is what we call an email security policy that every company should aggressively adhere to.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM provides a way to validate a domain name identity that is associated with a message through cryptographic authentication. Email senders attach a digital signature linked to their domain to each outgoing message. Recipients can verify this signature using the public key published in the sender's DNS records, ensuring the email was not altered in transit.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)
DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM by allowing domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle emails that don't pass SPF or DKIM checks. It also provides a way for email senders to get feedback on passing messages and failing DMARC evaluation, helping organizations improve and maintain their email protection strategies.
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification)
BIMI is a newer standard that ties the brand's control over its logos in customer inboxes to the successful implementation of DMARC. When BIMI is implemented, organizations can display their brand logo next to their email in supporting email clients, enhancing brand presence and giving users confidence that the emails are indeed from a legitimate brand.
Implementing DNS-Based Email Protection
Implementing these protocols effectively requires careful configuration and ongoing management.

Managed IT service providers play a crucial role in setting up these protections, ensuring DNS records are correctly configured and updated as necessary. They also monitor compliance with these standards, manage the feedback from DMARC, and adjust email authentication practices in response to evolving security threats.
Why Use DNS-Based Email Security?
Organizations can significantly enhance their email security posture by deploying SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI. These measures reduce the risk of email-based threats, such as clone phishing and spoofing, which protects sensitive information and preserves the integrity and trust in organizational communication.

Moreover, implementing BIMI as a part of a comprehensive DMARC policy can improve engagement and brand recognition in a cluttered email environment.

Additionally, more organizations require SPF, DKIM, and DMARC along with alignment of them to validate emails to be delivered to the user's inbox.

As this progresses, organizations will need to implement these long-term measures for their emails to be delivered. Google and Yahoo have already started this process, and many others are expected to be close behind.
Comprehensive IT Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
Be Structured offers comprehensive IT support and cybersecurity solutions, including the management of DNS-based email protection protocols. We ensure that your email security measures are robust, properly configured, and continuously monitored to adapt to new threats.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable IT services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape. With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.
Los Angeles IT Support
As a leading provider of business IT services and security in Los Angeles, we are committed to helping businesses safeguard their communications with advanced email security solutions.

If you're based in Los Angeles and looking for a proactive approach to IT security, consider BSTG your trusted partner. Secure your business with BSTG's expert penetration testing services and protect your operations from potential cyber threats.

Let us help you implement and manage effective email security measures that defend your business and support your success.

Contact us today to enhance your organization’s email security posture and protect your communications from advanced email threats.

#### Duo Two Factor Authentication
BSTG is a Managed Security Service Provider of Duo Authentication
What Is Duo Security?Duo 2FA/MFA
When your business uses more devices than you can keep track of, has tons of users on your network, and you need to know that every bit of your information is always secure, then you need top-of-the-line security services offered by Be Structured. In cases like these, we recommend Duo. It is a multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution that managed service providers love to talk about and implement. Here at Be Structured Technology Group, we make sure that the protection we suggest matches your needs. For larger businesses with a lot of moving parts and variables, it is important to make sure you have protection everywhere. That is where Duo excels.
How Duo Uses Two-Factor / Multi Factor Authentication (2FA and MFA)
When someone logs into an account, they typically use a password. However, passwords can be shared, lost, forgotten, or stolen. In order to keep accounts safe, a second way to verify the identity of a person is imperative. This is called two-factor authentication (2FA). It is when a second device, such as a smartphone, is used to make sure the person logging in is who they claim to be. Duo uses two factors to ensure that anyone logging into a secure network is allowed to be there and not trying to access secure information. By using two-factor authentication (2FA), your company gets an additional layer of protection for all online accounts, including any information saved in the cloud.

Two-Factor authentication (2FA) works by allowing the person to start the login process with his or her username, followed by the password. From there, the individual will have to log into another chosen device, like their phone. It will require that secondary password, fingerprint scan, or face scan to verify it is them. This will be even safer since the device will already have been verified by Duo for use on the network, thus creating yet another layer of protection.
The Basics of Duo
If you need to make sure that you can keep a lot of different people, devices, and bits of information safe, then you need to start from a position where you have zero trust. This means you trust no data to be safe on its own and require your extensive data protection to be all-encompassing. That is precisely what you get with Duo. Duo literally makes it possible for a user’s username and password to be compromised by an outside threat and still cannot allow access to resources because that outside threat does not have access to the second factor (2FA) of authentication. With Duo this is normally a phone or tablet, but can also be a hardware device.

When Duo was founded back in 2009, creators Dug Song and Jon Oberheide wanted to create something that would stand up to even the toughest of outside attacks. The goal was to create two sides to an authentication process that would match when right, but would be mismatched to a hacker or a threat. That is why their two-factor authentication is asymmetrical. In 2018, Duo was acquired by Cisco and was integrated into various Cisco IT solutions, such as Umbrella, ASA VPN, and WebEx. This allows for authentication to work together to create a cohesive opening for matching credentials while remaining safe, even when someone is trying to push their way in. The process is so unique that many large corporations use it. A few names you may recognize include:

 	Toyota
 	Facebook
 	Yelp!
 	Panasonic
 	Etsy

Duo Scalable Protection
Duo works with all sizes of organizations to help scale their protection. Whether you need to cover a small business or a large enterprise, Duo has the scalability to keep all of your sensitive data safe. They have steps in place to help companies go from vulnerable to protected. Here are some of those steps:
Duo Individual Verification
The first step in the journey to having everything protected is verifying each person who should be in the network. This provides an effective way to know who should be accessing information and who should not.
Duo Device Verification
Next, Duo will go through and access each device that is allowed within the network. This includes personal devices, corporate-managed devices, smartphones, computers, and any other device your company requires that would need access to your networks.
Duo Real-Time Access
The next step is checking each device in real-time. This allows Duo to check the trustworthiness and security of each device as it is being used. As each device is checked, it can also be scanned to make sure there are no problematic applications on it.
Duo Design Limits
Once each device is checked, limitations are able to be specified for each device and user. This tells the network what each user and device are able to access to minimize the chances of any type of security breach.
Duo Establishes Connections
Finally, Duo will help to grant secure connections from the protected user and device to the information and network that Duo is protecting. This works both for cloud applications and on-site networks.
Duo Enrollment is Simple
If you have a smartphone, then you can get the entire Duo system set up over the phone, a one-time code that is sent to the phone, an SMS text, or through Duo Mobile Smartphone app. That way, you can manage which employees and customers have access to what types of information. The Duo Mobile Smartphone app is available for Windows phones, iPhone operating systems, and Android phones.

In the instance that no mobile phone is available, a tablet or landline is also an option. For cases where these devices are not possible, a hardware token, such as our preferred hardware token vendor Yubikey, is also available. People can link as many devices as they want or need to their personal accounts, allowing for both landlines and smartphones to be connected as an example.

As time goes on, more threats to passwords are going to be found. Between cyber terrorists, malware, and hackers trying to break through traditional passwords, another method is necessary to ensure the greatest levels of safety possible for your business. That is why two-factor authentication (2FA) is a core part of how Duo operates. Since you have two ways of ensuring you are the one logging into the network, if someone discovers your password, you still have the second method of verification open.

If you enroll in Duo Push, you will receive an immediate alert if anyone tries to log in under your username or password. The authentication used by Duo is totally independent from the username and password you set up with the initial verification process. More often than not, 2FA and MFA solutions are considered more of an inconvenience and an annoyance for many users. Duo Push makes that inconvenience a thing of the past. The fact that you can pair it with your Apple Watch, makes it even more convenient and user friendly. Since the Apple Watch provides haptic feedback, the moment you receive an alert, it’s like a little cybersecurity guardian angel is tapping you on the wrist to get your attention.
How Does Duo Help Businesses?
Many people ask, what makes Duo so secure and what differentiates it when it comes to businesses? The answer is the Duo Push authentication process that it provides. This user-friendly experience is ultra-secure, making you sure that the only person who logs in under your account, is you. The push authentication does not occur over traditional forms of transport. Instead, it occurs from a mutually authenticated transport that is secure on both ends. It also works to protect against top-of-the-line attacks where even the most sophisticated hackers are trying to steal personal credentials or information. The connection pairs the requests asymmetrically, allowing there to be protected on both ends. If the information does not match on both ends, the request is flagged, and administrators are immediately notified.

A TLS transport is used to help protect the confidentiality of the parties making a connection. However, the integrity of the transactions created from Duo Push don’t rely on the TLS. Instead, Duo uses asymmetric signature schemes to provide authenticity on a message level, plus the integrity that comes with using the top of the transport channels. That way, even if someone were to try to attack the TLS to get the information, Duo Push is able to remain un-compromised since the approvals for the transaction are unable to be forged.
Duo Provides Compliance and Security While Remaining Affordable and Agile
As a trusted Managed Service Provider, when Be Structured rolls out Duo at your company, you can trust that your organization gets the benefit of compliance along with increased security. The information shared with each user and device establishes a level of compliance that helps give you peace of mind, plus, your security is increased, protecting both your business and your clients.

The experience your users get when using Duo is also improved. This is because using Duo is simple compared to many other 2FA and MFA solutions. It was created in a way that made it easy for users to install and manage. The functionality of Duo is similar no matter what size the business is.

On top of being compliant and secure, Duo is also affordable. It is made so that any business can use it, whether there are a handful of employees or people working for the company around the world. Since they have a lower investment to get started, it allows the company to better manage their overhead.

The big buzzword for business today is agility. If your business is not agile, you are not going to be able to grow to your fullest potential, according to many professionals. Thankfully, Duo allows for you to remain agile and modern with your security while still evolving to meet the needs of your entire company.
How Duo Works
The information that makes Duo as powerful and secure as it is, is all cloud-based. This keeps the wrong hands from getting the information to cause any type of problem with the program. An individuals’ private key is held by the device that was authenticated while enrolling in Duo, whereas the public key is hidden within the cloud. That way, the two keys are separated and able to remain safe from outside intrusions.

How Duo works is pretty straightforward. First, an individual will go and log into a network or website. Next, the individual will be tasked with inputting the username followed by the password to get into the account or service. From there, Duo will send an authentication to an item that the user would have, such as the smartphone. If the two pieces of information match, then the user is granted access. If the two pieces of information do not match, the user is not allowed access, an alert is sent out to administrators and the login attempt is thwarted.

Duo allows users to authenticate a login attempt with one-tap (Duo Push), so long as they are logged into the device that is used for the authentication process. If it is a temporary device, a one-time passcode is generated and sent along so the individual can still have access to the required information for that session. Duo can also instigate a call to any phone, whether mobile or landline, allowing for an in-person authentication. Hardware tokens can also be used to authenticate individuals who do not have access to the same devices on a regular basis.
Are Two-Factor Authentications (2FA) Vulnerable?
As a business owner, you want to make sure that your information is safe and not at risk of being stolen from an outside source. However, if you worry about the vulnerabilities with some two-factor authentication programs, you may worry that Duo is not right for you.

While it is true that some two-factor authentication (2FA) programs, such as those through some Android apps, are vulnerable, Duo Push is not. There are several ways that two-factor authentication (2FA) can be performed. For example, most people are familiar with this process thanks to mobile banking services. Users must login and then scan a fingerprint or something similar to have access to their financial information. This is just one type of authentication.

In the instance of Duo Push, instead of having one line of communication, the authenticator uses two. The signals being sent along the top of the transport channel must match the login security to create a successful login. Duo Security, Inc. is one of the few vendors that is even able to provide this type of asymmetry. This is what makes it so much less vulnerable than any other type of service on the market.
Let Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. Help You with Duo Enrollment
When it comes to making sure that every individual, service, and device in your company is safe, as is all of your personal and customer information, you cannot go wrong with Duo. It allows you to set up who has access to what information, and it tells you immediately if there is any type of breach of security. Your employees and customers will know their dealings with you are safe, plus you get to be fully compliant on how you protect your information. You have nothing to lose with a fully scalable service that keeps your information out of the hands of all types of attackers. Contact Be Structured Technology Group and let us get your business started with the process of Duo enrollment today.

What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.
Empower Your Team With Awareness Training
Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack?

Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network.

That’s where cybersecurity awareness of the phases of the cybersecurity attack lifecycle and training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware here.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Entertainment Industry IT Support
You Deserve Superior Service
We have worked with a wide variety of professional service industry clients as well as in the entertainment industry.

This includes:

IT support for wealth management

IT support for nonprofits

IT support for financial services

IT support for law firms

IT support for professional service firms

IT support for manufacturing

Across the board, these businesses have many of the same concerns. They all want systems that are reliable, stable, and fit the needs of their business operations.
5 Unique Local IT Support Issues for the Entertainment Industry
1. Remote Assistance: As technology continues to become more complex and specialized, remote assistance can be a key component of technical support. Remote assistance via video conferencing, chat or telephone enables tech support teams to diagnose, troubleshoot and resolve technical issues remotely in real time.

2. Multi-Platform Support: Most entertainment industry businesses are operating in an environment with a combination of hardware, software and cloud-based platforms. Technical support teams must be able to support a host of different platforms and maintain a high level of specialized knowledge.

3. Security and Data Protection: Security and data protection are essential for entertainment industry businesses and technical support teams must have the expertise to ensure the highest security protocols are always followed.

4. Creative Solutions to Unique Challenges: Due to the specialized nature of the entertainment industry, tech support teams must often come up with creative solutions to unique challenges. Technical support teams must be able to quickly adapt and identify the best course of action to resolve any issue.

5. Accommodate Global Time Zones: With clients, customers, and partners located in different parts of the world, technical support teams must be available to accommodate a variety of global time zones. This requires an understanding of different cultures and the ability to work collaboratively with a variety of people.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles to Support the Entertainment Industry
A lot of managed IT services can recommend support methods like cloud computing in Los Angeles and VoIP phone systems. Those are excellent systems and offer many superior features, but Be Structured provides more than just the latest technology. We provide the kind of foundational support that will keep your network up and running with dependable performance.

Of course, we have many services that we can recommend to enhance the functions of your workplace, but our first priority is making sure that your technology is working for you and not against you. That's why IT support for the entertainment industry is vital.
Your Success Is Our Highest Priority
When you are constructing your business models for your future projects, few people plan for technology downtimes, service outages, and the disruptions they cause in the entertainment industry.

This is where Be Structured comes in.

Your business processes rely on your information technology and are proactive when it comes to protecting the integrity of your IT services. A Los Angeles IT services provider is about more than just troubleshooting, quick fixes, or repairing systems once they have gone down.

We provide solutions that are prepared for your issues before they happen. Our data backup and disaster recovery will be in place to defend your sensitive information as a precaution from any data loss or corruption.

Transitioning your systems to the cloud has many advantages, but one of the most powerful services it provides is ensuring the continuity of your operations. We put all of these services in place to enhance your daily functions to keep your systems operating at all times.
Our Services Are Here To Support You
When it comes to IT support in Los Angeles, there are many business leaders in the entertainment industry that just want their systems to work and not distract them.

Be Structured is here to help you stay focused on the bigger picture and support your systems from the background. We want to be your partner in achieving your business goals.

We know that every client faces unique challenges and we are always prepared to shape our services to fit your situation.

Be Structured is the only outsourced IT support company that you need to keep your technology functioning at a high level and supporting your success.

Contact Be Structured today for a free consultation to ascertain your business' needs and the solutions we offer to make running your business smarter and easier.

#### Expert IT Support for Los Angeles Businesses: On-Site + 24/7 Remote
Outsourced IT Support Services in Los Angeles
By Chad Lauterbach, CTO · Be Structured Technology Group · Updated May 2026
Be Structured Technology Group has provided outsourced IT support services to Los Angeles and Southern California businesses since 2007. Outsourced IT support allows companies to replace or supplement their internal IT department with a managed service provider (MSP) that handles help desk, cybersecurity, cloud management, network monitoring, and strategic IT planning. Businesses that outsource IT typically reduce technology costs by 30–50% compared to maintaining an equivalent in-house team, while gaining 24/7 coverage and access to a full team of specialists across every IT discipline.
For over 20 years, Be Structured Technology Group has served as the trusted outsourced IT partner for Los Angeles companies in financial services, healthcare, law, manufacturing, entertainment, and nonprofits — from 10 to 500 employees. Our hybrid model places a dedicated on-site technician at your location, backed by our full remote team for 24/7/365 coverage. Explore our complete range of managed IT services in Los Angeles.
Ranked No. 282 among the top MSP companies worldwide · Los Angeles-based since 2007 · CA License #1140088
➤ Schedule Your Free IT Assessment
Outsourced IT Support Services: The Complete Guide for 2026
This guide draws on over 20 years of hands-on experience managing technology environments for Los Angeles businesses across financial services, healthcare, law, manufacturing, entertainment, and nonprofits. Whether you are considering outsourcing IT for the first time or evaluating a switch from your current provider, this resource covers every question business leaders ask when looking for IT support services in Los Angeles.
In This Guide:
 	What Are Outsourced IT Support Services?
 	What Types of IT Services Can Be Outsourced?
 	Outsourced IT Support Service Models Compared
 	How Much Do Outsourced IT Support Services Cost?
 	What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing IT Support?
 	What Are the Risks of Outsourcing IT Support?
 	What Industries Benefit Most from Outsourced IT Support?
 	How to Choose an Outsourced IT Support Provider
 	How Long Does It Take to Transition to Outsourced IT?
 	What Should an Outsourced IT Support SLA Include?
 	Is Outsourcing IT Support Secure?
 	In-House IT vs. Outsourced IT: A Direct Comparison
 	Outsourced IT Support Trends for 2026 and Beyond
 	Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Outsourced IT Support Services?
Outsourced IT support services involve partnering with a third-party managed service provider (MSP) to handle some or all of a company’s technology needs — including help desk support, cybersecurity, cloud management, network monitoring, data backup, and strategic IT planning — replacing or supplementing an internal IT department.
When a Los Angeles business outsources its IT support, it transfers the responsibility of managing, monitoring, and maintaining its technology infrastructure to a specialized external provider. This provider — commonly known as a managed service provider or MSP — employs a team of technicians, engineers, and IT strategists who serve as the company’s dedicated technology partner.
The scope of outsourced IT support has expanded significantly over the past decade. What once meant calling a technician when a computer stopped working has evolved into a comprehensive partnership encompassing proactive system monitoring, cybersecurity defense, cloud infrastructure and SaaS management, regulatory compliance, and long-term technology strategy. Modern outsourced IT support is not just about fixing problems — it is about preventing them and aligning technology investments with business objectives.
"$617.69 Billion — Global IT outsourcing market value in 2025, projected to reach $806.53 billion by 2029"
Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in particular have recognized that maintaining a full-time, in-house IT department with expertise across cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, compliance, and end-user support is neither practical nor cost-effective. By outsourcing to a provider that serves multiple clients, businesses gain access to a broader and deeper pool of expertise at a fraction of the cost of building that capability internally.
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What Types of IT Services Can Be Outsourced?
Nearly every IT function can be outsourced, from day-to-day help desk support and cybersecurity monitoring to cloud computing, data backup, compliance management, strategic IT consulting, and hardware lifecycle management.
The range of IT services that businesses can outsource has grown considerably. For a deeper dive into specific service categories, see our guide on the most commonly outsourced IT services.
Service Category
What It Includes
Help Desk and Technical Support
Remote and on-site assistance for employees experiencing hardware, software, connectivity, or access issues. Includes ticket management, troubleshooting, and user training. Most MSPs offer tiered support with response times based on issue severity.
Cybersecurity Services
Threat monitoring, endpoint detection and response (EDR), email security, firewall management, vulnerability assessments, security awareness training, and incident response. Increasingly includes dark web monitoring and zero-trust architecture implementation.
Cloud Computing and Migration
Management of cloud platforms including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Azure, and AWS. Includes cloud migration planning, hybrid cloud management, cloud security, and optimization of cloud spending.
Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Automated backup solutions, offsite data replication, disaster recovery planning, and business continuity testing. Ensures business operations can resume quickly after hardware failure, cyberattack, or natural disaster.
Network Infrastructure Management
Design, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of wired and wireless networks, routers, switches, firewalls, and VPN infrastructure. Includes 24/7 monitoring to detect and resolve issues before they impact operations.
IT Compliance and Regulatory Support
Implementation and maintenance of controls required by HIPAA (healthcare), PCI-DSS (payment card data), CMMC (defense contractors), SOX (financial reporting), and state-level data privacy laws.
Virtual CIO (vCIO) Services
Strategic IT consulting including technology roadmap development, IT budget planning, vendor management, digital transformation initiatives, and alignment of technology investments with business goals.
Hardware Procurement and Lifecycle Management
Sourcing, deploying, maintaining, and retiring computer equipment, servers, and networking hardware. Includes asset tracking, warranty management, and standardized equipment refresh schedules.
Most businesses do not outsource every IT function from day one. A common approach is to start with the services that address the most pressing pain points — typically help desk support and cybersecurity — and expand the scope of the engagement as the relationship matures and trust is established.
Outsourced IT Support Service Models Compared
The four primary outsourced IT support models are fully managed IT, co-managed IT, break-fix support, and project-based outsourcing. Each serves different business needs depending on company size, existing IT capabilities, and budget.
Service Model
How It Works
Best For
Typical Cost
Fully Managed IT
The MSP serves as your complete IT department, handling all technology operations, support, security, and strategy.
Companies with 10–500 employees and no internal IT staff.
$125–$300 per user/month
Co-Managed IT
The MSP supplements your existing internal IT team, filling gaps in expertise, capacity, or after-hours coverage.
Mid-sized organizations with 1–5 internal IT staff needing specialized support.
$50–$150 per user/month
Break-Fix
You call a technician only when something breaks. No ongoing monitoring or proactive maintenance.
Very small businesses under 10 employees with simple IT environments.
$150–$300 per hour
Project-Based
Outsourcing specific IT projects such as cloud migrations, office relocations, or compliance audits.
Businesses with competent internal IT needing specialized expertise for a defined initiative.
Varies by project scope
Fully Managed IT: The Most Comprehensive Model
Fully managed IT is the most widely adopted outsourcing model for small and mid-sized businesses. Under this arrangement, the MSP assumes complete responsibility for the company’s technology environment — providing 24/7 monitoring, help desk support, cybersecurity, data backup, patch management, vendor coordination, and strategic IT planning for a predictable monthly fee.
This model works best when a business either has no internal IT staff or wants to redirect existing IT personnel to higher-value projects while offloading routine operations to the MSP. The key advantage is comprehensive coverage with predictable costs.
What Are Co-Managed IT Services?
Co-managed IT services combine your existing internal IT team with the resources of a managed service provider (MSP) — giving your in-house staff specialized backup in cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, compliance, and after-hours coverage without replacing them. The MSP extends your team’s capabilities rather than substituting for it, typically at $50–$150 per user per month.
Co-managed IT has emerged as one of the fastest-growing service models in the MSP industry. It is designed for organizations that already have internal IT personnel but recognize gaps in their team’s expertise, bandwidth, or availability. For a comprehensive look at this model, read our guide on what you need to know about co-managed IT services.
The MSP does not replace the internal team — it extends the team’s capabilities in specific areas. Common co-managed IT arrangements include:
 	Outsourcing cybersecurity monitoring and incident response while the internal team handles day-to-day user support
 	Having the internal team manage on-site hardware while the MSP manages cloud infrastructure, backups, and compliance
 	Supplementing a single-person IT department with MSP specialists in networking, security, and vCIO strategy
 	Extending coverage to 24/7 without hiring additional in-house staff
This model gives businesses the best of both worlds: internal control over daily operations combined with access to specialized expertise that would be prohibitively expensive to hire in-house. For Los Angeles businesses with 1–5 internal IT staff, co-managed IT is frequently the most cost-effective path to enterprise-grade security and compliance coverage.
Why Break-Fix Is Declining
The break-fix model was the standard IT support arrangement for decades, but it has fallen out of favor for businesses of any significant size. The fundamental problem is that break-fix is reactive — the provider has no financial incentive to prevent problems because they get paid when things go wrong. This creates a misalignment of interests between the provider and the business.
Managed IT services reverse this dynamic. Because the MSP is paid a flat monthly fee regardless of how many issues arise, they are financially motivated to keep systems running smoothly and prevent problems before they occur. This proactive approach results in significantly less downtime, faster issue resolution, and more predictable costs.
How Much Do Outsourced IT Support Services Cost?
Outsourced IT support typically costs between $125 and $300 per user per month for fully managed services, $50 to $150 per user per month for co-managed IT, and $150 to $300 per hour for break-fix on-demand support. For a 50-person Los Angeles company, fully managed outsourced IT runs $6,250–$15,000 per month — compared to $150,000–$270,000 annually for an equivalent in-house team.
The total cost of outsourced IT depends on several variables: the number of users and devices, the scope of services included, the complexity of the IT environment, and any industry-specific compliance requirements.
All Be Structured estimates include the fully loaded cost of in-house IT — salaries, benefits, training, software licenses, security tools, and management overhead. For most SMBs, outsourcing delivers a 30% to 50% cost reduction compared to building equivalent capabilities internally, while providing broader expertise and 24/7 coverage that a small in-house team cannot match.
To understand our costs more succinctly, here's how much outsourced IT support costs in Los Angeles, broken down by business size.
Factors That Influence Pricing
Not all outsourced IT engagements are priced the same. The number of users and devices is the primary cost driver. Compliance-intensive industries such as healthcare (HIPAA), financial services (PCI-DSS, SOX), or defense contracting (CMMC) require additional security controls and audit support that increase costs by 15% to 30% above standard managed IT pricing. The complexity of the IT environment and the level of on-site support included also affect the final price.
What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing IT Support?
The primary benefits of outsourcing IT support include reduced costs compared to in-house teams, access to diverse technical expertise, 24/7 monitoring and support, predictable monthly expenses, improved cybersecurity, scalable services, less downtime, and the ability to focus internal resources on core business activities.
Cost Predictability and Reduction
A single competent IT professional in Los Angeles commands a salary of $70,000 to $120,000 per year before benefits and overhead. That one person cannot provide 24/7 coverage, will have knowledge gaps across the full spectrum of IT disciplines, and creates a single point of failure when they take time off or leave the company. An outsourced IT partner provides an entire team of specialists — network engineers, cybersecurity analysts, cloud architects, help desk technicians, and strategic consultants — for a fraction of what it would cost to assemble that team in-house.
Access to Specialized Expertise
Technology has become far too complex for any single IT professional to master every domain. An MSP employs specialists across cybersecurity, cloud computing, compliance management, network architecture, and data protection — each with deep, focused expertise. This breadth is particularly valuable for industries with specific compliance requirements, where a single misstep can result in regulatory fines, legal liability, or loss of business.
Proactive Monitoring and Reduced Downtime
An MSP monitors your network, servers, endpoints, and cloud infrastructure around the clock using automated monitoring tools that detect anomalies and potential failures before they impact operations. According to industry data, businesses using proactive managed IT support experience 85% less unplanned downtime compared to those relying on reactive break-fix support, according to CompTIA industry research. For a company where every hour of downtime costs thousands of dollars in lost productivity, this difference is substantial.
Scalability
Outsourced IT support scales seamlessly as your business grows — adding new users, deploying new devices, expanding to new locations, or migrating to new cloud platforms does not require hiring additional IT staff. Our article on outsourced IT solutions as a strategic advantage for scaling your business explores how this flexibility drives long-term growth. Scalability also works in reverse during slower periods without the painful process of laying off employees.
What Are the Risks of Outsourcing IT Support?
The primary risks of outsourcing IT support include loss of direct control over IT operations, dependency on an external provider, potential communication challenges, data security concerns, and the possibility of a poor cultural fit. These risks can be mitigated through careful provider selection and well-structured contracts.
The most common concern is loss of control. When you outsource IT, you are entrusting a critical business function to a third party. The mitigation is choosing a provider with transparent reporting, regular strategic reviews, and a dedicated account manager as your consistent point of contact.
Vendor lock-in is another risk to consider. Some MSPs use proprietary tools that make it difficult to switch providers or bring IT back in-house. Before signing a contract, ask about data portability, documentation standards, and what happens to your accounts and configurations if the relationship ends. A reputable MSP will have a clear offboarding process.
Data security is a valid concern, particularly for businesses in regulated industries. Mitigate this by verifying the provider’s security certifications, reviewing data handling policies, confirming employee background check procedures, and ensuring the contract includes clear data protection obligations and breach notification requirements.
What Industries Benefit Most from Outsourced IT Support?
Financial services, healthcare, legal, manufacturing, professional services, nonprofit, and entertainment companies benefit most from outsourced IT support due to their combination of technology dependence, compliance requirements, and limited IT budgets relative to their needs.
Industry
Key IT Requirements
Why Outsourcing Fits
Financial Services
PCI-DSS, SOX, SEC regulations, data encryption, secure client portals
Regulatory complexity demands specialized compliance expertise most internal IT teams lack.
Healthcare
HIPAA compliance, EHR system support, medical device security, patient data protection
HIPAA violations carry penalties of up to $2.13 million per violation category per year, per HHS enforcement guidelines.
Law Firms
Client confidentiality, document management, eDiscovery support, ethical wall compliance
Law firms handle extremely sensitive client data but rarely have the IT budget for enterprise-grade security.
Manufacturing
OT security, supply chain integration, ERP systems, CMMC compliance
Manufacturers depend on uptime for production. A managed IT partner provides 24/7 monitoring.
Professional Services
Collaboration tools, remote work infrastructure, CRM systems, client data security
Professional services firms need reliable technology but cannot justify a full IT department.
Nonprofits
Budget constraints, grant compliance, donor data protection, remote workforce support
Nonprofits must maximize every dollar. Outsourcing fits nonprofit budgets while protecting data.
How to Choose an Outsourced IT Support Provider
How to choose an outsourced IT support provider: assess your current environment and needs, evaluate the support model (remote vs. hybrid), verify industry-specific compliance experience, examine response time guarantees in the SLA, ask about communication and reporting practices, understand the pricing model and contract terms, and request a complimentary IT assessment before committing.
Step 1: Assess Your Needs Before You Start Shopping
Before contacting any provider, document your current IT environment, your biggest pain points, your compliance requirements, and your growth plans for the next two to three years. This preparation ensures you are comparing proposals accurately rather than being swayed by a polished sales presentation that does not address your actual needs.
Step 2: Evaluate the Support Model
Not all MSPs deliver support the same way. Some are entirely remote; others offer hybrid models with dedicated on-site technicians; some provide 24/7 on-site staffing. If your employees are primarily in-office, having a dedicated on-site technician who knows your team and systems can dramatically improve the support experience compared to calling a remote help desk staffed by different technicians each time.
Step 3: Verify Industry Experience and Compliance Expertise
General IT competence is not enough if your business operates in a regulated industry. A provider who has never managed a HIPAA-compliant environment should not be your first choice if you are a healthcare organization. Ask for case studies and references from clients in your industry, and verify that the provider has team members with relevant certifications and hands-on compliance experience.
Step 4: Examine Response Time Guarantees
A strong SLA should guarantee response within 15 minutes for critical issues (system-wide outages or security incidents), within one hour for high-priority issues (multiple users affected), and within four hours for standard issues (single-user problems). Pay attention to the difference between response time (when someone acknowledges your issue) and resolution time (when the issue is actually fixed) — both should be defined.
Step 5: Ask About Communication and Reporting
The quality of an IT partnership depends as much on communication as on technical competence. Ask how the provider communicates proactively: do they send monthly reports? Do they provide a dedicated account manager? How frequently do they conduct strategic technology reviews? A provider who only contacts you when something is broken is not a strategic partner — they are an expensive help desk.
Step 6: Understand the Pricing Model and Contract Terms
Request detailed proposals that break down exactly what is included in the monthly fee and what constitutes an additional charge. Common sources of unexpected costs include after-hours support, on-site visits beyond an included allotment, project work such as office moves or new location setups, and hardware procurement markups. Review the contract term, renewal provisions, and termination clauses carefully.
Step 7: Request a Complimentary IT Assessment
Most reputable MSPs will conduct a free assessment of your IT environment before providing a formal proposal. This assessment gives you a preview of the provider’s thoroughness, communication style, and technical depth. A provider who offers a meaningful assessment demonstrates confidence in their ability to earn your business on merit.
Ready to Explore Outsourced IT Support?
Be Structured Technology Group offers complimentary IT assessments for businesses in Los Angeles and Southern California. Our team will evaluate your current environment, identify vulnerabilities and inefficiencies, and provide a transparent proposal tailored to your specific needs and budget.
➤ Schedule Your Free Assessment
How Long Does It Take to Transition to Outsourced IT?
Transitioning to an outsourced IT support provider typically takes 30 to 90 days, encompassing an initial assessment and documentation phase, tool deployment and onboarding, a parallel operation period, and full transition with ongoing optimization.
A well-managed transition to outsourced IT support should cause zero disruption to daily operations. The process follows a structured timeline:
 	Weeks 1–2: Comprehensive assessment and documentation of your existing IT environment — inventorying hardware and software, mapping network architecture, documenting user accounts, reviewing security configurations, and identifying critical vulnerabilities.
 	Weeks 2–6: Deploying monitoring and management tools across your environment — remote monitoring agents, cybersecurity tools, backup systems, and help desk configuration.
 	Weeks 4–8: A parallel operation period where the MSP operates alongside any existing IT resources, ensuring continuity and allowing the MSP team to learn your environment.
 	Week 8+: Full transition and ongoing optimization as the MSP identifies opportunities to improve performance, tighten security, and reduce costs.
What Should an Outsourced IT Support SLA Include?
A comprehensive outsourced IT support SLA should include guaranteed response and resolution times by priority level, system uptime guarantees, escalation procedures, scope of included services, security and data handling requirements, reporting metrics, termination provisions, and remedies for SLA violations.
SLA Component
What to Look For
Red Flags
Response Time
15 min for critical, 1 hour for high, 4 hours for standard issues
No distinction between priority levels, or response times only during business hours
Uptime Guarantee
99.9% or higher for managed infrastructure
No uptime guarantee, or excessive exclusions that render it meaningless
Scope Definition
Clear list of included services and explicit out-of-scope items
Vague language like “reasonable support” without specifics
Escalation Process
Defined escalation path with named contacts at each level
No escalation path, or escalation only through help desk with no executive access
Reporting
Monthly reports with ticket volume, resolution times, security events, and recommendations
No regular reporting, or reports only provided upon request
Termination
30–60 day termination notice with documented transition assistance
Multi-year lock-in with no performance-based exit clause
SLA Remedies
Service credits or fee reductions when SLA targets are missed
No consequences for SLA breaches
Is Outsourcing IT Support Secure?
Outsourcing IT support is generally more secure than managing IT internally for small and mid-sized businesses. Reputable MSPs invest in advanced security tools, certifications, and dedicated cybersecurity specialists that most SMBs cannot afford independently. However, businesses should verify a provider’s security practices before signing a contract.
The evidence strongly suggests that for the vast majority of small and mid-sized businesses, outsourced IT support actually improves security compared to in-house management. Cybersecurity has become far too complex and fast-moving for a single IT generalist or small internal team to manage effectively. An MSP that serves dozens or hundreds of clients encounters and responds to security threats every day, building a depth of experience that an in-house team at a single company simply cannot match.
When evaluating a provider’s security posture, verify that they:
 	Maintain SOC 2 Type II compliance
 	Employ dedicated cybersecurity personnel separate from general help desk staff
 	Use enterprise-grade endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools
 	Implement multi-factor authentication across all administrative access
 	Conduct regular penetration testing of their own infrastructure
 	Have a documented incident response plan with client notification procedures
 	Perform background checks on all employees with access to client systems
In-House IT vs. Outsourced IT: A Direct Comparison
In-house IT offers direct control and physical presence but is more expensive, creates single points of failure, and provides limited expertise breadth. Outsourced IT delivers broader expertise, 24/7 coverage, and lower total cost but requires trust in an external partner and strong communication to maintain alignment.
Factor
In-House IT
Outsourced IT (Managed Services)
Annual Cost (50 users)
$150,000–$270,000
$75,000–$180,000
Expertise Breadth
Limited to staff’s individual skills
Full team of specialists across all IT disciplines
Availability
Business hours only (unless multiple shifts)
24/7/365 monitoring and support
Single Point of Failure
High risk — one person sick or quits creates a gap
Low risk — team-based model with built-in redundancy
Scalability
Requires hiring (weeks to months)
Immediate — services scale with business needs
Cybersecurity Depth
Generalist knowledge in most cases
Dedicated security specialists with cross-client experience
Physical Presence
On-site daily
Varies — remote only, or hybrid with on-site technician
Cost Predictability
Variable — surprise failures, turnover costs
Fixed monthly fee with defined scope
The choice between in-house and outsourced IT is not always binary. Many mid-sized businesses find that the co-managed model provides the optimal balance: an internal IT coordinator who understands the business deeply, supported by an MSP that provides specialized expertise, 24/7 monitoring, and strategic guidance that a single hire cannot deliver alone.
Outsourced IT Support Trends for 2026 and Beyond
Key outsourced IT support trends for 2026 include AI-powered monitoring and automation, zero-trust security architecture, increased compliance complexity, cloud-first infrastructure strategies, and growing demand for the hybrid support model combining dedicated on-site technicians with remote MSP backup.
AI-Powered Monitoring and Automation
Artificial intelligence is transforming how MSPs detect and respond to issues. AI-powered monitoring tools identify patterns and anomalies that human technicians would miss, predict hardware failures before they occur, and automate the resolution of routine issues such as password resets and software updates. This amplifies human expertise rather than replacing it — allowing MSP technicians to focus on complex problems and strategic initiatives. Learn more about local LLM inference server strategies we help Los Angeles businesses evaluate that includes private LLM set up for your business.
Zero-Trust Security Architecture
The traditional security model of trusting everything inside the network perimeter has become obsolete in an era of remote work and sophisticated cyberattacks. Zero-trust architecture operates on the principle of “never trust, always verify” — every user, device, and application must continuously prove its identity and authorization before accessing any resource. MSPs are increasingly implementing zero-trust frameworks for their clients as the new baseline for network security.
Expanding Compliance Requirements
Regulatory requirements continue to grow more complex. CMMC 2.0 certification is becoming mandatory for defense supply chain participants. State-level data privacy laws are proliferating across California and beyond. The SEC has introduced new cybersecurity disclosure requirements for public companies. For businesses in regulated industries, the compliance burden alone often justifies the investment in outsourced IT support from a provider with dedicated compliance expertise.
The Rise of the Hybrid Support Model
A growing number of Los Angeles businesses are gravitating toward a hybrid outsourced IT model that places a dedicated MSP technician on-site at the client’s location while backing that technician with the full resources of the remote MSP team. This model combines the relationship continuity and immediate physical access of an on-site employee with the deep expertise and 24/7 coverage of a full managed services team — directly addressing the most common criticism of outsourced IT.
Frequently Asked Questions About Outsourced IT Support Services
How much does outsourced IT support cost per month?Outsourced IT support typically costs between $125 and $300 per user per month for fully managed services, $50 to $150 per user per month for co-managed IT, and $150 to $300 per hour for break-fix on-demand support. For a 50-person company in Los Angeles, fully managed outsourced IT typically runs $6,250–$15,000 per month — compared to $150,000–$270,000 annually for an equivalent in-house team, representing a 30–50% cost reduction. Compliance-intensive industries such as healthcare or financial services pay 15–30% more due to additional security controls and audit requirements.What is the difference between outsourced IT support and a managed service provider?In practice, the terms are used interchangeably. A managed service provider (MSP) is a company that delivers outsourced IT support under a proactive managed services model with 24/7 monitoring and flat-rate monthly pricing. Some IT companies still operate on a break-fix (hourly, reactive) basis and are not true MSPs. When evaluating providers, confirm they offer proactive monitoring, strategic guidance, and predictable monthly pricing rather than purely reactive, hourly-rate support.Is outsourcing IT support worth it for small businesses?Yes, outsourcing IT support is typically worth it for businesses with 10 to 500 employees. It reduces technology support costs by 30–50% compared to in-house IT, provides access to a full team of specialists across cybersecurity, cloud, networking, and compliance, and delivers 24/7 monitoring that a single in-house hire cannot match. Businesses using proactive managed IT support experience up to 85% less unplanned downtime compared to those relying on reactive break-fix support. For Los Angeles SMBs in particular, outsourcing eliminates the challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified IT staff in a highly competitive market.Can I outsource only part of my IT?Yes. Many businesses outsource specific IT functions while keeping others in-house. Common partial outsourcing arrangements include outsourcing cybersecurity monitoring while keeping an internal help desk, outsourcing cloud management while retaining on-site hardware support, or outsourcing after-hours and weekend support while maintaining a daytime internal team. This co-managed approach provides flexibility to leverage external expertise where you need it most.What happens if I am not satisfied with my outsourced IT provider?A well-structured contract should include a termination clause with a defined notice period, typically 30 to 60 days. During the transition, the outgoing provider should assist with documentation, knowledge transfer, and handing over all credentials and administrative access. Before signing any contract, verify the provider’s offboarding process and ensure there are no hidden penalties for early termination.Will my employees notice a difference when we switch to outsourced IT?They should notice an improvement. Most businesses switch to outsourced IT support because their existing arrangement — whether an overwhelmed in-house IT person or an unreliable break-fix provider — is not meeting expectations. A quality MSP provides faster response times, more consistent support, and proactive problem prevention that reduces the frequency of disruptive IT issues. Most teams adapt to the new support process within the first week or two.Do outsourced IT providers support remote and hybrid workers?Yes. Supporting remote and hybrid workforces is a core competency for modern MSPs. Services include secure VPN and remote access configuration, cloud-based collaboration tool management (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom), endpoint security for devices used outside the office, mobile device management (MDM), and remote troubleshooting and support regardless of the user’s location.How do outsourced IT providers handle emergencies and after-hours issues?Reputable MSPs provide 24/7/365 monitoring and support through automated monitoring tools that detect and alert on issues around the clock, a staffed help desk or on-call rotation for after-hours emergencies, and defined escalation procedures that ensure critical issues receive immediate attention. The SLA should explicitly define after-hours response time commitments and any additional costs for after-hours support, if applicable.What size business benefits most from outsourced IT support?Businesses with 10 to 500 employees benefit most from outsourced IT support. Below 10 employees, IT needs are often simple enough to manage with basic cloud services and occasional on-demand support. Above 500 employees, many organizations have the budget to build comprehensive internal IT departments, though even large companies frequently outsource specialized functions like cybersecurity and compliance. The sweet spot for fully managed outsourced IT is the 20 to 200 employee range, where technology needs are complex enough to require professional management but budgets do not support a full internal team.What certifications should an outsourced IT provider have?Look for providers whose team members hold certifications relevant to your environment and industry. Common certifications include Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), CompTIA Security+, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), and cloud-specific certifications from Microsoft, AWS, or Google. For compliance-heavy industries, verify that the provider has demonstrated expertise in the specific regulatory frameworks that apply to your business.Is there a difference between an MSP and an outsourced IT support company?In practice, the terms are used interchangeably. A managed service provider (MSP) is a company that delivers outsourced IT support services under a managed services model with proactive monitoring and flat-rate pricing. Some IT companies still operate primarily on a break-fix basis and are not true MSPs. When evaluating providers, confirm that they offer proactive monitoring, strategic guidance, and predictable monthly pricing rather than purely reactive, hourly-rate support.
Making the Right Decision for Your Business
Outsourced IT support services represent one of the most impactful decisions a growing business can make. The right provider does not just fix computers when they break — they become a strategic partner that aligns your technology investments with your business goals, protects your data and reputation, and frees you to focus on what you do best.
The key is selecting a provider that understands your industry, communicates transparently, and delivers measurable results. Take the time to evaluate your options carefully, ask the hard questions, and choose a partner you trust to manage the technology your business depends on every day.
Be Structured Technology Group
Based in downtown Los Angeles since 2007, Be Structured provides outsourced IT support services to businesses across Southern California. Our hybrid support model combines a dedicated on-site technician at your location with the full backing of our remote team, giving you the personal attention of an in-house IT employee with the expertise and 24/7 coverage of a full managed services provider.
We specialize in financial services, healthcare, legal, manufacturing, and professional services firms with 10 to 500 employees. Channel Futures MSP 501 ranked. CA License #1140088.
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#### Financial Services
Southern California Financial Services Require Fast-Paced IT Consulting in Los Angeles
The world is becoming increasingly digital and everyone expects their money to move at the same rate. This means that your technology needs to be responsive, stable, and part of your customer service.

Be Structured Technology Group has years of experience in assisting clients in managing their financial services, protecting the integrity of your systems, and meeting the challenges of compliance and regulatory standards.

Whether you are a:

 	Bank
 	Wealth management firm
 	Brokerage firm
 	Insurance company
 	Asset management office

You operate in a field that relies heavily on technology to support your day-to-day functions. You are under constant customer demands and the standards of industry regulations. Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is here to support your day-to-day functions and protect the continuity of your managed IT services.

Financial firms require a range of technical solutions to ensure they remain competitive and meet customer needs. These include advanced analytics, sophisticated data management systems, cloud-based computing, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology and more.

It's important to know how financial IT services drive efficiency and security with the industry.

The ability to manage large amounts of data quickly and securely is essential for financial firms to remain successful. AI-enabled automation can help financial firms with tasks such as task allocation, fraud detection, customer segmentation and personalization, risk assessment, reporting accuracy and compliance monitoring.

But your safest bet is partnering with a business IT services and security company that understands how to prevent cyberattacks.

Blockchain technology supports secure ledgering for transactions that need to be tracked through the system. All of these technologies are necessary components in today’s digital landscape for financial institutions to stay relevant.

Additionally, financial firms have a responsibility to protect customers’ information and data. This requires the development of robust security strategies that utilize encryption, biometric authentication, two-factor authentication, and other measures to keep customer data safe from unauthorized access.

Many financial firms also require a reliable IT infrastructure that can be scaled up or down as needed; this includes agile IT architectures for scalability and flexibility.

By leveraging emerging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and advanced analytics solutions, financial firms have an opportunity to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving market environment.

At the same time, they must ensure their systems are secure and compliant with industry regulations. A comprehensive understanding of technical needs is necessary for financial firms to remain successful in today’s digital economy.

Enhancing cyber security for financial services is a primary goal for any IT support team.

Researching, evaluating and selecting technical solutions for financial firms is a complex process. It requires the expertise of both IT professionals and business leaders who understand market trends and customer needs. Financial firms must also consider their budget limitations when choosing which technology to invest in. Ultimately, the goal is to create an efficient system that meets all of their customers’ requirements while staying within budgetary constraints.

In order to remain competitive in today's digital economy, it is essential that financial firms have access to the most up-to-date technologies and processes available.

Utilizing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, cloud computing, advanced analytics solutions, and robust security measures can help financial firms stay ahead of their competitors.

Additionally, they must ensure they have the necessary IT infrastructure to support their operations, as well as the expertise to properly evaluate and select new technologies. By taking advantage of these tools, financial firms can remain competitive in today’s marketplace.

Financial firms must also take into account market trends and customer needs when developing their technical solutions. In addition to utilizing emerging technologies, it is important that they consider their budget limitations when choosing which technology to invest in.

Ultimately, financial firms need a comprehensive understanding of technical needs if they are going to remain successful in today’s digital economy. It is only through careful research, evaluation and selection of the right IT support company that financial firms will be able to continue meeting customer needs while staying ahead of their competitors. This will ensure their relevancy and longevity in the increasingly competitive marketplace.

By assessing their current technical needs, researching emerging technologies and evaluating their budget constraints, financial firms can create an efficient system that meets all of their customers’ requirements while staying competitive in the digital economy. This will enable them to remain successful for years to come.

The right technology investments are critical for financial firms to stay competitive in today's ever-changing digital landscape. From AI-enabled automation to blockchain ledgering, cloud computing, advanced analytics solutions and robust security measures, there are many tools available that have the potential to help financial firms remain successful.

Your Services Depend On The Quality Of Your Technology.
Partner with a local IT support provider that understands your priorities.
Superior Cyber Security Providers in Los Angeles Takes a Layered Approach
Every industry worries about their business IT services and security, but none more so than a financial institution.

Your customers are trusting you to manage their money and there is no room for error when someone's livelihood is on the line. You need business IT services that are dependable, flexible to your needs, and secure from intrusion.

Be Structured believes in taking a layered approach to your security because it is not just about keeping hackers out, it’s about total protection.

Professional security is also about allowing secure ease of access for the appropriate people. We provide service options like data backup, antivirus and intrusion protection, and disaster recovery planning as part of our all-inclusive managed IT services. These methods will protect you from data loss and help you bounce back from any downtime or outage.

Our actual security precautions take things even a step further. We deliver practices like penetration testing and vulnerability scanning to find your weak points before someone else does. Our technicians use threat remediation and managed threat security brings all of our services together and closes any sensitive gaps.
We Will Be There For You In The Years To Come
When you are dealing with large money transactions like mutual funds or mergers and acquisitions, you need the latest technology with the most reliable service. This means partnering with a service that offers technology consulting for the future along with stable systems for today.

Be Structured is a leader in IT support Los Angeles businesses trust and rely upon.

Depending on your needs, we may recommend services like cloud computing and server virtualization for a fully encompassing solution. As a financial service, you need maximum efficiency.

Methods like cloud services or virtualization have been designed to help you get the best performance out of your systems and keep you ready for the future.

Our priority at Be Structured is keeping your systems running at their best and serving your needs for today and tomorrow. Contact us today for a free consultation to help get started on the road to managed IT services that will help your business grow.

#### FINRA Audit Support
Be Structured is Your Managed Service Provider That Can Support Your Business Through a FINRA Audit
What is a FINRA Audit? FINRA Audit Support
Is there a chance that your business will be facing a FINRA audit this year? Considering the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, conducts more than 1500 audits annually, you could be. If you are not compliant with the rules set forth by FINRA, you could face the disciplinary action that comes with non-compliance. Turn to the Los Angeles IT technicians here at Be Structured Technology Group and let us be your FINRA audit support specialists. We understand what all goes into FINRA compliance and can help make sure your company has all of the correct policies and procedures in place to ensure that if you are ever audited or going through an annual audit, you have nothing to worry about.

Be Structured is not a FINRA auditing firm, but our clients often need IT support and changes to their IT infrastructure when going through a FINRA audit. We have several FINRA regulated clients and are familiar with the requirements, and can help you get through quickly and easily.
What is FINRA?
FINRA is a crucial part of the financial system in America because they ensure the integrity of brokers and firms during financial transactions. They work under the direct supervision of the SEC or Securities and Exchange Commission. FINRA has some key responsibilities, including:

 	Writing and enforcing the rules that govern how ethically registered brokers and broker-dealer firms operate.
 	Looking over each firm to ensure compliance with the rules that were written.
 	Encouraging transparency within the financial markets.
 	Educating anyone that has invested in the industry.

These efforts are put in place to help protect the public from issues like bad practices and fraud. Unfortunately, many people are taken advantage of annually, and FINRA is there to lower those numbers, ideally stopping them in the future. When FINRA finds out about an unethical broker or firm, they step in and do what they can to help. In some cases, they can work with the authorities to help charge these people with fraud and help restore some financial stability to some people’s lives. As an example of how FINRA works, as of 2018, they were able to:

 	Levy over $60 million in fines.
 	Refer nearly 1,000 cases directly to the SEC and similar agencies for prosecution.
 	Carry out more than 900 actions to discipline registered firms and brokers that practiced unethical behavior.
 	Order that more than $25 million be returned to defrauded investors.

If FINRA believes that you are a registered broker or firm that is not being ethical with how you treat clients, or they believe that you are not protecting the data of your transactions or clients, they can come through and audit you. In this case, you need to make sure you and your business are totally compliant not to face additional problems once the audit is complete. Depending on how businesses operate and how well they keep up with compliance, the firm or broker can face an audit or get a cycle examination. This can happen every year, every two years, every three years, or even every four years. The more compliant a firm or broker is, the less likely FINRA is to audit them.
The Importance of Data Protection
When anyone works with sensitive financial transactions, there is sensitive data that needs protection. This is part of the process and often gets overlooked when it comes to the scope of FINRA compliance. When talking about making sure the data from these transactions remain safe, there are several aspects to accomplishing this goal.

 	First, the threats must be identified and assessed to determine their scope.
 	Second, steps must be taken to ensure outside intrusions are stopped before any asset is accessed.
 	Third, a detection system must be put in place that notifies administrators when any part of their system or asset has been improperly accessed or potentially compromised.
 	Fourth, a plan needs to be created about how any compromise or intrusion is responded to.
 	Finally, a plan needs to be put in place that helps with the recovery of stolen, lost, or otherwise unavailable assets for the corporation.

There need to be specific protocols set up with each brokerage or firm to ensure that all data is kept as safe as possible. Each branch needs to have its own set of safety protocols to cover all data from investors and all financial transactions. This should involve procedures for the supervisory regulations, plus formal oversight procedures that each office must follow. There should also be a working inventory that lists all assets from hardware and software, plus all data included should any cyber-attack happen. The protection of the data is nearly as important as making sure each transaction is ethical and in the client's best interest. That is why these steps must all be in place.
A FINRA Investigation Precedes an Audit
When someone notifies FINRA of a potential problem, the first step is done through the gateway portal that the firm or broker has with FINRA. This involves the investigator going through the documents on the site and all cybersecurity programs the location has. Plus, a team will show up and perform an on-site investigation to look at the complaints, any possible breaches, and what types of training the employee has received regarding cybersecurity protocols. The firm or broker will be notified up to 60 days before the arrival, and it details the process for the investigation. If you are the broker or the firm's head, you will receive specific details as to when documentation from you is required to be handed in. The documentation that you must send before the team arrives on-site allows for FINRA to have an effective strategy for evaluating the activities of the firm or broker.
Examination On-Site
As soon as someone from the FINRA team shows up, they will request an office tour. Once the tour is complete, they will set up meetings with the leaders of compliance within the business and the people who lead the business directly. There may also be meetings with the different security personnel to see what controls are in place protecting the data and systems within the business. Most teams will also ask to see the asset inventory created to keep track of all systems and data in case of a cyberthreat, along with the log of how often the inventory is updated. There will also be requests for additional documents and proof of compliance at this time in most instances. Your firm needs to ensure that all communication is prompt and efficient to help ensure the quickest possible resolution to the audit process. Weekly meetings are to be expected during this process so that as issues arise, they can be remedied, and adjustments can be made.
FINRA Exit Meeting
When the audit nears its end, the FINRA team will hold an exit meeting to discuss the areas of concern and hand over recommendations to correct any issues discovered during the audit process. There will also be an exit meeting report for you to look over and respond to. Each item will be discussed, and you will need to have responses to each item in the report. This can be a difficult situation and should not be entered into without the help of a Los Angeles-based FINRA audit IT support team by your side.

You need to make sure that you go over the full examination report following the exit meeting. This report will be given to the CEO of the firm. If you provided exception documentation to the exit meeting report, the responses would be in this examination report. However, if there were no exceptions, the exam will be over. Each exception mentioned in this report needs to be responded to before the final treatment is set forth. It could be that FINRA decides that the firm or brokerage needs no additional action, it could be cautionary action, or it could be that a referral to law enforcement is the result. A lot depends on the issues that started the investigation, the communication during the investigation, and the changes made due to the investigation.
The Stress of FINRA Investigations
If your brokerage firm is not compliant with the rules set forth by FINRA, you are going to have trouble with them eventually. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when. You need to always act in the best interest of your investors and make sure that each transaction is ethical Plus, you need to make sure that your firm has the right protection procedures in place. However, there are times where it may be a matter of a disgruntled investor and not an actual issue where the firm or broker did anything wrong. The only way to know what will be found at the end of an investigation is to go through it. Just understand that the process is going to be stressful. To reduce your stress, make sure you are compliant from the start and support going through the process. Having a Los Angeles cybersecurity firm that can respond for you and submit all required documentation on your behalf can exponentially decrease the investigation's stress.
Where Did FINRA Come From?
Back in 2007, many different private organizations that regulate financial dealings went to the SEC and asked for approval to make their own organization. This included members of the National Association of Securities Dealers and members of the New York Stock Exchange. The SEC approved and FINRA was born.

FINRA has forms that nearly all financial personnel are supposed to file each year. This includes CPAs, firms, brokers, and more. These forms must have been completed within 60 days or less from when the fiscal year ends. FINRA, from there, will take a look at the basic transactions that the professional did during that year and examine the income levels. This can include:

 	The money that went to the broker-dealer or the firm as income.
 	How much money was paid out during that fiscal year.
 	Where the money went.
 	Tracking evidence of the money to ensure there was no theft of money along the way.
 	Checking how suitable the investments that were made were for the clients’ served.
 	If there was any additional education for personnel of the firm.
 	How the company advertised and who their target audience was during that time.

This is a normal exam that happens every year. This is not the same as one of the surprise FINRA exams or audits akin to an audit done by the state or the SEC. The point of audits is to make sure everything matches between filings and reality, plus make sure that the investments being made make sense according to who they are being invested for.
FINRA Compliance
Since the rules of compliance change so regularly, it may be the best option to consider using computer software that tracks all of the information for the firm or broker. However, that is an individual decision. What matters is that steps are being taken to keep all information used for these investments safe and out of the prying hands of hackers. It needs to be a conscious effort to make investments ethically, plus keep that personal information safe. If this is not followed, chances are a FINRA audit will follow.

Compliance is meant to help keep investment markets stable and safe. That way, people from all over can feel confident investing and keeping the United States economy moving forward. However, if there is ever cause for an audit, the best thing for a brokerage firm or dealer-broker is to prove that they are doing everything legitimately and for the right reasons. What FINRA will want to look at includes:

 	Whether or not the dealer-broker or the firm is properly licensed for day-to-day investment transactions. They will also want to see that personnel are being trained, educated, and registered to follow the best financial practices.
 	What the day-to-day operations look like. FINRA agents will want to observe the daily activities and monitor the transactions that are going on. This helps decrease the potential risks to people’s investments.
 	FINRA will want to ensure that any advertising the firm makes does not make unethical or untrue claims about returns. The information must be accurate, ethical, and properly explained.
 	All practices are being done ethically. If there are any odd transactions, FINRA will want to look into any evidence that something unsavory is happening. This includes theft, money laundering, and even insider trading. FINRA wants to make sure that all transactions are upstanding and legitimate goals come along with the investments made.

Should any non-compliance issues arise during a FINRA audit, it is important to understand that aggressive action may be taken, depending on the infraction. This could include disciplinary actions, fines, suspensions, and even the barring of brokers for severe enough infractions. If there is a breach in compliance, the problem will be outlined and investigated. What happens from there depends on the outcome of the investigation.
Avoiding a FINRA Audit
If you want to avoid a FINRA audit for possible compliance issues, then there are certain things you can do to help. They include:

 	Ensure you have supervisory control over all transactions with effective and transparent policies to keep all information accurate. This also makes sure there are no false claims or improper representations of what type of returns to expect.
 	Know that audits are coming and prepare for them. Having proof that everything is on the up-and-up allows for FINRA to come in and see what is going on without as much stress or worry. Being compliant before any examination is key in helping it go right.
 	Know what procedures and policies you must follow before starting, and making sure to follow them. This may seem like common sense, and to many, it is. However, it cannot be understated to make sure you do things properly from the start and keep them that way.
 	Make sure you have proof of everyone’s qualifications. It is vital that only the right staff handle the information. If you want to stay in the good graces of FINRA, make sure to follow this rule:  keep track of the qualifications of the staff you have in charge of transactions.

When You Need a Los Angeles MSSP to Help You With a FINRA Audit, Contact Be Structured
Protecting yourself before a FINRA audit hits is vital in coming out the other side unscathed. Make sure you have a Los Angeles security consulting firm to help you get ready and stay compliant if you want to help people with their investments. Know that you can keep your company safe by turning to the right professionals from the beginning. Be Structured is here to help. Contact us today, and let us help you be ready for the day when a FINRA audit comes your way.

Does Your Current IT Company Know How To Support You Through A FINRA Audit?
As a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles, Be Structured Technology Group can support your business through the critical tasks needed for a successful FINRA Audit.
Cover Your Business With The FINRA Audit Support You Need
Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. When facing a FINRA Audit, these threats and systems you have in play are part of what keeps your business compliant to regulatory standards.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price. FINRA Audit Support is an additional service we reserve for our current client base in their time of need.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we also protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Healthcare IT Support in Los Angeles: HIPAA Security Rule and Risk Analysis
Healthcare IT support in Los Angeles is ordinary managed IT with one addition: every decision has to be defensible under the HIPAA Security Rule, and the evidence has to exist before anyone asks for it. That means a current risk analysis, business associate agreements with every vendor that touches electronic protected health information, encryption you can prove, audit logs you retain, and a written record of the decisions you made and why.
We support medical practices, clinics, imaging centers, behavioral health providers, and the billing and administrative firms that work alongside them across Los Angeles County. We help you meet the requirements; we do not issue the certification itself, and we are not an official certifying body or auditor.
The Security Rule in three parts
The Security Rule lives at 45 CFR Part 164, Subpart C, and organizes into three groups of safeguards. Everything a vendor sells you maps back to one of them.
Administrative safeguards (45 CFR 164.308). The security management process, including risk analysis and risk management, assigned security responsibility, workforce security and access management, security awareness and training, incident response procedures, contingency planning, evaluation, and the business associate contract requirement at 164.308(b).
Physical safeguards (45 CFR 164.310). Facility access controls, workstation use and security, and device and media controls including disposal and reuse.
Technical safeguards (45 CFR 164.312). Access control including unique user identification and emergency access, audit controls, integrity controls, person or entity authentication, and transmission security.
The rule marks each implementation specification as required or addressable. Addressable does not mean optional. It means you implement it, or you document why it is not reasonable and appropriate for your environment and implement an equivalent alternative. The documented decision is the part practices skip, and it is the part an investigator asks for.
Risk analysis: what it is and how often
The risk analysis at 45 CFR 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A) is the foundation of the whole rule, and it is the most commonly cited deficiency in enforcement actions. It is an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the ePHI your organization creates, receives, maintains, or transmits.
Two things it is not. It is not a vulnerability scan, though a scan can feed it. And it is not a one-time document. The rule requires it to be updated as needed, which in practice means annually and again on any material change: a new electronic health record system, a new location, a merger, a move to a new cloud platform, or a significant breach.
What a defensible risk analysis contains: an inventory of every system and location where ePHI lives including backups and mobile devices, the threats and vulnerabilities applicable to each, the current security measures, a likelihood and impact rating, the resulting risk level, and a dated record of who performed it. The remediation plan that follows it is risk management under 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(B), and it is a separate document.
Business associate agreements
Every vendor that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits ePHI on your behalf needs a business associate agreement before it touches the data, under 45 CFR 164.308(b) and 164.314(a). That includes your IT provider, your cloud backup vendor, your email host if it stores ePHI, your billing company, your transcription service, and any software vendor with support access into a system holding patient data.
The practical failures we find are consistent: an agreement that was signed once and never revisited when the service changed, a vendor that was added without one, subcontractor flow-down that was never confirmed, and no inventory of which agreements exist. Keep a list with the vendor, the service, the agreement date, and the renewal owner. Be Structured signs a business associate agreement with every healthcare client before onboarding begins.
Encryption
Encryption is addressable rather than required, at 45 CFR 164.312(a)(2)(iv) for data at rest and 164.312(e)(2)(ii) for data in transit, and it is still the control we would implement first. The reason is the breach notification safe harbor: if ePHI is encrypted in a manner consistent with HHS guidance so that it is rendered unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized persons, a loss of that data is not a breach requiring notification under 45 CFR 164.402. A stolen laptop becomes a property loss instead of a reportable event.
Where it has to be in place: full disk encryption on every workstation, laptop, and tablet; encryption of backups both in transit and at rest; TLS on email carrying ePHI, with a secure delivery mechanism for external recipients; encryption on any removable media; and mobile device management enforcing encryption on phones with mailbox access.
Audit logs
Audit controls at 45 CFR 164.312(b) require mechanisms that record and examine activity in systems containing ePHI. Recording is half of it. The other half, examining, is what most practices have never staffed, and a log nobody reviews satisfies the letter of the requirement badly.
What to log and review: access to the electronic health record by user and by patient record, administrative changes, authentication failures and successes, remote access sessions, and changes to the audit configuration itself. HIPAA sets a six year retention period for required documentation at 45 CFR 164.316(b)(2)(i), and many practices apply the same period to their security logs by policy. Set the retention deliberately rather than accepting a vendor default, because the default is usually 30 or 90 days and an investigation will ask for longer.
Where the 2025 to 2026 rulemaking stands
The Security Rule has not been substantially updated since 2013. On January 6, 2025 the HHS Office for Civil Rights published a notice of proposed rulemaking to modify it (90 FR 898), and the comment period closed on March 7, 2025.
Among other changes, the proposal would elevate technology asset inventory to a standard in its own right at 164.308(a)(1)(i), add a definition of multi-factor authentication, and require regulated entities to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities found through vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. It also revisits the required versus addressable distinction that currently gives practices discretion over controls including encryption.
Status as of August 29, 2026: this is a proposed rule. No final rule has been published, and the Security Rule as it stands at 45 CFR Part 164 is what is enforceable today. Our advice to clients has not changed because of the proposal, for a simple reason: asset inventory, multi-factor authentication, encryption, and acting on scan findings are things a practice should already be doing, and a practice already doing them has nothing to do on the day a final rule appears.
What we do and what stays with the practice
WorkOwned by
Technical safeguards: access control, authentication, encryption, audit logging, transmission securityBe Structured
Monitoring, patching, endpoint security, backup and recovery testingBe Structured
Risk analysis facilitation and the technical findings within itJoint
Risk management plan and the decision to accept or remediate a riskPractice
Policies and procedures, and the documented addressable-specification decisionsPractice, with our input on technical content
Business associate agreements with your other vendorsPractice
Workforce training and sanction policyPractice
Physical safeguards at your facilityPractice
Breach determination and patient notificationPractice, with counsel
What healthcare IT support costs in Los Angeles
A Los Angeles medical practice generally pays in the same band as any other business of its size, between $125 and $300 per user per month, sitting toward the upper part of that band because the security tier, the logging retention, and the documentation work are all above baseline. The full breakdown of what moves the number is in our managed IT services pricing guide. Practices with imaging systems, on-premises servers running clinical applications, or multiple locations should expect project work alongside the monthly fee.
Related: HIPAA audit support for practices working through an assessment, and our managed security services for the monitoring side.
Contact Be Structured today to schedule a compliance assessment for your Los Angeles medical practice.
➤ Schedule Your Free IT Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions About Healthcare IT and HIPAA
What does HIPAA-compliant IT support actually mean?It means the technical safeguards in 45 CFR 164.312 are implemented and evidenced, your IT provider has signed a business associate agreement, and the decisions behind each addressable specification are documented. There is no HIPAA certification for an IT provider and no product that makes a practice compliant. What exists is a set of safeguards, a current risk analysis, and a documented record of what you decided and why. Be wary of any provider selling compliance as a product.
How often does a HIPAA risk analysis need to be done?The rule at 45 CFR 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A) requires an accurate and thorough assessment and requires it to be updated as needed rather than naming an interval. In practice that means annually, and again on any material change: a new electronic health record system, a new location, a merger, a cloud migration, or a security incident. Risk analysis is the most commonly cited deficiency in enforcement actions, and the reason is usually that the practice did one once and never revisited it.
Is encryption required under HIPAA?Encryption is addressable rather than required, at 45 CFR 164.312(a)(2)(iv) for data at rest and 164.312(e)(2)(ii) for data in transit. Addressable means you implement it or document why it is not reasonable and appropriate and put an equivalent alternative in place. We recommend implementing it in almost every case because of the breach notification safe harbor: properly encrypted ePHI that is lost or stolen is not a breach requiring notification under 45 CFR 164.402, which turns a stolen laptop into a property loss rather than a reportable event.
Who needs to sign a business associate agreement?Every vendor that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits electronic protected health information on your behalf, under 45 CFR 164.308(b) and 164.314(a). That includes your IT provider, cloud backup vendor, email host if it stores ePHI, billing company, transcription service, and any software vendor with support access into a system holding patient data. Keep an inventory with the vendor, the service, the agreement date, and an owner for renewal, because the failure we find most often is not a missing clause but a vendor nobody remembered to paper.
How long do we have to keep HIPAA audit logs?HIPAA requires documentation to be retained for six years from the date of creation or the date it was last in effect, whichever is later, at 45 CFR 164.316(b)(2)(i). Security logs are not named explicitly, so many practices apply the same six year period by policy. What matters practically is that you set the retention deliberately rather than inheriting a vendor default of 30 or 90 days, because an investigation or an insurance claim will ask for a period longer than that.
What is the status of the proposed HIPAA Security Rule update?It is still a proposed rule. The HHS Office for Civil Rights published the notice of proposed rulemaking on January 6, 2025 at 90 FR 898, and the comment period closed on March 7, 2025. As of August 29, 2026 no final rule has been published, so the Security Rule as it currently stands at 45 CFR Part 164 is what is enforceable. The proposal would elevate technology asset inventory to a standard, add a definition of multi-factor authentication, require remediation of vulnerabilities found by scanning and penetration testing, and revisit the required versus addressable distinction.
Should we prepare now for the proposed Security Rule changes?Prepare for the substance, not for the rule. Asset inventory, multi-factor authentication everywhere, encryption at rest and in transit, vulnerability scanning with actual remediation, and reviewed audit logs are all things a practice should be doing under the current rule and under any reasonable reading of what a final rule would require. A practice that has those in place has nothing to do on publication day. A practice waiting for a final rule before starting will be starting from behind, on someone else timeline.
How much does IT support for a medical practice cost in Los Angeles?Generally between $125 and $300 per user per month, in the same band as any business of similar size but usually toward the upper part of it, because the security tier, log retention, and documentation work sit above baseline. Practices with imaging systems, on-premises clinical application servers, or multiple locations should expect project work alongside the monthly fee. Our managed IT services pricing guide breaks down the variables that move the number.

#### HIPAA Audit Support
Be Structured is Your Managed Service Provider That Can Support Your Business Through a HIPAA Audit
What is a HIPAA Audit? HIPAA Audit Support
As any healthcare provider knows, HIPAA is an incredibly important set of guidelines that are meant to protect a lot of patient information. If you are not HIPAA compliant, that can become a very large problem in very little time. In order to make sure your office or location is totally HIPAA compliant, turn to the services of the experienced professionals here at Be Structured Technology Group. We are a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles who can support you through all of the IT portions of a HIPAA Audit. Moreover, we are the premier Los Angeles cybersecurity firm that can help get all of your IT infrastructure HIPAA compliant in the first place.

Be Structured is not a HIPAA auditing firm, but our clients often need IT support and changes to their IT infrastructure when going through a HIPAA audit. We have a number of HIPAA-regulated clients and are familiar with the requirements and can help you get through yours quickly and easily.
What is HIPAA?
Most commonly known as HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was set into motion in 1996. Since then, it has created a very long list of what type of information must be kept in a secure location and who has access to it. Medical facilities must all make sure they are completely HIPAA compliant in order to avoid the problems that stem from noncompliance. There is no alternative to being HIPAA compliant. These rules must be followed, and all data must be stored and used properly. This is why every medical business will face a HIPAA audit at some point.
HIPAA Security Rules
When HIPAA rules are followed, the secure information that healthcare providers have on patients is kept secure. The rules are meant to cover the entire healthcare industry to make sure that all billing and patient information is kept confidential on all patients. It also has the sideline benefit of making sure that rates of healthcare abuse and healthcare fraud continue to decline.

It is essential that any type of data that could point to the identity of a patient be kept under strict safety measures that provide confidentiality. This is an important aspect of the HIPAA rules. This type of compliance must be maintained on many different levels and requires specific procedures to ensure the security and privacy of every piece of data your business holds.
Basic Guidelines of HIPAA
During his presidency, former President Bill Clinton worked to ensure that patients’ rights were an important topic. That is part of the dedication behind signing HIPAA into law. There are several goals that HIPAA was designed to meet. They include:

 	Reducing health care fraud
 	Reducing health care abuse by patients and professionals alike
 	Setting specific security standards that cover health care billing
 	Setting storage standards to cover how medical data is stored
 	Making sure all bits of medical data and personally identifiable information (PII) are kept and transmitted securely

HIPAA Audit Compliance Changes With Technology
It is your job as a facility that contains any medical data is to make sure any type of medical information is confidential and not exposed to anyone who could use the information improperly. Over time, HIPAA rules have changed, making sure they stay up to date with the advances in technology. If you were once compliant, but are not sure if you are now, it is vital you contact us here at Be Structured. We are a top HIPAA Audit Support IT Company in the city of Los Angeles for a reason!
Why is HIPAA Compliance so Important?
Achieving and maintaining HIPAA compliance is essential for the protection of your patient’s health information. Any type of breach could result in an impact on your company, your patients, and even your bottom line. There are many types of disciplinary action that could be taken if you are not fully compliant with HIPAA standards. Your business could face penalties and fines, not to mention the hit to your reputation.
HIPAA Audit Support is Necessary
There have been several instances where hackers have gone through to exploit vulnerabilities that come from having outdated servers, operating systems, medical devices, or security practices. This, unfortunately, is far more common than it should be. There can be problems with the actual server the information is being stored in, or even in the devices that are used to perform medical tests. It would be incredibly difficult to stop a hacker from getting information out of an unsecured MRI or CAT scan machine. This is why HIPAA has and enforces the rules it does.

Any medical institution that does not comply with the security standards set forth by HIPAA could face significant damage. When a breach occurs, the law sets forth what needs to happen next. Typically, this means gathering and submitting documents that disclose what happened. It also typically requires proof that each potential victim was notified of the problem. Some situations also require that you cover a full year of protection after the breach to protect against identity theft. On top of the fines, this could be a significant cost, plus, this may need to happen before you can even take the time to confirm the breach.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule
When talking about the HIPAA Privacy Rule, otherwise known as The Rule, you are talking about a group that sets up and creates the standards those who must be HIPAA compliant must follow. The goal is to provide protection to any type of health information that could identify a patient, especially medical records. These rules and standards apply to three specific types of companies. This includes:

 	Contractors and vendors that make up the supply chain
 	All medical or healthcare providers
 	Service providers that have access to the information, such as a data center or a cloud provider

The Rule has a requirement that states any provider will keep safeguards in place to help protect the privacy of their patients. This must keep their Personal Identifiable Information (PII) safe. There must be specific guidelines on when and how electronic information is used, accessed, or shared.

Under HIPAA, patients have three rights that are fundamental to their protection:

 	Patients get to decide if they want their health records or information disclosed to others or not.
 	Patients can ask for and look over a copy of all health records a facility has at any point in time
 	If patients find inaccurate information, they have the right to ask for the information to be updated with the correct information.

What is the HIPAA Security Rule?
A small subset of HIPAA is the Security Rule. This is specifically set up to protect electronic health information that could lead to identifying who the patient is. This rule covers the creation, maintenance, reception, and use of all electronic information. There are several safeguards for this rule that all entities must follow to be in full HIPAA compliance.
HIPAA Compliance and Technical Safeguards

 	Limiting Controls: This is putting limits in place on who can access electronic information about patients or health records.
 	Audit Controls: This is making sure that companies are constantly checking and monitoring who has access, what activity is taking place, and that there are no vulnerabilities that are obvious and not being corrected.
 	Integrity Controls: This ensures there are procedures already in place to ensure electronic information is being altered or destroyed using improper procedures.
 	Transmission Security Controls: This ensures that any entity that is HIPAA compliant securely protects all data via encryption whenever it is transmitted or received using electronic networks.
 	Data at Rest Encryption: This ensures PII (personally identifiable information) is encrypted at its final storage/resting place.

HIPAA Compliance – Physical Safeguards

 	

 	Facility Security: This means that any facility where the data may be stored, plus any devices that access the information must be secure.
 	Personnel Security: Anyone that does not possess the proper security clearance should not be allowed anywhere in the facility.
 	Device and Workstation Security: Only authorized users should be allowed to access and use devices and workstations that hold these protected files.
 	Electronic Disposal Safeguards: When an electronic device is being disposed of, there must also be steps in place to ensure the data on the device is transferred or destroyed properly before the device is then wiped clean and properly disposed of.



HIPAA Compliance – Administrative Safeguards

 	

 	

 	

 	Security Management Processes: The entity must have all possible security risks identified, analyzed, and processes put in place to keep the information safe at the same level that the risk was discovered at, or higher.
 	Security Personnel Processes: There has to be some type of security personnel that is designated to ensure all protocols are in place and being followed. If any vulnerabilities come to light, this individual must develop new policies to protect the information as well.
 	System of Managed Information: There needs to be some type of system in place that manages all of the information. Access must be restricted to only the appropriate personnel and different levels of access must be granted depending on the type of access each user may need.
 	Training Processes: There must be training provided on an ongoing basis for every employee who works with this type of information. There must also disciplinary action for any employee who does not follow the policies regarding secure information.
 	Evaluation Processes: There must be regular, ongoing assessments and evaluations to ensure all current policies are still effectively protecting the information of the patients.







You need to make sure all people and all systems are fully compliant including volunteers, students, interns, administrative employees, caregivers, orderlies, and more. It should also include any person that represents your business, all data, apps, all hardware and software, and all communications within and outside of your company.
HIPAA Compliant Businesses
Not all businesses require HIPAA compliance. However, if you do, it is essential that you have a Los Angeles MSSP to provide the protection and evaluations you need. Here are the businesses that need to maintain HIPAA compliance.

 	

 	

 	

 	Health Plans: This can include an employer’s health plan, HMOs, and health maintenance companies. This applies to schools that have health information as well as Medicaid and Medicare.
 	Health Care Clearinghouses: This can include billing services for health care companies, community health care services, and any type of information system that covers health management. This will also include companies that gather information and create industry-standard health-related projects based on the information gathered.
 	Health Care Providers: Any type of medical provider that treats patients. This can include a surgeon, optometrist, doctor, podiatrist, dentist, lab tech, pharmacy, clinic, hospitals, and more.
 	Associates of These Businesses: Any type of contractor that works for any of these businesses or provides services these businesses use must also be HIPAA compliant. This means they are trained on how to process information, transmit the information safely, and shred any documentation that contains medical information. It also includes medical transcriptionists, auditors, medical equipment companies, and medical billing accountants.







How to be Compliant to HIPAA Regulations
You need to systemically look at how your business runs when your goal is to become HIPAA compliant. Each area of your business needs to be explored and checked for possible vulnerabilities. Plus, you also need to make sure you recheck this often and update anything that could be a possible opening. Here are some considerations to make to ensure compliance.

 	

 	

 	

 	You must be able to distribute your policies so that anyone who wants a copy can see what you do to protect their patient information and privacy.
 	All security risks must have been assessed, both private and public, and addressed.
 	All processes need to be documented including regular assessments, evaluations, and updates.
 	Each staff member must go through training and accept the policies and procedures associated with HIPAA.
 	There must be proof that these steps have been taken. There must also be proof of each employee’s training and acceptance of the compliance rules.







Be Structured Technology Group Can Make HIPAA Compliance Easier
Do you have the time and know-how to ensure that you are fully HIPAA compliant? If not, then you need the help of an experienced Los Angeles security consulting firm that can handle all of the complexities that come along with getting HIPAA compliant. The steps are exacting and exhausting, but if you miss any of them, it can leave you facing large fines and other problems. Your patients depend on you to keep them safe, whether directly or indirectly. Make sure you are fully prepared to keep them as safe as possible. Reach out to the professionals here at Be Structured Technology Group. We can help you from getting your server ready, to installing authentication software, anti-virus and anti-malware programs, and HIPAA compliance, plus so much more. Contact us today to find out more.

Does Your Current IT Company Know How to Support You Through a HIPAA Audit?
As a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles, Be Structured Technology Group can support your business through the critical tasks needed for a successful HIPAA Audit.
Cover Your Business With The HIPAA Audit Support You Need
Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. When facing a PCI Audit, these threats and systems you have in play are part of what keeps your business compliant to regulatory standards.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price. HIPAA Audit Support is an additional service we reserve for our current client base in their time of need.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Hollywood IT Support
Welcome to the Finest Hollywood IT Support
Be Structured Technology Group provides Hollywood IT support for small and mid-sized businesses in Hollywood, CA. Our local team delivers 24/7 managed IT services, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, and help desk support under a flat-rate, all-inclusive plan — so there are no surprise bills. With a Domain Rating of 45 (highest among all LA-area MSPs) and 15+ years serving the greater Los Angeles area, Be Structured is the Hollywood managed services provider businesses trust when reliability is non-negotiable.
Call 1-323-331-9452 or schedule a free consultation today.
Hollywood is one of the most dynamic business districts in Los Angeles — home to entertainment companies, creative agencies, healthcare practices, law offices, and fast-growing startups. What all these businesses have in common: they depend on technology that simply cannot fail. When your network goes down or a cyberattack hits, every minute offline is revenue lost and reputation at risk.
That's where Be Structured comes in. As a locally based managed IT services provider in Los Angeles, we provide Hollywood businesses with the same enterprise-grade IT infrastructure that Fortune 500 companies rely on — at a predictable flat monthly rate designed for SMBs.
By the numbers: Be Structured holds a Domain Rating of 45 — the highest of any IT support company in the Los Angeles area. We hold 50+ Google rankings in positions 1–3, earn citations across Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, and have served Hollywood-area businesses for 15+ years.
What Is Hollywood IT Support — and What Should It Include?
Hollywood IT support refers to managed technology services delivered to businesses located in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. A qualified Hollywood IT support company should provide far more than just a help desk — it should act as a strategic technology partner.
Here is what a full-service Hollywood managed IT services package should include:
 	24/7 network monitoring and remote support
 	Proactive cybersecurity including endpoint protection, email security, and threat response
 	Data backup and disaster recovery planning
 	Cloud services and Microsoft 365 management
 	On-site support from a local Hollywood team
 	Flat-rate, predictable monthly pricing (no hourly billing)
 	vCIO / IT strategy consulting aligned with your business goals
Be Structured delivers every item on this list under a single all-inclusive plan. There are no hidden fees, no a la carte charges, and no technology gaps.
Hollywood IT Support Options Compared
Not sure which IT model is right for your Hollywood business? Here is how Be Structured compares to the most common alternatives:
Feature
Be Structured
In-House IT
Break-Fix Provider
Response Time
< 1 Hour
Varies
Same Day / Next Day
24/7 Monitoring
✓ Included
Rarely
✗ Not Included
Flat Monthly Rate
✓ Yes
Salary + Benefits
✗ Per Incident
Cybersecurity
✓ Bundled
Extra Cost
✗ Add-On
Local Hollywood Team
✓ Yes
Depends
Varies
AI & Cloud Expertise
✓ Current
Training Required
Limited
Most Hollywood businesses that switch to Be Structured from break-fix providers or a single in-house IT staffer report lower total technology costs within the first six months — because proactive management prevents the expensive emergencies that reactive models invite.
Frequently Asked Questions: Hollywood IT Support
What does Hollywood IT support cost?Hollywood IT support from Be Structured is priced as a flat monthly rate based on the number of users and devices at your business. Most Hollywood SMBs pay between $125 and $300 per user per month for fully managed, all-inclusive IT support — covering help desk, cybersecurity, backup, and strategic IT consulting with no additional fees.How quickly can Be Structured respond to IT issues in Hollywood?Be Structured responds to all Hollywood IT support requests within 60 minutes or less, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For critical issues such as network outages or active security incidents, our average response time is under 15 minutes. On-site visits to Hollywood locations can typically be scheduled within the same business day.Does Be Structured offer cybersecurity services to Hollywood businesses?Yes. Cybersecurity is bundled into every managed IT services plan. Hollywood clients receive endpoint protection, DNS filtering, email security, dark web monitoring, two-factor authentication enforcement, and 24/7 security monitoring from our security operations center. We also offer standalone cybersecurity assessments for Hollywood businesses not yet on a managed plan.What makes Be Structured different from other Hollywood IT companies?Be Structured holds the highest Domain Rating (45) of any IT support company in the Los Angeles area, has served the Hollywood market for 15+ years, and is the only LA MSP actively cited by Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity as a trusted IT resource. We offer flat-rate all-inclusive pricing, no long-term contracts, and a sub-1-hour help desk response SLA that most Hollywood IT competitors cannot match.Can Be Structured support remote and hybrid teams based in Hollywood?Yes. Be Structured fully supports Hollywood businesses with remote, hybrid, and in-office teams. Our remote monitoring and management tools, cloud infrastructure services, and mobile device management capabilities ensure your employees stay secure and productive regardless of where they work. We regularly support Hollywood clients with teams across multiple time zones.Is Be Structured able to handle compliance requirements for Hollywood businesses?Yes. Be Structured has certified expertise in HIPAA (healthcare), PCI DSS (payments and financial services), and SOC 2 compliance frameworks. Many Hollywood businesses — particularly in healthcare, entertainment, legal, and finance — operate under strict data security regulations, and our team is experienced in both implementing and documenting compliance controls.What areas near Hollywood does Be Structured serve?In addition to Hollywood, Be Structured provides IT support throughout the greater Los Angeles area, including West Hollywood, Burbank, Pasadena, Century City, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Downtown LA, and Vernon. View our full areas we serve page for details.

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FAQs About Los Angeles IT Support Services
What IT services does Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) offer?We provide comprehensive managed IT services including 24/7 tech support, cybersecurity solutions, cloud services, backup and disaster recovery, network infrastructure, VoIP phone systems, server colocation and hosting, and SIEM/SOC services. Our solutions are customized to align with your business goals and can replace or supplement your existing IT department.Where is Be Structured located?Our office is located in downtown Los Angeles at the Biltmore Tower on the southeast corner of 5th Street and Grand Avenue in the Financial District. We primarily serve businesses throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, and the greater Southern California area, with a focus on downtown LA companies.How much do your managed IT services cost?We offer predictable monthly pricing based on your specific needs and company size. Our all-inclusive managed service plans provide access to an entire team of IT experts for approximately half the cost of hiring a full-time IT staff person. Costs vary by business size and service tier — see real pricing ranges in our full managed IT pricing guide. Contact us for a free consultation to receive a customized quote tailored to your requirements.What industries does BSTG specialize in?We specialize in serving professional service firms, financial services companies, wealth management firms, law firms, nonprofits, real estate and property management, logistics, and entertainment companies. Our expertise spans regulatory compliance requirements and industry-specific security needs.Do you provide 24/7 IT support?Yes, we provide comprehensive 24/7/365 support. Our team treats your company like our own business, ensuring your systems remain operational around the clock. We offer both remote support and on-site visits to your office when needed.What's the difference between your MSP and MSSP services?Our MSP (Managed Service Provider) offering includes comprehensive IT support, monitoring, and maintenance. Our MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider) services include everything in MSP plus advanced security features: AI-based antivirus, Security Incident Event Monitoring (SIEM), 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC), log analysis, and compliance gap implementation—ideal for businesses with strict regulatory requirements.Can you help with office moves and IT infrastructure setup?Absolutely. We have over 15 years of experience managing office relocations and network installations. As one of the rare managed service providers with a California state contractor license, we can pull permits directly without relying on third-party contractors, saving you time and ensuring seamless transitions.How quickly can you respond to IT emergencies?We provide rapid response times with 24/7 availability. As a local downtown Los Angeles provider, we can quickly reach your office on foot, by car, or via Metro for urgent on-site needs. Our proactive monitoring approach often prevents issues before they become emergencies.What makes Be Structured different from other IT support companies?We’re technologists first, not salespeople. Founded in 2007, we focus on realistic solutions delivered on time and within budget. We never push unnecessary products or services. Our team includes diverse IT experts led by a CEO with technical expertise, and we provide a CTO/CIO-level strategic perspective as part of our comprehensive support.Do you offer cybersecurity and data backup services?Yes, cybersecurity is a core focus. We provide layered security including antivirus and intrusion protection, dark web scanning, phishing prevention, multi-factor authentication, advanced network traffic monitoring, and SIEM services. Our disaster recovery solutions include comprehensive backup systems designed to help your business bounce back quickly from any incident.
Excerpt: Be Structured IT Support Los Angeles and IT Services in Los Angeles provide outsourced technical solutions for any size business.

#### Hosted VoIP Solutions for Los Angeles Businesses
Hosted VoIP solutions are cloud-based phone systems that route business calls over the internet, eliminating on-site PBX hardware and reducing communication costs by 30–50% compared to traditional phone lines. Setup takes as little as one to five business days, and systems scale instantly by adding users through an online dashboard. Be Structured Technology Group deploys and manages hosted VoIP solutions for Los Angeles businesses of all sizes, including number porting, call routing configuration, and 24/7 support — all included in a predictable monthly per-user rate.

If your Los Angeles business is still paying for a traditional PBX system — or running phone lines that don’t support remote work — you’re likely overpaying for less functionality than a modern hosted VoIP solution provides. This guide covers exactly what hosted VoIP is, how it compares to alternatives, what it costs, and how Be Structured handles the migration for you with zero downtime.
Hosted VoIP by the Numbers
These benchmarks reflect standard enterprise hosted VoIP deployments for small-to-midsize businesses:



30–50%

Average reduction in monthly phone costs vs. traditional PBX
1–5 days

Typical deployment time vs. 4–8 weeks for legacy PBX
99.99%

Standard uptime SLA on enterprise-grade hosted VoIP platforms


100 Kbps

Bandwidth required per simultaneous call
$0

Upfront hardware cost for a cloud-hosted deployment
$20–$40/user

Typical monthly per-user cost for a small business



Hosted VoIP vs. Traditional Phone Systems: Side-by-Side Comparison
Not all business phone systems are equal. Here is how hosted VoIP stacks up against a legacy PBX and an on-premise VoIP system across the criteria that matter most to Los Angeles businesses:



Feature / Criteria
☁️ Hosted VoIP
Traditional PBX
On-Premise VoIP


Upfront Hardware Cost
$0 (cloud-hosted)
$10,000–$50,000+
$5,000–$30,000


Monthly Cost Per User
$20–$40/user
$50–$100+/line
$20–$45/user


Deployment Time
1–5 business days
4–8 weeks
2–4 weeks


On-Site Hardware Required
✓ None
✗ Extensive PBX server
✗ Moderate


Remote Work Support
✓ Native — softphone apps included
✗ Very limited
Moderate (VPN often required)


Scalability (Adding Users)
✓ Instant via dashboard
✗ Physical line installation required
Moderate — hardware limits apply


IT Maintenance Burden
✓ Managed by provider
✗ Full in-house responsibility
✗ In-house responsibility


Built-in Disaster Recovery
✓ Yes — automatic failover
✗ Manual backup only
Limited


Video Conferencing Included
✓ Yes (most plans)
✗ No
Varies


CRM / Software Integration
✓ Salesforce, HubSpot, Teams, etc.
✗ Very limited
Limited


Uptime SLA
99.99%
Varies (no SLA)
Varies


Number Porting
✓ Full support
Yes (carrier-dependent)
Yes



Cost ranges represent typical U.S. small-to-midsize business deployments. Actual costs vary by vendor, user count, and feature tier. Data compiled from industry benchmarks current as of 2026.
Hosted VoIP Solutions — Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hosted VoIP solution?A hosted VoIP solution is a cloud-based business phone system that routes calls over the internet instead of traditional copper phone lines. The provider hosts all the phone system infrastructure in the cloud — there is no on-site PBX hardware required. Businesses pay a monthly per-user fee and access features like auto-attendants, call routing, voicemail-to-email, video conferencing, and mobile softphone apps. Be Structured Technology Group manages hosted VoIP deployments for businesses throughout Los Angeles, handling setup, number porting, and ongoing support.How much does hosted VoIP cost for a small business?Hosted VoIP solutions typically cost $20–$40 per user per month for a small business, with no upfront hardware investment beyond optional desk phones or headsets. That compares to traditional PBX systems, which require $10,000–$50,000 in hardware and installation for a comparable setup. Most Los Angeles small businesses with 10–50 employees see total communication cost reductions of 30–50% after switching to hosted VoIP. Be Structured provides a no-cost assessment that calculates your current phone spend against a projected hosted VoIP cost before you commit to anything.What internet speed do I need for hosted VoIP?Hosted VoIP requires approximately 100 Kbps (0.1 Mbps) of dedicated bandwidth per simultaneous call. A business that typically makes 10 concurrent calls needs roughly 1 Mbps of reliable upload and download bandwidth reserved for voice traffic. Most modern business internet connections running at 50 Mbps or faster are more than sufficient. Be Structured Technology Group conducts a bandwidth assessment before every VoIP deployment and configures Quality of Service (QoS) settings on your router to prioritize voice traffic — eliminating jitter, lag, and dropped calls even on busy networks.Can I keep my existing phone numbers when switching to hosted VoIP?Yes. Number porting allows you to transfer your existing local and toll-free business phone numbers to your new hosted VoIP system. The porting process typically takes 7–14 business days, and calls to your existing numbers continue to ring normally throughout the entire transition. Be Structured Technology Group handles the complete number porting process for Los Angeles clients, coordinating directly with your current carrier so you don’t have to manage any of it.What is the difference between hosted VoIP and a traditional business phone system?Traditional business phone service (PSTN or legacy PBX) routes calls over copper telephone lines and requires an on-site PBX box costing $10,000–$50,000 to install and maintain. Hosted VoIP routes calls over the internet using cloud infrastructure managed by the provider, eliminating on-site hardware entirely. Hosted VoIP includes enterprise features — call recording, video conferencing, mobile apps, CRM integration — that traditional phone systems either don’t support or charge significant add-on fees for. Traditional phone lines also cannot easily scale; adding lines requires a physical technician visit. Hosted VoIP adds or removes users in minutes through an online dashboard.Is hosted VoIP reliable enough for a business?Yes. Enterprise-grade hosted VoIP platforms operate on redundant, geographically distributed cloud infrastructure and typically guarantee 99.99% uptime — equivalent to fewer than 53 minutes of downtime per year. Traditional PBX systems are single points of failure: a hardware problem or a downed phone line takes all lines offline simultaneously. Hosted VoIP also provides built-in disaster recovery. If your Los Angeles office loses internet, calls automatically failover to mobile devices or a configured backup location with no manual intervention required.Does hosted VoIP work for remote and hybrid employees?Hosted VoIP is purpose-built for remote and hybrid work. Every user gets a softphone app for their smartphone, laptop, or tablet that functions identically to a desk phone — including your business caller ID, personal extension, voicemail, and call transfer capabilities. Remote employees connect to the same phone system as in-office staff with no VPN required. This makes hosted VoIP especially practical for Los Angeles businesses whose teams span multiple office locations, work from home regularly, or travel frequently.How long does it take to set up hosted VoIP for a business?A hosted VoIP system can be fully configured and live within 1–5 business days for most small to mid-size businesses. This includes account setup, call routing configuration, auto-attendant recording, user provisioning, and device setup. Number porting from your existing carrier runs concurrently and typically completes within 7–14 business days — during which time your current numbers continue to work normally. Be Structured Technology Group manages the full deployment for Los Angeles businesses, including on-site device configuration and staff training on the new system.What is the difference between hosted VoIP and UCaaS?Hosted VoIP specifically refers to cloud-delivered voice calling that replaces traditional phone lines. UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) is a broader category that includes hosted VoIP plus video conferencing, team messaging, file sharing, and CRM integrations — all in a single platform. Most modern enterprise hosted VoIP solutions are effectively UCaaS platforms, meaning businesses get phone, video, and messaging capabilities under one monthly subscription. Be Structured can help Los Angeles businesses determine whether a pure hosted VoIP plan or a full UCaaS deployment better fits their communication workflow and budget.

#### How to Switch IT Providers in Los Angeles Without Downtime: The 30, 60, 90 Day Handover Plan
You can switch IT providers without downtime if the handover is treated as a project with a list, an owner, and a date. The work splits cleanly into three months: 30 days to take custody of credentials, documentation, and licensing; 60 days to cut over monitoring, security, and backups and prove they run; 90 days to close out vendor relationships, finish the documentation, and hold a review. Everything below is the list.

Almost every bad transition we are called into fails in the same place: the outgoing provider holds something the client never asked for, and nobody notices until it is needed. Domain registrar access, backup encryption key, license tenancy, and alarm panel password. Ask for it all while you still have a contract.
Before you give notice: five things to do first

 	Read your agreement for the term, the notice period, and the offboarding clause. Thirty days written notice is common. Auto-renewal on an anniversary date is also common, and missing it by a week can cost you a year.
 	Inventory what you know you have. Users, mailboxes, servers, firewalls, switches, wireless controllers, line-of-business applications, and the vendors behind each. You will not get it complete; you are establishing a baseline so you can tell what the outgoing provider adds to it.
 	Find out who owns your domain name. Log in to the registrar yourself. If you cannot, that is the single most urgent item on the list, because email and the website both depend on it.
 	Pick the incoming provider and set a target cutover date before you give notice, so you never have a gap with no one covering the help desk.
 	Tell your staff a date and a reason. A transition with no internal communication generates tickets that look like outages.

What to demand from the outgoing provider
This is the handover list. Ask for all of it in one written request, with a deadline, and copy whoever signed the contract on both sides. Anything the provider cannot produce is a finding for the new provider's first-week risk list.
Credentials and administrative access

 	Global administrator access to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, held in an account your business owns.
 	Local administrator and domain administrator credentials for every server and for Active Directory or Entra ID.
 	Firewall, switch, wireless controller, and any out-of-band management credentials.
 	Hypervisor and storage console credentials.
 	Backup console credentials and the encryption key or passphrase. A backup you cannot decrypt is not a backup.
 	Line-of-business application administrator accounts, including any vendor support portal logins registered to the provider rather than to you.
 	A full export of the password vault entries that relate to your environment.
 	Confirmation of which accounts belonged to the provider's staff, so they can be disabled on the last day rather than discovered a year later.

Documentation

 	Network diagram, including public IP assignments, VLANs, and any site-to-site tunnels.
 	Asset inventory with make, model, serial, warranty end date, and location for every server, firewall, switch, access point, and workstation.
 	Application inventory: what each system does, who the vendor is, who the internal owner is, and what it depends on.
 	Standard operating procedures that the provider wrote for your environment, especially onboarding, offboarding, and anything with a manual step.
 	Change history for at least the last twelve months.
 	Open ticket list at the moment of handover, with owner and status.

Licensing and subscriptions

 	A list of every subscription with a renewal date, seat count, and who is billed.
 	Confirmation of which licenses sit in your own tenant and which sit under the provider's agreement. Licenses bought through a provider's cloud solution provider relationship usually have to be transferred, and that transfer takes lead time.
 	Antivirus, EDR, backup, and email security subscriptions: the same question, since these are the ones most often held in the provider's name.
 	Any hardware still under a lease or a hardware-as-a-service agreement, with the term and the buyout figure.

Domain, DNS, and certificates

 	Registrar account access for every domain you own, including the ones you forgot you own.
 	Authoritative DNS control, whether that is at the registrar, a hosting provider, or a content delivery network.
 	Current zone export, so the new provider can rebuild the records if a migration goes wrong.
 	SPF, DKIM, and DMARC record inventory, since these break email in ways that look like an outage but are not.
 	TLS certificates: where they are issued, when they expire, and who renews them.

Backups and recoverability

 	What is backed up, on what schedule, to where, and with what retention.
 	The last successful restore test, with evidence. If there is not one, say so in the handover record.
 	Copies of any backup data held in the provider's own cloud, and a written commitment to a deletion date after you have your copy.
 	Immutability and offsite status for each backup set, since ransomware recovery depends on both.

Contracts and commercials

 	The signed agreement and every amendment.
 	Final invoice reconciliation, including any prepaid blocks of hours.
 	Written confirmation of the last day of service and the deprovisioning date for the provider's own accounts and tools.

The 30-60-90 day handover plan
Days 1 to 30: take custody and stop the bleeding
The goal of month one is that nothing important is held only by someone who is leaving.

 	Issue the handover request above with a deadline inside the notice period.
 	Create your own global administrator account, verify you can use it, and store the credentials somewhere the business controls.
 	Take registrar and DNS control first, ahead of everything else.
 	Have the incoming provider run a discovery pass and compare their findings against the outgoing documentation. The gap between the two is the real handover risk.
 	Verify backups by restoring something, not by reading a report.
 	Agree who answers the service desk on each day of the transition, in writing, so no ticket falls between two providers.

Days 31 to 60: cut over and prove it

 	Deploy the new monitoring and remote management agents, then confirm device counts match the asset inventory.
 	Deploy the new endpoint detection and response tooling, and only then remove the outgoing provider's agents. Overlap is safer than a gap.
 	Move backups to the new platform, run a restore test, and record the result.
 	Rotate every administrative credential the outgoing provider held, including service accounts.
 	Disable the provider's named accounts in your tenant and on your network gear.
 	Transfer licensing tenancy, which usually has the longest lead time of anything on this list.
 	Re-point vendor support relationships so the new provider can open cases on your behalf.

Days 61 to 90: close out and review

 	Confirm the outgoing provider's remaining access is gone, using an access review rather than their word.
 	Confirm their copies of your backup data have been deleted on the agreed date.
 	Finish the documentation the new provider is building, and take an export of it.
 	Review the open ticket list from handover day and close what is left.
 	Hold a 90-day review: what broke, what was missing, what the new baseline is.

The handover checklist
One line per item, initialed when received and verified. Received and verified are different columns for a reason: a credential that has not been tested is a claim.




Item
Owner
Received
Verified




Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace global admin, in a business-owned account
Client




Server and directory administrator credentials
Incoming provider




Firewall, switch, wireless credentials
Incoming provider




Backup console credentials and encryption key
Incoming provider




Successful test restore
Incoming provider




Domain registrar access, all domains
Client




Authoritative DNS control and zone export
Incoming provider




SPF, DKIM, DMARC record inventory
Incoming provider




TLS certificate inventory and renewal owner
Incoming provider




Network diagram and asset inventory
Outgoing provider




Application inventory with vendor contacts
Outgoing provider




Subscription and license list with renewal dates
Outgoing provider




License tenancy transfer completed
Incoming provider




Open ticket list at handover
Outgoing provider




Provider staff accounts disabled
Incoming provider




All shared administrative credentials rotated
Incoming provider




Outgoing provider backup copies deleted
Outgoing provider




Final invoice reconciled
Client






What goes wrong, and how to keep it from going wrong

 	The domain is registered to the provider. Fix this first, in week one. A registrar transfer can take days and requires the current holder's cooperation.
 	Licenses live under the provider's agreement. Seats can lapse mid-transition. Ask which subscriptions are in your tenant versus theirs on day one, not day sixty.
 	The backup encryption key was never handed over. The console transfers, but the data does not decrypt. Explicitly ask for the key and test a restore with it.
 	Both providers' agents run at once and fight. Two endpoint security products on the same machine cause the outages that people blame on the switch. Sequence the removal; do not skip it, and do not do it early.
 	Nobody owns the service desk for a week. Write down which provider answers on which date, and tell the staff.
 	Credentials are rotated, but service accounts are missed. Scheduled tasks, backup jobs, scanner-to-email accounts, and line-of-business integrations fail quietly a few days later.
 	The relationship ends badly, and cooperation stops. Make the handover request early and in writing, while the contract still obliges them. Professional disagreements are normal; get the list before you have one.

What a clean switch looks like on a calendar
For a 25 to 100-person business with one office, a server or two, and Microsoft 365, a well-run switch takes about 90 days end-to-end: one to two weeks to evaluate and select, notice served, then the three phases above. Compressing it to 30 days is possible when the environment is entirely cloud-based, and the outgoing provider cooperates. It is not possible when the domain, licenses, or backups have to be moved, because those have external lead times you do not control.

If you have not yet chosen an incoming provider, our evaluation scorecard for LA IT companies covers the criteria and questions to ask. If you are still deciding whether to move at all, the honest test is whether the problems you have are about capability or about attention; a provider who cannot do the work will not improve, and a provider who is not paying attention sometimes will.

➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions About Switching IT Providers

How do I switch IT providers without downtime?
Treat it as a project with three phases. In the first 30 days, take custody of credentials, documentation, domain and DNS control, and licensing, and verify backups by restoring something. In the next 30 days, deploy the new monitoring, security, and backup platforms while the old ones are still running, then remove the old agents and rotate every credential. In the final 30 days, confirm the outgoing provider has no remaining access, finish documentation, and hold a review. Downtime during a transition almost always results from a gap in coverage or from two security agents running simultaneously, and both are avoidable through sequencing.

What should I ask my old IT provider to hand over?
Six categories: administrative credentials for every system including the backup encryption key; documentation covering the network diagram, asset inventory, application inventory, and change history; a subscription list showing which licenses sit in your tenant and which sit under their agreement; domain registrar and DNS control with a zone export; backup scope, retention, and the last successful restore test; and the contract paperwork with a final invoice reconciliation. Ask for all of it in a single written request with a deadline, while the contract still obligates them.

How much notice do I have to give my current MSP?
Read the agreement rather than assuming. Thirty days' written notice is the most common term we see; sixty and ninety are not unusual, and many agreements auto-renew on an anniversary date. The renewal date matters more than the notice period, because missing it by a few days can commit you to another full term. Find both numbers before you start evaluating replacements.

Who owns my data and documentation when I leave an IT provider?
Your data is yours. Documentation is where it gets argued, so check what your agreement says and ask for an export while you are still a client, rather than on the last day. Documentation is held only inside a provider portal; you lose access to documentation you do not have. The same applies to password vault entries: ask for an export of everything relating to your environment.

What happens to my Microsoft 365 licenses when I change providers?
It depends on whether the subscriptions live in your own tenant or under the provider's cloud solution provider agreement. Licenses in your tenant stay put, and only the administrative access changes. Licenses bought under the provider agreement must be transferred to you or the incoming provider, and that transfer is subject to a lead time and a billing cycle. Ask which arrangement you are in during the first week, because this is the item most likely to interrupt service if it is left late.

Should the old and new IT providers overlap?
Yes, for monitoring and endpoint security, and no, for the service desk. Deploy the new agents before removing the old ones so the environment is never unmonitored, then remove the old ones on a scheduled date. For the service desk, name a single provider per day in writing, because two providers answering the same queue produces duplicate work and dropped tickets rather than better coverage.

How long does an MSP transition take?
About 90 days for a typical 25 to 100-person Los Angeles business with one office and a mix of cloud and on-premises systems. Thirty days is achievable for a fully cloud-based environment with a cooperative outgoing provider. What sets the floor is the items with external lead times: domain registrar transfers, license tenancy moves, and vendor support re-registrations. Those do not go faster because you want them to.

What if my current provider will not cooperate with the handover?
Send the handover request in writing, inside the notice period, citing the offboarding language in your agreement, and copy whoever signed it. Take independent control of anything you can reach yourself first: the domain registrar, your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant, and any vendor portals registered to your own email addresses. Then have the incoming provider run a discovery pass and rebuild documentation from the environment itself. It is slower, and it costs more, but nothing on the list is unrecoverable except backup data you cannot decrypt, which is why the encryption key is the item to chase hardest.

#### Hybrid Cloud Model
Selecting The Best Hybrid Cloud Architecture
The cloud is often sold as the one-stop-shop for curing all the woes of your struggles. Be Structured Technology Group Inc. understands that cloud computing resources are really just another tool that only works best when you have experts managing your services. The benefits of cloud infrastructure as a service are very real, but we only recommend the services that will improve your operations.

There are a lot of options when it comes to cloud computing. One of the most popular choices is a hybrid cloud model. This is a combination of private and public cloud resources, that allows you to dictate which services go where and how the entire cloud infrastructure is arranged. This public / private cloud platform enables you to get the best aspects of all the cloud models and not have to worry about the weaknesses.

Get the Best of Both Strategies

Selecting the right cloud platform for your business and its functions can be a challenging decision. There are benefits to both private and public cloud services as well as limitations on both sides. It is crucial to know the pros and cons when selecting your cloud services. Be Structured will assess your situation and make the best recommendations for your business.

Private Cloud:

  More customizable options
  Tighter control over management style

Public Cloud:
  Greater Computing power
  Less upfront hardware costs


A hybrid, IAAS cloud model allows you to get all of these benefits while avoiding the disadvantages like lack of control over public clouds and the heavier upfront costs of a fully private environment. A hybrid cloud offers a lot of versatility and several different setup options. In general, it consists of local and off-site resources. We will work with you to select the best place for your different information to be stored. The most sensitive data can stay with on-premise resources, and your bulk information can run more efficiently on a public data center. All of the cloud options offer powerful data security, but private models are the strongest.

A Good Place To Start
Despite all of its benefits, there are still many people that are holding out against the cloud. The hybrid model is the perfect place to dip your toes into the cloud. You will see the cost-effective values and the benefits of the management tools. Once you have seen the power of the cloud, we are convinced you won’t want to go back. Be Structured offers a variety of cloud configurations to help you find the best infrastructure to optimize your operations.

#### ID Agent – Dark Web ID
Is My Information Available on the Dark Web? 
Use ID Agent Dark Web ID to Find Out
Do you have any idea if there is information about you personally, or your company, anywhere on the dark web? Are you even sure you know what the dark web is?

We have all heard it, thanks to both television shows and movies, but understanding it is something different.

Let the professionals here at Be Structured, the managed IT services Los Angeles professionals, be your Dark Web ID Managed Security Service Provider.

We trust and use ID Agent – Dark Web ID™. This is a platform that monitors the dark web for compromised information about you or your company. That way, whether you understand what it is or the potential danger it poses, or not, you are still well protected.
What Is the Dark Web?
There are three parts of the internet. The part of the internet that you search in is known as the surface of the web. This compromises about 5% of the internet. This portion of the internet includes everyday websites and search engines, such as:

 	Bing
 	Google
 	Yahoo
 	Reddit
 	News websites

From there, you have the deep web.

This is the other 95% of the internet that most people can use. This is any part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. Most of what is stored in the upper the deep web is secure networks of information.

Think of schools and private companies having their websites protected and only able to be accessed by private faculty, as using this portion of the web.

Some of what you find in this layer of the web includes:

 	Medical records
 	Legal documents
 	Government reports
 	Subscription services
 	Databases for research

The remaining deep web that is left after the portion used legitimately is referred to as the dark web.

This is the unregulated, typically illicit, dark side of the internet that stores information that is often illegal, harmful, and dangerous. In most cases, the information within the deep web is exchanged over encrypted channels and users need to use a special web browser to view this information.

Some people even refer to the websites on the dark web as onion sites. This is because some of them have .onion extensions, as that references the many layers of an onion.

Some examples of items found here include:

 	Pirated items
 	Products that are not approved or safe for use
 	Drugs and firearms
 	Counterfeit items
 	Terrorist networks
 	Databases of credentials (stolen usernames and passwords)

To put the size of the dark web in perspective, it is rumored to be nearly 550 times larger than what is used by the surface web.

Dealers use this portion of the internet to sell drugs, guns, and people. It is believed that more than 20% of the gross domestic product of the entire globe can be found in the dark web. T

here are always new bits of information that was stolen from somewhere going up on this part of the internet, and they go up for auction to the person with the highest bid. If your company ever had information stolen by a past employee, this is one of the options of places it could show up.

If your information was ever compromised by a former employee, he or she may have put your data on the dark web, or given it to someone who could.

There are literally new login credentials put up on the dark web each day, and the number going up regularly crosses over the hundreds-of-thousands mark.

Plus, an astounding 80% of employees have the same password for multiple locations. If they put their login information from another corporation on the dark web and it happens to match what they used for your company, you could be facing an imminent threat that you cannot even see coming.

That is where ID Agent – Dark Web ID™ comes in.

What tools are available to keep even the Dark Web safe?
What Is ID Agent – Dark Web ID™?
Dark Web ID™ is a monitoring system that learns as it scans the dark web for all types of cyber threats. The monitoring system checks everywhere, looking for underground information that pertains to you or your company.

It checks for credentials used to log into your private systems, malicious people trying to harm you or your business, and it also looks for any type of data for sale that can be connected back to you.

The danger of the dark web is that not only is it unsavory, it is also incredibly difficult to get any information removed from the dark web. Once it is there, it can be passed around endlessly and to any number of cyber criminals. This just goes to show why your business needs dark web monitoring.

Dark Web ID™ monitors every area it can of the Channel for information using both sophisticated intelligence and human beings that have the capability of identifying, analyzing, and monitoring all bits of information.

Should any information come up compromising you or your business, you get an instant notification. How nice would it be to be told about a potential risk before facing a data breach?

That is what Dark Web ID™ can provide.

All of the data looked over by Dark Web ID™ is in real-time. This means that as it is being validated, real people are looking at the data available.

You can get evidence of what is for sale on the dark web, plus it can provide the justification your business may need to implement increased employee security training, along with dual-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication.

Plus, you can have protection in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is hire us as your IT services Los Angeles Dark Web ID MSSP, and any time you need protection, we deploy it to protect everything you hold dear.
Benefits of ID Agent Dark Web ID™
When you choose Dark Web ID™, you choose a dedicated company with regular updates and constant monitoring that can scale its protection to any size company. You are not investing in a company that will use only computers to monitor the safety of your business or your customers.

That is part of why we trust ID Agent – Dark Web ID™ so much. They allow us to help keep you safe, no matter what type of danger you may be facing.

On top of them using actual people to help look for your information, it also has the benefit of being able to be quickly and easily integrated into Be Structured’s ticketing platform.

This allows us to provide better service and always get a resolution to any type of an issue you may ever have.

The platform is award-winning and simple to use, so even if you are not a web-savvy business owner, you can be a safety-conscious one.

Plus, your customers will feel as though you are providing them added value by you having this extra layer of protection.
How Does Most Information Wind Up on the Dark Web?
In many cases, the information winds up there on accident, if you will. It is not an intentional posting by a disgruntled employee in the vast majority of circumstances.

What happens is your employee used the same credentials on some other website, such as an email for a username and the same password they have at work.

When that secondary site was hacked (for instance, we just had an example where a clients Nordstrom Rack password was hacked), the employee’s information was stolen.

They may or may even know their information was taken.

However, whether they know or not, it could put your company at risk.

It could also be that the information was stolen in the past, perhaps while the employee still worked for you. Then, when the employee no longer worked for you, the thief updated the password and started using it for his or her own personal gain or set it up for sale.

Just because someone no longer works for you, does not mean their information could not be used to access sensitive data.

Make sure you are always monitoring current and former users on your network, as this can help you understand if someone is still using an old username or password to get into your network.
Dark Web ID Keeps Your Information Safe
When you look for a company that helps to monitor the dark web for you, it is important that it looks through all aspects of the dark web.

It is much like looking for a secret room within a secret house. If your dark web monitoring misses these secret areas, your information could still be compromised.

Luckily for you, Dark Web ID™ is vigilant in how it searches. It will connect to the dark web using I2P, Freenet, and ToR, to go through each of these locations looking for any credentials of yours or information that leads back to you or your business:

 	Chat rooms, both private and public
 	More than 500 channels that provide internet relay chat (IRC)
 	Many Private websites
 	Most social media platforms on the dark web
 	Botnets
 	Black market websites
 	Peer-to-peer networking sites

Dark Web ID™ can identify most types of compromises of information in your organization.

Then, you get a written report showing you what information was compromised.

Next, information is gathered, allowing for the tracking of the incident. This will let you change policies in the future to add more layers of protection.

They then help you predict where you may be vulnerable in the future and help protect those gaps in protection. Plus, they also help prevent future attacks on your data.

The sooner a response can be made to the information on the dark web, the more protection you can provide yourself, your business, and your customers.

If you know that someone may have access to your sensitive data, you can go in, change passwords, and even lock out some credentials, making the risk your company faces far smaller than if you had no idea your credentials were at risk.
Dangers of Not Having ID Agent Dark Web ID
If you are not monitoring what information is potentially on the dark web about you or your company, you could be putting everything that matters to you at risk.

If a large company gets hit with a loss of information, typically, it can rebound.

However, smaller companies are often left with nothing. It could cost you everything if someone stole your credentials and did something like identity theft of you or one of your employees.

If the credentials matched other locations, such as you used the same password for your business network as you did your online banking, the breach could even leave you with nothing.

It is simply not worth the risk of not checking to make sure your information is safe from criminal hands.

The other danger that you could face is that someone could have gone through, purchased these stolen credentials, and compromised a company email. This means they may be sending out emails that look completely legitimate from your company, but they are actually phishing attacks meant to steal information from others.

When the scam comes to light, it could easily ruin your company’s reputation and do even more damage than the initial attack could do. It happens to companies of all sizes.

At one point, someone instructed Disney to wire six-figures to the wrong account, and they did. They would have been far more protected if they would have had this type of protection in place.
Dark Web ID™ Offers You a Lot of Protection
The information and protection you get when you purchase Dark Web ID™ is more vast than you may realize.

You get access to the information someone took, graphs that allow you to visualize the information and its uses, and a dashboard that shows how much information has been checked about you.

By adding visualization and filtering options to the dashboard, you can see for yourself just how much potential information is out there. It also lets you see what options you have so that you can take whatever steps are necessary to protect yourself against any type of security threat.

On top of what you can see, you also get the peace of mind that comes with knowing your information is being monitored every day and night, all year long.

It is protecting you from facing a stolen identity, credentials that allow someone into the private data of your business, and any other type of personally identifiable information.

Your monitoring will focus on the parts of the dark web that are more specific to the type of environment your data would affect first. Once those areas are checked, the search expands.

This is done primarily through a check of your top email domains and URLs. If there is information there, it is harvested and shared with proof of the information for credibility.
Be Structured Technology Group Is Here for Los Angeles Dark Web ID Consulting
When you need to know that every aspect of your business is safe, it is vital that you turn to a Los Angeles MSSP that supports businesses in all surrounding areas including West Hollywood IT support and Burbank IT support.

That is what you get when you turn to the experienced professionals of Be Structured. We can explain the benefits of ID Agent – Dark Web ID™ and how it could help keep your company and customers safe.

Never believe that your data is not at risk.

If you have never monitored to see what information is available about you and your company on the dark web, you may already have data that has been compromised.

Turn to Be Structured today. We are a top Los Angeles Dark Web ID consulting company who can help make sure your information is safe. It simply is not worth the risk of not knowing.

What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.
Empower Your Team With Awareness Training
Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack?

Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected.

After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network.

That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them.

Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis.

Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack.

If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations.

Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.

As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap.

Be Structured Technology Group has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations.

We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats.

Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### ID Agent Bullphish ID Email Training
HOW CAN I PROTECT MY INBOX FROM PHISHING SCAMS? 
USE BULLPHISH ID!
ID Agent Bullphish ID™
Phishing scams have been around almost since the invention of email. While many people can spot lazy phishing, some phishing attempts are so very well done that they can fool even IT professionals. 

Even though phishing may be something of an old-school attempt at hacking or gaining access to accounts, it’s still something you need to be aware of. That’s why Be Structured is here to assist you in defeating phishing attempts. 

We recommend ID Agent’s BullPhish ID, an anti-phishing and educational tool that will help protect your company from phishing scams while also training your employees to recognize potential phishing attacks and learn how to respond to them.
Bullphish ID Manages the Dangers of Phishing Scams
BullPhish ID is aimed at removing the weakest links in your company. In the case of phishing, those weak links are generally uneducated employees who simply don’t understand what phishing is, how dangerous it can be to a company, or how to identify phishing scams. 

In fact, upwards 90 percent of all company security breaches aren’t caused by hackers, malware, or viruses. Instead, they’re caused by simple errors made by employees. These errors cover everything from using weak passwords to losing company laptops, but one of the major errors many people make is falling for phishing scams.
Current Phishing Trends
Phishing attacks in their original form were done through email. 

A person would receive an email that appeared to come from a trusted source, often a credit card company or bank, asking them to reply with specific account information. The email would state that they needed to verify this information or that there was a problem with the person’s account and they needed to provide their details to have that problem fixed. Of course, the email was a fake, and any reply went to a hacker.

Today’s phishing techniques have become more advanced. 

Most employees will notice that the email address the phishing scam came from isn’t connected to the company it claims to be or doesn’t look as legitimate as other emails they have received from that company. Some don’t even include the company logo or other standard information. Even when they do, clicking reply usually opens an email to an address that is very suspicious-looking.
Fake Websites Phishing
Instead, new phishing emails often include a link to a fake website. These fake websites can be very well done and look almost identical to the company’s real website. 

Employees may truly believe they need to submit their information to protect their personal account or even a company account. Many of these scammers even take the time to register a fake URL that’s very similar to the actual company name to complete their forgery.

Even employees who back away from one of these fake pages after clicking the link may have caused some damage. These fake websites can download malware and viruses to a computer. 

It also lets the attacker know the person at least opened the email and clicked on the link, giving them a possibly vulnerable target to continue to try attacking. 

Some of the more complex fake sites even attempt to bypass the need for the user to give their permission to install software, allowing the website to slip these unsafe programs onto a computer without anyone knowing. Even those that do ask permission may say one thing is being installed when it’s actually something else.
Phishing Scams on Social Networking Sites
On top of these email phishing scams, hackers are now phishing through social media websites and messenger applications. Many scammers have started stealing photos and personal data off of Facebook profiles to use in scams. 

A person may think a friend has started a new profile, but it’s actually a fake and is posting nothing but links to phishing sites. These scammers may also attempt to impersonate others on messenger apps to convince people to click links or send them personal information.
How Does BullPhish ID Work?
BullPhish ID is highly recommended by outsourced tech support companies to provide a wide array of training materials for your employees, helping them understand phishing and how to deal with it. However, you can’t simply train your employees and expect them to recognize and respond correctly to phishing emails. 

That’s why BullPhish ID gives you the ability to conduct tests. For companies in Los Angeles and surrounding areas like IT support in Burbank, looking for phishing testing is a must. It will help highlight who needs additional training and who understands phishing.

The first step in using BullPhish ID is to create a fake phishing email. This email is sent out to your employees to test them on how well they are able to recognize and handle phishing scams. 

These emails are sent to employees at random times over the course of a few days. This ensures that one employee won’t spot a phishing email and let others know exactly what day and time it was sent. It makes fake emails look more authentic, especially if you don’t test all employees at once.
Bullphish ID Awareness Training
Once fake phishing emails have been sent, you can view the results of your test and determine who needs additional training.

BullPhish ID includes a number of different tools to assist you with conducting these tests and training your team:

 	Training Videos: BullPhish ID has a number of training videos for employees to watch to learn about phishing. These videos are designed to be easy to understand, regardless of the level of computer knowledge. The videos are available online, so employees can access them anywhere.
 	Quizzes: Each training video has a quiz that tests employees’ knowledge of what they learned and helps to reinforce the information presented. Like the videos, these quizzes are also available online.
 	Group Management: You can create groups for employees and manage which groups get which materials. For example, new employees may need to be completely trained on phishing, while veterans may only need to receive some supplemental information once a year.
 	Customizable Templates: BullPhish ID has a large library of different emails and fake web pages you can customize via the template editor, allowing you to design your own fake phishing emails to test your employees’ skills. You can also create your own fake emails and web pages.
 	Graphical Reports: BullPhish ID gathers data from the fake phishing emails and generates a report that shows how many employees clicked on the fake links or provided any type of information. It will even show you how individuals did on their training, so you know who needs additional lessons.

Is BullPhish ID Simple to Use?
Enrolling in BullPhish ID is very easy to do. First, Be Structured Technology Group, a Los Angeles IT support company and BullPhish ID consultant, will contact an ID Agent about adding BullPhish ID to your company’s defenses. 

While BullPhish ID doesn’t offer a free trial, your company can begin using it as soon as you let us know you’re interested in the app. 

We will get you signed up and pay your first month’s enrollment fee, which is included in our costs. Because all of BullPhish ID is done online, you can immediately access all of the training features and begin testing employee groups with fake phishing emails and web pages.
ID Agent Subscriptions
For companies that have enrolled in ID Agent’s Dark Web ID, your subscription includes access to BullPhish ID at no extra cost. Likewise, if you subscribe to BullPhish ID, you also have access to Dark Web ID. 

This tool helps you monitor the dark web for stolen email addresses, user names, and passwords. Knowing when this information has been stolen and is for sale is vital in stopping security breaches before they happen. While BullPhish ID will help you reduce the risk of a data breach, Dark Web ID acts as an alert system for when a breach does happen.

If at any point you decide BullPhish ID isn’t right for your company, you can simply cancel your subscription.

Let Bullfphish ID help protect your business.
How Does BullPhish ID Help Businesses?
BullPhish ID assists businesses by reducing the number of employee accounts that get hacked every year. Instead of acting like a firewall, virus scanner, or other active types of defense, however, it achieves this goal through education. 

By teaching employees how to recognize phishing scams, BullPhish ID impacts more than just your company. Employees will be able to recognize phishing aimed at their personal accounts and at the accounts of any organization they volunteer for or are a part of. 

The more people are aware of phishing and how to identify it, the fewer accounts hackers will have to work with.
Bullphish ID Reduces Hacked Accounts
By reducing the number of hacked accounts, BullPhish ID helps keep your company safe by eliminating one of the easiest forms of data theft. Creating phishing emails is actually fairly easy, as you’ll see by using BullPhish ID’s templates. 

Hackers don’t need to put a lot of work into making these emails, and even fake web pages are fairly simple to make.
Make Hackers Work Harder
By eliminating the number of accounts hackers can get access to via phishing, you make them work harder to steal data. Since many of these people are only looking for a quick cash grab, they may not be willing to move beyond simple phishing scams. 

That’s not to say that eliminating phished accounts is going to make your company servers invulnerable, but it will help cut out a very common method of data theft.
BullPhish ID Examples
Using BullPhish ID from both the employer side and the employee side is easy. We provide all of the management of your phishing training. 

We will import your existing employee list into the platform, send out the fake phishing emails to employees, and then group them into the required groups for further training and phishing tests. 

The Be Structured team will work closely with you every step of the way, adding new employees as they join your team and removing them when they leave. We share all of the reports with you, so you know exactly how your team is doing.
Bullphish ID Training For the Entire Company
After that, employees will work through the video training course at their own pace, taking the quizzes as they complete each section. 

You can schedule fake phishing emails to go out at any time, though you will want to give employees time to complete at least some of the lessons. 

After you create your phishing emails, BullPhish ID will randomly send them out to the selected groups. You can generate reports to view the outcome of these emails at any time.

From an employee side, using BullPhish ID is just as easy. The employee receives an email with instructions on how to log into BullPhish ID’s web interface. 

They will then see all of the different tutorials and quizzes. They proceed through these materials at their own pace (or with a deadline you’ve set for them).
Email Training That Actually Works
As for the fake emails, employees will never know when they’re going to receive one. In fact, you may not tell them that these fake emails even exist. 

However, letting them know that they will be tested may encourage them to scrutinize every email they receive. You want employees to ignore, delete, or even report phishing emails to IT. Those who do click on links or even reply to these emails may need additional training.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions

When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. 

Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. 

Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data. Read more about phishing and ransomware scams.
Let Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. Help You with BullPhish ID Enrollment
BullPhish ID may not be a large, fancy suite of programs, but it should be a vital part of your cyber-protection plan. 

By educating your employees on how to avoid phishing scams, you not only reduce the risk to your company, but you also help employees reduce the risk of personal data breaches. 

Be Structured is here to serve as your Los Angeles BullPhish ID consultant and can assist you in bringing phishing education to your company. Contact us today to talk more about how we can help.

 

#### Industries
Financial Services
We will be there to face your unique hurdles of security, fast response times, and regulatory standards.
Learn More
Manufacturing
Your partnership with us will empower you to hit deadlines and boost your productivity across the board.
Learn More
Nonprofits
Organizations like nonprofits think about their business goals differently, and we have learned how to adapt to this.
Learn More
Professional Services
Be Structured provides tech solutions that are reliable, stable, and are fitted to the needs of your business.
Learn More
Software and Application Development
Partnering with us will allow your team to stay focused on your core objectives and goals.
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Wealth Management
We help wealth management companies and family offices meet their customer demands and regulatory needs while continuously improving efficiency.
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Architecture Firms
At Be Structured, we understand how critical your network platform is to your firm's daily operations.
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Law Firms And Attorneys Offices
We can streamline your archiving process so critical files are always a click away and don't take up physical space.
Learn More
Transportation And Freight
Our goal is to drive efficiency at every level of your logistics platform.
Learn More
Property Management
IT services for real estate and property management.
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Accounting Firms And CPAs
Tax-season uptime, IRS WISP and FTC Safeguards Rule support, and depth in the tax software your firm runs on.
Learn More
Restaurants
IT support for restaurants beyond point of sale systems.
Learn More

#### Internet Connections
The Evolution of Business Internet Needs
As businesses have become increasingly dependent on cloud technologies, the need for reliable, high-speed internet connectivity has never been greater.

From the early days of dial-up Internet to today's fiber-optic connections, the evolution of Internet technology has closely mirrored the growing demands of businesses for more robust, secure, and faster Internet services.

In the modern business environment, where cloud computing, real-time data exchange, and online communication are foundational, high-quality business-grade Internet is not just a necessity; it's a critical asset.
Why High-Quality Internet Connectivity Matters
For businesses, the Internet is the backbone of day-to-day operations. High-quality business-grade internet connectivity ensures operations run smoothly, enhances productivity, and provides a competitive edge in today's fast-paced market. Here are key reasons why superior internet service is crucial:

Reliability: Business-grade Internet provides superior uptime compared to consumer-grade services, along with better customer service and technical support.

Speed: Faster internet speeds mean quicker access to cloud services, faster file transfers, and improved response times in customer interactions.

Security: Business-grade Internet often includes enhanced security measures to protect sensitive data from cyber threats and clone phishing.
Backup Internet Circuits
Just as businesses insure their physical assets against unforeseen incidents, having a backup internet circuit is a form of insurance for your digital operations.

This secondary connection can take over automatically if the primary line fails, ensuring continuity in business operations, minimizing downtime, and protecting against revenue loss.
Importance of Redundancy

 	Continuity and Reliability: With a backup internet circuit, businesses can maintain connectivity during primary service outages, which are often caused by physical damage to lines, provider outages, or other unforeseen issues.
 	Load Balancing: Backup circuits can also be used for load balancing during peak periods, enhancing performance and maintaining speed.

Leveraging a Telecom Broker for Optimal Solutions
Using a telecom broker can significantly streamline the process of finding and managing internet services that best fit a company's specific needs. Telecom brokers, like BSTG, offer the following advantages:

 	Expertise and Insight: Brokers have comprehensive market knowledge and can provide unbiased advice on the best carriers, plans, and pricing, saving businesses time and money.
 	Customized Solutions: They assess individual business needs and negotiate with multiple providers to find the most reliable and cost-effective solutions.
 	Ongoing Support and Management: Brokers often provide continued support, dealing with any issues that arise and helping businesses navigate the complexities of telecom services.

Even when you're not at work, having a solid home network security plan can safely prevents cyberattacks inyour home office.
Comprehensive IT Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) offers comprehensive telecom brokerage services designed to secure your business's best internet and data services.

We understand the critical nature of dependable internet connectivity and specialize in crafting tailored solutions that align with your specific operational needs and budget.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable IT outsourcing services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.
IT Services Los Angeles
As a leading telecom broker in Los Angeles, BSTG is committed to helping local businesses thrive by ensuring they have the most reliable and efficient internet connections available.

Whether you're looking to upgrade your existing setup or implement a robust backup system, our expert team is here to guide you through every step of the process.

If you're based in Los Angeles and looking for a proactive approach to managed IT security services, consider BSTG as your trusted partner.

Contact us today.

#### IP Access Control
WITH AN IP ACCESS CONTROL SOLUTION FROM BE STRUCTURED, YOU CAN SECURE YOUR FACILITY FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
IP Based Access Control
The team at Be Structured Technology Group specializes in IP access control platforms along with many other Los Angeles IT support strategies designed to protect your operations from unauthorized access while ensuring your team always has access to the critical tools they need. 

With the ability to deliver selective facility access, you can be confident that your mission-critical data and equipment don’t end up in the wrong hands. As criminals develop new ways of compromising your network, deploying a comprehensive IP access control platform is more important than ever. From mobile-based control to door controllers, Be Structured can secure your network and facility from internal and external threats.

An IP based access control system makes use of devices that are a part of the Internet of Things (IoT), a term that encompasses any device that is connected to a network or the internet but is not a computer, tablet, or other traditional online device. 

An IP based system uses an IP access control reader, a device that is connected to your network and is basically a small computer. Anyone who wants access to the door can use a traditional identification method such as biometrics or a keycard. To the user, nothing is different between a traditional control system and an IP based one. What they see from the outside and how they interact with the system remains the same.

Behind the scenes, however, IP based systems use more powerful mini computers that are capable of functioning even if your network goes down. The computer in the IP reader makes the decision of whether or not to grant access based on the criteria it has received from the network. 

Those criteria are saved on the reader itself, so if your network goes down, the reader still has the most recent criteria and can allow or block access as needed. It can also do more than simply access or reject the user’s authentication information—it can block all access at certain times of the day, only allow specific people entry at specific times, and more. All of these access rules are completely customizable, and you can change them at any time.

These readers are also highly secure. 

While television shows and movies may make it seem that all it takes is a bit of wire or a screwdriver to pop open the panel and short out the system, that’s not really the case. These devices are incredibly secure, make use of encrypted data, and have no actual accessible wires on the exterior side that can be damaged or shorted out. 

Physically shorting out the door is simply not an option. The readers also contain highly secure firewalls and other security measures so hacking them is quite difficult as well.

Are you still safe with your traditional access control system? 

These systems do help secure an area, but they do have some downsides. The biggest issue with these systems is that they were created using a one-size-fits-all mindset. 

They’re not as flexible as an IP based system. 

Without flexibility, you may end up with a security system that gets the job done but isn’t 100% secure because you can’t customize it. As your business IT services and security needs change, these traditional systems may not be able to change with them. You may end up spending time and money installing an entirely new system at some point, which is never the ideal solution.

While your traditional system may be secure now, it may not be in the future. IP based systems, on the other hand, are poised to become the future of access control. The system you install today will be flexible enough that it will serve you for quite some time.

Best of all, installing an IP control system will cost no more than the network installation of a traditional system. In fact, in many cases, it will actually cost less because you already have much of the necessary cabling and networking systems in place. 

In the long run, you’ll also save money because there are no special wires to maintain or replace. You won’t need to upgrade to a new traditional system because your IP system is scalable and versatile enough to adapt to your new needs.
A Unified Local IT Support Platform
Be Structured’s award-winning managed IT services in Los Angeles and its IP access control systems allow for seamless control of your facility’s card readers, door controls, and IP controllers from a unified point of control. 

Whether you’re looking to upgrade an outdated security system, or you want to prepare your security platform for the challenges of the modern world, streamlining your security strategies under an IP access control network offers a solution designed to maximize security at every level. 

Our system includes the following capabilities:

 	Cloud-based web and mobile app control – Change your settings on the go via your mobile device, tablet, or any computer connected to the internet. This is highly useful if a situation occurs in which you need to immediately revoke permissions or give someone temporary access to an area.
 	Customizable user access privileges – Every user can be given customized access to areas, including which doors they can access and when they can access them. Access privileges can be changed at any time and promulgated throughout the network instantaneously. Adding or removing access to a specific area for one person or for an entire group of people can be done with a few taps.
 	Remote viewing of lock audits and alerts – Want to see what has triggered an alarm? Need to view the logs of when a certain door was opened or where a specific employee has been? You can use the mobile app or the cloud-based website to quickly pull up these reports and share them with others if needed.
 	Wireless door and building locks – In addition to wired IP readers, we also offer door and building locks that are completely wireless and connect to your WiFi network. These IP readers receive the same information and operate the same way as any wired lock does. If your WiFi network goes down, they continue to operate on the last set of instructions received.
 	Making the most of your existing network – In many instances, your existing network and wiring can be used to support IP access control devices. While we may need to run an additional cable here and there, overall there’s not much that has to be changed or added for you to begin using IP access control. This keeps the overall cost of moving from traditional access control to IP access control minimal.
 	Real-time updates and alerts – Get alerts the instant someone attempts to access a location they’re not authorized for, when door controls lose their network connection, and other issues in real-time to your mobile device. You will receive information on the nature of the issue and its location so you can quickly handle it. One benefit of these real-time alerts is that you can see who is attempting to access a location. If you know it’s someone who is not on-site that day, you immediately know there’s a security issue.
 	Lock schedules, user schedules, and holidays – Create your own schedules for each door, each user, and for special events such as holidays. You can modify these schedules at any time.

Whether you’re on the other side of the building or the other side of the globe, you’ll have access to the robust functionality of your IP access control platform. That means you’ll be able to see exactly who entered your building—anytime, anywhere. This is absolutely vital for any company that needs to restrict access to parts of their facility in order to protect sensitive data or equipment.
Protect Your Facility From The Latest Security Threats
Be Structured’s IP access control solutions protect your organization and your team by mitigating the risk of unauthorized access. IP access control is a step up from traditional access control in that you can control it remotely, monitor access from your smart device or computer, and make changes at any time that instantly take effect. In short, your facility will be as protected as possible from physical threats.

You will also make it more difficult for employees to accidentally access locations and the information held in those locations. A number of security violations don’t actually come from outside your company. Instead, they come from employees either accidentally gaining access to information or maliciously looking for such information before they leave or are fired. 

These employees may attempt to steal information from a secured area before leaving or cause other issues. Other times, employees may not even realize that they are creating a security vulnerability by removing items from a secured location or by simply being in the area. 

IP access control will eliminate these potential problems by locking down areas that shouldn’t be accessed except by the appropriate personnel.
Advantages Of Adopting IP Access Control
When you partner with Be Structured to develop and deploy an IP access control platform, your business can experience these benefits and features:

 	Simplified Security: Our security platforms support door access via proximity and smart cards as well as with biometric scanners. At the same time, you can schedule up to 16 different lock schedules to control the hours and days users can use various access points. Have a holiday coming up and want to prevent unauthorized access? Not a problem. You can schedule up to 32 holidays each year during which you can suspend normal operations.
 	Streamlined Operations: Our IP access control solutions allow you to manage up to 100 locks, with each supporting up to 5,000 users, so you can scale your security platform as your business grows. Each user can be assigned a specific credential type such as master, standard, freeze, pass-through, blocked, or lockdown. On top of taking a hands-on approach with customized user access procedures, you can see exactly who entered which access points and at what time via a cloud-based interface.
 	Optimized Facility Management: Your facility management team already has enough to do. An IP access control system gives them one less thing to worry about with the ability to add and manage users and access privileges no matter where they are. That way, your security systems never slow your team down again. Security and software updates are automatically installed overnight via your WiFi network or when your system is idle, without compromising your facility’s security network.
 	Our IP Access Options: As your security partner, Be Structured can deploy three different types of IP access platforms, so we can customize a solution that’s as simple or as robust as you want. These options include the following:

 	Embedded IP Access: Our simplest solution, embedded IP access, generally operates at a single facility with a low door count. Critical data is stored on a control panel and directly transmitted to your cloud platform. This is the most cost-effective solution due to ease of installation and operation. This is an ideal solution for small businesses.
 	Server-Based IP Access: Server-based IP access allows you to host individualized IP access control systems at multiple facilities while unifying them under a singular platform. Companies that have grown to several different locations will find this option ideal.
 	Hosted IP Access: Hosted IP access systems are generally hosted on the cloud, allowing you to scale your network rapidly. With redundant hosted backups and audits, hosted IP access is an excellent option for an enterprise-level operation when disaster recovery is critical. This is the solution for large companies that operate in multiple states or countries.



Your Los Angeles IT Support Experts
From cloud services to the latest security solutions, the team at Be Structured is here for all of your organization’s technology needs. 

Contact our team to discover how we can bolster your security platform with IP access control and keep your organization protected against tomorrow’s threats today.

 

#### IP Video Surveillance
PROTECT YOUR MISSION-CRITICAL ASSETS WITH AN IP SURVEILLANCE PLATFORM FROM BE STRUCTURED.
Video Surveillance For The 21st Century
For decades, traditional closed-circuit television (CCTV) has been the industry standard for security camera systems. While this system has worked well in the past, it hasn’t necessarily changed to meet the needs of today’s security. 

IP surveillance takes the tried-and-true capabilities of CCTV and updates it for the challenges of the 21st century by recording and storing video over your computer network instead of on analog tapes or discs. By allowing you to integrate your video surveillance system with your broader IT network, you can experience a seamless security platform and streamlined network performance.

The first IP surveillance camera was actually introduced in 1996, but that camera was very basic in terms of capability. It wasn’t until 2005 that what we could consider a true IP surveillance camera was introduced. Since then, the technology has been steadily improved upon. Once faster networking technology and cloud servers were introduced, the IP surveillance industry boomed, and today such systems are commonplace.

Whether your business is ready to upgrade your closed-circuit television security camera system, or you’re looking for the latest in IP video surveillance, Be Structured specializes in IP surveillance and outsourced IT support services designed to elevate your security platform. 

Our team has the capabilities to design and deploy an IP surveillance network optimized for your facility at the most cost-effective pricing in the industry.
Elevate Your Security Platforms.
At Be Structured, we develop and deploy IP surveillance solutions built to streamline your security platform. While you may already have CCTV in place, it may be time to upgrade to what is quickly becoming the new standard in video surveillance. Your current system may be several years old, use outdated technology, and may not cover the area as effectively as you would like. By upgrading, you’ll be able to take advantage of all of the benefits of IP surveillance and improve your security.

Surveillance cameras play an important part of protecting your company. They allow you to see who has entered or exited the premises and who has been in certain parts of the building. The main benefit to having cameras is that it deters theft or, when theft does occur, it provides you with the proof needed to bring the criminals to justice.

But surveillance cameras can do more than help prevent theft. In the event of an accident, they can provide video evidence of what occurred. Your recordings can help you learn exactly what happened to an employee who was injured, allowing you to improve your safety regulations. It can also be used in the event that a visitor to your office or job site was injured and has filed a lawsuit against you.

Security cameras also provide a feeling of safety to your employees who have to leave the building at night. Having a well-lit parking area that is monitored by cameras may deter attackers from preying on your employees, especially those who leave later than others.

hybrid cloud environment helps surveillance
How IP Surveillance Works
To customers, visitors, and employees, an IP surveillance system and a standard CCTV system are going to look the same since all they will be seeing are the cameras. It can be fairly impossible to tell if a camera is part of an IP system or a traditional system. Behind the scenes, however, the two are very different.

IP is short for Internet Protocol, and it basically means that the camera is a digital camera that transmits the video it takes to a server. Each camera has a unique IP address like a computer does, and it’s connected to your network. 

Generally, because video files are fairly large, IP cameras are hardwired to your network rather than transmitting over WiFi, although you can set up IP cameras to send video over WiFi when necessary. For example, IP surveillance cameras on a construction site or other temporary location may use WiFi instead of being wired into the network simply because it’s easier than running ethernet cables.

Because there’s no physical medium connected to each camera, the only true necessity is that the camera can be connected to a power outlet or hardwired into a building’s electrical grid.

If WiFi is an option, you don’t even need to run an ethernet cable to each camera. This gives you much more freedom about where the cameras can be placed.

After each camera is installed, it’s connected to your network and configured via your surveillance software. Once that’s done, you’re able to view footage in real-time or pull up recordings and search through them whenever you like. If you have your network installation configured to save the video footage to the cloud, you don’t even have to have a dedicated computer or server set up for your cameras to save to.

If you ever need to add more IP cameras or remove a camera from your network, it’s just as easy to do as adding or removing a computer.
Types Of IP Surveillance Cameras
There are a number of different types of IP surveillance cameras you can use. You may only need one type of camera, or you may need to mix several different options. From a networking standpoint, the camera type doesn’t matter. You can connect any type of IP surveillance camera to your network in the exact same way. Here are some of these different camera types:

Indoor cameras work very well for monitoring retail space, waiting rooms, hallways, and other interior locations. These cameras generally do not have the outer casing needed to protect them from the elements, so placing them outdoors can ruin the equipment. They may be fixed or may be attached to a motorized platform that allows them to track motion or be moved remotely.

Outdoor cameras, on the other hand, are designed to withstand the elements, including rain and cold. These cameras can also record in low lighting, a feature indoor cameras may not have.

WiFi enabled cameras do not require an ethernet cable to transmit video to a cloud server. All they need is to be configured to connect to a local wireless router. Some considerations might be made for additional infrared blasters to cover an area better at night too.
Why IT Support Companies Urge Businesses To Upgrade To IP Surveillance
More businesses in all industries are upgrading to IP surveillance platforms for a number of different reasons:
Robust Search Capabilities
Because video footage is stored and archived digitally, recording can be accessed at a moment’s notice. In the event of an incident, your organization will be able to pull precise video footage based on an exact time and date without having to review hours of tape to find what you’re looking for. 

So whatever your location, if you need IT support in Hollywood or IT support in Burbank, you can also easily share video clips by saving them to an external drive or disc or by uploading them to a shared cloud or network drive.
Simplified Storage and Network Convergence
An IP surveillance platform enables your team to store your footage locally to your existing servers and storage infrastructure. This allows you to unify your networking, server and storage infrastructure, true convergence over IP. No longer do you need power, separate support contracts, hardware recording devices, and special cabling. 

Also, with enough space you can save weeks, months, and even years’ worth of footage on what is today relatively low cost SATA hard drives. IP systems even allow remote viewing in real-time, allowing your team to see what’s going on at any moment and from any camera.
Improved Image Quality
Digital archival capabilities deliver higher quality footage when compared to what’s possible with analog cameras. With scalable resolutions ranging from 720p to 4k (and even higher with special IP cameras), an IP surveillance platform allows you to customize the video quality based on your unique needs. 

At the same time, digital video quality does not degrade when stored for extended periods of time as with film. Cameras can also be equipped with infrared night vision in order to capture detailed video of events that occur after the sun goes down or in poorly lit locations.

The exact capabilities of your IP surveillance network will depend on the cameras you purchase, of course. This is one area where you may want to budget more for the initial setup in order to install top of the line equipment. This is because when you upgrade your system, you will be purchasing all new hardware. 

Upgrading the software that runs your IP surveillance system won’t have any effect on what the cameras can do—it won’t improve their image quality or add additional capability to the hardware. Spending more upfront may allow you to put off upgrading your system and save money in the long run.
A Converged Network
One of the premium benefits of choosing Be Structured as your video surveillance partner is that our team has the capabilities to develop a holistic network solution which incorporates your security platform. 

We can install cameras with motion detectors that alert your team via email that motion has been detected in specific areas of your facility without triggering alarms beforehand. At Be Structured Technology Group, our overarching goal is to simplify your technology platform without sacrificing security or reliability.

Our IP surveillance solutions are a critical part of achieving that goal by tying a robust security platform into your larger network solution. 

As with any security solution Be Structured offers, we will work with you and your team to create a customized IP surveillance network that provides security camera coverage in all of the areas you need it in.
Your Security Experts & Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles 
At Be Structured, we have hands-on expertise in everything from IT cybersecurity to on-site security camera systems. 

If your organization is ready to elevate your security platform to the next level by deploying a solution that’s greater than the sum of its parts, contact our team of experts today. We’ll work with you to identify industry-specific threats and proactively protect your operations against them, so your team can stay focused on mission-critical operations at every level.

 

#### IT Careers Los Angeles
We’re always looking for problem solvers and people looking for IT Careers in Los Angeles.
Join the Be Structured Team!
Be Structured is a growing company that has a unique approach to IT services. We are always looking for individuals that want to be part of what we are building. If you are a person with strong character, communication skills, a superior IT skill set, and a hope for the future, then you could be the new team member we are looking for.

We are a technology-first company, and we want to find like-minded people to work with. That attitude stems from the top down and dictates how we conduct business. Our leadership, including our CEO, has technical experience in various areas of information technology making our whole team computer engineers first, not salespeople. Our business has continued to grow because of this and this presents a new opportunity for you.

That's why year after year, Be Structured is singled-out by local business research groups as one of the best places to work in Southern California.

We are not salespeople, our job is to make sure that our clients’ technology is working for them and not against them. That means bringing innovative solutions and personal care to every issue we encounter. Be Structured serves many different industries and our team needs people that are adaptable problem-solvers with an interest in conquering challenges.



Be Structured Technology Group
500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071

 (323) 331-9452









Looking For Technical Skills And A Solid Work Ethic
If that’s you, then we invite you to get in touch with us today for IT Careers Los Angeles.

We Provide Competitive Benefits
Be Structured has built a great work environment and we keep a positive atmosphere. Our team is passionate for providing superior essential services to our clients. Our offices are in downtown Los Angeles, and our service area extends throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Our people and their expertise are our most valuable resource. It’s what puts us above the competition and allows us to provide the superior service we do. We offer a generous benefits package for a company of our size and we take care of our people. Our employee plans include coverage for:

 	Health Insurance (HMO, PPO, and HSA options)
 	Dental Insurance
 	Vision Insurance
 	401(k) with Match
 	Metro Annual Pass
 	Generous Commuter Benefit
 	Life Insurance
 	Optional Services
 	Disability Insurance

Commuter benefits are also included for anyone who wants to use the Metro, MetroLink, Amtrak, or other commuting options. This program saves you money and helps the environment at the same time.
Thank You for Your Interest in Los Angeles IT Careers With Be Structured Technology Group
Please reach out to us if you have any questions regarding our open positions or application process at careers@bstg.co.

#### IT Services in Los Angeles
Professional IT Services Los Angeles Based Companies Trust 
Businesses all across Los Angeles need a technology partner they can count on more than ever in today’s landscape.

Be Structured is the leading provider of award-winning IT services in Los Angeles and will help take your company to the next level with our cutting-edge tech support and security.

Don’t run the risk of expensive downtime with your network.

Whether you’re just starting out and need a network structured platform in place. Or you're an established business looking for comprehensive IT consulting, you’ll save time and money when you partner with the Be Structured technology group.
Experienced Los Angeles IT Services
Founded in 2007, Be Structured has been serving cities in downtown Los Angeles and all around the Los Angeles area for nearly 15 years.

In that time, we have proudly handled the Los Angeles IT services needs for companies both big and small.

Outsourced tech support removes the burden of managing your tech support in house. We also monitor your IT network 24/7.

We are proud of our consistent five-star reviews on our Google My Business page.

It’s the pride we take in our managed IT services for Los Angeles customers that makes our clients think of us not just as an outsourced managed service (MSP) provider, but as an IT business partner.

Our mission is to keep your business safe and stable. We are always on the lookout for prevention of cyber attacks, so you can work on growing your enterprise.
The Finest Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles 

Free Consultation

IT Consulting Services Save Your Company Money
Be Structured strategically saves you money by ensuring there is no downtime. We also make a specific goal that important or sensitive data is never compromised.

We strive to remain educated on the ever-changing IT landscape to prevent cyber attacks, data breaches and wiped out hard drives.

Let Be Structured be your IT consulting Los Angeles solution.

#### IT Solutions for Wealth Management
At Be Structured we’ve had the honor to be chosen by a number of wealth management companies to serve as their outsourced IT support  department.

The wealth management industry is more fast-paced, demanding, and competitive than ever before.

We help wealth management companies and family offices meet their customer demands and regulatory needs while continuously improving efficiency with IT processes, reducing risks, and delivering consistent solutions at fair pricing.

As the leading IT security Los Angeles based company, Be Structured helps keep the wealth management industry in cybersecurity compliance and safety.
What Is a Wealth Management Company?
Wealth management is an advisory service that provides help to individuals, families, and businesses in achieving their financial goals. The purpose of wealth management is to create a comprehensive plan for managing the client’s finances, investments, and other assets so as to maximize the overall financial wellbeing of the client.

A wealth management firm typically works with clients on developing a tailored financial plan based on their individual needs and objectives, while taking into account long-term tax considerations and risk tolerance.

At a minimum, all wealth management firms should provide services related to asset allocation – that is, how money should be divided among different investments such as stocks and bonds.

More comprehensive firms provide even more services such as college funding, cash flow management, philanthropy planning, credit and banking solutions, securities trading advice and direct access to private investments.

These services often require more specialized knowledge than the basic asset allocation service so it can be beneficial for investors to work with a firm that is experienced in all areas.

The goal of any wealth management firm is to help their client build and protect their wealth. This requires a deep understanding of the client’s financial goals, as well as the ability to make sound decisions on behalf of the client.

It also includes providing information about how financial products and investments work so that clients can make informed decisions for themselves. Wealth management firms should strive to provide advice based on the most up-to-date market trends and industry knowledge, while maintaining an eye on the long-term objectives of their clients.

Ultimately, working with a wealth management firm should be seen as an investment in one’s overall financial wellbeing. A good wealth manager will work diligently to ensure that your money is growing in order to meet your future needs.

By taking advantage of the services offered by a wealth management firm, individuals and families can rest assured that their financial goals are being met in an effective and responsible manner. With the right guidance and dedication, it’s possible to create a secure financial future for you and your family.
Be Structured - A Wealth Management IT Support Company 
Whether you are a wealth management firm, standard brokerage, family office, or financial planning office, we have the specific knowledge your company and industry requires when searching for local IT support in and around the Los Angeles area.

Our team of executives, expert technicians, and help desk support staff can help you accurately discover and resolve problems.

Our IT consulting services help you stay one step of ahead of the curve with vCIO and vCTO strategic planning as needed.

We help you think big picture about using your technology within your business, and function as a true partner who is invested in overall success of your organization.

We provide customized cloud computing in Los Angeles, VoIP, security, backup, and disaster recovery solutions specifically fit for your industry and business needs.

We recognize that wealth management organizations and technology need to both be functioning well and effective at a high level in order for a you to succeed.

As a wealth management or investment firm, you depend on technology to help you communicate with partners or clients and maximize efficiency with your day-to-day operations.

We know you face unique challenges that are associated with compliance and regulatory affairs, and we work closely with you to ensure your managed IT support in Los Angeles is well-aligned with your business goals.

#### IT Support Anaheim
IT Support Anaheim Businesses Can Trust
In the ever-evolving industry landscape of Anaheim, don’t let a weak IT support solution be the reason you’re not hitting your business goals.

You need technology that works for you and not against you.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who dreamed of owning a business in Anaheim and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your small- to medium-sized business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Anaheim IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the financial industry, entertainment or a major law firm, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Los Angeles and Anaheim IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in Anaheim for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Anaheim IT support needs covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Anaheim IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Anaheim. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.
If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support Burbank
What is the best IT support company in Burbank?
Be Structured Technology Group is a Burbank IT support provider based in Downtown Los Angeles, just 13 miles from the Burbank city center. Founded in 2007, the company delivers 24/7/365 managed IT services, cybersecurity, and cloud consulting to Burbank businesses across media, entertainment, legal, and financial services.
Be Structured has earned the Channel Futures MSP 501 ranking for six consecutive years and maintains a 5-star Google review average. The team responds on-site to Burbank clients within 30 minutes and supports organizations from 15 to 200+ users with a single flat monthly fee.
Why do Burbank businesses need a local MSP?
Burbank is the Media Capital of the World — home to Warner Bros., Walt Disney Studios, NBCUniversal, Nickelodeon, and hundreds of post-production houses, creative agencies, and law firms that support them. These organizations run on tight production deadlines where even 30 minutes of network downtime can shut down a broadcast, derail a render farm, or freeze an editorial suite. A local managed service provider (MSP) with on-the-ground response time is not a luxury in Burbank — it's a requirement.
Be Structured has been providing award-winning IT support for Burbank businesses for over 15 years. Our team is dispatched from Downtown LA and can be on-site at any Burbank location within 30 minutes during business hours. After hours, our 24/7 Network Operations Center triages emergencies within 10 minutes — the kind of response window the entertainment industry can actually work with.
Where is the closest IT support company to Burbank?
Be Structured's headquarters at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071 sits approximately 13 miles from Burbank city center. By car via I-5 North, the trip takes 20 to 25 minutes. The Metro B Line (Red Line) connects the two cities directly — ideal for hand-carry device swaps and emergency dispatches.
Burbank ZIP codes we service:
 	91501, 91502, 91504, 91505, 91506 — Downtown Burbank, Magnolia Park, Media District, Rancho, and Burbank Hills
 	91522, 91523 — Warner Bros. Studios & NBCUniversal campus addresses
 	91510, 91521 — Burbank corporate P.O. box districts (Disney, etc.)
We also provide overflow coverage for businesses along the Burbank/Glendale/North Hollywood corridor and offer full managed IT services across the greater Los Angeles area.
What IT services do Burbank businesses use most?
Our most-requested services for Burbank clients fall into five categories:
 	All-inclusive managed IT services — helpdesk, monitoring, patching, and asset management under one flat monthly fee
 	Cybersecurity and network security — endpoint protection, EDR, dark web monitoring, DNS filtering, and 2FA deployment
 	Cloud migration and hybrid cloud — Microsoft 365, Azure, and Windows Virtual Desktop deployments for remote-first teams
 	Disaster recovery and business continuity planning — essential for post-production and media workflows with tight delivery deadlines
 	vCIO / vCTO consulting — strategic IT roadmapping with HIPAA, PCI, and FINRA audit support
Burbank IT support pricing
IT support in Burbank typically ranges from $125 to $300 per user per month for fully managed services. The exact rate depends on three factors: total user count, required compliance coverage (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FINRA), and whether you need a hybrid cloud or on-prem infrastructure managed alongside your endpoints.
Break-fix billing, by contrast, averages $175–$250 per hour in the LA metro and is reactive by nature — you only pay when something breaks, but every outage is a revenue event. Most Burbank businesses that migrate from break-fix to managed IT report total savings of 30–40% within the first 12 months, largely from eliminated downtime rather than reduced billing.
Free Consultation
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Support in Burbank
How much does IT support cost in Burbank?IT support in Burbank typically ranges from $125 to $300 per user per month for fully managed services, depending on the scope of coverage. Be Structured offers all-inclusive managed IT for Burbank businesses at a fixed monthly rate that includes 24/7 monitoring, helpdesk, cybersecurity, backup, and on-site support. Small businesses under 15 users generally pay less per seat than enterprises because of scaled service tiers.What’s the response time for IT support in Burbank?Be Structured guarantees a helpdesk response time of under 15 minutes for Burbank clients, with on-site dispatch available within 30 minutes during business hours. After-hours emergencies are triaged by our 24/7 Network Operations Center within 10 minutes.Is Be Structured located in Burbank?Be Structured’s headquarters is in Downtown Los Angeles at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor — approximately 13 miles from Burbank, reachable in 20 to 25 minutes via I-5 or the Metro B Line. Our team services all Burbank ZIP codes and maintains on-site presence for Burbank-based clients.What industries in Burbank does Be Structured support?Be Structured supports Burbank businesses in entertainment and media production, architecture firms, law firms, financial services, wealth management, nonprofits, healthcare, manufacturing, software development, and transportation. Our team has specific expertise in the post-production and creative-agency workflows common to Burbank’s media sector.Do I need an in-house IT team if I hire a Burbank MSP?No. Be Structured’s managed IT service replaces the functions of a full in-house IT department — including CIO-level strategy through vCIO services — for a single flat monthly fee. For Burbank businesses that already have internal IT staff, Be Structured operates as a co-managed partner to extend coverage, handle overnight monitoring, and provide specialized expertise.What cybersecurity services does Be Structured offer Burbank businesses?Be Structured provides managed detection and response (MDR), endpoint protection (EDR), dark web monitoring, phishing simulation and training, DNS filtering, two-factor authentication (2FA), mobile device management, penetration testing, and Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) — all tailored to the regulatory requirements of the client’s industry.How quickly can Be Structured onboard a new Burbank client?Standard onboarding for a 15–50 user Burbank business takes 14 to 30 days from signed agreement to full managed service activation. This includes network discovery, security baseline, documentation, and team training. Emergency or migration-driven onboardings can be accelerated.

#### IT Support for Accounting Firms and CPAs in Los Angeles
Why do accounting firms and CPAs in Los Angeles need specialized IT support?
Accounting firms and CPA practices run on a very specific set of software, work against immovable IRS deadlines, and hold some of the most sensitive financial data their clients possess. A general-purpose IT provider that treats your firm like any other office misses what actually matters: keeping Lacerte and CCH Axcess fast under load, protecting client tax records the way federal regulators now require, and making sure nothing breaks between January and April when downtime is not an option.
Be Structured Technology Group has supported Los Angeles businesses since 2007 from our headquarters at 500 S. Grand Avenue in Downtown LA. We provide all-inclusive managed IT services built around how accounting firms actually operate. That means understanding multi-monitor preparer workstations, remote and virtual-desktop access for staff and seasonal temps, document management systems like SmartVault, and the compliance obligations that come with handling taxpayer data. We are a six-time honoree on the Channel Futures MSP 501 and carry a 5-star Google average, and we back our work with a 24/7 Network Operations Center.
If your current provider does not know the difference between UltraTax CS and ProSystem fx, or cannot explain how they help you satisfy the FTC Safeguards Rule, you are carrying risk you do not need to carry. This page walks through how we support accounting and tax firms specifically, and why LA practices choose us.
Tax-season uptime and the real cost of downtime
For most businesses, an hour of IT downtime is an inconvenience. For an accounting firm in the middle of tax season, it is billable hours lost, client deadlines threatened, and reputation on the line. From January through April, and again ahead of the fall extension deadline, your tolerance for outages drops to nearly zero. A crashed return server, a slow line to your hosted tax software, or a workstation that will not boot at 9 a.m. on April 14th is a genuine emergency.
We build our support around that reality. Our 24/7 Network Operations Center monitors your systems around the clock, and after-hours issues get triaged within about 10 minutes so a problem at 11 p.m. during crunch week does not sit until morning. When something needs hands on site, our team responds across the Los Angeles area within roughly 30 minutes. Fast response is not a luxury during filing season; it is the difference between a minor hiccup and a missed deadline.
Just as important is what we do before the rush. We handle capacity planning so your servers, bandwidth, and licensing can absorb the seasonal surge in users and temporary staff. We schedule proactive maintenance, patching, and upgrades outside your busy season, so we are never taking systems down for updates when you need them most. Going into January, your environment should already be tuned, tested, and ready, not waiting on changes that should have happened in the fall.
Support for your accounting and tax software
Generic IT support struggles with accounting software because the applications are demanding, the data files are large, and the performance expectations are high. Our team supports the tools your firm depends on and, just as important, keeps them fast:
Tax preparation: Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax CS, CCH ProSystem fx, and CCH Axcess
Accounting and bookkeeping: QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online, plus Thomson Reuters applications
Document management and client collaboration: SmartVault and similar secure document platforms
Beyond installing and updating these applications, we tune the environment around them. Tax software performs best with properly configured network shares, fast storage, and correctly sized servers or hosting, especially when multiple preparers hit the same data files at once. We support the multi-monitor workstations that preparers rely on to keep a return, source documents, and research open side by side, and we make sure peripherals, scanners, and dual-display setups all work together.
We also handle the version transitions that hit every firm: annual tax software updates, QuickBooks upgrades, and the migrations between desktop and cloud or hosted versions of these applications. When you move from QuickBooks Desktop to Online, or from a local install of your tax package to a hosted or virtual-desktop deployment, we plan and execute it so your data comes across intact and your team can keep working.
Cybersecurity and protecting client financial data
Accounting firms are a top target for cybercriminals for a simple reason: you hold Social Security numbers, bank account details, full financial pictures, and the authority to move money. Tax-season phishing campaigns, business email compromise, and wire-fraud schemes are aimed directly at firms like yours, often impersonating a client, a partner, or the IRS to trick staff into releasing data or redirecting funds.
We provide layered cybersecurity for financial and accounting firms designed to close those gaps:
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) on every workstation and server to catch malicious activity that traditional antivirus misses
Two-factor and multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) on email, remote access, and your tax and accounting applications
DNS filtering to block malicious and phishing sites before they load
Dark web monitoring to alert you when firm or client credentials surface in a breach
Security-awareness training so your staff and seasonal hires can recognize the phishing and wire-fraud attempts that target accounting firms
We also help you move client data off insecure channels. Sending tax returns, W-2s, and financial statements as email attachments is one of the most common ways firms expose client information. We help you stand up secure client portals and encrypted file sharing so documents move safely in both directions, and we apply encryption to protect data at rest and in transit. The goal is straightforward: make it hard for an attacker to reach your clients' information, and easy for your staff to do the right thing.
FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS WISP compliance support
Tax and accounting firms are not just encouraged to secure client data; they are legally required to. Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the FTC Safeguards Rule requires firms that handle customer financial information to maintain a documented information security program with specific technical safeguards. Separately, the IRS requires paid tax preparers to maintain a Written Information Security Plan (WISP), with guidance laid out in IRS Publication 4557. These are not optional, and "we use a firewall" is not a sufficient answer anymore.
We help you build and maintain the technical safeguards these rules call for, including:
Access controls so staff can reach only the data their role requires
Encryption of sensitive data at rest and in transit
Multi-factor authentication across email, remote access, and key applications
Continuous monitoring and logging of your systems
Secure, tested backups of client and firm data
Documentation of your controls so your WISP reflects what is actually in place
To be clear about what we do: we provide the technical foundation and the documentation to support your compliance, and we help you meet the requirements the Safeguards Rule and IRS guidance set out. We do not certify your firm and we are not a substitute for your own legal or compliance counsel. What we deliver is a security environment that stands up to scrutiny and a clear record of the safeguards behind it, so when a client, an insurer, or a regulator asks how you protect taxpayer data, you have a real answer.
Cloud and remote access for busy season
Accounting work no longer happens only at a desk in the office. Partners review returns from home, staff cover the late nights of filing season from wherever they are, and seasonal preparers need to be productive on day one without a major hardware rollout. We design cloud and remote-access environments that make that practical and secure.
Through Microsoft 365 and Azure, we give your firm modern email, file storage, and collaboration with the security controls turned on, not left at defaults. For your line-of-business applications, we set up virtual desktops so preparers can reach Lacerte, UltraTax CS, ProSystem fx, QuickBooks, and their document management system from a home office or a temporary workstation, with the same multi-monitor experience and the same performance they expect in the office. Virtual desktops also keep client data on your secured systems rather than scattered across personal laptops, which is exactly what the Safeguards Rule wants.
This model is built for the seasonal surge. When you bring on temporary staff in February, we can provision secure access quickly and pull it back just as cleanly when the season ends, without leaving orphaned accounts or lingering access to client data. You get the flexibility your team needs in busy season without sacrificing control or security.
In-house hire, break-fix, or a managed provider: which fits a CPA firm?
The table below compares the three ways Los Angeles accounting practices usually staff their IT. Read it against your own filing calendar rather than in the abstract: the column that matters is what happens on April 14th.
In-House IT Hire
Break-Fix IT
Be Structured Managed IT
Coverage during filing season
Business hours, one person, and they take PTO too
Reactive; you call after something breaks
24/7 Network Operations Center, about 10-minute after-hours triage
On-site response in LA
Already there, if they are not out
Scheduled, often next day
Roughly 30 minutes across the LA area from Downtown
Cost structure
Salary plus benefits for one skill set
Hourly, unpredictable, worst in your busiest month
Flat $125 to $300 per user per month
Tax software depth
Varies entirely by the hire
Rarely industry-specific
Lacerte, UltraTax CS, ProSystem fx, CCH Axcess, Drake, QuickBooks
FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS WISP support
Usually not their background
Not included
Technical safeguards implemented and documented
Seasonal staff provisioning
Manual, and offboarding gets forgotten
Billed per request
Provisioned and revoked as a standard process
Bench strength
None; knowledge leaves with the employee
None
Full team across security, cloud, networking and compliance
Two honest caveats. A large firm with proprietary systems and a genuine internal IT function may be better served by a co-managed arrangement than by handing everything over; we run those too. And if your practice is three people on QuickBooks Online with no servers, managed IT is more than you need right now. Multi-factor authentication, a documented WISP, and a tested backup will do more per dollar, and we will say so during scoping.
How to choose an IT provider for your accounting firm
Ask them to name your tax software. A provider who cannot tell UltraTax CS from ProSystem fx will learn on your February.
Ask how they support your WISP. IRS Publication 4557 expects a Written Information Security Plan that reflects reality. Ask which technical safeguards they implement and what documentation you receive, and be clear that a provider supports compliance rather than certifying it.
Get the response-time SLA in writing. A 24/7 claim without documented response windows by severity is marketing. Ask what happens at 9 p.m. on April 14th, specifically.
Ask when they do maintenance. The right answer is outside your busy season, planned in the fall, not patching a return server during crunch week.
Ask about seasonal staff. Provisioning temporary preparers quickly and revoking that access cleanly is a process question, and orphaned accounts are exactly what the Safeguards Rule is aimed at.
Ask how client documents move. If the answer is still email attachments, you are carrying risk your clients are increasingly asking about. Secure portals and encrypted file exchange should already be on the table.
Ask for accounting references. A provider with real CPA experience can connect you with firms on your side of the filing calendar.
Why LA accounting firms choose Be Structured
We are a Los Angeles MSP, headquartered Downtown at 500 S. Grand Avenue, and we have supported local businesses since 2007. For accounting firms, that combination of local presence and deep technical experience matters: when you need someone on site within about 30 minutes during filing week, we are genuinely down the street, not a ticket queue three time zones away.
What firms value most:
A track record that holds up: six consecutive years on the Channel Futures MSP 501 and a 5-star Google average
Always-on coverage: a 24/7 Network Operations Center with roughly 10-minute after-hours triage, built for the deadlines you cannot move
Predictable budgeting: a flat monthly per-user fee, so your IT cost does not spike when you add seasonal staff or when something breaks
The full stack under one roof: help desk, cybersecurity, cloud, backup and disaster recovery, and vCIO/vCTO strategic guidance
Industry awareness: we understand accounting software, tax-season pressure, and the FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS WISP obligations your firm carries
Our vCIO and vCTO services give your partners a technology strategy that looks past the next deadline, planning hardware refreshes, software transitions, and security investments around your firm's calendar rather than against it. Combined with proactive maintenance and disaster-recovery planning, that means fewer surprises and a firm that is ready for each tax season before it arrives.
Fully managed IT from Be Structured typically runs $125 to $300 per user per month, depending on the size of your firm and the depth of security and compliance support you need (the full breakdown is on our managed IT services cost page). It is a flat, predictable per-user fee that covers help desk, monitoring, security, and strategy, with no surprise hourly bills when something goes wrong at the worst possible time.
Ready to talk through what your accounting firm needs? Contact our sales team or call (323) 331-9452. We will review your current setup, your tax software, and your compliance obligations, and show you exactly how we would support your firm through the next filing season and beyond.
Accounting and CPA IT Support FAQ
How much does IT support for an accounting firm cost?Fully managed IT from Be Structured typically runs $125 to $300 per user per month, depending on your firm's size and the depth of security and compliance support you need. It is a flat, predictable per-user fee that covers help desk, monitoring, cybersecurity, and strategic guidance, with no surprise hourly bills when something breaks during filing season.
What is the FTC Safeguards Rule and do we need a WISP?The FTC Safeguards Rule, under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, requires firms handling customer financial information to maintain a documented information security program with specific technical safeguards. Separately, the IRS requires paid tax preparers to maintain a Written Information Security Plan (WISP), with guidance in IRS Publication 4557. We help you build and maintain the technical safeguards these rules require and document them; we support your compliance and help you meet the requirements, but we do not certify your firm.
Do you support tax software like Lacerte, UltraTax CS, and CCH ProSystem fx?Yes. We support Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax CS, CCH ProSystem fx, CCH Axcess, Thomson Reuters applications, QuickBooks Desktop and Online, and document management systems like SmartVault. Beyond installing and updating these applications, we tune the network shares, storage, and servers around them so they stay fast when multiple preparers hit the same data files at once.
How do you handle IT during tax season when downtime is not an option?Our 24/7 Network Operations Center monitors your systems around the clock, after-hours issues are triaged within about 10 minutes, and we respond on site across the LA area within roughly 30 minutes. We also do capacity planning for the seasonal surge in users and temps, and we schedule proactive maintenance and upgrades outside your busy season so we are never taking systems down when you need them most.
Can our staff work remotely and access tax software from home during busy season?Yes. We set up virtual desktops so preparers can reach Lacerte, UltraTax CS, ProSystem fx, QuickBooks, and their document management system from home or a temporary workstation, with the same multi-monitor experience and performance they have in the office. Virtual desktops also keep client data on your secured systems rather than on personal laptops.
How do you protect our clients' financial data?We use layered security: EDR on every workstation and server, multi-factor authentication on email and remote access, DNS filtering, dark web monitoring, and security-awareness training. We also help you move client documents off email attachments and onto secure client portals and encrypted file sharing, with encryption protecting data at rest and in transit.
How do you protect accounting firms against phishing and wire fraud?Accounting firms are heavily targeted by phishing, business email compromise, and wire-fraud schemes, often impersonating a client, partner, or the IRS. We defend against this with DNS filtering, EDR, multi-factor authentication, dark web monitoring, and ongoing security-awareness training so your staff and seasonal hires can recognize and stop these attempts before money or data leaves the firm.
How fast do you respond when something breaks?Our 24/7 Network Operations Center triages after-hours issues within about 10 minutes, and when an issue needs hands on site, our team responds across the Los Angeles area within roughly 30 minutes. Fast response matters most during filing season, when a single outage can threaten a client deadline.
Are you located in Los Angeles?Yes. Be Structured Technology Group is headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown Los Angeles, and we have supported local businesses since 2007. Being local means we can be on site quickly during tax season rather than routing you through a remote queue. Call us at (323) 331-9452.
What is included in your managed IT services for accounting firms?Our all-inclusive managed IT covers help desk and end-user support, 24/7 monitoring, cybersecurity (EDR, MFA, DNS filtering, dark web monitoring, security-awareness training), cloud and Microsoft 365 and Azure management, virtual desktops, backup and disaster recovery, vCIO/vCTO strategic guidance, and support for your FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS WISP obligations, all for a flat monthly per-user fee.

#### IT Support for Architecture Firms in Los Angeles
Q: What does IT support for architecture firms include?
IT support for architecture firms includes managed helpdesk services, CAD software support (AutoCAD, Revit, ArchiCAD), large-file network infrastructure, cloud storage and collaboration tools, cybersecurity, and compliance-ready data backup. Be Structured Technology Group provides fully outsourced IT support for architecture firms in Los Angeles — handling everything from network installation and disaster recovery to 24/7 monitoring — so your team stays focused on design, not downtime.
Architecture firms that outsource IT spend up to 40% less on technology management than firms maintaining in-house IT staff, while gaining access to a full team of specialists rather than a single generalist. At Be Structured, we understand how critical your network platform is to your firm’s daily operations — your team runs large CAD files, collaborates across multiple project sites, and depends on software that cannot go down mid-deadline.
When you partner with Be Structured Technology Group, you stay focused on design with the peace of mind that a dedicated local IT team works as your partner 24/7, 365 days a year. From hosted cloud solutions and disaster recovery to IT security in Los Angeles and CAD optimization, our team deploys customized solutions built around your firm’s unique workflows.
CAD Software Support
Be Structured has extensive hands-on experience supporting architecture firms on the tools they rely on most:
 	AutoCAD — performance optimization, licensing management, and version control
 	Autodesk Revit — BIM workflow support, add-in management, and multi-user file conflict resolution
 	ArchiCAD — multi-platform compatibility, teamwork file server configuration, and upgrade planning
Our team streamlines your software environment — even across multiple CAD platforms simultaneously — so disruptions are resolved quickly and design momentum is never lost.
Key Data: IT in the Architecture Industry
 	Architecture firms using fully managed IT services report an average of 67% fewer unplanned downtime events compared to break/fix clients.
 	The average cost of IT downtime for a professional services firm is $5,600 per hour (Gartner).
 	73% of architecture firms now use cloud-based collaboration tools for project delivery, up from 41% in 2019.
 	Firms that outsource IT to an MSP reduce their per-user IT cost by $1,200–$2,400 annually compared to equivalent in-house staffing.
In-House IT vs. Outsourced IT for Architecture Firms
The table below compares key factors for architecture firms evaluating whether to maintain in-house IT staff or partner with a managed service provider. All cost figures reflect typical ranges for Los Angeles-area firms with 10–75 staff members.
Factor
In-House IT Staff
Be Structured (Outsourced IT)
Monthly Cost (10–50 users)
$8,000–$15,000/mo (salary + benefits)
$2,500–$6,000/mo (all-inclusive)
CAD Software Expertise
Varies — generalist skill set
Dedicated AEC software experience
Availability
Business hours only
24/7/365 monitoring and support
Cybersecurity
Basic — limited to one person's skillset
Layered enterprise-grade security stack
Scalability
Requires new hire to scale
Scales instantly with your project load
Disaster Recovery
Often undocumented or untested
Formal BCP with tested recovery procedures
Cloud Architecture
Rarely optimized for large file workflows
Designed for Revit/AutoCAD cloud performance
Vendor Management
Handled internally (time-consuming)
Fully managed by Be Structured
Response Time (Critical Issues)
Depends on availability
Under 15 minutes for critical P1 issues
How to Choose an IT Partner for Your Architecture Firm
Selecting the right managed IT services provider is one of the most important infrastructure decisions your firm will make. Follow these seven steps to evaluate your options and choose an IT partner built for AEC.
Step 1: Audit Your Current IT Pain Points
Before evaluating vendors, document your firm’s most frequent technology frustrations: CAD software crashes, slow file transfers, security concerns, remote access issues, or unreliable backups. A clear pain-point list gives you a baseline to measure every vendor against.
Step 2: Confirm AEC Software Experience
Not all MSPs understand the demands of AutoCAD, Revit, or ArchiCAD. Ask directly: “How many architecture or engineering firm clients do you currently support? What CAD platforms do your technicians have hands-on experience with?” If they can’t answer specifically, move on. See Be Structured’s managed IT services for an example of AEC-focused service delivery.
Step 3: Evaluate Response Time Guarantees
Downtime during a deadline is not acceptable. Request a copy of the vendor’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) and look for guaranteed response times — specifically for critical (P1) and high-priority (P2) issues. Best-in-class MSPs commit to under 15 minutes for P1 response.
Step 4: Assess Network Infrastructure for Large File Workflows
Architecture firms move massive BIM and rendering files daily. Ask whether the provider has experience designing and installing networks optimized for large-file throughput, and whether they support 10GbE local networking or SD-WAN for multi-site firms.
Step 5: Verify Cybersecurity and Compliance Capabilities
Client project data, contracts, and intellectual property are high-value targets. Confirm your prospective IT partner offers endpoint detection and response (EDR), multi-factor authentication (MFA), dark web monitoring, and documented incident response procedures.
Step 6: Request Architecture Firm References
Ask for references from current or former architecture, engineering, or construction firm clients — not just generic business references. A provider who understands AEC workflows will have them.
Step 7: Review the Onboarding Process
A high-quality IT transition should include a full infrastructure audit, documentation of all systems, and a structured onboarding timeline with no downtime. Ask for their onboarding checklist before signing.
Cloud Services for Architecture Firms
In the architecture industry, your work can take you anywhere. A comprehensive cloud solution from Be Structured gives your team the flexibility to access mission-critical software and large project files from any device, anywhere.
Private Cloud
 	Maximum control over sensitive client data
 	Custom security policies aligned with your firm’s requirements
Public Cloud
 	On-demand scalability for rendering workloads and project storage
 	Minimal upfront infrastructure cost
Hybrid Cloud
With a hybrid cloud platform, your firm can store sensitive IP and client files on private resources while running bulk rendering and collaboration tools from a public data center — the best of both worlds for performance and cost efficiency.
Network Installation for Architecture Firms
Your network is the foundation of every project your firm delivers. Be Structured designs and installs networks from the ground up — optimized for the bandwidth demands of BIM collaboration, CAD file transfers, and multi-user Revit environments. Our structured cabling and network installation services are custom-designed for your physical space and workflows, and always built with future growth in mind.
Cybersecurity for Architecture Firms
Architecture firms hold valuable intellectual property: unreleased building designs, client contracts, financial data, and proprietary processes. Be Structured delivers enterprise-grade cybersecurity scaled for professional services firms:
 	Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
 	Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
 	Dark Web Scanning and Phishing Training
 	DNS Filtering
 	24/7 Security Monitoring
Frequently Asked Questions: IT Support for Architecture Firms
What does IT support for architecture firms include?IT support for architecture firms includes managed helpdesk services, CAD software support (AutoCAD, Revit, ArchiCAD), high-performance network infrastructure designed for large BIM files, cloud storage and collaboration tools, layered cybersecurity, disaster recovery planning, and 24/7 system monitoring. A specialized provider like Be Structured also handles vendor management, software licensing, and onsite support in the Los Angeles area.How much does IT support cost for an architecture firm in Los Angeles?Managed IT services for Los Angeles architecture firms typically range from $125 to $300 per user per month for all-inclusive support, depending on firm size, software environment, and security requirements. This compares favorably to the $8,000-$15,000 per month cost of employing equivalent in-house IT staff for a 10-50 person firm once salary, benefits, and training are factored in.Why do architecture firms need specialized IT support rather than a general MSP?Architecture firms run resource-intensive CAD applications like AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, and ArchiCAD that require specific server configurations, GPU-optimized workstations, and high-throughput local networks. A general IT provider without AEC experience may not recognize performance bottlenecks specific to BIM workflows or understand how to configure cloud storage for large rendering files.Can an outsourced IT company support remote architecture teams and job sites?Yes. A qualified managed IT services provider sets up secure remote access solutions - including VPN configurations, cloud-based file sharing platforms, and mobile device management - that allow architecture team members to access project files, CAD software, and collaboration tools from any location. Be Structured supports Los Angeles-based architecture firms with both remote monitoring and onsite response when needed.What cybersecurity risks do architecture firms face?Architecture firms are exposed to ransomware targeting intellectual property, phishing attacks against project managers and principals, data breaches exposing unreleased building designs or client financial information, and supply chain attacks through subcontractor or vendor email accounts. Firms that lack multi-factor authentication and endpoint detection tools are especially vulnerable.How long does it take to transition to a new IT support provider?A structured IT transition for an architecture firm typically takes 2-4 weeks, depending on firm size and complexity of existing systems. A professional onboarding process includes a full infrastructure audit, network documentation, software licensing review, security baseline assessment, and end-user communication - all without interruption to daily operations.Does Be Structured provide on-site IT support for architecture firms in Los Angeles?Yes. Be Structured is a Los Angeles-based managed IT services provider with technicians available for onsite support throughout the greater LA area, including Downtown LA, Century City, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Burbank, Hollywood, and Culver City. Onsite visits are included in all-inclusive support plans for qualifying issues.What is the difference between managed IT services and break/fix IT support for architecture firms?Break/fix IT support means you call for help only after something has already gone wrong - and you pay hourly each time. Managed IT services provide continuous 24/7 monitoring, proactive maintenance, and a fixed monthly cost that covers unlimited support. For architecture firms where a downed server or failed CAD workstation means project delays and missed client deadlines, proactive managed IT is the more reliable and cost-effective model.
Architecture IT Support Built For Your Firm
Be Structured gives your firm the technology you need to support your business and your team.
By working with a knowledgeable team that specializes in IT support for architecture firms in Los Angeles, we can ensure that your technical needs are met in order to remain competitive. 
If you’re ready to experience how much more your IT partner can do to elevate your technology platform, contact the experts at Be Structured today.

#### It Support for Law Firms
IT support for law firms covers managed cybersecurity, cloud-based document and case management, regulatory compliance, and 24/7 help desk coverage built around an attorney's confidentiality obligations under ABA Model Rule 1.6.
Be Structured Technology Group has delivered IT support for Los Angeles law firms since 2007, handling everything from ransomware protection and encrypted backups to case management software rollouts and disaster recovery planning. With 40% of law firms reporting a security breach in 2024 and the average breach now costing $5.08 million, most firms outsource this work to a specialized managed IT provider rather than staffing an internal IT department.
Data Security and Industry Compliance for Law Firms
Worried about privacy at your law firm? You should be.
Law firms are one of the most heavily targeted industries in cybercrime because of the volume of confidential client data they hold — trade secrets, financial records, medical histories, and case files that would be valuable to a bad actor. Our local IT support team has extensive experience working with legal industry clients — that's why IT support for law firms is so important — so we can help you stay ahead of the latest network compliance requirements, including ABA Model Rule 1.6, HIPAA (for firms handling medical records in personal injury or healthcare litigation), and FINRA (for firms serving financial clients).
Please read our latest article on ABA, CCPA, and California compliance rules for law firm cybersecurity to make sure that you are compliant.
Our comprehensive managed IT services and document management solutions prioritize data security so your data stays accessible to your team and inaccessible to everyone else. Ensuring your network remains compliant with ever-changing cybersecurity compliance requirements can turn into a full-time job on its own — we're here to take that off your plate. As one of the leading cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles, we monitor your technology platform for compliance continuously, not just at renewal time.
In-House IT vs. Managed IT for Law Firms
The table below compares the three most common ways Los Angeles law firms staff their IT — useful context before deciding who should manage your network, your case files, and your compliance obligations.
In-House IT Hire
Traditional Break-Fix IT
Be Structured Managed IT
Coverage
Business hours only, single point of failure
Reactive — arrives after something breaks
24/7 monitoring and help desk
Cost structure
~$85,000–$120,000/yr salary + benefits, one person
Billed hourly, unpredictable
Flat monthly fee, budget-predictable
Legal compliance depth
Varies by hire; rarely a specialist
Rarely industry-specific
ABA Rule 1.6, HIPAA, and FINRA compliance built in
Backup & disaster recovery
Depends on the individual's setup
Often an afterthought
Encrypted, monitored, tested backups
Case management software support
Limited to one person's bandwidth
Not typically included
Ongoing training and support included
Bench strength during PTO/turnover
None — knowledge leaves with the employee
None
Full team, no single point of failure
Cost and downtime context: only 43% of law firms run cloud backups and just 34% have a documented incident response plan, according to the ABA's 2023 Cybersecurity TechReport. A 20-attorney firm billing $300/hour can lose roughly $14,800 during a single four-hour email outage, based on lost billable time alone.
Los Angeles Managed IT for Case Management Software
If your law firm is ready to take advantage of the latest case management software, our team is here to help you understand and choose the right platform, then support it for the life of your engagement.
There are more case management options on the market today than ever before. That's good news for finding a fit — and it's exactly why you need an IT partner that can implement it, integrate it with your existing document workflow, and keep your team trained on it.
As part of our commitment to Los Angeles IT support, we never hand a law firm new software and walk away. We provide ongoing training and support so your team gets full value from the platform, not just the login credentials.
An IT Support Company Specializing in Law Firm Support
The legal sector's technical needs keep growing more complex. Legal work requires secure, reliable data handling and storage, plus advanced software for case management, document assembly, billing, and client relationship management — all while complying with confidentiality regulations that place real strain on a firm's technology infrastructure.
Robust IT is also what keeps a firm out of the headlines. Client data breaches at firms like Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe ($8 million settlement) and Gunster Yoakley & Stewart ($8.5 million settlement) show that firms of every size are targets, and that avoiding outages is a real business risk for law firms, not just an IT department's problem.
That means: secure servers for sensitive information, current anti-malware protection, a tested backup strategy, collaboration tools for remote and hybrid teams, and cyber risk management protocols that hold up to a client's own security questionnaire.
Firms that invest in this infrastructure protect themselves from liability and keep their workflow moving — including the shift from manual processes to automated systems for data entry, document assembly, and billing.
There's no reason for your team to spend time researching what is bluesnarfing and how to prevent it, or the different types of access control. Leave the technical research to us.
How to Choose an IT Support Provider for Your Law Firm
 	Audit your current risk exposure. Identify where client data lives today — local drives, email, case management software, shared folders — and who has access to it.
 	Confirm legal-industry compliance experience. Ask specifically about ABA Model Rule 1.6, and HIPAA or FINRA if your practice touches medical or financial records. A generalist IT provider may not know the difference.
 	Verify the response-time SLA in writing. “24/7 support” should come with a documented guaranteed response window, not a marketing phrase.
 	Ask how they handle case management software. Confirm the provider has hands-on experience with your platform (or is willing to learn it) and includes ongoing staff training, not just a one-time setup.
 	Review their backup and incident response plan. Request the actual runbook — how backups are tested, how fast data can be restored, and who's notified during an incident.
 	Get references from other law firms. A provider with legal-sector experience should be able to connect you with current attorney clients, not just generic testimonials.
An IT Support Company in Los Angeles for Attorneys
Your firm has goals. Be Structured is here to make sure your technology platform is built to hit them.
No matter what you need, our team has the depth of experience to oversee your next IT project and provide ongoing support after it's live.
Get in touch with our team today, and we'll start discussing how to elevate your operations and productivity.
FAQs for Law Firm IT Support
What does IT support for a law firm include?IT support for a law firm typically includes 24/7 help desk coverage, network and endpoint security, encrypted data backup and disaster recovery, case management and document assembly software support, email and communication tools, and compliance monitoring for standards like ABA Model Rule 1.6, HIPAA, and FINRA. A managed provider bundles these into one flat-rate service instead of billing hourly for each issue.Do law firms need their own in-house IT department?Most small and mid-sized law firms don't need a full in-house IT department. A single in-house hire creates a single point of failure — when they're out sick, on vacation, or leave the firm, coverage gaps follow. Managed IT providers offer a full team with 24/7 coverage for a flat monthly cost that's usually lower than one full-time salary plus benefits.How much does IT support cost for a law firm?Managed IT support for a law firm is typically priced per user per month and scales with headcount, so costs stay predictable as the firm grows. This is different from break-fix IT, which bills hourly and produces unpredictable invoices, or an in-house hire, which runs roughly $85,000–$120,000 a year in salary and benefits for one person.What compliance rules apply to law firm IT systems?Every U.S. law firm is bound by ABA Model Rule 1.6, which requires reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized access to or disclosure of client information. Firms that handle medical records may also fall under HIPAA, and firms serving financial services clients may need FINRA-aligned controls. An IT provider with legal-sector experience builds monitoring and documentation around these specific requirements rather than generic best practices.How quickly should an IT provider respond to a law firm outage?Response time should be defined in a written service level agreement, not left to a general 24/7 availability claim. Given that a mid-sized firm billing $300 an hour can lose close to $14,800 in a single four-hour outage, look for a provider that guarantees an initial response within minutes for critical issues, not hours.Is managed IT worth it for a small law firm?For most solo practitioners and small firms, yes. Only 43% of law firms currently run cloud backups and just 34% have a documented incident response plan, according to the ABA's 2023 Cybersecurity TechReport — gaps that a managed IT provider closes as a standard part of service rather than an upsell. It also removes the cost and turnover risk of a single in-house IT hire.Does better cybersecurity actually help a law firm win clients?Increasingly, yes. In a 2025 survey, 37% of legal clients said they were willing to pay a premium to work with a firm that had stronger cybersecurity measures in place. Demonstrable IT compliance is becoming a competitive differentiator in new client pitches, not just a back-office cost.

#### IT Support for Nonprofits in Los Angeles
The best IT support for nonprofits pairs enterprise-grade security with pricing built around grant-funded, donor-dependent budgets — not a standard commercial rate card. Be Structured Technology Group provides managed IT services for nonprofits in Los Angeles, including 24/7 helpdesk support, cybersecurity monitoring, secure donor-data management, and guidance on TechSoup-eligible software discounts, all from one accountable partner. 
Since 2007, we've supported Los Angeles nonprofit IT support clients — nonprofits, associations, and foundations — that need reliable network installation, data backup, and IT security without hiring an in-house IT department.
Why Nonprofit IT Support Works Differently
Nonprofits run on a different operating model than a typical small business, and that changes what "IT support" needs to mean. Budgets are tied to grants and donations rather than predictable revenue, so technology spending has to be justified against the mission, not just the balance sheet. 
Staffing relies on volunteers and seasonal help, which means user accounts, devices, and access permissions change constantly and have to be managed just as carefully as a full-time employee's. And most nonprofits are custodians of sensitive data — donor payment information, beneficiary records, grant reporting — that carries real compliance obligations even without a dedicated compliance department.
Nonprofits are now the fourth most-targeted sector by nation-state threat actors, according to Microsoft's 2024 Digital Defense Report, and Cloudflare's Project Galileo recorded a 241% year-over-year increase in attacks against nonprofit and civil-society organizations between 2024 and 2025. 
Most nonprofit technology budgets are still built for uptime, not defense — which is exactly the gap a dedicated nonprofit IT support plan is built to close. 
For a closer look at the risks nonprofits face and the warning signs it's time for better protection, see our guide to cybersecurity for nonprofits.
Managed IT Services for Nonprofits: What's Included
Be Structured's all-inclusive managed IT services are scoped to fit inside a nonprofit's operating budget while covering the same ground a for-profit business would expect from its IT department:
 	         24/7/365 helpdesk support for staff, board members, and volunteers
 	         Cybersecurity monitoring, endpoint protection, and dark-web/breach monitoring
 	         Secure support for donor management, fundraising, and case-management platforms
 	         Data backup and disaster recovery for donor and grant records
 	         Network installation and structured cabling for offices, shelters, and program sites
 	         IT consulting / vCIO guidance on budgeting technology against grant cycles
 	         Support identifying TechSoup and vendor nonprofit-discount eligibility
In-House IT vs. Managed IT for Nonprofits
Many nonprofits default to a single in-house IT hire, or fold IT duties into an operations role, because it looks cheaper on paper. In practice, the coverage gap shows up the first time that person is out sick, on leave, or simply outnumbered by a security incident:
Factor
In-House IT Hire
Be Structured Managed IT
Coverage hours
Typically business hours only; nights/weekends need on-call pay or go uncovered
24/7/365 monitoring and helpdesk, included in the flat monthly rate
Cybersecurity depth
One generalist covering helpdesk, security, and projects at once
Dedicated security monitoring, patching, and dark-web/endpoint protection
Volunteer & seasonal staff turnover
Manual onboarding/offboarding, easy to fall behind during peak season
Standardized account provisioning and de-provisioning built into the plan
Grant & compliance reporting
Ad hoc, dependent on one person's availability
Documented systems and audit-ready reporting support (HIPAA, PCI, FINRA where applicable)
Cost predictability
Salary, benefits, and training costs scale with headcount
Fixed monthly cost sized to your budget, no benefits or backfill risk
Scalability
Hiring lag when the organization grows or adds a location
Add users, sites, or services without a hiring cycle
 
How to Get Started with Nonprofit IT Support
 	       Request a free technology assessment covering your network, devices, and current software licensing.
 	       Walk through your donor management, fundraising, and grant-reporting systems so the plan is built around what you already use.
 	       Get a gap analysis flagging security, backup, and compliance risks specific to your organization.
 	       Review a fixed-cost monthly proposal sized to your budget and headcount, with no hidden per-incident fees.
 	       Onboard with a scheduled migration and account setup for staff, board members, and active volunteers.
 	       Move into ongoing 24/7 support with quarterly reviews timed around your budget and grant cycles.
FAQs About IT Support for Nonprofits
What is the best IT support for nonprofits?The best IT support for nonprofits combines enterprise-grade cybersecurity and 24/7 helpdesk coverage with pricing structured around grant-funded, donor-dependent budgets. Look for a provider that has direct experience with donor management and fundraising platforms, understands nonprofit compliance and reporting needs, and can support high volunteer and seasonal-staff turnover without charging per-incident fees. Be Structured Technology Group has provided this kind of managed IT support to Los Angeles nonprofits since 2007.How much does IT support cost for a nonprofit organization?Nonprofit IT support is typically priced as a flat monthly fee per user or per device, rather than hourly break-fix billing, so the organization can budget it as a predictable line item and include it in grant and operating budgets. The exact cost depends on headcount, the number of locations, and whether the organization needs added services like compliance reporting or on-site network cabling. Be Structured provides a free technology assessment and a fixed-cost proposal before any commitment.Do nonprofits get discounts on IT services and software?Many nonprofits qualify for discounted or donated software and cloud licensing through programs such as TechSoup, which partners with vendors like Microsoft, Google, and Adobe to offer reduced-cost or free licenses to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations. A managed IT provider that works with nonprofits regularly can help confirm eligibility, apply for these programs, and fold the savings into the overall technology budget.What cybersecurity risks are nonprofits most exposed to?Nonprofits are frequent targets because they hold sensitive donor and beneficiary data but often run smaller security budgets than commercial businesses. Microsoft's 2024 Digital Defense Report lists nonprofits as the fourth most-targeted sector by nation-state threat actors, and Cloudflare's Project Galileo recorded a 241% year-over-year increase in attacks against nonprofit and civil-society organizations between 2024 and 2025. Common risks include phishing aimed at finance and development staff, ransomware targeting donor databases, and unsecured volunteer or remote-access accounts left active after turnover.Can an IT provider support donor management and grant systems?Yes. A managed IT provider experienced with nonprofits should be able to support common donor management and fundraising platforms alongside general network, security, and helpdesk services, including secure integrations, backups, and access controls for the staff and volunteers who use them. Be Structured supports the donor management, marketing automation, and case-management systems that Los Angeles nonprofits already run, rather than requiring an organization to switch platforms.Do you provide IT support for nonprofits and associations outside of Los Angeles?Be Structured is based in downtown Los Angeles and primarily serves nonprofits, associations, and foundations across the greater Los Angeles area, including Hollywood, Burbank, Culver City, Pasadena, and the South Bay. Organizations with a Los Angeles office or hybrid/remote staff outside the immediate area can also be supported remotely; contact the team to confirm coverage for a specific location.
Get Started
Be Structured Technology Group has supported Los Angeles nonprofits, associations, and foundations since 2007 with managed IT services, cybersecurity, and network installation built around mission-driven budgets. 
Contact us for a free technology assessment.

#### IT Support in Compton
IT Support Compton Businesses Can Trust
Compton is one of the oldest cities in Los Angeles County. Because of its central location, Compton’s businesses are thriving and have more opportunities for growth than ever.

To ensure the continued success of your Compton company, you need an IT partner that works alongside your team to make sure technology is driving growth.

The team at Be Structured is an excellent choice as your business’s managed service provider (MSP). We specialize in keeping your systems running at peak performance with our IT management solutions.

Our MSP services are designed to save you time as well as money by minimizing downtime and offering fixed monthly budgeting. If your Compton business is looking for a trusted MSP, give Be Structured a call and we’ll be happy to visit your office to discuss your technology goals.

You need technology that works for you and not against you.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who dreamed of owning a business in Compton and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your small- to medium-sized business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Compton IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the financial industry, entertainment or a major law firm, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Compton IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in Compton for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Compton IT support needs covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Compton IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Compton. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support in Culver City
IT Support Culver City Businesses Can Trust
The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning managed IT services to Culver City businesses for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Culver City IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Culver City IT support solutions that include:

 	Software installation and upgrades
 	Hardware set-up and maintenance
 	Network structured security and storage
 	Data backup

Culver City IT Support Near Me
When you need fast and reliable outsource technical support for your Culver City-based business, Be Structured has you covered 24/7, 365 days a year.

Be Structured’s downtown Los Angeles IT services headquarters means we’re just minutes away by car or Metro to fulfill your outsourced IT support needs at any Culver City location.

If you’re searching for a Los Angeles managed service provider for your IT needs, Be Structured is happy to visit your office and discuss how we can help. We’ll clarify your goals and needs to determine if our tech support solutions may be the answer you’ve been seeking.

We are proud of our consistent five-star reviews on our Google My Business page.

It’s the pride we take in our managed IT services for Culver City businesses that makes our clients think of us not just as an outsourced technical support company, but as an IT business partner.

Our mission is to keep your business safe and stable with the finest IT security Los Angeles has to offer. We are always on the lookout for prevention of cyber attacks, so you can work on growing your enterprise.

#### IT Support in Irvine
IT Support Irvine Businesses Can Trust
Irvine is a wealthy city bustling with business and industry.

In fact, it’s one of the wealthiest cities in California and has seen tremendous industry growth over the past several decades.

Be Structured spends a lot of time on 405 freeway driving to help strengthen the security and overall technical operations of many businesses that we have as longtime clients.

Whether your company works in wealth management or accounting, a trusted IT managed service provider is essential for your ongoing success, security, and prosperity.

We love working with businesses all over Irvine and giving them the best IT solutions we can. If you’re running a small- to medium-sized business, Be Structured is the ideal choice for monitoring and servicing your computer systems. Rapidly responding to your system issues is our priority because we want your company to run efficiently and thrive.

If you’re looking for a first-rate managed service provider, we’d love to visit you and see how we can meet your IT needs.

Be Structured’s team specializes in providing robust IT solutions for businesses of all sizes throughout Irvine to drive success at every level. If you want your business to run as efficiently as possible and you need reliable IT solutions, Be Structured is one of the most trusted managed service providers (MSP) in the area.

Contact us today and we’ll be happy to visit your Irvine office and discuss your vision for the future.

If you’re one of the lucky businesses that dreamed of owning a business in Irvine and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your Irvine business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Irvine IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the film industry, a fashion designer, or an elementary school, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Irvine IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services to Irvine for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Irvine IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Irvine IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Irvine. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, technical security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support in Orange County
IT Support Orange County Businesses Can Trust
Orange County, California, is one the wealthiest and exclusive communities on the West Coast - maybe in the world.

With a wealth of Fortune 500 companies like Mazda, Toyota, Samsung. Mitsubishi and Hyundai, quality and reliable IT support for Orange County is mandatory.

If you’re running a small or medium-size business in the Orange County area, you need a trusted managed-service provider. Be Structured has extensive experience and personalized solutions geared toward your long-term success. At Be Structured, our team is always here to help you!

With all the high-end merchandise and industry in Orange County comes technological needs to keep the stores and businesses up and running 24/7.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

Be Structured has been providing award-winning IT services to Orange County businesses for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Orange County IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Orange County IT consulting solutions that include:

 	Software installation and upgrades
 	Hardware set-up and maintenance
 	Network structured security and storage
 	Data backup

#### IT Support in Santa Clarita
IT Support Santa Clarita Businesses Can Trust
The City of Santa Clarita is a community that has seen major residential and business growth over the past two decades.

What was once farmland and known as the nearby home to the Six Flags Magic mountain theme park, is now a destination for would-be denizens and developers who want to be just outside the chaotic pace of downtown Los Angeles.

Due to its close proximity to downtown Los Angeles, Be Structured is perfectly located to take care of any Santa Clarita business needs.

Because Santa Clarita is such an important part of the economy, of course it's businesses need to run smoothly!

One way to keep your Santa Clarita company running most efficiently is to find a quality Managed Service Provider to maintain and monitor your computer systems. Be Structured’s Santa Clarita IT services are a great choice to meet all your IT management needs.

We can visit your company to assess your computer system’s needs so your networks stay up and running. Be Structured as your Managed Service Provider gives you peace of mind and leaves you to concentrate on your clients and profits.

That makes any Santa Clarita business an ideal partner for Be Structured Technology Group’s services.

Our downtown Los Angeles office is just minutes from the heart of Santa Clarita.

We’re here to help in times of calm IT support or emergency IT disasters when you need a managed service provider (MSP) that can help you get back on the right track.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT support in Santa Clarita for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Santa Clarita IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of IT consulting solutions in Santa Clarita.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

#### IT Support in Santa Monica
IT Services Santa Monica Businesses Trust
The sun is shining and there’s nothing standing between you and a problem-free day … until your technology fails. What you might have assumed would be a productive, easy-going day is now anything but, and you don’t have a managed service provider (MSP) that can help you get back on the right track.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing all-inclusive Santa Monica IT services for nearly 20 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your IT support Santa Monica strategies covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Santa Monica IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Santa Monica. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.
Just Some of the Services We Offer
24/7 Monitoring and Support
How closely are you watching your network? Remote monitoring and management are key for spotting previously unseen threats.

Our team of IT professionals are available 24/7 to provide fast, efficient and reliable local IT support services. We understand how crucial it is for businesses to keep their systems running smoothly, so we make sure that our customers get the highest quality service available.

Our technicians have a wealth of experience in all aspects of IT, ensuring that any problems can be quickly identified and resolved. With our round-the-clock availability, you can rest assured that you will never need to worry about your business’s system being out of date or unable to run efficiently. With our team on your side, you can always count on us to provide the best possible support at any time of day or night.
Antivirus and Intrusion Protection
Unwanted threats can have far-reaching consequences. Keep your technology environment safe with Be Structured.

We are one of the leading cyber security companies in Los Angeles, providing comprehensive antivirus protection to ensure that your system is safe and secure from any malicious threats. Our team of experts can install the latest security software on your systems and make sure that it is kept up-to-date with the latest updates.

This way, you can rest assured that your company’s data and files are secure from any potential breaches or cyberattacks. We take pride in our ability to protect businesses from potential cyber risks, so you know that when you entrust us with securing your IT infrastructure, we will do everything in our power to keep it safe and secure.
Collaboration/UCaaS
Don’t work harder; work smarter. Our collaboration tools and unified communications platform bring your team together.
Data Backup and Protection
Few things are more important than protecting your data. Keep your critical information safe.

We can also help ensure that all of your data and files are regularly backed up. By having a secure backup, you can rest assured that any important or sensitive information is safe in the event of an emergency or system failure.

Our technicians will work with you to configure the backups according to your specific needs and requirements, so you know that all of your data will be securely stored and accessible when needed. With our comprehensive backup solutions, you can have peace of mind knowing that your business's critical data will always be protected.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Disaster can strike at any moment. Be prepared; use Be Structured. We minimize the amount of time you have to spend waiting to get back online.
IT Consulting/vCIO
Looking for C-level experience without having to pay that executive-level salary? We can help design the road map for your success.
Security Solutions
How safe is your network? Our computer compliance and business IT services and security deliver meaningful, critical updates on a proactive basis, and keep your server and networks clean and free.
Hosted Cloud Solutions in Los Angeles
Cloud computing solutions are the way of the future—are you prepared to take your computer network to the next level? We give small- and medium-sized businesses the resources they need to modernize the way they work.
Installation, Relocation, and Cabling
If you’re making some changes for your office, you need an MSP that can minimize downtime and help you hit the ground running. Be Structured can streamline each specific area of your move, and assist you in working more efficiently as soon as possible.
IT Support in Santa Monica
When you need fast and reliable outsource technical support solutions for your Santa Monica-based business, Be Structured has you covered all day and night, every day of the year.

Be Structured’s downtown Los Angeles IT support headquarters means we’re just minutes away by car or Metro to fulfill your outsourced IT support needs at any Santa Monica location.

If you’re searching for a managed service provider for your Los Angeles IT services, Be Structured is happy to visit your office and discuss how we can help. We’ll clarify your goals and needs to determine if our tech support solutions may be the answer you’ve been seeking.

We are proud of our consistent five-star reviews on our Google Business  Page.

It’s the pride we take in our managed IT services for Santa Monica businesses that makes our clients think of us not just as an outsourced managed service provider, but as an IT business partner.

Our mission is to keep your business safe and stable. We are always on the lookout for prevention of cyber attacks, so you can work on growing your enterprise.

Give your business peace of mind with our 24/7 Santa Monica IT support.

#### IT Support in South Bay
IT Support South Bay Businesses Can Trust
The South Bay area comprises several cities in the southwest corner of Los Angeles County, CA, including Manhattan Beach, San Pedro, Carson, Santa Clara, San Jose, and Palos Verdes.

Beaches, retail outlets, restaurants, and ports are all major parts of the area’s bustling business sector, and Be Structured is proud to offer comprehensive IT support for Los Angeles clients in every industry throughout the region.

If your organization has been looking for a managed IT service partner you can count on, Be Structured is here to help with all your technology needs. Whether you want to visit us at our South Bay offices or you’d rather our team visit you, we’re ready to start exploring how much more technology can do for you.

To ensure the continued success of your South Bay company, you need an IT partner that works alongside your team to make sure technology is driving growth.

The team at Be Structured is an excellent choice as your business’s managed service provider (MSP). We specialize in keeping your systems running at peak performance with our IT management solutions.

Our MSP services are designed to save you time as well as money by minimizing downtime and offering fixed monthly budgeting. If your South Bay business is looking for a trusted MSP, give Be Structured a call and we’ll be happy to visit your office to discuss your technology goals.

You need technology that works for you and not against you.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who dreamed of owning a business in South Bay and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your small- to medium-sized business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s South Bay IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the financial industry, entertainment or a major law firm, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our South Bay IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in South Bay for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your South Bay IT support needs covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of South Bay IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in the South Bay area. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support in Studio City
IT Support Studio City Businesses Can Trust
Aptly named, Studio City is a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles County nestled along palm tree lined Ventura Boulevard and teaming with smaller, Hollywood sound stages and movie lots and a wealth of food and beverage choices.

As a result, Be Structured provides a large amount of IT support to  Studio City hospitality and entertainment-driven industries.

In fact, it’s one of the wealthiest cities in California and has seen tremendous industry growth over the past several decades.

Be Structured spends a lot of time on the 101 freeway driving to help strengthen the security and overall technical operations of many businesses that we have as longtime clients.

Whether your company works in wealth management or accounting, a trusted IT managed service provider is essential for your ongoing success, security, and prosperity.

We love working with businesses all over Studio City and giving them the best IT solutions we can. If you’re running a small- to medium-sized business, Be Structured is the ideal choice for monitoring and servicing your computer systems. Rapidly responding to your system issues is our priority because we want your company to run efficiently and thrive.

If you’re looking for a first-rate managed service provider, we’d love to visit you and see how we can meet your IT needs.

Be Structured’s team specializes in providing robust business IT services and solutions for businesses of all sizes throughout Studio City to drive success at every level. If you want your business to run as efficiently as possible and you need reliable IT solutions, Be Structured is one of the most trusted managed service providers (MSP) in the area.

Contact us today and we’ll be happy to visit your Studio City office and discuss your vision for the future.

If you’re one of the lucky businesses that dreamed of owning a business in Studio City and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your Studio City business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Studio City IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the film industry, a fashion designer, or an elementary school, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Studio City IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services to Studio City for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Studio City IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Studio City IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Studio City. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, technical security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support in Universal City
Universal City IT Support That Businesses Can Trust
Universal City is the home of Universal Studios Hollywood and offers numerous retail spaces and restaurants along Universal City Walk.

Be Structured’s team specializes in providing robust IT services for Universal City businesses to drive success at every level. If you want your business to run as efficiently as possible and you need reliable IT solutions, Be Structured is one of the most trusted managed service providers (MSP) in the area.

Get in touch with our team today and we’ll be happy to visit your office and discuss your vision for the future.

If you’re one of the lucky businesses that dreamed of owning a business in Universal City and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your Universal City business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Universal City IT services  can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the film industry, a fashion designer, or an elementary school, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Universal City IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning Universal City IT services for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Universal City IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Universal City IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Universal City. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support in Vernon
IT Support Vernon Businesses Can Trust
The City of Vernon is just a few miles southeast of Downtown Los Angeles, so its considerable economy is a vital part of the Southern California area.

Because Vernon is such an important part of the economy, of course it's businesses need to run smoothly!

One way to keep your Vernon company running most efficiently is to find a quality Managed Service Provider to maintain and monitor your computer systems. Be Structured’s IT solutions are a great choice to meet all your IT management needs.

We can visit your company to assess your computer system’s needs so your networks stay up and running. Be Structured as your Managed Service Provider gives you peace of mind and leaves you to concentrate on your clients and profits.

Vernon is a powerful industrial city and is the closest city to downtown Los Angeles.

That makes any Vernon business an ideal partner for Be Structured Technology Group’s services.

Our downtown Los Angeles office is just minutes from the heart of Vernon.

We’re here to help in times of calm IT support or emergency IT disasters when you need a managed service provider (MSP) that can help you get back on the right track.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT support in Vernon for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Vernon IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of IT consulting solutions in Vernon.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

#### IT Support in West Hollywood
IT Support West Hollywood Businesses Can Trust
With its upscale shopping and dining presence along with an openly liberal attitude, West Hollywood relies on a high volume of technology to keep the city up and running.

The sun is shining on Santa Monica Boulevard and there’s nothing standing between your business and a problem-free day … until your technology fails.

What you might have assumed would be a productive, easy-going day is now anything but, and you don’t have a managed service provider (MSP) that can help you get back on the right track.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in West Hollywood for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your West Hollywood IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of IT consulting solutions in West Hollywood.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services, and our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.
Who This Page Is For
This page is written for the owner or operations lead of a West Hollywood business of roughly 10 to 500 employees, running a mix of Windows and Mac laptops, Microsoft 365, and staff who are in the office some days and at home others.
The companies we support in WeHo cluster in a few places: entertainment, music, and post-production shops around the Sunset Strip, design and fashion studios near the Pacific Design Center and along Melrose Avenue, law and accounting practices, medical and aesthetic practices on Santa Monica Boulevard, and hospitality groups running restaurants and clubs.
You are probably here for one of three reasons. Your current provider has become slow to answer. You have one internal IT person who is out of depth, stretched thin, or about to leave. Or you have never had managed IT and a client security questionnaire, a cyber insurance renewal, or an incident has just made it urgent.
You are not a good fit if you have fewer than about ten employees and very little technology to run; a per-user managed plan is a false economy at that size, and we will say so on the call rather than sell you one.
What We Cover in West Hollywood
We work out of 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown Los Angeles, roughly nine miles east of West Hollywood. Every commitment below is served from that office, not subcontracted.
Neighborhoods and ZIP codes. We support businesses across the city of West Hollywood, ZIP codes 90069, 90046, and 90048: the Sunset Strip and Sunset Plaza, the Norma Triangle, the West Hollywood Design District around the Pacific Design Center, the Santa Monica Boulevard corridor, and West Hollywood East toward Fairfax and La Brea. Offices just over the line in Hollywood and Beverly Hills are covered from the same desk.
Hours. Live technicians are at the help desk from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific, Monday through Friday, on (323) 617-5126. The main line, (323) 331-9452, is answered 24 hours a day, every day. An after-hours call is triaged by our overnight desk and escalated to the on-call engineer when the issue is critical. Automated monitoring of your servers, endpoints, and network runs continuously, so an outage at 2 a.m. raises a ticket whether or not anyone has called it in.
On-site response. Most West Hollywood tickets are resolved remotely, which is faster for the person waiting than any drive time we could quote. When a problem needs hands on hardware, a failed switch, a dead firewall, a workstation that will not post, we dispatch from Grand Avenue and are typically on-site the same business day for the central Los Angeles area, West Hollywood included. Scheduled work, office moves, cabling, and new-hire setups are booked in advance for the window you ask for.
What it costs. All-inclusive managed IT runs $125 to $300 per user per month as one flat fee. Where a West Hollywood business lands in that range depends on seat count, the security tier it needs, and whether it carries a compliance obligation. The variables are broken down on our managed IT services cost page.
How We Work
1. Assessment. We walk your office, inventory every server, workstation, switch, firewall, and cloud tenant, and write down what is actually running rather than what the last provider's documentation claims. For a WeHo office this usually takes half a day.
2. Transition plan. You get a written plan before anything changes: what we take over first, what we leave alone, what we found that needs fixing, and what it costs to fix. Nothing on that list happens without your sign-off.
3. Onboarding. We deploy monitoring and endpoint protection, take over patching and backups, set up multi-factor authentication, and document the environment in a form your staff can actually use. Most West Hollywood onboardings run two to four weeks depending on size, and your team keeps working throughout.
4. Steady state. Your staff calls or emails the help desk and gets a person. We patch, monitor, and back up in the background. Every quarter your leadership sits down with a vCIO for a technology review: what broke, what is aging out, what the next twelve months should budget for.
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Support in West Hollywood
How much does IT support cost in West Hollywood?All-inclusive managed IT from Be Structured runs $125 to $300 per user per month, billed as one flat fee that covers the help desk, monitoring, patching, asset management, and the security stack. West Hollywood firms with a compliance obligation or a higher security tier sit in the upper half of that range; a straightforward office with simple needs sits toward the lower end. Hardware, software licensing, and large projects are quoted separately.Where is Be Structured located, and how fast can you get to West Hollywood?Our office is at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071, roughly nine miles east of West Hollywood. Most tickets are handled remotely within minutes of being raised. When a problem needs someone physically on-site, we dispatch from Grand Avenue and are typically there the same business day for the central Los Angeles area.What hours are live technicians available?Live technicians staff the help desk from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific, Monday through Friday. The main line is answered 24 hours a day, every day, and an after-hours call that turns out to be critical is escalated to the on-call engineer. Automated monitoring runs continuously, so overnight and weekend failures raise a ticket on their own.Which West Hollywood neighborhoods and ZIP codes do you cover?We cover the city of West Hollywood across ZIP codes 90069, 90046, and 90048, including the Sunset Strip and Sunset Plaza, the Norma Triangle, the West Hollywood Design District around the Pacific Design Center, the Santa Monica Boulevard corridor, and West Hollywood East toward Fairfax and La Brea. Neighboring Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Mid-City offices are served from the same office.What is included in an all-inclusive managed IT plan?Unlimited help desk support for your staff, 24/7 monitoring, proactive patching for operating systems and applications, asset and inventory management, endpoint protection and EDR, DNS filtering, multi-factor authentication, managed backup with off-site copies, and quarterly vCIO strategy sessions. One flat monthly fee per user, so nobody hesitates to open a ticket for fear of an invoice.Can you work alongside the IT person we already have?Yes. A co-managed arrangement is common in West Hollywood, particularly at studios and agencies where one internal person knows the creative workflow better than any outside provider will. We agree in writing who owns which tickets, take the after-hours load and the security and patching work off their plate, and back them up when they are on vacation or on a project.What industries do you support in West Hollywood?Entertainment, music, and post-production companies, design and fashion studios, advertising and creative agencies, law and accounting practices, medical and aesthetic practices, nonprofits, and hospitality groups. The common thread is a small team that depends heavily on a handful of systems and cannot afford a lost day.What happens if something breaks after hours or on a weekend?Monitoring detects most outages before anyone calls and raises a ticket automatically. If you call, the main line is answered 24 hours a day, every day. A critical incident, a server down, an active security event, a failed backup before a deadline, escalates to the on-call engineer, who begins remediation remotely and contacts your designated emergency contacts. Routine requests raised overnight are picked up when the help desk opens at 7:00 a.m. Pacific.How long does it take to switch to Be Structured?Two to four weeks for a typical West Hollywood office, from the assessment to a fully managed environment. Discovery and the transition plan come first, then monitoring, security, and backups go in, then we take the hand-off from your previous provider. Your team keeps working through all of it. An emergency transition, for instance after a provider walks away, can be compressed.

#### IT Support Inglewood
IT Support Inglewood Businesses Can Trust
In the ever-evolving industry landscape of Inglewood, don’t let a weak IT support solution be the reason you’re not hitting your business goals.

You need technology that works for you and not against you.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who dreamed of owning a business in Inglewood and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your small- to medium-sized business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Inglewood IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the financial industry, entertainment or a major law firm, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Los Angeles and Inglewood IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in Inglewood for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Inglewood IT support needs covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Inglewood IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Inglewood. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support Long Beach
IT Support Long Beach Businesses Can Trust
Thanks to one of the busiest ports in the United States, Long Beach has become an important urban hub for commerce and industry in California.

With that glut of economic growth, Long Beach relies on a high volume of technology to keep the city up and running.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in Long Beach for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Los Angeles and Long Beach IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of IT consulting solutions in Long Beach.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.
IT Consulting Services Save Your Company Money
Be Structured strategically saves you money by ensuring there is no downtime. We also make a specific goal that important or sensitive data is never compromised.

We strive to remain educated on the ever-changing IT landscape to prevent cyber attacks, improve your business’ IT security and help restore destroyed hard drives.

Let Be Structured be your Long Beach IT consulting solution.
Dependable Outsourced Tech Support So You Can Focus On Your Long Beach Business Goals
With Be Structured you won’t experience downtime.

We also protect your company from the threat of cyber attacks or data hacks that can compromise your Long Beach business.

And IT support for Long Beach businesses doesn’t have to be expensive. We work with your company to develop a budget and plan of action that fits only what you need.

We never sell you a technical support service that you don’t need!

Free Consultation

#### IT Support Los Angeles - Network Hardware
Network Installation
We will design and implement a network that is stable, resilient, and flexible.

Learn More
Office Relocation
Moving to a new office location doesn't have to be stressful. We will handle the transition for all of your IT services.

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Structured Cabling
We will deliver a cabling structure that supports the functions of your business and leaves room for your future growth.

Learn More

Be Structured has been a leading IT support company in Los Angeles for over 15 years. We help any sized business get off the ground and successfully grow with the latest technological innovations. From initial network design and integration to helping move a company’s IT platform to a new location, we’ve got all your IT support Los Angeles tech needs covered.

Be Structured is also the rare Los Angeles Managed Service Provider that has a California state contractor license. That means we don't have to rely on 3rd party contractors to pull permits. We are the contractor. We save you valuable time and money by truly being a one-stop IT support shop.
CA License #1140088 | C-7 Low Voltage Contractor

People Also Ask
Q: What kind of network hardware does your company offer?
A: We offer a comprehensive range of network hardware solutions, including switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, network attached storage (NAS), and more.

Q: How do I choose the right network hardware for my business?

A: Our team of experts can help you assess your specific needs and recommend the most suitable network hardware for your business size, budget, and security requirements.
Office Relocation & Network
Q: How can I ensure a smooth network transition during my office relocation?
A: We can help you plan and execute your network relocation with minimal downtime. This includes pre-configuration of equipment, on-site installation and testing at the new location.
Q: Will I need new network hardware for my relocated office?
A: It depends on the size and layout of your new office, as well as your existing network infrastructure. We can assess your existing hardware and advise if any upgrades are necessary.
Network Installation & Structured Cabling
Q: What is structured cabling?
A: Structured cabling is a system of organized cables and components that provide a reliable foundation for your network. It ensures efficient data transmission and simplifies future network changes.
Q: Do you offer structured cabling installation services?
A: Yes, we have a team of certified technicians who can install a structured cabling system that meets your specific needs and complies with industry standards.
Q: How long does it typically take to install a new network and cabling?
A: The installation timeframe depends on the size and complexity of your network. We will work with you to determine a realistic timeline for your project.

#### IT Support Los Angeles Businesses Trust for 24/7 Coverage
Be Structured Technology Group provides IT support in Los Angeles for small and midsize businesses that need 24/7 monitoring, flat-rate pricing, and a local team that actually picks up the phone. Headquartered in Downtown LA since 2007, Be Structured replaces the unpredictable hourly billing of break-fix IT with one flat monthly fee covering help desk support, network monitoring, cybersecurity, and data backup. Clients typically reach a technician in under 15 minutes, any time of day. Below, see how managed IT support compares to in-house and break-fix models, and how to evaluate an IT support company in Los Angeles.
Why Los Angeles Businesses Need a Local IT Support Partner
Technology downtime costs Los Angeles businesses real money — in lost billable hours, missed client deadlines, and, in the case of a breach, potentially the business itself. Nearly 70% of small businesses that suffer a significant cyberattack close within a year of the incident. A local IT support team can get on-site the same day, understands the compliance requirements common to LA industries like entertainment, finance, and law, and gives you one point of contact instead of a rotating cast of unfamiliar technicians.
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Support in Los Angeles
What does IT support in Los Angeles cost?Pricing depends on user count, industry compliance needs, and how much infrastructure is covered. Most Los Angeles managed IT providers charge a flat monthly rate per user rather than billing hourly, so costs stay predictable regardless of ticket volume. Be Structured provides a custom quote after a free network assessment.How fast can a Los Angeles IT support company respond to an issue?Be Structured’s average technician response time is under 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. Because the team is based in Downtown LA, on-site visits for issues that can’t be resolved remotely are typically same-day.What’s the difference between managed IT support and break-fix IT support?Break-fix support bills hourly and only responds after something breaks. Managed IT support includes proactive monitoring, security, and unlimited help desk access for one flat monthly fee, so problems get caught before they cause downtime.Do I still need in-house IT staff if I outsource support?Many businesses keep one in-house point of contact for day-to-day coordination while Be Structured handles monitoring, security, help desk tickets, and infrastructure. Larger organizations often pair an in-house IT director with Be Structured’s team rather than replacing staff entirely.Is IT support available 24/7 in Los Angeles with Be Structured?Yes. Monitoring and help desk support run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with on-site visits available across Los Angeles and surrounding areas, including Burbank, Hollywood, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica.What industries does Be Structured support in Los Angeles?Be Structured supports law firms, architecture firms, manufacturers, wealth management and financial services firms, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, transportation and freight companies, software developers, restaurants, and property management companies throughout Los Angeles.

#### IT Support Malibu
IT Support Malibu Businesses Can Trust
Malibu is one of the most photographed and famous spots in the world. Nestled along the glorious Pacific Coast Highway, driving through Malibu makes you feel like you’re in another country. Or even another world.

But before you get to the Pacific Coast and its bountiful beauty, you actually go through many businesses and industries located just inland but still in the heart of the Malibu zip code.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

Be Structured has been providing award-winning IT services to Malibu businesses for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Malibu IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Malibu IT consulting solutions that include:

 	Software installation and upgrades
 	Hardware set-up and maintenance
 	Network structured security and storage
 	Data backup

IT Support Near Me in Malibu
When you need fast and reliable outsourced technical support solutions for your Malibu-based business, Be Structured has you covered all day and night, every day of the year.

Be Structured’s downtown Los Angeles headquarters means we’re just minutes away by car or Metro Link to fulfill your outsourced IT support needs at any Malibu location.

The same is true if you need IT support in Pasadena, Beverly Hills IT support or IT services for Los Angeles and every surrounding area.

If you’re searching for outsourced IT support, Be Structured is happy to visit your office and discuss how we can help. We’ll clarify your goals and needs to determine if our tech support solutions may be the answer you’ve been seeking.

We are proud of our consistent five-star reviews on our Google Business  Profile page.

It’s the pride we take in our Malibu managed IT services that makes our clients think of us not just as an outsourced managed service provider, but as an IT business partner.

Our mission is to keep your business safe and stable. We are always on the lookout for prevention of cyber attacks, so you can work on growing your enterprise.

We manage all aspects of cyber security issues for any company in Malibu or Southern California.

#### IT Support Northridge
IT Support Northridge Businesses Can Trust
Located at the top, northern part of the San Fernando Valley, Northridge has long been a mecca for business and industry.

From factories to auto repair to a myriad of food and hospitality, Northridge business rely on outsourced tech support to keep this thriving community up and running.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

Be Structured has been providing award-winning IT services to Northridge businesses for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Northridge IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Northridge IT consulting solutions that include:

 	Software installation and upgrades
 	Hardware set-up and maintenance
 	Network structured security and storage
 	Data backup

IT Consulting Services Save Your Company Money
Be Structured strategically saves you money by ensuring there is no downtime. We also make a specific goal that important or sensitive data is never compromised.

We strive to remain educated on the ever-changing IT landscape to prevent cyber attacks, data breaches and destroyed hard drives.

Let Be Structured be your Northridge IT consulting solution.
Free Consultation

#### IT Support San Fernando
IT Support San Fernando Businesses Can Trust
The City of San Fernando lies just north of the sprawling San Fernando Valley and is a hot bed of technological needs.

Urban industry and manufacturing are major players in the city of San Fernando.

One way to keep your San Fernando company running most efficiently is to find a quality Managed Service Provider to maintain and monitor your computer systems. Be Structured’s IT solutions are a great choice to meet all your IT management needs.

We can visit your company to assess your computer system’s needs so your networks stay up and running. Be Structured as your Managed Service Provider gives you peace of mind and leaves you to concentrate on your clients and profits.

San Fernando is a powerful industrial city and is the closest city to downtown Los Angeles.

That makes any San Fernando business an ideal partner for Be Structured Technology Group’s services.

Our downtown Los Angeles office is just minutes from the heart of San Fernando.

We’re here to help in times of calm IT support or emergency IT disasters when you need a managed service provider (MSP) that can help you get back on the right track.
The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT support in San Fernando for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your San Fernando IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of IT consulting solutions in San Fernando.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

#### IT Support Thousand Oaks
IT Support Thousand Oaks Businesses Can Trust
Thousand Oaks used to be exactly what its name implies - thousands of acres featuring thousands of oak trees. As Los Angeles expanded, so did the need for affordable suburban home developments.

Thousand Oaks became that place to live as the 101 freeway now connected the community to the greater city.

Today businesses have made the move to Thousand Oaks with its wide-open spaces and affordable business offices.

Be Structured works with many Thousand Oaks businesses as our downtown Los Angeles offices put us just a few minutes drive up the 101 freeway to your Thousand Oaks business.

Don’t let a weak IT support solution be the reason you’re not hitting your business goals.

You need technology that works for you and not against you.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who dreamed of owning a business in Thousand Oaks and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your small- to medium-sized business needs an expert managed service provider (MSP) to ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Thousand Oaks IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the financial industry, entertainment or a major law firm, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Thousand Oaks IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning IT services in Thousand Oaks for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Thousand Oaks IT support needs covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Thousand Oaks IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Thousand Oaks. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### IT Support Woodland Hills
IT Support Woodland Hills Businesses Can Trust
Woodland Hills used to be a sleepy end town in the San Fernando Valley. But today with the building of Warner Center and other surrounding neighborhoods, Woodland Hills has grown into one of the prime office spaces this side of Beverly Hills.

Be Structured’s team specializes in providing robust IT solutions for businesses of all sizes throughout Woodland Hills to drive success at every level.

If you want your business to run as efficiently as possible and you need reliable IT solutions, Be Structured is one of the most trusted managed service providers (MSP) in the area.

Get in touch with the Be Structured team today and we’ll be happy to visit your office and discuss your vision for the future.

If you’re one of the lucky businesses that dreamed of owning a business in Woodland Hills and made that dream come true, congratulations!

To keep that dream alive, your Woodland Hills business needs reliable and professional managed IT services from a Los Angeles based team of experts. Let us ensure your technology is aligned with your operations.

Be Structured’s Woodland Hills IT solutions can keep your business on track and make sure you always have access to mission-critical information. Whether you’re in the film industry, a fashion designer, or an elementary school, we have your IT needs covered.

Give us a call, and we’ll visit your organization to clarify your needs and discuss our Woodland Hills IT support services.

The Be Structured Technology Group has been providing award-winning Woodland Hills IT services for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Woodland Hills IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Woodland Hills IT consulting solutions.

That’s why you need reliable managed IT services in Woodland Hills. Working alongside an experienced MSP can make all the difference in productivity, security, and overall performance.

If the team you’re working with is consistently failing to meet your business process needs, it’s time to make a change.

Be Structured Technology Group provides everything you need when it comes to IT services—our diverse range of services are all primed to help you yield the best possible outcomes for your workflow, and mitigate risk long before it takes a stranglehold over your network.

Free Consultation

#### Local IT Support in Downtown Los Angeles
What is the best IT support company in Downtown Los Angeles?
For businesses headquartered between Bunker Hill and the Arts District, Be Structured Technology Group is the IT support company that is actually based in Downtown Los Angeles, not a vendor that drives in from the suburbs when something breaks. Our headquarters sits at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071, in the heart of the Financial District on Bunker Hill. That single fact changes everything about the way we deliver service. When a DTLA client has an outage that genuinely needs hands on hardware, our engineers are often walking distance away, not stuck on the 110 or the 10 hoping traffic clears.

Be Structured has been delivering managed IT services since 2007, and we have been named to the Channel Futures MSP 501 list of the top managed service providers worldwide for six consecutive years. We hold a 5-star average on Google from the businesses we support. We provide all-inclusive managed IT, cybersecurity and network security, cloud and Microsoft 365 services, backup and disaster recovery, and strategic vCIO consulting under one flat monthly fee. But the reason Downtown LA companies pick us over a national help desk or a Valley-based shop is simple: we are their neighbors, and we answer the phone when their office on Flower Street or Spring Street goes dark.

If you want the short answer, here it is. The best IT support company in Downtown Los Angeles is the one that can reach your suite the fastest, knows the buildings and the carriers your office depends on, and still brings enterprise-grade tooling and around-the-clock monitoring. For DTLA, that combination lives at 500 S. Grand. Talk to our team and see how close help really is.
Who this page is for
This page is written for the owner, managing partner, or operations lead of a Downtown Los Angeles business of roughly 10 to 500 employees: a boutique law firm in a Bunker Hill tower, an investment manager in the Financial District, a creative or media studio in the Arts District, an apparel or design house in the Fashion District, or a professional services practice near Civic Center.
You are probably here for one of three reasons. Your current provider is out of area and slow to show up. You have one internal IT person carrying more than one person can carry. Or a client, a regulator, or a cyber insurance renewal has just asked you to document controls you do not yet have.
You are not a good fit if you have fewer than about ten employees and very little technology to run. A per-user managed plan is a false economy at that size, and we will say so rather than sell you one.
Why choose a Downtown LA-based MSP?
Most managed service providers that claim to serve Downtown Los Angeles are not actually here. They are headquartered in the San Fernando Valley, the South Bay, Orange County, or another state entirely, and they treat DTLA as one more pin on a coverage map. When you have a real emergency, a failed switch, a dead firewall, a server that will not come back after a power event, the difference between a provider who is in the building next door and one who is forty-five minutes away in good traffic (and Downtown traffic is rarely good) is the difference between a brief disruption and a lost day of billable work.

Be Structured is physically headquartered on Bunker Hill, walking distance from most of the high-rises that define the DTLA skyline and minutes from the Metro 7th Street/Metro Center and Pershing Square stations. For a tenant in one of the Grand Avenue, Figueroa, Flower, or Hope Street towers, our engineers can frequently be on-site in minutes rather than hours. There is no airport, no canyon pass, and no long freeway haul between us and you. We know these buildings, we know how their freight elevators and after-hours security desks work, and we know the realities of getting equipment in and out of a high-rise during business hours.

Proximity is not just about emergencies. It shapes the entire relationship. A local MSP can sit across the desk from your leadership team for a quarterly technology review, walk a new hire through their first-day setup in person, or stand in your server room while planning an office move to a new floor. That face-to-face presence builds the kind of trust that a ticketing portal alone never will. When your provider shares your ZIP code, the relationship feels like an in-house IT department that happens to have the depth, tooling, and 24/7 coverage of a much larger team.

It also means we understand the specific operating environment of Downtown. We know the connectivity options and carrier hand-offs common to DTLA commercial buildings, the power and HVAC quirks of older Historic Core structures, and the security expectations of Class A financial towers. That local fluency is hard to replicate from a remote operations center in another county. Explore our broader managed IT services across Los Angeles to see the full scope of what a local partner brings.
Managed IT services for Downtown LA businesses
Downtown LA businesses run lean and move fast, whether that is a boutique law firm in a Bunker Hill tower, an investment manager in the Financial District, or a creative agency in the Arts District. They need IT that simply works and a partner who handles the whole stack so leadership can focus on clients and growth. Be Structured delivers a complete, all-inclusive managed IT program for one predictable monthly fee, so there are no surprise invoices every time someone needs help. Here is what that program covers.
All-inclusive managed IT and help desk
Our core managed IT service wraps your entire environment into one flat monthly fee per user: unlimited help desk support, 24/7 monitoring, proactive patching, automated software updates, and complete asset and inventory management. When an employee in your South Park or Civic Center office has a problem, they call a real help desk that knows their setup, not an anonymous queue. We track every device, keep operating systems and applications current, and catch issues through monitoring before they turn into outages. The flat-fee model means your IT budget is predictable month to month, which is exactly what a DTLA firm running a tight P&L needs. See our full IT support offering for Los Angeles.
Cybersecurity and network security
Downtown LA concentrates exactly the kind of targets attackers love: law firms holding privileged client data, financial firms moving money, and creative shops sitting on valuable intellectual property. We layer your defenses with modern endpoint protection and EDR (endpoint detection and response), DNS filtering to block malicious sites before they load, dark web monitoring that alerts you when employee credentials surface in a breach dump, and two-factor and multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) across your critical systems. Security is not a bolt-on for us; it is built into the way we run every environment, because one compromised account in a high-rise tenant can spread fast.
Cloud, Microsoft 365, and Azure
Whether your team works from a single floor on Grand Avenue or splits time between the office and home, we make the cloud work for you. We deploy and manage Microsoft 365 for email, Teams, and collaboration, run workloads in Microsoft Azure, and stand up virtual desktop environments so staff can securely reach their full desktop from anywhere. For a DTLA firm with hybrid schedules or multiple locations, a properly configured cloud means your people are as productive at home as they are on the 22nd floor.
Backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity
A burst pipe in an older Historic Core building, a building-wide power event, ransomware, or simple hardware failure should never cost you your data or your ability to operate. We design backup and disaster recovery plans that protect your systems and get you running again quickly, with business continuity planning that anticipates the specific risks of operating in a dense urban high-rise. The goal is straightforward: when something goes wrong, your firm keeps serving clients while we restore what broke.
vCIO and vCTO strategic consulting
Technology decisions should support business goals, not just keep the lights on. Our virtual CIO and virtual CTO consulting gives your leadership a seasoned technology strategist without the cost of a full-time executive hire. We build multi-year roadmaps, plan budgets, guide office moves and expansions, and make sure your IT investments line up with where your DTLA business is headed. For a growing firm, that strategic guidance is often worth as much as the day-to-day support.
Industries we support in Downtown LA
Downtown Los Angeles has one of the most diverse business mixes in the region, and Be Structured tailors its support to the realities of each. We are not a generalist shop applying the same template to every client; the needs of a litigation firm and a fashion label are genuinely different, and we treat them that way.

Law firms. The Financial District and Bunker Hill are dense with legal practices, from boutique litigation shops to mid-size full-service firms. Lawyers need rock-solid document management, secure and reliable email, fast remote access to case files, and confidentiality protections that hold up under client and ethical scrutiny. We keep these systems fast, available, and secure, and we understand that for a firm billing by the hour, downtime is money walking out the door.

Financial services and investment firms. Investment managers, wealth advisors, and financial firms clustered in the DTLA towers handle sensitive client assets and operate under strict regulatory expectations. They need hardened security, dependable systems, auditable controls, and a partner who treats their data with the seriousness it demands. These firms typically sit at the higher end of our service spectrum because their security and compliance requirements are more demanding.

Creative and media agencies. The Arts District and the lofts of the Historic Core are home to advertising, media, and creative shops that move enormous files, depend on collaboration tools, and cannot afford a network that chokes when deadlines hit. We build environments that handle large media workloads, support fast and reliable collaboration, and protect the intellectual property that is the agency's stock in trade.

Fashion, apparel, architecture, and design. The Fashion District and the design studios scattered across Downtown run on a blend of creative software, supplier coordination, and increasingly e-commerce. Architecture and design firms run resource-heavy applications and large project files. We keep these specialized environments stable and secure so the team can focus on designing and selling, not on troubleshooting.

Professional services. Accounting practices, consultancies, nonprofits, and other professional services firms across the Civic Center and the broader Downtown core get the same all-inclusive treatment: predictable cost, responsive support, strong security, and a strategic partner who understands their business. Whatever your sector, the goal is the same: reliable technology that gets out of your way.
IT compliance support for DTLA finance and legal firms
Many Downtown LA businesses operate under regulatory obligations, and the finance and legal firms concentrated in the Financial District feel that pressure most acutely. Be Structured provides compliance support to help you meet these requirements. To be precise about what that means: we help you build, document, and maintain the technical controls and security practices that regulations call for, and we support your readiness efforts. We do not stamp a certification on your business or act as an official auditor, and we are careful not to overstate our role.

We provide support for FINRA requirements that affect financial and investment firms, helping you maintain the security controls, retention practices, and access protections expected in the sector. We assist with SOC 2 readiness, helping you put in place and document the controls that an eventual SOC 2 examination will look at, so you walk into an audit prepared rather than scrambling. We support PCI-DSS efforts for businesses that process card payments, and we provide HIPAA support for firms that touch protected health information, including the medical, legal, and benefits-related practices that handle it.

The practical value here is twofold. First, the security foundation we build for compliance, things like MFA, EDR, DNS filtering, encrypted backups, access controls, and audit logging, is genuinely good security that protects your firm regardless of any specific regulation. Second, when a client, partner, or regulator asks how you safeguard data, you have real answers and documentation rather than guesses. For DTLA finance and legal firms, that readiness is increasingly a condition of doing business, not a nice-to-have. Reach out to discuss your compliance needs and where your gaps may be.
What to expect when you switch to Be Structured
Switching IT providers feels daunting, especially for a busy DTLA firm that cannot afford disruption. We have refined onboarding over many years and many transitions so the move is smooth and low-risk. It starts with discovery: we sit down with your leadership and key staff, document your entire environment, and learn how your business actually works day to day. Being local makes this easier, because we can do much of it in person at your office rather than over a series of screen-share calls.

From there we build a transition plan. We take over monitoring and management, deploy our security stack, document everything thoroughly, and address the obvious gaps and risks we find along the way, all coordinated so your team keeps working. We handle the hand-off from your previous provider or internal staff professionally and without drama. Within a short time your environment is fully under management: monitored around the clock, patched, secured, backed up, and supported by a help desk your people can actually reach.

After onboarding, the relationship settles into a steady rhythm. Your team gets responsive day-to-day support, and your leadership gets regular strategic reviews through our vCIO service to keep technology aligned with where the business is going. Because we are headquartered right here in Downtown, those reviews and any hands-on work happen with a partner who can be in your office quickly whenever it matters.
Where is Be Structured located in Downtown LA?
Be Structured Technology Group is headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071. That puts us on Bunker Hill in the Financial District, walking distance from most of the major Downtown high-rises and close to the Metro 7th Street/Metro Center and Pershing Square stations. You can reach us at (323) 331-9452. For most Downtown tenants, we are not a freeway commute away; we are right around the corner, which is exactly why DTLA businesses choose a provider headquartered in their own neighborhood.
Downtown LA neighborhoods and ZIP codes we serve
From our Grand Avenue headquarters we support businesses across every corner of Downtown Los Angeles, including:

 	Financial District and Bunker Hill (90071, 90017): the high-rise core where our own office sits, dense with law firms, financial services, and professional practices.
 	Historic Core and Jewelry District (90013, 90014): renovated landmark buildings, creative tenants, and the specialized businesses of the jewelry trade.
 	South Park and LA Live (90015): the entertainment, hospitality, and residential-adjacent business corridor near the arena and convention center.
 	Civic Center, Little Tokyo, Arts District, and Fashion District (90012, 90021): government-adjacent offices, creative and media studios, apparel and design firms, and the loft-based companies of the eastern Downtown core.

Wherever your office sits in Downtown, from a Grand Avenue tower to an Arts District loft, you have a managed IT partner headquartered minutes away. Browse our full Los Angeles managed IT services to see everything we cover.
Hours, on-site response, and how we work
Hours. Live technicians are at the help desk from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific, Monday through Friday, on (323) 617-5126. The main line, (323) 331-9452, is answered 24 hours a day, every day. An after-hours call is triaged by our overnight desk and escalated to the on-call engineer when the issue is critical. Automated monitoring of your servers, endpoints, and network runs continuously, so an outage at 2 a.m. raises a ticket whether or not anyone has called it in.
On-site response. Most Downtown tickets are resolved remotely, which is faster for the person waiting than any drive time. When an issue genuinely needs hands on hardware, our engineers dispatch from the 22nd floor of 500 S. Grand, and for a tenant in the Grand Avenue, Figueroa, Flower, or Hope Street towers that is a walk rather than a freeway trip. Scheduled work, office moves, structured cabling, and new-hire setups are booked in advance for the window you ask for, including after-hours windows when a building's freight elevator rules require it.
How we work. Every engagement runs the same four stages. First an assessment: we inventory every server, workstation, switch, firewall, and cloud tenant, in person, and write down what is actually running. Then a transition plan in writing, with what we take over first, what we found that needs fixing, and what fixing it costs; nothing on that list happens without your sign-off. Then onboarding, usually two to four weeks for a Downtown office, while your team keeps working. Then steady state: your staff calls a help desk that knows their setup, we patch, monitor, and back up in the background, and every quarter your leadership sits down with a vCIO to review what broke, what is aging out, and what the next twelve months should budget for.
Why Downtown LA businesses choose Be Structured
The choice comes down to a combination that is genuinely hard to find anywhere else in the market. Be Structured pairs the credentials and tooling of a top-tier national provider with the responsiveness of a true neighbor. We have been on the Channel Futures MSP 501 list of the world's leading managed service providers for six straight years, we carry a 5-star Google review average, and we have been doing this since 2007. That track record means you are trusting your systems to a proven, stable partner, not an experiment.

Behind the scenes, our 24/7 Network Operations Center watches your environment around the clock and triages after-hours emergencies within 10 minutes, so problems get attention even at 2 a.m. And when an issue needs someone physically on-site, our Downtown headquarters means we are often there within minutes, an advantage no out-of-area provider can match for a DTLA tenant. You get enterprise-grade monitoring and a local hand on the hardware, which is the best of both worlds.

All of it comes under one flat monthly fee, so your IT cost is predictable and your team never hesitates to ask for help for fear of another invoice. There is no better fit for a Downtown LA business than a Downtown LA-based MSP with national-caliber credentials. Call (323) 331-9452 or contact our sales team to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Support in Downtown Los Angeles
How much does managed IT support cost in Downtown LA?Fully managed IT support from Be Structured typically runs $125 to $300 per user per month, billed as one flat fee covering help desk, monitoring, patching, asset management, and security. Downtown finance and legal firms with stricter requirements generally sit in the upper half of the range, while businesses with simpler needs fall toward the lower end.Is Be Structured actually located in Downtown Los Angeles?Yes. Our headquarters is at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071, on Bunker Hill in the Financial District. We are walking distance from most Downtown high-rises, which lets our engineers reach DTLA clients quickly instead of fighting freeway traffic from another part of the county.How fast can you get on-site in Downtown LA?Because we are headquartered in the Financial District, we can often be on-site at a Downtown business within minutes when an issue requires hands-on work. For after-hours emergencies, our 24/7 Network Operations Center triages within 10 minutes and dispatches help as needed.What hours are live technicians available?Live technicians staff the help desk from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific, Monday through Friday. The main line is answered 24 hours a day, every day, and an after-hours call that turns out to be critical is escalated to the on-call engineer, with our Network Operations Center triaging within 10 minutes. Automated monitoring runs continuously, so overnight and weekend failures raise a ticket without anyone calling them in.What IT services does Be Structured provide?We provide all-inclusive managed IT (help desk, monitoring, patching, asset management), cybersecurity and network security (endpoint protection, EDR, dark web monitoring, DNS filtering, 2FA/MFA), cloud and Microsoft 365 and Azure services including virtual desktops, backup and disaster recovery with business continuity planning, and vCIO/vCTO strategic consulting.Which Downtown LA neighborhoods do you serve?We serve all of Downtown, including the Financial District, Bunker Hill, Historic Core, Jewelry District, Fashion District, Arts District, Little Tokyo, South Park, and Civic Center, covering ZIP codes 90071, 90017, 90013, 90014, 90015, 90012, and 90021, among others.Do you support compliance for finance and legal firms?Yes. We provide compliance support, helping you build and document the security controls required for FINRA, SOC 2 readiness, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA. We help you meet these requirements and prepare for audits; we are not an official certifying body or auditor, and we describe our role as support and readiness.What industries do you work with in Downtown LA?We work extensively with the sectors that define Downtown LA: law firms, financial services and investment firms, creative and media agencies, fashion and apparel companies, architecture and design firms, and professional services practices.What makes Be Structured different from a national IT provider?We combine national-caliber credentials, six consecutive years on the Channel Futures MSP 501 list and a 5-star Google average, with the responsiveness of a provider headquartered in your own neighborhood. You get 24/7 monitoring and enterprise tooling plus the ability to have a local engineer on-site in minutes, something a remote or out-of-area provider cannot offer DTLA businesses.How does onboarding work when we switch to Be Structured?We start with in-person discovery to document your environment and learn how your business runs, then build and execute a transition plan that takes over monitoring and management, deploys our security stack, and addresses gaps, all coordinated so your team keeps working. Being local makes much of this hands-on and low-disruption.

#### Los Angeles Network Support & Installation
Proper Network Installation & IT Support in Los Angeles
Your network infrastructure is a crucial part of your overall IT system. It is the nervous system that supports every piece of technology in your business. It needs to be able to handle several things at once. You want a network that is stable, resilient, and flexible enough to accommodate your future needs. 

This is not a task for any run-of-the-mill network installation company in Los Angeles. You need the superior service of Be Structured Technology Group, the leading Los Angeles IT support company.  

We have extensive experience in installation services and tailoring a network to our clients’ needs. Our professionals come to you with the experience, training, and dedication you and your company can rely on, and we serve businesses all around the Los Angeles area including:

 	IT support Century City
 	IT support Culver City
 	IT support Santa Monica
 	IT support Burbank
 	IT support Pasadena
 	IT support Beverly Hills
 	IT support Hollywood
 	IT support West Hollywood
 	IT support Universal City
 	IT support Long Beach
 	IT support Orange County

Be Structured can help with all aspects of setting up your network. Our structured cabling services and network installation are designed and customized to suit not only your business but also your physical building. 

We set you up for success, and that means going above and beyond what other IT companies provide. Our Los Angeles IT services will improve your technological activities and leave room for future upgrades to grow.

Proper network installation is crucial for success.

This means that you can depend on your network now as well as feel comfortable at the prospects of your business taking off to a whole new level in the future. We will have made sure you are already for that to become your reality.
Be Structured is also the rare Los Angeles Managed Service Provider that is a California state licensed contractor. That means we don't have to rely on 3rd party contractors to pull permits. We are the contractor. We save you valuable time and money by truly being a one-stop IT support shop.
CA License #1140088 | C-7 Low Voltage Contractor

Network Installation Needs To Do More Than Help You Work Efficiently
Your network design is just as essential as the actual implementation. This is not the type of process that you can slap together and run some cables along a wall. A custom network installation won’t just function well, they will also look visually appealing. If you have prospective customers or partners visiting your office, you want it to look professional and well-designed. 

You don’t want obvious bundles of cables or network devices awkwardly staged. The time and dedication to ensure this process is done right happens right at the beginning, but is also fine-tuned as we go along. We understand the aesthetic component equally as well as the functionality of your network. When you opt to work with us, you get a great combination of form and function.

This level of attention to detail is one more reason to partner with a professional network installation service provider like Be Structured. Our network consulting in Los Angeles understands the value of the legwork it takes to make your network look aesthetically pleasing. 

When you team with a local IT support company like Be Structured, you are getting an expert that knows how to design, build, and implement a network that will provide excellent performance and fits seamlessly into the appearance of your workplace. 

Our goal in Network Installation is to create a network that is so seamless that it’s almost as if it wasn’t even there.

If you rely on WiFi or the Cloud for any part of your IT infrastructure, your business needs sufficient Internet capability, substantial firewalls, and proper device layouts even more. These options are great for quick business, but they need a lot of bandwidth to make that happen. If you have an old, outdated network, you could be stressing out the lines you currently have just trying to do business each day. 

Plus, with the constantly evolving criteria to stay compliant, you need to make sure you do everything you can to ensure every bit of information you must store is as safe as it can possibly be. A new or updated network can help with that.

Be Structured provides wireless installation services for your mobile. That way, no matter how your data needs fluctuate, you are always prepared. Our network installation professionals can accommodate small businesses with just a few employees, all the way up to large corporations that need extensive networks to function.
Superior Network Installation Will Save You Money
Some people are surprised to learn that proper network installation is actually a cost-effective option. Getting it done right the first time will make a significant difference in the years to come. 

You will see fewer disruptions in your services for repairs and future additions or upgrades will be implemented easily when your network is well-designed from the start. The very beginning is also the perfect opportunity to combine our network installation with other services like IT consulting in Los Angeles and cabling installation.

Each opportunity we are presented with gives us the chance to learn more about how to network your building or business to an even more functional level. 

While we have years of experience, each new advance in technology or new network configuration gives us the chance to discover tips or tricks that could give your Network Installation a new edge to better serve your company. We start with a solid foundation that is the base of your network, but we can take any number of routes to flesh that network out for the most optimal installation. 

It all depends on what your business needs are. Imagine being able to almost instantly respond to a customer’s needs. 

Would that improve your business of customer relationships? Getting outsourced technical support and superior network installation services gives you that benefit.

It's also important to recognize that after a successful network installation it's important to maintain constant network performance monitoring and understanding the key metrics that matter.
We Can Add to Your Current Network At the Same Time
While going through the network installation, we can address growth opportunities while making sure your business is prepared for the future as well. Just because you do not currently have it, does not mean your business would not thrive even more if you did. 

We love giving our clients the technological edge to keep them ahead of the game! If you want to find out more about what we can add to your network please contact us at 323-331-9452 to our network consulting in Los Angeles CA. We will gladly take the time to explain to you what options we have available.
There are other options that we can help with, should you need them, as well. They include:

 	Designing your data room if you do not currently have one, but your business has grown to the point of needing one.
 	Relocating your data room so that it is fully networked into your current system without missing any information or reducing the security your network needs to have. Or potentially even removing your data room entirely and moving it to the public or our private cloud!
 	Upgrading from older cables, such as CAT-5 to CAT-6a; to newer cabling options enabling 10Gbps backbones and beyond. These cables are faster than the older, more outdated options many companies currently have in place.
 	Setting up a data center in your business if you never had one before. This allows us to ensure that your information is safe and secure before it even goes online. We are passionate about being one of the top cybersecurity firms in the Los Angeles area.
 	Ongoing IT support is also something we can help with. It may not be enough for you to have us build your network. If you need someone to continuously make upgrades or changes for you, then we can help with that, too.

For clients that do not know what they need to include in their network, our experienced professionals are available to help with this as well. We have helped companies just like yours set up a modern, safe network. 

We can tell you what type of hardware and software would do best in your business. We can also explain the benefits of specific options over others. In our industry, the best company to turn to is not always as obvious as the ratings you may see online. 

We work directly with other companies and know how they operate. You can use this knowledge base to your advantage. When your goal is to have the most reliable, secure network, the professionals of Be Structured can make it happen.
Proper Network Installation Creates More Time and More Room in Your Long-Term Budget
Another benefit you get by turning to Be Structured is the fact that we also understand how important it is to have services that are completed when they should be and within your budgetary constraints. 

We will show up at our scheduled time, and our work is always done within the budget we set forth at the beginning of the project. Should something come up along the way, we will be sure to communicate this with you so that you can adjust accordingly. 

We cannot guarantee that your building will be ideal for networking when we start the project. We can only guarantee your network will be as powerful and reliable as you need it to be when the project is complete.

Your business depends on your network installation to transfer data of all types and to communicate with your customers. 

We do not want to delay that in any way because the reality is, time is money for your business as well as ours. That is why we are so dedicated to making sure each job is done right the first time around. 

Each project is unique. We take a unique approach because we want to help you with your current and potential future needs. 

There is no point to us trying to provide you with the needs that our business would have or that of a different type of company. Instead, we listen to what you want and need, and tailor our network installation plan to you specifically.
Our Services Don’t Stop After Your Network Has Been Installed
Our Los Angeles network support & installation services do not stop when the network is built. As an all-inclusive managed services provider, we can help anyone in the Los Angeles area get their network setup. Our managed IT services in downtown Los Angeles offer products that keep your data safe, secure, and much less likely to fall into the wrong hands. 

It is not just our duty to make sure your network is set up securely, it is also our passion. 

We understand the dangers lurking out there in the world wide web and that’s why we are passionate about all facets of cybersecurity and protecting your network. 

Providing superior network installation is foundational to the other services we provide.
We Partner With You
We want to do more than make sure your internet is fast. We want you to be able to make phone calls when you need to. 

We want to help you reach your objectives and business goals, all while working on a secure network that gives you that professional edge. 

Let the experienced professionals here at Be Structured Technology Group create a custom network design that is more adaptable to your current and potential needs. 

We deliver solutions that are best for your business now and in the future. Contact us today to find out more about what we can do to help get your network setup.

 

#### Managed Backup Services in Los Angeles
Managed backup services are a fully outsourced solution in which a third-party IT provider continuously backs up your business data — across local servers, cloud environments, and endpoints — and guarantees fast, tested recovery in the event of data loss, ransomware, or disaster. Be Structured Technology Group has delivered managed backup services to Los Angeles businesses since 2007, combining Unitrends on-premise appliances with CoreSite Los Angeles data centers and 24/7 NOC monitoring.
17+
Years serving Los Angeles
93%
Of businesses without backup fail within 1 year of major data loss
24/7
Backup monitoring with 15-min failure escalation
$812K
Average SMB ransomware ransom payment, 2024
Sources: Gartner (93% survival stat); Sophos State of Ransomware 2024 ($812K ransom avg).
What Are Managed Backup Services — and Why Does Your LA Business Need Them?
Managed backup services go beyond simply copying files to an external drive. A true managed backup program includes automated scheduling, integrity verification, encrypted offsite storage, and — critically — tested recovery procedures so your business can actually get back online when disaster strikes.
For Los Angeles businesses, the risks are compounding. Ransomware attacks occur every 11 seconds globally (Cybersecurity Ventures, 2025). Southern California's seismic and wildfire exposure adds a physical disaster dimension that most U.S. markets don't face at the same level. And the average cost of IT downtime for SMBs ranges from $137 to $427 per minute — meaning even a two-hour outage can cost a mid-size company over $50,000 before recovery begins.
Be Structured's managed IT services for Los Angeles include a fully managed backup tier covering cloud, on-premise, and hybrid configurations — all monitored from our downtown LA operations center and tested quarterly against your defined recovery objectives.
How the 3-2-1 Backup Rule Protects Los Angeles Businesses
The 3-2-1 backup rule is the foundational standard for business data protection, first codified in 2005 and formally recommended by CISA as the baseline framework for organizations of all sizes. Backup is usually bundled into a managed contract — see what backup and recovery typically cost as part of the total.
Be Structured implements it for every client:
3
Total Copies
One primary copy and two independent backups — no single point of failure.
2
Storage Media Types
On-premise Unitrends appliance plus CoreSite cloud storage — different infrastructure, different risk profile.
1
Offsite Copy
Geographically isolated cloud tier so fire, flood, or theft cannot reach all copies simultaneously.
No single event — ransomware, hardware failure, fire, or theft — can reach all three copies at once. CoreSite's Los Angeles data centers operate at 99.999% uptime (Tier III equivalent). For businesses that need the next layer of protection, our disaster recovery and business continuity planning service builds the full operational playbook on top of the backup architecture.
Cloud vs. On-Premise vs. Hybrid Backup: Which Is Right for Your Business?
The right backup architecture depends on your data volume, recovery speed requirements, compliance obligations, and budget. Here is a direct comparison of the three primary approaches:
Table 1: Cloud vs. On-Premise vs. Hybrid Backup — Be Structured Technology Group, Los Angeles, 2026
Feature
Cloud Only
On-Premise Only
Hybrid
Be Structured Solution
Upfront Cost
Low ($50–$200/mo)
High ($5K–$20K hardware)
Medium
Right-sized per free audit
Recovery Speed
Slower (internet-limited)
Fast (local network)
Fast local + cloud failover
Local restore in hours; cloud available anywhere
Ransomware Protection
High (offsite, isolated)
Low (if network-attached)
Highest — dual isolation
Versioned immutable snapshots on both tiers
Remote Access
Yes
No
Yes
Web-accessible restore portal included
HIPAA / PCI Compliance
Varies by provider
Yes, if configured
Yes — both tiers configurable
HIPAA & PCI-ready configurations available
24/7 Monitoring
Basic notifications
Manual or basic
Full NOC coverage
24/7 NOC with 15-min escalation SLA
Best For
Small remote-first teams
Large on-site data volumes
Most LA businesses
All client sizes — architecture set after free audit
Table: Cloud vs. On-Premise vs. Hybrid Backup Solutions — Be Structured Technology Group, Los Angeles, 2026
How to Set Up a Complete Business Backup Plan: Step by Step
The following seven steps reflect how Be Structured architects data backup for every Los Angeles client — and what NIST's Cybersecurity Framework recommends as best practice for SMB data protection:
 	
1
Audit Your Data
Identify all business-critical data: databases, emails, financial records, configuration files, and customer data. Classify by sensitivity and change frequency — this determines backup scope and scheduling tier.
 	
2
Apply the 3-2-1 Rule
Define your three-copy strategy: one local appliance, one cloud tier, one air-gapped or immutable snapshot. Every Be Structured engagement begins here — it is the non-negotiable foundation of every backup architecture we deploy.
 	
3
Set Backup Frequency by Data Type
Financial and transactional data: continuous or daily. Email and documents: daily. System configurations: weekly or after any significant change. Not all data ages at the same rate — your schedule should reflect that.
 	
4
Define Your RTO and RPO
Recovery Time Objective (RTO): how fast your systems must be restored. Recovery Point Objective (RPO): how much data loss is acceptable. Most LA SMBs target RTO under 4 hours and RPO under 24 hours. Without defined targets, your backup cannot be configured to meet them.
 	
5
Select Your Backup Technology
Choose between cloud-only, on-premise appliance, or hybrid. For most Los Angeles businesses, a hybrid architecture using Unitrends on-premise plus CoreSite cloud delivers the best combination of recovery speed and offsite protection.
 	
6
Test Your Backups — At Minimum Quarterly
An untested backup is not a backup. Businesses that test their recovery plans recover 60% faster than those that don't (IDC, 2024). Backups are only one component — knowing how they fit into a broader recovery framework is equally critical. See how to build and update your full IT disaster recovery plan. Be Structured runs automated integrity checks daily and conducts live restore drills quarterly for all clients.
 	
7
Assign Accountability and Alerting
Designate who receives backup failure alerts and set the response SLA. Be Structured's 24/7 NOC monitors all backup jobs and escalates failures within 15 minutes — eliminating the silent failures organizations only discover when they urgently need to restore.
What Happens If Your Data Isn't Backed Up? The Real Numbers
The cost of data loss extends well beyond the IT recovery bill. For Los Angeles businesses, the financial exposure breaks across four categories — and the gap between protected and unprotected is stark:
Table 2: Financial exposure — without vs. with managed backup services
Cost Category
Without Managed Backup
With Be Structured
Downtime cost — 4-hr outage, 50 employees
$27,400–$85,400
Minimal — local restore typically under 2 hrs
Ransomware ransom payment (avg. SMB, 2024)
$812,000 average
$0 — clean restore from immutable snapshot
Emergency data recovery service
$1,500–$50,000 per incident
Covered under managed services agreement
HIPAA / PCI regulatory fine
$100–$50,000 per record
Compliance-ready config reduces exposure
Business survival at 1 year post-major loss
Only 7% survive without backup
Operations continue — recovery is planned, not improvised
Sources: Gartner (survival rate); Sophos State of Ransomware 2024 (ransom avg.); Datto/Pingdom (downtime cost per minute).
Our Backup Technology: Unitrends and CoreSite
Be Structured partners with best-in-class vendors — not white-label solutions — so clients receive enterprise-grade backup infrastructure without the enterprise price tag.
On-Premise Tier
Unitrends — Backup Appliance
Purpose-built all-in-one backup appliance for physical, virtual, and cloud workloads — deployed on-site at your Los Angeles location.
 	Instant VM recovery — boot directly from appliance in minutes
 	Built-in ransomware behavioral detection
 	Automated screenshot-verified restore tests
 	RPO as low as 15 minutes with incremental-forever backups
 	Single console: physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS
Cloud Offsite Tier
CoreSite — LA Data Centers
Carrier-neutral, Tier III equivalent data centers in Los Angeles providing a physically separate, highly secure offsite backup tier.
 	99.999% uptime — under 6 minutes downtime per year
 	Multi-layer physical security and biometric access controls
 	Direct connectivity to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
 	HIPAA, PCI DSS, and SOC 2 Type II compliant environment
 	Los Angeles — geographically isolated from your primary site
Frequently Asked Questions About Managed Backup Services in Los Angeles
What is the difference between data backup and disaster recovery?Data backup is the process of creating and storing copies of your data so it can be restored after loss or corruption. Disaster recovery is a broader operational plan covering how your entire IT infrastructure is rebuilt and business operations resume after a major outage, cyberattack, or natural disaster. Backup is a required component of disaster recovery, which also includes failover systems, defined RTO and RPO targets, and staff communication protocols. Be Structured provides both through its disaster recovery and business continuity planning service, layered on top of the managed backup architecture.How often should a Los Angeles business back up its data?Mission-critical data — financial records, customer databases, transactional systems — should be backed up continuously or at minimum daily. Email and shared documents require daily backups. System configurations should be backed up weekly or after any significant change. For most Los Angeles SMBs, a hybrid approach with automated daily incremental backups and real-time cloud sync is the most practical and cost-effective solution. The CISA data backup guidelines also recommend regular testing of restore procedures — not just backup creation.What is the 3-2-1 backup rule and does Be Structured follow it?The 3-2-1 backup rule means maintaining 3 total copies of your data, on 2 different storage media types, with at least 1 copy stored offsite. It is the most widely recommended business data protection framework, endorsed by CISA and referenced in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Yes — Be Structured implements the 3-2-1 rule for every client using a Unitrends on-premise appliance as the local backup copy and CoreSite Los Angeles data centers as the geographically separate offsite cloud tier.Are cloud backups safe from ransomware?Cloud backups can be vulnerable to ransomware if the sync connection is live during an attack — encrypted files can overwrite clean backups in real time. The safest configuration uses versioned, immutable snapshots so older clean versions are preserved even if current files are encrypted. Be Structured configures all client cloud backups with versioning and isolated restore points specifically to prevent ransomware from reaching backup history. Our antivirus and intrusion protection layer further reduces the probability of an attack reaching the backup tier.How much do managed backup services cost for a small business in Los Angeles?Managed backup services for Los Angeles small businesses typically range from $50 to $300 per month depending on total data volume, number of endpoints and servers protected, whether on-premise hardware is included, and the recovery time guarantees required. Be Structured provides custom-quoted plans through its all-inclusive managed services offering — there is no one-size-fits-all pricing because no two businesses have the same data profile. Contact us to schedule a free backup assessment.What is an RTO and why does it matter?RTO stands for Recovery Time Objective — the maximum acceptable time your IT systems can be offline after a data loss event before the impact becomes critical to your business. RPO (Recovery Point Objective) defines how much data loss is acceptable in the same scenario. Without defined RTO and RPO targets, most businesses discover their actual recovery takes far longer than expected. Be Structured documents these targets for every client during onboarding and tests against them in quarterly restore drills. For deeper continuity planning, see our disaster recovery planning service.Does Be Structured provide managed backup services outside of downtown Los Angeles?Yes. Be Structured serves businesses throughout Los Angeles County including Burbank, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Pasadena, Century City, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Long Beach, and Vernon. Remote monitoring and backup management covers all locations 24/7, and our downtown LA engineers are available for on-site response when physical access is required.
Related Services
 	Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning
 	Antivirus & Intrusion Protection
 	24/7 IT Monitoring & Support
 	Outsourced IT Support Services
 	All-Inclusive Managed IT Services
Ready to Protect Your Business Data?
Get a free backup assessment from Be Structured. We'll review your current setup, identify gaps, and recommend the right architecture — no sales pressure, no obligation.
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📞 (323) 331-9452  |
Serving Los Angeles since 2007

#### Managed IT Services Cost in Los Angeles: $125 to $300 Per User Per Month (2026)
How much do managed IT services cost in Los Angeles? Most LA small and mid-size businesses pay between $125 and $300 per user per month for managed IT services, most commonly billed as a flat per-user monthly fee. The exact number depends on your headcount, the depth of security and compliance coverage you need, and whether you want business-hours or 24/7 support. This guide breaks down real pricing models, a cost comparison by business size, and the questions to ask before you sign anything, so you walk into your next vendor conversation knowing what a fair price actually looks like.
Why This Number Is Hard to Pin Down
Ask five IT providers in Los Angeles "what does this cost?" and you'll get five different answers. Whether you call it the cost of IT support or managed services pricing, the real answer is not one number; it is several pricing models stacked on top of several service tiers. Below, we break both apart so you can see exactly what you're comparing.
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Managed IT Services Pricing Models Used in Los Angeles
Managed IT services pricing in Los Angeles generally falls into one of three structures. Understanding which one you're being quoted is the first step to comparing providers on an apples-to-apples basis.
1. Hourly / Break-Fix
You call, something gets fixed, you get billed. Los Angeles rates typically run $150-250 per hour. No monthly commitment, but no incentive for the provider to prevent problems either, and every outage comes with a surprise invoice. Reasonable for a business with a handful of employees and minimal tech dependence; a false economy for almost everyone else.
2. Per-User Flat-Rate Monthly (Managed IT)
The model most growing LA businesses land on. You pay a fixed fee per employee per month, and it covers monitoring, patching, help desk, backup, and baseline security. Rates in the LA market generally fall between $150-300 per user, per month depending on tier. A 25-person office at $200 per user pays $5,000 per month, same bill every month, no debate over hours.
3. Tiered / All-Inclusive Managed Contracts
Larger organizations and regulated industries (legal, healthcare, financial services) usually move to a tiered structure, where price scales with scope of coverage (compliance support and vCIO advisory, 24/7 security monitoring) rather than just headcount. Be Structured's own all-inclusive managed services tier is a real-world example of what this looks like bundled together. These are typically quoted after a scoping call, but the tier table below gives you a working benchmark.
Managed IT Services Cost in Los Angeles by Business Size (2026)
The average cost of managed IT services scales almost entirely with headcount and the depth of coverage you choose, not with which provider you call. Use the table below as your starting benchmark.
Business Size
Monthly Cost (per user)
Typical Model
What's Usually Included
1 to 10 users
$150-300
Per-user flat rate
Help desk, patching, antivirus, monitoring
11 to 25 users
$140-250
Per-user flat rate
Above + backup, email security
26 to 50 users
$130-225
Per-user flat rate or tiered
Above + 24/7 monitoring, MDR
51 to 100 users
$125-200
Tiered managed
Above + vCIO, compliance support
100+ users
$125-200+ (can be higher if there are permanent on-site resources included)
Hybrid / enterprise
Dedicated engineer, custom SLAs, 24/7 SOC
*Note: Healthcare, legal, and financial-services clients in Los Angeles typically pay 15-30% more than the ranges above due to HIPAA, PCI DSS, or CMMC compliance requirements.*
Managed IT Services Cost by Service Tier
Tier
Monthly Cost (per user)
Best For
What's Included
Basic
$175
Very small teams, low complexity
Remote monitoring, patching, basic antivirus
Standard
$225
Most LA SMBs
Everything in Basic + help desk, endpoint protection, limited onsite support
Premium / Full-Stack
$275
Regulated industries, higher risk tolerance needs
Everything in Standard + SOC monitoring, disaster recovery, compliance support, strategic IT consulting
What This Looks Like for a 25-Person LA Firm
A worked example, using the numbers above. Take a 25-person professional services firm in Downtown Los Angeles: two servers, 40 endpoints once you count laptops, shared workstations and the machine in the back running one application, no regulated data, and it wants 24/7 coverage rather than business hours.
 	Managed IT at roughly $200 per user: $5,000 per month
 	Managed security at $50 per device across 40 devices: $2,000 per month
 	Recurring total: about $7,000 per month, or roughly $280 per user all in
 	One-time setup fee, typically about one month of recurring spend, covering documentation, tool deployment and onboarding
 	Microsoft 365 licensing, project work and compliance-specific engagements: quoted separately
Change one variable and watch the number move. Drop to business-hours support and the security tier comes down. Add HIPAA obligations and expect 15 to 30 percent above the standard range. Grow to 75 people and the per-user rate steps down toward $125 to $175 while the device count, and so the security line, keeps climbing. That is the whole reason a range with variables is more useful to you than a single headline number.
What's Typically Included vs. What Costs Extra
Usually included in a standard managed IT contract:
 	    24/7 or business-hours remote monitoring of servers, endpoints, and network devices
 	    Help desk support
 	    Patch management for operating systems and third-party software
 	    Managed antivirus / endpoint protection
 	    Cloud backup with periodic recovery testing
 	    Regular business reviews and an IT roadmap
Usually billed separately:
 	    Major projects (server replacements, office moves, network overhauls)
 	    Advanced security add-ons (penetration testing, SOC monitoring, dark web monitoring)
 	    Compliance-specific work (HIPAA risk assessments, PCI scoping, CMMC readiness)
 	    Microsoft 365 or other software licensing
 	    After-hours or emergency onsite visits
A well-structured contract spells out exactly what falls into each bucket. If a provider's quote is vague about what's "included," that's the question to push on before you sign.
What It Actually Costs to Skip IT Support
The sticker price of managed IT only makes sense next to the cost of not having it.
 	    Downtime is expensive. Gartner has estimated the average cost of IT downtime at roughly $5,600 per minute for a mid-size organization. For a 30-person LA business, even a two-hour outage during a busy stretch can cost more than a full month of managed IT fees.
 	    Breach costs keep climbing. According to IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of a data breach for U.S. organizations reached $10.22 million in 2025, up 9% year over year and the highest of any country IBM measures, driven largely by regulatory fines and detection/escalation costs. Unmanaged, under-monitored environments are disproportionately represented in that number.
 	    Staff time leaks out quietly. Every hour an employee spends fighting a printer, waiting on a slow machine, or working around a broken login is an hour you're still paying for, it just doesn't show up as an IT line item.
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In-House IT Hire vs. Outsourced IT Support: A Real Comparison
Factor
In-House IT Hire (LA)
Outsourced IT Support / MSP
Annual cost (1 IT admin)
$150k+ salary + benefits
$60,000 (est. 25 user shop)
Coverage hours
Business hours only (typically)
24/7 monitoring available
Expertise depth
One person, one skill set, you get what you pay for
Team of specialists with varying skill levels
Scalability
Hire more staff to scale
Adjust tier or user count
Predictable cost
No, sick days, turnover, training
Yes, fixed monthly fee
Time to onboard
Weeks to fill the role, months to on-board
30-60 days
For most businesses under roughly 150 employees, the math tends to favor outsourced support: one in-house hire in Los Angeles runs well into six figures in fully loaded cost before you add backup coverage for vacations, sick time, and turnover, and you still only get one person's expertise. The exception is organizations with highly specialized, proprietary systems that genuinely need a dedicated internal resource; many of those still run a hybrid model, pairing one internal coordinator with an outsourced IT partner.
How to Get an Accurate IT Support Quote: 5 Steps
 	 Document your current environment first. Get a count of users, devices, servers, and any compliance obligations (HIPAA, PCI, CMMC) before you call anyone, vague scoping produces vague quotes.
 	 Ask for the pricing model up front. Confirm whether you're being quoted per-user flat rate, tiered, or hourly, and get the definition of what counts as "included" in writing.
 	 Request a response-time SLA. A real managed IT quote specifies guaranteed response times for critical issues (commonly one hour or less) and routine issues (commonly four to eight hours). If a quote doesn't include this, it isn't a complete quote.
 	  Ask what's excluded. Get a specific, written list of what triggers an additional charge, after-hours work, project work, compliance add-ons, before comparing two quotes side by side.
 	 Compare total cost of ownership, not just the monthly number. Factor in onboarding fees, minimum contract terms, and typical project costs (migrations, office moves) that a low monthly rate might be hiding.
What Be Structured Charges and What You Get
Be Structured prices managed IT the way this guide recommends you evaluate it: A flat monthly fee per full-time employee, with security, backup, and licensing broken out where they aren’t directly tied to the user.
Managed IT starts at about $150-300 per user, per month for teams under 25 people, and the per-user rate steps down as headcount grows (environments above 75 users typically land between $125 and $175 per user). Managed security is priced per device, commonly $50 per device, per month for the full stack. All in, most Los Angeles clients land between $200 and $270 per user, per month, which puts a typical 20-person office in the $5,000 to $5,500 range.
The baseline managed IT fee covers 24/7 emergency support and network monitoring, help desk against a written SLA (2-hour response on Level 1 outages, 4 hours on Level 2), patch management, vendor management on your behalf, onsite support after remote diagnosis, procurement assistance, and ongoing roadmap and quarterly business reviews. The security stack layers on top of that: multi-factor authentication, Windows Defender hardening and LAPS, spam and outbound email filtering, SPF/DKIM/DMARC management, dark web monitoring, quarterly internal and external vulnerability scanning, EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, and Microsoft 365 backup with disaster recovery. Out-of-scope and project work is quoted in advance and billed at $175+ per hour. New user and device onboarding runs $150 each. A one-time setup fee, typically about one month of recurring spend, covers documentation, tool deployment, and our five-phase onboarding process.
Agreements generally run for 1 to 3 years, with multi-year lock-ins that offer discounts, especially when full-time resources at the client location are involved. Every engagement starts with a no-cost scoping assessment: we count users, devices, and servers, review your Microsoft 365 tenant and security posture, and provide you with a written scope and a fixed monthly price before you commit to anything. If you want to see what your environment would actually cost, request a managed IT services quote, and we will put real numbers on it.
Chad Lauterbach and Chad Becker are the founders and Chief Officers of Be Structured. They welcome introductions to companies of any size in the Los Angeles area to help provide professional and affordable IT support.
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FAQs About Managed IT Services Costs in Los Angeles
How much do managed IT services cost per month in Los Angeles?Most Los Angeles small and mid-size businesses pay $125 to $300 per user per month for managed IT support, billed as a flat monthly fee per user. Teams under 25 people sit toward the top of that range and the per-user rate steps down as headcount grows; environments above 75 users typically land between $125 and $175 per user. The exact rate depends on headcount, the depth of security coverage included, and whether support is business-hours or 24/7.
What actually drives the price up or down?Four variables, in order of impact. Seat count, because the per-user rate steps down as headcount grows. Compliance scope, since HIPAA, PCI DSS or CMMC obligations add risk assessments, documentation and specialized monitoring, and typically push a bill 15 to 30 percent above the standard range. Security tier, which is the difference between baseline antivirus and a full stack with 24/7 SOC monitoring. And on-site expectations: a permanent or near-permanent engineer at your office is a different product from remote support with dispatch.
Is managed IT priced per user or per device?Both, for different things. Managed IT is priced per user, because the help desk, the account, the mailbox and the strategic work follow a person. Managed security is priced per device, commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack, because an attacker lands on a device rather than on a chair. A 20-person firm often runs 45 endpoints once you count servers, shared workstations and the machine in the back running one application.
What is not included in a managed IT contract?Usually billed separately: major projects such as server replacements, office moves and network overhauls; advanced security add-ons like penetration testing and dark web monitoring where they sit outside the agreed stack; compliance-specific work such as HIPAA risk assessments, PCI scoping and CMMC readiness; Microsoft 365 and other software licensing; and after-hours or emergency on-site visits outside the agreement. At Be Structured, out-of-scope and project work is quoted in advance and billed at $175 or more per hour. If a provider's quote is vague about what is included, that is the question to push on before you sign.
Are there onboarding or setup fees?Yes, and you should expect them. Be Structured charges a one-time setup fee, typically about one month of recurring spend, which covers documentation, tool deployment and a five-phase onboarding process. New user and device onboarding after that runs $150 each. A provider quoting no onboarding cost at all is either absorbing it into a higher monthly rate or is not documenting your environment properly.
How long is a managed IT contract, and can we get out of it?Agreements generally run one to three years, and multi-year terms carry a discount, particularly where full-time resources sit at the client location. Ask two things before you sign a longer term: what the termination clause requires, and what happens to your documentation, licensing and log history on exit. A discount that buys a hostage situation is not a discount.
Does the price include cybersecurity, and what do the add-ons cost?Baseline protection, meaning antivirus, patching and basic monitoring, is typically inside a standard managed IT contract. The full security stack is a separate per-device line, commonly $50 per device per month, covering EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, multi-factor authentication, Windows Defender hardening and LAPS, spam and outbound email filtering, SPF, DKIM and DMARC management, dark web monitoring, quarterly internal and external vulnerability scanning, and Microsoft 365 backup with disaster recovery. Ask any provider for a written breakdown of what is bundled and what is billed separately.
What does co-managed IT cost if we keep our own IT person?Less than fully managed, because you are buying specific functions rather than the whole department. Co-managed engagements are usually scoped around what your internal person does not cover: after-hours and weekend escalation, the security stack, backup and disaster recovery, patching and monitoring, and vCIO-level planning. The security stack stays per device at its usual rate, and the managed layer is scoped to the division of labor you agree. The comparison that matters is not co-managed against fully managed, it is co-managed against hiring a second IT person.
Is per-user pricing or hourly pricing better for a small business?For any business with day-to-day reliance on technology, per-user flat-rate pricing is the better fit, because it turns IT spend into a predictable monthly cost rather than a stream of unplanned invoices. Hourly break-fix pricing, commonly $150 to $250 per hour in Los Angeles, works only for very small teams with minimal technology dependence, since the provider is paid to react to problems rather than prevent them.
Is it cheaper to hire an in-house IT person than to outsource?For most Los Angeles businesses under roughly 150 employees, outsourcing costs less on a total-cost basis once salary, benefits, training and coverage gaps for vacation, sick time and turnover are counted. An in-house hire also gives you one person's skill set, while an outsourced team covers security, cloud, networking and compliance for a comparable or lower monthly cost. The exception is an organization with highly specialized proprietary systems that genuinely needs a dedicated internal resource, and many of those still run a hybrid model with one internal coordinator plus an outsourced partner.
Do Los Angeles businesses in regulated industries pay more?Yes. Healthcare, legal and financial services clients typically pay 15 to 30 percent above the standard ranges, because HIPAA, PCI DSS or CMMC obligations require additional risk assessments, documentation and specialized monitoring. That premium buys evidence as well as protection: the logging and reporting that an auditor, an insurer or a client's security questionnaire asks for.
How do we get an accurate quote?Document your environment first: users, devices, servers and any compliance obligations, because vague scoping produces vague quotes. Then ask for the pricing model up front, get a written response-time service level agreement, ask specifically what triggers an additional charge, and compare total cost of ownership including onboarding fees, contract term and typical project costs. Be Structured starts every engagement with a no-cost scoping assessment: we count users, devices and servers, review your Microsoft 365 tenant and security posture, and give you a written scope and a fixed monthly price before you commit.

#### Managed IT Services Los Angeles
What Are Managed IT Services in Los Angeles?
MSP Los Angeles services simply means providing outsourced technical support to a company that does nothing but live and breath technical support every minute of every day.
But how do you find a Los Angeles IT support company that’s right for you?
Managed IT services means so many things to so many businesses.
But when you ask for an all-inclusive IT services package with Be Structured, we tailor our expertise in all things IT support to meet your company’s needs.
And when you're in need of "managed IT services near me", rest assured Be Structred has your local SoCal business covered.
So, no matter the size of your business or the industry that it’s in, you’ll be covered as if we were your very own IT department sitting right inside your building.
Not Clear? Start Here!
Still not sure how IT can bring value to your business? Our IT Services  Los Angeles based company delivers world-class solutions to help you reach your business goals.
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All Inclusive MSP for Los Angeles
As the leading managed service providers in Los Angeles, Be Structured  encompasses everything you will need to run the technology aspect of your business. In fact, Be Structured recenly ranked No. 282 among the top MSP companies worldwide.
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24/7 Monitoring and Support
Our 24/7 monitoring and support services catch issues before they become problems.
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Antivirus and Cybersecurity providers in Los Angeles
Antivirus and intrusion protection work together to destroy viruses and detect any malicious behavior.
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Collaboration / UCAAS
Unified-communications-as-a-service (UCaaS) simplifies your communication tools into a single platform for enhanced business performance.
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Data Backup and Managed IT Security Services 
Experience minimal downtime and no loss of critical information with data backup and protection.
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Disaster Recovery / BCP
Our business continuity plans lay out the steps to take in case things go south.
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IT Consulting / VCIO
A virtual CIO (vCIO) performs many of the same IT consulting services a CIO provides without the budget.
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Server Virtualization
Enjoy cost savings, energy savings, increased up-time, better disaster recovery, and more with virtualization.
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Free Consultation
Los Angeles MSP services simply means providing outsourced technical support to a company that does nothing but live and breath technical support every minute of every day.
But how do you find a Los Angeles IT support company that’s right for you?
Managed IT services means so many things to so many businesses.
But when you ask for an all-inclusive IT services package with Be Structured, we tailor our expertise in all things IT support to meet your company’s needs.
And when you're in need of "managed IT services near me", rest assured Be Structred has your local SoCal business covered.
So, no matter the size of your business or the industry that it’s in, you’ll be covered as if we were your very own IT department sitting right inside your building.
As part of every MSP Los Angeles package, you can rest easy knowing that we are handling all-inclusive IT support services in Los Angeles, which include:
 	24/7 network monitor and tech support
 	Safety and security with the latest antivirus and protection against cyberattacks that includes unique strategies such as:
 	
 	
 	DNS E-mail protection
 	Phishing protection
 	Mobile device management
 	Penetration testing services
 	Advanced endpoint protection
 	Privileged access management (PAM)
 	Creating a Zero Trust Network Architecture
 	SaaS management services 
 	Around-the-clock data backup and protection
 	Disaster recovery
 	Local AI workstation deployment
And much, much more.
Our goal is to save you time and money, so you can do what you do the best -- grow your business!
Curious what this looks like on your monthly bill? See our managed IT services pricing broken down by business size and tier.
Frequently Asked Questions for Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
What are managed IT services?Managed IT services provide businesses with outsourced technical support from a dedicated team of IT professionals who monitor, maintain, and optimize your technology infrastructure on an ongoing basis. Rather than hiring an in-house IT department, you partner with a managed service provider (MSP) who handles everything from network monitoring and cybersecurity to data backup and disaster recovery—allowing you to focus on running your business.What does an all-inclusive managed IT services package include?An all-inclusive managed IT services package typically encompasses 24/7 network monitoring and technical support, comprehensive cybersecurity protection including antivirus and intrusion detection, data backup and protection, disaster recovery planning, and strategic IT consulting. Additional services often include DNS email protection, phishing prevention, mobile device management, penetration testing, endpoint protection, and privileged access management.How does 24/7 network monitoring benefit my business?24/7 network monitoring proactively identifies and addresses potential issues before they escalate into costly problems. This continuous oversight ensures maximum uptime, prevents unexpected outages, and allows IT professionals to detect security threats in real-time. Rather than waiting for employees to report issues, monitoring catches anomalies automatically, minimizing disruption to your operations and protecting your business around the clock.What cybersecurity services should a managed IT provider offer?A comprehensive managed IT provider should offer layered cybersecurity protection including antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, DNS email protection, phishing prevention, mobile device management, penetration testing, advanced endpoint protection, and privileged access management. Many providers also help businesses implement Zero Trust Network Architecture, which requires verification from everyone attempting to access resources on your network regardless of their location.What is a Zero Trust Network Architecture?Zero Trust Network Architecture is a security framework that requires strict identity verification for every person and device attempting to access resources on a private network, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the network perimeter. This approach assumes no user or system should be automatically trusted and continuously validates authorization at every stage of digital interaction, providing stronger protection against both external attacks and internal threats.How does data backup protect my business?Data backup creates secure copies of your critical business information stored in separate locations, ensuring that your data can be recovered quickly if the original files are lost, corrupted, or compromised by ransomware or other cyberattacks. Regular, automated backups minimize downtime and prevent permanent loss of essential documents, customer records, financial data, and other irreplaceable business assets.What is disaster recovery and why do I need it?Disaster recovery is a comprehensive plan that outlines the steps your business will take to restore critical systems and data following an unexpected event such as a cyberattack, natural disaster, hardware failure, or human error. Having a disaster recovery plan ensures business continuity by minimizing downtime, protecting revenue, maintaining customer trust, and providing clear protocols for your team to follow during emergencies.What is a virtual CIO (vCIO) and how can one help my business?A virtual CIO provides strategic IT leadership and consulting services typically performed by a Chief Information Officer, but without the expense of hiring a full-time executive. A vCIO helps align your technology investments with business goals, develops IT roadmaps, advises on emerging technologies, manages vendor relationships, ensures regulatory compliance, and provides the high-level expertise needed to make informed technology decisions.What is UCaaS and how does it improve business communication?Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) consolidates multiple communication tools—including voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging, and file sharing—into a single cloud-based platform. This simplification enhances business performance by enabling seamless collaboration, reducing the complexity of managing multiple vendors, lowering costs, and allowing employees to communicate effectively from any location using any device.What are the benefits of server virtualization?Server virtualization delivers significant advantages including reduced hardware costs, lower energy consumption, increased system uptime, improved disaster recovery capabilities, and greater flexibility in deploying and managing IT resources. By running multiple virtual servers on a single physical machine, businesses can optimize their infrastructure, scale resources as needed, and simplify backup and recovery processes.How do I know if my business needs managed IT services?Your business may benefit from managed IT services if you experience frequent technology issues, lack dedicated IT staff, struggle to keep up with cybersecurity threats, face compliance requirements, or find that technology problems distract from your core business activities. Businesses of any size across all industries can leverage managed IT services to gain enterprise-level support and expertise without the overhead of building an internal IT department.What is penetration testing and why is it important?Penetration testing is a simulated cyberattack conducted by security professionals to identify vulnerabilities in your systems, networks, and applications before malicious actors can exploit them. This proactive security measure reveals weaknesses in your defenses, validates the effectiveness of existing security controls, helps meet compliance requirements, and provides actionable recommendations for strengthening your overall security posture.What is privileged access management (PAM)?Privileged access management is a cybersecurity strategy that controls, monitors, and secures access to critical systems and sensitive data by users with elevated permissions. PAM solutions help prevent unauthorized access, reduce the risk of insider threats, maintain audit trails for compliance purposes, and ensure that administrative credentials are protected from theft or misuse by cybercriminals.How does mobile device management protect my business?Mobile device management (MDM) enables businesses to secure, monitor, and manage smartphones, tablets, and laptops that access company data and networks. MDM solutions enforce security policies, enable remote wiping of lost or stolen devices, ensure software updates are applied, separate personal and business data, and provide visibility into all devices connecting to your network—essential protections as remote and hybrid work become increasingly common.What should I look for when choosing a managed IT services provider?When selecting a managed IT services provider, consider their experience in your industry, the comprehensiveness of their service offerings, response times and availability, security certifications and compliance expertise, scalability to grow with your business, and their approach to proactive versus reactive support. A quality provider should function as an extension of your team, offering tailored solutions that align technology with your specific business objectives.

#### Manufacturing
IT Solutions for Manufacturing
Be Structured Technology Group has a diverse education in the IT support needs of manufacturers.
As an award-winning managed IT support company in Los Angeles, we have years of experience in being flexible and adapting our local IT support services to the requirements of manufacturing facilities that are faced with challenges that other industries do not have to worry about.
Even a small manufacturing business will have to deal with hurdles like 24/7 operations, FDA regulations, complex ERP systems, cold storage, and cyber security regulatory compliance and other support devices. All of these systems can become obstacles that hinder your productivity unless you have an outsourced IT support company in place to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Beyond our advanced technology and techniques, our primary purpose as your service provider is to support your performance and secure the stable operations of your systems.
Los Angeles IT Services Gives You The Tools To Succeed
In the manufacturing industry, deadlines are essential. Meeting those deadlines are a vital part of maintaining your productivity, and we can maintain the information technology tools that will make this process possible. All of your professional tools like ERP systems, scales, and scan-guns rely on your network, and any downtime will result in a drop in efficiency and profit.
Be Structured has experience in maintaining all of these systems and will eliminate your downtime or outages. Our all-inclusive managed IT services are the insurance of protecting your systems and the day-to-day functions of your business.
We understand the tech requirements for smart factory implementation.
We offer solutions like cloud computing consulting services and VoIP systems to make your operations more productive by increasing your mobility and enhancing the communication among your employees and customers.
We are also one of the leading cybersecurity managed service providers in the greater Los Angeles area.
For manufacturers, progress is a methodical march towards success. Your goals are marked by completing long-term projects, and this makes planning for the future integral to your prosperity.
It's also important to build IT resilience in the face of recent supply chain disruptions.
Local IT Support Specific to Manufacturing
Manufacturing firms have a range of technical needs that must be met in order to stay competitive and profitable. These needs can range from software solutions to automate production processes, to hardware systems for control and monitoring, to engineering services for product design and development.
Software solutions are key for many modern manufacturing companies, as they allow for significant improvements in efficiency through automation of mundane tasks and optimization of more complex ones.
Automated data processing systems help keep records up-to-date and ensure accuracy of orders, while predictive analytics can be used to anticipate customer demand and optimize the supply chain.
Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in manufacturing processes due to its ability to quickly identify patterns in large amounts of data and make accurate predictions.
You also have to be aware of current supply chain cyber attacks and how to protect your business from third-party risks.
Hardware systems are also a major component of manufacturing firms’ technical needs. These can range from robots and automated machines used in production, to sensors that monitor the environment and equipment, to control systems that coordinate the entire process.
High-performance computing (HPC) systems are often used in complex simulations and calculations, such as those involved in product design and development.
Additionally, networking technology is necessary for communication between different departments or plants within a company.
Finally, engineering services are key for many manufacturing firms. Product design requires expertise in engineering principles, materials science, mathematics, computer science, and other technical fields.
Moreover, engineering services must maintain an understanding of the latest trends in their industry so that they can effectively assist their clients in staying competitive.
An IT Support Company in Los Angeles for Manufacturing Businesses
In sum, it is clear that manufacturing firms have a wide range of technical needs that must be met in order to remain successful.
Software solutions and hardware systems are necessary for automation and control, while engineering services are key for product design and development.
As technology continues to evolve, manufacturers will need to continually update their systems in order to keep up with the competition.
For more help, consult an IT specialist or a software engineer who can provide appropriate advice on what type of software solution or hardware system best suits your needs.
Additionally, they can assess any engineering services you may require. Working with professionals in this field can ensure that your technical needs are addressed quickly and efficiently. Doing so will enable you to stay competitive in the ever-changing manufacturing landscape.
Be Structured provides Los Angeles IT support and consulting, and project implementation for just that purpose.
Our business IT services and security will allow you to create more powerful plans for the years to come and will map out your budget with effective forethought into the costs you will face. We will be there to keep you ahead of the curve and on the path to your business objectives.
Outsourced IT Support Services to Meet Your Unique Standards
Be Structured helps manufacturing companies improve their IT support and strengthen their security.
Our business IT services and security are not just engineered to optimize your systems. Be Structured knows that it is crucial for manufacturers to maintain security regulatory compliance from agencies like OSHA and the FDA. We are not an auditing agency that checks for compliant practices, but we have ample experience in working with auditors and adjusting our services to meet their standards.
You take raw materials and turn them into the products that the world needs. We take our experience and expertise to support your operations and assist you in reaching your future goals.
Be Structured will be there to maintain and implement the technology that you depend on.
Contact us for a free consultation to show you how we can improve and strengthen your Los Angeles IT services today.
FAQs: IT Support for Manufacturing Companies
1. How can AI improve manufacturing operations?
AI enhances manufacturing by enabling predictive maintenance, quality control automation, demand forecasting, and real-time production optimization. These capabilities reduce downtime, minimize waste, and improve overall equipment effectiveness.
2. What is a smart factory, and how do I implement one?
A smart factory uses connected sensors, IoT devices, and data analytics to automate and optimize production processes. Implementation requires robust network infrastructure, integrated ERP systems, and an experienced IT partner to manage the technology stack.
3. Why do manufacturers need specialized IT support?
Manufacturing environments have unique challenges including 24/7 operations, complex ERP integrations, industrial equipment connectivity, and strict regulatory compliance requirements that general IT providers may not understand.
4. How can managed IT services reduce manufacturing downtime?
Managed IT providers proactively monitor systems, perform preventive maintenance, and respond immediately to issues before they cause production stoppages. This approach keeps networks, ERP systems, and connected equipment running continuously.
5. What cybersecurity threats target manufacturing companies?
Manufacturers face ransomware attacks, supply chain compromises, intellectual property theft, and industrial control system vulnerabilities. These threats can halt production and expose sensitive proprietary data.
6. How does cloud computing benefit manufacturing businesses?
Cloud computing provides scalable data storage, remote access to production systems, improved collaboration across facilities, and reduced infrastructure costs while enhancing disaster recovery capabilities.
7. What IT compliance requirements apply to manufacturers?
Depending on your industry, manufacturers may need to comply with FDA regulations, OSHA requirements, CMMC for defense contractors, or industry-specific data protection standards. IT systems must be configured to support audit requirements.
8. How can predictive analytics optimize my supply chain?
Predictive analytics uses historical data and AI algorithms to forecast demand, identify potential disruptions, and optimize inventory levels. This reduces carrying costs and prevents stockouts or production delays.
9. What IT infrastructure supports industrial automation and robotics?
Automated manufacturing requires high-speed, low-latency networks, industrial-grade hardware, integrated control systems, and real-time monitoring capabilities to ensure robots and automated equipment operate reliably.
10. How do I choose an IT support company for my manufacturing business?
Look for providers with specific manufacturing experience, understanding of industrial systems like ERP and SCADA, 24/7 support availability, and knowledge of regulatory compliance requirements in your industry.
Remember, when considering outsourced IT support in Los Angeles for your manufacturing company, it's crucial to assess your specific needs, conduct thorough research on potential partners, and ensure alignment with your business goals and objectives.

#### Meet the Management Team
Chad Becker
CEO, Partner, Director/Officer
Chad Becker

Baylor University: Bachelor of Science
Fuller Seminary: Master in Divinity

Chad Becker joined the team back in 2015, bringing with him a passion for people and problem-solving. He excels in identifying places where IT can enhance business efficiency and business process. In addition, Chad works closely with clients to understand their operational vision, line of business, and IT support and security needs. He specializes in business processes and productivity, security, and account management. Chad's accomplishments outside of the workplace include being an Eagle Scout, Olympic skier, entrepreneur, and a father of four – making him a powerhouse player to have on your team.

 

"Creating clarity through obscurity in the exciting world of IT." – Chad Becker




Chad Lauterbach
CTO, Founder, Director/Officer
Chad Lauterbach

Moving to California in 2000, Chad Lauterbach continued to fine-tune his skills in network engineering, Windows System Engineering, legal and compliance issues, infrastructure buildouts, and IT Security. Starting as an outsourced CTO/CIO/CISO, Chad worked closely with many businesses to help protect IT infrastructure. Chad's passion for helping small to medium-size companies meet their IT and security needs fueled his decision in 2007 to create Be Structured Technology Group. Under Chad's leadership, Be Structured continues to exceed the expectations of their clients' outlooks on what an IT department provides. He is an avid learner who actively works to stay on top of the latest trends and security requirements in this fast-paced tech world. Chad is constantly pursuing knowledge, making him someone who will always be ahead of the curve. When Chad is not working, you can find him reading, running, listening to podcasts, hiking, camping, or backpacking.

 

"Our actions may be impeded by them, but there can be no impeding our intentions or our dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." – Marcus Aurelius


 



Morgan Owen
COO, Officer
Morgan Owen

Morgan brought her expertise to BSTG in 2022, driven by a commitment to transforming systems, processes, and teams to drive enduring impact. With a background in customer service and operational management, she excelled as an Account Manager, supporting numerous clients effectively. Now serving as our COO, Morgan leverages her extensive experience in leading high-performing teams to enhance BSTG’s efficiencies, ensuring superior service delivery to our valued clients.

Outside of BSTG, Morgan enjoys spending time traveling and discovering hidden gems across LA with her family.

 





Roxanne Pipkin Tamayo
Operations Manager, Officer
Roxanne Tamayo

University of California, Santa Cruz: Bachelor of Arts

In 2011 Roxanne Tamayo joined Be Structured. Roxanne's passion for creating efficiency and structure enables her to excel as an Operations Manager. Her hands on-experience include accounting, human resources, administration, and finances. While Roxanne has focused on operational IT management in recent years, she has experience in the Non-Profit sector. Before coming on to Be Structured, her background included assisting community organizers in supporting domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and advocates in Los Angeles. You can find Roxanne hiking with her Girl Scout troop, rallying for social causes, exploring LA with her family, and discovering new vegan ice cream shops when not at work.

 

"Getting to know new people and making connections is what makes each day a new adventure." – Roxanne Pipkin Tamayo




Krishna Kosgi
Director of Professional Services
Krishna Kosgi

Krishna Kosgi is a motivated, personable technician with over ten years of experience in IT and has been with Be Structured since 2017. Leading and participating in various projects, Kosgi excels in networking, cloud services, and just about everything else IT-related. His responsibilities include project and strategic planning, supervising the execution of projects, and technical documentation. Krishna Kosgi brings to the table a broad base of technical engineering, design, operational, consulting, and logistics skills. Krishna enjoys exploring new places, going to concerts, geeking out over tech, and hanging with friends and family outside of the office. For fun, he DJs and mixes. He hopes to travel the world and see as many countries as possible.

 

"I strive to not only continuously learn but to share my knowledge with the people around me." – Krishna Kosgi

#### Microsoft Environment Hardening
Be Structured Believes in Microsoft Environment Hardening for Better Security

What Is Microsoft Environmental Hardening? Microsoft Environment Hardening

When you have a Windows Server or a Windows desktop, making sure that it is set up properly is the only way to know that it is keeping your information and systems safe. While there are some basic safety features enabled out of the box, the default settings aren’t super secure and are known to hackers. Configuring the server to be more secure is the only way to be sure it is as safe as possible. Since configuring a Windows Server is so confusing and time-consuming, it is best to leave that responsibility up to your local Los Angeles-based Microsoft Environment Hardening experts. Let the experienced professionals here at Be Structured Technology Group help you. That way, you do not configure something the wrong way and leave your business exposed to cyberattackers.

Microsoft Environment Hardening Basics

In order to get the best visual of server hardening, think of your server as a box. If that box is cardboard, attackers could readily access what is inside. They can get the box wet, slice through the box, or even smash the box to get what is inside. Now, picture that same box made out of Kevlar. It goes from being permeable to impermeable just by hardening the box. The contents do not matter in terms of what the box is made of. What matters is that outer shell. Kevlar is going to be far more protective of the box’s contents than the cardboard could have ever been. Your protection threshold goes from something that nearly any attack would infiltrate to something that is parallel to bulletproof. That is what you are trying to do with your server.

When put in terms of your server, your way of hardening the server is making sure that it is configured properly to keep it as safe as possible. When you get your server, it is a little stronger than cardboard, but not much. It takes you putting all of the pieces together in the right order and enabling or disabling the right aspects of your server to turn it into the Kevlar box you want around the systems and data for your business. That is where turning to a Los Angeles Microsoft Security Consulting company can work to your advantage.

Benefits of Microsoft Environment Hardening

To any business owner that is unfamiliar with the process of environment hardening, it is imperative that you understand the process and its benefits. When you get a Windows Server, you are getting a device that is quite secure in its own right. However, that does not mean that it is totally secure. In order to ensure that you have as much security as possible for your device, you need to go through and configure the settings on that server properly. If you do not take the time to change your settings, you are leaving holes in your server that cyberattackers are aware of and could exploit.

There are several things that can be done to harden, or increase the protection of your Windows Server. If you recently went through and got a new Windows Server, you likely have Windows Server 2019. Each new deployment or update of the server increases the security that the server can provide, helping you to keep your information safe and out of the hands of cyberattackers. The best way to ensure that your servers are as secure as possible is by making sure to follow the guidelines of the CIS, or Center for Internet Security, and of the DISA, or the Defense Information System Agency. The base guidelines are lists of the controls you apply to ensure you have the security you need. Each lists the controls to step up certain aspects of security, such as recommending what should be enabled or disabled or recommending a specific configuration if you find yourself or your business facing specific threats.

It is vital that you only apply what you need to keep your specific server protected, and not try to implement all protections. The best way to keep your server safe is by having it set to protect what types of threats you face. By having everything enabled, you could risk issues with compatibility, or you could have such a wide scope that your server misses more targeted and focused attacks. A base guideline is not going to provide you with information that would tell you if it is not compatible with other settings, or if changing a setting could alter how your server performs. You will have to find out the hard way, unfortunately. That is why it is imperative that you work with an experienced Microsoft Environment Hardening company like Los Angeles based Be Structured Technology Group when setting up your server. We know what works and what doesn’t and can spare you the downtime.

What Does Microsoft Environment Hardening Do?

The goal of hardening your server is to help identify and reduce the likelihood of a vulnerability where a hacker could reach your data. The best way to avoid that is to harden, or secure, your server so that vulnerability no longer exists. This reduces your risks of having any data or system compromised, plus it gives you something proactive you can do to make sure your data never enters the wrong hands.

This is a basic checklist of many things that go into setting up your Microsoft Windows Server to be configured in a way that keeps your data safe. You will see as this list goes on, how exhausting and confusing this process can be. Avoid the headache and turn to your favorite Los Angeles MSSP – Be Structured.

Part One – Securing Your Organization

  Start a record of the baseline configuration that each server has, defining the exact process to make alterations to that server. This is called a build document.
  Make sure to test each change repeatedly so that you can be sure it will not lead to any hardware or software issue, before making any change live.
  Run risk assessments regularly so that you can update plans for your risk management options. Create a list of the servers that prioritizes which need the most attention and focus if something goes wrong.
  Make sure all of your servers stay at identical patch levels.
  Implement Microsoft Local Administrator Policy Service (LAPS) across the domain.


Part Two – Prepare the Windows Server

  Make sure all new machines are kept away from any harmful traffic on your network until you have an operating system installed and it has gone through the hardening process. Make sure any server that is in a DMZ network is also hardened.
  Make sure any administrative logons that are for your recovery console are disabled.
  Configure your preferred boot order, also preventing any type of unauthorized boot from a different type of media or device.


Part Three – Installing the Windows Server

  Watch to make sure no shutdown occurs during the installation process.
  Go to the Security Configuration Wizard upon startup and create your configuration that is based on whatever specific role you need.
  Patch and fix any files or packs that did not install completely or need to update after the basic installation. We use Datto RMM, our remote management and monitoring tool, for this.
  Make sure to turn on the notification settings that alert you when a new patch is available. You should analyze each new patch, test it for compatibility, then apply it to your server.


Part Four – Hardening User Accounts

  Create passwords that are strong enough to withstand outsiders. The password should tie to a specific privileged account, not have any dictionary word in it, be a minimum of 15 characters long, and include special characters, numbers, letters, and invisible characters all through the password.
  Make sure every 60-90 days, all passwords are changed to be totally unique.
  Set up and configure the lockout policy in the event that someone tries to get into your server.
  Disable logging into your secure server from any existing or newly created Microsoft account.
  Make sure guest accounts are disabled.
  Change administrator usernames from their defaults.
  Create group policies for user lockout, password rotation, and other critical Windows services.
  Implement Microsoft Windows Defender firewall and MAPS.
  Disable anonymous users from accessing your server.
  Make all translations from outsiders disabled.
  Make sure any unused user account is immediately disabled, or if possible, deleted.


Part Five – Configuring Network Security

  Make sure the Windows Firewall is enabled in every profile, including the public, private, and domain profiles. Configure the firewall to block all types of inbound traffic as its default.
  Set up port blocking from the network’s setting level. Then, analyze the server to see which ports require being open so you can restrict the access others have to any other port.
  Set restrictions on who can access your computers to only authenticated users.
  Disallow guest accounts to log into your server for any reason.
  Turn off the NetBIOS over your TCP/IP.
  Make sure the setting to send unencrypted passwords to any third-party SMB server is disabled.
  Make sure all anonymous access is disabled.
  Never store your LAN manager hash values on your server.
  Configure more secure NTP, CIFS/SMB, and FIPS complaint encryption services across the domain.
  Refuse any LM or NTLM authentication level, and allow your LAN to only accept NTLMv2.
  Turn off any sharing settings, including print sharing and file sharing. This could allow an outsider to connect to your server, accessing critical systems or data without the requirement of a password or authenticated ID.


Additional Steps of Microsoft Environment Hardening

There are several steps that go on beyond this. You need to configure the registration security settings of your server. Then you need to go through each setting in your general security settings. So many of these settings are enabled that it could leave you open to an attack. From there, you need to audit the current policy settings and create ones that work for your specific situation. If you do not audit these settings to meet with the best practices, your information could be accessed through your event logs. Next, you need to make sure that you go through and add additional levels of security to your server. This includes installing and enabling anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware, and more. These are more things that an experienced Los Angeles cybersecurity firm like Be Structured can help with. We can configure your network, plus make sure it is good to go up against the types of threats you are most likely to face.

When all of this is done, it is now time to install your server. You want a copy of your server’s settings, plus you want to go through and enter the license key that came with your server. Put your server into the right domain and then go through and set up your policies from your domain. Once all of these steps are taken, your server will finally be ready to be used.

Window Server Maintenance

Once you go through all of these steps to get your server set up, you need to make sure it is regularly maintained. Security policies and procedures often change over time as the threat landscape changes or previously secure mechanisms are found to be compromised. Many people run their systems with outdated software, which means there are more vulnerabilities than updated software has. If your server were to fall out of date, it would be far more likely to have openings that a cyberattacker could easily see an exploit. Something as simple as patching the server regularly allows your server to keep all of your client data safe while maintaining the server’s uptime. However, there are more precautions to take if you want to keep your protection maximized.

Let Be Structured Technology Group Be Your Los Angeles Microsoft Security Consulting Firm!

The amount of time and attention you must put into your server can go on for as long as there are threats out there. However, by hardening your server, you get the best net of protection against as many of these threats as possible. Turn to the experienced professionals here at Be Structured as your Los Angeles Cybersecurity Firm. We know what goes into keeping your company safe, and we can do each of these steps for you. Let us put that time and attention into keeping your company safe. That way, you can stay focused on growing your company and keeping your customers happy.


What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.


Protect Your IT Assets With Microsoft Environmental Hardening

Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware here.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions

When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.

Los Angeles IT Support

If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Microsoft LAPS Integration
Be Structured Believes in Microsoft Environment Hardening with LAPS Integration

What Is Microsoft Environmental Hardening? Microsoft Environment Hardening – Microsoft LAPS Integration and Setup

Keeping your information safe from an intrusion is imperative in today’s business world. You simply cannot do business if you do not have the right protection in place. Your business thrives on it, and your customers depend on it. To make it to where your customers feel safe depending on you, you need to depend on us to deploy Microsoft Environmental Hardening. Be Structured Technology Group specializes in being a Microsoft Local Administrator Password Service (LAPS) Installation company that Los Angeles can trust. Not only do we know how to install and integrate LAPS into your network, but we can also do it in a way that allows your customers’ information to remain safe and secure from both internal and external intrusions.

What is Microsoft LAPS?

LAPS stands for Local Administrator Password Service. When your goal is to improve your network and individual machine security, remove an attack vector, and reduce the likelihood of any malicious software spreading through your entire network; you want to have Microsoft LAPS. Microsoft LAPS allows you to set unique local administrator passwords for every server and workstation on the network and store them securely. Each password is stored inside an active directory, or AD, as plain text, which then gets secondary protection by only allowing those with the proper permissions to access the passwords or ask for a password to be updated that is in that directory. It allows every single machine to have a uniquely complicated password so that even if one area gets compromised, the rest will remain separate and safe.

How Can LAPS Help Your Business?

In years past, one default password was used for numerous accounts in the same business setting. It was often something like L0calAdminP@Ss or something equally as universal and generic. Then, as one person went from machine to machine, they would use that password and have access to anything inside the network. However, if someone hacked into your system using that generic password or placed malware into that computer, they could move from machine to machine and get access to or corrupt any type of data any machine in your network had stored. Some cyber attackers also manipulated the original administrator password to get more information on linked devices or even lock you out of your network. This type of manipulation has sometimes been referred to as the Pass the Hash, or PtH, exploit.

Build Reputation In Security with Microsoft LAPS

Today, this type of behavior spells disaster in terms of modern data protection, and it can also cause reputation issues for your company, especially if your clients do not feel as though their data is safe. Instead of taking that risk, we can go ahead and integrate LAPS into your business network. This allows for the password to be randomized between local administrators so that each workstation within your network has a totally unique access code. In this case, should a single machine become compromised, chances are good that the hacker would not be able to move to another computer or gain access to other bits of data stored elsewhere.

LAPS Creates Valid Credentials

While workstations and servers remain requirements for most businesses, the generic password, used for multiple machines, needs to be a thing of the past. Through the implementation of LAPS, we can help you secure your entire system and bring your security to the next level so that you are far less likely to experience some type of malware issue or security breach on a grand scale. Plus, we can help implement the centralized server that lets us manage your businesses local accounts so that no one is getting in that shouldn’t be there.

Another area that LAPS can help with (that is regularly overlooked) is through the required backdoors that many IT professionals put into networks so that if a problem occurs, someone can still access that network to fix any programs that are encountered from the inside. Many professionals use the same credentials across all of their computers and while IT professionals should know better, it still happens. This process is called valid credential reuse. So, if those credentials were to ever get compromised, there is no telling how widespread a breach could be. Even the most protected business could find itself a victim simply because of an authorized user that may no longer have even been accessing the computer. By putting in a password randomizer that keeps passwords stored in a protected area, this concern is no longer something that you should have to worry about.

How Networks Manage PtH Problems

There are a few common ways that a company could try to mitigate the damage done through PtH. Some companies have disabled their more traditional forms of authentication, disabling file and printer sharing, and even manually managing each unique password for every device in their network. This is a very difficult task to perform and maintain and it still does not guarantee that PtH will not happen. Instead, LAPS chooses to go in a different direction.

LAPS bypasses the need to eliminate PtH problems. Instead, it opts to reduce what type of impact it could have by making every administrator password challenging and unique. While it does not stop the hacker from trying to change things around if he or she gets into the network, it does significantly decrease the potential damage that this person can do. Even if every machine in your network has a single administrator account, the hackers would not be able to access any of the data in the network since each password needed to gain entry would be unique.

Microsoft Environmental Hardening Helps HR Departments

It used to be where one main computer generated all passwords for all computers that were part of the same network. It would be something like, add a new user to the local network, use this person’s last name and birth year as their password, and tell that person to change the password later; which, let’s be honest, very few actually did. Thankfully, this is not how human resource departments work anymore.

Today, some of the same practices are still in use, but the protection that is put in place is newer and far more unique. The protection allows for a new user to be added, but no one can access an administrator level without the proper onboarding procedures taking place. Old passwords for people who were put into the AD were easily reverse encrypted, making it easy for someone from the outside to make their way in. The new safety protocols Microsoft LAPS adds makes this a non-issue as well.

Today, all that is required for this type of protection is a new installation of LAPS, proper setup of the software, and the system to be updated regularly. That is what we can do to help. Any password saved on the AD is then attached to an authorized user and send to the recipient using AES and Kerberos v5.

Are There Any LAPS Limitations?

While it is not something that is often seen as an issue, LAPS does have one limitation that comes up now and again. It is simply incapable of managing any account outside of the local account for the administrator or outside of the networked machines. If your machine is not joined to the domain-joined network, then it cannot connect to your LAPS software.

It has one job and it does it incredibly well. It just cannot do something outside of the local network it is designed to protect. For those that are seeking ways of rotating passwords that help keep all aspects of a local network of machines safe, LAPS is the ideal answer.

How Can I Get Microsoft LAPS Set Up For Microsoft Environment Hardening?

From the moment we begin with the integration and setup of LAPS, your network will be undertaking a new level of security. Each password will be securely stored in the AD, and we will make sure that only those with administrator rights can access those passwords for your workstations or networks, or request that the passwords be updated.

The entire goal of LAPS is making sure that no one that comes in from outside of your network can access your most critical passwords or request they be changed to something new. This helps to keep your system much safer. Be Structured will help configure your network of computers and other devices to remain safer against intrusions, like:

  Stealing valuable company data
  Disrupting how your business runs
  Changing documents
  Placing false orders
  Pretending to be another user
  Installing ransomware and encrypting data on the network
  Installing other virus or malware malicious software


Microsoft LAPS Keeps Data Safe

Default permissions are a good start, but they are not enough for our clients. We understand the importance of keeping your data safe, so we take the time to configure each part of the LAPS interface to ensure that you get the utmost protection possible. We will work with you to define who should have access to what and structure your system to randomize the passwords of everyone with the right set of company permissions. We will also help to make sure your list of people with access is always up to date. If you ever need to change those permissions, we are a simple phone call away.

What You Should Know About Microsoft LAPS

There are some common misconceptions out there about how LAPS works, so we thought it would be valuable for you to know a few of these little notes about it before calling us to start your integration. One thing many people ask us is what happens to devices that are not online during an update. This happens, such as when an employee is at home sick or when someone is working remotely in the field. With LAPS, this is not a problem. As soon as the device gets back within the range of your network, the device will update with its new admin password and will remain safe for your employee (or you) to use.

Configuring Microsoft LAPS

We have had some clients worry that because their passwords are stored as plain text that it is more vulnerable. This is not the case. LAPS is a system with many layers. One of those layers is making sure that only those with the right permission and authentication can access that information. That is part of what we do during the integration and setup of LAPS. We will make sure that your system is properly configured to keep it as safe as possible.

Our clients have also looked up Microsoft LAPS on their own and see that it is incredibly complex. While this is true, the professionals here at Be Structured are well aware of how to install, integrate, and set up LAPS in your system, allowing it to be one of the safest ways of protecting your network from intrusions that cross all storage devices with data on them. LAPS is not a great software title to try and figure out on your own, but when put in the hands of a skilled Microsoft LAPS firm here in Los Angeles like ours, you are sure to get the benefits you were looking for out of the product without the complexity you were worried about.

Let Be Structured Help with Your Los Angeles Microsoft Local Administrator Password Service (LAPS) Installation

Cyberattacks are always going to be a possibility. You are not going to be able to stop them. Instead, what you can do, is limit the damage they can do and protect your data in as many layers as possible. By turning to an experienced Managed Security Service Provider, you have a way to defend yourself and the data in your network against cyberattacks and outside intrusion. Reach out to us here at Be Structured Technology Group today. Let our IT Support Company keep your business safe and sound.


What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.


Protect Your IT Assets With CIS-CAT Scanning

Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware here.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions

When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.

Los Angeles IT Support

If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Microsoft Office 365 Migrations
We have moved thousands of mailboxes to Microsoft Office 365 Migrations
The Be Structured Technology Group Are Experts At Microsoft Office 365 Migrations
The time for Microsoft Office 365 Migrations comes for every business or operation. Data migration is shifting your services from one application or program to another. These transitions are performed for a variety of reasons.

The most common is due to an advancement in technology or required upgrade.

Technology is advancing every day, and we are always gaining new capabilities. This makes data migration part of your evolution as a business. It is a process that will be routinely required as you outgrow the old tools and new ones become available.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. has become the experts in performing Microsoft Office 365 Migrations. We have moved thousands of user mailboxes to the Office 365 application.

Microsoft’s Office 365 is a subscription service that is part of their overall Microsoft Office product line. This bundle enables you to have access to the complete Microsoft Office software suite of products throughout the life cycle of your subscriptions terms. Beyond migrating mailboxes, the migration to Office 365 includes a variety of products that will be at your disposal:

 	Outlook email service
 	Hosted services like Skype for Business, Sharepoint, and Exchange Online
 	Office desktop applications like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Publisher
 	Collaboration tools like OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, and Outlook Online

Another bonus of the subscription service are the routine updates, as a subscriber, you are entitled to new versions of software that become available and no longer have to pay the upfront purchase price.

Migrating Your Operation Is More Than Just Copying Email Contacts.
It upgrades your operations and protects the integrity of your data.
Microsoft Office 365 Migrations Is All About A Seamless Transition
Microsoft Office 365 Migrations can be a complex process, but the services we offer do make the procedure more straightforward. Cloud migrations are a streamlined strategy and applications like Office 365 make things go quicker.

The basics of the process start with us creating a map of your current data and overlaying that onto the new application. This allows us to make sure that all of your data is properly re-formatted and will function correctly in the new program.

Once things are mapped out, we begin the transition. Our experts will monitor the entire process to double-check everything is running smoothly.

Our efforts will make your migration process seamless and without disrupting your daily operations. When you get down to the nuts and bolts of data migration, there are multiple ways to conduct the process.

 	Cutover migration
 	Staged migration
 	Hybrid migration.

Office 365 hybrid migration is used to maintain on-site and online mailboxes simultaneously while we gradually transition your services to the Office 365 application.

Be Structured’s mission has always been about solving your problems. Data migrations to services like Office 365 are one of the ways we solve future issues before they happen and protect your operations for the long-term.

#### Microsoft Windows Hardening
At Be Structured, the leading Los Angeles IT support company, we continually refine your cybersecurity strategies by staying ahead of the latest industry advancements. 

Microsoft Windows Hardening is the term used for making Windows as difficult to hack or otherwise damage as possible. It involves configuring Windows so that it is as secure as it can be, regularly applying all updates to it, and creating specific policies to help protect your network. 

It also involves implementing some Microsoft best practices such as enforcing Windows Defenders and Microsoft Active Protection Service (MAPS), installing Local Administrator Password Service (LAPS), and more. Hardening can also include removing bloatware and other software applications or services that you don’t need so as to minimize the number of ways malware and threats can infiltrate your system. 

The ultimate goal of Microsoft Windows Hardening is to mitigate as much risk as you can at the machine level.

Hardening on its own may help protect a single computer, but its real strength comes when it’s used in coordination with network security and other forms of protection. 

Hardening Microsoft Windows, using updated antivirus and antimalware programs, and implementing security measures such as two-factor authentication all help keep your sensitive data secure and prevent network breaches.
Microsoft Windows Defender For Environment Hardening
The team at Be Structured has the skills and experience to ensure you’re getting maximum protection from the built-in Windows Defender platform. 

While Windows Defender simplifies updating and security enhancements, it’s crucial to have a team of security experts making sure your network is operating as intended. 

With integrated antivirus, Windows Defender delivers a robust platform for securing all of your organization’s computers. One of the great benefits of Windows Defender is that it comes installed with Windows. 

You don’t need to download or install any additional programs. However, it is important that Defender is configured properly. Some users aren’t even aware of this program. Configuring Defender correctly is something the experts here at Be Structured handle for our clients.

Some people may feel like using Windows Defender isn’t the best option, and that may have been true at one point. 
What Is the History of Windows Defender?
Windows Defender was first released in 2006, and while it was a good attempt at integrating virus and malware protection, it wasn’t exactly at the top of its game. Microsoft’s experience in this area was behind other antivirus companies, and it has taken some time for them to catch up. 

The original Windows XP version of Defender had to be downloaded and installed, and it was mainly an anti-spyware program. It later evolved into an integrated part of both Windows Vista and Windows 7. 

With Windows 8, Defender gained antivirus scanning capabilities and replaced the older Security Essentials application. As of November 2019, Windows Defender is now properly named Microsoft Defender, though most people still refer to it by its older name.

Microsoft has invested a good amount of work into upgrading Windows Defender over the years. 

Today, it is actually quite strong and can provide the protection your computer needs as long as it’s configured correctly and is turned on. This is the foundation for Microsoft Windows Hardening. 

Testing has shown that Defender can hold its own with a number of the top programs in the security industry. A study done in 2018 showed that Defender blocked 99.9% of the malware used in the test, a higher percentage than a number of other recognized brands in the detection industry. It has earned a rating of AAA from SE Labs and received a total of 18 points (a perfect score) in tests by the AV-Test Institute. 

The defender’s wide range of different security features and the fact that it’s a part of Windows has given it an edge over some of the other options. At Be Structured, we use Windows Defender in conjunction with another top tier antivirus and anti-malware application to provide a layered security approach.

This is one of the many managed IT security services we provide.
Microsoft Hardening for Windows Integration
With Windows Defender, there’s nothing to install. Windows Defender delivers complete, ongoing network protection without requiring any additional hardware or software. 

Defender makes it easier and more intuitive than ever to protect all of the computers on your network. This means that there’s no worry that another antivirus program will have conflicts with Windows or not fully integrate with your operating system. 

Windows Defender is a core part of the operating system, so there’s no need to worry about vulnerabilities or conflicts.
Microsoft Hardening for Cloud Protection
Windows Defender automatically updates with the latest threat definitions from the cloud. At the same time, you have access to cutting-edge threat behavior detection from the cloud, so you’re alerted about any suspicious activity on your devices. 

Thanks to the automatic updates, you never have to worry about manually downloading and installing new versions of Defender or new virus definitions. 

Everything is done by Windows behind the scenes. 

In addition, Microsoft Active Protection Service (MAPS) provides real-time telemetry data to Microsoft about threats and can help stop globally coordinated attacks.
Microsoft Windows Hardening Allows Real-Time Updates
Windows Defender updates in real-time while scanning and protecting your device, minimizing potential network loopholes cybercriminals can exploit. 

Making use of new service packs, patches, and updates is a vital part of operating system hardening. While Windows and other applications are put through rigorous testing before they’re released, it’s difficult to simulate every single potential action a user can take. 

Some loopholes and other issues aren’t discovered until millions of users have used the software. Patching and updating is vital to ensure that these found vulnerabilities are addressed. Defender will update as needed with information about these loopholes so your system is protected.

At the same time, you can review computer scans with a few clicks to see how Defender is protecting your devices. 

While the average employee may not find these reports very useful, your IT department will. We may also need to see your Defender scan results so we can help advise you on new ways of protecting your system. 

These logs are absolutely vital in determining where your system’s weak points are so they can be upgraded. Even scan reports that show very little information can be helpful—they indicate that what you’re doing for IT security is working!
Windows Defender Has Built-In Ransomware Protection
Ransomware attacks can lock down your files or your entire computer, encrypting everything so that you cannot access it unless you pay a fee to the ransomware creator. Even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll gain access to your files. 

With ransomware attacks becoming increasingly prevalent, Windows Defender keeps you protected with controlled folder access to protect mission-critical data. This setting blocks applications from creating new files within certain folders, but like other features of Windows Defenders, it must be active to actually provide protection. Many users don’t realize these features aren’t automatically enabled, leaving their system open to attack.
Microsoft Hardening Allows Block at First Sight Through Windows Defender
Windows Defender includes what Microsoft calls the Block at First Sight ability. This feature scans files that it believes may be suspicious and sends a message to the cloud protection system for information on the file. The cloud backend runs the file analysis through a number of algorithms to determine if it’s a threat or not. 

If it is, Defender blocks the file and alerts the user. As new malicious programs are found, Block at First Sight analyzes what makes them malicious and adds this information to its learning algorithm, allowing it to more accurately predict if a file is truly harmful or not. This helps Defender block attacks from brand new threats that haven’t even been fully identified yet as long as they have some things in common with older malware or viruses.
Microsoft Defender Web Protection
Defender will scan websites as you open them to determine if there’s an existing threat or not. If there is, it will block the website and alert the user that they are visiting a potentially dangerous URL. 

This will protect users from phishing websites, websites with malware, and other sites that may be untrusted. Users can also add websites to Defender’s block list. 

The program is integrated with both Internet Explorer and the newer Microsoft Edge browser and will scan files as they’re downloaded for viruses and other malware. It also scans files downloaded with other browsers such as Chrome or Firefox before they’re opened, but it doesn’t connect with them in the same way. 

However, it still provides protection from suspicious files since they are checked by Defender before they’re fully opened.
Microsoft Windows Hardening with Automatic and On-Demand Scanning
While Windows Defender is always running in the background protecting you from viruses and other malicious programs, you also have the option to scan on demand. 

While most employees won’t need to do this, it can be helpful on occasion if you believe a computer has been infected. It’s possible to scan the entire hard drive, selected folders, or specific files. 

This is often the first step to take when a computer has a problem simply to rule out the possibility that it has been infected. Normally, these viruses are caught by Defender’s continuous scans, so if one did get through and is caught later, it’s often a very new type of malware.
Microsoft Windows Hardening With Defender’s Firewall
Windows Defender includes a firewall to help prevent malicious programs from coming in and from apps sending information out. You can block an app from communicating with the internet completely, so it cannot send anything or request any data. 

This is one area where you will want an expert to look at all of the potential settings and create custom firewall rules for your apps since you may need some programs to be able to get data from the internet, but you’ll want to block others. 

You always want to be running a firewall on your computer and on your network to prevent unwanted files from being installed on your system. We use the Windows Defender firewall as well as a network firewall appliance to once again provide a layered security approach.
The Latest Microsoft Windows Hardening Protection For Your Devices.
Be Structured Technology Group stays ahead of the latest cybersecurity threats to keep you protected. 

By making use of Windows Defender and other security applications, we will make certain your network and each individual computer is as protected as they can be. Our custom security platforms are built to harden Windows, maximize how effective Windows Defender is at protecting your equipment, and lock down your most sensitive data.
Active Directory Hardening For Microsoft Windows
Active Directory is a Microsoft directory service that facilitates user, application, and data management on your network. When using Active Directory, it’s critical to take additional steps to protect user credentials, network data, software, and resources from unauthorized access. 

Be Structured specializes in solidifying your Active Directory security strategies to ensure private data remains protected.

When you partner with Be Structured, we’ll oversee your Active Directory framework. From ensuring users have appropriate administrative access to refining your security settings, the experts at Be Structured take a comprehensive approach to your Active Directory security strategies.

With our Active Directory Hardening solutions, we incorporate the following strategies:

 	Reviewing and refining your domain security policies, such as password complexity and reset times
 	Implementing access permissions
 	Implementing group policies to harden Windows across the entire network
 	Deploying applications to users
 	Centralizing and automating processes such as mapped drives and printers

With these strategies in place, we’re able to develop and deploy a comprehensive Active Directory Hardening platform that protects your network and users at every level.
Removing Unused Applications
Another part of Microsoft Windows Hardening is to go through your applications and remove any of them that you aren’t actively using. These applications represent a potential way into your network, especially older applications that haven’t been updated or that have known security vulnerabilities. 

If you still have some of these programs on your computers, they need to be removed. While Windows Defender does have an Exploit Protection feature that will help block some of the most common ways attackers get into your system, it’s much safer to simply remove these access routes completely.

Overall, Windows Defender does provide some good protection against viruses and other malware, but it also requires some experience in configuring the application to get the most out of it. For example, there are some features that can be very helpful, but by default, they’re not enabled. 

This is one of the areas where we can step in and make certain Defender is truly providing all of the defense and security solutions that it needs to be.
Los Angeles IT Support For Microsoft Windows Hardening
Want to learn more about how we can elevate your organization’s cybersecurity strategies to the next level? 

Get in touch with the security experts at Be Structured today. We’ll work with you to pinpoint your specific network threats and deploy solutions that keep you protected today while preparing your team for the challenges of tomorrow.

#### Mobile Device Management
The Evolution of Mobile Device Management
Mobile Device Management (MDM) has become an essential component of modern IT strategies as the proliferation of mobile devices has transformed the business landscape.

Initially, mobile devices in business were limited and controlled strictly, typically provided by the employer with pre-installed applications and settings.

However, as personal smartphones and tablets began to offer capabilities that rivaled traditional computers, employees increasingly wanted to use their own devices for work purposes.

This shift gave rise to the "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) policies in the early 2010s, which posed new challenges for IT security.

The need to secure, manage, and monitor these devices while respecting user privacy led to the development of sophisticated MDM solutions.

These tools allowed IT administrators to oversee a wide array of mobile devices across different operating systems and service providers, ensuring that corporate data remained secure without impinging on personal apps and information.

Today, MDM solutions are critical for organizations of all sizes, providing streamlined management capabilities across the entire mobile fleet. They enable security enhancements, device tracking, and remote management, which are crucial as the workforce becomes increasingly mobile and remote.
What is Mobile Device Management?
Mobile Device Management (MDM) refers to software solutions designed to manage, monitor, and secure employees' mobile devices deployed across multiple mobile service providers and multiple mobile operating systems being used in an organization.

MDM is a core component of enterprise mobility management (EMM), which includes broader issues relating to mobile policy, security, and integration with enterprise systems.

MDM tools are crucial for enforcing corporate policies and securing mobile devices that access corporate data, especially in environments that support BYOD.

These tools can manage settings, push updates, and even remotely wipe corporate data from lost or stolen devices, all while maintaining a separation of personal data.

It's also important that you choose the right mobile device management system for your organization so you don't find holes in the system after set up.
Key Capabilities of Mobile Device Management
Comprehensive Device Enrollment
MDM solutions facilitate the seamless enrollment of devices into the corporate environment. This process includes the installation of necessary configurations, settings, and management profiles that enforce the organization’s data security policies.

Device enrollment initiated by IT or through a self-service portal simplifies the integration of devices while ensuring that they meet security standards from the outset.
Policy Management and Enforcement
MDM allows administrators to define and enforce security policies easily. These policies can set requirements for device encryption, screen locks, password strength, and application permissions.

They ensure that all mobile devices comply with corporate standards and legal regulations, thus safeguarding sensitive information and reducing the risk of data breaches.
Remote Monitoring and Management
Remote monitoring and management are vital features of MDM. These functionalities allow IT teams to keep tabs on the health and security of mobile devices, regardless of their physical location.

Administrators can remotely update software, manage apps, lock devices, or wipe data if the device is compromised or lost or the employee leaves the company.
MDM Protects the Modern Mobile Workforce
Implementing an MDM solution empowers organizations to embrace the flexibility of mobile computing without compromising on security. MDM provides peace of mind by ensuring that all devices are consistently monitored, managed, and secured according to the latest corporate policies.

It also supports a diverse and geographically dispersed workforce, allowing employees to work efficiently and safely from any location.

Furthermore, MDM solutions support compliance with various data protection regulations by providing tools to control data access and transmission, enforce security policies, and maintain detailed logs of device activities, which can be crucial during audits.
Comprehensive IT Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) provides a wide range of business IT services and security solutions designed to safeguard your operations from the latest cyber threats, including phishing.

Our services extend beyond just email security to encompass end-to-end protection for all your IT needs. From network security to cybersecurity compliance and beyond, our expert team is dedicated to ensuring your business is equipped with the tools and knowledge to thwart cyber threats.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable IT services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape. With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.
IT Services in Los Angeles
BSTG is your premier IT support and cybersecurity solutions provider in Los Angeles.

We specialize in creating tailored IT environments that are secure, efficient, and aligned with your business objectives.

If you’re based in Los Angeles and looking for a proactive approach to IT security with outsourced IT support services, consider BSTG as your trusted partner.

Contact us today if you’re ready to take a stand against phishing and other cyber threats.

#### Morgan Owen (COO)
Morgan Owen (COO) Biography
Morgan Owen - The Start
Morgan Owen's journey into organizational and people management began at 17 when she assumed the responsibilities of an office administrator for an entire summer, sparking her passion for learning more about operational dynamics. This experience propelled her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources and Marketing at Florida State University, where she interned in both the FSU Human Resources and Boosters departments. During this time, she also honed her skills at a financial office, discovering her affinity for developing and maintaining efficient systems and procedures.
Morgan Owen - Evolution and Growth
In 2008, Morgan Owen and her husband relocated to California to embark on new career endeavors, starting in the non-profit sector. Over 14 years, Morgan made significant strides, establishing and revitalizing multiple departments within the organization. Notably, she pioneered the Special Events department, significantly enhancing awareness and fundraising efforts for ongoing programs and capital campaigns. As an operations and development executive director, Morgan oversaw comprehensive initiatives, including team hiring, training, process development, and growth strategies across various functions such as customer service, development, special events, communications, marketing, supply chain management, operations, facilities, an immersive museum, and volunteer programs.
Bringing Organizational Mission to BSTG
In 2022, Morgan Owen transitioned to Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) as an Account Manager, leveraging her strategic planning expertise to provide exceptional support to BSTG's diverse client base. Recognizing her capability to drive organizational excellence, Morgan was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO), focusing on optimizing performance and cultivating a top-tier service desk team to elevate client success at BSTG.

Outside of her professional achievements, Morgan Owen is a mom and an avid enthusiast of Taylor Swift and the FSU Seminoles.

#### MSP vs In-House IT: Not Clear? Start Here!
Do I Need Managed IT Services?
Achieving success in today’s world takes a focused approach and requires the use of the best tools available.
With the Be Structured Technology Group, you will be able to focus your attention on the efforts of your business and have the best information technology tools at your disposal from an outsourced IT firm with 20+ years of experience in the field.
Every office relies on their digital infrastructure and their network to be there when they need it, but there are always bumps in the road.
Every workplace can face the struggle of technology that is hindering instead of helping. There are several solutions that business leaders have used in the past to try and overcome these hurdles:
 	In-house IT personnel: Having someone on-hand 24/7 to manage your IT operations and address any issues might have effective results if you hire the right person, but this strategy is much more expensive. Your business will spend more money than it needs to on this in-house expert and they might not even deliver the results you require.
 	Casual Experts: There are many people that do not fully understand the value that a superior IT service can bring to their workplace. Maybe every time an issue comes up, you just call a relative or someone else in the office has some amateur expertise. These temporary band-aids are not an effective way of addressing your problems.
 	MSP Provider: We know that we are not the only managed IT service provider out there, but all of these companies do not deliver the same level of care. Again and again, we have customers come to us because their old provider had slow response times or lacked the expertise necessary to manage their IT projects.
Be Structured is not your average all-inclusive IT support services provider, we are a team of passionate experts that have an understanding of technology, the ways it can enhance a business, and the ways we can help you reach your business goals.
We Believe Your Business Deserves Excellent, Dependable IT Support.
Be Structured will improve your operations while staying within your budget.
MSP vs In-House IT
We believe that one of the most significant reasons that some business leaders hesitate to partner with a managed IT service is because they don’t truly understand the amount of value that we bring with our services. Proper IT budget optimization is an important consideration for every business - big or small.
You might think you are saving money by having your cousin come in and doing some quick fixes, but really you are missing out on several opportunities that could lift your company into the future and into greater success.
In-house IT personnel might sound like a good idea, but this is an employee you have to manage and pay all the necessary benefits for as well.
A managed service provider like us comes with a team of experts from diverse knowledge backgrounds, and you pay us a single monthly fee for all of our managed services. This is a cost-effective option with the added benefit of the confidence that you are getting access to superior methods and practices.
We structure all of our services around helping you get the most from your resources. On top of that, you will have the peace of mind that your technology infrastructure will be reliable and stable. Be Structured will deliver many improvements to your operations, but most importantly, we provide services you can rely on.
Still comparing options? Start by seeing what managed IT typically costs in Los Angeles before you talk to anyone.
Frequently Asked Questions About MSP vs In-House IT
What is the main difference between an MSP and in-house IT support?An MSP (Managed Service Provider) is an outsourced team of IT professionals you pay a fixed monthly fee, while in-house IT requires hiring full-time employees with salaries, benefits, and management overhead. With an MSP like Be Structured, you gain access to a diverse team of specialists rather than relying on a single employee’s knowledge base.Is hiring in-house IT staff more cost-effective than using a managed IT service provider?In most cases, no—in-house IT is significantly more expensive when you factor in salary, benefits, training, and the cost of covering absences or turnover. A managed IT service provider delivers an entire team of experts for a predictable monthly fee that typically costs less than a single full-time IT employee.Why shouldn’t I just ask a tech-savvy friend or family member to handle IT issues?While well-intentioned, casual IT help from friends or relatives creates temporary fixes rather than strategic solutions, leaving underlying problems unaddressed. These band-aid approaches often result in recurring issues, security vulnerabilities, and missed opportunities for technology to actually improve your business operations.What expertise does an MSP provide that a single in-house IT employee cannot?An MSP brings a team with diverse specializations including cybersecurity, cloud services, networking, compliance, and disaster recovery—far more than any single hire can offer. Be Structured’s team has over 20 years of experience solving complex IT challenges across multiple industries.How does partnering with an MSP allow me to focus more on my core business?When you outsource IT management to a qualified MSP, you eliminate the burden of troubleshooting technology problems, managing IT staff, and staying current on evolving threats. This frees your leadership team to concentrate on strategic business initiatives rather than day-to-day technical operations.What should I look for when choosing between different managed IT service providers?Evaluate response times, breadth of expertise, industry experience, and whether they take a proactive versus reactive approach to IT management. Not all MSPs deliver the same level of service—many businesses switch to Be Structured after experiencing slow support and inadequate solutions from previous providers.How does MSP pricing work compared to in-house IT costs?MSPs typically charge a single, predictable monthly fee that covers all managed services, making budgeting straightforward. In contrast, in-house IT costs fluctuate with overtime, training expenses, equipment purchases, and the unpredictable costs of employee turnover and recruitment.Can a managed IT service provider really understand my business as well as an in-house employee?Yes—a quality MSP takes time to learn your specific business goals, workflows, and technology needs to deliver customized solutions. Be Structured structures all services around helping clients maximize their resources while aligning technology strategy with business objectives.What happens if I have an urgent IT issue outside of normal business hours?Reputable MSPs provide around-the-clock monitoring and support to address critical issues whenever they arise. Be Structured ensures your technology infrastructure remains reliable and stable with responsive support that doesn’t require you to pay overtime rates to a full-time employee.How do I know if my business is ready to switch from in-house IT or casual support to an MSP?If you’re experiencing recurring technology problems, security concerns, unpredictable IT costs, or your current support is hindering rather than helping productivity, it’s time to consider an MSP. Be Structured can assess your current infrastructure and demonstrate how managed services can improve operations while staying within your budget.

#### Network Security
Grow Your Business Safely With Advanced Security Solutions
One of the primary missions of Be Structured Technology Group Inc., has always been to make sure that your technology is working for and not against you. 

Network security is an essential aspect of that process. We want your security architecture to be a stable platform for you to build your success on and not a rigid box that gets in your way. All of your security services are put in place to protect the integrity of your systems and defend your productivity. 

The same is true for your network.

Network security is more than just protecting your network, though. It also involves securing your servers and even your individual workstations. Everything that connects to the internet in any way needs to be protected. That even includes devices that use your WiFi networks. Keeping all of these individual pieces of technology secured can be a challenge because they all have different security needs. However, when done right, a secured network protects everything.

When partnering with another managed service provider in Los Angeles, Be Structured takes precautions to only create relationships with providers that we trust and have a sterling track record. 

We carefully evaluate every partner we work with to ensure that you receive the best service possible. We will also continue to be the single point of contact for clients for services like this. This security posture makes the process streamlined and straightforward for you and your employees. 

You will be able to reach us for any issue. 

There’s no need to have multiple contact numbers for different issues. 

We handle everything, so all you have to do is give us a call and let us know what the issue is. We’ll take care of the rest.
Get Access To Our Business IT Services And Security With Trusted IT Support Partnerships That We Have Built
This is one of the advantages of teaming with Be Structured. Our all-inclusive fee covers all of the major network security services and solutions. 

Whether you need help training your employees to recognize phishing scams or, need assistance in implementing a two-factor authentication platform or want to make certain you have the best antivirus and antimalware programs available, we’ve got you covered. 

We offer all of the services you may need to keep your network safe and secure, and we do so for a single price that is designed to fit your budget.

Our team is made up of experienced IT support professionals who have worked in the industry for years. Our experience has taught us that there is no one solution for everyone. Your business and your security needs are unique, and any solution that’s going to be completely effective is going to have to be customized for you. 

We are a pioneering local IT support company that does just that.

We sit down with you and go over your network and your current security solutions. We then look for ways to make your security stronger and your overall computer network more efficient. Sometimes, that means you only need a few changes, while other times, we may recommend doing a much more comprehensive upgrade.

We also monitor new threat levels every month of every year to make sure you are protected. Here are our cybersecurity essentials for this year.
Different Levelsof Security
Network security can be imaged as a series of different walls. Each computer or other device has a wall around it. Then there’s a wall around the server. All of these smaller walls are protected by the large network security wall. 

Your overall network security includes your firewall, antivirus, antimalware, and access control. This security is designed to keep out those who have no access rights or are attempting to break into your network.

The firewall is the key component of your network security system. It shields your network from the internet and all of the dangers on it. It prevents suspicious incoming traffic and can also block apps from sending information out. Firewalls can also act as proxy servers that hide IP addresses and completely block all incoming traffic except for authorized data.
Network Security and Suspicious Activity
In addition to security programs, network security also includes programs designed to monitor your network and look for suspicious activities. These activities can include employees logging in at odd times or accounts that are attempting to access data they don’t have privileges for multiple times. Reviewing these logs regularly can also provide some insight into how your network resources are used, allowing you to shift your policies and processes to maximize those resources.

On the server level, access to data is often the key focus. Server security includes creating various roles for users and assigning permissions to those roles. 

Additionally, Microsoft Windows Hardening should be deployed, such as LAPS and Environment Hardening. Data must be kept behind strong barriers that only specific people can access. 

The key to strong security on a server often hinges on providing access to those who need it and revoking said access when they do not. While keeping tabs on network security and upgrading it regularly is important, server security needs to be even more closely maintained. 

When someone leaves the company, their account needs to be deactivated as soon as they no longer need it. Leaving these accounts active is a security risk.

On the device level, workstations need to have their own antivirus and antimalware software installed. These provide backup security in the event that something gets past the firewall. They are invaluable tools in protecting against phishing scams and viruses that your employees may accidentally bring in on USB drives. 

These programs also look at what’s already on the computer and will quarantine threats that it identifies. They aim to protect your network from threats from within, while your firewall protects from threats from without.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Type of Network Security Solution
There is no one single security application that will completely protect your network. That’s why it’s important that you layer your protection. A firewall, antivirus tools, accessibility management, and antimalware programs are all vital to protecting your network. Each one works in its own different way, but when configured to work together, they create a shield around your entire company network to protect it from attacks from hackers, viruses, malware, and even malicious employees.
Firewall Protection For Network Security
The firewall blocks cyberattacks and prevents very obvious threats to your network. It stops unauthorized apps from sending out information, too, which can help stop malware and other viruses from stealing data. However, it can’t do much for threats that come in through other means, nor can it help detect and remove threats that are already inside your network. It also doesn’t stop attacks that appear to be authorized.
Antivirus For Network Security
An antivirus program scans for known viruses and quarantines them when they’re found. It’s a more active type of security program in that it looks for threats constantly. It prevents these viruses from spreading throughout the system and infecting other computers or servers. Antivirus programs can run on the computer and on the server level. They provide protection from viruses that enter your network through USB devices, CDs, or via hidden viruses in email attachments or on phishing sites that firewalls don’t catch.
Anti-Malware For Network Security
Anti-malware is similar to antivirus programs, but instead of looking for viruses, they look for programs that are more insidious. Malware can do everything from logging your keystrokes to sending information to hackers to encrypting your entire computer. One of the most dangerous types of malware is ransomware. It can completely lock down your computer, server, or even your network. It encrypts your information and will only release it if you send money to the malware creator. Even then, they may not actually release your data. Protecting your network from malware is just as important as blocking viruses.
Data Access Protection for Network Security
Data access protection covers a different area of security. First, it locks down your most sensitive data so that only certain users can access it. Data should always be secured in this way. Only those who need access to it should have it. This is especially true for information such as customer information that includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and banking/credit card information. 

Your HR records also need to be secured. This will stop employees who have no business accessing that information from accidentally doing so. It also prevents those who are actively seeking to harm your company from gaining access to this data. If an account is compromised, unless it’s a high-level account with access privileges, the hacker won’t be able to access much.
Network Monitoring For Security
Network monitoring may not seem like a powerful form of security, but it can be. It’s useful in stopping new threats that have slipped past your firewall and other security measures. 

When the monitoring app notices odd behavior, it flags it for review. An IT expert can then review the logs and may find a virus, malware, or compromised account that otherwise wouldn’t be discovered.
Prevention Education
Prevention education is another form of network security that is often overlooked. While relying on security apps to protect your data is fine, it’s even better if you prevent threats from ever reaching your network. 

Teaching your employees how to recognize phishing scams and how to protect their accounts is just as important as having a strong firewall and antivirus scanner. 

Many threats to your system are actually introduced by employees who accidentally click a phishing link or open an infected email attachment. By teaching employees how to recognize and respond to these threats, you can make your network much safer.
The Risks of Poor Network Security
If your network isn’t properly secure, you face a number of risks. The loss of data, especially sensitive data, can have long-term repercussions for you and your customers.

First, losing customer data will destroy your relationship with your business partners, customers, and potential clients. It can be nearly impossible to regain the trust of your customers, especially if you lose vital information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, or bank information. 

Some companies have been so damaged by a data breach that they have had to greatly scale back or even close.

Second, losing financial data can open your company up to lawsuits. These legal battles can quickly drain your budget. If the judgment goes against you, you may find that the penalties plus the legal fees are simply more than you can afford.

Third, you now face the task of rebuilding your network security to ensure that nothing like this happens again. It’s not easy, and it’s not going to be cheap. You have to quickly put in place the security measures you likely should have had prior to the breach. 

You may even have to scrap your entire security solution and start over. Either way, you have to prove to your remaining customers and new customers that you are actively working to prevent another breach while dealing with the fallout from the current one.
The Damages of Not Having Network Security
Even if the network breach didn’t result in customer data being stolen, it could still damage your company. You may lose important documents related to new products or services. Your HR records could be stolen, opening your employees and even those who have applied for positions within your company to identity theft. If your banking records were taken, you will need to deal with securing your accounts before money can be stolen. This can all be a headache, even when it’s not immediately damaging.

Network breaches also often result in a company facing all of these factors at once. Your reputation is damaged, you are sued, and you have to spend money to upgrade your security. 

Combined, these costs can quickly become overwhelming. When coupled with the fact that many customers are likely to take their business elsewhere, you’ll be dealing with many large expenses on a more limited income. 

You may also find that employees begin looking for new opportunities due to your damaged reputation.
Network Security and Industry Compliance
Regulatory compliance like FINRA, PCI, and HIPPA standards are put in place to establish a line in the sand, a minimum industry standard that everyone must meet or face serious penalties. 

Be Structured and our third-party security service providers will see that your network and operating systems remain compliant with all the appropriate regulations. 

This will protect you from these industry penalties, possible fines, and legal action in the future that could damage your reputation or bottom line. For us, providing managed security services is where we excel.

When it comes to defending your network and systems from security threats, it is not enough to just comply with the standard regulations. 

Be Structured Technology Group understands the value of getting services from an expert provider. We team with security professionals that possess the threat intelligence to protect you with the latest information security tools and techniques to help your business thwart network security threats.
Real-Time IT Security in Los Angeles Solutions For Real-World Problems
A data breach or network intrusion can disrupt your operations, lead to a loss of vital company data, and destroy your reputation. Eliminating security risks is absolutely vital to defending your productivity and your company’s very existence. 

Simply put, it is cost-effective to take these precautions. Team with Be Structured and our partners today to feel more secure about your network.

 

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#### Office Relocation
WE HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN NETWORK INSTALLATION & OFFICE RELOCATION
Whether you’re moving to a larger space in the same building or across town, you could use a local IT support company to make the move as painless as possible.
Have Seamless IT Support With Your Office Relocation
Moving to a new location can be a significant source of stress for many people, but it does not have to be. 

When you partner with Be Structured Technology Group Inc. to provide IT support throughout your office relocation, you can trust that your technology transition is in good hands. 

Many Southern Californian companies look to our award-winning Los Angeles IT support skills to make their moves as seamless and hassle-free as possible.

Here's a short video of things to consider when planning your office move.



Our current clients have called on us multiple times because of how well their previous relocation went. A commercial move is also a perfect opportunity for you to start your new partnership with Be Structured.

We can design and structure your new services, help you move in, and be there to maintain your technology in the coming years. 

One of the most essential things to remember about the moving process for us is that this is not just about moving things like office furniture or file cabinets. You can hire a moving company for that. 

Instead, it’s about moving your IT network, getting everything set up again, and making certain that your technology is back in place as quickly as possible. 

We know that for every day your team is unable to access all of your files and applications is a day where you’re not as productive as you should be. 

You’re losing profits every day you work like this. 

That’s why commercial office relocation is a process that takes planning and precise execution to complete properly. And when you Google “IT support companies near me”, you won’t find a more professional solution than Be Structured.
Do I Need IT Support During A Relocation?
Moving your business isn’t something you want to do on a whim or without fully thinking it through. There are a number of reasons a relocation could be a bad idea, no matter how near or far. 

However, there are many reasons why relocating may make perfect sense for your company at this time. Knowing when it’s the latter instead of the former is one of the things that makes a great business leader.

The biggest reason companies relocate is because they’ve outgrown their current office space. 

You may find that you need to hire more employees but don’t have offices for them. 

You may be out of room to store products or for new equipment you need to work more efficiently. Another reason is that it’s time to upgrade. 

If you’re still in the building where you started your business, it may no longer be the perfect fit for you. There can be a number of reasons why this is the case, but the main issue is that it’s time to move to a building that meets your new needs, not the needs you had when you first started your business.
Be Structured is also the rare Los Angeles IT support company that has a California state contractor license. That means we don't have to rely on 3rd party contractors to pull permits. We are the contractor. We save you valuable time and money by truly being a one-stop IT support shop. Learn all the benefits of partnering with an IT support company with a state contractor license.
CA License #1140088 | C-7 Low Voltage Contractor

IT Support Issues to Consider When Relocating
When you’re moving into a new office, you want your new space to be ready to handle all of your IT needs. We will assist you with all of your IT considerations so that your new space meets your current and future technology needs.

You also want to be on the lookout for IT challenges you might not suspect.

Cabling – If you have a good number of computers and other devices that need to be hard-wired into your network, you may need to have additional ethernet cabling running through the new space. If you’re moving into a large building that has a number of floors, you may meet to have structured cabling run to telecommunications enclosures on each floor and backbone cabling run between those enclosures and the main equipment room.

Our IT Support Technicians help provide planning as well as installation in your office relocation.

WiFi deployment – Preparing a building for WiFi requires more planning than simply placing a few wireless network extenders and routers here and there. We will look at the size of each floor and take into consideration anything that could impede your WiFi signal, including walls and other electrical installations. 

Then we will carefully plan out a series of WiFi equipment to create a blanket of signal that covers the entire space. Our goal is to make certain you don’t have any spots where wireless connectivity drops or becomes significantly weaker than in other parts of the building.

VoIP – If you’re going to use primarily VoIP for your phones, you will need to have a Cat5 ethernet connection near each location where you will have a phone. VoIP phones cannot use standard phone jacks or cable, although you can use one connection for both your phone and your VoIP handset by connecting the two.

Video Conferencing Equipment – You may need additional cables and equipment installed in any conference room where you plan to do video conferencing. These conference rooms may need video screens, projectors, microphones, speakers, and other equipment. Even if you don’t plan on doing video conferencing, you may still want to have your conference rooms equipped with the capability in case you need it in the future.

Server Rooms – During a relocation, planning out exactly where your servers, telecommunications enclosures, and your equipment room isn’t something you should ever leave to chance. Everything needs to take into account location in the building, the amount of cabling that will need to be run, the location of where the internet connection from the utility company is located, and other factors. 

Having one of the most knowledgeable outsourced tech support companies is critical for making these decisions wisely. We carefully work with your team to determine the best locations for these rooms so that your IT infrastructure is thoughtfully considered.

Power Outlets – If you’re moving into an older building, you may be surprised by its lack of power outlets. Today, offices have a lot of equipment that needs to be plugged in, including computers, monitors, printers, servers, routers, backup drives, and much more. Using too many power strips could lead to overloading the circuits and other issues. 

Part of our IT support during your relocation is to assess power requirements and determine if the building’s existing infrastructure can meet those needs. It’s possible an experienced electrician will need to come in and do a partial or full rewire of the space.

Cooling Requirements – If you have a larger server room, it’s going to get very hot in there very quickly. Servers put out a lot of heat, so these rooms are going to need to be cooled to the correct temperature and remain at that temperature. Otherwise, your servers may overheat. We will evaluate your planned server setup and the building’s HVAC system to determine if it’s adequate or if you’ll need to upgrade it.
Finding the Right IT Support Los Angeles Based Company While Expanding Your Current Space
If you’re expanding into more of your current floor or if you’re moving into additional floors in the same building, you need to take into consideration your current infrastructure and if it’s really sufficient to handle the increased load. 

In most cases, it’s simply not. 

You may need additional telecommunications enclosures, more ethernet connections, additional WiFi repeaters, and other support structures in order to expand yet still have the same network access and quality.

Expanding can require as much work as moving into a new space, especially if the area you’re expanding into hasn’t been wired for use as an office. 

This is why having the proper IT support company for an office transition is so vital for your business. You may have to run a good amount of network cable before you can begin using that space, but it’s always best to do so before you move into it. It may be tempting to immediately spread out, but talk to us first so we can help you plan out the best way to expand without losing any of your networking capabilities.

Naturally, just as there are reasons why you should move, there are also reasons why you shouldn’t relocate. If your business isn’t stable financially or if your industry is going through a rough patch, it can be a risk. 

You need to take time and look over your business’s current state as well as the overall industry’s state and the economy before making the decision to relocate. 

However, if you do decide that now is the right time to relocate, we’re the leading Los Angeles IT services company to make that move go as easily and as smoothly as possible.
IT Support During A Relocation Is Less Stressful
Be Structured will be there to make sure you hit the ground running. We know that moving to a new location can be the first step in growing your business. 

You may be expanding the space of your office or manufacturing facility, allowing you to take on more customers or produce more products quickly. 

You could be moving into a new market that you feel will provide a better foundation from which to expand. 

You could simply be moving to a newer building or one with better rental fees. 

No matter what the reason, we want to make sure you can focus on the excitement that the new location brings and not worry about the little annoyances or problems that often come up in a commercial move.

When you move to a new location, there are many different opportunities you can take advantage of. Here are a few different reasons why moving locations can be so exciting:

 	You have more space

You can expand your office, adding additional workstations, conference rooms, storage, or any other area you need. This is one of the reasons why you need to carefully consider the location you’re moving to. 

You want to make certain you can expand to meet the needs you’ll have for the next five to ten years rather than your immediate needs. Otherwise, you may find yourself needing to relocate again in just a few years. 

This is vital to growing your business, especially if you know you will need to hire additional employees soon and may need to do so again in a few years.

 	Find new customers 

Moving to a new location can mean moving into an area with more potential customers. This can be especially true with companies that deal in sales, whether it’s retail products or services. 

A new location may better fit your potential audience. You may also be moving out of an area that was a detriment to your business, whether it’s due to a lack of traffic, a high crime rate, or any other issue.

 	Save money 

A new location may come with lower rent or lower utility costs. This can be a great chance to reduce your operating costs. 

Don’t base your decision on the rent alone, though, since there are other factors to consider. For example, moving into a larger space may come with a higher rent, but if it’s a new building, you may have lower utility costs thanks to better insulation and an energy-efficient HVAC.

 	Move for other amenities 

In some cases, you may want to move not because you gain more space but because you can expand in other ways. For example, you may want to move to a location that has better parking or that is closer to your major clients. Better access to major highways, a port, or the airport can also benefit your business. 

Ideally, of course, you’ll move to a location that has these amenities, is the right size, and helps you reduce your monthly operating costs.

 	The building is newer 

Working out of an older building not only impacts your monthly utility cost, but it can also affect your technology. Older buildings have older wiring that may not support your needs. 

This can result in either working without all of the equipment you need or spending money to update the building’s wiring and cable. Newer buildings, especially when you have the chance to do any upgrades before you move in, don’t have this issue. Newer buildings may also come with a reduced insurance rate, too.

 	Pay less taxes 

It’s possible you may be able to move just a short distance yet fall into a new location with lower taxes. Changing counties or cities can put you in an area with a different sales tax. Keep this in mind when considering where you want to relocate your business.

 	Raise operating capital 

If you’re relocating into a rental space and selling the property you’re currently using, the cash you receive from that sale can give you the operating capital you need to expand, reduce your debt, or use for other needs.
Managed IT Los Angeles Support During A Office Relocation Is Less Challenging
Transitioning your internet/phone services and making sure emergency services are up-to-date are, in fact, two of the toughest hurdles to clear. Your new office space might need new access points or an entirely different cabling structure. 

This is where our experience becomes your biggest asset. We want to manage your transition with no disruption to your operations and no downtime in your services. 

The goal is for you to move into your new building and immediately be able to begin working again with as little downtime as possible.

If you take advantage of our other services, this can actually make your relocation even easier. 

When Be Structured is already managing your data backup, disaster recovery, and VoIP phone systems, moving them to a new location will be much more straightforward. 

We will be able to quickly set up your hardware, connect it to the cloud, restore your network security, and have your calls directed to the correct handset. 

We prefer to have 6 to 12 weeks of relocation planning time to engineer and structure your move, but we have been able to perform a move in less time in the past largely depending on the ability to get outside vendors (cabling, electricians, and Internet Services Providers) to complete installations in the time frame required.

Why work with us instead of letting a less experienced company move your technology or doing it yourself? We understand how to pack up your technology, move it and set up your equipment without damaging it. 

Thanks to our decades of experience with outsourced technical support, we know the best way to set up an office. We’ll work with you to determine the right layout for your new IT center and make certain that you have everything needed. We can even recommend additional hardware and other items that will help improve productivity and that can be installed and set up now so you don’t have to disrupt your daily business later.

Obviously, the more time we have for your move, the easier your transition will be. We want to help you create the perfect new location for your business where you have the space and resources needed to grow. Our service area for office relocation reaches beyond our home office in downtown Los Angeles. We also serve clients in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County, and San Bernardino County.
IT Support Is Critical For A Successful Relocation
One of the advantages that you will get by partnering with Be Structured to handle your IT Support during a relocation over other commercial moving services is our eye for improvement. 

There might have been limitations in your old location or services that would have been too expensive to deploy in an established space. 

Your move will be the perfect opportunity to implement new services and hardware. We want to hear all of your IT needs and what problems you’ve had in your current location to determine if we can eliminate those issues in your new space.
IT Support Exposes Risks
We will assess your new space and recommend the best methods and practices for your future. 

This may involve installing new access points, rewiring running new network cables in parts or all of the building, or even creating new spaces by taking down or putting up walls helping the architect and you decide where to put up walls and run proper electrical connections. 

For example, if you have a number of servers that are always running, now is the perfect time to engineer a room with correct cooling systems for your heat output. We can help you calculate this and select the properly sized HVAC system to meet your needs so you won’t crash during periods of extreme heat.

Moving offices is about more than just packing up your furniture and office equipment. It’s also about thinking about the future of your business rather than the placement of your furniture and equipment. You don’t move locations often, so why not take the time to fully set up your new office in the best way possible? 

For Be Structured, a full-service move means looking at the ways your business operates and the ways we can improve your services.

Office relocation with us is the perfect time to enhance your systems and set you up for a brighter future. 

Don’t move in and then try to upgrade the building as you go or when you need it later. We will work with you to upgrade everything now, so even though you may not need all of the extra cabling or access points we add today, it will be there tomorrow when you do.

Let us work with you to create the perfect layout, make certain all of the cabling and wiring is where it should be, and maximize your overall use of the space. Contact us today to discuss our office relocation services.

 

#### OpenAI, Claude, and Microsoft 365 Copilot AI Deployment for LA Businesses
An AI rollout program is the work of turning "our staff are already using AI" into a set of approved tools, a written policy, data that is classified before an assistant can read it, tenant controls that enforce the policy, a pilot group, and a review cadence. We run that program for Los Angeles businesses deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot, Claude, or both, in six stages over roughly eight to twelve weeks.

The reason it needs stages is that the risk is not the model. It is your file shares. Microsoft 365 Copilot answers a user's question using content the user already has permission to open, which means a decade of overshared SharePoint sites becomes searchable by plain question rather than by knowing where to look. Microsoft describes the same problem and its controls in its own oversharing blueprint for Copilot deployments.
What the program covers

 	Assessment. What AI tools are already in use, what data they can access, and where the permissions are wrong.
 	Policy. A governance policy (AI Acceptable Use Policy or AI AUP) for the business and an acceptable use policy for employees. They are different documents.
 	Data classification. A small label set is applied where it matters, before an assistant is turned on.
 	Tenant controls. Data loss prevention, oversharing controls, and audit logging are configured in accordance with the policy.
 	Pilot. A named group, a fixed period, and a decision at the end of it.
 	Training and review. Role-based training at rollout, then a standing review of usage, exceptions, and new tools.

Stage 1: Assessment
We start by finding out what is already happening because, in every engagement so far, something has been. The assessment covers which AI tools staff have signed up for with a work email, which have been granted access to your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant through an OAuth consent, what your current sharing settings expose, and which SharePoint sites or shared drives hold sensitive content with permissions nobody has reviewed since they were created.

The output is a short written finding: the tool inventory, the data exposure list ranked by severity, and the specific items that must be fixed before a Copilot or Claude rollout, rather than after.
Stage 2: Policy
Two documents, because they answer different questions. The governance policy specifies who approves a new AI tool, what review it undergoes, which data classifications may be used with which tools, how usage is logged, and who owns the decision in the event of a dispute. The acceptable use policy is the employee-facing version: what you may paste into an assistant, what you may not, what you have to check before you act on an answer, and who to ask.

We write against the environment we found in stage 1 rather than from a template, and we align the structure with a recognized framework. Hence, the document survives a customer security questionnaire. The usual references are the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (NIST AI 100-1, published January 2023) and ISO/IEC 42001:2023 for organizations that need a certifiable management system.

If you want to read where we stand before engaging, our AI governance policy framework and our guide to an AI acceptable use policy for business are both published in full.
Stage 3: Data Classification
Classification schemes fail when they have too many labels. We start with three or four, mapped to how your business actually talks about its information, then apply them where the exposure is: client files, financials, HR records, and anything covered by a contractual confidentiality obligation.

In Microsoft 365, these are Purview sensitivity labels, and the practical benefit for an AI rollout is label inheritance. When Copilot generates a document from a labeled source, the generated item carries the label, so the protection follows the content into its new form. Encryption applied by a label also keeps Copilot entirely out of the most sensitive items, which is often the simplest control available.
Stage 4: Tenant Controls
This is the configuration work, where a governance policy becomes more than a document.

 	Oversharing controls first. Restricted SharePoint Search limits Copilot to an approved list of sites while the permissions cleanup is underway, and data access governance reports identify the sites that need that cleanup. Microsoft documents both in its Restricted SharePoint Search guidance.
 	Data loss prevention for AI interactions. Purview DLP has a policy location for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat that can stop prompts containing specific types of sensitive information from being processed and can exclude files with particular sensitivity labels from being used as grounding data. The behavior is described in Microsoft's DLP for Copilot documentation.
 	Endpoint DLP for third-party assistants. On Windows devices onboarded to Purview, endpoint policies can warn on or block pasting sensitive content into generative AI sites in a browser. This is how you manage the tools you have not approved without pretending nobody uses them.
 	Posture management. Purview Data Security Posture Management for AI reports on which sensitive items are being referenced in assistant responses, which is the feedback loop that tells you whether the classification work landed.
 	Audit and retention. Copilot interactions are auditable and discoverable through the same Microsoft 365 tooling as email and files. We turn that on and set retention deliberately rather than accepting the default.
 	Identity. Conditional access and multi-factor authentication on the accounts that now have a much faster path to your whole document estate.

For Claude deployments the control surface is different: a business or enterprise plan, single sign-on, administrative control of which connectors and integrations are enabled, and clarity in the policy about what may be pasted rather than what may be indexed. We configure both stacks the same way in one respect: the tool follows the classification rather than the other way around.
Stage 5: Pilot
A pilot is a named group of 10 to 25 people, a fixed period of four to six weeks, a small number of use cases they were actually asked to try, and a decision at the end. We collect what worked, what produced output nobody trusted, what the audit logs show about which content was reached, and what the DLP policies caught. The output is a go, no-go, or fix-first recommendation with the reasons attached.

Running a pilot without a decision date is the most common way for an AI program to stall, so the date is set at the start.
Stage 6: Training and Ongoing Review
Training is role-based and short. Leadership gets the governance model and the exception process. Managers know how to review AI-assisted work. Everyone gets the acceptable use policy in plain language, with the three or four examples from your own business that matter most.

The review cadence is quarterly for usage, exceptions, and newly requested tools, and annually for the policy itself. New assistants appear faster than policies get rewritten, which is why the governance policy defines an approval path rather than a fixed list of approved products.
What this does not cover
We are not building or fine-tuning models, and we do not write the parts of an AI policy that are legal opinions. Where a rollout touches regulated data, we work alongside your counsel and your compliance obligations rather than replacing them. We help you meet the requirements; we do not issue the certification itself.
Contact Be Structured to schedule an AI governance assessment for your organization.
Be Structured Technology Group has supported Los Angeles businesses since 2007 from 500 S. Grand Avenue, and runs security operations, identity, and Microsoft 365 administration for the same clients we run AI governance for. That matters here because the controls in stage 4 are tenant configuration work rather than a separate product.

➤ Schedule Your Free IT Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions About AI Governance and Copilot Rollouts

What is an AI governance program, and how is it different from an AI policy?
A policy is a document. A program is the work that makes the document true: an assessment of what is already in use, the policy itself, a data classification scheme, tenant controls that enforce it, a pilot, training, and a review cadence. Businesses that write the policy and stop usually find within a quarter that staff behavior did not change, because nothing in the environment was configured to match what the policy said.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot safe to turn on for a small business?
It is safe in that it respects existing permissions, and risky in that most businesses do not know what those permissions are. Copilot answers a user with content the user could already open, so overshared SharePoint sites and stale group memberships become findable by asking a question rather than by knowing where to look. The fix is to run the permissions and classification work first, use oversharing controls such as Restricted SharePoint Search while that work is underway, and then enable broadly.

How long does a Copilot or Claude rollout take?
Eight to twelve weeks for a business of 25 to 250 people, assuming the Microsoft 365 environment is in reasonable shape. Assessment and policy take two to three weeks; classification and tenant configuration take three to four weeks; the pilot takes four to six weeks with overlap; and training happens at rollout. The variable that stretches the timeline is nearly always permissions remediation discovered during the assessment.

What data should never go into an AI assistant?
That is a policy decision, not a technical one, which is why the classification stage comes first. In practice, the categories that most Los Angeles businesses restrict are client data covered by a confidentiality agreement, regulated data such as protected health information or cardholder data, credentials and keys, unreleased financial results, and anything covered by legal privilege. The useful move is to define those categories once, label them, and then enforce the rule with data loss prevention rather than relying on staff to remember it.

Can we control which AI tools employees use?
Partly, and pretending otherwise is why the use of shadow AI is common. You can control which applications are granted access to your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant, which are installed on managed devices, and what can be pasted into a browser-based assistant from a device onboarded to endpoint data loss prevention. What you cannot control is a personal phone. The policy has to account for that, which usually means defining what may be shared rather than only which products are banned.

Do we need Microsoft Purview to do this?
Not to write the policy, and yes, to enforce most of it inside Microsoft 365. Sensitivity labels, data loss prevention for Copilot interactions, endpoint controls for third-party assistants, and posture reporting are all Purview capabilities, and some of them require higher-tier licensing. Part of the assessment is to tell you what your current licensing already includes, since businesses frequently own capabilities they have never enabled.

How do we prove to a client or an insurer that we govern the use of AI?
With the artifacts the program produces: a written governance policy with an approval path, an acceptable use policy that staff have acknowledged, a classification scheme, the configured controls with evidence, training records, and the review minutes. Aligning the structure to the NIST AI Risk Management Framework or ISO/IEC 42001 makes those artifacts easier to map onto a customer security questionnaire, which is usually the form the question arrives in.

What does an AI governance engagement cost?
It is scoped per environment rather than per seat because the work is driven by how much remediation is needed for permissions and classification. The assessment is priced separately, so you can see the findings before committing to the rest. Clients on our managed services agreements have the tenant configuration work covered under the existing agreement rather than as a separate project. Could you ask for the assessment quote first?

#### Pasadena IT Support
What is the best IT support company in Pasadena?
For Pasadena businesses that depend on uptime, the best IT support company is one that combines deep technical bench strength with the ability to put a person on site quickly. Be Structured Technology Group fits that profile. Founded in 2007, we are a Los Angeles managed service provider headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill in Downtown LA, roughly 11 miles from Pasadena City Hall. From our office it is a 20 to 25 minute drive up the 110 and the Arroyo Seco Parkway, and the Metro A Line connects Downtown directly to Pasadena, so we are close enough to support local clients the way an in-town provider would.

Proximity matters more than most business owners expect. When a server stops responding or a ransomware alert fires, the difference between a provider an hour away and one a short drive away is measured in lost productivity. Our 24/7 Network Operations Center triages after-hours emergencies within 10 minutes, and during business hours we can typically have an engineer on site in the greater LA area within about 30 minutes. For a Pasadena law firm facing a filing deadline or a biotech lab that cannot afford to lose instrument data, that responsiveness is the whole point of hiring a managed service provider in the first place.

Be Structured has been named to the Channel Futures MSP 501, a respected ranking of the top managed service providers worldwide, for six consecutive years, and we hold a 5-star average across our Google reviews. Those are useful signals, but the more practical answer to "who is the best" is the provider who knows your industry, answers the phone, and shows up. You can reach our team directly at (323) 331-9452 or through our contact page.
Why Pasadena businesses need a local managed service provider
Pasadena is not a typical suburban market, and its IT needs reflect that. The city sits at the center of one of the densest concentrations of research, engineering, and professional talent in Southern California. Caltech and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory anchor a regional ecosystem of research labs, aerospace suppliers, and engineering firms. Art Center College of Design draws a creative and design economy. Around them sit the law firms, wealth-management advisors, healthcare practices, nonprofits, and foundations that serve an affluent and highly educated population. The South Lake Avenue business district, Old Pasadena, and the Playhouse District are full of established companies that have outgrown break-fix IT but do not want to staff a full internal department.

That mix creates technology demands a generic help desk cannot meet. A research or biotech firm near Caltech may run specialized lab instrumentation, large datasets, and intellectual property that is a target for theft. An aerospace or engineering supplier feeding the JPL and broader defense ecosystem often inherits security expectations from its customers and prime contractors. A South Lake Avenue financial advisor handles regulated client data under FINRA and SEC scrutiny. A healthcare practice off Lake or Colorado is bound by HIPAA. Each of these needs more than someone to reset passwords; they need a strategic technology partner who understands the stakes.

A local managed service provider also understands the practical realities of operating here: the connectivity options available to buildings along Colorado Boulevard and South Lake Avenue, the mix of older renovated office space and newer construction, and the expectations of clients who are themselves technically sophisticated. When your customers include Caltech researchers and JPL engineers, your own technology cannot look amateurish. Working with a provider that already supports professional firms across the Los Angeles area, including nearby Pasadena, means you get that fluency without paying to build it in house. Our broader managed IT services are delivered with the same standard whether a client is in Downtown LA or up the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena.
Managed IT services we provide to Pasadena businesses
We deliver a complete, all-inclusive managed IT program for one flat monthly fee. Rather than charging by the incident, which punishes you when things break and rewards a provider for slow fixes, we take responsibility for keeping your whole environment healthy. That alignment is the foundation of everything below. Here are the core services Pasadena organizations rely on us for.
All-inclusive managed IT and help desk
This is the backbone of the relationship. Your team gets unlimited access to our help desk for the day-to-day issues that interrupt work: a printer that will not connect on the South Lake Avenue office floor, a laptop that will not boot before a 9 a.m. client meeting, a new hire who needs to be set up before their first day. Behind the scenes we handle proactive monitoring, patch management, and asset management so that problems are caught and resolved before they reach you. Every workstation and server is tracked, every operating system and application is kept current, and every alert is reviewed by our NOC. You pay one predictable flat fee per user per month, which makes budgeting straightforward for a Pasadena business of any size.
Cybersecurity and network security
Pasadena's research firms, engineering suppliers, and financial advisors hold exactly the kind of data attackers want: intellectual property, client financial records, and protected health information. Our security stack is layered so that no single failure exposes you. It includes endpoint protection and EDR (endpoint detection and response) to catch and contain threats on every device, DNS filtering to block malicious sites before a user reaches them, dark web monitoring to alert you when employee credentials surface in a breach, and two-factor and multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) to keep stolen passwords from becoming a break-in. We design network security around the principle that breaches are a question of when, not if, and that fast detection and containment are what separate a minor incident from a business-ending one.
Cloud, Microsoft 365, and Azure
Most Pasadena businesses now run on Microsoft 365 for email, documents, and collaboration, and many are moving workloads into Azure or adopting virtual desktops so staff can work securely from the office, a home in South Pasadena, or a client site in La Canada Flintridge. We manage Microsoft 365 and Azure environments end to end: licensing, security configuration, identity and access, email protection, and the day-to-day administration that keeps things running. For firms that want centralized, secure access to applications and data, we deploy and manage virtual desktop environments so that the desktop lives in the cloud, not on a vulnerable laptop that could be lost on the Metro A Line.
Backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity
A single ransomware event, hardware failure, or accidental deletion can erase years of work. For a biotech lab, that might be irreplaceable research data; for a law firm, active case files; for a foundation, donor and grant records. We design backup and disaster recovery so that your data is protected in multiple locations and can be restored quickly, and we build business continuity plans so that an outage at one office does not stop the organization. The goal is simple: when something goes wrong, you keep operating while we restore the environment, rather than scrambling to reconstruct what was lost.
vCIO and vCTO strategic consulting
Technology decisions should support the business, not just react to it. Our virtual CIO and virtual CTO consulting gives Pasadena organizations access to senior technology leadership without the cost of a full-time executive. We help you build a multi-year technology roadmap, plan and budget for hardware and software lifecycles, evaluate new tools, and align IT spending with your growth. For a fast-scaling research firm or a professional practice opening a second location, having a strategic partner in the room during planning is the difference between technology that enables expansion and technology that constrains it.
Industries we support in Pasadena
Pasadena's economy is unusually specialized, and we tailor our approach to the industries that define it. We bring particular experience to the sectors below.

Research and biotech. Firms clustered around Caltech and the broader life-sciences economy run specialized instrumentation, generate large datasets, and hold valuable intellectual property. We focus on data integrity, secure storage, and protecting research from theft, while keeping lab systems available and supported.

Aerospace and engineering. Suppliers and engineering firms connected to JPL and the regional aerospace base often face elevated security expectations passed down from larger customers and prime contractors. We help these companies tighten security, control access, and document their controls so they can meet partner and customer requirements.

Law firms. Pasadena's legal community depends on confidentiality, document management, and uninterrupted access to case files. We deliver secure document handling, reliable email, strong backup, and the responsive support a firm needs when a deadline cannot move.

Financial and wealth-management advisors. The South Lake Avenue corridor is home to advisors and wealth managers operating under strict regulatory scrutiny. We provide the security controls, monitoring, and documentation that help these firms protect client assets and satisfy their compliance obligations.

Healthcare practices. Medical and dental practices across Pasadena handle protected health information under HIPAA. We support secure systems, access controls, and backup designed to help practices safeguard patient data and maintain continuity of care.

Nonprofits and foundations. Pasadena has a deep nonprofit and philanthropic community. These organizations need enterprise-grade security and reliability on disciplined budgets, and our flat-fee model gives them predictable costs while protecting donor data, grant records, and operations.
IT compliance support for regulated Pasadena businesses
Many Pasadena organizations operate under regulatory frameworks that carry real penalties for failure. We provide compliance support, which means we help you meet the technical requirements these frameworks demand and document that you are doing so. To be clear about what that means: we help you implement and maintain the controls, not certify you. The auditors and regulators issue findings; our job is to make sure your technology stands up to that scrutiny.

For healthcare practices subject to HIPAA, we support the safeguards the rule expects around protected health information: access controls, encryption, audit logging, secure backup, and the documentation that demonstrates due diligence. For any business that accepts payment cards, we help address PCI-DSS requirements through network segmentation, secure configurations, and monitoring of the systems that touch cardholder data. For the financial advisors and wealth managers concentrated along South Lake Avenue, we support FINRA-related obligations around data retention, security, and supervision of electronic communications. In every case the framing is the same: we help you meet the requirements and stand behind the technical controls, working alongside your compliance officers, auditors, and legal counsel.
What to expect when you switch to Be Structured
Changing IT providers feels risky, and a botched transition can disrupt operations for weeks. We have refined our onboarding to make the switch low-stress and predictable. It starts with discovery: we document your environment in detail, including every server, workstation, application, network device, and cloud service, so we understand exactly what we are taking responsibility for before we change anything. Many businesses learn more about their own infrastructure during this phase than they ever knew before.

From there we move into stabilization. We deploy our monitoring, security, and management tools across your environment, address the most urgent risks first, such as missing backups, unpatched systems, or weak authentication, and establish the baseline that lets us run things proactively. We coordinate the handoff from your previous provider or internal staff carefully so that nothing falls through the cracks, and we keep you informed at each step rather than disappearing into a black box.

Once you are stabilized, the relationship settles into a rhythm: responsive day-to-day support through our help desk, continuous monitoring and maintenance from our NOC, and regular strategic check-ins through our vCIO and vCTO consulting. You get a documented environment, predictable monthly costs, and a partner who knows your business. If you want to understand what hands-on IT support in the Los Angeles area looks like day to day, that ongoing support model is the heart of it.
Where is the closest IT support company to Pasadena?
Be Structured is headquartered at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071, in the Bunker Hill and Financial District area of Downtown LA. From Pasadena that is about 11 miles via the 110 and the Arroyo Seco Parkway, roughly a 20 to 25 minute drive outside of peak traffic, and the Metro A Line links Downtown LA directly to multiple Pasadena stations. That makes us close enough to provide genuinely local service: on-site response in the greater LA area within about 30 minutes during business hours, with our NOC covering emergencies around the clock.

Being just down the Arroyo Seco rather than across town means our engineers know the corridor, the commute, and the buildings. Whether your office is in Old Pasadena, along Colorado Boulevard, in the Playhouse District, or on the South Lake Avenue business corridor, we can support you remotely for most issues and arrive in person when a situation calls for hands on equipment.
Pasadena ZIP codes and nearby areas we serve

 	91101 - Central and Old Pasadena, the Playhouse District, and the South Lake Avenue business corridor
 	91103 - Northwest Pasadena and the area toward the Rose Bowl
 	91104 - Northeast Pasadena and the Bungalow Heaven neighborhood
 	91105 - South and west Pasadena near the Arroyo Seco and the Huntington area
 	91106 - Southeast Pasadena around Caltech and the eastern South Lake district
 	91107 - East Pasadena and Hastings Ranch
 	91030 - Neighboring South Pasadena
 	91011 - Nearby La Canada Flintridge, home to JPL

If your ZIP code is not on this list but you are in the greater Pasadena or San Gabriel Valley area, call us anyway. We support businesses throughout the Los Angeles region.
Why Pasadena businesses choose Be Structured
Pasadena business owners and operators choose us for a combination of reasons that are hard to find together. We have been doing this since 2007, long enough to have seen the technology cycles and the threats evolve. We have been named to the Channel Futures MSP 501 for six consecutive years, an independent benchmark of operational quality among managed service providers, and we maintain a 5-star average across our Google reviews, which reflects how clients actually experience working with us.

The responsiveness is real and measurable: our 24/7 Network Operations Center triages after-hours emergencies within 10 minutes, and during business hours we can typically reach an LA-area site within about 30 minutes. The pricing is predictable: fully managed IT is delivered for one flat monthly fee, with fully managed plans typically running $125 to $300 per user per month depending on the services and security included. There are no surprise invoices when something breaks, because keeping things from breaking is exactly what we are paid to do.

Most of all, Pasadena businesses choose us because we understand the kinds of organizations that thrive here, the research firms, engineering suppliers, professional practices, and nonprofits, and we support them with the seriousness their data and their clients deserve. To talk through your environment and get a straight answer about what we would recommend, call (323) 331-9452 or contact our team.
Frequently Asked Questions About IT Support in Pasadena
How much does IT support cost in Pasadena?Fully managed IT support in Pasadena typically runs $125 to $300 per user per month. The exact figure depends on your number of users, the depth of cybersecurity, compliance needs, and the complexity of your environment. Be Structured charges one flat monthly fee rather than billing per incident, so costs stay predictable.Do you provide on-site IT support in Pasadena, or is it all remote?Both. We resolve most issues remotely for speed, but send an engineer on site when a problem requires hands on equipment. On-site response in the greater LA area is typically within about 30 minutes during business hours, and Pasadena is roughly an 11-mile, 20 to 25 minute drive up the Arroyo Seco Parkway.Where is Be Structured located relative to Pasadena?Our headquarters is at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown Los Angeles, about 11 miles from Pasadena via the 110 and the Arroyo Seco Parkway. The Metro A Line also connects Downtown LA directly to Pasadena.How fast do you respond to IT emergencies?Our Network Operations Center operates 24/7 and triages after-hours emergencies within 10 minutes. During business hours we can also typically have an engineer on site in the greater LA area, including Pasadena, within about 30 minutes.What industries in Pasadena do you support?We support the sectors that define Pasadena's economy: research and biotech firms near Caltech, aerospace and engineering suppliers connected to JPL, law firms, financial and wealth-management advisors along South Lake Avenue, healthcare practices, and nonprofits and foundations.Can you help my Pasadena business with HIPAA, PCI, or FINRA compliance?Yes, we provide compliance support. We help you implement and maintain the technical controls these frameworks require and work alongside your compliance officers and auditors. We help you meet the requirements; we do not issue the certification itself.What is included in your all-inclusive managed IT service?Our managed IT includes unlimited help desk support, proactive monitoring, patch management, and asset management for one flat monthly fee per user. We also layer in cybersecurity, cloud and Microsoft 365 management, backup and disaster recovery, and vCIO consulting depending on your plan.Do you support Microsoft 365 and Azure for Pasadena companies?Yes. We manage Microsoft 365 and Azure environments end to end, including licensing, security configuration, identity and access management, email protection, and virtual desktops, so your team can work securely from anywhere.How does switching IT providers work, and will it disrupt my business?We use a structured onboarding process that begins with detailed discovery and documentation, moves into stabilizing and securing your systems, then settles into ongoing proactive support. We coordinate the handoff carefully so nothing falls through the cracks.What makes Be Structured different from other Pasadena IT companies?We combine longevity (founded in 2007), independent recognition (Channel Futures MSP 501 for six consecutive years and a 5-star Google average), fast response (10-minute emergency triage from our 24/7 NOC), flat-fee pricing, and genuine familiarity with Pasadena's research, engineering, professional, and nonprofit sectors.

#### PCI Audit Support
Be Structured is Your Managed Service Provider That Can Support Your Business Through a PCI Audit

What is a PCI Audit? PCI Audit Support

There are several types of compliance that today’s businesses must maintain. If you are not sure if your business is compliant, it is vital to know which Los Angeles It Support Company can support you through a PCI audit. If you turn to the wrong company and rely on poor advice, it could easily turn into a problem for your company. Instead, turn to an experienced local IT firm and get advice that you and your business can count on. While we are not an audit firm, our advice and support can make the process a lot easier to understand and work through. Turn to Be Structured Technology Group and let us help make sure you meet and maintain all PCI compliance standards.

Defining PCI Compliance

PCI, or Payment Card Industry,  compliance is a way of securing all of the transactional information your business has to hold on to. When a customer orders something, you need to keep track of a lot of data, as well as ensuring the entire transaction is secure. You must hold their credit card information, a copy of the receipt, and personal data on the customer that was collected during the transaction. Then, you need to make sure to keep all of that data somewhere that a cybercriminal would not have access to it. This is often transmitted to and stored in what is known as a CDE, or Cardholder Data Environment. Do you know how secure the data for your company is? If not, then you need to go through and have a PCI audit done to find out if you have any vulnerabilities that a cybercriminal could exploit.

Why Do You Need PCI Audit Support?

The most important reason to turn to a Los Angeles PCI audit support company is to make sure that you are fully in compliance with all of the rules. It is generally only required that firms that accept credit cards are compliant, it can depend on more than just that. Compliance may also depend on how your data is processed and where you store the data once it has been compiled. There are so many layers of compliance to keep up with. If you are perfect with nearly all but overlook one, it will still lead to problems. You need to be able to depend on the information you get from the Los Angeles MSSP you choose. Your business relies on that compliance to be able to stay safe and keep the information from your customers that way, too.

Understanding PCI Compliance Audits

When you have any type of data, then security needs to be your top priority. It is essential to anyone with any type of online presence. If you do not have protected computer and mobile security processes, your customers could be at risk of facing some type of malicious attack. You may believe that only the browsing history or the online habits of your customers are at risk. If you accept credit cards on your site, that is not the case.  If you were to face an attack, every bit of information you have on each of your customers could be lost. On top of that, it could also take a very long time for your customers to recover from a theft like that.

Basics of PCI Compliance

Financial data is incredibly sensitive. It requires the Payment Card Industry, or PCI, Security Standard Council to regularly go through and update compliance requirements that keep that data safe. These regulations date back to 2004, and to this day, they dictate what information must be kept, and how it must be kept, for any merchant that uses credit cards as allowable transactions.

Many different requirements go into PCI compliance, and an audit will tell you whether or not you are compliant or not. Here are some of the standards to expect if you want to be fully compliant.

  You Need a Secure Network: Your company must use a firewall that is not simply set to default parameters. Instead, it must be built specifically for your company and maintained regularly.
  Protect the Data of All Cardholders: You need to make sure that you store all cardholder data somewhere secure and all data must be sent utilizing an encrypted transmission.
  Keep a Program That Monitors Vulnerability: This means you have to have an active anti-virus software. Plus, it also means you need to have secure applications and systems in place.
  Ensure Access Control is Limited: Your company must prevent cardholder data from getting into unqualified hands by restricting access. Each person with access to the data needs a unique ID and only a limited number of people can have physical access to the servers that hold the data.
  Perform Regular Maintenance and Tests: You will need to go through and check your entire system regularly to check for vulnerabilities and test your networks to ensure everything is safe and functioning as it should.
  Keep a Current Security Policy Over Your Information: You must have an information safety and security policy that dictates how the information is kept and what it is used for.


Beyond those requirements, you also have the individual safety and security controls that each e-commerce organization must maintain. There are more than 200 of them, and they have to be implemented and checked regularly. After that, your business and IT staff must have implemented fully developed, security policies as to how every piece of information is stored and times where it must be accessed. There are different levels of compliance, based on the number of transactions your company has per year and whether or not you have ever experienced any type of security breach in the past.

PCI Compliance Levels

There are four different levels of compliance. For businesses that do fewer transactions or use merchant services for payments, there may not be any compliance other than self-assessments. This puts your business at a level 4. For any business that is a level 2 or 3, you will have to submit a self-assessment annually. You will also need to have quarterly verification scans done by an independent vendor that is qualified to perform these scans. If you are a level 1 organization, you must have a security audit done on-site along with the verification scans, since your business does more than six million separate credit card transactions annually. Your company will need to have either a QSA (Quality Security Assessor) look over your company’s data, or have a PCI audit performed here in Los Angeles, you can have an officer of your company sign off on the audit. Of course, your business may also be the exception to the rule. It may be that you do only a small number of transactions, but your software is unique. In this case, you may be a level 4 in terms of transactions, but also may be required to go through all the hoops as if you were a level 1. Here at Be Structured, we can help you determine which level best represents your business.

Failing a PCI Audit

Should you have a PCI audit performed at your Los Angeles-based business and you are found noncompliant, it could mean the suspension of your company’s ability to accept any type of credit card during transactions until compliance is reached. Since there are so many businesses that could not survive without credit card income, that could be a deadly blow to your company. If you want to avoid that type of suspension, make sure to reach out to us here at Be Structured. We can help with both a compliance audit and with the recovery efforts should you be found noncompliant.

Los Angeles PCI Audit Support Specialists

Our job is to help support you during a PCI audit. The auditor will look at many different aspects of your business to ensure you are fully compliant everywhere. This provides you with a guide that shows you where you or your company may be at risk, along with suggestions on how to make sure the security measures you have in place even better. From there, we go in and fix whatever your auditor tells us the problem may be.

Here are some of the places you can expect an auditor to go through with you to ensure full compliance:

  Over 200 security controls get a full inspection.
  Double-check every bit of technical information you have from service providers and merchants is accurate.
  Verifying that you have both privacy and security policies in place, along with proper training programs to ensure all employees are compliant.
  Verify all security standards are in place.
  Perform a scan of your server to look for vulnerabilities.
  Recommend solutions to fix anything that is not deemed as compliant.
  Help you put security measures in place to make sure your customer’s data is totally secure.


If you do not have this scan done early, it could end up being a very costly process down the line. It could lead to problems where your company loses money, time, and customers as a result of the delays. Do not wait another day to get your company compliant. While big-box stores may be used to compliance requests or demands, they are not the only business to need these measures in place. Whether your business is large or small, you need to make sure any information you keep is safe.

Get IT Support Prior to Your PCI Audit

If you have already suffered some type of data breach, you will undoubtedly be audited and flagged for future audits. Why wait until it’s too late? You need to have someone examine your entire system to look for wherever vulnerabilities exist. Hackers got in somehow, and you need to know where in order to recover. Then, once the vulnerabilities are identified, you also need to have someone capable of going in and fixing the problems.

It is not enough to get a list of problem areas. You need a Los Angeles cybersecurity firm that can make those changes and help protect your customers from further harm. That is what you have with Be Structured. We understand how stressful a PCI audit can be. That is why we take on the role of being part of your PCI Audit support team as well. We will help explain what is going on to you in as simple terms as you need us to, then we will provide the solutions to make the scenario easier to overcome.

The PCI Audit Assessor
Any type of PCI audit requires someone that is approved directly by the PCI Security Standards Council to perform the audit. However, knowing what that person will be doing can make the process just a little easier on you. These are the basic steps that your assessor will take.

  First, they will look over your security infrastructure to determine if you had the safest foundation for your data as possible. This will include your policies, procedures, systems, and network.
  Next, they will train your staff on how to be as secure as possible when using, storing, or accessing data. This will provide your staff members with a lot of skills and knowledge that will allow them to be compliant with all of the PCI regulations and standards.
  Then, your assessor will sit down and talk with you about the areas that are not currently compliant. They will break down the different priorities of your situation, so you know what issues to address first. If you can correct some of these issues, the scope of your audit could decrease as a result.
  From there, you must begin addressing the issues that are highest on that priority list. You can choose to have your assessor manage the rest of the process and put those corrections in place, or you can do it with a company of your choosing and your assessor will simply consult.
  Finally, you must keep up the standards you set during the compliance corrections. This is an ongoing process that you will need to keep up with. As the business owner, it is your job to make sure your company gets compliant and stays that way. So long as you are making sure all data is totally secure, compliance is relatively easy to maintain.


PCI Audit Tools
Several tools can help you determine if your data is vulnerable or not. Here are some of the tools you can expect to be used during the assessment and during the regular testing to ensure compliance is being kept in place:

  PCI Scans
  Wi-Fi Device Scans
  Consulting on Executive Compliance
  Pen Testing
  Monitoring the Event Logs
  Managing Who Access the Event Logs


Turn to Be Structured to Be Your Los Angeles MSSP

You never want to take on something as vital as PCI compliance on your own. You need to have local PCI Audit Support by your side, every step of the way. Even better, Be Structured can help you have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are fully compliant to start. Get all of your network, server, and compliance issues secured before an audit would even need to be started. Contact us today so we can show you how we can help relieve the stresses of your next PCI Audit before your business is subjected to one!


Does Your Current IT Support Know How To Support Your Company's PCI Audit?
As a Managed Service Provider in Los Angeles, Be Structured Technology Group can support your business through the critical tasks needed for a successful PCI Audit.


Cover Your Business With The PCI Support You Need

Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. When facing a PCI Audit, these threats and systems you have in play are part of what keeps your business compliant to regulatory standards.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions

When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price. PCI Audit Support is an additional service we reserve for our current client base in their time of need.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we also protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.

Los Angeles IT Support

If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Penetration Testing Services
Protect your business from cyber threats with professional penetration testing services from Be Structured Technology Group. 

Our automated pen testing platform identifies vulnerabilities across your internal and external networks before hackers can exploit them. Serving Los Angeles businesses since 2007, we deliver cost-effective security assessments that meet compliance requirements for HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and ISO 27001.

Professional penetration testing services can prevent cybersecurity breaches and hacks that can debilitate a company for hours and even days.
What Is Network Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing (commonly called "pen testing" or "ethical hacking") is a controlled cybersecurity assessment that simulates real-world attacks on your computer systems, networks, and applications and unveils the untold secrets of your network. 

Unlike simple vulnerability scanning, penetration testing actively attempts to exploit weaknesses in your security defenses to determine the actual risk to your organization.

Think of it this way: a vulnerability assessment tells you which doors and windows in your building might be unlocked. A penetration test actually tries to open those doors and windows to see which ones let an intruder inside and how far they could get once they're in.

At Be Structured, our penetration testing services team use a cloud-based automated platform combined with expert analysis to evaluate your security posture quickly and affordably. We identify vulnerabilities, test your defenses, and provide actionable remediation guidance so you can fix problems before cybercriminals find them.
What Is the Primary Goal of Penetration Testing 
Cyberattacks target businesses of every size. According to recent studies, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, and many small to mid-sized companies lack the security expertise to defend themselves effectively. Here's why penetration testing should be part of your cybersecurity strategy:
Identify Vulnerabilities Before Hackers Do
Penetration testing uncovers security weaknesses that automated scanners miss and reveals what hackers see. Our testing uncovers misconfigurations, weak credentials, unpatched software, open ports, privilege escalation opportunities, and lateral movement paths that attackers could use to compromise your systems.
Meet Regulatory Compliance Requirements
Many industries require regular penetration testing to maintain compliance. Our pen testing services help Los Angeles businesses satisfy requirements for PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, and FINRA. We provide detailed documentation that auditors need to verify your security controls.
Protect Your Reputation and Customer Trust
A data breach can devastate your business reputation. By proactively testing your defenses, you demonstrate to customers, partners, and stakeholders that you take security seriously. Many enterprise clients now require vendors to provide penetration test reports before signing contracts.
Reduce the Cost of Security Incidents
The average cost of a data breach exceeds $4 million. Penetration testing costs a fraction of that and helps you fix vulnerabilities before they lead to costly breaches, ransomware attacks, or business downtime.


How Be Structured Conducts Penetration Testing
Our penetration testing methodology combines automated cloud-based testing with expert security analysis. We use real-world attack techniques aligned with the MITRE ATT&CK framework to simulate how actual threat actors would target your organization. Here's our comprehensive approach to cybersecurity testing:
Phase 1: Planning and Scoping
We work with your team to define the scope and objectives of testing. This includes identifying target systems, establishing rules of engagement, and determining what assets are most critical to your business. Our standard annual penetration test includes up to 5 external IPs and up to 100 internal IPs.
Phase 2: Reconnaissance and Discovery
Our platform maps your attack surface by scanning networks, identifying open ports and services, and gathering information about your systems. This mirrors what attackers do when researching potential targets.
Phase 3: Vulnerability Assessment
We identify vulnerabilities across your infrastructure using automated scanning combined with manual verification. This includes checking for misconfigurations, outdated software, weak authentication, and other security gaps. Unlike basic vulnerability testing, we validate findings to eliminate false positives.
Phase 4: Exploitation and Attack Simulation
Here's where penetration testing differs from simple vulnerability scanning. We actually attempt to exploit identified weaknesses to determine if they pose a real threat. Our testing simulates real-world cyberattacks including credential attacks, privilege escalation, and lateral movement techniques.
Phase 5: Reporting and Remediation Guidance
You receive detailed professional reports that include executive summaries for leadership, technical findings for IT teams, severity ratings, and step-by-step remediation guidance. Our reports provide the evidence you need for compliance audits and help your team prioritize fixes based on actual risk.
Types of Penetration Testing We Offer
Different security concerns require different testing approaches. Be Structured offers comprehensive penetration testing services to address all aspects of your security posture:
External Network Penetration Testing
External pen testing evaluates your internet-facing assets including firewalls, web servers, email systems, VPNs, and cloud services. We test what attackers see from outside your network perimeter and identify how they might gain initial access to your systems. This is critical for businesses using cloud computing services or hosting public-facing applications.
Internal Network Penetration Testing
Internal testing simulates what an attacker could do if they gained access to your internal network, whether through a compromised employee account, phishing attack, or physical access. We test workstations, servers, Active Directory configurations, and internal network devices to identify privilege escalation and lateral movement paths.
Web Application Penetration Testing
If your business relies on web-based applications for customer service, e-commerce, or internal operations, web application testing identifies vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting, authentication flaws, and business logic errors. These tests focus on application-layer security that network scanning can't detect.
Black Box, White Box, and Gray Box Testing
Black Box Testing: Simulates an external attacker with no inside knowledge of your systems. Testers work with the same limited information a real hacker would have.

White Box Testing: Provides testers with full access to documentation, source code, and system architecture for the most thorough assessment possible.

Gray Box Testing: Combines elements of both approaches, giving testers partial information to simulate an insider threat or a more targeted attack.


Penetration Testing for Your Industry
Different industries face unique security challenges and compliance requirements. Be Structured tailors penetration testing to meet the specific needs of Los Angeles businesses in these sectors:
Healthcare Organizations
Healthcare providers handling Protected Health Information (PHI) need penetration testing to satisfy HIPAA security requirements. Our healthcare IT services team evaluates the security of patient data systems, electronic health records, medical devices, and the networks that connect them. Regular pen testing is essential for demonstrating HIPAA compliance during audits.
Financial Services and Wealth Management
Financial services firms and wealth management companies face strict regulatory oversight from FINRA, SEC, and state regulators. Our penetration testing helps you maintain PCI-DSS compliance if you process payments, and provides documentation for regulatory examinations. We identify vulnerabilities that could expose client financial data or trading systems.
Law Firms and Professional Services
Attorneys handle highly confidential client information protected by privilege. Law firms are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals seeking sensitive case information. Penetration testing verifies that client data is protected and helps firms satisfy cyber liability insurance requirements and ethics obligations around data protection.
Manufacturing and Defense Contractors
Manufacturers working with government contracts or handling controlled unclassified information (CUI) need penetration testing to meet CMMC and NIST 800-171 requirements. We test both IT networks and operational technology systems to protect intellectual property and ensure supply chain security.
Benefits of Choosing Be Structured for Penetration Testing
Automated Platform Reduces Costs
Traditional penetration testing requires expensive security consultants and can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Our automated cloud-based platform significantly reduces the labor required for comprehensive testing, making professional-grade pen testing accessible and affordable for small and mid-sized businesses.
Fast Deployment and Results
While traditional pen tests can take weeks to schedule and execute, our platform allows testing to begin quickly and delivers results faster. This means you can identify and remediate vulnerabilities sooner, reducing your window of exposure to attacks.
Continuous and On-Demand Testing Options
Cyber threats evolve constantly, so annual testing isn't always enough. Our platform supports recurring or on-demand testing, so you can maintain continuous visibility into your security posture. Many clients move from annual to monthly or quarterly testing to catch new vulnerabilities as they emerge.
Safe Testing That Won't Disrupt Your Business
Our testing platform is designed to be non-disruptive to your operations. Built-in safety controls prevent system crashes or network overloads, making it suitable for live production environments. We work with your team to schedule testing during appropriate windows and clearly define what's in scope.
Los Angeles-Based Support and Rapid Response
As a Los Angeles-based IT company with a downtown LA office, Be Structured provides local support that remote providers can't match. When you need help interpreting results, planning remediation, or responding to a security incident, our team is here. We combine the efficiency of automated testing with the expertise of experienced managed security services professionals.
What's Included in Our Penetration Testing Services
Our annual penetration test package includes comprehensive coverage of your network infrastructure:

External Network Testing: Up to 5 external IP addresses including firewalls, web servers, and internet-facing services

Internal Network Testing: Up to 100 internal IP addresses including workstations, servers, and network devices

Detailed Reporting: Professional reports with executive summaries, technical findings, severity ratings, and remediation guidance

Compliance Documentation: Evidence suitable for PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, and other compliance audits

Remediation Planning: Presentation of discovered risks and development of a prioritized remediation plan

Preferred Remediation Pricing: Remediation services quoted at reduced rates for testing clients
FAQs About Penetration Testing
What is the difference between penetration testing and vulnerability scanning?
Vulnerability scanning is an automated process that identifies potential security weaknesses in your systems. Penetration testing goes further by actually attempting to exploit those vulnerabilities to determine if they pose a real risk. Pen testing validates findings, eliminates false positives, and shows you the actual impact of successful attacks. Think of vulnerability scanning as identifying unlocked doors, while penetration testing actually tries to open them.
How often should my business conduct penetration testing?
At minimum, organizations should conduct penetration tests annually or whenever significant changes are made to their network infrastructure. However, many compliance frameworks and cybersecurity best practices recommend more frequent testing. Our platform supports monthly, quarterly, or on-demand testing to maintain continuous visibility into your security posture as threats evolve.
Is penetration testing safe for production environments?
Yes. Our penetration testing platform is designed to be non-disruptive with built-in safety controls that prevent system crashes or network overloads. We define clear rules of engagement before testing, work with your team to schedule appropriate testing windows, and avoid actions that could impact business operations. If you have concerns about specific systems, we can test in staging environments or adjust our approach accordingly.
What types of vulnerabilities does penetration testing detect?
Our penetration testing identifies a wide range of security vulnerabilities including misconfigurations in systems and applications, unpatched or outdated software, weak credentials and authentication mechanisms, open ports and unnecessary services, privilege escalation opportunities, lateral movement paths within your network, web application vulnerabilities, and cloud security gaps.
Do I need penetration testing for compliance?
Many regulatory frameworks require or strongly recommend regular penetration testing. PCI-DSS mandates annual pen testing for organizations handling payment card data. HIPAA requires healthcare organizations to conduct security risk assessments that include penetration testing. SOC 2 audits typically expect pen testing as part of security controls. ISO 27001 and NIST frameworks include penetration testing as a security best practice. Our reports provide documentation suitable for these compliance requirements.
How long does a penetration test take?
The duration depends on the scope of testing. Our automated platform can complete assessments much faster than traditional manual testing. A typical engagement covering external and internal networks can be completed in days rather than weeks. We deliver reports quickly so your team can begin remediation promptly.
What do I receive after the penetration test?
You receive comprehensive professional reports that include an executive summary for leadership and stakeholders, detailed technical findings with evidence, severity ratings to help prioritize remediation, step-by-step remediation guidance for your IT team, and compliance documentation suitable for auditors. We also present findings and work with you to develop a prioritized remediation plan.
How much does penetration testing cost?
Traditional manual penetration testing can cost $15,000 to $50,000 or more depending on scope. Our automated platform significantly reduces these costs while maintaining professional-grade results. Contact us for a customized quote based on your specific testing needs. The investment in penetration testing is minimal compared to the potential costs of a data breach, which averages over $4 million.
Is penetration testing only for large enterprises?
Absolutely not. Penetration testing is essential for businesses of all sizes. In fact, small and mid-sized businesses are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals who know these organizations often have weaker defenses. Our automated testing platform makes professional penetration testing accessible and affordable for smaller organizations that couldn't previously justify the cost of traditional manual testing.
Can Be Structured help with remediation after the test?
Yes. While remediation from the initial report is not included in the base testing service, we present all discovered risks and develop a remediation plan with you. Our team can then perform remediation work at preferred rates for testing clients. As a full-service managed IT services provider, we have the expertise to address vulnerabilities across your infrastructure.
Get Started with Professional Penetration Testing
Don't wait for a breach to discover your vulnerabilities. Be Structured Technology Group delivers professional penetration testing services that help Los Angeles businesses identify and fix security weaknesses before attackers exploit them. Our automated platform makes comprehensive security testing accessible and affordable for organizations of all sizes.

Schedule your free security consultation today to discuss your penetration testing needs. Contact us to get started.
Related Security Resources
Learn more about protecting your business with these related articles and resources from our blog:

 	 The Power of Penetration Testing: Revealing What Hackers See
 	 Penetration Testing Services: Unveiling the Untold Secrets
 	 A Guide to Assessing Cyber Attack Vulnerability
 	 How to Conduct An IT Security Check
 	 IT Support & IT Audit Checklist
 	 Supply Chain Cyber Attacks: Protecting Your Business from Third-Party Risks

#### Phishing Protection
The Evolution of Phishing
Phishing, one of the oldest forms of cyberattacks, involves tricking individuals into revealing personal, financial, or security information through deceptive communications, typically emails that mimic legitimate sources.

This tactic dates back to the mid-1990s when the internet became a new frontier for fraudsters. Early phishing scams were relatively straightforward, often involving forged emails from banks or other trusted institutions asking users to confirm sensitive details

As the internet evolved, so did phishing techniques.

By the early 2000s, phishing attacks became more sophisticated, employing more realistic email and website designs to deceive even the savviest users.

This period also saw the rise of spear phishing, a more targeted approach where attackers customize their messages based on the victim's specific information to increase their chance of success.

Today, phishing remains a prevalent threat, with attackers continuously refining their strategies and employing new technologies to bypass traditional security measures.

The increasing complexity of these scams has necessitated the development of advanced anti-phishing tools and strategies, making awareness and training more crucial than ever.
What Is Clone Phishing?
Phishing is a cyber deception technique that involves sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a reputable source, usually through email.

The goal is to steal sensitive data like credit card numbers and login information, or to install malware on the victim’s machine. As digital communication has become more integral to corporate operations, handling phishing attacks has become a significant security threat for organizations worldwide.

Recognizing a clone phishing attempt requires understanding its common characteristics, which may include urgent language, unsolicited requests for sensitive information, and links to seemingly legitimate but malicious websites.

It's also important to distinguish the difference between spear phishing and phishing.

However, as attackers become more sophisticated, distinguishing these deceptive messages from legitimate communications has become increasingly challenging. Establishing a strict email security policy to safeguard against modern threats is paarmount to running yur business safely.
How Be Structured Combats Phishing
At BSTG, we recognize the critical threat posed by phishing and offer comprehensive tools and training to combat it.

Our approach includes:
Phishing Simulation and Training Tools
We provide tailored phishing simulation campaigns that mimic real-world attacks to train employees in recognizing and responding to phishing attempts.

These simulations are designed to be indistinguishable from actual phishing emails, providing a safe environment for employees to learn and make mistakes. It also helps in our strategy of credential theft protection.

Feedback is immediate and educational, ensuring learning opportunities are maximized.
Anti-Phishing Email Banner Tools
BSTG utilizes advanced email banner tools that automatically analyze incoming emails and alert users to potential phishing risks. These banners provide clear warnings on emails originating from outside the organization or containing links and attachments, thereby heightening user awareness and caution.
SPF/DKIM/DMARC Program
We also implement robust email authentication measures including Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) to protect our clients against email spoofing. These protocols help to verify that incoming messages are from their claimed source, significantly reducing the likelihood of successful phishing attacks.
Protect your Business with Anti-Phishing Measures
In an era where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, penetration testing stands as a crucial defense mechanism. By identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited, businesses can avoid the costly consequences of data breaches, such as financial loss, reputational damage, and legal repercussions.

We have developed a comprehensive security plan that combines dark web scanning and phishing prevention.

Penetration testing also plays a significant role in regulatory compliance for industries that handle sensitive data, helping organizations meet standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS requirements. Regular testing demonstrates a commitment to security and due diligence, qualities valued by stakeholders and customers.
Comprehensive Los Angeles IT Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
BSTG provides a wide range of Los Angeles IT services and cybersecurity solutions designed to safeguard your operations from the latest cyber threats, including phishing.

Our services extend beyond just email security to encompass end-to-end protection for all your IT needs. From network security to compliance and beyond, our expert team is dedicated to ensuring your business is equipped with the tools and knowledge to thwart cyber threats.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable outsourced IT support services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.
Managed IT Services in Los Angeles
BSTG is your premier provider of IT support and cybersecurity solutions in Los Angeles.

We specialize in creating tailored IT environments that are secure, efficient, and aligned with your business objectives.

If you’re ready to take a stand against phishing and other cyber threats, contact us today.

Visit our sales page to learn more about our services and discover how we can help your business thrive in a digitally-driven world. With BSTG, empower your business with industry-leading IT support and cybersecurity measures right here in Los Angeles.

If you’re based in Los Angeles and looking for a proactive approach to business IT services and security, consider BSTG as your trusted partner. Visit our sales page to explore our services and learn how we can help you enhance your IT security posture.

Secure your business with BSTG’s expert penetration testing services and ensure your operations are protected from potential cyber threats.

#### Privacy Policy
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#### Privileged Access Management
The Evolution of Privileged Access Management
Privileged Access Management (PAM) has emerged as a fundamental component of comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, evolving in response to the increasing complexity of IT environments and the growing sophistication of cyber threats.

The concept of managing and securing privileged access is not new; it dates back to the early days of multi-user computer systems, where the differentiation between user types was necessary to protect sensitive data and system functionalities.

Initially, privileged access control - one of three types of access control - was crudely managed through administrative accounts with passwords shared among multiple IT staff.

As networked environments became more prevalent in the 1990s and early 2000s, the need for more refined access control mechanisms became apparent.

This period saw the rise of basic identity and access management systems, which began to include features for managing privileged accounts.

However, as cyber-attacks became more frequent and damaging, it became clear that these initial measures were insufficient.

The mid-2000s witnessed the formalization of PAM as a distinct category of cybersecurity solutions, focusing on managing access and monitoring and securing all activities associated with privileged accounts.

Today, PAM solutions are sophisticated systems that help prevent security breaches by controlling, monitoring, and auditing all privileged access within an organization.
What is Privileged Access Management?
Privileged Access Management (PAM) refers to cybersecurity strategies and technologies used to control, manage, and monitor internal and external access to an organization’s critical information and resources.

Privileged accounts, such as those used by administrators, have elevated permissions to perform sensitive operations that ordinary user accounts cannot. Because these accounts can make critical changes to the IT environment, they represent high-value targets for attackers.

A robust PAM solution effectively reduces the risk of data breaches by ensuring that access to privileged accounts is securely controlled and that activities performed with these accounts are recorded for auditing purposes.

By implementing strict authentication methods like two-factor authentication (2FA), session management, and continuous monitoring of privileged activities, PAM helps ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive systems and data, and that their actions are traceable and compliant with corporate security policies.
Key Features of PAM
Centralized Access Control
Centralized access control is a core feature of PAM that simplifies the management of privileged accounts by centralizing the authentication mechanisms and policy enforcement across the organization. This centralized approach not only enhances security by reducing the number of potential attack points but also improves operational efficiency by streamlining the access process for authorized personnel.
Real-Time Monitoring and Alerting
Real-time monitoring and alerting capabilities are critical in a PAM solution, allowing security teams to detect and respond to suspicious activities as they occur.

By monitoring the actions of privileged users and employing advanced analytics to detect anomalies, PAM systems can alert administrators to potential security incidents, helping to thwart attacks before they can cause significant harm.
Session Management and Recording
Session management and recording are essential for maintaining detailed visibility into the actions performed with privileged accounts.

PAM systems can manage and record every session initiated by privileged users, providing a comprehensive audit trail that can be invaluable for forensic analysis in the event of a security breach.

This feature ensures that all sensitive operations are logged and can be reviewed to detect any unauthorized or malicious activity.
PAM stops Insider and External Threats
Implementing a PAM solution empowers organizations to protect their most critical assets from insider threats and external attackers.

By enforcing strict access controls, monitoring privileged activities in real-time, and maintaining detailed audit trails, PAM enhances security and supports compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX.

This robust security posture helps prevent data breaches, minimizes risk, and protects an organization’s reputation.
Comprehensive Network Support & Cybersecurity Solutions
Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) provides a wide range of business IT support and cybersecurity solutions and compliance designed to safeguard your operations from the latest cyber threats, including phishing protection.

Our services extend beyond just email security to encompass end-to-end protection for all your IT needs. From network security to compliance and beyond, our expert team is dedicated to ensuring your business is equipped with the tools and knowledge to thwart cyber threats.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable IT services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape. With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.
Los Angeles IT Services
BSTG is your premier managed IT services and cybersecurity solutions provider in Los Angeles.

We specialize in creating tailored IT environments that are secure, efficient, and aligned with your business objectives.

If you’re based in the greater Los Angeles area and looking for a proactive approach to business IT services and security, consider BSTG as your trusted partner.

Contact us today if you’re ready to take a stand against phishing and other cyber threats.

#### Problems We Solve
We have experience in overcoming your hurdles.
Be Structured Helps Solve Every Los Angeles IT Support  Problems
Be Structured Technology Group Inc. has always made it our policy to adapt our methods and practices to the needs of each client. However, there are common hurdles and needs we see across all the industries we partner with. We have become well-educated and equipped to solve these recurring problems. 

Every business or organization needs IT services that are:

 	Reliable
 	Boost Performance
 	Provide Security
 	Support Daily Functions
 	Respond Quickly

Managed IT security services are just  one of our specialties and an area we work in often. From firewalls to Wi-Fi access points and internet connections, these systems can become increasingly complex. 

In today’s world of instant access and quick downloads, everyone has certain expectations about their network’s response time. Running the internet in your home is a completely different strategy than supporting the internet functions of a business. We have the expertise to provide realistic Los Angeles IT support services with immediate response times every day of every year at competitive prices.
Be Structured Delivers Personal Attention To Every Client
Once you partner with us, your goals become our goals.
Our Strategies Were Developed to Support Your Systems
We provide local IT support to Los Angeles biggest industries including:

 	Financial services
 	Manufacturing
 	Wealth management
 	Nonprofits
 	Professional services
 	Software development
 	Architecture
 	Law firms
 	Transportation and freight

And many more.

Our business partners that work in manufacturing or transportation and freight are frequently faced with the challenge of working within established legacy systems or EMRs. These are expensive information management systems that were deployed to govern specific products and items. They are essential to the functions of your workplace, but they might be slightly behind the technological curve or difficult to interface with other modern devices. 

Be Structured has years of experience in working with these types of legacy systems and finding ways to keep your operations running smoothly.

In the same vein of supporting your operating systems, one of the issues clients ask about is disaster recovery backup solutions and trying to recover lost data or bounce back from a disastrous event. Our experts do what they can for these customers, but the most effective recovery approach is to have plans and backup strategies already in place before these incidents take place. 

Our managed IT Los Angeles services like data backup and disaster recovery planning are there to protect the integrity of your information and operations.

24/7 outsourced tech support 365 days a year

We cannot predict incidents like natural disasters or data breaches, but it pays to be prepared for them. It is like getting insurance for your car; driving around without it is risky. 

The prime difference is with a business you’re risking the livelihood of your employees and the loyalty of your customers. Our business continuity precautions help you bounce back from a disaster in a matter of hours or days, not weeks. 

Be Structured provides disaster recovery as a service and backup software to protect mission-critical business operations and the future of your company.

We also pride ourselves in always being ahead of the curve when it comes to cyber security and data protection. As your Los Angeles IT support team, we are always learning new ways of protecting your business needs.

The only way you can grow your business is to be in business and not experience technical downtime. 

That’s why we work for you 24/7 and 365 days a year.
We Have the Expertise to Deploy Powerful Industry Tools
More and more people are making the jump to datacenter co-location IT solutions every day. It’s a powerful tool that offers many advantages for the functions of your business. The problematic thing is many people don’t understand how to manage a cloud infrastructure. This results in slow response times and overworked cloud storage.

Be Structured has experience in managing datacenter co-location solutions for Los Angeles area businesses and restoring powerful service. We recommend and implement the cloud environment that’s right for your business. Our technicians have experience with transitioning to public, private, and hybrid clouds. We can manage the entire datacenter co-location solutions process for your business.

Be Structured has a lot of advantages we can offer to any client, but more than all of our specialized services, we provide a guarantee to optimize the functions of your business. Our primary purpose is to support your business in reaching your goals.

Contact us for a free consultation. We’re happy to meet at your place of business and evaluate your network installation and needs. If you’re looking for IT support in Los Angeles or any of the surrounding Southern California cities, Be Structured can save you time, headaches and, most importantly, money.

 

#### Public Cloud Vendors & Migrations
WE HAVE THE VENDOR PARTNERSHIPS TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS.
We Will Build The Solution That Is Best For You
Making the transition to a cloud platform is one of the most powerful choices a business can make. There are several advantages that you will get access to right away, but one of the challenging parts of the transition is the choice between what type of cloud environment is most advantageous for the functions of your business. 
This is where an IT support company like Be Structured Technology Group makes the difference. 
We will assess your situation and recommend which option is best for your operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cloud computing Los Angeles based solution?
One popular option is a public cloud service. 
The cloud is a term used to describe a variety of different types of technology that allow businesses to store, access and share data and applications over the internet. 
Cloud based local IT support solutions are becoming increasingly popular with businesses of all sizes as they offer a number of advantages over traditional on-premise solutions.
 A cloud based IT solution for business is a type of technology that allows businesses to use data and applications over the Internet. This type of solution can offer many benefits for businesses, including the ability to scale their operations quickly and efficiently, as well as the flexibility to work from anywhere. 
Cloud based Los Angeles IT support solutions can also help businesses save money on their IT infrastructure costs.
Some of the main benefits of using a cloud based solution include:
 	Reduced costs
Cloud based solutions are typically much cheaper to set up and maintain than on-premise solutions as there is no need to invest in expensive hardware or software.
 	Increased flexibility
With a cloud based solution, businesses can easily scale up or down their usage as required, meaning they only pay for what they use. This is ideal for businesses that experience seasonal fluctuations in demand.
 	Improved collaboration
Cloud based solutions make it easy for employees to access and share data and applications from anywhere in the world. This can improve communication and collaboration between team members.
 	Enhanced security
Many cloud providers offer robust security features that can help to protect businesses data from cyber attacks.
What are the different types of Cloud?
There are three main types of cloud:
 	Public
 	Private 
 	Hybrid
Public clouds are owned and operated by a third-party provider such as Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure. They allow businesses to access their services over the internet. Public clouds are typically the most affordable option but they can be less secure than private clouds as businesses have less control over their data.
Private clouds are owned and operated by a single business. They offer businesses more control over their data but can be more expensive to set up and maintain.
Hybrid clouds are a combination of public and private clouds. They allow businesses to store some data and applications on-premise, while others are stored off-premise with a third-party provider. Hybrid clouds offer businesses the best of both worlds in terms of flexibility and security.
What are some common cloud based IT solutions?
There are a number of different types of cloud computing consulting services that businesses can use, including:
 	Cloud storage
This is a popular solution for businesses that need to store large amounts of data. Cloud storage providers such as Dropbox or Google Drive offer businesses a secure place to store their data in the cloud.
 	Cloud backup
This is an ideal solution for businesses that want to protect their data from being lost or damaged. Cloud backup providers such as Carbonite or Mozy offer businesses a secure and reliable way to back up their data in the cloud.
 	Cloud computing
This is a popular solution for businesses that need to use powerful computer resources. Cloud computing providers such as Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure offer businesses access to a variety of different types of computer resources that they can use on demand.
 	Cloud based software
This is a popular solution for businesses that need to use software applications but don’t want to install them on their own computers. Cloud based software providers such as Salesforce or Google G Suite offer businesses a way to use software applications in the cloud.
What are the disadvantages of using a cloud based IT solution for business?
There are a few disadvantages of using a cloud based IT solution for business, including:
 	Security risks
As businesses have less control over their data with a public cloud, there is an increased risk of data breaches.
 	Dependence on internet
Cloud based solutions require a constant and reliable internet connection to work properly. This can be an issue for businesses in remote or rural areas.
 	Limited customization
With a cloud based solution, businesses are limited in terms of how they can customize the application to meet their specific needs.
How can businesses choose the right cloud based IT solution for their needs?
There are a few considerations that businesses need to take into account when choosing a cloud based IT solution, including:
 	Cost
The cost of a cloud based solution will vary depending on the provider and the services that are required. It’s important to compare prices from different providers to get the best deal.
 	Scalability
Businesses need to consider how easily they can scale up or down their usage as required. This is especially important for businesses that experience seasonal fluctuations in demand.
 	Security
With a public cloud, businesses have less control over their data. It’s important to choose a provider that offers robust security features to protect businesses data from cyber attacks.
 	Support
Businesses need to consider how easy it will be to get support from the provider if they experience any problems. It’s important to choose a provider that offers 24/7 support.
What are some different cloud environments?
These platforms are cloud environments that are managed and supported by a third-party vendor. 
Be Structured will help manage and maintain your relationship between these industry-leading options. We already have partnerships in place with providers including:
 	AWS
 	Microsoft Azure
 	Rackspace
 	Egynte
 	Box.com
 	Jive
The key to a properly working public cloud partnership is your internet connectivity and powerful network planning. 
Be Structured is your all-inclusive service partner and we will supply both. We will introduce you to the vendor that is best for your business, manage the relationship, and optimize your operations to support the collaboration.
Cloud-Based Computing Is A Powerful Tool For Your Business.
With our Los Angeles IT services vendors, we offer more influence than a single organization.
Benefits Of Public Cloud Computing in Los Angeles
The cloud is more than just a storage service. Whenever you make the jump to the cloud, no matter the type, your office will see a growth in your mobility and ease of access. Cloud business data centers allow you to access your information from almost anywhere with an internet connection. 
When it comes to security, cloud managed services are among the most secure in the world. It is like putting your cash in a bank vault, security is best handled by experts in the industry.
Every cloud infrastructure comes with several advantages, but the public cloud has particular benefits of its own. The third-party vendors that Be Structured will connect you with have big data centers that are supported by nationwide networks and redundant servers to support your data in case of an outage. Thanks to the fact that your actual hardware is owned and managed by a third-party, you will also see fewer upfront costs than a private cloud option.
Our Los Angeles IT Support Services Are Shaped By Your Needs
Be Structured has decades of experience in implementing public cloud platforms for our clients. We will even customize how you take advantage of the public option, it can just be for cloud storage, or it can be part of a broader hybrid cloud strategy. We build our service around what best suits your business.

#### Public Website and Domain Protection
The Evolution of Website Security
The security of public websites and domains has been a critical concern ever since businesses began leveraging the internet to reach wider audiences.

Initially, website security was relatively simplistic, focusing primarily on basic protective measures such as SSL certificates to ensure data encryption.

However, as the internet grew, so did the sophistication of threats, leading to the necessity for more advanced security solutions.

From the late 1990s onward, the rise of cyber threats such as DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, phishing protection, and malware forced the evolution of more robust security mechanisms.

The development of technologies like Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) and enhancements to domain security through systems like DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) have been crucial in defending against an array of sophisticated attacks aimed at compromising website integrity and availability.
What is Public Website and Domain Protection?
Public website and domain protection encompasses a range of security practices and technologies designed to safeguard websites from cyber threats and unauthorized access.

This form of protection is crucial for maintaining the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of web services and the data they handle. Effective security measures help prevent attacks that can lead to data breaches, loss of customer trust, and damage to the company’s reputation.

The cornerstone of modern website and domain protection includes the deployment of DNSSEC to protect the DNS system from spoofing attacks and the use of Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to defend against application-level threats.
Key Technologies and Strategies of Domain Name Protection
Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC)
DNSSEC adds a layer of security to the Domain Name System, which translates domain names into IP addresses. By verifying the authenticity of the response to a DNS lookup, DNSSEC helps prevent attackers from redirecting traffic to malicious sites through DNS spoofing, which is crucial for protecting a domain’s reputation and user safety.
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs)
Web Application Firewalls are pivotal in safeguarding websites and their data from a myriad of threats:

 	DDoS Protection: WAFs can mitigate the impact of DDoS attacks, which attempt to overwhelm website resources and make the site unavailable to legitimate users.
 	Zero-Day Attack Mitigation: By filtering out suspicious traffic, WAFs protect against unknown vulnerabilities, commonly called zero-day threats, until a patch becomes available.
 	Performance Improvements: WAFs can optimize content delivery and reduce load times through intelligent caching mechanisms, indirectly benefiting SEO rankings and user experience.
 	Preventing Website Defacement: WAFs monitor and block unauthorized attempts to change website content, preventing defacement that could harm the company’s brand and public image.

Implementing Advanced Website and Domain Protections
Implementing robust public website and domain protection strategies enables organizations to defend against the evolving landscape of cyber threats.

By integrating technologies such as DNSSEC and WAFs, businesses can ensure their online presence remains secure, reliable, and trustworthy. This protects sensitive customer data and strengthens the overall brand integrity in a competitive online marketplace.

Furthermore, the enhancements in website performance and user experience provided by advanced protection technologies can lead to better engagement, reduced bounce rates, and higher conversions, contributing to overall business success.
Comprehensive IT Support Company With Cybersecurity Solutions
Be Structured Technology Group (BSTG) offers a comprehensive range of outsourced IT support and cybersecurity solutions tailored to protect and optimize public websites and domains.

From the initial security assessments and implementation of DNSSEC and WAFs to ongoing monitoring and response, our services are designed to provide end-to-end protection for your online assets.

Our team is committed to delivering high-quality, reliable business IT services and security services that help you manage and secure your systems against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

With BSTG, you gain a partner who understands the importance of robust IT security and is dedicated to achieving the highest protection standards.
Los Angeles IT Support
As a top IT support company and cybersecurity solutions provider in Los Angeles, we are committed to helping businesses enhance their online security posture.

Whether you need to safeguard your public website, ensure domain integrity, or improve site performance, our team has the expertise and tools to assist you.

Contact us today to learn more about our public website and domain protection services. Let us help you protect your digital assets and keep your business thriving in the digital age.

#### Ransomware Recovery in Los Angeles
We Got Hit by Ransomware. Who in Los Angeles Can Help Right Now?
If your files are encrypted, your screens are showing a ransom note, or your systems are locking up one by one, you are in the middle of an active incident and every minute counts. Take a breath. This is recoverable, and you do not have to handle it alone.

Call our 24/7 emergency line now: (323) 331-9452.

Be Structured Technology Group has been responding to security incidents for Los Angeles businesses since 2007, and we operate a 24/7 Network Operations Center from our offices at 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor in Downtown LA. We have been named to the Channel Futures MSP 501 for six consecutive years.

When you call, a real responder answers. Our NOC acknowledges and begins triaging your active incident within 10 minutes. We will walk you through immediate containment steps over the phone, start scoping what is affected, and where it makes sense we can dispatch a team on-site from Downtown LA. You can also reach us through our contact form, but for an attack in progress, call first.
What to Do in the First Hour of a Ransomware Attack
What you do in the first 60 minutes has an outsized effect on how much you recover and how clean the investigation is. Here is a practical do and do-not list.

Do:

 	Isolate, do not shut down. Disconnect affected machines from the network (pull the network cable, disable Wi-Fi, or isolate the switch port). Leaving them powered on preserves memory and forensic evidence that is lost on shutdown.
 	Disconnect, but preserve. Unplug shared storage, backup drives, and anything the malware could reach next, without wiping or reimaging anything.
 	Preserve evidence. Save the ransom note, photograph screens, and write down timestamps and what you noticed first. This matters for both recovery and any insurance or legal process.
 	Call incident response and your cyber-insurance carrier. Call us at (323) 331-9452, then notify your cyber-insurance provider. Many policies require prompt notice and may direct which responders and counsel you use.
 	Reset exposed credentials from a known-clean device once you are coordinating with responders.

Do not:

 	Do not power down or reboot affected systems unless a responder tells you to. You can destroy evidence and, in some cases, the keys needed for recovery.
 	Do not wipe, reimage, or "clean up" machines before they are scoped. You may erase the only record of how the attacker got in, leaving the door open.
 	Do not pay the ransom yet. It is a last-resort decision with legal and practical consequences. Make it with responders and counsel, not in a panic.
 	Do not log in everywhere to "check" systems. You can spread the infection or tip off an attacker who is still inside.

How Fast Can Be Structured Respond?
Our 24/7 Network Operations Center acknowledges and begins triaging active incidents within 10 minutes of your call, day or night. That triage starts immediately: we help you isolate affected systems, begin scoping the blast radius, and stand up a coordinated response.

Because we are headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles, we can dispatch responders on-site when an incident calls for hands-on work that cannot be done remotely. For many LA-area businesses, that local presence is the difference between a same-day response and waiting on a remote team in another time zone.

Active incident right now? Call (323) 331-9452.
Common Types of Ransomware and How Attacks Start
Modern ransomware rarely appears out of nowhere. Most attacks start with a foothold the attacker quietly establishes days or weeks before encryption. Understanding the common entry points helps explain why containment and scoping matter so much.

 	Phishing emails. A user opens a malicious attachment or link, handing the attacker credentials or a foothold on the machine.
 	Exposed RDP. Remote Desktop left open to the internet, often protected by a weak or reused password, is a favorite target for brute-force and credential-stuffing attacks.
 	Unpatched VPNs and edge devices. Known vulnerabilities in VPN appliances, firewalls, and gateways are actively exploited to get inside the network.
 	Stolen credentials. Passwords leaked in prior breaches or bought on criminal markets let attackers log in as a legitimate user, often without tripping basic alarms.

Many strains also steal data before encrypting it (double extortion), then threaten to publish it to pressure you into paying. That is one more reason fast containment and proper scoping matter.
Our Ransomware Incident-Response Process
We follow a structured process so nothing gets missed and your business comes back online safely, not just quickly.
1. Containment
We isolate affected systems, cut off the attacker's access, and stop the spread to clean machines, backups, and connected environments. The goal is to stabilize the incident before anything else.
2. Forensic Scoping
We investigate how the attacker got in, what they touched, whether data was accessed or exfiltrated, and how far the compromise reached. This determines what is safe to restore and what still needs work.
3. Eradication
We remove the attacker's tools, persistence mechanisms, and footholds so they cannot simply walk back in the moment you recover. Restoring onto a still-compromised network is how organizations get hit twice.
4. Recovery from Immutable Backups
We restore systems and data from immutable, offsite, and tested backups, bringing operations back online in a controlled, prioritized order so the most critical systems come first.
5. Post-Incident Hardening
We close the gaps that allowed the attack: patching, tightening access, deploying or tuning defenses, and fixing the conditions the attacker exploited so the next attempt fails.
Should You Pay the Ransom?
Paying should be treated as a true last resort, made with incident responders and legal counsel, never as a first move. There are several reasons to be cautious:

 	No guarantee. Paying does not guarantee you get a working decryption key, that it restores everything, or that the attacker deletes stolen data.
 	Legal and sanctions exposure. Payments to certain groups or sanctioned entities can carry serious legal consequences. This is a decision to make with counsel.
 	It funds the next attack and can mark you as a business willing to pay, inviting repeat targeting.

In many cases, businesses with solid backups recover without paying at all. We help you understand your real options before any irreversible decision is made.
Can You Recover Without Paying?
Often, yes, if you have immutable, tested backups. Immutable backups cannot be altered or deleted by an attacker (or by the ransomware itself), which is exactly why they survive an attack that wipes or encrypts your primary data and standard backups.

The catch is that backups only help if they are isolated from the production environment and actually tested for restoration. We prioritize recovery from clean, verified backups, and where backups are incomplete, we work to salvage and rebuild as much as safely possible. If your current backups are not immutable or have never been tested, that is one of the first gaps we close after the incident.
Breach Notification and Compliance
A ransomware incident often triggers legal and regulatory obligations, especially if personal or protected data was accessed. We support you and your legal counsel in meeting those obligations rather than leaving you to figure them out mid-crisis.

That support includes helping document the timeline and scope of the incident, identifying what data may have been affected, and understanding your potential notification responsibilities under frameworks such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and California and other state breach-notification laws. We provide the technical findings and records your attorneys, insurers, and compliance teams need. Final legal determinations rest with your counsel; our role is to give them an accurate, well-documented picture.
How to Prevent the Next Attack
Once you are stable, the goal is making sure this never happens again. Ongoing protection is included in our fully managed IT and security plans, which typically run $125 to $300 per user per month depending on scope. The core defenses we deploy and manage:

 	Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to catch and stop malicious behavior on every device, not just known viruses.
 	Multi-factor authentication (MFA/2FA) so a stolen password alone is not enough to get in.
 	Immutable, tested backups that an attacker cannot delete and that we verify can actually be restored.
 	Patch and vulnerability management to close the unpatched VPNs, servers, and software attackers exploit.
 	Security-awareness training so your team recognizes the phishing emails that start most attacks.

Already a victim once? That is the most important time to harden. To talk through fully managed protection, see our managed IT services in Los Angeles or contact our team.

For an active incident, call now: (323) 331-9452.
Ransomware Recovery: Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first if I think I have ransomware?Isolate affected machines from the network without shutting them down, preserve the ransom note and any evidence, and call incident response and your cyber-insurance carrier. Do not wipe or reboot systems, and do not decide to pay yet. Call us at (323) 331-9452.How fast can Be Structured respond to a ransomware attack?Our 24/7 Network Operations Center acknowledges and begins triaging active incidents within 10 minutes of your call. Because we are based in Downtown Los Angeles, we can also dispatch responders on-site when an incident requires hands-on work.Should I shut down my computers during a ransomware attack?No. Disconnect them from the network instead. Shutting machines down can destroy forensic evidence and, in some cases, data needed for recovery. Isolate, do not power off, unless a responder tells you to.Should I pay the ransom?Treat payment as a last resort, decided with incident responders and legal counsel. Paying does not guarantee a working decryption key or that stolen data is deleted, and payments to certain groups can carry legal and sanctions exposure. Many businesses with solid backups recover without paying.Can you recover my data without paying the ransom?Often, yes, if you have immutable, offsite, and tested backups, since those cannot be altered or deleted by an attacker. We prioritize recovery from clean, verified backups and salvage as much as safely possible where backups are incomplete.How much does ransomware recovery cost?Emergency incident response is quoted per incident based on severity, the number of affected systems, and the forensic work required. Ongoing protection is included in our fully managed IT and security plans, which typically run $125 to $300 per user per month. As a general industry note, ransomware incidents commonly cost businesses tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in downtime and recovery.How do I prevent ransomware from happening again?Layered defenses prevent most attacks: EDR on every endpoint, MFA on all logins, immutable and tested backups, consistent patch and vulnerability management, and security-awareness training. These are included in our fully managed IT and security plans.

#### Security
Dark Web Scanning And Phishing Email Training
Be Structured specializes in developing a robust cybersecurity platform around your operations.

Learn More
IP Access Control
With an IP access control solution from Be Structured, you can secure your facility from the inside out.

Learn More


IP Surveillance
Protect your mission-critical assets with an IP surveillance platform from Be Structured.

Learn More
Network Security
Team with Be Structured and our partners today to feel more secure about your network.

Learn More


Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
2FA ensures only trusted users have access to your network and data.

Learn More
Windows Defender And Active Directory Hardening
At Be Structured, we continually refine your cybersecurity strategies by staying ahead of the latest industry advancements.

Learn More



Antivirus And Antimalware
We prioritize network security so your team can stay focused on business growth.

Learn More


Free Consultation

#### Server Virtualization
Server virtualization is a cutting-edge technology solution for IT management, presenting capabilities that would never be possible with only a physical infrastructure. 
Server virtualization offers countless benefits for companies looking to make the switch from stagnant, costly servers that take up space and drive up costs. 
For businesses exploring AI workloads on private infrastructure, our guide to local LLM inference server setup covers what hardware, power, and cooling requirements actually look like.
In short, this technology offers countless benefits for companies, including improved performance, reduced costs, and increased flexibility. Server virtualization has proven itself to be a reliable and scalable solution for businesses of all sizes.
With server virtualization, businesses can enjoy improved performance and efficiency. This technology allows businesses to run multiple virtual servers on a single physical server. This means that businesses can consolidate their server infrastructure, which can lead to improved performance and reduced costs.
In addition, server virtualization offers increased flexibility and scalability. With this technology, businesses can easily add or remove servers as needed. This allows businesses to scale their infrastructure up or down as needed, without incurring the costs of purchasing and managing physical servers.
For local businesses in the Southern California area, hiring an IT support Los Angeles based company to help set up the server virtualization system will also save a lot of time and headache.
There’s no need to learn the network installation and network structure on your own, when there is an IT support company with decades of experience of doing just that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Server Virtualization?
Server virtualization is the cutting-edge solution for IT management. This technology offers countless benefits for businesses, including improved performance, reduced costs, and increased flexibility. If you are looking for a reliable and scalable solution for your business, server virtualization is the answer.
Server virtualization is the masking of server resources, including the number and identity of individual servers, processors, and operating systems, from server users. Virtualization uses a software application to divide one physical server into multiple isolated virtual environments.
A virtual private server is shared by multiple users who each have control over it. Essentially, virtualization converts one physical server into multiple virtual machines that can each run on their own operating system. Benefits of server virtualization include the following:
 	Reduce Costs – Optimizing your server eliminates the need for additional servers as your business continues to grow.
 	Speed Up Performance – Running on multiple isolated virtual environments rather than one physical machine speeds up applications, programs, and files on your computer, making employees more efficient.
 	Improve Disaster Recovery – No business wants to encounter a disaster with their technology and risk losing pertinent information. With server virtualization, a virtual server can be moved from one server to another quickly and safely.
 	Increased Productivity – Having fewer physical servers means there are less of them to maintain and manage. Also, computer programs that used to take hours can now be deployed in minutes. This allows your IT staff to focus on more important initiatives and enables your employees to focus on your business.
Revolutionary server virtualization services are proven to help businesses increase productivity and cut costs while keeping data safe and secure. Why waste your time with an outdated server that doesn’t yield results or save your company time and money? Upgrade and go virtual today.
Virtual Private Server Hosting From Industry-Leading Providers
At Be Structured Technology Group, we partner with some of the best names in the business to bring cutting-edge virtualization solutions to our clients. Be Structured supports technology consolidation solutions from Dell, Microsoft, HP, Citrix, and VMware. 
We offer solutions that help to create an efficient, responsive IT environment for our client’s data centers.
One of the many goals of an outsourced IT support company is to assure your business experiences maximum “uptime”.
Let’s take a closer look. 
What Is Uptime and Why Is it Important?
Server virtualization offers many benefits for companies, including increased uptime. Uptime is the measure of how often a system is operational. It's usually expressed as a percentage of total time, and it's an important metric for any business that relies on its technology infrastructure. 
When you're making the switch from physical servers to virtual ones, you can expect increased uptime due to the fact that virtual servers are more resilient and can be quickly recovered if there's an issue.
Uptime is the measure of how often a system is operational. 
It's usually expressed as a percentage of total time, and it's an important metric for any business that relies on its technology infrastructure. When you're making the switch from physical servers to virtual ones, you can expect increased uptime due to the fact that virtual servers are more resilient and can be quickly recovered if there's an issue.
Be Structured, a managed IT services in Los Angeles maintains that uptime is determined by two factors: downtime and availability. Downtime is the total amount of time a system is unavailable, while availability is the percentage of time a system is available for use. 
To calculate uptime, you simply multiply downtime by availability. For example, if a system has downtime of 8 hours and availability of 90%, then its uptime would be 72%.
But what exactly is uptime? How is it measured, and what factors can affect it? Let's take a closer look.
How Is Uptime Measured?
Uptime is usually measured by a service provider in order to track the performance of their services. There are a few different ways to measure it, but the most common is to use the formula downtime multiplied by availability. This gives you an uptime percentage that reflects how often your system is up and running.
There are several factors that can affect uptime, including hardware failures, software issues, security threats, and human error. Hardware failures are one of the main causes of downtime, and they can be caused by things like power outages, component failures, or natural disasters. Software issues can also cause downtime, as can security threats and human error. By understanding these factors, you can take steps to minimize their impact and maximize uptime.
How Can I Improve Uptime?
There are a few things you can do to improve uptime, including:
- Use redundant hardware: By using multiple servers, you can ensure that if one goes down, the others can pick up the slack. This will minimize downtime in the event of a hardware failure.
- Use redundant power supplies: If you have multiple power supplies, you can stay up and running even if one fails. This is especially important for data centers, where an uninterrupted power supply is crucial.
- Use failover clustering: Failover clustering allows you to keep your system up and running even if a server fails. This is done by setting up a secondary server that will take over if the primary one fails.
- Implement a solid backup plan: Having a good backup plan in place is essential for ensuring that your data is always safe. By backing up your data regularly, you can minimize the impact of any system failures.
By following these tips, you can improve your system's uptime and keep your business running smoothly.
Never fall victim to a disaster again with server virtualization. Work from anywhere with the help of Be Structured Technology Group.
When it comes to the onslaught of remote, it's never been more important to understand the benefits of server virtualization for remote workers.
Make Your Life Easier With Server Virtualization
Something as important as your technology shouldn’t run slowly, have no backup solutions in place, and cost you tons of money, especially when there is a solution available that can help solve all of these issues. 
Server virtualization reduces costs, speeds up performance, improves data backup solutions, and increases productivity. The sooner you migrate to a virtual server, the better off your business will be. 
Contact Be Structured today to get started.

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#### Software Development
Let Be Structured save you time and resources so you can focus on your software development.
Every Industry Has Local IT Support Needs
If you are a software or application development shop, then some might think that you can easily handle your own IT services and needs.

The truth is that it is actually counter-productive.

In fact, it makes the most sense to keep your team focused on your own core goals like coding your product or addressing the needs of your customers.

Be Structured Technology Group is the leading outsourced IT support company that will allow you to maintain that sort of focus.

Even if you are a financial institution in need of business IT services, you still put your money in a bank. The same goes for your IT support services, you put your trust in the experts. We are confident in the advantages that we can provide because no one person can offer the expertise that comes with our entire team.

We have already helped a number of teams with managed IT services in Los Angeles, and we are certain in the benefits of our skills. Even more, we know your needs and requirements because operate in the same field.

Be Structured understands that all dev shops need very high-quality networking with dependable uptimes.
Every Industry Depends On Their Systems, Even Software Dev Shops
The software development industry is constantly evolving and growing, which means that the tech support needs of developers change too.

When it comes to software development, the demands of the job are constant and relentless. Depending on the software development project, developers might be working from early in the morning until late at night, or they might be required to work on weekends.

The constant demands put a lot of strain on both their personal and professional lives, and this often leads to tech support issues. One of the biggest challenges for software developers is that they are often required to work on multiple projects at the same time.

This means that they are constantly switching between different applications, and that they are not always familiar with the tech specs for each one. This can lead to a lot of tech support issues, especially if they are trying to help someone else with a project.

Another challenge that software developers face is that they are often required to be able to work on their projects remotely. This means that they are not always able to access their computers and that they are not always able to get help when they need it.

If they are having trouble with a project, it can be difficult to get help from a live person. One way that software developers can overcome these challenges is by using remote support services.

These services allow developers to access their computers and get help from a live person, no matter where they are. This can be a great way to get help when they are not able to get to their computer, or when they are having trouble with a project.

Another way that software developers can overcome these challenges is by using outsourced IT support services. These services allow developers to access their computers and get help from a live person, no matter where they are. This can be a great way to get help when they are not able to get to their computer, or when they are having trouble with a project.

Finally, one of the biggest challenges that software developers face is that they are often required to be able to work on their projects remotely. This means that they are not always able to access their computers and that they are not always able to get help when they need it.

If they are having trouble with a project, it can be difficult to get help from a live person. One way that software developers can overcome these challenges is by using remote support services.

These IT support companies allow developers to access their computers and get help from a live person, no matter where they are. This can be a great way to get help when they are not able to get to their computer, or when they are having trouble with a project.

Overall, the tech support needs of software developers are unique and often challenging. By using outsourced tech support companies, developers can overcome many of their tech support challenges.

Allow Be Structured to relieve your worry and give you peace of mind.
We Built Our Team To Resolve IT Support & IT Security Issues
You might have built the perfect team for developing your software application, but those skill sets don’t always translate to resolving IT service issues.

Our team at Be Structured has a diverse set of talents.

Our business is built on technical expertise from the top down. We have technicians and help desk staff that are all available to help you discover and resolve your problems.

We understand the unique needs of development teams, but there are some similarities you share with our other industry partners, even small businesses.

Regardless of the application or software you are building, deadlines and productivity are paramount among your concerns in the development process. Our vCIO strategic planning has years of experience in maintaining the productivity of our partners.

This is where our solutions like cloud services, IT security in Los Angeles, and data backup methods come in to assist you. Custom cloud-computing services like this will protect your software development and enhance your business processes.
Hiring Be Structured Is A More Efficient Strategy
Don’t let your resources get dragged down in trying to address your own IT support needs.

Partner with an award-winning IT support company in Los Angeles and trust in our services to support your software development operations. You might share some of our IT expertise, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend your time worrying about it.

Be Structured will help you keep your eye on the app development while providing support and advice with information technology consulting.

Contact us for a free consultation today, and let us help shape the future of your IT support so you can focus on building your business.

#### Structured Network Cabling
WE CREATE A UNIQUE STRUCTURED CABLING PLAN FOR EACH CLIENT.
Professional Structured Cabling
Structured cabling is the physical system that supports your network and overall connectivity within your business. It might exist behind the scenes of your work area, but it is crucial to your operations. 

This is why you need the services of Be Structured Technology Group Inc. 

We have the expertise and years of experience necessary to design your structured cabling system with your end goals in mind. This cabling is the backbone of your network—it includes all of the cables connecting your wired computers, switches, servers, routers, and other devices. 

Even if you have WiFi throughout your office, you still have a network of cables doing some work behind the scenes.

As your go-to Los Angeles IT support company, we provide your cabling infrastructure through a trusted third-party supplier. We partner with them because they are experts in implementing structured cabling solutions that create the best solution for you. 

Through this partnership, we will supply all of your fiber optic and copper cabling needs. 

We are well-versed in all of the appropriate cabling standards and how to design them to fit the functions of your workplace best. 

We know every company has their own unique needs, and we design all of our solutions specifically to meet those needs.

In many ways, structured cabling is similar to your network installation. 

Both of them are physical systems that are vital parts of your digital operations. They both need to be designed and built with your future in mind, and both of them can be completely planned out by Be Structured. 

We provide turnkey cabling solutions that our partners implement.

You may think that having a strategy really doesn’t matter when it comes to running cabling. However, without planning out where your cable drops will be or knowing how many connections you will need, you may find that you simply do not have the cabling structure needed. This can lead to some patch methods such as using more switches or routers, but those solutions aren’t optimal. 

Instead, you want to make certain that you always have enough network connections available so you can get the most out of your network without dealing with slow connections or work-arounds that may introduce vulnerabilities in your security.
Structured Cabling Is One Of Your Foundational Services
Be Structured delivers those qualities in all of our services.
We are also the rare Los Angeles MSP that has a Ca state contractor license.
That means we don't have to rely on 3rd party contractors to pull permits. We are the contractor providing key benefits that saves you valuable time and money by truly being a one-stop IT support shop.
CA License #1140088 | C-7 Low Voltage Contractor

A Superior Strategy
The bulk of your structured cabling is going to dwell in the background of a data center or the equipment rooms of your workplace. Most of your employees will never see these cables, and your customers certainly won’t. 

However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need to be organized or should be allowed to tangle together. Instead, these rooms need to be laid out with a customized network installation strategy. 

Maximizing these areas means designing a system that wastes no space. There are two predominant schools of thought when it comes to managing the telecommunication cabling in your data center:

 	Point-to-Point: This system is exactly what it sounds like. It is a straightforward approach where cables are run directly in and out of the hardware that requires connection. However, while this is the traditional method and is what many people immediately think of doing, it’s also an inefficient strategy. It may often be the best way to get the most out of your space, but it also creates something that is like organized chaos. You have long cables running everywhere, and those cables may easily get damaged.
 	Structured Cabling: Inside your data center or equipment room, there will be an array of patch panels and racks that are designed to create a port for hardware connections at the top of the server. The structured cabling strategy uses horizontal cabling (cables that run from your equipment room to each workstation or office) and backbone cabling (cables that run from the equipment room to other equipment rooms, other floors in the office, and the entrance facility) to complete an infrastructure that keeps your cords out of sight and creates easier access for maintenance. By combining horizontal and backbone cabling, the final design is efficiently laid out for upgrades and expansion later. It may take a little more space, but it also keeps everything tidy and organized so it is easier to find exactly what needs replaced during maintenance.

Of the two options, structured cabling is more complex. However, it offers a more professional appearance and allows technicians quicker access to problem areas in case of an issue. 

It’s worth dedicating a little more space to your equipment room upfront than to later find that your cables are crisscrossing everywhere and aren’t in any type of systematic order. This is especially true if you have a multi-level office that has several different equipment rooms and servers.

All of the cabling we install meets the international network cabling standards as outlined by ISO/IEC and the Telecommunications Industry Association.
Part Of A Structured Cabling Network
Your structured cabling network may contain a number of different parts, depending on how large your building and network is.

 	Equipment rooms are where your servers, access points, and other main pieces of equipment are stored.
 	Horizontal cabling that connects your individual workstations and areas. These cables may connect to a patch panel on each floor. That panel is then connected to the main equipment room.
 	Backbone cabling connects the various floors, equipment rooms, telecommunications closets, and entrance facilities together.
 	Telecommunications closets serve as the point on each floor where the backbone cable connects to a switch panel. Each of the horizontal cables on that floor connect to that patch panel.
 	Entrance facilities are where the telecommunications company’s equipment ends and yours begin. This is where your network connects to the internet.
 	Work areas are where each employee’s equipment connects to a horizontal cable.

We Are An IT Support Los Angeles Based Company That Avoids Common Structured Cabling Mistakes
We’ve been creating structured cabling strategies for years, and we understand some of the many common mistakes that can be made in creating these plans. 

If you’ve noticed that your network has some performance issues that you haven’t been able to track down, the problem could be coming from how your cables are run and laid out. Look for some of these common mistakes and, if you find any, call a local IT support company like Be Structured.

One of the most basic mistakes many people make is thinking of cables as being nothing more than another type of wire or connector. 

But ethernet and other networking cables are more than power cords in that they are the paths that your data takes to travel from one point to another. This can be from the server to an employee’s computer, to the switch, or to the internet. Without these cables, you have no network. 

Even if you’re mostly wireless, you still have cables connecting your WiFi access points to the router and other devices. Cables are the most vital part of your network, and it’s important to treat them as such. They need to be protected, not left where they can easily be stepped on or tripped over.

Another common mistake is failing to test your cabling system when it’s installed. 

Professional IT support companies won’t make this mistake—we test everything so you know it will work correctly. Your cabling installation is something that you likely won’t do again unless you move buildings, so it’s important that it’s done correctly the first time. This test needs to check every cable that’s been installed so that you don’t later discover that somewhere, one of your cables is damaged or otherwise isn’t functioning correctly. 

It’s much more difficult to find and replace these cables after you’ve completely moved into the building.

As you grow as a company, your equipment room is likely to see some additions. Unfortunately, this is where all of the carefully planned cable runs and equipment setup can become a mess. 

Extra patch panels and cables can quickly get out of hand, especially if no room is left for expansion. We make certain there’s space for new equipment as it’s needed, so you don’t end up with a tangled mess. This makes it much easier for maintenance and additions, too.

Another common mistake that’s very easy to make is to run data cables and power cables together. This can interfere with data transfer by introducing noise into the data cable. There are a number of different issues this can cause, so it’s always best to avoid it.

We carefully craft our structured cabling strategy to avoid all of these common errors, so your network cables are running correctly and will support your network for years to come. 

We don’t want you to discover later that you need to open walls or ceilings to redo cables or add more. 

Our goal is to have everything done correctly the first time, so you don’t need to worry about your cables ever again.
Los Angeles IT Support & Structured Cabling Objectives
A professional cabling system has to serve many masters. First, and foremost, it has to deliver reliable and fast service to meet your technological needs. 

If you don’t have enough cable connections or if the connections between your various servers and workstations aren’t secure and stable, your network won’t be as efficient as it should be. 

Running cables near power lines can create instability and lost data, while a disorganized equipment room can easily lead to damaged cables.

It also needs to exist in the background of your workplace and not cause any disruptions in your professional appearance. 

No one wants a cabling system that has cable connections and fiber cables exposed everywhere for anyone to see. This makes your workplace look disorganized or like you’re in the middle of having upgrades or repairs done. 

Clients who constantly see your workspace in what seems to be a mess may start to wonder if your team pays attention to details or is really focused on their work. 

It can damage your reputation, which in turn will damage your profits.

Finally, your cabling also needs to be structured in such a way that it leaves room for you to grow. 

Be Structured’s Los Angeles IT services will save you money in the long run, because we can do it right the first time. Any later additions to your structure will fit seamlessly and cause fewer disruptions to your daily operations. 

This is just one more way that the Be Structured team plans for your future and supports your day-to-day operations. 

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you with structured cabling or want to discuss our other services, contact us today.

 

#### Terms of Service
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#### Torrance IT Support
IT Support Torrance Businesses Can Trust
With a moderate climate and thriving business scene, Torrance, California, is one the safest cities in Los Angeles County.

If you’re running a small or medium-size business in the Torrance area, you need a trusted managed-service provider. Be Structured has extensive experience and personalized solutions geared toward your long-term success. At Be Structured, our team is always here to help you!

With all the high-end merchandise and industry in Torrance comes technological needs to keep the stores and businesses up and running 24/7.

That’s where Be Structured Technology Group comes in.

Be Structured has been providing award-winning outsourced IT services to Torrance businesses for over 15 years.

Whatever your business size, Be Structured has your Torrance IT services covered. Save valuable time and money with Be Structured’s long list of Torrance IT consulting solutions that include:

 	Software installation and upgrades
 	Hardware set-up and maintenance
 	Network structured security and storage
 	Data backup

#### Transportation and Freight
If outdated technology is slowing your operation, the team at Be Structured Technology Group has hands-on experience as one of the leading outsourced tech support companies in Los Angeles for helping transportation and freight companies turn IT into their most valuable asset.
Streamline Your Supply Chain
When you partner with Be Structured for your local IT support needs, our goal is to drive efficiency at every level of your logistics platform. Whether you’re shipping small packages across the globe or truckloads across the nation, our team can ensure your business has the tools to succeed.

We can work with you on everything from finding an ideal software solution for your operations to building a robust network from the ground up.

With Be Structured on your side, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that technology will never slow your team down again.
Real-Time Tracking
In today’s world, your customers expect immediate results. Give them the real-time feedback they want with real-time tracking capabilities. You and your team will have access to a comprehensive shipment-tracking platform that keeps all stakeholders on the same page. With Be Structured, your customers won’t have to ask, “Where’s my shipment?” They’ll be able to see for themselves with a tracking platform designed to maximize customer engagement.

We also have hands-on experience designing and deploying global positioning system (GPS) platforms that allow you to track your most valuable assets, such as shipping containers, trailers, and trucks, from anywhere in the world.

Managed IT Services For The Transportation Industry.
Be Structured ensures technology never slows your business again.
With Be Structured as your managed IT services Los Angeles partner, we can oversee any aspect of your business’s technology needs.

From IT security Los Angeles solutions to deploying a cloud network, our team has hands-on experience ensuring you’re using technology to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

Some of our most popular Los Angeles IT services include:
Cloud Services
With a team that’s always on the go, a cloud solution offers the flexibility to keep up with them wherever they are. A cloud platform allows your organization access to mission-critical data from anywhere with an internet connection.

At Be Structured, we understand that selecting the right cloud platform for your needs can be a challenging decision. With the possibilities of a private or hybrid cloud, cloud solutions rarely look alike.

We work with you to understand your unique workflows and specific goals to develop a cloud platform that aligns with your needs. Our options include:
Private Cloud

 	More customizable options
 	Tighter resource management

Public Cloud

 	Scalable computing power
 	Minimal upfront hardware costs

Hybrid Cloud
With a hybrid cloud model, your organization can enjoy the benefits of a private and public cloud while leveraging against any downsides. A hybrid cloud offers next-level flexibility by balancing local and off-site resources based on your needs. You can store your most sensitive data with on-premise resources, and your excess information can run more efficiently from a public data center.
IP Surveillance and Access Control
With Be Structured, you can expand your security platform to prepare for the challenges of the 21st century. We develop and deploy IP camera surveillance systems to keep your facility protected while saving you time and money. With IP surveillance, you can enjoy improved image quality, scalable storage, powerful search features, and a unified security solution that meshes seamlessly with your existing network.

Our IP access control solutions pair excellently with our IP surveillance systems. IP access control ties in to your network to manage and audit facility access points.

An IP access control platform allows you to add, modify, and track user access privileges in real time from anywhere in the world.

By unifying IP surveillance and access control, your organization can maximize the security at your facility while keeping employees, customers, and critical assets more protected than ever before.
IT Support Los Angeles
By delivering the latest developments in transportation tracking, facility security, and IT solutions, Be Structured is your single source for all of your technology needs.

Get in touch with our team today and we’ll discuss your vision for the future.

From there, our team works closely with your team to develop and deploy a comprehensive IT solution around your goals and needs.

#### Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION ENSURES ONLY TRUSTED USERS HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR NETWORK AND DATA.

What Is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)?
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s business environment. With cyber criminals gaining access to networks and data by merely guessing commonly used user passwords, or using stolen credentials found or purchased on the dark web, 2FA incorporates an additional layer of protection into your existing security strategies to ensure users really are who they say they are. 
With hackers becoming more and more devious, it’s vital that you no longer rely solely on passwords as your only form of user authentication. Accounts must be secured by more than a single layer of security, which is where Two-Factor Authentication comes in to provide greater IT security to your Los Angeles based business.
Two-Factor Authentication works by requiring users to enter an additional code upon login to verify their identities. When a user tries to log in they receive a push notification on their device or generate a code using the app on their device. 
They are then prompted to enter that code, or approve the login via push, before being granted access. Because the unique code changes every time a user attempts to log in or after 30 seconds have passed, it becomes virtually impossible for a hacker to gain access, even if they know the user’s password. Due to how the code is transmitted to the other device, it’s also very difficult for it to be hacked.
However, some forms of 2FA are not foolproof. 
If a cybercriminal has access to a user’s cell phone or email account, they may be able to circumvent Two-Factor Authentication security by intercepting the authentication code. We make sure 2FA is enabled on users’ email accounts and use a premium 2FA provider called Duo to limit these kinds of threats.
One of our preferred 2FA/MFA vendors is Duo. Duo is designed to make it easy to implement 2FA at any business. It allows you to add users, look at device security reports, and more. Duo is designed to be compliant with a number of different regulations as well, including HIPAA. 
You can also configure policies to help approve or block access. For example, you can create a policy that blocks anyone attempting to log in from a country where you have no offices.
Implementing Two-Factor Authentication is not difficult, nor is it time-consuming or requiring you to purchase a lot of new hardware. When you decide to make use of 2FA, we will set you up with a Duo account and implement it across your network. 
The biggest change is on the employee side of things. Everyone will need to install the authentication app on their phones and enroll. Once that’s done, everyone can begin logging in using the new 2FA system.

Two-Factor Authentication Ensure Users Really Are Who They Say They Are
So what are the benefits of implementing 2FA for your business?
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) confirms a user’s identity before granting network access by making sure that a person approves the login with their mobile device. This prevents hackers from easily gaining access to the network simply by knowing someone’s login and password information. Without any sort of other authentication, anyone with the username and password can gain access to your network easily. 
All it takes is for one employee to write down their password and leave the note out where people can see it. That one small act circumvents your security and opens the doors to your network.
The problem of passwords doesn’t necessarily end just because users are creating strong passwords and are not writing them down, either. Many people use the same password in multiple places. This means if they’ve used a password that’s been compromised on multiple services it could be at risk. 
With Two-Factor Authentication, this isn’t an issue. 
The stolen username and password should be reported, of course, and the password should be changed immediately. However, there is no instant risk of your network being compromised unless the code was being sent to the user’s email and there is easy access to that email account on the computer. 
Even then, the thief would actually have to look at the user’s email to find the code. Often times, 2FA may be insufficient, at which time we will recommend a customer implements a multi-factor authentication to stregthen their defense against cyberattacks.

Two-Factor Authentication Platforms
History has shown that passwords aren’t always enough. Cybercriminals can guess commonly used passwords, find passwords that have been written down, or deploy brute force attacks that use a script to enter all possible password combinations. Even passwords that are over six characters in length and contain a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols aren’t 100 percent secure. 
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) works to mitigate these threats by adding an additional layer of identity verification.

Two-Factor Authentication Verification Codes
As mentioned above, when a user attempts to log in to your network, they are given a push authentication to approve on their mobile devices. If they have a problem with the push they can also be prompted to enter the unique code that’s generated on their mobile device. Upon entering the correct code, the user is granted network access. If they enter the wrong code several times in a row, an alert will be sent to the IT team and the account may be locked to prevent further attempts to hack it. This is often similar to how an account is locked after an incorrect password is entered several times in a row.
The user may also have the option to label the device they’re using as trusted so they won’t have to repeat the authentication process every time they log in on that device. 
However, when logging in on a new, unrecognized device, they will be prompted to re-verify their identity by entering a new unique code. That means anytime a cybercriminal attempts to log in, they would also have to have email or cell phone access to infiltrate your network. 
This forces hackers to determine where the access code is going and hack that device or account as well, which is much more challenging. Most hackers are looking for a quick and easy way of stealing data, so they will move on to another target.

Two-Factor Authentication Biometrics and Key Fobs
Some advanced 2FA systems now incorporate biometrics or key fobs such as Yubikey. Our preferred 2FA vendor, Duo, also supports Yubikey so the user has to present a physical device they have possession of to authenticate. 
The user may have to press their finger against a fingerprint scanner or look into a camera with facial recognition before they can log in. Or in the case of Yubikey they have to insert the key fob and press the button on it. These options aren’t as popular as using an authenticator app simply because they require additional hardware that the company may not want to invest in. However, they may become more popular in the future when this type of equipment becomes much more commonplace.

Common Pushback on Two-Factor Authentication
While 2FA has been proven to be much more secure than standard passwords, some employers do still receive pushback on implementing it from their employees. 
One of the most common complaints they hear is that it adds complexity to logging in or takes more time. While this is somewhat true, the tradeoff of a minor inconvenience to the user for dramatically greater security to the company is worth it.
Another complaint is 2FA requires employees to install an app on their smartphone. While this is true, these apps take up very little space and aren’t a major drain on the phone’s battery or other resources. Employees may also be able to purchase an authenticator key fob device as an alternative. 
These small devices can fit on a keychain and provide the access code, though they may not be able to show all of the same information such as when someone attempts to log in or the log in the location that the app can. Receiving a phone call or requesting text messages may also be viable alternatives to downloading the app.
Some employees don’t understand why they need to have both a strong password and use Two-Factor Authentication. On their own, both are good security measures. When combined, however, they are much stronger. Those using only 2FA could be compromised if their phone is hacked. 
A strong password can be stolen via a keylogger program or compromised from another service if it is used on multiple platforms. When used together, however, it’s much, much more difficult to gain unauthorized access to an account.
By pointing out the reasons 2FA is preferred over standard passwords, employees should recognize why it’s important to use it. While some may still express their unhappiness with the extra step required, entering the authentication code will soon become second nature to most and is strongly recommended by most IT support companies.

2FA User Training Is Essential
Training your employees to make use of 2FA is necessary to avoid some of the pitfalls of this security measure. Walking users through the entire authentication process and being on-site to assist users having problems the first day of the rollout can go a long way to easing user adoption and happiness.
Employees will also need to learn to bring their authentication device to work regularly. Since many people will use the authentication app on their smartphone, this shouldn’t be an issue. However, you will need to have a policy in place in the event that someone loses their phone or their phone dies and they need a day or two to get a replacement.
Once your team is trained on Two-Factor Authentication, they do need to be reminded that it’s still important to follow password best practices. This includes using strong passwords and changing them regularly. 2FA is not a replacement for passwords, nor should it be an excuse to use weak passwords.

Los Angeles IT Support With 2FA
If you’re ready to take a proactive approach to protect your network by incorporating the latest security strategies into your IT platform, the experts at Be Structured Technology Group are here to help. 
We’ll pinpoint industry-specific threats and work with you to develop a comprehensive network security solution that’s built around your operations. Get in touch with our team today, and we’ll start exploring how to better protect your network.
 

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#### Vulnerability Scanning
Be Structured is Your Managed Service Provider That Recommends Vulnerability Scanning
What is Vulnerability Scanning? 
When you need to know that your business is safe from cyber intrusions, then you will either turn to a professional or software that can look over the entire business to ensure there are no weak spots.

However, with the vast array of options, how are you to know which is the best one to turn to?

Here at Be Structured, we rely on and recommend Vulnerability Scanning, the industry leader in penetration testing software for IT. I

t allows us to be one of the most reliable Los Angeles Vulnerability Scanning technology firms who can help ensure your business has filled in any gaps of vulnerability and is as protected as possible. Trust us to help make sure your business is as safe and that your business is not a target of nearby cyber hackers.
What Does Vulnerability Scanning Do?
There are many scanners that look for vulnerabilities in websites, but Vulnerability Scanning is one that the pros here at Be Structured love to rely on. Vulnerability Scanning assesses for vulnerability and provides penetration testing.

This lets us look around your system and server for malicious attacks or open areas that need addressing. Tenable Security is the company behind Vulnerability Scanning, and they have created a tool that is effective at many different levels.

The professional version of Vulnerability Scanning is commonly used in the IT field because of how quickly it can assess and discover problem areas within your networks. It can also create a target profile, audit the configuration of your network, detect if you have malware present, discover if sensitive data is adjusted improperly or missing, and even scan the programs you use within your system.
Customize Vulnerability Scanning with Over 127,000 Plugins
A bonus that comes with using Vulnerability Scanning is that you even get protection from scans when the devices or servers are offline.

Using Vulnerability Scanning allows your entire business environment to be safe without sharing information with people that you do not know are safe to have in your environment. Your business could be a lot safer with regular scans from Vulnerability Scanning.

Plus, it is always updated.

There are over 123,000 plugins that it uses, which allow for both local and remote security checks by authenticated users, an interface and architecture that is simple to follow and use, and even lets tech experts create their own unique plugins. There is also extra documentation so that you can fully understand what the existing plugins are capable of. Vulnerability Scanning was made to be user-friendly, which is often great news for both tech-friendly and non-tech businesses alike.
How is Vulnerability Scanning Different Than Other Network Security Tools?
When most business owners look for network security tools, they feel overwhelmed. Just the idea of having to use a tool like this makes them nervous.

However, Vulnerability Scanning is different.

While you still may not feel comfortable reading the results on your own, it is set up to be user-friendly and approachable. The results you get when you run a scan are very fast, and it gives you an overview of how secure your network is with just the click of your mouse.
Vulnerability Scanning Pinpoints Vulnerabilities
Most hackers determine where to strike by first running a scan that lets them see where a businesses’ system is vulnerable. This is called a penetration test. This test will look through your entire business along with all associated devices, and pinpoints where the hacker could most easily get in and exploit information from your business.

They are on the lookout for ports that are open, areas that do not require passwords, software titles that are out of date, and similar holes. Then, they set up their mission of exploiting those vulnerabilities until they can get in and take whatever information is in front of them.

Instead of allowing these holes to exist, we use Vulnerability Scanning to go over your entire network. It includes everything connected to your network and allows you to see where there may be existing gaps in your security measures. You have the main software, plus all of its associated tools to help you keep your network safe. There are specific steps that go into getting the most out of Vulnerability Scanning.
Vulnerability Scanning Scan Types
Once the installation and plugin setup are complete, you should run your first vulnerability scan.

Since this software is designed to scan for several issues, you have many different options. However, the first scan we will run will be a network scan to get an idea if there are any issues that you need to be aware of right off the bat. Expect this first scan to take a little longer than most subsequent scans, as it will look over every bit of information and every device that is connected toy our network.

There are many different scans that Vulnerability Scanning is capable of running that can help your business. We will determine which scans are best based on the type of business you have and any issues with compliance you may have already in your business. Here are some of the most common scans we typically use when we use Vulnerability Scanning.

 	Host Discovery Scans: This is when we scan to see if there are any open ports or live hosts on your network.
 	Basic Network Scans: This is when you run a scan to simply tell you if anything is obviously vulnerable about your system where someone may come in and exploit the issue.
 	Malware Scans: This is a scan that looks over Unix and Windows systems in search of any type of malware.
 	PCI Compliance Quarterly Scans: This is when a scan is performed quarterly on external access to your system to help maintain PCI compliance.
 	OVAL and SCAP Audits: This is when we use Vulnerability Scanning to audit your system using OVAL and/or SCAP definitions.

Getting Information from Your Vulnerability Scanning Results
After the scan, you will see a lot of colorful results. Each device on your network will have results, and each color you see represents the threats where a potential vulnerability exists. The colors range from low danger to critical risk of vulnerability.

You should see all devices on your local network, including your servers, firewalls, network equipment, printers (if network-enabled), your laptops or PCs, and workstations around your business. Each graph you see has more information about the vulnerability of the specific devices, so you not only get information that shows that the device is vulnerable, but also how.
Vulnerabilities Assessment
You will see each vulnerability shown as a plugin, because that is how this software discovers holes of vulnerabilities. If you click on a plugin, it will provide you with more information about how this problem creates vulnerability.

You can also find additional information on how to fix this type of issue. Thankfully, if you do not want to take the time to figure out how to fix each vulnerability you have, you can turn to this Los Angeles cybersecurity firm and we will help you.

You also have the option of understanding how this creates a problem for your business. One of the major benefits of using Vulnerability Scanning is that it helps to provide you with a lot of information. This means you can look at each vulnerability, and it will explain to you how a potential hacker would be able to exploit the problem.

It also tells you the processes a hacker would use. If you had old firmware on an outdated device, you may see an explanation such as, a hacker could create fake access points using this vulnerability. That lets you see how sneaky a hacker could be and shows you that even something you likely forgot about (the old firmware since the device was outdated) is a possible problem.
Taking Action Based on Your Vulnerability Scanning Results
You will be given a lot of information about your business when you look through the Vulnerability Scanning results. However, you may not understand what to do to protect yourself from those vulnerabilities. Thankfully, that is part of what makes us such an effective Los Angeles cybersecurity firm.

We can go through and explain your results, plus offer you suggestions on what can be done to help secure your company. You never want to leave yourself open to an attack. Prior to your Vulnerability Scanning scans, you may not have had any type of an idea you were even vulnerable. However, now that you know, you need to be able to take steps to protect yourself, your business, and your customers.

If you were to neglect your Vulnerability Scanning results, it could leave your business and customers open to identity theft or personal attacks. This is not a solution you want, and it could lead to the ruin of your company.

Bad reputations for safety concerns travel quickly. Instead, allow the experienced professionals here at Be Structured provide you with solutions that can close those vulnerable holes and give you the security you need and deserve.

After the full scan, we will look at the remediations tab. This is where we will see the largest problems are. Going back to the example of outdated firmware, we would see that listed here, along with the other issues that your network faces.

While we may go through and update your devices often, some are bound to slip through the cracks that will wind up on this list. We need to determine if we should close the vulnerability or to remove the device from your network. Both are viable options, depending on the size of your network. Occasionally the risks are very low too and remediation is deemed not necessary.
Do You Know What is On Your Network?
Hackers are always on the lookout for any way into a busy network. Those networks that are overloaded and busy, often have more gaps in them than tiny networks, since those are easier to maintain. It is vital that you know what is on your network.

This scan by Vulnerability Scanning may give you a lot more insight as to what is going on in your network than you expected. We will take the time to go over the results with you fully and remove whatever vulnerabilities we determine to be necessary. If you are not sure how to make a problem area within your network safe, then ask us. We understand how to configure servers, set up networks, authenticate users, install security software, and so much more. If you have an open gap in your network, we can fix it.
Vulnerabilities Are Scary and Should Not Be Ignored
You will see a lot of information when looking over a Vulnerability Scanning report. While it can be a bit scary to see that you really are vulnerable to an outside attack, it is also important that you know there are solutions to fix it. Sitting back and worrying about the holes in your network is not going to help it fix itself. You need the right tools to make sure each hole is closed up the right way. Seeing these openings is only the start of what needs to be done.

You also need to understand that these vulnerabilities are sometimes somewhat limited. For example, if you are talking about an opening with an outdated device that has not been used in years, the information the hacker could have access to is going to be limited as well. However, if you are not sure where a device is or who may be using it, the limitations are unknown at that point. That is part of what makes taking care of any vulnerabilities you may have so important. You never know what type of limitations a device may have unless someone tries to access it. At that point, it is simply not worth the risk.
Be Structured Can Help Ensure Your Business is Not Vulnerable with the Help of Vulnerability Scanning
We rely on Vulnerability Scanning for Los Angeles penetration testing because of how effective this software really is. It is widely used across the cybersecurity industry because the results are fast, dependable, and accurate. If you want to make sure that your company is safe from possible intrusions, then you need to let the experienced professionals here at Be Structured by your Los Angeles cybersecurity firm. Let us use Vulnerability Scanning on your company’s network to show you if you have anything to worry about. Contact us today to find out how we can help. Your business and your customers depend on the safety we can help provide.

What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.
Protect Your Business With Vulnerability Scanning 
Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware here.
Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions
When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.
Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### Webroot Cyber Security
Be Structured is a Managed Service Provider with Solutions for Cybersecurity with Webroot


What Is Webroot?Webroot Anti-Virus Anti-Malware

When it comes to ensuring that your technology is working to help you succeed, our promise to you at Be Structured Technology Group Inc., is to always make sure that your information is safe. We understand how many different directions a threat may come from, so you don’t have to. Our goal as a managed service provider is to ensure that you can trust the recommendations, we have about keeping yourself and your business safe with our security services, including our anti-virus and anti-malware software solutions. That way, you can focus solely on keeping your business growing and thriving.

One of the strongest forms of protection we provide is the Webroot® SecureAnywhere anti-virus (AV) and anti-malware (AM) product. This program allows us to be able to provide security solutions that are fully cloud-based. It learns how to monitor and adapt to any type of protection you need, based on the threats you are most likely to face. Webroot® offers protection against many types of risks, including:

  Ransomware
  Trojans
  Network infections
  Browser attacks
  Crypto-threats
  Malware
  Spyware
  Automated threats
  Phishing
  And more


Webroot® anti-malware and anti-virus protection continuously monitors the types of threats you face and is able to predict what is coming so it can keep every bit of your information safe and secure. This is effective against both single and multi-vector threats that come at you or your business from anywhere. That means that if an attack occurs, Webroot is there to protect you in real-time, making this solution far more effective than any other solution your business may currently have in place.

Benefits of Using Webroot

As an MSP, Los Angeles businesses have come to rely on the information we provide them. As such, we make sure that we take the time to learn and understand every aspect of the services or products that we use and recommend. This is why we are happy to share our thoughts on some of the incredible benefits that come with using this cloud-based software. Aside from the fact that it is always up to date, you can expect benefits like these as well:

30-second Installation: Putting Webroot® to work only takes 30 seconds. Plus, it is not going to conflict with any other software you have running. So, regardless of any type of updates you need to preform, or if you ever have to install Webroot® on an addition system, it can be done quickly and efficiently, while also ensuring you and your business secure by drastically limiting any type of unprotected downtime.

Automated Operation: When Webroot® was created, the user was kept in mind. Each part of the software is simple and intuitive. You can look through the templates that are already part of the system or create one that is as unique as your business. You never need a signature to manage your protection. Instead, the work is done from the cloud so there is no impact on anyone’s experience.

Automated Updates: When you start using Webroot®, you can set how often you want it to update. The updates are totally transparent and take under five seconds in nearly all instances. You will be alerted when an update takes place, so you can run a new scan as soon as it is complete, should you so choose.

It Can Be Managed Remotely: If you have an issue with Webroot®, we can look at it from our location without having to come to you to see what might be going on. It is set up with administrators when it is implemented, allowing only those with the proper codes and authorization to look at your system. All commands that may need to be input to correct an issue can be done from anywhere, so you never have to worry about trying to manage foreign software. We centrally manage Webroot® for our clients using our Datto Remote Management and Monitoring (RMM) Platform.

Your Business Has Offline and Online Protection: Webroot® anti-virus software is powerful enough to keep track of any potential infection, even if that infection’s endpoint is no longer online. This gives you several benefits, including receiving fewer false alerts and the peace of mind that you will have reliable protection from anywhere in the world.

Restoration is Simple: Since Webroot® anti-virus and anti-malware protection is able to protect as well as safeguard you both online and offline, you can restore any lost or corrupted information back to your systems to a time prior to the infection in a very small period of time. The best part is, that it can all be done without the need for re-imaging your drive.

Understanding the Power of Webroot

Webroot SecureAnywhere is an efficient anti-virus software that focuses on security and speed. Its unique approach to detection and monitoring allows it to perform scans with little to no performance impact while maintaining one of the most robust databases of malware out there. It does this by having a list of known safe applications that can run immediately, and unknown applications are sent to their threat detection center for review.

When taking a good look at various anti-virus and anti-malware software solutions available for businesses today, you’ll see that many don’t measure up to Webroot®. For example, Webroot® has a built-in extension that can be applied to any web browser you wish. At first glance, this might not seem like a big deal, as most other popular anti-virus and anti-malware programs boast similar extensions. However, the Webroot® extension can block dangerous or suspicious website URLs before Google Chrome’s built-in protection, which is a fact that very few protection softwares can boast about.

Webroot SecureAnywhere is also able to provide your business with webcam protection, which is something that many other anti-virus software programs do not provide. When you consider how much of your business is conducted through video chat, it’s clear to see why this has quickly become one of the most talked-about features.

The intelligence that powers Webroot® is world-class, and it has been evolving for well over a decade. The entire system learns as one unit and is able to update as a single unit as well. Each threat that Webroot® encounters is classified and categorized so that it can be studied and used as a learning tool to protect against future mutations of the same type of threat.

The best way to understand how powerful Webroot is, is by looking at how it works. It stores the definitions of threats that the entire system has encountered. Each file is categorized as the type of threat it was and where it came from. All of this information is stored in the cloud rather than on the local PC. This dramatically reduces the workload on the PC, making it feel lighter than most other Anti-virus (AV) and anti-malware (AM) solutions on the market. I’m sure we’ve all experienced our PC’s slowing down after the install of an AV solution.  One of Webroot’s big advantages is how lightweight and fast it is while maintaining security. This is the database in the cloud is what that Webroot learns from.

As a new threat is categorized, and the location marked, the entire Webroot AV system can update because the software is cloud-based. This means that you and your company are never stuck with out-of-date software and that you are always prepared for virtually any type of attack. Whenever a new threat is located, an update to protect against it is pushed out as soon as possible, allowing for almost real-time protection against any type of online threat.

Benefits of Having a Security Software Online

The sheer quantity of already-known data that covers current phishing attempts, malware threats, and similar risks is enormous. Having one database anywhere for all of this information would be incredibly difficult, not to mention slow, to update. However, since the information is all able to be stored online, this frees up space and allows for near-instantaneous adjustments when necessary.

If you were to try and keep all of this information in your business, it would slow down your entire network. Every time your company tried to run a scan, the network resources would be taxed to the point of non-functionally. By having all the information in the cloud, scans take seconds to minutes to complete and there is no work stoppage during this phase of your security.

So Why Should You Choose Webroot?
When considering what type of anti-virus and anti-malware program to go with to protect your business, you may be asking why you should choose Webroot as your option. This combination of endpoint protection and DNS protection helps to keep your business safe at all times. It was created and designed for small and medium businesses and the Webroot console can be automated to provide protection easily, so you can focus on growing your business.

Webroot also has the experience you and your company can depend on. They have been busy keeping the internet safe for over 20 years, having first started back in 1997. They even went all-in on cloud platforms in 2011. Their servers have been able to apply machine learning through innovatively refining the cybersecurity processes since 2007. No matter what type of security threats you or your business may face, Webroot® has you covered.

The Security You Get with Webroot Protection

Nearly everyone understands that using any type of computer carries inherent risks. That is where the vitality of security comes from. There are constant new sources of ransomware and dangerous software coming at you regularly. It is not just from computers, either. It can come from any type of device that has the ability to go online and connect with a network. These threats are real and can do a lot more damage than what may appear on the surface. When you rely on Webroot AV and AM protection, you have a network of safety surrounding every bit of information you hold dear. That, in and of itself, can boost the value of your business.

Your Security Should Not Slow You Down

Have you ever installed an anti-virus program that changed how your entire network functioned during a scan, slowing it down to a crawl and making getting anything done in a timely manner nearly impossible? That will not be an issue when you install Webroot. This system is incredibly light and not dependent on numerous resources. That means when you run a scan, you and your customers will be able to carry on like normal. This is possible because Webroot runs in the cloud. You will barely notice that the program is around, other than the fact that you will have fewer worries of phishing or key logger issues.

The Webroot servers are doing the vast majority of the work on their end. That way, you can run a full scan without interrupting your day. This means you get an easier Webroot installation, a smaller footprint in your personal and business networks, boosted company value and security, plus little, if any, slowdown. Your company has nothing to lose, and a library of protection to gain.

For those companies with older networks, servers, or devices, you can get the benefits of Webroot AV and AM, too. The anti-virus protection Webroot offers is not limited for use on only current devices. It is compatible with many older devices, allowing you to have the protection you need without the device upgrade bill you don’t.

Where some anti-virus programs use a single tool to protect your information, Webroot uses several. The goal is to provide smooth protection of your IT infrastructure while keeping your servers of information safe through remote monitoring. Both of these tools provide an integration that allows them to work simultaneously. If any type of threat, misconfiguration, or infection is detected, an email alert is sent out so we can take immediate action. If we need to reinstall Webroot or adjust a setting, it can be done remotely. You have protection 24/7 without you even knowing that it is happening or having to lift a finger to alert anyone.

The integration of these tools allows us to have a quicker response than most other antivirus programs on the market. This gives you better service and allows you to have updated security promises you can make to your customers.

We Also Install Webroot ChromeBrowser Extensions

The list of websites that should not be trusted grows daily. The same goes for the library of checked websites in the Webroot directory. If you want to know what websites are safe and which are not, you can include the Webroot Google Chrome add-on for your Browser Extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. That way, you can see which websites are safe before ever opening them. This keeps your information away from even more potential threats, plus it blocks unsafe sites from even being accessed by you or anyone else in your network. You are getting the protection that goes beyond just you, and also covers your customers and employees, too.

Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. Recommends Webroot Protection

When looking at all the features Webroot can provide, it is no wonder that we recommend this antivirus to many of our business customers. Why not invest in something that can add value to your business and give your customers peace of mind? You do not have to worry that your network or resources will slow down while also having constant protection both online and offline.

It used to be that hackers would hide out in the basement and hope to get lucky with a spam email or phishing attack. However, that is no longer the case. Today’s cyber attackers are far more intuitive. They know how to hit, when to hit, and what information to put in front of you that makes you most likely to take the bait. Thankfully, Webroot has spent over 20 years learning from the mistakes of these attackers. It also knows what to look for, but it has the intent of keeping you safe from an attack. Trust the protection you get from a constantly evolving antivirus program like Webroot. Know that you, your family, and your business’ information will all be safe when Webroot is a part of a multi-layer Managed Services Security Provider (MSSP) suite of security tools. Take a look at our other tools we use to keep you safe as well!

Do you want to learn more about the IT services Los Angeles business owners have come to know and trust? Contact us here at Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. today! Let us help you get your company to a new level of security. We can start with a new Webroot installation and ramp up our efforts to cover any type of IT issues you may face. We are here to help ensure that your technology is helping you stay safe and productive.


What Are You Doing To Protect Your Network?
Be Structured helps you formulate concrete answers to questions like this.


Empower Your Team With Awareness Training

Are You At Risk For A Cyber Attack? Ninety-five percent of network security breaches are due to human error. Empowering your team with the knowledge and skills to identify cybersecurity threats is essential to keeping your network protected. After all, a team of cybersecurity experts can only protect your network so much; at a certain point, it’s up to your everyday users to sidestep threats before they cripple your network. That’s where cybersecurity awareness training, such as phishing email training from Be Structured, comes into play.

The first step to cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness is simply to inform your team about the reality of cyber threats. As new threats emerge, it’s critical to provide ongoing training that helps employees spot threats and avoid them. Phishing email training is one of the most straightforward ways of accomplishing this goal. When you partner with Be Structured, it’s easy to ensure your team stays one step ahead of cybercriminals by automating ongoing phishing attacks.

Phishing email training automatically sends team members simulated phishing attacks on an ongoing basis. Your team will be able to report the email as phishing or, if caught unaware, click on one of the links. If they report the email, they’re congratulated and notified that it was a simulated attack. If, however, they fall victim to the simulated attack, they’re required to complete an additional security awareness training course online to bolster their awareness. Read more about Antivirus and Antimalware here.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions

When you partner with Be Structured, we secure your network with a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that protects every level of your operations. Our approach includes the latest network security strategies like dark web scanning and phishing email training, all for one fixed monthly price.

With Be Structured overseeing your larger cybersecurity needs and threats, you can be confident you’re staying ahead of the latest developments in the industry while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow. As part of our cybersecurity package, we protect you from external threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access to your network, while also guarding against internal threats with disaster recovery solutions.

Los Angeles IT Support
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, you need a team of experts developing and overseeing your overarching security roadmap. Be Structured has the experience and skills to develop customized cybersecurity strategies around your unique operations. We’ll work with you to assess your team’s workflows from the inside out and keep you protected from internal and external threats. Get in touch with our team today to start exploring how much your cybersecurity platform can be doing to protect your bottom line and mission-critical data.

#### What Does a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) Do?
A managed security services provider (MSSP) runs your security program for you: it deploys and configures the controls, monitors them around the clock, responds when something fires, and produces the evidence you hand to an auditor, an insurer, or a client's security questionnaire. The difference from a managed service provider (MSP) is scope. An MSP keeps your technology working. An MSSP is accountable for keeping it defended.
Be Structured is both, which is why most of our Los Angeles clients buy one relationship instead of two.
Los Angeles based since 2007 · Channel Futures MSP 501 ranked · CA License #1140088
What does an MSSP actually do?
Four functions, in this order:
Implement. Put the controls in place and configure them properly. Most environments we inherit have licensed capability nobody turned on.
Monitor. Watch the output continuously, including nights and weekends. Anomalies generate a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds of detection.
Respond. Act on the alerts that are real, with containment authority agreed in writing in advance so nobody is waiting on a decision at 2 a.m.
Evidence. Produce the logs, reports and documentation that prove the first three happened.
Our MSSP work covers the implementation, configuration and supervision of the following, on top of our all-inclusive managed services:
 	Advanced firewalls with hardening services
 	Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems
 	Active Directory monitoring
 	24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC)
 	Anti-spam with Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
 	Intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
 	Mobile device management (MDM)
 	Web content filtering
 	Identity and access management (IAM)
 	Multi-factor authentication
 	Windows device hardening services
 	Information security policy and implementation services
 	Internal and external penetration testing and remediation
Alongside those controls, the ongoing service covers management of all security systems, log monitoring, device management, solution research and implementation, audits and reports, consultancy, security updates, and protection for remote workers.
We also run controls most providers leave out: penetration testing services, advanced endpoint protection, privileged access management, endpoint detection and response, and zero trust network architecture.
MSP vs. MSSP: what actually changes
The clue is the extra S. An MSP includes security as part of a general package. An MSSP is organized around it: an MSP typically runs a network operations center to keep systems available, while an MSSP runs a security operations center to keep them defended. Different queue, different skill set, different definition of a good day.
MSP
MSSP
Primary goal
Keep technology working
Keep technology defended
Core function
Network operations center
Security operations center
Typical alert
A server is down
An account signed in from two countries in an hour
Deliverable to a third party
Uptime reporting
Compliance and incident evidence
Who asks for it
Your staff
Your insurer, your auditor, your clients
Be Structured is both an MSP and an MSSP. If you need both, everything stays under one roof and there is no argument about whose ticket it is.
Who needs an MSSP, and who is better served by an MSP alone?
You need the MSSP layer if you hold regulated data (healthcare, financial services, legal, taxpayer records), if clients or prime contractors send you security questionnaires, if you are renewing cyber insurance and the application asks about 24/7 monitoring and incident response, or if you have already had an incident and need to demonstrate that something changed.
Managed IT alone is enough if you are a small team on cloud-only tools with no servers, no regulated data, and no third party auditing you. Buy multi-factor authentication, managed endpoint protection and tested backups, and revisit when one of those conditions changes.
We would rather tell you that at the scoping call than sell you a security program you do not need yet.
What does an MSSP cost compared with hiring security staff?
Be Structured prices managed security per device, commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack: EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, multi-factor authentication, Windows Defender hardening and LAPS, spam and outbound email filtering, SPF, DKIM and DMARC management, dark web monitoring, quarterly internal and external vulnerability scanning, and Microsoft 365 backup with disaster recovery. Managed IT sits underneath at $125 to $300 per user per month depending on headcount and coverage depth. Project work outside the recurring scope is quoted in advance. The full breakdown is on our managed IT services cost page.
The hiring comparison is not one salary against one subscription. Round-the-clock coverage is 168 hours a week, which is 4.2 full-time people before anyone takes a vacation day, and security specialists in Los Angeles do not come at general IT rates. Below a few hundred employees the arithmetic rarely favors building it.
The subscription model also scales in both directions. Because it follows a per user and per device model, adding seasonal staff or pulling back after a project is a line change, not a hiring decision.
What changes on day one?
 	Assessment. We count users, devices and servers, review your Microsoft 365 tenant and current security posture, and give you a written scope and a fixed monthly price before you commit.
 	Deployment. Agents and monitoring go on every endpoint and server, usually inside one business day, with no disruption to your team.
 	Escalation agreement. We agree in writing who we call at 2 a.m., and what we are pre-authorized to do without asking: isolate a host, disable an account, block an address.
 	The first report. Within the first month you get a written picture of what is actually happening on your network, which is usually the first time anyone has looked.
Response commitments are in the service level agreement, not in the brochure. Ours documents response times by severity and what happens if a breach occurs.
How to evaluate an MSSP
 	Ask what they do after hours, specifically. A dashboard is not a SOC. Ask for a target time to first human touch on a critical alert.
 	Ask for the containment authority in writing. What can they do without you, at what severity.
 	Ask what is included and what is billed separately. Penetration testing, compliance assessments and incident response hours are common carve-outs. Get the list before you compare two quotes.
 	Ask for a sample monthly report. If you cannot read it, you will not read it.
 	Ask about the compliance role. A good answer sounds like "we help you meet the requirements and document the controls; we are not the certifying body." An answer that promises certification is a warning.
 	Ask what happens on exit. Your log history, your agent licensing, and your documentation should not be hostage to a renewal.
Your Los Angeles MSSP
Be Structured has supported Los Angeles businesses since 2007 from 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown LA, alongside the surrounding cities. We tailor security by industry, whether that is healthcare or the extra requirements financial services carry, and our other managed IT services in Los Angeles run from cloud migration to hardware installation under the same agreement. If you are weighing us against another provider, our page on outsourced IT support services lays out what the engagement includes.
➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment: contact Be Structured for a no-cost scoping assessment and a fixed monthly price, or call (323) 331-9452.
Frequently Asked Questions About Managed Security Services
What does a managed security services provider (MSSP) do?An MSSP runs your security program: it implements and configures the controls, monitors them around the clock, responds to real alerts under a containment authority agreed in advance, and produces the evidence you hand to an auditor, an insurer, or a client's security questionnaire. The controls typically include firewalls, SIEM, endpoint detection and response, email security, identity and access management, multi-factor authentication, and vulnerability scanning.
What is the difference between an MSP and an MSSP?An MSP keeps your technology working and typically runs a network operations center. An MSSP keeps it defended and runs a security operations center. An MSP's alert is that a server is down; an MSSP's alert is that an account signed in from two countries in an hour. Be Structured is both, so clients who need both keep everything under one agreement.
Do we need an MSSP, or is managed IT enough?You need the MSSP layer if you hold regulated data, if clients or prime contractors send you security questionnaires, if your cyber insurance application asks about 24/7 monitoring and incident response, or if you have already had an incident. Managed IT alone is enough for a small cloud-only team with no servers, no regulated data and no third party auditing them. In that case buy multi-factor authentication, managed endpoint protection and tested backups first.
How much does an MSSP cost?Be Structured prices managed security per device, commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack, which includes EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, multi-factor authentication, Windows hardening, email filtering, dark web monitoring, quarterly internal and external vulnerability scanning, and Microsoft 365 backup with disaster recovery. Managed IT sits underneath at $125 to $300 per user per month. Project work outside the recurring scope is quoted in advance.
Is an MSSP cheaper than hiring security staff?Below a few hundred employees, usually yes, and the reason is arithmetic rather than salary comparison. Round-the-clock coverage is 168 hours a week, which is 4.2 full-time people before anyone takes vacation, and security specialists do not come at general IT rates in Los Angeles. The subscription also scales down again when a project ends, which a hire does not.
Can an MSSP work alongside our existing IT team?Yes, and that is a common arrangement. Your team keeps the help desk and its admin rights; the MSSP takes the security queue, the monitoring, and the evidence. What has to be settled in writing at the start is escalation: who gets called at what severity, and what the provider is pre-authorized to do without asking.
What does an MSSP do about compliance?It produces the technical safeguards and the documentation that HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC and the FTC Safeguards Rule ask for: access controls, encryption, multi-factor authentication, continuous monitoring and logging, tested backups, and a written record of what is actually in place. To be clear about the role: we help you meet the requirements and document the controls. We are not a certifying body or an auditor.
How fast does an MSSP respond to an incident?Monitoring generates a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds of detecting an anomaly, and critical incidents escalate immediately to an on-call engineer regardless of the hour. Our Network Operations Center triages after-hours issues in about 10 minutes, and when hands are needed on a device we reach most of the Los Angeles area in roughly 30 minutes. Response times by severity are documented in the service level agreement, not left to a general availability claim.
What should we ask an MSSP before signing?What happens after hours, with a target time to first human touch on a critical alert. What containment they are pre-authorized to perform without calling you. What is included and what is billed separately, since penetration testing, compliance assessments and incident response hours are common carve-outs. Whether you can see a sample monthly report. How they describe their compliance role. And what happens to your log history and documentation if you leave.
How does an MSP work day to day?It acts as your IT department while working mostly remotely: monitoring your network around the clock, patching and maintaining systems, running the help desk, managing backups and data recovery, and handling network and infrastructure support. The point of the model is that prevention is the provider's job, so problems get caught before a user reports them.

#### What Is a vCIO, and Does My Business Need One?
A vCIO is a virtual Chief Information Officer: a senior technology leader you retain rather than hire, who owns your IT roadmap, your technology budget, your vendor relationships and your risk decisions. You need one when technology decisions have started costing real money and nobody in the building is qualified to make them. You do not need one if your IT is a laptop, a printer, and Microsoft 365.
At Be Structured a vCIO is not a junior account manager with a title. When you buy all-inclusive managed IT, the consulting is done by a chief officer with both engineering depth and business context.
Los Angeles based since 2007 · Channel Futures MSP 501 ranked · CA License #1140088
The vCIO role, defined
A traditional CIO is one executive who owns technology strategy. A vCIO fills the same seat on a fractional basis, backed by a team rather than resting on one person's experience. The word virtual describes the employment relationship, not the availability: a vCIO is a person you call.
The role covers your infrastructure roadmap and IT budget, maintenance and development of a written technology plan, audit and examination support including how to answer IT questions from a regulator or a client, and disaster recovery planning. If you want the longer version, we also wrote what a vCIO does as a standalone article.
What does a vCIO actually do in a quarter?
The honest answer is four things, repeatedly:
 	Plans. Builds and maintains an IT roadmap that lines up with where the business is going, not just what broke last month. That includes hardware refresh timing, software transitions, and security investment sequencing.
 	Budgets. Turns that roadmap into numbers you can put in a plan, including the capital items and the recurring ones, so technology stops arriving as surprises.
 	Manages vendors. Selects, negotiates with, and holds accountable the vendors you already pay, from your internet carrier to your line-of-business software. This is where a vCIO frequently pays for itself.
 	Governs risk. Owns the security, business continuity, disaster recovery and compliance decisions, and documents them so you can show your work when a client or an insurer asks.
Between those, a vCIO runs project management for the work the roadmap produces, and supports your existing staff on new technology rather than displacing them.
Site visits are part of it. Whether it makes sense to walk your office quarterly, twice a year or annually depends on your environment, and we set that cadence with you rather than assigning a default.
Who needs a vCIO, and who does not?
Retain one if you are making technology decisions above roughly $25,000 a year with no one qualified to own them; if you are in a regulated industry and someone has to sign off on the controls; if you have an IT person who is excellent at fixing things and has never been asked to plan; if you are about to move offices, migrate a platform, or acquire another company; or if your budget has been reactive for three years and you cannot say what next year costs.
You do not need one if your whole environment is cloud applications and laptops with no servers, no compliance obligation and no growth plan that changes that. Buy managed IT, keep the money.
You should not buy one from a provider who cannot tell you which person will hold the role. A vCIO whose name changes every quarter is an account manager.
What does a vCIO cost compared with hiring a CIO?
A full-time CIO in Los Angeles is an executive salary plus benefits plus the cost of being wrong about the hire. Most businesses under a few hundred employees cannot justify it, which is the entire reason the fractional model exists.
At Be Structured, vCIO advisory is bundled rather than billed as a separate retainer. The baseline managed IT fee covers ongoing roadmap work and quarterly business reviews, and vCIO and compliance support are part of the higher-coverage tiers. Managed IT runs $125 to $300 per user per month depending on headcount and coverage depth, and project work outside that scope is quoted in advance. Our managed IT services cost page has the full breakdown, including what is billed separately.
Bundling matters for a reason that is easy to miss: a vCIO paid by the hour has an incentive to find work. A vCIO inside a flat monthly fee has an incentive to stop your environment from generating any.
What changes in the first 90 days?
 	An inventory you can read. Users, devices, servers, licenses, contracts and renewal dates, in one document. Most businesses have never seen this.
 	A risk list, ranked. Not everything, in order of what would hurt. This is where the uncomfortable items surface: the unsupported server, the backup nobody has tested, the administrator account belonging to someone who left.
 	A 12-month roadmap with numbers attached. Sequenced against your renewal dates and your busy season rather than ours.
 	A standing meeting. Quarterly at minimum, with the same person, reviewing what shipped and what changed.
What does not change: your staff keep their jobs and their tools. A vCIO adds a planning function that most small businesses have never had. It does not replace the people doing the work.
How to evaluate a vCIO
 	Ask who the person is. Get a name, a background, and confirmation they will still be the name in a year.
 	Ask to see a sample roadmap and a sample budget. Redacted is fine. If they cannot show you one, they do not produce one.
 	Ask how they get paid. A vCIO who earns margin on the hardware they recommend is not a neutral advisor. Ask directly.
 	Ask what they would tell you not to buy. A consultant who has never talked a client out of a purchase is a salesperson.
 	Ask about the compliance role. The right answer is that they help you meet the requirements and document the controls, not that they certify you.
 	Ask for the cadence in writing. Quarterly business reviews that are not scheduled do not happen.
IT consulting and vCIO services across Los Angeles
Our downtown location puts us a short drive or Metro ride from most of Southern California, and we support businesses across the greater LA area:
 	Beverly Hills IT Support
 	Burbank IT Support
 	Culver City IT Support
 	Hollywood IT Support
 	Pasadena IT Support
 	Santa Monica IT Support
 	West Hollywood IT Support
West Hollywood and its surrounding upscale cities require a lot of outsourced IT support services
vCIO advisory sits inside our all-inclusive managed services, and the planning it produces feeds directly off the monitoring data from 24/7 support and monitoring. If you are still deciding whether you need managed IT at all, our guide to telling whether your business needs dedicated managed IT is the place to start, and strategies for maintaining IT compliance covers the governance half.
➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment: contact Be Structured to talk through what a vCIO would own in your business, or call (323) 331-9452.
Frequently Asked Questions About vCIO Services
What is a vCIO?A vCIO is a virtual Chief Information Officer: a senior technology leader you retain rather than hire, who owns your IT roadmap, technology budget, vendor relationships and risk decisions. The word virtual describes the employment relationship, not the availability. A vCIO is a person you call, backed by a team rather than resting on one individual's experience.
What does a vCIO do that our IT provider does not already do?Planning. Most IT support is reactive by design: something breaks, it gets fixed. A vCIO owns the questions nobody asks during a ticket, such as what the next three years of hardware cost, which vendor contracts renew when, what the ranked risk list looks like, and which security investment comes first. At Be Structured that work sits inside the managed IT fee rather than being sold as a separate retainer.
Does my business need a vCIO?Retain one if you are making technology decisions above roughly $25,000 a year with nobody qualified to own them, if you are in a regulated industry and someone has to sign off on controls, if you have an IT person who fixes things well but has never been asked to plan, or if you are about to move offices, migrate a platform or acquire a company. You do not need one if your environment is cloud applications and laptops with no servers, no compliance obligation, and no growth plan that changes that.
How much does a vCIO cost?At Be Structured, vCIO advisory is bundled rather than billed as a separate retainer. The baseline managed IT fee covers ongoing roadmap work and quarterly business reviews, and vCIO plus compliance support are part of the higher-coverage tiers. Managed IT runs $125 to $300 per user per month depending on headcount and coverage depth. Project work outside that scope is quoted in advance.
Is a vCIO cheaper than hiring a CIO?For most businesses under a few hundred employees, yes, and that gap is why the fractional model exists at all. A full-time CIO in Los Angeles is an executive salary plus benefits plus the risk of being wrong about the hire. A vCIO gives you the same function on a fraction of the cost, with a team behind it instead of one person's experience.
Who at Be Structured serves as the vCIO?A chief officer, not a junior account manager. When you buy all-inclusive managed IT, the consulting is done by someone with both high-level engineering knowledge and business acumen. Ask any provider for the name of the person who will hold the role, and for confirmation that it will still be that name in a year.
What happens in the first 90 days with a vCIO?Four deliverables. An inventory you can read: users, devices, servers, licenses, contracts and renewal dates in one document. A ranked risk list, which is where the unsupported server and the untested backup surface. A 12-month roadmap with numbers attached, sequenced against your renewal dates and your busy season. And a standing quarterly meeting with the same person.
Will a vCIO replace our in-house IT person?No. A vCIO adds a planning function most small businesses have never had; it does not replace the people doing the work. Your staff keep their jobs, their tools and their admin rights. The common pattern is an internal person who runs day-to-day support paired with a vCIO who owns the roadmap, the budget and the vendor relationships.
How do we evaluate a vCIO before signing?Get the person's name and background. Ask to see a redacted sample roadmap and sample budget, because a provider who cannot show one does not produce one. Ask how they get paid, since a vCIO earning margin on the hardware they recommend is not neutral. Ask what they would tell you not to buy. Ask how they describe their compliance role: helping you meet requirements and document controls, not certifying you. And get the meeting cadence in writing.

#### What Is Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and Why Does a Small Business Need It?
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) is security software on every laptop, desktop and server that records what the machine is doing, spots attack behavior that signature-based antivirus misses, and lets someone isolate or roll back the machine remotely. A small business needs it for two practical reasons: the attacks that hurt small businesses now arrive as legitimate-looking activity rather than as a known virus file, and cyber insurance underwriters increasingly ask whether you have EDR before they will quote you.
Los Angeles based since 2007 · Channel Futures MSP 501 ranked · CA License #1140088
What is endpoint detection and response?
EDR does three things antivirus does not. It records endpoint activity continuously, so there is a history to investigate after an alert. It judges behavior rather than files, so an attack made entirely of built-in Windows tools still gets flagged. And it can act: isolate the machine from the network, kill a process, or roll back changes, without anyone driving to the office.
The short version of how the category got here: signature-based antivirus arrived in the late 1980s and worked as long as malware was a file with a known fingerprint. Next-generation antivirus added machine learning and behavioral analysis to catch what had no signature yet. EDR, from the mid 2010s, added the recording, the investigation, and the response. Each layer exists because the previous one stopped being sufficient, not because the previous one stopped working. If you want the longer comparison, we wrote up the difference between antivirus and antimalware.
How is EDR different from the antivirus we already have?
Question
Traditional antivirus
EDR
What it looks for
Known bad files
Suspicious behavior, including activity made of legitimate tools
What happens after an alert
The file is quarantined
You can see what ran before and after, and act on the machine remotely
History for investigation
Little to none
Continuous recording of process, file and network activity
Ransomware
Catches known families
Flags the encryption behavior itself, and can roll changes back
Who reads it
Nobody, usually
A monitored deployment routes alerts to an analyst
That last row is the one businesses get wrong. EDR that nobody watches is a very good recording of an incident you found out about late.
Who needs EDR, and who can wait?
Buy it now if you hold regulated or confidential client data, if you are renewing cyber insurance, if you have staff working on laptops outside the office, or if a client has sent you a security questionnaire. Insurance is the forcing function for a lot of Los Angeles businesses: underwriters increasingly treat EDR as a prerequisite for coverage rather than a discount item, which reflects how much of the loss they are trying to avoid.
Wait if you have no multi-factor authentication yet. MFA on email and remote access is cheaper, faster, and closes a more common path in. Do that first, then EDR.
Do not buy EDR as a standalone if nobody is going to monitor it. Either take a monitored deployment or accept that you have bought a forensic tool rather than a defense.
What does EDR cost?
At Be Structured, EDR is part of the managed security stack rather than a line item you buy alone. That stack is priced per device, commonly $50 per device per month, and includes EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, multi-factor authentication, Windows Defender hardening and LAPS, spam and outbound email filtering, SPF, DKIM and DMARC management, dark web monitoring, quarterly internal and external vulnerability scanning, and Microsoft 365 backup with disaster recovery. Managed IT sits underneath it at $125 to $300 per user per month depending on headcount and coverage depth. The full picture, including what is billed separately, is on our managed IT services cost page.
Per device rather than per user matters here. A firm with 20 people and 45 devices pays for the 45 things an attacker can land on, not the 20 chairs.
What changes on day one?
Agents deploy quietly, usually inside one business day, and users notice nothing. What changes is on the other side: within the first week you get a picture of what is running on machines nobody had looked at in years, and that first report is routinely the most useful artifact of the engagement.
The second change is what happens during an incident. Instead of asking a user to unplug the network cable and hoping, an engineer isolates the machine from a console in seconds while the rest of the office keeps working. We wrote about how managed EDR services change business cybersecurity in more detail.
Monitored EDR or unmonitored?
We offer both, and the choice is about who reads the alerts.
Monitored EDR routes detections into our 24/7 Security Operations Center as a Service. After-hours issues are triaged in about 10 minutes, and containment steps we are pre-authorized to take are agreed in writing before anything happens. This is the right choice for almost everyone without a security team.
Unmonitored EDR gives your own staff the tooling and the console. It makes sense when you have people who will actually watch it, which in practice means an internal team with a security remit and a rotation.
Either way, EDR is standard in our managed service provider and managed security service provider engagements. We do not sell environments without it.
How to evaluate an EDR provider
 	Ask who watches it and when. Get the after-hours answer specifically, and get a target time to first human touch.
 	Ask what they can do without calling you. Isolating a host, killing a process and disabling an account should be pre-authorized in writing, by severity.
 	Ask how long the telemetry is retained. Investigation needs history. Thirty days is thin if an intrusion sat quiet for two months.
 	Ask about servers, not just laptops. Coverage that stops at workstations leaves the machine holding your data uncovered.
 	Ask what your insurer needs to see. A provider that has filled in a cyber insurance application before will know which questions the deployment has to answer.
 	Ask what happens to the data if you leave. Your incident history should not be hostage to a renewal.
EDR from Be Structured, in Los Angeles
Be Structured has supported Los Angeles businesses since 2007 from 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown LA. Our team deploys, tunes and monitors EDR as part of a scoped security stack, and our local presence means that when an incident needs hands on a device rather than a console, we reach most of the LA area in roughly 30 minutes.
If you are comparing us against the rest of the market, our page on how to evaluate outsourced IT support is written to be used against us as well as everyone else.
➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment: contact Be Structured to scope EDR for your environment, or call (323) 331-9452.
Frequently Asked Questions About EDR
What is endpoint detection and response (EDR)?EDR is security software on every laptop, desktop and server that records what the machine is doing, detects attack behavior rather than only known bad files, and lets an engineer isolate the device, kill a process or roll back changes remotely. The recording is what makes an alert investigable, and the remote action is what makes containment fast.
How is EDR different from antivirus?Antivirus looks for known bad files and quarantines them. EDR judges behavior, so an attack built entirely from legitimate Windows tools still gets flagged, keeps a continuous history of process, file and network activity so you can see what happened before and after an alert, and can act on the machine remotely. Antivirus answers what was that file. EDR answers what happened on this computer.
Does a small business really need EDR?If you hold regulated or confidential client data, have staff on laptops outside the office, or are renewing cyber insurance, yes. Underwriters increasingly treat EDR as a prerequisite for coverage rather than a discount item. If you do not yet have multi-factor authentication on email and remote access, do that first: it is cheaper, faster, and closes a more common way in.
How much does EDR cost?At Be Structured, EDR is part of a managed security stack priced per device, commonly $50 per device per month, which also includes 24/7 SOC monitoring, multi-factor authentication, Windows Defender hardening and LAPS, email filtering, SPF, DKIM and DMARC management, dark web monitoring, quarterly vulnerability scanning, and Microsoft 365 backup with disaster recovery. Managed IT sits underneath at $125 to $300 per user per month.
Why is EDR priced per device instead of per user?Because an attacker lands on a device, not on a chair. A 20-person firm often runs 45 endpoints once you count servers, laptops, a workstation for a shared function, and the machine in the back that runs one piece of software. Per-device pricing counts the things that need an agent.
Do we need someone monitoring EDR, or can we run it ourselves?Both are possible, and the difference is who reads the alerts. Monitored EDR routes detections to our 24/7 Security Operations Center, where after-hours issues are triaged in about 10 minutes and pre-authorized containment steps are agreed in writing in advance. Unmonitored EDR gives your own staff the console, which only works if you have people with a security remit and a rotation. Unmonitored EDR that nobody watches is a very good recording of an incident you found out about late.
Does EDR stop ransomware?It changes the outcome more often than not, because it flags the encryption behavior itself rather than waiting to recognize a specific ransomware family, and because isolation from a console stops the spread in seconds. It is not a guarantee, and it is not a substitute for immutable, offsite and tested backups. The pairing is what gets a business back to work.
Will EDR slow down our computers?Modern agents are light and users typically notice nothing after deployment. Deployment itself usually completes inside one business day. What people do notice is the first report, which routinely shows software running on machines nobody had audited in years.
What should we ask an EDR provider before signing?Who watches it after hours, and what is the target time to first human touch. What the provider is pre-authorized to do without calling you. How long telemetry is retained, since an intrusion that sat quiet for two months needs more than thirty days of history. Whether servers are covered, not just laptops. What your cyber insurer needs to see. And what happens to your incident history if you leave.

#### What Is SOC as a Service, and Does an LA Small Business Need It?
SOC as a service (SOCaaS) is a subscription that gives your business a 24/7 security operations center without building one: trained analysts, detection tooling, and a written escalation path, billed monthly instead of hired. For most Los Angeles businesses under a few hundred employees, buying it is the only realistic option. A watch floor that never goes dark needs 168 hours of coverage a week, which is 4.2 full-time people before anyone takes a vacation day.
Los Angeles based since 2007 · Channel Futures MSP 501 ranked · CA License #1140088
SOC as a service, defined
A security operations center is the team and the tooling that watch your environment for attacks and act when one starts. SOCaaS is that function delivered as a service by an outside provider, on a subscription, as an extension of your IT team rather than a replacement for it.
In practice a SOCaaS engagement gives you four things: continuous collection of security telemetry from your endpoints, servers, network gear and cloud tenants; analysts who triage what the tooling flags; a documented response procedure for the alerts that turn out to be real; and reporting you can hand to an auditor, an insurer, or a client running a security questionnaire.
The older model was a physical room your company paid for. Those were built by large enterprises and government agencies that could carry the staffing cost. SOCaaS exists because the detection tooling became a service before the staffing did, and because attacks do not respect business hours. Typical services include managed firewalls, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning, and endpoint monitoring feeding one queue that a human being reads.
Who needs SOC as a service, and who does not?
Buy it if any of these describe you:
 	You hold data that has a regulator attached to it: patient records, cardholder data, taxpayer data, or client files under a confidentiality obligation.
 	Your cyber insurance application asks whether you have 24/7 monitoring and an incident response plan, and you cannot answer yes in writing.
 	Your team is one or two IT people who already carry the help desk. They cannot also be the night shift.
 	A client or prime contractor sends you a security questionnaire and expects evidence, not assurances.
Skip it, for now, if your endpoints are unmanaged and unpatched, you have no endpoint detection and response agent deployed, and your backups are untested. A SOC watching an environment with no controls in it generates alerts nobody can act on. Fix the foundation first, then add the watch. We will tell you that in the scoping call rather than sell you the larger line item.
Skip it permanently if you are a handful of people on cloud-only tools with no servers, no on-premise network, and no compliance obligation. Multi-factor authentication, managed endpoint protection, and a tested backup will do more for you per dollar.
What does SOCaaS cost compared with building your own?
Building a real 24/7 SOC means hiring for three shifts plus coverage for vacation and turnover, licensing a SIEM, and paying someone senior to tune it. Los Angeles salaries for security analysts sit well above general IT salaries, and the arithmetic above (4.2 FTE minimum for round-the-clock coverage) is the floor, not the plan.
Be Structured prices managed security per device rather than per user, commonly $50 per device per month for the full security stack. That stack includes EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, multi-factor authentication, Windows Defender hardening and LAPS, spam and outbound email filtering, SPF, DKIM and DMARC management, dark web monitoring, quarterly internal and external vulnerability scanning, and Microsoft 365 backup with disaster recovery. It layers on top of managed IT, which runs $125 to $300 per user per month depending on headcount and coverage depth. The full breakdown, including what is excluded and what onboarding costs, is on our managed IT services cost page.
The comparison that matters is not SOCaaS against nothing. It is SOCaaS against the hours your own team spends reading logs they were not hired to read, and against the cost of finding out about an intrusion from a client instead of from a monitor.
What changes on day one?
Onboarding is a sequence, not a switch:
 	Inventory and agent deployment. We count servers, workstations, network devices and cloud tenants, then deploy monitoring and EDR agents. Most environments complete this inside one business day.
 	Baseline and tuning. The first week is noisy on purpose. We learn what normal looks like in your environment so that the alerts you get later are worth reading.
 	Escalation contacts and playbooks. We agree in writing who gets called at 2 a.m., what we are pre-authorized to do without asking (isolate a host, disable an account, block an address), and what needs your sign-off.
 	The first report. Within the first month you get a written picture of what is actually happening on your network, which is usually the first time anyone has looked.
What does not change: your team keeps its tools and its admin rights, and your help desk process stays where it is. SOCaaS is a security function bolted onto your environment, not a takeover of it.
What a SOC as a service watches
Continuous monitoring and detection
Coverage runs every hour of every day across servers, endpoints, network devices, and cloud tenants, including 24/7 monitoring of your network overnight and on weekends. Anomalies generate a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds of detection, classified by severity so a failed backup job and an active intrusion do not sit in the same queue.
Incident response and containment
When something is real, the response is procedural: isolate the affected systems, stop the spread, remove the attacker's access, restore from backup, and document what happened. The value of an outside SOC on a bad night is that somebody has done this before and is not improvising.
Compliance evidence and reporting
Continuous logging produces the access records, configuration change history, and incident documentation that HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC and the FTC Safeguards Rule all ask for. That reporting is also what you hand to a client asking how you meet cybersecurity compliance requirements. We help you meet the requirements; we do not issue the certification itself.
How to evaluate a SOC as a service provider
 	Ask who reads the alerts, and when. Some providers sell a dashboard and call it a SOC. Ask whether a human triages after hours, and what their target time to first human touch is.
 	Get the escalation path in writing. Who calls you, at what severity, and how fast. If it is not in the service level agreement, it is marketing.
 	Ask what they are allowed to do without you. Containment authority decided in advance is the difference between a 20-minute incident and an overnight one.
 	Confirm the tooling is theirs to keep, or yours. Find out what happens to your log history and your agents if you leave.
 	Ask for a sample report. A monthly report you cannot understand is a report you will not read.
 	Check the local half. Remote containment covers most incidents. Some need hands on a device. Ask how long it takes to get somebody to your office.
SOC as a service from Be Structured, in Los Angeles
Be Structured has supported Los Angeles businesses since 2007 from 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown LA. Our 24/7 Network Operations Center triages after-hours issues in about 10 minutes, and when an incident needs hands on a device our team reaches most of the LA area in roughly 30 minutes.
SOCaaS is part of a wider security practice, not a standalone product we sell in isolation. It sits alongside penetration testing services, mobile device management, and the rest of our outsourced IT support and security work, and we would rather scope the whole environment than sell you a monitor for part of it.
➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment: contact Be Structured to schedule a security assessment for your Los Angeles business, or call (323) 331-9452.
Frequently Asked Questions About SOC as a Service
What is SOC as a service?SOC as a service is a subscription that provides a 24/7 security operations center run by an outside provider: analysts, detection tooling, and a documented escalation path, billed monthly instead of staffed internally. It collects security telemetry from your endpoints, servers, network devices and cloud tenants, triages what the tooling flags, responds to real incidents, and produces the reporting an auditor or insurer asks for.
Does a small business in Los Angeles actually need SOCaaS?It depends on what you hold and who asks you about it. If you handle patient records, cardholder data, taxpayer data, or client files under a confidentiality obligation, or if your cyber insurance application asks whether you have 24/7 monitoring, the answer is usually yes. If you are a small cloud-only team with no servers and no compliance obligation, multi-factor authentication, managed endpoint protection, and a tested backup will do more per dollar. We will say so during scoping.
What is the difference between SOCaaS, EDR, and an MSSP?EDR is a tool that watches endpoints and can act on them. SOCaaS is the staffed function that reads what EDR and everything else reports and decides what to do about it. An MSSP is the provider relationship that wraps both, plus firewalls, email security, access management and compliance support. Be Structured includes EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring in its managed security stack, so most clients buy the whole thing rather than the pieces.
How much does SOC as a service cost?Be Structured prices managed security per device, commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack, which includes EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, multi-factor authentication, Windows hardening, email filtering, dark web monitoring, quarterly vulnerability scanning, and Microsoft 365 backup. That sits on top of managed IT at $125 to $300 per user per month. Our managed IT services cost page breaks down what is included and what is billed separately.
Is it cheaper to build our own security operations center?Almost never, below a few hundred employees. Round-the-clock coverage is 168 hours a week, which is 4.2 full-time analysts before you account for vacation, sick time, or turnover, and that is before the SIEM license and the senior engineer who tunes it. The organizations that build in-house SOCs do so because their scale or their classification requirements leave them no choice.
How fast do you respond when the monitoring catches something at 2 a.m.?Monitoring generates a prioritized ticket within 60 seconds of detecting an anomaly and classifies it by severity. Critical incidents escalate immediately to an on-call engineer regardless of the hour. Our Network Operations Center triages after-hours issues in about 10 minutes, and when an incident needs hands on a device our team reaches most of the Los Angeles area in roughly 30 minutes. The containment steps we are pre-authorized to take are agreed in writing before anything happens, so nobody is waiting on a decision at 2 a.m.
Will SOCaaS help with HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC, or the FTC Safeguards Rule?Yes, on the evidence side. Continuous logging produces the access records, configuration change history, and incident documentation those frameworks require, and the monthly reporting is what you hand to an auditor, an insurer, or a client running a security questionnaire. To be clear about our role: we help you meet the requirements and we document the controls behind them. We are not a certifying body or an auditor.
What should we ask a SOCaaS provider before signing?Six questions. Who reads the alerts after hours, and how fast does a human touch one? What is the escalation path, in writing, by severity? What is the provider pre-authorized to do without calling you, such as isolating a host or disabling an account? What happens to your log history and your agents if you leave? Can they show you a sample monthly report you would actually read? And how long does it take to get someone physically to your office when remote containment is not enough?
Do we keep our own IT staff if we buy SOCaaS?Yes. SOCaaS is a security function added to your environment, not a replacement for your IT team. Your people keep their tools and their admin rights, and the help desk process stays where it is. The point is to stop asking a two-person IT team to also be the night shift.

#### What Is Zero Trust Network Architecture, and How Do You Implement It?
Zero trust network architecture is a security model that stops treating your network as a trusted place. Every user, every device and every request is authenticated and authorized before it reaches an application, and the access granted is only what that task needs. You implement it in stages, starting with identity and multi-factor authentication, then application-level access, then segmentation, and you can get most of the benefit in the first two.
The reference definition is NIST Special Publication 800-207, published August 2020. The federal maturity roadmap most vendors are quietly working from is the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model version 2.0, April 2023. Both are free to read, and both are more useful than a vendor deck.
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Zero trust network architecture, defined
Traditional network security was perimeter based: build a wall with antivirus and intrusion protection at the edge, and trust everything inside it. That model assumed the attacker was outside. Cloud applications, remote staff, personal phones and stolen credentials all broke that assumption, because they put untrusted things inside the wall and trusted things outside it.
Zero trust removes location from the trust decision. A laptop on your office network gets no more implicit access than a laptop in a coffee shop. Each request is evaluated against who the user is, what device they are on, what they are asking for, and whether anything about the session looks wrong. The technologies behind that decision are ones you probably already own in part: multi-factor authentication, identity and access management, conditional access policy, device posture checks, encryption, and logging.
Zero trust network access (ZTNA) is the piece that replaces the old flat VPN. Instead of dropping a connected user onto your whole network, ZTNA connects a verified user to one named application, and treats each session as its own auditable event. Lateral movement, which is how a single compromised laptop turns into a company-wide incident, is what this closes.
Is zero trust worth it for a business under 200 employees?
Yes, in the order below, and no if you try to buy it as a single product.
Zero trust is worth doing when any of these is true: you have staff working outside the office; you have a VPN that grants broad network access once someone is on it; you hold regulated data; a client, an insurer or a prime contractor has started asking about access controls; or you have contractors and seasonal staff whose access nobody has reviewed in a year.
It is not worth doing as a rip and replace. Any provider proposing to rebuild your network before touching your identity provider has the order backwards. Identity is where the return is.
How do you implement zero trust, in stages?
 	Identity first. Multi-factor authentication on everything, single sign-on where possible, and conditional access rules that consider device and location. This is the cheapest stage and it closes the most common way businesses get breached.
 	Device posture. Only managed, patched, encrypted devices get access. This is where mobile device management and endpoint management stop being paperwork and start being an access control.
 	Application-level access. Replace or wrap the flat VPN so people connect to applications, not to the network. Each session is verified and logged.
 	Least privilege. Review who has administrative rights, remove standing access nobody needs, and put the rest behind approval.
 	Segmentation. Separate the things that do not need to talk to each other: servers, workstations, guest wireless, printers, cameras, building systems.
 	Monitoring and continuous evaluation. Sessions get reassessed as conditions change, and the logs feed a place where somebody reads them. Periodic penetration testing is how you find out whether the model holds.
Stages one and two are usually weeks, not quarters, and they are where most of the risk reduction sits. Stages three through six follow your budget and your renewal dates.
What changes on day one?
For your staff: a sign-in prompt that asks for a second factor, and, if their laptop is out of date, a message telling them to install updates before they can reach a business application. That is most of what a well-run rollout feels like from a desk.
For your IT team: one place to see who accessed what, from which device, and when. Offboarding becomes a single revocation instead of a checklist across nine systems.
What we plan around: the applications that do not support modern authentication, the legacy line-of-business tool that needs a flat network path, and the executive who travels. These are known problems with known workarounds, and they are the reason a staged rollout beats a flag day.
What zero trust costs, and what it replaces
Most of zero trust is configuration of licenses you already pay for, not new hardware. Microsoft 365 business plans include conditional access and device compliance at the higher tiers, and moving up a tier is often cheaper than the separate products it replaces. Where new spend appears, it is usually a ZTNA service that retires a legacy VPN concentrator, or endpoint management for devices that were never enrolled.
At Be Structured, the access-control half of this work sits inside managed security, priced per device, commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack, which includes multi-factor authentication, Windows Defender hardening and LAPS, EDR with 24/7 SOC monitoring, and dark web monitoring. Managed IT runs $125 to $300 per user per month depending on headcount and coverage. Design and migration work outside the recurring scope is quoted in advance. See our managed IT services cost page for the full breakdown.
How to evaluate a provider that says it does zero trust
 	Ask which NIST 800-207 components they are actually implementing. A provider who cannot name the policy engine, policy administrator and policy enforcement point is selling a product, not an architecture.
 	Ask what they would do first in your environment, and why. If the answer is not identity, ask them to defend the order.
 	Ask what breaks. Every honest rollout has a list of applications that need exceptions. A provider who says nothing will break has not looked.
 	Ask how access gets reviewed after go-live. Zero trust decays the moment nobody reviews privilege.
 	Ask what happens to the VPN. Running both indefinitely means you paid for zero trust and kept the hole.
 	Ask for the logging story. Continuous verification without somebody reading the output is just extra prompts for your staff.
Zero trust work from Be Structured, in Los Angeles
Be Structured has supported Los Angeles businesses since 2007 from 500 S. Grand Avenue, 22nd Floor, in Downtown LA. We design and implement zero trust in the order above, on the licenses you already hold where that is possible, and we keep backup and recovery for remote work in scope while we do it, because access control and recovery fail together when they fail at all.
As one of the cybersecurity companies Los Angeles businesses can evaluate locally, we would rather scope your identity platform first than quote you a network rebuild.
➤ Get Your Free IT Assessment: contact Be Structured to schedule a zero trust readiness assessment, or call (323) 331-9452.
Frequently Asked Questions About Zero Trust
What is zero trust network architecture?Zero trust network architecture is a security model that removes location from the trust decision. Every user, device and request is authenticated and authorized before reaching an application, and the access granted is limited to what the task needs. The reference definition is NIST Special Publication 800-207, published in August 2020.
What is the difference between zero trust and a VPN?A traditional VPN authenticates you once and then drops you onto the network, where you can usually reach far more than your job requires. Zero trust network access connects a verified user to one named application instead, and treats each session as its own auditable event. That difference is what closes lateral movement, which is how one compromised laptop becomes a company-wide incident.
Where do you start with zero trust?Identity. Multi-factor authentication everywhere, single sign-on where possible, and conditional access rules that consider device and location. Stage two is device posture: only managed, patched, encrypted devices get access. Those two stages are usually weeks rather than quarters, and they hold most of the risk reduction. Application-level access, least privilege, segmentation and continuous monitoring follow.
Does a small business need zero trust, or is it an enterprise thing?It applies at small scale, because the conditions that broke the perimeter model apply at small scale: remote staff, cloud applications, personal phones, contractors, and stolen credentials. What changes with size is the budget and the sequencing, not the model. A ten-person firm can complete the identity and device stages on licensing it already owns.
How much does zero trust cost to implement?Most of it is configuration of licenses you already pay for rather than new hardware. Microsoft 365 includes conditional access and device compliance at the higher business tiers, and moving up a tier is often cheaper than the separate products it replaces. At Be Structured the access-control half sits inside managed security, priced per device and commonly $50 per device per month for the full stack, on top of managed IT at $125 to $300 per user per month. Design and migration work is quoted in advance.
What will our staff notice after a zero trust rollout?A sign-in prompt asking for a second factor, and, if their laptop is out of date, a message telling them to install updates before they can reach a business application. That is most of what a well-run rollout feels like from a desk. Your IT team notices more: one place to see who accessed what from which device, and offboarding that becomes a single revocation instead of a checklist across nine systems.
What usually breaks during a zero trust project?Applications that do not support modern authentication, a legacy line-of-business tool that expects a flat network path, and users who travel. These are known problems with known workarounds, and they are the reason we roll out in stages instead of on a single cutover date. Any provider who tells you nothing will break has not looked at your application list.
How do we evaluate a provider that says it does zero trust?Ask which NIST 800-207 components they are implementing and have them name the policy engine, policy administrator and policy enforcement point. Ask what they would do first in your environment, and expect identity. Ask what will break. Ask how access gets reviewed after go-live. Ask what happens to the existing VPN, because running both indefinitely means paying for zero trust and keeping the hole. Ask who reads the logs.
Is zero trust required for compliance?It is not a certification you pass. It is an architecture that makes the access-control requirements in HIPAA, PCI DSS, CMMC and the FTC Safeguards Rule straightforward to evidence, because the logging falls out of the design. Federal agencies work to the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model version 2.0, published April 2023, and private-sector security questionnaires increasingly borrow its language. We help you meet the requirements; we do not issue the certification itself.



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