As technology continues to advance, many businesses are turning to the Cloud to help streamline operations, reduce costs and increase efficiency. One option gaining popularity is the Microsoft Azure hybrid cloud.  

 Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud is a technology that combines the benefits of both the cloud and on-premises infrastructure. Imagine you have a computer at home, but you also have access to a super powerful computer in the cloud. It allows you to use both of these resources together seamlessly. You can store your files and run software applications on your home computer, but when you need extra power or storage, you can tap into the cloud computer to handle the heavy lifting. 

Here are some of the benefits your business can expect when you use Azure hybrid cloud. 

 Flexibility 

One of the biggest benefits of the Azure hybrid cloud is its flexibility. With this solution, you can choose to run some applications and data on-premises, in the cloud, or in a combination of both. 

This allows businesses to take advantage of the scalability and cost savings of the cloud while still keeping sensitive data on-premises. 

Security 

Azure hybrid cloud offers the security and compliance needed to keep data safe. It offers a range of security features, including encryption, threat protection, and access controls, that can keep business data protected from cyber threats. 

Cost Savings 

Another benefit is cost savings. By using a combination of on-premises and cloud resources, businesses can reduce their infrastructure costs and pay only for the resources they need. Additionally, Azure’s pay-as-you-go pricing model means that businesses only pay for what they use, allowing them to save money on unused resources. 

Scalability 

Azure hybrid cloud allows you to scale operations up or down as needed. The program’s flexibility means you can quickly and easily scale their operations to meet changing demands without having to invest in new hardware or infrastructure. 

Increased Productivity 

You can increase productivity by taking advantage of the cloud’s collaboration and communication tools. These tools make it easy for employees to work together from wherever and can help businesses streamline workflows and improve general productivity. 

Contact Us 

If you are considering moving to the Cloud or are looking for ways to improve your existing cloud infrastructure, then Azure hybrid cloud may be the solution for you. At Keystone, we can help you explore your options and find the right solution for your business. Contact us to learn more.  

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform with over 774 million users, making it a great way for businesses to connect with professionals and promote their brand. If you want to boost your online presence and drive more traffic to your website, LinkedIn has some incredible new features you should know about.

LinkedIn Stories

Stories is one of the latest additions that can help your business. It’s a great way to share a series of photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours. You can use stories to display your brand’s culture, provide a sneak peek into your business, and spread industry news or tips. By using LinkedIn Stories, you can increase your engagement rates and drive more traffic to your page.

LinkedIn Live

Another great feature is Live, which allows businesses to stream live events, interviews, and webinars to their audience in real-time. This is an excellent way to connect with your followers and receive instant feedback. It can also boost your visibility and help you connect with a wider audience.

 Polls

LinkedIn Polls are also a useful tool for businesses to gather feedback from their audience on a specific topic or question. They are easy to set up, and companies can receive real-time feedback to make well-informed business decisions with their customers top of mind.

Pages

The latest update to LinkedIn Pages makes it simple for businesses to show off their brand and engage with their audience. You can share stories, post updates, and engage with your audience on a more personal level. With analytics, you can see how successful your business is and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Events

LinkedIn Events is a professional and effective way to inform your LinkedIn audience and boost exposure for your event. LinkedIn Events can also be a great way for businesses to increase traffic to their page and connect with their followers on a more personal level.

Let’s Connect

With these new features, you can boost your online presence, connect with your audience, and crush your marketing goals. Which new feature will you be trying first? Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the latest industry news and tips, as well as to see how we are utilizing these features to boost our own online presence.

Keystone Technology Consultants is a leading provider of IT support services and cybersecurity solutions for businesses of all sizes. One of the key areas in which we specialize is ransomware recovery. If your business has been attacked by hackers and your data has been encrypted, we can help you recover your data and get your business back up and running. 

The threat of ransomware attacks is ever-present in today’s business landscape, with hackers becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods of attack. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts your data and demands payment in exchange for the decryption key. The costs of ransomware attacks can be significant, with businesses often facing not only financial losses, but also reputational damage and legal liabilities. 

 At Keystone, we understand the impact that ransomware attacks can have on your business and we are here to help. Our team of cybersecurity experts has extensive experience in dealing with ransomware attacks and can provide you with the support and guidance you need to recover your data and minimize the impact of the attack. 

Here are just some of the ways we can help your business with ransomware recovery: 

Incident Response 

Our incident response team can quickly assess the extent of the damage caused by the ransomware attack and develop a plan to recover your data. We work closely with you to identify the source of the attack and determine the best course of action to restore your systems and data. 

Data Recovery 

Our team of data recovery experts has the skills and tools necessary to recover your data, even if it has been encrypted by attackers. We use advanced data recovery techniques to extract your data from damaged or inaccessible storage media and restore it to its original state. 

Backup and Disaster Recovery 

We can help proactively implement a backup and disaster recovery plan that will protect your data from future ransomware attacks. Our experts will help you identify the best backup solutions for your business and develop a disaster recovery plan that will minimize the impact of any future attacks. 

Cybersecurity Solutions 

In addition to ransomware recovery, we offer a range of cybersecurity solutions to help protect your business from future attacks. We can help implement security best practices, such as multi-factor authentication and data encryption, and provide ongoing cybersecurity monitoring and support. 

Contact Us

At Keystone, we are committed to providing our clients with the highest level of service and support. If your business has been the victim of a ransomware attack, don’t hesitate. Contact us immediately so our engineers can help you recover your data and get your business back on track.  

What Is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is one of the most advanced language models in the world, developed by OpenAI to mimic human-like conversations. It is based on an advanced deep-learning algorithm that enables the model to understand and generate natural language. 

What Kind of Information Does it Know?

ChatGPT can answer questions on almost any topic. The model has been trained on a massive dataset that includes a vast range of information from various domains, including science, history, politics, and entertainment. This means that when users ask ChatGPT a question, the model can draw on its vast knowledge base to provide a relevant and accurate response. This makes it an excellent tool for anyone looking to get quick, in-depth knowledge about a particular subject. 

Does ChatGPT Sound Realistic?

Another capability of ChatGPT is its ability to generate human-like responses to open-ended prompts. The model is not limited to providing factual information but can also engage in casual conversation. This means that users can talk to it as they would to a friend, discussing a wide range of topics, from movies and sports to current events and personal interests. 

Advanced Capabilities

ChatGPT also has the capability to learn from its interactions with users. The model is continually updating its knowledge base, incorporating new information and refining its responses based on user feedback. This means that the more users interact with ChatGPT, the more intelligent and accurate it becomes. This is particularly useful for businesses that want to train the model on their specific domain and create a customized chatbot that can handle customer queries and support requests.

Another significant capability of ChatGPT is its multilingual support. The model can understand and generate responses in several languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, and Chinese. This makes it an invaluable tool for businesses that operate in multiple regions or have multilingual clients and want to provide a consistent customer experience. It also means that users can converse with ChatGPT in their native language, making the interaction more natural and comfortable.

Learn More

ChatGPT is a highly advanced language model that has several remarkable capabilities. It can answer questions on a wide range of topics, engage in casual conversation, learn from user interactions, support multiple languages, and generate text in various styles and tones. ChatGPT can even write blogs. As a matter of fact – it informed most of the blog you just read! 

Learn more about the possibilities it can hold for your business. 

Hiring a managed service provider can give you more time to stay up to speed on the latest trends affecting your business. Start a conversation.

There are multiple options when it comes to co-managing your IT Department. 

Fully managed IT is when an IT service provider handles everything from monitoring and maintenance to troubleshooting and problem resolution. 

Co-managed IT supplements internal IT, your in-house IT workforce. Your own IT team can focus on more vital projects while a co-managed IT service provider like Keystone Technology Consultants, monitors, maintains, and troubleshoots. 

If you’re unsure what level of IT infrastructure management you should be looking for, here are signs that your organization might benefit from co-managed IT: 

Overworked in-house IT 

Your in-house IT team is extremely important to your business’s day-to-day operations. If your IT staff is continuously overworked and requires help meeting your organization’s demands, co-managed IT services may be right for you. Co-managed IT will free up your in-house IT team to focus on more critical assignments while your IT service provider can handle preventative measures and minimizing risk. 

Disruptions and lengthy downtime 

Downtime, when an IT system is unavailable, offline or not operational, and disruptions can be costly for any business and can cause great stress for your internal IT team. If your organization experiences extended f downtime and interruptions, then your internal IT team may require additional support.An IT service provider can help by monitoring your systems and proactively identifying and addressing issues,saving your business from the adverse effects of extended downtime and disruptions. 

Missed project deadlines 

Your IT department is essential for project completion. If your IT team routinely misses project deadlines, an IT service provider can give resources and solutions to help your staff stay on track, meet important  deadlines and accomplish company objectives. 

Lack of adequate tools and resources 

Your company’s IT systems depend on your IT personnel. Consider co-managed IT if your internal team is underequipped. Your own IT team can be more productive using tools from an IT service provider, creating efficiency and helping your company run smoothly. 

Let us take IT from here.

We know that businesses need a stable and effective IT infrastructure. Fully managed and co-managed IT services help organizations like yours reduce downtime, optimize internal IT processes, and grow. 

Keystone Technology Consultants can help you decide if co-managed IT is best for you. Our staff is committed to equipping your internal IT team with the tools and resources to succeed. 

Contact us to learn more about how co-managed IT can help you get back to what’s important.

Your software is only as good as its last patch. Reaching End of Life (EoL) or End of Service (EoS) means critical patches and updates are no longer available. Some businesses make the mistake of not upgrading software right away because it still works. Old software can cause security risks, data loss, compliance problems, and other difficulties.

The following are key variables of running old software and why it’s important to take action when your software reaches End of Life or End of Support.

Concerns About Security

Your security is at risk when using old software, including the following vulnerabilities:

• The vendor is no longer sending you security patches, leaving your system open to known attacks.
• Individuals who pose a threat may have already figured out how the software works and made exploit code, which makes it easier for them to get into your system.
• Running out-of-date software can cause problems with other software and hardware, which can lead to data loss or corruption.
• Using out-of-date software may be against your organization’s security policies, which can hurt its ability to stay safe in the future and perform its task well.

Privacy Implications

Using old software can have serious effects on your privacy. If the software’s manufacturer doesn’t support it anymore and it has sensitive information, you may face a data privacy fine.

For example, in the US, the Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Chegg Inc. for failing to patch vulnerabilities that exposed sensitive information about millions of its customers and employees, such as Social Security numbers, email addresses and passwords. Chegg allegedly couldn’t resolve issues, even though there were four security breaches over the course of five years.

According to the FTC’s proposed order, the company must fix the problems right away and take different steps, such as limiting the amount of data it can collect and keep, giving users multifactor authentication to protect their accounts, and letting users access and delete their own data.

Productivity Implications

Outdated software can hurt a business’s productivity. If it runs slowly, crashes often, or is overall difficult to use, it can make employees angry and disrupt workflows. Difficulties can then lead to a bad customer experience and ultimately hurt the company’s reputation and bottom line. Ensure business runs smoothly by keeping software up to date. 

You’ve already taken the first step toward keeping your business safe by realizing that using old software is dangerous. If you are already experiencing the side effects of operating old software, it may be time to call in some help. Partnering with an IT service provider like Keystone Technology Consultants can ease your worry, allowing you to focus on your business.

Keystone can help you protect your business by keeping you up to date on the latest security threats and how to fix them, updating your systems and more. Contact us for a consultation. 

Top Technology Predictions for 2023

2023 is in full swing. Remember when we thought we would have flying cars and robots taking over the world by now? Well, those predictions weren’t that far off. We have the car that drives itself, we have robots cleaning grocery store aisles and taking our orders in the drive thru line. That’s just the beginning! 

Analysts at Deloitte have unveiled their predictions for what they believe will be the most important tech trends of the year. Here is what they said…

The Metaverse

GlobalData says that the Metaverse will be worth $376 billion by the year 2025. Even though the consumer Metaverse will still be a top trend to watch in 2023, investors will be less interested in it as the economy declines. Conceptual research shows that the Metaverse won’t have the transformative effect that was promised until it is regulated. This won’t happen in 2023. However, in 2023, the enterprise Metaverse will have changed and businesses will be able to use it for: collaboration, enterprise design, data visualization, product simulation, risk assessment, predictive maintenance, and process optimization through the idea of digital twinning. 

Artificial Intelligence

According to GlobalData’s 2023 TMT Predictions, the artificial intelligence (AI) industry will be worth $93 billion – a 12% increase from 2022. AI is one of the most-anticipated new technologies because it can speed up and improve other technologies: including things like robotics, quantum computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In a tech opinion poll done in the third business quarter of 2022, it was found that 57% of those who responded said that AI will live up to all of its promises. 

Cloud Computing

By the end of 2023, the global cloud computing market will be worth $734 billion, which is a 15% increase from 2022. Businesses will keep outsourcing their IT infrastructure to the cloud to save money and have more freedom. Cloud computing is becoming more important for business operations. It will also be a major driver, along with AI, for new technologies like robotics and the Internet of Things. 

Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies

When the leading platform FTX went down in November 2022, it marked the end of a hard year for the $840 billion cryptocurrency industry. This sent shockwaves through the world’s financial system. But the crash of FTX is likely to push the US toward a regulatory framework that will catch up to the EU’s Market in Crypto-Assets regulations by 2023. In 2023, the focus will be on regulating cryptocurrencies so that users’ money becomes safer. For example, they will be required to show proof of funds and not combine their assets with those of other companies. Now that crypto-assets are regulated, the cryptocurrency market will grow and will be utilized by more people.

Contact Us

It might not be a flying car or a robot that can do your job for you, but it’s safe to say the technology game will stay evolving in 2023. To keep up with current trends, get quick technology tips & tricks, or to further your education on technology related topics, check out our previous blog posts and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. If you are looking to partner with a Managed Service Provider, contact Keystone Technology Consultants today. 

Effectively Managing Supply Chain Risks

Digital transformation has simplified inventory management and order processing for businesses all around the world, however, it has also made businesses more vulnerable to hackers and data theft. Unquestionably, this vulnerability means that any supply chain breach could affect your entire business. 

Although putting security solutions in place for your company is a good start, it’s not enough. The size and complexity of supply chains have grown, making it almost impossible to find failure points or eliminate all risks.

Your company must stop considering cybersecurity and data protection as only IT issues. Rather, it combines people, processes, and awareness across your supply chain. Your preventative and corrective procedures should include supply chain risks.

Make supply chain security a part of governance

Ad hoc supply chain risk management causes confusion and instability. Risk Management can be included right into your security measures so employees know how to work with outside groups and what security steps to take.

Supply chain cybersecurity strategy best practices

•  Determine who is in charge of holding vendors and suppliers accountable
• Make a security checklist for choosing vendors and suppliers
• State how and how often to evaluate and monitor suppliers’ cybersecurity practices

Next we’ll walk through a few different methods to ensure you measure progress and performance sufficiently.

Take compliance seriously

To ensure a strong supply chain, companies must follow several regulations. These regulations can be found here. The defense industrial base must meet Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). You can meet all standards by requiring vendors to follow these regulations.

In order to demonstrate compliance, organizations must perform extensive evaluations, create reports and documentation, and follow best practices. 

Furthermore, following rules is crucial. It will protect your data and ensure that your staff all follow the same guidelines. It’s important that you and your staff stay up to date with the newest industry standards since these rules frequently change.

Deploy comprehensive and layered security systems

With many third-party vendors, it’s hard to predict threats. There are too many ways an attack could happen. It’s imperative to have many layers of security within your supply chain.

Each layer of your IT infrastructure should be protected with layered security. This is a more all-around method, so even if one solution doesn’t work, you have others to fall back on.

Nonetheless, layered security is only as good as its implementers. You should train and test your staff often so they are able to recognize threats and act appropriately.

Contact us

As we have discussed, supply chains are getting smarter and more connected, increasing your vulnerability to cyberattacks. Now is the perfect time to find and repair weak links. Sound time consuming and expensive? Lean on our team at Keystone Technology Consultants to help set up multilevel security to protect your data and adhere with regulations. If you are interested in protecting your business from Supply Chain Threats, Contact Us. 

Today, collaborating with your team is crucial. Whether you’re working from home or back in the office, having a digital way to efficiently share documents between members of your team is a necessity. 

SharePoint and OneDrive in Microsoft 365 are cloud-based services that help organizations share and manage content, knowledge, and applications to:

• Encourage teamwork
• Quickly find information
• Seamlessly collaborate across the organization

There are different situations to use each of these applications, continue reading to learn their differences and when to use SharePoint versus OneDrive.

What is SharePoint?

SharePoint is a cloud-based platform that provides an organization with the ability to manage content, track processes, collaborate with other employees, manage business activities, and publish information. It is one of the collaboration tools for Office 365, and easily integrates into Office 365 tools you’re already using.

Capabilities of SharePoint

Because of its flexibility, SharePoint makes an ideal content management system. SharePoint helps organizations store, retrieve, search, manage, track, archive, and report on various electronic documents and records.  SharePoint is the content management system that we at Keystone Technology Consultants recommend. Other capabilities of SharePoint include: 

• Upload files to your SharePoint Document Management library and access them from anywhere
• Open a document in a document library
• Work with others on the same document at the same time
• Share documents
• Share sites
• Create a team site
• Add a list or library to your team site
• Keep previous versions of a document while you make changes to it
• Search for documents, file names, key words
• Share information with your entire organization
• Copy and move files and folders between libraries

What is OneDrive? 

OneDrive works like a traditional external drive, but is available through the internet and offers additional features. OneDrive is the cloud storage service that Microsoft offers to store all your files securely in one place. You can then access these files virtually from anywhere. Since it works across devices and platforms, you can create a file on one device and pick up where you left off on another. No more transferring anything to a USB flash drive or emailing it to yourself. OneDrive also makes it easy to share content with others and collaborate in real-time. 

Capabilities of OneDrive

Use OneDrive to save documents, photos, and other files in the cloud. You can also use OneDrive to share documents with friends and even collaborate on content. When you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you get 1 TB of storage and premium OneDrive features. OneDrive for work or school is online storage for your work or school organization.

When to Use SharePoint Versus OneDrive 

SharePoint is a great option for storing information and working on project management as a team because of its collaborative features. OneDrive is more suited for personal use and resembles a library that stores simple documents instead of a platform for team projects. If you’re working on a file by yourself, save it to OneDrive. Your OneDrive files are private unless you share them with others, which is particularly useful if you haven’t created a team yet. 

Contact Us

We at Keystone Technology Consultants are always here to help, whether it be with navigating the ins and outs of SharePoint, OneDrive, or any other technology issue you may be experiencing. Contact us today to learn how you can start furthering your goals with these Microsoft 365 integrations and subscribe to our newsletter for more technology tips.