Business Essentials

Business owners and managers know the importance of having excellent business essentials in place for their company’s computer network, security, communications, and software needs. Keeping a company’s technologies up-to-date can make all the difference in succeeding in today’s competitive world.

Business Web and Email Hosting

It goes without saying that email has become one of the most important aspects of business today. And if your company does business online or supports it own websites, web hosting is an equally vital component of business success.

When choosing a web hosting and email provider, be sure to find a company with outstanding technical support and proven reliability and security. Most larger providers offer a one-stop shopping approach and will combine your company’s email hosting, web hosting, ecommerce solutions, and domain hosting in a single package.

Depending on what type of website your company has, you’ll need to decide on what type of web hosting you need: dedicated, managed, virtual, cloud, clustered, or shared. Each offers different benefits depending on the size and use requirements of your company’s website.

Business Firewall Protection

No matter what size your business is, having a network firewall active at all times is imperative to the security of your company’s data. Firewalls help prevent hacker attacks and damage from the thousands of spyware and virus infections that permeate the Internet every day. Preventing these types of attacks through firewall protection can save your company time and money by not having to deal with the consequences of a breached network.

Firewalls can either be hardware or software. A hardware firewall is an actual physical device which blocks public Internet access from your network. This type of firewall can protect literally thousands of computers at the same time from viruses, spyware, malware, and hackers. This can mean impressive savings over purchasing software firewall protection for every computer a company owns.

Software firewalls, instead of being actual devices, are programs that protect individual computers from viruses, spyware, and malware.  They have a simpler user interface than more complex hardware firewalls, and can be cost effective if a business has a small number of computers to protect. Software firewalls are also less expensive than their hardware counterparts, ranging in price from $30 to $150 depending on what type of software a company decides to purchase; hardware firewalls generally start in the $400 and higher price range.

Virtual Private Networks for Businesses

Most large businesses are aware of the benefits of running their own virtual private networks (VPNs) -- secure computer networks that operate as an additional software layer on top of an existing network.  VPNs are a primary way to share company data between employees and offices, no matter where they are located. And complex encryption, authentication, and tunneling features translate to heightened VPN security and reliability.

One of the greatest benefits VPNs offer businesses is that both VPN management and equipment can be leased. This means a company can take advantage of VPN features without having to invest in the personnel and equipment to run a VPN in-house.