Merrick Sloss, Author at Bellwether Technology

Pandemic Tests Cloud Services

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

COVID-19 is now a global pandemic. Millions of people are affected as countries go on lockdown to halt the spread of the disease. Many employees are forced to work from home. That’s why there’s a sudden surge in demand for cloud services worldwide. Can the web infrastructure survive this pandemic, too? Even before the pandemic, many companies were already turning to online productivity and collaboration tools for their business. While projections on how long this pandemic will force people to stay in their homes vary, it is certain that for the next month or so, cloud usage will continue to […]

Clarifying the CMMC Timeline

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Version 1 of the much anticipated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework was release by the Pentagon on January 31. Many news outlets are reporting that, “All DoD contractors must be certified by 2025.” This is a correct statement, but a misleading timeline. Starting in June of 2020, all newly issued RFQs will require CMMC compliance (likely level 1 or 2) in order to receive the Federal Contract Information required to participate in the bidding process. Since multi-year Federal contracts are limited to 5 years, by 2025 all DoD contracts will have cycled through under the new rules, making this […]

Small Businesses Need IT Support More than Ever

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Overall, small businesses face more challenges as compared to established setups. And the one area they tend to overlook is technical support. Whether it is a multi-office law firm, or any other business, lack of tech support may lead to an unprecedented financial crisis. Companies are unable to install and maintain their infrastructure due to a lack of capital income or finances. Even worse, many startups and small businesses suffer cyber attacks and data breaches by hackers as they cannot afford to hire trained IT professionals. Put simply, tech or IT support has become an absolute necessity for small businesses, […]

Spread Awareness and Review Your Cybersecurity Guidelines

Posted on October 26, 2019 by Merrick Sloss

Whether it is about developing an application, managing a network or even organizing files, security guidelines are essential. The organizations that keep their security guidelines aligned and in place from the start not only can assess their options but also make reasonable decisions based on the type of industry and the sensitivity of the information. Threats to business data may change or transform with time, but the basics of security remain the same. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has outlined a guideline for protecting sensitive and personal information. It guides businesses about how to keep personal information in documents and on […]

What is a Managed Services Provider

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Merrick Sloss

There is no denying that technology has evolved considerably over the last few decades. And if you are a startup or a small business, your IT department may not be able to manage the pace of advanced innovations. It may make your company’s IT more reactive and vulnerable rather than proactive. This can mean your systems struggle to meet the demands of your business in the digital world. If you have never considered opting for third-party support because of cost or any other reason, it is time to make a decision. Let’s dig deeper to find out what a managed […]

Reality Check: Why Most of the Cybersecurity Issues Go Unnoticed?

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Merrick Sloss

Cybersecurity is one of the most common concerns of the interconnected world today. As more organizations and companies transition their operation data online, the volume of cyber attacks has escalated as well. According to a recent report, the number of cyber attacks in the past two years has nearly doubled. And these numbers do not account for attacks that go unreported. To make matters worse, most of these cyber attacks target small businesses and startups that do not have effective strategies and tools to defend their systems. That is to say, if businesses do not take cybersecurity as a serious […]

Why Are IT Policies & Procedures Important

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Merrick Sloss

[Updated 2022] IT policies and procedures play a strategic and crucial role in making sure that your company’s corporate information is safe. Policies document how people and other IT systems can access your data and network. Policies and procedures work together with your technical security controls to protect confidential information from unauthorized access, disclosure, corruption, loss, and interference in both physical and electronic formats. When it comes to protecting information, maintaining privacy is just one aspect of security. You also need to be concerned with the information’s accuracy and your ability to access it when you need to. In IT […]

How to Select an IT Vendor

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Merrick Sloss

Choosing a reliable service for your company’s IT needs saves you a lot of money and time. Plus, the common pitfalls of poorly chosen IT services and technology can lead to frustration, capital loss, and low adoption rate. Even worse, you can get stuck with a long- term contract for IT services that are useless for your company. The selection process of an IT vendor or services has become more complex as companies want a representation of the stakeholders who will benefit from the new technology. That means when you propose a new technology purchase, you must think about how […]

The Importance of Standardization and Documentation

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Merrick Sloss

The Importance of IT Standardization and Documentation

[Updated 2022] Imagine working with a blindfold on your eyes. You’ll constantly be thinking about your next step. Not only will you have to search for which direction you should take the next step but also you will waste a lot of time while doing so. It is a perfect analogy to describe what it is like to work without standardization and documentation. Put simply, standard guidelines are concrete benchmarks that define specific rules and voluntary characteristics of a particular industry. From providing reliable information to structured methods, standardization and documentation serve as an indispensable tool of development to organizations. […]

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