IT Coach for Growing Businesses

IT Coach for Growing Businesses - Season 2, Episode 15

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 14:04:48 +0000

If one of your goals in 2021 is to harness the power of IT process automation, our partners at Red Hat have some good news: Ansible, an open source community project that is simple to use, reliable, and one of the fastest ways to automate IT, is making waves and transforming how businesses accomplish more.

IT Coach for Growing Businesses - Season 2, Episode 14

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:02:48 +0000

Think phishing scams don't pose a real threat to your business? Think again. In this conversation of IT Coach for Growing Businesses, InfoSystems' vCIO, Aaron Swann, discusses the various ways malware can access an organization's network through email phishing scams. The conversation provides concrete steps businesses can follow to prevent malware from entering networks and spreading to devices and servers.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 13

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 20:35:25 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Fred discuss value-adds that vCISOs can deliver to organizations. From learning how to create and follow a secure password policy to the most critical security needs, learn how to address common cybersecurity concerns from our vCISO.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 12

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 15:39:56 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Danika discuss a question from a listener - "How do I protect my company's wireless network in a high traffic area?" Many companies are surrounded or nearby busy streets, other businesses, and housing. This means your wireless network is being seen hundreds of times each day by complete strangers. Whether you are headquartered in a large city like Charlotte, NC or a small town in Georgia, your company should take precautions to keep your wireless network safe.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 11

Fri, 01 May 2020 12:53:02 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Josh discuss a question from a listener - "How do I select a good home router?" A router is what sits between you and the internet. Selecting the right home router depends on factors like the size of your home and your internet speed. While this podcast was made for small business leaders, we strive to answer questions that help listeners stay connected, safe, and secure no matter where they are. This is especially true with many working remotely right now.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 10

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:48:55 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Josh discuss how to choose a computer. Choosing a new computer for your specific needs is never an easy task. Not to mention, it's time consuming. Much like buying a car, you have an abundance of styles, sizes, and speeds available at your fingertips - but choose too quickly and you'll miss important info like safety and model ratings.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 9

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 12:44:00 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Josh discuss a question from a listener - "When I try to go to websites, I sometimes get error messages. What are they trying to tell me?" Error messages look like this, "This site is not secure," "Certificate can't be trusted," or "Your connection is not secure," and are all too common. They pop up for numerous reasons and are famously difficult to troubleshoot for everyday website browsers. Difficult terminology following the error messages creates confusion and leads to hastily made decisions to bypass and continue on.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 8

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 16:44:15 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Josh discuss the "De Facto IT Person." AKA the office manager or employee who has proved capable to fix small technical issues, so is given all IT duties. You may not realize how common this scenario is within companies of all sizes.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 7

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 13:46:23 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Josh discuss how a Virtual CIO (vCIO) can benefit businesses that don't have C-level or senior IT leadership. A CIO (Chief Information Officer) is responsible for all of the internal technology that runs a business. The most important role a CIO plays in an organization is to take the vision, goals, and strategies established by the executive team and build out the technology systems that need to be in place to support them.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 6

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 13:51:52 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Josh continue the series on Managed Services. Today's discussion covers a number of Software Services (antivirus, spam filtering, email, security training, etc.) that can be monitored and maintained by an IT company as part of a managed services agreement.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 5

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 13:37:58 +0000

You've probably heard IT people talk about end-points and have no idea what they're talking about. An end-point is each individual device connected to your company's network that employees are using. Laptops, PCs, cell phones, and tablets are all end-points.

In this episode, Aaron and Josh discuss important steps every business leader should take to ensure employees are working on devices that are approved, maintained, and updated as necessary. When employees use devices daily that are outdated or not properly maintained, it can quickly kill morale. This doesn't only impact employees though. It can cost your company unnecessary time and money when acting reactively rather than proactively. Thankfully, there are many basic programs and platforms that can help you do this.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 4

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 21:48:19 +0000

In this episode, Aaron and Josh discuss how to determine what type of IT services provider you may need, how to choose the right type of provider, and the questions you should ask before hiring them. There are many options available to help you solve IT issues that arise. Finding the right provider is a must. As your company grows and changes are made, you will need an IT company to help you through those changes and to get your issues resolved quickly.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 3

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 16:03:31 +0000

On this episode of "IT Coach for Small Business Leaders", Virtual CIO, Aaron Swann, discusses firewalls and how a managed service provider can help manage your firewall. When it comes to firewalls, there is much to take into account. From policies to content filtering to life cycles. It can get overwhelming. If you want to make sense of it all, this episode is perfect for you. Aaron and Josh discuss the little things, then offer an easy solution for those times you need to reach out for the big things.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 2

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 13:41:46 +0000

On this episode of "IT Coach for Small Business Leaders," Virtual CIO, Aaron Swann, discusses managed backups and how to determine your business' backup needs.

Early-stage businesses that don't have the cash to spend on professional help may be able to implement "DIY" backups. But as your business grows you will need professional help - a managed backup service. A professional-grade backup service provider will help steer businesses through the entire decision making process to get the right managed backup service for your business.

IT Coach for Small Business Leaders - Season 2, Episode 1

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 20:03:06 +0000

We're excited to launch season 2 of IT Coach for Small Business Leaders and hope you enjoy all of the topics we plan to cover in 2020.

In this episode we dive deeper into the topic of "Managed IT Services." With so many IT service providers offering "managed services," it's important for business leaders to understand exactly what this term means. The truth is, it can mean very different things depending on which IT company you are dealing with.

We break down Managed IT Services into plain English and relate it to common concepts such as "consumer-grade" vs. "professional-grade," and "do-it-yourself (DIY)," "done-with-me," and "done-for-me." Listen to the full episode to hear Aaron Swann's advice on how to determine what level of Managed IT Services is the best fit for your company.In this episode, InfoSystems vCIO, Aaron Swann, and VP of Marketing, Josh Davis, discuss managed backups for your data and how a managed services provider can help take the burden off your team to make sure you have a solid backup strategy.

Ep 18 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Mon, 13 May 2019 12:41:17 +0000

In this episode, InfoSystems vCIO, Aaron Swann, and Marketing Director, Josh Davis, discuss how a "Managed Services" agreement may mean you are unknowingly outsourcing your IT systems management to another country. We compare the way InfoSystems delivers locally managed IT services, to other models that include reselling software and outsourcing IT support to overseas call centers.

The information technology industry has seen a major shift in the way IT companies deliver services to their customers over the last 5-10 years. 10 years ago, you would have never heard an IT company referred to as a "managed services provider." Today, that is the most common way IT companies describe their services. So that leads us to the question - "what has changed?"

For the next few episodes, Aaron Swann will share information about how managed services are delivered for the various individual components of your overall IT system and how you can make sure you are making sound decisions on what to outsource.

Ep 17 - IT Coach for Business Leaders

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:24:52 +0000

We're beginning our podcast episodes for 2019 on the topic of Cyber Security. It has become more and more urgent for organizations to make sure that all employees receive adequate training on how to recognize cyber attacks and other security threats. It's also crucial for companies to draft and adopt security policies and to assess whether or not they are meeting compliance requirements that may be in place for their type of business.

In this episode, InfoSystems vCIO, Aaron Swann, and Marketing Director, Josh Davis, discuss the KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training program. Aaron discusses his experience rolling out this training program for several InfoSystems customers. He gives a great overview of how a company can deploy simulated attacks and other security vulnerabilities with KnowBe4 to train employees by letting them see and experience them firsthand and receive feedback and training tailored to how they responded.

If your company does not have an active training program in place for end user cyber security awareness, this is a great intro to hear why your employees are your biggest risk.

15 minute listen.

Episode 16 - IT Coach for Business Leaders

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 18:17:18 +0000

In this episode, InfoSystems vCIO, Aaron Swann, and Marketing Director, Josh Davis, discuss how cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated and much more difficult to recognize. We also discuss many different types of attacks such as phishing emails, spear phishing attacks, and voicemail and phone scams.

If your company does not have an active training program in place for end user cyber security awareness, this is a great intro to hear why your employees are your biggest risk. 15 minute listen.

Episode 14 - IT Coach for Business Leaders

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 18:45:50 +0000

Technology has become so important to business operations that most companies can't run if their IT systems are down. Despite that fact, when it comes to construction, renovation, and general environmental decisions at a place of business, technology is typically an afterthought. In this episode of IT Coach for Business Leaders, Aaron Swann and Josh Davis discuss the environmental factors that are important to ensuring that your technology runs optimally.

Episode 13 - IT Coach for Business Leaders

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 12:55:38 +0000

One of the most common pieces of customer feedback we hear from InfoSystems customers is how much they value the time they spend with our vCIO, Aaron Swann (a major reason we love having him on our podcasts). In this episode of IT Coach for Business Leaders, we talk through a very common scenario that often causes very major issues - the impact of IT infrastructure on software implementation and upgrade projects. Let's be honest - software sellers are hyper-focused on the software deal and usually treat the infrastructure requirements as an afterthought. Don't make that mistake. Listen to the full episode to hear specifics on how to avoid issues with your new software implementation.

Episode 12 - IT Coach for Business Leaders

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 19:17:49 +0000

One of the most common pieces of customer feedback we hear from InfoSystems customers is how much they value the time they spend with our vCIO, Aaron Swann (a major reason we love having him on our podcasts). In this episode of IT Coach for Business Leaders, we discuss some of the specific ways in which our vCIOs engage with our customers, and how the vCIO relationship can alleviate many IT-related human resources issues. Aaron shares a story of how a customer was negatively impacted by employee turnover in their IT Director role, which led to a change in the way they worked with InfoSystems by utilizing our vCIO services. We also talk about the potential negative impact of IT employee turnover and how a company can successfully manage the transition when turnover does happen.

Episode 11 - IT Coach for Business Leaders

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 17:14:06 +0000

InfoSystems recently completed a survey in which 55 companies in the state of Tennessee answered 13 questions related to their business, their IT department, and their perspective on technology. Episode 11 of the podcast "IT Coach for Business Leaders" features a discussion around some of the survey results that show that companies in Tennessee typically lag behind other regions in business technology.

IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann - Ep 10

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 15:56:25 +0000

InfoSystems recently completed a survey in which 55 companies in the state of Tennessee answered 13 questions related to their business, their IT department, and their perspective on technology. Episode 10 of the podcast "IT Coach for Business Leaders" features a discussion around some of the survey results that seem to all point to the gap that exists between executive leadership and IT.

Aaron adds some great perspective on how companies can take tangible steps to bring business management and IT together.

IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann - Ep 9

Wed, 30 May 2018 13:19:37 +0000

In this episode, we discuss one of the aspects of a business IT strategy that is often inadequately executed - Backups. This discussion spans three episodes. In the third part, we discuss Aaron's commonly recommended "one-size-fits-most" approach to provide the greatest backup protection at a value. We also discuss instances where a more robust backup solution is needed and what it looks like.

Listen in to learn about how small and mid-sized businesses can establish a highly effective backup plan.

IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann - Ep 8

Tue, 15 May 2018 17:13:34 +0000

In this episode, we discuss one of the aspects of a business IT strategy that is often inadequately executed - Backups. This discussion spans three episodes. In the second part, we discuss several of the most common actual backup scenarios Aaron has seen over the last 24 years working with InfoSystems customers.

Listen in to learn about how small and mid-sized businesses can establish a highly effective backup plan.

Episode 7 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 15:23:38 +0000

In this episode, we discuss one of the aspects of a business IT strategy that is often inadequately executed - Backups. This discussion spans three episodes. In the first part, we discuss the importance of a well-executed backup strategy and why the business owner/executives should be involved in creating it.

Listen in to learn about how small and mid-sized businesses can establish a highly effective backup plan.

Episode 6 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 20:37:28 +0000

In this episode, we discuss one of the top three IT challenges for small and mid-sized business - IT Security. This discussion spans two episodes. In the second part, we review the most common "places" where employees encounter security threats and how they can be trained to handle them.

Listen in to learn about how small and mid-sized businesses can overcome the challenge of IT Security.

Episode 5 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:13:39 +0000

In this episode, we discuss one of the top three IT challenges for small and mid-sized business - IT Security. This discussion spans two episodes. In the first part, we review the "hassle factor" that IT security places on business leaders and talk about the most common areas that present security threats.

Listen in to learn about how small and mid-sized businesses can overcome the challenge of IT Security.

Episode 4 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 14:48:46 +0000

In this episode, we discuss one of the top three IT challenges for small and mid-sized business - staying current with business technology. We review both sides of this challenge - keeping owned technology up to date, and evaluating new technology in the market that could help provide competitive advantage.

Listen in to learn about how small and mid-sized businesses can overcome the challenge of staying current with business technology.

Episode 3 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:46:50 +0000

In this episode, we discuss one of the top three IT challenges for small and mid-sized business - addressing IT skills gaps. We review landmark events that often expose skills gaps, the most common skills gaps we see in the market, and the effects of not addressing skills gaps.

Listen in to learn about how small and mid-sized businesses can overcome the challenge of IT skills gaps.

Episode 2 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:30:46 +0000

In this episode, we discuss the process of establishing IT Cloud migration goals and then creating the road map to get there. We review the financial impacts of Cloud vs on-premise IT investments and when each can be attractive. We also discuss major differentiators in various Cloud offerings, as well as considerations such as internet connection speed, downtime requirements, Cloud purchasing guidelines for employees, and having an exit strategy.

Listen in to learn about many factors that should be covered when creating a Cloud road map.

Episode 1 - IT Coach for Business Leaders with Aaron Swann

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:20:14 +0000

In this episode, we discuss the basic definition of Cloud and review Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform (PaaS), and Infrastructure (IaaS). We compare the differences between what marketers from Cloud providers promote as Cloud benefits and ease of adoption with some real-world scenarios and examples.

Listen in to learn more about what you should look for when considering various Cloud offerings for your business.