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Cloud Backup: 4 Ways to Protect Data from Permanent Loss

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Studies show that companies in the US experienced 1,001 data breaches in 2020, affecting 155.8 million individuals. It is also estimated that the average cost of these attacks to businesses was equal to $8.64 million in the same year, even with measures like cloud backup in place.

The bottom line is, if you cannot prevent data loss during a natural disaster or a cyber-attack, your business could be exposed to a financial loss. To make sure that never happens, here are some ways you can prevent data loss altogether.

1. Antivirus & Firewall

Choosing an antivirus and firewall solution is absolutely vital when it comes to securing your company’s sensitive data. Malware and viruses are designed to steal all kinds of information which can result in even bigger data breaches. Make sure your antivirus software and firewall are designed to handle the security requirements, scope, and size of your company. Keep them regularly updated as well.

2. Cloud Backup

Backing up all your data is obviously the frontline defense strategy and cloud backup solutions undoubtedly are the most dependable. They allow you to send a copy of your data to another location so, in the event your data is breached, you can restore it and ensure business continuity. Cloud backup solutions also help defend against crippling IT crises such as data loss, cutting down the downtime.

3. Create a Disaster Recovery Plan

If your employees haven’t been trained properly to handle certain threat situations, a lot can go wrong during an emergency, be it a cyber-attack or a storm. A cloud backup and disaster recovery plan will help your employees take swift action the moment a disastrous event occurs to reduce any data loss.

4. Work With IT Security & Cloud Backup Experts

You can certainly implement most of these strategies on your own, but if you want them done more effectively and efficiently, consider working with a team of certified experts. VPLS has 23+ years of experience in devising security strategies for businesses across the world, including cloud backup support.

From penetration testing to risk auditing, we can help identify vulnerabilities in your existing system and make the necessary changes. Securing your business from all kinds of threats and preventing any potential data theft/loss will be extremely tough to accomplish without experienced IT professionals on your side.

Let VPLS Secure Your Precious Data

Our VPLS data security experts will perform a disaster readiness assessment and implement customized policies to defend your business from data breaches and loss events. If the worst-case scenario comes to pass, we will make sure you are up and running as fast as possible.

When it comes to data security, you cannot afford any uncertainty. VPLS will ensure you are always covered – protected from natural disasters and cyberthreats alike.

Write to us online to schedule a consultation.

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Cloud Migration: What Are Best Practices?

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As cloud technologies are becoming more popular, cloud migration is becoming an increasingly important topic for businesses. This blog post discusses the best practices that a company can use with cloud migration services and how to find the right cloud service provider to help your business migrate your data and applications. 

Where to Start

To begin, it is important to determine the right cloud service provider for your business needs. Too many companies have been burned by providers that do not offer everything they need and end up costing them time in addition to money. When choosing a cloud service provider, be sure to look at what services they offer, and at what scope those services can apply to your business. 

Step One - Inventory Assets and Identification of Requirements

The first step is to identify what assets are currently being cloud supported and the requirements for those cloud services. This should be done by your cloud service provider as part of their assessment process.

Step Two - Gather Data

Collect all data from any existing storage and segment it into appropriate packages/categories. Doing this on your own can be tricky and it becomes exponentially easier with the help of a quality cloud migration service provider.

Step Three - Data Transfer

Once all of your cloud data is organized and segmented, begin transferring the appropriate packages/categories to the cloud. This should be done in a way that makes it easy for you or future cloud managers to make changes as needed

Why You Should Consider Cloud Migration

If you run a business of any size, you’ll need to use, store, and segment a lot of important data. Migrating this data to the cloud is crucial for network optimization and fluid network success over time. Cloud migration is a tool that yields many benefits that you may not have realized previously but will notice once it’s complete. It’s a good idea to identify cloud migration services that will suit your needs and exceed expectations. Here are just some of the benefits you get from cloud migration:

Flexibility

When it comes time for an upgrade or change, cloud management software can make adjustments quickly on its end without needing any input from you. This means there is no downtime associated with changes in cloud configuration which should be attractive to businesses concerned about productivity loss if they ever went offline.

Scalability

If you need more space or storage capability as well as bandwidth at one point in time, cloud migration providers offer solutions like these so your network isn’t running out of space anytime soon. Giving yourself a bigger runway to grow is better than scrambling to scale after you’ve run out of space.

Economical Reliability

Cloud usage offers significant economic benefits that translate into value for the company that you can only get by implementing cloud migration. The cloud is a cost-effective solution with affordable prices and it can be scaled up when you need more resources or hosting as your business grows.

Diversity of Services

High-quality cloud migration service providers, like VPLS, offer a diverse range of cloud solutions all in one package so businesses don’t have to go through different vendors.

The customer is key when it comes to service, and this is important when choosing a cloud migration service provider.

Cloud Migration Assistance

With these experts on hand at any time, migrating from legacy platforms into the cloud becomes much easier and less stressful than doing it alone. This should benefit companies that are looking for peace of mind, ease of migration, and quality of service. Implementing cloud migration through a network service provider is the best way to get ahead of the curve and stay there long-term.

Get Data Migration Done Right With VPLS

Data migration is not something that you can afford to miss out on. You must do your research and hire an expert service provider like VPLS, with proven best practices and experience in this particular area of business management.

VPLS can help in every aspect of cloud migration and cloud management, for businesses of all sizes, with all types of needs.

If you want more information about cloud migration or need help finding such a company, contact us today! We are more than happy to provide a quote for our services as well as schedule a time for either an informational meeting or discovery call.

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5 Ways to Maximize Productivity and Security with Managed Servers

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Managed servers are a great way to protect your data and increase productivity. With managed servers, you don’t have to worry about patches or updates since they’re managed by the provider. You’ll also be able to focus on your core business without worrying about computer problems that might arise as well! Choosing the right company and right service scale for your managed servers should be taken seriously, too. With a good provider, you’ll be able to save money, time, and maximize your output efficiency no matter what industry you’re in.

Here are 5 ways managed servers can help you maximize productivity and security for your business:

1. Time

Managed servers can help you save time. They’re managed by the provider, so all of your worries about patches and updates are taken care of for you. You’ll also be able to focus on running your business instead of trying to troubleshoot a problem that could take hours to fix! The time you spend managing servers in-house can be inefficient, taking away from valuable time and energy needed for daily operations.

2. Data Security

With managed servers, your company’s data is safe, because your managed server service provider is actively working to protect it from data breaches and cyber threats. When you have data security experts monitoring your server integrity 24/7, your company can focus on other things without worry. The digital world moves fast, and securing your online data requires best practices and an infrastructure that is best managed by professionals.

3. Experience

With managed servers from a professional, experienced service provider, there’s no need to hire someone or train someone in-house. Leveraging the experience of a professional service provider not only saves time, but it ensures that the time spent on server management is used efficiently and effectively. There is little room for error with data security and operations. Managed servers reduce error risk immensely, thanks to the service provider’s technical and industry experience and expertise.

4. Network Integrity

With managed network service providers, you get the best of both worlds: managed security with managed services. It’s an easy way for small companies to keep their data safe without having to spend time or money on it themselves! Companies like VPLS provide services that include managed servers but are not limited to them. You can secure the integrity of all aspects of your network with a good team, and server management is an integral part of that.

5. Proactivity

Managed servers are safer than unmanaged servers because monitoring for issues is a proactive task rather than a reactive one. Many businesses fail in this area by only addressing their server security and integrity AFTER a problem occurs. It can be hard to identify server security issues if you are not properly trained to look out for them.

You can save time and money by outsourcing managed servers, which in almost all cases, leads to immensely increased productivity. Managed network service providers will monitor your systems for potential threats, patch vulnerabilities in a timely manner (before they’re exploited), provide backups of all data that is stored on the server, and even deploy security fixes automatically through software updates. It is a great resource to have in your back pocket and one that can be deployed at scale easily through a company like VPLS. Don’t wait until your data security is compromised, and it’s too late. Get high-quality service solutions for managed servers today, and make your team more productive, more profitable, and more efficient.

To learn more about our managed servers, colocation, and managed network services, or to schedule a discovery call and speak with our sales team, call us at (888) 365-2656 or contact us here!

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Managed IT Infrastructure: 4 Biggest IT Challenges Most Startups Encounter

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Starting a new business venture is both thrilling and challenging. If you are a complete newbie in the business world, starting and running a company can be overwhelming. Startups today face multiple challenges across all business functions including technology, customer service, accounting, HR, sales, and marketing. . If you want to boost your business’ productivity and increase your efficiency, you have to know about the common managed IT infrastructure challenges faced by startups and how to overcome them.

Since people and businesses alike are extremely reliant on technology, it’s one aspect that impacts almost all business functions. After all, technology covers telecommunication, websites, mobile applications, information technology (IT), hardware, and software. 

1. Staying on Top of The Latest Technology

Technology is ever-evolving by nature which makes it a huge challenge for startups to stay updated with every innovation regarding their managed IT infrastructure.

Invest in technology solutions that not only serve your long-term and short-term needs, but are also easy to scale and upgrade. This will help a lot when your business starts expanding and you need better tech solutions and the latest tech stack.

2. Choosing The Right Managed IT Infrastructure Software Tools

When you have access to the right set of software tools, it greatly enhances the efficiency of business functions like customer support and marketing. But picking the software that’s best for your unique business needs can be tricky.

There are a variety of software tools available today that can help your startup increase its productivity and efficiency. These include:

Instead of purchasing ready-made software – that assumes all businesses have the same needs, which is obviously not true – consider going for customized software solutions.

3. Choosing The Right Hardware

One of the biggest managed IT infrastructure issues startups face is deciding whether they should lease or purchase hardware. Then there’s the matter of picking the best configuration of hardware and manufacturer to suit your specific needs.

If you’re struggling with the same, think about your budget as well as working conditions. For example, if budget is not an issue and you also want your employees to be able to work remotely, you may want to invest in laptops instead of desktop computers. But if working on-site is important to you, desktops will be the better choice.

As for servers, the majority of startups can’t afford to maintain and run servers on their own premises. This is where managed IT infrastructure and cloud hosting solutions come in handy.

4. Ensuring Data Security

Regardless of which industry you are in, information is one of your most valuable resources in the current business world. As a startup, you should be always prepared to address cyber threats and eliminate data breaches before significant harm occurs.

Hackers today are highly sophisticated which means they can and will take advantage of even the smallest cracks in your organization’s managed IT infrastructure and security system. Be very careful when choosing data protection, backup, and recovery solutions for your business – your company’s reputation and lifespan may depend on it.

Contact us to Know More About Cutting Edge Managed IT Infrastructure Solutions

Why hire an in-house team of IT professionals when you can outsource all your IT needs – including cybersecurity, infrastructure maintenance, and strategic roadmap planning – and save considerable time and resources? VPLS has provided state-of-the-art managed IT infrastructure services for businesses and startups since 1998.

Complete this online form to get in touch with us today.

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How to Optimize Your Enterprise With a Managed Network Service Provider

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The managed network service provider market is booming. Each year, more and more organizations are looking for managed IT services to take the burden off their own team and increase efficiency. With managed IT services, you can be confident that your business will not suffer from downtime or security breaches. But how do you know which is the best managed network service provider to choose for you? In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of managed networking and outline some factors to consider when choosing a managed network service provider for your enterprise business.

The Benefits of Hiring a Managed Network Service Provider

A managed network service provider can help save your business from costly time loss, network failures, and even hardware failures. From an enterprise business standpoint, this avoiding this risk can save millions of dollars over time. With managed IT services, you don’t have to worry about the intricacies and complexities of managing a large team for support either.

Choosing a managed network service provider can be complicated if you’re unprepared, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some factors that you should consider when choosing a managed network service provider for your enterprise business:

Size of the managed IT services company

Smaller networks often need less support and attention than larger ones. When determining your needs, take into account the size of the managed IT services company and what they offer. Large providers, like VPLS, will offer solutions for companies of all sizes. Some smaller managed network service providers, however, are not equipped to handle enterprise needs or timeframes.

Price

How much are you willing to pay for managed IT service? The value of the service is highly dependent on the cost-effectiveness of what they provide you. Overpaying or cost-cutting can lead to inefficient execution, which is ultimately counter-intuitive to the purpose of the service.

Geographic location and time zone

Does your team work in different parts of the world in varying time zones, or a single office location? A good enterprise managed network service provider can ensure that all employees have access to their data, regardless of where they are located.

IT team size

The managed network service provider should be able to scale their services to your company’s needs, regardless of size.

How to Optimize Your Enterprise Business at Scale

An enterprise business has a lot of moving pieces and therefore requires a scalable, adaptable managed network service provider. A top managed network service provider can provide managed PCs, server rollouts, network upgrades, or all of the above at volume. The ability to scale up or down with speed, efficiency, and risk mitigation is what adds the most value in the enterprise space.

Enterprise-focused managed network service providers will also monitor your environment to ensure optimal network performance and seamless workflow. The best managed IT service providers have teams of experts with advanced experience in an array of technologies and processes which they can leverage for optimization at nearly any scale.

The best managed IT providers will optimize your network environment with efficiency and cost-effectiveness at top of mind. They’ll work to ensure that you have the right team in place for any size project or need. Whether it’s a full overhaul or a systems upgrade, your managed network service provider will be up to the task with precision.

Why VPLS is the Best in Managed Network Service Provider Solutions

VPLS is a veritable one-stop shop when it comes to optimizing your enterprise with a managed network service provider. VPLS has been a worldwide leader in dedicated managed IT services for nearly 25 years, currently hosting 68,750 servers and well over 5 million websites. In addition to being cloud and managed services experts, VPLS is also a national provider in internet infrastructure in 18 strategic markets worldwide. Additionally, VPLS has built a client base of 7,340 businesses, each with different needs, goals, and project scopes. Whether you’re looking to optimize your enterprise business for the future, or starting from scratch, VPLS has you covered.

To request a quote, schedule a meeting, schedule a discovery call, or speak to our sales team, please contact us at [email protected], or give us a call at (888) 365-2656.

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Top Exploited Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities of 2020 and 2021 (So Far)

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The top cybersecurity vulnerabilities of 2020 and 2021, which are being routinely exploited by malicious actors, have been compiled into a list via a joint effort by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

A majority of the most targeted vulnerabilities in both 2020 and 2021 affect remote work, VPNs, or cloud-based technologies. This includes giants such as Microsoft (Windows, Exchange, SharePoint), Fortinet (FortiGate), and VMware (vCenter Server).

Note as you review the list below that many of the top exploited vulnerabilities were vulnerabilities discovered years before. This is a red flag that a lot of organizations do not have a vulnerability management process, which is something we will discuss later in the post.

The List

Top Routinely Exploited CVEs in 2020

 Vendor  Product  CVE  Severity  CVSSv3 Score
Atlassian Crowd and Crowd Data Center CVE-2019-11580 Critical

9.8
Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Gateway CVE-2019-19781 Critical

9.8
Drupal Drupal CVE-2018-7600 Critical

9.8
F5 BIG-IP CVE-2020-5902 Critical

9.8
Fortinet FortiGate CVE-2018-13379 Critical

9.8
Microsoft Microsoft Office CVE-2017-11882 High

7.8
Microsoft SharePoint CVE-2019-0604 Critical

9.8
Microsoft Windows CVE-2020-0787 High

7.8
Microsoft Windows Server CVE-2020-1472 Critical

10
MobileIron Core & Connector CVE-2020-15505 Critical

9.8
Pulse Secure Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) CVE-2019-11510 Critical

10

Telerik

 Progress Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX CVE-2019-18935

Critical

9.8

Top Routinely Exploited CVEs in 2021

Last Updated on August 20, 2021

Vendor  Product  CVE Severity  CVSSv3 Score 
Accellion  FTA  CVE-2021-27101  Critical 

9.8 
Accellion  FTA  CVE-2021-27102  High 

7.8 
Accellion  FTA  CVE-2021-27103  Critical 

9.8 
Accellion  FTA  CVE-2021-27104  Critical 

9.8 
Fortinet  FortiGate  CVE-2018-13379  Critical 

9.8 
Fortinet  FortiGate  CVE-2020-12812  Critical 

9.8 
Fortinet  FortiGate  CVE-2019-5591   Medium 

6.5 
Microsoft  Exchange  CVE-2021-26855  Critical 

9.8 
Microsoft  Exchange  CVE-2021-26857  High 

7.8 
Microsoft  Exchange  CVE-2021-26858  High 

7.8 
Microsoft  Exchange  CVE-2021-27065  High 

7.8 
Pulse Secure  Pulse Connect Secure (PCS)  CVE-2021-22893  Critical 

10 
Pulse Secure  Pulse Connect Secure (PCS)  CVE-2021-22894  High 

8.8 
Pulse Secure  Pulse Connect Secure (PCS)  CVE-2021-22899  High 

8.8 
Pulse Secure  Pulse Connect Secure (PCS)  CVE-2021-22900  High 

7.2 
VMware  vCenter Server  CVE-2021-21985  Critical 

9.8 

VPLS’s Advice & Recommended Next Steps

As an urgent, one-time exercise, VPLS recommends reviewing the two lists above and determining if your organization is running affected products/software. If you are, the next steps would be to patch the software to a version that is not vulnerable to the listed CVEs. In addition to patching, other mitigation steps may be necessary to protect against the vulnerability being exploited, such as a configuration change, and those will be documented in the vendor’s related security advisory.

Going forward, organizations should implement a continuous vulnerability management practice if one is not already in place. A mature cybersecurity program includes vulnerability management, which is the ongoing practice of identifying, classifying, prioritizing, remediating, and mitigating software vulnerabilities.

For organizations that require guidance on vulnerability management, or simply don’t have the time to dedicate to this critical task, VPLS can perform vulnerability management for your IT department with convenient monthly or one-time services. For example, many of our customers leverage the vulnerability management practices included with our SOC as a Service, which includes scanning (identifying, classifying, and prioritizing) for vulnerabilities across all assets that belong to the organization.

Extending VPLS’s SOC-as-a-Service with our Managed Firewall and Managed Network services, or Managed Servers and Managed Desktops services, will ensure that VPLS is proactively remediating and mitigating the vulnerabilities related to these products for your organization so you are always one step ahead of threat actors and their malicious intentions.

Need Some Help?

Need some help reviewing your current security infrastructure or just want to see if there are better options out there? VPLS has the right solution for you! VPLS consistently ranks as a top Service Provider and Managed Service Provider among competitors. From Help Desk to managed SOC and security services, VPLS has an array of manages services catered to organizations big and small. Contact VPLS for a free custom quote today.

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Network Optimization: 6 Indications Your Network Has Bottlenecks

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If you are experiencing slow internet, high latency, or frequent disconnects from your network, it could be due to a bottleneck and could affect your network optimization strategy. Network bottlenecks can occur in different parts of the network and affect your entire organization’s productivity. Network optimization is often needed to fix these types of problems and increase bandwidth so that everyone in the office can work like they’re supposed to. Bottlenecks in your network, even on a small scale, can cost businesses time and money. These are costs that add up, even if the bottlenecks go unnoticed from a management standpoint.

In this blog post, we will discuss six indicators of why your network has bottlenecks, and what causes them. To request a quote, schedule a meeting, schedule a demo, or speak to our sales team, please contact us at [email protected], or give us a call at (888) 365-2656.


Here are 6 Indicators, Plus What You Can Do to Fix Them

1. Slow Network Speed

If you notice that your internet speed is not as fast as it’s supposed to be, then there may be a problem with the connection between your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and their nearest POP (Point of Presence). This is a network bottleneck! Not only does it slow down your network, but it can also lead to larger network compatibility problems that go beyond speed. Thankfully, network optimization processes can help solve this. 

2. Not Enough Bandwidth

Network bottlenecks can also happen when there’s not enough server bandwidth. Network bottlenecks are caused by either a lack of network capacity or insufficient bandwidth to handle the amount of data that is being sent over it. What causes this? Simply put, if you’re using an old modem and/or router then your internet will be operating with insufficient bandwidth.

Network optimization solutions can fix this bandwidth issue by upgrading your company’s hardware and streamlining your network to increase bandwidth at any scale.

3. Too Many Devices

If you have too many devices on your network, that could slow it down, too. Network bottlenecks are often caused by overloading the amount of data being sent across a network and not having enough bandwidth to handle all the information coming in or going out. For example, if you have three people using their own devices on one Wi-Fi router then they may be overloaded.

In larger businesses this is common, as entire offices may be overwhelming your network, requiring immediate expansion for optimal use.

4. Malfunctioning Hardware

Sometimes, just one single device malfunction can create a ripple effect on your network that will cause painful bottlenecks. Network troubleshooting is a complex process, but an essential one that a network optimization service provider can perform. By identifying malfunctioning hardware, the bottleneck can be rectified efficiently, and without much disruption. If that hardware is not identified, it could potentially bring down your entire network.

To learn more about VPLS’s server colocation services and recommended hardware solutions, contact us at [email protected].

5. Bandwidth Dominance

If there is uneven demand on the network from a few sources that are using an irregularly large portion of your data, this can cause serious problems for everyone else. This often happens with users who download gigs of files at a time on a smaller or less efficient network. Using network optimization best practices, a good service provider can rectify this by expanding your network capacity, or identifying which devices are hogging up all the bandwidth.

6. Overloaded Servers

When servers have to perform too many duties all at once, it can cause a bottleneck or total crash of a network. Network bottlenecks can cause server crashes if unchecked. Network bandwidth and data storage are sometimes overlooked, but when these two factors become scarce it causes a decrease in the performance of your network’s servers which leads to crashing. 

This is often caused by using outdated equipment that cannot handle current demands or having too many applications running at once on one machine. With high-quality network optimization services from VPLS, these issues are solved. VPLS can help you identify the top two bottleneck points in your network and recommend a solution to optimize your business quickly.

It’s Time to  Consider Network Optimization with VPLS

If any of these indicators appear in your business, it’s time to look for network optimization solutions immediately. If these solutions sound like something that could benefit you, call us at (888) 365-2656 or contact us online for more information. Speak with a dedicated sales team and learn about how we can provide quality network optimization. Contract the best services on the market, so that your company’s productivity doesn’t suffer from slow internet speeds or disconnections due to network bottlenecks!

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VPLS Expands Bare Metal Capacity in San Jose Facility to Meet Growing Demand for Connectivity to Key Global Markets

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We are excited to announce today a significant expansion to the capacity of its San Jose data center (SJC7). The SJC7 expansion was driven by demand for VPLS’s bare metal servers brand, Krypt.com, which offers direct connections with a capacity of over 200 Gbps to China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile International.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the facility offers colocation, managed services, private and hybrid cloud, dedicated hosting, and network and security services to fast-growing start-ups and enterprises in Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area. The additional capacity in the San Jose data center was achieved through an upgrade of the cooling systems, which unlocked an additional 250 KW of IT load. Replacing the aging mechanical equipment also benefitted the facility by lowering the site’s overall PUE from 2.1 to 1.35 on an annualized basis.

VPLS currently has over 600 servers in the San Jose data center with an additional 400 servers to be added over the next quarter, bringing the total number of servers in its network to over 10,000 and over 90,000 VPS under management. The IP network capacity at SJC7 has also increased from 205 Gbps to more than 415 Gbps of dedicated capacity. The additional bandwidth at SJC7 is a key advantage for companies looking for increased connectivity: SJC7 offers direct fiber link to major carrier hotels in Silicon Valley with over 200 Gbps of peering capacity, as well as direct connections to key carriers in China, resulting in the lowest latency to Asia from the continental US.

The next stage of expansion for the San Jose facility will be an electrical upgrade of 1.5 MW and a corresponding IT load expansion that will be online in Q4 of 2022. Combined with the data center’s myriad of network carriers and partners, the capacity expansion at SV7 provides a robust option for many companies seeking a reliable and flexible interconnection between key global and regional markets. For the past 10 years, the SV7 facility has provided uninterrupted, 100% uptime to customers seeking colocation, managed services, and hosting solutions. SV7 also offers low latency connectivity to major cloud providers such as AWS and Azure.

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Is a Managed Firewall Different From a “Traditional” Firewall?

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Firewalls are an essential security component when it comes to keeping your network safe. Like the name suggests, firewalls act as a barrier, or wall, between your secure network and unsecure networks such as the internet. Firewalls also provide useful information like your system’s vulnerabilities to different kinds of cybersecurity threats and who might have an eye on your business. But as the threat landscape evolved, firewall technology has evolved as well. Today, there are a few different types of firewalls. But broadly speaking, they fall into two categories: traditional and managed.

What Is a Traditional Firewall?

Traditional firewalls are hardware or software devices designed to block threats and monitor the traffic in and out of a network. This traffic is controlled based on a few factors like destination IP address, source IP address, port, and protocol. These firewalls have basic features such as:

  • Stateful inspection, where instead of isolated packets, traffic is defined as flow. Decisions can be made on the behaviors, and rules can be applied to the traffic flow.
  • Virtual Private Network (VPN) offers a safe entry for the network when systems or users traverse an untrusted or public network. Firewalls can end the connection initiated by suspicious sources on users’ behalf.

What Is a Managed Firewall?

A managed firewall service is specifically offered by qualified managed security services providers (MSSPs) to supervise your network traffic and to prevent security risks. While the functionality of managed and traditional firewalls are similar, the difference is moreso surrounding the management of the technology involved. Monitoring the traffic allows the service provider to understand what the network landscape generally looks like, so anything unusual can be easily identified and rectified.

The managed firewall professionals who monitor your network also provide reporting and analysis as part of the service package. Most managed firewall services include web content filtering (to block access to malicious websites) and application control (to block applications to maximize employee productivity).

The purpose of a managed firewall is to shield your company’s confidential data, internal systems, and network against malicious access and intruders. While a managed firewall isn’t more robust than a traditional firewall in and of itself, a Managed Firewall is going to be more robust if your firewall isn’t being maintained correctly by your internal IT teams. That is where VPLS Managed Firewall services come in.

Why Do You Need a Managed Firewall?

Firewalls are crucial to securing network traffic including the flow of sensitive data. They are also necessary for compliance mandates like HIPAA, SSAE, IDS, ISAE, and PCI DSS.  Managing a firewall requires technical expertise and can become costly for large organizations quickly. Organizations that are interested in better data breach prevention and closing data security gaps are likely to benefit using a managed firewall service.

A managed firewall provides maximum protection to block modern cybersecurity threats. Here are some of the capabilities that a firewall can offer to your business:

  • Application awareness and control to identify and block risky applications
  • Integrated intrusion prevention
  • Upgrade paths to include future data feeds
  • Threat intelligence sources
  • System to address changing security threats

Don't Leave Vulnerabilities In Your Network:
Get VPLS Managed Firewall Services

Your modern business needs modern protection. The cyber threat landscape is rapidly evolving each day as technology advances, and cyber criminals are becoming more ruthless in achieving their objectives. VPLS offers managed firewall services, providing multiple layers of security for your network and company as a whole.

As your managed security partner, we take the responsibility away from your personnel, and let your staff focus on what they do best. To learn more about our managed security and firewall services, please call us at (888) 365-2656 or write to us online.

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Cybersecurity: 6 Best Practices to Combat Cyber Threats

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Any organization, big or small, can fall victim to cybercrime. From healthcare and education institutions to government organizations and banks, reports of cyber-attacks are coming from everywhere. So, it comes as no surprise that smart businesses are investing more in managed security service providers to keep their sensitive data safe and eliminate cybersecurity risks.

If you are in the same boat and are looking for ways to protect your company’s data in 2021, check out these proven cybersecurity best practices to prepare your business against potential data breaches and ensure business continuity.

1. Create an Insider Cybersecurity Threat Program

 

At its core, every modern cybersecurity strategy has an insider threat program. Employees having access to company information is dicey since devices can be damaged and information has the potential of being leaked.

If your company has sensitive data, and your reputation could be tarnished in the event of a data breach, having an insider threat program in place is critical. While it can be considered a low priority task and it does come with a cost, your managed security service provider should not delay in gaining the support of top management to craft policy across all departments.

2. Secure Traveling Employees and Remote Work Environments Against Cybersecurity Threats

 

Many corporate employees have a tendency of accessing their corporate networks through public/unsecured Wi-Fi networks while working remotely or traveling on work trips. In the corporate world, sacrificing security for convenience is simply unacceptable, and your employees must be aware of the enormous risks they are taking.

Make sure your managed security service provider offers education and training on the precautions that employees can take to avoid risks. For example, employees should avoid installing anti-malware programs. While they may think they’re helping, randomly installing an anti-malware program could possibly increase the risk of a breach.

3. Conduct Phishing Simulations

 

Phishing attacks are one of the most common forms of cyber-attacks today – they accounted for 22% of all data breaches in 2020. Conducting phishing simulations will train your employees on how to avoid downloading unknown files or clicking on malicious links.

By raising cybersecurity awareness among employees, these simulations help them understand the far-reaching impact of a phishing attack. It will help them learn about the latest tricks and give them a safe space to test their knowledge and ask questions.

4. Audit Privileged Access

 

Every respectable managed security service provider recommends reviewing the number of users who have privileged access to sensitive data of your business. Giving out privileged access is certainly a necessary risk, especially when there is a change of roles or staff. Make sure you regularly look at permissions, develop a system of auditing privileged access or adopt a system of rotating or temporary credentials.

5. Update Systems and Software for Best Cybersecurity Practices

 

Cybercrimes are ever-increasing, and a less-than-solid network will fall prey to it sooner or later. Make sure your company’s network is always protected by scheduling regular maintenance on hardware security and planning routine software updates.

6. Maintain Compliance

 

Not all organizations will need to do this, but if your data legally requires it, your programs (such as cybersecurity, for instance) will need to be in compliance with regulatory bodies such as HIPAA, ISAE, and PCI DSS.

VPLS: Your Most Trusted Managed Cybersecurity Service Provider

 

At VPLS, we offer comprehensive insider threat protection solutions that cover many of the latest cybersecurity strategies available today. Our broad functionality includes access control solutions, response tools, and extensive monitoring capabilities.

Fill out this contact form to learn more.

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