Month: January 2023

There is a lot of talk at the moment about Inflation here in New Zealand. This article discusses the effect it may have on your business and particularly on your technology.

As you know, inflation is when things are more expensive to buy. Diminished purchasing power means your business may sell less and see lower profits, all while paying higher costs for things your business needs. Of course, if your business is the low-cost option, inflation may not be so bad, but many do suffer when the cost of living and just about everything else increases.

So, how does that impact your business technology? Well, it’s one of the many costs you may see go up.

Inflation and business technology

Inflation often starts when it’s hard to get goods and services. Heard the phrase “supply-chain challenges” in the last few years? We’re guessing, yes. So, you know firsthand the difficulties of getting some items. We’ve definitely seen this here in New Zealand with getting IT hardware.

You may have already noticed price jumps in several business tech areas. IDC research found that server and storage prices are up by 10–15 percent, and that costs for laptops and personal computers have risen even more, by between 18 and 20 percent. Even what you’re paying for software or cloud services may have increased. IDC found price jumps of 5–7 percent.

What to do about it

The best thing you can do is to look for business efficiencies and ways to reduce costs. As a managed service provider (MSP) we can help on this front. Among the many services we offer, we are always focusing on:

• learning about your business technology and look for cost savings;
• identify any duplication of services or software licenses (you could be one of the third of businesses, on average, with wasted software spend);
• installing cybersecurity to help you avoid costly downtime and damage to your business reputation;
• securing better rates by consolidating your resources with fewer vendors for volume discounts.

Having an MSP can also help you hold on to your existing employees. You can make more efficient use of any IT staff you have on-site. Plus, the MSP can find out how your people do their work and suggest streamlined processes. Retention is easier when people feel productive and supported by your tech offerings. For smaller businesses here in New Zealand the cost of having an IT department may not be realistic, hence why using a Managed Service Provider like Ultra IT makes it very cost efficient.

Most MSPs will recommend you migrate to cloud computing if you haven’t already done so. Yes, some cloud service prices have increased, but not at the level of the hardware you need for your own IT infrastructure. Plus, with cloud infrastructure you can benefit from:

• enhanced flexibility;
• scalability and speed;
• pay-as-you-go pricing.

Partner with us

As your MSP, we’ll look for efficiencies and ways to reduce your costs. It’s what we do, regardless of which way the economy is going. Outsourcing your IT management is also a very cost-effective solution. Contact us here to discuss your specific requirements.

Microsoft has a Secure Score measurement in its 365 Defender dashboard. But what is Secure Score, and how does it help your business? This article explains the basics.

Secure Score is a measurement of how well you are doing against the security standards.  This is a good guide, but don’t worry if you are not achieving all of these, as basically nobody is. Most Northland businesses sit at a score of between 300-600 against 1000 which gives you a point of reference.

In saying that, Secure Score, is a excellent measurment of your security posture. It reviews your activity and security settings against Microsoft’s best practices. The idea is to identify areas to enhance protection and provide suggestions.

In the dashboard, administrators can view the current state of their security score. It considers all Microsoft identities, apps, and devices. There is also a target score. The higher your target score, the more recommended actions you’ll get, although Microsoft cautions that you should balance increased security against user experience.

Secure Score Recommendations

Secure Score shows you possible improvements considering security best practices. Secure Store currently offers recommendations for:

• Microsoft 365 (including Exchange Online);
• Azure Active Directory;
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Identity, and Cloud Apps;
• Microsoft Teams.

The score does not measure the likelihood of a system or data breach. Instead, it looks at system configurations, user behavior, and other security-related measurements. Then, it scores what you’ve done to offset security risk in real-time.

Microsoft not only lists security recommendations but also tracks your action plan. The implementation section shares prerequisites and provides step-by-step advice to complete improvement actions. You can report on status (e.g. planned, risk accepted, resolved through third party, and complete). Rankings also help you gauge implementation difficulty, user impact, and complexity.

Scoring Security with Microsoft

The more improvement action you take, the higher your score. For example, you’re given points for:

• configuring recommended security features;
• doing security-related tasks;
• addressing suggested improvements with a third-party application or software, or alternate mitigation.

Microsoft Secure Score also compares your metrics with scores for similar organizations. The data is anonymous, but in the Metrics & Trends tab, you can view how your score compares to others over time.

Raising Your Secure Score

How can you have an immediate impact on your Secure Score? These three steps can boost your organization’s security:

1. Enable multi-factor authentication on administrator accounts in case account credentials are compromised.
2. Enforce password expiration policies to prevent the usage of leaked credentials.
3. Set up Azure Active Directory to track, log, alert, and remediate and better protect sensitive data and information.

Our team at Ultra IT are here to help you understand Secure Score. We can help enact action plans to apply the recommendations. Contact us hhttps://ultrait.nz/contact/ere.

2023 is predicted to be another year of fast movement with technology.

The past few years with the pandemic have seen rapid changes in how we work, and the technology that we use.

IT trends in business will continue to reshape the future of commerce and industries. Not all Northland businesses will be impacted by these changes in 2023, but even at the SME level, they are worth being aware of at the least.

Automation and digitization will make a lot of changes in customer experience plus Artificial Intelligence is continually improving and changing.

Here we share some of the key trends:

1. The Internet of Things (IOT)

The Internet of Things continues to grow at a phenomenal rate.

IoT is essentially an ecosystem of devices and technologies connected via the internet that constantly collect and transmit data to be analysed and implemented.

Day-to-day examples of devices that make up part of IoT are smart meters, security cameras, fridges, and AI virtual assistants.

Currently each person has an average of four connected devices. By 2030 it is predicted that we will each have an average of 15 devices.

One of the key focuses for IoT is security as a lot of them are not equipped with the security required right out of the box.

2023 will see an increased focus in developments of the IoT plus a focus on security. Read more about the IoT here

2. The Metaverse

2023 will see the Metaverse becoming even more significant. What is the Metaverse you may well ask?

“The Metaverse is like an immersive internet where we’ll be able to work, play, and socialize.”

What does the metaverse mean for businesses? In 2023, it is predicted that the metaverse will create an even more immersive environment for meetings where we can collaborate on projects, meet, work and share even more. We will see the further development of more human looking Avatars, that even have our unique quirks!

2. An increase in Artificial Intelligence

In 2023, artificial intelligence will become more real in organizations.

• No-code AI, with its easy drag-and-drop interfaces, will enable people to create more intelligent products and services without necessarily needing to have skilled developers.
• AI-enabled algorithms can do things like recommend products to its customers.
• Contactless, autonomous shopping and delivery will also be a huge trend for 2023.
• AI will make it easier for consumers to pay for and receive goods and services.
• You may have already noticed Outlook and Teams starting to provide virtual assistant services to help you manage your Inbox and work. These services will likely get better and more useful.

3. Cyber Security

Less of a trend and more of a continued focus for all of us, Cyber Security will continue to be top of mind as cyber threats become more complex and common.

Smaller businesses with less than 1,000 employees are most likely to be targeted with a prediction that 61% of data breaches will be targeted towards smaller businesses. (source Verizon).

Please be clear – the bigger businesses and organisations are now well protected, and so the criminals have been turning their attention to small businesses who are still lagging when it comes to security measures. The Verizon quote above refers to smaller businesses of less than 1,000 employees, but we do advise our clients to not be complacent, because criminals are actively targeting businesses just like yours.

4. Robots are coming:

In 2023, robots will be made to look even more like humans. Elon Musk has already revealed the robots of the future, saying these will be ready to roll out in the next 3-5 years. These robots will begin to be used in the real world with basic roles, whilst also performing more complex tasks in warehouses and factories.

In Summary:

2023 will see a continued increase in advancement in the world of technology.

Ultra IT is keeping an eye on these developments, and especially on those that can add value (at the right cost) to businesses in New Zealand. Our purpose is to help you to leverage technology to support your specific business goals.