NSK Inc IT Associate Receives CCENT Certification

For Immediate Release

NSK Inc IT Associate Receives CCENT Certification

Associate at Boston-based IT Consulting firm is now certified in small network implementation and management

Boston, MA, March 17, 2010 – One of NSK Inc’s IT Associates, Michael McGowan, recently announced that he has received the CCENT™ certification from Cisco®. CCENT, short for Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician, validates skills in installing and managing small enterprise network systems, and is a stepping stone towards the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA®) certification. McGowan’s new credentials demonstrate his knowledge and experience in data networks, IP addressing, wired and wireless networks, and network security in the small enterprise sector.

McGowan states “It took me about four months to prepare for the exam.” His efforts have paid off immensely. “Having a CCENT certification will help me provide better support with internet/networking, troubleshooting, and configurations for NSK and its clients.” Although time consuming, McGowan says, “The experience was totally worth it, as it is the largest industry-wide certification.” He will spend the next four months working towards his CCNA certification.

McGowan isn’t the only NSK member who is Cisco certified. Ben R. Howard, a Senior IT Associate, holds his CCNA certification. Howard says that “Having the CCNA Security certification ensures that NSK meets the standards set forth by Cisco to have an understanding not only of how to configure a range of Cisco products, but to recognize security issues and how to effectively configure and deploy the devices to address the issues.” NSK Inc is consistently expanding their knowledge base, and with two employees now Cisco certified the company can manage a multitude of network systems for their growing client base.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, this year celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

About NSK Inc

NSK Inc is a leader in information technology consulting, with a focus on IT management for SMB companies. Headquartered in Boston, MA with an additional office in Palo Alto, CA, the company offers a wide array of IT services for business driven information challenges. They provide service and support for small and medium-sized businesses and groups working within large organizations. NSK Inc also creates custom software products for investment banks, equity management organizations, and other specialized industry areas. For more information, please visit www.nskinc.com.

Press Contact

For more information, please contact:

Cathie Briggette

NSK Inc.

(p) +1 617 303-0480

(e) cathie@nskinc.com

The Importance of Having a Business Continuity Plan

What would happen if your data was lost or you lost internet for the day? If a hurricane hit and your information was gone, would you be able to continue performing your everyday business tasks? If not, how long would it take to recover your business? These questions are overwhelming, but important to ask yourself when it comes to threats to your business.

Whether you are the CEO or the CIO of your company, it is important to acknowledge the value of having an established business continuity plan. It is difficult to believe that something drastic enough to disrupt your everyday business activities could take place, but it is often when we assume things could never happen to us that they do.

Many U.S. companies encounter computer system failures annually. A lot of these failures last for over a day, which can significantly affect profit and customer relationship management (CRM). Also, it has been found that many businesses do not have a plan in place in case a disaster was to occur. That being said, there could be an even greater impact if disaster struck because many businesses depend on each other to operate efficiently and profitably. The potential domino effect that businesses would experience in the worst case scenario would be devastating.

On a lighter note, let’s just say that your email server was down for a day for whatever the reason may be. You might say, “But we could use the phone.” That is true, but consider how heavily businesses depend on databases, and rightfully so. Using them is easier and faster than going through a Rolodex of contacts, and they organize every piece of information regarding a single contact. You are going to want to make sure you have a plan in place and also seek help from IT professionals or an IT team in order to lessen the impact of disruption.

Assessing how vulnerable you are to being impacted by disaster or data loss is an important step in planning for business continuity. Here are a couple of questions that may make you think about how important a continuity plan is to your specific business:

-What activities are most important to your business?
-Can you survive without them or do you have an alternative?
-How much of your business’ productivity depends on computers/databases/internet?

Chances are that you feel concerned if you have not already established a plan, which isn’t surprising since most of America’s businesses rely on computers. Here are some steps you can take to make sure you are prepared in the case of disruption:

-Identify important roles in your company (who plays a crucial role in everyday business? If a certain person in your company was to no longer be there, would you have a backup?) Include solutions in your plan.

-Identify places for equipment rental and back-up supplies

-Implement off-site data backup or seek IT support/IT consulting

-Map out an alternate location (where would you move offices to temporarily if needed?)

-Have this plan set in stone

Additionally, you need to be sure every employee is informed of the plan, so it would be a good idea to conduct information sessions or send out newsletters regarding the business continuity plan.

Written by Melissa Cocks

IT: The Secret Weapon of Competitive Business

By Art Gib

Apr 9, 2009

Information Technology or IT as it has been aptly nicknamed is the culmination of every aspect of business that incorporates computers. Essentially IT cover the spectrum of business needs from data storage and backup to building and maintaining computer networks to providing hosting and web services to developing customized software solutions and providing help desk support for business. In today's competitive marketplace IT solutions are the lifeblood of industry that keep small, medium and large businesses in business.

IT support is among the fastest growing industries, with the advent of newer and faster technologies that are designed to exchange more data quickly and store extraordinary amounts of information the need for IT service providers has steadily increased over the past decade. There are now in the United States over 1.6 million people working in the IT industry. Projections for employment growth are between 18 and 26 percent for all IT related employment by 2014.

With customized solutions available and the growing need for qualified technicians the IT industry has expanded to service not just large corporations that house hundreds of employees and network the entire office together through a system of servers, firewalls, and exchange interfaces, but the small and mid sized business is also experiencing the need for IT solutions that handle any computer related quandary such as web hosting or spam filtering or even the scaled down networking of three or four computers into a single server so that interoffice information can easily be shared with each employee.

The question posed to the small and medium sized business is one of cost effectiveness in finding an IT service provider that can meet the growing needs of small business and offset the expense of hiring a staff IT specialist. Some business owners are under the impression that IT can be handled by an existing employee that services the companies limited IT needs in addition to their other duties.

This thought process may be detrimental to the small business owner as technological advances require continued training and experience with emerging technology that the layperson does not understand. It is one thing to connect a computer to the Internet, but quite another to effectively network and entire offices exchange server and data storage.

Selecting the right IT solutions provider shouldn't be a difficult or costly prospect. With a little research business owners can find an IT provider that has the knowledge and experience to effectively and efficiently enhance business performance, keeping both small and medium sized businesses competitive with larger corporations.

NSK Inc is an information technology consulting company offering IT support in Boston and IT support in San Francisco.

About the Author
Art Gib is a freelance writer.