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

NSK Offers MPICA for Compliance with MA Law

MPICA (Massachusetts Personal Information Compliance Assessment) is an IT support service that NSK Inc is offering to businesses that need to comply with the Massachusetts General Law Chapter 93H and its new regulations 201 CMR 17.00. The law requires that any companies who own, license, store, and/or maintain personal information about a Massachusetts resident make adjustments to further protect personal information. Both electronic and paper records will need to comply with the new law. The regulations go into effect on January 1, 2010. The law was originally supposed to go into effect on January 1, 2009, but then was pushed to May 1 and then January 1, 2010 due to the state of the economy, time restraints, and confusion about the law.

MPICA offers IT help to companies who are having difficulty making changes in their systems to adjust to this law. Identity theft and fraud are the major concerns at the core of the implementation of the 201 CMR 17.00, so it is important that the necessary changes are made within business IT systems. If a Massachusetts resident's information is leaked or captured, there could be serious consequences for the business that allowed the breach and for the individual whose information was leaked. Therefore, making changes to keep residents' information secure will be required to avoiding security breach and fines.

Companies will need a written security plan to safeguard their contacts' and/or employees personal information. It will need to be illustrative of policies that demonstrate technical, physical, and administrative protection for residents’ information. The plan needs to be written to meet industry standards. Companies will have to designate employees to oversee and manage security procedures in the workplace, as well as continuously monitor and address security hazards. Policies addressing employee access to and transportation of personal information will need to be developed, as well as disciplinary measures for employees who do not conform to the new regulations. Limiting the collection of data to the minimum that is needed for the purpose it will be used for is also part of the new regulations.

Since revisiting workplace data security procedures requires in-depth changes, this is a lengthy process. It takes months for businesses to make the necessary changes required by this law, so businesses might consider starting early at contacting an IT consulting firm and seeking its IT support.

Written by Melissa Cocks

The Need for IT Support

by Art Gib

When you use anything electronic, whether it's one computer or a cell phone at home, or whether you are a businessman with a whole network of computers, chances are at one point or another you will need technical support. It doesn't matter if you live in Boston or LA, the need for technical (IT) support will probably come up.

Basically, IT support is available to people and companies who need help solving a technical problem with their electronic device. The companies who offer IT support don't usually offer training, rather they work with the customer or client until the problem has been solved. The IT guy is well trained to handle your electronic malfunctions, which is a good thing because most of us have very limited knowledge of the inner working of electronics. We rely on them, but we don't fully understand them; the IT guy does.

Now, for the stay at home mom in Boston or California, or wherever, it might be necessary to call technical support a couple of times a year, but the businessman may need the help much more frequently. Most companies that offer technological products have a support system that comes with it. For example, if you go through Qwest for the internet, you can call Qwest support to get the answers to your problems. But for a businessman, calling Qwest isn't the solution. You need an IT support team because having the right amount of help in your IT department can save you time and money. It also frees up the time for your IT employees to work on ways to help your business.

A good IT support company in Boston will help you reduce the management costs of your IT department, will be able to help you use technology more efficiently, help you with data storage and recovery, and, of course, support the IT managers of your company. IT support doesn't only mean solving a problem on your computer. It also means freeing up the time of your regular employees by doing necessary infrastructure changes without them. For example, software needs to be updated frequently, and the updates can take time. A good IT support company will do the updates and installations of the software for you.

Don't sell yourself short by not having a good IT support center. Your employees can work more efficiently, making better use of their time, if they have a decent support network behind them. Your business will feel the benefits of a good network.

NSK Inc. offers IT support in Boston and San Francisco.

Art Gib is a freelance writer.

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.

NSK Inc., helps with Junior League of Boston and Dress For Success

Junior League of Boston hosted a get together for the Boston’s Chapter of Dress for Success, monthly Professional Women’s Group on Newbury Street last evening. The get together was themed: “What they don’t tell you on the first day...written and unwritten rules in the workplace.” The panelists where Nikki Monchik from Bank of America, Cathie Briggette from NSK Inc., and Leslie Bull from Harvard/Vanguard.

The topics of discussion were the importance of:
· Networking
· Looking/acting professional
· Proper time management
· Working as a team
· Proper communication (cell phones/email/personal computer use)
· Taking/being responsible for personal breaks throughout the day

The Boston Junior League provided food and refreshments for all.

About 20 women from the Professional Women’s Group attended along with founders Jacqui Bud, Enith Lavine and Kim Todd from Dress for Success and Danielle Carroll and others from the Boston Junior League.

Dress for Success (DFS) provides interview appropriate suits and accessories free of charge to disadvantaged women who are entering or re-entering the job market. Women come to DFS for interview clothing, a personal shopper helps her find a suit, shirt, shoes, hosiery and a purse needed to make a great first impression. Once the woman has found a job, she can come back for more clothing items to help her build a professional wardrobe.

DFS also hosts a Professional Women's Group (PWG) for clients who are employed. The PWG provides practical information in a safe environment. Women are able to network with their peers as well as learn from (professional women) mentors in a variety of fields. Monthly "conversations with an expert" provide clients with an opportunity to speak with working professionals on topics ranging from understanding corporate culture to handling personal finances. It is the first and only job retention model that helps low-income women on their journey to self-sufficiency by addressing their social and economic needs in relation to work, home and community.

The Junior League of Boston is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Business Relocation: Do It Right

Relocating a business can be a stressful time for everyone involved, but sometimes it can become absolutely necessary. The reasons for a move can be many; they may include:

• The business climate in the original area is no longer conducive to bringing in clients.
• Your business is growing by leaps and bounds and your current facilities can no longer accommodate your needs.
• You can no longer find the type of labor you need in your area.
• You need to find a higher profile place where you can attract more street traffic.
• You can no longer afford to pay the high rents.

Whatever your reasons, you need to make sure that you make the move in the right way in order to minimize both the inconvenience to your customer base and the financial impact on your business . Here are some things to think about if you are considering making a move.

You may want to consider doing an assessment of the impact of your move by surveying your regular customers:

• Will they be willing to visit and patronize your business at its new location?
• Will you still be able to meet their needs effectively?

Once you and your associates have pored over the surveys, the data collected will help you to determine what geographical location might suit everyone best and it will also help you to make a decision as to whether it is even a good idea to relocate at all.

What are you trying to accomplish in making this move? It is important to have a concrete list of reasons why relocating is a good idea since it will be integral to choosing the right site. For example, do you want to streamline operations by being closer to a manufacturer? Are you trying to increase your customer base? Both of these and many more options will determine where your business should relocate.

Once you have decided that it would be best for your company to move, take into account the logistical realities that go along with it. You may wish to talk with business acquaintances who have moved in the past to get their input on possible snags you should look out for. Find out what worked for them and what didn't, so that you are not reinventing the wheel and to minimize your stress and hassle.

Most if not all modern businesses rely extensively on computer systems in their daily operations. You may wish to consider hiring an outside IT support firm that specializes in helping companies to relocate their systems quickly and correctly.

If you are considering moving your business, take your time, talk to those who have been through it before, and do a complete assessment: you'll be glad you did.

If you are moving your business or are relocating your company within the San Francisco, Ca or Boston, MA areas and need IT support, contact the experts at NSK, Inc (http://www.nskinc.com/).

Written by Art Gib

Art Gib is a freelance writer.Article Source

Massachusetts Consumer Protection Law

ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE?

Does your company store and/or maintain personal information about a resident of Massachusetts? Do you have client databases, direct deposit records, payroll files, 401K information, employee records files or a QuickBooks company database? If so you need to be aware of this new regulation.

The new Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.) Chapter 93H requires that companies that own, license, store or maintain personal information about a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts establish minimum standards in safeguarding the personal information contained in both paper and electronic records. This new law’s further purpose is to:

Ensure security and confidentiality of information consistent with industry standards;
Protect against anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of information;
Protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information


NSK Inc., along with Burns & Levinson are hosting a Free Seminar at the Omni Parker House Hotel, 50 School St., Boston, MA on February 24th, 2009, explaining:

The law and how it relates to you and your company.
The implications of the law
How to assess your information technology environment and make it comply with the new regulations.

There will be three (3) 1 hour sessions during the day. For more information and to sign up please call us at 617-303-0480 X 224 and we will sign you up.