At some point, your business may need to consider (or reconsider) an IT governance model, whether it be for very common PCI (Purchase Card Industry), or another type of compliance. IT governance refers to a set of IT practices that align with your business strategies to ensure compliance and security.

With the increasing determination, creativity, and intelligence of hackers, it is more important than ever to make sure that an organization's IT systems are adequately protected from viruses, trojans, and other forms of intrusion. Though there are many ways to help ensure the integrity of a network's security, one very important method of safeguarding sensitive data is through the implementation of a firewall.

Software giant Microsoft regularly launches new IT solutions that assist small and medium businesses to operate more efficiently.  In celebration of efficiency, we've examined what we believe to be the biggest strengths of the Washington-based company's most recent generation of its workplace productivity suite: Office 2013.

Companies that wish to vet and/or implement a virtualization strategy using VMware's products can benefit from using an IT consulting firm in their search, where one or more of the experts on staff possess the high-level certification known as VMware Certified Professional (VCP).  Earning the certification requires candidates to complete VMware-authorized training courses pass several rigorous exams.

The constant demand on IT departments to be able to perform and expand with business objectives is one of the biggest operational challenges facing companies today. Most of the time SMBs don't need a fully staffed IT department that is capable of handling every component of a company's IT needs - business continuity, network maintenance and IT governance just to name a few. Not only is the cost of operating a fully staffed IT department prohibitive, but keeping up to date with current IT governance standards takes up bandwidth and can mean one or two additional full time jobs in itself. This is where IT outsourcing services can help businesses focus on what matters to them - generating income and growing.

The practice of email encryption (turning a message into code before sending it beyond the network) has become standard protocol for the majority of email transactions today. This practice can be seen in both the private and public sectors, but it is especially prevalent within public organizations - where 83% of federal agencies have policies allowing employees to encrypt emails.

The impact of mobile technology in enterprise IT is profound; a recent survey conducted by Gartner, Inc. reports that mobile devices have been deployed in 90% of enterprises, and the majority of these deployments are smartphones.  If your company already allows mobile device usage on the company network, a BYOD policy should already be in place. Allowing employees and staff to bring their own devices has advantages, but security and usage are two large hurdles to overcome. Here are several proven strategies to become a BYOD guru.

Companies that are growing will need to expand their IT department to keep up. However, continuing to add workstations and employees to manage them can be quite costly, which may quickly eliminate the growing resources that the business had on hand. Many businesses are choosing to implement virtual desktop solutions to help them stay in contact with other locations within the company. In order to maintain these desktops the company will need to invest in time and employees with the proper expertise to keep them up and running, costs that will grow exponentially over time.

There are many different strategies to increasing profitability in a business, including delivering valued services, implementing effective pricing models, and creating a streamlined work force. To create efficient workplace operations, an organization can engage in a variety of practices: look for specific credentials, seek out those with industry-specific experience, and finally, hire enthusiastic employees.

SharePoint solutions can help to drastically increase a business's productivity and improve its internal and external communications. This is why SharePoint is today’s leading collaboration technology - it harnesses the power of cloud computing, providing secure data backup and business continuity. It allows employees to easily collaborate within, between and beyond departments, improves decision-making by placing relevant information in an easily accessible and navigable location, and broadens collaboration beyond the firewall with partners and customers.