Discover the essential traits to look for in a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) to unlock greater business growth.
Navigating the sometimes-seismic shifts in technology is no small feat, and that's why companies turn to a CIO to guide the way.
A full-time CIO comes with a high salary that is not practical for a small business. What can a business do to close the gap?
Technology Business Reviews play a powerful role in enabling decision-makers to limit unnecessary expenses and reallocate resources to promising IT initiatives.
Digital transformation is no longer exclusive to enterprise organizations seeking a competitive edge; SMBs are embracing it to improve core business functions.
You've worked hard and deserve your vacation time. However, cyber threats are on the rise & bad actors don't take time off. Here's how to stay secure while OOO.
Creating a new Microsoft Azure deployment is a relatively straightforward process. However, a business needs to consider a few key decisions first.
Are you in the market for a new MSSP? Here are the top screening questions you need to ask when shopping for your next cybersecurity partner.
Our cybersecurity culture is deeply informed by our vision for Universal Safe Networks and our commitment to help businesses fortify their security.
You never forget your first cybersecurity incident. It was the summer of 2001, & I was working as a field tech, supporting several medical research departments.
How do you know when to cut ties with your IT provider? You watch for these warning signs that indicate low operational maturity.
Nearly 1 out of 4 small businesses suffered at least one cyber attack last year. Discover cost free protections you can implement now to improve your security.
With an above-average hurricane season ahead of us this year, now is the time to prepare for any adverse weather that could impact your business.
The drive to be a dominant player in your market requires leveraging the latest tech innovations. Your IT should make you more competitive, not hold you back.
Hiring a Managed Services Provider (MSP) is a significant decision. Most businesses take one of three approaches, yet overlook a few key consideration factors.
Patch management is crucial to ensure business continuity. Learn more about how software patching can safeguard your organization.
Anywhere Operations is the new preferred work model. Let’s explore how zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) facilitates quick, easy, and safe remote work processes.
Companies are switching their mode of IT investments from CapEx to OpEx. Discover how to adjust your IT budget to support the switch to OpEx.
Anywhere Operations requires significant IT investments. Explore why businesses prefer Operating Expenses (OpEx) for powering Anywhere Operations.
A business continuity plan is crucial for your company’s risk mitigation strategies. Let’s consider the top benefits of this risk management tool.
Learn more about NetForce Architect, our solution for IT projects that assist in cloud transitions and modernizing your operations to improve business.
Every SMB needs to innovate to thrive in the marketplace. Technology buzzwords also hold value in helping SMBs position for greater competitiveness.
As more companies adopt cloud applications, there is a need for greater cloud security. Discover how a CASB can help with your IT security policies.
Green IT helps businesses save on costs while preserving the environment. Let’s consider a few sustainable IT projects that companies can implement.
By 2023, approximately 40% of organizations are predicted to transition towards Anywhere Operations.
“By engaging in the SOC 2 Type II audit every year, we are motivated by transparency and accountability,” said John Snyder, CEO of Net Friends.
Anywhere Operations and the hybrid work model are the new normal. Let’s explore the top five management strategies for today's hybrid workplace.
The new normal requires adopting an Anywhere Operations model. Let’s explore the top budget areas that will help your company work from anywhere.
Anywhere Operations represent the new normal for business operations. Let’s explore the top five critical policies necessary for its adoption.
Anywhere Operations has emerged as a leading work model. Discover the key questions to ask your stakeholders before you adopt it.
While "Work from Anywhere" is a common term, let's explore the future of "Anywhere Operations" and its implications for small businesses.
Leverage your Technology Roadmap in new ways by exploring its greater potential and unlock even more business growth.
Your Technology Roadmap is only as powerful as you allow it to be when you regularly consult it with your internal stakeholders to advance your goals.
The Technology Roadmap should be a close companion to your IT Budget. Discover pro-tips from Net Friends on how to better capture your IT spending.
Far too often, IT companies are stuck in the generalist hiring loop with no formal strategy to develop their technical staff beyond being break-fix technicians.
When targeting your desired outcomes is too difficult, try this brainstorming exercise to help you move forward with building your Technology Roadmap.
By cementing your Technology Stack from the onset, you dodge disruptions such as frequently recycling technology solutions and upending operational processes.
A Technology Roadmap will help any decision-maker capture a visual reference of the technology plans and enhancements that will drive their business forward.
Discover a powerful tool that can help you capture your technology goals and scale your business. A Technology Roadmap is your IT Budget's missing companion.
Net Friends is a SOC 2 Type II certified IT partner with a long history of expertise in HIPAA compliance and Information Technology Risk Management (ITRM).
A mature MSSP is your preferred strategic partner for implementing a robust cybersecurity program that aligns with your business operations.
Cloud providers are constantly upgrading their services to adhere to the latest industry standards and regulatory requirements to offer unprecedented security.
Net Friends announces that Castra, an award-winning leader in MDR, has signed the largest NetForce IT staffing agreement to date.
A message from Net Friends CEO John Snyder on the Kaseya Breach
It starts with a professional standardized certification for those who practice safe network design and operation.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) vulnerabilities are often easy targets for cyber criminals and they are too expensive to appropriately secure and monitor.
Do you need grant funding for your IT? Unsure about how to acquire and maximize IT grants? Explore how a Managed IT Services Provider can help you!
At Net Friends, we have a long history of improving our cybersecurity posture and applying it to our services to promote secure environments for our customers.
Treatment of end-of-life devices requires policies for thorough data sanitization before e-waste recycling and disposal, especially with a remote workforce.
The security vendor Cybereason describes REvil (aka Sodinokibi) as “the Crown Prince of Ransomware.”
Does your company have an IT budget? What are your tech spending categories? Keep reading for great insights on what should be included.
We interviewed Cynthia Hemingway, the Chief Financial Officer for Fourlane, about her perspective on being both a provider and consumer of IT.
Trying to keep IT costs low, or prioritize a fixed monthly cost? Let’s discuss how a managed IT services provider can help you manage your IT budget.
Without an annual assessment, most businesses have no visibility over their assets, resource constraints, or other critical insights about their environment.
What does the primary focus of your IT company say about the operational maturity of your IT environment?
What tools do you have in place and optimized to support your risk-informed responses?
Does your business have a Technology Roadmap for your Digital Transformation journey?
Are you focused on minimizing network downtown or avoiding unnecessary disruptions?
Ryuk is a sophisticated strand of ransomware that not only encrypts network drives, but it also deletes shadow copies on the endpoint. Here's how to prevent it!
The story of how we went from a scrappy group of six technicians at Duke to a radically innovative IT partner that brought HIPAA expertise to the table.
Who should be the IT decision-maker in your business? How do you decide whether to outsource or hire for your IT needs?
Line-of-business (LOB) software is the Achilles heel of small business backup strategies. Don't forget to secure critical data from your LOB tools too.
Small and medium-sized businesses often hire managed IT service providers to reduce costs and leverage external expertise, assets, & direct vendor partnerships.
Net Friends selected a potent combination of tools that allows us to offer our small business customers enterprise-grade security without enterprise pricing.
A typical small business' IT budget should be somewhere between 3-7% of its total revenue. Here are 5 key questions to consider before investing in your IT.
How on earth did we “predict” the pandemic? All “Back to the Future” jokes aside, the simple fact is we didn’t predict anything. What we did was more practical.
In November 2020, Gartner released its Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls with Palo Alto Networks securing the top position yet again in the Leader quadrant.
The “Business Premium” plan is affordable and gives us access to powerful cloud-based security tools that we could call upon to keep your data more secure.
The top three reasons why we selected Kirkpatrick Price as our SOC 2 Type II auditor and how that led us to a powerful risk assessment tool.
After our SOC 2 Type II audit, we started engaging with new risk categories that led us on a journey towards discovering a powerful risk assessment tool.
How the Axio360 tool helped us quantify risks and give key stakeholders the power to make informed decisions in response to potential risk events.
How the Axio360's quant tool helps us explore various risk scenarios and directly quantify the costs for those events should they occur.
Have you heard that over 90% of data breaches begin with an attacker sending email? This statistic is unfortunately about four years out of date.
Establishing our Palo Alto Networks partner status allowed us to differentiate ourselves as an MSP and MSSP in the local and regional market.
I first met Grant Leonard back in 2002. We hired him at Net Friends as a contractor to help with all sorts of IT security projects and initiatives.
This battle-tested process is what lets us give our NetVisor customers a single monthly rate, guaranteed for up to three years.
Ransomware simulation and mitigation is likely to be the element of MPT that even companies with limited security awareness find most compelling.
Just in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released an update to Special Publication 800-53.
If your current IT provider isn’t operating within a defined Technology Stack, it means they are not supporting you optimally.
Net Friends is introducing NetCore Elements, a monthly subscription service featuring Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall and security protections.
Your MSP must be willing to make difficult commitments in order for their Technology Stack to help customers produce returns on the investment.
Net Friends is the first managed service provider (MSP) in the Research Triangle region to deploy a complete Technology Stack for local businesses.
Net Friends announced as first strategic partner in Axio360 Partnership Program featuring Axio's industry-leading platform for assessing cyber risk exposure.
Net Friends is partnering with Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, to deliver true next generation firewall security.
Net Friends is ready to help you get the most out of your existing Office 365 plan or upgrade to one that meets your new telecommuting needs.
Over 90% of all cyberattacks begin via email. Within minutes, Net Friends can implement a full suite of security controls that can protect you against exploits.
Protecting your credentials is a challenge in the best of times. There are so many clever tactics malicious attackers use to get your staff’s passwords.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are announcing special packages designed to help you transition to working remotely with minimal loss of productivity.
As Rahm Emanuel once said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”
Many small business owners have not performed the due diligence that will ensure their telecommuting policies are ready for a significant shift.
Our managers designed a practice drill that put each staff member in their preferred remote environment to verify they could perform their duties.
Many businesses are encouraging/requiring employees who can work remotely to do so because of the current pandemic. Here are some questions you should consider.
Net Friends, a North-Carolina based IT service and solutions provider, today announced that it has completed its voluntary SOC 2 Type II audit.
Angel Knight, a freshman from Claremont McKenna College, joined us at our HQ this week to shadow Colin Cannell, an alum of her school.
“I’ve never seen a network diagram that didn’t require a guided tour by the person who made it,” said Randy, our SOC 2 auditor, back in March 2019.
Any business interested in becoming SOC 2 Type II compliant will need top-notch partners in their corner to bring the expertise and focus necessary.
Passwords have repeatedly proven to be insufficient on their own to prevent targeted hacking attacks or misuse of our password-protected information.
When shopping around for a Managed Services Provider (MSP) to handle your IT needs, you might be inclined to skim the contract they give you...
From your Net Friends IT Security Experts: The Top 5 Cybersecurity Steps you can take to improve your IT security for 2019.
Strategic partnership with Castra Consulting and Bandura results in a major boost to Net Friends’ perimeter security and managed security services.
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