InfinIT Technology Group has added network-based threat management and content filtering to our list of managed services. We believe this service will help customers manage web traffic, comply with industry filtering requirements, and add an extra layer of defense to protect all devices on the network from malware attacks.

This service also functions as a great "net-nanny" program for parents, preventing unwanted traffic on ALL machines connected to the home network and able to work in "roaming" mode so that laptops outside the home network still follow the same rules. Unwanted web pages can be blocked by category or by web address, and blacklists can be modified at any time.

Network Monitoring offers the following benefits:

• Applies to all devices on the network (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)

• Blocks malware, botnets, phishing websites, and other high risk sites and locations
• Prevents malware from contacting known command and control servers for instructions
• Can work on laptops even when they are outside of the “home” network
• Can block websites by category (porn, violence, file sharing, etc.) or by specific site name
• Improve network bandwidth by blocking traffic to unnecessary sites
• Help ensure compliance with HIPAA, PCI-DSS, CIPA, and other industry standards
• Detailed reports so users can audit who is accessing (or trying to access) which sites and how often
  

Pricing for this service is based on the number of devices routinely connected to your network, but starts at $60/year (monthly payment plans are available) and can be added to any existing monitoring or service agreement.

For more information, or to enroll in this new program, please contact InfinIT Technology Group at 225-286-4108.

We recently received a request from a customer to expand upon the benefits of our Basic Monitoring service.

Basic Monitoring is the first level of proactive maintenance services offered at InfinIT Technology Group. It puts the infrastructure in place for our technicians to monitor computers for problems, as well as remote repair tools to help us resolve any issues that arise quickly and with less inconvenience to our customers. Basic Monitoring Agreements do not include any pre-paid labor, but customers with a monitoring agreement get a discount on all labor charges (onsite, in-house, or remote).

Cost: $5/computer/month
Basic Monitoring Agreements include the following benefits:

• 24/7 Monitoring of Key System Components
• Managed Antivirus (Protects and reports suspicious activity directly to your Technical Team)
• Patch Management (Keeps Windows and other software up-to-date, and reports when updates fail)
• Vulnerability Scanning (Looks for known security threats and reports them to your Technical Team)
  
• Asset Tracking (Tracks hardware and software installed in the system)
• Remote Repair Tools (Facilitates faster response times to computer issues)
• Discounted Labor Rates (onsite, dropoff, and remote)

Since reliable for-fee antivirus can cost between $30-$60 per year, a Basic Monitoring Agreement will virtually pay for itself even if you never need to take advantage of the discounted labor rates.

One other advantage a Basic Monitoring Agreement offers is the ability for customers to pose questions about messages, pop-ups, or suspicious behavior on a computer to their Technical Team. With our monitoring tools, we can log in to quickly see what is causing our customers concern, and let them know whether or not a particular issue actually requires a repair.

Without a monitoring agreement, customers have to pay for a service call to have those error messages looked at. This sometimes results in customers paying for a service call when none was actually required; it also sometimes results in customers ignoring issues that should be addressed because they don't want to waste money on an issue that was not a serious one.

Residential and business technology needs and configurations are becoming more complex all the time. A Basic Monitoring Agreement allows our customers to take control of their networks, and turns their IT management from reactive (where we wait for a problem to occur and then try to find a way to fix it) to proactive (where our goal is to look for potential problems and address them before they cause serious issues.)

If you would like more information about our Monitoring Services, please call our office at 225-286-4108, or add your comments to this post.

At InfinIT Technology Group, we advocate proactive maintenance of our customers' networks over the more traditional break/fix IT relationship. But many of our customers wonder what, exactly, proactive maintenance is.

Proactive maintenance is a defined as a strategy for stabilizing the reliability of machines or equipment. Basically, it is a system designed to keep computers and networks in good working order to prolong the life of the machinery and to reduce downtimes when problems occur.

InfinIT's proactive maintenance plans fall into two categories: Monitoring Agreements and Service Agreements. Monitoring Agreements are low-cost agreements (as low as $5/month) that put all of the tools in place for remote monitoring, managed antivirus, patch management, and asset tracking. Monitoring Agreement customers receive a discount on labor, but there is no time for diagnosis and repair built into the agreement.

Service Agreements differ from Monitoring Agreements in that they incorporate a set amount of pre-paid labor time per month into the monitoring package, at very steep discounts over the standard labor rate. Service Agreements are a great way to stabilize IT costs, and to know that when minor issues arise, they are going to be dealt with by your Technical Team rather than languishing until there are enough minor problems to warrant a service call.