Category: Cloud

  • Your Cloud Provider May Not Provide the Security You Think – Understanding the Shared Responsibility Model

    In today’s digital landscape, over 90% of organizations utilize cloud services, often under the assumption that their software providers—like Google, Salesforce, Microsoft, and others—are solely responsible for securing their data. However, this belief can lead to significant vulnerabilities. Understanding the Shared Responsibility Model is crucial for ensuring your data’s security.

    How Did We Get Here?

    It’s easy to assume that purchasing Software as a Service (SaaS) means the provider handles all aspects of security. For years, businesses have relied on Managed Service Providers to manage their software, leading to the misconception that SaaS agreements operate similarly. While there are parallels, the responsibilities are distinctly divided.

    What is Shared Responsibility?

    The Shared Responsibility Model clarifies the division of security responsibilities between the provider and the customer. Generally, the provider secures the cloud infrastructure, while customers are responsible for their data and configurations.

    Key Responsibilities

    SaaS Provider Responsibilities:

    • Infrastructure Security: Protecting physical data centers and hardware.
    • Application Security: Keeping software updated and testing for vulnerabilities, such as conducting penetration tests.
    • Compliance: Offering templates for best practices to help customers meet industry regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.

    Customer Responsibilities:

    • Data Security: Implementing identity management, monitoring, and access controls.
    • User Management: Controlling who can access data.
    • Application Configuration: Actively managing security settings tailored to specific needs.

    Shared Responsibility Among Major Vendors

    Understanding how major vendors interpret the Shared Responsibility Model can help clarify your obligations:

    1. Microsoft: Secures infrastructure while customers manage applications and data. Tools like Azure Security Center are available, but configuration is the customer’s responsibility.
    2. Google Cloud: Similar to Microsoft, Google secures infrastructure, emphasizing identity and access management (IAM) for customer data protection.
    3. Salesforce: While securing the platform, Salesforce requires customers to set up their security settings, including enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

    Security in SaaS – Where to Begin

    Now that you know you need to secure your SaaS applications, where do you start? The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) provides a solid roadmap:

    1. Govern: Establish a risk management strategy and define roles and policies.
    2. Identify: Determine what data needs protection and assess known risks.
    3. Protect: Implement defenses such as MFA and configure software to mitigate risks.
    4. Detect: Set up monitoring systems to identify anomalies and potential breaches.
    5. Respond: Develop a response plan to quickly address incidents and minimize damage.
    6. Recover: After an incident, assess the impact and improve your cybersecurity measures.

    Best Practices to Consider

    Cybersecurity improvements can drive business growth. By clarifying data ownership and upgrading technology, organizations can enhance productivity and performance, especially for remote workers.

    Conclusion

    Understanding the Shared Responsibility Model is vital for protecting your data in a SaaS environment. By recognizing both the provider’s and your responsibilities, you can take proactive steps to secure your data.

    Next Steps

    Review your current SaaS agreements and security practices. Engage with your providers to clarify responsibilities and consider conducting a security audit or risk assessment with your IT professionals. Check out our LinkedIn Article to learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/shared-responsibility-cloud-security-kathy-durfee-syoie

    Future Trends

    As SaaS continues to evolve, so will the Shared Responsibility Model. Stay informed about the latest trends in cloud security, including advancements in AI for threat detection and the importance of data privacy regulations.

  • Moving Multi-User Applications to the Cloud

    Recently, our customers with hybrid cloud environments want to move their final on-prem servers to the cloud or replace them with SAAS applications. For example, file servers can be moved to SharePoint. Until now, legacy two and 3-tier applications, written on platforms developed in the 1980s and 1990s, remained on-premise. They have an application server, possibly a separate database server, and endpoint (Client) software. These “client-server” applications were complex to upgrade and often postponed during the initial “move to the cloud.” But now there is increased demand. Why is that? Various factors are at play, including versions of Windows Server and SQL server going out of support or a delay, but the publisher is to release a SAAS version of their app. Additionally, many teams are staying partially or fully remote, making it impractical to maintain on-premise infrastructure. As customers grow comfortable with SaaS and implement related security controls, they are now exploring how best to move these final vestiges of their on-prem environment to the cloud.

    Specific Scenarios: Multi-User Applications

    These applications often function like legacy 2-tier or 3-tier applications, with server services running application and database software and client software on endpoints connecting to the server. Examples include QuickBooks Enterprise and custom Microsoft Access applications, which are often critical for daily operations.

    Considerations for Migration

    1. Login Handling: These applications typically have application-level security and are not integrated with Windows Server. We must consider how users log in and access their applications and Microsoft suite in the cloud.
    2. Connection Security: Previously secure on-prem connections need transport from endpoints to the cloud. Consider whether a VPN is necessary for secure connections.
    3. Data Security: Ensure data is encrypted at rest and in transit and meets compliance requirements like HIPAA, CMC, or GDPR.
    4. Endpoint Security: Secure the endpoint accessing the cloud-hosted app with appropriate defense software, firewalls, and patch strategies. Implement MFA and role-based access controls (RBAC).
    5. Compliance: Ensure all security measures meet compliance requirements.
    6. Shared Responsibility: Understand the shared responsibility model in the cloud.
    7. Securing the Azure cloud: Use tools like Microsoft Defender for Cloud for security management and threat protection.
    8. Vendor Compliance: Some software publishers require certified hosting providers. Ensure vendor support is available for your chosen hosting environment.
    9. Licensing: Most software publishers are moving to subscription models. Ensure you have the necessary server and per-user licenses.
    10. Performance and Resource Allocation: Consider network latency, bandwidth, and dynamic resource provisioning to avoid performance bottlenecks.
    11. Hosting Options: Evaluate virtual desktops, Azure Virtual Desktop, and remote desktop services with VMs in the cloud. If necessary, consider third-party hosting.
    12. Hybrid Solutions: Plan for Azure AD integration and connection points between on-prem and cloud infrastructure.

    Common Issues in Migration

    1. Network Latency: Ensure sufficient bandwidth to avoid latency issues.
    2. Licensing Compliance: Ensure correct licensing, especially for remote desktop services.
    3. Security: Implement firewalls, MFA, and regular updates. Use monitoring and logging tools to detect unusual behavior.

    Resource Allocation

    Avoid under-provisioning resources to prevent performance issues. It’s often better to start with higher resources and scale down as needed.

    Cost Considerations

    Consider subscription costs for servers, software, and security services. Include support and maintenance costs, whether internal or external and consumption costs based on actual usage.

    Next Steps

    Moving multiuser desktop applications to the cloud is a significant decision that requires careful planning and execution. Here are some next steps:

    • Consult with Experts: Work with an experienced architect to design and deploy your cloud solution. For example, TechHouse can provide expert guidance and support throughout the migration process, ensuring a smooth transition.
    • Evaluate Options: Assess different hosting options and choose the one that best fits your needs. For instance, compare the benefits of using Azure Virtual Desktop versus a third-party hosting provider certified by your software vendor.
    • Plan for Security: Implement robust security measures to protect your data and applications. For example, use Microsoft Defender for Cloud to continuously assess your security posture and receive actionable recommendations.
    • Monitor Performance: Regularly monitor and adjust resources to ensure optimal performance. For instance, use Azure Monitor to track the performance of your cloud-hosted applications and make necessary adjustments to resource allocations.
  • Choosing the Right Accounting Software for Your Small Business

    Choosing the Right Accounting Software for Your Small Business

    As a small business leader, choosing the right accounting software is a crucial decision that can impact your business’s financial management. 

    Four factors to consider when choosing small business accounting software

    Here are some key factors to consider when choosing the right accounting software for your small business:

    • Scale
    • Help
    • Cost
    • Cloud vs. local

    Let’s look at each of these factors in detail to help you make the best decision for your business.

    Scale

    Choosing an accounting package that can scale with your business is important. 

    Businesses typically keep their current accounting software for seven years or more due to the substantial cost of migrating sales, expenses, and financial data. 

    When researching, consider a solution that will meet your needs today and in the future.

    Market Share

    Choose accounting software that is well-known and widely used. 

    With over 50% market share in the US, QuickBooks has substantially more knowledgeable bookkeepers, accountants, and consultants than its closest competitor, Xero, which has about 10% market share.

    Cost

    Most cloud accounting packages for small businesses are similarly priced. Some even offer “entry-level” discounts that support strictly limited customers or vendors. 

    Unless you are confident you will not exceed those limits for the next 5 to 7 years, the cost of migration to a better solution may outweigh the limited benefit of the month-to-month fee.

    Cloud vs. Local

    While desktop-only accounting software is still in use, we strongly encourage all our customers to transition to cloud versions of software. 

    Software vendors have far more resources to spend on cybersecurity than any small company does, and they have more at stake should a breach occur.

    Choosing the Right Version of QuickBooks

    After evaluating the above criteria, we believe that QuickBooks Online is the best fit for most small businesses. Once you’ve decided on QBO, you will need to select the version that will work best for your needs.

    QuickBooks offers Simple Start, Essentials Plus, and Advanced. All versions offer unlimited customers, vendors, employees, and products and unlimited invoices.

    • Simple Start – Ideal for a single user to track invoices and expenses, and generate reports.
    • Online Essentials – Perfect if you have a small team and start separating duties. For example, the owner may view financial reports, and an office manager enters invoices and pays bills. This level is typically good for companies with 3-5 employees.
    • Online Plus – Great for larger teams needing more separation of duties. It allows data organization by location or business line and includes budgeting tools. As the organization transitions from 5 to 10 or more employees, Online Plus supports refined workflows and reporting.
    • Online Advanced – The most feature-rich version. It includes data backups, Excel integration, and batch data management.

    The monthly cost difference between the lowest and highest-priced versions equals a few hours of outsourced bookkeeping. Choose wisely and invest in a solution supporting your business’s growth and success. Remember, the right accounting software is an investment in your business’s future.

    In Conclusion

    Choosing the right accounting software is a critical decision that can significantly impact your business’s financial management. But remember, you’re not alone in this process. Our team of experts is here to help you every step of the way.

    We can assist you in selecting the right software that fits your business needs, guide you through the migration process, and ensure you’re making the most of your chosen solution. Our goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible for you and your team.

    Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for any questions or concerns. We’re committed to helping your business succeed. Contact us today to get started on your journey to better financial management.

  • Accounting Made Easy with QuickBooks Online and More

    Accounting Made Easy with QuickBooks Online and More

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    While an influx of vendors move to the Cloud, will you stay with older tech tools they are no longer updating? How does your budget or mindset affect how you update systems and processes?

    Time spent manually navigating invoices, payments, and payroll can strain any team member. If you are using Excel, migrating to QuickBooks Desktop can get your organization into an accurate accounting system and introduce accounting automation.

    Automation can also help your organization capture, store, and communicate critical business information effortlessly. If you already have QuickBooks Desktop to track and send invoices and pay off your vendors, moving to QuickBooks Online will give you the benefits of Intuit’s security without the additional cost of implementing that security yourself.

    While QuickBooks Online may be outside your budget plan, it can become an investment that helps you easily manage what you may now do manually.

    In other words, aside from easy automation and visibility, QuickBooks Online can offer your organization more security at any time or place.

    Cyber threats increase on what seems to be a daily basis. What systems will you have in place? Bad actors improve their infiltration of small and medium-sized businesses mainly because SMBs do not increase and refresh their security. Cyber threats plaguing SMBs are outside your control, but you can decide what defenses to implement.

    QuickBooks Online can help your organization optimize accounting and automation. You can easily view QuickBooks Online and all your systems within a single dashboard. As a QuickBooks partner, we can tighten your security and create clear visibility of your various systems to enhance your organization’s productivity.

    Accounting: Easy as 1,2,3 and Do-Re-Mi

    Stop running off computers from a data center; we can help you transition from QuickBooks Desktop into the Cloud.

    If your accounting software is not from an accounting vendor, for example, your organization uses Access or Excel, moving you to QuickBooks Online is still possible.

    The initial move to the Cloud requires us to create a standard location for you to handle receivables and payables and get your financial reporting out. Then you can move similar things into the suite, such as taking care of electronic payments.

    As you consolidate, things become a bit more helpful. Instead of files, or piles of paper reports, enjoy a quick and easy view of your invoices in one place and a record of when payments are made.

    When you move accounting to the Cloud, you can put your tracked receipts into the QuickBooks Online platform, or you may make it part of your overall M365 document management, where you currently keep receipts.

    Both have pros and cons, so speak to a TechHouse advisor about the right strategy for where you want to keep your supporting documentation, such as Excel spreadsheets that show the backup for any adjustments made in your accounting software.

    You need to keep your documentation somewhere, so how do you structure it, and how do you amplify safety in your Cloud files? Your email and files should be in the Cloud. After this foundation, you can add payroll, handle security payments, automate invoices, and track expenses.

    QuickBooks Online offers easy and friction-free tools that will automate sending your sales team a spreadsheet that shows all the sales from the prior week or all the sales from the preceding month. If you have a team member responsible for collections, you can send them an outstanding balance spreadsheet at the end of every day, so they can see what invoices have and have not been paid.

    Most banks can be connected to the environment, and you can set up rules. Rules such as a transaction from your utility provider can automatically get booked to your utility account. QuickBooks Online matches it and sends it right through.

    Say goodbye to manual recording, automation helps take care of transactions.

    Ramp Up Your Security before Cyber Threats Rock You

    QuickBooks Online offers security within its platform.

    A helpful feature allows your organization to assign custom rules. For example, with multiple people in your accounting software, sales won’t have to deal with vendors and vice versa. You can decide who has access — helping you segment responsibility and visibility to specific roles.

    However, it behooves you to implement additional security to mitigate risk over your entire environment. Unfortunately, many SMBs understand the severity of cyber threats but aren’t proactive in what they know. Responding too late has already resulted in 60% of small businesses going out of business after they’ve experienced cyber-attacks.

    We help organizations mitigate risk with various solutions, one being Safety Plus. When you move to the Cloud, Safety Plus implements robust security, which allows us to restrict insider risk, reduce OPEX, and substantially minimize traditional hardware failures and downtime. Know that sometimes your computer isn’t moving slowly “just because.”

    Safety Plus Cybersecurity includes monitoring, hardening, Cloud alerts, and training. Your team may know about cybersecurity, but our training helps your organization reduce security threats. Our hands-on training programs help your organization maintain a consistent security posture.

    Phishing attacks can be clever. Using our Phishing Net software, we send phishing simulations to your team, and they are asked to complete training if they fall for the attack – a real-world scenario without real-world consequences.

    Bad actors are like viruses: they adapt to what’s used to decimate them and respond in a new, hopefully undetectable, form.

    In other words, implementing security is not enough. You must manage what you secure:

    • SafetyPlus™ Hardening gets our tech experts into your system monthly to tighten up your security – closing any cracks bad actors may wiggle through.
    • SafetyPlus™ Cybersecurity Awareness sends monthly training to your team, keeping your organization familiar with rising threats.
    • SafetyPlus™ Remote Monitoring and Management pays close attention to your system and alerts our team when it detects something unusual, especially invasions you may not see. Our tech experts promptly respond to alerts to ensure your organization hasn’t been breached.

    Files sent through email, documents stored in SharePoint or OneDrive, and your QuickBooks environment will have around-the-clock watchdogs. Your environment safely captures data, but how do you understand how the business is going?

    Better Visibility and KPI Tracking Using Apps and Analytics

    Imagine the possibilities of KPI tracking and decision-making when you don’t have to connect information from scattered systems manually. Now that your critical business information, such as your financials, is in the Cloud, what other opportunities can reveal themselves?

    Automating accounting and moving to the Cloud helps various systems communicate. Our Data Toolkit then aggregates data across multiple systems to represent all your systems within a single dashboard for easy understanding.

    Invoices that help you understand customer revenue, products sold, expenses to vendors, and payroll can now be accepted and connected to your CRM system, the system you use for operational tracking, products you assemble, or what’s in inventory.

    Sales, accounting, and operational data reflect as one view, helping you visualize how your organization is performing.

    If you have these other systems, big pictures won’t only help you, but you will have better visibility on how different leavers affect each other. We want to bring in information from all those systems for you.

    No one should discourage you from having over 20 operations to run your business – especially when you can capture information from all of them. We create dashboards that confine data from many locations because once an organization reaches about 10 or 20 people, one system typically doesn’t meet all the organization’s needs. We want to make your process of doing things your way easy. Supporting who you are as an organization, how your organization operates, and configuring what your organization needs matters to our team.

    Our experts and solutions can handle more than one application.

    In addition, by leveraging the dashboard technology, we can have artificial intelligence help you predict or understand anomalies, things that look off, and trends going in the wrong direction – ways to help guide us even more.

    Embrace data as your ally. Financials from QuickBooks are excellent, but they won’t give a complete view of your entire organization. Smart reporting helps you understand what’s going on broadly in your organization. We combine all this data from all these sources. And again, you want to make sure your systems are secure.

    Not Tech Savvy? We Make It Easy

    Your accounting team won’t need to spend countless hours doing the best they can with little hope of making progress. QuickBooks Online, hardening your security and clear visibility, makes accounting less intimidating. As a QuickBooks and Microsoft partner, we are happy to provide all the one-on-one support you and your organization may need.

    Would you feel safe saying you’re going to lock your front door even though you never actually lock it? Tightening up your organization’s security and monitoring your environment can reduce how often you may be currently looking over your shoulder.

    Jumping from one system to the next may cause you and your team to misstep. A complete view of your organization’s ins and outs will help you see and think clearly about past, current, and next steps.

    You don’t have to be tech-savvy to optimize work minutes. We are here to put solutions in place, so your team can put their skills to exceptional use.

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  • Client Corner #4: From Paper to Cloud with No-Code/Low-Code

    Client Corner #4: From Paper to Cloud with No-Code/Low-Code

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    From Paper to Cloud

    TechHouse’s clients are simplifying work for their field workers. In this Client Corner, we consider three TechHouse clients: an electrical contractor, a heating and cooling contractor, and an organization in the healthcare industry. All three of these clients have employees who work “in the field” and use custom-fit apps from TechHouse.

    Previously, field workers relied on hard paper documents. They had to go to their primary office to pick up paperwork before going out into the field. This paperwork detailed their deliverables, allowing them to go where they needed to take care of business. Once finished, they would return to the office, turn in the paperwork, and sometimes obtain new work and go back out.

    This traditional, paper-dependent process cost time and limited flexibility for workers. However, events over the past year and a half expedited the move from paper to cloud. This transition spurred innovation in workplaces across the country.

    Apps that Boost Efficiency

    In moving from paper to cloud, some organizations realized that although they needed custom-fit solutions, they didn’t want to deal with high-level software development. For clients like this, TechHouse offers low-code/no-code custom apps. These apps enhance workflow by providing field workers instant access to their tasks.

    The apps can also make instructions accessible on mobile devices. Back-office employees create assignments, which field workers view through the app on their smartphones. The app shows them where they need to go and what they need to do, eliminating the need to return to the office as well as cleaning up messy paper trails. The app can also track field workers’ locations throughout the workday to ensure their safety.

    A significant benefit of these low-code/no-code custom apps is that organizations can quickly make small changes. Each organization can define its requirements to respond to its specific needs. Some popular requirements are:

    • Fieldworker tasks and locations
    • Live field worker location tracking
    • Location time stamps
    • Work completion time stamps
    • “Next up” task lists

    Custom-fit Solutions that Solve Problems

    Low-code/no-code apps are great solutions when they match the problem at hand. TechHouse works carefully to ensure that the solution we provide solves a problem rather than a symptom of a problem.

    TechHouse only designs and builds solutions after learning how a team operates. We gather information to understand essential functionalities like:

    • The industry vocabulary used in an organization
    • How teams typically communicate in the office and the field
    • How managers assign various tasks to individuals with different skillsets
    • Criteria of task completion

    A deep understanding of an organization or team’s functionality is essential to creating an effective solution; this is why many packaged applications fall short.

    Some organizations DIY their app development using packaged applications, not knowing that they are often optimized for a fixed period. When the apps become outdated, organizations get stuck tailoring their work to an outdated app.

    Unlike packaged apps, the low-code/no-code apps that TechHouse builds are adaptable. Custom-fit apps allow organizations to choose how their organization runs, rather than vice versa. Sometimes, packaged apps create more problems than solutions.

    Keep Your Organization Flexible—in the Field and Your Industry

    Organizations must be flexible enough to respond to internal and external changes. Anything can happen, from organization restructuring to supply-chain shortages. Regardless, no organization wants to find itself stuck in an inefficient or ill-fitting process. That’s why custom-fit apps are often a better investment than prepackaged apps. Few organizations benefit from using technologies that were best practiced 18 months earlier.

    When organizations opt for low-code/no-code solutions, they place themselves better positioned to respond to change. This is the case for the three TechHouse clients who have sought out custom apps.

    If you think your organization could benefit from the flexibility provided by a low-code/no-code solution, contact TechHouse today. It will be our pleasure to work with you.

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  • Client Corner #1: Get Organized and Secure from the Start

    Client Corner #1: Get Organized and Secure from the Start

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    Get Organized and Secure from the Start

    This is the first post in a new monthly blog series where we will share what our clients are struggling with, what we’re doing to help, and how our recommendations can also benefit your organization.

    This month is all about how to get organized to grow your business and why you should secure your files from the start.

    Get Organized with the Power Platform

    We had a client come to us this month who said they really needed to get organized.

    After working with us, they now have a better sense of who they are now, what they do, and are even changing their name to reflect their new sense of identity.

    Additionally, they want to make sure their processes are in alignment with who they are going forward to ensure continual growth. The three most crucial factors for growth in any company are People, Product, and Processes.

    When it comes to Processes, the Microsoft Power Platform can be a real game changer.

    We have helped companies use the Power Platform to:

    • Capture Data with Power Apps
    • Create Workflows with Power Automate
    • Bring Data to Life with Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI

    Automating tasks and tracking your company’s data are both crucial as your company scales, and the Microsoft Power Platform provides easy-to-use, low-code tools to do so.

    Secure from the Start for a Successful Digital Transformation

    The same client who came to us to get organized kept bringing up two other subjects throughout the conversation: Digital Transformation and Security.

    They wanted to know where their files were and wanted to make sure they were secure.

    We recommend any organization considering a move to the Cloud secures its files from the beginning; however, this client did not do that. They decided to use a third-party application for their file storage instead of OneDrive (included in every Microsoft 365 subscription).

    The application they use is designed for non-technical users to send large files and collaborate, but there is a glaring security issue on the user side: what is happening to data before and after it’s uploaded and sent?

    OneDrive, being integrated with the rest of Microsoft 365, provides robust security for your stored files, and further security optimizations can be made with the help of a partner.

    Additionally, our client told us their clients accidentally send sensitive information all the time and weren’t aware there are rules in Microsoft 365 one can use to prevent this.

    Neglecting security and organization of your files will only lead to further problems down the line as you grow which is why consulting with an expert before you start is always a good idea.

    An even better idea is to work with a partner who will be there to advise every step of the way.

    If your company is looking for this kind of partner or you just want to get organized or need help with digital transformation and security, contact us today for a free 15-minute consult to see how we can help.

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