How You Can Prepare Your Business For Disaster
For most people, when we hear a phrase like, “disaster preparedness,” we think of drills or evacuation strategies. We might also make a mental note to review emergency exit locations with employees or have a plan of action if something were to take place, but that is all.
Disaster preparedness in business actually involves much much more than just understanding where to go in the event of an emergency, especially since disasters are not always physical. Many of you know that disasters can also be, and most likely are, virtual too! They can come in the form of an online attack or outage or even network failures. Businesses that fail to fully prepare themselves for potential disasters could face negative consequences when it comes to the day-to-day operations of their business.
To alleviate your business’s risks of consequences from a disaster it is essential to take steps now to develop a preparedness plan for your business that will help your organization withstand the unexpected. When creating your preparedness plan, you should consider the following points:
Financial Management – Evaluate all of your organization’s financial responsibilities, such as payroll and regular bills, because these obligations won’t vanish even if you’re consumed in a disaster. Having all account and billing information in a safe, accessible place will help you stay on top of your finances even if a disaster were to occur.
Communication Strategies – Your business contains external parties such as partners, clients, customers, etc., and also internal parties like your employees. All parties will likely need to be knowledgeable on all information regarding the plan of action if a disaster were to have an effect on your business. Whether it is via company website, email, blog, phone, etc., a point person should be chosen to be responsible to communicate what to do in the effect of a disaster to all parties involved.
Data Backup – Your business’s data is one of its most valuable assets! You should backup your data every day! You can do so through a number of ways, for more information visit our ExchangeDefender CloudShare page. CloudShare allows you to pick folders to sync between your systems with documents always securely stored in the cloud and available to you whenever you need them, where ever you want them.
Cloud-Based Software – Moving some or all of your software to cloud-based versions of the same programs is another alternative to data backup, since these solutions automatically store data in secure, offsite locations and make it accessible to you from virtually anywhere.
Technology updates – Maintaining updated technology will inevitably help your business avoid virtual disaster, since updates generally include security patches that guard your network from the latest digital threats.
Take advantage of LiveArchive!
ExchangeDefender protects businesses and organizations of all sizes, everyday – no matter what! This is what made has made ExchangeDefender’s LiveArchive an unquestionable leader in business continuity for all companies with redundant Internet connections, large maintenance windows and an all-Microsoft network infrastructure.
As I mentioned above, preparedness and business continuity are all about planning how to keep the business up and running in the face of any of those things that can put a road block up or stop operations altogether. When LiveArchive is needed it can be enabled and the client is back in business!
LiveArchive uses ExchangeDefender’s secure standby servers, up to a year’s worth of inbound and outbound email is available and accessible through Outlook Web Access at all times. Neither you nor your client has to actively manage this service in any way – the LiveArchive service is always enabled to ensure that no matter what, whether the power goes out in the office or anything else happens, users will always be able to access critical email and stay productive and continue working. It’s always on, powered by Exchange 2010 across two data centers, archives sent and received mail, and there is no need for software installation. LiveArchive and the ability for users to resume work right where they left off no matter what happens – is included with every ExchangeDefender account. LiveArchive goes to work when an outage or disaster happens – you can depend on LiveArchive!
For more guidance on readying your business for disaster, visit www.exchangedefender.com/livearchive.php, where you can access more information on what your options are during an outage or disaster. And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us!
Stephanie Hasenour
VP Marketing, ExchangeDefender
stephanie@ownwebnow.com
Introducing ExchangeDefender CloudShare
It’s a great pleasure to introduce everyone to CloudShare: ExchangeDefender powered file sharing and syncronization platform. Available today absolutely free of charge (1GB) our platform will allow you to install our CloudShare software on any PC or Server and pick folders to sync between your systems with documents always securely stored in the cloud and available to you whenever you need them, where ever you want them.
The big idea, quite simply, is to move your file server into the cloud where it can be:
– Distributed: copied to multiple servers
– Secure: Encrypted transfer, encrypted storage
– Trusted: Every access is logged and can be tracked
– Redundant: Every file is copied to two geographically redundant servers
The best part? Even though your files are copied to the cloud for easy access, backup and replication they will still be on your hard drive. This means you will interact with those files the same you do now, with the same applications you use now. For example, you could use Microsoft Word to edit a document, save it, and it will automagically be sync’d with your CloudShare and changes applied to the copy that is sitting on your laptop, home PC or anywhere else you have CloudShare saved.
There are many similar solutions out there but CloudShare is simply the one that is actually built for business.
This fall we will be releasing an ExchangeDefender CloudShare appliance which will be an affordable way to bring all your cloud data back to your office at a fraction of the cost of owning a server and without all the expensive management and continuity software.
To hear a more detailed discussion of this solution please download a copy of the webinar we held last week:
ExchangeDefender CloudShare Webinar (30mb)
You might need a GoToWebinar Codec
This is one of the most exciting solutions we have ever launched and probably the most timely one ever as well now that Microsoft has announced the death of Microsoft SBS solution that was beloved and used by so many small businesses. It’s clear that everyone has decided that the cloud and mobility is the future of computing in SMB – and we don’t argue that – but many of our partners and clients feel that they still want to control all of their precious data and we are making that possible. Just because you are going to be mobile and leverage the cloud doesn’t mean you want to be irresponsible with your data and not have any control over it at all, right?
Besides, it’s free. So contact your ExchangeDefender partner and have them show you the best way to configure this new technology to safeguard your business.
Sincerely,
Vlad Mazek
CEO, Own Web Now Corp
vlad@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x500
The Easiest Conversation about Cloud Services You Will Ever Have with Your Clients!
The IT industry as whole has been marketing cloud solutions to the general public creating awareness around “The Cloud” for consumers. This is helpful for IT Solution Providers in that it minimizes marketing efforts needed to drive awareness for available products and services, and drives demand. In some ways though this has created more confusion for consumers, and may drive them to competing solutions if IT companies do not proactively discuss cloud with their clients.
Being that you are an ExchangeDefender partner; you are providing your clients with cloud solutions today. This makes for easy conversations with clients about cloud, as they already have it. This may be very apparent to you, but may not be as apparent to the client. It is important to take this simple message to your clients now.
As we have learned through many trainings and organizations, regular meetings also known as QBR’s or (Quarterly Business Reviews) are important for continuous success and loyalty with clients. By sitting down with your clients you are showing that their business is important to you, and that you are committed to keeping them up to date with technology and their environment.
Begin by scheduling ad-hoc meetings, letting clients know that you want to bring them up to speed with “all of this cloud talk that has been going around.” Start the conversation with “good news”, “you are already in the cloud”! You might be surprised but this simple line might save you thousands of dollars of business in the future. “How”; you might ask?
I’m sure it won’t surprise you that your competition wants your clients. Your clients are constantly being hit through multiple platforms, email, phone, letters, and so on about products and services. With this, it only takes one good salesperson to get to your client and ask if they are in the cloud. Their answer can go one of two ways, “I’m not sure”; which is all the salesman needs to move in, or “we are already in the cloud and happy, thank you for your time.” Believe me, the latter is a much better answer.
The point here is, have this easy conversation with your clients now. An additional idea might be to make up some postcard sized standups to put at the front of your clients reception area that says something like, “We are in the Cloud” powered by your company name. This makes everyone aware in their office that they already have a cloud solution.
By making your clients aware and keeping them in the know, you will surely be better off than letting them learn through other means. Also by meeting with them you create a good way to let them know what other cloud enabled solutions you can bring to help their business. All of this will not only build your relationship, but also just might turn into additional revenue for your company.
Frank Gurnee
VP, Channel Services, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x4777
frank@ownwebnow.com
How LiveArchive Works
This is written in the feature page of ExchangeDefender but I’m going to through an “off the cuff” answer out there to address some things that are common sense to most people, but NOT all.
First off, remember the layer that ExchangeDefender resides on within the mail delivery process. We accept mail from the internet before your server does and you relay mail out to us before the messages goes to the internet. With those points in place, let’s start with some recent questions, scenarios & complaints.
Do you capture of all our internal emails in LiveArchive too?
We could, if, and that is a big IF, you can get your exchange server to send all external email via the smarthost and somehow not create a mail loop. So generally that turns out to be a no, unless you’re the Yoda of Exchange admins. The bottom line is if you can get it to us, we can include it.
Hey this company now has “x” as the primary domain, why is it different on ED?
Remember although we do not differentiate domain handling, we surely do differentiate primary email addresses and aliases. Your LiveArchive account sign in is whether you use Active Directory dumping into the xml dump or XDSYNC. So whatever hierarchy we currently have is how we got the information in the first place. OR if you did it manually, it’s how you input it.
I just logged into LiveArchive and there’s NOTHING THERE!! I want a refund.
If we check your MX records and they’re pointed elsewhere AND we have nothing in our mail logs for you. We cannot help you with this issue at all. The mailbox is there sitting, waiting on bended knee for your mail flow.
Carlos Lascano
VP Support Services, ExchangeDefender
carlos@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x737
Shockey Monkey Android
For the past month I have been silently working on a new Shockey Monkey feature for Free and Pro users, a native Android application with push notifications.
The android application will feature tickets and contact synchronization along with the ability to be automatically notified (via push notifications) of ticket updates or SLA tickets. The first version is expected to be released in August and will include all features for both Free and Pro portals for the initial release.
If any partners with Shockey Monkey Pro portals would like to be part of the early adopters program/beta testing please send me an email: travis@exchangedefender.com. I will respond to inquiries and let partners know if they are eligible for the beta testing program. I welcome all ideas or feature requests for the application and I will do my best to respond to all emails as soon as possible.
Travis Sheldon
VP, Network Operations, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x757
travis@ownwebnow.com
Join us for CloudShare launch
If you have a few minutes this Friday I hope you take them to watch us launch ExchangeDefender CloudShare. It’s a brand new product that is being introduced to all ExchangeDefender users free of charge to help them store and move files through the cloud. It’s another critical expansion of the ExchangeDefender platform as we continue to provide a layer of business security on communication that goes beyond just email.
Please register for the event today:
Friday, July 13th at noon EST
While many ExchangeDefender partners have already seen the product under the NDA, the real content of this webinar is the business model behind the solution. We have carefully tested and designed the product to address the key concerns clients have with their file storage, document management and security. Truth is, you can get tons of different cloud storage products – yet none of them are designed with the reporting, management and audit controls that the business needs. When IT people have debates about “the cloud” the conversation about security is first and foremost and the uncomfortable truth that comes out of it is that you’re not any more “secure” storing files locally on an Internet connected server/PC/appliance than you are on a remote network. In both scenarios it’s not the ambiguity of security that is the question – it’s the fact that nothing out there provides simple and easy to read reporting about who is accessing your files, when and where.
In that regard, ExchangeDefender CloudShare is different. And we’re going to teach you how to sell your solution better by addressing the real problem businesses have with “trust” – namely that without proof it’s not really trust but blind faith.
Join us and see how we’re helping our partners move ahead of the cloud.
Sincerely,
Vlad Mazek
CEO, Own Web Now Corp
vlad@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x500
4th of July Promotion!!!
In honor of the 4th of July we are running another promotion!!!
Check your mailboxes for a special postcard about the promotion!!!
We really value our partners and always want to provide you with additional ways to have a more profitable and successful partnership with ExchangeDefender.
The 4th of July promotional offer is for our Hosted Exchange solution. Our Hosted Exchange solution is offered with a generous 10 GB mailbox. This is a great promotion to take advantage of. Our Exchange 2010 + SharePoint 2010 solution comes with:
-Exchange 2010
-SharePoint 2010
-ExchangeDefender
-ExchangeDefender LiveArchive
-10 GB of Storage per user
-Encryption, Web File Sharing, Web Filtering, Reporting
-Public Folders
-Mail-Enabled Contacts
-Distribution Groups
-ActiveSync & Mobile Device Support
-Split Domains & POP3 Access
-Branded Experience
-Much, Much, Much More!
The promotion will be running starting from July 4th through August 4th, and will only be valid on any new Exchange + SharePoint 2010 accounts that are signed up during that promotional period. Also, the assigned coupon code must be used at the time of ordering in order for the promotional pricing to be applied to your order.
For more information about ExchangeDefender’s Exchange + SharePoint 2010, Exchange Essentials 2010, or ExchangeDefender Essentials, please visit our website, www.exchangedefender.com and visit the corresponding pages. Also, for more information on this promotion go to our promotions page,http://www.exchangedefender.com/promotions.php.
As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have!
Stephanie Hasenour
VP Marketing, ExchangeDefender
stephanie@ownwebnow.com
ExchangeDefender Gold Launch
During our last quarterly meeting, held under NDA, we announced the launch of additions to our portfolio in the areas of storage, systems management, encryption, support and more. Many of the attendees participated in the beta of these services and we’re glad to announce that due to your help we’ve been able to move faster and bring these services to market faster. I want to update you on the progress and announce general availability:
June 27th, 2 PM – 3 PM
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/881838009
* NDA Required. Event will not be recorded.
The event will be roughly 20 minutes in length with the remainder of the hour for Q&A. We’re still getting tons of feedback and suggestions and while we are committed to shipping these solutions sooner than later, we do want to make sure the partners that participate in this development have a market advantage.
Active attendees and companies providing feedback during these stages will be receiving additional discounts, incentives and marketing assistance from ExchangeDefender.
Pretty simple – you help us, we help you!
P.S. I expect to share some information about how our Managed Messaging service is taking off, some industry alliances/partnerships that you may have heard through the grapevine, update on our SM roadmap and more.
Sincerely,
Vlad Mazek
CEO, Own Web Now Corp
vlad@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x500
Hosted Exchange Outbound Suspensions
Earlier this week we had an issue where the routing network we use for Yahoo based mail (due to Yahoo’s gray listing policy) became suspended by Yahoo for the first time due to massive mail relayed by a Hosted Exchange client. Prior to today we would automatically suspend ExchangeDefender clients who would send massive amounts of mail through our outbound network; now Hosted Exchange clients are eligible for outbound suspensions as well. Some may wonder why we would only suspend XD clients; simply put we never had this issue with any Hosted Exchange clients in over 5 years of offering hosted exchange. Some may wonder why we would suspend their client if they are paying a ‘premium’ price for their mailbox — the answer is IP reputation and the TOS agreed upon by the partner. Neither we nor you can afford to affect routing for all clients due to the actions of any hosted exchange user.
Starting today on any Hosted Exchange user who sends more than 400 outgoing messages with less than 50% of the total volume being ‘unique’ will be automatically suspended. External mail from suspended mailboxes will be returned to the sender as follows:
#553 5.3.0 <user@domain.com>… AUP #21 Violation please contact your service provider. ##
Upon suspension we will first open a ticket with the service provider with the volume statistics of mail. If the provider asks for detailed information on the messages sent we will then generate a list of all mail sent by the client for review by the service provider.
If a mailbox does get suspended we will enforce the following policy with no exceptions.
1st Offense: Outbound mail restricted until partner acknowledges the AUP violation and informs their client of the offence.
2nd Offense: Outbound mail restricted for 24 hours. Partner will be sent a document to sign and return stating they acknowledge that we may enforce our TOS and terminate the clients mailbox on a third offense.
3rd Offense: All outbound mail for the mailbox is restricted and the outgoing address of the user becomes permanently null routed.
If any outbreak causes our IP reputation to be affected in any adverse way (RBL listing, etc.) we reserve the right to automatically advance to the steps outlined in the “Second Offense”.
Travis Sheldon
VP, Network Operations, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x757
travis@ownwebnow.com
LiveChat is… LIVE!!!
Based on a lot of constructive partner feedback at the recent trade shows, you should now see a LiveChat link at the top right every page. The options for the chats are either Sales or Technical. I want to take this opportunity to clarify what the technical approach is for the ExchangeDefender LiveChat. LiveChat meant for general questions only.
I’m sure the first question is so what’s the point if I can’t ask you about a support issue? Well, the LiveChat is meant as a quick response for a quick question for your convenience. Not only that once you start getting into account specific information, I am pretty certain your end users would not appreciate you sharing their information without exchanging some sort of authentication in the process.
As always when experiencing any sort of issues, you should always check the NOC first. From there you’re welcome to give us a call but remember if your issue is advanced the phone folks will help you gather the appropriate facts and escalate the issue to our engineers at https://support.ownwebnow.com . Remember the portal is the only place where the response is actually SLA bound.
Carlos Lascano
VP Support Services, ExchangeDefender
carlos@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x737