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When planning for the year ahead, most businesses focus on budgets and growth targets. But one simple step—reviewing who has access to your systems—can reduce risk, cut unnecessary costs, and prevent headaches later. For most small or midsized businesses like the ones we work with, a simple review of accounts, permissions, and vendor access resets…

If your IT costs keep creeping up and you’re not sure why, your tech footprint might be the culprit. Your tech footprint includes all the tools, apps, vendors, and access points your business relies on each day. When it grows without a plan, costs increase, data spreads across systems, and oversight becomes harder. Many small…

Most security incidents and productivity disruptions over the holidays come down to one thing – people heading out without a quick check of their devices, data, and workflows. Whether you’re in the office, working remotely, or taking time off, a quick review of your setup can make the difference between a smooth return and a…

The holidays are one of the few times when most offices slow down. Reduced staffing, remote work, and limited vendor availability can quickly turn small IT issues into costly downtime. A clear, written coverage plan keeps operations steady and outline who’s on call, how to escalate problems, and which vendors can step in when support…

The Christmas season changes how businesses operate. Staff take time off, offices run on minimal coverage, and vendors slow down. Attackers pay attention to those patterns. They know December is a time when systems are left unattended, alerts are missed, and emails are answered in a hurry. The result: a higher chance of successful breaches…

Many business owners assume data is automatically safe because it’s “in the cloud” or because staff use a VPN. In reality, everyday habits at home like personal email, weak passwords, or shared family devices, often create the biggest risks. Let’s clear up common myths and what to do instead. Myth 1: If staff use a…

Remote work can boost flexibility and attract talent, but it also introduces avoidable frustrations. Small problems like lost files or poor connections add up to lost productivity and higher costs.  For some businesses, downtime costs are extreme: industry studies estimate losses of $8,000–$25,000 per hour in sectors like e‑commerce or financial services, while for others,…

Most teams want to take advantage of Microsoft Copilot—but it only works as well as your file system does.
Copilot doesn’t “figure it out.” It draws from your existing content across SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. If your files are disorganized, inconsistently named, or saved in the wrong place, Copilot either returns confusing results or nothing useful at all.

It’s not uncommon for small businesses to waste money on technology without realizing it. Overspending usually happens in a few predictable areas. By knowing where to look, you can reduce costs without putting your business at risk. This article expands on common areas of waste, provides real examples, and shares best practices to help you…

Small businesses in Western Canada often struggle with the decision to either hire an in-house IT person or outsource their IT needs to a managed services provider. Both options have their pros and cons, and the cost of each option can vary depending on a variety of factors. In this blog, we’ll take a closer…

Organizations that deployed secure SD-WAN have already improved on-premises performance, streamlined IT operations, and reduced costs. But the shift to hybrid work has created a new priority: delivering the same level of security, performance, and user experience to employees working from anywhere. The Limitations of VPN-Based Remote Access Many companies still rely on traditional VPNs…

Hybrid work is now a permanent part of business operations, but it brings new challenges in securing access to private applications, ensuring consistent user experiences, and simplifying IT management. Fortinet’s FortiSASE is designed to address these challenges by combining cloud-delivered security with native SD-WAN capabilities. Want to read the full Fortinet “Improve Hybrid Workforce Security…

As hybrid work, cloud adoption, and zero-trust initiatives continue to grow, many organizations are moving beyond traditional SD-WAN to a Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) model. Unified SASE integrates SD-WAN with Security Service Edge (SSE) to deliver comprehensive, cloud-delivered security and networking in one platform. SSE typically includes Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS), secure web gateway (SWG),…

If you’re not dealing with a major issue or active breach right now, this is a practical way to improve security without overhauling your entire IT setup.  It’s designed for businesses that know security needs attention but haven’t made it a focus yet. Maybe it hasn’t been urgent, or maybe it’s unclear where to start.

Are you doing enough when it comes to IT and security? When we speak to businesses across Western Canada, these are some of the areas we review first. Each one is tied to business risk, not just part of a technical checklist.