2 ways the best businesses are protecting their assets

This paid piece is sponsored by IT Outlet.

First, consider this: Data is the new oil. Based on how much we use and rely on data in our home and professional lives, such a bold claim seems to hold serious merit. Where can we go in life without the aid of gas in the tank or something made with oil-based material to get us there? As for the data part, it is almost inconceivable to do anything anymore without a smartphone within arm’s reach. 

Kevin Huber, CEO of IT Outlet, the fast-growing, nationally recognized IT firm headquartered in Brandon, agrees about the prominence of data in the office or living room.

“We consider it as important as oil,” Huber said. “The world is only getting smarter about it.”

And as the position of data rises on our personal and professional rankings, Huber offers a bit of caution. 

“We all have things we value at the office and home. We need to protect them as seriously as how we feel about those things.”

It’s not just the physical assets a business owns that need protection, but also the data linked to all those assets. Thieves target both.

So what should we do about the data from our assets we rely on at home — photos, bank account info, passwords — or in the office — client info, IP, fiscal accounts?

The IT Outlet team takes a two-part approach to help clients protect their business-based data and the physical assets at a location. The same approach also can be applied to the home.

The approach utilizes physical hardware tech and software or cyber storage to provide the greatest thing modern tech can provide: flexibility. 

Two ways to protect your assets

In addition to physical server racks located on the premise of a business locale, IT Outlet can help clients manage and secure data through the cloud. Doing so, Huber said, lessens the physical footprint and power needs of a business. Secured cloud storage for important data also provides greater accessibility to the data. 

Dusty Sperlich, IT Outlet’s tech guru and IT director, said tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon have made cloud storage architecture more prevalent and available for businesses of all sizes. IT Outlet can navigate and help with several cloud-based systems.

But Sperlich and Huber both agree that with great power comes great responsibility. That is where the physical part of the data protection or storage approach comes in. Most successful businesses today also are using IT Outlet to set up physical security options to protect servers or other crucial assets at a given business location. Sperlich is quick to point out that these solutions aren’t the grainy, old-school camera setups from year’s past. 

“The days of blurry, pixelated cameras are past us,” he said.

“It is always fun getting calls from businesses who got cheap systems just because the insurance companies told them to do it. But then you have companies that sleep at night because they know if someone is in their physical business without permission, they’ll have instant motion alerts, motion tracking from room to room and the ability to hand over clear footage to the authorities.” 

The necessity of physical setups and cloud-based cybersecurity are here in part because of issues all businesses are facing in the current environment: staffing shortages and supply chain issues. Research into the rise of remote security services shows that 75 percent of businesses are using cloud-based video analytics  — an 8 percent increase over the previous year. Security services are not immune to the staffing issues. Even the headcount of security personnel is down, which makes physical security solutions such as cameras more popular than ever. Since the start of the pandemic, almost half of all businesses have added cameras or other physical security options. 

“Everyone knows what happens when you go unprotected,” Huber said.

And because of that, Huber and his team are already seeing new tech and software making their way into the supply chain we all rely on.

“Coming soon, you will see NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and smart contracts put in place to track packages. The owners/shipper of material will be able to pick what stops the driver makes along the way for fuel, see how much they spend on fuel and track gear up until it is placed in its final resting place,” he said “Once that final stop happens, all money is then transferred, and everyone is paid instantly.” 

Any business that deals with modern logistics will encounter new challenges, Sperlich said.

“There is no end in sight,” he said of the challenges of hackers or thieves trying to steal information or items. People are buying more and more online, he points out. “Think of all the places a piece of cargo stops before its ending destination. If your business is one of those stops, you are at risk.” 

Physical security helps ensure package security once delivered and also helps monitor warehouses or storage areas vulnerable to theft. Cloud security linked to that physical security setup allows business owners to, as Sperlich said, sleep at night knowing they have the tech solutions necessary to maintain their precious assets and data. 

Customize your security of hard assets, cyber data

To sleep at night knowing your assets are safe, the IT Outlet team has created a security suite that pairs high-tech cameras with powerful cloud-based software. Sperlich and his team might nerd out when talking about all the impressive features and options they can provide your business, but tech, cyber and protecting what matters to you most is what they do. Take your security to the next level by visiting itoutlet.com/solutions/physical-security.