A lot of people want to find the best of the best in their own backyard. That’s why so many Google searches include the phrase “near me.” Are you searching for the best “IT company near me,” in the Knoxville area? You’ve come to the right place with Net3 — here’s why!
All Your IT Needs in One Place
When looking for an “IT company near me” you likely have a few of your needs in mind. Or, perhaps, you know that the state of your business’s IT infrastructure is simply in disrepair, but you don’t know how (or where) to begin. We offer personalized IT assessments on your schedule! To get a better idea of what we offer, take a look at our services below:
- Strategic It Planning: Let’s work together on the right solutions for you. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all fixes. In fact, we partner with you to provide a strategy that will work for your growing business.
- Cloud Solutions: Don’t fear the cloud. We’ll take care of buying, configuring, and running the latest in virtualization hardware and software – you simply choose the services you need.
- Implementation Solutions: Implementation solutions may sound complicated, but it simply means we’re prepared to meet your needs with about anything under the sun. For example, we can get you and your employees connected with 3rd party integrations, SharePoint implementation, IT project management or purchasing services, and more.
- VoIP Solutions: VoIP solutions are more than just high-quality calls. You can securely connect over the internet from wherever you (or your employees) are, so you’ll never lose out on productivity.
- Managed Services: You work on what you do best — your business. Net3 IT will happily handle the day-to-day management of specific servers, IT functions, or anything you need. IT is our passion, it doesn’t have to be yours.
Experience and Professionalism
If only when you search for anything nearby, like “IT company near me,” it automatically suggests the exact best option. If only it could tell you which IT provider was also the most experienced and professional. Hint: it’s Net3.
Every member of our team brings an impressive background in the IT industry to the table. We have both energetic veterans who’ve witnessed IT change over the years as well as newcomers who’ve had a passion for modern technology their entire lives.
What everyone has in common is a shared passion for helping customers figure out solutions to real issues, both minor and complex. We’re not here to just fix your IT problems in the short-term, we’re here to help you use IT for your business to grow in the long-term, too.
What Our Customers Are Saying
Promising you that we have years of experience and a genuine desire to help your business with your IT needs is one thing, but we wanted to share some feedback from our customers.
Case Study: How We Made the Knoxville Institute of Dermatology More Effective and Efficient
One of our greatest examples, and favorite partnerships, is with the Knoxville Institute of Dermatology. Through the pandemic, the Knoxville Institute of Dermatology found itself relying more heavily on technology to meet the needs of its patients. We were able to help them coordinate solutions that kept both their employees and their patients safe and secure. Practice Administrator, Richard Forsythe, perhaps said it best in the quote about Net3 below. We’re here to worry about IT so you can focus on your business.
“They’ve even advised us on the type of equipment to buy, the best ways to integrate IT into our building design, and how to keep records secure. All medical records and scheduling programs need to be secure, so that is vital. And, to date, our records have not been infiltrated,” says Forsythe. “All in all, the practices and solutions put in place by Net3 allow us to be one of the most efficient and the most technologically-advanced medical practices in the region.”
You can read more about how we helped the Knoxville Institute of Technology, here. Or, read some of our other Case Studies.
When searching for the best “IT company near me,” in Knoxville, we hope you choose Net3. Feel free to contact us today and we’ll assess your business’s IT needs.
There are many benefits of cloud services — namely, that they can help your team work more effectively and efficiently while providing a necessary edge in a competitive industry.
While there are several different types of cloud services — some that you may be very familiar with such as Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services — there are many business options that can improve your team’s workflows, productivity, and cost-savings while also helping your operations become more streamlined and adaptive.
What is the Cloud?
If you’ve been on the internet this century, you’ve likely heard of the cloud in some way. After all, anyone with a modern smartphone is very adept at backing up their photos and contacts to the cloud for fear of losing them.
But what is the cloud, exactly? Is it just a virtual holding space for our cat pictures and emergency phone numbers? Well, yes… and no! A cloud is a connected network of computers or servers that can be accessed by users via the internet. So while it can be your personal Cat Picture Holding Zone, it’s so much more than that.
Cloud servers are software and services that you don’t have to host yourself. When needed, you can access them from anywhere that you have an internet connection, saving you valuable memory space.
There are many different clouds, not just one massive space for all to use. Some can be made secure and accessed only by specific authorized users, like those within your company. There are networks and servers all over the world that create their very own clouds. They work for different organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, companies, and more to maintain their data storage and sharing.
The Benefits of Cloud Services
So, a secure, virtual space to hold company data — that sounds pretty good, right? But what exactly are the benefits of cloud services? Why should you be using the cloud? Do cloud services really benefit businesses? Well, you ask some good questions — and here are the answers!
- Data storage and backup – Cloud storage not only securely stores your important files in a way that is organized, easy to access, and protected but also offers the added conveniences of being flexible, scalable, and collaborative.
- Host servers and applications – With servers, you can securely store all of your data, applications, and information under the shared resources of the cloud, such as memory and processor cycles, which frees up space on your hardware and protects your files.
- Content sharing – Sharing documents across different locations and people is complicated, but the cloud makes it simple. Just upload any file and share it instantly and securely with your team!
- Project management – Because of the collaboration available with the cloud and the ample storage options, managing projects is much simpler and more accessible to all members of your team — a virtual one-stop-shop for all the documents needed in each project!
- Analytics – Using cloud-based analytics provides faster results, instant reports, and greater amounts of data. It also offers more access to said results through its collaborative nature, which streamlines your processes and reduces operational costs.
- Automation – Cloud automation services serve as automatic workflows and processes that streamline your company’s operations, reducing the manual efforts and freeing up your team’s time for more important endeavors.
Are You Ready to Switch?
In today’s world, at least some part of your business is virtual — even if you are still a small startup. And one of the largest mistakes that you can make with IT services is using an unsecured cloud server — or worse, no server at all to protect your data and applications. Do yourself, and your company, a favor — plan ahead for the future of your business and switch to cloud services today. Contact Net3 IT now and we’ll show you just how much you and your business can benefit from cloud services!
In the complex, ever-changing world of IT, effective backup solutions are the foundation of any successful business. It may not be fun or exciting to think about and plan for a disaster and the loss of company data — in fact, it’s a rather scary scenario for most. But for any business to thrive, it’s vital to plan for any situation that may occur, and that means having a strategy in place in the event of data loss.
Because customer and company data is at the heart of your business’s success, you know that any downtime in retrieving those records — or worse, permanent loss to them — is detrimental. An unforeseen, and unplanned for, disaster, such as a fire, employee error, cyberattack, or power outage, can set your business back months or years.
Oftentimes, especially when it comes to our IT planning, we become complacent when things are working smoothly, and choose not to think about the “what if” scenarios that could cause harm to our systems, processes, or data. But data losses happen, often. And leaving your network, data, and infrastructure vulnerable could bring irreparable damage to your company.
Instead of waiting for a data loss to rob you of precious time and valuable records, plan ahead with effective backup solutions and a thorough disaster recovery plan to protect your business.
Why You Need Backup Solutions
Natural disasters are not uncommon, and they don’t usually give you warning beforehand. Similarly, a bad actor isn’t going to call your business and tell you when they plan to attack. You need to be prepared for any situation in order to prevent your business from suffering profit-crushing downtime.
Fortunately, through strategic planning and disaster recovery processes, you can keep your business and workforce up and running without losing momentum through carefully implemented solutions you and your IT provider agree upon.
And, if you are worried that you don’t have the time or manpower to implement backup solutions, system checks, and recovery plans on your own, a managed services provider (MSP) can step in and stabilize your IT infrastructure and expand your company’s capabilities, freeing up your own time for more lucrative endeavors.
Additionally, one of the many features included with managed IT services is that your MSP will manage your backup monitoring and administration. This is important because even if you already have a backup strategy in place, it may not be running as it should, it could go down unnoticeably without warning, or it could be inadequate.
Effective Methods for Backing Up Your Data
Generally, there are three kinds of backup solutions small-to-medium-sized businesses turn to when looking to protect their data:
- Onsite or local backups
- Cloud storage and solutions
- A hybrid of both cloud storage and local hard drives
Onsite hard drives and local servers have traditionally been the industry norm for backup solutions. In fact, in the not-too-distance past, companies relied on tape for all their backup and storage solutions. These days, however, we have much more efficient, reliable methods, such as hard drives. With a hard drive, you can backup loads of data in a short amount of time and keep it safely with you, ready for use whenever you need it. Unfortunately, considering that natural disasters strike without warning and a flood or fire could destroy that hard drive in seconds, an onsite solution alone may not be enough to protect your company.
Similarly, while cloud storage is effective and useful for email archiving and file storage, organization, and sharing, it is not a comprehensive solution to data breaches and disasters because Software as a Service (SaaS) providers could go down or be breached themselves, can lock companies out through malfunctions, malicious attacks, or human errors, or do not possess backup and restore functionalities at base levels.
Because of the gaps within each of these solutions alone, a hybrid of the two is the most effective method for truly ensuring the safety of your information. By backing up your data both to a cloud option and to a local server or hard drive, you will be able to access your information and recover your data even if one or the other should be attacked or destroyed.
With a hybrid method, you are also creating redundancy or additional copy of your information. Think of it like making two copies of your mortgage agreement, one for yourself and one for your bank. If your copy is destroyed, the bank still has the information safely stored with them and you can retrieve it again. Storing your company data in multiple places, such as on two separate hard drives plus on a cloud service, you will always be able to retrieve it in the event something happens to one of your solutions.
Backup Solutions and Disaster Recovery
In order to ensure that your business runs as smoothly as possible, you need plans in place for any possible disaster, and that includes a plan for recovering your data in the event of a loss. Once you do have an effective backup solution in place, you’ll need to work with your IT team on a recovery process so that the data is retrieved in a timely manner by a trained professional. After all, you certainly wouldn’t want to suffer a data breach only to find that you aren’t sure how to access your backup solutions!
In this instance, an MSP could be vital to the quick recovery of your company because your provider would manage the recovery process for you, taking the burden off your shoulders and freeing up your team for other important matters.
Your data is the lifeblood of your company. Keep it safe with effective backup solutions and a disaster recovery process that you can trust. And if you need help implementing a new solution or learning your backup options, contact us! We’re here to help you prepare for a disaster and keep your downtime to a minimum should one occur.
When it comes to IT, it’s easy to become complacent. If everything seems to be working like it should, you may not be as inclined to check for security updates or research better ways to protect your data. But leaving your network, databases, and other infrastructure vulnerable is a risk you shouldn’t be willing to take. Instead, consider backup solutions and disaster recovery to help protect your business.
To Keep Your Business Safe, Be Prepared
Is your in-house IT support up to the task of making sure that you have adequate security, data protection and backup, and disaster recovery in place? Being prepared is the best way to avoid a data loss catastrophe. Whether or not you’ve experienced any serious issues yet, having a plan in place is vital. Remember that just because you haven’t experienced a breach or failure doesn’t mean you’re safe from one.
Even if your staff and resources are already stretched thin by a demanding workload, you have options. Working with a managed IT services company can take the strain off your shoulders so that you can focus on supporting and growing your business.
Backup Solutions and Disaster Recovery
Cloud Capabilities
One of the most important things you can do to protect your business is to ensure that all data is kept current and backed up. One of the easiest ways to do that is by storing your data in the cloud. Saving to your physical server isn’t enough. There are many reasons to back up using the cloud vs local servers. That includes better storage, increased security, accessibility, and automatic updates. It can also be much more cost-effective for your budget.
Don’t Lose Momentum
In case of data loss or even a natural disaster, your ability to stay productive and profitable will depend on whether you have the tools and support to keep your company running. Disaster recovery can help to protect your sensitive information, and keep your team and processes from grinding to a stop. An MSP can help you plan for disaster recovery, helping you reestablish access to data, software, network, and other systems.
At Net3 IT, we specialize in helping local businesses meet the technological challenges of the market. We also offer audits and strategic IT planning that will help to give you a better top-down view of your assets, network, and infrastructure – and most importantly, how to protect them.
Contact us to set up a consultation on backup solutions and disaster recovery.
For small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs), growing and competing without the resources and advantages of a larger company is a challenge. One of the best ways to stay ahead of the curve is by leveraging tools to help equalize your performance. Cloud services help to bridge the gap with extensive functionality, powerful features, and ease of use. You might think that it’s better or more secure for your company to host everything, but that isn’t necessarily true. Learn more about the differences between cloud servers vs. local servers below.
About Cloud Services
Once you understand what the cloud is and how it works, it’s easy to see why so many businesses use cloud-based apps and servers. While it’s a somewhat nebulous term, “the cloud” simply means software or services that you can access from anywhere, provided you have an internet connection. These clouds are located on servers or networks all over the world. The most popular cloud applications on the market include names you’ve heard of and have likely used before, like Dropbox, Microsoft Office 365, WordPress, GitHub, Slack, and Adobe Creative Cloud to name just a few.
Cloud Servers vs Local Servers
There are a few major differences between the cloud and local servers. The primary one is that unlike local or dedicated servers – which are physically bought or rented and maintained by your own IT staff – cloud servers are shared among users. As a result, you get the resources you need at the scale you need them in a virtualized environment managed by the cloud hosting provider.
Why Cloud Servers are Better for SMBs
- Space – no need for dedicated servers or server rooms
- Storage – your sensitive data is stored and can be backed up in the cloud
- Security – built-in safeguards help to keep your information locked down
- Automatic Updates – no need to perform or track these upgrades yourself
- Accessibility – work from anywhere, even on mobile devices, using Wi-Fi
- Expense – a predictable cost per month or year is better for your budget
Should You Make the Switch?
In short, the difference between cloud servers vs. local servers is a matter of perspective. Cloud servers provide space, storage, security, accessibility, and automatic updates while remaining affordable. So, are they right for you?
Look at your business needs and your operational goals. Will you be able to compete using your own servers? Can your company’s budget cover the expense of trying to host all your software and services, let alone the upgrades and maintenance they’d require? Consider these things when looking at cloud servers vs local servers for your business. The fact is that cloud services provide practical and convenient options to help you meet the challenges of a complex digital marketplace. Not to mention it takes a lot of the burden off your already-stressed IT personnel and resources.
Learn more about cloud solutions and other managed IT services that can streamline and improve the way you do business. Contact us for a consultation.
Businesses of all sizes face the challenge of proper document and file storage. But what’s the best way to save and access company documents? For a storage system to really work for a company, important files must be organized, easy to access, and protected.
Cloud storage fills all of those needs and has many added conveniences. Instead of storing documents physically on-site or filling your computer’s hard drive, cloud storage saves your data at a remote database which you then access via the internet.x
This system of storage has many advantages – here are five reasons that make cloud storage the best way to save and access company documents.
Flexible
Cloud storage allows you to access files anywhere – on your commute, when working from home or off-site, or in an emergency. Never worry about forgetting to download a document for a big meeting again!
Scalable
Businesses grow – and that’s usually a cause for excitement! But it can add stress if it means you have to consider your storage needs. Luckily, cloud storage is easy to scale. Instead of installing and purchasing upgrades yourself, your service provider can handle size requirement changes as you need them. This help frees up your time to work on your business.
Protected
An important part of planning your file storage system is protecting your data. A natural disaster, power failure, or other crisis could be a serious problem for some data storage – but not for the cloud. Your data is stored and backed up in a secure location which you can access again quickly – this minimizes any downtime you might experience from a crisis.
Collaborative
Sharing documents across different locations and people can get complicated, but cloud storage makes collaboration simple. Instead of sending updates to a file back and forth by email, simply add the updated document to the cloud, allowing everyone to access the updates immediately. It makes sharing files instantaneous and secure!
Organized
You’re free to organize however works best for your organization – and can rearrange your files whenever you need to.
If you want to learn more about what cloud storage can do for your company, contact us today! One of our experts will be happy to help find the best solution for you!
