Consulting/CIO Services
You run your own business and you know the ins and outs of every facet of your operation. But, you may not be an expert on your technology needs, especially when it comes to planning for future growth. SIM2K offers IT consulting services, acting like your Chief Information Officer (CIO), to help you assess your technology, take a snapshot of where you are today, and plan a roadmap for where to take your technology to meet your future needs. We know the IT world, follow the trends, see what new tools are coming to the IT marketplace, and then how these can be put to work for you. Whether you are considering a server upgrade, moving to a new office, or especially if you are looking for a major expansion of your business, let us work with you early on to help plan for the best way to identify needs, avoid problems and make smart choices for your technology. We can assist you as an IT consultant, providing you with a plan for you to implement yourself, or we can partner with you to work together to fulfill your needs today and into tomorrow.
In today's IT environment, the security of your network goes beyond just running an anti-virus program. The hackers of the world are constantly probing networks, looking for any vulnerability they can exploit. Even if you don't think you have any data the "bad guys" might want, they can still access your network and use it as a remote site to further extend the reach of their malware, using your resources, bandwidth and piggy-backing on your good name.
The increased demand for wireless connections has also made network security more of an issue. Many businesses don't realize the broad footprint a wireless signal produces, and the tempting target this makes for hackers. A person sitting in your parking lot or even the office next door could be probing into your wireless network looking for any chinks in your armor.
That is why SIM2K offers comprehensive security assessments and planning to inspect your network and any vulnerabilities, and to plan steps you can implement to harden your network from intrusions. We have certified security experts who can work with you to review your network, all connected devices, your firewalls and routers and wireless access and probe for any weaknesses and then advise you of steps to take to improve your network security. We can also work with you to implement these recommendations as you desire.
A particular subset of network security involves the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Anyone who collects personal information on patients, including, but not limited to, name, age, address, social security number and health information, is governed by HIPAA. The federal government has strict regulations on protecting this personal health information, and violators face substantial fines should they be found to not be in compliance, or worse, to have suffered a data breach exposing personal information that can be used for identity theft. SIM2K can work with companies in the health care field to assess their security measures as they apply specifically to HIPAA regulations.
Another subset of network security is aimed at those companies that collect financial information, including credit card numbers, from their customer base. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS, or PCI for short) is the security standard for organizations that handle branded credit cards such as VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB. Again, there are strict guidelines for security in place under the PCI standard, and companies are expected to be in compliance. SIM2K will work with any company obligated to comply with PCI to ensure they are following the measures required by this standard.