Frequently Asked Questions
In the event of a cyber breach, how can we be assured that our network can be restored in a timely manner?
Generally, when a breach occurs, your cyber insurance provider will insist the network be preserved for forensic evidence. But as a business owner, you need to get your systems back up and running as soon as possible. At MIS, we have created a separate dedicated restore environment with separate storage, servers, and firewall. Nothing is shared, yet the restored environment is identical to the original environment. This allows businesses to get back to business while preserving the evidence of the affected production environment for forensic evaluation. Also, our backup solution is immutable, meaning an intermediary agent ensures your server is never directly linked to backup storage, providing added protection against ransomware attacks.
Does MIS offer tailored cybersecurity solutions for different industries within Atlanta?
Yes! We are well-versed in many business-critical applications and systems used by various businesses that we serve. We are also experienced in helping our clients achieve compliance within their specific industries. Working with MIS means you will be working with a managed IT services provider who is already familiar with many of the applications you depend on to get things done.
How does MIS handle data privacy and ensure client information is protected?
MIS works within the NIST framework, a set of guidelines published by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. This approach to cybersecurity ensures that we implement robust cybersecurity measures such as data encryption, access controls, regular security audits, risk assessments, and others. Our commitment to NIST standards means we stay aligned with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
What kind of training and credentials do the MIS cybersecurity team members have?
When a cyber incident occurs, you want to be sure the people tackling the issue have experience beyond help desk services. We created a specialized cybersecurity team of experts who are well-trained and certified to deal with security events. They hold some of the most advanced cybersecurity certifications, including Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator, Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Certified Chief Information Security Officer, Certified Cloud Security Professional, Certified Information Systems Auditor, and Certified Information Security Manager.
What is the response time for MIS in the event of a detected cybersecurity breach in Atlanta?
With our 24/7 monitoring and advanced threat detection, our security operations center can instantly spot unusual behavior within a network. Our highly specialized incident response team jumps in the minute unusual activity is detected to stop cyber threats in their tracks.
What cybersecurity services do you offer?
At MIS, we have a layered cybersecurity approach involving people, processes, and technology. Our technology stack includes firewall management, next-generation antivirus, advanced threat and intrusion detection, email security, risk assessments, mobile device management, multifactor authentication, immutable and offsite backups, and more. We also offer security awareness training for our clients’ employees and provide guidance on establishing proper processes and administrative controls to reduce the risk of human error.
How can IT consulting benefit my business in the long run?
IT consulting can have long-term benefits for your business by improving operational efficiency, reducing downtime, enhancing security, and ensuring that your technology investments align with your business goals. It can also provide scalability and flexibility to adapt to evolving technology trends and industry changes.
What is the typical cost structure for IT consulting services?
At MIS, we opt for the fixed fee approach to consulting to help our clients budget. However, if the scope is not well defined, we will transparently share and then bill as progress is made. We always keep the client looped in to our progress and hours spent because we subscribe to the “no surprises” philosophy and avoid the “open checkbook” methodology. Our IT consulting for a defined scope starts at $3,500 for 20 hours of consulting. The key to consulting is setting clear expectations, working together, and staying aligned through frequent communication.
How can you help with cybersecurity and data protection?
We start with a thorough evaluation of your IT infrastructure and IT systems to assess your current cybersecurity posture, identify vulnerabilities, and recommend security measures to protect your business from threats like cyberattacks and data breaches. We can also guide you in developing and implementing data backup and disaster recovery plans to ensure full data recovery and business continuity.
What IT consulting services do you offer?
We offer a wide range of services, including IT strategy development, enterprise network design and maintenance, cybersecurity assessments, cloud migration, data management, and technology vendor evaluations. We ensure our recommendations align with your business objectives and address your IT challenges.
How do I choose the right IT consultant for my business?
When selecting an IT consultant, consider their experience, certifications, and track record in working with businesses similar to yours. Ask for references and assess their communication skills and ability to understand your specific business needs. Look for transparency in pricing to ensure you’re not surprised by unexpected costs. A consultant should be a good fit both technically and culturally for your organization. MIS Solutions has almost three decades of experience in designing innovative infrastructure, cloud computing solutions, and troubleshooting complex technology and business obstacles.
What is IT consulting, and why do small to mid-size businesses need it?
Companies experiencing rapid growth, planning a significant IT infrastructure upgrade, or looking to accelerate their digital transformation can benefit from working with an IT consulting firm like MIS Solutions. IT consulting involves providing expert advice and solutions to help businesses make informed decisions about their technology infrastructure and strategy. Small to mid-size businesses often lack the in-house expertise to manage their IT effectively. We can help avoid costly mistakes in IT planning, streamline operations, enhance security, and optimize IT resources to improve efficiency and competitiveness.
How can your IT services improve customer experience for our policyholders?
Our 24/7 monitoring and support, along with advanced security measures and robust backup and disaster recovery processes will give you and your clients peace of mind knowing your systems are available when you need them and your clients’ data is safe in your hands.
What training do you provide for our staff when implementing new IT systems?
At MIS, we have adopted a “train the trainer” approach. We provide direct training and support to key decision makers and stakeholders so they can then train their staff on how to use any new technology.
What is your process for responding to IT emergencies and technical issues?
Our customer-first approach ensures you get the IT support you need when you need it. We offer 24/7 tech support to our clients so critical issues are addressed no matter the time of day or night. We staff our own Security Operations Center (SOC) and Network Operations Center (NOC) to identify and stop attacks before a hacker infiltrates your network. But in the event of an incident, we have a highly skilled Security Team ready to jump into action should your insurance business experience a security event.
How do you handle regulatory compliance and data privacy issues in the insurance sector?
MIS Solutions has a team of highly qualified and certified cybersecurity experts on staff. We can guide you to ensure your insurance agency remains compliant. We also help our insurance clients with risk assessments and will work with auditors on your behalf to ensure that you are protected.
Can your IT solutions integrate with our existing insurance software platforms?
The MIS Solutions support services, along with our Greenlight Cloud Solution, are designed to enhance your existing relationships with your Agency Management System and other third-party applications.
Do you offer Mobile Device Management for insurance professionals?
Yes! In fact, our MDM policies ensure that your employees’ mobile phones are not used to disclose PII.
What happens if an employee’s laptop is lost or stolen?
We use disk encryption on both laptops and desktop computers to keep data on these devices, such as client data or email, safe.
How do you ensure the security of our sensitive insurance data?
We employ several measures to reduce the risk of accidental and malicious data leaks, including penetration testing to protect your network from hackers and vulnerability scans to catch any unpatched vulnerabilities before a criminal can exploit them. We also use data encryption at rest, in transit and in backups to ensure you don’t unintentionally expose client data.
Can your IT services be scaled to match our manufacturing growth or seasonal demands?
Yes! That is the beauty of our Greenlight Cloud solution. Our pay-as-you-go pricing model allows you to pay only for the resources you actually use, such as computing power, storage or network bandwidth. This scalability empowers you to align your expenses with your specific needs, and scale up or down as needed.
Our manufacturing business operates 24 hours a day. What if we have issues and need help after regular business hours?
We understand that technology hiccups don’t just happen between 9 to 5. We’re here for you around the clock. After-hours calls are automatically routed to our on-call team who can respond to critical issues within minutes.
How do you support our compliance with industry-specific regulations and standards through your IT services?
We have in-depth knowledge of many compliance requirements that manufacturers must adhere to, including ITAR, PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, GDPR and CMMC. Additionally, we are CMMC certified and can help guide you in becoming CMMC compliant.
Can you ensure minimal downtime in the event of an IT system failure?
Costly downtime is a major concern for manufacturing firms, which is why we have established a robust backup and disaster recovery process that can get your systems up and running in as little as 15 minutes. And in the unlikely event that your company experiences an outage due to a cyber incident, you can rest assured that your backups are immutable and have not been altered or encrypted by hackers.
What cybersecurity measures do you provide to protect our sensitive data and intellectual property?
We are cybersecurity experts with a proven track record of protecting our manufacturing clients’ most valuable digital assets. We deploy the most advanced technology and tools, such as advanced threat detection and next-generation anti-virus to quickly identify and shut down possible cyber threats. Our 24/7 monitoring by our in-house security operations center ensures your systems are protected.
How can MIS Solutions’ managed IT solutions for manufacturing improve our process efficiency and productivity?
Having an IT partner that understands the needs of a manufacturing business can help you streamline operations, reduce downtime, and ensure seamless integration of all systems across your network, resulting in more efficient resource management, reduced manual errors and better decision-making based on accurate data.
What is the process for transferring knowledge and ensuring smooth coordination between the internal team and the MSP?
Internal IT managers are granted access to our ticketing system to ensure seamless coordination and involvement in all service requests.
What size businesses do you service?
Our ideal clients are businesses with 20–200 computer users, headquartered in the metro Atlanta and Gwinnett County areas.
What co-managed IT services do you offer?
MIS offers a wide array of managed services, serving as an extension of your internal IT team. We provide managed private cloud solutions, strategic IT consulting, reactive support (help desk), proactive support (monitoring, patching, updates, maintenance, backups, disaster recovery, business continuity), cybersecurity and compliance solutions tailored to your industry, project management, vendor management, VoIP phone systems and management, and network design.
What is your typical response time to service requests?
During regular business hours, calls to our main support line are answered live, usually within 30 seconds. If a request is urgent, we typically have a technician working on it within 30 minutes or sooner. Our goal is to minimize downtime and get you and your team back to work as soon as possible.
Is your help desk outsourced?
No, it’s not. All our service technicians work exclusively for MIS Solutions. This ensures that when you contact our support team, you speak to someone who intimately knows your business. We only hire friendly, knowledgeable, courteous, and English-speaking team members to serve our clients.
What certifications and qualifications do your technicians have?
To stay ahead in the ever-changing field of security, our IT professionals commit to lifelong learning. Our team members hold advanced certifications including Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator, Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Certified Chief Information Security Officer, Certified Cloud Security Professional, and Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT.
Can we customize the co-managed IT model to suit our specific needs and preferences?
Absolutely! That’s the beauty of co-managed IT. Our team can step in and supplement the areas of IT management that you lack or don’t have time for.
How does co-managed IT differ from fully outsourced IT?
With co-managed IT services, we work in unison with your internal IT department, filling in gaps where needed.
How do I know if cloud computing is right for my business?
Several factors need to be considered to determine if a cloud solution is suitable for your business. You’ll want to consider factors such as the age of your current infrastructure, scalability requirements, data storage needs, collaboration requirements, need for remote accessibility, security and privacy concerns, as well as budget constraints.
What’s the difference between a public cloud and a private cloud?
A public cloud is an infrastructure that is shared among multiple organizations or users, whereas a private cloud solution is exclusively dedicated to a single organization. Private cloud solutions can be customized to meet the specific needs of a business. Due to its enhanced security and privacy measures, it is particularly suitable for industries with strict compliance and data privacy regulations.
Is my data co-mingled with other companies’ data in the Greenlight Cloud?
No – your data is not co-mingled with other companies’ data. For each client, we set up a private virtual server or set of servers. Think of the servers as your own private cloud in a data center where only your team accesses these servers and the data contained.
What if my internet connection goes down? How will we be able to work?
While this is a valid concern, we overcome it in the following way for our clients in the cloud. First, we recommend that you have both a primary and backup internet connection. Most clients have a cable connection or fiber connection and then a backup connection such as DSL, T1 or fiber from another carrier. As a second backup plan, companies can use their cell phone hotspot or mobile hotspot to connect to the internet.
What about security? Is there a big risk of someone accessing my data if it’s in the cloud?
In many cases, cloud computing is a more secure way of accessing and storing data. Just because your server is onsite doesn’t make it more secure; in fact, most small to medium businesses can’t justify the cost of securing their network the way a cloud provider can in a PCI, HIPAA-certified data center. And most security breaches occur due to human error – one of your employees downloads a file that contains a virus, they don’t use secure passwords or they simply email confidential information out to people who shouldn’t see it. Other security breaches occur in onsite networks because the company didn’t properly maintain their own in-house network with security updates, software patches and up-to-date antivirus software. That’s a far more common way networks are compromised versus a cloud provider getting hacked.
Does the Greenlight Cloud meet compliance requirements?
The MIS Greenlight cloud is protected using the latest confidentiality, integrity and availability safeguards that meet or exceed most compliance frameworks to include HIPAA, PCI, NIST 800-53 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Where is my data stored?
In simplest terms, cloud computing refers to having a set of redundant servers hosted in a data center rather than on servers housed onsite. Users can access computing resources and services anywhere there is an internet connection, paying only for the resources they use. Cloud computing eliminates the need for on-premises servers, offering substantial cost savings to small and mid-sized businesses. Furthermore, to ensure security, we provide our proprietary Private Greenlight Cloud solution for our customers.
Is my data backed up?
We handle the burden of backing up your system every night, so you can concentrate on running your business. Not only do we perform redundant backups, but we also conduct regular test restores from backups to ensure your data can be recovered in the event of an emergency.
Can my employees work from anywhere, for example, when they’re traveling or working from home when using the cloud service?
Absolutely! In fact, this is one of the major benefits of cloud computing and a hallmark of MIS Solutions’ Greenlight Cloud Service. Your employees can securely access all your data from home, the airport, the coffee shop — anywhere there is an internet connection.
Are IT cloud services expensive?
Compared to onsite network servers, cloud services from MIS Solutions can offer considerable cost savings in addition to all the other benefits afforded by getting your organization in the cloud. There are no expensive servers to purchase, house, and maintain.
What is cloud computing?
In simplest terms, cloud computing refers to having a set of redundant servers hosted in a data center rather than on servers housed onsite. Users can access computing resources and services anywhere there is an internet connection, paying only for the resources they use. Cloud computing eliminates the need for on-premises servers, offering substantial cost savings to small and mid-sized businesses. Furthermore, to ensure security, we provide our proprietary Private Greenlight Cloud solution for our customers.
Will my company have a dedicated service technician?
We use a team approach to IT management. You will be assigned to a team that will take the time to get to know you and your users and also understand your unique line of business applications. Taking time to understand your organization is the foundation for our mission to deliver responsive, friendly service. By having a whole team assigned and keeping detailed network documentation (basically a blueprint of your computer network) and updates on every client’s account, any of our technicians can pick up where another one has left off.
What are the regulations affecting IT in construction?
Data protection and cybersecurity compliance, including standards like the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), are becoming more relevant with the increasing use of technology in construction. Construction and engineering companies that work with the U.S. Department of Defense are required to work within the CMMC requirements. Other guidelines, although not mandatory, include ISO 19650, which addresses information and data management throughout the lifecycle of the project; Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) for effective project management; ISO/IEC 25010 to ensure quality and reliability; and ISO 55000 to ensure effective asset management practices.
What are the best practices for managing IT in remote construction sites?
Using a hosted desktop like our private Greenlight Cloud allows for efficient access to data from anywhere. You want to secure your endpoints to protect against unwanted delays or data loss. Be sure your staff undergoes security awareness training so they are aware of cyber threats and can avoid falling victim to a cyberattack. Mobile device management is key for construction companies to guard against lost, stolen, or damaged devices.
What is the role of cloud computing in construction?
Our private Greenlight Cloud solution allows our construction and engineering clients to extend their IT environments beyond the office and into the field. Wherever your team works, they’ll be able to access email, core applications, project plans, blueprints, and change orders. Cloud solutions allow for real-time collaboration for improved productivity.
How does Building Information Modeling (BIM) software benefit a construction project?
Modern construction companies are adopting BIM technology to manage the build process more effectively and efficiently by catching clashes early on. It allows for a better understanding of the construction project and helps improve communication and collaboration between all stakeholders. If your construction company is considering utilizing BIM software, MIS can help vet the vendor through the lens of connected risk. We’ll seek to understand what you are trying to accomplish, then ask the vendor pointed and tailored questions to determine their security and compliance posture. Thorough vetting enables our clients to engage in vendor partnerships that align with strict security and compliance standards.
We work under tight deadlines and timely IT support is crucial to my construction business. What is your response time for IT support?
Our support team usually answers the phone live within 30 seconds during regular business hours. You’ll talk with a human who can get you to the right technical person to address your IT issue. For critical issues, we guarantee a technician will work on your case within 30 minutes or less. After-hours support is available 24/7.
How do you ensure data security and compliance with industry regulations?
We have robust cybersecurity measures in place to protect your data, including firewalls, encryption, advanced threat detection, next-generation antivirus and we can conduct regular penetration tests, and vulnerability and risk assessments.
What services do you offer, and are they tailored to the construction industry?
MIS is a full-service managed IT services provider, meaning we offer a wide range of solutions for the construction industry, including network management, cybersecurity, BIM support, software integration, and mobile device management. We also specialize in designing solutions for better collaboration among a dispersed staff, and offer support desk service, 24/7 monitoring to ensure your people can work anytime or anywhere, hosted desktops and applications, backups for servers, desktops, and laptops, and much more.