Monthly Archives: October 2016

Is anyone listening?

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What was your first reaction last year when hearing of the Cisco acquisition of OpenDNS? Many comments we have heard include . . . yup . . . “there they go again.” There are always transitions and changes within the business world, many of them positive. We all understand that. But the changes that can occur from these kinds of acquisitions can end up costing you, the customer or the partner, more than you signed up for. As an OpenDNS Umbrella customer, are you getting tired of riding the corporate wave until you eventually see all of the prior benefits to remaining a customer melt away? It usually takes about a year to kick in. We have seen it in other big acquisitions, and there is a consistent pattern of what happens.

We can make a difference for you. With a positive SMB mentality, Wavecrest strongly believes in one-on-one communication with our prospects, customers, and partners. When you reach out to us, we have a human being on the other end of the line who knows the product well, communicates well, and will take the extra step to help your enterprise and employees be more secure. You don’t have to go through automated calls, ticketing, or several levels of technical support to reach the person with the knowledge you need. For more than 20 years, we have been a hardworking, successful, customer-centric business, and we don’t plan on changing that for at least the next 20!

Wavecrest also has the products you require–agile and reliable solutions for your Web Security needs, ranging from software and hardware deployments to cloud and hybrid deployments. No matter your business size, industry, or distributed workforce, Wavecrest has a solution for you.

Don’t settle for a solution provider that isn’t listening to you. Let Wavecrest focus on your business and your specific requirements. Talk to us today.

About Wavecrest Computing

Celebrating 20 years in business, Wavecrest Computing, headquartered in historic downtown Melbourne, FL, has provided commercial business and government clients with reliable, accurate Web-use security management and Cloud Access Security Broker products since 1996. Managed Service Providers, IT specialists, HR professionals, and business managers trust Wavecrest’s Cyfin and CyBlock products to manage employee Internet usage — managing cloud services and guest Wi-Fi networks, reducing liability risks, improving productivity, saving bandwidth, and controlling costs. Wavecrest has clients worldwide, including General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Florida Department of Health, Siemens, Department of Homeland Security, and a growing list of global enterprises and government agencies. We are a proud long-term GSA contract holder. For more information on the company, products, and partners, visit https://www.wavecrest.net.

Find your bandwidth hogs and throttle them.

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It has been a while since we talked bandwidth. Bandwidth usage seems to be one of those things that is now being taken for granted. We have ransomware and hackers to be concerned about! But beware! Hidden behind the assumption that you need as much bandwidth as possible to keep your business running is the secret streamer, daring downloader, and just plain old bandwidth hog.

Still potentially wreaking havoc on your mission-critical operations, bandwidth hogs can slow the whole business down. This could mean missed deadlines, late paychecks, productivity losses, and more.

What should you be looking for? In general terms, there are relatively easy signs.

  • Are you seeing bandwidth charge increases from your ISP?
  • Are you getting complaints from Internet-dependent staff like accounting or marketing?
  • Have you noticed certain times of day appearing slower on your network?
  • Do you run your guest Wi-Fi on your corporate network?

First off, run your guest Wi-Fi separately from your corporate network. This will add another layer of security protection for mission-critical operations. But remember, your business is still responsible for the guest Wi-Fi use even when it is run separately, so make sure you have a solution in place with a captive portal for your guest Wi-Fi network.

The most useful thing you can do if you answered “Yes” to any of the above questions is to get visibility. If you can’t tell where and when the bandwidth slowdowns are happening, then you are just throwing money in the air. Find an employee Web-use solution that will allow you to see trends and usage, and run detailed reports, so you can make informed decisions to control, throttle, and manage bandwidth usage. One of the best tools is being able to see bandwidth usage in real time, so make sure to find a solution that provides you with this important benefit.

Bandwidth may have moved a bit down on the importance list because of malware, ransomware, and data theft, but do not leave it off the list. It still has a huge impact on how your business operates daily. Find your bandwidth hogs and throttle them. You will see almost immediate improvements in workflow, efficiency, and frustration levels.

About Wavecrest Computing

Celebrating 20 years in business, Wavecrest Computing, headquartered in historic downtown Melbourne, FL, has provided commercial business and government clients with reliable, accurate Web-use management and Cloud Access Security Broker products since 1996. Managed Service Providers, IT specialists, HR professionals, and business managers trust Wavecrest’s Cyfin and CyBlock products to manage employee Internet usage — managing cloud services, reducing liability risks, improving productivity, saving bandwidth, and controlling costs. Wavecrest has clients worldwide, including General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Florida Department of Health, Siemens, Department of Homeland Security, and a growing list of global enterprises and government agencies. We are a proud long-term GSA contract holder. For more information on the company, products, and partners, visit https://www.wavecrest.net.