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The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679) goes into effect on 25 May 2018 – is your Australian-based business required to comply with this regulation from the EU? Read this notification from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

“From 25 May 2018 Australian businesses of any size may need to comply with the GDPR if they have an establishment in the European Union (EU), if they offer goods and services in the EU, or if they monitor the behaviours of individuals in the EU.”

That makes the GDPR a pretty sweeping regulation – and many Australian businesses may not realize they need to be prepared. While some of the requirements are similar to the Australian Privacy Act 1988, additional measures have been added. The intention is to improve business transparency and accountability around how data is handled.

Coming on the heels of February’s implementation of the Notification of Data Breach regulations, Australian businesses are spending time and resources to improve their security and consumer data protection protocols. The full benefits of technology – from social media to speedier business process to medical technology – cannot be enjoyed without consumer and business confidence in the privacy of their shared data.

It’s also likely that further regulations are coming, with details of an Australian version of the GDPR expected later this year. Therefore, even if you aren’t required to be compliant now, be sure to pay close attention to how your business data is secured.

Australia is uniquely positioned as a regional and world leader, especially in the areas of law enforcement and defence, making it imperative that we also lead the world in cyber security. The Australian government’s October 2017 loss of control of 50,000 citizen records – caused not by technology but human error – is a cautionary tale for all businesses and government entities. And the price for GDPR non-compliance is high, up to €20 million.

If you aren’t sure if your business is required to comply with the GDPR, Blutone Technologies can work with you to ensure your data is secure. Get your arms around the encryption and security policies you need to protect your customers’ data – and your business. Blutone Technologies makes it easy for you to understand where you are now, and where you need to be, and works with you to implement processes and data structures you need to be compliant. Contact us today to get started!

We’ve had a lot of questions about how the GDPR, going into effect 25 May, compares to Australia’s current regulations. Take a look at this article that directly compares GDPR to the Privacy Act 1988.

Managed hosting and supplementary managed IT services, permit businesses to outsource the management of their whole IT infrastructure to a reputable provider. Here are the top five reasons why managed services and managed hosting may be advantageous to a company’s IT plan structure.

Peace of mind with expertise and security

Outsourcing the day-to-day management tasks of your IT infrastructure and environment means that you and your internal IT staff member(s) are able to concentrate on core business goals and competencies. Companies will accomplish peace of mind in the knowledge that their IT infrastructure and environments are proactively maintained by experienced technical experts. As a customer, you do not need to be concerned with managing the on-site data center, maintaining IT hardware, or observing any applications; the professionals take care of that for you.

Tailored solutions support changing needs

Sophisticated providers are going to architect a managed IT option which is completely tailored to a company’s unique set(s) of needs. It will allow a business to scale their environment as they expand and blend numerous technologies that support various performance or workload needs. Adaptable managed hosting providers become an extension of an internal IT staff, permitting you to have access to technical professionals and senior IT resources at any time. They’re able to advise you on architecture and infrastructure, IT strategies, while also ensuring the creation of an IT hosting option which appropriately scales to your unique technical and business needs.

Forego employing extra support staff

Outsourcing IT infrastructure and management to a 3rd-party vendor means you do not need to buy extra staff members or resources to support your crucial IT applications and infrastructure. Specialized skill sets, as well as having an available staff that supports operations around-the-clock may be expensive, and doesn’t make economic sense to an organization which doesn’t specialize in IT.

Accelerate global expansions and growth

As an organization outsources their IT management tasks, they have the ability to accelerate growth, as well as global expansion initiatives. A managed Sydney hosting provider that has international operations is oftentimes able to deploy IT infrastructure, as well as replicate solutions and services in any of their global centers, saving customers the money and time needed to employ extra IT resources necessary to support growth. In partnering with a reputable managed services partner, organizations also can provision services with very little lead time if an unanticipated demand occurs.

While assessing managed services providers, it’s important that you consider their geographic reach, as well as whether or not they provide local staff and support. You should to select a Sydney hosting services provider that already has a presence in any geographical area where your company is planning to expand. This will ensure that your IT applications, operations, and infrastructure are all there to support that growth. Also, this strategy allows an organization to enter a new marketplace with lower overhead expenses, decreased latency to end-users, as well as minimal barriers to entry, thereby supporting expansion and growth initiatives more comfortably.

Save time and reduce costs

Finding a reputable vendor means you’ll have predictable month-to-month expenses to cover your whole IT environment and infrastructure. You do not need to be concerned with maintenance expenses, investing in additional equipment and hardware, or spending time maintaining on-site infrastructure.

Making the change to a managed services and managed hosting provider allows businesses to slowly switch their IT provisioning from a CAPEX to an OPEX model. A provider that can accommodate transitioning will assist companies in salvaging existing investments on hardware and systems that are still part of current operations.

For more information on Sydney, Australia hosting services contact Blutone Technologies at
1300 660 139.

Managed IT support, a.k.a. managed services, presents a nimble option for small to medium-sized business owners. With managed services, an organization receives around-the-clock remote observance of your systems, and staff of technical support available if things go wrong. Here are 10 benefits of managed IT support in Sydney, Australia:

1. Control IT Expenses

Outsourcing is going to convert fixed IT expenses to variable costs and permits you to budget efficiently. Simply put, you only pay for what’s used when you have to have it.

2. Decrease Labor Expenses

Training and hiring an IT team may be pricey, and temporary staff does not always live up to all your expectations. Outsourcing allows your human resources activity to be directed where it’s needed the most.

3. Certified, Qualified, Experienced, Trained

If you are not IT trained, how will you assure someone is qualified? Certifications such as MCSE Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer are critical, yet so are skills.

4. Qualified does not Equal Skilled

Very few issues are new for top IT service businesses that see associated problems a multitude of times. In-house IT employees lead an isolated existence no matter how much they’ve trained. All of us would rather have a skilled doctor; same holds true for IT.

5. Increase Competitiveness and Efficiency

Businesses which attempt to do all of the IT Services on their own may have much higher implementation, development, and research time, all of which boost costs and ultimately are passed on to clients.

6. Rapidly Implement New Technology

High-quality outsourced Sydney IT support organizations are going to possess the resources to begin new projects immediately. Dealing with the same project in-house may involve weeks or even months to employ the proper individuals, train them, and offer the support needed. For many implementations, high-quality IT firms are going to bring years of expertise in the beginning, and save you money and time.

7. Putting your Core Business First

Companies have restricted resources, and all managers have limited attention and time. Outsourcing may assist your business because it enables you to stay focused on your core business and not become distracted by complicated IT decisions.

8. Decrease risk

Each business investment is going to carry a specific quantity of risk. Competition, markets, financial conditions, government regulations, as well as technologies all change quickly. Outsourcing a provider assumes and manages a lot of that risk for you, with certain industry know-how, particularly compliance and security issues. They’re a lot better at determining how to avoid risk within their areas of experience.

9. Level Playing Field

Many small businesses do not have the funds to match the in-house support services that larger corporations maintain. Outsourcing IT support may assist small businesses in acting “big” by offering them accessibility to similar technology, and experience that larger corporations enjoy. Independent third parties managed cost structure, as well as economies of scale, may offer your business the advantage it needs to stay competitive.

10. Security and Compliance

Is your firewall updated? Do you audit your Servers and Workstations? Is there a DMZ installed? Has your business implemented PCI security standards as well as worked to sustain those standards? For instance, companies have more ways now than ever to be profitable by accepting many types of payments like debit cards and credit Cards, e Checks, Gift Certificates, and wire transfers just to name a few. However, with these types of transactions also comes the necessity for due diligence.

When outsourcing qualified IT support companies familiar with PCI compliance standards, it’s possible to rest assured that your business is minimizing the risks related to maintaining credit card numbers, client data, competitive, sensitive information and much more.

For more information on our Sydney, Australia IT support services contact Blutone Technologies at
1300 660 139.