Guide

Microsoft NCE Best Practices Guide

admin — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 18:49:33 +0000

Microsoft NCE Best Practices Guide admin Tue, 12/14/2021 - 12:49 NCE_guide.jpg Off

What is the Microsoft New Commerce Experience?

Microsoft recently unveiled a multi-stage, multi-year investment in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program to help companies reduce complexity and achieve better purchasing flexibility. The new commerce experience brings the CSP program into alignment with other programs, such as the Enterprise Agreement. It and includes new licensing and monthly subscription options for commercial licenses so that all customers have a consistent purchasing experience and are subject to the same terms and conditions for cloud purchases regardless of the Microsoft sales motion. ��Ƶɫ | AppRiver is here to help our partners navigate these changes and the corresponding effects on your business.

What is the timeline and what does that mean for you?

The New Commerce Experience will be generally available starting in January 10, 2022, and Microsoft will require all new subscriptions to take place in NCE starting March 10, 2022. The NCE launch promotional period (January 10, 2022 to June 30, 2022) is designed to ease the transition.

Recommendations

Review your terms and conditions to ensure the customer understands the commitment to the NCE subscription policies. Refer to the New Commerce for CSP Operating Guide for terms and conditions.
For SKUs impacted by the March price increase, consider canceling legacy subscriptions and migrating to the Annual NCE agreement before March 1, 2022 to avoid the price increase for a year AND reduce current cost by 5%.
Even though Microsoft suggested they will extend the 5% promo through June, to guarantee the best pricing move to an annual term before March 31, 2022.
If you are a Silver or Gold partner receiving CSP Reseller Incentives, make sure to migrate before January 2023, otherwise incentives will stop. Only NCE subscriptions will be counted towards rebates starting January 2023.
Customers can have both monthly and annual subscriptions for the same SKUs. Minimize cost with an annual subscription for the average annual employee count, while using monthly subscriptions for seats expected to be unused for 3 months or more each year.

Please note, every partner’s circumstances are different – for more in-depth advice on your Microsoft instance, please schedule a NCE consultation with our team

For more guidance, contact your Channel Account Manager or partners@zixcorp.com to schedule your NCE consultation.

Guide

Microsoft NCE Best Practices Guide.pdf

Off

7 Reasons Every Business Needs SaaS Backup

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 19:27:37 +0000

7 Reasons Every Business Needs SaaS Backup admin Wed, 10/13/2021 - 14:27 7_reasons_resource.jpg Off

7 reasons businesses need to back up SaaS data

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) provides many benefits to the companies using it: convenience, flexibility, and ease of use are often among the top three. One thing that’s never guaranteed, though, is security.

This can be an easy thing to forget, and many people do. In fact, recent research from the Enterprise Strategy Group shows that 35% of the market incorrectly believes that their SaaS vendor is responsible for the protection of that data. In fact, SaaS data protection falls solely on the shoulders of the customer using it.

Now that we’re clear on who’s responsible for keeping that data safe, let’s look at some reasons why you may want to make that data protection a priority.

#1: Your business-critical SaaS data is more vulnerable than you think

As Todd Gifford covered last week on our blog, while SaaS platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Box, and Dropbox are very secure solutions, it would be wrong to assume that your data is protected in the same way their infrastructure is.

Things like human error, malicious intent from bad actors or disgruntled contractors, malware or ransomware attacks, sync errors, and outages all pose a threat to the safety of that data. In fact, one in three companies experience SaaS data loss, which means it’s a lot more common than most would hope.

#2: Data breaches are expensive

The global average cost of a data breach is $4.24 million. Especially for small and medium businesses, this is no small fee. In fact, half of all mid-sized companies end up closing after a breach, and the latest numbers show the costs are only rising.

The time between detection and remediation is, on average, 287 days. That means that a breach can cause nearly a year’s worth of damage, which can be devastating.

#3: Your cloud service provider (CSP) recommends it

If you read the fine print, you’ll see that every SaaS platform makes it clear that in-app recovery of deleted data is possible, but only in a matter of weeks, if not months.

Outside of the app, the user is on their own. Once the Recycle Bin or Trash folder is empty, that data is gone forever. Cloud providers explain this in terms of a “shared responsibility” between you and them for preserving your data. This largely means if the data is sensitive, you’re responsible for backing it up.

#4: Reliable backup is necessary for compliance

Information privacy laws across the globe require businesses to encrypt their information, share in the responsibility for its abuse and loss, and prove that they can recover it if needed.

In order to comply, the backup solution has to address the specific needs of the law under which it falls, such as choice of data center, data encryption, at-rest and in-transit rules, and the ability to purge backups.

#5: Top IT analysts recommend it, too

According to top IT analysts Gartner and Forrester, backing up SaaS data is a must-have for every company. As Gartner puts it, “Organizations cannot assume that SaaS providers will offer backup as part of the service or provide interfaces that backup vendors can use to access data.”

Forrester adds, “While almost all SaaS vendors explicitly state that protecting data is the customer’s responsibility, infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders usually send critical data to those providers without any plan for ensuring data resiliency.” In other words, “Back up SaaS data or risk losing customers and partners. Stop leaving the door open to data loss, and start proactively protecting cloud data before it’s too late.”

#6: Native recovery options often don’t cut it

Native solutions like Litigation Hold, Recycle Bin, and Trash are archival in nature, and not built for true backup and recovery. Trying to restore data that’s been deleted is tedious and incomplete without the right backup solution.

These solutions are also time-bound, meaning data is only stored here for a few weeks or a couple of months. In short, having to rely only on these solutions in a time of crisis only adds to the level of stress.

#7: Backups can help you bounce back from a breach

Backup and recovery solutions are a central part of any disaster and recovery plan. To truly come back from data loss, you need seamless data recovery from an accurate, real-time backup.

Ensuring that this is in place ahead of time can make a huge difference in the event that your data is compromised.

The bottom line is that there’s really no good reason for not having a SaaS backup solution in place for your data. Not only is it a practical solution, it’s also a requirement, and can quite literally save your business from going under in the event of a security breach.

Want to read more about the importance of cloud-to-cloud backup solutions? Download the eBook instantly using the download button below.

Guide

Cloud-to-Cloud Backup 7 Reasons_FINAL.pdf

Off

Maximize your Microsoft Investment

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 18:49:45 +0000

Maximize your Microsoft Investment admin Fri, 07/02/2021 - 13:49 microsoft_guide.jpg Off

Microsoft Office 365 is the top business productivity service available today. Microsoft has invested billions in attempting to provide every service a business needs to be successful, including security. In fact, even Gartner states “by 2023, at least 40% of all organizations will rely on built-in protection capabilities from cloud email providers as the main line of defense.” However, this presents a challenge for companies like Microsoft. In trying to be everything to everyone, the expectations of what Microsoft promises doesn’t always meet their reality. Read about the top 5 ways expectations don’t meet reality.

Guide

Maximize Microsoft Investment with ��Ƶɫ.pdf

Off

Information Archiving Buyer's Guide

jlamons — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 19:20:50 +0000

Information Archiving Buyer's Guide jlamons Mon, 08/31/2020 - 14:20 decision.jpeg Off

The need for compliance continues to grow, so let’s not waste time talking alphabet soup – if you’re here, you’re already familiar with the requirements and regulations that your business or your customers are facing. Whether IRS, DOD 5015.2, HIPAA, FCC, FOIA, FRCP, FDIC, SEC, PCI DSS, FINRA 3010, SEC 204-2, 17a-3 and a-4 – the challenge is to find the right solution for your needs.

Guide

Information Archiving Buyers Guide v0.pdf

Archiving

IT Security Scan Guide

jlamons — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 20:30:37 +0000

IT Security Scan Guide jlamons Tue, 08/11/2020 - 15:30 plug_thumb.jpeg Off

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, technology came to the rescue. IT service and software providers found themselves in the thick of it—supporting their customers’ sudden digital transformations while adjusting to their own new reality. They performed the transition admirably. But little do they know the precarious position they’re in now.

Guide

��Ƶɫ_SecurityScanGuide_Technology_Final.pdf

IT Advanced Threat Protection Email Encryption Mitigate Compliance Risk Modernize the Workplace Office 365 Protect Business Communication Secure Office 365

IT Security Scan Playbook

jlamons — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 20:26:14 +0000

IT Security Scan Playbook jlamons Tue, 08/11/2020 - 15:26 software_thumb.jpeg Off

As we covered in the companion piece to this playbook, The Security Scan Guide for IT Service and Software Providers, there’s a critical flaw in many IT service and software providers’ security architecture. While they’ve been quick to adopt advanced security solutions like CASBs, cloud-native endpoint protection solutions, and highend VPNs, many are overlooking a critical vulnerability: their email.

Guide

��Ƶɫ_SecurityScanPlaybook_Technology_Final.pdf

IT Data Loss Prevention Email Encryption Modernize the Workplace Office 365 Protect Business Communication Secure Office 365

Manufacturing Security Scan Guide

jlamons — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 20:37:02 +0000

Manufacturing Security Scan Guide jlamons Mon, 07/27/2020 - 15:37 Download Now scanguide_thumb.jpeg Off

It is a curious fact that disasters often come in twos. Earthquakes are followed by tsunamis. Wars are followed by pandemics. And pandemics—including all the havoc they can wreak on supply chains—sometimes create immense, unseen vulnerabilities in other areas.

The 2020 pandemic is well underway and all things considered, manufacturers have responded admirably. Some have transitioned to producing life-saving medical supplies like respirators, masks, and sanitizers. Nearly all have peered deep into their supply chain to play a sort of three-dimensional chess. They’ve anticipated risks and picked out Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers hamstrung by lockdowns or logistics and replaced them with an ever more complex web of multi-tier supplier networks.

Guide Title Advanced Threat Protection Mitigate Compliance Risk Modernize the Workplace Protect Business Communication Secure Office 365

Information Archiving Features & Benefits

jlamons — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 20:43:43 +0000

Information Archiving Features & Benefits jlamons Wed, 06/24/2020 - 15:43 Off Guide

Information Archiving Features Benefits ��Ƶɫ.pdf

Education Financial Services Government Healthcare Title Archiving Mitigate Compliance Risk Modernize the Workplace

Email and Message Encryption Buyers Guide

jlamons — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 20:45:37 +0000

Email and Message Encryption Buyers Guide jlamons Fri, 06/19/2020 - 15:45 buyersguide_thumb.jpeg Off

Maintaining the integrity and trust of your brand, transactions, and customer workflows are both a business enabler and a regulatory mandate. For this reason, securing all email communication and collaboration is not an option but a requirement. Organizations must take a proactive approach to encryption given a single exposed record can result in heavy fines or a significant loss in customer trust.

Guide

Email and Message Encryption Buyers Guide.pdf

Education Financial Services Government Healthcare Title Mitigate Compliance Risk Modernize the Workplace Protect Business Communication Secure Office 365