Online Security Has Never Been More Essential to Small Businesses

The government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019 has highlighted that 32% of UK businesses have suffered a cyber security breach or attack in the last twelve months, with 19% of these incidents preventing staff from carrying out daily work.

This lack of adequate security costs the average business thousands of pounds every year, as well as having a potential knock-on effect in terms of a brand’s reputation and the relationship it has with existing and prospective customers.

All it takes is for a business to neglect one tiny area of its security infrastructure and undesirable activity can take place. From a digital back door being missed by the IT department, to staff using different versions of everyday software such as Microsoft Office, unauthorised access isn’t always gained through email attachments and weak passwords.

How do hosted desktops prevent security breaches?

When a business decides to roll out GoCloud hosted desktops across its premises, it’s not only improving productivity levels and reducing energy consumption, it’s also making a significant investment in digital security. Whilst the desktop experience remains unchanged for each employee, all data, files and software are hosted in our secure UK-based data centres, which guarantee state-of-the-art physical and virtual security. These facilities are ISO 27001 compliant and adhere to GDPR guidelines, complete with 256-bit encrypted traffic.

This means that your clients’ data is safely stored, backed up and monitored 24/7 to ensure that only authorised users have access. No matter how impressive a company’s current IT infrastructure, by moving to GoCloud it will significantly enhance its security measures and never have to worry about lost, stolen or corrupted data.

Secure apps and communication

One of the most popular features of our hosted desktops is that your customers can access their desktops from any device, anywhere in the world. Whether it’s sorting through emails during a commute, making edits to a document in the middle of the night or quickly setting up presentations at an office abroad, GoCloud helps businesses to become truly agile. Meanwhile, thanks to high-level security that never fails, your customers don’t have to worry about their data being intercepted by malware or hackers.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the weakest link in a security chain is the human element, as even the most cautious professionals can make mistakes. That’s why we implement multi-factor authentication to verify a user’s identity before granting access. Meanwhile, Bitdefender Endpoint Protection prevents viruses from infecting the system through client devices. In other words, there really is no way for a hacker or hostile party to gain access, even for a moment. This is made possible due to users’ devices simply acting as clients, rather than actually storing the data and software. So even if a device is lost or stolen, a stranger or thief will be unable to view any of the files or applications. This level of protection is crucial for modern, flexible businesses with employees working from company laptops, as well as personal devices such as tablets, home PCs and smartphones.

Exemplary data and network security

You may remember the cyberattack on the NHS back in May 2018, which cost the organisation £92m, led to the cancellation of 19,000 appointments, and potentially put lives at risk. All of this was caused by a computer virus spreading through systems that were decentralised, old and insecure, which wouldn’t have been the case if digital security had been a top priority at the time.

It’s easy for small businesses to think that they would never be a victim due to their size, yet SMEs are actually a major target for hackers and highly prone to malware, which can potentially incapacitate a business for days, weeks, or even indefinitely. Consequently, adopting hosted desktops is a very savvy move, as GoCloud guarantees a centralised, encrypted and hack-secure solution that delivers robust security to businesses of all shapes and sizes at an affordable price.

Bring your own device

As mentioned above, our hosted desktop services are perfect for modern businesses that want to improve and grow through technology. Bring your own device, or BYOD, plays a large role in this, as it allows employees to use their own devices alongside company hardware, leading to greater mobility and higher levels of efficiency. However, as soon as external devices are thrown into the mix, qualms regarding security will usually arise – but not with GoCloud.

By using our hosted desktops across all devices (in the workplace, at home and on the go), every member of staff will have access not only to applications and data, but also our celebrated security features. What’s more, we automatically update all software and applications so that every virtual desktop is using the same version, removing the threat of unauthorised access whilst maximising productivity through speed, reliability and the power of collaboration.

Impressive levels of uptime

Uptime is an important and easily measured value indicator. It’s the amount of time that the provider’s systems are expected to be fully operational (up), based on an average achieved in the recent past. When the provider’s systems are down, a company will experience delays and may not even be able to work until everything has returned to normal. Any significant amount of downtime is unacceptable, so resellers and customers alike should be looking for uptime in the high 90s.

Our data centres are protected by security professionals and cloud computing specialists day and night, along with CCTV, fire suppression systems and emergency power generators. The result is a minimum of 99.9% uptime, allowing businesses that never sleep to always have access to the files, programmes and apps that matter.  

Become a GoCloud reseller

By reselling our hosted desktops to new and existing customers, you can greatly improve your service offering and profit margins whilst helping businesses to optimise their daily operations. Our 30-day rolling partner agreement means no long-term supply commitments or quotas – simply sell hosted desktops at a frequency that suits you and under your own brand thanks to our white label toolkit.  

To find out more about GoCloud hosted desktops and becoming a partner, call today on 01482 751133 or register your interest online.