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As 2017 winds down, we’re taking a look back and bringing you the 10 most-read Monitor posts from this year. We’re seeing the usual themes—security, productivity, and how to work better overall—but some new topics popped up this year, like GDPR. Here’s what you enjoyed reading the most in 2017.
Thank you to everyone—our amazing customers, partners, and employees—who made 2017 our best and most memorable year yet. Check out this quick video recap to see the year’s highlights.
There’s a lot of confusion around GPDR, which takes effect May 2018. So this week we hosted a webinar called GDPR Compliance: “Explain Like I’m Five.” Our data privacy expert explained all the essential GDPR concepts and exactly what IT needs to do to make their organizations GDPR compliant. Missed it? Here’s a recap.
While GDPR does require you to report a data breach within 72 hours, that’s not the only rule IT needs to be aware of. GDPR also involves the newly defined role of a Data Protection Officer (do you need to appoint one?), and new responsibilities for data controllers vs. data processors (which one are you?). Find out the answers in this post. Plus, we’re including a 10-step checklist to get you jump-started on your path to GDPR compliance.
BetterCloud Core was a “no-brainer for us,” says Woody Grover, IT Manager at Ping Identity. Both BetterCloud and Ping streamline the onboarding process and drastically cut down manual work. “BetterCloud builds on what Ping already does, providing a similar automated process for Google, Zendesk, and Atlassian apps.”
For many companies who have transitioned to the cloud, there are a number of inevitable changes that will occur. What about the Help Desk? The changes around your Help Desk are impacting everything ABOUT the Help Desk and, while you may not immediately notice the impacts, they are subtly dramatic and promise to disrupt the stream of innovation pouring out of the rest of the department and subsequently the company as a whole.
Did you know that under GDPR, users can request their data to be erased (aka be forgotten)? What kind of data does this apply to, and how can IT prepare for this? In Part Two of our series, our data privacy expert dives into three critical GDPR concepts that IT needs to be aware of: the right to be forgotten, consent, and data portability. All three elements affect IT’s responsibilities. This post covers what this means for IT and what their next steps should be.
Are you tired of running queries by hand, tracking issues in a spreadsheet, and performing searches natively across multiple apps? Here’s how automating policy enforcement through BetterCloud can enhance security and streamline operations.
Ah, the classic build vs. buy conundrum. While building may seem attractive, there are significant costs (both direct and indirect) to it. Hear why one executive says his greatest business/technology failure was building software when they could have bought it, and ask yourself these 11 essential questions before you build an in-house solution.
GDPR will go into effect in less than seven months. Are you prepared? We’re kicking off a three-part series that covers everything IT needs to know about GDPR. In this first post, a data privacy expert explains 11 key concepts and why you need to starting preparing now.
In the modern workplace, SaaS creates new, unprecedented challenges for IT. Here’s why IT needs a framework to address those challenges and help solve them.
We wrote the book on SaaS management—literally. We’re thrilled to announce the publication of Controlling Your SaaS Environment: A Six-Part Framework for Effectively Managing and Securing SaaS Applications.
Using a variety of automation technologies, SaaS management and security platforms, and improved HR information systems, companies are working to predict, manage, and adapt to organizational change as technology changes and employees come and go. And while these products are now near-necessities, one key ingredient is still at the heart of the seamless (and successful) management and flow of people through an organization: communication.
The modern workforce is a chaotic combination of full- and part-time employees, consultants, contractors, freelancers, permalancers, and many other contributors. Today, HR and IT teams are expected to deliver a great experience and easy access to SaaS apps, regardless of whether workers are in-office, remote, hybrid, or mobile and field employees. These tactics will help them succeed.
Gartner has recognized a brand new market category around the emerging set of challenges faced by IT operations teams in SaaS-Powered Workplaces, just as they did for managing PCs and Macs (endpoint management), and managing mobile devices (mobile device management aka MDM/EMM). This is a watershed moment in the SaaS industry.
As many people know, the relationship between IT and HR is often strained. There is often a fundamental disconnect between these two business units. Communication tends to be poor and processes are ad hoc instead of systematic. If you’re reading this and nodding your head in agreement, then it’s time for a change. It’s time leadership gives the problem the attention it deserves.
This week, Forbes released its third annual list of billion-dollar startups. BetterCloud is proud to be included in this prestigious list of 25 up and coming companies for 2017.
Managing one instance of a SaaS application is already difficult; managing multiple instances, doubly so. Not only are the tasks even more monotonous and repetitive (think: Groundhog Day), but IT must manage and secure substantially more data. Here are five new ways IT can combat those challenges and manage multiple instances much more effectively.
IT conferences might conjure up images of dull panels and awkward meet and greets. But Altitude 2017, our upcoming IT conference (Oct. 24-25 in Austin, Texas) is not your typical tech event. Here are five reasons why it’s completely different than anything you’ve attended before, and why you should be there.
The vast majority of organizations (74%) feel vulnerable to insider threats, which is why it’s vital to understand the potential consequences and learn from the experiences of others. Only then can executives, IT and security staff, and employees throughout the organization come together to address the problem.
The new BetterCloud platform is packed with potential. We want you to realize it. These 9 BetterCloud use cases, presented by Founder and CEO David Politis, are just the tip of the iceberg.
Malicious or accidental configurations of automatic email forwarding rules are one of the most common causes of data exposures and compliance breaches. If employees are automatically forwarding email outside your domain, there’s a high likelihood that something is wrong. Here are 4 simple steps to address the issue once and for all.
A simple misconfiguration in the Google Admin console made headlines recently by exposing personally identifiable information (PII) and sensitive messages to the internet. Here’s how you can audit, update, and enforce group settings automatically.
BetterCloud has undergone a transformation. With 50+ new releases in the first half of 2017, including 6 brand-new connectors, the new BetterCloud platform is redefining SaaS application management and security.
Outside of IT, many employees don’t understand the ROI of orchestrating/automating offboarding. This list will help you explain the benefits to anyone.
Whether it’s an ex-employee stealing company data, compliance violations, excessive costs, or productivity loss, improper offboarding threatens organizations of all sizes and in all industries. Thankfully, IT experts have developed best practices over the years to identify and eliminate those threats before they occur.
BetterCloud, combined with Okta, helps VC firm First Round Capital orchestrate around 90% of the employee offboarding process. With more than $700mm under management, data simply cannot be publicly exposed and offboarding must happen almost immediately. Here’s how Ryan Donnon, IT and data manager at First Round Capital, ensures data security across multiple SaaS applications during offboarding in “thirty seconds.”
When was the last time you took an honest look at your offboarding process? With data sprawl out of control, an ever increasing number of SaaS applications, and a workforce that’s quick to move on to the next gig, offboarding has become an organizational nightmare.
Have you heard the news? Amazon is interested in potentially buying Slack for $9 billion. Many people seem bewildered by this, but it actually makes perfect sense. Here’s why.
To manage a multi-SaaS environment, IT turns to what they know best: automation. But not all automation is created equal. With compliance and government regulations becoming a bigger issue each day, ad hoc scripts and end-user automation tools will no longer cut it.
The average data breach costs $4 million. That’s the cost of complacency. But it won’t happen to you, right?
Transparency: Everyone wants it, but few companies actually do it right. From day one, our CEO David Politis set out to create radical transparency at BetterCloud. Now, five years later, he reflects on what he’s learned. Here’s what it takes to be truly radically transparent, along with the unexpected benefits and challenges that accompany it.
How is SaaS transforming the way we work? Over the past six months, we surveyed 1,827 IT professionals to get a deeper understanding of this new workplace, where SaaS applications serve as the backbone of productivity. The data revealed astonishing findings.
It’s hard to find time to read IT reports packed full with chapters titled “Management and Oversight” or “Transformative Change.” However, if you take the time, the following reports will not only prove insightful to you and your role in IT, but also to others in your organization.
We wanted to know where forward-thinking IT professionals find the best information, tools, and training. So we turned to the members in BetterIT, our IT-focused community, and asked them: “What’s the best IT resource you’ve ever come across?” Here’s a handy list of the resources they recommended.
Missed our “Friction: The #1 Killer of Workplace Productivity” webinar? Don’t worry. Here’s a recap with key takeaways, downloadable slides, and a recording of the webinar, so that you can learn more about reducing friction in the workplace.
Automation seems like the easy solution for managing SaaS apps as your organization scales. But the right long-term solution goes much deeper than simply automating tasks. Here’s what IT needs to do in order to manage a multi-SaaS environment effectively and move up the value chain.
Adopting new technology is far from simple. But when done right, new technology can lead to productivity gains and a distinct competitive advantage. What do technology adoption experts do to ensure success?
IT professionals today are faced with too much sprawling SaaS data and too many noisy alerts. You might have a lot of intelligence floating around, but rarely is it actionable or meaningful. Creating true operational intelligence out of this endless stream of data and alerts–across multiple SaaS apps–is crucial. Here’s why.
As your organization grows, the amount of SaaS application data will also multiply by leaps and bounds. But what does this really mean for your IT team? Here are the hidden implications you need to be thinking about.
The increasing adoption of SaaS brings with it new management challenges, like correctly granting privileges across multiple SaaS apps. Here’s why accurately assigning SaaS privileges is critical for running a high-performing IT organization.
Zendesk Senior Product Manager Max McCal joined our Slack-based community, BetterIT, for an exclusive Q&A. A wide-range of questions were answered, including many about the Zendesk product itself, improving IT helpdesk efficiency, and the future of support.
How many apps are connected to your Google account? How many of those apps have full access to your Google account? If you don’t know, you should. Your security depends on it.
This guide is a great resource for your end users and provides an in-depth breakdown of what a helpdesk ticket should include and why. Make sure your employees request helpdesk support the right way so you can both get back to work faster.
Phishing your own employees, fixing IT and HR’s marriage of inconvenience, communicating IT concepts to non-IT people, and more: Here’s a look back at our most popular longform content pieces from 2016. These are the best of the best–the ones that resonated the most with you. We hope you enjoy.
In our third-ever AMA, best-selling author and futurist Jacob Morgan answered 10 questions from our BetterIT community members. The BetterIT community is now made up of more than 600 forward-thinking IT professionals.
If you want to think long-term and big picture, says one CIO, then SaaS absolutely needs to be part of your solution set. Take heed, fellow CIOs: IT is in a tug o’ war–pushed to do more while being pulled in new directions–in a data governance and regulation environment that will punish the unprepared.
Highly converged teams. Heard of them? They’re the new normal, but they’re a prime breeding ground for shadow IT. Here’s a new model for working with shadow IT, not against it. IT can maintain visibility and control of new apps, and teams can work in the ways they want and need to.
Driving transformational change in an organization is never easy. Making change happen is one thing, but making it last is another. The stickiness of change hinges on two crucial factors.
IT is anything but simple. It’s a complex profession where every answer seems to start with, “Well, it depends…” That’s why taking a people-focused approach to IT is essential, according to 20-year IT veteran and CIO advisor Gavin Whatrup.
Did you catch the news? Microsoft launched their Slack competitor, Microsoft Teams, yesterday. The pace of of innovation in the real-time messaging space over the past 3 years has been incredible. 15 years ago we were all using AIM (right?!) and email. Today it feels like there are at least 10 unique channels through which you can reach anyone in your organization.
Trends in Cloud IT is back, and we’re excited to share our second major installment of this year’s series. Our last survey revealed the meteoric rise of SaaS applications, and now, we’re analyzing the relationships between IT executives and their staff.
Change management is never easy. But when you’re the only one who knows about the impending change, how do you handle it?
Trends in Cloud IT visualizes the explosive growth of SaaS applications through the lens of nearly 1,000 G Suite and Office 365 IT professionals. Our goal is simple: We want to understand how technology is changing the way we work, and more importantly, how this transformation affects IT.
HR and IT are partners in waiting, but they need a little marriage guidance. If there isn’t a close partnership, the potential costs can be perilous.
Today, we are announcing our third major Workflows release, creating an even more powerful automation tool that saves time while improving accuracy, precision, and compliance.
The IT Department is dead. Long live the IT Department.
IT professionals must constantly stay up to date with the latest innovations in tech. But which three emerging technologies are most important? Which are most relevant today?
Today, we are thrilled to announce several significant enhancements to BetterCloud Workflows, our core technology that enables IT and security teams to orchestrate critical, complex processes to ensure accuracy, precision, and compliance across SaaS applications.
In 2015, CEOs lost $2.3 billion from phishing attacks, according to the FBI. As an executive, do you know how to identify a phishing email?
BetterCloud Director of IT Tim Burke describes the applications and integrations that help him keep BetterCloud secure and productive. It’s not easy, but somebody’s got to do it.
What are the major benefits of cloud applications for IT and end users? Which cloud office system, Google Apps or Office 365, better suits the needs of their customers? What new skills are most important to learn when adopting new cloud applications? Read the latest report from 451 Research for answers to these answers and more.
Thinking about putting on an internal hackathon? If not, you should be. BetterCloud CTO David Hardwick breaks down the benefits of our partner hackathons and provides tips for how you can pull together one of your own.
There was once a time when it made sense for every company to keep IT infrastructure on-premise. There was also once a time when it made sense to keep a copy of the Yellow Pages next to your rotary phone.
Cloud IT Live is the definitive online event for IT professionals who are dissatisfied with the status quo. Watch all nine sessions today.
Let’s address the fear: the fear of change is real. A vast majority of our work revolves around a certain set of tasks and processes. When cloud technologies are brought in to replace existing systems, most employees become fearful of not being able to adapt.
The only way to keep PHI secure is to build a secure system from day one, but that’s not exactly easy. After all, HIPAA is a complicated piece of legislation. This complete HIPAA compliance checklist from guest contributor and Virtru Founder and CTO Will Ackerly will get you started.
Ransomware isn’t an empty threat–it’s real, and no organization is immune. As an IT professional, putting safeguards in place is essential to ensuring your data is protected. Are you prepared should the worst happen to you?
Today, we are introducing our newest core technology: Workflows. (Think IFTTT for IT.) Workflows enables IT and security teams to orchestrate critical, complex processes to ensure accuracy, precision, and compliance across SaaS applications.
Almost every company has two types of employees. The ones who scratch the surface but drill no deeper, doing the bare minimum. And then there are innovators who push boundaries. Which type of IT professional are you?
Phishing is a dangerous ever-growing threat to your organization. Putting technology in place can help, but educating and testing your employee base is best. BetterCloud Sr. Application Security Engineer Austin Whipple explains how you can pull off an internal phishing campaign to keep employees on their toes.
Social engineering is a powerful (and persuasive) skill that hackers use to manipulate their targets. But which emotions are hackers actually trying to exploit, and what can you do to stop them?
The idea of going offline for an IT person just isn’t the same as it is for the rest of us. Costly breaches and down times can disrupt major business processes in a split second. Preparation and planning are key. In this quick guide, BetterCloud Director of IT Tim Burke shares his favorite tips for a successful business trip.
It’s not every day that a company transforms its identity, but when it does, IT plays a central–and often overlooked–role. Find out how Upserve’s IT Operations Leader Adam Codega managed the brand evolution of this growing startup.
I’ll admit, I miss it. I miss the quiet humming. The cold air. The erratic flashes of a thousand blinking activity and link lights. It’s been just over two years since I stepped inside a data center, and I’m growing pretty nostalgic.
We’ve reached a tipping point. IT is no longer a cost center. Now, IT professionals are impact players for every modern business, and that’s part of the reason why 2016 is the start of what we call: The Golden Age of IT.
Google and Microsoft, two of the world’s biggest companies, are battling to win in the workplace, but which company has the upper hand? Our latest Trends in Cloud IT research offers new insight and data about the budding saga.
Once they have ’em, they can’t get enough. Explosive demand for SaaS applications leaves IT scrambling to meet the demands of their end users.
