The 5 Best IBM Solution Providers To Watch In 2022 by The Enterprise World

E 22Alacrinet Your Go-To Security Partner The 5 Best IBMProvidersSolution To Watch In 2022

From Editor’s Desk

AheadofstartingAlacrinet,BrianBouchardworkedatIBM'sSiliconValleyLab,whichwaspartofIBMGlobal Servicesdivision.ThisdivisionwasstartedbyLouGershner,whowastheCEOofIBMatthetime.Hisvisionwas clear-hewantedtolaunchandexpandtheIBMsoftwareportfoliotothechannel,thesamewaythecompanyhad doneinthe80swithIBMhardware.

R2i'sfourCanadian-basedISO-certifieddatacenter'soffercloudinfrastructureforIBMPower,x86,sharedstorage andSAPHanaofferings.

Shalmali W.

AttainInsightisatrustedanalyticstechnologyadvisortogovernmentandprivatesectorﬁrms,focusedondelivering therightdata‐drivensolutionsthatelevatedecision‐makingforbetterbusinessoutcomes.AttainInsightworksharder toprovideclientsmakingmoreROIthroughtheiranalyticsolution.Workingonmoreeﬃcientdata-drivensolutions graduallyleadingtogreatdecisionmakingforbetterexperienceandbusinessoutcomes. TheyprovidespecializedsoftwaresolutionsandconsultingservicesforBusinessIntelligenceandAnalytics, SoftwareLicenseCompliance,DataandInformationAccessControl,DataVisualizationandMapping,Enterprise PerformanceManagementandDataWarehousing.

halmaliS

R2ispecializesincloudcomputing(private,publicandhybrid),24/7managedservices,datacentersolutionsand artiﬁcialintelligence.We'reheadquarteredinMontrealandhaveoﬃcesinOttawaandToronto.

Theuniverseisonathresholdtothemetaverse.Todaydigitalassetsmattermorethanphysicalassets.With theurgentemergenceofcryptoandNFT's,therehavealsorisenpossibilitiesofcontinuallyevolvingthreats toyourcompany'ssensitiveinformation.Globalindustryleader,IBMwithitsexceptionalsolutionshas alloweditsuserstoeliminatethesethreatswithease.IBMbusinessanalyticsmakesworkmoresimplewithdata Featuringanalysis.forTheEnterpriseWorld'sthisissueofthe5BestIBMSolutionProviderstoWatchIn2022arethestories ofsuccessfulcompaniesthathavemadetheirmarkintheindustry FortheCoverStoryreadaboutAlacrinethasbeenanIBMbusinesspartnerforthelast20years.Thecompanywasstartedin2002inSanDiego, withavisiononbeingaproudIBMbusinesspartner.AstrongvisionassuchwasthenecessaryimpetusforAlacrinet tostartthebusiness.AlacrinetsetouttobecomeoneoftheﬁrstIBMchannelpartnersforsoftwarebefore2000. PriortothatIBMonlyhadahardwarechannel.

AttainInsightisproudtobeanIBMTier1BusinessPartnerforGovernment.

Copyrights © The Enterprise World | 2019. All Rights Reserved. The images and content included in this magazine should not be copied, transferred or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronics, mechanical, photocopying, recording, otherwise, without proper permission from The Enterprise World. The Enterprise World solely owns all the reprint rights. The Enterprise World Publisher Peter NarendraSushantJamesJ.H.GinnyK.S.AmandaV. Creative Content Editor Marketing Coordinator(USA) PR & Marketing Coordinator Business Development Executive Creative Design Head: Social Media Manager Digital Circulation Manager editor@theentetpriseworld.com For Editorial Concerns: sales@theenterpriseworld.com For Sales & Branding Enquiries: info@theenterpriseworld.com For Subscription: The Enterprise World, 1985, Henderson Rd, Columbus, Ohio, 43220 Follow Us On: Shalmali W. This list is NOT a ranking. The companies on listed in magazine serve different aspects of the market, making ranking them in any order except revenue impossible and unfair. We try to bring a perfect platform for business organization to showcase their valued products/ services. Prachi K. Digital Marketing Executive

AttainInsightisatrustedanalyticstechnology advisortogovernmentandprivatesectorﬁrms, focusedondeliveringtherightdata‐driven solutionsthatelevatedecision‐makingforbetter businessoutcomes.AttainInsightworksharder toprovideclientsmakingmoreROIthrough theiranalyticsolution.Workingonmore eﬃcientdata-drivensolutionsgraduallyleading togreatdecisionmakingforbetterexperience andbusinessoutcomes. They provide specialized software solutions and consulting services for Business Intelligence and Analytics, Software License Compliance, Data and Information Access Control, Data Visualization and Mapping, Enterprise Performance Management and Data Warehousing.

FortheCoverStoryreadaboutAlacrinethasbeenanIBMbusinesspartnerfor thelast20years.Thecompanywasstartedin 2002inSanDiego,withavisiononbeinga proudIBMbusinesspartner Astrongvisionas suchwasthenecessaryimpetusforAlacrinetto startthebusiness.Alacrinetsetouttobecome oneoftheﬁrstIBMchannelpartnersfor softwarebefore2000.PriortothatIBMonly hadahardwarechannel. AheadofstartingAlacrinet,BrianBouchard workedatIBM'sSiliconValleyLab,whichwas partofIBMGlobalServicesdivision.This divisionwasstartedbyLouGershner,whowas theCEOofIBMatthetime.Hisvisionwas clear-hewantedtolaunchandexpandtheIBM softwareportfoliotothechannel,thesameway thecompanyhaddoneinthe80swithIBM hardware.

Leaders in Spotlight

Onethingthatsetsusapartisthatwe'vegot themostcloudcertificationsinCanada:ISO 27001,ISO27017,ISO27018,SOC2TYPE 2,EcoVadisandTIERIII.Ourcontinuous improvementprocesswillmakesureyour cloudenvironmentsalwaysmeetthelatest security,complianceandmaintenance R2i'sstandards.fourCanadian-basedISO-certifieddata center'soffercloudinfrastructureforIBM Power,x86,sharedstorageandSAPHana offerings.

AttainInsightisproudtobeanIBMTier1 BusinessPartnerforGovernment. R2ispecializesincloudcomputing(private, publicandhybrid),24/7managedservices, datacentersolutionsandartiﬁcial intelligence.We'reheadquarteredinMontreal andhaveoﬃcesinOttawaandToronto.

Alacrinet12.

C O N T E N T S Att22.ain Insight R2i32. A R T I C L EAgencCybersecurityyvsIn-House28. 36. How to Effectively Promote Your Business With Digital Marketing

A la cri n et | APRIL 202210

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TPassionateAboutechnology,DedicatedToPeople

Globalindustryleader,IBMwithits exceptionalsolutionshasallowedits userstoeliminatethesethreatswith Featuringease.fortheCoverStoryofThe EnterpriseWorld'sthisissueofThe5 BestIBMSolutionProvidersToWatch

TheCompanyAlacrinethasbeenanIBMbusiness partnerforthelast20years.The companywasstartedin2002inSan Diego,withavisiononbeingaproud IBMbusinesspartner.Astrongvision assuchwasthenecessaryimpetusfor Alacrinettostartthebusiness. Alacrinetsetouttobecomeoneofthe ﬁrstIBMchannelpartnersforsoftware before2000.PriortothatIBMonly hadahardwarechannel. AheadofstartingAlacrinet,Brian BouchardworkedatIBM'sSilicon ValleyLab,whichwaspartofIBM GlobalServicesdivision.Thisdivision wasstartedbyLouGershner,whowas theCEOofIBMatthetime.Hisvision wasclear-hewantedtolaunchand expandtheIBMsoftwareportfolioto thechannel,thesamewaythe companyhaddoneinthe80swith IBMhardware.

In2022isAlacrinet,anIBMpartner thatishelpingcompanieselevatetheir cybersecurityenvironment.

TheIBMchannelpartnercompaniesat thetimewereallthrivingcompanies thatworkedwithIBM,andsoldIBM solutions,IBMhardwaresolutionsto theFortune500andFortune1000 companies.Byexpandingitsreach

AlacrinetinitiallyhelpedSwiftput kiosksintoalloftheirterminalsand digitizedwhatusedtobeallpaper basedsystemsforthedrivers. Swifthadanetworkof24,000drivers. Alacrinetbuiltakiosksystem,and withinthenextﬁveyears,afterthe kiosksolutionswereinstalledand runningsmoothly,thecompanymoved ontobuildamobileapplications solutionsforthemaswell.Afterwhich pointtheywereusingeverythingviaa “So that's a category of cybersecurity. It's also known as the central nervous system of your environment that you need as a business to protect yourself.”

TheJourneySoFar WithIBMasthevendorandasa partnerchannelprovider,Alacrinethas becomeatrustedservicesandsolution provider,providingtheircustomersa greatjointserviceandgreatproduct solutionthathelpstheirbusinessgoto thatnextlevelandattainmuchbetter eﬃciencies,muchbetterreturnontheir investmentandmuchbetterbusiness

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“Our experienced staﬀ makes it easy when we go to sell to a customer, as we all understand the work method and what the customers' speciﬁc needs are.” phoneormobiledevicetodotheir

Thisbusiness.madeeverytasksimplerand muchmoreefficient,fromscanning billsoflandingafterdroppingofftheir loadssothattheycouldgetitsigned fromtheDocmanagersorsupervisors andquicklysendinvoicetothe customers.Withthenewsystemsin place,Swift'squotetocashduration decreasedsignificantlyandthe accountsreceivablescameinmuch soonerduetothenewefficiencies. Thiswasjustonesolutionthat Alacrinetbuiltthroughouttheir relationshipwithIBM.BeinganIBM partner,thecompanyalsosoldsome moreofthestrategicproductslike WebSphere.Betweentheyears2011 and2013,Alacrinetstartedfocusingon cybersecurityandinthecybersecurity area,theystartedprovidingSIEM serviceswithQRadar(Security InformationEventManagement). Thecompanystartedsellingthese productsearlyin2013,andchannelled alltheirfocusonwhatdirectionthe companywouldgoasanIBMbusiness partner.Theteamquicklyrealizedthat

allowingchannelpartnerstosellIBM enterprisesoftware,itpresentedan opportunityforBouchardwhohas spenthisearlycareeratIBM deliveringIBMenterprisesoftware solutionstocustomers.

Likepackages.everygreatentrepreneurwho ﬁndshimselfintheopportunistic dimensionofthings,Briansawthis opportunitytoresellthesesoftware packagesandimplementthemasa smallercompanyasanIBMbusiness partner,whichhelpedIBMtoexpand andgrowthefootprintacrossthe Brian,market.alongwiththreeother consultants,leftIBMtostart AlacrinetinSanDiego. Twoyears latertheymovedthecompanytoPalo InAlto.2020,aprestigioushonorcame alongthewaywhenAlacrinetwas namedtheNorthAmericapartnerof theyear,amongthe6000other partnersintheIBMecosystemin NorthAmerica.Whathelped Alacrinetachievethismilestonewas thefactthattheteamworkswiththe IBMteamasaco-ordinatedgroup.

“I saw an opportunity that these enterprise software packages that IBM sold to large and medium enterprises had built a momentum and it was going to continue.” Whatacceleratedthiswasthebig boomoftheInternet.The.com bubblewastakingshapeandallthese enterprisesoftwarepackageswere thendeliveredtocustomerswith muchease.Consultantsintegrated andimplementedthesesoftware

Theoutcomes.companyhashadalotofgreat successesovertheyears.Amongthem, acompletedigitaltransformationof SwiftTransportation,abigtrucking companyhasbeenoneofthemost prominentoftheirachievements.

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MANAGEDSECURITYSERVICES

“We work with your team to meet the service level you need.”

PENETRATIONTESTING

TheAlacrinetteamisfocusedon knowingthelatestthreats,preventing vulnerabilities,andprovidingvalue.

TheProductsandServicesWiththeincreasingneedfor cybersecurity,it'simportanttostayahead ofthegame.WorkwithanMSSPthat understandsyourbusinessandthe informationtechnologythatsupportsit.

therewasn'tgoingtobeanyone companythatcoulddoitall,andasthe nextviablestepforward,Alacrinet startedpartneringwithseveralother vendorsandcybersecuritysolution companieslikeCarbonBlack, CrowdStrike,Zscaler,andSentinelOne.

VulnerabilityAssessments&Security Reporting Diﬀerentprojectsandcompliance regulationsrequiresdiﬀerenttypesof reports.Theteamunderstandsthe intricaciesofcompliancereportingand

Identifyvulnerabilitiesinyoursecurity andmeetingcompliancerequirements withcomprehensivepenetrationtests. WithaGreyBoxapproach,Alacrinet givesathoroughanalysiswithautomated scanstotestthestrengthofyour credentials,thenmanualtestingby expertstoidentifylesscommon vulnerabilities.

Yourbusiness,securityenvironment, team,andprioritiesareuniquetoyour company Alacrinetoﬀersarangeof serviceoptionstomeetyourspeciﬁc needsandaddresskeyelementsof securingyourenvironment.Forsome, thatmeansfull24x7x365monitoring, alertingandresponse.Forothers,it's takingcareofadministrativetasksand maintaininguptime.

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MikePena-LeadingtheWay MikePena,VPofCyberRiskServicesat Alacrinet,startedhiscareerasanequity traderforTrustCompanyoftheWesta fewyearspriortothecrashof2008. The recessionturnedtheﬁnancialmarkets upsidedownandacareerinthatindustry seemedfruitless.

Cloud,Analytics,Mobile,Social,and PortaloﬀerkeysolutionsforyourIT infrastructure.It'scriticalforeach solutiontoworktogetherandwiththe securitytoolsyou'veinvestedin.With yearsofexperienceimplementingthe leadingsolutions,Alacrinet'steamof engineers,analysts,anddevelopersare readytomeetyourmostcomplex challenges.

Astest.anexample,eachpentesterfollows the'OWASPTop10'security vulnerabilitiesandstaysabreastof popularhacks.Duringeach engagement,theylookbeyondthe typicalattacksbut,moreimportantly, theylookattheclient'senvironment withthegoalof'future-prooﬁng' potentialvulnerabilities.

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StrongSecuritySolutions,Stronger Team“Our team brings together broad industry knowledge – from the latest hacks to leading solution features –and deep technical knowledge to give actionable insights.”

havetheskillsandtoolsreadytoassist yourteam.

SCAN VulnerabilityAssessmentsquickly identiﬁesgapswithautomatedscans.

“Trading taught me how develop my prskilanalyticalls,reﬁnebusinessocesses,andunderstandtrends.”

ANALYZE NIST-CSFreportingprovidesin-depth analysisofyourentireenvironment.

Combinedwiththeirreal-world experienceandthefocusonlookingat futurevulnerabilities,theybring uniqueinsighttoeachpenentration

ASSIST Pre-ISOandPre-CMMCAudit Assistancetoensurecompliance.

Thenatureofcybersecurityand maliciousattackscanbeverycomplex, sohavinganoutsideexpertlookat whatmaycauseproblemsinthefuture canhelpclientsavoidvulnerabilities downtheroad.Andwhilethereare solutionstohelpminimizerisksin betweenpentests;scansandAIsimply havenotcaughtuptothepowerof humanreviewandinsight.

Atthatpoint,Mikelefttradingand startedhissecurityconsultingcareer. Mikehasconsultedinvariouscyber securitycapacitiesforpolice departments,correctionalfacilities,and privatesectordetails.Mike's experiencewithclientsrangefromthe privatesectortoFortune500 companiesandrepresentindustries suchasmanufacturing,logistics,retail, e-commerce,industrialchemical,and Prioragriculture.tojoiningAlacrinet,hewasthe businessdirectorfortheacclaimed PentestingresearchﬁrmRhino SecurityLabs,inSeattle,Washington.

SOLUTIONS+SERVICES

INTEGRATIONS& CUSTOMIZATIONS

Mostcompanieshavealreadyinvested signiﬁcantlyinsoftwaresolutionsand wanttostayincontrolofwhat'susedfor theirsecurity That'swhyAlacrinet continuestoselltheleadingsecurity solutionsforimplementationonyour networkandoﬀeradditionalservices whereahumanfactorisneeded.

“We assemble great technology to create and integrate customized solutions.”

What'smore,asanagilecompany, Alacrinetquicklyﬁttheskillsneeded toeachclientorsituation. Theirexpertpentesterseachhavea numberofcertiﬁcations(CISSP,OSCP, OSCE,CEH,GPEN,GWAT,GAWN tonameafew),thatoftenrequire extensivetrainingtoachieve.

Brian'sAdvicetotheBudding Entrepreneurs“ITSecuritycontinuestogrowmore andmorecomplex,withnewsolutions, features,integrations,andother options.Toexcelinthisever-changing environment,youmuststicktoyour strengths.Butatthesametime,you needtobuildrelationshipsbasedon deeptechnicalknowledgeand dedicationtobringtoyourclientsonly thebestsolutionsandservices. Oneofthemostimportantthingsapart fromasteadyfocusistoadapttothe newandcomingtrendsand technologies,andworkingwithzealto provideyourcustomerswithaservice theycancompletelyrelyon.”

Hulford | CEO & Founder | APRIL 202220

Paul

WhenAttainInsightacquiredtheIntellectualPropertyfor thissecuritytechnology,theteamturnedthisintotheir securityproductcalledAttainInsightSecurity4X. Thishas allowedthecompanytobecomeuniquelypositionedto solvemanycustomerchallenges,throughIBMCognos ®Analytics andtheirintegratedproprietarytechnology.No otherpartnerhadasimilaroﬀeringatthetime,andit remainsauniqueworldclassoﬀeringtoday

Asthevolumeofdatacontinuestoexplode,the abilitytomakesenseofitbecomesmorediﬃcult. Thisistheexactreasonwhyitissoimportantto haveatrustedbusinessanalyticsadvisor,toguideyou throughthecomplexitiesofdataandanalyticstechnology tohelpyourbusinessderivemeaningfulbusinessinsights andscaletogreaterheights.

Analytics Solutions from a Trusted Partner

OvercomingChallenges WhenPaulstartedthecompany,hedidsobecauseatthe time,hesawanopportunitytosupportthelocalgovernment andtheemergingmid-marketdemandsfordata.Asmore IBMpartnerscameonboard,therewasincreased competitionforthesamebusiness.Thischallengeturned intoanopportunitytodiﬀerentiateAttainInsight. Governmentandlargeprivatesectorﬁrmswerelookingfor advancedsecurityexpertiseandsolutions.

AttainInsightfocusesonproductsandservicesthathelp clientsmanagetheirdataandanalyticstounlockthevalue oftheirdatainnewways,answerthetoughestquestions, uncoverpatterns,anddrivebusinesstransformationwith ®artiﬁcialintelligence(AI).AsatrustedIBM GoldBusiness Partner,thecompanydeploysandprovidestrainingonthe fullsuiteofIBM'sDataandAnalyticssolutions.

“I saw a need for a security solution that would help customers do more with IBM Analytics, so I invested in a ®new technology called Attain Insight Security 4X .”

®AttainInsightisproudtobeanIBM Tier1Business PartnerforGovernment.

“We provide specialized software solutions and consulting services for Business Intelligence and Analytics, Software License Compliance, Data and Information Access Control, Data Visualization and Mapping, Enterprise Performance Management and Data Warehousing.”

TheProductsandServices

AttainInsightoﬀerstheseIBMproductsolutions: IBM ® ®CloudPak forData,IBMCognos Analytics,IBM ® ®PlanningAnalyticswithWatson ,CognosTM1 , ® ® ® ®InfoSphere ,DataStage ,Db2 andSPSS www.theenterpriseworld.com

ThisissueofTheEnterpriseWorldhighlightsThe5Best IBMSolutionProvidersToWatchIn2022.Herewe're featuringAttainInsightSolutionsInc.,ananalyticssolution providerhelpingcompaniesdrivebusinesstransformation. TheCompany ®AttainInsight isatrustedanalyticstechnologyadvisorto governmentandprivatesectorﬁrms,focusedondelivering therightdata‐drivensolutionsthatelevatedecision‐making forbetterbusinessoutcomes.

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ForgingAhead

PaulHulford-LeadingtheWay CEOandFounder

Fromayoungage,Paulhadapassionforbothtechnology andbusinessandhestudiedandtrainedintheseareasat universityearningdegreesinbothComputerScienceand Commerce. Inhisprofessionaljourney,Paulnowhasover 25yearsofexperienceindataandanalyticsofwhicha decadewasspentatIBM/Cognos,managingkeyinitiatives suchasmobileanalytics,intelligencesearchandstrategic relationshipswithGoogle,RIMandglobalsearchvendors.

“What sets us apart from others in the market, is that we oﬀer products that complement IBM's solution oﬀering.”

AtAttainInsight,theyregularlymonitorindustrystandards forpaytoalwaysensurethattheteamispaidabove industryaverage.

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“Our products and services beneﬁt businesses by streamlining business processes and removing unnecessary risks.”

greattraininggroundandpreparationforhimand ultimatelyledhimtostarthisownbusiness-AttainInsight in2008.

Paulbroughtinaseasonedmanagementteamthattakesa veryhands-onapproachinallaspectsofservicedelivery ensuringthehighestpossiblestandardsofexecution.

AttainInsightputstechnologyinplacethatwillprovide conﬁdencethatsystemsaredoingwhatthey'resupposedto andinsodoingremovetheriskofsomeonegetting unauthorizedaccesstodata.Thefocushereisoncritical businessissues.

Seniormanagementhasaveryopenpolicywhenitcomes toaddressingtheneedsandconcernsofitsemployees.

Itisthefounder'sstrongbeliefthattheentireteamisunique inthatnotonlyaretheytechnicallyskilledinmultipleareas suchasdataanalytics,locationintelligence,securityand hosting,butalsobringtothetablegreat“people”skillsin termsofcommunication,empathy,andpositivitywhenit comestoworkingwiththeirfellowteammembers,partners andclients.

FollowinghistimeatIBM/Cognos,Paulworkedasa BusinessAnalyticsconsultantforseveralyearsforasmall consultingﬁrm. Allofhispastworkexperienceswerea

ASeasonedManagementTeam

“I believe that we have created an environment where our employees feel that their contributions are valued and recognized.”

Theteamstrivestoﬁndwaystoensurethattheiremployees arenotonlycomfortableandhappywiththeirroleswithin theorganizationbutalsowellcompensatedfortheireﬀorts.

“Our employees are the lifeblood of the company and are treated as such.”

Active,open,andongoingdialoguewithsenior managementispartoftheorganizationalcultureandis stronglyencouraged. Thisapproachempowersemployees andcontributestoAttainInsight'sgreattrackrecordwhenit comestoemployeesatisfaction(andinturnretention).

“One of the primary reasons that I started Attain Insight was to address a market need in the Ottawa region for a company that could service the growing need for IBM Cognos professional services.”

TheAttainteamsawseveralunmetneedsfortheirclients, sotheydecidedtoinvestinproprietarytechnologythat complementsIBMsolutions,includingSecurity4Xand Map SecurityIntelligence.4Xisacentralizedsecurityadministrationand compliancemanagementsolution,purpose-builttohandle complexenterprisesecurityrequirementsacrossthefull suiteofIBMBusinessAnalyticsproducts. MapIntelligencehelpscustomersdiscoverdeeperinsights intotheirdatathroughbringingthegeospatialelementinto IBMAnalyticsusingEsriArcGISMaps.

ThesecomplementaryoﬀeringsincludeAttainInsight Security4Xforenterprisecentralizedsecurity administration,accesscontrolandcompliancemanagement TMandAttainInsightMapIntelligence ,alocation intelligenceplatform,plugandplaywithIBMCognos ® ®AnalyticsandEsri ArcGIS Thisallowsthecustomersto derivegreatervaluefromtheirexistingtechnology investmentsandmakequickerbusinessdecisions.

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Cybersecurity Agency vs In-House: Which Is Better Suited For Your Business? www.theenterpriseworld.com | 27

Yourentireoperationswillbeatriskof suchthreatswithoutcybersecurity You mayendupshuttingdownyour businesspermanentlyorpayinghefty coststocontinueyouroperations.Now, thequestionis,shouldyououtsource orestablishanin-housecybersecurity

•know:Malware–malicioussoftware thatdestroysdevices

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• Ransomware–encryptsdatain exchangeforaransom

Onedepartment?ofthebiggestdilemmaswhen buildingcybersecurityprotocolsis whetherornottohireathird-party agencyorsetupyourownITsecurity team.Bothareexcellentoptions capableofprotectingyourvitaldata andsecuringyournetwork'ssafety However,itwouldbebesttoconsider theirprosandconsbeforecomingup withadecision.Knowingthese elementswillhelpyouunderstand whatyourbusinessneeds.

ybersecurityorinformation technology(IT)securityisan essentialoperationthat protectsdata,computers,systems,and networksfrommaliciousthreatsand attacks.Ifyou'rerunningawebsite, youalreadyunderstandhowimportant itisregardlessofthenatureofyour Herebusiness.arethemostcommon cyberattacksandthreatsyoushould

WhatAreTheProsAndConsOf HiringACybersecurityAgency? Outsourcingisanexcellentoptionfor smallbusinessesnotcapableof establishingtheirownsecurity commands.Ifyou'dliketoknowmore

• Phishing–afraudulentattack fromsomeoneclaimingtobea legitimateinstitution

•Cons:ﬁeld.

• ProfessionalAndExperienced Services–Oneofthereasonswhy businesseshireacybersecurity solutionisforprofessionalwork skillsandethics.Having experiencedandskilledpersonnel allowsyoutoaccessknowledge andexpertiseyoucan'tﬁnd anywhereelse.Itwillalsogive youanadditionalsenseofsecurity, knowingthatyou'reworkingwith professionalsandexpertsinthis

• RiskOf ServicesNon-Personalized –Althoughmost agenciesprovidetailor-ﬁt solutions,somestilloﬀerreadymadeservices.Therefore,you havetobevigilantanddoyour homeworkaboutthecompany beforehiringthem.Ifyou'renot carefulenough,you'llonlywaste yourtimeandmoneyfornothing.

systemwhenyouhiresomeone. Usually,thelimitationsareon whatwasagreedbeforehand.You mayalsoberequiredtoaddor installsoftwaretheyneedtodo theirjobsproperly

Takealookatsomeprosandconsof buildingyourownin-house cybersecurityoperationscommand:

•Pros:provider:

• LowEntryExpenses–Another greatthingabouthiringa cybersecurityproviderisitslow entrycosts.Therefore,ifyou're runningastartupbusiness,you'll getreliableprotectionwithout spendingmuch.Besides,the outsourcingcostismuchlower thanestablishingyourown cybersecuritycommands.

LessControl–Understandthat therewillbelimitedaccessand controloveryourcybersecurity housesecurityoperations.Itwill allowyoutointegrateeverytool andsolutionyouwantwithoutany problem.

• Expensive–Establishingyour owncybersecurityoperations requirestonsofresources, particularlytimeandmoney. Moreover,theexpensesarenot somethingyoushouldignore, especiallywhenyou'reonly startingyourbusiness.Sacriﬁcing toomuchmayputotheroperations atrisk.

• Time-Consuming–Planningan effectivecybersecuritystrategy takestimeandeffort.Youneedto hirethenecessarystafftohelp protectyourentiresystemand networkfrompotentialthreatsand attacks.

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• Integrations–Ifyouhavepreinstalledcybersecuritysoftware, anoutsourcedprovidermaynotbe familiarwithwhatyou'reusing. Thisisn'taproblemifyouhaveinaboutthis,youmaycallLisnictoday forcybersecurityservicesorvisityour localsecurityserviceprovider However,thereareinstanceswhenyou havetocompromisetheoverallcontrol andcomplywiththeagency's agreement.Thatsaid,youmightwant toconsiderthefollowingprosandcons ofhiringathird-partysolutions

FinalWords Aftergoingthroughthediscussion here,haveyoudecidedwhatworks wellwithyourbusiness?Regardless, therightcybersecuritysolutionfor yourcompanywilldependonyour needsandcurrentresources. Ifyou'rerunningasmallbusinessora startup,hiringanagencyisyourbest optionbecauseyouhavelimitedfunds tobuildyourown.Yetifyou'relooking forwardtothefuture,establishingyour owncybersecurityteamwillbean excellentinvestment.

WhatAreTheProsAndConsOf BuildingAnIn-HouseCybersecurity Team? Establishinganin-housecybersecurity teamisagoodinvestmentforyour business'sfuturegrowthand expansion.Itoﬀersﬂexibility regardingyourcybersecuritysystem. However,itwillrequirealotof resourcestosetitup,whichmostsmall businessesandstartupsdon'thave.

•Pros:MoreControl–Youhavemore controlovertheentireoperations ofyourowncybersecurity solutions.Yougetwhatyouwant toincludeinyoursystem, includingthestaﬀyouneed. Likewise,you'resurethatevery processremainsconﬁdential,so noneofitwillgetexposedoutside yourcompany

Scalability–Oneofthebenefits ofhiringthird-partyservicesis theirabilitytoscaleyoursecurity protocolsdependingonyour businessneeds.It'sagreatfeature forsmallbusinessesaimingto expand.Italsooffersflexibilityat affordablepricingmodels.

Cons:

Benoit Martel | President | APRIL 202230

Whichwasthatpointthattriggeredthegrowthofthe company?

Convincinglargecompaniestodobusinesswithastart-up

TransformingyourITinfrastructureformsthe backboneofthedigitaltransformation.Whenit's doneright,aneffectivedigitaltransformation initiativecanhelporganizationsmodernizelegacy processes,organizeworkflowsformaximumefficiencyand strengtheninformationsecurity.Inshort,transformationis aboutfuture-proofingyourbusiness.

Onethingthatsetsusapartisthatwe'vegotthemostcloud certiﬁcationsinCanada:ISO27001,ISO27017,ISO 27018,SOC2TYPE2,EcovadisandTIERIII.Our continuousimprovementprocesswillmakesureyourcloud environmentsalwaysmeetthelatestsecurity,compliance andmaintenancestandards.

Recruitingqualiﬁedworkerswithin-demandskills,despite theongoinglabourshortage

Reassuringclientsthattheirsensitivedatacanbesafely storedonourcloudcomputingsolutions

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Whatweretheinitialchallengesyoufaced?

R2iisanITconsultingﬁrmandequipmentsupplier,andit's alsooneofthe5BestIBMSolutionProviderstoWatchin 2022,accordingtoTheEnterpriseWorld. WeinterviewedBenoitMartel,PresidentofR2i,togain insightsaboutthecompany'simpressiveriseandsolutions forthefuture. Tellusaboutthecompany.

Buildingawarenessandtrustinasmallmarketandgaining thelargestmarketshareofIBMPowersystemsinthe Financingcountryoursubstantialstart-upcosts

Step Into

Future

Asarelativelynewplayer,R2ihascomeupagainsta numberofchallenges,butfortunatelywe'vealwaysfound waystoovercomethem.Someoftheseissuesinclude:

R2i'sfourCanadian-basedISO-certifieddatacentresoffer cloudinfrastructureforIBMPower,x86,sharedstorageand SAPHanaofferings.

OnemajorfactorwasachievingIBMPlatinumPartner level.Infact,wewerethefirstpartnerinQuebectoearn thistop-tierstatus. Inourfirstfiveyearsofbusiness,R2isuccessfullyranked amongthetopthreeIBMresellersinQuebecandthetop fiveinCanada.Eventhoughourinitialteamwasmadeup ofjustsixpeople,wesurpassedestablishedcompanieswith morethan20yearsinthefieldandupwardsof100 employees.We'vealsoseenoursalesincreasedramatically, climbingmorethan225%inthelastthreeyears,from$11 millionin2018to$25millionin2021. the with Innovative Solutions

R2ispecializesincloudcomputing(private,publicand hybrid),24/7managedservices,datacentresolutionsand artiﬁcialintelligence.We'reheadquarteredinMontrealand haveoﬃcesinOttawaandToronto.

R2ihasbeensuccessfulbecausewehaveanin-depth understandingofthemarketandthecompetition,andalso becausewe'recommittedtooﬀeringunparalleledcustomer service.Asacompany,wemadeastrategicdecisionto specializeinthetraditionalmarketoflargeIBMPower SystemsenterpriseserversforIBMIandAIX,whichis somethingthatfewofourcompetitorsdo.Thishasallowed ustopickupagoodnumberofcustomerswhoweren'table togetsatisfactoryservicefortheirneeds.Theresthasbeen throughword-of-mouth;whenyougetpositivereferrals, yourclientbasegrowsquickly

ourOttawateamtosupportbusinessgrowthintheNational Capital SeventhRegion.year:Ourteamhasgrownto45talentedpeople andtherearemorehiresonthehorizon. Whatisdrivingyourcompany'ssuccess?

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Fifthyear:WeopenedasecondlocationinMontrealand anoﬃceinOttawatoservethegovernmentsector Atthe sametime,wehiredanHRspecialistandanother8 Sixthemployees.year:Despitealltheupheavalduetothepandemic, weopenedanoﬃceinTorontoandaddedmorepeopleto Tamara Vandersluis, Vice-President Innovation Nicolas Brodeur, Director SolutionsArchitect Frédéric Marcil ,Technical Services Director Bernard Deschênes, Senior Director ITand Human Capital

Howhavethecompanygraphschangedsincethe foundation?Canyoushareafewstatistics?

Fourthyear:Wemadefurtherinvestmentsingrowingour teamandbroughtthenumberupto23full-timers.

Firstyear:OurﬁrststepwastoputtogetherwhatI considerthebestteaminQuebec(6people).

Secondandthirdyears:Wesetupa24/7monitoring center,mademajorinvestmentsininternalsystemsand increasedourworkforcefrom6to11employees.

Ourteamisknownfortheirexpertiseindatacentres, cloudinfrastructure,managedservicesanddigital transformation. Howdoyouhelpcompaniesincreasebusiness scalabilityandsustainability? AtR2i,wespecializeinhigh-performance,scalable serversandstorage,openenvironments,software solutions,networks,datacentresandancillary equipment.Ourhighlyskilledteambuildsarchitecture sothatitcangrowtosupportallITobjectives.Weoffer clientscustomandturnkeyinfrastructuresolutionsto helpthemgetthemostfromtheirITservices.This meansequippingclientswitharobustenvironmentthat meetstheircurrentchallengesandfutureambitions.R2i alsooffersahighlyflexiblecloudthatallowsbusinesses toscaleondemandandstayagileinacompetitive world. Howdoyoudecidetotakethecompanyastep furtherintermsofyourproducts/services?

AddingISOcertiﬁcationsafewyearsagowasa game-changerforR2i,sinceitboostedourcredibility andindustryrecognition.Today,someofCanada's largestcompaniesrelyontheR2iCloudtohostand managetheircriticalbusinessapplications. Canyoupleasebriefusaboutyourprofessional experience?

R2iistheITpartnerofchoiceforbusinessesthatwant tosucceedinadigitalworld.Ourclientscancountonus tohelpthemmakethemostoftheirITassetshostedon prem,inthecloudorinahybridarrangement. Ourgoal?Weaimtomaximizeourclients'productivity bygettingthemsetupwithcutting-edgetechnologies andhighlysecurecloudcomputingsolutions,andalso oﬀeringthemreliablesupportservices.

Our24/7Canadianmonitoringcenterisdefinitelya differentiatorfromourcompetitors.We'reproudtooffer abilingualmonitoringcentre(levels1to3)thatgives ourcustomersaccesstoround-the-clocksupportin EnglishorFrench,fromtechnicianslocatedinCanada. Ourteamwillmakesureyourinfrastructureissecure anddeliversoptimalperformanceatalltimes.

SinceIhaveastrongtechnicalbackground,Ican contributetoallprojectphases,fromsolutiondesignto architecture,projectmanagement,deliveryand,more importantly,ongoingsupport.

R2iisalsocarefulaboutwhowepartnerwith.Welook forinnovativeproductsandcomprehensivesolutions. Butthetrustgoesbothways.With250+certifications (including100IBMcertifications),we'veearnedthe confidenceofourpartners,whoknowwecan successfullydeploytheirITsolutions.

Strongcustomerrelationshipsareimportanttomeand I'mproudofthelong-termpartnershipsI'veestablished withmanyofmyclients.I'vealsohadthehonourof workingwithcompaniesinallkindsofindustries, includingretail,bankingandinsurance,anddistribution.

FoundingR2igavemethechancetocombinemy passionfortechnologywithmypassionforbusiness. But,ofcourse,thecompanyissomuchmorethanjust me.We'vegotahighlyexperiencedteamthatsharesmy driveforexcellenceandcommitmenttoproviding outstandingcustomerservice.

Whatarethekeyachievementsofyour entrepreneurialjourney? Mygreatestachievements?Buildingoneofthemost reputableIBMBusinessPartnerbrandsinCanadaand becomingtheﬁrstIBMPlatinumbusinesspartnerin Quebecwithin2yearsoffoundingthecompany

I'malsoextremelyproudthatR2ihasearnednumerous ISOcertiﬁcationsforourCloudPoweroﬀeringandthat we'reabletohostsomeofthelargestenterprisesin Canada.

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Whataretheproducts/servicesthecompanyfocuses on?Howareyourservicesdiﬀerentfromthoseinthe market?

www.theenterpriseworld.com

I'mpassionateaboutITandbusinessstrategy,andhave beenworkingintheﬁeldfor25years.Throughoutmy career,I'vehadtheprivilegeofaligningITinfrastructure andsolutionswithbusinessrequirementsforawide rangeofcustomers,includinglargemultinational companiesandsmallerbusinesses.Inmanyways,Iowe mysuccesstomyabilitytocommunicatewitheasewith bothtechnicalstaﬀandexecutives.

How to Effectively Promote Your Business With Digital Marketing | APRIL 202236

4.CreateawebsiteandimplementSEO Creatingabusinesswebsiteisalsohighly recommendedforyourbusiness.Ifyouwanttobetter utilizeyourbusinesswebsiteinpromotingyour business,youwillneedtoconsistentlyperform searchengineoptimizationtoachievedesirable outcomesforyourbusiness.Ifyoucandoityourself, youmayconsidergettinghelpfromexpertslike DigitalSpotlight.

5.Videomarketing

Summary Towrapupthediscussion,wecansaythatinorder foryoutohaveasuccessfulbusinesswebsitethat boostsyoursales,youwillneedtoeffectivelyutilize digitalmarketing.Nomatterhowbrilliantand incredibleyourproductsorservicesare,ifyoudonot communicateeffectivelywithyourtargetaudience, youwillneverbeabletoachievesuccessinyourline ofbusiness.Youhavetocommunicateyourbusiness offersandallowyourselftostandoutamongtherest ofyourcompetitors.Youcanonlyachievethisifyou haveeffectiveutilizationofdigitalmarketingasone ofyourmarketingstrategies.

ostbusinessownersthesedaysareMalreadyinclinedwithdigitalmarketing. Inthismoderneraoftechnological advancements,utilizingtechnologiesandthe internetisnotevenanargumentanylonger

www.theenterpriseworld.com

1.Maximizeonlineadvertising

Payyourutmostattentiontoyouronlinemarketing campaigns.Thereissomuchyoucandowithyour digitalmarketingcampaigns.Youjusthaveto bringthebestoutofyouronlineadvertisements.If youwanttostartreachingyourlocaltarget audienceandyourbusinessisinthecityof Chicago,youcanlookforareputableChicagobaseddigitalmarketingagencytohelpyou maximizeyouronlineadvertisements.Youdon't havetohesitatetoprioritizeyourdigitalmarketing campaignsbecause,inreturn,itwillallowyouto boostyoursalesandproﬁt.

Someofthemostcommonpurposesofemail marketingincludedownloadingsomething,signing upforsomething,ormakingapurchaseofa productoraservice.Thisiswhyemailmarketing ishighlyrecommendedforbusinessowners becausetheycandirectlyreachouttotheirtarget audienceusingemail.

Almosteverybusinessownerconsiderspromoting theirproductsorservicesonline.Thereareseveral waysforyoutopromoteyourbusinessonline.You canuseblogging,youcanusevlogging,andyou canusemultiplesocialmediaplatforms.Attheend oftheday,itallboilsdowntotheeffectivenessof yourdigitalmarketingcampaigns.Consideringthe largenumberofcompetitorsthatyouhaveonthe internet,youhavetoworkyourwaytokeepup andeffectivelypromoteyourbusinesswithdigital Managingmarketing.abusinesscanbealotmore complicatedthanwhatyouimagine.Ifyouwantto effectivelypromoteyourbusinesswithdigital marketing,here'showyoudoit:

Anothersigniﬁcanttypeofdigitalmarketingis contentmarketing.Whenwetalkaboutcontent marketing,itinvolvesthecreationofcontentsuchas videos,blogs,andsocialmediaposts.Theseonline materialsorcontentwillbesharedwithpeopleacross thewholeworld.Usually,thecontentdoesnot explicitlypromoteabrand.However,byeﬀective implementationofcontentmarketing,yourgoalisto createcontentthatisintendedtostimulateinterestfor yourproductsorservices.

2.Launchanemailmarketingcampaign

Ifyougoacrosstheinternet,videosarelocated almosteverywhere.Thisiswhyvideomarketingis oneoftheultimateprioritiesofbusinessownersin promotingtheirproductsorservices.Inavideo,you caneﬀectivelyshowcaseyouroﬀersandpersuadethe clientsorcustomersintopurchasingyourproductsor services.

Onewayyoucaneffectivelypromoteyour businessisbylaunchinganemailmarketing campaign.Anemailmarketingcampaignrefersto acoordinatedsetofindividualemailmessages. Theseparticularmessagesaredeployedacrossa specificperiodoftimewithonespecificpurpose.

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3.Contentmarketing