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How to Use This Important Digital Tool to Increase Your ROI

The Best Digital Tool to Invest in Right Now

Technology has come a long way since we first had a glimpse of what it could do. While that may sound cliche, there’s a whole lot of truth and mind-blowing detail wrapped in that simple statement. At the initial stage of technology’s arrival, we familiarized ourselves with hardware like printers, desktops, laptops, mobile phones, and lots more, and we used them to complete simple tasks with basic software for messaging, keeping time, taking pictures, and saving dates on our calendar. However, with time, the software has evolved massively and that has started an entirely different revolution under which anything can be made possible and easy too.

READ MORE: 21 Digital Tools To Use For Your Business In 2021.

Today, there are over a billion applications on the different app stores that exist, enabling us all to do just about anything we can think of.

Surviving through the pandemic has been hard, but with technology, businesses have been able to shut the doors to their physical offices and open a wider door online. Teams that have been dispersed across the world have been able to bridge the distance using collaboration software, complete million-dollar projects right from the comfort of a couch and celebrate wins – whether big or small – together.

Riding on the wings of this technological revolution, we at Descasio have continued to create tailored solutions for businesses of all sizes across Africa and beyond. Transforming businesses through technology has always been our goal. To see local businesses gain the digital advantage and begin to play on the global field is all that we live for.

To make that transition process easier, we recently launched a tool that allows business owners to run an X-ray of their business to find out which bones are cracking and which ones could use a little bit of firming up.

Typically, this solution helps businesses conduct a self-assessment, see what areas they need to improve on, see how technology can help them achieve better results in those areas, understand what technology solutions will be more appropriate for them, and get recommendations on the next steps to take in achieving their desired business outcome. In this simple guide, we’ll be showing you how to use our Digital Transformation Assessment Tool.

1. Visit https://assessments.descasio.io/

Our Digital Transformation Assessment Tool can be accessed via your web browser on smartphones and PCs of all kinds, i.e. IOS, Android, and Windows. To access the tool, open your web browser and type in the URL as seen above. Or simply click here to be redirected to the tool.

2. Sign up

Sign up in one easy step by filling in your desired email address and a unique password. We are very big on security. Hence, we’ve done everything possible on our path to ensure that this tool is 100% safe for users. However, we encourage healthy security practices for all our customers and so we advise that you do the following both here and elsewhere;

1. Create passwords with a minimum of 8 characters.
2. Write some letters of your password in uppercase. It doesn’t always have to be the first character, you can mix it up to reduce the chances of hackers guessing your password.
3. Use special characters (*, ‘ , ^, 🙂
4. Do not share your password with any unauthorized or unknown user.

Select the appropriate answer for each question
To make the assessment easier and faster for users, we have provided a set of options for each question. This way you wouldn’t have to spend long hours thinking of the best way to construct your answers and can complete the assessment in as little time as 10 mins. However, we implore users to select the most appropriate answers for each question as it relates to them, as this will impact on the accuracy of the report that will be issued to them at the end of the assessment.

a. Monitor the progress of your assessment

Easily monitor the progress of your assessment by watching the progress bar on the bottom left of your screen.

b. Pause and resume your assessment

Need to attend to urgent tasks right in the middle of your assessment? Not to worry. You can easily hit the “Save & Continue Later” button at the bottom right of your screen to save your assessment and resume later.

Get a report on your business’s digital maturity profile

Now to the main tea – the report. After ticking your way to the end of the assessment, hit submit and do a little stretch. Your digital maturity report should be waiting on your screen as soon as you look back down.

Get recommendations on how to improve your business across critical pillars

In combination with actionable insights into your business’s current position on the digital maturity scale, you will also be getting recommendations on how to improve your business processes, customer experience, and products to help you meet your business target.

Now you know exactly what you need to do, so don’t gamble. Don’t hesitate. Take your digital transformation assessment today.

5 Min. Read//by

10 Things You Need To Know About Digital Transformation

It is unimaginable to start a business right now without thinking of its digital journey. In today’s world, going digital is the only way you can stay ahead of the competition as the world continues to move swiftly in the digital direction.

Before taking that leap from the traditional mode of business operation to digital, business owners must understand what it all entails. In this blog, we will be sharing with you ten things you need to know about digital transformation. But before we get into that, let’s lay some foundations and start with the definition of digital transformation.

What is Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation is the cultural, and operational change of an organization, industry, or ecosystem through smart integration of digital technologies, processes, and competencies across all levels and functions in a staged and strategic way. Simply put, it is all about strategically using technology to enhance internal business processes, products, and ultimately consumer experience.

A typical example of an aspect of digital transformation that we all witnessed recently was businesses switching from working from a physical location to working remotely and using different cloud-based software to collaborate and keep the workflow going.

Want To Learn a Little About the Cloud? Read Our Article on Top Companies Using Cloud Technology Including Netflix

In that scenario, we notice two major factors; a change in operation, the use of technology to support the operational change. These two factors combined is what digital transformation is all about.

Why Digital Transformation?

Our lives are being transformed daily using technology. We once trooped into banking halls to perform one form of transaction or the other, that process has been digitally transformed with the advent of banking apps, PoS and other digital payment tools.

This is just one amongst diverse examples of the huge impact of technology on processes. With digital comes convenience, ease of access, reduction in latency, increased return on investment (when properly deployed), scalability and many other values that businesses and their customers can benefit from. Hence, its importance.

Here are the 10 things about Digital Transformation you need to know.

The Future is not Digital

Going digital belongs to the past. Digitally transforming your entire business process is what determines the survival of your company/business in the future.

But digitally mature companies that have embraced and invested in technology in their early stages are more likely to transform quicker than the companies with little or no digital awareness.

Luckily, most businesses across all spectrums especially in Nigeria have woken up to the reality of a complete digital transformation.

Gen Z want to associate with Digitally inclined Brands

The major driving force behind the adoption of digital tools by brands are the Gen Z (people born after 1996). This digitally savvy demographic has made organizations to completely overhaul their business strategies in order to target and satisfy them, invariably making the demographic the biggest push for digital transformation.

Customers are the front and center of Digital

For most organizations, their journey into the digital world is mostly based on the parallel switch of a lot of their customers from offline to online. We can clearly see this shift from the Digital 2021: Nigeria report released by DataReportal which revealed that Nigeria’s increasing internet penetration rate currently stands at around 50%.

As more customers switch on that online bulb, more businesses will have little choice but to start their transformative digital journey to ensure that they are right where their customers are at.

Assessing your digital readiness is important

If it’s so important, then what exactly is it? Simply put, Digital readiness is defined by the level at which an organization or its workforce is prepared to transition into digitized workflows that are enabled by software and technology. To know this, organizations will usually have to sit through a consultation session.

Thankfully, with Descasio’s soon to be released solution, businesses will be able to complete this process faster and without having to interface with anyone.

Data is everything, or at least almost

Brands and organizations in the past hardly get any insight on their marketing campaigns and other initiatives. But with digital, organisations can turn to analytics and media monitoring tools to get better insight through data, insight that can help businesses to scale. It’s a total game changer for businesses.

Social Media is the new customer service desk

Listening and responding to customers across all social media channels (except for twitter currently) sounds daunting if you’re just getting started with some of the social media apps – like LinkedIn – on your own phone.

But a host of tools designed for social service makes it easy to highlight customer needs, integrate social channels into your service workflows, and start measuring brand sentiment and activity across social media.

Meeting your customers where they already are is a big part of winning business in our digital world. Approaching social service with a digital transformation mindset can really spell the difference between struggling to keep up with customer needs and turning service calls into opportunities to grow your brand.

AI is the go to digital tool for Businesses

Artificial intelligence systems can be incredibly helpful in their ability to comb through vast amounts of data in search of useful patterns and other insights and it’s no wonder big organisations and small and medium scale enterprises are in love with it.

The right skill set is needed

In considering undertaking the digital transformation journey, you must be aware of the fact that you might need to bring on digitally savvy people to the team in necessary areas and train existing staff members to use adopted technology in order to ensure a smooth run.

Any Businesses Can Be Transformed Digitally

Regardless of size or industry, every business can and should take steps to transform their operations through the use of technology. The most important thing is for the business to be able to pinpoint the areas where transformation is needed and plug in the relevant tech solutions that can bring about that needed change.

When this is done, the company can then monitor results and optimize as they go on.

Like Cryptocurrency Digital Transformation is Here to Stay

The world is currently bitten by the cryptocurrency bug. Most financial institutions are threatened by its whirlwind with some partially or outrightly banning it. This has only fuelled the push and acceptance for digital currency.

A lot of parallels can be drawn between cryptocurrency and digital transformation (the former is seen as the next frontier of digital transformation), the more business and corporate organisations delay the inevitable – the adoption of digital transformation, the faster they lose out.

Conclusion

It has become more apparent than ever that business owners and corporate organisations need to infuse digital transformation into their company/brand’s DNA as quickly as possible.

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6 Min. Read//by

Five Efficient Ways of Preventing Data Breaches

Five Efficient Ways of Preventing Data Breaches

We all get reminded of the importance of data security when reports of organizations losing millions to data attacks make the headlines. Based on recent reports, these attacks seem to be increasing rapidly. According to 2021 Data security report by Deloitte, SMEs, health institutions, public, private, financial, and non-financial institutions in Nigeria suffered massive hits from cybercriminals towards the end of last year and are expected to experience more of such attacks with higher magnitudes this year.

Major contributors to this have been the increase in mobile penetration in Nigeria and the adoption of new IT solutions which when not properly managed could create a premise for cyber-criminals to launch more attacks.

While some organizations still bear the notion that they are too small to be targets, others are learning to embrace the truth that data security should be a priority for every organization regardless of their size.

Data breaches, no matter how small, can ruin business processes and make customers doubt the credibility of an organization’s systems. Hence, Organizations today are expected to be strategic and practical about their approach towards securing their data. While this might sound like a huge task to take on, there are simple steps that organizations could take to strengthen their security posture.

These are five efficient tips for preventing your business from data breaches.

Make preparations ahead of time.

The most important step to preventing a data breach is to set up a defense before the attack is initiated. Making preparations ahead of time could involve carrying out a periodic vulnerability assessment to verify which of your assets are vulnerable to attacks. This will then inform the decision to tighten up loose ends that could be exploited by malicious actors. Preparing should also involve setting up a data recovery system to ensure that lost information can be restored in the event of a successful attack.

Avoid clicking unknown links

One of the most popular methods of launching cyber attacks is called phishing. It involves the use of a malicious link embedded into an email that is feigned to be sent from a reputable organization. This technique is usually used to steal sensitive data like credit card and login information or to install malware on the victim’s machine. A 2019 report by Verion established that 78% of cyber-attacks involve phishing. So, as simple as staying your hands and having a second look might be, it could go a long way in saving you and your company.

Educate your staff on security measures

Hold periodic training sessions on preventing data breaches with your team. Ensure to bring up point number two in those meetings and emphasize it. Ensure that each team member is up to date on security and privacy rules. Remember that you are just as strong as your weakest line of defense. It might take a while for the information shared during these sessions to stick. So, ensure to make the training sessions periodic.

Update software regularly

Updating your software on time could make your network less vulnerable. You can be on the lookout for updates or use products like Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer to confirm that all programs are up to date. This is a cost-effective and easy approach to preventing cyber-attacks.

Employ the service of a security optimization agency

With a security optimization agency, you can leverage the expertise of a team of industry specialists in managing security issues and maintaining a more secure posture in the cyber world. Let them focus on the work of keeping you safe, while you focus on your revenue generation and expansion goals without worry.

Want us to take care of your data security needs, send us an email @hi@descasio.io contact us on 01 912 5048.

4 Min. Read//by

5 Major Causes of Data Breaches

5 Major Causes of Data Breaches

Somewhere around the world, someone is punching their keypads real fast, or maybe slow – although I really like to picture it fast like in the movies – and here’s what they’re doing. They’re writing up codes and setting up malicious links just so they can slide behind your online security and steal away your personal data or that of your employees, or clients. Sadly, with new techniques, hackers are able to do this without raising any suspicions.

Now the big question is, how can you stop this? Here’s our answer to that. You first need to know what the major causes of data breaches are. How do hackers get in? Who or what can give them entry? Providing answers to these questions will help with creating a line of defense against attacks on your data. To help you with that, we compiled a list of top causes of data breaches and we’re going to share it with you in this blog.

Here’s our shortlist of top causes of data security breaches.

1. Weak passwords

You should be a little familiar with seeing those two words side by side. Basically, 90% of sign-up pages give you that “weak password” notification when you attempt to register a short and simple password. Bless the heroes behind those pages. Some even go as far as stopping you from moving to the next page until you create a strong password. However, some other pages give easy passes and we embrace it to our own disadvantage.

Weak passwords create a loophole in your security system and hackers are always ready to exploit that vulnerability.

2. Human Error

According to a Statista report, human errors are the second most popular cause of data breaches. Another report by Verizon revealed that one in five incidents are often caused by a mistake made by an employee.

Human errors could involve sending private information to the wrong recipients. It could also involve leaving a database of information online without any password or restriction. On this note, you might want to ensure that when using software like Google forms or sheets to collect user info, only a few trusted people can access the form. It’s a lot safer to give authorization to a few people within your organization than to make the form available to anyone with the link.

3. Misuse by authorized users

This might sound like a repetition of the previous point but it’s not. The major difference here is that this is usually intentional. Employees who have grudges with their organizations often seek to get back at them and see leaking company data as the best way to do that. In other instances, it might not be as a result of a grudge. However, employees can stumble on some inside information and decide to share it with an outsider for different reasons.

4. Malware

Fun fact; malware is a mix of two words – malicious and software, just like ransomware is a mixture of ransom and software. There are different types of malware and they can be used for different purposes. One prominent type is called RAM scrapers and it is used to scan the memory of devices to collect sensitive information.

POS systems are particularly vulnerable to this type of Malware and this could lead to huge financial losses as a result of the compromise of financial data.

5. Hacking

Sitting at the top of the chart for causes of data breaches is hacking. 45 percent of data breaches are attributed to hacking. It encompasses many activities like phishing or social engineering, ransomware injection, and so on.

You can’t prevent hackers from attempting a data breach but with a proper security system set up, you stand a good chance of safeguarding your data from them or at the very least, recovering stolen data.

To find out about the strength of your security system and optimize for a better chance against threats contact us for a cyber threat vulnerability assessment today.

4 Min. Read//1 Comment/by

Top Reports on Data Security Issues in 2020

Top Reports on Data Security Issues in 2020

Just like we have natural disasters and several other hazards in the physical world that we live in, there are also several hazards in the partially non-physical world of technology that we humans have succeeded in creating. Today, data security happens to be chief of them all.

Data security has been an issue in the tech world for years longer than our fingers can count. It first became a significant concern in the 1980s. The first set of viruses was the result of an error within an algorithm with the ability to replicate itself. After studying the error, tech geeks were encouraged to explore their new findings and it soon became another aspect of computer programming. Aren’t we unbelievable?

Years down the line, more harmful viruses have been created and hackers have developed new techniques for deploying these viruses into systems very easily.

The year 2020 was undoubtedly a year like none other before it. The world was plagued by a pandemic that took the lives of thousands, forced us behind doors, and crippled our economy. But, if you thought for a second that these sad events were enough to make hackers take some time off, well, think again.

Right in the middle of the pandemic, hackers went all out to set new records for malware attacks and data breaches. Here are some of the reports on data security issues in 2020;

Over 37 billion records were exposed due to data breaches

A reported total of about 3,932 data breaches occurred during the year. This led to the exposure of over 37 billion private and business records comprising email addresses, financial information, and others at the end of the year.

Global losses from cybercrime skyrocketed to nearly 1 trillion

According to a publication in the Washington Post, McAfee estimated the global loss from cybercrime and data breaches to be worth $945 billion in its 2020 report.

Nigeria was one of the top African countries that witnessed cyber attacks.

Bringing it home, Nigeria was one of the top African countries to witness malware attacks during the year. Over 3.8 million malware attacks were launched at individuals and companies in Nigeria while over 16.8 million potentially unwanted applications were also detected on systems during the first 7 months of the year.

Zoom, Twitter, and Nintendo were part of top tech companies that fell prey to attacks

On July 15, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates all shared a tweet with the same content. Or did they? The tweet read “I’m giving back to the community. All bitcoin sent to the address below will be sent back doubled! If you send $1000, I will send back $2000. Only doing this for 30 minutes,”. Well, if you ask me, that doesn’t really sound like any of them. However, the message reached over 350 million people and resulted in a recovery of £86,800 in stolen ‘donations’ within hours. Nintendo and Zoom also had their share of attacks both leading to loss of data.

Online crime increased by 400% in May 2020

As people sought safety information and organizations hurriedly implemented new work from home arrangements, hackers were presented with the perfect opportunity to launch attacks on those with little or no knowledge of data security measures.

Google blocked 18M malicious coronavirus emails on a daily basis during the pandemic.

Sounds like a huge number, but for hungry cyber frauds, it certainly wasn’t. Hackers attempted to use people’s worst fears at the time to lure them into traps. According to Google, some of these fraudulent emails impersonated government agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO). These 18 million malicious emails were asides from 240million COVID-related spam messages that Google was tracking on a daily basis.

With cybercrime attempts and resulting losses on the rise, both individuals and organizations need to be more intentional about investing in data security. Don’t take chances with your business, contact us for a cyber threat vulnerability assessment today.

4 Min. Read//by

Human Resource Management and the Mix with Cloud

Human Resource Management and the Mix with Cloud

People are the key drivers of business and the most important factor of production. For organizations to perform optimally and compete effectively, they must maximize their human resource. One of the ways in which organizations can effectively achieve this is by ensuring that their staff is sufficiently engaged and motivated. This underlines the importance of the HR department in organizations today.

The Human Resources department handles key functions like recruiting, on-boarding, employee engagement, and performance evaluation, all of which require heavy data generation, analysis, and management. Today, the availability of cloud-based HR tools allows various HR departments to carry out their roles more seamlessly and efficiently.

Here are a few ways in which cloud technology is supporting the roles of HR officers today.

Employee reward:

Researchers have proven that there’s a relationship between employee reward and motivation towards work. Although rewards could range from tangible – like financial benefits – to intangible – like recognition of employees on the organization’s blog or social media page – these rewards play a major role in improving employee performance altogether.

The use of cloud-based technology within organizations helps management extend more benefits to employees through the office of HR. One of these benefits has played out to be the key reason why some organizations have been able to retain their key staff. The benefit in question? Work from home policy.

Cloud technology, from Gmail to Collaboration apps like Microsoft Teams has been the major driver of remote working, which has allowed HR departments to effectively implement flexible working policies that allow staff to work from home. The ease that comes with this policy, which is swiftly becoming commonplace all over the world, has encouraged many employees to keep their job engaged.

Reducing workload:

Excessive workload created by paperwork can be eliminated by adopting the Cloud HR Software. With this adoption, all data can be sorted and stored in the cloud servers for easy access.

Security of employee information:

Since all the data is stored in the cloud server, there is no risk of losing information to natural hazards like fire outbreaks, burglary, or earthquakes. More so with cloud security, information stored on the server can be just as secure and also backed up in the case of data breaches or theft.

Effective monitoring of employee performance:

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Cloud HR Software can help with employee assessment, promotion, increment, and retention operations. By analyzing the data across the organization, The HR department can use AI to monitor employee performance and address issues proactively.

Rewarding and managing employee performance doesn’t have to be a herculean task. When “cloud” meets human resources, HR officers can adopt cloud-based tools, cut down on usually strenuous functions, and focus on other important parts of their duties.

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3 Min. Read//by

Understanding Cloud Computing Environments and Services

Understanding Cloud Computing Environments and Services

If you’ve followed closely on our recent articles on cloud computing, I believe that you now have a better understanding of what it entails. We’ve touched on how it works and highlighted top-tier brands that are reaping the benefits of investing in this tech solution.

If you’ve followed closely on our recent articles on cloud computing, I believe that you now have a better understanding of what it entails. We’ve touched on how it works and highlighted top-tier brands that are reaping the benefits of investing in this tech solution.

In the last piece, we talked about how cloud services could help businesses reduce the cost of owning data centers and hiring IT experts. However, it is important to note that some cloud environments might still require businesses to own their servers, employ IT experts, and self-maintain.

Below is a list of different types of cloud environments and their benefits;

Public Cloud

A public cloud is owned by a third-party cloud service provider. On the public cloud, third-party service providers like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google can offer computing resources like servers and storage to customers over the internet. Through these services, businesses can get access to virtual machines, applications, and storage while working remotely. Public cloud services can be free or sold on-demand.

In this case, the cloud service provider is responsible for the management and maintenance of the system.

Benefits:

  • No need for on-premises IT resources.
  • Reduced service cost as businesses only pay for the consumed bandwidth.
  • It’s easier to set up compared to on-premises infrastructure.
  • Infinite scalability. i.e. as long as you can pay for the bandwidth you intend to consume, the service provider’s network can cater to your needs.

Private Cloud

This is a model where cloud computing resources are used exclusively by one business. I bet you can already tell from the name. In most cases, private clouds are usually hosted on the company’s on-site premises. However, businesses can still pay third parties to host their private cloud. The top benefit of a private cloud is the level of security and privacy it allows. When hosted internally, businesses can ensure that operations and sensitive data are not accessible to third-party providers. The only downside? It requires the same staffing, management, and maintenance expenses as owning your own data center.

Benefits:

  • Custom-made solutions for the user.
  • High level of security
  • Support for upscale

Hybrid Cloud

Like everything else that’s a hybrid, this combines two things together. It combines both the private and public cloud systems held together by technology that allows data and applications to be shared between them. A hybrid cloud strategy provides businesses with greater flexibility by moving workloads between cloud solutions, as needs and costs fluctuate.

Benefits:

  • Improved security and risk management
  • Improved business continuity and reduced potential downtime and resulting costs.

In these different environments, you can use the different cloud computing services, depending on your needs. They include;

1. Software as a service (SaaS):

One of the most popular cloud services. It delivers on-demand software applications over the internet on a subscription basis. More like Netflix.

2. Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas):

Reportedly the most basic cloud service. It allows you to rent IT infrastructures like servers, storage, and virtual machines among others on a pay-as-you-go basis.

3. Platform as a Service (PaaS):

Used mostly by developers. It supplies an on-demand environment for developing, testing, delivering, and managing software applications.

4. Serverless:

We’d be more than excited to help. Simply click here to contact us. Had a good read, drop a comment in the comment box below and share it with your friends on social media by clicking on the different social media icons below. Want to get updates on tech-related content like this in your mail? Sign up here.

4 Min. Read//by

Cloud Computing – Simplest Explanation on the Web

Cloud Computing – Simplest Explanation on the Web

In our previous article, we looked into brands that have scaled up their businesses leveraging cloud services and promised to do a breakdown of cloud computing in a subsequent piece. Well, this is us keeping that word. Welcome to our 101 on cloud computing.

Through this article, we intend to help you understand the concept of cloud computing, the different cloud environments, and their respective benefits. No narratives today; we’d be jumping right in.

Just to recap, cloud computing is an innovative tech solution that makes computer services like storage, access to software, and analytics available over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. It allows you to enjoy the benefits of specific software and hardware without having to incur the cost of maintaining the infrastructure.

Let’s break that down

Think of it like this; (I know I said no narrative but I guess I can’t help myself). Let’s say you need a transport mode to help you get around daily. Now, there are two major options: you can either get a car of your own or use other transport services like Uber or regular buses.

While the first option seems great, it comes with its responsibilities. You’d be responsible for the maintenance of the car which would require both time and money. You’d need to do this on days when the car is in use, and on other days when it’s just sitting in your garage. If you do not want to spend time on maintenance, you’d need to get someone who will, and pay them. Now, that translates to more money out of your pocket.

But, on the other hand, the second option allows you to pay for transportation only when you need the service. The maintenance cost will be borne by Uber’s service managers and you can access the service from anywhere.

This second scenario portrays the benefit of cloud services.

Now let’s relate this same example to one of the services offered on the cloud – data storage.

If you need to store files, you can decide to store them on a local drive and carry it along with you wherever you go. You will be responsible for keeping and maintaining that local drive and will not be able to access the information saved on it when it’s out of sight.

However, with a cloud service like Google drive, you do not need a physical storage device. You can store your files (image, video, or text) on the cloud and access them from anywhere via the web. No cost incurred.

Cloud computing for businesses.

Small storage devices like flash drives or hard drives can easily cater to the storage needs of Individuals. However, organizations tend to need bigger storage facilities to meet their needs. Owning and maintaining these on-premises servers or storage facilities require IT expertise and relative maintenance cost that could cause strains on businesses. More so, as team strength and user base increase, organizations who manage their own data centers will need to invest in more robust infrastructure to accommodate their growing needs. This will result in increased cost of installation and maintenance and could stifle efforts to upscale.

However, with cloud services, small and large organizations can upscale and downscale at will whilst managing operational costs. With this, the organization can focus its effort on providing value to its customers and meeting its set targets.

We hope that through this piece, you’ve gotten a better understanding of what cloud computing entails.

In our next piece, we’d focus on the different cloud environments and types of cloud services.

To get notified when that drops, kindly subscribe to our newsletter via the short form at the top of this page.

4 Min. Read//by

Top Companies Using Cloud Technology – Including Netflix

Top Companies Using Cloud Technology – Including Netflix

That’s right, Netflix uses cloud technology. This right here should be common knowledge, but you probably just never just gave it a thought. How else do you think they’ve been offering their broad movie collection to over 100 million users across over 190 countries enjoying 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day? By the way, big ups Netflix, those are pretty huge numbers.

Cloud computing is a very broad subject. While we might not be able to dabble into its concept fully in this article, we’d give you a simple definition of what it entails and expatiate further in our next article. Simply put, cloud computing is an innovative tech solution that makes computer services like storage, access to software, and analytics available on-demand over the internet.

Cloud computing allows businesses to store data on a third-party server, and offer their customers remote access to their services. While all the companies listed below use cloud computing for this function, this is only one of its use cases.

As is swiftly becoming my custom, I’d leave you with a little narrative to give you a nudge if you’re on that crossroad, trying to decide if subscribing to a cloud service is right for you.

Way back in 1997, Netflix started out as a DVD distributor. At the time, they delivered DVDs to customers via emails. 10 years later, after completing 1 billion DVD distribution, Netflix decided to remodel its operations. Hence, they partnered with Amazon who at the time was one year into the deployment of its web service (AWS). Netflix had identified that online video streaming was the next big thing and cloud computing was the key to making such service available to a vast audience.

The aftermath

Today, Netflix can complete 1 billion video streams in a few months, far less than the 10-year period that it took to electronically distribute 1 billion DVDs when it still maintained its traditional mode of operation, prior to its cloud model. Its service delivery is a lot swifter and operations a lot more secure. All of this has been made possible through cloud services.

Here are some other top-tier brands that have become huge successes by leveraging on the limitless promises of cloud computing.

Pinterest

Unlike many other brands that caught the cloud computing wind years after launch, Pinterest is one company that started out with it. Hence, its success in the social media space at an early stage. Today, millions of creators download and upload resources to the platform while it stores its massive bank of data on the cloud.

Arik Air

In 2019, Arik Air decided to move its manual processes and a log of data into the cloud. Descasio was instrumental in helping the company make this transition leveraging Google cloud services. As a result of the shift, Arik was able to reduce the cost of maintaining its own data centers and focus more on its delivery to customers. Thus, maintaining its competitive edge in the market.

In all three examples referenced above, we find one similar result. All three companies have been able to scale up their businesses with the aid of cloud computing.

You can begin your journey today and open your business to new possibilities with cloud computing. It’s more promising, cost-efficient, and a lot more secure.

We can help you get started. Send us a mail at hi@descasio.io

4 Min. Read//by

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery – Our Approach

Did you read our last piece on Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR)? Well, if you did, I’m certain that you already understand the basics. But, just in case you missed it, you can catch up on it right here.

We have established that the goal for creating a BCDR plan may be the same in most cases;

  • Reduce loss of data.
  • Ensure quick restoration of vital communication channels and business processes.
  • Reduce financial losses to the barest minimum.

However, the approach may vary from one business to the other. This explains why at Descasio, we take a unique, multi-layer approach towards developing BCDR plans that are air-tight.

Here’s what it entails;

1. Assessment

Our professional service team takes a data-driven approach towards assessing each business environment. They spend long hours studying each business’s unique mode of operation to answer requisite questions like; what are the vital communication channels? Are there software and programs that are crucial to daily operations? What work files contain data that could bring business activities to a halt if lost?

Getting answers to these questions helps us to create an all-encompassing, clear-cut strategy that;

  • Ensures critical information is stored and can be made readily available when disaster strikes.
  • Guarantees that business can continue while recovery takes place.

2. Designing the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

Having answered the critical questions, we proceed to create a design document. This document shows our recommended protections for your business. Also, it will contain a proposition of infrastructures to be set up for smooth operations during downtimes. Following this, our cloud consultants will implement the BCDR solution for your business.

3. Implementation

At the final stage, we run all the necessary checks. Here, we optimize the solution based on results and modify anomalies where necessary. This simulation process helps us to ensure that recovery time is reduced to the barest minimum. Also, it helps us verify how back-up applications will perform in the face of a catastrophic outage.

We understand that creating an effective Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan requires period testing just as much as careful planning. Hence, we stay committed to our clients long after deployment and ensure that the plan is updated when necessary.

Are you finally considering working on your BCDR plan? Send us an email at hi@descasio.io and we can help you get started.

If you have any questions or comments, kindly drop them in the comment section below.

3 Min. Read//by

We deliver value to small, medium and large sized businesses across all industries through modern and innovative technology solutions.

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01-912-5048

3/5 Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos

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