What’s more important to your enjoyment of a good restaurant:  A chef who understands how to bring out the subtle characteristics of her ingredients and who combines them in creative and exciting ways, or a chef who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America?

Who is more likely to diagnose the problem and get your A6 back on the road:  A mechanic with 16 years of experience and more than a decade specializing in German cars, or a recent graduate of the Audi Academy Technician Training Program?

Everyone in the IT industry can site a similar analogy. We’ve all encountered a systems guru who, after a few years in the trenches, stopped recertifying in certain technologies because it was obvious that he or she knew more than the instructors.

That’s the engineer I want troubleshooting my network.

But sometimes industry certifications really matter. Like when you’re trusting an IT company with your most sensitive corporate data.

Then it’s critical to know that not only do their engineers possess the experience and knowhow needed to support your organization’s technology demands, but that the company itself has the processes and controls in place to secure your information.

The American Institute of CPAs establishes the auditing standards that private companies, non-profits, and government entities must adhere to. They also assess and certify Service Organization Controls – the systems third party providers are supposed to put in place to protect the information assets of their clients. 

In effect, the SOC standards provide peace of mind for organizations when they partner with third parties. A SOC 2 organization has been audited by an independent certified public accountant, who determined that the firm does in fact have the necessary systems in place to control the access to and the maintenance of information assets. And if the SOC 2 recipient submitted to a Type II report, the auditor attests that the company maintained and adhered to appropriate safeguards and procedures for an extended period of time – no less than six months.

SLPowers is a SOC 2-Type II Managed Security Services Provider, and that matters…

We’ve been in business for 32 years.

We were pioneers in developing what came to be known as managed network services, and received an “Industry Contribution Award” by the Computing Technology Industry Association for making Enterprise-class IT service and support affordable for small and medium businesses.

Today our mission is to deliver Enterprise-class information security to small and medium businesses, at small and medium business prices. Our SOC 2 Type II designation is one of the ways we assure you that your vital information is in conscientious hands.

If you are in the cloud, or part of a regulated industry, our SOC 2 really matters . . .

A company that has achieved SOC 2 type II certification has proven its systems are optimized and governed to keep client information secure.

With more companies shifting its IT footprint to the cloud, the security of that information becomes more important than ever. As a cloud provider itself, and experts in Microsoft Azure, SLPowers is uniquely positioned to ensure the security of your information, whether that information is active or archival, at rest or in motion.

And in a regulated industry – banking is a good example – a SOC 2 Type II partnership can be a critical factor in lowering costs while maintaining compliance. Banks can lower costs by outsourcing critical IT functions, while resting assured that all regulatory requirements will be met. Companies adhering to PCI standards, and medical entities under HIPAA requirements can achieve similar results.

But only if they contact us.

Categories: Current News and Events, Data Security, Managed Security, SLPowers