Five Questions With: Jason Arabian

Jason Arabian, president of CMIT Solutions of Central R.I. in Cranston, talked with Providence Business News about his company, an information technology solutions and services provider serving companies in Rhode Island and southern New England.
Jason Arabian, president of CMIT Solutions of Central R.I. in Cranston, talked with Providence Business News about his company, an information technology solutions and services provider serving companies in Rhode Island and southern New England.

Jason Arabian, president of CMIT Solutions of Central R.I. in Cranston, talked with Providence Business News about his company, an information technology solutions and services provider serving companies in Rhode Island and southern New England. Arabian, who decided to invest in a CMIT franchise in 2005, merged with CCS Computing and Technologies in Portsmouth, a year later. He said his sales and staff have grown considerably since the merger.

PBN: Tell me about your business. How long have you been in Rhode Island and how many people do you employ?
ARABIAN:
We are what is referred to today as a Managed Service Provider – back in the good ole’ days “IT support” or “computer consulting” would have been the term. We provide information technology solutions and support to a range of industries. We have clients throughout the world. I am originally from Providence and our company has been in business for more than two decades. We have been part of the CMIT brand for the past 10 years. Our team here in Rhode Island consists of 18 employees.

PBN: What kind of services does CMIT Solutions of Central R.I. provide?
ARABIAN:
We provide our clients with all levels of IT support – from help desk services to network administration and everything that falls in between such as architecture, procurement, planning, training, implementation, security, etc. If it blinks or beeps, we support it.

PBN: How large a part of your business is cybersecurity? Is this the No. 1 concern for your clients?
ARABIAN:
This portion of our business continues to grow exponentially. It has become the No. 1 concern across our client base. When we launched the business, we were focused on helping our clients use technology to increase productivity and drive growth. Many of us did not expect that we would have to become security experts.

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PBN: Tell me how your team has helped clients secure and protect their important business data.
ARABIAN:
For those companies in our portfolio that have been proactive with regards to technology, we have deployed a full range of protective measures. We provide solutions such as offsite backups. We also implement the appropriate levels of content filtering based on the employee’s day-to-day Internet usage. Issues with these clients are typically resolved quickly with few challenges.

Unprepared companies who are not proactive in managing their technology will see a far more dramatic shift once we are brought on-board. For example, we have helped firms paralyzed by the recent outbreak of “ransomware” such as Cryptolocker. We have been called in to assist companies that have been unable to recover data from a backup that they thought was working effectively.

PBN: How can businesses and consumers protect themselves against cyber threats?
ARABIAN:
The weakest part of any network is and always will be the end-user. The IT initiatives that most people ignore because of inconvenience are the best place to start. Use unique, complex passwords. Change them frequently. Be wary of files and documents sent to you via email from unknown addresses or emails that don’t look like they normally would. Ensure that the methods you use to achieve mobility and productivity are as secure as possible. And of course, engage a qualified, competent IT firm to help guide you through today’s security challenges.

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