EV Tech Tips

What To Know About The CrowdStrike Outage

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 05:11:05 GMT

CrowdStrike: An International Inconvenience

On July 19th, there was an international CrowdStrike outage which affected many major institutions such as hospitals, airlines, digital media, finance, and government organizations in many countries. According to CNBC, this was the ‘largest IT outage in history’ due to its widespread financial losses, damage, and negative effects. CrowdStrike, an important EDR provider for Microsoft, launched a faulty update for its Falcon Sensor, used for the Windows operating system. The update was deemed fit for launch due to a hidden bug in the program content validator, creating a huge problem for millions of people and important industries. Because of the organization’s lack of ensured testing, millions of Windows devices displayed what is known as the “Blue Screen of Death”; a blue screen indicating a complete outage in the Microsoft system. The infamous blue screen left many enterprises with little resources to function and their machines powered by Windows were out of use, causing disorder, panic, and a lack of security. Furthermore, the outage caught all staff and authority by surprise making responsibilities more difficult to uphold.

Why is this important?

The effects of the CrowdStrike outage left countless damages for each of its leading users. Technical specialists were required to manually remove the update over the course of several days, resulting in flight delays, loss of intel, poor communication, and a newfound unreliability in their cybersecurity. This was a major inconvenience for the critical industries that depend on CrowdStrike services for their success. In one case, a total of $500 million was lost at Delta Airlines after having to cancel around 2,000 flights. There were also around $5 billion in financial losses for other major enterprises. All around, the international outage left much damage to each of CrowdStrike’s main dependents.

Thankfully, CrowdStrike itself made sure to issue an apology informing the public of its commitment to improving the testing processes so this never happens again. Further testing on all future updates and programs would include techniques such as stress testing, fuzzing, rollback testing, as well as fault injection to ensure the best results.

Ways to avoid the outage:

According to TechRepublic, “SentinelOne Singularity and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint are among the top CrowdStrike alternatives”. Neither of these EDR providers affected their users like CrowdStrike did on July 19th because of their alternative work ethic and testing procedures. It’s safe to say that many industries and businesses could be wary of depending on CrowdStrike for future EDR needs. However, there are still other viable options that will provide more efficient services to all major enterprises and businesses, big or small.

At EV-Consultech, we help clients stay informed about cybersecurity threats to their business success. We understand how valuable and important reliable service is to every company which is why we have ensured it with SentinelOne for over 2 years. Contact us today and learn more about the importance of cybersecurity knowledge.

The STOP Method

evelandia@ev-consultech.com (Eduardo Velandia) — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 19:36:33 GMT

STOP

Today, email phishing scams have become very dangerous and popular. These attempts to get sensitive information can create a huge problem for businesses. This is increasingly getting worse with attackers finding creative ways to try to lure you in, hence the name “phishing”. However, when you are alert and take dynamic measures, you can protect yourself from being a victim of these scams. We will discuss the STOP method and how you can protect yourself from phishing attacks.

The STOP method stands for:

S uspicious?

T elling you to click?

O ffering something amazing?

P ushing you to act quickly?

We will go through each of these questions, to make this muscle memory for you for years to come.

Suspicious?

Suspicious emails include misspellings, poor grammar, unexpected content, or a gut feeling. As kids, we were taught not to talk to strangers, but in this case, strangers can look very familiar. Email vigilance extends beyond just unknown senders.

Telling you to click?

Links can redirect you to anything, and in this case, one click can be bad news. These links do not always go where they say they go. Scammers use link shorteners like “Bit.ly” to make links shorter, which is suspicious. Also, if you see a word in the link that you find familiar, it does not mean the link will go to that page.

Offering something too good to be true?

If you recently won a free iPad…. you did not. These types of emails can offer you free prizes and usually have the word “congratulations” on them. If it is too good to be true, ignore it.

Pushing you to act quickly?

Emails that ask you to do something quickly that you usually need to complete with more caution should be a huge red flag right off the bat. For example, your boss asks you to complete an invoice immediately or an email from your bank to confirm a receipt fund by one hour.

At EV-Consultech, we help users fight against these potential malicious attacks. We train them every month with different simulated phishing attacks called “phishing campaigns”. Users also have the option to report a suspicious email by using our provided Ironscales tool. This is the tool we use to send in our campaigns, and it also provides users with a button in outlook to report a specific email as a phishing email. Contact us today and learn more about the importance of cybersecurity knowledge.

Your Shield Against Insider Attacks

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 21:29:47 GMT

Your Shield Against Insider Attacks

Organizations face the challenges of protecting their sensitive and important data in a world of booming technology. While external threats are always the topic of discussion, insider threats are also something to be careful about, and different types of applications introduce a new wave of vulnerabilities. Recent incidents, including the big case at Tesla, force companies to alter their defense tragedies to be alert to threats inside of an organization.

Even tech giants like Microsoft have fallen prey to insider crime, emphasizing the need for a good strategy to fight this growing danger. Over the past four years, we have seen a forty percent increase in the average annual cost of insider risks, urging organizations to reevaluate their internal data security policies.

Most Important Steps for Defense

Control Access/Permissions: Configure access controls and regularly review permissions based on job positions. Give users only the access they need to carry out the job itself.

Monitoring: Deploy monitoring tools to track user activities within different applications, allowing the detection of malicious behavior as early as possible.

Offboarding of employees: Develop great offboarding procedures to remove access to any application they were using when an employee departs.

Encryption: Encourage encryption of sensitive and important data within SaaS (Software as a Service) applications.

Security Awareness and Training Programs: Push for the knowledge of security awareness, encouraging employees to report any suspicious behavior and testing them regularly. This can be done with monthly training and simulations.

At EV-consultech, we take security awareness very seriously and ensure that all our clients are protected against insider and outsider threats. With our regular training and simulations, our users are exposed to the worst-case scenarios and are prepared in the event of a potential attack from any source, internal and external. We are always here to combat any type of cyber attack with state of the art tools we provide to our clients as part of our managed IT services.

The Importance of Password Managers

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:58:42 GMT

Password Managers

In our online world, keeping your accounts secure is crucial. Password managers act like a super-guard for your passwords, not only storing them safely but also creating super-strong ones that even the best hackers can't crack. To see your passwords, you only need to remember one key password.

Access Your Passwords Safely:

If you use the Chrome password manager, you can unlock it with your laptop pin. Another smart way is to use multi-factor authentication, a popular security trick.

More Features:

Auto-Fill and Login:

Password managers make logging in a breeze by filling in your details for you. This not only saves time but also lowers the risk of falling for tricky phishing scams.

Multi-Platform Sync:

Your passwords stay updated and ready on all your gadgets – computer, laptop, phone, or tablet. No more worries about juggling different passwords for each device or keeping an excel sheet full of them.

Password Sharing:

You can safely share your login info with others without telling them the actual password. Great for family or team accounts.

The Benefits:

Security:

By creating and handling tough passwords, these managers boost the security of your online accounts. This means hackers have a harder time getting into your personal stuff.

Convenience:

Forget the headache of trying to remember lots of passwords or keeping lists. With a password manager, just remember one key password.

Time-Saving:

Logging in is quicker with features that fill in your details for you. This not only saves time but also makes your online experience smoother and more enjoyable.

Some of the Best Password Managers out there :

DashLane

DashLane provides all the essential features of a password manager, coupled with additional security measures such as a dark web monitor and VPN. It conducts scans to identify weak passwords across various accounts, supports multiple forms of multi-factor authentication, allows remote revocation of device access, and actively scans for compromised accounts. While it offers robust features, the subscription plans may be considered relatively high-priced.

NordPass

NordPass, developed by the reputable team behind NordVPN, offers a comprehensive solution with a data breach scanner and a password health report. It supports various forms of multi-factor authentication and ensures secure password sharing. The service prioritizes user security and is backed by the credibility of the Nord brand.

BitWarden

BitWarden is an excellent choice for beginners, boasting user-friendly features and the best free tier subscription. With support for multi-factor authentication, open-source architecture, and sharing capabilities, it provides a cost-effective option for those looking to upgrade to a paid plan.

At EV-consultech, we are here to help you find the perfect password manager that suits you or your business. This makes things easier for everyone and gives confidence in knowing all accounts are safe. Let's work together to create a solid and secure foundation for your company's digital world.

The Importance of Cyber Insurance

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 23:03:34 GMT

Cyber Insurance

In today's modern age, cyber insurance has been an important tool for businesses, providing financial protection just in case of cyber threats. A single click on a suspicious link can lead to terrible consequences, with different types of attacks like malware, spyware, and ransomware. The growth of cybercrime, especially with the rise of remote work, highlights the crucial need for cyber insurance.

These policies vary but often cover costs related to data recovery, legal fees, crisis management, and more. While cyber insurance can't replace robust cybersecurity, it provides a critical financial safety net. More and more companies are investing in cyber insurance, with a 41% increase in businesses securing policies. In addition to this, they are also investing more time in cyber education. For example, simulated threat emails and doing security campaigns every year. This is the deep foundation for practicing good security awareness when working.

Costs for cyber insurance premiums depend on factors such as cybersecurity measures and business size. As cyber threats evolve, insurers are refining their coverage and imposing stricter cybersecurity requirements. Cyber insurance is a critical tool for businesses in today's digital landscape. While costs are rising, the potential financial protection it offers is very considerable.

At EV-consultech we always help our clients find the best solutions for any inevitable cyber threats. We identify their worries and based on how much they are willing to spend, we propose a great solution in terms of cyber insurance. We understand the importance of protecting a company from cybercrime and having a good financial foundation to get passed danger.

Chat GPT: The Good and the Bad

evelandia@ev-consultech.com (Eduardo Velandia) — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 01:35:03 GMT

In today's day in age, the use of AI-generated platforms has become increasingly popular across the internet. These platforms allow for a fast and facilitated way to complete tasks such as professional work, education, or expanding one's personal knowledge. Anyone has the ability to discover new or pre-existing information regarding a multitude of topics by simply imputing their inquiries on platforms such as Chat GPT.

Chat GPT has had a striking impact on society because of how easy it is for people to gather information on any topic. The platform provides information on anything asked through its online chat and it does so with a fast response. However, Chat GPT and AI-generated platforms can have potential risks such as...

Data Breaches

Data breaches can happen when using any type of online platform, especially those generated by AI. Chat GPT must be accessed through a web browser since it cannot be downloaded. Because of that, data breaches can occur if an unauthorized party gets a hold of your online chat logs, personal information, or any other sensitive data. A few consequences are:

Privacy compromises : If an unknown person or group gains access to your personal information through the platform, your privacy has been compromised and you identity could be exposed.
Identity theft : Cybercriminals could use your personal information to act under your name rather than their own. They would steal your identity by using it against you in order to perform fraudulent actions.
Misuse of data : User data could be subject to misuse when a data breach occurs on an AI platform. With that, your information could be used without your consent for suspicious activity online.

Open AI appears to be taking accurate cyber security measures in order to make it less likely for data breaches to take place. However, not all systems are free from errors or breaches in security, and Chat GPT is a good example of this.

Access to Confidential Information

Chat GPT has the ability to use personal information entered into the online chat by its users. In order to ensure the user's safety and continual privacy while using the platform, it's best to not exploit one's own information when using the AI chat.

Gaining access to user information isn't easy for an AI-generated platform to achieve, but if the user provides the data themselves, it can have some consequences.

Biased or Inconsistent Information

An additional risk in using Chat GPT is that it could potentially provide biased or inconsistent information to its users

Because of the wide range of information the platform contains, it could possibly generate false data that could be confused for something else.

This can definitely affect industries or companies that use AI-generated content for their line of work

These businesses could provide faulty service to their customers all due to the misleading data given by an AI platform.

This has the potential to hinder the company’s advances and overall performance as a result.

In the end, it's up to the user and the user alone how they interpret the information given by the AI chat bots; it could be completely right or completely false.

Question: Is it safe to use?

In certain aspects, Chat GPT contains multiple potential threats to one’s online experience. A platform such as this one can provide misinformation and exploit your personal information. However, it can still be used without problems if certain measures are taken accordingly.

Safety Measures You Can Take:

Browse on and interacting with AI platforms through anonymous accounts
Keep personal or sensitive information private
Review the platform’s privacy policy and be well-informed about its activity

To conclude, yes, Chat GPT is safe to use as long as it is used responsibly and accordingly to reap the benefits. These types of platforms will continue to be prevalent in the world for years to come and it’s important to know how to ensure we have the best experience with AI.

Where can I learn more about the effects of AI for my business?

At EV-Consultech, we can answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding the influence of AI. Learn more by contacting us below.

Benefits of A.I. Chatbots

Fri, 12 May 2023 02:26:04 GMT

Why Using A.I. Chatbots Will Impact The Way You Conduct Business

From learning to navigate around-the-clock client assistance to perfecting the overall consumer online experience, these are just some of the few expectations that consumers have of all online businesses.

80% of surveyed online users confirmed they have engaged with an AI chatbot at one point or another.

Businesses across all industries are turning to integrate the use of AI chat boxes to better manage and are reaping the benefits. Here are a few selling points about AI chatbot usage that may elevate your business:

24-HOUR ASSISTANCE

Information is accessible with the touch of a button, and so are chatbots. Whether consumers are in a different time zone or not, having any questions addressed at any time of the day can be the important factor that makes a client want to conduct business with your organization!

Based on a Statista statistic, research shows that 33% of online consumers found chatbots ‘very effective’ in resolving their queries.

MORE ACCURATE LEADS

Despite 24-hour assistance, businesses need to ensure that all incoming online traffic is being analyzed to yield high quality leads. This helps filter through all online traffic to better target your desired user demographic.

According to Drift, chatbots aid in generating 55% of high-quality leads for businesses.

OMNI-CHANNEL APPROACH

The beauty of running a business today is that you have multiple platforms to utilize. In layman's terms, more accessibility equals more coverage. With the help of conversational AI, connecting all digital channels will be easily integrated. Some of the main highlights of a multi-channel approach consist of saving time on redundant customer requests, allowing for comprehensive connectivity to track new customer behavior patterns when collecting data and provide a quicker response time to customer requests across all platforms.

ENGAGEMENT BOOSTER

Online users enjoy fast response times that come with AI chatbots. Your business can engage with more leads when it allows visitors to start conversations on the website compared to when it asks them to first fill out the forms.

68% of users appreciate the fast response time that comes with using chatbots.

ASSISTING IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES

Without multilingual support, businesses are at risk of losing the attention of consumers. Multilingual chatbots improve the the overall user experience with self-service options. Users can easily find answers to common questions without waiting for a response.

Where can I learn more about using AI Chatbots for my business?

At EV-Consultech, we can assist you with any concerns on how to yield better productivity and efficiency for your digital workplace. Begin your AI chatbot integration today by scheduling a technology consultation with us below.

Achieving Business Success During the Pandemic

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 23:45:01 GMT

Pandemic Impact

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are forced to change how they get work done in the new circumstances. With that, PCs are very important elements used to empower employees to exercise their expertise and services in different ways. According to IT decision makers (ITDMs) , for future work to be progressive during the pandemic, employees must have access to stable work PCs in order to continue remotely. Companies that invest in better PCs and adjust their work strategies can guarantee the stability of how they work through the effects of the pandemic.

Introducing Hybrid Work

COVID-19 has made way for change in the business world, no matter if it’s in mature, medium-maturity, or low-maturity organizations. Because of that, ITDMs work to create beneficial work strategies for when the pandemic is over. Prior to the pandemic, most organizations had less than 10% of their employees working remotely. Now, employees need to balance their organization’s needs whether they are working from the office or remotely from home.

Over half of the ITDMs notice that their company will eventually become hybrid meaning that some members will work at home certain days of the week and at the office for the other days. The employees as well as their employers will have the chance to continue their business ventures and work from different settings. Only about a quarter of IT decision makers express their intentions to go back to their pre-COVID work strategies. However, as many companies support continued productivity both remotely and on-sight, employees agree. Both employers and their employees support a hybrid-work future due to its many opportunities for workers to do their jobs from anywhere, not just their office workspace.

Over 80% of IT decision makers (ITDMs) see the overall benefits of upgrading their company PCs for the good of their entire organizations. Two-thirds of ITDMs also see the importance of investing in reliable, high-performance PCs for continued work, especially over the next year.

As employees are increasingly working from multiple locations, online video calls have become critical for ideal connectivity wherever they may be working. Because of that, 82% of decision makers agree that investing in extremely stable PCs for better video quality and overall capability is an important change worth making. Similarly, 85% agree that it’s important to ensure the stability and strength of their PCs to ensure the best resources for company work to get done.

But What About Older PCs?

PCs are the foundation for employers and employees alike to continue doing their work outside the company office. However, ITDMs say that current PCs fail to ensure the best productivity for their organizations. Older models may struggle to provide good video and audio quality for business calls, connectivity in order to complete tasks, or support for a new type of work. For that reason, the organizations need to invest in better PCs that support their hybrid-work strategies.

PCs vs. Hybrid Work

A vast majority of ITDMs believe that purchasing PCs is much different than it was before due to a need for performance, security, and reliability. These factors matter because they can allow for improved employee experience, organization productivity, and better company performance. But while many high-maturity organizations agree with this statement, only 27% of low-maturity organizations do. It's critical that PC devices are stable and high-performing for the new future of working technology. Without them, companies could potentially fall behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Companies should:

Test and ensure the good performance and stability of their PCs

(If mature) Build systems for long-term and long-lasting success

(If medium/low maturity) Build a business case

Reach out to schedule a technology consultation. At EV-Consultech, we can help you upgrade your PCs to ensure the efficiency and productivity of your hybrid workplace.

Checklist for Better Digital Offboarding of Employees

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 21:59:54 GMT

Checklist for Better Digital Offboarding of Employees

Digital footprints cover today's modern workplace. Employees begin making these the moment they're hired. They get a company email address and application logins. They may even update their LinkedIn page to connect to your company.

When an employee decides to leave a company, there is an offboarding process that needs to happen. This process “decouples” the employee from the company’s technological assets and is vital to cybersecurity.

You don’t want a former employee to maliciously email all your customers from their work email. Sensitive files left on a former staffer’s computer could leak months later.

20% of surveyed businesses have experienced a data breach connected to a former employee.

Digital offboarding entails revoking privileges to company data, and much more. This is a critical process to go through for each former staff member to reduce risk.

Below, we’ve provided a handy checklist to help you cover all your bases.

Your Digital Offboarding Checklist

1. Knowledge Transfer

Vast swaths of corporate knowledge can disappear when a person leaves an organization. It’s important to capture this during a digital offboarding process.

This could be something as simple as what social media app someone used for company posts. Or it may be productivity leveraging. Such as the best way to enter the sales data into the CRM.

Make sure to do a knowledge download with an employee during the exit interview. Better yet, have all staff regularly document procedures and workflows. This makes the knowledge available if the employee is ever not there to perform those tasks.

2. Address Social Media Connections to the Company

Address any social media connections to the former employee. Is their personal Facebook user account an admin for your company's Facebook page? Do they post on your corporate LinkedIn page? Make sure to revoke the employee's access to any cooperate Social Media platforms.

4. Identify All Apps & Logins the Person Has Been Using for Work

Hopefully, your HR or IT department will have a list of all the apps and website logins that an employee has. But you can’t assume this. Employees often use unauthorized cloud apps to do their work. This is usually done without realizing the security consequences.

Make sure you know of any apps that the employee may have used for business activities. You will need to address these. Either change the login if you plan to continue using them. Or you may want to close them altogether after exporting company data.

5. Change Email Password

Changing the employee’s email password should be one of the first things you do. This keeps a former employee from getting company information. It also keeps them from emailing as a representative of the company.

Accounts are typically not closed immediately because emails need to be stored. But you should change the password to ensure the employee no longer has access.

6. Change Employee Passwords for Cloud Business Apps

Change all other app passwords. Remember that people often access business apps on personal devices. So, just because they can’t access their work computer any longer, doesn’t mean they can’t access their old accounts.

Changing the passwords locks them out no matter what device they are using. You can also simplify the process with a single sign-on solution.

7. Recover Any Company Devices

Make sure to recover any company-owned devices from the employee’s home. Remote employees are often issued equipment to use.

You should do this as soon as possible to avoid loss of the equipment. Once people no longer work for a company, they may sell, give away, or trash devices

8. Recover Data on Employee's Personal Devices

Many companies use a bring your own device (BYOD) policy. It saves them money, but this can make offboarding more difficult.

You need to ensure you’ve captured all company data from those devices. If you don’t already have a backup policy in place for this, now would be a good time to create one.

9. Transfer Data Ownership & Close Employee Accounts

Don’t keep old employee cloud accounts open indefinitely. Choose a user account to transfer their data to and then close the old account. Leaving unused employee accounts open is an invitation to a hacker. With no one monitoring the account, breaches can happen without anyone knowing. A criminal could gain access and steal data for months unnoticed.

10. Revoke Access by Employee’s Devices to Your Apps and Network

Using an endpoint device management system, you can easily revoke device access. Remove the former employee’s device from any approved device list in your system.

11. Change Any Building Digital Passcodes

Don’t forget about physical access to your building. If you have any digital gate or door passcodes, be sure to change these so the person can no longer gain access.

12. Need Help Reducing Offboarding Security Risk?

When you proactively address digital offboarding, the process is easier and less risky. Contact us today for a free consultation to enhance your cybersecurity.

5 Big Mistakes Companies Are Making In The Digital Workspace

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 23:41:43 GMT

5 Big Mistakes Companies Are Making In The Digital Workspace

The pandemic has been a reality check that companies all around have shared. It required major changes in how they operate. No longer, did the status quo of having everyone work in the office make sense for everyone. Many organizations had to quickly evolve to working through remote means.

During the worst of the pandemic, it’s estimated that 70% of full-time workers were working from home. Even now that the pandemic has hit a new waning phase, remote work is still very much a reality. 92% of surveyed employees expect to still work from home at least 1 or more days per week.

This transformation has forced companies to rethink the tools and policies they use. Many have also needed to completely revamp how they work. They've had to switch to a cloud-based digital workspace to enable a hybrid team.

This transition has brought newfound benefits, such as:

Lower costs for employees and employers
Better employee work/life balance
Higher morale
The same or improved productivity
More flexibility in serving clients

But, the transition to a digital workplace has also brought challenges and risks. These include:

Vulnerable networks and endpoints
Employees feeling disconnected
Communication problems
Difficulty tracking productivity and accountability
Increased risk of data breaches

20% of organizations experienced a breach during the pandemic due to a remote worker.

Overcoming the challenges and reaping the benefits takes time and effort. It also often takes the help of a trained IT professional, so you avoid costly mistakes.

Below are some of the biggest company mistakes when building a digital workplace. For the statistics, we referenced IGLOO’s State of the Digital Workplace report.

1. Poor Cloud File Organization

When companies go virtual for their workflows, files live in a cloud-accessible environment. If those cloud storage environments aren’t well organized, it's a problem. It can be difficult for employees to find the files they need.

About 51% of employees have avoided sharing a document with a colleague for this reason. They either couldn’t find it or thought it would be too hard to find. It’s notable that this is the highest percentage recorded for this stat in the IGLOO report . Meaning that this problem is getting worse.

Some tips for making shared cloud storage files easier to locate are:

Keep file structure flat (2-3 folders deep)
Create a consistent hierarchy and naming structure
Don’t create a folder for fewer than 10 documents
Archive and delete older files monthly to reduce clutter

2. Leaving Remote Workers Out of the Conversation

Many companies haven’t yet overcome in-person vs remote communication challenges. In fact, nearly 60% of remote workers say they miss out on important information. This is because colleagues first communicated it in person. Efficiency suffers when in-office workers make decisions without regard for remote colleagues.

Managers and bosses must lead the way in changing this culture. While old habits do take a while to change, mindset can transition to be more inclusive of the hybrid world.

3. Not Addressing Unauthorized Cloud App use

Unauthorized cloud app use (also known as Shadow IT) was already a problem before the pandemic. That problem escalated once people began working from home. Which is often using their personal devices.

Over half (57%) of employees use at least one unauthorized app in their workflow. When this happens, organizations can suffer in many ways.

Some of the risks of shadow IT include:

Data leakage from non-secured apps
Date privacy compliance violations
Redundancies in app use that increase costs
Unprotected company data due to a lack of visibility
The employee leaves and no one can access the data in the unauthorized app

4. Not Realizing Remote Doesn’t Always Mean From Home

Remote employees aren’t always working from home, connected to their home Wi-Fi. They may also be working from airports, hotels, a family member’s home, or local coffee shops.

Companies that don’t properly protect company data used by remote employees, can be at risk of a breach. Public networks are notorious for being susceptible to “man-in-the-middle” attacks. This is where a hacker connects to the same public network. Then, using software, can access data transmissions from others on that network.

It's advisable to use a business VPN for all remote work situations. VPNs are fairly inexpensive and easy to use. The employee simply enables the app on their device. The app then reroutes their data through secure, encrypted servers

5. Using Communication Tools That Frustrate Everyone

Are virtual meetings giving your team problems? As many as 85% of remote workers say that they’ve had 1-2 meetings interrupted by technology. It’s getting so you can hardly have a virtual meeting without someone having a technical issue.

Communication is the oil that makes the engine of a digital workplace run. Effective cloud-based video calls, audio calls, and chats depend on the right technology. This facilitates a smooth experience.

Don’t rush to use just any communication tools. Take your time and test them out. Get help optimizing settings to improve your virtual meetings. Additionally, ensure your remote team has tools to foster smooth communications. This includes headsets, VoIP desk sets, webcams, etc.

Boost the Productivity of Your Hybrid Office

Reach out today to schedule a technology consultation. At EV-Consultech we can help you improve the efficiency and productivity of your digital workplace.

6 Discontinued Technologies That Could Be Putting You At Risk

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 20:52:13 GMT

6 Discontinued Technologies That Could Be Putting You At Risk

The one constant about technology is that it changes rapidly. Tools that were once industry standard, like Internet Explorer and Adobe Flash, age out, replaced by faster and more secure alternatives. Discontinued technology can leave computers and networks vulnerable to attacks.

While older technology may still run fine on your systems that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to use. One of the biggest dangers of using outdated technology is that it can lead to a data breach.

After a number of years old software and hardware systems are often no longer supported by their OEM's. No support, means no new updates that often patch newly found and exploited system vulnerabilities. Unpatched devices can be a sitting duck for hackers looking to gain access into a network.

Approximately 1 in 3 data breaches are due to unpatched system vulnerabilities.

Another problem with using discontinued technology is that it can leave you behind. Your business can end up looking like you’re in the stone ages to your customers, which can cause them to lose faith and trust.

Important reasons to keep your technology updated to a supported version are:

Reduce the risk of a data breach or malware infection
To mitigate hardware and software compatibility issues
Meet data privacy compliance requirements
To be competitive in your market
To keep a good reputation and foster customer trust
To enable employee productivity

Older systems are clunky and get in the way of employee productivity. If you keep these older systems in use, it can lead to the loss of good team members due to frustration. 49% of surveyed workers say they would consider leaving their jobs due to poor technology. Following is a list of outdated technology tools that you should replace as soon as possible. Are any of these still in use on your home computer or within your business?

Get Rid of This Tech Now If You’re Still Using It!

Internet Explorer

Many moons ago, Internet Explorer (IE) used to be the number one browser in the world. But, over time, Google Chrome and other browsers have "edged it" out. Including its own replacement, Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft began phasing out IE with the introduction of Microsoft Edge in 2015 which is now actually based on Google's open source Chromium Project. In recent years, applications and websites have dropped support for the legacy IE browser. Internet Explorer loses all support starting June 15, 2022.

Adobe Flash

Millions of websites used Adobe Flash in the early 2000s. But other tools can now do the animations and neat things Flash could do. This made the tool obsolete, and Adobe ended it.

The Adobe Flash Player lost all support, including security updates, as of January 1, 2021. If you still have this lingering on any of your computers, you should uninstall the browser plugin and any Flash software.

Windows 7 and Earlier

Windows 7 was a very popular operating system, but it’s now gone the way of the dinosaur. The old OS lost support on January 14, 2020. While Windows 10 and Windows 11 have seen widespread adoption both in homes and businesses.

While it will still technically run, Windows 7 is vulnerable to being hacked. Microsoft Windows OS is a high-value target for hackers, so, you can be sure they are out there looking for systems still running this obsolete version of Windows so they can take advantage of its vulnerabilities.

macOS 10.14 Mojave and Earlier

Due to the steep costs of Apple computers, people tend to hang onto them as long as possible. However, once these devices age past a certain point, they will no longer work with the newest version of macOS, leaving the hardware stuck on an older and non-supported version with potentially unpatched security flaws.

If you are running macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier, then your OS is no longer supported by Apple, and you need to upgrade.

Oracle 18c Database

If your business uses Oracle databases, then you may want to check your current version. If you are running the Oracle 18C Database, then you are vulnerable. Breaches can easily happen due to unpatched system vulnerabilities.

The Oracle 18C Database lost all support in June of 2021. If you have upgraded, then you’ll want to keep an eye out for another upcoming end-of-support date. Both Oracle 19C and 21C will be losing premiere support in April of 2024 .

Microsoft SQL Server 2014

Another popular database tool is Microsoft’s SQL. If you are using SQL Server 2014, then mainstream support has already ended. And in July of 2024 , all support, including security updates will stop entirely.

This gives you a little more time to upgrade before you’re in danger of not getting security patches. But it is better to upgrade sooner rather than later. Leaving plenty of time for testing and verification of the upgrade.

Need Help Upgrading Your Technology & Reducing Risk?

Upgrades can be scary, especially if everything has been running great. You may be afraid that a migration or upgrade will cause issues, but rest assured. EV-Consultech can help smoothly upgrade your technology in addition to comprehensive testing to ensure the all systems are working as expected and reliable. If your business is in the greater Los Angeles area, fill out the form below to schedule a technology review today!

5 Exciting Ways Microsoft 365 Is Enabling The Hybrid Office

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 22:36:43 GMT

5 Exciting Ways Microsoft 365 Is Enabling The Hybrid Office

“Hybrid office” is a new buzzword you’ll hear being thrown around a lot on LinkedIn. It’s the mix of having employees both working at the office and working from home; which has become more than a buzzword and is now the reality for many companies.

In February of 2022, there was a survey of employees with remote-capable jobs which found 42% of them were working a hybrid schedule and 39% of them working from home full time.

The global pandemic brought on this hybrid office transition. It forced companies to operate with teams that could no longer safely come to the office. During this time, employers and employees experienced the benefits of hybrid work firsthand.

These benefits of remote teams included cost-savings for both workers and employers. It also allowed the company to operate with more flexibility and improved worker morale.

Employers were initially hesitant because they feared remote work would cause productivity to tank, but it actually increased in most cases.

Now 63% of high-growth companies use a “productivity anywhere” hybrid work approach.

In order for hybrid teams to be productive they need to stay connected. No matter where they work, the right technology tools should enable them.

One of the leaders in this space has been Microsoft. The company plans to add several exciting updates this year. These will provide more tools for companies to enable their hybrid teams.

Here are some of the ways you can use Microsoft 365 to optimize a productive hybrid office. Note, that some of these features are already out, and others are set to release later this year.

1. Microsoft Teams & Expanded Features

Microsoft Teams is much more than a team messaging app. The application combines the best features of virtual video meetings and messaging channels. It brings them together into a platform designed to be a secure online work hub.

MS Teams has come a long way in the last five years. And the company continues to add more features to enable hybrid offices. Some of the recent feature updates include:

The ability to do webinar registration
Presenter modes that provide a more professional virtual presence
Increased security through features like smart links and smart attachments
A full business VoIP phone system add-on
The addition of a “metaverse” component called Mesh for Teams

Mesh for Microsoft Teams

New Meeting Options for RSVP in Outlook

One of the challenges, when everyone isn’t working in the same place, is how to know when to “clock in” and “clock out.” As well as how to let colleagues know whether you are working at home next week or the office.

To help hybrid teams better coordinate, Outlook is getting an update. It will allow users to RSVP to meetings. This can let team members know whether they are attending virtually or in person.

Better Framing for More Engaging Meetings

One thing that can distract from the purpose of a meeting is someone’s background at home. Positioning of the camera can also be problematic. One person might have their face taking up 80% of the video screen. Another may only take up 20% because they’re sitting farther away from their PC’s camera.

A new Surface Hub 2S Smart Camera will allow for better face framing. This will affect when people are meeting virtually in Microsoft Teams. Features include adjusting the room view so people’s faces will be clearer. As well as having more consistent sizing.

The video display will also automatically adjust as people join or leave a physical room.

I mages are from Microsoft

Get Better Control of Your Video Using PowerPoint to Present

People often share a screen in a video call and present a PowerPoint presentation. It can be difficult to keep everyone as engaged as when you’re presenting in person.

For example, in person, you can maintain eye contact. People can clearly see your facial expressions as you emphasize various things. That’s not always the case when presenting virtually. The app may push your video feed into a tiny box.

There's a new upcoming feature for Teams called Cameo. It will allow you to seamlessly integrate PowerPoint with MS teams. You can decide exactly how you want your video feed to appear in relation to your presentation.

Another addition is Recording Studio. This new feature for PowerPoint allows you to record professional-looking on-demand videos. You can do it right inside the app.

Cameo in PowerPoint & MS Teams

Get Help With Your Presentation Skills

Microsoft has poured a lot of AI capabilities into Microsoft 365 over the last several years. One that will soon help you deliver better virtual presentations is Speaker Coach .

This is a private and personalized coach that can help you hone your presentation skills. This improves your switch to the differences between presenting online versus in person.

Some of the feedback it can provide includes:

Use of repetitive language
Use of filler words (Ummm)
Speaking pace
Pausing for input
Intonation
Speaker overlaps
And more

Let EV-Consultech Upgrade Your Hybrid Office Capabilities

with Microsoft 365

As you can see Microsoft 365 has a ton of helpful features. But it does help to have an expert guide to help you navigate these capabilities. At EV Consultech we are well versed in finding opportunities for your business to utilize there capabilities to improve productivity and help your business grow. Contact us today to set up a chat about how we can help.

Four New Cloud Storage Trends in 2022

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 16:25:46 GMT

Four New Cloud Storage Trends in 2022

One area of cloud computing that is used widely, but often isn’t as flashy as the software side is cloud storage. Storing files in the cloud to make them easily accessible and shareable from anywhere was one of the very first uses of the cloud that was adopted widely by many users.

As advances like automation and AI come to other types of cloud services, cloud storage is not being left behind. The industry continues to evolve, making the process of storing data in the cloud less complex, more reliable and better secured.

It’s estimated that in 2021, 50% of all company data was stored in the cloud. An increase of 15% from just five years earlier. With today’s hybrid teams that may be working from home and be hundreds or thousands of miles away from co-workers, it’s important to centrally locate files in cloud systems that can be accessed by everyone.

What can you expect to see in the cloud storage market this year? Here are some of the most interesting trends to keep an eye on.

1. BUILT-IN RANSOMWARE DEFENSES

Ransomware can impact data no matter where it is stored. Whether on a computer, server or in a cloud storage platform, this malware can encrypt the information and make it unreadable to the business that owns it.

In 2021, the average ransomware payment increased by 82% and ransomware incidents rose 64% during the first half of the year. A survey of CISOs found that over the last 18 months, 98% of organizations suffered a cloud data breach.

To combat ransomware, you’ll begin seeing cloud storage services offering ransomware recovery protection. This involves sophisticated systems that can help prevent files from being encrypted by code as well as those that take a copy of files and store it securely away, so files can be restored at the click of a button.

With ransomware showing no sign of stopping, this is a welcome addition in the cloud storage arena.

2. “THE EDGE” BECOMES MORE KEY IN CLOUD STORAGE

One of the new buzzwords of the last few years has been “Edge” or “Edge computing.” This means bringing data applications and storage resources geographically closer to the user that needs to connect to them.

As reliance on cloud storage and other cloud applications has increased, so has the need to improve response times from user to server. When data must travel across large distances, it becomes more difficult to quickly and economically deliver the best user experience. Thus, cloud service providers have been moving to an "Edge" computing model.

What this means for you is better reliability and faster response when accessing or searching on files because your provider is going to work to provide your service from one of the company’s cloud servers that is geographically closer to your location.

For companies with offices spread out around a country or throughout the world, this means that you’ll want to keep service location in mind when signing up for cloud storage and have a discussion with the provider about distance and if they are utilizing Edge computing.

3. EXPECT MORE HELP FROM AI AND MACHINE LEARNING

AI and machine learning are making just about every area of technology smarter. Microsoft Word and text message apps now predict what you might type to help you fill in the blanks and type faster. Programs like Photoshop can automatically crop around a person in an image within seconds using the power of AI.

AI is also going to become more prevalent in cloud storage this year. You can expect help with automatic organization of your files based on your cloud storage patterns.

Look for features designed to eliminate manual or repetitive tasks to free up more time. This includes AI helping to automate things like provisioning, obtaining and importing data (known as “ingesting”), managing data retention, and more.

4. LEGACY VENDORS BEGIN OFFERING MORE CLOUD OPTIONS

2022 is going to bring more cloud storage options coming from legacy technology providers. For example, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise recently introduced a new Data Services Cloud Console , and Dell Technologies just announced a new APEX multi-cloud design that it is working on to improve the cloud ecosystem.

More cloud storage options mean you may need more help deciding which model will work best for you, as pricing will vary widely. You don’t want to end up with more storage than you need or be paying a lot for a smaller amount of space.

It pays to keep on top of new offerings and understand that every new cloud storage option might not be a fit for your organization’s specific data storage needs.

GET HELP OPTIMIZING YOUR CLOUD STORAGE & BACKUP ENVIRONMENT

Your business data is what runs your company, and it needs to be stored securely and in a way that’s still easily accessible. Find out how EV Consultech can help you optimize your cloud storage to improve cost efficiency.

The Best Ways to Give an Older PC New Life

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 19:30:18 GMT

The Best Ways to Give an Older PC New Life

Purchasing a new computer is a big investment. Many small businesses and home PC owners end up struggling with older systems because they want to get as many years out of them as possible.

There are some promising upgrades you can do that will cost much less than the price of a new computer, while making your PC feel like new again. Not only does this save you money, but it also helps the environment. Reducing our e-waste by reusing what we can has a much more positive impact than recycling.

Here are some options you can try to improve the performance of an older computer:

UPGRADE TO A SOLID-STATE DRIVE (SSD)

Prices for solid-state drives have come down quite a bit in the past few years, now making them an affordable upgrade that can breathe life back into an older PC that might be slowing down. Unlike hard disk drives (HDDs), SSDs don't have any moving parts and use flash memory that allows for quicker response times. They also drastically reduce your time to boot and make searching for files, opening applications, and other activities a breeze.

Some of the advantages of upgrading your computer’s hard drive to SSD include:

SSD read/write speeds up to 2500 MB/second compared to HDD at up to 200 MB/second
SSD access time of 0.1ms as compared to HDD at 5.5-8.0ms
SSDs use between 2-5 watts of energy compared to HDD at 6-15 watts

INCREASE THE RAM (MEMORY)

Another low-cost upgrade that nets a significant increase in performance is a memory upgrade. If your PC was a cheaper model it likely only had 4GB or 8GB of RAM when you bought it, you'd likely have trouble opening too many tabs in your browser or having multiple programs open at once. By upgrading your RAM to 12, 16, or 32GB can make it seem like you have an entirely new computer.

UPGRADE THE GRAPHICS CARD

If you play computer games or work in any type of video, imaging, or 3D software, an outdated graphics card can ruin your experience. Instead of replacing your entire computer, just upgrading the graphics card to a more robust model can improve your PC’s performance and give you several more useful years from it.

CLEAN OUT YOUR PC COOLING SYSTEM

Heat is an enemy of your computer’s internal parts. As your cooling system gets clogged up with dust or pet hair, excess heat will start building up inside your device. As this happens your computer may start acting strange, with programs crashing or your system rebooting on its own. If you suspect excess heat may be an issue, have your computer’s fan and cooling system checked out to see if it needs cleaning or you can also try cleaning it out yourself.

CONNECT AN EXTERNAL MONITOR TO A LAPTOP

If you’re working on a laptop and having a hard time multi-tasking due to limited screen real estate, consider getting an external monitor rather than replacing your entire PC. Monitors are just a fraction of the cost of computers, and having a screen twice the size of the one on your laptop can make all the difference in the world and improve productivity due to the additional screen space.

GET AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

Computers can slow down and be more difficult to use when the drive fills up with data. Over the years, files build up, and many users never take the time to go through and delete those that are unnecessary. Buying an external hard drive can allow you to offload files that may be slowing you down, while still keeping them easily accessible. Another benefit of an external hard drive is that it’s portable and can easily be carried between home and work and used in both places.

GET A PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER TUNE-UP

Those free PC cleaner tools you find online aren’t going to give you the type of tune-up that a professional IT provider can give. For our MSP clients we go through things like the Windows Registry, duplicate system files, internal errors, and more to clean up your system and remove all the “junk” that has built up over the years. If our users experience any performance issues we can run diagnostic tests for things like failing parts, and provide expert guidance on your most impactful upgrade options.

WE CAN HELP IMPROVE YOUR COMPUTER’S PERFORMANCE!

Don’t struggle with an older PC! At EV-Consultech we can help you with cost-effective upgrade options that will extend the life of your products while only recommending a full replacement when truly necessary.

If you have a small to medium business (SMB) in the Los Angeles area, feel free to reach out using the form below to learn more about how we optimize our clients’ day-to-day business operations and productivity through affordable, flexible and customized IT solutions.

Alarming Phishing Attack Trends to Beware of in 2022

Fri, 13 May 2022 21:12:24 GMT

Alarming Phishing Attack Trends to Beware of in 2022

Phishing remains one of the biggest dangers to your business's health and wellbeing. In 2020, 75% of companies around the world experienced a phishing attack, and mobile phishing threats skyrocketed by 161 % . In the era of web3.0 trojan's and viruses downloaded directly from the internet is far less common. Phishing emails are now the preferred method for hackers and scammers.

Just one phishing email can be responsible for a company succumbing to ransomware and having to face costly downtime. It can also lead to a user to unknowingly hand over their credentials to a company email account that the hacker can then use to send targeted attacks to customers or other vendors.

Phishing takes advantage of human error. They use sophisticated tactics to fool the recipient into divulging information or infecting their network with malware.

Your best safeguards against the continuous onslaught of phishing include:

Email filtering services such as IRONSCALES
DNS filtering
Next-gen antivirus/anti-malware
Ongoing employee cybersecurity awareness training and phishing attack simulations also available through IRONSCALES

To properly train your employees and ensure your IT security is being upgraded to meet the newest threats you need to know what new phishing dangers are headed your way and what can be done to avoid these attacks.

PHISHING IS INCREASINGLY BEING SENT VIA TEXT MESSAGE

People seem to be less suspicious of text messages than they are of unexpected email messages. Most phishing training is usually focused on phishing emails because it’s always been the most prevalent channel of attack.

However, cybercrime entities are now taking advantage of the easy availability of mobile phone numbers and using text messaging to deploy phishing attacks. This type of phishing, called “smishing” (SMS+phishing), has been growing in volume.

People are receiving more text messages now than they did in the past, due in large part to retailers and services pushing text updates to your phone what seems like every 5 minutes. This makes it even easier for phishing via SMS to fake being a shipment notice and get a user to click on a shortened URL.

BUSINESS EMAIL COMPROMISE IS ON THE RISE

Ransomware has been a growing threat over the last few years largely because it’s been a big money-maker for the criminal groups that launch cyberattacks. A new up-and-coming form of attack is beginning to be quite lucrative and is thus growing rapidly.

Business email compromise (BEC) is on the rise and being exploited by attackers to make money off things like gift card scams and fake wire transfer requests.

What makes BEC so dangerous (and lucrative) is that when a criminal gains access to a business email account, they can send very convincing phishing messages to employees, customers, and vendors of that company. The recipients will immediately trust the familiar email address, making these emails potent weapons for cybercriminals.

MAJOR TECH YOUTUBER LINUS SEBASTIAN GETS SCAMMED BY A BUSINESS EMAIL COMPROMISE ATTACK:

SMALL BUSI NESSES ARE BEING TARGETED MORE FREQUENTLY WITH SPEAR PHISHING

There is no such thing as being too small to be attacked by a hacker. Small businesses are targeted frequently in cyberattacks because they tend to have less IT security than larger companies.

43% of all data breaches target small and mid-sized companies, and 40% of small businesses that become victims of an attack experience at least eight hours of downtime as a result.

Spear phishing is a more dangerous form of phishing because it’s targeted and not generic. It’s the type deployed in an attack using BEC.

It used to be that spear-phishing was used for larger companies because it takes more time to set up a targeted and tailored attack. However, as large criminal groups and state-sponsored hackers make their attacks more efficient, they’re able to more easily target anyone.

As a result small businesses are receiving more tailored phishing attacks that are harder for their users to identify as a scam.

THE USE OF INITIAL ACCESS BROKERS TO MAKE ATTACKS MORE EFFECTIVE

We just discussed the fact that large criminal groups are continually optimizing their attacks to make them more effective . They treat cyberattacks like a business and work to make them more profitable all the time.

One way they are doing this is by using outside specialists called Initial Access Brokers. This is a specific type of hacker that only focuses on getting the initial breach into a network or company account. The increasing use of these experts in their field makes phishing attacks even more dangerous and difficult for users to detect.

BUSINESS IMPERSONATION IS BEING USED MORE OFTEN

As users have gotten savvier about being careful of emails from unknown senders, phishing attackers have increasingly used business impersonation. This is where a phishing email will come in looking like a legitimate email from a company that the user may know or even do business with.

Amazon is a common target of business impersonation, but it also happens with smaller companies as well. For example, there have been instances where website hosting companies have had client lists breached and those companies sent emails impersonating the hosting company and asking the users to log in to an account to fix an urgent problem.

More business impersonation being used in phishing attacks mean users have to be suspicious of all emails, not just those from unknown senders.

IS YOUR COMPANY ADEQUATELY PROTECTED FROM PHISHING ATTACKS?

It’s important to use a multi-layered strategy when it comes to defending against one of the biggest dangers to your business's wellbeing.

Give us a call at 626-405-8987 or fill out the form below to get started with a cybersecurity audit to review your current security posture and identify ways to improve.

5 Things You Should Never Do on a Work Computer

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 21:07:06 GMT

5 Things You Should Never Do on a Work Computer

Whether you work remotely or in an office, the line between personal and work tasks can become blurred when working on your company computer.

At first, you may just be checking a few personal emails while on a lunch break. But as the line continues to get crossed, you'll start to think of your work computer as a personal device; checking Facebook, taking BuzzFeed quizzes, and maybe even looking at a few sketchy websites. In a survey of over 900 employees, it was found that only 30% said they never used their work PC for personal activities. The other 70% admitted to using their work computer for various personal reasons.

It’s a bad idea to mix work and personal, no matter how much more convenient it is to use your work PC for a personal task during the day. You can end up getting reprimanded, causing a data breach at your company, or possibly losing your job.

Here are several things you should never do on your work PC:

1. SAVE YOUR PERSONAL PASSWORDS IN THE BROWSER

Many people manage their passwords by allowing their browser to save and then auto-fill them. This can be convenient, but it’s not very secure should you lose access to that PC.

When the computer you use isn’t yours, it can be taken away at any time for a number of reasons, such as an upgrade, repair, or god-forbid, an unexpected termination. If someone else accesses your old work device and you never signed out of the browser, they can use your saved passwords to access emails, banking info, and more.

Also know that some companies will donate old PCs to worthy causes, which could leave your passwords in the hands of a stranger if the PC wasn't properly wiped.

2. STORE PERSONAL DATA

It’s easy to get in the habit of storing personal data on your work computer, especially if your home PC doesn’t have a lot of storage space. But this bad habit leaves you wide open to a couple of major problems:

Loss of your files: If you lose access to the PC for any reason, your files can be lost forever
Your personal files being company-accessible: Many companies have backups of employee devices to protect against data loss. So, those beach photos stored on your work PC that you’d rather not have anyone else see could be accessible company-wide if they are captured in a backup process or stored on a company server.

3. VISIT SKETCHY WEBSITES

You should assume that any activity you are doing on a work device is being monitored and is accessible by your boss. Companies often have cybersecurity measures in place like DNS filtering that is designed to protect against phishing websites. This same type of software can also send an alert should an employee visit a sketchy website deemed dangerous to security (which many sketchy websites are).

You should never visit any website on your work computer that you wouldn’t be comfortable visiting with your boss looking over your shoulder.

4. ALLOW FRIENDS OR FAMILY TO USE IT

When you work remotely and your work computer is a permanent fixture in your home, it can be tempting to allow a friend or family member to use it if asked. Often, work PCs are more powerful than a typical home computer and may even have company-supplied software that someone wouldn’t purchase on their own.

But allowing anyone else to use your work computer could constitute a compliance breach of data protection regulations that your company needs to adhere to. Just the fact that the personal data of your customers or other employees could be accessed by someone not authorized to do so, can mean a stiff penalty.

Additionally, a child or friend not well-versed in cybersecurity could end up visiting a phishing site and infecting your work device, which in turn infects other company devices compromising multiple accounts, leaving you responsible for a major breach.

At least 20% of companies have experienced a data breach during the pandemic due to a remote worker.

5. TURN OFF COMPANY-INSTALLED APPS LIKE BACKUPS AND ANTIVIRUS

If you’re trying to get work done and a backup kicks in and slows your PC down to a crawl, it can be tempting to turn off the backup process. But this can leave the data on your computer unprotected and unrecoverable in the case of a hard drive crash or ransomware infection.

Company-installed apps are there for a reason and it’s usually cybersecurity and business continuity. These should not be turned off unless given express permission by your supervisor or company’s IT team

Does Your Company Need to Be CMMC Compliant?

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 20:13:18 GMT

Does Your Company Need to Be CMMC Compliant?

What Is CMMC?

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a new cybersecurity framework developed by th e US Department of Defense (DoD) . The goal of the new CMMC requirements is to protect Controlled Unclassified Information ( CUI ) and Federal Contract Information (FCI) .

Who Needs To Be CMMC Compliant?

Any company and its subcontractors that bid on a US Department of Defense (DoD) contract that contains Federal Contract Information ( FCI ) and/or Controlled Unclassified Information ( CUI ) w ill be required to be CMMC compliant. Only contracts for Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products will be exempt from CMMC compliance requirements.

When Will This Be Required?

Due to the significant changes in the latest CMMC 2.0 iteration the DoD suspended any CMMC requirements for new contracts until the rulemaking process for CMMC 2.0 has been completed. The process is expected to take anywhere from 9 to 24 months . Although the CMMC compliance requirements are still several months away, we highly recommend that companies who plan to bid on DoD contracts start preparations for their CMMC assessment now.

Early adopters of CMMC will have a clear competitive advantage over their rivals; especially considering that implementation will take several months, and compliance is required at the time of contract award . The sooner your organization meets CMMC compliance requirements, the less competition it will face when bidding on new DoD contracts that require CMMC.

We Do Not Conduct The Final CMMC Assessments

Depending on your organization’s current cybersecurity status and the CMMC Level required, implementation of the new standard can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months. Starting now will save you valuable time and will get you ahead of the competition.

Our audit will help your organization to close existing gaps by implementing suitable controls and addressing any missing requirements including developing and writing the extensive documentation required.

CMMC Pre-Assessment
We will help you prepare for the final CMMC Audit by gathering and organizing evidence for a smooth assessment. Think of it as a mock audit. We will verify that proper security measures are in place, mature, and can be proven to an auditor. If we find issues we will help you fix them and will be at your side throughout the process. We will not recommend the final CMMC Audit until we are confident that your organization is ready.

From Founder and CEO, Eduardo Velandia:

“After one long week with Edwards Performance Solutions , I can say that I'm much more comfortable and confident with my understanding of #cmmc . Joy Belinda Beland , Amira Armond , Matt Hoeper , Chris Silvers, and Tony Buenger were all fantastic instructors and took extra care in explaining the more difficult areas. I am extremely glad to have taken this class and highly recommend it to anyone else interested in obtaining their #CCP !

I wanted to specially thank Joy Belinda Beland , for encouraging me to take this training. I've known Joy for quite sometime and she has always provided great advice to me about how to improve my MSP practice. I look forward to the weekly study group and to keep the synergy going with this wonderful group of IT professionals.”

War in Ukraine to Exacerbate Microchip Shortage

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 20:33:52 GMT

War in Ukraine to Exacerbate Microchip Shortage

Before Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, a single Ukrainian company was responsible for refining more than 90% of the neon used in the production of US semiconductors. A critical part of manufacturing these chips requires a process called plasma etching that uses a mixture of about eight parts neon to one part CHF3 (Freon 23) to create a beam of plasma used to remove material from the surface if the microchip wafers.

Last time Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, the price of neon shot up 600%. Last week, US and Japanese governments were scrambling to make sure that will not happen again, pressuring their chip industries to find alternative sources of this obscure gas before it’s too late. Making matters worse Russia provides over 30% of the global palladium supply. Palladium is a rare platinum group metal also used in semiconducters and electronics. Not only that but palladium is also needed in other important industries used in catalytic converters, mobile phones and even dental fillings. Ukraine and Russia also lead the world in production of metals like nickel, copper, platinum, and iron.

Globalization has made it easier than ever for countries to trade with one another allowing them to specialize in specific industries tailored to their resources and skills to maximize efficiency and then trade excess production for other goods. International trade is fantastic for the global economy but in times of war when trade breaks down it can leave certain industries and countries vulnerable.

Currently, chip makers have only 2 to 4 weeks of reserve supply of these materials, however prolonged supply disruption could severely impact production of semiconductors and everything else that depends on them such as cars, phones, computers, and more.

The Impossibly Thin Laptop by Mysterious Company: Craob

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:44:41 GMT

The Impossibly Thin Laptop by

Mysterious Company: Craob

Super thin and portless, the laptop uses a magnetic hub that attaches to the back of the laptop to facilitate charg ing and data transfer.

Craob's website claims that the laptop will weigh 1.9 pounds and be just 7mm thin. Thinner than most smartphones.

Despite how thin the laptop is, Craob is claiming top tier specifications:

12th Generation Intel Core i7-1280P Processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics
13.3-inch 4k UHD+ Display
Up to 32GB RAM LPDDR5 RAM
Up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
Intel WiFi 6E

At this point the laptop appears to be more of a concept rather than a finished product. The specifications given are just too powerful to not overheat in a chassis like this unless the CPU is downclocked significantly. Also, the photos on their website appear to just be renders, and thanks to some sleuthing by David Artis s , we know their website was built very cheaply using a Wordpress template with a domain hosted by Godaddy. Additionally, "In the site’s footer, it makes mention of the company “Craob Inc”. The “Inc” suggests a US company but I cannot find any US company registered under this name (for the US you have to search by state; I did this so you don’t have to!)

Indeed, looking at the models on the site, they are Caucasian, consistent with a US company
The plug on the mains cable is US standard
The laptop is showing a US keyboard

Assuming they are based in the US, there are no patents under their name"

We hope in the near future a product like this may actually come to market, but for now it just seems too good to be true.

The Tech Behind Amazon Go

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 18:47:24 GMT

Amazon is bringing its cashier-less Amazon Go stores to the suburbs.

First unveiled in 2018, unlike most shops, there are no registers or cashiers. You walk in, pick out what you want, and walk out. Amazon calls it a “Just Walk Out” shopping experience. The stores focus on everyday goods, basic groceries, ready-to-eat food, alcohol, drinks, and snacks. Essentially making them an even more convenient convenience store. These new more suburban locations are coming at a time when many employees are now choosing to work from home spending less time in city centers and more time at home in the suburbs. adding to the pool of potential customers for the new locations.

Amazon Go locations are equipped with a mindboggling amount of tech.

Using their Amazon Go app, customers scan their phones at the entrance allowing Amazon’s artificial intelligence system to identify each user. Then, using cameras littered throughout the store in combination with computer vision technology and additional hidden sensors, Amazon's AI is able to track exactly where you are in the store, what items you pick up, and what items you may put back. Once you're done shopping you can just walk right out of the front door. After leaving the store, Amazon will automatically charge your card on file only for the items you took.

If Amazon does charge you for something you didn't take, then you can just go into the app swipe left on the item to remove it from your receipt and Amazon will automatically process a refund with no questions asked. With their pilot locations open for 4 years now Amazon is confident in the technology; hence their plan to start expanding to new locations in Mill Creek, Washington and Los Angeles with more to come.

Simple Cybersecurity Resolutions for 2022

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 21:11:11 GMT

Say "yes" to updates

Installing updates is one of the best ways to be more cybersecure. Updates often include security patches and optimizations that make your device feel more snappy, so next time an app offers you an update, click “yes” instead of “no”, “cancel” or “remind me later”.

Say "no" to weak passwords

Strong passwords keep your data safe, so don't let yourself choose feeble passwords in 2022, and if somebody shares a password with you, or asks for yours, just say "no.” Read the Creating a Password Tip Sheet from the CISA for more information about secure passwords.

Say "woah" to unexpected messages

Scams come in all shapes and sizes, but no matter how they’re dressed up, they always want something valuable, URGENTLY. So don’t be rushed—take your time in 2022. Cyber criminals use phishing tactics, hoping to fool their victims. If you’re unsure who an email is from—even if the details appear accurate— or if the email looks ‘phishy,’ do not respond and do not click on any links or attachments found in that email. When available use the “report phish” or “report” option to help your organization or email provider block other suspicious emails before they arrive in your inbox. Read the Phishing Tip Sheet from the CISA for more information.

Follow the trials and tribulations of Tim as a seemingly innocent piece of digital information threatens to ruin his life when it falls into the wrong hands.

The Office is Dying

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 20:25:32 GMT

Office Spaces: Then and Now

The first dedicated office building was created all the way back in 1726. The building was made to handle the abundance of British Royal Navy paperwork and provide a meeting space for collaboration between employees. Since then, the concept has become so widespread; towering skyscrapers now dominate the skyline of major cities across the world.

Due to the initial COVID lockdowns, employees had to work from home, forcing companies to quickly adapt to changing needs, sparking major changes that were developed and deployed within weeks rather than months or even years. Almost overnight cloud services, video conferencing, and remote computer access became essential for a company to stay afloat and keep their employees connected. No one knew when we would be able to go back to the office again.

Now over a year and a half since the lockdowns, many employees have grown accustomed to working from home, with some outright refusing to work for a company that cannot accommodate their new lifestyle. Critics of the work from home model insist that it hinders collaboration and employees will be more tempted to slack off at home than in the office.

Do We Even Need Offices?

If you've returned to a physical office since the pandemic you’ll notice your fellow coworkers hunched over their computers bouncing back and forth from one Zoom meeting to another rather than mingling and discussing new ideas in person. The office you remember as being not so bad has likely become a much more frustrating place and on top of that the commute that wasn't so bad when it was a daily occurrence has now become frustratingly endless.

The effect that working from home has on collaboration has not been extensively studied, but with tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack remote workers can often collaborate as effectively or more so than in person. As for productivity dropping at home, this has been disproven, with most studies claiming they saw a jump in productivity from workers transitioning to a hybrid or completely remote work model.

While we've had effective remote working technologies for years before COVID, the balance of power in a working situation naturally resides with the majority. When the majority of workers were in the same office, remote workers missed key interactions and may have been less effective than their in-office counterparts. However, with the majority of workers now remote, anyone who returns to the office will likely still be operating under remote working rules. Meetings are now held on Zoom, work progress must be tracked through an app, etc.

Will the Office Return?

Some leaders foresaw this shift in power, and started advocating a "return to the office" early in the pandemic, under the assumption that remote work would be a temporary and subpar "Band Aid" until office work was feasible once again.

To attract employees back some companies are attempting to make their offices a "destination", offering benefits like an employee gym, updated décor and complimentary meals and snacks. These are certainly nice things to have, but is someone really going to travel 45 minutes for a workout and lunch?

For many organizations, real estate is considered a "crown jewel," showcasing their importance in a very physical way. However, dedicated physical space seems to be a far less valuable asset than it once was. As you consider your company's future, come to conversations armed with data about how, when and where your employees are working. Tech leaders will help guide and shape many of these conversations and drive the next innovations of where and how we work and collaborate.

If you would like to know more about how

EV-Consultech can help your company work more efficiently online, please fill out the form below:

Tips to Save Time in Windows

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 18:41:37 GMT

On Average Americans spend 4 hours and 7 minutes per day on a computer or laptop. That adds up to over 1,500 hours per year. To help you save a considerable amount of time and increase your productivity we made this list of some very useful but underutilized tips and tricks.

Shortcuts - Savvy Windows users probably know the basic windows shortcuts such as ctrl+x/c/v for cut, copy and paste and ctrl+p for print, but as you can imagine there are plenty more. Pressing WIN+PRTSC puts a screenshot in your screenshots folder, WIN+E opens explorer, WIN+I opens settings, WIN+TAB opens taskview and CTRL+SHIFT+ESC opens Task Manager. There are plenty more where that came from. If you're curious click this link for a full list of keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11, 10 and 7.

Multiple Desktops – This is a feature that power users can’t live without. Multiple virtual desktops allows users to instantly switch between different workflows such as photo editing, responding to emails, or writing a blog; each of which may require multiple windows open at a time, making it very time consuming to minimize and open these windows when you want to switch tasks.

Pinned Apps – Far too many users never utilize this simple time-saving feature. By right clicking on an application icon and selecting “Pin to taskbar” that application icon will always show up on your taskbar making it easy to launch your most frequently used applications with one click and if there are any unused apps on your taskbar can right click on them and select “Unpin from taskbar” to help cleanup your desktop.

Windows Search – Another underutilized tool built right into Windows. To use it simply click on the Windows Button and begin typing. Whatever you type on the keyboard will be searched for on the computer. If nothing matching your search is found locally on the computer then it will give you the option to search the internet instead. This feature is very useful for finding apps or settings that you don't commonly use or may not know the location of.

Customization – A great way to make Windows more functional and un ique is by going to Windows Settings, then click on Personalization. From here you have a ton of customization options allowing you to change your desktop background, choose a light or dark theme for Windows, choose an accent color, and customize the taskbar. You can change the size and color or your mouse pointer by going to Settings>Ease of Access>Mouse Pointer. You can also customize Windows notification noises by going to Sound Control Panel>Sounds. If you want even more customization Rainmeter is a popular third party application that allows its users to further customize the look of their computer in ways they never thought possible.

Framework - The Environmentally Friendly and Modular Laptop

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 22:47:26 GMT

Framework is paving the way to a greener future with modular, upgradable laptops.

In the pursuit of making our phones and laptops as thin as possible, engineers have had to come up with some ridiculous ways to shave millimeters of thickness off of these devices year over year. The ability to easily replace parts...gone. Upgradability? NOPE! Some laptops don’t even come with normal USB ports, ethernet, or HDMI. Manufacturers make these sacrifices to develop an extremely thin and light device, that users end up paying for later on when they have to chuck out the whole laptop when the screen breaks or the mousepad stops working. The last MacBook with an easily replaceable battery came out back in 2013. Since then Apple and even companies like Microsoft have made their devices borderline impossible to fix or upgrade while telling consumers that these sacrifices have been made in their best interest. In reality the fact that most devices can't easily be repaired only serves to fatten the pocketbooks of the companies that manufacture them.

Founded in January 2020, Framework set out to fix a broken industry and help save the environment by manufacturing modular, repairable, laptops without making sacrifices in build quality. We’ve all had the experience of a busted screen, button, or connector that can’t be fixed, battery life degrading, storage running out quicker than expected. Instead of having to throw out your device or purchase an expensive adapter, Framework wants to make every repair and upgrade possible for someone who had never been inside a computer before. They provide clear labelling of parts with scannable QR codes that link to clear instructions. Framework focuses on simplifying common repairs and upgrades such as battery replacement and storage upgrades. Their laptop avoids glue and tape, minimizes the number of unique fasteners, and even includes a few spare screws in the case for when one inevitably disappears.

The Framework laptop was developed out of frustration with the current status quo of disposable devices and the impact it is having on our environment and future. Every year our planet creates 50 million tons of e-waste comprised of old laptops, phones, and broken adapters. According to Nirav Patel, "The single best way to reduce the environmental impact of electronics is to make them last longer. In addition to enabling longevity, we’re focused on improving sustainability across the life of our products. The Framework Laptop is made of 50% post consumer recycled (PCR) aluminum and an average of 30% PCR plastic. Our packaging is fully recyclable with no single-use plastics, and all of our product shipments are carbon offset."

Framework is more than just a concept; the company is currently taking orders and actually shipping laptops. The price for one is very competitive compared to other laptops with similar specifications. We truly hope that this company continues to thrive as it made a big initial splash, even attracting popular tech Youtuber Linus Sebastian who believed in the concept enough to invest $225,000 of his own money into Framework.

Major manufacturers have been telling us for years that consumers can't have their cake and eat it too. In reality Framework has built a modular, upgradable laptop, that proves consumers don't need to sacrifice build quality in order to have an environmentally friendly, upgradable, and modular laptop.

If you want to learn more about the Framework Laptop we suggest watching the Linus Tech Tips review that was produced and posted before the founder's investment in Framework:

Increase Your Productivity with Microsoft Teams

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 23:13:36 GMT

Microsoft Teams currently has over 145 million daily users , meaning there is a high likelihood you’re using it personally or for work. Most businesses use Teams for video calls and to create group chats, but many fail to utilize the wealth of advanced features available that help increase productivity and organization.

Greater Utility with Apps

One of the lesser-known but most powerful additions to Microsoft Teams is the ability to add apps to chats and channels as a shared tab that everyone can view. This allows users to share and interact with content directly from within Teams. Apps include Outlook, OneNote, SharePoint, Trello, Monday.com, Adobe CC, and more. Some simple, but especially useful apps we found were a To-do List/Task Planner that can be used to quickly assign tasks to team members much like Slack or Monday.com, a Calendar that integrates with Outlook so everyone can see who is available or busy at any given day or time, and a Forms app that allows users to create customized polls quickly and easily. Instead of having to hold a meeting just to gauge people’s opinions, use a poll instead!

Minimize Distractions

Using the built in Calendar app, Microsoft Teams allows users to block off sections of time for themselves to focus on specific tasks without distractions. For example if a new employee has some questions about work, they can check the shared calendar first to see if any senior level employees are available to answer their questions without having to risk interrupting some important work or a private meeting.

Email Forwarding to a Channel

Many of us find ourselves checking our emails less and less. With email forwarding to a channel, Microsoft has made it easier for you and your teams to stay up to date. The feature does exactly what the name says; you can enable email forwarding to a channel by clicking on the ellipsis next to the desired channel name, then click on "get email address", a new email address will be created for the channel. Anything mailed to this address will automatically show up in the channel making it especially easy for teams to keep track of shared mailboxes.

Urgent Chat Notifications

Be warned, use this feature sparingly! It is the digital equivalent of banging loudly on an office door! To send an Urgent Message, look below the text compose box for the outline of an exclamation point! Click on it and you can mark your message as Important or Urgent. Mark a message as urgent and once you hit send the recipient will receive a notification every two minutes for 20 minutes or until they check the message.

Transform Video Conferences with the Meeting Owl Pro

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 21:41:59 GMT

At EV-Consultech we are always looking out for new products and services to improve our customers digital quality of life..

When Covid-19 first hit many companies started having their employees work remotely and as a result video calls became an integral part of running a business. Company meetings were being held remotely on Zoom or Microsoft Teams instead of in conference rooms. Now that many of us are returning to work in person we are finding that the traditional means of using a laptop and a webcam does not work well for hybrid meetings where it is important for remote participants to be able to see everyone attending in person and vise-versa.

The Meeting Owl Pro creates a an enhanced sense of immersion when participating in hybrid meetings. Thanks to a high-definition 360 degree camera, 8 microphones, and three speakers, those who can't attend a meeting in person can still feel like they are actually there. The meeting Owl Pro uses its 360 degree camera and microphones to detect who is speaking and crop the image to highlight them.

The Meeting Owl Pro is easy to setup and use.

The device is plug-and-play meaning there is no manual drivers or software to install. Just plug it into your computer like a normal webcam and it will start working like magic. The Owl Pro is compatible with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Slack, Go-To-Meeting, and more!

Our Customers Love It!

After installing the first Owl Pro Camera for one of our clients, it immediately had an impact. Just about every time they host a virtual meeting with OWL someone in the remote audience will ask about it. In fact, just a few weeks after our first install, one viewer loved the camera so much they immediately contacted us and requested one for their company's own conference room.

Watch the following video to see how a traditional webcam compares to the Meeting Owl Pro:

Tailored to Your Needs.

EV-Consultech has partnered with Altech Security to create bespoke teleconferencing solutions by getting to know our customers' needs, existing equipment, and budget so we can provide a range of options customized to your business.

Fill out the form below or give us a call at 626-405-8987 to find out how we provide cost effective solutions that maximize our clients’ return on investment.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month - Week 4: Cybersecurity First

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 20:22:21 GMT

In this last week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month , we really want to stress the importance of being safe on the internet, and keeping your data secure. So many people and businesses fall victim to cybercrimes they thought would never happen to them. These mistakes can be costly and even destroy peoples' livelihoods.

Most of the time mistakes like these can be avoided

There are plenty of resources available on how to identify phishing attacks and social engineering trickery in addition to what precautions can be taken to secure your data. Check out our Top Tips for Cybersecurity Awareness Month in addition to these resources provided by CISA.gov:

Week 4 Tip Sheets: Cybersecurity First

Why is Cybersecurity Important Tip Sheet

Cybersecurity is the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unlawful access or criminal use and the practice of guaranteeing confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. Communication, transportation, shopping, and medicine are just some of the things that rely on computers systems and the Internet now. Much of your personal information is stored either on your computer, smartphone, tablet or possibly on someone else’s system. Knowing how to protect the information that you have stored is of high importance not just for an individual but for an organization and those in it.

Cybersecurity Starts with You Tip Sheet

Every time you use the Internet, you face choices related to your security. Friends can be selected, links clicked, websites accessed, and wireless networks can be joined. Your security and the security of the nation depends on making secure online decisions. Making the Internet more safe and secure requires all of us to take responsibility for our own cybersecurity posture.

Approaching Cybersecurity Tip Sheet

As cyber-attacks and their consequences grow, the imperative for cybersecurity and resilience is becoming increasingly important, not just to homeland security, but businesses, schools, and individuals. Attackers use a variety of vulnerabilities and phishing attacks to compromise the security of networks and devices. To approach this threat effectively and protect your networks, it is even more necessary to become familiar with cyber essentials.

Thank you for your support and commitment to Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 and helping all Americans stay safe and secure online.

Follow the trials and tribulations of Tim as a seemingly innocent piece of digital information threatens to ruin his life when it falls into the wrong hands.

If you or your company would like to know more about how EV-Consultech keeps their customers safe online give us a call at 626-405-8987 or fill out the form below:

Cybersecurity Awareness Month - Week 3: Cybersecurity Career Awareness

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 22:44:41 GMT

Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week , brought to us by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity (NICE) , is a week-long campaign that provides an opportunity to learn about the contributions and innovations of cybersecurity practitioners, and the plethora of job opportunities that can be found when exploring cybersecurity as a career choice.

During this week, learners of all ages, educators, parents, employers, and the community participate in the recognition of how cybersecurity plays a vital role in global society; showcasing how building a nation’s cybersecurity workforce enhances each nation’s security and promotes economic prosperity.

During this week educators, parents, students, employers, government partners, and the community are exposed to cybersecurity workforce opportunities, the variety of cybersecurity careers, and existing and emerging educational pathways.

Cybersecurity careers are a growing segment of the nation’s workforce needs and a great opportunity for students choosing their future career and adults looking for a new path. Currently there are over 450,000 jobs open nation-wide in cybersecurity and the global cybersecurity workforce is expected to experience a shortage of 1.8 million cybersecurity professionals by 2022.

There are multiple career options and numerous pathways to enter the cybersecurity career field. You don't need to be an experienced white-hat hacker to work in cybersecurity. Sales, design, and management experience are all applicable skills that not many other people in the field have. It is never too late to start a career in cybersecurity and demand for positions like these has never been higher

We urge you to go to the website for Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week to learn more and see how you can get involved.

Watch This Video to Discover the Wide Range of Opportunities in the Field of Cyber Security

If you or your company would like to know more about how EV-Consultech keeps their customers safe online give us a call at 626-405-8987 or fill out the form below:

Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Week 2: Phight the Phish!

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 22:33:31 GMT

What is a Phishing Attack

Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to either infect your machine or trick a user into entering personal or financial information. Phishing emails may appear to come from a real financial institution, e-commerce site, government agency, or any other service, business, or individual. The email may also request personal information such as account numbers, passwords, or Social Security numbers. When users respond with the requested information or click on a link, attackers can use this information to access users’ accounts.

Cyber criminals use phishing tactics, hoping to fool their victims. If you’re unsure who an email is from—even if the details appear accurate— or if the email looks ‘phishy,’ do not respond and do not click on any links or attachments found in that email. When available use the “report phish” or “report” option to help your organization or email provider block other suspicious emails before they arrive in your inbox. Read the Phishing Tip Sheet for more information.

Today’s technology allows us to connect from around the world. We can access banking info, shop online, and control our televisions, homes, and cars from our smartphones. With this added convenience comes an increased risk of identity theft and Internet scams. We need to #BeCyberSmart on the Internet—at home, at school, at work, on mobile devices, and on the go.

Tips on How to Identify a Phishing Attack

If you or your company would like to know more about how EV-Consultech keeps their customers safe online give us a call at 626-405-8987 or fill out the form below:

Cybersecurity Awareness Month - Week 1: Be Cyber Smart!

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 23:47:46 GMT

TOP TIPS TO SHARE DURING CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH

Double your login protection. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all accounts and devices to ensure that the only person who has access to your account is you. Use it for email, banking, social media, and any other service that requires logging in. If MFA is an option, enable it by using a trusted mobile device, such as your smartphone, an authenticator app, or a secure token—a small physical device that can hook onto your key ring. Read the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) How-to-Guide f or more information.

Shake up your password protocol. According to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidance, you should consider using the longest password or passphrase permissible. Get creative and customize your standard password for different sites, which can prevent cyber criminals from gaining access to these accounts and protect you in the event of a breach. Use password managers to generate and remember different, complex passwords for each of your accounts. Read the Creating a Password Tip Sheet for more information.

If you connect, you must protect. Whether it’s your computer, smartphone, game device, or other network devices, the best defense against viruses and malware is to update to the latest security software, web browser, and operating systems. Sign up for automatic updates, if you can, and protect your devices with anti-virus software.

Play hard to get with strangers. Cyber criminals use phishing tactics, hoping to fool their victims. If you’re unsure who an email is from—even if the details appear accurate— or if the email looks ‘phishy,’ do not respond and do not click on any links or attachments found in that email. When available use the “report

phish” or “report” option to help your organization or email provider block other suspicious emails before then arrive in your inbox. Read the Phishing Tip Sheet for more information.

Never click and tell. Limit what information you post on social media—from personal addresses to where you like to grab coffee. What many people don’t realize is that these seemingly random details are all criminals need to know to target you, your loved ones, and your physical belongings—online and in the real world. Keep Social Security numbers, account numbers, and passwords private, as well as specific information about yourself, such as your full name, address, birthday, and even vacation plans. Disable location services that allow anyone to see where you are – and where you aren’t – at any given time. Read the Social Media Cybersecurity Tip Sheet for more information.

Keep tabs on your apps . Most connected appliances, toys and devices are supported by a mobile application. Your mobile device could be filled with suspicious apps running in the background or using default permissions you never realized you approved—gathering your personal information without your knowledge while also putting your identity and privacy at risk. Check your app permissions and use the “rule of least privilege” to delete what you don’t need or no longer use. Learn to just say “no” to privilege requests that don’t make sense. Only download apps from trusted vendors and sources.

Stay protected while connected. Before you connect to any public wireless hotspot – like at an airport, hotel, or café – be sure to confirm the name of the network and exact login procedures with appropriate staff to ensure that the network is legitimate. If you do use an unsecured public access point, practice good internet hygiene by avoiding sensitive activities (e.g., banking) that require passwords or credit cards. Your personal hotspot is often a safer alternative to free Wi-Fi. Only use sites that begin with “https://” when online shopping or banking.

Nord VPN on the Importance of Being Cyber Smart

If you or your company would like to know more about how EV-Consultech keeps their customers safe online give us a call at 626-405-8987 or fill out the form below:

STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 21:18:20 GMT

EV-Consultech is excited to announce our partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ Campaign.

The STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ Campaign is an unprecedented effort among more than 500 government, nonprofit, academic, and industry organizations to promote safer online behavior and practices. The Campaign’s goal is to increase the understanding of cyber threats and empower the American public to be safer and more secure online.

Throughout the year, we will highlight cybersecurity and online safety issues on our blog and through our social media. Online safety is a shared responsibility; together we can positively influence our online community. Your support will help ensure all of us are safer both at work and home.

We encourage you to join our efforts by:

Following our Blog to stay updated on recent developments in cybersecurity
Adhering to simple cyber tips and encouraging those around you to do the same
Displaying and distributing STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ resources to your personal and professional networks.
STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ resources and safety tips can be found at https://www.cisa.gov/publication/stop-think-connect-toolkit

We are excited about our new partnership and know each of you will do your part to advance this important issue. Visit www.cisa.gov/stopthinkconnect to learn more about the Campaign and gain access to additional resources.

The following video explains some dangers of the internet and what STOP. THINK CONNECT.™ stands for:

If you or your company would like to know more about how EV-Consultech keeps their customers safe online give us a call at 626-405-8987 or fill out the form below:

Why Cyber Criminals are Targeting Small Businesses

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 17:40:08 GMT

Small Business owners often underestimate the risks that they face in the world of cyber-security.

82% of small business owners believe they will not be subjected to a cyber-attack according to Towergate Insurance. Small business owners generally believe that since there are bigger fish to fry out there, hackers are unlikely to target them...however, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Many SMB’s have substantial sets of data such as credit card numbers, employee names, customer addresses, trade secrets and other private information that can be very valuable to the company and their customers; this data is often left completely unprotected. A prime target for hackers.

Meanwhile, larger corporations are spending obscene amounts of cash each year to protect their valuable data. In 2020 Microsoft pledged to spend at least $1 billion per year on cyber-security and in 2019 the US President’s Budget set aside $15 billion for the same purpose. That’s about $46 per person in the US or .3% of the entire nation’s budget! In the eyes of a cybercriminal, even though a large corporation like Google or Microsoft have vastly more money to pay out for ransom than a small business, the difficulty and risk involved with breaking into their systems makes the prospect unjustifiable to a criminal.

For a small business just starting out, cyber-security is often the last thing on the business owners’ minds. They’re much more likely to be thinking about things like profit margin and how to keep growing the business. While these concerns are certainly important, business owners often lose sight of the bigger picture and forget to ask themselves:

Are we safe from cyber-attacks?

What would happen if we were hacked?

Is my data backed up and safe?

How long would it take to restore vital systems and their data?

“These attacks have devastating impacts for any business , including data loss, employee downtime and the cost of restoring operations. Data breaches often result in reputation damage, legal damages and financial loss, with the total cost of a single data breach averaging $149,000 for SMBs. For those with limited resources, an attack can prove fatal, causing a reported 60% of small businesses to close their doors following a cyberattack.”

-YEC, Forbes Council 6/2/21

It is now more important than ever for small business owners to secure their assets from potential attacks. The risk and likelihood of an attack has never been higher; according to a study done by CISCO 61% of SMBs reported falling victim to at least one cyber-attack last year.

At EV-Consultech, we do everything in our power to ensure our customers won’t be subjected to one of these attacks including email filtering and employee training with IRONSCALES, anti-virus, and more. If a customer still falls victim to an attack, services we offer like Acronis will ensure your data’s integrity; offering encryption, multiple backup locations, and disaster recovery. If a computer crashes or is hacked and rendered useless, its cloud backup can be used as a virtual machine for instant recovery.

The following videos by Acronis and IRONSCALES further explains the effects, scope, and scale of recent cyber attacks on SMBs and how these services help keep our customers safe:

If you or your company would like to know more about how EV-Consultech keeps their customers safe online give us a call at 626-405-8987 or fill out the form below:

Getting Ready for Windows 11

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 21:19:03 GMT

A few months ago, Microsoft officially announced they would be releasing Windows 11, and added an official build to the Windows Insider Development program that anyone can download and try out. So that is exactly what we did! The new interface of Windows 11 is cleaner and more simplified than 10. Corners have been rounded off, sleeker, more colorful icons have replaced many of the old ones, and the taskbar is now centered; reminiscent of Apple’s Mac OS.

Windows 11 may look like a reskin of Windows 10, but it is so much more. In addition to the fresh look, Microsoft has implemented new optimizations that will actually make your computer feel much faster. Applications in the foreground will receive higher prioritization for CPU resources, new battery optimizations have been implemented, there is faster resume from sleep, and even quicker sign-in.

When it is time to upgrade to Windows 11 most users won’t have to worry about app incompatibilities since the developers smartly used the existing underlying platform from Windows 10 to ensure universal compatibility with older Windows 10 applications. If you want to know more about the optimizations that have been made, watch this video released by Microsoft:

We are excited for Windows 11 to finally release so our customers can start discovering and taking advantage of the many new features built into the new OS. Not only will it improve our customers' quality of life, it will improve productivity with new optimizations and tools like Task View and Snap Layouts that organize your windows more easily.

After Windows 11 launches on October 5th, EV Consultech will be testing the official release for stability in addition to ensuring all our customers’ applications and computers are compatible before making the switch.

If you or someone you know is in need of an IT Managed Services Provider for their small to medium sized business; consider EV Consultech. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, we specialize in providing IT Managed Services, Premium Tech Support and IT Solutions in the greater Los Angeles area with fantastic customer service.

Please fill out the form below or give us a call at 626-405-8987 to find out how we provide cost effective solutions that maximize our clients’ return on investment.

IRONSCALES – Fighting Phishing Attacks with AI

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 21:26:46 GMT

In 2021 there has been a dramatic increase in cyber-attacks and phishing.

According to PhishLabs there has been a 47% increase in phishing attacks in Q1 2021 compared to Q1 2020. Phishing attacks have become so common that the average person is now much more likely to get a virus from an email attachment as opposed to visiting a sketchy website. In fact, Verizon’s 2019 Breach Investigations reported that 94% of all malware was delivered via email. In response to this ever increasingly utilized attack vector, IRONSCALES was developed to intercept malicious emails before they even land in your inbox, keeping their customers safe.

IRONSCALES protection doesn’t just stop at just filtering out emails, they also provide comprehensive email security awareness training and simulated phishing attacks to see just how susceptible your employees are.

IRONSCALES training helps employees to be more cautious when viewing emails and teaches them how to identify the warning signs associated with a phishing email. “When perimeter technology fails, people must step up. Given the right conditioning, they will. They’ll unite to become a “Human Intrusion Detection System,” a set of sensors intuiting threats your controls miss.” -Cofense 2019 Anti-phishing report.

Users will be empowered by their training; acting as the last line of defense against malicious cyber-attacks utilizing a dedicated button built into Outlook to report an email as a phishing attack. After an email is reported it is reviewed and then added to IRONSCALES’s database to further train the AI, preventing similar emails from making their way into your inbox again.

If you are interested in trying IRONSCALES for your business, please fill out the form below for a free 30-day trial.

5 Simple Steps for Better Mobile Security

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 17:27:06 GMT

Mobile Security Is More Important Than Ever Before

Today many companies are opting into a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy where employees use their own personal devices for work. This allows convenient access to company information and systems, but in turn also makes this data more susceptible to a breach if a device were to be stolen or lost. A mobile security compromise risks more than just the data on the device. The range of consequences is vast, including downtime, supply chain delays, lost business, damage to reputation and regulatory fines.

According to the 2020 Verizon Mobile Security Index report, the portion of companies who have suffered a mobile-related compromise has been growing year over year for the past three years now up to nearly 40%. Additionally, during that same time frame an increasing number of companies reported investing more and more in mobile security over the years.

Thankfully, there are some simple steps end users and companies alike can implement to better secure their mobile devices. These steps will ensure your valuable data is safe and provide some peace of mind:

First off, ensure all mobile devices are secured with a pin code, or pattern. Biometric security such as fingerprint or facial recognition is not recommended since someone could unlock your phone without your consent. For example, a police officer or criminal could unlock your phone by pointing the camera at your face without permission.
Secondly, make sure that all apps with sensitive information such as banking apps are secured with a strong unique password for individual users. Once again, do not use biometric security.
Ensure all data is being backed up to more than one location. Apple and Google offer cloud backups, however a service like Acronis Cyber Cloud should be considered for additional redundancy and data security.
Always have device location tracking enabled such as Google’s “Find my device” or Apple’s “Find my” feature. If a device is lost or stolen, act immediately! You can remotely locate the device by using one the following websites and logging into the same account the device was registered to: https://www.google.com/android/find or https://www.apple.com/icloud/find-my/ A device can also be remotely wiped from these websites ensuring that the data cannot be accessed or stolen. Please note that after device has been wiped it may no longer be tracked.
Follow all standard internet safety practices such as keeping your operating system and apps updated, avoid unsecured WIFI, use 2FA (2 Factor Authentication) when possible, always use a VPN, and be careful about what you click on and download.

We must remember that our cellphones often function as a key to our personal lives too, arguably more important than an ID card. If someone has saved their passwords to their phone and it isn’t secured, someone could access medical records, company information, your bank accounts, and even private documents like a social security card, driver's license, etc. Spending a bit of time making sure you follow these steps could save you a lot of headaches in the future by avoiding a data security nightmare.

Acronis Cyber Protect – The All-In-One Cybersecurity Solution

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 20:03:50 GMT

EV Consultech is proud to announce that we are now official partners with Acronis!

Having a robust backup system is more important than ever with the recent rise in cyberattacks and specifically ransomware. When researching backup services for small to medium-sized businesses we were extremely impressed with the abilities of Acronis’ software that extends beyond just basic computer backups. The services they offer are extremely comprehensive and dwarfs the feature sets of their competitors.

Intuitive, and convenient backups

Acronis goes beyond basic backup services offering the ability to simultaneously backup to the cloud and to a local device ensuring your data is safe in case of a cyberattack, natural disaster, or even a network outage. Additionally, these backups are extremely customizable with the ability to self-update in the background as often as every five minutes without affecting the computer’s performance by using CPU load balancing. If backups every 5 minutes are not often enough, Acronis also offers continuous data protection so that even the smallest changes in specific applications or folders will be saved as soon as they are made.

Once your files have been uploaded to the cloud, Acronis gives its users the ability to access their backed-up files from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. If a computer ever needs to be restored, Acronis will detect the fastest way to restore the data either using the cloud or a local backup if it is available. For businesses that cannot afford for their work to be interrupted, Acronis allows their users to run a virtual machine of the most recent backup, so you can get back to your work within minutes and have zero data loss.

Protection from all modern threats

In addition to providing comprehensive backup solutions, Acronis is extremely focused on ensuring that their software is secure, and their users’ data is safe; utilizing end-to-end enterprise-grade AES-256 encryption meaning not even Acronis themselves can read your encrypted files. Acronis Cyber Protect also offers a full suite of antimalware services including scheduled and on-demand antivirus scans, web filtering, computer vulnerability assessments, crypto mining process detection, and even real-time monitoring of every file you interact with.

Secure, forensic backups protected by the blockchain

Malware protection and frequent backups will keep your business running in case of an attack, but what happens after systems have been recovered? Most importantly the vulnerability that was exploited must be discovered and remediated so a similar situation won’t happen again. Acronis will greatly assist with this task since they offer secure forensic backups that include raw memory dumps, and backups of all storage space on the computer including unallocated partitions. These forensic backups help cybersecurity investigators and the authorities determine the cause of the breach and who was behind the attack. For even more added security these forensic backups are notarized on the Ethereum blockchain making it impossible for hackers to cover their tracks by deleting or modifying this data. After recovery, the company should file a cyber insurance claim, and report the incident and any data breaches to the proper authorities.

If you are interested in trying Acronis Cyber Protect for your business, please fill out the form below for a free 30 day trial.

The JBS Cyberattack: An Example of How to Be Prepared

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 02:43:48 GMT

Having frequent and complete backups of all company systems is the best way to recover after computer failure, malware infection, or a targeted cyber-attack. Another one of these cyber-attacks occurred last week, this time targeted at JBS, the largest meat processing company in the world. The attack was distributed by a group known as REvil, which crippled critical systems in at least 10 JBS plants found across the globe. Luckily for JBS, they were much more prepared than Colonial Pipeline for this attack. "The criminals were never able to access our core systems, which greatly reduced potential impact," said Andre Nogueira, chief executive of JBS USA.

The shutdown of certain plant functions occurred on May 30, 2021, over Memorial Day weekend. Impressively, the Brazil-based company said the “vast majority” of its plants would be operational on Wednesday, June 2, meaning their systems were restored in under 48 hours without any money paid out as a ransom. This is quite the feat considering 10 separate plants with multiple computer systems each needed to be restored to working order from backups. Unlike Colonial Pipeline, JBS deserves to be commended for not paying any ransom to the cybercriminals and having the proper measures in place to bring their operations back online as quickly as possible.

It is never advisable to pay a hacker’s ransom as since as the FBI explains, “Paying a ransom emboldens the adversary to target other organizations for profit and provides for a lucrative environment for other criminals to become involved.” Furthermore, in Webroot’s 2021 Security Report they add, "paying a ransom does not guarantee an organization will regain access to their data. According to our research, nearly 17 percent of businesses paid the ransom but were still not able to decrypt their data.” Paying one of these ransoms is a major gamble. Even if you do receive a decryption tool in exchange for a ransom, that tool may take so long to decrypt your data that it quickly ends up being cheaper to pay IT support to recover the data.

EV Consultech keeps its customers protected by offering remote and in-person support in addition to ensuring all devices have their own backup system s. We also offer services like AI-powered email filtering that keep employees and subsequently their company and customers safe

If you would like to know more about the services we provide, please fill out the form below:

The Colonial Pipeline Hack; Hidden Costs of Poor Security Practices

Thu, 27 May 2021 19:20:30 GMT

Regular updates for Windows and your other applications can be tedious, but the importance of these updates can’t be emphasized enough. In the world of cyber security, hackers are constantly looking for vulnerabilities in outdated websites, operating systems, applications or even in our own judgement when opening emails.

Recently Colonial Pipelines suffered a cyberattack that shut down one of the largest oil pipelines in America. The attack led to panic buying in the southwest United States which caused gas prices to skyrocket across the country. Although investigations are still ongoing, it is believed that the ransomware was distributed by a group known as DarkSide, who sells “ransomware as a service” that anyone can buy and use to target vulnerable, high-value systems. Reportedly, the Colonial Pipeline company had extremely poor cyber and system security practices that likely allowed DarkSide’s ransomware to take over such a large portion of a physical pipeline.

The amount of money Colonial Pipeline was losing every second the pipeline was shut down pushed the company to pay a $90 million ransom in an effort to regain access to their systems. Unfortunately, the decrypting tool they received in exchange for the ransom would have taken longer to decrypt their files than it would have taken to restore all their systems from backups, so the $90 million was essentially wasted.

Jon Niccolls, a cyber security expert from CheckPoint, explains,

"Some of the biggest attacks we've seen all started with an email… an employee may have been tricked into downloading some malware, for example. We've also seen recent examples of hackers getting in using weaknesses or compromise of a third-party software. Hackers will use any chance they get to gain a foothold in a network."

EV Consultech is equipped to protect their clients from such attacks by providing in-house services like monthly computer maintenance to keep your computer and applications up to date. We also offer automated solutions such as IronScales, which uses the power of AI to automatically detect and filter out phishing emails from your employees’ inboxes. IronScales can also be used to train your employees on how to identify phishing attempts through simulated attacks so they never compromise your company’s security. EV Consultech ensures industry standard cybersecurity practices are always used in addition to providing cloud backup solutions for all devices in case of ransomware attack or device failure.

If you would like to know more about how we keep our clients safe online, please fill out the form below.

How to Improve Teleworker Productivity using SD-WAN

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 21:13:15 GMT

How to Improve Teleworker Productivity using SD-WAN

For years, businesses have been striving for greater productivity, higher security, and less time spent resolving unexpected issues. When all end user devices shared a single network location, setting priority levels to network traffic and enforcing access policies to achieve these goals was no big deal.

Fast forward to March 2020, and instantly everything changed. Employees worldwide were sent home to work remotely, and work devices began communicating with each other from a variety of locations. As a result, companies lost their ability to easily manage the workplace infrastructure.

Challenges of Teleworking

For businesses accustomed to a traditional office setup, the transition from in-house employee to teleworker has introduced new factors that have complicated the corporate environment. ISP, internet data plans, home network equipment, and location all vary per employee, so companies desiring to retain a productive workforce need to take these factors into account.

If you currently work from home or manage employees who do, you have likely experienced some of the challenges of teleworking already. Slow internet connections, consumer and work applications fighting for internet speed, and outages are all influenced by the factors mentioned above, and these issues can have a big impact on the workday for teleworkers.

Here's the good news! You don't have to settle for long file uploads or downloads, poor videoconferencing quality, and generally slow internet speed. You can have a seamless home internet connection with constant uptime and network traffic prioritization through the usage of an SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network).

The SD-WAN Solution

Traditionally, enterprises with multiple branch locations utilized a WAN to create a geographically expansive network, allowing each office to function in tandem and share the same technical resources and services.

Now, SD-WAN enables businesses to utilize network resources owned and operated by a third-party, while retaining the ability to manage these resources simply through the use of a management portal. Recent innovations in SD-WAN allow businesses to extend their corporate network to residential areas, creating one large, centralized WAN encompassing the workplace and the home of each remote employee.

Here's some common advantages teleworkers and businesses derive from adopting an SD-WAN:

Redundancy & Constant Uptime: SD-WAN providers connect each deployed endpoint to the network by multiple network links. If one link goes down, the other link allows for constant uptime even in the event of an outage.
Network Traffic Prioritization: An SD-WAN enables network traffic to be automatically classified based on importance and type, so that business-critical applications are always prioritized over other traffic.
Proactive Network Monitoring & Visibility: SD-WAN provides real-time reporting and visibility into the corporate and home network. As a result, IT Support teams always have the information they need to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
Simplified Endpoint Setup: SD-WAN endpoint routers ship preconfigured and ready for installation by anyone, not just IT specialists.
Cost & Time Savings: Adoption of an SD-WAN infrastructures saves businesses significant time and costs that would otherwise be incurred by owning and managing network hardware on-premises.

Companies including Bigleaf , Zero Outages , and others provide cost-effective, simple work from home SD-WAN solutions to support teleworkers and improve business productivity with a remote team.

Interested in adopting SD-WAN for your business? Want to learn more about available solutions and plans? Let us know about your business using the form below, and we would love to contact you and discuss the available solutions and which is best for you!

Phishing and AI: How to Empower your Employees

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 19:55:35 GMT

Phishing and AI: How to Empower your Employees

If you own or are an employee of an SMB (small or medium-sized business), you have probably received your fair share of spam and phishing emails in your inbox. Some of these phishing emails are glaringly obvious; others, not so much.

In the last quarter of 2020, we noticed a large increase in the number of phishing attacks targeting SMBs. The unfortunate truth about phishing is that its goal is to capitalize on human error, something that every employee (and CEO for that matter) is well acquainted with. When users are busy focusing the task at hand, they often don't read between the lines of emails they receive, which is why recent phishing attacks have been so successful.

Here's the bottom line . . .

Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect, but you don't have to feel powerless against them. In fact, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation can empower people in the workplace to perform their jobs safely and confidently, without worrying about accidentally clicking on a rogue email link or downloading a malicious attachment.

Now, let's move this from the abstract realm to the practical and define how AI and automation can assist you and your organization in the battle against phishing.

Enter IRONSCALES

While a number of enterprises offer phishing protection solutions, the one we have been impressed by the most is IRONSCALES , an AI-powered, advanced email security SaaS platform that combines the power of machine learning with human interaction. IRONSCALES empowers users to take part in phishing defense by reporting rogue phishing emails, and via user awareness training and simulated phishing attacks.

In addition to the features just mentioned, there are a number of other capabilities that IRONSCALES offers across its multiple packages, so we chose to showcase those included in the Core Plus bundle below.

If you are interested in IRONSCALES for your business, we have good news! We have partnered with IRONSCALES to offer a 30-day trial of the Core Plus bundle completely free ! For more information about this offer and how IRONSCALES can increase the security of your business, please check out the tabs below.

Holiday Security Refresher: Working Remotely

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 04:48:45 GMT

Holiday Security Refresher: Working Remotely

2020 Holiday Security Awareness Campaign (Week 4)

This is the 4th and final week of our holiday security awareness campaign, and our security focus for this week is working remotely .

Since the lockdown back in March, companies have been adopting a more flexible approach to work. Gone are the traditional requirements for employees to always work from the office.

Instead, many employees are able to perform their job duties entirely from the comfort of home, or are spending several days a week in an office and the rest working remotely.

As many of us have already experienced, working from home offers tremendous flexibility and can often be even more productive than working in an office.

Nevertheless, remaining productive requires diligence, and the same can be said for prioritizing security while working at home.

This week we are featuring the resources listed below:

1. Updating Security Settings on Home WiFi Networks

This article provides three methods to secure your wireless network and protect your data from unwanted visitors.

2. Work From Home Security Posters
These four posters cover a variety of different subjects, including physical security, work-life balance, encryption, and more.

3. Don’t Click on That.
This humorous sketch discusses the importance of practicing safety, having antivirus software, and using wisdom while browsing online.

As a reminder, you can view or download all of these resources for free using the tabs below! Simply click on each tab to access its respective content.

We hope you have found these resources informative and useful!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The EV-Consultech Team

Holiday Security Refresher: Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 04:24:01 GMT

Holiday Security Refresher: Business Email Compromise (BEC)

2020 Holiday Security Awareness Campaign (Week 3)

It is week 3 of our security awareness campaign, and the security focus for this week is Business Email Compromise (BEC) .

BEC attacks are a subset of phishing, and they occur when a cybercriminal impersonates executives or trusted contacts to deceive business owners or employees into transferring funds into a seemingly authentic - but nonetheless fraudulent account.

While the purpose of most BEC attacks is personal financial gain, these attacks can also be made with the goal of obtaining sensitive business and financial information, as is the case in phishing attacks.

Attackers utilize BEC attacks year-round, but it is not uncommon around the holidays for these sorts of fraudulent attacks to increase in frequency. As always, during this holiday season be sure to be on guard and practice healthy skepticism with the emails you receive.

This week we are featuring the resources listed below:

1. BEC Infographic

This poster explains BEC attacks, including their design and targets. I t also lists the best practices to prevent them from occurring.

2. 3 Facts About BEC Attacks
This article describes a few true facts about BEC attacks, providing helpful summaries and recommendations along the way.

3. Take 5: Defending Against BEC Attacks
This document lists out several good habits to establish in your organization to provide the best shield of defense against BEC attacks.

All of these resources are free to access, and you can view or download them below! Simply click on each tab to access its respective content.

We hope you have found these resources informative and useful!

Happy Holidays,

The EV-Consultech Team

Holiday Security Refresher: Shopping Hazards & Phishing During the Holidays

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 22:25:57 GMT

Holiday Security Refresher: Shopping Hazards & Phishing During the Holidays

2020 Holiday Security Awareness Campaign (Week 2)

Welcome to week 2 of our security awareness campaign! The security focus for this week is phishing .

As technology continues to accelerate, cybercriminals continue in their pursuit to make phishing attacks appear authentic and thus gain access to confidential information.

Phishing attacks during the holidays are commonly themed around gift orders and product deals, though normal business-related phishing attacks will still be present during this time.

As we are now in the middle of the holiday season, be sure to be on guard against phishing attacks and employ safe practices while in the office or at home.

This week we are featuring:

1. Holiday Shopping Hazards

A document on the risks and best practices of holiday shopping.

2. Phishing Decision Infographic

A poster on effective decision-making while analyzing emails.

3. Sweet Deal

A poster reminder that phishing attacks often offer unrealistically good deals or content.

4. Great Saves: Phishing

A refresher video on phishing awareness.

As a reminder, you can access all of these free resources below! Simply click on each tab to access its respective content.

We hope you find these resources helpful, and we wish you the best of the season!

Happy Holidays,

The EV-Consultech Team

Holiday Security Refresher: Stay Safe this Season!

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 21:11:19 GMT

Holiday Security Refresher: Stay Safe this Season!

2020 Holiday Security Awareness Campaign (Week 1)

It's the holiday season already . . . can you believe it? 2020 has been a year ripe with unexpected surprises, challenges, and blessings. The holidays are a great time to reconnect with family and share joy with loved ones, and this year with all its challenges could certainly use a little cheer.

During this holiday season, we are launching a 4-week security awareness campaign to provide a refresher on the common tactics of cybercriminals, thieves and scammers.

They will be especially active this season with more online shopping than ever, due to the coronavirus pandemic and other factors.

Each week we will be providing articles, videos and posters to promote caution and good practices, in order to keep both you and your business safe this holiday season.

This week in promoting security awareness, we are featuring the following resources:

1. An article with examples of the common types of scams that you may encounter during the holidays.

2. A poster on spotting fraudulent holiday shipping notices.

3. A refresher video on the importance of practicing Wi-Fi safety if you find yourself using public Wi-Fi while out shopping.

You can find each of these resources available for free below. Simply click on each tab to access its respective content.

We hope these resources have been useful to you, and wish you a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Happy Holidays,

The EV-Consultech Team

Network Security Best Practices: Access Control and Segmentation

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 02:01:48 GMT

Network Security Best Practices: Access Control and Segmentation

The IT network infrastructure is in many ways the backbone of any business. As a network supports countless diverse aspects of an organization, it is no surprise that IT specialists who have experienced and remediated data breaches can testify that they often cause major - and sometimes irreversible damage.

While multiple defenses exist against such threats, such as firewalls and antimalware software, are these in themselves enough to protect a business from attacks? Unfortunately, attackers know that most companies already have these security measures in place for such an event, which is why they often target the human error factor instead, knowing that people are indeed the weakest link and can be prone to making mistakes.

However, there are two controls you can implement in your organization's network that can provide another shield of protection beyond traditional security measures, making it much more challenging for intruders to compromise your network: Access Control and Segmentation.

Implement Tighter Access Control

While implementing secure access control may seem like a simple task, it can be difficult to execute in reality. Why? One reason in particular keeps many businesses from having tight controls over access, and that is convenience. It is much more convenient for businesses to use the same or similar credentials across the board, rather than having unique access policies per user or department based on individual needs.

Nevertheless, it is vital that businesses ensure their users have all the credentials they need, but not any more or any less. Any more can lead to a massive increase in damage done by an attacker should they access to the network; any less can keep your employees from meeting their job requirements. In many cases, the only exception to a limited access policy should be company owners, executive managers, and IT staff, who need universal access given the scope of their work.

A limited access policy results in a more secure work environment for everyone. Though some employees under such a policy may dislike having less freedom, the benefits of security far outweighs the costs.

Let's consider an example: A marketing employee has credentials that provide her limited access across an organization. She is able to access her marketing resources, and any other resources she needs. However, she has no access to the accounting department's resources, or the resources of any other department she does not need. She also doesn't have administrative rights. If a perpetrator is able to break into the network through her credentials, he will be able to do far less damage, and across a more limited spectrum than he might have were she to have much greater access to company data.

The bottom line is this - If you are looking for an additional wall of defense beyond traditional measures, maintain tight user access control. This is one of the best defenses you can have against security breaches.

Segment your Network

Another step you can take to secure your business data is to segment your network by dividing it into several smaller networks. While this method of network security can be time consuming, it can have a powerful affect on your network's security - similar in many ways to limited access policies.

A great way to segment a network is by department. In this way a company can have a different subnetwork for each of its functions, like accounting, shipping, and marketing. Just as tight user access controls can divide access to company resources by user, having segmented networks divides access per computer and network device.

It's also wise to create a separate network for personal devices of employees and guests, with limited access to company data compared to business computers and devices. This will limit any attacker's chance of accessing your important company data through a personal device not equipped with features as per your business's security policies.

The result of a well-designed, segmented network is a more highly secured organization, and a much greater challenge for any attacker trying to break into your company's network.

It's Worth the Effort

At first glance, it may seem too much to define unique access policies based on each user's needs, and to divide your company's network by department, but coupled with firewalls, antimalware software, and other security measures, these efforts will be well worth the time. Many companies are slow to improve their security simply because they haven't experienced a major data breach yet. Instead of having to experience one at all, we recommend you be rigorous and proactive about your company's security, and keep would-be attackers out of your network before they try to enter it.

This blog is based on information from the following articles:

Shoring Up Your Network And Security Policies: Least Privilege Models

Segmenting And Segregating Your Network: Often Overlooked Tips For Keeping Businesses Safe

Phishing: Best Practices and How to Identify an Attack

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 00:40:27 GMT

Phishing: Best Practices and How to Identify an Attack

Phishing attacks are still the number one cause of business data breaches.

Why? Because hackers know that the quickest and most effective avenue to the inside of a company is through human error. It's not hard to understand why phishing attacks are so successful, either. When employees are pressured with multiple projects and correspondence with other parties, they can be quick to act and not so quick to identify fraudulent emails.

During these months when many are still working from home, it is critical to an organization's security that employees understand the traits of a phishing attack, and know how to respond appropriately.

Know the Characteristics of a Phishing Email

While previously it was most common for hackers to send out mass emails to random email accounts, we are now often seeing an attack known as spear-phishing, where hackers use knowledge of a company and its employees to develop personalized attacks that can be quite believable. These attacks can involve impersonation of a company employee or manager, or even a business partner or service provider.

Well, this is all good to know, but how can employees identify the characteristics of a phishing attack?

The good news is, virtually every part of an email can provide an indication of its authenticity. Key identifiers of a phishing attempt can be found most anywhere in an email, from its header to its body. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of an email, examine it and ask yourself questions in the following categories:

From : Is the email from an unknown contact? Is it from a known contact but is spelled incorrectly?
To: Was this email sent just to me, or to a group of contacts I don't recognize?
Date: Examine the date in conjuncture with the rest of the message. Is the date and time unusual based on the sender or the request?
Subject: Does the subject line sound suspicious? If it is from a known sender, Is the subject line something that they would likely write?
Text Content: Is there an urgent request or a threat? Are bad spelling and grammar present throughout the message? Is a known sender asking you to do something that they would not normally ask? These are all big indicators of a phishing attempt.
Links: Are links present in the message that look like legitimate sites but are spelled incorrectly? Are there long hyperlinks present with no explanation?
Attachments: Always examine the content of the message and compare it to any attachments. Are the attachments relevant to the message? Do the attachments contain unknown extensions (for example, .exe, .msi, and .zip are all potentially dangerous filetypes).
Frequency of Similar Emails: We often receive requests for web design services from different senders that use very similar wording, misspelled grammar and spelling, and frankly sound suspicious. So be sure to analyze the similarity of email requests as this can be another telling sign of phishing.

Respond Appropriately

If your answer to even one of the questions spanning the areas above is yes, then do NOT engage in any way with the sender, either by replying, or opening links or attachments. Instead, all suspicious emails should be immediately reported to your company's IT department and verified before any further action is taken.

Proper handling of and response to phishing attempts is vital during these times when communication can be hindered by the remote working environment. If you receive a strange email, always look for incorrect spelling/grammar both in the body of the text and in any links. Examine the trustworthiness of the sender and the request. Watch out for attachments and be sure the sender is trusted before opening them. Always report any suspicious emails to your IT department. By spending a few extra minutes now reading that email, you'll save yourself and your company from a lot of time and headaches down the road.

More Tips for Efficient Remote Work

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 23:45:26 GMT

More Tips for Efficient Remote Work

Back in March, the widespread outbreak of Covid-19 forced many companies to send their employees home for the foreseeable future. Close to 6 months later, it is clear to see that the work from home trend is here to stay, even after the pandemic clears.

In July we offered several tips for employees working remotely, regarding issues such as dealing with distractions, burnout, and technical problems. However, even for those who have been working from home consistently for the last 6 months, remaining productive during the workday given the realities of life can be a challenge.

If you are currently working remotely and find yourself struggling to remain productive, here are some additional steps you can take to be at your best during the workday.

Plan a Task List for the Day

Start your workday by spending the first 5-10 minutes defining a list of tasks that you plan on finishing by the end of the day. It can be a mental list but we recommend you write it down on paper or on your computer where you will frequently see it. Make sure the tasks you define are reasonable for you to accomplish during your day, and check them off as you complete them.

Get the Hardware you Need for the Job

If you find it hard to keep track of all the windows you have open on your computer, consider investing in a second display to keep your tasks more organized. Additionally, if you are working off of a laptop, purchasing a wireless mouse can help you finish the tasks you need to get done much more efficiently.

Help your Network Keep Up with You

Are you working on a wireless connection and finding your internet speed is slow? Consider setting up shop a little closer to your router, so you retain a strong signal at all times. Still having trouble with a slow connection? Hook your computer up with a wired connection, which can boost your internet speed significantly. If neither of these options seem to help, we encourage you to check with your ISP to see what plans they have available to better support your home office needs.

Don't be Afraid to Save Time with a Phone Call

For many of us, it can be much easier to send an email or text message than to make a phone call. However, it is often more efficient to make a phone call right away and get the information you need or take care of that outstanding task, instead of waiting for a response from another party before proceeding.

Keep a Healthy Work-Life Balance

If possible, keep work tasks, software, and research away from your personal computer or smartphone. Doing so may help you feel more refreshed during your shift, since it encourages you to put away work when it's time to rest or spend time with family. This works the other way around too - keep personal tasks, internet browsing, and other distractions away as much as possible. This part can takes commitment, so commit now and you'll find it much easier to focus on finishing the tasks you started during the day.

Practice Makes Perfect

We hope these tips have been both helpful and encouraging for you. If you commit to practicing good habits now, they will support you long-term and help you do the best job you can while working from home.

Protect Your Office 365 Business Data with Cloud App Security (CAS)

Sat, 05 Sep 2020 02:47:29 GMT

Protect Your Office 365 Business Data with Cloud App Security (CAS)

Investments in information security are some of the most important investments a business can make. In today's world, the more information a company possesses about technology, its industry, and its clients, the more strategically it can market itself, serve its customers, and be prepared for unexpected threats. As a result, companies that want to succeed must have a plan established and continually improved upon to safeguard their data.

Office 365 & Spear-Phishing

Fortunately, many companies specializing in security are already providing for this need. Businesses using Microsoft Office 365 are able to enjoy intuitive, local and cloud-based applications for office work, complete with cloud storage and built-in security features throughout. Nevertheless, cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and it is increasingly challenging for companies to plan for every contingency.

For example, even data secured by Office 365 2-Factor Authentication and additional security measures can be bypassed by a successful spear-phishing attack. In fact, these phishing attacks have become increasingly successful, as attackers disguise themselves as well-known companies and other trusted contacts. Even well-intentioned employees who are aware of common phishing methods can fall prey to these attacks due to their apparent authenticity. The results of a successful phishing attack can be critical information, account, or financial loss.

Protect Your Data through Cloud App Security

However, there is an added layer of security beyond 2-Factor Authentication that can halt phishing attempts and other security threats in their tracks, and keep your business data secure. SonicWall's Cloud App Security (CAS) is a next generation security solution for SaaS applications including Office 365, Google Suite, Dropbox, and others. CAS offers the following security measures for businesses:

Advanced protection from targeted phishing, malicious software hidden in email attachments, and URLs.
Inbound, outbound and internal email scanning in Exchange Online and Gmail.
Consistent security policies across authorized cloud applications.
Automated incident detection and response through machine learning and behavior analytics.
Real-time dashboard monitoring of the cloud environment.
And more!

We've partnered with SonicWall to offer Cloud App Security to protect you from advanced phishing attacks and other modern cyber security risks. Interested in CAS for your business? We would love to talk with you and learn how we can provide for your business security needs.

Managing Remote Security During the Covid-19 Era

Sat, 22 Aug 2020 03:44:51 GMT

Managing Remote Security During the Covid-19 Era

Covid-19 has changed the way people work, forcing many to adjust to performing their jobs from home. While some organizations are taking steps towards operating from an office again, many other companies are encouraging their employees to remain at home and work remotely for the time being.

Whether you find your business in one category or the other, it is unlikely that this remote work trend will disappear anytime soon. Why? Because people have found that it works, and that there are many benefits to be enjoyed from performing their job from the comfort of home.

However, because many employees are now working remotely, security has become much more important. While traditional business networks are protected by firewalls and other security measures, not all home networks are in the same boat. Because of this, it is crucial that certain security measures and practices be put in place, so company data and technology are properly secured from threats.

The following three topics are recommendations for companies currently operating with remote employees.

1. Phishing Awareness

Employees working from home must be aware of common phishing practices if they are to operate safely while on the job. Microsoft states that phishing attacks tend to have the following characteristics:

Poor Spelling/Grammar: Email messages with frequently misspelled words and improper grammar are likely to be fake. Phishing messages are often sent out to mass numbers of email accounts, and as a result the body text of these messages are not usually designed to look personal or authentic.
Suspicious Links or Attachments: Email messages containing unexpected links or strange attachments are likely phishing attempts. If these messages are from an unknown contact, they should not be interacted with. If they are from a familiar contact, the contact should be consulted for legitimacy before any user action is taken.
Threats or Urgent Action Required: Email messages or phone calls containing threats of financial or judicial nature are often attempts to gain access to critical company data or user credentials through the use of a fear tactic. The best response is to remain calm and analyze the situation before taking any action.
Impersonation of Legitimate Email Accounts or Services: Often phishing attempts may appear to come from a known email account or online service such as Facebook or Amazon. In these cases, it is best to first consult either the user the email appeared to originate from, or call the company to verify the authenticity of the claim.

While phishing attempts are not limited to the techniques listed above, these are some of the most common most users see. In most cases, phishing attacks succeed when users are quick to respond and take action rather than verify the legitimacy of the threat or request. Employees working from home must be educated on recognizing phishing techniques and responding properly to them if they are to work safely from home.

2. Personal Devices and Company Data

Since many employees are working remotely, it may be all the more tempting to use personal email accounts, cloud subscriptions, or a personal desktop computer to share or store company data. However, as business IT infrastructures are commonly designed around security and are much more protected than a home IT infrastructure, managers must ensure employees are operating safely and keeping company data in the corporate environment. Not only does this lead to better security of critical business information, but also a better work-life balance for employees working from home.

3. Home Network Security

Another important aspect for managers to consider is their employees' home network security. Even when employees are complying with company policies regarding secure remote work, a poorly secured home network is an invitation to unwanted intruders who might be able to gain access to crucial business data. How will you ensure your remote employees are able to securely access the resources they need, without any fear of a security breach?

We are partnering with ZeroOutages to provide for this need by offering the ZeroOutages Home Office SD-WAN Teleworker Wifi Router for just $49/month. This router is embedded with the following features:

Built-In Wifi for Easy Deployment
Extend the Enterprise Network to the Home Office with Secure Encrypted VPN (no software client required)
Even Simpler Deployment with 4G Integration (add-on that includes automated home office redundancy)
Endpoint Protection Client (add-on that stops malware and ransomware)
Up to 1Gbps throughput

If you are interested in this service and would like to learn more, or would like to discuss your business remote security needs, we would love to learn about your company and how we can support you during this challenging season.

How To Work Productively From Home

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 22:28:07 GMT

How to Work Productively From Home

It can be challenging to work efficiently when we are doing so remotely from the comfort of our homes. While there may be certain benefits we enjoy such as greater flexibility, saved commute time, and more family time, there are also considerable disadvantages to working from home. Distractions, difficulties in communication, and slow internet speeds can all hamper our ability to be productive from home.

So, is there a simple solution? Well, one decision alone won't fix the problem of job inefficiency. However, there are a number of habitual changes or decisions we can all make that will greatly increase our productivity during this stay-at-home season.

Define your workspace

It is crucial for every employee working remotely to set apart a specific place in their house for their job alone - preferably one in a secluded room relatively clutter-free. Believe it or not, clutter can have a significant impact on mental focus, and a quieter and distraction-free workspace will promote a clear mind and improve your productivity greatly.

Dress for the job

Just as clutter and noise can distract you from your job, so can the way you dress. If you wear leisure clothes during your workday, you are more likely to consider the home aspect of working from home instead of the work itself. However, if you wear the clothes you would normally wear to work, you will be much more likely to be focused on the job at hand.

Ensure your technology works for you

We have all at some point experienced the feeling of working with a slow computer or inadequate internet speed. Our computers and internet should be working for us, not the other way around. Nevertheless, often we can find ourselves making do with what we have to save us money or the hassle of upgrading. But it is hard to argue against the fact that an outdated computer or slow internet speeds will not be very likely to help us work efficiently. So upgrade your systems or home internet if you need to. You'll thank yourself later!

Take a break

When out of the house at work, most of us take breaks periodically. Even though this time is not spent working, it does help retain mental clarity, keeping us productive and reducing the risk of burnout. So make sure you take short breaks regularly to keep you working at your best capacity.

Minimize unnecessary distractions

No matter how efficient you may work at home, it is very difficult to replicate the same productivity that is possible in an office space where the environment is centered around work. There are certain distractions that may be unavoidable in your home, such as taking care of your children. Nevertheless, make sure those unnecessary distractions are taken care of.

Are you prone to use your smartphone for non-work related activities? Silence those notifications or turn off your phone if it isn't being used during your workday.
Is your home environment generally noisy? Purchase a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to help your mind concentrate on tasks that matter.
Are you often tired or hungry during your workday? Make sure to eat before your shift and brew a cup of coffee so you have the strength and awareness you need to function well in all you do.

You're a choice away from efficient working!

Although it would be great if they did, habits don't appear overnight. They must be practiced! If you want to increase your productivity at home, commit to changing some of the patterns you may have established and practice what will help you succeed at your job now, You won't regret it.

How to Boost Efficiency by Outsourcing IT to an MSP

Sat, 20 Jun 2020 01:21:34 GMT

How Outsourcing IT Needs to an MSP can Boost Efficiency

COVID-19 has had a greater impact in the world than many of us imagined it would. Many industries and firms have been tested, healthcare has been challenged, and the economy has all but stalled completely in recent months. As a result, countless firms have been forced to make rapid strategic decisions to stay afloat, even if those decisions have meant laying off employees, even those who were skilled in their work.

Despite the gradual increase in the world's economic state many companies are hesitant to return to their pre-pandemic mode of operations, and rightly so. This has led to some employees continuing to work from home, many employees being furloughed, and others who have lost their jobs entirely and are currently looking for new positions elsewhere.

If your business is currently in this situation, and you have had to furlough or lay off employees due to financial strain on your firm, you've likely noticed that this has placed a burden on employees still working with the company, many of which may now be working overtime or in multiple departments trying to keep the company afloat.

This can be especially challenging when it comes to IT staff, as technicians deal with many important and complicated aspects of the business, such as integrating older and newer systems, ensuring company data is secure, and troubleshooting issues that arise during daily operations. If your business is now operating without a dedicated IT staff, how are these technical aspects being addressed? Do you have employees who are competent in technical processes and can take care of the IT aspects of your company?

If not, it may be time to look outside of the company to outsource your IT needs. Why? Because partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can actually be a significantly more cost-efficient, dependable method of making sure your IT needs are met exactly when they need to be - all the time.

Here are a few reasons why outsourcing IT to an MSP can boost your business efficiency:

Constant network monitoring so issues are addressed as soon as they surface..
Data backup and disaster recovery so you never lose crucial business information.
Automated and manual maintenance measures so your systems are always in top shape and able to handle the tasks you need them to perform.
Proactive security actions so your data is protected and accessible only to those who need it..
Technology systems and services tailored for your specific company needs.
Dedicated IT staff who are committed to the excellence of your business.

Interested in partnering with an MSP to outsource your IT? Find out if EV-Consultech is the right choice for your business. We would be happy to setup a free consultation with you to discuss your needs and how we can support you along the way.

Greater Encryption for Meetings in Zoom, Plus Other Communication Options for Business

Sat, 09 May 2020 02:39:00 GMT

Greater Encryption for Meetings in Zoom, Plus Other Communication Options for Business

The Need for Communication

It is now nearing the 2 month mark since the beginning of the economic lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected all of us in many ways. In addition, many of the world's businesses have been forced to change the way they operate just to remain afloat during this trying season. For many companies, this has meant laying off employees, or sending employees home to work remotely instead of at the office.

Wherever we are during this crisis, it has become much clearer how greatly we depend and thrive on communication. For businesses and individuals during this time, there are many communication tools available to keep people connected even in isolation. One of these tools most people are well aware of is Zoom, the videoconferencing software which has recently taken the world by storm.

Enter Zoom

Founded in 2011 but only lately becoming world-renowned, the company has received significant scrutiny in recent days from major security issues such as unwanted intruders and inappropriate content as a result. The company has responded quickly and pushed out a number of patches dedicated solely to improving the software's security.

New Features in Zoom 5.0

In the latest of Zoom's rapid security patches, encryption is the primary focus as the company is beginning to implement a global AES 256-bit GCM encryption standard, which is practically impenetrable by brute force techniques and very difficult to bypass using any other methods, either.

In addition to increased encryption standards, Zoom has released a number of quality updates such as new host and meeting settings, including increased password security and customization, secured access to recordings, and secure contact sharing.

Click here to read about the new encryption standard and a number of other new features available now.

Alternatives to Consider

During this time we have also seen a number of other companies consistently release security patches for their meeting and videoconferencing software, like Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, GoToMeeting, and more.

Wondering which videoconferencing solution is the best choice for your business? Take a look at this article to read a summary of the other videoconferencing software solutions available for you to choose from.

Contact Us

If you are currently looking for a business to provide IT support for you during this stay-at-home season, click here to contact us by filling out a short form. We would be more than happy to meet you and discuss how we can provide the support you need during this season.

We hope you are staying safe and healthy!

Resources for Your Business During COVID-19

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 18:46:05 GMT

Resources for Your Business During COVID-19

There have been many illnesses in recent years which have deeply impacted the lives of many individuals and their families around the world. However, none of these have come close to affecting all people on a global scale as the recent Coronavirus has, causing millions to be quarantined to their homes and slowing or stopping many business processes altogether, which has effected the global economy in powerful ways.

Even so, many companies have stepped up during this uncertain time and have provided resources to assist business owners in optimizing their operations. Here is a sample of several resources which you can take advantage of during COVID-19:

A comprehensive list of free software and services for your business during the outbreak.
Free training on Microsoft Teams for business.
Free legal advice for small businesses.
Various webinars on topics such as improving information security for employees working remotely, and applying for a $10,000 SBA Grant.

We encourage you to look over these available options and more, as many of them are free and can significantly improve your business efficiency despite the various frustrations caused by the global impact of the virus.

Click here to review a list of resources aggregated by Visionary 360 that your business can take advantage of during COVID-19.

More importantly, please stay safe and remain home as much as possible during this time to avoid unnecessary exposure of yourself and others to the virus. Follow federal, state, and local guidelines so that we can all move past this season as soon as possible and return to the standard of living we normally are so blessed to enjoy.

Thank you for reading and take care!

Article - G Suite vs. Office 365: What's the best office suite for business?

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 18:58:02 GMT

Article - G Suite vs. Office 365: What's the best office suite for business?

There are many tools available in the business world to improve the efficiency of routine tasks, whether those tasks involve real-time communication between remote employees, data storage and manipulation, or word processing for professional flyers or reports. Two of the most widely used office software suites used for these kinds of tasks are Google's G Suite and Microsoft's Office 365 .

While both of these packages have similar features, they each have differences and distinct advantages over the other. With this in mind, how do you determine which software suite is best suited to tackle your needs as a business?

This question is exactly what the following article on computerworld.com aims to answer, and it does so by providing a very helpful in-depth comparison and contrast of the various programs and features of both office suites:

" G Suite and Office 365 have much in common. Both are subscription-based, charging businesses per-person fees every month, in varying tiers, depending on the capabilities their customers are looking for. Although G Suite is web-based, it has the capability to work offline as well. And while Office 365 is based on installed desktop software, it also provides (less powerful) web-based versions of its applications.

Both suites work well with a range of devices. Because it’s web-based, G Suite works in most browsers on any operating system, and Google also offers apps for Android and iOS. Microsoft provides Office client apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, and its web-based apps work across browsers.

The suites also offer the same basic core applications. Each has word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, email, calendar and contacts programs, along with videoconferencing, messaging and note-taking software. Each has cloud storage associated with it. But those individual applications are quite different from one suite to the other, as are the management tools for taking care of them in a business environment. And both suites offer scads of additional tools as well. So it can be exceedingly difficult to decide which suite is better for your business. . . .

We offer a detailed look at every aspect of the office suites, from an application-by-application comparison to how well each suite handles collaboration, how well their apps integrate, their pricing and support and more. "

Click here to read the full article

Stay safe during these uncertain times!

Article - 5 Soon-to-Be Trends in Artificial Intelligence And Deep Learning

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 21:37:29 GMT

Article - 5 Soon-to-Be Trends in Artificial Intelligence And Deep Learning

There are many hot topics in the technology world today - Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are among the top. While each of these areas offer enormous value alone, it's quite possible that nothing holds more opportunity for achievement in the future than AI.

While AI is still in many ways an upcoming technology, its research and development holds promise for everyone in the digital age. It certainly has potential to free up time in the day, enabling professionals and consumers to focus on the most important issues in the day - not those which are time-consuming yet often so trivial.

The following text is from an article on f orbes.com , which describes how despite the enormous undertaking in artificial intelligence research and achievements, AI advances may not be that far away after all - especially in the realms of telecommunications, retail, and simply the mundane daily tasks that we all face:

" Artificial intelligence is frequently discussed yet it’s too early to show real gains. AI’s major headwind is the cost of the investment, which will skew returns in the short-term. When the turnaround occurs, however, companies who are making the investment can expect to be rewarded disproportionately with a wide performance gap. In a recent report, McKinsey predicts AI leaders will see up to double the cash flow. . . .

We see other companies taking on massive and expensive AI projects, such as Baidu, Facebook, Tesla, Alibaba, Microsoft and Amazon. Except for Tesla, these companies are flush with cash and can afford the transition costs and capital expenditures required for artificial intelligence.

Despite tech giants pouring cash into AI investments, most of the industries that stand to benefit are not in the tech industry, per se. . . .

Here are a few ways that AI is slated to make an impact sooner rather than later: "

Click here to read the full article

What ways will you be able to take advantage of AI technology in your business or home in the next few years? We all must be alert, because this development will be here sooner than we think.

Article - You've Got Cloud. Now, What?

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 22:22:52 GMT

Article - You've Got Cloud. Now, What?

It's a new year (and decade), and technology's capabilities will continue to grow as new tools and methods are developed, which will continue to revolutionize business as we know it. While cloud computing has been in development for some time now, it is still an incredibly powerful business tool if used effectively.

Whether you have already invested in cloud computing and storage tools for your business or have no interest at all in pursuing cloud technology, this article features helpful information for anyone in the business world. Plus, it's always good to stay current on the latest technology trends and features you can take advantage of.

Here's an excerpt of an article on e ntrepreneur.com , which provides a concise and insightful summary of some of the modern cloud storage and computing tools available for your business today:

" So, you've managed to sell the idea to your CEO that your company should move to the productivity and efficiency heaven that is the cloud. And he or she agrees.

And, why not? No longer just a cost-cutting solution, the cloud today, with its many facets, has become a business enabler, offering companies large and small the ability to be fast, agile and innovative.

But while multi-cloud adoption is through the roof, many businesses realize too late that the real battle begins only after the cloud has been adopted. From not sizing bandwidth needs to assuming the cloud is secure just because someone else is handling it, these unsuspecting companies' failure to define the cloud has taken a toll on many of them.

Don't let your company be one of them. Make sure that you get the best bang for your buck by using the following suggested four strategies to make your cloud experience the best one yet . . . "

Click here to read the full article

We hope this article has been a helpful read, and we wish you all a happy new year!

Article - The Top Cybersecurity Trends That Will Shape 2020

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 20:39:21 GMT

Article - The Top Cybersecurity Trends That Will Shape 2020

We are just around the corner from closing out 2019 and beginning a whole new year, full of opportunities but not without its own risks. As information continues to grow exponentially in its importance to us, cybersecurity is rising itself as one of the next big topics that deserves our attention. We all must ask ourselves, "Is my information truly safe from threats?"

This simple question which may not seem a big deal to us could soon become a critical issue to our businesses - costing us significant time and money - if left unaddressed. We don't need to be afraid of the cybersecurity risks to our homes and companies, but we should be aware of them and know the current trends as they come, as well as have a backup plan in case we find ourselves in a similar situation.

Here's an excerpt from a great article on cyberark.com , which addresses some of the current issues (such as ransomware, cloud storage, and biometrics) facing all businesses who handle information on a regular basis:

" From a cybersecurity perspective, there are a lot of questions about what’s coming. What are the big technology trends and what risks will they pose?

Will attackers be interested in new technologies like AI and biometrics or will they focus on infiltrating conventional systems in new and innovative ways? What will the attack vectors be? Will traditional attack methods continue to reign supreme or will new approaches emerge?

As we head into a new decade, there’s no doubt that attackers will try to use innovation against us, but determining where they will focus is always a challenge. Here are the top security trends we believe will impact both businesses and consumers in 2020 . . . "

Click here to read the full article

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Now is the Time for Cyber Security

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 20:26:14 GMT

N ow is the Time for Cyber Security

We live in an information-driven culture. It comes as no surprise to anyone that information and research drive the majority of our decisions every day, whether we are at home or work. Today that information is increasingly stored online, with businesses moving to cloud storage and many home devices now communicating online through the Internet of Things (IoT).

As a result, cyber security is becoming almost as important as physical security. Just as someone may break into your house and steal your valuable possessions if your house isn't properly secured, now they can do that with your personal information as well. So the question to ask now is, what steps can we take to safeguard what is important to us?

Following are several important notes to observe about cyber security as it stands today:

Everyone is at Risk

"Well of course cyber security attacks are a risk out there, but I'm not in that category."

Well that sounds kind of silly, doesn't it? But in reality many of us find ourselves thinking this way , even if it is subconsciously. One of the first steps we all can take in defending ourselves against threats in an online world is to simply understand that we are not exempt from these risks. Even the most well protected systems today have been infiltrated by unwanted visitors, so naturally we would be a little unwise to think ourselves free of danger.

Research, Research, Research!

The digital landscape is drastically changing in a relentless cycle, both for good and for bad. New technologies make the development of even faster, more efficient technology possible. New systems are established for protecting crucial information online, and new methods of breaking into those systems are being developed simultaneously.

While it is unlikely that this cycle will break any time in the near future, we can do our part to stay ahead of the curve by understanding the newest technology and systems available for the protection of our company's (and our personal) information. So make sure to spend a few minutes every week in research, so that you and your business are equipped with the technology and wisdom to fight the security battle well.

Replace Old Technology with Better Systems

When was the last assessment done in your business about the state of your systems? While some of us may have updated our systems quite recently, others may have held off on investing in newer technologies, whether it be for financial or operational reasons. Nevertheless, current systems offer increased protection against security breaches, and can save you and your company a lot of time and money in the long run.

Certain older machines - especially those running Windows 7 - may be at an increased risk for cyber attacks, as the end of life phase for Windows 7 begins on January 14, 2020. At this time, systems still running the operating system will no longer be supported by Microsoft, and security updates will cease being issued.

Be sure that your company's machines are consistently updated (and upgraded, if the time is necessary) so they are equipped with the newest security systems and your information is protected in an online world.

(Click here for more information about the end of life phase for Windows 7)

Now is the Time

Now is the time for cyber security: to understand the risks, research both new technologies and new threats, and to make sure that all of us and our systems are current and safe from unnecessary threats.

We hope this has been an interesting and helpful read. Stay safe out there!

3 Tips for using Windows 10 More Efficiently

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 20:34:13 GMT

Work efficiently with Windows 10

Do you ever seem to have way too many windows open on your PC? Wish it were easier to multitask on your computer? Today we have a few tips that may make it easier! You may have heard of some of these, but you may be surprised by a few as well!

Make these windows…disappear!

Sometimes, you just need to clear the clutter, or take a moment to admire that lovely picture of a sunny beach that you set as your wallpaper before getting back to work. Just open your settings, open Personalization and then Taskbar, and activate “Use peek to preview the desktop.” Next time you need a break, use your mouse to hover or click on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. Move your mouse or click again and you’re back to work!

Shaking?

Do you have a ton of windows open, but just want to look at one of them? Just select a window that you want and shake it up and down a few times. The windows you don’t want will be minimized and out of your way for the time being. If you can’t get it at first, be patient. This one takes practice! Want to resurrect those windows? Just shake the open window one more time.

Alt+Tab no more

Are you still using the key combination Alt+Tab to swap windows? Ever get the feeling that there is a better way? Well, there is. Try pressing the windows key plus the tab key at the same time to get a lovely overview of everything that you have going on.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these tips, stay tuned for more!

NYC Cybersecurity Conference

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 20:25:52 GMT

Data Connectors Cybersecurity Conference

Last week, members of our team traveled to New York City for a Cybersecurity conference put on by Data Connectors. It was a great opportunity for us to hear from industry leaders in both the public and private sectors, and to interact with other Cybersecurity professionals.

The threats that face your business are constantly changing. We must constantly change to meet them. Events like this are a large part of how we do that.

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 02:29:08 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 02:29:08 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.

Making a difference in our community, one computer at a time

Sat, 20 Jul 2019 02:31:26 GMT

Manage IT Services at work!

This past Wednesday (July 17, 2019), we had the opportunity to represent ourselves at the Business Tech Conference , hosted by the Los Angeles City Club. The event drew nearly 200 LA business and tech professionals to the club’s beautiful 51st story event center. We were able to showcase two important aspects of what we do.

First, we specialize in offering Information Technology Services to local businesses with a ample dose of friendly customer service and individualized attention. This is something our larger competitors simply cannot do.

More importantly, we were able to spread the word about Helping Hands Computers, a non-profit we are heavily involved in. If you have never heard of Helping Hands, it is a Christian ministry located in the Pasadena area dedicated to supplying free refurbished computers and laptops to children and families in need. We strongly believe that computers empower people to stay current and productive. Our company’s role is to collect the following donations from generous individuals and organizations.

Desktops
Monitors
Mice and Keyboards
Laptops
Printers

The condition of these items does not matter. We either repair the hardware or responsibly E-Waste what is left over. Any and all hard drives we receive will be securely wiped of all data to Department of Defense standards: we want to protect our donor’s privacy and security. We re-purpose the finished computers by installing GNU/Linux operating systems and other free software that is optimized for day to day computing. We would love it if you would visit the Helping Hands website and consider donating some of your old tech!

A Cyberattack Hobbles Atlanta, and Security Experts Shudder

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 03:06:01 GMT

Cyberattack Hobbles Atlanta

ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta’s 8,000 employees got the word on Tuesday that they had been waiting for: It was O.K. to turn their computers on.

But as the city government’s desktops, hard drives and printers flickered back to life for the first time in five days, residents still could not pay their traffic tickets or water bills online, or report potholes or graffiti on a city website. Travelers at the world’s busiest airport still could not use the free Wi-Fi.

4 Things You Need to Do to Ensure Secure File-Sharing at Your Company

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 20:46:21 GMT

Secure File-Sharing

In a survey by Biscom, 95 percent of employees polled said they were able to take from their companies data they didn’t work on themselves. This scenario occurs despite the methods companies have put into place to transfer data in and out of their companies securely.

Related: 10 Data-Security Measures You Can't Do Without

Most businesses already rely on file-sharing software to ensure the effective communication and transfer of confidential documents within their offices. But those businesses now rely heavily on the internet for file storage and communication, too.

And, unbeknownst to most people, much of this online data is stored by their internet service provider (ISP), thus making a company's files, passwords and communication vulnerable. Having these company files get into the wrong hands can lead to serious problems like identity theft or even fraud.

Certainly, file-sharing services come with several benefits, like the ability to transfer larger files. However, the ease with which files can be shared within the office environment leaves them vulnerable to threat.

How can you prevent your files from being transferred to unauthorized people? And, as a business owner, what can you do to make sure your business isn’t at risk of having its sensitive documents compromised? Here are four things you need to know about file-sharing in your company.

Phishing Your Employees for Security

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 03:18:37 GMT

Phishing Your Employees

Employees are the weakest link when it comes to enterprise security, and unfortunately hackers realized this years ago. All an attacker needs to use some social engineering tactics against employees of companies and organizations they want to target.

A massive 91% of successful data breaches at companies started with a social engineering and spear-phishing attack. A phishing attack usually involves an e-mail that manipulates a victim to click on a malicious link that could then expose the victim’s computer to a malicious payload.

So what is the missing link to manage the problem of employees being Social engineered?

The answer is very simple – Educate your Employees and reinforce good security procedures at the same time.

Phish your Employees!

Cumulative update brings fixes for Windows 10 April 2018 Update PCs

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Cumulative Updates on Windows 10

We're two weeks past June's monthly Patch Tuesday release, but Microsoft is issuing another range of fixes for PCs on the latest version of Windows 10. Cumulative update KB4284848 is now rolling out for the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, ticking the build number up to version 17134.137 with a lengthy list of bug fixes.

Microsoft is pushing another round of fixes out to April 2018 Update PCs

Here's a look at what's new:

Addresses an issue that causes the Video Settings HDR streaming calibration slider to stop working. This is caused by a conflict with the panel brightness intensity settings configured by certain OEMs.
Addresses streaming compatibility issues with certain live TV streaming content providers.
Addresses an issue where media content previously generated by Media Center doesn't play after installing the Windows 10 April 2018 update.
Addresses an issue in which SmartHeap didn't work with UCRT.
Addresses performance regression in App-V, which slows many actions in Windows 10.
Addresses an issue that causes Appmonitor to stop working at logoff if the Settingstoragepath is set incorrectly.
Addresses an issue that causes Appmonitor to stop working at logoff, and user settings are not saved.

OFFICE 365 USERS TARGETED IN NEW PHISHING SCAM

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 03:11:09 GMT

Phishing Scam

Recognizing phishing emails and implementing a strong defense system are ways to protect you and your company against the new Office 365 threat. Contact your IT team for more tips on how to spot this type of scam and plan security measures.

There are more than 100 million active subscribes of Office 365, which has inevitably attracted the attention of hackers who’ve revamped an deep-rooted trick. The distinctly targeted and thoughtfully-crafted lance phishing attack is even more difficult to identify. Here’s what you need to know.

The new threat uses spear-phishing, an old trick in which hackers send emails pretending to be from trusted sources and trick you into disclosing sensitive information. The e-mail messages are harder to spot because they are free of the usual telltale signs like misspelled words and suspicious attachments. You may need to update your knowledge about phishing scams because this new threat is well-disguised.

How does it work?

The hackers, pretending to be from trusted sources, create personalized messages to send to your inbox. The messages may contain a link or PDF file that leads to a non-suspicious landing page. The user is prompted to enter their credentials, which hackers then use to dispatch attacks within the organization.

As for the phishing emails with PDF attachments, the document may be locked and prompt you to enter a username and password to view the document. Once you do, your account is compromised and no longer yours. They may also send an invoice that requires you to log on to view the file which can be used to trick you into forward sensitive information.

What can you do?

It’s important to use multi-factor authentication to secure your account. The function exists within Office 365. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to activate it.

Training yourself and employees to spot common phishing techniques is vital. Make sure you verify the accuracy of the wording and sensibility of the requests. For added measure, your company can install an email-validation system designed to detect and prevent email spoofing.

Office 365 Training Tips

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:00:19 GMT

Training Tips

Due to high demand for Office 365 training materials, we have joined Microsoft and LinkedIn to start providing basic tips to help you and your staff improve their Office 2016 skills. We hope you find these tips helpful.

Did you know that Microsoft Office 2016 is always up to date with the latest features? Use this email to learn about how Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint can take your productivity to the next level.

Here’s what you can do

Get started and get access to your emails by adding your email accounts to Outlook.

Watch the video

Easily let business contacts and coworkers know when you’re away by setting an out-of-office reply.

Watch the video

Add a personal touch to outgoing emails by creating an email signature.

Watch the video

Get even more Outlook tips

Cybersecurity Tips

jrodriguez@axxiomdata.com (Juan Rodriguez) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 20:58:48 GMT

Cybersecurity Tips

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, in 2014, 69% of business executives expressed concern about cyber threats, including a lack of data security. In 2015, an updated survey increased that number to 86%.1 These numbers indicate that it’s clear there’s a pressing need for better cybersecurity. The issue is not going away anytime soon. If anything, it’s only getting worse.

Stronger cybersecurity has become a global priority over the last few years as hackers penetrate the IT infrastructure of government and enterprises with increasing frequency and sophistication. According to a study conducted by the Identify Theft Resources Center, the total number of data breaches reported in the US grew from approximately 400 in 2011 to approximately 750 in 2015. This represents an increase of more than 60% and does not include breaches that went unreported—a fgure that is likely much higher.1 Coupled with the Internet of Things (IoT) and the explosive growth of mobile devices, the threat landscape and potential for data leaks is even more significant

cybersecurity.PNG

Partnering with a Managed Services Provider (MSP) that focuses on IT security can bolster your cybersecurity defenses. This is especially true when it comes to end user error. All the tools and solutions in the world won’t protect your business from every attack. Human error is still highly dangerous, and many employees grow complacent at some point as they fail to follow best practices.

Here’s a sampling of the benefts a mobile device management MSP can provide:

• Keeps employee devices updated with the latest antivirus and antimalware software.

• Applies updates to programs and applications when new versions and fxes become available.

• Applies operating system patches when frst available on a regular schedule that you can confgure.

• Provides security assessments to identify weaknesses in your existing mobile security program.

• Offers guidance on how to mitigate any mobile security program risks

As your business begins the journey to enhance its cybersecurity posture, it all starts with educating your employees. The tips provided within this eBook along with some basic common sense can go a long way in making sure sensitive information does not fall into the wrong hands.

Succeeding in applying the necessary cybersecurity measures is paramount to your long-term business success. In today’s world of advanced hackers, who revel in breaching corporate networks, confdential information will always be at risk. Businesses must take the necessary steps to protect their intellectual property, their confdential information and their reputations while also safeguarding their employees, customers and business partners.

Proactively identify and thwart potential attacks as well as react expediently if a successful attack occurs. This is where a managed IT services provider can assist. They eliminate the need for your business to keep up on the latest antivirus, antimalware and alert technologies. You also don’t need to expend the necessary resource time to deploy and manage such solutions, which often fall beyond the bandwidth and expertise of internal teams.

eBook: Cybersecurity Tips for Employees