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That’s not a Microsoft Windows Update, its Actually a Big Security Risk.

There is a new ransomware malware out there that’s not a Microsoft Windows Update, its actually a big security risk. Many will be hit by it as it hides itself as a Windows Update. Is your business ready?

Fantom malware is one of the most dangerous forms of malware ransomware out there considered a huge risk by internet security experts. Victims of Fantom malware will notice a Windows screen acting like it’s installing the update but instead it is encrypting all data and files in the background.

It all starts with a pop-up message stating that there is a critical update from Microsoft and it requires your attention. There have also been reports of text documents and infected email which most likely will be found in your SPAM folder.

If you fall for this online security risk, it will immediately extract files and execute an embedded program called WindowsUpdate.exe. Fantom malware will then encrypt your data and files and provide payment instructions for the cyber criminals.

Remember that’s not a Microsoft Windows Update, its actually a big security risk however the cyber criminals were nice enough to display Microsoft’s standard warning about not turning off the computer while the “update” is in progress.

Many IT consulting companies including IT security experts are actively trying to crack Fantom Ransomware however you should always have data backups on local removable media and offsite cloud services backup. This must be part of your disaster recovery plan and it must be tested.

That’s not a Microsoft Windows Update, its Actually a Big Security Risk our complimentary network and security assessment can show you the risk to your business.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto that delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Why does every company need Virtual CIO Services?

As technology takes centre stage with almost every business, everyone should ask why does every company need Virtual CIO services. The response is simple, IT leadership drives success.

Most companies run lean and people often wear multiple hats including the responsibility of the company’s IT infrastructure, IT technology and IT growth. As technology progresses, IT infrastructure are becoming more complicated and often falling short of business goals. Large organizations benefit from the ability to have a full time CIO on hand however the smaller organizations simply do not have the money to hire a CIO. This situation usually turns your CFO, Controller, Office Manager into your IT department while carrying their own duties.

Technology and IT is an integral part of your business strategy and must be managed proactively in order to achieve success in this competitive market. By bringing in Virtual CIO Services to your business, they should be responsible for the following:

  • Asses your current IT infrastructure including immediate cyber threats and risks
  • Develop and test your current IT security plan including disaster recovery
  • Develop your annual IT budget in priority sequence including a business case
  • Meet and plan meetings with entire management team to ensure open line of communication
  • Create and manage a long term technology plan which aligns with your business goals
  • Proactively address issues with staff, vendors and technology
  • Ensure your business processes are taking advantage of new processes and technology
  • Manage and maintain active asset list including planning, inventory management, as well as obsolete equipment disposal including certificates of destruction.
  • New technology recommendations including cloud services that benefit productivity, profitability and competitiveness of your business
  • RFP writing as well as award process and vendor negotiation
  • Complete life cycle of IT project management within timelines and budget
  • Perform and manage regulatory compliance based on industry and federal compliance

When partnering with a long term partner as your vCIO, ensure it includes some of the following keypoints:

  • The ability to connect you IT infrastructure to business objectives
  • A knowledge of technology trends likely to impact your business based on experience
  • A firm grasp of IT project planning and management
  • Experience in the IT budgeting process and planning

Why does every company need Virtual CIO Services? Simple, let our complimentary network and security assessment show you the risk to your business and how a vCIO can help.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto that delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Most Small Businesses Fail to Manage Their IT Security

A recent study from a next-generation endpoint security and threat intelligence service has shown that most small business fail to manage their IT security and it is going to cost them big time.

You may think your business is small and not on the radar for cyber criminals however you are wrong and it may cost you and your business big time. The recent study shows that small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) lack the resources they need to protect themselves against malware attack and other online threats.

Most Small businesses fail to manage their IT security and here are some alarming stats:

  • Only 37 per cent believe they are completely ready to manage their IT security risk and exposure
  • 1 in 3 companies struggle with IT security as they have other duties including management and planning. This typically leaves companies on the defensive instead of proactively managing their risk and exposure.
  • 60 per cent of expect their business is more prone to cyberattacks as they have little resources
  • 48 per cent think their company is vulnerable to insider threats from employees
  • 45 per cent are not prepared for unsecured internal and external networks
  • 40 per cent for have unsecured endpoints, such as laptops, computers and smart mobile devices

Most small businesses fail to manage their IT security and this is what you should consider:

  • There is a lack of confidence in your IT infrastructure and limited internal IT resources.
  • You rely on outdated technology including non managed manage antivirus tools.
  • You have no active firewall with active security services such as Gateway Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Intrusion Prevention and Application Intelligence and Control Service subscription and Content Filtering Service subscription

The good news is that most companies are trying to increase their annual IT budgets to cover more comprehensive IT management and open to other security strategies for improvement as the risk is becoming a reality for many companies.  Many are turning to outsourcing IT solutions to help their limited internal IT department including their IT security management as they would get access to enterprise class tools and a team approach. Another approach has been to engage a managed service provider (MSP) as a long term partner. You need to ensure that they deliver the right IT solution tailored for your business and long term business goals.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. Our 100% Canadian team delivers industry leading  Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Most Small businesses fail to manage their IT security but you don’t have to follow.

Take advantage of our complimentary network and security assessment.

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Cybercriminals join forces with malware ransomware attacks

Kaspersky Lab has seen an incredible increase in cyber-attacks compared to the last quarter as cybercriminals join forces with malware ransomware attacks.

Kaspersky Lab has released some interesting numbers that should raise red flags for everyone. They blocked 1,132,031 financial malware attacks which is a rise of 15.6 percent compared to the previous quarter

The main reason for this increase is due to collaboration between cyber criminals that are the authors of two leading banking Trojans which still remain the most dangerous online threats as it is spread through fraudulent websites and spam emails.

As cybercriminals join forces with malware attacks, who are the top 3 being hit according to Kaspersky?

First place Turkey with 3.45 percent Russia in second place with of 2.9 percent of online threats and Brazil with 2.6 percent likely due to the Olympic. This still does not mean that Canada is safe.

Here are some interesting online threat statistics during Q2 Kaspersky Lab products

  • Kaspersky Labs blocked 171,895,830 online attacks against users that originated in 191 countries
  • 81 percent came from only ten countries, led by the USA (35.4 percent), Russia (10.3 percent) and Germany (8.9 percent)
  • 54,539,948 unique URLs were recognized as malicious
  • Kaspersky Lab detected 16,119,489 unique malicious objects: scripts, exploits, executable files, etc.
  • Canada (15 percent), Romania (14.6 percent) and Belgium (13.7 percent) are rated as the safest

How to protect your business from Malware attacks?

Install security software. Use website ad blockers as well up-to-date anti-virus software including malware protection. All computers and applications should be up to date with the latest patches and updates.

Back up consistently. If you back up your files, then there is no need to pay any ransom. Reformat the infected computer and restore the latest backup. There may be a risk that your backup may contain infected files so you need to choose a backup system that reduces this risk.

Educate users. These are your biggest risk and many IT security experts recommend that companies train staff to spot fake emails, avoid clicking on unsafe links and to cut the risk of social engineering.

Create a backup plan. As these malware ransomware attacks become more sophisticated, it is important to plan how you will handle a ransomware malware infection. You should have an effective IT security response plan which not only focuses on prevention but addresses what to do if infected.

Unfortunately, Ransomware has forced one in five infected businesses to shut down this year according to Cisco. Organizations need to take proactive action against cybercriminals and online threats such as ransomware. With careful planning and proactive management, you can avoid these threats and protect your data, reputation and finances.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. Our 100% Canadian team delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Is your business safe from Ransomware? Take advantage of our complimentary network and security assessment.

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What Should Managed Services Providers Offer Your Business?

Outsourcing is effective and efficient however it must be done right. Find out what should Managed Services Provider offer your business to be successful.

Managed services providers are also known as IT managed services or managed IT services providers.  It has been becoming extremely popular in multiple industries including legal, manufacturing, construction and healthcare. By leveraging managed IT services, you will be able to provide your employees with access to enterprise-grade technology, expert-level knowledge and IT support services. This will all be done at a fraction of the cost to implement and maintain the same in-house IT department.

Shopping for a managed IT services provider is not easy as they may seem the same with services that overlap one another however there are several ways to distinguish between services offered by many IT managed services providers (MSP).

There are five key areas that every managed IT services provider (MSP) must offer to be best in class and to offer the best return on investment (ROI).

 

Proactive 24x7x365 monitoring and management for servers, workstations and infrastructure devices
Proactive monitoring is a very vague term. Every managed IT services provider offers it but what really sets apart the leaders is their robust and customized monitoring solution. They should be using enterprise class remote monitoring and management (RMM) and professional services automation (PSA) software. The managed IT services provider must be able to monitor your servers, workstations, networked devices such as firewalls, routers, switches, and uninterruptable power supplies.

 

Established and documented Service Level Agreements with 24x7x365 IT support services
The managed IT services provider must stand behind their service. By using our tools, we can measure every aspect of a IT support services ticket.  Example from June 2015 to June 2016, the 365 iT SOLUTIONS team was able to resolve 97.9 percent of all tickets remotely.  That is not a bad number when you consider they handled over 12,000 tech support requests in that timeframe. Tech Support services and managed IT services should be structured with measurable Service Level Agreement (SLA) in place. This will address the expectations, response times and availability.
Available to provide on-site technical support

The managed IT services provider must be able to physically get onsite to provide tech support services when required. Even thou most tech support is remote these days, in case of emergency, you will still need a someone to get onsite physically.
Proactive managed data backup and disaster recovery

Is your data safe? Are your backups working? Has this been verified? Do you have offsite backups? Where are they located? How fast can you get your company back up and running? It is important that this is addressed properly by ensuring safe and secure backups including required off-site replication and redundancy. Off-site replication means sending your data backups to a remote location however you need to know where they are located.

 

Virtual CIO (vCIO) services

Your managed IT services provider is basically your virtual CIO services.  They should handle your IT budgeting, IT planning and IT support service history including the health of your infrastructure. They will plan your long-term technology strategy and growth according to your IT budgets and business goals. A great managed IT services provider will invest in your business as they see a long term relationship as profitable, not short term.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. Our 100% Canadian team delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Looking to put your network to the test? Does your business succeed in the top five items above?

What Should Managed Services Providers Offer Your Business?

Take advantage of our complimentary network and security assessment.

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Is your company ready for your IT Audit?

Security is the top concern in all industries and IT audits are becoming common. Find out how to get your company ready for your IT Audit and how to pass it.

Many organizations are now performing IT audits on suppliers to ensure their data is safe on your infrastructure. The purpose of the IT audit is to identify and address cyber-security risks within your network. They also look at verifying that your organization is compliant and follows industry best practices policies.

So what will and IT audit look at?

Simple answer, everything.  They will look at your servers, workstations, security, databases, email systems and any other software within your network as well as your physical security. The IT audit is looking to ensure you are protected and meet IT compliance standards.

In getting your company ready for your IT Audit, you need to have all information ready. You need to your security permission structure including who has administrative access to the network and how long will they have access to your IT infrastructure systems?  You also need to have a full understanding of work flows and how it is managed internally.

They will look to evaluate your systems and processes in place to secure company data. They will also determine possible risks including assets, hardware and software. If any risks or concerns do come up, they may help identify methods to minimize those risks or ask that your turn to a trusted IT professional to resolve the issues.

The goal of the audit is to give them a full line-of-sight into your technology and to protect their data. Some contracts may indicate that they can suspend or terminate any contracts in place also.

As a leading Toronto provider of IT solutions, Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services, at 365 iT SOLUTIONS, we combine efficiency and reliability to manage our clients network proactively. We provide a simple approach to technology including IT infrastructure design, IT implementation, IT asset management and cloud services.

Is your business ready for your IT audit? Check out of complimentary network and security assessment.

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Free Ransomware Decryption Tools

Ransomware is increasing but IT security researchers have released two free ransomware decryption tools that can help users recover encrypted files from two new ransomware threats: Bart and PowerWare.

What is BART ransomware?

BART ransomware will stash away your files inside password-protected ZIP folders and you have to pay for the password. Infected files will appear with “.bart.zip” added to their original name. AVG offers Bart decryptor that works by comparing a single encrypted file with its unencrypted original. This will require an unaffected copy of the files that have been encrypted. The BART decryption tool is part of the recent free ransomware decryption tools release.

What is PowerWare?

PowerWare ransomware (a.k.a. PoshCoder) was discovered attacking healthcare organizations through Windows PowerShell. It would run a scripting application usually used by IT systems administrators. Palo Alto Researchers were able to create PowerWare decryption tool that unlocks the encrypted data. It is not as easy at the Bart decryptor tools but your IT department or trusted support company will be able to handle it. The PowerWare decryption tool is part of the recent free ransomware decryption tools release.

It is great when IT security researchers release free decryption tools but cyber criminals are quick to fix their errors. These tools may work on one variant of a particular ransomware but not the next one so it is important to take proactive measures to avoid these risks.

How do you protect yourself from Ransomware?

  1. Ensure you have regular backup including onsite and offline/cloud backups of your data.
  2. Ensure your system including applications is up-to-date with the latest critical updates and patches.
  3. Ensure you are running the latest version of an active anti-virus and malware application.
  4. Ensure you have a multi-layered security approach to your entire infrastructure.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. Our 100% Canadian team delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Is your business tackling Ransomware risk? Check out of complimentary network and security assessment.

 

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Does Managed IT Services Help Your Business

It does not matter if you are in the construction, manufacturing, healthcare or any other industry, technology runs the economy leaving the question does managed IT services help your business?

Technology and your IT infrastructure are an active part of today’s fast paced competitive economy. Things are changing fast and on a daily basis. For this reason, IT is a fast growing industry including computer support, IT outsourcing and IT consulting in Toronto. Organizations are finding it challenging to have internal IT resources to handle this landscape and for this reason managed IT services are so compelling. Managed IT services will make your business run more efficiently and effectively with a guaranteed SLA and quick response offering computer support services.

Businesses After Managed IT Services

Businesses without access to managed IT services are reactive in nature and usually run into costly and unpredictable issues. You should consider and calculate the impact of unscheduled downtime caused by a virus or hardware failure, what is your hourly burn rate?

According to Gartner, the average costs to small and midsized businesses can be staggering and it even revealed that each unmanaged desktop within an organization can cost a business an average of $4000 including emergency IT support services, lost company productivity and possible opportunity lost. The annual total cost of ownership (TCO) is 42% higher than for a managed workstation and 29% higher for unmanaged workstations.

Complexity is the problem. Simplicity is the solution.

Unfortunately, many organizations are faced with extremely unnecessary complex networks and this increases the risk to failure and downtime. By simplifying the network, you will be able to decrease the risk. By improving the IT solutions, your company can increase efficiency and its market competitive advantage.

365 iT SOLUTIONS allows it clients to gain a competitive market advantage and reduce risk. We help our clients by ensuring their entire IT remains as an asset to the business. We will optimize your ROI in your investments towards technology. Our managed IT services program will provide your company the ability to proactively manage the network including 24/7/365 monitoring and management.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is 100% Canadian and the leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. We deliver industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Does Managed IT Services Help Your Business? Check out of complimentary network and security assessment.

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Law enforcement and IT are Tackling Ransomware

As ransomware becomes a top threat, law enforcement and IT are tackling ransomware and other cyber threats however you can protect your business.

Recently, the Dutch National Police, Europol, Intel Security and Kaspersky Lab launched a new initiative to fight ransomware and cyber criminals. This is an excellent cooperation of law enforcement and the private sector working together to protect data from cyber criminals.

During a recent study from Kaspersky Labs, the number of ransomware victims is growing at an alarming rate. The number of users attacked by crypto-ransomware rose by 550% in 2016 to 718,000 compared to 131 000 in 2015. Cybercrime is growing at an incredible rate and this impacting the economy.

The biggest problem with ransomware is it locks data locked down and you have to pay cyber criminals to get it back. Pretty simple process.

Here in Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) encourages victims to contact Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre when hit by a cyber crime. Recently, they posted the following threat to alert Canadians.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fraudulent emails and phone calls – Protect yourself!

If you receive a phone call or an on-line pop-up message claiming to be from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Security Intelligence Service or Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre asking to either give access to your computer, or pay a certain amount of money to unlock your computer or your phone, please be aware that it is a scam. These messages or calls are not from the RCMP, CSIS or other government of Canada representatives.

Do not give remote access to your computer in response to an unsolicited call or message.  

We strongly encourage Canadians to report such instances of fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by phone 1-888-495-8501 or via their website at  http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

365 iT SOLUTIONS encourages businesses to take a proactive approach to managing and reducing their risk.

Some other interesting articles regarding Ransomware include the following:

 

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. Our 100%  Canadian team delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Is your business tackling Ransomware risk? Check out of complimentary network and security assessment.

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Top 5 signs your company and IT are in trouble?

In today’s business environment, upper management has always been important to a business’s operations however IT has become an integrated part of it.  Systems need to function 24/7/365 however your company and IT are in trouble and here are the top 5 signs of it.

Top Issue 1: Continuous tech support issues and IT problems
If you are having the same IT issue, there is a problem with your current IT management as this is causing endless loss of profitability for your company. Technology should be there to help and not burden your company with issues and downtime. You need to ensure you are using the latest specialized skills sets, hardware and software to protect your business. Technology changes and your need to work with partners that use new methods to stay ahead of daily management as well as eliminate continuous tech support issues.

Top Issue 2: Not enough resources to keep up with IT problems
Most companies have some IT skills internally but this is more generalized technology knowledge rather than specialized. If your company does not have enough IT technical knowledge within your staff, it is time to partner with a managed services provider to keep your IT resources at your finger tips.

Top Issue 3: Protect your confidential information.
Does your business work with confidential information? Do you need to store, access, or transmit critical data?  All this information is personal and may contain financial information and even medical records depending on your business. You need to ensure your business data is safe and secure.

Top Issue 4: You are working with a fluctuating and unpredictable IT budget
No one likes surprises.  Your IT cists should not be any different. If your company is experiencing fluctuations in your iT spending, it may be time to address it with a managed IT services provider (MSP). MSPs can give you a flat monthly fee with no surprises as well as provide you with a 12-month budget. This allows your business to have a predictable budget.

Top Issue 5: No priority to tech support issues
Tech support issues must be resolved in a timely manner, no matter how small you may think they are. If you internal resources do not have enough time or resources to address your issues in a timely manner, it is time to partner with a long term managed services provider. Using their business-class tools set, a MSP will be prioritized your tech support issues as well as proactively manage your account 24/7/365 around the clock. Your entire infrastructure will be monitored and if an issue arises it will be identified and resolved before it can impact your business operations or profitability.

You should look at partner with a true proactive managed services provider to keep your company running. IT operations can be difficult, expensive and distracting your employees from achieving your business’s goals. 

Is your business ready for a managed IT service provider? Check out of free network evaluation.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is delivers IT consulting in Toronto with a wide variety of services including Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.