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Your cyber security will destroy your value

Despite the damaging ramifications of cyber security threats, many companies may not think it is part of their strategic corporate plan. This is why Your cyber security will destroy your value.

Cybersecurity remains at the forefront of challenges for companies, IT departments and managed IT services providers as this critical business challenge is a growing concern with a devastating impact on company brands, company value and bottom lines.

Recently, KPMG released a survey of 403 CIO, CISO, CTO, and CIOs. These IT professionals come from many different industries including automotive, technology, banking, and retail sectors. Here are some interesting statics and numbers from the survey.

  • 81 percent admitted they had been compromised by cyber-attacks within the past 24 months
  • 89 percent of retail companies reported a breach in the past 24 months
  • 85 percent of automotive companies reported a breach in the past 24 months
  • 76 percent of banking and technology companies reported a breach in the past 24 months

What is the good news if you believe your cyber security will destroy your value?

  • 49 percent have invested in IT security within the past year 12 months.
  • 66 percent of banks appear to be proactive when it comes to investing in their IT security.
  • 62 percent of technology followed by 45 percent of retail and 32 percent of automotive.

Cyber attacks are affecting all companies however the larger organizations have the internal resources to protect themselves. Too many companies are taking a passive or reactive approach toward cybersecurity and network management when it should be a top issue for the entire company.

Your cyber security will destroy your value however you can protect it

Larger organizations have an IT security expert in place, however, this is not possible for small and midsize businesses (SMB). Cyber criminals go after the weakest systems in your network. According to the c-level executive from these large organizations, they acknowledged the ramifications of a security breach down to reputation at 53 percent and financial loss at 50 percent as the top concerns associated with falling victim to cyber attacks including ransomware malware.

If you are a small and midsize businesses (SMB) you don’t have to think that your cyber security will destroy your value but you do have to address it with your management team and managed IT services provider. You need to ensure that your company is taking a proactive approach to managing your IT infrastructure as well as your IT security.  Your IT consulting team must have a full plan in place as well as a well-defined explanation of how you are protected and procedures in place to address your disaster recovery (DR) plan.

Protect your value, brand, and business with our complimentary network and security assessment.

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New Ransomware Ranscam Deletes Files

New ransomware Ranscam deletes files even if the victim chooses to pay the ransom. Protect your data and business.

A new common theme of deleting files has become common from cyber criminals of ransomware. Ransomware has many new variants and continues to multiply. Ranscam malware is a low-tech attack however it is highly destructive and demands ransom and then deletes files.

Ranscam is not the first ransomware to delete files as there is also AnonPop and JIGSAW. Ranscam lacks crypto and is nowhere as complex or advanced as Cryptowall and other ransomware attacks.

 

How do you protect yourself from new ransomware Ranscam?

 

  1. Check the email sender – Trust is the name of the game. If the email is supposedly from a bank, verify it but highly unlikely. If the email came from a personal contact but seems strange, confirm if your contact sent the message prior to clicking.
  1. Check the content of the message – Most messages have factual errors or discrepancies that you can spot. Spammed email messages can also use other social engineering lures to persuade users to open the message.
  1. Do not click on links in email – This rule should be simple and you should never click when in doubt. Clicking on links in email should be avoided and it is safer to visit any site mentioned in email directly.
  1. Always maintain up-to-date software – Always maintain updated software including anti-virus, malware protection and many other security steps such as firewalls with built-in security services.
  1. Backup your data – Nothing can protect your business more that a proper data backup. All businesses should follow the simple principle by having three copies of data. You should have three copies of data on two different media and one copy offsite. You should consult with your IT consultant or It department by using a Windows feature called Volume Shadow Copy. It allows you to restore files to their previous state.

New ransomware Ranscam deletes files but you can protect your business with some simple steps.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is Toronto best IT consulting firm by delivering industry Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Starting a new Business in Ontario? This is the technology you will need.

Starting a new Business in Ontario? This is the technology you will need in order to get everything up and running properly.

Do you have a great business idea, well every business starts off with an idea. There are many resources and seminars are available through many Government programs including this great checklist. So now that you have a plan, you need to get all your IT and technology in place with the setup of a new office.

Here is a checklist of the technology you will need.

Plan the location Prior to committing to rent or lease, verify the area has all the services you require and stable power also. You can do this by asking local businesses or even service providers. Some times one block can make a huge difference.

Network Drops: If you are setting up a new location with new cabling, you should account for one Ethernet cable for every desktops and one for each VoIP phones. If you are reusing existing cabling, you can use one cable for both however you should ensure your phones are capable of it. Also all Ethernet network drops need to terminate into a patch panel with all cables being identified.

Network Switch: You will need a network switch is required to connect all your network drops at the patch panel. You may need a managed network switch with Quality of service (QoS) to control performance of the VoIP and computer network.

Business Class Firewall: A firewall is a security appliance that acts as the gateway of your network and your first line of defence. It controls the entire flow of inbound and outbound traffic as well as how to keep your network secure. You should look business class protection that proactively stops cybercriminals with an active security such as anti-virus, intrusion prevention, anti-malware, content URL filtering and application control.

Internet: obviously you will need internet connectivity and you will have many options depending on your needs including ADSL, cable, wireless and dedicated fibre. You may need to request a static IP address depending on your needs such as if you need specific services to be easily accessible on the internet. Some good options in Toronto include Beanfield, Rogers, Bell and other wireless internet carriers.

Business Class Computers: You would need business class laptops and/or desktops for each employee. Consumer grade systems are not the same as business class. It is better to spend a few extra dollars now as the ROI in the long run will work out better.

Business Email: Every business requires email for communication and of course it should be from your company domain to keep it professional. You can easily set this up with hosting providers such as Microsoft 365 or Google Apps for Business. Here is a good article to compare the two different cloud offerings, Google for Work vs. Microsoft Microsoft 365: A comparison of cloud tools.

Company Website: A small business website is essential for success and there are many options. To start off, you can use a simple website such as WIX or WordPress to describe your business in a few pages. Once your business gains some traction you can invest in a web design company to work on your branding, SEO, backlinks and online presence.

Server:  If you are going to own a small business, you are certainly going to have a small business server. As your company grows, there will be a need for a server in-house or in the cloud on Microsoft Azure. The server acts as a secure host for all your data including files, email, accounting applications, and CRM and ERP systems.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is Toronto best IT consulting firm by delivering industry Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Canadian businesses are behind in technology

The old standard way was to use a company issued computer and phone. At the end of the day, you left your work behind and went home. Things have changed drastically and Canadian businesses are behind in technology.

BYOD and other technologies have pushed traditional boundaries of employee work and productivity. People are more connected than ever and however some organizations are limiting how employees work due to security concerns.

Research suggests, however, that half of Canadian employers have done little, if anything, to acknowledge and manage the challenges that come with having a more remote and mobile work force. According to a recent study titled The Transformation of Work by Ryerson University, 70 per cent of Canadian employees are mobile however less than 50 percent work for an organization with a mobility strategy.

Some other interesting findings include the following:

  • 96 percent of all companies are using mobile technologies.
  • Canada has a higher rate of smartphone adoption than the United States
  • Canada is behind the US in the adoption of mobile apps in the workplace.
  • Canadian employees are physically mobile and it this is expected to increase to 73% by 2016.

Canadian businesses are behind in technology compared to the United states even thou mobile technology is improving access to information and changing the very definition of the workplace on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the study does show that fewer than 30 percent of organizations see a clear value proposition for the technology however companies that do embrace technology and change have seen improvements in effectiveness, collaboration, and access to information.

Canadian businesses are behind in technology as the adoption of new technology and mobile technologies is being driven by a number of factors including change from both management and the demands of employees. Unfortunately, limited budgets and the uncertainty of return on investment (ROI) is slowing Canadian companies down.

Prior to investing in new technology, organizations need to plan and develop a plan with management, employees and their IT department or IT consultant. This plan must address privacy and security concerns prior to adoption including company policies, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and mobile technology management across the entire organization.

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US Air Force lost a decade of data. How are your backups?

The US Air Force lost a decade of data due to a corrupted database and backups. They reported more than 100,000 files missing. How are your backups?

According to the release, the database was corrupted last month and Lockheed Martin has spent two weeks trying to recover data before notifying the Air Force on June 6. The database was populated with data and information about current investigations as well as all records related to Inspector General (IG) complaints.

The US Air Force has turned to the Pentagon’s team of cybersecurity professionals and as of Wednesday, they have found the data but it will require extensive data recovery efforts. There is no guarantee on recovery and the US Air Force will continue into its investigation.

So the US Air Force lost a decade of data. Why were there no data backups?

We cannot stress this enough, data backup is one of the most important areas of your company and cannot be ignored. Data is a crucial part of your business and essential to your business continuity plan.

Why you should backup?

Well, it will allow you to avoid issues such as this one as data loss can happen in many ways.  The most common causes of data loss come down to physical failure of hardware, accidental deletes, theft or disasters like fire and flood. A continual attack from cyber criminals and hackers has cause computer viruses and malware to become a larger risk to business information as once they have infected your machine, they often delete or corrupt your data.

What data should you backup?

You need to evaluate your entire company and directory. You need to choose what business critical data to backup.  You need to evaluate how long it will take to restore your data in case of emergency as well as what would happen if you cannot get the backup back.

The US Air Force lost a decade of data. It does not mean your business should suffer the same issue. Discuss your data backups and disaster recovery with your IT department or trusted IT support services partner.

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Cisco small-business routers firewalls are open to hacking

Three models of Cisco small-business routers firewalls are open to hacking. There is critical unpatched vulnerability that allows hackers to remotely exploit your device.

The affected Cisco gear includes Cisco RV110W Wireless-N VPN Firewall, Cisco RV130W Wireless-N Multifunction VPN Router and Cisco RV215W Wireless-N VPN Router.

Cisco warned about the vulnerability this week in a security advisory however there are no patches at the moment. Cisco plans to release the updated firmware sometime in the third quarter of 2016.

Cisco small-business routers firewalls are open to hacking easily as the exploit allows access via remote management and hackers have to only send an unauthenticated HTTP request. This request will result in remote code execution as root and lead to your device being compromised.

In order to protect your business, Cisco has asked to disable remote management. Follow these instructions to disable:

  1. Open the web-based management interface for the device
  2. Select Basic Settings > Remote Management.
  3. If the Enable check box is checked, remote management is enabled for the device. Unchecked it.

Cisco has stated that there has been no indication that any of these security flaws have been exploited however time will tell.

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“FLocker” Ransomware is now targeting smart TVs

Yes, you are reading the title right. Not only have servers, workstations and laptops been under attack, “FLocker” Ransomware is now targeting smart TVs and mobile devices.

Sharp and Philips smart TVs that are running Android TV OS can be hit by “FLocker”. It is a new device-locking ransomware that targets both Android-powered mobile devices and smart TVs.

FLocker (a.k.a “Frantic Locker”) has been around for approximately 12 months and its is very active as the threat keeps being delivered via spam SMS or malicious links.

According to Trend Micro, FLocker will first check to see whether the device is located in the following Eastern European counties: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia and Belarus. If the device detects that it is located in any of these locations, it deactivates itself.

If FLocker detects you are outside of it, it runs its routine 30 minutes after infecting the unit. It will then run a background service which requests device admin privileges. If the user denies it, it will freeze the screen faking system updating. The FLocker ransom is to be paid by iTunes Gift Card. and typing in the card code might return users to their senses – who ever saw any “cyber police” requiring iTunes gift cards in lieu of a cash fine?

“FLocker” Ransomware is now targeting smart TVs. How do you protect yourself?

If you have an Android TV and it gets infected, you should contact Sharp or Philips for solution at first or you can remove the malware if you enable ADB debugging. Users need to connect the device with a PC and launch the ADB shell. Once connected, execute the command “PM clear %pkg%”. This will kill the ransomware process and unlock the screen. Users can then deactivate the device admin privilege granted to the application and uninstall the app. If your mobile Android device gets hit by “FLocker”, you should be running security software to protect it from malicious apps and threats.

It is important to understand that Android OS versions running on mobile devices and smart TVs maybe different. Not all Android malware will run on both however cyber criminals are quick to adapt and attack.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto. We deliver Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services. Our Complimentary Network Assessment will put your company to the test.

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How does IT outsourcing work with your IT department?

Many companies and employees worry about IT outsourcing and managed IT services providers but the truth is IT outsourcing work with your IT department, not against it.

In today’s economy and business landscape, IT outsourcing and managed IT services is starting to complement existing departments and not replace the current IT department or IT staff. This gives companies access to services and experience that would cost a fraction of the cost it would take to employ them full-time.

How does IT outsourcing work with your IT department? Here is a list of misconceptions.

IT Outsourcing augments – The majority of small and midsize business (SMB) have a few core expertise such as finance, law, real estate, mining, manufacturing, and health care. This means that the business will have certain areas that they are experts at, but this also means that they will have areas where they lack the expertise and experience to excel at in their business.

This is why IT outsourcing and managed IT services allows businesses to excel in their business. This gives businesses core expertise for the fraction of the cost. This allows existing internal staff to focus on more important matters and leave the day to day operations to managed IT services providers.

Do you need IT Generalists vs. IT Specialists? – Technology is constantly evolving and changing overnight. This can cause problems for every small and midsize business (SMB) who is dependent on technology. As with change and new innovations, it changes the landscape and internal IT workers cannot be specialists in everything.  By stretching employees past their limits, it can reduce their productivity and cost your business money.

This is why companies take advantage of IT outsourcing, IT consultants and managed IT services providers. They give companies the time and resources needed to train staff on new technology. With access to IT specialists, they bring knowledge and expertise for a fraction of the price it would take to employ them in-house.

Choose based on the lowest priced IT outsourcing firm or managed IT services provider – You know the old saying, “you get what you paid for”. By choosing the cheapest IT outsourcing firm or managed IT services provider does not mean you are getting the value for your money as it can lead to subpar quality, improper business operations, and overall IT support services for your company. Take advantage of a free IT consultation or Network Assessment including an interview. This will ensure you find the right fit and this should be seen as long term, not short term relationship.

What is outsource and what is in-house? – You should have a clear idea of what is to be outsourced and what is to be kept in-house before you take advantage of IT outsourcing or managed IT services. Outsourcing can be a huge financial and productivity benefit to your business but IT outsourcing firms and managed IT services providers have different expertise and experiences that differ from their core expertise and can supplement and in most case make their business run better, more efficient and effectively.

This will help lower costs of hard-to-find IT skills and take advantage of globally competitive rates as well as give you access to IT skills when and where needed. No more investment into training and it will help drive quality, productivity, speed and profitability within your organization.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto that delivers Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services. Put your network to the test with our Complimentary Network Assessment.

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Is Cloud Services Right for your Business?

Cloud services is becoming increasingly popular for businesses with a jump of 70% according to IDC in the next 12 months. Is cloud services right for your business? Here are some important factors to consider.

  1. Internet Connection – before your commit to cloud services, you need to evaluate your Internet connection including reliability, any monthly data caps, upload and download speeds. Remember, not all internet providers are the same and your area plays a part also. These are important factors to consider before making the switch to cloud services.
  2. Regulatory Requirements – Does your company work in an industry with regulations and compliance when it comes to IT technology? It is important to understand that some types of data must be stored in a specific manner in order to comply with industry standards. You need to ensure you can meet these regulations prior to committing to cloud services.
  3. Type of Data – There are many types of data when considering cloud services and they should all be considered separately. Operational data is stored on servers and accessible daily with little to no delay. Emails maybe be hosted on a server or already in the cloud with Microsoft 365. Backup data should be stored on premises and in the cloud. You need to evaluate the amount of data, accessibility and security prior to moving to cloud services.
  4. Monthly Costs – Cloud service provider continue to fight for new users. Prices continue to drop as the cloud services becomes more relevant and cost effective. Despite the low cost and potential savings, you need to consider your monthly budget as well as long term management. There are many different cost structures and features to consider when using cloud services so you need to ensure you are evaluating all options in order to maximize your ROI.
  5. Disaster Recovery – No matter where you store your data, you need a disaster recovery plan. If your building caught on fire or there was a natural disaster, would your data be safe and how long would it take to get you back up and running? Cloud services will fit into any disaster recovery plan but it is important to conduct a full review of your disaster recovery plan and adapt it to your most current needs. By doing this, you will identify potential threats and avoid crippling events that could affect your organization.

Not all clouds services are created equal and not all of them will suite your business needs. When considering possible cloud service providers, be sure to factor in all criteria like performance levels, cost and reliability as this will be a long-term business partnership in order to maximize your investment.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto that delivers Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services. Put your network to the test with our Complimentary Network Assessment.

 

Article SourcesIDC FutureScape: Worldwide Chief Marketing Officer Advisory 2016 Predictions, World Data Protection Report and Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.
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Why your endpoint security is your weakest link

You have endpoint security on your computer systems but is it putting your company at risk? Find out why your endpoint security is your weakest link in protecting your business.

As hackers continue to improve their processes to gain access to your network, most companies are using a very basic approach or misconfigured endpoint security software. Unfortunately, endpoint security solutions continue to fall short when it comes to providing protection against today’s security threats including malware, viruses and other cyber threats as there has been an increase in security gaps and vulnerabilities.

Why your endpoint security is your weakest link? Well endpoint security in a business environment is a method of protecting a central corporate network when it is being accessed through remote devices, or endpoints, such as PCs, laptops and other wireless mobile devices. Basically, your business class Antivirus that is centrally controlled and proactively management by your IT department or partner managed IT services provider. But this is only one step to protecting your systems.

Here is the issue as to why your endpoint security is your weakest link. Endpoint security is not new but it is becoming more complex due to the broadening of many company BYOD policies and the increasing number of employees and authorized users being allowed to log in remotely to corporate networks.

Here are 6 steps to increase your endpoint security

  1. Keep your Windows operating system up to date using proactive network management.
  2. Keep all software up to date installed on your workstations.
  3. Install a business class antivirus that is centrally management and controlled.
  4. Install a security solution against spyware, malware and other cyber threats.
  5. Ensure your company is using a proactive security solution with multiple defense layers of security.
  6. Back up your system and your data if you are not storing it on the server.

The steps above are meant to keep your workstation, data and users safe however there are many more layers that can be added within your network management to protect your business.

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

 

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