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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Your data backups are no longer enough

Many companies understand the importance of regular backups however your data backups are no longer enough. Time to protect your business.

Many organizations that specialize in data management and disaster recovery understand backing up is no longer enough and there must be a more robust disaster recovery plan in place to protect organizations.

Enterprises are expected to be up and running 24/7/365 as downtime is no longer tolerated in today’s fast-paced world plus there is a lot of technology out there that can complete your disaster recovery plan and business continuity process.

A recent study from an information technology company that develops backup, disaster recovery and virtualization management software for VMware and Hyper-V virtual environments showed some interesting numbers. Over 84 per cent of CIOs are unable to meet the expectations of constant availability and admit that it is costing them up to $16 million a year. The study also showed downtime increased in 2015, with companies experiencing an average of 15 unplanned downtime events, compared to 13 events in 2014.

Now larger organizations have the luxury of having a fulltime CIO on staff, for the small and midsize business (SMB), it’s a complete different ball game.  It is extremely important they work with a managed IT services provider or IT consultant to develop a complete disaster recovery plan since your data backups in no longer enough.

Most technology leaders are trying to drive backup awareness amongst the business community as it is extremely important.  Your data backups in no longer enough for today’s business landscape and availability is expected.

Why you need to perform a disaster recovery and business continuity assessment?

This sounds more complicated than it is but it is time well invested and can be simple if you bring your management to the table. There are many different approaches to disaster recovery and business continuity assessment but will base this on The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as this is a good base to build on to protect your organization.

As part of your disaster recovery and business continuity assessment, you will need to address the following:

  1. Develop the contingency planning policy statement.
  2. Conduct the BIA (business impact analysis).
  3. Identify preventive controls.
  4. Develop recovery strategies.
  5. Develop an IT contingency plan.
  6. Test the plan, train employees, and hold exercises.
  7. Maintain the plan.

If a disaster suddenly strikes, your disaster recovery and business continuity assessment will protect to from a disaster and help with the continuance of critical business functions for a predetermined period. In other words, the estimated outage might force the declaration of a disaster.

Your data backups are no longer enough but if you perform a disaster recovery and business continuity assessment, you will have your business covered and protected.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a 100% Toronto-based IT consulting firm that delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services. Let our complimentary network and security assessment put your company to the test.

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

How does a managed services provider partner selection affect your business

Everyone knows technology is important however you should know how does a managed services provider partner selection affect your business? This has a long-term effect.

When it comes to IT security, 2016 was a rollercoaster ride for many with record numbers of ransomware payments, security vulnerabilities, and Microsoft security bulletins.  Many organizations were hit by cybercrime and hackers but most of it could have been avoided depending on the technology they use internally.

Channeliser which is a business technology community for companies building the tech solutions that will drive the future of business released some interesting numbers.  As part of their Channeliser IT Partnerships Survey 2016, they want to showcase what IT companies want from their partnerships and if these companies are living up to their expectations.

Here are some results of the Channeliser IT Partnerships Survey 2016:

  • 71% of IT companies are looking for new partners in the next 6 months
  • Over 50% say it takes longer to establish a partnership than they expected
  • Over 70% say that trust is more important than technology when it comes to IT partnerships
  • Only 12% are currently happy with they partner portal

These numbers are a clear representation of how does a managed services provider partner selection affect your business?  Managed IT services providers must perform multiple steps when creating these long-term partnerships as in the end, the client will be affected.  They must ensure the product or services will deliver as promised for the client as well as ensure the Total cost of ownership (TCO) makes sense for a period of four to five years unless the company experiences unexpected growth.

Here are several categories on how does a managed services provider partner selection affect your business?

  • Selection – Managed IT Services providers need to not only evaluate the organization, but also their hardware, software, and services to ensure the right fit. Most companies offer an excellent sales and marketing system, however, fall short when it comes to technical support. This is where it matters most as not only will it affect the managed IT services provider, it will also cause unnecessary downtime for the client that has invested in a five-year IT plan.
  • Requirements – Does your company need our client requirements? What is the upfront cost if any to your solution? Managed IT services providers must always consider associated expenses when dealing with a long-term partner including the cost hardware, software, space, IT resources as well as maintenance of the IT infrastructure.  Does the solution match the client portfolio and expectations or will this increase management as well as costs for clients? If they company cannot show value to the managed IT services provider and client, this will not be a good investment.
  • Costs – Like any other business, there is always costs involved and it can be a fine line. What is the per user? What is the cost per system? Is it an on-site solution or subscription fee? Are there ongoing maintenance costs for patches, bug-fixes, upgrades or included? Many times, a Total cost of ownership (TCO) will make these solutions fail to result in a bad investment for the managed services provider and client.
  • Administration – This is very important when considering the Total cost of ownership (TCO). Many solutions require a lot of administration, management, and maintenance which requires resources. Resources cost money and it will trickle down to the client resulting in higher costs per month to run their IT infrastructure. Managed IT services provider always look at how much time, resources and money they will need to invest to manage, upgrade, trouble-shoot, and patch over the lifecycle of the IT investment.

Managed IT services is a great business service as it is truly a win-win solution and for this reason, we must consider all factors prior to committing to a long-term partnership including contract terms, service level agreements, data security requirements and integration as our long-term partnership affect our clients.

Unfortunately, many managed IT services providers under-invest when it comes to thoroughly evaluating IT solution requirements and options for clients resulting in a bad Total cost of ownership (TCO).  When partnerships are evaluated properly, the managed IT services provider and the client will save time, money and aggravation down the road.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a 100% Toronto-based IT consulting firm that delivers industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services. Let our complimentary network and security assessment put your company to the test.

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Six Security Tips to Increase Your Data Privacy

Security is not exciting and most ignore it but here are six security tips to increase your data privacy.  These are simple and can save you a lot of time and money.

As a managed IT services provider in Toronto, our goal has always been to improve data privacy and security awareness within our client sites by using industry best practices.  There is plenty you can do to increase your data security and privacy. You should address the following points with your IT department or IT consulting to ensure your company data is secure.

Secure Your Mobile Devices

Bring your own device (BYOD) is being used by almost everyone which means another security threat that needs to be addressed. Everyone should lock their phone and computer with a password or a pin.  This is an easy security measure however it is overlooked by many organizations. If you are using Microsoft 365 for your business email, you should look into Exchange ActiveSync policies for managing devices in Microsoft 365 as your can force mobile device that are accessing your company email to have security enabled.

Careful What You Share

You should be very careful on what information you share. Sharing your personal information on the internet or via email opens you up to cyber attack.  As a company, you should create a policy of what is shared and how it is shared.  Only share with trusted sources and we sure to use sharing options that can limit the time something is available.  Many cloud sharing programs such as OneDrive for Business, DropBox Business or CloudSync File Share offer these security sharing options.

Two-step Authentication Goes a Long Way

Two-step authentication should be used and becoming more popular as it is an effective method to protecting your passwords. Two-step authentication offers two layers of security as it requires your username, password as well as a one-time code such as a code sent to your phone or your fingerprint.  When possible, you should always use two-factor authentication for your IT services such as your email account.  Here are two articles to consider for two-step authentication, Set up multi-factor authentication for Microsoft 365 users or How Azure Multi-Factor Authentication works.

Always Install Software Updates

You should always maintain an up-to-date system. It is important that your operating systems, anti-virus and apps installed are updated regularly. Updates are constantly being issued by software companies to protect them from vulnerabilities, fixes for bugs and performance improvements. You should install those updates as soon as possible to reduce your risk. If you are working with a managed IT services provider, you should verify that they are using business class remote monitoring and management (RMM) software to proactively manage and update your workstations, laptops and servers.

Protect Yourself from Cloud Services

Cloud services are the future and have made life easy however since it is all in the cloud, you do have to protect yourself for security concerns. Many companies are now using cloud services to store files however there is now a greater risk for theft, cybercriminals and breaches.  To protect yourself, you should start by securing your data with a strong password and password protect your folder if using a cloud services file sharing program.  Once again, you should enable two-step verification for an extra layer of security at login and encrypt your data. You also must ensure which third-party apps have permission to access your cloud services file sharing program like OneDrive for Business, DropBox Business or CloudSync File Share. Review your account settings to check which apps you have granted permission for access.

Be Careful When Using Public Wireless (WiFi) Access

There is plenty of free WiFi around including Starbucks, McDonalds, Tim Hortons or the airport however you must use some caution.  When using open public wireless (WiFi), do not access anything sensitive such as you bank account or highly confidential data. If you do have to access a file, you should change your password as soon as you get on a trusted connection.  You should also disable automatically connecting to available Wireless (WiFi). If you do use public wireless (WiFi), you should use VPN (Virtual Private Network) or Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect to your IT infrastructure.

Does your network meet these six security tips to increase your data privacy? Let our complimentary network and security assessment put you to the test.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is 100% Toronto-based IT consulting firm that works with Canada’s leading companies to outsource or support their IT infrastructure needs including strategic IT consulting, guaranteed response time, and reliable internal IT staff. This is all tied to our industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

365 iT SOLUTIONS Obtains Gold Cloud Solutions Microsoft Certifications

365 iT SOLUTIONS Obtains Gold Cloud Solutions Microsoft Certifications

365 iT SOLUTIONS is proud to announce that have now obtained Gold Cloud Solutions Microsoft Certifications.

365 IT SOLUTIONS is Toronto’s leading IT consulting firm and Microsoft partner.  They have a competitive edge using innovation, fast network migrations and industry leading Canadian IT consulting team to increase the return on investments (ROI) for organizations looking to upgrade their infrastructure into the cloud.

365 IT SOLUTIONS has partnered exclusively with Microsoft as both companies have a strong synergy on how to deliver cloud services to the Canadian small and midsize business (SMB) market.  365 iT SOLUTIONS has proven success as their internal Canadian IT support services team uses industry best practices and proactive managed IT services to help organizations operate efficiently and effectively.

As a leading Toronto Microsoft partner, 365 iT SOLUTIONS has achieved Gold Cloud Solutions Microsoft certifications as well as other Microsoft certifications including:

  • Gold Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions
  • Silver Midmarket Solution Provider
  • Silver Devices and Deployment
  • Silver Small Business
  • Silver Hosting
  • Silver Collaboration and Content
  • Silver Datacenter
  • Silver Cloud Productivity

“As 365 iT SOLUTIONS continues to drive growth and profitability, we are proud of our continued strategic partnership with Microsoft and their impressive cloud services such as Azure and Microsoft 365.  We are one of Toronto’s leading IT consulting firm as our hand-picked team take pride in delivering the best IT support services possible. Our team delivers long-term cost effective solutions by using the latest cutting edge technology and the best IT security available.” said Razmig Sagharian, Founder and President at 365 iT SOLUTIONS.

About 365 iT SOLUTIONS

365 iT SOLUTIONS is a Toronto based IT consulting firm that delivers industry leading cloud services provider (CSP) and managed services provider (MSP) to the small and midsize business (SMB) market.

365 iT SOLUTIONS has proven cost-saving IT management and strategic IT strategies for businesses.  They have proven experience serving clients in a wide array of industries include healthcare, insurance, financial, engineering, construction and manufacturing.  Their IT consulting services are 100% Canadian and offer industry leading IT support services that are flexible and knowledgeable.  This is all backed up by outstanding customer service while proactively managing IT infrastructures that span the globe for Toronto based organizations.  365 iT SOLUTIONS offers a comprehensive suite of Managed IT Services, IT Support Services, Tech Support Services, IT Outsourcing and Cloud Services to small and medium-sized businesses in the Toronto area.

For further information:

Enzo Logozzo

Director of Sales and Marketing

enzo@365it.ca

365itsolutions.com

416-398-9889

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Is your business migrating to the Cloud?

Cloud services is noting new however it can help your business.  Is your business migrating to the cloud and you have concerns regarding data security, privacy, and cost? We can make it easy.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is Toronto’s leading cloud services provider and we have helped businesses extend their IT infrastructure into the cloud using various configurations including secure hybrid private cloud networks with business continuity, enterprise grade security and performance that is all backup by our internal 100% Canadian helpdesk support team.

Is your business migrating to the cloud? Well consider the following:

  1. Understand the risks with cloud services

There are risks associated with cloud migration so it must be planned and executed properly.  You should consult with your IT department or managed IT services provider prior to approving any risk-related decision.

  1. Consider how cloud services applies to your business

Cloud services will improve flexibility and scalability however the cloud may not be perfect for every application.  Legacy applications, ERPs or CRMs may not be compatible.  Also, mission-critical workloads and sensitive data may not be suited for the public cloud. You need to consider the application before moving to the cloud including your cloud migration strategy.

  1. Staged approach to the cloud

It is common for businesses to run into trouble when migrating to the cloud if you move too fast.  There are many moving parts to your IT infrastructure and there may not be enough time to recover from issues that may arise. Your cloud migration strategy should well planned with a step-by-step procedure as the cloud migration may take place in stages in order to ensure every step is deployed correctly.

  1. Create a cloud services security plan

You need to be aware of how your security and governance can with cloud services.  Will your company be in compliance with the chosen cloud services? How will your business manage the cloud?  Who will have access to cloud files?

365 iT SOLUTIONS has been helping Canadian businesses grow by proactively handling their IT infrastructure and technology needs. By using many leading cloud services providers including Azure, Amazon Web Services and private cloud services, we have built many customized cloud solutions that helps businesses grow by optimizing their corporate technology environment.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is 100% Toronto-based IT consulting firm that works with Canada’s leading companies to outsource or support their IT infrastructure needs including strategic IT consulting, guaranteed response time, and reliable internal IT staff. This is all tied to our industry leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Is your business migrating to the Cloud? Let our complimentary network and security assessment show you how.

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Managed IT Services for Financial and Accounting Firms in Toronto

365 iT SOLUTIONS is Toronto’s best IT consulting services and we offer industry leading managed IT services for financial and accounting firms in Toronto.

Technology is revolutionizing every industry and our everyday lives with onsite IT infrastructure, hybrid IT infrastructure or complete cloud services.  Managed IT services for financial and accounting firms in Toronto is a big industry and no different as the financial industry operates today. The benefits of cloud services have been proven to provide cost savings, security, and on-demand scalability.

There are many private cloud services out there that offer enhanced security, enterprise-quality hardware, high-performance data hosting, data backups, and disaster recovery options, however, there are risks as this does not compare to Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform and cloud services

Microsoft Azure give your access to on-demand resources that has been used by the largest financial and accounting firms in the industry.  This will give you the ability to be agiler in today’s competitive landscape as well as giving your employees the ability to work at large and access client files, financial records and data securely from any device with internet connectivity.

If you are looking to modernize your IT infrastructure and grow with your financial or accounting firm, 365 iT SOLUTIONS and Microsoft Azure can help you to strategically achieve your business goals while reducing your onsite IT infrastructure by eliminating the need to buy multiple onsite servers, storage space, maintenance, and utilities.

If you are looking for managed IT services for financial and accounting firms in Toronto, take advantage of our complimentary network and security assessment and we develop a proper cloud migration proposal.

365 iT SOLUTIONS is Toronto’s best IT consulting services specializing in Microsoft Azure cloud services including Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Cybersecurity is not seen as a business issue

Hackers, cybercrime and ransomware have been over taking the headlines however cybersecurity is not seen as a business issue and this can have BIG consequences.

Here are some alarming numbers based on a recent study to cybersecurity and information technology security professionals by RSA Conference :

  • 82 percent of company management are concerned about cybersecurity
  • 14 percent report directly to the company CEO therefore limiting information.
  • 74 percent of IT security professionals expect a cyberattack in 2016.
  • 75 percent believe their staff cannot handle anything beyond simple cybersecurity threat.
  • 30 percent of It departments or managed IT services experience phishing attacks every day.
  • 24 percent did not know if any network user credentials were stolen.
  • 24 percent did not know which cyberthreats exploited their organizations.
  • 23 percent did not know if their organization experienced an advanced persistent threat attack.
  • 20 percent did not know whether any corporate assets were hijacked for botnet use.

What concerns IT security experts most since cybersecurity is not seen as a business issue?

  1. Mobile Devices help make employees more productive and organizations more increasingly vulnerable. Cybercriminals can mobilize smartphone users to bring down a company network or banking apps available from popular online stores that are not affiliated with the banks to steal data. Organizations need to accept mobile devices and create a strategic policy and procedure and they must be handled as workstations on the network.
  2. Sophisticated cyber attacks are looking for a specific target and formulating a strategic plan to accomplish their goals and get your data. Major organizations have made headlines last year as they were victims of cyber attacks and they come from technology and financial services sector. If it could happen to them, it could happen to anyone.
  3. A Canada-wide regulation mandating disclosure of privacy breaches will not be in place until late 2017 according to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Proposed but it is coming quickly. It will be a matter of time until information security is mandated by law.  There are several various laws currently protecting data in specific industries and this is causing additional scrutiny of security practices and compliance.  All this may cause businesses to lose their focus of what matters including their strategy and business goals.

Cybersecurity is not seen as a business issue however industry leaders are rethinking their position with their information security and not allowing in their organization to fall into an avoidable trap.  They realize that in a world full of technology, cybersecurity is the key to safeguarding their most precious assets including intellectual property, customer information, financial data, and employee records.

Let our complimentary network and security assessment show you how a cybersecurity should be a business issue.

365 iT SOLUTIONS delivers industry Toronto’s best IT consulting services including leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Top 5 Unnoticed Network Security Risks to Your Business

Cyber threats are increasing at am alarming rate and becoming increasingly sophisticated. Here are the top 5 unnoticed network security risks to your business and how to protect yourself.

As technology continues to grow and expand, a new security threat seems to accompany it.  Here are the top 5 unnoticed network security risks to your business you may be overlooking and what you can do to ensure your IT security is protecting you from them.

Network Security Risk 1 – External media and USB 

External Media and USB drives can pose a large security risk to your organization’s IT infrastructure network. To mitigate these network security threats, you need to address a few items.

  • Ensure you are using business-class anti-virus software and it is installed and configured properly.
  • Ensure your employees understand the risks associated with these devices and take responsibility.
  • Ensure you block access to USB ports for data transfers unless 100% necessary.

Network Security Risk 2 – Insufficient IT policies

Companies should have IT policies in place to address your organization’s email and Internet access. This can cause a danger to the security of the organization’s data.  You need to develop a proper company IT policy including internet usage to address these concerns. This should also be proactively monitored to ensure compliance.

Network Security Risk 3 Wireless Access Points

This can be a serious threat to your network, however, controlling it does not have to be hard.

  • Install business-class wireless access points from a trusted manufacturer.
  • Ensure your wireless passkey is not public information.
  • All devices should use a passkey as well MAC address to connect to organization wireless.
  • If needed create a separate guest WIFI network with a password with no access to your core network.

Network Security Risk 4 – Former disgruntled employees 

A former disgruntled employee can be a serious security risk to your company, your data, and your reputation. Organizations need to ensure that their internet usage policy clearly defines the scope of confidential company information and the legal ramifications for employees who wilfully destroy or distribute unauthorized information.  IT departments or managed services provider can monitor and audit to track access, modification, and distribution of company information by individuals.

Network Security Risk 5 BYOD, Smartphones, and tablets 

With Internet of things (IOT), BYOD, smartphones, and tablets in the market, a lost or stolen device can pose a serious security risk. You need to ensure that each device connects to your company network is configured with minimum access to company information and maximum IT security controls. Access to network resources can always be increased if requested by the employee, but a conservative approach would minimize risk and exposure. 

365 iT SOLUTIONS approaches to network security as a complete picture. Unfortunately, network security is often viewed as an external threat and internal threats are ignored.

The key to success is to constantly proactively evaluate your current IT security measures and fine tuning.  by testing their efficacy.

Let our complimentary network and security assessment will put your company to the test as well as address these top 5 unnoticed network security risks to your business.

365 iT SOLUTIONS delivers industry Toronto’s best IT consulting services including leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Managed IT Services Can Cover Your Business

When information technology infrastructure fails, it can fail with incredible results. Managed IT services can cover your business and help you avoid downtime.

Information technology infrastructure fails are can be extremely harmful and they will cost your organizations money, erode confidence, and lower your organization’s productivity.

Technology is everywhere including CRM systems, ERP systems, data storage, and security systems to mention a few. Technology is the engine of your business and it must work smoothly and efficiently including having the right people in place to proactively manage and monitor it.

Managed IT services can cover your business since you bring in the right technology experience to managing your IT infrastructure.  By bringing in a trusted managed IT services provider, you will have access to all the expertise you need for the fraction of the cost of managing an internal in-house IT department.

Recently, CompTIA which is the voice of the world’s (IT) Information Technology industry showed that IT managed services will reduce risk, and increase productivity and security on an average savings of 25%. By partnering with a Toronto-based managed services provider, it will allow you to focus on your business while leaving your IT infrastructure to highly skilled and highly-trained IT professionals based from Toronto.

Many organizations think that their IT infrastructure is running at optimum performance however as time passes, this IT infrastructure needs proactive IT management and IT maintenance.  You need to stay ahead of the curve to ensure you are monitoring the level of usage, data consumption, storage needs as well as aligning your IT infrastructure with your business goals.

Managed IT services can cover your business as they can help your organization achieve the ROI on the IT investment through regular proactive management and maintenance which means your employees are more knowledgeable, your systems are more stable and your organizations gets more efficiencies out of the IT investment.

When you partner with a managed services provider in Toronto, you need to address that they will assist with regular and necessary IT management and IT maintenance including items such as licensing, hardware, software, applications, training, cloud services and any other area related to IT management.

IDC Canada recently reported some interesting stats on why managed IT services should be part of your business operations including costs, security, and productivity.  The recent study revealed:

  • Managed IT services reduced IT infrastructure costs by 24 percent.
  • Managed IT services optimized IT staff productivity by 42 percent.
  • Managed IT services reduced application downtime by 88% with improvements for end users
  • Managed IT services resulted in a payback period of 5.5 months and a three-year ROI of 224%

365 iT SOLUTIONS ensures that your company remains technologically current and secure with our Toronto’s leading Managed IT Services. Our Canadian IT team will take care of your needs including infrastructure tech support, application tech support, and IT staff augmentation.

We give our clients the ability to choose what works for your organization including a hybrid model where some of your IT department and resources requirements remain in-house. Currently, many mid-sized companies today can spend as much as $400,000 a year on their in-house IT department plus they are paying extra hours in labour to cover the gaps in skills as well as paying for ongoing IT training.

365 iT SOLUTIONS will take the worry out of IT since our managed IT services can cover your business. We are one of Toronto’s premier IT professional business support providers. We work with organizations such as Microsoft, Datto, and many other IT leaders at delivering cutting-edge services and technology solutions.

365 iT SOLUTIONS delivers industry Toronto’s best IT consulting services including leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

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Cyber criminals are hunting down your organization

Cyber criminals are hunting down your organization as they use different tools on businesses compared to consumers. Is your business protected from the hunt?

According to Kaspersky Lab’s a leading IT security developer of anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and firewall products, corporate threats in the last twelve months have been targeted differently at businesses compared to consumers.

There has been a greater exploitation of legitimate software programs and malware resulting in a steady rise in the number of corporate users attacked by ransomware. An alarming 58 percent of corporate PCs were hit with at least one attempted malware infection.  That is an increase of 3 percent compared to 2014. Over 33 per cent of businesses were exposed to an Internet-based attack and a further 41 percent of business computers faced local security threats such as from infected USB sticks or compromised removable media.

Kaspersky Lab reported that in 2015, ransomware crypto locker attacks doubled on more than 50 thousand business systems and companies cannot function if the information on several critical systems is encrypted and inaccessible therefore these affected businesses are more likely to pay the ransom to the cyber criminals.

Cyber criminals are hunting down your organization and many organizations such as yourself are falling victim to ransomware crypto locker. When they become a victim, they find themselves faced with a ransom to stop a DDoS-attack or decrypt files on systems that have been exposed. Unfortunately, there has been evidence that those cyber criminals are not honoring the agreement once the ransom is paid and either disappears or ask for more money.  Example, Kansas Heart Hospital paid the ransomware payment but they never received the code to unlock their files.

Why are cyber criminals are hunting down your organization? Simple, money and opportunity. These attacks are carefully planned and they are taking their time to investigate everything regarding the targeted organization including employees, contacts, suppliers and even personal interests.

Here are 6 simple steps to protect your company from ransomware crypto locker attacks:

  1. Educate your all your employees.
  2. Block ransomware at the perimeter with next generation business class firewalls.
  3. Install up-to-date anti-malware and anti-virus solution.
  4. Limit data access to unnecessary systems and files.
  5. Monitor and manage user activity on the network.
  6. Extremely important, be prepared to restore from backup and test it.

365 iT SOLUTIONS delivers industry Toronto’s best IT consulting services including leading Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Cyber criminals are hunting down your organization but our complimentary network and security assessment will put your company to the test.