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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Users Beware of Remote Tech Support Scammers

Cyber criminals are using the phone to try to break into your computer pretending to be remote tech support from well-known companies like Microsoft and Apple. Find out how to protect yourself and business.

When contacted, the cyber criminals state that they have detected viruses or other malware on your computer.  They ask that you them remote access or pay for software to fix it.  These cyber criminals take advantage of your of peoples fear of viruses and other threats. They know that computer users have heard time and again that it’s important to install security software to protect yourself but the purpose behind this to make money.

Once these cyber criminals gain your trust, they may perform one of the following tasks:

  • Ask you to give them remote access to your computer
  • Make changes to your settings that could leave your computer vulnerable
  • Enroll you in a worthless computer maintenance or warranty program
  • Ask for credit card information so they can bill you for phony services
  • Install malware that could steal sensitive data, like user names and passwords
  • Direct you to websites and ask you to enter your credit card number and other personal information

 

What do you do if you get a remote tech support call?

First off, if you use a managed IT services company and they are using the right tools to manage your network, you will never have to give them access to your network.  If you unfortunately do get a call from someone who claims to be a tech support person, the best advice is to get the contact information and contact the company yourself to verify the person and company.  Remember, real IT support services professionals do not create a sense of urgency or uses high-pressure tactics. Also, you should never give control of your computer to a third party who calls you out of the blue and do not rely on caller ID to authenticate a caller as it can be easily spoofed.

 

What do I do if I gave these remote tech support scammers access?

If you have given them access to your computer, you should follow the next steps listed below.

  • Get rid of malware or security software they installed and scan your computer.
  • Delete all items that are identified as a problem or security issue.
  • Change your passwords immediately. If you use these passwords on other accounts, change those accounts also.
  • If you paid for bogus services with a credit card, call your credit card provider and ask to reverse the charges.

In either case, the scammers eventually ask for a bank or credit card account number. Or they ask you to create a Western Union account. They might even ask for remote access to your computer to help you fill out the necessary forms. But instead of putting money in your account, the scammers withdraw money from your account.

Is your managed service provider identifying themselves to your employees properly?

365-it-soltuions-managed-it-services-tech-support-services

365 iT SOLUTIONS partners with its clients to ensure uptime and profitability. We are Toronto’s leading IT consulting firm and offer cutting edge Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Enroll in our Complimentary Network and Security Audit by 365itSolutions.com or 416-398-9889

 

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

365 iT SOLUTIONS obtains Microsoft Silver Cloud Productivity Certification

365 iT SOLUTIONS obtains Microsoft Silver Cloud Productivity Certification

 

365 iT SOLUTIONS is proud to announce that have now obtained their Microsoft Silver Cloud Productivity Certification.

As a leading Toronto Microsoft partner, 365 IT SOLUTIONS is a leading managed IT services provider in the Toronto area that maintains a competitive edge by bringing innovation, fast deployments and an increase in return on investments (ROI) in cloud services for business.

365 IT SOLUTIONS  has partnered with Microsoft as both companies have a synergy on how to deliver cloud services to businesses based on business challenges and proactive managed services solutions that help companies operate efficiently and effectively in the global market.

Microsoft is a great business partner as they offer a wide range of innovative and reliable cloud services that help businesses strengthen their IT infrastructure.  In the past year, Microsoft has reported that 82% of Fortune 500 companies have purchased Microsoft Microsoft 365 in the 12 months alone. The Cloud Productivity competency enables 365 iT SOLUTIONS to engage organizations on the growing demand among companies for cloud and hybrid cloud deployments built on Microsoft Microsoft 365.

“We are proud to be strengthening our strategic partnership with Microsoft as it allows us to provide cost effective solutions and demonstrate our continuing commitment to provide leading-edge technology solutions to clients.” said Razmig Sagharian, President, 365 iT SOLUTIONS.

 

About 365 iT

Based in Toronto, 365 iT SOLUTIONS is a leading managed services provider (MSP) that has more than 10 years of experience serving small-to-medium sized businesses.

365 iT SOLUTIONS offers industry leading services that provide cost-saving strategies for businesses.  Their experience serving clients in a wide array of industries, along with their flexibility, knowledge, and outstanding customer service give them an unmatched perspective to manage, solve, and deploy all IT needs.  365 IT delivers a comprehensive suite of: Managed IT Services, IT Support Services, Tech Support Services, IT Outsourcing, Cloud Services and VoIP services to small and medium-sized businesses.

 

For further information:

Enzo Logozzo

Sales & Marketing

enzo@365it.ca

365itsolutions.com

416-398-9889

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Is Company Data a Liability or an Asset?

In the age of technology, companies rely on technology however there are many threats and liabilities. Data is the lifeblood for many organizations but with all the data breaches, is your company data a liability or an asset?

When managing your data, organizations are faced with three main challenges including big data, regulatory compliance and effective use of data.  As organizations continue to invest into IT outsourcing, organizations can no longer internally control data.  Some organizations are turning to managed IT services providers (MSP) to outsource their IT services for many reasons such as lowering costs, access to various skill sets, ongoing training and innovation.

When partnering with a managed IT services (MSP) firm, data management and data security are a fundamental part of the services. As data grows, organizations are finding it harder to handle data management because of the pressure from regulators and competition within the sector.  Example, regulators in the financial services industry are auditing everywhere to evaluate processes, security and management of IT infrastructure.

There are countless stories out there about organizations that have lost control of their data and/or it has been leaked to the world.  This causes a PR nightmare plus loss of business, profitability and damage to your reputation.  In this sense, your data is a liability as it can provides cyber criminals with a motive to steal it.

In the age of the cloud services and offsite backups, many organizations have data sitting with partners or data centers. Data is a treasure chest and can be leveraged to provide significant insight into a business.  Organizations need to be strict to keep their organization from being the next front page security breach story.  Data is should be considered a major asset to any organization however if not protected properly, it can quickly turn into a liability.

 

So how do you protect your company data to stay as an asset and not a liability?

Protect your information – all companies need to protect themselves from both sides, internal threats and external threats. A huge number of security breaches are inside jobs and are not the work of cyber criminals. All companies need a strong network protection plan from outside threats but organizations should never overlook internal threats. You need to always provide employees with the most minimal level of security access so they can complete their job duties.

Test your backups – This is one of the biggest issues within organizations.  Most companies have a local backup but does it work? Failure of a backup can put an organization out of business. Data is an asset and organization’s need to treat it as such.  Companies need to get their tech support services to test backups and recover from a failure.  Also, all companies should have offsite backups for disaster recovery.

Compliance – Depending on your industry, you may be part of an industry that is regulated. Data security standards are governed by regulators that are either government agencies or corporations such as credit card companies, insurance carriers, healthcare and many others. It is your responsibility to ensure your company is following industry rules. If you fail to follow, your data can quickly become a liability in the form of large fines, law suits or loss of contracts.

 

Are you confident that your company data is an asset and not a liability?

365-it-soltuions-managed-it-services-tech-support-services

 

365 iT SOLUTIONS partners with its clients to ensure uptime and profitability. We are Toronto’s leading IT consulting firm and offer cutting edge Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Enroll in our Complimentary Network and Security Audit by 365itSolutions.com or 416-398-9889

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Industry Insights IT Solutions Managed IT Services

Windows 10 and the plan that may affect your business

With Windows 10 just around the corner, there are more details being released daily on how it will impact the market.  If you review the Microsoft release Window’s Lifestyle Fact Sheet, you will Microsoft is committed to Windows 10 for ten years.

The Microsoft release shows that it will offer “mainstream security” support until 2020 and “extended security” support until 2025.

 

What is the difference between mainstream support and extended support?

Mainstream support according to Microsoft is to offer support for a minimum of 5 years from the date of a product’s general availability. For example, if you buy a new version of Windows and five years later another version is released, you will still have two years of support left for the previous version. Extended support according to Microsoft will offer extended support for a minimum of 5 years from the date of a product’s general availability.

If you are running Windows 7 or 8.1, you will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 within the first year and you will continue to receive free security updates and fixes until 2025. Microsoft has released the free Windows 10 upgrade so it can keep registered devices current during the Windows 10 support life cycle. Windows updates will also be free during this period with no subscription fees.

 

So why all these changes at Microsoft with Windows 10?

Microsoft is corporately changing the way it reports revenue and Windows 10 is being listed as Windows-as-a-service. Microsoft does not want to force users to pay for updates and fixes, instead Microsoft will push updates immediately as they happen and businesses will have to pay an annual subscription fee.

 

How can these Windows 10 update affect your business?

As a managed IT services provider, we believe in proactive network management of all IT infrastructure however it does have to be planned and managed properly.  It is great that Microsoft is taking this approach however businesses beware as this may cause unforeseen disruptions in your business.

Most organizations use many Windows products including Microsoft server and workstation operating systems and cloud software however there are also many businesses using legacy or proprietary software.  Prior to an update to a system with the latest patch and/or security updates, your IT support services department has to test and verify that it will not cause network downtime.

If you apply updates and patches without testing, your odds of network downtime and data corruption are extremely high. This will cause a spike in tech support issues from users and a loss of productivity and profitability.

 

Is your business ready for the upcoming Windows 10?

365-it-soltuions-managed-it-services-tech-support-services

365 iT SOLUTIONS partners with its clients to ensure uptime and profitability. We are Toronto’s leading IT consulting firm and offer cutting edge Managed IT ServicesIT Support ServicesIT Outsourcing ServicesTech Support Services and Cloud Services.

Enroll in our Complimentary Network and Security Audit by 365itSolutions.com or 416-398-9889