NEXT Generation Technology Support
January 2018
OUR TECH RESOLUTIONS FOR 2018
NEW YEAR TECH MELTDOWN
GoLeadingIT.com
(815) 496-6300
OUR TECH RESOLUTIONS FOR 2018 BY NOW THE GYMS HAVE CLEARED OUT, SELF-IMPROVEMENT BOOKS SIT FRONT AND CENTER AT THE BOOKSTORE, AND YOU’VE SCROLLED THROUGH ONE TOO MANY “NEW YEAR, NEW ME” STATUSES. FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, 2018 HAS STARTED OFF LIKE ANY OTHER YEAR… WITH ITS’ SHARE OF TECH DILEMMAS. SECURITY IS IMPORTANT NOW MORE THAN EVER. WE’VE COMPILED A LIST OF TECH RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR TO HELP YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS.
Get Secure Backups Are NOT Created Equal While most small businesses may not have the same size IT budget as larger enterprises, the risks facing their business data are the same. Data backup solutions come in all different
you can restore it in minutes, rather than the hours or days it would take to requisition a new server, and install and configure the operating system.
Business Continuity Data backup answers the questions: is my data safe? Can I get it back in case of a failure? Business continuity, on the other hand, involves thinking about the business at a higher-level and asks: how quickly can I get my business operating again in case of system failure? Business continuity is equally important to consider as it ensures your organization is able to get back up and running in a timely matter if disaster strikes.
Here are some key things to look for when seeking a business continuity solution:
flavors. No matter what solution you chose, implementing
Hybrid cloud backup—A hybrid approach fixes the
data backup and business continuity should be a priority
vulnerabilities that a cloud-only or local-only possess.
for your organization. There are two well-known types of backup solutions: file- and image-based. A file-based backup does exactly what it sounds
Superior RTO and RPO—Think in terms of business continuity rather than simply backup, and calculate how much downtime your business can endure and still survive (RTO) as
like: you choose which files you want to back up, and those files
well as how much data you can afford to lose (RPO).
are saved, to an on-site device or to the cloud, whichever type
Image-based backup—Make sure that the backup solution
of solution you have chosen. But only the files you choose are
takes images of all data and systems rather than simply copying
saved. What if you forget to save a key file? Image-based
the files.
backup, on the other hand, captures an image of your data in its environment. Thus you have exact replications of what is stored on a server— including the operating system, configurations, settings, and preferences. If a server goes down,
Screenshot verification—Make sure that the backup solution automates and verifies that backups are in fact working and usable in the event of an issue.
Change Your Password Sounds simple right? Password variation can protect against a data hack. It’s a wise idea to follow the calendar year when changing passwords to your online sites, financial/banking sites and computer systems. We recommend you change these passwords at least once every three months. It’s also important you don’t reuse passwords or use the same passwords for two different resources. If your social media account gets hacked, you don’t want the
workplace from a technology standpoint. Your budget should reflect that. Firewalls, renewals, antivirus software, servers, workstations, new software packages, networking hardware, WiFi; these are just a few items to consider. An annual tech budget is necessary for all your tech needs and updates, but you should also consider employee cybersecurity education. At Leading IT we have the ability to test your staff on cybersecurity and identify who is a flight risk. Running through the test, we flag people that did not score well. Staying proactive (not reactive) out there.
attacker to also be able to gain access to your Amazon.com and banking accounts simply because you used the same password for both sites. Maintaining separate passwords is a lot of work – but the cyber society we live in demands it. A good password will be composed of both lowercase and CAPITAL letters, numbers and !@#$%^ (symbols). Passwords for various sites should always be different, but they can be similar. You may use J@nu@ry1! for site A and J@nu@ry1@ for site B.
Educate Your Staff Even with all security measures put into place; you can’t stop human nature. If Susan from Accounting falls into the trap of clicking on a suspicious email, you could find your company vulnerable to a scam. Educating your staff on what to look for can help prevent this. You can disperse these simple tips to staff via email or call a meeting. • Always use caution and check to see where a link is headed before you click it. When you hover your mouse over that 'open in docs' link and the address was 'www.hackers.com', you'd know not to click it. • Double check before you click through by copy and pasting the link before you navigate there. • Bottom line -- do NOT use email for personal, confidential, or private information. • Change passwords frequently • Reboot your computer often Keep yourself and your team safe. More and more scams out there that trick people via email. Stay safe out there.
Allocate a Budget to Tech Companies should start allocating funds to tech. With an ever-changing environment, it is no longer a choice, but a necessity. There’s a lot that goes into a proper, secure
OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW Boxes? Check. Movers? Check. Utilities? Check. Sanity? Uncheck. As I type this I think about where we started, where we are, and where we’re going. LeadingIT started off in an office the size of a two-bedroom apartment. It’s crazy to think we’ve bought a building, renovated it, and will be moving in this month. The whole move to 333 E. Jackson was about creating a great home base for our team. Five of our guys live in Woodstock and we wanted to accommodate them. Plus, we’re expanding and this is a place we can grow into. 333 E. Jackson was the first building I visited in Woodstock. I saw through it actually; we ended up knocking down most of the walls. The design is clean and modern, with glass walls and natural light. At 2,500 sq ft there’s plenty of space and work areas. It was important to include lots of exciting technology. Sequr allows employees to enter the building with their smartphones. Nest, an energy efficient thermostat that learns your setting preferences and is accessible via the Nest app on all devices. There will be screens, displaying our metrics and numbers on almost every wall.
NEW YEAR NEW TECH MELTDOWN
Meltdown and Spectre are CPU hardware design flaws that we techies understand. In a nutshell, Meltdown breaks the isolation between the user app and the operating system, so the app can do a memory dump and steal any data in it. Spectre goes further. It breaks the isolation between apps. It's harder to exploit but harder to mitigate.
First thing to understand is that the vulnerable machine HAS to have malware running to exploit this vulnerability. So, IF the bad guys are able to get malicious software running on your computer, they can get access to your passwords stored in a password manager or browser, your emails, instant messages and even business-critical documents. Not good.
What are WE doing? Analysis from industry leaders such as Microsoft and Intel show that while this threat is serious, it has a very small attack vector. Many of these vulnerabilities can be fixed with software patches, which LeadingIT will implement as they become available. This is going to take some time, some of the patches are not even available yet. We also may have to replace some mission-critical computers to fix this.
What can YOU do? In the meantime, we need you to be extra vigilant, with security top of mind and THINK before you click. Prevention is the best medicine. Thanks for trusting us!
DROP THESE 4 HABITS FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2018 TODAY, THE BUSINESS WORLD IS MORE RAPID, COMPLEX, AND VOLATILE THAN EVER BEFORE IN HISTORY, A TREND THAT SHOWS NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN. WITH THAT IN MIND, IT’S VITAL THAT ENTREPRENEURS TIGHTEN UP THEIR BUSINESS PRACTICES NOW, NOT LATER. Here are four bad habits to kick in order to shed your company’s sluggishness and step fully into the modern marketplace:
1. Procrastinating training investment
Investing in comprehensive training resources, which expands the skills of both you and your employees, can ensure you stay competitive in the midst of constant change.
2. Amassing knowledge without applying it
With millions of well-meaning advice articles plastered across the Internet, it’s easier than ever to learn new principles. But
you can’t stop there. Actively implement the knowledge you gain, instead of keeping it locked away in your mind.
3. Expecting ideas to come from the top down
Today’s savvy business owner doesn’t solely channel those at the top of the organization chart. Instead, they welcome ideas from all levels of the company.
4. Busywork
Too many leaders get caught up in output metrics instead of outcomes. Get the numbers out of the way and watch your employees shine. Inc.com 11/16/2017