NEXT Generation Technology Support
May 2018
21 QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR COMPUTER CONSULTANT BEFORE HIRING THEM TO SUPPORT YOUR NETWORK
MEET THE TEAM
ALLIE YAZEL THE SHOCKING TRUTH BEHIND CYBERCRIME THREATS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM NOW NEW PROBLEMS NEW SOLUTIONS INTRODUCING OFFICE365 BACKUP
GoLeadingIT.com
(815) 496-6300
21 QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR COMPUTER CONSULTANT BEFORE HIRING THEM TO SUPPORT YOUR NETWORK From the book “Technology Should Just Work” by Stephen Taylor
You’re not happy with your tech service. Whether you have a guy, outsource, or simply have a mix of services/providers- your next step is to look for a solution. LeadingIT provides monthly all-inclusive services and our mission is to streamline everything. Below are 21 questions you should ask your computer consultant before you hire them. CUSTOMER SERVICE
Q11: Do they have other technicians on staff who are familiar with your network in case your regular technician goes on vacation or gets sick? Q12: When they offer an “all-inclusive” support plan, is it TRULY all inclusive, or are their “gotchas” hidden in the fine print? Q13: Do they INSIST on monitoring an offsite as well as an onsite backup, or are they letting you rely on outdated tape backups?
Q1: Do they answer their phones live or do you always have to leave a voice mail and wait for someone to call you back?
Q14: Do they INSIST on doing periodical test restores of your backups to make sure the data is not corrupt and could be restored in the event of a disaster?
Q2: Do they have a written, guaranteed response time to your calls?
Q15: Do they insist on backing up your network BEFORE performing any type of project or upgrade?
Q3: Do they take the time to explain what they are doing and answer your questions in terms that you can understand (not geek-speak), or do they come across arrogant and make you feel stupid for asking simple questions?
Q16: If you were to experience a major disaster, do they have a written plan for how your data could be restored FAST and/or enable you to work from a remote location?
Q4: Do they consistently (and proactively) offer new ways to improve your network’s performance, or do they wait until you have a problem to make recommendations? Q5: Do they provide detailed invoices that clearly explain what you are paying for? Q6: Do they have adequate errors and omissions insurance as well as workers compensation insurance to protect YOU? Q7: Do they guarantee to complete projects on time and on budget? MAINTENANCE OF YOUR NETWORK Q8: Do they insist on remotely monitoring your network 24-7-356 to keep critical security settings, virus definitions and security patches up-to-date and PREVENT problems from turning into downtime, viruses, lost data and other issues? Q9: Do they provide you with a weekly report that shows all the updates, security patches, and status of every machine on your network so you know for SURE your systems have been secured and updated? Q10: Is it standard procedure for them to provide you with written, network documentation detailing what software licenses you own, critical passwords, user information, hardware inventory, etc., or are they the only person with the “keys to the kingdom?”
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND SUPPORT Q17: Is their help-desk US based or outsourced to an overseas company or third party? Q18: Do their technicians maintain current vendor certifications and participate in on-going training – or are they learning on your dime? Q19: Do their technicians arrive on time and dress professionally? Q20: Are they familiar with (and can they support) your unique line of business applications? Q21: When something goes wrong with your Internet service, phone systems, printers or other IT services, do they own the problem or do they say “that’s not our problem to fix?”
If you find your computer consultant baffled or unable to answer these 21 questions… you may want to look elsewhere. Contact LeadingIT today for a free consultation and technology review allie@goleadingit.com (815) 496-6300
Meet the Team: Allie Yazel
THE SHOCKING TRUTH BEHIND CYBERCRIME THREATS Allie sings along with a street performer at the John Lennon wall in Prague, Czech Republic. She sang Lennon’s “Imagine” for her 7th grade talent show.
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM NOW
I WAS BORN IN… McHenry, IL WHAT DO YOU DO AT LEADINGIT? I am the one and only Marketing Manager here at LeadingIT. I also help field sales calls and bring in prospects. I think of myself as the first line of defense when we get a new prospective client. DESCRIBE LEADINGIT IN THREE WORDS… Moving. Forward. Always. IF YOU KNOW ME YOU KNOW… I wear a lot of hats (figuratively, not in actuality) WHAT WOULD YOUR SUPERPOWER BE? Mind reading WHERE WOULD YOU BE FOUND 4PM ON A SATURDAY? Working on my creative novel or slinging cocktails where I work part-time. IF YOU WERE A DRINK, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? An earl gray gin cocktail… seems sweet but has some bite to it TECH TIP YOU WISH EVERYONE KNEW? Check your connections WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS A MARKETER? I previously came from an advertising agency in Chicago. IT Support is a whole new and complex industry for me. I’ve had to learn a new tech-based lexicon and how to operate in a smaller suburban market. WHY DO IT GUYS GET A BAD REP? I think the disconnect between the average human’s vocabulary and a techie’s vocabulary can cause major frustration; especially over the phone. Our team does a great job of finding the right words to use when troubleshooting so our clients understand what to do and why. They might even learn something along the way. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT? My passport- I love to travel
Today’s technological innovations have empowered small businesses to do things that would have been utterly unimaginable even 15 years ago. To remain competitive in a constantly shifting landscape, we’ve become more dependent on software and hardware to house even the most basic structures of the companies we run. Meanwhile, these technologies are evolving at breakneck speed. Every day, there’s a slew of new devices to consider, a pile of new updates to install and a new feature to wrap our heads around. Every morning, we wake up and the digital world is thrillingly new. But all over the world, there’s an insidious network of criminals keeping up with this insanely rapid pace of progress. With every new security measure designed to protect our digital assets, there are thousands of hackers working around the clock to determine a new way to break through. An estimated 978,000 fresh new malware threats are released into the world each day. The term “up to date” doesn’t mean much anymore in the wake of new developments arriving minute by minute. There’s a price to pay for the increased efficiency and reach enabled by the digital age. We’ve all heard the story before. A massive, multinational corporation neglects some aspect of their security and falls victim to a crippling large-scale cyberattack, with criminals lifting millions of dollars in customer data and digital assets. Equifax, J.P. Morgan, Home Depot, Yahoo!, Verizon, Uber and Target – these narratives are so commonplace that they barely raise an eyebrow when we read about them in the news. At the beginning of April, LeadingIT joined hundreds of other IT Support companies at a IT Conference in Nashville, TN. Cybersecurity and cybercrime were HUGE topics. Kevin Mitnick, author of the Art of Invisibility and famous hacker, showed the audience firsthand how easy hacking is. We watched as Kevin broke into an email account retrieving company sensitive data. He even compromised an ID card to enter the building! Kevin shed light on just how accessible our information is. Bank statements, social security numbers, you name it- Kevin can find it. That's why LeadingIT is doing everything we can to provide our clients with top of the line security precautions and software. This means we are always improving our offerings and providing recommendations based on the latest information we have on security.
NEW PROBLEMS NEW SOLUTIONS INTRODUCING OFFICE365 BACKUP
Most business owners wrongly assume that these incidents have no bearing on their own companies, but these high-profile incidents account for less than half of data breaches. In fact, according to Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, 61% of attacks are directed at small businesses, with half of the 28 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in America coming under fire within the last year. It’s hard to imagine how you can possibly protect yourself from these innumerable threats. Statistically, you can be all but certain that hackers will come for your data, and there’s no way to know what new tool they’ll be equipped with when they do. You may not be able to foresee the future, but you can certainly prepare for it. With research, education and resources, you can implement a robust security solution into the fabric of your business. That way, you can send hackers packing before they get their hooks into the organization you’ve spent years building from the ground up. One huge leap you can make right now for the security of your business is to simply realize that cyber security isn’t something you can install and leave alone for years, months or even days. It requires regular updates and the attention of professionals to ensure there’s no gap in your protection. There are new shady tactics being used by criminals every day, but there are also fresh protocols you can use to stave them off.
Kevin Mitnick shows off a gadget that can copy data by proximity. For example if an ID card is close enough it clones its' information so a copy can be made
A Friendly Reminder We can put all safety precautions in place, but educating your staff is key to keeping secure. Contact us today about our education opportunities. Goleadingit.com 815-799-4368 ©jklosser
Small business owners assume that since they don’t have the resources of a Fortune 500 company, they don’t have the means to invest in anything but the barest of security. Obviously, hackers know this and target SMBs in droves. The bad news is that most businesses’ paper-thin barriers won’t save them in the event of a crisis. The good news is that it doesn’t take thousands upon thousands of dollars to implement a security system that will send the hackers packing. Be on the lookout for our latest security offerings! Stay safe out there.