Password security has been a big concern in 2015, and for good reason. An increasing number of businesses are falling victim to hackers. Most recently, Last Pass, an award-winning password manager, was the target of a hack. The breach was highly unexpected, as Last Pass guarantees maximum-level security. While no organization or individual is impervious to password theft, there are some precautions that you can take to reduce your risk. Always use complex passwords. Many websites allow users to pick simple passwords that are very easy to hack. Use a series of letters, numbers and even special characters if allowed. For example, if you want to use an address, capitalize some letters and randomly replace letters with numbers and special characters. In this way, 1011 Oak Tree Lane can become IOII 0@k Tr33 L@n3. The new password is both virtually unbreakable and easily memorable. Pay attention to the password strength ratings provided by websites. Due to various encryption keys, some passwords may have a higher security rating on some sites and a lower rating on others. While a “strong” security rating usually means that it would take a state-of-the-art computer more than a year to crack that password, a “weak” rating normally means it would take less than a day. Never use the same password more than once. Most websites default to your email address as your user ID. Consequently, if someone knows your email address, they already have half of the combination required to break into a number of your accounts. Finally, write down your passwords and store them in a secure and easily accessible place like your computer, which has its own password. If you choose to write your passwords down on paper, lock them in a file cabinet. Still, creating a strong password won’t be enough if you fail to take security measures when connecting to free public Wi-Fi networks. Sensitive data can easily be intercepted by anyone else nearby. To ensure a more secure connection, subscribe to a VPN service that will encrypt your data and provide a high level of security on open networks. For more helpful tips about password security, connect with our IT support team by calling {phone} or sending an email to {email}. 

Is Your Business Getting the Best Mac IT Support Available? While the popularity of Mac products in the personal consumer market has made their appeal clear, did you know that Apple has lot to offer businesses as well? Apple devices are groundbreaking in terms of their speed, security, and ease, but it can be difficult for businesses to find the right IT support for Apple products. Most IT support companies focus solely on Microsoft solutions such as Windows, Windows 10 or Windows 7, and have nothing to offer those looking to benefit from an Apple-based system. {company} is proud to offer comprehensive Apple & Mac IT Support to businesses in {city}, so they too can enjoy the benefits of Apple devices, which include: Apple Support In {city} From {company} Apple systems are incredibly secure, boasting less vulnerability to malware than any other option available, which makes for a reliable and stress-free IT infrastructure. Apple’s iOS is clean and simple, designed with everyday users in mind, which can help you and your employees avoid unnecessary confusion in accomplishing daily computing tasks. With a complete Apple set up, you can enjoy a strong, seamless network of devices that makes file sharing and collaboration a straight-forward process. Comprehensive Support: We employ only the best Apple support technicians, each of which has undergone extensive training and has further experience in the field. With our Mac IT Support, you can enjoy many provisions, such as: We can troubleshoot any issue with your Apple tech, often from a remote location, saving you the time and expenditures that come with having a technician visit on-site. We can facilitate a seamless transition between your existing Microsoft set up and the new Apple system to ensure that you don’t lose a single file, contact or calendar entry. We keep an eye on your IT network around the clock to ensure that any issues are identified and addressed immediately to avoid any unnecessary downtime. Start enjoying the best Mac IT Support in {city}! To learn more about what we can do for your Apple products, contact {company} at {phone} or {email}. 

There are two types of companies: those who have already been hacked and those who are going to be hacked. What type of company are you? Studies have shown data breaches are not only more common than ever, they’re also more expensive – totaling an average $194 per record that’s compromised. Can you afford this? For most companies, the cost of a data breach is far too much – recovering all lost or stolen records is just the beginning, you’ve also got to worry about paying in terms of loss of client trust, missed business opportunities, and reputational damage. Fortunately, data breach is easily avoidable when the proper steps are taken. Here are 4 vital steps to complete network security – allowing you to avoid costly data breach and safeguard confidential information: Configure all devices and systems properly: A large majority of breaches are due to firewall misconfiguration or general flaws within the firewall. That’s why it’s vital to implement the right security measures, which means making sure devices are updated, patches are applied, and absolutely everything is properly configured. Educate staff with ongoing security training: Your employees are the biggest threat to your network security. That’s why it’s important to educate staff members with ongoing security training – making sure to keep them informed and reminded of proper security best practices, such as strong passwords, how to identify phishing emails, and what websites to avoid. Keep all wireless access points encrypted: More than 50% of all wireless networks aren’t encrypted, which means they’re left open to attackers looking to steal sensitive data and wreak havoc on companies. Make sure you’ve encrypted all wireless access points using WPA2 encryption – ensuring a highly complex key is used to avoid a dictionary attack. Block inappropriate websites from being accessed: Your employees likely browse the web once in a while – passing the time on social media platforms, online gaming websites, or video streaming websites. This often leads to malware infection as most of these inappropriate and time-wasting sites are malware ridden. Use web-content filtering software to set controls on what can be accessed via your network. {company} is your trusted technology partner – we’re here to help you achieve complete network security to prevent costly breaches. Call us at {phone} or send us an email: {email}.

Do You Have Access to Mac and Windows Hybrid IT Support? Every single IT support company in the country will offer you Microsoft support options. Not nearly as many will offer support for Mac products. But how many offer both? We offer comprehensive IT support services for Mac and Microsoft systems, but what’s more is that we even offer service to businesses that need both. Either system is complicated in it sown right, but even if you need a hybrid set up between the two systems, we can make it work for you. With our support services you can enjoy the following benefits: Ensured Compatibility. Regardless of how different the two systems are, we can make them work together for you. They may be fundamentally different, but both Microsoft and Mac computing have much to offer your business, and we want to help you get the most of out them both. Flexible Set Ups. Only get the services you need for your particular business goals. We can tailor your Microsoft and/or Mac set up to specifically meet the requirements of your day to day business, whether that’s a single Microsoft workstation among all Macs or vice-versa. One Monthly Rate. By servicing your entire system with us, you benefit from a monthly, easy-to-budget IT expenditure. Many businesses will have to seek out multiple support options to address their Microsoft and Mac systems, but with {company}, you get an all-inclusive support service. Get the IT support you need for system, whether it’s Microsoft, Apple, or both! To learn more about what we can do for your business’ IT systems, contact {company} today at {phone} or {email}. 

New Report Finds MOST Organizations Are Vulnerable to Insider Threats A recent report conducted by cyber security experts SANS Institute has found that an overwhelming majority of polled organizations are highly vulnerable to insider attacks. The study, conducted on behalf of software manufacturer SpectorSoft, polled over 700 IT practitioners, finding that while many have an awareness of insider threats, few have adequate response and detection protocols in place. The report’s author, Dr. Eric Cole, said of the findings that, “Most organizations will suffer an insider compromise and many will be unable to prevent all attacks. That your organization currently has an insider threat of some sort is a near certainty. Therefore, you have to approach security with the assumption that an insider threat has already compromised you and focus your energy on detection.” Insider attacks can happen due to negligent employees misusing information or failing to follow security protocols, as well as malicious employees intentionally compromising data via their knowledge of the workplace and security procedures. When considered with the statistics presented in the report, insider attacks are clearly one of the most serious threats to IT security in a given organization today: Almost 75% of respondents are aware of insider threats as a concept. While a third of respondents report that they’ve suffered from an insider attack, approximately the same number of those polled estimate that the attacks cost the organizations roughly $1 million in damages. While 50% of respondents don’t know how much they’re spending on insider threat protection, 44% can confirm that they’re spending less than 10% of their IT security budget. Just less than a third of respondents report that they have no way to prevent or deter an insider attack. Insider attacks are just as serious a threat as those outside of the organization! To protect your company from both the inside and out, contact us at by phone or email for more information.

Running A Version of Internet Explorer Between IE7 – IE11? You’re at Risk for Malware Infection! If you’re running a supported version of Internet Explorer – from IE7 to IE11, you’re at risk for malware infection through a serious vulnerability, wherein your systems can be infected when you browse to a malware riddled website. Microsoft has released an emergency patch for the critical security flaw – and the patch must be applied quickly – no delays. Windows users should install the patch, regardless of whether or not you’re depending on IE as your primary browser. Why? Because a multitude of applications use components of IE to function – and you don’t want to leave yourself open to this vulnerability. On a side note, Microsoft Edge doesn’t appear to be impacted. Wolfgang Kandek, CTO at Qualys, wrote in a blog post regarding the vulnerability, “The vulnerability (CVE-2015-2502) is actively being exploited in the wild. The attack code is hosted on a malicious webpage that you or your users would have to visit in order to get infected.” The hackers are out to get companies like yours – aiming to steal sensitive information and wreak havoc on you and your staff members through a wide range of techniques designed to get users to their malicious webpage: Manipulating search engine results to drive users towards websites specifically setup for the purpose of infecting visitors. Phishing (sending emails with malicious attachments) to get users to click a link that brings them to the dangerous websites. Leveraging weak login credentials/blogging server software to gain access and control over existing websites. Do not wait until it’s too late. You must apply the patch immediately before your systems are infected. Contact us by phone or email for more information.

Verizon Looks to Develop Internet That’s Faster Than Ever Before! Verizon, an innovative wireless communications company, is looking to make the Internet 1000 times faster than ever before – providing customers with a new service that has download speeds of 10 gigabits per second! What does that mean for you? That means Internet that’s 1,000 times faster than the average US residential Internet connection speed. What would you do if your Internet was that fast? Let’s look at how fast the service would actually be: Uploading 1,000 photos would only take two seconds. Downloading a two-hour movie would only take eight seconds According to Verizon, the new technology would be able to, in the future, offer speeds as quick as 40-80 gigabits per second! Although the new technology is being tested at the moment, they’ve been able to reach 10 gigabits per second speeds in a lab, a home, and a business. For companies like yours, the benefits of Internet speeds that are 1,000 times faster are obvious: Improved ability to respond to customers: If speeds are slow, employees are often left staring at the screen waiting for an email to load or send, especially when files are attached. If speeds are fast, you’re able to communicate quickly to customers and potential customers. Enhanced ability to find information: Whether you’re searching in a general search engine or online database, quick speeds let you find important information faster and more efficiently; giving you an edge over the competition. {company} looks forward to the future of faster Internet speeds. We’ll keep you in the loop on the latest advancements and news. Call us at {phone} or send us an email: {email}.

After a great deal of consistent criticism from users, Google has announced this week that they will no longer require YouTube account holders to use their social media network Google+. Instead of tying their social media accounts to other Google services, a simple, private Google account is all that users will need to be a part of YouTube and other Google services. What does this mean for those of you who are using Google+ alongside YouTube? Here’s a few factors to keep in mind: The Roll-Out Will Be Staggered Google+ will be incrementally removed from YouTube. As of last week, comments will no longer show up on Google+ profiles, but other features of YouTube, such as channel creation, and commenting on and uploading videos, will still be tied to Google+ for at least a few more weeks. More Independence on YouTube. Once Google+ has been completely separated from YouTube, the underlying requisite Google account will not be searchable or followable – letting those who enjoy YouTube do so without it affecting their public Google+ profiles, which is great news for many of us. This is Not the End for Google+. Those who use and enjoy Google+ need not worry, the social media service is not going away for good. User can still enjoy Google+, but the service simply won’t be integrated with YouTube for much longer to better suit users that have no interest in Google’s social media. To stay up to date on the latest technology news and information, contact {company} at {phone} or send us an email: {email}. We stay ahead of the latest news and information so you can stay informed.