Is fear driving up the price of cyber insurance? Read on to find out how fear impacts the demand for cyber insurance and what you can do about it. There are many headlines about data loss, breach of health records, and the record fines imposed under HIPAA that mark a legitimate concern about the risks that businesses face when it comes to cyber crimes. So what is driving the marked increase in Cyber Insurance? Many are pointing to fear as the primary cause. The insurance industry works very much in supply and demand market and as fear grows the need for some kind of protection against lawsuits, the cost of lost data and damaged equipment are driving an increase in cyber premiums. We are in an insurance situation where the need for insurance coverage is growing high enough that the cost of insurance for cyber coverage is increasing. Cybercrime is everywhere. We read about it top newspapers. We talk about at the office. We are doused with it every time an ad plays on our smartphone, and all of that awareness is causing concern. Fear has made the average business consumer aware of the increased risk of ransomware, hackers, and data theft, and that knowledge is creating a perceived void. We are exposed to risk and therefore must have insurance. That need for coverage is driving an increase in cyber premiums. The Current List of Cyber Crime October 2016, A massive cyber attack takes down Twitter, Spotify, and other social media sites. November 2016 — Did Russia Hack the US Elections? Story pending! December 2016 — Yahoo is hacked, and data is lost from 1 Billion accounts. While these latest cyber hits are cause for concern, cyber attacks have been ongoing for years. Cyber thieves have hit big names like Hyatt Hotels, voter records, Alliance Health, Wendy’s, and even the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was hit and data stolen. This small list of cyber attacks is part of the reason behind the increased fear of what cyber criminals are capable of. It is also part of the reason that cyber insurance premiums are rising. Rates are pushed upwards by demand in both the UK and the US. Guy Clapperton reports on the Fear Factor and how it relates to Cyber-insurance, and one of the points he makes comes from data from CFC Underwriting which supports a 50 percent increase in the demand for cyber insurance. The Fear is Paralyzing While business leaders are fearful of the economic impact of cyber attacks, many have done little to protect their companies. Many of the names on the cyber hit list are big-name companies where the impact of the crime hits millions of people. Yet, what is the reward for a cyber criminal to hit a small business? Not that much. What this illustrates is a problem that the insurance companies are struggling to come to terms with themselves. How do you measure the exposure risk of cyber crime for your business? The answer to that question is in part to protect your data. Many companies are turning to cloud storage and data backup services. {company} managed IT services for many small- and medium-sized enterprises. We have solutions that help to decrease the risk of the impact of cyber crimes. For a different conversation about particular needs of your company {email} or phone {phone} our professionals. We provide services to businesses in {city} and firms in the surrounding communities.

Top internet security firm Avast announces imminent Locky ransomware attack. Read on to learn more about how to protect your business. Avast a leading internet security company announced via their blog that they expect a new wave of ransomware attacks from the Locky ransomware strain. Is your business safe? All internet security companies have a test lab where they study internet threats so that they can help thwart the technology evil. At the Avast test lab, the experts discovered a pattern in the when Locky ransomware attacks occur. They have announced via their blog that a new attack is imminent. How Does Avast Know? Basically, their warning comes from a drop in the number of reported attacks from Locky. Overtime, the number of attacks per week from a pattern and when there have been periods of time where the attacks are quiet history shows that a major attack follows. Right now, we are experiencing a period of calm that does not match previous holiday Locky trends. There are many reasons why this calm could be occurring, but Avast is erring on the side of caution and sounding the alarm. The Deal with Technology Technology changes quickly and even ransomware needs to evolve, or it becomes ineffective. While Avast discusses many reasons why there could be a pause in the Locky attacks their suspect that Locky developers are updating the ransomware to make it more efficient. If that is true, then we should expect a new attack with an improved form of ransomware. The Onus and The Cure For the time being, there is no real cure that stops all forms or ransomware. The trouble is that they evolve to overcome the current standard in defenses. So while most of us hope that there is a solution, and there is, it may not be what we expect. The answer is that the onus remains on individual computer users and businesses to enter the online world with caution and apply a best-practices approach to internet activities. The trouble with just being cautious is that ransomware has already evolved to infect legitimate sites. You no long have to just open a link in an email to activate ransomware. Instead, you might click on a link that is infected on a site that is trusted. Ransomware locks your computer so that you cannot access the file and you must pay a ransom to regain access. For a business, that can mean an excessive loss of data and income. Part of the solution to decreasing the risk of ransomware includes: Utilize the cloud storage for data. Installing and actively using a data backup service or program. Initiate a “suspicious attachment” protocol and educate staff about the risks of attachments. Conscientiously ensure that your internet security is regularly updated. Ensure that security patches and program patches are installed when available. Avast recommends disabling Microsoft Office Macros, especially as they pertain to emails. If you are one of the many people who just gave a huge sigh because all of this is now a burden, then {email} us. We are {company} and we provide IT solutions to businesses in {city}. For faster responses phone: {phone} We are a Managed IT company, and we help businesses just like yours to reduce the risk of Malware, Virus, and Ransomware. We are happy to answer your questions and provide answers that are unique to your business model. {email} or {phone] are the fastest ways to reach us.

Consider implementing multifactor authentication that requires additional information beyond a password to gain entry. Check with your vendors that handle sensitive data, especially financial institutions, to see if they offer multifactor authentication for your account.

Before Purchasing Microsoft Office 2016, it is important to know what programs are packaged in the different suites. Here are the titles you should come to expect. The Microsoft Office Suite has stood as a top program package for several decades. While many of the core software titles have built on the foundation Microsoft started in 1990 (Bill Gages officially announced Microsoft Office in 1988), additional titles are now included. Beyond all the titles and new features, the suite of programs has built-in security, safeguarding information created and saved within Microsoft Office. For individuals either new to Office or who are interested in the latest offerings from the company, here is an overview of Microsoft Office 2016 programs. Programs Available in Office Home There are several variations of Microsoft Office 2016. The entry level Office Suite is Office Home & Student. The four programs included with this are: Word Excel PowerPoint OneNote Word Microsoft Word is a word processor. It makes it possible to create documents in traditional text form. There are added templates available in Microsoft Word that do alter creation potential, ranging from book layouts to postage addresses. This is the oldest continually running program in the Office package, with its origin dating back to 1983 (although it was called Multi-Tool Word then). Excel Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program. While often used for financial reports, this program allows a user to input information into individual cells on a chart. The spreadsheet software permits the creation of complex mathematical formulas, based on what a user needs. This way sums, equations and other information can be automatically calculated when typing in new data into the cells. Microsoft first released Excel back in 1985. PowerPoint This slideshow presentation software is a digital version of film slides. Individual “slides” can house text, visuals, video footage and other information. PowerPoint came out with the initial Microsoft Office release in 1990. OneNote OneNote is best used in a collaborative environment. It makes it possible for individuals to input notes (both typed or handwritten), images or other content picked up from the Internet. This way, when researching a subject or when working with different users across a network, it is easier to save all viable information in one location. This title has been around since 2003. Programs Available For Office 365 Home and Personal In addition to the four previously mentioned programs, Office 365 Home and Personal come with: Outlook Publisher Access OneDrive Skype Outlook Outlook is an email service. The desktop application version provides more in-depth features than what the online login option provides. Publisher This is a basic level publishing tool designed to be easy to use editor for books, pamphlets and other, similar documents. Access This is a database management software. It shares many similar features as Excel only it makes it possible to output the information easily to not only Excel but Outlook, Oracle based programs, and other third-party titles. OneDrive This is a cloud-based service, which makes it easier to save information created in the Microsoft Suite to the Internet cloud drive. This way, a user can access the information anywhere there is an Internet connection. Skype Skype is an Internet communication service. It provides VoIP features, instant messaging, video calls, and other communication options. Interested in learning more about Microsoft Office 2016 or what suite package is right for you? Give us a call at {phone} or feel free to {email} us at any time to learn more. Our {company} is here to help service you and your business in {city}.

An in-house IT staff isn’t for every business, and it can drain productivity from other critical areas. Here are 7 benefits of using managed IT services. Managing an in-house IT department isn’t for every business, especially startups. Time and resources spent on day to day technology needs can drain the productivity of even the most streamlined staff. Strategic outsourcing some or all of your IT needs can make or break performance in the major areas both in the near and long term. The following are seven of the most significant benefits that managed IT services can bring to your company: 1. Automation of Day to Day Tasks With the help of virtualization, managed IT can take care of common areas and components like email, helpdesk support, server and network oversight, and more.
 With so much reliance on IT, outsourcing “mundane” tasks will free up your staff for more creative and innovative roles. 2. Ongoing Systems Monitoring and Maintenance Proactive monitoring of the primary business components can help with avoiding major issues and catching them early when they’re small. While a network crash could take mission critical resources offline for an extended time period, effective monitoring and maintenance will help detect potentially problematic issues early. From a router that’s about to fail to server problems, these red flags can be addressed by your dedicated IT partner before they reach the stage of a disastrous outage. 3. More Predictable Budgeting 
 IT budgets can be substantial, but costs can be better managed and ultimately reduced by using an IT services professional. Instead of paying on the fly for every issue that comes up (and risking steep, unexpected bills), you’ll instead have one flat fee that will cover your most essential services. 4. Access to Expertise With managed IT services, your business will automatically gain access to highly skilled staff who are trained and equipped to handle unforeseen issues and special circumstances. Your company will be backed by a dynamic infrastructure, stable operations, and an experienced technical support team. 5. Centralization Benefits A managed IT network can include the consolidation of all servers and applications within distributed data centers. This, in turn, results in improved staff performance both in-house and from remote locations. Centralized data ensures easy network access to storage, virtual services, and backup infrastructure. Centralization also reduces your company’s carbon footprint. 6. More Efficient Support When issues arise, your business requires fast, targeted support. IT service providers are motivated to act quickly due to the costs associated with production. Put simply, it’s in your Managed Service Provider’s best interests to address and repair each client’s technical issues efficiently, making timely support a win-win for both of you. 7. Business Continuity Your Managed Service Provider has designed their data centers and networks to be reliable and resilient for their clients. Because of this, you can rest assured your business will experience maximum uptime and continuity. Their significant technological investment means that even if disaster strikes, your business data and digital communications will be preserved. Not every business is ready for a full-time in-house IT staff. Others might benefit from outsourcing portions of their IT requirements. Resources directed toward IT could cost you in other areas; however, with strategic use of managed IT services, your business can flow and evolve dynamically. Consider how these seven benefits of managed IT services could impact your company for the better. If you’re ready to find out more about how managed IT services can work for your business, give {company} of {city} a call at {phone}. You can also email us at {email} for more information.

Here’s how!  A look at some of the upcoming SEO trends for 2017 With 2017 already underway, it’s important to know what SEO trends are going to successfully push your business into 2018. As 2016 did bring in some new changes to the usual SEO marketing tactics, 2017 is looking to tweak those changes a bit more. So to make matters easier for you, we’ve put together a list of the top SEO trends that your business should consider utilizing in 2017. Mobile First Indexing – Mobile continues to dominate the marketing world, and 2017 is no different. Since desktop searches were surpassed by mobile searches in 2015, there has been no signs of the mobile market slowing down. Google is well aware of the popularity mobile devices have and wants to make sure that more sites are mobile friendly, which made their mobile first index plans inevitable. Google’s mobile indexing puts mobile responsive website versions before desktop versions, which then converts into how the site is placed in search results. If your site happens to be mobile friendly, have no fear; If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s time to get your site up to date in the next few months. Video Content – Facebook is claiming that video will be the primary type of content by 2020, so there’s no better time than now to jump on the bandwagon. With written content currently remaining the norm for sharing information, many businesses have added video content to see what their customers respond to. For example, Google has started to experiment with video advertisements in search results. What does this mean for your business? Well, creating videos such as Q&As, tutorials, or webinars on your website wouldn’t be such a bad idea when planning for the future. Voice Searches – With the mobile market only growing, voice searching is quickly becoming the new norm for searching. Between teens using voice searches on a daily basis and adults enjoying voice search capabilities, it’s safe to say voice searches are here to stay. As far as your business and voice searches are concerned, it’s important to re-format your headlines into questions so your service can be found whenever a potential customer utilizes their voice search engine for an answer. Structured Data – Structured data is incredibly important in the SEO world. If you want your business to be universally understood, you need to make sure that your information/data is structured. Long story short, structured data helps search engines understand websites easier – which gives sites better search ranks. So if you plan on making 2017 your breakthrough year, utilizing these marketing tips is the best way to make it happen. Thankfully, {company} is here to make it happen if you’re still feeling a bit lost in {city}. If you’re one of the many who wants to kick off their 2017 in high gear, don’t hesitate to contact us at {phone} or {email} today!

Ransomware was one of the most successful vectors for cyber attacks in 2016. Cyber security experts predict it will continue during 2017. What can business and private citizens do to keep themselves safe online? Cyber security experts predict it will continue during 2017. What can business and private citizens do to protect themselves online? “Ransomware is going to continue to be a major problem and, in fact, will probably get worse in 2017.”…USA Today, Jan. 3, 2017 Anyone concerned about security and having just returned from a year’s sabbatical in the Himalayas may not have heard about ransomware. Everyone else knows that ransomware is a sophisticated denial of service attack. The victim opens an innocent looking email attachment or clicks on a link, at which point the attached malware encrypts the victim’s files. The hacker demands a ransom in exchange for (maybe) sending the encryption key to unlock the files. 2017 will see more attacks The attacks will undoubtedly continue. Criminals go where the money is, and, according to this piece on Business Insider, an especially sophisticated ransomware strain has resulted in $325 million in ransom payments. The ransomware business model Ransomware has characteristics of legitimate business practices. Harriet Taylor writing for CNBC.Com points out that the hackers “business plan” employs the following: Ransomware criminals go after “large markets with affluent customers.” Rather than lose valuable business files, the victims balance a moderate (and sometimes negotiable) ransom payment against the time and cost of restoring their system. The cyber criminals provide a product “with a clear value proposition.” The value is that returning the seized data “alleviates a particular pain point,” i.e., the stoppage of business. Like most successful entrepreneurs, ransomware hackers “act with agility and stealth.” They outwit their anti-malware competitor software through ever-changing tactics. They employ a “profit-sharing” strategy through a new twist known as Ransomware as a Service. Low-tech criminals subscribe to the service, entrap unwary victims, and give the original ransomware coders a cut of the take. Cyber self-protection in 2017 The USA Today piece mentioned above has some sensible advice on what everyone can do in the new year to avoid having their data kidnapped as well as to be more secure in cyberspace: Employ the first line of defense by remaining suspicious of unfamiliar email links or attachments. Also be wary of innocent looking online ads, which can also be planted and tainted with malware on the web. Remember that ransomware also targets individuals as well as businesses and public agencies. Everyone is at risk. Institute strong password practices; e.g., dual authentication, letter-number-symbol combinations, passphrases, etc. Always backup everything regularly on an off-line, external hard drive. For extra insurance invest in secure cloud backup services. Businesses need to go a few steps further The Department of Homeland Security also recommends a “commitment to cyber hygiene” along with best practices for protecting enterprise networks. In addition to backups, these methods include: a cybersecurity risk analysis for the organization staff training on cyber security patching vulnerable system software allowing only approved programs to run on the network a realistic and tested incident response plan an efficient and compliant business continuity plan testing the system by periodically attempting to hack into it Should victims pay the ransom? It is entirely up to the victim to decide whether paying the ransom is preferable to continuing the “pain” of business stoppage. However, the Department of Homeland Security cites “serious risks” to consider before paying a ransom demand: Payment of the ransom is no guarantee that the criminal will give back the data. Victims can be re-targeted after paying the first demand. Paying the initial demand could result in demand for a ransom increase. Ransom payments encourage the continuation of the ransomware business model. Looking for the best defense against cyber attacks? {company} is your {city} leader in cyber security. Contact us at {phone} or {email}.

Before you run anything through SQL Server 2016 for your Dynamics NAV database, make sure you update everything. Before you export a database to the .bacpac format, if you are using the SQL Server 2016 for your Dynamics NAV database, you need to make sure you are running the latest update from August 2016 or later. You should check with your Microsoft SQL Server Data-Tier Application Framework (DacFx) or SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). If you don’t you run the risk of exposing your system to a bug in the tools around SQL Server that Microsoft has located. The Error Message During one of their tests, Microsoft found out that the Dynamics NAV 2017 demo database couldn’t be exported to a .bacpac file. “c:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL Server130DACbinSqlPackage.exe” /Action:Export /TargetFile:nav-test.bacpac /SourceServerName:10.0.0.10 /SourceDatabaseName:”Demo Database NAV (10-0)” /SourceUser:sa /SourcePassword:blablabla Connecting to database ‘Demo Database NAV (10-0)’ on server ‘10.0.0.10’. Extracting schema Extracting schema from database Resolving references in schema model Validating schema model Validating schema model for data package Validating schema *** Error exporting database:One or more unsupported elements were found in the schema used as part of a data package. Error SQL71564: View: [dbo].[CRONUS International Ltd_$Service Shipment Buffer$VSIFT$0] contains a statement that is not supported on Microsoft Azure SQL Database v12. The specific error is: Incorrect syntax near “CRONUS International Ltd_$Service Shipment Buffer$VSIFT$0”. Error SQL71564: View: [dbo].[CRONUS International Ltd_$Calendar Entry$VSIFT$0] contains a statement that is not supported on Microsoft Azure SQL Database v12. The specific error is: Incorrect syntax near “CRONUS International Ltd_$Calendar Entry$VSIFT$0”. … They found that the view that had the erros in code was used for a SIFT index. They were not sure where exactly the problem was in the code but they had a hypothesis that it might be hidden in the .bacpac report. They then tested it by creating an empty database with a table and a view using the same syntax that was found in the view with the error. IF OBJECT_ID(N’id_v’, N’V’) IS NOT NULL DROP VIEW id_v GO DROP TABLE IF EXISTS id GO CREATE TABLE id(n int) GO CREATE VIEW id_v AS SELECT “abc”.n FROM dbo.id “abc” GO But this export still triggered the error. “c:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL Server130DACbinSqlPackage.exe” /Action:Export /TargetFile:nav-test.bacpac /SourceServerName:10.0.0.10 /SourceDatabaseName:dacpac-test /SourceUser:sa /SourcePassword:blablabla Connecting to database ‘dacpac-test’ on server ‘10.0.0.10’. Extracting schema Extracting schema from database Resolving references in schema model Validating schema model Validating schema model for data package Validating schema *** Error exporting database:One or more unsupported elements were found in the schema used as part of a data package. Error SQL71564: View: [dbo].[id2_v] contains a statement that is not supported on Microsoft Azure SQL Database v12. The specific error is: Incorrect syntax near “abc”. The error message indicated that the sqlpackage had a problem with quoted identifiers and Microsoft immediately contacted the SQL Server Team to report a bug. The team confirmed that this was, in fact, a bug and that it had been fixed in the July update of DacFx. If you haven’t already, you need to install the update. You can run this to get the latest update: Register-PackageSource -Name NuGet -Location https://www.nuget.org/api/v2 -Provider NuGet -Verbose Install-Package -Name Microsoft.SqlServer.DacFx.x64 -MinimumVersion 130.3485.1 -ProviderName NuGet -Force At {company}, we are always here to help. For more information about this and other issues you may be having, be sure to contact us in {city} by calling us at {phone} or emailing us at {email}.

Wow, 2016 is done already!  Where did the time go?  We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone as safe and happy new year this weekend.  See you all in 2017.

Bad outsourcing decisions are often the cause of damaging data breaches, learn how to minimize your company’s risks Arguably, the whole world is aware of the global issues of data breaches, from Wikileaks to Yahoo. The ramifications of once private or encrypted information falling into the public sphere has implications for individuals and businesses around the world. Trustwave, a digital security firm, has found that poor outsourcing decisions leads to at least two-thirds of data breaches. In 2013, the firm released a report linking third-party IT system providers or administrators to 63% of the 450 cases of global data breaches the company was investigating that year. The research points to weaknesses in third party IT support, maintenance and development that have been quickly exploited by computer hackers. This proves the need to make considered and researched decisions when choosing an IT service provider to outsource your business to. Often times businesses fail to fully understand the price of security risks that could impact on their operations, and they aren’t stringent enough in considering how third party suppliers might handle their sensitive data. Instead many consider the most economical provider that can deliver on the bottom line, but this could cause long term issues down the road in terms of protecting digital information. Many large Fortune 500 companies give consideration to digital security risks in their annual reports, but many companies fail to demonstrate this right down to the level of procurement and negotiation. It is also rare that IT security providers and managers are included in negotiation talks when signing off on IT service outsourcing. Most conversations revolve around price and service level agreements (SLAs) and fail to encompass security concerns. This can be improved upon by establishing protection expectations and searching for third party proposals that give consideration to your concerns. Asking critical questions is a great start, but it should be backed up with a full evaluation process that will properly collate information and confirm security claims in acknowledgement of your questions. This should be both backed up by paper-based evidence and conversations to ensure proper accordance to standards. Cutting corners with an IT service provider may seem like a wise short term decision, but in the long run, data breaches could cost vast amounts of time and money in the future. Third party providers do offer the benefit of specialist knowledge and servicing to properly handle your IT solutions, but a certain level of trust should be managed between your provider and your organization. Educating yourself on potential weaknesses will help you establish a preferred mode of working with your provider. Looking for third party verification that your provider is both honest and well informed on security methods is essential. If your organization deals with payments and card systems, your provider should be able to demonstrate evidence of PCI DSS (payment card industry data security standards) compliance by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA). By understanding your risks and working to minimize breaches through smarter IT service provider selection you can help to safeguard your business from damaging data leaks in the long run.