Entries by Garin Livingstone

Is the End of Windows 10 a Real Worry?

In the past year-and-a-half Microsoft has made Windows 11 more stable and usable. And most critically, Windows 10 support – that is, providing security patches – is ending. So this means in October 2025, it will become unsafe to use devices running Windows 10.

Now is the ideal time to create a plan for migration, including performing an audit of devices: some will be able to be upgraded and some will need to be sunsetted. Also Windows 11’s compatibility with legacy software and hardware must also be assessed and addressed … [4 min. read]

There’s Power in Least Privilege

Evolution of Evil

Ransomware is a somewhat straightforward criminal action – data is illicitly encrypted and you may be able to restore systems from a backup or pay the crooks to hopefully get a decryption key from them.

Things have veered in a different direction now (see Allianz Commercial insurer’s report). Today a lot of ransomware attacks are cyber-extortion attacks. In these attacks the criminals capture your data and encrypt it, but they also exfiltrate your data to their servers. And the threat is often, ‘unless you pay, we will release your data on the web’ … [5 min. read]

When the Going Gets Tough

New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that scams originating on social media have accounted for $2.7 billion in reported losses since 2021, more than any other contact method …

Reports during the first half of [2023] show that the most frequently reported scams on social media are related to online shopping, with 44 percent of reports pointing to fraud related to buying or selling products online. [source: FTC]

Social media shopping has grown huge: 67% of shoppers in 2022 purchased through social media channels and this course we’re on shows no signs of changing. And while it’s easy to see why people do it (among the reasons: more time spent on social media than with traditional media, the simulated, relaxed feeling of a community and the ease-of-purchase), it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t see if what we’re doing is in our best interests. Or at least ask, ‘can we do it better?’ … [4 min. read]

Patrick Walsh Promoted to Senior IT Field Technician

Bryley Systems is pleased to announce the promotion of Patrick Walsh from IT Field Technician to Senior IT Field Technician. In his new role, Patrick will be responsible for leading a team of techs in support of its clients’ IT environments.

Patrick has a history of success at Bryley: supporting clients – early in his time at Bryley he migrated many client devices to M365, solving tech problems and winning plaudits from those he’s worked with. During his time at Bryley he’s embraced the field tech role, showing not only technical expertise, but also peer-recognized troubleshooting skills with a determination to see that people are properly helped … [3 min. read]

Managed IT Services in Clinton, MA: Streamline Your Business Operations

Managed IT services have become increasingly popular in Clinton, MA, as businesses look to outsource their IT needs to experts who can provide comprehensive support and maintenance. These services offer businesses a range of benefits, including reduced downtime, increased security, and improved efficiency. By partnering with a managed IT services provider, businesses can focus on […]

As if what you do matters

United We Stand

Organizations look to IT professionals for tools and services to protect them from cyberthreats. But IT can only get them so far. Two-thirds of the way, in fact, according to the CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) Triad. The National Institute of Standards and Technology calls the CIA Triad “the fundamental guiding principle of cybersecurity.”

End-User Responsibility

According to Gartner 69% of end-users violated their organizations’ cybersecurity practices the past year. So how do we counter this trend? Eric Sokolowski president of Bryley education partner Knowledgewave advocates a “drip-drip” method of Security Awareness Training … [4 min. read]

Bryley Systems’ 9th MSP 501 Award

MSP 501 is an IT industry signifier that recognizes the MSP (managed service provider) industry’s highest operational efficiency and business models. The MSP 501 award is based on a sixty-point audit to verify the fitness and stability from which independent IT providers can serve their clients with dependable IT.

With its detailed questionnaire (over sixty areas of scrutiny) and the requirement to have financial results certified to the auditors, the MSP 501 award helps benchmark which MSPs are fit to earn their clients’ trust … [3 min. read]

2,742,354,049

That’s $2,742,354,049 lost to Business Email Compromise in the US in 2022

That number is eight times the population of the United States. If you stacked that number of dollar bills like a giant deck of cards and laid them horizontally, it would take you more than a day to drive that distance.

Unless you’re aware of the continually evolving cyber-threats, how can you make the most informed decisions about how to protect your organization?

As Bryley partner Barracuda describes them, Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks are audacious. The over 2.7-billion-dollar losses suffered via BEC far outstrip the money lost to ransomware – in 2022 there were $34 million dollars in reported ransomware payouts. And to pull off a BEC attack takes a lot more know-how and investment than ransomware does – Ransomware-as-a-Service can be found cheap – it’s like subscribing to a cloud service – on the dark web. BEC actors are stealthy, manipulative and tend to go big, to make it much harder for employees to suspect them … [5 min. read]

Making Hybrid Work

When workers are remote they pose a greater risk to your organization’s data because home networks are less secure and employees do not as closely follow security protocols, per Ponemon Institute’s Data Exposure Report

In a hybrid work environment, where employees work from wherever, it’s critical to prioritize security. And communicating security’s importance to your employees – and their adoption of good practices – is crucial. It was a lot easier to have everyone in the office connected directly to a server without relying on the convenience of the internet – but with hybrid privilege comes hybrid responsibility. … [4 min. read]