Raymond “Ray” Baldez successfully became MAC certified as an Apple Support Professional (ACSP). With this certification, Ray understands the MacOS core functionalities and has the knowledge to support MacOS users, manage their networks, and provide technical support.
Ransomware and other cyberattacks seem to be more prevalent than in previous years. While the news has mostly focused on the large attacks (WannaCry, Petya, Netflix hack, etc), small businesses are not immune to these dangers. In fact, in a recent study performed by Symantec, it was discovered that phishing campaigns targeted small businesses 43% of the time, up 9% over 2014 and a dramatic increase from the 18% of attacks in 2011.1 While larger organizations are able to rebound, roughly 60% of small businesses that experience a cyberattack are closed within six months.2
The cost of a data breach
What causes a Small Organization to be a target?
The difference between larger vs. smaller organizations is that oftentimes the smaller organizations don’t always have the budget to be able to afford their own IT department.
“A survey published by Manta last month shows that 87 percent of small-business owners don’t feel that they’re at risk of a cybersecurity attack, and 1 in 3 small businesses don’t have the tools in place — firewalls, antivirus software, spam filters or data-encryption tools — to protect themselves.
“The general majority of small-business owners don’t have an IT person. It’s not the first place they spend their money,” said John Swanciger, CEO of Manta. “They’re really relying on themselves to update their software and check for security patches.”4
How can Small business owners limit their risk of an attack?
Firewalls allow you to either add or remove filters based on certain circumstances such as:
Working with a managed IT service provider can remove a lot of the burden and take away the mystery of proactive measures to protect your business.
Protecting your company’s data and infrastructure should be a top priority, but you do not need to do it alone. Let the Bryley experts help protect your company’s data and infrastructure. Please contact us at 844.449.8770 or by email at ITExperts@Bryley.com. We’re here for you.
1 43 Percent of Cyber Attacks Target Small Business. Sophy, Joshua. 28 April 2016.
2 CYBER SECURITY STATISTICS – Numbers Small Businesses Need to Know. Mansfield, Matt. 3 Jan 2017.
3 Why ransomware costs small businesses big money. CNN Tech. Larson, Selena. 27 July 2017.
4 Congress addresses cyberwar on small business: 14 million hacked over last 12 months. CNBC. Zaleski, Andrew. 5 Apr 2017.
Phishing emails are malicious emails sent by criminals attempting to compromise your personal information. They often appear to be legitimate, so beware.
Most phishing emails are disguised as messages from an authoritative entity asking you to visit a website and enter personal information. These websites are set up to gather personal details, which they can then use to hack into your accounts and commit fraud. Some links and attachments in these emails contain malicious software, known as malware, which will install itself on your computer. Malware then collects data such as usernames and passwords. If you recognize these emails, delete them immediately.
Being informed about Phishing techniques and the current news relating to it is very important because new phishing scams are being developed all the time. Without staying on top of these new phishing techniques, you could inadvertently fall prey to one. Keep your eyes peeled for news about new phishing scams. By finding out about them as early as possible, you will be at much lower risk of getting lured in by one.
Being able to recognize these emails will lessen your chances of being compromised. Here are some tips:
Hold on, there’s more…
Spear Phishing. Criminals who target specific individuals use what is called “spear phishing.” Spear Phishing emails are even more sophisticated than your run-of-the-mill phishing emails, often using personal information obtained from social media pages to make the emails appear credible. These cyber criminals might use your name or tailor the email to reflect your hobbies, interests, where you live or events that are happening locally. They may even make the email look as if it came from the organization you work for. People are sometimes targeted because of their position within the company or because they have access to sensitive data.
As a general rule, you should never share personal or financially sensitive information over the Internet. When in doubt, go visit the main website of the company in question, get their number and give them a call. Most of the phishing emails will direct you to pages where entries for financial or personal information are required. An Internet user should never make confidential entries through the links provided in the emails. Never send an email with sensitive information to anyone. Make it a habit to check the address of the website. A secure website always starts with “https”.
When in doubt, don’t click! Contact your IT administrator. And remember, legitimate organizations will never ask you to disclose personal data via email.
You can also report the scam to the FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
Bryley Systems specializes in protecting you from malware. Contact us at 978.562.6077 or by email at ITExperts@Bryley.com. We’re here for you.
Read this case study about a particularly vicious attack that Bryley remediated.
Additional Resources:
https://www.sec.gov/oit/announcement/notice-regarding-phishing-scam-targeting-edgar-filers.html
https://www.usatoday.com/tech/
https://apwg.org
After being honored as one of 25 recipients worldwide, our prestigious award is traveling the U.S. in celebration – being one of the most sought-after in the industry of technology solutions.
About Bryce Canyon. Bryce Canyon National Park in Southwestern Utah is famous for the largest collection of hoodoos—the distinctive rock formations at Bryce—in the world. Pillars of red, white, and orange cut through bluest skies, forming some of the world’s most famous breathtaking views. Bryce Canyon first became a tourist destination in 1916 with Union Pacific. It was then declared a National Monument in 1923, and officially established as a National Park in 1928.
“Bryley Systems works toward continuous improvement; we strive to manage, optimize, and secure our client’s information technology, which brings substantial business benefit and value to their organizations. Our team-focused, best-practices-oriented approach, coupled with high-value/low-risk service options, enables us to provide our clients with Dependable IT at a Predictable Cost™. We thank Channel Partners for this prestigious Channel Partners 360° award!”
– Gavin and Cathy Livingstone, Co-Owners, Bryley Systems, Hudson, MA
Each year, the Worcester Business Journal (WBJ) compiles and publishes a list of IT Service Providers throughout Central Massachusetts. The list, published on June 12, 2017, ranked Bryley Systems among the top 15 organizations surveyed. Rankings are determined based on survey results, federal filings and Web sites.
Bryley Systems, for the fourth-straight year, ranks among the world’s most progressive 501 Managed Service Providers (MSPs), according to MSPmentor’s 10th-annual MSP 501 Worldwide Company Rankings. The top MSP 501 companies ranked this year include organizations from around the world and from diverse technology and business backgrounds. Collectively, they amassed $14.48 billion in total revenue (based on 2016 results), up more than 15 percent from a year earlier. (The complete 2017 MSP 501 list is available at MSPmentor.net.)
“We are honored to be named to the MSP 501 for the fourth consecutive year.” said Gavin Livingstone, President of Bryley Systems. “It is a great honor and demonstrates our dedication to remain one of the top providers of managed IT services worldwide. We look forward to continuing to provide excellent service to our clients.”
“On behalf of MSPmentor, I would like to congratulate Bryley Systems for its recognition as an MSP 501 honoree,” said Aldrin Brown, Editor in Chief, MSPmentor. “The managed service provider market is evolving at a rapid pace and the companies showcased on the 2017 MSP 501 list represent the most agile, flexible and innovative organizations in the industry.”
The 2017 MSP 501 list is based on data collected by MSPmentor and its partner, Clarity Channel Advisors. Data was collected online from Feb. 16 through May 15, 2017. The MSP 501 list recognizes top managed service providers based on metrics including recurring revenue, growth and other factors.
With an uptick in cyberattacks and phishing scams, we thought it prudent to provide some tips to avoid becoming a victim:
A periodic review of Business Security practices with users is recommended. Keep your business best practices along with computer security best practices in the forefront of your employees’ minds. Emphasis on how to handle emails that “look” like they could be legitimate will pay big dividends in terms of time and money.
Sending people email about what to do to keep your company secure will not be nearly as effective as taking the time to gather in a room for ½ an hour face-to-face to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation.
Bryley Systems specializes in protecting you from malware. Contact us at 978.562.6077 or by email at ITExperts@Bryley.com. We’re here for you.
As they always said in the TV series “Hill Street Blues” at the end of the morning briefing, “Let’s be careful out there…”
It seems nearly everyone we know today has some sort of Social Media account. It keeps us connected with loved ones near and far, enables the sharing of personal and professional milestones, and provides information about current events. This is great as long as certain precautions are taken. Safety and security must be considered when doing anything online.
One must also remember that anything done online can be seen by anyone no matter how “private” the group may be. The rule to remember is “once it’s on the Internet, it’s there for all to see forever.” A group of incoming Harvard freshmen learned that lesson the hard way. Roughly 10 incoming freshmen saw their offers rescinded after it was discovered that they posted explicit memes and messages targeting minorities in a private Facebook group chat.1 These students learned a valuable, albeit costly, lesson, there is no such thing as private groups or messages when it comes to the Internet.
There are several steps that can be taken to protect your online reputation:
As much time as you take to curate your reputation in person, a similar amount of time, if not more, should be taken to manage your online reputation. In this day and age, perception is reality. Make sure you are the individual molding your digital persona.
1 Natanson, Hannah. The Harvard Crimson. “Harvard Rescinds Acceptances for At Least Ten Students for Obscene Memes.” 5 June 2017.
2 Facebook privacy Settings. https://www.facebook.com/about/basics/usr1
3 Erskine, Ryan. Entrepreneur. “How to Protect Your Online Reputation in 2017.” 23 Jan 2017.
4 O’Loughlin, Erin. Security Intelligence by IBM. “Identity theft and Social Media: How Are They Related?” 5 August 2016.
The benefit of outsourcing part or all of your IT infrastructure’s needs is to remove those tasks and worries so that your organization can focus on your clients. The cornerstone of maximizing the business benefit of your Managed Service Provider (MSP) is to ensure that the relationship between your organization and your service provider is consciously designed, proactively supported, and jointly managed.
Here are a few pointers for building and maintaining a great relationship with your current or prospective MSP partner:
Organizations should spend time with their MSP. Organizations must involve their MSP in discussions and give them access to as much information as possible, without violating any commercial, data, or security issues. It is important to designate a person (or two) to be the key point-of-contact for a variety of reasons: open/create tickets, make phone calls/communicate needs or requests to your MSP, and oversee the relationship in general.
Having regularly scheduled meetings with key people from your MSP is always a good idea. During these meetings, it is important to involve your MSP in your organization’s business plans and to get their input on strategic decisions related to IT. With this level of insight, all parties can better understand the bigger picture and contribute to shared, long-term goals of your organization. A discussion of your organization’s business and technology needs can establish a roadmap for future projects. The creation of that roadmap can, in turn, flow into a conversation around budget planning.
An effective MSP will understand the demands, business cycles, and priorities of your organization. Essentially, MSPs want to do a good job but they aren’t always engaged by their client in a way that allows for that. Only when an MSP has that level of information, and is engaged in that way, can everyone work together effectively, and the MSP can meet your goals and timetables.
Create a robust, quality communication system that clearly defines decision rights and proactively address issues, challenges and concerns. To be successful, the environment should enable collaborative working and open communication. By appointing the key client and service provider leaders that drive the relationship process and communicate to stakeholders, the relationship will be in support of your long-term business mission and objectives.
In an effective relationship the key is to manage by FACT rather than perception, as the latter leads to mistrust and ongoing conflict. Service reporting should be considered an ongoing process focusing on the ability to “slice and dice” information for decision making purposes. Your reporting should also be linked to the management information system that supports the relationship and should take a “balanced scorecard” approach.
Relationships inevitably encounter issues, obstacles and challenges as well as opportunities. Establish robust governance processes and forums early on to increase and maintain the level of trust between organizations.
Trust is vital. Treat your MSP like you would your IT manager. ”Many times the value of the MSP service can be hindered by technology that doesn’t work the way it is meant to, or a technology provider that is unable to customize for your organizations’ needs. That is why it’s important to trust in your MSP and consult them with any goals or concerns you may have. Your MSP has a wealth of experience in dealing with a range of vendors and products, so they are in the best position to provide you with an integrated solution, tailored to your needs.”1 Give them general direction, and then let them do what they do best – manage IT.
Entrusting your IT to an MSP can be a difficult decision, but as long as your MSP is reliable and secure, it may very well be one of the best business decisions you’ve ever made.
By considering these elements, organizations have the foundation for a genuine partnership that, with the right access, ongoing conversations, and collaboration, can make a positive difference to the success of their organization. Agreeing together on the definition of ‘a successful partnership’ must be one of the first steps for a long-term, genuine partnership.
1 http://www.interlinked.com.au/tips-for-a-long-lasting-relationship-with-your-msp/ – Interlinked
After being honored as one of 25 recipients worldwide, our prestigious award is traveling the U.S. in celebration – being one of the most sought-after in the industry of technology solutions.
Kaibab National Forest. Kaibab National Forest covers 1.6 million acres and borders the Grand Canyon to the North and south. The Forest was first removed from public domain in 1893 to be included in the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve, and in 1906 was named the Grand Canyon Game Preserve to protect the many species of wildlife. The Kaibab National Forest earned its current name in 1919.
“Bryley Systems works toward continuous improvement; we strive to manage, optimize, and secure our client’s information technology, which brings substantial business benefit and value to their organizations. Our team-focused, best-practices-oriented approach, coupled with high-value/low-risk service options, enables us to provide our clients with Dependable IT at a Predictable Cost™. We thank Channel Partners for this prestigious Channel Partners 360° award!”
– Gavin and Cathy Livingstone, Co-Owners, Bryley Systems, Hudson, MA
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