Cybercriminals and hackers are rarely shy about the methods they use to attack their victims. Many of them are more than happy to share how they broke into a business’s network or how they walked away with thousands of dollars after successfully extorting a business owner whose company is now destroyed.

There are new stories out there to get your blood boiling as cybercriminals work to ruin people’s lives and livelihoods. These criminals don’t care what kind of damage they do. They only care about one thing: money. If they can get away with it – and many do – they’ll keep on doing it.

It’s up to the rest of us as business owners (and employees) to stay at least one step ahead of these cyberthugs. The single best way to do that is to stay educated on the latest threats. The second-best way is to stay up-to-date with the latest technology designed to combat cyber-attacks.

Here are three tricks of the trade cybercriminals are using right now in an attempt to get their hands on your money:

Ransomware. This is very common. It’s a form of malware, and it can sneak onto your network and into your computers in a number of different ways:

• Ad Networks. These ads can appear on social media sites and on familiar websites. Someone clicks a compromised ad or pop-up, and it initiates a file download. It’s quick and it can be confusing. This is where anti-malware and anti-ransomware come in very handy.
• Malicious Links. The cybercriminal sends you a legitimate-looking e-mail, supposedly from your bank or a familiar online store. It may even be disguised as an e-mail from a colleague. The e-mail contains a link or file. If you click the link or file, it installs the ransomware.
• Hidden Files On Thumb Drives. This happens way too often where someone brings a thumb drive from home. While the user doesn’t know it, the drive has a malicious file on it. When the thumb drive is inserted into a networked machine, the file is installed.

No matter how the ransomware gets onto your devices, the result is basically the same. The ransomware goes to work and begins encrypting your files. Or it may completely block you from accessing your computer altogether. You’ll get a full-screen message: Pay up or never access your files again. Some ransomware programs threaten to delete all of your files. Others say they will never restore access.

DDoS Extortion. Short for distributed denial of service, DDoS attacks are a relatively easy way for hackers to take down your business’s online presence and wreak havoc on your network. These attacks mimic online users and essentially “flood” your network with access requests. Basically, it’s as if millions of people were trying to access your website at once.

Your network simply can’t handle that kind of traffic and, as a result, it goes down. The hackers can continue the attacks until you take action. That is to say, until you pay up. If you don’t pay up, the hackers will do everything they can to keep you offline in an attempt to destroy your business. If you rely on Internet traffic, this can be devastating, which is why many businesses end up paying.

Direct Attacks. Some hackers like to do the dirty work themselves. While many cybercriminals rely on bots or malware to do the work for them, some hackers will see if they can break through your network security in a more direct way. If successful at breaking in, they can target specific files on your network, such as critical business or customer data.

Once they have the valuable data, they may let you know they have it. Sometimes they’ll ask for money in return for the sensitive data. Sometimes they won’t say anything and instead simply sell the data on the black market. Either way, you’re in a bad position. A criminal has walked away with sensitive information, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Except, that last sentence isn’t true at all! There are things you can do about it! The answer is preventative measures. It all comes around to these two all-important points:

• Stay educated on the latest threats
• Stay up-to-date with the latest technology designed to combat cyber-attacks

If you do these two things and work with an experienced IT services company, you can change the outcome. You can put the cybercriminals in their place and have a digital defense wall between your business and those who want to do your business harm.

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Source: Pronto

In the past few months, the pandemic has driven businesses to utilize every tool available to them to keep operations going. This largely meant deploying cloud-based solutions that can support remote work setups and connect multilocational workers. During these critical times, the job of IT administrators has become more crucial and demanding. So to help make their work just a tad easier, Microsoft has added new features in the Apps admin center that will allow IT administrators to be more efficient and productive.

Intelligent insights

Intelligent insights include features like Apps Inventory, Add-In Inventory, and Security Currency that allow IT administrators to find and mitigate any issues immediately. With these tools, administrators can gain an in-depth understanding of the organization’s Microsoft 365 environment and be privy to information such as:

• What devices are running Office apps and which versions they’re running;
• What Office add-ins are installed or running; and
• Which servicing channel each device belongs to.

Knowing all this information can help administrators identify and manage unsupported Office versions and add-ins to ensure security and compliance. Data is also easily exportable for reports or audits.

Servicing automation with controls

This feature streamlines and automates Microsoft 365 Apps servicing to eliminate manual deployment and accelerate the rollout of updates and security patches, thus saving effort, time, and costs. With this new feature, admins only need to apply a specific servicing profile to a set of devices to automatically deliver monthly updates for users or groups.

What’s more, IT admins are now able to view, pause, and resume updates on a per-device basis. If a user experiences issues during rollout, for instance, administrators can pause that user’s update and restore their software to a previous version while they troubleshoot.

Admins can also specify exclusion date periods, or when Office apps updates should not run, such as during holidays or company meetings. They can schedule this to happen only once or on a recurring basis, depending on their organization’s schedule. And for compliance purposes, admins can schedule updates to happen at a certain date and time, or they can let users install Office app updates at their most convenient time.

Microsoft 365 Apps health

With Microsoft 365 Apps health, IT admins can see how well Microsoft 365 apps are running during and in between deployments. It also calculates an organization’s overall app health based on three criteria: app reliability, app performance, and supported versions. On top of these, Microsoft 365 Apps health gives pertinent information such as Office app session crash rates and who reported such crashes. This allows admins to quickly identify issues and take actions to increase app performance and reliability.

With these new features, administrators can better manage Microsoft 365 apps, and users can count on better experiences and fewer downtimes. If you want to learn more about how technology can increase your business’s operational efficiency, don’t hesitate to call us. Our IT experts are always ready to help.

Source: Pronto

No business continuity plan is perfect. Each plan has risks that can result in your business’s failure if not taken into account from the start. But don’t blame it all on your managed IT services provider (MSP) — often, a system’s design has loopholes to start with. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why business continuity plans fail.

Over-optimistic testing

The initial testing attempt is usually the most important, because it’s when MSPs can pinpoint potential pain points in the recovery plan. However, they usually test the system in full, instead of in phases. This can cause MSPs to overlook specific points, with too many factors overwhelming them all at the same time.

Insufficient remote user licenses

MSPs give remote user licenses to businesses so that employees can access a remote desktop software when they need to, like when a disaster strikes. However, a provider may only have a limited number of licenses. In some cases, more employees will need access to the remote desktop software than a provider’s license can allow.

Lost digital IDs

When a disaster strikes, employees will usually need their digital IDs so they can log in to the MSP’s remote system while the office system is being restored. However, digital IDs are not automatically saved when a desktop is backed up. So when an employee uses their “ready and restored” desktop, they are unable to access the system with their previous digital ID.

Absence of a communications strategy

MSPs often use email to notify and communicate with business owners and their employees when a disaster happens. However, this form of communication may not always be reliable in certain cases, such as during spam intrusions.

Instead, you can use emergency communication applications such as AlertMedia or Everbridge. These programs automate necessary actions such as sending out mass notifications, sharing information, and mobilizing teams to prevent operational disruptions, so your MSP can easily notify you in case of any disaster.

Backups that require labored validation

After a system has been restored, IT technicians and business owners need to check whether the restoration is thorough and complete. This becomes an arduous task when the log reports are not easy to compare. This usually happens when MSPs utilize backup applications that don’t come with their own log modules and have to be acquired separately.

These are just some reasons why business continuity plans fail. While you should trust that your MSPs will secure your systems, it is important for business owners to be involved with any process that pertains to your IT infrastructure. Just because you believe something works doesn’t necessarily mean that it actually does. If you have questions regarding your business continuity plan, get in touch with our experts today.

Source: Pronto

The two-button mouse with a cord is what most of us are familiar with — it’s been the standard design for many years. But times have changed, and the old mouse is now considered less responsive and uncomfortable to use. Worse, having a cord makes things more inconvenient when it gets tangled whenever you put your mouse in your bag. But choosing a new mouse can be confusing, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the new features. Here are some things to keep in mind before buying one.

Cable or wireless?

When planning to purchase a new mouse, it’s important to consider whether to get a wired or a wireless mouse. A wireless mouse is generally more comfortable to use since your range of movement isn’t limited by a cable, and it’s usually travel friendly. However, a wireless mouse can be less responsive, making it frustrating to use at times. Sometimes, a wireless mouse can also interfere with other wireless devices nearby. Using it requires batteries, which can create problems when they run out of juice. And if you use the same mouse for both work and home, you run the risk of losing the tiny USB receiver for your wireless mouse when you travel.

On the other hand, a wired mouse is cheaper and easy to plug and play. The only problem you’ll have to worry about is dealing with tangled wires. So when you’re deciding on a new mouse, think about whether you’re looking for comfort or convenience.

Ergonomics matters

You’re going to be using the new mouse for a while, so it’s important to choose one that feels comfortable in your hands. When deciding on the right mouse, focus on the size and the grip of the device. The size of the mouse usually comes down to hand size. For example, someone with smaller hands will find a larger mouse quite unwieldy.

Certain mice can also accommodate different types of grips — fingertip grip, palm grip, and claw grip. Users who want high-precision control of their cursor should opt for a mouse with fingertip grip, those needing comfort should get a palm grip mouse, and if you want both control and comfort, the claw grip mouse is the way to go.

DPI (dots per inch)

Higher sensitivity is necessary for precise mouse movements, especially if you’re editing images, videos, or audio files. A mouse with 1200 DPI or greater guarantees finer, sharper control.

Although mouse specifications like DPI might be the last thing on your mind when it comes to buying new hardware, your comfort is important. A good mouse with the right fit can make you more efficient and reduce the risk of injury.

If you need assistance setting up the best hardware for your company, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’ll be happy to help.

Source: Pronto

Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of improving your business’s online presence. Web services and platforms that provide automated SEO reports like WordPress, Google, and Raven Tools tend to oversimplify their advice. If you’re trying to get a green light for SEO, you might need to look more closely at the images on your site.

Do images really affect SEO?

One of the reasons images tend to be overlooked when auditing SEO is because it’s easy to forget just how many images your website has. Maybe you only had a few photos on your homepage when you first built your site. Over time, however, you probably added more visual elements to blog posts, landing pages, and About Us page — drastically increasing the impact of your images on your SEO.

Image resolution and load speed

The first thing to check is how your images affect your site’s load speed. If you’re using ultra high-resolution photos, those accessing your site on mobile devices or using satellite data connections will have trouble loading your site. Site load times affect your site’s ranking on Google, so make sure to pair your images down to a more reasonable resolution and save them as web-friendly file types.

• Choose the JPEG format for illustrations or large photos since it provides clarity and good colors in a smaller file size.
• Select the PNG format if you want to preserve background transparency.
• Use the SVG format for icons and logos. Combine this with Javascript or CSS to resize SVG images without losing quality.

Keywords and image title

The days of keyword-stuffing are long gone, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with uploading images with filenames like “DSC2558.jpg”. When adding images to your website, make sure their names are relevant to their content, such as “gym-trainer-helping-lift.jpg” or “call-center-customer-service.jpg”. This makes it easier for search engines to derive information from the images on a page.

Alt text and title text

Even though Google is getting better at recognizing image content without any help from text identifiers, describing your images in your website’s back end is still important for SEO. Every image on your site should have enough text-based information without disrupting the user experience.

To see how this works in WordPress, open your site dashboard and click on Media. This will display all the uploaded images, videos, and audio. Click on any photo to access the text editing tools. Whatever you include in the Caption field will be shown below the image, so check that it corresponds with your content. If not, skip it. In this case, user experience takes priority over SEO.

The Alternative Text and Description fields will be visible to visitors only if the image doesn’t load or if they select it manually. They may not seem that important, but these should be considered nonnegotiable for SEO purposes.

Check that your site’s images are properly optimized before requesting another SEO report. If your score changes, audit your image optimizations regularly. If you’re still seeing red, there are a number of web- and cloud-based platforms that can help improve your content. Give us a call today to find out more!

Source: Pronto