Does Your Business Really Need a New Server? Ask Yourself These Questions

If you think of your company’s IT infrastructure like you’d think of the human body, the server is the brain. It’s where all the data is stored, and it enables all the various processes and computers in your business to operate effectively. If your server is not working optimally, it can negatively affect your entire business. If you aren’t sure whether your server is still right for your company’s needs, or if you think it may be time to replace it, ask yourself the following questions to find out if you need a new server. Has My Server Gotten Louder Over Time? One of the biggest signs that your server is giving up the goat, so to speak, is the sound it makes when it is operating in the middle of the day. On any given workday, go into your server room and listen. If the fans are noticeably loud – much louder than they were when they were new – consider this a cry for help. As servers age, they become hotter far more easily, and this makes the fans run faster more frequently. Over time, the fans wear out, and noise indicates they are reaching the end of their lifespan. Is My Server Operating at Max Capacity? Ideally, a business server should always operate at less than 80% capacity. Though there may be times when your server surpasses this mark, for the most part it should operate at less than 80% even during the busiest parts of the day. If your server is regularly over that 80% mark, it’s time for an upgrade or replacement. In some cases, you may be able to reduce the strain with cloud computing, too. Is the Server Operating System Still Supported? Microsoft is slowly phasing out many of its older operating systems (OS), and when this happens, there will be no further support for them. For example, in January 2020, Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will reach the end of their life cycles and support will end. This essentially means that Microsoft will stop working to create things like security patches that protect your system in the wake of the newest threats, and if you continue to use a server with an unsupported OS, you will be leaving your entire IT infrastructure – your hardware, applications, databases, and more at risk. If your server cannot support the latest OS and its current OS is nearing the end of its lifecycle, it is time to consider alternatives. Malware and viruses are often created to target operating systems that are no longer supported or not fully patched with the latest security updates. Is the Business Experiencing More IT-Related Issues Lately? Technical hiccups in the workplace happen from time to time despite your best efforts to prevent them. However, if you find yourself suddenly dealing with unexplained server crashes, or if your server starts to crash frequently, this is a sign that it’s time to change something. A slow network, files taking a long time to copy or open, and slow login times can also be a sign it’s time for a new server. You might opt to buy a new server, which can resolve the issue for a while. You might also choose to move to the cloud or go for the hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) model to help save you some money. Is My Server Still Under Warranty? Server warranties are absolutely critical as they help to ensure that you can get your server replaced in the event of a complete failure. Servers are not inexpensive, and for small business owners, or any size business in the midst of a busy period, replacement can be difficult. Having to wait days for replacement parts to arrive causes downtime for your employees and business and would be costly in lost revenue and productivity. Rather than waiting for that failure to occur and then scrambling for a solution, consider a replacement right now if your server is no longer under warranty. Again, you have numerous options available to you, so choose the one that works best for you. Am I Spending too Much on Software Licenses? The business software you use is tied to a license, and that license is tied to each CPU for each server in your company. The CPU’s performance is dependent on things like memory and processing power, too. This means that if you choose to consolidate multiple older servers into fewer larger servers with better overall performance, you won’t have to pay for as many licenses. In fact, depending on the size of your company and its overall needs, sometimes downsizing your licenses is enough to pay for a new server. Bonus Question: Could You Save Money with Virtualization? If you do need to upgrade your company’s server (or servers), you may want to consider virtualization. Server virtualization is a process by which you can create partitions within a single server to create numerous instanced servers. Essentially, it turns a single server into numerous virtual environments that are capable of running independently of one another. Virtualizing your servers can save you a great deal of money in terms of hardware costs, and it can also significantly reduce your energy consumption, the cost of ongoing maintenance, and more. If you’ve been wondering whether it’s time to replace your company’s server or move your apps to the cloud, ask yourself the five questions above. Then, determine whether you want to purchase new onsite servers outright or contact a managed IT service provider who can help you with hardware as a service or cloud computing that can save you money. Need Assistance Replacing Your Server? If you need assistance replacing or upgrading your current server, contact Pennyrile Technologies for a free analysis and quote.

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Is Your Firewall Hurting Your Business? Here Are Some Ways to Tell

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Many companies make the mistake of believing a firewall is a “set it and forget it” type of network security. In fact, a firewall requires constant maintenance and updating in order to protect your company from cyber threats and data breaches. Below are some signs that your firewall is not properly protecting your company’s best interests or your sensitive data. You Don’t Have Any Traffic Visibility No matter the size of your company, whether you have only one computer connected to your network or you have dozens, it is critical that you have access to network traffic reports. You must be able to prioritize applications that are important to running your business while limiting those that might have a negative effect on productivity, but if you can’t see who is accessing what, this is impossible. What’s more, without this comprehensive visibility, there’s no way for you to know if you are complying with local and federal regulations. You’re Spending Too Much Money on Infected Computers In 2017, a study conducted in the UK pointed out that companies spent an average of seven full workdays each month on identifying and repairing computers that had been infected with some sort of malicious software or virus. The costs associated with paying someone to spend this much time repairing computers on your network can be astronomical, and over time, it can really tap into your bottom line. For this reason, businesses of all sizes should carefully consider the benefits of outsourcing their entire IT department to trusted professionals. It costs less and provides better peace of mind. Performance and Productivity are Lacking Another good sign that your network firewall is causing more problems than it solves is a noticeable lack of performance from your network. If your network is slow despite a good internet connection, this typically indicates an overloaded firewall. In other words, there is too much traffic attempting to pass through the device or the firewall isn’t rated high enough for the traffic you have. If you have a lot of remote workers, your firewall may not be capcable of handling all of the VPN connections. At this point, you can either completely overhaul your IT infrastructure to allow for more traffic, or you can change the features of your firewall so that more traffic can come and go as needed at the expense of greater risk. Neither of these is a good option for many companies, but there is an alternative: outsourcing your IT department altogether. The Firewall Isn’t as Effective as it Should Be Finally, perhaps the most common sign that your firewall is hurting your business is a lack of effectiveness. Simply put, if computers continue to become infected or if employees continue to access websites that you thought you blocked, this is indicative of a serious issue – and one that can frustrate business owners who are not as familiar with network security as they should be. The best way to resolve this issue is to hire IT professionals to configure your firewall properly, but it can be expensive to add another person to the payroll. Outsourcing these tasks is far more cost-effective, and when you choose the right managed IT provider, you can feel confident that your configuration will always be correct. Most companies don’t spend much time thinking about their firewalls until a serious problem arises. If you have noticed things like repeated malware or virus infections, a lack of network performance and employee productivity, or even problems with the configuration of your firewall, it is important to address them right away to protect the integrity of your company’s network.

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5 Ways to Tell if You Should Outsource Your IT Needs to Managed IT Service Providers

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Whether you’re just getting your business off the ground or you’re ready to make the transition to the digital world, there’s a lot that goes into building a network with the right infrastructure and security. In some cases, outsourcing your IT needs is the best course of action. Here are a few signs that you should consider outsourcing to a managed IT service provider. #1 – It Will Propel Your Business Forward It’s the digital age, and if your business is still dealing in pen and paper, it’s time to make the switch. The benefits associated with keeping your data digitally are innumerable, particularly when it comes to things like filing your taxes or even creating a marketing plan. Simply put, making the transition and giving your company an internet presence – and perhaps even utilizing the wonderful realm known as the cloud – will absolutely propel your business forward. In fact, failing to do so may leave you falling behind your competitors. #2 – You Don’t Have a Plan in Place for Disaster Recovery If something were to happen right now and all of your in-house records were suddenly destroyed, do you have a plan in place to keep your business running, or would your data be lost forever? In today’s day and age, this is a critical consideration and one that far too many small businesses have failed to take seriously. If you need help with data redundancy and disaster recovery, outsourcing your IT needs may be one of the best moves you could make. #3 – You’re Struggling to Find Time to Run Your Business Believe it or not, setting up and maintaining a network is a time consuming process and one that many business owners believe they can handle until they find themselves struggling to focus on core business competencies. Your ultimate goal should always be delivering products or services to your customers as efficiently as possible – and marketing your ability to do so, as well. If you find yourself falling behind because you are spending too much time dealing with network issues or maintenance, it’s time to consider outsourcing to a managed IT service provider. #4 – Your IT Needs are Changing When you ran your business by yourself from home, your IT needs weren’t very complicated. However, now that you’re starting to see the potential for growth, you should be considering the best ways to expand your network capabilities, as well. If you know that your IT needs are changing – or even if they will be changing in the future – contact a trusted managed IT service provider to find out how they can help you grow. These services are far more flexible and scalable than you might think, and the best part is that they are more affordable than ever before, too. #5 – Your Email and Antivirus is More than You Can Handle If you and your employees are spending more time sifting through emails and dealing with viruses than actually doing your jobs, this is a real problem. Junk email is a serious issue in business environments and opening the wrong one could have disastrous effects. Though you can absolutely install your own email filters and antivirus programs, it takes time to keep them updated, and it takes even more time to configure them properly. Fortunately, this is yet another area where managed IT service providers excel. They can help you manage your emails and your antivirus in the background so you can focus on your job. If you are struggling to keep up with your company’s IT needs, you are falling behind with your business’s core competencies, or you simply want to make certain that your company’s future is in the hands of capable professionals, outsourcing your IT team may be your best option. You can even customize a service package that perfectly suits your company and grows right alongside it both now and in the future.

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5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your IT Budget

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No matter the size of your company, having an appropriate IT budget is critical to your operations and ultimately your success. This involves first coming up with a budget that works for you and your company’s needs, then following that budget closely while ensuring you do everything you can to squeeze the most out of it. Below are five tips for doing just that. #1 – Get Your Priorities in Order Those new technologies you saw in a magazine or in an ad may look tempting, but it’s important to turn your focus back to the basics and take the time to understand what you really need. Sit down and make a list of your company’s priorities. Determine what you absolutely must have in terms of your infrastructure as opposed to what you would like to have at some point. Be sure to consider things like buying hardware, upgrading things as necessary, and keeping up with maintenance. #2 – Get a Network Assessment If you’ve never had your business network assessed for potential security issues, now is the perfect time to do it – and the sooner, the better. Network assessments are designed in such a way to figure out where your network is strong as well as where it is lacking. This can go a long way toward helping you prioritize what you absolutely have to have to keep your company’s data safe. #3 – Manage Your Resources Appropriately If you will be undertaking an IT project of any kind in order to get your network up to par, see if you can move funds around from one area to pay for a little extra IT help. What’s more, consider outsourcing your IT projects and consulting in order to save even more. Outsourcing may seem a little scary, but when you pick the right local company, it’s just like having your own employee on the payroll. They work with you very closely and truly get to know your business. #4 – Look for the Most Cost-Effective Solutions Don’t look for the cheapest solutions because like anything else, when it comes to IT, you often get exactly what you pay for. Instead, look for cost-effective solutions that provide you with the absolute best value for every dollar you spend. Outsourcing is often cost-effective, as is utilizing VoIP phone service as opposed to traditional landlines or even choosing hardware as a service rather than buying all your own equipment. These things can really give you the best bang for your buck in many situations. #5 – Use Your Money to Make More Money Though it may seem impossible to spend money to make money when it comes to your company’s IT, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. As an example, if you invested in cloud-based software that you really love, consider offering that same solution to your client. Though you may not make a lot of money, it could help you get more for what you’re already spending, and ultimately, this stretches your IT budget even more. Getting the most out of your IT budget doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s all about understanding what your company’s priorities are, then finding ways to get the most value out of the budget that you have. To do this, manage your resources appropriately, schedule a network assessment so you can better understand your network issues, and then find the best and most cost-effective solutions to address those issues.

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What Managed IT Support Really Means

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As a business owner, you’ve probably heard the term “managed IT” more times than you can count, but there’s still a good chance that you don’t know what it really means or even how expert managed IT can help your business succeed. Below, you can learn more about what managed IT really means – and what it could mean for your business, too. The Definition of Managed Services By its very definition, the term “managed services” refers to a business offloading many of its operations to an outside provider. Instead of the business owner constantly monitoring and managing his or her network and the other IT systems driving his or her business, the managed service provider handles it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For small business owners without the ability to hire a dedicated IT team, or for those who have a need to maintain an IT infrastructure but who only have a few employees, managed IT services can be a huge boon. Why Businesses Choose Managed IT Today’s businesses choose managed IT services for a wide variety of reasons, but ultimately, it has to do with a company’s need to have access to the latest technology in order to operate with any degree of efficiency. What’s more, companies that do not have access to the latest technology tend to fall behind their competitors; without modern IT, they simply cannot connect, collect data, and process data in such a way that allows them to maintain relevant in any industry at all. Business owners also find themselves busy – incredibly busy – and unable to keep up with the routine maintenance that goes into IT. They forget to run backups as frequently as they should, and they may forget about downloading the latest security fixes and patches designed to keep their data (and their customers’ data) safe. As a result, these businesses are at risk of losing access to things like financial applications, email servers, and other things that are critical for everyday operations. Managed IT is Not a Break-Fix Service Finally, it is important for all business owners to remember that managed IT is not a classic “break-fix” service. This means that it is not a service you employ when something goes wrong; rather, it is a service you employ to prevent something from going wrong in the first place. In today’s connected world, losing your connection for even a few hours can lead to unrecoverable business issues. Rather than waiting for something to happen, then calling an IT professional to resolve it while your business suffers significant downtime, managed IT support is always there, always watching, and always protecting your data and your network. With managed IT support, business owners can stop worrying about things like backups, security patches, and even the latest antivirus definitions. By offloading these operations to an outside company that specializes in IT infrastructure and security management, business owners can spend less time with these simple but time-consuming tasks and more time running their businesses the way they originally intended.

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VoIP vs. Landline vs. Mobile – Which is Best for Your Business?

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Whether you run a small to medium business or you’ll be getting one off the ground soon, telephone service is a big consideration and something that is best to plan early on. The three options available to you include Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), landline, and mobile, and the information below will help you make the best possible decisions based on your company’s needs and budget. Mobile Phone Service There’s no doubt that mobile phone service is the most broadly utilized service of the three in today’s high-tech day and age. It is estimated that some 66.6% of the global population and 96% of Americans have mobile devices. Despite their popularity, it is important to remember that mobile phones are only best for individuals and many of the benefits that make a cellphone attractive to a single person simply do not apply to small businesses. After all, the last thing you want is a dropped call or poor call quality due to touchy reception. It may not be a big deal when chatting with a friend, but when it’s a client or customer, it means everything. Traditional Landline Phone Service Prior to the incredible penetration of mobile service into the everyday lives of global consumers, landline service was considered the norm. Almost every household in the nation had at least one telephone line and number, and many had more than one to accommodate teens, home-based businesses, and more. Even medium and large businesses utilized numerous lines of traditional phone service in one location to keep their businesses connected with each other and their clients and customers. However, landline service is very expensive for businesses of any size. Each line has its own associated set of costs, and those don’t account for hardware installation, wiring, and more. Now, barely 40% of Americans utilize landlines. Though businesses are moving away from landline service more slowly, the introduction of “softphone” services delivered via VoIP is slowly phasing them out. VoIP Phone Service For many businesses – especially small and medium-sized businesses interested in scalability – there is no better solution than VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. To put it simply, VoIP is voice service that is carried on your data network rather than through copper wires. The result is phone service that is far more affordable and often even easier to use than complicated landline networks. VoIP makes it possible to add lines of service in seconds, activate call forwarding in just a few clicks, and take a telephone number anywhere as long as there is internet connectivity. VoIP continues to grow in popularity and is slated to help phase out landline service in the next few years. There’s little denying that VoIP is the way to go for businesses of all sizes. Though it can help small to medium business save money on things like installation costs up front, even larger businesses can benefit from transitioning their landlines packed with fees and charges to VoIP lines that are scalable, functional, and easy to use. Benefits of VoIP Phone Service Lower Costs – Clients on average see a savings of 60% versus traditional telephone service. Service Mobility – Users can take their phone and plug it in anywhere they have an Internet connection. This is especially helpful with users who work remotely or from home. Excellent Phone Call Quality – Today’s VoIP phone service has surpassed traditional landline in terms of call quality. Easier to Scale – Adding new phones and users or even scaling back can be done quickly and efficiently compared to traditional telephone service. Advanced Features – VoIP today has many advanced features including auto-attendants, call queuing, voicemail transcription, and more. If you are interested in VoIP phone service, contact us today for a free quote and see how we can help your business save money by moving to VoIP!

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Microsoft Office 356 vs. the Free Alternatives: Why Office is Still King

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If you regularly deal with documents, spreadsheets, and even take digital notes, then there’s a very good chance you’ve at least heard of Microsoft Office 365, even if you don’t currently use it. Below, you can learn more about Office 365 vs the traditional product and why it still reigns supreme over the various freeware alternatives like OpenOffice and LibreOffice. What is Microsoft Office 365? Microsoft Office 365 is the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s ever-popular Office suite. The suite itself comes with a host of helpful productivity tools, including Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheets), Outlook (email client), and even OneNote (collaborative note-taking and filing software). With traditional Office products, you can only use them locally. However, with Microsoft Office 365, you can take your suite anywhere as long as you are connected to the internet. Office 365 also offers affordable monthly billing in exchange for free updates to the latest versions of each of its productivity tools. Open-Source Microsoft Office 365 Alternatives Despite Microsoft Office 365’s reputation for being the best productivity suite on the market, there are several competitors out there offering similar products for free. The two most popular are OpenOffice and LibreOffice, which each offer both desktop and mobile versions of their tools. To properly compare the open-source models with Microsoft 365, it’s important to look at a few different categories. User Interface and Ease of Use: Every single open-source productivity tool suite on the market has been modeled after Microsoft Office. This is true of not only LibreOffice and OpenOffice, but also of Google G Suite, which is Google’s own productivity suite that is free for consumers and available at cost to larger businesses. Microsoft Office 365 is the king in terms of usability thanks to unique functions like Smart Lookup and the Recent Documents feature available in Outlook to make sending an email even easier. Functionality on Different Machines: All three suites tend to use about the same amount of resources, which means they will all run similarly on various machines. It should be noted that OpenOffice and LibreOffice often struggle to function properly with the latest Windows 10 updates, but they do eventually catch up. Customer Support: Microsoft’s customer support is incredibly helpful, and in fact, you will probably never even need to take advantage of most of your options. Not only do you get Microsoft official support, but you also get additional help from a bevy of licensed vendors, numerous free self-help books, YouTube videos, and more made exclusively for Microsoft products. Remote Access and Share-ability: Finally, when it comes to collaborating on documents with others, Microsoft Office 365 is the best way to go. It introduced web collaboration in 2010 and has continued to improve it over the last decade, especially with the addition of One Drive (once known as Sky Drive), that allows you to save your files in the cloud. Though freeware can save you a bit of money when it comes to your productivity tools, Microsoft Office 365 remains the best option. It offers better support, it is optimized to run on Windows 10 (like many business computers do), and it comes with collaboration features that simply cannot be duplicated elsewhere. Microsoft Office 365 also pairs nicely with various email security measures and antivirus options, too, making it incredibly user-friendly.

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A Decade from Now: 5 Predictions for the Future of IT

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Information technology has come a long way in the last two or three decades. Whereas servers once took up entire rooms, it is now possible to fit numerous servers in a room the size of a closet – something even experts would have never predicted. Below are five predictions for the future of IT that could affect the way your company does business – or at least affect the hardware and services it uses. #1 – Zero-Size Intelligence Technology is Coming It’s hard to believe, but the first computers took up an entire room and had only a fraction of the processing power of today’s smartphone devices. Today, things are certainly different, and the technologies we use to keep us connected to the world and to our businesses easily fit in our pockets. Within the next 10 years, experts believe that we will be even closer to what is known as zero-size intelligence. This simply refers to having a ton of processing power in a very, very tiny package – perhaps even the head of a pin. #2 – VoIP Will Still Be Relevant Though mobile phones have come a long way in the last several years, they simply cannot compare to the features and benefits associated with VoIP for business. In fact, companies that choose the right VoIP provider can enjoy many of the same calling features that a mobile phone would provide, including the portability. Other reasons why VoIP will remain relevant in the next decade include cheap international communication, enhanced affordability, user-friendly software, and incredible scalability. #3 – Mass Data Could Replace Independent Decision-Making IT, or Information Technology, is all about data management. In the next 10 years, experts think that the tremendous amounts of data being collected, the machines used to process that data, and the algorithms telling those machines what to do could progress to a point where many independent decisions about what to watch, what to wear, and even what to eat become a thing of the past. In fact, the technological advances may even pose moral problems in the future as people must decide how to use the vast amounts of data they collect. #4 – Youth Involvement in Technology will Increase There’s an ongoing joke that the older we get, the less “tech-savvy” we become, but it’s actually the opposite that is true. Younger people who grow up with the latest technologies fare far better in the high-tech world and they can adapt at a much faster rate than the older generations. Because of this, the younger generation is by far the best generation to drive the tech industry forward. They can build upon what they already know and create new technologies designed for convenience, safety, and more. #5 – You Will Need to Protect Yourself from So-Called “Dark” Networks The more data we collect, the smaller the world becomes. The internet allows us to gain access to practically anything we can imagine – a recipe, a chat with a friend on the other side of the planet, and more – instantaneously with a few clicks. Unfortunately, while most people use the internet for good, there are some who use it for more sinister purposes. As technology advances in the next decade, these “dark web” groups and “hacktivists” will thrive, and they will pose new challenges for businesses of all sizes striving to keep their data safe. The next decade will bring about some brand-new challenges for everyone connected to the internet, including both consumers and businesses alike. In some cases, the problems we already see today will be exacerbated. Hopefully, though, with increased knowledge and the ability to predict the actions of others, it will be possible to make the right decisions about information, technology, and the way they work together. IT Support For Your Business Predicting the future of information technology is hard, but Pennyrile Technologies is great at helping small and medium businesses secure and manage their networks. If you have needs for managing your IT infrastructure or looking to cybersecurity, contact us today for a free consultation.

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The Importance of Phishing Email Tests for Employees

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Phishing is a real threat to small and medium businesses, and if employees are not diligent about protecting the information that they can access, even the smallest mistake can cost your company everything. Phishing email tests are a great way to help you better understand your vulnerabilities, and they give you a great talking point during security meetings. Here’s what you should know. What is Phishing? Phishing is an online scam in which a criminal sends out emails pretending to be someone else and get their target to reveal sensitive information such as credit card numbers,banking information, or passwords. One example would be a criminal trying to impersonate someone within your organization like a CEO, CFO, or manager. Another example would be a cyber criminal trying to impersonate a business outside your organization like Google, Netflix, PayPal, and others, in order to get your employee to provide sensitive information. The goal is to get your employees to act out of fear or curiosity and gain access to various types of data. This may include things like a username or password or even bank account information. For businesses, the ultimate goal may be your entire network, which can be devastating. Phishing is also not limited to emails. Cyber criminals may also employee other methods such as text messaging or phone calls. The Effects of Phishing on Businesses Per a 2017 report compiled by PhishMe, the average phishing attack on a mid-sized business cost that business a total of $1.6 million – a sum that can easily cause a company to go under. The same report found that employees are most susceptible to phishing attacks that target them as consumers rather than employees. The good news in the report is that phishing susceptibility rates are on the decline; 14.1% of organizations fell victim to phishing in 2015 compared to just 10.8% in 2017. Nevertheless, it is crucial that small and medium businesses remain vigilant in their security. The effects of phishing on businesses is not limited to monetary losses either. Other examples include loss of intellectual property, damages to a company’s reputation, loss of productivity, and loss of customers to name a few. Common Characteristics of Phishing Emails A Sense of Urgency – A favorite tactic amongst cyber-criminals is to try and get you to act quickly on their request. They create this sense of urgency so you don’t have time to think things through or see how this may be an abnormal request you wouldn’t normally get or respond to. Poor Spelling and Grammar – Another common sign of a phishing email is poor spelling and grammar. Many phishing emails try to impersonate large companies such as Google and Microsoft, but then have their phishing emails littered with common spelling mistakes, unusual phrases, and grammatical errors that could easily have been fixed with auto-correct. Suspicious Attachments – Be wary of attachments in emails you weren’t expecting or don’t make sense to you. They often contain payloads like ransomware or other viruses that will infect your computer and network. Try scanning for viruses before opening or reach out to the sender to verify if possible. Too Good To Be True – Special offers or attention-grabbing statements are designed to attract people’s attention immediately. For instance, many claim that you have won an iPhone, a lottery, or some other lavish prize. Remember that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is! Unusual Senders – If the sender is not recognized as someone you would normally communicate with or you did not initiate the conversation, be wary of clicking on anything or responding to the email. Phishing emails are unsolicited, and a common tactic is to inform the recipient they have won a prize or will benefit from a discount by clicking on a link or opening an attachment. Inconsistencies in Email Addresses, Links & Domain Names – Often cyber-criminals will try to make an email address look very similar to a legitimate address, but upon closer inspection, you will see it may be off by a character or two. An example would be no-reply@yahoo.com (legitimate) versus no-reply@yahoooo.com (not legitimate). Links in emails can be hovered over to see the actual link address. If they don’t match, don’t click! What are Phishing Email Tests? Phishing email tests are mock attacks that helps you better understand everything from your company’s internal email security to your employees’ diligence in reporting phishing scams. It is a controlled environment in which an IT professional determines your employees’ awareness of cybersecurity by determining whether phishing emails can get through email security and, if so, whether your employees will respond to them. This way, you can make the changes you need to make – and properly train your employees – in anticipation of a real cyber-attack. What You Should Do with Your Phishing Email Test Results Ideally, your phishing email test should include everyone in your organization, including those at the highest levels. This way, you can better manage these employees’ awareness of cybersecurity and make the appropriate changes where necessary. Take the results of the test seriously, and use them to determine the best next step for your company, whether that involves implementing managed email security services or providing more training for people who performed poorly during the test by responding to phishing emails. The best way to prevent cyber-attacks like phishing emails is to prepare for them proactively through managed antivirus and anti-spam services that are constantly monitored and updated to prevent even the newest and most dangerous threats. Aside from this, regularly performing phishing email tests in the workplace will help you understand your susceptibility and ultimately create a safer network for your business. Phishing Email Tests Conclusion Every business should incorporate phishing tests as part of their cyber-security plan. Phishing tests help train employees, often the weakest link in any organization’s security, what to look out for and also help identify employees who may need additional training in security. If you’re ready to

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How to Hire IT Professionals for Short-Term or Limited-Time Projects

Information Technology / Pennyrile Technologies

Depending on the nature of your business and the niche it is in, you might find that you need to hire IT professionals on a short-term basis for limited-time projects. It can be difficult to find people who are willing to work as short-term employees, but outsourcing is a great alternative. Below are some tips and tricks for finding the right professional for the job. Examples of Short-Term Projects When your business is very small, it can be difficult to imagine the types of projects that might call for short-term employment of IT professionals. However, there are several. They include: Designing your network and infrastructure from the ground up Office 365 migrations Upgrading servers and workstations Installing, upgrading, or migrating firewalls and other important security measures Workstation or server data recovery following disasters or hardware failures Cabling services and conduit work Wireless network infrastructure Security cameras and monitoring Setting up virtualization or remote access as needed for your employees Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list, but it does represent some of the most common short-term projects that call for access to IT professionals. Outsourcing Short-Term Projects There are several benefits to outsourcing your entire IT department, but in this case, you may only need consulting and project help for a short time. Once again, outsourcing is often the best way to accomplish these goals. To do it, make sure that you look for a local company with years of IT experience and one that has the time and desire to help your business succeed. This way, you can overcome common issues such as language barriers, team management issues, poor quality work, and data security issues just to name a few. Problems with Hiring Internally Depending on the size and type of business you own, it is often best to leave network-related and IT projects to the professionals who best understand them. When it comes to hiring someone to help with one of the short-term projects listed above, you have two options. First, you could go through the process of trying to hire someone internally, which often involves putting ads in newspapers and on websites. Not only does it cost you a great deal of money to place these ads – money small businesses simply don’t have to spend – but it also means you will spend a great deal of time interviewing candidates for a project that you may not fully understand. Hiring staff for an IT project means managing the project remains internal. With expanded project needs, this often means increased management and training costs for the business. Also, an individual hire would not have the combined IT experience of of an outsourced IT department. Individuals also take vacations leaving you understaffed unless you hire multiple support technicians. An outsourced IT department would not have the same issue. Focus on Your Business – Not the Short-Term Project Leaving IT projects to the professionals is beneficial because it allows you to rest your mind at ease. When you choose to outsource your short-term IT projects, and when you pick a local company with a solid reputation for quality, you can continue to focus on more important aspects of your business and leave the upgrades, installations, migrations, and more to the people who have the education and experience to handle them on your behalf. Though outsourcing IT projects was once a terrifying prospect, today’s outsourcing is much different. Look for a local provider that understands your business needs and can provide you with professionals who will get the job done right – and in a timely manner – so you can focus on running your company.

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How to Hire IT Professionals for Short-Term or Limited-Time Projects

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