Information Technology Resources for SMBs
Our blog articles archive includes it security tips, cybersecurity alerts, state of IT reports, and tips on information technology for small and medium size businesses.
Phishing Scam: Student Loan Forgiveness
I received a call the other day from an unknown number on my cell phone. I did not pick it up, as I tend to do with unknown callers, and let it go to voicemail. After hearing the voicemail left, I was slightly amused. A very nice, young, American-sounding female was letting me know that I was qualified for the student loan forgiveness program and that I needed to act now as it would expire
A Closer Look at Managed IT Services Pricing
Businesses often research managed IT services pricing when ready to make the leap to an MSP. Unfortunately, what many don’t realize is that there are a number of factors that influence overall service pricing. And without a managed IT services calculator, it can be quite challenging to accurately estimate managed IT costs with all the variables involved. Given those reasons, this blog will tackle the following: Managed IT Pricing Models Factors that Influence Managed IT
HIPAA-required risk analysis demands repetition
Various healthcare industry studies have shown that an alarming number of medical practices are not prepared to be HIPAA compliant. For example, certain surveys indicated roughly 1/3 of respondents had not conducted a HIPAA-required risk analysis. HIPAA ruling 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A) requires a medical practice (covered entity) to periodically perform a thorough risk analysis. Meanwhile, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights is required to perform periodic HIPAA compliance audits. More importantly,
How to Choose a Managed Services Provider
As technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous, organizations have found themselves investing more into its implementation and maintenance. The result is climbing productivity and improved operational efficiency. And yet, as every business owner knows, it’s a process that quickly becomes as time-consuming as it is expensive. That’s why many companies have turned to managed services providers (MSP) for help. Outsourcing your company’s tech needs to a competent third-party offers many benefits, from reduced costs to improved IT
What is MFA? Best Methods for Multi-Factor Authentication
With cybersecurity on the rise, Multi-factor Authentication is a go-to for an additional security measure for your devices and data points. Question: What is Multi-factor Authentication … and Which Method is Best? Answer: Multi-factor authentication is a method of securing data and applications after a user presents two or more credentials to verify the user’s identity for login. It provides an additional layer of security beyond login credentials. MFA is designed to protect against social
The 5 Benefits of Cyber Awareness Training for Your Business
Maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture is more important than ever. With so many businesses investing in digital transformation technologies, the ramifications of a cyber attack would be devastating. Combine this with the fact that many organizations have standardized the work-from-home model and you’ve got a recipe for serious disruption. But it’s not all doom and gloom. While hackers are eager to exploit the new vulnerabilities entailed by a fully digitized future, there are preventative measures
The Complete Guide to Managed IT Services Benefits
Gone are the simple days of break-fix IT support. As companies increase their dependence on information technology, they must also increase their spending on the scope and scale of IT support. However, as many companies know firsthand, maintaining an in-house IT team large enough to meet these growing demands can quickly become unsustainable. So the question remains: how can organizations keep up with the pace of technological innovation without breaking the bank? If you’ve ever
Can Outlook E-Mail Disclaimer Protect You From Legal Liability?
It is safe to estimate that less than 10% of email recipients with disclaimers ever read them. Do you? To protect the sender and bind the recipient to the email disclaimer, email disclaimers rely on contract law. Ryan Calo, at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School, says, quote: “In most circumstances, they (email disclaimers) would not be legally binding. What the (email) disclaimers are trying to do is establish an agreement
Common Goals and Objectives of an Information Security Risk Assessment
The Internet of Things (IoT) devices are outnumbering the population of our planet. It is estimated that the planet has over 20 billion devices. The cybercrime results in business-related economic losses in the astounding amount of approximately $8 trillion – EIGHT TRILLION! Beyond its financial cost, the cybercrime disrupts critical and strategic infrastructure of the affected organizations. When an organization with a complex system does not properly assess or mitigate risk, it is important to
NJIT Master of Science in Computer Science Online
A research university New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, offers the Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) – Online. The program was first announced and launched in 2013 and is going strong today. A faculty of academics, researchers, and industry professionals well accomplished in their related fields are leading the studies in the fields of Bioinformatics, Software Engineering, Data Mining, Database, Image Processing, Pattern
Watch out for Follina – a new zero-day Microsoft Office Suite vulnerability
A new vulnerability has been discovered for the Microsoft Office Suite named “Follina”. It is triggered by opening malicious MS Office documents. Follina is a zero-day discovery. It does not appear that there are any exploits just yet, but due to the nature of this exploit, attackers will start to utilize it. “Zero-day” is a recently discovered security vulnerability that hackers can use to attack systems. “Zero-day” refers to the fact that the vendor
Beware of Spoofing during Memorial Day Weekend
As we go into the long Memorial Day weekend, many users will be checking their phones for new emails, or taking advantage of holiday shopping deals and making online purchases. Cybercriminals are aware of this and will use tactics to try and get you to open a malicious email. While you may think you are receiving an email from a known contact or trusted organization, this email could be from a cybercriminal. Spoofing is a tactic
Does My Small Business Need to Use Encryption?
Have you been bewildered by cybersecurity standards that tell you to encrypt this and encrypt that? Encryption can sound like it’s just for some government agency or a larger company that works with highly sensitive information. Wikipedia defines IT relation encryption as a scheme that usually uses a pseudo-random encryption key generated by an algorithm. It is possible to decrypt the message without possessing the key but, for a well-designed encryption scheme, considerable computational resources and skills are required. An
How to Combat Social Media Attacks on your Small Business
You may know email Phishing, the fraudulent practice of messages appearing to be from reputable companies. They induce individuals to click on links or respond in other ways, where victims may reveal personal and sensitive information. Phishing is the number one method of cybercrime. It can result in various forms of damage, from ransomware to theft of personal details or data such as credit card information, or getting your username and password credentials that can
Is having a Cyber Liability Insurance enough for SMBs?
It’s okay to pay that ransomware attacker because you’ve got insurance, right? Actually, this may not be the case. Guess who is getting upset at all those policyholders giving in and paying the ransom to attackers? The insurance companies have to pay for it. They’ve had enough and are making some major changes to their policies. And these changes definitely aren’t going to be in your favor. Some of the updates that insurance carriers have
Cyberthreats in New Jersey – from Russia, Ukraine, and Cuba
This week, the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) released its Garden State Cyber Threat Highlights, providing insights into the threats and malicious activity directly targeting New Jersey networks. These threat warnings included ones related to Russia/Ukraine and Cuba. The NJCCIC is the State of New Jersey’s center for cybersecurity information sharing, threat intelligence, and incident reporting. Russia/Ukraine Cyber Threat Update The cyber threat level in New Jersey is currently set to ELEVATED,
Press Release: powersolution.com Appoints David Ruchman as New CEO
April 20, 2022 Midland Park, New Jersey: powersolution.com, a leading New Jersey-based IT Managed Services Provider, has appointed David Ruchman CEO of the company, effective April 15, 2022. David Ruchman is succeeding David Dadian, who served as CEO since his founding of the company in 1996. “I am excited for the changing of the guard,” said David Dadian. “This is a natural transition that has been in our plans over the last several years. David
Beware of 2022 Alarming Phishing Attack Trends
Phishing takes advantage of human error, and some phishing emails use sophisticated human engineering tactics to fool the recipient into sharing private information or infecting a network with malware. One phishing email can be responsible for a company becoming a victim of ransom demands in exchange for data or access to your business network. It can also lead a user to unknowingly hand over the credentials to a company email account that the hacker then
5 Things Employees Should Never Do, But…
Whether your team works remotely or in an office, the line between personal and work tasks can become blurred when working on a business computer. If they are in front of a monitor screen for most of the workday, it’s not unusual for them to push boundaries when using the company’s computer. Chances are, most of your employees conduct personal tasks on a work computer. Perhaps they are checking personal email while on a lunch
Critical SonicWall Firewall Issues Added to Dell’s Vulnerability List
Dell Technologies published new Critical Security Advisories to its SonicWall Vulnerability List, adding two critical issues impacting the Spring Framework of the SonicWall firewall. There is no workaround available at this time. Since the Dell SonicWall firewall is widely deployed, particularly with SMBs, powersolution is reiterating this vulnerability. Organizations who have or plan to deploy this firewall should be aware of its vulnerability and follow the SonicWall advisory preventative measures. What you need to know
Why You Need to Backup and Protect Your Data on Hosted Cloud Services
It is easy to fall into the idea that Hosted Cloud Services, also known as “SaaS” applications, are a “Set it and forget it” model. Even when you believe security is the responsibility of the companies offering hosted solutions, you still need to backup and protect the data you trust to Hosted Cloud Services When turning to SaaA, ensure backup and protection solutions to mitigate risks associated with the off-the-shelf hosted software services. This applies
How New Jersey Small Businesses Can Protect Against Russia/Ukraine and other Cyber Threats
Last week, the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) released an advisory stating that it did not see any specific or imminent cyber threat to New Jersey related to the Russia/Ukraine crisis. However, it went on to say that it is likely that Russia’s aggressive cyber activity will increase and spread. Therefore, it stated that New Jersey organizations should ensure that cybersecurity controls and plans are fully implemented. The NJCCIC collaborates with public
What is this the next-generation solution for a secure network infrastructure?
Every business owner must be worrying about how to ensure your SMB network infrastructure is secure, fast, and accessible for every employee. One of the lessons COVID pandemic economy and 2021 has taught us is that SMBs need to be prepared for anything and everything that might be thrown at us. Building an infrastructure for your staff and operations that is flexible enough to quickly adjust, adapt and maintain your operations, while secure enough to
How To Choose a VPN To Improve Protection Against Cyberattacks
Public networks expose your business to security threats. Switching to a virtual private network (VPN) can greatly help in reducing those threats. Many companies rely on public networks for communication and data sharing. It allows them to cut costs and allocate their funds elsewhere. However, reliance on public networks also raises several security issues. For starters, the network provider might be monitoring the activity, which gives them access to customer details, emails, and critical
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