Keep Those VOIP Phones Off Your Main Network

One of the less common, but well-known, attack vectors for companies are the VOIP phones. Yes, that thing sitting on your employees’ desks can be used to infiltrate your network. If intruders can get past your gateway and firewall (you DO have at least one firewall, right?!) then it is possible to attack any device that is plugged into your network whether it’s via Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi. One of the ways they can hide and record your operations is by breaching and installing their software on your VOIP phones.

Once they have something installed on a phone, they can secure an easy way in and around your network. They can also use these devices as a springboard to attack other workstations, servers, or appliances. Did you know your two-factor authentication you use when connecting to QuickBooks Online is now easily bypassed? As of this year, it’s a pretty common practice amongst digital thieves, but the first thing they need in order to start the silent mayhem is access to the inside of your network. Keep them out by segmenting your phone system away from the rest of your network. Install firewalls between departments, phones, and wireless access points, not just the Internet. Assume any device on your network could be compromised and you’re one step closer to ensuring your business stays alive for the long haul as these new times of dramatically increased small business hacking craziness continues.

Click to Call or Email us today to schedule a meeting to discuss your company’s Cybersecurity needs before it’s too late.

Navigating the Challenges of Remote Work Ethics

Remote collaboration tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have been a lifeline for many businesses during the pandemic. These tools have enabled companies to pivot and continue to compete, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. One of the key benefits of these tools is that they allow remote workers to work while at home, which can be a great advantage in difficult times.

However, the shift to remote work also brought new challenges, one of which is work ethics. When employees are left to their own devices, it can quickly become apparent who is dependable enough to work at home and who probably needs to be let go. However, it’s not quite so black and white. There’s a grey area of remote workers who are capable of performing well at home, but might be stifled by distraction, burnout, or isolation. To mitigate this, businesses owners and managers can use efficient communication, work-life balance, and team building strategies. Tools like Monday.com and Microsoft Teams can help facilitate collaboration and clear up communication noise, while encouraging employees to take breaks and fostering a sense of connection can help prevent burnout and isolation. Additionally, setting clear expectations and providing regular feedback can help ensure that remote workers stay on track and remain productive.

Culture is everything at a company. It doesn’t matter if you have every other aspect figured out. If the people who work for you aren’t happy or are burnt out, their productivity will plummet. If you need some help getting remote workers set up and on track, click to Call or Email us today to schedule a meeting to discuss your situation.

Who Knows More About Your Business?

Don’t have an IT department or provider? Not sure where to begin when auditing your business workflow process? How do you identify productivity issues with technology? Ask your staff.

Your staff has to work with the technology decisions you put into place. With an honest, open environment of communication, you’ll get the best input from the people who work hard every day to put the money in your company’s pocket. Some of the common questions you might ask are:

1. Is there anything that’s taking a long time to enter into the system?

2. Are there multiple steps or apps needed just to do one job?

3. Do the computers work reliably?

4. Are there seemingly unnecessarily repetitive tasks occurring every day?

You know, one of the things we do is grill everyone in the company for their opinions on how things are done and how they might be done better. While not every idea is practical, the input from the people in the trenches is priceless. This kind of information is something we use to start side research projects to look for ways of automating mundane tasks and streamlining workflow performance.

Click to Call or Email us today to schedule a meeting to discuss your current and future technology needs.

Have You Secured Your Printers?

One of the lesser-known attack vectors in a small or medium-sized company are the printers. While less common, they’re still important enough to stay on top of when it comes to cybersecurity. Why? Simple!

A modern printer, from the large copiers to the smaller office units, are complex enough to be considered a standalone computer in their own right. They have firmware, an operating system, extra memory, networking capability, wireless radios… and if you’re printing confidential information, they have an interceptable electronic copy of everything as you print it.

Just like any other electronic device, there could exist a number of known exploits that hackers can use to “jump into” the device and set up shop. Besides being able to get copies of everything your company prints, many of the newer printers are sophisticated enough that their OS can be modified and allow an intruder to launch new attacks over your network from the printer, itself. Attacks that can be tooled for breaking into your Windows workstations or servers. And we all know where that will eventually lead to!

So what do you do? Well, one of the simplest things that can be done is to check in with the printer manufacturer’s support website periodically. When they become aware of new exploits, many of these companies will release patched firmware for the printers. Download and install the latest firmware and drivers to help keep your printers secure.

There’s a number of other applicable security facets that are beyond the scope of this blog, but if you’re needing additional help getting your business secured against peripheral intrusion, click to Call or Email us today to schedule a meeting.

Do You Have a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Admittedly, we harp on Cybersecurity a lot. So, here’s a change of subject:

What about the other potential dangers to your business?

If you’re running your business in the cloud (Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, QuickBooks Online, etc) and files or records just disappear one day, what’s the impact? Yes, sometimes the cloud has a hiccup and permanently loses stuff. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

What would happen if one of your employees went rogue and altered accounting software entries, deleted documents and research, or emails? One of the easiest ways to cause a major problem is to delete or alter older, seldom needed data before they leave your organization. If it’s in the cloud and it goes unnoticed for a few months, then it’s probably gone for good.

Do you store your important files and projects on computers at your office? Maybe on individual workstations or laptops? What would happen if the device had a hard drive failure or was stolen? There’s been many a horror story from engineering firms that have had to start over on projects because of data loss. Sometimes there’s not enough time to start over and the contract is lost.

We live on the Gulf Coast. Hurricanes, tornados, floods, and fires are all on the table. If your office is destroyed, how long would it take you to get another one going? What would be lost?

All of these scenarios are taken into account when building a Disaster Recovery plan. The goal of any such playbook should be to get the business back on its feet as soon as hours or as late as a few days. All without loss of data or progress. This might mean having another network complete with ready-to-go computers on standby in another location or it might mean having a failover business model that allows everyone to Work From Home and temporarily forward office phone numbers and extensions over to personal cellphones.

Click to Call or Email us today to schedule a meeting to discuss your company’s Disaster Recovery needs.