November 11th is Veterans Day…
A day where we stand united to honor those who are currently serving and those who have served – those who sacrificed for the common good of our country.
And for all they’ve done, we say thank you.
Thank you to those who have and those who continue to place themselves in harrowing situations in the name of protecting our freedom.
However you’re planning on spending the day, remember to take a moment to think about these exceptional men and women.
Is your cloud storage service 100% secure? Here are some points that can help you keep your valuable business data safe from breaches now and in the future.
There are many good reasons for a business to use the cloud to store business documents. Cloud usage saves a company money, boosts productivity, and enables employees to communicate with each other with ease. Furthermore, the fact that it’s scalable allows a business to adjust the amount of cloud storage space used at any given time.
Even so, it’s imperative to ensure that all business data stored on the cloud is 100% secure at all times. Following is an overview of what effective cloud security looks like for your consideration.
Numerous businesses run one or more apps on the cloud. Common options include Microsoft 365, Salesforce.com, Google G Suite, Dropbox and GitHub. Make sure these are secure by patching security flaws as soon as they are discovered.
Pay Attention to Encryption
Good cloud storage servers will secure your data on the cloud. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean your data is secure as it travels to and from the cloud. An employee who uses an unsecured network may be exposing valuable data to breaches as he or she sends files to and from your company cloud. You can avoid this problem by having a reputable IT managed service set up a secure network and provide employee security training.
Limit Data Availability
How many employees have access to sensitive business data? Do all these employees need access to the data in question? These are important questions a business owner should ask on a regular basis. Most data breaches are caused by human error. Regular cybersecurity training sessions for employees can reduce the odds of a data breach but it’s also wise to ensure that valuable business data can only be accessed by those who absolutely need access to it.
Have a Security Plan
Every business should have a plan in the event cloud storage data and/or apps are found to be vulnerable to hacks or actually breached. Such a plan should include:
The above-mentioned tips should not scare you out of using the cloud for your business. Research has shown that cloud storage is more secure than a physical data center; what is more, it is also incredibly cost-efficient and can boost a company’s profits and effectivity. At the same time, it’s important to remember that cloud storage is not 100% impervious to breaches and hacks. You need to take measures to keep your cloud-based documents and apps safe at all times and one of the best ways to do this is to partner with a reputable IT managed service in the Denver area.
Elevate specializes in offering cloud security solutions for Denver organizations, providing a wide range of tools to help you keep your IT system secure and running at an optimal speed at all times. Get in touch with us to learn more about our services or to make an appointment with one of our IT experts.
Do you know where hackers are most likely to gain access to your private data? Discover the favorite entry points and how you can stop them.
It seems like every week that there are reports of another massive data breach hitting the news. The number of users affected is almost unimaginable. Cybercriminals accessed 983 million records at Verifications.Io and 885 million records at First American Financial Corp., alone. Its scary stuff, but what’s even more terrifying is the majority of compromised companies never show up in the papers.
During the first half of 2019, there an average of 30 data breaches per day. So, how are hackers stealing so many records so quickly? They have their ways.
1. Old Websites. The internet is a graveyard of abandoned and unprotected half-built sites which are the favorite hunting grounds for hackers who are on the lookout for easy and virtually risk-free hacking opportunities. Although it is true that most of these sites contain nothing more than a few email addresses and dummy accounts, every so often, a cybercriminal can strike goldmine. On occasion, legacy and demo sites for large businesses are still connected to the company’s servers and provide a nice backdoor to confidential data.
You can protect your business by completely removing old sites from online and limiting which sites have access to your servers.
2. Free Code. Many sites offer free code snippets that you can use for free on your website. All you have to do is download it and you can save hours of time and thousands of dollars. Good deal, right? Well, have you ever heard the Japanese saying, “There is nothing more expensive than something free?” When it comes to the code for your website, it is a motto you should take to heart. Using someone else’s free code for your company’s website could be the most expensive mistake you ever made. While clean, secure codes for free does exist online, the majority of what you will find is usually poorly written, and as solid as a sieve.
Stop hackers from using embedded backdoors in public code by not using it for mission-critical websites.
3. Unsecured Cloud Storage. Everyone is talking about the benefits of cloud computing and cloud storage, and it seems like businesses can’t wait to make the jump to working on the cloud. But before trusting your company’s confidential data to any third-party cloud storage solution, you better make sure the vendor has tight security. Many big-name companies like Facebook and Microsoft forgot to ensure their third-party vendors had the proper security, and the results were embarrassing and costly data breaches.
Carefully choose who you use for outsourcing and take an active role in protecting your data, even if it is hosted on a third-party’s server.
4. Unprotected APIs. Does your business use custom apps that utilize APIs? If the answer is yes, you may be exposing your confidential data to hackers without knowing it. While in-house app developers spend a great amount of time safeguarding your app itself, from exploits, the APIs you are using from an outside developer to power your app may be a gaping hole in your defense.
Review the end-user agreements for the APIs you use and conduct penetration tests to check for vulnerabilities.
In the end, protecting your data and the confidential information of your customers falls on your shoulders. No one can be perfect when it comes to online security, but every single business can do better.
No matter how secure you may be right now, you could always be doing more. Have you double-checked your cybersecurity lately? Review the best practices below to strengthen your small business cybersecurity.
When everything is going well, the last thing you want to do is think about what will happen when something goes wrong. It’s not necessary to dwell on the potential for a security disaster though – you know that it’s a possibility, so let’s just leave it at that. What’s important about this is that you know to cover your bases.
No need to assume the worst – just plan for it, so you know you’re protected. As that old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
Do what you need to do to “prevent” now, so you don’t have to pay for the “cure” later.
Your firewall is your first line of defense for keeping your information safe.
A firewall is a particular type of solution that maintains the security of your network. It blocks unauthorized users from gaining access to your data. Firewalls are deployed via hardware, software, or a combination of the two.
A firewall inspects and filters incoming and outgoing data in the following ways:
Your staff can have a significant effect on your cybersecurity – either they know enough to keep your assets secure, or they don’t, and therefore present a serious threat to your security.
So, which is it? Do your employees and volunteers have the knowledge they need to spot cybercrime scams, avoid common pitfalls and keep your data secure?
If you’re not sure, then they may need training. Security awareness training helps your employees and volunteers know how to recognize and avoid being victimized by phishing emails and scam websites.
They learn how to handle security incidents when they occur. If your employees and volunteers are informed about what to watch for, how to block attempts and where they can turn for help, this alone is worth the investment.
How Do I Train My Employees For Cyber Security?
A comprehensive cybersecurity training program will teach your staff how to handle a range of potential situations:
Passwords remain a go-to tool for protecting your data, applications, and workstations.
They also remain a common cybersecurity weakness because of the careless way employees go about trying to remember their login information. Weak passwords are easy to compromise, and if that’s all that stands between your data in the cloud and in applications, you could be at serious risk for a catastrophic breach.
That’s why protecting your login processes with an additional layer of security – multi-factor authentication – is recommended. Multi-factor authentication requires the user to utilize two methods to confirm that they are the rightful account owner. It is an available security feature in many popular applications and software suites.
There are three categories of information that can be used in this process:
Implement Mobile Device Management and Bring Your Own Device policies that allow employees to use their own devices in combination with the business’ without compromising your security:
And don’t limit yourself to desktops, laptops, and phones – there’s more out there for you to take advantage of. Have you considered what the Internet of Things and wearable devices can do for workplace efficiency? Now’s the time to get on board – up to 20.4 billion IoT devices will be online by 2020.
This is one of the more basic steps on the list, but no less important. It can’t really be automated or outsourced to any technological aids; it’s just about doing the work. You need to have a carefully implemented process to track the lifecycle of accounts on your network.
Wi-Fi is a necessary part of doing business. Your staff cannot go without it, so it becomes your responsibility to make sure it’s secured, simple as that.
Your cybersecurity measures won’t amount to much if your laptops, tablets, smartphones and other devices are left out in the open for anyone to take.
It’s one thing for a cybercriminal to hack into your system remotely. It can be significantly easier if they’re doing so directly on a business device.
If you accept payment through credit and debit cards, make sure to follow established security policies and practices to mitigate any potential risks.
How has technology transformed your industry? Explore 5 important ways technology has recently changed how we do business, delight customers and grow businesses
It doesn’t matter which industry we’re in. Technology is a must. It makes things faster, safer and better when used right. It can propel our businesses and leave competitors in the dust. But many businesses are simply unaware of what’s out there and just how accessible it is to any size business. Here are five incredible types of technology that are completely reshaping how we do business.
As business leaders, we’ve always made decisions based upon the available data. But more recent advancements in data collection and analysis have made it easier and more cost-effective to gather data and put it to work. We can make smarter decisions about the direction of our companies where we once had to rely solely on gut instinct.
We can enhance customer experiences to not only increase sales but to raise that net promoter score, building trust, loyalty and powerful word-of-mouth.
87% of purchases now begin online. This doesn’t mean they buy online, just that they found the product or service online.
Digital marketing technology is a business technology that has transformed how we connect with customers. We can now more precisely target audiences to enhance the relevance of our ads to specific customer bases.
Thanks to the pay-per-click model, we don’t pay for advertising that doesn’t work. And thanks to optimization tools we continually improve strategies to find what does work.
Digital marketing allows us to reach customers where they find new products and services through:
From healthcare to aviation to manufacturing, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are helping schools and businesses train employees in very lifelike situations. Employers can help employees become more comfortable in likely scenarios by allowing them to experience it in an artificial environment first. They can learn how candidates may perform at their jobs before sending that job offer to get the best people into important roles.
From more effective ways to keep business and customer data safe to data backup to re-routing of important functions to remote locations, advancements in technology are making it easier for businesses to both avoid disasters (physical and virtual) and keep moving when disaster strikes.
Developing a strategy, deploying tools effectively and putting a plan into action, of course, take know-how, but those involved in business continuity planning now have a wider range of tools for the business continuity tool belt.
It’s not news to anyone that technology gets cheaper the longer it’s in use. And by now many amazing technologies have been around long enough that they’re getting very affordable, even for small business. Yet, many businesses still aren’t taking advantage of them because they don’t know what’s out there.
That’s why it’s important to work with technology experts who can introduce you to technology you’ll find useful to cut costs, enhance productivity, delight customers and more. To learn more about how technology is disrupting every industry, follow our blog.
Did you know that the global cybercrime industry will cause up to $6 trillion in damages in just a few years.
That may seem like an impossibly big number, but it makes sense when you consider how often cybercrime attacks occur, and how much damage they cause…
In August, Google published research showing that an iPhone-based cyber-attack has been going on for the past two years at least. The largest iPhone attack in history, this long-term cybercrime effort has been infecting iOS users with malware that steals their private data, including:
In May, the city of Baltimore was hit with ransomware that made their server’s inaccessible. They refused to pay the ransom, which kept their systems offline for weeks – in the meantime, they attempted to “rebuild certain systems”, according to Mayor Jack Young.
Baltimore joins the growing number of municipalities hit by ransomware this year – all of which, after the attack, invest considerable resources in investigating the source of the incident.
22 different organizations in Texas, many of which are local government agencies, were just infected with ransomware in August as well.
One of the best ways to protect against cybercrime threats is to make your staff an effective part of your defense. Train your staff to ask themselves these key questions before opening an email:
When you’re not sure if you have the skills or knowledge to get the job done, what can you do? Consult with cybersecurity professionals, like those at Elevate Services Group, who will:
In honor of Cyber Security Awareness Month, Elevate Services Group is offering a free cybersecurity consultation – contact kyle@elevateservicesgroup.com to claim yours.
Like this article? Check out the following blogs to learn more:
The New Ways Cybercriminals Pose a Threat to Organizations
Are You Keeping Up With FINRA’s Cybersecurity Best Practices?
Financial fraud and access to confidential business data rank among scammers’ reasons for setting up fake profiles in Facebook identity theft schemes.
Right now, hundreds of people could be viewing your photos on Facebook — on an account that doesn’t belong to you. In recent years, Facebook identity theft has become a significant problem, leaving victims struggling to reclaim their rightful identities on the social media platform. What do you need to know, and how can you protect yourself?
Imagine receiving a sudden flurry of messages from friends and family members alerting you that someone is posing as you. After the initial shock, you might wonder why an individual would go to the trouble of setting up a fake profile that uses your name and other identifying details.
As banks and other financial institutions have become better at spotting fake identities, scammers have turned to using the identities of real people for a variety of purposes, including opening lines of credit and draining bank accounts. Setting up a Facebook profile can be one step in establishing ownership of an identity — especially if the scammer can manage to get the real identity owner locked out of their account in the process.
In addition to financial fraud, prospective scammers often have another goal in mind when they target specific individuals: access. Facebook identity thieves may target people in certain jobs — including CEOs, IT directors and human resources managers — because of their valuable access to data, people and financial resources.
By posing as a key executive in an organization, an identity thief may hit the jackpot by gaining access to computer systems that hold confidential customer data, employee Social Security and bank account numbers, or proprietary information. Scammers may set up a fake profile in your name as part of a social-engineering scheme designed to persuade your Facebook contacts to turn over information or access.
To help lock down your Facebook account and prevent identity theft, consider adjusting your privacy settings to control who can view your photos and posts. Allowing everyone — or even friends of your friends — to see your information can make you vulnerable to identity theft.
Avoid accepting friend requests from unfamiliar people, and use caution when posting photos; think twice before posting images that include your driver’s license or other documents with identifying information. In addition, consider setting your profile to unsearchable.
What if someone has stolen your identity on Facebook? If you receive a friend request from someone who already is on your friends list, you may be the victim of identity theft. You should take immediate action by reporting the suspect profile if you discover that someone is using your name, photo or other identifying details. In the event that an impostor reports your account as fraudulent and has you blocked, you may need to ask a friend to report the incident for you.
Happy Halloween!
What better time than now to tell some scary stories?
Ok, so they’re not “scary stories” per se, but facts that will alarm AND spook you.
Take action to protect against cybercrime. Hit the reply button to schedule your free cybersecurity consultation with us.
In the meantime, have fun this year, whether you’re taking the kids out trick-or-treating or heading to a few parties.
Have a great day!
Discover how Denver accounting firms can save money, boost profits and increase efficiency by partnering with an IT service that offers top-tier cloud storage.
More than three-fourths of all companies have one or more applications in the cloud. However, there is evidence that accounting firms that exclusively use the cloud garner significantly more clients than their competitors. The following are some reasons why putting as much of your business as possible on secure cloud services will enable your business to save time and money while boosting profits.
Recent stats show that physical data centers have 51% more problems than cloud storage servers. Additionally, cloud storage providers offer security benefits that physical data centers don’t provide. These include automatic updates and an email monitoring system to detect phishing attacks. Given the fact that the average cost of a cyberattack is now a whopping $200,000, moving to the cloud is perhaps one of the best ways a business can save its hard-earned profits.
Accounting IT services in Denver that offer cloud storage make it easy for companies to increase or decrease storage space as and when needed. Instead of being held back by downtime during a busy shopping season, companies simply have to increase cloud storage use to keep up with demand. At the same time, companies can scale back the amount of cloud storage space used during slow seasons.
Cloud storage providers upgrade their equipment periodically to continually offer the best possible services to clients. Small businesses, on the other hand, often find it difficult to regularly update old IT hardware and software. Those that do manage to regularly invest in IT solutions often find that these solutions come at the expense of cutting funding for marketing, new product development, and other important expenses.
Given the fact that cloud storage has so much to offer, it’s not surprising that it’s fast becoming a popular option for companies from a wide range of industries. Even so, it’s important to note that some accounting IT services in Denver offer better cloud storage solutions than others. Getting expert advice before moving over to the cloud can enable a company to select the storage solution that best suits its needs and budget.
Elevate specializes in providing reliable, scalable and secure cloud services to Denver accounting companies. We use a strategic discovery system to carefully analyze your IT performance and offer customized solutions that will provide your company with a fully optimized, secure, and powerful cloud storage set-up to meet your needs now and in the future. Get in touch to find out more or to make an appointment with one of our certified, experienced IT technicians.
