Windows 11 is here! Now what?

Posted by Tom on October 7, 2021 at 10:55 AM

On October 5th, this newest version will begin coming pre-loaded on new PCs and, much like Windows 10 was for Windows 7 and 8 PCs, it will be available as a free upgrade for Windows 10 PCs. You may not see this update on your PC immediately, since Microsoft usually chooses chunks of devices to roll these major feature and version updates out to in phases. It’s also possible that your IT department or provider may have blocked the update from applying—just to avoid any unexpected incompatibilities from an unforeseen auto-update!

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Topics: Information Technology, Network Security, Technology Services, Windows 11

How Good is Your Backup (Actually)?

Posted by Tom on October 12, 2020 at 1:31 PM

Strong and resilient backups are the most important piece of protecting your business. Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving arms race. Antivirus, spam filtering, and firewall vendors are all constantly plugging holes and vulnerabilities only for malicious actors to abandon their old tricks and find new ones. No matter how elaborate your security mechanisms are, they will never truly be 100% effective forever; there will always be some small risk. Whether that’s a brand-new exploit or users being tricked, malware and scammers will always try to find a way in. Those protective measures also won’t do much good against natural disasters or hardware failure, either.

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Topics: Information Technology, CryptoLocker, Network Security, Technology Services, Backups

Bennett/Porter IT and Hosted Services Free June Webinar Series

Posted by Dionne on May 19, 2020 at 3:47 PM

Join us for our Bennett/Porter IT and Hosted Services free webinar series! We’ll focus on services and features that will enhance your work productivity, prepare you for the unexpected, and ensure your data is protected. With many employees working remote, businesses have had to change the way important company data is managed. This series will cover common scenarios and what you can do to ensure every base is covered.

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Topics: Information Technology, Network Security, Webinars, Technology Services

Meltdown and Spectre, One Week Later

Posted by Technology Watchdogs on January 17, 2018 at 1:32 PM

It's been just over one week since Microsoft, Apple, and numerous software vendors released updates to patch their operating systems and applications with the goal of mitigating the impacts of Meltdown and Spectre. As those efforts were getting underway, we reported on what these threats are, things you might need to know, and what Bennett/Porter was focusing on to keep our data center secure. So where are we now? Here's a rundown.

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Topics: Information Technology, Network Security, News Alert

Important Information about Meltdown and Spectre

Posted by Technology Watchdogs on January 8, 2018 at 3:22 PM

Today we notified our customers about important security updates available for computers and servers using Intel processors; as well as for the VIPRE antivirus program. As you may be aware, the recently announced security vulnerabilities, known as Meltdown and Spectre, can be found in virtually all modern CPUs, and they represent possible information leakage based on unauthorized access to shared memory space. For those who haven't heard about this new type of network security threat, we thought it would be helpful to get the word out more broadly via this brief post so that people have at least the basic information about Meltdown and Spectre.

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Topics: Information Technology, Network Security, News Alert

Data Backups and Off-Site Replication: IT Insurance for Your Business

Posted by Ryan Wroblewski on May 15, 2017 at 10:19 AM

No one likes talking about backups. No one is going to bring up the topic of “off-site replication” at the next bonfire. Small businesses often don’t see the need to spend money to ensure that their vital data is backed up. After all, you just bought new hardware last year. Why would it fail? Sending data off-site? Why would I pay for that when it is perfectly secure here? 

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Topics: Information Technology, Network Security, Business Technology

Three Simple Network Security Steps Hackers Hope You Ignore - INFOGRAPHIC

Posted by Tom on April 24, 2017 at 2:56 PM
Anti-virus, spam filtering, and a firewall are critical components to keeping your network safe, but businesses cannot rely on technology alone. Hackers adapt faster than the best pieces of equipment, and software can't always keep up, so you have to know what to look for. Training your team on three common methods of attack a hacker will use can help minimize threats to your company. 
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Topics: Network Security

How to create a great password

Posted by Brian on March 28, 2017 at 11:16 AM

New web leaks are being reported regularly. In the last month Google uncovered what is likely the most troubling leak in 2017. So far. And we're just past halfway through March. The CloudBleed bug may have exposed passwords and other sensitive data from a multitude of sites, including major services like FitBit, Uber, and 1Password. We recommend clients change their passwords at least every six months, and immediately after discovering any vulnerabilities to your accounts.

When changing their passwords, clients often ask what the requirements are. I respond with the common minimum requirements: it must include at least two numbers, two upper case characters, and it must be a minimum of 12 characters long. Unfortunately, that question often indicates an intention to meet the minimum and no more. Although meeting those basic requirements is a good practice, the best practice is having a unique password that exceeds the minimum, that is also personal enough to remember, and that only you will know.

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Topics: Information Technology, Network Security

Network Security and Avoiding a Wrong Turn on the Web

Posted by Tom on October 20, 2016 at 1:18 PM

If you ever watched The Road Runner cartoons, you probably witnessed that zippy bird outwit Wile E. Coyote on more than one occasion by turning a directional signpost 180 degrees and sending his antagonist careening off a cliff. While they don't make the same "Beep-Beep" sound, the Internet is full of clever people and entities engaged in similar efforts at misdirection. The difference is that, rather than driving your body off a cliff, they are looking to drive your money in their direction. There are lots of ways to take a wrong turn as you browse through web pages. Here are some indicators to keep you on the right path.

Occasionally, a client will call in about one of our firewalls blocking access to a common every day site, like FedEx or Amazon due to being a “known malware” or “adware” site. In most cases, what we find when we connect to the client's computer is that, while the person thinks s/he is clicking to go to FedEx.com's package tracking page, assuming that FedEx's site would be the top search result, s/he's actually clicking on one of the "Ad" links Google places at the top of their results. These Ad sites are paid for and may very well be sites with malware buried in them, so our Meraki firewalls block the resulting pages.

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Topics: Network Security

How to Be Aware of Email Imposters that Threaten Network Security

Posted by Tom on October 18, 2016 at 2:11 PM

Undoubtedly, you’ve seen news reports about scams where someone cold calls phone numbers, claiming to be from Microsoft or the IRS, and dupes their victims out of money or their identity. What most people don’t realize, however, is that it’s just as easy for scammers to pretend to be someone else over email.

Using compromised or poorly secured email servers anywhere in the world, scammers can make an email appear as if it came from a recognized contact or company VIP. In many cases, these emails will take the form of a request for a wire transfer.

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Topics: Information Technology, Network Security

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