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So far Jason Rodgers has created 37 blog entries.

5 Steps To Rise Above The Fear Of COVID-19 And Focus On Growing Your Business

2020-09-22T21:46:41+00:00

In a matter of just a few short weeks, we have gone from living how we’ve always lived to changing just about everything we do. Schools are out for weeks if not months. Cruises have stopped sailing, and air transportation may be next. Bars and restaurants are closing, sporting events are nonexistent and so many people are now unemployed. If you watch the news or follow social media and see the number of infected keep rising, you can’t help but wonder when (or if) life will return to normal.

As a result of these unprecedented life changes in such a short amount of time, so many people today are frozen in fear. They don’t know what they can do and what they can’t do. They’re numb, fearful and questioning everything.

I believe that the accomplished and determined business owners in our world are facing a unique brand of fears: Will I lose sales and revenue due to the coronavirus? What if I have to lay people off? How can I keep my team and keep them working hard? How will I continue to provide for my family? How long will this last?

Here are five steps you can start taking now to stop being frozen in fear and move forward with your business, your family and living your life.

  1. Communicate Often.
    You should make an effort to constantly communicate with all of your stakeholders. From your employees to your customers to your partners and vendors, stay in communication with them to share how your business is doing and how you can continue to serve them.
    While in-person visits may not be ideal at this time, you can always resort to the good ol’ phone, e-mail, videos or webinars. You can bet that if your customers aren’t hearing from you, they are hearing from your competitors.
  2. Be a Valuable Resource.
    While money is always important, now is the time to be a trusted resource and friend to your clients and prospects. People today need bold solutions. If you’re actively bringing solutions to your clients, you become a valuable resource. If they’re simply writing a check and never hearing from you – especially in today’s environment – you’ll be first on the chopping block when they have to cut expenses.
  3. Lean on People.
    It’s ironic that the one time we need people more than ever before, we are supposed to socially distance ourselves and stay in our homes. Through video conferencing and web conferencing, work together with your team, your partners and your Accountability Groups to lean on one another. Because nobody has gone through anything like this before, nobody has all the answers. But as a collective group, you will find most every answer you need.
  4. Be MORE Than a Businessperson.
    They may be your employees, your colleagues and your clients. But they are PEOPLE first. And just about everyone you interact with in your business world has endless stresses when the workday is done. Their kids are home from school all day getting into who knows what. They’re worried about going to the supermarket and if there will be meat and toilet paper. They’re concerned about keeping themselves and their family healthy.
    When your clients and prospects start to see you not just as an IT services provider, but as a friend and someone who truly cares, that’s when they want to do business with you for life.
  5. Be Informed But Not Obsessed.
    People were glued to their TVs for weeks after 9/11. As a result, although they were informed, they were also more stressed, depressed and fearful. Don’t do that to yourself. Yes, it’s prudent to know how to “flatten the curve” and protect your family, but watching too much news or social media right now can dominate your thinking and actions. That can negatively impact your business.

During this otherworldly pandemic, it’s good to have a little fear. To keep us safe. To keep us making good decisions. However, if you want to ensure your business is stable and growing, to help your family cope and get through this, you should take these steps to rise above the fear.

If you need immediate IT support or if you need help in setting your business up so your employees can work remotely from home, contact us today.

5 Steps To Rise Above The Fear Of COVID-19 And Focus On Growing Your Business2020-09-22T21:46:41+00:00

Cybercriminals Are Counting On You Letting Your Guard Down During This Global Pandemic – Here’s How To Stop Them

2020-09-22T21:56:57+00:00

The world is slowing down during this COVID-19 pandemic. Wall Street is being hit hard. People are no longer going out. We’re told to quarantine or self-isolate and not engage in groups.

You can bet there’s one group that’s not slowing down at all. In fact, they’re probably working overtime while the rest of us have our lives turned upside down. Cybercriminals and hackers know there’s no better time to strike than during a global crisis. While you are distracted and spending your time trying to make sense of this new normal, they are finding new ways into your IT network so they can steal data and passwords, compromise your clients’ private information and even demand large ransoms.

Cybercrime is already on the rise and is expected to cause $6 TRILLION in damages by 2021! But, if history repeats itself, hackers will be out in full force throughout this coronavirus scare. We fully expect in the upcoming weeks that headlines will change from stories about COVID-19 to accounts of a frenzy of cyber-attacks on corporations and small businesses.

Here are solutions you can implement now to help protect your business data, money and productivity:

  1. Be more suspicious of incoming e-mails.
    Because people are scared and confused right now, it’s the perfect time for hackers to send e-mails with dangerous malware and viruses. At this moment, your in-box is probably filled with “COVID-19” subject lines and coronavirus-focused e-mails. Always carefully inspect the e-mail and make sure you know the sender. There’s a cdc-gov e-mail address out there now that’s not legitimate and is spamming in-boxes across the country. Avoid clicking links in the e-mail unless it’s clear where they go. And you should never download an attachment unless you know who sent it and what it is. Communicate these safeguards to everyone on your team, especially if they are working from home.
  2. Ensure your work-from-home computers are secure.
    Another reason we expect a rise in cyber-attacks during this pandemic is the dramatic increase in employees working from home. Far too many employers won’t think about security as their team starts working at the kitchen table. That’s a dangerous precedent. First, make sure your employees are not using their home computers or devices when working. Second, ensure your work-at-home computers have a firewall that’s turned on. Finally, your network and data are not truly secure unless your employees utilize a VPN (virtual private network). If you need help in arranging your new work-from-home environment, we would be happy to get your entire team set up.
  3. Improve your password strategy.
    During crises like the one we are all facing right now, your passwords could mean the difference between spending your time relearning how to grow your business and trying to recoup finances and private data that’s been hacked. Make a point now to reevaluate your passwords and direct your team to create stronger passwords. Also, while it’s so convenient to save your passwords in your web browser, it also lessens your security. Because web browsers simply require their own password or PIN to access saved passwords, a skilled hacker can bypass this hurdle. Once they access your saved passwords, they can steal as much as they want – credit card information, customers’ private data and more!Instead, you should consider a password manager to keep all of your passwords in one place. These password managers feature robust security. A few options are Dashlane, 1Password and LastPass.

You, your team and your family have enough to concern yourselves with in regards to staying healthy, living a more isolated lifestyle and keeping your business strong. There’s no need to invite in more problems by letting your computer and network security slide during these times.

If you need additional security advice or would like to have a consultation to discuss how to keep your data safe, simply connect with us today.

Cybercriminals Are Counting On You Letting Your Guard Down During This Global Pandemic – Here’s How To Stop Them2020-09-22T21:56:57+00:00

How To Quickly Shift To A Work-From-Home Business Model To Maximize Productivity In Today’s Coronavirus Environment

2020-09-22T20:24:31+00:00

As a business owner today, you are now facing unprecedented challenges to help deal with the coronavirus pandemic. You are asked to self-isolate and practice social distancing to “flatten the curve.” You are asked to allow your employees to work from home to reduce possible exposure and slow the spread of COVID-19.

These are all reasonable requests. However, as a business owner you also need to maximize productivity, bring in revenue and try to grow your business in these demanding times. How can you accomplish these goals when your office is now a ghost town and productivity has fallen off a cliff?

The answer lies in setting up your office to function remotely. If you’ve never implemented a work-from-home policy before, it may seem like a whole different world. Managing an entirely remote workforce goes far beyond giving your employees a laptop and reminding them to check in every once in a while. After all, there are many factors most business owners haven’t ever had to consider, such as:

  • What technologies do I need?
  • How can my employees work from home without compromising the security of our network?
  • How can I make this new work environment as easy, comfortable and productive as possible?

We understand these are unique times. We know that “business as usual” is going to be quite different for an undetermined amount of time. But together we can help you adjust to today’s new normal by giving you the tools, technologies and insights to create a secure and productive work-from-home business environment. Here are three important considerations to getting you set up and running a successful work-from-home business:

  1. Don’t allow employees to use home computers or devices. Their mindset may be, “Well, I’m working from home so I may as well use my home computer.” This is a dangerous mistake. Our team works hard to ensure your company computers and network are secure and protected from malware, viruses and cyber-attacks. Their home computers and devices could be littered with tons of downloaded music, videos, images and more. Because it’s more exposed, it can invite malware into your network. Rather, provide a company-approved and secured computer/laptop for employees to use at home.
  2. Secure their Wi-Fi access point. Without a secure Wi-Fi access point, you’re essentially leaving a back door open to hackers. That’s because Wi-Fi signals are often broadcast far beyond your employees’ homes and out into streets. Yes, drive-by hacking is popular among cybercriminals today. A few tips for securing your employees’ Wi-Fi access points:
  • Use stronger encryption and a more complex password
  • Hide your network name
  • Use a firewall

These security measures are not difficult to set up. But if you have any questions or need assistance, we will be happy to help get your employees set up remotely.

  1. Use a two-factor authentication VPN. VPN stands for virtual private network. It’s essentially a private, encrypted tunnel that goes direct to your IT network in your office. Ideally, you’ll want your VPN to support two-factor authentication. This means it’s doubly secure because your employees will need to call in to access the network. If you don’t have a VPN for your employees to use, you can consider other services, such as GoToMyPC or Zoho. While these products are not as secure, at least they keep your home network from being exposed.

As business owners ourselves, we too are having to pivot and work differently than we ever have before. However, because we have the technology and infrastructure in place, we are still surprisingly productive.

Our team wants to help your business survive and thrive during today’s unique environment. If you and your IT team need extra hands right now…or solutions to help your employees work SECURELY from home…we have software tools, expert staff and resources we’d like to offer you to keep your business as productive as possible.

How To Quickly Shift To A Work-From-Home Business Model To Maximize Productivity In Today’s Coronavirus Environment2020-09-22T20:24:31+00:00

Data regulation and our business: You are probably regulated by these laws

2020-09-22T20:26:41+00:00

 

Small firms are probably aware that there are laws regulating the handling of data, but they probably assume that these apply only to larger firms and that they are too small to have any data that is worthwhile or protected under state/provincial or federal laws. Think again. Data protection laws generally worry about the content of your data, not the volume of it. That is, you don’t need to have “tons” (not the technical term) of data to be to regulated by data privacy laws. If you maintain personally identifiable information (PII) you may be regulated by these laws which may include penalties and fines for non-conformance. PII means you store a person’s first name/initial, last name and then link it to another piece of personal information, such as, but not including:

  • Social Security Number
  • Driver’s license, or state ID
  • Passport
  • Some financial account number, e.g. credit/debit card, checking account, etc.
  • Health insurance ID

You are very likely required to observe regulations regarding protection of that data, and reporting of data breaches.

This isn’t an issue for the faint of heart. Contact a managed service provider with expertise in your specific industry or field of business to make sure you are in compliance. Failure to maintain compliance can lead to some very expensive fines and penalties.

Data regulation and our business: You are probably regulated by these laws2020-09-22T20:26:41+00:00

Branding

2020-09-22T20:29:07+00:00

Another less direct effect of cybercrime’s attack on revenues is the impact on your brand. When a data breach or DoS occurs, a firm’s brand takes a hit. There isn’t any reader out there who, upon hearing the name of a particular retailer or financial firm, won’t immediately recall that firm as having been the victim of a large cyber attack and data breach. Such memories die hard. The more extensive the attack, the larger the branding hit. And, of course, companies that have been hit more than once suffer even more. It is also important to note that smaller firms may be less able to recover from brand damage than larger companies, who have deeper pockets for public relations campaigns to help restore their image.

Also, don’t think that if the cyber attack occurs in operations that are not customer-facing you are off the hook from the perspective of brand damage. As a business, you are likely subject to some data protection or data security laws, including some breach notification laws, which are laws that require a business to alert victims and/or government agencies of a data breach. While the US does not have any overarching data laws in the fashion of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, particular sectors such as healthcare and education are covered by US law. If your firm collects and stores personal data, you may have a regulatory responsibility to report the breach to both a government entity, the individual victim, and the media. That means spending money on efforts to ensure compliance with any applicable laws. Meeting IT regulations can be expensive and time-consuming and failure to meet regulations and notification requirements can lead to fines and penalties.

 

Branding2020-09-22T20:29:07+00:00

A security hack doesn’t have to mean the end of your company

2020-09-22T20:31:37+00:00

 

Statistics are showing that each year over 50% of small firms are victims of a cyber attack or data breach. Why does this matter? Most smaller firms have not prepared business continuity plans to keep their IT infrastructure going in the event of an attack. Failing to do so often leads to the failure of the business. Delaying the creation of a business continuity plan is a bit like a younger person delaying writing a will, on the grounds that they are not likely to die soon. That may be true, but if the worst occurs the consequences can be severe for their heirs.

If the chance of a breach that could compromise your data or cripple your IT infrastructure is over 50%, there is every reason to immediately develop plans for how your business could maintain operation in the event of an attack on your IT systems.

This is an effort that shouldn’t be delayed. Contact Envolve Technical Solutions to help you develop a complete and holistic business continuity plan immediately. Your income and your future depends upon it.

 

A security hack doesn’t have to mean the end of your company2020-09-22T20:31:37+00:00

The costs of defense

2020-09-22T20:33:47+00:00

The most common methods that criminals use to break into our data and operations are fraudulent emails, viruses and malware, impersonation attempts, and ransomware. Whether It is done with a goal of shutting you down–such as a denial of service (DoS), pure mischief, or from the desire to access and use your data for profit, cybercrime damages your business. As a result, any responsible business, no matter how small, has a responsibility to take steps to defend its operations and data. With the rise of cybercrime, an entire new area of business expense has arisen: assessing and building defenses to fend off an attack. Just consider the outlays that didn’t exist a few decades ago.

First, there is the entire process of doing a complete risk assessment: identifying all your areas of vulnerability. This requires dedicating the labor of your internal team or else bringing in outside consultants. Next comes the expense of the purchase and installation of anti-malware software. Additionally, every business needs to prepare a complete disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Finally, this investment is not a one-time thing. Ongoing monitoring and updates are required to keep up with the latest strategies and viruses being developed by cyber criminals. This is an ongoing process that cannot be done once and forgotten. Criminal tricks and digital tools are constantly evolving and your defenses need to adapt.

 

The costs of defense2020-09-22T20:33:47+00:00

Don’t steal… It isn’t nice and makes you vulnerable to security hacks

2020-09-22T20:36:51+00:00

Don’t steal. It isn’t nice. And… it make you extremely vulnerable you security hacks if you “steal” software packages. Smaller firms often will use unlicensed software packages to save money. This is especially true if they only need a program for a specific task. Aside from the legal and ethical issues involved here, there is a very selfish reason not to do this. Software providers are constantly sending users updates to their programs, and those updates aren’t just about features. They include fixes to security holes and protections against specific new viruses that have been discovered. So, the longer you have an old, outdated software program on your PC or laptop, the more vulnerable you become. Is it really worth saving $200.00 when your entire business’s IT infrastructure could be put at risk? We suggest not.
Don’t steal… It isn’t nice and makes you vulnerable to security hacks2020-09-22T20:36:51+00:00

The reality of cybercrime requires permanent organizational change

2020-09-22T20:39:57+00:00

Because cybercrime isn’t going anywhere soon, every business needs to consider changes within its organization to institutionalize its emphasis on data security. This is not a problem that can be handled within a few particular operational or administrative silos.

Here are just a few things to consider

  1. BYOD policies: A Bring-Your-Own-Device policy, which refers to allowing employees to use their own laptops, tablets and other mobile devices instead of company-issued ones, has become common practice in many organizations. However, permitting BYOD opens up new security issues because your IT department has potentially less control over how company data is accessed. With BYOD, many additional doors are being used to access corporate databases, etc., so it can be harder to keep your data secure. Because of the ubiquity of cybercrime, IT departments need to approach BYOD with a heightened awareness of new security vulnerabilities.
  2. Employee Training – Generally a topic for Human Resources, IT needs to now be involved in designing ongoing employee training to teach employees how to be vigilant about data security, password hygiene, and similar topics. Employee errors, such as opening phishing emails, are one of the largest causes of data breach events in the business world.
  3. Operations and IoT technology – Another area where there should be a re-focusing of attention involves the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT has, at least in part, been introduced operationally, with Line of Business managers (LOB) discovering new specific applications for IoT devices, adopting them, and then being responsible for their maintenance and security. Such devices are introduced as-needed to address discrete needs throughout the organization. As a result, IoT devices have tended to function in operational silos. The unintended consequence is that the IT department, traditionally responsible for security issues, is left out of the loop. This means that data security is un-coordinated across all of the IT facets of the organization and security vulnerabilities are being overlooked. C-level tech leaders need to recognize this and adapt accordingly.
  4. The corporate mission – In order to give appropriate recognition to the threat that cybercrime represents to the health of a business, companies should consider including security as a core part of their mission. Both B2B and B2C customers take security very seriously, so companies should realize their mission is not to “provide X product or service,” but “securely provide X product or service.” To paraphrase a car maker’s phrase from many years ago. “Security is Job One.”

 

The reality of cybercrime requires permanent organizational change2020-09-22T20:39:57+00:00

Cybercrime: In-house protection that only YOU can provide

2020-09-22T20:45:26+00:00

 

From the political world to the corporate, all we hear about is hacking, hacking, hacking. Everyone gets hacked, data is stolen, etc. So, the cry goes up for better security protections for everyone’s data. Firewalls, virus software, etc., etc., etc.

Want to know one of the best ways to protect your data? Train your employees to stop opening any emails or links unless they absolutely know they are safe. Scam emails that try to trick you into opening a link to a bogus site, or worse, trick you into providing your password or ID for a known site are exceptionally effective ways for hackers to get into your internal system and compromise data. Yes, ransomware is a serious issue, and malware is out there, but employees naively opening phishing emails remain one of the biggest risks to data security. Talk to your employees on an on-going basis and provide training and tips on how to ID phishing scams

Cybercrime: In-house protection that only YOU can provide2020-09-22T20:45:26+00:00
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