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The computing world is forever changing. Over the last 15 years, SaaS (software as a service) providers have offered the convenience of data backup for your cloud applications such as CRM systems, SalesForce, Google Apps and Microsoft 365. The business question is, if I’m already working with a SaaS provider and my data is already “in” the cloud, do I really need to back up my data to another cloud? After all, isn’t the SaaS provider doing that for me? Well, yes and no. Yes, your data (one of your company’s most valuable assets) is being backed up by the service provider. And yes, it’s in the cloud. And yes, these providers have backups to their backups … but are they backing up your business-critical information? Can you guarantee that? And do you have access to it in a timely manner? The answer to these questions may be no. As a rule, SaaS providers do not open backups to customers, nor do they make restoring critical data easy or intuitive. For example, Salesforce, the first commer...

While hacks against the big boys like Target, Home Depot and Sony get more than their share of public attention, cyber-attacks on small and medium-sized companies often go unreported, and rarely make national headlines. Don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security. The number of crippling attacks against everyday businesses is growing. Cyber security company Symantec, reports that 52.4% of “phishing” attacks last December were against SMB's – with a massive spike this October. Here are just a few examples out of thousands that you’ll probably never hear about: Green Ford Sales, a car dealership in Kansas, lost $23,000 when hackers broke into their network and swiped bank account info. They added nine fake employees to the company payroll in less than 24 hours and paid them a total of $63,000 before the company caught on. Only some transfers could be canceled in time. Wright Hotels, a real estate development firm, had $1 million drained from their bank account after thiev...

Social engineering is a method cyber con artists use to lure well-meaning individuals into breaking normal security procedures. They appeal to vanity, authority or greed to exploit their victims. Even a simple willingness to help can be used to extract sensitive data. An attacker might pose as a coworker with an urgent problem that requires otherwise off-limits network resources, for example. They can be devastatingly effective, and outrageously difficult to defend against. The key to shielding your network from this threat is a keen, ongoing awareness throughout your organization. To nip one of these scams in the bud, every member of your team must remain alert to these 5 Social Engineered Tactics: Baiting In baiting, the attacker dangles something enticing to move his victim to action. It could be a movie or music download. Or something like a USB flash drive with company logo, labeled “Executive Salary Summary 2018 Q1,” Left where a victim can easily find it. Once these fil...

A survey by the National Small Business Association, 61% of small businesses reported being victims of a cyber-crime within the past 12 months. The average cost to recover from a cyber-attack skyrocketed from $8,699 per attack in 2013 to $20,752 per attack. And, of the businesses targeted, 68% said they’d been hacked more than once. Experts agree, as cyber crooks become ever more sophisticated, the threat to small businesses is going to get worse before it gets better…  So what can you do to beat these bad guys? Here are three common ploys used by hackers and how you can fend them off: Phishing – A really legitimate-looking e-mail urges you to click a link or open a file that triggers a malware installation on your computer. Best Defense: Don’t let anyone in your company open files or click links in an e-mail unless they’re certain who it came from. Cracking Your Password – Hackers can run programs 24/7 testing password combinations. The easier your password is t...

Welcome to the brave new world of cyber-warfare. Gone are the days when software patches were just for nifty little feature add-ons or updates. Today, a software update notice could mean your whole computer network is suddenly at risk. Dangers include data theft, crippling malware attacks and mischief you may not discover for months, or even years… As with graffiti on your garage door, if you don’t pay attention and clamp down on bad behavior, your problems have likely just begun… And, like those who hire a professional security firm to keep thieves out of the warehouse, thousands of CEO's and business owners are now waking up to the fact that it’s absolutely imperative to hire a pro when it comes to securing your data network. Here’s why you need a professional handling this for you: #1: Speed is of the essence. “If you didn’t update to version 7.32 within seven hours, you should assume you’ve been hacked.” That’s what software maker Drupal told millions of its customers arou...