March 4th, 2021 by admin
Ring-ring. Hello? It's a scammer calling. Click. Does that scenario seem familiar? We knew you'd say yes. Fraud, scams, and hoaxes are serious problems in our digital age. In fact, more than 3.2 million reports of fraud were reported to the FTC in 2019. And, apparently, imposter scams were the top...
January 19th, 2021 by admin
We almost did it December, we almost made it one whole month in 2020 without a total catastrophe. 30 measly days, that's all I was hoping for. Hardly any time at all really, considering it's just one moon-phase, a single tank of quarantine gas, or 14 days in Sea Urchin years! BUT WE COULDN'T...
October 18th, 2020 by admin
Fall is here. The leaves are changing and each day brings a unique blend of colors, the air is aromatic, and dry... -Ack, COUGH- And for the next couple of months we get to enjoy the sweet smell of nature as it’s getting ready for what is shaping up to be a beautiful winter. Not to mention...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Solutions
October 9th, 2020 by admin
Artificial Intelligence has revolutionized technology. Right now, most viruses utilized by hackers use artificial intelligence strategies to bypass computer’s defenses. This has created a need for security services and applications to use dynamic machine learning to detect and protect against...
Posted in: Protection, Security, News, Technology
November 15th, 2018 by admin
The largest web browsers have all announced that they will be ending support for applications that use old versions of TLS by 2020. You may not know what TLS is, but this change could affect your business. This is what you need to know, to be sure your infrastructure will still be supported.TLS is an...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Technology
October 18th, 2018 by admin
Each day our spam folders fill up with requests from supposed royalty, long lost family members with inheritance to spare, and hosts of other scammers looking to take advantage of the gullible. One man has had enough! Scammers beware! Rather than trashing the suspicious emails he receives, James...
October 15th, 2018 by admin
What if you could command a private drone army? In the military, drone warfare has become a reality. They can fly 50 MPH, they are difficult to detect, and feel no fear. Strap on some heat vision cameras and a small bomb, and you have yourself a terrifying robot version of Alfred Hitchcock's, “The...
Posted in: Security, Technology
September 17th, 2018 by admin
Did you know if you run that VPN your IT guy set you up with, in China or Russia you could get a prison sentence? What about what a VPN actually protects you from? Most people have heard of the service, millions use them daily, few know what it really does. What is a VPN and what does it do? Virtual...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Products, Technology
September 6th, 2018 by admin
It's hard to remember a world before smart phones. They are not only a means of communication, but our alarm clocks, calendars, flashlights, banks, and so much more. Not surprisingly, hackers have picked up on the trend; cyber crime has gone mobile. Over 60% of online fraud is done through mobile platforms...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, News, Technology
August 6th, 2018 by admin
Whether you want to better understand how your personal devices work, what technologies can protect and enhance your business, or just want to learn a little bit more about tech to impress your friends—then we have the blog series for you! Each week, we’ll come at you with a term to expand your tech...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Technology
July 23rd, 2018 by admin
When you’re out and about, be it in your local coffee shop or the airport, a “Free Wifi” sign can be a welcome sight to see. But before you connect to that tempting public network, there are some important things to keep in mind about the potential risks involved. Although convenient, public wifi can...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
May 22nd, 2018 by admin
Tut tut, it looks like rain! April showers have brought May flowers, and this time of year always gets us in a cloudy kind of mood. There are so many clouds to talk about: cloud storage, cloud computing, cloud AI, and a whole lot more. I’m even writing this on a cloud right now! The latest forecasts...
Posted in: Security, Productivity, Products, Technology
April 24th, 2018 by admin
Behind every successful professional that uses technology, is an expert in that technology that knows how it works in and out. Whether you are your own technology manager or have an outsourced or in-house team, you need someone that knows how to monitor your computer hardware, and ensure it’s working...
Posted in: Security, Products, Technology, Toolsets
March 20th, 2018 by admin
We’ve all heard that efficiency is clever laziness. The problem is, most of us are too lazy to be clever. That’s why whenever possible, we should just use the cleverness that’s already been had, and save ourselves a step toward efficiency. For this reason, we put together a list of 5 of the most clever...
Posted in: Security, Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology
March 15th, 2018 by admin
You’ve probably seen phishing scams before...you may have even forwarded a few. (It’s ok, this is a safe space.) We want to make sure you are aware of SMS phishing because it’s even more devious than regular phishing scams, it’s downright dastardly. But don’t worry, a little learning and you’ll have...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, News, Technology
March 5th, 2018 by admin
Since the beginning of time, there have been people trying to get access to and/or take things that don’t belong to them. A lock and key, a hiding spot with a map, or armed guards were the ways we used to make sure that only the intended individuals had access. Today we have passwords, fingerprints,...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Technology
March 2nd, 2018 by admin
Over the last few years, there have been many major data breaches including Target, Sony, and most recently, Equifax. Even if we don’t hear about them, smaller scale hacks are happening all the time. It’s terrifying to imagine our data getting into the wrong hands, but exactly whose hands is it getting...
Posted in: Protection, Security
February 15th, 2018 by admin
There has been a boom of BYOD workplaces in recent years. This means “bring your own device” not “bring your own drink” (or “bring your own drums” like I hoped it was). BYOD companies benefit by having lower employee startup costs, and the employees benefit from more freedom and power over their work....
Posted in: Protection, Security, Productivity, Technology
February 8th, 2018 by admin
An infinite number of hackers, hacking an infinite number of printers, will eventually, accidentally print the complete works of Shakespeare. Why and how they ever hacked a printer in the first place, is the subject of the day. There are all kinds of devices that you use every day that you might not...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Technology
February 5th, 2018 by admin
The internet is a pretty cool invention. We now have staggering power and potential at our fingertips. It’s a beautiful and eternal spectacle of cats dressed like people, and people dressed like cats. Memes about memes, thousand year old prophecies that were uploaded in 2009, entire web pages about ninjas...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology
January 31st, 2018 by admin
Reading about hacks is a great blend of macabre intrigue, and education by bad example. As terrible as cyber-attacks are, there is always wisdom to be gained from them (and as long as we’re learning, it might as well be fun!). With that in mind, we’ve got a lot of learning to catch up on from 2017. Some...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Case Studies
January 26th, 2018 by admin
One click of a button. One phone call. One suspicious email. It doesn’t take much for a hacker to get past your security defenses and into your business. All it takes for them to get inside is for someone at your company to let them in. You can see just how simple it can be in this video from CNN here....
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Case Studies, Products, Technology
January 16th, 2018 by admin
Before you decide what to outsource and what to bring in-house, get some help analyzing a few critical areas: Your core technologies – Which areas are strong? Which are neglected? Your everyday users and VIP users – Do they need lots of help from IT? How patient do you expect them to be when their...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Meet Equinox, Productivity, Technology, Teams, Toolsets
December 8th, 2017 by admin
On September 7th, Equifax announced it was the victim of what is now being called the largest cyberattack in U.S. history. For nearly three months (mid-May to July 2017) hackers were undetected while accessing hundreds of millions of Social Security numbers, names, and other personal information. The...
Posted in: Protection, Security, News
November 20th, 2017 by admin
On the first day of Christmas, my scammer gave to me, three spoofed sites, two password loggers and a maaalware in a pear tree! The holidays are here and that means plenty of gift searching and online shopping. But before you begin your gift hunting, we have a few tips to keep all your presents in your...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, News
November 6th, 2017 by admin
In today’s cyber-world, you can’t afford to have a password like “123456” (which, unfortunately, was the most common password of 2016). Many of us know deep down that our passwords could be more secure. We’ve heard it all before - they should be at least 12 characters long, avoid common words, use a...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
October 18th, 2017 by admin
Ever had a pesky Windows pop-up ask you to update while you’re typing at 2000 WPM, keyboard smoking from the fury, and you can’t help but feel like it’s not your top priority? You’re not alone. Patches can be time consuming and can disturb workflow if not managed correctly, however, they have a huge...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Productivity
October 10th, 2017 by admin
On January 12, 2015 you might have called Microsoft support for help with your Windows 7 and found a benevolent and ecstatic customer support representative waiting on the other side. (Okay maybe not so benevolent…but they would be there!) However, on January 13, 2015, mainstream support was cut off...
Posted in: Security, Tech Tips, News, Productivity
September 18th, 2017 by admin
There are some words considered too vulgar, heinous or dastardly to say in the workplace without causing a scene or bringing the judgement of your peers – “Multi-Factor Authentication” is quickly becoming three of them. As annoying as MFA can be, the truth is MFA can be your BFF and we can tell you why......
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
September 11th, 2017 by admin
It’s the end of the month, you’ve got deadlines to meet, customers to care for and patients to treat. You need everything functioning perfectly and that’s when your computer seems to be possessed with some kind of unmanageable, poltergeist situation that nobody has time for. If you’re lucky, you’ve got...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
September 3rd, 2017 by admin
In the past 3 years, over 1 billion new and unique variants of malware have been discovered and nearly 3 billion identities have been exposed in data breaches. You have protection for your desktop and laptop, but are you confident your cell phone is secure? Mobile devices have increasing abilities to...
August 24th, 2017 by admin
Phishing emails can seem impossible to avoid. Hackers have grown increasing more sophisticated and intricate in their abilities to disguise phishing emails but there are still a few signs that give them away. Here are eight things you should be aware of to prevent from getting “hooked” (as well as some...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
August 10th, 2017 by admin
The bags are packed, the tickets are purchased, and you’re on your way to your dream vacation leaving work and worries behind. If that is your story go and enjoy it. If you are anything like the rest of us, then work often gets in the way of those dream vacations. VPN’s and Remote Access may provide...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
July 21st, 2017 by admin
Restarting your computer takes three clicks of a button and a matter of seconds...but the difference this action makes is huge. Restarting your computer will not only resolve most day-to-day issues that arise, but will also play a huge role in protecting the security of your network. Here's the reason...
June 29th, 2017 by admin
A month and a half ago, Wannacry Ransomware spread across more than 100 countries causing global distress. Now just 47 days later we are already facing another multinational attack. Cyberattacks are growing in both number and power. It’s more important than ever for businesses to be proactive when it...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Case Studies
June 13th, 2017 by admin
You have an insurance plan for your house, your car and your health. But what kind of insurance plan do you have to protect all the data your business relies on? Backups are the best proactive measure that your company can take to protect your data. But there is one thing more important than backups...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
June 8th, 2017 by admin
A world-wide ransomware attack swept across the globe last Friday infecting over 100 countries and leaving companies reeling. The virus attacked a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The patches for this weakness had been released by Microsoft months prior to the attack but due to out-of-date systems...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Case Studies
June 8th, 2017 by admin
As an IT company we see a lot of viruses, scams, and other cyberattacks that businesses encounter. The Microsoft support pop-up scam is one of the easiest to recognize if you are prepared. The following article will tell you everything you need to know to be able to recognize, respond to, and protect...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
April 14th, 2017 by admin
The three main phases to reach HIPAA Compliance are (1) perform Annual Risk Assessments, (2) create a Policy Manual, and (3) Continue Improving. The Annual Risk Assessments help ensure that your clinic’s technology is secure and that the proper safeguards are in place. Your Policy Manual should blend...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips
April 6th, 2017 by admin
Ransomware has rapidly grown into one of the largest cyber-security threats for businesses. Ransomware is a specific kind of malware that will encrypt or seize control of data files and not release them until a ransom has been paid. According to CNN, over 209 million dollars were paid to ransomware criminals...
March 29th, 2017 by admin
If you aren't shouting "hip, hip, hooray for HIPAA"...you're a normal person. Adhering to HIPAA Compliance standards is a necessary and complicated process for healthcare professionals. With so many regulations in place it can be hard to keep up. These seven simple steps will ensure that you are actively...
February 8th, 2017 by admin
140,000 hard drives crash each week and 60% of companies that lose critical data are forced to shut down because they are unable to recover their information. Reliable backups should be every business' best friend. Unfortunately most companies don't realize the importance of actively managing their backups...
Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips