Have You Checked Your Business’s Defenses Against the Threat of Russian Cyber Attacks?

While the cyber security of your business should always be a high priority, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means that businesses may be at an increased risk of cyber-attack.

Although there is no direct threat at present, the West is placing a range of sanctions on Russia. There could be retaliation and Russia has used cyber-attacks in the past.

But what does this mean for your business?

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued a ‘shields up’ warning to businesses and says they must be prepared to defend against cyber-attacks originating from Russia.

Businesses of all sizes will be at risk as the aim will be to cause as much disruption as possible.

This means that you can’t afford to slack off on your usual cyber security measures. If there’s something you’ve been meaning to get around to doing, now is the time.

The first thing you need to make sure you have in place is a working backup. Should you be hit by a cyber-attack, such as a ransomware attack, you will still be able to access all of your data and documents.

Ensure that all your applications, systems and devices are running the latest updates, and that any relevant patches are in place. You should also make sure best practice is being followed when it comes to password hygiene.

Make use of password managers to ensure your whole team uses unique passwords that are less susceptible to brute force attacks. You should also strongly consider using multi-factor authentication (where you get a login code on another device) across your applications for a higher level of security.

Check that your incident response and recovery plan is up-to-date and that everyone is aware of the steps they should take if they suspect a security breach. Your people need to know who to report a possible breach to, and who is responsible for protecting the business.

You may also want to consider company-wide cyber security training – and this really does mean everyone from the most senior employee to the most junior. This will help to make everyone aware of the most common threats, and teach them how to spot scams and phishing emails.

Finally, if you’re unsure that you have the right protections in place, speak to an expert who can help put your mind at ease and make sure your business is as protected as possible.

We’re here to help. If you have any concerns that your cyber security has fallen behind, book a 15 minute, no obligation call with us at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Improving Your Team’s Work from Home Set Up

,

Remote working has really come of age in the last two years. Many people have loved it, while others have realized that they prefer an office environment.

Can you guess how many people would like to make remote working a permanent option? According to a new report, a whopping 96% of employees want to solely work from home, even when the pandemic is over. They’d even be willing to take a pay cut to make that happen.

But wait – it gets even more shocking. Of these people, a third said they’d be willing to sacrifice HALF of their monthly wage to do so. Not only that, but they’d also give up their health benefits and even paid time off.

Are you as shocked at those figures as we are?

In terms of work/life balance, some people have never had it better. Now that things are slowly recovering, they’re not going to want to give it up.

Many of your people might not want to go back to the stress, the distraction, and the commuting. It is even likely that some of them don’t want to leave their beloved pets on their own!

As an employer, giving the option to make remote or hybrid work permanent seems like an ideal solution. You’ve already seen that your people can be trusted to do a great job wherever they work. You may have even seen an increase in motivation and productivity.

Your business could even cut down on some of its fixed costs, with office space being one of the big savings.

If you’ve only had temporary work from home measures in place for the last 2 years, it’s time to make them official. If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to make sure that everyone’s home set-up is suitable before permanently transitioning to remote working.

The first priority is to look at data security. How do your people access your network? Do they have the right security measures installed on their devices? Are their home networks protected from unauthorized access?

But it’s not just security that you need to consider. You will also need to look at the collaboration tools you’re using. If your team is unlikely to be in the same place at the same time, should you invest in a better solution to make sure communication doesn’t suffer?

As well as reporting on salary sacrifices, the report also found that nearly 2 in 5 people feel ignored in video meetings. Upgrading their equipment and devices might be the answer. Professional quality webcams and microphones can help by making sure video quality is high and that voices are heard.

Don’t forget that older laptops or desktops will need to be upgraded every few years to make sure they’re performing well and costing you less to maintain.

If you’d like any help making sure your home setups are right for permanent remote workers, feel free to book a 15 minute, no obligation call with us at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

 

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

New Microsoft Teams Walkie-Talkie Feature

,

Instant voice communication with your whole team at the push of a button

If you have looked at all the new features in your Microsoft Teams application, you might have noticed the walkie talkie feature. If you have an Android device, maybe you’ve already tried it out?

Now Microsoft has rolled it out to iOS devices as well, meaning it can be used by every member of your team. We believe it has the potential to become a powerful communication tool. Let’s look at what it is before we explore how you could use it.

If you were alive back in the 1980s, you’ll remember real walkie talkies. They were the coolest way to talk to your friends on the move – long before we had mobiles, of course. If you’re too young to remember the 80s, then go watch a few episodes of Stranger Things and you’ll get the idea.

With a walkie talkie you press a button to talk, and everyone who has a device on the same frequency as yours can hear you speak. They can only reply when you let go of the button and only one person can speak at a time. What that gives you is ordered, real time voice conversation between a group of people.

This new Teams feature works in exactly the same way. There’s no need to call anyone. Like a real walkie talkie, you just push a button on your phone to speak, and everyone in your team channel can hear you.

It works on both Android and iOS devices as long as they’re connected to the internet. It even works if your phone is locked.

Walkie talkie was originally created with front-line workers in mind. The idea is that when you’re away from your workplace you can quickly and securely communicate without additional devices or being slowed down by the hassle of a phone call (which can mean going through a voice-automated system or waiting for a mobile to be answered).

We can see this being useful for remote workers too. It doesn’t matter whether your team is in the office or working from home – they can have a voice conversation in real time, instantly.

Just like the old days when everyone worked in the same space.

Can you see how that would help your business?

Before you can use walkie talkie in Teams, you’ll need to make sure it’s enabled. Your administrator will need to do this in the Teams admin center – it’s really easy.

If you’d like help setting up this or any other Microsoft feature, book a 15 minute, no obligation call with us at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

 

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Time to Prepare for Microsoft’s Price Increase in March

,

As you may have heard, Microsoft is increasing its subscription prices for Microsoft 365 in March. This is the first big price rise in a decade and we are expecting it to be 20 to 40 percent more then you are currently paying.

Microsoft is also changing the way it sells 365. It will take some time to get used to and there will likely be some short-term pain in the process. You should talk to your IT support partner over the next few weeks to see exactly how it is going to affect your business.

Here are the basic details. You will have a choice between sticking with the rolling month by month contract and swallowing the price increase or you can commit to a 12-month agreement.

The big benefit of the agreement is that it will lock your current pricing for a year. However, this comes with some downsides as you will lose a lot of flexibility. During your contract you can increase the number of licenses you use but you can’t decrease them. This means that if you take on more staff, giving them access to the essential business tools they need won’t be a problem. On the other hand, if your headcount goes down for any reason, you’ll have to pay for the 365 licenses you no longer need.

Another downside is that you also won’t be able to move your Microsoft licensing to another IT support company during that contract.

The other option is to have a monthly rolling contract. You can add or remove licenses as needed, but overall, the price will be higher. For some businesses, that flexibility will be worth paying extra.

It’s worth thinking through your plans for the next 15 months before deciding.

If you want to talk through which option’s going to be best for you, book a 15 minute, no obligation call with us at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Working From Home: Five Simple Ways to Stay Healthy

With the continuing shift towards remote working, health is an ongoing concern. Find out how to stay healthy even when you’re working from home.

The global pandemic resulted in many workplaces implementing work-from-home policies. In doing so, many of these workplaces have discovered that there are significant benefits to providing employees with the option of doing their work remotely.

According to a survey conducted by CoSo Cloud, 77% of people believe they are more productive when working from home. Another study, conducted by commercial real estate firm CBRE, suggests that up to 69% of millennials are willing to sacrifice certain workplace benefits to have more flexible working options. The video conferencing company, Owl Labs, also found that 74% of people say they are more likely to stay with a company if they have the option of working from home.

The simple message is that working from home is likely to become the new normal in the coming years. However, working from home also presents challenges.

No longer faced with the need to commute to the office, people may find that they are less focused on their health. Some may also find they have limited access to exercise equipment or other resources that help them to stay healthy.

In this article, we will share five tips on how you can stay healthy when working from home.

 

TIP #1 – STOCK UP ON HEALTHY SNACKS

The kitchen is only a short walk away when you are working from home. Unfortunately, this also means that it is very easy to access sugary snacks at any point.

The solution is to eliminate unhealthy snacks from the kitchen or make them a little less convenient to access. To start, try keeping a few healthy options in an easy-to-access spot near your work area. This will make you less tempted to venture to the kitchen in search of something sugary.

In the kitchen, keep a good stock of fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks available. Make these healthier options visible by placing them on the counter while hiding the unhealthy snacks in the cupboards. This will allow your healthy snacks to act as a visual reminder to stick with the foods that are good for your body.

 

TIP #2 – MOVE EVERY HOUR

It is easy to spend too much time at the computer when you are working from home. This leads to long periods of sedation in which your body isn’t moving.

Sitting for several hours at a time is linked to a range of health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. By committing to moving for a few minutes every hour, you reduce your risk of experiencing these conditions.

Consider setting a timer to remind yourself to get up every hour. Spend a little time walking around the house or go for a quick walk around the block before resuming work.

 

TIP #3 – USE AN ACTIVE SITTING CHAIR

In addition to walking every hour, there are several ways that you can stay active even when working.

For example, sitting on an exercise ball is a great way to keep your body engaged while you’re in front of a computer. The unstable nature of the ball forces you to use your core muscles to stay upright, strengthening your body in the process.

Some take this a step further and choose to work while standing. Keep in mind that while this is an effective technique, it does require you to have a desk at a suitable height. If your desk is too low, you may cause issues with your posture due to having to bend over constantly.

 

TIP #4 – ADD A COUPLE SIMPLE EXCERCISES TO YOUR ROUTINE

Take a few minutes each day to perform a couple simple exercises, such as squats or jumping jacks.

Squats involve using your own weight to strengthen your lower body. You can use dumbbells to create further resistance if you’d like to make this exercise more challenging. However, only do so when you’re already confident in your technique without using any additional weights.

Jumping jacks elevate your heart rate and work your entire body. They allow you to improve your cardiovascular conditioning without requiring a lot of room. You can also add resistance using free weights, although this should only be done when you’ve mastered the technique.

 

TIP #5 – CREATE A STRESS-FREE ENVIRONMEN

One of the best things about working from home is that you have complete control over your environment. Use this to your advantage by creating an environment that allows you to tackle stress.

For example, placing scented candles around your desk creates a more relaxed environment. Ensuring you have plenty of plants in your home office has also shown to be effective. Additionally, working near a window helps to reduce stress, as having a view of nature can be soothing.

 

YOUR HEALTH IS A PRIORITY

While working from home offers a range of benefits in terms of flexibility, productivity, and work/life balance, it can also lead to a more sedentary working environment. Overcoming this requires you to come up with ways to keep your body healthy, even when you’re spending long hours sitting in front of a computer.

The tips shared in this article will help you do just that and best of all, none of them require you to buy expensive exercise equipment.

Now, there are many more challenges related to remote work that both employees and businesses need to stay on top of. If you need any help creating the most effective remote work environments possible, schedule a 15 minute, no obligation call with us at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

Article used with permission from The Technology Press.

COURTESY NOTICE: Log4j – The Most Severe Security Threat Ever is Affecting the Whole Internet. Here’s What You Need to Know…

,

There is a major security alert that is affecting the whole of the internet right now. Security researchers have called it one of the most severe vulnerabilities the world has ever seen.

If you haven’t heard much about it, don’t be surprised. Unlike most cyber security alerts, this vulnerability is not affecting the normal computers that you use in your business. Instead, it is affecting the servers that power much of the web.

There are some small security measures that you can take to keep you and your team safe online. We will come to those in a minute. We are writing this to give you a simple guide to what has happened and what it means, without any baffling tech speak.

Let’s start at the beginning. At the end of last week, a problem was noticed in the highly popular game Minecraft. It quickly became apparent that the impact was far larger than just affecting a game. In fact, it has affected millions of web applications, including Apple’s iCloud.

The problem is a security flaw in a piece of software called Log4j. This software is designed to keep a record of everything that has happened within applications. This record helps developers track down problems and fix them.

Log4j is what is known as open-source software. It was developed for free by coders in their spare time and anyone can use it. Rather than write their own logging software, millions of developers have used it as it is a very efficient way to create new applications.

Unfortunately, with Log4j being so widely used, it means that the security flaw, Log4Shell, is now affecting millions of pieces of software, running on millions of machines. So, while it is not affecting the normal computers you use in your business, it is affecting many of the services you use.

The flaw allows hackers to run any code they would like on affected servers. They could steal data, delete information, or run other software. Experts say this flaw makes it so easy to run malicious code, virtually anyone could do it.

So, what happens from here? Luckily, the fix to the problem was developed quickly. It was released in a patch – like a Band-Aid to fix the bug. The real issue is updating all the software that has been using Log4j. It is so widely used that it is likely to take several months for the patch to be universally applied. Experts even believe that there will be some web applications that, for whatever reason, are never updated.

This is where it starts to affect you more directly. Here are a few of the risks to watch for.

  1. We are likely to see a lot of website hacks happen over the next few months.
  2. Some ecommerce sites that didn’t apply the patch quickly may find hackers have stolen their customers’ card numbers or other details.
  3. The risk of identity theft shoots up.
  4. Other websites you visit may try to secretly download malware – malicious software – onto your computer.

Here are some basic security measures you can take to stay safe online:

  • Always use long, randomly generated passwords
  • Never use a password for more than one service
  • Use a password manager to remember passwords for you
  • Keep a closer watch on your card statements for the next few months
  • Make sure you keep your business’s computers up-to-date and apply all patches to software.

If we can help reassure you that your business is secure, especially as we approach the holidays, feel free to book a free, no obligation 15-minute consultation at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Be Prepared for These Changes to Teams, Microsoft 365, and Windows 11

Don’t you often find that it’s the small things that make the biggest difference? That is certainly the case with technology. Minor updates to the software that you and your team use every day can have a surprising effect on your overall productivity.

Microsoft has recently announced a series of small improvements to Teams, Microsoft 365 and Windows 11. It’s keeping its foot on the gas despite the holidays being just a few weeks away.

 

TEAMS

In Teams, there’s a new feature being developed to show the time zone of everyone in your business. If you’ve ever collaborated with people working in other time zones, you’ll know how invaluable that can be. It will now be much easier to schedule calls that everyone can attend. This feature can also prevent you from bombarding someone with emails at the start of their workday. If you’ve ever worked with colleagues who are at work while you’re still in bed, you know the dread of having to start your workday with hours of their emails waiting for you.

Spreading awareness of colleagues’ time zones will also encourage people to schedule emails using “send later”. That new Teams feature is due out by the end of January.

Another major Teams development is the introduction of Loop components, which have just rolled out in a recent update. These allow you to integrate complex data more easily into Teams and work on it in real time. For example, in a Teams chat you might draw a table and fill it with numbers or text. Now anyone can edit that table and the changes show in real time for everyone. You can use this to co-author reports, pull together ideas without endless chats, or work on data together.

 

MICROSOFT 365

Over to Microsoft 365. Which now has the ability for you to say how you’ll be attending a meeting you’ve been invited to. You can say whether you’ll be there in person or on a video call. Hybrid working is here to stay, and this is a very welcome update.

 

WINDOWS 11

Windows 11 also brings a very welcome update. At the moment, when you put your computer into Airplane mode, it turns off all connections regardless of your preferences. Soon your computer will be able to remember how you like your device to be setup in Airplane mode. For example, if you like to leave Bluetooth on to keep your headphones connected, Windows 11 will remember that.

Microsoft is also working on improvements to notifications. It will let apps with high priority notifications, such as alarms and reminders, stack up reminders.

 

Want help navigating any of these (or any other) updates? Book a 15 minute, no obligation call with us at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Phishing is Still the Most Likely Way for Your Business to be Breached

This New Survey Confirms What Any IT Professional Will Tell You: Phishing is Still the Most Likely Way for Your Business to be Breached

A new survey released by a specialist website has confirmed that phishing attacks remain the greatest cyber security threat to businesses.

Phishing is where a hacker sends you an email pretending to be someone else. For example, they might fake an email from your bank or the government.

When you click a link in the email, you’re taken to a page that looks similar to your bank’s login page. But it’s not! It’s a fake page set up to steal your information. The criminals hope that you’ll enter your real login details, so that they can access your business’s bank accounts.

Other threats from phishing emails include fake PDFs – with names such as “invoice”. Often clicking these can allow the hacker to install malicious software, known as malware, on your computer.

A cybersecurity news website called Dark Reading compiles a Strategic Security Survey every year.

In the newly released 2021 survey, 53% of businesses that reported a breach this year said it happened primarily because of a phishing attack.

41% blamed malware for playing a part in their breach.

17% experienced something called a Denial of Service attack. This is where hackers send a flood of traffic to a network or website, hoping to overwhelm it and force it to shut down.

What’s important to remember is that none of these attacks were specifically targeting the victim’s business. Everyday hackers email thousands of people, waiting to see who opens and clicks on the emails.

That’s why the primary protection against phishing is training your people well. Software can help to protect your business, but not as much as training can.

If you need help with phishing awareness training, book a 15 minute, no obligation call with us at www.durham-it.ca/book-a-call/.

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

COURTESY NOTICE: If Your Business’s WordPress Website is Hosted with GoDaddy, You Must Take Action Now

,

If Your Business’s WordPress Website is Hosted with GoDaddy, You Must Take Action Now

Last week, GoDaddy announced a major breach in its security, involving more than a million customers. If your business could be affected, there are some urgent actions you must take now.

You’ve probably heard of GoDaddy. It’s been around since the late 1990s when it started as a place to build and host your website. Later, it became famous for selling domain names. These days, it’s a huge internet company with revenue over $3 billion.

One of the things GoDaddy does is host WordPress websites. WordPress is a very popular Content Management System (CMS) that powers a third of all websites.

It announced last week that a hacker got into one of its WordPress hosting systems in early September by using a compromised password. The hacker was kicked out mid-November, but not before gaining access to data from 1.2 million WordPress hosted customers. Specifically, the hacker could access email addresses, original WordPress admin passwords, and other usernames and passwords.

If your business hosts a WordPress website with GoDaddy, please don’t panic. You may not be affected as the company hosts 5 million websites in total. We have been told that the breached passwords have been reset and that everyone affected has been contacted.

However, we prefer playing it 100% safe. We believe there are two risks you must protect yourself against. The first is phishing. This is where a cyber-criminal sends an email pretending to be someone they’re not, such as a big supplier or your bank. They want you to click on a bad link to either give them access to your network, or accidentally download malicious software, known as malware.

Any time your email address is compromised, you are likely to be the target of more phishing emails. The way to mitigate this risk is to train your staff on what to look out for and what to do if they are targeted in a phishing attack.

The second and greater risk is that someone has already been able to log into your website. Even though GoDaddy has now reset the passwords, it seems the hacker enjoyed free access to all this data for up to two months. There’s a possibility they could have logged into your website, and hidden malicious files there.

To play it safe, we recommend these three urgent steps:

  1. Change all admin passwords on your website.
  2. Check that there are no new admins that you didn’t set up. If there are, remove them immediately.
  3. Run a thorough security scan on your website to look for backdoor access (a secret place where hackers can get in), trojans and malicious files.

If you need help with any of this, please contact us immediately. We can be reached at 905-231-1303 or info@durham-it.ca

 

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Why Move Your Business Email to Office 365

Read more