Aside from the obvious pandemic situation, we love taking a look back to reflect on what’s worked and what hasn’t over the past 12 months.
A time for IT based reflection if you will…
This year has undoubtedly been one of the strangest, most changeable, unsettled years of our lifetimes.
But, ever the optimists we are, we believe there’s a lot to learn from it all too!
What’s gone well for your business?
What hasn’t worked out so well?
And what do you want to do differently in 2021?
The unscheduled move to remote working has been a blessing in disguise for some businesses, after the initial upheaval of course, but many have found the new ‘normal’ works surprisingly well! Will your company be continuing to work remotely in the future post-pandemic world? Or will you be returning back to the ‘old normal’? Either way, it’s a good idea to plan what this means for your IT infrastructure (luckily, we’ve written a blog about that right here)
Other things we’ve noticed are that businesses have saved money, they’ve found innovative new ways to continue and succeed, plus they’ve been able to use their technology in new and productive ways. We’re proud to say we’ve had a hand in helping our existing clients navigate their way through those hazy months of lockdown and still come out the other side on top!
We’d love to hear your 2020 lookbacks, and we’d love to hear your 2021 plans even more. You know where to find us, and hopefully from reading our blogs, you’ll know what we can do for you! So, let’s talk… get in touch with our guys here.
Christmas IT support
PS: don’t forget we’re your 24/7 365 days a year IT support – we’ll be enjoying our turkey and trimmings, BUT we’re also on hand and right by the phone when you need us over the Christmas break. Merry Christmas all, have a fantastic one!
The Christmas trees are up (some even earlier than usual), the festive tunes are playing on the radio and it’s now socially acceptable to eat a mince pie for breakfast (it’s true, we double checked!) So, the final month of the year is upon us… and what a year it’s been!
So, whilst we ramp up on the calorific food intake, it’s also a time to get ahead on your 2021 planning, and more specifically, your IT strategy for the year ahead.
Whether you’ve outgrown your initial growth strategy OR this is the first time you’re tackling it, we’ve got all the info you need for a year of IT based success…
Outline your business goals – it’s incredibly important to consider how your IT infrastructure will accommodate your overall business plans for 2021. Your IT strategy should support and complement your goals so you’ll need to think about your sales pipeline and sales targets too. How can your infrastructure make achieving those goals realistic? What about any future partnerships you plan on making? Will you make any acquisitions or mergers along the way? How will your infrastructure support this kind of growth? You should also consider action plans for individual departments. Will some departments require additional IT tools or support? Will the whole business benefit from your plan, or will it need adapting for key people or departments?
Identify your key people – You no doubt already know who they are but are they the same people who are responsible for delivering your IT strategy? Do you have an internal IT dept OR does it make more sense to work with an external IT support partner? If you opt for external, then who is the person who’ll be your main liaison between the two? Once you know who they are, schedule in a chat to find out how they currently use the tech they have and if there are any elements they need to make the job easier for all?
Review your current IT infrastructure – It’s been a pretty strange year with many teams having to instantly adapt to remote working, a lot of which we’ve covered in our earlier blogs (you can find those here by the way), BUT does your current infrastructure do what you need it to do? As mentioned above, speak to your key people in each department to find out how they’re currently utilising their resources: • What improvements do they feel could be made? • What would make their job easier? • What is making things more difficult than they need to be?
Hit the IT Road…map – This might sound like the hardest step, but creating a roadmap for your new IT strategy is vital. It’s not as complicated as it sounds BUT this is probably where you could do with some help from a strategic IT partner, such as us (hey!). You’ll need to think about your overall technological architecture, which includes hardware, software, and other tools your people will be relying on. Your IT partner should be able to make the appropriate recommendations to fit your requirements, as well as suggest tools that will all work with each other seamlessly. Section your roadmap into departments, and the differing technologies they’ll require. This will help to give you an overview of how everything will fit together when the time comes for implementation.
Define the new metrics – last but by no means least, check whether your shiny new IT strategy is cost effective too! Break it all down by department again and double check those KPI’s match up too. If you’re making a big transition in your IT, remember it’s not always a quick fix, so you’ll need to allow for a short period of adjustment in the New Year. Creating and tracking a range of metrics will give you a fantastic insight into how well your new technology infrastructure is working for you. It’ll also allow you to be more proactive in identifying and solving minor issues as they arise. And importantly, before your team is impacted.
Or y’know, we could just take all of that off your hands, ready to get going on Jan 1st.
2020, we could say it’s been… emotional, but we’re ready for you 2021! Give us a bell here
PS: don’t forget we’re your 24/7 365 days a year IT support – we’ll be enjoying our turkey and trimmings, BUT we’re also on hand and right by the phone when you need us over the Christmas break. Merry Christmas all, have a fantastic one!
We’re going out on a limb here, and we’re going to assume that some companies find themselves wondering why they would spend money on hiring an external IT support company when they’ve got someone in house who knows a bit about data systems and tech support…
Ah, but IT support is so,so, SO much more than this.
It’s being there for you on Christmas Day when your systems have crashed and that Boxing day order is in peril.
It’s finding the problems and solving them before you even noticed they were an issue.
It’s staying on top of updates, like Windows 10 going out of fashion for example (check out the blog on that here).
It’s ensuring every single one of your team is working to full capacity at all times without anything technical slowing them down.
It’s making that big office move into a seamless transition… your team leaves the old office at 5pm on a Friday and returns to a brand new, ready to go office at 9am on Monday.
It’s quickly and easily moving your workforce onto secure remote working in the event of an ‘unprecedented’ pandemic (we’re looking at you Covid!)
It’s having a plan, and a back-up plan, and a back-up to your back-up plan just in case.
It’s zero downtime, it’s faster WiFi, it’s hacker-free, it’s security, it’s privacy, it’s everything you need to run a successful business.
You’ve heard us talk a lot about hackers and how to protect your computer, BUT how do you know when you’ve fallen victim to a cyber attack and what should you do if it happens to you?
Remind me, what IS Ransomwear?
It’s basically when a hacker locks you out of your computer and you have to pay a ransom (usually in bitcoin) to regain access – not cool at all right?
Due to Covid-19 (booooo!), more and more companies are putting themselves at risk due to not having the right processes in place to work from home – in fact, it’s estimated there are more than a hundred calls to insurers every day relating to problems caused by ransomware…
So, how do I know if I’m under attack?
Ok, here’s the scary bit, it could have already happened. If a hacker gains access to your systems, they won’t strike straight away, they’ll bide their time and wait for the right moment. They’ll watch for your weaknesses, investigate your database and work out how best to maximise their profit… yep, we REALLY hate hackers.
Check for open RDP links (Remote Desktop Protocol) – it’s Microsoft technology that allows a local computer to connect to and control a remote PC over a network or the internet. RDP links left open to the internet are a very common route for cyber criminals to enter your network. Scan for open RDP ports regularly, and utilise multi-factor authentication for your links (multi-factor authentication is where you generate a code on a separate device to prove it’s really you). Or have them behind a VPN (Virtual Private Network), which gives you a private network from a public internet connection.
Keep an eye out for unexpected software – Often, cyber criminals will take control of just one PC first, perhaps using a phishing email to persuade someone to click on a bad link without realising it. Once they have control of one PC, they can then target the entire network.
Monitor your admin – What’s the best way for hackers to download the applications they need? They create a new administrator account for themselves. Then they can download whichever tools they need to compromise your network. You need to be aware of software such as Process Hacker, IOBit Uninstaller, GMER and PCHunter. These are all legitimate tools which could be used by any IT specialist.
Check out any disabled tools and software – You can tell that an attack is close to being launched if Active Directory and your domain controllers are disabled. Next, any backup data the criminals have found will be corrupted. And any systems that automatically deploy software will also be disabled, to stop your attempts to update your computers after an attack. Something called PowerShell will then be used to spread everything across your network.
Help, I’m under attack! What do I do?
Ok, don’t panic. Firstly, it’s important to regain control of your RDP sessions (remember, the remote access we mentioned earlier on). This will stop attackers coming in again. And will also cut off their control access. You can force a password change across your core systems, which will also throw your attackers out. However, it’s worth noting that this is pointless if your RDP access is not cut off and controlled, as the attackers will just re-enter.
Pick up the phone and get directly in touch with your IT support team (like us!). We’re the specialists who can stay calm in a crisis and get to work ensuring you win this battle vs the hackers.
We’ve got you covered.
If you’d like more info on the systems and tools we’ve mentioned in this blog, don’t hesitate to get in touch here and we can provide that for you, OR if you’re looking for an IT support team who work at expert level, then give us a call for that to..
We’ve got it! We’ve got the key, we’ve got the secret!!! (High five if you sang that too)
Ok, we’ll level up with you here. As IT professionals, we’ve seen things, things that would horrify you, things that would bring you nightmares, things that you would never ever wish to encounter in your own business…
We’re talking security breaches, data theft and file corruption. It only takes one click by a team member on a bad link before your whole world comes crashing down around you – and that’s something NOBODY wants to deal with.
So, what’s this top secret behind keeping your data as secure as possible?
Other than ensuring you have a top notch IT service provider team on hand (oh, hi there!), we also recommend that every business should invest in cyber security training for their team annually.
Yep, everyone should take part in data secure training every year from entry level to CEO because a strong cyber security culture is one of the best ways to keep your business safe from the increasingly sophisticated threats out there. After all, the hackers don’t rest so neither should you.
Do you know the lingo?
The hackers are ALWAYS trying something new, but here’s a few key terms of what they can get up to given half a chance:
Crypto locking: When they access your data and then lock you out of the access
Spear fishing: Instead of phishing, which is aimed at anyone, this is targeted at specific individuals. Typically the attacker has spent time learning a lot of information about you (your name, role, company information, etc). And then uses this to their advantage.
Whaling: Also known as CEO fraud, this is when the hackers target the person at the top of the company, the one with the most sensitive data. Whaling attacks are often planned for a long period of time. And when they work, give huge financial gain to the cyber criminals.
Pharming: When you’re asked to take an action on what looks like a familiar website. Except if you look very carefully, the website address is slightly different to normal. It’s a scam site, and any information you enter will go to the criminals. There is a scarier version of pharming where the criminals manage to divert traffic going to the real website. These are really hard to detect. But often there are tiny little clues that give the fake sites away, if you know what to look for.
Spoofing: the term for when you receive an email pretending to be from someone you know – such as your accounts department. And it’s asking you to go to a link to reconfirm your details. This type of scam is often used to download malware or ransomware rather than to steal your credentials.
Smishing: Phishing with text messages (SMS)
Vishing: Phishing on the phone, or voice phishing. You receive a phone call from a blocked or unusual number. The caller will pretend to be from somewhere familiar and ask you to carry out actions, or make a payment.
Want to stay safe, secure and hacker-free? Yep, get in touch here and we’ll get onto this for you stat!
We know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking, where can I find everything I need to know about backing up Office 365… are we right? Thought so! Luckily, we had the same idea so we put everything down in one place for you right here…
As a platform, Office 365 is super secure BUT it’s crucial that you’re aware that your data is NOT backed up as it should be. There’s no trawling through your recycle bins here, with only a 30 day retention period, once it’s gone, it’s gone, zilch, nada, eliminated forever.
Well that’s not cool right?
It’s up to YOU, the user, to safeguard your data on office 365, particularly as Microsoft cannot be held accountable for protection and data retention – which can lead to some pretty serious problems later down the line. What would happen if you lost it all, your spreadsheets, your word docs, your emails, your diary? Exactly, you need to back it up and quick!
How can I back up my Office 365? It’s actually pretty straightforward once you get onto it – there’s a ton of solutions available and your talented IT service provider (who, us?) can advise on the best way forward for you and your business data. The Office 365 solutions are also pretty darn flexible which means you can keep your data for as long as you like, plus you can tailor it to ensure you meet the compliance needs of your business, including GDPR. They’re also easily scalable so it can grow with your business as it expands. You can restore info directly to the form required such as an Office 365 mailbox, an email attachment or a PST file.
Great! So, how quickly can I install the Office 365 backup procedure? The good news here is that it takes barely any time at all meaning there’ll minimal disruption to your day and your business once you’ve set it going.
What does the Office 365 backup mean for my data safeguarding?
All of your data on the platform will be safe and secure, plus a number of the solutions available also support Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business too.
So, I need to recover data, how easy is that to do? Very! You can find and restore specific data sets, plus on some of the solutions available you can enable quick search and item recovery including mailboxes, folders, messages and tasks in existing or archived – there when you need it!
How often should I back it up? We always advise backing up your data on the regular. They run in the background and have no impact whatsoever on how you use the Office 365 platform. Most of the available backup solutions are done automatically which means you can cross that one off your to-do list!
So now that’s all your questions answered, we can give you a hand in finding the very best Office 365 backup solution for you! Simply drop us a line or give us a call here and we’ll get straight onto that for you.
Ok, so as a Business owner or CEO, you don’t expect to come back off holiday to find you’re £24,000 out of pocket right? What a way to head back down to reality with a crash. Unfortunately, this tale of woe has happened very recently to one of our new clients. Whilst abroad, hackers who have been monitoring his emails for a while, swooped in to change the payment details to one of his main suppliers. His staff didn’t notice the switch, and voila, the hackers were suddenly £12k richer.
Our client on the other hand still had to pay his supplier which meant he finished his holiday £24k down. Not cool. Which is why he got in contact with us to ensure he was protected for the future.
Email hacking can be highly lucrative, and when done right (or wrong, whichever way you look at it), hackers can change your passwords, access your bank accounts and pretty much take control of any apps or sensitive data in your files.
Prevention is better than dealing with the aftermath, so what can you put in place to ensure you never end up in the same shoes?
Multi-factor authentication
Every time you log in to your email or any other system, you can confirm it’s you via another device. Usually done on a mobile phone by receiving a code, it’s straightforward, quick and increases your security.
Monitoring for unauthorised email forwarders
Some hackers are in it for the long game. Once receiving access to your email, they sit and wait for days, weeks or even months waiting for the best opportunity. They can set up unauthorised email forwarders to monitor anything going out; it doesn’t even need to be a senior staff members, it’s amazing how much we can give away in our day to day emails.
Email back-up
Unless specifically bought, your emails are not backed up and therefore not protected. Proper back up ensures your IT company has a number of options in the event of an email hack attack including a complete reboot without losing any crucial emails.
AI email screening
If you’ve been emailing a guy called Jon, and one day they sign off their email using their full name of Jonathan, this may seem insignificant to you but AI will pick up this sudden small change and investigate further. It’s sometimes the smallest details which can be a giveaway.
Improved security endpoints
Sounds like IT jargon, and it is (our bad!) but basically this means that every single computer you use to access emails is locked down and protected. From enhanced security to encrypted data and even preventing any usb devices from working when plugged in.
Office 365 advanced threat protection
You absolutely need this. It’s robust Microsoft protection working for you behind the scenes. Your IT company should know the correct way to implement it for your specific setup
Awareness training
The last line of defence is you and your staff. By ensuring everyone is trained up to spot the signs, stay protected and to question any thing which may arouse even the slightest of suspicions.
Business process culture
Follow processes to the letter, particularly when it comes to things like approving payments, cutting a corner (even a very small one) is when a fraudster can jump straight in and do their worst.
If you fancy a chat on how to ensure you’re fully covered against the evils of hackers, then we’re here to answer your questions and put a plan or system in place for you. Give us a bell, drop us an email or send us an instant message (you can find the icon on the bottom corner of the screen). Better safe than sorry right?
Cyber criminals, hackers, phishers and other ne’re-do-wells will never stop devising new ways to part honest citizens with their money. Bogus websites are another way these fraudsters are tricking people out of their hard-earned pay. These criminals create web pages for businesses that look perfectly legitimate. They offer incredible deals on expensive items. They even use the widely recognised Trusted Shop Trustmark. They are far from reputable, however. How can you tell the difference? There are a few clues to look for. The first one is, if it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.
Ways to Protect Yourself from Bogus Websites
Run the company name through a search engine and examine the results. Check and see if anyone else is talking about them online. Do the words ‘fraud’ and ‘ripoff’ come up quite a lot? Find out why that is. Try to find a business address and phone number as well. Call the number if you’re still unsure.
Consult the Trusted Shops Facebook page to see if there is any mention of the website you are suspicious of. Contact Trusted Shops on 0203 364 5906 or email them at emailservice@trustedshops.co.uk.
Use your best judgement. Be wary. Never send cash or check. Use a credit card or Paypal to give yourself some protection.
Verify the website is authentic by checking it against the lists available athttps://who.is/. This site provides the name and address of website owners.
An example of a fraudulent website would be site which has advertised high-end merchandise well below market value. The site will offer to accept credit cards. When the user clicks to provide card information, the only payment option is to pay via bank transfer. The user may be assured as to the site’s legitimacy due to the fraudulent Trusted Shop Trustmark. Needless to say, providing funds to these fraudsters does not result in anexchange of goods.
AGT Computers can perform a full security audit of your business to make sure you and your network are safe from hackers, phishers and thieves. We can also offer solutions for all your security needs including antivirus, anti spam and malware protection. We would also be more than happy to provide you with a number of affordable solutions for all of your information technology needs. We not only provide full IT support, at AGT Computer Services we also provide cloud storage to businesses in the Blackpool, Lancashire, Lytham and Fylde area. We are a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions and can work with you to meet all of your personal computer or company’s IT needs.
If you’ve read our two previous posts on the subject of outsourcing IT support, then you know two of the major benefits of doing so: saving time and money.Increased productivity is another benefit. This third installment highlights a few of the advantages of using a third party to provide IT support to your business, including keeping systems updated with the latest software and virus protection. Increased productivity is another benefit.
Increase Your Employee’s Output
In addition to saving time and money by outsourcing your IT support, there’s another reason for doing so. This may not be as obvious, but outsourcing IT can help your staff be more productive in their own work. When your employees no longer have to spend time dealing with technical issues, installing updates and combating malware and viruses, they can concentrate better on their work. This undistracted focus increases productivity which in turn strengthens the bottom line of any business.
Take Advantage of the Knowledge of Others
By outsourcing IT, companies can also take advantage of the latest training and technology. Using a reliable third party is a way to capitalize on the knowledge and skills of these workers who must stay up-to-date on the latest developments in software and hardware. IT is continually changing, most small and midsize businesses don’t have the time or resources to keep up. With outsourced IT solutions, they don’t have to. There are also the added benefits of things like disaster recovery plans that will keep things running even when networks go down.
Is your company ready to outsource some or all of its IT needs? If you are, or if you still have questions, give AGT Computers a call. We would be more than happy to provide you with a number of affordable solutions for all of your information technology needs. We not only provide full IT support, at AGT Computer Services we also provide cloud storage to businesses in the Blackpool, Lancashire, Lytham and Fylde area. Let your employees focus on their work while we focus on your IT issues. We are a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions and can work with you to meet all of your personal computer or company’s IT needs.
Just how important having is reliable IT support to your business? Just imagine operating without it. That means there would be no one to install the latest software updates across your network. There would be no one to help protect your network against malware and viruses and attacks and theft from hackers. No one who would get your computers and network back up and running after a power failure or natural or manmade disaster. How important is reliable IT support to a business? It’s absolutely critical.
Businesses, no matter what size, cannot hope to survive in today’s digital world without IT support, but keeping full-time IT workers on the payroll can be prohibitively expensive. Is outsourcing the answer for your company? This is the second installment of AGT Computer’s three part series on outsourcing IT support to a trusted third party.
Time is Money
You’ve no doubt heard the term, time is money. Nowhere is this more true than in business. Training new IT employees takes both time and money. It is an ongoing cost of doing business and it’s an expense that adds up over time. Many businesses cannot afford to cover this constant need for training, but neither can they afford to employ in-house IT support staff who lack the right skills and knowledge to fully benefit the company. Proper training is added insurance against being left in the lurch when systems go down.
Another aspect of keeping IT support on staff is the time it takes for the recruitment of new IT workers. That’s time that your employees could better spend on other things. Even if you do have a trusted IT employee or several on staff, outsourcing can complement their skills even further. This provides a higher level of support, and the outsourced help won’t take a holiday or call in sick.
Check back for more information on the benefits of outsourcing IT support for small and medium-sized companies. Until then, if you have read enough and think your company might be ready to outsource some, or all, of its IT needs, then give AGT Computers a call. We would be happy to provide you with a list of affordable solutions for all of your information technology needs. In addition to full IT support, at AGT Computer Services, we also provide cloud storage to businesses in the Blackpool, Lancashire, Lytham and Fylde area. Let your employees focus on their work while we focus on your IT issues. We are a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions and can work with you to meet all of your personal computer or company’s IT needs.
