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Can Your Small Business Afford the Risk?

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small business it protectionThe average cost of a cyberattack now exceeds $1 million, reports Security Magazine. Can you afford to lose that kind of money and remain in business? Most small businesses can’t, but more than half of those small businesses responding to a recent security report survey experienced a breach last year. In fact, according to Accenture, 43% percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% of small businesses are prepared to defend themselves. According to Kaspersky, more than a third of small businesses fell victim to cyberattacks in 2019. Even more concerning is the fact that more than two-thirds of small business leaders do not believe they are a target.

Steps Your Small Business Must Take Now to Survive

Every organization needs to take the threat of cyberattack more seriously, especially in light of recent tensions that make cyber warfare more likely than ever.  Start with these 5 steps:

  1. Backup and disaster recovery. Avoid paying ransoms and losing access to your data, by having a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plan. This plan should include offsite backups of your data that are isolated from and not accessible by your network, as well as contingency planning for how your organization will handle data recovery, designating specific people for specific rolls. Read our guide on creating an effective disaster recovery plan.
  1. Regular updates. Not only should you have strong anti-virus and malware protection, but you should also ensure that you regularly install patches, upgrade software, and manage apps to avoid security risk. In particular, there should be no instances of Windows 7 operating at all.
  1. Strong policies. In addition to limiting data access to only those employees who actually need access to perform their jobs, you should implement strict policies for using personal devices to access the company network from public Wi-Fi, strong mobile device security requirements for all devices used for work, and ongoing training requirements for all employees.
  1. Email security. In addition to securely hosted email, establish policies regarding payment and information requests sent by email. Email security and training are essential.
  1. Multifactor authentication. Password security is no longer adequate to protect your network and your data. Require multifactor authentication for access to any part of your network. This should include a password that is combined with a secondary, required security protocol, such as a mobile authentication app for quick push notifications, as well as some form of biometric security.

Whether you are a healthcare firm, an oil and gas company, a legal firm, or a part of the many other industries The ITeam supports, such as construction and accounting, organizations need strong IT security. The ITeam understands the IT security issues facing Canada businesses. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.

better IT is better for business

Better IT = Better Business

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Business leaders around the world were surveyed about their concerns going into the next decade. The top concerns included risk management, talent strategy, and innovation. One way for business leaders to ensure that they remain on the competitive edge as they work to address these concerns is through a well-aligned, proactive IT strategy. Better IT is good for business.

Risk Management

From data breaches to regulatory concerns, risk management is a key factor in business strategy. It is also one area in which an organization’s IT strategy can be used as a tool to limit, and in some cases, eliminate, risk. These are the top 10 risks as rated by Protiviti:

  1. Regulatory changes and scrutiny may impact operational resilience and production and delivery of products and services;
  2. Economic conditions may significantly restrict growth opportunities;
  3. Succession challenges and ability to attract and retain top talent may be more difficult;
  4. Limited operational resilience of legacy IT infrastructure and digital capabilities may restrict the organization’s ability to compete with ‘born digital’ players;
  5. Resistance to change may restrict organizational agility;
  6. Preparedness to manage cyber threats may be insufficient;
  7. Ensuring privacy/identity management and information security/system protection may be challenging;
  8. Company culture may not empower timely identification and escalation of risk issues;
  9. Sustaining customer loyalty and retention may be increasingly difficult;
  10. Adoption of AI-enabled technologies may require new skills that are either in short supply or require significant upskilling/reskilling of existing employees.

Talent Strategy 

Attracting talent in today’s tough and competitive environment is more difficult than ever. It’s not just IT talent that’s hard to find; but acquiring and retaining skilled talent in every area of business has become and ongoing challenge. With a robust IT infrastructure and a well-planned IT strategy, you can attract stronger talent by offering more workplace flexibility and demonstrating your ability to stand apart from the crowd by offering innovative and cutting-edge technology and tools for your employees.

Innovation 

If your organization is always putting out fires, worrying whether or not your server will crash or that someone will click on the wrong link, you simply don’t have the brain space to be innovative. When your business is functioning at peak efficiency, you and your team have time to think creatively and develop solutions that give you a competitive edge.

Working with a managed IT team can:

  • Increase uptime for better customer service
  • Ensure timely updates to software for better security
  • Improve competitiveness and increase speed to market
  • Increase budget flexibility
  • Improve efficiency and productivity to allow for innovation
  • Improve your ability to attract strong talent

The outlook for Canadian businesses is improving, and you can capitalize on this opportunity. A better IT strategy supports your business by reducing risk, as well as improving your ability to attract talent and your opportunity to innovate. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.

your password IS the problem

Your Password IS a Problem

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Data security is something every organization in Canada must contend with. Implementing layers of security and 24/7 threat detection can help provide protection, like leaving the your door locked at all times so no one can just walk into your business. But when your staff (executives included) reuse passwords across a variety of different sites and apps, they’ve essentially left the keys to your most valuable information in the lock.

The Password Problem

the password problemHackers have passwords, and they know that people use them on multiple sites. As well, hackers use social engineering to know which executives in your organization have financial roles. And they can use the password they stole from a shopper’s club loyalty card account database, for instance, and try it on your network. And this method often works.  Hackers also know that the more complex passwords become, the more likely people are to come up with two or three variations of one that works (i.e., it meets all the criteria for one capital letter, one number, one symbol) and reuse it everywhere – from their grocery store loyalty card accounts to your network.

But it’s more than just the repeated use of the same passwords across different apps and sites that poses a risk to your business; it’s the fact that many people don’t change their passwords even after being notified of a breach. How many of your employees are still using the same passwords (or variations) following the Yahoo data breach? The LinkedIn breach? The Capital One breach?

It Takes More than Passwords to Keep Your Data Safe

Yes, you still need to have strict password policies. But in addition to that, you must:

  • Provide ongoing, in-depth training to your staff about threats, including common email threats
  • Establish and follow a strict patching regimen so that you prevent potential access to your data through a back door
  • Implement as many barriers as possible against a data breach, including layers of security (firewalls, malware detection, network security)
  • Monitor your systems 24/7 for threats
  • Delete access immediately – including remote access – for any employee who leaves the company
  • Require a multi-factor authentication to access any secure area of your network
  • Have the capability of logging and monitoring who is doing what inside your network

Protecting data is one of the most complex issues facing organizations today. It’s not just about PIPEDA compliance, although that is a significant factor, but it’s also about protecting proprietary data, customer information, trade secrets, and financial information. Complicating all of this are the hackers who continue to develop more insidious ways to penetrate your defenses, gain access to your data, and either sell it or use it for financial gain. Employing best practices does make a difference.

Data breaches are not going away, but you can minimize the risk to your organization with strong IT security and a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. You can’t just address one of these issues; you must have a comprehensive, proactive data security program that addresses all of these risks and more.

The ITeam understands the IT security issues facing businesses in Canada. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.

does your it strategy support your business strategy

Does Your IT Strategy Support Your Business Strategy?

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As the year hastens toward its final days, most organizations are gearing up for 2020 with a renewed sense of purpose and solid business strategies. While developing your strategy, you may have some concerns about the unknowns facing your business and industry. But if you are preparing your plan for the coming year without including your IT strategy and infrastructure needs assessment, you’re missing a core piece of your ability to remain competitive, differentiated, and functional. Does your IT strategy support your business strategy?

IT Deserves a Seat at the Planning Table

Business strategy and IT strategy are two sides of the same coin. Yet most businesses look at IT and IT investment as a cost, not an opportunity. Whether you’re launching new products in 2020, planning to hire new staff, rolling out an app, or adding a new location, IT strategy is an essential piece of every goal. Do your new products include IoT components? What resources will be required to launch a new product or service? What kind of equipment will you need to add new people to your network? How will you handle security and training? As you plan for changes, growth, and the future of your business, IT should be a factor in every decision. Your IT team – internal and outsourced – should be part of your planning process.

Proactive IT Planning Saves You Time and Money

If you don’t include IT in your strategic planning, ultimately it will still be something you have to deal with. Unanticipated needs and adjustments will just end up costing you more, slowing you down, or complicating your plans. Proactive IT planning is essential for ensuring that you can meet your strategic objectives. It forces you to consider how your current infrastructure and support will enable you to deliver on your goals, identify where gaps are in your IT support, and establish what will be required to accomplish your strategic plan.

A Symbiotic Relationship

The more closely you can align your IT to your business strategy, the stronger your organization will be. It’s not just about cybersecurity, although that is certainly a piece of the puzzle. It’s about having a mindset in which your IT infrastructure, security, technology, and assets are considered integral pieces of your entire business strategy puzzle and not simply an afterthought.

The ITeam partners with businesses to ensure that their IT strategies and business strategies align. We understand the challenges facing Canada businesses and are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.

can you catch a phish

Catching Phish: Email Security for Your Team

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Email is the gateway used by most hackers to launch their nefarious schemes. Today’s hackers are far more sophisticated than before, and they’re willing to take their time to gather the information they need to successfully hack into your organization. Your best phish defense – besides layers of security and a great MSP partner – is employee education. Training your staff on what to look for in a phishing email and to be cautious with every email – even those that look like they come from your CEO – could potentially save your organization hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The First Danger of a Phishing Email: Know Who It’s From

Be honest: If you were busy and you received an email from john@qutterinstallers.com, would you really notice that the email address was off by one letter? Now go back and look at the email address. You probably thought it read ‘john at Gutterinstallers.com,’ right? But in reality, it read ‘john at Qutterinstallers.com.’ Yes, hackers are that subtle. Because not only can they make emails look like they have been sent from an internal address, but they can also insert themselves mid-conversation into an email thread so that you really do think you’re talking to the right person. This is why every email requires the same vigilance – even if you think it’s from your boss or best client.

Hackers can also make it look as if an email was sent from john@Gutterinstallers.com, but when you hover over the email link (try it here), you’ll see that, in fact, it was sent from hacked@hackerswin.com.

phish

Keep these questions in mind with every email you receive:

  • Is the sender unfamiliar to you?
  • When you hover over the email address, is it different than what appears in the header?
  • Is the email out of character?
  • Is the email from someone outside of your organization and asking you to do something outside of your typical role?
  • Is the sender a stranger?
  • Does the email include a link or attachment?

No Action without Asking

It should be the policy of every company not to pay invoices, click links, open attachments, or take other actions without at least asking if it’s possible that the email could be fake. Look for these telltale clues and red flags in an email header:

  • Did the email arrive at an odd hour?
  • Is it from someone you don’t know or addressed differently than you would expect?
  • Is your name spelled incorrectly?
  • Is the email sent to multiple people, making the same request?

When you’re always on high alert about the potential risks of email, you’ll start noticing when something seems off. Watch for these clues:

  • Is it asking you to do something that’s not really your job?
  • Is there a sense of urgency or threat from the email that attempts to emotionally compromise you into taking action?

Don’t Click

If there is a link in an email, you should be on high alert. You can often tell when it’s a phishing email. Try these steps: When you hover over (but don’t click) on the link, does it go to a different website than what it says in the text? Does the hyperlink look similar to a legitimate website but differ, if only slightly?

Don’t Open

Does the email contain an attachment? Is the attachment a file of any type other than a text file (.txt)? Were you expecting the attachment because of a previous conversation or is it out of the blue? Does the message seem to pressure you into taking action of some kind?

Protect Your Organization Against Phishing Attacks

Strong spam filtering can stop most phishing emails, but some will still make it through. At this point, your employees are your final line of defence against an attack. Yes, your firewall and threat management software should protect you, but without extensive training and awareness,  a plan of action to protect your data, and non-stop vigilance, email may be what brings your organization down.

Download The ITeam’s Email Security Guide

Your greatest weakness can also be your greatest strength if you invest the necessary time and resources in educating your employees. When education is provided, employees become a partner in your overall cybersecurity efforts. The ITeam understands the email security issues facing Canada businesses. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.