Yet Most Businesses Don’t Have Even One!

When it comes to backing up and protecting your company’s critical data, you need to know for certain – without any lingering doubts – that you could recover your files and be back up and running again fast after a natural disaster, server crash, hacker attack or other data-erasing event.

Yet most business owners don’t know for sure if all of their data is being backed up. Even fewer conduct regular test restores to ensure that their backups are actually working, and many don’t have a clue what they would do if they suddenly lost their data or ability to access it due to a fire, flood or other disaster. To make matters worse, almost no one keeps records of software licenses and discs that are necessary to restore a corrupt or critically damaged server – so even IF they are lucky enough to have all their data, they soon realize that data backup is only one component and doesn’t necessarily guarantee a speedy recovery.

If I just described you, I urge you to drop what you are doing right now and keep reading!

We specialize in keeping critical computer and IT systems up, running and problem free for small to medium businesses. Unfortunately, many of the companies we meet with DON’T have a reliable backup and disaster recovery system in place and are “hoping” that their current tape backup will work when they need it.

And since fewer than *10% of small and medium business owners have a solid disaster recovery plan in place, we’re making it our personal mission to educate as many  business owners as possible about the dangers of not having a rock solid offsite backup and disaster recovery plan for their data and critical IT systems.

3 Essentials Your Backup System Must Have 

Critical Element #1: Secure, Encrypted Offsite Backup

While we recommend that you have onsite backup, it’s absolutely critical to keep an encrypted copy of your data offsite as well. If a fire burns your office to the ground – or a thief breaks in and steals your server and equipment – or a natural disaster floods your office or makes it impossible to access your PCs and server, the onsite backup will be useless to you. And copying your data to a tape drive or other device and carrying it home every night isn’t the safest or smartest system either. Data needs to be encrypted to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands – and if you are storing “sensitive” data (like credit card numbers, financial documents, medical records and information or even client e-mail addresses and information) on an unencrypted portable device you may find yourself having a VERY uncomfortable conversation with your clients about

…how you exposed their data to an identity thief or hacker.

Critical Element #2: A Data Recovery And Disaster Recovery Plan

A HUGE mistake many business owners make is thinking that data backup is the same as disaster recovery – it’s not. Many business owners are shocked to find out just how long and arduous the process is to get all their data back after a disaster – and that’s IF they have a good, clean copy of ALL their data (most are surprised to find out they don’t). Just having a copy of your data isn’t enough; you need to have a plan in place to get everything restored quickly, which is something that tape drives and other physical backup devices don’t offer.

Critical Element #3: Test Restores

After you have a good backup system in place, you need to test it regularly to make sure it works. Point is, there’s something wrong if you aren’t doing this simple check at least once a month (possibly more for more critical data). If your current IT company or person is not doing this, you can’t have any confidence in your current backup system.

Free Data Backup Audit Reveals
How Reliable Your Backup Really Is

As a prospective client, I’d like to give you a complimentary audit of your current data backup system so you can know for sure just how fast you could get back up and running in the event of a disaster – if at all. Normally we charge $499 for this type of review, but we’ve decided to extend this to a small, select group of companies we’d like to introduce ourselves to. I know that choosing an IT provider can be difficult and confusing. Often you don’t have the time or expertise to determine if they are doing a good job for you, which is why I want to extend this offer to you at no cost or obligation.

I also want to be clear that there is no hidden agenda of any kind when you request your free Data Backup Audit, and you won’t be harassed by a high-pressure salesman. At the end of the audit we’ll give you a simple report of findings. If we find something amiss, we’ll explain it to you in plain English and give you recommendations on what you can do to resolve it. If you’d like us to help you at that point then you simply need to ask.

So what do you have to lose? At the very least you’ll get a third-party opinion, absolutely free. To request this service, simply go online to http://www.datatechitp.com/managed-it-services/ and complete the brief form. You can also call us at (813) 874-5511 or e-mail us at sales@datatechitp.com

Dedicated to serving you,

Mike Puckett

When a child is using your computer, normal safeguards and security practices may not be sufficient. Children present additional challenges because of their natural characteristics: innocence, curiosity, desire for independence, and fear of punishment. You need to consider these characteristics when determining how to protect your data and the child.

You may think that because the child is only playing a game, or researching a term paper, or typing a homework assignment, he or she can’t cause any harm. But what if, when saving her paper, the child deletes a necessary program file? Or what if she unintentionally visits a malicious web page that infects your computer with a virus? These are just two possible scenarios. Mistakes happen, but the child may not realize what she’s done or may not tell you what happened because she’s afraid of getting punished.

Online predators present another significant threat, particularly to children. Because the nature of the internet is so anonymous, it is easy for people to misrepresent themselves and manipulate or trick other users (see Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for some examples). Adults often fall victim to these ploys, and children, who are usually much more open and trusting, are even easier targets. Another growing problem is cyberbullying. These threats are even greater if a child has access to email or instant messaging programs, visits chat rooms, and/or uses social networking sites.

What can you do?

• Be involved - Consider activities you can work on together, whether it be playing a game, researching a topic you had been talking about (e.g., family vacation spots, a particular hobby, a historical figure), or putting together a family newsletter. This will allow you to supervise your child’s online activities while teaching her good computer habits.
• Keep your computer in an open area - If your computer is in a high-traffic area, you will be able to easily monitor the computer activity. Not only does this accessibility deter a child from doing something she knows she’s not allowed to do, it also gives you the opportunity to intervene if you notice a behavior that could have negative consequences.
• Set rules and warn about dangers - Make sure your child knows the boundaries of what she is allowed to do on the computer. These boundaries should be appropriate for the child’s age, knowledge, and maturity, but they may include rules about how long she is allowed to be on the computer, what sites she is allowed to visit, what software programs she can use, and what tasks or activities she is allowed to do.You should also talk to children about the dangers of the internet so that they recognize suspicious behavior or activity. Discuss the risks of sharing certain types of information (e.g., that they’re home alone) and the benefits to only communicating and sharing information with people they know (see Using Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms Safely, Staying Safe on Social Network Sites, and the document Socializing Securely: Using Social Networking Services for more information). The goal isn’t to scare them, it’s to make them more aware. Make sure to include the topic of cyberbullying in these discussions (seeDealing with Cyberbullies for more information).
• Monitor computer activity - Be aware of what your child is doing on the computer, including which websites she is visiting. If she is using email, instant messaging, or chat rooms, try to get a sense of who she is corresponding with and whether she actually knows them.
• Keep lines of communication open - Let your child know that she can approach you with any questions or concerns about behaviors or problems she may have encountered on the computer.
• Consider partitioning your computer into separate accounts - Most operating systems give you the option of creating a different user account for each user. If you’re worried that your child may accidentally access, modify, and/or delete your files, you can give her a separate account and decrease the amount of access and number of privileges she has.If you don’t have separate accounts, you need to be especially careful about your security settings. In addition to limiting functionality within your browser (see Evaluating Your Web Browser’s Security Settings for more information), avoid letting your browser remember passwords and other personal information (see Browsing Safely: Understanding Active Content and Cookies). Also, it is always important to keep your virus definitions up to date (see Understanding Anti-Virus Software).
• Consider implementing parental controls - You may be able to set some parental controls within your browser. For example, Internet Explorer allows you to restrict or allow certain websites to be viewed on your computer, and you can protect these settings with a password. To find those options, click Toolson your menu bar, select Internet Options, choose the Content tab, and click the Enable… button under Content Advisor.There are other resources you can use to control and/or monitor your child’s online activity. Some ISPs offer services designed to protect children online. Contact your ISP to see if any of these services are available. There are also special software programs you can install on your computer. Different programs offer different features and capabilities, so you can find one that best suits your needs.

Additional information

The following websites offer additional information about protecting children online:

• GetNetWise - http://kids.getnetwise.org/
• StaySafeOnline - http://www.staysafeonline.org/
• Stop. Think. Connect. - http://www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect

Authors

Mindi McDowell and Allen Householder

Towards the end of the video it talks about a huge security breach involving a NY Insurance company that was uncovered that involved 300 pages of individual medical records.

The copiers and multi-function printers in your office, if left unsecured, can be one of the biggest threats to the security of your data. In most offices, copiers and printers see the majority of files and documents that are stored in one fashion or another. This could be new hire paperwork that is copied, or client materials being printed on a multi-function printer. While this may seem like normal, everyday harmless activities, in reality you are setting yourself up for disaster by not taking the proper security precautions.

Modern day copiers and multi-function printers come standard with internal hard drives that store all of the data that goes through them. While this is a very convenient feature that allows for reproduction of documents at a later time without need of the original document, if someone outside of your organization was to get a hold of the data, you could be left in serious trouble.

This is one of the many vulnerabilities that are addressed during a security risk assessment. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us to schedule your FREE IT Assessment!

Cloud based e-mail (aka “Hosted Exchange”) is often a much easier way of eliminating e-mail downtime, slow performance and annoying spam messages. Here’s how it works: Instead of you purchasing and maintaining your e-mail in house which can be costly and time consuming, your e-mail server is hosted (and maintained) in a high-performance, high-security hosting company “in the cloud” where you can access it securely from any device or PC.

Best of all, you don’t have to make any changes in HOW you access your e-mail – your messages will simply be delivered to your inbox, phone, or other device faster and with fewer issues, and will always be synchronized and up-to-date!

Here are just a few of the advantages:

• Synchronized access to your e-mail and calendar from anywhere. You don’t have to remote into your office PC; now you can securely access your e-mail from any device or PC.
• No more software, hardware or maintenance costs. YOU don’t have to purchase the hardware and software, nor do you have to maintain the system. This is all included in a very low monthly fee.
• High speed, “always on” e-mail. The Hosted Exchange platforms we provide our clients are high-performance systems with multiple “fail over” backup servers, maintained and monitored like Fort Knox; something you wouldn’t need for your small business. However, since you are hosting on this platform, you get all the benefits of a high-performance system without the costs. Your in-house network could go down and you’d STILL have access to your e-mail, contacts and calendar.
• Automatic backups and archiving. What would you do if your in-house e-mail server failed and erased your messages? Or what if a disgruntled employee deleted all their e-mails? If you were hosting your Exchange, these would be non-issues since your e-mails are backed up daily and secured.

How To Get Rid Of All Your E-mail Problems,
Finally And Forever!

Want to know if Cloud based e-mail is right for you? Contact us for a no obligation, no-pressure “Cloud Email Readiness Assessment.” We’ll show you how much it will save your company in hardware, software and support costs and let you know if there are any hidden “gotchas” to consider for your business. If you decide to switch your e-mail to a hosted solution with us (and you are under no obligation), we’ll even waive the setup fee.

Contact us during the month of May 2013 to secure your FREE Cloud Email Readiness Assessment!
Sales@DataTechITP.com or (813) 874-5511

In the private and public sectors, enterprise IT managers have had various degrees of success in managing the security risks of off-the-shelf mobile devices on their networks. For the CIO of the United States Army, the problem of maintaining network security in an environment that includes commercial mobile devices (CMDs) is of special importance.

After testing Apple iOs and Android-powered CMDs in the field and administrative offices, the Army Vice-Chief of Staff directed the Army CIO to begin to procure them in 2009 to replace some more costly dedicated hardware and software devices. Recently, the Inspector General’s Office examined how well the Army has been doing at tracking, configuring and maintaining the security of mobile devices on its networks.

The auditors limited themselves to devices running Apple iOs, Android and Windows Mobile OS and visited sites at United States Military Academy, Army Corps of Engineers and the Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

They found that the Army’s CIO “did not implement an effective cybersecurity program for CMDs” and that the CIO did not “appropriately track CMDs and was unaware of more than 14,000 CMDs used throughout the Army.”

Army Mobile Device Management Audits

The auditors concluded that the sites they visited were not using mobile device management to consistently configure devices to protect stored information and that none of them had the capacity to wipe data stores on CMDs that were lost or stolen. Further the auditors concluded that CIOs at USMA and the Army Corps of Engineers Research Center were “allowed to store sensitive data on CMDs that acted as removable storage devices.” The CIOs at these facilities did not offer any training on securing the devices or have users sign any agreements.

The auditors concluded that the deficiencies occurred because the Army CIO “did not develop a clear and comprehensive policy for mobile device management” and “inappropriately concluded that CMDs were not connecting to Army networks and storing sensitive information.” Read the Inspector General’s full report here.

In other words, no integrated system was in place to help CIOs of the various commands to discover, audit and proactively, consistently manage and secure mobile devices. A tool like Kaseya’s Mobile Device Management is a great place to start.

Contact Data-Tech to learn more about Kaseya Products.

Content from http://blog.kaseya.com/blog/2013/05/09/how-secure-are-the-armys-commercial-mobile-devices/

Here’s how I know…

Until recent years, businesses only had one option for phone service – “Ma Bell.” Yep, they had the perfect business model; or should I say monopoly! If you wanted phone service, you had to take whatever they were selling, good or bad because there were no other options…until now.

Thanks to major advancements in Internet communications, a new phone service alternative has arrived – and it’s rapidly overtaking traditional phone service. What is it?  Voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP.

Simply put, VoIP is a technology that allows you to make phone calls over the Internet with the same features, functions, and clarity of traditional phone service, but without the heavy costs and hidden fees..

So Why Is VoIP So Much Cheaper Than Traditional Phone Service? VoIP is cheaper than traditional phone service for 3 main reasons:

1. VoIP phone calls are much cheaper to make because the call is connected using the Internet rather than traditional phone lines.

This means you pay one monthly fee for all the calls you want to make regardless of the time of day or location. Plus, VoIP phone equipment costs less to maintain than traditional phone systems. This is because IP phones use the same wiring that the computer system does, leaving you only one set of wiring to maintain.

2. You get unlimited long distance. I have yet to find a VoIP service provider that does not include unlimited long distance (if you are thinking about switching to VoIP, make sure this feature is included).

Some VoIP providers even include fixed rate international add-ons, which can produce a windfall of savings for multinational businesses.

3. Moves, adds, and changes to your service are FREE. As you know, the phone company loves to ding your wallet every time you add or change a line.

Plus, the company that sold you the phone system charges for any type of “service call” that requires a technician to move, add, or make changes to your system.

With VoIP, most moves and changes are software-based so they can easily be performed by you or your current IT support person. Same holds true when adding extensions.

If you want to know if VoIP is right for you, give us a call! We can answer any question you have, conduct a price comparison, and help you get set up with a VoIP system!

Visit our VoIP page for more info

HIPAA / HITECH – What you need to know.

What does the final omnibus rule mean?

This webinar covers Core Measure 15, what the measure requires, what it means to your practice and what steps to take to be compliant.

During this presentation you’ll learn:

• The recently released Ominbus rule (The New HIPAA)
• What you need to have in place to show compliance
• Top 5 things you can do now to protect your practice from a breach
• Understanding a full Security Risk Assessment
• Why you need a Breach Notification and Contingency plan
• The single biggest missing key to your data’s security and protection that almost everyone overlooks and is completely vulnerable to.

Everyone who attends will also receive a FREE IT Risk Assessment for their organization that will reveal where your vulnerabilities and security weaknesses are, as well as provide you with a list of recommendations on how to protect your practice ($350 Value). Assessments are only provided to practices within the Tampa Bay Area.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 - 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST

Spyware is NOT harmless; it can be responsible for delivering a boatload of spam, altering your web browser, slowing down your PC, and serving up a bounty of pop-up ads. In some of the more extreme cases, spyware can also steal your identity, passwords, e-mail address book, and even use your PC for illegal activities.

Most spyware finds its way onto your computer via file downloads including free programs, music files, and screen savers found everywhere on the Internet. These nasty programs piggyback the download and run undetected on your computer collecting information about you and sending it out to a third party until they are removed. Although spyware has malicious components, it is not illegal, and it is not considered a virus because it doesn’t replicate itself or destroy data.

If you are experiencing one or more of these warning signs, chances are your computer is infected and you will need to seek professional help in getting the spyware removed.

#1. Your browser has been hijacked. If you open your Internet browser and a strange-looking homepage pops up and won’t go away, chances are you have a spyware program installed on your computer. You may also discover that you cannot modify your browser settings and that your favorites folder has been modified.

#2. You conduct a search but another (unauthorized) browser completes it for you. For example, you type a search term into Microsoft IE but another browser pops up and lists various websites tied to your search term. This is a surefire sign of a spyware infection. You’ll also notice that if you try and remove this program, it comes right back.

#3. Your computer is unstable, sluggish, locks up, or crashes frequently. Spyware programs run in the background taking up disk space and processor speed which will cause serious performance problems.

#4. You constantly get pop-up ads displayed on your screen, even if you aren’t browsing the Internet. Some of the ads may even be personalized with your name.

#5. You receive expensive phone bills for calls to 900 numbers that you didn’t make. Some spyware programs can use your computer to make calls on both a broadband and dial-up line.

#6. The send and receive lights on your modem blink actively as though you are surfing the Internet or downloading files online, even though you aren’t. More than likely this is due to spyware programs sending and receiving information via your computer without your permission or acknowledgement.

#7. Mysterious files suddenly start appearing on your computer, your files are moved or deleted, or the icons on your desktop and toolbars are blank or missing.

#8. Your CD drawer starts opening and closing by itself.

#9. You find e-mails in your “Sent Items” folder that you didn’t send.

Because spyware is so prevalent on the Internet, it’s a good idea to scan your system once a week to clear out any potential infections. Most spyware programs are designed to run undetected by the user. That means you could be infected and not even know it.

Contact Data-Tech if you think you have been a victim of spyware and we can help get your system back up and secured.

www.datatechitp.com

Network discovery is the process of identifying devices attached to a network. It establishes the current state and health of your IT infrastructure. It’s essential… without visibility into your entire environment you can’t successfully accomplish even the basics of asset management or network management.  Network discovery should not be a snapshot in time, but a continuous ongoing process in real-time. Every IT management process depends on the reliability of the network discovery procedure.

What’s Really on Your Network?

Network discovery finds all the resources on your network and provides detailed physical connectivity, device type and asset/inventory and configuration information. It harvests information by both scanning the network for online machines and devices as well as harvesting information from the network directory (Active Directory).

Discovery enables all these important functions:

• Automatic device type identification
• Consolidated registration of all IT assets in an Asset Register
• Easy drill down to details on network devices
• IT services deployed automatically (or selectively) to discovered domain or non-domain systems
• Asset management of devices running all operating systems (Windows, Linux, or Mac)

Discovered Assets on Your IT Network

Once discovered, you can:

• Navigate, organize and manage the assets
• Print reports of discovered devices including their category labels
• Add additional tags that allow you to assign IT services
• Deploy additional management software further enabling the monitoring and management of network devices

For audit/inventory purposes as part of the network discovery process, Kaseya automatically collects comprehensive inventory/configuration information across networking devices. You can capture device information such as serial number, configuration information including VLANs and interfaces and systems inventory information including current OS version and patches.

Whether you need information to support internal requirements or external regulatory requirements, Kaseya makes it easy to discover, inventory, map and report on all of your network components.

Contact us to learn more about Kaseya’s 6.3 Discovery module for your IT network. 

Because USB drives, sometimes known as thumb drives, are small, readily available, inexpensive, and extremely portable, they are popular for storing and transporting files from one computer to another. However, these same characteristics make them appealing to attackers.

One option is for attackers to use your USB drive to infect other computers. An attacker might infect a computer with malicious code, or malware, that can detect when a USB drive is plugged into a computer. The malware then downloads malicious code onto the drive. When the USB drive is plugged into another computer, the malware infects that computer.

Some attackers have also targeted electronic devices directly, infecting items such as electronic picture frames and USB drives during production. When users buy the infected products and plug them into their computers, malware is installed on their computers.

Attackers may also use their USB drives to steal information directly from a computer. If an attacker can physically access a computer, he or she can download sensitive information directly onto a USB drive. Even computers that have been turned off may be vulnerable, because a computer’s memory is still active for several minutes without power. If an attacker can plug a USB drive into the computer during that time, he or she can quickly reboot the system from the USB drive and copy the computer’s memory, including passwords, encryption keys, and other sensitive data, onto the drive. Victims may not even realize that their computers were attacked.

The most obvious security risk for USB drives, though, is that they are easily lost or stolen (see Protecting Portable Devices: Physical Security for more information). If the data was not backed up, the loss of a USB drive can mean hours of lost work and the potential that the information cannot be replicated. And if the information on the drive is not encrypted, anyone who has the USB drive can access all of the data on it.