Cybercriminals Are Taking Aim At Your Business… Is Your Network Protected?

Cybercriminals love to test your defenses. They love to see how far they can get into the networks of businesses all over the globe. Cybercriminals really love going after small businesses because they can all too often sneak onto a network, copy data and move on. With ransomware, they can hold your data hostage and refuse to cooperate until you pay them some amount of dollars – and if you don’t pay up, they threaten to delete all your data, opening yourself up to fines from the ICO and the potential to lose clients.

But protecting yourself is not as hard as you might think. While cybercriminals and hackers are an everyday threat to businesses, you can take steps to significantly reduce that threat and take that target off your back.

The first thing you need to do is understand why cybercriminals target small businesses and what makes your business vulnerable. There are many things small businesses do and don’t do that open them to attack and data theft. These may include not having enough (or any) security in place or not training employees on security protocols.

Realistically speaking, the biggest threat to your business does, in fact, come from your own employees. This doesn’t mean they are intentionally harming your business or leaving your network exposed to outside threats. It means they don’t have the proper training and knowledge to protect your business from a cyberthreat.

For instance, your team needs to be trained to use strong passwords, and those passwords must be changed periodically (every three months is a good rule of thumb). A lot of people push back on strong, complicated passwords or use the same password for everything, but this is just asking for trouble and should not be allowed at your company.

Once strong passwords are in place, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on everything you possibly can, from network access to every account you and your employees use.

This is an additional layer of security on top of standard password protection. This feature is generally tied to a mobile number or secondary e-mail, or it may be in the form of a PIN. For example, when 2FA is enabled, after you’ve put in your password, you will be prompted for your PIN for the associated account.

Another thing you must do to get that target off your back is to get anti-malware software installed. Every workstation or device should have some form of this protection. Not sure what to use or do you have a couple of different ones? This is when working with a dedicated IT company can come in handy. They can help you get the right software that will meet your specific needs without slowing you down. They will install software that is compatible with your PCs and other networked equipment. Plus, they will make sure anti-malware software is working and is regularly

On top of this, you want to have an active firewall in place. Every business should have its network protected by a firewall; like antimalware software, firewall security comes with a number of different settings, and you can customise it to fit the needs of your network. Firewalls help keep attackers and malicious software off your network. When paired with a good anti-malware software, your layers of security are multiplied. The more layers, the better protected you are.

“You can take steps to significantly reduce that threat and take that target off your back.”

Finally, with the basics in place, your employees need to know what it all means. Keep your team up-to-date on your business’s security protocols. This includes items like your password policy, malware protection policy and proper e-mail and web-surfing etiquette. The bad guys are never going to stop attacking, but you have the power to protect your business from those attacks

SHINY NEW GADGET OF THE MONTH:
Blink 2 Camera System, £199.99, Amazon

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly multi-camera system, Blink is it. The system’s two totally wireless, full HD cameras are battery powered with a two year lifespan on two AA batteries.

installation is fuss-free and you can add up to 10 cameras to the system. A separate mains powered hub module links all the cameras into your home wifi. A 4G chip in this hub means it’ll keep on working even if your home internet goes down.

For under £200, you get motion-triggered video recording with free storage, instant smartphone alerts, live streaming and a temperature sensor to help spot fires.

Video storage: Yes, free cloud storage


Backup battery: Already battery powered


Smarthome compatible: Yes (Amazon Alexa)

Two-way talk: No

Field of vision: 110 degrees

Camera quality: 1080p HD

What A Football Coach Can Teach You About Getting Better
Blink 2 Camera System, £199.99, Amazon

Woody Hayes spent 28 seasons as the head football coach at Ohio State University, and then he was fired after a now-infamous incident in the 1978 Gator Bowl.

With time running down in the fourth quarter and the Buckeyes already in a position to try a game-winning field goal, Hayes called a pass play. A Clemson player intercepted the pass and was knocked out of bounds along the Ohio State sideline, securing the victory for the Tigers.

Frustrated by the play and the opponent’s celebration among his troops, Hayes lost his temper and hit the Clemson player.

For most Ohio State fans, however, that’s not the legacy of Woody Hayes. Some, naturally, see his legacy in his coaching record – 238 wins, 72 loses, 10 ties, 13 Big Ten titles, and three National Championships. That proved more than enough to land Hayes in college football’s Hall of Fame. The OSU Woody Hayes Athletic Center is also named in his honor.

Others, however, see his legacy in a chair – the Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies. In keeping with his wishes, donations made in his honor following his death in 1987 were directed toward academics, which led to the creation of the chair. Hayes, who once grilled Richard Nixon about foreign policy, always took academics as seriously as he did football.

I remember Hayes for all of those things, but I remember him most for something he said during a pep rally when I was a student on the Columbus campus: “You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse,” he told the crowd. “Status quo is a myth.”

I used to think that was coach talk, but time and experience taught me the truth in what he meant. In a competitive world, if you stay the same, you get passed by. It highlights the incredible importance of the “innovation imperative”: keep making your value better, because your competition keeps getting better.

Regardless of how good you’ve become you can’t afford to stay the same because status quo is a myth.

Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE, is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an “idea studio” that seeks to motivate and develop leaders in and outside of business. He’s the best-selling author of books like Fred Factor and The Potential Principle and a noted expert on leadership, team building, customer service and company change. Check out any of his excellent books, his video series, to learn more.

4 Ways Technology Can Improve Your Business

1. It boosts productivity.

Technology like task management software can change how you work through a day. Everything is listed out, and you can check it off as you go. You can even make dependent tasks so tasks are automatically created for anyone who may be next in line to work on a project.

2. It’s crucial to marketing.

You need online and social media marketing. This is where people are. Understanding how social media marketing works can increase the number of people who know about your company, which increases your customer base.

3. It’s essential for security.

Technology and security go hand in hand. As your business relies more on technology, you need to rely more on security to protect your networked equipment, like all of your employees’ PCs and your many servers.

4. You can’t communicate without it.

With things like e-mails, VoIP phone services, and direct messaging through social media sites, technology has made communication easier than ever. When you know how to use all these forms of communication, it puts you above the competition. Pixel Productions Inc., 7/20/2019

Who Else Wants To Win A £25 Gift Card?

You can be the Grand Prize Winner of this month’s Trivia Challenge Quiz!

Just be the first person to correctly answer this month’s trivia question and receive a £25 gift card at John Lewis. Ready? Call us right now with your answer!

'.MOV' extension refers usually to want kind of file?

1. Image file
2. Animation/movie file
3. Audio file
4. MS Office document

Call us right now with your answer!

10 EASY WAYS TO DEFEAT STRESS AT WORK

1. Take a walk.

A 15-minute walk will refresh your mind.

2. Work outside.

Weather permitting, working in the sun can boost your mood.

3. Meditate.

Use a meditation app like Calm or Headspace to lower blood pressure and de-stress.

4. Take deep breaths.


5. Make a checklist.

Write it out and focus on one task at a time.

6. Talk to a friend.

Have a conversation about a problem. Talking it out can change your perspective.

7. Watch an informative video.

It can be on anything. Videos are a great distraction for 5-10 minutes.

8. Listen to soothing music.


9. Take a 20-minute nap.

Nothing does wonders for stress like a power nap — just be sure to set a timer!

10. Trust your instincts.

If you feel you need a break, take it. Don’t push yourself if it isn’t necessary. Small Business Trends, 7/19/2019

At Vermont Systems, we are always looking for new partners to work with.

Do you have any interesting information or offers that would benefit our customers and associates that you would like to share? If so contact Oliver on 02380983405