Monthly Archives: September 2017

Do You Know How To Ask The Right Questions During Your IT Help Desk Partner Search?

Manage Service, , ,
Managed Services

Questions to ask during your interview process for a new Managed Service provider.

Sometimes, the needs of a company will outgrow their current IT support that they have in-house. When your company outgrows your current IT support solution, you may want to think about investing in a reliable IT help desk. When you make the decision to outsource your IT support needs, you will get the opportunity to enjoy a variety of benefits, including those that you can touch and cannot touch.

Before you agree to the terms of a contract with an IT company, it is important that you do your research thoroughly. You have to fully assess the services of the IT help desk provider so you can make sure it is the perfect fit for your business. If the IT help desk company you are considering has slow service, slow response time, or if you do not have a clear understanding of the service agreement, you will quickly find yourself in a web of problems.

In order for you to avoid any future problems with your IT help desk service, we want you to ask the help desk provider you are considering some of the following questions:

Ask About Their Business

It is important that you start off with the basics before you get into the technical aspects of the business. We want to give you an idea of the type of questions you should ask if you want to find out some basic questions about the IT help desk provider you are considering:

Experience

When a company has been around for a significant amount of time, they will generally have accumulated plenty of skills and experience. Businesses that have been around for years will also have had their share of mistakes that they have eventually corrected, and they will have customers who can provide positive feedback on the company. We want you to find a help desk company that has a great reputation and positive reviews.

Clients

If you want to find out how reputable a company is, they will generally give you a list of their clients so you can contact them and ask questions for yourself. If you are given a list of clients who use this IT help desk company, you should take full advantage of this opportunity. We definitely suggest that you find companies that are similar to yours so you can make a better decision on if the IT help desk partner will be right for your company.

Services

Once you have narrowed down your search, you will need to find the IT help desk company that will deliver you the better service. You will need to work with an IT help desk partner that has the service and features you need for your business.

Scalability

As your company grows, you will probably discover that you need to make changes to your IT infrastructure. When you find a help desk provider that offers the services and features you need, you will find that the help desk provider will be able to meet all of your needs, regardless of what they are and how often they change.

The IT industry is constantly changing, and you are going to need services and hardware that will allow you to successfully keep up with the changes. When your potential IT help desk provider is able to keep up with the technological changes, this gives you the indication that they are willing and able to fully embrace technology and stay current with the trends.

When you can clearly identify the needs of your company, you will be able to get the IT help desk assistance you need. When you ask the right questions during your IT help desk partner search, you will find it easier to narrow down your search to the perfect partner.

Contact us today for more information on IT help desk and how you can find the right partner for your IT needs.

Recent Virus Release Starts In Ukraine And Spreads Across The Globe

Anti-virus, , ,
obal Hacking Attack

Cyber security is a critical component in preventing downtime in your network

An international cyber attack, known as “Petya”, struck computer systems across the globe, starting in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of machines in Ukraine and the United States were impacted. Automated teller machines stopped working in the capital of Ukraine. Workers all across the globe had to quickly scramble to make the necessary adjustments.

It has not been determined who is responsible for the cyber attack. No details have been released at how impactful the cyber attack was. The attack started on the Ukrainian government. This is not the first cyber attack that has taken place as of late. The difference between this cyber attack is that it seems to be one of the most advanced attacks that have taken place since the National Security Agency had some of its hacking tools stolen.

This global hacking attack took control of all the computers. Since the hackers obtained control of the computers, the attackers demanded ransom in order for them to release access to the owners of the computers. This recent attack used the hacking tool, Eternal Blue. Eternal Blue was also used in the WannaCry attacks. Not only did the attacks use Eternal Blue, but there were also other methods that were used to carry out the cyber attacks.

There has not been any acknowledgment on the National Security Agency’s behalf regarding the use of their hacking tools. However, there have been many computer security professionals who have requested that the National Security Agency to help everyone across the globe protect itself against tools that they created.

Microsoft releases patches for its software and operating systems, but this does not always mean that the patch will be installed quickly and correctly. Since the ransomware used more than one method to spread across the computers, even some computers that were actually patched correctly and patched quickly were not excluded from the attack.

One of the most well-known computer attackers is viruses. Viruses can do a great deal of damage to computers, and an entire organization. There are various types of viruses that each have the ability to compromise a computer in multiple ways.

While many people think they will never download a file that is corrupt or that they will never click a website that is a scam, it is important that everyone remembers that a hacker is very intelligent. A hacker can create any type of virus and anyone can easily be tricked. Some viruses can even lead people to believe that they are software that will protect you from a virus.

Once your computer has been infected with a virus, your entire computer can be damaged beyond the point of repair. Your computer’s performance can be slowed down, critical files, photos, and videos can be damaged, lost, spread across other computers, etc. Viruses can cause you to spend up to thousands of dollars in computer repairs, replacements, etc.

Fortunately, there are tools you can use to help you protect yourself. One of those tools is Webroot Antivirus. The internet is not as safe as we would like it to be. Even if you are a computer whiz or extremely tech-savvy, you may still accidentally download malware, viruses, or you may even be a victim of identity theft.

When you are aware of the consequences of not having the proper anti-virus protection, you will be able to spread the word to others. Hackers are savvy, and they can easily trick anyone into clicking a link or downloading a file. We want you to protect your files, your computer, and your business. Contact us today for additional information on the latest virus releases and the best protection for your servers and workstations.

Microsoft Product Releases: Microsoft Windows Server 2016

News, , , ,
Improved Security

The next generation of windows server is more robust with features than its predecessors

When it comes to Microsoft Product Releases, we can’t stress enough how Microsoft Windows Server 2016 is vital to a successful IT team. We can give you seven reasons why your team needs it. So, without further delay, read on:

Windows Server 2016 has multiple layers of security built-in to the operating system. This new security system helps block attacks against your data and applications that run on-premises and in the Cloud, as well as attacks against virtual machines. Several isolation and threat detection features activate as soon as Windows Server 2016 launches.

You can also activate other security features after server deployment:

  • switch on protection against malware/ransomware injection into server
  • block compromises to credentials, such as pass-the-hash attacks, using Credential Guard and Remote Credential Guard
  • pro-actively identify behavior indicating potential server breaches
  • expand security protection to include virtual machines, using Shielded Virtual Machines encrypted by Bitlocker. Bitlocker is full disc encryption that protects the hard drive from offline attacks, first introduced in Windows 2007, and now applied to virtual machines.

Credential Guard/Remote Credential Guard. Microsoft first introduced this security feature in Windows 10 Enterprise. The protection uses virtualization security techniques that wall off cryptic  information like credentials and put the cloaked information where only a set of privileged software has access. Even malware running within the operating system cannot break into the credentials. Credential Guard protects NTLM (NT Lan Manager) password hashes and Kerberos Ticket Granting Tickets as well as other credentials that applications store for their domains.

Shielded Virtual Machines. Microsoft introduced this security feature in Windows 2016. Shielded Virtual Machines protect Microsoft’s Hyper-V Generation 2 virtual machines from malicious attacks. Shielded VMs do not boot from a traditional BIOS system. Instead, they boot from something called a virtual Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). Technology companies, 140 of them including Microsoft, developed UEFI to replace BIOS.

Shielded Virtual Machines work their security magic thanks to Secure Boot and Bitlocker encryption that resides inside the virtual disks. Bitlocker protects data whether it’s in transit or not moving. Secure Boot is a PC industry standard that checks the boot loader to make sure it only uses software trusted by the PC manufacturer.

Device Guard. This security feature make sure that only trusted software runs on your server — whether your applications run in-house or in the Cloud. It is security software and Enterprise hardware that together lock a device down to only run trusted software that you define in your code policies.

Control Flow Guard. This security feature developed to prevent vulnerabilities that result in memory corruption. One of its strengths is that it severely restricts from where code executes which means that hackers cannot take advantage of buffer overflows or other vulnerabilities to execute malicious code.

Windows Defender. This feature is an anti-malware protection for the server, not the operating system.

Microsoft Focuses on Hybrid Cloud. The new Windows Server 2016 is an example of Microsoft’s emphasis on Hybrid Cloud. The company is betting that certain Enterprise organizations will always want to transfer some of their data and work spaces to the Cloud while maintaining other parts of their data/applications on the in-house server. Microsoft designed Windows Server 2016 to facilitate organizations who want to take advantage of the Hybrid Cloud.

Have the most knowledgeable IT team. Windows Server 2016 is much more powerful than previous servers. To get the most out of Windows Server 2016, it makes sense to have highly trained IT personnel who have the skills necessary to run the server and all of its security features.

To talk more about this topic, or about anything else, please contact us. We want to help you with all your IT questions.