Category Archives: Security

Do Small Businesses Need Cybersecurity?

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Cybersecurity for small businesses - person working on a laptop showing different security icons.

Improving your small business’s cybersecurity strategies.

Reliable cybersecurity to eliminate attacks is essential for every business, regardless of size. The subject is so popular that it has earned a standalone topic on Google News. However, small and midsize businesses don’t think much of cybersecurity. The media also perpetuates this as most digital ink is dedicated to attacking large global enterprises.

The truth is, SMBs are suffering. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), cyber-attacks are a growing concern for small businesses and the US economy. Find out more below about why hackers target small businesses and the impact of cybersecurity.

Why Cyber-hackers Go After Small Businesses

Verizon‘s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report shows that 44% of the breaches affected small and midsize businesses. The reason for the high number of security risks for startups includes:

1.      Lack of Resources and Support

Most small businesses do not have a dedicated employee specializing in following trends, implementing technologies, and staying up to date with the newest technologies to mitigate risks.

In fact, about 43% SMBs admit they have no function in their company dedicated to cyber-security.

2.      Tight Budgets

Small Businesses do not have the budgets of fortune 500 companies to implement security strategies. Most avoid spending on resources, training, and consultants by ignoring the latest updates and patches, leaving their systems vulnerable to attacks.

Fortunately, there are low-cost options to start building the foundation that doesn’t break the bank.

3.      Inadequate Employee Training

Your employees are your greatest asset for your business and also the greatest cyber security vulnerability. Hackers know how to penetrate the weakest links on the networks. Employees can unknowingly download malicious content from the web or fail to secure their login credentials.

4.      Lack of Security Policies

Anyone would avoid wasting money on audits that can be thousands of dollars, but yet this is the normal first step before reviewing their current plan with their existing IT provider. Would you take a certification exam before studying and reviewing the material?

It is best to review your policies and implement a low-cost option first for a better audit report. It’s better than paying for the audit out of the gate.

5.      Security Vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals are looking for easy targets, and a vast majority of small businesses don’t prioritize cyber security.  The problem is it makes them easy targets. Think of a cybercriminal as someone going door to door and turning the handle of your home during the day. The first door that opens is their next target.

A simple lock on the door would deter this threat and send them on to the next house. There are strategies to build your defense against these thieves. Your strategy can be reviewed periodically as your business continues to grow and also when you afford other strategies that will mitigate the risks of cybercriminals

Impact of Cyber-Attack on Your Business

A successful cyber-attack can have significant repercussions on your business. It will affect your bottom line, your business standing, and the trust of customers. Here are some of the major impacts of security breaches:

  • Business downtime: Reduced productivity due to lost employee time in dealing with the situation
  • Reputational damage: Tarnished business image caused by a breach and possible exposure of customer information (credentials, personal information, etc.)
  • Loss of finances: Financial repercussions of hiring experts to repair everything and hopefully recover everything.
  • Legal consequences of a cyber breach: Every business must comply with data protection and laws for the customer data they hold. Failure to deploy appropriate security measures to keep their data safe can lead to fines and regulatory sanctions.

Looking Ahead

Studies estimate cyber-attacks led to cause $6 trillion in damages to SMBs in 2021.  Most of these company operations are lean, and those that ignore the need for robust cybersecurity can easily fall prey. Getting economical and efficient cybersecurity is possible, even without an established full-blown IT department.

Over the next month, we will be discussing different vendors that provide low-cost software to implement in your environment to fill the gaps in your business security strategy. Be sure to check back as we review how these products work.  If you want to learn more about our services and improve your cyber security strategy, contact SystemsNet today.

The Importance of Using Datto SaaS Protection for Your Office 365 Data

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Team of IT professionals in an office working on a computer - using Office 365's full potential.

Protecting your business against cybersecurity risks.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had saviors that would protect your cloud-based data from any and every form of disaster imaginable? I know, I’d love it too.

Most businesses employ Office 365 data and look to enjoy its flexibility for productivity. But the truth is that most SaaS applications can’t protect themselves. The best way to keep a high-performance cloud online is to use the right combination of technology and proven backup practices.

It would help if you had the protection of online sensitive and vital data through Datto SaaS for your Office 365 Data. Datto SaaS protection provides thorough recovery and backup for Microsoft 365.

Some of the areas in which  it is effective include OneDrive, SharePoint, Calendar, protection for exchange, teams’ data. And it ensures three times daily backups with easy restore alternatives.

Datto does a lot more than offer Office 365 Backup, though. Let’s learn its ropes:

What Is SaaS Backup?

SaaS is a centrally hosted software licensing and can be accessed through a subscription. It is also called on-demand software. SaaS is designed to store and protect data.

The software is available through a third-party supplier, and in case of cloud storage failure, a solution for data recovery is recommended. And this is where Datto SaaS protection comes in to restore data to an applicable state.

How Does Datto Help with SaaS Protection?

Cyber threats are prevalent. According to the FBI, phishing sites created in 2020 were 6.95 million. It means the risk is present and keeps escalating. Now, you need Datto to be safe, but how does it work?

  • Datto allows MSPs—a third group company that distantly manages a customer IT system to gain access, control, and protect Google Workspace data and Microsoft 365.
  • It has a faster way of accessing lost data and restores easily through granular, point-in-time, and non-destructive restores.
  • Datto has automated point-in-time SaaS, ensuring every update made on your Microsoft 365 is captured. Besides, there’s an outside backup copy of data aside from SaaS servers.
  • Datto protects all tools, including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Google Drive.

Benefits of Datto SaaS Protection

Datto is an excellent choice for your business to scale. Here are some of its benefits:

Reliable Data Backup for Microsoft 365

As mentioned, SaaS alone is not enough for data safety in your business. It is easy to lose years of hard work in a flash. But Datto is reliable to secure lost data fast and protects from loss through its disaster recovery tools.

Protection Against Cybersecurity Risk

Datto SaaS Protection is designed to run in the background to prevent horrible events like cyberattacks from ever happening to your business.

It has features that make the SaaS line of defense effective in curbing cyber-attack cases. For this reason, client data is secure, and delivery of exceptional business is possible for the company to prosper.

Easy to Use

Datto’s backend set-up is easy. The package comes with straightforward instructions. Moreover, with the default recovery settings set up, it’s easy to explain to the client to manage independently.

Do you want to find out the cost of each account, Datto offers a flexible way of dealing with that too!

Low Investment Cost

Based on the value Datto SaaS protection offers, the cost is low. Datto has an option to scan across multiple clients for threats in one environment, and it can integrate with your existing set of tools. Plus, other provisions, this is way too much value at a low fee.

Powered by award-winning experts and limitless cloud, Datto provides the only SaaS protection that is hyper-converged, hyper-portable, and hyper-automated to ensure that your data is always protected – no matter where it lives. Businesses using the Office 365 platform need to incorporate some backup, and from a feature and cost perspective, Datto SaaS protection is the way to go for their business.

When you are ready to learn more about this product and implement it in your organization, do not hesitate to contact us at SystemsNet to handle your installation.

What Is EventTracker Security and Why Use It

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IT professional working on a computer to access EventTracker for their company's security strategy

Addressing security issues beyond mere technology.

Many businesses are now popular with SIEM, a foundational technology to secure networks from threats and demonstrate regulatory compliance.

According to Gartner, Security information and event management (SIEM) are technologies that support threat detection and robust incident security. They feature real-time collection and historical analysis of your company’s security events from broad events and contextual data sources.

SIEM technology further allows users to support compliance reporting and incident investigation using historical data from reliable sources. The core capabilities of SIEM technology are a broad scope of event collection and the ability to analyze and correlate events across disparate sources.

To enable businesses to enjoy the benefits of SIEM technology for small networks, Netsurion developed EventTracker Essentials to address security issues beyond mere technology.

What Is EventTracker?

Netsurion’s EventTracker is a world-leading security management platform that offers users complete protection through an adaptive security architecture. The platform integrates prevention, prediction, detection, and response to boost effectiveness and reduce costs. Furthermore, users can monitor and analyze alerts and reports produced by SIEM technology.

With EventTracker security, users enjoy support on event log monitoring and management to enable enterprise network work seamlessly and boost day-to-day administration. The platform further unifies security orchestration, machine learning, and behavior analytics to protect your organizations against cybersecurity threats. Here are some of its top advantages.

Benefits and Insights of EventTracker

Key advantages of EventTracker include:

Centralized Management of All Endpoints on the Network

EventTracker enables you to have complete control of all your network endpoints. With this, you can improve threat response without hassle.

You enjoy security orchestration and automated response functionality with a faster threat response. You’ll consolidate data sources, leverage threat intelligence feeds, and automate response, improving efficiency. Also, this reduces your business response times, improves remediation, and increases your SOC productivity.

Enhanced Threat Detection

The EventTracker SIEM platform is integrated with ATT&CK to improve actionable threat intelligence. You will get better data protection and cybersecurity maturity by improving your readiness for future threats and stealthy adversaries. Such a comprehensive co-managed solution will increase visibility and boost detection.

Thorough Vulnerability Assessment

Attacks are always coming from inside and outside the business. It is essential to avoid these issues by identifying vulnerable systems and versions before becoming significant. A managed vulnerability assessment service provider scheduled scans, dashboards, and detailed reports for offering accurate results while prioritizing exploitable data.

Ensure Compliance

With EventTracker, organizations can secure their business environment, track user activity,   form baselines, create-audit ready reports, and send probable violation reports. Its solutions ensure you remain compliant and maintain yourselves by automating the steps required by each standard.

Advanced Analytics

Through machine learning capabilities, businesses require user and entity behavior analytics to trigger actionable and detailed alerts. This is possible with EventTracker. Its security intelligence platform enables users to understand and determine the normal system activities and event occurrences across their organizations.

Industry Leading Solution

EventTracker is a popular managed security device rated highest in value and performance over the past few years. Recently, SC Media announced was the industry-leading in news and product evaluation production. It is used in several industries, including energy and utilities, finance and banking, higher education, legal, healthcare, government, and retail.

Get Reliable Security Solutions for Your Entire Business from SystemsNet

Disasters are not predictable, and that is why you require reliable security solutions like EventTracker. At SystemsNet, we proactively monitor your systems and provide support and repair services along the way based on what you need. Our experts will ensure your network is always up and running to eliminate downtimes. Let us help you prepare your business continuity for your software, hardware, and cybersecurity concerns. Contact us today to get a free assessment.

Why MFA is Important for Your Company’s Cybersecurity

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Employee activating a multi-factor authentication using a mobile phone and a laptop.

Securing your information systems against cybercriminals.

It’s becoming increasingly challenging for individuals and businesses to secure their information systems against cybercriminals. Hackers are always trying to find ways of breaking into your data systems, and mere passwords may not be sufficient deterrence. To enhance your data security, there’s a need to add an extra layer of security, and this is where multi-factor authentication (MFA) comes into the picture.

What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?

Also referred to as 2-Factor Authentication (2FA), multi-factor authentication is a security system combining more than two forms of authentication to improve account security. With the MFA in place, credentials won’t be enough to allow access to your accounts.

When you activate the MFA on your device, account or website, the server will automatically require a second independent form of authentication to log you in successfully. Without this additional authentication, you won’t be able to access your account, website or device.

Importance of MFA on VPN connections to the office

VPNs provide a safe and secure environment for remote access to your internal on-premise applications, but they aren’t a silver bullet. If you’re providing users with just a password and username to access your VPN connections, you’re not completely immune to data breaches because those credentials can be stolen.

Here are reasons you need to activate MFA on your VPN connection:

  • Protection against credential theft: The MFA provides an additional layer of security when accessing your accounts, data and websites.
  • Provides visibility into all devices on the network: MFA sends authentication requirements to devices, so you can tell which devices are connected to the network.
  • Secure access to on-premises and cloud applications: With the MFA on, login credentials in the wrong hands won’t do much harm.
  • Help enforce granular access security policies: It’s a way of enforcing security policies – just ensure every user has MFA activated on their endpoints.
  • Achieve regulatory compliance: It’s a requirement to meet data security policies.
Importance of MFA on Office 365 logins

Hackers often fish for any loopholes to exploit and gain access to your data, and one potential place to find a loophole is your Office 365 account. Thankfully, Microsoft realized they needed to secure their Office 365 client accounts back in 2014, and made a provision for adding the MFA.

Here are some important benefits of adding MFA:

  • Increase security of user logins: When you activate the MFA, you’ll be required to acknowledge a phone call or text, message, or an app notification on your smartphone, so you can access Office 365 services. This means you won’t have to worry about your logins falling into the wrong hands, and someone using them to access your account. You will receive a notification when they attempt to log in, and know it’s time to change your logins.
  • Prevents phishing attacks: MFA helps you to know you’re logging into Office 365, and not a replica site designed to steal your sensitive data. If inputting your credentials doesn’t trigger a second authentication activity, then you know you’re about to fall victim to a phishing attempt.
  • Keeps track of all login activity: Multi-factor authentication can also help you keep track of all logins, so you can review them periodically to see if there’s abnormal activity. A notification of a failed login should be the first red flag you should look for when you’re ascertaining the security of your Office 365 account.

MFA is no longer a luxury today when cybercriminals are hell-bent on compromising your information systems and causing data breaches. A data breach can be a costly affair, requiring you to spend thousands of dollars to restore your systems. Be sure to set up MFA on all your accounts and VPNs to have an additional layer of security. At SystemsNet, we can help you implement MFA on your accounts and keep your data safe. Contact us today to handle all the installations.