What goes into a business continuity plan?
Events out of your control can disrupt your business operations. While you can’t necessarily control the unexpected, you can take some precautions to prevent most business disruptions. Here are some things to consider when developing a business continuity plan (BCP). Backup your data, applications, and servers Today, companies are more dependent than ever on IT and data. If these critical components suddenly become inaccessible, there’s little chance your business will survive. Regularly backing up these elements ensures they can be restored quickly in the event of a disaster, security breach, or damage to IT equipment. In the past, most businesses would create backups on-site and with tape backups, but today more and more businesses are using the cloud, and here are several reasons why: Cloud backups are affordable and cost much less than onsite backups Backups can be automated, therefore saving you time Cloud providers usually back up your data to multiple locations (so if one of their facilities goes down, your backups are still safe at another site). Backups can be accessed from anywhere, whether it’s at an employee’s home or at an alternate office. If you need to access them, backups can be restored quickly Virtualize servers and desktops When you virtualize your servers or desktops, they can be used at any location – be it at your workplace, home, or a coffee shop in the Bahamas. In terms of business continuity, this is useful in case your main office suddenly becomes unusable due to hostile weather conditions. Have a backup power supply No electricity means zero productivity and money down the drain. Having a backup power supply will ensure that when the electricity goes down, your employees can continue working. A good solution is an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), which gives employees a fair amount of time to finish their work as if nothing ever happened. Also, if you have a server room, a UPS will ensure your vital servers stay cool. Utilize social media Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, most people are on at least one social network these days. And if there is any kind of outage or disaster, social media is usually one of the first places customers, colleagues, staff, and vendors will check the status of your business. So when it comes to business continuity, keep at least one social media account active to keep your customers and followers informed. Implement unified communications Unified communication (UC) creates a virtualized communication infrastructure. That means instead of your communication tools – like phones, instant messaging, and video calls – all being stored locally at your workplace, you can access them anywhere. So if your office is inaccessible, employees can still use your phones and other communication tools from their homes. What’s more, UC tools can route business calls to your employees’ smartphones. That means they’ll never miss an important call, even if they’re not in the office. Keep in mind that these are only the first few items you have to address in your business continuity plan. You’ll also need to consider things like training employees and having a communications plan for informing stakeholders. If you want more advice on these areas or need top-class business continuity tools, contact us today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
The 101 on Android location settings
As you learn about the various features of your Android smartphone, you will come across location services and whether or not you want to approve them. If you think this convenient feature is harmless, think again. Sometimes it’s best to hide your location in your smartphone as this can affect your device’s security. With this in mind, let’s take a look at how to change the location settings on your Android smartphone. Photos and GPS tagging Your Android smartphone gives you the ability to attach GPS coordinates to the pictures you take, known as geo-locating or GPS tagging. This lets you arrange pictures in albums by location. Geo-locating images in itself isn’t a bad thing, but you can get into trouble when you broadcast sensitive locations to the world. For instance, a picture of your expensive watch with a GPS tag of your house isn’t the best idea. Here are four ways to control geo-locating photos: Go to your camera settings and you’ll find an on/off toggle. Simply go to Settings > Location and from there you can decide if you want the location saved along with your images. Download an EXIF editor and manually remove the location information from specific images. You can also turn off location services altogether by going to Settings > Location. Discrete location settings Apart from location settings in photos and GPS tagging, Android actually has three discrete location settings that allow you to set how accurately you want location reporting to be. You can find these at Settings > Location. Note that this affects your smartphone’s battery life immensely. High accuracy – This uses the GPS radio in your phone to pinpoint its exact location using data from satellites while making use of nearby Wi-Fi and cellular networks too. Battery saving – This mode only uses Wi-Fi networks and mobile networks to identify locations, and while it might not be as accurate, it will help your battery last longer. Device sensors only – This only uses the GPS radio to find you. It may take a little more time to find your location since it’s not using nearby Wi-Fi and mobile networks to get your general location first. This also uses more battery. Having your location settings turned off will not only help keep your smartphone’s security intact, but also help strengthen your battery life. Interested in learning more about Android phones and their functions? We have solutions for you and your business. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
What makes hypervisors weak?
Hypervisors have changed the game of cybersecurity. They provide unmatched cyber protection for your data as they keep it in the cloud. However, hypervisors still have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. Find out how their weak points can be addressed. A hypervisor is a software application that distributes computing resources (e.g., processing power, RAM, storage) into virtual machines (VMs), which can then be delivered to other computers in a network. This gives people the resources they need to run resource-intensive applications without having to rely on powerful and expensive desktop computers. System administrators can also use a hypervisor to monitor and manage VMs. So if hackers manage to compromise hypervisor software, they’ll have unfettered access to every VM and the data stored on them. While hypervisors are generally well-protected and robust, security experts say hackers will eventually find a bug in the software. So far, there have been limited reports of hypervisor hacks; but in theory, cybercriminals could run a program that can break out of a VM and interact directly with the hypervisor. From there, they can control everything, from access privileges to computing resources. Another point of vulnerability is the network. Since hypervisors distribute VMs via the company network, they can be susceptible to remove intrusions and denial-of-service attacks if you don’t have the right protections in place. If those attack methods aren’t possible, hackers can always break into server rooms and compromise the hypervisor directly. So what can you do to protect against these threats? Create separate VM and management networks Keeping your VM network away from your management network is a great way to secure your virtualized environment. If malware compromises your VMs, it won’t be able to affect your hypervisor. Set access privileges Ideally, only you, your system administrator, or virtualization provider should have access to your hypervisor console. You need to set strict access restrictions on the software to prevent unauthorized users from messing with VM settings and viewing your most sensitive data. Disable unnecessary services Off-the-shelf operating systems will have many unnecessary services and apps that increase the attack surface of your VMs. If you can’t tell which ones to disable, consult with a virtualization specialist. Pay attention to physical security Breaking into a server room is the easiest way to compromise hypervisors, so make sure your physical servers are behind locked doors and watched over by staff at all times. Install top-notch network security tools Due to network intrusions affecting hypervisor security, installing cutting-edge firewalls and intrusion prevention systems is highly recommended. These security tools monitor network traffic for abnormal behavior to protect you from the newest exploits. Stay on top of hypervisor updates Hypervisors must be updated to defend them against the latest threats. But if you’d rather spend your time on more important projects, you can always entrust the security of your hypervisors to a highly experienced and certified managed services provider, like us. Contact us today to see how we can protect your virtualized environment. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
How to set up your G Suite dashboard
G Suite is Google’s all-in-one computing, productivity, and collaboration tool. It comprises of Gmail, Hangouts, Calendar, Google+, Docs, Sheets, and more, allowing for better collaboration, data sharing, and work efficiency. Here’s how to configure it. Allow display views inside and outside your business Activity dashboards typically provide limited details on file activity that one can view. Not so when you enable G Suite’s view history. With this function, you can determine which users have opened the file and the time and date they accessed the file. What’s more, G Suite can also provide the details of external users who viewed your file, and whether they used a non-office-issued device. To access these data, you have to:Open Google Slides, Docs, or Sheets.Select Share.Type in the email address of the external user. People outside your organization can access your files only when you authorize them, and at the same time, you can see their viewing history. Note that you won’t have access to external users’ viewing history if you share files using the Public or Anyone with the link settings. Keep in mind that view history is available only once you are authorized by your administrator and after you make changes to G Suite’s privacy settings. Limit view monitoring If you’re using the latest version of G Suite with the activity dashboard, the administrator can change the settings by logging in to the Admin console, where they’ll be redirected to the Apps section. In the Apps section, click G Suite > Drive and Docs > Activity dashboard settings. From the Activity dashboard settings, you can set dashboard permissions via the Access to Activity Dashboard. Meanwhile, if you wish to adjust view monitoring settings (files and user accounts, all user views, or none), you can do so under Users’ view history. If you’re unable to decide, we suggest allowing people to have access to the activity dashboard and enabling view tracking for all users. Google constantly adds new features to its G Suite platform, so stay in touch with us to know how you can use them to boost business operations and productivity. Give us a call today and we’ll introduce you to a suite of Google tools that can help you achieve your business goals. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Assessing your MSP in the first appointment
Assessing your MSP in the first appointment Handing over your IT to a MSP is a major decision. Who do you choose and more importantly, how? While there’s no rulebook that will tell you exactly how to proceed, here are a few hints that can help you decide how invested your prospective MSP is into you. How well do they know your industry vertical It is important that your MSP truly understands the industry-specific IT challenges you face so they can help you overcome those challenges effectively. For example, do you have a commonly used software program or any governmental or regulatory mandates that you must be adhering to. Is your MSP knowledgeable on that front? How well do they know you and your values How well does this MSP know your business in particular. Have they invested time in learning a bit about you from sources other than you–like your website, press releases, etc.? Do they understand your mission, vision and values and are they on the same page as you on those? This is important because you and your MSP have to work as a team and when start to see things from your point of view, it is going to be easier for you to build a mutually trusting, lasting relationship with them. References and testimonials References are a great tool to assess your prospective MSPs. Ask them to provide you with as many references and testimonials as they can. It would be even better if their references and testimonials are from clients who happen to know you personally, or are in the same industry vertical as you or are well-known brands that need no introduction. Are they talking in jargons or talking so you understand Your MSP is an IT whiz, but most likely you are not. So, instead of throwing IT terminology (jargons) on you, they should be speaking in simple layman terms so you understand and are comfortable having a conversation with them. If that doesn’t happen, then probably they are not the right fit for you. Were they on time Did your MSP show up when they said they would? Punctuality goes a long way in business relationships and more so in this case as you want your IT person to ‘be there’ when an emergency strikes. While there are many factors that go into making the MSP-client relationship a success, the ones discussed above can be assessed during your very first meeting. They are kind of like very basic prerequisites. Make sure these basic conditions are fulfilled before you decide on a second meeting.
VoIP hardphones or softphones for SMBs?
Your company has decided to avail of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and has given you the task of choosing between the two types of phones: traditional desk phones (hardphones) or software-based phones (softphones). To help you decide, we’ll break down the benefits of each type. What’s a hardphone? A hardphone is a desk phone that is connected to your business’s IP network, just like a normal phone. There’s no learning curve associated with VoIP hardphones, and they allow your staff to call anyone worldwide at a more affordable price. The more advanced hardphones have built-in video displays and touch screens to accommodate video calls, eliminating the need for separate equipment for video conferencing. What’s a softphone? A softphone is any electronic device that uses a software program that allows users to turn their PCs, laptops, and tablets into high-tech phones to make and receive local and international calls. Softphones let you dial a number on your computer or mobile device and speak through its embedded speakers and microphone, or through a headset with a microphone, so you can make and take calls wherever you are. Which type is ideal for you? There are some things to consider when you’re choosing between hardphones and softphones: Are your employees always moving around? Do they require 24/7 connectivity? Does your company rely on having top-notch customer service? What’s your IT budget? Your answers to these questions will determine the type of equipment you need. Why choose hardphones? Nothing beats the voice clarity and noise cancellation features of hardphones since they are solely dedicated to calling unlike softphones, which share power with other programs on your PC. This also means that you can make and take calls without being disrupted by poor PC performance or a virus. Though the initial setup costs are greater due to the purchase of actual phones, the monthly phone bills for hardphones are much cheaper. Not only that, softphones may be more costly in the long run, as they require separate headphones and microphones that may need to be replaced or maintained frequently. Why choose softphones? If your company requires a mobile workforce, adopting a softphone solution may be better. Softphones feature call routing, which allows calls to be diverted to one or several specified internet-enabled devices, ensuring your clients have 24/7 access to your employees. This is most effective especially in a contact center environment. Other features like transcribed voicemail messages also enable you to receive messages promptly, no matter whether you’re in a meeting or on the road. Our experts are available 24/7/365 to advise you on any questions you may have pertaining to VoIP, and especially about whether hardphones or softphones are best for you. If you’re interested in upgrading your telephony infrastructure, give us a call today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Make the most out of your O365 subscription
It may seem as if Office 365 is merely Microsoft’s way of joining the online subscription bandwagon, but that’s not the case. O365 is Microsoft’s way of upgrading its ubiquitous Office suite by augmenting it with cloud features. Office apps and the files you create with them are accessible wherever there’s an internet connection, but that is actually the bare minimum that O365 offers. If you go for either the Premium or Essentials bundle, you’ll gain access to communications and collaboration apps that you can use to increase your organization’s productivity. Here are some of the specific ways you can do this: Build an engaging intranet using SharePoint Unlike the internet, which is a megalithic network spanning the entire world, an intranet is basically a private network built for your employees’ exclusive use. It began as a repository for basic company information, then it evolved into a document management system, an HR portal (where staff can file leaves of absence), a platform for knowledge-sharing and discussion forums, and a social media platform where users are both consumers and pushers of company-centric content. If you use Microsoft Word and Excel to create work files, SharePoint is the platform where your team can keep and share such files. Build forums that bolster collaboration, information libraries that help staff leverage collective knowledge, and message boards that inform and invite staff to engage with the goings-on inside the company. Enjoy continuous collaboration with Teams Microsoft brings collaborations up a notch with Teams, a tool that allows you to build shared workspaces. In a Teams workspace, each team member can share files as well as comment on and work on one another’s files. Imagine doing all of that via email — you’ll most likely weave a nightmarish tangle out of multiple threads and attachments. Additionally, Teams has communications facilities such as web conferencing, group chat, and live online meetings. Since Teams can be used on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, workers can share information and connect frontline staff such as factory machine operators and sales clerks. Coordinate your efforts with Planner If Teams is O365’s communications hub, then Planner is its Kanban board — a project workflow visualization tool that lets you categorize tasks according to their progress status. A physical Kanban board is limited by the size of sticky notes used, but with Planner, you can assign tasks to team members, attach relevant files to them, and discuss tasks without leaving the app. Automate tasks with Flow There are tasks that promote critical thinking, but there are also tasks that are tedious and repetitive. An example of such a task is preparing an income statement. This usually involves emailing a finalized income statement to your superiors and archiving it. Automating the archive step alone would significantly ease this workflow. With Flow, you can easily create detailed workflows that accomplish tasks automatically once you fulfill certain triggers. You can also make different apps “talk” with one another (e.g., have new OneDrive files be copied to your Dropbox account), provided that integrations allow them to do so. Imagine not having to shift between so many apps anymore — this will save your staff plenty of time and mindspace to do more worthwhile tasks that add more value to your company. Let your staff step up from being mere individual Office suite users to being members of synergistic teams! Contact us to learn more about how you can squeeze every drop of value from your Office 365 subscription. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
How Windows 10 features keep ransomware at bay
The ransomware threat isn’t going away anytime soon, which is bad news for computer users everywhere. Fortunately, Windows 10 has built-in security features to keep you from falling victim to ransomware. Controlled Folder Access This feature allows you to list certain documents and folders as “protected.” Only whitelisted programs can access and edit these folders, while any attempts by malicious apps to change the folders are blocked by Windows Defender. In theory, this should slow down a ransomware’s ability to encrypt critical information. Some reports suggest that this feature can also prevent other threats like malicious file macros and viruses. You can access the feature by going to Windows Defender Security Center and then enabling “Controlled folder access.” From there, you can choose which folders will be protected and what apps are allowed to access them. To save you time, common Microsoft applications are trusted automatically, but you can remove them from your whitelist whenever you want. Application Guard Windows Defender Application Guard is designed to prevent intrusions by using Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtual machine technology to detect and isolate compromised applications from the rest of your system. So if someone on your staff accidentally downloads a virus from their web browser, Application Guard will contain the threat before it infiltrates the rest of your company’s devices, apps, data, and network. Device Guard Similarly, Windows 10’s Device Guard feature, which is also found in Windows Defender Security Center, minimizes your PC’s exposure to malware by using advanced threat detection policies. It blocks all apps that are not considered to be trusted, ensuring that only approved code is running throughout the system. It also adds an extra layer of defense between your firewall and antivirus software. Want to know more about how you can protect your business from ransomware and other cyberthreats? Call us today to get expert cybersecurity advice. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Tips to monitor employee activities online
There are a lot of pros and cons when it comes to monitoring your employees online. We’ve put together an honest and transparent list of arguments for and against this practice. And if you decide it is something you want to pursue, we’ve provided some tips for a smooth implementation process. The case for monitoring There are a number of reasons why monitoring your employees’ activities on company devices is a good idea. Doing so can help you: Protect your organization from data theft or harm – because careless or disgruntled employees may leak or steal your data. Ensure you have a harassment-free workplace – because cyberharassment (sexual or otherwise) happens among employees. Ensure staff are complying with policies – such as not downloading illegal programs or spending time on websites with illegal or hostile content. Provide evidence in case of a lawsuit – heaven forbid this happens, but if an employee participates in illegal activities using your business’s computers, monitoring can provide evidence of who was involved. The sad fact of the matter is that many business owners who begin monitoring their employees often end up discovering that their staff members aren’t focused solely on the company’s success. Arguments against employee monitoring Of course, there are some potential downsides to monitoring that you should be aware of as well. These include: Productivity loss – monitoring can put a damper on employee morale and you may see the distrust lead to productivity losses. Lost privacy and lawsuits – you’ll likely learn personal details of your employees that you would’ve never known about had you not monitored them. You may discover their political or religious views, sexual orientation, or medical problems. This could potentially open up your business to privacy or discrimination issues if you or your management team acts negatively based on any of this information. Monitoring guidelines to follow If you decide to monitor your employees, here are a few tips you should follow. 1. Create written policies When you decide to monitor your employees, ask yourself: Am I doing this for security purposes? Is it to ensure your employees aren’t wasting time on social media? If your monitoring policies are too strict, you could create an atmosphere of distrust. Set guidelines for acceptable use of email, social media, web browsing, instant messaging, and downloading software and apps. Also, make sure to include how monitoring will be carried out and how data will be secured or destroyed. 2. Tell your employees It’s important to inform your employees about the scope of your monitoring policies. If they find out you’re doing it without their knowledge, you could face legal issues. By being transparent and open, you may actually see a boost in productivity by deterring employees from wasting time on the web. When you tell your employees, explain why you’re doing it and the risks your business faces from misuse of digital assets. Reassure them you’re not doing it to spy on their personal life, but to create a compliant and law-abiding workplace. Because their activities will now be less private, encourage your staff to keep their personal communication to their smartphones. Also, provide a copy of your written policy to employees to read and sign. 3. Get the right technology tools You don’t need to know every little employee activity, so look for apps and software that alert you of the most relevant problems so you can focus on more important tasks. If implemented correctly, employee monitoring makes your business more secure and productive. For more information about security and other IT support tools, get in touch with us today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
How to boost your SMB’s social media presence
Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) nowadays are more competitive than ever. As an SMB owner, you’re probably constantly looking for ways to boost your social media presence, outdo your competitors, and increase profits. Here are some ways to do that. Create buyer personas Social media data is a great tool to gather information about your potential customers, and in doing so, create buyer personas. Buyer personas are comprised of generalized characters that help build an ideal picture of your business in the market. Key demographic information includes age, location, and even reasons for buying and product-related concerns. Come up with and implement a media crisis management plan It’s normal for businesses to go through a crisis or two. Avoid embarrassing public relations nightmares by having a social media crisis management plan in place and ready for implementation. Track the impact of your content marketing When it comes to content marketing efforts like blogging and social media, it’s essential to have a system to measure results. You can measure how these efforts impact your brand awareness by using metrics such as social media reach, brand mentions, media mentions, and branded searches. Integrate user-generated content on social media Businesses can use social media to interact with consumers. This includes sharing some of consumers’ content on your own channels. Not only is user-generated content more cost-efficient, but it also shortens the customer’s path to purchase. Use Hootsuite to manage Twitter chats A Twitter chat happens when you use Twitter to talk about a common interest with others during a preset time. It’s like an online chatroom where you add to the discussion by tweeting. Efficiently managing tweets and responses is integral. Fortunately, applications like Hootsuite simplify the whole process. Hootsuite easily monitors, searches, and saves Twitter chats onto the Hootsuite dashboard for future reference. Create better live broadcasts Livestreaming on social media platforms such as Facebook, Periscope, and Instagram is quickly gaining popularity. Before starting a livestream for your business, take time out to practice and prepare an outline before you roll the cameras. Don’t forget to promote it prior to the broadcast, and make sure you come up with a short and catchy video description. All SMBs are fighting for the same thing: the consumer’s attention. Business owners can’t afford to just blend into the background; if you don’t make a good, lasting impression, you might lose out on an opportunity to make money. And if you’re relying on social media and content marketing strategies to help you, make sure you are doing it right. If you have further questions, feel free to contact us! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.