Great Article: Keeping Passwords Out of the Hands of Hackers

Could your business be the next one hit by hackers hungry for passwords? 


Read Now

Hacker claims breach of 79 banks, releases customer data

A hacker claiming to have broken into networks of dozens of banks and stolen customer data, has released as proof a file that contains names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers in plain text, but no credit card numbers. Read More

BYOD: Developing a Security Policy

Who hasn’t heard of BYOD or bring your own device?  It’s happening right now in your organization as we speak. Chances are you may even be reading this on one. According to a recent poll completed by Harris Interactive, more than 80% of employees use personally owned electronic devices for work related functions. Smartphones, notebooks, iPads, e-readers, gaming consoles and more—the list of personal devices gaining access to employer networks seems to be growing every day in what has come to be a new phenomenon in the way employees are connecting to enterprise networks.

While BYOD is not necessarily a bad thing—staff can stay in touch with up-to-the-minute, real-time data, regardless of where they happen to be—it can pose a serious security risk for companies who don’t have a BYOD policy in place.

The risks you ask? The possibilities are endless when an unsecured device can gain access into the core intellectual property of an organization.

• Users browsing malicious sites
• Clicking malicious links in email and SMS messages
• Installing questionable firmware updates
• Making assumptions about the security and privacy of applications and public Wi-Fi connections 
• Forgotten or stolen devices without simple levels of security in place like password protection
•   Confidential company data lying around on unsecured devices

These are just a few of the possibilities when you do not have a BYOD security policy in place. Unless organizations can control the highly mobile platforms their users are allowed to bring into the enterprise, security will inevitably become a problem.

Now you are aware, what do do about it? Below are a few simple ideas to think about when getting started: 

1. Establish what devices are permitted 
• Specify to employees who are interested in BYOD which devices you will support and which ones you will not. 
2. Establish a stringent password policy on all devices
• If your employees want to take part in BYOD then they will have to have a complex password in place to access their devices at all times. 
3. Define who own what apps and data
• The line gets a little fuzzy when combining both personal and work data onto the same device. If an employee quits or the device is stolen or lost what happens to the data? Enacting a policy providing you the right to wipe personal machines if they were used for work purposes should an employee quit or lose their device, will aid in keeping the company secure. 
4. Train employees on good security policies 
• Empower your employees to recognize questionable websites and links, educate them to identify possible phishing attacks and show them how to take on the simplest of security measures by turning on auto-locking features, password protections and encryption of their devices. 
5. Make it an easy transition for your employees 
• Always assume your employees will value their own convenience over company security. If your security policy is to complex or inconvenient they will find a way around it. Keep this in mind when you are establishing your BYOD security policy.   

These are just a few simple and inexpensive ideas to get headed in the right direction. Contact Convergent Technologies Group and we will help you with the right solutions to keep your company protected. 

6.5 Million LinkedIn Accounts May Be Compromised, Change Your Passwords Now

If you have a LinkedIn account, now's a good time to change your password. Up to 6.5 million user accounts and encrypted passwords have reportedly been leaked and posted to a Russian hacker site. Read More

Security and the Modern Data Center

Modern data centers are undergoing a transformation by supporting more services, users, and data than ever before. With new technology, come new risks.  As a result, IT architects must build proper security controls, policies, and processes to address and alleviate new threats. Below are three main data center trends and their associated risks:

Virtualization

It’s easy to understand why virtualization is one of the fastest growing technologies these days for businesses large and small. With the ability to cut power consumption, save space and make IT admin’s jobs easier, it’s hard not to love it. However, there are two sides to every coin and virtualization is no different.  Virtualization, although highly recommended, introduces new security risks, including:

• Blind Spots: Virtualization causes security analysts to lose visibility into communication between          virtual machines (VMs) on the same host.
• Lack of Separation of Duties: Virtualization makes it easy to move VMs to any host or establish connectivity between any VMs on the same host. Misconfiguration or lack of policy enforcement makes it possible to combine VMs containing sensitive data with other VMs on the same host or bridge two different networks that should never communicate with one another.
• VM Sprawl: The transmission of VMs without adequate coordination or oversight can make it difficult to locate critical servers and determine their state of patching and configuration. Security risks become more tangible because a VM that is not properly tracked and managed may not have updated patches or proper configuration control, leading to vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.

Endpoint Proliferation

With bring-your-own-device or BYOD on the rise, personal and professional devices for today’s workforces are converging. In a surveycompleted by IDC and Unisys, Unisys Consumerization of IT Benchmark Study, found that 95% of workers report that they use at least one self-purchased device (smartphones, personal laptops, tablets, and other devices) for work.  With minimal visibility into personal devices accessing the network and no control over the security practices in place, the potential for increased risk is inevitable.

Increased Resource Requirements

Endpoint proliferation means increased resources and increased access to networks that won’t interfere with the performance of mission critical, high-bandwidth applications. The need for these larger networks often requires significant human resources to manage and maintain. With all this additional traffic coming and going it is almost impossible to effectively monitor and track everything for threats.  If the traffic can’t be monitored effectively, then unseen threats can potentially penetrate the network.

Being aware and understanding potential security risks can allow IT architects to transform their data centers with confidence.  Reduce costs, go green, offer more services, and support more users and growing amounts of data safely and securely by staying informed and having the right solutions in place. Convergent Technologies Group can be your trusted adviser to ensure you are always going down the right technology tracks. Call us today for a free consultation and we will help you get started. 

Why Cloud-based Email Archiving?

An enormous amount of information is being exchanged today via email, and this volume of emails sent and received is only growing with time. Organizations not only need a system in place to safely store these messages, but also a way to efficiently monitor and retrieve ones that may contain sensitive and confidential data. Then inability to do so can result in serious legal and reputational threats to an organization, should sensitive and confidential data get through the cracks.

Email archiving solutions allow organizations to store, monitor, and collect information exchanged by their users, ensuring compliance with internal policies and government regulations. In addition to email, most archiving solutions can also archive and manage other types of data, including instant messaging, web-based emails, calendars, contacts and files. If you are currently using an email archiving solution or are looking into one, cloud-based email archiving is something you should certainly consider. Here are a few reasons why:

1. No large upfront costs- you can avoid making a significant upfront investment by outsourcing. A typical email archiving solution can run you upwards of $100,000.That kind of initial capital can be difficult for small and medium businesses to fork over.
2. Smaller onsite IT staff- Since you are outsourcing with a hosting provider, your in-house IT staff can focus on other important tasks.
3. Strong security features- Hosting services often provide better protection of your archived data versus on-premises storage. Typically, all archived data is stored encrypted and the storage facilities provide multiple backup features to ensure preservation in case of power failure and other emergencies.
4. Higher up-time- When the solution is hosted in the cloud, instances that require going off line due to power failures, hardware malfunctions, and other unpredictable circumstances are highly reduced. To ensure hosting providers avoid interference in service delivery they use a combination of failover technologies and backup power sources, which keep your archived data up and accessible.
5. Unlimited archives- On-premises based archiving solutions require organizations to continually purchase new hardware in order to accommodate the growing number of messages. Cloud based archiving on the other hand provide unlimited amount of data and bandwidth per use for a flat rate, predictable fee.
6. Ensured compliance- Cloud based archiving ensures that not only is data stored and easily retrievable, but that the latest in regulatory compliance needs for messaging services are met. This can dramatically reduce resources and overall risk of the organization.
7. Predictable on-going costs- Typically, hosting providers will charge you on a per user/per month basis for archiving your data. This will result in a predicable monthly fee and a more accurate calculation of total cost per year.

These are just a few of the reasons why organizations are making the switch to cloud based solutions. Archiving in the cloud offers unlimited, secure archiving at a predictable fee with no large upfront investments required. Not only is cloud based archiving a cost effective alternative to on premises storage, it is also much more secure and the continuity archive solutions provide is unmatched. 

Are you looking to make the switch to cloud based email archiving for your organization? We can help. Contact Convergent Technologies Group for your free consultation. 

How to use Video for your Business

Web video is a very simple and effective way to convey information about a business, yet many businesses still aren't utilizing it. If you’ve been wondering how you can use videos for your business, take a look at these great examples.

Testimonials

Sharing your business’ success stories is a great way to grow your business through word of mouth. In order to do this, many companies ask for testimonials – which satisfied customers are often happy to give. Requesting a video testimonial can make that success story more effective than ever.

Chances are, your clients know how to create a video and have a webcam built-in to their computers. If you are able to get a video testimonial, instead of a written one, it really brings the story alive to prospective clients.

Replace written content

Most business websites are text-heavy and don’t offer much excitement. Throwing a video or two into the mix can make your site easier for your clients and prospects to find their way through.

Try replacing some standard, informational text with a video that describes your company in order to liven up your site a little and intrigue your site’s visitors.

Educate!

How to” and demo videos are great ways to educate your clients and prospective clients about your business. Although you may not actually sell products that you can demo, there are still plenty of ways to educate clients about something relating to your business.

Restaurants, for example, can create a video on how to properly prepare an artichoke, or something along those lines, that anybody could find useful. Videos of this sort are great because they make you look like an expert in your field.

Web video is a growing medium and a great way to share your stories and ideas with your audience. For even more ideas on using web video, check out this article.