All posts by SystemsNet Administrator

Six Steps to Make Your Company Ransomware Proof (Part 1)

March 8, 2018Malware, Securityantivirus, Help from ransomware, malware, Protect your computer, securitySystemsNet Administrator

Cloud Backup

Ransomware is a single word for a big, diverse problem. It isn’t just one program like WannaCry or GoldenEye, or Petya, it’s all hacker-borne viruses that have ever been or ever will be designed. One really good firewall and anti-virus setup won’t protect you forever because if history has taught us anything it’s that hackers won’t quit it. They will continue to look for loopholes, backdoors, and brute force attacks to invade your computer system and ruin your day. The good news is that even in a worst-case scenario where these malicious programs get into your company system and encrypt every important business file you possess, with the right preparation you can quickly and easily thumb your nose at the low-life hacker with a completely ransomware-proof plan.

It’s all About the Backups

Yes, in an ideal world we’d be talking about nothing but malware detection, email scanning, and firewalls and don’t get us wrong, these things are important. However, these things are like washing your hands before eating supper. It will reduce the number of ‘germs’ you are exposed to, but it won’t elimate your exposure completely. A comprehensive ransomware, and indeed any malware plan may start with firewalls but it always ends in backups. Why? Because with the right backups, you can recover from anything, even a full-encryption ransom attack.

1) Create a Complete Backup of Each Machine

Ransomware has to have an entry point, and this is usually a personal computer. These days it can also be a mobile or IoT device and the importance of recovering data on these devices should be considered when planning for backups. When ransomware strikes, it encrypts every file on the computer and then uses files from the program to project the ransom message and interface. While you could mess with the hackers, your best bet is simply to wipe the computer to factory settings and re-install everything you need.

Of course, doing this manually could take hours if not days so what you need is a total backup complete with software installs and configuration settings as well as the basic file system. This kind of backup takes more space to store but it also allows you to cut off a hack at the start and get the system back to safe working conditions in a matter of minutes rather than days. This method is especially useful if you have a floor worth of computers that share a similar if not identical configuration.

2) Save Your Data on the Cloud

In general, ransomware can only attack files stored locally on infected computers and networks. This means that while they may be able to reach out to remote servers you are actively connected to, if you save your business data through a cloud storage service or, better yet, through third-party SaaS servers for the platforms you use, the ransomware won’t be able to corrupt it. To harden your defenses and protect sensitive company and client information, make sure that important data isn’t stored on a local system, even in the Temp folder. This way, hackers will neither be able to breach your security and leak information or deny you access through encryption or local deletion.

Paired with the complete computer backup, a cloud data storage system means that after a localized attack, you can recover the compromised system up to the point where it is immediately compatible with your cloud platform again, putting the workstation back into use quickly.

Believe it or not, the setup is the most complicated part of establishing a ransomware-proof business plan. In fact, it’s only the first half of the article. Join us next time as we cover points three through six from your infrastructure backup to your restoration plan. For more tips and advice on best backup practices, contact us today!

Archives are Great, Backups are Better (Part 1)

March 1, 2018Data BackupArchives, backup, Backup and disaster recovery strategy, bdr, Disaster RecoverSystemsNet Administrator

Digital files on a computer. Archives versus backups concept

Archives Vs Backups

As a business, your data is incredibly important. From your old financial records to your new customer contact information, everything about a modern company is run on computers with digital information. Whether you’ve got everything on local software or host your files on the cloud, having access to your business data is vital to daily functions. While active information might be stored locally where it is easy to open and edit, there are also many instances where you will need information stored in files that are more than six months old. This is exactly the reason why you keep older files available, but where do you keep them and how? Are you archiving old files efficiently, and if you are, are they safe from disasters and data loss? There’s a big difference between archives and backups, and understanding that difference is vital to ensuring your data is right where you need it when special circumstances arise.

Are You Archiving?

Archiving occurs when you store older data in an efficient, tidied, and local fashion. Blogs, for instance, have an archive of articles older than three months that allows you to access old content without assuming that you will want to see it. Archiving can take several forms. The most basic kind of archiving is simply leaving old files to build up in place. This allows them to be easily located and referenced and can be considered a reasonable method if you access the old files quite often.

The second kind of archiving involves re-packaging and compressing the archives into smaller zip or tar files, which reduces them inside and allows them to take up less of your local or rented digital storage space. These compressed archives can have their contents examined and retrieved individually or unpacked again to restore the files in their original positions. The archives can also be moved to a separate folder in your file system to keep your active directories tidy.

The Weakness in Archiving

Archiving is a perfectly good starting place for storing your data, but it is not the most secure from disaster or invasion. While most individuals and many companies use archiving as their primary form of file safekeeping, the method also has some significant weaknesses. An archive only exist on your own systems, in whatever local or backup server or network you control. While this may sound good, think of it from a disaster recovery perspective.

If, for instance, a bolt of lightning struck your office building (or cloud hosting facility) and damaged all the computers. This would cause you to lose all your data, both past and present, with very little hope of recovery. Similar issues arise when a computer or entire network get hacked. Hackers can access your data, steal it, delete it, encrypt it, corrupt it, or simply fill your host machines with malware until they can’t function. In all of these circumstances, your system is at serious risk without recourse.

Before the cloud, archiving was among the most reliable ways to protect your business data and files but times have changed and so has the technology available to take care of your data. Backups, and cloud backups in particular, are now the best possible way to make sure that everything you need is waiting for you even if malware or natural disasters take out your entire local network.

Stay tuned for the second half of this two-part article where we’ll discuss how to use cloud backups to protect you from a wide variety of potential disasters. For more information about why backups or important or how to back up your business files onto the cloud, please contact us today!

What Can VoIP Offer You?

February 22, 2018VOIPOffice Phones, Phones, Telephony, VOIPSystemsNet Administrator

Woman using internet based phone services

Voice Over Internet Protocol phone systems

We are sure you have been told about the numerous benefits and advantages of Internet-based phone services and features. However, are you aware of how impactful these services and features can be to your business? Voice Over Internet Protocol phone systems can offer your business a variety of benefits, including the following:

Getting notified of your voicemails through email or cell phone notifications
On-hold music that you can customize
Auto attendant services
The ability to make changes to your telephone
Cordless telephones

While these features and services are great for helping your business for the entire year, the VoIP services can greatly impact your business during the holidays. During the holidays, many businesses will have different opening and closing hours than they do for the earlier part of the year.

Business Hours

If you have plans to close your business during the holiday season, change your hours, or schedule events for certain days, your customers can always be in the loop. You will not have to worry about your customers being placed on hold or being sent to voicemail because VoIP will allow you to remain in contact with them at all times. It does not matter if your business will take a break during the holidays or if you will have events scheduled, you can answer your customers’ phone calls even when you are not in the office.

Route Your Calls

If you will have a business event or a Christmas party on a particular day and you do not plan to take any phone calls, you will be able to route your office phone calls to your cellular device. If you receive phone calls that you do not want to answer, you can route those phone calls to your voicemail. You can answer the phone calls that you feel are important and should be answered immediately.

Take Your Work Home

If you have plans to work from the comfort of your own home during the holiday season, you will be able to do this and not worry about the progress of your business. You can answer your office phone calls on your cell phone from the VoIP control panel in your office. You can also make the decision to take the office VoIP phone home and use it on your home’s router.

Who’s Working?

Not only will you be able to answer phone calls on your cell phone while you are home, you will also be able to use your system so your loyal customers do not think you are not accepting any business during the holidays. You can make sure all of the phone calls are routed to the employees who are working. You will not have to worry about phone calls being sent to employees who are off for the holidays. Your customers will always have their questions answered when you ensure that you are routing your phone calls to the right people.

You Have A Message

One of the great things about VoIP is that it will allow you to customize your business message. You can even record a holiday greeting for your answering machine or your voicemail settings. There are various things you can include on your answering machine or voicemail, including announcing sales, promos, etc.

VoIP gives any business the flexibility, dependability, and reliability they need in a service. If you want to ease the pain and frustrations of the holiday season, VoIP can certainly alleviate some of that stress for you. If you want to keep up with the holiday pace, please do not hesitate to contact us today for additional information about VoIP.

Are You Using ACT! Contact Management Software To Attract Leads?

February 15, 2018Contact Relationship ManagementACT!, ACT! Contact Management Software, contact management, Contacts, CRMSystemsNet Administrator

ACT! Contact Management Software. Attracting Leads or Lead Generation concept

Attracting Leads is easy with a good software product.

Today, more businesses are starting to move toward a different approach when it comes to their marketing strategy. More businesses are deciding that inbound marketing is a more effective approach for them. One of the most important things in inbound marketing is generating as many leads as possible. If one can get people into their customer database, a business will be able to reach them more efficiently than they have been able to in the past. When potential customers can be reached, your business will be able to maximize their entire marketing efforts, and this can lead to a significant amount of business growth.

Since inbound marketing has become so important to many businesses, you are going to need the right solutions and tools to help you achieve the level of success you need. A contact management software solution like ACT! Contact Management software has grown rapidly in recent years. However, you can only find success in this software if you know how to use it effectively and efficiently. When you use this software the right way, you will be able to reach out to all your contacts and lead them into the direction of becoming one of your customers.

Reaching Out To Your Contacts

When you nurture your leads, you are helping to push them in the direction of making a sale and becoming one of your lifelong customers. When you execute this plan the correct way, you will typically find success by using email sequences. These email sequences will generally focus on improving your business’s leadership and trustworthiness. Once you have established your credibility and the abilities of your business, you will be able to promote your business and your services or products.

Nurturing your potential leads does not have to involve sending constant emails on a daily basis. You can send an email on an occasional basis that basically gives customers and potential customers an update on your services or products. You can also send an email that gives your leads information about the benefits of using the services and/or products that you provide. When you can send intriguing emails to your leads and customers, this will encourage them to eventually make a purchase.

E-mail Campaigns

When you make the decision to use ACT! contact management software, you will be given the ability to integrate various email marketing opportunities. These email marketing opportunities will provide you with the resources you need to attract leads and eventually reel them in. When you set up a campaign that is automated, the campaign will start as soon as you enter someone’s name in your database. Once you begin this automated email campaign, you will be able to use various email templates to send the emails to your leads.

Before you create an email campaign or before you try your hand at lead nurturing, you will need to have a proper strategy. It is important that you make sure you do not send emails to your contacts that they will believe is spam. We encourage you to plan out all the moves before you carry them out. You should make sure you know what type of emails leads will want to open and read. Once you send the emails, you should make sure you properly monitor the emails so you can determine if the emails you are sending have been unsuccessful or successful. Monitoring the emails you send will give you the opportunity to find where the changes need to be made if any need to be made at all.

Are you ready to work on a strategy that will allow you to attract the contacts you have entered into your database? Contact us today for more information on ACT! Contact Management Software.