Newsletter
October newsletter
- Introducing a New and Superior Approach to IT Support
- Halloween Webinar: How to Avoid Human Errors in Cyber Security
- Tech Tip: Build an Actionable Risk Management Plan
- MXO Blog:8 Advantages of Business Intelligence
- Tech News Airtag Misuse Prompts Apple to Announce Updates
What if...
…You could leverage our Security team whenever you needed?
…Our entire Helpdesk was at your beck and call?
Even the best IT department needs a little help sometimes.
With Ransomware at an all-time high, maybe it's time you take a closer look at your I.T. department.
Co-Managed IT is a customized set of services, support and tools we offer to companies with existing IT departments to help "co-manage" all aspects of support.
Not only does this save your organization money, it also enables your IT team to be more effective and efficient, giving you greater peace of mind, better support, and protection against downtime, cybercrime, ransomware, and compliance violations.
It IS a flexible partnership where we customize a set of ongoing services and software tools specific to the needs of your IT person or department that fills in the gaps, supports their specific needs, and gives you far superior IT support and services.
Curious? Let's schedule a brief 10-minute call to discuss!
Visit mxotech.com/co-managed-IT or call 312-554-5699 today to learn more.
Please join MXOtech for a free webinar..
Save the Scares for Halloween! How to Avoid Human Error in Cybersecurity!
Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 11:00am CST
What will you learn?
- Be vigilant about your company's security.
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to greatly reduce most security threats.
- Install End-Point Detection Response (EDR), which is critical to computer safety.
- Implement a backup and disaster recovery plan and test it regularly.
- Work with a qualified cyber security partner to implement tools and best practices as part of a comprehensive and layered security plan.
For any questions, contact us at 312.554.5699 or email ask@mxotech.com.
Risk management is a core leadership approach that ensures potential threats to success are identified and dealt with before they derail your project. But risk management is far more than that. It has far-reaching benefits that fundamentally change how a management team makes decisions.
Here are tips to create a robust approach to risk management:
- Identify problems before they occur.
- Assess project risks.
- Mitigate threats.
- Maximize results and meet deadlines
- Leverage – and even cause – opportunities.
- Save resources for your project and your organization.
To learn more, Watch our Project Management Webinar, hosted by Director of Application Development, Charlotte Hebert.
Business intelligence (BI) is more than a buzzword. Implemented effectively, businesses can leverage intelligence frameworks to reduce redundancy, deliver insight and drive better decision-making.
So, what exactly is BI, and what are the operational benefits of business intelligence? Read on to learn the answer.
What Is Business Intelligence?
Business intelligence is the process of turning collected data into actionable insights. To accomplish this goal, companies use a mixture of tools and technologies capable of cleaning, curating and correlating disparate data sources. Common processes include data mining, data analytics and data visualization.
Eight Benefits of Business Intelligence:
The top eight advantages of business intelligence include:
1. Reduced complexity
Disparate data sources are naturally complex, especially as companies leverage multiple storage mediums such as on-site servers, collocated data centers and the cloud. Add the increasing use of mobile devices and the uptake in hybrid work environments and the complexity becomes an ongoing — and ever-increasing — challenge.
BI tools make it possible to sift through multiple data sources simultaneously, in turn reducing complexity and increasing visibility.
2. Improved data access
Data is only useful if companies can access it where and when they need it. However, with data stored across multiple silos that often leverage different platforms, data access becomes a constant struggle.
As a result, IT teams might spend a significant portion of their time attempting to bridge the gaps between these data sources, rather than leveraging their insights. Robust data intelligence frameworks make it possible to streamline data access across the organization.
Want to read more? Click the button below to access the full blog.
Even though the device was originally meant to help users locate lost items, the button-sized gadget appeared in several creepy stalking stories. For example, in one case, a woman found an AirTag attached inside a wheel well.
AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person's property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products," reads the statement.
To prevent misuse, Apple said users would be prompted it's illegal to track people upon the first installation of the tracking tool. The company also said users would be alerted earlier if an unknown AirTag moves with them.
The upcoming software update will allow users of iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 to use Precision Finding to see the distance and direction to an unknown AirTag.
- Introducing a New and Superior Approach to I.T. Services
- Transform Your Auditing Process: Mobile Development Services
- MXO Blog: 7 Benefits Of Cybersecurity for Businesses
- Tech Tip: The Importance of Prototyping
- Tech News: DoorDash Suffers Data Breach
- MXO Application Development Team Participates in FedEx Day
What if..
..You could leverage our Security team whenever you needed?
..Our entire helpdesk was at your beck and call?
Even the best IT departments need a little help sometimes.
Co-Managed I.T. is a customized set of services, support and tools we offer to companies with existing I.T. departments to help “co-manage” all aspects of support.
Not only does this save your organization money, it also enables your I.T. team to be more effective and efficient, giving you greater peace of mind, better support, and protection against downtime, cybercrime, ransomware, and compliance violations.
It IS a flexible partnership where we customize a set of ongoing services and software tools specific to the needs of your I.T. person or department that fills in the gaps, supports their specific needs, and gives you far superior I.T. support and services.
Find out more about our Co-Managed Services.
Curious? Let's discuss over a brief 10-minute call.
It's time to get a mobile app to perform your audits with e-signatures, photos and robust data for easy trend analysis!
Mobile apps are a huge investment not just in terms of money. Your app is a representation of your business and if customers are unsatisfied, your reputation can take a huge hit!
At MXOtech, our mobile development services are designed to maximize your impact with a focus on features that matter to end-users and functions that make IT management easy.
Key areas of mobile software development include:
- Customizability: Effective app design and development depends on customization. Our teams work with your organization to create purpose-built mobile software solutions.
- Functional design: The best mobile apps combine functionality and form to deliver a seamless end-user experience. Our teams have the expertise to manage both.
- Cross-platform compatibility: With multiple app ecosystems to manage, our mobile development services include cross-platform compatibility and support.
- Hardware quality: The right hardware matters. Help ensure your new app supports the widest range of quality hardware possible with customized design and development.
- Ongoing support and maintenance: Mobile application development services don’t stop with software deployment. That’s why we provide ongoing support to assure performance over time.
Get in touch with us to start your app journey today!
Discussions about cybersecurity often focus on how effective defense can help limit the impact of attacks once cybercriminals have breached your network. Although this is a critical aspect of effective security, the advantages of cybersecurity extend beyond better reactions to help companies proactively protect digital assets from potential attacks.
Exploring 7 Advantages Cybersecurity:
- Enhanced reputation: Robust cybersecurity processes can help boost your business reputation. With employees and customers now increasingly concerned about the protection of their personal and professional data, solutions and strategies that are designed to defend this data can increase end-user confidence and boost overall business reputation. It makes sense: As attacks become more common, security is often seen as a differentiator between companies leading the pack and those lagging behind.
- Reduced complexity: The increase of cloud computing and distributed networking to support remote and hybrid work initiatives naturally creates complexity. One common culprit is lacking visibility: If companies can’t see what’s happening on their networks as needed, they’re at risk of missing critical security indicators. A comprehensive cybersecurity framework makes it possible to create a single source of cybersecurity truth, in turn reducing total complexity.
- Improved data defense: Comprehensive cybersecurity that includes strong data encryption and robust access controls can enhance data defense across your organization. Even if attackers manage to breach business networks, access controls and encryption can limit their ability to compromise key systems and reduce the time required to pinpoint compromise points. This is especially critical as remote work efforts expand and corporate networks become more complex. By making defensive measures such as data encryption, multi-factor authentication and regular password updates part of ongoing cybersecurity efforts, businesses can improve defense at scale.
You can read the additional 4 advantages by visiting our blog on the MXO website.
Tech Tip
At MXO, we lead with design. Our great achievement is to develop what you envisioned with an intuitive user experience. Our on-staff UX-UI team is essential in developing a working prototype.
We find that the following should be considered when prototyping:
- Determine Requirements
- Time & Budget Savings
- Reduce Risk
- Collaboration driven
- Quality Driven
- Scalable
What do you think is important to consider when prototyping?
To learn more, Watch our Project Management Webinar, hosted by Director of Application Development, Charlotte Hebert.
Chicago Innovation has nominated MXOtech for their Chicago Innovation Award because we implement processes such as prototyping. Chicago Innovation Awards celebrates the most innovative products and services in the Chicago region.
DoorDash Suffers Data Breach
Add DoorDash to the list of companies that have had their data exposed.
The food delivery service has reported that a hacker has accessed information related to both workers and customers of the company. While not named specifically, it is clear that DoorDash’s security incident is directly related to the recent phishing attack on communications platform Twilio.
The exposed information includes the names, email addresses, delivery addresses, and phone numbers of consumers. In addition, for a small subset of customers, the hackers accessed basic order information and partial credit card information, including the card type and the last four digits of the card.
App Dev Team Participates in FedEx Day
This year, our Application Development Team participated in FedEx Day. This day is recognized as a day for employees to deliver innovative, working products and software to their management team. Our application development team split up into two teams, Team Red and Team Blue. The challenge was to design and develop a working application within 24 hours.
Red Team presented their prototype, MXO Tiger chatbot. The chatbot is for employees to help them onboard and access company specific training, manuals, classes, and events. Simply put, MXO Tiger is a learning application with extensive access to company documents and answers to commonly asked questions.
Blue Team presented their prototype, S0W Generator. The SOW Generator allows us to standardize and automate pieces of our Statement Of Work process. Before, we would have different formatting, sections, and styles depending on who was creating the SOW and their experience with word templates. This tool allows us to just enter the pertinent information about the project and generates a nicely formatted PDF. It also tracks the signatures and the different stages of the SOW workflow.
Features:
- Client Appreciation Event: VIP Wine and Cyber Dinner Experience
- Application Development: Top Reasons to Implement Project Management
- Tech Tip: Use A Password Checklist
- Tech News: Hackers Use Fake Coinbase Job Ads To Lure Crypto Buffs
- Nurturing Company Culture in a Hybrid Workplace
- Food Drive Matching Challenge
We held an event for our clients to show our appreciation!
Last week, we hosted a client appreciation event at Hemmingway's Bistro in Oak Park. Those who attended learned insightful cybersecurity tips, and even more importantly, built meaningful connections and even friendships! It's our goal to go beyond IT to support our clients and help them achieve their goals and mission.
If you want to learn more about MXOtech's Advanced Cybersecurity Protection or if you're interested in a Vulnerability Assessment for your organization, click here to schedule a time to talk with one of our IT consultants.
Did you know that organizations that invest in project management waste 28 times less money, yet 42% of companies don't understand the need or importance of implementing project management?
There are various reasons why a business should consider implementing project management tactics but the top reasons include:
1. Stay on track and save money: Inadequate project planning is the number one reason for project failure and loss of money.
2. Strategic alignment and clarity: Provide a framework for decision making on what is important to the organization and what is not.
3. Improve employee and customer satisfaction: Without project management, managers can be left in limbo. By implementing this process, you are giving employees a roadmap and resource. Regarding customers, keep them involved and engaged, making the customer feel like they are a valuable, integral part of the project team.
4. Risk Management: Identify problems before they occur, assess project risks, mitigate threats, and meet deadlines.
5. Eliminate Silos: Quickly assess a situation and respond in a way to optimize outcome for the organization ethically. Effective application of business knowledge, skills, tools and techniques
Watch our Project Management Webinar hosted by Director of Application Development, Charlotte Hebert.
Tech Tip: Use A Password Checklist!
While it’s key to have a strong IT department supporting you, it’s important to remember the little things - like creating STRONG passwords.
Here are a few best practices to follow!
Hackers Use Fake Coinbase Job Ads To Lure Crypto Buffs
Hackers from the Lazarus group are distributing fake Coinbase job offers infected with malware. Since Coinbase is among the most recognizable names in the crypto industry, a job ad for a position in the company provides Lazarus with a large pool of potential victims.
The bait job ad is titled ‘Engineering Manager, Product Security,’ indicating North Korean hackers are looking to phish for particular types of victims.
The fake job ad hides a file named ‘Coinbase_online_careers_2022_07.exe’, and once executed, the infected file displays a PDF preview and deploys malicious files on the victims’ device.
In a hybrid work environment, we are continually challenged to stay connected to one another. One aspect that might suffer is company culture. It’s up to an organization’s leadership to help their team survive and thrive in a hybrid workplace.
Here are some tips to consider when nurturing company culture in a hybrid workplace:
1. Invest in employee ideas: In a hybrid workplace, anything that accommodates employees can boost engagement and help retention.
2. Quarterly feedback meeting sessions: By addressing concerns publicly, leadership can show employees their input is valued.
3. Focus on solid team-building initiatives: Build connections inside and outside the work environment and encourage social groups related to coworkers’ interests. Take initiative to plan group activities like volunteering, walking breaks, team-building activities, etc.
For example, we host employee outings every other month to give our team a chance to connect in person outside of the office. This month, enjoyed an evening cruise consisting of craft beers from local breweries paired with authentic barbecue bites.
MXO's own Michael Stack reflects on the outing,
"It's very refreshing to interact with everyone physically instead of digitally. It allows us to deepen our relationships with each other and builds more trust. I think this especially goes for the newer staff who have only see peers through a computer screen."
Click here for more tips on how to manage a hybrid workplace.
We're excited to share that a generous donor is providing our client, The Greater Chicago Food Depository, with $1,000,000 in matching funds to rally supporters in September at the start of Hunger Action Month, a national campaign to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of hunger in our country.
We are reaching out to the leaders in our giving community in advance, to share this opportunity in hopes you’ll have time to consider it in your giving plans. A virtual food drive created during this Matching Challenge will help the Food Depository ensure our neighbors have the healthy food and resources they need to not only survive but thrive.
If interested and have time to connect with the Food Depository, you can reach out to Ashley Lundren!/
Features:
- Upcoming Webinar: Achieve Your Technology Goals Without Wasting Money
- Connect with Our CEO: Connecting Women-Owned Businesses with Women-Run Tech
- Tech News: Phishing Campaign Targeting Over 10k Organizations
- Tech Tip: Avoid Online Scams
Upcoming Microsoft Teams Webinar
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
Please join MXOtech for a Free Webinar...
How to Achieve Your Technology Business Goals Without Wasting Money
Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 11:00am CT
MXOtech is excited to lead a webinar designed to help your business finally get its technology in order and meet your goals on time and on budget.
During this webinar, you’ll discover how to use Teams to:
- Why project management matters
- Selecting the best framework for your project
- What you need to have in place for success
- Client and staff retention
- Risk management
- An easy-to-understand project management solution
Connect with Our CEO
We Want to Connect Women-Owned Businesses with Women- Run Tech
Today, women are still underrepresented in almost every aspect of business. Attending business events for women is a great way for female entrepreneurs to gain further support and knowledge.
Our events for women-led businesses have proven to be an innovative way for women entrepreneurs and professionals to connect during a fun, casual forum that isn’t commonly available to them.
If you know any women entrepreneurs, CEOs, presidents, etc., invite them to connect with MXOtech’s Founder and CEO, Joanna Mirov.
Tech News
Microsoft Records A Phishing Campaign Targeting Over 10k Organizations
Threat actors behind a large-scale phishing campaign stole passwords, hijacked a user’s sign-in session, and were able to circumvent the authentication process, Microsoft said.
The attackers used stolen credentials and cookies to access affected users’ mailboxes and perform business email compromise (BEC) campaigns.
Microsoft said that the phishing campaign that used adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) sites attempted to target over 10,000 organizations since September 2021.
Avoid Online Scams!
Avoid Online Scams from Sesen_MXO on Vimeo.
- Upcoming Teams Webinar
- June Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities
- Connect with Our CEO: Connecting Women-Owned Businesses with Women-Run Tech
- We Won A Clutch and MSP501 Award
- Free Resources: Essential Information For Choosing The Right Line Of Business Application For Your Organization
- Tech News: Internet Explorer Retires
- Tech Tip: Avoid Spear Phishing Emails
Upcoming Microsoft Teams Webinar
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
Please join MXOtech for a Free Webinar...
8 Advanced Features of Microsoft Teams Everyone Should Be Using in 2022
Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 11:00am CT
We had such great feedback and success with our Teams 101 Webinar and Teams 201 Webinar that we are bringing you an advanced lesson on features you should be using in 2022.
During this webinar, you’ll discover how to use Teams to:
- Build customizations that allow you to work more efficiently with your team
- Communicate using various Channels to better organize your department and projects
- Host more productive webinars, meetings, and calls
- Boost company morale by creating an employee recognition program
- Create polls and surveys for customer and employee feedback
June Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities
There's been a sharp rise in cyberattacks this month, often disrupting services and products that are essential to everyday lives.
In May, the ransomware attack that forced a six-day shutdown of Colonial Pipeline — a key East Coast line that delivers gas to millions of people — brought the scary situation to the forefront of people's minds. The uneasy trend continued in June, with several high-profile companies like McDonald's and Peloton revealing they, too, were targeted by hackers.
These incidents highlight the growing need for cybersecurity professionals.
Contact us to learn how we can help with your IT concerns.
Connect with Our CEO
We Want to Connect Women-Owned Businesses with Women- Run Tech
Today, women are still underrepresented in almost every aspect of business. Attending business events for women is a great way for female entrepreneurs to gain further support and knowledge.
Our events for women-led businesses have proven to be an innovative way for women entrepreneurs and professionals to connect during a fun, casual forum that isn’t commonly available to them.
If you know any women entrepreneurs, CEOs, presidents, etc., invite them to connect with MXOtech’s Founder and CEO, Joanna Mirov.
We Won A Clutch and MSP501 Award
We are thrilled to announce that we have been chosen as one of Clutch's top B2B companies in Illinois. We were also recently recognized as a top managed service provider by Channel Futures MSP 501!
Here's what our Founder and CEO, Joanna Mirov, had to say about being recognized as one of the leading MSPs in the world.
"We are delighted to be recognized again this year as tech leaders by the MSP501 & Clutch for our dedication to customer service, determination to find creative solutions, and our history of project success,” said Joanna Mirov, Founder and CEO of MXOtech. "It is important to us to continually evolve and expand to bring our clients innovative technology that will solve their business challenges today and prepare them for tomorrow.”
Free Resources
Choosing a business application can be quite a headache, yet necessary to boost your efficiency and profits.
This ebook will guide you through exactly what you need to do to find the right solution for your organization. You’ll learn why some custom business applications are better than others, how you’ll know which is best for you, and how to make the most out of your software.
A sample RFP template is included to help you when selecting a custom provider. Save time and money by working smarter, not harder.
Tech News
So Long, Internet Explorer
It's official! Microsoft will no longer support the once-dominant browser that legions of web surfers loved to hate — and a few still claim to adore.
IE’s demise was not a surprise. A year ago, Microsoft said that it was putting an end to Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022, pushing users to its Edge browser, which was launched in 2015.
Microsoft released the first version of Internet Explorer in 1995. Its launch signaled the beginning of the end of Navigator: Microsoft went on to tie IE and its Windows operating system together so tightly that many people simply used it by default instead of Navigator.
Today, the Chrome browser dominates with roughly a 65% share of the worldwide browser market, followed by Apple’s Safari with 19%, according to internet analytics company Statcounter. IE’s heir, Edge, lags with about about 4%, just ahead of Firefox.
Knowing What Breaches You Have Been Involved In Will Help You Spot And Avoid Spear Phishing Emails
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The Connection Between Mental Health and Cybersecurity
May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month. Given that mental illness is so prevalent and closely linked to overall health and well-being, it is important to take the time to promote awareness of prevention, resources, support and treatment.
So you may be wondering, what does this have to do with cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity burnout is real and more prevalent now than anytime in history. Cybersecurityprofessionals are not the only individuals suffering from the burnout, business owners, employees, and every day people can fear a possible hacking. Cyber risks should be taken seriously but not at the cost of your mental health.
Contact us to learn how we can help with your IT concerns.
Features:
- Video: The 5 Biggest Cybersecurity Trends in 2022
- MXO Blog: Cloud Services
- Stay Connected with Employee Undo Deleted Files
- Free Resource: Office Move Checklist
- Tech News: Illinois College Closes After Cyber Attack
- Tech Tip: Obtain Cybersecurity Insurance
Tips to Build a Company Culture Your Employees Will Love
MXO Blog
MSP Onboarding Process: A Checklist For What To Expect
Adoption of managed IT services is on the rise as businesses look for ways to navigate increasingly complex digital environments without sacrificing speed or performance.
Onboarding is all about getting customers up to speed with MSP services and support. In practice, it’s much like a first impression — providers only get one, and they should endeavor to make it stand out for the right reasons. This isn’t always the case, however. Recent survey data found that 90% of customers say businesses “could do better” when it comes to onboarding.
What does better look like? Our eight-point checklist can point you in the right direction. When it comes to onboarding, MSPs should be:
Stay Connected Via Employee Outings
We are excited to be able to have MXO hosted company outings again! Company outings are a great way for employees to break out of the confines of the office or their at-home office for those who work remotely. Building connections with coworkers can do wonders when it comes to productivity inside the office and the team's well-being. We look forward to hosting more events this year!
Free Resources
Planning An Office Move This Spring or Summer?Do you need some help getting ready to move offices? This checklist will help make your office move painless and stress-free by guaranteeing you don’t leave out any of the critical details.
Tech News
Illinois College Closes Down After Cyber Attacks
Lincoln College, Illinois Historically Black College, closes after 157 years, blaming COVID 19 and cyberattack disruptions.
The college scrambled to stay afloat with fundraising campaigns, a consolidation of employee positions, and exploring leasing alternatives.
Then, as COVID cases fell and students returned to schools across the country, the college was victimized by a December cyberattack. It left all the systems needed to recruit students, retain them and raise money inoperable for three months.
The school held a college fair last month to give students a chance to learn where they might want to transfer.
Obtain Cybersecurity Insurance
Cyber liability insurance comes into play to protect your business. It covers the costs to your business in the case of a data breach or cyber-attack and any legal claims brought against your business.
Which businesses can benefit from cyber insurance?
If you handle any of this information, this coverage is a must:
- Social Security numbers
- Medical and Person Health Information (PHI)
- Customer credit card information
- Customer names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. So, what can you do?
Many companies offer free cyber insurance quotes to discuss a cyber risk management plan. With the right security protocols put into place, you may be able to lower your insurance premium.
Contact us to learn more.
Features:
- MXOtech Webinar: Watch the recording of our webinar on Russian Ransomware and Cyberattacks Targeting American Companies
- Tech News: What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?
- Tech Tip: How to deal with spam text messages
- Free Resources: IT Security Resources for your business
Don't Let April Showers Bring May Cyberattacks
With spring in full swing, organizations should consider dedicating some time to scrubbing and sprucing up their IT security.
While for many households, spring cleaning is an annual ritual that marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, digital spring cleaning is vital for companies to avoid data breaches.
To kick off the new season, here are a few steps you can take to strengthen your company's defenses.
- POLISH your password management
- REMOVE login risk with MFA (Multi-factor Authentication)
- SWEEP out unauthorized applications
- WIPE out admin privileges to employees who don't need them
- CLEAN out public connection risk with VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Even with all of these defenses in place, there's always a need to implement the best cybersecurity measures to protect your businesses against cyberattacks.
Expect breaches to happen, but instead of struggling to protect your business from outside threats, contact us to schedule a meeting with one of our Chicago-area cybersecurity experts.
Download Free Printable Cybersecurity Posters
MXOtech Webinar
Did you miss our recent webinar?
Good news! The recorded webinar is now available on-demand!
Watch the webinar here on MXOtech's YouTube channel.
What is the webinar about?
With the looming threat of increased conflict in Ukraine, businesses around the world should be preparing now. Small businesses are most vulnerable to the expected wave of ransomware attacks. Learn from our Cybersecurity professionals who will discuss the immediate steps to defend your business.
Byte-Sized Jokes
Tech News
What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?
When it comes to IT disasters, it's a matter of when - not if. While the cause varies - from power outages to provider problems to on-site hardware failure - every business eventually comes face to face with disaster.
Robust response to disasters offers better ROI than prevention. While it's critical to deploy tools and technologies capable of detecting the hallmarks of common concerns and deflecting the worst of the impacts, relying on a prevention-only approach puts companies at risk of being caught off-guard when true disaster strikes.
A comprehensive disaster recovery plan (DRP) can help.
Rieke Can Create The Office of Your Dreams
Whether you are moving into a new office or your existing office needs a facelift, ROI can turn your vision into a reality. Rieke Office Interiors has been designing and manufacturing custom office furniture for over 27 years. Their experienced team is here to help turn your dreams into a reality, crafting an innovative, eco-friendly workspace to fit your business needs. Rieke also has a vast array of used office furniture inventory and many financing options available, making it easier to start building a new office today.
Would you like your business to be promoted in an upcoming MXO newsletter? Send a note to Sesen at sbeyen@mxotech.com.
How to deal with spam text messages:
Spam text messages are about as welcome as robocalls. They show up unwanted and unexpected and the worse part is whoever is sending the text most likely is attempting to defraud you. So how do we tackle this painfully annoying problem?
- Don’t reply to the spam text
- Treat your personal information like cash – don’t give it out
- Don’t click on any links in the text message
- Review your phone bill for extra charges
- Check your phone’s settings to block unwanted calls and messages 6. Report spam messages to carrier
- Check to see if your carrier offers a call-blocking service
Free Resources
IT Security Resources For Your Business
Click on the links below to download additional free IT Security Resources for your business:
Cybersecurity, Not Luck,
Will Keep Your Business Safe!
We all know of the St. Patrick’s Day tale of Leprechauns collecting the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Strong cybersecurity for your business will not bring you a pot of gold, but it will bring your business security from hackers.
With over half of small businesses failing within 6 months of a cyberattack, you can’t rely on the luck of the Irish to protect you from being a part of that statistic.
Talk to us today about beefing up your cybersecurity defenses.
Features:
- MXOtech Webinar: Save Your Seat for Our Webinar on Russian Ransomware and Cyber-Attacks Targeting American Companies
- Tech News: The Benefits of System Integration for Businesses
- Tech Tip: Stay One Step Ahead of Hackers With This Tech Tip
MXOtech Webinar
NOW To Avoid The Impending Uptick in Russian Ransomware and Cyber-
With the looming threat of increased conflict in Ukraine, businesses around the world should be preparing now. Small businesses are most vulnerable to the expected wave of
ransomware attacks.
Sign up for our webinar today and save your spot to learn from our Cybersecurity professionals who will discuss the immediate steps to defend your business.
Tech News
The Benefits of System Integration for Businesses
Pandemic pressures have pushed many companies into unfamiliar territory. From accelerating IT expansion to embracing the need for always-on, always-connected solutions that let employees work anytime, anywhere, businesses have been called on to evolve operations at a breakneck pace.
The results aren’t surprising: Recent survey data found that 75% of IT technologists believe their organization faces more IT complexity than ever. What’s more, 89% say they feel “immense pressure” at work to ensure systems, software and solutions work as seamlessly as possible.
While many companies have turned to custom software and solution developers to help bridge the gap between historical frameworks and new functions, there’s an alternative: systems integration.
In this blog, we’ll break down the basics of system integration, why it matters and how it can benefit your business
Make complex passwords easy to remember by turning them into sentences, such as "TheCub$Rock
New Year, New IT
Now that we've gotten the last scraps of confetti out of our hair, there's no better time than now to let you know that in 2022, IT is making a profound shift.
In the past couple of years, Covid-19 prompted major changes in the tech landscape. A surge to remote work ensued - permanently altering businesses and their departments, including IT.
What this means for you is if your employees work remotely, you will need a resilient IT department to deploy technologies essential for providing services for a productive and seamless remote workforce.
Don't get left behind in 2021. Companies are already making the shift and adjusting to the post-pandemic world. Contact us to learn more!
Features:
- Tech News: The 5 Biggest Cybersecurity Trends in 2022
- MXOtech Updates: Cloud Services
- Tech Tips: Undo Deleted Files
Tech News
The 5 Biggest Cybersecurity Trends in 2022
The changed world we’ve found ourselves living in since the global pandemic struck in 2020 has been particularly helpful to cybercriminals.
As we head into 2022, there is, unfortunately, no sign of this letting up. This is why it's essential for individuals and businesses to be aware of the ever-growing avenues of attack as well as what can be done to mitigate the risks!
So let’s take a look at the most important and significant trends affecting our online security in the next year and beyond while throwing in some practical steps we can all take to avoid becoming victims:
1. AI-powered Cybersecurity
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can counteract cybercrime by identifying patterns of behavior that signify something out-of-the-ordinary may be taking place. It's the predictive powers of AI that make it so useful here, which is why more and more companies will be investing in these solutions as we go into 2022.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals are also aware of the benefits of AI, and new threats are emerging that use technologies like machine learning to evade the protective measures of cybersecurity. This makes AI even more essential – as it’s the only hope of counteracting AI-powered cyber-attacks!
2. The growing threat of ransomware
According to the UK National Cyber Security Centre, there were three times as many ransomware attacks in the first quarter of 2021 as there were in the whole of 2019. Once again, we can largely blame this on the pandemic, and the growth in the amount of activity carried out online and in digital environments.
Ransomware typically involves infecting devices with a virus that locks files away behind unbreakable cryptography and threatens to destroy them unless a ransom is paid. Ransomware is typically deployed through phishing attacks – where employees of an organization are tricked into providing details or clicking a link that downloads the ransomware software (sometimes called malware) onto a computer.
Education is the most effective method of tackling this threat, with research showing that employees who are aware of the dangers of this type of attack are eight times less likely to fall victim.
New Year, New Choices
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