The Datamax Thinking Blog

Educating, collaborating, and sparking ideas for maximizing the technology that matters.


3 Questions: Start on the Right Foot With a Managed IT Services Partner

Here are a few suggestions on putting your best foot forward with your next Managed IT Partner.

While the origin of the phrase “getting off on the wrong foot” remains uncertain, we can all agree that doing so is a terrible start to any endeavor.

An athletic team that gets off on the wrong foot generally plays poorly. A relationship is less likely to prevail. In addition, a Managed IT partnership that doesn’t start off on the right foot is likely to spell major headaches – if not more – for your organization.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services Network Security

Have You Considered These IT Security Essentials for 2023 and Beyond?

Are you remaining static in your cybersecurity defense? Are you losing ground? We invite you to consider these advanced IT security layers of protection.

David Packard, cofounder of Hewlett-Packard, once said that "to remain static is to lose ground."

The IT Security landscape looks much different than it did five years ago. Cybercriminals continuously find new ways to outsmart organizational defense platforms, and are becoming increasingly sophisticated at concealing their threats. The more we immerse ourselves (and our business practices) into the digital realm, the more the playing field widens for malicious activity.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services Network Security Security

You've Been Schooled: 5 Types of Phishing Email Attacks You Should Be Educated On

Prepare your team for the next phishing threat by "schooling" them on these 5 types of attacks. 

As most outdoors enthusiasts can tell you, there's a reason it's called fishing, and not catching.

Despite all your preparation and skill, that coveted fish can be hard to catch. The same goes for phishing, a cybercriminal tactic that involves email messages crafted to capture a person or an organization's sensitive data. More and more, these sophisticated attacks are hard to catch.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services IT Consulting Network Security Cybersecurity

Begin Carving Out Your 2022 IT Security Plan With These 6 Questions

Good IT security practices require more than just a bundle of technology tossed at a potential problem.

Author and Poet Rumi once wrote: “I’ve said before that every craftsman searches for what’s not there to practice his craft.”

Topics: Network Management Managed Services IT Consulting Technology Training Managed Services Provider MFP Security

How to Choose the Right Managed IT Service Provider For Your Business

When evaluating potential managed service providers, it’s important to look at both the hard metrics as well as the humanistic qualities of the company you will entrust with your technology landscape.

As security concerns take center stage and IT becomes increasingly complex, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) continue to seek the help of a managed IT services provider.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services Network Security Managed Services Provider

How Businesses Can Securely Work From Home

When supporting a remote workforce, understand that security controls shift. Therefore, firewalls, DNS, and IDS/IPS could be ineffective when employees head home.

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, many businesses are assessing how they can prioritize their employee safety and still maintain regular business operations.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services IT Consulting Network Security Business Continuity Managed Services Provider Cybersecurity Coronavirus Remote Workforce Planning

4 Business Continuity Essentials to Keep Your Technology from Treading on Thin Ice

One can only tip-toe over network and infrastructure insecurities for so long before the surface beneath you cracks.

For ice fishing enthusiasts embracing their favorite winter pastime, the warning from officials is abundantly clear: don’t tread on thin ice! In fact, Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources recommends ice at least 4 inches thick for foot travel.

A measurement any less than 4 inches could result in disaster.

The technology footpath that you tread across every day bears inherent risk. The cybersecurity climate is volatile, forcing organizations to be consistently mindful of the environment surrounding them. The solid technology foundation you create determines how confidently your organization can navigate with necessary tools to conduct business efficiently day to day.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services IT Consulting Network Security Security Business Continuity Managed Services Provider

Old School Swindling: How Social Engineering Uses Vintage Tactics to Slip Past Your Network's Defense

Social Engineering is really no different than any old school scam from the past, other than modern technology is the setting (for the modern attack)." - Justin Huffaker, Vice President of Strategic Technology, Datamax Inc.

Most recall the Martin Scorsese film “Catch Me if You Can,” which follows New York teen Frank Abagnale (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor and a Louisiana parish prosecutor to successfully execute million-dollar cons.

Abagnale’s ploys, while sophisticated, relied heavily on the ingrained, trusting nature of humans to carry out his elaborate schemes: Much like Social Engineering in 2018, some 60 years after Abagnale’s antics.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services IT Consulting Network Security Security Technology Training

Prevent Undetected Attack : 10 Safety Tips that Guard Against Ransomware

Ransomware, namely the WannaCry and NotPetya viruses, filled newsfeeds last year as the most prolific cyber security attacks in history. How prolific? The two Ransomware attacks combined to infect 200,000 machines in 100 countries, and NotPetya caused an estimated $1.2 billion in damages.

The most common shark attack against humans is known as the “hit-and-run” attack. Typically occurring in the surf zone amid murky waters, the swimmer or surfer seldom even sees its attacker.

The same could certainly be said for Ransomware in 2017.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services Network Security Security Data Back-Up

Diagnosing Your Data: Is Your Tech Stack Compliant with GDPR?

This legislation is a game changer for how applicable organizations process, retain and store customer data. 

On May 25, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was officially enforced, representing a watershed moment for consumer data protection and privacy moving forward.

This legislation, designed to better unify and protect data privacy for European Union citizens, applies to those within EU-member countries, so US-based companies may not think that this overseas legislation is relevant to their everyday business.  These companies should think again: The GDPR could be very relevant to you and the way you currently collect and store data.

Topics: Network Management Managed Services Security Data Back-Up Managed Services Provider