The Datamax Thinking Blog

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.”

Businesses commit IT hardware and budgeted funds into their defense again cyber attacks. But have they considered their last line of defense …. their backup solution?

As a last line of defense at the battle of Gettysburg, the Union regiment led by Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, at Little Round Top, made a desperate, yet strategic move that halted the Confederate assault and helped tilt the outcome of the war.

His men out of ammunition, they turned to bayonets. A single “right wheel forward” maneuver, orchestrated by Chamberlain, not only stopped the seemingly overwhelming Confederate threat, but reinforced the strength of a timely, calculated strategy.

Top-to-bottom business awareness, employee education, multi-layered security protection, and proper business continuity planning continue to be a much needed prescription for avoiding the number one malware threat to SMBs.

As one menace to business livelihood (the COVID-19 pandemic) dominates headlines, another continues to lurk in the shadows as a significant threat to businesses of all sizes — ransomware.

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.

Moving forward, as a business, what resources do you need to successfully traverse the cloudy, undetermined skies surrounding COVID-19?

There’s an old Texas saying … “there is nothing between Amarillo and the North Pole but a barbed wire fence.” Another? “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait a minute.”

As businesses navigate the rough seas of the ongoing pandemic, one thing’s for certain: Cybercriminals have gone phishing. Organizations must take the necessary precautions and remain vigilantly aware to avoid getting reeled in to these attacks.

Phishing attacks are nothing new. Neither is the propensity to attack during a time of crisis. Online scams like phishing, malware, and the various forms of social engineering become increasingly more effective when individuals are vulnerable, desperate, or just looking for answers.

Global concern over COVID-19 is the perfect bait.

When huddled with your laptop into the kitchen nook, or spread across the couch, the comfort of your home should never soften your cybersecurity awareness. Don't let the tidal wave come crashing down on you and your business. 

If you’ve joined the Work From Home tidal wave in the last month (16 million of you, according to Slack), your home is now an extension of your office.

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.

How organizations accommodate and — more importantly, manage — this workforce trend moving forward is an important discussion to have with their trusted technology partner.

The topic of a remote workforce has become a hot one this week as news of the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve.

While the impact of the virus is yet to be determined, the COVID-19 outbreak serves as one poignant example of the need for agility, flexibility and cohesion in the way organizations communicate (via voice or data) and conduct business.

What happens when working remotely ceases to be a luxury … and starts to become a necessity?

With the series of events unfolding surrounding the Coronavirus, employers are making operational adjustments to comply with a quickly-evolving public narrative — one that may soon include a work-from-home strategy.  Given these circumstances, how do businesses maintain effective communication with customers? With their team? How do they preserve standard business operations if employees aren't at the office?