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9 Steps Manufacturers Can Take to Prevent a Ransomware Attack
Recent attacks on critical suppliers in the gas and food industries have illustrated how hackers attack easy targets, inflict serious pain, and extract easy money from pressured executives. Using what we've learned from recent attacks here are 10 steps manufacturers...
Oh, Sh*t! You Seriously Mean to Tell Me That I Could Lose All of My Cloud Data?
Most of us would probably agree that the cloud has turned out to be a boon for business computing. But, have we grown too confident in “the cloud” and now putting too much faith in the cloud systems we are using? Do you assume that your data is secure and that data...
Choosing an MSP: No. 2. Strategic Alignment and POV on IT
Does the MSP share our vision for IT and its purpose? Financial viability is critical for an MSP. Prudent financial management ensures that the proper investments are being made in the business and that the MSP can survive the booms and busts of technology trends....
IT Support is NOT IT Security
I hear all too often from business leaders who think their IT Support team and their Security team are synonymous. They just assume that Support addresses all of their security needs by default. After all, the IT Support gang has been managing the anti-virus software...
Choosing the Right MSP for Your Business
There are probably as many “How to Choose a Managed Service Provider” guides online as there are MSPs. Do you really desire to consume another piece of self-promotional “content”? I’m going to assume that the answer is “No.” Well, my goal is to NOT add to all that...
Recovering from Cyber Risks in SMBs Using the NIST Framework
A ransomware attack happens every 11 seconds. In 40% of companies that get hacked, the same organization is hit again within 9 months. I don't share that to scare you (Although, it should get your attention.) It happens because companies think they have addressed and...
Responding to Cyber Risks in SMBs Using the NIST Framework
Prudent business leaders and risk managers understand that identifying, protecting against, and detecting risks are necessary, albeit fallible, actions to mitigate a complex world full of risks. As we have seen from prior posts, cost, time, and resource tradeoffs...
Detecting Cyber Risks in SMBs Using the NIST Framework
You have been following the NIST framework and have successfully identified the areas of risk and implemented protections against them. We're now at the stage to ensure that we are able to detect any breaches that make it over the proverbial "wall." This is a CRITICAL...
Protecting SMBs from Cyber Risks Using the NIST Framework
After SMBs Identify risks in the first step of the NIST Framework, the second step defines the process to Protect your assets. We like to refer to this NIST step as making the "security sandwich." We like this metaphor because we incorporate layers of protection to...
Identifying Cyber Risks in SMBs Using the NIST Framework
Frameworks are great for consultant presentations, but are they relevant to how work actually gets done in the real world? No doubt I have seen my share of boil-the-ocean IT models. I, like most of the pragmatic business leaders of our clients, don't have time for...
Why Cybersecurity Standards are Important to SMBs: Don’t Let Customers Catch You With Your Security Pants Down
I'm often asked if cybersecurity standards are important to SMBs. You bet your sweet bippy! I've seen this story play out more and more the past several years: One of our clients frantically contacts us because one of their customers wants to know if their company...
The Coming SMB Data Security Compliance Squeeze
Data security compliance has been coming after you for a while. It’s now picking up speed whether you like it or not. A couple of years ago the European Union issued GDPR to help protect citizens’ data rights. Companies that have any data from individuals who reside...
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