You've got a business to run, and locking down your network, to the degree that you can, is essential. You know that, and since our job is to help keep your business up and running we continue to shine a light on cybersecurity. Making matters more challenging is the shortage of cyber security talent in this relatively new IT field. No wonder small businesses are vulnerable!

The trap that small businesses fall into is the false belief that hackers and cyber-creeps are only interested in large businesses and governmental agencies.  The truth is that your business is likely more vulnerable than you think, and constant vigilance is required.
 
Here are a few things you should know:

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued a draft of a cybersecurity self-assessment tool. The Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder is a self-assessment tool to help organizations better understand the effectiveness of their cybersecurity risk management efforts. NIST Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews announced the release of the draft document and said: "The Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder answers a call from many organizations to provide a way for them to measure how effectively they are using the Cybersecurity Framework. The Builder will strengthen the already powerful Cybersecurity Framework so that organizations can better manage their cybersecurity risks."
  

We recommend you grab the 35-page self-assessment to bring   yourself up to date. We also recommend that you take advantage of our FREE 28-point network evaluation. Call to schedule an appointment and we'll help you assess the integrity of your network.

• As reported in Security Magazine: A recent survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute of nearly 600 IT staff from businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees found that more than 50 percent have suffered a cyber-attack within the past 12 months. The report, "The 2016 State of SMB Cybersecurity," can be downloaded here.

The fact that only 14 percent of the companies surveyed rated their cyber defenses as highly effective sheds light on the specific challenges small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) face. With limited budgets and lack of IT staff that are devoted to cybersecurity issues, the task of keeping your business safe in an ever increasing digital world is daunting.

• 50% of SMBs have been breached in the past 12 months
• The most prevalent attacks against SMBs are web-based and phishing/social engineering
• 59% of SMBs have no visibility into employee password practices
• 65% of SMBs that have a password policy do not strictly enforce it

 Rather than summarize the report, best for you to grab it here in its entirety.  

• Take steps to prevent a data breach. You have heard it before... but it cannot be stressed enough. Hackers love lackadaisical password policies and if you are not enforcing a rigorous password protection plan you are inviting them to steal your most precious company data. Grab these five tips for SMB Data Breach Prevention.

• Finally, The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), a division of Homeland Security, has published a web resource to help you bolster your cyber security profile. Check it out here.

We are well aware of the scarcity of cybersecurity expertise in small businesses. This fact alone makes it doubly difficult for SMB organizations to keep up with trends and protection strategies. The above resources are designed to help you stay current.

We're here to help you minimize your risk. Our Managed Services Program offers a complete suite of services which can also be unbundled to address specific issues. It all starts with a consultation or our free 28-point network evaluation.
 
 Here to help you keep your IT systems secure.

Sincerely,

Michelle Carlow
President
CTS Services, Inc.

It's time to take steps to ensure a smooth and prosperous new IT year!

Now that we are well into the new year and things begin to return to normal, I want to recommend four IT goals that you may choose to adopt. This is a good time to review all of your IT policies, technologies, and procedures to ensure your business operates securely and optimally.
 
We partner with the best of the best technology providers so we can help you achieve your goals in each of these areas:
 
1. Storage capacity and system performance: What are the key performance indicators for your business? Your IT systems performance is a contributing factor in the company's ability to meet certain metrics. System storage impacts performance. Keep in mind that data storage requirements grow each year as new information and expanding backup requirements grow. We can help you plan and manage your data storage systems to meet the demands of your business. We can help you measure and monitor your storage performance. 
 
2. Data protection and disaster recovery: Let's talk... before a disaster strikes, please. Of all of the risks you take in business, gambling on the integrity of your data protection and data recovery plan is a risk we recommend you avoid. Too many of the businesses we serve fail to fully implement, test and enforce a strong data backup plan. Policies are usually inadequate. Backup technology and procedures are out of date and often untested, and should a real disaster occur they are hardly prepared. Power surge protection goes hand in hand with data protection!
 
Your company's Backup and Recovery Policy is intended to ensure that computers are regularly backed up to prevent loss of data. This Backup and Recovery Policy is designed to protect data in the organization to be sure it is not lost and can be recovered in the event of an equipment failure, intentional destruction of data, or disaster. 
 
3. Network security and access control: Are your private WiFi access points really private and secure? Do you have a separate public WiFi for visitors and guests? Do you have stringent policies in place for the ever-growing number of mobile devices? Have you installed mobile device management (MDM) software on each device? MDM is the administrative area dealing with deploying, securing, monitoring, integrating and managing mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops in the workplace.
 
4. Cyber-security: We really do not need to tell you that cyber-security is important. You know it already. It's the never ending story in business, and in our personal lives as well. Cyber-security, also known as information technology security, focuses on protecting computers, networks, programs, and data from unintended or unauthorized access, change, or destruction. All small and medium businesses are as vulnerable as larger enterprises.  
   
Aside from vigilance and constant security monitoring (and a solid back-up plan), we recommend taking these two steps to increase your knowledge and comfort level:

1. Grab this cyber-security planning guide courtesy of the Federal Communications Commission. Review it in the context of what you are already doing or what you are not yet doing then...
2. Call us at 508.528.7720 (or reply now) to schedule a phone meeting or a meeting at your business to discuss what makes the best sense for your business.

Our expertise in these areas, and the depth of experience in implementing modern, best in class solutions for our clients combine to enable us to provide you with exceptional guidance and support.

At the very least, test your back up and restore functionality and policies.

To a great 2017!

Michelle Carlow
President, CTS Services, Inc.