January 2019
microTECH Times Covered I.T. 24/7—Never Worry Again!
It takes more to get ahead than just doing the basics. We’ve all been there and hitting a glass ceiling — stalling. You know what I am talking about. That threshold that seems to leave growth stagnate in your organization. So, how can you continue to grow your company this year?
Companies flourish with the right tools in place. There are two things that help companies push past the glass ceiling. One, the tools elected for daily operations are economical and scalable. Everything from the software used to the hardware in place should be designed to handle the growth you desire. Ask yourself, can your current infrastructure support double the workload and double the user count? Do you have the capacity to continue operating your business with twice as much on your plate? Two, is everyone onboard? A shared vision for the future will give everyone a clear picture of the direction your organization is headed. There is nothing more valuable than having your greatest resources focused on one single achievement and working together to achieve it.
Inspect, protect and enhance. The playing field for businesses changes like the seasons. Owners are challenged to think outside the box to gain the upper hand over their competition. Companies must find a way to grow bigger, operate better, and do it faster than the next guy. Start out by inspecting your network regularly for vulnerabilities, protecting your assets with security tools, and enhancing operations with new equipment to improve efficiencies.
Inspect your network regularly. Conduct a full assessment of your current setup to create a firm foundation in which you can scale your business smoothly. Think (Continued on page 2)
Cyber Threats……Pg. 2 Sluggish Computer Dragging Down Your Day………..…..…Pg. 3
PO Box 503 Deepwater, NJ 08023 877-540-6789 www.microent.net
Lessons Learned From The Starwood Breach…………....Pg. 3 More Cell Phones Going Without Jacks…....Pg. 4 3 Common Issues That May Stall Your Business….…...….Pg. 4
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~ Socrates “Comparison is the thief of Joy.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert “Enter this new year with a gratitude for this new chance to create your dreams.” ~ A. Celeste
The custom of making new year resolutions has been a long standing tradition. For thousands of years people around the world have made pledges each year, but do you know where new year resolutions really came from?
The first new year resolutions were documented some 4,000 years ago. Ancient Babylonians were said to make commitments to reaffirm their loyalty to their king and loved ones. These commitments along with their pledges to pay off debts and return borrowed items became the first noted new year resolutions of record.
Many religions have similar stories. Early on, Romans and Christians share this same sentiment. January 1st became the accepted beginning of the calendar year and a time to reflect on the past year as well as develop commitments for the year to come.
Resolutions today are a little different. Many of us resolve to (Continued on page 3)
microTECH Times
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The FBI received over a thousand Business Email Compromise (BEC) complaints last year. What does that mean? Over 1,000 people were tricked by crafty thieves sending spoofed emails and texts from impersonating a person in their personal lives or person of authority in their company requesting gift cards. These gift cards were then used to purchase goods or services. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported over $1 million dollars lost due to these crazy scams. Want to learn more? Visit: www.ic3.gov
about it, even if new revenue is flowing in the door, you’ll soon have another problem — you will have to deliver for all those clients. Scaling is about capability and capacity. Take advantage of our 27 Point Network Assessment to see if your company is ready to add more staff and build your business in the coming year.
Protect your growth. Scaling often breaks the original business model. Many of the manual processes that worked when you were a small fry simply won’t cut it as you grow. Inform your staff about current issues and risks, examine your security methods regularly and test your backups to be absolutely sure you can recover your data when you need it most. Growth brings a greater potential for security breaches since there are more cooks in the kitchen. Implement technology tools to monitor and alert you when there are threats.
January 2019
Inform your staff of acceptable use policy for your network tools, security requirements for personal devices, and social media policies.
Enhance your foundation with a technology partner. You could say we are just trying to sell you our services, and sure we are, but the fact remains that you didn’t go into business to manage technology, right? So, it’s imperative to find a trusted resource to guide you through the choppy waters of technology for your business. Technology is an ever changing and growing animal. While you scale your company, your technology must be in alignment in order to continue being a tool and not a challenge. A good technology partner will be by your side to regularly inspect, strategize, monitor, protect, and enhance your tools.
Don’t sell yourself short! Achieving the growth you seek is not easy. While we are 100% sure you know what you’re doing in your field of work, what do you do when there’s a power outage and your server won’t turn back on? What happens when files go missing? Who do you call? Hiring an IT company to help you navigate the IT world is a smart move. While many people may say the added monthly expense is just to much, business owners who have experienced a loss will tell you the monthly is way more affordable to ensure your company is secure than paying out lawsuits or other losses.
Claim your 27 Point Network Assessment today! Kick the new year off with a fresh look at IT management and security. Claim your assessment and we will review your entire network, identify vulnerabilities and present our best options to keep your organization in growth mode.
Micro Enterprises LLC 877-540 -6789
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2018 was flooded with new threats. Here is a list of the three top cyber threats last year. Spread the word so you and your coworkers can keep your company safe.
Top 3 cyber threats of 2018. Security isn’t just a product you buy for your business like a printer, it’s about awareness and a spectrum of proactive tools to keep your company secure.
1. Cryptocurrency mining malware became a scorching hot issue last year. Sneaky thieves figured out how to immediately profit from their activities without having to sell information. They used malware to wiggle into computers and harness the processing power to help them generate revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
2. Social engineering emails seemingly originate from a known coworker asking you to help verify information or make purchases. Beware, they may be spoofs. Verify the need for the info with a phone call if you’re unsure.
3. Insider threats are still top of the list. Intentional or not, people are vulnerable if they are uninformed. Spread the word.
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lose weight, fix things in our homes, or even buy new assets like a car or boat. Let’s get back to our roots here. new year resolutions began as a way to reestablish loyalty and make viable goals for our lives.
Focus inward this year. Regardless of your religious standpoint, take time to foster some solid resolutions for the coming year. Instead of making promises to a god, make a resolution for yourself. Focus on selfimprovement and bettering your life.
Sure it’s a new year, great! You’re still struggling with that old dog of a computer from last year though. You’ve decided it’s just not worth the frustration so, you’ve resolved to start the computer in the morning and go refill your coffee because apparently it takes its sweet time getting ready for the day.
NO! Don’t live this lie! Your computer doesn’t need extra time in the morning. It’s not waking up 2,000 parts like a human being. It just has to turn on. Don’t live this lie. Don’t adjust your schedule to lend more time for your computer to come online and join the workday. There is obviously something more going on.
January 2019
not. Even though you may have an equal amount of time invested in your computer with all the work you’ve been through together, it isn’t about honoring your relationship. You’re not showing your loyalty. You may be avoiding the early warning signs of failures.
Failures mean you’re losing money. Think about it, if your computer died right now… what would you do? Could you continue work? Would you be as productive? How much money would you lose?
Call today. If you’re having issues Sluggish may mean future failures. when starting up your tower or laptop, If we were talking about your 10 year old Labrador, yes — give the old boy a few extra minutes. You’ve spent years investing time and energy into your relationship and he deserves a few extra minutes to rise and shine. But we are
don’t wait for a complete failure. A sluggish computer could indicate a failing piece of critical hardware like a hard drive or fan. Give us a call today for an evaluation before your machine stalls or just gives out.
years and unfortunately they didn’t realize that the business was already compromised. Always be skeptical when acquiring new companies or business partners. A full Network Assessment should be part of any acquisition to rule out any potential threats that could be transferred into your organization. should not have access to all your company data. Even a well-known and trusted workers, should be limited to what is required for their position. Keep all client information (like personal data or payment details) secure, backed up and monitored to ensure it is not being removed from your company.
A few suggestions. Here are a few of the most common new year’s resolutions we’ve found to get you started: •
Learn something new each day.
•
Pick up a hobby.
•
Write a business plan.
Last year, the media was flooded with massive breaches. Crafty hackers just kept finding ways to wiggle into databases and expose client information. Small and large businesses alike, none are completely safe. Security isn’t just about preventing attacks, it is also about detecting them and neutralizing issues as they arise.
•
Set aside time to achieve your goals.
Even a giant like the Marriott has to keep a close eye on security.
•
Learn a new skill.
A fresh start for 2019. We’ve already kicked off the new year, so what are you waiting for? Jot down a few resolutions and track your success throughout the year.
Happy New Year!
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That’s right, the Marriott Hotels joined the ranks last year. 2018 marked one of the largest breaches this large hotel chain had ever seen — well discovered. It is reported that over 500 million records of guests who made reservations in the past four years were exposed during the breach of their Starwood guest reservation database. Information like the guests name, e-mail, address, passport information, even birthdates and account information was open for attackers to lap up. There are three steps you can take to ensure this isn’t you.
1. Due diligence. The Marriott acquired another company in the last four
2. Limit access. Unauthorized people
3. Monitor and test your security often. Take a proactive stance. Monitor your systems and test your network for vulnerabilities often. Many companies turn to a managed service provider to ensure 24/7/365 monitoring and quarterly assessments. Give us a call today if you’re worried about your current security, access levels or monitoring. We’re here to help.
microTECH Times
January 2019
“We make all of your computer problems go away without adding additional full-time I.T. staff!” Ask about our fixed price service agreements — Computer support at a flat monthly fee you can budget for, just like payroll!
More Cell Phones Going Without Jacks? Many Apple
1. You don’t charge what you’re worth. You may be sur-
prised how common this is. New business owners often feel like they have to adopt low rates in order to gain their share of the market and stand out in the sea of competition. This is simply not true. There is a buyer for everything and more often clients are Apple seems to have stirred up controversy back in 2016 looking for quality products and attentive service. They want the with the omission of the standard 3.5mm headphone jack from the best value for their buck all the way around. iPhone 7. Instead of the jack, the phone came standard with wireless EarPods and a dongle that would allow users to plug in their 2. High costs for overhead. Everyone knows, to make money you have to spend money, but there is a limit. As AudienceBloom old headphones if they really weren’t ready to let go. CEO Jayson DeMurs wrote in Entrepreneur magazine, cheaper Samsung is following suit. According to data from the NPD options likely exist for ongoing costs. If your overhead is too high, Group, Bluetooth headphone sales started overtaking nonyou might want to look at what the business actually needs to Bluetooth sales as early as 2016, boosted mainly by Beats. In thrive. Same for ongoing costs. Have you found the best deal for 2018, Samsung was the only major player that has kept the plug, costs like utility bills and general service options? If you’re not even with their newest offering, the Note 9 last year. However, sure, take a moment to pull out your last few months of bills. 2019 is proving to be an entirely new story. The Samsung Galaxy Check with local resources to see if you can lower expenses for A8’s does not have a headphone jack. That means Samsung lovthings like garbage services, water, or even your Internet. ers that are upgrading this year will now need to move to a Blue3. Emergencies. Every business should have an emergency tooth solution or use a USB-C to 3.5mm audio port adapter. Unfortunately, Samsung still hasn’t disclosed if they will be includ- fund. The last thing a business owner wants is to have some unexpected emergency come up and suck up all the company’s availaing a dongle in the box with these new phones. ble funds. However, if you are just putting Band-Aid's on larger 3 Common Issues That May Stall Your Business. issues, this is bound to happen. It’s time to take a proactive apA business can only stay in business if it has one thing, profits! proach. Call us for a 27 Point Network Assessment and see what After paying all the bills, is your company really making money? weaknesses may be lingering in the background. Profits are the cushion that protect entrepreneurs from unexpected expenses and grow the business. Here are three common issues that could be killing your profitability, take a look! lovers around the world were shocked when the headphone jack was removed from their product lines. However, now we are seeing other large manufacturers follow suit.
Make A Resolution For Better Security In 2019
Running a business without technical support is risky. Everything rides on the reliability of your network and computers. Don’t let technology issues bring you down this year.
PO Box 503 Deepwater, NJ 08023 877-540-6789 www.microent.net
Our technicians are prepared to monitor your network 24/7/365 and work with you when you need them most. With technology today, we can often troubleshoot and repair issues before they escalate to missed business opportunities. Our remote login abilities allow us to work on your computer anytime day or night. Give us a call today for your Network Assessment We’re here to help!
Micro Enterprises LLC 877-540 -6789