TECHNOLOGY TIMES
Insider Tips To Make Your Business Run Faster, Easier And More Profitably
THE TRUTH ABOUT CYBERSECURITY
EVERY BUSINESS LEADER SHOULD KNOW
Therearemanycommonmythswhenit comestocybersecurity,and,unlike harmlessstories,thesemythscanleave youwithgapingholesinyour company’scybersecuritydefenses.Here arefivecommonmythsandthetruth behindthem.
There’sacommonbeliefamong smallandmedium-sizedbusinessesthat theyaretoosmalltobeatargetfor attackers.Butthisisn’tthecase;infact, somecybercriminalstargetSMBs specifically,withtheknowledgethat SMBsarelesslikelytohavetheresources forreliablecybersecurity.
Cyberattackshappentoorganizationsof allsizes,inallverticalsandgeographies,
So,regardlessofwhattypeofbusinessor organizationyouhave,youmustprotect yourselffromcyberattacksandreduce yourexposure.Alwaysassumeyouarea target–becauseyouareone
It’sverycommonfordecision-makersto reasonthatsincethey’veneverbeen breachedinthepast,theywon’tbe breachedinthefutureeither.However, thatbeliefdoesn’taccountfortherapid andhit80%ofbusinessesTheglobal financialtoll?Aprojected$95trillion Andwhilelargecorporationscantakethe hitandrecover,asingleransomware attackhasthepotentialtoputanSMB outofbusiness.
pace at which technology – and cybercrime – are evolving. The threat landscapeisconstantlychangingandthere isaveryrealgameofcat-and-mouseat playIfyou’renotmovingforward,you’re movingbackward.Effectivesecurityisa cycle of anticipation, adaptation and action.
Myth #3: Once Secure, Always Secure.
Unfortunately,technologyisfluid–just likeyourbusiness Everytimeyoubring onanewmemberofstaffandaddnew devices,yourtechnology’sconfiguration shifts.Asitdoes,itcreatesnewavenuesof attack from cybercriminals. That’s why continuousmonitoring
Myth #1: It Won't Happen To Us.
Myth #2: If It Worked Then, It’ll Work Now.
andmanagementarenecessaryto maintainsecurityintegrity.Theattack surfacestretchesbeyondcommonfocus areasBecauseofthis,strongcybersecurity demandsaholistic,proactive, continuousapproach
Myth #4: Business Optimization Is Incompatible With Security.
Manyorganizationsstillassumethat securityinitiativescreateoperational friction–delayingreleases,addingredtape andincreasingcostsThisoutdated thinkingframessecurityandbusiness optimizationasmutuallyexclusive,asif improvingonecompromisestheother
Whiletheseperceptionsmayhaveroots inthepast,theydon’treflectmodern practicesToday,securityenables optimization.Thatmeansminimizing bothwasteandrisk–including securityrisk.
Intheend,securesystemsaremore resilient,predictableandcost-effective. Thismakessecurityadriverofbusiness performance,notabarrier.
Myth 5: A Strong Password Is All I Need.
Creatingastrongpassword(atleast16 characterslongandablendofletters, numbersandspecialcharacters)foreach accountisimportant,butit’snottheonly stepneededtokeepyourdatasecure. Forone,everyaccountanddeviceneedsa uniquepassword.Ifyoureusepasswords,it
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Atnocostorobligation,ourhighlyskilledteamofITproswillcometoyourofficeand conductacomprehensivecybersecurityaudittouncoverloopholesinyourcompany’sIT security.
Aftertheauditisdone,we’llprepareacustomized “ReportOfFindings”thatwillrevealspecific vulnerabilitiesandprovideaPrioritizedActionPlan forgettingthesesecurityproblemsaddressedfast.This reportandactionplanshouldbearealeye-openerfor you,sincealmostallofthebusinesseswe’vedonethis fordiscovertheyarecompletelyexposedtovarious threatsinanumberofareas.
meansthatifoneofyouraccountsis hacked,allofyourotheraccountsareat risk.Tostoreallyouruniquepasswords, werecommendapasswordmanager!
Enabling MFA for every account will doubleyourprotection.Thefewseconds requiredtoenteracodesenttoyour phoneiswellworththeextrasecurity. That said, there are plenty of other vulnerabilities that savvy hackers can exploit to attack your business’s data That’swhyworkingwithanMSPisa criticalcomponentofmaintainingyour company’scybersecurity.
Inarecentinterview,DrPhilMcGraw, celebritypsychologistandtalkshowhost, gavefrankadviceonwhatitreallymeansto beinbusiness andhowbusinessowners staytruetothemselveswhiledoingit.
Staying True To Passion And Standing Out
“Idon’tdoanythingthatI’mnotahundred percentpassionateabout.AndInever wantedtobeamemberoftheherd.Ididn’t wanttobeafaceinthecrowd,”McGraw said.“Iwantedtomarketmyeducationin awaythatsetmeapartfromtherestof theindustryIthinkyouhavetodothat [inbusiness]”
DefineAndArticulate YourDifferentiator
“Youhavetoknowwhatseparatesyoufrom everybodyelsethatthinkstheydowhatyou do.Whatdoyoubringtothetablethat nobodyelsedoes?Whatdoyoudothat’s differentthaneverybodyelse?Ifyoudon’t knowwhatyourdifferentiatoris,ifyoucan’t articulateitanddon’tmarketitinaneasily perceptibleway,thenyouaren’treallyin businessyet.”
YouAreYourOwnCEO
“Ithinkeveryoneofusisacompanyof one,”saidMcGraw.“Idon’tcareifyouwork fortheUnitedStatespostoffice.Everyone ofusisacompanyofone andyouareyour ownCEO.Thenthequestionbecomes:how areyoudoinginmanagingyourcareer? Howareyoudoinginmanagingyourstock?
Howareyouadvancingyourgame?Whatis theworldwillingtocompensateyoufor?If youcan'tarticulatethatwithclarityand precision,thenyou'renotreallyinbusiness yetYouhaven’tgottenthecourage”
Define, Commit And Own Your Brand
“Nooneisgoingtoconfusemewithanyone else,justlikeyou’renotgoingtoconfuse McDonald’swithagreatsteakhouse.That’s importanttome,”hesaid“Defineyour brand,decidewhatitis,makeacommitment toitandridethathorsetothefinishline You’vegottodecidewhatitisthatyou’re sellingandownitBewhoyouareon purpose.Don’tjustgetupandreacttothe world.Decidewhoyouareanddothaton purpose.Don’tapologizeforit.Ownit.”
Authenticity Is Key To Facing Criticism
“Inthepursuitofthat,youwillfacecriticism. Noteveryonewilllikeyouandyourbrand. Butthat’sexactlywhyyouhavetobelievein whatyou’redoingpassionately,”says McGraw“Youcan'tjustputitonYouhave tobelieveitAlotofpeopledon’tlikesome ofthethingsIdoAndIgetthatButhow boringwouldthisworldbe,ifwewereall
thesame?Wehaveadivisiveworld,interms
ofideasButyouhavetobelievewhatyou believeThenwhensomebodydisagrees withyou,ifyou’reauthenticinyour position,youwon’thaveaproblemstanding withit.”
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StreamlineNetworkSolutionswas thrilledtobeaproudsponsorofthe 2025PANOConferencethatwas heldinStateCollege,PAon September25 and26 ! Asa dedicatedsupporterofinnovation andcollaboration,wewereexcited tobepartofthissuccessfuland prestigiouseventthatbrought togethervisionaryleaders,industry experts,andpassionate professionals th th
Welookforwardtonextyear’sevent!
5 SIGNS
YOU’RE DUE FOR A TECH UPGRADE
Atfirst,hangingontooldtechnologyfor aslongaspossibleseemslikeagreatway tostretchyourITbudget.However,the costofdoingsoismuchhigherthan simplyreplacingthetech.
Here are a few signs it’s time to upgrade your technology:
The Real Cost
Continuingtouseoldhardwareand outdatedsoftwarecancostyourbusiness inproductivity,budgetandsecurity. Thereareafewwaysthatoutdated technologyiscostingyourbusinessFirst, oldsystemsmoveslower,causingyour teamtomoveslowerandimpacting productivity.Thesesystemscanalsofail completely,causingunexpected downtimeandputtingamajordentin yourdeliverables.
There’salsotheriskfactortoconsider.
Outdatedsoftwareandhardwareare morevulnerabletocyberattacks,because theyarenolongerbeingpatchedto protectagainstknownvulnerabilities.
Hackersareabletoexploitthese vulnerabilitiesandaccessyourbusiness’s data.Becauseofthislatentrisk,your businessalsorunstheriskoffailing complianceauditsThat’swhyit’sso importanttoupdatetothelatestsoftware orhardwaretostaysecure
Windows10israpidlyapproachingend oflife;Microsoftwillendsupportforitin October2025Thismeansanynew vulnerabilitieswillnolongerbepatched bysecurityupdates.Continuingtouse Windows10pastitsend-of-lifedateisa majorcybersecurityandcompliancerisk. Tokeepyourbusinessprotected,start planningyourupgradepathnowand maketheswitchtoWindows11
Systems Are Still Running On Windows 10 Or Older You’re Relying On Outdated Security Mechanisms Your Devices Are Slowing Down Your Team
Ifyourteam’scomputersaretaking agestobootup,orfreezeorcrash duringvideocalls,they’reslowingdown yourentireworkflow.Attheendofthe day,timeismoney.Inefficientsystems harmbothDevicesmorethanthreeto fiveyearsoldshouldbeauditedfor performanceandenergyefficiencyto ensuretheyaren’thavinganegative effectonyourproductivityand energyconsumption.
Frequentcrashesandlaggingsystems aren’tjustannoyances,they’realso indicatorsthatyourtechnologyisfailing Slowsystems,crashes,frustratedteam membersandconstanttechsupportadd up–andmeanasignificantimpacton yourproductivity.
Your Existing Software Isn’t Compatible With New Tools You Frequently Call IT For The Same Tech Problems
Ifyou’restillusinglegacysoftware,it maynotintegratewithmobileappsor cloudplatforms.Thislimitsyourability toadoptnewtechnologies,serveclients efficientlyandscaleyourbusiness.
Ifyourbusiness’sfirewallorantivirus hasn’tbeenupdatedinyears,you’re takingseriousriskswithyourdata. Cyberthreatsevolvequickly;tokeep yourbusinesssafe,yourdefensesneed toevolvetoo.Outdatedsystemsare oftenthefirstpointofentryfor ransomwareattacks.
Ifyou’reworriedthatupgradingtechwill breakthebank,wehearyou.Buthanging on to slow, outdated systems can cost moreinlostproductivity,securitygaps andpatchworkfixes Thegoodnewsis there are plenty of affordable, strategic upgrade paths to keep your business runningsmoothlywithoutblowingyour budget.