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4 Tips to Keep Your Business Safe and Secure

 

Keeping information safe and secure is a challenging development for businesses of all sizes over the last few years. Expeditious shifts from in-person to online to hybrid workplaces forced companies to change, or at least reexamine, their cybersecurity practices and protocols, and far too often they weren’t prepared. In fact, according to Cyber Edge’s Cyberthreat Defense Report, 85% of organizations suffered from a successful cyberattack in 2021.

 

Now, businesses that have suffered cyberattacks along with companies that’ve been fortunate enough to avoid being a victim of breaches and hacks are looking at ways they can bolster their defenses and safeguard their data. But which plans, practices, and services should these organizations invest in?

 

Below are 4 steps businesses of all shapes and sizes can take to better protect themselves against cyber-attacks:[/cz_title]

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Identify “Crown Jewels” of Your Business 

 

Understanding what information cybercriminals are after most is essential to combating cyber-attacks. Therefore, creating an inventory list of the valuable data and assets within your organization, including manufacturer, model, hardware, and software information, is of the utmost importance. In addition, take note of who has access to important data and information while also accounting for all storage locations. This practice will ensure that business leaders have a track record of accessibility so that they know where to look in case of a vulnerability or breach.[/cz_title]

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Protect Assets by Updating and Authenticating

 

At the end of the day, protecting your data and devices from malicious actors is what cybersecurity is all about. To accomplish this, make sure your security software is current. Investing in the most up to date software’s, web browsers, and operating systems is one of the best defenses against a host of viruses, malware, and other online threats. Furthermore, make sure these devices have automatic updates turned on, so employees aren’t tasked with manually updating devices. Additionally, make sure all data is being backed up either in the cloud or via separate hard drive storage.

 

 

Another important way to keep your assets safe is by ensuring staff are using strong authentication to protect access to accounts and ensure only those with permission can access them. This includes strong, secure, and differentiated passwords. According to a 2021 PC Mag study, 70% of people admit they use the same password for more than one account. Using weak and similar passwords makes a hacker’s life a lot easier and can give them access to more materials than they could dream of. Finally, make sure employees are using multi-factor authentication. While this may result in a few extra sign-ins, MFA is essential to safeguarding data and can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful breach.[/cz_title]

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Monitor and Detect Suspicious Activity

 

Companies must always be on the lookout for possible breaches, vulnerabilities, and attacks, especially in a world where many often go undetected. This can be done by investing in cybersecurity products or services that help monitor your networks such as antivirus and antimalware software. Moreover, make sure your employees and personnel are following all established cybersecurity protocols before, during, and after a breach. Individuals who ignore or disregard important cybersecurity practices can compromise not only themselves, but the entire organization. Paying close attention to whether your company is fully embracing all your cybersecurity procedures and technology is incumbent upon business leaders.

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Have a Response Plan Ready

 

No matter how many safeguards you have in place, the unfortunate reality is that cyber incidents still occur. However, responding in a comprehensive manner will reduce risks to your business and send a positive signal to your customers and employees. Therefore, businesses should have a cyber incident response plan ready to go prior to a breach. In it, companies should embrace savvy practices such as disconnecting any affected computers from the network, notifying their IT staff or the proper third-party vendors, and utilizing any spares and backup devices while continuing to capture operational data.

 

 

Another important way to keep your assets safe is by ensuring staff are using strong authentication to protect access to accounts and ensure only those with permission can access them. This includes strong, secure, and differentiated passwords. According to a 2021 PC Mag study, 70% of people admit they use the same password for more than one account. Using weak and similar passwords makes a hacker’s life a lot easier and can give them access to more materials than they could dream of. Finally, make sure employees are using multi-factor authentication. While this may result in a few extra sign-ins, MFA is essential to safeguarding data and can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful breach.[/cz_title]

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Cyber Security Summit Videos are Up!

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[cz_title id=”cz_64849″ cz_title=””]All organizations must implement a very strong cybersecurity solution to protect their devices and data from cybercrimes, which have become increasingly common over the past decade.

A Security Operations Center is, as the name suggests, a crucial security solution for businesses. The Security Operations Center, or SOC, plays this role by preventing, monitoring, detecting, investigating, and responding to cyberthreats around the clock.

 

Here is what you can expect from a  Security Operations Center:

 

• Presence of experienced and expert team members who take care of all the security aspects of the organization
• Protection of the organization’s assets including intellectual property, personnel data, business systems, and brand integrity.
• Knowledge of how to protect the organization from all types of data bridges and cyber security threats.
• Creation of a detailed and comprehensive strategy that can be used to defend against all types of cyber-attacks.

Now that you have some idea of the abilities of a Security Operations Center, it is time to understand the role that it performs. In this way, you will be able to better understand the significance of having a Security Operations Center assist with the protection of your organization’s assets against cyberattacks.

 

What Does a SOC Do?

 

An agency’s or organization’s centralized SOC effectively uses people, automation tools and software, and other technologies to constantly evaluate and detect the weak defense posture of the company while avoiding, recognizing, analyzing, and reacting to cybersecurity issues.

 

Note that different SOCs have different numbers of team members but all of them perform the same function. Let’s have a look at some of the major roles of the Security Operations Center.

 

●    Prevention & Detection

The most preferred step in the cyber security strategy of the Security Operations Center is to prevent data breaches and cyber security attacks from happening. It is undoubtedly the most effective way to prevent the organization from experiencing any kind of cyber issue. However, in the case that a problem occurs, the team members will immediately detect the problem.

 

Remember that a SOC monitors the network constantly rather than reacting to risks as they arise. The SOC team is then able to identify unwanted activities and stop them before they have a chance to do any harm.

 

It is the core responsibility of the SOC members to keep an eye on all kinds of harmful activities that may be performed by cyber attackers. If they detect anything suspicious that can be harmful to the safety and security of the organization and its assets, they immediately try to gather as much information as they can. In this way, they can perform detailed investigations and find solutions.

 

●    Investigation

Once suspicious activities have been detected, the SOC team will begin the investigation stage. During this stage, SOC analyzes the severity of the security problem, the extent to which it can affect the assets of the organization, its nature, and how it can affect the whole infrastructure.

 

By comprehending how attacks develop and how to react appropriately before they get out of control, the analyst may identify and assess many sorts of security issues. For a successful triage, the SOC analyst integrates knowledge of the network with the most recent global information security research, which includes insights on offender capabilities, strategies, and tendencies.

 

●    Response

After the SOC team detects the issue and completes the investigation, they will move on to the response stage and devise a solution. A coordinated response is a practical step toward solving the problem. In this stage, the SOC performs various tasks to rectify the problem and bring the organization back to its previous safe condition. The SOC responds by addressing all the possible cybersecurity issues and performing actions that can solve them immediately.

By proceeding with endpoint isolation, malicious process termination, blocking execution, file deletion, and other measures, the SOC strives to enhance the security strength and retrieve any damaged or exposed information following an event. In the case of malware infections, this can entail restoring workable files to get around ransomware, erasing and resuming terminals, reorganizing infrastructure, or deleting and resetting access points.

 

Looking For the SOC For Your Organization? Choose Les Olson!

Les Olson IT operates a cutting-edge Network Operations Center (NOC), where its staff of IT experts supports the communications infrastructure. Their help desk has a group of qualified, highly skilled professionals who provide next-level customer service. With their Managed IT Services Help Desk and Remote Monitoring and Management, they can take care of all the details of your IT requirements, including the time-consuming and hectic repairing of network computers and other devices, giving your company a sense of security.

 

There’s a strong probability that when you seek out to resolve an issue, and are proactively trying to fix it.

 

Your organization’s smooth operation depends on the technology that you rely on. Your business is at risk when your infrastructure isn’t functioning properly. You can guarantee your infrastructure and assets are online and always running as effectively as possible with Managed IT Services from Les Olson Company. To reduce expensive downtime, their technical professionals are continually working in the background. They are your partner in using technologies to assist you in accomplishing your corporate objectives.

It’s time to let the security and functionality of your company’s network and devices be managed by Les Olson’s award-winning IT specialists. Their Managed IT Services offer a wide range of technological options, such as remote network assessment and tracking, user customer care assistance, and much more.

 

Reach Out To Les Olson SOC Experts Today[/cz_title]

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You were not alone in finding it difficult to hire and even retain talented IT professionals in 2021.  The phrase “Outsourcing IT” had a 200+ increase on Google Trends in 2021.  Also, the Gartner Group, stated “A lack of talent availability was cited far more often than other barriers this year, such as implementation cost (29%) or security risk (7%).” https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-09-13-gartner-survey-reveals-talent-shortages-as-biggest-barrier-to-emerging-technologies-adoption

And finally forecasts predict this trend will continue into 2022 as demand for office technology rises and the availability of IT talent remains low.  So, what are you to do?  Keep in mind these 3 things that can be helpful to you in 2022 regarding your IT workforce needs.

 

 

1.  Outsourcing IT will fill gaps due to missing expertise. A good IT partner will have a large staff of individuals with vast credentials spread amongst their team.  When you partner with an outsourced IT company you get a collective of experience, that when added up, could be centuries worth.  That means, they’ve probably worked on a problem similar enough to what you are facing and have a solution that will work.

 

2.  Outsourcing your IT will provide the missing bandwidth (lack of staff) your IT Department has. It’s not always about credentials and experience.  Very often it’s simply a matter of your labor force and the workload heaped upon them.  A good IT partner understands this and will help you with projects that are routine, all the way to complex.  Imagine what projects you could be freed up to work on if your helpdesk was handled by an outsourced partner.

 

3.  Periodic Demand Peaks can be one of the most stressful times for any department. It’s no different for IT.  You don’t have to work around the clock and worry that you’re still not going to meet your deadlines.  Having a relationship with a great Outsourced IT partner in your back pocket will be handy when these periodic demand peaks arise.  In fact, if you have months of the year planned out in advance that you can reserve their services, they will be ready to assist you in getting your job done when these months roll around.  If it’s impossible to predict when these peak times will arise, that shouldn’t be a problem either.  Just let your IT partner know that you plan on reaching out to them when these projects come about, and they should be able to make it work.

 

One of your goals for 2022 should be to interview IT firms and establish a partnership with the one that fits your needs.  Whether you need a fulltime partner, or someone to help during your busy times, having this relationship will pay dividends.  We suggest partnering with someone local that can come in person if you need them.  Our service area includes the entire state of Utah as well as Clark County NV.  To begin a relationship with us at Les Olson IT, simply fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you shortly.  We’d love to partner with you and help you achieve your 2022 goals while hopefully reducing your stress at the same time.

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Get an Outsourced IT Consult Today

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How To Improve Your Team’s Efficiency By 25%.

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Adapting Automation to Enhance Efficiency- A Need Of the Hour

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[cz_stylish_list id=”cz_73544″ items=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Working%20off-site%3A%22%2C%22subtitle%22%3A%22Before%20the%20pandemic%2C%20people%20and%20organizations%20used%20to%20work%20on-site.%20Working%20from%20the%20comfort%20of%20your%20home%20was%20not%20a%20viable%20option%20until%20the%20pandemic%20struck%20our%20lives%20and%20unfolded%20new%20remote%20work%20concepts%20with%20the%20help%20of%20automated%20tools.%20That%20played%20a%20vital%20role%20in%20enhancing%20productivity%2C%20saved%20loads%20of%20money%20spent%20on%20maintaining%20workspaces%2C%20and%20introduced%20a%20refreshing%20face%20of%20technology%20as%20a%20savior%20in%20these%20hard%20times.%20Since%20then%2C%20people%20have%20accepted%20the%20use%20of%20automated%20tools%20as%20a%20significant%20part%20of%20their%20jobs.%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22icon%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Effective%20collaboration%20through%20Automation%3A%22%2C%22subtitle%22%3A%22Collaborating%20and%20communicating%20have%20always%20been%20necessary%20for%20a%20successful%20business%3B%20advanced%20automated%20systems%20made%20these%20processes%20more%20convenient%20and%20effortless.%20%20Consumption%20of%20advanced%20collaboration%20tools%20such%20as%20live%20video%20calls%2C%20online%20meeting%20setup%2C%20and%20cloud-based%20portals%20of%20google%20have%20reduced%20the%20gap%20between%20an%20organization%20and%20its%20employees%2C%20thus%20providing%20an%20effective%20working%20environment.%20To%20acquire%20successful%20collaborations%2C%20advanced%20automated%20tools%20should%20be%20utilized%20at%20their%20best%20as%20it%20maximizes%20productivity%20and%20efficiency%20of%20a%20business.%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22icon%22%2C%22icon%22%3A%22fa%20czico-103-success%22%2C%22icon_color%22%3A%22%23ba0230%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Organization%20of%20Data%3A%22%2C%22subtitle%22%3A%22Organizing%20data%20has%20always%20been%20a%20very%20critical%20task%20as%20it%20requires%20immense%20effort%20and%20vigilance.%20Technology%20has%20made%20these%20efforts%20much%20easier%20with%20faster%20and%20more%20accurate%20computing%20systems%3B%20%5C%22Docuware%5C%22%20document%20management%20systems%2C%20and%20many%20digital%20operating%20tools%20of%20such%20kind%20have%20enabled%20this%20process%20to%20be%20more%20convenient%20and%20hassle-free.%20Adoption%20of%20these%20tools%20can%20manage%20your%20data%20very%20efficiently%20and%20securely.%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22icon%22%2C%22icon%22%3A%22fa%20czico-103-success%22%2C%22icon_color%22%3A%22%23ba0230%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Elimination%20of%20your%20weaknesses%3A%22%2C%22subtitle%22%3A%22As%20an%20organization%2C%20you%20should%20be%20well%20aware%20of%20your%20weaknesses%20and%20pain%20points%20in%20terms%20of%20communication%20and%20lack%20of%20updated%20internet%20systems%20that%20become%20a%20huge%20reason%20for%20the%20massive%20decline%20of%20your%20growth%20in%20the%20business%20world.%20Figuring%20out%20your%20pain%20points%20and%20working%20on%20them%20to%20increase%20your%20potentials%20has%20become%20pretty%20easy%20with%20these%20advanced%20automated%20tools.%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22icon%22%2C%22icon%22%3A%22fa%20czico-103-success%22%2C%22icon_color%22%3A%22%23ba0230%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Virtualization%20as%20a%20solution%3A%22%2C%22subtitle%22%3A%22Virtualization%20is%20a%20key%20to%20effective%20business%20strategy%20as%20it%20enhances%20the%20possibilities%20of%20successful%20communication%20and%20collaboration.%20Digital%20Automation%20has%20enabled%20organizations%20to%20accept%20and%20utilize%20advanced%20computing%20systems%2C%20digital%20software%2C%20cloud%20computing%2C%20and%20other%20beneficial%20tools%20that%20cater%20to%20their%20business%20needs%20and%20prove%20to%20be%20a%20milestone%20to%20achieve%20their%20targets.%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22icon%22%2C%22icon%22%3A%22fa%20czico-103-success%22%2C%22icon_color%22%3A%22%23ba0230%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Team%20Motivation%3A%22%2C%22subtitle%22%3A%22Motivating%20team%20members%20has%20always%20been%20a%20mandatory%20factor%20when%20it%20comes%20to%20running%20a%20successful%20organization.%20A%20well-organized%2C%20motivated%2C%20and%20focused%20team%20attains%20great%20achievements.%20When%20we’re%20talking%20about%20achieving%20goals%20and%20setting%20up%20targets%2C%20we%20should%20consider%20technology%20and%20advanced%20automated%20systems%20as%20our%20reliable%20partners%20in%20this%20never-ending%20journey%20of%20success.%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22icon%22%2C%22icon%22%3A%22fa%20czico-103-success%22%2C%22icon_color%22%3A%22%23ba0230%22%7D%5D” sk_icons=”font-size:29px;color:#ba0230;” default_icon=”fa czico-103-success” sk_lists=”font-size:18px;color:#ba0230;font-weight:500;” sk_subtitle=”font-size:16px;color:#323232;”]

[cz_title id=”cz_87358″]Sign up for a free consultation with one of our software solutions experts and explore the ways you could make incremental improvements and increase productivity and ultimately revenue.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”15px”][cz_button title=”Get a Free Consultation” btn_position=”cz_btn_block” btn_effect=”cz_btn_fill_right” sk_button=”font-size:17px;color:#ffffff;font-family:Assistant;background-color:#ba0230;border-style:solid;” id=”cz_103373″ link=”url:%23consult|||” sk_hover=”color:#ffffff;background-color:#e9283b;”][cz_gap height=”35px”]

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Introducing

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One of many solutions that Les Olson Company offers to improve your organizations efficiency.

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Click To Learn more about Docuware

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Get a Free Consultation

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When you start your new business, it seems almost impossible to walk away from it. Initially, you are energetic enough to give 100% to your business and work tirelessly for it. However, over time you realize that your life is revolving around hectic tasks and business management, and you are not reaping the rewards you were hoping for.

Today we will discuss whether running your business takes time away from doing your business. This article also covers the importance of seeking professional help so you will be able to nurture other parts of your life and maintain balance.

 Let’s see why it is so important to get away from your business and let the professionals work on your behalf!

 

1. You Get Time to Think About How to Add Innovation to Your Business

It is an obvious fact that you may lose your innovation while handling numerous tasks without getting any free time. Moreover, you do not find yourself in the best position to decide on where you want your business to go. It impacts the overall success of your business because the customers are actively looking for innovation and stagnation results in reducing the overall ranking of your business. As a result, your competitors may get an edge.

Remember, you are the owner of your business, and no one knows your business better than you. It is up to you to receive inspiration by thinking outside the box and introducing more innovation to your business. It is possible only when you are relaxed enough to focus and research your competitors.

 

2. You Regenerate Your Energy & Come Back with More Enthusiasm

Getting outside of your business for some time simply means that you are going to recharge your battery and regain your mental power. It also helps your brain to work more efficiently because you get some time to work on brand new ideas and do something different from the routine.

No matter how tight you are on your budget and how much time your business needs, refueling is necessary to maintain your health and overall happiness.

 

3. Taking A Break Keeps You Away from Mental Stress

When you workday and night without taking rest, it results in a stressful and anxious mental state. As a result, your brain loses all its focus, and your overall output also gets badly affected.

Keep in mind that you are the boss of your business. It is your responsibility to keep yourself in a happy mental state because the happiness of the boss impacts the performance of the employees, and they feel easy to focus on work in the presence of the boss with a light mood.

When you are in a stressful state, nothing is done which happens due to the adaptation of your parasympathetic nervous system.

 

4. Stepping Away Gives You More Insight About the Business

Have you been struggling with some problems regarding your business and not finding the right solutions? The best solution is to step away from the business for some time.

You will notice that remarkable and excellent solutions have started coming to your mind.

 

5. You Can See How Your Business Can Run Without You

Sometimes, you should go on vacation or take some break to see how your employees can manage in your absence. Remember that your presence is not important all the time and you should also give a chance to your employees to show their proficiency.

Moreover, it will also keep you fresh because the study revealed that 82% of the business owners enjoy an improvement in their mental performance after taking a break.

Just think, what is the use of money when you cannot use it for your comfort?

Well, now you have read the reasons why taking some break from the business is important, let’s see how to manage it with the help of professionals.

 

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Finally, Partnering with Les Olson Company on your IT will free up more time for you all while providing a greater level of IT security

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Are you looking for professionals who can manage your business on your behalf?

IT professionals at Les Olson Company are specialized to provide IT support to businesses of all sizes.

Here is how we can help you in running your business.

The Les Olson Company is your ultimate office Technology partner. Being the cost-effective alternative to in-house management, we believe in helping businesses by providing managed IT solutions, document management software, and much more.

We have an expert team of professionals who can perfectly manage IT, computer issues, cybersecurity, networking projects, Hardware, and Software.

 

The best part?

We are partnered with Sharp, HP, DocuWare, Sophos, Formax, Microsoft, and many other IT companies.

If you also want to know how our IT professionals can help your business succeed, BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION right now.

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But Don’t Take Our Word for It

We recently had a customer testimonial with our partners at Rocky Mountain Consulting Engineers. Dave talks about owners of companies having to wear several hats (Responsibilities) and needing to work tirelessly to run the businesses. We focused on the importance of professional support, and how hiring a tech company like Les Olson Company who specializes in IT can help lift the weight off so they can focus on other things. Watch it here.[/cz_title]

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Have you ever avoided improvements and upgrades to technology in order to reduce costs?

Have you outsourced certain aspects of your technology?

Do you look toward technology as a way to establish or increase efficiency?

Have you leveraged document management tools?

Do you have a technology plan in place that is guiding your decisions for future investments?

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The fact of the world we live in is, businesses will likely experience occasional security incidents, despite their preventative measures. Even though it’s not possible to secure your network with 100% certainty, there are a startling number of organizations that haven’t bothered to create a security incident response plan. This means when there is an incident, many businesses struggle to quickly respond as they frantically improvise a plan of action.

 

We don’t have to tell you that neglecting to prepare before an inevitable incident can have disastrous consequences. There’s no on-the-spot decisions you can make that wouldn’t be better if made thoughtfully ahead of time. What’s more, it’s easy to make silly blunders and bad decisions under pressure. Handling a security incident is a complex affair, and this article is by no means a comprehensive guide to creating your plan, but we can provide a few tips to help set your plan in motion.

 

Create a security incident response policy and plan.

Don’t be the business that hasn’t gotten around to it. Your plan doesn’t need to be a novel, but it is important to start somewhere. Start by creating a security incident response policy that includes a definition of what you consider to be an incident, the organizational structure for responding to an incident, roles and responsibilities of your response team, and reporting requirements. You can then use your policy to develop a response plan based on the items in your policy.

 

Determine your incident response team.

You will need to determine who is responsible for responding to an incident and what their roles are. You will also need to make sure that everyone within your organization knows who to contact in the event of an incident. You should create and distribute a contact list of those on your response team, their roles within the response team, and how to contact them.

 

So now that you know you need a response team, how do you choose who should be on it? First of all, you’ll need to determine whether you have the resources to create a team with only employees of your organization, or if you will need to supplement your resources by outsourcing some responsibilities. You also need to consider the expertise of those you select for your team. They will need specialized knowledge and experience such as intrusion detection, vulnerabilities, exploits, and other aspects of security. Members of your team also need to be available to respond to an incident at any time, even outside of normal business hours. You may also need to include individuals outside of your organization including legal representation, law enforcement, public affairs, facilities management, etc.

 

Determine your containment strategy.

Failing to quickly contain the threat can result in your resources being overwhelmed, causing additional damage that could have been prevented. Containing a threat gives your business valuable time to develop a solid remediation plan, but it’s important that you pre-determined procedures for containment rather than implementing them on the fly. Containment strategies should vary depending on the type of incident. When you develop your containment procedures, you should create a separate strategy for each major type of incident. You’ll need to consider various criteria including potential for damage and theft, the for evidence preservation, service availability, as well as the time and resources needed.

 

It can be useful to observe the attacker to be better prepared to defend against future attacks. Organizations will do this by directing the attacker to a sandbox where their activity is contained but they can continue to monitor their actions and gather evidence. It’s important to never simply observe the bad actor performing their attack without directing them to a sandbox, otherwise you could be liable for failing to contain them should they use your compromised system to attack other systems.

 

Pre-distribute contact cards.

Be sure not to rely on your regular methods of communication to spread the word of an incident. Your phone lines and email system can be interrupted due to an attack, leaving people to scramble to figure out how to contact each other. Create cards that outline who to contact during an incident and be sure to include their cell phone number. To avoid confusion, it’s a smart idea to list one or two people as the initial points of contact; they can then notify all others who need to get involved in responding.

 

Gather evidence and report to law enforcement.

A common reason cyber-criminals are never held legally accountable for their crimes, is that organizations forget to gather evidence in the heat of the moment. Another common reason is law enforcement is never properly involved. Your incident response team should make a point of becoming familiar with their law enforcement resources. It’s important to determine beforehand which types of incidents can be reported, how to report them, what evidence should be gathered, and how to collect that evidence. It’s a good idea to appoint one individual on your response team as the main point of contact for communicating with law enforcement.

 

Get your users involved.

Your IT team can’t do it alone. The goal is to keep incidents from happening in the first place, and that requires buy-in from all the users on your network. Make sure you have acceptable use policies in place so that users know how to help protect your network. It’s also important to provide training for how to spot and avoid attacks.

 

Get help if you need it.

If you lack all the resources and expertise you need to create and execute a solid incident response plan, you shouldn’t hesitate to supplement your weak spots with outside help. Les Olson Company has a large team of IT experts that can help you maintain your network security and respond in the event of an incident.

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[cz_image id=”cz_94781″ image=”15116″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_44529″ cz_title=””]Whether you have an in-house IT technician, or outsource your IT services to an external provider, you may find yourself lacking the support you require. There are a number of reasons you can outgrow your current IT solutions, here are 5 signs you’ve outgrown your IT support. If any of this sounds familiar to you, it’s time to look for a new provider.

 

#1 There always seems to be a problem

Does it seem like every day brings a new IT challenge? When things aren’t working correctly it can bring your business operations to a grinding halt. If your IT resources are spread too thin, you’re likely wasting valuable time and resources addressing the issues that arise, rather than focusing on your core business.

 

If you have someone in-house managing your IT infrastructure and there are constant issues, this is a sign that they aren’t up to the task. They may simply not have the knowledge required to set up your network in a secure and reliable way, or to deal with more complex technical issues. Even if they do have the knowledge, they may not have the time, particularly if they manage your network in addition to other duties.

 

If you outsource your IT services and you have constant issues, this is a very clear sign that your provider is either out of their depth, or not interested in providing adequate service to your business. Either way, it’s time to find a provider that will handle your needs with proficiency.

 

#2 Your provider is reactive, only responds to problems

If you only hear from your IT services provider when there’s an issue, consider it a red flag. Your IT provider should be preforming regular updates, management, and monitoring of your network, not simply appear when there’s a fire to extinguish. The fact is, when your IT provider is doing their job correctly and proactively managing your network, you will have fewer issues to address. If your provider isn’t constantly looking for ways to improve your network, or addressing potential issues before they cost your business time and money, you need to move on. A proactive provider can be a true partner to your business.

 

#3 They don’t keep up with changes in technology

Your IT service provider can only provide support based on their knowledge. Technology and the threat landscape are changing constantly. It is extremely important to have a provider that stays knowledgeable about changes in technology and keeps up with certifications. If your IT support staff are only fixing issues, they probably don’t have time to understand new potential issues. Understanding changes in technology is an ongoing process that will never end.

 

An IT support provider that doesn’t keep up can be one of the biggest threats your business faces as new threats surface daily. Of course you need the right technology in place, but you also need to understand and be able to address changes in cybersecurity. Not being prepared for new threats can cost your business money, time, the trust of your clients and employees, and the loss of your valuable data. If there is a breach, it won’t help your reputation to blame your service provider. The only way to avoid catastrophe is to make sure a capable IT support team is in place. In addition, your business cannot remain competitive without investing in new technologies, which is impossible if your provider doesn’t have a grasp on what’s available to your business.

 

#4 Their solutions don’t meet your needs anymore

It’s not an exaggeration to say that there is no business without technology. You rely on technology and your employees and customers expect it to work well. Having outdated technology puts your business at a huge disadvantage, while leveraging new technologies can be an invaluable growth strategy. If your IT support provider doesn’t seem to have access to the technologies you need moving forward, or it’s clear they aren’t interested in facilitating upgrades, you’ve outgrown them. Does your organization have a business continuity solution? Are you interested in cloud services? Do you need to implement a document management solution? There are many technologies that can be a complete game changer for your business, so it’s important to find an IT services provider that understands the importance of these solutions and can help you implement and configure all of them.

 

#5 You’ve outgrown their abilities

This is a biggie. If your needs grow, but your IT service provider’s abilities stay the same, they will hold your business back. Your business is growing and that’s great news! Now it’s time to find an IT service provider that has the skills and staff to expand with you. Larger organizations require more complex IT support. Having an IT provider with limitations can mean slow service and a risk to your network security. If your staff consistently complains about network issues that aren’t being addressed efficiently, or it takes too long to implement new solutions, it’s a clear sign that you’ve grown but your IT provider hasn’t.

 

If any of this sounds familiar to you, we’re here to help. Les Olson Company is an expert IT Services Provider. Through our Managed IT Services program and our state-of-the-art NOC (Network Operations Center), our team helps businesses of all sizes manage their networks and devices. Get your free network analysis and our experts will provide you with a detailed report about the health and performance of your network.

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