Tag Archive for: Springfield IT Support

Businesses of all sizes and industries have become potential targets for ransomware attacks. That’s because cybercriminals use ransomware to use your own data against you, holding your critical data ransom by encrypting it so your organization can’t access it. Regaining access to your data requires a unique decryption key that cybercriminals only give you if you pay a ransom.

Fortunately, you can use a number of network solutions to protect your operations from the threat of ransomware. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the strategies your organization can adopt if you want to stay ahead of cybercriminals.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Platforms

One of the most effective ways to defend against ransomware is with comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuity platforms. By automatically backing up your mission-critical data at an offsite data center, you can restore network operations and essential files with just a few clicks.

Some providers also offer built-in ransomware detection systems that automatically detect if a backup is tainted with ransomware. That way, your organization can remediate ransomware without cybercriminals being able to use your data against you. On top of integrating a disaster recovery platform into your network operations, ongoing training and testing are both critical to ensuring your strategies can protect you.

Keep Your Systems Updated

Prioritizing ongoing updates, upgrades, and patches is essential if you want to keep your network protected at every level. While it may be easy to put off updates and patches right now, addressing them can save you substantial time in the long run by protecting you from extensive downtime and potential data loss.

Transition Away From On-Premise Servers

On-site server resources are frequent targets for ransomware because they’re frequently less frequently updated and assessed, making them less secure than off-site data center servers. Simply migrating your critical data to offsite cloud resources can help you add an additional layer of protection to your network, streamline performance, and ultimately provide a more cost-effective solution than traditional on-site server environments. At the same time, you’ll also keep your operations protected from disasters such as flood, fire, theft, and infrastructure failures.

Springfield IT Support

If your team doesn’t have the time to prioritize network security, a managed security service provider like PCnet is here to help. Whether you want to deploy the latest in intrusion detection strategies, or you want to build a risk management platform from the ground up, our experts have the robust experience to develop and deploy a solution around your unique needs. Contact our team today to start exploring the possibilities for solidifying your network security strategies.

As we covered in another post, firewalls are a critical aspect of any network security platform. That’s because a firewall stands as your network’s first line of defense from malicious external attacks. If your business is looking to upgrade to the latest in firewall technology, here are three critical factors you should consider before making a decision.

Threat Protection

Security threats are continuously evolving, so your security platform needs the flexibility to do so as well. An effective firewall solution offers these three capabilities:

  • Next-Level Visibility: The ideal firewall solution maximizes visibility across your network. From providing real-time data on your userbase, hosts, network, and devices, your firewall should allow you to monitor your network like never before.
  • The Latest Malware Protection: Your firewall needs to deliver continuous monitoring capabilities to detect, track, and remediate any potential threats on your network with minimal human intervention.
  • Responsive Threat Intelligence: To respond to the latest security threats, your firewall platform needs responsive threat capabilities to keep your operations protected today and tomorrow.

Balancing Costs and Benefits

Cost is frequently the No. 1 factor small- and medium-size businesses use in their decision-making. The right firewall platform should drive cost savings by freeing up your team and minimizing downtime. Here’s how:

  • Preventing Breaches: The right firewall effectively prevents breaches with minimal intervention, so you can reduce the downtime that comes with investigating potential network breaches.
  • Automating Processes: With advanced automation strategies such as intelligent tuning, analytics, monitoring, and threat correlation, your firewall solution should minimize the manual labor required to protect your network.
  • Prioritizing Alerts: To keep your network protected, you need a firewall system that sends alerts in real time, so you can be confident your network is ready to go.

Intuitive at Every Step

Since your team has limited time and resources, you need a straightforward firewall solution that never slows them down. The right firewall should be:

  • Easy to Buy: To take advantage of the latest network security solutions, you need a vendor that makes the purchase process as simple as possible. Find a partner that offers flexible financing options and monthly payments so you can access tomorrow’s technology today.
  • Easy to Deploy: Your organization can’t afford excessive downtime to deploy a firewall solution. With a firewall that’s easy to install and deploy, you can start protecting your operations from day one.
  • Easy to Manage: The right firewall solutions never slow your team down. Make sure your firewall offers an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to identify and address network issues.

Springfield IT Support

If you need help finding the ideal firewall solution for your business, a managed security service provider (MSSP) like PCnet can help. Get in touch with our security experts today, and we’ll start exploring the options for securing your network.

When it comes to protecting your network, you can always be doing more. In an ever-changing security landscape, securing your network quickly becomes a full-time job. From recognizing and mitigating industry-specific threats to ensuring your threat detection systems are working as intended, comprehensive network security is an ongoing process that requires continuous refinement.

Without a strong security foundation, however, even the most concerted security efforts may be in vain. If you want to maximize your network’s threat intelligence platform, you need to start with a strong security foundation. In this post, we’ll take a look at some fundamental network security strategies and tools that are critical to protecting your day-to-day operations.

Firewalls

A firewall acts as a barrier between your internal network and external networks. Network firewalls are typically physical devices you install as part of your network infrastructure and are generally the first line of defense for your network. At the same time, individual computers also have virtual firewalls built in to protect user data and your system. In today’s world, installing a physical firewall on your network is a critical security strategy businesses of all sizes and in any industry should be using.

Email Security

One of the easiest ways for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to your network is through targeted emails. That puts email attacks such as phishing among the No. 1 threats to your network security. Developing a comprehensive email security platform is essential if you want to block attacks, keep your network protected, and your team on track.

Application Security

As your business grows, your team will inevitably rely on an increasing number of programs for mission-critical operations. As more applications run on your network, more potential security holes open up as well. With an application security platform securing hardware, software, and data, you can give your team the confidence to grow their processes without worrying about security loopholes giving unauthorized access to cybercriminals.

Antivirus and Antimalware Software

Viruses and malware can infiltrate your network and lie dormant for extended periods without you even realizing your data may have been compromised. Using antivirus and antimalware software to scan for malware on your network while monitoring file traffic to find anomalies, remove malware, and restore data is a fundamental security strategy for any business.

Wireless Security

Securing your wireless networks is substantially different than securing your wired network. Wireless networks are not as secure as wired ones, so if your organization relies on Wi-Fi, you need to make sure you’re deploying tools that keep your wireless access points protected.

Access Control

Not all users on your network should have access to the same data. An access control platform allows you to control which users can access particular data and applications. At the same time, an access control solution allows your network to recognize specific users and devices, making it easier to pinpoint where and how unauthorized access has occurred. You also can use access control systems to block unauthorized devices or users before they even gain access to your network.

Springfield IT Support

If your organization is already using one or more of these strategies to secure your network, you’re off to an excellent start. But if you’re looking for ways to move your security to the next level, PCnet’s managed security service experts are here to help. Get in touch with our team today to begin exploring how much more we can do to keep your network protected at every level.

In today’s workplace, networks have become the backbone of business operations. If your network isn’t working, your team probably isn’t either. As a result, recognizing how your network is under-serving your team’s needs is critical if you want to use your network services to drive growth. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the fundamental indicators that your network is no longer working for you, but, in fact, working against you.

You’re Spending More Time Maintaining Than Improving

When your network is working for you, it should act as a catalyst for growth. If you’ve been investing capital and resources in merely maintaining your network instead of improving it, that’s a sign of a deeper problem. Usually, the problem is your network was built with yesterday’s challenges and threats in mind. With the right network solution, your team will have the tools to recognize inefficiencies and respond to them to increase efficiency. If, on the other hand, your team is forced to maintain basic network functionality without opportunities for network growth, it’s time to start considering a comprehensive network upgrade that’s built to respond to today’s challenges.

You No Longer Feel Secure

Today’s network landscape is vastly different than it was a decade ago. With emerging threats such as ransomware and spearphishing becoming increasingly prevalent, you need a robust security platform with the agility to respond to the latest threats. If your current network security strategies don’t have specific policies to respond to today’s threats, you aren’t ready for tomorrow. You need real-world solutions to real-world threats if you want to keep your network protected and your operations running smoothly.

Your Network Is Slowing Your Team

As your business operations continually evolve, so do your team’s workflows. With more network possibilities than ever before, your organization needs a network built around your unique workflows so you can stay ahead of the competition. In short, your team shouldn’t have to align their operations with your network; your network should work seamlessly alongside their daily tasks. Whether that looks like a cloud solution to access mission-critical data from anywhere, or a managed network service provider to allow your team to stay focused on growing your business, your network needs to be driving growth, not slowing you down.

You’ve Lost Control

If you don’t make a concerted effort to maintain control of your network platform, it can quickly take control of you. How is your network responding to the latest security threats? What strategies does your team have in place to respond to a disaster or network outage? What inefficiencies is your network addressing and how? If you don’t have concrete answers to these questions, that’s a fair indication you’re losing control of your network, and you may need to rethink your network strategies from the ground up.

Springfield IT Support and Network Consulting

At PCnet, we specialize in understanding your network operations from the inside out. Our overarching goal is to show you how a network upgrade is not a liability, but an opportunity for growth. Whether you’re considering network infrastructure improvements or a holistic network redesign, our team has the tools and expertise to align a network solution with your day-to-day operations.

Many times I’ve heard managed service providers claim to be the trusted advisor to their customers. This has been said so often that I wonder if we’ve lost sight of what the phrase really means. Have we diluted its true meaning?

In the context of existing customers, trusted advisor may or may not be reality. This means, existing managed services customers fall into two categories: those who view the MSP as a trusted advisor and those who do not. Why would an existing client not view the MSP as a trusted advisor? A) The client once did hold the MSP in this regard but no longer does, or B), the client never trusted the MSP but went ahead with the relationship anyway.

If You Are Trusted, You Don’t Need To Say It!

The trusted advisor is a status between the MSP and the customer. Read more