Having a proactive IT strategy means having systems in place to identify issues before they turn into problems which could damage your business – your output, performance, and reputation. If you are looking to make improvements in 2022 here are five areas for consideration.
Preventative IT Strategies
Ensure you have robust backup procedures and that security patches are deployed swiftly and comprehensively throughout the organisation to guard against emerging threats. Many SMEs choose an MSP (managed service provider) to take responsibly for IT security. Conformedia provides a managed service provision for many clients. A centrally managed system means that security can be maintained at the highest level – policies are rolled out to users to protect clients from emerging threats.
Changes in Working Practices
With the increase in working from home and the emergence of the hybrid workspace comes an increased security risk. It is vital that employees are able to work effectively and securely, wherever they are based and therefore a robust IT strategy should include security policies that encompass remote working.
Cloud Based Technology
Renting access to IT infrastructure and data centres along with a whole range of services such as processing power and storage is becoming the norm. Access to cloud-based services is attractive as it offers scalability access to the latest technology and is an affordable solution for many SMEs who can spread the cost across the year.
Security
Seek professional help to assess risk and deploy technical measures to prevent a security breach. Here are five layers of security – each layer adds an increased level of security to protect your organisation.
Anti-Virus
Malware and Ransomware Protection - check incoming emails for scams, phishing and stop malware from installing
Email Spam Filtering and Security – automatically send dubious emails to junk folders or block suspicious content
Firewalls
Device Encryption
Conformedia works with clients to mitigate the risks of losing valuable data and production downtime by assessing the risks and then tailoring a package of protective measures.
Invest in Training
Ensure employees are aware of potential threats to security from phishing. Security awareness training is key to all IT security strategies – educate employees to spot potential threats and ensure clear procedures are in place and are followed.
If you’d like to discuss how we can help your organisation implement a more proactive IT strategy or talk in depth about any of the above, please contact Richard for more information.
“Conformedia provides us with great IT support so we can get on with producing fantastic Thai food!”
As often happens with successful businesses – as they grow their IT infrastructure becomes outdated, fragmented and is no longer fit for purpose or provides the backbone for future growth.
When growing Thai restaurant chain Sukhothai outgrew their IT infrastructure, they asked Conformedia to provide an IT strategy and implement changes that would support future growth.
Faced with a mix of both Apple Mac and Windows workstations at their head office and restaurant, lack of standardisation and inadequate internet connectivity the team at Conformedia got to work.
Learn how the changes and continued support has provided Sukhothai with comprehensive, standardised, and scalable IT programme with an IT helpdesk to support office and restaurant staff.
“The team in the Conformedia office are helpful and very knowledgeable. If we have any issues they jump onto our screens and immediately sort out any problems. They visit our branches, providing everything from site surveys to everyday helpdesk support. They’ve been particularly helpful in setting up our business internet which wasn’t as straightforward as we’d first assumed. We initially struggled, but the team came in and liaised with our internet provider, putting in a dedicated internet line and now everything is running fine.”
Sukhothai has a comprehensive, standardised, and scalable IT programme with an IT helpdesk to support office and restaurant staff. The business can continue to grow, secure in the knowledge that it has robust IT in place to support its expansion plans.
The new domain means that all users can now logon securely and collaborate with others, regardless of the platform they are using. Office 365 subscriptions can be rapidly added by the Sukhothai admin team and workstations are now standardised, simplifying IT procurement, and allowing them to concentrate on the expansion of their restaurants, whilst also providing members of staff with the necessary equipment and software to do their job.
Smishing is phishing that involves a text message (SMS or short message service) and has become more common as people tend to trust text messages more than emails. In general, people are aware of the dangers of clicking on links and opening attachments in emails and are more trusting of a text message, so they offer the perfect opportunity for criminals trying to access your personal information.
Gartner reports that users read 98% of text messages and respond to 45%. This makes text very logical for hackers to use as an attack vector, especially when, as reported by Gartner, only 6% of emails receive responses.
Hackers try many tactics to access your accounts. Posing as a representative from a bank, they may ask you to verify a subscription by clicking on a link to verify suspicious activity on your account or provide you with a telephone number to call. They may offer you a deal, send you to a scam webpage and ask you to provide bank details – there are many ways that hackers try to access your information but in general – if it appears to be suspicious or looks too good to be true it probably is!
Remember – the aim of the hacker is to get you to provide personal data, including passwords and/or credit card numbers so be aware.
Don’t reply to text messages from people you don’t know
Don’t click on links from numbers you don’t know
If the text is from a friend with a link or offer, verify with them first that it is from them before taking any action
If the number doesn’t look like a standard phone number
Never install apps from text messages. Any apps you install on your device should come straight from the official app store.
If you have any doubt about the safety of a text message, don’t even open it.
Contact Richard for more information on how we can help you protect your business from cyber-attacks.
