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  • How Technology Is Helping Small Law Firms Challenge Their Larger Competitors

    To succeed as a law firm, you don’t need to be in business for fifty years, or have a stellar reputation.

    With IT and technology, you can easily compete with larger competitors to attract and bill new clients.

    From networking opportunities online, gaining access to prospects, the ability to hire remote workers at a fraction of the cost over local alternatives, today’s smaller law firms can build sales and client funnels that easily help them compete with large law firms.

    Here are a few benefits available to today’s law firms, thanks to technology.

    No corner office with a window. (yet)

    With technology, today’s startup law firms have more options to help compete when it comes to the high expenses of office space.

    When you start your first law practice, you won’t be driving a brand new Mercedes, and have a staff of 50 employees. You dream and dream of finishing law school only to find success as a new, fledgling attorney. But when you begin, there are expenses to be paid.

    Expenses like rent.

    Early on, you need to be open to utilize the power of technology and work from home, to cut costs. There are a growing number of practices using co-working spaces to establish their businesses.

    Be willing to use alternative office spaces to grow, when just starting out.

    And be patient. You’ll have that expensive corner office someday.

    Business development on the web.

    Technology like Skype, Google Hangouts and the like, gives you the opportunity to effectively represent clients on the other side of the world.

    When it comes to finding these clients, whether local or regional, small law practices have marketing and advertising options that are effective, efficient and low cost.

    For instance, instead of running expensive ads on radio and tv, smaller law firms can promote themselves by reaching audiences on social media, like Facebook and LinkedIn, through paid ads.

    Smaller law firms can also attract clients by publishing marketing content like blogs and by performing effective website SEO to generate leads through positive search engine results.

    Even if these activities are outsourced to freelancers or digital marketing agencies, the initial outlay still tends to be much lower than the required investment in traditional media buys.

    Virtual back offices.

    Hiring an accountant is expensive.

    The financial burn continues when that same employee requires expensive software in order to do her job. Technology and cloud-based software has leveled the playing field for small solo law firms.

    With just a few clicks of a mouse, attorneys and small practices can have entire virtual practices created that allow them to begin handling clients in minutes.

    Using websites like UpCounsel is a great way to find clients to represent.

    UpCounsel is an online community of people seeking legal help. You simply create an account, post your law background and specialty, and you can now find those who are in need of an attorney. It’s not a sure fire method, but it will definitely help you compete with larger law firms.

    Be willing to invest in other technology, like online billing and accounting services that will help you get (and keep) your business finances in order.

    Remote workforce.

    Suppose you want to expand your growing practice.

    Bringing on additional help requires capital and revenue to hire full-time employees. Thanks to technology, lawyers are taking this one step further and hiring remote lawyers through branded networks.

    Legal researchers and staff can be found using sites like Upwork.com.

    Sites like Upwork.com can also be used to find administrative help, admin assistants, marketing, HR, and accounting help. Imagine waking up in the morning to see that your India-based accountant has reconciled your accounts using information provided.

    There’s never been a better time to be an attorney.

    At DigiSync Technology Solutions, we’re here to help you plan and execute your technology plans, so you can grow your law firm.

    It doesn’t matter to us whether you’re a larger law firm or a smaller practice.

    For more help with this and other IT topics, email us here to learn more about how we can help you with your outsourced IT issues.

  • 3 Practical Pieces of IT Advice For Law Firms

    Cyber security and technology. What boring, non-sexy topics.

    But they are important ones.

    Especially when dealing with clients that are in the financial services and healthcare sectors, IT and technology are a large part of the law firm client relationships.

    So what are law firms to do?

    How to effectively manage your law firms IT tasks.

    What should a law firm do to effectively manage data security?

    First, we’d suggest conducting a vulnerability scan of your network. You need to understand how technology provides protection to you from the bad guys.

    You need to know what’s happening on your network, how to implement new security technologies, and how IT can be of value when recruiting and retaining people within your law firm.

    Moreover, you’ll want to figure out what threats and risks are caused by a poorly prepared IT network. A vulnerability scan will help you accomplish all this.

    Protect against risk.

    Risk within your IT department is hard. We get it.

    And you’re not alone.

    Most law firms aren’t aware of how to protect themselves against IT threats that pose a risk. And that’s not anyone’s fault.

    The problem is because you don’t truly understand your data security risk points, and therefore can’t develop a solid data security risk process.

    Let DigiSync Technology Solutions help, as an outsourced provider of IT services. Click here to contact us.

    Document vulnerabilities.

    The final piece in the risk profile puzzle involves documenting vulnerabilities.

    Most law firms engage in some type of IT-vulnerability testing, but often such assessments are purely technical in nature. To get the most of a vulnerability assessment, you should focus on vulnerabilities that could expose your law firm to the specific threats.

    Your assessment should go beyond technical vulnerabilities, such as un-patched servers or open firewall ports, and should focus on creating policies and procedures so you can execute and implement them.

    Documenting and developing IT processes is important, but execution of these documented processes is the most critical part.

    The best advice comes with action.

    At DigiSync Technology Solutions, we’re here to help you plan and execute your technology plans, by outsourcing your IT.

    For more help with this and other IT topics, email us here to learn more about how we can help you with your outsourced IT issues.

  • The Top 6 IT and Technology Trends for IT Firms

    Technology in the legal industry is changing and growing at a breakneck pace.

    According to the American Bar Association Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1, lawyers are expected to “keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.”

    While not all lawyers are expected to follow every trend in IT and technology, it is critical to understand the trends because they are increasingly important to handling cases and to running a law firm.

    So here are the top 6 trends that those in IT, inside law firms, needs to be aware of.

    1. IT and technology training.

    Technology training is very important, and those that work in the legal industry should consider embracing this trend because of a numbers of reasons.

    First, technology and IT training helps everyone be on the same page. This unified communication helps keep your legal assets secured. Second, training helps avoid mistakes and errors. Costly mistakes like security issues can easily be avoided through proper education and training. Third, a good level of understanding helps uncover the ‘why’ around why IT is important to law firms.

    2. Security.

    We’ve found that many law firms are surprisingly weak, when it comes to IT security policies.

    We’ve even seen many that have no documented security policies at all. Things like encryption is great, but many law firms fail to encrypt files like they should.

    Many law firms also struggle with the idea of BYOD policies (bring your own device). Individuals that work within the IT firm will need to work in collaboration with IT to accept a high level of personal responsibility in order to secure devices.

    3. Storage on the cloud.

    With growing cloud storage, your legal software isn’t device specific anymore.

    Meaning, your files, your CRM data, accounting data, customer data isn’t solely stored on desktops; it’s moving to the cloud. Document storage and sharing applications like Dropbox, saw large increases in usage because of this trend.

    4. Litigation technology.

    The federal court system has had electronic filing for years, but states have been a bit slow to adopt.

    It may be awhile until all states catch up, but with most lawyers embracing technology you’d be remiss to not have a plan to begin utilizing litigation technology, as soon as possible because the trend will only continue to rise, with the end result making your law firm more efficient while increasing your billing.

    5. Law firm hardware.

    Research has shown that Apple products, especially in tablets and mobile use, are the most popular.

    Apple hardware typically has the best security, as well, which helps you cross off two items on your IT checklist by simply using one type of hardware.

    6. Social Media/Marketing.

    While individual blogs from lawyers have declined, law firm blogs have increased.

    Many law firms are seeing the benefits and value of branding as a part of their firms marketing by creating marketing content to attract billable clients. Social media is increasing and law firms are seeing good results from social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

    IT needs to have strict policies and some guidelines when it comes to posting on and using social media. You can’t approach social media like cowboys; there needs to be some sort of guidelines to protect your firm, your clients, all the while looking trustworthy and credible to prospective clients and prospects.

    Let us help your law firm with your technology needs.

    At DigiSync Technology Solutions, we’re here to help you plan and execute your technology plans.

    For more help with this and other IT topics, email us here to learn more about how we can help you with your outsourced IT issues.

  • 4 Need-To-Know Technology Trends For IT Decision-Makers

    Today’s IT organizations and decision makers are faced with big challenges.

    Unstoppable growth, security, hiring, and storage to name a few.

    In light of this, here are 5 technology trends that IT-leaders need to be aware of, that will ultimately help make your life simpler.

    Nonstop demand.

    Server loads are growing.

    Each year; network bandwidth is rising by 35 percent, while storage capacity is expanding by 50 percent. Businesses are pushing IT to go faster and faster, while IT is struggling to keep up.

    Typically, IT is responding in two ways.

    One is to react as fast as possible.

    The other response is a steady pace, doing things as logically as possible, with a risk-free approach.

    Meanwhile, C-level decision makers in their respective IT departments are testing new things that are affecting various business leaders, HR, marketing and sales. Demand is growing by all departments.

    The IoT.

    Internet of Things is defined as extremely small devices that are self-aware and self-discovering.

    These devices support their own mesh networks and are often location-aware. IoT is sparking a new way of looking at business and capturing information.

    Things like sensors attached to hand-cleaning stations in hospitals to scan badges, and remote devices that manage and track fleet vehicles are examples of small data points that collect data.

    IT decision makers need to be aware of such devices as an important technology trend to follow.

    Infrastructure defined by software.

    Software-defined networks are networks created as a new way to operate and automate your IT network.

    The goal with software defined networks is to take into account all the tools you use, as an organization. Your IT infrastructure should be proactive, with predictive analytics to help IT staff get a better sense of the health of your network.

    You want to take into account infrastructure needs like software that runs your marketing, sales, CRM, accounting, and the like. If these software systems are robust, then you need to plan accordingly.

    You want to avoid situations where your business is down because of a loss of power to your data center, or the loss of critical business applications, like the aforementioned.

    Be sure and make decisions that are based on your infrastructure needs today, as well as five years down the road, and beyond.

    Direction for IT.

    Traditional IT sets reliability as the goal as well as price for performance, as the value prop.

    This approach is plan-driven and approval-based.

    The other direction for IT is set by an agility model, as the goal.

    This means that IT takes into account things like revenue, brand, and customer experience as the value. This requires talent that’s good with new and old technologies, and good with project management skill-sets.

    Information Technology has evolved, and so has the need for very specific IT skill-sets that will help you set your direction for IT.

    The categories most in demand are: mobile technology, hybrid computing, integration and process development, and experience with analytics applications. In order to effectively set your IT direction, you’ll need talent with expertise in storage, servers, network virtualization, among others.

    Let us help you with your technology trends.

    At DigiSync Technology Solutions, we’re here to help you plan and execute your technology plans.

    For more help with this and other IT topics, email us here to learn more about how we can help you with your outsourced IT issues.

  • How To Manage Your Remote IT Needs, While Keeping Security A Priority

    You role as an IT decision-maker can get tricky when working with remote employees, and multiple offices.

    Remote employees pose many different threats and problems that could impact your IT efforts.

    Managing these workers, while ensuring they are working from a secure network, is never easy. In light of all this, we’ve developed a set of must-haves to help guide you as you secure your network, while managing the IT for remote office locations.

    Must-haves for setting up a secure network.

    For example, if your company has employees who office at home, you’ll need to make sure they are using a network that’s secure. Setting up this secure network can prove to be a challenge to your security.

    To do this, you’ll need to do some things first.

    Network audit. First, you need to complete a network audit. This remote access audit you will want to look for things like which devices are accessing your network, when they are on the network, and complete some penetration testing.

    Assess VPN needs. Second, you’ll need to assess your VPN needs. Users at your multiple sites could have slightly different VPN needs. In our experience, we’ve found the best approach to choosing the best VPN service is to take careful inventory of your needs, then go shopping.

    In your research, you’ll find you don’t need to shop for long, as the solution may be as simple as a router-based solution or something similar.

    Some additional questions to ask:

    • How secure does the access to your offices need to be?
    • Which employees need secure access in their home networks?
    • Should you secure casual browsing, or all web browsing?
    • Is your hardware, like your router’s, running on outdated or compromised firmware?
    • What’s your process to update all firmware for your network hardware?
    • Do you need anonymity on your network? (many VPN providers promise anonymity, but few actually provide it)
    • What protocols does your VPN support?
    • How many servers do they have and where?
    • How many connections are allowed?
    • Does my VPN provider limit bandwidth, throttle connections, or restrict services?

    How to secure once your audit is done.

    Once your audit is complete, you need to establish some configuration options when dealing with remote access to your corporate intranet and servers.  This is where your policies will come in handy, which should be a part of your overall IT strategy.

    Consider giving access to your intranet with a remote access VPN. Research and test different options.

    Check out some additional options here.

    An IT decision makers best friend.

    Your head is most likely spinning at the thought of all the work that you need to do.

    Selecting a solid VPN solution can appear like a dreaded task. Which is why you shouldn’t do it alone.

    At DigiSync Technology Solutions, we’re more than willing to help you by cutting through the red tape and help you get to the end goal of selecting a VPN for your multi-sites that makes good business sense.

    For more help with this and other IT topics, email us here to learn more about how we can help you with your outsourced IT issues.

     

     

     

  • Why Hackers Want Your Data And How To Prevent Them From Getting It

    As a technology decision maker, you know that your data is worth a lot.

    More than you might think.

    Every where you go and every thing you do, digitally, is leaving breadcrumbs for an attacker to acquire your information and data.

    So why is this the case, and how do you prevent it this from happening, inside your IT department?

    What’s a hacked email account worth?

    According to Krebs on security, there’s a lot of value to your email information.

    With access to your email account, hackers can go in a number of directions to exploit you and your information.

    The result is them gaining valuable insights along the way, which will further negatively impact you IT-life.

    One tactic that hackers use when gaining access to your customers data via contact lists is blasting emails that appear like they’re from you. These emails will ask your customers for money and ask them to click on suspicious links, thereby forfeiting security.

    They’ll sift through your archives and saved messages for any relevant data to gain access to  and they’ll reset passwords to lock you out of your own accounts in order to gain control.

    What’s a hacked computer worth?

    According to Krebs on security, once hackers take over your user profile they are now able to get access to files, logged in accounts, emails and chat clients, and private connections from your workstations.

    At this level, hackers can begin illegal operations and scamming from your very machines and accounts.

    The one way they get in to be aware of.

    There are countless ways for malware to weasel their ways into your machines, but only one important way to be aware or.

    It’s called social engineering.

    45% of all malware is facilitated by social engineering.

    Read more about this here, from a great Symantec IT-Report.

    Social engineering is defined as a means where users are tricked into letting hackers into your network.

    When you click unidentified and suspicious links or navigate to websites that are not trusted, you immediately put your sensitive IT data at risk.

    Here are a couple of types of malware and how they work:

    • Trojan horse virus. Sounds harmless, but far from it. Trojan virus’s add programs on your machine and can damage your host systems. They don’t replicate, but they steal passwords and other valuable business data.
    • Viruses. Viruses exploit security vulnerabilities and attach themselves to programs to enter your network. They can add and delete files and folders, reformat portions of your hard drive, and of course facilitate leaking of data via back-doors.
    • Worms. Worms spread across entire networks, replicating code and facilitating data breaches by way of backdoors.

    The cost of Malware.

    Here are some scenarios on how malware might work against you, once it finds its way into your network:

    • Blocks access to specific programs and applications.
    • Prevents users from regain access to certain programs and files.
    • Adds unwanted programs that annoy your IT team and give the attacker access to your data and systems.
    • Set up triggers that, if manipulated, can wipe your hard drives by allowing access to pipelines of data.

    Block social engineering, once and for all.

    DigiSync Technology Solutions can train and test your network, and employees, to ensure that you’re prepared to block attempts to exploit your accounts, thus keeping data safe and sound.

    Email us here to learn more.

  • 3 Technological Explanations Of Why Fax Still Exists Inside Your Los Angeles Business

    Fax machines still exists.

    Much to the chagrin of many IT professionals and decision makers.

    Why do they exists? Is there value to fax machines, and what purposes do they serve?

    We at DigiSync IT sought to answer this question.

    Fax history.

    A little history of the trusty fax machine.

    Fax (aka facsimile) machines have been around since before the invention of the telephone. The telephone has been around for over 100 years. Nowadays we’ve got more advanced technologies thanks to the internet facilitating digital signature services, portable scanners and apps.

    So, why is fax not dead?

    The difference between fax, eFax, and email.

    In the context of compliance and auditing, you need to know the differences between the various types of faxing.

    With compliance, you should be asking questions like:

    • Is our faxing procedure efficient?
    • Are we secure?
    • Are we compliant?
    • Do we meet our industry standards for security compliance?

    Here are the basics about how fax, eFax, and email work.

    Traditional Fax Machines.

    A traditional fax machine sends faxes via a plain old analog telephone line and the document content is transmitted in the form of audio via binary signals.

    The document gets scanned one line at a time, detecting and translating the color/black and white into electricity with either high or low voltage.

    The receiving end printer knows to add ink for black and skip the white space to generate a copy of the document communicated.

    Going forward we know that more and more companies are using internet for telecommunication. Messages that companies might think are traveling over that single analog line might actually be switching between that and one or more carrier services.

    This certainly deserves attention from a security perspective. Traditional faxes, while reliable may or may not be secure.

    eFax.

    eFax (aka electronic facsimile) allows its users to communicate with others’ traditional fax machines by sending and receiving the messages via the internet.

    This is less expensive when comparing to a traditional fax machine, especially when having to maintain the fax machine with things like consumables (supplies). Also, this technology makes computer users who need to fax things happy because it’s convenient. You can even use digital signatures, and send the same message to multiple recipients at once.

    eFax works by sending attachments over email to a physical fax machine. The risk of having fax copies sitting on the fax machine for anyone to grab or missing some pages that are still coming through is obviously eliminated, which implies better security. On the other hand, the most significant security consideration is that these virtual messages do travel across the internet.

    It’s an e-mail attachment that takes much of the same path as a traditional e-mail.

    Email.

    Email is computer-based communication.

    The outgoing mail is gathered by your Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), which is responsible for determining where to send your email and how based on how you put together your message.

    Then the SMTP server contacts another server, the Domain Name Server (DNS) to translate the domain you put in as the recipient into the appropriate IP address that the internet can understand. The DNS sends the email to the recipients mail exchange server, the Mail Transfer Agent (MTA), where it finds its way to the recipients inbox by getting fetched from the MTA via POP (Post Office Protocol) or IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

    We could go on, but the overall idea is this: emails get sent over the internet via a combination of communication networks, servers, and mail clients, with multiple intersections and touch-points as a result.

    Which one is the most secure?

    The answer is ‘it depends.’

    Both eFax and email are traversing the ‘net.

    Still, we want to be clear: traditional fax is not always the most secure option. It’s not always the most secure because traditional fax is unencrypted. (there are encryption-enabled machines available)

    Hypothetically speaking, anyone who can tap into that analog phone line would be able to also receive that message with the right equipment.

    There’s also the security consideration that a fax could be sitting on a physical receiving machine for a while before anybody picks it up, leaving it pretty susceptible to interception.

    Nonetheless, it is still perceived as the most secure form of document transfer.

    In which cases would eFax or email be more secure?

    The more security measures in place, the more secure the communication.

    There are multiple methods available for eFax or email to be made more secure:

    • Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols can be employed to ensure the privacy and safety of the data over its journey.
    • Encryption for both the at-rest (stored) and transmitting data.
    • Password protection of both accounts and messages in some cases.
    • Audit trails to track the path of messages, to ensure secure delivery.
    • Authentication of senders and recipients for added security.
    • Using industry-standard security practices and strong encryption, as well as some of the above additional measures, can actually bring eFax and email to a much more secure level than what traditional fax can offer.

    Why fax?

    Traditional fax machines still exist because the fax has credibility.

    A whole host of businesses still rely heavily on faxing. Ongoing use with minimal reports of security interruptions that are drowned out by reports of internet-related cyber risks, combined with the facts we outline above and below, perpetuate it’s prevalence.

    It continues to hold as the preferred method for transmitting documents across regulated industries.

    Bureaucracy.

    Standards exist formally, in fact, for these regulated industries like finance and healthcare.

    Fax as the primary not in-person communication method has been the required mode for most of these sectors because of the fact that the technology has for so long been legally vetted for signature requirements especially.

    As a result, it has the reputation, or illusion, as the most safe and secure.

    Digital Conservatives.

    Regardless of what we know about technology’s ability to enhance operational efficiency and boost productivity, so many companies have cold feet. We get it.

    There is one main reason for this.

    Fear.

    Many IT and technology decision makers are afraid that technology will replace work that we do as humans, and threatens job security.

    Increasing Efficiency With Technology.

    Business technology is developed and designed to improve communication-success.

    Fax is no exception, and the same is true for subsequent solutions like secure cloud communication.

    Although the job of walking to the printer, scanning a document, determining it’s intended recipient, waiting for the transaction to complete, receiving the confirmation, and returning with the document to one’s desk might seem efficient and safe, other services have been developed to save you time, save you money, and diminish security risks.

    Take control of your office communications.

    Left unencrypted and unaccounted for, there are high security risks to sending secure information over email or eFax.

    We can help you to better understand business technology like this and determine how to best position your technology to drive your business. Now that you know a bit more about fax and how to avoid the typical issues with sending faxes, and eFax inside your Los Angeles business, learn more about how we can help. Email us here to learn more about how we can help your business make your data a priority.

  • 2 Best Methods Of Identifying and Avoiding Phishing Scams

    Phishing attacks are one of the most common security challenges companies face in keeping their data secure.

    There are countless ways for hackers to gain access to your data.

    Hackers attack your network by attempting to access passwords, credit card numbers, email addresses, social media credentials, website login, and other communications.

    Hackers are relentless and will attempt to steal any sort of data they can. You and your users are by no means immune, and because any business that keeps electronic files or records is suspect, you need a plan to prepare to fight against these technology problems.

    We’ve created some educational content to help you understand and prepare for potential phishing attacks.

    How companies fall victim to phishing attacks.

    There are two common ways that businesses end up being the prey to a phishing attack.

    1. Not having the right tools in place to prevent these before they reach users.
    2. Failure to properly train employees and staff on how to avoid social engineering attacks.

    In today’s digital world employees have incredible power and responsibility. Depending on their roles within your Los Angeles-based company, they may have access to things like customer data, login credentials, and even financial information.

    Your employees and staff need to know how to use their knowledge if and when a hacker attacks.

    Hackers are smart.

    When you fall prey to phishing or hacking scams, there are a few things to look for.

    They’ll try to obtain data using any means they can. The purpose of scams, like phishing, is for hackers to collect sensitive information from you and your network. They use this information to gain additional access to otherwise protected data.

    A phishing scammer’s success is determined by way of establishing false trust with those involved.

    Here are a few techniques used by attackers to extrapolate information from you and your team.

    1. Embedding links in emails that redirect employees to an unsecured website.
    2. Installing a Trojan virus, malicious attachment through email, or some sort of clickable ad that gives the intruder access to exploit security loopholes.
    3. Requesting sensitive information by attempting to spoof the sender’s email address and content with links or attachments.
    4. Impersonating a known vendor or IT department in an attempt to get company information over the phone or internet.

    As you can see, some of the methods are very cunning and equally deceitful. They can be missed by employees and team members if you’re not aware of them. Knowing these methods and how to counteract them will prevent harm to you and your clients or customers.

    How To Avoid Attacks.

    While there are dozens of steps to help fend off phishing attacks, here are the eight most straightforward steps you can take to attempt to prevent phishing attacks.

    • Educate. Inform your staff and conduct training sessions with mock scenarios, and empower them to be smart online.
    • Implement and deploy. Implement and deploy SPAM filters that detect viruses and blank senders. If your internal IT team doesn’t know how to do this, then outsource this piece of your IT to a firm like DigiSync to help.
    • Stay current. Make sure your systems stay current with technology standards and IT patches.
    • Remote managed antivirus. Install a managed antivirus solution that schedules updates, and monitors the anti-virus status on all equipment.
    • Document your IT policies. Craft and document a security policy that includes mandatory password expiration and complexity. This kind of plan and process will help you avoid the pain of not having one.
    • Web filters. Implement and deploy a web filter that blocks suspicious websites.
    • Encrypt information. Encrypt all sensitive company information, especially employee data, customer files, and financial information.
    • Keep your mobile devices protected. Mandate encryption for mobile devices and remote workstations.

    There are other steps you and your team can take to prevent and protect yourself phishing attacks, but the bottom line is this: you and your IT department need to stay vigilant and adopt strategies to test your security policies that will eliminate vulnerabilities.

    It’s just as crucial to ensure your employees understand the how and why of phishing attacks, the risks involved, and how to address them.

    Informed employees, properly secured systems, and properly tested networks and users are the best way to fend off attempts to steal what’s most important to your organization: Your data.

    Be safe, not sorry.

    Now that you know a bit more about how to avoid hacking and phishing scams inside your Los Angeles business, learn more about how we can help. Email us here to learn more about how we can help your business make your data a priority.

  • How Securing Your Businesses Data Is Like Securing Your Money

    All over the country, non-profit organizations, healthcare organizations, and small businesses are fighting to protect their data.

    Data like consumer data, patient records, and financial information.

    And progress is being made. It’s being made daily on how companies educate their employee’s on the importance of keeping information secure and private, along with the methods to accomplish these goals.

    At digiSYNC, we’ve created a list to help you, the IT manager, on how to ensure your data is adequately protected.

    #1 Protecting data isn’t only an IT issue.

    Employee’s, owners, even some IT technicians often fall into the trap of believing that it’s not their responsibility to safeguard sensitive information. Often times, the general consensus is that keeping specific data secure falls squarely on the shoulders of the lone IT person that’s protecting it. While it’s important to have one person “own” certain IT processes, it’s everyone’s role to keep what’s intended to be private, private. The solution to this mindset is to view data protection as a responsibility of everyone. Everyone needs to own it. Establish this mindset inside your organization, first, and you’ve won half the battle.

    #2 Keep current with your encryption tactics.

    Encrypting data is critical, and encrypting data is still the only way of protecting data from those who would abuse it. Many organizations fail at encryption because they fail at keeping current with the quickly changing technologies of the IT encryption market.

    For a great read about some basic, and more advanced methods of encrypting your data, check out this PCWorld article, here, about how to essentially encrypt pretty much anything.

    #3 Consider data loss prevention platform (DLP).

    We’ve established that ensuring the security of your business data is both your employees and your responsibility. But how can you monitor this data, detect and prevent potential data breaches, and take steps to automate this process? Consider investing in a DLP platform.

    To compare the various platforms, check out this article by TechTarget.

    #4 Retain data logs.

    Most data logs for firewalls or application servers are deleted after 30 or 60 days. This is problematic because it can cause issues when trying to determine the cause of a specific data-related incident. One recommendation we’d make is to take the proper steps of retaining data logs for longer periods of time, as this will help you detect potential data breaches much more easily.

    #5 Focus on privacy with your cloud partnerships.

    Chances are you have a cloud relationship. And why wouldn’t you? Cloud is great. The myriad of benefits are immeasurable, like hosting applications, faster downloads of robust enterprise software, and redundancy to help prevent downtime. Having a cloud solution also exposes your healthcare organization, your construction group, or small business to a host of potential security problems. That’s why having a cloud vendor, who has dedicated privacy policies in place, is one of the most important factors when entering into cloud partnerships.

    If you work in IT in healthcare or construction, and want some excellent cloud recommendations, check out this article, here.

    Be safe, not sorry.

    Now that you know a bit more about how to secure your business technology and data, learn more about how we can help. Email us here to learn more about how we can help your business make your data a priority.

  • How cloud synchronization can spread malware inside your business

    Cloud synchronization is the practice of using cloud-based servers to update files which are held in different locations.

    It’s pretty straight forward, and provides many benefits to organizations.

    Cloud synchronizing allows files to be automatically uploaded to a cloud server for backup purposes or for use by other users.

    Cloud synchronization sounds harmless, right?

    Most cloud services give you, the IT professional, the opportunity to synchronization folders, and files inside these folders.

    Any file placed in these folder are automatically uploaded to your cloud space, and the employee’s inside your company can now access them for general business reasons. It’s great for positive user experiences in your office. But cloud synchronization can also be used to sprad malicious malware.

    For instance, if ransom ware has infected one of the users on your system, and encrypted specific files on your cloud directory, these corrupted files will be uploaded and replace the legitimate files. These corrupted pieces of data are then pushed to the other users on your network, which happen to be using your cloud synchronization tool. This equates to the spreading of infected files by your cloud synchronization tool, which was ultimately supposed to provide a healthy backup option for the files on your network.

    If this happens, you now may even lack a backup to all your legitimate files, as the remaining copies of your data were replaced with infected ones. This malware could have also infected other users, inadvertently.

    What the experts are saying.

    A Global Cloud Report from Netskope found that 11% of enterprises surveyed had at least one cloud application storing malware. That number is likely to increase significantly. This same report predicted that over a quarter of the malware found, had been synchronized to other users.

    Check out the report here.

    The solution.

    One of the most critical pieces to defending against cloud malware is ensuring sensitive data stored in the cloud is backed up and uses the correct versioning.

    This will ensure archived versions are available, and protected from malware that would otherwise seek to replace legitimate files and data.

    Also, uploading sensitive data needs to be monitored. Any abnormal behavior will indicate a malware infection. Your cloud application should be configured to scan for malicious software.

    Learn how to prevent malware on your cloud servers.

    Now that you know a bit more about how malware can affect your business technology, learn how we can help. Email us here to learn more about how we can help your business make preventing malware a priority.