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97% Of Business Owners Cannot Spot This Threat To Their Business

The most common ways businesses get hacked isn’t some elaborate scheme, it’s as simple as clicking a link. Phishing, where hackers trick employees of a business into clicking a link containing malicious software (often masquerading as a regular email from internal staff), is on the rise. Even more troubling is recent data from company Inspired eLearning that shows that as much as 97% of individuals can’t identify a typical phishing email. To avoid this, train your employees to keep an eye out for these sneaky emails. If staff receives an email that requests sensitive or personal information, such as passwords, they are typically phishing emails. Employees should never click a link from a source that seems even remotely suspicious or strange, regardless of who it’s coming from.  smallbiztrends.com 8/18/17

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Over $25 Million In “Ransoms” Paid Out In Just The Last Two Years Due To Ransomware Attacks

According to a study presented by Google last July, ransomware victims have paid out more than $25 million in ransoms over the last two years. Ransomware is a viral program that, after infecting a system, encrypts all the local files, making them unlockable only with a private key held by the attackers. Attackers then demand exorbitant sums of Bitcoin in order to recover the data — or threaten to make it inaccessible forever. The strategy has proven highly profitable for cybercriminals, who have adopted it in droves. Just this summer, San Francisco’s largest public radio station was hit by ransomware, forcing employees to rely on mechanical stopwatches and paper scripts in the aftermath. Additionally, it’s clear from the data that ransomware designers are constantly developing more and more ways to penetrate antivirus software. When antivirus identifies a specific malware program, the system usually scans for matching binaries. But modern ransomware is able to change its binary once it has been detected, allowing it to skate past many outdated defense systems. TheVerge.com 7/25/2017

Are you protected?  You aren’t or you’re not sure – email us at info@virtualitmanagers.com or call us at 305-600-5459.  Let us help ensure you and your valuable company data is VERY WELL PROTECTED.

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If You’re Not A Fan Of Human Interaction When It Comes To Your Insurance Claims – This Is Good News?

The increasingly digitized world means a growing number of interactions between people and machines. According to a 2017 survey by LexisNexis, insurance companies have been looking into virtual or “touchless” methods of handling claims. A full 38% of insurers said they won’t be sending human employees for physical inspections at all in the future, instead using drones or apps. DigitalTrends.com 8/8/2017

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Are Your Clients Sucking The Life Out Of You?

Bad clients aren’t just a nuisance, they’re bad for business. They can take an inordinate amount of time to service. They may complain about irrelevant details, avoid paying their bills or drag payments out forever. They can be a huge emotional drain. Or, more often than we care to know, they can do all of the above.

Firing these bad apples can be an attractive option. But what if that client is buying a profitable product from you? What if they’re 60% of your revenue? Firing them will eliminate a big headache, but it may also put you out of business.

Not all clients are created equal. When you’re considering a “keep ‘em or kill ‘em” approach, take these steps first.

1. CONDUCT A CLIENT ASSESSMENT
Assess your problem clients, considering factors like their historical revenue, projected future revenue, their core values and other indicators. Keep in mind, if a client was the ideal client before, you may be able to nudge them gently back to their former selves.

2. REMIND THEM WHY THEY DO BUSINESS WITH YOU
To you, a problem client is nothing more than a pain in the neck. But to them, your business obviously has redeeming qualities that keep them working with you. Schedule a meeting with the client and explain the challenges you are facing with them. Ask them if they’ll make the commitment to improve. It may be an awkward situation, and they may say no, but either way, the conversation can’t make things worse.

3. MATCH PERSONALITIES
Sometimes, business difficulties are nothing more than a personality mismatch. If you’re consistently having trouble with the same employee, ask the client if they can assign a new liaison from the company. Even if you’re dealing with the boss, they may be willing to let you work with one of their employees or colleagues instead.

4. LAY DOWN THE LAW
This is one of the toughest parts of being a vendor, but it’s critically important. You need to clearly outline the rules of what is or isn’t acceptable. Meet with the client and tell them exactly what is wrong, exactly what they need to do to fix it and exactly what the consequences will be if they don’t.

5. SET A STOP-LOSS
Once you’ve tried addressing the issues you’re having with the client, put a deadline by which your suggested changes must be implemented. Plan and commit to the action you will take at that time, depending on what the client does.

6. GET OUT OF THE TRAP
If nothing fixes the problem, yet you decide to continue the relationship, you need to realize the problem is not the client’s, but yours. There is something in your actions that indicates you are willing to be treated the way they are treating you. It’s unlikely that they’ll stop. At this point, your best bet is probably to bite the bullet and fire the client once and for all.

MIKE MICHALOWICZ (pronounced mi-KAL- o-wits) started his first business at the age of 24, moving his young family to the only safe place he could afford-a retirement building. With no experience, no contacts and no savings, he systematically bootstrapped a multimillion-dollar business. Then he did it again. And again. Now he is doing it for other entrepreneurs. Mike is the CEO of Provendus Group, a consulting firm that ignites explosive growth in companies that have plateaued; a former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal; MSNBC’s business makeover expert; a keynote speaker on entrepreneurship; and the author of the cult classic book The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. His newest book, The Pumpkin Plan, has already been called “the
next E-Myth!” For more information, visit www.mikemichalowicz.com/

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Skimp On Data Protection And Pay The Price

We’ve said it time and again: Today’s cybercriminals are using more advanced technology than ever. And those malicious tools are becoming even more sophisticated at a breakneck pace. To top it all off, new software developments are enabling these criminals to cast wider and wider nets, targeting businesses that, before, would have flown under their radar. Companies small and large, of every type, are being infiltrated by vicious cyber-attacks across the world each and every day.

Even knowing this, business owners are tempted to cut costs and corners. When you’ve never had a breach, data security can seem like a distant concern, especially for a limited budget. But regardless of which digital barriers you put in place to protect your business, you can bet on one thing: One day, your security will be tested by an attack. Whether or not the hackers punch through could mean the difference between your company shutting down for good — as 60% of small businesses do in the six months following a cyber-attack, according to the Denver Post — and remaining solvent and secure in your position.

When you’re struggling to stay afloat or simply wanting to be a savvy spender, you may think the best way to lock down your data is to put one of your staff on the task or to do it yourself.

And sure, your team can conduct hours of research searching for inexpensive security. And you’ll almost certainly find something cheap with good reviews and a decent track record. You’ll figure out how to install the software across your system, complete with firewalls, server protection, antivirus and maybe a bell and a whistle or two. Perhaps you’ll even hold a meeting to educate your staff on the do’s and don’ts of cyber security.

“Use intricately constructed passwords,” you’ll tell them. “Don’t click suspicious links in your email.”

Then, after a few days of fiddling with settings and ensuring the security software is properly in place, you’ll forget about it altogether. After all, it’s already installed, and you’ve checked to make sure there aren’t any gaps in the system. It’s not something you need to constantly monitor.

A year later, your business has — miraculously — doubled in size. You’re finally reaping profits. Best of all, a recent news story has brought your company into the public eye, and brand-new leads are contacting you every day. For the first time since the company’s inception, you can breathe easy.

Then, one Monday morning, you log into your computer. For a second, everything seems to be normal, until an innocent-looking pop-up fills your screen. “Attention!” an eerie robotic voice barks from your speakers, “Your documents, photos, databases and other important files have been encrypted!”

Thinking it’s a hoax, you click into your server drive. To your dismay, you really are locked out of everything. So, palms sweating, you read the rest of the pop-up. It provides instructions to install the deep web browser Tor as well as an address for you to visit. When you go there, you learn that in order to recover all your data, including the credit card information of your customers, you’ll need to dish out $50,000 in bitcoin.

A year ago, you couldn’t afford adequate cyber security. Can you afford $50,000 in cash today?

Identical situations are unfolding every day, with people exactly like you. Back in April, CNBC reported that across the previous 12 months, half of all small businesses had been infiltrated by malicious hackers. “Cyber security is clearly a concern that the entire business community shares, but it represents an especially pernicious threat to smaller businesses,” wrote the Securities and Exchange Commission in a 2015 report. “The reason is simple: small and midsize businesses are not just targets of cybercrime; they are its principal target.” Cheapo security solutions might be fine for a lone browser surfing the web at home, but they are shockingly inadequate resources on which to base the entire success of your company, your livelihood and the livelihood of your employees.

Frankly, it’s irresponsible to lock your data behind a flimsy $5 firewall. Invest in robust cyber security solutions and secure the future of your company.

Free Report: What Every Small-Business Owner Must Know About Protecting And Preserving Their Company’s Critical Data And Computer Systems

This report will outline in plain nontechnical English common mistakes that many small-business owners make with their computer network that cost them thousands in lost sales, productivity and computer repair bills, as well as providing an easy, proven way to reduce or completely eliminate the financial expense and frustration caused by these oversights.

Download your FREE copy today at www.virtualitmanagers.com/protect or call our office at (305) 600-5459.

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Hurricane Irma – Virtual IT Managers Friends, Families and Clients

After the terrible outcome for our Houston and surrounding areas based clients/friends/families as a result of hurricane Harvey, it’s difficult to imagine what we in Florida will be undergoing shortly with hurricane Irma on it’s way…….We’ve done everything possible to assist our clients to prepare their businesses for what we’re about to face…….We’re praying that everyone is ready, secure, well protected and safe. Know that we are thinking of all of our family and friends.

Going off the air and will be back once Irma as passed……..Be safe!!!!

Sincerely,

Luis Arroyo Jc.
Managing Partner
Virtual IT Managers, Inc.

Posted in: Company News, Tech Tips for Business Owners, Uncategorized, Upcoming Events

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3 “Techie” Reasons You Can Be Thankful This Season

1 .  Cyber Thieves Keep A-Knockin’ But They Can’t Come In. A study presented at the International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks showed that small business networks are attacked every 39 seconds by some type of hacker or malicious software. Thankfully, having the proper firewall and office network security tools can prevent even the most determined cyber hacker from getting his hands on your network. Are your systems covered?

 
2.  Downtime Should Be A Thing Of The Past. Thanks to monitoring and maintenance tools that are openly available, any reputable computer company can now actually notice when things go awry and prevent your computers from having issues. Hot fixes, patches and security updates are generally items that, when maintained on a regular basis, keep a network healthy and up and running. If, for some reason, your network still has some kind of downtime, cloud-based remote management tools allow your IT professional to access your system from anywhere, getting you up and running more quickly than ever before.

3.  If Disaster Strikes, You Can Be Back Up & Running In Minutes Instead Of Days. In addition to lost data, many businesses’ operations would be completely down for days or weeks if a major disaster like fire, flood or theft ever occurred. Here’s where Backup & Disaster Recovery solutions (BDR) can help you feel very thankful indeed. Most of today’s BDR solutions include a “virtualization” component, which means an exact “picture” of your server and computers is taken throughout the day and stored elsewhere. If you ever need to get back up and running, your IT company simply restores that image…and you’re back in business.

Here’s what you’ll receive with your FREE Network & Security Assessment:

• Check your firewall’s security settings to make sure you are protected from the latest hacker attacks, worms and viruses.

• Scan and remove spyware that is secretly stealing your company’s bandwidth, jeopardizing the speed of your computer system, and embezzling confidential information about you, your employees, and your business.

• Check your network’s back-up system to ensure it is working properly and accurately backing up all of the critical files and information you never want to lose.

• Verify that you have the most up-to-date security patches installed properly; miss one critical update and you’re a “sitting duck”.

• Diagnose slow, unstable PCs.

• Perform a quick network “tune-up” to make programs and files load faster.

Want to feel thankful instead of frustrated with your computers? Call us before November 30 for a FREE
Problem Prevention Network Assessment (a $497 value) that will help eliminate problems on your network and give you peace of mind. Give us a call today at 305-600-5459 or request your audit online at: http://www.virtualitmanagers.com/free-network-analysis-and-security-assessment/ to get started.

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How Fast Could Your Business Be Back Up And Running After A Natural Disaster, Server Crash, Virus Attack Or Other Data-Erasing Catastrophe (2017)?

5 Easy Things You Should Do To Protect Your Business Now

Let’s face it: no one likes to think about bad things happening to them, much less plan for them. But, we want to give you a quick “brush-up” on some simple things you can (and should!) be doing to protect your business.

1. Review Your Business Insurance Carefully. Most businesses carry some type of general liability insurance that would pay them if their building and the things in it were damaged. However, many businesses do not have enough coverage to replace all the computer equipment and devices, desks, art, supplies and other things they’ve accumulated over the years that are housed in their office. Make sure you review your policy every year and keep in mind new additions and assets you’ve accumulated during that year.

2. Consider Cloud Computing. One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing is that your data and assets are stored off-site in a highly secure, high-availability data center, with failover and redundancy built in. That means that if your building were destroyed and you had to evacuate, or if your server melted down due to an unexpected hardware failure, everything you’ve worked so hard to create over the years is safe and not a sitting duck in your unsecured closet or server room.

3. Secure Your Data. Making sure that your data is protected from theft is a never-ending battle you don’t want to lose. Companies that get hacked and expose sensitive client and employee data can face severe penalties, lawsuits and massive loss of credibility in the marketplace. Make sure you never have to send an e-mail to your customers explaining the bad news that a hacker accessed their info through you. Further, if you keep any sensitive information (even passwords to portals containing sensitive information) on portable laptops, phones and other devices, make sure you have a way of controlling and safeguarding that information.

4. Write A Simple Disaster Recovery Plan. The key word here is “simple.” If your plan gets too complicated or difficult, you won’t do it. But at a minimum, think of the disaster that is most likely to happen and that would have a severe and negative impact on your company’s survival.

5. Review Your Employee Internet Policy. With so many people “addicted” to Facebook and Twitter, it’s important that your employees know where the line is in what they can and can’t post online. We also recommend content-filtering software to block content and web sites you don’t want employees visiting during work hours.

Call us during this month and we’ll give you a Disaster Recovery Business Assessment for FREE (a $497 value)!

Claim your FREE Disaster Recovery Assessment and get answers to these critical questions:

• How fast could you realistically be back up and running in the event of any natural or human disaster?

• What backup, security and business continuity systems do you currently have in place, and are they sufficient?

• Is all of your critical data being backed up, every day?

• What are the largest threats to the security and integrity of your critical business data?

• Do you know what steps and costs would be involved to rebuild your server and recover your data if you had to?

Claim Your Audit Now:

1.  http://virtualitmanagers.com/disaster-recovery-and-business-continuity-planning/

2.  Call: 786-488-2760

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Why Your Company Needs An Internet Use Policy

email-stampWith computers and Internet access such an integral part of every business, and the Internet filled with everything from gambling to x-rated websites, it is critical that every business has an Internet Use Policy in place. This policy can help prevent your employees from accidentally or intentionally causing harm to your company or your company’s reputation. While you don’t want to give your employees the idea that they are living in George Orwell’s 1984, you want them to have a clear understanding of practices that are and are not appropriate during work hours. It is necessary for companies to create an Internet policy that everyone can live with.

Why Have An Internet Use Policy?

The purpose of a business is to make money. In order to accomplish this, the company has to have productive employees. The Internet can be a time drain and often prevent employees from being as productive as they should be. With such a wide range of information available on the Internet, it is necessary to clarify the company’s expectations of its employees regarding Internet access. With a strong policy in place, the employee, as well as the employer, will find Internet use less confusing and frustrating.

Another important reason to have a strong Internet Use Policy is to save your company from unnecessary lawsuits. Unless you have a clear policy on what is and is not acceptable on the Internet in your company, you can risk having an unfair dismissal lawsuit on your hands when an employee is abusing the company’s Internet.

What Elements Should Your Internet Usage Policy Contain?

When planning your Internet Use Policy, it should contain certain key elements such as:

  • The company Internet is for company business only and to be used only during company business hours
  • All work done on company computers during business hours, including all emails, is company property and can be accessed by the employer at any time.
  • Establish what type of computer use is unacceptable such as accessing personal social media accounts, personal email, pornographic websites, etc.
  • Employees must refrain from accessing websites, creating, or forwarding email that promotes any type of discrimination such as racial or sexual discrimination, or that is defamatory or harmful towards another person or group.
  • Employees are not allowed to gain access to or attempt to access other employee’s computers, employee stored information, or any information unauthorized by the company.

In addition to the guidelines above, inform your employees that whatever is done by the company, for the company, and on the company computers should remain confidential and within the confines of the company. In addition, let employees know that when they access unapproved sites, they risk infecting the company computer system with viruses that could possibly shut down the entire company network.

Having an Internet use policy in place helps to eliminate any confusion and possible abuse that could prevent a company from functioning productively. A solid Internet use policy help to make the work environment more pleasant and more conducive to getting the necessary work done in order to have a successful business. Creating a safe and productive environment is important for any business, and one way to ensure that is to implement an Internet use policy.

Click here to learn how Virtual IT Managers, Inc. can help you benefit from an Internet Use Policy with our Technology Consulting Services in Miami, FL and surrounding cities.

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Cloud Computing – How Will it Affect You?

We are always on the watch for the ‘next best thing’ when it comes to technology and the Internet. Certainly no one can doubt that Cloud Computing and the next generation of the Internet has had a dramatic affect on how people interact and connect with each other – both from an individual standpoint and a business one.

The hottest emerging concept that has the power to change how we perform tasks is taking place before us – and it is Cloud Computing. Simply put, it is the ability to use resources and tools via the Internet without actually owning or being near them. The only requirement is to be able to access them.

The term ‘Cloud’ is used to indicate the whole of computing services accessible via the Internet. It is an all-encompassing description of the complex internet-connected networks that exist in datacenters all over the world that power services and applications behind the scenes.

The concept of utilizing resources in these networks is being adopted by businesses both large and small. These resources are categorized to describe their function, and include:

  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Web 2.0

In the most general terms, Infrastructure as a Service means that companies may no longer need to own and house their own back-end servers and other network computing infrastructure besides an internet-connected PC or laptop in order to maintain business functionality. This capability can be purchased on a subscription basis from entities that market these services in a ‘virtual’ manner. This allows businesses to keep their costs low by not having to purchase, maintain and recycle their own equipment for this purpose, and also mitigates the possibility of business interruption due to the highly available nature of these solutions. This equates to increased uptime and profitability for Infrastructure as a Service customers.

Platform as a Service is also known as ‘cloudware’, and refers to the availability of development tools in creating web applications and services to the end user. Like IaaS, you never ‘see’ the inner-workings of this environment unless you are a computer programmer or IT resource, but it exists nonetheless and again affords those who use these tools the ability to reduce costs while running their businesses.

Software as a Service is defined as software applications that are subscribed to and accessed only through the Internet, and not installed on local PCs or laptops. Applications built by and accessed via Google fall into this category, as well as the many photo sites to which you can upload your pictures and videos, edit and share them with others. These solutions are gaining tremendous popularity, because end users do not need to install, update and maintain software locally – only connect to it and use it when the need arises.

Web 2.0 describes the whole of the social networking movement on the Internet, and includes but is not limited to destinations such as Facebook, MySpace, eHarmony, LinkedIn and Twitter. These sites offer the ability for people all over the world to share common interests, stay connected and learn more about each other – and these sites aren’t just for the young. Statistics show that the over 50 generation is logging onto these sites in greater numbers than ever before. In fact, in one month alone, Facebook adds over 17,000 new members.

The next time you are on the Internet and upload a photograph and use the online tools to modify that picture, you are participating in ‘cloud computing.’ The picture is probably loaded to a site that uses IaaS for their servers, PaaS in order to provide the visual interface in which you modify the photograph, and SaaS applications you’ll use to access your email program and social networking sites in order to send it to or post it for those with whom you would like to share the picture.

Click here to learn how Virtual IT Managers, Inc. can help you benefit from Cloud Computing in Miami, FL and surrounding cities.

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