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5 Risks of Cloud Computing

What is Cloud Jacking?

Top Access Control Trends for 2019

Office 365 security considerations

The lifespan of a business phone system

Differentiating Groups, Yammer, and Teams

It’s not too late to cash in on 2017’s IT trends

5 types of VoIP services you should know about

Microsoft’s plans for Skype for Business

New version of Microsoft Office announced

Posts Tagged ‘cloud’

5 Risks of Cloud Computing

 

Cloud computing and storage has increased in popularity. It has many benefits including security and effectiveness, but with time, cloud computing has become vulnerable to many risks. Here are five risks of cloud computing:

 

1.Misconfigured Settings

With many people using cloud computing, there is often a chance for a misab in the settings. A misconfigured setting is when some of the data stored in the cloud is not protected and it becomes breached. This is all because the purpose of the cloud is to make things fast and convenient and sometimes this causes more information to be less restricted. To fix this setting, it is ideal to check the cloud regularly and check the access permissions. 

2. Poor Data Quality 

When all your data is in the cloud, it can make it easier to overlook some information. Not only that, but when you share information via the cloud, it can make the information vulnerable to hackers and getting lost. To ensure the quality of your data, it’s a good idea to separate your data within categories and put security measures in place. 

3. Employee Training

One of the risks when it comes to cloud computing is not properly training employees on the risks. Most of the time, data is stolen due to phishing scams and security breaches. These can be prevented by teaching employees on how to identify scams. 

4. Security Policies 

Insufficient security policies can hurt all data in the cloud. When a security policy is not correct, it puts so many things at risk. To ensure you have adequate policies, it is important to know who can access the cloud, what data should be in the cloud and what to do when a breach occurs. 

5. Choosing the Provider

 

There are many cloud providers out there, and some aren’t the safest when it comes to storing data. Before determining what provider you want to use, make sure to research all providers. 

 

Are you having trouble with cloud computing? Westec Services can help! Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. 

What is Cloud Jacking? - WesTec Services

What is Cloud Jacking?

With the rise of COVID-19, cloud-based remote work has become increasingly popular and necessary. With new and emerging cloud-based technology comes new cybersecurity threats, like “cloud jacking.” 

What is Cloud Jacking? - WesTec Services

What is cloud jacking?

Cloud jacking occurs when a hacker steals the information of a cloud account holder and gains access to the server. Hackers often use this act as a means to conduct criminal activities, such as identity theft.

Because businesses often store confidential, sensitive information on cloud servers, they are major targets for cloud jacking. When it relates to sensitive information, these kinds of security breaches can be devastating for a business’ clients, partners, and reputation. Cloud jacking is not simply a one-time offense, as it creates a web of victims.  

What is Cloud Jacking? - WesTec Services

How do I protect myself against cloud jacking?

There are several things you can do to protect your business, clients, and partners from falling victim:

  • Require strict, multi-factor user authentication
  • Limit internal access to your cloud server
  • Perform background checks before granting anyone access to your cloud server
  • Backup all data stored on the server, in the event that there is data loss
  • Use encryption to secure all data before storing on your server
  • Require all users to create strong, secure passwords
    • Here are the properties of a strong password:
      • The longer, the better
      • A combination of lowercase and uppercase letters
      • Numbers and symbols
      • Avoid words or terms that could be easily linked to your identity

 

The professionals at WesTec Services want to help you protect your network and business. We provide vital business technology and consulting services that can be tailored to your needs and budget. Interested in learning more? Contact us today!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

 

Top Access Control Trends for 2019

Top Access Control Trends for 2019

Access control systems continuously evolve with the newest technology trends. In fact, they must keep up with updates to protect companies, their employees and data from threats. With a rising number of security breaches, we can expect more companies to install access control systems. 

Access Control Reviews

Security breaches are encouraging companies to conduct full audits of access controls. Enterprises will review risks by user, role and business process to isolate and mitigate risks before they turn into high-profile breaches. By noting weak security measures, companies can make changes to better protect assets.

Individualized Access

In 2019, we saw to see a rising trend in individualized access. This ensures each person has their own username, password or identification code. Companies now have access to automated provisioning, which sets up user accounts and creates automated workflows based on job duties. 

Security Patching

Hackers will do anything to break into security systems. While this has been a problem for decades, hackers are now specifically targeting overlooked points of access. To combat external threats, we expect access control systems to begin patching vulnerabilities, even if it means temporarily disrupting productivity. 

Threat Identification

Next year, systems will continue and expand their use of data analytics to monitor and mitigate threats. Companies will use their dashboards to monitor access, but they will also run possible scenarios to reduce risk and conflict. 

man using access control systemCloud-based Systems

The need for analytics, automation and access will encourage more businesses to install  cloud-based control systems. As companies increase their technology and mobile tools, they will want to protect their system in an effective way.  As we prepare to enter a new year and decade, businesses shouldn’t ignore threats from potential breaches. Our expert IT professionals at WesTec Services can help you analyze your current strategies and install a system designed to deflect security breaches. Contact us to learn more about our access control systems.

Office 365 security considerations

Office 365 security considerations

July 25th, 2018
Office 365 security considerations

It’s easy to see why Office 365 is an attractive solution for small and medium-sized businesses already familiar with the Office interface. More and more companies are making the move to the cloud, but there are security issues to consider.

Identify your company’s sensitive data…
Most files housed within your servers contain sensitive commercial and personal data that must be properly identified and protected. Do this by conducting a security audit before you undertake your migration.

Your audit should identify the types of data stored in the various parts of your company network, including which specific information needs extra safeguarding. Be sure to consider everything from trade secrets and contract details to the personal information of your clients.

…and then restrict access to it
Once you’ve worked out where your most precious data lies, you can check who currently has access to it and whether their access is appropriate. After all, it’s not necessary for everyone to be able to get at all the data your company owns.

Ensure that each of your employees has access only to the data that’s necessary for them to perform their duties. The great thing about Office 365 is it lets you conveniently set different levels of permissions based on user roles.

Watch out for insider threats
It’s wise to consider everyone in your organization when it comes to auditing data access permissions – and that includes system administrators who may have master access to every element of your network infrastructure.

A rogue administrator is the stuff of nightmares, since their elevated position gives them much greater leeway to siphon off valuable data without being noticed – or even to allow others to conduct questionable business and bypass the usual built-in security precautions. You can mitigate this risk by monitoring your administrators’ data usage and activities.

Use machine learning to foresee security breaches
Every action performed by your staff within Office 365 is automatically logged, and with relative ease you can create detailed activity reports. But the sheer number of events taking place within Office 365 in the course of your business’s normal operations means that even attempting to identify questionable behavior will be akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

That’s not to say it’s unwise to be on the lookout for anomalies in normal usage – the export of unexplainably large volumes of data, for instance, could suggest that a member of your team is leaking intelligence to a competitor, or that they’re about to jump ship and take your trade secrets with them.

To make things easier, machine learning technologies can identify potential breaches before they happen by analyzing large swathes of data in seconds. Graph API is incorporated into Office 365, and allows for the integration of machine learning tools into your security environment to achieve just that. The same tools can also help you avoid being caught unawares by hackers, by identifying system login attempts from locations that are out of the ordinary.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to enjoy the powerful collaborative features of Office 365 while ensuring the robust security your business demands. To find out more about how we can help your Office 365 migration run smoothly, just give us a call.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The lifespan of a business phone system

The lifespan of a business phone system

May 23rd, 2018
The lifespan of a business phone system

Today’s technology allows customers to engage with brands and companies across a broad range of platforms and mediums. But the telephone still remains an essential communication tool for businesses. It makes sense then to invest in a phone system that lasts, and our advice will help you find just that.

Different phone systems
Phones have come a long way, from analog landlines to digital handhelds. Today’s businesses need a phone system that can service their numerous needs, and in most cases, VoIP phones are the answer.

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a system of hardware and software that uses the internet instead of wired circuits to transmit data. VoIP does more than just transmit audio; it can also send a variety of data (video, multimedia, SMS, etc.) and perform other tasks as well.

A VoIP system’s hardware (phone units, cables, CPUs, etc.) and software (one or more applications that run the system) can be either on-premises or hosted.

  • On-Premises — Their hardware and software are physically housed within the premises of the company.
  • Hosted — Some of the hardware, like phone units and other equipment, can be found within the premises. But most, if not all, of the software are hosted online. Service providers look after hosted systems for their clients.

Lifecycles: On-premises vs. hosted
With hardware, it doesn’t matter whether it’s on-premises or hosted. Hardware is affected by the wear-and-tear of daily usage. Barring any accidents or physical damage, VoIP hardware should last as long as analog handsets, usually several years.

It’s another matter with software, which needs constant updating. It’s faster and cheaper to update software that’s hosted in the cloud versus one that’s on-premises. The differences in longevity between the two should be negligible; both can last upwards of 10 years, depending on your IT support.

Technology today vs. before
Cloud technology has fundamentally changed the way IT solutions are produced. In the past, hardware and software were built to last. Today, they’re built to adapt and change.

The effect of this shift on hardware and software is dramatic.

  • Most hardware components are very similar, with replacements and upgrades coming every 5-8 years on average.
  • Cloud software is faster, easier, and costs less to upgrade. Critical updates can be released almost constantly, with complete overhauls taking no longer than 2-3 years.

As your business grows, your phone system should be able to adapt to rapid growth, the need for more speed, and integration with the other systems in your business, like email or management software.

Be a step ahead
Your business cannot afford dropped or missed calls. Imagine what one day of phone downtime would do to your company. The time to replace your phone system is not after it fails. The best time is before that, when you can plan and budget properly.

Nowadays, it’s not longevity that’s important; it’s staying ahead of the curve. Call our experts today so you can always be a step ahead.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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