In the last few months, the ‘working from home’ scenario has become quite common, and it is probably safe to say that it will be the norm for many of for the next few months at least.
For some, it may have taken a bit of adjusting; others perhaps always had a home office arrangement. Either way, under the current circumstances and with cyber criminals taking full advantage at the moment, we wanted to highlight some of the vulnerabilities home working can expose, not just for your employees but for your systems that they may be accessing whilst working remotely.
These are the most common bad practises that are happening more now than ever before.
For work meetings and for keeping in touch with people for sheer sanity during the current lockdown period, you may have downloaded applications such as Zoom or Houseparty. These apps are great in their function and keeping us connected but their security has been brought into question. Especially with Zoom recently as it has been shown that although this is a great app, it’s security hasn’t quite been up to scratch
It’s essential you protect your data by making sure your key business applications, such as Gmail and Office 365, use complex passwords unique to these applications only. Where possible, you should also consider 2-factor authentication: You can never be too protected.
You have to remember that if anyone gets hold of your Google account access, you can be in a world of pain – all it takes is the search ‘https://passwords.google.com/‘ and they will suddenly have access to all the passwords you have saved on the many sites you use. 2-factor authentication is not just a nice to have, but is really a necessity.
Many businesses have been struggling to acquire a sufficient number of laptops to allow all of their team to work at home. However, the worst thing you can do is reach for that dusty old laptop packed away in the loft.
Old equipment runs old operating systems. End-of-life systems like Windows-7, are no longer supported with security updates, leaving them wide open with loopholes hackers can easily exploit. Plugging in a Windows-7 PC or laptop at home and connecting via a VPN, is the same as plugging it in directly onsite, posing a huge risk to your entire business network. ensure your employees do not do it. Safer or better to invest in up to date kit than take the risk.
You will probably find that on a day-to-day home PC, the security installed is great for the odd bit of surfing or Ebay browsing, but is often substandard for business use. If you or any of your team are using personal PCs or laptops whilst working from home, it’s important to understand that any connecting device that is not running sufficient anti-virus software, is a weak link in your network security. Ensure your team know the risks involved, flipping from a potentially unsecure site to one of your business systems on the same browser is all that is needed to give you an almighty headache and explaining to clients. Hackers and virus’s are clever and this lockdown and WFH situation is giving them ample time to practise their skills.
Much like the anti-virus weakness, unpatched home working equipment poses a huge cyber security risk. If an unpatched user is compromised, dangerous malware or ransomware could spread like wildfire through your business, encrypting all your data and rendering it useless.
Make sure your patch management solution covers all remote clients and prompt your team to have their automatic updates on.
Familiarise yourself with the common cyber threats to look out for during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as Smishing (Dodgy texts) and Phishing (Email Scams)
If your business doesn’t operate fully cloud-based systems and you and your team members are connecting using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) instead, your need to ensure your firewall needs is A+. Non-industry-leaders can provide solutions but these often cut-corners on your security.
Ensure your firewall is up to the job of offering high levels of encryption between home connections and your head office – you can’t afford to compromise. At Systems Integration we have the knowledge of the level of security that is needed to run these systems, so please feel free to ask for advice.
At Systems Integration we offer more than just IT Support, but we are committed to helping our current and future clients be aware of the risks when it comes to tasks such as working from home. So if you or your business have any concerns in these troubling times, please get in touch and ask – we are more than happy to help.
We understand that the IT support we provide to our customers is vital to to enabling them to keep running and providing a service. As one of Swindon and Wiltshire’s leading IT services providers we have tens of organisations depending on our ability to provide a reliable and uninterrupted service, even more so, during through these difficult times. So, in light of the recent developments around Coronavirus (COVID-19), we would like to share with you the measures we are taking to ensure we continue to provide the services our customers need during the difficult time ahead.
For System Integration we are pleased to let you know it is business as usual…If our office needs to be shut to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to, it is not an issue, as all our technicians have the equipment available to sure they can assist you from their homes remotely.
We already have tried and tested Disaster Recovery plans in place to ensure service continuity in challenging times and now that major developments have taken place with the Coronavirus lockdown we implementing those plans.
Due to the nature of our business, a small number of staff will still be able to operate in the field for emergencies but as the majority of our IT infrastructure is cloud based this allows our team to work from anywhere.
We will be regularly reviewing the government advice regarding COVID-19 and we remain committed to supporting you with the highest level of service. In the meantime if any of you have any concerns or questions then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Should you need any help or advice regarding remote working for your workforce, please contact us on 01793 481981
or request a call back via our enquiry form.
If you have Zoom or Microsoft teams, make use of the video function. We know that sometimes it may be nice to sit in your pants all day and not do your hair, but you do not want this to be the usual day to day life working remotely scenario. If people are encouraged to use the cams and be seen, it will help them get into a routine, plus during meetings, as we all know, it is far easier to read a person’s facial reactions and convey your sentiment if you’re able to see each other. If you’re worried about the messy the wallpaper in the background not being modern or the picture on the wall, looking out of place, use the magic background blur button on Microsoft teams or the background change function on Zoom. this was you know that all focus is on you.
Even if you are working remotely, you need to ensure that yourself and your team are focused and available. Even if you think you look available and online, as you can with them, your colleagues will be able to tell if you’re not as focused or productive as usual.
That said, we’re all more productive when we take regular breaks and this is even more important when working from home. If you’re taking a break, let your team know by setting a message in your status to let them know when you’ll be back online. That way you and your team know that it is your time to focus on other thing and need that away time.
Make sure your team members have everything they need – Can they access folders/files that they need? Have they got Microsoft Teams for conference calls, instant messaging, collaborating and sharing documents? Do they need Microsoft Planner for organising and managing our productivity? If they do need these tools you need to ensure they know how to use them and are familiar with them. This could come in the form of cloud-based solutions like Office 365 and Microsoft Teams, or using a VPN to access your on-premise business-critical systems.
As ever Systems Integration are here to support you with your IT requirements, whether its installation of a new software, advice on the best and most suitable hardware for remote working or even help with your remote working model? With 40% of our current clients suddenly finding themselves working remotely, we know a thing or two about setting up a remote working model that works for everyone. If you need support in setting up a successful remote working model, get in touch with our experts today.
Is your business running on a budget and are you looking to reduce costs?
If so here are some areas of your IT infrastructure which you can potentially save without affecting service.
This month we highlight that IT expenses may not be as fixed as you think and we take a look at the areas where you might reduce costs.
Does your business use various softwares such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop. If so, you will probably be paying for a license, if that is the case look at reviewing these software agreements, you can often find cost savings:
Your current hardware may be underused, need refreshing, or have lost productivity. Look for opportunities to run applications on less expensive devices, or link together several computers to replace expensive server equipment. Standardising platforms can also significantly reduce IT costs while providing consistency. It is also known that older equipment can actually hinder productivity – if an extra £300 spent now saves your technicians 3 – 4 weeks across the year, then it will be money well spent.
Alternatively, if you are using managed IT services from firms such as ourselves, whay don’t you ask for an audit and see what new equipment is on the market, quite often you will find newer models available at the existing price of your current equipment.
One way to cut IT infrastructure costs is to move to the cloud. You may be able to run software on the cloud for a fraction of the cost. Moving data backup to the cloud to replace an on-premises server can also cut costs, not to mention the utility savings from not having to power the replaced components.
Your employees need to be online; you’re not going to cut out internet services. However, you may be able to control costs:
Should you buy modems or routers instead of renting them from your provider?
Employing an IT department can eb very costly. You can never get one technician, after all what happens during holiday times, do you simply stop? Then there are pensions and NI contributions to consider on top of the salary. But you can avoid infrastructure costs and the hiring expenses onsite by outsourcing. Often your business can pay a set monthly fee or go on a pay-per-use model to gain services such as:
Currently Systems-Integration offer all these services and more as part of our many tailor made IT support Plans
Don’t overlook the costs involved in powering your IT components. Review your utility bills to identify trends. Can you save money by turning off equipment? Is there a better plan available with a competing service? Should you renegotiate the terms of your existing plan?
Ultimately, the best way to identify specific areas to cut your IT budget is a technology audit.
Your IT needs are always changing, and the technology evolves, too. Many businesses add expensive components or systems with “room to grow.” New tools get added on as needs arise. Your use of certain technologies may expand or shrink.
An IT expert can provide an overview of all the software and services you use, and of bills related to your IT budget to find areas to streamline or cut altogether. It may seem counterintuitive to pay money in an attempt to save money. However, an outsider’s perspective can provide fresh insight into the “way things have always been done” and help you see new opportunities for consolidation.
Let Systems Integration help you meet your financial goals. Contact us today
Now that Christmas is out the way, you may be planning on doing some online shopping in the New year sales. But can you be sure that what you are being us genuine and where you are buying from is legit?
With online shopping fraud peeking over the Xmas period with 15,000 victims losing +£10 million being stolen or lost in the UK alone, you do need to ensure that when you are taking the online plunge, you do it with care.
To try and ensure you stay safe when you shop online, we have compiled a quick list of shop safely tips for our customers.
We are sure that these simple tips are nothing new to our clever clients, but we just want to make sure that you people never have to deal with the hassles of changing bank details or chasing money, because of a simple oversight. From the Systems integration team, we hope you have all had a great Christmas and hope you enjoy shopping in the New year sales on line safely.
