Remote Monitoring and Maintenance Keeps Your Business In Business
Depending on your businessâ setup, you might have an in-house IT department that manages any of your technological assets, or you might have an outsourced vendor that you prefer to work with. Regardless, you know that as a business owner, you donât have time to worry about managing IT–especially if youâre a small organization that has a limited budget and a limited workforce to do the work.
Internal IT departments may resolve an issue in a particular way, but thatâs only if you can afford to hire an internal IT department. If you are like many other small businesses, you might find that outsourcing is a more viable approach to IT maintenance and management. Thereâs nothing to be ashamed of–outsourcing is great for a lot of reasons.
For an example, consider the difference between short-term spending and long-term spending. Short-term means that you get instant gratification in most cases, whereas long-term spending means that youâre investing in the future. In this instance, support costs are more effective when they have the long-term mindset. The reason for this is that you ultimately minimize any damage done to your systems, as well as any costs associated with those damages, by preventing them from happening in the first place. This is accomplished through a remote monitoring and management agent.
Remote monitoring and management, or RMM, allows managed service providers to handle most issues regarding your technology without an on-site visit. Using our agent, we can monitor your networkâs resources to ensure that everything is flowing as efficiently as possible, as well as notice any security updates that need to take place before your weaknesses are taken advantage of by a hacker. We can even remotely deploy patches and security updates to each of your workstations, server units, and network devices to ensure that nobody can take advantage of your security discrepancies easily.
The main advantage of utilizing a RMM is that it requires little to no actual hands-on work from your in-house workforce. Itâs handled exclusively by your outsourced managed service provider. In this way, itâs almost like an automated solution all on its own. We can handle most issues that your business runs into in such a way that you wonât even notice problems until theyâre already resolved. This lets your business focus primarily on its own operations without being hindered by IT troubles, but more than anything else, it makes service accessible when itâs needed–not when itâs most convenient for an on-site visit.
While some issues might still need an on-site visit to resolve, we try to keep those to a minimum–not because we donât want to travel to help you, but because your company benefits most from swift, prompt service. To learn more about Catalyst Technology Groupâs remote monitoring and management solution, reach out to us at (317) 705-0333.
What Else Can Blockchain be Used For?
Cryptocurrency, most notably Bitcoin, has made the headlines in recent months with huge fluctuations in supposed value. While the topic of cryptocurrency is one that would take far more than a single blog post to discuss, we can examine the technology that allows these currencies to exist and posit what it could likely be used for in the near future.
Identity Authentication
While privacy and anonymity are big concerns in online computing, sometimes it is especially important that you can confirm that you are who you say you are. Blockchain technology can make authentication much easier, whether its regarding digital identities, passports, birth certificates, or wedding certificates. Instead of relying on the relatively insecure measures that we do today, we soon may use blockchain technology to safely track and store the identification that we need to navigate so much of modern life.
Notary Functions
Many documents require a notary in order to be signed, the notary serving as a neutral third-party present to ensure that all parties have signed the document of their own volition. However, the blockchainâs features allow it to largely act as a notary. By timestamping when data was introduced to the blockchain, the entire chain more or less serves as a witness to the dataâs validity.
Voting
On a related note, blockchain may help to make the democratic process more transparent and secure against tampering through voter fraud. By leveraging the blockchain as a part of the voting process, the identity of each voter can be unquestionably verified, and their vote cemented into an unalterable record.
Automated Contracts
The blockchain can even serve as an executor of a contract, automating agreements that are triggered when agreed-upon terms are met. By populating a smart contract with the information on the two parties, as well as the payment information and conditions, the blockchain allows the terms of an agreement to be fulfilled automatically once the conditions are met.
While cryptocurrency may have most of the attention at the moment, the blockchain is far from a one-trick pony. What else would you like to see developed as a function fulfilled through the blockchain? Let us know in the comments!
Tip of the Week: Protecting Your Company from Invoice Impersonation
While you should be sure to keep yourself apprised of threats, it could be argued that it is even more important for your employees to be aware of them. After all, they are the ones utilizing your businessâ workstations, software solutions, and even Internet-based apps to facilitate their daily duties. You need to make sure that your employees are able to spot attacks and react to them properly.
While many of todayâs employees do have to undergo some sort of security training as part of their employment, the increased sophistication of these attacks makes them more difficult to spot; and, subsequently, harder to react to. One of the most common ways that this occurs is through invoice impersonation attacks. These attacks send customized emails under an assumed name–usually one that is a real-world contact–that includes a link to an online invoice, where the user can download the invoice.
Instead of downloading the invoice, the victim downloads malware to their device. Ransomware is often spread in this fashion, hoping that the victims will download the invoice in a state of panic, wondering what in the world they are being billed for.
Warning Signs
To keep yourself from being tricked by an invoice impersonation attack, or any other type of phishing email, the best route is to provide training and remain aware of the warning signs.
One of the most common ways a hacker will take advantage of email is by sending a message demanding payment, with a link to make things convenient for the user to do so. The problem with email is that the user is forced to take it on good faith that the message comes from the proper recipient. If it were a phone call, you might recognize that the voice is different from whoever should be calling, and if it were a handwritten message, you might notice a discrepancy–but with a message with no identity, it gets considerably more difficult to identify a falsified message.
If you ever receive an email claiming to be from someone who needs a payment from you, thereâs a good chance that the link leading to a âpayment portalâ is just a link to a ransomware program or other type of threat.
Securing Your Business
Phishing attacks naturally rely on the victim trusting the impersonation, so you can take advantage of this opportunity to sow the seeds of distrust–that is, to train your employees to identify emails and distrust anything suspicious that they receive in their inboxes. Your employees should always be wary of risk factors, but they should also attend regular training sessions that test how much they remember about cybersecurity best practices.
You can also take it one step further by implementing spam filters, malware blockers, and other security solutions designed to prevent infections in the first place. If you minimize the chances that your employees are exposed to threats in the first place, they are less likely to make a mistake that has great ramifications for your network security.
Catalyst Technology Group can equip your business with enterprise-level security solutions designed to augment and maintain network security for small businesses. To learn more about how you can manage the risk associated with security threats, reach out to us at (317) 705-0333.
Is Your Mobile Data Safe?
In 2018 there are certain technologies most businesses have begun to embrace. Cloud computing, high-end network security, collaboration technologies, and some others have begun to be utilized by businesses, large and small, to build a more productive enterprise. Apart from these technologies, there are a few that every business person should know, if only to understand what is possible; and what is on the horizon for their company.
Blockchain
With cryptocurrencies being in the news lately, many people have come to hear the term âblockchainâ. This kind of secure ledger technology has many applications from data and application security to communications. The blockchain allows for enhanced and reliable security for data; specifically, the ownership of data.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things has been growing exponentially every year; and, going forward will have to be an important line item on any businessâ mobile device management policy. By communicating with other devices over the Internet, it naturally opens up security issues for any organization. Since a majority of devices will be connected to the Internet over time, businesses will have to take that into account when devising and supporting their mobile device policy.
Chatbots
Many of todayâs businesses are utilizing technologies to help them support their products or services. While the importance of maintaining an open line of communication with clients and customers is indisputable, many companies lack the internal resources to dedicate the commitment to comprehensive support. Improvements in chatbot interfaces have made them an increasingly viable option for companies to field incoming messages, as artificial intelligence attends to many concerns and greatly reduces the number of problems that your staff has to deal with.
As a result of these improvements, more industries are likely to increase their use of chatbots for a variety of purposes.
Subscription Model
The ability for most solutions to be delivered and maintained via an Internet connection has led to a shift in software deployment. Instead of needing to buy a new version of the software every year, the subscription model allows companies to pay a monthly fee for the security of knowing that the software they are using is the most recent (and secure) version available.
Automation
It should come as no surprise that a technology that allows focus to be shifted from menial tasks to other, more pressing considerations would be welcomed in the business world. Automation permits exactly this, with artificial intelligence and predetermined processes stepping in and providing certain business needs.
While there are many processes and fields that still require a human touch, automation allows for more time to be committed to them, and less to âbusyâ work.
Which of these technologies do you see having the biggest benefit for your business? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you subscribe to our blog!
VR and AR Made a Scene at CES 2018
The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is designed to showcase new technology and products to the world, with a focus on industry professionals and companies that want to showcase their latest projects. The show, which was held in Las Vegas in January, saw the introduction of many consumer products, but the ones that showed off new virtual and augmented reality capabilities made a considerable impact on attendees.
Hype has been building over VR and AR for years now; hype which has failed to meet the considerable expectations placed on the technologies. It turns out that these innovators are coming up with valuable new ways in which to leverage these rather complex technologies.
Virtual Reality
Even now, virtual reality is a huge deal. Manufacturers are still finding ways to develop both hardware and software for it specific use. However, the problem that developers are finding is that VR has taken too central of a role in the entertainment industry compared to its more practical or business-oriented purposes. In the future, manufacturers are hoping to create valuable applications for the technology to keep the demand high.
In an article for Forbes, Charlie Fink showcases that VR will most certainly show a profit, but the market is still only at around $ 2 billion per annum. Judging from previous trends set by color TV, VCR, PC, cell phones, and the Internet, itâs not beyond the realm of possibility that the standard consumer will see VR as a worthwhile investment before too long. However, Fink points out that â…before VR companies can understand how consumers want to spend, they need to cater to how consumers want to consume.â
Even though itâs not as profitable as other technologies at the moment, VR had a huge presence at CES. New technologies in VR ranged from novelty to necessity, including the HTC Vive Pro and an analytical tool called Looxid. Looxid allows for marketers and analysts to track eye movement and brain activity during use, providing information that should improve the way businesses understand consumers. For a more practical tool, the Meshroom VR headset can turn CAD drawings into legitimate 3D prototypes that can be effective for the use of architecture or engineering.
Regardless, even though VR has been around for quite some time, it is still a developing and volatile technology. Itâs clear that it will be worth the investment in the near future–particularly when more useful applications are developed that can take advantage of it.
Augmented Reality
Compared to virtual reality, augmented reality is a bit more tame and less of an attention-grabber. Instead of transporting the user to a virtual world, augmented reality adds virtual elements to your surroundings. The easiest example to help explain this technology is to add a top-down overlay interface to your field of vision, allowing for the viewing of information or analytics at a glance. Yet, AR has found plenty of use in the real world already, from statcasts in the sports world to smartphone games like PokĂ©mon Go. Some developers, like Google and Apple, have invested considerably in the creation of augmented reality applications, and itâs only going to improve in popularity as more companies create effective ways of leveraging AR.
At CES 2018, AR was a prominent force. Manufacturers are finding new and improved ways to take advantage of displays. Some of the more notable products include Vuzix Smart Glasses with Alexa–much like Google Glass, but with Amazonâs Alexa built into it. WinRayâs AR windshield is another device you should keep your eye on. This windshield can display directions, roadside information, and even basic car functions. Even Appleâs iOS 11 comes with built-in AR.
What are some ways that you can think of to take advantage of AR and VR? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our blog.
Tip of the Week: Protecting Your Mobile Device in 2 Easy Steps
Mobile devices are one of the greatest tools available for business use today. However, because society has come to rely so much on mobile devices, these devices have become a treasure trove for cybercriminals to obtain information from. For this weekâs tip, weâll go over some simple ways to protect yourself from such threats.
Do You Really Need to Connect?
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity give our phones a heightened level of utility, but this benefit can also come with severe risks. Mobile devices, for the sake of simplicity and convenience, are ready and willing to connect with any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signal they can. Unfortunately, this puts them at risk of being hijacked by any threat that may be lurking on the signal.
To mitigate this risk, make sure that you arenât connecting to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals that arenât secure and trustworthy. In fact, when not using them, keep these connections disabled just in case.
The same goes for public charging stations. These can also be used to spread threats, so it is better to rely on a portable charger or a wall outlet to power your device.
Furthermore, if you are connecting to something, make sure you arenât sharing more than you need. For instance, if you need to rent a car while on a business trip, thereâs nothing wrong with using Bluetooth to make hands-free calls. However, if prompted, there is no reason to sync your contacts with the carâs storage, effectively handing them to the next person that rents that car. Being cautious as you connect will only help you to stay safe in the long run.
Keep it Locked Up
The contents of your phone shouldnât be available to just anyone who picks it up. Whether you have access to sensitive business information through the device, or you have apps that help you manage the rest of your life, your information is at risk unless you have protections in place to keep it safe.
The simplest way to do so is to leverage the phoneâs built-in security features. Whether your phone accepts PIN numbers, passcodes, or a pattern set it up so that only you know how to open it. Furthermore, with more devices today leveraging biometric and facial recognition technology, there are other means for you to secure your mobile device.
Security is a crucial consideration to keep in mind, whenever youâre using a mobile device. For more information on how you can keep your business resources safe from threats in and out of the office, reach out to Catalyst Technology Group at (317) 705-0333.
The Fun, the Fit, and the Weird: Our Review of CES 2018
From the fun, to the fit, to the just plain weird, CES 2018 had quite a bit to show off. The Consumer Electronics Show is a chance for the technology industry to show off what they have to offer, for better or for worse. Today, weâll go over some of the highlights that graced Las Vegas this year.
The Fun
One of the (quite literally) biggest products showcased was Samsungâs âThe Wall,â a new television set that measures 146-inches diagonally and leverages a similar technology as scoreboards in sporting events, albeit at a scaled-down size. While the Wall has some hurdles to overcome, time will tell if Samsung is able to iron them out.
Another technology that has exploded in popularity is that of voice-responsive gadgets and connected homes. In the past, Amazonâs Alexa device has made quite a splash at CES as the services that can be controlled with voice commands piled up. This year saw a few more of these services added to Alexaâs recognized commands, expanding the utility the assistant has to everyday life.
Finally, there was also technology there meant to benefit older generations. Most notably, the digital companion ElliQ. ElliQ can assist a user in many ways customized to meet the needs of its older target, reminding them of upcoming appointments and even carrying on conversations with a user.
The Fit
Fitness makes up a considerable portion of the consumer technology market, so it only stands to reason that CES would be the place to showcase the latest and greatest in fitness technology.
Perhaps most notably, Peloton broke from their usual offer of connected indoor cycles that stream fitness classes directly to the bike, to a connected treadmill that also allows a runner to access a library of pre-recorded classes or tune in to a live class. The Peloton Tread, as it is called, will feature pure running/walking fitness classes as well as some strength and circuit classes in its library.
The Spire Swim Tracker also made waves as the first smart swimsuit, automatically tracking your performance metrics from the time you don the suit (with tracking tag embedded). From there, it automatically syncs with the Swim.com app. You donât even have to charge the tracking tag, as it is meant to last longer than the suit.
It also seemed that virtual reality is finally hitting the gym, as Black Box gyms will soon feature their own VR capabilities. Taking the monotony of a resistance workout and incorporating it into a video game, Black Box VR offers a full-body workout in 30 minutes while satisfying the competitive streak in all of us.
The Just Plain Weird
Then there were the devices that made sense to a point, but were ultimately best suited for a niche audience. For instance, to help people with bad habits overcome them, thereâs Keen. Keen uses an inertial measurement unit sensor to identify a learned gesture, and vibrates. This assists the user in catching themselves indulging in a bad habit, making them more likely to break said habit.
There was also the Moodo, a diffuser that you control with either Alexa or a smartphone app to release scents into the air. In addition to these gizmos, CES also saw a self-driving store and a ping-pong-playing robot. Speaking of robots, there was the Somnox Sleep Robot, a bean-shaped lump that breathes and snuggles up to you to assist you in falling asleep.
Which of these products are you most interested in seeing, and using? Let us know in the comments!
Could Your Business Be a Victim of Targeted Ransomware?
If you were a cybercriminal, what would be your preferred method of launching a ransomware attack? Would you rather create a catch-all threat that could capture as many potential victims as possible, or a calculated approach to land a big one? Despite the proven results of larger ransomware initiatives, most cybercriminals have made the shift to smaller, more targeted attacks against specific companies, and in some cases, individuals.
This transition occurred last year, which saw attackers ditching the traditional approach to ransomware in favor of a more targeted approach. The previous mindset assumed that the more victims, the more would be willing to pay up. This is what made spam such an ideal way of spreading ransomware, as it could be distributed to countless victims relatively quickly. Even though this was effective, attackers have changed tactics to experiment and find a better way to accomplish the same goal.
Instead of sending out a large net to bring in several victims, smaller attacks have proven to be just as effective. Attacks targeting specific industries, company sizes, and geographic locations have been among the most effective. Ransomware attackers have even begun to use more sophisticated measures to spread their influence, particularly in regard to spear phishing emails.
Most notably, companies and businesses in finance, healthcare, higher education, and technology industries faced many campaigns designed to take advantage of ransomware events. These targets were often larger, which means that there were more endpoints to infect with the variants.
It doesnât matter what the size of the ransomware campaign is, or if your business is in the industries targeted most by ransomware–you should be ready to protect against threats including ransomware. Todayâs IT landscape can be unforgiving if you arenât prepared to protect your infrastructure. Your companyâs security needs will not be covered by one specific solution. Therefore, you need to make sure that your business is well-prepared for any ransomware attempts, including both hardware and software protection and other security best practices.
For more information on how to protect your business from ransomware, reach out to us at (317) 705-0333.
Tip of the Week: Google Chrome Extensions for Google Drive
Google Drive lets its users take advantage of a lot of great tools and utilities, and this is only augmented by Google Chromeâs extensions. With these tools at your disposal, you can optimize the way your company takes advantage of Google Drive. Here are some of the best extensions out there that let you utilize Google Driveâs best assets to your advantage.
Drive and Docs Companion
Two extensions called Drive Companion and Docs Companion are great ways to get more out of your Google Drive. They take the two web applications and transform them into virtual desktop applications. Basically, these web apps are turned into applications like any other type of software on your computer. You can open your files through the Drive Companion window, and by doing so, you open up another desktop application window.
Docs Companion is created by the same developer as Drive Companion, the only difference is that itâs specific to Google Docs. Rather than opening up a virtual desktop application of your Google Drive, Docs Companion opens a word processing page for Google Docs.
Click here to download Drive Companion. Click here to download Docs Companion.
Office Editing for Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Googleâs productivity suite, which includes Docs, Sheets, and Slides, might be a great solution, but there are users that see Microsoftâs Office suite as a more attractive option. For example, Microsoft Wordâs spell checking abilities are much more proficient than Google Docsâ. This being said, Google offers superior collaborative abilities. For the best of both worlds, you can use Office Editing for Docs, Sheets, and Slides to use Microsoft products to your companyâs advantage.
Office Editing for Docs, Sheets, and Slides allows a user to use these Google apps to access and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint files, along with the collaborative capabilities that Google provides. All you have to do is drag the Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file from your internal drive to a Chrome window, and the proper Google application will load.
In addition, if youâve shared any of your Microsoft Office files through Gmail, as a web link, or just saved it into your Google Drive, this extension can work in these cases as well.
Click here to download Office Editing for Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Quick Drive
There is no denying that, as helpful as Google Drive is, it can be a pain to have to navigate it to pull up a specific file. Not only does it take up valuable time, it means that you may have to show off your Drive contents to your clients as you dig up documentation.
As an alternative, Quick Drive gives you a search bar that appears upon clicking the icon in the Chrome Toolbar. Once the name of the document or some keywords are entered, matching documents from your Drive will pop up as options.
To further simplify the process, you can also use the Favorite and Recent tabs in Quick Drive to pull up documents that have been starred or opened recently.
Click here to download Quick Drive.
DriveCast
Another pain that you may encounter when working with Google Drive comes when it is time to present your work to a group and a display or projector is involved. It isnât always easy to both hook your device up to the appropriate display, at least without making it more difficult to present the information or blocking your audienceâs view. However, this extension makes presenting the contents of your Drive much easier, provided that you have access to a Google Chromecast. With DriveCast, any content in a supported format can be cast from your Drive directly to a Chromecast device.
Once DriveCast is installed and your computer has connected to the appropriate Chromecast, DriveCast will open a new tab in your browser that lists all of your Google Drive folders alphabetically. Once youâve found the content you want to cast, select the file and click âDriveCastâ in the window that appears beneath the address box.
Click here to download DriveCast.
It is our hope that these extensions will make your day-to-day operations that much easier. Are there any extensions that youâve found particularly helpful? Tell us about them in the comments!
The Cloud: What Is Missing?
Cloud computing has been a godsend for many businesses by providing the flexibility and scalability they need to grow and enhance their offerings. Cloud computing, of course, also provides some capital cost reduction. There is no question that the cloud brings plenty of benefits to companies small or large–they now have the ability to pay per month for the computing resources they were making hefty capital investments for not too long ago; and, by-in-large, these investments pay off.
One problem weâve seen over the years is that companies are so enthusiastic about the prospects of moving data and business process to the cloud that they donât properly plan their implementations. This can present organizations with wild scenarios where data is all over the place and that their once-reliable in-house computing environment is now disjointed and not working in concert with cloud-based resources.
In order to keep this from happening, organizations need to do their due diligence and find the cloud platform that is right for their needs, while proactively considering the threats their business faces by performing a hasty migration.
Whatâs missing from the cloud? For many businesses, proper planning.
Migration tips to consider
When moving to the cloud, you have to evaluate how you are going to get there with what you already have. Unfortunately, many businesses donât consider their data, their applications, and their in-place integrations before committing, and pay for it afterwards.
- Start small and work from there – You wouldnât dump everything on your on-premise network infrastructure, so why would you do it in the cloud? After all, these are still physical machines somewhere. Businesses should start with a single application, or process (like storage), or a new Internet-based application that is not critical for business use. Once this is successful, and you show clear metrics of success, you can start amping up your cloud migratory projects.
- Augment your existing infrastructure – A powerful benefit of the cloud is that it can extend what you are already in to. You donât need to move all of your data and infrastructure to the cloud. Most businesses will benefit most from the hybrid-cloud platform. Moving non-essential infrastructure to the cloud can be a great way to utilize the power of hosted computing, without putting your business in jeopardy.
- Hosted solutions are hosted somewhere – Youâd be amazed at how many people donât consider how there is a physical data center hosting their âcloud-basedâ data and computing infrastructure. By selecting a cloud provider that uses industry-best practices in their management and security systems, you will know that your hosted data and infrastructure are kept on reliable and effective platforms.
- Cloud security has changed – Things have changed substantially in the past few years. Cloud computing has changed things in administration, but it has also changed things in security. With hosted computing that supported remote workers and anytime, anywhere access, network security couldnât adopt the old âcastle and moatâ strategy because there were always too many holes in the firewall. This created the new security model where administrators and solutions focus on protecting data and providing managed access. If you are able to see the cloud as an extension of your on-premise infrastructure and create a model to ensure that data is secure and accessible, you are doing more than the typical organization who jumps into the cloud with both feet, only to fall right through. By looking at how you share and access data on your current infrastructure you will begin to understand where the potential security gaps in your system are, and then focus on patching them.
Call the Experts
If you are looking to move some or all of your computing resources to the cloud, you have to be more careful than you may think. The IT professionals at Catalyst Technology Group can provide you with the resources you need to make a successful cloud migration–protecting the data and applications your staff depends on. For more information about hosted computing options in the cloud, or to talk to one of our knowledgeable technicians about moving some or all of your businessâ data and infrastructure offsite, call us today at (317) 705-0333.