Digital Transformation: A Holistic Business Approach

As technology has proliferated and advanced, it has opened up far more opportunities for businesses to improve their processes and operations, leading to better services and customer experiences. But digital transformation isn’t a one-and-done project or an initiative confined to the IT department. To truly keep your company competitive and adaptable, it is necessary to adopt a holistic approach to digital transformation.

Our IT Operations Manager, Wayne Speziale, specializes in planning, developing, and executing process improvement strategies to maximize overall business efficiency and profitability, making him an excellent resource for considering the wide-ranging implications of digital transformation. Read Wayne’s insights about how organizations should conceptualize holistic digital transformation, its benefits, and its implementation strategies.

What Is Digital Transformation, Really?

Digital transformation is a radical rethinking of how businesses use technology. It requires that organizations collaborate across departments to effectively pair business principles with agile implementation.

“A common misconception is that digital transformation only concerns IT,” said Wayne. “In reality, digital transformation is a holistic approach to improving the entire customer experience. It touches every part of the business and does not just focus on the technologies that are only a part of the equation.”

For digital transformation to be effective, it needs to align with and support your business’ strategic goals. Another misconception is that digital transformation means taking your business in a completely different direction that goes against its objectives. While digital transformation does involve change, these changes should be executed in service of a company’s long-term goals.

When considering digital transformation initiatives, it’s important to ask, “What business outcomes do you want to achieve for customers?” Digital transformation is a critical strategy for meeting and exceeding customer expectations as they change over time. The resulting changes to your organization’s technologies, processes, and operations are often far-reaching, requiring people throughout your company to adapt and rethink the way they work.

Advantages of Holistically Adopting Digital Transformation

By taking on a holistic approach to digital transformation, businesses can reap a number of tangible benefits. Wayne explains, “Digital transformation should lead to overall revenue growth and it should have a net positive impact on the efficiency and productivity of all operations.”

A few advantages of digital transformation include:

  • Gaining customer insights and creating an effective digital transformation cycle
  • Increasing overall profits, despite initial costs
  • Streamlining productivity and boosting employee satisfaction

Gaining Customer Insights

A digital web of customer personas, representing customer insight as a benefit of holistic digital transformation.

With more advanced technology comes more opportunities for data collection and analysis. A major component of staying ahead of the competition and better serving your customers is gaining more insight on their behaviors, experiences, and needs.

Often, as you learn more about what your customers need, as well as what is and is not working with your products and services, you identify areas to improve or innovate that can be supported by technology. Implementing this technology continues the ongoing process of digital transformation, creating an effective cycle for gaining insights, applying solutions, and enhancing your offerings and customer experiences.

Increasing Overall Profits

Business owners and leaders may worry about the costs of digital transformation. Adopting new technology and replacing old technology requires an upfront financial commitment. Not to mention, digital transformation takes time to strategize and implement, bringing with it the potential for network downtime and disruption to business operations.

Fortunately, businesses can avoid many of these issues with proper research, planning, and development prior to implementation. And what many companies fail to realize is the cost of not adopting digital transformation, which is often far greater.

Outdated technology puts your company behind the curve, limits productivity, and can result in suffering customer experiences. Meanwhile, research conducted by SAP Center for Business Insights and Oxford Economics found that 80% of business leaders whose companies have undertaken digital transformation report that it has increased their profits.

Streamlining Productivity

One of the greatest benefits to digital transformation is that it streamlines productivity. According to a study from Zensar that surveyed over 1,000 white-collar and higher-level professionals about digital transformation:

  • 76% of workers reported higher productivity.
  • 53% of workers reported they are more successful.
  • 28% of workers reported they are happier.

Digital transformation allows every aspect of your organization to run in sync and creates cross-department collaboration toward strategic objectives. When workers have the digital tools and processes they need to operate more efficiently, they can spend less time on menial tasks, better manage their work, and meet more of their goals. It’s not surprising that this leads to more productive, successful, and happy employees.

Implementing Holistic Digital Transformation

Digital transformation often demands widespread change, but it doesn’t have to mean complete disruption to your business. It calls for careful research, planning, and development before implementation. Yet digital transformation is also about adaptability, which is why it’s important to be prepared to pivot as needed.

A few considerations to keep in mind when you are adopting digital transformation include:

  • Assessing your current infrastructure
  • Collaborating across departments
  • Creating goals and a vision
Check out our infographic or keep reading for 3 tips for implementing holistic digital transformation.

Assessing Your Current Infrastructure

By assessing the current infrastructure of your business, you can take stock of everything that’s going right and where there’s room for improvement or innovation. Evaluate the processes and technologies of your workforce, as well as the experiences of your customers. These assessments will lay the foundation for your digital transformation initiatives.

Collaborating Across Departments

Collaborating across departments is essential in this process. Not only can you gain valuable insights by consulting with every department, but also you can anticipate their unique needs and potential issues, maintaining a positive company culture. In particular, organizations should be sure to plan accordingly for any employee training that will be required with new technologies.

Creating Goals and a Vision

It’s important to create specific goals and a vision for your organization’s digital transformation. Clarify what you hope to accomplish and make sure it aligns with the overall goals and vision of your company.

Choose Guardian Computer to Help with the IT Side of Digital Transformation

While there’s more to digital transformation than IT, it’s certainly a critical part of the process. At Guardian Computer, we provide custom solutions to IT digital transformation, allowing you to focus on your day-to-day business, new opportunities, and long-term goals.

Contact us today to learn how we can help!

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Should Your Business Migrate from G Suite to Microsoft 365?

When it comes to picking the best software as a service on the market, G Suite and Microsoft 365 are among the top contenders for businesses. But how do you know which one is right for your organization? And what if you end up wanting to switch from one to the other?

Fortunately, our co-founder, co-owner, and CEO, John Prejean, has plenty of expert insight and experience on the matter. Discover why he recommends Microsoft 365 for most businesses and how Guardian Computer can make the migration process as streamlined as possible for your organization.

G Suite vs. Microsoft 365

While we generally find ourselves recommending Microsoft 365 to organizations, as John said, “It just depends on how you work, what you need, and the apps you use.”

In fact, G Suite might better suit your needs if you are working from more minimal, less powerful computers or if you frequently need to collaborate on documents with users who aren’t using Microsoft products. But that may not be the case in the future, as Microsoft is already improving its online versions of apps and document collaboration.

Microsoft 365, on the other hand, facilitates easy integration with Microsoft apps, access to apps offline, seamless login and authentication, and much more. Not only that, but Microsoft has a platform that is constantly adapting to succeed in new markets with more advanced technology.

According to Forbes, Microsoft “continue[s] to produce hundreds of new products every year. They utilize thousands of developers and partners in their network.” It’s no wonder why Microsoft is the industry standard, claiming about 90% of the market share and remaining the top choice for most organizations.

The Microsoft Advantage

Consider some of the key advantages that the Microsoft suite has to offer, outlined below.

One-Stop Shop: Azure Active Directory

Azure Active Directory is Microsoft’s solution to a cloud-based, serverless migration that suits the needs of most companies, especially ones that have transitioned to more remote work.

Azure AD not only enables employees to access internal data and resources across multiple devices, but also offers features such as threat detection and multi-factor authentication, which make managing your business IT easier. By contrast, this level of security is much more difficult when using G Suite. Microsoft is a significantly more secure option that gears its features towards user efficiency and control.

Users need only one login to access all of the applications in the Microsoft suite. By changing the user consent, they can even use Azure AD to access third-party applications as well. From a management standpoint, Azure AD creates a central place to alter user permissions, create groups and attributes, and even assign licenses to certain users or entire groups.

“Login is huge,” said John. “Companies need to have more control of the logins and for their equipment, especially when it comes to HIPAA compliance.”

Consider the key features of Azure Active Directory in this infographic when deciding should your business migrate from G Suite to Microsoft 365.

Integration with All Microsoft Applications

Microsoft Office 365 applications are the industry standard across a variety of fields, making it necessary for most organizations to be able to integrate with these apps. By exclusively operating on the Microsoft platform, you can ensure that your email, contacts, and calendar sync automatically on all devices and all of your apps are tied neatly together. 

According to John, “Microsoft makes life so much easier for its users. You want Excel, you want PowerPoint, you want Word? The direction to go in is definitely with Microsoft. It’s all in one.” 

True Desktop Applications

With Microsoft, users can also download desktop versions of all the applications that Office 365 has to offer. For companies that need to work anytime, from anywhere, this is a major advantage. Employees can experience uninterrupted productivity while 100% offline, a feature that web-based apps simply can’t promise.  

“The web-based applications in general have fewer features,” adds John. “They just can’t do certain things. You can’t have all the bells and whistles that a full-blown desktop app can have.”

Microsoft 365 Compliance Center

Various devices and icons representing the complexity of compliance, just one reason to consider if your business should migrate from G Suite to Microsoft 365.

While migrating to Microsoft 365 can be beneficial to any business, those that must adhere to strict compliance requirements will find the most use out of Microsoft’s built-in compliance feature, the Microsoft 365 Compliance Center.

Often, one of the major pain points of compliance is keeping up to date with the constantly changing regulations, accountability standards, and demanding nature of cyber resilience. Through Microsoft 365, you can have a space to assess your current data compliance and manage your company’s privacy.

The Microsoft 365 Compliance Center allows you to institute policies to govern your data, set data retention parameters, manage user permissions, and so much more. For instance, John said, “You can set up a policy saying that if you type in the wrong password three times, the account or the document gets locked.”

The ability for companies to discern who has access to which data is vital in maintaining compliance. Another way Microsoft helps organizations remain compliant is by offering a means to encrypt data and communication. Companies can reduce communication risk with encrypted emails and file transfers and protect sensitive information within their organization.

Data Migration Made Easy

Even if you think there may be a better option for your business, migrating your data can be intimidating. Often, business owners find it easier to outsource at least some aspects of their IT, especially when it comes to data migrations.

In particular, there aren’t a lot of guides or advice for moving from G Suite to Microsoft 365. Yet the issues you could encounter are countless, most notably:

  • The cost of network downtime due to user disruption
  • Difficulty training employees on how to utilize new programs
  • Difficulty setting up Microsoft Authenticator on personal devices 

Employees who are accustomed to one way of doing things may be resistant to new software. When migrating from G Suite to Microsoft 365, it’s important to note that users should anticipate having to recreate their shortcuts, and there may be formatting issues with some files. Moreover, G Suite doesn’t allow the export of files from Google Drawings, Google Forms, Google Sites, or Google Maps from Drive, so users will need to have conversion or recreation steps in place.

Worried about tackling these issues yourself? The knowledgeable team at Guardian Computer has developed a streamlined, proven process for migrating from G Suite to Microsoft 365. “We have it down to a science,” said John.

Contact us today and find out how our migration process can help you!

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Why Your Business Needs Microsoft Azure

Following the explosive growth of remote work, more and more businesses are implementing serverless infrastructures and cloud technologies into their operational frameworks. But with so many different types of cloud services available, how do you know which one is right for your business?

Ryan Prejean, our Helpdesk Lead, who specializes in Powershell, Javascript, PHP, scripting, networking, and endpoint monitoring, is passionate about the benefits of Microsoft Azure and why it’s the best fit for most businesses today.

“If you’re trying to develop a serverless business infrastructure, Azure is just the only way to go for modern-day business,” said Ryan. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of Azure, mistakes to avoid, and how to get started with Azure today.

The Benefits of Microsoft Azure

Azure is a cloud platform and service created by Microsoft to build, deploy, and manage applications. Its primary benefits include convenience, security, and cost. If you want a serverless solution that integrates with the Microsoft ecosystem (including Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, Teams, and Active Directory), Azure is the only option on the market that can deliver.

Unbeatable Convenience 

Convenience is of the utmost importance when it comes to streamlining operations and increasing efficiency, especially for remote work. Employees need to be able to access their data and files from anywhere, at any time. Microsoft Azure offers the convenience that modern businesses need with Azure Active Directory. 

Previously, the setup for IT infrastructure has been an active directory server that acts as a focal point for a network where all accounts live. Azure Active Directory is a cloud directory that doesn’t require a server, because it’s tied to a Microsoft identity.

Once a Microsoft identity is created and you log onto it with your computer, the system recognizes your computer as a member of your work network and makes all files, your work email, and your data readily available. With Microsoft identity, your email password and computer login are one and the same. It’s essential to note that if you change your computer password, your email password will change as well.

“With Azure Active Directory, instead of files getting to people via a network drive on a file server somewhere, they get to their files through OneDrive for their personal information, or SharePoint to take the place of the shared drives that people used to have,” said Ryan. “Whether or not you’re in the home or you’re in the office, you can still get access to your work resources without the requirement of a VPN.”

Added Security

Microsoft Azure also provides more security than traditional servers. Many business owners are concerned about moving toward a serverless infrastructure because they fear they will be hacked. With the security of Microsoft Azure, this is less likely to happen. 

Traditional servers are rarely kept fully up to date. Not only is it costly to maintain them, but it is also difficult and expensive to replace a severely outdated operating system, such as a 2008 R2 server, with the most recent model. Hackers are well aware that many businesses utilize older programs, and they take advantage of the resulting ways to access your network without proper permissions.

For instance, a hacker will try to get a user to click on a link or an advertisement via email that could potentially infect the server. With Microsoft Azure, however, there is no server to infect. And as Ryan pointed out, “It is always going to be harder to hack Microsoft than it is to hack you.”

Microsoft routinely does secure monitoring and testing for Azure. In one of these exercises, they set up two teams, one attempting to hack the infrastructure and the other defending it. When the teams are finished with their testing, they take the information they’ve learned and implement it into the Azure operational security process. By doing this, Microsoft’s team stays continuously aware of the best ways to anticipate, detect, and respond to hacking attempts.

Cost Effectiveness

Implementing Microsoft Azure into your business is more cost effective than having a traditional server. Traditional servers have to be installed, maintained, updated, and protected. With Microsoft Azure, a simple overnight update will keep you up and running, avoiding the cost of network downtime.

“Azure reduces client costs, and it reduces our costs, because there is no physical server to maintain,” said Ryan. “Also, Azure doesn’t go down—it doesn’t have errors. If there’s a problem with it, there’s a problem globally with the Microsoft infrastructure, so Microsoft is going to take care of it.”

When server maintenance on Azure does occur, Microsoft is the one to pay for it, not users. This is especially beneficial for larger companies, which might otherwise be hosting hundreds of their own servers that could become obsolete over time. Ultimately, using a serverless infrastructure is the easiest, most consistent, and least wasteful option available.

Microsoft Azure Mistakes to Avoid

One mistake people commonly make when using Microsoft Azure is confusing their passwords. Microsoft Azure is created with your convenience in mind. This means that all of the passwords that you use in Microsoft’s ecosystem—including your computer login, email, OneDrive, and SharePoint—are the same. With Microsoft Azure, everything is connected to make your life easier.

Another common mistake people make after they’ve implemented Microsoft Azure is confusing where they should save their files. Personal files should be saved in OneDrive and files that have to be accessed by others should be saved in Sharepoint.

Keep reading our check out our infographic with tips for using OneDrive vs. SharePoint to make the most of Microsoft Azure and other products.

Using OneDrive 

Every user gets 5GB of storage for free in their OneDrive, but with Microsoft Azure, you’re upgraded to Office 365 and receive 1TB of memory. If you’re storing all of your shared files in that location, however, it’s going to get filled very quickly.

OneDrive should be used to store private business documents and other personal files. Documents in OneDrive automatically have a private default setting, which makes it harder to share documents saved in OneDrive with your team.

Using SharePoint

By contrast, SharePoint should be used to save collaborative documents. How much space you have in SharePoint is determined by your company’s Microsoft plan. You can learn about SharePoint limits by plan here.

When you make a SharePoint for a particular purpose or division of the company, it keeps everyone in sync on that select group of files. SharePoint gives you the ability to:

  • Require approval on documents.
  • Get notifications when changes are made.
  • View documents without editing.
  • Create workflows for moving or emailing documents.

Get Started with Microsoft Azure Today

Guardian Computer is adept in transitioning clients from traditional servers to Microsoft Azure. We were established to help businesses like yours make the most of their technology, so you can focus on the core of your business.

With seasoned IT experts like Ryan, we’re able to help navigate your cloud computing needs and even manage your entire IT infrastructure. Contact us today to get Microsoft Azure implemented into your organization or learn about our full range of IT services and support.

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Best Cyber Security Practices for Travelers

Cyber criminals have started targeting a new demographic within recent years: travelers. When preparing for a trip, cyber security is probably the last thing on your mind. However, not taking cyber security into account while traveling puts both vacationers and business travelers at a higher risk for a cyber attack while away from home.

Whether you find yourself waiting at an airport, working from a hotel room, or taking a road trip with your family, you should always consider the best cyber security practices for travelers. Ready to bring cyber security to the forefront of your travel plans? Follow our expert tips to help protect your data and digital devices while away from home.

Cyber Security Risks for Travelers

When people travel, they often think about everything but cyber security. You have to pack, make arrangements for house sitting, and plan for transportation, lodging, meals, activities, and more. But why isn’t device security also a top priority for travelers?

Traveling puts you in an unfamiliar environment where you often have less control over your surroundings, including your digital environment. You’re busy and distracted, and it’s easier to do what’s most convenient, even if it’s not as safe.

Not only do travelers often engage in risky behaviors, such as connecting to public Wi-Fi, but they also keep a huge amount of valuable data close at hand. Most people carry their smartphones with them wherever they go, and laptops are a necessity for today’s traveling business professionals. Travelers also often carry passports, credit card information, lodging details, and more.

Cyber criminals are taking advantage of these circumstances. Transportation was the second-highest industry for cyber attacks, according to the 2019 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index.

5 Best Cyber Security Practices for Travelers

The key to maintaining cyber security is to be vigilant about both the physical and digital safety of your devices, whether you’re at home or away. With a little effort and planning, you can follow these 5 best cyber security practices for travelers.

1. Be Cautious of Public Wi-Fi

The easiest way to keep from getting hacked is to limit public access to your phone. By simply not tapping into a public Wi-Fi network, you become the first line of defense to your own resources.

While public Wi-Fi is convenient and appealing for most travelers, these networks can put users at a higher risk for a cyber attack. Be vigilant when sleuthing out an encrypted network. Don’t shy away from asking hotel management questions about their cyber security in place for guest users.

Even private Wi-Fi networks hosted by hotels and other hotspots for travelers are susceptible to cyber attacks, since hackers know that there will be many people there. Hotel News Now reports that the Marriott International and the Drury Hotel were among the many establishments to suffer a data breach in the last two years. Millions of people had their contact information and credit card numbers stolen as a result.

Take precautions when accessing any networks while you’re away from home. If you decide to use public Wi-Fi, avoid logging into personal accounts that contain private data or accessing sensitive company information. If possible, always use public Wi-Fi with a VPN for added security.

2. Keep Your Tech Locked Up

One of the best cyber security practices for travelers is actually one of the easiest: lock up your tech! This advice considers two key parts of your tech’s security: its physical safety and its digital safety.

Physical Safety for Devices

Read this infographic or continue with our blog post to learn the best cyber security practices for travelers' devices.

Make sure all of your devices are securely fastened within your luggage. Be wary of slipping your phone into a side pocket, as it’s easy for someone to reach in and grab it. While you want to be able to access your devices easily, you don’t want to put them at risk for theft or unauthorized use.

Consider placing any phones, tablets, or laptops in zipper-close, opaque pockets and purchasing a backpack lock. An electronic organizer could be beneficial for keeping all of your electronic devices in one place and keeping you from digging through your luggage in a pinch.

Digital Safety for Devices

You also need to digitally limit an unknown user’s access to your devices. A vital step in protecting your privacy is to have some form of authentication for each device, if not two-factor authentication for even greater security.

Luckily, cellphones and computers typically have built-in authentication programs. These include Apple’s Touch ID feature, as well as the facial recognition features available on iPhones and some Android devices.

Even if your devices don’t have these specific features, there are several options for digital protection. Set an alphabetic, numeric, or patterned code to limit the access to your phone or tablet. Always create strong passwords for your computers and digital accounts.

Password Tips

Here are a few tips to help you come up with stronger passwords:

  • The longer, the better. A lengthy password can better protect your device or account. If possible, the ideal password will be at least 15 characters.
  • Use a mixture of characters. Try using a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Some devices or accounts require you only use certain special characters, so keep these rules in mind.
  • Don’t go the easy route. Avoid commonly used phrases, recognizable words, or any personally identifying information, such as your birthday or child’s name. Most hackers can do a quick social media search to find this information and play the guessing game when it comes to figuring out your password.
  • Consider using a password generator. This will contribute to the randomness of the password, making it more difficult to crack. Password managers often include password generator features, while also giving you a place to securely store these hard-to-remember passwords.

3. Disable Risky Features

Read this infographic or continue with our blog post to learn which features you should disable as part of the best cyber security practices for travelers.

Several of the features that may help you at home carry different risks on the road. As such, one of the best cyber security practices for travelers involves disabling these risky features during trips.

Auto Connect

Even if you decide to use public Wi-Fi, make sure you disable the auto connect capabilities on your devices. While auto connect is a convenient feature when using the internet at your house, it’s good practice to require a manual connection whenever a device has access to public Wi-Fi. This gives you the opportunity to investigate a public network before choosing whether or not to connect to it.

Bluetooth Connectivity

Disable Bluetooth Connectivity, as shown here, as part of the best cyber security practices for travelers.

Most devices have Bluetooth capabilities, yet many users are unfamiliar with exactly how Bluetooth works. While you’re thinking the Bluetooth feature is a great way to connect all of your devices together, a hacker sees it as an entryway into your phone or computer. Similar to the auto connect feature, Bluetooth connectivity is perfectly fine when you’re using all of your devices at home. However, when you’re traveling, it’s best to consider limiting Bluetooth usage and turn it off when not in use.

Location Sharing

It’s understandable that you may want your loved ones to keep tabs on you while you’re traveling. Maybe you just want to give your family and friends a peek into your on-the-road adventure. Although it is becoming commonplace to share your location through your phone or computer, it might not be the best cyber security practice while traveling.

Weigh the costs when sharing your location. This feature opens you up not only for a cyber attack, but also a physical one. Criminals can get information on where you are and where your hotel room is, leaving you vulnerable to theft or a physical attack. Limiting the amount of location sharing you do while traveling is an important step to keeping you and your belongings safe.

4. Install Antivirus Protection

This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but it can be all too easy to overlook in the hustle and bustle of preparing for a trip. Antivirus software is an added layer of defense that helps protect your device at all times, even while you’re away from home.

Evaluate the most powerful antivirus softwares on the market when making your decision. If you’ll be bringing work devices on a trip, check in with your company about providing antivirus software. Keep your devices up to date with the latest features from their antivirus software, and install any updates before leaving home.

5. Update Device Software Before You Go

No matter if you’re bringing a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you want to keep the most current version of your software updated before heading out for your trip. Some devices are programmed to update once connected to a Wi-Fi network, which means your device would try to download new software the moment you connect to a public network outside of your home.

First, if possible, disable this feature to prevent any software updates over a public connection. This allows you to maintain more control over your device and prevent unwanted access. Next, install new versions of software at home before you leave for your trip.

If you are unable to do this, stop any software downloads before they start and wait until you return home to complete installation. A word of caution: not installing the most recent version of software onto your device might cause performance issues until the device is updated. You want your time away from home to be easy and effortless, and an update could strongly improve your experience with your devices.

Get the Best Cyber Security Anywhere with Guardian Computer

Whether your business needs IT services on premises or for remote workers, Guardian Computer is here to help. From cyber security to network configuration, cloud management, regulatory compliance, help desk support, and much more, our experts are available for one-off projects as well as ongoing management, maintenance, and support.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about the advanced protection, strategic digital transformation, and friendly IT support we provide.

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Is It Safe to Use Public WiFi with a VPN?

Whether you’re grocery shopping, working at a coffee shop, or waiting in an airport, public WiFi is a convenient way to hop online. Unfortunately, it’s also a risky one. Hackers take advantage of the lax security and easy access that often accompanies public WiFi.

If you need to connect to public WiFi, you should take precautions to maintain the security of your device and information. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is one of the most common privacy measures for public WiFi usage. But many users still wonder, is it safe to use public WiFi with a VPN? Are there any risks?

While VPNs are generally considered an essential security tool for remote work and other public network usage, there are weaknesses that can still leave your work and personal data vulnerable to cybercriminals. Keep reading to learn more about using VPNs, their security benefits and shortcomings, and our expert tips for using public WiFi.

What Makes Public WiFi Risky?

On an unsecured network, hackers may be able to spy on the information you send, such as when you enter a password or credit card information on a website. They may even be able to monitor the keystrokes you make on your keyboard, allowing them to record your logins or private conversations.

Cybercriminals can also circulate malware or launch worm attacks over unsecured WiFi. Even public WiFi networks that require a password aren’t safe if that same password is readily available to anyone in the establishment, such as a coffee shop or doctor’s office.

What Is a VPN?

A VPN allows a user’s devices to connect to a private network over a public network. VPNs were created to securely connect devices within a business network to private internet servers. They allow network users to access their business network remotely from home, another office, or elsewhere using public WiFi.

How Do VPNs Work?

Is it safe to use public WiFi with a VPN? Check out our infographic or keep reading to find out.

A VPN works by connecting your computer, tablet, or smartphone to a server, so you can go online using the server’s internet connection. The public WiFi network is only used to connect your device to the server, rather than to any of the websites or applications you subsequently access.

A VPN grants you access to a private, anonymous network, which is very appealing if you handle sensitive information. VPNs use encryption to scramble your data and make it unreadable when it’s sent over a public network.

Without a VPN, an internet service provider has access to your entire browsing history, from the websites you visit to the passwords you enter. That’s because web activity is normally associated with a local IP address. A VPN allows you to funnel your own internet traffic through a private server, so your activity is associated with that server’s IP address rather than your own. This effectively masks your location and keeps your online activity and data private.

How Safe Is It to Use Public WiFi with a VPN?

A VPN app open on a smartphone and laptop, illustrating one way to more safely use public WiFi.

Both the Federal Trade Commission and Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommend the use of VPNs while using public WiFi. Even so, many people still wonder exactly how safe it is to use public WiFi with a VPN.

Generally, a VPN is an important security measure to have in place. But there is a vulnerability that occurs at the moment you connect to a public WiFi network.

Most public networks will allow devices to automatically connect to the WiFi. However, you must open a browser to what’s called a “captive portal.” There, you manually agree to local terms of service before actually being allowed to access any websites.

Despite being connected to the internet and having a VPN, there is a gap in coverage after you connect to WiFi but before you can turn on your VPN. This brief period leaves you vulnerable to risks associated with public, unsecured networks.

Although you face risks during this vulnerable period, it is only for a very limited amount of time. Using a VPN in public is still much safer than logging onto a public network without any additional digital protection.

Do VPNs Have Additional Security Features?

As VPNs have become more popular, VPN service providers have found other ways that their services can protect your data while in public.

Some VPN services offer a feature called an “Internet Kill Switch,” for example. In the event that your VPN connection is ever interrupted or disconnected, this feature protects your device and its data from prying eyes. It works by blocking all internet-bound traffic to your device until the connection with your VPN is reestablished.

VPN clients may offer an Internet Kill Switch at a granular application level. If you are using a VPN to access particularly sensitive applications and information, this tool is incredibly valuable. At the moment a VPN disconnects, the Kill Switch would close that sensitive application and require it to be manually reopened after reestablishing a secure connection.

For those who need an additional level of security when accessing public WiFi, finding a VPN service with an Internet Kill Switch is an excellent option.

Safety Tips for Using Public WiFi

While having a VPN can bring peace of mind while using public WiFi, there are still a number of other measures you should take to keep your data safe—no matter where you are.

  • Use strong passwords. No matter how secure your network is, a weak password leaves you vulnerable to hackers. Ensure that your passwords contain a healthy mix of case-sensitive letters, numbers, and other characters. Avoid including personal information, such as your birthdate or pet’s name, which can often be found on social media. Do not repeat passwords you have already used or reuse the same password for multiple accounts, or else a breach of one can compromise them all. Do not leave your password written on a sticky note on your desk or send it in plain text via email, instant message, or text message.
  • Don’t leave your device signed in while unattended. It’s all too easy for a smartphone to get stolen off a desk or out of a bag. If you’re working in a public space, be aware of your surroundings and your possessions. Even in your company building, you never know if a delivery person or visitor might come across your computer while you’re in the bathroom. Log off of any device whenever you are not actively using it. Keep any portable devices you aren’t currently using in a secure case or bag within your sight.
  • Turn off automatic connectivity. Some phones will automatically connect to open WiFi networks as soon as they’re in range. If your device connects to an unsecured network and you don’t immediately enable a VPN for protection, you’re leaving yourself at risk of having your information stolen.
  • Enable two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires two verifications before users can log into an account. In the event that your password is compromised, two-factor authentication will keep unwanted guests from accessing your account by requiring more than just that password. If an unauthorized user fails to bypass the two-factor authentication, you will be alerted. This gives you the chance to change your password and protect your private information.
  • Beware of phishing. Even with a VPN in place, a successful phishing text or email can easily collect your sensitive information. A phishing message appears to be from a trusted company or individual, but is actually from a cybercriminal. It will usually ask you to visit a link, open an attachment, or confirm your identity or login information. Fast-paced communications and interactions, such as texting, can make people more prone to click on links, playing right into phishing schemes.

How to Set Up and Use a VPN

In addition to other cybersecurity best practices, using a VPN is a wise choice, whether for personal or business use. Setting one up for the first time isn’t as difficult as you might think. You have the option to set up a VPN for your entire home network or on individual devices.

Setting Up a VPN at Home

If you frequently work from home or want additional home protection, setting up a VPN for your entire home network is a good idea. This means that any device that connects to the internet at your home will be using a secure and protected network. However, adding this extra step can slow down web traffic, which may lead to longer loading times for all users.

When setting up a VPN at home, there are a few options that you can choose from:

  1. Get a router with VPN capabilities. Some higher end routers come with built-in VPN servers that are ready to go out of the box. If your home office is your primary office, this may be an appealing option. The process is completely automated, and your server will automatically connect all your internet devices to the VPN without the need for an additional VPN app or service. Once those devices are removed from your home network, however, they will not be protected by the VPN.
  2. See if your current router supports third-party firmware. Routers actually have their own operating systems, known as firmware. If you have some advanced technical skills under your belt, it’s also possible to replace your current router’s firmware with one that can support a VPN in order to secure your home’s WiFi network.
  3. Set up your own dedicated VPN server. To set up a dedicated VPN server, you’ll need a computer that’s on all the time, rather than a desktop you turn off when you’re done using it. This option also requires some technical ability. But if you’re a business owner, setting up a dedicated VPN server for all employees to use can be a smart choice.

Using VPN Services and Apps in Public

If you need to work at coffee shops, hotels, airports, or other public places, then VPN services and apps are a more appropriate choice for keeping your data secure. These apps download onto individual devices so that you can bring the security of a VPN with you, no matter where you are.

VPN app services are available for an annual or monthly subscription, which often varies from around $4 to $12 per month. Examples include NordVPN, TunnelBear, and ProtonVPN. These apps will typically allow a set number of devices to operate on a single VPN account, with scalable options for adding more user licenses and servers on business accounts.

Many VPN apps work with a variety of browsers and operating systems, such as Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Android, and Google Chrome. These apps offer a host of features, such as easy-to-use interfaces, good speed tests, affordability, and a number of servers located around the world for additional security.

In addition, many VPN services come with prepackaged installers. After you decide on a VPN service, setup can be relatively straightforward once the proper permissions and settings are in place.

If you own a business and are looking to get a VPN for your employees, IT professionals can set up a VPN on a variety of devices (both hard-wired and mobile) that regularly connect to your business network. Ask your IT department or managed service provider, or contact an IT company to provide this setup service.

Set Up a VPN and Improve Network Security with Guardian Computer

Guardian Computer is a full-service IT provider with over 100 years of combined experience in the tech solutions industry. We’ve worked with a wide variety of businesses to protect their data, including everything from setting up VPNs to networking services, cybersecurity, and data backup and recovery.

Our expertise means you can rest easy, knowing your IT project is professionally handled and our team is preparing your organization for potential issues before they ever become a problem. Whether you need help with a single IT project or want us to fully manage your IT, we have a wide range of services to meet your business’ unique needs. Where you see a tech headache, we see a new challenge to tackle!

Ready to talk to someone on our team? Contact us today to learn how Guardian Computer can protect your business!

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IT Services for Doctors: Balancing Cost and Security

Are you devoting enough resources to your organization’s cybersecurity? For many, cybersecurity is one of the most neglected areas of IT budgeting. In ISACA’s State of Cybersecurity 2019 report, 55% of respondents planned to increase their cybersecurity budget over the next year. Even more (60%) indicated their cybersecurity is underfunded.

As a healthcare professional, you know how important it is for patients to balance high-quality care with affordable healthcare costs. This balance also applies to IT services for doctors. Whether you’re streamlining HIPAA compliance with digital technology, or negotiating coverage and quality with insurance companies, you are aware of the constant juggling of cost and security in your industry.

Though often underfunded, cybersecurity is one of the most important aspects of any healthcare organization’s IT needs. When weighing IT services for doctors, physicians and surgeons need to know which security measures are indispensable in order to make the most of their budget.

When considering IT services for doctors, prioritize these 6 cybersecurity needs in your budget, outlined here in our infographic and later in our blog post.

Keep reading to learn more about the biggest security risks in healthcare today and 6 cybersecurity services and technologies to prioritize with your IT spending.

How Due Diligence Assessment and IT Services for Doctors Improve Purchasing Decisions

Attainia reports that hospitals spend an average of $93 billion per year on medical technologies and their related services, making this a major annual expense to consider. Healthcare professionals know the value of efficient, reliable equipment: it sets the pace of productivity and can help set the standard for quality service when handling patients.

Medical technology is an ever-growing field, where the phrase “the newer, the better” frequently applies. However, investing in brand-new medical equipment and software also comes at a heavy price.

Hospitals and medical practices are constantly battling the cost of their sophisticated medical equipment. Further, more advanced medical technologies also typically require more management and support from IT professionals, increasing their cost in the long term.

Not only that, but healthcare organizations also must maintain the hardware (including everything from computers to keyboards), software (such as Microsoft Windows or Mac operating systems), network, and internet connection required to run their equipment and daily operations.

Fortunately, managed IT services for doctors or a due diligence assessment can help identify your biggest tech-related risks and opportunities. By allowing technology experts to evaluate the entirety of your IT, you can gain the insight necessary to determine:

  • Is it better to invest in a new piece of equipment or upgrade your existing tech?
  • How much maintenance will any given technology require?
  • How long will this new solution last? What is its lifespan?
  • Will this technology integrate with your existing systems?
  • Does this technology meet or exceed all compliance requirements?
  • Where could IT deliver the biggest gains to your productivity, efficiency, and revenue?
  • If neglected, which of your IT systems are most likely to cause issues? Which have the potential to cause the biggest crises?

With an informed assessment of these competing concerns, you can efficiently prioritize your IT needs and spending. For many healthcare organizations, cybersecurity is a main area requiring additional investment.

Why Medical Technology and Operations Require More Cybersecurity

Across industries, cybersecurity is often a hard sell because it is an investment that doesn’t produce direct revenue in return. For healthcare organizations juggling the significant costs of medical equipment and technology, the temptation to skimp on cybersecurity is even greater.

But as cybersecurity threats to businesses grow in number and sophistication, hospitals and medical practices can no longer afford to overlook their cybersecurity. In addition to the financial, operational, and publicity risks associated with cyberattacks, healthcare organizations must also contend with potentially devastating HIPAA violations.

Not only that, but hospitals and physicians’ offices are increasingly relying on technology, from cloud-based data management systems, to compliance software, to advanced medical tech. Avoiding cyberattacks and other disruptions can help keep your institution—and the technology it depends on—running smoothly.

Stolen Healthcare Data

The creation of electronic health records has made communication between hospitals, healthcare professionals, and insurance agencies easier and more efficient. However, the quick expansion of digital recordkeeping has also produced a great threat to the healthcare industry as a whole.

Medical software contains protected health information (PHI), such as patients’ birthdates, social security numbers, home addresses, and private medical data. Given the massive amount of sensitive information they handle on a regular basis, industries like healthcare and financial services are major targets for cyberattacks.

HIPAA Violation Costs

HIPAA violation costs, as highlighted by the paperwork in this photos, are just one reason why healthcare organizations benefit from cybersecurity and IT services for doctors.

When medical facilities face a data breach, public morale isn’t the only issue they have to worry about. HIPAA has strict guidelines when it comes to network security. If found negligent or non-compliant, you could face charges up to $50,000 per violation—or, even worse, criminal legal action.

Healthcare organizations are held liable when a data breach occurs, and the resulting HIPAA fines could cost your facility millions of dollars. When patient information is compromised, lawsuits and settlements add even more to your costs.

System Shutdowns

Healthcare organizations may have to shut down their IT systems if faced with a threat to security. Without access to patient medical histories or full use of medical equipment, hospitals and physicians’ offices are left with little choice but to close until the threat is resolved and all systems are brought back online.

For smaller medical facilities, it’s not uncommon for it to take a full day to recover from a system shutdown and get operations up and running again. This leaves your facility vulnerable to theft and your patients unable to receive care, ultimately resulting in a loss of trust and business.

It only takes a single cyberattack to bring down a slew of serious consequences. As the risks continue to grow, it is critical to invest in proper cybersecurity and other IT services for doctors to protect their medical practices and healthcare organizations.

6 Cybersecurity Needs to Prioritize in Your IT Budget

When developing an IT budget for your healthcare organization, cybersecurity should be a top concern. While cybersecurity is an additional cost to consider, the many costs of falling victim to a cyberattack are much greater. To get started, there are 6 cybersecurity services and technologies we recommend factoring into your budget:

1. IT Due Diligence Assessment

Understanding your needs is vital when allocating funds. An IT due diligence assessment compounds your facility’s standards with a clear assessment of your IT infrastructure, systems, personnel, and processes.

Conducted by IT experts, this full-scale appraisal helps you evaluate the assets you have, determine what you need, and spot security vulnerabilities. With this information, you can develop informed priorities for your IT projects and spending.

2. Employee Cybersecurity Education

Employees are often the first line of defense against a cyberattack, making it always important to devote time and resources to proper cybersecurity education for everyone at your organization. In particular, if your hospital or medical practice is strapped for resources, spreading knowledge and awareness about cybersecurity throughout the entire team is an expense that has wide-ranging benefits.

Often, employees will fail victim to social engineering and expose your network to cyber threats. From simply teaching staff not to open links or attachments from strange emails, to conducting cyberattack practice drills with follow-up education for any missteps, cybersecurity training can thwart a substantial number of threats.

Cybersecurity education can also help support security practices you already have in place. For instance, even if you require longer passwords with numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and special characters, your employees may still unknowingly use unsecure practices. They might reuse passwords for multiple accounts, share passwords with others in plain text, leave their password on their desk written on a sticky note, or incorporate information that can easily be guessed in passwords.

Once employees understand the risks and their role in keeping your organization safe, they are much more willing and able to commit to secure practices. When everyone at your hospital or physicians’ office can share this responsibility and knowledge, you greatly increase your security.

3. Antivirus Software

The right antivirus software can make or break an organization. It helps prevent cyberattacks from bots, worms, spyware, and viruses. It fortifies your office computers against network vulnerabilities. Also, it alerts users to potential threats in real time, allowing for faster detection and response.

These capabilities make antivirus software a critical component of your threat detection capabilities, network security, and HIPAA compliance. Moreover, in a time when many employees have had to transition to working from home, antivirus software is an important security measure that can be extended to remote devices.

For medical facilities and hospitals, you want antivirus software that can support multiple users and devices while still maintaining network security. A good antivirus program should also have a recovery feature that will remove an unwanted invasion of your network. This software should have ongoing internet access and be updated regularly for best performance.

4. Database Encryption

Database encryption is an extremely useful tactic for protecting your sensitive information from unauthorized access. Any data stored in your database becomes encrypted, rendering it meaningless to any hackers who manage to access it. When cybercriminals realize your database is encrypted, it can sometimes be enough to keep them from ever trying to attack in the first place.

One way to implement database encryption is to make documents password protected, using complicated passwords to secure documents. With proper cybersecurity education, employees can make this tactic even more effective by creating strong passwords and using safe password practices.

5. Recovery Planning

When all preventative measures fail, your IT should have a recovery plan already in place and tested. Many times, organizations become so focused on stopping attacks from happening that they skip this crucial step.

Your recovery plan should include a designated budget to cover the anticipated costs of a cyberattack. This allows you to act quickly, without having to negotiate or wait for approval before receiving funding. You should also create an action plan, so everyone in your healthcare organization understands their roles and responsibilities in the event of a cyberattack and potential system shutdown.

In the meantime, regularly backing up your data is an important part of building a solid foundation for your recovery plan. This allows you to restore your data quickly, so patients have access to their medical records and you can resume your daily operations.

6. Cybersecurity Managed Services

The first rule of efficient budgeting is to maximize your fixed expenses. It’s dangerous for a budget to have too many fluctuating costs. By outsourcing IT services for doctors’ offices and healthcare facilities, you can take advantage of a fixed expense that adds specialized protection to your network while controlling costs.

Physicians, surgeons, hospital administrators, and healthcare professionals of all kinds have enough on their plates. By finding an IT and cybersecurity provider you trust, you can leave your tech issues to the experts. They should be able to provide ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and support for your systems, so they can fix vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, keep your systems protected and running smoothly, and make sure you’re prepared for the possibility of an attack.

There are many benefits to outsourcing your IT. You gain access to a wide variety of technology experts, who have the world-class tools and expertise to keep your systems secure and meet your IT goals. In addition to keeping your systems up to date, IT support is just a phone call, email, or chat away whenever you experience a tech issue or possible security threat.

Cybersecurity and IT Services for Doctors from Guardian Computer

A photo of the Guardian Computer team, ready to provide you with IT services for doctors.

It’s a tough feat to balance cost and security when assessing IT services for doctors’ offices and hospitals. Outsourcing offers a solution to the problems of unexpected IT issues and expenses, uninformed prioritizing, and overlooked or underfunded cybersecurity.

With Guardian Computer, you can trade downtime for peace of mind. Test out our services with a one-time IT due diligence assessment, so you can see what we find and make an informed decision about how to proceed. If we’re a good fit, you can hire us to complete specific IT projects or fully manage your IT. Just this year, we proudly achieved a place in the 2020 Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings for managed service providers!

Give us a call at 504-457-0005 or contact us online today to discuss a personalized IT plan that best suits the needs of your healthcare facility.

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Navigating Data Security in Financial Services

Today’s rapid technological developments have transformed the financial services industry. In particular, the expansion of FinTech and the adoption of personal banking technologies have led to many new financial services, processes, and delivery methods.

These technological expansions mean that the finance industry as a whole handles massive amounts of sensitive data on a daily basis. But with these new opportunities come new threats, making data security vital to contemporary financial operations.

However, data security has been a struggle for financial institutions both big and small. Information gathered by Boston Consulting Group indicates that financial firms and service providers are 300 times more likely to experience a cyberattack than other companies.

According to this same report, financial firms are also largely ill-prepared to handle the current digital threats against their companies and their industry as a whole. To remain competitive and avoid the considerable costs of a data breach, leaders and managers in financial services should be aware of the biggest digital threats to their industry, as well as the best cybersecurity solutions available to them.

To start, there are 3 key elements of maintaining data security in financial services to consider:

  1. Prioritize Data Security for All Employees
  2. Audit the Cybersecurity Practices of Third-Party Vendors
  3. Establish a Reliable IT Team and Infrastructure
Keep reading or check out this infographic to learn more about 3 key elements of maintaining data security in financial services.

Keep reading to learn more about these 3 tips and how to use them against top threats to the financial services industry.

Top Threats to Data Security in Financial Services

A 2019 report from Verizon found that data breaches in financial services accounted for 10% of all data breaches globally that year. Understanding the major external and internal threats to data security in your industry is the first step in building a stronger IT framework for your organization.

External Threats to Data Security

A digitized hand reaching out from a laptop screen as a concept for threats to data security in financial services.

Many leaders are unaware of the biggest computer security threats to business IT. Understanding the different types of cyberattacks that threaten data security in financial services—what they are, how they operate, and what puts you at risk—is vital to ensuring your organization’s protection.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) cyberattacks cause a website or application to become unusable for a period of time. In a DDoS attack, a cybercriminal can target a specific network by overwhelming it with requests. This creates a service backlog that prevents real users from being able to use a site or app.

DDoS attacks can also be used to mislead cyberdefense efforts. For example, cybercriminals will sometimes launch a DDoS attack to direct attention away from their efforts to hack a company’s data system. This could help cover the tracks for the deployment of a CryptoVirus, which can spread through a company’s network and render its data useless.

In 2015, DDoS attacks were the most frequent cyberattacks aimed against financial institutions.  One reason for the recent rise in this type of cyberattack has been the increased presence of the Internet of Things across the finance industry.

The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the “smart devices” (such as voice-controlled home appliances, like the Amazon Echo) that allow companies to use consumer data and patterns to develop more customized consumer experiences. DDoS attacks exploit the weak security of the internet connections which power IoT devices. As the finance industry continues to adopt and rely on IoT technologies, DDoS attacks will remain a major threat to data security in financial services.

Backdoor Attacks

In a backdoor attack, a hacker can access a secured data system by installing a “backdoor” malware application. These applications can grant hackers undetected access to a company’s entire data system, including confidential employee and customer information that can be used for identity theft, blackmail, and other harmful purposes. With an advanced backdoor attack method called a trojan attack, a backdoor application can continuously operate once it is installed, even once the data system’s vulnerability has been fixed.

As seen in this February’s attacks against the U.S. financial sector, backdoor attacks have played a large role in threats to data security in financial services during 2020. In recent years, hackers have also administered new trojan malware to target banking institutions. With these trojan attacks, hackers steal money directly from the target company, as well as collect confidential company data that can then be sold to other cybercriminals.

These trojan attacks typically begin as phishing emails, which are sent to banking employees by hackers and are disguised to look like internal company emails. Unsuspecting employees then open email attachments with malicious coding, allowing the hackers to access the target company’s internal data systems.

Attacks Against Web Applications

Online word processing software, spreadsheet tools, and email services (such as Google Docs, Microsoft Office, and Gmail) are common across the business world. These programs and services give financial professionals easy access to communication and data organizing tools, optimizing daily business operations for an increasingly digital world.

In addition, the expansion of digital web applications across both local and global banking institutions has given consumers more direct access than ever to their monetary assets, accounts, and other services. However, financial web applications are also at risk of being exploited by hackers, as seen in the high-profile Equifax data breach in 2017.

In financial services, hackers tend to target online banking websites and applications. These tend to have weaker security infrastructure than other applications that are linked to internal data systems.

In fact, the FBI recently released a warning to mobile banking users regarding a potential increase in web application attacks against financial services. During the COVID-19 crisis especially, more consumers have relied on mobile banking and finance options, making these applications a key target for hackers.

Internal Threats to Data Security

According to a 2016 report published by IBM, 60% of all cyberattacks result from insiders within companies. Even if you feel confident that none of your employees would seek to harm your company, internal threats also include the actions of third-party vendors, as well as both malicious and accidental behavior. Maintaining data security in financial services, therefore, means preparing for the possibility of an internal threat.

Insider Attacks

IBM’s report found that a quarter of internal cybersecurity incidents were unintentional. Accidental malware downloads and employees falling for convincing phishing email scams are common ways that your IT system’s data security can be compromised.

The other 75% of internal attacks occurred with the insider’s full knowledge. Even if an employee doesn’t want to hurt your company, a hacker could blackmail or threaten them into malicious action. Low morale among staff can also lead to a more lax attitude regarding your company’s data security.

Because the financial services industry handles such large amounts of sensitive data on a daily basis, all employees should understand the role they play in maintaining their company’s data security. Boosting morale and requiring periodic cybersecurity training for all employees are important steps to take for internal data security in financial institutions.

Third-Party Vendor Vulnerabilities

The financial services industry has greatly benefited from associations with third-party vendors, who can provide recruitment management services, cloud data services, human resources, and more. However, while your own institution may have high data security standards, some third-party vendors may put your company’s information at risk without your knowledge.

In 2019, for instance, a large data leak in the U.S. banking sector left over 24 million financial records exposed to the public. The breach resulted from mistakes made by a Texas-based, third-party firm that offers data and analytics for financial institutions.

Performing cybersecurity risk assessments with potential third-party vendors before signing a service contract can help you avoid these types of internal threats to your organization.

3 Key Elements of Maintaining Data Security in Financial Services

Now that you know more about the threats facing your industry, how can you use this knowledge to improve your firm’s cybersecurity? Consider these 3 key elements of maintaining data security in financial services to get started.

1. Prioritize Data Security for All Employees

It is always important for everyone at an organization to be committed to its cybersecurity, but especially in the finance industry. Even low-level employees may handle sensitive client information on a daily basis. This is why it’s vital for employees, managers, and finance leaders alike to have solid data security protocols to follow in their daily operations.

Adding two-factor authentication to business logins, embedding digital threat-spotting techniques into all employee onboardings, and creating actionable incident response plans for potential cyberattacks are a few key steps that financial firms can take to improve data security among employees.

2. Audit the Cybersecurity Practices of Third-Party Vendors

Today, third-party vendors are involved in many aspects of financial operations. To reduce risks associated with third parties, be sure to conduct cybersecurity risk assessments on all potential vendors before any service contracts are signed.

Even if your company is currently involved with a third-party vendor, continuous risk monitoring is also important to ensuring that these service providers maintain proper data security standards.

3. Establish a Reliable IT Team and Infrastructure

The cyberthreats facing financial services today are more challenging than ever. While there are many ways to enhance a financial institution’s data security, it will be difficult to implement lasting changes without a robust and prepared IT team and infrastructure in place.

If you do not have an IT team, or if these activities fall outside the scope of your IT department, outsourcing additional IT help could be the solution. Fully managed IT service providers can supply your company with technology and cybersecurity solutions tailored to the needs of the finance industry.

Enhance Your Financial Firm’s Data Security with Guardian Computer

Members of our IT team, who can help you navigate data security in financial services.

Don’t let the challenges of data security in financial services bog you down or keep you from proper cybersecurity! For over 20 years, Guardian Computer has secured data systems and everyday tech operations for clients ranging from private equity to turnaround management. We were also recently named one of the world’s best managed service providers.

With Guardian Computer’s on-call services, our tech experts can respond quickly to any IT project or cyber emergency that comes our way. For long-term support and solutions, our fully managed IT services offer you ongoing assistance, monitoring, and protection.

Call us at 504-457-0005 or contact us online to talk to our team about what we can do for you!

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7 Steps to Recover Data from a Water Damaged Hard Drive

Spilled water on your hard drive? Don’t despair just yet! If handled properly, information can often be recovered from a wet hard drive. Here are 7 steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive:

  1. Tend to the water damaged hard drive immediately.
  2. Do not attempt to plug in the hard drive.
  3. Do not dry the hard drive with a hair dryer or in the sun.
  4. Leave the protective covering on the drive. 
  5. Gently rinse with clean, cool water and seal it in a Ziploc bag.
  6. Do not let your brother-in-law touch it.
  7. Give the drive to a data recovery specialist.

Hard drive water damage is a common problem for both work and home computers. You could lose important information, waste valuable time, and even have to replace your hard drive. Take the time to learn about this issue and the steps to recover a water damaged hard drive, so you stand a better chance of successfully recovering your hard drive any time it gets wet.

Review these steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive in our infographic so you can act fast!

Avoid the mistakes in this infographic when taking steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive.

What Does a Hard Drive Do, Exactly?

Your hard drive is the device used to store and access data on your laptop or desktop. Not only does it keep the pictures, videos, music, files, and other information you save, but also the information required for your computer to run. For example, the files for your operating system and software programs are also kept on your hard drive, making it a critical part of your computer’s functionality.

Will Water Damage a Hard Drive?

The first question you’ll want to ask after a spill is “Will water damage my hard drive?” The answer depends on the circumstances of the incident and the actions you take.

A hard drive stores data magnetically in its platters. When a hard drive gets wet, the water could potentially cause a short circuit, especially if it dries on the platters.

But water alone will not destroy a hard drive or delete its data. While water can damage a hard drive’s electronics, the data itself is stored magnetically. It will remain there on the platters, which is why professionals can still recover information from a water damaged hard drive.

Depending on the circumstances, however, the data may become more difficult or perhaps impossible to retrieve. This is because the disks of hard drives have little, fine heads that read the information stored on the platters. When the water dries, it can leave a film or residue over the platters and heads, making it much harder to recover data as the platters begin to degrade over time.

It is for this reason that none of our 7 steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive include attempting to dry the drive. It is actually best to keep the hard drive wet! We recommend placing it in a Ziploc bag until you can get it to a professional.

Follow These Steps to Recover Data from a Water Damaged Hard Drive

Learn more about each of our 7 steps to recover data from a water damaged hard drive below to maximize your chances of successful recovery.

Tend to a water damaged hard drive like this one immediately for best results.

1. Tend to the water damaged hard drive immediately.

Acting fast is critical to reducing the likelihood of hard drive water damage. A quick response is key to a quick recovery!

The first step you should take is to immediately remove the hard drive from water. The longer your hard drive is submerged in water, the more likely it is that the dry parts of the drive could become water damaged. If the hard drive is on, power it down right away as well.

2. Do not attempt to plug in the hard drive.

It may be tempting to try to test your hard drive to see if it still works. But plugging it in and turning it on could just make things worse.

Plugging in a water damaged hard drive could not only cause further damage to the drive, but also to your computer or other devices. If a water damaged hard drive is turned on, it might become impossible for experts to retrieve your data. The water on the platters could cause the heads of the disks to rip off, leaving you without the ability to read the information stored on the drive.

3. Do not dry the hard drive with a hair dryer or in the sun.

If water can damage a hard drive, then surely you should try to dry it off, right? Wrong!

What many people don’t realize is that the water on your hard drive’s platters and heads does much more damage if it is allowed to dry. If you dry out the water, it can leave behind residue that makes it more difficult or even impossible to recover your data.

Drying a water damaged hard drive with a hair dryer, the sun, or any method involving heat is particularly dangerous. Excessive heat can damage the drive further.

4. Leave the protective covering on the drive.

The protective covering is there for a reason. It protects your hard drive from airborne dust and particles that can stick to the platters.

Don’t try to take a peek to see if water has gotten inside. Removing the protective covering could expose your hard drive to dust and particles or allow water to reach more of the drive.

5. Gently rinse with clean, cool water and seal it in a Ziploc bag.

It may not be your first thought to rinse an already wet hard drive with more water. But if the water is contaminated with any particles, they could adhere to the drive if it starts to dry out.

Gently rinse your hard drive with clean, cool water. Then store it in a Ziploc bag or other sealed container to ensure that it won’t dry. Your first impulse is probably to dry the hard drive, but it is actually best to leave it wet, as a film may form once the water dries that makes data recovery even more difficult.

6. Do not let your brother-in-law touch it.

The thought of hard drive water damage can easily send you into a panic. What will happen to your data? How much will it cost to fix this? Will you end up having to buy a new hard drive?

You might be tempted to try to fix it yourself, either to save money or to get it done faster. Maybe you have a friend, coworker, or brother-in-law who’s handy with computers. Couldn’t they fix it for you?

Unless you have professional training, experience, and equipment for dealing with water damaged hard drives, you risk causing more harm than good. If you make the problem worse, it could take more time, cost more money, and even render your data unretrievable. It’s best to take your hard drive straight to an expert!

7. Give the drive to a data recovery specialist.

Not every IT professional is capable of handling data recovery, and not every computer repair store has the state-of-the-art equipment or clean room that will give you the best results. We recommend bringing a water damaged hard drive to a data recovery specialist.

How can you find such a specialist? To start, Business.com names Datarecovery.com as the best service for hard drive recovery in 2020. Datarecovery.com offers hard drive recovery for both internal and external hard drives. You can mail your hard drive or visit one of their locations in Edwardsville, IL; Pleasanton, CA; Phoenix, AZ; or Toronto, ON Canada.

Otherwise, search for data recovery firms in your area or ones that will take your hard drive by mail. Consider the following tips to help narrow your search:

  • Look for data recovery firms that have a cleanroom where they can safely review and repair your hard drive.
  • See if you can get a price estimate and if it fits within your budget.
  • Check how quickly they work and, if needed, whether they offer rush services.
  • Find out how the extracted data will be delivered to you and if their methods fit your needs.
  • Review their cybersecurity certifications and protocols.

If possible, get your hard drive to an expert within 24 hours. This can reduce the risk of your platters degrading. If you are unable to find a suitable option locally, you can mail your hard drive overnight to a specialist instead.

Protect Yourself from Hard Drive Water Damage

Dealing with hard drive water damage is a nuisance at best and a nightmare at worst. Even if you are careful never to eat or drink around your computer, there’s always a chance you’ll get caught in the rain with your laptop or your home will flood. There’s no guaranteed way to avoid ever damaging your hard drive, but you can still protect yourself from data loss.

Regularly backing up your data is an excellent habit, both at home and at work. You can back up your data physically, such as on an external hard drive, or digitally in the cloud.

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Before another accident happens, find a data backup method that works for you and start a routine for backing up your data. Your future self will thank you!

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How Two Factor Authentication Can Save Your Business Money

In 2017, the number of exposed records and data breaches reached an all-time high according to Statista. The 1,579 data breaches serve as a reminder that our accounts aren’t always as safe as we think they are! The simple “username and password” log-in approach can be compromised within minutes by skilled hackers. Even with your longest and complicated passwords! Your business needs an additional security layer that addresses the vulnerabilities of a standard password-only approach.

What is Two Factor Authentication?

Two Factor Authentication, commonly abbreviated, 2FA, is a method of securing online accounts through two means of authorization. In the case of two factor authentication, you’ll need two factors (or verifications) to successfully log in. This includes something you know, usually a password, and some other method of verifying your identity. This is usually a code sent via text or email. It’s essentially an extra layer of protection designed to ensure that you’re the only person who can access your account, even if someone else knows your password.

Purpose of Two Factor Authentication

An email or any other cloud-based application hack can cost a company thousands of dollars. Hackers aren’t reading your emails for fun. They’re going in to learn how your company works. They’re waiting to see how they can utilize that information to their own gain. Hackers can look through emails for private client information like bank account numbers, or personally identifying information. Once the hacker finds the information they need, they can steal huge amounts of money.

Phishing scams, where fake but authentic-looking emails are used to steal information, are one of the easiest ways hackers can gain password information. When two factor authentication is used, it makes it considerably harder for a hacker to be successful in logging into the account.

Even if the hacker is able to crack your password, they won’t be able to log into the account without access to your second factor. Some of the benefits of two factor authentication include improved security, reduction of fraud and theft, and the increase of productivity and flexibility.

Security Solutions for You and Your Business

The easiest and most common way to implement two factor is by receiving a text message with an access code every time you log into an account. But, no solution is 100% secure. Getting two factor authentication from text messaging does have some vulnerabilities. Specifically, it leaves you exposed if someone steals your smartphone or its SIM card.

For businesses with high-security needs, hardware-based two factor authentication is the most secure option. Instead of typing in a passcode from a text message to log in, a physical security key has to be plugged into your device when prompted. This method is often used for highly sensitive systems used industries such as the financial and healthcare industries. Security keys can be found online for as low as $20 and are available for both desktop computers and mobile phones!

Our Favorite Free 2FA Applications

Many websites you use for business have some sort of two factor authentication built in such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon, and Rackspace. To protect your other online accounts, there are apps specifically for providing two factor security. Our two favorite 2FA apps are Authy and Google Authenticator.

  • Authy simplifies using 2FA on your online accounts using your smartphone. It generates a code each time you open the app. You’ll have 20 seconds to log in after which Authy will generate a new code. It’s free, desktop and mobile-friendly, and available Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Chrome.
  • Google Authenticator is a mobile-only app, so you’ll need to have your phone with you. This provides stronger security for your Google Account. A small authenticator is tied to a single device, you must manually change it in your Google settings when you switch phones.

Personal Use of Two Factor Authentication

We don’t just recommend this for businesses, it’s important to protect your personal accounts as well. Many of the social platforms that you use every day have options for enhancing security.

Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter all have options for two factor authentication. Go to the settings of your account, then scroll down to security. Each application has different options including the texting feature we’ve mentioned. Utilizing two factor authentication whenever possible will help to keep you safe online!

John On Two Factor Authentication:

Two factor authentication is only one step in security. There are many ways to keep yourself protected online, such as using secure cloud storage, secure online backup, and a VPN solution. We help our clients to ensure the security covers all of their users! Let’s chat about how we can improve your business security!

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How Big Commercial IT Help Desk Solutions Can Harm Your Business

There is no substitution for knowledgeable, helpful, real-human service.

Those big-box commercial IT help desks simply can’t compete with personalized customer service. When you need IT solutions, you don’t want to be a number in a queue, wait on hold four hours, or wait to be helped next Tuesday between 10 AM and 5 PM. You need effective solutions immediately, right? That’s where we come in.

Whenever You Need Us, We’re Available

Rather than going back and forth for ten or more emails, we believe that a simple five-minute phone call with a qualified and knowledgeable staff member can fix your IT problem. We pride ourselves on the fact that if you call Guardian Computer, whoever answers the phone can fix your problem.

When is the last time you talked to a team of actual experts with a commercial IT help desk? We know that saving your time and solving problems quickly can be hugely beneficial for your business.

The Personal Touch Really Does Matter

We sometimes hear that great customer service doesn’t matter so long as the problem is fixed. We wholeheartedly disagree! Having a personal relationship with our customers isn’t just nice for them, it’s helpful for us too! It helps to build up our team relationship and retain our staff.

At Guardian Computer, our employees are a big, friendly family and our clients are extensions of that family. We work hard to make sure that all of our client-business relationships are unique, by having their back with any and all IT problems.

Even when we can’t have a one-on-one, in-person conversation with a customer, we make sure they know we are still there for them. We’re just a phone call or email away! We make sure that all of our interactions with our customers are real, personal and engaging.

Our Personal Edge

We pride ourselves in knowing our clients as people, not numbers or line items. Our business is small enough to get intimately familiar with our clients’ specific needs. At Guardian Computer, we make sure that what we offer is closely aligned with our clients’ needs and aspirations.

A positive organizational culture is critical to success!

Having a close focus on the client’s work helps us to rectify their problems quickly, and to delve far more deeply into potential issues. Rather than dealing with an impersonal commercial, IT help desk call center, our clients call us, the people they know. And we are available and authentic on the other end of the line.

Over 20 Years of Expertise

We’re a close-knit team at Guardian Computer! Maintaining a positive work environment helps us to keep quality people on staff, so our clients can draw on their knowledge of their business. Our team members are cross-trained as subject matter experts, so our clients don’t get volleyed from one tech to another.

Also, all of the members of our team are empowered to act in the best interest of our clients. There are no layers of bureaucracy to get an answer or escalate a problem. We are proud to say that anyone answering the phone at Guardian Computer is empowered to solve your IT problem.

Our Flexibility Saves You Time

Small businesses tend to be more nimble than larger businesses. So, their reaction time tends to be faster than big businesses. At Guardian Computer, we can customize the services we provide to a client’s specific, individual needs. We’re also able to adjust to any unexpected changes or issues a client may have. We actively listen to all feedback and observe changing preferences.

Unique Solutions For Your Business

We all hate those impersonal hard sells that turn out to offer something unnecessary. We’re your IT company, not an infomercial!

As a small business, we are able to produce goods and services that stand out from those commercial IT help desk solutions. We understand our clients need to work within a tight budget and don’t need all the extra “fluff”. We don’t use proprietary software and we make sure to include the client in the planning and execution of their services.

Customer Satisfaction Is Always First

At GCIT, we are committed to providing extraordinary service by consistently going the extra mile to create the best experience for our clients. We make sure to deliver reliable, highly individualized, and responsive customer service to all of our clients. Our advanced network monitoring tools allow us to catch the small issues before they become big problems for our clients.

Tired of trying to work with rigid solutions offered by big commercial IT help desks? We offer customized solutions for businesses of all sizes! Let’s chat about how we can improve your business technology.

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