When we think of cyberattacks on electrical coops, we think of taking down our electrical grid. Operational technologies are modernized for efficiency and safety, but your electrical coop’s greater cyberthreat is what plaques other industries and businesses – data theft, fraud, ransomware. Is your IT side keeping up with the criminal’s strategies? In a recent West Monroe survey, 67% of utility leaders cited cybersecurity as their top concern of their converged IT and OT network. What strengthens all businesses is talking about cybersecurity. The Colorado electric coop, DMEA, did just
Category Archives: Business Continuity
Lessons Learned: Electrical Coop Cyberattack
What are You Risking with Non-Compliance?
One of the many challenges you probably face as a business owner is dealing with the vague requirements present in HIPAA and PCI-DSS legislation. Due to the unclear regulatory messaging, “assuming” rather than “knowing” can land your organization in hot water with regulators. Are you taking a risk? Do you know if you are non-compliant? The Health and Human Services (HSS) Office for Civil Rights receives over 1,000 complaints and notifications of HIPAA violations every year.1 When it comes to PCI-DSS, close to 70% of businesses are non-compliant.2 While you
Managing Backups of Your Data
VICTOR IS A SYSTEMS ENGINEER AT THE AME GROUP, MANAGING BACKUPS FOR OUR CLIENTS AND OUR OWN! WE ASKED HIM, WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT BACKUPS AND RECOVERY? Backups are something everyone wishes they had when technology goes south. Like the insurance policy, you didn’t size right or bother to purchase. The need for backups AND reliable data recovery is becoming the number one priority for many businesses, and it should be. Even hard drive companies are starting to build data recovery services into their warranties and obviously at
Who is guarding the gatekeepers?
This is a timeless concept from roman times, passed down in popular culture, and can be applied to your business information systems security plan. Companies of even modest size and complexity rely on some form of IT to support their computer systems and data. Although, most companies trust their IT department or Managed Services Provider to include security as a baseline component of their work, how do you verify your IT security is dong what you THINK it is doing? A Risk Assessment is a valuable tool. Trust but verify.
8 Benefits of Technology Solutions for Business
Technology in business today continues to impact the world profoundly. It has played a big part in the tremendous growth in trade and commerce we are currently experiencing. Modernization of IT infrastructure generates innovative solutions that allow small enterprises to tap into their full potential. From Infrastructure as a Service, high-speed internet to cloud technologies, the future is bright for companies willing to adopt the change. Here are some benefits of technology solutions for business. 1. Improved Business Agility Technology solutions allow small businesses to remain agile and quick to
Why You Need to Outsource Your IT Department
Many business owners overlook the importance of their IT department. However, implementation of technology solutions for business is essential to help a business’s overall wellbeing and growth. A high-quality outsourced IT department can help with network security problems, provide you with a trained staff and be cost-effective. Access to a Qualified and Experienced Staff While there are many businesses who may overlook IT altogether, there are others who spend a lot of time training their IT professionals. Worse yet, they may even hire inexperienced individuals to act as their IT
Welcome to another episode of Ask the Security Expert!
We have more questions for Joe about the security concerns of working from home. To start with, how many AME employees are working from home, and what types of adjustments have you made from a technical/cybersecurity perspective? We have almost 200 AME employees working from home. Sixteen offices have a staff person present to receive shipments. AME was well-positioned with laptops and secure connectivity to all of our applications (including our phone system) we need to provide 90% of our services remotely. Our staff is fortunate to have home
Working From Home Security Risks and Tips
If you’re not on a VPN, what steps do you need to take to protect your company when you are working from home? Your employees must use 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) to access business applications. We recommend 2FA whether you are in-office or remote, also use strong passwords, like passphrases that are greater than 10 characters in length. Make sure your workstation has current patches and updates for the OS (Operating System), Web Browser and Adobe PDF Reader. Also, it is vital to have Anti-virus (AV). Windows 10 comes with
Webinar: The Remote Worker
Our partner, Brainstorm, has put together a two-part series to help you and your staff be successful working from home using Microsoft Office 365. Working from home doesn’t have to mean business slows. Join us to learn the right tools and strategies so you can still be productive and collaborative outside of the office, using Microsoft Teams and other O365 tools you already have. If your staff needs online training on how to effectively use the Office 365 suite of apps for remote collaboration, learn more and request a
Solution for Urgent Need for Remote Connection
AME is working with many of our clients to establish Business Class remote connectivity solutions, but we know many of you may require something sooner to fill the gap. To help our clients whose COVID-19 response requires remote working capabilities, AME is extending the use of our Remote-Control Management Software to our managed desktop clients. This tool will allow home workers to securely connect to their office PC using their home internet and PC. This service should not be considered a replacement for VPN as the preferred method for employees