Making Technology Work For You

Why is Cybersecurity Awareness & Training Important?
May 30, 2022

Cybersecurity is an important topic that many companies are still struggling to understand. However, your company may be at risk and it is important to be aware of how you can increase your security and train yourself and your co-workers on best practices.

How important is cyber security awareness?

Cybersecurity awareness is the most important thing a person can do to ensure their personal data and sensitive information remain secure. Awareness is about understanding what cybersecurity threats are and how to protect yourself, as well as knowing that there are people who will help you if something happens.


The more aware you are of cybersecurity issues and risks, the more likely you'll be able to avoid them. The best way to be aware of these things is by staying up-to-date on news stories related to cybercrime so that when someone tries something new, they'll know it's not normal behavior for an organization like yours.


What are the main computer security risks?

As a business owner, it’s important to know what cyber security risks you face, so you can take steps to prevent them from happening.

The three main computer security risks include:

  • Social engineering: A hacker’s attempt to convince someone with privileged access (like an IT specialist or employee) into doing something they shouldn’t. Examples include phishing emails, vishing calls(phone scams) and even physical trickery.
  • Phishing: An email or other communication that tries to get you to provide personal information like usernames, passwords and credit card numbers by posing as a trusted company or person.
  • Malware (malicious software): Software designed to disrupt computer operation without the user knowing it's there or installing it—usually through spam emails or illegal downloads of software from unverified websites otherwise known as torrent sites (including peer-to-peer networks).


Why are IT Policy Manuals Important

It’s important to have a clear set of guidelines in place so that your company can be protected from cyberthreats. IT Policy Manuals help you do this by outlining best practices for security, educating employees on how to keep the company safe from hackers, educating customers about how they should protect themselves when using your products or services, and educating vendors about how their software might affect your systems.


How can you improve your employees' risk awareness?

There are many ways you can improve your employees' risk awareness. The first is to give them security awareness training. Efficient Computer Service can offer your business training that will bring all of your staff up to speed on the Do's & Don'ts of cybersecurity.


Security policies are another useful tool for increasing employee awareness of cyber threats and keeping them in line with company standards. A good policy should include information on how to report breaches—and what happens if they fail to do so—as well as how the policy will be enforced at work (e.g., a disciplinary process).


How should a company protect devices?

Companies need to take measures to secure their data on mobile devices. This includes encrypting sensitive data, only allowing trusted applications to run, securely wiping data when disposing of devices, using strong passwords and using a password manager. A VPN (virtual private network) can be used to encrypt traffic between your device and the VPN server so that it cannot be intercepted by a third party. A firewall will allow you control over what goes in and out of your network while antivirus software is installed on every device in order for them to remain protected from malware attacks that could target those devices.


How can employees help their company stay safe?

As the old adage goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The same can be said for cybersecurity awareness and training—the more you know about how to stay safe online, the less likely you are to become a victim.


Here are some simple ways employees can help their company stay protected:

  • Don't open suspicious emails or attachments unless they're sent directly from someone you trust. Even if it looks like an email from your boss or another employee in your company, don't click on any links included in an attachment or reply with sensitive information like passwords or credit card numbers.
  • If something seems off about an email (for example, grammar errors), send it to spam@yourcompanynamehere rather than opening it yourself; this way if there's anything malicious inside, at least no one else will accidentally get infected by clicking on a link within the message.


Your company may be at risk and it is important to be aware of how you can increase your security and train yourself and your co-workers on best practices.


Cybersecurity is a constant battle. With the growing number of cyber-attacks, it’s important for companies to be aware of how they can increase their security and train themselves and their co-workers on best practices.


Cybersecurity is critical part of your company’s IT infrastructure. It not just about protecting your company's data, but also about protecting your company's reputation. It is important to understand what could happen if you do not have adequate cyber defense in place and how this might affect both your bottom line as well as your key stakeholders such as employees, partners, customers or shareholders.


It is important for everyone within an organization to understand how cybersecurity works because everyone can play a role in protecting themselves from potential threats by learning what they need to do when faced with such situations or incidents that occur within their own personal lives



In closing, it is important to understand that awareness and training is not just a single aspect of cyber security. In fact, it is one of the most important aspects because it can help reduce the risk of a breach, increase understanding amongst employees on how best to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR. If you'd like help in developing an effective program for your organization or need assistance with other aspects such as incident response plans then get in touch today!

3 New Reasons Why ECS is the Right IT Company for You

By April Monroe • January 26, 2023
Uh oh, what happened? Are you experiencing a technology problem right now? Most of us tend to not look for help until something bad happens. We hope you aren’t experiencing any trouble at the moment but if you are, ECS is here to help. Here are 3 reasons why we are the right IT Company for you: Reason #1 With email scams always evolving, and scammers continuously learning and getting smarter and slicker, it is essential to make sure your inbox knows how to shield and combat these nasty bugs from making their way into the rest of your system. Our Email Spam and Virus Protection will do just that. Xcitium’s Secure Email Gateway TRUSTS NO ONE with unknown files and will always verify content. This allows uninterrupted use and bulletproof security. Reason #2 ECS uses an Advanced Endpoint protection. Once there has been a breach, it can spread like a disease. Unless it’s found and contained immediately. Advanced Endpoint protection will automatically contain ALL UNTRUSTED applications and processes in a secure environment. Applications that are deemed safe can continue to run as usual, while the malware is denied the entry needed to be successful. And lastly, Reason #3 is ECS’s Endpoint Manager. This proactive service monitors servers and PC’s performance, security statuses and provides an automated windows patch management service, keeping machines running their best. You’ll be able to View patches needed on devices, applications, and operating systems communicating with Endpoint Manager. You’ll be up to date with Protection against zero-day web threats, without hindering employee productivity, while keeping healthy endpoints. And you’ll have a dashboard of real-time data about the operating system, connection status and security posture of all devices enrolled to Endpoint Manager, allowing you to manage your entire network. With these new services, ECS is staying ahead of the game and keeping your business and its assets protected. It’s the smartest decision you will make in 2023. Give us a call today and let’s talk about your small business needs.

A Chat With the Owner

By April Monroe • December 13, 2022
Ever wondered if your small business needed an IT Company’s services? While they all have access to the same information, not all IT companies are equal. Knowledge coupled with lots of experience make the difference. A difference you will find with Efficient Computer Service. With more than 25 years of accumulated knowledge and experience, we thought it would be a great time to ask John Potts, owner of ECS some important questions that we knew any business owner looking for an IT service, or just wondering if they need one, would ask. Here’s how it went… What do you believe makes ECS unique to other IT companies? We pride ourselves on personalized prompt service, and we are always concise of costs when providing valued services needed. If I call with a problem, what are your typical response times? Usually we will respond within 1 hour or less to every support request. Can you explain the cloud? What is it, where is it, and how do we access it? The “Cloud” is a generic term, referring to any service that is hosted on the internet as opposed to onsite. Our Virtual Cloud Servers and Desktops are physically hosted on multiple enterprise class servers in a Tier III Secure Data Center in Boston. The Virtual Cloud Desktops are accessed using a Secure internet connection managed by a Citrix software application on a local PC or laptop. What’s the difference, other than the obvious, between cloud-based solutions versus on-site? An on-site, sometimes referred to as on-premises entails a costly capitol expenditure for Server(s), battery backup devices, software licensing, data backup and regular maintenance. Many companies also pay for a server monitoring service. For Cloud based solutions, there is a huge savings because there is no hardware to purchase, maintain, backup and replace. There are no software licenses to purchase. Everything needed is included on a flat rate cost. Also, with the Cloud Servers and desktops enhanced security is and reliability is unmatched. Finally, it is easy to support a remote work force and multiple office locations. If a business asks you which solutions would be the best fit for them, how do you come to your decision or recommendation? Great question. We do an extensive evaluation of all hardware, software, and business practices to learn the state of the current IT platform and the IT needs for each company. We learn what works well and what areas need to be improved. The we make our recommendations based on the findings and the deployment plan of needed changes based on budgets and availability to ensure the least impact to downtime if any. Our goals for every business customer are to ensure their data is secure and their systems are efficient, reliable & affordable, and finally that they are a good fit to meet the individual company technology needs. Can I just train one of my employees to be our IT person? ECS has many decades of technology knowledge & experience we offer. This level of knowledge & experience takes years to learn. However, we can train an employee to do some tasks and to leverage our experience as needed. How often should my employees really be changing their passwords? In today’s world of threats, we recommend passwords be changed at least every 90 days as a general rule. I work from my phone a lot. If I answer emails from my phone’s email app, will they be as safe as using my desktop or laptop? A phone app is just as secure a desktop or laptop. However, this depends on the type of email being used. For example, if a company uses GMAIL or HOTMAIL or any free email service, the mail is not secure on any device. If they use a hosted MS Exchange email the connection to the mail server is always secure. What is a realistic budget a small business should have per year for IT Services? This varies greatly and is driven by business industry that has compliance requirements (i.e.: Medical or Financial) and the complexity of the technology needed. Some small businesses require larger IT budgets than their larger counterparts. Our experience in general industry shows a company with 10 computers would require an annual budget of at least $7,000 to $10,000. And there we have it. Small businesses should have, at the very minimum, a designated person to learn and be trained in IT related components to the business, but that will not guarantee the safety and longevity of your investments and data. Doing nothing is much more costly than the above-mentioned budget. Repairing, replacing, and then adding IT Services and security will run your business twice those numbers, easily. In this case, it is definitely better safe than sorry. With the costs of literally everything continuing to climb, you can’t afford NOT to protect your business. We understand the expense is not cheap, and there are ways to spread things out. ECS is experienced and personable and would love to help you figure out the best route for your small business. Give us a call and let’s create a gameplan.
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