Posts by Shane Morris
How to Create a Business Continuity Plan
In the wake of the recent ransomware breach at Rackspace, many of their customers lost all access to their email accounts, calendars, and other critical information. The company responded by initiating emergency protocols. User accounts were migrated from Rackspace’s hosted Exchange to Microsoft’s O365 platform. Despite restoring services, users lost all their data due to…
Read MoreThe Hidden Costs of DIY IT
The Money Pit is a classic movie released in 1986. Tom Hanks and Shelly Long star as a married couple who purchased their dream home in a distressed real estate sale. Unfortunately, the house begins to fall apart immediately. The front door separates from the house and crashes into the lawn. The bathtub falls through…
Read MoreHow Scammers Steal Information. What You Need to Know about Social Engineering.
Article Summary: The phrase “social engineering” is used to describe a wide variety of scamming tactics that hackers use when interacting with their potential victims. Often times, unsuspecting people are duped into divulging critical information or committing security blunders. Scammer attacks generally fall into one of these five categories: baiting, scareware, pretexting, phishing, and spear…
Read MoreCisco Umbrella Pulls Out of Russia and Belarus
On August 1st, 2022, Cisco Umbrella began blocking all traffic originating out of Russia and Belarus (source). This move was first announced by the company on March 3rd to show support for their customers and employees in Ukraine and to condemn Russia’s aggression against their country. What implications does this have for your business? Here…
Read MorePassword Managers For Business
Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away, people used one password across a handful of logins. This worked fine for a time due to the average person’s ignorance of all things technology; however, times have changed and breaches are commonplace. Businesses must prepare for a different post-COVID workplace where cybersecurity needs, compliance,…
Read MoreRussian Cyberwar Against the US
As tension rise during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, there is a growing concern regarding the United States response. After all, we are the world’s superpower. Our response as a nation could spark a Russian cyberwar, world war, or leave a country to fall to a dictator. Bad men need nothing more to compass…
Read MoreDifficulties of Scaling a Business
Shortly after acquiring Node LLC in late 2018, I realized the business was running me more than I was running the business. Grant Ellis, our CTO and partner, suggested our executive team should go through “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman. I can say this was probably the single most important…
Read MoreTax Refund Scams
Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself! Tax professionals are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals because of the sensitive financial information they obtain from their clients. If they fall victim to a data breach and that information is compromised, social security numbers and bank account records will most definitely fall into the hands of thieves. Unwinding the damage…
Read MoreCybersecurity Insurance Trends
Escalating Risks for American Businesses: IBM defines cybersecurity as “the practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information from digital attacks.” In reality, the average cost of a data breach in the United States in 2020 was $8.64 million (source). Here’s a common scenario, and how it plays out for an unfortunate business owner on…
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