The Michigan IT Experts

Desktop

Your desktop can mean two different things; it is either the front-most screen when you are logged on to your computer, where you can see icons for the various programs installed on your computer and other folders for storage, or it can mean your entire work computer setup (monitor, tower, keyboard, mouse, etc). More likely than not, when you hear the word “desktop,” it will be in the context of the computer setup itself. Other times, it might be referred to as a “workstation.”

Hardware

On a similar note, hardware consists of the components that actually make the computer work. Hardware includes any bits and pieces inside the computer, as well as any equipment that might be used alongside the computer. Some examples of hardware might include the computer’s monitor, your keyboard, computer mouse, webcam, microphone, and any internal components, like RAM, the motherboard, etc. It’s just a fancy word that encompasses all of this.

Software

If hardware consists of the physical components of your computer, then the software consists of the digital components of your computer. Software includes your operating system and any programs installed on your computer. Examples might include the Windows or macOS operating systems, the Microsoft Office productivity suite, or Adobe Creative Suite.

Operating System

Your computer’s operating system is the thing that basically acts as the interface through which you do just about anything. Learning how to navigate the operating system is a critical part of any office worker’s day-to-day responsibilities, so we want to emphasize the importance of it. The operating system also plays a role in which software is compatible with your computer, as some might require a specific OS in order to be most effective. For example, for the longest time, Microsoft Office was most compatible with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems.

Help Desk

More often than not, if you run into technology problems while going about your day-to-day duties, you will be told to contact the help desk. The help desk is a group of IT professionals whose sole responsibility is to help you figure out the best solution to your technology problems. Most help desks have a phone number, email address, or even a live chat function to offer support.

Remote

If you managed to make it through the COVID-19 pandemic without hearing the term “remote” thrown around, then kudos to you. In business terms, “remote” means a location away from your normal desk or location of operation. It is often used synonymously with “working from home,” but these two should not be confused. Working from home is one way to work remotely, but it’s worth mentioning that “remote” just means “anywhere that is not your office.” You might also hear this term used in the context of “remote access,” as in accessing files and information without being physically connected to a network.

Cloud

Similar to “remote,” the cloud is something which allows for work outside the confines of your organization’s office. “Cloud” can refer to a location, i.e. storing data in the cloud for remote access, or it could be used to describe something, like cloud-based software. In either case, cloud technology, or cloud computing, is a means to an end, usually to improve the accessibility of resources like data, software, and in some cases hardware.

Even if all of this sounds a bit confusing, don’t worry; NuTech Services is here to answer any questions that you may have about technology. To learn more, reach out to us at 810-230-9455.

Phishing

Phishing is a major concern for small businesses as these attacks make up a significant portion of cybersecurity situations. Phishing is more of a scam than an official hack, but it is problematic cybercrime all the same. Phishing attacks can come through any form of communication for your business, be it social media, email, and phone calls. The scary part is that it only has to work once to cause trouble for your company.

Here’s an example of how phishing works. If a member of your staff were to accidentally click on an attachment in an email that they think has something to do with their job, they might find that the email installs malware on your network. This method is not limited to malware; it can install trojans, viruses, or even ransomware.

Phishing can be hard to counter, as hackers have developed sophisticated phishing schemes that can make keeping up difficult. You need to train your employees to ensure that they will be more likely to spot potential phishing attempts.

Poor Passwords

It is unfortunate that poor passwords are one of the biggest reasons why security breaches occur. Just like phishing strategies, hackers have implemented sophisticated measures that allow them to not only guess passwords, but guess countless passwords in a short timeframe. Furthermore, social engineering tactics can be used to guess poor or duplicated passwords with ease.

Password security is an aspect of your cybersecurity infrastructure that bleeds into every other aspect of it. Your employees use passwords to access just about anything online, and while duplicate passwords are easy to remember, they are a far cry from the level of security that your organization needs to be successful. Password best practices are one way to shore up this weakness. Passwords should be complex and changed on the regular to keep them from being stolen, guessed, or compromised.

Holes in Software

Software is often updated to account for security issues and holes that are discovered after the fact, and developers respond periodically to these issues. If you fail to patch your software, you could go about operations with major security issues and run the risk of exploitation. In other words, these holes in software are essentially open doors that hackers can use to infiltrate your network.

The best way to address these vulnerabilities is to keep them from becoming major problems in the first place. By this, we mean regularly patching your software and applying updates as they come out. This will close these open doors and enable you to protect your assets.

NuTech Services can help your business prioritize security. To get started, we recommend contacting one of our IT experts who can discuss with you all of the cybersecurity solutions we offer. Don’t wait any longer—give us a call at 810-230-9455!

Misconfigured Cloud Settings

While cloud tools and solutions have the potential to be highly effective, they need to be set up properly before they can meet this potential with any hope of remaining secure. As the cloud is supposed to be an accessible tool to help facilitate productive collaboration, any accidents or errors could create challenges that would work against that goal. One common outcome of these challenges: security shortcomings and vulnerabilities.

To this end, it becomes especially crucial to your business’ security (and by extension, its success) that all settings in your cloud are reviewed, checked, and otherwise confirmed to be correct on a fairly regular basis.

Ineffective Access Controls

One of a cloud solution’s greatest business advantages is the fact that access to the resources it holds isn’t tied to one location, greatly simplifying processes like remote work by enabling your team to utilize these resources whenever they need them wherever they are working. Having said this, it can become a challenge to simultaneously restrict data to only those who have the proper authorization to do so without properly implemented controls in place

In addition to this, you should also bear in mind how much a cybercriminal will tend to lean on the human element of a business as an exploitable weakness. To combat this, it is important that your team members are instructed on how to create secure passwords.

Targeted Attacks

Back in the day, businesses had a relatively short list of threats to deal with, effectively boiling down to theft and vandalism. Now, however, the nature of our connected workspaces means that a far greater variety of threats could potentially harm a business. Cyberattacks are numerous, profitable for the cybercriminal, repeatable, and vastly varied in how they are shaped.

While modern organizations have the same concerns about theft and vandalism, they now need to worry about many different resources being stolen. Sure, they could have finances taken away, but they could also lose their customers’ payment information or protected data. This could result in fines, lost confidence from their market, legal action, and might even necessitate costly compensatory damages to be paid to those affected. Other threats don’t focus on a business’ finances, but on their productivity or even reputation. Denial-of-service attacks and ransomware get much of their leverage by preventing the targeted business from operating effectively. Plus, how motivated would you be to continue supporting a business that allowed your data to be exfiltrated, opening you up to identify theft?

With so many businesses moving to the cloud without properly paying attention to the security standards we reviewed above, cybercriminals now also see it as an opportunity for their purposes. Diligence and preparedness are both critical to preventing their success.

Employee Behaviors

Finally, one of your greatest assets could very well be one of your greatest challenges when it comes to securely utilizing cloud resources: the team members you’ve brought on to keep your business running. Without the proper instruction, your team may not adjust to the cloud as smoothly as one would hope, potentially creating vulnerabilities that a cybercriminal could take advantage of. 

Alternatively, there is always the chance that your team has someone less-than-trustworthy amongst its ranks, and this individual could potentially use their access to abuse the data your company relies on. The cloud’s accessible nature does make it more challenging—but not impossible—to detect such activities.

Turn to us for help with dealing with these cloud security challenges.

Our team of professionals has the experience and insight necessary to effectively spot cyberthreats that could negatively impact your business’ use of the cloud, and are ready to help you mitigate these efforts. To find out more about what we can do for your business and its security, reach out to us at 810-230-9455.