Compliance audit: What it is and how to prepare for one

You might have come across the term “compliance audit,” an independent review assessing if an organization aligns with regulatory requirements. As a business owner, you likely recognize its significance. However, there’s more to learn about compliance audits, particularly how to ensure a successful one.

Don’t know how to prepare for a compliance audit for your business in Utah? Don’t worry — this article will serve as your guide.

What is a compliance audit?

A compliance audit involves a comprehensive review of an organization’s compliance with industry-specific regulations, standards, or policies. The audit’s primary purpose is to ensure that the organization is complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and internal guidelines to minimize the risk of legal issues, penalties, and operational inefficiencies.

During a compliance audit, it is crucial to identify areas of noncompliance and provide recommendations to rectify identified gaps. The audit can encompass various aspects, including financial practices, regulatory requirements, ethical conduct, and adherence to established processes.

It’s also worth noting that there’s a key difference between a compliance audit and an internal audit. The latter primarily entails examining internal processes, controls, and financial reporting to enhance operational efficiency, risk management, and internal policies.

What are the types of compliance audits?

Compliance audits can take various forms based on the focus and purpose:

Financial compliance audit: This audit ensures that an organization’s financial transactions and reporting align with financial standards and regulations. Businesses in Utah, for example, must comply with the rules set forth by agencies, such as the Utah Department of Commerce and the Utah Division of Consumer Protection, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Operational compliance audit: This audit assesses a company’s operations, including its information security practices, environmental compliance practices, and human resources practices.
IT compliance audit: This audit assesses a company’s IT systems and infrastructure to ensure that they are secure and compliant. This may include an evaluation of a company’s data security, network security, and software licensing practices.
Industry-specific compliance audit: This audit focuses on evaluating adherence to specific laws and regulations relevant to the industry in which the organization operates.

Tips and recommendations for a successful compliance audit

Here are key steps to ensure a successful compliance audit.

1. Understand the audit scope and objectives

Understanding the scope and objectives of the audit will help you identify the areas that need to be reviewed and the documentation that needs to be prepared. You can usually get this information from the auditor or the regulatory body that is conducting the audit.

2. Gather all relevant documentation

Once you understand the scope and objectives of the audit, you need to gather all relevant documentation. This may include financial records, policies and procedures, training records, and other evidence of compliance. It is important to have all of this documentation organized and easily accessible.

3. Assign roles and responsibilities

If you have a small team, it’s important to assign roles and responsibilities for the audit. This will help ensure that all tasks are completed efficiently and effectively. It’s also vital to assign a contact person who will be responsible for communicating with the auditor.

4. Conduct a self-assessment

Before the audit begins, it’s a good idea to conduct a self-assessment to identify any areas of potential noncompliance. This way, you’ll be able to focus your efforts on correcting any problems before the auditor arrives.

5. Be prepared to answer questions

The auditor will likely ask you questions about your compliance program and your business practices, so answer these questions honestly and accurately. If you are unsure of the answer to a question, do not be afraid to say so.

6. Be cooperative and responsive

The auditor is there to help you ensure that you are in compliance with all relevant regulations, so it pays to be cooperative and responsive to their requests. This will help to make the audit process as smooth and efficient as possible.

If you are unsure of how to prepare for a compliance audit, consult NetWize’s compliance experts. We can help you develop a compliance program, identify and address any areas of noncompliance, and prepare for the audit. Leave us a message.

7 Best practices for implementing a robust identity and access management strategy

An identity and access management (IAM) strategy comprises policies and procedures on how an organization manages the identities and access permissions of its users. This strategy typically covers key areas such as how users are onboarded, how their identities are verified, what permissions they need to access different systems, and how access permissions are managed over time.

Here are some best practices to help your organization develop a secure and efficient IAM strategy.

1. Rethink your onboarding processes

Onboarding is the process of integrating new people into an organization and providing them with the resources and information they need in their roles. Traditional onboarding focuses primarily on employees within an organization. But with the ever-expanding reach of today’s cyberthreats, organizations must tailor onboarding procedures for not only employees but also clients and third parties.

In addition, organizations should consider automating onboarding and offboarding processes to save resources and time. IAM software can automate the tasks of creating and provisioning user accounts, assigning permissions, and revoking access when users leave the organization.

2. Implement strong authentication and authorization mechanisms

By requiring users to prove their identity in multiple ways and restricting their access to the resources they need, organizations can make it much more difficult for attackers to gain access to their systems. One of the best ways to do this is to implement authentication mechanisms, such as multifactor authentication (MFA). MFA requires users to verify their identity through two or more authentication methods, adding an extra layer of security beyond just passwords.

Similarly, authorization, especially through role-based access control, or RBAC, ensures that users have precisely the permissions they need for their roles. This principle of least privilege minimizes the potential damage from unauthorized access and is fundamental to an effective IAM strategy.

3. Reduce privileged accounts

The rationale behind minimizing the number of privileged accounts is clear: the more accounts with direct access to sensitive information, the higher the potential risk if one of those accounts is compromised. Each privileged account represents a potential entry point for cyberthreats. Therefore, by reducing these accounts to only those absolutely necessary and implementing strong access controls and monitoring, organizations significantly reduce their vulnerability to cyberattacks and data breaches.

4. Adopt a zero trust approach to security

Implementing a zero trust security model means assuming that no user, device, or application is trusted by default. This entails verifying each user and device that attempts to access systems and resources.

A zero trust approach is a more secure approach than traditional security models that rely on perimeter defenses, such as firewalls, to protect internal networks from external threats. By implementing zero trust, organizations are better positioned to identify and mitigate potential security risks, even if those risks originate from within their own network.

5. Use single sign-on (SSO) solutions

SSO enables users to authenticate once, granting them access to multiple platforms without the need for repetitive logins. It not only simplifies the user experience but also cuts down time spent on managing multiple credentials.

But not just any SSO solution will do; organizations must find one that seamlessly integrates with existing systems and applications, ensuring a smooth transition and maximizing the efficiency of the authentication process.

6. Regularly monitor and audit access

Conducting regular access reviews and audits further ensures that unauthorized access or policy violations are immediately spotted. This allows organizations to promptly rectify security breaches or policy noncompliance.

7. Shift your security focus toward user identity management

Many of today’s cyberthreats target the weakest links: user identities and service accounts. This is why it may be necessary for organizations to change their focus from network security to user identity management.

By prioritizing identity protection, businesses fortify the core access points, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and insider threats. This shift allows for targeted security measures that align with modern challenges and bolsters organizations’ overall security.

Safeguard your valuable assets and data by rethinking and reinforcing your IAM strategy. Consult NetWize’s IT experts for recommendations on secure technologies for your business. Request a FREE consultation today.

7 Common cybersecurity misconceptions you shouldn’t fall for

Cybersecurity is the armor of any modern business, protecting their data against the rapid onslaught of digital threats. However, misconceptions about cyber defense can leave organizations vulnerable to unforeseen dangers. We break down the common myths that can compromise your security posture, and provide ways of improving business resilience in the face of evolving cyberthreats.

1. Security software does the job

While software solutions like anti-malware programs, endpoint security systems, and firewalls are crucial for cybersecurity, they’re just one piece of the larger puzzle. They add to your existing IT infrastructure but are ultimately unable to influence the overall underlying design or configuration.

To strengthen your business’s cybersecurity, it’s important to go beyond software and apply strategies such as cybersecurity training, zero trust access controls, data backups, strong password policies, and multifactor authentication.

2. Cybersecurity is your IT team’s responsibility

Although IT departments are responsible for ensuring that strong cybersecurity tools and frameworks are put in place, cybersecurity should be everyone’s responsibility.

Statistics from Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report reveal that a whopping 82% of all breaches trace back to the “human element,” which include stolen credentials, misuse, phishing attacks, or human error.

Such findings highlight how cybersecurity must be a shared responsibility across departments and company roles, with all workers doing their part in staying vigilant, well informed, and proactive in recognizing and mitigating online threats.

3. Cybersecurity is a one-and-done strategy

A prevalent misconception is viewing cybersecurity as a set-and-forget strategy. In reality, the digital world is in constant flux, with new threats emerging each day, and today’s defenses may be completely obsolete by tomorrow.

Cybersecurity should therefore be seen as an iterative process that demands regular review and upgrades to defend against the latest threats.

With hackers becoming more sophisticated, organizations must continually educate their teams, update security protocols, and invest in the latest technologies. Effective strategies are akin to maintaining a fortress — walls need reinforcement, and defenses must adapt.

4. Cybercriminals only target large organizations

The larger the business, the larger the target — though this doesn’t mean small businesses are untouchable.

In fact, hackers may be particularly drawn to smaller companies. One reason for this is that small businesses may lack the budget and expertise to fully secure their operations, making them more susceptible to far more sophisticated attacks.

Secondly, many modern attacks are automated and scaled for efficiency, allowing cybercriminals to cast a wide net and target businesses of all sizes. Small companies, with their limited defenses, can be particularly vulnerable to these indiscriminate threats.

5. Compliance leads to sufficient protection

While compliance is undeniably crucial, it shouldn’t be viewed as the end goal for cybersecurity. Rather, organizations should consider it a foundational stepping stone. Achieving comprehensive protection will require additional strategies, such as adopting a risk-based approach and tailoring your security measures to your business’s unique vulnerabilities.

You must also review your existing security framework to make sure they’re still effective at protecting your business. Periodic security assessments can help with this, as they identify any flaws in your current framework and help guide improvements, ensuring your protection evolves with the threat landscape.

Additionally, it’s worth nurturing a culture of cybersecurity awareness across all levels of your organization. Provide ongoing training, promote best practices, and emphasize the critical role of security among employees and leadership alike.

6. Cyberattacks are an external threat

While hackers and cybercriminals are a common cause of breaches, those within your organization can also pose an equal or even greater threat to its security. These insider threats can exploit their access to sensitive information and systems, potentially causing substantial harm.

To protect your business against these rogue insiders, it’s important to equip staff with cybersecurity knowledge and how to recognize and report potential issues. It may also be worth limiting access to critical information, granting it only to those with genuine needs. This will help reduce the risk of accidental or intentional security breaches.

7. Cybersecurity is too expensive

Though effective cybersecurity does have its costs, it’s essential to consider the alternative. IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report for 2022 revealed a shocking global average cost of USD4.35 million for a data breach. This cost encompasses not only financial losses but also damage to reputation, lost customer trust, and legal ramifications.

Investing in cybersecurity isn’t an expense — it’s a strategic decision to safeguard your organization from potentially catastrophic consequences. The price of prevention pales in comparison to the exorbitant cost of a data breach, making cybersecurity a sound and necessary investment for businesses of all sizes.

Enhance your cybersecurity strategy with NetWize. Reach out to our experts today and bolster your defenses against current and emerging cyberthreats.

Why small- and medium-sized businesses need cyber insurance now more than ever

Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated, and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are particularly vulnerable to them. And many cyber scams are much closer to home than you think. In September 2022, Eagle Mountain, a city in Utah, lost nearly $1.13 million in a cyber scam, where the perpetrators posed as a vendor representative collaborating with the city on a major infrastructure project.

This incident is just one example of the many ways cybercriminals can wreak havoc on organizations. That’s why it’s more important than ever for SMBs to have cyber insurance.

What is cyber insurance?

Think of cyber insurance as your business’s safety net in the digital world. It is designed to mitigate the damages resulting from cybersecurity incidents, such as data beaches, hacking attacks, ransomware, and phishing scams. Cyber insurance typically covers financial losses, legal fees, public relations efforts, and more.

Why are SMBs particularly vulnerable to cyberthreats?

SMBs are particularly attractive targets for cyberattacks due to these reasons:

Limited resources and expertise

SMBs often lack the resources and expertise required to deploy robust cybersecurity measures. This makes them more vulnerable to cyberattacks, as they may not have dedicated IT staff or comprehensive cybersecurity strategies in place.

Data sensitivity

Despite their size, SMBs handle sensitive data, such as customer information, payment details, and proprietary business data. Cybercriminals are well aware of this and exploit the vulnerabilities in their systems to gain unauthorized access to this valuable information.

Lack of awareness

Many SMBs underestimate the potential threat of cyberattacks. They may not fully comprehend the damage a single incident can inflict on their business, including reputational harm, loss of customers, and substantial financial losses.

Interconnectedness

Many SMBs nowadays rely on digital platforms and online transactions. While this enhances efficiency, it also exposes them to a wider array of cyberthreats.

Supply chain vulnerabilities

SMBs are often part of larger supply chains, and cybercriminals target them as entry points to infiltrate larger enterprises. This can lead to devastating consequences for both the targeted SMB and the broader business ecosystem.

How can a cyber insurance policy help your SMB?

Here are some of the ways that having a cyber insurance policy in place can help your SMB:

Financial protection

In the event of a data breach, a cyber insurance policy offers financial security, as it will cover various costs, including but not limited to:

Cost of investigation and forensics – determining the cause and extent of the breach
Notification costs – informing affected parties, which often comes with legal requirements and expenses
Legal and regulatory fees – legal assistance to navigate regulatory compliance and potential fines
Business interruption costs – compensating for the income lost during downtime caused by the cybersecurity incident
Recovery and restoration expenses – costs associated with restoring systems, data, and networks

Incident response support

Cyber insurance policies often provide access to experienced professionals and specialized vendors who can guide you through the incident response process. This can include IT forensics, crisis communication, and legal support to help minimize damage and facilitate swift recovery.

Reputation management

A cyber incident can tarnish your SMB’s reputation. Cyber insurance can cover the costs of hiring public relations experts to help manage your brand image and rebuild trust with customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Legal liability coverage

Cyber insurance can protect you from legal claims and lawsuits resulting from an incident. This includes claims related to data privacy breaches, intellectual property theft, defamation, and more.

Data restoration and recovery

If your business experiences data loss due to a cyber event, cyber insurance can cover the costs associated with data recovery and restoration, ensuring minimal disruption to your operations.

Business continuity support

Cyber insurance can help your SMB with funds and resources to maintain business operations during and after a cyber incident. This support can be crucial in keeping your business afloat during challenging times.

Customization for your business needs

Cyber insurance policies can be customized to meet your unique business needs and industry regulations. This ensures that you are covered for the risks and cyberthreats your business is most likely to face.

Investing in cyber insurance is a proactive step toward ensuring the longevity and sustainability of your Utah business in an increasingly digital world. Got more questions about cyber insurance or just want to talk cybersecurity? Request a free consultation from NetWize’s experts today.

Digital skills that are most important for a smooth-running hybrid work setup

In a hybrid work setup, employees have the freedom to work either remotely or in the office. When implemented correctly, this arrangement not only helps companies save money, but can also improve employee morale and productivity. To implement a successful hybrid working setup, it’s critical that your company uses the right tools and that your employees develop appropriate digital skills. In this blog, we’ll discuss the most important digital skills for hybrid working.

What are digital skills?

Digital skills refer to abilities related to leveraging computing and communication solutions in order to learn, obtain, manage, and share digital information. A few years ago, these abilities were considered to be quite specialized. But with the increasing adoption of IT in business, digital skills are now a standard requirement in virtually every industry.

No hybrid work setup is possible without digital technologies like project management apps, video conferencing services, and collaboration tools. It’s only when they possess the right digital skills that your hybrid staff can use and make the most of these technologies.

What digital skills are essential for hybrid work?

To ensure the success of your hybrid work arrangement, your employees need to develop the following digital skills:

Digital literacy

Your staff must know how to use digital devices and tools to achieve their desired outcomes. This means being able to write and send emails, operate computers and smartphones, and search for information online, among other activities related to their jobs. With strong digital literacy skills, your hybrid employees can be productive whether they’re working in or outside the office.

Adaptability

Hybrid workers need to periodically switch between two or more workplace environments. This means they must be able to adjust their habits and work methods based on the task at hand and whether they’re working remotely or in the office. For example, an employee who’s used to working in the office may need to learn how to collaborate seamlessly with teammates while working remotely.

Communication

Hybrid workers must be able to communicate effectively using different tools and mediums and regardless of their location. For instance, they must know how to express themselves and understand instructions whether through text, audio, or video, or a combination of these at the same time. They must also be able to deliver presentations and explain concepts virtually.

Time management

In many cases, hybrid employees work without a fixed daily schedule. Although this gives them the freedom to work at a comfortable pace, it can also lead to procrastination and a lot of unfinished tasks. Hybrid workers must, therefore, know how to set goals and manage their time wisely. This involves using digital tools like project management apps to keep track of their deliverables and break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones.

Cybersecurity

Remote workers usually do not have access to the enterprise-grade cybersecurity solutions that protect office workers and IT systems. For this reason, it’s not surprising that when companies began adopting flexible working arrangements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime rates jumped by 300%. And cybercriminals likely won’t stop targeting remote workers anytime soon.

Because of this, hybrid workers’ skillset must include the knowledge of and ability to follow cybersecurity best practices. This means knowing how to create strong passwords, update business apps, and back up sensitive data, among other measures. They must also be able to identify common cyberthreats like phishing and know how to effectively respond to these. Your company should have all employees undergo cybersecurity awareness training to ensure that they possess these skills and knowledge.

The right digital skills can help your remote employees be productive and secure no matter where they work. If you want to further boost your company’s cybersecurity, you should partner with [company_short]. Our IT experts can train your hybrid teams on cybersecurity best practices and recommend solutions to make your hybrid work setup succeed. Contact us today to get started.

Does your business really need managed IT services?

On a sunny Salt Lake City day, you receive an SMS alert about an upcoming doctor’s appointment. Since you’re already on your phone, you enter “bike grease” in your web browser and find that your local shop carries the brand you’ve heard of but have difficulty remembering. On your way to that shop, you see people receiving groceries from a curbside pickup.

All of these things have one thing in common: they are powered by IT. How do these small businesses get to be so tech-savvy? you might wonder. Can they afford their own IT departments?

We’re here to tell you that unless a small- to medium-sized business (SMB) is a tech startup or a firm in the IT sector, it’s likely that they don’t have an internal IT team. Most SMBs take a DIY approach to implementing IT projects (i.e., without bona fide IT experts), but wiser business owners partner with a managed IT services provider (MSP). Here are three reasons why availing managed IT services is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make for your company.

1. You get an IT department, but at the fraction of the cost

The high demand for but low supply of IT professionals makes their salaries some of the biggest across all industries. SMBs can barely afford them, much less compete with larger enterprises that offer employee benefits such as a free gourmet lunch. And even if an SMB snags their own IT specialist, that employee is likely to move to greener pastures sooner or later, never mind how much that business spent on hiring and training them.

However, for less than what you’ll pay one full-time IT employee, you can avail of the services of an entire IT team when you work with an MSP. This team is composed of IT professionals with varied specializations and decades of experience between them. This means that if you have an IT concern, they’re more likely to be able to handle it than a lone employee would.

2. You gain access to a wide range of services that help your business grow

MSPs are a one-stop shop for all of your IT needs, such as:

IT consultation and strategy implementation

Top-notch MSPs provide excellent IT consultation services. They’re able to assess what your business needs, both in the short and long term, and create and implement an IT strategy that will aid and accelerate your company toward its goals. They’re also partners with leading IT solutions providers such as Microsoft and know which offerings will best serve your business.

Data security

Hackers have no qualms about stealing money wherever they can take it for the least amount of effort. And since many small-business owners mistakenly think their companies are too small to be targeted by cybercriminals, they likely don’t invest in cybersecurity, which makes their companies low-hanging fruit for hackers.

Beyond malicious actors, other factors, such as faulty network configurations and calamities, may cause your business to suffer costly downtime.

MSPs help SMBs thwart cybercriminals by implementing the latest and best cybersecurity measures. They also ensure uptime and smooth operations via 24/7 IT support, as well as mitigate the effects of natural and man-made disasters via disaster recovery and business continuity planning.

3. You gain access to the latest and best that IT has to offer

Investing in IT can take up a lot of resources. If you had to do it yourself, you’ll likely have to spend a lot of money on hardware, software, and IT specialists. And when there are advancements in technology, adapting to change can be difficult because it will entail adopting more tech and/or doing away with the IT assets that you’ve paid a lot of money for. If your business is not in tech, then this is highly impractical.

Fortunately, MSPs are in tech. Since they spread their costs across many clients, they can continually invest in the latest gadgets and IT solutions so that they’ll always be able to provide the best service possible. MSPs also stay on top of the latest developments in the world of tech so that you can adjust to disruptive changes in a timely manner and take advantage of their benefits as soon as possible. To illustrate, MSPs who are also licensed Microsoft vendors can advise their clients on how to leverage the Android On-Demand Chat Translation feature in Microsoft Teams.

4. You gain the ability to prepare for and comply with all the data regulations that apply to your business

Different industries have different data rules and regulations, such as HIPAA for the healthcare sector and PCI DSS for businesses that process card transactions. Additionally, different regions and states have their own data privacy regulations. For instance, the Golden State has the California Consumer Privacy Act, Canada has the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and the European Union has the General Data Protection Regulation. And, as of this writing, 10 states are likely to pass their own version of data privacy legislation this year.

Complying with the regulations of one state is hard enough, but if you do business across many states, then compliance is a nightmare. Top-notch MSPs like NetWize stay on top of the shifting techno-legal landscape to help businesses meet all the requirements of every applicable data regulation.

5. You gain a proactive team whose interests are in line with yours

Some business owners believe that they’re saving money by availing IT services only when things break and need fixing. This practice actually costs them more because of one or more of the following reasons:

The business suffers downtime while waiting for their IT guy to arrive.
Their IT guy might lack the knowledge to fix the problem, so the business will end up waiting so long for nothing.
The business pays their IT guy by the hour. If the IT guy provides the option to either go for a quick fix or to resolve underlying tech issues and prevent problems from recurring, the client will often opt for the quick fix.
The business pays the IT guy whenever there are IT issues to fix. That means mo’ problems, mo’ money for the IT guy!

MSPs, on the other hand, are partners in their clients’ endeavors. If their clients’ companies grow because of the IT services they provide, then those clients will do more business with them. Conversely, if the firms they serve start to fail, then MSPs may ultimately lose those clients. Therefore, the best MSPs are the ones that nip IT issues in the bud before these become a major cause for concern. For a predictable cost, these MSPs grant you all the upside of IT and handle all of its downsides for you, which lets you focus on doing what you do best: your business.

To learn more about how NetWize can be of service to your company, send us a message or call us at 801-747-3200 today.

Why your small business needs a professional IT consultant

If your small business in Salt Lake City is like most, then its core proposition is not delivering top-notch IT services. If this is the case, it’s still likely that some of your first purchases would have been computers, and installing Wi-Fi routers may have been among the most critical tasks of your office setup. In other words, IT has become an indispensable business necessity, and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that plan to grow create IT strategies to make this happen.

This makes sense, considering businesses make plans for everything else, be they for marketing and sales, manufacturing, or distribution. The question then becomes, “Who creates the IT strategies?” Here are seven reasons why a professional IT consultant is the best person for the job.

IT has become an indispensable business necessity, and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that plan to grow create IT strategies to make this happen.

1. A professional IT consultant is cost-effective

For non-IT startups, a full-time IT specialist will be too costly. The specialist’s salary will likely be too high, and they won’t accomplish much since funds will be allocated to functions that directly fulfill the business’s core proposition instead of IT-centered initiatives. On the other hand, a professional IT consultant’s fees will be commensurate with the value they provide.

2. A professional IT consultant provides custom-tailored IT services

The IT needs of an online store will be different from that of a brick-and-mortar one. The first store will likely need more digital marketing tools than the second, whereas the second will require on-premises security systems more than the first store ever will.

A professional IT consultant will be able to help determine your company’s needs and recommend projects that will address those needs.

3. Professional IT consultants often offer services that help implement their recommendations

Managed IT services providers or MSPs are able to put their money where their mouths are. They are composed of teams of specialists who share decades of diverse knowledge and experience between them, which is why they can solve problems that in-house IT teams can’t. Additionally, they help businesses leverage the latest and best tech into their operations to achieve greater efficiencies, competitive advantages, and significant business growth.

4. Top-notch IT consultants are able to take the long view

More than being able to address a business’s short-term needs, professional consultants can envision how IT will support the company’s mission-vision for the long haul. With this mindset, their first projects are aimed toward creating a solid foundation upon which the business can build and grow.

5. Expert IT consultants optimize IT investments

Torn between prolonging the life of your existing IT infrastructure or installing new tech? Professional consultants will provide you with sensible options that factor in present conditions as well as considerations for the foreseeable future.

For example, sunsetting Windows 7 PCs may now be a much easier decision to make than it was a few years ago, but the tough question is what do you replace them with? Will you bring staff back to their workstations post-COVID-19 and provide them with thin or zero clients? Or will you let team members continue to work remotely and issue them laptops instead? These are the types of questions your IT consultants can help answer for you.

6. A professional IT consultant can help keep your data secure

Cybersecurity is an ever-expanding field, and in-house IT specialists will likely have difficulty keeping up since they’re bogged down by day-to-day tasks. An external IT consultant specializing in cybersecurity keeps tabs on the latest cyberthreat developments and is therefore better equipped to maintain your data’s accessibility, integrity, and security.

7. Professional IT consultants can anticipate shifts in the tech industry

With a finger on the pulse of cutting-edge IT advancements, IT consultants can anticipate trends in business technologies and advise companies accordingly.

Case in point: the Biden administration has unveiled plans to install countless roadside charging stations, while the private sector is taking care of edge computing and 5G connectivity. All of this points to the near-foregone conclusion that self-driving electric vehicles will replace combustion engine-powered vehicles in a few decades.

Beyond this, the spread of edge computing and expansion of 5G networks may mean many disruptive shifts in business, such as the increased use of land-based robots or drones for last-mile deliveries. Households, shops, and offices will have countless smart devices that collect and process data — and businesses will vie for that data to know their customers and anticipate their needs better. There are likely more disruptive developments than these, and IT consultants are the ones most capable of imagining these disruptions — as well as how your business can take advantage of them.

Businesses of all sizes in Salt Lake City trust the IT expertise of NetWize. For unparalleled professional IT consulting and services, request a free consultation or call us at 801-747-3200 today.

5 Most crucial components to include in your data backup strategy

Unless your business is a lemonade stand, your organization relies on data to operate, and losing that data may mean permanently going out of business. This is why more and more businesses in Salt Lake City and across Utah are developing and implementing their own data backup strategies. While these strategies may differ based on the company and their situation, the most effective ones all contain five crucial components.

1. On-site backups

If you’re using on-premises servers and one or more of them turn into high-tech paperweights, then having backups on-site is good practice. You can restore data immediately, or at least at much faster rates than if you used cloud or off-site tape backups most of the time. However, don’t just put all your eggs in one basket, because if an adverse event (such as severe flooding) destroys both your servers and your on-site backups, then you’ll have nothing left. This is why you also need…

2. Off-site backups

In a way, these can be thought of as backups of backups because they’re there in case the on-site backups fail. Off-site backups can be stored in the cloud or in physical media such as tape.

How many on- and off-site backups are implemented in a particular backup strategy will be different from organization to organization. However, the IT industry’s baseline standard is the 3-2-1 backup strategy. It calls for:

At least three copies of your data (i.e., the original plus two copies)
Backups stored in two different media
At least one backup kept off-site

3. Backup schedule and rotation scheme

Not all types of data are created equal. For example, customer account information tends to remain the same, which means that it does not need to be backed up often. On the other hand, GPS coordinates of goods in transit may change in real time, which means that such data needs to be backed up frequently. This is because the data will lose relevance and usefulness the staler it gets.

First in, first out (FIFO) backup rotation scheme

It is standard practice to overwrite stale data to save on backup media such as tapes. Let us say that a tape can hold a day’s worth of backup data. Having ten tapes means having backup data ten days deep. For the eleventh and every subsequent day, the newest data and files are saved on the tape holding the oldest backup. Before being overwritten, old data may be archived.

Grandfather-father-son (GFS) backup rotation scheme

FIFO is efficient, but it is vulnerable to data loss. To illustrate, if a data error is included in your backup for the day, then unless the error is caught beforehand, there is a chance that all subsequent backups will eventually contain the error.

As a safeguard against this potential outcome, you need a rotation scheme that lets you have an old but pristine (i.e., uncompromised) backup. This is what GFS is for. In a GFS scheme, instead of just doing daily FIFO backups, you will also do weekly, monthly, or other FIFO backup cycles. This means that if backups from the shortest cycle are compromised, then you’ll have backups from the longer cycles to fall back on.

4. Backup testing

To ensure the reliability of your backups, they need to be tested regularly. They must be able to restore your data to the point that they allow you to resume critical components of your operations. With that said, the testing does not only check the viability of the backups themselves, but also how quick and effective your IT staff members are in performing data recovery.

Beyond regular testing, you also need to screen your backups for malware infections prior to using them. Using compromised backups is a no-no because doing so may result in further data contamination or loss down the line.

5. Data security controls

Wherever you store your backups, you need to ensure that these remain in pristine condition. This means that backup processes must follow strict protocols. To illustrate, most procedures entail disconnecting servers from the company network and the internet to prevent backups from being tainted with false data or highly infectious malware.

Additionally, you and your third-party backup service provider must utilize security personnel, video surveillance, security checkpoints, and other means of protecting servers and other devices. Furthermore, you need to ensure power availability via uninterruptible power supplies and the like.

Last but not least, if you’re using off-site backups to restore data, you must encrypt it during transit to counter man-in-the-middle attacks.

When it comes to data backup services in Salt Lake City, no one does it better than NetWize. To learn more about our managed backup services request for a free consultation or call us at 801-747-3200 today.

Cybersecurity: Always keep in mind its human component

Protecting hardware and software against cyber threats may require a lot of highly technical skills but it is fairly straightforward, considering how direct the causal relationships are between IT vulnerabilities and data breaches. To illustrate, if a zero-day vulnerability is discovered by information security (infosec) experts, developers must find a way to patch it before cybercriminals can exploit it.

Indeed, IT departments have countless hardware and software protection tools at their disposal, such as anti-malware programs and network firewalls. However, they must always keep in mind that their biggest vulnerability by far is the human user. This is primarily due to three reasons: people make mistakes, people can be lazy, and people may not feel that they are part of the organization’s cybersecurity efforts.

People are prone to making mistakes

Fraudsters take advantage of staff members’ weaknesses all the time. For example, a phisher may send employees a fake email saying that company accounts may have been compromised in a hacking campaign. The email will go on to say that account holders must log in and change their access credentials to keep their accounts accounts safe from takeovers. Out of sheer worry, some email recipients click on the link provided and arrive at a spoofed login page.

Unbeknownst to them, as soon as they submit their login details, they’re actually handing over their credentials to the phisher. That cybercriminal will then go to the real login page, sign in using the stolen credentials, then change the username and/or password to lock the original user out of the account. The hacker is then free to pose as the victim, roam around the company network, and steal as much data as they can get their hands on.

Organizations must always keep in mind that their biggest cybersecurity vulnerability by far is the human user.

Zero trust: A way to cover people’s fallibility

There are plenty of ways to fool people, so one way to manage this risk is by minimizing the consequences of staff members falling for fraudsters’ tricks. In a zero trust security model, the organization assumes that their network has already been infiltrated, which means that mere entry no longer signifies trustworthiness.

Therefore, users who enter the network are only granted access to the data and apps they need to accomplish their tasks. This means that if a hacker overtakes a marketer’s account, they won’t be able to dive into the accounting department’s drives and steal from their folders. Rather, the hacker will be limited to what the authentic user has access to.

Machine learning-powered tools

Another way to cover for people’s fallibility is by being smarter at nipping hacking instances in the bud. To illustrate, identity and access management (IAM) programs can now identify the IP addresses of the devices on which logins are made. Thus, if a user normally logs in from Salt Lake City but suddenly pops up at Melbourne, Australia, then the IAM program can flag that instance as suspicious.

Additionally, there are now many machine learning-powered network monitoring tools that can be trained to identify normal and innocuous behaviors over time. Once behavioral baselines are established, the tools can identify suspicious activities that the IT department must investigate.

People can be lazy

There are many small things that require the barest of efforts but staff members fail to do out of sheer laziness. For instance, they’ll forget to lock their computers when they leave their workstations. This lets unauthorized users take over the station, launch browsers, and open tabs for email and other accounts that the authentic user are signed into.

At other times, people just tend to use the most convenient methods available to them. They’ll use short and easy-to-crack passwords or reuse passwords for multiple accounts if they can. And even when they’re required to change their passwords regularly, they may just use a base phrase for all of their passwords, then add month and year to make them unique from one another. While this may look ingenious at first, it actually introduces predictability. That is, if a hacker gets a hold of an expired password, they can easily guess what the current one may be.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Require users to submit more proofs of identity

The most popular solution to the problem of passwords is tacking on more steps during the login process. One may be asked to submit a one-time passcode from an authenticator app, or they may be asked to have their fingerprint scanned. Considering how password-based systems are currently the most prevalent identity authentication tools today, building on top of these systems is intuitively the next logical step because developing and implementing entirely new systems requires much more effort.

Passwordless authentication

As previously mentioned, it’s easier to add extra steps to existing processes, but MFA runs counter to the frictionless login experience that users want. This is why new methods such as passwordless authentication methods have been introduced, such as hardware security tokens and advanced biometrics.

People feel they’re not a part of the company’s cybersecurity efforts

According to a 2014 study, staff members often see themselves as outside of an organization’s cybersecurity efforts and are therefore lazy about cybersecurity or tend to do things without the company’s information security in mind. Reversing this mindset requires overhauling corporate culture, which is no easy feat. Another study suggests that companies need to take these five steps to improve their infosec culture:

Pre-evaluation: Analyze existing infosec policies and determine how aware employees are of such policies and infosec as a whole.
Strategic planning: Set clear metrics and targets when creating an infosec awareness program.
Operative planning: Involve managers so that security awareness and training programs become a regular part of their responsibilities. They must strategize with IT experts so that infosec becomes integral to the company’s culture.
Implementation: The steps laid out during the prior stages are executed. Actual performance metrics are recorded during this stage.
Post-implementation evaluation: Actual metrics are compared against expected results or targets to see if the organization is on track and where they must improve their efforts. Henceforth, the process of evaluation, planning, and implementation becomes cyclical.

What we’ve shown you so far is just the tip of the cybersecurity iceberg, which is why countless organizations in Salt Lake City and beyond rely on NetWize for their infosec needs. Let our IT specialists take care of your company, too. Request a FREE consultation today or call us at 801-747-3200.

3 Cybersecurity trends you can’t ignore in 2021

Now that we’re in the second quarter of 2021, it’s safe to assume that current cybersecurity trends will persist throughout the entire year. In this post, we’ll show you how these lead to grave outlooks for the rest of the year.

1. Ransomware still reigns as the top cyberthreat

For a couple of years now, businesses and institutions have been losing billions of dollars to ransomware. Just last August, the University of Utah paid a ransom of nearly half a million dollars. The payment was not for regaining locked-up data — backups took care of that — but rather to keep the school’s attackers from releasing student information online.

FYI: Here are reasons why University of Utah’s ransom payment was not a good idea:

When data has been encrypted by ransomware, the data is presumed to have been copied. Cybersecurity experts explain that ransomware gangs may use the data for spear phishing purposes or sell it on the dark web or other illegal marketplaces.
Cybercriminals are bad faith actors. It is foolish to trust that they’ll delete the data they stole just because they were paid the ransom. It is possible that cybercriminals may continue extorting victims who are willing to pay them.
Ransomware payments fund future ransomware campaigns. Running a cybercrime ring is just like running a business — investments in machines must be made and costs for human labor and utilities must be paid. Giving ransomware gangs money allows them to victimize more people.

Beyond the loss of funds, ransomware may cause loss of life as well. Personal health information is valuable to cybercriminals such as identity thieves, so ransomware gangs have been launching more and more campaigns targeting healthcare providers. In fact, one ransomware campaign in September 20, 2020 indirectly resulted in the death of a patient in Germany.

Because it was dealing with a ransomware attack that day, the Duesseldorf University Hospital had to turn away a female patient who was in urgent need of medical care. Tragically, the patient did not survive being rerouted to another hospital 30 kilometers away.

After the German police reached out to the ransomware gang, the latter withdrew their ransomware demand and gave the hospital the decryption key they needed to unlock their data. While the cybercriminals in this incident showed conscientiousness, other cybercrime rings may be far more cruel and have no qualms putting people’s lives on the line.

2. Infrastructure will be targeted by hackers

The recent attack on a water treatment facility in Oldsmar, Florida has alarmed the federal government because of how easily it was pulled off. A hacker infiltrated the plant’s control system by using TeamWeaver, a tool the plant’s engineers use to remotely monitor and adjust the facility’s machines. The hacker increased the water’s level of lye — an ingredient in drain cleaners — to lethal concentrations, but fortunately, a plant operator noticed the altered settings and manually reverted them to normal. According to state officials, if no one had caught the anomaly, hundreds of town residents would have fallen ill or died.

The attack on the water treatment facility was one of the main reasons why the US government has begun beefing up the cybersecurity of another infrastructure component: power grids. The Department of Energy will work with operators and owners so that power utility control systems are rarely connected or completely disconnected from the public internet and that no remotely issued commands will be executed. With the electric grid as its starting point, the government plans to upgrade the cybersecurity of other infrastructure sectors as well.

The US government has begun beefing up the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure by starting with power grids.

3. Some multifactor authentication (MFA) methods are being bypassed by hackers

Not all MFA methods are created equal — and cybercriminals are taking advantage of the weaker ones. SMS and automated voice call MFA are particularly vulnerable because the one-time passcodes (OTPs) they deliver aren’t encrypted. These OTPs can easily be stolen by cybercriminals via automated man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, in a SIM swap attack, phone network staff may be fooled into transferring a user’s phone number onto a hacker’s SIM card. Once a SIM swap is completed, OTPs meant for the authentic user are delivered to the cybercriminal instead.

If MFA methods can be bypassed, this does not look good for businesses that have come to rely on it. Institutions such as banks will have to write off unreliable MFA tech as sunk costs, and they’ll have to revamp their IT infrastructure and processes to accommodate better MFA methods.

This is why Microsoft recommends that users use hardware security keys or OTPs generated by authenticator apps instead of SMS and automated voice call MFA.

FYI: Another cybersecurity measure that Microsoft is pushing is going passwordless. Talk to our Azure specialists to learn more about Active Directory’s frictionless access methods!

NetWize is the IT partner you need to keep up with the latest and gravest of cybersecurity threats. To learn more about what we can do for you, drop us a line today or call us at 801-747-3200.