We’ve said it several times before. The last line of defense for almost all bad things in IT is a good backup. Does it make sense that your Microsoft 365 data…emails, contacts, calendars, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Teams…should absolutely be backed up and protected. Is it (I hear you cry)?

Megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes. We’ve all heard these words, seen them in file sizes on our computers, or storage remaining on our phones when we need to get rid of some of our pictures. But exactly how much is a gigabyte? What does it mean? Let’s get into it.

What is "simulated phishing?" Well, let’s start by saying that phishing is a way of contacting someone by posing to be someone else, usually in the form of an email, text message or even phone call. But what is "simulated" phishing?

Spoiler alert: Get rid of Flash. Ok, here's the thing. Adobe Flash was an add-on to most web browsers back in the day. It really enabled web sites to do a lot. It especially makes it easier for bad guys to do bad things.

You’ve just discovered there are compromised employee credentials or other sensitive data of your company exposed and available on the Dark Web. The reality is, once exposed on the Dark Web, your information cannot ever be completely removed or hidden.

Keyloggers are programs that capture everything you type. Passwords, credit card numbers, the webpages, answers to security questions – all by logging your keyboard strokes. The program is installed on your computer, usually through some form of spyware, and records what you type. All of this is then sent to the the bad guys use it to in a number of their bad guys ways.

A firewall is a network security system that monitors, and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Firewalls are typically used to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, protect networks from malicious software, and limit the spread of malicious software.

What’s the difference between Break Fix and Managed Services? Let’s compare them against each other (with plusses and minuses). Of course we’re specifically talking as these concepts relate to IT resources for organizations.

OneDrive is a Microsoft cloud storage service that lets you store your personal files in one place, share them with others, and get to them from any device connected to the internet. There are personal and business versions of OneDrive. Let’s focus on the business version.

Our Foundational IT Assessment covers 4 key areas of your IT: Your network, Microsoft 365, Cyber Security, Cyber Insurance. This takes about 2 hours of “run time” and we can do it remotely or on site. We don’t install any software and it’s non-invasive.

Password managers are amazing. These smart applications make great security easy for you and your team. They generate long random passwords for all the software you use, so you’re never tempted to reuse a password. Then, they remember these passwords for you, and even autofill logins.

You may have heard the term “algorithm” circulated more and more lately, and like all newly emerging technologies, there are some fears and stigmas attached, some warranted, some not. But what is an algorithm? An algorithm is simply a set of instructions given to precisely define a sequence of some kind. That’s pretty much it!

CoMITs is actually a made-up term. And I should know, since I'm the guy who made it up. Co-Managed IT is a collaborative relationship between a Managed Service Provider and the Internal IT resources for an organization. The MSP provides a ton of tools and resources for the Internal IT folks to take advantage of. We call those STMPs, which stands for “Software, Tools, Methodologies and Portals”.

Ok, if you have any conversations about cyber security, you’ll hear the term “authentication.” It sounds important, but what is authentication?

“The Server is down.” Yeah, we hate to hear that. Because downtime is expensive. But how expensive? That’s a really important number that we ignore way too much. Downtime. Lost productivity! Unhappy customers! Shop floor at a standstill!

So, what happens when your organization suffers from some kind of breach such as encryption theft or destruction? Does your organization have data backups or an incident response plan?

I want to show you something that we just received that is actually kind of funny. Spoiler alert it's bad guys trying to get us to give them money and we foiled it. I will show you how!

Here at Simplex-IT we’ve developed our services around an annual cycle. We consistently watch the market for emerging technologies, evaluate, and then select the best options for our clients. Each year we modify our agreements to include the appropriate new and updated services. We call this Simplex-IT Managed Services, or SiMS for short.

There are three areas where MSP’s often have more flexibility and potential value than an internal IT department. Let’s talk about staffing, tools and standards and future technologies.

Break Fix is a simple concept. It's not limited to IT. The bottom line for Break Fix is this: "When it breaks...fix it. Otherwise, leave it alone." But if you get bit by just a couple break-fix vulnerabilities, the savings you think that break-fix brings are likely gone.