Backup, backup, backup

Storage is never permanent or infallible. Otherwise, we would not offer data recovery services. All hard drives fail eventually and sometimes suddenly. Flash sticks get lost and broken. Servers and the like get hacked or go down for reasons above most people’s pay grade. Even cloud services don’t last forever. So left with no single best solution we must diversify. And by doing so add more complexity to the operation. That’s why we also offer managed backup services. We worry about what is working and when it is not like our other managed and monitor or worry-free offers. Not only will we help avoid data recovery costs and lost productivity but guard against the most consequential information security threat currently, ransomware. Keeping software up to date is the best and first defense against ransomware but incremental off-site backups add another vital layer of security. Incremental backups of only the changes since the last backup save time and bandwidth. The most important step is to secure and lock down the backup system with encryption and authentication. Long complex passwords for all users. Only grant administrative access when appropriate. Be sure the storage security actually works and is up to date as well. Employ encryption for all data in transit. Finally, always test the backups regularly to be sure the data is ready for when any possible disaster or infection occurs. Let CPR handle all this for your business so there is no need to worry about what could happen to your information. We take extra care to look out for the next threat while consistently preparing, securing and auditing systems every day because our customers deserve to use technology as a tool for making money instead a burden to fret over. We support all backup solutions and will ask about your backup situation when you come in!

Be careful about what you put online.

Everything we disclose to any service, product, site or person online is potentially public. Of course, that is often the point when we post online to social media for example. However too often the supposed secrets like passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc. will leak to the internet. Always consider anything you give to a corporation is potentially public at some point. Even when using encryption there are no perfect solutions and most anything is broken with time. Don’t give any information to any third party as so much as you trust them. Never use the same password twice and utilize a separate email address for each purpose. And always use a password manager to make that process much easier. No legitimate service (outside government) requires a social security number so just never type it anywhere. Tokenized payment systems are more secure than using the chip on a credit card and only require the card once. Passwords are often stolen by malware so it’s also imperative to keep your computer up to date and the web access filtered. Most people don’t need to know how to repair a computer or how to make once safe to use with sensitive information. Call or come by for technical support and/or our CPR Checkup malware protection and filtering subscriptions.