ThinkTech IT Blog

If you’re using cloud applications while your employees are working from home, you are justified to be concerned about data privacy and security.  The company hosting your data is ultimately responsible for keeping hackers out of THEIR network, but most cloud breaches are due to USER ERROR.

Here are a few things you can easily do to improve security in the cloud:

• Maintain a STRONG password of at least eight (8) characters with both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Do NOT make it easy, such as “Password123!” While that technically meets the requirements, a hacker could easily crack that.
• Make sure the device you’re using to access the application is secure. You’ll need professional help installing and maintaining a strong firewall, antivirus and spam-filtering software. Don’t access your cloud applications with a device you also use to check social media sites and free e-mail accounts.
• Back up your data. If the data in the cloud is important, make sure you’re downloading it from the application and backing it up to another safe and secure location. If your account gets hacked OR if the cloud company shuts down your account, you have a copy.

Want more tips for setting up safe Work From Home networks? Check out our Free Tech Support Offer blog post or learn more at our Understanding IT Resource Center. 

Of course, if you have an immediate IT need, you can always reach us at 888-574-6365.

When employees work from home, they need access to important company files.  It’s easy to look at consumer-grade, cloud file sharing solutions like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive.  But listen up!

These applications pose a huge threat to your company because company data can be spread far and wide without central oversight of what information is being shared with whom.  Furthermore, over 7 MILLION Dropbox accounts have been hacked, giving cybercriminals a path into the company’s network.

This is even MORE important if your company has access to and/or stores financial, medical, or other sensitive data.  Using file-sharing applications like these are a clear and direct violation of data breach and compliance laws.  DON’T USE THEM FOR COMPANY DATA and use only company-approved, business-grade file-sharing applications.

Want more tips for setting up safe Work From Home networks? Check out our Free Tech Support Offer blog post or learn more at our Understanding IT Resource Center. 

Of course, if you have an immediate IT need, you can always reach us at 888-574-6365.

The cloud has proven to be an extremely useful tool for the modern business. Not only does it provide anywhere-anytime access to applications, processing, storage, et al; it also delivers those products as a service, allowing you to budget for recurring costs rather than major upfront ones. This provides your organization with functional, supported, and secure computing environments that eliminate a lot of the support costs that traditional computing environments require. It sounds like a perfect scenario for small and large businesses alike, but things aren’t always what they seem, as a lot of cloud users have found that they have incurred several hidden costs by using cloud platforms. Today, we take a look at these hidden costs.

Profitability is less the measure of being able to turn a profit, and more the measure of how much profit you can make. For the successful small business, the integration of technology can dictate what kind of annual margins you are looking at. For the new company, however, it can be something even more critical: the difference between setting a course for success, or wallowing in failure. Today we analyze the cost difference between hosting your IT in-house, or choosing to host it in the cloud.