Mother’s Day is coming right up (seriously, it is the 14th…that is Sunday!) and we’ve put together some great tech ideas for mom. The prices ranges and uses vary, so you hopefully know your mother well enough to figure out which one she will appreciate the most.

Amazon Tap

The Amazon Tap is an “Alexa” enabled portable Bluetooth speaker. You can get music from Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music and more. It also works as an assistant, where you can ask it questions, and it will have an answer for you. It provides up to 9 hours of continuous music playback and is portable, so your mom can bring it to any room in the house or anywhere she goes.

Google Home

Google Home is a better alternative to the Amazon tap if your mom uses an Android phone. This device also works as an assistant and Bluetooth speaker. If your mom uses Chromecast at home, this device can connect to that smart appliance, and others like it so your mom can use it as her remote control, turn down the lights and temperature (if those devices are set up).

Nucleus

The Nucleus is ideal for those moms that miss seeing and talking with their grandbabies or grand puppies. It can instantly connect to any Nucleus device from their mobile app, whether it is across the house, or across the country. It has video conferencing, so they can see and interact with anyone near the device. The Nucleus can also be a great intercom system that is easy to set up and easy to check in on kiddos sleeping upstairs. Whatever your use, it is a great family connector.

Nest Thermostat

With simple installation and an easy to use system, the Nest Thermostat could be the best gift you’ve ever gotten mom! Especially if she is always fighting over the temperature with your dad. Temps can be changed on a mobile app, and she won’t even have to get out of her comfy chair to have thermometer wars. Plus, with traveling mothers, this is a great way for her to check on the temperature and decrease it if she is visiting you for the weekend.

HP Spectre x360

For those of you who REALLY love your mother, or you have a ton of siblings to go in on a gift with, or who need to do some major sucking up, check out the HP Spectre x360. It is a laptop/tablet with 4K display that you can use Windows Ink pen to draw on the screen. It is super thin, lightweight, and the battery can last up to 15 hours.

Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones

Let’s face it. We probably annoy our mother from time to time. Headphones are the perfect gift if she wants to tune everyone out. She can listen to music that sounds more clear, or she can enjoy absolute peace and quiet. If you go this route, make sure to purchase the headphones that are compatible with her phone (either iPhone or Android), because they do have models that specify a device.

Roku Express

Help mom cut the cable cord, with one of these super cheap Roku Expresses. A streaming device gives mom all the streaming advantages, at a fraction of the cost. And the remote is super easy to use, so she can have it memorized in no time!

If you run out of time, moms always appreciate flowers, candy, or spending some time with their favorite humans. Don’t forget to give her a call and tell her how much you appreciate her and all she’s done for you. Happy Mother’s Day!

Last week’s blog included tips on how to be proactive in your network security. One of those ways was to train your personnel. This week we will discuss why it is so important to have a trained staff. Here are five ways employees can compromise your data security.

1. Inside Job

Thinking this is an inside job is the worst one to bring up, but we will just go ahead and get it right out of the way. Yes, sometimes your employees can be so mad about something that they will attack your organization from the inside. These can be very hard to detect and can be very costly! According to a CNET article, insider attacks cost US businesses $40 billion in 2013 alone. While employees aren’t going to be attacking your systems while they are happily employed, be more aware of30 days before and after they leave. Be sure to close their email access, VPN access, and any other access that they might have. I don’t mean to sound cynical, but it’s better to be safe with your system than sorry you neglected it.

2. Unsafe Downloads

Employees can download anything to their workstations, and this can be extremely dangerous. They might think it is a helpful app they need to complete their work, an attachment from an unknown email source, or a hidden Trojan in a torrent download. You’d be lucky if the infection is only limited to their workstation, however that rarely happens. Usually, it spreads from their computer to the entire network. The most efficient way to keep this from happening is to complete employee education. Make sure your people know what to look out for and continually remind them of current threats.

3. Phishing

Phishing is the unsafe downloads to the extreme. Hackers often imitate legitimate customers and vendors that your employees interact with every day. Once they have this cover, they simply ask for the information they want. It can come in the form of a phone call or an email, and they are usually excellent at pretending. Again, the best security measure against phishing attacks are having knowledgeable employees. Make sure they know the signs. You can also create a policy that requires all sensitive information given out to go through one person. That way, your employees won’t be tempted to give any of that information out, they can simply say that the person needs to talk to Mr. I.T. Director or whoever is designated.

4. Not Following the Proper Password Practice

I talk about this one a lot, but it is important to have a hard to guess password. Your password should have Uppercase and lowercase letters, plus numbers and symbols to make it hard for hackers to guess or crack. Also, (and I know you don’t want to hear it) you should change your password on a regular basis to make it the most secure. All it takes is for one person in your organization to set their password to “password” or “123456,” and it's easy street for any hacker looking to gain entry. Make sure to set your network preferences to REQUIRE your employees to change their password every three months and have it not match any previous password choice.

5. Access Issues

Make sure your employees only have access to things they NEED. Not just because they might get into documents that are confidential, but if they open those documents they have a cached copy on their workstation. Having this copy on their workstation gives a hacker another way for them to access sensitive material. Other downfalls of access to everything is the possibility of deletion, accidental email attachment, or compromise of the data. It is best to make sure your files are locked down and only accessed by those individuals that require it.

The most important takeaway from these key methods is to talk to your employees and train them on what you expect and why. Telling people to do something doesn’t always work. It is much better to explain WHY they need to follow these simple rules and let them know what could happen if they don’t. Getting hacked is no fun, and can cause numerous hours of downtime and lost productivity if it occurs.

Why wait around for your network to become compromised? There are some simple methods you can start putting in place now to be proactive in this hacker day-of-age.

1.    Get Support

The buy in and measurements required to support a network-wide security measure is imperative. You need to get your manager’s/boss’s full support, so they understand the scale of what you want to do and the threat that is making you want to take those measures.

The best way to garner support from those key executives is to show them the numbers. High-level employees/board members want to see the costs involved and what they can gain from those expenses. Also, remind them that this is not a “one-time” fix to a problem. Network security is an ongoing problem that will need budget allocations every year to keep up with the new threats out there.

2.    Create a Companywide Policy and Enforce it

Good intentions are just that, good intentions. Make sure there is a companywide policy that states what the best safety measures for your organization and distributes it to all employees. Make sure this is a “living” document, to ensure all changes or unforeseen events are added or modified if necessary. Once your policy is in place, and everyone has a copy, you need to ensure enforcement within the company. A policy does no good to protect your network security if people don’t follow the safety guidelines.

3.    Training Your Personnel

A policy is a great start, but what if your employees have no clue what the jargon means? It is important to train your employees WHY there is a policy and WHAT it means. The policy will include what to look for, what things to avoid, and who to send questionable items to if they aren’t sure if it is safe or not. Make them understand that not knowing something isn’t a bad thing, it is a learning opportunity, and it is better to be “safe than sorry.”

4.    BYOD

This policy is entirely up to each company. People bringing in and using their own devices can potentially cause a threat to an organization’s security if it isn’t handled the right way. Some of these devices don’t follow safety guidelines and can be a target for hackers to gain entry to even the most secure networks. Figure out if the risk is worth it, or if you want to enact specific security guidelines on those using their own devices. Also, make everyone stick to the policy once it is enacted.

5.    Backups

Always have a plan in place in case of an emergency. Even with the most secure networks, there is a possibility of a breach, if the hacker wants to gain entrance bad enough. It is smart to have a very reliable and up-to-date backup of any, and all documents that they might need in the future. Make sure to keep an eye on your backup to ensure it is doing its job, and test to see if you can restore data from it if that day ever comes.

Cyber criminals are at it again, and their latest and greatest favorite malware strain is called Cerber. Just like its Greek mythology namesake, Cerberus (Hound of Hades), it packs a punch and keeps your head spinning. 

Last week, four of our customers were held ransom by Cerber. We immediately started double checking and shutting down any remaining RDP (remote desktop protocol) ports that were still open, and are working diligently to beef up security measures to protect against this strain of ransomware.

You might wonder why the sudden outbreak in our little neck of the woods. The truth of the matter is that hackers don’t care about location. They do a random search finding open RDP ports (or whatever method they choose to infiltrate your network) and get a block of IP addresses. Once they have those IP addresses, they just start the attacks. Blocks of IP addresses are usually targeted to a region/area, thus making Grand Junction, Colorado this hacker’s new target location, even if they don’t know where it is on a map.

With the way this ransomware runs, unless you want to pay a fortune, the only option is to restore your backup files. Unfortunately, this can be a slow process depending on Internet speed, server speed, and the quantity of data to be restored. The much faster, locally stored Shadow Copy does not work in this instance, as Cerber locates that file and destroys it immediately.

Even though this particular hacker uses the open ports in the firewall to enter a network, doesn’t mean tactics can’t switch back to the tried and true click bait scheme. Make sure you inform your employees to be careful when opening any unknown emails, attachments, or website links. It is the MOST COMMON method ransomware, and other viruses get entry to your network.

If you are unsure about something, send it over to our Help Desk so they can review it helpdesk@networksunlimited.com, or give us a call and ask before you open anything.

Channel Partners, a resource for indirect sales channels offering IT and telecom systems and services, is pleased to announce that Networks Unlimited has been selected as a winner of the 2017 Channel Partners 360⁰ Business Value Awards.

Twenty-five winners were honored during an awards reception on April 12 at the Spring 2017 Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.

“Our 2017 Channel Partners 360° Business Value Awards winners offer a master class on thriving through disruption,” said Lorna Garey, editor in chief of Channel Partners. “The past few years are arguably the most tumultuous I’ve seen in nearly two decades covering the technology industry. Customers need help, and our CP360° winners delivered. They identified and solved business problems, dramatically increased productivity and saved clients’ money while at the same time transitioning their businesses into a new era of digital services selling and mastering complex technologies like SD-WAN.”

Since its start in 2001, Networks Unlimited has grown every year as a leader in proactive IT solutions allowing their clients to conduct business without technological interruption. NU focuses on full-service IT, managed services, computer and networking sales and support in Western Colorado. Networks Unlimited also offers a live, local help desk to ensure their customers get back up and running quickly. Networks Unlimited learns about businesses, how they grow, their challenges and changes within the industry to find the best-customized technology solution. Whether it is a small business or a large corporation, Networks Unlimited is there to help.

Channel Partners 360° Business Value Awards winners are selected by a panel of editors based on real-world case studies that illustrate how the partner is using the convergence of IT and telecom services to create business value for its customers.

Colorado Companies to Watch (CCTW) today announced the 2017 Finalists of the 9th Annual Colorado Companies to Watch Awards, a unique program that honors 50 high-performing 2nd stage companies from across the state for their performance in the marketplace, innovative products, unique processes, and philanthropic actions.

“The 2017 Colorado Companies to Watch Finalists represent the state’s most innovative and impactful businesses,” said Rick Ninneman, CCTW Chairman of the Board. “We are proud to recognize the contributions of 2nd stage companies in Colorado, that often work behind the scenes creating the bulk of economic growth in our state.”

Second-stage companies are those that have moved past the startup stage and into a period of growth. The 2017 Finalists selected significantly impact the state’s economy by collectively providing thousands of jobs and contributing millions of dollars in revenue while representing Colorado’s diverse economic landscape.

CCTW receives close to 1,000 nominations year after year, 100 are chosen as finalists. Of these, 50 winners will ultimately be chosen by the esteemed CCTW volunteer judging panel. Winners will be announced at the 9th Annual Gala Awards Dinner on Friday, June 23, 2017 at the Denver Marriott City Center. Registration for the event will open soon at ColoradoCompaniestoWatch.org.

Colorado Companies to Watch is an awards program honoring 2nd-stage companies headquartered in the state of Colorado. The 400 companies that have been honored since the program’s inception demonstrate high performance in the marketplace or exhibit innovative products or processes. The program is designed to seek businesses from a wide range of industries throughout the state, not just the major metropolitan areas. The 50 companies selected each year make an astounding impact on Colorado's economy by collectively providing thousands of jobs and contributing millions of dollars in revenue. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) launched the program in 2009 in conjunction with the Edward Lowe Foundation and valuable community partners from across Colorado.

CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Networks Unlimited to its 2017 Tech Elite 250 list. This annual list honors an exclusive group of North American IT solution providers that have earned the highest number of advanced technical certifications from leading technology vendors, scaled to their company size.

To compile the annual list, The Channel Company’s research group and CRN editors work together to identify the most customer-beneficial technical certifications in the North American IT channel. Solution providers that have obtained these elite designations—which enable them to deliver premium products, services, and customer support—are then selected from a pool of online applicants.

Networks Unlimited prides itself on hiring the most skilled employees to stay ahead of the ever-evolving world of technology. All of our employees continually seek out training and certification on the newest technology trends and systems that will be most beneficial to our customers.

“This exclusive, ambitious group of solution providers boasts some of the most advanced IT certifications available from top technology suppliers,” said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. “They have adapted impressively to major changes in the IT channel, especially the shift to a more services-driven market, by expanding their skill sets and sharpening both their technical and customer service expertise. Congratulations to our 2017 list, whose robust investment in their organizations have earned them yet another elite designation—the CRN Tech Elite 250.”

Networks Unlimited President, Mark Swain, stated: “Being recognized by CRN as a Tech Elite in our industry is an immense honor.” He continues, “Being one of the top 250 IT solution providers in all of North America proves that by having knowledgeable staff and providing the best customer service is the best way for Networks Unlimited to continue to remain a leader in the industry.”

Coverage of the Tech Elite 250 will be featured in the April issue of CRN, and online at www.crn.com/techelite250.

I’m not sure if anyone still goes through the “spring cleaning” process at homes, but we’ve got some tips for office spring cleaning to maintain your technology to keep it at top speeds and ensure it is the most reliable.

1.       Defrag

Make sure all those little Tetris blocks are in the correct spot so your computer can find things faster and run more smoothly. Find the steps to defrag your computer here.

2.       Firewall Love

Make sure it is turned on. Why? It’s a barrier between your computer network and the internet that hackers are trying to steal. If you need some help on how to turn it on, click here.

3.       Run Anti Spy and Adware Programs

Spyware and adware can seriously slow your computer down, not to mention the fact that spyware is stealing your information and transmitting it to hackers and adware downloads crummy advertising material to your computer.

4.       Antivirus Software

Keep it active and updated! This program is designed to prevent, detect, and remove viruses and other dangerous software that can get onto your computer. Windows computers usually come with Windows Defender, if you don’t utilize the internet much or want a ton of features, however, if you’re online a lot and need more features you’ll want to beef up your protection by purchasing an antivirus.

5.       Trash It

Go through your documents, videos, photos, and programs that you don’t need and delete them. While you’re at it, delete your trash file too. Lightening the load on your hard drive will help speed up your programs to make sure that you’re running at top speed!

6.       Update It

Stop putting off all those annoying updates that are looming at the bottom of your computer. Update them all and get the newest, latest, greatest version of the programs you use, not to mention, all the patches, updates, and fixes that the programs will be fixing during those updates. 

If you don’t want to do your spring cleaning yourself, you can always bring it into either one of our offices (Grand Junction or Montrose), and we can take care of it for you. Call for costs (970) 243-3311. Happy spring cleaning!!

Social Media is the thing that every marketer tells you that you NEED to focus on, but there are a few things that they always fail to mention when toting how great it all is.

1.    It Isn’t Completely Free

The actual platforms are completely free, that is true. However, the amount of time you put in to building your profiles and updating the content as much as you should, is not free. Also, social media apps tend not to spread your message quite as far and wide as you think, unless you are paying for ads. Don’t let that deter you from diving in to the wonderful world of social media. It is a great tool to use to reach your audience, and hey, what in this world IS perfect?

2.    Patterns are Different for Each Business

Every business is unique. Each place has a certain demographic they are targeting and a specific set of competitors fighting for the same customers. You can’t ask someone in a completely different field what their data or demographics look like; it won’t be the same as yours. One strategy does not fit all – so be sure to take a long hard look at what you are trying to achieve, and create a plan around that. Looking to build a younger fan base? Find the social platform they are currently using and put your efforts into building it out with great content that they will enjoy, and better yet, SHARE! Every decision you make needs to make sense, not just doing it for the sake of checking off a box.

3.    Data Can’t Tell You Everything

You can find out the percentage of males versus females who view your brand, but data isn’t everything. Data won’t tell you how those people feel about your brand or product, or if they’ve had a terrible interaction with someone in your organization or one of your products. Data also won’t help you generate new ideas to enhance your brand or product. If you know what questions to ask, data is your best friend, but without any indication or insight, the data that comes from social media and analytics is worthless. So, go ahead with compiling your data, but make sure that you know what you’re looking for.

4.    Social Media is Better with More Followers

This is one of those instances where more IS better. No matter how hard you try to get your message out there, if you don’t have a lot of followers, not many people will see it. When you are just starting out, your ROI is going to be terrible; you will put out all this great stuff and your reach will be dismally small. Don’t fret. Just keep doing you and your followers will grow from likes and shares of friends and you will eventually see your ROI increase. Just don’t fool yourself that it will happen just because you create a social media page.

5.    You Don’t Have to be on EVERY Social Media Platform

Just because it is out there doesn’t mean that you must do it all. Remember secret number one? It all takes time; time to create your profile; time to update content; time to come up with original ideas. Only use platforms that will get you closer to the demographic you’re going after. Choose your social media forms with an eye aimed towards getting more exposure for yourself, while also being able to create meaningful content on a regular basis. Your efforts will fail if you don’t put the time in to keep content updated, interesting, and geared are your target market. Be choosy!

6.    You Will Fail…a Lot

This is just a fact of life. You will forget to put hashtags on posts, or forget to create a special hashtag for an entire event or campaign. You will see a competitor have an amazing campaign that you wish you would have thought of first. You will want to bash your head against the wall when algorithms change (or maybe that is just me). Unfortunately, that is all part of the evolution of social media and figuring out that you will never be perfect is the only way to survive and thrive. Get out there and try things; if it doesn’t work, you can adjust and learn from your mistakes to create better content in the future.

There will always be a lot of hurdles to whatever you are doing when trying to reach customers. The most important thing is to have a plan. If you know what direction your business wants to go, then you can use social media to get there. Targeting the “sweet spot” in YOUR market is what you’re trying to accomplish, after all.

Printers. Every office has one, but do you think any more about it unless it isn’t currently working? Should you?

The answer is yes. Printers can be one of the biggest risks to your network security. Per HP, “There are hundreds of millions of business printers in the world and less than 2% of them are secure.”, which is a great thing for anyone wanting to wreak havoc in your organization. Listed below are some of the main threats and vulnerabilities found in printers and some ways to mitigate them.

1.       Snooping

This is one of the most overlooked things in any organization. People can walk over to a printer and pick up documents that are confidential and see more than they should. If your printer doesn’t allow for secure print, those financials, employee information or other confidential material are out in the open.

If your printer can securely print, use it. If it does not, place the printer in a public area where it is highly visible. This will cut down on people snooping through documents that aren’t theirs, due to ability of being caught. If you are printing lots of sensitive material, it might be wise to purchase a printer for yourself and install it in your office, or a management only area, where most employees don’t have access to.

2.       Internal Storage

If your printer has an internal storage feature, be sure to wipe it clean before you throw it away or donate it to someone else. Internal storage can save print jobs, scans, faxes and copies that are made on it. All information should be purged from the machine, just like you would do with a computer.

Always do a thorough wipe of any technology that is being donated or recycled. This will ensure that your data stays private.

3.       Hacking

If you have an older model of printer or one that doesn’t have a password-protected feature, it can be very easy for a hacker to access your entire network. If that printer is also connected to the internet, the ability of hackers to get your business’s information is limitless; transmitting faxes, reroute print jobs elsewhere, retrieve saved copies of documents, or installing malware on your printer to infect your entire network are just some of the examples of problems hackers can cause.

First, always keep your machines updated. Firmware and drivers should be checked regularly to ensure the most updated version is on them. These updates guarantee the latest security features are loaded on your equipment and any holes are fixed.

Second, check your internet connection. If you don’t use this feature, just disable/disconnect it. If you do use it, make sure that you are using an encrypted connection (think https:// instead of just http:// if you access a website from your printer).

HP has a new printer campaign out that shows how easy it is for your printers to get hacked, how they do it, and what information they can gain from it. View the full video here: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/solutions/security/thewolf.html?jumpid=va_87trme41uf# Obviously, HP is setting up a “worst case scenario” to scare the pants off of you, but the key message rings true; if your system isn’t updated and protected, there are ways for the bad guys to gain entrance.

Employee Appreciation Day is fast approaching (hint hint, it’s Friday!), and while a quick thank you to the whole company is much appreciated, here are a couple ideas to go above and beyond:

1.       Food

Buying some office snacks, springing for breakfast or catering a lunch are all great ways for you to show some extra love to your employees, plus people need to eat, and appreciate it more when it’s free!

2.       Relaxation

Helping the office vibe by offering some relaxation techniques for an hour one day could benefit everyone’s mental health. Hire a massage therapist, yoga instructor or meditation coach to come in and give a class or offer their services to your staff.

3.       Gifts

Who doesn’t love getting something, even as small as a coffee gift card. For $5 an employee, they can feel the extra appreciation, and get an extra jolt of energy during that afternoon lull.

4.       Intrigue

Getting out of office chairs is an underutilized daily activity, and what better way to get people moving than to organize a company-wide scavenger hunt. Hide some things around your office or campus and email clues out. It also doubles as gifts, depending on what you hide or what the reward for figuring out the clue.

5.       Happy Hour

Letting everyone kick back and relax while they finish their work day week, can be a bonus to employees. Figure out if this is right for your company, but socializing with coworkers over some drinks can bring about some great ideas and more communication.

6.       New Technology (our FAVORITE IDEA!)

If you know employees are frustrated with old, outdated technology, make them feel more productive and listened to by investing in some new technology.

CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Networks Unlimited to its 2017 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Pioneer 250 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with cutting-edge approaches to delivering managed services. Their offerings help companies navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of IT, improve operational efficiencies, and maximize their return on IT investments.

In today’s fast-paced business environments, MSPs play an important role in helping companies leverage new technologies without straining their budgets or losing focus on their core business. CRN’s MSP 500 list shines a light on the most forward-thinking and innovative of these key organizations.

Networks Unlimited primarily focuses on small to mid-sized businesses and helping them get the services they need in order to expand their businesses. With their Managed Services offerings, they are best able to customize solutions to fit the needs of any sized organization.

The list is divided into three categories: the MSP Pioneer 250, recognizing companies with business models weighted toward managed services and largely focused on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, recognizing large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on-premise and off-premise services; and the Managed Security 100, recognizing MSPs focused primarily on off-premise, cloud-based security services.

“Managed service providers play an increasingly important role in the day-to-day operations of businesses across North America,” said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. “MSPs help organizations streamline their spending, effectively allocate limited resources, and benefit from advanced expertise in the latest technologies. We congratulate the service providers on CRN’s 2017 MSP500 list, who have continually succeeded in meeting their customers’ changing needs and help them get the most out of their IT investments.”

“It is an honor to be recognized as one of the top Managed Service Providers, especially as part of the Pioneer 250 group,” said Networks Unlimited President, Mark Swain. “We work hard to offer services catered to the specific needs of our customers in order to help them achieve their business goals and be able to grow their companies.”

The MSP500 list will be featured in the February 2017 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/msp500.

As the end-of-year paperwork is being mailed out for tax preparation, scammers are also preparing themselves to get in on the tax action.

The IRS has issued some new Consumer Alerts regarding Tax Scams:

IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scams

“An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, but are not. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.”

Surge in Email, Phishing and Malware Schemes

“The IRS has issued several alerts about the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scammers trying to gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. Scammers use the regular mail, telephone, fax or email to set up their victims. When identity theft takes place over the web (email), it is called phishing.”

Tax Refund Scam Artists Posing as Taxpayer Advocacy Panel

“According to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), taxpayers are receiving emails that appear to be from TAP about a tax refund. These emails are a phishing scam, where unsolicited emails which seem to come from legitimate organizations — but are really from scammers — try to trick unsuspecting victims into providing personal and financial information. Do not respond or click the links in them. If you receive an email that appears to be from TAP regarding your personal tax information, please forward it to phishing@irs.gov and note that it seems to be a scam email phishing for your information.”

There are more out there so please make sure your data and information stay safe this tax season! Refer to the IRS website to stay updated on all the scams they’ve heard about and are warning the public of: https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-scams-consumer-alerts.

Is your IT infrastructure working as well as it should be? When Networks Unlimited on boards new customers, we usually see a HUGE influx of help desk calls within the first few weeks of the customer signing on. The help desk calls are normally the small nagging issues that haven’t been considered important enough to fix in the past, but are slowing down work time for your employees. You might not even be aware that you are outgrowing your current system, but these 5 signs are good indicators that you might need to re-think your IT structure and future growth.

1.       Your Company is Rapidly Growing

This is one of the most obvious signs that you need to start thinking about technology in a more cohesive manner; when it’s no longer you and a couple employees anymore. When you are on-boarding new people, they don’t always know the technology protocols that seem “simple” to you. You need to write procedures, policies, and have a system. You need to think about what technology you currently have and how it will work when you have 10, 20, or 50 employees. If you’re going to need something more in the future, you can start budgeting for that expenditure now. With the amount of reliance we all have on technology, be sure to put a plan in to your future expansion goals.

2.       Complaints from Employees

You might not always get to hear the flat-out complaints, but aversion to calling tech support, grumblings about slow computers, or slow moving programs are signs that you need to reconsider what you’re currently working with. These are the initial warnings that employees are unable to be as productive as possible because they are limping along on equipment that isn’t working correctly. These problems can be as simple to fix as a good computer cleaning, or updating programs, but it could be more serious, like purchasing new components or replacing the equipment all together. Take these grumblings seriously, and see what is going on before the technology just dies.

3.       A Work Process Takes Longer Than It Should

It’s human nature to adopt certain things as the “right” process. Whether processes are learned behaviors from predecessors, or quirks adopted when something doesn’t work quite right. These extra steps can increase the amount of time it takes someone to complete a task (and add unknown annoyances). As stated above, employees get used to limping along on equipment that isn’t working quite right, and they create a process to get around it in order to complete their jobs. When you’re spending more time on the workarounds and less time on the actual work, it might be time to start looking at how to solve these inefficiencies with updated programs, software, or equipment.

4.       Users looking for outside applications

This one isn’t always a bad thing. It is great when something new is put on the market that will make your life so much easier! It becomes less great if you have a lot of your employees using programs that you never thought you needed and aren’t tracking. This is a red flag that you might need to invest some time or money in trying to figure out the BEST software needed for each of your employees. Managing employee software will also help you keep programs updated and organized.

5.       The Mobile Future

How often do you utilize your cell phone, tablet, or other device when you aren’t at your computer? If you’re doing it, most likely, your employees are doing it too. Figure out ahead of time what you want your mobile policy to be and how encouraging the use of these devices can be incorporated into your IT plan. Should you be moving your systems to Microsoft Office 365, instead of buying programs one at a time? Will the use of mobile devices hurt the integrity of your infrastructure and security? Get ahead of this trend in your company before it becomes a problem.

Whether you ‘re just starting out, going through a boom, or are a large, established business, Networks Unlimited can help you in every phase of your business. We have different options for every turn your business takes to help will alleviate these major problems. Call our knowledgeable team today to see what we can do to help you plan for your IT future! (970) 243-3311 / sales@networksunlimited.com.

January 22-28 is National Clean out Your Inbox Week (I know, I know. There are special days for everything if you look hard enough). Ah, the email inbox. It can be a place of joy or terror depending on your organization and cleaning skills, but there is no need to fear it anymore! These easy tips will help you master your inbox and, hopefully, will help you easily sort and find all those pesky emails that keep flooding in.

1. Conversation Mode – This mode can be really helpful if you get a lot of group emails, or emails that are linked together by the same subject. This mode automatically groups all of these together into one single headline, with the individual emails able to expand out, if wanted, which is super helpful to keep all of your similar emails together.
2. Categories – If you hate the conversation mode look, you can just assign category colors to conversations. Colors help you easily identify items that belong together and helps you reference like items faster.
3. Email Folders – Like regular paper filing, you can digitally file your emails into folders. This is another way to keep like-minded emails together and easy to find. One step further in this is to automatically send new email directly into these folders. This step automatically helps you keep your inbox clean, but it also has the added benefit of making sure you don’t linger on less important emails. These will go straight to their folder to be viewed later, instead of piquing your interest immediately.
4. Filters – Do you remember flagging an email, or that it has an attachment, but you can’t seem to find it? Outlook allows you to filter emails based on importance level, flagging, category, attachments and more!
5. Archive Folders – If you’re done with a project or file folder and you don’t need to use it on a regular basis, archive it. You can always go back to it and open it up to refresh your mind when you need to, but it won’t be bogging down your email’s size any more.
6. Delete Items – This is the easiest way to clean out your inbox…just delete things. There are tons of newsletters (but obviously not ours), mailing list emails, junk, and just old messages you no longer need. That cleansing, zen feeling is all that junk disappearing…forever.

Congratulations!!! You are well on your way to a clean, organized inbox. Time to reward all of your hard work!

We all know about the need for video surveillance in today’s world (unfortunately), but do you know what goes in to the “behind the scenes” in order to make sure it is efficient and effective?

When first setting up a system, you need to map out the areas you want covered. This makes sure that you don’t miss an area and end up with a blind spot. After that, you need to figure out how you want things recorded. Onsite? Offsite? How long should the footage be kept? There is also the matter of upkeep, maintenance, and making sure that your cameras are actually doing their job and recording material.

There are so many questions, why not go the hosted service route? Some of the benefits of going hosted with your video surveillance are:

• Video camera status monitoring
• Off-line camera notifications
• Off-site DVR footage storage
• Automatic camera updates
• Local camera support
• On-site setup

Hosted video service is a great option for businesses that don’t have the time, resources, or space available to host their video surveillance at their own location. Hosted video eliminates the questions of whether your video is always recording, your camera is working properly, or making sure the overall health of your system stays in good shape.

So, take it easy on yourself and rest assured that your business will be covered by utilizing our Hosted Video Surveillance service. To learn more about the service, contact our Sales team by phone (970) 243-3311 or email sales@networksunlimited.com. 

Most of us are aware of the basic ways our computers become vulnerable to hackers; visiting infected websites, having easy to guess passwords, opening attachments/links sent via email, but one of the most forgotten or unknown weak points of a computer is not updating your software.

Software updates are something we rarely think about, but they are so important to the health and security of our computer. When software manufacturers come out with updates, it is partly due to them finding weak points that hackers can use to infiltrate your computer. An exposure can lead to hackers accessing all of the information on your computer and network undetected.

Vulnerability is defined as a combination of these three components:

1. A system susceptibility or flaw
2. A hacker’s access to the flaw
3. A hacker’s ability to exploit the flaw

To exploit these vulnerabilities in software, the hacker uses a piece of code to bypass the system’s antivirus/security systems that are in place. Once the systems are bypassed the hacker has full access to all of the information on your computer. Some of the major software they target include Adobe, Flash and QuickTime. Basically, they focus their energy on any software located on the majority of computers to get a bigger bang for their buck.

Luckily, you don’t have to worry about keeping your business computers updated all on your own! Networks Unlimited offers a Managed Service that automatically keeps your computer updated on the latest software updates and patches. To learn more about our Patch Management service, visit our website or give us a call (970) 243-3311. 

With another year comes a whole slew of new resolutions. They always range from being a healthier person to being kinder or more patient, but what about your security habits? With cyber security hacks on the rise, have you thought about your online security?

Passwords. With major companies getting hacked, your security is severely at risk. Are you making sure to change all passwords every time an announcement comes out? If not, you could be putting yourself at risk unnecessarily. The best practice is to update your password every couple of months. This will keep you ahead of the attacks.

Technology Guidelines. Does your company have protocols in place? If an unusual email comes to someone, does that employee know how to handle it or who to contact? Technology guidelines at your office helps everyone gain a clear understanding of what they should be doing in uncertain technical situations. With humans being the last line of defense for most attacks, make sure your staff is trained up to cut down on mishaps.

Public Wi-Fi. Hackers use any means necessary to gain access to personal information. This includes getting to you through public Wi-Fi, which include your favorite coffee shop or hotel chain. These public hotspots are notoriously easy to breach and hackers can intercept private or classified information if they so choose. If you still want to use the public Wi-Fi, make sure your file sharing is turned off. Make sure your browser is secure by using HTTPS. Enable two-factor authentication for all of your email and social media to add a layer of protection in case someone does figure out your password. Always forget the network when you are done using the public Wi-Fi.

Monitor IT Traffic. Anti-virus and firewalls can help curb attacks on your network, but you need to also be monitoring outgoing IT traffic. Seeing suspicious outbound traffic may help your business detect threats before they become major issues. Early detection allows incidents to be assessed and remediated before things get out of hand. If in doubt, call someone to check things out. You could be saving yourself or your company from major problems.

Planning for a Data Breach. Do you have a plan in place if/when this happens? While it might not be a fun exercise, it is a crucial one. What will you do if your data is stolen or locked down? How will your business operate? Who should you contact? All of these questions should have answers in order to plan for a worst-case-scenario situation. In addition to having this plan in place, make sure you practice it with employees; test out the what-ifs to make sure everyone knows what to do in the event of a data breach.

A new year gives you the fresh opportunity to create a more secure work environment. Make cyber security a priority in your technology plan this year! If you need help figuring out where to begin, give us a call (970) 243-3311.

According to thehackernews.com, a new campaign attack has begun. This one is targeting all sorts of social media! Facebook messenger and LinkedIn have reportedly been hijacked to spread the Locky Ransomware.

It is done by booby-trapping JPG images. In some cases, you don’t even have to download the image file, the malicious program forcibly downloads to your computer. Once the malware is in your system, it encrypts all files until the ransom is paid. Read more about the Locky Ransomware here.

If you have any concerns about possible infection, contact us for help. (970) 243-3311 / sales@networksunlimited.com

Networks Unlimited was named one of the Top 250 Private Companies in Colorado 2016 by ColoradoBiz Magazine. Networks Unlimited is only one of 6 companies to earn this honor in Grand Junction.

The magazine annually ranks and recognizes the largest private businesses located in Colorado based on revenue growth. This is the first time Networks Unlimited has made the list, coming in at #223. The list is ranked according to the company’s gross revenues over the last year and the percent of change throughout the company’s years in business. The list also takes into account the number of employees within the company.

ColoradoBiz Magazine has been published for over 40 years and is the state’s leading business publication.

“Being on this list for the first year is a testament to our commitment to our customers and the efforts of our staff to continually provide the best customer service in the industry.” states Mark Swain, President of NU. “Getting to know our customers in order to help them achieve their goals is a guiding principle for our company. Creating lasting relationships and providing the best products and services we can sets us apart from our competition!”