montreal business Archives - Info-Tech Montreal

Your Policies and Security Systems are Only as Good as Your People

April 1, 2022/in Security

After a murderous GPS led him into a lake, famed Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott said, “People will never be replaced by machines. In the end, life and business are about human connections.”

We all know companies depend on their employees to forge and nurture relationships with customers, potential clients, and other coworkers. But what we don’t often realize is how important employees are in helping your company protect its technology and sensitive internal data, too.

It’s estimated that approximately 74 percent of companies have experienced a security breach due to employees violating established security rules.

Find out what it would cost you to be down because of a security breach with our Free Downtime Calculator.

To make sure your internal systems and data remain safe and secure, it’s essential to train your employees on best practices for keeping your business and data safe. We encourage you to put the following policies in place and ensure your staff follow them consistently.

Adhere to Guidelines for Strong Passwords

A strong password isn’t optional; hackers and criminals are much more likely to breach an account with a password that’s easy to guess.

Employees should follow these guidelines when creating their passwords:

Use a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters
Incorporate special characters and numbers
Use phrases
Avoid passwords that include birthdays, student IDs, the names of pets or children, hometowns, vacation spots, or other personal information that’s easy to guess or find

While conventional guidelines state that passwords should be a minimum of eight characters long, it’s better to use passwords that are at least 15 characters long.

Follow Security Group Naming Conventions

Your security groups should use secure naming conventions that adhere to a set of guidelines that standardize the names and creation of future names. This will make it easier for you to identify your host names, user accounts, and other resources and assist you with managing and monitoring the security of your various accounts.

Secure Your Equipment When You’re Away

Even if they’re only stepping away from their equipment for a moment, employees should make it a habit to secure their devices. It only takes a quick glance from the wrong person (yes, sometimes it can be a fellow colleague!) to access and misuse confidential information.

This also applies to equipment that employees may temporarily use with their unique logins. When they’re done, they should always log out and multiple individuals should never share or use the same login credentials.

Declutter Old Files

Employees should regularly declutter their old files and permanently delete files they don’t need anymore. Files are a potential source of valuable information that hackers would love to obtain – not only that, but a drive that’s full of unnecessary files can slow down your computers.

Make sure employees take steps to confirm that the files are permanently deleted, like using special software that removes the file from the device’s hard drive.

Be Vigilant When Sending Emails

Email consistently serves as one of the main vectors for security breaches. While email is convenient for providing employees with a rapid, reliable means of communication, it also gives hackers the opportunity to steal your company’s information within seconds via a harmful link or malicious attachment.

Employees should follow strict usage policies to prevent an email-related security breach:

Implement a Filing System for Emails

An email filing system isn’t only useful for organizing messages or quickly finding a specific one, but also for increasing the security of an email inbox.

For example, with a filing system, employees can quickly identify if they’re receiving a lot of emails from outside entities that pose a security risk. Organizing their emails also allows them to determine what messages have been dealt with and can be deleted, and makes it easier to spot incoming spam or phishing emails.

Know What Not to Click On

Employees should never click on attachments from unknown users and should only click on attachments when they’re expecting to receive an attachment.

If they do need to click on an attachment, they should ensure that they’re using a device with tools that scan attachments for malicious files, like an antivirus software.

Avoid Sending Internal Attachments

If your company doesn’t send internal attachments, employees will have little reason to click on a potentially harmful attachment from a trusted sender. Instead, encourage employees to use shared file storage to share files.

Know How to Safely Send Files Externally

Employees will likely need to send files to external recipients at some point. In these instances, encourage employees to use password-protected links and add expiration dates that ensure the link isn’t accessible after a stated period. These guidelines make it more secure to add files and save valuable inbox space.

How to Bolster Your Company’s Security

All of the policies in the world won’t protect your company’s data if your employees don’t follow them. If you’re not sure of the state of your company’s security, contact us today to schedule a comprehensive network security assessment.

5 Tips to Better Organize Your I.T. Department This Summer

March 4, 2022/in Tech tips

Can you feel it in the air? Spring is just around the corner and while we’re hanging on to every last bit of ski season, we’re also looking forward to the fresh start that comes with a new season.

Many folks take the opportunity when the weather turns warmer to do a spring cleaning at home – throw open those windows, dust off the furniture, and declutter the closets. While you’re at it, take that energy and give your business an I.T. spring clean-up, too!

Here are some of our top tips to declutter your tech set-up and systems this spring and set yourself up for a smooth summer (and rest of the year beyond that).

Spring Cleaning Tip 1: Delete Old User Accounts

When employees leave an organization, there’s typically a set off-boarding process they go through with HR: an interview process, hand-over work to a new hire or colleague, and make sure all loose ends are tied up. But what’s often overlooked is their User Account! Their email address, their log-in access via VPN, etc. – not only do these clutter up your server, but they are a security risk as well!

We’ve actually seen accounts from previous employees still active – with admin rights! We never assume the worst when an employee leaves, but forgetting to remove access rights is a major security risk.

Look through your system or better yet ask us to, and ensure the only active user accounts are for current staff, and that every user has the appropriate permissions.

Spring Cleaning Tip 2: Recycle Old Computers

Whether they’re piled in the corner of someone’s office or stacked in the server room, old machines do nothing but collect dust, take up space, and ultimately get in the way if anyone ever needs to access the area.

We have partnered with the Electronic Recycling Association, a nationwide business, to help you offload your old computers. Contact them directly or ask us about our recycling program, and with our IT Management, we can help arrange to have your office space cleared of clutter as soon as possible – you won’t even have to lift a finger.

Spring Cleaning Tip 3: Organize Your Server Room

Once those old computers have been cleared out, give the rest of your server room a glance. Are there tangled wires everywhere? Multiple different colors that seem to have no rhyme or reason? Servers on the floor, shelves, or stacked on top of each other? A thick coat of dust on everything?

We’ve seen it all when it comes to server rooms, but it’s important to keep them as cleaned and organized as possible. This will help make things a lot easier should a technician providing technical support ever need to access the area to make repairs or if they have to guide one of your staff to assist with troubleshooting.

Spring Cleaning Tip 4: Organize Your File System

Going digital can be both a blessing and a course. While it’s great to get all that paperwork off the floor or out of filing cabinets, it’s so much easier to let old documents gather digital dust, file things in the wrong folders, or have duplicates all over the place.

Set aside some time to do a thorough review of your file systems. Delete any duplicates, ensure that the folder structure and file paths make sense, and ensure the right permissions are given to the right people.

It’s also a good idea to implement a naming convention system if you don’t already have one in place.

Spring Cleaning Tip 5: Have Your Staff Clean Up Their Mailboxes

How old is the oldest email you have in your inbox? I bet it’s old! And the same goes for all of your employees, too. The most likely offenders are your Sent and Deleted Items as well as your Inbox!

Delete anything that’s more than 6 months old (trust us, you won’t need it) and set up a filing system to easily store and find emails for current projects that you must keep.

Spring cleaning isn’t just for your home. Organize your business, clear the clutter, and increase your security with our five tips and get yourself ready for summer. Questions? Email us today and let’s chat about how we can help in implementing effective IT Management services in your Business.

Network Assessments: the State of Your Computer Systems

February 6, 2022/in Tech tips

“Technology, right?”

The go-to line when a piece of tech or software we need to use suddenly isn’t working for us. You’ve said it, your colleagues have said it, we’ve all said it. But what if you could prevent those slip-ups? What if there was a way to ensure that your computers and the programs you rely on to run your business just – worked? And even more importantly, that your data was always secure?

(you know what’s coming next)

There is a way, of course!

Let Us Figure Out Your Network Infrastructure

With our IT support at Info-Tech Montreal, we can give you detailed network assessments .Moreover, we can answer any questions you have about the state of your company’s computer operating systems, servers, security, and more. It’s a simple process that can give us valuable insights into your network and help you to improve your network performance!

We’ll be able to see, among other things, if there are any security risks to your business, like expired user accounts from former employees, weak passwords, or passwords without an expiry date. We can set-up deadlines and minimum requirements to ensure all of your employees are working with secure password protection on their devices and software programs.

It’s not just about finding holes in security, or identifying bad practices for online and e-mail usage, though. It’s also about getting away from myths about how some of the technology works, so you can feel confident in what’s happening in the backend of your business and boost your business processes.

After the initial technology assessment is performed, we will always deliver a detailed report and will go through it with you, step by step, so you have a better understanding of the state of your I.T. infrastructure.

Performing assessments like this allow you to work with experts proactively, to catch any potential flare-ups before they erupt and cause immense amounts of stress and productivity loss for you and your team.

In fact, we recommend having a network assessment completed at least once a quarter, to ensure everything is in top shape. We understand that may not be possible for all business owners; we have an entry-level option available too. In this case, instead of running a detailed assessment on all of your computers, we will examine a handful of your top and bottom machines and create a report based on an assumption of averages.

Save yourself the panic of a reactive strategy, and schedule an assessment today using our IT services! For the month of February, these assessments are FREE for new clients! $499 value.

If you’re working on getting your business set-up for success in 2022, be sure to check out last month’s blog and review our I.T. checklist for success!

The Five I.T. Things You need when starting a business

September 2, 2021/in Tech tips

You’ve done the research; you have come up with the Next Big Thing and you are ready to launch – but what do you really need for your business when it comes to information technology? There are so many conflicting opinions on this, but we have narrowed down the 5 most important things you will need for your business, whether it is online or in person.

Today we rely more on I.T. services than many other things and starting with these five items will ensure you are well on your way.

Domain Name

Your business name is a huge part of its identity, and often when starting out people realize that what they thought was entirely unique may be one of many identically named enterprises. It is important to note that the name you choose may not be linked to the purpose of the business, and therefore there is so much crossover with domain names.
Having your own domain name sets your business apart from those who provide a similar service or product, but do not have their online presence set up properly or completely.
A domain name is the identification string, or address, of your website – not to be confused with the website itself. You can purchase a domain name through numerous different online companies, and all it takes is the click of a button and ‘swipe’ of a bank card.
It is wise to research how to make your domain name easy to access, as well as to avoid choosing a bulky, clunky name that is difficult to remember.
Beware of ‘add-on’ sales from domain name websites – you only need the name, unless you are planning to also host your website with the domain provider. Look out for hidden fees, increased rates after time, additional costs for future changes, and potential transfer fees which may be incurred should you sell your business in the future.
Be careful which suffix or TLD (top-level domain) you choose for the end of your website URL – the most common are .com, .org, or .net – along with country-specific TLDs. While some may argue that there is no difference, a .com may really come across as more credible than a. site or a. shop. In addition, a .org is often associated with a non-profit, a charity, or a similar organization.

Web Hosting Service

A web hosting service is a company that provides the technology required for you (the business owner) to publish your website on the Internet.
Your hosting service typically requires you to purchase your domain prior to hosting the website, but in some cases, they will assist you with this as well.
In addition, the Web Host will also cover the following aspects:
1. Email Accounts – this way your business email account will be personalized to the domain name. i.e., If you have purchased ‘www.mybusinessname.com’ then your email will be ‘username@mybusinessname.com’ as set up by the Web Host.
2. FTP Access – File Transfer Protocol allows you to upload files from your computer to the webserver.
3. Website support – your Web Host will also provide you with back-end access to your unpublished website, so you can make minor changes should you need to. If you are happy with the host making all changes this may not be required but may also carry an additional cost per change made.
Another benefit of using a Web Host is that they have technicians who will make sure that your site is up and always running – you do not need to worry if the server crashes at 3:00 am and your online shop cannot be seen by potential clients.
When you are ready to engage a web host you will need to make sure that the service also includes antivirus support and that the monthly maintenance fee is manageable and within your budget.
1. Antivirus may not be automatically included, and all it takes is for one person to log in to your website, release a ‘Trojan’ and your beautiful page is gone!
2. The monthly maintenance fee should cover all the above services with no hidden extras – this needs to be made transparent in the initial service level agreement.

Build the Site

Once you have chosen your domain, and you have secured the services of a web host, what is left for the website is to create the content and build the site. This is something that you may want to do yourself, or alternately sub-contract out to a professional web designer, content creator, and/or copywriter.
Content is key – if your content is not eye-catching, appealing, or relevant to the business you are setting up, then your website is far less likely to ever be seen. This is where we start to talk about SEO – Search Engine Optimization.
1. Using SEO is the way you ensure your site is found when a user enters certain keywords into a search engine such as Bing, Google, or Ask.com, amongst many others.
2. Your domain name is the first step in SEO – choosing the right name makes a lot of difference!
3. SEO is more than just researching the correct keywords – it is about placement, as well as the right percentage of repetition. You need to research the titles of the pages within your website, as well as the descriptions on each page.
4. Using anchor images and alt text is the next step.
5. Ensure your site has a structure by using the right headers, sub-headers, and body text. SEO scans ALL the text within your website, so if your keywords are lost in a sea of spam, the user will not see them as easily as if it is kept simple and structured.

Email Host

Once you have set up your website, and are ready to launch, you will find that using an email host like G-Suite or Microsoft will make your life easier. These hosts bring everything to one place – you may have more than one email address that you would like to register, perhaps for other employees, or for different purposes (admin, sales, etc.), and the email host can act as a server for all these addresses.
An email host also provides the following:
1. Security – they will filter out spam and potential viruses.
2. Support – there will be 24-hour assistance should anything go wrong.
3. Flexibility – ensuring that your emails are accessible on all devices.
4. Storage – there should never be any issues surrounding space and the number of emails you can keep in your Inbox folders.
5. Maintenance – your email server should never be ‘down’, and you want to choose a host that provides at least 99% ‘up time’ to ensure that your business never loses out due to lost messages or missed appointments.
6. Calendar management – you should be able to sync all your calendars so that all appointments are available on all devices, and you can separate work from personal items.

Work with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

By working with an MSP, you are at an advantage because so many issues surrounding viruses, malware, and spyware are often overlooked by even the most comprehensive antivirus software. The software on its own is not enough, this also needs to be monitored and consistently updated.
Along with antivirus software, your hard drive, business software, and licensing certificates need to be monitored, checked for expiration, drive space, and potential failures. By working with an MSP, this is taken care of for you!
This, in combination with some basic training for your staff, can save your business thousands of dollars, as well as time, data, and critical information. No one needs to go looking for an important file only to find it was affected by a virus or deleted in the latest hard disk backup.
Info-Tech Montreal offers Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) services that ensure that there is someone watching at all times, working in the background, making sure that your business runs smoothly.

For more information on any of these points or our RMM services please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

5 reasons your business needs a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

April 6, 2021/in Tech tips

A managed service provider (MSP) is a company that remotely manages a customer’s IT infrastructure and/or end-user systems, typically on a proactive basis and under a subscription model. InfoTech Montreal provides managed services, and we believe this model can provide value and peace of mind to our customers.

Our Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) services ensure there’s always someone watching over your network, quietly working in the background so your business can continue running smoothly.

Top 5 Reasons You Need an MSP

Budget

Proactive Problem Solving

Constant Support

24/7 Monitoring

Automated Updates

Have we convinced you yet? Contact us to discuss your individual needs.

Tag Archive for: montreal business