Safer Internet Day "Together for a better internet"

Safer Internet Day “Together for a better internet”

Today on February 5th we are participating with National Safer Internet Day aka SID. We want to encourage everyone in our community to take part in ensuring the internet is safe for everyone, especially for the younger users of the internet. Events such as the digital exchange of child sexual exploitation materials, cyberbullying, and sextortion. There is so much to worry about when it comes to internet safety so it’s no wonder so many people forget to implement tactics to ensure their safety. One thing to keep in mind is that when you practice internet safety, you not only are protecting yourself you’re making sure that others are not affected by any hacks, scams, or viruses that may have come into contact with your technology.  We have created a helpful list to keep with you not only today but all year long to help make the internet safer for yourself and others. Feel free to share this list with your friends and family and spread along the hashtags for the Safer Internet Day organization. #SID2019 #SaferInternetDay

10 Tips For Staying Safe On The Internet

✔️Use Only Complex Passwords – It’s probably the most common tip for staying safe on the internet, but it’s because it’s essential. The ideal password is very unique and uses a mix of upper and lower case letters. It uses a combination of letters, number, and symbols, and has no ties to your personal information. Also, keep in mind that using the same password across multiple platforms it increases your risk of a data breach.

✔️Focus On Network Security – Your connections to the internet are just as important as your passwords. Most home routers are protected with encryption technology, but when you are out-and-about, it can be tempting to use free public Wi-Fi. The problem with this is that it is usually insecure and can lead to data breaches. Using a Virtual Private Network or VPN is a great way to combat this issue, and allow you to safely connect anywhere. 

✔️Firewall – Even after you have created safe passwords, and created a VPN, using a firewall is an important next step to ensuring internet safety. The good thing is that firewalls are usually included with comprehensive security software such as Webroot Security.

✔️Make Smart Clicks – Each year new tactics are used by scammers to get you to agree and open up dangerous links and pages. Keep a look out for spam emails, phony free offers, click bait, online quizzes and anything that seems off to you. Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true or anything that requests your private and personal information.

✔️Be Selective With Sharing On Social Media – It’s very popular and common for young people to share images and personal moments online. Make sure you or your child is being cautious when posting their location or any personal information that they use for logins. 

✔️Don’t Neglect Your Mobile Device – It’s not as well known but mobile devices can also be susceptible to cyber threats. There are new risks to worry about like unsafe mobile applications, and links sent through text. This can easily be tackled by making sure your security settings are enabled on your mobile phone just like you would on your computer.

✔️Surf & Shop Safely – It is actually easy to make sure a site you are shopping on is safe. Look up at the site link at the top of your browser and make sure there is an https not http at the beginning of the URL. This will notify you that the site is secure and uses encryption to scramble your personal data. Also, there should be a padlock icon in the URL feed as well. Check for links that have misspelled words or poor grammar because they could be trying to trick you by copying similar words to the site you are trying to land on. 

✔️Stay Up To Date – Making sure all your software is up to date is a majorly important step to practicing internet safety. Enabling automatic updates is a great hassle-free way to stay safe with all your technology. 

✔️Pay Attention To Scam Trends – Unfortunately, online threats are evolving at all times. Pay attention to reliable blogs and websites that notify you of the latest in internet safety news. 

✔️Don’t Let Your Gaurd Down – Being an internet user today requires you to be always checking the sites you go to, keeping your software up-to-date, backing up all your files, and so much more. Talking preventative measures now will help save you a lot of time and energy in the long run. 

by Cayla Thompson

Internal I.T. vs External I.T.

Internal I.T. vs External I.T.

There has been a hot debate over whether or not businesses should use agencies for I.T. services. Primarily, the argument always boils down to the scale of business. Granted, the two can and do often coexist. But business owners will often ask themselves, is this entirely necessary?

And the answer is, it depends. As usual.

However, the question could be rephrased to better understand everything that is associated with such a decision. Let’s go through the steps of what a proactive I.T. department should be doing in order to better understand what the answer should be.

1. Supportive Roles

Both internal and external I.T. departments can fulfill this supportive role. Or should be able to. The advantages of an internal I.T. department may be understanding the network framework quicker than an external I.T. agency. The flip side to that point is that managed I.T. service providers typically work with many different industries to provide timely, efficient, service. These type of experts are often more well-rounded and have experience not only working with a network such as your business but also may be able to provide insight into what might work better. This is not to say that it’s entirely necessary to eradicate an internal I.T. department. But it’s always important to get external viewpoints to better optimize your internal system.

2. Knowledge Base

A good I.T. employee will have their certifications in place, will prevent problematic circumstances, and provide consistent reports on network improvements or security flaws. But it’s important to realize that not one, singular, person can realistically know everything that needs to be fixed until it eventually pops up which can drastically hurt your business. Is it that employee’s fault? Of course not! But this is the advantage to having an external I.T. team working with your business. These agency I.T. teams offer a diverse amount of experience and from differing backgrounds to provide a very well-rounded analysis of network threats.

3. Cost

It’s costly for business owners (especially small business owners) to employ a full team of I.T professionals to meet their network needs. This is where the clear winner is the agency or managed I.T. professional services. Typically, managed I.T. professionals get called into the picture when it’s an emergency. This is often the issue with managed I.T. services and why they’re usually expensive. But in the long-run, managed I.T. companies such as ETV Software will offer retainer plans to reduce the initial onset of expenses, even including the ability to have rollover hours at a flat monthly fee. For the cost of 1 employee at 2 weeks of pay, retainer plans allow businesses to have a cheaper alternative than hiring an extra employee – with the added bonus of having a full-service team of professionals at just a phone call away.

At the end of the day, there’s no clear winner. There are benefits to both. And there can be an enormous amount of benefits when both are working in conjunction with each other. As with the rest of the market, it’s all about what your business demands. However, we’re of the persuasion that managed I.T. agencies can provide the most bang for your buck.

Written by Christian Cauthen

by Cayla Thompson