Cybersecurity for Small Businesses

Is your small business protected from ransomware?

Yes, you want to have good backups and antivirus software, but that by itself isn’t enough.  There are effective and cost-effective steps that a small business can take to up their level of security and protection, including:

• Download NSG’s security baseline for small businesses
• Backups, backups, backups!
• User training and awareness
• Password policies
• Multifactor Authentication
• Security software that is regularly updated and monitored
• DNS filtering
• Next generation firewall
• Patching policy
• Network monitoring
• Auditing and logging software
• Regular security reviews

Secure Your Business with an Ann Arbor Computer Service

Ready to secure your business?

Network Services Group is an Ann Arbor computer service that can help you defend your small business from and cyberattacks. Contact NSG today to discuss how you can take your cybersecurity to the next level.

Network Services for Cybersecurity

Are you up to date on best cybersecurity practice?

Cybersecurity is serious business.  Hackers, scammers, and ransomware are everywhere, and it seems like you can’t go more than a few days without hearing about some business being the victim of ransomware.  It almost seems like cybersecurity is a fulltime job and many industries have specific security requirements that would be difficult or impossible for a small business to meet.

What can you do to protect yourself as a small business?  The answer is to work with a qualified and knowledgeable network service and support company to take your cyber security to the next level.

Support Your Business with Computer Service in Ann Arbor

Ready to secure your business?

Network Services Group is an Ann Arbor computer service that can help you defend your small business from and cyberattacks. Contact NSG today to discuss how you can take your cybersecurity to the next level.

The Cons of Commercial Web Hosting

Are you considering one of the big-name, free-to-use website hosts?

There is a wide selection of website hosts to choose from— BlueHost, HostGator, and GoDaddy are three of the most popular. These are not necessarily bad services, but when it comes to website hosting, there is a direct tie between your connection to the host and your connection to your website. If you’re using a commercial host and things go sideways, it’s likely that your issues won’t be addressed in a timely manner.

Here are three challenges of working with a commercial website host:

No personal connection. Commercial hosting providers are disinterested by nature because there is no personal connection. Usually, you’re not even interacting with the employees unless you’re trying to solve an issue.

Inexperienced crew. The people answering your calls at a commercial hosting company may not be trained in tech or website hosting. Often, these companies are so large that they hire people just to make sure they have enough bodies to fill the positions. They might know very little about your problem, or they might be incredibly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of clients that they have to keep track of.

Data is less secure. Template-based websites are easy to use, but that also means they’re easier to hack. DIY website hosting makes your information more vulnerable than local hosting. It’s also common for commercial hosts to keep all of their client data on a single server—if something happens to that server, then all of your website data could be wiped out with no way to recover. 

Read more about the cons of commercial website hosting here.

Reliable Website Hosting in Ann Arbor

Ready to build your website with local professionals?

Network Services Group has been helping business build and maintain their websites since 2001 and has twenty years of happy clients to show for it. If you are looking for website hosting in the Ann Arbor area, NSG has you covered. Call (877) 815-6974 or submit a contact form here to get started.

Common Scamming Tactics

Do you know if your data is secure?

Cyber security is everyone’s business. The world of technology is vast and makes it easy for those with harmful intent to take advantage of you if you’re not careful. 

Here are 4 principles that can help keep you safe from online scammers:

1. Your financial institution will NEVER ask for your login or personal information via email. Neither will anyone else. Never respond to such requests via email.
2. Don’t believe pop-ups that appear on your computer telling you that you are infected. 
3. Never open attachments from unknown sources.
4. Don’t click to view the link or attachments in emails that claim you have a missing package that you weren’t expecting, or for an order you didn’t place.

Learn more about computer security here.

Network Services Group Cares About Your Security

Network Services Group provides computer service and support in Ann Arbor, and we always make sure your machines have the latest security updates, and we handle your information with extreme care. 

If you have questions about how we can help you with your computer security, call (877) 815-6974 or submit a contact form here.

Five Aspects of Computer Security

Is your computer security software up to date?

Maintaining your computer security is very important and Network Services Group makes it easy with computer services in Ann Arbor; we’re always up to date on the best practices for cyber security.

Here are the five most important things to do for improved computer security:

1. Be aware, be suspicious, be vigilant. 
2. Use strong passwords. 
3. Don’t use the same password for multiple things. 
4. Know where your data is saved, and make sure it is backed up. 
5. Use extreme care when opening attachments or downloads 

To learn about these five aspects in more depth, click here.

Computer Services in Ann Arbor

Network Services Group provides computer service and support in Ann Arbor, and we always make sure your machines have the latest security updates, and we handle your information with extreme care. If you have questions about how we can help you with your computer security, call (877) 815-6974 or submit a contact form here.

NSA Discovers Security Flaw in Windows 10

The NSA recently discovered a major security flaw in Windows 10.

Microsoft’s CryptoAPI service helps developers prove validity and trustworthiness when Windows checks for it on a user’s device. A hacker could potentially exploit the bug by undermining or bypassing usual protections and subsequently gain control of victim’s devices. 

The implications of this bug are huge. Hackers are undoubtedly racing to exploit the flaw, while many users are still unaware of its existence. Microsoft has released a patch for the bug, and the NSA is urging network owners to install it immediately. After all, over 900 million PCs run the Windows 10 operating system so this is a big issue!

This is a recent development, but certainly won’t be the last. Keep reading about cyber security on our website!

Ransomware: A New Kind of Cyber-Attack

Ransomware is increasingly in the news, and you might even have been affected by it.

Ransomware is malicious software, often spread by a Trojan virus, which can block access to a user’s files. Simple ransomware attacks can sometimes be circumvented by a knowledgeable user, but sophisticated attacks will encrypt the user’s files. This renders their files completely inaccessible until the ransom is paid, often via cyptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which are difficult to track.

Unfortunately, this kind of cyber-attack is becoming very common.

Read more about it on our website!

Cyber-Attacks: A Threat to Every Business

Shark Tank host Barbara Corcoran was recently targeted by what’s known as “spear phishing.” All of us think we’re smart enough to detect phishing, but it’s not all mass emails from Nigerian princes. Spear phishing isn’t a mass email, hoping to fool one or two gullible users. Instead, this technique targets an individual with information and language specific to them. 

Think about how quickly you read the average email. Like most of us, you probably scan it and glance at the sender. It’s not particularly difficult for a hacker to exploit this—in fact. Luckily, this means you can defend against phishing attacks too.

Read more about this scam, and what you can do to prevent phishing!