Loading ...

Category: Office 365

Keep Your Email Forever

Have to admit that I get a ton of email. In fact I have received 30+GB over the almost five years Farmhouse Networking has been in business. I decided that it was time to archive some of the older messages and checked into what Office 365 has for options. Here is what I found:

“Unlimited” Archiving
Office 365 now has what is called “auto-expanding archiving” that is now available for all users. The old archive feature only allowed 100GB of additional space for free, but the new system is different. Users who get close to the old limit then their account changes to the auto-expanding type and additional storage is added as needed. The new maximum is at 1TB of storage, which even at average maximum size per email (10MB) that is 100,000 emails. To put that in perspective that is one maximum size email per hour, eight hours per day, five days per week, for almost 42 years before email archives would be full. 

If your company is gets a bunch of email and likes to save it all, then contact us for assistance.

Cutting Edge Conference Room

Had the pleasure of helping a local company, that has expanded out to several nearby counties, keep in touch with everyone through video conferencing. They had been working from a laptop connected to a big screen TV for months, but were not able to get everyone in their new conference room into the frame. Farmhouse Networking recommended the Logitech Tap conference room system for them because they are using Microsoft Teams for their video conferencing as it is included with their Office 365 subscription.

What is Tap?

Tap is Logitech’s solution bundle to create an easy to use video conference room experience. It comes with

  • A large Logitech Meet-Up conference camera that has integrated speakers / microphone, ability to pan and zoom around the room automatically to whomever is speaking, and remote control for manual adjustments.
  • An Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) mini PC that is specifically programmed to function as the host for the meetings.
  • A Logitech Tap touch controller that makes creating and managing meetings a breeze. Meetings are setup, screens are shared, and conferences are controlled with just a touch.
  • All the mounting and cables that are needed to get the system connected.

If your company is looking to upgrade your conference room experience, then contact us for assistance.

FBI Cyber Defense Best Practices

A recent briefing from the FBI’s Internet Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) detailed current best practices and industry standards for cyber defense. Here is a summation:

Cyber Defense Best Practices

  • Backups – Regularly back up data and verify its integrity. Backups are critical in ransomware; if you are infected, backups may be the only way to recover your critical data.
  • Training – Employees should be made aware of the threat of ransomware, how it is delivered, and trained on information security principles and techniques.
  • Patching – All endpoints should be patched as vulnerabilities are discovered. This can be made easier through a centralized patch management system.
  • Antivirus – Ensure anti-virus and anti-malware solutions are set to automatically update and that regular scans are conducted. Centrally managed is even better.
  • File Permissions – If a user only needs to read specific files, they should not have write-access to those files, directories, or shares. Configure access controls with least privilege in mind.
  • Macros – Disable macro scripts from Office files transmitted via email.
  • Program Execution Restrictions – Implement software restriction policies or other controls to prevent the execution of programs in common ransomware locations, such as temporary folders supporting popular internet browsers, and compression/decompression programs.
  • Remote Desktop Protocol – Employ best practices for use of RDP, including use of VPN, auditing your network for systems using RDP, closing unused RDP ports, applying two-factor authentication wherever possible, and logging RDP login attempts.
  • Software Whitelisting – Implement application whitelisting. Only allow systems to execute programs known and permitted by security policy. This one takes careful planning.
  • Virtualization – Use virtualized environments to execute operating system environments or specific programs. No physical access to servers makes hacking harder.
  • Network Segmentation – Implement physical and logical separation of networks and data for different organizational units. Keep guest traffic out of your business network.
  • No Saved Passwords – Require users to type information or enter a password when their system communicates with a website. Better yet use a password management tool.

If your company is going to use full disk encryption or has compliance requirements that you need consulting for, then contact us for assistance.

FREE Microsoft Office Training

You read that right! As a Microsoft Partner, Farmhouse Networking is able to setup free training lead by Microsoft Community Development Specialists for any client that purchases new Microsoft Office licenses or renews a current license agreement. Here are the courses offered:

  • Empower your Business with Microsoft Teams
  • Get to Know Windows 10
  • LinkedIn: Build Your Business Pipeline with LinkedIn Sales Navigator
  • Office Fundamentals – Five Series Workshop
    • Fundamentals of Word
    • Fundamentals of Excel
    • Fundamentals of Outlook
    • Fundamentals of PowerPoint
    • Fundamentals of OneNote
  • And several more…

If your company is going to upgrade to Office 2019 or is looking to migrate your email to Office 365, then contact us to get in on the free training for your entire company.

Security Disaster: It’s not IF, it’s WHEN

Hacked - Grants Pass, OR

When it comes to security threats, it’s not “if” disaster will strike, it’s “when.” So, how will your organization respond? Do you have the proper infrastructure in place to thwart a potential data disaster and if disaster does strike, is your organization poised to recover quickly?

While 100% prevention of a data disaster is impossible, there are several ways you can position your organization to get your systems back up and running with as little disruptions to day-to-day operations as possible:

File Level Backup:
A good file sync and share tool is more than just a way for your team to collaborate on the go, it’s a vital component to your organization’s security strategy. With file level backup, you can ensure that even in the event of a site wide disaster, your team can maintain anytime access to their critical files.

Backup and Disaster Recovery:
Your last line of defense in a site wide disaster, backup and disaster recovery solutions allow you to recover at the systems level. An absolutely necessary piece of your organizational infrastructure, backup and disaster recovery delivers peace of mind that your systems will always be recoverable, even when disaster strikes.

Cloud-to-Cloud Backup:
Cloud-to-cloud backup fills in the gaps left by some of the most commonly used SaaS applications, such as Office 365. Many of these cloud applications fall short in the way of cloud-retention and a good cloud-to-cloud backup solution can help you protect critical business data while providing enhanced features to maximize your user experience and more importantly, security.

Don’t wait to protect your organization from inevitable downtime. Contact our team today to discuss your options for total system protection, both onsite and in the cloud.

Warning: Explicit SPAM Messages

Explicit Spam Message

Explicit Spam Message

Here are a couple recent SPAM emails that were received by clients and myself. They are explicit in nature but they a good lesson about the scare tactics of SPAMMERS. The first message seems to be the better SPAM message as it has better English and is even tries to be humorous, while the second is more direct and extortionary. Time to dissect these messages.

SPAM Message #1

  • Password – This message starts by stating that it knows your password. How can this be? There have been several information breaches from the government, retailers, healthcare, etc over the past couple of years. The majority of these breaches are eventually posted online with emails and passwords – hence the reason Farmhouse Networking has started offering Dark Web scanning and advises passwords be changed often.
  • Remote Access – The SPAMMER then goes on to provide a detailed explanation of how they got into the computer. It sounds convincing but deeper analysis by someone who is in the IT Security industry would reveal that their explanation is flawed. To do what they proposed would take several different exploits of various portions of the computer and would likely take longer than video would be playing.
  • Contacts – For their “computer software” to get contacts from all these various sources would require that the password mentioned earlier in the email be the same for all these services. It is recommended by Farmhouse Networking that different passwords be used for each service so that if one is compromised then the rest are not in jeopardy. It might be asked how to keep track and the answer is a password keeping software like LastPass.

 

SPAM Message #2

  • Threats – The message starts immediately with the intimidating remarks and threats. It may be true that alerting the authorities will not bring any immediate assistance, but if we are all upstanding citizens then there is nothing to worry about their threats. It is always good to submit these messages to the authorities (FBI) for analysis so they can take these guys down over time. I do find it sad that this SPAMMER did not take the time to explain how they gained access to my computer.
  • Webcam – It is very possible that if your computer is infected properly that the hacker could gain access to your webcam, but again if we are upstanding citizens and don’t do anything inappropriate in front of our computers then there is nothing to worry about here.
  • Bitcoin – The demands continue with a sense of expediency in the matter giving only 28 hours before the big reveal. This particular SPAMMER either knows the value of the first SPAMMERS creativity in producing a video or are selling themselves short at the $400 ransom in Bitcoin. Finally, they even try to give a bit of legitimacy to their claim by stating that they can send the video to a partial list of contacts.

If your company is interested in Dark Web Scanning for on-going breach protection or worried about SPAM, then contact us for assistance.

Are You in Need of Technical Help?

broken internet - Grants Pass, OR

We have a bench of Tier 3 engineers ready that have been trained in industry best practices, compliance and are comfortable supporting your network and computers.

Put an End to Stressful Computer Support

By utilizing one of our industry trained Helpdesk Specialists, you can free your employees from wasting time on computer support tasks.

Our Helpdesk Specialists are capable – but not limited to – the following tasks:

  • Desktop operating system maintenance, troubleshooting, and diagnosis
  • Desktop connectivity troubleshooting
  • Network systems maintenance, troubleshooting, and diagnosis
  • Network connectivity troubleshooting
  • Server operating system maintenance, troubleshooting, and diagnosis
  • Server connectivity troubleshooting
  • Application installation and support
  • Client VPN installation and support
  • Microsoft Office Suite & Google G-Suite support
  • Security & access management
  • Anti-malware administration and resolution

Learn more about the benefits of our Dedicated Remote Support Solutions here.

Got everything backed up? You sure?

SaaS Protection - Grants Pass, ORAs companies increasingly move data into cloud-based applications, many administrators think traditional best practices such as data backup are outdated. After all, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application is always available, accessible from anywhere, and highly redundant, so why is backup necessary?

1 in 3 companies report losing data stored in cloud-based applications. That means the permanent deletion of potentially hundreds of work hours.

The truth is that even data in cloud-based applications are vulnerable to:

  • Malware damage or ransomware attacks
  • Accidental end-user deletion
  • Malicious end-user activity
  • Operational errors such as accidental data overwrites
  • Lost data due to canceled user account subscriptions
  • Misconfigured application workflows

Datto SaaS Protection won’t let your critical data slip through the cracks. Engineered to be the leading, one stop shop for cloud-to-cloud SaaS application backup, SaaS Protection gives you consistently reliable granular backups, quick and easy restores and exports, secured data for compliance and regulatory needs, and world-class 24/7/365 support.

SaaS Protection Supports the Following Applications:

G-Suite – Protect emails, documents, calendars, sites, and contacts in Google’s G Suite.

There’s no such thing as too safe. Datto SaaS Protection goes above and beyond industry standards to make sure G-Suite data is secure, easily recoverable, and protected:

  • Automatic 3X daily backups of Google Mail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts, and Sites data
  • SOC2 Type II audited
  • Supports HIPAA compliance needs
  • Data encryption both in transit and at rest in the Datto Cloud
  • Advanced internal controls
  • Data controls and monitoring, including audit logs, uptime and availability SLAs, and export capabilities
  • Regular vulnerability management and testing

SaaS Protection saves you and your team time and stress with search filters that quickly locate backed up files and folders.. even if users can’t remember what they called them.

  • Easily track deleted items
  • Locate and browse any previous versions of documents
  • Lighten the help desk load: SaaS Protection lets users access their own backups

Office 365 – Protect Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Contacts, and Calendars in Office 365.

There’s no such thing as too safe. Datto SaaS Protection goes above and beyond industry standards to make sure Office 365 data is secure, easily recoverable, and protected.

  • Microsoft Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Calendar and Contacts are automatically backed up 3X a day
  • SOC 2 Type II audited
  • Supports HIPAA compliance needs
  • Data encryption both at rest and in transit
  • Data controls and monitoring tools, including audit logs, uptime and availability SLAs, and export capabilities

SaaS Protection saves your team time and stress with robust search filters that make it easy to quickly locate backed up files and folders.

  • Manage backups, view restores, and monitor activity across all of your customers from an easy-to-use dashboard
  • Zero in on emails, contacts, individual files and entire folders with our search function
  • Restore files directly to a user’s account or download them directly

If your company is G-Suite or Office 365 and want a complete disaster recovery solution, then contact us for assistance.

Is Email Down Again?

Email Down

While troubleshooting an email encryption issue after a WHM / cPanel web server migration, my thoughts turned to email down time and what it is worth to a small business. This is the core concept behind business continuity – “Business continuity encompasses planning and preparation to ensure that an organization can continue to operate in case of serious incidents or disasters and is able to recover to an operational state within a reasonably short period.” (Wikipedia) The best way to recover from a disaster is to have planned in advance for the eventuality and have systems in place that provide redundancy when the incident occurs. When it comes to business email continuity only one name comes to mind:

Microsoft Office 365

Guaranteed Uptime – Microsoft provides a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that financially backs their services based on a guaranteed amount of uptime per month. If service is down for more than 45 minutes (99.9% uptime) in a month then a 25% credit will be given, if service is down for more than 7 hours (99% uptime) in a month then a 50% credit will be given, and if for some reason they are down for more than 36 hours (95% uptime) in a month then a 100% credit will be given. Considering the literal billions of users of their products, having to give away credits for downtime would seriously cost Microsoft so it is in their favor to keep the services flowing.

Geographic Redundancy – Microsoft has Office 365 data copied to servers in no less than 8 datacenters around the United States including one nearby in Washington. This means that a hardware failure or lost data in one center will not effect the other 7 datacenters – email will continue to be routed through the others until services can be restored to the one. With redundancy like that there should be no worries about downtime or data loss.

Unparalleled Support – Office 365 email is running on Microsoft Exchange being administered and supported by the people who created it. There is nothing like going to the creator of something to talk to them when there is a problem. They have the breadth of experience that comes from using their own products for the past 20 years. This level of knowledge is unparalleled in the industry and it shows in the quality of service and support that is received. 

If your company needs the best in class reliability and service that comes from switching to Office 365, then contact us for assistance.

Archives

Categories

Plant a Seed @ 541-761-9549
233 Rogue River Hwy #873 Grants Pass, OR 97527
Mon-Fri: 9:00am-5:00pm
support@farmhousenetworking.com
© 2016-2024- Farmhouse Networking. All rights reserved
Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy

Evaluation Signup

[contact-form-7 id="452" title="Free Network Evaluation"]
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. - 2 Corinthians 9:8-10