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Category: Online Backup

Budget Talk 2025: Essential IT Spending for SMBs

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) must strategically plan their IT budgets to stay competitive and efficient. It’s crucial to allocate resources wisely to support both day-to-day operations and long-term growth. Let’s explore the key areas SMBs should focus on when budgeting for tech in 2025.

Cybersecurity Investments

With no end to cyber threats in site, cybersecurity should be a top priority in your 2025 IT budget. Consider allocating funds for:

– Advanced firewalls and intrusion detection systems
– Multi-factor authentication (MFA) implementation
– Regular security audits and penetration testing

Remember, the cost of preventing a cyber attack is far less than the potential losses from a successful breach.

Artificial Intelligence and Automation

AI is no longer a luxury reserved for large enterprises. In 2025, SMBs should budget for AI-powered tools to enhance efficiency and decision-making. Consider investments in:

– Chatbots for customer support
– AI-driven analytics for business insights
– Automated workflow tools to streamline operations

These technologies can help SMBs do more with less, improving productivity and customer satisfaction.

Hardware and Device Upgrades

SMBs still need to budget for essential hardware. This includes:

– Laptops and desktops for employees
– Mobile devices for remote work
– Networking equipment for reliable connectivity

Plan for a hardware refresh cycle to ensure your team has up-to-date tools to work efficiently. (Remember we meet with our clients twice a year in the Spring and Fall to discuss budget and replacement scheduling.)

Software Licenses and Subscriptions

Software is the backbone of modern business operations. Your 2025 IT budget should account for:

– Operating system licenses (Windows 10 is no longer supported as of October 2025)
– Productivity suite subscriptions (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace)
– Industry-specific software licenses 
– Collaboration and communication tools

Regularly review your software subscriptions to ensure you’re only paying for what you need and use. 

IT Support and Managed Services

Consider outsourcing some or all of your IT support to a managed service provider (MSP) like Farmhouse Networking to reduce in-house IT costs and gain access to specialized expertise. Budget for:

– Help desk support
– Compliance assistance
– Network monitoring and management
– Backup and disaster recovery services

Employee Cybersecurity Training

Hackers keep getting better at their crimes, so should it is mandatory to invest in your team’s cybersecurity skills. Allocate budget for:

– Yearly assessments of baseline knowledge
– Weekly trainings with quizzes to make sure they are paying attention
– Interactive or gamified content to keep people interested

Investing in your team’s skills can lead to better technology adoption and improved productivity.

Ready to optimize your IT budget for 2025? Don’t navigate this complex landscape alone. Contact Farmhouse Networking today to help you create a tailored IT budget that aligns with your business goals and maximizes your technology investments. Our experts can guide you through the process, ensuring you’re prepared for the technological challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Let’s work together to future-proof your business and drive success.

Make Cybersecurity Your New Year’s Resolution

Stepping into 2025, SMBs face an scary and complex cybersecurity field of battle. With hackers evolving cyber threats at a rapid pace, it’s crucial to make strengthening your digital defenses a top priority. Let’s explore some essential tips to boost your cybersecurity posture in the coming year.

Embrace a Zero Trust Mindset

Start the new year by adopting a Zero Trust approach to cybersecurity. This means verifying every user, device, and application attempting to access your network, regardless of their location. Implement Zero Trust Network Access protocols and use Application Allow/Deny lists to control which software can run on your systems.

Strengthen Your Network Defenses

Secure Your Wi-Fi: Ensure your Wi-Fi network is encrypted and properly configured. Use strong passwords and consider implementing network segmentation to isolate guest networks from your internal systems.

Implement Firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems: Deploy robust firewalls to filter incoming and outgoing traffic. Couple this with intrusion prevention systems that actively seek out and block known threats.

Protect Your Data

Encrypt Sensitive Information: Apply encryption to both data at rest and in transit. This includes emails, file transfers, and stored documents.

Implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Tools: Use DLP tools to track critical data and prevent unauthorized exfiltration attempts.

Enhance Authentication Measures

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Implement MFA across all your systems, applications, and websites. This additional layer of security significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access.

Use Password Managers: Encourage the use of password managers to generate and store complex, unique passwords for each account.

Educate Your Employees

Regular Security Awareness Training: Conduct ongoing cybersecurity training for all employees. Focus on recognizing phishing attempts, proper handling of sensitive data, and best practices for remote work.

Prepare for the Worst

Develop an Incident Response Plan: Create a comprehensive plan that outlines procedures for responding to various cybersecurity incidents. Regularly test and update this plan.

Implement Robust Backup Solutions: Establish a regular backup schedule for all critical data and systems. Store backups securely, preferably in multiple locations, including off-site.

Stay Updated and Vigilant

Keep Software and Systems Current: Regularly update all software, applications, and operating systems. Automate updates where possible and conduct periodic audits to ensure nothing is missed.

Implement Real-Time Monitoring: Deploy solutions that provide continuous, real-time monitoring of your network and systems. This allows for immediate detection and response to potential threats.

Secure Your Remote Workforce

With hybrid work models likely to persist, ensure your remote workers are equipped with secure tools:

– Provide Zero Trust VPN access for secure connections
– Implement endpoint security measures even on employee’s own laptops
– Educate on the risks of using public Wi-Fi

Address IoT Security

As the Internet of Things (IoT) expands, so do the associated risks. Inventory your IoT devices, regularly update their firmware, and implement network segmentation to isolate these devices.

Ready to make cybersecurity your New Year’s resolution? Contact Farmhouse Networking today. Our team of experts is ready to guide you through every step of enhancing your cybersecurity posture, ensuring that your business stays protected throughout 2025 and beyond. Let’s work together to create a robust, tailored cybersecurity strategy that meets your unique needs and keeps your business safe in the digital age.

The Single Most Important Protection from Ransomware

For those that missed us this week, our CEO Scott Carr was one of the guest speaking panel and the event pictured above. During our discussion, the question was asked – “What is the one thing business owners can do to protect themselves from ransomware?” Scott’s answer was – “If you do nothing else, at the very least have a backup of your data. If anything goes wrong you will be able to go back to your previous data and skip paying the ransom.”

Why Backup?

Ransomware attacks have become an increasingly prevalent threat to businesses of all sizes. As cybercriminals continue to evolve their tactics, it’s crucial for organizations to implement robust defense strategies. One of the most effective ways to protect your business from the devastating effects of ransomware is through a comprehensive backup strategy.

The Rising Threat of Ransomware

Ransomware attacks have surged dramatically in recent years, with 2024 seeing unprecedented levels of both frequency and sophistication. In the first half of 2024 alone, the average extortion demand per ransomware attack exceeded $5.2 million, with a record-breaking payment of $75 million in March. These staggering figures underscore the critical need for businesses to fortify their defenses against such attacks.


The Role of Backups in Ransomware Protection

Data backups serve as a crucial line of defense against ransomware threats. They provide a safety net that can help your company prevent irreparable damage in the event of an attack. Here’s why backups are so important:

  • Added Data Security: By maintaining backups of your critical data, you remove one of the primary vectors for ransomware attacks. If you can still access your data from a backup, hackers lose their leverage in demanding a ransom
  • Recovery Options: Reliable and well-tested backups give ransomware victims more options. Without backups, organizations have limited choices for recovery. However, with confidence in their ability to restore from backups, businesses can make more nuanced decisions during ransomware recovery and negotiations.

Best Practices for Ransomware-Resilient Backups

To ensure your backups provide effective protection against ransomware, consider implementing these best practices:

  1. Implement the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy: This strategy involves maintaining at least three copies of your data on two different storage types, with one copy kept offsite. This approach significantly reduces the risk of losing all your data in a single attack
  2. Use Immutable Storage: Immutable backups cannot be modified, altered, or deleted for a specified period. This ensures that your backup data remains intact and tamper-proof, protecting against both accidental and malicious changes
  3. Maintain Offline Backups: Keep a secondary offline backup copy that ransomware cannot reach. Network attached storage devices can be an effective method for this purpose.
  4. Increase Backup Frequency: Consider backing up mission-critical data at least once per hour. This reduces the amount of data that could potentially be lost in a ransomware attack.
  5. Employ Endpoint Protection: Use modern endpoint protection platforms that can detect ransomware processes as they begin, even if the type of ransomware is new and unknown.

The Business Impact of Ransomware

The consequences of a ransomware attack extend far beyond the immediate financial loss. Businesses may experience:

  • Extensive downtime, leading to significant revenue loss
  • Damaged reputation among customers and partners
  • Delayed project timelines
  • Potential loss of sensitive customer data

These impacts underscore the importance of a robust backup strategy as part of your overall cybersecurity plan.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to protect your business from the devastating effects of ransomware. Contact Farmhouse Networking today to develop a comprehensive backup and cybersecurity strategy tailored to your organization’s needs. Our expert team can help you implement robust protection measures, ensuring your business remains resilient in the face of evolving cyber threats. Secure your data, protect your reputation, and safeguard your bottom line—reach out to Farmhouse Networking now.

Budget Talk: Top Tax Deductible IT Expenses for 2024

As we approach the end of the year, it’s crucial for businesses to understand the tax deductions available for their IT expenses. Maximizing these deductions can significantly reduce your tax burden and free up capital for further investment in your company’s technology infrastructure. Let’s explore the top tax-deductible IT expenses for 2024 that every business should be aware of.

Hardware and Equipment

Computers and Devices

Investing in new computers, tablets, or smartphones for your business can provide substantial tax benefits. The entire cost of these devices can be deducted from your taxable income. However, if the equipment is used partially for personal purposes, you may only be able to deduct a portion of the cost.

Office Equipment

Printers, scanners, and other office equipment are 100% tax-deductible in the year of purchase. This includes any IT-related furniture, such as ergonomic chairs or standing desks for your tech team.

Software and Services

Business Software

Software used for business purposes is eligible for tax deductions. This includes:

– Accounting software
– Project management tools
– Customer relationship management (CRM) systems
– Cybersecurity software

The deductible amount will depend on whether the software is purchased outright or subscribed to on a monthly basis.

Cloud Services

As more businesses move their operations to the cloud, it’s important to note that cloud service subscriptions are tax-deductible. This includes services like:

– Data storage
– Backup solutions
– Cloud-based productivity suites

Telecommunications


Internet Expenses

Internet services are crucial for most businesses today. You can deduct the full cost of your business internet connection[. If you work from home, you may be able to deduct a portion of your home internet expenses based on the percentage used for business purposes.


Phone Systems

All telecommunications fees within a commercial space can be deducted[1]. This includes:

– Business phone lines
– VoIP systems
– Cell phone contracts used for business

IT Services and Support

Managed IT Services

Fees paid for managed IT services, including network management, cybersecurity monitoring, and help desk support, are fully deductible as a business expense.

IT Consulting and Training

Any costs associated with IT consulting or training for your staff to use new technologies are tax-deductible. This can include workshops, online courses, or one-on-one training sessions.

Cybersecurity Measures

With the increasing importance of data protection, investments in cybersecurity are not only wise but also tax-deductible. This includes:

– Firewalls and antivirus software
– Security audits
– Employee cybersecurity training programs

Website Expenses

Development and Maintenance

Costs related to developing, hosting, and maintaining your business website are tax-deductible. This includes domain registration fees, hosting costs, and payments to web developers or designers.

E-commerce Solutions

If your business sells products online, the expenses for e-commerce platforms and payment processing systems are also deductible.

Home Office Technology

For those running businesses from home or with remote workers, the home office deduction can apply to technology expenses. You can deduct a portion of your home internet, personal computer use, and other tech equipment based on the percentage of your home used exclusively for business.

Ready to optimize your IT infrastructure while maximizing your tax benefits? Contact Farmhouse Networking today. Our expert team can help you implement cutting-edge IT solutions that not only boost your productivity but also provide substantial tax advantages. Don’t leave money on the table – let us help you navigate the complex world of IT expenses and tax deductions. Reach out now to schedule a consultation and start saving!

RMM Automation: Deploy Synology Active Backup for Business via PowerShell

As our business continues to grow our focus is on providing white labeled Tier 3 IT support services, RMM as a service, and co-managed IT services. This blog will be highlighting tips for using PowerShell to deploy Synology Active Backup for Business.

Research

Found a support page from Synology that details how to edit the MSI file and deploy it via a Group Policy Object. We are using a similar method to edit the MSI package and deploy it from a local share to all computers via the RMM. You will need to configure a Synology Active Backup for Business template for PCs and download the MSI installer. We use a software called InstEd to edit the MSI installer as follows:

  1. Click Property in the Tables list on the left. Enter the values for the following properties3:
    • USERNAME: Enter the username for accessing the Synology NAS.
    • NO_SHORTCUT: Enter “1” if you want to hide the Active Backup for Business Agent’s icon from the main menu of the end user’s device.
    • ADDRESS: Enter the IP address of the Synology NAS.
    • PASSWORD: Enter the password for accessing the Synology NAS.
    • ALLOW_UNTRUST: Enter “1” if you want to connect to the Synology NAS using an IP address instead of a domain or DDNS.
    • PROXY_ADDR, PROXY_PORT, PROXY_USERNAME, PROXY_PASSWORD: Enter these values only when users have to access your Synology NAS via proxy.
  2. Click File > Save

Once done, upload to the local network share and take note of the share path – i.e. \\192.168.20.10\Support

Variables

$MSIArguments = This will include full file name of the Synology Active Backup for Business MSI installer – i.e. ‘Synology Active Backup for Business Agent-2.7.0-3221-x64.msi’

Script Snippet

Push-Location -Path '\\192.168.20.10\Support' -StackName 'Backup'
Set-Location -StackName 'Backup'

$MSIArguments = "/i Synology Active Backup for Business Agent-2.7.0-3221-x64.msi"
  
Start-Process "msiexec.exe" -ArgumentList $MSIArguments -Wait -NoNewWindow

The script will take several seconds to minutes to run based on the speed of the computer. The computers will start populating on their own into the Synology Active Backup for Business app.

If your company is a MSP or wants to become one and automation just seems out of reach, then contact us to run your RMM for you.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning

Businesses face numerous threats that can disrupt operations and compromise critical data. From natural disasters to cyberattacks, the potential for catastrophic events looms large. This is where comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuity planning comes into play, offering a lifeline for organizations in times of crisis.

The Importance of Preparedness

Disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity planning (BCP) are essential components of any robust IT strategy. While often used interchangeably, these two concepts have distinct focuses:

Disaster Recovery primarily deals with restoring data access and IT infrastructure after a disaster. It’s about getting systems back online and operational as quickly as possible. 

Business Continuity focuses on keeping the business operational during a disaster. It ensures that critical functions can continue even in unfavorable circumstances.

When combined, DR and BCP create a powerful shield against potential disruptions, minimizing downtime and protecting valuable data.

Benefits of a Comprehensive Plan

A well-crafted DR and BCP strategy offers numerous advantages:

  1. Ensures Business Continuity: With a solid plan in place, businesses can quickly restart operations after a disaster, reducing costly downtime.
  2. Enhances System Security: Integrated data protection and backup processes limit the impact of security threats like ransomware and malware.
  3. Improves Customer Retention: A swift response to disasters instills confidence in customers, showcasing the organization’s reliability.
  4. Reduces Recovery Costs: By enabling rapid system restoration, a robust plan helps avoid unnecessary financial losses.

Key Components of an Effective Plan

A comprehensive DR and BCP strategy should include:

  1. Clear Communication Protocols: Ensuring all stakeholders know their roles and responsibilities during a crisis.
  2. Regular Data Backups: Implementing backup solutions with both onsite and offsite aka cloud storage options.
  3. Redundant Infrastructure: Establishing backup systems to maintain operations during primary system failures.
  4. Employee Training: Conducting regular drills and awareness programs to prepare staff for potential disasters.
  5. Regular Testing and Updates: Periodically reviewing and updating the plan to address evolving threats and business needs.

The Role of Managed IT Services

Partnering with a managed IT services provider can significantly enhance your DR and BCP efforts. These experts bring specialized knowledge and resources to:

  • Develop comprehensive strategies tailored to your business needs
  • Implement resilient backup and recovery solutions
  • Provide monitoring and rapid incident response
  • Conduct regular testing and plan updates

By leveraging managed IT services, businesses can ensure they’re prepared for any eventuality, minimizing the risk of prolonged downtime and data loss.

Don’t wait for disaster to strike before taking action. A proactive approach to DR and BCP can mean the difference between a minor setback and a major catastrophe for your business. Contact Farmhouse Networking today to start developing your comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Our team of experts will work with you to assess your unique needs, identify potential risks, and create a tailored strategy to keep your business running smoothly, no matter what challenges arise. Don’t leave your business’s future to chance. 

Cybersecurity Essentials for Medical

Protecting patient data and ensuring the security of your medical practice’s IT infrastructure is more critical than ever. With cyber threats constantly evolving, implementing strong cybersecurity measures is not just a good practice—it’s essential for maintaining patient trust, complying with regulations, and safeguarding your practice’s reputation.

The Growing Threat to Healthcare

Healthcare organizations are prime targets for cybercriminals due to the valuable nature of patient data. In recent years, the healthcare industry has experienced a surge in cyberattacks, with data breaches affecting millions of patients and costing healthcare providers billions of dollars.

Essential Cybersecurity Measures:

To protect your medical practice from these threats, consider implementing the following cybersecurity essentials:

Firewalls: A robust firewall acts as the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your network. It monitors incoming and outgoing traffic, blocking potential threats before they can infiltrate your systems.

Antivirus Software: Comprehensive antivirus solutions are crucial for detecting and preventing malware, ransomware, and other malicious software that could compromise patient data. Modern antivirus programs use advanced techniques like machine learning to identify and neutralize emerging threats in real-time.

Data Encryption: Encrypting sensitive patient information, both at rest and in transit, ensures that even if data is intercepted, it remains unreadable and unusable to unauthorized parties. This is particularly important for maintaining HIPAA compliance.

Regular Software Updates: Keeping all systems and software up-to-date with the latest security patches is vital for addressing known vulnerabilities and protecting against new threats.

Employee Training: Your staff is often the first line of defense against cyberattacks. Regular cybersecurity training can help employees recognize phishing attempts, practice good password hygiene, and follow proper data handling procedures.

The Role of Managed IT Services

While these measures are essential, implementing and maintaining a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy can be challenging for many medical practices. This is where managed IT services come into play. Managed IT service providers, like Farmhouse Networking, offer expertise and resources to ensure your practice’s cybersecurity measures are robust, up-to-date, and compliant with industry regulations. Here’s how managed IT can protect your patient data:

  1. 24/7 Monitoring and Threat Detection: Continuous surveillance of your network to identify and respond to potential threats before they cause damage.
  2. Automated Updates and Patch Management: Ensuring all systems and software are current with the latest security updates.
  3. Data Backup and Disaster Recovery: Implementing comprehensive backup solutions and disaster recovery plans to safeguard patient data in case of a breach or system failure.
  4. Compliance Management: Helping your practice stay compliant with HIPAA and other relevant regulations through regular audits and updates to security protocols.
  5. Advanced Security Solutions: Implementing enterprise-grade security measures that might be out of reach for smaller practices managing IT in-house.

In an era where cyber threats are constantly evolving, partnering with a managed IT service provider is one of the most effective ways to ensure your medical practice’s cybersecurity stays ahead of the curve. Farmhouse Networking offers comprehensive IT solutions tailored specifically for healthcare providers, combining local expertise with cutting-edge technology to keep your patient data safe and your practice secure. Don’t wait for a breach to occur before taking action. Call us at (541) 761-9549 or visit our website at www.farmhousenetworking.com to schedule a consultation. 

HIPAA Compliance and Managed IT for Healthcare

Ensuring the privacy and security of patient information is paramount. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets stringent standards for protecting sensitive patient data. For medical practices, staying compliant with HIPAA regulations can be a daunting task, especially with the increasing complexity of IT systems. This is where a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) can play a crucial role. In this blog, we’ll explore how partnering with an MSP can help your medical practice remain compliant with HIPAA regulations for data privacy and security.

Understanding HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA compliance involves adhering to a set of rules and regulations designed to safeguard Protected Health Information (PHI). These rules are divided into several key areas:

  • Privacy Rule: Governs the use and disclosure of PHI.
  • Security Rule: Establishes standards for protecting electronic PHI (ePHI) through administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.
  • Breach Notification Rule: Requires covered entities to notify affected individuals, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and, in some cases, the media, of a breach of unsecured PHI.
  • Enforcement Rule: Outlines the penalties for non-compliance and the procedures for investigations and hearings.

The Role of Managed IT in HIPAA Compliance

A Managed IT Service Provider can offer a range of services that help ensure your medical practice remains compliant with HIPAA regulations. Here are some key ways an MSP can assist:

Risk Assessment and Management: HIPAA requires regular risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities in your IT systems. An MSP can conduct comprehensive risk assessments to:

  • Identify and evaluate risks to ePHI.
  • Implement measures to mitigate identified risks.
  • Continuously monitor and update risk management strategies.

Data Encryption and Secure Communication: Encrypting ePHI is a critical component of HIPAA compliance. An MSP can implement robust encryption protocols to ensure that data is protected both at rest and in transit. Additionally, they can set up secure communication channels, such as encrypted email, secure messaging platforms, and encrypted file sharing, to protect sensitive information.

Access Control and Authentication: HIPAA mandates strict access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access ePHI. An MSP can help by:

  • Implementing role-based access controls (RBAC).- all users in a group and only specific groups get access to specific things
  • Setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security.
  • Regularly reviewing and updating access permissions.

Backup and Disaster Recovery: Data loss can have severe consequences for HIPAA compliance. An MSP can design and implement a robust backup and disaster recovery plan to ensure that ePHI is regularly backed up and can be quickly restored in the event of data loss or a cyberattack.

Security Awareness Training: Human error is a significant factor in many data breaches. An MSP can provide ongoing security awareness training for your staff to:

  • Educate them about HIPAA regulations and the importance of data privacy.
  • Teach best practices for identifying and responding to potential security threats.
  • Conduct regular phishing simulations to test and improve staff vigilance.

Continuous Monitoring and Incident Response: HIPAA requires continuous monitoring of IT systems to detect and respond to security incidents promptly. An MSP can offer:

  • 24/7 monitoring of your IT infrastructure.
  • Advanced threat detection and response solutions.
  • Incident response planning and execution to minimize the impact of security breaches.

Benefits of Partnering with a Managed IT Provider

Partnering with an MSP for HIPAA compliance offers several benefits:

  • Expertise: MSPs have specialized knowledge and experience in healthcare IT and HIPAA regulations.
  • Cost-Effectiveness: Outsourcing IT management can be more cost-effective than maintaining an in-house IT team.
  • Focus on Core Activities: With IT management in the hands of experts, your medical practice can focus on providing quality patient care.
  • Scalability: MSPs can scale their services to meet the growing needs of your practice.

Ensuring HIPAA compliance is a complex but essential task for any medical practice. By partnering with a Managed IT Service Provider, you can leverage their expertise and resources to safeguard patient data, mitigate risks, and maintain compliance with HIPAA regulations. This not only protects your practice from potential penalties but also builds trust with your patients, knowing their sensitive information is in safe hands. For medical practices looking to navigate the intricacies of HIPAA compliance, a Managed IT Service Provider like Farmhouse Networking can be an invaluable ally in maintaining the highest standards of data privacy and security.

Stepping Over Dollars to Pickup Pennies

It’s story time again!

This time we are talking about Dave a former client of ours. He decided several years ago to change his accounting practice’s IT support to a national company that produced one of the software packages he used. Dave listened to their sales pitch about a better understanding and support of their software for less money per month. Dave still called us once and awhile to help do things in person because this national company did not have any local presence. It had been almost a year since we had heard from Dave last when we got a phone call from another local computer repair shop asking us for any information we could provide to help them – Dave’s server had crashed and was not booting after a power outage. 

It turns out that Dave’s national IT support company did not have any backups of the server. They had no idea how the server was configured and this forced Dave to reach out to the local computer repair shop. We gave them credentials that we had for the backup system we had put in place previously and talked them through reconnecting a network storage device to the server to get the server back to complete functionality. This process took them about a week to complete. 

During the time that we did support Dave there was a similar incident with one of his computers. We used the backup system we had recommended to get him back to fully functional in a matter of hours – in the middle of tax season no less. 

The moral of the story is that Dave should have stayed with Farmhouse Networking or moved to a managed IT support company that understands both the software and the things that can go wrong in a company like Dave’s account practice so that he could be properly protected. 

Security and Encryption Tools to Protect your Business Data

Safeguarding your business data is paramount. Cyber threats are ever-evolving, and data breaches can have severe consequences. To fortify your business defenses, consider implementing the following security and encryption tools:

Operating System Encryption

Encryption is the process where normal data is transformed into something unreadable without the keys unlock it. Windows has encryption built in using BitLocker software in conjunction with modern hardware to keep data safe on physical hard drives. In case a computer is stolen or lost the data is unreadable (assuming the password protecting the computer is strong). 

Virtual Private Network / Zero Trust Network Access

Whenever employees are remote or working from home they need to be able to connect to company resources without endangering company data. This is best done through Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) which is the next-gen replacement for the older virtual private network connection ZTNA assumes that all connections are threats unless proven otherwise and those who are connecting must have their computers tested to make sure they are safe. This approach also only allows users to connect to the resources that are specifically needed to function. 

Antivirus / Extended Detection and Response

One key to staying cyber secure is to recognize and repel threats before they do any damage. Utilizing AI and automation extended detection and response (XDR) is the modern replacement for antivirus. It is able to detect behavior patterns that malicious software and hackers use when attacking your systems then automatically undue any changes they have made. 

Email Encryption and SPAM Filtering

When sending sensitive data via email it is now the standard to send it via encrypted channels with each message also being encrypted. Most companies that provide encryption also provide SPAM filtering which keeps phishing, spoofing, and malicious emails from targeting employees. This is often the most effective means hackers use to gain a foot hold in networks. 

Backups

There will inevitably be times when hackers are able to breach even the best defenses, so the only recourse at that time is to have good backups in multiple locations to recover once the attacker is repelled. Without good backups many companies have had to pay ransoms and hope for a response or go out of business. 

Remember, data security is an ongoing process. Combine these tools with user education and strong password practices,. Stay vigilant, adapt to new threats, and invest wisely in protecting your digital assets and reputation. Call Farmhouse Networking to advise you on how to best secure your business. 

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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