Most businesses have a business continuity plan (BCP). These plans range from well documented and routinely tested, to rough ideas about how a business will cope with unforeseen circumstances. Every single business in America has now grappled with how to continue operations during the COVID-19 crisis and it has changed BCPs forever. I now challenge business […]
https://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Go-West-10th-Anniversary.jpg180180David Lewienhttps://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GoWest_LckUp_Horiz_Final_Website-header.pngDavid Lewien2020-08-06 20:22:252020-08-24 16:12:10Continuation vs. Adaptation: A New Approach to Achieve your Purpose
Go West IT started business ten years ago today. I remember the day very well. The similarities between then and now are striking. We were faced with many unknowns. We watched cashflow very closely. We innovated and adapted quickly. Most importantly, we focused on taking care of customers and employees. We knew there would be challenges and we knew we would rise […]
https://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Go-West-10th-Anniversary.jpg180180David Lewienhttps://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GoWest_LckUp_Horiz_Final_Website-header.pngDavid Lewien2020-05-15 10:30:212020-08-24 16:13:31Go West IT’s 10 Year Anniversary
Businesses are rapidly shifting to work from home strategies in response to the current COVID-19 situation. Many are already adept at working from home and have strategies in place to protect networks, endpoints, and systems. They have proven policies in place to keep tabs on business IT assets and ensure that systems are constantly patched […]
Third party VPN services do not secure your data. They may provide an additional brick in your security bunker but they are not the invisibility cloak they claim to be and in some cases they may actually do more harm than good. For starters, who is your third party VPN service provider? Are they trustworthy? […]
Today the FBI issued a renewed Public Service Announcement (PSA) warning to businesses regarding cyber crime, and more specifically ransomware risk. If you are not taking action, you are going backward. All businesses should be regularly reviewing their cybersecurity posture and seeking to make incremental improvements. Start making improvements today and use the FBI’s PSA […]
My tour of the @Microsoft Cyber Defense Operations Center (CDOC) this week was the highlight of my visit to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. I was one of approximately 150 Microsoft partners invited to attend a small & medium sized business (SMB) partner executive briefing. The briefing provided @GoWestIT with a valuable road map […]
https://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Blog-Icon.jpg180180David Lewienhttps://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GoWest_LckUp_Horiz_Final_Website-header.pngDavid Lewien2019-04-12 15:14:512020-09-11 12:50:48Microsoft is actively fighting cybercrime for the greater good.
Do you remember when Windows XP reached the end of its support lifecycle? We sure do, and it’s about to happen again with Windows 7 and Server 2008. Microsoft supports their operating systems for a minimum of 10 years following public release, after which, they pick a date to end all security updates for good. […]
https://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Blog-Icon.jpg180180David Lewienhttps://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GoWest_LckUp_Horiz_Final_Website-header.pngDavid Lewien2019-02-11 09:35:412020-07-28 14:22:39Time’s Almost Up for Windows 7 & Server 2008!
I’m often contacted by CEOs or managers after a business experiences a cyber incident that results in real damages. After describing the event, they often ask if they should fire an employee who fell victim to a social engineering attack (vishing, phishing, credential harvesting…). In most cases the answer is a resounding NO! First, the business just […]
I really hate hearing from customers and prospective customers that we were right and that they wish they had taken our advice to harden their systems and implement tighter security controls before their breach. Feedback from customers suggests the inconvenience of implementing additional controls is often what keeps them from taking action as opposed to the […]
https://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Go_Color.png182200Tom Hynekhttps://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GoWest_LckUp_Horiz_Final_Website-header.pngTom Hynek2018-12-10 15:37:562020-08-06 19:14:13I hate being right, really!
Continuation vs. Adaptation: A New Approach to Achieve your Purpose
Most businesses have a business continuity plan (BCP). These plans range from well documented and routinely tested, to rough ideas about how a business will cope with unforeseen circumstances. Every single business in America has now grappled with how to continue operations during the COVID-19 crisis and it has changed BCPs forever. I now challenge business […]
Go West IT’s 10 Year Anniversary
Go West IT started business ten years ago today. I remember the day very well. The similarities between then and now are striking. We were faced with many unknowns. We watched cashflow very closely. We innovated and adapted quickly. Most importantly, we focused on taking care of customers and employees. We knew there would be challenges and we knew we would rise […]
Remote Workforce Security – Practical Guidance for Rapid Change
Businesses are rapidly shifting to work from home strategies in response to the current COVID-19 situation. Many are already adept at working from home and have strategies in place to protect networks, endpoints, and systems. They have proven policies in place to keep tabs on business IT assets and ensure that systems are constantly patched […]
VPN Service ≠ Invisibility Cloak
Third party VPN services do not secure your data. They may provide an additional brick in your security bunker but they are not the invisibility cloak they claim to be and in some cases they may actually do more harm than good. For starters, who is your third party VPN service provider? Are they trustworthy? […]
Follow FBI Guidance re: Business Cybersecurity
Today the FBI issued a renewed Public Service Announcement (PSA) warning to businesses regarding cyber crime, and more specifically ransomware risk. If you are not taking action, you are going backward. All businesses should be regularly reviewing their cybersecurity posture and seeking to make incremental improvements. Start making improvements today and use the FBI’s PSA […]
Microsoft is actively fighting cybercrime for the greater good.
My tour of the @Microsoft Cyber Defense Operations Center (CDOC) this week was the highlight of my visit to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. I was one of approximately 150 Microsoft partners invited to attend a small & medium sized business (SMB) partner executive briefing. The briefing provided @GoWestIT with a valuable road map […]
Time’s Almost Up for Windows 7 & Server 2008!
Do you remember when Windows XP reached the end of its support lifecycle? We sure do, and it’s about to happen again with Windows 7 and Server 2008. Microsoft supports their operating systems for a minimum of 10 years following public release, after which, they pick a date to end all security updates for good. […]
It’s on you!
I’m often contacted by CEOs or managers after a business experiences a cyber incident that results in real damages. After describing the event, they often ask if they should fire an employee who fell victim to a social engineering attack (vishing, phishing, credential harvesting…). In most cases the answer is a resounding NO! First, the business just […]
I hate being right, really!
I really hate hearing from customers and prospective customers that we were right and that they wish they had taken our advice to harden their systems and implement tighter security controls before their breach. Feedback from customers suggests the inconvenience of implementing additional controls is often what keeps them from taking action as opposed to the […]