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.jpg180180Cassidy McDuffeehttps://www.gowestit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GoWest_LckUp_Horiz_Final_Website-header.pngCassidy McDuffee2019-02-11 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!
Your credentials can be phished, period. If you think you’re above being phished, you’re wrong. We all have weak moments and the criminals are really good at praying on our whims and emotions. Trust me, you can be phished. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible to protect your […]
Go West IT just completed our second annual SOC 2, Type 2 audit. This is an expensive and time consuming process and it absolutely makes us better every single year. SOC stands for Service Organization Controls and a Type 2 audit tests our use of and adherence to a defined set of controls over the […]
Your business is vulnerable to cybercriminals, period. So, workforce security should be top of mind for you and your business. Workforce security matters The truth is that no business is fully “secure”. Rather, businesses assume various amounts of acceptable risk. Your responsibility is to figure out where your organization lies on the workforce security spectrum, […]
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 […]
Please Implement Multi-Factor Authentication for Office 365, Please!
Your credentials can be phished, period. If you think you’re above being phished, you’re wrong. We all have weak moments and the criminals are really good at praying on our whims and emotions. Trust me, you can be phished. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible to protect your […]
SOC Audits Drive Improvement
Go West IT just completed our second annual SOC 2, Type 2 audit. This is an expensive and time consuming process and it absolutely makes us better every single year. SOC stands for Service Organization Controls and a Type 2 audit tests our use of and adherence to a defined set of controls over the […]
Mitigating Cyber Risk – Top Ten Tasks
Your business is vulnerable to cybercriminals, period. So, workforce security should be top of mind for you and your business. Workforce security matters The truth is that no business is fully “secure”. Rather, businesses assume various amounts of acceptable risk. Your responsibility is to figure out where your organization lies on the workforce security spectrum, […]