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Why a Firewall Isn’t Enough Anymore

Antimalware efforts: the importance of early detection

Anti MalwareSmall- and medium-sized businesses utilize a variety of methods to promote computer protection. From firewalls to carefully assigning permissions only to users who actually need them, data loss prevention usually consists of a multi-tiered approach. Ideally, this type of layered approach will completely prevent the intrusion of malware and viruses into the systems a business depends on. Unfortunately, however, the reality is that some malicious software will find its way past a firewall. The key to preventing damage to the company’s computers and the data they house can then be summed up in two words: early detection.

Scanning software is instrumental in these early detection efforts. Noticing the presence of viruses,worms, bots, Trojans, and other forms of malware before true damage can be done is a central tenet of data loss protection – along with, of course, a robust system of backups so that data recovery can proceed if the worst case scenario comes to pass.

Early detection: two types of scanning

A strong antimalware system needs to be able to perform two types of scans: event-based and scheduled. Early antivirus programs generally only used the latter approach. Users could configure the software to perform targeted or full-system scans at pre-determined intervals. While this certainly did help to catch viruses, it cannot really be considered “early detection,” not even if the scans are configured to run every day. This is because during the interim between detection scans, many viruses had plenty of time to wreak havoc on a system, performing actions such as reassigning permissions, harvesting data for useful information such as credit card numbers or passwords, or even erasing huge sections of the hard drives attached to the computer.

True early detection requires scans that are triggered by system events. Instead of accepting all email and scanning it later, for example, the arrival of an email will immediately cause the system to scan incoming files. If a problem is detected, the email can be instantly quarantined, which in most cases will keep the virus or malware attached to it from being able to cause damage to data or systems.

It’s Time for a System Audit

Are you concerned your AntiMalware and Data Protection measures are out of date or need to be more robust?  Take advantage of Great Lakes Computer’s FREE OFFER for a proactive review of your computer network systems and security.  Gain the knowledge you need to be able to manage your system’s integrity and security.

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Reduce IT Support Costs with Remote Hardware Monitoring

What is remote hardware monitoring?

remote monitoringMany businesses have become accustomed to a managed services approach to tech support as far as software monitoring and maintenance is concerned. To some, however, it may come as a surprise that the internet can also be used as a conduit for hardware-based information as well. Remote hardware monitoring is now a business reality that is helping small and medium-sized companies to reduce their overall technology maintenance costs.

With complete system monitoring done on a remote basis, companies need no longer employ in-house staff to perform these tasks. This immediately creates a cost reduction – not just of salary, but of associated costs such as employee benefits and unemployment taxes. Another source of savings, however, has to do with the hardware itself. In many cases, small businesses could not afford a single individual to monitor hardware; this task was assigned to a worker whose plate was already full. The inevitable result of such a system is that hardware needs are neglected to some degree, even when system alerts have been properly set up.

Over time, overheating hardware becomes inoperable, leading to high replacement costs.  With a remote monitoring system in place, automated system notifications are noticed at once by highly trained and qualified remote staff who know how to respond. This setup means that hardware is likely to last longer since it is not left to languish in a state that can cause damage.

System alerts in a remote hardware monitoring model

Remote hardware monitoring provides the technology company providing services with continuous data about a number of issues including not just the temperature of each target machine, but also the voltages flowing through the system, the current power levels, and the pulse-width modulation experienced by cooling fans.

Automated system alerts are an integral component of hardware monitoring. Whenever one of the key values exceeds acceptable limits, remote staff are notified at once so that appropriate system modifications or other needed actions can be taken.

Most remote monitoring solutions use a TCP/IP protocol to transfer information over the internet.

Great Lakes Computer’s NEMS Remote monitoring for IBM AS400

NEMS/400 constantly monitors your hardware and reports any problems so Great Lakes Computer Corporation can be there before they happen. NEMS/400 was created to allow GLC to offer the same “comfort factor” that IBM is able to leverage as a major player in the AS/400-iSeries maintenance market place. This service provides complete system monitoring, automatic alerts and customer notification for all of your AS/400 and iSeries products.

Service details:

    • NEMS/400 is designed to monitor the AS/400 or iSeries system error-log and report problems automatically based on some custom filters.
    • Automatically receive and redirect messages to service centers and field engineers via e-mail or text.
    • The Problem Management Center (PMC) logs and archives all calls.
    • The PMC is installed on a “central site” AS/400 or iSeries.
    • Connection between the customer’s machine and the PMC is made by either IP (using the Internet) or a dial up system using an asynchronous modem attached to a V24 port.
    • Detailed archived problem message logs allow report production based on machine, client, date, history, number of problems and more.

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Free Tuition for Goldman Sachs’ Small Business Management Education

Everything Your Small Business Needs to Grow

SMB Management classesGoldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at Cuyahoga Community College is a practical business management education program that helps you develop the skills you need to grow your company.  If you are selected to participate, you also will receive a series of one-on-one business advising sessions from dedicated professionals to help develop a tailored plan for growth. 

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is a $500 million national program designed to help small businesses in the United States create jobs and economic growth by providing entrepreneurs with a practical business education, access to capital and business support services.

Learn More at the link below or by clicking HERE.

http://www.tri-c.edu/workforce/GoldmanSachs/Pages/default.aspx

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We at Great Lakes Computer thought this would be an interesting program to share with our clients and blog subscribers, many of whom are Small Business Owners.  Have a good Weekend!

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Antivirus and antimalware: the importance of a company-wide strategy

Admin Rights Can BackFire on You!

Great Lakes Computer Data ProtectionMany employees who use computers routinely as a part of their daily workflow prefer to have administrator privileges over their machines so that they can install software as needed without having to wait for an IT department to provide them with services. While this strategy can provide some benefits in terms of employee satisfaction and at times, productivity, it can backfire badly when it comes to one particular category of software: antivirus and antimalware programs. For several key reasons, these types of programs are best installed and administered on a company-wide basis.

Coordinated updates

When employees manage their own antivirus programs, they may not update them on a regular basis – some workers may not ever update them at all. This obviously compromises data security. A company-wide strategy, in contrast, means that not just virus and malware definitions but also the engine programs themselves will receive regular updates.

Moreover, all such updates can be scheduled to occur at the same time – an approach that when done correctly can keep software updates from interfering with ordinary workflow. With a company-wide strategy, for example, machines can be scheduled to download and install updates seven days a week at 2 a.m. Few employees on their own would be diligent enough to update antimalware protection daily, and even those who are would have to interrupt other work tasks to do it. A coordinated, company-wide strategy solves both these issues at the same time.

Inter-program conflicts

Another reason for a coordinated antimalware strategy is the unfortunate fact that when two or more antivirus or antimalware programs are installed on the same machine, it can result in serious conflicts that slow down system operations or even cause the programs themselves to occasionally fail. Employees seeking to be diligent may install two antivirus engines and believe this is a good thing, but it takes a computer safety specialist to know when it is appropriate to use multiple antimalware strategies. Once again, a company-wide solution is the best way to guard against inter-program conflicts.

Read some more information from the source of this post at: http://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/10-tips-for-keeping-your-pc-healthy-online-0270516

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Outsourced IT services best for law firms, small and large

Law firms specific needs make a compelling argument for Managed IT Services

Lawyers Managed ServicesLaw firms have highly specific needs when it comes to IT support. Even in the modern age of computers and mobile communications, the practice of law remains an industry that is paperwork heavy. Unlike in some other industries, following precise formatting requirements is an absolute must for attorneys and their paralegal assistants. This means that the best IT support for law firms should include managed print services or even outsource print services so that printing jobs are completed quickly and accurately no matter how voluminous the paperwork involved may be.

Small law firms have special needs

Although law firms of any size can benefit from switching their IT support needs over to a managed service provider, there are special reasons why small law firms should pay particular attention to the benefits of such a strategy. Due to their training in college, law school and on the job, most lawyers are highly conversant with computer use.

This expertise, however, usually only extends to standalone computers that reach the internet through a system someone else sets up and maintains.  The result is that very few people in the legal profession have ever needed to delve into the intricacies of network management or data security procedures.

The smaller a firm is, the greater the chance that there is nobody on staff who has any experience at all in these fields. Small firms must, therefore, look outside their own ranks to find IT support specialists. The most cost-effective way to do so is by using a form of IT outsourcing known as managed services in which most IT support is provided via the internet.

Modern technology means that support personnel, a city or even an entire state away, can virtually connect to a law firm’s server and manage it from a distance, resolving many common problems without an on-site visit becoming necessary. This dramatically slashes costs as compared to hiring a part-time or full-time IT support staffer to provide services in person.

Large law firms also benefit from managed services

The principle of core competencies in business dictates that companies are most successful when they can focus their energies on the specialized tasks at which they truly excel. For law firms this means being able to concentrate on the legal cases at issue instead of trying to manage their print services needs on their own. An in-house IT support department requires a certain amount of supervision and oversight, and these tasks will take managers away from the company’s core competency of arguing cases in writing and/or in person.

Using a managed service provider can allow a business to have confidence in their data backup procedures without the need to become directly involved in the day-to-day procedures needed to ensure data integrity and security.

In the end, therefore, IT support for law firms, both small and large, is best provided through an IT outsourcing model that can leverage the specialized skills and expertise of an experienced managed services provider.

Legal Association Member Discounts

Great Lakes Computer is proud to partner with Cleveland’s premier legal organizations, providing unique offers for both the law organization of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA) and the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA).  If your firm is a member of either of these associations, we hope you will allow us to become your source for legal IT solutions.

Click below to fill out our form to view offers tailored to you and your practice.

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How Managed Print Services Improve Efficiency

Improving company efficiency with managed print services

Managed Print ServicesNot so very long ago, the computer revolution was holding out the promise of a truly paperless office.  All the information individuals needed, the conventional wisdom went, would be held in data systems and could be instantly called up onto video screens when needed, while sophisticated spreadsheet and analysis software would be able to crunch and disaggregate all this information in increasingly useful ways.

As any CIO knows, the promise of the paperless office has never materialized.  Instead, the trend toward computerization actually drove businesses in the opposite direction.  As producing professional-looking reports and documents became a task that could be handled entirely in-house, the modern office became more inundated with paper than ever before.  Businesses had to gradually increase their budgets for clerical functions in order to supply the organization with enough printers, ink, toner, paper, and other supplies to meet this need.

This trend has continued to accelerate, with the predictable result that printing budgets in many companies are out of control.  One simple way to rein them in is to transition to a managed print services approach.  Not only does this approach deliver significant cost savings, but it can also improve the quality control of print jobs.

What are managed print services?

The term “managed print services” generally refers to the unified management of hardware used to produce documents.  Such hardware includes not just the traditional laser printer, but also copy machines, fax machines, and multifunction devices such as all-in-one fax/scanner/printer combinations.  Companies using managed print services most often contract with an outside vendor to perform this function.

Managed print services contractors produce business efficiencies and cost savings in several ways.  They proactively maintain hardware, providing print services so that company downtime can be minimized.  They furnish the organization with consolidated bills that involve simply invoicing, and in some cases, eliminating a host of supply-purchasing needs related to print functions.  Contractors also optimize the print environment to be as streamlined as possible, sometimes providing specialized software applications that can further this optimization.

Managed Print Services will Save You Money

Great Lakes Computers is so confident we can save you money, we’ll give you a FREE TONER CARTRIDGE just for signing!

Let us take a look at your current print operations, and help identify where you can save – schedule a free, no obligation assessment today:

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