The 80/20 rule, also called the Pareto Principle, is a good way to explain the concept of cybersecurity. As reported by Investopedia, the Pareto Principle ?specifies an unequal relationship between inputs and outputs. The principle states that 20 percent of the invested input is responsible for 80 percent of the results obtained. Put another way, 80 percent of consequences stem from 20 percent of the causes.? Confused yet? Don?t be–we?ll explain further. The 80/20 rule also means that your business has a finite amount of resources available to it, and it?s your responsibility to determine where these resources are best spent. This includes analyzing your business?s network for any and all possible outlets for hacking attacks. However, it?s not always feasible to find every single way that hackers will try to access your network. Instead, what the 80/20 rule suggests is that you use your resources to find vulnerabilities in your network, and then patch the most critical of them. Furthermore, only 20 percent of vulnerabilities lead to 80 percent of the problems that businesses encounter, which increases the importance of how you spend your IT budget. Just identifying the vulnerabilities isn?t enough–you need to prioritize the important vulnerabilities located within your infrastructure, just like how you would prioritize the important tasks on your schedule for the day. After all, if every vulnerability becomes a priority, none of them will get patched promptly, and you could potentially invest too much into minor vulnerabilities while leaving major ones unattended to. White Mountain IT Services can perform a penetration test to see where your network needs to be improved, and what can be done about it. We can then remotely issue patches and apply updates to all of your mission-critical components and solutions. This is particularly important if your network is large and expansive, or if you use several different types of software. The larger your network infrastructure is, the more likely it is that you?re compromising the security of your business in at least one point. Furthermore, we can implement what?s called a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution, which combines several enterprise-level security solutions into one convenient package. Included are a firewall, antivirus, content filter, and spam blocking solution. With all of these security services, your systems will have the best equipment to handle the myriad of threats that are found on the Internet. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.
The old adage, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”, is as true in IT management as it is anywhere else. Like it or not, in today’s super competitive and technically focused business environment, we are ALL in the data business. Best in class companies make it a priority to collect, compile, and analyze, key data elements that collectively tell a story to drive business intelligence and strategy. Our consulting group helps clients with the process of getting a data analytics project off the ground. We can help identify and measure the key sources of data in your workflow, and then help process and compile the analytics and data modeling needed to spot problems, opportunities, and trends to help you build your competitive edge. In or own business, we constantly gather and collect data on statistics and performance of all systems under our management. If you would like help getting your arms around your key business data, and building a reporting or dashboard system to give you a live view into what is really going on, give White Mountain a call. Professional IT Management Service and Support Management Project Management Standard Operating Procedures IT Policies Systems Documentation Technology Consulting Cyber Security Training Reporting and Metrics Co-Managed IT Services Engineering & Support Help Desk Services Onsite Services Server Support Network Management Data Backup Disaster Recovery System Engineering Network Operations Network Security Project Work Staff Augmentation Cloud Services Computer Consulting Planning & Consulting Virtual CIO Services Strategic Alignment Budgeting IT Road-Map Business Continuity Workflow Analysis
Employees who practice safe computing, and understand how to recognize the latest cyber threats, are key to keeping your business safe, and your data protected. It goes without saying that your business needs to employ all of the latest security technology available. But even with the best tools and systems, poor computing habits and lack of cybersecurity awareness will make your employees unwitting accomplices to hackers. They may wind up sharing passwords and other sensitive information too freely or over unsecured channels. They may fail to think twice before opening an email attachment or clicking on an unknown link. Maybe they’ll be tempted to download a certain app off the Internet, without your authorization. Setting up a training program for employees is a key way to cut down on cyberattacks that could expose your data or bring down your system, costing you money, time, and a loss of reputation. White Mountain can help, with ready to go, web-based, as well as classroom training. Employees will benefit from working off of concrete examples and knowing exactly what steps to take to either avoid a cybersecurity threat or respond to one. For example, if one of your employees detects a data breach, would they know who to turn to and what to next? Work off of specific policies and procedures, and use real-world exercises and drills as tests. A single short-term training program is useful, but businesses truly benefit from ongoing cybersecurity awareness. We can help you come up with policies that you periodically review, along with course updates for new threats. Invite your employees to speak about their cybersecurity concerns at meetings. Turn any mistakes you catch your employees making into learning opportunities and reminders. Making cybersecurity issues a part of your business culture is critical. To further discuss creating an effective cybersecurity training program for your employees, please contact us. Employees who are better informed can significantly reduce the chances that you’ll fall prey to a successful cyber attack. Professional IT Management Service and Support Management Project Management Standard Operating Procedures IT Policies Systems Documentation Technology Consulting Cyber Security Training Reporting and Metrics Co-Managed IT Services Engineering & Support Help Desk Services Onsite Services Server Support Network Management Data Backup Disaster Recovery System Engineering Network Operations Network Security Project Work Staff Augmentation Cloud Services Computer Consulting Planning & Consulting Virtual CIO Services Strategic Alignment Budgeting IT Road-Map Business Continuity Workflow Analysis
Let’s make sure that you have the right technology for your unique business and workflow needs. It doesn’t make too much sense to invest in professional IT management, SOPs, policies, procedures, and documentation, all based on systems that are NOT right for your business. Unless you have already been through the process, and are confident that you are on track, it may be worth conducting a basic evaluation of how well your technology is serving your business needs. Are your users getting the most out of the features and tools that you already have? Are your systems overly complicated and based on old technology that may be expensive to own and support? As we get to know each new client we perform a basic review of how your business uses technology and how well it seems to be addressing your needs (this info feeds into our documentation system). If it seems like your business may be better served with different or additional technology, we can make recommendations and help you with the needs analysis and vendor evaluation. Typical consulting projects include: Telecom and ISP cost analysis Current use of existing systems Web and online marketing systems Disaster Recovery needs analysis Mobile device usage Wireless network design and use Cloud services and readiness audit Compliance Audits Detailed security audits and reports For longer term or more extensive consulting projects, we may suggest engaging our consulting group to consider a Virtual CIO plan. Professional IT Management Service and Support Management Project Management Standard Operating Procedures IT Policies Systems Documentation Technology Consulting Cyber Security Training Reporting and Metrics Co-Managed IT Services Engineering & Support Help Desk Services Onsite Services Server Support Network Management Data Backup Disaster Recovery System Engineering Network Operations Network Security Project Work Staff Augmentation Cloud Services Computer Consulting Planning & Consulting Virtual CIO Services Strategic Alignment Budgeting IT Road-Map Business Continuity Workflow Analysis
