Much like the rest of your business, your technology infrastructure needs the right strategy to be successful. Among many things, part of that strategy should include plans to keep you secure and compliant in an ever changing industry. Another part of that strategy should be to discuss various solutions that can help you run a more successful business.
Here are a few solutions to plan for:
All Windows 7 Computers and Server 2008 R2 Servers need to be replaced
Support for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 ends on 1/14/2020. It is the "end of life" for these 10+ year old operating systems. This means no more security updates and you will not meet any technology compliance standards if you are still running any computers or servers with these operating systems. It also means your business isn't fully utilizing the modern capabilities of Windows 10.
Your best bet is to replace old computers with new or modernly refurbished equipment. For servers, migrating to a newer platform is essential. If you aren't using server virtualization, it needs to be part of your strategy to save time and reduce costs.
You need a plan, as soon as possible, to migrate away from Windows 7 so that you aren't putting your company or customers at risk!
It's time to implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Office 365
By now, you have experienced or heard of someone having their emails "hacked". More than likely the person wasn't actually "hacked". Good chance they were tricked via a phishing scam into giving their password to a malicious entity that was then used to access that person's account.
When MFA is enabled, if someone takes your password, when they try to use it, the user is notified so they can reject access. With a more advanced deployment, the system can automatically reject that malicious person from even attempting. This protects your email, your files, your teams, and more!
And here's the crazy part… Basic MFA Licensing is included with your Office 365 subscription! That doesn't mean you should "just turn it on" without a plan. Implementing MFA can have a large impact on your office culture, a good plan is key to it being a success.
Depending on the size and complexity of your business, the free version could be a perfect fit for you. And if not, the next tier of licensing is affordable and adds more security features like Conditional MFA (turns off MFA when you are in the office, but turns it on when accessing outside of your office) or Risky Login Protection (Someone tried to login from Miami while you were in Chicago, create an alert!).
On top of all that, once MFA is enabled for Office 365, you can consider integrating it and/or other cloud identity security features with other services and cloud identities. (Salesforce, Amazon, RDS, Dropbox, ServiceNow, SAP, Twitter, Quickbooks, and more!)
It all begins with getting Multi-factor Authentication enabled for your Office 365.
You need a plan to start that conversation and implement MFA!
Consistent Company Email Signatures
This one doesn't have as much to do with security or "end of life" compliance, it's just simply a good idea for any business. If you don't have a solution currently, then you already know how much of a pain it is to have everyone in the company setup with a consistent e-mail signature. Maybe you've gone through each employee's computer and set things just right. Maybe you've gone to the mail app of each phone and tablet they use and made sure that was configured with your standard signature as well (if that's even possible).
When someone in your business sends an email, that email is communicating more than what is typed, it is a representation of your brand. It's an opportunity to project your company image and can even be used casually to communicate news about your business.
When your company's email signatures are not consistent, you miss out on that opportunity. In some cases, it can even look less professional!
Fortunately, email signature solutions are no longer cumbersome and expensive. It's very straightforward to design a great looking signature that dynamically changes based on who is sending an email and the content of that email. The solution itself is easy enough to use that, once implemented, your IT, a staff member, or your marketing contact can update signatures with minimal training.
It's time to make a plan for consistent email signatures in your business.
Hopefully these are solutions you already have in place or have planned for.
Whether you are in charge of making decisions, a technology adviser, or just an employee who wants to help improve the business they work for, it's a great time to start talking about new technology solutions.
(Seriously, you need a plan for Windows 7 and 2008 R2 ASAP!)
Interested in having a conversation about technology in your business?
Send in a contact request at www.aevotec.com or email info@aevotec.com.
