We have had a great year!  Here are some of our major accomplishments for 2014:

1.  Signed up the best client ever, a new financial client, Bill Caso Financial Services.  Yeah!!!!

2.  Identified and resolved a client's antivirus vulnerabilities.  The client already had antivirus software, but it still didn't detect the issue, compared to our standard protection which did.  ManageTech safely removed the undiagnosed potentially harmful malware/virus infection (Powlik).   The Client on-boarding revealed what his current antivirus (non-enterprise level) software could not.  With help from Symantec's enterprise technical support, downtime was very minimal.  Our standard backup service and other protections ensured his IT environments safety.

3.  Resolved attempted Bank fraud and email hacking on HJR Associates.  As a result, additional password protections and other countermeasures have been deployed for all our clients.

4.  Released our Personal MTS service choices for individuals and small businesses, allowing us to service more customers in a more convenient way for them.

5.  To continue more on that topic, established a new partnership and reseller relationship with Carbonite backup services.

6.  Started using and deployed to my financial customers new encryption software.

7.  Upgraded our help desk, NOC support and IT project capability by becoming a Continuum partner.

8.  Purchased a new insurance policy through Hanover.

9.  Implemented the ManageTech Small and Mid-size Enterprise Infrastructure, using custom configurations and leveraging Microsoft's server functionality.  This includes Domain authentication & group policy within a new Hyper V (VM, or virtual machine) environment.

10.  Made contingency plans with Continuum for any local or on-site emergencies, if in case I am ever personally indisposed.

Financial services firms and brokerages have already been fined or suspended this year by the SEC for not following the S-P regulation.  Specifically, FINRA cybersecurity exam sweeps showed certain firms not following the "Safeguard Rule”.  Financial services firms are required to have implemented policies and procedures that "reasonably" protect their information systems.  SEC and FINRA enforcement is expected to gain speed in future years with the increasing amount of data breach occurrences. 

The SEC S-P regulation does not specifically detail what security measures or protection must be used, only that a firm must create and follow a security strategy.  There are security standards the SEC has referenced in cases from FFIEC and NIST, which include specific encryption & backup policies, recommeded anti-virus solutions, along with IT environment practices using remote devices. 

Keep in mind, any fines or suspensions would be on top of what a data breaches affect can be, both the increased exposure to lawsuits and the cost of losing your client's confidence.  If you would like more information regarding this topic, please contact ManageTech Synergy today.  In addition, here are a few online articles you can reference for more information about this topic:

• Case Studies of Recent SEC Disciplinary Actions
• SEC and FINRA Cybersecurity Exams
• FINRA: Safeguarding Confidential Customer Information 
• Encryptioin Technology Used

Since the late ninety's I have always recommended Internet Explorer to use as the default browser to search the internet, view websites and work with online applications.  Unfortunately, after the recent month of patches, bugs, compatibility issues and security concerns I believe it's time to change my recommendation and advise my clients to install Google Chrome or FireFox as your default browser. 

Here is one article that reviews the new fixes released over August and September, the various problems Microsoft had with those patches as well.  The need for a reliable, fast and secure web browser outweighs any benefit of using the default Operating System browser.  

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/05/september_patch_tuesday_pre_alert

Hi, for Business owners who might feel my service is"overkill", here are a couple of weblinks you read.  The cost, both dollars and lost consumer trust from a data breach is more than you might realize.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davelewis/2014/08/28/dairy-queen-data-breached-with-sprinkles

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/backoff-trojan-back-protect-your-business-next-pos-breach

Simply put, YES  :-)    All on a USB stick, no charger necessary. Available in time for the holidays.
Dell calls the new device Project Ophelia and it is amazing, the possibilities are endless.  This device turns any TV or monitor into the smartest, most useable screen on the planet!

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Written by Lior Levin

In this post we’re going to get into why live chat can improve your business and tips on how to maximize its effectiveness.

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Apple announced new features to its iOS software, which runs the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The software should be available to consumers in the fall.

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