Recent studies show that our passwords too easy to guess and susceptible to brute force attacks. The tendency is to leave them around for prying eyes to find, and we often use identical passwords and user names across multiple sites and services. To help you safeguard against security threats we have put together a list of best practices and provided a 3-step guide to creating a great universal password.

Make them obscure
This should be obvious but still too many people use common words such as password, football, or 12345678. Those are just too easy to guess, instead of using a word found in the dictionary make up your own.

Use diverse characters: When choosing a password it’s important to use a diverse set of characters. Start with using both upper and lower case letters and add some numbers. Not all sites or services allow special characters but if they do it’s a good idea to use those too.

Make them long
The longer your password is the tougher it will be to guess and the more time it will take to bruteforce. We recommend a password that is at least eight characters long. Best Practice suggests 14 characters when possible.

Make them unique
This is an extremely important aspect that people often ignore or overlook. While this doesn’t necessarily make your password more difficult to crack it limits the damage a compromised password can do, since that password will only work for that website or service.

Change them periodically: Changing your passwords periodically is a great habit to get into. It ensures that if your password has been compromised without your knowledge it can only be used for so long.

Memorize them
Do not record your password anywhere outside of your memory. Keeping your password written down or saved in a document on your computer makes it far too easy for it to fall into the wrong hands.

Result
It may have occurred to you that creating a complex password, using unique passwords for each website, and not writing them down will result in a lot of forgotten passwords. That’s why we recommend using a universal password.

I know what you’re thinking; “I just read that I shouldn’t use the same password everywhere,” but that’s not what we’re suggesting. If done properly you can create a password that is easy to remember but unique for each site you visit. Follow the next three steps for a great password that is easy to remember.

Step 1
Uses cues from the website you’re trying to log into. For example use the first three characters of the web address, such as “nex” for nexusmgmt.com. This part of your password will be different for every website.

Step 2
Use months, seasons, or fiscal quarters. For example use “Q112” for the 1^st fiscal quarter of 2012. This part of your password will be easy to change periodically and will be constant across all your logins.

Step 3
Choose a few random characters such as “8493” and memorize them. This part of your password will be constant for every login.

Our finished password for logging into nexusmgmt.com during the 1^st quarter of 2012 is “nex8493Q112.” It’s pretty easy to see how complex you can make your password by adding or altering rules.

Now you have a password that is unique to each website and easy to change periodically. And all you need to remember are two rules and a few characters.

Cloud is more reliable than tape
When you need restore some critical data or applications the last thing you want to see is a failure. Tape backup is notorious for its risk of failure which only increases as the tapes see more use. Cloud backup solutions are much more reliable and errors are easily spotted and recorded.

Cloud costs are smaller and simpler
The capital costs of acquiring hardware and licensing for tape backup solutions are steep. Tapes also require IT hours to perform the backup job and carry out proper tape logistics. Even more IT hours are spent to perform time consuming data recoveries from tape. Cloud backup solutions on the other hand cost only a predictable monthly fee no matter how many restores you perform. Backups occur automatically, and restore jobs take only a few minutes so your IT staff can focus on more important tasks.

Cloud is less complicated than tape
Tapes requires tedious manual labor to perform the backup process and rotate the tapes. And proper business continuity and disaster recovery practices require that tapes be stored at an offsite location. These logistics make tapes susceptible to being lost, stolen, and damaged by sun, heat, or magnetic current. Cloud backups can be configured to automatically run during non-business hours and the encrypted data is stored in a secure data center.

Cloud is more secure than tape
Tapes are small physical pieces of hardware that require some complicated logistics to be used most effectively. The inherent nature of tapes allows them to easily be lost or stolen. Cloud backup solutions like NexVault store encrypted data in secure data centers so it won’t be lost or stolen.

Cloud bypasses geographic barriers
Backing up to tape and restoring from tape requires someone to be onsite to work with the physical hardware. Cloud backup applications automatically backup data from servers and workstations located anywhere. The application can also be accessed remotely through a web based dashboard to instantly restore files to any remote location necessary.

Cloud is easily scaled
The amount of storage your business uses can be scaled as your needs fluctuate, so your only paying for what you need. And the amount of storage you need probably isn’t as big as you might think. Because cloud backup solutions like NexVault perform bit-level backups the entire file only needs to be backed up once. After the initial backup only the changes are backed up each time instead of the entire file.

Overall cloud backup solutions are more reliable and secure while requiring less work to maintain.

Establishing ground rules and best practices is important to protect the privacy of your employees, the security of your information, and the integrity of your business. Instituting and enforcing a social media policy is something we believe every IT department should be a part of, follow these ten steps to create your social media policy.

Disclaimers: Start with some disclaimer information. None of this should be interpreted or implied to break federal labor laws. In addition to the following guidelines and ground rules please also follow the terms and conditions for any third-party sites.

Define what social media is: Your business should clearly define what social media is. For example a simple yet broad definition of social media could be; any website or medium (including videos) providing means for communication in the open.

Decide how your company uses social media: You need to determine how your company will utilize social media. Common uses include brand recognition, engaging customers and employees, and driving sales.

Clarify ownership: Make clear that all your company’s social media accounts are the property of the company and not the property of any employees.

Stress privacy: One of the most important contributions an IT professional can make to a social media policy is cautioning employees not to share any confidential or non-public company information. Personal and proprietary information must be kept confidential when establishing and participating in social media channels.

Stress security: Another important contribution an IT professional can make is revisiting and stressing the importance of proper security practices. Properly selecting passwords, avoiding phishing and social engineering scams, using trusted websites, and accessing secure networks are a few of the most important points here.

Decide who is responsible and train them: Determine who at your company is responsible for establishing, monitoring, managing, and participating in social media. Establish a training system and make sure these employees understand how to properly use social media accounts safely and securely.

Establish guidelines for instituting and managing company social media accounts: If your business is going to use social media you need to detail how employees should use these company social media accounts. What voice and attitude should be used to represent the company? What type of content should they engage with?

Establish ground rules for employee participation: Outline how employees should act when participating in social media activities on behalf of or related to your business. Outside of creating social media accounts to represent your business you should also set some guidelines for employees to participate through non-branded social media accounts, like posting comments to an industry related blog. Intel’s Social Media Guidelines include good examples of the ground rules you should set.

Publish: Once finished be sure to circulate your policies and store them somewhere easily accessible for reference.

Ubiquitous Access
Cloud = Ubiquitous access; same level of access from home or the office.  This is best exemplified by an outside sales force, or any staff that requires access to data and applications remotely.  Cloud services are accessed through a web browser or application securely over the internet, so users can have the same level of access and functionality from hotels, airports, or coffee shops as they would in their own office.

Another capability is collaboration. Multiple professionals can access and edit a document or work file simultaneously from different buildings, states, or countries. The last advantage of ubiquitous access is exemplified by the ‘bring your own device (BYOD) philosophy’ that more and more companies are subscribing to.  This can occur now with Cloud applications because information is typically not stored locally on the computer or remote device.  These are maintained on centralized fault tolerant systems with very granular security constraints.  This allows cloud applications to reduce the traditional barriers of accessing information regardless of the smart phone, tablet, PC, or Mac the user is working on.

Data in the cloud can be accessed regardless of device or location.

Flexibility
Cloud resources are scaled to appropriately fit the needs a business has today and can be easily increased or decreased for tomorrow. This flexibility is an obvious advantage to any company dealing with economic turmoil. When business slows down cloud resources can be easily decreased so you’re not paying for anything you’re not using. When business picks back up cloud resources can be easily increased to meet the demand.

Building Blocks for BC and DR
Businesses are using cloud computing solutions as integral parts of their Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans. Ubiquitous access, automatic failover, backup, storage replication, and offsite location are all integral aspects of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery strategies. And all of those aspects can be supported by cloud services.  In fact, Public and Private Cloud providers are designing these systems natively for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery.

Economics
If your business is hosting data and applications in-house there is a good chance server resources are not being fully utilized. Public clouds draw from a shared pool of resources; multiple cloud environments are able to capitalize on the full potential of the physical servers and therefore are more efficient. In addition to that the servers and their environment are managed more efficiently because they’re in a data center instead of a storage closet.

Not only is the cloud more efficient but it also decreases or even eliminates the costs associated with hardware and licensing. By using cloud services from a managed service provider businesses forgo the costs of licensing, purchasing, upgrading, and maintaining for a fixed monthly rate.

Focus
Eliminating licensing, purchasing, upgrading, and maintenance doesn’t just help from an economic standpoint, it makes sense from a productivity standpoint too. Instead of worrying about day-to-day management and menial tasks, your IT staff will be able to focus their time on more important issues like security, privacy, etc.

If you would like to learn more about how cloud services can meet your specific needs and help your business Contact Us.

Today the term cloud generally means ubiquitous access. Most cloud services are accessible via a web browser or app; so you have the same level of access regardless of your location or even device. Clouds are offered in several varieties depending on control versus efficiency, and the service that the cloud is providing.

Public Cloud
This cloud model is hosted and managed by a third party and is multi-tenanted. A single cloud is built to provide resources, such as storage or a service, available to the public. The cloud’s resources are shared among each different organization using the service allowing for maximum efficiency and economic advantages.

Private Cloud
A private cloud is built for the use of a single organization and can be managed internally or by a third party. This model offers the most control but not the economic advantages of the more efficient, multi-tenanted public cloud.

Community Cloud
This variety is similar to a public cloud in that it’s multi-tenanted. However in a community cloud resources are shared between organizations with like concerns (security, compliance, jurisdiction, etc.) instead of open to the public. This is more efficient than a standard Private Cloud and offers more control than Public Cloud.

Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud combines two or more cloud varieties; public, private, community. Each cloud remains an individual entity; the concept is to allocate services in Cloud varieties that make the most sense.  An example of this would be an organization that hosts Email, Communications, and a website with a Public Cloud Provider, yet maintains a Private Cloud for internal vertical applications.

Private offers the most control, Public is the most efficient, and Community and Hybrid models compromise.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Cloud infrastructure services are basically outsourced raw storage and networking. Instead of purchasing servers, networking devices and licenses, clients can lease these resources on a monthly basis. A good example of IaaS is our own High Availability Virtual Enterprise Network (HAVEN).

Software as a Service (SaaS)
Cloud software services provide applications over the Internet eliminating the need for clients to purchase, install, and run the applications on their devices. Some examples of SaaS are Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, iCloud, Drop Box, and our NexVault backup solution.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)
A cloud platform service delivers a computing platform for a client to develop and deploy their own applications on. Again this forgoes purchasing and managing the hardware for a monthly cost instead. PaaS is the least common use of cloud computing.

Hopefully you now have a better idea of what the cloud is and understand its associated terminology. To learn how the cloud can help you, read 5 Reasons Businesses Are Venturing Into Cloud.

Update and increase security policies: According to a recent report from Cisco seven in ten young employees frequently ignore IT policies, one in five said IT policies are not enforced, and two of three said IT policies need to be modified to address real world demands. If you only take away one thing from this report it should be that security policies need to be revisited and updated.

Develop and test your Disaster Recovery Plan: 2011 had a number of disasters large and small that put many disaster recovery plans into action; make sure you’re ready for anything 2012 brings your way. In addition to preparing for an actual disaster, business continuity is becoming a more prevalent topic these days and clients are apt to ask about your disaster recovery plan. Assure your customers that you will always be there for them and have all the right answers in 2012.

An IT consultant can help you analyze and plan, or if you would rather do it yourself there are plenty of resources available to help guide you. Having a plan in theory and in writing is great, but be sure to test it as well. Even if you never face a disaster, just having a proper DRP will increase confidence and provide peace of mind.

Reduce paper usage: Be mindful of the impact your company has on the environment. Reduce the amount of paper your company uses in 2012 by making better use of technology. Convert cabinets full of paper to digital files, introduce new digital storage and organization systems, and encourage employees to rely on digital files without printing. Not only will your company save paper but you will also find yourself more organized.

Take it a step further by storing your data in the cloud. This will make your files easily available from any internet connected device and make your business better prepared to recover from a disaster.

Reduce energy usage: Consider Co-Locating or utilizing virtual servers to reduce energy use. Data centers are well equipped with powerful climate control systems that can provide for many servers and maximize efficiency. Another option is moving away from physical servers altogether. Virtual servers are more efficient than physical machines because they can make maximum use of shared resources. Virtual servers can also be scaled so the network, disk space, and processing power available fit the needs of your business.

Increase communication efficiency: Reducing the role of email is a hot topic these days. For many business functions email is more than adequate but if you find employees are replying multiple times to the same subject there may be a more efficient way. Email is not ideal for having a conversation, that’s what instant messenger and voice are for. Instant messenger and VoIP systems, such as Microsoft Lync, offer lots of useful features and consolidate and streamline communications.

Utilizing a single contact list for email, instant messaging and voice reduces repetition and confusion. History and records can all be stored and found in a single convenient application. And convenient features like file and desktop sharing, presence, and conferencing increase communication efficiency.

The year ahead: Everyone at Nexus Management would like to wish your business success in the upcoming year. We’re all working hard to make 2012 our best year yet.

This is a big deal. 

This is IT everyone is excited about: another string that tied your productivity to your office or your computer has been cut. Everyone here at Nexus Management, IT and non-technical staff alike, have been chomping at the proverbial bit for these apps, so we’re thrilled that the mobile applications have finally become a reality.

Paired with the desktop applications, Lync Mobile is enabling today’s on-the-fly workforce to communicate via voice, video and instant message — even join in conference calls — from just about anywhere they can make a normal cellphone call.

Want to talk more about whether Lync 2010 is right for you? Contact us, we can help.

Have Lync 2010* and want the apps? Find them in your platform App store: iOS App Store, Android Market, and Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.

*some Lync 2010 server configuration required for Mobile functionality.

Capabilities
The first thing to consider is the firm’s capabilities. Make sure the firm is able to meet your needs and that you’re not compromising or ‘making do’. Be specific about your needs and make sure the solution fits your business or can be customized to. A good MSP realizes their limitations and should be forthcoming about them.

Range and integration of capabilities is also a key factor; if you need a virtual environment, hosted email and help desk support you should strongly consider a single vendor who offers all those solutions. Can the MSP support all of the hardware and software your business uses? A strong familiar relationship and a lower cost are likely benefits of working with a single MSP.

Control
Decide how much control you want to have over the management of your information technology services. Whether you want to be micromanaging, completely outsourcing, or something in-between it’s important to make sure that the MSP allows you to have the amount of control you want.

Cost
Cost is obviously an important aspect to consider, but cost itself needs to be analyzed several ways. When analyzing the cost of IT services you should compare it to the costs of all alternative solutions including comparable services from competing vendors as well as in-house solutions.

Location
Since IT services are easily supplied and supported remotely location heavily depends on the needs and preferences of your business. Many enterprise businesses have some sort of onsite IT presence but if yours doesn’t it may be worth considering a MSP that can provide onsite support to your office.

For business continuity reasons it is preferable that your network and data be located in an area unlikely to experience a disaster. Geographic diversification is also a factor to consider; it’s a good idea to have your data stored at multiple sites in different geographic areas to avoid a single event destroying everything. Because clear communication with your IT service provider is integral the location of the support office is often considered.

Availability
Evaluate the MSP’s availability. Do they offer live support 24/7/365? Do they allow personnel access to your server 24/7/365? Compare your needs with any restrictions considering all possible scenarios.

Reliability
Does the MSP have a good track record of minimizing downtime and providing stable services? What are the minimum service requirements and what are the procedures if these requirements are not met? Make sure all service parameters are detailed in the service level agreements and compare.

Conclusion
Make sure to be thorough and fair in your comparisons. This list is a great starting point but you should examine the needs of your business, most likely a key factor in making your decision is not mentioned above.

• Learn the ins and outs of cloud computing
• Learn how the cloud can help your business
• Have your questions answered by our IT experts

Complimentary lunch and beverages provided.

DATE:

Wednesday, July 11

TIME:

11:30am – 1:30pm

Location:

Courtyard by Marriot
236 Sylvan Rd.
Bangor, ME 04401