How Secure Is Your Manufacturing Operation?

Manufacturing Blog

After the public and finance sectors, the manufacturing industry is the third most targeted by cyber-attacks, as the threat from malicious hackers, cybercriminals and corporate espionage escalate.

The fact that industrial processes are increasingly connected - via the Internet of Things (IoT) - which makes their software and advanced automation vulnerable to a security breach. This can result in a loss of sensitive corporate and intellectual information, which could compromise your profitability, damage your brand and worse.

This is why you have to actively manage the security risks by:

1. Being password smart

The first step is the most obvious: Change default passwords. The number of production manufacturing and process control systems that still use the factory-assigned passwords is staggering. These passwords tend to be readily available via a Google search, so continuing to use them is the electronic equivalent of leaving the key in the lock of your front door.

2. Default names

Step two is similar: Change the default names of devices and networks. This is another very, very basic step, but one that far too many manufacturers fail to take when deploying control systems.

 

3. Ring-fencing your networks

Treat your core network like you treat your business network - and keep the two separate. Each of these is important, but many manufacturers treat one as more important than the other. In actuality, the two are related in what they do for the business and why they can be critical for safe manufacturing.

Treating the core network like the business network means ring-fencing your manufacturing network, in the same way you secure the financial and IP portions of your business. Separating the process and business networks is important because it is too easy for a vulnerability in one of the networks to introduce malware for the other.

Business-side users, for example, may be more likely to use USB thumb drives that could carry malware targeting industrial controllers. And a poorly defended manufacturing line might provide an easy attack vector for malware that could move into critical databases.

4. Taking a layered approach to security

Taking a layered approach to security is the most secure option for any operation, no matter the scale or size. Here you need to employ a wide range of tools and techniques from firewalls and intrusion detection systems, to anti-virus systems and 24/7 network monitoring tools. Firewall and IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) or a UTM (Unified Threat Management) control traffic in and out of your network, and will pick up unusual traffic and ensure any intrusion is detected.

It is up to manufacturers to ensure that have systems and procedures in place to protect sensitive data, and mitigate against any active threats to their networks and IT infrastructure. Fail to do this and they risk their brand reputation and profitability – something no operation can afford in this digital era.

Want to learn more about how you can take your cybersecurity to the next level by adding Cisco Umbrella and the Five Nines Cyber-Security Operations Center to your IT environment? Sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch this FREE Five Nines Power Hour Webinar: A Layered Approach To Cybersecurity.

 Click Here To Watch The Webinar

 

This blog is in partnership with Dell. 

Improving Business Collaboration with Your Technology

Collaboration (1)

When it comes to working with your team, collaborating with another company, or simply working on a project from multiple locations, everyone wants to network and feel connected through their technology. Digital connectedness not only drives productivity, but communication and collaboration in the workplace as well. Gone are the times when technology was used as a tool for efficiency only, your business technology is now a means of driving impactful opportunities.

So, what do we mean by digital connectedness? Throughout a work day, individuals and companies are constantly networking and building relationships through email, chat, phone calls, virtual meetings, etc. During those times, collaboration should be efficient and complimentary to what you are trying to achieve, or else productivity can drastically decrease.

Here's how the right infrastructure can enhance collaboration:

Access to Information. Having the ability to efficiently share and collaborate on certain files or pieces of information is an important part of productivity. If your network is reliable and your infrastructure is set up in a way that can support documentation and the immediate sharing of files, your team will spend less time trying to track down and share files, and more time focusing on business development.

Anytime, Anywhere. Your IT environment must support your users so they are able to do their work anytime, anywhere. According to a Gallup survey, 43% of users said they spent time working from home in the last year, up from 39% in 2012. Remote work is increasing in popularity, and your environment must have the ability to support users collaborating from anywhere.

Collaborative Apps. You might also consider implementing or upgrading to a collaborative suite or software that can allow your employees to communicate in real-time. An example of these applications are Slack, Skype for Business, and Microsoft Teams. These apps are meant to provide an all-in-one platform where users can chat, share files, and keep projects moving. While it's always good to pick up the phone and call, having multiple communication avenues will play in your favor.

Customer Relationships. Putting a focus on collaborative technology and immediate access to information will also help improve customer service standards and customer relationships. Your users can get what they need to service the client within the click of a few buttons, but only if your infrastructure allows for them to do so. The more information they have at their disposal, the better they can connect with and help your customers.

Besides the occasional meeting, a majority of your time is spent behind your computer screen trying to get things moving, mark things off your to-do list, all while meeting the needs of your clients and team members. Maintaining those business relationships is so important, and the only way you can achieve this efficiently is through the right business technology that can aide you in those efforts.

Want to find out how IT can be utilized as an asset instead of a means of stress? 

What does it look like when IT becomes an asset? Click below for the free Five Nines Power Hour "IT As An Asset", as we dive into IT responsibilities, service requests and security, as well as technology standards, budgeting, and IT training and knowledge.

Click Here For The Free Webinar

Topics: Customer Service, Working Remotely, Productivity, Collaboration

2019's IT Trends Have Been Revealed

2019w 

Did you know 83% of businesses expect their IT spending to grow or remain steady in 2019? Responses from 625 IT decision makers across the United States and Canada reflect confidence in 2019 with strong IT budgets, trends, and a focus on future technology.

Skills, support, and budgets are key to success when it comes to your technology. In this report, we analyze 2019 business IT trends by exploring:

  • Challenges and Contributors to IT Projects
  • IT Budgets by Industry and Company Size
  • Overarching Trends

Download the full report to discover how successful organizations are investing in and transforming their IT throughout 2019.

Click Here For The Full Report

 

This report is in partnership with Dell. 

Topics: Business Continuity, Strategic Planning, Tech Trends, 2019

What Makes Cylance An Impactful CyberSecurity Solution

Cylance

Cybercrime is a real threat to all businesses, SMB's included. Statistics are only showing an increase in cyberattack methods, and successful attacks result in a significant loss of productivity and data. We want to show you why we stand by Cylance for Five Nines and our partners.

 

THE BASICS

Before diving into what Cylance is, it's important to understand what the software is protecting you from.

Malware: software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems.

Ransomware: a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.

Since 2013, there has been a significant increase in malware and ransomware. In fact, since 2014 there have been over 120 million new malicious programs per year, and ransomware attacks have increased over 97% in the last two years. According to Symantec, 1 in 13 web requests lead to malware, up 3% from 2016. These statistics show that cybersecurity threats are at an all time high, which is why having the right tools in place to keep your organization protected is so important.

Want to jump straight to our free in-depth webinar about all things Cylance? Click here. 

 

WHAT IS CYLANCE

Cylance is a tool that prevents cyberattacks with artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence is the development of computer systems where systems are able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. Cylance is able to do this through machine learning, an application of AI that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.

Cylance began in 2012, and has over 6,000 global customers, as well as over 10 million endpoints, and those numbers are growing each day. Cylance developed predictive endpoint threat prevention, which allows the software to predict, and then block cyber attacks on the endpoint in real time using pre-execution AI algorithms. They have an extremely high success rate at 99%+. Cylance also doesn't need a cloud connection to stop malware, as it can still do its' job without an internet connection, making it a one-of-a-kind product in the industry.

 

WHY COMPANIES CHOOSE CYLANCE

There are several reasons why Five Nines and other companies choose to utilize Cylance.

Effectiveness. Cylance is an extremely effective program with 99.7% effectiveness against all known malware.

Simplicity. Cylance is also very simple to manage, companies don't have to spend a lot of time managing it once it is set up within their environment, yet it increases ROI up to 250%.

Performance. Cylance only has a 1-2% impact to CPU, therefore user systems run faster, hardware lifespans are extended, and network bandwidth is reduced.

Cybercrime is a real threat, but protecting your business doesn't have to be guesswork. If Cylance is something that interests you, and you would like to see it in action while learning about how to apply it to your own business, our Power Hour might be a great resource for you. While the information above is a great overview, it may be more impactful to see exactly how Cylance works. 

Click below to access our free webinar, Cylance - Proactive Protection For Your Business, and tune in as one of our engineers provides in-depth information on Cylance while taking you through a series of demonstrations where you can see the software in action.

Click Here To Watch The Webinar

Topics: Security, Cybersecurity, Webinars, Cylance

How Unified Communications Helps To Increase Productivity

Unified Communications Blog

Unified Communications is an important business component meant to optimize processes and increase user productivity.  It is something that relies on successful technology in order to be utilized to the fullest. As technology has evolved, so has the efficiency of Unified Communications, which is why Five Nines has made it a part of who we are and what we do.

You may be wondering, what exactly is Unified Communications? What is UCaaS vs. Unified Communications? How does it increase productivity? Is it something we already have or is it something we need? Keep reading, and we will answer these initial questions for you. 

WHAT IS UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS?

Unified Communications is best defined by Gartner as the products (equipment, software and services) that facilitate the interactive use of multiple enterprise communication methods. In simpler terms, Unified Communications is used when technology is helping automate and unify user and device communications to streamline processes and improve the end-user experience. It's meant to make life easier.

The term Unified Communications goes beyond the definition above, as these solutions can be delivered in two different methods which we will break down for you below.

Not sure what this looks like for your organization? Click below to schedule a FREE technical walk through to better understand your IT environment, no strings attached! 

Request Free Technical Walk-Through

UC VS. UCaaS

Simply stating the term Unified Communications (UC) represents on-site solutions requiring hardware and onboarding. Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), however, represents cloud delivered solutions. UCaaS has been growing in popularity in recent years, and while both are consistently used, there is a difference between both solutions.

For organizations who already have an established IT environment, it is sometimes preferable to integrate a UC solution into that environment, as they already have the pieces in place needed for a successful transition. UCaaS makes things simple which other businesses also prefer, as it is a solution where users simply have to download and log in. Brands such as Office 365 and Skype utilize UCaaS platforms. According to Grand View Research, the global UC market will exceed $75 billion by 2020. Some organizations will leverage both options, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to Unified Communications.

HOW CAN THESE INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY?

According to a Gartner report, businesses realize just 43% of technology's potential benefits. One benefit they may be missing is the increase in productivity UC and UCaaS provides. Here are some ways Unified Communications in all forms helps to increase productivity in the workplace:

  • Effective Communication: UC helps with the ability to communicate frequently, being aware of when colleagues are free or busy, and helps alleviate the stress of playing phone tag.
  • Flexibility: UC allows for flexibility. Have remote employees? Giving them the ability to answer incoming communication from a variety of devices will help to increase productivity.
  • High Levels of Collaboration: Interaction over multiple platforms is easy to do with UC, and helps promote collaboration across multiple teams in multiple locations through features such as visual collaboration and instant messaging.

Unified Communications and/or UCaaS are both technological assets that should be used within your IT environment. The more consistent, collaborative communication is supported, the more your organization will be able to get done in less time. Increase the level of communication and productivity for your business at the same time by utilizing a Unified Communications solution.

Building an efficient IT solution can make the difference between your workplace technology becoming an asset or a liability. In this webinar, we will discuss how you can make your IT an asset by going over the right tools, processes, and people that will keep your technology running smoothly.

Click Here For The Free Webinar

 

 

Topics: Equipment, Business Continuity, Working Remotely, Productivity, Unified Communications, UCaaS

You See It In Our Logo - But What Does It Mean?

solve secure advance

Solve. Secure. Advance. You have seen these 3 words beneath our logo since our re-branding back in 2015, however, we haven't taken a deep dive in to what they really mean on our blog. This phrase is incorporated in everything we do, it drives the way we conduct our business and our Five Nines support. We think it's time you have the opportunity to learn what this phrase, that is so important to us, really means.

For all of the visual folks out there, solve. secure. advance. represents each arrow of our logo, starting from the bottom, advancing to the top. Each piece builds upon the other, and we would not have our complete logo, (or well-rounded service) if one piece was missing.

4-1Solve. Facing a challenge head-on is what solve is all about. In order for you to leverage your business technology to the fullest, you must first address the IT service basics. Embracing "solve" is about your initial IT set up: workstations, printers, servers, infrastructures, backups, antivirus, the list goes on. Five Nines utilizes "solve" to address the basics, because with the right foundation your business technology will be able to expand and become more innovative.

Secure. A solution becomes valuable when implemented correctly. The Five Nines team embraces "secure" by making IT business planning a priority. This includes focusing on security and compliance, conducting internal IT audits, becoming proactive with incident response and disaster recovery planning, providing business continuity planning, as well as implementing user awareness training to decrease security risks. We want your business to feel secure with every proactive step taken.

Advance. Technology is an ever-changing piece of your business, which is why advancement is all about looking forward to position your organization as a leader in the marketplace. "Advance" relates to IT strategy, whether that is 1/5/10 year budget planning, strategic planning, or implementing processes to increase productivity and efficiency over time. While strategy is not everyone's cup of tea, it's a necessary part of building and maintaining an IT environment, and that is what we are here for.

Solve. Secure. Advance. You cannot have one without the others. Putting your business technology in a position to succeed requires stepping back, starting from the basics, and taking a look at the bigger picture. We are here to help you put that full picture together to not only keep things up and running, but to keep your organization efficient and productive as well.

Did you like learning a little more about Five Nines? Another great way to get to know us is through our Five Nines Fundamentals. To watch a video on our first 7 fundamentals from a Five Niner's perspective, click below. 

Click Here To Watch The Video

Topics: Five Nines, solve. secure. advance.

The Importance of IT Documentation

DOCUMENTATION

In all aspects of business, there is typically some form of documentation. You could be tracking certain numbers for goal completion, documenting budgets, or analyzing metrics for performance purposes. Just like anything else in your business, documentation of your IT environment is a necessary step to keeping your business technology current and up-to-date.

Documentation helps to identify trends, and having the visibility into the trends of your technology will put your organization's IT at a competitive advantage. Here is what your IT team should be keeping a record of when tracking the happenings of your IT environment.

 

ALL SUPPORT ISSUES

It's important to have a record of all day-to-day issues your employee's are experiencing with their technology. It's extremely helpful to look at the most common tickets that are inputted when determining future IT strategies. Documentation helps provide a visual into whether one consistent issue is happening across multiple users, or if the same issue is happening to the same user more than once.

Having this cohesive record of support issues will also help your IT team determine how they can best accommodate your users. For example, if a user's computer is slow for a consistent amount of time, it may be time for an upgrade. Another way documentation can assist your IT team is when repetitive issues arise. If there is previous documentation of the same issue, an IT professional will have more insight into solving the same problem quickly, and may be able to determine a more permanent solution as well.

Not sure what this looks like for your organization? Click below to schedule a FREE technical walk through to better understand your IT environment, no strings attached! 

Click Here For A Free Technical Walk-Through

 

INVENTORY

Product Orders. Ordering new products for your IT environment is a very common occurrence, especially if you have multiple users or if you are consistently bringing in new talent. Keeping an up-to-date list of what products your IT team is ordering will help you make more informed decisions when having to sign off on ordering new products. Understanding what you already have, as well as what you plan to order in the near future, will keep your budget on track and your stress level low.

Your Entire Environment. Documenting your entire IT environment will help to paint a comprehensive picture of how all of your technology works together to support your business. Your IT team will have a list they can pull from when making decisions on whether to upgrade your technology, how to improve your infrastructure, and how to piece everything together within your network. You will also be able to understand what you already have, to narrow down what you may need in the future. Not only will this give you peace of mind, it could save your IT team a lot of time when asking questions regarding your IT environment.

As your organization works to improve and streamline technical processes and procedures, be sure your IT team goes the extra mile in terms of documentation practices. The more you have documented, the more visibility you will have into your business technology. That alone is worth the extra time. 

Having an understanding of the basic functions of your network will be helpful when determining IT documentation practices. Click below to download the Five Nines Power Hour: Building An Optimal Network, a webinar that will teach you all about network basics, network design (the good and the bad), as well as troubleshooting and monitoring.

Watch the Optimal Network Webinar

Topics: Tech Solutions, Strategic Planning

It's Officially 2019: Set Your IT Goals

IT Goals Blog

2019 is the year to make your technology a business asset if it isn't already. Sometimes, that can be easier said than done. Just like you set your new year's resolutions, however, you can set your IT goals now to implement throughout the year.

If you'd like to skip straight to a Five Nines Power Hour about utilizing your IT as an asset, click below:

IT As An Asset

Now that it is officially the new year, it's time to set your IT goals. Here's how you can set attainable goals, budget for your technology, and make your IT an asset in 2019.

 

SET ATTAINABLE AND MEASURABLE GOALS

To set attainable and measurable goals where you will gain the most benefit, you must first set your IT priorities. You may want to put a strong focus on your IT security, or improve your internal/external processes with specific pieces of technology. Maybe, you want to give your company a competitive edge by utilizing IT to decrease downtime. You could also put a focus on the current IT trends that drive business efficiencies such as Wi-Fi networking technology, IT automation, or updating your IT infrastructure and software.

According to the 2019 State of IT study, larger organizations (5,000+ employees) are more likely to adopt newer technology trends because of their needs and budget size. Smaller organizations, however, are trying to improve their current infrastructure and processes. Be sure to set goals that are a good fit for your organization, and focus on how you would like to see your business technology compliment organizational success. Ensuring that all goals are able to be measured and tracked is also a key component to this process.

Related: IT Strategic Planning for 2019 and Beyond

 

BUDGETING AND PLANNING

Goal implementation is best complimented by budgeting and planning. It may be helpful to sit down with your IT team to develop a preliminary 1/3/5 year budget plan, so you have a direction of where your business technology is headed. According to Spiceworks, the need to upgrade outdated IT infrastructures is the biggest driver of IT budget increases in 2019. With a budget plan, you will have the ability to anticipate these expenses before they happen.

After surveyed, 89% of companies expect their IT budgets to grow or remain steady in 2019. This year, smaller businesses are making significant increases to their hardware budgets, while large enterprises are increasing their cloud budgets. While both are valuable, it all depends on your type of organization. Just as you set goals that are right for your business, you must also allocate an appropriate budget plan as well.

 

MAKE IT AN ASSET

To make your IT a true organizational asset, put a strong focus on planning, tracking, training, and documentation when trying to meet and plan for your tech goals.

Internal IT Audit: Audit your current IT environment by determining what resources you already have, as well as what you may need in the future.

Disaster Recovery Plan: If something were to go awry, is your data backed up and secure? Take the time to develop a detailed disaster recovery plan that you can follow in the event of an emergency.

User Awareness Training: Train your users on best practices when navigating the web, or how to spot potentially malicious emails.

Download The Social Engineering Red Flags Flier

Consistent Strategic Planning: Take time each quarter to strategically analyze your business technology, and track the progress of your goals.

Documentation: Be sure to document everything, whether it is consistent tech issues that arise, metrics that coincide with your goals, or your month-to-month budget.

While it may seem like a lot of preparation, the more you put in to your business technology the more you will gain from it. Make 2019 your year to set and achieve the tech goals that will benefit your organization. Don't want to do it all alone? Click here.  

 

What does it look like when IT becomes an asset? Click below for the free Five Nines Power Hour "IT As An Asset", as we dive into IT responsibilities, service requests and security, as well as technology standards, budgeting, and IT training and knowledge.

Click Here For The Free Webinar

 

Topics: IT, Equipment, Strategic Planning, 2019

When You Should Reboot Your Devices And Why

REBOOT_RESTART VS. RESET

"When was the last time you restarted your computer?" Does that question sound familiar? Whenever a user is facing a tech issue, typically one of the first troubleshooting steps is to try rebooting their device.

Why is restarting your device sometimes the quick fix you need to get back on track? Why is it the first step engineers will turn to when you tell them your tech issue?

 

REBOOT/RESTART VS. RESET

Before attempting to reboot, restart, or reset your device, it's important to know the difference between them as one is more permanent than the others. Rebooting and restarting your device are inherently the same thing, you are turning the device off and back on again in order to start with a clean slate so your programs can run normally. Sometimes, rebooting/restarting may be referred to as a "soft reset", which means the exact same thing. Your programs and settings will remain the same when you reboot or restart.

Don't let the term "soft reset" get confused with completely resetting your device, or conducting a "hard reset". Resetting is equivalent to erasing, as you are returning a device, program, or software back to its' factory default state. Resetting your device will erase all of your settings and programs, so you will want to be 100% sure before you press the reset button.

 

THE WHY

Today we will be focusing on rebooting/restarting as it is more common when troubleshooting. Restarting a device gives the user a clean slate the work with, as any background processes or troublesome code gets wiped clean. These background issues are fairly common in devices, and can arise in several ways. Restarting your device could resolve background processes causing a decrease in speed that are still running, shut down browsers that are using up too much memory, as well as reconnect to Wi-Fi networks that are being interfered with. Occasionally, your hardware or drivers may malfunction, or your computer's RAM is utilized to its' limitations. Rebooting your device could help resolve many of those issues.

You may be wondering, how you will know if one of the issues above applies to your device? You may not be able to diagnose exactly what is wrong with your technology, but it should be fairly obvious to you if something is wrong, as you will begin to experience performance issues.

 

THE WHEN

It is best to restart your devices at least once per week. Set a calendar invite to restart your computer consistently. For example, you could dedicate your first 5 minutes every Friday morning to rebooting. Aside from weekly reboots, if you are experiencing performance issues the best first step to begin finding a resolution is to restart your device. These performance issues could range from your device freezing, crashing, or overheating. Restarting could solve the issue right off the bat and save you time, however, if the issue keeps happening you will want to reach out to your IT team.

While it may be a hassle to close out all programs that you are working on, restarting your technology is a key troubleshooting step for simple tech issues users experience daily. The next time your device isn't cooperating, we hope rebooting is a helpful step in the troubleshooting process.

 

Having an understanding of the basic functions of your network will be helpful when reporting a future tech issue. Click below to download the Five Nines Power Hour: Building An Optimal Network, a free webinar that will teach you all about network basics, network design (the good and the bad), as well as troubleshooting and monitoring.

Click Here For The Free Download

Topics: Equipment, Rebooting, Troubleshooting

What Do End-Of-Support and End-Of-Life Dates Really Mean?

end-of support end-of-life

Have you ever run into technological terms where you don't fully understand their meaning? Have you felt this way when hearing your technology is approaching "end-of-life" or that a product has an upcoming "end-of-support date"?

We'd like to give you a little insight as to what end-of-support dates are, what end-of-life means, as well as what your action items should be when your IT team tells you that one of these is approaching. This way, you will know what your engineer is talking about, and you will have peace of mind when navigating upcoming changes.

 

End-Of-Support dates

So, what does end-of-support actually mean? It's just how it sounds. This is put into place when a company decides to stop providing support on a specific product or service. Oftentimes this occurs when newer software or hardware is released, and support for the older version is no longer provided.

Think about it this way, whenever your technology breaks, freezes, or simply isn't working correctly, you pick up the phone and call a support line. Imagine not being able to call a support line for one of your products. If something breaks and you're in that position, it becomes a larger problem as it may not have an easy fix. This is why updating your software and hardware, and paying attention to end-of-support dates is so important.

 

End-Of-Life dates

End-of-life dates are slightly different, as this is the date when the product goes end-of-sale. Utilizing end-of-life hardware can be especially risky, as businesses could experience compromised data security, decreased productivity, higher maintenance costs, problems with scalability, as well as non-compliance.

According to the State of IT Study conducted by Spiceworks, end-of-life is the top driver of new technological purchases as it was reported 57% of purchases were motivated by end-of-life. In fact, 62% of small businesses are driven to purchase new technology due to end-of-life dates that are fast approaching.

 

Business Reviews/Budgeting

So, what should you do when you hear end-of-support or end-of-life dates that apply to your business are approaching? It's important to set a meeting with your main IT contacts to cover all of your bases. Take time to discuss all of your current products, what you should keep, what isn't necessary, and which of your hardware or software is approaching an end-of-support or end-of-life date. Even if the date is a year away, they tend to sneak up on you, so it's always good to start the discussion in order to be prepared ahead of time.

From there, you will have a clear picture that will help you to budget and prioritize for the upcoming year. You will have the opportunity to really plan ahead and allocate your IT budget dollars in the right places.

For free presentation slides from the 2018 NE Tech Summit titled, "End-of-Life: The Technology Graveyard", click below. This presentation will provide you with tools to create an end-of-life management plan, and will outline upcoming and recent end-of-life dates you should be aware of.

Click Here To Access The Presentation

Topics: End of Life, End of Support