Mom screaming down the staircase…”Tommy? Tommy? Tommy can you ask Alexa to
reach out to the wifi enabled fridge and ask if we have any more no fat, no flavor, no
sugar Almond Milk? Maybe use your smartwatch to connect to your personal hotspot
and then order some more from DoorDash. Oh, Tommy, please lower the Air
Conditioner to 72 degrees from your smartphone, it’s getting warm in here.” “What a
world we live in, thought Tommy. All of these magical devices work in unison to
ensure that we get our tasteless milk delivered to the doorstop within minutes,
without ever lifting a finger or going to the grocery store.“ Tommy linked up with the
fridge, asked Alexa to order some more, cranked down the AC with his Android, and
resumed his mission on Call of Duty with his online squad. Oh, also, he’s a master of
headshots.
These are fascinating times, indeed. On any given day, in Tommy’s household, there
are Smart TVs running on the Internet, Laptops, Tablets, Gaming Consoles, Robot
Vacuums, Refrigerators, Alexa devices, Smartwatches, and probably a gazillion other
devices. All of these devices, listening, transmitting, and connecting to servers all
across the globe. There are bank account check-ins, TikTok scrolling, Apps being
downloaded, you get the idea, there’s a LOT going on data wise in your home and your
business. With this much convenience and simply amazing connectivity, you may ask
yourself, “self? What could possibly go wrong?”
And here’s where the gloom and doom comes in, but at Advanced Systems Solutions,
we’re here to protect, to enlighten, and to keep YOU and your data safe. It’s our
mission, it’s what makes us tick, it’s also what pays the bills. Several years ago, the
notion of connecting to the Internet with that sweet, sweet, AOL disk that you picked
up from the bin at Blockbuster Video was beyond exciting. It was life-changing!
Information was exchanged, life-partners were found, classified ads helped us buy and
sell, research for school was done, it was revolutionary. Fast forward to today. Medical
devices are connected to the Internet to alert your doctor if you’re having a diabetic episode, Robotic Vacuums map your home and send data to a server (for God only
knows why), Refrigerators can hook up to your wifi, take inventory, printers, routers,
hotspots, and Bob from accounting’s smartphone are all transmitting and receiving
data. It’s alarming, and it’s a veritable feast for cyber thugs.
Recently, the occurrence of ransomware crime is on the rise. We’re seeing
municipalities taken for a ride, school districts, businesses, car dealerships, airports,
and pretty much any type of organization you can think of. Cyber thugs rifle through
unsuspecting organizations, find their weak spots, and infiltrate their network. And…
No one knows about it until it’s too late. With so many devices, so many apps, and so
many potential access points, it’s 100% completely possible that a non-updated piece
of hardware or software on your robotic vacuum, your office network switch, or your
insulin monitor can lead to a breach. As absurd as it may sound, it’s the new digital
reality.
So, how do you rise above this craziness? Backups my friend, backups. At ASSI we
encourage every business that we work with to have a 3-2-1 backup protocol. That
means always having at least three copies of your data, storing copies of your data on
multiple media/devices, AND keeping one copy of your backups offsite. This protocol
ensures that if your business does get hit by a cyber dirtbag and they attempt to hold
your data hostage, you’ve got options because you were smart and backed stuff up in
multiple places.
There are other options IN ADDITION to the 3-2-1 rule that ASSI can help your company deploy to tighten things down even further. Be sure to ask us about Threatlocker and other SaaS options to help keep your network safe and sound. At ASSI we also monitor your network, your servers, and your desktops to keep them updated, and running like a top. We also highly recommend segmenting out your networks to keep these little IOT’s from being able to chat with each other.
The bottom line is this. Everything is connected, and we all have to be vigilant, at home, at work, and at play. Keep those “smart” devices updated, keep your OS and App software up to date, keep your firmware, and hardware up to date. Today, it’s a fast race to be one step ahead of the scammers.
If we can be of ANY service to your organization and help build you a plan to keep your data safe and sound, please reach out today. Oh, and it’s probably time to disconnect that menacing vacuum robot from the Internet, it doesn’t need that kind of knowledge or power.
Relax, we’re on IT. Call today > (407) 414-6626
