15 Jul 2016
IT, Security Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

Do you hate changing your password?

HERE’S A TIP:At Quo Vadis we don’t have to worry about the constant password change. We use 1Password, a helpful, easy-to-use, secure app that stores all your logins, passwords, and more!

Tired of remembering all those passwords? Tired of the constant change? Do you want just one password for everything?

1Password.

Who doesn’t? As hackers become more real and more prevalent, passwords need to be much more complex. If you’ve taken the Security Awareness Class you know the danger, and you know how critical your password security is.

Every one of your businesses are connected to the internet, which makes you a target for cyber-attacks. Unfortunately, small businesses have a misconception that they are an unlikely target, but a quick Google search will produce a number of results showing small and medium businesses are attacked at nearly the same rate as enterprise level. Hackers know many companies don’t take cyber security seriously – and they’re right. It has come to our attention that many of you have simple passwords equivalent to having a key code entry of 1234! This is completely unacceptable.

It may be that, when you signed up for Network Care, you dismissed our counsel to implement strong passwords for your users. It’s time to reconsider. Ensure that you’re using strong passwords! Use these helpful guidelines to help create complex and secure passwords:

  • 8 characters long
  • At least 1 uppercase letter
  • At least 1 lowercase letter
  • At least 1 number
  • Simple enough to remember without writing it down

Of course, additional security measures are always encouraged, like adding special characters and making the password longer. Make sure your password doesn’t include your name, and avoid generic ones like “Password1”. If you’d like us to enforce complex networks in your network or if you have any other questions or concerns, please call the Help Desk to discuss.

10 Jun 2016
Business Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

Ransomware

If you’ve been following our Facebook page or scrolling through the tech news, you’ll know that Ransomware is running rampant through the business community. For those not ‘in the know’, there are a few common families of the malicious software often dubbed the Locky virus. Don’t let the pleasant sounding ring of Locky fool you. This virus is extremely effective at disrupting businesses by encrypting data as securely as banks do. Upon completion of its mission, the virus then informs you that it has locked your files and allows you to purchase the decryption key for a large sum of money.

The business model has worked and ransomware campaigns are becoming more and more popular, targeting businesses in wealthy countries. The virus has gone through several evolutions and continuously adapts to increase efficaciousness. There is presently no AntiVirus endpoint protection software capable of detecting the presence of Locky on your system. The detection occurs when you attempt to access a file…and can’t. Concerned? You should be.

We’ve helped approximately 20% of our clients recover from the aftermath of these ransomware attacks.  However, you should educate yourself and your staff. Start implementing the following practices to mitigate the effects of an infection:

  • Regular Backups: There are three ways address your encrypted files: (1) Pay the thieves for the decryption, (2) Forget about the data and move on, or (3) Restore your files to the last backup.  If you would like to discuss your current backup strategy, let us know.
  • DON’T enable macros in a document received through email: Microsoft deliberately turned off auto-execution of macros by default many years ago as a security measure. A lot of malware infections rely on persuading you to turn macros back on, so don’t do it!
  • DON’T open attachments or links from unsolicited emails, even if it is from someone you know. It could be that their email account was compromised and the crooks are using it to entice you to open the document.
  • Avoid Mapped Drives: Microsoft no longer recommends using mapped drives and neither do we.  Right now, the only path the virus has to your server is through your mapped drives.  In the image below, you can see that there is a mapped Q drive to QVTools highlighted in blue.  This allows a path for the virus to the server.  The better method is to make a shortcut under the Favorites section (highlighted in yellow).  It may be that you have programs which require mapped drives.  Please let us know if you need any help implementing these changes.
10 Jun 2016
Business Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

Who’s Using Up The Bandwidth?

We have received many questions about analyzing internet usage. Now, with SonicWALL Analyzer Software we have the ability to give you detailed reports.

The SonicWALL Analyzer is a traffic analytics and reporting tool that provides real-time and historical insight into the health, performance and security of the network.
Organizations of all sizes benefit from enhanced employee productivity, optimized network bandwidth utilization and increased security awareness.With the SonicWALL Analyzer you will receive reports on firewall threats, bandwidth usage statistics, and application traffic analysis, providing visibility into employee productivity and suspicious network activity.

It tracks individual user activities locally or on remote network sites to provide even greater insight into traffic usage across the entire network and, more specifically, application usage, web sites visited, backup activity and VPN connections per user.

The Analytics offer granular reporting on specific types of attacks or intrusion attempts and the source address of the attack to enable administrators to react quickly to incoming threats.

For companies that are subject to audit or simply want to keep an eye on their employees and maintain a secure environment, we strongly recommend this software.

Interested? Good timing. SonicWALL Analyzer Software is on sale in June for just $99 (normally $125)!

GET IT NOW

20 May 2016
Windows 10 Update
IT Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

Windows 10 Rebooting at the Wrong Time?

If you’ve been using Windows 10 for a while now, you’ll know that updates are automatically downloaded and installed without notifying you, the user. And you may have had the unfortunate situation of Windows 10 rebooting at the most inopportune time- like during that important presentation! If you’d like a little more control, modify the Windows Update settings, to schedule when automatic updates will restart your computer.

In the Settings app, go to Update & Security > Windows Update and then click the Advanced options button. In the drop-down box, switch the setting to “Notify to schedule restart.”
This won’t disable or block Windows Update, but just defer when you need to reboot.

20 May 2016
Computer and Network Security
IT Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

Something’s Different In the World Today

New Guy

Say “hello” to Alec Mangum! The newest member of the Quo Vadis team joined us at the beginning of May. Since he’s learning the ropes, we appreciate your patience and understanding (and light hazing) when you call for support. 😉

Tristan Mosher has been with us for about 3 months now and has made great progress! You should start seeing him visiting your offices soon in order to get some onsite training.

Clear Details

When emailing in your support requests to Quo Vadis please let us know what the issue is so that we can effectively direct you to the correct department.
This may seem silly, but in the interest of keeping everything productive and efficient, please don’t email us to ask us to call you – pick up the phone and give it a shot! Worst case scenario, it’s NOT a good time, and you’ll get voicemail. But in that case, you’ll definitely get a call back when we are ready to resolve your issue.

Healthy Security

A virus infected the computer network of MedStar Health in April, forcing the Washington health-care behemoth to shut down its email and vast records database, and raising additional concerns about the security of hospitals nationwide. Does this concern you? Read the full article here. Quo Vadis has saved half a dozen clients from sure disaster with the Crypto Ransomware viruses by utilizing the incredible services of the Datto backup appliance. Do you have one yet?

Move It To The Cloud

Intuit Inc. can’t get everyone to switch to QuickBooks Online. The provider of small business software made a big mistake in 2015. But it’s learned its lesson, and now appears poised for growth. Read the full story here.

Hi-Tech / Lo-Tech

Have you ever heard of home-automation? Do you love gadgets, apps, and hands-free technology interaction? Do you want to monitor, control, and protect your house, office, and devices all from your computer or mobile device? Maybe you want to hear music throughout the house, or you want to adjust the lighting for a romantic dinner by voice. Whether you’re paranoid about the CIA listening in, or you’re just trying to protect your family in a cutting-edge hi-tech way, Joseph is the expert.

From wireless music, lights and locks, to handgun familiarization, old-school radio contact, Joseph has been researching and buying up technology to learn the latest and greatest in automation and security.

If you’re interested in sitting down to chat about it, call the Help Desk and choose Option 2 for Wise Counsel. Utilize the resources at your fingertips. It’s free!

23 Mar 2014
About Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

The Renaissance Mindset

We are unapologetically old fashioned. We rise when a lady comes to the table. We still believe that men are responsible for doing what they say and all actions have consequences. We believe in good stewardship and spending wisely. We own the network. We treat it as if it were our own equipment. We recognize that the clients we have are working for a profit and that expenses must be justified by providing measurable value to the business. We seek to earn the role of trusted adviser. In short, we recognize that by providing excellent support and wise counsel our clients will gain peace of mind and refer us to others.

08 Feb 2013
Information Technology
IT Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

An “IT” Company

Quo Vadis provides consulting services to small business markets along the eastern seaboard and Ontario, Canada.

Our mission is to help small businesses leverage technology by stabilizing existing network infrastructures, providing virtual IT staff to field questions and respond to technology requests. In so doing, we become a very cost-effective partner in day-to-day operations without the burdensome overhead.

We offer:

  • Help Desk support with a tiered pricing structure
  • Complete network management
  • 24×7 monitoring of critical hardware and services
  • Competitive rates for onsite services
  • Managed web hosting and design
  • Application training and software support
06 Feb 2013
Home Joseph Squicciarini 0 comment

Quo Vadis

Before starting Quo Vadis, we looked around for a company that specialized in helping small business owners navigate the world of technology. We couldn’t find one. Quo Vadis is uniquely designed to work directly with business owners who need wise counsel as they implement new systems and maintain sound business practices amid ever-growing compliance mandates and exploding innovations in the computing industry. We focus on building strategic alliances with long-term partners, whether they be honest, knowledgeable engineers, best-of-breed vendors, or like-minded business owners. Our success is tied to the success of these relationships.

The Quo Vadis business philosophy is a commitment to integrity, while providing excellent service to the clients who trust us. Our name is Latin for, “Where are you going?” In our experience, there are few business owners who are confident in their firm’s technological direction. Fortunately, we know the way. Join us.
We give technical guidance to the business community in these mission critical areas:
Data Protection
You know that sick feeling you get in your stomach when blue lights start flashing in your rear view mirror? It’s just like when your computer screen turns blue just before you save the document you’ve spent hours working on. We hate that feeling! And we know how to avoid it.
Business Continuity
Nobody wants to talk about funeral planning when the sun is shining and the coffee tastes so good, but that’s an important conversation. If your server dies right now, wouldn’t it be calming to have a backup plan already in place?
Remote Management and Monitoring
There was a time when doctors were paid to keep you well. That about says it.
Hosted Applications
If a car accident three blocks away makes your Internet go down, or a tenant down the block causes a power outage, why should your business suffer? It doesn’t have to be that way. Our goal is to save you money in the long run.
Patch Management
A recent automobile recall due to possible battery explosions got our attention. When safety is concerned, everyone takes notice. The same thing applies to computers – but since no one gets burned, it’s easy to ignore the annoying update reminders. We do it all for you, behind the scenes, while you get more work done.
Threat Detection and Assessment
Detecting threats to your proprietary, confidential data and preventing intrusion is one of our top priorities. We recognize how much damage can be done by a theft, and the resulting effect on your business reputation.
Network Design and Maintenance
Our profitability demands that the networks we support be secure, stable and supportable. Funny thing: so does yours.
Disaster Recovery
We’re talking about more than business continuity. What happens between a disaster and the time the new computers show up? We can rebuild your business, and make it stronger than before. Let’s write a happy ending to a sad story… and who knows, your insurance rates may go down too.