The advancements in generative AI tools have become a game-changer for businesses. From AI-generated art to the vast array of capabilities of tools like ChatGPT and Jasper, it’s clear that artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword – it’s a reality that businesses can’t ignore.

But how can businesses leverage these tools for their day-to-day operations? How do security and data privacy fit into the equation?

Watch our pre-recorded web event for insights on:

• What generative AI is and how it works
• Potential areas businesses can utilize generative AI to increase efficiency
• Data privacy concerns as sensitive data is collected and analyzed
• How malicious actors are taking advantage of AI capabilities

The post Implications of AI on Business appeared first on Dataprise.

So how do you find the right managed services partner for your business? 

Industry Experience

When searching for an IT provider in Los Angeles, look for a partner that understands your specific industry. Here at Dataprise we have a broad client base with a deep concentration of clients in LA that span the private equity, banking, media & entertainment, and legal industries.  

Why does industry expertise matter? Private equity firms, as an example, often face unique IT considerations due to the dynamic nature of their operations. These include:  

• Robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and intellectual property. 
• Efficient and up-to-date technology infrastructure, including server maintenance and hardware upgrades. 
• Real-time monitoring of investments and portfolios, as well as a secure backup system in case of data loss or breaches. 
• A reliable disaster recovery plan that will quickly restore operations in the event of an emergency. 

• Cloud solutions for easy access from anywhere in the world as well as scalability with little downtime during peaks in operation demand. 
• Automated processes for improved efficiency and compliance with industry regulations. 

Having an IT partner that understands your business makes a difference. 

Local Presence in Los Angeles (with the ability to support users all over the US)

Local IT support can deliver numerous benefits so long as the managed service provider has standardized, best in class practices in place. These benefits include localized, personalized services and tailored solutions plus a support staff to provide in-person assistance.  

While local support is important, we also know that firms grow and employees are located all over with the anywhere workplace movement. That’s why having a partner that can deliver localized, personalized services coupled with national reach is a significant value add.  

Personal Connections Matter

It’s also important to consider not just technical proficiency when choosing an IT partner in Los Angeles but also emotional intelligence and problem resolution abilities. Finding a provider that values customer relationships and offers reliable customer service is paramount. This will ensure that businesses receive comprehensive support throughout the entire implementation process.  

Ultimately if you’re looking for an IT partner in Los Angeles, we recommend researching potential providers thoroughly to find a long-term partner who understands your needs and goals. We believe Dataprise’s LA Team fits the bill so contact us for a conversation! 

The post Choosing the Right IT Partner for Your Los Angeles Office appeared first on Dataprise.

The Cyber-attack on the Government of Costa Rica

In April this year, a ransomware attack struck 30 institutions of the government of Costa Rica. The government had to shut down systems which led to losses of upwards of $30 million per day. These attacks crippled some of the country’s essential services and sent the government scrambling for a response.

Statista reports that this attack was one of 236.1 million ransomware attacks that occurred just in the first half of 2022. Organizational readiness is of massive importance to large, medium, and small businesses alike. Any amount of downtime can lead to a monetary loss, credibility loss, and data loss. Surveys on the global cybersecurity market provide that the market is expected to reach a value of $403.1 billion by 2027. It isn’t a matter of if, it is a matter of when your organization faces a cyber attack. As we head into the new year, it is critical to examine your cybersecurity policies and re-evaluate them if necessary.

The Rapid Rise in Cloud Infrastructure and Disaster Recovery Implementation

Surveys conducted in 2022 report that 70% of respondents believe migrating to cloud infrastructure is their number 1 IT priority. A few of the major benefits of cloud infrastructure include:

Achieving business goals faster

Organizations face roadblocks around hybrid work, increasing asset availability, and reducing IT costs. Cloud infrastructure manages to overcome these hurdles.

Shift from capital expenditures to operating expenses

Cloud infrastructure falls under an operating expense, allowing for more predictability of monthly recurring IT costs and leading to a decrease in over-provisioning.

Additionally, it has been proven that security and data protection are other top driving forces for this migration. A successful cloud infrastructure can lead to a more effective disaster recovery process. When dealing with a cyber-attack, speed, efficiency, and processes are three of the most crucial components to business continuity. Read on here to learn more about the keys to a successful business continuity and disaster recovery strategy.

The Increased Flexibility Hybrid Work Model Provides Organizations

As we head into 2023, surveys and research show that 74% of U.S. companies are using or plan to implement a permanent hybrid work model. The model has proven to be successful both for employees and organizations. However, one of the big concerns that surround the hybrid work model is security; how can the organization secure its environment as successfully as possible?

Employees are using their own devices now more than ever to conduct work. This in turn leads to more endpoints where malicious actors can breach organizations leading to cyber-attacks. Enter mobile device management policies. Proper mobility management can create policies to monitor employee-owned devices, provide mobile application management, and so much more. To learn more about improving your mobile device and endpoint security and management you can watch an on-demand webinar recording here.

The mobile device management market is predicted to grow 24% year over year from 2022-2028 to a figure of $18.3 billion by 2028. The growth in the hybrid work structure directly correlates with the increased need for managed mobility service implementation.

Looking ahead to 2023 and beyond, it is clear that the xxx, rise in cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery implementation, and the need for managed mobility services with the growth of the hybrid workplace are key trends to continue to monitor and plan for. Establishing organizational readiness is crucial and as we wind down the year, in the coming weeks, take some time to look at your systems and processes, and test them to see if they are up to date and functioning as intended. To assist, download our tabletop exercise on security intrusion and use it to evaluate.

The post 2022 in Review – Top Stories and Trends Ahead appeared first on Dataprise.

Having systems and plans in place and remaining vigilant is of the utmost importance to secure your company and make sure your employees can enjoy some well-deserved time off. What does this vigilance look like? Let us dive into 3 necessary steps to take to ensure a strong cybersecurity posture during the holiday season. 

1.  Create or Modify your Incident Response Plan

An Incident Response Plan (IRP) provides a playbook for how your organization should respond to a cyber-attack. With the potential of employees being unavailable due to being out of the office, it is critical to review your current plan and ensure it is accurate and up to date. Even outside of the holiday season, incident response plans are critical to:

• minimizing downtime associated with ransomware
• securing your organization’s sensitive data
• creating step-by-step processes for how to respond and even who to notify

If you would like to learn more about incident response plans and why they are essential to effectively mitigate damage from a cyber-attack, you can read here.

2.  Educate your users about the increased risk of vulnerability during this time

If your organization is not already, it is critically important to be running security pieces of training year-round. Malicious actors are constantly creating new ways to attack organizations and steal sensitive data. Before we get too far into December, have your IT department issue a training course with informative material on the increase in cyber attacks during the holiday season.

One of the most common ways bad actors attempt to breach organizations is through Phishing. Employees may feel more rushed during this time of the year, and may not be checking things such as email, as closely as they should. Running phishing training can ensure that employees remain vigilant and do not open malicious links. A few examples of how organizations may be targeted are through fake charities or fake websites, as these are set up to obtain sensitive credentials which can then exploit vulnerabilities within organizations.

3.  Patch and update all systems and software

The end of the year should serve as a benchmark for a time for your organization to review all the systems in place. Regularly patching and updating software and systems is a big step towards having a stronger cybersecurity posture. New vulnerabilities are constantly being uncovered, and with those vulnerabilities come patches to address. Bad actors target out-of-date systems and software as entry points into company-sensitive data.

In addition to patching and updating, it is important to also be testing, to ensure everything is operating as it should be. Our experts have put together a free tabletop exercise that your team can use to walk through potential cyber risk scenarios, evaluate cybersecurity posture, and identify potential gaps. Download and use it now here.

As the December holidays are near, and the year winds down, this serves as a perfect window for your organization to review its cybersecurity posture and organizational preparedness. It is known that offices close for the December holidays, and bad actors work twice as hard during these times as research shows from CISA and the FBI. With the 3 tips above, you can best prepare your organization and mitigate a potential disaster.

The post 3 Tips for Strong Cybersecurity Posture During the Holiday Season appeared first on Dataprise.

1. Competition for Talent
2. Skillset Gaps
3. Cybersecurity

1. Competition for Talent

Some of the big names in tech are known for demanding a lot of time and attention from their employees. Companies like Google and Apple shell out serious salaries in return, but the work-life balance can quickly get skewed. Once an employee becomes burned out, they’re typically replaced with another bright up-and-comer who’s ready for the rollercoaster.

However, in 2022, the competition is really heating up, which is why we’re starting to see some unusual decisions from the major players. For instance, Apple just started issuing significant bonuses to some of their engineers so they’re less likely to defect to another organization.

Putting people on a vesting schedule that requires them to stay for four years is a sign that the mindset for this year is different than in the past. For smaller companies, the IT challenges and stakes to keep people are even higher. If they don’t have the budget, it would be easy to get priced out of the market entirely.

2. Skillset Gaps

The pandemic has caused so much of working life to shift, and the turbulence has resulted in a skill gap that companies are finding difficult to bridge. This is happening both internally, in that employers can’t find existing employees with enough expertise, and externally, in that there aren’t people to fill new positions.

Related to the competition for talent challenges, the crux of the skill chasm is that companies won’t have the staff they need to reach long-term goals. Implementing more complex digital transformations can easily take half a decade, and even experienced professionals can struggle with some of the messier details. Considering digital transformation has never been more in-demand than it is now (both for employees and clients), this tech talent gap isn’t sustainable.

3. Cybersecurity

More people online mean more cybercrime, a fact that millions discover every year. Last year saw a rise in hacking as more enterprises began migrating to the cloud. Today, most companies are trying to decide how they can best secure multiple devices, platforms, and applications with one cohesive cybersecurity strategy.

As they puzzle out potential strategies, hackers are becoming increasingly organized. They’re pooling resources to extort serious sums from companies and individuals alike. When so many companies are prone to paying ransom demands rather than trying to fight off nefarious individuals and groups, all signs point to increased crime in the future.

How an MSP Can Help

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) were created to help companies that face these IT issues. While they may not be able to fully replace in-house staff (who understand the company from the inside out), they can fill in a lot of the holes caused by the unique challenges of 2022.

When you opt for managed IT services, you get the benefit of paying for help when you need it. Hiring a reputable company also gives you access to vetted professionals with the IT certifications and expertise that you might not see in your current digital stack of applications.

If you can’t afford to compete in terms of benefits and you don’t require 40-hours a week from a full-time employee anyway, the right IT consulting company can fill the role. This ensures that your experienced employees won’t get stuck working on low-level tickets like password resets.

Even more importantly, an MSP can give you and your team the resources needed to make wide-scale changes to your infrastructure, network, or systems. For instance, the staff can be key to implementing blanket security controls that cause hackers to move on from your organization. They can show you how gaps in your system are affecting your profits.

A good MSP can provide honest, unbiased perspectives that only come from seeing countless other companies square off against countless roadblocks. Your company might be unique, but an experienced consulting team can mold their knowledge to suit the needs of the day and individual IT issues. Considering how 2022 is shaping up, there’s no better time to look outside the standard hiring process for a different kind of partner.

Face IT Challenges Head-On with Dataprise MSP Offerings

With Dataprise’s full suite of strategic and integrated managed infrastructure services, your business will be sure to have all IT challenges handled by top-tier IT professionals. With services ranging from managed cybersecurity, onsite IT infrastructure support, recovery, and more, your team will have the time back to focus on what’s important, moving your business forward. Effectively address your IT issues, minimize costs, and secure all of your valuable assets with Dataprise IT services.

The post IT Issues Companies Face in 2022 appeared first on Dataprise.

Common Holiday Scams

If you want to avoid giving gifts to cybercriminals this year, it might take some extra savvy attention. Check out our list below to learn about the most common online holiday scams to watch for and how to protect yourself. 

1. Online Shopping Scams
2. Social Media Scams
3. Missed Package and Delivery Scams
4. Charity Scams
5. Fake Gift Exchanges

Online Shopping Scams 

Since most people love to shop online, these scams start with a fake website, app, or ad. The scammer might come up with a distinct name for the fake business, but more often, they piggyback on more trusted suppliers and companies (think: Amazoon.com or nordsstrom.com). 

These scams offer too-good-to-be-true deals and then either deliver merchandise that is shoddy at best or never deliver anything at all. Online holiday scams don’t always just take the money that you’ve given them either. They can easily commit identity theft with your information too.

Social Media Scams

Social media scams mimic other social media offers, such as free gift cards. For instance, a fake site might offer a $5 voucher for a product in exchange for taking a brief survey. 

Since you’re not giving up your credit card information in this scam, it might seem like a legitimate offer on the face of it. However, the real scam is the information you part with in order to get the fake reward that can later be used for identity fraud or other types of cybercrime.

Missed Package and Delivery Scams 

With so many packages being delivered, this scam takes advantage of millions of people checking the status of their deliveries. 

A cybercriminal will create a message that looks like it comes from a legitimate carrier, like UPS. The notification will promise to update the buyer about where their package is and when it’s going to be delivered. 

The link and tracking number it contains are fake though, designed to install malware on your device and/or steal information. Criminals may also use a phone call scam around this time of year, one that charges excessively high rates to wait on hold or requests additional money to deliver a missed package. 

Charity Scams 

Charity scams pose as legitimate causes to take advantage of people who want to give over the holiday season. They can take place either over the phone or online, and they’re designed to appeal to people’s generosity and their desire for a tax deduction. They can often be spotted by the immediacy of the request. Scammers make it seem as though it’s urgent you decide right now. 

Fake Gift Exchanges 

A fake gift exchange is one that asks you to purchase something for someone else (usually on social media) in exchange for even more gifts. While the cost of the initial purchase is often nothing alarming (often around $10 or so), there are often far more nefarious intentions behind the scam. Not only will you typically not get any gifts in return, but it’s also likely that your information will be stolen and used for identity theft purposes. 

Ways to Protect Against Online Holiday Scams 

Besides knowing the scams and watching for the signs, practicing good cyber hygiene can be a great way to keep yourself and your personal data out of harm’s way. 

This means avoiding attachments and links from anyone you don’t know, regardless of whether it’s on a website or through an email. If a company you rarely deal with asks you specifically to update your information, call the number listed and make sure that it’s a legitimate request. 

Warning Signs of Suspicious Links:

• Shortened URLs: If the URL is only a few letters long or doesn’t actually spell out the name of anything you know, it could technically go to any website. 
• Security alerts: A legitimate company won’t send you a security alert link in an unsolicited email. 
• Email links: Don’t click on unsolicited email links that ask you to update your password information. 

If an email isn’t specifically addressed to you, avoid clicking on any attachments. You should also avoid any file extensions that are unknown (e.g.: *.zip, *.exe, *.vbs, *.bin, *.com, *.pif, or *.zzx). 

More than half of leaders in IT said that they will increase their cyber security budgets in 2021, with “improving cybersecurity protections” as their top IT priority. Keeping your business safe from potential online scams will save your employees and customers valuable data.  Continue to keep your data protected with our top 3 priorities for reducing ransomware attack risk in 2022

As with any criminal, what you’re really trying to practice is vigilance. If a request or promise seems fishy, it’s likely because it is fishy. If the details are vague, it’s because the whole premise is a lie. Yes, even the most vigilant users can get caught in the moment and click on something malicious. To further protect yourself and your organization’s data from online holiday scams, consider investing in managed endpoint detection and response cybersecurity services to ensure threats are detected and mitigated quickly.

The post Online Holiday Scams to Avoid appeared first on Dataprise.

• The Impact
• What You Can Do
• Working With Your MSP

The Impact of the Global Chip Shortage

Chip demand is coming from any number of sectors today. Nearly every industry is looking to instrument its devices, bringing them into a smart age that consumers are growing ever more accustomed to. Data centers, cryptocurrency miners, IoT manufacturers: it’s clear there are more buyers than products.

Some of the most advanced chips can be found in PCs, which will likely see some fluctuation over the next few months and into 2022. Experts say that there might be a soft dip in demand from manufacturers, though not enough to see a serious impact on the market. It’s also expected that brands like Dell, Lenovo, and HP will inflate their prices to cover the cost of the chips.

What Can IT Departments Do About the Global Chip Shortage Now?

This global chip shortage is fueled, in part, by a shift in our culture brought on by the pandemic. Whether a company is having people work remotely, in the office, or some combination, employees will need reliable and updated managed communication and collaboration equipment to keep up with their daily to-do lists.

In a hybrid work scenario, more businesses are increasingly relying on laptops, which will give employees the flexibility they need to work from multiple locations. IT departments have to determine not just who they have to supply for today, but what future growth of the company may look like in a year or two. If the company is planning to expand, it’s easy to discount just how many devices you’ll need.

IT staff should also prioritize updating their plan, ensuring that their staff have the products and hardware they need as network demands change. This may mean evaluating warranties and creating a more detailed schedule to keep up with equipment upgrades and replacements.

Work with Your Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Managed service providers provide more than just IT support, they actually specialize in acquisition. If you are having problems finding end-user equipment or infrastructure hardware, an MSP will likely have avenues available to them that you don’t.

By developing the right relationships with vendors, MSP outsourcing usually provides more information than your average IT department. Furthermore, they get preferential treatment and pricing considerations that they will pass onto their clients. If the global chip shortage is not going away anytime soon, the best thing you can do is find people who will help you navigate through it.

Stay Ahead with Managed Infrastructure

Could your organization stand to benefit from comprehensive managed infrastructure solutions? Dataprise data protection solutions, managed network services, and endpoint inventory all ensure that your services and devices are continually available, physically secure and fully supported.

Do you know how your business will prepare to Return to Workplace from the isolation/stay-in-place orders enacted to combat the spread of COVID-19? Discover useful strategies in our “Return to Workplace IT Guidebook”. Find out more below!

The post Impact of Global Chip Shortage on IT Departments: Time to Plan Ahead appeared first on Dataprise.