Category: blog

Simply Secure – Passwords

passwords

Disclaimer: We are not paid or compensated by any vendor for any product(s) mentioned. If you don’t like our recommendation(s), no need to send us your grievances! Paint the sky with rainbows and use whatever meets your needs!

  • Use a password manager to create and store
    • We like BitWarden
    • Use the password manager to build strong passwords
    • Do NOT save passwords in your browser
  • Enable two-factor authentication
  • Don’t reuse passwords across accounts
    • Facebook and bank account passwords should NOT be the same
  • Don’t reuse login passwords/PINs across devices
    • Your computer login should be different from your phone
  • Sign up for breach alerts
  • Use a mix of letters, numbers, symbols, etc.
    • A four digit pin has 10,000 possible combinations
    • A four character alpha-numeric has over 7 million

Simply Secure – IT Axioms

Things I’ve learned in 30 years of IT

axioms
  • User convenience beats IT security — every time
  • Security and compliance are not the same
  • Security and privacy are not the same
  • Authentication and authorization are not the same
  • Trust and verification are not the same
  • Nothing to hide? — send me your password manager file
  • Build a 10 foot wall — users buy a 12 foot ladder
  • A backup is only as good as the last restore
  • To understand why a decision is made — follow the money
  • Don’t confuse activity with productivity
  • If a user says something is not important — it is
  • A missing $500 cable can delay a $1M project — details matter
  • A complex project will take at least twice as long as the estimate
  • Technical debt — easy to add — difficult to remove
  • A software sprint is anything but
  • An MDM solution won’t find at least 10% of active devices
  • Customers won’t pay for documentation
  • If every user is special — no one is
  • If everything is urgent — nothing is
  • Important and urgent are not synonyms
  • A user’s problem is not my emergency
  • This will only take a minute — won’t
  • Anyone claiming 100% patch compliance — is lying
  • If you can’t measure it — you probably don’t understand it
  • Any complex IT system fails gradually — then suddenly
  • Managing people is convincing you my emergency is also yours
  • Work-Life balance does not apply at end of quarter
  • If you have a quota, the number is the number
  • No good deed ever goes unpunished
  • A manager who tells you they are ‘here to help’ — isn’t
  • A feature and a bug are all about perspective
  • Your initial project estimate is a client’s final price
  • In a training class of System Engineers — sit next to the quiet one
  • Junior IT people — keep your mouth shut and ears open
  • The smartest IT folks are the quiet ones sitting in the back
  • Open source is free — unless you’re the maintainer

Simply Secure – Increase Your IT Bill

bill

As a managed service provider we are continuously (amazed), amused by the ingenuity clients display in making technology related changes without consulting us, (yes, the people they pay to manage technology). The irony — it isn’t a relationship or trust issue, our MSP retention rate is 100%, (two exceptions — clients we let go and clients no longer in business).

A recent sampling of client cost reduction efforts. We leave it to your imagination as to how much they ‘saved’ by not contacting us first.

Client ActionOutcome
Add / Replace a leased printerThe vendor replaces printer and informs client MSP will do the install of endpoint drivers at no charge. What exactly does that monthly lease fee cover over 3 years?
Replace ISP routerComcast replaces edge router configured with a different IP address scheme resulting in access issues for statically addressed devices (nah, we don’t need a lecture on DHCP, there are many valid reasons to statically assign certain devices)
Add computer to networkDo ya think the $399 computer from Best Buy is a good deal?
Add user to computerThere are per device settings and per user settings. Care to guess which gets configured where?
License app countYep, Adobe and AutoCAD never thought a user would install seat software on multiple machines
Add another OS platformYou switched from Mac to an iPad and can’t understand why the apps behave differently?
Work from the home PCWhy can’t you access corporate files from your home PC running Windows 10 Home, an expired Norton license, Adobe Air, and Office 2010?
Personal passwordsReally, we don’t have your Amazon Prime password
Disable MFAYes, its terribly inconvenient to add a login code before accessing the accounting software
Out of drive spaceCan we delete the downloads from 3 years ago and by the way, Recycle isn’t a file cabinet
Microsoft called me!I promise….Microsoft will never, ever, ever personally call you and ask for remote access

And our all-time personal favorite…

Which file do you need help with?

Simply Secure — Wi-FI Coverage

With school back in session and many parents still in work from home status, residential wi-fi networks can easily become congested, resulting in a frustrating experience for all involved. Below are a few tips to enhance and optimize the home wi-fi experience:

wifi

Location, Location, Location

Make sure your wi-fi equipment is centrally located in the house. A basement corner, garage, or tucked under a staircase are NOT ideal locations. For heavy users, (X-Box, streaming media), consider directly connecting to the cable provider router, you’ll be amazed with the performance improvement.

Consider a Mesh Network

For larger homes or families with multiple power users extended throughout the home, consider a ‘mesh’ network composed of multiple wireless devices strategically placed throughout the home. Each ‘node’ in a mesh network communicates with its neighbors resulting in a sum greater than the individual parts. Meshes can be expanded ‘on-demand’ by adding nodes as required. Initially mesh networks were considered expensive used primarily in high end environments. Now all major wireless manufacturers provide mesh solutions to meet every user’s needs and price point.

Keep it Secure

Be sure to change the default password on all Wi-Fi devices and if your network is not password protected, enable protection now! Under the right circumstances, wi-fi signals carry long distances, allowing open access to unprotected networks consumes additional bandwidth and also presents extremely serious security risks! Many vendors enable guest access as a default setting, turn it off.

Ask a Pro

Covid-19 related behaviors such as work from home and remote instruction/distance learning, combined with the ubiquity of high definition media streaming services (4k, UHD, etc.), strains all wireless environments. Engage an IT professional who can provide an accurate assessment and perform a thorough evaluation of your specific needs. Be sure to ask for their experience in conducting wireless assessments and installations in multi-media environments where bandwidth is just one of several technical requirements needing to be met. The end result will be a frustration free wireless environment for all family members. Your employer and local schools will also be thankful!!!