Author name: admin

Are you cyber aware?Ensure you’re protected with Removable Media Are you cyber aware? Although cloud storage is a popular method of holding data, there are still physical products which are used by many people to store and transfer their information. Items like USB sticks, SD cards & external hard drives are good examples of portable devices and we don’t suspect that they’ll be disappearing any time soon due to their versatile nature both inside and outside of the workplace. However there is a danger to removable media, especially if you don’t know where the item has come from, or you’re unsure about who may have used it in your absence. But exactly how wrong can things go? Spread of Malware – if you don’t monitor and control your media, you are at an increased risk of introducing malware to your business systems. Information Loss – if the portable media is lost whilst out and about, you are open to compromising company data and losing important, sensitive client information. Financial Loss – you may face fines/penalties if the information lost is irreplaceable or of a sensitive matter to your clients. You may be thinking that these things are highly unlikely to happen to you. But cyber criminals are intelligent. One way criminals introduce malware into companies is called ‘Baiting’, which is where they might leave a USB stick or similar in a busy place, such as a cafe. The rest then relies on human psychology and curiosity, where someone will pick it up & take it away with them and eventually will be used on a computer or laptop. As soon as it’s plugged in, the malware is on its way through your systems. Are you cyber aware with your removable Media ? ensure you’re protected. Are you cyber aware? What can you do to stop things from going wrong? Cloud Storage – As previously mentioned, a popular alternative to physical portable media devices is the cloud. It’s accessible anywhere, and you can’t misplace it. Password Protection – To protect sensitive information in the case of a loss of a device, you should ensure it is password protected, to act as a deterrent for someone who may have found it. Lonely Devices – never leave your removable media unattended, lock it away when you’re not using it to avoid undesirables accessing it. Also, never attempt to access files from a device which you have found. It can contain malware which can infect your business systems. Scan Media – it’s a good idea to have a process in place where media devices are scanned after a certain amount of time, or if there is suspicion surrounding that device. Any devices bought in from other companies should also be scanned for malware too. A good recommendation is to have an anti virus policy that automatically scans the media when inserted. For more information on how we can help with Cyber security for your business, contact hello@thinkcirrus.co.uk

Amazing guest experiences start with amazing IT support! Hospitality bookings, rates and sales are up – but are your IT resources expanding as fast as the operations they’re intended to support? If your enterprise is growing, so are your IT headaches. There’s an overwhelming stream of data and applications, networking and connectivity challenges you need to manage and secure, not just to support basic business functions but provide the kind of unique experiences your guests demand. That means keeping your real world assets primed for any event, but also your branded digital assets, like critical online booking and CRM apps, operating at peak performance so they’re available and responsive to you and your guests 24/7 across all platforms. Registration, payment, and collecting guest data all require I.T. infrastructure. Guests themselves are accustomed to connectivity and technologies that may have been luxuries just a few years ago but have now become expected. Peace of mind Since hospitality organizations handle a lot of financial transactions, an ever-increasing number of which occur online, I.T. security is a big concern. You need to be assured that the financial information your customers have trusted you with is safe. Whether it is simply being stored in records on your servers, or the processing of credit card information Matters of security affect not only your networks, servers, and cloud systems, but also data that is handled on the go. An increasing (and still growing) proportion of customer transactions are taking place on mobile devices. It is imperative that your networks be impossible to access, assuring peace of mind to both you and the guests who have entrusted their personal data to your safe-keeping. With Cirrus proactively managing every part of your IT, you’ll get highly stable and reliable IT performance across all your physical locations and digital channels. Whatever’s on your agenda, Cirrus can help, acting as your single source provider for all things IT. We can also be the Managed partner to your in-house team. We can help you develop a secure and scalable IT footprint that grow with your operations over time, providing controlled and predictable technology costs. As a hotel, restaurant, or bar you can count on Cirrus to : Eliminating the need to deal with day-to-day technology issues Communicating with other service providers, like Opentable and Zonal to deal with issues on your behalf and get them resolved efficiently on your behalf – Cirrus will manage all that for you Proactively preventing I.T. troubles before they occur Consistently communicating even the most technical processes in an understandable, relatable manner Listening to the challenges you face and developing a technology strategy that addresses them Providing solutions that enhance operations at every level of your organization Giving you the peace of mind to know that your networks and data are secure Focusing on I.T. issues so you can focus on running your business Most importantly, at Cirrus Technology Solutions, we put people before technology. Everything we do, every service we offer, is a reflection of our “People First, Technology Second 2philosophy. Because while we love technology, we also understand that I.T. is only useful in as much as it serves to empower people and enhance the work they do. Work that, in turn, should facilitate growth, spur innovation, increase opportunity, and open up new paths to success. So in a nutshell, with Cirrus at your service, you get secure, reliable, user-enabling IT, you don’t have to think about. Allowing you to focus on providing the kind of “wow” experiences and service levels that win repeat guest loyalty, attract top talent, and build your brand visibility far and wide. Amazing guest experiences start with amazing IT support!

Is your business safe from cyber threats? What is CyberSecurity? What should we do? The topic of CyberSecurity, data protection, on-line threats, etc are hot topics at the moment, and quite rightly so. In the last 10 years Cyber Attacks total some 780 million incidents with the number climbing as we move ever more on-line, mobile and connected So let’s look at this and start with the basics so you can think about them in the context of your business and Is your business cybersafe What does it mean? The phrase of Cyber security relates to a few key elements: Data or Information as you may like to think of it; store, send or receive it, it’s the same thing Transport or how does it travel over the internet whether sending or receiving Measures – What should you do to protect your data and control the transport Your data and how it’s transport should be relatively easy for you to define & quantify, but there are variables and that’s where things start to get interesting & quickly.  Variables include: Risk a deeply subjective topic in itself and one that can vary hugely depending on the people, organisation, market, age of business People & Habits The #1 topic here is often passwords, what passwords are used, how they are used, how often they are changed, who knows them, password policies and so on But Why Us? *  Most cybercrime is opportunistic.  People who send e-mail with malicious content expect to be stopped 95+% of the time, but they’re playing the odds as they have probably sent them same message several hundred thousand times, maybe millions.  Do the maths for yourself.  Most threats are system generated, automatic and working 24×7 to breach your defences * Systems most organisations, especially SME’s have woefully inadequate systems to protect them from intrusion.  They typically lack both the equipment to protect and the means to notice if there is anything wrong at all The variables will be different for everyone and quite often shift over a period of time so whilst you think you may have things covered today a periodic review would also make perfect sense. The variables do also mean that one size does not fit all.  Each business needs to find a way to asses it’s own risk and adopt solutions and process for dealing with this issue.  Note here we’ve added the word process to the sentence, if you want to substitute the word process for common sense it would do you no harm at all So what should we be doing? There are a range of things that you need to consider and bearing in mind the variables you are going to have to make some decisions that suit your business.  It’s a bit like stepping out of the house on a cold day.  We all feel the cold differently and have preferences about what we want to wear, how we look, how we feel etc. Here’s what to at least start thinking about: Patching:  Patch your systems regularly and apply manufacturer provided updates, monthly at the very least.  Be sure to include all systems Passwords: Think about passphrases rather than passwords, mix upper and lower case and include at least 1 number or special character.  Change your passwords on a regular basis too Did you know that over 40% of cyber attacks are aimed at SMBs and they aren’t always from the outside. Make sure your passwords are secure and changed on a regular basis too. Data:  Think about your data.  What do you have, who can access it, where can they access it, how do you know if they’ve accessed it.  You probably don’t know the answer to a few of these which means you have a potential problem Transports: What protection do you have through internet connections, mail, anti-virus, spam.  Most SME’s will take this for granted and invariably have areas for improvement. These 4 items are by no means definitive but starting here will make you significantly more CyberSecure than before you started. Is your business cybersafe? We’ll be posting further updates to this topic in the coming week going a little deeper into the areas covered here, more examples and more specifics to help you understand any weaknesses and how to go about improving them and considering the question Is your business cybersafe? *There have been quite a few, very high profile and well documented thefts of electronic data from large corporate organisations.  These are planned and very deliberate.  But please don’t think that because your business isn’t listed on the stock exchange you are any less vulnerable.  You are not. www.thinkcirrus.co.uk https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/ Is your business cybersafe

Who are you going to call? This week we’ve had a few calls from clients saying things like ‘internet down’ but upon investigation it’s turned out to be a specific application issue.  But do you know how to tell the difference and whom to call? Let me ask you: When you’ve got a tech problem who do you call? Do you know who to call? Have you been in the position where all your providers blame each other leaving your frustrated? So who are you going to call?  Call Cirrus and let us take care of these issues so you can get on with running your business.  We’ll manage all aspects of your IT and if there’s an issue we’ll work with 3rd parties like your broadband provider, the copier company, till company, etc and isolate and resolve the problem.  Yes we’ll manage them for you and deliver you a seamless service. Lets be honest your speciality is your business and for most people figuring out what’s needed to manage, run, troubleshoot and find the way through the different relationships and technologies is simply a minefield.  To us however it’s what we do; we’ll deal with the blurred lines, the finger pointing and and lack of ownership being taken.   We’ll figure out what needs to be done and by whom and manage your issues to resolution. Call us, let us work out where the issue lies and what’s needed to resolve matter. Our Proactive IT management  gives you peace of mind, allowing us to plan structured maintenance, regular updates and IT projects to give you the best return on your IT investment and make sure you’re getting the most from your network. From Windows Updates to multi-phase deployment project, our  IT managed services let us manage your network for you to save you money and make your business more efficient. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/operations/articles/global-outsourcing-survey.html https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk Send us an E-mail Call us on 03303 130966

Data is powerful it provides insight, knowledge and factual information about what’s going on in your business and with your customers. The true value however lies in interpreting the data for improvement purposes. Say hello to VOIP Analytics, analytical data for your phone system and call centre. Your probably utilise Analytics routinely through your website and use the data generated to help improve, track and guide your marketing activities. VOIP analytics is a focus on your inbound/outbound call system. It provides you with crucial information relating to how many calls, busy periods, ring length, abandoned calls, call durations, call routing, automated messages and more. Organise Your Team and their Access Access to the platform is via a URL, no additional licenses or application software is needed. Better still you can assign levels of access to match your organisation. Many organisations choose to have a display screen showing current stats and information. You can do this with VOIP Analytics too and customise the view to show exactly what’s needed. Data and Big Organisations Big Business routinely uses Big Data. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s out of reach for your business. It comes in many shapes and sizes but the intention is the same. Improve service, grow your business. For More information contact the team @ Cirrus hello@thinkcirrus.co.uk / 03303 130966 https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk/about-us/ #VOIP #Analytics #ITSupport #CallCentre #ServiceDesk #PBX #VoipAnalytics #Cloud

Protect your business from a Cyber Attack Cirrus Risk Intelligence Scan will allow you to take proactive measures against threats to your business. Risk Intelligence Scan & Analytics – Are you compliant? Why should your systems be scanned ? So, lets ask you a question…… Do you know how safe your company systems really are? We ran a Risk Intelligence scan on a Company who had asked us to go and review their current systems and IT. one of the questions they asked us, was to check how secure their systems were and whether  there were any risks to them or their customers data. As you can imagine, the results were quite alarming to the customer and we ask you again……… How Confident are you? Cyber Attacks are growing and becoming more expensive. According to the latest IBM report, the average cost of a data breach in the UK rose by 8% over the past year to reach nearly £2.7m. IBM claimed that firms able to contain a breach in under 30 days managed to save over £755,000 compared to those who that took more than 30 days. While malicious outsiders caused half of all breaches, organizations should be aware that human error (26%) and system glitches (24%) were responsible for the other half. Although the latter two types of breach were quicker to spot, with better staff training and IT monitoring they remain highly preventable. Protect your MOST valuable assets: Your Information and your CUSTOMERS! The costs a data breach can be massive and can come from many directions including: – Damage to your reputation and brand. – Unexpected loss of customers. – Compliance fines. – System downtime. – Ransomware. – Lawsuits. PCI/DSS Now, here’s the shocking truth: In the latest PCI DSS Compliance Report conducted by Verizon, none of the companies it had investigated in ten years had been fully PCI DSS compliant at the time they were breached. Wondering about where you stand? Locate Security Holes in Your Systems These days, hackers have more tricks up their sleeves than ever before. Whether it’s phishing emails, drive-by downloads, or old-fashioned malware, malicious attackers have a lot of options to try to exploit a company’s IT security. Our Risk Intelligence scans systems not only for unsecured data, but for any potential vulnerabilities that an outside party might try to exploit. Do you have any issues or concerns about risk, security, GDPR, PCI/DSS? Risk Intelligence Scan & Analytics – Are you compliant? Our Risk Intelligence Scan service can check through your devices and provide a detailed report of what’s good, bad and risky in your environment. We can scan for security vulnerabilities in your OS Compliance for PCI DSS and credit card details Security of your files and folders Scan of perimeter systems and internet connections Unpatched software: The Risk Intelligence scan will discover unpatched software across your networks, protecting you from threats. E-mail:  Risk Intelligence also scans Outlook files for known vulnerabilities and threats. Mac and Windows operating systems vulnerabilities: The Cirrus Risk Intelligence scan covers all known malware threats registered with the CVSS database and runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.. Threats from VPN connections: Configure scans to automatically run when a new or unknown device connects to your network. Get Your  Risk Intelligence Profile set up with Cirrus Technology Solutions. Be Up and Running Quickly The costs of a data breach can be debilitating. It can lead to lost intellectual property, regulatory issues, or even bad press. Cirrus Risk Intelligence gives you a financial amount on the liability a business faces in the event of a data breach. Call us today and Lets make sure you are definitely Secure. 0330 130966 hello@thinkcirrus.co.uk www.thinkcirrus.co.uk @ThinkCirrus

In need of a Strategic Review of Your IT? Generally speaking it’s better to have a plan than not to.  Your IT certainly falls into this category and having a clear plan of what you need to achieve, probably linked to business goals, would be a very sensible idea.  But do you have a plan?  Would you benefit from help creating one?  Perhaps a Strategic review of your IT and some fresh thinking would be useful. Most of the posts we write are about how we as a business can help your business.  This post is slightly different as it’s a little more about me, my background, my experience and how I can help you address the more fundamental parts of your IT.  Help with the general direction of travel or, as happened this week, help with a plan for disaster recovery. My name is Anito Lauriello.  I’ve worked in IT for over 30 years and it’s the only business I’ve been in.  In that time I’ve done everything from build PC’s planned large scale transformations, developed and delivered multi-million £ projects and built consulting teams across the globe.  The point to this is that the technology is fine, it’s one element.  But success also needs experience, consideration but importantly a plan.  Is it time for you to LookUp and make a plan? Common example for clients these days is the question of the cloud.  What is it, how do I benefit from it, is it right, is it affordable? Other topics include help with a disaster recovery plan What to do with or about aging systems Dealing with the many suppliers The days of IT just being something you use are gone.  Think about phones, e-mail, internet, applications, cctv, website, social media.  How would your business survive if any of these became unavailable for lets say 24 hours.  Would you be left sating into a hole or able to get your head up and know exactly what to expect?  IT is ingrained into our lives, our work and your business and for many it’s time to start thinking of it this way. If like most companies the sheer size and scale of your systems are increasing them maybe it’s time for a Strategic Review of your IT.  You may just need a sounding board, perhaps a proposal is on the table and you’d like an independent view?  Maybe your in a constant state of firefighting and need someone to help see through the haze?  Perhaps you know you need to improve or change a specific element? 30 years is a long time.  It’s also a vast amount of experience that you may benefit from? Coffee.  I find coffee and an open chat the best place and way to start so please get in touch or call on 03303 130966 http://www.linkedin.com/anitolauriello https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk

If you’re taking card payments either on the phone or in person then he question of Completing your PCI Compliance is certainly something you should be paying attention to.  It’s possible you are being fined by your merchant for being non-compliant too, perhaps without realising or knowing what to do.  Read on and understand what completing your PCI compliance means and why its important.   So what is PCI compliance? PCI compliance is a way for the industry (merchants and banks) to ensure good practices are being adopted when taking card payments.  It a common set of standards and processes that everyone should adopt as a minimum.  PCI stands for Payment Card Industry and Completing your PCI Compliance is mandatory. Why should I be PCI Compliant The most obvious and simple reason to be compliant is failure to do so will result in regular and on-going charges by your provider.  The amount can vary depending on how much use you make of card payments and the scale of charges will also increase if you continue to ignore the standard. Continued refusal to become compliant can also result in services being withdrawn! All providers have the same requirement and standards, so changing provider won’t help you!  – Sorry What does it take to be PCI Compliant? There are two simple parts to being compliant and each merchant typically has a form you complete with a a series of predetermined questions & outcomes.  In essence you need to demonstrate 2 things, these are: Do you have adequate process for safeguarding information Does your technology provide adequate safeguards for securing the transactions   What does this all look like? Your merchant will typically send you an e-mail advising of the need to complete your compliance.  This will require your registration via a secure portal and completing information about your business.  There’s a form to complete asking about the size of you business, how you use card payments, what you do with slips,if your payments are in person, on-line, etc.  These are the procedural steps Next there’s the scan which you will be asked to schedule to complete the technical part.  If you fail you’ll see a very satisfying green tick.  A failed scan will produce a detailed report of what needs to be addressed. Summary If your business is taking card payments, whether in person, on the phone or on-line PCI compliance applies to you.  Like most things in life ignoring it won’t make it go away and will ultimately just cost you money. Call us today on 03303 130966 or visit our website https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk for more information http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/security/PCIDSS_checklist.asp