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Databranch Monthly Tech Talk
IT Solutions for the Workplace
July | 2020
What's Inside?
01 - Monthly Update from David
02 - Introducing Joel Common - Field Engineer
03 - NY State SHIELD Act - Frequently Asked Questions
04 - This Is Now the Biggest Crime Risk to Your Business
05 - A Love Letter to Microsoft Teams
06 - Tech Tip: What is 2-Factor Authentication
Did you know?

The first word to ever be auto- corrected was “teh”. Can you imagine how many times it’s been auto-corrected since?
Testimonial of the Month

I would highly recommend Databranch!

Our company, Penn-Troy Manufacturing Inc., has been utilizing Databranch’s services for a number of years now and we are extremely pleased with their services. Computer headaches and worrying about our data are a thing of the past. I would highly recommend them!

Mark Powers, President - Penn-Troy Manufacturing
Introducing Joel Common:
Field Engineer

Education: Alfred State College

Professional Certifications: HP Self Maintainer. I am also currently pursuing my CompTIA A+ and Network+.

How did you get into the technology field? It all started when I was the kid who helped everyone with their computer problems.

MONTHLY UPDATE
FROM DAVID
I hope everyone has been staying safe as we all continue to navigate re-opening and managing our organizations amidst the ever-changing circumstances due to Covid-19.

We are excited to announce that during this time we have added a new member to the Databranch Team, Joel Common - Field Engineer. I encourage you to check out his bio and am confident you will enjoy working with him.

In this month’s issue - we talk about the biggest (fast growing) risk to your business AND introduce you to a tool that’s helped 1,000’s of businesses survive over the past few months.

At Databranch, security is a top priority and this month we have two areas I wanted to highlight that all businesses should be addressing to keep their organizations safe & protected.

  1. Microsoft July 2020 Security Update: CVE-2020-1350 Vulnerability
  2. NY State SHIELD ACT Compliance

If your organization has internal DNS servers and has not applied the July Microsoft Security Update to address this critical security vulnerability which has been given the highest CVSS score (10.0) by Microsoft, we highly recommend it is applied as soon as possible. I was grateful that we were able to apply this critical update automatically via our Automate service for our managed clients. If you need assistance, please reach out to our team at 716-373-4467 x 15.

The NY State SHIELD Act ( Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act ) went into effect on March 21, 2020 and requires implementation of an information security program to protect private information for businesses of all sizes. To learn more about the SHIELD Act, please download the data sheet below or reach out to our team to review what your organization needs to do to be in compliance.

As always, give me a call at 716-373-4467 x 12 or shoot me an email at dprince@databranch.com if you’d like a no-obligation chat to review your technology needs.
 
Best,
David
President - Databranch, Inc.
 
THIS IS NOW THE BIGGEST CRIME RISK TO YOUR BUSINESS.

If someone asked you to take a wild guess at the world’s biggest crime, what do you think? Burglary maybe? Common assault? Or perhaps you might take a more humorous approach and suggest man buns or women with ridiculous eyebrows?

Well, you might be surprised (and a little concerned) to find out that the most commonly reported crime right now is actually online fraud, AKA cybercrime.

With one in ten people now falling prey to internet fraudsters and over 5 million cases reported every year, cyber criminals are very real predators that can have a devastating effect on lives and businesses.
And these figures are just the tip of the iceberg. Many more cybercrimes are believed to go unreported because victims feel too embarrassed to let on that they’ve been duped by a stranger sitting behind a keyboard.

The digital age comes with lots of well documented pros and cons. We can now work from anywhere in the world and stay constantly connected, but that has a knock-on effect on our personal lives, and stress levels.
Cyber crime costs billions of dollars every year. That’s an obscene amount of money by anyone’s standards. And the really scary thing is that the ever-increasing industry called data theft is now relatively easy for anyone to get involved in.

Gone are the days of 1980s sci fi movies, where computer hackers were dark, mysterious and possessed savant– like levels of intelligence.

Today anyone with the inclination and $50 to spend can pick up a powerful piece of software that will enable them to hack into your computer systems and wreak havoc.

Funnily enough - the best way to be 100% sure a hacker can’t break into your business is to not use computers but we all know that’s not possible.The second best way is to make sure you have Next-Generation Cybersecurity Protection & Tools in place.

Call us today 716-373-4467 x 15 or send an email to alasky@databranch.com if you want a no judgement chat about your Cybersecurity coverage.                
A LOVE LETTER TO MICROSOFT TEAMS

We’re massive fans of Microsoft Teams, and believe it has huge advantages for most of the businesses that we support.

We all know that successful businesses have great teamwork. And with everything that’s happened over the last couple of months. Teams have been the number one app to keep everyone working together.

Microsoft brought it out 3 years ago, in 2017. It was their answer to alternative platforms such as Slack, that let you collaborate and communicate more effectively.

However, because Teams integrates with the rest of the Microsoft 365 platform; it has a real edge over Slack (the deep integration is AWESOME!).

If you’re using Slack, it also means you can cut down on yet another monthly expense and take advantage of the enterprise level security features Teams has.

Here are the three things we most love about it:

Project Management:
Teams allows you to focus in on just the project you’re currently working on. Information is partitioned into separate channels, so you can view messages, documents and meetings just related to a specific project.

That removes the hassle of wading through an inbox full of noise and clutter. And it’s surprising how productive that kind of focus can make you.

Easy communication:
No need just to rely on email anymore … with Teams you can post messages in channels, again with the context of the project you’re working on. It’s easy to get the attention of any colleague by giving them a @Mention. You can also arrange 1:1 or group video calls easily.

The interface makes it easy:
Microsoft has done a really good job here. It’s intuitive and easy to use. It’s so easy to find the information you are looking for, and to move between different projects. Even if you’ve never used Teams before, you’ll soon pick it up.

If you’re not using Microsoft Teams in your business and you’d like to learn more about how it can help you better communicate internally with your team (and externally with your clients), give us a call 716-373-4467 x 15 or email alasky@databranch.com
TECH TIP: What is 2-factor authentication?

2 – Factor Authentication (also know as 2FA) is an extra layer of security on top of your username and password. It’s normally an item from one of the following categories:

1.        Something you know (E.g. A pin number, answers to “secret” questions etc.)
2.        Something you have  (E.g. token on a smart phone, a credit card etc.)
3.        Something you are (E.g. A fingerprint, eye scan, voice recognition etc.)

The purpose of 2FA is that if a hacker finds your username and password, they will still need the 2 2 nd factor (layer) of information to access you account, making it much harder for them to gain
access to all your important Business Information. 

NEED A LAUGH?

There was a safety meeting at work today. They asked me, “ What step would you take in the event of Fire?

“Big Ones” was apparently the wrong answer.

WE LOVE REFERRALS
The greatest gift anyone can give us is a referral to your friends. Referrals help us keep costs down so we can pass the savings to our clients.

If your friend ends up becoming a client - we’ll gift them their free first month of service (for being a friend of yours) AND we’ll gift you a $100 Amazon Gift Voucher. 

Simply introduce me via email ( dprince@databranch.com) and I’ll take it from there. I personally promise we’ll look after your friend’s business with a high level of care and attention (just like we do with all our clients).

Databranch, Inc. | www.databranch.com