It looks like we will be facing another lockdown. Which means more time spent working at home away from the office. The current pandemic has introduced us to remote working. But have we managed to make it a safe and secure environment? Before the pandemic would we happily have our laptops out in our local coffee shops working using the local Wi-FI? Of, course not so we have to make sure that we apply the same rules when remote working from home.

Before we come to the big elephant in the room that nobody is discussing. We should be making sure that we heed the following:

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) has been very divisive but now it suddenly has no longer become an issue. As our home computers are used for work purposes. Businesses have to realise that employees who have been using desktops in the office may now be using whatever computer they have at home. This could be the family desktop or their own personal laptop. Which we all know will never be as secure as the desktops used in the office. The easiest way to fix this is to supply all your staff with laptops. These laptops will have been setup for use in a work environment. So, they will be as secure as any computer that you might use in your office.

If you are using your home computer or personal laptop. Make sure that you have anti-virus software installed and that it is up to date. If more than one person is using the computer that you are using. Make sure that each user has their own profile set up on the computer. This ensures that nobody else using the computer can access any of your work files, any cloud software you are using or access your office network.

Any smart speakers such as Amazon Echo, or Google Nest must not be in any home offices. They could be listening to any virtual meetings that you are partaking in. In fact, some law firms and local councils have banned virtual meetings taking place in rooms that have smart speakers.

The elephant in the room that was alluded to earlier is similar to BYOD in that you are using something not provided by your job. In this case its BYON (Bring Your Own Network). This is where you are using your home broadband and modem/router to do your remote working. If you were to use that setup in a proper working environment, it would not be acceptable. The default password for your modem/router settings has probably not been changed. There is also a high probability that you don’t have a firewall setup. A firewall will block out unwanted traffic and emails including phishing ones. 

IoT devices in your home such as smart lights or a smart fridge are another security headache. As it's possible to hack them via your broadband connection. So please make sure that your BYON and any IoT devices are as secure as possible. Have your IT department or Managed Service provider draw up a checklist that all your remote working employees must comply with, this will ensure that your employees are working in a safer environment. 

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We can help provide you with an overview of your current setup, and if you are implementing proper remote working procedures. So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

This current outbreak of COVID-19 Coronavirus will have made many companies aware of just how important it is to have effective disaster recovery planning in place.

The impact of this outbreak and its rapid expansion is a demonstration of what can happen unexpectedly, and we will likely see the effects of this for a considerable amount of time to come.

Being prepared is half the battle, and it's up to you to make sure that you are not just prepared but that your company will thrive.

What is Disaster Recovery?

Disaster Recovery, or DR for short, is a plan which will be enacted should the unexpected happen.

So if, for example, your office went on fire, or there was a flood, you would be able to enact your DR plan and move to your backup site.

This allows for greatly reduced disruption to both your business and your customers.

There are certain areas that you will want your Disaster Recovery Plan to cover, here's a list of some:

• Identify key IT assets - software and hardware.
• Identify key personnel and provide contact details for them.
• How to access business-critical data remotely.
• Communication flow when off-site.

That is just a brief overview, we will expand on the theories and concepts below.

Identify key IT assets

This is a vital part of any Disaster Recovery plan as it will identify the tools your business needs to continue operating during times of crisis.

Key IT assets may include both hardware and software, some examples being:

Hardware

• PCs / Laptops
• Physical phones
• Printer(s)
• Mobile internet dongle

Software

• Email client such as Microsft Outlook
• Office software like Word, Excel, etc.
• CRM or database system
• Other proprietary software

It may seem obvious, but the whole concept behind DR is that your company can hit the ground running in case of an emergency.

As such, the ability to perform the day to day routine as close to normal is what we are aiming for.

Key personnel

You will need to identify which staff members are mission-critical to the core functions of your business.

Basically, these will be the members of staff whose duties and responsibilities will allow your businesses to seamlessly provide service to customers and clients during the emergency period.

Key personnel will not necessarily be high-end management or the like, although it's important that management are kept in the loop during the process.

The key personnel will generally be staff who are at coal face of day to day business operations. Remember that Disaster Recovery is about being a bridging action to make sure your business doesn't grind to a halt in a time of crisis.

As such, you'll want to make sure you have even a limited number of staff available who would be dealing directly with customers or their queries.

You will need some senior staff members to hand also as their additional experience will be beneficial in keeping the ship righted, so to speak during a time of potential panic.

Access to critical data remotely

This is extremely important, and depending on the type of business you operate, it may prove to be vital.

In our recent article on working from home during this Coronavirus pandemic, we showed the importance of able to access work-related data remotely.

Should you find yourself in a scenario where you need to implement your DR Plan, then having the ability to access your data will be key.

In order to streamline the operations of your company during this time, you will need to be able to access your CRM and data stores while working from your Disaster Recovery site.

One solution to this requirement is to have cloud-based backups of your files. These can be restored to your DR site and can aid in minimizing downtime for your company.

As the current COVID-19 restrictions have shown, quite a lot can be done while working from home. However, in the case of flooding or fire at your place of business then this may not be possible.

This is another reason why having data stored in the cloud can greatly decrease the disruption to your business flow during a time of crisis.

With the Coronavirus situation that has unfolded around us all in recent times, it's very likely that at least some of your colleagues are working from home.

It would be highly beneficial for you to take notes on the strengths and weaknesses of what is and is not working for your staff as they operate remotely.

These notes and ideas can be factored into your DR Plan and will help streamline its effectiveness.

Communications

This is another extremely important component of your Disaster Recovery plan as it's quite possible staff will be working in different locations during the disaster.

On your disaster recovery backup site, it will be vital that you have very good broadband connection, especially if you will be accessing online data more than normal.

Some things you may want to factor in:

Phone system

What type of phone system do you have? If you are using VOIP then it will make portability a lot easier, to the point where you can seamlessly route your office number to your mobile phone.

If you are using a more traditional PBX, then you'll want to have as part of your DR plan a contingency whereby your phone provider can route calling over to your DR backup site.

Shared access to files

As mentioned previously, your staff may be spread out over several locations, if this is the case then it's important that they can jointly access required files.

Usually, it would be the case that staff would access the files on the local office server, however, in this scenario, they will be accessed from several remote locations at once.

One of the better solutions for this is Microsoft OneDrive as it integrates nicely into the Office 365 platform and allows many users to access the same files concurrently.

Another solution of note for this is Google Drive, however it generally works better if you are using the Gmail system.

Conclusion

So as you can see, having an effective Disaster Recovery Plan in place is of extreme importance to your business.

The current situation we find ourselves in at the moment should help paint the picture for you of just how important it is.

Even with the best will in the world, you can never fully plan for a fire breaking out at your place of business or the office getting flooded.

That's why it's good to do the leg work and planning now so that should the need arise, your business will succeed while those who don't plan ahead will fail.

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We can help provide you with an overview of your current setup and advise you on the best course of action to take regarding getting your own Disaster Recovery Plan put in place.

So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

By now, I’m sure you are all aware of the Corona virus that is doing the rounds.

It’s a serious threat to a lot of people’s health, this can be seen with the number of countries where the infection has surfaced, this includes Ireland.

Currently, the amount of confirmed infections here is quite low, but this little bug has shown that it can pop up all over the place extremely rapidly!

With this in mind, we are going to look at this from a business standpoint.

An expanding number of businesses in Ireland have instructed their staff to work from home, quite notable in this was Google.

The logic here is that they can still operate almost seamlessly while their staff are safe at home.

Modern technology has progressed to the point whereby many jobs can be performed remotely, not all of course, but quite a few.

With the advent of VOIP phone systems and remote access to office computers, the ability to work from home has really taken hold.

I suspect there are many employers who aren’t aware of this however, it’s only when extraordinary scenarios like this viral outbreak or extremely bad weather rear their ugly heads that the need for this ability becomes apparent.

We have some customers who use what’s called a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to connect into their office computer while out and about or at home.

This allows them to essentially work on their office computer as if they were sitting in front of it, which is a major boon to staff. It also provides peace of mind to management during these times of uncertainty regarding staff availability in the office.

GDPR Considerations

It should be noted, to get the most secure connection with a VPN, you will need to have a physical firewall installed and configured correctly.

Since the implementation of GDPR, having a firewall has become mandatory for businesses.

We recommend the Dell SonicWALL series of firewalls, however, a VPN and be configured almost any brand of firewall.

Considering how hefty the EU fines are in relation to GDPR infractions, which can result in a fine of up to €20,000,000 or up to 4% of the annual worldwide turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is greater.

Looking at those numbers, I’d say it’s well worth picking up a firewall, assuming you don’t already have one.

Why a VPN is important during COVID-19 outbreak

This may seem obvious, but if you are unfortunate enough to encounter a scenario where one of your staff contracts the disease, then, of course, you don’t want them to visit the office and infect others.

This is where the abilities of the VPN shine, it will allow staff to connect to their office computer remotely and use it as if they were sitting in front of the machine.

It will also allow users to access the work data which is stored on their office server. They can access their shared drives and applications directly from their laptop remotely.

VOIP Telephony

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) has become much more commonplace in recent years.

It will allow staff to facilitate phone calls over the internet, either to a desk phone or to their mobile.

This can be configured in such a way as to allow staff to essentially use their office phone anywhere.

With the outbreak of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) the ability to work from home is almost a must.

Through a combination of a VOIP telephone system and the use of a VPN to allow remote access to your office-based computers then you and your staff should be able to circumnavigate these Corona virus woes.

Cloud based users

One notable exception to this situation is users who primarily access cloud based systems.

So, for users who have their files stored on the cloud on systems such as OneDrive or Dropbox, they will experience far less disruption.

The VPN solution is primarily for users whose files are stored on a server in their office.

Corona Virus outbreak scenario

Here, we will present a scenario of how your business can face the challenge of a COVID-19 Corona Virus outbreak.

In this scenario, let's assume that one of your colleagues has been unfortunate enough to become infected with the virus, forcing you to work from home.

If you have a VPN configured, you can connect into your work network from home and work remotely.

Also, if you have VOIP in your workplace you should be able to make and receive calls as if you were sitting in your office.

This could be done on your mobile phone or alternatively via a software phone installed on your laptop.

So in a scenario such as this, you will be able to work from home, access your files & data and handle phone calls.

This is an extremely useful ability, especially with the Corona Virus outbreak and all the uncertainty that goes along with it.

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We can help provide you with an overview of your current setup and advise if your business is prepared to handle this Corona Virus outbreak.

So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

One of the latest computing buzz words is edge computing. So, what is edge computing and is it needed for your businesses IT strategy? Well, it transforms the way data is being handled, processed and delivered. It does this by processing information close to the edge, where various devices and people produce or consume that information.

How does edge computing work?

Edge computing works with businesses that process lots of data. Data is usually processed by data centres via the cloud. If the data centre is further away, latency is more likely to occur. Using sensors to collect data and edge servers to securely process data in real-time on-site. Connecting other devices including laptops and smartphones to the network, reducing the chances of latency occurring or downtime.

At the moment Edge computing is not so much something that a small business needs to be implementing for a companies Managed Service strategy and it is more something that companies should be looking at for a more long term IT Support strategy.

So the question is where does edge computing work best?

Edge computing works with:

IoT devices like traffic lights or smart bins.
Equipment on a factory floor
Faster networking technologies like 5G wireless.
Self-driving vehicles.
Artificial intelligence.
Video processing and analytics. 
Robotics. 
Drones.

Do you need edge computing?

Data processing is becoming more important to businesses. As the growth of IoT allows for scalability and flexibility. This allows businesses to respond to changing business needs more quickly. Mobile devices use apps to access and process data on nearby devices. Sending it directly to nearby computers or nearby cloud storage.

Answering yes to any of the following means you need to think about using edge computing, Do you:

Process data from multiple devices?
Need to access data locally?
Access and process biometric data?
Need to access and process data quickly?
Access and process data from local sensors?
Need to comply with GDPR?

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We can help provide you with an overview of your current setup, and if edge computing is for you. So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

As you will know, Windows 7 end of life was the 14th of January. So, why would you still use Windows 7? This will leave you vulnerable to various bugs and modern-day versions of the WannaCry ransomware, that effected computers running Windows 7 in 2017. This leaves you with two options. Paying Microsoft for updates for three years or moving to Windows 10. 

Paying for updates can be costly if you have many computers to keep updated and the cost will also increase each year. Your best option is to move to Windows 10 and when you do this you should also buy new computers. 

The most obvious reasons for buying new computers is:

You might not have the correct computer specs needed to run Windows 10. 

You may have the minimum computer specs required to run Windows 10, and you never go by the minimum specs.

As Windows 10 will never be replaced and just updated, the updates might need a computer with more RAM or a faster CPU.

A new computer will run faster, resulting in you being more productive.

What should you do before upgrading to Windows 10?

Make sure all your data is backed up.

Check if all your software will work with Windows 10.

If you have legacy software that does not work with Windows 10, check if you can buy modern alternatives.

Before you think about buying new computers, check to see if you can upgrade your current computers.

Make sure you have the latest versions of any software that you are using.

Make sure that any peripherals you use such as printers or scanners will work with Windows 10.

Move to cloud-based SaaS and PaaS systems as it will be easier and quicker to setup.

Make sure you know exactly how much downtime you will have as you upgrade to Windows 10. 

What you do when you are ready to upgrade to Windows 10:

If you are buying new computers, make sure you know the exact specs you will need.

If you are upgrading your computer's hardware, make sure you have the exact specs you will need.

Don’t compromise on any peripherals that you will be buying, as you will end up replacing them on a regular basis.

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We can help provide you with an overview of your current setup, and what Windows 7 systems you are still using. We can also upgrade you to Window 10 from Windows 7 So if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

It’s that time of the year again when Christmas parties and buying Christmas presents are all the rage. So, when it comes to buying Christmas gifts for your staff or friends and family, what are the most practical and useful ones to buy? iPing has found 3 great products that will make great useful presents.

Fitbit Versa 2

Smartwatches are all the rage this year and the question on your lips will be what smartwatch should I buy?  Smartwatches can vary in price and which one will work best with your phone. Some only work with iPhones, some only work with Android phones and some work with both. The one smartwatch that you should be looking at is the Fitbit Versa 2. 

This smartwatch is the perfect watch for keeping an eye on your fitness and health. The watches key features are 24/7 heart rate tracking, sleep tracking and built-in Amazon Alexa. The Fitbit Versa 2 battery life is extraordinary. Lasting up to 5 days on a single charge. 

By keeping an eye on your daily activities and the option of using Fitbits subscription fitness service. You are guaranteeing a healthy staff member, friend or family member which is very important these days. The Fitbit Versa 2 can be bought at all leading electrical retailers. Such as Currys, Harvey Norman and Powercity, for only €199, which makes it cheaper than its bestselling competitor the Apple Watch.

HP Sprocket

One nifty product that we noticed is the HP Sprocket, and you might be wondering what a sprocket is. The HP Sprocket is a portable printer that can fit in a jacket pocket. The Sprocket prints photos from your smartphone via an app and it does not use ink. It uses a built-in thermal printhead to print on HP Sprocket photo paper.

So, what can the HP Sprocket do for you? Well, in the workplace. It can print off smartphone photos for a photo album. Which could contain photos of screenshots showing you how to implement or use new software. At home. It can print off photo stickers. Or create a family photo album.

The HP Sprocket is now greatly reduced in price. It can be bought in Currys or Harvey Norma for €79.

Juku Metro 2 Backpack

Lastly, if you have any staff members or family members who are always on the go. Then the Irish company Juku has the perfect gift. Their Juku Metro 2 Backpack is perfect for storing gadgets. 

It has a laptop pocket and several places to store your smaller gadgets. It also has the most important thing that you will need, a built-in USB port that allows you to hook up a battery pack so that you can charge your phone. As it is also water-resistant. Anything stored will not get wet.

The Juku Metro 2 is available from the Juku website or Compub. It normally costs €89, but at the moment it is available for €62.30 on the Juku website.

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We would like to wish all our customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you all again next year and you can always contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

As I.T. infrastructure evolves, what you would have been using ten years ago will not be so applicable. Modern hardware is so much faster. The cloud computing services model’s IaaS, PaaS and SaaS are now allowing you to reduce your costs.

So, the question you must ask is Are legacy systems still relevant? Legacy systems can be older hardware, older software or even a mixture of both. And whilst they are still being used they can become a major security risk. As they can offer a backdoor into your system. 

Why are legacy systems still being used?

For a small business with a tight budget. The time and money required to upgrade or replace what they are using might not be available. The software that a business is using might be bespoke software specifically designed for them. Or newer versions of what they are using will have features they don’t need. Or take away features that they need. Legacy software might only work on older operating systems that can’t be installed on modern hardware.

What are the security risks when using legacy systems?

When legacy systems are still being used, there will no longer be updates. Which will include security patches for any software and operating systems that are being used. This makes it easier for someone to find a backdoor into your I.T. infrastructure. Allowing data to be stolen or encrypted by ransomware. As data storage has moved to the cloud, why are USB sticks still being used? They can easily be used to steal data or to unwittingly spread a virus or ransomware throughout your I.T. infrastructure. 

What can be done to secure any legacy systems still being used?

Whenever legacy systems are still being used, there are certain measures that you can take that will ensure that will lessen chances of a security breach taking place. The first thing you should do is ensure that any legacy systems being used is no longer on your network. This will ensure that nobody can use them as a backdoor into your main systems. You should also restrict access to any legacy systems being used. The only people who should be allowed access are people who need to use as part of their daily job. For example, old payroll system software that you are using should only be accessed by your Accounts/HR team. If you are still using USB sticks or floppy disks to share data, why not use OneDrive, Google Drive or other cloud storage options. iPing can help you chose the best option for your company.

Is there a way that you can incorporate legacy systems with your modern infrastructure?

There are solution that will allow you to securely incorporate legacy systems into any modern I.T. systems that you might be using. By installing a virtual machine on one of your computers. Along with any software that will only work on that operating system. Oracle has a great product called Oracle VirtualBox which includes cross-platform support. It works on Windows 10. It is also small, quick and easy to setup. All you will need is ISO images of any operating systems and software that you want to use on your virtual machine.

Legacy systems can still have a seat at the table. Provided they are maintained and kept in a closed secure environment. NASA still use legacy systems on their spacecraft as they know how the systems work. And because they also keep them in a closed secure environment where nobody can find a backdoor to access them. As the cost of cloud computing service model’s, has come down in price. You can easily modernise your I.T. infrastructure at an affordable price. By using virtual machines to run any legacy systems that you need to use. 

iPing provides managed services and IT services. We can help provide you with an overview of your current setup, and what legacy systems you are still using. So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

May 25th2018 is a date that every business should remember. On this date GDPR legislation became active. This legislation which applies to all countries in the EU, relates to data protection and privacy for individual citizens in the EU and the European Economic Area. 

So, what should you be doing to be fully compliant?

Under the GDPR legislation you might need to have a Data Protection Officer (DPO). This only applies to public authorities and bodies and private sector organisations, that regularly and systematically monitor data subjects or process personal data as part of their core activities. 

You need to be fully prepared to handle a data breach and the data protection commission states on their website:

“To facilitate decision-making and determine whether or not your organisation needs to notify the relevant supervisory authority and affected individuals, you should have a high-quality risk management process and robust breach detection, investigation and reporting processes.”

Once you are aware of a breach occurring you have 72 hours to report it to the data protection commission. All those affected have to be told. as soon as possible. Reporting breaches are only done if it is a repetitive breach or if it is likely to have a considerable impact on individuals. 

The data protection commission also mention the following 4 levels of risk which determine if you report a data breach. 

• Low Risk: The breach is unlikely to have an impact on individuals, or the impact is likely to be minimal.
• Medium Risk: The breach may have an impact on individuals, but the impact is unlikely to be substantial.
• High Risk: The breach may have a considerable impact on affected individuals.
• Severe Risk: The breach may have a critical, extensive or dangerous impact on affected individuals.

If you have all of the above in place, you will have nothing to worry about. But if you don’t you could be liable to fines of 4% of your turnover or €20M which ever is greater.

iPing provides managed services and IT services and we can help provide you with an overview of your current GDPR setup, and if you are compliant. So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.

Over the past twenty five years businesses have become more reliant on technology. This is because the internet and cloud computing have become business tools that everyone is using. Twenty five years ago customer records would have been stored in a filing cabinet but that has now changed. The modern day filing cabinet can be either your computer, mobile phone, tablet or online cloud storage. 

Data breaches have changed over the past twenty five years and are much easier to spot. In the early 1990’s it would have involved copying files onto a floppy disk or stealing a floppy disk with files on them and you might never know it happened. Now a days data is stored locally on your computer or externally via cloud storage and a data breach is easier to spot.

Laptops, smartphones and tablets have helped make data more portable. If any of these devices are lost or stolen they can easily be remotely wiped ensuring data loss is minimal. But to make sure data breaches are kept to a minimum and that you are complying with GDPR regular data security checks must be done.

What is a regular data security check?

A regular data security check is the modern day fire drill. Every so often businesses would conduct fire drills to see how a business would cope if there was a fire. A regular data security check would see how businesses would cope if there was a security breach. They would also make sure that your staff are trained not to unwittingly help facilitate a security breach.

Regular data security checks work on your two weakest links. Laptops, smartphones and tablets and emails. Now a days Wi-Fi and broadband has allowed your staff to work from relatively anywhere. Whilst this means you can work during the weekend and your sales staff can do more work on the road. It also increases the chances of data being lost. You can be receiving so many emails a day resulting in the greater chance of a rogue email getting through.

How do regular data security checks work?

Regular data security checks how quick you respond to a suspected data security breach. They also train your staff on how emails can be used to facilitate data security breaches. If one of your laptops, smartphones or tablets are compromised, remote wiping of them has to be mandatory, and you have to know how long this will take to happen. You can receive so many emails a day that sometimes you don’t check if they are genuine .By sending your staff various rogue emails they will know what to look out for, what to and what not to do.

By doing regular data security checks, you are safeguarding your business, and your staff will also be kept up to speed on the latest security threats. A safe and secure business is a happy business. 

iPing provides managed services and IT services and we can help provide you with an overview of regular data security checks. So, if you need some help with the above please contact us or give us a call on 01 5241350.