If you think of 2016 being the “mainstream” year for hackers, then 2017 will be their year of creativity and innovation. We are sometimes asked why, with all the brilliant minds working on cyber security, how can the hackers keep developing new methodologies and always seem to be one step ahead. The answer: the people developing these new tactics are pretty darned smart, too, and they have the advantage of being able to go off in different direction directions, while we have the task of constantly being on the alert so we can figure out where they are going.

Stephen Gates, a leading research intelligence analyst, tells us that the rates of ransomware and the following extortions will increase. In fact, the next generation of self-propagating worms paint a rather gloomy scenario. Unlike their earlier versions, these worms can infect hundreds of devices very quickly. You may be familiar with the attack on the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency that encrypted 2,000+ computers, most likely through this type of self-propagating worm. Gates expects this type of attack to become more commonplace.

Norman Guadango, a cyber security specialist at one of the country’s leading consumer-grade data storage solutions, says that almost 20% of small businesses have suffered a data loss in the past year and that the costs associated with these attacks often run between $82,000 and $256,000 each. This can include ransom payments, lost productivity, time spent recreating data, forensic cyber teams, and lost business.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that new versions of the viruses, ransomware and other forms of malware are constantly being mutated by their developers. They are also becoming more sophisticated in their methods of deployment. For example, one of the scenarios common today is, after gaining entry into your system, placing a snippet of code somewhere in one of your files and just let it sleep there for a while, eventually "phoning home" and letting its owner know it is there are ready for action. This vulnerability is then sold online to both amateur and professional hackers who are then free to cause all sorts of harm. Of course, only a small fraction of these attacks actually break through the security systems generally in place, but it only takes one.

A recent ransomware attack on one of our clients showed that they withstood 65,000 attacks over a two-day period, including cyber-attacks from Russia, China, Bulgaria, India, Israel and five other countries. But, again, all it takes is one. This company will be the subject of a case study that will be released over the next week or two, so keep an eye out for it.

At DynaSis, we work with a national team of cyber security professionals and together we have created some of the most advanced, effective, unique and proprietary cyber security software available today. Whether you are a DynaSis client or not, please consult with your managed IT service provider to make sure your defenses are secure and up-to-date. Learn More

We have long preached that today, every business is a technology business. What business functions without computers, Microsoft Office software, or email? Because of the universality of technology, cyber crime is on the rise and the cyber criminal has become more creative and yet, at the same time, the “field” has become more enticing to amateurs, creating still more chaos. Below are some of the things we need to be aware of going forward.

PLEASE NOTE: We will be presenting a complimentary webinar on Cyber Security 2017 – SMBs are under attack. Are you prepared? Thursday, February 2^nd at 11 AM. Register at www.DynaSis.com/webinars.

1: The cost of cyber-crime is expected to hit $6,000,000,000,000  (yes, that’s trillion) annually over the next few years. This is double current loss estimates and includes the cost of the damage and/or destruction of data, stolen funds, decreased productivity, intellectual property theft, personal financial data, embezzlement, fraud, business disruption, forensic investigation, harm to reputations, and finally, the deletion of damaged data and restoration of backed up files…assuming they have not been harmed as well.

2: Spending on Cyber Security will grow to more than $1,000,000,000.

3: There will be 1,500,000 unfilled Cyber Security jobs by 2019. By the end of last year, there were already 1,000,000 unfilled positions, and this will just keep growing. Currently, the unemployment rate among cyber security professionals is 0%.

4: 91% of cyber attacks today start through email. Most employees of small to mid-sized businesses are not trained in cyber security best practices…or any practices at all, which make them rich targets. It is attacks like this that have started with a careless employee of a small business, then evolved into an attack on the business itself, and ultimately, by gaining access to the company’s links to its customers, have been able to infiltrate into the records of major businesses, such as Target and Home Depot.

5: By 2014 (the last full year for which we have stats), 71% of cyber crimes were against SMBs, up from 41% just the year before.

6: Access by amateur cyber-criminals. The kid next door can now go online and for as little as $150 dollars buy a “kit” that enables him to encrypt the files of a small business and hold them for ransom. If he does this 10 times for $5,000 per ransom, he just made himself $50,000. But as an amateur, he may not fully understand how to use the illegal software he just purchased and may not be able to unlock the files he encrypted. We know of just such a case where the small business agreed to pay a ransom of $8,000 only to learn that the incompetent thief couldn't deliver on his promise to decrypt, and they have lost all their files forever. ALL their files, including all their backups. All their trade secrets, legal and financial information, client records, etc.

7: By 2020, just three years from now, there will be as many as 200,000,000,000 IoT (Internet of Things) devices in dire need of securing. What is the Internet of Things? Simply put, it is “things” that are connected to the Internet: cellphones, coffee makers, Alexa, wearable devices like FitBits, door locks, garage door openers, jet engine parts that signal potential problems back to the manufacturer, and on and on and on. 200 billion of these in just three years. Look for another blog soon going into detail on this subject, but we think you can imagine the potential magnitude of the problem.

DynaSis has been at the forefront of Cyber Security Management for SMBs on a national level since 1992, and is responsible for a number of advances in the field that are currently in use across the country. Please visit www.DynaSis.com/managed-security or call us at 678.373.0716.

2017 has started but some things will continue as before, such as the ever-increasing dangers of cyber-attacks. Cyber criminals are smarter today than they were a year ago and will be smarter on January 1, 2018 than they are today. Keeping one step ahead of them requires constant vigilance.

Below are some of the concerns we have for the coming year, derived from our discussions with other professionals around the country.

1: Hackers can be total amateurs

The tools needed are readily and inexpensively available online. And, trust me, the sellers could care less if you know how to use them. This presents problems on a number of fronts. First, the number of people hacking can be expected to grow considerably. Second, here is a true story that explains one of the dangers. A company was recently hacked with ransomware and received the ransom “note.” After some negotiations, they agreed to an amount and attempted to pay. The hacker was so inept that he could not figure out how to claim the ransom. He finally gave up and agreed to release the files free of charge. Unfortunately, he couldn’t figure out how to do that either, so he just disappeared into to “cyber-space” leaving the victim’s files totally locked up. Last we heard, the victim company was still unable to gain access and was rebuilding their files from scratch, having lost years of valuable information.

2: Suppliers’ systems open the way for hackers into their customers’ files.

Everything today is interconnected, which saves time and money, provides better service, fewer errors, etc., etc., etc. The problem is that if your system isn’t secure, hackers can use it as a back door to access your customers’ systems. And vice-versa. They can use your suppliers’ systems to access yours. An excellent example is Wendy’s where more than 1,000 of their franchises were attacked through a hole in their point-of-sale system.

3: The shortage of trained IT security professionals

At the moment, there are almost 5 1/2 million unfilled jobs in the US, including about 2 million in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math). CNN recently ran a story on a coal-miner who learned how to build websites, but he is the exception. In terms of IT Security specifically, it has been estimated that more than 1,000,000 openings exist worldwide. One answer to this problem is the hiring of third party managed it services to act as a company’s CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), a concept that has been growing in popularity.

4: Ransomware will continue to grow.

Taking the proper precautions can usually prevent the intrusion of ransomware, and severely mitigate the damage it can cause if it does gain entry. Add to this the fact that prevention is usually far cheaper than paying the ransom. (Ransomware is so difficult to undo without the “key” that once it has infected your system, even the FBI suggests you just pay it.) Just how much this trend will grow will depend largely on the steps small to mid-sized businesses take to ward it off, but experience says that it will be too little too late.

5: DDoS attacks on IoT devices

All types of new IoT devices are on the market and our fear is that in the rush to get these into consumers’ hands, security has not been treated as a priority.

But first, some definitions: DDoS is a “distributed Denial of Service” attack. This occurs when the bandwidth of the targeted system is flooded with so much traffic that the bona-fide users cannot gain access…they are denied service. Why do this? Mostly it has been for ransom, but there have been reported cases of trying to hurt one’s competition. How easy and/or prevalent is this?

• $150 can buy a week long DDoS attack: TrendMicro Research
• More than 2,000 DDoS attacks now occur daily: ATLAS Threat report
• 1/3 of all downtime incidents are DDoS attacks: Verisign/Merril Research

IoT: The Internet of Things. This is the networking of physical devices. Many things today are embedded with sensors that send signals to other devices. You can turn off your lights at home from across town. Or ask Alexa to play music. Or turn your air-conditioning down when you don’t expect to be home for a while. The concern here is that we really don’t know what information can be scooped up, or by who, but experience shows that when information is not properly protected, someone will be looking to grab it for illegitimate purposes.

Learn more at www.DynaSis.com/Managed-Security.

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We will be releasing our full report on Cyber Security 2017 within the next few weeks. Be on the lookout for it.

DynaSis has been serving the IT needs of small to mid-sized businesses in Atlanta since 1992 and is a national leader in IT Security. We offer a full range of managed security services that can be tailored to match your company’s needs and budget. Please contact us at (678) 373-0716.

Happy senior business woman with headset working on laptop

DynaSis, an Atlanta based IT managed service provider and long a leader in IT Education both in the Atlanta area and the nation, is starting the year with two live webinars as part of its ongoing Educational Series for C-Level Executives. On Wednesday, January 18^th, in conjunction with its membership in the nationwide Business Tech Talks program, Dave Moorman, Founder and President of DynaSis, will be giving his widely acclaimed talk on Digital Disruption. The webinar begins at 2 PM EST, and you can register at www.DynaSis.com/webinars.

The second webinar, on Cyber Security 2017, is an updated version of Mr. Moorman’s Cyber Security seminar that was presented to audiences in the Atlanta area last year to rave reviews. This webinar begins at 11 AM on Thursday, February 2^nd, at 11 AM EST, and you can also register at www.DynaSis.com/webinars.

Registrants will receive either the DynaSis White Paper on Digital Disruption: Who Will Be Left Standing?, or the White Paper on Cyber Security 2017.

Digital Disruption: Digital Disruption is a change in the way the whole world, or just an industry, or even a single company does business. Invention of the personal computer, or the Internet, or today’s mobility are examples of global digital disruption, white the effect of Uber on the taxi industry, or Netflix on video rentals are examples of industry wide changes. But Digital Disruption is also a powerful force on a company level, improving product development, time to market, prospect identification and conversion, production and virtually every other aspect of a business, while improving productivity, reducing costs,  minimizing risks and maximizing growth – all triggers for improved profitability. The question is: will digital disruption power you past your competition, or power your competition past you.

Cyber Security: The topic of Cyber Security has been so prevalent for so long, that becoming immune to the warnings you hear through the media is a real danger. If your company hasn’t been hit so far, complacency tends to set in, along with the feeling that the bad guys aren’t interested in me. That is most unfortunate and very dangerous. The reality is that every month, thousands of companies are hit with cyber-attacks for the very first time, and many of those will have their files so locked up, that they will have to pay huge ransoms to continue in business. (We even know of a case where the cyber-criminal involved was so inept that even when the company agreed to pay the ransom, the criminal couldn’t figure out how to unlock their files and just walked away, leaving the company in dire straits.)

At DynaSis, we’ve been through the “wars” and we welcome the opportunity to share what we have learned with you. Please register today at www.DynaSis.com/webinars.

DynaSis has been providing IT service to Atlanta’s small to mid-sized business community since 1992. We are now in our 25^th year. Dave Moorman has been instrumental in the development of cyber security techniques that have been adopted across the nation and continues to work with other nationally renowned IT professionals on a regular basis to keep the DynaSis IT support team always ahead of the “bad guys”. Dave can be reached at (770) 569-4600.

Technology is a powerful force in virtually every company today. In fact, we like to say, “Every Business is a Technology Business.” Can you imagine running your company without a computer? Without email? Without a website? (Actually, you would be amazed at how many small businesses (very small businesses) still don’t have websites. We are not web-designers, but…somebody wake these people up!)

Technology makes us more productive, more accurate, more responsive to market changes and customer needs, but it can also increase risk. Getting the most out of technology, while still keeping your business safe and secure, is a true balancing act, not meant for the faint of heart. What can go wrong? Computers can crash, data can disappear or be stolen/encrypted, networks can shut down, etc.

Assuming the people who work for your company are honest, hard-working and like to be productive while accomplishing great things for your business, any of these situations can be deeply troubling, especially if they are reoccurring. But many small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) don’t want to address this problem pro-actively. In other words, they wait until something goes wrong, then they react…they call what are known in the industry as “break and fix” IT services. Something breaks, they come and fix. The more things break, the more money they make. By the way, sooner or later, things do break.

As a company grows, they often hire an in-house IT guy. We think that’s great. But there is still a problem in that technology is so complex these days that no single in-house IT person can possibly have all the expertise needed, nor can he keep up with the changes that occur on a daily basis. So let’s look at an IT solution that works whether you have been calling the break and fix people, or have an IT person (or even your own team.)

For those companies that do not have an in-house person, a fully staffed managed IT service provider is probably the answer. Unfortunately, too many business owners assume this is costly and never even look into it. Sad. The reality is that using this type of service, on a fixed monthly fee basis, usually costs the same, or even less, than what they have been doing. By properly maintaining the client’s equipment, there are fewer break-downs, fewer service calls, and longer equipment life-spans. Think of it this way: Since the IT Service provider is obligated to fix computers, servers, networks, etc., doesn’t it make sense that it is in their best interest to make sure that everything is always functioning at peak performance? It does.

For those companies that have one or more in-house IT people, they find that by using managed IT support, their in-house people are freed up to work on higher level projects, while the IT service can repair equipment, handled help-desk issues, and constantly monitor, manage and maintain the company’s IT infrastructure. Not only that, the right provider will have a full staff of certified technicians and management personnel that can handle almost any problem, as well as be available for technology consultations to plan for the future.

So as for the holiday present, think about how happy your sales people will be knowing that their online sales tools are always available, think about how happy your customer service people will be knowing that they can take care of your customers, think about how happy your accountant will be knowing that IT problems will not impact your bottom line, and think about how happy you and your IT people will be knowing that your IT network is running quietly and smoothly in the background, there when anyone and everyone needs it. That should help you sleep at night, and can you ask for a better present than that?

DynaSis has been providing IT support to the Atlanta small to mid-sized business community since 1992. The “DynaTeam” of 55 professionals, including 30+ highly trained engineers, provides live top level coverage 24 / 7 / 365. We can be reached at www.DynaSis.com or (678) 373-0716.

Your business is a technology business. And you are not alone. Today, virtually every business is heavily involved and invested in technology. Whether your office is here in Atlanta or anywhere else in the country…or the world…your dependence on technology is in great part linked to how forward thinking you have been over recent years. But please don’t think that dependence on technology is a bad thing. Far from it. Technology is a powerful force that can multiply the effectiveness, reach, profitability and longevity of almost any business.

Let’s look at it from a very simplistic approach. How successful do you think your business would be today if all your employees were using quills and blotters? Fountain pens? Manual typewriters? Electric typewriters? Word processors with magnetic cards that had to be inserted each time they were used? Or a 1988 AppleIIC computer with 128k of RAM (today’s typical computer has 33,000 times as much processing power)? The point is, as much as we may complain about it, we are completely dependent on technology in one form or another, and not many people really want to go in the other direction.

But not only do we, as business owners, want the technology that can power our businesses forward, so do our employees. Studies have shown that millennials, for sure, and even Gen Xers, often look at the technology they will be given to work with before accepting many positions.

However, we also have to face the fact that today’s complex technology, as powerful and rewarding as it can be, doesn’t run itself. In fact, as companies grow, their technology requirements tend to multiply and serious choices need to be made as to how to keep your IT infrastructure at peak performance.

The two most obvious choices are to either hire an in-house IT professional, eventually growing to a full team, or outsource this function to a managed IT service provider. There are advantages to each: an in-house IT person or team puts skilled people at your fingertips. An outsourced IT provider brings a team with a wide range of training and certifications that can handle most any need.

Because each of these scenarios has distinct advantages, more and more growing companies are opting for a hybrid IT management system commonly referred to a co-managed or co-sourced IT, with the in-house IT executive or team, and the outsourced team, working hand-in-hand to give the employer the best of both worlds. Typically, the in-house team will then have the time to focus on high level matters, such as long-term IT strategies, leaving the routine, day-to-day monitoring and maintenance, help-desk, and repair work to the out-sourced people. Certainly, this is not cast in stone and each company can make its own decision as to where each function is best handled.

Regardless of how the tasks are sorted out, companies that opt for this hybrid generally discover several benefits:

Increased Productivity: With co-management, you know that IT support is available 24 x 7. You also know that your IT infrastructure is being monitored and maintained, even if your in-house IT guy is on vacation in Aruba. That means that your sales people can sell and your customer service people can service. When managed by outside professionals, IT "uptime" of 99.999% is the goal, increasing productivity across the company.

Reduced Expenses: Fixed monthly fees let you know in advance what your expenses are going to be and because you are sharing the cost of highly trained IT personnel as well as storage capacity (especially if you choose a cloud solution), companies using IT management companies generally find their expenses less than before.

Minimized Risk: By having the latest technology available, including the latest in security, along with people with the most up-to-date training, your protection against the ever-increasing level of cyber crime is reduced to a minimum, while your ability to recover and restore in the event of cyber intrusion or a network problem is maximized.

Easy Scalability: As your company grows, your IT infrastructure easily grows with it. You also know that the financial burden of maintaining your infrastructure has transferred from you to the IT management service, so you know they are doing virtually everything possible to keep it running at peak performance.

DynaSis has been providing managed and co-managed IT support to the small to mid-sized business community in Atlanta for almost a quarter century. The DynaSis team of 55 professionals, including more than 30 engineers, is highly trained and experienced. We are happy to provide you with a complimentary IT Assessment to help you understand where your IT infrastructure is today, and where it needs to be in the future. www.DynaSis.com. 678.218.1769.

The digital world today is changing at break-neck speed. The protections that worked not that long ago become out-of-date in the blink of an eye. Cyber crime has also become a rapidly advancing and sophisticated “industry”. The more you rely on the Internet, and you are probably more reliant than you realize, the more you need to ensure that your business is protected.

Some of the easiest decisions can also be some of the most harmful. Why bother to install additional protection when your carrier (Comcast, ATT, CenturyLink, etc.) gives it to you for free with your bundled software? Answer: this level of protection simply is not powerful enough to provide the protection you need today, and you need to seriously consider upgrading to business grade firewall and software.

But lets take it one step farther. Even the best firewall is not going to give you the level of safety you need if the right people are not managing it. Like pretty much everything else in the IT world today, firewalls start to become outdated almost as soon as they leave the factory. The right managed IT service will monitor and maintain that protection 24 x 7 x 365, installing patches and updates on a regular basis.

So, here are 5 reasons why your SMB will be better protected with a managed IT service that maintains your firewall:

1: Your company is not an IT company. You are in business for an entirely different reason. You are a law firm, a group of CPAs, you manufacture widgets, run a call center, service automobiles, etc. Just like you would not expect an IT service provider to give legal advice or fix your car, you should not expect the people in your company to set-up, run or maintain your IT infrastructure. “But I have an IT guy on staff.” That’s great. We recognize the value in that. But does he/she have the depth of knowledge that a provider with 25 to 30 certified engineers will have? Will he/she be available 24/7/365? Think not.

2: Hiring consultants is very expensive. Here is the problem with consultants: while they may be very knowledgeable, they are expensive and since they are not involved in the day to day IT operation of your company, quite a bit of money will be spent on the time they take to get up to speed on your network, much less solve the problems. (This goes for all IT problems, not just your firewall.) And you still run into the problem that no single consultant can have the breadth of knowledge that a large team of certified engineers will have.

3: Stuff breaks. Yes, firewalls are equipment and equipment can break. The right service will be monitoring this 24 x 7 and can jump into action as soon as it happens, with technicians trained for the job. Most importantly, your service provider will have a disaster recovery plan in place and be ready to get your network up and running in the shortest amount of time. No business, large or small, wants to start searching, then waiting for, a consultant to figure out what is wrong, then try and fix it. You want a full team of experts at the ready. (BTW, engaging a managed IT service provider is often also the most cost-effective way to go.)

4: You also need protection from internal threats. Employees frequently expose their employers to viruses, worms, and other malicious attacks on their infrastructure through unauthorized use of gaming, gambling, pornography, social media and online videos. Of course, this is not only a network threat, but also a serious threat to office productivity. The right professional team can manage this and keep the filters updated.

5: New threats are being developed daily. While we are not going to do a deep dive into cyber security here (see our Cyber Security White Paper), suffice it to say that cyber criminals are today focusing more on SMBs than on big businesses. Why? The large corporations that make the news when they are attacked have invested millions of dollars in cyber protection that no SMB can afford, but your IT management company will have partnerships with the top companies in the IT world and have the best protection software available.

DynaSis has been providing IT Network protection for the SMBs of Atlanta for the past 25 years. Our resources include a team of more than 55 professionals, including more than 30 highly trained and certified engineers who specialize in IT infrastructure security. Firewalls and firewall management are just one of our "12 Layers of Protection", a unique and proprietary cyber security program we use for our clients.

Below is a quick overview of the things you should be looking for in the company you hire to handle your IT needs.

1. Technical Expertise and Strong Communications Skills: Your IT partner should include people who utilize IT in a cost-effective way to solve your business problems, and must be able to bridge the communications gap that often exists between IT and the CEO’s office.

2. An Awareness of Your Budget &Resources: IT Partners are proving increasingly essential, but should not come with crippling expense. Fixed fees that include support go a long way towards a first class IT infrastructure and sticking to a budget saves money in the long run.

3. An Advocate Who Cuts Through the Hype: Software and hardware companies continuously release new products and certainly make them sound great. A true IT partner will let you know what you actually need, don’t need, and how to maximize the products you already own.

4. A Long-Term Planner, Implementer & Strategist: Well thought out and planned IT becomes a valuable business tool for sales, operations, security and more. Your IT partner needs to understand your needs of today as well as help plan for the future in an orderly and cost-effective way.

5. An Industry Watcher Who Maps Tech Advances to Your Needs: This is a double-pronged attack: your partner must not only keep abreast of all technology developments that may affect your business, but also work with you to understand the changing needs of your business as market conditions evolve.

6. A Keen Ability to Prevent, Troubleshoot & Solve Problems: Proper monitoring, back-up and protection provided by a well-trained staff will sharply reduce the number of problems that occur, but when they do, your IT partner must have the expertise to solve these problems quickly and without interrupting your business.

7. An Interest in Handling All Your Technology Needs: You do not want to work with a company that “cherry-picks” the work they want to do then leaves you on your own to figure out the rest…or turns you over to a 3^rd party and washed their hands of it. You need a partner that takes responsibility for IT from beginning to end.

Finding the right IT partner is critical as technology is constantly changing with new developments that can propel your business forward. You need a team with the right engineers, support technicians, and executive personnel who can not only help yu with the needs of today, but help you plan for the future.

Digital Disruption is a powerful force that can drive your business to new heights.

Last week DynaSis held a Lunch & Learn on Digital Disruption at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Dunwoody and we were pleased to welcome C-Level execs from all over the Atlanta Metro area.  Digital Disruption is an interesting concept that is becoming more well recognized as it affects more and ore industries in general and businesses in particular. As we see it, Digital Disruption exists on three levels.

Level 1 disruptions are those that have major repercussions on the way almost all of us live, work or do business. Among these are:

• Invention of the television
• Invention of the computer
• Development of the personal computer
• The Internet.

Each of these is a technological advancement and each had/has a major effect on our daily lives.

The next level of digital disruption occurs on and industry-wide basis. Think of events such as:

• The effects Uber has had on the taxicab industry
• How AirBnB has affected the hotel business
• The disruption in the DVD rental business caused by Netflix

In each of these cases, the product hasn’t really changed (individual consumer transportation, overnight stays in rented facilities, movie rentals). What changed are the delivery methods.

But for digital disruption to have a positive affect on an individual business, it does not have to be as all-encompassing as inventing a personal computer, or revolutionizing the way people hire rides. It means taking advantage of the technology that is available today and becoming a truly digital business. Today, every business is a technology business, using computers, CRMs, MicroSoft Office and may other tools. But understand this: having computers, servers, and software does not make you a digital business and will not bring about the positive digital disruption that can bring about the four outcomes we expect from a truly digital business:

• Increased profitability
• Reduced costs
• Minimized risks
• Maximized growth

…all leading to: Increased profitability.

For this to happen, technology has become woven into the very fabric of your company…to become part of your “DNA.” There are developments happening on an almost daily basis that can be of significant benefit to you, or to your competitors. The questions is, which companies will take advantage of this.

We are always hearing from small to mid-sized business owners and execs, “But my business isn’t like that. We’ll never be a technology driven industry." Well, tell that to the cab owners in NYC whose “medallions” (the restricted licenses they buy from the city) have decreased in value from $1,000,000 to $500,000 each. Or the owners of Blockbuster stock, now selling for $.01 a share now that their 8,000 stores have decreased to just 12.

But, again, digital disruption occurs a thousand times more often on an individual business level than on an industry wide basis. Over the next few weeks, we will illustrate with examples of how individual companies have used digital disruption within their own businesses to accelerate growth and profitability.

If you would like to learn more about digital disruption, read our White Paper on the subject, or let us know that you would like to attend our next seminar or webinar.

DynaSis is an Atlanta based managed IT service provider and has worked with a variety local manufacturers since its inception in 1992. DynaSis world-class data center provides safe, reliable and economical cloud computing service to its clients. www.DynaSis.com. 678.218.1769.

You would be surprised to learn how many people still use a password like shown above...or "Password" as their password.

There are many areas of focus when it comes to keeping your IT network safe and one of the weakest points has traditionally been employee laxity. When it comes to protecting the passwords your employees use when logging in, most people don’t take the precautions necessary to protect themselves…or YOUR business. Not long ago, simply occasionally changing your passwords was considered enough, but with hackers becoming more and more sophisticated, your means of protection needs to become more sophisticated, as well.

That said, most people do realize that that securely logging in is critical. They just don’t understand what it entails. If you already understand that simply changing passwords isn’t enough, you may be familiar with the terms “two-factor” and “two-step” authentication, which are both in wide use today. Many people assume these are two terms for the same functionality, but that is not the case. There are differences…somewhat subtle but also important.

The “two-step” process is still what we call a “single-factor” authentication in that you would have a single login password that you have likely memorized, but additionally, you would have to take an additional step. For example, you may be sent a one-time code via your smartphone. This is a common practice when changing passwords on a website that is used by the public. The single factor is your password; the two steps are entering your password, then entering the code you were sent.

By adding that extra step to the login process, two-step authentication does make logging in more secure than a single-step authentication (i.e. just the password). However, if a person or business is hacked, it will do only a little to stop hackers from getting a hold of whatever they are looking for.

To reach a higher level of security, the “two-factor” (AKA “multi-factor”) authentication process takes your security to a much higher level. This authentication process requires you to provide two different types of information, such as password or passcode plus a retinal scan or fingerprint. In this case, you are providing two entirely different types of information, requiring a much higher level of effort and skill on the part of a hacker.

Essentially, every two-factor process is also a two-step process, but the reverse is not true. Not every two-step process is a two-factor process. This important distinction can be the difference between keeping your company’s data safe or leaving a way in for skilled cyber criminals.

We believe that the best way to determine the process that fits your business needs is to ask for a complimentary IT assessment from your managed IT service provider, or take you analysis to an even higher level with a Strategic Technology Review.

DynaSis has been serving the needs of the small to mid-sized business community in Atlanta since 1992 with managed IT service, managed IT security, business cloud, and a host of other IT solutions.