Compliance Archives

August 1, 2025

The End of Windows 10 — What You Need to Know and Do Now

The End of Windows 10 — What You Need to Know and Do Now

Microsoft has officially announced that support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. That means no more security updates, bug fixes, or technical support from Microsoft after that date*. If you’re still using Windows 10—at home or at work—it’s time to start planning your next move. Ignoring this deadline could leave your system vulnerable to security threats and software compatibility issues.

In this article, we’ll walk you through:

Why this end-of-support matters
How to determine if your PC can be upgraded
What upgrade options are available
Estimated costs involved
Why moving to a supported operating system is essential

Why Does Windows 10 End of Support Matter?

Just like previous Windows versions before it, Windows 10 is reaching the end of its lifecycle. After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide critical security patches*, leaving systems susceptible to viruses, malware, and zero-day exploits. Unsupported operating systems also risk compatibility issues with new software, hardware and drivers, reducing productivity and increasing frustration for users.

If your computer is connected to the internet—or even a local network—it’s a security risk to continue using an unsupported OS.

Can Your PC Be Upgraded?

Before making any decisions, you need to determine whether your current machine can be upgraded to Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest operating system. Microsoft provides a free tool called the PC Health Check app that evaluates your hardware and tells you if it meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11.

Key system requirements include:

A compatible 64-bit processor (1GHz or faster, 2 or more cores)
4GB of RAM or more (8GB recommended)
64GB or more of storage
UEFI firmware with Secure Boot**
TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module)**

You can download the PC Health Check tool here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11#pchealthcheck

If your PC doesn’t meet these requirements, you may need to consider replacing the device entirely.

Upgrade Costs and Options

If Your PC is Compatible:

You can upgrade to Windows 11 for free if you have a valid Windows 10 license. Most users will simply download the installer from Microsoft or use Windows Update.
Backup your files and settings beforehand, just in case.

If Your PC is Not Compatible:

You’ll likely need a new computer. The good news is that entry-level Windows 11 PCs start at around $300–$500, with more powerful business and gaming systems ranging from $800–$2,000+.
Many manufacturers are offering trade-in programs or discounts on new PCs to ease the transition.

* Extended Support Option (for Businesses):
Microsoft is offering a paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for organizations that cannot upgrade all machines by the deadline for $30. However, this is meant as a temporary solution (1 year) and won’t include feature updates or tech support. There is also a free ESU available, but it requires using Microsoft OneDrive to backup the Windows 10 system. See this article on theverge.com.

** Bypassing TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot Requirements:

There are ways of bypassing some of the earlier requirements of upgrading to Windows 11. Although a bit technical, you can read more about this at this website or contact an IT professional to perform the upgrade of ‘incompatible’ systems to Windows 11.

Why Upgrading Matters

1. Security:
Modern threats evolve constantly. Without updates, you’re a sitting duck for ransomware, spyware, and hackers.

2. Compatibility:
New software and apps will increasingly require Windows 11 or newer. Web browsers and productivity tools will start phasing out support for Windows 10.

3. Performance & Features:
Windows 11 includes better support for hybrid work, improved UI, virtual desktops, gaming enhancements, and optimized battery life for laptops.

4. Compliance:
For businesses, continuing to use unsupported software could violate data protection regulations and industry compliance standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, PCI).

What Should You Do Now?

Check your PC with the PC Health Check tool.
Start backing up your data regularly.
Budget for a new PC if needed.
Plan for deployment and user training if you’re upgrading multiple systems in a business.
Stay informed—follow Microsoft updates for any changes or extensions to their timeline.

In Summary

October 14, 2025, is closer than it seems and the consequences of ignoring it are real. Whether you’re an individual user, a small business owner, or an IT professional, taking action now ensures a smooth transition and a secure computing future.

If you have questions about upgrading or selecting a new PC, consult a trusted IT provider like Infinity Networking or visit Microsoft’s Windows 11 page to get started. Don’t wait until your machine becomes a liability.

Mark Flores

August 1, 2025

December 6, 2023

Maximizing Business Potential – The Importance of Online Corporate Training for Employees

In today’s dynamic business landscape, staying ahead demands a skilled and adaptable workforce. As businesses navigate through ever-evolving markets and technologies, investing in employee training stands as a crucial strategy for success. With the advent of online learning platforms, corporate training has undergone a transformation, offering an array of benefits for businesses seeking growth and innovation. Online corporate training is not just learning the advanced features of Microsoft Office, but can include a wide variety of skills, common business practices, regulatory rules and human resources required training.

The Transformative Power of Online Corporate Training

Online corporate training has become a game-changer, revolutionizing the way businesses equip their workforce with essential skills. Here are some compelling reasons why integrating online training into your business strategy is a must:

Cost-Effectiveness: Traditional training methods often come with hefty price tags for materials, venues, and instructor fees. Online training minimizes these costs significantly, allowing businesses to allocate resources more efficiently.
Flexibility and Accessibility: One of the most significant advantages of online training is its flexibility. Employees can access training materials at their convenience, from anywhere with an internet connection. This flexibility ensures minimal disruption to daily operations while enabling employees to learn at their own pace.
Updated and Relevant Content: Online training platforms offer access to up-to-date content, ensuring that employees receive training on the latest industry trends, technologies, and best practices. This keeps the workforce relevant and competitive in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Scalability: Online training easily scales with business growth. Whether onboarding new employees or upskilling existing ones, the digital infrastructure allows for seamless expansion without logistical constraints.
Personalized Learning Experience: Tailoring training content to individual needs is simpler with online platforms. Employees can choose courses that align with their roles, allowing for a more personalized and effective learning experience.

Essential Types of Online Corporate Training

Determining the right training for your employees depends on various factors, including industry, job roles, and organizational goals. However, certain types of training tend to benefit most businesses across the board:

Technical Skills Training: In a digitally driven world, staying updated with technological advancements is critical. Offer training programs focused on software proficiency, data analysis, programming languages, and other technical skills relevant to your industry. Popular topics include beginner-to-advanced Microsoft Office 365, basic use of operating systems such as Windows 11, MacOS or Linux or specialized applications such as AutoCAD, Quickbooks, ERP apps, Adobe Suite.
Soft Skills Development: Communication, leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork are essential soft skills that foster a cohesive and efficient workforce. Investing in programs that enhance these skills can significantly impact employee performance.
Compliance and Regulatory Training: Industries often operate within specific regulatory frameworks. Conducting training on compliance guidelines ensures that employees understand and adhere to industry standards, reducing legal risks.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Training: Fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace is paramount. DEI training cultivates a culture of respect, understanding, and empathy among employees, contributing to a more harmonious and productive environment.
Cybersecurity Awareness Training: With the increasing threat of cyber-attacks, educating employees on cybersecurity best practices is crucial. Training sessions on identifying phishing attempts, data protection, and safe online practices can safeguard sensitive company information.

Investing in online corporate training is an investment in the success and longevity of your business. By empowering your workforce with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel, you create a dynamic, adaptable, and high-performing team capable of meeting the challenges of today’s competitive landscape. Embrace the power of online training, and watch your business thrive.

Remember, the key lies not only in providing training but also in assessing its impact on employee performance and overall business outcomes. Continuously evaluate and refine your training strategies to ensure they align with your business objectives.

Unlock the full potential of your workforce through online corporate training and pave the way for sustainable growth and success.

Infinity Networking has partnered with Bigger Brains to offer a diverse catalog of corporate training options for your business. The courses are offered on a monthly basis or with a discount for annual subscriptions. Both options include unlimited courses – all the knowledge that your employees can consume. Click below for more information.

More Information about Corporate Training from Infinity Networking

Mark Flores

December 6, 2023

components of successful data backup and business continuity

September 13, 2023

The Lifeline of Business Operations: Data Backup and Continuity Strategies

The Lifeline of Business Operations: Data Backup and Continuity Strategies

In today’s digital age, data reigns supreme. Businesses of all sizes rely on data for day-to-day operations, decision-making, and growth. However, with great data comes great responsibility. That’s where data backup and continuity come into play. These two fundamental concepts are the bedrock of modern business operations, ensuring the resilience and survival of companies in the face of data disasters. In this article, we will define and describe data backup and continuity, explain their vital importance to businesses, and explore some of the most successful strategies to implement them.

What is Data Backup?

Data backup is the process of creating a duplicate copy of your critical data and storing it separately from the original source. This ensures that if your primary data is lost, corrupted, or compromised due to various reasons such as hardware failure, cyberattacks, or natural disasters, you can recover it from the backup. Essentially, data backup serves as a safety net for your business’s digital assets.

Understanding Data Continuity

Data continuity, on the other hand, goes beyond mere data backup. It encompasses a comprehensive strategy that ensures uninterrupted access to essential data and systems, even during disruptive events. It’s about maintaining business operations despite challenges, making it a key component of business resilience. Data continuity plans involve not only data backup but also processes, people, and technologies that keep the business running smoothly in adverse circumstances.

The Importance of Data Backup and Continuity to Businesses

Mitigating Downtime: Downtime can be a business’s worst nightmare, leading to loss of productivity and revenue. Data backup and continuity strategies minimize downtime by enabling quick data recovery and system restoration.
Data Protection: In an era of increasing cyber threats, protecting sensitive customer information and intellectual property is paramount. Data backup and continuity safeguards your data from ransomware attacks and data breaches.
Legal Compliance: Many industries have strict data retention and protection regulations. Implementing robust backup and continuity measures ensures compliance with these rules, reducing the risk of costly fines.
Customer Trust: Customers expect their data to be handled responsibly. Demonstrating a commitment to data security through backup and continuity practices can enhance your reputation and build trust.

Successful Strategies for Data Backup and Continuity

Regular Backups: Establish a routine for data backups, whether it’s daily, weekly, or in real-time, depending on your business’s needs. Automated backup solutions can streamline this process.
Offsite Storage: Store backups offsite, preferably in geographically distant locations. Cloud-based storage solutions are an excellent choice for secure and accessible data storage.
Encryption: Encrypt your backup data to protect it from unauthorized access. This is especially crucial for sensitive information.
Testing and Validation: Regularly test your backup and continuity plans to ensure they work as intended. These tests help identify and address potential issues before a disaster occurs.
Employee Training: Ensure that your employees are aware of data backup and continuity procedures and their roles in implementing them. Well-informed employees are crucial to successful recovery efforts.
Redundancy: Implement redundant systems and infrastructure to minimize single points of failure. This redundancy can be a lifesaver during critical situations.
Incident Response Plan: Develop a comprehensive incident response plan that outlines steps to be taken during data disasters. This plan should integrate with your backup and continuity strategies.

In conclusion, data backup and continuity are the twin pillars that support a business’s ability to withstand unforeseen challenges. They are not merely technical processes but essential components of a holistic business resilience strategy. By implementing the right strategies and technologies, businesses can safeguard their data, protect their reputation, and ensure their long-term success, even in the face of adversity. Don’t wait until disaster strikes; invest in data backup and continuity today to secure your business’s future.

Mark Flores

September 13, 2023

August 21, 2020

Cybersecurity and Compliance is Important for All Companies

If your company has regulatory compliance requirements, please read on. But even if it doesn’t – you should still read this.

What is IT Compliance?

IT Compliance means conforming to a set of rules, policies, standards or laws for your company’s specific industry for the protection of sensitive information and IT resources. Examples of which entities would require compliance include federal and state laws, industry regulations, contractual obligations and insurance policy requirements.

You may be surprised to know that all businesses are regulated. Besides the common regulations for HIPAA (medical record privacy) and PCI (credit card processing), all states have data breach notification laws. Many states also have laws protecting the private information of customers, including social security numbers, driver’s license numbers and credit card numbers.

You may think, “We do not collect any of that information so we have nothing to protect.” Are you sure? And can you prove it if your company was investigated? For example, there was a known case where a former CFO had created a spreadsheet of all the employees’ social security numbers and bank account numbers so he could easily access the information and not have to look them up one by one in a secured database. The current CFO did not do this, but the spreadsheet still existed on his workstation and even included the CEO’s personal information!

So even though your company may not have any particular regulatory laws or compliance standards that are mandated by industry, the confidence to declare and prove that your company does not have unsecured personal information is a valuable asset.

Law, Regulation or Framework

IT Compliance can be organized at three different levels.

Law – The most absolute of compliance regulations have been made into Laws (or Acts). Any industry governed by these laws must not only safeguard their sensitive data, but must also be able to prove that the data is secure and that they are actively and proactively ensuring that their data is secure. Examples of regulatory laws include HIPAA (healthcare), GLBA (financial), FISMA (federal agencies), CCPA (California consumers), SOX (corporate governance), ITAR (US defense sales and services)

Rules – Although not laws, many industries have strict rules that they must adhere to and in most cases require independent audit and certification. Examples of industry rules include PCI-DSS (credit card privacy), DFARS and CMMC (US defense industry), FDIC (banking), HIPAA Security Rule (electronic health industry privacy), Title 21 CFR Part 11 (electronic records/signatures for biotech)

Frameworks – Neither laws, nor rules, frameworks are broad (and detailed) scopes of IT security concepts that many industries outline and define to assist with creating effective IT policies and procedures to secure data and IT systems. Examples of frameworks include NIST CSF (cybersecurity framework), NIST 800-53 (US federal information system privacy controls), NIST 800-171 (controlled unclassified information for non-federal information systems), ISO 27001 (international standard for information security) and ITSM (security framework for IT service providers).

What does my company need to do?

All companies, whether or not they are governed by laws, rules or frameworks should give some basic thought to their own cybersecurity standards. Statistically, businesses of all sizes are being actively targeted by criminals or malicious entities. A proper cybersecurity plan includes three co-equal areas of security compliance:

Policies (a written statement of the company’s general stance on IT-related subjects, such as passwords, internet access, backups, etc.)
Procedures (more specific details about how things are performed, such as which backup or antivirus applications are implemented, how a terminated employee is offboarded, etc.)
Evidence (how your company documents changes to policies and procedures or deviations, exceptions and violations of security)

How Infinity Networking can help your company

Here is a list of the ways we can help your company attain proper cybersecurity standards, maintain those standards and create ongoing assurances that your company’s IT security is working and up-to-date.

Get the Basics in Place

Your company should have a good antivirus application installed on all workstations, laptops and servers
Your servers and critical workstations should be backed up or imaged regularly and the backups should be tested on a regular basis
All of the operating systems on your workstations and servers should have the latest security patches and service packs
Your company’s network should have a commercial-grade firewall between it and the internet
You should know who is accessing your network data and remove anyone who is not authorized

Infinity Networking’s Managed IT Services is a valuable asset for your company to maintain a healthy IT infrastructure. Get more information about Managed IT Services.

NIST CSF (Cybersecurity Framework)

The NIST CSF has been adopted and used by many agencies and organizations because of its high-level, streamlined approach to cybersecurity. The NIST CSF has five components:

Identify – Hardware, software and data should be identified and located
Protect – IT systems should be protected by firewalls, antivirus, backups, etc.
Detect – IT systems should be scanned or audited regularly to find changes or intrusions
Respond – There should be a procedure in place to respond to any security breaches or intrusions into an IT system and report/record the incident
Recover – In the event of a breach of security or data loss, there should be a procedure in place to recover lost data and remedy any vulnerabilities

When all five of these components are properly addressed, a company can be assured that they have a strong foundation of effective cybersecurity policies and procedures.

Infinity Networking’s Network Security Assessment is based on the NIST CSF and will run an automated scan of your network’s resources to identify the security features you have enabled as well as any issues that should be addressed. We can also assist you in creating a remediation plan to fill the holes.

Specialized Compliance Standards

In addition to the general NIST CSF framework, Infinity Networking can also assist in the scanning, detection, remediation and documentation for more specific compliance requirements such as:

CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)
Cyber Insurance
Microsoft Cloud Services (Office 365, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Azure)

SPECIAL OFFER

If you would like a comprehensive, detailed security scan of your company’s network, including the identification of personally identifying information (PII), network security settings and external access testing, we are offering a one-time $300 service which includes the configuration and implementation of the network scan, the creation of customized reports and a detailed remediation plan to address any problems.

In addition, if you would like to have ongoing, monthly scans of your network or if you have a specific compliance requirement listed above, we will apply the one-time scan fee to your first month’s charges for our specialized Compliance Manager application. This service is installed at your location and automatically runs on a monthly basis, providing you with regular detailed reports that can be used as evidence for audits and requests for proof of compliance.

Please contact us if you have any questions, would like to see a demo or would like to view samples of the security reports. We can also discuss the next steps needed to implement a comprehensive Security Scan for your company.

Mark Flores

August 21, 2020

Category: Compliance

The End of Windows 10 — What You Need to Know and Do Now