Tech Tips Archives

August 14, 2020

Quick Fix to Speed Up Windows 10

You probably don’t know that your Windows 10 operating system boots up each time with a number of unneeded applications configured to run in the background all the time. More likely than not, you either don’t use them or even know that they were automatically installed with Windows 10. These extra start-up programs can contribute to a loss of available system memory and other resources, which in turn slows down your machine’s performance. Here’s how to check which programs are starting in the background, how you can disable them yourself and speed up Windows 10.

Open Settings (Start > Gear Icon) and then go to the Privacy section.

Scroll down the left side and find Background apps

Scroll through the Background apps and toggle off any applications that you are not using regularly.

When you are done, simply close the window and enjoy all the extra resources you have just freed up!

Mark Flores

August 14, 2020

April 25, 2020

5 Tools for Working from Home

5 Tools for Working from Home

During the current stay-at-home restrictions, the success of a business is relying more on the ability to provide employees with a means of working remotely. Here are five tools that can be utilized by companies to keep their employees productive and useful.

Remote Workstation Applications

One of the most popular solutions for remote workers is the use of a Remote Workstation Application such as Connectwise Control, LogMeIn, Teamviewer or RemotePC. These applications allow a remote employee to use a web browser to remotely control their workstation at the office and work on their own familiar machine. Remote file copying and printing are convenient features that many of these applications provide. Pricing varies by product so be sure to research their respective per-user costs and capabilities.

Security Concerns: Commercial (paid) remote workstation applications all provide secure, encrypted connections between the remote user and the office workstation. However, any time a connection is allowed to be made from a remote location through the company firewall, there are risks to allowing unauthorized access to a company’s internal network resources to anyone who has credentials to the remote access application. It is highly recommended that all employees using remote access applications use some form of multi-factor authentication (one time session code sent via email or text or smartphone app).

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services)

Before the popularity of remote workstation applications, many companies leveraged Remote Desktop Services (formerly called Terminal Services). A dedicated server on a corporate network hosts multiple remote users at the same time and provides a virtual workstation for them to access network resources. Although the remote desktop is not a physical workstation, the remote desktop services allows each user to customize their own desktop experience and run most of their network applications in their remote sessions. Remote Desktop Services are still utilized by many companies but due to the necessity of expensive hardware and network resources, this option is not as viable to many small businesses.

Security Concerns: Unless remote desktop services are used over a VPN (see below), this solution is usually visible from the internet (public-facing) side of a company firewall and therefore a common target for exploitation or hacking. Remote desktop services do not provide any security or encryption so it is imperative to utilize a VPN when using this solution to avoid offering easy access to a company’s private network.

File Sync and Share (FSS)

Other popular applications that remote workers can use are File Sync and Share (FSS) services such as Datto Workplace, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive or iCloud. These services offer a hybrid combination of storage in the cloud while also creating a copy on the user’s machines and keeping the documents in all locations in sync. A remote worker could have access to documents on their business workstation, home computer, laptop or even their smartphone or tablet. Some of these services were designed for non-commercial use so companies who want to utilize FSS should be sure that the provider offers proper security and safeguards.

Security Concerns: Most FSS services encrypt communication and file transfers to and from the cloud to the local workstations. However, most of these solutions are configured to establish the link once, save the credentials and then there is no further prompt for a login. So the primary security of FSS relies on the endpoint workstations using screen lock timeouts and password protected logins which are the most important considerations for securely protecting data.

FTP Service

Another older service that many companies used was FTP (file transfer protocol). Before the advent of the cloud, companies would dedicate local storage on their own network servers and allow access to the storage using a service called FTP. But since alternative storage solutions such as FSS and cloud services are becoming more cost-effective, many companies are moving away from FTP for allowing remote access to company files.

Security Concerns: FTP uses common and well-known network ports that must be opened on a company firewall so they are the constant target of exploitation and hacking. Since the files that an FTP service provides access to are located on a company’s private network, it is imperative that all security measures are taken to reduce outside threats. In most cases, FTPs should be avoided due to these security vulnerabilities.

VPN (Virtual Private Networking)

Still widely used by businesses of all sizes, a VPN relies on a client application on a remote machine to make a secure, encrypted connection directly with the internal network of a company. This allows a remote user’s workstation or laptop to be connected to their company’s internal network from the outside (e.g. at home or a hotel). It is a more complex procedure to set up a VPN connection and proper security measures must be followed since the connection bypassed a company’s firewalls and allows direct access to the network. The main drawbacks of a VPN are the setup and hardware costs as well as the reduced speed of the encrypted connection. A VPN is still a viable option for companies who have the resources to employ the technology.

Security Concerns: A VPN is a highly secured application as long as the remote user does not allow unauthorized access their offsite machine.

Infinity Networking is now offering extended trials of Connectwise Control for remote workstation access as well as extended trials of Datto Workplace, an enterprise-grade File Sync and Share solution that provides a more robust file sharing service than its commercial-grade competitors. For more information or to enable a trial of these products, please read further or sign up HERE.

Mark Flores

April 25, 2020

January 23, 2020

Top Technology Concerns for 2020

The top technology concerns for 2020 will likely be important for both businesses and consumers alike. These include Cybersecurity, Privacy and more refined, targeted Ransomware. Although future articles will go into more detail about each of them, here are the basics and why you should be paying attention.

Cybersecurity

This term has been tossed around for so many years, most people cannot clearly define it but it is a commonly used catchphrase. Its origins evolved from society’s use of the prefix ‘cyber’, which in Greek has do to with steering or governance and was first popularized by a mathematician in the 1940’s with the term cybernetics. But over the years, attaching cyber- to a word makes it seem futuristic. So instead of computer security, or network security, people started using the catchy term ‘cybersecurity’. It is used to describe many aspects of computer or network security, but for more current application, it can be best described as an awareness of how we secure our use of technology to only allow access to our data to those entities whom we have granted access. In this definition, cybersecurity would encompass concepts such as password management, encryption, firewalls, network perimeter security, antivirus/anti-malware, authentication methods, etc.

Cybersecurity is not just for businesses. Computer data, both corporate and personal can be valuable to others, especially those who would exploit it. Therefore, we must be diligent in protecting our personal data as well as keeping our business data secure.

Privacy

On almost a weekly basis we hear about a new data breach at a large company that has compromised the private information of everyday people. As a society, we can only trust that when we provide personal data such as name, address, date of birth, social security numbers or credit card information, this information is kept safe from the bad guys who would use it against us. But just as diligently as we strive to protect our personal data, others are constantly working to uncover it. Although we have very little control over our data once it is in someone else’s possession, we must still be diligent about whom we give our personal information. New laws in California and the European Union now give the public certain rights to review and remove personal information that we have provided. Common sense is the best defense when protecting your personal information.

Only give your information for legitimate reasons to verified requests.
Only give the information that is necessary and nothing extra.
Be cautious and feel free to question anyone requesting your personal information.

Ransomware

In 2019, ransomware cost business more than $8 billion, with an average ransomware attack cost of $133,000. One of the most widely used methods that hackers are still using to extort money from companies and individuals is with the use of targeted ransomware. By gaining access to a computer or network, usually by an email attack or an exploited network vulnerability, the files and folders of a network are locked by encryption so the users can no longer access them. Conveniently, when someone tries to open an encrypted file, a notification will appear with instructions for how to pay the hacker to decrypt and unlock their network files. The ransom payments are requested by using untraceable bitcoin transactions and in most cases, the encrypted files are unlocked successfully. If the hackers did not follow through on their promise to unlock the files, no one would pay the ransom.

As a business or individual, if this should happen to your data, your options are limited. If you are diligent with your backups, you can simply restore your data from an unencrypted date before the hackers gained access. Or, you can lose your data permanently. Or you can pay the ransom. For some companies, it is easier and more cost effective to pay the ransom and many have done just that. Of course, this does nothing to combat this illegal activity and may even be encouraging its success.

Our advice regarding Ransomware is:

Be diligent with your email – know how to identify a phishing attack
Employ reliable and frequent backups
Never enter your credentials from an email request unless you are the one initiating it (password reset, e.g.)
Keep your computer security patches up to date

If you are a victim of Ransomware:

Disconnect the network/computer from the internet
Stop any backups that are running (you will be backing up the infected files)
Restore your files from backup if possible
Try to find the point of entry for the hackers (suspicious email, open remote access) and only reconnect to the internet once the method of access has been determined or you may end up back I the same place all over again.
Contact an IT professional for expert advice

The Infinity Networking Technology Advice Blog will be providing useful information about these topics and more through the coming year. Please sign up for notification when a new blog article is published. And if you are worried about the data you give us – here is our privacy policy.

Mark Flores

January 23, 2020

March 4, 2019

Change Your Default Passwords

One of the most commonly overlooked security vulnerabilities on a corporate network can also be easily exploited – the Default Password. With so much emphasis about our own personal passwords; the need to frequently change them and to keep them complex and and unguessable, companies often forget that many computers, servers and network devices come pre-configured with default passwords. For example, if you order a Netgear router for your internet and WiFi connections, the device has a default username/password to configure the device of admin/password. Routers, switches and sometimes even operating systems often come with a simple login which can be easily Googled or perhaps have no password at all! A few years ago, some enterprising bad operators were using telephones to access the neglected configuration credentials of onsite phone systems.

What you can/should do:

1) If you use a in-house phone system (Panasonic, Avaya, Nortel, ShoreTel, etc.) contact your phone provider right now and ask if they have changed the default password for your system. Some of our clients discovered that their phone systems had been hacked and were making hundreds of toll calls overseas after hours on their dime!

2) If you do not know the login and password for your internet router or WiFi access point (not your WiFi password, but rather the credentials used to configure the device), find out from the person managing it if they have changed the default password.

3) Do the same with your Camera and Security systems or any other devices that can be accessed from the internet.

4) Audit your workstations and servers to make sure that the Administrator and Guest accounts are either disabled or that strong passwords have been assigned to them.

Infinity Networking can run a complimentary Network Security Scan to help you identify potential security holes in you company’s network. Contact us for you free assessment today.

Mark Flores

March 4, 2019

April 27, 2018

Small Business IT Checklist

I know from experience that many businesses chug along nicely with their network running on autopilot. Then something happens; a computer crashes, a virus infects the server, a file is accidentally deleted. It is at times like this that many business owners will suddenly be acutely aware of how ‘hands-off’ they have been with one of the most critical parts of their business – their IT systems. As the saying goes, it is not a matter of if but rather when a network will have a problem. Here is a checklist of the most common IT questions that every business should be able to answer or should find an answer asap.

Backups – Protecting your data is at the top of the list. Do you have a reliable backup solution for your servers and workstations and have you tested the backups to be sure they work?
Antivirus – Are all of the workstations and servers on your network protected with an up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware application? How are you notified if a machine gets infected?
Inventory – IT equipment can become outdated or obsolete before you know it. An accurate and updated inventory of your network, including purchase date and warranty information is a valuable asset.
Firewall – The first line of defense protecting your company’s machines from the wild west of the internet is a firewall appliance. Some companies may be trusting the security features of the router provided by their ISP, but they shouldn’t. Investing in an enterprise-grade network firewall will beef up the poor protection of a simple internet router.
Updates – Software companies are constantly working to counteract malicious entities who are continually trying to find weaknesses in their products. It is very important that companies have a way of ensuring that security updates are installed on all machines in a timely manner. Do you have a way of knowing which machines have the latest security updates and which may be missing?
Software Licensing – Although many software companies are employing user or subscription-based licensing models, I have found some companies using bootlegged, cracked or illegal software. A good network-wide software inventory, which includes licensing information will ensure that every machine has a valid license and protect your company from possible legal ramifications.
Procedures – A company’s network is an ever-changing collection of workstations, servers, routers, switches, software applications and users – each with their own purposes, security requirements and procedures. Documenting your company’s IT policies and procedures with a method of changing them when necessary will help keep your IT infrastructure organized and under your control.

Infinity Networking can help your company with any of the items on this small business IT checklist. Please contact us today for a free consultation.

Mark Flores

April 27, 2018

April 20, 2018

Upgrade or Replace?

As your network equipment gets older, technology continues to progress and businesses will need to decide if it would be smarter to upgrade their aging computers or replace them. Many businesses try to postpone or delay upgrades of their IT systems to save money, however they also need to realize that these IT systems are some of the most important assets that keep a business running. This guide will help you navigate the pros and cons of this important decision.

General Rules of Thumb – When considering what to do with an older system or aging software, there are few commonly held principles among IT professionals.

The useful life expectancy of most business computers is about 4-5 years
Most operating systems can be useful for 4-6 years or more, but they are usually supported by the manufacturer for years beyond that time
As the components of a computer get older, replacement parts become harder to find and thus more expensive
Newer operating systems and business applications require more powerful hardware to run efficiently

Reasons to Upgrade

If you purchased your system just before a new version of the operating system or a business application was released, you should take advantage of the newer version and upgrade. Some companies offer ‘software assurance’ which allows you to upgrade to a more recent version of software for free during a certain time period
If your machine’s primary function requires better hardware performance, such as accounting or graphic design applications and is not performing well, then an upgrade of the hardware (RAM, graphics, hard drive, CPU, etc.) would be advised
If you find that your hard drive space is getting used up faster than you expected and your machine is less than 5 years old, you should have a trusted computer professional upgrade your hard drive to a larger size (either through a disk-cloning procedure or a backup and restore)

Reasons to Replace

Older computers may still work fine after years of faithful service. But just like an aging automobile, it is inevitable that sooner or later an older machine will likely fail at some point and require expensive repairs or replacement. Rather than waiting for the problem to occur (and the costs of downtime and lost productivity), it is best to replace aging systems every 4 to 5 years
One of the important reasons to consider upgrading an operating system (OS) are the advancements in security that have been implemented in the more recent version. Although older OSes continue to be supplemented by security patches and hot-fixes (as long as they are still under the manufacturer’s extended support – unlike Windows XP), newer operating systems such as Windows 10 come with built in advanced security features that are designed to protect against modern IT security threats…
…Which leads to the domino-effect reason for replacement; once you have a newer OS, you may find that your existing hardware is either incompatible or under-performing, which means you will need to Upgrade or Replace

Budgeting for Success

In a seemingly never-ending cycle of IT repair, replace and upgrade expenses, the best way to prepare your company for this treadmill is by creating a realistic IT budget. In an upcoming article, I will go into more detail about how to create an IT budget as part of a comprehensive Company IT Plan. For now, take inventory of your existing workstations, servers and network devices and determine approximately when they were purchased. Choose a few of the oldest candidates and start to budget for their replacement. Six months later, rinse and repeat until you have no network devices older than 4-5 years. You will have saved your company from an inevitable headache down the road.

Mark Flores

April 20, 2018

April 18, 2018

Notes from the Field – Remote Access; a Common Threat to a Business Network

I believe that many of the IT-related issues I encounter during site visits or the advice I provide for a client based on real-world experience could be a benefit to other companies as well. This is the first installment of a continuing series of Blog posts called “Notes from the Field” – observations, advice and warnings about IT issues I have come across that may be of interest to your business.

Companies can spend thousands of dollars hardening their cyber-defenses. They may have invested in a top rated firewall appliance, employed enterprise-grade antivirus and malware protection on each workstation or they may even use comprehensive cloud-based security services. Many companies, however, have a common but often hidden security threat that they don’t even know about. And the worst part is that these threats come from within their own organization.

Almost every company for whom I provide IT support has employees who have installed Remote Access software on their workstations. In almost all cases, they have installed this software for legitimate reasons; they need access to their files from home, they wish to remotely control their machines while traveling, etc. Popular Remote Access applications include LogMeIn, Teamviewer, GoToMyPC, VNC, Windows Remote Desktop and Chrome Remote Desktop.

Although these programs may be convenient and they may even utilize strong encryption, they are also designed to bypass a company’s firewall protection unless the firewall is configured to specifically block these applications. Obviously, there are many legitimate reasons to use Remote Access software. But a company that does not monitor the use of these applications is opening doors straight into the company’s private and important data. An employee who is using a simple login and password (most Remote Access applications do not require password complexity or multi-factor authentication) can easily give full control of your business’ internal network to anyone they wish without you ever knowing. How do you feel about a terminated employee who still has back door access to the network?

Here are a few simple things that your business can do:

1) Decide on a company policy for remote network access and inform your employees.

2) Find Remote Access applications already installed on your company’s workstations. You may need to run a network security scan, a network software inventory or just go around to every workstation and check manually.

3) Configure each workstation so users cannot install their own software. This is usually done by Group Policy.

4) Configure your company’s firewall to block Remote Access applications.

5) If you do need to allow some users remote access, standardize on a commercial application that requires strong password security, includes encryption and has a way to audit usage. When a user does not need remote access any longer, uninstall the application or change the password.

If your company is concerned about hidden Remote Access applications within your network, Infinity Networking can assist you in identifying and mitigating this possible threat. Contact us today to request a network security scan.

Mark Flores

April 18, 2018

April 11, 2018

5 Step Facebook Security Check

Facebook has been dominating the headlines this past week after privacy and security concerns set off alarm bells across the globe. Although you may have been using Facebook for a long time and “never post anything interesting,” you would be surprised at the way this social media giant is able to profile your personality and preferences. More than likely, you have little or no idea of what your online presence says about you. Here are 5 things you should do right now to give your Facebook profile a checkup:

1. Click the down arrow at the top right corner and select Settings. Click on Security and Login. Familiarize yourself with the contents of this page. It will display your recent login locations and let you change extra security settings.

2. Click on Privacy. The settings on this screen control who has access to your profile, posts and likes. Make sure that your visibility to other Facebook users is how you want it. Remember that any category that is set to ‘Public’ can be viewed and shared by anyone on the internet. Do the same review on the Timeline and Tagging section.

3. Now for the scarier parts of Facebook. Click on Apps and Websites. Note all of the apps that you have given permission to view your profile information. If you do not use a particular app any longer, check the box next to it and click Remove. For all other apps, click View and Edit to customize your settings.

4. For an even scarier part of the settings, click on Ads. Facebook’s programming uses a combination of these sections to paint a picture of your personality. The sections called “Your Interests” (note that there are multiple tabs in this section) and “Advertisers You’ve Interacted With” probably make sense, but you can remove any of these. Under “Your Information” you can choose to allow advertisers to know much more about you. If you want to block them from knowing your employer or interests, turn that section off. Finally, under Ad Settings, you can control whether you want Facebook to tailor ads based upon your web browsing habits (yes, web browsing, not just Facebook).

Have you checked your Facebook security settings recently?

Mark Flores

April 11, 2018

Category: Tech Tips

Quick Fix to Speed Up Windows 10

5 Tools for Working from Home