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Some Apple iPhone 8’s May Have A Manufacturer Defect

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Do you own an iPhone 8? If so, you may have problems. Apple has recently reported that a small percentage of iPhone 8s “contain logic boards with a manufacturing defect.

Affected devices may experience unexpected restarts, a frozen screen, or won’t turn on.”

The company has isolated the defect to phones manufactured between September 2017 to March 2018, in Hong Kong, India, Japan, China, New Zealand, Macau, and the United States.

To find out if you’ve got one of the impacted iPhone 8s, head to the company’s website and use the tool they’ve placed there, entering your phone’s serial number. If your phone is one of the defective devices, Apple will repair it free of charge for up to three years after the sale.

Note, however, that some types of damage may incur fees to repair, specifically in the instance of a cracked screen or similar.

Apple’s handling of the issue has so far been quite good. They were quick to acknowledge the mistake and isolate it to a very specific frame of time, and equally quick to create a checking tool. Their repair policy is generous, as is the impressive three-year window.

It’s unfortunate that the manufacturing error occurred. However, the reality is that many companies would not have been as forthcoming as Apple has been, nor as generous with their repair policy.

Kudos to Apple for their handling of the issue. If you’re considering buying a new iPhone, don’t let this hiccup change your mind. Although the company isn’t perfect, you’ll find few companies that can top Apple in terms of taking care of their customers. There’s a reason their customers are more like fans, and companies of all shapes and sizes would do well to emulate Apple as best they can.

6 Ways to Avoid HIPAA Penalties

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DoctorIt looks like the OCR (Office of Civil Rights) is getting in full swing to start auditing for HIPAA violations. There’s not a day that goes by where we don’t find some entity, large or small, getting breached. The threat is real and it requires action to keep you and your practice protected.

Depending upon the issue, HIPAA violations can result in penalties ranging from $100 to $50,000 per violation. Violations that are deemed “willful neglect” result in a minimum fine of $10,000 per violation. For example, a lost laptop or tablet that contains PHI from 2000 patients may constitute 2000 violations. If the breach happened because of failure to implement required practices, then additional penalties could be assessed. To make things worse, covered entities must report any breach of PHI to all affected individuals as well as HHS.

However, you can avoid all of these penalties if the breach is not found intentional and the violations are corrected within 30 days. In order to avoid “willful neglect” violations, your practice must make sure to cover all the basic requirements.

Here are 6 tips for avoiding HIPAA penalties:

  1. Conduct a regularly scheduled security risk assessment. The first step is to identify and prevent potential security breaches before they happen. Knowing where your biggest vulnerabilities are is the first step to solving them.
  2. Require all business associates to sign a BAA, a business associates agreement. A proper BAA is not only a requirement of the HIPAA ruling, it also helps insulate your practice from HIPAA liabilities. If a business associate violates HIPAA laws, you don’t want your practice to have to pay for it. So, be sure to confirm that the business associate is acting as an independent contractor, not an agent of the practice.
  3. Implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards (HIPAA security rule). All practices have policies that are required by the privacy rule, but few have properly addressed these safeguards. Implementing these required safeguards will actually have a positive impact on the overall health and performance of your network. These safeguards also protect the practice from a potentially disastrous system failure as well as relentless efforts of cyber criminals.
  4. It is important to train your employees and monitor their performance. Your practice can avoid penalties based on the misconduct of a rogue employee so long as you have implemented appropriate policies and adequately trained the staff.
  1. Respond immediately to a breach. You need to report and correct a breach, or suspected breach, within 30 days to avoid HIPAA penalties, if and only if, the breach is not deemed “willful neglect.” Corrective actions may include modifying policies, implementing additional safeguards, disciplining employees and providing additional training.
  1. Document, Document, Document. Document proper actions to ensure your defense against HIPAA claims. Covered entities and business associates are required by HIPAA to maintain documentation for a minimum of six years.

5 Keys to Building a Better Team at Work

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5 Keys to Building a Better Team at Work

One of the biggest challenges for any entrepreneur or business person is what Gino Wickman; author of the book Traction, calls “Letting go of the vine.” This simply means to trust those around you more and put responsibilities on others. There is a very important step before this is prudent, and that is to surround yourself with people who have a love for the “vine” and a clear understanding of how the “vine” operates. Ultimately, a team who is worthy of the “vine“. The challenge of building this team falls squarely on the entrepreneur or business person shoulders.

So how do you get a team of people assembled that are ready to allow you to let go of this precious “vine“? I have learned much over the last 16 years by creating and operating multiple multi-million dollar businesses along the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Eastern NC. In reality, most of what I have learned is through failure and the relentless pursuit of excellence. It is very strange how the pursuit of excellence and failure go hand-in-hand, but this is one of the immutable laws that God has put in place that mankind cannot seem to thwart.

Although the aforementioned statement is explicitly true we are able to obtain more excellence and suffer less failure through the study of other people’s successes and failures. Below are six items that I believe can help any entrepreneur or business person in putting together a team worthy of caring for your “vine“.

  1. Getting Rid of What Does Not Belong.  One of the toughest challenges is to believe in your gut what is right and then to act upon it swiftly. As it relates to people, this is of utmost importance. What I have found is that A Players want to work with other A Players. B Players want to work with C Players and it goes down from there.  These underperformers are very easy to spot and caustic to the organization. They are the ones that don’t like accountability, they are very inconsistent and don’t like to be responsible for anything. You instinctively know who your weak players are and you know which one are never going to change no matter how much coaching you give them. Once this decision has been made, the only option is to get that player off the team. The faster the better for your sake, your client’s sake and the overall company’s sake.
  2. Setting Great Key Performance Metrics.  Key Performance Metrics is simply looking at your business and determining what are some things that you can measure and can be reported on that will have a great impact in getting you closer to excellence. We all know that anything measured improves and that which is also reported on improves exponentially. Not to beat a dead horse, but the ones on your team that are most resistant to measurement are usually going to be your B and C or below players. The trick here is to really spend some time asking yourself questions about the fewest number of things you could measure and gain the greatest impact. If you ask better questions you will get better answers. Write the questions out! The answers will follow.
  3. Define Clear SMART Goals. After arriving at your companies KPI’s set some specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time bound goals. The best way to do that is to get buy-in from the team so that everyone has a clear understanding of who is responsible for what. One of the biggest areas of failure comes from a misunderstanding of responsibilities. Without assigning responsibilities it is difficult to determine why things fail to work and goals are not met. It is important to meet regularly and measure the progress and not be afraid to deal with people who are irresponsible with their duties.
  4. Define the Win. I believe that most business owners truly love the work and they can actually forget to define what a win looks like. The thing to remember here is that when you are working a team of people that don’t have the full vision that you might have you have to define the win. It is equally important for the win to be a true win and not something that does not move the organization towards excellence. It is a fallacy to believe that everyone is a winner. The reality is that people who are disciplined and fulfill their responsibilities are the winners and they need to be rewarded. The others need to be reminded and coached to be winners. If this is done consistently, the non-winners will not want to stay on the team.
  5. Celebrating a Win.  A great win deserves a great celebration. If you have put together the right team, set the correct KPI’s, defined SMART goals and defined the win properly you should celebrate largely. Your team deserves it and so do you. It is very important that we refuel ourselves so that we are able to persevere. A great business career is a marathon – not a sprint!

As a leader and entrepreneur it is of utmost importance to realize that in order to grow our companies we have to ultimately grow ourselves and grow those around us.

What is the Cost of IT Support for Small Business?

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What is the Cost of IT Support for Small BusinessOne of the greatest challenges among small business owners today is making the decision about IT support and maintenance of the information system; whether to hire an in-house IT tech or to outsource IT support for their business. With the relatively recent availability of Managed Services for small business, the list of choices – and decisions – has grown once again.

The Greenville IT support experts at Carolina IT Group are constantly searching for ways to make the decision making process simpler and easier for you, the small business owner. To help you with that, today we will take a look at the IT support choices currently available, as well as some of the costs involved. (Although we have tried to give you some idea of the costs involved, please remember that these are merely estimates based on averages, and that the actual cost of IT support services can vary greatly, based on the needs of each business.)

Self-managed IT Support:

According to PayScale.com, the national median income for an in-house IT tech is currently running at a bit over $40,000 per year, with the upper end of that range reaching nearly $60,000 annually. For more experienced technicians, the median pay rate is above $46,000 annually, with the upper range much closer to $65,000 yearly. These pay ranges include salary, bonuses, and profit sharing for in-house employees, but do not include benefits, such as health insurance.

If we choose a salary of $45,000 for the purpose of this comparison, we must then add benefits, sick pay, vacation time, and your annual payroll tax. These will total approximately $13,000 a year. Purchasing an IT Management System application could easily set you back by $1000, plus training in the new application, which would likely cost about $2500 per user. The total for one-time expenses will range from $3500 to $10,000, depending on the number of user desktops involved. Total cost of salary and benefits for your new IT specialist would be about $58,000 per year, though it could be more.

Outsourcing your IT Support:

For many small business owners, outsourcing their IT support needs may seem extravagant due to the hourly rate that such companies charge. However, this type of support can be extremely cost-effective because of the expertise being purchased, the experience the techs who visit are able to offer, and the backup provided by the team that supports them. Further, as a small business owner, you should easily be able to budget for the monthly expense, based on the system evaluation and recommendations of the company you employ as your IT support team.

A responsible IT support company will always begin with an objective assessment of your information system, along with recommendations for the work they will perform to meet your needs. In other words, they will not “pad” the bill, but will only perform the tasks you request of them. This can greatly reduce the cost of IT support for your small business, rather than hiring an in-house tech and paying an annual salary, as discussed above.

Beyond this, a reputable IT support company will guarantee the expertise of the tech they send you. The tech will also possess a great deal more experience than an employee, as they deal with a variety of systems every day. In most cases, there will be little they have not seen, which will allow them to handle your specific needs more efficiently. Further, they will most likely assign a particular technician to your account, someone who will visit you regularly, allowing them to become intimately familiar with your information system and the needs of your business, and with whom you will build a relationship of trust over time.

Best of all, your service will always be hands-on, with a live human being in place to answer your questions.

The cost of this type of support can vary greatly, depending upon the age and number of servers and desktops being used in your organization. However, you will usually be able to save money by purchasing blocks of time in advance and only using the hours purchased on as as-needed basis. For the average small business, you should probably budget for something between $1000 and $2500 per month, a vast savings over hiring an in-house IT tech.

Managed Services IT Support:

With remote monitoring of your small business information system now available 24/7, 365, this option has become one of the more cost-effective and appealing choices among small business owners in today’s marketplace. For a flat rate monthly fee, business owners and IT managers can now purchase pro-active monitoring and maintenance of servers, desktops, and remote machines being used by their company. In addition to this, a business may also subscribe to this type of service in a graduated, piecemeal fashion; perhaps beginning with managed antivirus protection, then gradually adding email monitoring for spam and continuity, email archiving, desktop monitoring, mobile device monitoring, online data backup services, and more.

By using such a service, your small business will find it very easy to budget for them. Because of the flat rate subscription fee you will pay each month, there will be no budget-busting surprises. As each of the managed services you’re using begins to save you money, by reducing system downtime and increasing productivity, you’ll be able to add another layer of protection, without having to invest in expensive an all-in-one package.

The most important benefit of a managed services program is that it is fully automated and never rests. The system is working on your behalf 24/7, 365, monitoring and maintaining your information system even while you sleep. You will also receive notification of impending problems, allowing you to intervene before your system goes down.

Once again, the cost of a managed services package for your small business will have a number of determining factors. Beginning with the age of your equipment and software, as well as the number of machines and users, to the selection of the various management and maintenance services to which you subscribe, these will determine the monthly cost of your choices. A la carte services may begin for as little as $2-$15 per month per machine, and range upward from there. For the average small business, your monthly cost may range from $500 to $2000 per month for ‘round-the-clock protection of your information system, data, and workstations. You should consult with an IT support provider for more information on a managed services package features and costs.

IT Support Service Packages

For most of our Greenville small business clients, a combination of outsourcing their IT support to us, along with one of our proactive managed services packages has been the ultimate solution to their IT needs. This type of cost-effective combination of support services has provided them expert IT support when needed on-site, as well as the 24 hour protection of their information system that they need for their peace of mind. “It’s good to sleep again at night!” they tell us.

If this information has been helpful, and you would like to know more about how Managed Services and IT support service packages from Carolina IT Group could benefit you and your business, the IT experts at Carolina IT Group are here to help you with all of your Greenville IT support needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us with your IT service request for help with your operating system, apps, servers, VoIP system or any other IT issues you may have.

Network Security: Is It Really That Important?

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A Story about the Risks of “Non-Vaccination”

On a recent appointment, I met with a pediatrician to perform a network review. In our preliminary meeting, we discussed the issues they were having and I was certain I’d find a pretty sick network. My suspicions were correct.

It’s our practice to schedule a follow Vaccine - a doctor giving vaccination girl, health, preventionup appointment after the report of findings has been written and risks weighed. During this meeting, the pediatrician told me about the struggle she having with unimmunized children coming into the practice. She was very concerned about how to care for these children without putting her staff and other patients at risk. The pediatrician was very passionate about this subject and demonstrated a thorough understanding of how these non-vaccinated children were at risk themselves and putting others at risk.

As the conversation turned towards her internal network and the issues that were plaguing the practice’s technology, I realized there was a direct link between immunized children and properly secured networks. When properly “vaccinated” both resulted in diminished breaches, health-wise and data-wise.

With all of the security breaches in the news lately, I’ve been investing considerable time and energy in understanding HIPAA Compliance laws so that I can effectively secure our medical clients’ networks. I’d also recently enlisted a HIPAA Security Firm to perform a Risk Assessment on our company. So, network security and privacy laws were close to my mind during this meeting.

This physician understood the risks of unvaccinated children and could easily articulate the danger inherent to the child and to those around him or her. Sadly, however, she did not see the importance of “vaccinating” her own network and diminishing the risk she was imposing on her practice, staff and patients.

A recent study showed that 44% of healthcare organizations have experienced a data breach. Specifically speaking in the medical industry here are some implications to an Server First Aidunsecured network.

1. Unsecured networks put patient records at risk.

2. Unsecured networks allow for the bad guys to use your network as a proxy to hide themselves to infect other networks.

3. Improperly designed networks rob hundreds of man-hours of efficiency from the medical practice as well as lower morale.

4. Improperly designed networks often do not have a viable backup solution for patient data and will affect the care of patients and ultimately the viability and longevity of the practice.

5. Unsecured networks put the practice in a high-risk position in regards to HIPAA regulations and fines.

6. Embarrassment and loss of trust from clients when reporting a security breach.

I am aware of all of the added pains the new health care laws have put on the healthcare industry. This is of the primary reasons I wanted to fully understand the rules so that I can help employ practical solutions. Below is a list of some very practical solutions that will go along way in securing your network.

1. Setup your network properly in Stethoscope on computer keyboardthe first place. Install a Domain Controller on the network to manage your data in a central place, the access your users have two that data, and be able to set automated complex password changes every 90 days.

2. Deploy a proper Email solution. Email is a small business’ greatest risk. Only allow your corporate email to be checked from the office. Block all other types of email traffic. Also employee a good encryption on your email that has PII.

3. Deploying a UTM (Unified Threat Managed) Firewall that is managed by professionals. A properly installed firewall will filter out Intrusions, Viruses, Spyware as well as control Web Access.

4. Install Managed Desktop Security software. Every device on the network needs to have a local Security Software that alerts if an infection happens.

5. Encrypt all mobile devices. All devices that leave the physical security of the network need to have some form of Mobile Device Management (MDM) Solution that will allow for data encryption, remote password change and ultimately remote wipe if necessary.

6. Deploy a Remote Management and Monitoring Software. All computers need to have their Microsoft Security Updates run consistently as well as have all of their software monitored with alerting if new software is installed or uninstalled.

7. Deploying a Managed Disaster Recovery System. Patient data is one of the most valuable assets of a practice. Not only to continue the practice but also in order to give good care to patients. An encrypted off-site backup that is monitored for success and failure daily is necessary.

Although I was unable to educate this particular physician my hope is that this blog will help others. In one regard, just as it is our duty to vaccinate our children, it is also our duty to vaccinate our network. Failing to do so puts ourselves as well as others at risk.

Understanding Managed Services

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Understanding Managed Services

Managed Services – Proactive IT Support

The IT Support buzzword of today is “Managed Services”. It’s a concept that’s picking up increasing traction and for a very good reason. Every day, more and more businesses are evolving from a reactive IT model to a proactive IT model to save money and run more efficient operations.

But what does the term “Managed Services” actually mean? And how can you tell if an IT Support company is truly offering Managed Services or just using the buzzword as a marketing tool? With all the options out there, it’s important to know the difference between actual Managed Services and flat rate services merely packaged as Managed Services.

By definition, Managed Services allow businesses to offload IT operations to an IT service provider, known as a Managed Services Provider. The Managed Services Provider assumes an ongoing responsibility for 24-hour security, network monitoring, management and problem resolution for the IT systems of a business within a given timeline. This timeline is often referred to as a Service Level Agreement. (SLA)

The History of Managed Services

It all started with the Break/Fix Model. Meaning, you waited for your computer system to have a problem. It broke and you called someone out to fix it. Hardware and software companies wrote monitoring and logging systems into their programs, which enabled after-the-fact pointers to aid in resolution. Technicians would read through these logs, or use diagnostic tools, to see if an error was captured and then they’d work on resolution.

This model required an error to happen, then for the error to be reported by client, then for the technician to drive to the site and pour over logs to identify the issue. At best, this process took multiple hours to resolve. But often times, the error was no longer happening by the time the technician arrived and the logging had already been overwritten.

Over time, technology improved. Protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and others were developed to keep better records for longer periods of time. These protocols were then used in real-time monitoring and alerting systems.

These systems now allow for 24/7 alerting and even remediation before or when the event is happening.  Modern tools allow us to detect failures in a system well before the system actually fails. It also allows us to perform preventative maintenance and security measures during scheduled times to avoid negative impact on the business.

Does My Company Need Managed Services?

Fortune 500 companies are not the not only companies that require efficiency and effectiveness. A whopping 80% of small businesses fail within their first five years and much of that failure is related to inefficient use of technology. As reliance on IT grows and systems become more complex, the need for comprehensive IT support will only increase exponentially.

If your company falls behind on proactive maintenance, backups, asset management and security – the odds of system failure increase and so does the likeliness that you’ll face an IT-related issue that negatively impacts your business.

For instance, if your phone system, accounting package, customer relationship management system, email or network system were to go down, you’d be facing impacts like marred credibility, embarrassment, decrease of office morale, diminished productivity and/or financial loss. Often times, businesses only focus on the financial side of this equation and miss the much bigger impact of client and employees trust.

Managed Services vs. The Break-Fix Philosophy

The Break/Fix Model actually rewards the IT Provider. In that, they make money when the system fails! For this reason, you might find that they’re only treating the symptoms rather than solving the real problem. In the Managed Services model, however, it is in everyone’s best interest to never have an issue.

Managed Services also create a philosophical shift in the way a business deals with its technology. Instead of following the old-school tradition of Break/Fix, there’s a proactive focus on keeping systems running optimally and moving maintenance to after normal business hours, so employees and clients are not affected.

In today’s business environment, no business has the time or can take the risk of running the Break/Fix Model. The costs of downtime in relation to the full and actual loss of productivity is just too high. The full and actual loss shows itself in security risks, client embarrassment, low employee morale and many other negative potentialities. Businesses must realize they are technology dependent and work to become technology strategic.

Does Managed Services Cost More Than Traditional Break/Fix Services?

Actually no! Surprisingly, most Managed Services cost less than traditional Break/Fix services, especially when you consider the true cost of downtime. 24/7 network and security monitoring, proactive maintenance, immediate access to Help Desk Support Engineers and the prevention of major issues allow a Managed Services Provider to be more efficient than a Break/Fix company who is constantly making you wait while their rolling a truck to visit customer sites. Therefore, the Managed Service Company can offer a “better” service and actually cost much less.

The Real Benefits Of Managed Services

Put in simple terms, one of the biggest benefits of Managed Services is discovering and fixing problems before they can negatively impact your business.

Prevent Issues
A proactively-serviced computer network will always run better than the alternative. A “managed” network will make a tremendous impact in all aspects of operations. You will reap the benefits of fire prevention rather than constantly fighting them.

Reduced Costs
Businesses are better able to control and reduce their overall operating costs thanks to the flat-rate billing structure of the Managed Services model. By contrast, issues often go unreported and unresolved in the Break/Fix Model as companies attempt to avoid big bills. This usually results in issues growing worse and costing more to fix.

Help with Vendors
Managed Services Providers also manage all of your vendor relationships, issues with internet slowness/outages, printers, phones, cell phones, websites are dealt with directly with the vendor by the Managed Service provider. As a result of this “always-eyes-on” network monitoring 24 hours per day, businesses experience an additional level of comfort and security.

What to Look for in a Managed Services Company

Choosing the right IT Provider can literally keep you from being one of the 80% of small business that fails. Below is a list of essentials for hiring a Managed Service Provider.

  • Do they take a consultative approach to partnering with you? Many IT companies sell products that don’t have your best interest in mind. They push whatever is most profitable or happens to be the “flavor of the day” rather than what’s best for your company.
  • Do they have a full team of experienced professionals? There is often strength in numbers. Small teams can only provide limited support in terms of client load and skill sets available.
  • Do they have a fully staff Help Desk? In the Managed Services model, issues can be resolved remotely about 75% of the time. You don’t want to wait for someone to drive to your location (and bill all of that time) for an issue that can simply be resolved in minutes remotely.
  • Do they have a Full Team of Field and Project Engineers? You need a partner that can handle the next big thing so you don’t get left behind.
  • Do they have a real Remote Monitoring and Management Tool (RMM) with trained staff to manage the product? Many IT Providers are just using the language and don’t really have the essentials to pull it off.
  • Do they offer a comprehensive offering of solutions? Today’s systems are largely integrated. Therefore, having the same vendor is paramount in quick problem resolution. For instance, the overall knowledge and needs can also be taken into consideration when sizing a data circuit, phone system, website and office printing equipment.
  • Do they offer Fixed Rate Pricing? The Fixed Rate Pricing Model puts the burden on the IT Provider to perform well and quickly. Whereas the Break/Fix Time and Material Model has no real penalty for making mistakes and moving slowly.
  • Do they finger point at other vendors? Finger pointing often clouds the issues and prolongs the problem.
  • Do they use Geek Speak? Every industry has jargon, but using Geek Speak does not end in clarity for all parties. It often is a sign of weakness on the part of the IT provider.
  • Do they try to lock you into long-term contracts with no way out? Often times, a bad decision with long terms can be disastrous.
  • Do they offer Money Back Guarantee if they don’t perform? Both parties having accountability or “skin in the game” is essential to a good partnership.

The list could go on and on. But the most important things to look for in a Managed Service Provider is someone that has experience in the business, is widely reputable and who really understands your needs. Your business is probably the single most valuable asset you have and you don’t want to put it at risk.

5 Traits of an Effective Leader

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I have often heard it said that there are three types of leaders; those who make things True Leaders Don't Create Followers, They Create More Leaders - IT Support - Mobile, ALhappen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. In working with hundreds of small to midsize businesses as CEO of Carolina IT Group over the past 15 years I would have to concur. Sadly, many of those are in the latter category of wondering what happened in most situations. This failure in leadership costs companies countless dollars each year in revenue, huge missed opportunities, droves of unsatisfied clients and multitudes of unhappy employees.

What is it that these leaders lack that keeps them from performing to their potential?

The Gallup Organization and Hay Group did a study that showed that 50% to 70% of how employees perceive their organization’s climate can be traced to the actions of their leaders. The study found the more positive the overall mood of the leaders, the better the company’s results. Another 25-year Gallop study based on interviews with 12 million workers at 7000 companies found that the relationship with the leader largely determine the length of an employee’s stay.

This data is challenging to myself and quite frankly not usually how the conversation goes when I speak with leaders about their team. Most leaders I speak with today are struggling with finding quality team members. So how is it that leadership can find better followship?

Below are five traits of an effective leader that will improve company culture, increase client satisfaction, add big numbers to the bottom line while creating a lasting organization.

  1. An effective leader has a vision and communicates that vision clearly.

    A strategic decision maker focuses on long-term strategies that will carry out the vision. It is important that everyone on the team knows where we are going, why we are going there, how we’re going to get there and most importantly how we’ll work together in order to get there. This requires an endless amount of communication; even to the point where the team pokes fun at the leader for repeating the same things over and over.

  2. An effective leader realizes the “right” people are the most important assets – Talent Wins, Hire the Best!

    This starts with the marketing of top talent. It continues with strategic interviewing, personality profiling, and meticulous onboarding. The new employee must understand the vision, mission, goals and core values of the company before moving on to understanding their responsibilities. If new team members understand the why completely the what will flow naturally. Conversely, if they are only focused on the what they will likely never understand the why.

  3. An effective leader understands leadership is not power, but rather influence.

    Organizational goals must always come before personal goals. A great leader is most effective when they have developed a team that understands why they do what they do and what needs to be done and then simply clears the way.

  4. An effective leader must know what people want.

    Managers think employees want good wages, job security, promotions and interesting work. Although these are all good things they often miss the mark. Studies have shown that employees really want appreciation, being part of the solution, proper training, good wages and a leader that is concerned with and willing to help with the employee’s challenges.

  5. The most effective leaders don’t just create followers – They create more leaders!

    A great leader must nurture the growth and development of other leaders at every level of the organization. In order for a company to perform over the long haul and must have a solid foundation of leaders being developed at every level. This enables a company to not only survive but thrive.

As a leader and entrepreneur it is of utmost importance to realize there is really not a shortage of good employees; but rather there is a shortage of inspirational leaders and inspiring places to work. Our goal must be to create these types of environments and wants that is accomplished many of the other challenges of business are supported by the strength of a great team.

9 Steps to an Effective Cyber Security Plan

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9 Steps to an Effective Cyber Security Plan

There is not a day that goes by that you do not read in the paper or hear on television that some company has been the victim of Cyber Crime. The alarming thing is that for every incident that you hear about there are probably six more that have happened that you don’t hear about. There are many reasons why people don’t report about breaches. Probably the biggest of which is the damage to their reputation and the cost of properly handling the situation. Ponemon Institute recently reported that each record lost cost the company $201.

Here are 9 Steps to an Effective Cyber Security Plan.

1. End User Education and Awareness. IBM did a recent study that showed that 95% of all data breaches were caused by human error. A company must produce user security policies covering acceptable and secure use of the organization systems. It must also establish a staff training program and maintain user awareness of cyber risk.

2. Develop a Home and Mobile Work Policy. In today’s work from anywhere environment more and more people are communicating and working from home, coffee shops, hotel rooms and anywhere else they have an Internet connection. The company must develop a mobile work policy and train staff to adhere to this policy. The policy must include a baseline for what access a mobile user has to protected data. It must also have security measures and encryption put on devices that have access to protected and sensitive data.

3. Systems Security Patching and Inventory of Assets. Knowing what type of devices are being used is critical in the overall Cyber Security planning. The company must also know what types of software are on all of these devices as well as provide Security Patching for all of this software. Some companies are aware and do the Microsoft portion of this but often fail in the other applications such as Chrome, Java, Flash, Adobe and many other applications that are common on almost every system.

4. Removable Media and Cloud Data Controls. Tens of thousands of records could be copied onto a USB Drive or uploaded into an employee’s personal Dropbox in a matter of minutes. Companies must have a means by which they can secure their sensitive data from being copied onto USB removable media and onto the many Cloud Sync services that are available.

5. Manage and Monitor User Privileges. Establishing the account management processes and limiting the number of privileged accounts is vital in securing the network. Also setting up alerting for when new user accounts are created or permission levels have been changed is essential.

6. Incident Management. Knowing who to contact in the event of a data breach is essential to a timely Data Loss Prevention Policy. Every company must establish an incident response and disaster recovery plan and keep it updated. This plan must be tested quarterly to ensure its viability in the event that it is needed. There also should be special attention given to the changing laws that may or may not affect the policy.

7. Network Monitoring. You can’t manage what you can’t see. The combination between the number of systems in an environment, the incredible fast pace of today’s business world and the multitude of hats that the average business owner wears, makes it impossible to stay on top of changes that are happening in the network. A good Cyber Security monitoring plan would ensure that all of the security patches are being applied to all software, the notification of new software being installed on existing software or being  uninstalled, that the desktop Malware Protection is functioning properly and is up-to-date, as well as monitoring a successful backup and disaster recovery program.

8. Layered Security Plan. Often I meet with clients and their only line of defense is their Desktop Antivirus. In today’s environment that would be like an intruder having breached the gate on the drive, the guard dogs missed them, they then knocked in the front door and are now ramming the bedroom door. And effective policy must have multiple layers such as, Spam Email Filtering, Next Generation Firewall, DNS Security and finally an approved Desktop Security Suite with Antivirus and Malware protection.

9. Yearly Breach Audit by a Professional. Security is one of the fastest changing parts of technology today. In a recent article from Trend Micro they stated that 2016 is going to be the year of extortion. A company must be vigilant in their defense and part of that vigilance is having a professional security expert do a yearly Cyber Security Audit. This will keep Data Loss and Breach in the forefront as well as mitigate liability for the company.

Developing, defining and communicating your Information Risk Management Regime is central to your organization’s overall cyber security strategy. Today’s business environment requires every business to be vigilant in protecting not only their own data but also the data of their clients.

Contact Info

740 Greenville Blvd. SE., Ste. 400-374
Greenville, NC 27858

Phone: (252) 565-1235