Everyone –
I just wanted to get you up to speed on some things that are heading our way in the New Year:
- Windows 7 End of Life: Windows 7 loses its support from Microsoft next month. If you have any Windows 7 workstations left, we will be discussing their replacement very soon, as they will become a security risk.
- Phish Bait: As some of you know, we are starting a new program to test user awareness to email phishing scams. We are calling it “Phish Bait” and will be launching email phishing campaigns on all Office-365 email customers quarterly, in order to raise user situational awareness and minimize the risk of someone clicking on anything that may sneak through the filtering system. You will not know when we do it. 😊
- Data Privacy: As you already know, we have taken steps at the server level to prevent data theft and tracking. We are now also installing DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials on select workstation (accounting, HR, etc.) as a second layer to assist in preventing tracking of private information. We have found it to be very effective.
- 2-Factor Authentication: If all this craziness is not enough, next year many vendors (like Microsoft) are starting to enforce 2FA (2-factor authentication) and we will be seeing a lot more double-checking of login info (like logging into your bank and getting the cellphone code). We don’t know when and where it will happen yet, but we will be on top of it when it does.
Well, cheers to you, if you made it through this message without falling asleep! But, this is all important to know and we will be doing what we always do to keep the bad guys out and make sure that IT is NEVER the reason you cannot do business.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holliday, whatever you prefer.
See you on the other side!
~ Pearce and the Team
