One Up Solutions Northwest Blog

In 2004, a service called VirusTotal was launched and swiftly became a popular antivirus and malware scanner to help detect threats in various files and URLs. It became popular enough that it was officially acquired by Google in 2012 and ultimately assimilated into Chronicle, a cloud-based security operations suite for enterprise businesses. Despite this impressive pedigree, however, we find ourselves able to look to VirusTotal as a sobering reminder of how fickle cybersecurity can be, with the service being the source of some limited data exposure.

When it comes to security, one often overlooked tool is the virtual private network, or VPN. We recommend that all businesses use a VPN to keep remote and hybrid workers from inadvertently putting your business’ data at risk while out of the office. Let’s go over why a VPN is so effective, as well as what you should look for in a business-grade VPN tool.

We aren’t going to try and pretend that the investments necessary to preserve your business’ data security are small ones. Especially at first glance, you may very well start to question if such an investment is truly necessary.

The simple fact of the matter is that, compared to the costs that a breach of privacy will incur, the investment you put into your security measures will suddenly seem like a real bargain.

Who are you? While it’s a question that’s been asked in all contexts with all levels of metaphysicality attached—from asking someone their name to prompting someone to follow a path of spiritual self-discovery—the growth of the metaverse once again urges us to ask it in a more literal way. When accessing a conglomeration of various services and platforms, how many identities will each user need to juggle?

With so many employees still working remotely, organizations have turned to technology to ensure that their workers are actually… you know, working. While the need to know what your employees are up to throughout the workday is important, there is now a discussion happening on whether or not this violates employees’ privacy.

Most businesses have compliance regulations they need to meet. 2021 is becoming somewhat of a tipping point for some. Companies are dealing with the development of new data privacy laws that will surely add some responsibilities on top of already established regulations. This month, we thought we’d take a look at compliance and why it is important to stay on top of it. 

Keeping your network and infrastructure free from threats is always a priority, but with so many people working remotely, businesses have encountered problems doing so. In fact, hackers and scammers have come out of the woodwork to try and gain entry into unauthorized networks or to flat-out steal data. This month, we thought we would take a look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the threats out there. 

Smart assistants commonly appear in the office and home, so much so that the novelty seems to have finally worn off and they are now just another appliance—and, like any other appliance, there are a few quirks that can be frustrating to deal with. For instance, anyone living around these devices has shared a particular experience: the device registering something as a wake word that certainly wasn’t meant to be the wake word.

Security is a major part of any business, and if there isn’t a diligent approach to the implementation of it, you can be left with huge holes in your network. This month, we thought we would discuss some of the best practices you can take to make sure that your organization’s security is in the best possible position to protect your digital resources. 

Quick question. If I were to ask you, on the spot, to tell me where all of your company data is, right this moment, could you tell me with absolute confidence? What if I could prove you wrong?