NRC Newsletter - February 2021
In this issue
2021 is the Year of Security at NRC
Hey folks, Jeff Wynn here. 2021 is the year of Security here at New River Computing. Events of the past year, especially the Solarwinds breach, have made our industry realize that a top-down reevaluation of security is necessary. To that end, we have embarked on a three-phase security plan for us and our clients. We’ve engaged a managed security consultant to help achieve those ends. The three phases of our plan consist as follows:
- Make sure New River Computing's internal systems are sound. Our consultant will provide a detailed evaluation of our internal security. We will implement their recommendations, test our systems, and they will vouch for our posture. Making sure our internal systems are sound is our priority. This is the equivalent of getting our oxygen mask on before helping others. Managed Service Providers and tools like Solarwinds are under increasing attack from bad actors for obvious reasons: If you breach our company’s systems you have breached our clients as well.
- Make sure our clients' systems are sound. We will be working with our consultants to conduct security audits for our clients with compliance or security concerns. We will institute appropriate controls based on the results of the audits. As a warning, some of your business processes may need to change. We will work diligently to minimize impacts.
- We will develop an advanced security package appropriate for clients with high-compliance needs. Not all our clients are alike, but those in the financial services industry, defense supply chain, medical practices, and others have security and compliance requirements that will require additional security services. Rather than deploying security haphazardly, we will be offering a single solution that checks security boxes for these clients.
You can learn more about our security consultants, Galactic Advisors, here
Are you considering a VoIP Business Phone System?
We have partnered with Loop Communications to offer VoIP Telephone Services!
If you’d like to replace your aging phone system, would like to give your employees a desk phone to take home, or need to increase the collaboration on your team, take a look at VoIP. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, but the important thing is that the phone becomes another network device and can be plugged into the internet anywhere and connects back to your Cloud phone system. Let us help you select the VoiP features right for your business so your communications will be seamless and transparent whether you are working at the office, working from home, or from your beach-front bungalow.
Security, Security, Security
Ubiquiti Networks recently informed customers of a security breach. The company says there is no indication that there has been unauthorized activity with respect to any user's account. Ubiquiti instructed users to change their passwords on Ubiquiti’s website. While NRC utilizes Ubiquiti products, the breach did not affect us or our clients.
As we continue to make 2021 the year of security, please be reminded to have unique passwords and do not reuse passwords over multiple sites. We also strongly recommend using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Should you need help with these features, please let us know!
Security begins with you!
Watch what you click!
Phishing scams are targeted emails attempting to convince unsuspecting users to click on a link. Perhaps you’ve even seen these types of emails. If you are a New River Computing client, please remember: You can contact us to check on the legitimacy of an email or other weird computer behaviors.
Received an email you’re not sure about? Forward it to us.
Is there a pop-up that looks suspicious begging you to click an "OK" button?
Give us a call: We can remote into your computer and check it out. We don’t want to see your systems hijacked or compromised from these types of malicious behaviors. Please pause, think, and take a breath before clicking that link! There will never be an additional charge associated with questions about suspicious emails!