ASI Guardian

01/08/2025

09/24/2024

Great webinar led by our partner company Hensley-Elam about how that off-site backups play a critical role in disaster preparedness.

09/10/2024

We are hosting a webinar later this month on some things that businesses should do to prepare for recovery from disaster BEFORE the disaster. Hope you can attend.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: My Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

09/01/2024

Have you upgraded your business to Windows 11 yet? If not, now might be the perfect time to consider it - especially with the exciting new changes coming to the Start menu. Microsoft has been experimenting with different layouts, and the latest updates make navigating your apps even easier.

Windows 11 is introducing a new "Category" view in the Start menu's All apps section. This design organizes your apps into neat categories, making it simpler to find what you need without endless scrolling. Imagine quickly locating your tools with just a glance, saving you time and boosting productivity.

Plus, the new Grid layout is smart - it groups apps by their first letter making it easier to find them.

Upgrading to Windows 11 isn’t just about a fresh look; it’s about enhancing your workflow. With these new Start menu features on the way, there’s never been a better time to make the switch. Ready to take the leap? Let my team help - get in touch.

Windows 11's new Start menu design is a lot like live tiles and wants to group apps in blocks for easier access.

08/31/2024

Remember the July CrowdStrike outage that caused chaos for businesses around the world? If you were affected, you’re not alone - millions felt the impact as travel, banking, and healthcare networks were disrupted by one of the largest IT outages in history.

The culprit? A small software update that left 8.5 million Windows devices facing the dreaded blue screen of death (BSOD).

In a lighthearted twist, CrowdStrike’s president Michael Sentonas took the stage at DEF CON in Las Vegas to accept the “Epic Fail” award, known as the Pwnie, at the world’s biggest hacking and security conference.

The award, given for the most spectacular blunders in cyber security, was a bit larger than usual this year, a nod to the scale of the mishap. Sentonas joked about the surprise of his team when he decided to accept the award in person. But he also took the opportunity to apologize to everyone affected, emphasizing that owning up to mistakes is key to CrowdStrike’s philosophy.

The towering Pwnie trophy will head back to CrowdStrike’s HQ, serving as a reminder that even the best can stumble.

We’re going to need a bigger trophy.

08/30/2024

Today marks a significant milestone in the history of technology: On this day in 1969, the first Interface Message Processor (IMP) was delivered to UCLA.

You won’t have heard of it, but this device was the very first building block of the Internet as we know it today. The IMP was a revolutionary piece of technology that allowed different research networks to connect, and it became the first generation of what we now call network routers.

Just a month later, the second IMP was installed at the Stanford Research Institute. These two devices made history on October 19, 1969, when the first message was sent between them. UCLA student Charley Kline attempted to send the word "login," but the system crashed after just the first two letters, making "lo" the first message ever transmitted over what would become the Internet.

While simple, this first communication was the spark that ignited our digital revolution.

For business owners, this anniversary is a reminder of the incredible impact that technology has had on the way we work and communicate. The Internet has grown from those first two letters - lo - into a tool that powers everything.

Where would we be without it today? It’s a hard thought to comprehend isn’t it?

August 30, 1969 The first Interface Message Processor (IMP) is delivered to Leonard Kleinrock’s research group at UCLA. The IMP was the device that would interconnect networks between research facilities on the developing ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet. As a packet-switching device, the IM...

08/29/2024

Here’s some nightmare fodder for you: A global company recently fell victim to a sophisticated scam that cost them a massive $60 million.

This wasn’t due to a high-tech hack or a complex breach, but something much simpler - social engineering. An employee was tricked into transferring funds to scammers, thinking they were making legitimate payments.

This kind of scam is known as a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack. Cyber criminals either impersonate a company executive or gain access to their email and then convince an unsuspecting employee to make a payment. They might claim it’s for a business deal that needs to be done quickly and quietly, adding pressure to act fast.

For businesses, this is a sobering reminder that the biggest risks aren't always technical, they’re often human. Employees are prime targets for these kinds of attacks - especially if they have access to company funds.

The best defense? Education.

Training your team to recognize the signs of a scam could save your business millions. Encourage a culture where employees verify requests, especially when money is involved, and always double-check unusual demands, no matter how urgent they seem.

Investing in security training isn’t just a smart move, it’s essential. If you need help getting your employees up to speed on cyber security, my team can help.

Learn about business email compromise (BEC), what happens during a BEC scam, and how to protect your organization from this email-based fraud.

08/28/2024

Microsoft’s announced a new change coming in January that could impact your OneDrive for Business accounts.

If a OneDrive account has been inactive for more than 90 days and doesn’t have a license, Microsoft will automatically archive it. That could be an account of an ex-employee or one where the license has been removed.

It’s part of their plan to enhance security and streamline cloud storage management. But once an account is archived, you’ll lose access to it, and getting it back won’t be simple or cheap.

If you want to recover an archived account, your admin will need to enable billing, which will cost $0.05 per gigabyte each month in the Microsoft 365 Archive. Fully reactivating the account will be even more expensive, at $0.60 per gigabyte, and the process could take up to 24 hours.

Unlicensed accounts can lead to security risks, file duplication, and confusion within your business. That’s why Microsoft is doing this. To avoid unexpected costs or data loss, it’s a good idea to have your admin check now for any unlicensed accounts. They can generate reports on these accounts using the SharePoint admin center under OneDrive usage. If any unlicensed accounts are found, it’s best to either reassign licenses to keep them active or delete them entirely.

Doing this now can help keep your data secure and prevent surprise charges down the line. If you need help with that, my team is on standby - get in touch.

Learn how to manage unlicensed OneDrive user accounts.

08/27/2024

DDoS attacks made headlines recently when X (formerly Twitter) was hit during a high-profile interview. And this wasn’t an isolated incident - new research shows that these attacks have been on the rise throughout 2024.

What is a DDoS attack? It stands for Distributed Denial of Service.

And it's when cyber criminals overwhelm a website or online service with so much traffic that it crashes, making it inaccessible. For businesses, this can mean lost sales, disrupted services, and frustrated customers. It essentially brings your operations to a standstill.

The numbers are alarming: DDoS attacks surged by nearly 50% in the first half of 2024 compared to last year. It’s not just the frequency either; the power of these attacks is also increasing. The most powerful attack in early 2024 reached a staggering 1.7 Tbps, enough to cripple most online services.

So, how can you protect your business?

Use a reputable DDoS protection service to filter out malicious traffic before it reaches your site.

Regularly update your security software to defend against the latest threats.

And create a response plan so your team knows exactly what to do if an attack occurs.

While gaming and gambling industries are often hit the hardest, technology companies, financial services, and even ecommerce businesses are also at risk.

Have you heard of DDoS attacks before?

Distributed Denial of Service attacks are also growing more dangerous, report claims

08/26/2024

How’s this for a time saver? Microsoft’s making it easier to share files between your Windows PC and Android devices with a new feature that’s rolling out soon. Think of it like Apple’s AirDrop, but for people using Microsoft and Android.

You can quickly send files back and forth between your computer and phone (or tablet).

It really is a game-changer for your business: No more emailing files to yourself or looking for USB cables. With just a few clicks, you can share important documents and photos between your devices.

To use it, all you need is a PC running Windows 10 (May 2019 update or later) or Windows 11, and an Android device with version 9.0 or later.

Once set up, it’s so easy to use. Select what you want to send and choose the right device to send it to. Your files will be transferred instantly.

Keep an eye out for this feature, as it’s expected to be available to everyone soon. How often do you think you will use this?

You'll soon be able to seamlessly share files back-and-forth between your PC and your Android devices.

08/18/2024

If you've been using Copilot in Word for editing or writing, there's an exciting update you should know about. Copilot can now create summaries for much longer Word documents than before – up to about 80,000 words. That’s 4x more than the previous limit.

This new feature could be a time-saver for businesses dealing with lengthy documents like legal files or financial records. Imagine how much time your team can save by getting a quick summary instead of sifting through pages of text.

Here’s how it works: Open your long Word file, click on the Copilot button in the Home tab, and type “Summarize this doc” in the Copilot chat box. Like magic, you get a summary right away. Don’t like it? Just type the prompt again for a new one.

This feature is rolling out on all platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and the web edition of Word.

Want to learn about other productivity-boosting tools from Microsoft? Get in touch.

Microsoft has just updated its Copilot generative AI assistant, allowing it to be used in Word so it can summarize much longer documents compared to earlier versions of the assistant.

08/17/2024

Did you know ransomware attacks shot up by 67% last year? Scary.

Ransomware is where criminals remove your access to your own data, and you must pay a large fee to get it back.

It's clear that sticking to the old ways of data protection isn't enough anymore. So how do you keep your business safe?

I believe you need to build cyber resiliency. It's about more than just stopping attacks; it's about bouncing back quickly if something happens. New frameworks and regulations focus on this resilience – preventing, detecting, and quickly recovering from attacks.

Focus on making sure you have the right security tools, educate your team, and stay updated on the latest threats.

Is it time you had a security audit on your business? I can help - get in touch.

Focusing on total cyber resiliency and not just data security demands a change in tactics