Cleveland Information Technology

This month's issue of IT Informer includes the following articles:

• 5 Questions to ask your Online Backup Provider 
• Mobile Device Users Beware: Security Holes Do Exist
• HIPAA Audits Coming Your Way - Are You Prepared?
• Featured Product: Get a FREE Web Design Consultation for Your Company's Website

5 Questions to ask your Online Backup Provider

Competition is fierce in the exploding online backup industry. With so many providers, whom can you trust with your data? You must expect your backup provider to...

Just when you may have thought your compliance and security needs are taken care of; out comes another aspect of compliance and security to worry about: HIPAA Compliance Audits. HIPAA audits have evolved, and now must fulfill requirements of Section 13411 of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) to cover new concerns for medical records. These HITECH requirements ensure that covered entities and their business associates are in compliance with the...

With the rapid proliferation of mobile devices hitting the business world like a ton of bricks, exploiting security holes in those devices was sure to happen.  And it has.

Click here for an article posted on a recent New York Times blog, and don't hesitate to contact our Technology Security Experts at Skoda Minotti Technology Partners by leaving a comment below, or by calling 440-449-6800, if you have concerns about your mobile device security.

Now, we're going to talk about some steps that you can take to successfully implement your data loss prevention plan.

1. Identify Key Participants – Assemble those that should be involved internally when you identify data loss. Participants may include IT, HR, and Operations employees.  Identify the individuals and meet with them to work out what situations they will need to be involved in.

2. Develop Notification Process – Do you have processes ready if a regulated data breach occurs? Who will...

Competition is fierce in the exploding online backup industry. With so many providers, whom can you trust with your data? You must expect your backup provider to have a solution that will get you back their data when you come asking for it. Fewer issues are more sensitive than lost or corrupt data.

Finding a place to backup data is easy these days, but discerning which provider can get back the verifiably correct data all the time every time is much harder. Slick websites and smooth-talking...

So, you’ve decided to implement a Data Loss Prevention solution for your business, but you have no idea how it works. We can fix that.

First, we need to identify the three major categories of data for you:

1. Data in Motion:  Any data that is moving throughout the network (especially from inside the network to outside the network via the internet)

2. Data at Rest:  Data that is stored on file servers, databases, backup drives, mail servers, etc.

3. Data at the Endpoint:  Data that resides on...

Look at any list of the top 10 fears of people and the fear of public speaking will undoubtedly be at the top of any list.  In a world where content marketing is becoming ever more important, the need to not only write the content, but present it, is now even more critical for people looking to develop new business leads and position themselves and their companies as leaders in their respective industry.  In this week’s Marketing Blog, I thought I would hit on some of the foundational tips to...

“All arguments concerning existence are founded on the relation of cause and effect.” - David Hume

In the quote above, David Hume, a famous philosopher, says that the basis of existence is founded in cause and effect.  Cause and effect is simple to picture for tangible objects – if I cause my finger to type a letter on the keyboard, that letter shows up on my computer screen.  It becomes a little more difficult to picture cause and effect with intangible things – if I greet a stranger on the...

This month's issue of IT Informer includes the following articles:

• Is Your Company Protected Against Data Loss?
• Choosing the Right Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Solution for Your Business
• Featured Product: Email Archiving - How Can Email Archiving Help Your Business?

In our last blog article, entitled What is Data Loss Prevention (DLP), we discussed the definition of DLP and why it’s important to understand. Your data is your company’s most valuable asset – and ensuring that the data is protected against “internal” threats is just as important as securing it against outside threats.

For most companies, data loss is largely attributed to employees.  According to a recent Gartner report:
 

• 1 in every 400 messages contains confidential data
• 1 in every 50 network...

Being a firm in the Midwest, we commonly value heavy manufacturing and industrial-based companies.  While we service a wide array of industries in the valuation space, we have noted a growing trend in the region for start-up information technology companies.  Therefore, we are often charged with the task of determining values for these fast-paced companies.

We recently completed the valuation of one such high-growth IT company.  We were engaged to determine the value of equity of the subject...

RADAR is a managed email archiving service that operates in conjunction with your existing IT network to ensure the protection, preservation and continuous operation of email communication for your business, while providing on-demand email access for users anywhere and anytime.

Today, email is the core business communication channel. Since its inception, email has evolved from a simple intra-office messaging tool to the information and communication backbone of companies of all sizes.

As reliance...

Generally, when one thinks of a successful grant application, the first concept that may come to mind is “innovative research or technology”. What some may not know is that the grant application process may actually be more of a “who-you-know” game.

According to G2G Consulting, a firm that links organizations with government opportunities, while innovation is important, the key to a successful federal grant application (and future applications) is to develop a relationship with the specific...

This month's issue of IT Informer includes the following articles:

• Happy Holidays from Skoda Minotti!
• The Tablet Revolution and Why it Matters to Your Small Business's Technology Plan
• Five Common Ways Your Employees Put Your Company's Data at Risk Using Mobile Devices
• We've Expanded Our Helpdesk to Support Your Technology Needs
• Skoda Minotti's Brian Rosenfelt Listed as COSE Mindspring Expert
• 3CX Phone System Case Study

Happy Holidays from Skoda Minotti! 

We would like to wish you and your family...

In the world of information technology (IT), there are a lot of buzz words. From cloud computing to virtualization to social media to mobile apps, it’s a miracle small- and mid-sized businesses can stay on top of it all. 

And, there is a yet new term that you may not have heard of, but is a critically important concept to understand, when it comes to the security of your network and data: DATA LOSS PREVENTION (or DLP).

According to Wikipedia:

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a computer security term...

If you haven’t noticed, tablets (like the iPad) are becoming more and more common. And, in my opinion, they are here to stay. This trend is obvious in the consumer space – we are seeing people getting iPads (or similar devices) for use at home on a weekly basis. So how might this affect my business, you ask? The answer: In more ways than you can imagine.

According to a recent Pew Research report, approximately 11% of adults in the United States own a tablet computer – that’s a big number. Of...

This month's issue of IT Informer includes the following articles:

• Are You Letting Your Corporate Data Leak at Starbucks?
• Floods in Thailand, Hard Drive Shortage Will Impact Small- and Mid-Sized Businesses
• Enhanced Backup & Disaster Recovery Services Available to Clients

We all like Starbucks (well, most of us, anyway).  Personally, I’m a Venti Skim 3 Equal Latte kind of guy.  And, along with that Latte, if I find myself in between meetings or...

The Ohio Technology Transfer Organization (“OTTO”) has been around for a while. It assists in moving research from the research institution to the market place. Since its inception, over 900 Ohio companies have utilized this resource. The basic idea of the technology transfer office is to assist researchers in finding a home for their ideas and businesses with solutions to technical problems or new product development. These offices also may provide physical space and have access to venture...