Information Technology Blog

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.

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...

• What is Data Loss Prevention (DLP)?
• How to Choose a DLP Solution
• How DLP Technologies Work

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...

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 always a lot of buzz words and new terminology. 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 your data: DATA LOSS PREVENTION (or DLP).

According to Wikipedia:

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)...

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...

Floods in Thailand that hit in mid-October have had a serious effect on the supply of hard drives across the globe.  Western Digital (one of the largest hard drive distributors in the world) announced their December revenues will be at least 60% lower than a year ago, due to their concentration of supply chain factories in flooded areas.  The flooded areas are estimated to be responsible for nearly 70% of the world’s demand for hard drives.  

Even for companies who don’t make their hard drives in...

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 out of town, I’ll usually sit down to work for a while.  Connecting to the Wifi network at Starbucks (or any public wifi hotspot) might be one of the biggest (and most misunderstood) security dillemas business users (and the companies they work for) face today.

Smartphone users may not realize it, but they store a ton...

• Key Threats and Mitigation Steps
• Regulatory Compliance Issues
• Technology and Staff Resources
• Cloud Computing Concerns
• Business Continuity Planning

The survey shows improving regulatory compliance efforts ranks as the No. 1 information security priority for the year ahead....

• Blackberry Outages Outrage Customers
• Theft of Military Backup Tapes Affects 4.9 Million Medical Patients 
• Featured Product: Fortinet Wireless Solutions

If you have a Blackberry device, last week was not a good week. Last Wednesday (October 12^th), Research in Motion, the maker of Blackberry smartphones, informed subscribers in the Americas that they may experience “intermittent service delays."...

With the rapid advances in mobile technology, a new trend is emerging in both large and small companies: “Bring Your Own Device”. More and more companies (and corporate IT departments) are being asked by employees to allow access to corporate resources like e-mail, intranets, and collaboration tools via their own personal mobile devices. 

People want to stay connected while out of the office – some do it out of necessity, and some to allow more personal time while still being productive at work....

If you have a Blackberry device, last week was not a good week. Last Wednesday (October 12^th), Research in Motion, the maker of Blackberry smartphones, informed subscribers in the Americas that they may experience “intermittent service delays”. From the reaction and feedback we received from many of our clients, I would say that’s an understatement.

The reason for the problem in the U.S. stems from the vast usage of Blackberry devices all over the world, and the backlog that has built up over...

Chances are, your company has a business or strategic plan.  This plan probably includes things like sales & marketing goals, competitive data, projections and budgets.  But, too often, there isn’t a technology component to those plans, even though most businesses have a very high reliance on technology.  Like a business plan, a technology plan lays out a documented strategy for your company. The technology choices you make will have significant financial and compatibility consequences far into...

Smart Phones Are Little Computers... Treat Them That Way
by Jeff Beller, Principal - Skoda Minotti Technology Services

As smart phones have increased in sophistication, so has their use.  I personally find myself spending more time checking e-mail, browsing the web and using Internet-enabled apps on my iPhone than I do on my laptop. 

Apple has worked very hard to secure their iOS operating system.  One of the main approaches they've used is that they've limited devices to only install apps from...

The Federal Government has recently revamped the HIPAA (Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and made some very clear statements – if you are a health care organization and you don’t rigorously protect your patients’ personal health information, you could pay up to $1.5 million in fines.

As part of the Heath Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, passed last year as an addition to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, all Protected Health...