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What we can learn from the Baltimore services hack

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The Situation

On May 7th 2019, hackers digitally seized roughly 10,000 Baltimore government computers and demanded payment of 13 Bitcoins ($148,151 AUD) to free them back up. Using a ransomsware called RobbinHood, hackers have made it impossible to access servers without a digital key that only they possess.

What is a ransomware attack?
A ransomware attack is where hackers deploy malicious software to block access and take control over computer systems—in this case Baltimore city services and processes.

For three weeks city employees have been locked out of their accounts, while citizens have been unable to access vital services such as sites to pay water bills, property taxes and parking tickets.

A leaked N.S.A. tool, EternalBlue, was also used to exploit a vulnerability in unpatched software that allowed hackers to spread their malware faster and farther than they otherwise would have been able to.

This comes just 15 months after the attack on Baltimore’s 911 system, where hackers were able to disable the city’s 911 system for a day.

The Baltimore hackers ransom note demanded payment of 3 bitcoins per system unlocked, which totalled 13 bitcoins to unlock all seized systems. The note also threatened to increase the ransom if it were not paid within four days, as well as stating that information would be lost forever if it wasn’t paid within 10 days.

Government email systems and payment platforms remain offline, as well as affecting Baltimore’s property market as officials aren’t able to access systems needed to complete real estate sales.

Over 20 municipalities in the US have been hit by cyberattacks in 2019 alone, with an attack on Atlanta costing upwards of $17 million to fix.

 

The Takeaway

It’s important to note that ransomware attacks aren’t new. In 2017, a ransomware called WannaCry target tens of thousands of computers using Microsoft Windows operating systems in more than 100 countries. This attack included corporations in the UK, France, Russia, Israel and Ukraine as well as attacks on hospitals.

Ransomware schemes have become more effective since the invention of Bitcoin in 2009. Conventional payment networks make it difficult to accept payments without revealing your identity. Some ransomware schemes are so elaborate that customer service agents are hired to help victims obtain bitcoin and pay their ransom.

Since WannaCry, many organisations and sectors have made improvements to their security and security practices.

eStorm recommends taking stock of your networks to understand your exposure, assess the potential risks and patch vulnerable areas. We also recommend a multi-layered approach to security that includes:

 

If you have any questions about your business security, feel free to contact us at any time on (07) 3120 0640, email [email protected] or use the live-chat feature on our website between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

The 5 Key Areas of Efficient Cloud Management

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With more and more enterprises seeing the benefits in, and establishing, long-term cloud computing strategies, the consumption of cloud services has begun trending towards the omnivorous.

According to the International Data Corporation, over 85% of enterprises are starting to adopt multi-cloud architectures that include a mix and match of public cloud services, community clouds, hosted clouds and private clouds.

Likewise, IDC research shows that 50% of enterprises are likely to subscribe to over 5 different public cloud services while adding, expanding and dropping subscriptions based on specific organisational needs. These figures highlight the fact that getting cloud management right from the start is ever more important.

A mistake that more and more organisations seem to be making is how they think of and treat services like the public cloud. Treating public cloud services like a Netflix subscription, where you use the service and pay the bill at the end of each month isn’t quite right. In fact, many businesses are finding that on-premise services were costing them less than what they’re spending now. Of course, public cloud providers won’t tell you there are significantly more efficient ways to use their services. Your public cloud services need to be managed in a similar fashion to how you would manage on-premise infrastructure. Learning to manage these cloud systems, in regard to cost, planning, capacity and security is paramount.

In order to take charge of this complex environment, enterprises should focus on the following 5 key areas.

Cost and optimisation

Managing cloud costs can be significantly challenging for many enterprises and CIOs, especially if they’re new to cloud adoption.

In most cases, enterprises and CIOs are accustomed to buying and setting up equipment as and when it’s needed—but it’s not that simple with cloud services.

For example, developers running application tests might forget to turn off their VMs before leaving work on Friday afternoon and accidentally leave them running all weekend. As a result, an enterprise ends up burning through their entire month’s allocation for particular cloud services.

That’s why it’s vitally important that enterprises consistently track their cloud service consumption while aligning with their budgets. The importance of cloud service budgeting lead Microsoft to the acquisition of an organisation that helps enterprises track consumption while forecasting future spending.

Resource planning

Clearly identifying how much of a service is needed and when it is needed is significantly important in achieving operational efficiency.

Security

Key security functionalities to consider for your cloud computing environment include, but are not limited to:

  • Risk management
  • Appropriate segmentation of duties
  • Single sign-on
  • Key management

It’s also important to conduct a review of your current security systems and consult with a specialist for the implementation of appropriate, up-to-date and robust security systems tailored to your specific needs.

Secure-Files-and-Data-Optimised

Governance

It’s important to create policies that establish which staff or departments require access to what applications and services, how and when they can gain access to them and for how long.

Orchestration and provisioning

Automation, orchestration and provisioning are vital for managing complex cloud environments.  Blueprinting the connections and inter-dependencies involved in cloud and on-premise systems is vital.

Google plans new browser tools on privacy and ad transparency

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Google recently announced plans to introduce new internet browser tools in the coming months that limit how a users’ web activity is tracked by advertising companies while delivering greater insight into why they are targeted by certain ads.

“Our experience shows that people prefer ads that are personalised to their needs and interests—but only if those ads offer transparency, choice and control,” said Prabhakar Raghavn, Google’s senior vice president for ads and commerce, in a recent blog post.

The new feature would allow Chrome browser users to delete cookies, which are the virtual trackers that websites and businesses use to document your browsing behaviour for data collection and re-marketing purposes, without also removing the cookies that remember passwords and enable easy login for websites, Google said. This announcement comes amid a time where increased public scrutiny is forcing Silicon Valley to be more transparent.

Google also mentioned a separate add-on, which will work across multiple browsers, that lists businesses involved in delivering ads to users, which also included intermediaries who are between the advertisers the publishers.

 

 

4 things to look for in an outsourced IT support provider

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We can’t do everything ourselves. Onboarding partners and team members that have more knowledge, as well as specialised skill sets, is particularly vital when we want to provide the best service, remain competitive and grow our business. This is where we can leverage the power of outsourcing.

Outsourcing helps businesses to reduce costs while reaping the benefits of specialised and strategic expertise in a particular area of the business.

That sounds fantastic! We’d all love to reduce overheads, increase workplace efficiency, gain flexible staffing, deliver faster turnaround times and generate more profit. But how can we make sure we’re getting the most from outsourcing? And what are the key factors to consider when looking to outsource vital areas of your business like IT support services?

1. Ability to Deliver 

For an outsourcing relationship to be successful, you need to ensure that the company you’re outsourcing to can not only deliver what you need, but when you need it. You’re looking to lessen the burden on your resources, so the ability to deliver consistently is a key factor in having a successful relationship.

Sounds obvious, right? But how do we know what someone is like to work with when we’ve never actually worked with them before? The quickest and easiest way to understand what someone is like to work with is to review their previous work—case studies or even news articles, if relevant, can provide a lot insight into previous work.

What do their customers have to say about them?—client testimonials are great for this, but so is a quick Google or social media search. Do they keep their own technology up-to-date? Are they easily contactable and reliable? Do you know who to talk to if there is an issue?

Consider these points when looking to outsource your IT support and business functions.

You can learn about eStorm’s previous work here & see what our customers are saying about us here.

2. Experienced Professionals

Another important factor worth considering is how much access the outsourcing company has to knowledgeable and experienced professionals. Everyone is claiming to be the “leading expert” these days, but are their staff properly qualified or certified? Do they have prior experience doing what you need them to do? Do they invest in professional development and training?

While it’s important to ensure current needs can be met, it pays to look to the future. As your business grows and changes, your outsourcing relationship will need to grow and change too—can your outsourced partner quickly change and move to accommodate your growing needs?

These are important questions to ask as they not only ensure you’re getting the right people for the job, but also that your growth potential isn’t limited by your outsourced provider.

3. Clear Service Agreements

As with any business relationship, you need to ensure that there are clear service agreements in place that outline exactly what will be provided and when.

Consider what’s important. What systems and applications matter and ensure these are covered in the service level agreement.

This ensures all parties are on the same page, are clear on what is expected, what is most important and how the relationship will work.

4. Leverage

Look for an outsourcing company that utilises a leveraged infrastructure model. This is when the company uses shared infrastructure assets across multiple clients, which leads to improved flexibility and reduced costs without sacrificing security. You’ll also share in capital and operational costs, which can add further savings back into your business.

Outsourcing your IT business functions is a great way to free up valuable internal resources and get access to the latest technology and expert skill base.


If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing your IT or Managed Services, feel free to get in touch today by emailing [email protected] or calling (07) 3120 0640 for a no obligation chat about creating an outsourcing relationship that will meet your specific needs.

What is an IT Managed Service Provider? (IT Support as a Subscription)

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Managed service provider, managed IT services, IT service management, MSP—what does it all mean exactly?

It’s easy to get caught up in your own industry that you forget—no one knows what you’re talking about!

Have you ever had someone explain to you what they do and you walk away still having absolutely no idea what they do?!

what did you say
This post really is only the tip of the iceberg—get the full insight on all the services and benefits provided by an expert IT Managed Service Provider here.

So… What is an MSP?

An MSP (Managed Service Provider) is like an outsourced subscription based IT department for your business. We take over the management of your business IT systems with the goal of reducing costs and improving the effectiveness of your business operations.

Think of an MSP or IT service management as “IT Support as a Subscription.” Similar to your Netflix or Spotify subscription, you pay a fixed monthly fee and gain access to a wide range of expert IT services designed to help your business.

What does an MSP do?

The managed service provider is responsible for either all or part of your day-to-day technology and IT needs, maintenance and management.

  • Minimises downtime
  • Improves business continuity
  • Increases overall productivity
  • Improves security
  • Operational cost reductions
  • Remote and On-site IT support
  • 24×7 monitoring
  • Scheduled maintenance

Why use an MSP?

Oftentimes, businesses of all sizes find the hiring, training and maintaining of internal IT staff both ineffective and cost prohibitive. Likewise, even businesses with someone handling IT internally find that a single person or small team simply cannot provide the same level of knowledge and expertise that a qualified and trusted MSP can.

MSPs develop key industry partnerships with major distributors like Apple and Microsoft. This allows them to provide hardware and software at the best possible price.

Security

With over 43% of cyber attacks targeting small to medium businesses, it’s vital that vulnerability assessments, threat management and secure user access and verification become commonplace for your business.

Peace of mind

With a reliable IT managed service provider you can rest easy knowing that, no matter where you are or what issue arises, you have skilled professional IT experts in your corner who are prepared and ready to help you.

Minimised downtime

Computer systems crashing, software not functioning properly, computers running slowly—you know what this can do to productivity. With fully qualified expert IT technicians just a click or call away, and response times within the hour, your staff are no longer spending valuable work hours searching for fixes to IT problems.

Click here to learn more about eStorm’s IT Managed Service Brisbane.

If you’d like to learn more about Managed Services in Brisbane, feel free to get in touch by emailing [email protected] or calling (07) 3120 0640 for a no obligation chat about your IT needs.

How to Identify & Address Network Vulnerabilities

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It goes without saying that keeping your business network and data safe should be a top priority—and for most businesses it is. But with the rapid advancement of technology and accessibility, there a growing number of businesses leaving themselves vulnerable.

Data breaches and network infections can cause massive financial loss and reputational damage. In 2017, 53,308 security incidents were reported where over 2,216 involved data breaches, and over three-quarters were financially motivated.

As businesses grow and more technology is added to your stack, it’s now more important than even to find the security vulnerabilities in your network before others can exploit them and your business.

How can I identify security vulnerabilities

We obviously recommend hiring an external IT provider with the required expertise and proven track record for identifying and resolving network and security vulnerability issues. However, there are key things your internal team can do.

Email

A 2017 Internet Security Threat Report revealed that one in 131 emails contains potentially  harmful and dangerous malware. Ensuring employees are proficient in identifying malware and other email attacks is vital for maintaining network security.

You can learn more about how to identify malware and how to protect yourself against email attacks here.

Software Updates

The bane of every computer users existence—the dreaded update. While most people put off updates, attackers can gain access to your network via outdated software, programs, antivirus, device drivers, firmware and operating systems.

Software updates are there to not only help the programs function more effectively, but to address potentially exploitable vulnerabilities.

Access

Probably one of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of business network security is access. Establishing who can access your network and assigning levels of access are vital in protecting your network.

By establishing network policies, you protect your vital business assets through compliance parameters, assess associated risks, limit vulnerability points and develop a recovery plan.

Password

It goes without saying that a strong password is important for your on and offline security—both at home and at work—as it is often your first and only line of defence. This is why we recommend organisations use Two-factor Authentication (2FA).

A good password should contain at least 10 characters with an un-guessable combination of words. Using a phrase with multiple words helps memorisation but remains difficult to guess or crack.

A simple rule of thumb is the longer the password the harder it is to hack. Likewise, it goes without saying that you should never share your passwords, or use the same password across multiple accounts, because if one gets hacked the rest become vulnerable.

You can learn more about how to create a strong password that’s easy to remember here.

Vulnerability Assessment

A full vulnerability assessment reviews your entire network, including on-premise equipment like computers, drivers and servers, along with cloud applications, storage and services used by the organisation. The goal of the vulnerability assessment is to identify weaknesses in your current infrastructure while reviewing security measures to ensure a robust and secure environment.

If you’d like assistance with your IT network and security, feel free to get in touch by emailing [email protected] or calling (07) 3120 0640 for a no obligation chat about your network and security needs.

2 simple things you can do to be more productive at work

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At our core, here at eStorm, we are driven to help people and businesses succeed. We’re passionate about helping people achieve their goals, increasing efficiency and making work life overall a lot easier—and who doesn’t want an easier work life.

So in order to help us all succeed together, we’ve put together a short and simple list (…I mean it’s kind of a list.. there’s more than one thing so that counts right?) of research backed tips designed to help make your work life a little easier and a lot more productive.

1. Notification overload

Email notifications. Text notifications. Social notifications. Workplace messenger notification.

Pretty standard for your typical work day, but these distractions are sabotaging your productivity and stealing attention away from the tasks at hand.

According to Gloria Mark’s research on distraction and the cost of interrupted work, it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to your original task after an interruption.

Likewise, multiple studies confirm that the distraction itself isn’t the only cause of your time being eaten up, but that your mental progress is derailed for up to 30 minutes afterwards.

Concurrently, other studies show that attention distraction can lead to higher levels of stress, lower productivity, as well as bad mood.

In other words, the 30 second distraction of checking your email or phone after a notification isn’t really 30 seconds. The true cost of distraction is the length of the distraction itself + 23 minutes and 15 seconds.

It’s no wonder we can often feel like we’re not getting anything done.

The solution

We need to be realistic about distractions and interruptions to our work. Eliminating them entirely isn’t necessarily achievable, but we can strive to reduce them.

Self imposed distractions, like the notifications, are much easier to regulate. Setting your phone to silent, closing email tabs, turning off notifications and setting your messenger status to away gives you some necessary breathing room to focus.

Likewise, setting specific times throughout the day to check email and inbound notifications is a great way to prioritise, stay focused, stay connected and remain on top of your tasks.

2. The multi-task myth

The more technology advances and the more we adapt to it, the more tasks we can perform at the same time… right?

Earl Miller, a Picower professor of neuroscience at MIT, says that for the most part, we simply can’t focus on more than one thing at a time. However, he said, we can shift our focus from one thing to the next with astonishing speed—known as task switching.

During task switching, we do not pay attention to multiple things simultaneously, but rather we switch between them as similar tasks compete to use the same part of the brain.

“Think about writing an email and talking on the phone at the same time. Those things are nearly impossible to do at the same time,” he said.

“You cannot focus on one while doing the other. That’s because of what’s called interference between the two tasks. They both involve communicating via speech or written word.”

Researches claim they can actually see the brain struggle.

This constant shifting of gears has a significant impact on your ability to complete tasks, with recent estimates showing that it can cause productivity levels to drop by 40%.

The solution

Dr. Melissa Gratias, workplace productivity coach and speaker, advises that we don’t fall into the trap of setting ourselves up for failure before the day begins.

“If we pull out a task list of 25 things to do, we’re guaranteed that we’re going to be disappointed in our progress at the end of the day.”

Dr. Gratias recommends choosing between 5 and 9 tasks you want to make progress on that day. It’s important to make sure you’re explicit and honest about your highest priority task so you’re proactively making progress toward something.

What to look for in the best Managed Service Providers.

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Business owners and IT professionals alike know better than anyone that as your company grows, one of the most important items for consideration is your IT infrastructure.

When companies are small, they often handle their IT needs themselves, but as they grow, so does the need for better and more reliable infrastructure. Likewise, as the business grows, so do the number of staff hours being spent unproductively trying to resolve computer and other IT related issues. This is one of the many causes for lost staff productivity, which costs businesses a fortune.

One study showed that for every $13,291 worth of salary, unproductive employees account for a $4,520 cost to their employer.

It’s vital for growing businesses to partner with a reliable and proactive IT managed service provider. Your MSP (Managed Service Provider) can not only remove the burden of day-to-day IT management, but generate and implement solutions and strategies that ensure the company is able to grow and operate more efficiently by leveraging new and existing technology.

What exactly is an IT Managed Service Provider?

An MSP is an outsourced company that takes ownership of a defined set of IT tasks or operations. You can think of a managed service provider as an extension of your business—your own dedicated IT team—without the significant cost associated with an in-house IT department.

Managed service providers are predominantly used by small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) who don’t have a dedicated IT team. For example, a medical office uses a number of computers for managing patient records, data and billing, as well as utilising computer systems in their medical practice. This may not require a full-time IT employee, but still requires immediate expert attention when an issue arises to fix the problem, as well as the management of infrastructure over time. This is where an MSP would be useful.

For example, at eStorm Australia, our managed services deliver:

  • Day-to-day IT management and planning
  • Both on-site and remote technical support
  • The supplementing of existing IT staff
  • Proactive monitoring of your environment 24×7
  • 99% up-time on IT systems
  • A local and friendly help desk
  • Request responses within an hour

It’s important to note here that MSPs go by a long list of names. These include IT Support Provider, IT Managed Services Provider, Remote Monitoring and Management Provider as well as many others.

What to look for in the best Managed Service Providers

An Involved Partner

It goes without saying that all businesses are unique. Even within the same industry, each company differs on how it operates, the governing organisational values and culture, the people and what it’s aiming to achieve. That means a one-size-fits-all approach to managed services just doesn’t make sense.

The best managed service providers take the time to truly understand your business, your needs and what you’re trying to accomplish. Only when this is fully understood can an IT support provider suggest, design and implement strategies and technology that align with the goals of the business and help your business grow.

Proactive Monitoring and Support

Partnering with an MSP isn’t just about having a reliable expert in your corner when something goes wrong. A truly valuable managed service provider performs a number of proactive tasks in order to aid the prevention of future issues.

For example, at eStorm we proactively monitor your IT systems and environment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This allows us to identify and address any issues long before they cause interruptions, damage or financial loss.

Backups and Data Recovery

A vital service that should be provided by your managed service provider is robust and reliable backup and data recovery procedures. The true value of an IT provider isn’t shown until a catastrophic data failure takes place that ultimately requires data to be restored from backups.

Oftentimes if your managed service provider doesn’t have a way for your critical data to be securely and reliably backed up, it can mean they lack the necessary experience in this area, which could be disastrous in the event of data loss.

On-site and Remote Support

Having a fast, knowledgeable and responsive help desk that can deliver expert IT support remotely is the gold standard for an MSP. However, there are likely going to be times when a phone call or remote access aren’t going to be enough.

Partnering with a managed service provider that has the capacity to deliver on-site support, whether it be to remedy IT issues or manage on-site IT infrastructure, provides an additional layer of reassurance, reliability and growth potential.

Having a dedicated team of knowledgeable experts who are able to deliver remote and on-site support means, no matter what your current or future IT requirements may be, your MSP is equipped to handle all your IT needs.

Get in touch!

With over 15 years experience, we deliver an extensive range of IT services that help small to medium businesses, across a wide range of industries, achieve their goals and objectives.

At eStorm Australia, our managed service solutions have been designed with the core goal of reducing IT stress placed on businesses and staff, as well as increasing overall efficiencies and business growth.

Talk to one of our Solutions Architects about your IT needs today today.

07 3120 0640
[email protected]

eStorm Service Centre Springfield Awarded Apple Premium Service Provider Distinction

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eStorm Service Centre Springfield, 1/145 Sinnathamby Boulevard Springfield Central, has today been awarded the “Premium Service Provider” distinction by Apple. 

Apple has recognised the Springfield Service Centre as having “demonstrated its commitment to premium service and technical excellence.” 

Only the top performing Apple Authorised Service Providers are given this title, with Apple stating that “Premium Service Providers consistently deliver exceptional repair support and customer experience that meet Apple’s exacting standard for high-quality repair and prompt service.”

It is an honour to receive the Premium Service Provider distinction. The team has worked very hard to offer exceptional service, advice and quality repairs to everyone who comes in contact with the Springfield location.

About eStorm Service Centre

eStorm Service Centre is your dedicated Apple Authorised Service Provider & Reseller. Offering products and services for both PC and Mac users, our goal is to take the hassle out of your computer and phone repair experience, all while delivering you the highest quality service and support with a timely turnaround.

apple premium service providers