Between Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, and whatever other Social Media platforms that are on the horizon, our lives are more public than ever before. There are definitely upsides and downsides to this landscape, but I’m not here to talk about that today. Whether we like it or not, it’s clear that Social Media is here to stay.

What I do want to talk about is what we should be thinking about as we engage with these platforms.

Social Engineering sounds like a buzzword, but it is one of the most pervasive and relevant threats facing people today. Most hackers have simple motivations. They want to steal credit card, banking information, or commit other acts of fraud to make money… and social engineering aligns well with these goals.

When you think about it, social engineering is the evolution of “old school” fraud techniques like fake IDs or check cashing scams, but now the strategy is to impersonate a digital persona.

Many businesses, especially smaller ones, have a blind spot when it comes to security and risk management, especially when it comes to internal policies. While there are ample technology solutions available to deal with the threat landscape to protect data and system uptime, there is no technology solution that will completely address the risks posed by irresponsible end user behavior. There are also limits on what technology investments most organizations can make, so it’s important to get the best return on investment on your risk management tools and efforts. Strong policies that are well understood by staff are often the least expensive and most effective ways to avoid costly IT challenges.

Data Compliance standards also demand internal policies as well as the technical controls, so even if you think the policies aren’t worthwhile, it’s possible that you still need to create them. In this blog, I outline the IT policies that every organization needs in 2020. Hopefully, you have some of these in place already, but if not, I encourage you to use this blog as a jumping off point. Keep in mind as you read this that some organizations may call these policies different things, but the important part is that the goals of these polices are intact.

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has made it more difficult for organizations to fulfill their chief digital security functions. In a recent study from (ISC)2, nearly half (47%) of security personnel revealed that their organizations had reassigned them to perform standard IT tasks amidst the pandemic. This decision limited organizations’ ability to defend themselves against security incidents despite the reports from nearly a quarter (23%) of survey participants that security incidents confronting their organization had increased, as reported by Channel Partners. Additionally, the move arrived at a moment when 81% of professionals revealed that their organizations had categorized security as an essential function during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings presented above highlight the need for organizations to direct special attention to their digital security posture for the rest of the year. Many organizations are already working with reduced security teams, so they need to be prepared. I recommend organizations focus their security efforts on three specific trends for the remainder of 2020: Cloud Security, Data Privacy and New Tools/Ways of Working.

Technology changes are inevitable in almost any business. But sometimes, they don't go as planned.

Watch the video below to see why new technology implementations sometimes fail and how you can avoid these pitfalls. 

Long before current events made working remotely the norm, law firms began moving more and more towards the Virtual Law Office.

In addition to safety concerns, attorneys working remotely benefit from less frequent commutes, increased responsiveness to clients, the ability to “set up shop” anywhere, and improved work/life flexibility. And from a competitive standpoint, firms that utilize these tools are more likely to retain talent, efficiently manage cash-flow and minimize business expenses… all of which are more important now than ever.

In this blog, we look at the key areas where law offices should focus their efforts and resources to thrive in a virtual environment.

What is Managed IT Services? It's a common question that we hear often. This short video clip explains how Managed IT Services from DP Solutions can support your organization! 

The last couple of months have been unlike anything we’ve experienced in the past.  Whether you are a worker on an assembly line, a healthcare employee on the front lines or a back-office staffer, your job has undoubtedly changed. 

As restrictions in states across the country start to lift, your staff probably has some concerns about their own risks in coming back to the office and what that will actually look like. 

Watch the video below for a few tips on adjusting to this new reality where your office environment may look quite different than it did before the pandemic.

Business has permanently changed.  In the early days of COVID-19, many people looked at the pandemic as a temporary setback.  Perhaps due to optimism, they looked at this situation as if working from home or even closing their operation was going to be this thing we do while we hunker down for a few weeks and weather the storm. 

But even as we “reopen”, there is a growing sense that every business is going to have to change moving beyond the immediate crisis. 

There are a few factors leading to this: