As the President & CEO of DP Solutions, I am honored to be with the company as we celebrate our 45th year in business! DP Solutions began its’ journey in 1971 as an IBM hardware & software repair shop operating out of our founder’s basement. Today we are consistently ranked amongst the highest of all Maryland IT consulting businesses for Managed IT Services, Cloud Solutions and IT Disaster Recovery Services. I believe our success is due to a laser focus on the two areas that matter the most: our clients and our people. Thank you for choosing DP Solutions and for entrusting us with your IT support. Our commitment to take care of your IT & guide you through the many changes in technology remains unwavering.
Do your employees bring their own smartphones, tablets or laptops to work?
If your company is like most these days, they do. And that raises a whole new security risk to your computer network. One of the best strategies your company can employ to defend against this emerging threat is what’s known as “web content filtering.”
Here’s a quick but essential guide to what you need to know about web content filtering. It might even prompt you to make a move so lucky, it would turn a leprechaun green with envy…
It used to be, when your employees needed a desktop computer to get work done, locking cyberthreats out of your network was relatively simple.
However, now when employees work on a mobile device, the boundaries of your firewall can walk out the door and into a “Wild West” of unknown security risks at any minute of the day.
At the same time, threats to your network from malware, hackers, cybergangs and even foreign governments show no signs of abating.
The best way to bolster your network’s defenses against this emerging threat is through web content filtering. Older “in-line” filtering programs just filter at the network level. For complete protection as workers become more mobile, you need an “endpoint” web content filtering system that works at the device level.
Web content filtering restricts access to certain types of material delivered over the web or by e-mail. It blocks things like phishing e-mails, infected web sites, adult content, pop-up ads, spambots and other intrusions that can penetrate your network’s defenses.
The latest web content filtering programs protect your network even with a highly mobile workforce. Rather than just filtering content at the network level, they filter content on each employee’s device.
Web content filtering is not just a great investment in your network’s security – it’s an absolute must in today’s crime-ridden “cyberscape.”
How can you tell if a proposed content filtering solution is a good one? Here are a few key features to look for:
Activity-Triggered Logging – Allows the filtering system to start logging events when suspect activities occur. Helps assure vigilance against new and emerging threats.
Password Release – Lets a user with the right password visit sites that would otherwise be off-limits. Gives your company added flexibility as needed for trusted employees.
Download Blocker – Keeps employees from downloading files from any but approved sites. Greatly reduces the risk that somebody will unwittingly unleash a vicious piece of code into your network.
BYOD Support – Accommodates the “Bring Your Own Device” trend so you can monitor and manage employee use or abuse while on
the job.
Time Settings – Allows employees access to certain sites only during preselected times of day. Adds flexibility so employees can, for instance, visit Facebook only during off-hours.
There are others, and not every company needs all these features. But knowing what to look for gives you a head start on putting the best system
in place.
As today’s workforce becomes ever more mobile and interactive outside the company network, endpoint web content filtering becomes a must-have weapon in your company’s network security arsenal.
By understanding the emerging threat posed by mobile devices to your company’s network, and gaining a basic grasp of how endpoint web content filtering works, you can allocate resources to button up this potential threat to your company’s finances, data and efficiency.
Here at DP Solutions, our first priority is to keep your network safe and secure. Let us help uncover any vulnerabilities to your network posed by these latest threats and if determine if web content filtering may help. We are offering a Free Web Usage Consultation for the “lucky” first 10 companies in the Mid-Atlantic who request this valuable service.
Request your free consultation today at www.dpsolutions.com/WebUsageConsult or call us at 410-720-3300 and we’ll get started for you right away. But don’t delay – we can only serve the first 10 companies who take us up on this uncommon offer.
Michael Michalowicz
Life is stressful, especially if you’re in a start-up or are an entrepreneur. The techniques below help force me to relax and chill out when I over-schedule, under-sleep and freak out.
Breathe.
Yep. We all do it until we’re dead. But most of us don’t do it right. Stress tends to make us shallow breathers. When you’re stressed, stand up and take long, slow, deep breaths – the kind you take before jumping into a swimming pool of cold water, or before giving your kids “the sex talk,” or asking your boss for a raise. Slow inhale, slow exhale. Do this at least five times. If you get dizzy, sit down. You’re probably not used to that much oxygen.
Laugh out loud.
If there’s nothing funny in your life or office, turn to YouTube. Search on “Cats, Fail” or “Epic Face Plant.” You’ll find lots to laugh out loud at. If you’re not near the Internet, think about something funny.
Put things in perspective.
I used to think noises and distractions outside my office were annoying and stressful. Then Hurricane Sandy hit and suddenly I was walking to a shelter every day and working at a table with six other people. It put a lot of things into perspective. So did going from a net worth of millions to a net worth of whatever coins I could find in the couch, my ashtray and my daughter’s piggy bank. Think of the worst thing that’s ever happened to you or someone you know, and put your stress next to that.
Change location.
Being able to teleport to a hot tub or a deserted beach somewhere would be awesome, but until that technology is available, the break room or bathroom will have to do. If that sounds depressing (and it does, doesn’t it?), then step outside instead. Walking to the vending machine or coffeepot, or taking the elevator to another floor and wandering around pretending to be lost, is an option. The point is to change locations and get away from the place (or person) stressing you out. The walk there and back, and even a different environment, can reduce stress in a matter of minutes.
Stretch.
Yeah, crazy, right? But it works. Stand up and stretch. Move to a doorway and push on either side of the door frame. Twist. Sit down and put your legs out in front of you and point your toes. Find a stairwell and do some standard runner’s stretches. Google “stretching” to find something if you’ve put your high school gym class behind you.
No technique is going to work if you’ve let stress build up. The minute you start to feel stressed, address it head-on. Then figure out what’s causing the stress and eliminate it as much
as possible.
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MIKE MICHALOWICZ (pronounced mi-KAL-o-wits) started his first business at the age of 24, moving his young family to the only safe place he could afford—a retirement building. With no experience, no contacts and no savings, he systematically bootstrapped a multimillion-dollar business. Then he did it again. And again. Now he is doing it for other entrepreneurs. Mike is the CEO of Provendus Group, a consulting firm that ignites explosive growth in companies that have plateaued; a former small-business columnist for The Wall Street Journal; MSNBC’s business makeover expert; a keynote speaker on entrepreneurship; and the author of the cult classic book The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. His newest book, The Pumpkin Plan, has already been called “the next E-Myth!” For more information, visit www.mikemichalowicz.com/.
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