2021 - Page 5 of 10

Keep Your Business Growing by Supporting Your Staff

business growth, Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Ophtek, Sheeba Varghese, staff development, talent developmentBusiness growth, Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, Ophtek, Sheeba Varghese, Staff DevelopmentOphtek, LLC

Aug 2021

It’s important that you invest in your IT assets, but it’s even more important that you invest in supporting the staff using them.

As your business grows, it’s crucial that your staff can keep pace with these changes. Otherwise, they run the risk of being left behind. And this can significantly negate any positives brought about by growth. Naturally, your employees can adapt to growth, but they will need help to fully adjust. In order to achieve this, they will need to be empowered by training of a high quality. This is where a strategic partner for your talent development such as Sheeba Varghese can step in.

Introducing Sheeba Varghese

Executive coaching, leadership training and staff development are some of the most vital elements required for business growth. Mastering these skills requires a special individual, so it makes sense to turn to a professional. Sheeba Varghese is one such professional.

Leveraging two decades of experience of working with leaders at all levels, Sheeba is blessed with a wealth of experience in the field. And it’s an experience built upon strong foundations of education. With a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education from the University of Maryland, Sheeba can point towards an impressive background. But her education goes much further. Strengthening her skills, Sheeba has climbed the industry ladders to become recognized as a Professional Certified Coach and a Certified Mentor Coach with the International Coaching Federation. She was awarded the Top Leadership Trainer Award with the International Association for Top Professionals in 2020 and has been a member of the Forbes Coaches Council since 2018.

Along Sheeba’s journey within the talent development industry, she has worked with a wide range of people. Senior directors, vice presidents, managers and emerging leaders are just some of the individuals she has helped to develop. And her client base is just as diverse. Working with clients from all over the globe, Sheeba has brought her skills to a varied range of industries such as education, healthcare and financial sectors. It’s a broad range of clients and one which demonstrates that she can integrate her skills into any workplace.

Providing Executive and Leadership Coaching, leadership development to teams and individuals so they handle the challenges of this modern workforce is a talent which Sheeba has devoted her time in over the course of her career. A true professional, Sheeba’s passion, knowledge and energy allows her to deal with a wide range of personalities and maximize learning in group sessions. These coaching and trainings sessions are available in live or virtual settings and, in the last year, Sheeba has conducted over 200 virtual sessions. And, thanks to her accreditation with the International Coaching Federation, Sheeba is qualified to deliver mentoring to those who are seeking credentials within this field.

Final Thoughts

Growing your business is critical when it comes to expanding your organization’s potential. But to do this you also need to expand the potential of your employees. They need to be able to understand and meet the new developments that growth brings. And this is far from easy. People tend to settle into comfort zones, and this can affect their ability to grow. Thankfully, their abilities can be developed by working with a strategic partner for your talent development such as Sheeba Varghese.

Contact Information

SHEEBA VARGHESE, PCC
Leadership Trainer and Executive Coach
Office: 650-741-6545 | Email: sheeba@coachsheeba.com

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Remote working is becoming an increasingly popular way for organizations and their staff to operate. But it’s crucial that you know how to do it properly.

The popularity of remote working has been growing for several years, but this growth has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Working from remote locations, however, doesn’t come without challenges. A home, for example, wasn’t built to be used as a workplace. And it’s unlikely that a home will come pre-loaded with powerful communication options. But challenges such as these can easily be tackled.

All you have to do is take a look at our 5 best tips to make remote working on a PC a success.

Enhancing the Remote Working Experience

Simplicity is an essential part of any infrastructure and remote working is no different. Therefore, make sure you integrate these simple tips into your remote working setup:

Comfort is Key: It’s important that you create a suitable working space for setting up your PC. A quiet location with minimal distractions is vital, so it’s a good idea to set up in a location away from TVs and any other noise sources. The most pressing element, however, is a good chair. You’re going to be sitting in the same seat for several hours a day, so you need to get one which is both comfortable and suitable.
Collaboration Tools: Communicating while remote working is very different to communicating when all employees are based in a central location. Naturally, this can lead to an increase in the time taken to answer queries, but it’s easy to work around this. Software such as Microsoft Teams, Discord and Slack allows employees to communicate and collaborate with ease.
Invest in Your Equipment: Whether you’re using your own PC or a work issued one, it pays to invest in your technology. It may be as simple as upgrading your internet connection to increase connection speeds and reliability. Alternatively, you may wish to invest in replacement peripherals which are more ergonomic such as mice, keyboards and headphones.
Use Calendar Apps: Without a team around you, it’s difficult for you to keep on top of things. After all, an office full of employees can quickly remind you that you have a meeting coming up. But a remote worker doesn’t have this luxury. Therefore, using calendar apps such as Google Calendar and Microsoft Calendar can prove invaluable. Take time each week to set up important reminders in these to ensure you remain on top of your schedule.
Don’t Ignore Technical Issues: One of the drawbacks of remote working is that a technical issue can quickly disrupt your day. The luxury of jumping on a spare workstation isn’t an issue when you’re away from the office. And this is why it’s crucial that you report all technical issues to your IT team as soon as possible. An early investigation could easily prevent a major technical fault and allow you to stay productive.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

What Do You Need in Good Antivirus Software?

anti malware, Antivirus, Cyber Security, Data Security, email security, firewall, Ophtekantivirus, Cyber Security, Data Security, email security, firewall, OphtekOphtek, LLC

Jul 2021

Antivirus software is a sure-fire way to keep your PC protected against malware. But you need to make sure it has the right features for your organization.

No two pieces of antivirus software are the same. And there are a lot of different antivirus tools available. In fact, if you google the term “antivirus software” you will be faced with 175 million search results. Not surprisingly, the sheer range of options available can make choosing one a daunting task. But it doesn’t need to be this difficult. All you need to do is understand what the most important features are in antivirus software.

The Essential Antivirus Software Features

As I advised earlier, there are many different antivirus tools trying to get your attention. And they all contain a collection of different features. The most essential ones that you should be looking for are:

Malware Scans: The biggest threat to your organization’s IT infrastructure will come from malware. And it’s a threat which can easily lurk undetected on your network. However, thanks to the power of collective databases, most of this malicious software can quickly be identified by its code. Good antivirus software will connect to these databases and use the inventory to verify every file on your network. Anything identified as malicious can then be quarantined and investigated before being deleted.

Firewall Availability: Many antivirus software packages will include a firewall and this feature can prove invaluable. It’s a tool which is employed to monitor all incoming and outgoing connections to your network. Essentially a barrier between your organization and the internet, a firewall allows you to restrict access to any unidentified connections while recognized and permitted connections can operate freely.

Email Scans: One of the best ways for a hacker to gain access to your organization’s network is via email. It’s a venture which typically succeeds when an infected email attachment or malicious link is activated by the recipient. And these infections can be very powerful. Ransomware is easily spread through malicious emails and phishing scams, of course, are particularly prevalent. Thankfully, many pieces of antivirus software can scan all incoming emails to evaluate the danger contained within.

Download Protection: Most files that you download from the internet will be fine e.g. software installation packages or even plain old spreadsheets. But there’s always a chance that you may download some malicious software. And, in many cases, it’s easy to find yourself fooled by authentic looking websites. A good antivirus suite, however, should be able to scan all downloaded files in real time to verify if they are safe. Often, if the file is hosted on a malicious website, antivirus software will not even allow you access to the site in the first place.

Final Thoughts

Basic antivirus software is available for free and, despite some limitations in its functionality, can provide you with powerful protection. However, when you start paying for antivirus software you can expect to gain even more features and some much-needed technical support. Regardless of which option you go for, though, antivirus software should be an essential part of any organization’s fight against cyber-crime.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

3 Million Windows PCs at Risk of Login Credential Theft

attachments, email links, malware, Ophtek, Updates, Windows PCattachments, links, Login, malware, Ophtek, updates, Windows PCOphtek, LLC

Jul 2021

Login credentials are a sure-fire way to protect your IT systems. But hackers are now using a new piece of malware to steal them from your organization.

User ID / Password combinations have been a cornerstone of IT security since the earliest days of computers. Traditionally, it was almost impossible to guess both of these values. The only option a hacker had was to literally look over the shoulder of the user as they entered the details. But a lot has changed in the way we use computers since then. And the possibilities created by the internet mean that hackers can now steal login credentials from anywhere in the world. All they need is some malware and a potential victim.

A new piece of malware has recently been discovered which has been used in a large scale attack, so it’s important we take a closer look.

What is this Latest Attack?

This latest malware – discovered by Nord Security and currently unnamed – to hit the digital headlines is classified as a Trojan. As the name suggests, a Trojan is a piece of malware which disguises itself as genuine software, but contains malicious code. Little is known about the origins of this latest malware or its exact mechanisms, but its strength is beyond question. This has been demonstrated by the malware carrying out the following:

Infecting three million Windows PCs
Stealing 1.2TB of data which includes email addresses, cookies and over six million individual files
Using infected PCs in-built webcams to take photos of the victims

How Do You Avoid Falling Victim to Malware?

Malware is a complex threat to tackle due to the ease with which it can be constructed by hackers. This allows the hacker to give their malware an individual blueprint with unique features that are difficult to detect. Even the best defenses in the world can easily fall victim to malware. Nonetheless, you are far from helpless when it comes to combatting the threat of malware. To help strengthen your defenses, make the following part of your security structure:

Always Verify Links: Almost every website and email will contain at least one link. But these links can easily be disguised to contain something nasty. A link may, for example, claim to take you to a Microsoft security fix, but the true destination within the link may be for a malicious website. Therefore, always make sure you hover your cursor over links to reveal their true destination.

Double Check Email Attachments: Highly powerful malware can easily be packed into a small file and delivered as an email attachment. Accordingly, you need to be suspicious of all files entering your organization. Even if an email is received from a reputable source you need to remain vigilant. Genuine email addresses can easily be hacked and used to spread malware. If something doesn’t feel right about an email then check with an IT professional.

Install all Updates: All software and hardware is prone to vulnerabilities due to the amount of code involved in their operation. And these vulnerabilities provide hackers with quick and easy access to your IT systems. Thankfully, manufacturers regularly issue security patches to plug these holes. Make sure that these are always installed quickly to minimize any risk.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Windows Print Spooler Vulnerability Accidentally Leaked

Cyber Security, Microsoft, Network, Ophtek, patches, print spooler, zero-daymicrosoft, network, Ophtek, patch, print spooler, security, zero-dayOphtek, LLC

Jul 2021

If a hacker can find a software vulnerability, then it grants them easy access to a PC. This is even easier when a vulnerability is leaked by researchers.

Security researchers are constantly searching for software and hardware vulnerabilities. But where researchers and hackers differ is their intent. A security researcher wants to legitimately identify vulnerabilities so that they can be secured and lessons learned for the future. However, a Chinese technology firm by the name of Sangfor recently revealed details of an unknown Windows vulnerability in Print Spooler. And, unfortunately, Microsoft hadn’t managed to patch it.

What is a Zero-Day Vulnerability?

The type of vulnerability found in Print Spooler is known as a zero-day vulnerability. This name refers to the number of days a software vendor has had to patch a vulnerability and the percentage chance that a user has of being protected. And this is why zero-day vulnerabilities are so dangerous. There is no immediate protection available, so hackers are given free rein to cause widespread chaos.

What is the Print Spooler Vulnerability?

The design of the Print Spooler vulnerability – whose exploit code was listed within Sangfor’s paper – has the potential to cause numerous issues. The specifics of this exploit allow hackers to obtain full system access privileges. This is achieved by granting them permission to load malicious drivers into any servers containing this vulnerability. With full control of an IT network, hackers can then download further malware, steal data and operate infected workstations from a remote location. And, although a patch was recently released for vulnerabilities in Print Spooler, this particular exploit was not identified by Microsoft.

How Do You Protect Against Vulnerabilities?

As of the time of this article, Microsoft do not have a patch available for what has been dubbed the PrintNightmare vulnerability. This is concerning as it provides a significant amount of risk to Windows users. While it is certain that Microsoft will release a security patch, the fact remains that – as revealed by Microsoft – attacks using this exploit have already been identified. Therefore, you need to know how to protect your IT systems:

Disable Print Spooler: In the case of the PrintNightmare vulnerability, you can eliminate the risk is by temporarily disabling the print spooler. This does, however, remove the ability for your organization to print across its network.

Monitor Network Activity: If your IT system has been exploited through a vulnerability then it’s likely there will be an increase in network activity. This will be most visible in outgoing traffic as the hackers will likely be transmitting data to a remote server. An increase in data output to an unknown location should ring alarm bells and indicate that something is wrong.

Always Install Patches: The best way to secure your IT infrastructure is to install all patches as soon as they’re available. New vulnerabilities are discovered every day, so it’s vital that you treat any newly released patches as a priority. A swift approach to these relatively hassle-free installs can be the difference between a secure system and one which is breached.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Yearly Archives: 2021