Do Shortened URL's Present a Security Risk?

Well, yes, sometimes.  As I've mentioned in my Security Awareness Seminars, you can "see" where a link will take you, by hovering over it in your web browser, and looking at the actual URL the link is directing you to.  But. . . this is no help when it's shortened link.

What's a "shortened link?" You've seen them, most often in social media posts, where a short link takes you to a site with a "Yuge Link."  For example,  http://bit.ly/2i7tqKo   a link for "Bitly" - one of the popular link shortners aroundwill really take you to:  https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1953083-so-i-have-this-email-with-a-short-url-link-what-now-tips-for-short-urls?source=start&pos=1

Which is a really good article on shortened links.  Click on either of the links above to take you there, and learn more about how to safely browse to sites that use shortened links!

Coming Workshops

Cyber Security Awareness Seminar
At the Kent Chamber of Commerce – November 29, 2016 9:00 AM

It seems like every day the news carries stories of another data breach that costs businesses and individuals millions of dollars every year.  Protecting your data is just as important as protecting your business – locks on the doors, a vault, security cameras, etc.

DunnCo offers our Cyber Security Awareness Seminar free of charge to Chamber of Commerce Members and their associates.  This one and a half hour presentation is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools you can put to work right away to provide your business and your employees with a higher level of protection against the threats that lurk in cyber space.

Five things you should do to secure your technology

·         What to do in case of a breach

·         How to guard against malware and spyware

·         How to guard against Phishing attacks

·         How to practice safer computing

Small and Medium Business IT Challenges and Successes  
At the Kent Chamber of Commerce – December 15, 2016 9:00 AM

Wherever you turn today, there’s a piece of technology staring at you.  Taken one at a time, it’s not overwhelming.  Most of us can get our smartphone sending and receiving emails.  We have no problem building a complex spreadsheet to address a business need or question.  It’s when all these machines gang up on you that you realize it’s getting harder to handle; Different models of computers, different operating systems, employees with company data on their smartphones and laptops, rising telephone costs, and the threat of your company’s data being breached or compromised.

This free one-hour workshop will discuss these challenges and how businesses like yours have met them and tamed the technology beast.

The Kent Chamber of Commerce is located at:
524 West Meeker Street #1
Kent, WA 98032

Cyber Security Awareness Seminars - Upcoming Dates

Your business relies on technology in almost every facet of your operation. Can you afford to lose data, or worse, the time and loss of business associated with a cyber security incident? This seminar will provide you with practical tools and knowledge you can put to use right away to help defend yourself and your technology.

DunnCo will be presenting our Cyber Security - User Security Awareness Seminar later this month.

When:  August 30, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM     Federal Way Library     Register Now
             August 31, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM        Kent Regional Library   Register Now

What Hidden IT Risks Are Threatening Your Business?

You may not be in the information technology business, but it's probably impossible to imagine your business without IT.  Today, computing technology plays a vital role in the way you serve, work with, and communicate to your clients.  Thanks to advances that have made technology more powerful yet less expensive, even the smallest practice can enjoy capabilities - in everything from marketing and sales to delivery and fulfillment - that once were the sole domain of large enterprises.

But today's big IT advantages come with major risks.  Your networks and systems serve as your silent partner in operations.  Should they fail - and when they do, its usually without warning - you're exposed not just to an IT problem, but to a potentially large business problem.

Take a moment to complete this self-analysis.  If you can't answer yes to every question, give DunnCo a call and request our FREE Network Assessment Service to give yourself and your business the technology peace of mind you deserve;

• Have you assigned appropriate access levels and authority to restrict data and applications to the right people?
• Can you create and review permission reports that tell you which devices and personnel have access to which data and applications?
• Are the connections you use to access online services protected against backdoor invasions by unauthorized intruders?
• Are your data and applications password protected, and are your employees using sufficiently strong passwords to ensure security?
• Do you use automated backup programs for data protections, rather than random and irregular manual backups?
• If the regulators arrived at your door, are you confident you comply with legal and regulatory mandates for your data?
• Can you monitor and control printing, faxing, scanning and copying to lower costs?
• Is your system cleared of ghost users and computers that waste resources and expose your network to unauthorized access?
• Can you verify that your data recovery and network restoration plans are operative and ready to work in an emergency?
• Do you have timely and actionable visibility into your IT Status so you can intercept problems before they interrupt your business?

If the answers to any of these questions leave you feeling vulnerable, contact DunnCo and arrange for a free network assessment.  Your network assessment will give you insight into the true status of your IT systems, and point the way to appropriate corrective or preventive actions you can take to secure your business effectively and efficiently.

To arrange a network assessment, click the button below and fill out the form.  We'll be in touch promptly!  To download our whitepaper "The 10 Hidden IT Risks That Might Threaten Your Business", click on the Download White Paper Button Below.

DunnCo Announces New Cloud Based Services!

Your business depends on email as a vital communications lifeline.  Right alongside email, your stored data needs protection.  We're introducing two new services to our portfolio:

Office 365 and Hosted Exchange Email

Consider the costs of your current email solution, and compare them to running on Office 365 from Microsoft.  DunnCo is is a registered CSP (Cloud Service Provider) for Microsoft.  What this means is that yon can subscribe to all that Office 365 has to offer, knowing that you've got the backing of local, available support and expertise from DunnCo.  Office 365 is much more than email, and we think you'll discover that subscribing to Office 365 through DunnCo will deliver a higher level of productivity and availability to your business at a lower cost of ownership.  Find out more about Office 365on our Products and Services Pages.

Cloud-Based Data Backup and Restoration Services

When you've got all your eggs in one basket, you need to watch that basket!  DunnCo has built our cloud backup solution with that in mind. You want the assurance of a highly secure, available, and monitored backup solution.  Our managed backup services deliver:

• Managed Backup Services
  Our Operations Center keeps track of your backup jobs to take care of any problems that pop up.  We're watching.
• Quick Restoration
  Your backups include prior versions of your data so that if you need to "rewind" to an earlier version of a file, or an entire system, it's all there for you.
• Secure, Encrypted DataStorage
  Your data is encrypted with your private key (That only you know).  From the instant your data leaves your systems, and all the time it is stored in our cloud systems, your data is encrypted by strong (AES 265) encryption.
• Local Support and Assistance
  Whenever you need assistance with your backups or restoration, we're a phone call away.  Whether it's help with setting up a back plan, or restoring your data our support is quick, local, and effective!

For more information on our Cloud-Based Backup solutions, visit our Products and Services Pages.  You can subscribe to our Managed Cloud Backup Services right from our website!