REOPEN YOUR OFFICE!

• Employees Return to Work
• Onboard & Offboard
• Add or Change Laptops & Desktops
• Work From Home & Office Hybrid
• SECURITY; Stop digital thieves

Covid ends, Employees stop working from home, and offices re-open.

We have work to do to update dormant equipment, run audits, and test circuits.

Here’s what to do to prepare our offices for an onslaught of pent-up work:

• Re-engage IT networks
• Onboard & Offboard new and missing employees
• Fix Firewalls, VPN, WiFi, Data storage
• Fix cameras
• Setup employee SECURITY
• Move offices from old to new spaces
• Install better desk phones
• Fix bad internet connectivity
• Re-engage printers
• Teach new network use

GIVE US A CALL! We’d be happy to come out for a few hours and get your office revving again.

info@ipsofacto.net
415-362-2922

source https://ipsofacto.net/reopen-your-office/

The iPHONE 12 is Out, Do I Need to Spend This Much?

iPHONE 12 Pros and Cons – Do I need 5G?

The New IPHONE12 comes out and you’re gouged for $1,000. Who on earth needs 5G?

What is 5G?

5G is the 5th generation mobile network. It is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.

5G is designed to deliver peak data rates up to 20 Gbps based on IMT-2020 requirements.

5G is based on OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing), in other words, the way it is designed to work reduces interference.

5G also uses wider bandwidth technologies such as sub-6 GHz and mmWave.

5G is a unified, more capable air interface.

Pros:

Lower Latency – Enabling real-time applications like AR/VR.
Higher Speed – More devices can be online at once.
Higher Capacity – Data will move faster, easily exceeding 5 Gbps.
5G is driving global growth.

Cons:

Currently very limited rollout in the U.S.
It is more difficult for the 5G higher-frequency signal to penetrate through buildings. This is particularly difficult for using 5G in cities.
Infrastructure requires building new 5G specific towers, facing significant pushback from communities

Use Cases:

Media – Introduce new capabilities such as high-definition streaming and virtual reality.
Supply Chain Management – Expand use of IoT sensors to increase production, streamline processes, and reduce costs.
Public Safety – Enhance real-time video, secure communications and media sharing.
Manufacturing – Build smart factories with AI, AR, and robotics.

When it comes to the latest smart phone technology, if you’re unsure of it’s benefits or how it may or may not benefit you, you can always call our office with questions. Call BACIT today (415)712-8430.

The iPHONE 12 is Out, Do I Need to Spend This Much? syndicated from https://ipsofacto.net

New Construction Technologies Make Real Winners

It’s a terrible title for Construction. But Data and Client theft are torture for owners of construction firms. The thieves, the hackers, in the baddies, are having a field day stealing data or destroying the flow for expensive mobile employees out in the field (rubbing shoulders with the competition).

Construction firms need Remote Monitoring and Management RMM tools to manage their mobile staff and their tech. Remote Monitoring and Management RMM tools protect mobile technologies like laptops, home-computers, tablets, ipads, iphones, everything that signs into your data from anywhere.

Two scenarios I wanted to bring up that should make you want to get Remote Monitoring and Management RMM for your staff computers.

1.The young architect: The young architect worked at a 50 person architecture firm. Because of fires in California, the young architect got the asked to design replacement homes that had burned down. There was a very high demand at the time because these homeowners were getting their insurance checks and desperately wanted to rebuild their lost homes. A lot of the houses up North were tract houses, and now these people had the chance to build unique, custom ‘design’ houses. The young architect’s boss had been designing AWESOME homes for 40 years. The older architect had hundreds of beautiful designs in his database.

Once the young architect got to start working from home, he was able to download 50 or so of his boss’s floor plans, architectural designs, engineering designs, stress test designs, color palette selections, wood choices, and hundreds of other extremely important and valuable assets the young architect never could have done on his own. The young architect then flaunted the old architect’s work as his own. All it took was a little alteration here and there to hide his boss’s name. Today, the young architect now has a twenty person firm up in Napa thanks to stealing from his boss. The theft was impossible to prove because the young architect never presented anything with the old architect’s name on it. If the old architects had embraced our RMM technology, none of this would have happened and we would have had proof but the young architect stole his designs.

So what are you gonna do when you’re a business owner? Are you gonna go cheap and say you don’t need RMM. Or Are you going to be smart and protect Your IP, which is worth millions and millions of dollars. Now that your staff is all working from home, get the RMM tools please.

2.The wealthy socialite with the famous charity: after the socialite’s husband passed away, she was grieving and had many bank accounts with many millions of dollars in them. The hackers got into her iPad , put a little application on it and watched how she worked. They saw that she was doing a building project and using some of the funds from her charity in order to build the new offices.

The hackers saw that she would send invoices to a bookkeeper in Colorado. The bookkeeper in Colorado would receive the invoices and make bank transfers to contractors. Two invoices were sent by the hackers to the bookkeepers using the email address of the wealthy socialite. Since sending ‘approved’ invoices this way was a habit of the wealthy socialite, the bookkeepers set up the wire transfers and wired $492,000 for new tile and new sheet rock to the Bank of Nevada. The bank account in Nevada, as soon as the money was received, wired the money to a bank account in Brazil. The owners of the bank account in Nevada we’re actually in Tibet, of all spiritual places. The hackers, when the applet was discovered on the iPad, were from Uzbekistan. This operation was an Uzbekistani, Tibetan, Brazilian group of scam artists- a global, international group of scammers, who successfully stole $492,000. These wires went unnoticed for 30 days. And after 30 days it’s really too late.

The wealthy socialite didn’t accept our recommendation to put RMM tools on her staff computers because she didn’t feel like her staff would be happy having an oversight tool on their computers. None of this theft would have happened if we had put RMM tools on her staff computers. We would have immediately Alerted to the installation of this fraud-app. The wealthy socialite had plenty of money and didn’t need to worry about cost. RMM tools are about protecting companies, not spying on them.

Remote Monitoring and Management RMM tools are now a necessary way to go in these post covid times when people are mobile and working from home and all the normal security layers to an office no longer exist.

Have a beautiful life. Get Remote Monitoring and Management RMM tools for your staff computers. Call IPSOFACTO today (415)362-2922 or contact us through our online form.

 

New Construction Technologies Make Real Winners syndicated from https://ipsofacto.net

A Dedicated Team for Your Hosted Services

Are Cheap hosted subscriptions costing you a fortune in Admin labor? (They are but you might not know…)

If you’re reading this as a COO, CTO, or CHRO, you’re in the right spot.

Here at IPSOFACTO we SAVE YOU TIME, MONEY, AND TEARS! We have a team dedicated to your hosted services. They create, manage, adjust, reconcile, and turn on/off all hosted services every month. IPSOFACTO has partnerships with the major vendors so we can get annoying tasks (like file restores) done in minutes that you would wait days or weeks to accomplish.

History:

Back in the days of in-office IT, making changes was easy. Onboarding and Offboarding were: Click here for on. Click here for off.

Then the googols, rotten apples and micro thugs got greedier.

They said, “Sell them super-easy monthly subscriptions, make sure after 3 years it’s more expensive, and make sure they keep paying for impossible management.”

Today:
Here are your average firm’s Hosted Services (for 20+ employees).

Hosted…
Email (Gmail or O365)
Chat (Slack etc)
Antivirus (webroot)
FileSync (One or Box)
AntiHack (Umbrella etc)
EmailStore (Backupify etc)
Cloudbackup (CrashPlan etc)
Desktop connect (GoTo etc)

There are 2700 more to go…

And you say, “This is GREAT! All these tools on the internet and I only need to pay monthly!”

Mix that with BAD employees, weekly OnBoarding and OffBoarding, and Hackers and you have an EXPENSIVE MESS. Which is why your network probably has gaping holes (we’ve seen ex-employees from 2016 still downloading company files). OR, you are killing yourself to manage all these SaaS Apps.

Not only that, but the hosted service companies trick you into EASILY buying more and more subscriptions, but they won’t let you (easily) DELETE old subscriptions. You wanted cheap, and now you pay remarkably more.

Tomorrow:

Not only are we the CTO’s best friend but we are the COOs and CHROs best friends too. Experience the difference, contact us today.

A Dedicated Team for Your Hosted Services syndicated from https://ipsofacto.net

IPSOFACTO HIRING A SENIOR NETWORKING ENGINEER

Message from CEO: If you are a REAL technology lover, you are drawn to it. You see articles about security or new hardware or software and you read them. When you want to learn about something, you watch videos, educate yourself. You know IT systems inside and out and are comfortable getting dirty. If you are met with a technology challenge, you will teach yourself the skills, you LOVE technology, it is in your blood. Please don’t apply if you just want a paycheck, or if you just want to sit back and wait to be spoon fed. At IPSOFACTO, You will be joining a handful of the best technologists in SF and they will expect you to be awesome, all while billing clients, to give them a great IT experience, in secure networks, helping their companies grow and thrive. You will bring IT joy to IPSOFACTO clients while being joyful with your new, loving technology family. Thank you!

IPSOFACTO enhances the customer experience as a technology service provider by providing high quality in-person support. Our focus is to care for the customer in the same way we care for the members of our team. We combine our expertise to manage, maintain and oversee our customer systems and service delivery platforms. Whether it’s providing Tier 1 tech support for software, hardware, network, cloud infrastructure or Tier 3 systems administration/engineering, we want our clients’ needs met by providing any level of IT support that is critical for the operations of our customers.

Position Summary
The Sr. IT Engineer is responsible for the day to day helpdesk requests as well as other IT-related support and provide onsite presence as needed. The ideal candidate must be a seasoned professional in providing end-user support as well as develop, implement, and uphold information systems policies and controls to ensure data accuracy, security, and regulatory compliance. Project Management is also the duty of the Sr. IT Engineer.
Furthermore, the Sr. IT Engineer may require ongoing training, conferences, and certifications as it relates to our client and internal vendors and software. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. To be Sr. IT Engineer requires 7+ years of related experience. A specialist on complex technical and business matters. Work is highly independent.

Related Functions:
-Team minded and technology focused, and ability to adapt to changes in a fast-paced environment.
-Responsible for development of technical project plans and resource allocation
-Plan, create and develop scope of work and budget for project plan
-Project management of all customer projects plans
-Provide summary reports of active projects to management and customers
-Manage client expectations, timeline, and technical delivery of project objectives
-Management of cloud server and desk infrastructure in VMware
-Advanced technical support at the network level: WAN and LAN connectivity / troubleshooting of routers, firewalls, and security.
-Upgrade Windows Server 20XX to 2016 or 2019
-VM Migrations and physical machine virtualization
-Azure AD Integration with Office 365 & Active Directory / ADFS / SSO / MFA
-Azure AD / Active Directory to Okta / Forest / Domain Migration & Management
-Office Moves (ISP relocation) and logistics
-File Server to Cloud Migration (SharePoint/OneDrive, Google Drive, DropBox, Box, etc.)
-Implementation of Email Security (Spam filters, DKIM, SPF, DMARC, MFA, etc.)
-VoIP Migration and Implementation + Porting Number + eFax
-Automation (Autotask PSA, scripting, auto-deployment)
-DNS / Domain Registrar / Name Server Migration
-Advanced remote access solution implementation and support: VPN and Terminal Services
-Administration of remote monitoring and management system alerts and notifications and respond accordingly through service tickets
-Ability to concisely document systems, processes, issues, and resolutions; professional writing skills required
-Full ownership of project initiation, implementation and go-live with client
-Correctly logging incidents and support request in Autotask as well as completing accurate time entries for all appropriate tasks/support request, categorizing and prioritizing them in line with team procedures
-Ensuring all issues are progressed & cleared – escalating to other internal and external teams as appropriate
-Managing support requests through their entire lifecycle from the first point of contact through to resolution, proactively keeping the customer informed of progress, notifying them of impending changes, and agreed outages
-Diagnosing and resolving problems to the client’s satisfaction
-Maintain and develop own knowledge and skills to assist with resolutions
-Identify and recommend solutions based on repeat issues or service risks escalated from the service desk into project proposals to existing clients
-Manage scheduled tasks for clients (onboarding/offboarding employees, routine audits of user accounts/access controls, computer/server/network maintenance, etc.), designed to ensure that the customer’s systems remain secure and operational
-Document all pertinent end user identification information using our company’s ticket system (Autotask), including name, department, contact information, and nature of problem or issue as it relates to ongoing or completed projects
-Additional Duties and Responsibilities:
-Sharing knowledge with team colleagues, vendors, and customers
-Improve customer service, perception, and satisfaction
-Fast turnaround of customer and internal projects
-Responsible for entering time and expenses in ticketing system as they occur
-Enter all work as service tickets in ticketing system
-Other duties as assigned by the managers
-Technical knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities Required:
-Highly proficient in written and spoken English
-Proven hands-on experience in Windows Server 2008/2012/2016 (both in-house and hosted environment)
-Proven hands-on experience in latest cloud apps: Microsoft 365, G Suite, Azure, JIRA, etc.
-Proven hands-on experience in security and knowledge of security products such as MFA DUO, Okta, running security audits and compliance (PCI, SEC, HIPPA or other national standards)
-Proven hands-on experience in Active Directory, ADFS and modern authentication i.e. Azure AD sync
-Proven hands-on experience in networking and network troubleshooting tools i.e. Meraki, VPN, Wireshark, Packet capturing etc.
-Proven hands-on experience in virtualization technologies: VMware, VMware horizon VDI, Hyper V, Citrix XenApp, Remote desktop servers and farms
-Proven hands-on experience with Microsoft 365: Outlook, Word, Excel and desktop troubleshooting (Windows 7, 10, MacOS)
-Proven hands-on experience in managing a multitude of client environments w/ backups, device monitoring, critical system alerting, windows patching desktop imaging etc.
-Proven hands-on experience w/ scripting and automating processes via PowerShell or other 3rd party programming
-Experience troubleshooting MFA, SSO and other integration issues
-Solid understanding and experience with email platforms local Exchange, Microsoft 365 and hosted email platforms
-Outside the box thinker in constantly coming up with efficient ways to solve problems and run processes
-The ability to liaise and communicate confidently and professionally with customer representatives at all levels
-Have solid experience providing support in a helpdesk or technical support environment
-Highly organized and able to work on own initiative to complete the range of tasks required
-Flexible and willing to work outside core business hours if required
-Experience in a Team-Oriented collaborative environment.
-Self-motivated with the ability to work in a fast-moving environment.
-Attention to detail and following instructions and SOPS’s and creating new ones to train all employees
-Interpersonal skills: such as telephony skills, communication skills, active listening and customer-care.
-Experience working in MSP’s environments using RMM tools like Datto and configuring integrations to manage all tools in a single pane of glass

Educational/ Vocational/Previous Experience Recommendations:
College or equivalent (Preferred)
Minimum 7 years of experience supporting and implementing systems infrastructure, systems analysis and design, project management, and/or IT strategy planning. Strong technical knowledge and understanding of SMB infrastructure and equipment.

Required Proficiencies:
Modern Windows Desktop and Server platforms, Active Directory, Group Policy, Advanced Networking (Meraki Switch Configurations, VLAN, VPN, NAT, Routing, Wireless), Exchange, SQL, SAN, Citrix, VMware, Hyper-V, M365, Azure, and other MS Cloud, SaaS (managed by outside vendors) and Hosted Solutions.

Preferred Experience:
Autotask PSA (Agent Procedures, Audit, Discovery, Monitor, ticket workflow), Microsoft 365 Admin (PowerShell), G Suite Admin, Google Cloud Admin, Cisco Meraki, Cisco Umbrella, Duo, Okta, LastPass
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
Health insurance
Paid time off
Transportation
Cell phone
Education
Many more
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: $80,000.00 upto $130,000.00 /year

IPSOFACTO HIRING A SENIOR NETWORKING ENGINEER syndicated from https://ipsofacto.net

Hosted Services Security Guide for All IT Firms to Use (our gift to you during Covid19 hardship)

I. CLOUD SERVICES AND USER ACCOUNT SECURITY

1. Implement Password Manager (Last Pass)
   • What it entails: Last Pass account setup on user computer(s) and device(s), transferring/copying all passwords to application vault and user training.
   • Estimated time to complete: Depends on number of users + training

1. • Problem/Security Risks: Password reuse and the use of simple passwords are a major security risk.  Saving passwords on documents or web browsers is not safe.

1. Office 365 account audit + shore-up security
   • What it entails: Audit/cleanup Office 365 user accounts and make changes as necessary. Setup MFA for all ASF Office 365 accounts. Setup DKIM, SPF and DMARC email security.
   • Estimated time to complete: Depends on number of user accounts to be setup

1. • Problem/Security Risks: Currently, Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) is not setup and if email accounts are hijacked, the malicious third party can get access to other services/accounts, request password resets and further compromise the organization.

1. DropBox account audit + shore-up security
   • What it entails: Audit/cleanup DropBox user accounts and access controls/permissions and make changes as necessary.
   • Estimated time to complete: Depends on number of user accounts/directories that need to be audited

1. • Problem/Security Risks: External users (no longer working at/for ASF) may still have access to DropBox files or folders.

II. ORGANIZATION IT SECURITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1. Develop IT security policies

1. • Expected Benefit: Cybersecurity Standards and Policy Framework
   • What it entails: Developing a set of strategies for managing the processes, tools and policies necessary to prevent threats to digital and non-digital information.

1. Develop CyberSecurity Incident Response Plan

1. • Expected Benefit: Cybersecurity Standards and Policy Framework
   • What it entails: Developing a set of strategies for managing the processes, tools and policies necessary to detect, document and counter security threats.

1. Develop Disaster Recovery Plan

1. • Expected Benefit: Business continuity
   • What it entails: Developing a documented process or set of procedures to execute an organization’s disaster recovery processes and recover and protect a business IT infrastructure in the event of a disaster.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Steve@ipsofacto.net

The post Hosted Services Security Guide for All IT Firms to Use (our gift to you during Covid19 hardship) appeared first on IPSOFACTO, IT Services.

Hosted Services Security Guide for All IT Firms to Use (our gift to you during Covid19 hardship) syndicated from https://ipsofacto.net

Apple & Google Gang Up to know what your blood is doing (with the virus)

(Hi Friends- I usually write our articles, but this was too good to regurgitate. Courtesy of the Hustle.co)

PANDEMIC TECH
5 things to know about the Apple-Google collaboration on contact tracing
Two of the world’s biggest tech giants are going big on contact tracing.
On Friday, Apple and Google announced that they’re teaming up on an effort to track the spread of the Coronavirus — using data from smartphones.
The idea is to take traditional contact tracing — which involves medical pros interviewing people who test positive — digital. The digital approach scales a lot more quickly than relying on humans alone.
Here are 5 things you should know about the plan:

1: Apps using Bluetooth will be developed to monitor your proximity to other people’s devices. When a user tests positive for COVID-19, they log the information in the app. If the system sees that your phone was near one that had registered a positive test, you’d be notified.

2:  Don’t expect a ton of apps to flood the market. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple and Google intend to vet the apps strictly, with a hope of offering one per country. Eventually, they want to bake contact tracing into the Android and iOS operating systems.

3:Their success depends on how many people use them. Singapore already has a contact-tracing app. A top official there said ¾ of the country’s population would have to use it for it to work as intended. But only 1 in 6 people (about 1m individuals) have installed it so far. Even so, it’s regarded as successful.

4: Bluetooth ain’t perfect. Experts have concerns about privacy and false positives. Self-reporting could get sketchy fast. And just because your phone came within range of an infected person’s device, that doesn’t necessarily mean you got close enough to catch something.

5: But it would be hard for hackers to exploit the system. The Verge crunched the technical documentation and found that someone would have to jump through MAJOR hoops to connect the data back to actual people. The system doesn’t identify you or actually log your location.

The post Apple & Google Gang Up to know what your blood is doing (with the virus) appeared first on IPSOFACTO, IT Services.

Apple & Google Gang Up to know what your blood is doing (with the virus) syndicated from https://ipsofacto.net