Doctors and lawyers are two of the most universally respected careers. Having great earning potential gives people the perception that these jobs should be worth the inherent stress associated therein. The risks connected with these occupations, however, go far beyond the pressure of a typical job, arguably even others with high salaries. Intense workload, unrealistic demands, and lack of recognition make these careers some of the most stressful. Most workers also don’t fear a lawsuit if they make a mistake or are perceived to make a mistake at work. Piling on the anxiety for physicians and lawyers, the fear of litigation is a real threat for them, with over 1/3 of physicians having a malpractice claim against them at some point their careers, and 4 out of 5 lawyers experiencing at least one malpractice claim during their careers.

You are in the midst of running down the stairs and you slip and fall down the entire the entire flight. You gash your head and lose consciousness. As you come to, you notice people standing over you. A person hands you a towel for your head and says, “That was quite the fall, but you look to be okay.” So, you take him for his word, right? Wrong! You go to the hospital to see a professional where they can check you out, make sure nothing below the surface is wrong, and give you stitches for the gash across your forehead. You make sure that a professional has the chance to confirm that you are not in any danger. If it makes sense to see a doctor after hitting your head, wouldn’t the same logic apply to issues in other domains? Shouldn’t your IT infrastructure be handled with the same care? Technology is too unique and sensitive to not assure that it is checked by professionals.

Ransomware is the leading cyber security threat in 2018. In a recent podcast, Hal Lonas, CTO of the security software provider Webroot, offered a succinct explanation of how ransomware has flipped the security threat paradigm on its ear. “It used to be that the bad guys wanted data because it was valuable to them,” he said. “With ransomware, they’re essentially asking: ‘your data isn’t valuable to me, but how much is worth to you?’ It’s scary how smart it is.” New types of ransomware will continue to surface. Hackers are constantly modifying ransomware code to evade detection by defense technologies, such as security software. This year, we’ve witnessed a surge in “polymorphic” malware, which is malware that changes automatically to appear unique to different endpoints. Security software often fails to discover these variants. To decrypt files, hackers typically demand a ransom in the form of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

Last week we were on The Big 550 KTRS to talk about the importance of firewalls. No, we weren't talking about the buffer between yourself and your car engine like Guy Phillips thought! We wanted to talk about the real deal that will help to keep you safe online. So what all did our IT expert, Randy Moore, have to say for Tech Talk? We've got the scoop about firewalls and what you need to know about them.

Unless you were living under a rock last week, you've heard about the Royal Wedding. Before we went on the air for Tech Talk, Guy Phillips and his co-host were using a royal family name generator they found on social media. When our IT expert, Rion Kolosieke, heard about this he took a quick detour from our topic of backup and disaster recovery to talk about the risks with social media games and quizzes.

In my two previous posts, I've talked about email safety and the importance of educating your end users. The goal being that your employees become critical consumers of information and data on the internet. As I mentioned before, one of the most important investments that you can make towards the security of your business is to educate your employees about email safety and best overall practices. So, what is the next smartest thing business owners can do to securely manage their IT assets?

Last week on Tech Talk, our IT expert, went into detail about the importance of password management. Steve even gave a few suggestions on free websites people can use to manage their multiple passwords. Let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of having to use that “Forgot Password” option.