As we begin the third quarter of 2020, cybercriminals are continuing to adapt and increase their COVID-19 related attacks. Small to medium-sized businesses (SMB) are being targeted through a variety of malicious tactics. According to FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Tonya Ugoretz, the number of cybercrime reports has quadrupled in the months since the pandemic began. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) was previously fielding 1,000 complaints a day. They are now receiving between 3,000-4,000, with the majority of complaints related to COVID-19 (Source: The Hill.)

Last week we kicked-off our two-part series “The Why & How of Cybersecurity Risk Management.” This series is intended to review how small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can reduce exposure to cyberattacks through Cybersecurity Risk Management. Part one looked at practical ways to address and measure acceptable risk. In part two, Erik Thomas, Leader of Advisory Services at Systems Engineering, walks through a framework for addressing and reducing cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities in your organization.

Did you know that 66% of Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs) have experienced a cyberattack in the past 12 months? With SMBs facing increased, targeted, and harmful cyberattacks, we wanted to provide some useful guidance on this topic. We are presenting a two-part series reviewing how SMBs can reduce exposure to cyberattacks through Cybersecurity Risk Management. In part one, Brad Sprague, Leader of Account Management at Systems Engineering, reviews practical ways to address and measure risk.

What if I told you that now is the best time to recruit top talent? You don't even need to invest in more hiring platforms or third-party services to do it. Despite the pandemic, Systems Engineering is continuing our recruitment efforts. We wanted to share our five most effective and low-resource recruitment strategies with you.

Many companies have made the unprecedented decision to close their doors or keep essential staff in-house temporarily. Others have instructed the entire organization to work from home (WFH) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, an entirely new set of pressures is pulling for your attention: 

The cybercriminals have small businesses in their crosshairs. Verizon's Data Breach Investigative Reports states phishing is the number one cause of data breaches and 43% of cyberattacks are targeted at small to medium-sized businesses (SMB.) The frequency of attacks is on the rise and in today's COVID-19 environment, cybercriminals see this as an advantage and are taking the opportunity to attack.

05.01.20 UPDATE:  Beginning Thursday, May 21, 2020, Systems Engineering will be moving forward with our patching service changes. We initially scheduled these for March, but then delayed as we all adjusted to working from home due to the pandemic. Our patching service changes are in response to Microsoft's new way of servicing Windows, which you can read more about in this blog post.

Beginning Thursday, March 19, 2020 May 21, 2020, Systems Engineering will be enhancing our patching services. Before we communicate these enhancements, it's essential to understand the motivation behind them. Our patching service changes are in response to Microsoft's new way of servicing Windows known as Windows as a service.  

In 2016, Systems Engineering launched our first ever summer internship program, which has continued to grow and develop over the last four years. With unemployment levels for technology workers at record lows, and a steady increase in open tech positions, students have a unique opportunity with Systems Engineering to gain real-world experience through on-the-job training for a quick transition into full-time careers. Several of our past participants have chosen to take positions within Systems Engineering once they have completed formal studies, which is a testament to the strength of our program and the quality of candidates accepted into the summer internship.

You may recall from our previous blog post in October that Microsoft will replace the core terms of their customer agreement for all existing and new Microsoft customers after January 31, 2020. This new Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) is said to improve the purchase experience to better support all customers.

The time for planning has ended. Microsoft will no longer provide extended support for Windows 7. While Extended Security Updates (ESU) may be available for Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows 7 (for a maximum of three years from January 14, 2020), this option will come at an increasing cost to organizations.