by IT Nation | Oct 7, 2021 | Cybersecurity, Email, IT Security
Be cautious of unsolicited texts, emails, phone calls, or social media messages asking you to open an attachment or click a link and provide confidential personal or financial information. If you suspect an email, link or attachment is not real do not open or click on it, delete it.
Common Examples of this Scam
Scammers use a variety of scenarios designed to get victims to provide their social security, bank account, credit card, Secure Access Code (SAC), or PIN number, including:
- Get your stimulus payment faster
- A package is waiting for you
- You owe back taxes to the IRS
- Anything regarding your Amazon account
- Information about your COVID status
by IT Nation | Feb 25, 2021 | Cybersecurity, IT Security, Privacy, Uncategorized
At IT Nation, we provide software that gives you additional cybersecurity and threat protection over and above what Windows Defender gives you:
- Advanced malware and ransomware protection
- An additional layer of protection to safeguard your data and identity
- Quick and thorough scans that take less than 20 seconds
- Anti-phishing detection that prevents malicious emails and fake websites from tricking you into giving away your confidential data on any browser
Windows Defender doesn’t actively work to block phishing links in any browser other than Microsoft Edge and does not block ransomware attacks.
Cloud Backups IT Nation protects our clients data with cloud backups. An important protection against ransomware attacks and other infections that destroy your data is to have a cloud backup of your files that can easily be restored when needed.
Technical Support
Windows Defender does an okay job when it comes to automated protections against viruses and malware that may have infected your system, but you don’t have a live person to ask for help.
With IT Nation you always have access to a live person 24/7 to help with any issues or questions that you may have.
by IT Nation | Feb 14, 2020 | Cybersecurity, IT Security
If you haven’t already upgraded to Windows 10, now is the time. Microsoft has officially stopped supporting Windows 7. Going forward, Windows 7 users won’t receive any updates, including critical security patches, for the 10-year-old platform, putting their computers at increased risk for viruses and other forms of malware.
Microsoft has been urging PC owners for five years to move to Windows 10, the most secure version of the operating system ever developed. But many users werenΓÇÖt interested because of Windows 7ΓÇÖs popularity.
From July 2015, to July 2016, Microsoft offered the Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 7 and 8 users free of charge. It now costs $140 on the company’s website.
Despite the fee, it’s a good idea to make the shift to Windows 10 to protect your privacy and security. Here’s more on the pros and cons of performing the upgrade.
Why Is Support for Windows 7 Ending?
Supporting the software behind an outdated operating system has become too costly, even for a company as large and rich as Microsoft.
Operating systems require constant maintenance. It’s difficult to maintain code from several years ago while at the same time trying to maintain code for the latest operating system. 
To MicrosoftΓÇÖs credit, the cutoff date for Windows 7 support was announced with the original release of the operating system in October 2009. Microsoft also says that the 10-year life-span for Windows 7 is longer than what’s offered by its competitors.
The oldest operating system to receive updates from Apple within the past year is macOS Sierra, released in 2016; it was last updated in September 2019. It’s worth noting that macOS upgrades are free as long as your hardware is compatible. Catalina, the latest version of macOS (released in October 2019), supports laptops released as far back as 2012.
The ultimate goal for Microsoft is to commit fewer resources to Windows 7 and focus more on making Windows 10 as secure as possible against todayΓÇÖs threats.
What Does ‘End of Support’ Actually Mean?
Now that support for Windows 7 has ended, Microsoft will no longer produce updates for the operating system. That means you won’t receive new features or improvements to MicrosoftΓÇÖs digital assistant, Cortana. But more to the point, it means you’ll be cut off from security updates, which puts you and your data at greater risk.
And while antivirus software can protect you from malicious software, a Microsoft spokesperson says it may still leave you vulnerable to ΓÇ£sophisticated attacks, like phishing and ransomwareΓÇ¥ if your operating system no longer receives updates.
Will Your Computer Continue to Function?
Yes, your Windows 7 laptop will continue to operate largely as it does today. You can browse the web with Google Chrome and create and edit documents in Microsoft Word or Excel. Your printer wonΓÇÖt suddenly stop working. In fact, not much of your day-to-day computing will change.
But just because your laptop will power on and let you print your childΓÇÖs book report doesnΓÇÖt mean thatΓÇÖs a smart move.
Ideally, you should move to Windows 10.
How Do You Move to Windows 10?
You can download Windows 10 from the Microsoft website or buy the software on a thumb drive from a retailer such as Amazon. Either way, the upgrade will cost you about $140.
The installation is fairly simple. You’ll need at least 8GB of free space to download Windows 10 from Microsoft.Microsoft provides the steps, you reboot your PC and follow the on-screen prompts. The process takes about an hour depending on the age of your computer, the company says.
Before you begin that process, though, be sure to do a backup, preserving the contents of your computer on an external drive or in cloud storage just to be safe.
Or, if you have any questions or want help with the upgrade, call us at IT Nation.
by IT Nation | Jan 24, 2020 | Cybersecurity, IT Security
More now than ever, we are living in a digital age. We shop online, work remotely, and even date from our smartphones! But what about computer repairs and maintenance? While remote IT is a rising industry, lots of people are unsure about how managed IT services work, and whether it’s really a better option than having a full time IT staff in house.Â
What is Remote Computer Repair?
Remote IT service (sometimes called remote repair/maintenance or remote assistance) is a service that doesn’t require you to do anything besides make a simple call or open a support ticket. During a repair or support session, a technician will access your computer wirelessly using a secure application and troubleshoots the issue or upgrades software and operating systems.
What are the Benefits of Remote Support?
All you need is an internet connection! Here are a few of the other notable benefits of remote support:
1. Quick Fixes
Remote assistance is not only convenient, it’s also fast. Remote support allows you to access the help you need, right now.
This is particularly the case when you work with a company like IT Nation that offers website-based remote support services.
2. Support for Various Platforms
Managed IT experts provide multi-platform flexibility and can service Mac, Linux, and Windows systems, among others. This means no troublesome waiting or confusion while you try to find the right professional for the job.
3. Security
While allowing someone to access your computer remotely might sound a little scary, computer techs understand your concerns. As such, most computer repair places that offer remote support services give you a choice between allowing full or limited access. In most cases, users can also end the support session at any time, and without the approval of the support tech.
4. Cost-Savings
Contrary to what many people believe, Managed IT can actually be less expensive than local service or hiring a full time IT technician in your office! Because remote support allows repair techs to skip the trip to your home or office, you can generally expect a lower bill from a remote session than you would a hands-on repair or even a flat monthly fee for maintenance and support!
While remote computer support is a fantastic option, it’s not right for every situation, and knowing when to use it and when to opt for local service is essential to the health and well-being of your computer.
by IT Nation | Jan 6, 2020 | Cloud Apps, Cybersecurity, Email
You’ve probably heard plenty about Microsoft Office 365. You might even be familiar with some of its tools and features. But if you aren’t already using the cloud-based solution, chances are that you’re not aware of the difference Office 365 can make for your employees and their productivity.
In our experience, the primary inhibitor to businesses adopting Office 365 is lack of resources: IT personnel are busy with other tasks, and migrating data to the cloud can be difficult without in-house expertise. But with IT Nation, you can unlock the potential of Office 365, which is so much more than just Microsoft Office in the cloud. The list of benefits is long, but we’ve narrowed them down to these six main reasons to migrate and grow your business:
1. Simplified Administration
Dealing with software licenses can be a headache. But Office 365 includes all licensing and it can be deployed company wide, ensuring that all employees have the same version of Microsoft apps and automatic updates at the same time. Employees also can log on from any device at home or in the office. Since each user can install Office 365 on up to five devices, a mobile BYOD (bring your own device) policy is much easier to manage. In addition, data backup, security and recovery are managed by Microsoft.
2. Mobile Access
With Office 365, your calendar and all of your contacts and emails are automatically synchronized with your mobile devices, allowing you to access and edit files in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote from anywhere, anytime. All you need to do is add your work account to the Microsoft Office app and you can easily edit the files you have saved in OneDrive for Business.
3. Lowers Business Costs
With Office 365, you don’t have to worry about servers (or the related energy costs and office space to store them) or rely on a heavy in-house IT department. We can act as an extension of your IT team to handle all on-boarding and ongoing support so you don’t have to. In addition, you can swap out DropBox for Microsoft OneDrive and use Skype for Business in the place of GoToMeeting to save money.
4. Powerful Collaboration Tools
Office 365 enables your employees to communicate via instant messaging and work collaboratively on documents and files in SharePoint. You can set your own document management and sharing criteria, allowing you to quickly share files and build intranets, extranets and project-oriented collaboration sites. Microsoft Office 365 also offers a video delivery solution with built-in encoding and management tools to streamline the process of uploading video and building video portals. And video is stored and streamed from Microsoft Azure using Microsoft’s global network.
5. Scalability and Flexibility
Office 365 grows with your organization, allowing you to add or remove users by simply adding or removing licenses. You’re not locked into a contract, you’re only committed to your service package for a month at a time with a flexible monthly subscription model. Office 365 also allows you to mix-and-match apps to customize solutions for different users or departments.
6. Robust Security and Compliance
With Office 365, Microsoft systems scan your messages and documents for spam and malicious software, and Microsoft data centers help safeguard your data. Essentially, you get built-in security and it’s easy to remotely wipe all data if you lose a mobile device. Additionally, multiple add-ons let you tailor Office 365 to specific industry regulations and data compliance requirements. For example, security and encryption settings can be customized to comply with HIPAA, FISMA, ISO 27001, and more.
The bottom line is that, in today’s competitive business environment, your business can’t afford not to use Office 365.
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