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Hackers Don’t Take Vacations

Are you excited for summer vacation? Be sure to pack your sunscreen! Before leaving your worries behind, remember to lock your doors, literally and metaphorically. Hackers never take a vacation, and your cyber security shouldn’t either. The summer holidays are a time that can leave businesses vulnerable. Here are a few types of cyber security threats to always keep in mind when traveling (and every day): Phishing Phishing attacks are one of the most common forms of cyber threat facing businesses. Business Email Compromised (BEC) scams take advantage of your employees by tricking a user into giving personal information to a source that only appears trustworthy. For hackers, the simple change of a letter or number is enough to bypass the human element of cyber security. In 2015, the employee of an Austrian aerospace company fell victim to a phisher posing as his CEO, and unknowingly sent $56 million to the hacker’s account. The employee was fired, as well as the CEO and CFO for failing to implement the necessary security protocols that would have prevented this incident. Malware Attacks While these forms of cyber security attacks have been around for ages, they continue to be a problem for business owners. Malware attacks—short for malicious software—are a type of software designed to disrupt and cause damage to your business infrastructure without your ever knowing. Their attacks are subtle, arriving in email attachments, infected apps, or software, and even advertisements on websites. Once inside, hackers can access your secure information and then hold your system hostage for ransom. In 2020, hackers took advantage of the pandemic and created CovidLock. From a website, users were prompted to download an Android app that would give them access to real-time updates about the virus. The app was laced with ransomware that locked users from their phones. They were forced to pay 100 bitcoin or lose everything. Insider Threats An unfortunate reality small business owners face is the security risk their own employees pose. While they do not share the motives of cyber criminals, their actions can have a disastrous impact on productivity. In fact, recent studies have found that 95% of cyber security breaches are caused by human error. Your employees have been hired to do a specific job. One of those jobs shouldn’t be IT support. Keeping your Business Safe While Traveling When you’re traveling, it’s far more likely for you to connect to an unsecure network or take a shortcut that would leave your computer and company more vulnerable to a cyber security attack. When members of your team are on vacation, other team members are covering their daily tasks. This means they could become more distracted and make a mistake like clicking on a link in a phishing email. Please remember this summer to keep cybersecurity in mind as you and your team travel and enjoy your summer activities. Hackers are just waiting for you and your team to let your guard down and leave “unlocked doors” to your network and files. Stay vigilant with cyber security and don’t make their job easy.

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St. Louis Based Computerease Adds Small Business Monthly’s Best IT Firms To 2021 Awards

St. Louis Based Computerease Adds Small Business Monthly’s Best IT Firms To 2021 Awards

Computerease adds an award by Small Business Monthly as Best IT Firms in St. Louis to the 2021 lineup In December 2021, one of St. Louis’s oldest IT companies, Computerease, added yet another recognition to its lineup of awards for 2021. The locally renowned publication, Small Business Monthly, released its list of Best IT Firms for 2021, including Computerease among its ranks. Earlier in 2021, Computerease was named as Best Cybersecurity Firm by the same publication, Small Business Monthly, and CRN’s MSP 500 of industry leaders in the IT support industry. Ryan Haislar, President of Computerease commented, “We are truly honored to be among our fellow top IT support companies in the St. Louis area. We commit to deliver exceptional IT support and cybersecurity for our clients. Receiving these awards reflects our dedication and commitment to putting our clients first.” Small and medium business owners throughout the St. Louis area trust St. Louis Small Business Monthly as a leading source for business-related resources.  There’s a few newcomers to the list of 2021 list of Best IT Firms for St. Louis featuring longstanding IT companies like Computerease. However, Computerease is unique in its longevity. Ryan Haislar said, “My father started Computerease in 1984 back when businesses were just starting to use technology in their day-to-day operations. He saw the future of technology as integral for running a successful business. I’m proud to keep his vision alive 37 years later.” A small business surviving for 37 years is an accomplishment, let alone in the IT industry where technology and IT firms have a flashpoint of a lifespan. Computerease is an IT support company that invests in the long-term success of its small business clients. It’s one thing to make computers and servers work well; it’s quite another to act as a trusted IT advisor that listens to a business’s priorities and long-term goals. Technology can make or break a business, so choosing the right IT firm is essential. Thankfully, business-focused organizations like the St. Louis Small Business Monthly make it easy for local business owners to identify which IT firms they can trust, like Computerease. About Computerease Small and medium businesses throughout the Greater St. Louis area trust Computerease with all their IT support, cybersecurity, and VoIP phone needs. As a 2nd generation family-owned and operated business founded in 1984, Computerease has grown and adapted in a constantly evolving industry. The company is a regional leader in helping small and medium businesses streamline technology while fueling business growth.

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Are tax bills burning up your profits for your small business?

Are tax bills burning up your profits for your small business?

Every penny counts for a small business. You pay a portion of each dollar towards taxes. This is money that’s drained from your bank account and goes straight to the government. Many business owners aren’t aware that there’s a tax benefit that allows you to invest your hard-earned money back into your business. There’s a special tax deduction for small businesses titled “Section 179 election”, the federal government allows you to buy up to 1 million dollars of computers, software, VoIP phone systems, office furniture, or other tangible goods to reduce your taxable income in your current year’s tax return instead of spreading the tax savings over multiple years. Please consult a tax professional to make sure you know the qualifications of the tax credit. In fact, the end of the year is the best time to reinvest into your business while taking advantage of Section 179 tax benefits. As an IT support company serving small businesses, we advise business owners on what projects can help to keep their business working efficiently and effectively. There’s 3 main areas that really help pay back and protect a business for the future: Increase network speed – A faster and more reliable performance of your computers and servers equals more productivity in your day-to-day operations VoIP phone systems – Save thousands in phone expenses every year and gain productivity boosting features with a VoIP system Cybersecurity upgrades – Firewalls and other security upgrades decrease the chance of becoming a cyberattack victim which could mean significant downtime and labor costs to get your business back up and running Are you looking to make a wise investment back into your business while saving on your tax bill? The Computerease team helps clients every day with making the best decision to invest wisely on technology that can drive your productivity and profitability. Fill out the form on the right to set up a 15-minute Discovery Call to learn more.

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Why Baseball and Business Are Going High Tech Permanently

Why Baseball and Business Are Going High Tech Permanently

The pandemic forced every business and organization to change very quickly. Some closed, some adapted to flexible working environments, and some changed how they interact with the public. In the beginning there was a lot of turmoil and a huge learning curve. Now, over one year later, some changes are permanent. There are permanent changes even for baseball! The St. Louis Cardinals are back in season, and they made a few announcements as they expect up to 15,000 people in attendance for games at Busch Stadium. A few of these changes include having only digital tickets available through the MLB Ballpark app and an entirely cashless stadium, debit or credit cards only. These changes were accelerated in response to the pandemic, but they are permanent changes. Paper tickets and paying for your hotdog and beer with cash are things of the past. It makes sense to implement these changes because there is less contact between patrons and workers, but there are also financial advantages to adopting streamlined processes. In an all-digital world, there’s no cost to print and deliver paper tickets. There’s no cash to handle and balance at the end of the day. Everything has been streamlined and optimized for ease of use for staff members and patrons. There’s less time waiting for a cashier to give you the proper change, or even get more change if needed. There’s an ability for people to have a smartphone open and ready to scan to gain instant entrance to the ballpark. There might even be shorter lines! Technology can be used to streamline and optimize ways of doing business and ways of interacting with the public and your clients. As an IT company, we’re very familiar with keeping our clients up to date with changing trends in technology. For example, some of our clients made a quick adjustment to a work from home environment at the beginning of the pandemic, only to find that it was more efficient. So, we helped transition their businesses and technology to a remote-only work environment to optimize cost savings for the future. Added Flexibility and Functionality With Technology For our business, and for many of our clients, our VoIP phone system proved its value within the first days of the pandemic. We had the flexibility to accommodate work from home and flexible work arrangements without any loss of functionality. We’ve also helped several new clients who are looking to transition to virtual meetings with clients and patients. Each business and medical practice definitely has unique needs for the best software and hardware to accommodate their budget, customer experience, and long-term goals. How does your business use technology? How can technology improve and streamline the customer experience? What kinds of technology investments pay off in the long run? What is the lifetime cost of one IT solution compared to another? These are all questions that you need to be asking when you’re making IT decisions in your business. The St. Louis Cardinals undoubtedly examined similar factors when they decided to implement their new digital initiatives. They analyzed the impact on patrons’ experiences, health and safety protocols, and overall costs, realizing that permanently adopting new technology was the best outcome. Your business is a much smaller organization than the St. Louis Cardinals, but you can also embrace new technology to help streamline and optimize your business practices. I suggest talking to your peers in the community and other business owners in your industry to see what new technology has been successful for them. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. Instead, learn from other people’s experiences! We’ve worked with our clients, some for almost 20 years, to continually adapt in a rapidly changing world. I’m here if you have questions about how new technology may impact your business. You can reach me by phone at (314) 432-1661 (MO) or (618) 346-8324 (IL) or filling out the form on the right.

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