IT Horizons Blog

With all the positive advancements in information technology, the growth of cyber crime has been a notable drawback. Cyber crime refers to committing theft or any other criminal act through the use of computers or any other tech gadget. In the past five years, Ransomware has been a major source of cyber crime activities. Ransomware is a malicious software that does not allow you to access your files if it takes over your computer. The creator of the software demands ransom (as the name suggests) from the victim, if they want to gain access to their files again. The payments are normally made in non-traceable transactions through a cryptocurrency (normally Bitcoin) to ensure the attacker’s safety. The victims get so confused and scared that they immediately agree to pay the amounts without considering if the hacker will grant them access or will not do it again. The hacker prevents you...

Have you ever received an email that does not look familiar or looks suspicious? Be wary of it, as it might be malware or any other form of cyber-attack, also commonly known as a phishing attack. If you ever come across any such email, that asks you to log in somewhere, the only logical thing to do is DO NOT LOGIN! The term ‘phishing’ comes from ‘fishing,’ only that in this case the victim is the “phish” and the hacker is the ‘phisherman’. It may (generally) ask you to allow access to an application or attachment sent in the email. And, if you follow the attacker’s instructions whether intentionally or unintentionally, you might get into serious trouble. The hacker can do anything, ranging from something less harmful like installing a simple virus in your system that handicaps certain applications, to attacking your computer with something as dangerous as ransomware. Ransomware...

It can be difficult to accommodate even occasional changes for new hires, terminations, or staff changing jobs within your organization. If you’re like many other businesses in Grande Prairie and are dealing with seasonal highs and lows or high turnover, if your business has frequent staff changes it can be a nightmare on the IT side. When poorly managed, such moves, adds, and changes can be extremely painful, costly, and time-consuming to your business. You need to make sure your previous employee’s security access is neatly revoked on time. What should you do with their email? Who is taking over their responsibilities? Does your new hire have a computer assigned to them? Do they have the right printers? Are email list memberships and shared contacts in order? Do they have the documents and applications they need? Will it take a day, two, or even more before the IT changes are...

When helping our Grande Prairie clients plan their hardware lifecycle I’m often asked about the price difference between consumer and business class devices. If you can go down the street to Costco or Best Buy and pick up the latest back-to-school-special laptop for $500, why on earth would you spend two or even three times that amount for a business-line laptop from Lenovo or Dell? Here are some important points to consider when purchasing computers to make sure you’re getting the best return on your investment. In the Windows PC market, inexpensive home lines come with whatever low-cost surplus components are available to the manufacturer on the factory floor at the time. Because of this, the specifications change month-to-month or even faster and there can be wide differences in the nuts and bolts even within a single model of PC or laptop. This means that not only are you often...

You’ve probably heard of Cryptolocker. It’s the nefarious ransomware trojan targeting Microsoft Windows that made the rounds via email starting in 2013-2014 that locked businesses out of their own files by encrypting them and holding them hostage. It impacted many – including Grande Prairie organizations that you know and may do business with! Cryptolocker and its many ransomware cousins act like typical viruses in the way they’re spread and distributed. But what makes ransomware so dangerous to you and your business is the fact that it specifically targets corporate data for monetary gain and the results can be catastrophic for those whose network is unprepared and inadequately protected from such an attack. Ransomware works by encrypting and locking you out of the files on your computers, server, and network storage. These files could include your policies and procedures, sensitive contracts and agreements, or your accounting database and financials. The attackers...