Cybersecurity is a dynamic landscape, continually evolving as new threats appear and existing ones morph. What security solutions do we recommend to SMBs?
Shadow IT is a common issue with major security risks to consider. However, it is possible to leverage shadow IT to enhance your IT systems & security policies.
This brief guide underscores the importance of a cohesive online security approach. Learn more about DNS and SSL certificates for business.
Social engineering is one of the many cyberthreat tactics that put businesses at risk for substantial harm. Learn more about how to protect your business.
Social engineering lies at the root of roughly 98% of IT security attacks. Discover how to identify the most common tactics.
Our greater reliance on IT increases security risks. Discover how partnering with a SOC 2 compliant Managed Services Provider (MSP) boosts your cybersecurity.
In business, confidently securing your digital infrastructure will require building a robust security toolkit. Begin with cybersecurity assessments!
Storm readiness IT preparations will equip your business with safety protocols to respond quickly to weather disruptions.
Employee offboarding is a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of the HR process. Managing offboarding through an automated system can simplify the process.
Navigating the sometimes-seismic shifts in technology is no small feat, and that's why companies turn to a CIO to guide the way.
Technology Business Reviews play a powerful role in enabling decision-makers to limit unnecessary expenses and reallocate resources to promising IT initiatives.
Empower your employees to contribute to a robust cybersecurity culture that promotes security awareness, compliance, and incident response.
Approximately 56% of IT decision-makers indicate that targeted phishing attacks are their primary threat.
You've worked hard and deserve your vacation time. However, cyber threats are on the rise & bad actors don't take time off. Here's how to stay secure while OOO.
Are you in the market for a new MSSP? Here are the top screening questions you need to ask when shopping for your next cybersecurity partner.
Our cybersecurity culture is deeply informed by our vision for Universal Safe Networks and our commitment to help businesses fortify their security.
You never forget your first cybersecurity incident. It was the summer of 2001, & I was working as a field tech, supporting several medical research departments.
Nearly 1 out of 4 small businesses suffered at least one cyber attack last year. Discover cost free protections you can implement now to improve your security.
Securing mobile devices with MAM or MDM is so vital and too often overlooked. Whichever path your organization chooses, you are already ahead of the game!
Explore the 5 common reasons why businesses are denied cybersecurity insurance and what you can do if you are facing one of these scenarios.
With an above-average hurricane season ahead of us this year, now is the time to prepare for any adverse weather that could impact your business.
Well-run businesses in high-risk industries have lots of sensitive records & are going to actively seek cybersecurity liability coverage to offset their risks.
While cybersecurity insurance helps alleviate the financial risks and burden of doing business online, there are liability limitations to this type of policy.
Cybersecurity insurance is a contract that the policyholder purchases to help reduce the financial risks of doing business online. Learn about cyber liability.
Patch management is crucial to ensure business continuity. Learn more about how software patching can safeguard your organization.
Anywhere Operations is the new preferred work model. Let’s explore how zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) facilitates quick, easy, and safe remote work processes.
Remote workforces are using more and more apps to complete tasks and remain productive during the workday. Single-Sign-On (SSO) helps secure network access.
With a greater reliance on Anywhere Operations and remote work, businesses today require more cybersecurity measures, including multi-factor authentication.
Business owners work on-the-go, so mobile security is paramount. Let’s consider the best practices to ensure your company and user data protection.
Every SMB needs to innovate to thrive in the marketplace. Technology buzzwords also hold value in helping SMBs position for greater competitiveness.
Greater IT reliance will increase cybersecurity risks. Learn why you need a SOC 2 compliant managed services provider to boost cybersecurity.
World Password Day is a global reminder to secure your credentials with complex and unique passwords to prevent data loss and identity theft.
As more companies adopt cloud applications, there is a need for greater cloud security. Discover how a CASB can help with your IT security policies.
In 2021, it was reported that 1 in 4 employees still had access to company files of a previous employer. Discover our IT pro-tips for employee offboarding.
“By engaging in the SOC 2 Type II audit every year, we are motivated by transparency and accountability,” said John Snyder, CEO of Net Friends.
"Growing up, my dad was always into new tech, and that rubbed off on me," Chelsea shares. Discover more about her journey in our "Women at Net Friends" series!
The new normal requires adopting an Anywhere Operations model. Let’s explore the top budget areas that will help your company work from anywhere.
While most industries appear to have adjusted to the work-from-anywhere model, we should consider several challenges that may arise in this mass shift.
Anywhere Operations represent the new normal for business operations. Let’s explore the top five critical policies necessary for its adoption.
While "Work from Anywhere" is a common term, let's explore the future of "Anywhere Operations" and its implications for small businesses.
Our four core recommendations to ensure your VPN solution is optimized for Anywhere Operations to support your distributed workforce.
Security Awareness Training is essential to improving your cybersecurity culture. These are the core topics your company's training program should cover.
Many security compliance standards mandate regular security training. Explore how compliance requirements can boost your business longevity.
Microsoft Azure offers a wide range of powerful cloud computing solutions for any small business. These 5 specific SMB benefits are worth noting about Azure.
Windows 11 is the latest release in the Microsoft Windows operating system. Here's our list of 5 notable features that increase business productivity.
In 2020, we designed our Stack Lab, featuring technology equipment that facilitates in-house, hands-on training for our technical staff.
Far too often, IT companies are stuck in the generalist hiring loop with no formal strategy to develop their technical staff beyond being break-fix technicians.
By cementing your Technology Stack from the onset, you dodge disruptions such as frequently recycling technology solutions and upending operational processes.
Net Friends is a SOC 2 Type II certified IT partner with a long history of expertise in HIPAA compliance and Information Technology Risk Management (ITRM).
A mature MSSP is your preferred strategic partner for implementing a robust cybersecurity program that aligns with your business operations.
Cloud providers are constantly upgrading their services to adhere to the latest industry standards and regulatory requirements to offer unprecedented security.
The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is central to Microsoft’s plans to boost the security of 1.3 billion workstations running Windows 10.
Net Friends announces that Castra, an award-winning leader in MDR, has signed the largest NetForce IT staffing agreement to date.
A message from Net Friends CEO John Snyder on the Kaseya Breach
It starts with a professional standardized certification for those who practice safe network design and operation.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) vulnerabilities are often easy targets for cyber criminals and they are too expensive to appropriately secure and monitor.
At Net Friends, we have a long history of improving our cybersecurity posture and applying it to our services to promote secure environments for our customers.
Treatment of end-of-life devices requires policies for thorough data sanitization before e-waste recycling and disposal, especially with a remote workforce.
The security vendor Cybereason describes REvil (aka Sodinokibi) as “the Crown Prince of Ransomware.”
Does your company have an IT budget? What are your tech spending categories? Keep reading for great insights on what should be included.
Trying to keep IT costs low, or prioritize a fixed monthly cost? Let’s discuss how a managed IT services provider can help you manage your IT budget.
Without an annual assessment, most businesses have no visibility over their assets, resource constraints, or other critical insights about their environment.
Independent Audit Verifies Net Friends’ Internal Controls and Processes
What does the primary focus of your IT company say about the operational maturity of your IT environment?
What tools do you have in place and optimized to support your risk-informed responses?
Are you focused on minimizing network downtown or avoiding unnecessary disruptions?
Ryuk is a sophisticated strand of ransomware that not only encrypts network drives, but it also deletes shadow copies on the endpoint. Here's how to prevent it!
The story of how we went from a scrappy group of six technicians at Duke to a radically innovative IT partner that brought HIPAA expertise to the table.
Maze is a sophisticated strand of ransomware that steals data and exfiltrates it to servers controlled by hackers.
The primary lever of extortion in leakware is to threaten to release a target’s confidential data. Here's how you can protect yourself against these attacks.
Line-of-business (LOB) software is the Achilles heel of small business backup strategies. Don't forget to secure critical data from your LOB tools too.
Net Friends selected a potent combination of tools that allows us to offer our small business customers enterprise-grade security without enterprise pricing.
When we discovered Cortex XDR as the best detection & response tool on the market, we knew we'd do everything we could to create access to it for our customers.
How on earth did we “predict” the pandemic? All “Back to the Future” jokes aside, the simple fact is we didn’t predict anything. What we did was more practical.
In November 2020, Gartner released its Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls with Palo Alto Networks securing the top position yet again in the Leader quadrant.
The “Business Premium” plan is affordable and gives us access to powerful cloud-based security tools that we could call upon to keep your data more secure.
The top three reasons why we selected Kirkpatrick Price as our SOC 2 Type II auditor and how that led us to a powerful risk assessment tool.
After our SOC 2 Type II audit, we started engaging with new risk categories that led us on a journey towards discovering a powerful risk assessment tool.
How the Axio360's quant tool helps us explore various risk scenarios and directly quantify the costs for those events should they occur.
Have you heard that over 90% of data breaches begin with an attacker sending email? This statistic is unfortunately about four years out of date.
One of the most rewarding aspects of working alongside an incredible team of talented people is that you discover the diverse experiences that people bring.
Establishing our Palo Alto Networks partner status allowed us to differentiate ourselves as an MSP and MSSP in the local and regional market.
I first met Grant Leonard back in 2002. We hired him at Net Friends as a contractor to help with all sorts of IT security projects and initiatives.
This battle-tested process is what lets us give our NetVisor customers a single monthly rate, guaranteed for up to three years.
Ransomware simulation and mitigation is likely to be the element of MPT that even companies with limited security awareness find most compelling.
Just in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released an update to Special Publication 800-53.
If your current IT provider isn’t operating within a defined Technology Stack, it means they are not supporting you optimally.
Microsoft Office 2010 will reach “end of support” status on October 13, 2020. If you still have users working with Office 2010, we recommend you upgrade now.
Net Friends is introducing NetCore Elements, a monthly subscription service featuring Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall and security protections.
Your MSP must be willing to make difficult commitments in order for their Technology Stack to help customers produce returns on the investment.
As businesses worldwide shifted to work-from-home configurations at the start of the pandemic, this left many with little choice but to adopt “BYOD” solutions.
Net Friends is the first managed service provider (MSP) in the Research Triangle region to deploy a complete Technology Stack for local businesses.
Net Friends announced as first strategic partner in Axio360 Partnership Program featuring Axio's industry-leading platform for assessing cyber risk exposure.
Net Friends is partnering with Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, to deliver true next generation firewall security.
Net Friends is ready to help you get the most out of your existing Office 365 plan or upgrade to one that meets your new telecommuting needs.
Over 90% of all cyberattacks begin via email. Within minutes, Net Friends can implement a full suite of security controls that can protect you against exploits.
Protecting your credentials is a challenge in the best of times. There are so many clever tactics malicious attackers use to get your staff’s passwords.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are announcing special packages designed to help you transition to working remotely with minimal loss of productivity.
As Rahm Emanuel once said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”
Many small business owners have not performed the due diligence that will ensure their telecommuting policies are ready for a significant shift.
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