MFA? Yes, you need it!

Multi-Factor Authentication:
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA for short) is one of the single best ways to help keep you and your associated accounts safe, yet it is often the one of the most hated methods.

What is MFA?
Simply stated, MFA uses a second (or third) device to allow you to authenticate your account. This is most common with Email and Banking applications. When you go sign-in, your MFA device is sent an activation code. This process attempts to ensure that you are the one who is requesting a login. The logic goes that it is more difficult for a hacker to compromise both your password and your MFA devices.

MFA is one of the most effective tactics used to combat phishing scams. Let’s say that a user at your firm is targeted and they disclose their password during a scam. While that is a problem, the bad guys would still need the MFA device in order to actually login. During this time, the user can report the disclosure to IT and we can make changes before anything happens.

Why don’t more people use it?
The simple reason is its perceived as a hassle. Having to have your phone nearby to login to email may add an additional few moments to the sign-in process, but in the end it can make your life much more secure.

Complexity weighs in too. Not knowing how to properly setup MFA and integrate with your applications is a huge obstacle.

Another reason seems to be about awareness. This email is designed to help with that.

What are the costs?
Depends on your environment. Microsoft and Google both offer free MFA as part of their core email offering. Several 3rd party solutions like Duo exist as well.

Can you help?
If you are a managed IT client then yes we can! We are actively advising all our managed clients of the importance of MFA and reviewing the methods we can use.

Our goal is to integrate your on-premise environment and your cloud infrastructure.

May 14, 2019

Solution Highlight

Happy Halloween. Don’t forget your backup!

Happy Halloween from PremierePC.

Remember, there is nothing more scary than not having a proper backup and disaster recovery plan in place.

Our ProSupport Complete offering includes backup to help with management and peace of mind.

Call PremierePC today to learn more about our solutions.

October 14, 2018

Solution Highlight

Microsoft Silver Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions

PremierePC has achieved the next level in our cloud services relationship with Microsoft. This means even better support and integration for our clients.

Our team can now support your organization from sales to deployment. We now offer direct billing so you can skip keeping a card on file with Microsoft. All license requests are now handled by our team, often in just a few moments.

If you are already using Office 365 solutions let us show you how to take full advantage of all the features available to you.

If you are on the fence or using alternative solutions, let us show you what is possible.

Contact us at 864 335 9223, Opt 2 to learn more about Microsoft Cloud solutions for your business.

Having trouble with your staff learning the solution? Ask about our learn as you go portal available for on a per user basis.

August 15, 2018

Solution Highlight

Security Awareness Training

Problem

Cybercriminals target businesses through their end users, often using user information as shared on social networks and other locations online to gain their trust. When end users unwittingly click phishing links, open malware attachments, or give up credentials and other sensitive information online, cybercriminals can bypass existing layers of security to successfully breach organizations’ networks.

Businesses need a cost-effective solution that delivers the right security and cyber-awareness training to the individuals who need it most to stop breaches and minimize the security impact of unwitting user error.

Solution

With ongoing, relevant, engaging cybersecurity awareness training-such as phishing simulations, courses on IT and security best practices, and data protection and compliance training where relevant-businesses can significantly reduce the risks they face due to user error. Webroot Security Awareness Training ensures that people, processes, and technology are all harnessed effectively together to stop cybercriminals.

Global, real-time Webroot® Threat Intelligence helps provide highly topical, relevant, and timely real-life educational content. Our integrated online security management console and automated Learning Management System make administration straightforward and easy, helping organizations reduce risk, decrease infections and related help desk costs, protect their reputation by experiencing fewer breaches, and secure their overall cybersecurity investment.

Avaialble to existing ProSupport LITE and ProSupport Complete clients as an add-on to our included Endpoint securiety solution.

Contact us at 864 335 9223, Opt 2 to learn more.

August 4, 2018

Solution Highlight

HOSTED PHONES: Call Encryption

Jive Secure (Call Encryption)

PremierePC and Jive Commutations are proud to present Secure Call.

This feature is supported on Cisco MPP, Polycom, and Yealink only.

Jive Secure protects your conversations with audio encryption—ensuring unwanted listeners can’t hack into your calls. Here’s the nitty-gritty: When you’re on a call, audio travels between two separate paths. First, between your phone network and Jive Cloud; and second, between Jive Cloud and your caller’s phone network. The two paths together allow you to speak to and hear each other. Jive Secure encrypts the first path of audio and encrypts both if your call is with another device that has Secure Calling enabled as well. Now you can rest easy knowing your network is protected.

What You Need to Know

Jive Web and Jive Mobile support Jive Secure.
Jive Voice features like call monitoring (eavesdropping) and call recording still work with call encryption enabled.
Call encryption may use slightly more bandwidth and will change the network protocol you’re using. As a result, be sure to adjust your network policies as needed.
If Media Release is enabled on your network, Jive Secure will override this setting.
Jive Secure uses TCP protocol. Ensure that port 5062 is enabled on your network.

How to enable

Need this feature enabled for your business? Reach out to our team to learn more and schedule an implementation session. Certain adjustments to our client’s edge device will be required before enabling this feature.

November 8, 2017

Solution Highlight

UPDATE: Hosted Business Phones now have UNLIMITED call recording for flat rate.

Last month we announced via email that call recording is now billed at a flat rate of $19 for UNLIMITED recording and storage to the Amazon S3 storage system.

To get started you will need to purchase a license to use the software which connects a PC or Laptop to the recording container online.

With the software installed you can then listen to your recordings online moments after the call is completed.

Call recording is a great feature for training new team members and helping with call quality especially in customer service environments.

September 16, 2013

Solution Highlight

UPDATE: Hosted Business Phones now support automatic failover.

We are pleased to announce that effective immediately our hosted business phones now supports a new feature called automatic failover.Our business phone systems are now more redundant then ever before making them a perfect replacement for traditional analog and key based systems.

This new settings is configured per line giving you the ability to automatically route calls to any extension OR external number in the event your device is down due to loss of power, internet, or any other device level malfunctions.

There is no cost to sue the feature as it is included in your monthly access fees. You can add the failover line online via your hosted phone portal or just give us a call and we can handle the changes for you.

June 5, 2013

Solution Highlight

Add Birthday’s to my Google Calendar

Yes, you can in fact add your contact’s birthdays to your calendar, never forget again… well at least try to never forget.

Checkout the link below to add contact birthdays and other interesting items to your Google Apps calendar.

Add interesting calendars from Google Calendar – Google Calendar Help

October 14, 2011

Solution Highlight

Offline Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs

Offline Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs:

As promised, Google brought back the offline mode for Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs. The updated apps use HTML5 features and no longer require the Gears plugin.

For Gmail, Google chose the easy way out and tweaked the tablet interface. You can only use it in Google Chrome after installing this app from the Chrome Web Store.

The app lets you archive and label email, compose new messages and read the messages you’ve received, but it doesn’t have all the features from the standard version. The interface is more suitable for tablets, so this is more like a temporary workaround instead of a definitive solution.

September 28, 2011

Solution Highlight

Product Highlight: Google Calendar

Organizing your schedule shouldn’t be a burden. With Google Calendar, it’s easy to keep track of life’s important events all in one place.

7 reasons to use Google Calendar…

1. Share your schedule Let your co-workers, family, and friends see your calendar, and view schedules that others have shared with you. When you know when everyone is free or busy, scheduling is a snap.

2. Get your calendar on the go With two-way syncing to your mobile phone’s built-in calendar or a mobile version of Google Calendar that’s made for the small screen, you can access your calendar while you’re away from your desk.

3. Never forget another event again Customizable reminders help you stay on schedule. You can choose to be notified by email or get a text message sent right to your mobile phone.

4. Send invitations and track RSVPs Invite other people to events on your calendar. Guests can RSVP to your events by email or via Google Calendar.

5. Sync with your desktop applications Access your calendar however and whenever you want by syncing events with other applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Apple iCal and Mozilla Sunbird.

6. Work offline Know where you’re supposed to be even when you don’t have internet access. After downloading this app to enable the Google Calendar Offline (Beta) feature, you can view and RSVP to your events no matter where you are.

PremierePC is an Authorized Google Apps Reseller, we offer total support from start to finish. Want to try Google Apps at your business? Learn More…

September 1, 2011