Ergonomic Furniture

Ergonomics is the science of   designing specific items, such as furniture, to comfortably conform to the body and reduce the risk of injury from stress and strain. Ergonomic furniture is more comfortable than regular office furniture, improving the overall work environment. This furniture reduces common  problems such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, neck pains, and lower back pains – to name a few.

 

A great feature of ergonomic   furniture is that it can be adjusted in numerous ways, which considerably reduces the amount of strain on the body. Employees can become fatigued throughout the day due to furniture that does not adequately accommodate their bodies, but with ergonomic office furniture, there is less risk of injury due to the conformity offered.

This type of furniture increases productivity greatly by decreasing the amount of stress the body experiences. When your employees are comfortable and able to work with less strain on their bodies, they will do a better and more productive job.

One study of high school students had students stand at an ergonomic standing desk through class rather than sitting and found test scores improved 20%. The student’s parents also indicated that their children seemed to be more energetic after school and were more responsive to doing their homework. If a standing desk can get a teenager to do his or her homework, then it must be doing something right!

Ergonomic furniture is a step up from ordinary office furniture. Whether your

office is in a business office or in your home, ergonomic furniture may be the answer to the aches and pains that result from using traditional furniture. 

Seasonal Computer Maintenance

Seasonal cleaning can mean many things. In your home: washing windows and floors or hauling off trash. In the office: purging old files, furniture, and assets. However, businesses often neglect preventative maintenance for their computer hardware  and environmental control systems.

Yes, computers need routine cleaning! Frequent cleaning of servers, desktops, and laptops is often overlooked and can result in costly repairs. Dust will build up on the   internal components restricting airflow and preventing proper cooling of these components. This can result in the computer running hot, causing the fans to run faster and louder than normal. Heat can also result in the CPU automatically throttling back to keep the temperature from rising, which can result in slower performance. Heat is the number one enemy of electronics and the life span of computers that run hot for too long will be greatly reduced.

Large data centers run massive cooling systems to remove the heat from the environment and use air filtration to minimize dust buildup. While most small business budgets do not   permit this level of protection, there are steps you should take.

Schedule annual or bi-annual cleaning of servers and key computers, or invest in training and materials to perform the cleaning yourself. Consider cooling options for your server room and wiring closets and have the units serviced annually. If your office heating/cooling system includes vents in these areas, do not allow heat to be blown into these rooms in the winter. It is best practice to keep your server room temperature range between 68 and 71 degrees Fahrenheit. 

For any questions about seasonal maintenance, please your DCR sales rep for assistance.

Remote Access and Network Security

When it comes to protecting customer information and other critical data from hackers, it is crucial to understand that layers of security are necessary. The following steps will help you preserve the safety and security of your network while allowing personnel the access they need.

Switch to the Cloud

Cloud Storage systems offer numerous benefits for small businesses. Data migrated to the cloud is stored on an off-site server, housed in data centers that boast security most of us cannot afford. A mobile or remote workforce can access information regardless of their locations and your sensitive data will remain secure.

Secure Remote Access

For many businesses, the cost of cloud storage is not budget friendly and they prefer to have their data onsite, while still supporting a mobile or remote workforce. By choosing a business grade firewall that includes virtual private network features, you can restrict remote access to only those authorized to connect to your computers.

Passwords

If your employees are using their kids’ names, birthday, or anniversary dates, dogs names or  any word found in the dictionary as passwords, they are weakening the security of your business as a whole. Proper passwords are key to ensuring remote access is restricted to only your employees. Passwords should be at least 14 characters long, include 1 capital letter, 1 number and 1 special character (e.g. @, !, $, etc.). It is good practice to change passwords every 30-60 days and use unique passwords for each website and application. 

Business Grade Email

Securing email communication is key to protecting private information. Email should be hosted by a site that specializes in business grade email and provides spam and anti-virus protection. Businesses should use email with their own company domain name and not a generic domain from an email provider. Email addresses should not be just a first or last name. If you must send personal or legal information via email, such as social security numbers or a federal tax ID, consider an email hosting service that includes encryption.

Monitor Virus Protection

Viruses and malware still present a serious risk for any business and having remote employees amplifies the threat. Many would-be hackers target off-site workers’ computer systems because they tend to be neglected and less secure. Once remote employees connect to the company’s network using an infected laptop, tablet or desktop then the malware can be introduced and allow hackers access to your internal network. Regularly review anti-virus, anti-malware and firewall consoles to verify the software is being updated and all computers are protected. Also, review the detection logs to determine if any computers show signs of significant infection rates.

Talk to an Expert

If computer security is not what you do for a living, invest in a relationship with a professional company that does, and request an Annual Security Review. For any questions your have about your remote access or network security contact your DCR sales rep.

Network Security / MUST HAVES in Wireless Security

We all love Wi-Fi. It’s a beautiful thing to be free of cables and wires, and able to roam as you please throughout your office or home. However, Wi-Fi is not secure by default. Wi-Fi data is transmitted through the air and anyone with the right tools can capture it. We will discuss below security measures to protect company files, online accounts, and user privacy – whether on your own network or someone else’s.

Wi-Fi routers and wireless access points (WAPs) are not secure when first purchased. Until encryption has been configured, anyone nearby can easily connect to your network. Typically, these users are using your free wireless Internet for browsing and downloading, which serves to slow down your connection. Nonetheless, hackers could also access your PC and files if they wanted to. They could capture your passwords and hijack your accounts.

Listed below are steps that are necessary and MUST HAVES to secure your network.

Choose the right Wi-Fi security settings. Enable WPA2 - Personal Security on Your Network

If your Wi-Fi network is secured only with WEP or nothing at all, then at least enable

WPA2 - Personal security.

Offer Separate Wi-Fi for Guests

Never allow an untrusted or unfamiliar person access to your private Wi-Fi network, so they can’t possibly get into your computers and files, and eavesdrop on your traffic.

Physically Secure Your Network  Equipment

Keep equipment physically locked and secure.

Use guest WiFi securely outside the office with VPN

You can use a virtual private network (VPN) connection, which secures all your Internet traffic by redirecting it to the VPN server via an encrypted tunnel. This ensures that if local eavesdroppers are hanging around a Wi-Fi hotspot, they won’t see your real Internet traffic and can’t capture your passwords or hijack any accounts.

Be Sure Websites Are Encrypted

Secure all your traffic when out of the office, at least ensure that any websites you log in to are encrypted. You should always see https:// instead of http://

Purchase Business Quality Wi-Fi  Equipment

DCR offers Cisco Meraki wireless access points with enterprise features at small and medium sized business prices. The Cisco-Meraki access points allow a custom “splash screen” to be setup for guest Wi-Fi access, to keep guests off your network but still allow them Wi-Fi access. Remote management using cloud bases console is a key feature which makes managing all your devices easier than ever before. Especially when integrated with the full line of Cisco-Meraki products like routers and switches.

Contact your DCR sales rep to find out how you can get a free Cisco-Meraki wireless access point for your business!

Managed Services

We have all heard about security breaches in big firms such as Target and Amazon, but, what we do not hear about are all the small to medium sized businesses that are attacked daily. Did you know that 3 out of every 5 cyber-breach victims are small and medium sized businesses? It is estimated the average out-of-pocket cost for a breach is $38,000, and many companies that experience a breach never recover from them.

You may be asking yourself, why would anyone want my data? Isn’t my business too small to be of any interest to cyber criminals?

The answer is a simple one – No. Small businesses are considered low hanging fruit because they frequently have weaker defenses against attackers. This makes you a target for hackers that want to steal your data for the purpose of stealing credit card information, applying for loans, filing false tax returns, making fake IDs, and the list goes on and on.

Your next question may be – How can I protect my business?

The answer: Proper security products designed for your business and budget, proper security procedures, regular maintenance and continuous monitoring of your network. Some companies may not have the man power or expertise to be able to commit to routine managed services and consistent monitoring and should consider subscribing to Managed Services from a computer security professional.

What do Managed Services and monitoring entail, you ask?

Managed Services include the proactive management of security products, backup solutions, and overall network/computer health. The major distinction between managed service and IT support is the proactive delivery of this service. IT support tends to be a reactive service, occurring after a problem develops. The goal of a Managed Service is to prevent the problem from occurring. DCR offers a range of managed services. Adding us as your Managed Services provider is like having your very own IT department at your fingertips.

For questions about managed services or other services we offer, call your DCR Sales Rep at 918-436-1830

Trees for Life!

Due to deforestation, continued land development, and poor forest management, over 15 billion trees each year are cut down; that translates into approximately 48 football fields every minute. As an answer to this huge problem, the Earth Day Network created the theme – Trees for the Earth, and a plan to plant 7.8 billion trees by 2020. That is one tree for every person on Earth.

In our previous ePress newsletter we discussed the impact one small business can have in a year.  The average small business office with approximately 10 employees use 20 trees a year. Speaking in terms of cost, that’s approximately $679.56 worth of paper.

There is no effort too small in the fight against the deforestation of our planet. E-cycling, recycling, e-filing, reusing, re-purposing, and reducing – are all great ways to benefit our planet and your business’ bottom line.

Be Active - Plant a tree. Make a donation. Reach out to your friends in your social network and start planning your 2017 Earth Day event!

#trees4earth

Keeping your Small Business’ Data/Network Secure

Many small businesses today still believe they are not targets for hackers because of their size, but, the opposite is actually true. Hackers prey on small businesses because they tend to have lower defenses than bigger companies, which is usually due to lack of financial resources and man power.

According to a recent threat report from an Internet security firm, 60% of all targeted attacks struck small and medium sized businesses. The average cost of one of these targeted attacks is $36,000.00!

Protecting your data security is an ongoing process of trying to stay one step ahead of hackers. So how can you keep your business from becoming a statistic?

In the upcoming editions of ePress, we are dedicating this section to MUST HAVES of network security. We will discuss hardware, software, internet and email, along with employee education.  In this edition, we will take a look at the first line of defense between your business and the outside world…the router/firewall.

Router/Firewall – Must Have 

Your end users cannot determine whether a website is ‘safe’ or uninfected by looking at it.

Legitimate websites are compromised every day. Why risk someone else's security problem becoming your problem?

At its core, a firewall inspects incoming network traffic and determines if it is safe to let through or if it should be blocked. How it determines varies depending on the type of firewall.

Lower end firewalls work with a static set of rules or filters that are set at the time of manufacture and are only updated when the device’s firmware is updated (which means these devices can become ineffective with age). These devices usually allow you to block a limited number of websites by manually adding the offending website to a blocked list. These ‘static’ firewalls are generally the less expensive devices, with SOHO (small home & office) brands found at many local retail outlets. Small Business brands are available from companies like DCR.

Higher end, subscription based, firewalls use rules and filters that are continuously updated to protect against new and evolving threats and attacks.  These devices inspect incoming network traffic, and, block websites based on categories and content, not just by a specific website URL.  Categories such as social media, gambling, gaming, adult sites, and many others, can be blocked without having to know a specific URL or website.  Content Filtering blocks websites based on the content of the webpage. Content could include profanity, adult sites or other content that may be offensive or against company policy. In addition, these higher end devices include anti-malware scanning (viruses and spyware), intrusion detection and prevention (hackers). The subscription based devices include an upfront purchase and an annually renewing subscription.

Contact DCR today to discuss which router/firewall meets your security needs and budget.