October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM). This is a month of bringing awareness to the importance of staying safe in the world of technology. Cybersecurity is intimidating and confusing to a lot of people. If you’re as confused as most, hopefully some of the NCSAM information being shared this October will help give you a better level of comfort in how to #BeCyberSmart.
Cyber tip #1: If you don’t know IT, hire IT.
If you owned a business, and you weren’t sure how to keep it safe and secure, you’d probably hire someone to help with security. Why should things be any different when your personal assets are at stake? You don’t have to pay a lot to get a lot.
Check out your local community college, or get involved in adult education courses through your local school district. You can also check out some of the self-study resources at the end of this post. They are reputable sources and will get you moving in the right direction. Or, if you are a HealthStar Client, ask your HealthStar contact and we will work with you to find some resources!
Before you pay anyone to help you, check out these free and low-cost options, or ask for some guidance at a local library or college.
Cybersecurity-schmybersecurity
In the land of words that are long and difficult to type, “Cybersecurity” is at least a contender. What do you picture when you see the word Cybersecurity? If you’re like most people, it’s something wiggly, not quite in focus, and hard to put your finger on. Maybe a shape-shifting robot, or something like that.
If you want to know what I picture, I’ll tell you. I picture this little logo:
This is the logo of a company called TopDog PC Services. TopDog is my best friend in the whole, wide, computer-technology world. HealthStar’s IT department would be a sad place without TopDog. Beth and Susan would be afraid to come to work, and all of the other HealthStar staff would be wondering “what happened to our previously helpful, responsive, and effective IT ladies?”
Computers wouldn’t know when to update, or what to download. Our HIPAA security team would be nervously clearing throats and biting fingernails. Antivirus software would be disconnected, and we’d be stuck using TeamViewer or LogMeIn for remote support. Mobile devices would be out in the wild with no management.
Basically, it would be chaos, doom, and despair for all.
So, naturally, to kick off NCSAM, I wanted to say a big HealthStar thank-you to Joe, Jordon, and all of the staff at TopDog PC. You guys give our itsy bitsy, teeny-weeny, HealthStar IT team the courage of a fully staffed IT DEPARTMENT. You’ve given us the background knowledge that we don’t always have, and the technical expertise that we’ve always wanted. You keep us operating, you keep us updated, and you help us find the right tools to keep ourselves safe and secure in a world of ever-evolving technology. And you do all of this with SO. MUCH. PATIENCE.
THANK YOU!
We really do love you guys.
Sincerely,
Beth Taylor and Susan Mocchi
(Two of your biggest fans)
(And also from a bunch of people who might not even realize how much you help us out – all of the office staff in Bemidji, Cass Lake, Cloquet, Duluth, Inver Grove Heights, Nett Lake, North St. Paul, Ogema, St. Paul, Waite Park, and don’t forget Gallup, NM and Casa Grande, AZ!)
Stay tuned for more NCSAM fun and information, all throughout the month of October! And check out our Facebook page for even more information about how you can #BeCyberSmart.
Resource list:
https://staysafeonline.org/ (Loads of free tech safety resources for businesses, parents, teens, kids, older adults, and everyone in-between)
https://s2me.io/ (Free self-assessment to determine your personal level of security. Includes tons of great tips to improve security.)
And, of course, https://www.topdogpc.com/ (My best buddies in the technology world. Please look them up if you need help with IT coverage for your business. They are the bee’s knees of techies. They’ll help you figure out all of your tech and compliance stuff, and they will do it at a reasonable price. They also know all about wasabi soy almonds, yum. )