fbpx

What I wish business owners knew about IT: Part 2

By Tracy Hardin | October 6, 2021
My name is Tracy Hardin, and this is the second blog in my 3-part blog series on what I wish business owners knew about IT. This time, the topic is MONEY! Mistakes and shortsightedness in IT can and will cost the business owner money, and sometimes lots of it. IT...

What I wish business owners knew about IT: Part 1

By Tracy Hardin | October 3, 2021
My name is Tracy Hardin and I've worked in the IT industry for thirty years, twenty of which were spent running my own IT consulting firm, Next Century Technologies. In this three part series, I will share what I wish every business owner knew about IT. I've seen many mistakes,...

Cybersecurity Tips for Businesses

By Tracy Hardin | June 17, 2021
Cybersecurity is all about prevention and layers of defense. Since there is no one magic software that can protect an entity, the layered approach is best defense we have now. Let's look at some of these recommended practices from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Update and patch Ensure your...

Don’t wait for that update!

By Tracy Hardin | June 3, 2021
One way that you can keep your cybersecurity stance and digital-identity safer, is to allow for those updates to happen as soon as they are released - assuming that it is from an application or program that you have chosen to use or that is required by your workplace. Sometimes...

My Favorite FREE Apps to Boost Business Productivity

By Tracy Hardin | May 13, 2021
Let's talk business for a moment. There are thousands and thousands of free business apps flooding the market, vying for our attention. Which ones are valuable? Which ones are legit? Who has time to sort through them all? My name is Tracy Hardin, and I am a nerd and business...

Do You Have a Home Cybersecurity Plan?

By Tracy Hardin | May 10, 2021
Hidden somewhere in your house is an unlocked door - or doors - that may be giving access to information that can be accessed and stolen much more easily than the family heirlooms and jewels. Your home network is an entry point that is far too often overlooked. With school...

What’s the Breach Notification Rule for HIPAA?

By Tracy Hardin | November 24, 2020
Timing is Everything Like most things in healthcare, timing is essential. You need to think quickly and act swiftly during a time when your head might not be set and sorted to do so. And again, like our own health, preparation today can allow for survival and a healthy outcome...

How do people get hacked?

By Tracy Hardin | November 24, 2020
The 2016 State of SMB Cybersecurity Report revealed that half (14 million) of the 28 million small businesses in the U.S. had been hacked by cybercriminals, but why? According to a CNBC survey of 2,000 small-business owners, small businesses are not spending enough on cybersecurity. With human-error being the most...

Ransomware Victims – Could Your Actions Be Illegal?

By Tracy Hardin | November 24, 2020
What we do know for certain is that this week, the government took a stand when it came to another type of criminal behavior, and it was with the ransoms issued by hackers. On October 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued...