Technology Advisor Blog



The CIO Effect: Transforming Small Business with Big Tech Strategies

Posted by Ann Westerheim on 2/2/24 3:11 PM

Large corporations have a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Financial Office, a Chief Information Officer - and maybe some more "Chiefs" on the team.  Each plays a separate and vital role moving the business forward.   While smaller organizations can't afford to have so many full time employees at the top, there's no reason you can't benefit from the vital role the Chief Information Officer (CIO) can play in your organization - maybe just on a fractional or virtual basis.

Read More

Tags: small business, small business technology, small business technology advice., vcio, cio





Ekaru Awarded ScalePad Partner Advisory Council Partner of the Year

Posted by Ann Westerheim on 1/22/24 4:15 PM

The award winners were hand-selected by ScalePad's Sales and Success teams as leaders in the industry.

Read More

Tags: small business, small business technology advice., cybersecurity, award





2024 State of Cybersecurity: Convenience, Security, and Digital Transformation

Posted by Ann Westerheim on 11/20/23 2:19 PM

Cybersecurity is in the news just about every day!  The balance between cybersecurity and convenience is always tough, and sometimes cybersecurity can even get in the way.  

Read More

Tags: small business technology, small business technology advice., cybersecurity, cybersecurity training





I'm a Small Business.  Why Would a Ransomware Gang be Out to Get Me?

Posted by Ann Westerheim on 9/20/22 11:38 AM

"I'm a small business.  Why would a ransomware gang be out to get me?"  This is a question we hear a lot working with local businesses.  Everyone sees the big cyber crime headlines in the news, most recently with Uber, and last year quite visibly with the Colonial Pipeline, but what many people don't realize is that half of these kinds of threats hit small businesses - the events just don't make national news.  Why are so many small businesses impacted when there are bigger targets out there?  It's Ransomware as a Service.  What's ransomware as a service? You’re likely familiar with software as a service (SaaS) but ransomware? What does that mean?

First, let’s do a quick review of what ransomware is. It's a type of malware that holds the victim’s files and folders for ransom.  This sounds like something out of a Tom Cruise movie, but basically a giant warning shows up on your screen with a ticking clock that says pay the ransom, or you won't ever access your files again.  Most typically, malware gets on your computer network through human error with someone inadvertently clicking on the wrong link or opening the wrong email attachment (like a fake resume).   The malware is deployed and encrypts network data, with a safe return of your data being promised when the ransom is paid. And with payments usually made through cryptocurrency, these crimes are can be committed anonymously.  Cybercrime is big business!

The "Ransomware as a Service" business model was developed for criminal purposes to make it even easier for criminals to conduct crimes. Ransomware requires little effort to deploy with potentially big payouts.  Criminals with little or no technical know-how can now blast out millions of emails to potential victims.  All they need is a few mouse clicks to make a lot of money.

Ransomware as a Service

Read More

Tags: small business, small business technology advice., cybersecurity, ransomware, cybersecurity training





Going Remote - Phones and Office Collaboration Technology Made Simple

Posted by Ann Westerheim on 7/10/20 2:05 PM

This week we hosted another business leader in our Pandemic "Lunch and Learn" small business technology series.  Frank Correira, Senior Channel Manager at LogMeIn spoke to the Ekaru business community about "unified communications" - Voice / Video / Text. 

Read More

Tags: small business, small business technology advice., VoiP,





Tech Time Saver - Keybreeze

Posted by Ann Westerheim on 2/7/11 12:53 PM

Here's a cool tech tool we recommend for saving time on your computer - Keybreeze.  Keybreeze is basically a way to create short cuts to access files, applications, and web sites.

Read More

Tags: computer time saver, small business technology advice.





Subscribe by Email





    Most Popular Posts



    Browse by Tag

    See all tags...


    Posts by Month

    See all months...


    Connect With Us



    Older Blog Posts

    For older Ekaru blog posts, go to ekaru.blogspot.com.