St. Paul’s Success Story / Using Built-in Meeting Apps & Tools / Ransomware & Remote Work / Safeguarding IT, People & Property

October 2020 IT News & Insights

Managing IT includes... Cloud, Security, Compliance, Video, Voice, Mobility, Networks, Storage, Support...

How are you going to tie IT all together?

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St. Paul’s Lutheran School & Church overcomes IT & COVID challenges with DataLink support

St. Paul’s Lutheran School & Church serves the spiritual and religious education needs of its Glen Burnie, MD community. For many years St. Paul’s primarily leaned on a well qualified in-house staff member to handle their IT management. When that person left, St. Paul’s hired an outside IT support firm, but the relationship didn’t last long.

Unfortunately, the COVID crisis made the timing even worse, leaving St. Paul’s without IT support once again and putting teachers, staff and 500 students in a tough spot. Faced with a chaotic school year, St. Paul’s reached out to DataLink to tackle the various challenges posed by COVID.

After a full IT assessment, DataLink strengthened wireless connectivity throughout the K-9 school to obtain more reliable Internet access for everyone.

DataLink set up tablets for remote learning and classroom use and brought all devices under the protection of a firewall.

Disaster recovery processes were put in place to protect data and applications from potential loss.

St. Paul’s also arranged for DataLink to provide ongoing CTO/CIO level consultations to be sure new and emerging IT needs would be addressed in a timely manner.

“We’re really proud of the work our team did at St. Paul’s,” notes Mylon Staton, President & CEO of DataLink. “We all have families and understand the stakes. It was gratifying to know that we played a vital role in getting their students and teachers back on track so learning can continue uninterrupted.”

When the stakes are high and you need specialized expertise, project assistance, development work or emergency support, DataLink has your back.

(410) 729-0440 | Email

Need help with Meeting & Collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams?

Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, Slack… There are a bunch of meeting apps out there, but baked into Microsoft’s suite of Office productivity tools is Teams.

The Microsoft Silver-certified experts at DataLink can assess whether your operating systems and software are up to speed so you can take full advantage of everything Teams has to offer…

Meet - Instantly go from group chat to video conference with the touch of a button. Teams of 2 or 10,000 can meet in one place, no matter how many places they’re in.

Call - Make and receive calls with internal and external groups using Microsoft Teams Calling, Phone System, Calling Plan, or Direct Routing.

Chat - Share your opinion, and your personality. Send gifs, stickers, and emojis in a group chat or in one-to-one messages.

Collaborate - Easily find, share, and edit files in real time using familiar apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in Teams.

Check out the Microsoft Teams Demo

Do more with these Microsoft Teams features…

Videoconferencing
Screen Sharing
Custom Backgrounds
Together Mode
File Sharing
Apps and Workflows
Supports 50+ languages
Connect across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android
Privacy and security features

Meetings and collaboration have never been this easy, and if your business relies on remote work, Teams is essential for keeping tasks on track, maintaining efficiency and meeting productivity goals.

DataLink is your local Microsoft Silver partner

(410) 729-0440 | Email

Ransomware spikes as Hackers go after your Remote Workers

To cope with the pandemic, many businesses have encouraged employees to work from home, thereby minimizing close interactions with colleagues that could potentially spread the virus. With the success of remote work solutions, there has come another pandemic to worry about – the scourge of ransomware.

Analysis of malicious activity published in Skybox Security's 2020 Vulnerability and Threat Trends Report notes that ransomware attacks have increased 72% in the first half of this year, primarily due to the work-at-home response to COVID.

As the frequency of ransomware attacks continues to grow, many organizations find themselves ill-equipped to deal with this situation…

COVID has drained the financial resources of many organizations, leaving them without the means to mount an effective ransomware defense.

Many remote workers fall outside of the corporate security umbrella, making them easy prey for attackers.

Additional risk comes with security vulnerabilities in remote-desktop protocols, the use of weak passwords, and continued susceptibility to phishing schemes.

The general lack of security training for employees has increased the attack surface for cyber criminals.

IT staff, already overworked before the COVID pandemic, are not likely to catch up soon as they continue to grapple with the realities of remote work.

Ransomware is so effective at locking down infrastructure, rendering systems and networks unusable, that victims often feel the only option is to pay up – which can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoin.

Getting the security support you need in these challenging times is of critical importance to the continued success of your business. If your IT security capabilities need a boost, DataLink can help you get where you need to be.

(410) 729-0440 | Email

Keep a 24x7 Eye on Your Business with Mobile Apps & Video Surveillance Systems

Are you keeping an eye on your business? If not, the consequences can sneak up on you…

Property theft can shrink your inventory and critical assets, cause delays in serving customers, and drive up insurance premiums

With no means to gather visual proof, criminals may be encouraged to act again

Not taking “common sense” precautions can leave your company exposed to costly litigation

Employees may be discouraged from working overtime or putting in late hours to finish a project

Negative publicity about break-ins or internal harassment could foster an image of your company as an unsafe workplace

A video surveillance system can make these problems disappear. DataLink will work with you to customize, implement and manage an affordable video surveillance system from the cloud that will provide 24x7 coverage to protect your people and your property.

Best of all, you can manage and monitor your video surveillance system anytime, anywhere – at work, at home, or on the go – through a mobile app.

Advanced Features

Access on your computer, laptop, or mobile device.

Manage credentials and view live or recorded video.

Receive real-time alarm/event and system health notifications.

Easily view and manage multiple sites and accounts from a single login.

Capture events locally, then store in the cloud for safe and secure backup.

Configuration web page provides quick and intuitive setup of event triggers and user parameters for each camera.

Seamlessly integrate into current digital or analog systems

Protect what counts… DataLink will perform a site assessment and implement a custom security solution that’s right for your business.

(410) 729-0440 | Email

Safeguarding IT… DataLink named to Top 250 Managed Security Services Providers list

The Top 250 MSSPs List and related research identifies and honors top security providers worldwide. The annual rankings are based on a readership survey combined with global editorial coverage. Providers receiving recognition on the list proactively monitor, manage, and mitigate cyber threats for organizations of all sizes.

When it comes to cyber security and compliance, DataLink offers comprehensive managed security service programs that include monitoring and mitigation, Virtual CISO, Compliance Gap Analysis, Security Risk Assessment, IT Security Policy Framework, Network Security Posture, and industry-specific programs that include HIPAA and Financial Services Compliance.

“When it comes to the growing problem of cyber security, our customers are trying to stay ahead of the threat curve, but they don’t always have the in-house resources needed to deal with the many complex issues that can come up,” said Mylon Staton, President and CEO of DataLink.

“Our exceptional team of security specialists help keep everything running smoothly on our clients’ networks and systems. They do all of this while simultaneously neutralizing real and potential threats that can cripple a business. Having their hard work pay off by being recognized among this global list of Top MSSPs is especially gratifying.”

Cyber Threats Research

The survey revealed several cyberattack trends in the managed security services provider market. The most frequent attacks impacting MSSP clients in 2020 include phishing (95%), vulnerability (76%) and ransomware (69%) attacks.

Does your organization need help with cybersecurity or IT compliance?

(410) 729-0440 | Email