Category Archives: Office / Tech / eCommerce

It’s October, which for those in the technology field means it is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. 

Since 2004, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been designated as a time to raise awareness regarding the impact of cybersecurity. Given the devastating impact of cybersecurity attacks, a month does not seem enough. The year 2023 has seen a drastic influx of not only an increase in attacks, but also large payouts to ransomware operators.

No matter the size of an organization, it is a target. No organization is safe from threat actors. Just look at the recent ransomware attacks affecting MGM Grand and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. While these large organizations handle money, casinos are not normally on the list for threat actors until now.

With the increase in attacks and potential costs to organizations, now is the time to focus on basic foundational questions.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a popular time for routine tips or practices, but they warrant constant reminders. Traditional guidance holds that organizations should follow several time-tested practices to help protect themselves. They include:

• A safe and secure password.

• Utilize multi-factor authentication when possible.

• Data encryption.

• Routine data backup.

• Keep your devices updated.

• Report phishing attempts.

By Jill Nagy
Like many businesses during the corona virus pandemic, Integrated Staffing is having “a weird year,” according to co-owner Dhianna Yezzi. In the midst of it, the company moved from Glens Falls into new, larger space at 463 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs.
Integrated Staffing is a locally owned and operated temporary, temporary-to-permanent, and permanent staffing agency.
The new headquarters was once a house. An addition to the front of the building provides office space for five people in an open space off the former front foyer. Construction began before the pandemic but was halted because of it.

By Mark Shaw
Businesses are starting to wake up to the growing need for cybersecurity. Your worlds have changed, and everyone rushed on day one in April to take their computers home, get VPNs set up and now you are in a mixed state.
Some staff are home, others are in the office full time, others swing in and out of the office on a flexible schedule. This has produced some wonderful changes in the way we work; it has also provided cyber criminals a series of new methods to attack.
What we are seeing is a growing need to treat cybersecurity differently. This is not an IT problem. Your internal or external technology resources should not be the same. You need to consider a clear separation of church and state in your organization.
Why? I`m sure you are asking why would you need a second company involved in your day to day technology?

By Rose Miller
As fall and winter approach, employers will not only have to plan for the on-going pandemic, but they must also address the challenges faced by working parents, a stressed workforce, decisions involving onsite versus a remote workforce and possibly shutting down again.
These decisions involve creating comprehensive and legally compliant policies and procedures.
It is also a time for employers to think about a comprehensive approach to its company’s benefits. Like every aspect of the business, employers need to assess how the pandemic has impacted their entire benefit offering. They need to also consider how new federal and state mandated leaves interplay with paid time off policies and insurance benefits. Based on their findings, they may want to revise what type of benefits are critical to both the company and its employees.

By Dorothy Rogers-Bullis
At some point along the way, the term “trendy” became pejorative—a design concept to be avoided—evoking images of orange shag carpet and Harvest Gold appliances.
When it comes to office design, however, the latest trends aren’t just about flash-in-the-pan materials or color palettes. More often than not, today’s innovations in workplace technology and space planning allow for increased productivity, better ergonomics, and higher employee satisfaction.
Is your workspace keeping up with the times? Here are just a few of the many trends we are seeing in workplace design in 2019.
“Resimercial” style
Increasingly, office workers are seeking the comfortable furniture and settings they enjoy at home, but companies still desire the durability of traditional office products and materials.
Blending residential warmth and familiarity with pragmatic commercial design elements, the so-called “resimercial” trend sits at the intersection of the home and the office. This less formal, highly adaptable style appeals to younger workers, as well as to forward-thinking industries like technology and marketing. It can boost productivity, creativity, and even employee wellness.

by Richard Ruzzo
On July 26, the Shield Act was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to direct that better security measures and policies are put in place by all business that store, maintain or electronically handle non-public personal information (NPPI) to help protect against hackers obtaining an individual’s personal and private information.
The law is set to take effect March 21.
What determines a breach in a security system?
A breach occurs when one’s NPPI is exposed, made vulnerable or stolen from the host organization by unscrupulous data thieves. The information at risk and covered by the new statue is as follows:
Any data that is compromised and consisting of any combination of; name, Social Security number, driver’s license number or non-driver identification card, account number, credit card number, security access code, password or PIN to a financial account, username/email address with a security question/password and any biometric data information based on unique features that can be viewed digitally.
Businesses that are already regulated and that need to comply with data breach notifications for state or federal laws are also covered by the statue and must contact the state Attorney General, the Consumer Protection Board and the State Police if a breach occurs.