Friday 24 July 2015

How Safe is Your Business Critical Server?

So Windows Server 2003 End of Support has come and gone, and perhaps you’re wondering why you haven’t heard a media storm around a company that’s been hit hard due to not upgrading.
I think we all knew that lack of an upgrade plan wouldn't cause huge disruptions straight away, but that’s not to say that those who have hung onto Windows Server 2003 are in the clear. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite. The last round of patches from Microsoft didn't include Windows Server 2003 – so the situation for anyone holding on to this platform is much darker than they perhaps realise.

Server migration isn't done in a week. In fact, it can take five months to fully complete a server and workload migration project, and even that’s optimistic depending on the size of your business. Organisations that haven’t yet started the upgrade process aren't running late; they’re far past that point. The longer that businesses go without upgrading, the greater the security risk. On top of that, they’re taking the chance that Visa and MasterCard won’t do business with them due to Windows Server 2003 no longer being PCI compliant, which is bad news for anyone accepting card payments online.

Obviously, we’re talking bad-case scenarios here, but operating with an out of date infrastructure means that organisations are under threat. Every day on Windows Server 2003 is another day that issues can strike.
It’s not unusual for cyber attacks to target unsupported software, and really it makes perfect sense. If a global organisation is running outdated software, virus authors will naturally target it for a chance of fame. The grim reality is that by refusing to upgrade, an organisation is putting more than some data at risk; they’re actively threatening their own future. History is littered with organisations who have lost customer data – and as a result lost their customers too. It’s harsh reading, but it’s definitely worth thinking about.

To move onto happier things, End of Support has done a lot of good for businesses when customers have upgraded. The necessity of having to do something has allowed businesses to have a complete rethink of how they deal with their data, leading to some interesting choices. The most interesting is perhaps the rise of businesses using Cloud solutions. Gone are the times when migration meant a choice of which physical servers to keep in your basement. With the rise of Microsoft Azure and Office 365, organisations have been willing to not only try the cloud, but also consider both options as a valid choice when migrating from Windows Server 2003.

The main messaging to take from Windows Server 2003 EOS is that it’s never truly too late to upgrade. Mark Buckley, Senior Partner Sales Executive for Distribution at Microsoft, had this to say on the subject: ‘Support has now ended for Windows Server 2003, but it’s not too late to migrate. If your server goes down, how long is it until your business starts to lose money? Don’t wait for something to go wrong, and don’t learn the hard way.’

One thing is clear:  if businesses haven’t upgraded yet, it’s not too late. But the longer it’s left, the greater the risk is.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

Welcome to Our New Account Manager

Integrity ITS are pleased to welcome Dee Whitington to the sales team, Dee has 10 years’ experience in all areas of IT sales and Account Management.      

Contact details for Dee

Tel: 01228 594682


Give her a call have a chat.

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Christmas Opening Times

Hi All

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Our opening times during the holiday period will be...

Wed 24th      --        9am / 12:30pm
Thu 25th       --        CLOSED
Fri 26th          --       CLOSED
Mon 29th       --        9am / 5pm*
Tue 30th         --       9am / 5pm*
Wed 31st         --       9am / 5pm*
Thu 1st            --       CLOSED
Fri 2nd              --       9am / 5pm*


*Please note on these days we would be grateful if you could only contact us if the support issue is business critical.

Friday 25 July 2014

Sophos Solutions Partner of the year

Integrity IT Solutions the new name for Integrity Office are pleased to announce that they won the Sophos Solution Partner of the Year award 2013/2014

We had this advertorial published in todays Cumberland News to celebrate this great achievement. Please contact us if you are interested in securing your network.

 
You can see the official announcement on the Sophos website at
 
Also you can read here how the Sophos UTM wins on performance when put against Dell Sonic Wall, Watchguard  and Fortinet in recent independent tests.
 

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Windows XP End of Life...

XP has been the heart and soul of almost every business since 2001 but it now time to move on.



Microsoft XP operating system is going end of life on April the 8th 2014 which means it will not be getting any further security and vulnerability updates from that date. We would advise you get out with the old and in with the new.

Now is a good time to log off XP...



...and plan your upgrade to windows 8.1 so why not get in touch to discuss your options...

01228 594682 or email sales@integrityoffice.co.uk 

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Why do you need a firewall when you have anti-virus ?

Traditional antivirus will scan files and emails once the threat is already inside your network. It cannot prevent threats from entering the network. A firewall is a preventative measure that secures your network perimeter against viruses, trojans and data theft, and prevents these threats from entering your network.

Some firewalls are intelligent in such a way that they will create their own blocking rules and scan incoming and outgoing traffic, as well as having the ability for users to add their own allow and deny rules. Most firewalls update directly from the manufacturer’s website so that as soon as a threat is found the device will automatically update to block this. Traditional antivirus usually only does this once a day.

CRYPTO LOCKER - is one reason why you should get a proactive firewall.

Cryptolocker is a particularly nasty ransomeware trojan that encrypts your personal files and demands payment to decrypt them. It spreads in many ways, including phishing emails with malicious attachments or links, and via drive-by download sites. Learn more about Cryptolocker and how WatchGuard Gateway AV, WebBlocker, spamBlocker, and Reputation Enabled Defence protect you. Watch the video and read the Sophos post.


Hardware Firewalls
For the sake of simplicity, think of hardware firewalls as specialized network boxes that contain customised hardware and software. When properly configured, hardware firewalls provide a protective barrier that hides an organization’s internal PCs, servers, and other devices connected to your network from the outside world. They can also shield one company department (say, finance) from another (say, human resources).
In many cases, hardware firewalls are great solutions for organisations that want a single security umbrella that protects their PCs, servers and devices from outside threats. For this very reason, most businesses have hardware firewalls in place.
Low-end hardware firewalls, now found in network switches and routers for the home, are very basic and have their limitations. If you take a personal laptop on the road, for instance, your system is no longer protected by the home-based firewall. These firewalls usually don’t provide intelligent scanning of emails and files, they’re not automatically updated by the manufacturer, and are configured by setting up manual rules which can usually only allow or deny content from particular places.

There are two types of hardware firewall
  1. Dumb firewall – you have to tell them what to block and when
  2. Proactive firewall – these are intelligent an automatically block any potential threats  and:
    • Application Control – keeps unproductive, inappropriate, and dangerous applications off-limits.
    • Intrusion Prevention Service (IPS) delivers in-line protection from malicious exploits, including buffer overflows, SQL injections, and cross-site scripting attacks.
    • Web Blocker – controls access to sites that host objectionable material or pose network security risks.
    • Gateway Antivirus – (GAV) scans traffic on all major protocols to stop threats.
    • Reputation Enabled Defence – ensures faster, safer web surfing with cloud-based reputation look-up.
    • Data Loss Prevention – (DLP) automatically inspects data in motion for corporate policy violations, and hacker attempts
Software Firewalls

Software firewalls are more ideal for individuals that have dial-up or broadband Internet connections. Instead of using a custom piece of hardware, a software firewall installs on an individual’s PC or notebook.

Even if an organisation has hardware firewalls in place, it’s wise for individuals to use software firewalls on their own systems. The main reason: software firewalls are especially convenient for mobile workers who need digital security when working outside of the corporate network. That’s because the entire security solution is, in essence, a single application running on one’s computer. Another major benefit, software firewalls are easily upgraded. Users simply download patches, fixes, updates, and enhancements from the firewall provider’s web site, or the provider sends these improvements as automatic updates via the Internet.

Managed Firewall Services


Reduce costs and improve business protection through our Managed Firewall Services. The field of Information Security has grown significantly in recent years, establishing and maintaining security policies and practices that are relevant to the business can be an overwhelming task. Massive growth in malicious hacking, combined with threats of cyber terrorism have led many organisations to review their Information Security approach.

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Integrity New Address Details

We are delighted to confirm that as of Monday the 13th January 2014 we will be in our shiny new offices (address below).

Its an end of an era as we leave our Port Road offices after 11years but we will now begin to make the new offices in Rose Hill as cosy if not more!

New Address as of January the 13th 2014...

Unit 14 Montgomery Way
Rosehill Industrial Estate
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA1 2RW

Tel: 01228 594682
Email: info@integrityoffice.co.uk

All of our impeccable services will remain unchanged through out the transition period.

 

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Christmas Opening Hours

Integrity will be available between Christmas and New Year but with reduced services....

December 24th - Open Until 12:30pm
December 25th - Closed
December 26th - Closed
December 27th - Support Only
December 30th - Support Only
December 31st - Support Only
January 1st - Closed

From January 2nd we will be back to normal, we hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Integrity are on the Move!!

We will be moving offices in early January 2014, we have been at Port Road Business Park for nearly 12 years so sad times but our new office will be even better!

We will let everyone know the new address in due course but our contact details will remain unchanged...

Tel: 01228 594682 
General Email: info@integrityoffice.co.uk
Support Email: support@integrityoffice.co.uk

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to All

Monday 25 November 2013

Wanted - Technical Sales Account Manager

We're currently looking for a Technical Sales person to provide our clients with the latest technologies and systems.

You’ll combine technical knowledge with sales skills.

Manufacturers including Sophos, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Zyxel.   

We offer an excellent place of work, competitive salary (+OTE), training will be provided on all products as required.


Please apply with CV at: info@integrityoffice.co.uk