Dell ComputerIntroduction:

Everyone has that day.  Probably, it’s Monday.  Probably it’s an important day, maybe payroll day or worse yet, the morning of the important sales meeting with that big out of town client who is flying in to see how your company operates.  It’s that day!!!  Everyone is rushing around.  Executives working to put their finishing touches on their presentations and suddenly, from down the hall you hear “aaaaargh”…  

Its coming from the controller’s office!  What could cause a scream of anguish such as that from the normally quiet and “controlled” controller on a day such as this.  As a horrible sinking feeling starts to creep up your spine, you hear a shrill scream from the Marketing director’s office.  A shrill scream followed by the sounds of glass breaking.  Slowly, as if in a dream, you hear the horrified reactions of all your key personnel, office by office and it dawns on you.  Something is wrong with your Network.  Something very, very bad is wrong with your Network…

Network Security Analysis

No one wants to have THAT day!!!  Before a hacker or virus can destroy your network, your day and your mental well being, let us perform a Network Security Analysis. 

One email, one facebook link, one open port in your firewall can lead to vulnerabilities in your network and can destroy hours, weeks, months of hard work, some of which can never be recreated.  We can help you tighten down your network, find those vulnerabilities, and recommend a plan of action and a backup plan of action.  Being proactive and prepared can save you weeks of headaches, and can save your important day before it even needs to be saved!!!

Contact Apex Technologies for a full evaluation of your network vulnerabilities.  Email @This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

or call (785) 246-9131

THAT DAY!!! Continued…  The big client is due in 2 hours, meeting is scheduled to begin at lunch.  It is 9:47am and the world has suddenly crashed down on top of you and all your co-workers.  The network is down, everyone has lost their presentations and the data linked to their presentations.  Bob, looking very disheveled, is trying to jump out his window, somehow forgetting that you are on the first floor and he will likely only suffer a broken ankle for his trouble.  You think you smell smoke and are not sure if you are having a stroke or if someone has set fire to their computer.  But wait… Your company, mere weeks ago, signed up with Apex Technologies to setup a solid backup plan for exactly this scenario.  Part of the appeal of Apex Technologies was their highly motivated spiel on Backup plans and backup recovery options, if only you'd signed up for their managed services as well.  Perhaps all is not lost afterall...

NO ONE is more adamant about the importance of a comprehensive backup plan than Apex Technologies.  Apex Technologies knows first-hand how important a backup system can be after a catastrophic network breach.  Whether your network has been compromised by Ransomware, server/harddrive failure, viruses, fire, flooding or a tornado, Apex Technologies actively promotes Backup System implementation, regardless if your company signs up for our Managed Services program or not.  In the event of a catastrophic network failure, Apex Technologies can only do so much disaster recovery if your data has not been backed up, and backed up again. 

It's important to implement a data recovery solution as part of a concise business continuity plan.  Physical backups, redundant backups and cloud backups have become a necessary and proactive protection against worse case disaster scenarios.

Today, in the digital age, steel filing cabinets and offsite storage are obsolete and inefficient. Many companies have gone completely paperless with their data storage.  Many companies also prefer to keep their data in-house. Files on your network are typically stored on a central hard drive or server to make the operation efficient for multiple users. The problem is that you face a higher-degree of risk by "putting all your eggs in one basket". Hard drives fail all the time, and even shadow copies on your server can easily be compromised by an aggressive virus.  Protecting your data with a dedicated and redundant backup system is absolutely imperative for any size business that relies on data.

If your business were to ever lose its data from drive failure, natural disaster, or user error, the loss can be devastating. Nearly 70% of businesses that lose their data, go out of business shortly thereafter.  A data recovery solution is an necessary component of any successful business continuity plan.

Apex Technologies’ solution is simple, yet effective and affordable:

Our Backup and Disaster Recovery program utilizes onsite backups (for quick and easy recoveries) as well as multiple offsite backups at remote data centers (providing redundancy).  This helps protect your data from those invasive malware worms by eliminating instant access to your data files. By storing the data away from your primary location, it helps protect you from local events such as theft, fire, flood, or even accidental deletion. Apex Technologies backup recovery program ensures that your data is always safe. In the event of a disaster, Apex Technologies can restore your data and save your meeting in a matter of minutes, without the "out of town" client having the slightest inkling - Disaster averted!!!

If you currently don't have a backup solution, then you need one. Email @This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (785) 246-9131

Spam & Virus Protection

How Secure is your Network?

You feel confidant in your ability to safely mitigate online threats, avoid cyber hazards and carefully delete all suspicious emails, but what about the guy down the hall.  Does your Human Resources guy know that simple PDF’s can carry hazardous files.  You don’t want to be the person that brings down the network, and you don’t want the hot new girl/guy in sales to do it either!!!  It's time to get proactive.

Today’s most devastating security risks are often disguised as legitimate executable files, PDFs, or Microsoft Office documents. One wrong click, and you can seriously disrupt business and rack up massive financial damage.  We offer Vipre as our defender against attacks from the outside: upload email security page

Business networks are under constant attack from a continually evolving array of threats that affect performance, communications and reliability. Securing data from these threats is challenging.

Apex Technologies Vipre Threat Management instrument is designed to meet the demands of protecting your network from internet threats, providing secure remote access and limiting employee access to the internet while providing you peace of mind.

An endpoint security solution that simply detects threats isn’t enough in a fast-paced, 24/7 economy. To be truly effective, today’s security platforms must also be designed for modern business needs. That means accommodating the move toward cloud-based and mobile accessibility, so that threat detection goes hand in hand with immediate response. And that means avoiding overly complex implementations that are often too cumbersome to manage—and, in some cases, can lead to errors that inadvertently create security vulnerabilities instead of correcting them.

Our security solution offers the following features (plus many more):

• Manage internet activities: The weakest link in all security systems is employee internet access.  Our endpoint security system can manage employee internet actities which reduce productivity, allow spam and malware access, while limiting inappropriate web surfing.
• Remote Access: Many work on the go, logging into their vital applications from multiple devices at any time of day (or night). Your endpoint security platform should provide the same kind of remote accessibility, so administrators are able to immediately detect and prevent threats from anywhere, at any time.
• Viruses, malware and all their buddies: Malware changes constantly. As soon as one threat is thwarted, a new one appears—so be certain your security offering can keep you current on protection. Protect your computers and data from outside threats such as viruses, spyware, botnets, and phishing.
• Vipre endpoint scalability: Partnering with Vipre has enabled Apex Technologies to scale their business model offering.  We can support companies with 2 computers and companies with 100 or more computers with the easy platform deployment and secure remote access to your network, protected by the industry leading network protection appliance.
• Detail/Monthly reporting: Vipre provides Apex Technologies the ability to schedule security reports anytime, from any device, to organize and visualize threat data. And remember: The more granular the report breakdown, the more useful it is. For instance, reports that can drill down into the types of threats seen or the top 10 infected machines can provide critical insight into which defense is best suited to the potential risk or specific computing environment.  The valuable reporting tool provides Apex Technologies with a birds eye view of what is happening on your network at all times.

Summary of Vipre Features includes:

• Virus Blocker
• Spam Blocker
• Phish Blocker
• Ad Blocker
• Spyware Blocker
• Intrusion Protection
• Attack Blocker
• Web/content filter
• Protocol Control
• Remote Access Portal
• Router & QoS
• Firewall
• WAN Failover

Do you really need Anti-Virus/Spam blockers for your company?

In the example at the beginning of this section, we hinted at how a network invasion can ruin your day.  The likely scenario is that a network invasion will affect your business in two significant ways.  1) Catastrophic with data loss, network destruction, even hardware damage.  The 2^nd and more common threat is in loss of productivity due to minor invasions which slow down computers, crash computers at inopportune times, create massive delays on startup, create frustration as employees are delayed by computer performance issues, and overall employee morale believing their computers are junk when, in actuality, their computers have been compromised and only need cleanup to restore their performance.  The average small and medium-sized business shouldn’t be forced to deal with virus/spam complications on a regular basis. Apex Technologies security solution is designed with small/medium businesses in mind.  By utilizing a diligent and comprehensive virus/spam protection strategy, you and your staff can get down to business without having to first sift through piles of useless messages and dealing with computer performance delays.

Protecting your network from Spam helps you eliminate unnecessary costs. Lost productivity from dealing with spam in your inbox adds up. By integrating a spam protection solution, you’ll be able to keep your employees from being overwhelmed with spam; leading to increased productivity and improved organizational efficiency.

Most importantly, spam protection can drastically reduce the possibility of stray threats on your network.  Spam is a primary mode of transportation for threats like viruses, malware, spyware, and other risks to your business’ cyber security. If your users accidentally open a spam message that’s disguised as a genuine message, it could have a widespread effect on your entire IT infrastructure. Therefore, it’s crucial that you eliminate this potential threat before something slips through your defenses.

Apex Technologies virus/spam protection is included as part of our managed services package so contact Jesse today to discuss how our Managed Services Package can benefit and protect your business today: Email @This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (785) 246-9131

Recognizing and Preventing Ransomware

We’ve all heard the horror story.  Accounts Payable clerk at ABC Company (down the street) opened her email, clicked on an invoice from one of their regular vendors and now the entire company is being held ransom for their very own data.  This is called Cryptolocker ransomware.  Ransomware can come in multiple forms, however one of the most common is the specific type of ransomware that often disguises itself as an email attachment and when downloaded, begins to encrypt data and documents throughout your network. The only way to decrypt the documents is to pay the ransom.

Ransomware is a very malicious form of malware that can be prevented with a proactive Network management system.  Don’t wait until they’ve already stolen your data. Let us help you with ransomware removal and prevention. Email @This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (785) 246-9131

Internet Content Filtering

Vipre, our anti-virus/malware blocker has many functions.  One of which is to assist your company with Internet content filtering.  Understandably, you often are forced to allow your employees access to the internet.  Many organizations are paid via the internet or for research purposes.  However, granting access to the internet can pose a whole new set of problems, including inefficiency, distractions, and links to malicious software sites…

By filtering the access to certain types of content, such as social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and video streaming sites like YouTube and Netflix, you are able to better assist your employees with staying on task throughout the day.

Blocking Access to Distasteful Content

Vipre is great at preventing threats such as viruses, Trojan Horses or Internet worms that reach your network through distasteful mediums. If a user accidentally finds these sites and downloads a file, it can open your network up to be compromised.  Vipre can be set to automatically block all questionable sites and sites with malware links.

Apex Technologies’ partnership with Vipre provides you with multiple options for protecting your business from unwanted intruders.  Let Apex help you get the most from your internet access:  Email @This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (785) 246-9131.