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Phishing

Phishing scams continue to plague businesses.  We receive many calls and emails from customers who continue to receive these malicious emails.

Attackers are targeting employees and getting more sophisticated in their tactics.  Attackers are counting on businesses not having layers of security in place.  Attackers are counting on businesses not having policies and procedures and if they do employees are not following them. Attackers are counting on employees not being properly trained on how to spot a phishing email.  Your best line of defense is to have layers of security in place, implement specific policies and procedures, train your employees, have an ongoing security awareness training program, and communicate your expectations.  Educate and empower your employees, everyone is part of the security team.

SME is here!  We can assist you with implementing layers of security, writing your policies and procedures, training your employees, and building an ongoing security awareness training program combined with phishing simulations that assists in driving behavior change to further protect your business.

SME has multiple solutions that can increase the security posture of your business.  If you have any questions or for more information give us a call for a free consultation.

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WannaCry

A crushing strain of ransomware, WannaCry, has been unleashed on the world with reports of over 150 countries impacted in a very short time.
SME’s fully managed security solutions will help protect you from these types of attacks.  SME has been researching this threat and testing systems.  If SME is already providing fully managed security solutions for your business you may already have multiple solutions in place that prevent this type off attack.  Please give us a call if you have any questions or are concerned about your security posture.

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Defcon 24

Defcon 24 was amazing once again this year.  SME shared and gained knowledge with the global infosec community.  We are even more prepared to help defend your business.

One of the most amazing things we witnessed was the DARPA Cyber Grand Challenge, no telling what the future holds.

Check it Out!

https://www.cybergrandchallenge.com/

 

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National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.  Take the time this month to review the security posture of your organization.  Every business has something they need to protect, whether it is client data, business intellectual property, finances, etc. your network needs to be secure.  Review the current policies in place and make sure they are up to date and your employees have recently been trained on them.

Not sure where to start? Call SME and we can assist you in getting your network as secure as possible, updating your policies, and training your employees!

Simply Making IT Easier!

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ALTA Board Encourages Members to Conduct a Self-Assessment by September 2014

During the June 19th Board of Governors meeting, ALTA approved a motion encouraging members to conduct a self-assessment of their adoption of ALTA’s “Title Insurance and Settlement Company Best Practices” no later than September 2014.  “An ongoing compliance management program is essential to protecting the integrity of the real estate transaction,” said Michelle Korsmo, ALTA’s chief executive officer. “Reducing settlement risk and safeguarding consumer money has always been a keystone of the title and settlement business.”

SME’s first step in working towards Best Practice 3 compliance is performing a pre-assessment, which coincides with the approach ALTA’s Board of Governers is encouraging.  SME will forward a comprehensive questionnaire to the agent, when the agent has completed the questionnaire SME will review and prepare the beginning of a road-map towards Best Practice 3 compliance.  Once the road-map is in place the agent will have a better understanding of what needs to be done and how to budget.  Each agent I have worked with says that completing this questionnaire and having a plan in place has made all the difference for them.

Call SME TODAY to get started!

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Just Get Started

After sponsoring the VLTA, DCLTA, and several agency seminars over the last month, the message being sent to Title Agents and Settlement Services Companies is to “Just Get Started” on the path towards compliance.  ALTA released an updated version of the Best Practices framework in July of 2013 and over 90 days ago Wells Fargo announced that they were endorsing ALTA’s Best Practices, this is not going away.  It is expected that well before the August 1, 2015 deadline  lenders will be reaching out to agents asking where they are in the process of becoming compliant, what will your answer be?  SME has simplified the approach to Best Practice 3, which is centered around securing Non Public Personal Information (NPI), making it more cost-effective and manageable for agents.  Call SME to “Just Get Started’ on the path towards compliance!

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SME sponsors First American ‘Knowledge is Power’ Seminar

SME is also in Annapolis today sponsoring First American’s ‘Knowledge is Power’ Seminar.  Be sure to stop by our table to learn more about SME’s services and how we can assist your agency on meeting ALTA Best Practice 3 compliance.

We look forward to seeing you there!!  Simply Making IT Easier!

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SME is the Welcome Sponsor at VLTA’s 2014 Annual Convention

SME is the welcome sponsor at this years VLTA convention at the Hyatt in Herdon, VA, starting today June 5th and ending on Saturday June 7th.  Be sure to stop by our booth to learn more about SME’s services and how we can assist your agency on meeting ALTA Best Practice 3 compliance.

We look forward to seeing you there!!  Simply Making IT Easier!

http://www.vlta.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=55

 

 

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“We are in the middle of a cyber-war”

“We are in the middle of a cyber-war” as stated by Congressman Rogers, at last week’s Cyber Risk Summit in DC. Many small businesses believe that they are ‘too small’ for hackers to care about, that is incorrect.  Hackers do not discriminate based on size of who they attack, the easier the target the better.  Many would be surprised to hear that hacking is a full time job for individuals and/or organizations.  They work their 10 – 12 hour days trying to get into systems and steal financial information, intellectual property, trade secrets, etc.  They will identify an industry, target a weak link, and patiently work until they are successful at getting what they want.  Nothing is 100%, however small businesses can put layers of protection in place that will help mitigate their exposure.

Don’t wait, CALL SME TODAY to review your security program!

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