One of the best ways to achieve success is to set yourself apart from the competition whether online or in general. A great way to achieve that is to have a captivating, user friendly website. A recent News article describes the most important points to keep in mind while creating an ecommerce site or website for your organization.

1. Make sure your site functions well across ALL platforms and is secure so that people can access your website with ease and have peace of mind while inputting personal information if applicable. If someone is trying to view your website from their mobile device and it shows up all discombobulated, or they have their personal information stolen off your site they likely won’t be revisiting.
2. It is important that it is easy to navigate and quickly find what is being searched for to avoid frustration and keep users on your website. Convenience is key, and you want to have as few required clicks as possible for people to find what they’re looking for. A well-functioning search bar is a great option as well.
3. Make it visually captivating with original photos which will make your website stand out among the rest, and incorporate a dedicated section for customer reviews to allow potential clients to be persuaded not just by you but by others who have dealt with your organization in the past.

If you have any doubts about how to successfully set up a smooth-running, visually captivating ecommerce site or website for your organization, OptfinITy is here to assist you. Give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit us on the web at www.optfinity.com to find out more about our website development services.

You have more than likely at some point, whether it be in a Hollywood movie or in the news, heard or read something about someone being kidnapped and held for ransom. You hear about it, see it in movies, but probably go about your everyday life not worrying too much about it. However, while the likelihood of someone you deeply care for being kidnapped and held for ransom is low, it will most likely happen to computer data at some point or another.

A recent article discusses how ransomware is becoming one of the most prevalent forms of cyberattacks; and that it has increased by 231% between 2016 and 2017. Despite this increase, a study conducted by AVG shows that still roughly 1 out of 3 small business owners have no idea what ransomware is or how to protect themselves. Considering how expensive ransomware attacks can be, this number is alarmingly high. It is very important to understand how these attacks are commonly orchestrated and how to best protect yourself and your business.

How do ransomware attacks happen?

Cybercriminals look for vulnerabilities in your system to execute a ransomware attack such as software that hasn’t been updated, error messages related to maintenance and upgrades, and websites that are not secure.

To combat these vulnerabilities, you should:

1. Be vigilant in updating your software.
2. Disable your error messages and instead access them on your website’s backend or create a php.ini file.
3. Be sure your company’s website is HTTPS secure.

Another common way cybercriminals access data is via email which is referred to as “phishing.” They will send an email with an attachment or link that after being clicked on will give them access to all your data. Therefore, it is important to not click on links or open attachments in emails that you are not familiar with or seem suspicious. It is also important your employees take the same precautions.

Finally, the biggest lifesaver is to make sure you are backing everything up using revisions! If all your data is backed up, cybercriminals have no collateral. It saved the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency $73,000 when they were hit by a ransomware attack although it still cost them millions to weather the problem. That amount of money, especially if you are a small business, can make or break your ability to continue to thrive.

If you aren’t sure how protected your organization is from ransomware or have any questions about how to improve your level of security and keep your data safe, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit us on the web at www.optfinity.com.

The days of having all aspects of your business in separate folders and spreadsheets are coming to an end. According to this CNET article more and more businesses are implementing CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems for their business operations. These systems essentially allow businesses to organize all their information into one spot, making them more efficient and customer friendly.

Given the undeniable benefits these systems provide for your business, what’s holding business owners back from using this technology? Perhaps they may not feel confident about dealing with the issues of the CRM once it is in place, or perhaps they are worried if something goes wrong they won’t know how to fix it.

If you are looking to expand your business’ capabilities and don’t know where to start, OptfinITy can help. In addition to implementing CRM tools, we offer 24 x 7 support to make sure things are running smoothly, allowing you to focus on the more important aspects of your business. If you have any questions about implementing a CRM system for your business, or already have one but would like someone else to manage it, give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit us on the web at www.optfinity.com.

According to a recent TechRepublic article, browsers are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks than any other form of software being used in businesses today. If you want to be sure to keep your data and information protected from hackers, it is advisable to take the following actions:

1. Only allow use of reputable business-related plug-ins and extensions such as Java or Flash, as this will avoid the risk of exposing your browser due to security flaws that are common in less reputable, non-business-related plug-ins.
2. Ensure you have a Java security configuration that works best for your servers and workstations and stay on top of updates.
3. Beware of malicious pop-up ads. These commonly appear in forms of messages that suggest your computer has a virus and prompt you to download antivirus software. An easy solution is to configure your browser to block pop-up ads, but it is recommended to have an option available to display them at will, as they are sometimes needed for legitimate websites to function properly.
4. Be sure to establish all settings and ensure they remain in place from a centralized point of management. This ensures that the settings you have in place will not be changed by employees and put the company’s browser at risk.
5. Since browser-based threats don’t necessarily use files, they often go undetected. Therefore, stay up to date on the latest cybersecurity technology. Be sure to analyze all code in real time and test for suspicious code using a filtered approach that analyzes more than just downloaded files and attachments.

If you are worried you don’t have the expertise to handle these issues, OptfinITy can help. For more information or to get answers to your questions regarding keeping your browser secure and safe, give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit our website at www.optfinity.com.

Does your business have a spare $2 million around to fix your computer problems when you get the next Ransomware attack? 

As you may have seen in the news, the city of Atlanta, George recently became a victim of the SamSam ransomware, shutting down operational systems. Unlike most ransomware, SamSam indiscriminately searches the internet for vulnerable servers by looking for weak passwords or passwords that rarely get changed and then infecting the system. While Atlanta didn’t pay the ransom, the cost to remediate the issue was calculated at $2,667,328 according to this ZDNET article.

While your business may require less than the city to remediate your problem, there are things you can do today to make sure that Ransomware doesn’t hurt your organization. This includes changing and using complex passwords, updating security patches, installing the proper security equipment and educating your employees.

For more information on some of the things you can do, give us a call and we can provide you with a no-cost, no-obligation assessments. We can be reached at 703-790-0400 or on the web at www.optfinity.com.

According to a recent CNET article, cybercrime is now costing businesses as much as $600 billion.  In fact, the most recent Ransomeware attack costs millions of dollars to the city of Atlanta to recover from that attack.   So what does a small business or non-profit organization do?

The most important thing you can do is to make sure you have a Great backup.  Not just a backup but a backup which automatically checks to make sure that the backup works.  You also should have in place the proper security software and devices and even more importantly, the proper training program for your employees on what to avoid.

If you are unsure of what you are doing to keep you organization safe and would like a free security assessment, please give us a call at 703-790-0400 or on the web at www.optfinity.com. Don’t wait until a threat strikes.

Making sure your website is updated with the latest patches is very important as new vulnerabilities are discovered almost daily – so what happens when the latest update stops your updates from working?

On Monday, WordPress released version 4.9.3. The very next day, WordPress released version 4.9.4. Although version 4.9.3 fixed 34 bugs, it also introduced a new bug that prevents automatic background updates from updating automatically! This bug causes WordPress to encounter an error when attempting to update itself to the latest version.

Four years ago, WordPress added the self-update feature allowing users to keep their website secure and bug-free so users have not had to think about updates. This means that there are millions of unmanaged WordPress sites that expect their site to automatically update itself.

So, if you are an admin of a website running WordPress, make sure to update now or if you need help with your website, give OptfinITy a call at 703-790-0400.

It’s the Holiday Season once again, but remember it is also a holiday for the bad guys as well, but not in the way you might think. Hackers go into scam-overdrive mode during this time of the year to prey on the heavy shopping done by consumers. This time of year is the busiest for on-line shopping and scammers are out to get rich off of your money. So what should you look out for?

There are too-good-to-be-true coupons that offer free or discounted phones, tablets, and countless other cool items all over websites and social media; don’t fall for them! Make sure the offers are from a legitimate company. While you’re at it, watch out for alerts via email or text informing you that you just received a package from FedEx, UPS or the US Mail.  These notifications will then ask you for some personal information; don’t be fooled into giving them anything!

The price of security, especially now, is constant alertness and willingness to fight back. Remember to only use credit cards online, never debit cards, as your liability is limited with a credit card and the money does not come straight out of your bank account. Be super-wary of spam email with crazy good BUY NOW offers and anything which looks slightly “off”.  Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  And if you’re still wanting to take advantage of that offer, double check with the company directly.

If you think you might have been scammed, stay calm and call your credit card company right away, nix that card, and get a new one.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.