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IT Services & Support

CompuWorks began in 1987 in Pittsfield, MA to help businesses understand how computer systems impacted their workflow. Today we address ever-changing technological challenges while creating a positive business impact. Learn more about our IT services.

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For every industry we work with, we help elevate that organization’s IT readiness. Our IT solutions can be tailored to meet your needs and address sector-specific challenges. Learn more about the industries we serve.

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About CompuWorks

Since our humble beginnings, CompuWorks has grown into an award-winning Managed IT Services Provider, building a reputation of technical excellence. Learn more about the CompuWorks way of doing business.

About Us

IT Security & Cybersecurity FAQs

Q. Can you help us develop an IT security strategy?

A. Yes. Helping clients improve their security posture is an important part of what we do.  Maybe you’ve experienced a security breach that leads to downtime or even data loss.  If you haven’t, you’ve undoubtedly read the stories of security breaches that have resulted in data loss or the shut down of businesses. Your approach to security can help reduce the risk of an incident and ensure that you can recover from one if it happens.

Q. How does having good cyber security help my business?

A. Imagine losing all of your data and never being able to recover it. What impact would that have on your business?  What if you were down for a week recovering from a cyber incident?  How would that affect your operations?  A whopping 60 percent of small businesses will close after experiencing a data breach, according to Experian. Cybersecurity is an investment in business continuity. It helps you avoid catastrophic scenarios like these and helps reduce your overall business risk.

Q. My business already has a firewall and antivirus protection.  Isn’t that enough?

A. No. Cyber security is about much more than this. Policies, training, technologies, disaster recovery plans, etc., are all part of an overall approach to securing your business. Investment in security awareness and training has a 72% chance of significantly reducing the business impact of a cyber-attack.

Q. Do you offer security assessments?

A. Yes. We offer pragmatic assessments with a focus on meaningful threat remediation.

Q. What is backup and disaster recovery? (BDR)

A. A modern BDR solution is more than simply a copy of your data. It provides both an onsite and offsite backup chain with multiple restore points along with the ability to act as a standby server in the event of a failure. A BDR not only allows you to recover data it also helps minimize downtime.

Q. What is malware?

A.  Malware is a general term for any software that seeks to gain unauthorized access to a system or do harm to a system for some gain.  Malicious actors often seek to profit from disabling your systems and then holding them for ransom. But other types of malware exist that seek to shut down systems for political gain or as a form of terrorism.

Q.  What is ransomware?

A. Ransomware is a type of malicious attack that encrypts files on an infected device or network, preventing them from being accessed until a ransom is paid.

Q. How can you help prevent ransomware attacks?

A. Tools and technology can only go so far in protecting you from ransomware. A good e-mail filtering solution is the first step.  But the single biggest thing you can do to prevent ransomware is to be educated. Security awareness training is essential in reducing the risk from these attacks and in quickly recognizing them when they occur. As we mentioned above, security awareness and training have a 72% chance of significantly reducing the business impact of a cyber-attack.

Q. Do hackers really want to try to attack small businesses?  Aren’t they after bigger fish?

A. This is probably the biggest myth about security. The hackers don’t care how big your business is. In fact, they know that your small business is probably an easier target than a large corporation.  Cybercriminals can and do target small businesses, often with disastrous results.

Q. What should I do if I suspect a cyber attack?

A. Immediately report it to your IT partner. Please do not ignore it. Your IT partner should analyze the situation and help you understand what’s happening. The longer an attack continues, the more damage it can do, so limiting the scope of the attack depends on timely intervention.

Q. What types of businesses are most at risk for a cyber attack?

A. Cybercriminals don’t really care about your business profile. Businesses most at risk are the ones that don’t take cyber security seriously as they are the most easily breached.

Q. What are the biggest security challenges businesses face?

A. Today, the most common threat is ransomware. The reason is that it’s effective. Without a way to recover from a ransomware attack, the only way to restore your data is to pay the ransom. And that’s just what happens in far too many cases.

 

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