Blog & Updates

Preventing scams and cyber threats with expert IT security solutions at Twin State Technical Services.

Tips to Identify Scams/Scammers & How to Avoid Being a Victim

October 27, 2021

Malware and ransomware attacks continue going up. In 2020, ransomware attacks increased 485%, and during the first half of 2021, they’ve risen another 151%. Cyberattacks have become one of the biggest risks to an organization. Falling victim to one can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in remediation costs. This makes IT security defenses a high priority, and layered plans that include multiple tactics offer the best protection. One of the vital layers in any cybersecurity strategy, along with software-related safeguards, is your employee security awareness training. Your team is on the front line of attacks because a vast majority of those attacks come via phishing emails. These emails are directly targeted to your users and attempt to fool them

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Cloud storage organization tips for efficient data management and backup solutions.

What Can We Do To Keep Our Cloud Storage Better Organized?

October 27, 2021

Cloud file storage has been revolutionary for making files easily accessible by everyone in the office and keeping them in a centralized location. It also makes it much easier to share large files through a link rather than battling an email attachment that is too large to easily send. But, when everyone shares the same cloud storage, things can get disorganized quickly if there’s no overarching plan in place. And with the pace of file creation in offices, it doesn’t take too long before finding a file can take longer than working with the file itself. It’s estimated that 2.5 hours per day, about 30% of the workday, is spent just trying to locate information. That means a large part

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Reliable IT support and technical services by Twin State Technical Services.

2021 Cybersecurity Awareness Month: A Message From Our CEO

October 1, 2021

Hello Everyone, Bad guys have reached an all-time low and we see a quadrupling of deliberate targets and people in QC organizations. We now strongly recommend all our customers use a form of end-user training – we use and support KnowBe4, which we see allows employees to recognize baddies and reduce mistakes in opening “bad” from 30% to 2% over 12 months. In today’s world, all users need to have some basic automatic patch updating, antivirus, antispam, and security training. Beyond basic products, we use further automation and protect earlier and faster. This next generation of tools is called EDR– Endpoint Detection and Response – and has more power to protect beyond the manual detect, report, and repair in basic

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Secure multi-factor authentication for enhanced cybersecurity and business protection by Twin State Technical Services.

Why You Need Multi-Factor Authentication Today

September 29, 2021

Cloud adoption is pretty much a given for companies these days. The increase in cloud use over the last few years has helped small businesses be more competitive, and it has allowed many companies to continue serving customers during the pandemic. Cloud technology can keep a business going from any location; however, it can also attract more attacks. Hackers looking to break into company cloud accounts have increased the volume of attacks significantly. In 2020, attacks on cloud infrastructure skyrocketed by 630%. With business networks under attack in a whole new way, companies need to pivot their security focus to protecting their online accounts. What’s the Biggest Risk to Cloud Account Security? The biggest risk to cloud account security is

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Email encryption security icon on keyboard for data protection in IT and cybersecurity; Twin State Technical Services cybersecurity solutions.

How to Use Email Encryption to Protect Sensitive Communications

September 29, 2021

A plain text email is about as secure as a postcard. Any hacker or unintended recipient that intercepts a non-encrypted email can easily read it with no special skills or software needed. What’s even more eye-opening are the types of messages that employees send by unprotected email. They’ll send confidential customer information, passwords, and even credit card details. Not using any type of encryption on email messages that contain sensitive details can leave your business at high risk for a data security breach. While you may think that nothing bad has happened so far without encrypting your emails, the cybersecurity landscape is changing and becoming more dangerous. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of new attack methods that

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Cybersecurity virtual event by Twin State Technical Services focusing on network defense, data protection, and cybersecurity solutions.

TSTS Virtual Event: Cybersecurity Made Fun & Easy

September 29, 2021

Learn the Swiss cheese & donut principles behind layered security. October is cybersecurity awareness month and Twin State Tech will provide a fun and memorable way to help you understand and follow best practices to keep your organization from being vulnerable to attacks. Join our 45-minute presentation to learn tips to help protect your data, processes, and investment with a layered security plan. Agenda Not so fun statistics How can the Swiss Cheese Model be applied to cybersecurity? Layered security approach Who should attend Twenty-eight percent of the businesses successfully targeted by cybercrime in 2020 were in the “small business” category, join this event to be on the good side of the statistic. Tech level A high-level overview of many

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Efficient Windows 11 upgrade services by Twin State Technical Services for seamless technology solutions.

What Can You Expect from the Windows 11 Upgrade?

August 30, 2021

What Can You Expect from the Windows 11 Upgrade? It’s hard to believe that it has already been six years since Windows 10 came out. That Operating System (OS) is scheduled for retirement in about four short years (October 2025), which is why the Windows 11 announcement is a timely one. Microsoft recently announced that Windows 11 is coming as a free upgrade that will begin to roll out to eligible Windows 10 PCs “this holiday and continuing into 2022.” So, there are only a few months to prepare your business for an upgrade. Whenever there is a major change in your IT infrastructure, it’s important to know what to expect and to make plans ahead of time. Twin State Technical Services

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Innovative workplace conflict resolution strategies for fostering collaboration, hosted by Twin State Technical Services at the upcoming virtual event on September 30th.

TSTS Virtual Event: Workplace Conflict to Collaboration

August 27, 2021

Learn how to manage conflict and foster a positive, collaborative environment with this virtual event. Description This month Twin State Tech is partnering with Eastern Iowa Community College Leadership. This one-hour session will explain the dynamics of the conflict episode and how to use specific skills to produce solutions while maintaining relationships. The key is finding integrative space.  What is integrative space? Join us to find out. Agenda Conflict definition Understanding the conflict dynamic Mindset matters Search for “Integrative Space” Skill sets to use Speaker Randy Richards, PhD, a second career academic, spent almost 20 years in management in both the public and the private sector before becoming a full-time professor at St. Ambrose University. Currently, he develops and facilitates

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Learn Microsoft Power Apps and Power BI at Twin State Technical Services virtual event, offering expert training on automation, virtual agents, and business intelligence tools.

TSTS Virtual Event: Learn Microsoft Power Apps

July 30, 2021

Get the most out of your tech tools! Learn Power apps to make your business smarter and more connected. Event Description Join our TSTS Network Engineer, Melissa Trenkamp, as she provides insights to get the most out of your tech arsenal to make your business smarter, more connected, and more efficient. Microsoft Power Platform, made up of Power Apps, Power BI, and Power Automation (formerly Flow), included in most Microsoft 365 subscriptions at no extra cost. Our Presenter Melissa Trenkamp, Network Engineer Team Lead, graduated from St. Ambrose University with a B.A. in Communications and Computer Network Administration in 2006. She has worked in the Quad Cities as both a Systems Administrator for a local Web tech company and a Network

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