Equinox IT Services

💸We recently saved a client over $100,000 a year on their internet service, simply by acting as a helpful guide with navigating their business's different tech vendors. We recognized that they were paying waaaay too much for their internet service, and were able to find them a much more affordable provider without sacrificing speed or reliability🛜 They went from spending $20k a month down to only $6k. With our 20+ years in IT, we're able to help our clients save time and money with their different service vendors that they might not have ever recognized. Need to assess the state of your business's tech vendors? Have us help you. Let's take a look together: https://lnkd.in/gz5YF3Fn

We've seen a lot of breaches occur recently due to something called social engineering. Social Engineering is when people use psychological manipulation tactics to trick other people in giving up their sensitive information. They can use various techniques, including email, texts, or even leaving around infected USBs that a person could eventually use. Luckily, we have a simple strategy to help you prevent falling victim to any social engineering attack: 1) Be Suspicious 🤔 When it comes to cybersecurity, it can be helpful to always be a little suspicious. If you get a questionable email or see someone lurking around the office, it's not a bad idea to check with a co-worker or notify your IT team before you click on a mysterious link or accidently wire money to someone that you shouldn't. 2) Trust Your Gut ❗ If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't right. If you're wondering "Why does my boss want me to buy gift cards all of the sudden?" or "This person doesn't usually send me emails this way?", it's probably because it's an attack. 3) Slow Down 🛑 It's easy to get caught up in our day-to-day work flows and forget these cybersecurity warnings. This is when we are the most vulnerable, and attackers know this. Always take the time to pay attention, check with others, and notify your IT team before you do something that's potentially detrimental to the business. ➡ P.S. Curios if your team's information is already exposed out there? We're currently offering FREE dark web scans for any business that is interested. Sign up for free here: https://lnkd.in/gj2FV-6Q

A lot of business leaders don’t know where to start when setting a budget for their IT. Many companies still don't have a set budget for IT & technology related expenses. We recommend starting with your ✨Hardware Lifecycle✨ This means efficiently managing and regularly upgrading your technology to ensure optimal performance. It extends equipment life, prevents unexpected costs, and reduces downtime, ultimately saving you money. Different hardware has different lifecycles. Some computers will last longer, while some networking devices need renewal sooner 🔃 It's important to budget for these lifecycles so you're always prepared to replace what's needed. This can be over a year or even 3-5 years. At Equinox, we budget our clients' needs quarter by quarter to ensure they're always ready and prepared for whatever might happen. Every IT budget we create is unique to our client’s business needs and what works best for them. If you’d like help improving your IT budget or even getting started with one, we first recommend taking our free quiz to assess the current state of your IT & technology before figuring out spending. Take it here: https://lnkd.in/gPg5kc2h

Think about all of the sensitive information your mobile device holds📱 All of your personal details, super critical work data... your phone holds it all, and securing it has become more crucial than ever. A key aspect of mobile security is WiFi 🛜 When your WiFi is on, your phone constantly searches for networks to join. Hackers can mimic your saved WiFi names, tricking your phone into automatically connecting and giving them access to your device and private information. ➡️ Our tip: Turn off WiFi when not in use and only save trusted networks like home and work. Your mobile device is the front door to your personal and professional life. Protect it by following tips like these. Want more mobile device security tips? Check out our full article: https://lnkd.in/gHcSm3dr

You should be storing your business's data in 3 different places: Production Data: This is the data that your team is working with on a daily basis 📂 Local Backups: All of your data backed up locally 💾 Offsite Backups: All of your data backed up at an offsite location. This is important in case something happens to your place of business (fire, flood, etc) 🌩️ Here's a problem that a lot of businesses run into: Dispersed Data. This is when you have your data stored throughout too many places. For example, you might be storing data on Dropbox, Google Cloud, an on-premise server, and Microsoft 365 all at the same time. Our recommendation is to consolidate that data in places where you know you have the proper security and backups in place to ensure its protection. Here's our question: How are you currently managing your data backups? If you're unsure or not confident in your current strategy, let's figure out what works best for your business. Let's talk: https://lnkd.in/gz5YF3Fn

Your email inbox can be a HUGE risk to your business if you don't follow this simple but highly effective strategy every time you're combing through emails. This is called the S.L.A.M. method. It's the best way to help you identify threats in your emails before they become a major problem. Why do we share this? It's because 36% of data breaches stem from phishing attacks, and scammers are only getting smarter. Here's how to outsmart them: ✅ S for Sender: Double-check the email address. A single altered letter can turn a trusted sender into a scammer. ✅ L for Links: Hover over any link to reveal its true destination. If it looks suspicious, it probably is. ✅ A for Attachments: Unexpected files? Handle with care—they might contain malware. ✅ M for Message: Watch for urgency or unusual requests. Scammers often pressure you to act without thinking. Try this the next time you open your inbox. It may save your business 👍 #Cybersecurity #PhishingPrevention #EmailSafety #DigitalDefense

I’ve been thinking a lot about the cybersecurity challenges businesses face as we head into 2025. One thing that keeps coming up in conversations is how little businesses know about their presence on the dark web. As a review, the dark web is where stolen information (customer data, employee credentials, intellectual property) ends up for sale. And you might not even know your data is out there until it’s too late. That's where a dark web scan can really help. Here's why: -See whether your sensitive business information has been leaked or sold on the dark web -Avoid unknowingly not following data protection laws like GDPR, CCPA, or HIPAA -Identify data breaches early, find vulnerabilities, avoid financial losses, and prevent ransomware attacks We want to help local businesses be better protected in a time where cyber threats are constantly on the rise. We're offering a FREE dark web scan for any business that signs up. You can book your spot at the link in the comments ⬇️ No obligation if you sign up. We'll simply run the scan and send you your free report. Hope it can help!

Think like a cyber criminal! That’s how we are ramping up for this next year’s approach.   How? Well, today’s cyber criminals are using much more complex, sophisticated, and automated tactics to penetrate business’s security systems at 2x the speed.   So, to stay ahead of these attacks, we employ the same strategy.   We use advanced, sophisticated, and automated cybersecurity tactics to proactively protect your business from these criminals.   No one has time (or money) to deal with a breach that suddenly causes expensive downtime and loss of vital data for their business.   That’s why we put the best tools AND people in place to keep you and your team safe and secure 24/7. This means taking proactive measures to protect your business….not waiting around for something to go wrong to then fix what we can.   For us, this means training your staff on how to deal with phishing emails, having continuous monitoring and threat detection in place, keeping your company software updated at all times, backing up your data 24x a day, testing your data’s recoverability regularly, and so much more.   Being proactive in your security is the only way to stay one step ahead of these cyber criminals.   If you’re ready to take your cybersecurity seriously, send me a message and let's talk.

I love taking the stress out of technology for our clients. It’s our favorite thing to do here at Equinox, and we get to do it every day thanks to the amazing team we have. I wanted to share this review from one of our clients because it truly captures what we aim for: “As the COO of a busy surgical practice, I've come to rely heavily on Equinox IT Services. They are quick to respond to my requests and they get an A+ for being friendly and professional. They always resolve our issues in a timely manner. We have been very happy with their services and look forward to a long partnership with them. If you are on the fence about hiring IT help, don't hesitate to reach out to them!” It’s so rewarding to hear that our team is making a difference. Beyond just solving tech issues, we're also here to help businesses focus on growing and improving overtime. If you’re ready to stop stressing over outdated systems, security, or the next potential breach, let’s connect. Shoot me a message or schedule a quick call here: https://lnkd.in/dSdUNqUx

While we certainly love all our cool IT tools, the first line of defense for every business is its employees. They are the protective wall between the cyber criminals and your business's vital data. Because of that, we need to be extra vigilant and aware of the threats being thrown at us every single day. Virtual meetings is another one of those ways hackers try to disrupt your operations, but luckily there's a few easy tips you can follow to better protect yourself and your team. Get in the habit of following these tips every time you have a Zoom/Teams meeting, and you'll be in a much safer place in no time. Have you had some "uninvited guests" join your meetings in the past? 😅