Blog

Stay current with the latest in technology and cybersecurity.

My DEF CON Experience: Seeing Security Through New Eyes

November 1, 2024

How often do we get the chance to go behind enemy lines and see how the other side works? Coopsys Security Technician Vitor Brandao did just that, attending DEF CON 32 this past August in Las Vegas.  DEF CON is perhaps the most well-known hacker conference in existence. Debuting in 1993, the iconic event has…

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Should you outsource your company’s cybersecurity?

September 15, 2021

More than likely, yes.  Before we get to the reasons why, let’s just review some recent data on cybersecurity attacks.   According to SentinelOne, the leading software provider in threat detection, most small to medium sized businesses (SMB’s) are extremely vulnerable to impending cybersecurity attacks.    32% of SMBs have suffered a cybersecurity attack in the past…

Why cybersecurity is VITAL to protecting cloud services.

September 13, 2021

A recent 2021 Netskope Cloud and Threat Report raised some eye-opening pieces of research. In 2021, 53% of all web traffic has been cloud-related, which increased the dangers of cyberattacks. It also revealed a 13% malware spike from cloud apps.  Ray Canzanese, Netskope Threat Research Director, provided an interesting perspective on this subject. He stated,…

Takeaways from the SolarWinds ransomware hacks

August 25, 2021

In December of 2020, headlines revealed that a major software company, SolarWinds (SW), was hacked in 2019. SW provides a variety of system management tools for network and infrastructure monitoring.   The reason this made headlines for multiple reasons. First, SW waited months to reveal they were breached. The hackers got into SolarWinds’ network via malicious code…

How to identify the latest phishing tactics

August 18, 2021

A recent 2021 phishing study reported that the cost of phishing more than tripled since 2015. The average annual cost of phishing increased from $3.8 million in 2015 to $14.8 million in 2021.   Source: Ponemon Institute’s The 2021 Cost of Phishing Study  In addition to these rising organizational costs, it also stated that nearly 65,343 wasted…

How to help remote workers feel more secure while working from home

July 24, 2021

In the spring of 2020, employers across the nation started implementing work-from-home options.   By July 2020, a Gartner survey revealed that more than 80% of business leaders planned to continue a remote work option. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing businesses to keep employees on a remote basis, new cybersecurity challenges loomed large.   Companies had to increase…

Cryptocurrency and IT Infrastructure For Businesses: How You Can Accept It and Profit From Cryptocurrency

June 30, 2021

Cryptocurrency isn’t going away anytime soon.   With more providers of goods and services accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies now than ever before, businesses just like yours, need to be thinking about what you need in order to accept it as a payment type.   Not only are large companies jumping on, but entire countries such as El Salvador are adopting cryptocurrencies to allow citizens…

Ransomware Issues for Businesses: Why Even the White House Is Getting Involved In Ransomware Prevention

June 23, 2021

A ransomware attack can be devastating to your business. Ransomware attacks can shut down your business for inconvenient periods of time, permanently damage your reputation, and open the door to more unfortunate yet preventable data breaches. Ransomware has become such a big issue for private companies that even the White House is getting involved. Earlier…

Controlling Your IT: Should You Outsource Your IT, Hire Internally, or Have a Hybrid?

May 12, 2021

Hire or outsource?  Outsource or hire?  We hear this question all the time from business owners, just like you.   Here is what we DO know: It is a difficult question to answer with a lot of variables.   Let’s talk about the pros and cons with the caveat that your own business may have different priorities and needs.    IT costs vary…

Springfield Label and Tape Solves Technology Frustrations Through Partnership with Cooperative Systems

May 4, 2021

Springfield Label and Tape specializes in creating custom labels for a wide variety of clients.   They were facing several technology issues that was starting to impact their productivity including help with IT support, internet and network performance, remote work access and cybersecurity. They heard about us and asked for help.   How we did it:   We installed a…

Paid Technology Assessments Vs. Free Technology Assessments: Which is better for your organization and why?

April 16, 2021

Technology. Some business professionals love it, some hate it. But why? There are many different explanations for this dynamic. IMHO, the lack of proper training & education are the biggest culprits. Part of our mission here at Cooperative Systems, is to ensure that our clients understand the work we do for them. We’ve found that…

Connecticut Underwriting Firm Partners with Cooperative Systems to Tackle Several Technology Pain Points

April 8, 2021

How we helped a Connecticut Underwriting Firm to modernize their IT infrastructure and network to increase daily productivity and respond to adverse events.  HOVIN Underwriting offers professional life underwriting solutions for the life insurance industry. Their clients include multiple large and respected life insurance carriers that are experiencing and/or expecting staffing fluctuations or backlogs.  HOVIN was facing four technology…

Backup and Continuity for Hartford and Boston Businesses: Why Backups Are Important

April 6, 2021

Backups of your IT network and your company data are one of the most important things you can have in the case of unforeseen events.  According to Steadfast, human error is the leading cause of data loss, coming in at around 25 percent of all data loss. While it is possible to train your employees to be weary of emails with ransomware, accidentally deleting an important project…