Off-the-shelf communications devices (eg home wifi routers) often come with a default password setting. Some are as simple as “0000” or “Password,” and easy to guess. Since most hardware manufacturers post their user guides online, these passwords are easily accessible to hackers.

Small businesses are a cybercrime sweet spot—in fact, they’re the target of 58% of cyber attacks by cyber criminals. And a serious security breach can be fatal: Cybercrime costs small businesses 4.2 times more per employee than it does larger businesses, and 60% of small companies that experience a cyber-attack close their doors for good. Read the complete article from Hewlett Packard here, and please talk to us about the inexpensive measures we can deploy to help protect your business. You can start with our free online assessment.

Absolutely! Standard Operating Procedures in IT Support:

- Ensure best practice could be shared across our Group companies

- First-class IT management requires the same expertise, training and knowledge no matter where you operate

- They allow technicians on either side of the Atlantic to be able to provide support to customers no matter where they (the customers) are located

- They allow us to have a proactive-support model that minimises client IT issues

Has my email address been breached?

If you would like to check whether your email address (or addresses) have been released in a data breach, you can do so online with the free website 'Have I been pwned'. It's free to use and will quickly let you know. Here's the link: https://haveibeenpwned.com/.

Do you work from home occasionally? Are you frustrated with access to your systems? Perhaps you need some guidance on latest practice on how to do this? We recommend a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN is secure and provides the best approach for home working. Please contact us for more information on VPNs.

How can I prevent all this spam email?

Apart from being annoying, unwanted email ('spam') presents a real and present security risk to both you as an individual, and your company.

Hackers send millions of emails every day with links that can cause all kinds of problems. Invariably they're trying to get information out of you to allow them to gain access to your systems, accounts, banks etc. It's still the most successful means that hackers have for gaining unauthorised access to your email and other systems.

Reducing the amount of these emails that get through to your inbox is the first line of defence. Less spam emails, less chance of clicking a bad-link. Plus you only have to deal with 'real' emails.

Anti-spam software is inexpensive and achieves these dual benefits of improving your cybersecurity and reducing the amount of spam in your inbox. It's important to choose a good, professional anti-spam solution. We can help you with that, just let us know what you're looking for.

You can raise a support TickIt 24/7 online at https://support.freshmango.com/ticket. To contact FreshMango, you're always free to call us or send an email if you're interested. If we happen to miss you, we'll do our best to get back in contact as soon as possible!

How do I connect my website to my management systems? You can integrate your website with office systems, including CRM systems, accountancy systems databases and other software. This requires website design and build expertise, we will be pleased to address your specific requirement, please contact us for a no-obligation discussion.

We hear this a lot. The answer is to ensure that the website is super-easy to maintain. Every website we build at Fresh Mango has a super-easy content management system so you can change text, images, video etc yourself, and do it quickly! What's more, we provide a bespoke manual for your website.

How do I protect my systems 24/7?

Easy one! With Continuous Protective Monitoring software. Borderpoint does precisely that. Borderpoint cybersecurity responds to attacks as they happen, and before any lasting damage can be wrought; 4-hour alert time; a monthly report of all threats is also provided.

How do I protect myself against data breaches?

Large data breaches happen regularly, with emails and passwords being made available on the dark web or just free to hackers. Why is this a problem? Very simply because people often reuse their passwords for different online accounts. This leaves those accounts vulnerable to access by hackers. Tip: Don't reuse passwords! I realise this can be easier said than done, but it's the best way of minimizing your exposure in the event that an online service you use is breached.

To safely complete an online form, here are a few tips and considerations to help you decide whether it's safe to submit your data.

1. Always check the website address - is it the real/correct address? Cybercriminals will direct you to a look-a-like website, and often only a couple of characters are different in the address
2. Is the website secure? Look for the padlock icon in the top left of the browser window
3. Use Incognito mode in your browser

This is a common misconception. Storing your files in the Cloud with a cloud storage provider such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive etc is NOT a cloud backup. It's simply storage and is not backed up (unless you have made additional arrangements). Moreover, it isn't an 'image' - namely a full replication of your server and network.

Long story short, it isn't a backup solution, please contact us to ensure you have an appropriate backup solution in place for your systems.

I want a new website - what are the key considerations? Well, in practical terms we advise all our clients to think of their website as a continuous work-in-progress. As long as you’re building and adapting your business to the needs of the market, so you need to adapt your website.

It means you need a website that’s quick and easy to update – either yourself, or by staff, or by us. Please ensure you talk to us about your website content management.

It means you need a website that people will find. This means Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Management (SEM). Again, please talk to us.

It means you need to know how well your website is performing. This means regularly analysing your website visitors, demographics and behaviour, and amending your website accordingly. Talk to us about Google Analytics!

Find out more here.

Yes and no! It depends on what you use it for. The main point to keep in mind is that when you access a Public wifi network you are on just that - a public network. That means that anyone else on the same network could potentially monitor or access your device. For that reason, we recommend against using them.

Instead, you can use your 4G on your phone - It's secure and encrypted.

Microsoft removes support for its older operating systems as newer ones come into use. That’s what is meant by "operating system is 'out of support'". It’s important because an out-of-support system no longer receives updates, which makes them highly vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Do Macs need antivirus? Yes! This is one of the most notorious myths in the industry. A Macintosh is a computer. Any computer is susceptible to viruses and cyber attacks. Therefore Macs are not secure. Yes, you need anti-virus on your Mac as one of your critical IT services.

Should I buy a Server or Nas box? Well, as with so many things in IT (and life), it depends! There are several considerations, here is a useful breakdown:

• Servers are more powerful than NAS, as they offer more functionality
• Application servers allow you to install third-party software.
• With a NAS, you are limited to applications you can download on the NAS operating system. For example, to make a Synology NAS into a mail server, you’ll need to download the Synology Mail Server app.

Servers are more capable and offer more advanced controls over your network services and applications, but also require more management. The NAS offers less advanced functionality, but will not require as much maintenance or configuration.

We’re often asked if its best to switch your computer off every day. Our answer is ‘no’, and we recommend leaving PCs switched on. Read more here https://freshmango.com/leaving-pcs-switched-on/

Our recommendation is there is no need to rush. We've written a full webpage on the subject here

It’s all the rage so why not? Well, when considering a cloud server, it needs careful deliberation of how you operate your business. You need to consider:

• Speed and reliability of your internet connection. Bandwidth too - if a lot of people are accessing the cloud system simultaneously, productivity will be dramatically impacted
• Organisations - How will your files and folders be organised, who will have access, how backups are potentially handled, etc
• Cyber Security - In the event of a cyber attack, a physical server on your premises can be
  unplugged from the internet. A cloud server cannot
• Cost - A physical server has a one-off cost and needs to be replaced every few years;
  what are your comparable cloud server costs over the same period?

Should I spend money in backups? You may consider that the likelihood is low, so therefore it’s a risk worth taking. Is it though? Is the likelihood of a data corruption or computer failure low?  Frankly, no it is not.

The likelihood of a computer or server failing is 100%. It is man-made equipment. One day it will fail. This is why it is important to have backup solutions in place.

We’ve written a blog piece about this to tell you more: https://freshmango.com/physical-cloud-servers-guide/

We have a vast range of hardware recommendations for our equally diverse range of clients. See our specific recommendations below:

• For servers it depends on your requirements, we find that Dell and HP have excellent solutions that meet the majority of business needs.
• For computers, we recommend as a minimum 8GB memory, 2TB hard drive and i5 processor
• Routers: Appropriate model from Fortinet
• Displays: Dual monitor minimum
• NAS: Synology box appropriately sized and configured
• Uninterruptible Power Supplies: Eaton, no question

What is an SOP? Good question! An SOP is a Standard Operating Procedure. It originates from manufacturing environments where standardisation of processes and procedures is used as a key element of ensuring product quality and consistency.

In the same way, at CCS we have SOPs in place for the work we do for our clients. From something as straightforward as creating a new email account to configuring an entire server and network. SOPs are one of the many behind-the-scenes ways in which we ensure our customer service remains first-class. Contact Fresh Mango for more information.

What is email spoofing? Email spoofing is the creation of an email header to make the message appear to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. Email spoofing is used in email phishing and spam campaigns - you're more likely to open an email when they think it has been sent by a legitimate source.

In other words, the email looks as if it's from someone you know. So you open it and then click a link, or pay an invoice... Check out our video log on LinkedIn, describing how we helped a customer avoid a million dollar fraud.

What is patching? Patching is another word for updating your operating systems on your server, PCs, Laptops and Macs. It even applies to your smartphone and tablet.

Microsoft and Apple regularly issue updates to their operating systems. These updates typically resolve bugs (errors in the system) and increasingly plug cybersecurity holes. Implementing these updates is called 'Patching'.

Sometimes the updates include new or improved functionality in the operating system. These are generally referred to as upgrades, but they typically include bug and security fixes too.

What is SEO and why should I do it?

SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimisation’. Very simply it applies to numerous techniques which can be applied to your website, web-pages and blog pieces to maximise the chances of high rankings in search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. It is sometimes referred to as ‘Organic search’ to distinguish it from Paid online advertising.

Contact Fresh Mango for more information on how we can help!

1. We recommend a belt and brace approach. A local backup and a cloud backup. This applies to single-PC/laptop users and companies with servers and networks alike. Local backups protect you from internet accessibility failures (they do happen!) and cloud backup protects you from local failures, and is also an invaluable defence against Ransomware.
2. Cloud storage is NOT Cloud backup. A professional cloud backup system has end-to-end encryption and provides for a complete system restore. Files in Cloud storage are fully susceptible to ransomware. Find out more here: https://neovault.net/
3. Anyone who has access to company systems -whether an employee or not, whether local or remote – should be subject to the same IT and security policies as locally-based employees. If you don’t have any IT policies in place, strongly recommend that you do so.
4. Anti-virus and anti-spam software should be professional, ie paid, versions.
5. Mobile devices carrying personal data – client, employee, supplier etc – are a GDPR risk and need to fall under the company IT policy umbrella.
6. Encrypt the hard drives on your laptops

I'm glad you asked! We receive this question quite a lot so decided to make a blog post about it. The Ideal computer Setup 

Lucky you, we've just written a blog piece regarding this! Give it a look.

What kind of PC do I need for home? Well, there's a huge variety of computers and specifications, and really the question comes down to your budget and what you plan to use it for.

If you need a simple PC for surfing the net, email, maybe use of Microsoft office documents, then a PC with 4GB RAM, 256GB hard drive will probably suffice.

At the opposite extreme, if you are big into gaming, you need a high-spec machine to ensure game speed and graphics aren't compromised.

Other considerations include:

• Will your home PC be located in one place in the house, or would you like to move it around easily?
• How many monitors will you need? A lot of people have at least two these days, for easier multi-tasking
• Who will be using it - eg just you or the whole family?
• Will you be streaming media (eg Netflix) on it?
• Aesthetics - do you prefer something with modern/sleek design to fit with your home?

All of these factors - and many more - will help determine the best PC for your home computing needs.

Contact Fresh Mango and we'll be pleased to talk through your requirements and advise accordingly!

Unfortunately, telephone scams continue to increase, and scammers have become very convincing. The key elements of a scam are to try and instil some panic or fear into the victim, to get them to take immediate action. Typically this will be something relating to your bank account or an urgent update for your computer systems. (Check out our cyber site for more examples).

Remember, it's very rare for something to require immediate action, so don't fall for the 'emergency'. If you do give someone information or computer access over the phone, contact us immediately so we can run a security scan.

The best defence against telephone scams is this - no one apart from you and Fresh Mango (as your IT provider) should have access to your computer. Simple!

Good question! We've written a blog piece about this! Please do take a look here.

The IT field is very fast moving and we keep up to date with it. Therefore there’s a good chance that when you read this our recommendations may have changed already! Right now we recommend this standard software for our clients:

• Email: Microsoft Office 365 - a huge improvement on server-based email
• Anti-Virus: Vipre - world-leading protection for your systems
• Anti-Spam: MailAssure - prevents unwanted email and improved cybersecurity
• Monitoring: Borderpoint - continuous protective monitoring for your systems

We adopt and recommend a ‘belt and braces approach’ as the best way to back up. By which we mean both local and cloud backup combined. Local in case your internet connectivity fails; Cloud in case your hardware fails. Local backup drives can be provided for servers and PCs and configured to automatically backup regularly (at least daily). Cloud Backup should be configured at the server level to backup every night. We recommend Neovault, a proven disaster recovery backup tool as the best way to back up your system. It doesn’t just backup files, but can ‘image’ elements of your system, such as the operating system for clean, quick and effective backups.

We recommend a ‘belt and brace’ approach as the best way to backup data, consisting of:

• Local backup – a backup of your data to another disc. This can be a simple external hard-drive or even a separate server which replicates your data.
• Cloud Backup – recommended for security and also disaster recovery, a backup to the cloud ensures your data can always be recovered.

Users

USB

Hackers

Emails

Most people would say the Hacker right? Well, they are certainly a danger. But what if we told you all four were equally dangerous? (The mirror is you by the way…). Would you want to find out why and what you can do about it?

We’re sure you would, and the answer lies in cyber hygiene training. Find out more on our cyber website here

Interesting question! We've written a blog piece on this subject, you can read it here

Long story short - don't take it personally if you get hit - it's usually not you that they are targeting, even though it feels very personal.

Does my server and network need regular checks? Yes, just as you have your car serviced and maintained, so your server, network equipment, and computers need to be maintained. The best way to do this is through regular (we recommend at least monthly) checks to ensure all is well, and to install any software updates. Remember that your equipment is connected to the internet, so regular checks and updates aren’t just required to maintain system efficiency, but also to keep up with the latest security updates.

Most people connect to the internet at home using wifi. This is fine of course, but if you have a VPN link to your server, you may find it regularly drops out. This is because your wifi connection often drops, albeit just for an instant. In the normal use of email and internet browsing this would usually not be noticeable. In the case of VPN access, the slightest drop in internet connectivity will cause the VPN to drop.

Therefore, if possible, it is worth connecting your home laptop/pc directly to your home modem/router with a network cable. This is exactly the same kind of cable you have for connection of your PC to your office network. A ‘hard-wired’ connection like this will improve your VPN connection significantly.

The most common reason for VPN disconnection is your Wifi network. If you are connecting to the internet via Wifi, and then connecting your VPN, you're likely to experience drop-outs. This is because Wifi isn't continuous. It may appear to be, but occasionally it will drop out - just for a split-second. That split-second is enough to drop your VPN connection.

How can you ensure VPN continuity? If your PC is close enough to your modem/router, then connect them both with a network cable. This will provide internet via cable, not wifi, and your VPN connection will be much more robust.

We’re asked this question from time-to-time, and the short answer is it is standard IT policy for any professionally managed IT network. If you’re keen to understand why this is the case then read our detailed blog piece here