SystemAssure ITSM Ltd

End of Windows 2012 extended support

SystemAssure — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 11:18:01 +0000

Windows Server 2012 & R2 End of Extended Support 10/10/23

Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will reach the end of extended support on the 10^th of October 2023. After this date, these products will no longer receive security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates.

If you manage any servers running these operating systems in a live production environment we strongly recommend migrating to a newer OS where possible. You may prefer to carry out a Technology Refresh on the Server hardware or look at Cloud solutions to enable the latest Windows Server 2022 operating system to remain patched and protected from vulnerabilities.

What are my Options?

If your business has 25 or fewer users and your server is the only server on the domain, you can consider Windows Server 2022 Essentials as a cheaper alternative to Standard, designed specifically for small businesses.

If your business has over 25 users or more than one server, then Server 2022 Standard or Datacentre is recommended. If your business is expanding then Cloud might be the best option for you rather than physical servers.

UK Public Emergency Alert Test

SystemAssure — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 10:14:52 +0000

When is the UK Public Emergency Test happening?

A UK-wide test of the life-saving public Emergency Alerts system will take place at 3pm on Sunday 23 April 2023.

What is happening:

The test of the new Emergency Alerts system will see people receive a Message on 4G and 5G smartphones, along with sound and vibration for up to 10 seconds.

What will it look and sound like:

Watch the YouTube Video to see what the Emergency Alerts will look like. This is a UK wide test to enable urgent messages to be broadcast to a defined area when there is an imminent risk to life, such as wildfires or severe flooding.

What do I need to do?

For the test, the public do not need to take any action – the sound and vibration will stop automatically after ten seconds. All people need to do is swipe away the message or click ‘OK’ on their phone’s home screen – just like for a ‘low battery’ warning or notification – and continue to use their phone as normal.

You can find out further information on Emergency Alerts, including what they look and sound like at About Emergency Alerts – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Top 5 risks of Shadow IT?

SystemAssure — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 12:24:40 +0000

What are the top 5 risks of Shadow IT ?

Shadow IT refers to the use of information technology systems and software that are not approved or supported by an organisation’s IT department.

These systems and software may be used by employees without the knowledge or consent of the IT department and can include cloud-based services, mobile apps, and personal devices used for work purposes. The use of Shadow IT can introduce security risks, data breaches, and compliance issues for an organisation. Additionally, it can also cause problems with data consistency, data governance, and IT support.

What are the top 5 risks of shadow IT?

Security risks: Shadow IT systems and software may not have the same level of security as those approved and supported by the IT department, increasing the risk of data breaches and cyber-attacks.
Compliance issues: Shadow IT systems and software may not comply with industry regulations and standards, putting the organisation at risk of fines and penalties.
Data governance and Data sovereignty problems: Shadow IT systems and software may not adhere to the organisation’s data governance policies, leading to inconsistencies and errors in data management. Data may be stored within a region which conflicts with local compliance regulations, such as GDPR.
Lack of support: If employees are using shadow IT systems and software, the IT department may not be able to provide adequate support or troubleshoot issues.
Loss of control: If employees are using shadow IT systems and software without the knowledge of the IT department, the organisation may lose control over the data and systems being used.

What are the best ways to detect and stop Shadow IT

Network monitoring: Regularly monitoring network traffic can help detect the use of unauthorised systems and software by employees
Inventory management: Keeping an inventory of all systems and software used within the organization can help identify any unauthorised systems or software.
Employee education: Educating employees on the risks and consequences of using shadow IT systems and software can help reduce the likelihood of them using such systems.
Creating an IT governance structure: Having a clear IT governance structure in place, with clear lines of communication and decision-making can help reduce the likelihood of shadow IT.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions: DLP solutions can monitor and prevent the loss or leakage of sensitive data from the organisation.
Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs): CASBs can monitor and control cloud app usage, detect and prevent shadow IT usage
Regular internal audits: Regularly conducting internal audits can help detect and identify any instances of shadow IT within the organisation.

To start your journey on managing and controlling Shadow IT you first need to discover it. Take a look at our SaaS Management solution.

Top 5 reasons to implement DMARC

SystemAssure — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:58:06 +0000

Top 5 reasons to implement DMARC

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol that is designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorised use, commonly known as email spoofing.

It allows a domain owner to publish a policy in their DNS records that specifies which mechanism(s) an Email Service Provider (ESP) should use to authenticate email messages sent from their domain, and what to do if a message fails authentication. DMARC also provides a reporting mechanism that allows domain owners to receive feedback about messages that pass and fail DMARC evaluation at ESPs.

The top 5 reasons to implement DMARC are:-

To provide protection against email spoofing:
DMARC allows domain owners to protect their domain from unauthorised use, which is commonly known as email spoofing. This can help protect against phishing and other types of malicious emails that may use the domain owner’s name or reputation to trick recipients.
Improved email deliverability:
By implementing DMARC, domain owners can ensure that legitimate emails sent from their domain are more likely to be delivered to recipients’ inboxes. This is because DMARC allows domain owners to specify which mechanisms an Email Service Provider (ESP) should use to authenticate email messages.
Increased visibility into email usage:
DMARC provides a reporting mechanism that allows domain owners to receive feedback about messages that pass and fail DMARC evaluation at ESPs. This can help domain owners gain insight into how their domain is being used and identify any potential issues that may need to be addressed.
Compliance with industry standards:
DMARC is an industry standard and is widely supported by major email service providers, including Google and Microsoft 365. Implementing DMARC can help organisations comply with security and regulatory requirements, as well as demonstrate their commitment to protecting their customers’ data.
Better alignment with other email authentication protocols:
DMARC works in conjunction with other email authentication protocols such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) to provide a more comprehensive email authentication solution. Implementing DMARC can help organizations better align their email authentication efforts and improve overall email security.

To find out more about DMARC and how it can help your business complete the form.

We can set up a 2 week trial and provide you with a Free DMARC status report.

This will highlight:-

The volume of email sent during the period
How much of the email was compliant
The volume of emails sent illegally
Where the illegal email is coming from
Next steps

Read more about our email Security DMARC Reporting service. Start protecting your business email and your customers from illegal Spam.

I have implemented SPF do I still need DMARC?

SystemAssure — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:19:06 +0000

I have implemented SPF do I still need DMARC?

While SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a valuable email authentication mechanism, it has some limitations on its own.

DMARC builds upon SPF by providing additional layers of protection against email spoofing and allows domain owners to specify a policy for how email receivers should handle messages that fail authentication.

By implementing DMARC, domain owners can:

Specify a policy that tells email receivers what to do when a message fails SPF or DKIM evaluation.
Request feedback from email receivers about messages that pass and fail DMARC evaluation.
Set a higher level of protection for the domain by specifying a “reject” policy, which tells email receivers to reject messages that fail DMARC evaluation.

So, even though you have implemented SPF, DMARC can provide additional security benefits and a better visibility over the email usage of your domain. It’s also important to note that DMARC is an industry standard, and many organizations and receiving mail servers expect it to be implemented in addition to SPF.

To find out more about DMARC and how it can help your business complete the form.

We can set up a 2 week trial and provide you with a Free DMARC status report.

This will highlight:-

The volume of email sent during the period
How much of the email was compliant
The volume of emails sent illegally
Where the illegal email is coming from
Next steps

Read more about our email Security DMARC Reporting service. Start protecting your business email and your customers from illegal Spam.

How do you implement DMARC?

SystemAssure — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 14:03:42 +0000

How do you implement DMARC to secure your domain?

You have decided that you need to secure your domain from Spammers and Phishing, how do you implement DMARC to ensure your domain is secure?

DMARC is the final link in the chain. You achieve this using Sender Policy Framework (SPF) , Domainkeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC).

How do you implement DMARC – Discovery

We start a DMARC implementation project with a Discovery process. This covers items including:-

What domains do we need to cover
Do all the domains send email?
Who controls the DNS for the domains?
What email system do you use, Google, Office 365, Exchange, SMPT Servers etc
Do you send mail from other systems? i.e. CRM, Email marketing system
How many users do you have?

How do you implement DMARC – Analysis

We configure your domains in our DMARC monitoring system, for the free evaluation period. At this point, we don’t change your SPF or DKIM records.

If you already have a DMARC record we will provide you with an updated DMARC record that allows us to collect the DMARC aggregate reports (rua address). During this analysis the DMARC Failure Policy *, p tag, will be set to none.

*Policy failure options are:-

p=none – Do nothing, let the email through. Normally used during setup and discovery
p=quarantine – Send the email through to Spam and let the end user decide
p=reject – Reject the email

How do you implement DMARC – Report

At the end of your analysis period we will present you with a report that that shows you:-

The volume of emails that are reported as compliant
The emails that are non-compliant, based on the current policy.
Whether they failed on SPF Policy, DKIM alignment or both.
The DMARC Policy that was applied, during analysis this will be none.
Where ‘Senders’ are in the world.

How do you implement DMARC – Project Plan

The scope of an implementation plan depends on the complexities found during the Analysis. This depends on the age of the domain, the volume of email, and the different senders found.

For a new small business, it is sometimes possible to directly implement a new policy. For more mature businesses there is an element of ‘clean up’ that needs to be carried out over a period of time. During this process, we work with your information security team to ensure they understand the process and updates.

This tends to be an iterative process as new ‘senders’ are discovered that the Information Security Team were previously unaware of. We also ensure that your Information Security Team are aware of the correct process for approving new ‘Senders’ so that the SPF and DMARC Policy records are updated correctly.

How do you implement DMARC – Costs

Following implementation, we continue to monitor the implementation and provide monthly reports. Where necessary the reports will include additional recommendations to fine-tune DMARC and SPF records.

The monthly costs for the ongoing service are:-

DMARC Monthly Monitoring and Reporting 1-50 users £23.75
DMARC Monthly Monitoring and Reporting 51-150 users £55.00
DMARC Monthly Monitoring and Reporting 151-500 users £125.00

How do you implement DMARC - Next Steps

To find out more about DMARC and how it can help your business complete the form on the right. We can set up a 2 week trial and provide you with a Free DMARC status report.

This will highlight:-

The volume of email sent during the period
How much of the email was compliant
The volume of emails sent illegally
Where the illegal email is coming from
Next steps

Read more about our email Security DMARC Reporting service. Start protecting your business email and your customers from illegal Spam.

How do I protect domains that don’t send email?

SystemAssure — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 13:13:16 +0000

Protect Domains that don’t send email

The fact that email is a vital part of business is undeniable. More than 350 billion emails are sent every day, and it is estimated that less than 15% of them are legitimate or requested. Make sure that you don’t let Spammers and Phishers use your domains to send email that pretends to be you.

To do this you must protect domains that don’t send email. You achieve this using Sender Policy Framework (SPF) , Domainkeys Identified Mail (DKIM)and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) in exactly the same way that you do for your primary domain.

Why have Domains that don’t send email

Companies often have multiple domains, sometimes they are as simple as multiple Top Level Domains (TLD). This is done to help protect the company name and brand from Cyber Squatting. i.e. A company might own Company.co.uk, Company.com, Company.eu etc.

In this case the domains and, usually, the www.Company are redirected to the domain that the company considers to be their Primary Domain. That is the domain where they host their website. This means that whenever someone trys to visit any of the other domains they automatically get redirected to the company website on their primary domain.

Sometimes this happens as the result of an aquisition or company merger, the domain of the aquired company is forwarded to the new company. Occasionally domains are aquired for brand protection of specific products, they may host a website but they rarely are used to send email.

The same is normally true for inbound email. i.e. email addressed to bob@Company.com gets sent through to bob@Company.co.uk. However people rarely think about outbound email, as they just know that they are going to be using the domain for sending email.

Protect domains that don’t send email

You protect domains that don’t send email in exactly the same way as you do for your email domains and use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to protect your email and tell receivers what to do if they receive an email out of policy.

Sender Policy Framework, or SPF for short, is a DNS text record that lists the domain names, or IP Addresses, which are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.
Domainkeys Identified Mail, or DKIM, DNS records present a digital signature which authenticates the sender as being authorised to send email.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Compliance, or DMARC, records hold the policy on what should happen to an email if it fails the SPF or DKIM checks.

The Policy failure options are:-

p=none – Do nothing, let the email through. Normally used during setup and discovery
p=quarantine – Send the email through to Spam and let the end user decide
p=reject – Reject the email

How should I set SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for domains that don’t send email

You protect domains that don’t send email by setting SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

SPF set this to v=spf1 -all
- i.e. no domains or IP addresses configured and fail anything not listed
DKIM create a TXT record called *._domainkey.yourdomain.com and set it to v=DKIM1; p=
- Where yourdomain.com is your domain name . i.e. systemassure.co.uk
- p= This is an empty public key as there is no signature
DMARC create a TXT record called _dmarc.yourdomain.com and set it to v=DMARC1; p=reject; sp=reject; adkim=s; aspf=s
- v=DMARC1 tells the server that this DNS record contains a DMARC policy.
- p=reject indicates that email servers should reject emails that fail DKIM and SPF checks.
- adkim=s represents something called the alignment mode. In this case, the alignment mode is set to “s” for strict. Strict alignment mode means that the server of the email domain that contains the DMARC record must exactly match the domain in the From header of the email. If it does not, the DKIM check fails.
- aspf=s serves the same purpose as adkim=s, but for SPF alignment.

This then tells anyone receiving email from your domain:- If you have recieved anything fail the email. If the email has failed then it should be rejected for the domain and all subdomains.

To find out more about DMARC and how it can help your business complete the form. We can set up a 2 week trial and provide you with a Free DMARC status report.

This will highlight:-

The volume of email sent during the period
How much of the email was compliant
The volume of emails sent illegally
Where the illegal email is coming from
Next steps

Read more about our email Security DMARC Reporting service. Start protecting your business email and your customers from illegal Spam.

Emsisoft UK Partner

SystemAssure — Sat, 14 May 2022 12:45:06 +0000

SystemAssure ITSM appointed as Emsisoft UK Partner

SystemAssure ITSM Ltd are pleased to announce that they have joined the Emsisoft Partner Program as an Emsisoft UK Partner.

Joining the Emsisoft Partner Program enables SystemAssure ITSM to provide the best in class anti-malware and endpont protection solution.

Emsisoft isn’t simply anti-virus software, it is a complete multi-layer Endpoint Protection solution for Windows PC and Servers.

Multi-Layered Endpoint Protection

Multi-layered protection is so much more than just Anti-Virus software. It helps to protect your users when they are simply browsing the web, by default we only turn on protection from malicious sites. If you want content filtering Emsisoft has category-based filtering. If you need more in-depth filtering and reporting then we recommend DNS Filter.

We even include Anti-Ransomware protection to further protect your systems, stopping ransomware before it get a chance to encrypt your data.

Web Protection and Browser Security

Stops you browsing to malicious websites while fully respecting your right to privacy. Browse the Web with confidence knowing you’re fully protected from malware hosts and phishing scams.

Real-Time File Guard

Provides comprehensive real-time protection against all types of malware.

File Guard checks all downloaded and modified files using our AI-supported dual-engine scanner.

Behavior Blocker

Continuously monitors the behavior of all active processes.

If the Behavior Blocker notices anything suspicious, it steps in and raises the alert.

Anti-Ransomware

Stops ransomware before it has the chance to encrypt your precious data.

If you don’t want a Managed IT Service by an Emsisoft Partner, but like the sound of Emsisoft you can install and manage it yourself. Get your Free 30 day trial of Emsisoft from SystemAssure ITSM, your Emsisoft UK Partner.

What is Shadow IT?

SystemAssure — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 13:42:17 +0000

What is Shadow IT?

The term Shadow IT describes applications and systems that are in use in a business that haven’t been provided, or approved, by the IT department.

It is called Shadow IT for 2 reasons:-

The service provided typically shadows a service provided by the IT department. i.e. The use of Slack within a department instead of the corporate Teams system.
It is hidden within the shadows of a department. i.e. A server hidden under a desk, or a SaaS solution charged on expenses to keep it hidden

Shadow IT solutions are typically purchased by a department to run specialist applications. This could be a salesman or department using their own CRM, rather than the company system.

Historically this would have been a Server under a desk within the department. Now Shadow IT is far more likely to be a SaaS solution hosted within the Cloud.

What is Shadow IT and why is it a worry?

Shadow IT is a worry to both the IT department and the finance department. These reasons in the era of SaaS applications are still the same as when Shadow IT was a server under a desk.

What is Shadow IT to the IT Department?

Shadow IT is a Security concern.
- How often is the data backed up?
- Where is the data stored?
- Who has access to the data?
- If its a salesman using their preferred CRM will they take the data with them if they leave?
Shadow IT is a compliance issue.
- Who own the data if the user has paid for the service?
- Does it comply with GDPR?
- What happens if the person who signed up for the application leaves? Will the rest of the department loose access to the application?
- Who provides support if the IT department don’t even know the application exists?

What is Shadow IT to the Finance department?

Shadow IT is a budget concern
- Who is actually paying for it?
- Are they claiming on expenses?
- Are we claiming the VAT?

How can I control Shadow IT?

Shadow IT, by definition, is hidden from mainstream IT. So until you know what systems and applications are actually being used you can’t start to control it.

To start your journey on managing and controlling Shadow IT you first need to discover it. Take a look at our SaaS Management solution.

What is DMARC and why do I need it?

SystemAssure — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 14:50:30 +0000

What is DMARC and why do I need it?

The fact that email is a vital part of business is undeniable. More than 350 billion emails are sent every day, and it is estimated that less than 15% of them are legitimate or requested. That’s where the abuse begins. On its own, email lacks the ability to verify the authenticity of the sender. This fundamental flaw is exploited by cybercriminals and solved by DMARC.

Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is an open-source technical specification that is used to authenticate outbound email by aligning SPF and DKIM mechanisms. By having DMARC in place, domain owners can stop criminals from using their domains for business email compromise, phishing and spoofing. DMARC was first published in 2012. Since then, DMARC has become a cybersecurity best practice and an indicator for an organisation’s security posture.

Compliance

DMARC is gaining attention in the government and insurance sectors. It’s always beneficial to be an early adopter, a role model, for meeting compliance before a control like DMARC is mandated.

Following the Department of Homeland Security’s 2017 action that ordered federal agencies to defend their domains with DMARC, Congress passed a DMARC mandate in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The mandate requires US-based email infrastructure to implement the DMARC standard at scale.

Increasingly, insurance companies are listing DMARC on their cyber insurance applications. Having DMARC and other cybersecurity measures in place can lower premiums and increase the chance of insurance payouts if and when a data breach claim is processed. Because cyber insurance companies are looking to lower risk when issuing cyber policies by recommending DMARC, an insured organization’s risk can be reduced as well.

Check your email security for FREE

The UK government has launched a free DMARC check tool that lets you get a view of your current email security status. You can find this at https://checkcybersecurity.service.ncsc.gov.uk/email-security-check.

Check your domain using this tool and if you need assistance with email security come back to us for help.

Below are the results of our check of the SystemAssure email health check.

With DMARC deployed, you’re telling the internet what the legitimate uses of your emails are and to block the illegitimate abuse of your email domains, which protects your business from disruption and your brand from damage.

It also gives you visibility on how your email domains are being used, both by people within your organization as well as your external vendors who send emails on your behalf. DMARC becomes a compliance management resource to ensure you’re reducing your liability and the risk of fraud to your organization, your customers and your vendors.

To find out more about DMARC and how it can help your business complete the form. We can set up a 2 week trial and provide you with a Free DMARC status report.

This will highlight:-

The volume of email sent during the period
How much of the email was compliant
The volume of emails sent illegally
Where the illegal email is coming from
Next steps

Read more about our email Security DMARC Reporting service. Start protecting your business email and your customers from illegal Spam.