Appalachia Technologies Blog

Beyond Your Firewall: The Threats You Don't Control

In Part 1 of this series, we examined how AI-powered phishing and evolved ransomware are changing the face of cybercrime in 2026. These threats are immediate, visible, and increasingly sophisticated. But they're not the only dangers IT leaders need to understand.

Some of the most damaging breaches in recent years haven't come from direct attacks on organizations - they've come through the extended ecosystem of vendors, suppliers, and the software vulnerabilities that exist before anyone even knows they're there.

What cyber threats should IT leaders prioritize in 2026?

If you're responsible for your organization's security posture, you've likely noticed the threat landscape doesn't just evolve - it accelerates. What kept you safe in 2024 is already outdated, and the tactics that worked in 2025 are becoming less effective by the day.

As we look toward 2026, the convergence of several factors - mature AI capabilities, increasingly sophisticated threat actors, and the permanent shift to hybrid work environments - is creating a perfect storm of cybersecurity challenges. For IT leaders and decision-makers, the question isn't whether your organization will face these threats, but when.

Your biggest security risk isn't a zero-day exploit announced this morning. It’s that 20-year-old server running your door locks that everyone is too afraid to touch.

Let’s talk about the ghosts in your network.

We all have them. The Windows XP machine controlling a critical manufacturing line. The ancient server managing CCTV feeds. The forgotten box that holds the keys to your building's physical access. We keep them because they’re “too expensive to replace” or, more ominously, “too critical to turn off.”

But by treating them as untouchable, we're not avoiding risk; we are blindly accepting it.

Beyond the Efficiency Metrics

After a year of AI implementation, here's the number everyone wants to know: 20% productivity gain.

But that number tells you almost nothing about whether our implementation actually succeeded.

Did we make work better or just faster? Did we enhance human capability or diminish it? Did we build something sustainable or create technical debt? Are our people thriving or just surviving?

This week, let's talk about measuring what actually matters and learning from what doesn't work—because if you're not failing regularly with AI, you're not trying hard enough.

Solving Real Problems, Not Creating New Ones

I need to tell you about Marty the Robot.

Marty is my grocery store's $35,000 "innovation"—a six-foot-tall robot with googly eyes that supposedly detects spills. In reality, he's a mobile obstacle that terrifies children, blocks aisles, and makes shopping worse for everyone involved.

Marty is the perfect symbol of purposeless AI: technology deployed because it's possible, not because it's needed. He solves no problem customers have. He creates several they didn't. He represents everything wrong with how organizations approach AI.

This week, let's talk about purposeful implementation—how to ensure your AI solves real problems instead of becoming your own version of Marty.

The Difference Between Augmentation and Replacement

There's a moment in every AI implementation where you face a choice: Do we use this to amplify what humans do well, or do we use it to replace them entirely?

Most organizations don't even realize they're making this choice. They drift toward replacement by default, following vendor promises and cost-cutting instincts. But there's another way—one that recognizes a fundamental truth: The magic happens when humans and AI work together, not when one replaces the other.

This week, let's explore how to keep humans at the center of your AI strategy, not just in philosophy but in practice.

The Foundation Everything Else Depends On

Trust is like reputation—it takes years to build and seconds to destroy. With AI implementation, you don't get years. You get one shot at the first impression. Blow it, and you'll spend the next decade trying to recover.

Here's what most organizations don't understand: Trust isn't just nice to have. It's the multiplier that determines whether your AI implementation generates 2% efficiency gains or 20%. Whether your best people become innovators or update their resumes. Whether you're building the future or destroying your culture.

This week, let's talk about how to build (and keep) trust when implementing AI.

The AI Conversation We're Not Having

Every discussion about AI seems to devolve into the same tired debate: Will AI save us or destroy us? Are you a believer or a skeptic? Should we accelerate or pump the brakes?

This binary thinking is killing our ability to implement AI effectively. While we're busy arguing about robot overlords versus digital utopia, real organizations are struggling with real questions that don't fit neatly into either camp.

It's time for a third way—one that neither fears nor worships AI, but instead asks a simple question: How can we use this technology to make work more human, not less?

In my first blog of this series (Defining and Identifying Your Attack Surface), we covered what makes up your organization’s attack surface, and how it’s likely bigger (and more complex) than you realize. But knowing what’s out there is only the beginning. If you want to stay ahead of threats, you need to continuously monitor your environment, keep your asset inventory up to date, and prioritize which exposures deserve your attention.

Let’s break down what that really looks like in practice.

What Is Alert Fatigue?

Alert fatigue happens when cybersecurity teams receive so many alerts — from failed logins to firewall warnings — that they begin to tune them out.

• Example: A SOC analyst might receive hundreds or thousands of alerts in a single shift.
• The Risk: When every alert seems urgent, nothing feels urgent.

In the rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations invest heavily in vulnerability management programs, deploy cutting-edge scanning tools, and implement comprehensive patch management processes. Yet despite these efforts, many still fall victim to cyberattacks. Why? The answer often lies not in the sophistication of the threats, but in the fundamental blind spots that exist within their security posture.

We asked our security team to identify the most common blind spots they encounter when working with organizations. Their insights reveal a sobering truth: the most dangerous vulnerabilities often hide in plain sight, overlooked by even well-intentioned security programs.

In today’s evolving threat landscape, understanding your attack surface is no longer optional, it’s foundational. Before you can defend your organization effectively, you need to know what you’re defending. That’s why the first step in any strong Attack Surface Management (ASM) program is clearly defining and identifying your attack surface.

But what exactly is an “attack surface”? Let’s break it down.

If you had told me a few years ago that my calendar would be split between virtual CISO responsibilities, mentoring team members, and crafting cybersecurity campaign content with a marketing team, I might have raised an eyebrow. But today, that’s just a regular Tuesday. As the Practice Lead for NIST, SOC2, and CIS GRC Services at a cybersecurity consulting firm, no two days look exactly alike, and that’s exactly what makes the role both challenging and rewarding. However, my day has looked like this before and this includes most of my responsibilities.

As an Appalachia Technologies employee for more than half the company's existence, Mike Williams has been influential in establishing the blueprint for company culture.  Now, as the President of Appalachia, Mike is reflecting back on how our culture is a differentiator and how we got here.

Reflecting on 20 Years of Innovation and Growth

At 20 years young, there’s so much good that could be written. With hindsight being 20/20,  I want to take you back 10 years ago to which, in my opinion, was “the Appalachia transformation.” This was when we challenged ourselves to dream about creating a culture within Appalachia that we all wished we had found previously in our careers...but didn’t. I say “dream” because we had a rather lofty vision of what we wanted “us” to look and feel like. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, and we also knew it would never be finished.

The Heart of Growth: Building a Strong Company Culture

Growing a business includes adding staff to handle the increased client base and services.  Fundamental to successfully adding staff is the development of a company culture.  For Appalachia Technologies, company culture is discussed regularly and lived daily.  From staff development, team building, core values, and the complimentary core actions, relationships are cultivated with regular care and nurturing, both on the staff and client sides.

A Milestone in Cybersecurity: Celebrating Two Decades

In the fall of 2024, we celebrated the 20^th anniversary of Appalachia Technologies.  Venturing out to start a business is a bold undertaking.  The reality is 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years and by the 10 year mark, 65% do not succeed.  So how did two individuals come together with a vision for a business that has beaten the odds?  Brian Stone and Mike Romano, founders and partners, sat down to be interviewed and shared some previously unheard stories from those early days.  Join us as we share the journey to the Appalachia Technologies we know today.

Achieving PCI DSS compliance can seem daunting, especially for teams with limited resources. Here are three critical PCI DSS questions and practical, low-cost solutions to help you stay secure without breaking the bank.

Warning: The following blog is a commentary of the Netflix limited series, "Zero Day" and may contain spoilers.  

The Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 is based on the 110 security practices from NIST SP 800-171 rev 2. These practices are designed to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI) within the defense supply chain. For most DoD contractors, achieving CMMC Level 2 compliance is now mandatory, but the process is challenging. Organizations must navigate evolving requirements, implement technical controls, manage costs, train their workforce, and prepare for stringent audits. Here’s an overview of the top challenges contractors face along with the best practices for overcoming them.

APPALACHIA IN THE NEWS: Appalachia Technologies Cited in Case Study to Improve Efficiencies and Service Delivery

Improve and Evolve - this is one of the five Core Values of Appalachia Technologies and one we believe helps us to stay at the forefront of our industry.  Our Technical Assistance Center (TAC), while performing well and delivering quality service, was being challenged by processes for documentation that were manual and outdated.  Not satisfied with the current way of doing this, Chris Swecker, Manager of TAC, began to explore IT Glue.  IT Glue centralizes information, allowing for efficiencies in response time, accuracy, and client satisfaction.  As he explains, "IT Glue became our source of truth."  Chris and his team built on the success by incorporating additional tools to assist with password rotation and a client-side tool for password management and shared documentation.