Appalachia Technologies Blog

Reflection is a part of growth – applauding successes, acknowledging missteps, and mapping out a plan forward.  For Appalachia Technologies, 2024 was filled with some significant achievements, lessons learned, and continued work in alignment with our core values.  Join us as we walk through 2024 and how it plays into our plans for 2025.

As technology continues to advance, more and more businesses like yours are adopting Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications due to their flexibility, affordability and user-friendly nature. These cloud-based services have become a staple in the corporate world, offering tools that range from email and communication platforms to customer relationship management and project tracking systems.

However, as much as SaaS brings convenience and efficiency to the table, it also introduces new challenges — particularly when it comes to data protection. That’s why finding the right SaaS backup solution is not just an option but a necessity for safeguarding your business’s digital assets.

Are you prepared to face a cybersecurity breach, a natural disaster or a system failure?

Such disruptive events can strike at any moment, causing chaos and confusion.

But don’t worry. With an effective incident response plan in place, you can handle any incident with confidence.

This blog is intended to help you enhance your plan simply and straightforwardly. So, let’s dive in and make sure you’re ready for whatever comes your way.

Worried about cyberattacks hitting your business? You're not alone.

Cyberattacks pose a real danger to businesses like yours and without a solid incident response plan, your business won’t be able to recover quickly, resulting in extensive losses. The good news, however, is that an incident response plan can help.

Through this blog, we’ll show you the common mistakes, myths and misconceptions that can stop you from building a strong response plan. We’ll also share simple solutions that will help you safely navigate cyber challenges.

The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Cybersecurity Framework, developed in early 2014, is a framework widely respected and used across organizations in the United States.  Over the years, revisions have been made – version 1.1 was drafted in 2017 and adopted in 2018, and talk around a more significant update in the form of 2.0 began sometime in 2023.  And finally, this February the NIST CSF 2.0 was officially released – so what does this even mean?  And why does it matter?

In today's business landscape, data isn't just power -- it's the very lifeline that fuels business decisions, drives innovations and shapes strategies. However, businesses often find it difficult to effectively manage the vast amounts of data they hold, and that's where data management comes into play.

Simply put, data management is all about collecting, storing and analyzing data in the most efficient way possible to help businesses like yours make informed decisions, optimize operations and unlock invaluable insights.

Your network is your business’s lifeline.

A healthy and secure network is critical for seamless communication and operational efficiency. That’s why it’s crucial to proactively identify issues and optimize performance through continuous network security monitoring.

However, as you keep a close watch, you’ll discover many issues lurking beneath the surface. In this blog, we’ll take a look at these hidden challenges and how to tackle them to ensure robust network security.

Businesses today face a range of cybersecurity threats, from social engineering attacks like phishing to sophisticated ransomware. For business leaders like you, protecting your network is crucial since it is the lifeline of your business. Any vulnerability in your network can compromise your sensitive data, operational integrity and stakeholder trust. That's why you must understand and address these threats through proactive measures, such as routine security scans and network testing.

In this blog, we'll discuss the role of a robust network and demystify network testing intricacies.

When creating a budget for your business, it’s important to remember that technology costs are more than just operational expenses. They should be considered an investment that can drive your organization toward unprecedented productivity, growth, and profitability.

In today’s fast-paced and digitally driven world, the demands placed on the IT infrastructure of businesses like yours are ever-increasing. To meet these challenges head-on, embracing outsourced IT services and entrusting your technological needs to an expert third-party provider is the best option. By partnering with these specialists, you can tap into a wealth of knowledge, experience and cutting-edge technologies that might otherwise be challenging to obtain in-house.

In today’s digital age, most businesses rely heavily on technology to streamline their operations and stay ahead of the competition. However, managing an entire IT infrastructure in-house can be overwhelming and costly.

As a business owner, you may feel that you need to choose between relying on your in-house IT staff or outsourcing technology management to an IT service provider. There is, however, a third option: co-managed IT. This approach combines the advantages and convenience of in-house IT with competent, specialized support from outsourced specialists.

When it comes to managing your business’s IT infrastructure, there are several options available. One is fully managed IT, where an IT service provider takes care of all aspects of your IT needs, from monitoring and maintenance to troubleshooting and problem resolution. Another option is co-managed IT.

It's crucial to keep all software and hardware up to date to maintain optimal security. If you don’t, cybercriminals can easily infiltrate your network and the chances for downtime increase significantly. However, many businesses don't realize that expired software/hardware can actually be one of the most prominent security risks hindering their success.

We are all aware of the term “use by date.” It is regularly used when talking about food and medications and refers to the date after which the product is no longer safe to consume. However, did you know that your software and hardware can expire too?

Time flies when you’re having fun, which is an accurate depiction of the last three days at the Zero Trust World conference in Orlando, Florida. There is quite a buzz going through the air about ThreatLocker after they announced their new endeavor, ThreatLocker Ops, which is their first foray into cyber attack detection. The ThreatLocker booth is hard at work answering questions and fielding requests to beta test the product. Not to mention their cool cash machine that new clients get to spend 30 seconds in to grab as much money as possible! It has been fun to watch.

All flights, regardless of the airplane, encounter some form of turbulence. A wise person (my mother) once told me before my first flying experience that just because there is some shaking and bouncing on the flight, to not worry, because it is all part of the glory of flying. This of course came on the heels of overwhelming news coverage of a plane crash in Charlotte, North Carolina that was caused due to wind shear and turbulence. Needless to say, I was anything but calm until I got into the air and witnessed the majesty of the earth from 37,000 feet. Day two of ThreatLocker’s Zero Trust World conference had a very similar theme.

3…2…1... We have lift-off! Zero Trust World 2023 has officially launched and is coming to you from the Omni Champions Gate Resort in Orlando, Florida. Seated in a dark ballroom with a blue ambient light cascading throughout the room like the aurora borealis, I took in the events of the morning with splendor. The National Ballroom is the main stage where the morning’s activities took place. I don’t want to just bring you the information, but I want you to feel like you are here sitting beside me at the round table. No stone was left unturned at the event. As I sat at my table before the speakers even began, I was mesmerized by the exuberance and excitement pulsating through the room. If I were to close my eyes and just absorb the auditory environment, I would have assumed that I was at a trendy nightclub with upbeat music pulsating through the air.

I’m going to throw some names out at you: Target, Uber, Colonial Pipeline, Equifax, Twitter. I’m sure most, if not all of you know these household names… maybe with the exception of Colonial Pipeline. I myself had never heard of them until I was sitting in my car in line to get gas while vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. On the radio was playing the news of how Colonial Pipeline had suffered a severe network breach that allowed an attacker to launch ransomware on their systems, shutting down their fuel transmission operations to the Southeastern United States. Which by sheer luck, I happened to be in that neck of the woods and got to experience my first-ever gas shortage. All I knew was I needed gas, or I wasn’t going to be able to leave the beach! Wait… how is that a bad thing? I digress.

As I’m sitting in my office looking at the wintry precipitation fall, it makes me long for a warmer climate. Well, I happen to be in luck, as next week I will be attending the Zero Trust World Conference, presented by ThreatLocker; which takes place in sunny and warm Orlando, Florida. In the midst of packing, making lists of things to take along, and making sure I’m TSA compliant, I have had my ear to the wire about the events being announced for the conference.  Here is a preview of what is to come!