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 20th 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.
In today’s increasingly interconnected world, safeguarding sensitive government data is a top priority for federal agencies—and for the contractors they partner with. While classified information has long been protected through well-established regulations, a new category of “Controlled Unclassified Information” (CUI) has emerged in recent years, prompting additional guidance and compliance requirements. Enter the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule for CUI.
In this blog post, we’ll explore what CUI is, why it matters to government contractors, and how the FAR rule on CUI will shape compliance requirements going forward.
Sourdough. Yes, I am starting a blog for a cybersecurity company with the 2020 hot trend of sourdough. Over Christmas break, my resistance to joining the sourdough club broke and I started down the path. I spent time consuming all the information I could – I scoured Instagram and started following creators, I watched YouTube videos on how to properly do a ‘stretch and fold,’ and I perused website after website to figure out what the heck I was doing. As a visual learner, I was thrilled when a blogger had included video for further explanation. And in many cases, the videos were embedded from TikTok.
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.
Imagine being the owner of the most popular coffee joint on the corner. Your loyal customers line up outside each morning, eager to grab their caffeine fix. But, one day, as your staff hustles to keep up with the orders, a sudden storm knocks out the power, leaving the cafe in the dark. Or worse, a cyberattack targets your billing system, leaving a long line of frustrated customers.
Unexpected chaos can strike any business at any time. One moment, you’re basking in the glory of running a successful establishment; the next, you’re thrown against a wall, staring at a crisis that could disrupt your entire business. Don’t let this be your story.
In my 25+ year cyber security career, I have watched the demand for compliance auditing grow. In a world where the need to carry cash is diminishing, the need for securing digital data, such as credit cards, is vital. How do businesses go about protecting their clients’ credit data? More importantly, how do we as customers know that our credit card data is being protected? The answer is PCI.
Are you feeling like you’re falling behind in today’s digital race? You’re not alone.
The cutthroat business world no longer tolerates “good enough” or subpar technology.
Therefore, it’s high time to turn technology into your growth engine, but hasty tech adoption won’t cut it. This is where smart tech acceleration comes in.
We often get asked what makes our company different. After all, there are more than half a million IT companies across the US, and if you were to spread that number evenly across all 50 states, that would mean there’s at least 10,000 IT companies in Pennsylvania. So again, what makes us different? There are a number of things that could be cited, from our culture to our service delivery to business philosophy and many more (check out our Core Values series on YouTube).
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.
In late February, the CISO Masterminds met for the Spring Summit Event in Hollywood, Florida. Founded by Jason Starr, CISO Masterminds gathers CISOs from across the nation to provide opportunities for deep conversation and exchange that ultimately allow CISOs to better serve their organizations. Appalachia has been honored to be afforded the opportunity to participate in events and serve as expert speakers.
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 rapidly evolving threat landscape, employee cybersecurity training is crucial. It acts as the frontline defense against cyberattacks, empowering your workforce to identify and mitigate potential threats. However, to ensure the effectiveness of your training program, you should take all the steps necessary to avoid common mistakes that can undermine your efforts.
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.
In today’s digital age, ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly frequent, sophisticated and costly. With cybercriminals constantly evolving their tactics and targeting businesses of all sizes, organizations like yours must proactively safeguard your data and systems. Unfortunately, many companies fall prey to common ransomware myths, which can leave them vulnerable to attacks and unprepared to respond effectively in the event of an incident.
Mike Miller was invited to speak at SecureWorld Charlotte in a fireside chat titled, "Your Career in Cybersecurity" in early March. Mike is sharing his experience - tag along as he gives his first-hand account!
Central Penn Business Journal has released the 2023 Book of Lists and Appalachia Technologies is proud to be included in both the Cybersecurity Companies and System Integrators lists!
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?