Upstream Tech60 coffee break 6
Friday, July 13, 2012 - 09:11
Time for a coffee break again. We have collected some news and observations during this past couple of weeks. Take some time to catch up on the things related to Kaseya, application updates and general IT news 
for managed service providers.
Targeted attacks focus on small businesses
There appears to be a direct correlation between the rise in attacks against smaller businesses and a drop in attacks against larger ones. The stakes are getting higher. The risks are also increasing when we add POS (Point Of Sales) in the mix. The bad guys are more aware of different Small Business orientend POS systems now than ever before. Many POS systems are delivered with standard admin accounts from replicated OS imaging solutions. And they most often never change. A direct access to the heart of any SMB cash register and bank transactions is the sweet spot for any cybercriminal. This is why high quality pro-active IT services is so important. Dare to do more. Stretch beyond the current service levels and status quou of the marketplace. Dare to invest time to give even more value to your customers. Stay on top of security news! The bad guys do.
Microsoft Patch Tuesday
Microsoft released nine security bulletins this month. Included is a patch for the critical issue in MSXML versions 3, 4, and 6, but not version 5. This will be fixed in coming patch cycles. Thankfully you can secure your customers facing the MSXML 5 issue with Kaseya by using our Upstream Power Pack. Look under the Windows, Security section in the Kaseya Agent Proceures after import. In the same package you will aslo find the just released out of cycle MS fixit related to the Windows Gadeget critical issue.
Microsoft Small Business Server is dead
This might come as a shock to many of you selling Small Business Server. But yes, the SMB era is dead. Stone dead. The market is adapting to the cloud or hybrid cloud solutions. Microsoft will promote Windows Server 2012 Essentials to the current SMB space with hybrid cloud solutions for Office 365 and Exchange. Read the Microsofts SBS blog here. There is also a good PDF describing the changes here. This is why Mdeamon from Alt-N is a such a good alternative for on premises email and collaboration solutions.
FBI shuts down DNSchanger servers and... nothing happens
Did you hear anything about this from your customers? Media (read daily newspapers) can really spin a story to the limit. Many reports claimed that the DNSchanger malware could literary stop the whole Internet from working Monday 9:th. FBI captured for over 6 months ago servers tied to the malware DNSchanger but decided to keep them alive for reasons unknown. the malware has been around for years directing valid DNS requests to fake sites filled with ads. A profitable business for the malware makers, no doubt. Interestingly, 12% of the to 500 fortune companies still had DNSchanger inside their networks when the servers went offline.
System Administrator Appreciation Day
This could be fun to promote. For the 13:th year in a row, the last Friday in July is System Administrator Appreciation Day. The cornerstone of the IT industry, the SysAdmins, should be celebrated! Take a look at the homepgage
Kaseya news
Kaseya released the Kaseya Data Backup solution a couple of weeks ago. This enables you to provide state of the art cloud backup to your customers. Check it out here. We also have a Swedish Tech60 session here.
Hungry for more? Kaseya is running a recurring series of technical webinars called TechJam. It's a perfect forum to get to know the product in an out. Check it out here.
Upstream news
Tech60 is on hold until august 8:th. In the meantime we would like to highlight a couple of recorded sessions during the first six months of 2012.
We used Kaseya agent procedures to patch Mac OS X machines.
We discussed how to prospect a new customer i two sessions. One technical and one sales oriented.
We introduced the snap-in for AppAssure in Kaseya.
Thats all for now. Have a great holiday!
And yes, coffee is good for you. Read more.
Kind regards
The Upstream Tech Team
