Category Archives: Workplace / Security / Legal

By Reg Harnish, CEO of OrbitalFire Cybersecurity

By now, most small business owners and leaders understand that cybersecurity is a must-have, not a nice-to-have. Ransomware, email scams, compliance requirements and customer questionnaires are no longer reserved for big corporations; they’re the new reality for smaller businesses in our own communities.

But when it comes to accountability, there’s still a lot of confusion about who’s actually in charge of managing and improving your company’s security.

If you’re like many small businesses, you probably have a part-time IT person or are working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)—a third-party IT company that handles things like computer updates, hardware support, networking, and maybe even managing your cloud applications.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Your MSP is not your cybersecurity provider. And they were never meant to be.

The IT vs. Cybersecurity Divide

It’s easy to lump IT and cybersecurity together. After all, they both deal with technology and data. But they are not the same and treating them like they are can be a costly mistake.

Think of it like this: your accounting software runs on technology, but you wouldn’t ask your IT provider to do your taxes. 

Specialties are the norm in every aspect of your life, and cybersecurity is no different. And while it’s true that some technology can help improve your security, it can also create vulnerabilities, risks and problems when it’s not managed adequately.

Let’s be clear: MSPs are essential. They manage backups, patch your systems, and keep employees from throwing laptops out the window. Many also offer security-related tools like antivirus, spam filtering, and firewalls. These are all helpful, even necessary, but they’re tools, not a strategy. And these tools are just a small part of your cybersecurity program.

By Rod Bacon

An area law firm has expanded to better serve its clients.

Whitson Law PLLC, headquartered in Elizabethtown with a satellite location in Saratoga Springs, recently opened offices in Plattsburgh and Albany.

Founded in 2009 by Debra Whitson, Esq., the firm specializes in all aspects of family law.

“We believe every individual and family should have options to avoid the acrimony, uncertainty, and cost of letting courts determine their fate and their children’s future,” said Whitson. “What we offer our clients is unique, and we want to reach as many people as possible who would benefit from our services.”

All members of the team, from the attorneys to support staff, are trained to assist clients navigate the often choppy waters of a family in distress. Practice areas include divorce, family offense, child custody, child support, separation agreements, grandparents’ rights, prenuptial agreements, and protective orders. At the other end of the spectrum is adoption advice for couples wishing to add to their families. 

According to Director of Sales & Marketing Karlien Haese, the firm operates on an appointment-only basis. When a consultation is requested an attorney and appropriate support staff travel to the office most convenient for the client. 

“That is why we opened the two new offices,” she said. “We were getting a lot of inquiries from those areas so we knew the demand was there.”

Before a negative approach is undertaken, Whitson always recommends mediation, which can keep the litigants out of the courtroom. This can be done either through personal consultation with a mediation specialist or by utilizing Mediated Online Solutions, LLC, an arm of the firm operated by Whitson and  John J. Haverlick, LCSWR.

The firm offers what is termed client concierge service, where clients are assigned a dedicated staff member who helps them with paperwork and provides regular updates on the status of their case. This allows the attorney assigned to the client to concentrate on providing the best possible representation.

By David Andrade

Why is a multi-layered approach so effective? It’s simple: redundancy. If one layer fails, others are there to catch the slack. It’s like having multiple locks on your door—each one adds an extra level of protection. By combining both physical and network security measures, you’re creating a fortress that’s tough to breach. Your business should be equipped with the right tools and technologies to keep threats out.

For a modern-day business, a robust security system isn’t just advisable; it’s necessary. You are trusted to protect your customers’ sensitive business data, your employees, and your assets. 

Network Security: 

Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated and frequent. These attacks present in various forms suh as phishing, malware, ransomware, and direct hacking attempts. The risk of a successful attack leads to revenue loss, downtime, damage to your brand and reputation, and loss of trust from your customers. 80% of all cyber-attacks target the small and midsize business (SMB) market. Even more eye opening is 27 percent of SMBs report that they will be put of business from a cyber-attack. 

By Christine Graf

For more than two decades, Center for Security has been providing locksmith and security services to residential and commercial customers throughout the Capital Region. 

“My father (Tom Walsh) started on his own in the 1990s and then went into business with his partner, Scott Hogan,” said Patrick Walsh, manager and technician at Center for Security. 

After outgrowing their first shop in Clifton Park, the business relocated to a larger space at 1659 Route 9 in Clifton Park. The partners later added a second location at 16 Main Street in Queensbury. 

The company’s 15 employees have decades of experience, most having been with the company for many years.  

“We’ve had the same group of guys working for us for a long time,” said Walsh. “There’s a lot of on-the-job training, and it takes years to learn the ins and outs of locks. You learn a lot of it by being out on the road—learning how to pick locks in different ways.”

By Christine Graf

During the past decade, coworking spaces have become increasingly common throughout the country. These shared workspaces allow individuals to rent office space on an as-needed basis.

As more people transition to working remotely, coworking spaces are becoming even more popular. They afford remote workers with an alternative option to working from home.

Hangr Coworks, a new addition to the Capital Region’s growing coworking market, is located at 800 Route 146 in Clifton Park. For co-founders Christine Smith, Juergen Klingenberg, and Matt Cummings, this is not their first collaboration.

Klingenberg and Cummings have worked together the past 17 years and co-own Flight Creative Group.

“We opened riplEFX in 2020, and we run networking groups, workshops, and teach people how to network intentionally. riplEFX will play a role at the coworking space,” said Smith, a former financial advisor who has worked in marketing for 17 years. “Every one of our memberships includes access to a (virtual) networking group that people can go to once a month.”

Network group members live both locally as well as throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. By participating in these groups, professionals are able to share knowledge and advice within many different arenas. There are networking groups in everything from finance to theft protection.

By Andrea Harwood

Trends in small business online marketing are leaning toward social media and Google Ad services. But an often forgotten tool is email marketing.

“One of the most overlooked but simplest thing any business can do is email marketing on a regular basis,” said Sara Mannix, president and CEO of Mannix Marketing digital marketing agency in Glens Falls. She has been in business since 1996. 

“I think people are afraid to email too frequently. But if you’re doing a good job collecting emails and getting to know who your customers and target market are and reaching them with relevant information, it’s incredibly cost effective.”

People are aware of what social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can do for a business, she said. Often overlooked is the social media platform TikTok, a short-form video hosting service and social media platform. For the right person going after the right customer, particularly the younger demographic, the platform is a good avenue for exposure. 

By Anne K. Cabral

Do you need different office space? Do you have too much? Too little? Has the COVID-age of remote working affected how much space you need? Will the increase in tech production affect your workforce? 

You work in your office every day and have grown accustomed to it. If you’re not sure about your office needs, this may be the perfect time for an office utilization assessment. 

Here are signs to look for:

You’ve outgrown the space. Do desks seem to be stacked up on top of each other? Are conference rooms crowded? Are meetings scheduled outside the office to get into a less cramped environment? These are the most obvious signs that it’s time to get a bigger space.

An overcrowded office can affect your employees’ morale and effectiveness and contribute to building a negative work environment. Feeling like a bunch of sardines crammed into too small a space will only frustrate them. 

A minimum of 140 square feet per employee is a good guideline. So, if you don’t meet that, then it’s time to move. Here are a couple of ways to realize whether you are running low on space:

By Rob Shauger
Most businesses these days are very aware of security threats and have policies in place to keep themselves protected. However, even with these policies in place, there are many seemingly-innocent documents that are often forgotten about that can leave your business open to security breaches.
Here are five documents you should be shredding, but probably aren’t:
1. Junk mail. While junk mail seems harmless, enough personal data is usually included for identity thieves to use against you. For example, names and addresses are inserted into pre-approved credit card applications. It would be all too easy for a person to send in these applications and use them for their own personal gain.
2. Photos. Photos of employees, customers, and suppliers may seem harmless, but thieves can use these photos to make up an identity. Combine this with any other personal information they may have collected from your business, and you could be in trouble. Keep your employees and customers safe by shredding these photos instead of tossing them into the garbage.

By James Marco
One need not look far to find turmoil, conflict, anger, and in some cases aggression in today’s climate. We can blame it on a lot of things, the George Floyd incident, the coronavirus pandemic, or other reasons.
We hear about shaming, the “cancel culture,” conservatives, liberals, and so on. These issues are dividing friends, families, communities and workplaces.
Many companies have received negative press and have had employee backlash for not releasing a statement that they felt was appropriate for the current issues facing our society. Executives have been fired for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and igniting a firestorm on social media as a result. Companies don’t like the negative press and poof! Executive gone.
Have you ever been accused of something that you felt was untrue? How did you feel? Were you defensive, maybe a little angry?
All of this controversy has brought issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, racism to the forefront. But while controversy swirls and accusations fly, there seems to be one thing missing. Are we stopping, even for a moment, and listening?