Microdome OBS Case Study

Microdome Online Backup Solution (OBS)
Case Study

Trouble in Paradise

A client of ours recently had one of their computers get infected with Cryptolocker. The Cryptolocker infection is an especially nasty one as it not only targets the local computer files but also any other connected media. External USB hard drives and mapped network drives are also vulnerable. The user that was infected also had administrator privileges to the entire shared directory on their server and also had a mapped drive to the root of the shared directory. As you can imagine this all added up to a bad mess of the user local files being corrupted as well as the entire network share directory.

Call to Action

As soon as the support request came in our techs immediately started working to isolate the infection and prevent any further damage from being done. Once the infection was isolated our techs assessed the damage and found that all data in the network share on their server was lost.

There is Hope

This client used our Online Backup Solution to keep secure backups of the data stored on their server. Our techs were able to do a complete restore of all the data to the network share directory. Once the data was fully restored and verified the client employees were able to regain access to the network share. Thanks to the client using our Online Backup Solution our techs were able to assess the situation, implement a solution, and restore user functionality within 24 hours of the support request.

Lessons Learned

  • Regardless of their position at the company, users with full administrator privileges to all files on a network is a dangerous practice.
  • Mapping the root of a network share rather than just the folders needed is dangerous. This practice is especially dangerous when the user has administrator privileges to the entire directory.
  • Having an excellent backup and disaster recovery strategy is of utmost importance to business continuity. Without proper backups this client could have lost years of data that would have been a catastrophic loss to the business.
  • The Microdome Online Backup Solution is reliable, secure, and robust.

 

Often we don’t realize how important and costly something is until we lose it. Don’t let a disaster cause your business downtime and monetary damages that could have been prevented. Give us a call or stop by today to discuss a custom backup solution that fits your needs. Our phone number is 812-265-1140 and we are located at 521 Clifty Drive, Madison, IN.

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Windows 10 to be released July 29, 2015

What you need to know about Windows 10:

  • The “Start” button is back. It is a mashup of the Windows 7 Start Menu and the Windows 8 Start Screen.
  • Improved integration between the Desktop and the Metro UI that allows for smoother movement between the two environments.
  • Windows 10 for home users will mean a new “forced” update policy where the end user is no longer in control of what updates are installed or when they are installed. There is however a way to regain control over your own updates.
  • In order to do a direct upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8 the following requirements have to be met:
    • OS: Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update 1
    • CPU: 1GHz or faster
    • RAM: 1GB for 32-bit or 2GB for 64-bit
    • Hard Disk Space: 16GB for 32-bit or 20GB for 64-bit
    • See the full list of specifications and requirements here: Windows 10 Specifications
  • As with all new Operating System releases the release date version is rarely a truly finished and refined product. At Microdome we always suggest taking a slow and cautious approach to upgrading to a new Operating System. Just because the release date is July 29th, 2015 it doesn’t mean you are required to upgrade that day. Normally waiting a few months and letting a few update cycles take place helps avoid some issues with a new version of an Operating System.

If you have any questions regarding Windows 10 or other computer related items give us a call at 812-265-1140.

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Beware of scams

Credit card fraud and identity theft are rampant in the US, often using things like phishing emails and card skimmers to garner your information. A common tactic used by these criminals is a phone call from someone purporting to be with “Microsoft” or “Windows” or some non-existent tech support firm with the sad news that your computer is reporting to them that it’s infected or has some major problem.
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Microsoft Windows Server 2003 End of Life

The “End of Life” for Windows Server 2003 is almost here. Microsoft announced some time ago that July 14, 2015 will be the final date for support of the aging server operating system. After July 14, 2015 Microsoft will no longer be releasing upgrades, security updates, system patches, or any other support related items. This also means that Windows Server 2003 will no longer meet compliance for PCI, HIPAA, and other mandated security policies. Even if your business is not required to comply with a mandated security standard it would still go against general “best practice” security recommendations to continue to use Windows Server 2003 in your network environment.
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The dangers of still using Windows XP

The details of the security breaches at Target and Home Depot can be down right scary. Possibly none of the details are more disturbing than the recent information regarding how the breaches may not have happened if the retailers had upgraded their embedded systems to a more modern Operating System.
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