Between the Bytes

Gary and Derik welcome Lee Weech, Director of Sales @ Executech, back to share insights on how businesses can determine whether to use in-house IT or outsource their IT needs. Lee provides examples of when each solution makes sense and emphasizes the importance of communication, collaboration, and a deep understanding of business needs.

The episode also covers new cybersecurity requirements for business insurance and the importance of proactively assessing and mitigating cyber risks. Lee explains what an IT assessment is and provides tips on how companies can avoid falling behind in their organization's technology by investing in training and development and having a clear IT roadmap.

Overall, this episode provides valuable insights for businesses seeking to optimize their IT solutions and ensure they have the right resources and strategies in place to stay competitive and secure in today's digital age.

Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Derik covers a recent phishing scam targeting SharePoint users. He explains how the scam works, and how it is able to bypass email filtering, web filtering, and MFA to steal login credentials.

Additionally, Derik provides tips and strategies from our cybersecurity team for preventing this type of attack and safeguarding your SharePoint account. By the end of this episode, you will have a clear understanding of the threat and the measures you can take to protect your organization.

In this week's episode, Gary & Derik interview Howard Headlee, President of the Utah Banker's Association, to discuss various banking-related topics.

The conversation delves into the unique landscape of banking in Utah, how Utah stacks up to the rest of the country, and the role banks play in the American dream. Howard also gives terrific insight into what it takes for people (specifically, your staff & coworkers) to be truly happy by explaining the difference between motivators and hygienes.

The episode also addresses the issues and misinformation that lead to the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank and the potential impact on the banking industry. With Howard's profound insights and expertise, come gain valuable insights into the world of banking, the pursuit of happiness, and the challenges banks face in today's rapidly evolving technical & financial landscape.

Enjoy the show!

James, Gary, and Derik talk about the recent discovery of a dangerous Microsoft exploit. This exploit not only gave unauthorized access to thousands of Outlook accounts, but it also gave access to personal information via Teams as well as the ability to manipulate Bing search results.

This news broke right around the time Microsoft announced the launch of Security Copilot, a partnership with Chat GPT that will assist cybersecurity professionals in both locating and preventing cyberattacks more effectively. Is this the start of the AI vs Cybersecurity war?

Enjoy the show!

Gary and Derik talk with Jim Christensen, CEO @ Lochbox, about how his company handles communications security for the DoD, their push to make comms security a compliance requirement for 3rd party government contractors, and why it should be a much larger concern for companies across the US as a whole.

Lochbox is the result of over 30 years of experience in the secure communications space with their parent company Callware. Callware’s experience developing solutions for the dynamic compliance needs of the Department of Defense taught them the necessity of communication security for standard operations as well as pre/post-cyber attack

Gary, Derik, and Jim also talk about the continued cybersecurity concerns involving China, banning TikTok, and other cybersecurity concerns facing US companies in 2023.

Enjoy the show!

FEI Utah and Executech got together live for this informative meeting where James navigates through the cyber risks facing businesses in 2023. Get a breakdown of a real risk register for your business.

Understand the essential layers of cyber protection that will help prevent an attack and the key planning steps and tools you should put in place to react and recover from a cyber incident.

If you'd like to see the visuals that accompanied the presentation, check out the recording on LinkedIn or YouTube!

Gary and Derik welcome back Chet Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist at Sophos, in this episode as they explore the latest developments in AI and the challenges it presents for cybersecurity.

We discuss the impact (or lack thereof) of AI on various aspects of our daily lives, how bad AI is at coding malware, what it actually can do well, and the latest cybersecurity risk to start making headlines - MFA bypasses.

Join us to learn more about this exciting and sometimes daunting world with the insights of Chet Wisniewski.

Join us as James, Gary, and Derik talk about what to expect on the cybersecurity front this year. 

James also covers Executech's next cybersecurity initiatives and how other organizations can implement these measures as well. 

Enjoy the show! 

Welcome to Between the Bytes by Executech, where we discuss cybersecurity, tech news, business, and leadership with specialists from all over. Our goal is to keep listeners informed and up to date on technology and cybersecurity trends to help keep their organizations secure.

We want to help you train your staff in the most simple yet effective manner possible, prioritize IT/cyber inside your organization, and stay in the know with the latest cyber news and tech updates.

So, whether you're a veteran or novice when it comes to cybersecurity & technology, we've got some great stuff for you here!

Gary, James, and Derik talk about a few news stories in this episode, as well as some cost-saving tips for organizations to strengthen budgets without weakening security. 

The Royal Mail in the UK was recently hit hard with ransomware, causing a downtime in overseas shipping for almost a week. They cover this as well as yet another T-Mobile attack (making 8 major hacks since 2018) that affected around 37 million accounts. 

Enjoy the show! 

Derik welcomes Kody back for a fun follow-up to his first time on the show. 

Kody is the Director of Technical Operations @ Executech, and he joins us to provide some excellent DIY troubleshooting tips you can try before reaching out to tech support. 

Technology has improved our lives, but that doesn't mean it hasn't made each and every one of us look foolish a few times as well. Kody and Derik talk about some cringe-worthy tech support tickets and experiences they've had in the past. 

Enjoy the show! 

Gary & Derik welcome Tyler Sisson for the first time on the show. Tyler is a Cloud Engineer here @ Executech. 

Tyler joins the show to talk about Microsoft's upcoming NCE (New Commerce Experience) migration. 

Microsoft's Office 365 comes in several packages based on what you want, how many employees you have, and (with this migration) how you want to pay. With all these options paired with Microsoft's apparent love for renaming their products, things can get a bit overwhelming. Tyler's years of experience with Microsoft and Azure make untangling this migration much easier to understand.

As always, be sure to reach out to your IT specialist if you have any questions. We're always here to help! 

Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, James, Gary, and Derik discuss the recent security issues with LastPass and the importance of updating passwords and taking other precautions to protect your account.

They discuss the potential consequences of not taking these steps and offer tips on how to ensure the security of your online accounts.

Enjoy the show! 

Gary and Derik welcome Kody Ogden, Director of Technical Operations @ Executech, for the first time on the show!

Kody has been with Executech for over 5 years now and has built our help desk department from the ground up. 

Kody joins us to talk about how he manages his team, the growing pains of building a new department inside a company, and how he and his team have achieved such high customer satisfaction ratings (99% in 2022). 

Kody also covers some dos and don'ts of working with IT support. 

Enjoy the show! 

The cryptocurrency exchange company, FTX, lost over $470 million in a recent cyber attack and filed for bankruptcy. Later investigation found records of fraud, causing more headaches for their CEO.

James, Gary, and Derik also talk about MFA issues, red flags appearing when your credentials have been compromised, and Ticketmaster's accidental, self-imposed DDoS attack following Talor Swift's concert announcement. 

Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Derik, Gary, and James talk about a handful of articles in the news:

Enjoy the show! 

To round out our weekly live episodes for Cybersecurity Awareness month, James, Gary, and Derik dove deeper into what it takes to truly protect your organization.

They covered MDM (Mobile Device Management) and MAM (Mobile Application Management) for organizations to stay secure while their employees use mobile devices (sometimes personal) and work applications.

They also covered more detail on how firewalls work, what to look for, and why they're so vital for every organization to have.

Enjoy the show! 

As with most service industries, those who work them long enough end up with some pretty incredible stories. In this episode of Between the Bytes, we've got some great tales about highs, lows, and even embarrassing situations.

Join Gary & Derik as they talk with two of our most senior technicians about their time and experiences in the field of IT.

Coke vs. Pepsi, Mcdonald's vs. Burger King, Under Armour vs. Nike, Mac vs. PC. 

These are questions that have been deeply ingrained into our culture. The answer to any of these (even if you don't pick sides) can shed light on your personality, start a heated debate, or create irreparable rifts among friends and family.

James, Gary, and Derik have decided to put their friendship to the test and try to discuss the age-old question - Mac or PC?

Between the Bytes is LIVE every Tuesday in October @ 10:40 am MST for Cybersecurity Awareness Month! 

When it comes to cybersecurity, layers of protection are vital. So, where do we start? All the areas that need protection, monitoring, and training can become quite a mountain of information.

James, Gary, and Derik cover the most important places to focus on and some relatively simple actions to take that produce a high yield for your organization's security.

Derik & Gary welcome Darren Schmidt, Managed Services Team Lead @ Executech Sacramento, to talk about the importance of keeping your tech and cybersecurity up-to-date, how to accomplish that, and the actual cost to an organization that falls behind. 

Darren's extensive background leads to some great tips and ways of putting the importance of IT into perspective. We also get his thoughts on the state of hospitals and other medical facilities across the U.S. and how their lack of cyber protection hurts patient care. 

Enjoy the show! 

Derik, Gary, and James battle it out to try and decide which is better: Apple or Android, overpriced or mediocre, perfectionist or innovator, blue text bubbles or green.

Derik, a mindless Apple cultist, tries to convince Gary, a giddy Android fanboy, of his incorrect life choices; all while James tries to keep things somewhat on topic.

They talk about the latest Apple product announcements and how they stack up against Android's products. 

Gary, James, and Derik discuss how simple human error exposed an organization that's quite literally built on digital security. 

LastPass fell victim to a recent cyberattack by compromised credentials, giving the attackers access to some vital proprietary code.

Gary, James, & Derik talk about the major vulnerability Apple's last update resolved. The vulnerability affected everything from iPhone to Mac, and they cover how it works and why it's such a big deal. They also talk about Twitter's ex-employee turned whistleblower and the resulting fallout from his alarming claims. 

Enjoy the show! 

We are excited to welcome Chet Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist @ Sophos, back to the show in this episode! Chet joins us to talk about social engineering, hacker conventions, the dos & don'ts of staff training, and much more! 

Learn how social engineering uses the six principles of influence to make people fall for seemingly simple lies, how an attack works, and how reporting paired with communication is the most effective way to prevent data breaches inside an organization. 

Enjoy the show! 

Gary, James, and Derik break down another handful of articles from around the world:

Enjoy the show! 

Derik & Gary are back to talk about marketing! They cover various news articles, from Facebook being sued for tracking confidential medical information, China stealing TikTok user data, authorities wanting to access your cameras in 'emergency situations' without a warrant, to the effect Apple's vendetta has had on Facebook ad revenue and small businesses around the world. 

Enjoy the show! 

Derik welcomes back Executech's training department, Ben Reese & Christian Arnold, to continue the conversation about personalities in the workplace. 

Derik, Ben, and Christian talk about how different personality types can bring positive contrast to a team, the gaps created by having too many similar personalities on a team, and how to overcome weaknesses or friction from either scenario. 

We hope you enjoy this masterclass in creating a high-powered team inside your organization! 

In this episode, Derik & Gary talk with Chet Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist @ Sophos. 

Chet has been in cybersecurity for around 30 years, and that level of seniority in the field offers some great perspectives.

He joins us to talk about what individuals (and organizations) should really be focusing on when it comes to protecting their data, how cyber attacks have evolved over the past 30 years, current cybersecurity trends and what's on the horizon, and simple mistakes people make that leave them wide open for attack.

Enjoy the show! 

Gary & Derik are joined by Kayden Hicken, GM @ Executech Phoenix. 

Kayden talks about how growing up working a large dairy farm, being involved in the family businesses, and his fascination with IT took him from Executech technician to Executech General Manager. 

This episode gives great insight into personal development from any level and how Kayden manages to maintain such a strong team in Phoenix. 

Enjoy the show! 

Derik & Gary welcome Joe Bird, GM of Executech's Seattle location, in this episode. Joe gives us fantastic insight into leadership in an unfamiliar industry, culture building inside a hybrid office, and his approach to fast and effective personal development. Joe also walks us through his experience running companies overseas and how he ended up with us here at Executech. 

Enjoy the show! 

Key leaders in the tech world like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have announced their commitment to expanding support for FIDO. By doing this, they take a big step towards turning phone verification a primary method for accessing accounts and making passwords a thing of the past. 

James, Gary, and Derik talk about the pros, cons, and hurdles to overcome in order to turn something like this into the new standard. 

Enjoy the show! 

We're bringing you the audio-only version of our recent webinar about cybersecurity, compliance, and cyber insurance. Our featured panelists are Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity at Executech, and John Zanni, CEO at Acronis SCS.

The conversation revolves around the perspective of cities and towns, but the thoughts and advice apply to any compliance or regulation required industry. 

Main topics we cover:

Link to our webinar all about cybersecurity insurance: https://www.executech.com/insights/the-basics-of-cybersecurity-insurance/

Book a meeting with us to talk about cyber concerns: https://info.executech.com/cyber-lunch

In this episode, Gary & Derik talk about personalities in the workplace with Executech's training department. This episode is the first part of a miniseries we'll be doing with our training department over the next few months. 

Ben Rees (Training Manager) and Christian Arnold (Training Team Lead) have been using personality tests like Strengths Finder and Myers Briggs for new techs at Executech with excellent results. Find out why it's important, what information comes from them, success stories, and how it can help your leadership and your entire organization. 

Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Gary & Derik welcome a special guest to the podcast for the first time. Mark Fredrickson, President of SnappConner PR, brings interesting insights on how a PR firm can (and should) be involved in helping organizations in their response to a cyberattack. 

Mark walks us through why it's essential to work with a PR firm to assist in creating an incident response plan and how an organization can work with a PR firm to build a fortress around their brand. We also delve into Mark's leadership insight and how he came to be the president of SnappConner PR. 

We hope you enjoy the show! 

Derik and Gary went LIVE to talk with James Fair about cryptocurrency and their billion-dollar bridge problem.

A "bridge" is a service that connects one blockchain to another so that value can be sent between them. Lately, bridges have continually been exposed as a significant gap in security, resulting in the loss of over $1 billion in little more than a year.

James, Derik, and Gary break down what's going on, the overall impact, and what could be done to prevent this and recoup some (if any) losses.

We welcome Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity @ Executech, to talk about the latest cybersecurity news & updates. This episode focuses on MFA Bombing, the method rumored to have caused the Okta breach recently, and the Spring4 Shell vulnerability. 

Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Derik, Gary, and James talk about a handful of recent stories in the IT & Cybersecurity world. We cover some great topics from super-powered, $2,000 GPUs to spam texts that appear to come from your own number.

Enjoy the show! 

Gary & Derik welcome back Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity, to talk about the Okta breach. In this episode, we'll cover who Okta is, what happened, how it could have been prevented, and cybersecurity rules every organization (and individual) should follow. Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Derik and James talk about a handful of cybersecurity news stories from around the world. 

Enjoy the show! 

Gary & Derik welcome back Ben Reese, training manager at Executech. Ben talks about the different types of training he'll run for employees and clients. In that same vein, Ben talks about the importance of soft skills training, how to help the training stick, the importance of personality tests, and a lot more. Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Between the Bytes went live while Gary & Derik asked James questions from across the internet. We span a variety of topics, from basic IT to some slightly more advanced questions.

Enjoy the show! 

Derik, Gary, and James jump back into the conversation about cryptocurrency, blockchain, and NFTs in this 3rd & final part of our series.

In this episode, we answer any questions that came through from the first two episodes of the series, talk about wallets for cryptocurrency, and the environmental impact cryptocurrencies have had since the beginning. Be sure to check out the first 2 parts of this series to get the full picture of cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and NFTs.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Derik, Gary, and James jump back into the conversation about cryptocurrency, blockchain, and NFTs in this 2nd part of our 3-part series.

In case you missed it, we talked about where it all started for blockchain and cryptocurrency in the first part of the series. In this episode, we dive into how cryptocurrency mining works, the ups and downs cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have had since inception, and dive into NFTs. 

We hope you enjoy the show!

It's no question that blockchain, NFTs, and several cryptocurrencies have been a big topic worldwide for some time now.

Derik & Gary decided to bring in our subject matter expert, James Fair, to give us a crash course in this ever-expanding maze of technology. Over the course of 3 episodes, we'll cover:

We hope you enjoy the show! 

Gary and Derik welcome a new voice to the podcast, Sandra Smith, Chief Administrative Officer @ Executech!

Having been with Executech for over 10 years, Sandra brings some serious expertise when it comes to HR, back-office, and administrative functions of an organization. She joins us to talk about how IT can help an organization's administrative staff.

We cover a lot more in this episode; we hope you enjoy it!

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a major vulnerability that leaves an alarming number of applications, websites, and organizations at risk. 

In this episode, Derik and Gary talk to Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity, about the Log4j/Log4Shell vulnerability. Tyler explains how it works, who's affected, and how to help mitigate the risks. 

In this episode, join us for a webinar replay as we welcome guests from the Sacramento Kings, Executech, and Acronis to discuss critical cybersecurity and data protection issues.

Takeaways:

• Learn about the biggest digital threats facing businesses today

• Understand why all businesses are at risk of cyber attacks

• Techniques for adapting to ever-changing technology environments

• Best practices and tools for securing your data

• How any business can follow the Kings in stepping up their digital protection

As with most service industries, those who work them long enough end up with some pretty incredible stories. We've got some great tales about highs, lows, and even embarrassing situations in this episode of Between the Bytes. Join Gary & Derik as they talk with two of our most senior technicians about their time and experiences in the field of IT.

What makes a great IT Consultant? Technical skills? Personal skills? A mastery of turning things off and then back on again? Or is it some combination of all of these things?

In this episode, Gary & Derik welcome James Fair and Ben Rees to talk about IT Consultants. We cover what technical and personal skills we look for, how Executech trains in both of those areas, and how both traits can be either roadblocks or opportunities for growth inside the company.

Hacking, malware, and ransomware have skyrocketed in the US over the past two years, and most industries have felt the pain and stress as a result. Two sectors have felt this pain more than others, however - healthcare and schools. 

Recently, The White House passed a bill requiring research on how hard cybercrimes are hitting schools across the US. In this episode, Gary & Derik talk details with James Fair.

- How long will the research take?

- What training will be provided?

- How will this affect teachers and other staff?

- Who will be in charge of making sure it happens?

- And a lot more! 

White Hat hackers find vulnerabilities inside an organization's technological infrastructure to help the organization stay in front of the more nefarious players in the world of cybersecurity. 

In this episode, Derik welcomes James and Tyler to talk about these "hackers for good," bug bounty programs, and the other colors of hats hackers may wear. 

Gary & James discuss the importance of IT Roadmaps for your organization, who should be involved in creating one, and what should be included. 

An IT Roadmap is precisely what it sounds like: it's a visual representation of the future of your technology and systems.

IT Roadmaps allow businesses to take advantage of the infrastructure and systems already in place while still planning how to improve and innovate in the future. A well-maintained, customized, and strategic technology setup isn't something that just happens. It's something that businesses and technology experts map out and plan for.

Microsoft leaks thousands of user credentials, Apple upsets a White-Hat hacker, and Google turns on MFA for thousands without asking. Derik, Gary, and James cover a handful of recent cybersecurity news stories in this episode of Between The Bytes. 

Most all of us have experienced it before; we talk about a particular product and see ads for that product as soon as a few minutes later on Facebook or Instagram. The timing can be very uncanny and maybe even a little creepy. So, Facebook has to be listening to your conversations, right?

In this episode, Gary and Derik talk about how platforms like Facebook & Google know so much about you, whether or not it's something to worry about, and other (more significant) cybersecurity threats that can spawn from social media. 

In this episode, Gary & Derik welcome Jeff Palazzo - VP of Cloud Services at Executech. Jeff joins us to talk about Windows 365, a new and exciting service from Microsoft. 

Windows 365 is a new service that will let businesses access Cloud PCs from anywhere, streaming a version of Windows 10 or, soon, Windows 11. Jeff walks us through how it works, who it's made for, and what we can expect! 

We're back and we're introducing an alternative form of episodes - Rundowns. In a Rundown episode, we'll cover a popular technology topic in a short, fast, and digestible format. We'll still have longer episodes mixed in from our webinars, events, and interviews as well.

In this episode of Tech Topics Rundown, we cover 5 biggest cyber threats that manufacturing companies face. But it's not just manufacturers that face these risks, all companies should pay attention to these security risks. 

Learn more about Executech: https://www.executech.com/about-us/

Have a burning IT question or need help? Get in touch: https://www.executech.com/free-assessment/

In this podcast, we'll talk about some of the best practices and tips for managing a remote team, including some things to watch out for and avoid.