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IT News
September/October 2017  
In This Issue

All 2017 eRecycling proceeds are donated to Kate's Club.  Kate's Club empowers children facing life after the death of a parent or sibling. Read more about their mission here!
 
Connect With Us
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LAN Systems was voted #9 in the 2017 Best Place to Work in Atlanta. Ranked by employee survey, we have been in the Top 10 for the past 4 years in the Small Company Category.

It is no small feat to be on the top of this list especially in the service industry. Thank you to all our staff for giving us this incredible honor.  In our business, it takes focus and dedication to provide an environment where people feel appreciated, rewarded and see opportunities for advancement. 

Much of our success is because of our customers. Our service to those that value our efforts, respect us and treat us as part of their team makes our jobs very worthwhile. Our sincerest appreciation to you all.

 

Mary

Gwinnett's Great Days of Service
 
The biggest volunteer event in the country is back for its 18th year. There is something for everyone from cleaning and sorting to painting and planting.  Grab your friends and family and pick a cause that needs your help. There are many different types of projects throughout Gwinnett County that will provide hours of fun and fellowship.  
 
This event is sponsored by the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services. For more information and registration, click here.
Cyber Safety for Employees - Equifax Security Breach
How to protect yourself if your data has been compromised.
The Equifax breach has many wondering how this could happen. Hackers exploited a known vulnerability in open source software used by the company.  The industry group claims the patch was made available on March 7, 2017 the same day the vulnerability was found.  Questions on why Equifax didn't move quickly to apply the patch will certainly plague the company as the 143 million victims search for answers. Details on a second hack this week have people shaking their heads in disbelief that this could happen to the behemoth credit reporting agency. 
Use the links below to find out if your data was compromised and some of the  things you can do to protect yourself.
Was my data exposed?
Here is the link for the FTC Consumer Information page on how to find out if you are affected and what to do.
Monitor or Freeze your credit
Here is a link to one of the most trusted consumer sites - Clark.  Clark has instructions for freezing your credit and updates on the Equifax breach.
Use strong passwords
Some sites and applications have a minimum requirement for password strength and an expiration period that is required.  Always use a strong password and change it periodically for maximum protection. If you think your account has be compromised, change the password immediately. For some password guidance, go to: A strong password is your first defense.

Turn on two-factor authentication when possible

Many applications have the option to use two-factor authentication. This means using two different ways to confirm your identity. One factor is our login and password and the second can be a code texted to our SmartPhone.  This code then has to be entered to continue.  This is a good method because most of us keep our SmartPhone close at hand.  If you haven't used two-factor authentication, you may want to practice with someone or try with your least critical application before applying to your bank accounts.  Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter all have options for two-factor authentication.

Become an expert on how to detect a phishing attack

Whether an email, IM, phone call or website, something that tricks you into doing something that gives up your personal information or grants access to your computer is a phishing attack. As you can imagine, the name comes from fishing. You bait a hook and see what you get. It is not surprising that so many people are taken in by phishing scams. The scams are quite plentiful and the bait looks like the real thing. Phishing is the number one way of delivering ransomware. Learn how to spot them and avoid being a victim. Remember, just like learning anything, it takes practice to spot phishing and other online scams. Keep your eyes open and be vigilant.
For more information, see our article: Cyber Security for Employees - Phishing

Be vigilant

Here is the FTC Identity Theft page.  It has information on what to look for, what to do and how to report.
If you see something suspicious, report it. Merchants, banks and law enforcement should be contacted if you suspect your identity has been stolen. Phishing can be reported to US-CERT at phishing-report@us-cert.gov , the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@antiphishing.org , FTC at spam@uce.gov   or the Internet Service Provider/Registrar. If you see something that concerns you and want to discuss, you can contact at our HelpDesk at 770 662-0312 or email HelpDesk@lansystems.com.
Sound masking for privacy

 

What is sound masking and why is it used?

Sound masking is the addition of a familiar sounding, air conditioning-like background sound to an environment. Masking covers up or "masks" human speech and helps mitigate the distraction of other sounds, making an environment more comfortable, workers more productive and creating speech privacy. Here's an analogy. Imagine that you are in a darkened room and a child is flicking a flashlight on and off. The light is noticeable and distracting. Now imagine, the lights are on. The same flashlight is being flicked on and off-but without notice-it has been "masked." This is how sound masking works.

Where is sound masking used?

Sound masking is used anywhere speech privacy or speech confidentiality is desired or required and in any workspace to reduce distractions and improve productivity. The most typical installations are open office plans, private offices, and public spaces.


 

Open Office Plans - Open offices are often either too quiet-hearing the occasional pin drop breaks concentration-or too noisy, the conversations of co-workers are distracting and negatively affect productivity. Installing a sound masking system is the first and most cost-effective step to improving speech privacy in your open office and a highly productive open office work environment with fewer distractions. Appropriate ceiling tiles and higher cubicle walls can further contribute to improved open office acoustics, but are often more costly and ineffective by themselves.

Private Offices - Private offices and other enclosed spaces, while appearing to provide privacy, often do not. Frequently the walls are of lightweight materials or extend only to the ceiling tiles and not all the way to the ceiling deck. Often these decisions are made for cost reasons and for flexibility of reconfiguring the office space. Adding a sound masking system to a private office greatly improves speech privacy by rendering private conversations completely unintelligible to listeners in the adjacent office, hallway or at the water cooler.

Public Spaces - Reception areas, pharmacies, waiting rooms, banks and public hallways next to private offices are all great candidates for sound masking systems. Without sound masking, private conversations can be heard in the adjacent public spaces. Installing a sound masking system renders private conversations unintelligible by nearby listeners, ensuring speech privacy. Installing sound masking is the most cost-effective way to ensure speech privacy and comply with the speech privacy requirements of HIPAA and GLBA regulations.
 

If you would like to discuss sound masking options, please call 770 662-0312 or email sales@lansystems.com.