SPECIAL EDITION

SUMMER 2022

YOUR SUMMER DOSE OF

HOOP5 NEWS

WHAT'S INSIDE?

A NOTE FROM MANDY

MEET THE NEWEST TEAM MEMBERS

TEAM ADVANCEMENTS

HOOP5 BIRTHDAY PARTY

PHISHING TECH TIP

A Note From Mandy...

Welcome to the summer issue of In the Hoop! As we move into the 2^nd half of 2022, I am pleased to report some exciting Hoop5 updates:

We are now a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Registered Provider Organization (RPO) authorized by the CMMC-AB.

This new achievement solidifies our position as a leader in CMMC compliance solutions and services meant to protect government data in defense contractor systems. According to the National Accreditation Board, CMMC-AB is an independent accreditation body “responsible for establishing, managing, controlling, and administering the CMMC assessment, certification, training, and accreditation processes for the Department of Defense (DoD) supply chain.” Our new Registered Provider Organization (RPO) status reflects our commitment to the CMMC Accreditation Body (AB) code of professional conduct. It allows Hoop5 to provide advice, recommendations, and consultation to our customers as they seek their own CMMC compliance goals.

New Employees

I am beyond proud of our growing team and the vision we all share in taking great care of our customers.

Christina Chiofalo joined the Hoop5 team in May and is the new friendly and enthusiastic voice you hear when calling our office.
Nina Hunter also joined the team in May and is taking charge in Phoenix.
Steve Katnack starts his day at 5am PST to cover those early morning support calls.
Ed Rutmayer is not only our local comedian, but a recent addition to our T1 support team.

Read more about our recent new members in the Meet our Team section in the newsletter below.

Employee Advancements

Hoop5 is committed to promoting from within and supporting all our employees in their career goals. Some of our most recent advancements:

Russ Emig has earned his Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) as a Registered Practitioner (RP). As our Director of Security and CMMC Registered Practitioner, Russ’ goal is to help our clients through the various requirements on their journey towards CMMC cybersecurity compliance.
Justin Wilson has not only been promoted to the T3 team, but he has also earned his Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Cloud Practitioner certification. This credential helps develop the critical knowledge related to implementing AWS cloud initiatives and validates cloud fluency and foundational AWS knowledge.
Bert Gonzales has been promoted to T3 Systems Engineer. Since joining the team in 2020, Bert has proven to be reliable, resourceful and dedicated to his profession, our clients, and his work.

I am so proud of our team and especially proud of Russ, Justin and Bert for their recent achievements.

Hoop5 Anniversary Party- Please join us!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years since I started Hoop5! We wouldn’t be where we are today without our loyal customers and dedicated employees. I hope you can join us at the Hoop5 office on August 10^th as we celebrate our 8^th anniversary. We’ll have Mexico City Cuisine food truck, drinks, swag, and games!

I think that's it for now. I hope you and your family continue to enjoy a safe and healthy summer season. As always, thank you for your trust and for giving us the opportunity to serve you.

FOLLOW US!

You may have already met them on our social posts, if not please follow us and check out our Instagram "The People Behind The Hoop" shoutouts to learn more details and some of their favorite things.

Here are our newest team members:

Christina Chiofalo

Service Coordinator

-San Diego Office-

She loves dogs.

Nina Hunter

T1 Support Administrator

-Phoenix Office-

She likes taking her cat for walks.

Steve Katnack

T1 Support Administrator

-San Diego Office-

He enjoys the outdoors.

Ed Rutmayer

T1 Support Administrator

-San Diego Office-

He likes slurpees.

Special congratulations to our team members for their recent accomplishments!

Russ Emig

CMMC-AB Registered Practitioner

Justin Wilson

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and promoted to

T3 Systems Engineer

Bert Gonzales

Promoted to

T3 Systems Engineer

August will mark Hoop5's 8th Birthday!

We couldn't do it without you! Thank you for choosing us as your IT support partner. We hope that you can join us for food, drinks, games and the chance to meet the people behind the hoop.

Event details:

Wednesday, August 10th, 4pm-6pm

Hoop5 Office- 2048 Aldergrove Ave, Escondido, Ca 92029

If you haven't received the invite, please contact us at [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you there!

HOW USING THE SLAM METHOD CAN IMPROVE PHISHING DETECTION

Why has phishing remained such a large threat for so long? Because it continues to work. Scammers evolve their methods as technology progresses, employing AI-based tactics to make targeted phishing more efficient.

If phishing didn’t continue returning benefits, then scammers would move on to another type of attack. But that hasn’t been the case. People continue to get tricked.

In May of 2021, phishing attacks increased by 281%. Then in June, they spiked another 284% higher.

Studies show that as soon as 6 months after a person has been trained on phishing identification, their detection skills can begin waning as they forget things.

Give employees a “hook” they can use for memory retention by introducing the SLAM method of phishing identification.|

What is the SLAM Method for Phishing Identification?

One of the mnemonic devices known to help people remember information they are taught is the use of an acronym. SLAM is an acronym for four key areas of an email message that should be checked before trusting it.

These are:

S = Sender

L = Links

A = Attachments

M = Message text

By giving people the term “SLAM” to remember, it’s quicker for them to do a check on any suspicious or unexpected email without missing something important.

All they need to do is run down the cues in the acronym.