Artificial Intelligence Tools – AI Primer

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Today’s artificial intelligence tools – generally referred to as “AI” – continue to become more prevalent in computer hardware and software.*  For example, the Microsoft Windows operating system and updates include Microsoft’s AI tool called Copilot, as do Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and so forth.

Stand-alone AI tools that can be used via a web browser are also growing in availability. Examples of stand-alone AI tools include Perplexity.AI, ChatGPT.com, Claude.ai, and many others.

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System Image Backup: The What, Why, and How

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Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling when your computer suddenly loses functionality, gets damaged, or is stolen? You can avoid that angst and the business impacts that come with it by backing up your computer’s entire system via a System Image Backup.

Let’s take a look at what a System Image Backup is, why it’s crucially important, and how you can incorporate it into your business continuity strategy.

Data Backup Refresher

Data backup focuses on preserving user-selected files, which is usually adequate for home computers. To refresh your knowledge or learn about data backup needs, options, and best practices, check out our previous articles:

Data backup for business continuity and security

and  Data backup strategies and options

What is System Image Backup?

A system image backup creates a complete copy of your computer’s entire system, including:

        • Operating system
        • System files and settings
        • Installed programs and settings
        • All folders and data

In other words, if you create a system image backup today, you have a snapshot of your entire system at this point in time. A system image backup provides a comprehensive backup solution by capturing the entire system configuration, setup, and files.

Why is it important?

Backing up your system protects you should something go haywire with your computer, or if you need to replace your computer. Without a full system backup, you can expect downtime of one to several days to get all of your programs and settings restored/loaded to your existing/new machine. That’s a loss that small businesses cannot afford.

With a system image backup, your entire system can be quickly restored/loaded to its previous state without costly downtime. System image backups are important for:

      • Protecting against hardware or software failures: By creating a system image backup, you can quickly restore your entire system to a functional state after a hardware failure or software issue.
      • Recovering from malware or security breaches: If your computer gets infected by malware or suffers a security breach, a system image backup allows you to restore the system to a state before the incident occurred, eliminating any malicious software.
      • Migrating to a new computer: When upgrading to a new computer, you can use a system image backup to transfer your entire system, including settings, applications, and files, to the new machine.

How is it done?

Creating a system image backup requires specialized software and either an external hard drive or a cloud drive. Popular operating systems such as Windows and MacOS provide built-in tools for creating system image backups. There are also third-party backup solutions available that offer additional features and flexibility.

Your system image backup needs to be updated on a regular schedule to preserve new settings and applications added to the computer over time. The frequency of updates will depend upon your specific computer use.

Magnify247.com is here to help you secure the IT side of your business.

Reach out to us to discuss a System Image Backup strategy that fits you and your business.

Let’s talk!

Are your personal and financial information protected?

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The internet is like a candy shop for criminals!

They will try to get data from individuals, companies, and organizations – anywhere sellable data is stored.

People today spend a lot of time online (understatement!!!). We shop, communicate, apply for memberships, conduct banking, check our healthcare information, sign up for all kinds of things, and much more. In doing so, we enter personal information and financial data, such as:

• Name, address, email, phone number, driver’s license
• Credit/debit card numbers and banking information
• Login credentials and more

A significant portion of stolen data isn’t used by the person who stole it. Instead, it’s sold on the Dark Web – the place where cybercriminals do business. Selling personal and financial data on the Dark Web has become very lucrative for individual hackers as well as criminal cartels.

The magnitude of impact is staggering. In 2022**;

• More than $189 million in losses to identity theft,
• More than $264 million in losses to credit card/check fraud, and
• More than $740 million in losses to personal data breaches.

To protect yourself and your family from fraud and theft would be a full-time job! Fortunately, there are companies who specialize in doing that for you, and Magnify247 has partnered with the industry leader, Identity Guard®, to offer you the protection you need at a special discount.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard was an original architect of the identity protection industry more than 25 years ago. Since then, they’ve helped protect 38 million+ people! They continuously advance their products to address the ever-evolving threats of identity theft, fraud, and personal and financial cybersecurity.

Identity Guard uses state-of-the-art technology, and fills their team with cyber fraud experts, to provide their clients with the most sophisticated, effective protection available. They even have Watson™ the supercomputer on their team!

Identity Guard with Watson™

Identity Guard at a Glance

        • Fraud monitoring and real-time alerts
        • Credit and financial account monitoring and remediation
        • US-based team of experts and a customer care team
        • $1 Million in identity theft insurance

Identity Guard offers a variety of plan options for individual and family protection.  Their wide selection of services includes:

You choose the plan with the options that make sense for you. There are no long-term contracts or hidden fees!

Want to know more about Identity Guard?  Reach out to us and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Ready to subscribe? Use the link below to enjoy a special, Magnify247 discount.

** U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2022 Internet Crime Report

Best Practices for Maintaining Digital Security and Reliability

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In recent blog posts, we’ve discussed specific cyber threats that can cripple a business if not guarded against, such as:

• Ransomware and Viruses
• Data Breaches
• Browser Hijacking

What can you do to protect your business from cybercriminals and their devious ways? That is the topic of this month’s discussion in which we consider three cybersecurity best practices to prevent losses and ensure business continuity.

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Business Continuity and Security in the Digital World

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Part 3 of 3: Internet Disruptions

Today’s businesses need reliable, high-speed internet connections to conduct, manage, and maintain operational continuity. It’s become a fact of life.

The reality of this becomes very apparent when you consider the impacts on your business should you lose internet service. Productivity slows way down, you don’t have access to your cloud data and apps, customers cannot reach you, e-commerce comes to a halt, and so on.

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Business Continuity and Security in the Digital World

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Part 2 of 3:  Data Backup

Data loss can wreak havoc on business continuity.

Imagine how difficult it would be to provide your usual prompt service if a flood or fire destroys your client and sales data. What would you do (or not be able to do) if other data were lost – accounting databases, human resources information, business and client documents – and you had no way to restore it?

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Man-Made Problems in the Digital World

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Man-Made Problems in the Digital World

If you’ve watched any sci-fi movies, like I, Robot or the Terminator series, you probably understand the perceived dangers of the digital world.  Primarily the unrealistic dangers of artificial intelligence.  Now, I’m not saying that AI won’t be a threat in the future but it’s important to note that right now the people using the Internet pose a much bigger threat than an incoming Robo-Apocalypse.  And I’m not just talking about cybercriminals. Regular, everyday human error is what poses the most dangerous threat to your cybersecurity.

watch a short video >  https://youtu.be/cpCBJvDUYx0

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Cybersecurity Toolkit

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Cybersecurity Toolkit

I remember the first time my dad gave me a box of tools.  I was moving out for the first time, and he gave me a box filled with an old hammer, two screwdrivers (one flathead, the other Phillips head), a rusty wrench, and a tape measure.  It wasn’t much but it showed me that he wanted to make sure that I was ok.  He gave me those tools so that I could fix any problems that came up in my time away from him.

watch a short video >  https://youtu.be/LVosUH7BNXc

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