As everyone knows, Cyberattacks are on the rise nationwide (view link). The most recent major attack came on February 21, 2024 when  one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States, fell victim to a cyberattack. This issue continues to affect healthcare services for millions of Americans. It goes without saying that Cyberattacks have evolved into a new form of threat that impacts all levels of society, including small organizations like yours and ours.

Ensuring your organizations is secure against cyberattacks is crucial. This involves not only implementing robust security measures but also training and guiding your employees on best practices for maintaining security. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, America’s cyber defense agency, recommends the following four steps to enhance your company’s safety. These steps echo UniVista’s recommendations for safe (link UniVista blog article: https://univista.com/posts/the-importance-of-cybersecurity-training-and-why-you-should-take-advantage-of-univistas-customer-training-opportunities/):

1. Enable Multifactor Authentication – UniVista recommends multifactor authentication as a standard practice on all systems. We know it can be a pain to enter a code at login, but a few seconds will save your team from days of heartache.

2. Update your software regularly – All UniVista customers receive updates to Windows, your core systems, and key applications as a standard part of your support agreement.

3. Be cautious with your clicks – Malicious actors are constantly figuring out better ways to hack you. Any innocent link could be a path to ransom wear. The best way to stay prepared is to always remind your staff to take their assigned cyber security training, which is included as part of your UniVista Support Agreement. Our training will help your team stay alert when reading unexpected email and unfamiliar web pages.  Published statistics show that a staff educated in proper on-line security measures is 300% less likely to click on a malicious link or enter their information into a fake website.

4. Use complex passwords – Strong passwords are mandatory in any environment. In fact, your support agreement with UniVista states that if you don’t use a complex password, your environment can not be properly secured.  

In addition to these steps, UniVista recommends that you have a Business Continuity and Security plan in place. These plans tell your team how to behave when there is a cybersecurity event, or natural disaster.

A Business Continuity plan will instruct your team on what to do if systems are unavailable or communication with key personnel and decision makers is interrupted. A Business Continuity plan is critical to the survival of your business in trying times. If you don’t have a Business Continuity plan, UniVista will help you develop one.

A Security plan describes the processes that keep your environment secure. It addresses proper usage of a computer, what can be installed on a computer, and the processes your staff are authorized to use to allow a 3rd party to access your systems. Many aspects of a security plan, like encrypted support agents, regular authorized UniVista staff updates, password policies, and system security, are built into your support agreement with UniVista.

UniVista wants you to be safe, secure and productive. If you have any questions about this or any other article we post, please ask. Your ongoing feedback is always considered as we continue to improve our processes.  

Delivering exceptional customer service has always been UniVista’s top priority. We understand your staff’s requirements for uninterrupted productivity, and therefore, want to ensure that your organization’s needs are addressed both comprehensively and efficiently. UniVista takes pride in our support department’s consistent record of providing quick resolutions to a vast majority of your support tickets within a few hours of receiving them. This commitment to speedy assistance is a testament to our dedication to you.

Regardless of our best efforts, occasionally more complex service tickets will take more than a single day to resolve. Requests such as new PC installations, computer refurbishments, or tickets that require 3^rd party vendor support may take longer as they are dependent upon the schedules of organizations outside of UniVista; this requires additional time and planning to be successful.

When UniVista is working on a complex ticket request on your behalf, the quality and speed of our service is largely dependent upon the information we’re provided from both your organization and your chosen vendor.  If your organization plans on purchasing systems directly from a 3^rd party vendor and not from UniVista, we’d prefer you include UniVista in the process by providing us with the system specifications, along with the delivery timeframes. First, we want to ensure any new device fits the needs of your business. Additionally, we want to adequately plan for the deployment by ensuring appropriate resources are available when needed. Without proactive notice and planning, you run the risk of new system deployment delays, or the systems you purchased will have to be returned because they were not adequate for your employees’ needs.

If you purchase systems directly through UniVista, all phases of integration, from system specifications to order tracking through deployment, are managed efficiently and seamlessly. As a result, UniVista’s Support Department is kept informed throughout the order-to-delivery process and installation time is allocated based on expected arrival dates. Additionally, purchase history and warranty information is also tracked when purchased through UniVIsta. This helps to ensure that in the event of a service request from the manufacturer, we are able to assist.

Unfortunately, system deployment tickets are not the only type of tickets that can run longer than desired. Lately there have been several challenges when dealing with vendors and third-party support. These challenges can be as minor as increased wait times, or as great as changes in a vendors support hours, necessitating additional charges for after-hours support. While these factors are beyond our control, we are committed to minimizing any inconvenience they may cause you. To speed up the navigation of any of these roadblocks, our technicians may occasionally ask you for documentation regarding your contract or agreements with particular vendors, or may even ask to be authorized by the vendor to assist on your behalf.

In our previous communications, we highlighted the importance of including UniVista in your year-end plans, along with additional communications regarding our after-hours services. Please let us know if you need a review of those two previous communications.  Additionally, please contact us at [email protected], if you have any questions. Your partnership in the process is critical in ensuring UniVista delivers outstanding results and meets your expectations.

 

If a Business Stopping issue arises, please make sure to call UniVista’s support team at 512-832-6209. Calling our support team will guarantee a faster response.

UniVista wants your experience with us to always be positive and hassle-free. If you have any feedback, please continue to submit it through our survey process.  Your ongoing feedback is always considered as we continue to improve our processes.  Thank you for choosing us as your trusted technology partner.