Craig Petronella – Raleigh, NC Top Cybersecurity Expert and IT Authority on the Importance of Employee Computer Security Awareness Training

Main Street Mavericks Radio with Donna Gunter

In this episode, Craig Petronella, Amazon #1 Best-Selling author and CEO of Petronella Technology Group, Inc., discusses how to educate employees about corporate policies in working with IT about security issues. The training is delivered through online video and follow up exercises to assess each employee's comprehension of the training.
Craig goes on to say that there are a series of tests, or trust factors, that each employee should complete when receiving an email to ensure it is safe to open. First, check to see if you recognize the person and email address that has been sent to you. Second, if there is an attachment, determine whether you were expecting an email with an attachment from that person. Third, look at the type of attachment to see if it is formatted with a recognized program (Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, etc.). Fourth, look at the links in an email and ensure that they are going where you expect them to go by hovering your mouse pointer over the link to see the destination and make sure it matches. Fifth is to look at the language used in the email and determine if it matches the sender's normal language pattern. If you fail to follow these trust factors and your system is breached, it may be months before you discover the breach and the ramifications of a breach.
Another protection against malicious software or malware is to use next generation antivirus technology that protects against 99% of the threats. However, these solutions are typically only available to corporations with 5,000 employees or greater. Craig has developed a partnership to deliver this type of protection to much smaller businesses to avail them of the same protection afforded to large corporations. When combining this software with security awareness training and good data backup, the lower the risk your business has for a breach.
Infection with ransomware, or where a company's data is held hostage until a ransom is paid, can completely destroy a business. Your company can also be easily infected by one of your vendors, who is unaware that their system has been hacked. Because the infection and impact can be months, if not years, apart, it is often difficult to connect the two.
Craig Petronella, Raleigh, North Carolina's top cybersecurity expert and IT authority, has authored multiple books, including How HIPAA Can Crush Your Medical Practice and Peace of Mind Computer Support. He has spent thirty years advising clients and protecting computer information. Craig makes sure your medical practice network works when you need it the most, and is a celebrity in his field and hometown. Craig is frequently quoted in the local Raleigh news and appears on local TV news for his expertise in protecting local businesses and medical practice owners from hackers halfway around the world in places such as Ukraine, Russia, and China.
For more info about Craig, visit his website, https://www.petronellacomputer.com/ or call him at 1-877-468-2721 and request his "9 Ways to Prevent a Ransomware Attack" infographic or his Antivirus Audit special.
Main Street Mavericks Radio with Joel Helfer
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