Remington Computer Services, Warwick RI

Why Every Business Needs a Cybersecurity Readiness Plan

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In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, cyberattacks are no longer rare, isolated events. They are an everyday reality. From ransomware that can lock down your systems in seconds to phishing emails that trick employees into handing over sensitive information, the threats are real and constant. Yet many businesses still operate without a defined Cybersecurity Readiness Plan leaving themselves exposed.

At Remington Computer Services, we believe that prevention is always better than reaction. A well-designed readiness plan ensures your organization isn’t scrambling after an attack but is instead prepared, protected, and resilient. Below, we break down why a Cybersecurity Readiness Plan is essential and how our team can help with each key component

The Power of Prevention

Cybersecurity readiness starts with prevention. Waiting until after an attack to take action can result in catastrophic downtime, financial losses, and reputational damage. Preventive measures such as firewalls, endpoint protection, regular updates, and multifactor authentication reduce your risk surface before a hacker ever has a chance to exploit it.

However, prevention isn’t just about installing software, it’s about strategy. A readiness plan evaluates your entire IT environment, identifies weak points, and implements best practices to harden defenses.

  • How Remington Helps:
    We conduct full risk assessments to spot vulnerabilities and implement proactive security controls. Our team designs custom roadmaps so your business can stay ahead of attackers instead of reacting after the fact. Prevention is not a one-time activity, it’s an ongoing process we manage for you.

Email Security: Guarding the Front Door

Email is still the number one entry point for cybercriminals. Phishing, business email compromise, and malicious attachments continue to fool even savvy employees. One wrong click can open the door to data theft, ransomware, or financial fraud.

A Cybersecurity Readiness Plan must include strong email security protections, from advanced spam filtering to artificial intelligence that detects suspicious communication patterns. Just as importantly, employee awareness training ensures your team knows how to recognize and report phishing attempts.

  • How Remington Helps:
    We deploy advanced email security tools that screen incoming messages for phishing attempts, malware, and spoofing. Beyond technology, we also provide user awareness training and simulated phishing campaigns, empowering your employees to be your strongest line of defense. By integrating both tools and training, we ensure email remains a communication asset, not a liability.

Vulnerability Management: Closing the Gaps

Even the best software can become a weakness if it isn’t patched and maintained. Hackers actively search for outdated systems and unpatched vulnerabilities, they don’t need to “break in” if the door is left wide open.

Vulnerability management is the continuous process of scanning your systems, identifying risks, and prioritizing fixes. It ensures that known weaknesses are closed before attackers can exploit them. Without a readiness plan, patching is often inconsistent or overlooked, creating unnecessary risk.

  • How Remington Helps:
    Our team uses automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify risks across your network, servers, and endpoints. We then prioritize remediation based on severity and business impact, ensuring critical issues are addressed first. Regular reporting keeps you informed, and continuous monitoring ensures that new vulnerabilities are caught as soon as they emerge.

Why a Readiness Plan Matters

Having a Cybersecurity Readiness Plan is like having a fire drill for your business. You hope you never need to use it, but when something happens, everyone knows what to do. Without it, panic sets in and chaos quickly follows.

Here are just a few benefits of a defined readiness plan:

  • Faster response times: Teams know how to react, minimizing downtime.
  • Reduced financial impact: Proactive controls lower the risk of costly breaches.
  • Regulatory compliance: Many industries require documented cybersecurity policies.
  • Increased trust: Clients and partners feel confident knowing you take security seriously.

Most importantly, a readiness plan gives you peace of mind that your business is protected, even against evolving threats.

Why Partner with Remington Computer Services?

Cybersecurity is not a set-it-and-forget-it problem, it’s a constant battle against ever-changing threats. As your Managed Services Provider (MSP), we specialize in delivering not just technology, but ongoing strategy and support.

When you partner with us, you gain:

  • 24/7 monitoring of your systems and endpoints.
  • Proactive patching and updates to reduce vulnerabilities.
  • Advanced threat detection and response powered by enterprise-grade tools.
  • Expert guidance on compliance requirements and industry best practices.
  • Ongoing employee training to keep your team sharp against phishing and social engineering.

Instead of trying to piece together security on your own, you have a dedicated partner keeping watch, protecting your assets, and ensuring your readiness plan is always up to date.

Taking the Next Step

Cybersecurity is not optional, it’s a necessity for survival in today’s business world. Attacks are growing in sophistication and frequency, but with a Cybersecurity Readiness Plan in place, you can protect your business from becoming a statistic.

At Remington Computer Services, our mission is to make sure your company is prepared, resilient, and able to focus on growth without constant worry about cyber threats. Prevention, email security, vulnerability management, we cover every angle so you don’t have to.

 

Remington Computer Services has been serving the Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts area since 2010, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses. Our experience has allowed us to build and develop the infrastructure needed to keep our prices affordable and our clients up and running. Schedule a complimentary consultation today.  

 

MSP, Cyber Security, Warwick, RI

Phishing Attacks Are on the Rise — Here’s How Your Business Can Stay Protected

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In today’s digital landscape, phishing attacks remain one of the most dangerous and prevalent threats to business security. As a cybersecurity company, we’ve seen firsthand how a single deceptive email can lead to devastating consequences—data breaches, financial losses, and long-term reputational damage. Fortunately, there are proven strategies businesses can adopt to stay a step ahead of cybercriminals. Let’s explore how your company can recognize, prevent, and defend against phishing attacks.

What Is Phishing?

Phishing is a form of cyberattack where attackers impersonate trusted sources—often via email—to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, or access credentials. These attacks can be highly targeted (spear phishing) or sent in bulk (mass phishing), but the goal is the same: to deceive and exploit.

Why Are Businesses Prime Targets?

Small and midsize businesses are especially vulnerable because they often lack dedicated security teams or advanced security tools. Even larger enterprises aren’t immune—phishing bypasses technical defenses by targeting the human element, which is often the weakest link in security.

Phishing emails are increasingly sophisticated, often mimicking the branding, language, and tone of real companies or internal communications. An employee may receive what looks like a request from their CEO, a message from a known vendor, or even an alert from their IT department.

7 Proven Strategies to Defend Against Phishing

  1. Security Awareness Training

The most important defense against phishing is an informed workforce. Employees should be trained to:

  • Identify common phishing tactics
  • Recognize suspicious email addresses, links, and attachments
  • Avoid clicking on unverified links or downloading unknown files
  • Report suspected phishing attempts to your IT or security team

Conduct regular simulated phishing campaigns to test readiness and reinforce good habits.

  1. Email Filtering and Anti-Phishing Tools

Advanced email security solutions can automatically filter out many phishing emails before they reach inboxes. These tools analyze sender reputation, scan for known malicious links and attachments, and detect abnormal language patterns.

Look for solutions with real-time threat intelligence and machine learning capabilities to adapt to evolving phishing tactics.

  1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Even if an attacker successfully obtains login credentials, multi-factor authentication adds an additional layer of protection. With MFA, a second form of verification (like a code sent to a phone or a fingerprint scan) is required to access systems—greatly reducing the effectiveness of stolen passwords.

  1. Strong Password Policies

Implement a robust password policy across your organization. This includes:

  • Requiring complex passwords
  • Enforcing periodic password changes
  • Prohibiting password reuse
  • Encouraging the use of password managers

The stronger your password hygiene, the less likely a phishing email will result in successful credential theft.

  1. Incident Response Plan

No system is perfect. That’s why it’s essential to have a well-documented incident response plan that outlines what to do if a phishing attack is suspected or confirmed. Key components include:

  • Immediate user notification and account lockout
  • Isolation of affected systems
  • Forensic analysis and damage assessment
  • Communication with stakeholders and compliance bodies (if necessary)

Having a plan in place can dramatically reduce downtime and minimize the impact of an attack.

  1. Keep Software and Systems Updated

Phishing attacks often exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated software. Ensure that your operating systems, email clients, browsers, and endpoint protection software are always up to date. Patch management tools can help automate this process across your network.

  1. DNS and Domain Protections

Use domain-based protections like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). These email authentication protocols help prevent attackers from spoofing your domain and tricking your customers or employees with lookalike messages.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

According to industry reports, the average cost of a phishing attack to a mid-sized business can exceed $100,000—not including the long-term reputational harm. In some cases, phishing has led to major data breaches and regulatory fines. But beyond the numbers, there’s the loss of customer trust—something that can take years to rebuild.

Partnering with the Right Cybersecurity Provider

At Remington Computer Services, we specialize in helping businesses proactively defend against phishing attacks. From employee training and phishing simulations to advanced threat detection and incident response, our services are designed to build a security-first culture and infrastructure within your organization.

Whether you need a one-time phishing assessment or a fully managed security solution, we’re here to help. Our team of cybersecurity professionals works alongside your internal staff to implement best practices, monitor threats, and respond rapidly if something slips through the cracks.

Final Thoughts

Phishing attacks are not going away—in fact, they’re only getting smarter. But with the right combination of education, technology, and processes, your business can stay protected. Don’t wait until after an incident to take action. Start now. Empower your employees. Secure your systems. And partner with cybersecurity experts who know how to keep you safe.

Want to learn more about protecting your business from phishing? Contact Remington Computer Services today for a free consultation.

 

Managed Service Provider, Warwick RI

Secondary Backups: A Must for Microsoft 365

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In today’s digital workplace, Microsoft 365 is the engine behind communication, collaboration, and file sharing for countless businesses. But while Microsoft provides powerful productivity tools, it’s a mistake to assume they also provide full-scale data protection.

At Remington Computer Services, we help organizations navigate IT strategy and risk with confidence. And one of the most common blind spots we see? Businesses that rely entirely on Microsoft 365’s native tools—without realizing just how vulnerable their data actually is.

The Myth: “It’s in the Cloud, So It’s Safe.”

Microsoft 365 does offer service-level availability, redundancy, and short-term retention. But these features are not the same as a true backup solution.

Microsoft’s shared responsibility model makes this clear: they manage the infrastructure—you’re responsible for the data. That means if files are deleted, corrupted, or encrypted by ransomware, there may be no way to recover them unless you’ve implemented a separate backup solution.

Real Risks When You Don’t Back Up Microsoft 365

Here’s what can go wrong when you don’t have a secondary backup in place:

Permanent Deletion

After Microsoft’s retention window closes, deleted emails or files are gone forever. This includes content removed by mistake—or intentionally.

Cyber Threats

Ransomware doesn’t discriminate. Once inside, it can encrypt cloud data in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams just as easily as it does local drives.

Compliance Violations

Many industries—such as healthcare, finance, and legal—require long-term, auditable data retention. Microsoft’s default retention simply doesn’t meet these requirements.

Limited Restore Capabilities

Need to restore one specific version of a file from three months ago? Or recover an ex-employee’s mailbox? Without a backup, your options may be limited or nonexistent.

Why Secondary Backups Are Essential

A dedicated Microsoft 365 backup solution provides:

  • Daily, automated backups of all your M365 data
  • Unlimited or configurable retention periods
  • Granular recovery of individual items like emails, documents, and chat logs
  • Protection from user error, insider threats, and cyberattacks
  • Faster recovery time when every second counts

It’s not just about convenience—it’s about protecting your operations, your clients, and your compliance posture.

Make Backup Part of Your IT Strategy

At Remington Computer Services, we work with clients to create holistic IT strategies that address not only productivity and performance—but also risk, resilience, and compliance. That includes ensuring your Microsoft 365 environment is backed by a secure, standalone backup system.

We help you select the right solution, implement it efficiently, and monitor it over time so you’re always one step ahead of data loss.

Ready to Close the Gap in Your Cloud Protection?

You’ve invested in Microsoft 365 to run your business—now invest in keeping that data safe. Remington Computer Services is here to help you build a smarter, safer IT ecosystem.

Let’s talk about how a secondary backup can fit into your broader strategy—and protect what matters most.

Remington Computer Services has been serving the Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts area since 2010, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses. Our experience has allowed us to build and develop the infrastructure needed to keep our prices affordable and our clients up and running. Schedule a complimentary consultation today. 

Managed Service Provider, Warwick RI

Co-Managed IT vs Managed IT: What’s the Difference?

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As technology continues to shape every aspect of how we work, having the right IT support model in place is no longer optional—it’s essential. But not every business has the same needs or resources. That’s where the choice between Managed IT Services and Co-Managed IT Services comes in.

At Remington Computer Services, we help businesses understand and implement the right level of IT support for their operations. Here’s a closer look at the key differences between these two models, and how to determine which one is best for your organization.

What Is Managed IT?

Managed IT is a fully outsourced solution where a third-party provider takes over the management of your entire IT environment. This includes day-to-day support, infrastructure maintenance, cybersecurity protection, cloud services, and long-term strategic planning.

It’s a popular choice for companies without a dedicated internal IT department, or those that want to hand off all tech responsibilities to a trusted partner.

What Is Co-Managed IT?

Co-Managed IT is a collaborative model designed to support and extend your in-house IT team. Instead of replacing your internal staff, a provider like Remington Computer Services works alongside them—offering tools, expertise, and added bandwidth where needed.

This setup is ideal for businesses that already have IT professionals on staff but need help with larger projects, specialized systems, or simply want to enhance their capabilities without overextending internal resources.

Comparing the Two Approaches

Here’s how they stack up in practical terms:

  • Managed IT
    • Complete outsourcing of all IT services
    • Ideal for small businesses or organizations without IT staff
    • Offers a predictable monthly cost
    • Provider handles all support, maintenance, and strategy
  • Co-Managed IT
    • Shared responsibility between your team and the provider
    • Best for mid-sized to large organizations with existing IT staff
    • Customizable support based on gaps or pain points
    • Allows your team to stay focused on core initiatives

When to Choose Managed IT

Choose Managed IT if:

  • You don’t have an internal IT team
  • Your business needs reliable, 24/7 support
  • You’re looking to reduce overhead and simplify tech management
  • You want a single partner to handle everything from help desk to cybersecurity

When to Choose Co-Managed IT

Consider Co-Managed IT if:

  • You already have an IT team but they’re overwhelmed or understaffed
  • You’re tackling a major project, like a cloud migration or infrastructure upgrade
  • You want access to enterprise-level tools and expertise without hiring additional staff
  • You need a partner that complements—not replaces—your in-house team

How Remington Computer Services Can Help

Whether you need full-service IT management or a collaborative partner to support your internal tech team, Remington Computer Services is here to provide flexible, tailored solutions that meet your business where it is.

Our team of experts is equipped to:

  • Take over complete IT operations
  • Step in as an extension of your existing IT department
  • Deliver enterprise-grade cybersecurity
  • Support cloud and infrastructure projects
  • Offer strategic guidance as your business evolves

Let’s Build the Right IT Strategy Together

Every business has different technology needs—and we believe your IT support should reflect that. At Remington Computer Services, we’ll help you find the best-fit model and deliver solutions that align with your goals, budget, and vision.

Remington Computer Services has been serving the Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts area since 2010, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses. Our experience has allowed us to build and develop the infrastructure needed to keep our prices affordable and our clients up and running. Schedule a complimentary consultation today.