Linde Group

Strengthening Security Through User Access Training In today’s fast-paced digital environment, safeguarding data can feel like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. But a well-structured User Access Training program gives each employee a mallet, allowing everyone to do their part to keep the attacks from landing. While these efforts help, your company should still take a step back each year to evaluate processes from a high level. Making sure your team has the right access, stays alert to security threats, and confidently navigates essential systems can be a game-changer. Linde Group prefers to reinforce security through ongoing training: 🚪 Review and Update User Access Privileges  User access should never be a “set-it-and-forget-it” process. Regularly reviewing and updating access privileges to the least employees need to perform their roles (PoLP) minimizes security risks like unauthorized access and insider threats. Audit to adjust roles, revoke unnecessary permissions, and align access with organizational changes. 🚨 Conduct Security Awareness Training for All Employees  Cyberthreats are rapidly evolving, making security awareness training an essential component of any defense strategy. Education on identifying phishing attempts, creating strong passwords, and following best practices for handling sensitive information is fundamental. An informed employee is the first line of defense against cyberattacks. 🎓 Provide Refresher Courses on Essential Software and Systems  Technology and software solutions update weekly with new features, security protocols, and compliance requirements. (Patch Tuesday, anyone?) Similarly, regular refresher courses keep employees’ skills sharp. These sessions can be fun—ask us about our Harry Potter-themed training—and also help reinforce security protocols, ensuring employees adhere to best practices when handling company data. Regularly reviewing user access, educating teams on cyber threats, and reinforcing software proficiency are the way to building a resilient and well-protected organization. If taking on this kind of User Access Training feels daunting, give Linde Group a call. We can help strengthen security, boost efficiency, and foster a security-first culture.   #ITSupport #UserTraining #CyberSecurity #PoLP 

Here at Linde Group, we have a longstanding debate on Cake vs. Pie. But on March 14th, we put aside our differences and unite around... pi!    So, may your day be a bit irrational but well-rounded. Happy Pi Day! ☺️

It’s tempting to think of those cotton-ball cumulus clouds, but think of “cloud computing” as more like using someone else’s computer—and by that we mean the network of remote data centers, servers, and storage systems owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider (like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and AWS). The cloud may not hold the heart and soul of your business, but often it holds everything else: confidential client and employee info, internal processes, proprietary materials, apps, etc. So it’s an understatement to say it’s critical to make sure your cloud services are both secure and a good fit for your unique needs. We recommend an annual cloud services review that includes: 💸 Assessing current utilization and costs, i.e. powering up with coffee and carefully reviewing recent billing statements to identify areas of high spending and pinpoint unnecessary resource usage    🌤️ Optimizing cloud resources, or taking actions like:  ☁️ Analyzing workload requirements and adjusting instance sizes to match your team’s actual usage/prevent over-provisioning  ☁️ Leveraging discounts where appropriate  ☁️ Optimizing applications to automatically scale up or down based on real- time demand  ☁️ Establishing alerts to notify you when approaching budget thresholds     ✅ Reviewing cloud security measures and compliance, which means evaluating your provider’s access management, data encryption, vulnerability management, and general incident response plans.    Whether you use a public, private, or hybrid (multi) cloud, remember we’re here to answer questions, strategize, help you migrate, or support you with an overall IT assessment 🤓 #cloudcomputing #cloudservices #technology #itsupport 

Is Your Business Prepared for a Data Disaster? Disasters resulting in data loss can strike at any time—whether due to cyber threats, system failures, or natural disasters. A solid backup and disaster recovery strategy isn’t just a safety net, it’s a business necessity. Here’s how to ensure your data—and your business—remains resilient: 📋 Perform a comprehensive data audit – Know what data you have, where it lives, and its value to your business; this will guide all of your data storage decisions. ☁️ Review and optimize data storage solutions – Are you using the right mix of cloud, on-prem, or hybrid solutions? Efficiency matters, but all your eggs shouldn’t be in the same basket: Your company should always be covered by multi-tier, multi-engine backup. 🔐 Implement or update data retention policies – If your business has compliance needs, you likely are required to create these types of policies. Spending time creating the structure here helps to avoid unnecessary storage costs while keeping critical data secure. 🧐 Verify data backup and recovery processes – A backup is only useful if it works when you need it. Regular checks of both the backup and restoration are essential. 🙌🏻 Test and update your BCPs & DRPs – Your ability to recover quickly depends on how well you’ve prepared. Simulate scenarios, identify gaps, and refine your response. Data downtime isn’t just inconvenient—it can be costly. Take action today to protect your business. And if you need a little help, we’re a thought-partnership away! #ITSupport #ITSecurity #DataRecovery #Business Continuity #DisasterRecovery 

Annual Network Infrastructure Check Your network is the backbone of your business. It’s an afterthought when it’s running smoothly—but when something goes wrong? Everyone notices. That’s why an annual network check-up is a must! Here’s what we do to keep our clients’ networks secure, efficient, and ready for whatever the year throws at them: 🔍 Security, Performance, & Capacity Check Are there hidden vulnerabilities? Is your network slowing down under increased demand? We analyze key risk areas, like CVE exploits or legacy hardware maintenance, before they become big, expensive problems. 👯 Redundancy Validation Think of network redundancy as a tag-team—if one component fails, the other jumps in immediately. Both parts must be fully ready to ensure uninterrupted performance. We review designs to eliminate any single point of failure and keep your infrastructure running smoothly. 🔄 Backup & Disaster Recovery Testing The best backup is the one you never need to use—but if disaster strikes, it must work. Before the worst-case scenario occurs, we can test your backups, verify recovery procedures, and highlight any deficiencies in coverage. 📂 Network Documentation Update Outdated documentation—or no documentation at all—is a troubleshooting nightmare. Keeping it accurate and up-to-date means faster fixes and fewer headaches. We create and maintain the comprehensive documentation required by your business. A little proactive risk management now saves your supply chain later. When’s the last time your network got a check-up? 🧐 If the answer is “Uh… not sure?”—we should talk. #Cybersecurity #NetworkSecurity #ITSupport #ITInfrastructure #BusinessContinuity

Annual IT Software Assessments & Patch Management: Your Key to a Secure, Efficient, and Future-Ready Business “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  If Ferris Bueller were an IT guy, he’d tell you that stopping to look at your setup—in the form of an annual IT software assessment and proactive patch management —should be at the heart of your IT strategy. Following this game-changing strategy leads to tangible benefits for your business, including: 🛡️ Proactive Risk Mitigation: Outdated software is an open door for cyber threats. Regular assessments identify vulnerabilities, while timely patch management ensures those gaps are closed before they can be exploited. 📈 Optimized Performance & Efficiency: Assessments reveal outdated or underperforming tools, and patches bring improved functionality, speed, and compatibility. Together, they ensure your systems are working for you, not against you. 📋 Regulatory Compliance: From GDPR to HIPAA, staying updated keeps you aligned with data privacy and security regulations—helping you avoid penalties and protect your reputation. 🔮 Future-Proofing Your Infrastructure: Annual reviews help you plan for upgrades, retire legacy systems, and adopt innovations that keep your business competitive in a rapidly changing tech landscape. 💰 Cost Savings: Investing in proactive assessments and patching helps to save you from costly downtime, reactive fixes, and potential breaches. A little prevention can go a long way! Annual reviews of your IT software and patch management strategies are more than just routine tasks—they're a chance to enhance, secure, and elevate your business operations. Do you have a plan in place to evaluate these areas? If not, seize the day! Or call your bestie, Linde Group, over to assist! #Future #ITSupport #Software #Technology

Annual IT Hardware Check: Keeping Your Tech in Tip-Top Shape Maintaining your company’s IT devices requires more than just turning it off and on again—in fact, PLEASE don’t power cycle the servers! It starts with the hardware that keeps your business running smoothly. That’s why an annual hardware assessment is a must!  Here’s what we do for our clients to ensure their devices stay reliable, efficient, and cost-effective: 📋 Inventory & Performance Review   Take stock of all hardware assets and evaluate their current performance. Are your devices keeping up or slowing you down?    💾 Lifecycle Planning   Identify aging or outdated equipment and start planning for replacements before breakdowns disrupt productivity.    🧹 Physical Maintenance   Dust, clean, and optimize hardware components. It’s always better to have devices in ready-to-go condition, especially for that last-minute loaner!    📃 Warranty & Support Check   Review warranty status and renew where needed—because repairs and replacements are much easier when you're covered.    Staying proactive with IT hardware management prevents downtime, saves costs, and ensures your team has the tools they need to work efficiently in the year ahead. Let 2025 be the year that your company finally organizes that cluttered IT closet. (And it’s totally okay to outsource that job—we're here to #MakeItBetter.)  #ITSupport #DeviceLifecycleManagement #BusinessEfficiency  

Linde Group is drilling down on the critical components of an annual IT maintenance plan. This week, we’re talking security—the firewall kind, not the patrolling-guard kind.   In a perfect world, your IT team is maintaining constant vigilance over your security posture. But since we live in the real world, we recommend performing an annual, comprehensive security audit. At minimum, we suggest:     1). Auditing all systems and networks for security   This is more than a simple firewall and VPN review:     🛜 How are your users authenticating to your network? Are unmanaged machines allowed to connect to your production network? Is your guest network properly excluded from other network traffic?    🔑 How are passwords being stored and shared by users? Are they :gulp: shared via assorted sticky notes, or are they stored in an end-to-end encrypted repository with 2FA enforced and clear guidelines around sharing (using one-time use links with expiring passwords)?    🧐 Do you have an active SIEM aggregating and monitoring your network, endpoints, and all integral business services, as well as SaaS applications for threat detection and anomalous activities?     🔒 Do you have an actively maintained MDM to manage your machines in the field and enforce encryption, app management, and updates? Are regular updates being pushed and reviewed to ensure users are operating with fully patched machines?    🤓 Is there current education for your userbase? Are they attending regularly scheduled trainings, or are you employing something like KnowBe4 to actively test and train users around common pitfalls like phishing?    2). Reviewing and updating security policies and procedures   Your SaaS applications are changing with each update, so it’s worth taking the time to review changelogs and read the fine print.  Also, it’s a new year! It’s worth investigating whether any new SSO tools are available to ensure new applications are introduced securely to employees.     3). Identifying and implementing plans to mitigate any single points of failure    Security and convenience are opposite ends of the same spectrum, and each company will find their own balance between the two.      By this, we mean that changes have to come with prior, repeated notice through official company channels. Rolling out SSO to users with a tool like Okta or implementing scheduled updates should never take an employee by surprise.     4). Reviewing and updating a comprehensive security strategy    If you don’t have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) or Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP), let 2025 be the year of planning!     Documentation is not the typical first pick for the dream team, but tested and current BCPs and DRPs are the real MVPs in an emergency.     As always, Linde Group is happy to help you work through these items. And if you’re a fellow IT professional, we make great thought partners.     #ITSupport #TechEducation #Technology  

As we’re officially into the third week of the year, it’s time to finalize (or actually start planning) the key areas of focus for your annual IT maintenance plan.  Linde Group recommends following this outline as part of a proper annual maintenance review of all mission-critical IT infrastructure: Security Audit and Updates  Hardware Assessment and Lifecycle Management  Software Assessment and Patch Management  Network Infrastructure  Data Backup and Disaster Recovery  Cloud Services Review  User Access and Training  Compliance Check  Vendor Management  IT Planning and Strategy Alignment  Cybersecurity Enhancements For some IT folks, this type of list may be all they need to get the ball rolling. For anyone else—we’ve got you. We’ll spend the first quarter of the year diving into what you’ll want to look for within each category and breaking it down so even your interns will understand why they should pay attention to the phishing training again this year. #ITSupport #TechEducation #Technology 

Kicking Off 2025: Keeping Communication and Education at the Core of IT! As we step into 2025, we’re doubling down on a few priorities at Linde Group: clear communication and empowering our clients through IT education. Whether it's translating tech-speak or collaborating to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape, we’re committed to being your IT partner—not just for solutions, but also for understanding. Got questions about the latest updates, tools, or best practices? Ask away! We love helping you get more out of your tech. And because we believe that knowledge is power, we’re committing to sharing what we know on a more regular basis.  Watch this space for more 👀 So, here’s to a year of more cybersecure systems, more "Make it Better” moments, and more nerdy fun. Thanks for trusting us to keep your tech—and communication—running at its best. Let’s make 2025 the year of IT confidence!  #ITSupport #ClientFirst #TechEducation #HappyNewYear