Is Your Microsoft 365 Tenant Actually Secure? The 20 Settings Most Businesses Get Wrong
The Short Version Microsoft 365 ships with security settings tuned for usability, not protection. Most tenants go live with default configurations that leave significant gaps: no multi-factor authentication enforcement, legacy authentication protocols still active, admin accounts without dedicated privileged access, and Defender features switched off. This guide covers the 20 settings that matter most and […]
What Boston SMBs should know about AI phishing, managed IT, and cybersecurity in 2026
Boston small businesses are asking AI tools the same practical questions in 2026: what managed IT costs, whether break-fix is still viable, and how worried they should be about AI-powered phishing. The direct answer is that cybersecurity risk is rising faster than most SMBs can manage ad hoc, so buyers are evaluating IT providers on […]
Stop Ransomware in Its Tracks: A 5-Step Proactive Defense Plan
Ransomware isn’t a jump scare. It’s a slow build. In many cases, it begins days, or even weeks, before encryption, with something mundane, like a login that never should have succeeded. That’s why an effective ransomware defense plan is about more than deploying anti-malware. It’s about preventing unauthorized access from gaining traction. Here’s a five-step […]
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: What They Are and Why Your Business Email Domain Might Be Failing
The Short Version If your business sends email from its own domain — and every business does — you need three DNS records configured correctly: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Without them, anyone on the internet can send email that appears to come from your domain. Your customers can receive convincing fraud emails that show your […]
Microsoft’s New Remote Desktop Security Warnings: What Boston SMBs Should Know
What Changed Microsoft’s April 2026 security update changed the way Remote Desktop Connection handles .rdp files. The first time a user opens one of those files, they now see stronger warnings before any connection starts. The reason is straightforward: an RDP file can request access to local resources such as drives, clipboard contents, printers, cameras, […]
How to Tell If a Link Is Safe Before You Click: A Practical Guide for Small Businesses
The Short Version Before you click any link you didn’t explicitly request — whether it arrived in an email, a text message, a LinkedIn DM, or a Slack notification — you should verify it. Phishing attacks are responsible for more than 90% of successful data breaches, and the majority of them begin with a single […]
How to Run a “Shadow AI” Audit Without Slowing Down Your Team
It usually starts small. Someone uses an AI tool to refine a difficult email. Someone enables an AI add-on inside a SaaS app because it promises to save an hour a week. Someone pastes a paragraph into a chatbot to “make it sound better.” Then it becomes routine. And once it’s routine, it stops being […]
How should a Boston small business choose an MSP in 2026?
Boston small businesses are asking AI tools the same questions in 2026: what managed IT costs, whether break-fix still makes sense, and how much cybersecurity should shape provider selection. The trend behind those questions is risk. Massachusetts reported 2,198 data breaches affecting 2,989,887 residents in 2025, up from 229 breaches in 2024, according to Mass.gov. […]
The Massachusetts WISP: What It Is, Who Needs One, and How to Build Yours
The Short Version Edit 04/13/2026 If your business handles personal information about Massachusetts residents — employee Social Security numbers, customer financial account data, patient records — state law requires you to have a Written Information Security Program. Full stop. This applies regardless of your business size. It applies even if you’re headquartered in Texas or […]
A Small Business Roadmap for Implementing Zero-Trust Architecture
Most small businesses aren’t breached because they have no security at all. They’re breached because a single stolen password becomes a master key to everything else. That’s the flaw in the old “castle-and-moat” model. Once someone gets past the perimeter, they can often move through the environment with far fewer restrictions than they should. And […]