Social media gets a bad rap sometimes, and although it certainly has its quirks I choose to see its potential as a tool for reaching out into the world with next to no effort.

Spending so much time at home lately makes me really appreciate my longstanding preference for a clean house. There’s nothing like walking into a room and seeing it in its most organized and inviting form...they say an uncluttered space facilitates uncluttered thinking, and I believe it.

I gotta say, using all this time inside to install a few upgrades is really starting to pay off now that we can occasionally leave the house again...my new Sensi Touch smart thermostat is equipped with geo-fencing so it turns climate control off as soon as I leave my driveway...very 2025.

Things finally appear to be getting back to normal after some truly crazy times in the past year or so. One indication of better times ahead is the arrival of a different type of Madness altogether….that’s right, March Madness is now in full swing!

A Time for Vigilance The ripple effects of the recent Exchange server hack that compromised thousands of major networks are only beginning to become apparent, but the outlook is unsettling to say the least. KrebsOnSecurity turns an experienced eye to this development, and his outlook is unsettling to say the least. To make a long (and interesting) article short, the first wave was just the Trojan Horse being rolled past the gates...the real danger is when the soldiers inside go on the attack. The article goes into detail about the implications of municipal governments and public services being seedied with nasty stuff like remote lockout triggers, data cloning, and keystroke tracking, but any regular reader of this newsletter should know it’s all bad, especially if you’ve been affected. As for what you can do to avoid this impending digital disaster, appropriate courses of action go on a case-by-case basis. One universally effective step you can take right now is to back up any data stored on vulnerable servers TODAY...there is no convenient moment to have your client contact list suddenly held for ransom. If you’re on an Exchange server, you might also be able to find out if yours is among the known victims of this massive attack here. If you’re using an onsite server, you’re not totally immune from disaster...this analog horror story delivers a sobering reminder. Of course, if you’re looking for more specific guidance on safeguarding your sensitive data from the latest evolution in the arms race against cybercrime or just the perils of our unpredictable existence here on The Planet, shoot me an email or schedule a live call here...let’s talk. No More Excuses Have you ever been looking at Google Earth for your region and wondered why your office isn’t on the map? Well, you have only yourself (or your IT guy) to blame for that...the worldwide leader in maps will add the location of your business to its global records, and it will do so for free...just follow this link to find out how to make it happen. Hey, It’s Today Somewhere After this...month? Year? How long has it been since everything deflated slightly? Wait, what year is it? Well in any event after this deflating time period many of us could use a drink, and with all the travel restrictions we’ve been spending a lot of time around the house perfecting our favorite cocktail recipes. My wife knows I love a good Old-Fashioned, and though her standard rendition more than gets the job done I have to say I love this new twist she found on YouTube. If you have one you think is even better, send it my way...“taste tester” has always been among my strongest skills. The Last Word Well, that should just about wrap things up for this exciting edition of “Brad’s Blog!” I say it every time, and mean it every time I type it, but I really appreciate you taking the time to read my rambles on a weekly basis. I’ll be back in your inbox sooner than you think--these months are really starting to run together--but for now I’m working from home and someone brought donuts, gonna grab one before the good kinds are taken...have a productive and fulfilling week!

The Insurance IT Company Will Become The Program’s First Tech Support Partner.