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Microsoft ends support for Windows XP

April 10, 2014 / Don Mennig By now, unless you’ve been stuck on a Blackberry trying to read MySpace updates, you’ve likely heard about the end of support for Windows XP.  The most recent Security Intelligence Report from Microsoft shows that when exposed to a similar volume of potential threats, Windows XP SP3 has a malware infection rate nearly double that of Windows 7, and a whopping 650 percent greater than 64-bit Windows 8.Unfortunately, the stated risks associated with continuing to run the OS are not just Microsoft “marketing ploys” (as some believe) to get people to buy Windows 8. The risks are real. If you continue to run XP and connect to the Internet your business will very likely at some point become a target. And you’re not alone … in fact, based on recent surveys:•     25% -30% of all computers are still using XP •     45% of organizations still have hardware running XP In addition to risks like your critical data being exposed and keystrokes being recorded, if you’re still running XP you may also be in violation of compliance terms. For example, in the healthcare industry this little section of the security rule: 164.308(a)(5)(ii)(B),  which requires “procedures for guarding against, detecting and reporting malicious software,” could prove to be troublesome.Similar risks also exist for PCI (credit card) and the financial industry.So what should you do? I interviewed Scott Kinka, Evolve IP’s CTO, about the subject and he shared nine tips with me:
  1. Identify– Make a list of every device running Windows XP. If you’re using a machine running XP, think twice about doing this in Excel (see tip #5).

  2. Unplug – Where possible, disconnect these machines from the Internet. It sounds harsh, but it’s the safest choice. Many XP machines may be performing simple functions on older software that don’t need to access the Internet – so limit what they do and reduce your exposure.

    3. If you must keep using XP machines on the Internet at a minimum take these steps:
  3. Update – be sure you are running the last version of XP as published by Microsoft on April 8th, 2014.

  4. Defend – Employ the latest anti-virus software and force updates from Microsoft Security Essentials, Symantec or McAfee.

  5. Eliminate – On XP machines, stop running Microsoft applications that access the Internet like Explorer, Outlook Express.  If you must access the Internet, use Chrome or Firefox, who will continue to support the operating system for a little longer.

  6. Ban – never use USB drives on these computers again, they have the ability to transport malicious software from XP to your more secure operating systems.

  7. Avoid – Microsoft has advised XP to never open attachments or instant messages.

  8. Back-up – be sure to back-up all critical files and data from your XP machine onto a supported device.

  9. Upgrade – when you have the time and budget, prioritize your XP upgrade. Migrating to a virtual desktop environment will not only keep your business from having to deal with this issue again, it will enable BYOD for your organization and should significantly reduce your hardware costs.
    10. Categories: Virtualization

    About Don Mennig

    A B2B technology marketing expert, Don Mennig has enjoyed a 20-year career building brands, driving leads and generating revenue. Prior to joining Evolve IP he served as the Executive Director of Marketing for ASI. There he grew ASI’s Software as a Service (SaaS) product from 3,000 to 50,000 seats and its hosted web platform from 4,000 to 14,000 sites. He previously owned Satient Marketing Communications where he consulted with clients ranging from the Fortune 500 to start-ups in online marketing, PR, advertising, graphic design, and branding.Mr. Mennig has won several awards including a 2012 Communicator Award, the 2008 Telly Award, and the 1999 Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design, he was also a finalist for American Business Media’s 2009 CEBA (best B2B marketing campaign). He was recognized in 2007 by the Web Marketing Association for landing page design, in 2005 as the Rising Star Employee of the Year for ASI, and has received the Dale Carnegie award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.Mr. Mennig graduated from Rowan University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a specialization in radio and T.V. with a concentration in journalism.

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The Evolve IP Compliance CloudTM

Compliance is a way to do business … not an afterthought when clients need it.

At Evolve IP we have a dedicated compliance and security practice and work with two of the world’s top 3rd-party compliance auditors, Grant Thornton and Ernst & Young, to enable customers to extend their compliance to our fully audited cloud. This focus allows us to deliver the documentation and assurances that other’s simply cannot including HIPAA / HITRUST, PCI-DSS (all 12 sections), SOC 2/3 and more. The Compliance CloudTM includes true client isolation, encryption in transit and at rest, private VLANs, firewalls and dozens of other security measures.

 
 
What Our Clients Say

  • "Yesterday was, perhaps, my busiest day of client interaction either by phone or email since I have been a PM, and I don’t think any of my clients knew I was working from home unless I told them. I was also able to do trades behind the scene and interact with my team. So, for me, the technology has been working great. As an old guy, I am constantly dazzled by technology in general, but being able to do this stuff from home is amazing!"

    James C. Hunter, CFA, CFP, AIF, Senior Portfolio Manager, Principal

  • "Hey, IT people, As I’m working away in my home office, I just wanted to say thanks to you for all you’re doing, and have done in the past, to make it possible for us to run our company virtually. Not many of us JICers have jobs that everyone in the firm sees and could stop us from doing business. But you have this job, and do it well. Thank you for having the foresight and wisdom to get us in a position to succeed in a pandemic! You’re awesome."

    Michael D. Barnes, Esq., CTFA President, Principal

  • “That’s the type of proposition I like to bring to a Board of Directors. When I can say, ‘we can get everything new, be completely redundant, it can meet all of our needs and oh, by the way, we are going to save over $300,000 a year.’ It makes it easy for me to sell!”

    - Ken Schultz, CIO Ogletree Deakins

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  • "The people that Evolve IP are more personable; you don't feel like there's necessarily a script when you're talking with them, they’re easy to understand, quick to get a hold of, and they follow through on what they say they're going to do."

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  • "Evolve IP has been a vendor partner that has grown with us, that has helped us, and that you know stands by us and stands by their word."

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What the Experts Think

Our analyst-acclaimed solutions are built on a world-class, compliant architecture that leverages the blue-chip technologies organizations already know and trust.

Gartner

We deploy best-of-breed solutions including: Disaster Recovery, Contact Center, Unified Communications, DaaS, IaaS. Our services are analyst-acclaimed, vendor-validated, client recommended and award-winning.

HITRUST

Evolve IP is proud to have achieved the honor of being HITRUST CSF certified! Certification to the HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) affirms that all of Evolve IP’s cloud computing and cloud communications services adhere to the strictest security standards for electronic protected health information (PHI). The HITRUST security standard was developed by and for the healthcare industry as a means of going above and beyond the compliance requirements of HIPAA.

The HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) was developed to address the multitude of security, privacy and regulatory challenges facing healthcare organizations. The HITRUST CSF was developed by healthcare and IT professionals to provide an efficient and prescriptive framework for managing the security requirements inherent in HIPAA. HITRUST CSF rationalizes healthcare-relevant regulations and standards into a single overarching security framework. An important part of the “What is HITRUST” answer is understanding that the CSF is risk-based and compliance-based so that organizations can tailor the security control baselines and vendor management programs that they follow based on their specific organization type, size, systems, and regulatory requirements.

HIPPA

The Privacy regulations of the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) require health care providers, organizations, and their business associates, develop and follow procedures that ensure the confidentiality and security of protected health information (PHI) when it is transferred, received, handled, or shared. This applies to all forms of PHI — paper, oral, and electronic, etc. Those who fail to adhere to HIPAA can suffer from huge fines climbing into the millions of dollars for major violations.

The Compliance Cloud™ fully enables covered entities and their business associates subject to HIPAA regulations to leverage a secure environment to process, maintain, and store protected health Information (PHI) featuring among other controls.

SSAW 16 Service Organization Control II (SOC 2)

Evolve IP has received an SSAE 16 SOC 2 Type II report on our internal controls relating to how we assess and address the potential risks associated with the security, availability, and confidentiality of not only the cloud-based services that we provide, but also our physical and logical infrastructure. Evolve IP utilizes the Certified Public Accounting firm of Grant Thornton to perform its annual audit and attestation in accordance with the Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16 and the associated Trust Services Principles, as published by the AICPA, to evaluate the effectiveness of Evolve IP’s service organizations controls.

Forbes

While Forbes regularly features coverage and recognition about Evolve IP, they've most recently recognized Evolve IP as being the "Best Cloud Computing Companies And CEOs To Work For In 2017".  They've ranked Evolve IP in the Top 3 just behind Google and Microsoft in the Cloud Infrastructure classification.  (Feb 2017). Forbes  also recently recognizes Evolve IP for bringing Singer Equipment Corporation, a mainstream business based in PA, into the cloud by means of unified communication. (Sept  2017). Last year, Forbes recognized Evolve IP's survey of 1,080 executives citing that the number one reason to go to the cloud is the same reason that it is avoided. (Mar 2016).

Unified Communications Product of the Year

TMC and Internet Telephony Magazine have named Evolve IP’s unified communications platform as a 2017 Unified Communications Product of the Year Award winner. This marks the 6th time Evolve IP has been honored with this prestigious award and follows a series of product innovations that have allowed the company to rapidly expand its international coverage.

Evolve IP’s business collaboration tools and IP phone system dramatically improve employee productivity in the office and on the road with a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platform that fully integrates voice, video, instant messaging & presence (IM&P), desktop sharing, audio/web conferencing and more. The company also provides a sophisticated Web-based management portal, OSSmosis®, that allows administrators to easily configure system functions and quickly modify users without the need to reach out to a third party for changes.

Inc.

Inc. magazine has recognized Evolve IP in the 34th annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive listing of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list will be unveiled in the September issue of Inc.

The story of this year's Inc. 5000 is the story of great leadership. In an incredibly competitive business landscape, it takes something extraordinary to take your company to the top," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "You have to remember that the average company on the Inc. 5000 grew nearly six-fold since 2012. Business owners don't achieve that kind of success by accident.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Evolve IP has achieved Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) compliance covering all 12 sections of the PCI DSS. The PCI data security standard is a comprehensive set of standards that require merchants and service providers that store, process, or transmit customer payment card data to adhere to strict information security controls and processes. It was created by the founding brands of the PCI Security Standards Council, which includes American Express, Discover Financial, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide, and Visa Inc.

CSA STAR

Evolve IP is also a registered and participating member of the CSA Security, Trust & Assurance Registry (STAR). The CSA was formed to encourage transparency of security practices within cloud providers. It is a free, publicly accessible registry that documents the security controls provided by various cloud computing offerings, thereby helping users assess the security of cloud providers they currently use or are considering contracting with. CSA STAR is open to all cloud providers, and allows them to submit assessment reports that document compliance to CSA published best practices. The searchable registry will allow potential cloud customers to review the security practices of providers, accelerating their due diligence and leading to higher quality procurement experiences. CSA STAR represents a major leap forward in industry transparency, encouraging providers to make security capabilities a market differentiator.

Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500TM

Evolve IP has been ranked for the second consecutive year on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™, a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies in North America – both public and private. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2012 to 2015. The list is a veritable Who’s Who of technology that has included tech companies like Google, VMware and Facebook.

Technology Fast 500 provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, life sciences, and energy the companies – both public and private – in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth during the period from 2012 – 2016.

Red Herring

Red Herring has named Evolve IP as one of the Top 100 Companies in North America.  Red Herring’s Top 100 recognizes the leading and most promising private companies from around the world. Among the over 20 criteria used to analyze companies for the award, Evolve IP was noted for its financial performance, technological innovation, customer footprint, the DNA of its founders and addressable market.

Red Herring selects the award winners for North America from approximately 1,200 privately financed companies each year in the US and Canada. Since 1996, Red Herring has kept tabs on these organizations and its editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube, Palo Alto Networks and eBay would change the way we live and work.

Entrepreneur

Evolve IP has been recognized as one of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” in Entrepreneur magazine’s Entrepreneur360™ Performance Index, a study involving a comprehensive analysis of private companies in America. Based on this study forged by Entrepreneur, Evolve IP is recognized as a company that exemplifies growth, not just in top and bottom line, but in sustainability and the ability to achieve lasting success.

According to Entrepreneur, after evaluating approximately 10,000 U.S. based firms, the team of editors and researchers behind the E360 Performance Index collected more than 250 pieces of data from the finalists, focusing on growth drivers and challenges, goal setting, resource allocations, and reward systems. The analysis uncovered a class of leading companies, including Evolve IP, whose continued success is largely based on superior value creation for their customers, building an adaptive learning culture, and aggressive geographic expansion—placing them amongst the most dynamic firms in America today.

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