Claude Teams gives a small business a shared, secure AI workspace, but the tool is only half the job. The other half is governance: a written AI Acceptable Use Policy, clear rules for what data can and cannot go into the tool, and guardrails that match the business's compliance obligations. Done right, it turns multi-hour weekly tasks into minutes without creating a data-leak or compliance problem.

HIPAA compliance for law firms The Assumption That Puts Law Firms at Risk A law firm reached out to me because they were dealing with an email spoofing problem. Unauthorized parties were sending messages that looked like they came from the firm's own domain. Clients were receiving fake emails. The firm had no idea how long it had been happening. When I got into their environment, the email issue was just the beginning. All company files lived on one staff member's computer. E

Many small businesses assume Microsoft 365 is already secure. They have email. They have logins. They have access. So it must be handled. But once you start looking under the hood, that is usually not the case. Microsoft 365 is a powerful platform, but it is not secure or compliant by default. It has to be configured correctly, and what you can configure depends heavily on your licensing. This is a common issue I see with Microsoft 365 security for small business environments

Microsoft 365 security for small business showing default settings are not secure or compliant It Started With One Compromised Email A defense contractor reached out to me after one of his email accounts got compromised. At first, it sounded simple. Reset the password. Secure the account. Move on. It was not simple. Five hours later, after multiple calls with his email provider's support line, the issue was resolved. The bill for that single incident came out to over one thou

The Email Spoofing Incident That Triggered a Security Overhaul Quick Answer A small law firm in Northern Virginia thought their email was secure because they had Microsoft 365, two-factor authentication, and an SPF record. It was not. Their domain was being spoofed and clients were receiving fake messages that looked like they came from the firm. The fix was not buying new tools. It was turning on the ones they already had. Microsoft 365 email security for law firms requires

A bold digital graphic with a blue background and network-themed design featuring the SNL Tech Services logo and reading “Small Businesses Should Move Away from SSL VPN” to emphasize modern cybersecurity awareness. If your business is still using SSL VPN for remote or field access, it might be time to take a closer look at your setup. While SSL VPN once made remote work easier, it is no longer the safest or most reliable choice. Cybersecurity threats have evolved, and small b

Most small businesses using Microsoft 365 do not realize their accounts are open to the world by default. In this post, I share a real-world example of how I helped a client recover from an email breach, then took their security further with country-based restrictions, passkeys, and Microsoft Defender for Business. Learn how to protect your accounts and keep your data safe.

A Password Should Not Be the Reason Your Business Gets Hacked A few weeks ago, I got a call from a small business owner. It had been a long day for them. Their clients were receiving strange file-sharing links from what appeared to be company email addresses. These looked like Dropbox or OneDrive files, but something was off. As it turned out, those emails were not legitimate. Someone had broken into one of their employee’s Microsoft 365 accounts. And yes, the business had al

We all like to believe it will not happen to us. Your business is small. Your team is careful. You are not guarding national secrets. However, the truth is that small businesses are often targeted more frequently than large enterprises. Why? Because attackers count on you not having strong protections in place. Over the years, I have helped small business owners identify threats they were unaware of. Emails were being sent from their accounts. Their systems slowed down. C

How Smart IT Can Help Lower the Cost A few weeks ago, I received a letter in the mail from a major hospital. It explained that they had experienced a data breach. Patient records had been compromised. My information might have been part of it. They were offering a free year of credit monitoring. They assured me they were working with a third-party cybersecurity firm to strengthen their protocols and prevent future incidents. This is a large hospital with an entire IT departme

We can all agree on one thing. Passwords are kind of the worst. You forget them. You reset them. You try to remember if the letter "S" was a dollar sign or just capitalized. Sometimes you just give up and hit "Forgot Password" like it is part of your daily routine. If that sounds familiar, you are definitely not alone. But there is a better way. It is called a passkey, and it is changing how people and businesses stay secure online. And the best part? It is much easier than y

Apple Users: Your Security Depends on This Update Apple has just issued an urgent security advisory that affects nearly every device in their ecosystem. This includes iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and even the new Apple Vision Pro. The reason for this alert is the discovery of three critical zero-day vulnerabilities. Zero-day vulnerabilities are flaws that have already been discovered and exploited by attackers before a fix becomes available. That means thes