IT security fundamentals and practical advice for Canadian businesses. Covers firewalls, endpoint protection, identity management, and compliance.
Synology makes some of the most popular NAS devices for small businesses, and their operating system, DSM (DiskStation Manager), is a large part of why. It’s a full-featured, browser-based platform that makes complex storage tasks approachable without sacrificing capability. This is the first in a series of posts covering DSM in practical depth. Before You […]
Synology DSM Walkthrough (Part 1): Getting Started Read More »
When you connect a NAS or storage server to your network, you need a protocol to make that storage accessible to other devices. The three you’ll encounter most often are SMB, NFS, and iSCSI. They solve different problems and suit different environments. Choosing the right one depends on what you’re connecting, and what you need
iSCSI vs SMB vs NFS: Choosing the Right Storage Protocol Read More »
Every business has one. A piece of software that’s critical to operations, hasn’t been updated in years, and absolutely will not run on anything newer than Windows 7. Maybe it controls a piece of manufacturing equipment. Maybe it’s a custom database built for a client that no longer exists. Maybe it’s an accounting package that
Windows XP Mode: Running Legacy Software on Modern Hardware Read More »
If someone can send an email that appears to come from your domain, they can impersonate your business to your customers, suppliers, and staff. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are three DNS-based standards that prevent this. They also improve the deliverability of your legitimate email, reducing the chance that your messages end up in spam folders.
Email Security Explained: SPF, DKIM and DMARC in Plain English Read More »
Getting a printer working for one computer is straightforward. Getting it working reliably for an entire office, across Windows and Mac devices, with sensible defaults and minimal IT involvement, is a different task. Here’s how to approach it properly. Step 1: Connect the Printer to the Network For an office printer, a wired ethernet connection
Network Printer Setup: Getting Everyone Printing Without the Chaos Read More »
Most home owners and small businesses use whatever firewall came built into their router, a consumer-grade device with limited configurability and basic security features. pfSense and OPNsense are a different category of product entirely: fully featured, enterprise-grade firewall platforms that run on commodity hardware and cost nothing in software licensing. What They Are Both pfSense
pfSense and OPNsense: Open Source Firewalls for Serious Users Read More »
Passwords alone no longer provide adequate protection for business accounts. Data breaches expose hundreds of millions of credentials every year. Phishing attacks harvest them directly. Password reuse means one compromised account becomes many. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) addresses all of these problems at once, and enabling it is one of the highest-impact security actions available to
What is MFA and Why You Needs It Today Read More »
VPN gets used as a catch-all term for very different things. A consumer VPN service that hides your browsing from your ISP is a very different product from the business VPN that lets your staff securely connect to your office network from home. Understanding the distinction, and knowing which type your business actually needs, helps
VPNs: Site-to-Site vs Remote Access Read More »
If you’re setting up or consolidating your business productivity platform, the choice almost always comes down to two options: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Both are mature, capable platforms used by millions of businesses. The right choice depends on your team’s existing habits, your software requirements, and how you work. This isn’t a feature-by-feature comparison
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: A Practical Guide Read More »
Phishing is responsible for the majority of ransomware infections, business email compromise, and credential theft affecting small businesses. It works not because people are careless, but because modern phishing attacks are well-crafted and difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications. The good news is that recognition can be taught. Staff who know what to look for
Phishing Attacks: How to Spot Them and Train Your Staff Read More »