We ’ re In It Together
Take Network Configuration Seriously
Beyond Tech
BRIGHT CLIENT
JESS HOWARD ELECTRIC COMPANY
By Abbey Kanellakis , content development specialist , abbey . kanellakis @ reacpa . com ( Dublin office )
When Jesse E . Howard founded Jess Howard Electric Company in 1945 , he couldn ’ t foresee the threats his business would come face-to-face with . What started as a modest appliance retail and repair shop has grown to become one of the region ’ s leading electrical contracting firms ; growth that has come with its share of challenges .
In 2016 , about half of all businesses reported they had suffered at least one ransomware attack over the last year . And almost 40 percent of those businesses had to pay a ransom to recover their data . Fortunately , today ’ s leadership team at Jess Howard has the foresight needed to stay one step ahead of the bad guys .
Today , the Jess Howard Electric Company has beat ransomware – an unheard of statistic particularly among small , familyowned businesses .
But Jess Howard Electric Company ’ s approach to IT and data security is anything but ordinary .
We ’ re In It Together
“ No matter how much you spend on the best hardware , software and security devices , you will never be worry-free ,” explained Scott Stottlemire , an independent senior network / IT engineer and software engineer for Jess Howard Electric . “ The best thing you can do is to prepare for the worst . You don ’ t want the first time you have a problem to be the first time you have ever restored your data . You have to put your infrastructure in place and you have to test your procedures .”
Jonathan Howard , president and CEO of Jess Howard Electric , has taken an active role in the company ’ s IT and data security effort – a stance not normally taken by other CEOs .
“ If something goes wrong , if your network is breached , it can cost millions to recover .
Money you don ’ t have . Your data is your business . If you lose control over that , you have nothing ,” said Jonathan .
Jonathan ’ s relationship with Scott has been essential to protecting his company ’ s data as it has empowered Scott to make security recommendations and identify solutions to many of the company ’ s IT-related challenges . The results speak for themselves .
Take Network Configuration Seriously
Among other precautions , Jess Howard Electric utilizes three physical servers that enable the company to ensure up-to-date backups at all times . Removable hard drive media data backups are also copied nightly and taken offsite . Additionally , the company runs its own external Domain Name Servers , giving Jess Howard Electric control over which IP addresses are approved for internet access .
Separate from the company ’ s network configuration , which limits user access to the company ’ s entire network while providing a fail-safe in the event an attack does occur , the company takes steps to protect the network from viruses and ransomware . In fact , Jess Howard Electric ’ s commitment to online protection includes a hardware appliance for virus and malware protection related to all inbound and outbound email and attachments . They also use client applications to prevent attacks on the team ’ s PCs .
“ We are implementing a messaging gateway solution that will disassemble all emails and disarm and remove any malicious scripts or attachments , reassemble the email with the threat removed and then deliver the email as intended with a user notification indicating that an attachment or malicious items were removed from the email ,” said Scott . “ This will help optimize real-time protection against cyber threats , which will also maximize our uptime .”
Beyond Tech
The hardware and software solutions implemented by Jess Howard Electric demonstrate the company ’ s commitment to data security . But the most important investment the company has made has been in the continued education of its 120 + employees .
“ We recognized long ago that you can ’ t solve a user or management problem with technology . After all , your systems aren ’ t going to infect themselves ,” Scott said . “ Your team , your users , are your first line of defense and educating the end-user is just as critical as all the other planning we ’ ve done .”
To learn more about Jess Howard Electric Company , visit www . jesshoward . com .
You can check out the entire Jess Howard Electric Company case study at www . reacpa . com / jess-howard-case-study , “ How To Survive A Ransomware Attack ,” to learn what else the company is doing to protect itself from cyberattacks .
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