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Weekly tech tips
You know that sick feeling you get when your computer crashes?
Hours of work swirl down the drain. All because you forgot to hit “Save”.
Well, Microsoft’s got an update that means that will never happen again…
A Solution To Suit Every Business
Your business really is unique and the world of IT is vast (and ever growing). We partner with the best of the best technology partners allowing us to design solutions that truly work for you.
Proactive, Personal, Professional
At Atema IT Solutions we don’t just sit back waiting for the phone to ring. As part of all our support packages, we constantly monitor and maintain your IT infrastructure; just like we were there with you.
We take the time to get to know you and your business. Gaining a deep understanding of your business means we can not only offer you the most appropriate solutions for your business but also one that grows with you as your business scales.
We pride ourselves on providing each Client with a high quality professional service and ensure that we give the best value we can.
Whether it’s a long term support contract or a one off project, our number one goal is to give the highest quality of service so you feel delighted with the outcome.
Windows 11: You’ve made the switch, now make the most of it
Upgraded to Windows 11? Smart move.
Windows 11 is faster, cleaner, and built to help your business thrive. Oh, and security? That’s running quietly in the background, keeping you safe.
But where do you start with it all?
Here’s what’s changed. And how to help your team get the most from it…
Just wanted to pass on some unprompted feedback received.
Everyone was VERY impressed with how swiftly you flagged the issue with us, checked out what, if anything you could do, and as soon as it was your turn to step in and make sure we were working OK, it was turned around in circa 10 minutes.
Everyone was VERY impressed, so I wanted to say ‘thank you’.
Our previous providers would have still been discussing it at 5pm (on Saturday!!) 🤣🤣🤣
But seriously, you guys have been majorly impressive. Thank you SOOO much.
Tracey Heath
Optimum Professional Services
The latest from our blog
Your business runs on a SaaS (software-as-a-service) application stack, and you learn about a new SaaS tool that promises to boost productivity and streamline one of your most tedious processes. The temptation is to sign up for the service, click “install,” and figure out the rest later. This approach sounds convenient, but it also exposes you to significant risk. Each new integration acts as a bridge between different systems, or between your data and third-party systems. This bridging raises data security and privacy concerns, meaning you need to learn how to vet new SaaS integrations with the seriousness they require. Protecting Your Business from Third-Party Risk A weak link can lead to compliance failures or, even worse, catastrophic data breaches. Adopting a rigorous, repeatable vetting process transforms potential liability into secure guarantees. If you’re not convinced, just look at the T-Mobile data breach of 2023 . While the initial vector was a zero-day vulnerability in their environment, a key challenge in the fallout was the sheer number of third-party vendors and systems T-Mobile relied upon. In highly interconnected systems, a vulnerability in one area can be exploited to gain access to other systems, including those managed by third parties. The incident highlighted how a sprawling digital ecosystem multiplies the attack surface. By contrast, a structured vetting process, which maps the tool’s data flow, enforces the principle of least privilege , and ensures vendors provide a SOC 2 Type II report, drastically minimises this attack surface. A proactive vetting strategy ensures you are not just securing your systems, but you are also fulfilling your legal and regulatory obligations, thereby safeguarding your company’s reputation and financial health. 5 Steps for Vetting Your SaaS Integrations To prevent these weak links, let’s look at some smart and systematic SaaS vendor/product evaluation processes that protect your business from third-party risk. 1. Scrutinise the SaaS Vendor’s Security Posture After being enticed by the SaaS product features, it is important to investigate the people behind the service. A nice interface means nothing without having a solid security foundation. Your first steps should be examining the vendor’s certifications and, in particular, asking them about the SOC 2 Type II report . This is an independent audit report that verifies the effectiveness of a retail SaaS vendor’s controls over the confidentiality, integrity, availability, security, and privacy of their systems. Additionally, do a background check on the founders, the vendor’s breach history, how long they have been around, and their transparency policies. A reputable company will be open about its security practices and will also reveal how it handles vulnerability or breach disclosures. This initial background check is the most important step in your vetting since it separates serious vendors from risky ones. 2. Chart the Tool’s Data Access and Flow You need to understand exactly what data the SaaS integration will touch, and you can achieve this by asking a simple, direct question: What access permissions does this app require? Be wary of any tool that requests global “read and write” access to your entire environment. Use the principle of least privilege: grant applications only the access necessary to complete their tasks, and nothing more. Have your IT team chart the information flow in a diagram to track where your data goes, where it is stored, and how it is transmitted. You must know its journey from start to finish. A reputable vendor will encrypt data both at rest and in transit and provide transparency on where your data is stored, including the geographical location. This exercise in third-party risk management reveals the full scope of the SaaS integration’s reach into your systems. 3. Examine Their Compliance and Legal Agreements If your company must comply with regulations such as GDPR , then your vendors must also be compliant. Carefully review their terms of service and privacy policies for language that specifies their role as a data processor versus a data controller, and confirm that they will sign a Data Processing Addendum (DPA) if required. Pay particular attention to where your vendor stores your data at rest, i.e., the location of their data centres, since your data may be subject to data sovereignty regulations that you are unaware of. Ensure that your vendor does not store your data in countries or regions with lax privacy laws. While reviewing legal fine print may seem tedious, it is critical, as it determines liability and responsibility if something goes wrong. 4. Analyse the SaaS Integration’s Authentication Techniques How the service connects with your system is also a key factor. Choose integrations that use modern and secure authentication protocols such as OAuth 2.0 , which allow services to connect without directly sharing usernames and passwords. The provider should also offer administrator dashboards that enable IT teams to grant or revoke access instantly. Avoid services that require you to share login credentials, and instead prioritise strong, standards-based authentication. 5. Plan for the End of the Partnership Every technology integration follows a lifecycle and will eventually be deprecated, upgraded, or replaced. Before installing, know how to uninstall it cleanly by asking questions such as: What is the data export process after the contract ends? Will the data be available in a standard format for future use? How does the vendor ensure permanent deletion of all your information from their servers? A responsible vendor will have clear, well-documented offboarding procedures. This forward-thinking strategy prevents data orphanage, ensuring you retain control over your data long after the partnership ends. Planning for the exit demonstrates strategic IT management and a mature vendor assessment process. Build a Fortified Digital Ecosystem Modern businesses run on complex systems comprising webs of interconnected services where data moves from in-house systems, through the Internet, and into third-party systems and servers for processing, and vice versa. Since you cannot operate in isolation, vetting is essential to avoid connecting blindly. Your best bet for safe integration and minimising the attack surface is to develop a rigorous, repeatable process for vetting SaaS integrations. The five tips above provide a solid baseline, transforming potential liability into secure guarantees. Protect your business and gain confidence in every SaaS integration, contact us today to secure your technology stack.
Even the most powerful IT hardware today will eventually become outdated or faulty and will need to be retired. However, these retired servers, laptops, and storage devices hold a secret: they contain highly sensitive data. Simply throwing them in the recycling bin or donating them without preparation is a compliance disaster and an open invitation for data breaches. This process is called IT Asset Disposition (ITAD). Simply put, ITAD is the secure, ethical, and fully documented way to retire your IT hardware. Below are five practical strategies to help you integrate ITAD into your technology lifecycle and protect your business. 1. Develop a Formal ITAD Policy You can’t protect what you don’t plan for. Start with a straightforward ITAD policy that clearly outlines the steps and responsibilities, no need for pages of technical jargon. At a minimum, it should cover: The process for retiring company-owned IT assets. Who does what; who initiates, approves, and handles each device. Standards for data destruction and final reporting. A clear policy keeps every ITAD process consistent and accountable through a defined chain of custody. It turns what could be a one-off task into a structured, secure routine, helping your business maintain a strong security posture all the way to the end of the technology lifecycle. 2. Integrate ITAD Into Your Employee Offboarding Process Many data leaks stem from unreturned company devices. When an employee leaves, it’s critical to recover every piece of issued equipment, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and storage drives included. Embedding ITAD into your offboarding checklist ensures this step is never overlooked. With this process in place, your IT team is automatically notified as soon as an employee resigns or is terminated, allowing you to protect company data before it leaves your organisation. Once a device is collected, it should be securely wiped using approved data sanitisation methods before being reassigned or retired. Devices that are still in good condition can be reissued to another employee, while outdated hardware should enter your ITAD process for proper disposal. This disciplined approach eliminates a common security gap and ensures sensitive company data never leaves your control. 3. Maintain a Strict Chain of Custody Every device follows a journey once it leaves an employee’s hands, but can you trace every step of that journey? To maintain full accountability, implement a clear chain of custody that records exactly who handled each asset and where it was stored at every stage. This eliminates blind spots where devices could be misplaced, tampered with, or lost. Your chain of custody can be as simple as a paper log or as advanced as a digital asset tracking system. Whichever method you choose, it should at minimum document key details such as dates, asset handlers, status updates, and storage locations. Maintaining this record not only secures your ITAD process but also creates a verifiable audit trail that demonstrates compliance and due diligence. 4. Prioritise Data Sanitisation Over Physical Destruction Many people think physical destruction, like shredding hard drives, is the only fool proof way to destroy data. In reality, that approach is often unnecessary for small businesses and can be damaging to the environment. A better option is data sanitisation, which uses specialised software to overwrite storage drives with random data, making the original information completely unrecoverable. This method not only protects your data but also allows devices and components to be safely refurbished and reused. Reusing and refurbishing your IT assets extends their lifespan and supports the principles of a circular economy, where products and materials stay in use for as long as possible to reduce waste and preserve natural resources. With this approach, you’re not just disposing of equipment securely; you’re also shrinking your environmental footprint and potentially earning extra revenue from refurbished hardware. 5. Partner With a Certified ITAD Provider Many small businesses don’t have the specialised tools or software required for secure data destruction and sanitisation. That’s why partnering with a certified ITAD provider is often the smartest move. When evaluating potential partners, look for verifiable credentials and industry certifications that demonstrate their expertise and commitment to compliance. Some of the common globally accepted certifications to look for in ITAD vendors include e-Stewards and the R2v3 Standard for electronics reuse and recycling, and NAID AAA for data destruction processes. These certifications confirm that the vendor adheres to strict environmental, security, and data destruction standards, while taking on full liability for your retired assets. After the ITAD process is complete, the provider should issue a certificate of disposal, whether for recycling, destruction, or reuse, which you can keep on file to demonstrate compliance during audits. Turn Old Tech into a Security Advantage Your retired IT assets aren’t just clutter; they’re a hidden liability until you manage their disposal properly. A structured IT Asset Disposition program turns that risk into proof of your company’s integrity and commitment to data security, sustainability, and compliance. Take the first step toward secure, responsible IT asset management, contact us today.
Managing contractor logins can be a real headache. You need to grant access quickly so work can begin, but that often means sharing passwords or creating accounts that never get deleted. It’s the classic trade-off between security and convenience, and security usually loses. What if you could change that? Imagine granting access with precision and having it revoked automatically, all while making your job easier. You can, and it doesn’t take a week to set up. We’ll show you how to use Entra Conditional Access to create a self-cleaning system for contractor access in roughly sixty minutes. It’s about working smarter, not harder, and finally closing that security gap for good. The Financial and Compliance Case for Automated Revocation Implementing automated access revocation for contractors is not just about better security; it's a critical component of financial risk management and regulatory compliance. The biggest risk in contractor management is relying on human memory to manually delete accounts and revoke permissions after a project ends. Forgotten accounts with lingering access, often referred to as “dormant” or “ghost” accounts, are a prime target for cyber-attackers. If an attacker compromises a dormant account, they can operate inside your network without detection, as no one is monitoring an "inactive" user. For example, many security reports cite the Target data breach in 2013 as a stark illustration. Attackers gained initial entry into Target's network by compromising the credentials of a third-party HVAC contractor that had legitimate, yet overly permissive, access to the network for billing purposes. If Target had enforced the principle of least privilege, limiting the vendor's access only to the necessary billing system, the lateral movement that compromised millions of customer records could have been contained or prevented entirely. By leveraging Microsoft Entra Conditional Access to set a sign-in frequency and instantly revoke access when a contractor is removed from the security group, you eliminate the chance of lingering permissions. This automation ensures that you are consistently applying the principle of least privilege, significantly reducing your attack surface and demonstrating due diligence for auditors under regulations like GDPR or HIPAA. It turns a high-risk, manual task into a reliable, self-managing system. Set Up a Security Group for Contractors The first step to taming the chaos is organisation. Applying rules individually is a recipe for forgotten accounts and a major security risk. Instead, go to your Microsoft Entra admin center (formerly Azure AD admin center) and create a new security group with a clear, descriptive name, something like 'External-Contractors' or 'Temporary-Access'. This group becomes your central control point. Add each new contractor to it when they start, and remove them when their project ends. This single step lays the foundation for clean, scalable management in Entra. Build Your Set-and-Forget Expiration Policy Next, set up the policy that automatically handles access revocation for you. Conditional Access does the heavy lifting so you don’t have to. In the Entra portal, create a new Conditional Access policy and assign it to your “External-Contractors” group. Then, define the conditions that determine how and when access is granted or removed. In the “Grant” section, enforce Multi-Factor Authentication to add an essential layer of security. Next, under “Session,” locate the “Sign-in frequency” setting and set it to 90 days, or whatever duration matches your contracts. This not only prompts regular logins but ensures that once a contractor is removed from the group, they can no longer re-authenticate, automatically locking the door behind them. Lock Down Access to Just the Tools They Need Think about what a contractor actually does. A freelance writer needs access to your content management system, but probably not your financial software. A web developer needs to reach staging servers, but has no business in your HR platform. Your next policy ensures they only get the keys to the rooms they need. Next, create a second Conditional Access policy for your contractor group. Under “Cloud apps,” select only the applications they are permitted to use, such as Slack, Teams, Microsoft Office, or a specific SharePoint site. Then, set the control to “Block” for all other apps. Think of this as building a custom firewall around each user. It’s a powerful way to reduce risk, applying the principle of least privilege: give users access only to the tools and permissions they need to do their job, and nothing more. Add an Extra Layer of Security with Strong Authentication For an even more robust setup, you can layer in device and authentication requirements. You are not going to manage a contractor’s personal laptop, and that is okay. However, it is your business and systems they will be using, and this means that you get to control how they prove their identity. The goal is to make it very difficult for an attacker to misuse their credentials. You can configure a policy that requires a compliant device, then use the “OR” function to allow access if the user signs in with a phishing-resistant method, such as the Microsoft Authenticator app. This encourages contractors to adopt your strongest authentication method without creating friction, while fully leveraging the security capabilities of Microsoft Entra. Watch the System Work for You Automatically The greatest benefit is that once configured, contractor access becomes largely automatic. When a new contractor joins the security group, they instantly receive the access you’ve defined, complete with all security controls. When their project ends and you remove them from the group, access is revoked immediately and completely, including any active sessions, eliminating any chance of lingering permissions. This automation removes the biggest risk, relying on someone to remember to act. It turns a high-risk, manual task into a reliable, self-managing system, eliminating concerns about forgotten accounts and their security risks, so you can focus on the business work that really matters. Take Back Control of Your Cloud Security Managing contractor access doesn’t have to be stressful. With a little upfront setup in Conditional Access policies, you can create a system that’s both highly secure and effortlessly automatic. Grant precise access for a defined period, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing access is revoked automatically. It’s a win for security, productivity, and your peace of mind. Take control of contractor access today, contact us to build your own set-and-forget access system.
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