Kevin Williams

All posts by Kevin Williams

Kevin Williams is a journalist based in Ohio. Williams has written for a variety of publications including the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic and others. He first wrote about the online world in its nascent stages for the now defunct “Online Access” Magazine in the mid-90s.

Your local restaurant might be an IoT hotspot

Your local restaurant might be an IoT hotspot

What telecommuter hasn’t used McDonalds or Starbucks as an office away from the office? I know I’ve spent plenty of hours under those famous golden arches while on the road. The unsecured guest Wi-Fi flows as smoothly as the coffee,...

/ March 20, 2019
The rise of malspam

The rise of malspam

If you are like me, you are probably finding it hard to believe that the first quarter of 2019 is almost over. It seems like a good time to stop and take a breath and look at what some of this...

/ March 13, 2019 / 1 Comment
Patching won’t solve all your security problems

Patching won’t solve all your security problems

I feel like I’m constantly receiving emails warning me about a program’s security vulnerability, saying how I need to download a patch. With all these alerts, I often grow exasperated about the number of security patches that I’m supposed to apply...

/ March 7, 2019
A holistic approach to cybersecurity is needed

A holistic approach to cybersecurity is needed

I recently wrote a security column about sandboxing and, to my tech eye, the technology seems to solve many issues. Sandboxing teases out a potential malware threat before it even becomes a problem. Plus, it’s scalable. There is off-the-shelf sandbox...

/ February 27, 2019
Have businesses learned their lesson from the Target breach?

Have businesses learned their lesson from the Target breach?

This month marks five years since Target announced the data breach that exposed 70 million customers’ credit card numbers and banking information.

/ February 20, 2019
Ask an MSP Expert: Is 24/7 monitoring necessary for MSPs?

Ask an MSP Expert: Is 24/7 monitoring necessary for MSPs?

Q: I’m the President of a small MSP in Wisconsin and I’m proud of our customer-service and problem-solving skills. However, my last tech goes home for the night at 11 p.m. and if a customer’s servers crash after that point,...

/ February 18, 2019 / 1 Comment
Can sandboxing protect your client’s business?

Can sandboxing protect your client’s business?

When one thinks of a sandbox, what comes to mind are idyllic images of kids playing with buckets, shovels, and miniature-bulldozers on a pleasant summer day. A solid sandbox is a way to contain the kids to a safe area,...

/ February 13, 2019
Is two-factor authentication enough? Not without education, experts say

Is two-factor authentication enough? Not without education, experts say

For what seems like a decade or more, two-factor authentication has been the gold standard of cybersecurity. We’re all used to it by now, and it’s one of the most used tools. You don’t build a robust defense without two-factor...

/ February 6, 2019
Three system weaknesses MSPs should be watching out for

Three system weaknesses MSPs should be watching out for

In the pre-internet age, a virus was something that required a tissue and aspirin, phishing meant you followed around a grunge band, and patching’s tech definition was limited to putting through a phone call. Fast-forward to today, where viruses spread...

/ January 30, 2019
The case for micro-segmentation

The case for micro-segmentation

A recent report by BCC Research shows that the MSP market in the United States will grow from $62.0 billion in 2017 to $94.5 billion in 2021. While banking, insurance, and financial industries continue to dominate an MSP’s clientele, the...

/ January 23, 2019