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.

cyber insurance
Ask an MSP Expert: Why does my MSP need a Cyber Liability Insurance policy?

Ask an MSP Expert: Why does my MSP need a Cyber Liability Insurance policy?

Q: My MSP business is growing, and I’m concerned about staying properly insured. I carry the required insurance on our service vans, and I have a general liability policy that a long-time family friend who is also an insurance salesman...

/ July 2, 2018 / 3 Comments
account takeover attacks
How MSPs can help combat account takeover attacks

How MSPs can help combat account takeover attacks

Life on the road often requires WiFi-friendly stops at diners and coffee shops. I was on the road recently and ducked into a diner to have some free WiFi with my fries. I was pleased to see the WiFi was...

/ June 26, 2018
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence: It’s not just for the bad guys

Artificial intelligence: It’s not just for the bad guys

With warnings coming fast and furious from tech luminaries as diverse as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and the late Stephen Hawking, to name a few, most of us are conditioned to think of the potential dangers of artificial intelligence in...

/ June 20, 2018
MSP finances
Ask an MSP Expert: How can I get better control of my MSP finances?

Ask an MSP Expert: How can I get better control of my MSP finances?

Q:   I’m great at the technical side of the MSP business, and people seem to like our work. In fact, we’ve never been busier. But somehow that’s not showing up in my bottom line. I know that as the owner,...

/ June 18, 2018
polymorphic malware
Threat Spotlight: Advanced polymorphic malware

Threat Spotlight: Advanced polymorphic malware

Imagine having a key that changes shape to fit any lock you might encounter. That’s pretty much what malware creators have at their disposal with advanced polymorphic malware, and it’s a real headache for MSPs tasked with stopping it or,...

/ June 13, 2018 / 2 Comments
VPNFilter
VPNFilter malware highlights router vulnerabilities

VPNFilter malware highlights router vulnerabilities

MSPs are in a good position to weather one of the most recent security threats to rear its head —VPNFilter. But, the recent hack provides a good reminder to pay attention to an unglamorous, often overlooked part of the IT...

/ June 6, 2018
MSPs and the law
MSPs and the law: What you need to know

MSPs and the law: What you need to know

Security breaches at large retailers, banks, and Equifax have grabbed the lion’s share of headlines recently. Meanwhile, the idyllic image of a small-town Main Street attorney working out of a plate-glass window front office with a shingle hanging outside has...

/ May 29, 2018
cyber threats on the prairie
Little MSP on the Prairie: Cyber threats lurk in the heartland

Little MSP on the Prairie: Cyber threats lurk in the heartland

The Great Plains have romanced explorers and broken the hearts of homesteaders for generations. For the Conestoga wagons traversing the Oregon Trail, the Great Plains were a necessary misery to endure as they headed toward the riches of the west,...

/ May 23, 2018
ATM security
ATM security threats: Jackpotting and beyond

ATM security threats: Jackpotting and beyond

It’s easy to forget ATMs have been around so long. When ATM machines began showing up in my Ohio hometown sometime in the late 1970s, my grandmother found the technology incomprehensible. “Isn’t it nice that the banks give you money?”...

/ May 15, 2018
school IT security
MSPs have to outsmart wily students

MSPs have to outsmart wily students

There was a time when a teacher using an overhead projector was considered high-tech, but now smartboards, student tablets, smartphones, laptops, and campus-wide networks have turned schools into hubs of connectivity that are often too much for an in-house staff...

/ May 9, 2018