855-455-5035 www.azcomp.com
JULY 2019
Empowering Small Practices to Deliver the Best Care
If you live in an area that experiences heavy rains or hurricanes, you get flood insurance. It’s just that simple. When a threat to our safety and security is more than a one-in-a-million shot, it’s smart to play defense against that threat. And yet, despite the self-evidence of this idea, too many business owners don’t do enough to defend against cybercrime, a threat every company faces in 2019. You need to ask yourself if your business is living in an uninsured home, as it were, before it’s too late. According to Roger A. Grimes, 11-year principal security architect for Microsoft and cybersecurity columnist and speaker, “Eventually, every company is hacked.” It’s easy to convince yourself that your company is immune to a breach. Maybe you tell yourself you’re too small to draw the attention of cybercriminals, but that preconception is mistaken. Hackers target any business they think they can victimize. Small businesses lacking the security resources of major corporations make easy targets for a quick buck. There is no size or industry that precludes a business from being attacked. If you’re open for business, you’re a target. As scary as it sounds, you have to approach IT security as though you will face a hacker at some point down the road. The stakes really are that high. By taking an ignorance-is-bliss approach, you’re leaving the livelihoods of your business and your team members vulnerable to the whims of nefarious criminals the world over. So, there’s no question as to whether or not you need security measures; it’s a matter of which measures. “The two most likely reasons you will get exploited are due to unpatched software or a social engineering event where someone is tricked into installing something they shouldn’t,” Grimes notes. “It would be a stretch to claim every other exploit type in the world, added together, would account for 1% of the risk.” PROTECT YOURSELF AND TRAIN YOUR TEAM How to Combat Security Threats Before They Cripple Your Business
Patching your software is easy and keeps your defenses up to date. Updates contain security measures that protect you against the latest tactics used by hackers. Without them, you make yourself an alluring prospect for a breach attempt. You can set your software to update automatically or carve out a specific time each week to install all available updates. However you go about it, you must update regularly. Training your staff to not fall prey to social engineering requires educating them on the ways they can be duped. Nobody on your team should be unaware of phishing emails or any other disguised attempt to get them to click on a malicious link. Training should be an ongoing concern because breach methods evolve all the time. You need to work on creating ironclad policies for safe internet behavior. Once those policies are in place, you need to ensure every employee sticks to them. A great way to train your team is to set up a test with a dummy phishing attempt. If anyone falls for it, it’s time for some reeducation. Finally, you have to work with a company that’s invested in protecting your network 24/7. Those cheap companies that only show up when something’s wrong don’t make any money keeping your business immune to threats. They don’t know the ins and outs of your network and can’t act quickly in the event the worst does happen. You deserve to work with a partner who will do everything they can to prevent attacks in the first place. Though we haven’t yet figured out a way to stop floods from occurring, we do know how to deter hackers from bringing your business to its knees. The question is, are you doing enough? –Byron Adams
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855-455-5035 AZCOMP Technologies www.azcomp.com • 1
STAYING SIGNED IN Most hackers aren’t going to be able to force their way into your account by trying a nearly infinite combination of passwords. But if you fail to log out of your accounts, they won’t have to. When using public machines, it’s essential that your final step is signing out of every account you’ve logged into. You can adjust the settings within different services to automatically sign you out when you close a window. You can also create alerts to be sent to you whenever a new device uses an account of yours. These are great ways to monitor if anyone has been sneaking into your Facebook or Amazon accounts. FAILURE TO UPDATE Yes, updates can feel like a constant and arbitrary nuisance, but they’re as much about new features you don’t see as they are about the ones you do. Updates come with fresh security patches that protect you from hackers’ latest tactics. Without the latest version of a program, you are basically wearing a digital sign that says, “hack me.” NEVER BACKING UP FILES It is so easy to create either cloud-based or terrestrial backups of your most important files. You may never need them, but, in the event you do, you’ll be thanking your lucky stars you put forth the minimal effort to create them. 4 KILLER SECURITY MISTAKES You May Not Know You’re Making MEDISOFT, LYTEC, AND NEXTGEN OFFICE SUPPORT PLANS FOR HOSTING, BACKUP, AND MORE Need Support? Call 480-497-7480 if you have a support contract. Don’t Have Support? Plans start at just $99/month. Call us at 855-455-5035 to get started with support, training, electronic claims, electronic health records (EHR), hosting, backup, and more. We have so many tools and services to help your practice become more efficient, keep its network protected, and remain a thriving independent practice. We want to help your practice perform at the highest possible level by providing services that help you get the most out of your software. Be sure to check our website often at Azcomp.com/events to learn about upcoming trainings and other events we host. DON’T FORGET TO UPGRADE YOUR SOFTWARE!
Many security breaches are not the result of technology failing. Instead, they are caused by something that has been around for a lot longer than social media, the internet, or computers: human error. Even if you do your best to train your teams about avoiding dangerous behavior on a work network, you may not be so scrupulous when it comes to your personal accounts. Here are a few common security mistakes almost everyone has made at some point or another. AN UNPROTECTED WEBCAM When Facebook celebrated 500 million users in 2016, Mark Zuckerberg posted a picture of himself at his desk to celebrate. Many keen observers noticed that Zuckerberg favors a strategically placed piece of a Post-it note to cover his laptop’s webcam. You can opt for this decidedly low-tech approach as well or download an app like OverSight or Who Stalks My Cam. A hacked camera can be used to watch you 24/7, so playing defense in some form is a very good idea.
SPOTLIGHT ON EMMANUEL GARZON
Emmanuel Garzon is the newest member of the AZCOMP team. He started a little over three months ago and is quickly becoming an ace in our technical support department. With over a decade of experience doing EMR support for Kaiser, Emmanuel has the skills to work anywhere. “What drew me to AZCOMP,” he says, “is the culture of the company. I read the job description, and I knew I wanted to work here.”
Since day one, Emmanuel’s been off to a flying start. He credits his ability to acclimate so quickly to his fellow team members. “You’re not just thrown in there without a paddle,” he says. “I’ve developed a great support group that wants to see me excel and always answers my questions. It’s made my first few months much smoother.” When he’s not working, Emmanuel is hanging out with his wife, Monica, and son, Noah. He’s also an avid card magician, which is about the coolest hobby we’ve ever heard of.
Welcome to the team, Emmanuel. We’re lucky to have you.
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A HIGH-TECH FUEL SOURCE FOR CAMPERS The BioLite CampStove 2 The camping season is in full swing. Whether you prefer hopping into an RV with your family or backpacking with some friends, the gear you pack
is a crucial factor in determining how much fun you have. Items that perform multiple tasks help you lighten the load when space is at a premium. Perhaps no camping accessory is as versatile and useful as the BioLite CampStove 2. The BioLite CampStove 2 is a portable stove that creates controllable smokeless flames using an internal combustion engine. All you have to do is round up some kindling, drop it in the combustion chamber, and ignite. In addition to being an excellent fire source with four different fan settings, the CampStove 2 converts some of the heat from the fire into usable electricity, allowing you to charge devices on the go. An onboard battery stores electricity long after the last ember has burned, so you can save the electric power for when you need it. In addition to the CampStove 2, BioLite sells a number of compatible accessories including cooking supplies and a coffee maker. At just over 2 pounds, the CampStove 2 is a light, portable fuel source that will warm your bones and revive your phones.
Certain highly desired consumer products — antique furniture, rare wine, and fine art, to name a few — are traded like stocks. In recent years, hard-to-get sneakers have attained such a status, often selling for many times more than their retail value on the secondary market. While resellers allow consumers to purchase the freshest kicks without having to hunt them down for themselves, it’s hard to know if they’re selling the real thing at a fair price. StockX solved this problem by creating an online marketplace that functions more like Wall Street than Foot Locker or eBay. What sets this particular marketplace apart is the way it operates. For one, when a transaction happens, the seller doesn’t ship the product directly to the consumer. It first has to go to StockX for authentication. The company then ships the sneakers to the consumer only if they’re the genuine article. Even more innovative is the way StockX facilitates transactions. It uses a bid/ask system borrowed from the trading floor. Interested buyers place bids based on what they are willing to pay. Prospective sellers ask for a price for a specific item. When the two meet, a sale happens. The site also provides data on each product, including the average sale price and average premium over the original retail price, another clever crib from the stock world. Earlier this year, StockX went a step further. The company launched its first ever “IPO” for a product: a sandal sporting the A$AP Ferg lyric, “Ben Baller did the chain.” The approach is an attempt to displace the traditional distribution method of limited goods. “It’s comical that you rely on having people line up at a sneaker store for three days to get a pair,” says StockX CEO and co-founder Josh Luber. “It’s an antiquated system.” StockX, which bills itself as “the stock market of things,” is still largely a platform for sneakers and streetwear, but the company plans to diversify into other categories. Given the marketplace’s $1 billion worth, investors are optimistic about its chances. A Sneaker Marketplace Worth Over $1 Billion HOW STOCKX IS CHANGING E-COMMERCE
‘TRILLION DOLLAR COACH’ Lessons From One of Silicon Valley’s Greatest Mentors
Over the course of his illustrious career, Bill Campbell was the CEO and chairman of the board for Intuit, among many other important roles at numerous big-name companies. However, the role he’s most remembered for is being the trusted advisor and mentor to the likes of Steve Jobs and the founders of Google. A new book, “Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell,” is both a fitting tribute to Campbell and a compendium of his wisdom. The book’s authors — Google alumni Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg,
and Alan Eagle — sat down with dozens of people who recall fond memories of Campbell and the nuggets of advice he shared. “Bill was ahead of his time,” Adam Grant writes in his foreword. “The lessons of his experience are timely in a collaborative world, where the fates of our careers and our companies hinge on the quality of our relationships.” “Trillion Dollar Coach” contains invaluable insight about Campbell the business coach and charming anecdotes about Campbell the man. They add up to create a portrait of someone who lived as he worked, with compassion, grace, and a willingness to boost up others. The book is a must read for anyone in leadership and for those who aspire to be in the future.
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2500 S. Power Rd., Ste. 117 Mesa, AZ 85209 i nside this issu e
The Front Lines of IT Defense PAGE 1 Security Mistakes You’re Making Right Now PAGE 2 Meet Emmanuel Garzon PAGE 2 How StockX Is Changing E-commerce PAGE 3 A Gadget for the Great Outdoors PAGE 3 AZCOMP Leadership Library: ‘Trillion Dollar Coach’ PAGE 3 Keanu Reeves’ Random Act of Kindness PAGE 4
Despite this list of awful events, which could make anyone callous, Reeves remains the coolest dude in Hollywood. Beneath his suave aloofness, you’ll find a generous and genuine person. In a world where many celebrities are completely insulated from the public, Reeves seems happy to mingle with us regular folks. Earlier this year, Reeves was on a flight from San Francisco to Burbank when the plane had to make an emergency landing in Bakersfield. The travelers, needless to say, were bummed. Thinking on his feet, Reeves helped organize a van to offer an alternative means of transportation. During the van ride, Reeves read off facts about Bakersfield and played music from local bands on his phone. I’m sure that if the van happened to be loaded with a bomb, Keanu would’ve handled that too. He was in “Speed,” after all. When I read this story, it brought to mind so many of AZCOMP’s core values as a business. Three really stick out to me: “We care about the one,” “We check our egos at the door,” and “We do the right thing.” It would’ve been easy for somebody of Keanu’s status to simply make arrangements for himself. Instead, he showed compassion to his fellow passengers and turned what could’ve been a nightmare into a day they’ll remember fondly forever. by Liz COOL. KIND. KEANU.
Keanu Reeves is not the type of celebrity you find making regular appearances in the tabloids. He’s notoriously private, perhaps owing to the fact that he’s been in the public eye for decades and experienced more than his fair share of tragedy. When Keanu was 3, his father left the family. Throughout school, he struggled with dyslexia and ultimately dropped out before becoming a wildly successful actor at the age when most people are finishing college. In 1993, River Phoenix, Reeves’ best friend, died of a drug overdose. On Christmas Eve 1999, Reeves’ girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to a stillborn child. Just 18 months later, Syme lost her life in a car accident.
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