b'The Tech Cumulus FEBRUARY 2026. continued from CoverHardware and Infrastructure How long could operations functionThe Cost of Skipping the CheckupEquipment ages quietly until it doesnt. withoutsystems? A preventive review costs hours. A failure costs How old are your servers, firewalls, switchesIf your disaster plan amounts to well figure itdays or weeks.and workstations? out, thats not a plan. Data loss: Losing client records, financials or Is anything past manufacturer support,projects can be fatal for a small business.meaning no patches or security updates? Compliance and Industry Requirements Downtime: Every hour of downtime means Are you replacing devices proactively orDepending on your industry, healthy has a verylost productivity, missed deadlines and waiting until they fail? specific definition. strained client trust.Downtime from aging hardware is a top hiddenHealth care businesses must meet HIPAACompliance failures: Penalties are steep and cost. Things run slowly for months, thenrequirements. increasingly enforced.suddenly stop. Anyone handling credit cards must pass PCIRansomware: The average small-business compliance. recovery cost is now deep into six figures.Access and Credentials Many client contracts now include explicitPrevention is quiet and inexpensive. Recovery is If youre unsure who has access to what, yourecybersecurity requirements. loud and expensive.not alonebut you are at risk.Compliance isnt about paperwork. It protectsWhy You Cant Perform Your Own Can you produce a current list of users? you from fines, lost contracts and legal exposure. Tech PhysicalAre any former employees still active? You wouldnt diagnose yourself with a Are shared accounts hiding who did what? Warning Signs Youre Overdue stethoscope and a guess. You go to a professional Access creep happens silently over time. Its oneIf any of this sounds familiar, its time for an exam: who knows what healthy looks like.of the most common and preventable causesI think our backups are working. Technology is no different. You need ofbreaches. The server is old, but it still runs. someonewho:We probably have ex-employee accounts Disaster Readiness still active. Knows the standards for your size and industryNobody wants to think about the worst-caseWe have a disaster plan somewhere. Recognizes patterns and early warning signsscenario, but ignoring it makes it dangerous. If this person left, wed be in trouble. Can see issues youve normalized simply by If ransomware hit, whats the realWed probably fail an audit, but nobody hasliving with them dailyrecoveryplan? asked yet.Is it written? Tested? Known by more thanThese arent small issues. Theyre symptomsThats what transforms tech management from one person? ofrisk. firefighting into prevention.Answer: C. A broken laser pointer The first item sold on eBay (originally I DIDNT KNOW AuctionWeb) in 1995 was a broken laser pointer. It was listed by founder Pierre Unfortunately, That Excuse Doesnt Replenish Your Bank Account,Omidyar as a test and bought by Mark Fraser, Resolve A Data Breach Or Erase Any Fines And Lawsuits. a collector of broken laser pointers, for $14.83.Its coming .That day a hacker steals critical data, rendering your office useless . CARTOON OF That day whenyour bank account or credit card is compromised .Or that day whenyour customers private lives are uprooted . THE MONTHCybercriminals and hackers are constantly inventing NEW ways to infiltrate your company, steal your assets and disrupt your life. The ONLY way to STOP THEM is this:You Must Constantly Educate Yourself On How To Protect Whats Yours!Now, for a limited time, we have the perfect way to help reduce your risk and keep you safe! Simply sign up to receive our FREE Cyber Security Tip of the Week. Well send these byte-sized quick-read tips to your e-mail inbox. Every tip is packed with a unique and up-to-date real-world solution that keeps you one step ahead of the bad guys. And because so few people know about these security secrets, every week youll learn something new!Get your FREE Cyber Security Tip of the Week at Kloud9IT.com/weeklysecuritytipTechnology That Works!844-KLOUD9IT (556-8394)2'