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January 2022: Microsoft Patch Tuesday Review

January 2022: Microsoft Patch Tuesday Review

The first Windows security Patch Tuesday of 2022 is here, and it opens the year with a bit of a bang. Microsoft fixed a total of 96 new CVEs in today’s patch release. In comparison, that number was 67 in the last Patch Tuesday. In fact, this is an unusually large patch release volume for January. January has had the lowest number of CVEs patched in a batch release for the last couple of years — typically about half as many as those fixed today. Plus, this is a long way from the relatively small Patch Tuesday releases we saw throughout 2021.

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The Importance of Server Patching

The Importance of Server Patching

Cybersecurity is paramount in this digital age, but it’s not always on the minds of busy business owners. Sever patching should be performed routinely to keep businesses and accounts safe. However, patching isn’t always done when it should be. One instance of this occurred in early 2021 when over 60,000 vulnerable Microsoft Exchange servers were found unpatched for many weeks. Although patching servers is more work than updating something like a single computer, it’s essential that it gets done. By learning some server patching best practices and automating the process, you can quickly and easily keep your business secure.

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MSP Guide: New Client Onboarding Checklist

MSP Guide: New Client Onboarding Checklist

Having a comprehensive onboarding checklist can be a huge help for MSPs because it streamlines the entire process and helps make sure nothing important or otherwise is overlooked. Remember that the onboarding process begins before you even submit a proposal, and we hope this guide will help your new client onboarding go a lot smoother every time.

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How to Manage Security Vulnerabilities

How to Manage Security Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability management leverages a set of workflows and products designed to sustain the IT infrastructure, testing it for security flaws and fixing the vulnerabilities detected. This is an ongoing routine denying the notorious approach of not fixing things that are not broken. The latter approach just fails to meet modern protection demands. Unless reviewed and enhanced, the digital assets are easy to compromise. So what is vulnerability management and why does it make a difference? Let’s get to the bottom of this.

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Microsoft Patch Tuesday, December 2021 Review

Microsoft Patch Tuesday, December 2021 Review

Microsoft has just released 67 security fixes to mark this month’s Patch Tuesday. Seven of the vulnerabilities fixed today were classified as Critical and the rest as Important. December’s patch release also includes fixes for six zero-day bugs, one of which was actively exploited in the wild.

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How to Build a Managed Service Provider (MSP) Business in 2022

How to Build a Managed Service Provider (MSP) Business in 2022

Starting an MSP or managed service provider business can be a very lucrative move. The global MSP market was valued at just over $200 billion in 2019, and it’s expected to grow to almost $500 billion by 2027.
But how do you access this market? How do you get started with your MSP business? Take a look at our MSP startup guide and business plan template to learn more.

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Top 6 Common Mistakes Growing MSP Businesses Should Avoid

Top 6 Common Mistakes Growing MSP Businesses Should Avoid

The demand for managed services is at an all-time high. However, the managed IT niche is becoming increasingly competitive, and customers are demanding more from managed service providers. One of the biggest challenges facing MSPs is choosing the areas to base their offering. But by understanding what customers want from an IT-provider and the market challenges, you can fine-tune your managed IT offering to come out on top. Part of doing so is avoiding MSP mistakes that could jeopardize your growth efforts.

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Increasing MSP Profitability and Reducing Costs with RMM

Increasing MSP Profitability and Reducing Costs with RMM

The MSP sector is changing. A recent survey suggested that traditional support services and hardware resales are becoming less important for MSP revenue, projected to reduce by 73% and 63%, respectively, between 2020 and 2022. Meanwhile, cloud-based managed services, such as SaaS products, are becoming more important factors in the revenue stream, expected to provide 51% more revenue across the same time period.

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MSP Pricing Models Guide: Achieving MSP Profitability

MSP Pricing Models Guide: Achieving MSP Profitability

Pricing is about more than just the price tag. The MSP pricing structure is just as important as the cost of MSP. For most businesses, the pricing model has a massive impact on the final MSP spend. Managed IT pricing is a delicate balancing act between setting fair profit margins and modeling the costs to fit different consumer scenarios. Here are the common MSP pricing models favored by most service providers.

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Sure Strategies and Ways to Prevent Cyber Attacks

Sure Strategies and Ways to Prevent Cyber Attacks

Hackers take advantage of weak cybersecurity policies and obsolete IT security infrastructure. Unfortunately, quite a few businesses realize the importance of protection against cyberattacks only after becoming victims. Organizations need to think of ways to prevent cyberattacks before it is too late. Learn strategies you can employ to defend your organization against cyberattacks.

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October 2021 Patch Tuesday Review: Microsoft Fixes 74 Security Flaws

October 2021 Patch Tuesday Review: Microsoft Fixes 74 Security Flaws

In this month’s Patch Tuesday, Microsoft fixed a total of 74 vulnerabilities (81, counting Microsoft Edge for Chromium’s updates). Among the 74 bugs fixed today included four zero-day vulnerabilities, one of which was known to have been exploited in the wild. Three of the vulnerabilities were rated as Critical, one as Low, and the rest as Important.

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66 Vulnerabilities Fixed in Microsoft’s September 2021 Patch Tuesday

66 Vulnerabilities Fixed in Microsoft’s September 2021 Patch Tuesday

It’s the second Tuesday of the month again — time to check out the latest patch batch. Today, Microsoft released fixes for a total of 66 vulnerabilities, three of which were deemed Critical, one rated Moderate, and the rest classified as Important. Earlier this month, Microsoft released 20 security updates for Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), bringing the total number of CVEs fixed in September to 86.

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Microsoft Patch Tuesday Survival Guide

Microsoft Patch Tuesday Survival Guide

This time of the month… The predictable Windows Security Patch Tuesday schedule allows system administrators to stay prepared with their patch implementation plans.
Learn how to be ready for Microsoft Patch Tuesday. In this article we have compiled our tips for stress-free management of important Windows updates and timely deployment of Windows critical patches.

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5-Step Vulnerability Remediation Process

5-Step Vulnerability Remediation Process

Vulnerability remediation management is a vital part of corporate cybersecurity. Understand security vulnerability management and learn strategies through this guide to the vulnerability remediation process. There is no such thing as a perfectly secure software application. In one way or another, they all have security vulnerabilities waiting to be discovered. In fact, new software vulnerabilities or security bugs are found nearly every day, even in mainstream software products and services. In a recent study, 42 percent of the surveyed cybersecurity and IT professionals said security risk management is more challenging today due to an increasing number of software vulnerabilities.

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Top 7 Managed Services Provider Best Practices Promoting Business Growth

Top 7 Managed Services Provider Best Practices Promoting Business Growth

The demand for managed IT services is soaring as more and more organizations continue to adopt new digital enterprise solutions, such as the cloud, big data, blockchain, IoT, and automation. Managed IT remains the fastest and most cost-efficient way for businesses to implement and utilize these emerging technologies.
How can MSP vendors streamline workflows with the best MSP tools to thrive and stand out in the competitive managed IT industry? Read on in Action1 Blog to learn the best strategies for managed service providers.

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July 2021: Microsoft Patch Tuesday Review

July 2021: Microsoft Patch Tuesday Review

Microsoft released fixes for 117 flaws in this July’s Patch Tuesday. Of the 117 vulnerabilities, 13 were marked as Critical, 103 Important, and 1 Moderate; nine were zero-day vulnerabilities, four of which were actively exploited before the patch release. The bugs included the usual blend of RCE, DOS, information disclosure, EoP, spoofing, and security bypass vulnerabilities across Microsoft’s suite of products. The volume of the latest patch release exceeds the combined totals from the last two months, and it’s the second time this year that Microsoft has packed more than 100 fixes in one Patch Tuesday batch.

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Microsoft Fixes 50 Vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday, June 2021

Microsoft Fixes 50 Vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday, June 2021

Keeping with its Patch Tuesday tradition, Microsoft has just released 50 security patches for a host of software products and services, including .NET Core and Visual Studio, Microsoft Office, Windows Defender, Windows Codecs Library, 3D Viewer, and Windows HTML Platform. Today’s release included patches for RCE, Elevation of Privilege, DoS, Spoofing, Information Disclosure, and Security Feature Bypass vulnerabilities.

In terms of severity, 45 of the 50 CVEs were marked “Important” and five “Critical.” Among these were seven zero-day vulnerabilities, six of which had already been exploited in the wild. Eight of the security flaws fixed today were reported by the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI). Additionally, Microsoft acknowledged reports from Google Project Zero, Google’s Threat Analysis Group, Check Point Research, Kaspersky, and FireEye, among other contributors.

Here’s an overview of the seven zero-day vulnerabilities and other noteworthy flaws fixed in June’s patch rollout.

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