Between the Bytes

Derik welcomes Kody back for a fun follow-up to his first time on the show.  Kody is the Director of Technical Operations @ Executech, and he joins us to provide some excellent DIY troubleshooting tips you can try before reaching out to tech support.  Technology has improved our lives, but that doesn't mean it hasn't made each and every one of us look foolish a few times as well. Kody an...

Gary & Derik welcome Tyler Sisson for the first time on the show. Tyler is a Cloud Engineer here @ Executech.  Tyler joins the show to talk about Microsoft's upcoming NCE (New Commerce Experience) migration.  Microsoft's Office 365 comes in several packages based on what you want, how many employees you have, and (with this migration) how you want to pay. With all these options paire...

In this episode, James, Gary, and Derik discuss the recent security issues with LastPass and the importance of updating passwords and taking other precautions to protect your account. They discuss the potential consequences of not taking these steps and offer tips on how to ensure the security of your online accounts. Enjoy the show! 

Gary and Derik welcome Kody Ogden, Director of Technical Operations @ Executech, for the first time on the show! Kody has been with Executech for over 5 years now and has built our help desk department from the ground up.  Kody joins us to talk about how he manages his team, the growing pains of building a new department inside a company, and how he and his team have achieved such high custom...

The cryptocurrency exchange company, FTX, lost over $470 million in a recent cyber attack and filed for bankruptcy. Later investigation found records of fraud, causing more headaches for their CEO. James, Gary, and Derik also talk about MFA issues, red flags appearing when your credentials have been compromised, and Ticketmaster's accidental, self-imposed DDoS attack following Talor Swift's concer...

This was one of our most listened-to episodes from last year.  Gary & Derik welcome Lee, Director of Sales at Executech, for the first time on the show. Lee has been with Executech for almost 5 years now and has been a part of countless IT Assessments with new & potential clients. We invited Lee to talk about what an IT Assessment is, when it's a good time to get one done, and what to...

In this episode, Derik, Gary, and James talk about a handful of articles in the news: YouTuber shows his followers how to execute a DDoS attack and encourages them to use it against Russian websites More information is released showing just how serious the social engineering attack on Uber was A list of over 500 sets of credentials for sale is listed for $4 million  Enjoy the show! 

To round out our weekly live episodes for Cybersecurity Awareness month, James, Gary, and Derik dove deeper into what it takes to truly protect your organization. They covered MDM (Mobile Device Management) and MAM (Mobile Application Management) for organizations to stay secure while their employees use mobile devices (sometimes personal) and work applications. They also covered more detail on ho...

As with most service industries, those who work them long enough end up with some pretty incredible stories. In this episode of Between the Bytes, we've got some great tales about highs, lows, and even embarrassing situations. Join Gary & Derik as they talk with two of our most senior technicians about their time and experiences in the field of IT.

Coke vs. Pepsi, Mcdonald's vs. Burger King, Under Armour vs. Nike, Mac vs. PC.  These are questions that have been deeply ingrained into our culture. The answer to any of these (even if you don't pick sides) can shed light on your personality, start a heated debate, or create irreparable rifts among friends and family. James, Gary, and Derik have decided to put their friendship to the test an...

Between the Bytes is LIVE every Tuesday in October @ 10:40 am MST for Cybersecurity Awareness Month!  When it comes to cybersecurity, layers of protection are vital. So, where do we start? All the areas that need protection, monitoring, and training can become quite a mountain of information. James, Gary, and Derik cover the most important places to focus on and some relatively simple actions...

Derik & Gary welcome Darren Schmidt, Managed Services Team Lead @ Executech Sacramento, to talk about the importance of keeping your tech and cybersecurity up-to-date, how to accomplish that, and the actual cost to an organization that falls behind.  Darren's extensive background leads to some great tips and ways of putting the importance of IT into perspective. We also get his thoughts o...

Derik, Gary, and James battle it out to try and decide which is better: Apple or Android, overpriced or mediocre, perfectionist or innovator, blue text bubbles or green. Derik, a mindless Apple cultist, tries to convince Gary, a giddy Android fanboy, of his incorrect life choices; all while James tries to keep things somewhat on topic. They talk about the latest Apple product announcements and how...

Gary, James, and Derik discuss how simple human error exposed an organization that's quite literally built on digital security.  LastPass fell victim to a recent cyberattack by compromised credentials, giving the attackers access to some vital proprietary code.

Gary, James, & Derik talk about the major vulnerability Apple's last update resolved. The vulnerability affected everything from iPhone to Mac, and they cover how it works and why it's such a big deal. They also talk about Twitter's ex-employee turned whistleblower and the resulting fallout from his alarming claims.  Enjoy the show! 

We are excited to welcome Chet Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist @ Sophos, back to the show in this episode! Chet joins us to talk about social engineering, hacker conventions, the dos & don'ts of staff training, and much more!  Learn how social engineering uses the six principles of influence to make people fall for seemingly simple lies, how an attack works, and how reporting pai...

Gary, James, and Derik break down another handful of articles from around the world: Major updates across Apple & Microsoft to fix a number of vulnerabilities The U.S. rolling out a texting feature for 9-11 emergency services city by city Russia's electronic warfare against Ukraine  Carrier pigeon beats internet upload speeds in South Africa Another $200 million loss in cryptocurrency fro...

Chet Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist @ Sophos, talks about how the theft of (website) cookies can give attackers access to your login credentials across a number of websites and for longer than you might think.  If you'd like to read the article mentioned in the episode, just click here!  

Derik & Gary are back to talk about marketing! They cover various news articles, from Facebook being sued for tracking confidential medical information, China stealing TikTok user data, authorities wanting to access your cameras in 'emergency situations' without a warrant, to the effect Apple's vendetta has had on Facebook ad revenue and small businesses around the world.  Enjoy the show!...

Derik welcomes back Executech's training department, Ben Reese & Christian Arnold, to continue the conversation about personalities in the workplace.  Derik, Ben, and Christian talk about how different personality types can bring positive contrast to a team, the gaps created by having too many similar personalities on a team, and how to overcome weaknesses or friction from either scenario...

In this episode, Derik, Gary, and James talk about a handful of articles in the news: Use of Deepfakes to Ace FBI Job Interviews Defense Department Offering $110k in Bug Bounties Pegasus Spyware & Citizen Surveillance Vegas and their MSG Sphere  JWST First Images To read the article on learning how to read URLs to prevent phishing scams, click here .  Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Derik & Gary talk with Chet Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist @ Sophos.  Chet has been in cybersecurity for around 30 years, and that level of seniority in the field offers some great perspectives. He joins us to talk about what individuals (and organizations) should really be focusing on when it comes to protecting their data, how cyber attacks have evolved over t...

In this episode, Gary & Derik are joined by Joe Holbrook, Founder & CEO of Kings Peak Tax Consulting . Kings Peak specializes in unique and in-depth areas that can save businesses a lot while partnering with the organization's current CPA.  Joe joins to talk about some key areas to take advantage of before they go away next year, starting his own business, leading people across multip...

Gary & Derik are joined by Kayden Hicken, GM @ Executech Phoenix.  Kayden talks about how growing up working a large dairy farm, being involved in the family businesses, and his fascination with IT took him from Executech technician to Executech General Manager.  This episode gives great insight into personal development from any level and how Kayden manages to maintain such a strong...

James, Gary, and Derik break down the Verizon Data Breach Report: Biggest threats & how some of them work Industries hit the hardest Cyber risks for small businesses Simple (but effective) steps to help prevent data breaches Other best practices  If you'd like to look at the report, here's the executive summary . Enjoy the show!