Between the Bytes

A new Microsoft Office vulnerability dubbed “ Follina ” could allow cyber attackers to gain control of impacted systems. Gary and James talk about what that means, what you can do, and how collaboration is helping combat this and other attacks.

Derik & Gary welcome Joe Bird, GM of Executech's Seattle location, in this episode. Joe gives us fantastic insight into leadership in an unfamiliar industry, culture building inside a hybrid office, and his approach to fast and effective personal development. Joe also walks us through his experience running companies overseas and how he ended up with us here at Executech.  Enjoy the show!...

Key leaders in the tech world like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have announced their commitment to expanding support for FIDO. By doing this, they take a big step towards turning phone verification a primary method for accessing accounts and making passwords a thing of the past.  James, Gary, and Derik talk about the pros, cons, and hurdles to overcome in order to turn something like this int...

We're bringing you the audio-only version of our recent webinar about cybersecurity, compliance, and cyber insurance. Our featured panelists are Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity at Executech, and John Zanni, CEO at Acronis SCS. The conversation revolves around the perspective of cities and towns, but the thoughts and advice apply to any compliance or regulation required industry.  Main to...

In this episode, Gary & Derik talk about personalities in the workplace with Executech's training department. This episode is the first part of a miniseries we'll be doing with our training department over the next few months.  Ben Rees (Training Manager) and Christian Arnold (Training Team Lead) have been using personality tests like Strengths Finder and Myers Briggs for new techs at Exe...

The U.S., European Union, and 32 other non-EU countries recently signed The Declaration for the Future of the Internet . Derik, James, and Gary cover what the document is, its goals, possible outcomes, shortcomings, and a lot more!  Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Gary & Derik welcome a special guest to the podcast for the first time. Mark Fredrickson, President of SnappConner PR, brings interesting insights on how a PR firm can (and should) be involved in helping organizations in their response to a cyberattack.  Mark walks us through why it's essential to work with a PR firm to assist in creating an incident response plan and how...

Derik and Gary went LIVE to talk with James Fair about cryptocurrency and their billion-dollar bridge problem. A "bridge" is a service that connects one blockchain to another so that value can be sent between them. Lately, bridges have continually been exposed as a significant gap in security, resulting in the loss of over $1 billion in little more than a year. James, Derik, and Gary break down wh...

We welcome Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity @ Executech, to talk about the latest cybersecurity news & updates. This episode focuses on MFA Bombing, the method rumored to have caused the Okta breach recently, and the Spring4 Shell vulnerability.  Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Derik, Gary, and James talk about a handful of recent stories in the IT & Cybersecurity world. We cover some great topics from super-powered, $2,000 GPUs to spam texts that appear to come from your own number. Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Gary & Derik welcome our newest member to the Executech marketing team, Latasha Darden!  It's no secret that businesses use many software products to keep things moving day-to-day. Today, we talk about products we use daily, what we love, what drives us crazy, and the risks of different departments or individuals finding their own products to fill needs for their roles. A...

Gary & Derik welcome back Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity, to talk about the Okta breach. In this episode, we'll cover who Okta is, what happened, how it could have been prevented, and cybersecurity rules every organization (and individual) should follow. Enjoy the show! 

The White House released their "Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets," A long title for a very long document full of concerns around cryptocurrency, plans for the US to create their own cryptocurrency, and calls to action (with deadlines) to the Department of the Treasury to start researching cryptocurrencies. If you'd like to read the lengthy article, you can do s...

In this episode, Derik and James talk about a handful of cybersecurity news stories from around the world.  Japan shuts down a number of Toyota factories in response to ransomware A major microchip manufacturer in the U.S. hit with ransomware Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. - What could happen on the cyber front? Google continues their MFA crusade  Enjoy the show! 

Gary & Derik welcome back Ben Reese, training manager at Executech. Ben talks about the different types of training he'll run for employees and clients. In that same vein, Ben talks about the importance of soft skills training, how to help the training stick, the importance of personality tests, and a lot more. Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, Between the Bytes went live while Gary & Derik asked James questions from across the internet. We span a variety of topics, from basic IT to some slightly more advanced questions. CPU vs GPU vs RAM vs Processors Picking the right computer for your needs AMD Ryzen vs Intel Core i7 vs Apple M1 Processors Easy was to trigger your IT support Basic cybersecurity "https://" vs "http...

Our subject matter expert, James Fair, joined ePresence as a guest speaker recently. This is a repost of their podcast episode. You can find more ePresence here !

Our subject matter expert, James Fair, joined The Risk Management Show as a guest speaker recently. This is a repost of their podcast episode.  You can find more of The Risk Management Show here !

Derik, Gary, and James jump back into the conversation about cryptocurrency, blockchain, and NFTs in this 3rd & final part of our series. In this episode, we answer any questions that came through from the first two episodes of the series, talk about wallets for cryptocurrency, and the environmental impact cryptocurrencies have had since the beginning. Be sure to check out the first 2 parts of...

Derik, Gary, and James jump back into the conversation about cryptocurrency, blockchain, and NFTs in this 2nd part of our 3-part series. In case you missed it, we talked about where it all started for blockchain and cryptocurrency in the first part of the series. In this episode, we dive into how cryptocurrency mining works, the ups and downs cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have had since inception,...

It's no question that blockchain, NFTs, and several cryptocurrencies have been a big topic worldwide for some time now. Derik & Gary decided to bring in our subject matter expert, James Fair, to give us a crash course in this ever-expanding maze of technology. Over the course of 3 episodes, we'll cover: Where it all started How blockchain enabled the creation of Bitcoin How blockchain can supp...

Gary and Derik welcome a new voice to the podcast, Sandra Smith, Chief Administrative Officer @ Executech! Having been with Executech for over 10 years, Sandra brings some serious expertise when it comes to HR, back-office, and administrative functions of an organization. She joins us to talk about how IT can help an organization's administrative staff. Maintain a positive culture while working re...

With the large movement of people working from home, the need and usage of VPNs has skyrocketed. Derik and Gary welcome back James Fair to talk about what a VPN is, how it works, when you should use one, and some alternatives to them that provide similar services.  As always, if your organization has questions about getting VPNs for your remote staff, cybersecurity, or managed IT in general,...

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a major vulnerability that leaves an alarming number of applications, websites, and organizations at risk.  In this episode, Derik and Gary talk to Tyler Rasmussen, VP of Cybersecurity, about the Log4j/Log4Shell vulnerability. Tyler explains how it works, who's affected, and how to help mitigate the risks. 

In this episode, join us for a webinar replay as we welcome guests from the Sacramento Kings, Executech, and Acronis to discuss critical cybersecurity and data protection issues. Takeaways: • Learn about the biggest digital threats facing businesses today • Understand why all businesses are at risk of cyber attacks • Techniques for adapting to ever-changing technology environments • Best practices...