It’s been a difficult summer for Connecticut public schools when it comes to cybersecurity. In addition to the three Connecticut school districts hit by cyber attacks in late July, it recently came to light that the Wolcott public school district suffered a devastating ransomware attack months ago from which it has not fully recovered. No data was stolen, but a great deal of data was locked and held for ransom, much of which was not backed up. As a result, teachers are starting the new school year without key materials.

Joining forces with an IT managed services provider (MSP) gives you the benefits of having a full-time IT staff, without the full-time expenses that go with them. MSPs can enrich even small and medium-size businesses with a wealth of IT knowledge and experience that wouldn’t be available at the same price point with in-house employees.

Cybersecurity risks have been on the rise in recent years, and products and services have been constantly evolving to keep up with these threats: 83 percent of organizations say that they experienced phishing attacks in 2018, up from 76 percent in 2017. Social engineering attacks use psychology to trick people into revealing sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers by impersonating a trusted authority. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are a new (and lucrative) attack target.

Every IT department can agree that achieving maximum efficiency is an important goal for them to work towards. Unfortunately, far too many companies aren’t able to reach this goal. According to a survey by Deloitte, only 22 percent of chief information officers agree that they have a high-performing IT culture.

Earlier this year, a simple thought occurred to me. Hackers are the new mafia. Cybercrime is the newest part of the organized crime business model. How could looking at things this way change the cybersecurity landscape?

In late July, three Connecticut school districts experienced or became aware of data breaches or cyberattacks. The school districts of New Haven, Wallingford, and Pomfret were affected. NBC Connecticut interviewed Kelser’s George W. Kudelchuk III for a story that covers each of the three school districts.

The 23rd Annual Kelser Charity Challenge will take place at Indian Hill Country Club in Newington, Connecticut, on September 17, 2019, to benefit the Hospital for Special Care's Center for Cognitive Health. The golf tournament--which is currently open for registration and sponsorship--is organized by Glastonbury-based technology consulting firm Kelser Corporation and will also feature a silent auction, dinner reception and "heli drop" in which a helicopter drops golf balls onto the course.

Glastonbury, CT, August 9, 2019 - Kelser Corp announced that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company®, has named Kelser to its 2019 Fast Growth 150 list. The list recognizes the fastest-growing technology integrators, solution providers, and IT consultants in North America.