Category: Blog

Healthcare as a Prime Target for Cyber Attacks

The healthcare industry holds vast amounts of sensitive information including patient records, insurance data, and financial details. Unlike other sectors, healthcare services cannot afford system downtime. This urgency makes hospitals and clinics a preferred target for cybercriminals looking for quick leverage.

Key Cybersecurity Challenges in Healthcare

Outdated Legacy Systems

Many hospitals still operate on aging digital infrastructure. These systems often miss critical security updates, leaving gaps that attackers can easily exploit.

Lack of Staff Training

Healthcare staff often focus solely on clinical responsibilities. Without proper cybersecurity training, they may unknowingly click on malicious links, use weak passwords, or fall for phishing attempts.

Budget Limitations

Cybersecurity often receives minimal funding in healthcare. This often leads to underdeveloped security systems, postponed improvements, and a shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals.

Third Party Risks

Hospitals commonly use third party vendors for billing, data storage, diagnostics, and software. Each vendor adds a potential vulnerability if they are not held to strict cybersecurity standards.

Rise of Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware is among the most common threats. Attackers lock critical systems or patient data and pressure healthcare providers into paying for restoration and access. For hospitals, this can lead to cancelled surgeries, delayed treatments, and patient safety concerns.

Consequences of a Cyber Breach

A successful cyber attack in healthcare can lead to more than just data loss. The consequences are wide ranging

• Disrupted care delivery
• Breach of patient privacy
• Heavy regulatory fines
• Legal actions and lawsuits
• Damage to institutional reputation

These consequences can have lasting effects on both the organization and the individuals it serves.

Regulatory Pressures and Compliance

Healthcare organizations must adhere to strict regulations including HIPAA, GDPR, and local data protection laws. Non compliance due to a breach can lead to investigations, financial penalties, and legal scrutiny. Security protocols must align with these regulatory standards to ensure patient data safety.

Building a Resilient Healthcare Cybersecurity Framework

To counter these challenges, healthcare providers should invest in cybersecurity initiatives that focus on

• Continuous training and awareness programs
• Regular system audits and vulnerability assessments
• Replacing or upgrading outdated technology
• Strict vendor access management
• Implementing encryption and access controls

Long term resilience can only be achieved through proactive and strategic planning.

Cybersecurity is Essential to Patient Care

In the digital age, protecting healthcare data is as important as treating patients. Benchmark IT Services understands that reliable cybersecurity and advanced security services are critical for maintaining uninterrupted care and patient trust. Protecting digital systems goes beyond technology. It is a fundamental responsibility of modern healthcare delivery.

The modern business environment rewards speed flexibility and intelligence. Whether managing operations across regions supporting hybrid teams or launching new services quickly Cloud Solutions have become the central pillar of competitive advantage.

At Benchmark IT Services we work with companies across Australia and New Zealand to design and deploy Cloud Solutions that are tailored for today and scalable for tomorrow.

Cloud is no longer an upgrade it is a necessity

Businesses are no longer asking if they should adopt the cloud but how fast they can get there. The shift is being driven by real needs

• Faster data access
• Secure remote work
• Scalable infrastructure
• Real time collaboration

Cloud Solutions provide all of this while reducing reliance on outdated hardware and legacy systems that slow growth.

Accelerating transformation across departments

Cloud Solutions are not limited to just data storage or app hosting. They touch every layer of your organization. Finance teams access real time dashboards. Salespeople retrieve customer data instantly. HR manages onboarding from anywhere.

This transformation is possible because cloud platforms integrate with your existing tools while opening up space for innovation. Cloud is not a service in isolation it becomes a fabric that connects every workflow.

Making security smarter and more proactive

Many assume cloud platforms are less secure than on-site systems. In reality cloud providers build security into the core of their platforms. From AI driven threat detection to encryption and compliance frameworks Cloud Solutions protect your business from modern threats.

At Benchmark IT Services we add another layer of defense by customizing security settings managing access rules and performing continuous monitoring.

Scaling without pause or pressure

Traditional IT infrastructure can buckle under unexpected demand. Cloud Solutions eliminate this risk by allowing instant scaling of resources. Whether you are launching an eCommerce campaign handling seasonal spikes or expanding to new markets the cloud adjusts automatically.

No wasted costs on unused systems and no delays when demand increases.

Empowering decision making through better data

Modern businesses run on insights. Cloud Solutions give teams the ability to collect analyze and visualize data from across the company. With a centralized view of information leaders can respond to changes faster and make smarter decisions.

Cloud-based analytics platforms also support automation and machine learning opening doors to predictive business models.

Innovation thrives when the cloud leads the way

New product development often slows down due to IT limitations. Cloud platforms remove these barriers by offering a playground for testing deploying and scaling new ideas quickly.

Startups and enterprises alike use the cloud to shorten development cycles and improve time to market. Benchmark IT Services helps clients choose the right cloud stack so innovation becomes a habit not a headache.

Why businesses trust Benchmark IT Services

Choosing a cloud provider is easy. Choosing the right cloud partner is critical. Benchmark IT Services offers more than just setup and migration. We deliver strategic guidance cost optimization security compliance and 24×7 support.

From private and public cloud to hybrid models we align technology with business outcomes.

Cloud Solutions that evolve with your business

Scalable technology ensures your business moves forward without resistance. Cloud Solutions give you the freedom to operate smarter scale faster and innovate confidently.

Benchmark IT Services ensures your cloud strategy is built for resilience agility and long term value.

Let us help you create a cloud-first environment that supports everything you aim to achieve.

Remote work is no longer a temporary fix but a core part of modern business. With employees connecting from homes, cafes, or co-working spaces, organizations must adapt their cybersecurity strategies to ensure safe and reliable access. For distributed teams across Australia and New Zealand, securing remote access is critical to business continuity and data protection.

Benchmark IT Services helps businesses navigate these changes with robust, scalable, and proactive security solutions that align with current threats and workplace dynamics.

Why Remote Access Needs Extra Protection

When users access company data from outside the office, they often bypass traditional network safeguards. This shift exposes businesses to a wide range of risks including unauthorized access, phishing, ransomware, and data breaches. Remote environments can be unpredictable, and even a single unprotected device can compromise an entire network.

Strengthening User Authentication and Access Control

Every remote security strategy must begin with proper user identification. Identity and Access Management helps ensure that only verified individuals have access to sensitive data and systems.

Consider the following best practices to enhance user access security

• Enforce complex passwords and regular password changes
• Enable multi factor authentication across all devices
• Use permission-based access based on roles and responsibilities

These practices reduce the chances of compromised credentials and unauthorized access.

Securing Connections with Virtual Private Networks

A secure remote session requires encryption. A Virtual Private Network provides a private, encrypted path for internet traffic, protecting data from interception. VPNs are especially useful when employees use public or unsecured networks.

Advanced VPN solutions offer features such as centralized control, visibility into connected devices, and smart routing to improve both security and performance.

Protecting Devices with Endpoint Security

Each remote device is a potential entry point for attackers. Endpoint protection tools help monitor and secure laptops, desktops, tablets, and smartphones used by remote staff.

Modern endpoint security solutions provide real time scanning, malware removal, suspicious activity alerts, and automatic updates. Companies can also deploy device management tools to lock or wipe lost devices.

Adopting a Zero Trust Security Model

Zero Trust assumes that every user and device is untrusted by default. Instead of relying on one time verification, this model continuously evaluates each request based on user behavior, device status, and access context.

This strategy adds an important layer of defense, especially for distributed teams where physical control of the network is not possible.

Keeping Software and Systems Up to Date

Outdated software contains vulnerabilities that attackers often exploit. Regular updates and patches close these security gaps.

Businesses should automate software updates across all devices and systems. A routine patch management policy ensures your remote infrastructure stays ahead of known threats.

Educating Employees on Cybersecurity Basics

Unintentional user actions often open the door to cyber threats more than technical flaws. Organizations must regularly train employees to understand common cyber threats and follow safe practices.

• Training should cover topics such as
• Identifying phishing emails and suspicious links
• Avoiding unsecured Wi Fi networks
• Reporting unusual activity without delay

Cyber awareness programs help build a strong security culture across remote teams.

Monitoring Access and Responding to Threats

Monitoring tools help track all remote access attempts and detect anomalies. With real time alerts and actionable insights, businesses can respond to threats before they escalate.

Benchmark IT Services provides around the clock security monitoring and managed threat response. Our experts analyze security logs, investigate alerts, and take immediate action when risks are detected.

Trusted Remote Security Solutions from Benchmark IT Services

The rise of remote work is driving a permanent change in workplace infrastructure and security needs. That is why companies must invest in strong, adaptable cybersecurity solutions. Benchmark IT Services delivers enterprise-grade protection tailored to remote and hybrid work environments.

We help you implement secure access frameworks that support employee productivity while defending your data from cyber threats. Confidently drive your business forward knowing your systems are protected by Benchmark IT Services professionals.

In the realm of good business models cybersecurity is crucial, We’d be hard-pressed to find a company that doesn’t have any kind of cybersecurity strategy part of it’s infrastructure but did you know even well-intentioned cybersecurity initiatives can fall short? In reality, cyber-attacks are beginning to feel like a pandemic — it’s difficult to know the full extent of the problem before it affects us directly.

DEBUNKING MYTHS OF CYBERSECURITY

• “We are too small to be attacked”

Every day, we hear about data breaches. The nebulous world of hackers’ compromise of millions of user data can cause big businesses to suffer penetration attacks. Small and medium-sized companies were the target of 43% of all cyberattacks in 2016, This growing trend that’s filled with malware and malicious attacks increases in both complexity and frequency. Don’t believe this line of thinking; we’re just as likely to be a victim as any big corporation.

• “Passwords are good enough”

“Set it down and forget” lazy mentality is the downfall of any security policy. Cultivating this lethargic approach is the adoption of complex passwords and the belief that this is good enough. Malicious third-parties use a wide variety of bots and auto-attacks to speed up their operation and without two-factor authentication and a degree of encryption, one password is simply not enough in today’s dangerous cyber world.

• “Antiviruses are powerful Enough”

Like the “set it and forget it” password philosophy, this applies similarly to the antivirus setup. It’s easy to think that the fancy apps that our company has spent too much money on will foil any and all attackers but once again, the myth is busted.Antiviruses are of foundational importance, but effective cyber defence demands a robust programme that involves safety, monitoring, and response preparedness, along with safety standards for consumer behaviour.

• “Cybersecurity can be left to the IT guys”

Although IT handles much of the IT issues, this is not something that can collapse entirely in their lap. Cybersecurity preparation is something that can be compulsory, or at least heavily applied, during the on-boarding of employees. Cybersecurity preparation should be revised at least on an annual basis, and staff should be allowed to catch up on their skills.

• “If we don’t store info, we don’t need cybersecurity”

Another of the more often seen cybersecurity misconceptions is that if our apps and hardware don’t hold info, we don’t need cyber protection. The fact is that some cybercriminals are not after data. Instead, some of them instal malware that can lock us out of our devices. The theory behind this is that we will not be able to re-access our computers until we pay the ransom of the hacker to do so.

• “Threats are only external”

The competent defence needs just as much a close look at internal personnel and procedures as do the numerous threats by third parties. This is because whether from human negligence or malicious intent, cybersecurity threats are as likely to come from our own business as they are from beyond. Much is also at stake, given that workers are the road to the most confidential information.

• “Cybersecurity is too expensive”

A solid human firewall is one of the most powerful defences against cybercrime and is completely free; aside from maybe spending time designing an IT security strategy and educating personnel as well as Investment in cybersecurity applications will go a long way, and in the case of a cyber threat, it may be our saving grace.

HOW TO PROTECT OUR DATA?

BITS (Benchmark IT Services) one of the best cybersecurity companies in Australia. They educate staff to detect possible cyber-attacks and safeguard their confidential data.  As one of the leading cybersecurity companies in Australia, they’re following all the advanced measures to keep our data safe. Indeed, no defence solution is sophisticated enough to deter all sorts of attacks, but it can be reduced and alerted before anything goes wrong. Their accredited experts work with us to keep your data holdings safe and secure.

Cyber protection is more than just understanding. The best way to put an end to these cybersecurity misconceptions is by preparation and proper cyber-education. By learning how to solve the challenge, we will remain healthy in the digital realm by 2020 and beyond.

      5 WAYS TO INTEGRATE CLOUD APPLICATIONS INTO YOUR BUSINESS

Cloud computing is a popular topic among business owners nowadays. Businesses have been increasingly adapting to this modern day trend. Over the last couple of years, a number of businesses have made various processes easier and more cost-effective because these three aspects, budgets, money, and time are highly valuable for business and market owners, and this is where cloud computing comes into play. Accessing data from anywhere and anytime is made easier with cloud computing. Many major businesses are devoting their budget to new and emerging technologies, of which cloud computing is a big part of. Many benefits to organizations can be made by the integration of cloud computing, this technology helps companies to achieve higher efficiency, making them more adaptable to the ever-changing market conditions.

TYPES OF CLOUD COMPUTING

• Infrastructure as a service – when we choose this service, we get to access the virtual IT infrastructure allows to rent storage capacity, virtual machines, networking, and other modern day resources.
• Platform as a service – Mainly used by development teams as it provides an environment for building web and mobile applications. With this service, programmers can test, develop and deploy software products, while the infrastructure management lies on the cloud provider’s shoulders.
• Software as a service – Covers fully functional software solutions that are managed by a vendor and are available to users upon request through the world-wide web. CRMs, ERPs, customer support tools, etc are few popular products for business.

WAYS HOW INTEGRATING CLOUD APPLICATIONS CAN HELP OUR BUSINESS  

A cloud service application is an organization that offers network services, infrastructure, or business applications out of its data centers that make up its cloud. Over the last ten years, the growth of CSPs has also driven some of the fastest growth in technology segments ranging from servers to switches and Business applications use a cloud service provider which comes in efficiency and economies of scale, which is a huge benefit.

•   Data Backup: The Cloud simplifies the process of data storing by allowing it to update as we work, in more simpler words, automatically. This amazing IT tool creates copies of the data off-site where it will be safe from any malfunction and threats.
•  Mobile Working: What is it?  Mobile working allows small business owners to create fully functional mobile offices and it is one of the great benefits that technology provides us and what’s even better is that he cloud fits in perfectly with this because it helps us to access and sync our data from wherever we are, allowing us to be more flexible.
• Information Sharing: The cloud makes sharing data effortlessly. Once we have data backed up, sharing files can be as easy as sending a link, eliminating the tiring process of emailing large files.
• File Storage: Marketing activities like to use images, audio files, and videos to enhance their business. These files take up a significant part of our disk drive space which can be costly while the cloud on the other hand allows us to shift the storage of large files off of our local system, saving local storage for the files that we need to access every day.
• Growth Planning: The cloud allows businesses to create a plan for growth that utilizes the benefits of the cloud without a significant up-front investment. We can start small and gradually increase the usage over time, paying only for the services and access that we need.

Only a few years ago, large amounts of data was stored in hard drives which were not reliable or secure as they could be accessed by anyone and it would be a real pain in the neck if important and special photos or video game data was lost but now the cloud computing services like google cloud, one drive and many more have replaced hard drive technology, which is safe and secured. There are many companies which provide Cloud computing service and they are very reliable. Benchmark IT services is a cloud solution provider in Australia which is very reliable. Compute power, database storage, content delivery and many other such functions are provided here which helps us to integrate a business. Even if it’s a cloud solution provider in Australia, its services are available worldwide.

In the cloud computing world, AWS or Amazon Web Services has created a revolution. It is available for small to large scale businesses by offering them a complete cloud platform with virtually any workload. It was first introduced in 2003, but officially launched in 2006. With the use of AWS, organizations or individuals can build a sophisticated application, store database, deliver content, and various other functions. If you have a plan to get the license of AWS, understanding both ins and outs of cloud computing is essential.

Advantages-

Easy to Operate

AWS is a user-friendly cloud application. It is easy to operate by both existing and new applicants because of its interactive interface and the AWS Management Console or well-documented web services.

Unlimited Capacity Limits

Almost all organizations deal with a large variety of projects. Now, you can imagine what capacity they will need. AWS helps to meet their capacity at affordable prices.Its flexible services allow businesses to increase or decrease their storage limit as per their requirements. You pay for what you are using.

Speed and Agility

Previously, when we talked to an engineer about how long would it take to hire a server? The answer would be a week at least. With the launch of AWS, the service is provided within a few minutes. You can select your requirements and proceed without talking to anyone because it is flexible and easy. In order to save time, various types of tools on offer by AWS such as Elastic Load Balancing and AutoScaling. Moreover, Amazon Glaciers and AWS EBS provide enough storage.

Secure & Reliable

AWS offers end-to-end approach to secure the work environment. The security groups of AWS are associated with EC2 instances, offering security at the protocol and port access level. Your data is safe in the cloud.

Disadvantages-

Limitation with Amazon EC2
The default limits of AWS on resources are varied from region to region. These resources include volumes, images, and snapshots. However, users can request to exceed the limit.

Limitation in Security
There is some security limitation by AWS that cannot be changed-EC-2 classic- give maximum of 500 per instance and each Security group are allowed a maximum of 100 permissions.

Technical Support Charges
Do you know there are different charges for different AWS services? Charges are divided into three categories- developer, business, and enterprise.

Developer- $29 per month

Business- more than $100 or based on monthly usage

Enterprise- more than $15,000 or monthly usage

If you are looking for cheaper and the best AWS support, BITS, a leading cloud service provider in Australia, will help you. Consult us today.

G Suite is a comprehensive suite of cloud computing, collaboration, and productivity tools developed by Google Cloud. The set of cloud tools allows businesses to store, transfer, and collaborate work effortlessly. The G Suite admin panel is the primary tool that manages your in-depth settings, preferences, and user information. In other words, it is a single place to manage all your G Suite services. Users may face some problems in G Suite Admin login. These problems can be fixed on your own after following a few steps. If you still face difficulty to login, contact your cloud service provider. (BITS is a leading cloud service provider in Australia offering flexible G Suite Business plans.)
Common Admin Login Issues & Their Solutions

1. admin.google.com is for G Suite accounts only. Regular Gmail accounts cannot be used to sign in to this.

If you face the error while trying to login to your G Suite Admin console, you may
be signing with a personal Gmail account (that ends with .gmail.com)
Solution-

• Go to Google Admin Console for which copy the URL- https://admin.google.com
• Press the tab Add Account
• Now, sign in with your G Suite admin address and password (your G Suite or cloud identity.

2.You forget your Cloud Identity account password.

You as an administrator of an enterprise G Suite forget the password. In this situation, don’t panic because solutions are available to fix the issue.

Solution-

Reset your G Suite admin password on your own

• Click on the URL of Google Admin console- https://admin.google.com
• Provide your valid username and then press Next
• Click Forgot Password and follow the wizard

If the admin panel is operated by two persons, with Super Admin Privileges, password is reset the G Suite admin password. Follow the steps of the link-https://support.google.com/a/answer/33319

3.The G Suite admin has left the job and no one has the access of the admin panel.

Solution-

1.The problem can fix if you contact your previous admin to ask the G Suite username and password.

2.If you cannot contact the person, all you need is to fill out the Google admin console login issues form (click  the  link-https://support.google.com/a/contact/recovery_form)
You can contact your G Suite service provider to fill the form on behalf of you and add some recovery options to your G Suite account.