Month: April 2024

It’s hard to believe we are celebrating our 20^th year!  20 years supporting our clients, providing them with industry leading technologies and a 5-star service.  Ahead of our celebration events in May we thought we share 20 nuggets of information that you might not know about us.

1. It’s all about you!  Like McFly’s 2005 No1 single – All About You, our ethos here at Leaf is that it’s all about you, our clients.  Ensuring you get trusted advice and solutions, backed by our 5-star service to help your business prosper and grow.
2. A cloudy outlook is not always a bad thing.  Did you know we have helped over 8000 users migrate to the cloud?
3. A quick call can be all it takes.  In 2023, 80% of our tickets were closed with less than 1 hour of billable time required.
4. We’re all in this together.  Having partnerships with industry leading vendors and distributors is key to our offering to you.
5. Those who can’t do, learn.  Training and development are a cornerstone of our business, ensuring our staff are trained to meet the needs of a fast-moving environment.
6. A century of experience.  Yes, we might only be 20 years young, but did you know that from our founder Steven down to our latest team member we have a combined 140+ years of service with Leaf.
7. Fun fun fun with a capital F.  Providing industry leading managed services is a serious business, sometimes we need to let our hair down and we do that with quarterly nights out and events, from axe throwing to caving, we’ve had some fun!
8. And the Award goes to…  2023 saw us win the ConnectWise Cyber Security Partner of the Year award, you might not know that, we don’t like to make a big deal of it😊
9. You will you will!  If we had our own Mrs Doyle looking after us, she’d be busy as we go through roughly 2000 cups of tea and coffee each month.
10. Giving is in our nature.  Leaf supports multiple charities across the country and our staff get involved in events to help raise much needed funds.  From marathons to bakes sales and even this year a team abseil down the Europa.  It’s all part of who we are.
11. You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream.  Did you know that during the summer months we keep a freezer stocked with delicious frozen treats.
12. Roll Up, Roll Up.  2024 is set to be our busiest year running client events.  We’ll continue this trend to help educate you on the latest technologies whilst giving you a reason to get away from your desk for an hour or 2.
13. The road less travelled!  We aim to resolve 95% of your IT issues remotely, helping us cut emissions whilst getting your issue sorted quickly and efficiently.
14. If music be the food of love play on.  Our CEO and Founder Steven has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of all the hits from the past few decades.  He can give you the release year, artist, song title and even a few bars in his dulcet tones.
15. Your Break!  We have our very own pool table for break/lunchtime use.
16. Many happy returns, did you know our team members get their Birthday off!
17. One Size does not fit all!  At Leaf we won’t try to force you down a standardised path, we’ll listen to your business needs and develop a solution with you that fits your business.
18. Geek Alert!  Yes, we’ll unashamedly admit it, we are geeks.  We need to be to help you get the best from your IT, but we won’t bombard you with geek speak.  Unless you want us to!
19. We are family!  That’s right, we think of Leaf as our 2^nd family, creating a welcoming and nurturing staff environment is what has led to our high staff retention as mentioned in point 6.
20. Pineapple does belong on pizza.  Controversial though it may be we can say from our many pizza themed lunches that its true.  Anchovies on the other hand, that’s only for Ninja Turtles!

So there you have it, well done for making it to the end and hopefully these 20 gems have helped you understand a bit more about Leaf and perhaps even brought a smile or a chuckle.  20 years is a big milestone, and we look forward to bringing you 20 more gems in 2044!

In today’s digital landscape, the battle against cyber threats is more critical than ever. As technology advances, so do the tactics of cybercriminals. The SonicWall Cybersecurity Report 2024, recently released by SonicWall, provides invaluable insights into the evolving cyberattack landscape and offers actionable strategies to fortify your defences.

Summary: A Surge in Cyberattacks

The 2023 cybersecurity landscape witnessed a staggering increase in cyberattacks across various metrics, underscoring the relentless efforts of threat actors to exploit vulnerabilities. SonicWall’s comprehensive research captured this surge, highlighting significant trends and emerging threats.

Key Trends: Acceleration and Innovation

One notable trend observed in the report was the acceleration of cyberattacks. Malware instances surged by 11%, encrypted threats skyrocketed by 117%, and cryptojacking saw a staggering 659% increase. Despite the anticipation of new malware strains accompanying rising attack volumes, SonicWall uncovered a surprising decline of 38% in never-before-seen malware sections.

While bad actors stuck to traditional methods, they displayed innovation in their approaches. SonicWall identified new threat vectors, such as Microsoft OneNote files, alongside large-scale campaigns targeting vulnerabilities in WinRAR and MOVEit. Additionally, phishing campaigns evolved, leveraging highly convincing replicas of Microsoft Outlook and American Express login pages, as well as QR codes to bypass file scanning technologies.

Looking Ahead: The Future Threat Landscape

As businesses brace themselves for the evolving threat landscape, the adoption of generative AI technology by threat actors poses new challenges. From sophisticated phishing attempts to Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, the use of AI enhances the efficacy of cyber threats. However, AI also holds promise as a defensive tool, empowering cybersecurity defenders to detect and mitigate attacks effectively.

Empowering Your Cybersecurity Defence

In light of these insights, it’s crucial for businesses to bolster their cybersecurity posture. Here are actionable steps to enhance your defense mechanisms:

• Enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Enhance authentication security by requiring additional verification beyond passwords.
• Patch Promptly: Regularly update software and systems to mitigate vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of exploitation.
• Conduct Regular Security Assessments: Identify and address vulnerabilities proactively through comprehensive security assessments.
• Invest in Ongoing Security Training: Educate employees on cybersecurity best practices to foster a vigilant workforce capable of identifying and reporting potential threats.
• Scan Encrypted Traffic: Implement solutions capable of detecting and inspecting encrypted traffic to thwart malicious activities.
• Extend Protection to the Cloud: Embrace Security Service Edge (SSE) and Zero-Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) to safeguard data and workflows in hybrid environments.
• Leaf IT: Your Trusted Cybersecurity Partner

At Leaf IT, we understand the importance of robust cybersecurity solutions in safeguarding your business against cyber threats. Through our near 20 year strategic partnership with SonicWall, we offer comprehensive security solutions tailored to your business needs.

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, our collaboration with SonicWall ensures that you stay ahead of evolving threats, safeguarding your data and operations.

Get Ahead with SonicWall

To delve deeper into the insights provided by the SonicWall Cybersecurity Report 2024, download the full report or reach out to us for a free consultation. Contact us today at +44 2890 897650 or email hello@leaf-it.com.