It's spring time
The grass is green, geese are molting and sprouting new feathers, and Creative Goose has a shiny new web site and new service offerings to talk about!
The big news around here is our new Managed Service offering: Apple Support Packages. For many years, I've taught people that "if it works, don't fix it." Unfortunately, that advice is no longer wise in the age of computer viruses and malicious software (collectively, malware). There are real threats out there and they are coming for us Mac users -- and unless we take some precautions, we are kind of sitting ducks (please to pardon the pun).
The need to be proactive
For years, Windows users have had to run various anti-virus programs before they can just wade out onto the web, lest they should pick up unwanted software, spyware, and crypto viruses. Nowadays, many threat actors are using internet-specific malware that doesn't care if you're running a Mac or a PC. There are several proof-of-concept Crypto Viruses making the rounds, engineered specifically for Macs. These can come from emails, maliciously crafted websites, and even text messages; there is no easy way to avoid them just by "being careful." Apple has -- and continues to -- release a litany of security support updates in an effort to protect users, and it is more important than ever before to apply those, and punctually. Finally, the best defense for computer data is of course a good backup -- or more than one.
Taking on the problem
Our new service offering -- our Apple Support Packages product -- is actually a 3-pronged proactive defense initiative. Nor are we going it alone here; we've leveraged some of the best-of-breed programs and partners to create this offering:
- System Monitoring and Automatic Patches. Addigy professional monitoring keeps track of your system versions and all the "updates" that come from Apple, and makes sure they are applied regularly. It monitors disk space, firewall status, and several other key metrics; it also keeps popular software like Microsoft Office and Zoom up-to-date for you, on a weekly basis. If any problems are identified, in alerts us here at Creative Goose so we can work with you to address the problem.
- MalwareBytes enterprise-grade endpoint protection software is the next-generation malware product for Macs. This software is proactively monitored by MalwareBytes; as new threats are discovered it is automatically updated. Further, MalwareBytes identifies suspicious activity on your system -- such as mass encryption of files -- and can stop such activity before it is too late.
- We've long recommended BackBlaze as an off-site backup regimen that securely copies encrypted copies of your data to multiple destinations, and locks it down. Should the worst happen and a Crypto virus or other malady compromises your data, BackBlaze has you covered: it's all safely stored off-site in a read-only format. With our new offering, BackBlaze is built-in and we monitor it; if your backups stop for any reason, you'll be notified. BackBlaze's protection can be extended to a full year of data retention for extra safety, too.
We're excited and frankly relieved to be offering this new level of protection, and we hope all our existing customers will embrace it. For those that do, I'm even reducing my service rate for both remote and on-site visits! The entire computer support industry has been switching over to a Managed Service model for years now, and Creative Goose is late to implement this change. MSP customers will always be given priority access to our time, and customers wishing to remain solely on an "as needed" break-fix service model will pay a higher rate. Our rates for the monthly subscription and also for labor remain highly competitive, but our mission remains unchanged: to provide the highest level service and support to small-business customers and individuals who rely on the best technology in the world.