Preparing for AI

by Paulette Duderstadt | Apr 8, 2025 | Uncategorized

Black Bottle IT is exhibiting at the PASBA Event in Clearwater FL May 2025

Black Bottle IT is Joining the PASBA Spring Summit in Clearwater, Helping Firms Prepare for AI.

Prepare for AI Integration and Security

As accounting firms increasingly adopt AI-powered tools for tasks like automated bookkeeping, anomaly detection, and tax preparation, securing these systems becomes critical. The Black Bottle IT team is poised to share with PASBA attendees why the time is now to prepare and implement the following:

Implement strong data governance practices before feeding financial data into AI systems
Verify that AI vendors have robust security measures and compliance certifications
Create clear policies regarding what client data can be processed by AI tools
Regularly audit AI outputs for accuracy and potential security issues
Establish boundaries for AI usage to maintain human oversight of sensitive financial decisions

Strong cybersecurity fundamentals directly impact your AI readiness.

Secure data practices ensure AI systems have clean, protected information to work with, while proper access controls prevent unauthorized AI usage. As accounting AI tools become more sophisticated, your cybersecurity infrastructure will determine how safely and effectively you can leverage these powerful technologies.

Where is your Organization in its Cybersecurity Journey

“The majority of our team is hybrid. We provide cyber awareness training and believe we protect PII well. However, it’s time to renew our cyber insurance, and I’m not sure we can get a new policy because we don’t have written and executable policies and procedures.”

By implementing these cybersecurity practices, you’ll significantly reduce your risk exposure while demonstrating to clients that protecting their financial information is a top priority—whether that information is handled by humans or emerging AI systems.

Contact Black Bottle IT today!

Here’s a link to more information for Accounting Firms about the Spring PASBA Show in Clearwater, FL

We’re Joining the IPPA Spring Summit

by Paulette Duderstadt | Mar 5, 2025 | News

Join Black Bottle IT at IPPA Spring Summit in Vegas!

We’re packing our bags and heading to the City of Lights! Black Bottle IT will be at the #IPPA2025 Spring Summit at Paris Las Vegas in just a few days, and we couldn’t be more excited to connect with payroll professionals like you.

Is your cybersecurity as lucky as finding a four-leaf clover? Or could your protection use a little more than luck? Either way, we’d love to chat about keeping your sensitive payroll data secure in today’s challenging threat landscape.

Visit us at Booth 112 where we’ll be handing out some lucky swag and sharing our expertise in cybersecurity solutions tailored specifically for payroll companies.

Don’t leave your security to chance! Take our 10-Question Quiz to find our your rate your cyber posture – below average, average, about average.

Stop by our booth to learn how Black Bottle IT can help protect your most valuable assets. We’d be “lucky” to connect with you and learn more about your business needs.

See you in Vegas! 🍀

Try Your Luck at our Cyber Quiz

Make it Harder for Hackers to Intrude

by Paulette Duderstadt | Sep 8, 2024 | Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Awareness

Implementing strong password policies is crucial for protecting business systems. If you think this best practice does not apply to your business, what would you say and do if your employees’ and customers’ personal information were stolen?

Here’s a more detailed breakdown on the best practices to fight modern-day intrusions.

Require complex passwords:

Set minimum length requirements (e.g., at least 12 characters)
Mandate a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters
Prohibit common words, phrases, or easily guessable information (like birthdates)
Consider using passphrases instead of single words

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA):

Require a second form of verification beyond passwords

Options include:

SMS codes (though less secure than other methods)
Authenticator apps (like Google Authenticator or Authy)
Hardware tokens (such as YubiKeys)
Biometric verification (fingerprints, facial recognition)

Apply MFA to all critical systems and accounts, especially those with administrative access

Use password managers:

Encourage or require employees to use reputable password management tools
These tools generate and store strong, unique passwords for each account
Reduces the risk of password reuse across multiple accounts
Some options include LastPass, 1Password, or Bitwarden

Implement password rotation policies:

Require password changes at regular intervals (e.g., every 90 days)
Prevent reuse of recent passwords
Monitor for compromised credentials:
Use services that check if employee email addresses or passwords have been exposed in known data breaches
Require immediate password changes if compromised credentials are detected

Implement account lockout policies:

Lock accounts after a certain number of failed login attempts
This helps prevent brute-force attacks

Use single sign-on (SSO) for multiple applications:

Reduces the number of passwords employees need to remember
Allows for centralized control and monitoring of access

By implementing these robust password policies, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access to their systems, making it much harder for hackers to intrude when you are at work and away!

Black Bottle IT would love to learn more about your work environment and provide an assessment for a modern-day cybersecurity solution. Contact us today!

Data Data Everywhere. How Will You Protect Your Law Firm From Data Theft?

by Paulette Duderstadt | Dec 7, 2023 | Complaince, Uncategorized

Data Data Everywhere. How Will You Protect Your Law Firm From Data Theft?

Cybersecurity is paramount for law firms due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the information they handle.

Law firms are among industries scrambling to keep up with an increasingly unsafe cyber landscape. The rate of global weekly cyberattacks rose by 7% in the first financial quarter of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022, according to an April report by cybersecurity firm Checkpoint Research.

Organizations faced an average of 1,248 attacks a week, Checkpoint found. One out of every 40 of the attacks targeted a law firm or insurance provider, the report said.

More than a quarter of law firms in a 2022 American Bar Association survey said they had experienced a data breach, up 2% from the previous year.

Here are several reasons why cybersecurity is crucial for law firms

Client Confidentiality: Law firms deal with highly confidential information, including client communications, legal strategies, and sensitive documents. A breach of this information could harm the firm’s reputation and lead to legal consequences.

Data Protection Compliance: Many jurisdictions have strict data protection laws that mandate organizations to protect the personal information of their clients and employees. Law firms must comply with these regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States.

Intellectual Property Protection: Law firms often handle intellectual property cases, and their intellectual property, such as legal precedents and strategies, is valuable. Remember, cybercriminals just want to get their hands on any sensitive information, and law firms must work with a third party who can monitor and protect against unauthorized access.

Financial Transactions: Law firms manage financial transactions for clients, which involves handling financial data. A breach could lead to financial loss, identity theft, or fraud.

Reputation Management: A cybersecurity breach can severely damage a law firm’s reputation. Clients trust law firms with their sensitive information, and a breach can erode that trust and lead to lost business.

Competitive Advantage: Law firms prioritizing cybersecurity are committed to protecting client interests. This can be a competitive advantage, attracting clients who prioritize security and confidentiality in their legal representation.

Ethical and Professional Responsibilities: Legal professionals are responsible for protecting client information. Failing to implement adequate cybersecurity measures could be seen as a violation of these responsibilities.

Operational Continuity: Cybersecurity is not just about preventing unauthorized access but also ensuring the availability and integrity of systems and data. A cyberattack can disrupt operations, and having robust cybersecurity measures in place helps ensure business continuity.

Client Trust and Confidence: Clients expect their law firms to handle their cases professionally and securely. Demonstrating a commitment to cybersecurity helps build and maintain client trust and confidence.

Legal Liability: In a cybersecurity breach, law firms may face legal consequences and liabilities. This could include lawsuits from clients whose information was compromised or regulatory fines for non-compliance with data protection laws.

The stakes are too high! Cybersecurity is essential for law firms to protect the confidentiality of client information, comply with data protection regulations, safeguard intellectual property, maintain their reputation, and fulfill ethical and professional responsibilities.

By budgeting, investing time and resources, and partnering with a Cybersecurity Consultant, you will sleep better at night as a business owner or partner.

Get started by understanding your gaps in cybersecurity.

Take our 5-minute Gap Cyber Risk Assessment Today!

Take the Gap Cyber Risk Assessment

The Difference Between Passwords, Fingerprint, MFA

by Paulette Duderstadt | Sep 26, 2023 | Cybersecurity

How Likely will Your Business be Compromised without MFA?

MFA: strengthens your security posture and protects you from phishing attempts and compromised passwords.

According to Microsoft, your business is 99% less likely to get hacked with MFA implemented.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the ideal time to implement MFA.

When we hear that MFA is annoying, expensive or not secure, our answer is, “Is a breach not more annoying as it will most likely shut down your business for a period of time, costing your business thousands of dollars And, how’s about your reputation with customers?”

Black Bottle IT offers MFA as part of our comprehensive solution to make implementing it fast, easy, and cost-effective for organizations of all sizes. We aim to make MFA easy and affordable so that it becomes pervasive and every organization can benefit from the added protection.

Talk with an Expert!