RiverTrail Technology Blog

Antivirus used to be the gold standard for network security. It worked like a digital “most wanted” list, catching viruses, malware, and other threats by working off a list of known threat definitions. That was well and good over a decade ago, but these days, threats change so quickly that they don’t stay on that list for long. So what's a modern business supposed to do against rapidly changing threats?

We recommend you make the shift to Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). Here’s how you can do just that.

When I talk to business owners about cybersecurity, I try to stay away from the doom and gloom scripts that most IT companies use to sell expensive software. But I do believe in being honest about the stakes.

Historically, there is a statistic that has been floating around for years: 60% of small businesses close their doors within six months of a major data breach. As we sit here in 2026, that number isn't just a scare tactic; it’s a reflection of how expensive and exhausting a recovery actually is.

The digital makeup of almost every business has shifted significantly over the past couple of years. Cyber insurance was once an optional add-on—something you bought just in case. In 2026, it is a requirement for staying in business. But there is a catch that most business owners are missing: just because you are willing to pay the premium does not mean an insurance company is willing to take your money.

Imagine a cyberattack has successfully infiltrated your network. While having a data backup is the standard recovery method, this strategy fails if the attacker prioritizes the deletion of your backup files before deploying ransomware.

Traditional data backups are an essential part of security, but they possess a significant vulnerability: they can be modified or erased by anyone with high-level access. To address this, businesses should implement immutable backups.

What would you do if you came to work one morning only to find your entire network infrastructure was encrypted by ransomware? For many businesses, this isn’t a hypothetical; they’ve lived through it and can attest to the financial setbacks and permanent data loss that can result. Depending on how well you’ve prepared, your business could be set back weeks, months, or even years… but it doesn’t have to be this way.

You wouldn’t toss your business’ secrets in the trash; so why do it with your old devices? As your company upgrades its technology, those retired tablets, keyboards, and headphones might seem like clutter, but they’re packed with sensitive data and environmental risks. Safely disposing of old hardware is the final, crucial step in your data protection strategy.

It’s remarkably easy to accidentally leave your important data in view of danger. Despite the remarkable advances in security and business’ ambitions to implement them as soon as possible, sometimes it’s more important to remember the basics—the hidden vulnerabilities that software patches and updates can’t fix. We’re talking, of course, about your physical infrastructure, and how it’s an entirely different beast compared to cybersecurity.

Your business tools might work well on their own, but how do they hold up when you look at how they interact with one another? Implementing solutions based on synergy can unlock various benefits for your business, including a more functional and streamlined operational infrastructure. To showcase this, we have three solutions that work fine on their own, but even better with each other: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Building a business is hard work, but protecting it shouldn’t be. When people talk about business technology, they usually focus on the flashy stuff: new computers, faster software, or sleek gadgets. But there is a massive difference between technology that looks cool and technology that actually works when things go wrong.

The most important question any business owner can ask is: If my office caught fire or my systems were hacked tomorrow, could my business survive?

When it comes to onboarding, every business owner knows that the first days, weeks, and months are the most critical. They set the standard for what the employee can expect during their tenure with your business. But more than that, employers today have security standards to worry about, as well as indoctrinating new hires into what is hopefully a security-first company culture.

Most employees look at multi-factor authentication as an inconvenience, despite knowing that it’s in the company’s best interest to use it. However, the innovation of SIM swapping has left one of the most common methods of MFA, SMS authentication, in a precarious situation. With these types of hacks, cybercriminals don’t need access to your phone; all they need to do is trick customer service into porting your phone number to a new device in their possession.

Bluetooth was named after King Harald Bluetooth Gormsson, a 10th-century monarch who famously united the disparate tribes of Scandinavia. Today, that namesake technology performs a similar feat, uniting our laptops, phones, and peripherals into a seamless ecosystem.

But as the saying goes, walls have ears, and in the case of a new vulnerability, your headphones might, too.

What if you decided to turn to an AI program for assistance with something—let’s say a client proposal—only to discover, in the middle of signing the contract, that the AI had made up and included a half-off discount on the very thing that brought you most of your profit?

While hopefully hypothetical, this scenario can easily happen. So, while AI can be and often is a serious asset to business productivity, this is only the case when you are also paying attention. Let’s consider a few shortcomings that you avoid with the help of your human employees running interference. 

It is easy to treat AI like a magic black box: you put a prompt in, and a miracle comes out. But behind the scenes, there is a massive difference in how that box handles your data.

If you aren't distinguishing between Public and Private AI, you might accidentally be broadcasting your company’s trade secrets to the entire world. Here is what you need to know to keep your data under lock and key while still reaping the benefits of automation.

Does your business look at its Point of Sale (POS) system as a simple digital cash register? In reality, it’s the centralized system that keeps your business running. When it works, it works, but when it doesn’t, your entire business could grind to a halt. These systems are much more complex than they used to be, so we want to help you adjust by addressing the five greatest challenges that your business will face with its modern POS system.

For technology professionals, supporting small businesses is a constant balance between high-stakes problem-solving and strategic frustration. While tools are more accessible than ever, the gap between owning technology and utilizing it correctly remains a primary point of contention. As we move through 2026, IT experts are focusing on four critical areas where businesses must evolve.

In the IT world, hoping your backups work is a recipe for disaster. From a pro perspective, a backup that hasn't been tested is just a pile of useless data. We’ve moved past the days of just saving files to a thumb drive; today, it's about business continuity, making sure a company doesn't go bankrupt because a server died or a hacker got in.

If you want to keep a business alive, you need to know these three points.

Bad habits can have detrimental effects on your overall life. For example, if every night at four in the morning, you snuck into the kitchen to eat a few spoonfuls of uncooked Pillsbury Cookie Dough right out of the tube from the back of the refrigerator, you’d probably be doing more harm than good to your health without really getting that much enjoyment out of the act. Cybersecurity bad habits might save you a few seconds of time each day, but they can come back to bite you.

Ignoring cybersecurity best practices is about as useful as getting good at hiding that Pillsbury Cookie Dough wrapper in the bottom of the trash so nobody realizes it’s gone.

All joking aside, you are personally responsible for your own cybersecurity, and keeping yourself safe online, whether that be at home with your personal accounts, or at work, is extremely important. It doesn’t take a lot of effort either, it just takes good habits.

Let’s go over a few things you can do to save yourself from a lot of headaches down the road.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but when it comes to cybersecurity threats it’s kind of hard not to be. I used to look at it from two sides; one side is fascinated at the innovation and intensely brutal ways that high-end cyberattacks work, and the other side of me loses sleep at night worrying about these risks affecting our clients, prospects, and even my own business. This one particular classification of cyberattack, however, takes the cake for being especially frightening.

As the year winds down, it’s time to start looking at the next 12 months and what the year could mean for local organizations. It’s likely that most businesses are putting together their operational plans and marketing budgets, and all of that is certainly important, but there are some major situations at play that could cause your business to suffer from major losses and rack up huge expenses if decision-makers aren’t prepared for it.