Volume III, Issue 12 (December, 2017)

Posted December 12, 2017

Best Practices Corner

Saving money – always a best practice!

Of all the best practices one can have for the IT industry, perhaps the universal one would be “save money on equivalent services.” Verus has long offered this to customers through purchases of pre-paid block time. This offering has allowed customers to save between 5 to 12 percent on labor rates, depending upon the number of hours purchased.

But what you might not be aware of is that these pre-paid blocks can also be used for flat-fee projects with Verus. In other words, if you have a project with Verus that requires a flat fee labor charge, you can purchase a block of time to cover the cost at a savings between 5 to 12 percent. So whether your project is being done on a per hour basis, or flat fee, the savings can be realized by you.

And now through December 31, 2017, you can save even more money on all pre-paid blocks of $15,000 and over. That’s right, instead of the normal 5 to 12 percent savings, you can realize an additional 2.5 percent in savings just by signing up before the end of the year. This means that if you have any money left in your 2017 fiscal budget that you don’t know how to spend, if you’re planning to utilize Verus professional services in 2018, you can buy now and save later.

If you’d like to take advantage of this great deal, contact your sales representative today, or email sales@veruscorp.com, or call 763.354.2200.

News & Notes

Verus joins Denver and Seattle Exchanges

As you may have seen in our press release that was distributed last week, Verus has joined in to the Seattle Internet Exchange (SIX) and Interconnect Exchange-Denver (IX-Denver), adding to our connection to Minnesota Internet Cooperative Exchange (MICE). While this might seem confusing in terms of what it means for Verus hosted customers, or those using Verus as an ISP, it really means that you’ve got lower latency and faster speeds when connecting to certain spots on the Internet.

Your data packets have more routes as options, and if the packet is coming from a commonly popular company like Microsoft, Google, et al, then you’ll have improved performance. This is just one more value-add Verus is doing to help provide the best service we can to you, our customer. To read the press release, please click here.

Verus recommends WatchGuard Fireware update
in Q1 2018 to keep receiving AV updates

WatchGuard has made it known that their Fireware 12.0.1 is now available, and Verus highly recommends you update sometime in the first quarter of 2018 or sooner in order to avoid not receiving AV updates to your fireboxes. The AV engine in the fireboxes have changed, and failure to update to 12.0.1 could leave you vulnerable. If you’d like Verus to help you get you upgraded to 12.0.1, contact your sales representative, or email sales@veruscorp.com or call 763.354.2200.

For more information on specifics, please visit this page on the WatchGuard website for updated information.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER CUSTOMER SURVEY DRAWING WINNERS ANNOUNCED –
DON’T MISS OUT ON YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

In a continued effort to improve our customer service and technical skills at Verus, we are please to announce the winner of the October and November monthly customer service survey drawing. Congratulations to Dave Wald of Central Power Distributors, and Angie Little of Brenk Brothers!

Each month, Verus does a random drawing of all customers who filled out the customer satisfaction survey in that month, and the winner receives a prize worth $50 – whether that’s a drone, a personal firewall, a gift card to a local business – the prizes will change each month to keep people interested.

Industry News

WatchGuard Security Predictions for 2018: IoT Botnet attacks on the rise, Governments will respond

WatchGuard CTO Corey Nachreiner released his Security Predictions for 2018, and he believes that a major Internet of Things (IoT) botnet attack in 2018 will force governments to finally address this issue through regulations. Attackers have already started improving on the Mirai source code, which will mean larger and stronger botnets in 2018. For example, the Reaper botnet actively exploits common vulnerabilities in IoT devices to gain access to the devices instead of relying on a hard-coded credential list. Be on the watch for a major IoT botnet attack in 2018 that finally causes governments to address IoT security. Potential IoT device regulations will most likely affect manufacturers of consumer-grade IoT devices first, since the end users of these products don’t have the knowledge to secure their own devices. These regulations will likely mirror similar liability-oriented regulations in other industries, where the manufacturer is held at least partially accountable for flaws in their products. To see Corey’s prediction on IoT Botnets, visit here.

Arris closes Ruckus acquisition

Arris closed its acquisition of the Ruckus Wireless and ICX Switch business from Broadcom on Friday, December 1, an agreement that wraps up about two weeks after Broadcom completed its merger with Brocade. Dan Rabinovitsj, previously COO of Ruckus Wireless, now heads a new Arris Enterprise Networks business segment. Ruckus Networks, an Arris company, will operate as a dedicated business under the Enterprise Networks unit. About 1,700 Ruckus Wireless and ICX Switch Business employees are joining Arris. “Given the cult-like following around the Ruckus brand, we didn’t want to see that disappear for obvious reasons,” Rabinovitsj said in a video that Arris posted with him and Arris CEO Bruce McClelland. “What we’re doing with the brand actually creates exactly the right set-up, so going forward people will be associating …this is still the Ruckus brand in the enterprise market.” The acquisition plunges Arris, which had been offering Ruckus products under a previous reseller agreement, more deeply into the wireless and mobile technology and services sector at a time when many of its top cable customers, including Comcast and Charter Communications, are likewise expanding into those service areas.

Food For Thought

Bacon Mushroom Turkey Roulade gives an alternate option for Holiday meal

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless turkey breasts (3 1/2–4 lbs. total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. canola oil

Bacon-Mushroom Filling

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 lb. assorted mushrooms, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1/3 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 c. dry white wine
3 tbsp. seasoned breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and fit with a wire rack.
Prepare Turkey: Butterfly breasts crosswise, being sure not to cut all the way through. Place a piece of plastic wrap over one open breast, and pound to a rectangle about 12″-x-14″ (1/4″ thick). Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining breast.
Make Filling: Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon, pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons drippings. Add mushrooms to drippings; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add scallions and parsley; cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine; cook until wine evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble Roulade: Spread half of desired filling onto one breast, pressing to adhere. Tightly roll from one long side and secure with butcher’s twine. Tuck ends under and tie lengthwise with butcher’s twine. Repeat with remaining breast and filling. Rub roulades with oil, dividing evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake on prepared baking sheet until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165 degrees F, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

GOOD MEDICINE

DSIAdmin