ANN ARBOR, MI – July 22, 2022 – UTEC, a leading managed technology services provider (MTSP), recently announced that they are protecting small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) with their innovative new AI (Artificial Intelligence) anti-phishing technology which is designed to protect businesses from cyberattacks through the most prevalent tactic, email phishing. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to get individuals to reveal personal information, such as company data, passwords or credit card numbers.

            Business owners across have been hearing about the substantial increase in cybercrime in recent years with many attacks successfully breaching major infrastructure systems and gaining mainstream media exposure. While some cybercriminals prefer to target larger organizations, many of those organizations have responded by investing heavily into cybersecurity solutions to fortify their defenses to such a high level that they become less appealing targets. As those larger companies form a stronger “barrier to breach,” cybercriminals have shifted their focus to smaller businesses who possess very weak infrastructure and little to no cybersecurity. However, UTEC is taking a stand against these threats by deploying new AI-based solutions, like their anti-phishing technology, to protect the inboxes, identities and futures of small businesses.

            “Unfortunately, human error is one of the leading reasons that a business is affected by cybercrime,” stated Les Harris, Dir of Sales for Advanced Technology & Services of UTEC. “While employee education and awareness training is always beneficial, after protecting SMBs for years, we’ve found that one of the fastest, most effective and easy-to-implement ways to minimize organizational risk significantly is to limit employee access to phishing emails in the first place. When you automatically filter out suspicious-looking emails from ever reaching your employees you remove the possibility of human error altogether. One of the reasons an AI-powered solution is so important here is because your app is constantly learning from the aggregate data, becoming smarter and more efficient every second that you have it turned on. We generally explain the difficult to quantify, yet unmistakably powerful capability of AI by asking people if they’ve ever played chess against their computer on the ‘Hard’ level. How many times have you beaten it on “Expert” mode. That’s basically what our cybersecurity solutions are all focused on achieving for our customers.”

            It turns out that the data supports UTEC’s approach in that, “43% percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves,” according to Accenture. From a business owner’s standpoint, the risk simply outweighs the reward, in that most organizations (60%) go out of business within 6 months, according to Inc.com.

            Fortunately, the costs to secure your organization are nominal in comparison to the liability they instantly eliminate, not to mention the “peace of mind” that business owners gain by addressing this directly. While phishing is the most common form of attack it’s also prudent to ensure that your cybersecurity solution also protects you from malware, data loss, anomalies, and other methods of cyberattack. “Another key differentiator to look for in any malware or phishing defense tool you want to use is to make sure that your defense system is one that is invisible to hackers. You want to add in as many layers of security as you can to increase the amount of friction a hacker must endure to breach your company. This increases their likelihood of just looking elsewhere for a weaker infrastructure to target. However, each organization has different risk factors, budget considerations and levels of exposure, all of which must be tailored to fit the organization’s needs in the most appropriate manner,” closed Harris.

ABOUT UTEC

                 UTEC was established in 1975 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. UTEC is a growing company recognized as a leader in office and information technology solutions and services. They offer state-of-the-art products and unwavering customer service that has helped grow and expand their operations throughout Michigan. UTEC employs a staff of over 30 people and provides the following products and services: a variety of IT solutions, including managed network capabilities, multi-function printers & copiers, managed print services, VoIP phone systems, digital and interactive displays, document management solutions, thermal imaging kiosks, postage meters, and mailing solutions. They can attribute much of their growth over the past several years by specializing in customized IT and Smart Office Solutions.

     UTEC's focus extends beyond the products and services they offer. They are dedicated to supporting the local communities they operate, including many non-profit organizations, Chambers of Commerce, high school and collegiate academics, and athletics.

     For more information on UTEC's business products and services, contact UTEC, 1995 Highland Drive, Suite. C, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. For online company and product information, visit our website at www.utecit.com.