As companies and government agencies send their employees home to avoid contact with the coronavirus, many cyber-security teams are facing the unenviable challenge of securing sprawling, vulnerable networks.

Every time an employee connects to their corporate network from home, they’re creating possible access points for hackers to exploit. Here are some tips that can help your business...

Risks: What are the current risks for data intrusion, theft, and hijacking?
Today’s information highway is ripe with potentially catastrophic exposures from:

• Hackers scanning the internet every 4 hours exposing system weaknesses.
• Employees being tricked into opening false and clever phishing emails
• Infected personal devices transferring outside problems into your business

Repercussions: What happens when someone has access to my company and client data?
A targeted attack on your business damages your bottom line in many ways including:

• Downtime – lost data equals lost revenue by stopping workflow, production, and increasing exposure to costly regulatory fines. 
• Reputation – Customer trust is hard to earn and even harder to repair
• Devastation – 52% of businesses fail to survive a catastrophic data loss.

Prevention – What can I do to make it harder for my data to be accessed by unauthorized people?
The number one way to prevent invasion of your business data is to be prepared by:

• Backing up, monitoring and testing data and its recovery
• Ensuring strong and unique passwords to avoid the 1,500 data breaches and 1 BILLION passwords stolen yearly
• Controlling who has privileged authorization to your system
• Building a multiple layered network security system that keeps threats at a distance where they are caught and disarmed 

 
Protection – What can I do if my data does get hacked or stolen?
The number one way to protect your business from liability, is to get a Cyber-liability insurance policy. This type of coverage will help to:

• Liability: Covers defense costs, settlements, judgments and, sometimes, punitive damages incurred by a company as a result of a data breach event.
• Loss/Data Corruption: Covers damage to, or destruction of, valuable information assets as a result of viruses, malicious code and Trojan horses.
• Business Interruption: Covers loss of business income as a result of an attack on a company’s network that limits its ability to conduct business, such as a denial- of-service computer attack. Coverage also includes extra expenses, forensic expenses and dependent business interruption.

For More Information on Data Protection Contact:
Agile Enterprise Management

For More information On Cyber Liability Insurance:
Text/phone: 714-900-2363.

When employees are unable to work because of a disabling injury or illness, Short-Term Disability Insurance helps by replacing part of their income.

An employee’s savings might not be enough if an illness, injury or pregnancy keeps them out of work beyond their paid sick days. Short-term disability insurance (STD) helps protect employee income during extended work absences and can help employees pay the bills when they cannot work due to a covered claim.

Short-term disability insurance replaces a portion of an employee’s income for covered illnesses and injuries sustained outside of work.

• Various benefit start dates, including first day injury
  
• Benefit durations up to 52 weeks
  
• Benefit amounts that include 50%-67% of income loss
  

Contact Us to help your employees get covered now.
Call or Text: 714-900-2363

CalSavers is California’s new retirement savings program for workers in the private sector who do not currently have a way to save at work.

Eligible employers with at least five employees that do not already have an employer-sponsored retirement plan will be required to begin offering one via the private market or provide their employees with access to CalSavers by the following deadlines: 

• Over 100 employees – September 30, 2020
  
• Over 50 employees – June 30, 2021
  
• Five or more employees – June 30, 2022
  

The cost of CalSavers investments (consisting of an underlying fund fee, a state fee, and a program administration fee) could be approximately twice the cost of a typical 401(k) investment.

Please contact us for more information on starting a company retirement plan that works best for you and your business.

Thorough documentation is a critical part of performance management. It’s also a vital component when building an employer’s defense against complaints. While an absence of documentation can be devastating to an employer’s defense, poorly written documentation can be just as damaging. And how do you document performance when managing remotely. Learn WHAT to say and HOW to frame the feedback message to correct performance deficiencies and if necessary provide a legal basis for discipline.
WhenMonday, May 4, from 2:15pm - 3:15pm PT
WhereOnline Webinar

**Free for EVERYONE

This presentation will explore:

• Review and discussion of the 5 tips for effective documentation
  

 Click Here to Register! 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - For Business Owners  in Brea, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach

For those businesses that are working hard to keep their employees, you need to know that Group Health Insurance Plans are available in your area that may save you thousands of dollars a month in premiums and reduce your overhead costs.  With little or no change in amount of benefits, you could start saving as soon as May 1.

There are new benefits options available in these cities, that can reduce costs of benefits compared to Kaiser, Blue Shield, Health Net and United Healthcare plans with similar benefits, with improvements as follows:

1. Lower Overhead Costs by Thousands of Dollars, NOW.
2. Employees on the plan are 100% Covered for COVID-19 Related Treatments, with No Co-Payments.
3. Plans designed with Similar level of Benefits to your current coverage.
4. Good Hospital Networks: Hoag, St. Jude, St Joe's, Mission, Placentia Linda, Providence, UCLA, Keck-USC, Los Alamitos and More.
5. Easy, Online Enrollment for Company and Employees.

A Small Change in your health and Benefits Plan Now, can help the company with thousands of savings over the next 12 months.

Contact Us ASAP for more information:
Call or Text: 714-900-2363
- OR -
Schedule a 10 Minute Phone Call Here

From Our Friends at Accrew Bookkeeping...

An interactive workshop on how to keep businessing when the world is not business as usual.
Sign up to join here: https://bit.ly/2Vw6mK8

As business owners, we’ve felt overwhelmed by the information coming at us on a daily basis. There are new rules and opportunities like never before, but it’s hard to sift through to get practical steps to take.
That’s why we’re providing a weekly workshop to help businesses get information quickly and questions answered so they can apply it in their business today.
This week, Joe Gutierrez will be going over the PPP and EIDL loans and how to navigate them.
Sign up to join here: https://bit.ly/2Vw6mK8

A recent announcement form OSCAR Health explains that all care related to COVID-19 or Coronavirus will be covered in full.  See the announcement below.

We’ve got the latest information on what you need to know—and some myths you should ignore.As the new coronavirus continues to spread, it’s important to reduce risk by educating yourself and your family about the facts. (After all, knowing the facts can help reduce anxiety.) There’s plenty of conflicting, misleading, and confusing information out there, with false rumors and bad advice spreading all the time. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) described this as an “infodemic.”

It’s hard to know what’s true and what isn’t. We’re here to help.

Click here for the full article...

How Can I Save Money on Insurance, Now!

During hard economic times, we are all looking for ways to save money. Here are some tips on how you might make small adjustments to your insurance plans in order to save money right away.
Auto
Do you have more than one car and don't need to use one or more right now? You can place one or more vehicles on "non-op" status. Non-Op or Non-Operational status allows you to remove all coverages except comprehensive coverage from those parked vehicles. That could save hundreds of dollars per month, starting now!
There are some rules:
1. You must notify DMV that the vehicle is not being driven. Otherwise your registration will be suspended for lack of insurance.
2. The vehicle must be parked out of view of the street. Park it in the garage, behind a fence or gate or in a warehouse.
3. Some insurance companies have their own rules, so check with them on the best way to do this.
4. BEFORE YOU DRIVE your parked car again, Contact  your insurance company and DMV to let them know it will be in use so that your insurance and vehicle status is up to date!

Home
Homeowners insurance does not have many areas for savings; however, you can save by changing your deductible. If it is $500, consider $1000. Is it $1000, consider a $2500 deductible. This will save 10-20% off your monthly bill.

Health
1. Individual Plans - If your income has dropped, Covered California (the state exchange) has opened up a special enrollment period that will allow for new applications to find coverage. Based on Income, there are discounts (tax credits) available or you may qualify for Medi-Cal, Low income health insurance.
2. Group Plans - If your business has a group plan. Consider changing to a lower cost plan temporarily to reduce your overhead expenses. A group can change plans any time during the year. As things improve, you could increase the coverage again later.
3. Most Importantly - Do not go unisured! The right plan is available for everyone, reach out for help to find the best plan for you.

Business
Some business insurance plans are based on revenue, number of employees or square footage. Talk to your agent or broker and review your most recent application. Is your income lower, fewer employees, smaller warehouse?  Those can all affect your rates. Making corrections could reduce your insurance expenses.

Workers Comp
If you are using fewer workers during this crisis, contact your insurance broker to adjust your plan. This may lower your premiums until business picks up again. When it does, be sure to tell your agent right away. Otherwise, you may owe money at the end of the year audit.

Life
Life insurance is one plan you do not want to touch. Keep it as long as you can. If you must make a change to reduce cost, contact your agent or insurance company. You may be able to change the term or amount of coverage to lower your costs.

Final Note: Be sure to review your coverages with your agent every year. Annual reviews will take 20-30 minutes and will make sure you have the right coverage based on the correct information.