There are two schools of thought when it comes to sending and receiving benefits data and the difference lies in who is responsible for the doing the work. Every system, whether it be the system used to manage employee benefits, the system that houses payroll information or the insurance carrier systems, are all different. Each system serves its own purpose and requires specific pieces of information to work. To manage employee benefits, these systems rely on sending and re

Every quarter we challenge our employees to focus on personal, professional, or community development. The reward? The opportunity to wear casual attire for the next quarter. As an environmentally conscious organization we challenged our employees to “Go Greener” in their personal lives for Q1 of 2020. We know small changes implemented gradually can give people time to learn and unlearn behaviors. Everyone had a slightly different take. It’s inspiring to see how people rise

Protecting data requires attention, knowledge, and awareness. As discussed, multi-layered security policies and procedures are designed to keep data safe. Companies play a big role, but so do you. The purpose of this blog is help you understand what you can do: Lock the Front Door – The easiest way for someone to access information is for you to let them in. Lock your computer and your phone and have them auto-lock after a certain amount of time. Make sure your devices r

Networks connect us with people and information and allow us to share resources. In the computing world, communications or connections can be physical or wireless. Examples include websites and mobile applications, files being downloaded/synced/transferred, emails and chats, and printer and scanners. As data flows from one end point to another, it can be vulnerable and at risk for exposure through malicious and unintentional means. Network security, the topic of this week

In our last blog we talked about physical security and protecting people and assets. This week let’s talk about protecting data that is stored. All data is stored on some sort of storage media, whether it be a hard drive, laptop, disk, tape, or portable media such as a USB drive. These devices are designed to hold onto the data it until it is needed, or simply for archival purposes. As data is being stored, it is considered “at rest”. Because data at rest includes large

As noted in our previous blog, physical security is one of the layers required for good data security. Physical security is an area that is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most vulnerable areas. Physical security are the measures put in place to protect equipment and resources, including people. Even with the greatest technology in place to protect your data, technology can’t stop a person from walking away with valuable information in hand. Physical security is abo

Welcome back! This is part next in our series about data security. Question…If you were tasked with protecting the crown jewels, would you simply put them in a box and consider them safe? Probably not. More likely would you add a lock to the box, put the box in a safe, build strong walls around the safe, add a high-tech security system, and create policies and procedures about who, what, when, where, and how they can be accessed. In other words, you would use multiple la

Welcome back! In our last blog we introduced the idea of protecting data. Before we go any further, let’s start at the beginning. First, what is data? In its simplest form, data is information that is processed or stored on a computer. At any point, data is in one of three states: At Rest In Use In Transit If you like infographics, check out the one below: Why is this important to know? Data is valuable and can be used to malicious ends. All data is at risk of exposure

Protecting data – whether it is company information, customer information, or your own personal information on a home computer or device - is serious business. After all, if a company’s trade secrets, client data, or your personal information were exposed, it could have devastating consequences. Protecting data is not a one-time process. It requires an ongoing effort. Many companies employ teams of IT security professionals to handle this job. They’re tasked with buildin

Health wellness trends have been around for a while, but have you heard of death wellness? As we get our footing on living well, we now are starting to look at the other end of the spectrum – how do you “die well”? At the risk of seeming morbid, this subject is fascinating. A cottage industry is emerging aimed at helping people reimage the death experience, providing additional ways for people to die with dignity, and creating more options for eternal rest. From human com

This is a post about shifting mindsets and embracing the notion that little things in life matter. An interesting thing happened the other day in the office. Our supply of plastic coffee straws ran out. Instead of reordering the straws, they were replaced with bamboo stirrers. For some people, the plastic straw is symbolic of the morning coffee ritual. It’s the tool that can be used to blend the coffee, sugar and milk together, carefully test the temperature of the bev

An NPR article recently came across our news feed that we found interesting. It stated that in the last eight years, more than $5 billion dollars has been raised on GoFundMe to help individuals pay for costs associated medical care. Five billion dollars. That’s a staggering amount of money. We’re in the throes of helping our clients meet the federal reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act so the topic of healthcare reform is top of mind. The article made us thi

Marylanders take a lot of pride in their state. Being a Maryland born and bred company, that includes us. For the past several years we’ve used the holiday season to tip a cap to our state by sending out holiday greeting that ties back to our home. One year we spelled out “Happy Holidays” using pictures of letters from monuments, historic structures, and brands from various places around Baltimore. Another year we used a blue crab as the imagery for our greeting. Another

In light of recent concerns about fraudulent healthcare, we wanted to take a moment to recognize the employers and brokers we work with. Though this hit individual consumers in Florida, having coverage through your employer plan ensures that you have credible coverage. There are many people working behind the scenes of your employer health plan to ensure you get the best outcome and the most for your money. In this season of gratitude, take a minute to thank your company,

Once again the IRS issued an ACA reporting extension. This year it impacts WHEN an employer is required to furnish the forms to employees. The deadline has been extended from January 31, 2019 to March 4, 2019. But here’s the kicker – employers filing paper forms with the IRS are still required to file them February 28th. In our experience, providing the forms to employees in advance of filing with the IRS, reduces the number of errors and corrections. ACA reporting can f

It’s time to unlearn everything you thought you knew about password strength. Here’s the background: Bill Burr might not be a name you know, but he’s played a big role in your password policies for the last decade and a half. In 2003, while working as a manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) he created best practices for passwords, which were put in place by companies all over the world. The ever familiar variety of upper and lowercase letter

When tragedy strikes, we always stop to consider the impact it has on our clients spread out across the US, ask how we can help, and reflect on the lessons learned from the situation. As the victims of Hurricane Harvey start the process of rebuilding, some of our Southeastern United States clients are realizing that the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm in recorded history is about to slam into them. Disasters strike even when you’re not prepared. And while you can’t alwa

We've always been a goal-oriented and outcome driven organization. In early 2011, we tried something new and issued a challenge to our employees. For one day, employees had to avoid routine and mundane tasks. Instead, they should work on a project of their choosing, with a team of their choosing and in the manner and timeframe of their liking. The only requirement was to report back in the next day with what they chose to do and the outcome. This exercise was inspired by

We are always looking for ways to give back and support our local community. Continuing the theme of "Reduce, Recycle, Reuse" from the previous two months, our team decided to spread the warmth of the holiday season by collecting gently used hats, scarves, gloves, and winter coats for Charm City Warmth Drive. Charm City Warmth Drive collects and distributes to five local shelters in the Baltimore metro area that help homeless youth, single women with children and veterans. A

We look for creative ways to reduce waste and positively impact the world around us. In early November, we launched a drive with the goal of collecting 100 pairs of new and used shoes from our employees. The shoes we collected were delivered to Soles4Souls–a non-profit that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Founded in 2006, the organization has distributed more than 30 million pairs of shoes in 127