How to keep your data safe and secure
Data security and privacy should be every small business owner’s top priority in this day when cybercriminals are on the loose. The good news is you don’t have to be a tech genius to make it happen. Here are practical ways to shield your company from cyberattacks. Cover your webcam If Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, former FBI Director James Comey, and National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden all believe their webcams could be compromised, there’s no reason you should feel safe. They’re not overreacting because of some ruthless paparazzi that’s hounding them. It’s a fact that cybercriminals can use your webcam to spy on you. Though it might sound like a scene from an action movie or crime thriller, this has actually happened on several occasions. Hackers do this either to satisfy their voyeuristic tendencies or, more commonly, to steal personal information. This is a very real threat with disturbing repercussions. With your webcam, cybercriminals can examine your surroundings, determine your location, as well as spy on the people you’re with. They can use this information to hold you ransom and threaten to broadcast your most intimate and vulnerable moments if you don’t pay up. Fortunately, guarding yourself against this danger is easy. Covering your webcam should do the trick. You can use regular tape or you can purchase a cheap webcam cover online. Use a privacy shield Think of privacy guards as those iPhone screen protectors but with an anti-snooping feature. These are thin covers you put on your computer, laptop, or smartphone screen to limit viewing angles. Once installed, anyone trying to look at your screen from anywhere — except straight-on — sees nothing. Privacy filters are commonly used to protect work devices that display or contain critical files with sensitive data or confidential information. However, less sensitive, personal devices are still vulnerable to “shoulder surfing” — the act of peeking at someone else’s screen, with or without ill intent. This is the reason we recommend using these protectors on all devices. Get a physical authentication key Requiring more than one set of credentials to access sensitive resources has become the standard practice for established online services. With two-factor authentication in place, you can gain access to your account only after you’ve entered an authentication code. This is something that the website sends to your smartphone once you’ve entered your account credentials. Until recently, two-factor authentication relied mostly on text messages sent to mobile phones. But professionals now realize that phones can be hijacked to redirect text messages. Moreover, authentication codes can be stolen, or users can be tricked into entering these codes via a convincing phishing website. If you’re looking for authentication services that can’t be hijacked, stolen, or lost, your best bet is a USB or Bluetooth key that you can carry always. This means nobody — not even you — will be able to access your account without the physical key. Talk about ultimate security at your fingertips. If you need help setting up two-factor authentication or IT security services, contact our experts and have peace of mind. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
What does the lifespan of a business phone system look like?
Although digital communication tools let businesses connect with customers and other stakeholders in an efficient manner, telephones are still used to communicate with important business stakeholders. And for many organizations, determining whether to use internet phones or legacy systems remains a concern. To help you decide, here’s a short guide on business phones and their life span. Different phone systems Telephones have come a long way from when they first came about in 1876; modern phone systems have virtually unlimited reach, are automated, and are cheaper than ever to acquire. Today’s businesses still use telephones to connect with various stakeholders such as customers, investors, and suppliers, to service their numerous needs, and in most cases, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones are the answer. VoIP is a system of hardware and software that uses the internet instead of wired circuits to transmit data. VoIP does more than just transmit audio; it can also send a variety of data (video, multimedia, SMS, etc.) and perform other tasks as well. A VoIP system’s hardware (phone units, cables, CPUs, etc.) and software (one or more applications that run the system) can be either on-premises or hosted: On-premises – Hardware and software are physically housed within the premises of the company. Hosted – Some of the hardware, like phone units and other equipment, can be found within the premises. But most, if not all, of the software are hosted online. Service providers look after hosted systems for their clients. Life cycles: On-premises vs. hosted With hardware, it doesn’t matter whether it’s on-premises or hosted. Hardware is affected by the wear and tear stemming from daily use. Barring any accidents or physical damage, VoIP hardware should last several years. On the other hand, software requires regular updates. It’s worth noting that it’s faster and cheaper to update software that’s hosted in the cloud versus one that’s on-premises. That said, the differences in longevity between the two are negligible; both can last upwards of 10 years, depending on how dependable your IT support is. Technology today vs. before In the past, hardware and software were built to last. Today, they’re built to adapt and change, thanks to cloud technology. The effect of this shift on hardware and software is dramatic: Most hardware components are very similar, with replacements and upgrades coming every 5–8 years on average. Cloud software is faster, easier, and cheaper to upgrade. Critical updates can be released almost constantly, with complete overhauls taking no longer than 2–3 years. As your business moves forward, your phone system should be agile and fast, and should integrate smoothly with the other systems in your business, such as email or management software. Be a step ahead Downtime results in loss of potential sales and, essentially, wasted money. If your phone service is spotty and is constantly unreliable, perhaps it’s time to switch to VoIP phones. Nowadays, it’s not longevity that’s important; it’s staying ahead of the curve. Call our experts today so you can always be a step ahead. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Tweak your mindset to achieve success on the cloud
The cloud is not like some magic beans that’ll sprout sky-high stalks overnight and lead you to a castle full of riches. Don’t be misled by shiny words such as “increased productivity” and “collaboration” — your organization won’t realize these benefits unless everyone actually puts in the work to make the cloud work. If you want to use the cloud successfully, you might have to change your mind about a thing or two before you migrate to the cloud.
Smartphone browsers now support biometrics
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox Lite support web-based biometric authentication. The leading mobile browsers now allow users to sign in to online profiles through fingerprint scanners, facial recognition, and the like. What’s more, online biometric authentication through these browsers requires no additional software. Authenticate your profile on your mobile device Chrome OS, Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Android are all adding features to help users safely log in using biometric identification via USB, Bluetooth, and NFC devices connected to smartphones and tablets. With such convenience, users can verify their accounts on the go. Preventing cyberattacks with browser-based biometrics Passwords are notoriously bad at protecting users’ accounts and the information they store. Facial scans, fingerprints, and voice recognition would make it exponentially harder for hackers to commit identity theft. That means you’re also less likely to be duped by an email from a hacker pretending to be your boss asking for the company credit card’s details. Enjoy more secure online transactions Biometric verification will also retire the need for logging in your information when shopping online, streaming video, using cloud applications, and other internet-based transactions. Windows 10 has already adopted features that offer limited account management with fingerprints and facial scans. Samsung phones now have Samsung Pay, which turns them into digital wallets that are protected by fingerprint or iris scans. Browser-based biometrics is starting to revolutionize and streamline the steps in verifying online accounts. It promises to add more security and ease in logging in and transacting on the internet. To keep up with the latest and greatest in browser-related innovations at your company, give us a call now. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Smaller firms less likely to keep up to date on the basics that protect them
Smaller firms less likely to keep up to date on the basics that protect them. On the never ending problem of cyber security, small firms often do not have any/much in-house IT support. As a consequence, they may be less likely to be able to make sure their software is consistently updated to reflect any patches released by the product’s maker. This simple oversight, deliberate or not, is a major source of data breaches and ransomware attacks.Think back many years to when Microsoft pulled the plug on maintaining Windows XP. Many users refused to upgrade because there were afraid of losing compatibility with other software programs, the unintended consequences of moving to a new OS, or just not being sure how to install an upgrade. Whatever the issue, it meant those users had an operating system that was no longer updated to reflect the latest security fixes. Their operating system became an unlocked gate. You may not be scared of technology, but as a small business owner, tracking the release of new updates or taking the time to install them as soon as they come out probably just isn’t a priority. You have a business to run. Adding to this problem, you may also allow your employees to use their personal laptops, mobile devices, and tablets for work duties. If that is the case, then every program on each of those devices is subject to the owner’s willingness and ability to update everything in a timely fashion. If any single device accessing your corporate files and data misses a security patch and is breached, so is your business. The lesson here is that you need to take action to implement a company-wide process for maintaining all of your software applications so they don’t become an unlocked door in the middle of the night. A managed service provider can develop a plan to address update and security fixes on all the devices that access your data. It can be more than a small business owner can handle, so instead of ignoring the problem, reach out to find real solutions that will protect your business.
Why dashboards are vital to your business
People are visual creatures, which means we interpret visual data better than written words. That’s why most businesses turn to dashboards as a business intelligence tool to present data in a way that’s easy to understand. Dashboards have become a critical part of the analytics process. Here are some common uses of dashboards across various business functions. Marketing insights An organization’s marketing department typically analyzes a significant amount of data from various channels. Whether the purpose is to forecast monthly sales, predict trends, or build marketing strategies, marketing officers use dashboards to compare, sort, and analyze raw data to churn out meaningful information presented in an easy-to-understand format. This allows key decision makers to easily make decisions using that information. Tracking sales opportunities Sales dashboards are perfect for tracking products and services. They help you identify sales opportunities by monitoring top-selling products and comparing the growth in revenue on a periodical basis. They sync to your raw data, so your charts are always up to date, thus eliminating the need to spend hours manually entering and preparing sales reports and charts. Social media management Social media management is more than just posting regularly on your business’s social media accounts. And in most cases, your social media platform’s default dashboard doesn’t give you deep insight into your social media campaigns. What’s more, managing multiple social media accounts can quickly become a cumbersome process since you have to use several login credentials. Instead, you can manage your accounts all at once through a comprehensive social media dashboard, saving you valuable time and effort. Financial reports Presenting financial data is so complex that it often leads to misinterpretation and misunderstanding of critical data. Dashboards make creating financial reports much easier, and financial analysts can take advantage of dashboards to display sensitive data in a comprehensible graphical format — be it customer invoices, progress toward revenue goals, or business expenses. Project collaboration Businesses of all sizes require their employees to collaborate on projects, whether on-site or online. Project supervisors need to get their teams together to give them projects’ requirements, deadlines, and responsibilities, and to get progress updates. With the help of project collaboration dashboards, members will see the complete workflow of the project, allowing for a more efficient and collaborative working environment. Dashboards eliminate the complications of presenting complex business data and make your team more efficient. If you’re looking to implement dashboards and other cutting-edge tools to make your job easier, contact our consultants today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Is your Windows 10 update slow? Here’s what to do
All Windows 10 updates come with security fixes, exciting new features, and other assorted improvements, so it’s critical that you install them as soon as they become available. Unfortunately, downloading the necessary files can take ages if you don’t know how to optimize everything. Why do updates take so long to install? Windows 10 updates take a while to complete because Microsoft is constantly adding larger files and features to them. The biggest updates, released in the spring and fall of every year, take upwards of four hours to install — if there are no problems. The process takes even longer if you have a fragmented or nearly filled hard drive. In addition to the large files and numerous features included in Windows 10 updates, internet speed can significantly affect installation times. This is especially true if your office network is overburdened by multiple people downloading the update at the same time. If you still experience slow speed even when there aren’t simultaneous downloads, then it’s likely that there is a problem that is preventing the installation from running smoothly. When you experience any of these issues, try the following: Free up storage space and defragment your hard drive Windows 10 updates often take up a lot of hard drive space, so you need to make room for them to speed up the installation. This means deleting old files and uninstalling software you no longer need. You’ll also want to defragment your hard drive, a process that organizes how data is stored on your hard drive so it can create, open, and save files faster. Defragmenting a drive is as easy as pressing the Windows button and typing Defragment and Optimize Drives. From there, just select the hard drive, click Analyze, and if the drive is more than 10% fragmented, press Optimize. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter If broken software components are causing installation problems, this tool may be able to fix the issue and decrease download and install times. Simply press the Windows button and type Troubleshoot Settings. That will open a new window with an option for Windows Update. Disable startup software Before your update begins, you should also disable third-party applications that might cause disruptions. To do this, press and hold the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys and click Task Manager. In the window that opens, click the tab labeled Startup. This will show you all the apps that have permission to open themselves when you log into Windows 10. Right-click any apps that aren’t important and select Disable (never disable a Microsoft task) to speed up the update installation process. Optimize your network Sometimes a faster connection is all you need. Consider upgrading to a fiber optic connection or purchasing more bandwidth from your internet service provider. It’s also a good idea to use bandwidth management tools to make sure sufficient network resources are reserved for things like Windows 10 updates, rather than bandwidth hogs like Skype or YouTube. Schedule updates for low-traffic periods Sometimes, massive updates with long installation times are unavoidable. So instead of installing them during the day, schedule them for after hours when your computers and office network aren’t in use. Open the Windows Update window and specify when you prefer updates to be installed. If you need help with any of the tips above, we’re always here to help. Call us today to meet with our Windows specialists! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Cyberattacks and the vulnerability of the small business
Cyberattacks and the vulnerability of the small business You cannot go a day without reading about some big name company or even government agency being hacked and critical data being compromised. What you don’t see in the media is that most of the attacks happen to small firms, and that this is where a lot of the cybercrime is occurring. What any business, but especially a small business, needs to be afraid of are cyber attacks that disable your operations, disrupt customer interaction, or breach your customer’s personal data. Contrary to what one might expect, smaller firms are far more likely to be targets of hackers than large firms. They are also likely to have less sophisticated security measures in place. Any firm’s existence can be threatened by these events, but smaller firms are often unable to rebuild after a major breach. Studies show that customers are less forgiving of smaller firms than larger ones when their personal data has been compromised. The lesson here is that smaller firms are more vulnerable and need to be extremely vigilant. Talk to a managed service provider about some basic steps you can take to protect your business.
Denial is not a solution: Something you owe your customers and your employees
Denial is not a solution: Something you owe your customers and your employees Why do so many people procrastinate about making a will? Why is it so hard to get young people to buy health insurance? Because it is one of those “probably won’t happen–at least in the foreseeable future, and I‘ve got more interesting things to worry about or spend my money on” issues. Small business owners tend to take the same approach to making business continuity plans in case of a disaster. They are usually fully consumed just running the business and keeping revenues steady and growing. Diverting energies and resources to a “what if” scenario just isn’t an imperative. There are affordable, effective tools out there that will allow any smaller firm to develop effective business continuity plans, but they only work if you take action. Our best advice to overcome denial? Think of this scenario: If something happened right now and your entire operation came to a halt because of a cyber attack, a power failure, data loss, or a single point of failure hardware event, what would you do? Do you even know who you would call in for help? It can be a scary thought, but one that merits your attention. Talk to a managed service provider about a proposal to develop a complete business continuity plan. You owe it to yourself and to all the employees who rely on your for their livelihood.
Keeping Facebook and Twitter safe from hackers
Keep your guard up! Pranksters, malicious attackers, and hackers come in different forms, but they are all after your online privacy and security — especially on social media. There are several things you can do to protect your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Lock screens exist for a reason Lock all your computing devices as soon as you stop using them. This way, you are safe from the simplest hack of all: someone opening a browser on your computer that has your social media login saved. Strong passwords are never out of fashion Unlocking your phone may be limited to a six-digit passcode, but you’ll need something much more complicated for your account password. Create a password that you don’t use for any other account because with the regular occurrence of data breaches, hackers probably already have a long list of your favorite passwords from other websites and platforms. It is best to use a password manager like an app or online service that allows you to generate and retrieve complex passwords. You can also enable two-factor authentication, which requires a secondary verification step such as a code sent to your phone. Even if hackers have your password, they won’t be able to log in without your phone. Make use of social media features Facebook can help you keep tabs on who’s accessing your account and from where. Click on the down arrow located at the upper right corner of your Newsfeed and select Settings. Then click Security and Login to get more information. If you sense an imposter, click the right-hand icon so you can log out remotely or report the person. From there, turn on Get alerts about unrecognized logins to get notifications via Facebook, Messenger, or email if someone is logged into your account from an unrecognized browser. Unfortunately, Twitter doesn’t have the same option (which makes two-factor authentication extremely necessary). Hackers can also barge into your Facebook and Twitter accounts through third-party services that you’ve given access to your profiles, so make sure to double-check what you have approved. Facebook: Go to Settings > Apps and Websites to view and manage outside service with access to your account Twitter: Go to Settings and Privacy > Apps to check and edit the list Lastly, be sure to check the permissions Facebook and Twitter have on your smartphone or tablet. Android: Go to Settings > Apps > App permissions iOS: Go to Settings > Privacy to manage which service can access which parts of your phone Less personal info, fewer problems These steps are just the beginning of what you should be doing. You should also limit the personal data you input into your social media accounts. Avoid oversharing. By following these tips, you can prevent Facebook and Twitter hacking. Cybersecurity is a sprawling issue and social media privacy is such a small sliver of what you need to stay on top of. For 24/7 support, call our team of experts today. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.