Category: Technology

Article Contributed by Elizabeth Stepp

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/castle-privacy-policy-security-538722/

Business security has come into the spotlight in the past few years, mainly due to high profile security breaches like the ones at Sony, Ashley Madison and Kaspersky Lab. Small businesses are routinely targeted by cyber criminals, due to the unsophisticated security systems that they have in place, making it easy for the attackers to steal money, data, and other business information.

Security breach compromises sensitive business data and, in many instances, lead to complete destruction of data. When credit card or financial information is stolen, it makes millions of your users or customers highly vulnerable to fraud. Digital natives place a lot of importance on how companies deal with cyber security, and prefer to do business with brands that will value and protect their personal information.

C-suite executives need to be aware of the cyber security risks that businesses face, and should have a sound plan to tackle them.

Here are a few of the top business security risks, and the ways in which you can deal with them.

1. Beware of Employee Indiscretion

Employees are a major source of a security threat for businesses. Disgruntled employees choose to get back at their employer by leaking access codes or other vital data to competitors or criminals. If you detect such breaches, immediately contact your business litigation attorney for recourse.

There were even rumors going around that the infamous Sony hacking episode was an inside job.

Ensure that you monitor key employees who have access to and control over your IT network, admin accounts, online financial transactions, and data centers.

Ensure that you keep security accessibility and employee employment status current. If an employee plans to leave, ensure that you initiate IT system access removal to avoid misuse of sensitive information. Privileged accounts and credentials can potentially cause existential losses to your business, so ensure that you manage and monitor them closely. Track privileged account activity and maintain logs and records. This will help you spot rogue activities in time, and check damages early in the attack cycle.

It is important that you carry out exhaustive background checks before hiring key employees, and also provide ongoing training in best security practices. Employees must be trained to recognize and report phishing and fraudulent emails, and keylogger scams.

2. Wake Up to the Importance of Security Policy

The lack of a well-rounded and comprehensive security policy is one of the biggest cybersecurity risks that any business can ill afford.

Incorporating a culture of cyber safety into your work culture will ensure that your employees do not download malware from suspicious emails, or click on links that may install spyware or ransomware in your systems.

Complex passwords will ensure that accounts are not easy to hack. Have a fixed time frame in which passwords need to be changed, and keep in place Web filters that will prevent employees from visiting sites that can pose a threat to your cyber security. Also, you can consider alternatives to traditional password authentication. The options include biometric features, pictographs, geo-location identification, and Bluetooth proximity.

Intrusion Detection Systems, firewalls, and anti-virus software packages and applications will help stop cyber criminals to an extent. But next generation cyber demands will see you rely more on machine learning and predictive technology to understand where cyber criminals will target next.

3. Manage Cloud Data

The massive quantity of data, accessibility issues, work requirements of remote employees, automated backup, and the freedom to do away with physical storage have all contributed to the popularity of cloud storage systems. But along with that, there will be more cyber criminals eager to gain access to the wealth of data that public cloud infrastructure stores.

Hackers will be able to hide behind other networks in the cloud, and carry out sophisticated attacks to take over large cloud-based data centers. You must be aware of which points of your cloud infrastructure are vulnerable to cyber attacks, and should take steps to prevent them.

Remember that not many cloud storage solutions offer encryption of data at rest. So always think twice before storing really important data on the cloud.

4. Verify Security Practices of Third-Party Service Providers

In many instances, cyber criminals find it easiest to attack businesses through third-party service providers. Many small businesses rely on third-party service providers to manage and maintain point-of-sale systems. Businesses outsource to save time, manpower, and money, but in the bargain, end up risking the card information of their customers.

A remote vendor might not secure their access channels in the best possible manner, thereby exposing entryways into your systems to potential hackers. Sometimes, remote vendors even set the same default password for all clients, which gives a very lucrative opportunity for hackers.

Hackers who gain a foothold in your network can work their way to high-value servers, and make a neat profit out of your data.

Cyber security experts say that companies should validate the cyber security practices being used by their third-party service vendors. Multi-factor authentication, use of unique credentials for individual users, restricted access and less-privileged permissions, and monitoring for intrusions are important to guarantee safety.

5. Patch All Devices

Network devices need to be patched in time, in order to prevent data breaches and thefts. If you haven’t patched for a vulnerability, or if the outdated system makes a patch unviable, then that leaves you open to cyber attacks. If a patch hasn’t been created yet or sent to you, then your system becomes vulnerable.

Businesses can rectify this matter by employing vulnerability management technology that looks for outdated or unpatched equipment in your system. Once you have recognized the dangers, plan a migration strategy to move to a foolproof system.

Remember: Cyber Safety First

Cyber security is no longer a low-priority task for businesses. You need to have and maintain safety and security of your information systems at all times to ensure that your brand does not suffer, and that your customers do not desert you. With the right practices and systems in place, it will not be difficult to keep cyber criminals out of your hair.

Elizabeth Stepp is Senior Counsel at Oberheiden Law Group, one of the leading criminal law firms in Dallas, TX. She has graduated from the prestigious Yale Law School. She has wide experience in dealing with financial services litigation and professional malpractice cases.

The new generation or the Millennials are after speed! They need everything faster. Nobody has the time to wait for anything and when it comes to the Internet, it is no different. Everyone wants their internet to be fast and stable. Frequent disconnections disrupt whatever they are doing over the Internet and slow connections make it difficult to fetch data online.

The dial-up internet that connected via the telephone cables that became popular during the 90s was quite slow and highly unstable. Moreover, back then people were quite dependent on the land phones and the internet blocked the landline and vice versa. Then the cable internet came, which used the television cable for bringing in the connection. This is still a popular option in most parts of the world.

With more options on the internet to learn, work and to play, a faster and more reliable connection was required just as the Millennials would prefer them to be. They wanted the speed to watch movies and play games. They needed them to stream e-learning videos and for online education too. Whether it was work or play, the need for speed of the Internet was obvious. Speed and stability were the major requirements for commercial internet which the IT giants and the multi-chain retails badly needed for normal functioning. They depended on optical fiber cables which provided them the required speed and stability but at a higher cost. The MNCs could easily afford them as they would bill their clients after considering this cost and recover the same without fail. But it took many more years and another set of Millennials who realized the market for a faster internet connection among the residential users.

A few years back, when the battle was fierce to win over the residential customers with low-cost cable internet subscriptions, the smartphones started invading the ground and they too needed to be connected to the internet to function faster and better. Mobile data was quite expensive and they wanted to use the home Wi-Fi while they were at home to make the most of the mobile media. This got the internet much slower and that’s when Bigpipe Internet came up with affordable fiber optics Internet for the residential users. It became an instant hit as the rates were as competitive as the conventional cable internet but this was much faster and more stable. The timing of their entry was perfect as that’s the time the Internet of Things started trending too in the Australian households.

Australian homes were getting equipped with smart devices like smart TV, smart Air conditioner and smart whatever else can be and they all needed the Internet to become ‘smart’! With fiber optics internet, the speed could go as much as 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps which got the Millennials go crazy and get them installed at home and it worked perfectly with their smart devices too. Within a few months, the fiber optics Internet became the buzzword and the other rival ISPs also were forced to adopt this newer technology.  Now the concept has really caught up with the ISPs in many parts of the world and they are finding other ways to lure the customers subscribe to their services. Naked broadband is another option possible with fiber optics that the ISPs use to attract customers. Under this option, the customer does not have to subscribe to a land phone as the fiber optics connection has nothing to do with telephone or television cable! In fact, within a few years’ you will be able to connect your phone and TV to your fiber optics broadband cable directly and access the channels seamlessly. Though this technology is already available, it is quite expensive now and within a couple of years, it will become a common way to get access to the television channels.

No matter how you slice it, operating a business in today’s digital society without the proper technology is a recipe for disaster. Whether you sell products through an online venue or you provide services at a brick and mortar location, you cannot effectively manage all aspects of business without the support of information technology. Technology is an intricate part of the day to day business structure including communications, project management, and even customer service.

1. Improved Communication

Whether by email, video chat, or phone, technology plays a significant role in your efforts to communicate with customers and vendors. Without the proper systems, networks, and devices in place, communicating becomes a lot more challenging. Investing in not only communication devices, but technological support, such as what is offered by Firewall Technical, which specializes in Ottawa IT services, can provide you with improved methods for staying connected.

2. Efficient Project Management

Managing projects requires various steps. It also involves working with other pertinent players to get the job done. Finding out what your client’s needs are, setting deadlines, assigning tasks, tracking costs, and monitoring processes is made easier with the use of information technology. Project management software and other productivity tools make it easier for business owners to effectively manage the project from start to finish.

3. Internet Marketing

Even if you’ve only been in business for a few months, you know how significant internet marketing is to your brand. While traditional marketing avenues are still very beneficial to businesses, many have opted to turn their efforts to internet marketing as millions of consumers prefer it. To accommodate the needs of your target audience, you need to be able to implement marketing strategies that will boost your brand on the World Wide Web. Various applications, tools, and programs help entrepreneurs to reach the masses instantaneously which increases the potential for profit.

4. Accurate Financial Management

Have you ever tried to balance a budget with a pen, paper, and calculator? Sure, it’s possible to complete but also very time consuming with lots of room for human error. Modern technology however makes financial management and business accounting a lot easier to comprehend. Investing in certain software or online programs allows businesses to keep track of their expenses and generate reports that can be crucial for tax filing, creating a business plan, or looking for funding.

5. Improved Productivity

Being an entrepreneur takes great restraint and dedication. You have to be able to stay on track and make the most out of your day. Modern technology helps to improve your level of productivity in the workplace. From time tracking tools to software that cuts the time to complete certain tasks in half, there are plenty of technological devices and support services that you can invest in to ensure you’re getting the most out of each hour you spend working on your business.

6. Easier Expansions

We all have big ideas of where we want our business to take us. If expansion is something you’d consider a possibility in your future, then technology will help you get there. From conducting market research analysis to setting up virtual offices and communicating with remote employees, technology can take your business to heights that would otherwise be impossible or costly.

7. Improved Customer Service

At the end of the day it’s all about keeping the customers happy. The better equipped you are to meet the needs of your customers in a timely fashion, the more likely they are to remain loyal to your brand (and spread the word). Investing in technology helps you to streamline processes and improve the overall customer experience. It allows you to continually improve upon your brand’s ability to put forth your best effort which is crucial to maintaining a positive rapport and reputation within your industry.

There are a ton of reasons to invest in modern technology and technological support within your business. Technology benefits businesses in many areas including those described above. It provides conveniences that may not have otherwise been available to you which in the long run can save you time and money. It helps you to ensure that you’re providing the best possible service to your customers which increases your chances of maintaining a successful business.

 

More than one billion phones are currently running on Android platform, a repository of opportunities for avid app developers. Besides, the mobile operating system is heading towards expanding its boundaries to smartwatches, cars, laptop, kitchen devices etc. What this current and future Android-based development implicates is that if you have passion for app development, you can mint a lot of money by developing Android apps that suit user’s requirements and add a quotient of convenience to their lives.

There are many questions that emerge in one’s mind, especially if you are developing your first Android app. However, you can find answers to all your queries related to Android app development through app development communities.

Java is used as the programming language for developing Android apps, along with the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) . However, other languages like C and C++ can also be used to develop Android apps by using Android Native Development Kit (NDK), but Google does not promote that. Google says that the NDK is not apt for Android apps as its drawbacks outweigh benefits.

With the introduction of new software (Gradle, Android Studio) and New OS (Android 5.0 Lollipop) last year, Google had ensured that developers were no longer required to deal with mind-boggling complexities of Android app development.

Android Studio has now become the favorite integrated development environment (IDE) for Android app developers, who had faced a lot of troubles with its predecessor – Eclipse. It was not less than a nightmare for developers to use Eclipse for more complex projects due to it being buggy, slow and unfriendly. Unlike Eclipse, Gradle does not crash while exporting an apk. You also don’t need to restart Android Studio after using it for long consecutive hours.

Google also replaced Apache Ant, a software tool for automating software build processes, with Gradle. According to Google, Apache Ant is an old technology and was not a fit for Android Studio.

Advantages of Android Studio over Eclipse are as follows:

User interface design in Android Studio works faster, gives quick response to changes and allows you to choose from more customization options that, unlike Eclipse, are not needed to be manually set in the XML.

With Android Studio, you are not required to restart whole IDE when you want to switch to a different project. This is the constraint with Eclipse and requires developers to select workspaces that contain their projects. Android Studio, on the other hand, works on the concepts of modules that can have their own Gradle build files. For example, an app, a downloaded library  and an Ad SDK could behave as three different modules.

Android Studio works on Gradle, which is a better project automation tool than Apache Ant being used for Eclipse. Gradle allows developers to divide apps into different flavors, signing with correct configuration, defining external dependencies etc.

Android Studio is more stable and performs better than Eclipse, which requires to refresh project, clean project and even worse, restart Eclipse. Moreover, the amount of RAM and CPU power to back Android Studio is lesser than what is required for Eclipse.

Android Studio allows better code completion than Eclipse and helps produce accurate results, always.

App developers have a plethora of questions in their mind which can be answered at some android developer forum. There are also lot of domains available to develop Android apps for – Fun & entertainment apps, games apps, internet apps, business apps, GPS based apps, LBS apps, social networking and communication apps, Location-based service apps and many more.