Whether we like it or not, most of us are totally dependent on our smartphones. Since we use this mobile technology for both personal and professional tasks, it often feels like our lifeline – our strongest connection to the people we care about and the world at-large.
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Typically when you hear about a data breach on the news or on the Internet, the most common response is “That couldn’t happen to us.”
That’s the sort of opinion that is already outdated and getting less true all the time in the world of digital technology and online businesses. Data breaches are not just a threat, but new data reveals they have hit 57% of all businesses in the last three years. Some might be accidental, some might be an internal malfunction or insider hack job, but a ton of them are performed by real criminals using real tours to blast their way through limited or non-functioning security to exposure data from companies, largely for the point of selling it on the Dark Web.
Add to that 24% that have been hit in the first six months of 2019 and you realize it’s not a trend, it’s an epidemic.
The irony of those two numbers above is that they are identical to statistics about how companies are viewing their own cybersecurity. According to a poll of some 6,000 information security professionals around the globe, 81% of them think their IT security is either very good (57%) or 24% (good). The bitter irony that those are the exact same numbers as the companies suffering data breaches. As is so often the case, the left-hand does not know what the right hand is doing when it comes to IT security. It is in these types of circumstances that criminals and hackers thrive. If 81% of IT personnel think a good job is being done, how can there possibly be so many data leaks? Internal communication failure is a big part of this. IT staff might brief every new hire on how to maintain proper security, but if there are no follow-ups, reminders, and refresher type training, those early lessons are going to get forgotten quickly. Imagine a new hire at a firm getting a security training from IT, but also getting new information on everything from where to park to how to use a key entry system to the actual parameters of their job, etc. Information, like changing your password every 90 days and not opening any email, not from another employee, will be quickly forgotten. It is the job of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) to set up a culture where data is treated like gold and breaches like a bank robbery. Employees that share credentials, refuse to change passwords or lose company equipment should be reprimanded.
The biggest threats to companies in 2019 based on the same poll including phishing (36%), trojans (29%), ransomware (28%), legal/compliance risks (28%), unpatched software (24%), DDoS attacks (24%), and social media threats (22%). A really astute antimalware software package can greatly assist companies in neutralizing most, but not all of these threats. The remainder must be dealt with by humans, not machines, who are dedicated to keeping intruders out of their system regardless of what form they take.
Business, entrepreneurs, and motivated workers are learning that the traditional office environment is becoming a thing of the past, being supplanted by a new type of commerce in “virtual offices.” Essentially, a virtual office is a full-fledged working environment based predominantly online. Virtual offices don’t exist in one physical location per se but have a broader reach and functionality, which brick-and-mortar offices of the 20th century lack. Nowadays, businesses are looking for ways to scale down costs and increase their efficiency to compete in a global market. Virtual offices are the answer. Continue reading
You’ve probably heard the old adage “time is money” – and nowadays, time is even more of a commodity than ever. In the digital age, everyone is looking for ways to simplify, simplify, simplify. If you want to become more productive, and earn a few extra dollars along the way, then look no further than this curated list of websites to save you time and money. Continue reading
Cybersecurity is an ever-growing issue within the tech industry, and yet the UK has found itself desperately short of the professionals needed to deal with the shortfall.
Recruitment agency Indeed recently estimated that Great Britain had the second largest cybersecurity skills deficiency in the world, with less than a third (36%) of employer demand being met. Continue reading
