With each new advancement in the world of technology, there also comes a new advancement in the world of fraud. From the very first email scams in the earliest days of the internet to the latest advancements in fraudulent tech schemes, it seems fair to assume that things are always going to be this way.
A natural disaster is probably something you don’t think of on a regular basis. You might see news coverage of the latest tornado or hurricane, but it doesn’t necessarily impact you personally. The thing is, natural disasters are unpredictable. So when a catastrophe strikes, know your data is protected.
Massachusetts - and Florida-based nonprofit Be Like Brit and South Florida IT Company Simplitfy are partnering to bring Caribbean Dreamin' to this year's Boca Chamber Festival.
Whether a vicious malware or a targeted attack by a hacker, lackluster network security can end up costing your business more than just lost data. Between fines, penalties, and damage to your reputation, it’s vital that you keep your cyber security protocols up to standards.
It's easy for small business owners to think that no one would ever try to attack their networks. Unfortunately, the statistics prove that attacks on small businesses happen more often than you'd think.
A few seconds is all it takes for hackers to get into your networks. If you use wireless connections and rely on the internet for your business, it's essential that you invest time and knowledge into better security measures and protection.
More people today use personal mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for business purposes. Such devices, coupled with greater Wi-Fi accessibility and cloud services, have empowered us with the ability to access data and do business from practically anywhere at anytime.
By the very nature of their business, attorneys generate data that is very sensitive. As a law firm, you carry a tremendous responsibility to guard that data. These days, technology enables you to store and access information very easily and it also allows you to retrieve it at a moment's notice from remote locations via a variety of different devices. Unfortunately, this convenience can pose a serious challenge to the security of that data. In particular, two security concerns are a breach of data by an unauthorized third party, and the accidental release by authorized users due to human error or carelessness.
Every law firm has two major challenges. One of them is the storage of the sheer volume of data their business creates and the other one is the protection of that data. The last few decades' worth of technology has created a very solid solution for the first challenge. A small computer disk can hold terabytes of data inside an enclosed drive. If that seems like too much, the cloud has offered an off-site solution to the problem that eliminates hardware maintenance. Before these solutions came along, information could only be saved on paper that filled boxes and boxes.
Every law firm has two major challenges. One of them is the storage of the sheer volume of data their business creates and the other one is the protection of that data. The last few decades' worth of technology has created a very solid solution for the first challenge. A small computer disk can hold terabytes of data inside an enclosed drive. If that seems like too much, the cloud has offered an off-site solution to the problem that eliminates hardware maintenance. Before these solutions came along, information could only be saved on paper that filled boxes and boxes.
More small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) seem to be taking the initiative to learn more about the benefits of the cloud. Determining why SMBs have this sudden keen interest in the cloud isn't all that tricky.
There are a lot of advantages to mobility in today's workforce, but the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) movement has also brought its share of headaches as well. We live in a society where everyone must have the newest technology. We are inundated with ads reminding us that the smartphone or tablet we just bought a year ago is laughably outdated and inferior to the upgrade that just hit the market.
More cyber criminals are targeting small-to-medium sized businesses. One reason for this is too many workplaces have insufficient bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies in place. Some have none at all. Although firms are generally more knowledgeable about network security risks than in years past, they still woefully underestimate the security vulnerabilities linked to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
You've read it time and time again. "Bring Your Own Device" isn't a trend, it's the future. Workplaces where companies let workers use their own devices for work purposes are the new normal. BYOD attracts new hires and lifts employee morale and productivity.
It should come as no surprise that many small to midsize business owners take pride in overseeing every aspect of their startup business. Naturally, many are apprehensive when it comes to surrendering control of their servers, their data, and their applications.
It's a fast-paced world. Not only do people want things, they want things right now. This sometimes-unnerving need for instant satisfaction has only intensified now that we have Wi-Fi and mobile devices that keep us connected regardless of where we are, what we're doing, or the time of day.
Many SMBs don't realize it, but the path to some grand cybercrime score of a lifetime may go right through their backdoor. SMBs are commonly vendors, suppliers, or service providers who work with much larger enterprises.
Not too long ago, the New York Times' website experienced a well-publicized attack, which raises the question – how can this happen to such a world-renowned corporation?
Disaster recovery and business continuity plans are issues that almost all small businesses fail to think about. More frequently, they decide they haven't the resources to address such "unthinkables."
Almost by definition, small business owners and entrepreneurs cringe at the concept of outsourcing. Those who start their own companies like the control and autonomy it provides them. Unfortunately, that preference for control and autonomy may have some bad side-effects when it comes to IT.
The adoption of technology from the simplest of matters to the most complex problems has rendered us heavily dependent on it. We love paying our bills minutes before they are due. We enjoy seeing loved ones face-to-face on our computer screens. We can access and print our extremely sensitive records from government and financial websites in a matter of minutes instead of waiting for the mail for days. The time and resources that technology saves are invaluable, but this convenience has a very ugly side.
As we now know, the privacy and files of millions of Americans have been jeopardized, due to the data sharing controversy on Facebook. The topic has got many business owners wondering how they can improve their online services without risking security.
So you're a small to medium-sized business owner, right? That means you've got a lot of things to juggle and very little time to do so. Most small to medium-sized businesses oftentimes don't have the resources to employ an information technology team, so security gaps arise that create risks.
By: Erick Solms – President of Simplitfy
Most of the employees at your small or midsize business are hard at work in their area of expertise, whether that be selling your product over the phone or creating incredible marketing campaigns.
Selling stolen IDs and other personal data is a lucrative trade for hackers. They are always looking for sources where vital information is stored. As a small to midsize business you store your client's personal information, collected from different sources, on your computers and servers.
There are many threats to the integrity of a small business, and not all of them are as dramatic as a cyberattack or a hurricane. Every small business needs to do a risk assessment to determine all the threats that exist that could bring harm. External threats are the ones that get the the most attention.
BYOD refers to a firm's policy of allowing employees to use their own personal phones, tablets and laptops for all their work applications.This is a pretty common policy, and it has many benefits, but it brings along risks. How are you addressing these risks?
Are you under the impression that data loss is all about putting up firewalls to protect against evil cyber attacks? Some of the biggest sources of data loss include sloppiness, human error, and just plain forgetfulness.
Before you became a small business owner, you probably gave little thought to network security. However, as an SMB or entrepreneur, you have more responsibility to protect your professional data, while also becoming a more lucrative target for hackers and data thieves.
You hear on the news all of the time about big cyber attacks on large corporations, and even government agencies. The trouble with this news coverage is that is suggests a distorted view of where cyber attacks are taking place. These attacks are not solely hitting large organizations.
Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, to work was an idea a few years ago that is becoming a reality very fast. To use your personal smartphone, tablet or laptop for work seems increasingly natural.
Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, to work was an idea a few years ago that is becoming a reality very fast. To use your personal smartphone, tablet or laptop for work seems increasingly natural.
Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP is about a decade old technology that is gaining popularity among individual subscribers and businesses. In conventional systems, phone calls are made using telephones or handsets that are connected by phone cables.
Simplitfy, a West Palm Beach-based firm that provides tailored IT solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses, is pleased to announce that it was named to the 2017 Next-Gen 250 list by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company.
"You're FIRED!" (now give me your password)
Losing an employee is not usually a good experience. If they leave voluntarily, you lose a valuable asset. If they have to be fired, you have the arduous task of the progressive discipline process and the final termination meeting. But there are other concerns that arise when an employee leaves. Those concerns are security and their access to company data.
In the 1930s, France built a trench network called the Maginot Line to rebuff any invasion. The philosophy was simple: if you map out all the places an enemy can attack, and lay down a lot of men and fortifications at those places, you can rebuff any attack.
Phishing Scams – A People Problem
There are some things that only people can fix. There are many security risks to which your data is susceptible, but there is one method that remains a wonderfully effective hacking tool. That is the phishing scam. This is a legitimate looking email that asks the reader to click on a link. If clicked, the link can infect the user's computer with malicious software that can steal passwords, logins, and other critical data.
This cyberattack scheme hasn't garnered nearly as much attention as the usual "break-in-and-steal-data-to-sell-on-the-Internet version," but it can be even more debilitating. Ransomware attacks have begun appearing in the last few years and its practitioners are so polished that in few cases they even have minicall centers to handle your payments and questions.
Your website represents your business and so building and maintaining it need to be of primary concern to you as a business owner. We often find business owners struggling with their websites saying things like: "My website looks great, but I am not able to convert" or "I invested so much into creating my website, but I don't get many hits...
Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) is one new approach being used by many companies like yours. Experienced MSPs have access to newer tools that reduce costs by automating many routine in-house labor intensive processes. Break-fix is labor intensive, and labor is one of the most expensive operating costs within your IT infrastructure...
Did you know that 50% of small business owners think their businesses are too small to be targeted by the thieves of the virtual world? Contrary to popular belief, 72% of hacker attacks often happen to smaller firms - firms with less than 100 employees! So how prepared is your SMB? Here's a checklist to help you find out how vulnerable you are to these attacks...
Backup Files Every Day - As catastrophic as data loss is, the number of businesses that still are not backing up their network is unbelievable. According to the Symantec Small to Medium Size Businesses (SMB) data, only 23% of SMBs are backing up their data on a daily basis and fewer than 50% are backing up data weekly...
In an age where most business happens online, not showing up in Google search results can really hurt you. While there's no real shortcut to showing up consistently on web searches, there are a few quick fixes to get your site to show up on your potential customer's search results...
Did you know that there are more mobile web surfers than stationary ones? That means more prospects are accessing your business website more through their smart phones, tablets or other mobile devices than with a laptop or PC. A recent study revealed that around 40% of prospects move on to a competitor if they have a poor mobile experience...
Research has revealed that over half of all users end up opening fraudulent emails and often even fall for them. Phishing is done with the aim of gathering personal information about you, generally related to your finances. The most common reason for the large number of people falling for fraudulent emails is that the phishing attempts are often so well-disguised that they escape the eyes of a busy email reader...
Not-for-profits have an unusual issue regarding security. Firms that have trained, paid full-time employees have a strong level of control over the actions of their workers. NPOs, however, may rely heavily on volunteers whose time in the office may be minimal and sporadic. You may feel grateful for their dedication and be less likely to subject them to rigid security...
Have you been focusing on software packages and anti-virus tools to protect your data from hacking? That may not be enough, because it overlooks one of the biggest causes of security breaches. All of the security software and expertise in the world is useless if you or your employees don't remain vigilant about their behavior as it relates to hacking scams and data security.
If you are a smaller Not-for-Profit, it is likely that your organization has been driven from its inception by individuals strongly motivated with a passion for their cause or humanitarian goal. As a result, it is also possible that the leadership has little interest in developing the administrative technology infrastructure that is necessary for any organization to function in the internet age.
Any business that stores customer payment information must comply with a number of state and federal regulations. The legal, healthcare, and financial sectors have a number of laws tailored specifically for them (such as HIPAA or CISPA). If you run almost any kind of professional practice or agency you probably have very specific data security requirements.
Yes, today's blog is about office phone systems. You have one. They are dull, necessary, and no one wants to deal with them. They need to be re-configured for new employees, they're confusing, and the telco lines probably cost you more money than you'd like...
Yes, today's blog is about office phone systems. You have one. They are dull, necessary, and no one wants to deal with them. They need to be re-configured for new employees, they're confusing, and the telco lines probably cost you more money than you'd like...
You can have all the locks on your data center and have all the network security available, but nothing will keep your data safe if your employees are careless with passwords...
Many small firms are pretty busy handling their own business, and don't give much thought to what they would do if a natural disaster from a bad snowstorm to much worse hit their physical location and cut power, or physical access to the building...
Several studies have revealed that most users end up opening and reading fraudulent emails and most of the time believing in them. Phishing's main goal is to gather important personal information about you and your finances. The most common reason for the large number of users falling for these emails is that the phishing attempts are so well-disguised that a busy email reader don't...
Are you aware that more than 50% of small business owners believe their businesses are too small to be targeted by the thieves of the virtual world? Contrary to popular belief, 72% of hacker attacks often happen to smaller firms - firms with less than 100 employees! So how prepared is your SMB?...
A recent article by The Guardian (UK) explains how the cloud industry is set to see a growth of around 30% soon. But a lot of small and medium business owners are still struggling to make sense of the cloud and how it can benefit them. If you are one of them, Simplitfy wants to inform what's in store for you when you migrate to the cloud...
Disaster recovery and business continuity plans are issues that almost all small businesses fail to think about. Most of the time they believe they don't have the necessary resources to address it...
Simplitfy® provides a myriad of professional IT Services for small and medium sized businesses. We provide a wide spectrum of flexible business technology solutions including business growth consulting, technical helpdesk, IT support, project management, hardware, and complete cabling and network installations.
