In 2003, the United States, Canada, and the European Union decided to raise public awareness of cybersecurity threats. They designated October as Cybersecurity Awareness month and launched a month-long campaign for raising awareness. Continue Reading
All over the world businesses and professionals are coming together through remote work. It may still be risky to gather in the workplace, but through the availability of high-speed home internet and cloud-based software – we can keep the wheels of commerce rolling. A big part of our global transition to remote teams working from home has been Zoom and other video meeting platforms. Continue Reading
As a small to medium-sized business owner, it is important that you take certain precautions to protect your business’s data against a potential cyber-attack. Oftentimes, small business owners do not worry about their cybersecurity as they believe that they won’t be a target. Continue Reading
At BWS Technologies, we are looking at a global workforce that has been forced by COVID-19’s threat to a new focus on working at home (WAH). This novel virus started in China, and, as of late March 2020, has impacted more than 189 countries and territories. There is no disputing the need for social isolation, and there is a need for public and private workforces to be innovative without decreasing productivity. Continue Reading
Cybersecurity writer Sue Poremba recently shared an experience that shows how blind many companies are to the IT security risks they face when an employee leaves.
Weeks after quitting a job to take a new position, Poremba needed some information that she thought might be in her email inbox at her former company. Acting on a whim, she tried to log in to that old email account. To her astonishment, not only was she able to access her email, but she found that she still had access to everything on that former employer’s network, including sensitive employee records and company financial information. As Poremba notes, if she had been a vindictive ex-employee, she could have done untold damage to her former company. Continue Reading
According to the Cost of a Data Breach Study by IBM and Ponemon, the global average cost for data breaches was $3.6 million. This amounted to an average of $141 per record.
Although insider threats are often thought of as being the biggest risk, employees who have recently quit or been terminated may pose an even bigger one. What type of dangers could your company be facing, and what can you do to mitigate them? Here is some information you need to know. Continue Reading
Eleven years ago in 2009, Microsoft released the operating system Windows 7. It was stable, functional, and compatible with software. In other words, everything a business computer system needs. Naturally, businesses build their software and internal tech stacks on computers that ran Windows 7. And not just when it was new.
As newer versions of Windows were tried and cycled through, Windows 7 remained a reliable fallback. Many people built installations on Windows 7 when there were newer alternatives because of the stability. However, part of that stability was the fact that Microsoft has been supporting Windows 7 installations for the last decade. They have been providing performance and security patches to keep Windows 7 systems functional. Continue Reading
Modern business communication goes above and beyond email and phone calls, and your small business’ CRM is at the center of this. No matter what communication channel you use, your CRM should be intimately involved in all client interactions. When a client contacts you through live chat, the CRM can and should be there. When a client is called by your sales team, the CRM can be there. The same applies when your business upgrades to a new VOIP communication suite. Continue Reading
With its release of the “Windows 10” computer operating system in July 2015, Microsoft made bold, sweeping claims for its security features. After four years of “builds” that have extended the Windows 10 series, with some 900 million users, today, those security features have to say the least undergone sustained and varied test in practice.
There have been continual modifications and patches, of course, including a recent one that embarrassed the company by seeming, when installed, to disable a key Windows 10 security feature. Continue Reading
Modern businesses are now aware that employee participation is essential for cybersecurity. No matter how good your firewall and security procedures are, your company system can only protect each person and computer to the extent that they keep the security doors shut. If an employee answers one phishing email or opens one malicious link, they could put your entire secured business network at risk.