CEO Article by Larry Johnson
The Olympics have just finished, and we have had some examples of great performances in the Tokyo games. I watched as two USA wrestlers were down to the last seconds when they won their matches. Gable Stevenson was down to less than 2 seconds when he came back to win, and David Taylor had less than 14 seconds when he won his match.
Successful businesses make technology work for them, not the other way round. When used correctly, technology can make every task much easier to accomplish. So if you’re looking to increase staff efficiency, incorporate technology into your daily operations with the following methods.
Travel restrictions are easing and people are anxious to take long-awaited vacations. Our family saw this first hand as we took an out-of-state trip over Memorial Day weekend. The airports bustled with long lines and airplanes announced full flights. People had weathered the pandemic and were ready for a change of scenery!
As we all take a collective sigh of relief that the confinement of the past year and a half is ending, we also need to be reminded that vacations can quickly turn sour if cyber safety practices are not part of your travel plans.
Now that most businesses are emerging from the doldrums of forced lockdowns and remote work, it is important to reinforce some of the basics for your business. Small businesses are required to have a constant drive to innovate and improve the business. If you are not a thought leader in your space, you must find ways to surpass the services and products offered by your competitors while giving customers a reason to remain loyal as you grow.
Hacker's Favorite Movie Quote
"Do you feel lucky? Do you punk?" This Clint Eastwood 1971 movie quote could be the mantra of all 21st-century hackers. If you feel lucky, gamble on using short passwords. Include your birthday or your pet's name. Use the same password across all of your accounts and NEVER change it.
There’s a March Madness of a different kind that happens each year during this time of tournaments: the onslaught of phishing emails that users fall for over and over again.
With pools that take place in our offices, among friends, or to the individual who wants to join a group online, hackers are handed a very easy way to get us to click as we look to participate and enter our bracket choices.
This last month I served on jury duty and watched as one of the evidence presented was a pretext phone call. Later that same week, I received a cybersecurity training email that taught me about pretexting as a form of social engineering. Who would have known that my cybersecurity awareness training could have real-life implications in the courtroom!
Social engineering is a type of crime that manipulates people into giving up their confidential information to bad actors.
(Or What Do You Get When You Mix Irish Jokes with a Security Article?)
Luck is not a strategy, even on St. Patrick's Day! Your network security and data are too important to leave to chance. Hoping that hackers, employee mistakes, hardware mishaps, or natural disasters won't find you is like the answer to this Irish joke: Why shouldn't you iron a four-leaf clover? Answer: You might press your luck!
Having a backup plan is a must.
The good. The bad. The ugly. Pretty much describes your inbox, doesn't it?
What's tough is sometimes you can't tell which are which. Is the email coupon from Round Table (20% off the Hearty Bacon Supreme!) good, or an ugly phishing attempt?
Is the notice from Netflix that your account needs renewing just one of those bad emails that wants your money for services, or is it an ugly attempt to just take your money?
If you had the Catch Phish Email Analysis icon in your email menu, you wouldn't have to wonder.
No Clue?
Most people have no idea how their personal information is being used, collected or shared in our digital world. Does this include you?
Data Privacy Day is an international effort held every January 28 to inspire dialogue and empower people to take action.
