Directive Blogs

Cybersecurity is far from the most engaging topic out there, but that doesn’t diminish its importance. You, as a business owner, need to know how to protect your business from today’s threats, but your employees also need to be actively involved in the cybersecurity of your company. Today, we’re exploring how you can implement better cybersecurity training practices into your business.

The world of cybersecurity is in constant flux, demanding that organizations continually reassess their defensive strategies. A traditional focus solely on preventing breaches, while important, is proving insufficient in the face of sophisticated and persistent threats. As highlighted in a recent Illumio podcast episode, "Trust & Resilience: The New Frontlines of Cybersecurity," the very foundation of digital interaction—trust—has ironically become a primary vulnerability exploited by attackers. This necessitates a fundamental shift in perspective. 

If you're like many small and medium-sized business owners, you're juggling countless online passwords… for email, banking, software, supplier portals, and more. It's overwhelming! This often leads to using simple or repeated passwords, which unfortunately opens the door to cyber threats like data breaches, a serious risk for any business. Thankfully, there's a straightforward solution: a password manager.

If you are going to take away any information about cybersecurity, these four facts are the most important. More importantly, taking them seriously will likely help you and your business stay out of serious danger, avoid data loss, and prevent massive unexpected loss in revenue.

Cyberthreats aren’t just occasional inconveniences, especially nowadays. They are constant, evolving, and some are so highly sophisticated that you can hardly blame yourself if you fall victim to them. This is why proactivity is so important. Businesses that take a reactive approach to cybersecurity find themselves in a never-ending cycle of damage control. Without a purposeful cybersecurity strategy, any organization faces recurring breaches, data loss, and ultimately a situation where customer distrust can result in the company's financial ruin. This month, we thought we would take a look at why having a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that addresses these risks is so critical for the modern business to accomplish.

Security should be at the top of any business owner’s list of priorities. While cybersecurity often gets the spotlight, physical security is just as critical; after all, if someone can walk in and steal your equipment, all the firewalls in the world won’t help you. Fortunately, technology has made it easier than ever to protect your business from physical threats. Here are some physical security technologies small businesses can use to keep their assets safe.

The cloud is a cornerstone in modern business processes, repeatedly proving its worth. However, the cloud must be properly secured against threats like any aspect of your business' technology.

That’s the purpose of today, World Cloud Security Day: to remind you of how important this security is and to evaluate your use of the cloud to examine where your business could improve.

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, is a common approach for businesses that want to take advantage of mobile technology to kickstart productivity. Instead of supplying each individual employee with company-owned devices, businesses allow employees to use their own devices for work-related purposes. While this is great on the budget, it’s only really effective (and safe) if the employee prioritizes security on their devices; otherwise, it’s a liability.

Antivirus is a staple security solution for businesses and everyday PC users, but have you ever considered how it works? By thinking through some of the details, you might gain a greater understanding of how antivirus works, what it does, and why you need to keep it updated. Today, we’re going to discuss just that, starting from square one.

So, you’re thinking about adding to your business’ security with a camera system. This is an excellent course of action for any business to take—provided that it is approached thoughtfully and with discretion. There are many, many options out there, after all, which only makes it more challenging to make the right choice. 

Absolutely nobody likes dealing with passwords. They’re annoying, hard to remember, and yet, somehow, hackers seem to have no problem cracking them. That’s where password managers come in. They take the stress out of remembering a hundred different logins while keeping your business secure. If you’re still relying on sticky notes or using the same password for everything so you can remember it, it’s time to make the switch.

It should come as no surprise that cybersecurity is a big challenge for businesses and individuals alike. The problem: life pretty much revolves around being online these days, so there’s no avoiding it. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to ensure that any data you collect from your customers, employees, and other key stakeholders in your business is well-protected, otherwise you will face severe consequences.

We will always reinforce how critical it is for everyone in any workplace to have a grasp of cybersecurity best practices, regardless of their role or responsibilities. However, based on a survey conducted by UK-based cybersecurity firm Ramsac, this baseline is not being met by a long shot.

Why do we say this? Simple: this survey revealed that one in three adults failed a cybersecurity test designed for 11-year-olds.

We’ve all had to confirm we’re not a computer when attempting to log into an account. This is the core purpose of what once was called CAPTCHA… the Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. However, it seems surprising that computers don’t easily overcome these simple-seeming tests.

Let’s dig into why these simple tests actually are effective at differentiating between human users and automated bots.

You don’t want to get spammed; nobody does. Unfortunately, it happens to EVERYONE, and it’s just getting worse. All this unwelcome correspondence happens over the phone, through email, and especially on social media. In today’s blog, we’ll talk a little bit about how social media puts users at risk and what you can do to keep that risk from becoming a problem for you. 

In the United States, tax season is prime time for hackers to take advantage of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens. They do this through all kinds of nefarious activities, such as phishing attacks conducted through text messages and emails claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. If you want to avoid getting scammed this tax season, be sure to keep the following tips in mind to stay safe while you conduct your typical tax routines.

Normally, we try to keep the focus on business technology, but this guide is geared toward the typical home user, who may not be that high-tech.

These days, nearly all human beings are wrapped up in a little technology, and there isn’t a huge divide between protecting yourself as an employee at a company versus protecting yourself as an individual—at least as far as cybersecurity habits go. Even if you feel like you are pretty low-tech, you still have to worry about protecting your identity, financial information, and personally identifiable information online.

Phishing is a common trick where hackers pretend to be someone you trust to steal your personal information. For example, they might send an email that looks like it's from your bank, asking you to verify your account details. Here's why it's so effective.

With remote work remaining popular, employees can benefit from flexibility and work-life balance, but at the cost of certain challenges on the business side. The big one is security, as your network ends up spread out across multiple locations rather than siloed in-house. Here are three rules you should consider when planning out how to approach remote work.

Despite some of the headlines that we saw last year, it wasn’t all bad news regarding ransomware. Critically, 2024 saw ransomware payments plummet by hundreds of millions of dollars… despite many large-scale attacks and one record-breaking whaling payment of $75 million by one victim.

This is undeniably great to hear… but with that in mind, we cannot let ourselves slip into complacency.

Think about the apps you use daily—Google Drive, Netflix, Spotify, even Instagram. All of these run on cloud-based services, which basically means they store and process everything online instead of relying on one physical device. Businesses, big and small, are making the same shift because, honestly, it just makes sense. Let’s take a look at why you should be looking to use cloud services in your business.

Text messages are great. They’re a quick and effective means for us all to communicate. 

Unfortunately, this does bring some downsides, too… namely, they’re a relatively simple means for a scammer to spread their attacks. Let’s discuss why this is so dangerous and how you can identify and avoid these threats.

Running a business is already confusing enough without worrying about security at all times. Whether you’re a small business owner or a multi-level enterprise, security is just as important for all the same reasons. Today, we want to share a couple of security strategies you can implement today to feel better about the current state of your infrastructure moving forward.

The Internet is a fantastic place to shop, connect, and learn, but people also have to deal with the minefield of scams—especially in 2025, where opportunists are getting even craftier with AI and other high-tech tricks. This month, we take a look at four simple ways you can spot an Internet scam before it drains your wallet or your personal data.

It’s undeniable that the smartphone has transformed computing. In fact, not only is more computing done on mobile devices, they are by far the most purchased computers in the world. Well over 90 percent of people own some type of smartphone. So how do you use these devices for productivity? This month, we will discuss some ways to make this happen.

Mobile device security is critical for modern businesses, especially as they play a more prominent and significant role in daily operations. However, data loss is also a problem, regardless of the source… including if a device is wiped via a reset.

While Apple has offered a feature to prevent this for the past year or so, Android 15 now provides the same, referred to as Identity Check. Let’s explore how it works, and how to enable it for yourself.

Phishing is the most common way hackers “get you,” so /to speak, but have you ever wondered why it’s so effective? Today, we want to explore the reasons why phishing schemes are so enticing to even the most security-conscious individuals out there. You might be surprised to know that even security professionals can fall prey to these types of attacks, and for very good reasons.

When hackers steal data, they don't just sit on it. Sometimes they delete it, but most of the time, they sell it or use it for illegal activities. A lot of this stolen data ends up on the Dark Web, a hidden part of the Internet where people do shady things. That's why it's so important to keep an eye on the Dark Web to protect your business.

Earlier this year, a location data broker called Gravy Analytics suffered a huge data breach that compromised a dataset with 30 million points from devices all over the world. With this data, hackers can track users and their movements through healthcare, government, and military facilities.

Most companies have to have a workforce, generally one of considerable size. Unfortunately, the more users you have, the more potential risks you run into. Of course, your workforce doesn’t collectively intend to be a security risk, but the digital world is a complicated place, with threats around every corner and malicious programs just waiting for your employed end-users to slip up. Here are ten such honest slip-ups to watch out for:

At the beginning of this year, a massive data breach struck a location data broker called Gravy Analytics and took possession of a dataset with 30 million points from devices worldwide. This data could potentially be used to track individuals and their movements, tellingly, through healthcare, government, and military facilities. 

Unfortunately, nothing can be done about data that has already been breached, but preventative steps can and should be taken to protect your business. Let’s discuss how to prevent your applications from tracking your movements.

Every January 28th, with cyberthreats on the rise and consumer trust more vital than ever, Data Privacy Day is your perfect reminder that you have the power to take charge of your data. Whether you’re a small business owner or an executive in a larger organization, safeguarding sensitive information is not just a legal and ethical responsibility—it’s a strategic investment in your company’s future.

Did you know that phishing is, by far, the most common security risk to your business? Just think, any of your employees could become the target of a phishing attack, and all it would take is downloading the wrong file or clicking on the wrong link to expose your organization to security threats. Today, we want to offer a refresher on the throwaway signs of a phishing attack and how to protect yourself and your team from harm.

So you got a new computer for a holiday gift. That’s great! We’re excited that you’re excited. But you also need to consider how you are going to dispose of your old device and how to do so in a safe way. Today, we want to discuss how you can safely discard, or potentially even reuse, your old device so you don’t put your data at risk.

Have you ever suspected that a hacker could silently observe your email interactions with your clients and your staff? If you manage your own email infrastructure, we want to highlight the importance of email encryption. Encryption keeps your business’ email communications secure and compliant so you can worry less about security and privacy to focus more on running your business.

The Internet is full of threats, but one of the most alarming ones making headlines lately is called an SS7 attack. It’s severe enough to have the U.S. Department of Homeland Security scrambling to find solutions. Let’s break down what SS7 attacks are, how they work, and why they’re so dangerous.

Passwords are one of the best ways to protect your online accounts and information. Strong passwords are especially important for small businesses because weak ones can cause significant problems, like security breaches. Let’s break down how to create and manage passwords the right way.

Since so much of the world is now online, businesses and organizations interact with people online now more than ever. This means they also collect people’s information, a practice they do for various reasons. Individuals need to consider their own data privacy and how it might be affected by business practices.

Most people are familiar with Santa Claus, the jolly gift-giver who delivers presents to all the children who have kept the Christmas spirit in their hearts all year. Lately, many people have also become aware of Krampus, Santa’s dark shadow who—as the legend goes—takes a similar trip to visit the naughty children and turn the worst into a midnight snack.

However, one has to wonder: what about all the adults who might also be naughty?

Businesses have seen an increase in cyberattacks, and this trend is not slowing down in 2025. Today, we want to explore what the future could hold so you can take these insights and apply them to your cybersecurity initiatives in the coming year.

Cybercrime and cybersecurity threats targeting businesses have increased consistently over the last several years, so it makes sense that it won’t slow down in 2025. Let’s take a look at a few insights so you know what to be ready for.

Technology is a big part of how businesses run today, but that also makes them prime targets for cyberattacks. These attacks can shut down operations and steal sensitive data. Let’s look at five common cybersecurity issues businesses deal with:

Protecting your business isn’t just about having the right tools; it’s about making sure you and your team know how to stay safe online. Here are some key tips to help you get started:

To keep your business running smoothly, even if something goes wrong—like a power outage, cyberattack, or other disaster—you need a reliable way to protect your data. That’s where data backup comes in. It’s important to make sure your backup is thorough and trustworthy so you can recover if things go south.

How seriously does your business take data privacy? Can you back up your answer with concrete examples of what you do to prioritize that notion? Today, we face a serious threat to both individual and consumer data privacy, so we want to take the time to cover how you can make data privacy a priority in your own life.

Imagine giving every single person you work with a key to your house. Would you do it? Probably not, right? What if someone lost their key or had it stolen? You wouldn’t want to take that risk.

So, it stands to reason that if you can’t trust the people you work with every day with a key to your house, you wouldn’t want them to have access to all of your data; or your business’.

Cybersecurity is intensely important, so a business owner would think implementing every security feature and defense would be a good idea. However, as research has shown, this can be counterproductive, as only 67% of surveyed security leaders know what led to cybersecurity incidents in their businesses over the past year. 

Every business relies on technology to function. Some wouldn’t be able to deliver any value to their customers without it, while others would be severely hindered if they suffered a data breach. For this reason, cybersecurity has to be a priority. In today’s blog, we will discuss five issues that business owners run into that can muddle their cybersecurity efforts.

Businesses of every size need to prioritize their security. This fact has not changed and will not change anytime soon. What has changed, however, are the recommended ways to approach this security.

Today, we wanted to review the history of today’s predominant cybersecurity advice and explore how the zero-trust security model applies.

The Disney brand has long cultivated an image of magic and wonder. However, this image has yet to materialize any magical effects in reality. For example, people still suffer from food allergies while visiting Disney’s various parks.

This makes it especially dangerous that a former Disney employee was allegedly still able to access a specialized menu-planning app and make alterations, like changing prices, adding language that Disney certainly would not approve of, switching text to the unintelligible “Wingdings” font, and worst of all… changing menu information.

Rebooting your device presents several benefits. If you ever experience an issue with your device, rebooting it will likely improve it. Heck, even the National Security Agency (NSA) recommends you do this… but why?

Operating systems are the backbone of any computer or device. Whether it’s your phone, a tablet, or a computer, the operating system controls how the device works, allowing you to run apps, browse the web, and complete tasks. For businesses, having up-to-date operating systems is especially important. Let's look at why this is critical and what can happen if businesses don’t keep up!

Think about how many online accounts you have. With so many accounts, it’s important to make sure they’re secure. Creating strong passwords is one of the best ways to protect your accounts from hackers. Here’s how you can create passwords that are hard to crack and keep all your online accounts safe.

Can you tell the difference between your colleagues and a scammer with access to their email account? This is essentially what a business email compromise attack involves—a scammer initiates a phishing scheme using an internal mode of communication. These scams are also observed in schools, making them dangerous in the education sector.

In June of this year, publisher Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, best known for its book series of the same name, filed for Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy and had many of its assets liquidated. One of these assets was the movie rental service Redbox and its eponymous scarlet rental kiosks, rendering the service defunct.

However, many kiosks remain standing outside businesses even now, which makes us wonder… what about all the data they collected while they were in use?

Would you feel safe staying at a hotel that, instead of unique locks, each door used the same key as all of the others? Probably not—because if someone got in, they could take whatever they wanted. That’s similar to how old-school cybersecurity worked. Once someone got into a company’s network, they could access almost everything, making it easy for hackers to steal information. But today, many businesses use a better security framework called zero-trust security. In today’s blog, we discuss what zero-trust security is and why it’s safer.

Let’s have a little fun today. Today’s blog post is written in the format of a daytime soap opera. Please make sure you read all of the dialogue as if being whispered by extremely attractive television stars and starlets!

Life goes on in the small town of Oak Falls, deep woods surrounding the little hamlet nestled on the coast of Cape Seguridad. Let’s follow the lives of some of the residents, their lives Of Vice… and Vulnerability.

If there’s one thing that helps businesses establish consistent policies and strategy, it’s a good framework. You can use a framework for anything, including network security. Today, we want to walk you through the cybersecurity protection standards as they are outlined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology so you can better protect your business.

Let me ask you something: would you trust a bank that locked its doors for the night but left all its cash in a big pile in the middle of the floor? Probably not—after all, if someone managed to get through the doors, nothing would stop them from helping themselves to the funds inside.

This is effectively how cybersecurity once worked, with the presumption that if someone had access to a network, they had permission to access any data on it. Fortunately, many businesses have made the switch to a better approach, known as zero-trust security.

Cybersecurity has to be a big deal for any business that uses IT, and today, who doesn’t? When your employees don’t follow cybersecurity rules, it can put your business in danger, like getting hacked or losing money. The first step is to figure out why employees aren’t following the rules. This could happen because they don’t know the rules, haven’t been trained enough, or think the rules are too hard or take too much time. 

Over 25 percent of data breaches target small businesses, and the impact can be huge. To protect your business, you need the right technology and smart strategies. In today’s blog, we go through some key steps to help safeguard your business from digital threats.

Cloud computing as a whole has been one of the most transformative technologies for businesses. With so many companies (upward of 90 percent of modern businesses) using some type of cloud computing, more companies than ever are really leaning into the technology and use it for mission critical business processes. Let’s take a look at some of the ways businesses can secure their cloud resources. 

Over the past few years, huge scamming operations have operated in Southeast Asia, and now they are spreading. These scams—known as pig butchering scams—cause serious harm, as in an estimated $75 billion worldwide in 2023.

With these sorts of operations spreading, let’s go over what pig butchering is. 

Small businesses today are in a prime position to thrive, thanks to a surge in innovative technologies that are affordable and work to boost efficiency. In the past, access to cutting-edge technology was often reserved for large corporations, but today small businesses can now gain quick access to these technologies and can have a real positive effect on the way they go about doing business. Let’s take a look at some of the best technologies small businesses can use to try and compete with the big boys.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) has become a critical security measure in the digital age, providing an additional layer of protection against unauthorized access. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, relying solely on passwords is no longer enough. 

Technology is central to most businesses, which means that security is, by proxy, central to them as well. With cyberattacks on the rise, it’s more important than ever for you and your employees to be on the same page regarding cybersecurity. Today, we are looking at four ways you can ensure sound cybersecurity practices that even the most belligerent employees can follow… with the right support in place.

Let’s say you get an email from a close friend. It looks like it’s legitimate, until you check the contents of the message. It’s an advertisement, or it’s trying to get you to click on a link to see something “important.” Regardless of what the content of the message is, you should probably slap that bad boy in the Spam section of your email inbox. You’ve just been the target of email spoofing, and it’s more common than you might think.

Protecting your business’ accounts is something we will advocate for on repeat. You’ll hear us tell you about complex and unique passwords and multi-factor authentication until you’re sick of hearing it. But one tool that our clients sometimes forget is the password manager—an equally useful tool that can help your business keep passwords safe and secure.

Security awareness training is a critical process for modern businesses to undergo to have any chance of success. Unfortunately, as much as security software or policy can help, it can only do so much. You also need your team members to be on board, knowledgeable about what they need to do, and motivated to do it. 

In light of this, let’s talk about security awareness training and what it needs to involve.

Sextortion scams are scary. The scammer contacts the victim, claiming to have gotten access to their computer and captured video footage of their target partaking in some private and decidedly adult activities, as well as the content that was onscreen at the time. The threat: pay up, or I send the footage to all of your contacts.

Lately, however, hackers have added another layer of “proof” to these claims, now referring to victims by name and including pictures of their homes. Let’s walk through what one of these scams looks like and what you should do if one appears in your inbox.

Malware is everywhere on the Internet and you don’t want it. From spyware and adware to ransomware there is never anything good that comes from this malicious code. Today, we will outline a few ways you can tell that your computer, workstation, or mobile device has some form of malware on it.

Data breaches remain a constant threat, capable of causing serious disruptions for businesses and potentially creating widespread issues for customers. In today’s blog, we’ll highlight some of the largest and most impactful breaches of 2024.

Organizational cybersecurity is more important than ever, with an increasing number of threats requiring constant vigilance. To stay ahead of these dangers, cybersecurity experts and network administrators are continuously developing new solutions. This month, we’ll highlight three key innovations that are helping businesses navigate the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Network security is a major issue for any business that relies on password-protected systems—and who doesn’t? With so much at stake, it’s important that every user uses passwords that are not only complex and secure but also easy to remember. This month, we will discuss how the passphrase is the answer to keeping your password-protected accounts secure. 

Being scammed—in either the professional or personal sense—is a scary thought. To avoid this outcome, we must be vigilant all the time now.

Of course, it also helps to know what to look for.

Let’s take a few minutes to go over a few warning signs and red flags that something is likely a scam.

Remote work has proven incredibly useful over the past few years despite many employers having various concerns about its implementation. While these concerns vary, one prevalent one is how remote operations impact cybersecurity.

If you’re utilizing remote operations to any degree and aren’t concerned about cybersecurity, you must adjust this mindset and correct your approach.

Today’s business needs to be able to share files and data securely and efficiently. This process may seem straightforward, but there are a lot of options that the business owner or manager needs to understand. In today’s blog, we look at some steps that will help you create a strong and secure file-sharing system.

You should always use strong passwords for each and every account. Cybercriminals don’t need to put much effort into cracking a password these days—it only takes a little software and standard computer hardware to crack millions of passwords in just a second or two.

The more complex and random a password is, the more secure it is.

But coming up with (and memorizing) complex passwords is really difficult. This trick should make it a whole lot easier.

We’re still getting more information on this, but at the time of writing this, every American can assume that their social security number has been stolen. Let’s share what we know so far.

Data breaches can cripple companies and can come from a lot of different directions. They can be the result of phishing attacks where your staff unwittingly gives hackers access to your business’ resources. It can come from a brute force attack where hackers use innovative tools to break into your network. It can even be the work of disgruntled employees who use their access to steal company data. This month, we want to outline the top three things you can do to keep your business from being hacked. 

Potential data breaches are increasingly problematic for organizations, and the most common way that data is stolen is through phishing attacks. Phishing attacks are currently one of the most pervasive threats on the Internet, and you need to understand them to thwart their effectiveness against your users. Let’s explore what exactly a phishing attack consists of and some best practices you can use to defend your network against them.

Network security is hard. That’s why so many businesses struggle to implement the solutions they so desperately need to stay safe and relevant. Today, we want to demystify some of these components and lay out in clear terms what your highest priorities should be for your business’ network security.

Modern businesses—just like yours—cannot and should not operate without robust cybersecurity protections. This is a point we will emphasize at every opportunity. Let’s explore why security is so crucial and what steps you need to take to safeguard your business.

Email is a great communication tool. However, certain things are just unsafe to communicate via email.

Let’s go through a list of such things. Better safe than sorry, after all.

A business’ compliance with the regulations it operates under is a huge issue that many inside your organization won’t understand but has to draw some attention. Let’s look at some of the variables that go into compliance to outline just how important it is.

When it comes to cybersecurity, office printers often fly under the radar. They're seen as simple, innocuous devices. It’s easy to have the mindset that there’s not much at risk—what, are the hackers going to waste some of my paper?

But here's the truth: your office printer is a potential cybersecurity risk, and a serious one at that.

Just like your computers and smartphones, printers are connected to your network. This makes them vulnerable to the same cyberthreats.

An unsecured printer can be an open door for hackers. They can use it to sneak into your business network.

In this article, we'll shed light on the overlooked aspect of office printer security. We'll also provide actionable advice on how to fortify your office printers against cyberthreats.

So, let's dive in and explore the world of office printer cybersecurity.

Cybercriminals will do anything they can to get what they want. They will lie and cheat to break into an organization’s network and siphon off the data or gain control. One of the most utilized tactics that cybercriminals use today is called social engineering. This month, we will discuss social engineering and how it puts everything you work for in jeopardy. 

Facebook remains one of the most visited places on the Internet. Meta (the parent company to Facebook) also features WhatsApp and Instagram on their roster and has faced numerous security and privacy failings over the years. In this week’s blog, we’ll take a brief look at some of the most noteworthy.

Windows Defender is Microsoft’s own antivirus solution, and it comes bundled with Windows, so it’s confusing to think that a business would need to pay for it, right? Well, there are actually two separate products called Defender, with a big difference between them.

You can do everything in your power to secure your social media accounts and lock down your privacy settings. Still, at the end of the day, social media users expose themselves to a torrent of information and content every time they log on. As a civilization, we’ve never really had something like this before. These platforms curate content that the user wants to see to keep the user coming back and staying longer. It’s inherently designed to be enticing and addicting, which is dangerous for certain individuals.

Then, there are scams and an endless stream of grifts that pose a wide range of additional problems for users.

Let’s talk about ways you and those you care about can be safer on social media.

Most businesses rely on their technology. However, a failure to manage that technology can lead to significant financial waste and operational inefficiencies. One major way a business can waste money is through over-investment in unnecessary or overly complex IT infrastructure. Let’s briefly examine how companies waste their money on technology and how to identify if technology is working for your business. 

Social media is constantly evolving, and if the big social networks had it their way, it would be the only place people go when they log onto the Internet. Whether you have strong feelings for or against social media, or perhaps you are indifferent, it’s important to understand how to protect yourself when using social media.

Encryption is a powerful weapon against hackers that can prevent them from stealing your data and leveraging it against you. Encryption, in its most basic textbook definition, converts your readable data into an indecipherable jumble that can only be reassembled through the use of an encryption key. Small businesses absolutely must utilize encryption to protect customer information, financial records, and other important or sensitive business data. This ensures that it is as protected as possible against those that might do you harm.

Scammers look to take advantage of someone else for their own gain, but there are some scammers out there who are trying to scam the scammers to teach them a lesson. One such individual is “Kitboga,” a content creator who calls themselves a “scam baiter.”

Local small and medium-sized organizations are commonly targeted by cybercriminals simply because they let their guard down. A lot of local business owners seem to think “Hey, I’m just an accountant in Oneonta, or I’m just an insurance company in Sidney, or I’m just a realtor in Cooperstown, why would hackers want to target me?”

And the answer is right there. On top of that, the sheer number of avenues that cybercriminals have to cause damage to a business is staggering. Let’s take a look at some of the more recent threats we’ve been seeing over the past two months.

Obviously, we won’t tell you to cut down on your cybersecurity. That said, it can be easy to overinvest and overreach if you aren’t careful about what you’re implementing. This phenomenon is known as cybersecurity sprawl, and if not prevented, it can easily have serious consequences for your business. Let’s go into how to avoid this sprawl.

When you think of a scammer, you probably think of someone looking to take advantage of someone for their own gain. While this isn’t wholly inaccurate, another variety exists to acknowledge… those who aim to scam the scammers. Let’s consider one such white-hat scammer, or “scam baiter,” a content creator who uses the alias “Kitboga,” Kit for short.

The world’s largest ticket retailer is in hot water after their parent company, Live Nation Entertainment filed an 8-K filing with the Security and Exchange commission admitting that they had been hacked to the tune of 1.3 terabytes of information. That amounts to 560 million customers’ personal information that has been stolen from the company’s servers. Today, we take a look at the hack and what it means for consumers.

Technology is a major part of today’s business. It’s fair to say anyone that works in business today is at least semi-proficient with the technology needed to complete their tasks. Unfortunately, for many people, however, the fact that their business requires complicated technology is problematic. This is because at any given moment there are people looking to undermine their job, seeking access to accounts that will allow them to siphon money and data from organizations. 

It can be challenging to deal with failure in any context, but in the case of your workplace projects and other efforts, it can be particularly harsh. This makes it all the more important to frame such failures as opportunities to grow in the future.

Let’s discuss six reasons an initiative may fail and the lessons that can be learned from these situations.