Protect Your Business Information: Data Security Guidelines

We live in a digital era and there are not only traditional hazards that endanger our business. Cyber attacks are becoming more and more common, and according to Forbes Internet and business data security is not only a technical issue nowadays.

According to a recent survey, more than 40% of the online attacks are organized by company employees. Sometimes, these are former employees, who seek revenge for their dismissal, but there are also cases in which some problems occur just because people do not know what to do in certain situations.

How should you protect your business information?

You probably think that cyber security is important only for large companies, but that is not true. All businesses are vulnerable to cyber attacks, especially the ones that don't have a special part of their budget intended for hacker attacks prevention.

We offer you some tips that will help you protect your company and business from an eventual cyber attacks:

Train your employees to recognize the IT risks

If your employees are aware of them, would not dare to make hasty decisions and take unnecessary risks. There is no need form them to know all technical details, but knowing the basics is absolutely mandatory. It is also a good decision to ask them make a regular backup of the business information they work with or store it on an external hard disk, as well as on their computers and laptops at the office.

It is crucial to explain to your employees what security breaches there may be. This is especially important if you have some employees who don't have any particular technological literacy. The same thing applies if you allow your employees to connect to your internal corporate network through their personal mobile devices.

Building a certain company policy concerning technologies and personal social networks accounts

Make sure your employees understand how and when to use their personal devices or social networks accounts when they are at their work place. Building a certain company policy concerning the information technologies they work with is absolutely necessary in order to minimize the risk from any hacker attacks. There should also be a specific protocol that should be strictly followed when it comes to a lost or stolen company device containing some business data.

We should be honest and confess the fact that most companies allow their employees to publish some positive information about the company on the Internet. However, the truth is that a great number of employees, who use their personal social media accounts, are sometimes rather careless and may unintentionally provide the society with some confidential business data.

So, what is the solution of this problem? Basically, you may encourage your employees to use social media accounts when this may be beneficial to your company, but you should teach them how to do that in a way that will not damage its reputation, i.e. without revealing any trade or company secrets in public or to any of your competitor's companies.

Always use “smart” passwords

If we have to be completely honest, there is no actual password that will become an obstacle to malicious hackers, but you can at least try making your passwords more difficult. Choose longer passwords that include characters, letters and numbers. Make your passwords key-sensitive. Another important thing you should remember is changing your company passwords as often as you can.

Risk management

All companies should look at cyber security and business data protection as something that they can control. Every company, no matter how bit it is, should spend some money in order to protect their systems and information.

Author Bio:

Rose Finchley loves to write about technologies and new gadgets. She currently works as a technician at http://www.tenancyclean.co.uk/end-of-tenancy-cleaning-sw8-vauxhall/ an she has a lot of experience to share with her readers.

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7 Tips To Get More Out Of Your WiFi Router

Wireless routers are a bit like relationships. You don´t notice the problems until things go really wrong and they send you crazy. This behaviour is normally accompanied by naming calling and huge sighs! And at times, you can´t understand what has gone wrong – but you blame the router anyway!

However, sometimes is not the routers fault – it is yours. It´s about time you accepted the blame and fix things pronto!

1. Did you read the manual?

Remember all the times you wished your other half came with instructions? Yet you expect your router to perform miracles automatically! In your defence, we’ve all done it, but just like your partners, routers are all different and need a little TLC. A quick read of the instructions will make sure you treat it right! If you didn´t get a manual with your router you can download users guides from the supplier’s website.

2. You didn’t learn the basics

You will be amazed how much better you get on with your wireless router if you have a basic understanding of its needs. This all may sound very complicated and techy, but the truth is its child´s play. Check out our friends at lifehacker.com who give a very unintimidating intro to the basics in Lesson 1: Router Hardware 101.

3. You never change

It´s easy to get stuck in your ways, but you have to keep things fresh. Keep your router up to date, your ISP will often allow you to upgrade to a new model for free if it becomes their standard issue for new customers, additionally firmware updates from the manufacturer can help find and fix any bugs and generally improve the performance of your device.

4. You’re using the wrong technology for your needs

You might want to consider exactly what you need from your service and if your expectations are reasonable. Are you a seriously competitive online gamer? Chances are you should be connecting to your router with a wired ethernet connection. Always on the move for business but need to stay plugged into the web? You’re going to need a service specifically for international wireless roaming. Take some time to think about what you actually need from your service before committing to a plan.

5. You’re embarrassed to be seen with it

Wireless routers are not the sexiest device you will ever own, but its what´s on the inside that counts! And tucking your box in the corner out of the way may not be the best place to keep it. Ideally, it needs to be in range of all devices you use it for, and preferably an open space where it can breathe.

6. Something is interfering

This problem is more common than you realise. Routers work from a 2.4GHz band – the same as many other household devices such as cordless phone, microwave and baby monitors. It could be that they are interfering with your router and effecting its performance.

7. Interfering neighbours

One of the most common interference patterns for routers comes from next door. The chances are your neighbours connect over the same frequency as you and just like your own household devices. Might be sharing the same 2.4GHz frequency as you.

Naturally, if you live in a densely populated area, you could have any number of rivals competing for space on this limited band. The only real solution for now is getting a router that operates on dual bands simultaneously. Newer routers will often run on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands at the same time, allowing the latest Wi-Fi devices to connect on the much less congested 5GHz band. Of course the other thing to consider is that your neighbours may be intentionally reducing your bandwidth by hogging it for themselves!

GRAPHENE: A Material That Enabled the Creation of Flexible Smartphones

Store Your Data Offsite with Cloud

Data storage and backup is vital to the smooth and efficient running of any business, but a lot of companies and IT managers make a number of routine mistakes when it comes to backing up data. Key among these is the propensity to use complicated backup systems that require constant management. The cost of maintaining a dedicated staff solely for the purpose of protecting your data systems can become expensive. However, it is not absolutely necessary to back up your data systems onsite. The runaway train of technological innovation has made it possible to safely back up your data without needing to resort to multiple pieces of storage hardware. Cloud backup services have a number of advantages over more traditional backup systems, including safe and reliable data encryption and the ability to sync your data to both mobile and web devices. With easy access and a lower overhead, Cloud backup services are undeniably the best solution for all your data storage needs.

Created by Metiix. Metiix specializes in accelerated data recovery.

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Is VoIP Secure: Network Protocols

Every time a new technology is on the rise, everyone keeps asking the same question – is it secure? We live a time when everybody can be surveyed and wire-taps can be basically put on a whim so knowing what the secure protocols to use are is crucial, especially if you want to protect your data and privacy. Of course, nowadays you can't be truly secluded – that's the price we pay for living in the Information Age. However, there are a few things you can do in order to make it harder for people to get your information. Secure computer systems are a must, there is no denying it, especially if you want to protect your data, but you also need a shielded way to communicate with people.

It is undeniably a well-known fact that one of the best ways to communicate today is through VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) yet the question of the structural integrity and security of the method still remains. How secure exactly is VoIP?

VoIP vs Traditional Telephony

If you think traditional telephony is secure enough for you, then you should have no trouble with VoIP which is at least as secure as what you're used to. Of course, generally, every sort of system has its weakness – that's just an unavoidable inherent quality of the system, itself. I guess when you're trying to protect your corporate data, this doesn't sound very convincing, but when you think about it, it actually means a lot. Using VoIP isn't more dangerous than using any sort of IP transfers, although there is always a risk, but that risk can be mitigated. You are probably transmitting lots of information over the web, anyway, which means that you're already taking those risks. If you're going through considerable lengths to protect the data you are sending, then it's safe to say that VoIP will not pose a bigger security threat. You can never be truly sure if someone is listening in on your conversation, but then again – you can't be sure if you're using traditional telephony, either.

Internal Networks

VoIP are most safely used in closed networks. If you run a company and you have an inner network, then connecting different divisions, for example, with VoIP would save you money and it wouldn't be risky, unless you have spies in your midst, at which case someone eavesdropping on your conversations is the least of your worries. VoIP can connect two points of the network so people can directly communicate with each other without the possibility of anyone else accessing their conversation. This wasn't the case a few years. Back then, the LAN availability wasn't controlled by switches and everyone had access. Now, with the use of switches, you can easily connect two points of the network (or more if you wish) so you will get instant and secure communication. The only risk that lies here is if your network is unprotected, but then all your data will be available, so like I said – someone listening in on your conversations will be the least of your problems.

How Secure is VoIP?

Well, don't expect that VoIP is going to be the most secure way of communication the world has ever seen. If man has found a way to communicate, man will find a way to intercept that communication. It's as simple as that, however, as you can still take some measures to protect your data. VoIP is at least as secure as traditional telephony and can be made even more secure by taking the right measures. Bottom line is, if you're trusting a network enough to transmit sensitive data through it, then using it for VoIP should be just fine for you, because it's secure enough.

Author Bio:

Rose Finchley is passionate blogger keen on topics about Internet. She currently works as a technician at http://www.shinylondon.co.uk/end-of-tenancy-cleaning-nw1-somers-town/ and she has a lot of experience to share with the readers.

Apps To Make Free Phone Calls

Before the invention of smartphones and hi-tech mobile OS users mainly used their phones for calling and messaging. Since that time the call costs have been inflating. With improvement of technologies, the users are blessed with plenty of apps that they can use day today for varied purposes. One of the main purpose being free calls. With National and International call rates heavily shooting up the following Android Apps will let you to make free phone calls at a much less price (data connection charges/Wi-Fi charges alone).

The following are top free phone call apps for your Android/iPhone/Windows devices:

1. Fring:

Fring has a lot of great features that will make you go for it, ranging from free calls to normal chat to advanced video calling. Fring app now lets you also to append various other communication based services viz. AOL, GTalk. Also there is an option for connecting with your phone’s contact book thus letting you to talk with anyone with just one app.

However you can do the free call only when the other party has Fring app on their phone, which is obvious. This won’t be a big problem since the Fring app available not only for Android, but also on other operating systems like iOS, Windows, Symbian and also via a mobile browser.

Their latest feature is being capable of video calling between four people at the same time over any Wi-Fi or data connection. Albeit it’s fun to try this out, it looks a bit choppy too.

Additionally, you can call to regular phones also by buying some credits or points (similar to Skype) so you can now talk to landlines.

2. Line:

Line is the latest and very innovative app that lets users to make free voice calls for 24 hours a day. You can update your friends about anything and everything from your Android phone by using text, calls, photos, video calls, stickers and location info also. You can call all your friends from anywhere in the world and make calls internationally for free. Line is available in the Google Play Store for free download. Other noteworthy features are stickers, emoticons.

3. ooVoo:

ooVoo is a basically a video chat app that was developed by ooVoo corporation. You can view friends who use ooVoo and select their profiles for making video call, voice call or to send instant text or even video messages. You can make conference calls with up to 12 people at the same time. This app has options to save videos and photos that were sent by your friends. Speed dial option is present which will help you to keep up with five best friends while on the go.

4. Viber:

Viber is the most straight forward and hassle free app. All you have got to do is install this app and then it will search all the users in your contact box who use Viber and connect you to them. You don’t need nicknames or e-mail verification. You phone number serves as a unique user ID.

Put this app in your home screen and then use this as a calling function instead of your carrier based call and you are not only allowed to make free calls to the other Viber users but you can also send SMS to them. This is an efficient app to make normal SMS and calls and also email right from the app. The one thing that makes Viber outstanding is its call quality. The audio is very clear without any lags. It is so clear that you will think that you ate using your regular carrier phone line. This is a must have free call app on your Android.

The other free call apps include Skype, Tango, Tru App, Qik, Nimbuzz, Google Voice, ICQ, etc...

Image Credit: Tim Robberts.

Author Bio:

I’m Zoya Bennet, part of Contus mobility team and author of this article. I’m a passionate blogger interested in writing articles on professional android application development. I constantly offer technology-based solutions for the platforms iOS, Android and Windows.