Avoiding Downtime by Having a Business Continuity Plan

Companies small and large are increasingly reliant on their IT systems and infrastructure. Having a Business Continuity plan is a proactive way of avoiding unnecessary downtime due to a disaster, human error, or security breach. Not only may downtime cause data loss, but also according to Gartner Research, a conservative estimate of the cost of downtime for a computer network is $42,000 per hour. For a small business without a Business Continuity plan, such downtime could have long-term crippling implications.

Look who’s playing “Truth or Dare” now…

Did you hear that both Wal-Mart and Walgreens Mobile / Web App’s were recently compromised? If you’d like the full story from March 25th, see the link at the bottom. While these events may seem like a daily occurrence, the question we’re all asking is if it’s worth playing games – or if it’s time to get the truth about how secure environments really are.

Heartbleed Bug: What a Business Owner Should Know

The name Heartbleed OpenSSL Vulnerability (aka Heartbleed bug) is as scary as it sounds. Some reports say up to two thirds of all secure websites (e.g. those with a web address starting with a green https://) are using OpenSSL. It has been reported that Google was first to discover the Heartbleed bug that compromised sites including Yahoo, Tumblr, Flickr, Amazon, and other websites relying on OpenSSL for security. This security breach may provide hackers access to accounts, passwords, and credit card information.

Mobile Security: Does Your SmartPhone need a Kill Switch?

Many Smartphones and Tablet computers have access to corporate applications and their data through Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies and corporate-sponsored mobility strategies. Mobile Security has become a popular topic for good reason. According to CIO Insights, mobile data traffic is expected to increase eleven-fold by 2018. Because of increasing data traffic on mobile devices, some government agencies are looking at legislation to require manufacturers to add a smartphone kill switch to remotely wipe a mobile device if it is lost or stolen.

Will Smartphones and Tablets Kill the PC?

With Windows XP support ending soon for millions of PCs, many companies are considering a variety of replacement strategies. The adoption of smartphones and tablets is clearly on the rise. According to IDC, PC shipments are expected to decline by 6% in 2014, and that trend is expected to continue. Meanwhile, shipments of tablets surpassed shipments of PCs in 2013 and are expected to outpace shipments of PCs by 2015. Does this mean death to the PC? Likely not, here is why…

Windows XP Updates to End on April 8

According to Microsoft, support is ending for Windows XP after April 8, 2014. Technical assistance, including automatic updates that help protect your PC, will no longer be available after this date. Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP.

Why You Need a Bullet Proof Computer Network

Your Computer Network is the information pipeline of your business. But what if your network goes down? If your computer network is not operating properly, you may lose access to critical applications and their data. If you are using mobile applications, software as a service, or other types of Cloud Computing, your computer network needs to be highly reliable and readily available. While reading this article, you will learn about information technology trends that impact your Computer Network.

Avoiding Pitfalls to Cloud Computing Migration

It seems a majority of companies are adopting Cloud Computing as a significant portion of their IT infrastructure. According the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) 4th Annual Trends in Cloud Computing, sixty percent of companies surveyed, reported they rely on Cloud Computing for at least thirty percent of their IT infrastructure.

Transitioning to Cloud Computing? Here’s How to Avoid the Turbulence.

Mobile Security: Why Should I Care?

Mobile security is top of mind when it comes to concerns for IT Managers. According to the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) risk of loss is the number one concern related to Mobile security. For the first time last year, more smart phones and tablets shipped than PC desktops. It is no surprise that mobile devices are the target of mobile security threats.

Target Privacy Data Breach: Part 2

Target Retailers were just involved in the second largest credit card data breach in United States history. Today Target announced the data breach that occurred over Thanksgiving weekend now exposes upwards of 70 million credit and debit cards. Target also disclosed the privacy data breach compromised names, addresses, phone numbers or email addresses, in addition to credit card information. When businesses are victims of a security breach, loss of revenue is often highlighted in the news. What the media often overlooks is the internal costs of remediation, exposure to privacy breach laws and loss of reputation with their customers.

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