5 Online Security Tips

Transcription

1 5 Online Security Tips Any business with Internet-based systems should be taking the appropriate steps to ensure that their activities and information are secure from the ever-expanding number of online threats. This can be tough, especially for businesses that operate almost exclusively online. To help, here are five tips that can help keep your online activities safe from attacks. 1. Use two-factor authentication whenever possible Two-factor authentication, or two-step authentication as it is also known, is the idea of using two pieces of information to log into accounts: Your usual password and a code that is usually sent to a mobile device or generated by a code generator. By utilizing this safety feature, you can further increase the security of your accounts, largely because the chances of someone getting their hands on both the generated code and your password are slim. Some sites don't use a code and instead ask a question that needs to be answered every time you log in. If this is the case, make the question something that is difficult for a hacker to guess. For example, use your address from 10 years ago instead of your current address. 2. Audit who has access to what data Between all of your online accounts and social media profiles you will likely be surprised at just how much information about you can be found online. There are a multitude of stories online, where someone has had their accounts hacked and identity stolen, largely because they had left pertinent information online without even thinking about it. It is a good idea to audit what information you have online. This includes looking at the contact and personal information you have on social media profiles, account information, etc. Ideally, if it is not necessary information, then it shouldn't be shared. As for social media profiles, make sure only the absolute basic personal information is online and limit who can see this information. 3. Watch what is posted on social media Because of the nature of social media, we often feel the need to share our whole lives online. This can often lead to oversharing, and even sometimes oversharing of personal information. There are stories of thieves monitoring social media for businesses posting about how they will be closed for a holiday, with all staff gone. Once a thief finds this information, they then break into the business without worrying about people being there. If you are going to share information online, be sure to limit the potentially sensitive information that you post, especially if the content is shared with the public. 4. Change your passwords regularly

2 It seems like almost every week news breaks of a password or account information breach. What this translates to is the fact that your accounts are always facing a potential risk. Therefore, you should make it a habit to change your passwords on a regular basis. Most experts recommend at least once every three months, but if there is a breach where your account information may have been leaked then naturally change your passwords straightaway. To ensure maximum security, you should use a different password for each account, and keep these as separate as possible. 5. Work with an IT partner who can offer enhanced Internet security Ensuring that your business is secure online can be an on-going battle that you will likely not win easily. One of the best steps to take is to work with an IT partner like us. We offer a variety of Internet security solutions that can help stop malware intrusions before they infect your systems, block access to potentially harmful sites, and even scan Internet-based solutions. In other words, we can help improve your overall online security. If you are looking to learn more about how we can help your business be secure online, contact us today. Over view of the Air 2 & Mini 3 Apple usually prefers to launch new or updated mobile products with a flashy press conference and unveiling. They did this with the recent release of the iphone 6 and 6 Plus, but oddly enough they didn't do it when they announced two new ipads - the ipad mini 3 and the ipad Air 2. If you are looking for a new ipad, here is an overview of these two new devices. The ipad mini 3 First up is the third version of Apple's smaller ipad - the ipad mini 3. The immediately noticeable changes with this year's device is the home button. It now has the metal ring around it which enables the Touch ID feature so that you can unlock your device using your fingerprint. Touch ID also enables users to pay for items using the Apple Pay feature that has just been released. Sadly, for the ipad mini 3, this is limited to in-app and itunes purchases as there is no NFC chip in the device to enable it to work with in-store terminals.

3 Aside from a slightly changed exterior and the extra Apple Pay related features, the device is more or less exactly the same as the ipad mini 2. It still boasts a 7.9 inch retina display and the same A7 processor found in the mini 2. The major difference is that you can purchase the mini 3 with 64 GB or 128 GB of storage, which is not available for the mini 2. Unfortunately, the price of the device starts at $100 more ($399 for the 16 GB version) than the mini 2, which costs $299 for the 16 GB version. In other words you are paying $100 for the fingerprint unlock and semi-functional Apple Pay. At this time, Apple has noted they will continue to sell the mini 2, which for many businesses will remain the better deal largely because it is less expensive yet offers exactly the same hardware and size. The ipad Air 2 As the name implies, the ipad Air 2 is the second version of the popular ipad Air which was introduced last year. As with the mini 3, the Air 2 has seen a slight change to the home button with the introduction of the Touch ID feature that allows users to unlock their devices using their fingerprint. The new version also enables the Apple Pay feature so users can use their fingerprint to approve purchases. But once again, there is no NFC chip in the device, so you won't be able to use the device to make purchases at stores. Beyond this, there are a number of interesting changes that many business users will find useful including: A faster processor - With what Apple calls the A8X processor, the ipad Air 2 is one of the fastest and most powerful tablets on the market. Users have already noted faster website loading times and better overall responsiveness, especially when running graphics intensive apps. A thinner, more mobile body - Apple reduced thickness with the ipad Air 2, making it thinner than any other ipad. At 6.1 mm, you will be able to use the device all day without it feeling awkward in your hand. A less reflective display - While the displays on the ipad have always been top of the line, there have been complaints in the past about how the glass on the device is a bit too reflective. With the Air 2, a less reflective display is being used which supposedly cuts glare down by as much as 56%. This means you will be able to see what is on the screen more easily in brighter situations. The Apple Sim - For users in certain countries like the US and UK, the cellular version of the ipad comes with what is called the Apple Sim. This sim card is universal in that it allows you to connect to the mobile network of your choice without having to switch cards. This also makes switching networks and plans much easier.

4 If you are considering picking up the ipad Air 2, the 16 GB Wi-Fi only version starts at $499. If you would like to learn more about how these devices can be used in your office, contact us today to learn more. When to Update Technology Technology is an integral part of any business. The problem is technology ages and eventually needs to be replaced. Because of the sheer amount of new systems and hardware components being introduced on a daily basis, it can be confusing to work out whether you should upgrade or not. To help, here are five signs that you might want to consider updating your business's hardware. 1. Replacement parts are difficult to find Computers, servers, and even mobile devices are made up of a number of different parts of hardware that rely on other parts in order to operate properly. If one breaks down, there is a good chance that the whole system will stop working. Luckily, for many newer pieces of hardware and systems, replacements are easy to come by. But, if an older piece of equipment breaks and you are having trouble finding replacement parts then it might be a good idea to consider upgrading. The reason for this is because parts that are more difficult to find are usually going to cost more when you can actually find them. While this may be ok for one system, if you have more than one system using the same components there is a good chance that these will also need to be replaced, leading to increased costs. 2. Repair costs outweigh replacement costs Some hardware components can only be repaired by experts with highly specialized skills. What this means is that should this hardware break, you will likely be facing a fairly high repair bill. What we recommend is to always get a quote on how much it will cost to repair your broken hardware first. When you have this quote, look at the price of replacement components. If it's more affordable to replace, then this is usually a better option. Of course, you are going to want to ensure that any replacement parts are actually compatible with your system, so before you go purchasing be sure to ask check with your IT partner. 3. You are running 'legacy' systems Legacy systems are computers and technology deemed to be old by experts. For example, computers running Windows XP, or computers purchased before the release of Windows 7 would be considered legacy systems. While these may be working like a charm now, they will eventually break. When this happens, you will see higher repair costs when compared with new technology. Beyond replacement costs is the fact that many manufacturers and software developers have stopped supporting older systems. This means that

5 should an error occur, you will not necessarily be able to get support from the company who made the hardware. This can lead to repair delays and lost productivity. 4. Hardware is impeding productivity If you or your employees are struggling to complete work because of constant computer crashes, or slow systems, productivity will be lower than it could be. Should you notice this in your office, it is a good idea to look into upgrading your systems in order to enable employees to do their jobs properly. 5. Your systems don't meet minimum requirements If you are going to install new software or systems that require other hardware components, be sure to look at the minimum requirements. Almost every piece of software indicates which requirements must be met in order for the software to work. If your systems don't meet these minimum requirements, then the software won't work. Should they meet them, but just barely, the software will work but there is a good chance that it won't work as well as it could do. Should you not meet the requirements, you will need to upgrade your hardware. Now, not every "old" system will need to be replaced right away. What we recommend is talking to an IT partner like us. We can help you determine if your older systems do actually need to be replaced, and suggest affordable alternatives. Looking at OS X Yosemite Earlier this year Apple introduced OS X Yosemite, the next version of their popular desktop operating system. In mid-october the company released Yosemite into the wild, and with it comes a wide number of updates and features that business users will benefit from. Here is an overview of the most useful extras for businesses. Upgrading to Yosemite The good news about Yosemite is that Apple has made this a free upgrade for users with compatible Macs. You can get it by going to the Apple Store on your Mac, and logging in using your Apple account. For businesses, we strongly recommend contacting us before you do this as we can help back up your systems and install the update so that your systems will work perfectly. A new look for OS X

6 Last year Apple released a drastic redesign of their popular mobile operating system - ios. This redesign brought about a modern look to the system with translucent menus and a clean, semi-transparent design. Apple has now brought this style of design to Yosemite. When you first start up Yosemite you will notice that the bars like the launch bar at the bottom are translucent. Many icons have also been updated with a clean and consistent design and menus have been somewhat flattened, making them easier to read. Overall, the new look makes systems running this version of OS X easier to look at, while modernizing them and bringing them more in line with other Apple systems. Enhanced continuity between devices Apple has noted before that they are striving to bring their desktop OS and mobile OS closer together, eventually reaching a point where they are more or less one and the same. With Yosemite, they make a big jump forward by introducing a number of mobile and desktop features. One of the most useful being Handoff which allows users to start a task on their ipad or iphone and continue this on their laptop, or vice versa. Instant Hotspot is another feature that allows users to instantly share their iphone's data connection with their desktop - no need to enter a password as the system uses icloud to ensure that the connection is secure. If you have an iphone that is running ios 8 and a laptop or desktop with Yosemite installed, and connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you will be able to answer calls to your iphone from your computer, or even send and answer text messages via the Messages app on any device. Improved AirDrop AirDrop is a feature that Apple has been trying to get working properly for a number of years now. When it works, it works really well, but with the last update to ios 7 and OS X Mavericks, it simply didn't work when you needed to transfer files from your phone to your computer. Yosemite fixes this, as this version of AirDrop now has the same protocols as the mobile versions, so you can swap files between devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Notifications Center This feature has been updated to make it much more useful, mainly due to the introduction of the Today view. Similar to the view introduced in ios 8, this shows you, at a quick glance, useful information for the day. By default you can see your calendar, stocks, weather, etc.

7 There is also support for widgets. Because Apple has enabled this, software developers can now create widgets that can be placed in the Today view of the Notifications Center. This is similar to the new feature that was introduced with ios 8, and can be accessed by swiping four fingers from the left to the right of the track-pad on your laptop, or pressing the bulleted icon at the top-left of your menu bar. Improved Spotlight While Spotlight has long been a feature of OS X, it has been updated in Yosemite. Now, instead of just searching for files on your computer it can also search for applications. You can also use it to search the Web, so when you enter a term you see results from pages like Wikipedia, the Apple Store, itunes, and more. As in other versions of OS X, you can access Spotlight by hitting Command + Spacebar. You then see a search bar pop up in the middle of your screen. Simply type what you are looking for and a window will drop down with results. These are just a few of the new features that business users will benefit from when they upgrade to Yosemite. If you would like to learn more, please contact us today.