by Felicien | Oct 9, 2018 | Education
If you are old enough, you may remember when making phone calls from an airplane was an expensive luxury, with sound quality so bad that conversations at times were impossible. Times have changed. Calls from planes are usually clear and carried over satellite connections. The big electronic question mark in the sky is not whether Wi-Fi is available, it is, how good is it?
So How Do We Rate The Quality Factor?
Different flight amenity rating services use various methodologies, so one has to dig to get useful information. Traveloka, a major booking site for Southeast Asia, ranks the top 50 carriers on aspects like speed, quality of signal, availability of USB ports, etc. According to them, the top three airlines for Wi-Fi service are Qatar, Emirates, and Delta, in descending order.
Digging a bit, one finds out that the fastest Wi-Fi available is on British Airways, which has speeds up to 20 Mbps (your mileage may vary.) In contrast, Emirates, Etihad, and Eva offer a top speed of only 2 Mbps. Obviously, this is not going to support streaming from Netflix and video conferencing.
Theoretically, even HD video conferencing should require only 384 Kbps (see here.) But we’ve all had the experience of video conferencing where lagging was an issue, even on connections that are high speed. The devil is in the details; the need for bandwidth goes up with each separate device used for the video conferencing, and for the bridge that ties it all together. The bridge has to have access to adequate bandwidth to provide all the images and sound streams at the same time. Of course, the speed with which it goes to the PC or phone depends on the bandwidth from the Wi-Fi transmitter to the user’s device.
The most important question in choosing an airline for Wi-Fi service is knowing what you need. On airlines though, you may not have much of a choice, especially if looking for low airfares. If you will absolutely need video conferencing during the flight, Qatar is about your only choice. Qatar pledges speeds up to 50 Mbps, but Traveloka rated the average speed as only 8.
(See this article from CNN travel for a summary that is a bit easier to interpret than Traveloka’s. )
What Does It Cost?
Emirates Air offers the first hour free and unlimited usage for the rest of the flight is only $10. Delta offers unlimited access for the entire flight for $16. Surprisingly, JetBlue, known as a discount airline, is now offering Wi-Fi but there are no details yet as to cost.
Singapore Airlines, rated the best in the world, offers only 1.17 Mbps for $8.80, but oddly, does not offer the ability to make phone calls. All-Nippon Airways (ANA) offers only 0.56 Mbps at a cost of $9.43. On Hong Kong Airlines and China Southern the service is free. Emirates does offer 20 Mbps, but it has to be used within two hours.
What’s The Underlying Technology?
In-flight Wi-Fi is provided by satellite. The plane has an antenna that picks up the signal and broadcasts it inside the cabin. Since all airlines get the same quality and speed of the signal from the satellite, the speed, and quality within the cabin depends on the hardware that the airline has installed.
If an airline wants to provide 50 Mbps, which is comparable to home or business internet service from a cable provider (not fiber optics) in the United States, it can do so. It’s just a matter of will. Since the equipment needed to offer 50 Mbps and the equipment needed to offer 0.56 Mbps are similar in price, it is a bit of a mystery why all airlines that provide the service do not offer the higher speeds.
And if some airlines provide it for free, why not all? No immediate answers forthcoming. One item of note is that with satellite Wi-Fi, as with many earthbound internet service providers, uploads are much slower than downloads.
Incidentally, virtually all the reporting on Wi-Fi availability and quality on airlines comes from the 2016 Traveloka report.
What’s The Upshot?
Even if you’re on one of the airlines that Traveloka rated as among the best, your Wi-Fi speed will vary. Some things that are easy to do in the office will be difficult to impossible while in the air. It’s best to plan accordingly. Do not schedule a critical meeting with the chairman of the board while you’re on a flight on Singapore airlines; this is just not going to work. Even email may be dicey in flight.
The moral of the story is that doing serious business that demands strong connectivity is best done on the ground, not while in flight. If it’s absolutely necessary, then plan accordingly before you leave the office and take to the road. People who travel a lot will understand.
by Felicien | Oct 9, 2018 | Education
October Is Cyber Security Awareness Month
Tune In At Any Time To Watch Our 15 Minute On-Demand Training
Cyber Criminals Have A 6th Month Head Start.
Is Your Business Protected?
Find Out.
Tune Into Our October Free Online Training By Clicking Here.
Every 39 seconds, a hacker is attacking someone.
Are you next on the list?
You can’t afford to miss October’s free online training. Why?
{company} takes cybersecurity seriously. This is why we have put together this free online training for everyone. During this online training, our cybersecurity trainers will share how your business can defend itself from becoming another statistic.
During this 15-minute on-demand training we’ll show you many quick and very important tips you and your team must know in order to protect your business from cyber threats and how employees can keep all your confidential and critical information secure.
by Felicien | Oct 8, 2018 | Education
Google+ Social Media App Will Soon Move Off Into The Sunset
Google+ has never really been a popular social media network. In fact, most people say they’ve never used it and don’t know how it works. So it’s not too surprising to hear that Google has finally decided to pull the plug.
Google just announced a ten-month sunsetting period, which begins now and will end in August of 2019.
Besides the site simply not being popular, Google has had serious security issues. Project Strobe discovered a bug in Google+ that may have leaked the personal information of thousands of users. Though Google says the vulnerability was not discovered by hackers and that no profiles were compromised, their senior executives felt that rumors of a breach would likely trigger “immediate regulatory interest.” So they simply didn’t tell anyone.
Other Social Media Data Breaches
For several years, Facebook has been under scrutiny for allowing the data firm Cambridge Analytica to access their user information. This data was in turn used to create targeted social media ads that eventually swayed the presidential election of 2016. Since that incident, Americans have become much more aware of the effects and dangers of data breaches and social media manipulation.
Given the fact that almost no one was using the Google+ app and the high risk for potential data leaks, Google execs said they simply felt that it was best to discontinue Google+. Users will have 10 months to migrate their data before the platform is officially dissolved in August of next year. However, the company has decided to continue supporting the Enterprise version of Google+ so businesses using that app will not be affected.
More About the Google+ Security Breach
Last March, Google discovered a privacy breach, which allowed third-party apps using their programming interface to access the personal data of users. This data includes usernames, addresses, email addresses, birth dates and other bits of personal information.
The Wall Street Journal reported some details about the security breach and said that Google executives had been informed about the breach soon after it occurred. These executives made the decision not to disclose the breach to its users for fear of tarnishing their reputation.
Reporting Security Breaches
In a blog post, Google said that it decides when and if the organization should notify users of data breaches. They take into consideration the type of data that was leaked, whether there’s evidence of misuse and whether there’s anything that users can do about it.
According to security breach laws, any organization that experiences a data breach must inform those affected. And they only have a specific amount of time to do so. This varies by state but there are severe penalties for not correctly reporting a security breach.
Executives at Google say that the gap has been fixed and that users do not need to worry about any further data leaks. However, there is ample evidence that Google did not follow the law once they learned of the data breach. This can result not only in penalties from the federal government but also users can file individual lawsuits if they believe their personal info has been compromised.
How Data Breach Laws Are Changing
With the new European Union GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), more countries and organizations are implementing stronger security measures. The GDPR affects anyone who does business with an entity that resides within the European Union. This has caused many business owners to revamp the way they collect and store personal information from their users.
Once a company has collected an individual’s personal information, they have a legal responsibility to keep that data as secure as possible. In spite of these advances in data security regulations, hackers seem to be one step ahead. Their tactics change, improve and evolve making it necessary for all organizations to be more cautious.
Senate and House Committees Get Involved
This past year, many social media and technology companies have come under scrutiny due to their data and privacy practices. Executives from Twitter, Facebook and Google have testified before various Senate and House committees. Under fire are their security measures, but also their political biases. The government is considering types of regulations that would prevent these companies from meddling in important things like the elections.
Now that everyone is fully aware of how easy it is to sway voters in one direction or the other, there is a very real fear that future elections may be manipulated by these companies. They not only have the knowledge, but they have the resources to influence the way people vote. And this ability holds within it a great deal of potential power to change our society in ways that can only be speculated about at the moment.
What Should Google+ Users Do?
In the meantime, if you are a Google+ user, it’s best to go ahead and make copies of any content you have on the site, then delete your account. Once it has been deleted, you’ll no longer have to worry about losing it to hackers who have found yet another weakness in the site’s security protocols.
by Felicien | Oct 8, 2018 | Education
You probably use messaging for communications every day, but how secure are your messages? Messaging apps are as susceptible to hackers as any other type of electronic communication, and if you are concerned about privacy then it’s time to learn the basics about secure messaging apps.
Why You Need a Secure Messaging App
We use messaging more and more to communicate, but we don’t always realize how many eavesdroppers there may be. Those eavesdroppers may include internet service providers, government agencies, and hackers. If your messaging involves your company, it might be the target of industrial espionage. These are all good reasons to consider using a secure messaging app.
What Makes a Messaging App Secure?
We probably all remember playing around with coded messages as a kid, but never dreamed that coded messages might become important in our day-to-day communications. As it turns out, one of the key aspects of a messaging app is end-to-end encryption.
When your messages are encrypted, that means they are encoded in such a way as to make it extremely difficult for someone to eavesdrop on the information being transferred. The messages are basically scrambled, and in order to unscramble them, you must have the correct key. In the case of an end-to-end encrypted message app, only the sender and the receiver have the decryption keys.
There are messaging apps that offer encryption, but encryption is not the default setting. That means that you would have to navigate to the settings for your messaging app and turn on encryption – if it even offers that feature.
Metadata can still be an issue even with encryption. Metadata includes things like who you talk to based on your contact list, how much time you spend talking to them, your phone number, your IP address, and more. You should avoid messaging apps that collect metadata.
Believe it or not, one of the signs of a secure messaging app’s integrity is making its source code available to the public. Open source code is actually better than proprietary code because it provides experts access to the code for review. Experts who did not develop the code will be far more likely to notice vulnerabilities and bugs that could be exploited. The result is a highly robust source code and a bulletproof app.
Secure Message Apps
There are several messaging apps on the market that qualify as secure messaging apps. What follows are five of the top options that are available for Android and iOS operating systems.
Dust: If you want messages that don’t hang around, then Dust is your app! Messages disappear within 100 seconds of being read or within 24 hours – your choice. You’ll also be notified if any screenshots are taken. It includes end-to-end encryption, no permanent storage, and you can even erase your message off someone else’s phone. The major drawback of Dust is that its source code has never been released.
Signal: The Signal messaging platform uses end-to-end encryption and its source code has been released. There is an option that makes messages disappear after a certain amount of time has passed and it can be password protected. It only stores the metadata it needs to function properly on your device. As far as drawbacks go, there are virtually none associated with Signal.
Telegram: The Telegram app was banned in Russia because they refused to hand over the encryption keys. It offers end-to-end encryption through a feature called “Secret Chat” that must be turned on. It can be locked by a passcode and has a Self-Destruct timer option for Secret Chat messages. The drawback of Telegram is that it lacks transparency about the protocol that it uses.
WhatsApp: With WhatsApp, end-to-end encryption is the default and provides an option for you to verify that encryption is in place. Messages are not stored on your phone, and it makes available a two-step verification feature. WhatsApp’s major drawback is that it does keep track of metadata and backups of messages are not encrypted for Android users.
Wickr : Unlike most messaging apps, Wickr offers both a personal (Wickr Me) and an enterprise edition. It provides end-to-end encryption and a host of additional features that make it one of the best options for businesses that are looking to keep their messages secure. It recently released its cryptographic protocol. And when Wickr deletes things, it “shreds” them so that they cannot be recovered. Wickr doesn’t really have any drawbacks from a security perspective.
Conclusion
Not all secure messaging apps are equally as effective. When selecting one, you should look for end-to-end encryption (and by default is even better) and the storage of little to no metadata. Also, keep in mind that companies that have released the source code behind their app are considered more reliable and their apps more robust. If privacy is important to you, then it’s time to check out secure messaging apps.
Before installing or investing in any messaging app…always consult with your technical support provider.
by Felicien | Oct 6, 2018 | Education
Happy Thanksgiving From Our Team To Yours!
Why Not Show Your Thanks By Helping Another Business Use Technology To Succeed?
As the days get shorter, and the nights get cozier, Canadians across the nation turn our minds to gratitude. It’s a season where we take a little time to appreciate the best things in our life.
We’re thankful for family, for friends, for a job we love, and for you, our clients who make it all worthwhile. Thank you for putting your trust in us as your IT service company.
We know that you have options for your IT service. And to show our thanks as your technology service provider, we’d like to offer a complimentary assessment to a local business that you refer.
Why Are IT Assessments Important?
An IT Assessment is a comprehensive view of your business and technology needs. It reveals the health of your IT assets and infrastructure. Routine assessments mitigate the risk of downtime and security breaches. They also ensure your technology is running at peak performance, so your workers can too.
What Do IT Assessments Reveal?
An IT assessment will optimize your system to improve security, mitigate the risk of computer crashes, interruptions and inefficiencies. It also ensures you’re getting the ROI from your technology investments that you expect.
It tells you:
If technology is truly supporting your business goals and objectives.
If best practices are being employed in when using technology solutions.
The strength of your IT security posture and if there are any gaps in your defense.
If your business could stay up and running after a disaster like a fire, flooding, accidental data deletion, or malware infections.
If you are getting the most value and use from your IT investments.
If your IT solutions are integrated properly.
What steps to take to improve your IT environment.
Why Are Regular IT Assessments Valuable?
An IT Assessment will tell you what is working and what isn’t. The ever-evolving nature of technology and rapid changes and advancements make IT Assessments more important than ever. You won’t always need the latest applications or solutions, but it’s essential to detect any deficiencies that may be impacting your efficient and secure operations.
The most technically knowledgeable companies continually evaluate the status of their IT operations and whether they match their organizational goals. Assessments provide insight into what you will need for the future as your company grows and changes. It’s like an IT business plan that helps you stay on course and use the tools that will help you succeed.
Are You Wasting Money On Technology Solutions?
Are you getting the most value from your current technology? An IT Assessment will reveal if you’re paying for software and hardware you don’t need. It determines what technology is required to fill gaps without you buying more (or less) than you require. Plus, it helps you better control your IT spending.
Newer technologies like cloud computing can significantly lower your technology costs. Software-as-a-Service and Hardware-as-a-Service and other pay-per-user solutions can provide the technology you need without the upfront costs. They also provide flexibility and scalability as they can be increased as your company grows or decreased in slow times.
Is Your Technology Properly Integrated?
It’s not enough to know what applications you have and how they work, you must understand how well they integrate. With so many types of software and hardware being used today, integrating them correctly can be a challenge. And, if they’re not properly integrated, this can negatively impact your operating efficiencies.
For example, say you purchase a new software application. If it’s not supported by your operating system and web browsers, it won’t work as it should. Or perhaps you’re using a VoIP business phone system. Does it integrate with your data network as it should? It’s essential that all elements of your technology infrastructure work together seamlessly.
What Can You Expect After An IT Assessment?
We’ll provide a written report detailing your current IT standing and any suggestions we have for improvement. If during the course of the Assessment we detect backup failures, security gaps or misconfigurations, we’ll report on these right away and how they can be cost-effectively remediated.
Your leadership team will be apprised of our findings, so they can make decisions and work with us to develop an IT Plan that prioritizes recommendations based on their importance and impact on your business.
An IT Assessment Is The “Gift That Keeps On Giving”
Referring a business associate or other organization for an IT Assessment will not only help them succeed through the best use of technology but it will build goodwill between your companies. And once they realize the value an IT Assessment provides, they’ll refer another business, and so on, and so on.
So, give thanks by sharing your knowledge about technology and how it can help others succeed. Contact us, and we’ll get the process going. And thank you again for your business.
Happy Thanksgiving.
