by Felicien | Jan 25, 2018 | Education
With TV shows like Black Mirror captivating audiences around the world, it’s no wonder this addiction to technology is also reflected in the marketplace. This theatrical fiction became true when it revealed the vulnerabilities in technology. The press named them Meltdown and Spectre.
Both Spectre and Meltdown allow attackers to access data. The difference between the two is that Meltdown gives an attacker access to data in programs that only administrators should have access to, and Spectre makes a program reveal data that should have been kept confidential. While both are worrisome, numerous patches for Meltdown have been deployed. Spectre, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated to contain.
Spectre affects modern processors and operating systems, including chipsets from Intel, AMD, and ARM. It also affects other systems such as Android, Chrome, iOS, and MacOS. Therefore, Microsoft advises customers to seek guidance from these respective vendors. News of this broke on January 6th when Google released this comment:
“Variants of this issue are known to affect many modern processors, including certain processors by Intel, AMD, and ARM. For a few Intel and AMD CPU models, we have exploits that work against real software. We reported this issue to Intel, AMD, and ARM on 2017-06-01 [1]. So far, there are three known variants of the issue: Variant 1: bounds check bypass (CVE-2017-5753), Variant 2: branch target injection (CVE-2017-5715), and Variant 3: rogue data cache load (CVE-2017-5754).”
Spectre is responsible for variants 1 and 2 and Meltdown for variant 3.
What devices can Meltdown and Spectre affect? –Workstations, laptops, in-house servers, smartphones, and tablets. While this can be overwhelming, there is good news. Microsoft and other systems like Android, Chrome, iOS, and MacOS have already put updates in place that can effectively protect and secure your devices. The key to keeping your devices safe, after updating, is to continue to monitor and detect for any first-warning signs such as phishing emails or browser-based exploits. Spectre and Meltdown use these as vehicles to obtain your confidential data. If you limit their transport capabilities, you can effectively protect your data.
It’s terrifying enough that this could affect personal devices, but now they are far more dangerous and could possibly enter your home or business via smart-home devices. This year at CES, tech companies, such as LG and Samsung, doubled down on connected platforms built on user data. In one year, we witnessed a jump from 29% to 35.9% in smart-home device use like Alexa and Google Assistant. With this latest threat and deep infiltration of technology, it’s more important than ever for companies to ensure their smart-home platforms and servers are secure. On this note, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft all say they’ve patched their servers against known exploits.
So how do we protect ourselves from these threats? The first step is to the make sure your systems are up to date. Microsoft released several updates to help mitigate these vulnerabilities. They also took action to secure their cloud services. Microsoft says these vulnerabilities haven’t been used to attack customers at this time. They continue to work closely with industry partners including chip makers, hardware OEMs and app vendors to protect customers. It’s recommended that you use available protections, including hardware/firmware and software updates. This includes microcodes from device OEMs, and in some cases updates to antivirus software. In addition to these operating systems updates, look for firmware updates that eliminate the vulnerabilities introduced via Meltdown and Spectre.
Microsoft goes on to say that antivirus updates should be installed first. Then make sure your Windows automatic updates are turned on. (If automatic update is turned on, the updates will be automatically installed.) Also, install hardware (firmware) updates from your PC manufacturer. You may need to proactively check with the device manufacturer for updates. This could require going to a device driver update page on the manufacturer’s website.
While updating helps to secure and protect your data, it has a downside. It’s important to note that you will see a difference in your device’s performance by installing this update. This can be as high as 42 percent but is dependent on the device and its use. For example, an article in PC World states:
“Here’s how much the Meltdown and Spectre fix hurt my Surface Book performance… the sequential read and write performance doesn’t change much…But…4K performance ain’t pretty. While 4K read performance was similar, the write performance dropped by 26 percent. Far worse, though, 4K read and write with high queue depth take a performance hit of 42 percent and 39 percent, respectively. Ouch.”
The age of an Intel chip can impact the effectiveness of the patch. Navin Shenoy from Intel, explains:
“On 8th generation platforms with SSDs it’s small…the expected impact is less than 6 percent.”
Some users have experienced a much more noticeable impact with web applications that rely on JavaScript operations. The good news in all of this is that companies have banded together to fight these common adversaries, e.g., Meltdown, and Spectre. This united front against these bugs has resulted in shared patches. Similar to the U.S. military’s war on terror, companies like Netflix and Amazon have developed a united plan of attack. This collaboration gives researchers the upper hand on Spectre and Meltdown for the first time since this technological chaos began.
by Felicien | Jan 25, 2018 | Education
Do you like to dance?
Dancing is both a science and an art. The waltz is a beautiful and romantic flowing dance, the foxtrot involves intricate alternating fast and slow steps, and the tango is rigid with its pace starting slow and increasing in intensity. Each of these is recognized by their steps and a set pace, and partners must step in sync or the dance results in absolute chaos.
A brand’s presence on Facebook is much like the tango: Your content must follow intricately timed steps that the famous Facebook algorithm uses to decide the fate of your post. This algorithm has the final say in the reach of your content, thus impacting engagement.
The Famous Facebook Algorithm
The Facebook algorithm is nothing new to brands that use Facebook to drive traffic. This algorithm is complex (and a closely-guarded secret formula), and prioritizes posts based on the meaningful interaction and discussion they inspire (or not).
The Social Network was born in 2003 and evolved into TheFacebook.com. TheFacebook was initially only available to students at Harvard but was wildly successful, and the rest is history. Considering that Mark Zuckerberg was a computer science student at Harvard when planning TheFacebook, it makes sense that even 15 years later its algorithmic secrets are enigmatic. More than a student directory, TheFacebook project was an edgy and innovative way to take socialization to new levels, paving the way for person-to-person interactions beyond the walls of a classroom or dormitory hall.
Fast-forward to 2018, and Facebook is still testing boundaries and pushing limits. From its humble beginnings as a student-to-student connection channel to today’s content-filled environment where brands compete with bodies for attention in a user’s Feed, Facebook is still focused on social interactions, but is embracing innovation and changing things up on us – again!
Evolution of the Feed
Facebook users were recently sent a survey, with no incentive to complete other than Facebook’s request to understand how users “feel” about the product. Why is this important? Facebook is a business like any other, right? Wrong. Facebook is a for-profit entity with the idea to facilitate interactions between people and to bring them together. The fundamental foundation of Facebook is people.
Facebook Feeds are increasingly becoming more populated with posts from brands and businesses; even the media deliver news via Facebook. Less personal interactions are taking place, and the overall “feeling” from people about Facebook is becoming largely negative. This is not the perception Facebook wants users to have for long-term success.
The last presidential election is a great example of overwhelming Feeds with more news and branded content than actual social posts from friends and family. Facebook has also been blamed for the demise of friendships and destruction of relationships and marriages, with social profiles being checked for “dirt” by attorneys to use in legal proceedings. Social media has been accused of facilitating cyber-bullying and linked to lowering self-esteem. Efforts to combat negativity have been largely unsuccessful given the very public nature of the channel.
Where did the “bad” begin? Even the algorithm can’t pinpoint the precise moment that Facebook started to take a turn. Around 2013, Facebook eliminated the ability for users to have their privacy settings remain invisible to the public and not appear in searches. The notion was that having a private profile on a social network was counterintuitive – and users couldn’t argue since Facebook is a public website. The change came as an unwelcome shock for many users “flying under the radar,” but as in any situation, users adapted to this latest change from the platform known for shaking things up once or twice a year.
What we know for sure
One thing we know is that change is afoot at Facebook: Zuckerberg & Co. want to get back to basics. That’s not to say much will change for users posting content, but brands are going to feel the difference where it hurts. Facebook is responsible for a vast amount of referral traffic from brands’ organic posts on their individual Facebook Pages.
The algorithm will focus on the quality of content, and prioritize people over public posts, pushing for more person-to-person interaction with a focus on community over profit in post content. Facebook is listening to feedback where users are tired of click-baiting, a practice where teaser headlines get users to click to consume content and are sometimes tricked by misleading headlines.
What does this mean for brands?
The bottom line for brands is to evolve or die. Facebook is envisioning a few key outcomes:
Users – people – will spend less time on Facebook
A decrease in user engagement overall
An increase in sharing of personal posts
More lively discussion among users
None of these are making brands do cartwheels with excitement. Engagement is what drives users – again, people – to be on-platform longer. If people spend less time on Facebook, this means less attention is given to brand content and fewer clicks. This translates into a major impact on referral traffic. It’s also going to force brands to re-think their definition of engagement. How can brands still reach users and connect with them? Brands are going to be forced to adapt and change their social media strategies.
The fascinating part of all of this is that Facebook wants an increase in the sharing of personal posts and more discussion among users. These posts are what drive their ad targeting system—Targeted paid advertisements are the way Facebook wants brands to reach their audience.
The bad news for brands is that ad costs have significantly increased in the last few years, a trend that is likely to continue for a few reasons. Facebook is a wildly popular platform and well aware of its position. Even with user churn, Facebook’s user base continues to grow – there are more new users than those who become inactive or choose to leave – thus establishing solid logic for advertising prices, as well as continually increasing the potential reach for a paid targeted ad.
When a brand uses its Facebook Page to post content, the goal is to be in the Feed of every user. This is, in fact, something Facebook has been scaling back since before 2012. Dancing to the tune of the algorithm has long been a challenge brands must overcome to survive and maintain a Facebook presence. Adversely, Facebook has an eventual goal of Page posts reaching no user Feeds at all. This is rumored to be labeled “Facebook Zero” – where only paid ads and “sponsored content” (paid posts) will target user Feeds.
Did you know that brands can use Facebook Messenger for promotions? They can message their customers directly within the Messenger platform and sidestep the Feed rules. Like email marketing, when deployed strategically, engaging with Facebook users via Messenger can yield impressive results. Brands can also use systems to automate updates sent to subscribers and responses to inquiries – at least for now.
The Exception to the Rules
Over half of Facebook users are members of at least one Facebook Group. The numbers speak for themselves: The number of Facebook users hovers around 2 billion, and Facebook Groups have a user base of more than 1 billion active users every month. There are more than 100 million users in Groups considered “meaningful,” in that the discussions are deemed informative, insightful, and intellectual – and users find them very helpful.
Did you know that the total count of users who are members of Facebook Groups outnumber Instagram and Snapchat total subscribers combined?
Zuckerberg & Co. believe Groups are underestimated and underappreciated. There is value hidden within Facebook Groups. In 2017 Facebook hosted a Communities Summit that was free for U.S.-based Group members, with Facebook covering the hotel and food tab for attendees.
What is the benefit for brands? To be heard through the noise on Facebook, a brand is going to need to get (even more) creative. A brand can create a Group through their Page, and follow a few tips and best practices to successfully incorporate Groups into their overall strategy:
Don’t confuse brand “sales” with Facebook’s “Buy and Sell” when choosing a Group Goal; “Buy and Sell” is widely used for garage sale-type Groups.
Choosing a “Closed” Group setting as a privacy option helps create the feeling of exclusivity for users.
Be careful not to be too detached in choosing your cover photo; a cold photo expressly aimed at generating a profit isn’t going to send the right message.
Invite members through Messenger with a personalized message. This is still an element you can automate, but remember to convey the value a member can find within the Group
Active Group discussions are key drivers of “free” post visibility. Above, we learned Facebook wants to focus on lively discussions among users. Carefully crafted posts in Groups for targeted, engaged members will yield incredible reach, all while playing Facebook’s game!
Time to Tango
For users, in a perfect world, they would see funny memes and videos of cats and updates from friends and family. Facebook maintains that memes and videos don’t offer the satisfaction and fulfillment that user interaction holds —And since they control the algorithm, they’re leading this tango. Brands that choose to dance need to stay in step, or they’ll be forced to sit the next one out.
by Felicien | Jan 25, 2018 | Education
Healthcare is a complex and tightly regulated industry, which requires a careful and thoughtful approach to technology and its place within your organization. Technology has an incredible capacity to revolutionize the way you interact with patients and provide patient care, manage medical records and documentation, schedule and track needed follow-up and referrals, and share sensitive and critical patient data with other healthcare professionals.
Getting the most out of what healthcare technology has to offer while keeping your organization in line with the rules and regulations laid out by HIPAA means partnering with an IT provider who understands the ins-and-outs of your unique industry. {company} has been working closely with healthcare professionals since we started our business, providing the service and expertise practices and clinics need to operate effectively.
We pride ourselves on being able to offer:
The resources and solutions required to maintain the security and confidentiality of patient health information.
Fast and reliable access to medical records and diagnostic software from anywhere in your building, without compromising security.
Improved communication solutions to keep your team in touch with patients regarding their prescriptions and ongoing healthcare needs.
Service and support to keep your EMR and EHR solutions working the way they’ve been designed to.
Guidance and support to keep your healthcare organization compliant with regulations like HIPAA and HITECH, and meet Meaningful Use standards.
Our team of experienced, passionate, and dedicated technology professionals are uniquely positioned to offer your healthcare organization exactly what you need to be productive, successful, and secure.
Ready to work with the experts at {company} to meet your organization’s technical support and compliance requirements? Contact CCS today at {email} or {phone}.
by Felicien | Jan 24, 2018 | Education
The world of social media has only been around for about 15 years. From MySpace and LinkedIn to Instagram and Snapchat, there are a variety of social platforms to suit every person and every purpose. Younger generations not only accept that much of their day-to-day lives aren’t private, they willingly “live tweet,” or share up-to-the-moment play-by-play details – which is an entirely foreign concept to those who reached adulthood pre-Instagram (or likely before).
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of social media is the differentiation of the roles for each platform. While Facebook is the largest and most widely-used platform to share content, opinions, and thoughts with friends and family instantaneously, Instagram acts more like a family photo album updated for the digital age to allow for interaction.
LinkedIn stands out as it was launched with a different purpose–helping professionals connect. Today’s professionals can easily be divided into two groups: those that have integrated social media into their existing careers, and those who entered the workforce already has built a social network. Newer candidates just completing their academic career and entering their chosen profession have likely already amassed numerous connections across multiple platforms, and merely establish these same connections on LinkedIn – but is this the smartest approach? Conversely, established professionals and those labeled as experts in their chosen field with a decade or more of experience may have fewer connections, though not always. The chances are that these connections hold greater value, simply because of the time and energy invested in each relationship.
The concept of integrating social interaction into the professional world is far from new; however, digitizing social interactions revolutionized how business is done, and in nearly every industry. It’s also safe to assume these groups of professionals view Internet etiquette – or “netiquette” – differently.
Performing a quick Internet search will return hundreds of results on “how best” to represent yourself digitally. Beyond just having a profile, sharing content, and relishing each Like and Share, professionals look to LinkedIn as a resource to further their careers. Organizations share this approach, though through a lens of lead generation.
Ⅹ NO
Random connection requests
YES
Genuine connections
Think about why you want to connect with this person – especially if they’re not someone you’ve interacted with much. Will both of you benefit from the connection? Can you help each other, from a professional standpoint?
Tip: Brief but personalized introductions instead of templates will go much farther in a connection request. The time it takes you to send a cold, standardized template to connect is about the same time the target professional may take to decline your request.
Ⅹ NO
Social stalking
YES
Respect
Did you know that every time you visit someone’s profile on LinkedIn, if that person has a Premium membership, they will be alerted to your visit? Multiple visits can leave a lasting impression – and not necessarily the one you want to leave. Decide if you want to connect, either send the request or don’t, and then move on.
We know sending a request to connect and then being rejected can sting, but don’t try this repeatedly. If you sent a personalized message with your connection request, and the connection didn’t accept the request, they have a valid reason, and you should respect it.
Ⅹ NO
Selfies
YES
Content of value
There are many places for personal photographs – “selfies” – but LinkedIn isn’t one of them. Casual images are seen as unprofessional, and a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, those words speak about you and send the wrong message. Instead, share content that holds value. This content can be original, or shared from another source, but will offer information that your network will find useful.
Ⅹ NO
Strictly digital
YES
See beyond LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the premier forum to match professionals with shared goals. Make each connection count! If you’re in the same geographical area, take the time to meet colleagues in your network for lunch or a cup of coffee. Chances are this will result in you keeping you both closer to the top of the list down the road when the need arises.
Ⅹ NO
One-way communication
YES
Engage
By definition, a social platform is one where people communicate with each other. As already stated, use LinkedIn to post content that will have value to your network, but also respond to comments and engage with your network directly.
Did you know that when you respond to a comment on a LinkedIn post, the engagement is visible to the commenter’s entire first-degree network? Consider this a “free” boost to your visibility and take full advantage.
Ⅹ NO
Only use LinkedIn to find a new job
YES
Build relationships and network
Don’t make the mistake of confusing LinkedIn with an Internet job board. LinkedIn recognized that many users take advantage of the platform’s extensive professional user base to network and find new career opportunities, and now LinkedIn offers a separate mobile app with this in mind. The goal is to keep job posts and applicants from overloading the content feed, maintaining the primary function of LinkedIn.
Ⅹ NO
Post whatever content, whenever
YES
Take advantage of LinkedIn’s reach and Insights
LinkedIn has recently introduced a handful of robust tools for both individual users and organizations. They offer Premium features like Insights on a follower’s base and the reach of content posts, as well as paid content options for boosting reach beyond their network with sponsored content. Users can develop a sophisticated LinkedIn content strategy, allowing for deep audience analysis.
To pay, or not to pay? Sponsored content is LinkedIn’s version of advertising, but there are other paid options to expand your brand’s reach.
Ⅹ NO
All business, all the time
YES
A healthy balance
While any activity on LinkedIn should have a purpose, remember to humanize your posts with lighter content sprinkled in. What does this mean? So long as it’s clean and tactful, a sense of humor is welcome on LinkedIn! If an organization collectively volunteers for an Adopt-A-Road program and shows pictures or videos of staff picking up trash, it’s nice to see the faces behind the content posts.
Ⅹ NO
Irregular, varied content
YES
Be a brand ambassador
To represent yourself, and your brand, create a LinkedIn strategy and devise a content calendar. Whether you are responsible for your own individual LinkedIn profile, your brand’s profile page – or both – remember to own your brand, represent it nonstop, and truly embody how you want the public to perceive your brand. A strong brand ambassador is consistent and respected.
by Felicien | Jan 24, 2018 | Education
These days it seems like no one is safe from a cyber attack. Small businesses, however, are especially vulnerable because of their value and the fact that they’re easy to infiltrate. Larger companies tend to have better measures in place to prevent attacks. Individuals have less worth to steal. Smaller businesses are just right, to paraphrase Goldilocks. And when they’re hit, they’re hit hard.
According to the Ponemon Institute, an independent research institution that conducts studies on privacy, data protection and information security policies, the cost for small businesses to clean up after they’ve been hacked averages $690,000. Even worse, statistics show that 60% of small companies that suffer a cyber attack are out of business within six months.
So, what can you do to protect your business?
First, let’s look at a few facts.
According to IBM, small and mid-sized businesses account for 62 percent of all cyber attacks. That’s roughly 4,000 per day.
Most cyber breaches happen because an employee does something that they shouldn’t be doing.
The estimated annual cost for cybercrime committed globally is a whopping 100 billion dollars.
All businesses should have a plan in place in the event of a cyber attack. The worst mistake you can make is waiting until an attack happens to think about your security. Communicating with employees is also key. Business owners must have data security protocols, as well as policies and procedures in place that every employee takes seriously. In addition, having the latest security software, web browser and operating systems provide the greatest barricades against viruses, malware, and other online threats.
Encrypting data is a wonderful way to protect your most private information. Encryption is a process where data is converted and becomes garbled and therefore unreadable to anyone without access to a key or password.
If an attack should happen, you’ll also want to contact local and national authorities as soon as you can. Calling the local police as well as the Federal Trade Commission is a very important step. If you have access to an IT department, contact them immediately. The sooner they can investigate and clean your computer, the less damage to your computer and other computers on the network. If your company doesn’t have a reliable IT service, now is a great time to find one. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
When looking into which IT company to go with, you’ll want to make sure that the company is reliable and can handle the needs of your unique business. Not every IT company is created equal.
Here are a few important questions to ask yourself.
Does the IT company provide…?
Backups
Patch Management
Proactive Alerting
Virus Protection
24/7 System Monitoring and Resolution
Proactive Alerting with Remediation
Unlimited In-Shop Repair
Data Backup and Recovery
Unlimited Help Desk Support
Routine Site Visits to Check Physical Devices
Short-term Loaner Workstations
Application Deployment
Firewall Monitoring
Unlimited On-Site Consulting and Support
These are services that you’ll want for your small to mid-sized business. Choosing a company that’s been in business for a while is also a good idea. Look for one that’s been around for at least ten years. The longer the better. Proven companies know their stuff because they’ve seen it all before. Look at what other people are saying. References from current clients are invaluable.
Hopefully, a cyber attack will never happen to you, but hoping won’t stop one from happening. Knowledge is vital. You did your homework when you decided to start your business. Now, be sure to do your homework by protecting your IT assets.
