by Felicien | Jul 15, 2019 | Education
Data Security is Vital to Reducing Business Risk
Traditional business risk has fallen into a few different buckets with the economy and competitors being two of the major forces under consideration. The tides change, and businesses today must add some additional items to that list and one of the most important is the issue of data security.
From protecting the information that is being stored within your organization to creating a positive way to support the transfer of data between your clients, your business and third-party partners, data security and compliance are becoming hot-button topics in technology and business circles. Protecting your organization from the potential multi-million dollar problems that come along with a data breach is a critical component of IT leadership in the modern world.
What Are the Dangers of Poor Data Security?
You don’t have to look too closely in the world news to see the dangers inherent with poor data security: Facebook, Marriott and even Equifax are recent survivors of serious data breaches. Each time a seemingly-indestructible company falls prey to a hacker, the business world holds its collective breath to see what will happen. Unfortunately, what’s happening is that these organizations are facing hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in notification costs, lost productivity, poor consumer perception and remediation to ensure that their data stays more secure in the future. Even so, there are no guarantees that these businesses will not be hit again as they have already proven to be vulnerable from this type of attack. Major corporations are not the only ones being targeted, however. Small and mid-size businesses are also being targeted for attacks because there’s a perception that they do not invest heavily enough in cybersecurity and secure infrastructure.
How Can I Improve Data Security in My Business?
Improving your business’s data security often starts with an audit of your current situation. This could include where your organization stores data, the type of information that is being stored, the individuals who are able to access your data and how that access occurs, the privacy and security policies of third-party partners and the various integrations that your business systems have with sensitive data. Businesses that are storing personal information (PI) that includes first and last names, passwords or passcodes, health or financial information need to pay particular care as this type of information is extremely sought-after by hackers who are interested in selling it for top dollar on the dark web. Once an audit has been completed, it’s time to start improving the security of your overall systems and storage.
Does Moving Data to the Cloud Help Improve Data Security?
Just as with many questions in technology, there isn’t a cut and dried answer: it depends on the current situation with your data, the type of data that’s being stored and several other factors as well. The best option is to work with a proactive IT solutions provider who has a deep understanding of data security and has helped secure other organizations that are similar in size and storage needs to yours. This allows you to leverage industry best practices to help keep your data safe and nudge you towards the right decisions both now and in the future. In general, moving to the cloud may help improve your security, especially if you have a limited number of internal IT staff members who are able to maintain your systems and data infrastructure. Cloud-based data storage and applications work together fluidly and often without the requirements for ongoing updates as these are applied at the data center level. This can take some of the pressure off of internal IT staff to provide proactive maintenance and allow these individuals to focus on improving the overall security posture of your organization.
As we enter the second half of 2019 and into 2020, CEOs and other top executives are increasing their focus on cybersecurity as a strategic initiative. This provides an added impetus for organizations to thoroughly review their data storage and use strategies and create a cohesive solution for data in transit and at rest that will help reduce the overall risk to your business. Reviewing your data security on a regular basis can help alleviate concerns about your storage procedures and ensure that your organization stays up-to-date with the latest recommendations from security professionals.
by Felicien | Jul 15, 2019 | Education
Broadband internet service isn’t providing the speeds advertised. Modems provided by Australian internet retailers aren’t capable of delivering 100 Mbps download speeds over the average fibre-to-the-node connection, according to the consumer watchdog’s own performance testing. Other problems include poor Wi-Fi performance stopping Australians from getting the NBN promised speeds. In fact, testing of 43 modems/routers from eleven different hardware manufacturers and ten separate internet providers shows that none could achieve the 100/40 Mbps broadband speeds over a 450-meter copper run (the average length of copper in an NBN FTTN connection.
What are the Actual Broadband Speeds?
Independent modem/router performance testing report, commissioned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, noted that at the distance from the node, download speeds varied from 60 to 94 Mbps and upload speeds from 10 to 29 Mbps.
What is Causing the Broadband Speed Issues?
The problem is caused by the FTTN NBN connections that rely on more than 400 metres of copper as is the case for a third of them. However, the report found that another significant drop of speed occurs at the 450-metre mark. Modems vary on how well they can compensate for a poor copper connection. Once the 1050-metre mark is reached, with additional line noise added to simulate poor-quality copper line and other electrical interference combined with less-than-satisfactory installation work, download speeds vary between 10 and 20 Mbps, and uploads are really poor at 6 to 9 Mbps.
Ultimately, the quality of the copper connection and variable modem performance means that speeds are falling far short of the 50/20 Mbps speeds which NBN is advertising as standard.
What Other Tests Were Run?
Tests were also run on the Wi-Fi performance specifically for providing internet access to wireless devices in and around a home. Performance varied significantly when Wi-Fi was tested on a range of devices. Tests were run on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands over short and longer distances, as well as how interference and obstructions changed the signal. The results showed that even if the more expensive WiFi-enabled modems are used, users don’t necessarily receive greater speeds and range.
Additionally, while 5 GHz offers faster speeds than the 2.4 GHz band, 5 GHz performance is more affected by distance and obstacles (like walls). Even with this issue, the report found that most 5 GHz Wi-Fi devices tested provided better performance through obstacles, and at a farther distance when compared with their 2.4 GHz equivalents.
How Did Devices Perform at the 2.4 GHz Band?
The performance of all devices when operating on the 2.4 GHZ band had wide variations. While some devices could barely reach the 50 Mbps mark, others achieved close to 160 Mbps when transferring files from a network storage drive.
This large performance gap was most likely due to issues with compatibility between a user’s modem/router and their Wi-Fi devices. This was especially true with older computers, phones and laptops. However, the end result is that some Australians won’t be able to achieve optimal performance of their FTTN NBN service.
What Were the Conclusions of the Report?
Consumers will get better Wi-Fi performance as well as better NBN performance by selecting a device using the 802.11ac standard (or next-generation 802.11ax, also named Wi-Fi 6) when operating in the 5 GHz band.
This modem/router performance testing report may be behind a push by the ACMA to require Australian internet providers and modem manufacturers to declare the real-world modem/router performance rates, since they are obligated to report the real-world performance of NBN connections to individual homes. According to the report, “the outcomes of the study have informed the preparation of practical consumer information and guidance to assist consumers in making well-formed decisions in purchasing, setting up and using Wi-Fi modems.
by Felicien | Jul 12, 2019 | Education
Habits You Want From Your Technology Partner
When you are running a business, you want your technology to integrate well with the other tech you use in your business and with your overall IT platform. When you run into situations where your tech fails to integrate well, it can cause serious problems—leading to lost productivity, lost data, and general inefficiency that is not desirable for any business.
Choosing technology partners requires looking carefully at how those partners play with others. You want to know that your tech will integrate and operate well, which means you want a tech partner that is interested in ensuring cross-compatibility and integration. Many tech partners will be interested in such cooperation, but not all will. It is important to know what to look for in such a partner to ensure that you team up with a business that you can rely on.
Tech Partner Habits—Must-Haves from a Tech Partner
1. Interest in improving the overall experience, not just the bottom line
There are plenty of tech partnerships that develop to increase profits. After all, money drives business and it only makes sense for companies to seek arrangements that will improve their profitability. But creating the best customer experience requires more than just a focus on profitability—it also requires a real and sustained interest in ongoing improvement, which necessitates cross-pollination.
You want a partner who wants to ensure that everything works and strives to avoid tech silos that inhibit customers and companies alike. However, you also want a partner who will offer ideas for improvement and accept constructive feedback for their own improvement. The sharing of knowledge and insight and interest in such sharing makes a great tech partner.
2. Willingness to be part of a team
It may seem like asking too much for a tech partner to treat your business and the other tech vendors you work with as a team—but the fact is, you need a team player to achieve your goals. Sure, it can take some serious self-reflection on the part of one business to decide to team up with another business and actively engage in such teamwork, especially if there is a fear of missing out on extra earnings. But the long-term benefit of teamwork will yield future rewards that are otherwise unachievable. The tech partner that is willing to forgo a little extra profit today for benefits for the entire team, later on, is one worth keeping.
3. Interest in a long-term partnership
Many of the best results are only achievable through long-term planning and implementation. Some tech partners may see the option of a partnership as more of a short-term advantage that is not worth maintaining for the long-term. These potential tech partners fail to realize that whatever short-term benefits they can get now will pale in comparison to the benefits they could realize through long-term engagement and partnership. Of course, the challenge of long-term relationships is that they typically require some sacrifice on the front-end. Tech partners that are wise enough to see the value in such early sacrifice are more likely to benefit your business in the future.
4. Desire to contribute to the partnership
One of the best ways to facilitate a successful partnership in technology is to give as much access to your technology base as possible. There are many reasons for this need. For example, by giving as much open access to their technology base and IT stack as they can—within reason—a tech partner can make it much easier and faster to develop integration between their tech and the tech of other partners. The harder partners have to push to gain access to the information they need, the longer it will take to achieve true integration. It is possible that with enough pushback on access, a partner could just give up on the idea of achieving integration and go somewhere else.
5. Seek regular and open communication
The need for communication in business is significant when partnering with tech vendors and service providers. You want a company that will keep you up to date about everything that is going on—at least all the things that are relevant to you and your business—and you want a company that will take your need to communicate seriously. When you want to communicate, your partner should be available or make themselves available at a reasonable time. You also need to know what your partner wants and expects out of the business relationship, just as your partner should know what you want and need out of the partnership.
by Felicien | Jul 12, 2019 | Education
Microsoft’s Hyper-V Server 2019 Finally Released
After being plagued with everything from data loss issues to a lack of available hardware, Microsoft finally released their long-awaited Hyper-V Server 2019 to their Evaluation Center approximately eight months after the expected release date of October 2, 2018. This is even after the Microsoft team skipped the crucial RTM (“release-to-manufacturing”) stage that allowed hardware developers to deploy and test adequately, forcing a holdup before organizations could even utilize the update. The mysterious delays of this free enterprise-class server virtualization solution may make users a little wary, but the functionality offered may simply be too tempting to overlook the release.
What Is Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019?
Microsoft’s Hyper-V Server 2019 is a free product that is meant to compete directly with VMWare, providing enterprise-class virtualization for your datacenter and hybrid cloud, according to Microsoft’s Evaluation Center website. Essentially, you’re able to quickly scale and balance workloads to meet the demanding performance requirements of today’s data-heavy businesses. The release contains the Windows hypervisor technology as well as a simple and reliable virtualization component and a Windows Server driver model. The product is intended to help reduce costs and improve overall server utilization. You can easily compare Windows Server versions in this free online tool from Microsoft.
“We Found Some Issues with the Media”
Microsoft’s bland explanation of why they quickly pulled Windows Hyper-V Server 2019 from the Evaluation Center almost immediately included this note on their blog: “As we were getting ready to publish Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019 in the Evaluation Center, we found some issues with the media. We are actively working on resolving it”. This was after the software giant released the Windows Server 2019 evaluation media, minus the Hyper-V Server portion of the package. While it’s fortunate that Microsoft immediately discovered these issues before the software was widely implemented, there were still some critical features that users had been anxiously awaiting for many months. It appears there were some issues with Remote Desktop Protocol and media installation problems, too.
While it seems that all of the glitches have been safely ironed from Microsoft’s latest release, wary users may want to give the platform a few months before launching into full utilization. After more than seven months of delays, Microsoft has left fans wondering if they’re preparing to phase out the popular — and free — tool in the future.
by Felicien | Jul 11, 2019 | Education
Tropical Storm Barry is expected to hit Louisiana and Texas in just a few days – what steps can you take right now to make sure you’re prepared?
As of yesterday, parts of coastal Louisiana have been put on hurricane watch in anticipation of what could be the first tropical storm system to make landfall in the US this year. Watches apply specifically from the mouth of the Mississippi River and west to Cameron, LA.
Tropical Storm Barry is expected to form in the Gulf of Mexico and develop into a hurricane by this Saturday, at which point it is likely to head through Louisiana and the upper Texas coast.
If you’re located in an area for which a watch has been issued, what steps can you take right now to protect your business?
Develop A Hurricane Preparedness Plan
Your hurricane plan should be carefully constructed and written down for reference and review.
Your plan should put forth policies and procedures regarding employee safety, business continuity, and contingencies that can be activated if your business’ facilities are damaged.
There are three key steps to an effective Hurricane Preparedness Plan:
Protect your property.
While so much of disaster recovery these days is focused on data continuity, it’s important to remember that your facilities are a resource as well, and they should be protected.
Make sure your windows have proper shutters or are boarded up with plywood to keep them safe from airborne debris.
Inspect your roof prior to each hurricane season to make sure it’s in good shape.
Assess whether there are any aging branches or trees that could fall and cause damage during a storm. If you’re unsure, have an arborist check it out for you.
Bring sandbags to areas that could be affected by flooding.
Secure heavier objects, including bookcases, shelves, filing cabinets, computers, etc.
Secure utilities, and raise them off the ground if necessary to avoid flood damage. Prior to the hurricane reaching your area, make sure they’re all turned off.
Relocate any fragile or valuable items to less dangerous areas, if possible.
Protect your documents.
Once all your physical assets are taken care of, don’t forget about your business documentation.
Make sure you have a backup of info on important business contacts.
Backup documents that are not easy to reproduce or acquire in the event of water damage – insurance and legal contracts, tax files, etc.
Keep as much of your documentation as possible in waterproof containers.
Maintain a checklist of survival resources.
Lastly, you’ll want to make sure you have an inventory of all the hurricane-specific resources you’ll need.
These are the types of items you won’t be using otherwise year-round, and so, when you do require them, you don’t want to realize you’ve forgotten something.
Independently powered radio/TV
Three-day supply of non-perishable food for as many employees as you have onsite (including 1 gallon of water per person per day)
Blankets, pillows, cots, and chairs
First Aid supplies
Flashlights (and additional batteries)
Toolkit
Whistles and/or signal flares
Tarps, plastic bags, and duct tape
Cleaning supplies
Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers
Electric generator
A backup supply of gas and additional jerry cans
Cash, credit cards and ID
Emergency contact info
Don’t forget to brief your employees – your hurricane plan should not be written and then left on a shelf. Every employee should be familiar with your procedures and plans to handle any future emergencies. Hold a meeting where your plan is reviewed, roles are assigned, and your staff can ask questions.
Remember – without comprehensive disaster recovery planning, you’re left vulnerable to any and all emergency situations, whether it’s a major meteorological event like a hurricane, or common — and still unpredictable — power outages. Consequences include:
Permanent data loss as onsite copies of your data are destroyed
Severe downtime as your business scrambles to replace hardware and get up and running again
Major financial damages, from the cost of lost business to the cost of replacement hardware and more.
There are still a few days until the hurricane is expected to hit – follow these steps and develop your plan now to make sure you’re prepared.
