by Felicien | Oct 20, 2017 | Education
You have probably seen and benefited from a Google featured snippet. It’s the box at the top of the search results which contain the exact information you need. Question is, how can your business score this great marketing opportunity?
Instead of just typing a few keywords into your Google search, such as hotels in Hartford or restaurants in Raleigh, you phrase your inquiry more in the form of a question. This is a practice known as a long-tail query. Along with the standard million hits generated on your Search Engine Results Page, or SERP, a miracle occurs when the exact information you need appears on top of the organic results, along with a handy link to the pertinent website. At first, you’re simply happy that you have the answer you need, but then you wonder if you can do the same for your business.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have your website magically propelled to the top of Google search results? Through your innocent search, you have stumbled onto a result called the Google featured snippet. The question now is whether you can take advantage of this opportunity to help market your own business to a wider audience. It is possible if you pay a little more attention to how you construct and present information on your web pages.
What Is a Google Featured Snippet?
The basic type of Google snippet, or rich snippet, is what you see included under each listing. This is a brief description provided by content authors to help make their page more searchable. But a Google featured snippet, or answer box is a block right at the top of the page that includes a summary of the answer to an inquiry, which has been extracted from a web page. It also provides an easy link to the page, the page title, and URL. Most searchers will go immediately to this website because it looks like they will be able to find more information that is pertinent to their search.
To generate its search listings, Google “crawls” the web, looking at websites and analyzing their content. It is programmed to look for key information that searchers might require. The summary provided is extracted from content provided on the web page. The difference with a featured snippet is that it is enhanced and prominently positioned in the results. When the Google user asks a particular question, the search engine looks for pages that can provide the answer and then displays the result as a featured snippet. The amazing thing is that the company itself might only be in the top ten of the normal search results, and doesn’t necessarily have to be at the top. But, their ability to provide content in the desired format can yield a highly desirable result.
Is There a Secret Way to Generate a Google Featured Snippet?
You can’t necessarily include anything behind the scenes in your website to garner the top snippet spot, but you can structure your content in such a way that it increases the likelihood of Google recognizing that your website can provide the answer to a specific search inquiry. You want to start with making sure your website is formatted properly so that it already appears high up in search results, and then you can add certain touches to reach for the snippet spot.
There are certain basics which help attract Google’s attention to your website. The first is your on-page SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, which you can generate through keywords, internal links, proper page formatting, timely content, and a quality user experience. Off-page SEO is garnered when other sites link to yours because of the perceived quality of your content. Getting more backlinks increases the authority and credibility of your site.
Once the fundamentals are in place, you can analyze your content to try to score the featured spot. There are three basic strategies which can help you get closer to this goal:
Think in snippet terms.
Optimize headings.
Provide quality data.
Think in snippet terms: Look at your keywords or subject matter, and think about how your customers and prospects might word a question to find what you have. Then study your content to see how you might be able to structure it to provide strong answers to those questions. For example, instead of just searching for “widget,” a potential customer might search something like, “What are the top benefits of using steel widgets to connect parts?” If your website has content that actually lists the benefits of using steel widgets to connect parts, its got a good chance of becoming a featured snippet. The key here is to focus on user intent and create responsive content.
Optimize headings: The next step is to look at the headlines you use on your page content and blogs. Google’s crawlers are likely to skim over most of your content and focus on the headlines you provide. Make sure you use headlines that answer key customer queries and put them in H2 format to be sure they stand out on the page. Using H2 tags with answers to specific questions helps the search engine focus its efforts, and increases the chances of the content becoming a featured snippet.
Provide quality data: The third component is to use structured data to provide clues to the search engine. This helps Google to better classify your page content. With a craft project, for example, the structured data would include the materials needed, steps in the process, and estimated completion time. This gives Google the idea that it is looking at a craft page, and helps bring it to the front when it receives queries about a particular craft.
Structured data is best provided through a JavaScript notation, which is embedded in the page head or body. This is done behind the scenes of your page content and is not seen by your visitors. This involves a bit more knowledge than simply writing copy. Behind the scenes, you have to provide data in a certain format that might list key concepts inside of quotation marks, followed by a colon, and link or answer information also enclosed in quotation marks and separated by a comma. There are tools available which can make this process much easier.
Even if you don’t manage to score the coveted snippet spot, taking this approach to website and content design will definitely help you create a website that is more specific to the needs of your visitors. You’ll be providing more of the types of information they want in a format that makes it easier to use. Instead of having a website that is all about your business, it becomes all about how your business helps customers fulfill their needs and wants.
You don’t have to sit idly by and wait for Google to find your website. Structure it carefully, and then submit your URL information through Google+ or a search console. We provide technical guidance and information technology support to small businesses. Contact {company} today at {phone} or {email} if you have IT questions, or need further insights on scoring Google featured snippets.
by Felicien | Oct 20, 2017 | Education
Krack Attacks: You use WPA2 to access the internet every day, and you could be vulnerable to a Krack Attack.
Virtually all modern WiFi networks employ WPA2 as a security protocol. A couple of months ago, a security researcher named Mathy Vanhoef discovered an existing vulnerability in all WPA2 WiFi network connections. He called this vulnerability a key reinstallation attack or KRACK. Hackers could possibly exploit this flaw to create a copy of data transmitted over the WiFi connection without having to know your device or WiFi password.
How Serious Are Krack Attacks?
As Larry David might say, this flaw could be pretty, pretty, pretty serious. Since almost all internet connections employ WPA2 as a security protocol, it really won’t matter if you get online with your laptop, Android or Apple phone, or any other device. Since the attacker doesn’t need a password, you secured device or router won’t help either.
If a hacker knew how to steal data with a Krack attack, his only limitation would be that he needs to physically be within the range of your online connection. If you’ve ever checked for internet connections on computer or phone, you already know that you are almost always within range of several secured or unsecured connections if you’re at home in your neighborhood or at work in your office.
The hackers steal data through your connection and not from your computer, tablet, or phone so all devices could be impacted. Dozens of name-brand router, computer, and device vendors have been impacted by and notified of the problem. The researcher said that Android and Linux were the most vulnerable. Still, the list of impacted vendors includes Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, and much more.
Are Vendors Fixing Their Systems Against Krack Attacks?
Vanhoef discovered the possibility of Krack attacks in July of 2017. He promptly contacted vendors but had originally planned to wait a month to publish his findings publicly. When Vanhoef started working with the vendors, the scale of the problem grew larger than was first expected, so he delayed his public announcement until October.
You might wonder why researchers don’t release this sort of security information to protect the public right away. Typically, when security researchers uncover vulnerabilities, they give vendors a chance to take action before they make the information public. Otherwise, hackers might get the information to make use of before the vendors can issue patches. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about any true attacks using this method, so in this case, the researcher may have stayed ahead of the criminals.
Status Updates for Krack Patches
At this time, Microsoft says they’ve already released a patch. Cisco has released patches for some devices but not all. Dozens of other vendors are working furiously on the problem. You can find a list of patches and status updates on ZDNet. The article said it would get updated with future announcements, but you might also check with your own product maker’s website.
As always, you would be prudent to apply any manufacturer’s updates as you get them. You can also set most devices to accept automatic updates.
How to Proceed Until Your Device Gets a Krack Attack Patch
These are some steps you can take to protect your own data:
According to Vanhoef’s website, secure sites with a URL that starts with https: may offer some additional layers of protection; still, they managed to even bypass this security in certain situations. These situations included non-browser software, such as some Apple and Android apps.
Hackers can use this method to steal data on secure or unsecured networks, but remember that they have to be within range. If your network doesn’t have other layers of protection, you may want to avoid public areas when accessing private data. Again, you can probably see a handful of other networks at home or in your office, so you know that this isn’t entirely foolproof either.
Refer to your manufacturer’s websites for information on Krack attacks and instructions about how to proceed securely. If you can’t find the information online, and you need to use your device to access sensitive information, you may want to contact the manufacturer for instructions for your unique situation.
Larger companies and other organizations might already protect themselves with multiple layers of protection, so a Krack attack can’t proceed. It’s likely that small businesses and personal users will be the most vulnerable.
The good news is that there isn’t much evidence that any hackers have actually exploited this flaw yet to steal data. It’s always a positive sign when security researchers discover security problems before criminals do. However, now that this information is publicly available, the situation could change. Vendors are under tremendous pressure to issue patches, but until you’re sure that you’ve received a patch, you should remain aware that your data may not be as secure as you thought it was.
by Felicien | Oct 19, 2017 | Education
Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool, and using a few shortcuts and tips can make your work move faster. Today we’ll look at a few Excel tools to improve your experience in working with data.
Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for analyzing data, and using a few shortcuts and tips can make your work move faster. Today we’ll look at a few Excel tools to improve your experience in working with data.
ADJUSTING CELL SIZES is almost always necessary when working with data that has been imported from other sources. The very top left box above the first row and to the left of the first column is called the crux. Clicking in the crux selects the entire worksheet. Hover your mouse between rows or between columns until it changes to bi-directional arrows, then double-click. All the rows and all the columns will auto size to fit the contents of the rows and columns.
FREEZE PANES allow you to keep certain data visible when scrolling through large worksheets. In the View tab, click on the icon labeled “Freeze Panes.” You can custom select which cells to freeze, but since labels are normally across the top row and in the first column, those will be the most useful items.
DATA ALIGNMENT allows you to “wrap” text, or to use multiple lines of text within one cell. If a column contains a long string of text, it can run the rest of your columns off of your print area, or it can make it more cumbersome to read your worksheet. Highlight a column or row, right-click and select “Format Cells…”, select the Alignment tab, and in the middle section under Text control, select Wrap text, then click OK. You can then manually size the column to fit your needs. However, Excel won’t automatically adjust the row height after expanding a column, so to avoid having white space at the top of the cell, double-click on the bottom of its row, and the row will right-size itself.
COPYING AND PASTING sound easy enough, using CTRL+C to copy a cell and CTRL+V to paste its contents, but immediately after the paste has completed, Excel presents a set of formatting options. Additionally, the lower right corner of the cell is a heavy square. Hover your cursor over that square and it turns into a “+”. Clicking and dragging on that + will highlight the selected cells, and releasing the mouse button presents a small box at the lower right of the last cell selected. This box offers AutoFill options, and using one of the selections can help you quickly extend a data series. This is particularly useful for establishing a range of dates or other numbers that are sequentially ordered.
The F8 key extends the selection range using the keyboard instead of dragging with the mouse. Hit the F8 key and then use your arrow keys to extend your selection from the currently selected cell. If you need to select a large range, you can use the page down key. You are only able to select one vertical and one horizontal direction, though. In other words, you can’t select a cell and then select cells both up and down from it using the F8 extension key, or both left and right, but you can go up and right, for example.
You can also select non-contiguous data as well. Select your first cell, then hold the CTRL key while selecting more cells. This works with whole rows and columns as well.
BEFORE YOU PRINT, you can see how many pages your data will require using Page Break Preview. Select the View tab from the ribbon, and select Page Break Preview from the leftmost section. You can see which data will appear on each printed page. The power in this view is that you can drag the page breaks. Excel will resize the worksheet to fit, and you can see the effect immediately. Hover your mouse over one of the break lines until the cursor turns into bi-directional arrows. Click and drag the break to where you want it. This is helpful when you need to keep data together, and to prevent a single row or column from printing onto a new page by itself.
In the Page Layout tab, the second section from the left, Page Setup, has a little arrow in the lower right corner. Clicking that arrow brings up a dialog box with all the options you see in that section of the ribbon, but also much more. You can play around with sizes, but it is more useful to understand and tell Excel how you want your worksheet to look when you print it. You can select one page wide, which means that your data won’t break up over two sheets. However, Excel may not automatically adjust the vertical sizing. You will want to allow Excel to move down onto as many pages as it takes, so you can set the “tall” number to several pages more than you think you will need.
You can create a header to appear at the top of each page, a footer to appear at the bottom of each page, or both, in the Header/Footer tab of that same dialog box. Both the header and footer options offer prepopulated options in the pull-down box, or you can create a custom header or footer. Even selecting the custom option offers several automated choices, or you can type your own text into the left, center, or right sections. If you want something to appear only on the first page, checking the “Different First Page” box adds a First Page Header (or Footer) tab to the Custom Header (or Footer) dialog box, and you’ll specify what should appear on the first page, and what, if anything should appear on all other pages.
The Sheet tab presents options to repeat rows and columns. Click the icon to the right of “Rows to repeat at top”, select your label row. If your data is going to span more than one page horizontally, you’ll want to click the icon to the right of “Columns to repeat at left” and select your label column.
Finally, Excel defaults to a nice clean presentation of your data, but large datasets can be difficult to follow, especially when the print is small. In the Sheet tab, in the Print section, you’ll find a checkbox for Gridlines. This simply presents your data as it looks in the spreadsheet, with the lines for the rows and columns.
These are just a few tips to make your data easier to read, work with, and print. Using these ideas as a starting point, you can explore the other options in the ribbon to discover more of Excel’s power.
by Felicien | Oct 19, 2017 | Education
New PowerPoint 2016 features add dynamic effects, more design options, and professional results to presentations.
Recently, Microsoft has upped its game when it comes to PowerPoint. With the introduction of several powerful new tools, PowerPoint now puts more control and flexibility into the hands of users.
It began with the launch of Designer, Morph, and Zoom, three tools introduced in Office 2016. Now, Microsoft has enhanced Designer with additional features that save time and result in more professional, stylized presentations.
Designer, Morph, and Zoom are available as premium features for Office 265 subscribers.
PowerPoint Designer
PowerPoint Designer was introduced to accelerate the time it takes to develop a new presentation. Users can drop an image into PowerPoint and see multiple design ideas. It uses smart image analysis and automated design functionality to find the most compelling aspects of the selected image.
Microsoft worked with graphic designers to develop 12,000 “blueprints” that are at the heart of this new cloud-based technology. Once the image is dropped, the technology pinpoints the most compelling components. Users can then zoom in, crop and frame the image to their liking.
The technology works with charts and graphs, too, by identifying the most pertinent points.
Once a user inserts an image and activates the Designer feature, he or she is presented with multiple layout options that incorporate the image.
New Designer Features
The newest features for Designer allow for even more functionality and flexibility. They include:
Color Extraction. Drawing on Designer’s automation functionality, this new feature identifies the most impactful color from your selected image and offers options for applying that color to the slide. Using design principles and color theory, the feature works with the Gallery theme and will be rolled out to other themes over time.
Facial Recognition. The facial identification feature recognizes people in your photo and optimizes the position of those faces within the image. With facial recognition, users can make faces the most important element of the photo and do not need to worry about cropping out people or portions of their images.
Multiple Images. Do you want to use multiple images to represent or highlight an idea, concept or message? All PowerPoint themes now allow for two images to be displayed while the Office and Gallery themes support up to four images. Microsoft plans to allow even more images over time into the application.
Designer does have a few limitations:
It only works with Microsoft templates. If you’re using a custom-designed template, it will not suggest options.
Not all of the elements in a selected layout are editable. Some are hard-coded into the slide. If you want to change the color, add a line or adjust the placement, you may be out of luck.
Users need the Office 365 version of PowerPoint to access these features.
PowerPoint Morph
Morph creates motion in your presentations by animating your slides. Animated 3-D images and even words or characters. The functionality works by duplicating the slides you want to be morphed. You can simply click on the Morph button under the Transitions menu.
PowerPoint Zoom
Zoom goes beyond linking a few slides together in Morph. With Zoom, designers can now link entire sections together, allowing presenters to go from broader themes to more specific details. It also allows for the presentation to be presented in a non-linear fashion.
Zoom acts like a visual table of contents. It provides a menu of the available slides or sections and the presenter can click on any of the thumbnails in the high-level menu and zoom to that section of the presentation.
There are three Zoom selections available — Summary Zoom, Slide Zoom, and Section Zoom. Zoom allows users to customize presentations more easily.
Slide Hyperlinking
This new feature does not require the subscription service. With this tool, users can create a hyperlink from one slide to another within the same presentation. Like the Zoom feature, slide hyperlinking allows for flexible navigation on the fly, which can be helpful when you need to answer a question or quickly move to another section and don’t want to scroll through multiple slides to get to the desired point. Strategically placing these hyperlinks at key points in the presentation can save you time and keep the presentation professional.
Here are a few other powerful features in PowerPoint 2016 that do not require a subscription:
Tell-Me Box. Look for the light bulb, click, type and hit enter. You’ll get some helpful suggestions that can save you time rather than hunt for answers online.
Sharing Tools. There’s great collaboration functionality throughout the 2016 Office suite. If you click on Share, you can save files to a SharePoint or OneDrive location, invite others to join your project and set access levels. You can even work on a presentation in real time without overwriting changes.
Bing Interface. Want some context for a word in your presentation? Highlight it and right-click on the Smart Lookup feature. You’ll have access to Bing search results, dictionary entries Wikipedia entries and related images.
Quick Shapes. With PowerPoint 2016, you can use Quick Styles to select a style for a shape you draw. You can also adjust the color intensity.
New Charts. This is another feature incorporated throughout the Office 2016 suite, New available options include Box and whisker, Pareto, Sunburst, Treemap, and Waterfall.
With powerful new features, presentations can have a professional look and feel without the expense and time needed in previous PowerPoint versions.
by Felicien | Oct 19, 2017 | Education
More businesses move to the cloud each day. Learn how offering cloud accounting services can send your practice to new heights.
With the increasing availability of cloud technology, more and more accounting firms are floating up onto the cloud, almost as if they have stolen a taste of Willy Wonka’s famous Fizzy Lifting Drink. No giant, dangerous fan awaits these companies, however; they simply bask in the warmth of the sun. If you are just starting a practice or have been in business since the slide rule, offering your clients cloud accounting services will not only benefit them but your practice, too. Read on to learn more about the ways in which practicing accounting on the cloud can benefit you.
Access Anytime, Anywhere– Moving some or all of your accounting services onto the cloud allows you to access your files anytime from anywhere. Imagine being able to call any place with an internet signal your office. This includes your favorite restaurant, the beach, travel destinations, and even the sofa. Cloud accounting provides your clients with greater access to you and gives you more flexibility while offering the same (if not more) services you do when working from your actual office – you know, the one with a desk.
Ease of Use– One of the major benefits of offering cloud accounting is built right into its natural structure, automatic remote data storage for both you and your clients. Cloud accounting software integrates automatically with you and your clients’ existing banking and bookkeeping systems, automatically backing up data and records in a safe, secure location off-site on the cloud.
Always Up to Date– In addition to being automatically secure, you can also rest easy knowing you and your clients have the most up to date version of your cloud accounting software because it always updates automatically. You will always operate with the most recent improvements, security patches, and compliance-driven updates without spending your valuable time running updates on software yourself. Also, you will never again have to worry about running the risk of wasting valuable time by forgetting to update your software.
Reach New Highs– Cloud accounting will increase the efficiency of every aspect of your practice. Whether you currently spend time with clients at your office or travel between your clients’ various business locations, working directly with them, in this way, wastes a lot of time. By increasing your practice’s efficiency with the capabilities of cloud accounting, you free up more time which can be put toward offering additional services, providing consultations, and going after new business (which you will actually have the capacity to take on).
Meet Expectations– By moving your existing brick and mortar accounting practice onto the cloud, you will meet your clients’ expectations before they even realize they have them. The industry is already showing a strong trend toward the cloud accounting space; the model has already been tested, and it works. Establishing a solid cloud operation now will ensure you have tried and true processes in place when you really see the demand increase.
Greater Client Capacity– Operating with increased efficiency will mean you have more time to take on additional clients, which you otherwise might have had to turn away. Without the need to hire additional staff, you can expand your client list, share your skills and expertise with a greater portion of clients, and increase your profits.
Expanded Services– In addition to taking on more clients, cloud accounting practices have the ability to expand their products and services into consulting areas which they previously did not have the capacity to offer. Cloud accounting saves you time on traditional services such as record keeping, tax filing, and payroll. With more automated processes, you will be able to surprise clients by offering invaluable services like up to date key performance indicators, strategic planning, financial guidance, growth strategies, early problem identification, and you will also be able to participate in their business decision-making processes.
Soaring Client Relations– As a result of your newly increased list of services, you will become an invaluable asset to your clients’ companies. They will no longer see your accounting or bookkeeping practice as interchangeable with every other practice operating out of an office cramped with dusty file cabinets; they will see you as an integral, irreplaceable member of their team. You will have the time, tools, and capacity to act as an outsourced CFO to all of your clients.
Maintain an Edge– As a vital part of your clients’ businesses, you will maintain an edge over your competitors. The move to the cloud seems to be the biggest shift in the industry since the advent of bookkeeping software and digital record keeping. Accounting practices which choose not to offer at least partial or optional cloud accounting services to their clients are swiftly falling behind the curve. Moving your practice to the cloud will show your clients that your practice is still relevant and that you take advantage of every option available to better serve them.
Rising Bottom Line– As a result of all these benefits of providing cloud accounting, you will also enjoy seeing your practice’s bottom line move in an upward direction. Practices primarily offering services with fee-based pricing, see a major increase in profits because cloud accounting allows them to turnover jobs much more quickly. Unfortunately, cloud accounting has not yet found a way to insert more hours into the day, so practices which mostly base charges on hourly rates will experience a less pronounced increase in income. Both fee-based and hourly practices, however, will see increased income due to their greater capacity for taking on additional clients and expanding their product offering.
Be Smart About the Switch
Accounting practices run into trouble when they change all of their clients over to cloud accounting too quickly. Making the switch before you have had the chance to learn the new software and to put established processes into place will put your practice at risk of facing lots of problems all at once. When you decide you are ready to offer cloud accounting services, you will want to proceed both deliberately and carefully with expert advice.
Migrate to the Cloud with Professional Assistance
We can help you navigate the migration to the cloud by helping you identify ideal clients to transfer initially and to schedule each client’s shift mindfully. In addition, we will walk you through your new software, establish an updated system of operation, and help you refine your client transfer process. To learn more about how you can lift your accounting practice onto the cloud, contact our IT professionals today.
by Felicien | Oct 19, 2017 | Education
Why Florida Businesses Need Cyber Insurance to Manage the Risk of Cyber Threats from Hackers or Accidents
Many Florida companies rely upon a business owners policy, usually called a BOP, to protect themselves against typical threats. A BOP usually includes property, general liability, and business interruption insurance in one package. While some insurers offer to customize these policies, they typically don’t include cyber insurance. Small, mid-sized, and even some large companies may fail to realize that they lack protection for their digital assets until they have already lost valuable information or computer systems.
It’s important for Florida business owners, managers, and executrices to understand the kinds of cyber threats they face. Many companies should consider cyber insurance as a tool to help them manage their risks.
Cyber Threats Faced by Florida Businesses
First, it’s important to understand cyber threats and to acknowledge the risk:
External Threats From Malicious or Greedy Hackers
After reading news stories about hackers who attacked large companies like Target or Home Depot, you might not believe that any determine or skilled criminals would bother with your small business. This belief can actually make you more vulnerable than the big corporations that invest a lot of money in preventing these risks. Your smaller company probably also has fewer resources that you can use to recover after you have lost valuable data or computer systems.
A 2016 survey from the Ponemon Institute focused entirely on small companies and was reported upon by CNBC:
Half of small businesses had been hacked in some way during the previous year.
Many attacks derailed business for a week or longer.
Small businesses may not have the funding or manpower that larger companies do to prevent hackers and deal with the fallout when cybercrimes occur.
In particular, Florida has earned the distinction of leading the entire country for digital fraud and ID theft, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Other types of digital crime that commonly plague small businesses include social and email phishing attacks that allow criminals to infiltrate networks, PCs, and even mobile devices. Small businesses don’t have immunity from cyber crimes, and they may be the most vulnerable.
Do Business Insiders Threaten Your Company’s Cybersecurity?
Certainly, small business owners should invest in security to minimize the risk of external threats. At the same time, you should learn that the greatest threats to your company may originate on the inside, according to Eric Meyer, the CEO of Apvera, a threat intelligence company. Mr. Meyer says that over half of today’s attacks occurred because of malicious acts from employees. Also, unintentional lapses may contribute to much more.
For instance, Edward Snowden stole classified information from the government before he left the United States. Jun Xie took valuable, private data from GE Healthcare. They didn’t need to hack these systems because they already had access privileges to that data. Insiders may already have the ability to login to private networks, and they are also most likely to know how to cover their tracks to avoid detection. More commonly, employees accidentally allow security breaches because they fall for phishing schemes or use unsecured devices for work.
Either way, the most difficult cyber threats to prevent begin on the inside of companies and not on the outside. You should invest in security policies and software; however, no solutions can offer you the 100-percent assurance that you won’t have problems because of intentional or unintentional acts from the inside of your company.
How Does Cyber Insurance Protect Businesses?
As with any other type of business insurance you may consider, cyber insurance can vary between companies. These are some common kinds of coverage to consider and reasons why you might need them:
Loss of data or computer systems: Again, your traditional business insurance might protect you against the loss of your physical computers, but it probably doesn’t pay to replace data or software that you may have lost. Cyber insurance may pay for the costs and time you will need to invest in replacing computer systems, recovering lost data, and getting your business operational again.
Business interruption: Your BOP may offer coverage for business interruption if your business got derailed because of a covered risk. For example, your insurer may give you money to operate until you can recover if your computers were damaged by a fire. If cybercrime isn’t a covered risk, you won’t get compensated. Your cyber insurance policy should offer you the money you need to keep going.
Customer notifications and bad press: In Florida, you have to comply with notification rules in case you lost private information. You might need to spend money to communicate with customers and government investigators. You may also have to spend some money to deal with the PR fallout from the loss. Any loss of your reputation can be very costly to recover from. You should look for a specialized policy that will fund your efforts to comply with government regulations and salvage your good name.
Government compliance: After you’re done notifying everybody you legally need to communicate with, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that some government agencies want to investigate your issue. In some cases, you may have to spend money to deal with regulators and auditors. You might even face compliance penalties and lawsuits. You need specialized cyber liability insurance to provide you with funds.
How to Protect Your Florida Small Business From Cyber Threats
Naturally, your company’s own good security software and policies will give you the best line of defense against external and internal threats to your digital assets. Since security experts and skilled hackers still race to keep up with each other, you should also consider managing your risks with cyber insurance. You won’t find a one-size-fits-all cyber insurance policy in the Florida business insurance marketplace, so you should look for an experienced business insurance agent to help you obtain the right coverage for your company. Often, these professionals can also offer you good ideas to protect your business to prevent common digital security issues.
