How businesses can incorporate blockchain into their everyday activities
The introduction of blockchain technology has made revolutionary changes to finance sectors across the world -- most commonly through the use of cryptocurrency. Now however the platform is increasingly finding new uses by businesses to help enhance and customize the services they are already offering. Those businesses that have already begun to incorporate blockchain into their day-to-day are creating new opportunities for both themselves and the end customer.
Most people will be familiar with blockchain for its use in cryptocurrency as a secure transaction system. By using a blockchain-based platform, businesses can process crypto payments locally or across borders payments as well as making micro-payments, and add expanded options for customers to suit a greater variety of needs. Blockchain also digitally records all processes, which can make supply chain and return/refund processes more streamlined, with payments and refunds being made automatically.
Understanding disaster recovery options for SQL Server
One of the challenges IT and database administrators confront when implementing disaster recovery provisions is choosing from among the myriad options available. Existing high availability configurations designed to minimize downtime for critical applications may not be adequate for recovering fully from a widespread disaster. And existing disaster recovery provisions may not be as comprehensive or cost-effective as they could be. This article provides practical guidance to help administrators optimize disaster recovery plans for SQL Server, beginning with the disaster recovery plan.
A good disaster recovery plan builds on the organization’s Business Continuity Plan. BCPs generally cover the entire organization, and in most organizations, IT is one of the most if not the most critical department. There are two aspects of the BCP that are fundamental to DR planning: the business impact analysis and the threat assessment. The former determines which applications are mission-critical and the latter identifies those disasters the organization is most likely to experience.
Do IoT devices really pose a security risk, or is it merely paranoia?
Market data firm Statista projects that by 2025, there will be 75 billion IoT devices in use. Smart devices are now found throughout most commercial offices, yet a lack of security could make them ticking time bombs. IoT devices often come with security shortcomings, and it can be difficult to detect when someone has exploited one of their vulnerabilities.
Why are IoT devices dangerous? It's not a single issue; rather, it's intrinsic to the way that the technology itself works.
How GRC solutions help companies meet GDPR requirements
In May of 2018, companies raced to the finish line to accomplish GDPR compliance. Given that it was the first year of GDPR, many industry experts expected to not see any companies fined. That is all going to change in the year ahead. In January 2019, Google was hit with the first major GDPR fine of $57 million, putting an end to the unspoken grace period. Companies should recognize this as a warning: get compliant or risk massive fines. This is especially important as only 59 percent of organizations report meeting all or most GDPR requirements, 29 percent expect to do so within a year, and nine percent will take more than a year.
With the stress of GDPR and potential increase in consumer privacy legislation looming on the horizon, CISOs need help. Rather than continuing to spin their wheels, CISOs should consider governance, risk and compliance (GRC) solutions that simplify GDPR compliance by streamlining operations to avoid fines and penalties altogether. Below I put together three ways that a GRC solution can help.
The changing landscape of cybersecurity
Bad actors have been seeking opportunities to take advantage of unsophisticated netizens or unprotected organizations since the dawn of the World Wide Web, but today’s bad actors are in a class by themselves. Nation-state actors, often operating through a vast network of well-funded proxies, strive to exert influence, threaten stability, and sow discord through the mechanisms of cyberspace. Hacktivist organizations seek to undermine, damage or discredit organizations whose agendas and politics they oppose.
They may not be as well funded as nation-state actors, but they are populated by technically sophisticated people who have bought into a cause -- and when these people work together, they can pose serious threats to those with whom they disagree.
Media server Serviio 2.0 adds multi-user streaming
When we think about streaming a movie, our first thought is Apple iTunes, Netflix or Amazon Prime. We rush to sign up to these services, pay our monthly fee, and then search through old movies to keep ourselves entertained on a rainy public holiday.
But what did you do with all those old DVDs you had (or have) lying around? One solution would be to set up your own network-based media server, rip your old discs and watch on demand. Better still, as DVDs are increasingly unpopular, even movies released a few months ago are available at seriously discounted prices, meaning you can pick up quality movies for a fraction of the original price.
The invisible programmer: A coder's domain is bigger than you might think
When you imagine the role of a coder there’s a good chance that what comes to mind are pop culture tropes; the eccentric loner, the rogue prodigy, or the cloistered IT guru who saves the company with a brilliant solution hatched from behind a stack of pizza boxes in some windowless basement office.
The reality is that coders represent a much more ubiquitous, everyday-problem-solving task force deployed throughout organizations and their skills are increasingly being utilized across many industries to address a variety of business challenges within their organizations.
Providing guardrails for developers to innovate while staying secure in the cloud
Enterprise cloud adoption has largely been driven by developers eager to take advantage of its agility. These developers are often moving very quickly and are under pressure to bring new products to market that provide competitive advantages. The speed of development combined with a lack of cloud security expertise often results in engineers and developers bypassing certain security and compliance policies. The result is a chaotic, "Wild, Wild West" cloud environment.
Alongside innovative apps and services, a common byproduct of this "free for all" mentality is data breaches, thanks to misconfigurations and other security glitches. This article shares advice on how organizations can empower their developers and engineers by providing a safe framework within which to operate, so they can stay agile and innovative, without inadvertently compromising security.
59% of adults experience stress in the workplace -- could business technology provide a means to help reduce this figure?
The combination of technology and mental health can often have negative connotations. There is plenty of media attention surrounding the negative impact the former can have on the latter. In fact, there is research identifying that social media and too much screen time can increase the risk of depression and anxiety, which can lead to hampered sleep and increased stress levels. A recipe for disaster?
Looking at the other side of the coin, technology can also work to improve mental health and stress levels. In recent years, technology has brought about hugely beneficial health apps like Headspace, Calm and Stop, Breathe & Think. This has provided people with a way to help manage their own mental health conditions on a daily basis, such as anxiety and depression. Businesses can also employ different technologies to help address workplace stress. Together, let’s take a deeper look at that below…
New privacy regulations mean your company needs better data management now
Do you know how every company you interact with uses your private data? Consider this: In December 2018, The New York Times revealed that tech and marketing companies use seemingly innocuous apps to gain access to users’ locations -- sometimes up to 14,000 times each day.
For example, the Weather Channel app funneled users’ location data to an IBM subsidiary, while Reveal Mobile, a location-based marketing firm, harvested users’ location data from code planted in more than 500 other apps. It’s safe to say that most people trusted the Weather Channel app to make daily decisions about what to wear or whether to take an umbrella. After the news broke, however, the Weather Channel’s status as a trusted institution was less certain.
How the smartest companies use Slack today
When Slack first arrived on the scene in 2013, it was meant to be an amped-up social messaging app that would improve workplace communication and cut down on email. It’s still serving that purpose, but these days it’s also a tool for interacting with customers, simplifying project management workflow, and integrating just about every app known to man in one place.
Slack now has 10 million users and those getting the most out of the app are those turning Slack into major command centers. Slack is the hub through which all their notifications, calendar reminders, project updates, and files flow.
Add a second layer of security with the new Malware Fighter 7
Can you ever have enough security? We often wonder after being told what our users have installed. It’s not unknown for people to have a full security suite alongside a second on-demand scanner and additional browser plugins warning them of potentially malicious websites.
As individuals tend to stick with a security suite which has worked for them in the past and, as long as their system isn’t compromised, continue to pay for a yearly subscription. With this in mind, developers are adding functionality to enable their security tools to run alongside and not interfere with your daily use. These are on-demand scanners where you’d need to schedule a scan or manually run a scan when required.
Prioritize InfoSec by prioritizing AI data-monitoring
In a survey of IT professionals, 55 percent of respondents reported that their enterprises receive at least 10,000 security alerts every day; of that group, 49 percent receive more than 1,000,000 security alerts each day. And, more to the point, 96 percent of respondents reported that their security teams feel stressed or frustrated over the volume of security alerts that come in.
It's more than mere humans can bear.
Three options companies should consider for backup & storage in 2019
While data backup and storage probably aren’t the first things that come to mind when looking at your IT strategy for 2019, business owners should understand that they are part of your technology foundation and could be key to your success this year. Storage, for example, is the vital base for your cloud and data center, and backup capabilities are a requirement in today’s interconnected world.
We read about it nearly every day: Cyber attacks against businesses of all sizes are on the rise and doing more damage than ever. But there are also physical threats your data faces, too. A fire, flood or other natural disaster can wreak havoc on your data and make recovery virtually impossible unless you have a backup plan in place. What is your business doing to protect your data?
4 essential elements of ongoing privileged access management -- Why they are important and how to get them right
Privileged access management (PAM) delivers the greatest benefits when it is implemented as a mission rather than to satisfy a limited, one-time mandate. Achieving more complete and proactive protection for privileged accounts requires an ongoing program to add more platforms and accounts and to share more security data with other systems over time. It also requires paying as much, if not more, attention to how PAM affects people and processes as to technology issues.
Without proper ongoing governance, a PAM program can give an organization a false sense of security regardless of their investment in their initial PAM rollout. Here are the essential elements of ongoing PAM governance, why they are important, and how to get them right.
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