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Can you withstand a cyber attack?
Imagine the embarrassment of having to notify your clients and vendors that, because of you, their information may now also be in the hands of cybercriminals; paying pricey emergency IT fees while your operations are halted or severely limited for days or weeks, data loss, lost clients, potential lawsuits or government for violating data-breach laws. Your bank account drained, with no bank protection.
It doesn’t have to be that way. A Pen Test can help prevent it.
Creating A Safe Online Presence For Your Children In 4 Easy Steps
Children in this day and age are growing up in a technological climate that many of us never could have imagined 20 years ago. Kids who were born during the last decade will never know a world where everyone doesn’t have a cellphone on them at all times. They’ll never truly understand what the world was like before the Internet.
This rapid development of technology has made it so our kids’ online and offline lives are merged into one. The conversations they have on social media or over texting are the exact same as the conversations they would have in person. They have direct access to just about anyone at a moment’s notice and can see directly into other people’s lives through social media. Additionally, many kids are stumbling upon graphic content and some pop-ups are even encouraging them to click on inappropriate material.
To put it simply, it’s becoming much more difficult to keep our children safe online. They’re able to share information, pictures and videos at a moment’s notice, and oftentimes, the parents are unaware their children are participating in these behaviors. Considering that 40% of American children receive cellphones before they turn 11, it’s important that parents do everything in their power to ensure their children stay safe online.
If you’re unsure of what steps you need to take to ensure your children’s safety online, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.
Slowly Introduce Digital Media.
Fostering a safe online environment for your children starts at an early age. They should be introduced to the online world when they’re young and taught the safest way to use it. Once they’ve been introduced to the Internet, set time constraints and do everything you can to ensure their technological devices aren’t interfering with their sleep.
Think Before You Post.
Many children will get their first experience with social media thanks to their parents, so lead by example by making appropriate, safe posts that do not reveal personal information. There should be no graphic or mature content on your feed as well, especially if it’s public.
Encourage The Use Of Strong Passwords.
Make sure your children know how to create strong passwords as well as the dangers of having a weak password. Teach them to use different passwords for each account and to never share their passwords with anyone outside of the family.
Set Up Parental Controls.
Parental controls are great when it comes to streaming services and computers, but did you know that most smartphones also come with parental controls? On your child’s smartphone, you can set parental controls for time limits as well as content restrictions. You can even choose which specific websites they’re allowed to visit while blocking everything else. This is a great way to prevent them from stumbling upon inappropriate or harmful content.
The Internet can be an informative and enjoyable place for your children if you take the proper precautions. Teach them the basics of the Internet and preach safety above all else.
4 Ways Smart People Blow The Close
Picture this scenario: You’ve been working closely with a potential client for the past few weeks. During that time, you’ve been proactive and communicative. Anything that client needed, you took care of, but when it comes time to officially close the deal, something happens that makes the client unsure of whether they want to proceed with your business or not.
This is a situation I see all the time. I work with incredibly smart people who get asked to help some of the most successful CEOs and boards in the world solve their top leadership problems. When my colleagues are actively doing the work, they appear to be confident, caring and, at times, daring. But when it comes time for them to sell the work, many struggle.
Over the years, I’ve witnessed four common ways smart people fail to close deals.
Hit Mute
I recently had a meeting with a billionaire CEO who was at the peak of his industry. He told me and my colleague about his concerns about hiring and leading talented teams across his portfolio of businesses. This was an easy sell for us. After the CEO talked for about an hour, he asked my colleague a question to wrap up the conversation. Instead of answering promptly, my colleague’s mind went blank and he didn’t recover for 20 seconds. Though we recovered in this situation, clients want help wrapping up a conversation and turning it into an action plan.
Don’t Impose
I sat in on another meeting with a different colleague and CEO that went really well. My colleague was providing valuable and insightful advice in this meeting but let the meeting end without making an action plan or closing the deal. I asked him why he didn’t close, and he said he didn’t want to impose. We ended up giving this CEO hours of free help before he officially hired us.
Too Complex
An issue that many smart people face is being overly complex and dominating the conversation. They have this desire to prove how smart they are and try to prove it in these meetings. When you try to overpower the conversation while discussing complex topics, you end up overwhelming or even insulting the client. Slow down and be conversational.
Win The Argument
When you’re trying to close a deal, the conversation should not be argumentative. I once sat in on a meeting where my colleague put his hand up and told our client, “Stop right there. I don’t think your logic holds.” It did not go over well. To serve your clients, you need to understand and respect them.
Dr. Geoff Smart is the chairman and founder of ghSMART, a leadership consulting firm that exists to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world. Dr. Smart and his firm have published multiple New York Times best-sellers. He stays active in his community and has advised many government officials.
Shadow Data — What is it?
If you allow your employees to install free applications like DropBox, you may find out just how much indigestion you’ll get from Shadow Data.
Any company data that’s not in the company’s direct control is considered Shadow Data. This could be on unknown file sharing sites, mobile devices or USB flash drives.
There may be no malicious intent by the employee, but nevertheless this data is subject to loss to cyber criminals or simple data loss as there’s no backup.
Perform a survey of your employees asking IF these apps are in use and ask WHY they need them. Work with your cyber security expert, Secure ERP, to use a safe alternative to keep your employees productive and prevent loss of company assets, YOUR DATA.
Secure ERP can help you find & keep your data from going over to the “Dark Side.” - R2
Using Tech To Improve Your Customer Service Experience
Customer service expectations have grown over the last few years, and businesses have had to adapt to meet the needs of their customers. Here are a few ways that tech can be implemented to improve the customer service experience.
For Communication: You can program a chatbot to respond to customers’ immediate needs or questions on your website or app.
For Interaction: With the use of augmented or virtual reality, you can demonstrate how a product will look or work for your customers.
For Personalization: Through certain automation programs, you can ensure that your e-mails appear as if they were tailored for each customer.
The Growing Threat Of Ransomware
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to slow down, technology experts fear that the next major issue to affect our country will come from the digital world. Throughout the pandemic, ransomware attacks have increased 500% and don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Ransomware attacks occur when a hacker installs software on a network that prevents the owner from accessing any of their devices or data. They essentially hold the business hostage as they demand a ransom payment. To combat this, your business needs to put some cyber security practices in place to prevent ransomware attacks. This includes implementing offline backups and keeping your software up-to-date.
The Best Tech Helps Attract And Retain Talent
The technology your company uses has always been important in attracting experienced and talented employees, but it has become even more important with remote and hybrid work. Very few employees will want to work remotely for a company that doesn’t provide any of the basic tech needed to perform their role. A recent study by Barco, Inc. found that 1 in 3 hybrid employees say that one of the top factors in searching for a new job is their frustration while dealing with tech issues. If you want to retain your top talent, you need to provide your team with the tech needed to perform their daily duties, check on them to make sure they have everything they need and even the playing field between your remote and in‑office employees.
