Despite what detractors say, regulations are in place for good reason. They typically protect individuals from organizational malfeasance. Many of these regulations are actual laws passed by a governing body and cover the entire spectrum of the issue, not just the data involved. The ones that have data protection regulations written into them mostly deal with the handling and protection of sensitive information. For organizations that work in industries covered by these regulations there are very visible costs that go into compliance. Today, we look at the costs incurred by these organizations as a result of these regulations, and how to ascertain how they affect your business.
Profitability is less the measure of being able to turn a profit, and more the measure of how much profit you can make. For the successful small business, the integration of technology can dictate what kind of annual margins you are looking at. For the new company, however, it can be something even more critical: the difference between setting a course for success, or wallowing in failure. Today we analyze the cost difference between hosting your IT in-house, or choosing to host it in the cloud.
The late American author Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, ?New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.? Written in the 20th century, it has been put in practice by 21st century businesses. As the Internet has grown, the amount of companies expanded, and the amount of data that those companies collect has grown exponentially, especially now that there is a market for such data.
Is your business still using tape as its primary method of data backup? If so, you could be missing out on a more reliable, less time-consuming alternative. Image-based, or ?snapshot? backup solutions continue to be the optimal way to guarantee the continuity of your organization?s data infrastructure, and we?ll explain why. But first, let?s talk about why tape backup isn?t good enough in today?s business environment. Storing data backups on magnetic tape reels has long been a standard procedure, but compared to more modern data backup practices, tape has fallen short of today?s expectations. Tape backups are resource-intensive, and as such, they need to be performed at the end of the workday to avoid slowing down the network. Furthermore, due to how resource-intensive tape backups are, they can only be taken once–meaning that you could potentially lose up to a day?s worth of productivity and accumulated data. The DifferenceImage-based backup is vastly more efficient and more manageable than traditional tape backup. Image-based backup lets your business take a ?snapshot? of your organization?s data, which is then sent to several locations either on or off-site for safe, secure storage. These snapshots record data that?s been changed recently rather than take a whole backup like how tape would work; these smaller backup sessions are less resource-intensive and can be performed more frequently during the day–even as often as every 15 minutes. Perhaps the greatest boon of using an image-based backup system is the fact that it?s automatic and relies less on users to be effective. Your team doesn?t need to set and run the backup at the end of each workday; you can set them to run automatically. Of course, you still have to check the backups and make sure that they work properly, but the fact remains that you have backups taken and ready to go. When it comes to backup and disaster recovery, your business can?t cut any corners, and doing so could become a problem down the road. Even the slightest disaster like a power outage could lead to major data loss. That?s not to mention other common disasters that could cost your business capital in more ways than just data loss. Hardware failure, floods, and fires could lead to not just data loss, but expensive hardware replacements and damage to your IT budget. The damage caused by the resulting downtime is also a major problem, and one which absolutely cannot be ignored. Info Advantage can equip your business with a backup and disaster recovery solution that?s specifically designed to work for your organization. Depending on your needs, you can back up your data to several off-site locations, including a secure data center and in the cloud for rapid data recovery. Furthermore, in the event of a disaster, you can restore your backups directly to the BDR device, and it can act as a temporary server while you work out the finer details of replacing your hardware. All in all, it?s the ideal solution for a small business that relies on data to keep operations going. To learn more, reach out to us at (585) 254-8710.
If we told you that automated teller machines, or ATMs, were susceptible to hacking attacks, would you believe us? You should; there are a plethora of ways for hackers to infiltrate and steal money from ATMs, with the latest being so dangerous that even the Secret Service has issued warnings about it. ATMs in Connecticut and Pennsylvania have recently become complicit in identity theft schemes issued by hackers. The machines themselves have been found to be equipped with periscope skimmer devices attached inside, particularly in machines which have openable lids that provide easy access to their inner workings. The device is installed so that it can probe the magnetic strip on the card as the machine reads it. Users might only need to withdraw $20, but they have so much more to lose. It?s estimated that the device?s battery can last for up to 14 days per charge and that it has enough storage capacity to steal 32,000 card numbers. The one good thing about this device is that it doesn?t seem to collect PIN numbers. Instead, this scam may be part of a preparation for a real heist. There may not be a PIN collection device on this version of the skimmers, but it?s still a good habit to cover the PIN pad with your free hand while you plug in your code. You never know who could be watching. Scammers are crafty and may have hidden cameras on the device to steal information, or they have hacked into the native camera remotely to spy on you while you input your credentials. Even if you don?t suspect that you?re being watched, it?s always better to err on the side of caution. What?s worse is that those chip cards that your bank replaced your old cards with probably won?t be of much use, as most ATMs still need magnetic strips in order to accept and process the card as legitimate. These skimmers can?t usually be identified by sight, as they?re often installed internally to avoid the prying eyes of cautious users. The most practical advice for avoiding ATM scams is to consider the thought process of a criminal who may try to exploit one of these machines. Consider its location–if the ATM is surrounded by people at all times, like those that are found in supermarkets or public places, chances are that it won?t become a target. Now, if it were located in a secluded rural gas station tucked away in the back hallway, it?s more likely that someone would tamper with it. Consider if it?s top-accessible, allowing cybercriminals access to its innards. These are all variables that you should be on the lookout for. Therefore, it?s recommended that you use only ATMs that are placed in high-traffic areas where there are plenty of witnesses who might notice if someone tampered with the machine. It?s also important to avoid ATMs that are easily accessible; rather, just use one which is embedded into the wall, like the one in your bank?s drive-thru. These are great for multiple reasons: 1) They?re well-lit, 2) They are high-surveillance zones, and 3) Hackers have a hard time getting into them. If you?re dealing with your business?s finances, it?s probably best that you handle your financial services through the tellers that aren?t automated. Another option is to […]