Face it, your laptop isn?t indestructible. There are only so many times you can throw your laptop in a cramped bag or have it drop from your hands before you see some damage. While many laptops can be saved with something as simple as a sturdy case, many modern professionals work in conditions that make it very difficult to protect the technological equipment needed for businesses to run smoothly. That is why many manufacturers are creating lines of ?rugged laptops,? which can withstand even the harshest of work conditions. What Are Rugged Laptops? A ?rugged?? laptop is a PC that has been designed to withstand very harsh environments and conditions, such as heavy traveling or factory work. These laptops are built to withstand just about anything, including drops, spills, extreme temperatures, and much more. There are a variety of different types of rugged laptops, each built for a specific purpose. Many rugged laptop vendors offer an assortment of rugged laptops that are classified into three ?levels? of ruggedness; semi-rugged, fully-rugged, and ultra-rugged. Semi-rugged laptops are typically enhanced versions of commercialized laptops with more protection, where an ultra-rugged laptop is built from the inside-out to resist even the harshest environments. What Classifies a Laptop as Rugged? Most rugged PC manufacturers use the MIL-STD-810 environmental durability standards to test how rugged their laptops are. The MIL-STD-810 was originally created in the 1960s by the US Department of Defense as a guideline for designing military-grade technology that can be used in high combat areas. The standard provides a variety of different test methods which can be used to ensure equipment is suitable enough to be used on the field of combat. This includes tests for temperature, vibration, impact, water resistance, altitude, sand or dust, and more. Manufacturers are also known to reference the Ingress Protection Code, which classifies the degrees of sealing protection of electrical equipment, and the NEMA classification, which describes different electrical enclosures and how they hold up in different environments. Who Should Be Using Rugged Laptops? While rugged laptops are typically designed for people who work in extreme conditions, just about any business professional can find value in a rugged laptop. While you may not be using your laptop underground or at sea, your personal computer may be taking on more damage than you think. Laptops are often shoved in bags or airplane compartments, or left in places they could potentially get damage, such as a bathroom or kitchen. Therefore, just about anyone who takes their business on-the-go can find benefits from ruggedized laptops. If you?re interested in a more rugged laptop but don?t know what level of protection you need? Contact the technology experts at Info Advantage today at (585) 254-8710 to talk about what technology solutions will best fit your business. [Photo: DoD]
If you?re an avid online shopper, you know the struggle of having to fill out your information each and every time you want to make a purchase. For many, autofill is a way to save time when shopping online. While this feature is convenient, it can also put your data directly into the hands of cybercriminals if a user isn?t careful. How They Do It Hackers are able to use autofill to their advantage by adding hidden fields in a sign-up form. These fake sign-up forms try to trick users into giving up more information than they think they are. The form may seem to only ask for a name or email address, but can secretly also take any other information that has been saved in a browser?s autofill. This could include information such as a billing address, phone number, credit card number, security codes, and other sensitive personal data. While this method of attack isn?t necessarily new, whitehat hackers have had trouble finding effective ways to counter the threat. Prevent an Autofill Attack Autofill attacks can happen to nearly any user on any browser that has autofill enabled. However, browsers such as Chrome and Safari are particularly prone to these types of attacks, as autofill comes pre-configured when the browser is first downloaded. To avoid these types of attacks, experts suggest using a browser without autofill, such as Firefox. If you want to stick with Chrome or Safari, you may want to consider disabling the autofill feature. If you enjoy the convenience of autofill, make sure you only utilize the feature on sites that have been marked as secure. Otherwise, it?s advised that you take the time to fill in each field by hand to avoid giving information you don?t want to give. Worried that your sensitive data might be at risk of leaking? Call Info Advantage at (585) 254-8710 today to talk to a security expert about how you can keep your private data safe.
In the face of disaster, a solid business continuity plan can be the difference between seamless back up and hours of downtime. Traditional back up plans often required in-house equipment to keep their systems running, which were often costly to maintain and unreliable. Fortunately, new technologies have paved the way for the future of business: the cloud. By hosting their back up data in the cloud, companies can spend less time worrying about their back-up plan and more time doing what they do best; business. Increased Uptime In the case of in-house backup, the entire fate of a business can rely on physical hard drives that store their critical data. If those hard drives are lost, broken, or stolen it could mean serious downtime. Having your business in the cloud makes this an issue of the past. With cloud backup, your critical data is accessible from virtually anywhere, making it easy to access during a disaster and eliminating downtime and loss. Higher Frequency of Back Up Disasters can happen any time, and they won?t wait for your data back up to kick in. For many businesses, real-time backup is needed in order to prevent the loss of major data, as most companies are working on files and updating information throughout the day. By hosting your data in the cloud, you will be able to ensure that the important work that is being done during business hours isn?t lost. Many providers offer hourly, daily, and monthly backup plans, and some will even allow you to set your own backup schedule. Faster Response It can be difficult for a business to keep constant check on the status of the backup data, and often neglect to take care of any issues that can leave their data vulnerable. With cloud backup, the monitoring can be left to the providers. This means a faster response time when something goes wrong, creating a seamless backup environment for your business. In addition, cloud providers have access to all the latest technologies, allowing them to constantly provide their clients with newer, more efficient services. Want to learn more about how your business fits into the cloud? Contact Info Advantage today at (585) 254-8710 to speak to an IT professional about how the cloud can work for you.
Congress recently voted to do away with Obama-era regulations that were intended to protect consumer data from being sold to advertisers without the user?s consent. As of April 4th, President Trump has officially signed the legislation that will dismantle the internet protection that had originally been approved in October 2016. What Was Voted On? Congress voted on whether or not to keep a set of Internet privacy rules approved back in October during the end of the Obama administration. The measure, which was passed by a 215-205 vote according to NBC News, blocks the FCC from being able to enforce new privacy rules that had been passed last year by the Obama administration last year before the election. The legislation, which was recently signed by the President, also bans the FCC from issuing any similar online protections in the future. What Information Can Be Bought? The original policy would have banned Internet providers from collecting, storing, sharing and selling user information. They would be allowed to collect and sell information such as your web history and app usage, according to The Washington Post. The rules also required Internet providers to use stronger security safeguards to protect customer data against hackers. Now that the policies have been brought down, providers are able to monitor their customer?s online activity and use the data they?ve collected to create highly targeted ads. It also allows them to sell the information to advertisers, financial firms, and other for-profit companies. How Can I Protect My Data? As of now, there are no real changes being made to the Internet security policy, so not much is expected to change right away. However, experts suggest a few methods that users can use to keep their data to themselves. First, security experts suggest that you use a virtual private network, or VPN. VPNs will hide your location so they cannot verify your identity, and hides your Internet traffic so that no one will be able to see your browsing history. Security professionals also suggest that users make use of HTTPS sites, which ensure users that their data is secure and will not be shared. Contact Info Advantage today at (585) 857-2644 to learn more ways you can protect your personal data from being shared or sold.