TECHNOLOGY TIMES
Insider Tips To Make Your Business Run Faster, Easier And More Profitably
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TheperceptionthatSMBshavelimited resources,smallerbudgetsandoftena “thatwon’thappentous”mindsetmakes themattractivetohackers.Althoughit’s truethatSMBsdon’thavetheresources ofFortune500companies,youdon’t needthatkindofmoneytoprotect yourbusiness.Herearesixsimple strategieshackershatebecausethey’re affordable,surprisinglyeasytosetup andhighlyeffective.
Two-Factor Authentication
The#1wayhackersgetaccesstobusiness accountsisthroughstolencredentials. Two-factorauthentication(2FA)and multifactorauthentication(MFA)have existedsincethemid-2000sandremain amongthebestwaystoprotectyour information.2FArequiresthingstologin –yourpasswordsandasecondfactor,like atextmessagecode.Ifahackerguessesor
stealsyourpassword,theystillcan’tget pastthatsecondlayerofprotection.Many platforms,includingGoogleWorkspace andMicrosoft365,alreadyoffer2FAfor free.Still,it’sunderutilizedbySMBs,with anMFAadoptionrateofonly34%orless, comparedto87%amonglarge companies,accordingtoJumpCloud’s 2024ITTrendsReport.2FAisvery simpleandeffective–don’tsitthistipout!
Updates
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Cybercriminalsloveoutdatedsoftware becauseit’sfullofunpatched vulnerabilitiestheycancapitalizeon. Ransomwareattacksarenotoriousfor targetingvulnerabilitiesinoperating systemsandapplicationsmonthsafter securitypatchesareavailable.Setup automaticupdatesforyoursystems,apps andsoftwaresoyou’realwaysrunningthe latestversion.Employeeawareness
training,regularremindersandevenrevoking accessuntilpatchesareinstalledcanhelphold employeesaccountable
EmployeeTraining
Over90%ofdatabreachesstartwithphishing e-mails,CISAreportsDesignedtolooklike reale-mailsfrombanks,retailcompaniesor coworkers,theyarestuffedwithharmfullinks designedtostealyourpasswordsanddata Cybercriminalsbankonnaiveemployeeswho can’ttellreale-mailsfromfakeones,andAIis makingthesee-mailsevenhardertodetect. Regularemployeeawarenesstrainingisoneof thetopdefensesagainstphishingattacksand canreducephishingrisksfrom325%to5%in 12months,accordingtoarecentstudyby KnowBe4.Researchshowsthatthemost effectiveemployeeawarenesstrainingincludes real-worldexamples,simulatedattacksand regularreinforcementthroughshort,interactive trainingsessions.
DataEncryption
Themodernworldoperatesondata,and encryptingthisdataisthemosteffective methodtoprotectit.Infact,mostcybersecurity
insurancepoliciesrequireit.Encryptionislike turningyourinformationintocodethatonly authorizedpeoplecanunlock.Evenifhackers interceptyoure-mailsorcustomerdata, encryptionkeepsituselesstothem.SMBsoften hesitateduetocostsorcomplexity,butmodern toolslikeGoogleWorkspaceandMicrosoft365 makeitsimplerandmoreaffordable.
Aftertheauditisdone,we’llprepareacustomized “ReportOfFindings”thatwillrevealspecific vulnerabilitiesandprovideaPrioritizedActionPlan forgettingthesesecurityproblemsaddressedfastThis reportandactionplanshouldbearealeye-openerfor you,sincealmostallofthebusinesseswe’vedonethis fordiscovertheyarecompletelyexposedtovarious threatsinanumberofareas 3 4 5 6
Limit Employee Access
Everyemployeewithopenaccesstoevery folder,fileanddocumentsignificantlyincreases theriskofaccidental(orintentional)changesto yoursystem.Settinguplimitedaccesscanfeel inconvenientinitially,butitdoesn’thaveto disruptemployeeworkflows.Anexperienced ITteamwillensurethatemployeescanrunall theapplicationstheyneedwhilehavingaccess onlytowhat’snecessary.Forexample,a marketinginterndoesn’tneedtheabilityto accesspayrolldataornetworksettings.If employeesneedaccesstocompletespecifictasks orprojects,considerusingasystemthatgrants temporaryadminaccess.Oncetheirprojectis done,theaccessgoesaway.
Data Backups
Ransomwareisoneofthebiggestthreatsfacing SMBstoday,with46%havingexperienced
attacks,accordingtoarecentreportby OpenTextCybersecurity.Hackerslockupyour dataanddemandpaymenttogetitback,but evenpaymentisn’taguaranteeyou’llseeyour dataagain.Usethe3-2-1rule–keepthree copiesofyourdataontwodifferenttypesof storagemedia,withonestoredoff-site,suchas inthecloudoronanexternalharddrive disconnectedfromyourmainnetwork.Justas important:testyourbackupsregularly. Nothing’sworsethanrestoringyourdataafter anattack,onlytodiscoverthatyourbackups areincompleteorcorrupted.
These simple, cost-effective strategies are a nightmare for hackers and a boon for SMBs looking for more peace of mind. If any of these strategies are missing from your cybersecurity, now is the time to integrate them into your business.
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CARTOON OF THE MONTH
There’snodenyingGeneSimmonsisaquirky character,evenwithoutthemakeup.Globally renownedasarockstarinthebandKiss,it’s nosurpriseheshoweduptohisinterviewata recentindustryconferencecladinallblack andwearingdarksunglassesthatseemedglued tohisface.Butbehindthemoodypersona, Simmonsisanincrediblysuccessful entrepreneurwithanetworthof$400 millionHowever,itwasn’talwaysthisway
Simmonsopenedupabouthischildhood, revealingadepthoftenmaskedbyhispublic persona“Thefireinyourbelly,itneverburns hotterthanwhenyoucanrememberwhatit feltliketobehungry,”heexplained.Simmons rosefromapoverty-strickenchildhoodin Haifa,Israel,wherehesoldfruitroadsideto surviveThesonofaHolocaustsurvivor, Simmonslearnedearlyonthatperseverance wasnonnegotiable.Infact,he’scriticalof anyonewithapassiveworkethic“There[are] somanyopportunitiesWe’rejustsittingthere going,‘Iwishsomebodywouldgivemea chance,’andthechancesarejustgoingright byyou,”hesaid.Whatdifferentiatesregular peoplefromuber-successfulones,Simmons insisted,istheirwillingnesstofallinlovewith thelaborthatsuccessrequires.“Themost successfulpeopleintheworldarenodifferent thanyouare,excepttheyworklongerand harder,that’sall”
ManyAmericansaren’ttaughtabouttaxesor theworkingsoftheeconomyduringtheir schoolyears,butthat’snoexcusetolet opportunitypassusbyAccordingto Simmons,understandingbusinessisapersonal responsibility–or,asheputit,an“inferred
fiduciarydutytoyourself.”Thismeansalways lookingforknowledgethatpositionsyou strategicallyforsuccess.“Beattherightplace, withtherightthingandtherighttime.That’s onyou,”hesaid.
Foranybusinessleader,stayinginformedand havingacontinuousimprovementmindsetis criticaltonavigatingtheever-shifting landscapesofcapitalismandeconomic turbulence.Thisincludesbeingopento diversification,anotherofSimmons’strategic businesstips.Hisinvestmentsarenotsiloedin themusicindustry.Instead,theyarespread fromrestaurantchainstorealityTV.This approachcushionsfinancialrisksandopensup multiplerevenuestreams.“Itreallyisbecause alltheknowledge…isavailableon[the Internet]forfree.Therestisjusthardwork,” hepointedout.ForSimmons,thesecretis simple:tapintothevastonlinereservoirof information,pairitwithrelentlesseffortand keepinnovating.
Mostpeopleconsiderbusinesssuccessstrategic andtactful,notaparticularlycreativepursuit. ButSimmonsarguedotherwise.“Businessis art.Everystepyoutakeiseithergoingto makeyoumoneyorit’sgoingtocostyou money,”hesaid.It’sadelicatedance,and Simmons’risingjourneyfromsellingfruitin Haifatobuildingavastempireexemplifies howdeterminationandsmartdecisionmakingcanturnadversityintoopportunity. Thisunderlinesavitaltruthforall entrepreneurs:successcomesfromseizing opportunities,continuouslearningand unwaveringcommitmenttoinnovation andexcellence.
Halliday Smart Glasses: RedefiningWearable
The highly anticipated Halliday Smart Glasses were a massive hit at the Consumer Technology Association’s annual CES conference at the beginning of the year It’s easy to see why, as the AI-packed, pocket-sized tech (weighing only 35 grams) can handle everything from hands-free directions to translating foreign languages in real time Featuring an invisible, discreet display, they seamlessly deliver information without compromising privacy. With over 12 hours of battery life and compatibility with prescription lenses, they are as practical as they are stylish Even better, their preorder price of $369 ($499 MSRP) makes them surprisingly accessible compared to most smart glasses on the market
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TRIVIA
This Hollywood actress is also the co-founder of a technology called “frequency hopping” that laid a key foundation for future communication systems, including GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
CYBERSIDE CHAT
Fluffy Robot For Your Bag: Cute Or Creepy?
OneofCES2025’squirkiest(creepiest?) revealswastheMirumirobot–apart-owl, part-slothcompanionthatclipstoyourbag andswivelsitsheadtowatchothersasthey strollby.CreatedbyYukaiEngineering, it’sequalpartsadorableandunsettling–perfectforsparkingconversationsorjust freakingoutstrangersonyourcommute.
Smart Sharing: Location Updates Without Oversharing.
Insteadofsharingyourlocation24/7, choose“Sharetripprogress”inGoogle Mapsor“ShareETA”inAppleMapsto sendupdatesonlywhenyou’reonthe moveIt’sasimple,practicalwaytokeep friendsorfamilyintheloopandstaysafe duringlate-nightridesorbusytraveldays.
A. Grace Kelly
B. Veronica Lake
C. Hedy Lamarr
D. Ann Sheridan
Are You Using AI To Create Charts Yet?
Youdon’tneedtobeadesignexpert;you justneedtoknowhowtoasktheright questions.Tryprompting,“Whattypeof chartorvisualwouldworkhere?”toletAI helpyouturndataintoclear,impactful visualsinseconds
Fitness Apps Are Tracking More Than Your Heart Rate:.
AppslikeFitbit,StravaandNikeTraining Clubdon’tjusttrackyourworkouts–theyalsosellyourdatatoadvertisers. Sincearound80%oftopappsshareyour info,it’sagoodideatoreviewandlimit yoursharingpermissionstoprotect yourprivacy.
INNOVATIVE TECH TRENDS TO EXPLORE IN 2025
Forgetsmartvacuums—2025brings AI-poweredcommunicationcoaches, advancedcollaborationtoolsandnextlevelwearabletechtotransform businessoperations.
1. AI Communication Coaches: Thesetoolsprovidereal-timefeedbackon tone,bodylanguage,andphrasingduring videocalls,helpingprofessionalsimprove communicationandengagement.Whyit matters:Theydemocratizeprofessional development,levelingtheplayingfieldfor smallerbusinesses.
2. Advanced Collaboration Tools: AI-drivenmeetingsummaries,instant
translationandintegratedteamchats streamlineremotework.Whyitmatters: Theybreaklanguagebarriersandimprove team efficiency.
3. Wearable Tech:
Smartglasses,watchesandsensorembeddedclothingenhanceproductivity andsafetyinindustrieslikelogisticsand healthcare.Whyitmatters:Wearables provideinstantdata,reducingerrorsand improvingresponsetimes.
Embrace these innovations to futureproof your business and simplify your life in 2025!