It is a common theme. You begin seeing these amazing CGI images of your friends on Facebook or Instagram. You think, “How can I make one?” Enter Lensa AI.
Filters and self-portrait apps have come a long way. You can now make yourself look like Hollywood’s version of a character in the next hit animated film. It still kind of looks like you but as a dream version with “perfect” hair, skin and facial features.
The latest of these modern vanity marvels to make the rounds is Lensa AI. You upload about 10 photos so the app can feed that data into its AI algorithm. Once it maps your facial features, it generates several fantasy selfies of you.
These magical avatars don’t come for free though. While you can download the app for free and use it in a limited fashion, you need to pay to do more. To get unlimited access for one week, it will cost you $2.99. There are several pricing tiers for its avatar packs and membership access. These range from $3.99 for Avatars Pack 1 to $35.99 for full membership.
It sounds like a little harmless digital fun. That is what many companies making apps like this would like you to think. Vanity is an easy sell and who doesn’t want to have a fabulous profile pic?
But for Lensa AI and several similar self-portrait apps, you’re paying more than you know. The cost comes from the data privacy rights you’re giving up. These can go far beyond the app itself.
Why Worry About Data Privacy with Lensa AI & Similar Apps?
Thanks to laws like GDPR, software and app developers need to tell you what they do with your data. Looking at the app at the Mac App Store, a few alarming things jump out.
Data Used to Track You
Once you download the Lensa AI app, it can track your phone activity. The app store states that the app may use purchases and unique identifiers to track you. This doesn’t mean only tracking you while in Lensa AI. It can track you across websites and apps owned by other companies.
Data Collected
Lensa AI scours your device for a lot of different data points. By downloading it, you permit it to do this. Some of the tracking links to you personally (such as linked to your name, IP address or phone number). It collects a lot of other data but not with your name or another identifier on it.
Data collected and linked to you:
- User content (such as the images you upload)
Data collected but not linked to you:
- Purchases you make on websites or apps
- Usage data for apps
- Identifiers (this isn’t specified but could mean things like city or gender)
- Diagnostics from your device.
Loss of Rights to Your Uploaded Images
What apps like Lensa AI do with your data is a grey area. Many tech companies (such as Facebook) have been known to act irresponsibly with user data. Many are purposely vague in their terms and conditions which leaves the door open.
One section from the Lensa AI Terms that users agree to states the following:
“…solely for the purposes of operating or improving Lensa, you grant us a time-limited, revocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, transferable, sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, create derivative works of your User Content, without any additional compensation to you…”
For the sole purpose of “operating” Lensa could mean anything. It could mean that to make more money to operate the business the company needs to use your images. Note that it also states it can modify, distribute, etc. YOUR user content.
Things You Can Do to Protect Your Data Privacy
Don’t Immediately Jump on Every Fad
This one may be hard when you see all of your friends using a new app. It is natural to want to be a part of that but try waiting a week. Most likely those avatar images from the latest selfie app won’t be blowing up your feed anymore.
Read App Terms & Conditions
Take the time to read an app’s terms. You are often giving up more data privacy rights than you realize. This includes giving an app the ability to track just about everything you do on your device. Be aware of what is at risk before you download a new app.
Restrict Data Collection
If you can’t resist an app’s charms, at least make it as secure as possible. This includes taking the time to restrict its data collection features where possible.
Use your phone’s privacy and security settings to turn off data sharing. For the Lensa AI app, you can also contact the company to request that it delete your data from its servers. Its privacy policy states to email privacy@lensa-ai.com for questions and concerns.
Get a Device Privacy Checkup
The more apps you use means the more complicated data privacy can get. Don’t leave it to chance. We will be happy to help. Give us a call today to schedule a device privacy checkup.
One of the most exciting developments of Artificial Intelligence is the rise of language models that can engage in human-like conversations. It is like having a personal assistant who never takes a day off, can work 24/7 and is always ready to help you with any task. That is what ChatGPT has come to offer.
According to CBS News, ChatGPT gained 57 million active users within its first month of operation. These users include researchers, creatives, businesses and others who utilize the chatbot in various ways.
For businesses looking to streamline their operations and provide exceptional service to their customers and employees, ChatGPT is a valuable tool to improve productivity and efficiency in the workplace. Incorporating ChatGT into the daily operations of the office has numerous benefits. However, it is not without its faults. As a result, it is essential you know how to approach using ChatGPT at your office.
This article will explore many ways that you can approach the use of ChatGPT in your office to unlock its full potential and take your business to the next level.
What ChatGPT Offers to Your Office
The benefits of incorporating ChatGPT are numerous. It can be a helpful tool for your office in various ways such as answering questions, providing information and assisting in decision-making.
It also helps you scale your business by handling a large amount or volume of customer inquiries simultaneously and ensures that you are always available for your customers at all hours of the day. Getting the best services for your business is vital.
Effective Approaches for Incorporating ChatGPT into Your Operations
There are several practical approaches that you can take to ensure that ChatGPT is implemented successfully in your office. Here are some of the most effective approaches:
- Determine The Purpose
Users need to know that it cannot do everything. Ensure that you determine its purpose before implementing the chatbot in your office. Identify the task or processes that it can help with and the specific questions it can answer. This will ensure that it is used effectively and efficiently.
- Set Clear Expectations
While ChatGPT is a great tool that can improve your operations, it is essential to communicate to your customers or employees that it is not a replacement for human interaction. Setting clear expectations will help avoid misunderstandings and ensure that it is used effectively.
- Continuously Monitor and Improve Performance
To ensure that ChatGPT provides accurate and helpful responses, tracking metrics such as accuracy, response time and customer satisfaction is essential. This will help detect areas for improvement and you can make adjustments as needed.
- Invest in Integration
Integrating ChatGPT with other tools and systems in your office can significantly enhance its capabilities and values. Combining it with your CRM, inventory management and HR systems will provide personalized responses to customers and employees. This will increase its overall value as a tool for your business.
- Train Your Employees
Training your employees on using ChatGPT effectively will help them ask the right questions and receive accurate responses. Businesses should provide guidelines on the kind of questions that ChatGPT can answer and its limitations.
- Be Transparent
It is essential to be transparent about using ChatGPT in your operations. This means communicating to your customers or employees that they are interacting with a language model and allowing them to opt out of using ChatGPT if they prefer to interact with a human representative.
Ways to Use ChatGPT in the Office
The features and uses of ChatGPT are vast and it holds numerous benefits for your office operations. Let us examine some ways that you can use it in your office:
- Customer Service
ChatGPT enables businesses to deliver fast and effective customer service by handling more inquiries and allows customer service to concentrate on more pressing concerns. Additionally, it can personalize responses based on customer data and history and address commonly asked questions about company policies, benefits and procedures for both employees and customers.
- Conducting Research
ChatGPT can assist with research projects by providing access to relevant information. It can help employees find resources on various topics ranging from industry news to statistical data.
- Sales Support
ChatGPT can support sales teams by providing information about products and services, answering common questions and handling customer inquiries.
- Writing Assistance
With the instructions you give to the chatbox, it can help you write emails, newsletters, internal memos, etc. ChatGPT can assist with writing tasks by providing suggestions for grammar, spelling and phrasing.
- Collaboration
ChatGPT can be used to aid collaboration among team members. It can help employees share ideas, brainstorm and work together on projects.
Incorporate Technological Innovations Easily Into Your Business with Sound Computers
Sound Computers understands the value of incorporating innovative technology into business operations. As a leading provider of cutting-edge IT solutions, we can help you make the most of new cloud solutions.
Call us today at (860) 577-8060 or reach us online to schedule a chat.
Microsoft 365 is one of the most popular cloud platforms in the world with about 345 million paid seats. Microsoft cloud tools numbers were up 32% in Q3 2022 compared to the previous year.
One of the reasons for its continued growth is the suite of cloud tools offered in the service. Users get a stable of over 20 different apps including the core MS Office suite.
With so many different apps, it is not uncommon for some to go unused. Companies may not even be aware that they have access to these other helpful tools. One of the handiest apps you get with a Microsoft 365 subscription is Microsoft Forms.
From sending year-end customer surveys to assessing change readiness, Forms makes it easy. This online survey and form-building tool has a lot to offer organizations. If you have a subscription to Microsoft 365, then you already get Forms included for free.
What Is Microsoft Forms?
Microsoft Forms is a drag-and-drop form, quiz and survey creator. It is simple to use and allows you to send out surveys via a link. Recipients can fill out your form online from any device.
Once recipients fill out the survey, the results come into the software instantly. You can see the collated results charted in the software. You can also export the results to Excel.
How to Get Started in Forms:
- Visit Forms.office.com and log into your Microsoft account.
- Choose “New Form” or “New Quiz" from the top menu
- OR you can choose to explore the built-in templates.
- Click “Add New” to add a new form field. You can choose from field types:
- Choice (i.e., multiple-choice question)
- Text
- Rating
- Date
- Ranking
- Likert (a scale that records attitudes/opinions about a topic)
- Net Promoter Score® (a scale from “not likely” to “extremely likely”)
- Section (separator that can include a title and image).
- Enter your questions.
- Once finished, click “Send” at the top. You can distribute the survey using the following options:
- Link to a web form
- QR code
- Embed in a web page
- Via Facebook or Twitter.
- View responses on the “Responses” tab.
Advantages of Using Microsoft Forms
It is Included in Microsoft 365 Subscriptions
If you already subscribe to Microsoft 365, it makes sense to use Forms. It can save you money if you’re using a separate survey tool like Survey Monkey. It is easily accessible by signing in with your Microsoft account.It Saves Time
Sending a survey by email is time-consuming. You need to worry about emails bouncing due to an attachment. You also need to spend time collating all the results as they come in.Using MS Forms can save you a lot of time. People don’t need to download anything or open an email file attachment. They simply follow your link and fill out the form online. As soon as they fill the survey out, you get the result. Forms also collates all the answers for you.
Get Charted Results Automatically
You can quickly see the results of the survey in meaningful graphs. Forms makes it simple to export to Excel if you want to upload the survey results into another platform.On the “Responses” tab, you can hover over the result graphs to see the details.
It is Easy to Use
There is a very low learning curve with Microsoft Forms. The interface is intuitive and simple so just about everyone can jump in and start using it.What Are Some Ways You Can Leverage Microsoft Forms?
Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey
Using a web-based survey can increase your response rate from customers. They can fill out your satisfaction survey from any device which makes it quick and easy for them.You can see results instantly. Then chart them to gain insights into what your business is doing right and what you can improve upon.
Employee Security Awareness Quiz
Send a security awareness quiz to your employees using Forms. It can be easily integrated into your cybersecurity awareness training. The platform also tells you the average response time per person.Change Readiness Survey
Change management is a growing focus of many organizations. This is due to the speed of technology-driven transitions. You can use Forms to improve user readiness for change adoption. Create and send out a change readiness survey to affected groups.Event Registrations
Are you hosting an event? You can easily gather registration details. Send out a Forms link via QR code, social media, text or email.Volunteer Registration Form
Embed an MS Forms registration form on your web page to sign up volunteers. The platform will automatically collate different talents or other volunteer information. This helps you better match people's talents to your needs.And More
You will find more ideas from the Forms templates such as:• Competitive analysis study
• Post-event feedback survey
• Office facility request form
• Employee satisfaction survey
• Product pricing survey
• Food catering request form
• Save the date form
• Course enrollment form
Would You Like to Get More Out of Microsoft 365?
There is a good chance that your company may be leaving some value on the table with M365. Give us a call today to learn more about our Microsoft 365 support services.
A critical thing every business owner wants is for their business to function smoothly without encountering any unexpected crisis. Business owners can only hope for a smooth business journey with a significant part of their data and operations on digital databases or in the cloud.
However, that seems impossible with the number of unexpected attacks and events afflicting businesses (including natural disasters and cyberattacks). In today's business world, cyberattacks are the most common unexpected attacks businesses face. The rate at which cyber criminals attack small and big businesses is rising daily.
According to Statista, in 2019, the number of cyberattacks and other cybercrime incidents rose to a total of 31,000 cases worldwide and the amount of data loss due to data breaches rose to almost 4,000 in the same year.
These attacks and incidents were unexpected and these unexpected attacks can significantly damage your business which causes you to lose a lot and can be expensive. As a result, being prepared before these events or attacks occur is essential.
This article highlights some security measures that you can take to prepare your business for unexpected attacks and events.
Simple Steps to Make Sure Your Business Is Prepared for the Unexpected
Below are a few steps that you can take to prepare your business for the unexpected event:
Be Alert
Being alert is the first security measure that you can take to protect your business from unexpected events. Being alert helps you as a business owner take a more reactive posture against future changes or unexpected events.
Therefore, pay attention to the latest business trend, cybersecurity news and crisis that could harm your business.
Train Your Staff
Most of your staff is unfamiliar with server-level technologies or how to protect themselves from unexpected attacks. As a result, create training programs to teach your staff how to protect the integrity of their technology. They should also be trained on the newest risks and security procedures to avoid data breaches.
Backup Your Data
Due to the various technological trends, many businesses keep their customer data and personal information on computers and mobile devices. Although these devices are somewhat safe, unexpected situations can occur that could lead to data loss.
This could be due to hardware destruction or software failure, data corruption, accidental deletion of data files, theft, malicious attack (virus or malware) or natural disaster. This can impact the customer experience, employee productivity and corporate income.
To be prepared for a situation like this, it is essential to back up your data. Regularly backing up your data helps safeguard it from being lost or damaged. Backups such as an external hard drive or a cloud storage service should be kept securely.
Protect Business Documents
While many businesses use computers and other online-based devices, the importance of offline or physical documents cannot be underestimated. As a result, to protect your organization from unexpected disasters, safeguard your business papers and documents by maintaining duplicates.
Maintain these backups physically or on the cloud if your company is destroyed. Financial documents, licenses and certifications, business policies, staff agreements and your database of employees, customers and suppliers are all essential to safeguard.
Apply for Business Insurance Policy
Before you encounter an unexpected event in your business, having a business insurance policy is essential. Business insurance protects your company from losses or unexpected events caused by physical damage, cash loss or contract conflicts.
Business insurance policies cover the building, contents, inventory and equipment. To choose a business insurance policy, consider and evaluate your company's needs carefully.
Implement Security Policy
A security policy defines an organization's rules, expectations and procedures for maintaining its data's confidentiality, integrity and availability. It is typically used with other forms of documentation such as standard operating procedures. These papers collaborate to assist the firm in accomplishing its security objectives.
As a result, having a security policy improves the security of your business posture and provides a clear standard for employees to follow. Furthermore, implementing and maintaining strong security standards might help defend your company from a cyberattack.
Create an Emergency Plan
You can't forecast the future or completely avoid crises affecting your business. By having an emergency plan in place, you may prepare your company for an unanticipated and unexpected disaster in the future.
Having a well-organized emergency plan can help protect your company and employees from unforeseen disasters or crises. Furthermore, preparing for a disaster may protect equipment, save employees' lives and keep businesses going during difficult times.
Remember that your emergency plan must include utilities, fire, health and building.
Build Cyber Resiliency
Cyber resiliency is an organization's ability to carry out business operations despite cyberattacks. This enables businesses to prepare for, respond to and recover from cyberattacks. A cyber-resilient organization also can be aware of and adapt to unexpected events, crises, misfortunes and challenges. Early awareness and identification allows organizations to reduce risk and damage while maintaining continuous business operations.
Protect your Business from Sudden Misfortune
Implementing these security measures can help safeguard your company from unexpected or unforeseen events. You may also want to employ our security expert to assist you in developing a dependable, security-conscious staff that does more to minimize issues than to generate them.
Contact us for more information about our comprehensive security solutions and our trained IT specialists will assist you.
Whether you sell shoes or run an accounting firm, you need some type of technology to operate. Today’s companies are not just in the business of selling their own goods and services anymore. They also must master various types of digital tools which makes them a technology company.
These include software, payment systems, computers, Wi-Fi networks, mobile devices and more. Companies also need to protect their devices and network. If that technology isn’t working, it can impact a business significantly.
98% of surveyed organizations say that just one hour of IT downtime costs more than $100,000. The reliance on technology means that every company is now a technology company.
This is the case no matter what products you sell or services you provide. Let us discuss exactly why this is the case in today’s world.
What Makes Technology a Backbone of Any Business?
1. Technology Is a Critical Part of Business
Even farmers use tech to check commodity prices, sell livestock and keep their books. Most companies couldn’t operate without their software or without databases filled with important information.
IT downtime is so devastating for this very reason. Remember the breaches impacting global meat producer JBS and Colonial pipeline? Those companies had to halt operations because of ransomware attacks.
They both paid the ransom to their attackers so they could begin operating again. Without the technology that has become a normal part of our day, a lot of companies would close.
2. Customers Expect an Excellent Digital Experience
Customer experience came in first in a survey of top business priorities for the next 5 years. Nearly 46% of respondents said it was at the top of their list.
If a customer has just one bad experience with your company, they will likely go elsewhere. In a digital world, those experiences are often:
- Navigating your website
- Checkout experience
- Appointment scheduling ease
- Shipping notifications
- Helpfulness of online chat
- Response time from customer support
- Ability to contact your company via social media
In order to keep up with consumer expectations in 2023 and beyond, you need to use technology. From your website to your payment experience, people expect a smooth digital flow.
3. Employees Need Devices to Drive Productivity
How do employees work productivity without the use of a computer, tablet or mobile device? These devices keep staff connected to each other and your customer data. Devices enable communication and are how much of the work in offices gets done. If they don’t run well, business productivity suffers.
4. AI & Automation Help Companies Stay Competitive
AI and automation help organizations move faster. AI can personalize a consumer shopping experience. Automation can help sales teams close 30% more deals and improve conversions by over 200%.
To stay competitive, companies must integrate technology tools with AI and automation capabilities. This means they need to know the best ways to use these tools and integrate them well with existing solutions.
5. Information Is Being Generated at a Rapid Pace
Companies generate information digitally at a dizzying pace. Can you imagine what it would be like if you had to go back to all the paper files? You would need a separate building just for all of the filing cabinets.
Files, documents and customer records are largely digital now. Keeping track of all that information and making it searchable requires technology skills.
6. Vendors/Suppliers Are Leaving Legacy Systems Behind
Think of the vendors that you use to run your business. Could you interact with any of them offline only? No email? No digital documents? In most cases, the answer is, “No.”
The companies that you rely on for your business are also “technology companies” in the same way. Most will be leaving behind legacy systems like fax machines and paper documents. Thus, you need to use digital means to interact with them.
7. It is Difficult to Grow Without Tech Innovation
People are limited by what they can mentally and physically do in a day. Computers and technology have exponentially increased that. They do a lot of the processing and manual work.
The cloud is often touted as leveling the playing field for small businesses. It allows smaller companies to leverage technology to do more affordably.
It is hard to continue growing your business without the smart use of digital tools. This includes reviewing your technology infrastructure and looking at innovations on the horizon.
8. Business Continuity Needs
Business continuity is about keeping your company running despite any crisis events. One natural disaster could severely impact a building and everything in it. However, if you are storing your data in the cloud and using cloud software, your business can still operate.
Companies that are not employing backup systems are at significant risk. Tech solutions create the ability to continue operating from anywhere which increases business resiliency.
What Does Your Innovation Roadmap Look Like?
Using technology securely and to its fullest can be a full-time job. Give us a call today and we can help take that burden off of your shoulders and help you realize your full potential as a technology company.
Push-bombing attacks are a type of cyberattack involving automated tools to send a high volume of malicious traffic to a targeted system. This attack is designed to overwhelm the target's defenses and disrupt its normal functioning.
In this fast-paced digital era where technology is constantly evolving, businesses seek innovative strategies to safeguard their sensitive data and protect themselves from potential threats posed by cybercriminals. Unfortunately, as technological innovations continue to rise, cyber threats also rise. Hackers also look for loopholes to exploit personal data.
Businesses have tried implementing efficient ways to curb any risk of a data breach because each data breach now costs 4.35 million U.S. dollars according to a report by Statista. At first, implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) was once considered a promising approach. However, the arrival of push-bombing has shifted this perspective.
Push-bombing attacks can be highly effective in causing damage to an organization's network and it is crucial for business owners to learn how to combat them effectively. This article will discuss the key steps organizations can take to protect themselves against push-bombing attacks. First, let us discuss how push-bombing attacks work.
Understanding Push-Bombing Attacks
Before discussing practical ways to combat push-bombing attacks, it is vital to understand how they work. Push-bombing is typically carried out using botnets which are grids of compromised computers that a single attacker controls. These botnets are used to generate a large volume of traffic directed at a specific target with the intention of overwhelming the target's servers or bandwidth capacity.
Push-bombing can take several forms. Some hackers may use a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack in which many requests are sent to a targeted server or website to cause it to crash or become unavailable. Other push-bombing strategies may involve flooding a network with data packets that can cause network congestion and slow down or disrupt normal traffic.
Furthermore, push-bombing can be carried out via email bombing, SMS bombing and web bombing.
Email Bombing: It involves sending many emails to a target email address which causes the email server to become overloaded and unable to process legitimate emails.
SMS Bombing: It works in a similar way to email bombing but involves sending a large number of text messages to a target phone number which causes the phone to become overloaded and unresponsive.
Web Bombing: This involves sending a large number of requests to a web server which causes it to become overloaded and unable to process legitimate requests.
Combatting Push-Bombing Attacks
Below you will find several steps that you can take as a business owner to protect yourself against push-bombing attacks:
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Monitor Network Traffic
One of the critical steps in combatting push-bombing is to monitor network traffic regularly. That can help security professionals identify unusual spikes in traffic that may indicate an attack. Security teams can quickly detect and respond to any suspicious activity by monitoring network traffic.
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Use Firewalls and Other Security Measures
Another essential step in protecting against push-bombing attacks is to use firewalls and other stringent security measures. Firewalls can help to prevent unauthorized access to a network and they can also help to identify and block malicious traffic. Additional security measures like intrusion detection systems and antivirus software can also help to detect and prevent push-bombing threats.
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Implement Rate Limiting
Rate limiting is a technique that can help to protect against push-bombing attacks by limiting the amount of traffic that can be sent to a targeted system. That can help prevent a system from being overwhelmed by a large traffic volume. Rate limiting can be implemented at the network or application levels.
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Use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) can also be effective in combatting push-bombing. CDNs can help to distribute traffic across multiple servers which can help to reduce the load on any individual server. That can help protect your network system to prevent malicious traffic upsurge.
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Train Employees
Training employees on ways to identify and respond to a push-bombing attack is crucial. Employees should be prepared to recognize the signs of an attack such as unusual spikes in traffic or slow network performance. They should also be trained on the appropriate response procedures like reporting the attack to the IT department or disconnecting from the network if necessary.
Prevent Push-Bombing Attacks with Sound Computers
You can effectively protect yourself against these attacks by taking the practical steps outlined above. Don't get overwhelmed. We know this might be a lot to take in and that is why we are here as a professional IT company to help you through your IT issues.
At Sound Computers, we are committed to providing exceptional IT services and support to small and medium-sized businesses. With our expertise in the IT field, we can help you streamline your technological infrastructure and increase your overall productivity. Contact us today if you need assistance.
Technology vulnerabilities are an unfortunate side effect of innovation. When software companies push new updates, there are often weaknesses in the code. Hackers exploit these. Software makers then address the vulnerabilities with a security patch. The cycle continues with each new software or hardware update.
It is estimated that about 93% of corporate networks are susceptible to hacker penetration. Assessing and managing these network weaknesses is not always a priority for organizations. Many suffer breaches because of poor vulnerability management.
61% of security vulnerabilities in corporate networks are over 5 years old.
Many types of attacks take advantage of unpatched vulnerabilities in software code. This includes ransomware attacks, account takeover and other common cyberattacks.
Whenever you see the term “exploit” when reading about a data breach, that is an exploit of a vulnerability. Hackers write malicious code to take advantage of these “loopholes.” That code can allow them to elevate privileges or to run system commands or perform other dangerous network intrusions.
Putting together an effective vulnerability management process can reduce your risk. It doesn’t need to be complicated. Just follow the steps we have outlined below to get started.
Vulnerability Management Process
Step 1. Identify Your Assets
First, you need to identify all of the devices and software that you will need to assess. You will want to include all devices that connect to your network including:
- Computers
- Smartphones
- Tablets
- IoT Devices
- Servers
- Cloud Services
Vulnerabilities can appear in many places. It can be in the code for an operating system, a cloud platform, software or firmware. You will want a full inventory of all systems and endpoints in your network.
This is an important first step toward knowing what you need to include in the scope of your assessment.
Step 2: Perform a Vulnerability Assessment
Next will be performing a vulnerability assessment. This is usually done by an IT professional using assessment software. This could also include penetration testing.
During the assessment, the professional scans your systems for any known vulnerabilities. The assessment tool matches found software versions against vulnerability databases.
For example, a database may note that a version of Microsoft Exchange has a vulnerability. If it detects that you have a server running that same version, it will note it as a found weakness in your security.
Step 3: Prioritize Vulnerabilities by Threat Level
The assessment results provide a roadmap for mitigating network vulnerabilities. There will usually be several and not all are as severe as others. You will need to rank which ones to address first.
At the top of the list should be those that experts consider severe. Many vulnerability assessment tools will use the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). This categorizes vulnerabilities with a rating score from low to critical severity.
You will also want to rank vulnerabilities by your own business needs. If a software is only used occasionally on one device, you may consider it a lower priority to address. A vulnerability in software used on all employee devices will rank as a high priority.
Step 4: Remediate Vulnerabilities
Remediate vulnerabilities according to the prioritized list. Remediation often means applying an issued update or security patch. However, it may also mean upgrading hardware that may be too old for you to update.
Another form of remediation may be ringfencing. This is when you “wall off” an application or device from others in the network. A company may do this if a scan turns up a vulnerability for which a patch does not yet exist.
Increasing advanced threat protection settings in your network can also help. Once you have remediated the weaknesses, you should confirm the fixes.
Step 5: Document Activities
It is important to document the vulnerability assessment and management process. This is vital both for cybersecurity needs and compliance.
You will want to document when you performed the last vulnerability assessment. Then you should document all of the steps taken to remediate each vulnerability. Keeping these logs will be vital in the case of a future breach. They can also inform you of the next vulnerability assessment.
Step 6. Schedule Your Next Vulnerability Assessment Scan
Once you go through a round of vulnerability assessment and mitigation, you are not done. Vulnerability management is an ongoing process.
In 2022, there were over 22,500 new vulnerabilities documented. Developers continue to update their software continuously. Each of those updates can introduce new vulnerabilities into your network.
It is a best practice to have a schedule for regular vulnerability assessments. The cycle of assessment, prioritization, mitigation and documentation should be ongoing. This fortifies your network against cyberattacks. It removes one of the main enablers of hackers.
Get Started with a Vulnerability Assessment
Take the first step toward effective vulnerability management. We can help you fortify your network against attacks. Give us a call today to schedule a vulnerability assessment and get started.
The IoT (Internet of Things) is the primary source of the numerous conveniences and advantages of our embedded electronic devices and everyday items in this current age. Both seniors and young people enjoy these conveniences and there is an unspoken consensus that it will only get better.
From young children using smart watches capable of solving complex math questions to seniors using this tech in devices such as pacemakers, it seems there is so much more to come. We cannot wait for it to get here.
While this future looks brighter than ever, the astonishing growth rate in the application of IoT tech is also bringing a problem – sensitive data leakage. These devices are not so secure when it comes to processing stored data. That makes it an easy target for malicious actors to access and use the data for nefarious purposes. According to a recent study by Ponemon Institute, surveyed businesses reported a 50% increase in the attacks on the IoT devices used for their day-to-day operations.
Devices in your home and business that you use every day must be as secure as possible to prevent hackers from getting their hands on your data and using it to cause harm to you (and your business). What are these everyday devices that can leak your sensitive data? Read on to find out.
Which Everyday Items Can Be Easily Hacked?
This section describes how hackers gain access to everyday items and devices and how you can prevent it. Here are some everyday items and devices that can be easily hacked and ways to prevent it:
Smart TVs
A smart television offers several hacking opportunities. When hackers gain control of a smart TV, most of the time they just do are harmless annoying pranks such as changing channels, increasing the volume and picking movies you did not choose. If you have connected your TV to other devices in the home, all of those devices and items can also be accessed by hackers. That means hackers can easily access all of the devices in your home and cause many issues.
Also, if you use a TV app to make payments for some streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, hackers can data mine your TV and extract your credit card details and information. That comes easy for hackers as many users do not change the default passwords that come with their TVs. Companies that vend smart TVs monetize it by harvesting user information through post-purchase data collection. This data is used for advertising and other service and product sales to users.
Always change your smart TV passwords and clear your cache periodically. This might mean inputting your credit card info every time you need to purchase a product or service but it is better than getting hacked.
Digital Thermostats
Digital thermostats are used in homes to maintain the standard and preferred temperatures of the house. These items help reduce heating and cooling costs as it works with automation.
If hackers get access to your home's digital thermostat, they could cause havoc by changing the home's temperature at odd hours and begin to breed fear and anxiety in the homeowners. They could decide to collect a ransom before disconnecting from the thermostat for good. That gets even worse when dependents (babies and seniors) are part of the home's occupants.
Ensure you get a digital thermostat with good security features. You can ask friends and family for referrals.
Baby Monitors
Baby monitors are another everyday item that could cause the leakage of sensitive data.
Some baby monitors are connected to the building's Wi-Fi which makes it easier for parents to control them from other devices. Because these everyday items display their passwords on the device screen, it is easy for anyone to get the details (such as the IP address) and log in from a remote place and control the monitor.
Hackers can also use baby monitors to access other information like family names and medical information. Ensure you monitor all devices connected to the baby monitor (and vice versa) and change your passwords frequently. Also, ensure that you use strong passwords.
Smart Cameras
Smart cameras are also highly vulnerable to hack attacks. Depending on the setup and configuration, hacking these everyday items can give malicious actors access to your home's video and audio feeds. To prevent this, ensure you constantly change your password and monitor all IoT devices on your network. Also, regularly check for firmware and software updates so that you will always be protected against hackers.
Voice-Activated Speakers
Smart voice-activated devices such as Echo and Alexa are also loopholes when hacked. Since they store your voice patterns and keywords, hackers can gain access and analyze the data for passwords and other important information. Also, when you use these everyday items for calls, they can monitor your calls and find out sensitive information such as meeting times, schedule details, bank account details and passwords.
Lastly, if your smart speaker is connected to the main network (which your security system is also connected to) a hacker could use it to shut down your security system and enter your house when you're not there. You can ask an IT cybersecurity professional for guidance and tips on protecting yourself.
Prevent Sensitive Data Leakage with Sound Computers
Using IoT devices as everyday items can come at a high cost to your privacy. You need to take essential steps to protect yourself, your family and your business from hackers and that is where Sound Computers comes in.
At Sound Computers, we help you increase your home and business IoT security levels to ensure the items do not leak sensitive data. Contact us and let us beef up your IT security.
Since the pandemic, employers around the world have needed to change. They have needed to shift how their employees operate and tracking tools have become a highly debated topic. Remote work is very much here to stay. Organizations and employees can both benefit from the work-from-home and hybrid work revolution.
Cost savings is a driver for supporting remote work. Employee morale and productivity also can be higher when employers grant this flexibility.
A majority of organizations support some type of remote work. Statistics show that:
- 16% of companies are completely remote.
- 40% support hybrid office/remote working.
- 44% don’t allow employees to work remotely.
While there are benefits, there are also challenges to this new environment. Employers worry about the cybersecurity risks of remote teams. Managers can find it more challenging to make sure employees are doing what they should do.
The remote and hybrid work environment has led to the rise of employee monitoring tools. These tools have mixed reviews from employees.
What Is Employee Monitoring Software?
Employee monitoring software tracks digital movements. This can include everything from general clock-in and clock-out tracking to taking screenshots of an employee’s computer several times per hour.
Tracking tools like Hubstaff and BambooHR track many activities on a person's computer. The information is then sent in a daily or weekly report to the company.
Items that these tools can track are:
- Time clock
- Keyboard activity
- Keystrokes
- Mouse activity
- Websites visited
- Screenshots of the desktop
- Apps used and how long in use
The most invasive of tools can even track the sounds and video of the employee. Tracking can be visible (so the employee knows about it) or hidden from the employee. It depends on the tool used and the ethical considerations of the employer.
This type of monitoring can benefit an organization worried about “productivity theft.” It can also alienate good employees and torpedo morale and trust. We will go through the pros and cons to weigh before you set up this type of system.
Pros of Activity Monitoring Tools
Helps Managers Understand How Employees Spend Their Day
One feature of many tracking tools is the ability to track time by project. This helps managers understand where employees are prioritizing their time. Knowing how much time employees spend on a project helps with ROI projections.
Reduces Non-Work Activities During Working Hours
One thing that employers worry about with remote employees is that they will waste time. A manager doesn’t want to pay someone only to find out the employee spent half of their time on Facebook.
About half of monitored employees spend 3+ hours per day on non-work activities. When employees know that their boss is monitoring their app usage, they are less likely to goof off.
Can Be an Easy Way to Track Time for Remote Workers
Smaller companies that work with fully remote teams may find tracking tools convenient. Employees or freelancers can track their time at the click of a button. Employers can put an hour-per-week cap on time. They can also manage payments automatically through the app.
Cons of Activity Monitoring Tools
Hurts Employee Morale & Productivity
Many employees feel they are put in a cage when monitoring is introduced. Morale can plummet and that takes productivity along with it.
Instead of focusing on work completely, various thoughts go through employees’ minds.
“If I think about this problem too long, is the tracking going to give me a low productivity score?”
“What happens when I’m on the phone with a customer and not moving my mouse around? Will the tracking make it look like I’m not working?”
Some of the feelings that employees can have when monitored are:
- Betrayed
- No longer trusted
- Loss of company loyalty
- Hurt
- Treated like a number instead of a person
“Activity Monitoring” Doesn’t Mean Productivity
Many of these tracking tools send employees and employers “activity reports.” These reports simply look at keyboard and mouse activity during a specific time.
However, what if the employee must solve a workflow issue and needs to use their brain instead of a mouse? What if a salesperson is on the phone with a customer instead of using their keyboard? Zoom calls bring a similar quandary. If you’re in a Zoom call, your mouse and keyboard aren’t being actively used like they would if you are typing.
The activity report doesn’t include this information. It will simply give a score of x% based on keyboard and mouse activity. This could make an employer think a worker was goofing off when they were actually working hard.
Costs Organizations Good Employees
Nearly half (47%) of surveyed tech employees stated that they would quit if their boss tracked them. Employers implementing monitoring can alienate good employees and make them feel like they are not trusted. They can also feel unappreciated.
When you relegate everyone to a number of keyboard strokes, you constrain creativity. Good employees often stay with companies where they feel appreciated and can grow. Once that is gone, they are likely to leave.
Finding a Balance
A few things to think about when finding the right balance between tracking too much or too little are:
- What do you really need to track?
- Should you treat all employees the same?
- What do your employees think about monitoring?
- Are you trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist?
- What features are unnecessary that you can turn off?
- Is the tool giving you accurate data related to productivity?
Get Expert Advice on the Best Tools for Your Business
Tracking tools are an important consideration in your business. You should deploy them thoughtfully. Give us a call today to schedule a chat and get valuable advice.
Virtual appointments have become increasingly popular since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as remote working and online meetings have become the norm. Microsoft Teams is introducing a new feature that will make scheduling online meetings even easier: Virtual Appointments in MS Teams.
What are Virtual Appointments in MS Teams?
Virtual Appointments in MS Teams is a new feature that connects Microsoft Bookings with the Virtual Appointments feature in Teams. This integration allows businesses to use a scheduling calendar to book virtual appointments and meetings within the Teams platform.
Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling app that allows businesses to schedule and manage appointments with their customers. It integrates with other Microsoft applications (like Outlook and Teams) to make scheduling and organizing appointments easier.
The Virtual Appointments feature in Teams allows users to hold online meetings, webinars and video conferences. With the integration of Microsoft Bookings, businesses can now schedule and manage virtual appointments directly from Teams without needing to switch between multiple apps.
How does it work?
Businesses need to have both Microsoft Bookings and Teams. The integration of these two apps supports scheduling and managing appointments from within Teams.
The scheduling calendar in Bookings allows customers to view available appointments and book a time that works for them. When a customer books an appointment, it automatically appears in the Teams calendar and the host receives a notification.
When it is time for the appointment, the host and the customer can join the meeting from within Teams. The meeting can be held using video, audio or chat depending on the preferences of the host and the customer.
What are the Benefits of Virtual Appointments in MS Teams?
Virtual Appointments in MS Teams offer several benefits for businesses and customers including:
Streamlined Scheduling
Businesses can schedule and manage appointments directly from the Teams platform without needing to switch between multiple apps. This saves time and increases efficiency which makes scheduling appointments easier and more streamlined.
Improved Customer Experience
Virtual Appointments in MS Teams offer customers a seamless appointment scheduling and meeting experience. Customers can easily view available times and book appointments and they can join the meeting directly from Teams without needing to download any additional software.
Increased Productivity
Businesses can hold virtual appointments and meetings without needing to leave the Teams platform. This increases productivity and allows businesses to focus on what they do best.
More Flexibility
Virtual Appointments in MS Teams offer increased flexibility which makes it possible to schedule appointments and meetings from anywhere and at any time. This is especially important in today's remote working environment where businesses need to be flexible and adaptable.
How Can I Get Started With Virtual Appointments in MS Teams?
You first need to have both Microsoft Bookings and Teams. The following steps will help you set it up and start scheduling appointments:
Create a Scheduling Calendar in Bookings
Create a scheduling calendar in Bookings. This will allow customers to view available times and book appointments.
Connect Bookings to Teams
To connect Bookings to Teams, go to the Teams Admin Center and select "App Catalog". Then search for "Virtual Appointments.”
Install Virtual Appointments
Once the Virtual Appointments app is installed, you can configure it to work with your Bookings calendar.
Get Started With Virtual Appointments
The new Virtual Appointments feature makes it easier for businesses to schedule and manage virtual appointments and meetings directly from Teams. This integration offers several benefits from streamlined scheduling and improved customer experience to increased productivity and flexibility.
Virtual Appointments in MS Teams are particularly useful for businesses that rely on appointments and meetings to conduct their operations like healthcare providers, financial advisors and legal professionals. With the ability to hold virtual appointments and meetings directly from Teams, these businesses can continue to provide their services from anywhere.
Scheduling appointments and meetings remotely allows businesses to offer more flexibility to their customers. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty which provides a much-needed edge on the competition in today’s competitive business landscape.
As businesses continue to adapt to remote working and online meetings, Virtual Appointments in MS Teams offer a convenient and efficient way to schedule and manage virtual appointments and meetings. At Sound Computers, we specialize in helping our business clients integrate Microsoft Bookings with Teams to create a more efficient workflow.
Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive IT services and the benefits that you and your customers can experience with Virtual Appointments in MS Teams. Give us a call anytime at (870) 577-8060 to get started today!