In today’s world, businesses are using one or even multiple telephone numbers. As telecommunications advances, telephone services should keep up with it. The modern era produces different types of voice service options, but some are still using the ordinary or the traditional telephone line.

Aside from VoIP and the ordinary telephone line, there is still an option to have a mix of both. It will depend on how your company or business needs and wants to communicate.

In this post, I will be talking about VoIP, how it works, and the popular features it has.

What is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol refers to transmitting voice-based phone calls over an internet connection instead of an ordinary analog telephone line that needs wires or optical fibers to make a connection.

VoIP can be transferred through various schemes such as smartphone apps, computer software, traditional phones, and other specific VoIP enabled phones.

It can be transmitted through various methods, including traditional phones, smartphone apps, computer software, and specific VoIP-enabled phones.

• A phone and VoIP adapter.

Via adapters, you can plug it into an ordinary telephone phone outlet directly into the router so you can make calls over the internet.

With an adapter, you can use a regular landline phone to make calls over the internet. The adapters plug into a phone outlet in the wall or directly into your router.

• A smartphone.

By using our smartphones, you can use downloadable apps like Skype or Google Voice that allows you to make internet calls.

• A computer 

Just like in your smartphone, there are programs or applications that can be installed on a computer that will allow you to make voice calls through the internet. Examples of these are Skype, Facetime, and Google Voice.

How does it work? 

VoIP is a method that makes it possible for people to make voice calls through the internet. It would be best to have a high-speed connection that consists of a router and modem. It works by converting your voice into digital packets that are similar to an electronic envelope and sending those packets as data to the receiver over the internet.

VoIP Features

Call forwarding

• This is useful if a business can’t operate 24/7 and there are no available employees who can answer the call. It will automatically transfer the call to the VoIP line and take it into the other line you prefer.

Virtual Assistant

• This is also known as a virtual receptionist that allows you to set up a program or system where a caller can contact easily the department they need.

Do Not Disturb

• This feature is useful for those who talk with customers or clients on a regular basis. Once it is enabled and you are not available to answer, it sends calls to voicemail, or transfer to another colleague who may be able to answer the call at the press of a button.

Call recording

• Many businesses may want to know what happened during the call. VoIP allows the user to record calls and replay for later.

If your main purpose in using phones is for collaboration, VoIP is for you. Omnipotech can help with your business’ telephony services. You may call 281-768-4800 to know more about the different Voice over Internet Protocol options; get in touch with us through the Omnipotech Support Center.

Next: The Pros and Cons of VoIP

Safeguarding your company against possible data breach is becoming a rapidly growing issue. In 2019, an average data breach would amount $3.92 million. This study was from the “Cost of a Data Breach Report” done by Ponemon Institute in partnership with IBM Security. As protection becomes very vital in cybersecurity, the chances of experiencing a data breach also continues to rise.

What are the considerations when thinking of a possible data breach?

• Direct costs

  • The amount of time used in handling the breach. This covers the examination and forensic operations, the process of identification, and the assessment of the damages and penalties.

• Indirect costs

  • This refers to the time, labor, and other means to cover the damages from data breach. Indirect costs also refer to the expenses for communications about the conditions and consequences of the breach.

• Lost opportunity costs

  • A breach will lead to wasted business possibilities. As a result of the consequences of the data breach, it will tarnish the reputation, eventually losing clients.

Data breach cost estimate is affected by each action being done in your company. Likewise, the location has an impact to the cost. The standard estimated cost this year is $150 million having a yearly cost prediction of $2.1 trillion globally. It was assessed that in six months of 2018, more or less 4.5 billion records were uncovered as an outcome of data breaches. 

How can you estimate the data breach cost?

The primary cost shaping considerations are the location of your business, the data stolen, and the volume of the breach, the effect of it in media and on your company’s standing. Of course, there are other elements because one cannot be truly precise because each breach is managed differently. However, at least, it gives you the basic knowledge of the cost elements.

So, How to Reduce Monetary Effects of a Data Breach?

• PLAN AND TEST

The success of your incident response relies on developing a concrete plan and testing it. If there is something that does not work, modify your plan. Remember that whatever your scheme is, it has to be executed well by your staff. You have to be a team that has communication, leadership, and capability to make decisions even during trying times.

• QUICKLY DETECT AND CONTAIN A DATA BREACH

Automating your response means technologies like enterprise detection and response tools that can help the detection. In 2019, the average cost of a data breach is roughly around $2.65 million. As per the Cost of a Data Breach Report, automating the process, through various tools, help reduce the cost of a data breach up to 50%!

• KNOW THE POTENTIAL DANGERS

In 2019, 51% of breaches were done by cybercriminals with malicious intent. When you assess what motivates these people, you get to understand the risks. Study the attempted attacks and know the intentions of the cyber attackers. Then, you can formulate a more efficient online security.

• WHEN NOTHING WORKS, CALL THE EXPERTS

For your cybersecurity needs, you can contact Omnipotech at 281-768-4800. Whether you need in mitigating the effects of a data breach or you want develop a stronger security, get in touch with us through the Omnipotech Support Center.

So, today, I will continue by discussing the firmware dangers that your business is facing. In Understanding the Basics of Firmware, I talked about firmware and the possible dangers of firmware vulnerabilities.

Failure in the security of firmware is like welcoming the dangers of the following:

• Surveillance on your operations
• Extraction of your information
• Controlling your device from a distance
• Robbing your identity

The reason why firmware is such a simple target is because corrupting it is effortless. No matter what the hacker’s goal is, you should try to prevent them accessing your device.

How to Apply a Strong Security?

Before I even go to a few suggestions, just remember that the protection of the firmware is actually entrusted to those who created the hardware. This will only serve as an additional layer because it is anticipated that in 2021 the cost of the breaches is $6 trillion.

A lot of the current firmware sensitivities are continuously being discovered on every single electronic gadgets such as PCs and printers.

Upgrade Your Firmware

Manufacturers are providing up-to-date updates once they have uncovered weaknesses. Once new updates are in place, this guarantees that the firmware is working fine. Just continue to be on the look out for new updates. Install current versions as frequently as you possibly can. This will eradicate pathways for attack and will allow your hardware to work efficiently.

Never Use Unreliable USBs 

It is handy, yes, but if the hacker uses it, you are in a dangerous situation. The hacker can put malware on the firmware of your gadget. An example is BadUSB, which is a kind of malware that can worm into the firmware. Once you put into the USB port, the malware goes into your unsuspecting computer.

What is terrible about BadUSB is that it is hard to discover and more difficult to take off. The worst part is that there is no immediate fix to secure your device. Remember that the only assurance that it will not happen to your computer is to utilize only your own USB and not someone else’s.

Purchase Built-in Firmware Secured Hardware

Get a hardware that has modern firmware protection. BIOS manufacturers, and other tech companies, are updating their security procedures because of the rising firmware problems.

 What Is the Future of Firmware Security?

The security of firmware will depend on the developers, hardware companies, and the firmware researchers.

As soon as fresh vulnerabilities are known, more current patches and updates will be available to address the problem of the product. What you can do are:

• Buying electronics that has an additional firmware security.
• Vigilance in updating the new machines whether it’s your computer or your car.
• Never plugging USB devices that is not yours.

Be ahead of the rest as cybersecurity is the answer to the safety of your devices. Never under estimate firmware assault. They can eventually give you such huge problems that will impact your business. As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.”

For your business’ IT needs, you can contact Omnipotech at 281-768-4800. Whether you need help on cybersecurity solutions or managed IT services, get in touch with us through the Omnipotech Support Center.

Based on DivvyCloud.com’s report, the data breaches that happened in 2019 meant companies lost roughly $3.18 trillion. Companies need to learn how to safeguard their business. The result of COVID-19 pandemic has, indeed, affected world economy and the way we go about our lives.

Below, I have enumerated 4 cloud security threats and some tips to address the issue.

CLOUD THREAT NO. 1: ACCESS MANAGEMENT

The main threats to cloud storage is truly how a company utilizes them. Because of the many cloud providers, it had made the service plans costs go down drastically. This urges the little businesses to put all their information to cloud. The alarming part is the cloud migration has been decided without no thoughts on the policies.

The solution for this? Lessen the access. There are two essential components.

• Strict access measures.
• Set of tools for authentication and identity verification.

CLOUD THREAT NO. 2: DATA BREACHES AND DATA LEAKS

Those data breaches and leaks are more dangerous compared to those internal breaches. The numerous information in the cloud systems can easily be hacked by a good hacker. Anyone can get in the cloud by observing the vulnerabilities of your systems.

In a certain company, the hackers were able to make use of an expired digital certificate. No one suspected of the breach, and it stayed undiscovered for more than a month.

A good 91% cyber assaults happen through a seemingly harmless email, which is like an open door welcoming the unwanted visitor. Secure your email and your data to make sure none of this will happen to your company. Utilize an in-transit data security. If you are constantly traveling, VPNs might help you.

CLOUD THREAT NO. 3: DATA LOSS

Data loss is one problem that has to be addressed. As you utilize cloud, the data you upload constantly grows to the point where you can no longer manage it. This makes it hard to do backups, and at this point, it becomes costly. In fact, 84% of businesses has reiterated that the conventional security methods of protecting the data no longer work in a cloud setting.

Because of this concern, ransomware attacks are now rising. The hacker will ask for a certain amount before they give you back your data. Now you ask yourself, how do people protect their business from this kind of threat? Preferably, use a distributed system. This means your information are regularly backed up in various locations and various systems.

CLOUD THREAT NO. 4: MISCONFIGURED CLOUD STORAGE

The misconfiguration could directly leave your data unprotected. To safeguard them, take a look at your configuration settings. It can be done by checking it out with your cloud storage vendor and ask for guarantees, include the legal side too. Make sure that the configuration is set up properly. Encryption is crucial at this point, and picking a good cloud provider is equally important too!

A TRUSTED PARTNER IN THE FIELD OF CLOUD COMPUTING

If you need cloud computing solutions, look no further because Omnipotech is here. For more info, please contact the Omnipotech Support Center. If you have any other questions, call Omnipotech at 281-768-4800!

Computers and tech devices may have been a regular part of our daily lives. However, many people still don’t understand the repercussions of these technologies. As discussed in Knowing the Difference Between Privacy and Security, most people even think these terms are, more or less, the same… but they aren’t!

To be honest, computers can be easily infected by viruses.  Yes, not all viruses may be considered as an immediate threat. However, viruses may pave the way for more hazardous consequences. That’s why the key is to be safe and private in this borderless digital world is to understand the risks of the interaction with technology.

A Lurking Malware

A computer virus is just one of the many kinds of malware. In fact, it is the oldest form. Regardless if it is a virus or not, the fact remains the same: a malicious software is created to bring harm to computers and other mobile devices.

More often than not, a computer virus comes with malicious intent. Whether it is written in the virus or it is something that the virus installs, these actions can pose a threat to your devices like indirectly allowing cybercriminals and hackers to access your computer. Moreover, they can obtain your personal information such as your bank account details and your credit card numbers.

Also, these malware can direct your computer and/or mobile device to unwanted websites and ask for a fee in order to open it back again. I have discussed this specifically on The Thing About Ransomware.

How to maintain privacy and security in this modern world?

To serve as a protection, cybersecurity products are made to ensure our privacy and security. For example, you can use a VPN when browsing online. A virtual private network, or VPN as it is commonly known, is a cybersecurity tool that allows you to be anonymous online. This is particularly useful when you are at a coffee shop, a crowded airport, or any public place.

Through the VPN, your personal data and your internet activity will be masked and encrypted to keep it away from prying eyes. To know more about VPNs, refer to my post on 4 Factors to Consider when Choosing the Right VPN. Just be careful on installing the free VPNs out there. They aren’t exactly the best candidate! (See: Free VPN Isn’t the best VPN)

Tips for protecting your privacy and security

At the end of the day, you should not choose between privacy and security. You should strive to have both! Here are the things you can do to promote both privacy and security:

• Avoid social media. If you cannot, at least, try to limit what you post online in general.
• Shred documents and other things in your mailbox before throwing them away.
• Keep your social security number and other important cards in a safe place. Do not bring them at all times!
• Protect your computer and other devices with the help of cybersecurity tools and anti-malware softwares.
• Refrain from using a public Wi-Fi. If you can’t avoid it, then, use a VPN to secure the connection.
• Lastly, don’t just hand your information to every website. Learn how your personal data is used by different websites. Once shared, you can never take it back. Always read the terms and conditions before signing up.