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The Top 3 Trends Impacting Cybersecurity Right Now

By 2021, Cybersecurity Ventures estimated that the cost of cybercrime damages would be $6 trillion, an increase from $3 trillion in 2015’s forecast.

Huge companies aren’t the only ones at stake here. In Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report, they revealed that 43% of the cyber threats involved small businesses. The worst part? Cyberattacks continue to flourish, and according to the insurance provider Hiscox, businesses would roughly need $200,000 to combat it. In this blog post, we will discuss the top 4 trends impacting cybersecurity in 2020.

Mobile Malware

  • According to ZDnet.com, mobile malware was the most common threat last year. This is not a surprise, knowing that mobile users are continuing to rise. In fact, Statista predicts that there will be around 3.5 billion smartphone users worldwide by 2020. With these numbers expected to continually increase, malware attack would be a growing problem for many.
  • One of the popular types would be banking malware. Hackers everywhere are developing apps that would pretend as the real deal when, in fact, these aren’t legitimate apps.
  • In 2015, there were already over 1.6 million malicious installations designed to creep in mobile devices and collecting personal data such as bank information, password, and other login details.
  • Kaspersky Lab found a wide array of 30,000 banking-based malware, which were targeting 312,235 users. Mobile malware grew in numbers and, likewise, grew in landscape. You see, in 2018, banking trojan malwares were only part of the 1.85% of all the mobile attacks. However, as earlier as the first quarter of 2019, banking malware was already the culprit of 3.24% mobile threats.
  • Not only that, Kaspersky Lab also found out that Asacub, a specific malware that affects 58.4% of all banking attacks, was trying to infiltrate the mobile devices of 8,200 users each day. That’s just in 2019 alone!

Security in Cloud Computing

  • Everyone is moving to cloud computing. Many businesses opted to migrate to an online store instead of maintaining a brick and mortar store. Perhaps, they would want to tap a different demographic, or they simply want to start anew. However, businesses on the cloud are susceptible to data breaches.
  • Without understanding the solutions of these cloud computing tools, businesses could be vulnerable to threats. Big-time players in the business world – the popular streaming service Netflix, and the American multinational automaker Ford Motor Company – were not safe from such large-scale threats. A cloud backup provider hired by these companies exposed their data storage repository out in the open.

The Use of Automated Tools

  • As technologies continue to evolve, it’s not only the businesses that adapt. Attackers cope with it too! Cybercriminals are also keeping up with the changing times through the use of automated tools. With such tools, it’s easy to evade security measures and manage to steal.
  • In 2019, the Sophos MTR Team has uncovered that the cybercriminals have been automating their attacks in order to stealthily gain initial access. Once they have officially compromised the environment, they will shift to using traditional methods in order to identify crucial information such as the data vault, the backup servers, and other relevant files.
  • They continue to survey the environment until such a time that the attackers, eventually, mimic the style and behavior of the legitimate administrator. Businesses would not even notice such suspicious activity because it seems part of the normal and everyday routine.

 

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Why Aren’t You Using Cloud Computing to Future-Proof Your Business?

You already know that cloud computing isn’t just another tech industry fad. The cloud is turning 10 this year, and it has become a business standard. If you’re not taking full advantage of cloud services to future-proof your business in this economy, you are making a potentially expensive mistake.

The benefits of cloud computing are practically limitless. For example:

  1. The cloud grows with you. You may think that your old standby servers and network are adequate enough for day to day operations. If you want to future-proof your business, then you need to take advantage of cloud computing. The cloud is fully flexible and scalable. The infrastructure and applications are leased, ensuring you are using the fastest and latest technology. Plus, you buy only the services you need and pay for only what you use. This means you can dynamically increase or decrease your cloud services as your needs change.
  2. It helps protect your data. The cloud’s security architecture is multi-layered, and has safeguards against cyber attacks. There are different types of security controls employed and all of them work to protect your sensitive information and intellectual property, especially where federal compliance regulations are an issue (like HIPAA, SOX, PCI).
  3. Save money – put it back into your business. There’s no better way to pad your future business endeavors than cutting costs. Cloud computing helps you do just that. Cloud services can replace expensive infrastructure and outdated software. Cloud-hosted applications give your staff the ability to have virtual desktops and access their projects no matter where they are. Apps, data and documents come together into one constantly updated platform.
  4. Real-time collaboration and unlimited mobility for your staff. Cloud computing gives end users access to the data they need from any device, increasing productivity. Your staff could be anywhere in the world and still collaborate in real-time on projects, allowing your business to work faster for clients and increase your profit margin. Take Microsoft Office 365 for example. Microsoft has always been a familiar face in business productivity. Now, with O365, they’ve raised the performance standard. O365 is just one of the applications bringing together all of your people, processes and technology through cloud computing, and giving you the ability to manage all of that productivity seamlessly.

The time spent maintaining your hardware and its performance are costing you both production and dollars. Lost hours are a killer when you’re trying to migrate data from one network to another. Firms that handle their own migration on average take 2 months to complete the move and can spend up to $3,000 trying to finish it. Your best bet? Partnering with a managed IT services provider (MSP) to handle your move to the cloud. An MSP reduces/eliminates downtime, gives you seamless migration and implementation, and manages your data with new, integrated technology.

That’s where we come in. To get the most out of your cloud services, you need to partner up with a great MSP. Not sure which cloud computing services are right for your company’s needs? Our team of experts will evaluate your servers and network and consult with you to come up with the perfect plan for cloud migration minus the worry.

Give us a call and we’ll help you take that leap into the future. Come join us in the cloud – life is better is up here.

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4 Statistics that will Have You Rethinking Office 365

Moving to the cloud can be a big decision for any business. And it makes sense to take every precaution for your employees and your customers. Office 365 has been gaining a lot of recognition for its simplicity and big benefits. So what’s keeping you from making the move? Don’t let your own reservations hold your team back. If you’re not already using Office 365, read on to see a few statistics that might sway your decision.

 

According to Global Business Travel Association 1.3 Million Business Trips Occur Each Day in the U.S

The mobile workforce is on the rise and Office 365 is the solution that keeps everyone connected – from virtually anywhere. So, whether your team is in and out of meetings, traveling for a business trip or posted up at a local coffee shop, they’ll still have access to everything they need to keep up with their workload.

 

According to Project Management Institute Approximately 33% of Projects Fail Completely Because of Poor Communication

Miscommunication and working in silos creates an environment that’s anything but successful.

With Office 365, gone are the days where one person makes edits to a document, and then emails it to another person so they can make changes too. This process is messy and leaves too much room for mistakes. Instead, take advantage of Microsoft’s collaborative capabilities, so you can have your whole team editing the same document and see the changes happening in real time.

 

According to Contingency Planning and Strategic Research Corporation 96% of All Business Workstations are Not Backed Up Regularly

What happens when your data isn’t backed up? It goes missing, and now you’re in big trouble. Storing your information safely in the cloud is the easiest way to protect it. So, whenever you change a document, update an Excel spreadsheet or basically do anything in Office 365, everything is automatically saved. You’ll always know where your data is and can easily access it – no matter what.

 

Companies can save up to 60% on Licensing Fees with Office 365

Office 365 is extremely appealing for small businesses who don’t want to deal with high upfront costs. Instead, you get a flexible monthly bill that allows you to add or decrease the number of users based on your needs. Plus, you’re not locked into a contract and you can change plans at any time to suit your growing business.

 

Office 365 is an obvious choice for businesses that want to encourage communication and collaboration, have the ability to access their information no matter what and want lower technology costs. If you don’t want to do accomplish these goals, then yes, stay away from Office 365. Otherwise, it might be a smart decision to give us a call. We can help you with Office 365 migration and make sure you’re set up for success.

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