No matter what your business’s IT infrastructure looks like today, there is always room for improvement. Some upgrades are worth the time and effort while others lack a sufficient return on investment. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one of the worthy upgrades regardless of a business’s size, location, or industry.
Given the endless news about malware, phishing, and other cybercrime today, you might have also heard about the dangers of the dark web. But what exactly is the dark web? If you surmised that it's a hidden place on the internet where cybercriminals lurk, then you're partly correct.
Cybersecurity is a complex and constantly changing field. Just when security experts develop a cutting-edge security application, hackers have already found different ways to compromise business systems.
It also doesn’t help that there are several myths perpetuated about hackers and security practices.
According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019, 32% of the companies that were surveyed experienced at least one data breach within the last 12 months. The study noted that hackers did not discriminate between a small- to medium-sized business (SMB) and a major enterprise; also, smaller organizations spent little on cybersecurity, most likely due to a lack of funds.
Facebook was in trouble back in September 2018, when hackers took advantage of an exploit in one of their social media features. This led to over two billion user accounts being compromised, including personal information like usernames, gender, email addresses, location check-ins, and relationship statuses.
Nowadays, it's difficult to feel safe doing anything online because you may easily get infected by spyware. Just click one wrong email or website link, and your computer will run slower than usual, you’ll lose important files, or you’ll need to reformat and reinstall your operating system.
The quicker small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grow their business across local and international regions, the more they demand practical solutions that improve their collaboration and communication with remote employees. VoIP tools meet this demand because they are perfect for wireless telecommunication infrastructures: they support enterprise mobility and are cost-effective.
Newer and more complex cyberthreats like ransomware (malware that is programmed to deny access to a computer until a ransom is paid) and illegal cryptocurrency mining (using someone’s computing power without their knowledge, putting additional strain on the hardware) will require your business to update its cybersecurity system often.
Is your enterprise still running its business applications on Windows 7? You only have a few months to go before January 14, 2020, when Microsoft will no longer support the operating system (OS).
While your company can still use Windows 7 past its end-of-support (EOS) date, the risks of encountering a data breach are higher, and your business will be noncompliant with industry standards like HIPAA since the developers will stop issuing software updates for it.
A decade ago, Microsoft released Windows Server 2008 to the public. This server operating system (OS) was known for innovative features like data compression and compatibility with many third-party applications. But nothing lasts forever, as Windows Server 2008 will reach the end of its product life cycle by January 14, 2020. While enterprises may continue using the platform, doing so will expose them to major security risks, since Microsoft will no longer issue software updates or add new features to it.
