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SMAC that Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud up
Feb 20th, 2015 by aperio

Keeping up with the demands of technology is no small task. It is 2015 and there are the expected slew of predictions as to where technology is going this year. So which trends do you need to worry about and which are just predictions that might never happen? After all the money is tight and you need to spend the dollars where the greatest benefit to your company will be produced.

We looked at three major announcements produced at the end of last year and summarized the findings for you. They are from Accenture and Gartner (references at foot of this article). Looking at all three learned pronouncements there is a great deal of commonality: Digitalization, Personalized Experiences, Internet of Things, Platform Companies, Big Data and Changing the Workforce to deal with the new IT environment.

Get Ready for the Totally Digitalized World
The buzz word for 2015 is surely going to be SMAC – social, mobile, analytics and cloud. These are the four areas that will need your full focus as we head through 2015 and plan for the next few years.

A quick look around shopping centers, coffee bars and restaurants will show you thousands of peoples glued to tablets and cell phones. People are even starting to wear new technology on their wrists, such as smart watches and fitness bands. Google Glasses initially failed to take off, but they will be back in some format. People are communicating, posting, emailing and shopping via smaller, mobile screens. An envious look at the big four: Google, Amazon, Facebook and Twitter quickly demonstrates that mobile computing, shopping and social media is prevalent and profitable. Oh those lovely “P” words!

The rise of mobile computing means that people want their stuff at their fingertips. Unfortunately that stuff, be it film, photo or song means large files. Fortunately cloud computing is becoming sophisticated enough to deal with these large files and deliver them to where people need their data.

Gartner believes that the combination of mobile and cloud computing will lead to intelligent apps that can use storage efficiently, lowering bandwidth demands and allowing simultaneous usage on multiple devices. They believe that computing will need to move from static models to take advantage of the rich APIs that cloud computing provides.

The consequence of far more activity is that much more data is being produced. Called Big Data, this mass and it is a large mass, of data is what many CIOs are struggling to make sense of in the hope of obtaining a marketing advantage over their rivals.

The Internet of Me
Accenture have coined the phrase “The Internet of Me” to explain that everyone is now looking for a personal experience online. Social media and shopping is changing and people are now demanding the same personal interaction that they used to enjoy down at the shopping mall or in the coffee shop with their friends. The company that can individually personalize a person’s interaction with them will win that customer’s loyalty and dollars.

Gartner pointed out that there will be a rise in wearable technology as well as a saturation of mobile technology. Pretty soon computing will be everywhere. They suggested that rather than concentrate on the technology being used, companies should concentrate on the user’s experience. In this they agree with Accenture – how the customer personally interacts with a company is far more important that what device they use. Gartner points out that alongside this new personalized experience there will need to be enhanced, context aware security.

Climb on a Platform or Better Still Build the Platform
Accenture are championing a platform strategy as the future of commerce. The likes Amazon started it with it Amazon Market Place, Apple with iTunes and Etsy with its market place. Now other well known blue chip companies are following suit.

The rise of social, mobile and cloud technology is driving this business strategy forward and the fourth part of SMAC, the analytics is finding markets, testing products and rewarding customers. The cloud encourages easy content production and its availability to potential customers worldwide. Social media connects these people and mobile technology makes it all viable, attractive and rapid to create, market and execute a sale.

Gartner calls it Web-Scale IT and believe that more companies will start thinking and operating like Amazon, Google and Facebook. They believe that this will start with the merging of Development and Operations (called DevOps) will start the move to large scale, web based operations.

Everything is Joining Together Now
The Internet of Things (IoT): large groups of objects that are connected over the internet with a unique identifier thus enabling them to communicate with each other without human interference, is growing. Gartner believe that this will be core for product sales and operational processes and companies need to focus on this technology and that the IoT is the driving force of the digital economy.

Growing the Digital Ecosystem
Gartner believes that the digital economy is made up of digital businesses that blend the physical worlds with our digital world and that this will eventually change how businesses work and interact with their customers, suppliers and developers.

In 2014 Accenture wanted companies to use technology as a driving force for growth. In 2015 they are urging companies to digitalize by tapping into their customers, their suppliers, data sources and alliance partners digitally. For the brave there is also the option of including things into this digital ecosystem. They believe that the future power brokers of industry will place themselves at the center of a digital ecosystem in the same way that Google is the power behind internet marketing and Amazon at the core of internet shopping. Their belief is that these new powerbrokers, who will grow exponentially, will be able to create markets as opposed to have to find and develop existing markets.

Stop Drowning in Data
The Internet of Things and rapid uptake of mobile technology, social media and cloud computing means that there is an incredible amount of information fed back to any organization. Any interaction whether research, social, entertainment or purchasing leaves a digital trail. Smart marketers have always known that this data can provide information that can be used to identify markets and buying signals. Unfortunately these data has now been coined as Big Data and companies are now drowning in data and information. Fortunately other companies are springing up with analytical tools and software intelligence systems to dig deep into this Big Data and pull out the required information.

Accenture believe that taming this data by using correct analytical methods will allow a company to make innovative decisions through out the company. Gartner states that rather than Big Data being important it is the questions that are asked of the data and the answers produced that should be the focus of the CIO and company strategists.

Smart machines reacting to people
Gartner believe that once companies conquer the analytics of Big Data and the personal interface that this will path the way to smart machines that will interact with the human being, learn what is needed and react accordingly. Some might see this as a nightmare, others a logical step forward. Whatever your view, the company that leads the way will be as ground breaking as Google, Amazon and Facebook combined.

Take a Hard Look at Your Current IT Workforce
Accenture believe that very soon the entire CIOs will be digitalized and that human beings and intelligent technology will need to collaborate and find a way to work alongside each other.

Gartner surveyed 2,800 CIOs (Chief Information Officer) of 84 countries which showed that most were aware of what was needed to succeed in this brave new world, 75% citing a need to change their leadership style. There is a definite rise of the role of a DIO (Digital Information Officer) and many more CIOs are reporting directly to the CEO (Chief Operating Officer) showing a rise in the prominence of IT within a company.

Gartner do highlight two potential problem areas: lack of portfolio management abilities and inefficient risk management. The ability to manage projects and activities over a wide range of platforms and processes will become more important as the digital world evolves. Changes always bring risk and the correct management and mitigation of this risk will be key to profitability and growth.

Other trend forecasters have cited the need for the internet marketing functions to merge with the digital marketing functions, leading to a better customer experience and gaining more profitable potential markets.

Other Interesting Trends
Gartner believes that the rise of cheaper 3D printing will lead to major changes in some fields such as medical and some manufacturing, changing the way they produce their goods.

Lastly Gartner believes that security will obviously remain important but the rapid emergence of a totally digital experience means that it should not impede progress. This means that 100% will no longer be possible, leading to the rise of more sophisticated risk assessment and mitigation systems.

There Could be Trouble Ahead
The sheer scale and rapidity of changes that are predicted for 2015 combined with the complexity of micro managing personalized experiences means that many small and mid-sized companies are outsourcing their CIO functions to specialized companies that know how to deal with these factors. Larger companies with larger budgets are also seeking experienced assistance. There are an abundance of job adverts for digital based jobs and DIOs are being sought after.

Data analysts and security specialists are emerging as are companies that can make sense of Big Data and guide businesses through this maze. Lastly cyber security is changing as the techneology structure guiding products to consumers alters. Security has always been important to CIOs and many are now searching for consultants that can guide them through this new maze of changes Biz Guru is one such company that is aware of the 2015 IT Trends and can assist and guide you as well as handle your social media and marketing and professional writing requirements.

Photo Courtesy of: http://picjumbo.com
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Phishing, Scamming and Learning when not to open Infected Emails in your inbox
Feb 16th, 2015 by aperio

Your email is a nexus point for user interaction and for potential vulnerability from scammers. It is the door to your data home and the place where many users are most likely to compromise their information.

As you know the internet is rife with scammers who are always looking for the next way to take advantage of the public. They use ever improving techniques and changing tool-sets to come up with the next way to get your information and create vulnerabilities in your network.

In most cases this is as easy as convince users to click on links and attachments that they should not.

Recently we have seen a growing malware/phishing/virus threat being spread through legitimate looking voicemail attachments in user emails.

In almost all cases email scammers convince users to click on or open attachments by including just enough information that could be perceived as correct and accurate that it may be appropriate to be receiving the attached information. In the case of the Voicemail attachment – Users may see an “Email ID” that appears to be coming from an internal email address at the recipient’s organization, as well as a “Download Message” link that appears to host the fake audio file on the recipient’s organization’s domain. All these work together to throw off recipients better judgment and convince them to trust the email enough to click on the download link.

This phishing attempt fools users by appearing to be a legitimate, automated email from Outlook. The scam targets Outlook users, who are sent official looking emails with the subject line “You have received a voice mail.” The body of the email contains the Microsoft Office Outlook logo, fake data about the voicemail and caller, and a link to download the voice message. Although the download link appears to be a .wav audio file, it’s actually an HTML link to a website that tries to install a Trojan virus. If you are current with your Antivirus Protection and Ant-malware Protection the software should stop the Trojan from installing, however we have had users who have manually overridden these protections and allowed the blocked content to install.

Another version users are seeing with more frequency is the appearance of a “voice message” which appears to come from the “admin” of your organization. This email includes a zipped attachment which when downloaded will install malware on your computer.

Deleting the email should be enough to avoid downloading any malware. but accessing, or downloading, or even opening and allowing the email to load any embedded images may be enough to confirm the validity of your email address and open your system up to potential vulnerability.

If you do click on the download link or believe that your system has been compromised as a result, You should take steps to quickly mitigate the damage.

The best strategy is to exercise additional diligence when opening email. If you cannot confirm the authenticity of an email or sender, it is always best to avoid opening it.

Photo Source: Viktor Hanacek
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Small Business Data Security Options
Feb 13th, 2015 by aperio

Many smaller businesses may mistakenly think they cannot afford a digital data storage and recovery options. However, data recovery does not get any cheaper when Raid data recovery or laptop hard drive recovery must be done by a professional. Why switch from tape to phones, iPods, images, stills and other devices? One advantage of removable data storage is that it can be easily transported almost anywhere. Multimedia cards, flash drives, and memory cards are easy options for smaller businesses that need cheap data storage.

These removable digital media storage options are easy options and cheaper than some Raid systems, they also may be easier to recover data than hiring a professional to perform hard disk data recovery or Raid data recovery. The dangers with removable digital options are that they also may be harder to secure and protect sensitive data.

Protecting removable external devices from Hackers

Smaller businesses may not be able to afford a Raid system and may not need Raid data recovery from a trained professional. A businessman may opt for less costly measures of data storage and backup, such as using a USB flash drive. What is the best way to protect removable digital storage devices, if they are lost or stolen? One way small business owners can ensure their employees are not allowing sensitive data into the hands of hackers is to have flash drives that are password protected.

Flash drives are solid state storage devices that will not last forever. A USB flash drive will fail after so many times of adding or deleting data. However, employees should not give up on their flash drive if it does fail and they cannot retrieve sensitive, company data. A trained professional may be able to gain access data off a memory stick, but also access data from a failing laptop that needs laptop data recovery.

Automated backup may be a good solution for some small business Owners

For some small business owners, an automatic backup of necessary data may be a good way to protect sensitive data and ensure that backups are up-to-date. Did you know 60 percent of businesses admitted in 2013 that they did not regularly backup their data? Why is it important for small business owners to back-up data regularly? Small business owners do not have to worry about forgetting to back up data.

Depending on the type of backup, small business owners may be able to choose between an incremental or differential backup.It also may save Businessman from needing Raid data recovery in the area.

Have you ever considered using a portable data storage device to keep data safe? Some experts suggest that other methods of data storage should be used as well because USB flash drives and laptop hard drives can be easily hacked. It may cause small owners to need laptop hard drive recovery options. It may be best to consult an expert in hard disk data recovery if small owners do find evidence of hacking or a virus on their machines.

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Are you playing it safe when it comes to the cloud?
Feb 5th, 2015 by aperio

Yes, it’s all going to the cloud, which is better than “to the dogs.” And yes, you have to make sure your cloud environment is secure.

You need to confront some hard realities about cloud security because the cyber landscape continues to be unforgiving. It doesn’t matter whether you’re protecting traditional computer systems, your mobile platform or the cloud itself. Simply put, organized cyber crime and cyber espionage continue to grow in sophistication. Any new hackable platform is red meat for them. Opening massive breaches that harvest critical data is their day and night job. News headlines make that clear that the aggregate total of global cyber crime damage now rivals that of many nations’ annual gross domestic product (GDP).

First reality: Organizations spend considerable time and money securing their on-premises infrastructure. That’s good. The problem is maintaining that same high level of security when outsourcing to the cloud. Security delivery requires a cloud provider’s undivided attention. Yes, there are built-in security tools, but you will not get the key to any strong security posture—24/7/365 threat monitoring, analysis and response—or “managed security service.” These are humans watching out for you. You must know what’s happening on the cloud in real time and be able to respond very quickly. You need people to manage this, even if you have automated capabilities as part of your cloud security. The “cloud” doesn’t do it on its own.

(Related: An interview with Brendan Hannigan, IBM GM Security Systems Division)

Second reality: Repeat after me: “My cloud will be breached.” Take a deep breath. Say it one more time.

Remember, just because you’ve been breached doesn’t mean an attacker knows where to go once they get in your system. If you identify the attack quickly you can prevent him or her from getting to your critical data.

So, review your incident response plan for cloud security. What, you don’t have one? Okay, review the plan you have for your premises infrastructure.

If you still have a blank look, gather your team and start putting a response plan together—fast. How you handle it is crucial, particularly the speed of your response. Sophisticated attacks often show no upfront “symptoms” but can quietly devastate your business over time. The longer it takes to resolve an attack, the more costly it becomes.

Prevention starts with an incident-response plan and mock exercises to test the plan. Get an experienced provider to try and hack your cloud. Find out your vulnerabilities. Most important, make sure you have a team ready to move quickly and decisively if you suspect your cloud has been attacked.

Third reality: Last but maybe most importantly, get smart about “security intelligence.” Your cloud systems, along with your other IT platforms, generate billions of security events each day from firewalls, emails, servers and the like. It’s simply not possible to manually sift through this data and find evidence of suspicious behavior. Beyond the costs involved, it’s confined to figuring out “what happened” rather than “what will occur.”

When applied to security data, big-data analytics tools can be transformative—the tip of the spear in security intelligence and response. Analytics can provide automated, real-time intelligence and situational awareness about your infrastructure’s state of security to help disrupt the attack chain.

Say that two similar security incidents take place, one in Brazil, the other in Pittsburgh. They may be related. But without the intelligence needed to link them, an important pattern—one that could indicate a potential incident—may go unnoticed.

You need this capability, and providers like IBM are stepping up to make it the ultimate reality.

Stay safe.

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See how Office 365 helped improve Ignite Social Media.
Feb 4th, 2015 by aperio

Watch the video below  and see how Ignite Social Media used the tools of Office 365 which helped productivity through the power of cloud communication.  Connecting to your clients and your employees has never been easier.  If you’re interested in learning more about what Office 365 can do for you than please check out more info on our free lunch and learn event we having going on at Seasons 52 on March 18th.  Find out more infor here: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=hxcf8qcab&oeidk=a07ead19wefc90f94c5

[vc_video link=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt-0pdcyn8U’]

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