The internet has transformed the way people live. It has changed everything from the way we learn to the way we shop. We use the internet to carry out a number of activities ranging from reading news, playing games and interacting with friends and family, besides a number of other things. We think that we only receive information from the internet; however, this is far from the truth. In the process of browsing the internet, we actually send out a lot of information such as our identity and location. We generally aren’t as safe on the internet as we may think we are.
For instance, when shopping online, our name, address, and credit card information are transmitted over the internet to the vendor. With such private information being channeled through the internet, it is vital that certain measures be taken to ensure privacy and confidentiality of the data. Latest information technology news tells us that the number of cyber crimes is on the rise.
This is where encryption comes in. Simply put, encryption scrambles the data which is to be transmitted over the internet in a way that can only be decrypted by someone who has the encryption key.
The concept of encryption is based on cryptography, and it is of two types:
Public Key Encryption
With this type of encryption, two different keys are used. There’s a public key and there’s a private key. For example, if a person wants to send encrypted data over the internet, the public key is used to encrypt the data; however, the data can only be encrypted by the recipient using their private key.
This method can be used to send secure emails and to digitally sign the documents. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and its newer method, the Transport Layer Security (TLS), are examples of public key encryption systems.
Symmetric Key Encryption
In this method of encryption, both the sender and the receiver use the same encryption key. This simplifies the process and makes it faster. Nonetheless, the key and the data can be compromised while in transit over the internet. Data Encryption Standard (DES) was a type of symmetric key encryption that is replaced by a more modern Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
Encryption of Data
The advantages of encryption aren’t just limited to the internet; you can encrypt your data on your computer, your USB storage devices, hard drives, mobile devices and numerous other data storage devices in order to prevent misuse of data if your devices are lost or stolen.
Importance of Encryption
As learnt from the latest information technology news, the number of cyber crimes is on the rise and this makes it necessary for computer users to keep their data safe from hackers. Large corporations and governments require high levels of encryption in order to protect their sensitive plans such as business secrets and confidential data. It also gives us peace of mind that our data is not getting into the wrong hands.
There is probably no one who does not browse the internet for various reason. It may be for netbanking, chatting, Facebook, shopping, twitter or just to get some information. Do you know that while internet is a place of fun, it also has dangerous creatures lurking around waiting to find its victim? You would have heard that large organizations have lost critical information like credit card numbers and other information of their customer by hackers. Even home users are not safe. So what do you do? Here are some steps to be performed to be safe and secure on the internet.
1. Antivirus – This is the most critical step to be safe. Ensure you have an antivirus software or security software installed on your PC. You can go for paid Antivirus or even installed free antivirus (Microsoft security essentials). Also ensure, the antivirus is updated regularly with the current antivirus definition. Just installing the software will not be enough.
2. Emails Safety – Be careful when reading your emails. Now a day we get more spams than genuine emails. Ensure you only open emails from known sources. Do not open emails from unknown sources as they may contain virus. Also do not open attachments received from unknown persons. A simple word attachment may actually be an virus. Do not click on links mentioned in email of unknown persons. Do not believe on emails mentioning that you have received a fortune or an lottery, these are fake.
3. Browse authentic sites – Also browse websites you can trust on. Never browse non familiar websites as they may have malware. You will not realise but browsing the website will download Malware on your PC. This malware will collect critical information from you PC and send to hacker without your knowledge.
4. Operating system patch update – Ensure you are periodically updating your operating system with the latest patch which is released. For example Windows releases Windows 7 patch once in 15days. The patches contains fixed to new vulnerabilities that are found. Some is true for Mobile apps like IOS or Android. Go to setting and check for ‘Software updates’. If released, install it immediately.
The above are the best practices you should follow in order to be safe and secure on the internet. Remember precaution is better than cure and better be safe than be sorry. Kindly let me know if you have more tips by posting your comments, I will modify the same to my post.
Thank you to everyone who came out and attended our Office 365 Lunch & Learn event. We would like to give a big shout out to Michael Kopsh From Microsoft for giving us a wonderful presentation on Office 365 and also Mark Bloom & Tommy Phan for letting us know about Unitrends. The food was delicious everyone learned so much and someone walked away with a brand new Microsoft Surface Pro 3. Also big thank you to Season’s 52 for helping us cater the event.
Storage devices like the hard drives are mainly used to store sensitive information in digital format. They are being used almost in every sector nowadays. When these drives are no longer needed, you may throw it at any dumpsite, enabling intruders to access all your confidential data.
With the advancement in the IT sector, data security, even while you are getting grid of it, is not a big issue anymore, unless you are not aware of how to go about it. It is important to hire a reputed and trustworthy data destruction service provider that protects all your sensitive data at any cost. Depending on the needs of the client, these companies offer the off-site and on-site destruction services.
If you want to keep top-level security for your data, you need to hire the services of a certified company, which can efficiently destroy the confidential data whenever necessary. There are a number of benefits of appointing a data destruction company. Read on to know more about how such companies can benefit you.
Ongoing Quality Control Checking
Data destruction companies set required standards and employ quality control checks, in order to destroy all your digital data safely. Some companies that destroy their own data do not set any standards and employ quality control checks. Due to this reason, there is no guarantee that all their data is destroyed safely.
Offers many more services
There are a lot of data destruction techniques that are used by professional companies. Crushing is one of the effective and widely used techniques to make your data unrecoverable. Because crushing guarantees that sensitive information does not leave the business premises, many companies prefer this approach. Degaussing is another technique that removes the magnetic properties of the HDD (hard disk drive).
Boost your company reputation
Some security violating techniques such as data breaching can lead to very serious problems, and greatly affect your company’s reputation. Data destruction companies employ personnel who are good at handling procedures related to destruction of personal consumer data. Proper demolition of sensitive information helps to achieve utmost security, which in turn boosts your company’s reputation.
Responsible disposal
It is very important to collect the stuff and dispose it in a responsible way. A professional destruction company will help a lot to dispose it off in a more responsible way. In addition to this, they also ensure a safer and cleaner environment.
Cost Effectiveness
By hiring experienced and well-known data destruction firm, you can save a lot of your time and money. However, it is important that you research well about the company, before hiring them.
Whether you like it or not, Cloud computing is here to stay. For many businesses, both big and small, it is making us all more connected and improving office procedures and upping our collective productivity. Whilst the early days of cloud computing may have been all about security, the latest vibe is how it is pushing business forward and, in the process, saving a good deal of money on IT support.
There’s no doubt that this growth has been supported by our increasing use of a number of portable devices such as smartphones and tablets. That means your cloud desktop is now a thing that operates on the move, travelling with you across the world, keeping you in contact with the office, business associates, and consumers whether it’s at home in Brighton or 5am in Beijing.
In short, we are no longer tied to one PC at a desk but can network and develop and collaborate anytime and anywhere we wish. For those of you who remember the humble floppy disk, we’ve come a long way in the last twenty years or so. Cloud hosting has grown for both consumers and businesses and, for many of us, has become part of our daily online lives – we save photos, post messages, swap data and provide solutions at much greater speed than we ever have before.
Benefits of a Cloud Service for SMEs
For small and medium sized businesses, having a cloud desktop is one of the most practical operational decisions that can be taken. It’s cheaper and more flexible than investing in onsite hardware without the capital expenditure and therefore a more eco-friendly way of operating. Disaster management, an important component for many businesses nowadays, is also taken care of because all data is held safely away from the business which means it can be easily recovered if something terrible happens to the office environment or equipment such as mobile phones.
The rise in cloud subscription platforms also gives many businesses access to feature rich products that would be more costly if they were installed separately. That means employees can have access to a wide variety of software for just a set monthly fee that doesn’t break the bank and can be adjusted depending on individual needs. Finally, one of the main advantages of a cloud desktop is that it allows for a greater degree of collaboration with users able to work with each other whilst outside the office.
With the enhanced security that comes with cloud services nowadays, SMEs get all the power they need from their operating platform at a fraction of what it would cost them back in the old days.
Moving to a system like the M2 Cloud gives businesses all the flexibility and security, as well as useful tools such as Microsoft Office 365, which dramatically improves connectivity and productivity. Provisions can be tailored to individual businesses which means they don’t end up with programs that have little operational value and only pay for what they really need.
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