However, the tricky part about security solutions lies in finding the right fit for your business – understanding which tools are essential and which may result in resource wastage. To address this, businesses should collaborate with a reliable security provider capable of offering custom solutions tailored to their organizational needs.

In this blog, we will dive into the significance of custom security solutions for businesses and how Wowrack can help you with that.

Why Custom Security?

Cost Optimization

Utilizing custom security solutions enables businesses to achieve significant cost savings by prioritizing essential security tools. This approach helps avoid unnecessary expenses associated with acquiring tools that may not be needed for your specific needs. With a customized security solution, you gain the flexibility to scale your resources up or down as required. Additionally, this helps you achieve efficient cost optimization without compromising on the effectiveness of your security defenses.

In collaboration with a custom security provider, businesses can also further reduce costs associated with hiring dedicated cybersecurity staff. Instead, your IT team can concentrate on core responsibilities, ensuring efficient utilization of resources.

Protect Sensitive Information

Information is one of the most valuable assets of a company, and well-tailored security solutions are designed to protect it from unauthorized access, data loss, and data breaches. A study by Acronis also shows that even small instances of data loss can cost a business an average of $18,120 to $35,730. Custom security providers use their expertise to find and protect important areas that keep each business’s sensitive information safe and prevent these incidents from affecting your business.

Ensure Business Continuity

Custom security solutions are designed to help your business minimize downtime and ensure smooth operations at all times. Security providers achieve this by proactively identifying and addressing potential risks within your organization’s IT infrastructure. With custom security solutions, your business can not only protect its operations but also improve experiences for both customers and employees. This results in not just protecting your business processes, but also your reputation.

Regulatory Compliance

Keeping up with industry rules and keeping your IT infrastructure safe can be tough if you try to do it on your own, but with custom security solutions, it gets easier. By communicating your industry-specific needs and regulations to your custom security provider, they can ensure that your business meets these standards while also securing all your IT aspects. This allows your employees to focus on improving other aspects of the business while your custom security providers handle compliance and security measures effectively.

What Wowrack Offers

About Our Custom Security

Our Custom Security Approach

Recognizing that no single solution can provide complete protection, our custom security approach employs multiple security measures at different layers of the network, each focused on specific types of risks. Our dedicated experts ensure the strength of each security layer.

We cover a range of aspects, from network security preventing DDoS attacks to data security ensuring continuous availability and protection against unauthorized access. We also offer end-user security solutions that prevent cyber threats from infecting your company devices.

Moreover, we can help your organization deploy necessary security software tailored to your requirements. You can learn more about the details of our custom security solutions here.

With Wowrack, you can rest well at night, knowing that your infrastructure is secure. We prioritize your peace of mind.

Our Process Flow

1. Consultation and assessment
   We start by understanding your needs through discussions and assessments. This is because we want to understand your company’s pain points. This step will serve as a starting point for us to develop a tailored solution that meets your needs.
2. Designing your solution
   After understanding your needs through the previous step, we will work closely with you to design a tailored security solution that perfectly addresses your needs. We will also make sure that you are fully informed and involved in the process.
3. Implementation
   Once the solution plan is ready, our team will work to put the plan into action in your organization, setting up the defenses tailored just for you. Throughout the process, we will maintain open communication with you, keeping you informed of every progress along the way.
4. Operate and ongoing support
   We don’t stop once your security solutions are fully deployed. We will provide continuous 24/7/365 support and assistance to make sure that your infrastructure remains secure and that all issues or incidents are addressed promptly. You can trust that your IT infrastructure is in good hands and focus on growing your business.

Certification and Compliance

ISO 27001

Wowrack proudly holds the ISO 27001 certification. This means we meet the highest standards for information security, ensuring your data is in the safest hands. We make sure that your company’s data remains confidential and available to be accessed whenever you need it.

SOC II Type 2 Compliance

Wowrack has completed the SOC 2 Type II/SSAE 18 audit, further showing our commitment to information security, specifically in internal controls and processes as well as service delivery. You can trust in our dedication to ensuring that your business infrastructure is secure from various evolving threats. You can learn more about why completing the SOC II Type 2 audit matters here.

Conclusion

We have learned that partnering with a custom security provider to create a tailored solution for your business is crucial. It can optimize your IT costs, protect sensitive data, ensure business continuity, and assist with industry regulations. However, achieving all this is only possible when collaborating with a reliable security provider that understands your needs. Therefore, finding a trustworthy provider committed to maintaining open lines of communication with your business is essential to ensure you get exactly what you need.

Wowrack is here to help you with that. Our dedicated team of certified experts will help in crafting, implementing, and maintaining the right security solution for your business. From network security to backup and end-user protection, we’ve got you covered. Furthermore, with our custom security solution, you can rest, knowing that all your IT security needs are taken care of, and you are only paying for what you truly need—nothing less or more.

The post Deep Dive Into Our Custom Security appeared first on Wowrack Blog.

Managed Security Provider Trends

In our increasingly digital world, the cost of cybercrime is projected to continually increase as well, according to a report published by eSentire, reaching $8 trillion in 2023 and $10.5 trillion by 2025.

Alongside this threat, businesses are also faced with a shortage of cybersecurity professionals. A report published in 2022 by ISACA highlighted that 62% of organizations feel understaffed in terms of cybersecurity professionals, and 60% struggle to hold on to qualified cybersecurity staff.

These challenges show the need for a proactive solution that can help businesses keep their company systems secure. As a result, the managed security services sector is on the rise. According to a report published by GlobalData in 2022, the managed security services market will grow from US$63.6 billion in 2023 to US$87.2 billion in 2026. This is because MSSPs can help businesses tackle these cybersecurity challenges with their specialized support, while not having to worry about hiring a dedicated cybersecurity professional for their company.

What Can Managed Security Services Help You With?

Monitoring and Threat Detection

Managed security service providers can help monitor all your networks and systems to identify suspicious activities, vulnerabilities, and potential threats. This approach allows early detection and response to potential security breaches, preventing them from harming your business processes.

Deploy and Manage Security Software

Security software deployments can be both challenging and time-consuming. By utilizing managed security services, you can take this burden off your shoulders as the provider will help you with the installation, configuration, and updating of your necessary security tools. They guarantee that your systems are up to date and protected from cyber threats.

Threat Response

Managed security service providers can help provide effective threat response in the case of security incidents or breaches. Their team of experts will help you minimize downtime and ensure business continuity by containing the threat and restoring your operations.

Improve Security Posture

Managed security service providers will help you assess your company’s current security measures, identify vulnerabilities, and recommend strategies to protect you from cyber-attacks and breaches. You no longer have to worry about hiring a cybersecurity specialist, as you can always consult with your MSSP for advice on how to improve your company’s security posture.

How to Get the Most Out of Managed Security Services Provider

Review Your Security Needs Before working together with an MSSP

Before partnering up with an MSSP, you should first assess your organization’s security requirements. This includes identifying potential vulnerabilities and checking for your company’s compliance needs. Through this process, you will be able to know what to look for in a managed security service provider.

Alignment with Your Needs and Budget

Don’t forget to check the provider’s Service Level Agreements (SLAs), offerings, and pricing before partnering with them. Make sure that their services and what they offer are in line with your company’s needs and budget. We also recommend you ask for a detailed breakdown of their pricing, as sometimes there can be unforeseen costs that you may need to prepare for.

Regular Performance Reviews

Implementing security measures is not just a one-time task; it requires continuous updates and monitoring. Likewise, when working together with a managed service provider, you need to continuously evaluate their performance. This includes assessing their responsiveness, security incidents handling capabilities, and overall effectiveness. Regular performance evaluations help you get an idea of the necessary adjustments you need to make with your provider. This ensures you get the best services from them.

Foster a Partnership Approach

It is important to view your relationship with your MSSP provider as a partnership rather than a transactional arrangement. Do have open communication with your provider about your concerns and insights regarding your systems and operations. This way, they can understand better about your needs and tailor their services accordingly.

Conclusion

To summarize, managed security service providers can be a great help for your company. They help you improve your security posture and give top-quality services to your customers. However, to get the best out of them you need to make sure that the services you are purchasing are in line with your company’s needs, and don’t forget to regularly assess your MSSP and have an open communication with them regarding your concerns and requirements.

The post Getting the Best from Your Managed Security Services Provider appeared first on Wowrack Blog.

Type of AI Scams

AI Audio Scam Calls

One of the most popular scam tactics cybercriminals use is voice mimicking. AI-powered software like Deepfake enables people to mimic the voices of others. Scammers use these tools to trick people into giving them money.

Cybercriminals start by collecting personal info from social media or the dark web. This includes family names, phone numbers, and voices. Then, they proceed to use AI-powered software to clone the voice they had gained previously. Finally, scammers will try to call the original voice owner’s family members or friends. In this call, scammers will demand some money in exchange of the safety of their loved one. Eventually, out of panic, victims end up transferring large sums of money to these scammers.

McAfee’s survey found that 25% of adults had previously experienced some kind of AI voice scam. Among them, 10% were targeted personally and 15% said it happened to someone they know. They also found that 77% of the victims had lost their money as a result of this scam.

Jennifer DeStefano, a US citizen, is an example of someone who was targeted by cybercriminals who utilized voice-mimicking techniques. The bad guys were mimicking her daughter’s voice, saying that she was kidnapped, to trick DeStefano into transferring $1 million. Even though she did not fall into the trap, we can learn through her case that everyone can be a victim of these scams. Thus, we must never let our guard down.

AI Video Scams

Deepfake is an AI-powered technology that allows its users to create new videos and audio using existing images, voice recordings, and videos of a person, without requiring the actual person to be involved. Aside from generating fake audio to make scam calls, cybercriminals have also been using this technology to create misleading videos to advertise their businesses. Scammers are also starting to utilize this technology to make fake video calls to convince people to transfer money.

All it takes is the audio, photo, and video of the person you want to impersonate. As mentioned previously, scammers can find these easily on social media profiles and the dark web. This explains why you can find a lot of fake videos of public figures online, as their videos are already all over the internet.

Actor Tom Hanks is an example of a public figure who has been used by cybercriminals to generate fake video content. Scammers were using his face and voice to create a video of him promoting a dental insurance plan when he had clarified that he had nothing to do with the business.

In 2022, scammers also used the same tactic to create a fake video of Elon Musk promoting a new cryptocurrency. A man in India also lost approximately $480 to a scammer who used AI to impersonate his former colleague in a WhatsApp video call.

Characteristics of AI Scams

Most AI scams, whether through video or audio calls, usually contain at least one of these characteristics:

Pressure for immediate action

Scammers have one thing in common, and it’s that their end goal is to extort money from you. They will try to pressure you into immediately transferring some amount of money into their accounts.

Use scare tactics

People usually cannot think clearly when they are panicking, so scammers usually use scare tactics, such as saying that your loved one is kidnapped, in danger, or sick, to make you panic and eventually transfer your money.

Naming people or companies that you are likely to be familiar with (family members, coworkers, large corporations)

People are always reluctant to give their money to someone they don’t know. Thus, scammers always will try to name someone you definitely will recognize immediately while trying to extort money from you. This can be a famous public figure, your co-workers, or your family members.

Hard-to-resist offers (large money, easy job, etc)

Everyone loves money, and scammers take advantage of this to make their scams tempting to people by tricking them into believing that joining their business or clicking on their websites will give them lots of money.

Requesting personal or sensitive information

Credible organizations like banks won’t ask for your personal information through calls or messages, so if an unknown number is contacting you asking for your details such as account numbers and passwords, then it is most likely a scam.

How to Protect Your Loved Ones

Educate yourself and your surroundings

Cybercriminals are constantly evolving along with the growth of technology. This makes it important for you to keep yourself updated about the most recent scam tactics. You can do this through continually educating yourself by reading or watching tech news. Once you have educated yourself, don’t forget to educate the people around you as well. Share those insights in your group chats, and give them reminders when you see them in person. This especially applies to the people around you who are older and/or less proficient with technology, as they are the most vulnerable to these advanced AI scams.

Be extra careful when someone is asking for money or personal information

As mentioned previously, the end goal of every scam is to extort money from you. Thus, when someone is suddenly asking for money or personal information, regardless of the sum and who they claim to be, you need to always be extra careful.

Check and recheck, don’t let the panic get into you

When someone is asking for your money or personal information, you must always verify their identity before obeying their commands. Call your bank’s official customer service number to verify whether it’s really them, or call and/or text other family members or friends to make sure if the person who called you is really who they claimed to be, and if they are really in a position where they need that money or information.

Don’t reveal too much information online

We have learned that scammers can impersonate you easily by collecting videos that feature your face, and audios that feature your voice. Scammers can also take advantage of the personal information you share on your social media, such as information on when will you be out of town with your friends, and when your parents will be away from home, to curate their scams to be more convincing. Thus, we must always be careful with what we share online and make sure that we don’t reveal too much, as anyone can be targeted by these scammers.

Try to have a “code word” for your family

When it comes to your loved ones, try to have an exclusive code word. A code word is a unique word that you can use to verify their identity. You can ask for this code when an unknown number who claims to be your family member calls you.

Conclusion

We can conclude that cybercriminals these days have gotten more and more advanced, as they are also starting to utilize AI to curate their scams to make them even more convincing. Their scam calls are now mimicking the voices of people we are familiar with, and the same goes for their scam video calls. Anyone can be a victim of these scams, but it is still possible to protect ourselves and our loved ones from them. We can do this by making sure that we continually educate ourselves and our loved ones, being cautious of people who ask for money, making sure to re-check the caller’s identity and credibility, not revealing too much information online, and having an exclusive code word for our family.

The post AI Scams and How to Protect Your Loved Ones appeared first on Wowrack Blog.

Use Cases of AI  

Content Creation 

ChatGPT, the second fastest app to reach 100 million users, is an AI-powered tool that has been widely used by people from various industries over the past 10 months. It helps copywriters and content creators to generate relevant content ideas, outlines, and even scripts, saving them lots of time. Aside from ChatGPT, writers also can use AI-based software that helps them with checking their grammar, like Grammarly.  

Businesses also benefit from AI as software like Canva and Dall-E can help them in creating graphics and slide designs. Another software that is also popular for content creation is Lumen5. It helps businesses in creating video content for marketing purposes, without having to be an expert at videography. 

Cybersecurity Measures 

AI-powered software can also help monitor your IT systems, identify cyber threats, and respond to attacks in real-time to prevent your systems from getting infected. SentinelOne is one example of this. It uses AI to help their clients in the incident response process. This helps in saving time and with SentinelOne, users can sleep well at night knowing that SentinelOne will take care of whatever problem that may happen to their devices.  

Business Process Automations 

Some administrative tasks can be repetitive and take a lot of your employees’ time. An example of this would be transferring a customer’s data or information from calls or emails to your record.  

The good news is, AI can now save you from that. It can recognize words from those calls and e-mails and convert them to text. It can also use NLP techniques to extract dates, names, and even order numbers from e-mails. With this, your employee can now focus on resolving customer’s issues, engaging with them, and checking if the extracted information is accurate. 

Data Analysis 

AI can help you analyze lots of data and identify the patterns within them quickly. While it is true that we can do this on our own, we usually take more time, and we might also overlook some details. AI on the other hand, can analyze more accurately.  

With the help of AI, our staff can focus on checking and validating the analysis that it has provided. This way, companies can generate more accurate analysis and forecasts that eventually can help with resource allocation and strategic decision-making.  

Tailored Marketing 

Through data analysis, AI can help so that your ads are shown to your target market. Additionally, it can also help you in sending personalized emails to your potential or current customers. It can also help analyze your current and predict your future customer behavior. Analyzing this stuff can sometimes take a lot of time if you do it on your own. With Artificial Intelligence, you can save a lot of time and focus on developing your products instead. 

Concerns Regarding AI 

Unemployment 

One of the most common fears that arises with the growth of AI is job loss. AI-powered software now can create graphics, write articles, and handle coding faster than humans do. Due to this, people are worried that they may be replaced by AI. This also applies especially for jobs that require a routine task, like data entry or customer service, as AI makes it possible for companies to automate these tasks. 

Although AI may create new job opportunities, it may take some time for workers to acquire these new skills. This eventually also leads to temporary unemployment. Adapting to the AI-driven job market may also require a lot of training and resources, which not everyone has access to. 

Security

People are also worried about the possibility of AI being used for malicious purposes. This includes if it were to collect our personal data without our consent, AI-powered cyber-attacks, and the misuse of AI software to scam others. 

An example of AI-powered technology that raises a lot of ethical concerns is Deepfake. With Deepfake apps, you can record videos of people doing things they never actually did. It uses Artificial Intelligence algorithms to manipulate people’s faces and voices. With the rise of Deepfake apps, people are starting to worry about how this software can be used to spread fake news and scam others. 

Bias

Another concern that circulates around the usage of AI is regarding bias and fairness, as AI software usually makes decisions and draws conclusions only based on the data that it has been supplied with. Thus, if the data it has is biased and limited, the AI is likely to make biased conclusions and recommendations.  

Imagine if these biased conclusions were to be used by the human resources department in the application screening process. There’s a chance that the screening process was biased, and people might get eliminated unfairly.  

What the Future Holds for AI 

Human-AI collaboration 

In the future, we can look forward to more collaboration between humans and AI. This is also because humans still possess certain skills and traits that Artificial Intelligence doesn’t have, such as empathy, creativity, and complex problem-solving skills.  

Thus, rather than replacing humans, many experts think that we should see AI as a tool that can help humans in increasing their productivity. It can help humans by doing the more routine tasks such as data processing and analysis, while humans can focus on the more complex tasks that require critical thinking, such as building relationships with customers. AI can also help generate ideas or solutions, while humans can use their creativity and critical thinking skills to evaluate and modify these ideas to fit their needs. 

Regulation for AI

With the growth of AI, the government and policymakers will definitely develop and issue regulations for its usage. This is to ensure that it is being used ethically and not for malicious purposes. These regulations include how AI systems should use its data, safety standards and assessment for AI technologies, as well as how it should be developed and deployed.  

AI and sustainability 

AI has the potential to help the environment be more sustainable. With its capability to analyze data, it can identify areas where energy usage can be reduced and optimize resource allocation. Moreover, it can generate insights that can guide policymakers to make more environmentally friendly practices.  

Conclusion  

Now we can see how Artificial Intelligence is altering our way of life. It can benefit us in many ways. This includes generating ideas for our articles, protecting our data, and providing us with useful advice based on its analysis. However, issues including unemployment, security concerns, and the fairness of the output it produces has been brought up as a result of its growth.  

In the future, we may look forward to more human-AI collaboration. While humans can manage more complicated issues requiring creativity, empathy, and critical thinking, AI can help do repetitive tasks. Additionally, we may anticipate how Artificial Intelligence will be applied to solving more significant issues like climate change. 

The post Artificial Intelligence Essentials Part 2 appeared first on Wowrack Blog.

What is AI? 

Artificial Intelligence refers to the ability of machines and computers to learn and perform tasks that are usually done by humans. Therefore, Siri, Alexa, smartphones, self-driving cars, chatbots are all products that are powered by AI. Aside from these products, we can also find AI in stuff that we use daily. For example, Facebook can detect and remove content that violates its guidelines even before anyone reports it because it uses AI technology in their content review process, and Waze uses AI to give its users real-time traffic information and suggestions on the fastest route for their destinations. 

Components of AI

Cognitive Computing

Cognitive computing is a component of AI that focuses on creating systems that can mimic a human’s cognitive abilities, equipping AI to handle tasks that require human-like understanding and reasoning.

Machine Learning (ML) 

Machine Learning is what enables computers to learn and make predictions through data analysis. Thus, more data or information it has, the better it becomes. 

Neural Networks

Neural networks are a part of Machine Learning. They are called “neural” because they work similarly to the interconnected neurons that our brain uses to process information. Neural networks use interconnected nodes, ore artificial neurons, to process data and recognize the patterns within it.

Deep Learning

Deep learning is a component of machine learning that refers to the use of deep neural networks. Like the structure of human brain, deep neural networks consist of multiple hidden layers that can discover and learn complex patterns and representations from data. Deep learning equips AI systems to be able to handle complex tasks like image or speech recognition.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural Language Processing is a component of AI that focuses on training computers to understand and generate human language. NLP is what makes chatbots and language translation software possible.  

Computer Vision

Computer Vision involves training computers to understand visual data. An example of a technology that utilizes Computer Vision is the facial recognition feature you can find on smartphones.  

Types of AI 

Narrow AI

Narrow AI, or weak AI, is the most common type of AI. This type of AI is limited to a specific task or a small set of tasks. Therefore, a narrow AI is usually very good at doing a specific task but can’t do any other task aside from that. Most of the AI-powered products that we see today falls under the category of Narrow AI. Take the recommendation system used by Netflix and Spotify as an example, they can help give you recommendations by analyzing your past preferences, but they can’t answer general knowledge questions. 

General AI

General AI, or strong AI, is a type of AI that possesses human-like intelligence. They are capable of thinking, learning, and applying what they have learned in solving various problems. This indicates that like us humans, they are capable of handling multiple different tasks. Although this type of AI does not exist yet, researchers and scientists are continuously working on building this strong AI. The head of Google’s DeepMind also recently mentioned that we might be just a few years or a decade away from the arrival of General AI. You can learn more about the latest advancements in AI research by visiting Google DeepMind’s Website here.

Super AI

Just like how the name suggests, Super AI is a type of AI that is super smart, that it surpasses human intelligence. It is still a hypothetical idea, but according to experts, a Super AI will be able to perform tasks better than we do and they will also have their desires and way of thinking that we cannot predict. Although we don’t have any real examples of a Super AI yet, we can think of it as the “Skynet” robot in the “Terminator” movie. Skynet demonstrated the ability to make decisions on its own and even gain control over the military systems.  

How AI Works 

Now that we know what Artificial Intelligence is, we are going to dig into how it works. To put it simply, AI works in 5 steps: Input, Process, Outcome, Adjustment, and Assessment. 

Input

In this step, AI collects data or information that will be used for its tasks. The more data an AI system has, the better it can learn and make decisions. It’s also important to note that AI cannot gather data on its own; it relies on humans to supply this information. 

Let’s use Siri as an illustration. When you ask, “Is it going to rain in Seattle today?”, your words serve as the input.  

Process

AI then uses its algorithms to interpret the data that has been collected. They analyze those data to identify patterns, correlations, and trends within it. Ultimately, the goal of this stage is to analyze and understand the collected data to prepare it for decision-making and/or provide insights in the outcome stage. 

Let’s use the previous example of Siri again in this stage. After Siri listens to your command or question, using its algorithms, Siri will try to understand your words and what you want.  

Outcome

In the outcome stage, AI uses the processed data to generate something out of it. It can come in the form of a prediction, report, recommendation, or automation, depending on what it is designed for. Just like how Siri will show you the weather forecast for today or set an alarm for you after receiving your command and processing it.    

Adjustment

AI can also make mistakes, and that is why sometimes the outcome they generate is not always what we want. This leads us to the “adjustment” stage. In this stage, they learn from their past mistakes by analyzing the errors, adjusting their algorithms, and continuing to learn from new data and feedback to improve their performance over time.  

For example, if Siri does not get your instructions correctly, you can send your feedback to Apple so they can improve Siri’s accuracy and performance. 

Assessment

Aside from adjustments, AI also needs to undergo regular assessments to evaluate its overall performance and effectiveness. Its developers will do the assessment process to know which areas need improvement and adjustments. This allows AI to get better over time.  

For example, in Apple’s latest iOS 17, you no longer must say “Hey Siri”, instead you can just say “Siri”, which helps you to access Siri more conveniently.  

Conclusion

We have learned that Artificial Intelligence is so much more than just ChatGPT or Siri. Those are just examples of products that are powered by Narrow AI. In the future, there will be a smarter, and more advanced AI known as General AI. Perhaps, we might even witness AI that surpasses human intelligence, often referred to as Super AI. Additionally, we’ve learned about how AI works and how its performance can continually improve over time.  

Now that we understand what Artificial Intelligence is and how it works, we are now ready to dive deeper into the applications of AI in the real world. Check out our next blog post where we explore AI’s use cases and ethical considerations, as well as what the future holds for this technology. 

The post Artificial Intelligence Essentials Part 1 appeared first on Wowrack Blog.

Scalability refers to one’s ability to maintain or even improve one’s company’s performance even when their workload increases. A company without scalability is at risk of performance drops as demand rises. This can lead to inefficiencies and a poor customer experience. Therefore, businesses need to be scalable as it prepares them in handling an increased number of customers or demand. If a company is not scalable enough, it will be putting them at risk of going through a company’s performance drop as demand rises. and its clients may not get the best customer experience due to inefficiencies, which is not a good thing. In this blog post, we will discuss the significance of scalability for business growth and how integrating managed services for scalability can help your business growth.

Scalability Challenges Faced by Businesses 

No matter how much we all want our businesses to be as scalable as possible, the sad reality is, achieving scalability is not that easy. These are some of the challenges that businesses may face as they scale their businesses: 

Cost 

Business growth and expansion can sometimes lead to an increase in expenses. The business may need to invest in more resources such as human resources, equipment, and technology. Moreover, maintaining these resources can be costly. Thus, businesses need to do proper financial forecasting as they prepare for their expansion and continuously manage their finances well to make sure that the business remains profitable as it scales. 

Lack of Human Resources 

As a business grows, its workload will also increase. Thus, this leads to the need for having more people to handle it. Finding the right people to fill these roles can be challenging and can take some time. Besides hiring skilled candidates, businesses should think about outsourcing tasks to experts externally or freelancers.This helps them manage tasks effectively without needing to hire those experts as full-time employees.

Business Process and Technology Limitations 

Systems that once worked fine for smaller business operations may no longer work once the workload and demands increase. This explains why businesses may have to upgrade or replace their old business processes and technologies as they scale. 

Changes in the Business World 

The business world is constantly evolving, and not all changes are predictable. However, businesses should be able to adapt to these changes quickly and effectively to remain competitive and relevant. Thus, businesses need to be agile in responding to the changes as they grow and expand. 

What is Managed Services and its Role in Scalability 

Managed Services is a third-party vendor that you can use to help your company with anything related to IT. This includes managing and maintaining your server and network and even implementing security measures for your business. You can learn more about the benefits of Managed Services here.  

Outsourcing your IT aspects to a Managed Service Provider can help you in scaling your business and overcoming scalability challenges. These are some of the ways of how utilizing a managed service can help you overcome scalability challenges: 

Cost Efficiency

Managed Services providers usually allow you to pay-as-you-go, meaning that you only have to pay for the services you need and utilize. This allows you to avoid large upfront investments in infrastructure and technology. 

Resource Management

As mentioned previously, business growth and expansion usually lead to the purchase of new resources, and managing these resources on your own can be time-consuming and costly. Managed Service Providers can help you with this, as they can help you effectively utilize and maintain your IT resources, so you and your team can focus on your other core business processes. 

Competency and Expertise 

Managed Service providers are experts in their field. By utilizing their services, you won’t have to spend too much time hiring and training extra IT teams for your business, as their team of experienced IT specialists will help take care of all your IT needs. 

Helps You to Focus on What You Do Best 

By outsourcing your IT needs to a Managed Service Provider, your team can focus more on your business’s core competencies and strategies as it grows. This will save a lot of your time and resources. 

Best Practices in Utilizing Managed Services for Scalability 

Define Clear Scalability Goals 

Before utilizing Managed Services, you need to start by establishing clear scalability goals for your company. This includes setting targets for your IT-related performance such as website loading speeds, network latency, and security implementations. By clearly defining these targets, you can better ensure that your Managed Service Provider (MSP) understands those goals and can help you accordingly. 

Check Your Provider’s SLA 

Review and understand your provider’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) before utilizing their services. Pay attention to their performance and uptime guarantees, as well as their overall ability or policies in handling increased traffic or resource demands. By reviewing their SLA thoroughly, you can ensure that their services meet your company’s requirements and expectations, which is essential when utilizing a managed service for scalability.

Have an Open Communication With Your MSP 

Communicating with your MSP regularly is important in ensuring that their services meet your scalability requirements. Update them when you have changes in demand and requirements. Moreover, always let them know when you have any concerns or face any issues. These updates will help your MSP to understand your needs and adjust their services accordingly to support your goals. 

Review Your Provider’s Performance Regularly 

Aside from communication, it’s also important for you to review your MSP’s performance regularly to make sure that their performance is in line with your requirements and their SLA. This can help both your company and your provider to identify areas that need improvement, and make the necessary adjustments accordingly. If done properly, this process can help you get the most out of your managed services and minimize unnecessary costs. 

Conclusion

In today’s ever-changing business world, being able to grow and adapt is crucial, and it is not easy. The good news is, utilizing Managed Services can help you in handling these growth challenges without any large upfront investments. By collaborating with a Managed Service Provider, your team can focus on your business’s core competencies and let them take care of all your IT needs. With the help of Managed Services, businesses can thrive in their growth process and reach their goals. Thus, if you’re thinking about growing your business, do consider the benefits of Managed Services – it might be the game-changer you’ve been looking for! 

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Why is Protecting Patient Privacy Important?

Patient privacy and data security are paramount in the healthcare industry. EHRs contain sensitive information that includes everything from medical history to personal identifiers, making them a prime target for cybercriminals. A breach in network security can lead to devastating consequences such as identity theft. Furthermore, maintaining patient trust is foundational to the doctor-patient relationship, and compromised security can erode that trust.

Why is Healthcare a Common Target for Threat Actors?

The healthcare industry is an attractive target for cyberattacks due to the value of the data it holds and the potential impact of disrupting healthcare services. Ransomware attacks and phishing attempts have become increasingly common. Attackers may exploit vulnerabilities in:

• Outdated software
• Weak passwords
• Unsecured medical devices

Our Recommended Network Security Strategies for the Health Industry

1. Encryption: Utilizing encryption for data, both at rest and in transit, can thwart unauthorized access. Encryption converts sensitive data into unreadable code. This is done to ensure that even if a breach occurs, the stolen data remains indecipherable to hackers.
2. Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Implementing MFA adds an extra layer of security. This method requires users to provide multiple forms of verification before accessing systems or data. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access in case passwords are compromised.
3. Regular Software Updates and Patch Management: Outdated software is a prime target for cyberattacks. Regularly updating and patching operating systems and medical devices minimizes vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit.
4. Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): These tools monitor network traffic and detect unusual or suspicious activities. Firewalls establish a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, while IDS alerts administrators to potential security breaches.
5. Employee Training and Awareness: Human error is the most common contributor causing 88% of security breaches. Educating employees about social engineering tactics and best practices for data handling can significantly reduce the risk of successful attacks.
6. Vendor Security Assessment: For healthcare organizations that rely on third-party vendors for services or software, conducting thorough security assessments is crucial. Ensuring that vendors adhere to stringent security standards helps safeguard patient data.
7. Incident Response Plan: Having a well-defined incident response plan in place can minimize damage in the event of a security breach. Rapid and coordinated action can help mitigate the impact of an attack and prevent further compromise.

Network security in the healthcare industry is not merely a technical concern; it directly impacts patient well-being and the integrity of healthcare services. As technology continues to shape the future of healthcare, the importance of a secure network cannot be overstated. By implementing encryption, multi-factor authentication, regular updates, and comprehensive employee training, healthcare organizations can create a strong defense against cyber threats. In an environment where information is sensitive, prioritizing network security is a non-negotiable step towards ensuring a more secure digital healthcare ecosystem.

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What are the 12 Benefits of a Dedicated Server Solution?

1. Enhanced Performance with a Dedicated Server Solution

When it comes to performance, a dedicated server takes the lead. By having all the server resources exclusively at your disposal, you ensure high-performance levels and lightning-fast loading times for your website or applications. Say goodbye to sluggishness and hello to seamless user experiences.

2. Increased Reliability

With a dedicated server solution, you never have to worry about other users’ activities impacting your website’s performance or availability. By having exclusive access to the server, you can rely on its robust infrastructure and enjoy uninterrupted operations.

3. Enhanced Security with a Dedicated Server Solution

Security is paramount in the online realm, and dedicated servers provide a higher level of protection compared to shared hosting. With a dedicated server, you have the power to implement stringent security measures, customize firewall settings, and have complete control over your server’s security configuration. Safeguard your valuable data and protect your customers’ privacy with peace of mind.

4. Customization and Flexibility

One size does not fit all in the digital landscape. Thankfully, dedicated servers offer extensive customization options. Tailor your server to meet your exact hardware specifications, operating system preferences, and software configurations. Enjoy the flexibility to optimize your server environment according to your specific requirements.

5. Scalability

Businesses evolve, and your server should be able to keep up with the changing demands. Dedicated servers provide seamless scalability, allowing you to effortlessly upgrade or downgrade server resources as your business grows. Add more CPU, RAM, storage, or bandwidth whenever necessary, ensuring your server aligns with your expanding needs.

6. Improved Website Performance

A slow-loading website can lead to frustrated users and high bounce rates. With a dedicated server, you can bid farewell to these concerns. By efficiently handling high traffic volumes and large data transfers, a dedicated server ensures optimal website performance, resulting in superior user experiences and increased customer engagement.

7. Better Control and Administrative Access

Take the reins of your digital infrastructure with a dedicated server. Benefit from full root/administrator access, granting you complete control over server settings, software installations, and application configurations. Shape your server environment precisely to your liking and streamline your operations.

8. Dedicated IP Address

Establishing a reputable online presence is crucial for businesses. Dedicated servers come with a dedicated IP address, providing a multitude of advantages. From running SSL certificates to facilitating seamless email server setups, a dedicated IP address bolsters your online credibility and enhances your digital communication channels.

9. Enhanced Data Privacy

Data privacy is a top concern for businesses, especially those handling sensitive customer information. With a dedicated server, you are the sole user, ensuring your data remains private and isolated from others. Safeguard your critical data and maintain compliance with data protection regulations confidently.

10. Resource Optimization with a Dedicated Server Solution

Efficient resource utilization is a key factor in maximizing server performance. Dedicated servers allow you to allocate server resources according to your needs, ensuring optimal resource utilization and maximizing your server’s performance potential. No more wasted resources or bottlenecks holding you back.

11. Improved SEO Ranking

A dedicated server can be a game-changer for your SEO efforts. Fast loading times, server reliability, and dedicated IP addresses all contribute to better search engine rankings. Boost your online visibility, attract more organic traffic, and surpass your competitors in the search engine results pages.

12. Better Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

In certain industries regarding data storage and security are stringent. A dedicated server empowers you to implement the necessary measures to meet these standards effectively. Stay ahead of legal obligations, build trust with your customers, and safeguard your business reputation.

Choosing the best server solution is paramount for businesses and individuals seeking high performance and security for their hosting needs. With these mentioned pros, dedicated servers unlock your true potential in the digital landscape. Embrace the power of a dedicated server and thrive in today’s competitive online world.

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A strong security posture is less vulnerable to cyber threats or cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and a company with a weak security posture is justifiably more vulnerable. A company’s security posture is also not static. Cyber threats are constantly emerging and evolving. New types of threats keep appearing every day, so companies need to be constantly on the alert and evaluate their security posture and prepare themselves on how to respond to the ever-changing security threats.

• Read More: Impact of Rising Cyber Attack on Businesses Operation 

Security posturing is different from security compliance in the sense that security posturing is more focused on how a company can protect itself against cyber threats, while security compliance is focused more on how a company can follow the existing rules, standards, and regulations related to cybersecurity (for example HIPAA and ISO 27001).

Why is it important?

1. To know which areas need improvement or investment

Understanding your security posture means recognizing which specific areas in your business are more susceptible to outside threats. Knowing this will allow you to know which areas need more security improvement or investment.

2. Poor security posture puts company and customers’ data at risk

By knowing and improving your security posture, you are protecting not only your company’s sensitive information but also your customers. Having a poor security posture means you are vulnerable to cyber threats, which include ransomware and data breaches, that can impact not just you but also your customers.

3. Poor security posture can make your company fail at complying with security standards

To comply with or pass audits of security standards such as HIPAA and SOC, you need to maintain a strong security posture and review it regularly. Complying with these security standards increases your company’s reliability and thus, creates trust with your current or future customers.

• Read More: Why SOC 2 Type II/SSAE 18 Matters for Your Business 

4. To know what to do when an attack comes or how to prevent attacks

Cyber threats can cost you a lot, but you can prevent this from happening if you (and your employees) know what to do when it happens and how to prevent them from happening in the first place. By understanding your security posture, you can prepare your employees better for what they should do when an attack does happen and how to prevent them from happening.

How to measure?

A security posture review is usually conducted in four stages:

1. Planning Stage

In this stage, a team leader or project manager from the company will plan out the whole process of assessing the company’s security posture and also assign tasks to the members accordingly.

2. Documentation Stage

After planning out the process, the team leader will document the current security practices of the company.

3. Evaluation Stage

Next, the company’s security posture will be evaluated based on the available security posture assessment resources. We recommend you collaborate or consult with an external security service provider in doing this to make sure that you get the best evaluation. They can also help in providing cybersecurity metrics resources.

4. Reporting Stage

Finally, the company will review the security posture level based on the evaluation, highlight the areas that need improvement or needs to be prioritized, and conduct further planning on how to improve the areas that are vulnerable to cyber threats.

How to improve?

1. Automate Threat Detection and Response

Requiring the IT team to monitor your company’s security systems and networks 24/7 could be risky as there is always room for human error. A recommendation you could use is to utilize automated threat detection and automated endpoint protection software. It’s more reliable and saves your employees’ time. SentinelOne automatically stops malware in its tracks without requiring the system administrator to take care of it, thus helping its users to save time while still protecting their endpoints.

2. Provide Security Training

As mentioned in our previous blog post , a survey in 2021 held by Kenna Security found that 31% of companies do not provide cybersecurity training to their employees or multi-factor authentication for their systems. Because of this, threat actors are able to take advantage of companies. The best defense for these security gaps is to provide corporate security training. While it can be pricey it is worth the investment as everyone gets on the same page. Additionally, it prepares your employees to take action when a cyberattack happens.

It is important to note that companies should provide training for off-boarding to help ensure that resigned employees no longer have access to the company’s networks or data.

3. Update Software Regularly

Regular software updates are a must. Remember that every outdated software and patch you have running makes your devices and data more vulnerable and easily exploited. Updating the software regularly is very important as it gives you the best security patch available, keeping you secure and safe.

4. Security Assessment

Risk assessments should always take priority when improving and optimizing security posture. It allows you to get a holistic environment of the current security situation of your business. Completing a cybersecurity risk assessment will allow you to identify all possible vulnerabilities and weaknesses that are exploitable across all assets. A risk assessment identifies the most important IT assets at your company, the likelihood of an exploit, the potential impact of a data breach, and more. Going through these exercises is necessary to know the information in the event of a breach. There are security tools that can run through this kind of assessment for you, but it can also be done by an in-house security team.

5. Incident Management Plan

The incident management plan is a plan that lists the contingency plan when a cyberattack happens – typically, one would be created for every individual cyber vulnerability or risk. An incident management plan highlights the necessary steps to take so that when that type of cyberattack occurs, the business can mitigate the damage and recover quickly, making policies to protect the business in the future. The plan should also highlight what each employee or team member should do and who to notify when a cyberattack occurs.

6. Access Control

Controlling access to networking, hardware, and operating system settings is crucial in security. Allowing only vetted required personnel to have access; not everyone in the company should be given access to modify system settings, mitigating the dangers of unauthorized personnel accessing crucial security tools.

7. Prioritize Risk

Cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities look differently based on industries and individual companies. These vary from low to high-level impact exploits and occurrences. Prioritization is necessary to create plans to eliminate risks that are more likely to happen and have the greatest impact on your business before you go on the risks that are less likely to happen or have a smaller impact.

Ultimately, Evaluating and continuous optimization of your organization’s security posture is essential to safeguarding and securing your valuable data. Implementing any of these tips will improve your cybersecurity presence and lessen vulnerabilities being exploited in your systems. Remember, it is not if an attack happens, it is when an attack happens and the best way to mitigate attacks is with a knowledgeable staff.

The post What is Security Posture? appeared first on Wowrack Blog.

Transparency and Accountability

One of the main benefits of open data is transparency and accountability. By making data available to the public, cities can increase transparency in their operations and decision-making processes. This can help build trust between the government and its citizens and can also lead to more effective and efficient governance. Having public information like this can also be used to hold governments accountable for their actions, as citizens can use that information to track the performance of government programs and services.

Open Data Helps with Informed Decision-Making

Open data can also help businesses and individuals make more informed decisions. By providing access to data on various aspects of city life, such as crime rates, housing prices, and transportation options, individuals can make more informed decisions about where to live, work, and play. Businesses can use the data to identify new market opportunities and to make more informed investment decisions. This can lead to more efficient and effective use of resources and can ultimately improve the economic well-being of cities.

Open Data Promotes Innovation

Open data can also promote innovation. By making data available to the public, cities can encourage entrepreneurs and innovators to develop new products and services that address city problems. For example, public knowledge on traffic patterns and congestion can be used to develop new transportation services that are more efficient and cost-effective. Similarly, open data on energy consumption can be used to develop new energy management systems that reduce energy consumption and costs.

Challenges

While the benefits of open data are clear, there are also challenges to implementing initiatives. Such as ensuring data quality and reliability. Open facts and statistics can only be useful if the information is accurate and up to date. Another challenge is protecting individual privacy. Initiatives must balance the need for transparency with the need to protect the privacy of individuals. Finally, there is also the challenge of ensuring that this kind of information is accessible to all members of society, including those who may not have access to the internet or technology.

In conclusion, open data is a trending topic in data cities, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way cities are managed. By providing transparency and accountability, promoting informed decision-making, and encouraging innovation, having publicly made stats and facts can help cities become more efficient and effective. However, there are also challenges to implementing initiatives, and cities must be aware of these challenges and work to address them in order to fully realize the benefits.

You can learn more about the latest news by exploring our blog! Follow our link to learn about How Smart City Technologies are Transforming Urban Living!

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