BusinessHub

Cloud computing has given consumers and businesses access to all sorts of information when they need it at their fingertips—whether they’re sending emails from home, accessing files during a lunch meeting, or uploading a presentation at the office. A 2018 White House report cites that 93% of businesses and organizations utilized some form of cloud computing for software, platform, or infrastructure services¹.

As the 21^st century progresses and moves forward, our reliance on technology has grown at an exponential pace. As a result, hackers have become some of the most dangerous criminals in the business world. You can’t see them and you don’t know where they’re located, but they manage to access “secure” networks, steal sensitive data, and interrupt monetary transactions. No matter the size of a company, a cyber attack can cause catastrophic damage to a business.

Cyber attacks and data security breaches have become a recurring trend in today’s society—just ask Facebook’s, Mark Zuckerberg. This year alone, there have been well over 100 noteworthy data breaches or leaks across a broad spectrum of industries, including major brands such as Blackrock Inc., Instagram, Dunkin Donuts, and Fortnite¹.

Cyber attacks and data breaches have become a recurring trend in today’s society, and the most valuable currency is customer data. In the business world of sensitive customer records and data, virtually all consumer and company data is prized by hackers and worth protecting for your business.

The terms cyber security and cyber breach have become quite the common business "lingo" these days. It’s hard to browse the internet without reading a story about another company or retail establishment being hacked with millions of customer data points compromised. And, no matter if you’re a small business, big box retailer, Marriott or even a Manufacturer—you’re not safe.

In the age of information, today's most valuable currency is customer data. Over the years, especially in recent years as cyber breaches have increased in frequency, the public demands that businesses take preserving customer information very seriously. Most companies understand the significance of asking for and storing their customers' data and do their best to safeguard this valuable asset. However, with hackers adapting and finding ways around security features, ransomware continues to be an ongoing problem for businesses and organizations.

If you were one of the estimated 16 million people that watched the anticipated Game of Thrones (GOT) episode on Sunday, July 31, or any of the other most recent episodes, you might have heard buzz about the HBO cyber attack. The Huffington Post reported that hackers obtained 1.5 terabytes of data from the HBO network and leaked the script to the August 5 GOT episode, plus files and proprietary information from other top-rated HBO shows. In laymen’s terms, 1.5 terabytes is equivalent to 32 months of continuous music play, downloading 225,000 full-length movies, or 768 years of photos. Now, that’s a lot of data!

In today’s world, it's difficult to get through the day without interaction of a cell phone, computer, or other electronic devices connected to the internet. Technology, today, is simply all around us in everything we do, from work to our leisure time. We use technology to perform our jobs every day, leaving us vulnerable to cyber attacks whenever we get online. Cyber criminals have become the world’s most dangerous criminals simply because they can act covertly and from anywhere in the world. Regardless the size of your business you are not immune to cyber attacks. The potential impact to one’s business, for some, could make it nearly impossible to recover from a cyber attack. Having just one breach incident occur can mean the difference from running your business one day to closing shop the next.

Everyone knows that fraud, in all its forms, is expensive. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the typical organization loses 5% of its revenue any given year to fraud. Assuming you don't want to hand over 5% of your company's revenue to fraudsters each year, here are some tips to tighten your electronic controls and prevent cyber attacks, which affect the majority of companies on a daily or weekly basis.

If done right, real estate investing can be a great source of secondary income and even become your primary source of income. Starting on the right foot and understanding the process is imperative and can save you time and money in the long run.  If you are currently a real estate investor or thinking about becoming one, here are five essential tips that every real estate investor should know-no matter where you are in the game.