The Notifiable Data Breach Legislation will commence on 22 February 2018. It applies to eligible data breaches that occur on, or after, that date. The NDB is an amendment indicating that companies will be legally obliged to notify the Privacy Commissioner and their clients of data breaches, with fines of up to $1.8 million for non-compliance. It’s…
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This past year, cybercriminals caused significant disruptions around the world, using their increasing technical know-how to break through companies’ defences. In 2018, experts expect the trend to increase as these attackers will use more sophisticated tools like machine learning and artificial intelligence to launch attacks. So how can you prepare for the year ahead? Incidents like the…
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Securing your reputation is paramount in today’s business world. As a retail business, specific security issues can impact customer confidence and the bottom line — also, having to deal with regulatory penalties, breaches, and unscheduled downtime. New digital technologies such as social media, omnichannel shopping and a wave of emerging payment technologies are transforming the industry. Now…
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Small businesses are just as susceptible to a cyber attack as large corporations. However, due to the size of their business, it never makes news headlines. The latest Ponemon Institute report revealed that 55 percent of small businesses have suffered a cyber attack in the past 12 months, and half of those businesses have experienced a…
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As the internet of things (IoT) revolution gathers pace, and more devices in our homes and workplaces become connected, what can we expect from the market in 2017? One certainty is that the potential is there for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to benefit as the sector evolves, grows and matures. One estimate claims there will be more than…
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The number of ransomware attacks has exploded over the past few years, infecting millions of computers and costing companies millions of dollars. We recommend three best practices that every organization, regardless of size, should employ. 1. EDUCATION AND AWARENESS We hate to say it, but your largest attack vector is also your weakest. Many of your employees…
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Stanford University’s IT department has a minimum standard for what computers can do. For teaching staff, the standard is that the computer can handle having at least four applications open at the same time. And the university expects to replace computers every three to four years. It’s just one example, but it’s a good one…
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Big data is being used by big companies to make big decisions, but small and medium businesses are often sitting on more data than they realise. Is your data “big data”? Maybe not compared to what Facebook or Target are collecting, but it’s surely big enough to use for better decision-making. Thanks to advances in…
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If you listen to technology pundits, it’s easy to get the impression that no one is using laptop computers any more. In the real world, though, there are still many, many tasks for which a laptop computer is the only solution that makes sense. It’s not that mobility isn’t important, but for many users it’s…
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For all the money and effort we spend on securing our computer systems, users continue to compromise security with passwords that are easy to remember—and easy for outsiders to guess. It’s understandable: most users struggle to remember different passwords for the half-dozen or more systems they need to do their work. Each new cloud application…
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