Cyberattack is becoming more and more common for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Cybercriminals, for the sake of extortion, are often threatening to erase data, shut down computer systems, or infect an organization with viruses. They are also infamous for publishing personally identifiable information or private information on employees or customers.
In 2017, HBO social media accounts were hacked in a cyberattack.
In July 2019, Capital One announced a huge data breach, where hackers accessed the information of more than 6 million Canadians and 100 million Americans who have applied for credit cards since 2005.
While technology continues to be a blessing for entrepreneurs, offering increased productivity, mobility, and ROI, it also presents growing security concerns.
Here are 5 workplace web security systems and practices you should consider in 2020.
Backup your organisation’s website and data regularly. This will help you easily recover whatever information you’ve lost in a cyber incident.
Luckily, it doesn’t cost a fortune to back up your company data.
It’s best to have multiple backup services at your disposal to ensure the optimal safety of your files, as even sites like Dropbox can be easily hacked. A solid backup system will include:
Limiting access to valuable business data will significantly reduce the likelihood of human error, which happens to be the most common information security threat.
Your employees shouldn’t have access to the core systems, but to certain information or programs that they need in order to do their daily tasks.
Before an employee decides to leave your company or move to a different branch, you need to take immediate protective action, including deleting accounts and passwords from all programs and obtaining business entry keys and ID badges.
Remember, even an ounce of employee access prevention can provide a pound of cyber protection, especially concerning limiting the impact of a grumpy ex-employee.
This indicates installing reliable anti-virus solutions on all your systems, as well as keeping your web browsers and software up-to-date.
Restricting access to unknown/adult websites will lessen the risk of getting exposed to spyware and malware. Consider creating a policy that clearly dictates when and how to install the security updates.
You can further protect your networks (e.g., wireless networks) against external attacks by using firewalls, access lists, proxies, etc For home and mobile working, make sure your data is encrypted when stored/transmitted online. This way, the data will only be accessed by authorized users.
This may surprise you but data breaches are often caused by stolen physical properties. If your company laptops, servers, smartphones, and other electronics aren’t secure and easy to steal, you’re taking a huge risk.
Make sure to install security alarms and cameras. Physically locking down the servers and computers will also help enhance business security.
Whenever you have the chance to use two-step verification, make use of it. Usually, cloud databases are hijacked when a user hasn’t turned on authentication and/or when they have left outdated versions exposed.
The 2017 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report shows that cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities are one of the most severe threats companies facing today.
Don’t forget to apply security measures and safe practices when accessing cloud services. You should never pass the responsibility of your company security to the cloud provider.
Keeping your workplace web security systems safe from cyberattacks requires diligence and efficient IT cybersecurity policies.
Combining common sense with the practices mentioned above will help circumvent most cyberattack attempts. What’s even better is that these solutions are cost-efficient and typically result in spending less on cybersecurity as your activities are deeply aligned to the cyberthreats. Give Stardata a call on 1300 663 885 or enquire online to find out about our security options & cloud security solutions today!
Gone are the days of landlines, thanks to the evolution of new technologies. In fact, over the past few years, many businesses have switched over to VoIP systems based on cost savings alone.
Let’s find out why your business should be opting for an IP-based telephony service, as well.
VoIP or IP telephony stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s the kind of technology that lets its users make calls using the broadband Internet instead of the analog phone system.
IP telephony converts sound into digital voice communications via transferring it through Broadband Internet. Simply put, rather than using a phone to manage your calls, you’re using the internet.
The advancement of VoIP technology and its low cost make IP telephony an ideal choice for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Here are 7 reasons why you should make the switch to IP-based telephony in 2020.
Saving money is what all businesses look forward to.
VoIP is surprisingly more affordable than your traditional phone systems. Because you don’t need to purchase expensive hardware that requires regular maintenance and yearly replacement, VoIP saves your company money upfront and cuts expenses over time.
In addition, ongoing expenses like long-distance costs, taxes, and usage fees are significantly reduced with a VoIP system. Earlier, phone lines charged businesses by minutes, whereas VoIP charges users monthly, reducing the cost of by around 40 percent.
If you’re looking for a way to reduce your business expenses, an IP-based telephony service is an optimal solution!.
With features, such as remote access and call forwarding, VoIP makes it easier for a geographically distant office or mobile workforce to stay connected and collaborate.
Furthermore, VoIP can be enabled for smartphones— this allows staff members to make a call from their phones at no additional cost.
IP-based telephony systems do not require any specific hardware; standard laptops, cellphones, and headsets will do. You may need an IP phone at times, but the costs are pretty low. Moreover, the phone is already bundled with tons of features, which can be used to your advantage.
Considering traditional phone systems, you need to maintain the private branch exchange (PBX) yourself for additional features. With a hosted VoIP system, on the other hand, you have all premium features online. You also have the option to enable/disable them from an easy-to-use dashboard.
IP-telephony services provide a foundation for complete network management. Thus, managing every bit and byte running over your LAN and WAN is now more enabled than ever.
Similarly, you have access tools that help detect and solve network issues quickly. These tools support both local and remote network monitoring. You also have near-perfect quality in your dedicated networks.
However, that doesn’t mean problems never occur. It’s just that with VoIP, you can easily figure out symptoms and make necessary changes to your setup before something terrible happens.
With VoIP, all your communications are tied together.
Clients and coworkers can stay in contact with you using a single business number. What they don’t realize is that you could potentially be sending/receiving calls with an office headset or microphone, or even accessing and forwarding voicemails via email.
You can also enable IP telephony to ring on several different devices simultaneously, which is a great advantage! This way, you will never miss another important call no matter where you are.
VoIP’s straightforward configuration process is something often overlooked.
Downtime means less profit, which is why you’d want a system that is quick and easy to configure into your existing infrastructure without causing any downtime.
Luckily, the shift to IP-based telephony system won’t disrupt your business. This is because IP PBX phones don’t require physical wiring— instead, the phones are routed over the internet to make and receive calls.
If you made it this far, it’s safe to assume that you’re already considering switching to IP-based telephony for your company’s telecommunication. Stardata can help you easily transition and give you the most up to date information. Give us a call or enquire today!
Aside from the points mentioned above, it’s important to note that the right VoIP system can also help boost productivity. That is something all business owners should consider. Share your thoughts and suggestions with us in the comments below.
Although businesses understand the importance of creating efficient user experiences, most organisations fail to deliver on such expectations.
When it comes to a connected workforce, 16% are highly concerned regarding the end-user experience, according to a 2018 report.
To draw and engage topmost talent and enable a productive, committed workforce, you must close the gap between end-user experiences and expectations— without depending solely on IT. In fact, even with extensive in-house IT capacities, the everyday operations of device management is often a drain on valuable resources and thereby leaving little to no room for change.
Let’s show you 5 different ways to optimize your IT resources that will enhance end-user experiences and create a workforce that is productive, inspired, and connected.
Jokes aren’t good when you have to explain them. User Interface is kind of like that.
Usability allows users to easily find whatever it is they are looking for. It’s the foundation of better experiences. Make sure the icons are clearly labelled with defined functions. Always opt for optimum font size. Also, don’t forget that your application should function logically. It’s important to note that users don’t always have the time— nor patience— to try and figure out how things work, especially when navigating your application to perform a task. Intuitiveness is key.
Similar to intuitiveness, consistency is also key. It’s crucial to offer optimal service regardless of which communication channel the end-user is using: telephone, chat, email, or the self-service portal itself.
An individual who’s taking advantage of your self-service portal should get the same, if not better, service. Customers should feel like they’re dealing with one business, using a single technology with logical knowledge at every touchpoint.
In 2020, end-users access the web in a number of different ways. Make sure to allow them to open incidents and make requests from several different access points.
For instance, not only should an end-user be able to file a request for a particular asset by contacting IT services, but they should also have the option to make similar requests using their smartphone or computer. Many organizations have IT services that offer a “one-stop-shop” solution where employees can physically visit an office to make an IT request or report an issue.
A customer advisory board or CAB is a group of consumers who come together regularly to share insights and advice with a business.
Create a CAB of your dedicated, loyal customers. Provide insight into your business’s roadmap. Understand their challenges in using your service or product. Have them become part of the journey to be more inclusive and allow feedbacks in a creative, productive manner.
Customers can provide incredible value to your service or product and business teams. Be sure to meet with the CAB on a quarterly basis.
Don’t underestimate the impact a call-to-action (CTA) has on your conversion rate. It’s the most effective and direct way you can prompt a potential customer to take action.
Details are vital when crafting an attractive CTA so pay attention!
The use of specific text font, colours, images— all factors in the success of your CTA. Therefore, make sure your call-to-action is clear and concise to grab the user’s attention. CTAs drive conversions more effectively as they directly guide prospects toward what you want them to do.
Providing better IT services to end-users in today’s modern workplace is critical. The reality, however, is there is no one-size-fits-all solution to either provide or measure end-user experience that ensures the user is satisfied. That said, the strategies mentioned above can potentially help you maximise your chances.
For further queries, leave a comment down below and share your opinions with us.
With the emergence of cloud-based applications, it’s safe to say that data has never been so quickly accessed—and easily exploited.
According to IBM, an average data breach could cost a company up to $3.86 million. This number usually doubles to $7.91 million per breach in the US alone. What this indicates is as much of an important asset data is; it can also be a serious liability.
Keeping the costly data breaches aside, the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) reports 11 more security threats related to cloud computing— this includes:
Similar to data breaches, these threats—when exploited successfully—can also be catastrophic. For instance, on August 23, 2019, T-Mobile revealed that hackers stole the personal information of 2 million users in a data breach. As reported, in a brief intrusion, hackers were able to steal sensitive customer data, including names, account numbers, email addresses, and other billing information— all through an exploited API.
Maintaining the safety of information in the cloud goes beyond securing the cloud itself. Let’s find out why cloud security is so critical in 2020.
When you bring your business operations or data to a cloud solution, it means your cloud service provider has a team overseeing your data’s security. This is a tremendous shift from the usual, on-premise datacenter controlled by your IT department. The provider will do everything in their power to secure your crucial data, but security is never 100% guaranteed.
A data breach could happen at any time, disrupting your business, hurting reputation, and triggering legal and financial issues. In order to secure data in the cloud, you must employ additional protections.
A cybersecurity firm, like Stardata, can help locate your data and manage its security. They can also put you in charge of your data and implement extra layers of security.
Misconfigurations that accidentally expose services are known to be the biggest culprits.
Everything in the cloud happens via APIs, including resource provisioning, administration, and monitoring. Any misconfigurations during critical configurations can lead to serious trouble. Therefore, API connections should be taken seriously during the initial stages of cloud adoption — possibly in the course of illustrating the architecture blueprint.
Besides, teams need to ensure that network security and encryption, workload protection, virtualization, and identity and access management (IAM) are included in this architecture blueprint.
Cloud storage servers are often under cyberattacks. Hackers are sharpening their tactics to access your cloud and steal all your information. What makes the cloud especially risky is that all types of users store their information on the same systems and infrastructure.
Your data is enormous and is specifically susceptible to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attack. In fact, even a small breach could shut down your entire business.
These vulnerabilities aren’t to say you should avoid using cloud computing entirely. If you aren’t in the cloud, it’s already affecting your business efficiency, whether you realize it or not. Not to mention it makes you less competitive.
It’s important to note that your data isn’t safe anywhere, not even inside your own company. The point is you should enhance your cloud security, rather than abandoning your cloud service. If you don’t have the skills to do it yourself, know that you can always hire Stardata to do it for you.
Understanding what the cloud actually is, how it works, and the types of data that can be stored in it is an essential first step to securing the cloud presence of your enterprise.
In today’s dynamic cloud-based world, contextual information and visibility are all that matters. Regardless of how robust your architecture is, hackers always find new loopholes to access your infrastructure.
Real-time monitoring of all resources provisioned is the safest way forward. Moreover, enforcing strong policies on cloud ownership, risk acceptance, and responsibility is vital to ensure better cloud security management. Luckily, Stardata offers solutions for cloud security. Give us a call or enquire today to learn more!
According to research, 90% of companies will have some part of their infrastructure or applications in the cloud by the end of this year, and the rest expect to follow by 2021.
Meanwhile, the efficiency, flexibility, and scalability of distributed workforces are increasing the demands on the wide-area networks (WANs) that connect representatives across cities, countries, and even continents. Both of these trends are stimulating a major shift in wide-area networking, especially businesses’ staggering uptake of SD-WAN— a real, practical advancement with a market forecast to grow over 50% from 2018 to 2023.
But what exactly is SD-WAN and why do you need it? Well, let’s find out!
SD-WAN— an acronym for software-defined networking in a wide area network— is the modern capability in WAN that makes connectivity between your workplace and remote locations easier than ever before. If your company has a WAN— presumably MPLS-based— the SD-WAN capabilities can be implemented to it as a virtual overlay.
With an SD-WAN architecture, you’re able to connect your branches and data centres and boost your network performance for less than what it would cost to solely use MPLS. You can further configure SD-WAN onto your base quickly and efficiently, which will only lead to more savings.
To answer this question, determine how beneficial SD-WAN can be for your organization. You should consider SD-WAN if you are:
Here’s why SD-WAN offering could well be the difference between success and failure.
Application-driven Technology
As you know, applications are increasingly becoming more complex and diverse. The requirements of these next-gen applications can only be met with the speed and flexibility provided by the hybrid networks used by SD-WAN, ensuring secure access and blazing-fast connectivity in remote areas.
Cost-Efficient
Before, traditional WANs relied on premium hardware, which was seen as a fundamental cost of startup. Not anymore.
With the new, cloud-enabled connectivity, SD-WAN provides enterprise-grade services with zero CAPEX investment. And with so many service providers enabling competing and varied packaged service offerings, you can now choose the functionality your business needs and pay only for what you use.
Security
As of 2019, enterprise WANs are available to more and more users, accessing them from several points and from several different devices. As a result, security has turned into a relatively weaker point for WANs. SD-WAN, on the other hand, offers enhanced security, provided centrally via an API covering your entire WAN landscape with extreme security solutions like app firewalling and encryption.
Fast and Easy Deployment
The flexibility of SD-WAN allows enterprises and service providers alike to simplify their new deployments to consumers and branch offices.
Now, for businesses, this indicates Universal Customer Premise Equipment (uCPE). They can now use the same hardware across all of their branches, regardless of the service providers in different regions. Businesses can seamlessly increase their capabilities via virtualized network functions (VNFs) on x86/ARM networking hardware.
Furthermore, for service providers, this indicates Virtual Customer Premise Equipment (vCPE). Service providers like ISPs would originally distribute hardware and software as a package for consumer connectivity. Now, it’s more cost-effective for ISPs to distribute their offerings as a virtualized solution, which is ready for computer networking using hardware already available on the consumer premises.
Centralized control
As a network manager, you have full control of your entire SD-WAN and its components. This enables you to monitor your network in its entirety, ensure centralized execution of security and operational policies, and optimize network usage.
As applications are increasingly migrating to the cloud, networking professionals are also realizing the fact that traditional WANs were never designed for the cloud.
Cloud, Internet, and Networks are what will shape the future of enterprise IT. And, the only technology to ensure this holy trinity coexists together is SD-WAN.
The role of IT is shifting in large part as each team in a company is often responsible for choosing and procuring its own software.
Essentially, what that means is that everyone should contribute to SaaS management, which includes you as well. Take employee onboarding, for instance. A standard onboarding process consists of individuals from departments, including human resources, office or operations management, IT, and engineering, as well as the team leader for the new hire’s department.
Now, each team member should have a clear perception of what the new hires need to know regarding SaaS in your company. Implementing company-wide SaaS controls indicates that, similar to how software is distributed, so is the responsibility for controlling it. It enhances your ability to onboard more effectively and to manage employees’ SaaS usage throughout their course.
SaaS is proliferating across all enterprise functions. As a result, it’s becoming more challenging to differentiate between approved and unapproved usage, as the management of such subscriptions has run outside of IT’s control.
Research shows that one in seven employees is managing (e.g. being the billing owner) for a SaaS subscription for their company. Thus, SaaS management has become increasingly crucial to monitor applications that do not meet terms and conditions or increase software spend.
Keeping control of each SaaS application attached to your company is often a logistical hurdle. Here are some of the best practices for better SaaS management across your company:
It goes without saying that managing all SaaS accounts brings your company together. It gives you a shared view and acts as a tool for your employees in IT, Finance, Compliance, and Procurement to do their jobs more efficiently and communicate regarding shared issues.
We hope these SaaS applications management best practices will help your team get organized successfully.
If you have any questions, feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions with us in the comments below. Let us know which of the aforementioned SaaS management tips helped you streamline your business processes.
Today’s robust mobile workforce has enabled many crucial business apps to operate across the web over multiple clouds. And the invention of SD-WAN has marked a significant step in the advancements of networking.
Having said that, this has brought some unique security challenges, too. So, today, we’re going to look into SD-WAN and the security challenges, as well as benefits associated with this technology.
Software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) utilizes the perks of software-defined networking (SDN) and applies them to hardware-defined networking (HDN). It implements an overlay design that centralizes and simplifies your network management, allowing the network to be more flexible. SD-WAN supports various connection types (MPLS, Internet, etc.) and boasts a user-friendly interface for maintaining WAN. It also supports virtual private networks (VPNs) and third-party services like WAN optimization controllers, firewalls, etc.
SD-WAN helps create encrypted tunnels between each site in the network, which secures the connection like a VPN does without the configuration or provisioning involved in modifying VPNs. SD-WAN solutions have built-in encryption capabilities— this ensures only an authorized user can access your network and discover connected assets. An SD-WAN designed with virtual overlays enables micro-segmentation to reach beyond the datacenter. Micro-segmentation represents traffic segmenting based on software policies and characteristics. SD-WAN simplifies granular control and allows an organization to tell its network how to handle certain types of traffic, making it less likely for malicious or unwanted traffic to access the network.
Take your time to learn everything and more about SD-WAN to fully understand the security features integrated into the solution. This will also help you determine which features are missing. Also, make sure all your relevant stakeholders know a thing or two about SD-WAN and are fully aware of how it can benefit your organization.
It wouldn’t be wise to sacrifice security over expenses. Cheaper solutions are less secure and a bad investment as you’re likely to add extra layers of security in the near future.
In the ever expanding digital world, your employees are able to work remotely and on the go through their mobiles and laptops. But how can this impact your customer’s experience with your brand? Consistency is key to managing your customer’s views about your brand. If they receive calls from phone numbers they don’t recognise, it could cause confusion and a missed opportunity. Mobile numbers, in particular, appear unprofessional when compared to a 1300/1800 or landline phone number. Having one number for your business shows prospective customers that you’re more legitimate, reliable and established. 1300 numbers additionally allow your customers to call for the cost of a local call, no matter where they are.
Telstra has been at the forefront of natively integrating desk phones and mobile into a single solution. As a Telstra Gold partner, Stardata can help improve your business’ brand recognition, mobility and streamline your communications. With one fixed line phone number your employee can head out to a meeting and call clients on their way from their mobile phone while displaying your recognisable business number. With all client calls going through one number, you’ll never miss an important call. You can easily set up call forwarding and a professional, consistent voicemail.
Stardata’s mobility solutions can benefit your business with:
Keeping your company connected on the move should be a top priority to futureproof the way your business communicated with employees, stakeholders, partners and customers.
Stardata’s mobility packages keep your business secure and affordable. If your business or start-up is growing, fixed line numbers can grow with you and are less costly to expand that landlines and desk phones for each employee.
If you’re interested in fixed line numbers and working on the go, Stardata can help your business! Give us a call on 1300 663 885 or fill out an enquiry form here.
The paperless office has been an ideal for years, but they are practical and achievable now for all industries. After some initial work, the payoff is huge and well worth the effort! Clean up your mind, desk and entire office by going paperless. Any business from large to small can go paperless if you have the right processes in place. Although you may need to keep some processes in place for legal documents. To incentivise your staff, going paperless needs to be easier than your old paper method and have benefits for them. Find out how below!
There are many reasons to go paperless, including minimising clutter and the environment:
Going paperless won’t happen overnight, here are some simple steps to take to get towards our goal of being a paperless business. Although some businesses may not be able to get rid of all paper due to legal reasons like real estate businesses or lawyers. Any little changes help! Even printing double-sided, only printing when you need and using recycled printing paper.
Stardata offers Cloud solutions for flexible and affordable server and storage solutions for businesses of any size. We have partnerships with trusted brands such as Microsoft, Cisco and VMWare. We’ll keep your data securely and reliably stored on the Cloud for your staff to access at any time. Get peace of mind and cutting edge data protection with Stardata’s Cloud Solutions. Give us a call on 1300 663 885 today or enquire online about how we can help your office go paperless.
Stardata was chosen to be one of the first partner’s nationally to trial using Telstra’s Iterra IP Enterprise Grade Satellite Services a few years ago. Satellite Services can be useful for a variety of industries including mining, government and education. Find out how Stardata and Iterra IP can help you today!
Many organisations, especially in Western Australia, have regional & remote sites that don’t have access to a good internet connection or a necessary corporate network. This is where satellites come in. For organisations with operations beyond the reach of traditional connectivity solutions, Iterra IP Satellite can provide secure, fast and reliable access to either IP networks or the Internet. It can even service offshore companies. If your business relies on data dependent services such as VPNs, video conferencing, manage large files and internet access, you could benefit from Iterra IP!
Telstra’s Iterra IP has over 2,000 global points of presence and dedicated IP-VPN services into China and Asia. You’ll have the Telstra and Stardata team on your side to protect your data and keep your company online no matter where in Australia you are. More benefits of connecting to Telstra Satellite Services include:
If you’re interested in Telstra’s Iterra IP, Stardata’s services include fixed site or mobile options for businesses on the move. Plus, connection to Telstra’s Next IPTM (MPLS) network unlimited data downloads and VLAN capacities to suit any type of industry. Give us a call on 1300 663 885 today to find out more about how Iterra IP can help your business.