One of the most business–friendly innovations in recent years has been the proliferation of cloud apps like Google Apps, Office 365, and Salesforce. These SaaS apps have fundamentally changed the way we do business, enabling companies to take advantage of economies of scale, reduce infrastructure costs, and expand the boundaries of a cubicle. Storing data in cloud applications is far safer than storing data on most on-premise storage systems — but “safe” does not equal “invulnerable.” In fact, one third of SaaS users report losing data in the cloud. Yes, the cloud is safe, but it’s not infallible and today’s cloud vendors lack the incentive to point out their vulnerabilities. So we’re steppi
In the last year, there’s been a meteoric rise in phishing attacks as hackers continue to refine and enhance their tactics, taking advantage of malware-as-a-service offerings on the dark web. The stats make for scary reading: • 89% of phishing attacks are carried out by organized crime • Phishing emails have six times the click-through rate of genuine marketing emails • In 2016 phishing led to US$3.1 billion in losses
Prepare yourself before disaster strikes. When it comes to data backup and disaster recovery (BDR), being prepared for potential disasters is key to keep your business running. It’s not only important to have a disaster recovery solution you trust, but to make sure you test it as well. Keep this DR checklist on hand Prior to a disaster ever occurring (and unfortunately it’s a matter of when and not if) ask yourself the following: • Do you have a disaster recovery solution in place? • Do you trust it? • When was the last time your backup was tested? • How long does it take to recover from your current backup solution? • How long can you realistically be down? 1 hour? 1 day? • What is the fina
Solid State Drives (SSDs) are fast and efficient. More new computers than ever come with them, and many of us have upgraded our existing PCs and Macs to them to get better performance or to replace dead or dying spinning hard drives. With prices dropping on larger SSDs, those of us who have outgrown our current models are ready to upgrade. What’s more, SSDs die and need to be replaced just like everything else. When it comes time to hand down, recycle or get rid of your SSD, what do you do? Read on for details. Don’t Bother Degaussing, Drilling Holes or “Zeroing out” an SSD First, let’s focus on some “dont’s.” These are tried and true methods used to make sure that your data is unrecoverable
These days, we rely on our phones for just about everything. So, imagine if you thought you were locked out of your iPhone due to a ransomware infection. In a recent scam, some iPhone users browsing in the Safari app thought just that. According to the BBC, the scam launches a pop-up accusing users of viewing illicit websites or illegally downloaded music. However, no data is actually encrypted. The “scareware” demanded a ransom of over $100 in the form of an iTunes gift card in the hope that victims will pay the ransom before realizing their device is not locked. According to Apple Insider, another scam enacts an endless loop of pop-ups to attempt to lock the user out of their browser. Fort
