5 Pro Tips for Safer Browsing

/in /by

It’s not surprising that these days everyone is getting hacked. We spend most of our time on the internet, yet have no idea on how to protect ourselves against cybercrime.

When surfing the web, you leave a trail of data behind. Internet service providers, ad networks and social media websites can access this data and use it for commercial purposes. There are various ways one can secure their data so as to browse the web more securely and privately.

Here are 5 basic cybersecurity tips for keeping your data safe on the internet:

  1. Virtual Private Network (VPN)

This service allows users to hide their internet traffic from their service provider. But this still sends all your internet traffic to the VPN provider and most free VPN providers sell your data to show you targeted ads. Even premium providers are often accused of not even encrypting customers’ data.

The best VPN providers are the ones you could create and control yourself, such as, Algo VPN. This setup allows you to control the connection, server and your data.

 

  1. Secure Domain Name System (DNS)

This converts web addresses to computer-readable IP addresses. Most devices automatically use the one set up by the internet provider. This means that your internet provider has access to all the websites that you visit. Moreover, in the US, Congress passed a law that allows internet providers to sell users’ browsing history to advertisers. This is why it is essential for you to have a secure and private DNS. Google’s Public DNS, for instance, is very easy to set up on your device or router. Cloudflare’s secure DNS is another great alternative, which encrypts your traffic, does not sell data to advertisers and only stores data for a maximum of 24hrs. You can get started with Cloudflare here: https://bit.ly/2Il6P9Q

 

  1. HTTPS

Using HTTPS-enabled websites ensures one has a secure connection from their device to the website that they are browsing. Major websites are generally HTTPS-enabled. This makes it virtually impossible for anyone to have access to your online traffic or steal your data. Private and public generated keys are stored in your server and used to encrypt and then decrypt data in transit. Even when using a public Wi-Fi connection, an HTTPS-enabled website will protect you from spies on your network. Not every website you visit will be HTTPS-enabled or it may not be activated. This is why it is heavily recommended to use a browser extension that loads websites in HTTPS, by default. Such tool can be found here: https://bit.ly/18qiajr

 

  1. Get rid of Web plug-ins

You are more than likely to have forgotten about Flash and Java. This is due to them becoming obsolete. These plug-ins allow users to access interactive content on their browser. These have been replaced by HTML5, a technology integrated into web browsers. Thus, it is highly advisable that you remove such plug-ins from your browser. Most of these contain bugs and make your system more liable to attack, even by just being installed.

 

  1. Install plug-ins and extensions to increase security

Ad-blocker – apart from blocking ads, this protects you against harmful code that can track your web traffic. This extension also loads websites much faster. A popular open-source blocker can be found here: https://bit.ly/1QB8qq6

 

Cross-site tracker blocker – very small trackers are hidden on websites that track users from one website to another, in order to learn more about each user and serve the most suitable ads. When enabling this type of extension, users are somewhat hidden on the internet and are not visible to trackers. The following is reliable tool that gets the job done: https://bit.ly/19X2aH0

Database Outsourcing

/in /by

Conventional ‘cheaper’ and ‘better’ reasons may not be enough for many organisations thinking of outsourcing their database management systems. Points being:

  1. Core vs Chore

The key to getting the most out of outsourced remote management is through finding the best balance of services across support areas, whether the need is for remote application management, database administration, or specialised functional support. Having a dedicated and reliable team will allow you to free internal resources to focus on more important and vital projects. This will allow your internal IT team to focus on more ‘core’ tasks instead of wasting valuable resources on ‘chore’ tasks.

  1. Better Results, More Value with Less Resources.

Cost savings is usually the most tangible benefits of offloading “chore” tasks to focus on “core” tasks. When you find the right outsourced team for remote database and application management, you typically will get more out of the resources at hand; like on-demand access to a senior-level expert, which will save you the time and capital normally required to do so. Choosing the right partner with a managed service provider, gives you access to the specialised person for the respective job whenever the need arises and you would not need to find or hire other external consultants.

  1. Giving your Organisation the best talent available.

Finding the right-sourcing to a qualified database and application managed services provider, serves as another big advantage which gives you constant access to a comprehensive, seasoned team of experts and specialists found in the IT industry.

  1. Consistency, Availability and Efficiency.

Every business oriented person needs to be prepared to counter any problems or inconveniences that may rise from time to time. When it comes to technology, any setback can result in catastrophic consequences for the business. With remote management, you can provide IT support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year – with no room for sick days, vacations, or interruptions. It does not matter what time zone you are in; rest assured that a specialised and dedicated team is always available around-the-clock to solve your problems.

  1. Cost Effective.

When database management is outsourced, an organisation will not need a team to set up and monitor your database infrastructure.

  1. Reduce Risks

No one can invest and keep up with the upgrades better than these outsourced specialists.  A third-party vendor combines knowledgeable staff with state-of-the-art technology to greatly minimize risks to their clientele. Outsourcing database maintenance will:

  • Ensure patches are installed the minute they’re released
  • Ensure backups are always updated and verified to be working
  • Detect hiccups in the infrastructure that may lead to an impending crash, hardware failure, or a database corruption – the instant they happen.

It is no hidden fact that with today’s vast and fast-growing Technology; Outsourcing Database is, just as fast, becoming the new trend.

The 5 Basic Steps for IT Strategy & Planning

/in /by

When one talks about strategic planning, it is nearly impossible to plan for every single eventuality which might arise. This is especially relevant for the ever-growing IT sector, so technological advancements can render even the best IT infrastructure obsolete in mere months.

Step 1. Outline your Business Goals and Objectives.

The organisation’s IT infrastructure should support and enhance one’s business requirements. To determine what type of infrastructure the organisation needs, goals and objectives need to be set up beforehand to determine scope, timelines, budgets and before establishing who the right stakeholders are.  It is important to keep all goals as realistic as possible, as too much ambition can lead to failure.

Analyse the following aspects:

  • Sales targets
  • Upcoming major projects, collaborations and/or acquisitions
  • Growth plans
  • IT optimisation through any recent or future business endeavours

Step 2.  Define your Scope, Timelines and Stakeholders.

After the organisation has a defined set of goals, one must plan how to achieve these goals, and how the current or future IT infrastructure will support such goals. At this point, one must determine the stakeholders involved, for example; if the organisation wants to implement a new business intelligence software to generate more sales leads, the organisation needs to determine who will be involved in the purchasing team. In such a situation, one needs to determine who the end user will be.

Step 3. Review Your Infrastructure.

When it comes to future planning, it is vital that the organisation is well informed and aware of the current IT infrastructure being utilised. First, one should start by defining all existing challenges and obstructions relating to the IT set up and creates a realistic strategy for them to be eliminated or phased out. Secondly, one has to recognise what is functioning and saving the organisation time and/or money, so as to find the necessary resources to strengthen and upgrade such infrastructure. Regular upgrades of server management systems and the employment (or upgrading) of enterprise-wide systems to support other business functions is a must in order to keep up with the latest technology.

Step 4. Create a Roadmap for Resource Allocation and Architecture.

Start by identifying your overall technology architecture, which is made up of the major software, hardware and other tools you are going to be using. Then, consider any department-specific technology that might be required to meet all business goals, like specialist financial or HR software. Lastly, think about how the parts in your architecture fit together, and what processes will govern their integration.

Step 5. Define Your Metrics.

Since your IT strategy is supporting your business needs, you need to make sure that it is functional and cost effective in the long term. It is unacceptable to be losing money on something designed to advance your business! If necessary; set up key performance indicators, quality checks and audits, whilst staying on the lookout for the next innovation to go in your shopping basket, as the technological circle continuous to evolve!