Tag Archives: LinkedIn

Data Protection Strategies Important For MSPs

August 10, 2015 Damien Garvey

Protection of data is becoming one of the serious issues for MSPs. To provide maximum data protection to small and medium sized companies, service providers need to place security at top of the list. Due to new technologies, systems and devices, important data is vulnerable to serious threats. It is the need of the hour to create policies for the security of data to tackle such threats.

Inform Clients on Security Policies:
Many companies do not advertise managed security services, but it helps in providing information to clients for data protection policies. Select reliable source of publication for latest information. Check Twitter and LinkedIn to get an idea of latest trends. In case your clients are not well informed about your security policies, chances are they can find out from your competitors. As a result, clients will figure out how to get some IT solutions from your competitors.

Train Staff on Trending Security Threats:
New threats are coming into sight daily. To cope with such threats, companies need to educate their staff. Workers must have intimate information about Phishing scams, malicious mails, lateral attacks, and malware that start off through guest access.

Standardize IT Solutions:
To minimize the risk of data breaches, it is necessary to select only standardized technology solutions. A firm that is working with an enterprise-level PSA solutions can get maximum benefit by selecting standardized solutions. For example: access rules, liabilities, and planning for disaster recovery can be established by IT managers by selecting standardized apps. It has the ability to improve exposure, as well as response time whilst offering a medium to check performance level.

Avoid File Sharing Services?
Due to P2P technology, it is common to borrow applications and files. This feature gives way to data breaches. When file sharing services are used, it becomes difficult for users to avoid malicious code that get confidential information, as well as breach copyright ownership. Instead of avoiding such services, MSPs can demonstrate that they are following data protection policies to handle such situations:

– Inform clients what type of risks are linked with P2P and file sharing networks;
– Use firewall and perimeter network defense systems to block programs related to file sharing;
– Keep on observing the network to make certain that unofficial file sharing networks are not running;
– Have some restrictions where staff is permitted to save important data.

Plan for Patch Management:
Microsoft has fixed a particular date of each month for patch management. All recognized flaws are fixed at that particular date so that programs and operating systems work in a safe environment to give productive end results. In May 2015, about 46 vulnerabilities were noted* in Windows Server, Silverlight, SharePoint, Desktop Windows and Adobe’s Flash.

MSPs have thousands of software applications, and each of these software has gateways for intruders. In order to patch up such holes which lead towards data breaches, patch management technology is used to maintain security level. There are many companies that do not consider this tiresome process as important to execute each month. MSPs must have all-inclusive priority based strategies for patch management.

* – http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/microsoft-patch-tuesday-may-2015

Empowering Collaboration

June 17, 2015 Callum Huddlestone

Collaboration has been around for two decades now. Yet, companies who have looked over collaboration options available over the LAN, exhibit unease around the concept and seem to prefer to use email for collaboration rather than collaboration tools. But, email has its limitations as a collaboration tool. Users can collaborate with only one user at a time and a number of versions of a document may be generated as multiple users work independently on the same document and return it to storage server. The process of shuffling the documents back and forth between the users can also hamper productivity and may even prove deterministic as it allows for only one working style.

The cloud has empowered collaboration by transforming Outlook and Word into collaboration tools. The barriers for entry such as large monetary investment in collaboration tools have been removed and the pay as you go model ensures that the tools are just a click away. SharePoint servers linked to the cloud become all the more powerful as partners and contractors integrate into the workflow and remote branch office no longer feel isolated from decision making as they have access to the same tools.

Interestingly, collaboration is accommodating and absorbing a number of emerging devices/ communication modes into workflows. The mobile worker, the smart phone, the iPhone or laptop user can quickly and easily link up to the network and collaborate with their colleagues stationed across the globe. IM, Facebook, LinkedIn and other modes of communication add on to the collaborative process, creating a dynamic, buzzing business environment.

This multiplicity of collaboration tools has naturally highlighted and intensified questions around security. But, it must be remembered that the focus on security is greater with mobility and cloud vendors have made security enhancements to meet these new challenges. Moreover, documents passed around for collaboration are often hedged around with access rights, roles and privileges unlike email documents which travel as mere attachments to the mail.

We, at Backup Technology, believe that collaboration will be the way of work in the future and have strengthened the collaboration tools that are available with our software. Collaborating with the right secure software is a low risk, high reward option. You are welcome to test drive our product. Sign up for a trial and check out how our product, helps your organisation capitalise on the new opportunities that open up with collaboration.

LinkedIn Email Addresses Exposed by Plugin

April 2, 2014 Sam Richardson

A Google Chrome browser plugin can be used to expose the email addresses of LinkedIn users.

The plugin, called Sell Hack, can be installed on any Chrome browser and when users of it browse LinkedIn profiles, a “hack in” icon appears.

LinkedIn is said to be taking legal action over the plugin and advised users to uninstall. However, the nature of the plugin is such that its users will most likely not heed LinkedIn’s warning until threatened with stronger action.

Sell Hack insists that the the tool was created for marketing professionals and that all data is publicly available.�On its website it said: “We just do the heavy lifting and complicated computing to save you time, We aren’t doing anything malicious to LinkedIn.”

LinkedIn however issued Sell Hack with legal documents. A spokesmen said:�”We are doing everything we can to shut Sell Hack down. On 31 March LinkedIn’s legal team delivered Sell Hack a cease-and-desist letter as a result of several violations”.

LinkedIn, as of June 2013 (more recent stats couldn’t be found) had 259 million users, so the potential number of affected users is likely to be huge.

Google Chrome has many plugins and tools that can be downloaded free of charge by users. Whilst most have no malicious intent or use, most plugins are produced by third parties, so the potential for malware to be produced is there.

The full consequences of the plugin are yet to surface, however it is expected that many users will certainly receive nuisance�emails as a result of this.

Technology Firms Demand Change in Surveillance Reform

December 10, 2013

Some of the leading technology firms in the USA have come together and formed an alliance called Reform Government Surveillance group.

The group consists of eight companies, Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, AOL, Microsoft, LinkedIn and Yahoo with their main aim to persuade the US government to drastically change its surveillance programmes.

The group has been formed after Edward Snowden who is an ex US intelligence contractor revealed the extent of the surveillance that is carried out by the US government. Such surveillance methods involved tapping fibre-optic cables, collecting phone records and hacking networks.

In an open letter to Washington which can be found on their website, the group stated, �We understand that governments have a duty to protect their citizens. But this summer�s revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide. The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual � rights that are enshrined in our Constitution. This undermines the freedoms we all cherish. It�s time for a change.�

Members of the group believe that the level of surveillance that is going on has got out of hand and needs to be controlled.

Mark Zuckerberg who is the chief executive of Facebook stated, �Reports about government surveillance have shown there is a real need for greater disclosure and new limits on how governments collect information. The US government should take this opportunity to lead this reform effort and make things right.�

Since Snowden revealed the extent of the surveillance methods, the Reform Government Surveillance group is campaigning to have the permission to publish details of data requests. At the moment, some companies such as Apple and Google have revealed that they have had requests from the US authorities to hand data over but they are unable to detail just how much user data has been handed over to the authorities.

The Reform Government Surveillance group stated, �Transparency is essential to a debate over governments’ surveillance powers and the scope of programs that are administered under those powers. Governments should allow companies to publish the number and nature of government demands for user information. In addition, governments should also promptly disclose this data publicly,�

Are you concerned about how much data has had to be shared with the authorities?