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BYOD: Be aware of the issues and drawbacks

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BYOD: Be aware of the issues and drawbacks BYOD refers to the concept of allowing employees to use their own personal phones, tablets, and laptops for all their work tasks. By now, except in firms with exceptionally high-risk situations, this is a pretty common policy. It has many benefits, but it brings along risks. Have you considered the risks BYOD creates? Here are some of the issues raised by BYOD: Devices get lost. If you issue company phones, you have the ability and authority to remotely wipe the unit clean if it is lost or stolen. With employees’ personal devices, do you still have that ability? If not, your data is at risk. Software and security updates.  Is the employee responsible for updating all the software and virus protection programs on their own devices? If that responsibility transfers to them, you are at the mercy of their willingness to keep track of such tedious tasks. If you accept responsibility for it, do you have the in-house staff to handle all the ...
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Data security: A human resource issue

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Data security: A human resource issue The vast majority of all security incidents involve human error. Ashley Schwartau of The Security Awareness Company says that the two biggest mistakes a company can make are “assuming their employees know internal security policies” and “assuming their employees care enough to follow policy.” There are many security risks to which your data is susceptible, but there is one method that remains a wonderfully effective hacking tool and it illustrates the role employees play if breaking down your data security efforts. That is the phishing scam. This scam is a legitimate looking email that asks the reader to click on a link. If clicked, the link can infect the user’s computer with malicious software that can steal passwords, logins, and other critical data. Alternatively, the email appears to be from a legitimate source, perhaps even duplicating a legitimate web page. The distinction is that the phishing email asks the user to enter personal informatio...
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The Essential 8

What would happen if you were hacked and your client's data was released publicly? What would happen if you lost the minimum 7 years of records that you are legally obligated to keep? Having your business backed up on an external hard drive that lives in an office cupboard or a staff members wardrobe won’t get your business back up and running when you get hacked. And I say when, because the questions is not if you get hacked, but when. Hackers are having a field day across this country, with more than half of all businesses hit by cyber-attacks and hackers, and over 64% of Australian businesses experienced IT disruption in 2020. * The easiest targets are the accounting, financial services and legal sectors because you hold the most sensitive information that is lucrative to steal. How we do business has changed dramatically in the last 18 months, and with staff working remotely, even downloading or opening a PDF file that appears innocent in an inbox or online can take over your ...
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