by clikcloud | Oct 19, 2017 | SMB Technology, Technology News
You don’t need to be based in the European Union to be subject to the new Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) scheduled to take effect in May of 2018. These broad standards for compliance protect the data of any EU citizen regardless of where the data resides. You will want to know how to avoid fines as high as 4% of your total global revenue. In fact, reading this article may help you demonstrate compliance by educating yourself. Even if your company may not need to comply, GDPR enforces best practices in data protection, so read on. What is the Global Data Protection Regulation? General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a uniform standard for data protection for individuals of the European Union (EU). Proposed by the European Commission, it is expected to go into effect in May of 2018. Not only does it protect privacy information for EU residents, but it also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU. Does My Business Need to Comply? If you store email addresses and other personal information of EU residents, you might be subject to GDPR. In our ever-shrinking global economy, it is not uncommon to have EU individuals’ privacy information. The GDPR standard includes health information, marketing databases, and commercial information, among others. For example, you may have personal information in your email databases; companies that sell via e-commerce may also have personal information subject to GDPR. How to Comply with GDPR Start by understanding the compliance requirements. Taking steps to educate yourself not only helps you comply, it may also lessen fines if you are in breach....
by clikcloud | Oct 3, 2017 | SMB Technology, Technology News
Most experts agree we will create more Data this year than in all prior years combined. According to research firm IDG the world will create 163 zettabytes of data a year by 2025. It is no surprise IDC forecasts worldwide spending on public cloud services and infrastructure to reach $122.5 billion in 2017, an increase of 24.4% over 2016. What is driving this growth and what do you need to know to manage what’s in your data center? What is Driving Data Center Growth? While businesses are drowning in data they find themselves starved for information. Trends in mobility, social media, and customer analytics can create an exponential explosion of data in your business. Business applications, email archives, file sharing and more all drive us to hoard and store data like never before. Regulatory compliance requires many industries to archive data. Additionally, low-cost storage allows businesses to easily accumulate data on a range of devices including desktops, laptops, and on-premise services. Many companies turn to economical options including Infrastructure as a Service for Application Hosting and Failover to store and protect this data. How can a Business Benefit from Infrastructure as a Service? Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a way for businesses to use cloud computing to tap into computer resources over the Internet. The Cloud Computing model allows businesses to avoid the Capital Expense (CapEX) of investing in infrastructure. The business owner only pays (rents) the portion that is consumed. This utility computing model is adopted by most businesses today and helps alleviate some of the concerns related to managing your own data center. How to Avoid...
by clikcloud | Sep 20, 2017 | SMB Technology, Technology News
The internet of Things (IoT) is much-talked-about technology. Driven by low-cost sensors, ubiquitous connectivity and updates to the Internet Protocol (IP), IoT is rapidly being adopted. Research firm Gartner expects over 8 billion devices connected in 2017. Cities use IoT to relieve parking congestion by collecting data on open parking spots; farmers can measure moisture in soil; and manufacturers use this technology to track inventory in their supply chain. Because these devices may use machine-to-machine connectivity without human intervention, this can increase the IoT Security Challenge. Here are some security considerations for IoT. IoT Network Security IoT Network Security goes beyond traditional network security requirements for connecting PCs, Laptops, Tablets and servers together. Networks supporting IoT will need to support a wider range of devices using a wider range of protocols for connectivity. Not surprisingly, Markets and Markets forecast IoT network security as the largest segment of a market expected to grow to over $29 billion by 2022. IoT Encryption One of the primary business benefits of IoT is the data that can be collected and analyzed from these devices. Using IoT encryption technologies to protect this information at rest or in transit is an IoT Security Challenge for businesses adopting IoT technologies. Standard encryption technology is stretched to its limits by IoT encryption requirements. Specialized IoT encryption technologies are needed due to the wide range of devices used for IoT deployments. IoT Security Reporting and Analytics IoT applications are not immune to hackers and security breach attempts. Due to the volume of devices, monitoring and analyzing IoT security will become increasingly challenging. Artificial intelligence and big-data analytics are...
by clikcloud | Sep 12, 2017 | SMB Technology, Technology News
Recent Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, along with major earthquakes in Mexico, remind us how vulnerable we can be to disasters, and underscore the importance of data protection. As businesses depend on access to a range of systems–including call center, communications and collaboration application, customer management, and more–having a solid data protection plan can help you in a disaster recovery scenario. Now more than ever, a range of options exist to help maintain business continuity. Here are a few options to consider. Review Your Data Protection Plan Key to your data protection plan is identification of mission-critical systems. The most important systems should be redundant, with the ability for failover in the event of a disaster. Your data centers and failover options should be geographically dispersed and on different network backbones. This can minimize downtime and get you back up and running sooner. Having your data backup available in Cloud Storage can help you recover other important files and application data if you lose access to your on-premise systems. SD-WAN for Business Continuity Software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) can also provide you a highly reliable and redundant network. Having the ability to switch Wide Area Networks using SD-WAN as an alternative to more costly MPLS solutions can ensure connectivity during a natural disaster. What’s more, Software-Defined Wide Area Networking can save you money in the long run by giving you the flexibility of a multi-carrier solution. Software as a Service for Disaster Recovery More businesses are turning to the Cloud for a range of applications–hosted email, Voice over IP (VoIP), Call Center, and others–to keep communications flowing during a disaster....
by clikcloud | Aug 22, 2017 | SMB Technology, Technology News
According to a recent research report “Assessing the Cloud Security Landscape” by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), 85% of business owners and IT professionals participating in a survey responded that they are Confident in their Cloud Service Provider. No wonder research firm IDC predicts the market for public and private cloud security to more than double over the next few years. What Cloud Security Concerns are top of mind with business owners, and what can you do to reduce your risk? Read more to find out… Cloud Security Concerns According to the CompTIA research, the biggest security concerns are: system downtime and business interruptions; exposure or loss of data during file transfers to the cloud; and concerns over encryption of data (either transactional or at rest). Rounding out the top five concerns from the research are physical security of cloud service provider data centers, and shared technology vulnerabilities in a multi-tenant environment. Many of the risks related to these issues can be avoided with appropriate technologies, and by adhering to industry compliance regulations. Questions to Ask About Cloud Security To help you sleep at night, there are a number of questions you can ask your Cloud Service Provider to better understand security considerations. You may want to know where your data resides. Understanding data residency could help you navigate standards related to regulatory compliance or specific country requirements on data residency. Consider asking your Cloud Service Provider about their encryption policies, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and their data integrity and retention policies. Is the Cloud Right for All of My Data? Data that is strictly regulated...
