Aug 21, 2015 | SMB Technology
Are you ready to embrace the benefits of the Cloud? Whether your company is ready to acquire new software-as-a-service (SaaS) capabilities or in need of infrastructure upgrades via infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), Cloud has now reached new heights in the small and medium-sized business (SMB) world. According to current research by International Data Corporation (IDC), fifty percent of all companies are using at least one public SaaS offering, with a further 20% planning to implement such a service within the year. Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and (IaaS) are less used today, but there is interest and growth in that direction. Top Reasons for Moving to the Cloud According to the same report by IDC, here are the top five reasons that your business should be moving to the Cloud: Get access to the newest functionality faster. Improve utilization. Reduce the cost of overall IT spending. Improve staff productivity. Give business units more direct control over sourcing IT solutions. Bottom Line On Cloud There is no denying that the Cloud is here to stay and all indications are that the sooner you start to incorporate it into your technology portfolio the better. The fact is your competitors are getting the message and there is competitive risk at stake. Because the hallmark of Cloud is flexibility and agility, it can be relatively low risk to try it out. The ‘pay as you play’ Cloud subscription model means there is little financial investment to get started. This all adds up to low barrier to entry. There are many economic reasons for moving to the Cloud and there are also compelling practical considerations and strategic opportunities. So...
Aug 10, 2015 | SMB Technology
Wearable technology, especially Smartwatches, including the Apple Watch, the Samsung Gear, and the Microsoft Band, are all the rage and are expected to become even more popular over the coming years. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), 2015 will see as many as 72.1 million wearables shipped. They are popular and fashionable, but do they leave your network open to potential security breaches? Wearables and Security Risks Wearables represent another attack target for the cybercriminals who are currently enjoying the opportunities presented by mobile devices. Wearables have the same potential for data leakage, data loss, and industrial espionage as mobile devices. Some security experts agree that the current wearables have a limited attack surface. Other experts believe that there is a risk of a hack and warn that the danger could increase. Future wearables will likely behave as current mobile devices, making them far more appealing than computers for cybercriminals. Like computers, wearable devices are built on familiar operating systems and have vulnerabilities. Because security and privacy are not a priority for developers, these devices are not being built with security front of mind. Considering that some companies encourage employees to bring their own devices, security threats of wearables should be incorporated into a firm’s policies. Bring Your Own Device Policy and Wearables Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, in which companies give employees the choice to use their own iPhones, iPads and Android smartphones for work, is a trend that business cannot avoid. A number of firms still do not have adequate policies, controls, or even the right technology. Some say a BYOD policy should include wearables...
