Cloud Computing Archives - Page 8 of 9

Identity Theft Law: What Health Care Providers Need to Know

November 30, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Original article by Steven Toporoff

As many as nine million Americans have their identities stolen each year. The crime takes many forms. But when identity theft involves health care, the consequences can be particularly severe.

Medical identity theft happens when a person seeks health care using someone else’s name or insurance information. A survey conducted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that close to 5% of identity theft victims have experienced some form of medical identity theft. Victims may find their benefits exhausted or face potentially life-threatening consequences due to inaccuracies in their medical records. The cost to health care providers — left with unpaid bills racked up by scam artists — can be staggering, too.

The Lowdown on Laptops: Data Security for the Road Warrior

November 28, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Scan the lobby at any office building and you’ll see them: Busy executives scrolling through messages on their PDAs, flipping through stacks of client files, and carrying on animated conversations with colleagues via cell phone. No one appreciates the convenience of today’s virtual office more than the globetrotting Road Warrior. But are you maintaining the same high standards for data security when you’re on the go? Here are some tips for reducing the risk of a glitch when you’re away from the office:

Microsoft Launches WebsiteSpark Program

September 28, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

Scott Guthrie has announced on his blog that Microsoft Corporation recently launched a sponsor-based program called WebsiteSpark. The program is designed to help small professional web development and design service companies with 10 employees or less succeed by providing access to business opportunities, support, training, software and solutions.

WebsiteSpark is designed for independent web developers and web development companies that build web applications and web sites on behalf of others. It enables them to get software, support and business resources from Microsoft at no cost for three years, and to expand their business and build great web solutions using ASP.NET, Silverlight, SharePoint and PHP, and the open source applications built on top of them.

Why Email Encryption is Critical

September 24, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

We’ve all heard the admonition a couple of times to secure our confidential data before sending it as an email attachment. Even a simple password-protected zip file is still better than nothing. On the high end, email encryption using tools like PGP, or the one included with Astaro Security Gateway will insure that your email is protected from prying eyes. There are free tools out there like AxCrypt, the open source file encryption software which allows you to encrypt single files or folders. I have seen a lot of clients sending off bank statements, credit card and social security numbers via email without encryption or protection.

Benefits of Using Managed Services

August 11, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

The rapid growth in online commerce and the way we interact has great significance for small business owners since it affects our ability to collaborate online, work remotely and engage in transactions with several parties even on a global scale. The underlying glue that makes all this work however, is confidence. We are able to do all the wonderful things with technology because we allowed ourselves to believe that our information will be protected and that the risks of foul play are minimized.

This expansion in connectivity creates new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, but especially for small business owners. At the same time, the new frontiers bring along a new set of vulnerabilities and threats like phishing, pharming, identity theft, data leakage and unmanaged endpoints. Recent research shows that about 63 percent of businesses are going to experience some form of information loss and regulatory breach which will lead to damage to reputation and loss of revenue, partners and customers.

Small businesses have to find ways to maximize current technologies and must do so in a cost effective manner. As is often the case, many small businesses have little Information Technology experience and cannot afford to maintain a full-time IT department because it is just too expensive, time-consuming and in many instances flat-out inefficient.

Employee Surveillance on Steroids

April 6, 2016May 28, 2009 by Daniel Ihonvbere

So the other day I went to a conference on security and listened to a couple of rehashed arguments on why business owners should secure their networks, data and mobile devices. Pretty standard stuff.

Then we got into the latest development in employee monitoring and surveillance technology and I found myself going “whoa”, can they really do that? Sad fact is, yes, employers can really strip you down to your bones in terms of keeping tabs on what you do at work.