George Manjarrez

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The Cloud Offers Solution for Crowded Data Space

Collaboration in any workplace is a good thing. But when collaboration leads to an excessive amount of data on an already bogged-down shared space, the future looks crowded.

Here’s a common scenario in any organization. A person creates a document and saves it to the server. That person then emails it to a superior, who downloads a copy to the server, makes some changes, saves a new version of the document, and sends it back to the creator.

That person then downloads the edited copy, makes changes and saves a new copy to the server. That copy is then emailed to 20 other people, who all save it to a personal folder within the server. Now, continue that for a few more rounds. Then add in more documents. By this time, there are now over fifty copies of a hundred different documents saved to one workplace server. Sound crowded?

Data storage can be a convoluted mess, especially if you are trying to work within the confines of one folder, or one computer, or one server. Sharing and collaborating becomes complex when you have to assign labels to the most recently modified or latest version. But luckily, these days there is a solution: the cloud.

The Cloud Provides Endless Storage for A Small Price

There are more than a dozen different cloud solutions, different ones offering platforms or particulars to meet a variety of needs. The one thing they all have in common is floating storage, or rather, a location to store vast amounts of documents, and almost all of them offer their services at a relatively low price. So even if you have a hundred versions of a document, you can save them all on the cloud, without the stress of clogging up your network files and server.

The Cloud Provides Clean Collaboration

The cloud provides 24-hour access of work documents to anyone with an internet connection. So when Frank is creating a presentation for the board, he can invite Stacy, Peter, and Bill to provide feedback on the same document at the same time, and as Frank implements the changes, the others can instantly respond. Forget about sending a document to 10 people and trying to coordinate all of their responses—the cloud does it easily.

Considerations for Cloud Data Storage Options

When considering your storage options, especially within the cloud, there is quite a bit to consider. Do you want your cloud service to provide encryption to secure the information? Do you want the cloud files to be searchable, or rather have the particulars of the files be classifiable? Do you want your cloud server to automatically update to newer versions?

Those are just some of the questions one can ask when considering the cloud. Consider what is the best system for collaboration and storage provisions and go from there. There are many cloud options, options that can provide any organization optimal storage, collaboration and workplace efficiency.

It news brought to you by intrinium.com

Source: bsminfo.com/doc/the-importance-of-data-discovery-0001

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More Sophisticated Cyber Attacks lend to Security Update Urgency

Delaying security updates is increasingly common and easy with the convenient dropdown option to “Remind Me in 10 minutes” or “Remind Me in 1 Day.” How often do we use such delays when we need to use our computer now for the project we’re working on? New reports are finding that pushing back those security updates is going to cost you more than just 10 minutes of your work time. As cyber attacks become more sophisticated, outdated security programs and software become easy targets for harmful security breaches—breaches that can affect you and your business.

Cyber Attacks Growing More Sophisticated

As security technology improves, cyber attackers are turning sophisticated. In a 2015 Threat Report, McAfee noted that technically-sophisticated cyber attacks are significantly increasing, and many of the attacks were specifically designed to thwart security defenses. Cyber attacks, the report says, are “sophisticated in their planning, targeting, stalking, and execution; some were even highly technical or evasive.”  Attackers only need to wait for any unprotected moment in software defenses.

In recent years, healthcare organizations have been the victims of many of these sophisticated attacks because of the vast amount of valuable information collected from clients and patients. In the last year alone, one significant hack or breach was recorded every month for healthcare organizations in the United States. Cyber attacks are focusing less on grab-and-go information like credit card numbers that have to quickly be used and then changed, but rather, schemers are focusing on information they can steal and then lay and wait for deeper impact and financial reward. But healthcare is not the only sector at risk. Every individual is at risk to lose identity or money, and every company or organization is at risk to lose clients and their trust.

Urgent Need for Security Updates

As cyber attacks continue to grow in frequency and sophistication, outdated security software becomes an easy target for attackers. According to a Ponemon Institute Study, the most common threat for healthcare organizations is attackers exploiting software vulnerabilities: software or defenses outdated by three months or older.

Security software is continually learning and improving its defenses, creating new walls and gates to prevent malicious attacks to get your information. And for ages, security software companies have been urging technology users to update and secure software; yet, these areas of access remain the most common way for successful cyber attacks. Businesses and consumers alike do not give the necessary attention to update security software nor recognize the importance of it.

So when your security software prompts you to update, just do it. Do not ignore default configurations or suggested scans. Pay attention to security alerts and reported malicious activity. Businesses can contract security attention to reliable security IT management companies. Individuals can download security software updates. But as a whole, to better secure our information, we need to give as much attention to our security updates as cyber attackers give to us and our lack or secure defenses.

IT news brought to you by intrinium.com.

Source: healthcareitnews.com/news/healthcare-enters-new-cybersecurity-era-hacktivists-organized-crime-foreign-nationals-take-aim

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How to get started in the cloud

It is no secret that the world is transitioning to more online access and cloud-based technology, and it is definitely important to get your business started in the cloud. The problem is that once you have decided to get on board in the cloud, you may not necessarily know how to get started, especially with something that is so vast and encompasses so much stuff. Here are some tips for getting your business started in the cloud.

Start with just one project

You may want to immediately jump in and start doing all your projects in the cloud immediately, but that can be overwhelming and cause a lot of problems. An easier way is to transition slowly, starting with just one project. According to Healthcare IT News, starting with one pilot program will help you get a better feel of how you can use the technology, so you’ll have more success as you move forward with other problems.

Test out something free: Google

Google Docs work entirely in the cloud and can be set up with a free Gmail account. This is the first real taste you can get of how seamlessly your company can work together online. The docs, sheets, or other projects are automatically saved as they are edited, and multiple people can be in editing the docs at the same time. Start by just creating one doc, share it with some friends, and experiment with editing options, according to Read Write. Real-time collaboration is one of the best ways to work in groups as a business and makes it easier for management to track employee progress since they constantly have access to the work that is being done.

Get a cloud-based spreadsheet program

Spreadsheets are essential in a business because they track organization and help you to commute data. A lot of different options are available, including Google Sheets, SpreadsheetLive, Smartsheet, Quickbase, and more. Google is a great place to start because it is free and has the features mentioned above, but there are limitations to the program that you won’t find with other options. By finding a spreadsheet program that you like that fits all your company’s needs, you’ll be able to start moving your spreadsheet data onto the cloud to keep it secure and easy to access for all employees.

Switch out to QuickBooks online

Most companies are using QuickBooks already, but all that information is being stored on internal servers. In the event of a disaster that destroys your brick and mortar location, that QuickBooks data with all your customer information needs to be available online. The other great feature about using it in the cloud is that you can connect it to other programs for more efficiency, including ones such as Salesforce and WebTurboTax. By connecting all these programs together, you are able to more seamlessly manage your company’s finances and your sales programs. Of course, your company’s goal is to eventually get 100% paperless and completely on the cloud, but sometimes it takes one step at a time to really get there in the easiest and most efficient manner.

IT news brought to you by intrinium.com

Sources: healthcareitnews.com/news/evolution-cloud-enablement readwrite.com/2011/09/19/7-ways-to-get-started-with-clo

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Transform your company with virtualization

Virtualization is a concept that is not widely understood but an important one for businesses looking to push their company into the future and transform their work environments. Efficiency is the key for every business because it means you are getting more done in less time. With virtualization, you’ll be able to boost the efficiency within your business and limit a lot of the problems you may currently be facing. You may need to work with your managed IT service provider to determine how and when to make the change to more virtualization. Here are a couple of different things from IT Portal to consider.

Two different types of virtualization

There are many different ways to get virtualization into your company, but there are two that are more important to focus on than the rest. Desktop virtualization: Most people refer to this as “remote desktop,” or the ability to access your desktop from literally any other computer if you have the right credentials. The advantages to this are endless because it allows you and your employees a lot of flexibility to work from anywhere to get their work done. If an employee needs to take a few sick days, they can still meet their deadlines, and you can even provide more opportunities for employees to work from home on a regular basis. As the Millennial generation is starting to become a bigger part of the workforce, remote positions are becoming much more popular, and it may benefit you to be able to offer that kind of flexibility.

Server virtualization: This concept is a little more complex. A virtual server masks the location of the server unknown, so it can’t be traced back to a location or a specific server. On top of that, it allows you to cut back on the amount of equipment each employee needs because they are all using a virtual server rather than having one server worth of hardware per employee. It also makes it much easier to streamline updates to all the employees because you are able to send it out through the one server and have it automatically updated rather than stopping at every employee’s desk to make an update. Overall, it is a much better way to keep your employees working and will save you time and money in the end.

Is it for you?

You will need to decide if this kind of change is really for your business, and an IT expert can help you make that decision. One of the biggest problems with it is that there are security challenges. Though it is definitely possible to secure all information used with virtualization, a lot of people still worry about it. It hasn’t stopped most businesses from being willing to make the switch though. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages because it will provide that efficiency you have been looking for in your business. However, it is still a choice you are going to have to make with your managed IT service provider.

IT news brought to you by intrinium.com

Source: itproportal.com/2016/02/05/virtualisation-what-businesses-need-to-know/

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Three changes to PCI DSS that businesses need to know about

Any organization that accepts credit and/or debit card transactions or deals with cardholder information should be aware of changes that were made to the PCI DSS regulations in 2015. Though the changes took effect on the first of January, many business owners may still not have been made aware of these changes. As cyber breaches continue to be more prevalent, cyber-security has never been more important. Understanding these three changes to the PCI regulations are crucial for any business owner who wants to avoid the penalties for not being compliant and the theft of cardholder data from his/her business. Here are the three changes.

SAQ adds 59 questions

Fifty-nine questions were added to the 3.1 version of the PCI DSS self-assessment questionnaire. Most of these questions have to do with network and security. In order to answer these new questions, business owners will need to have a very technical knowledge of how their business’s network is secured and how card data is segmented from other web traffic. Since business owners are held liable for stolen information, they need to accountable by knowing these new questions and the answers to them in the self-assessment questionnaire.

Service provider definition expanded

One of the biggest changes to the 3.1 version of PCI DSS is an expanded definition for the term “service provider.” Before the definition change, a service provider was any company that processed, stored, or transmitted card data for a merchant. With the definition chance, a service provider is now defined as any company that provides a service that could control or impact the security of cardholder data. That means that under the new definition, anyone who sets up, configures, or changes a merchant’s business network, whether that’s an in-house IT guy, a payment systems vendor, or a managed service provider, that person could be held liable along with the merchant for a breach that results in stolen card data.

Enforced network segmentation

Merchants have been required to segment payment traffic from all other web traffic since PCI DSS 2.0. But many business owners are not compliant with this regulation even though they report that they are in the self-assessment questionnaire. In order to enforce proper network segmentation, PCI DSS 3.1 now requires merchants to not only state whether they have segmented payment traffic in the questionnaire, but how they have done so.

What’s a small business owner to do?

Because cyber-threats are always adapting and evolving in response to security measures, the PCI DSS standards have to adapt as well. That means continual changes to the requirements. That’s manageable for large corporations but smaller business owners have a hard time keeping up with all the changes. Fortunately, they can outsource their PCI compliance to a managed service provider (MSP) who will make sure the business is PCI compliant and stays up-to-date with changes to PCI regulations.

IT news brought to you by intrinium.com

Source: retailcustomerexperience.com/blogs/3-changes-to-pci-mandate-retailers-need-to-understand/

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Top five project management predictions for 2016

Most people see project management as a pretty static field. In the business world, project management will always play an important role, nothing is changing there. However, there are always some changes and movements happening. Here are five project management trends to watch for in 2016.

Emergence of CPOs

In the last few decades we’ve seen the emergence of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) position, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position, and the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) position. Well expect the next big C-level position to emerge in 2016. That position will be Chief Project Officer (or CPO). Project management is going to continue to be an important part of the business world and businesses will recognize this.

Decrease in PMOs

Too many project management offices (PMOs) are failing to serve organizations well. Often this is the result of a lack of strong leadership at the top of the PMO. Too often, the PMO leader gets caught up in managing projects and fails to manage the PMO itself. Expect a shift away from centralized project management and a decline in PMOs as businesses turn to CPOs and a decentralized project management infrastructure.

Shift away from PM certification

In 2016, organizations are going to place less emphasis on PM certification. They might include on a job posting that PM certification is “preferred” or “nice to have” but even that is going to become less common and requiring PM certification will be even less common than that. Even now, organizations that are listing PM certification as “preferred” on job postings aren’t really discussing certification when it comes to the proceedings leading up to engagements. Instead businesses are more interested in finding experienced project managers regardless of certification.

Decentralized project management

Though this prediction might seem to contradict the emergence of the CPO prediction, it actually doesn’t. The CPO position will emerge in the PM community but you’ll also see an increase in the use of project managers and consultants.

Increased reliance on remote project management

This is a trend everyone should see coming. As project management tools are constantly improved upon, it’s getting easier and easier to create a virtual team and manage a project remotely. Gone are the days that project management teams need to be gathered around the same table. Professional service organizations are already moving towards more geographically dispersed teams. In 2016, many project managers and project management teams will never meet each other but will successfully collaborate on important projects.

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Source: cio.com/article/3012273/project-management/top-5-predictions-for-project-management-in-2016.html