How Hackers Use Social Engineering Tactics in Phishing Scams

Social engineering is quite a buzzword these days in the world of cybersecurity. But what is it, and why are businesses so afraid of it? It is a form of hacking that uses deception and manipulation to get victims to divulge information. Companies have reason to be fearful because social engineering tactics have led to a lot of destruction and millions of dollars in losses for businesses worldwide.

Phishing is one of the most rampant types of attacks these days. It has been highly successful because it uses tried-and-tested social engineering techniques to hoodwink potential victims.

What are these Social Engineering Tactics, and how do hackers use them?

  • Riding on human emotion.

    When people get scared, nervous, pressured, or curious, they are more likely to make impulsive decisions or actions. Hackers bank on this natural reflex to get victims to reveal personal information before they can think about it. By the time they have calmed down and realized the danger, it will already be too late.

  • Establishing credibility.

    People are quick to trust entities that have an established reputation. This includes institutions like banks or vendors, as well as personal contacts. By imitating these entities, hackers can create a credible image as one of the social engineering tactics that potential victims will almost certainly trust.

  • Personalizing content.

    There is plenty of information in the public domain hackers can use to spin a web of deceit to capture their victims. It goes further than simply calling a target by name. They might refer to a concert you have recently attended or a restaurant you love. By creating familiarity, they cause a potential victim to let their guard down and be more vulnerable to an attack.

  • Using lookalike websites.

    Many hackers send out links that lead to fake login pages identical to real ones as one of their social engineering tactics. A typical tactic is telling you to change your password because it is about to expire. The link they send you to is a lookalike site where you can enter your data. It all looks legit, but if you look at the URL, you see it is a fake link.

  • Creating panic-inducing situations.

    When people get into a panic, they rarely think logically. They will act on the impulse to free themselves from the threatening situation as quickly as possible. If the hackers tell them their account will be closed if they don’t click on the link, you can expect them to click the link in a second.

  • Social engineering tactics – Intentionally misspelling words.

    The typo errors and poor grammar commonly associated with phishing emails are intentional. It is their way of dodging detection by spam filters. Since people are not as vigilant as malware detectors, hackers easily fooled many people despite these glaring errors.

  • Attacking during holidays and special events.

    There is a general air of excitement and engagement around these periods, and hackers capitalize on that to boost the success rate of their phishing attacks. Also, timing the attacks with these events gives an illusion of legitimacy, which makes the targets more likely to become victims. This is one of the common social engineering tactics that hackers use.

  • Spreading malware through attachments.

    Ordinarily, most systems can detect and block malware, but if these malicious files get installed into the system through phishing, your network defenses cannot do anything about it. Once installed, malicious attachments can do a range of damage, from destroying your files to stealing sensitive data.

  • Posing as top executives is a social engineering tactic.

    When your boss requests confidential data, you don’t ask questions and give them what they want with minimal delay. After all, that is what a good employee does, right? Exactly! Therefore, hackers have taken this new approach of pretending to be top executives to get easy access to company information.

  • Creating a pretext.

    This social engineering tactic takes a lot of work and patience because the hackers need to build trust. Gradually, they gain the confidence of the victim, who will eventually disclose information more freely.

Final Thoughts about Social Engineering Tactics

Now that you know how hackers use social engineering tactics for phishing, you have the knowledge to avoid an attack. However, despite all the awareness and safety precautions, it is still possible to become a victim. For this, we have created an infographic called “The Top 10 Steps to Take If You Think You Have Been Hacked.” If you think you have been hacked, this tool would be very handy. You can download it right here. 

If you need more information on social engineering and other cybersecurity issues, call us. We will provide everything you need to improve your protection against online threats!

Training Employees to Spot Social Engineering

Social engineering is one of the newest methods hackers use to access sensitive information. Rather than attacking a system directly, this technique relies on human psychology to gain information. This method is brilliant when you think about it because it does not have to deal with going past ironclad network security. If hackers can manipulate even a single employee, they might hand over sensitive information on a silver platter, and the hackers can take control of the organization’s entire system. This is why its important for your employees to learn how to spot social engineering.

Companies must understand that if you can’t spot social engineering it can compromise business security. Reports show that over 90% of data breaches happen because of social engineering. Phishing scams account for 54% of these cases. The good news is that there is a way to prevent social engineering threats, and that is by training employees.

Popular Social Engineering Techniques

There is a lot to cover in training employees to spot social engineering. A logical start would be to discuss the most popular techniques so employees can recognize and avoid them.

Phishing is the most common method because it is easy to execute. It also yields positive results, at least for the hackers. This method entails sending emails that deceive victims into clicking a malicious link or divulging sensitive information without realizing it.

Pretexting is when a hacker gains the victim’s trust through a pretext or a created scenario, which is part of a larger, more convoluted social engineering attack plan. There is also the quid pro quo attack, where the hacker lures the victim into divulging information in exchange for something in return. Tailgating, or piggybacking, is a popular social engineering technique where the victim unknowingly gives the hacker access to a secure location.

Importance of Employee Training To Spot Social Engineering

These social engineering strategies would be much easier to execute if employees were untrained and unaware of the risks involved. The damage could be monumental, as the $100 million phishing scam on Google and Facebook illustrates. From 2013 to 2015, a team of hackers sent numerous phishing emails to specific employees of Google and Facebook, telling them to deposit money into fraudulent accounts. They could collect more than $100 million from this scheme.

Now, even if your business does not have that kind of revenue, you can still be a victim. These days, hackers are targeting small businesses on a massive scale. Every employee can also be a target, from customer service personnel to top executives, so you must conduct training across the board.

Best Ways to Train Employees to Spot Social Engineering

There are several methods of training your employees to spot social engineering. Traditional classroom workshops, either personal or online, are excellent for an in-depth training session. A one-time seminar is hardly enough, though, and that is why we also recommend regular refreshers.

Unannounced phishing simulations are effective in evaluating employees based on how much they have learned. It would surprise you how so many people do well in theory but still won’t be able to tell the real deal when it is staring at them from the inbox. Being bitten once in a simulated attack will teach your employees to be more vigilant.

Final Thoughts

Organizations can achieve a high level of protection against social engineering if everyone is sufficiently aware of the risks and knows what to do in case an attack goes through. Besides the various training methods, you will implement, we strongly advise you to download our infographic, “The Top 10 Steps to Take If You Think You Have Been Hacked.” Print it out and post it on every department’s bulletin board. Be sure all your employees also get their own copy.

For more information about social engineering and how to avoid becoming a victim, call us. We can get you up to speed on the latest preventive measures and keep your company safe from the prying eyes of cybercriminals.

Top 8 Phishing Scam Tactics and How to Identify Them

Phishing has been a common hacking method for over two decades now. You would think that everyone would already know how it works and how to avoid becoming a victim, right? Sadly, that is not the case for these Phishing Scam Tactics. There are more victims now than ever. In 2022, there were more than 300,000 victims in the US alone, with damages amounting to over $52 million!

The thing is that phishing scams have evolved over the years. Hackers are now more adept at hoodwinking unsuspecting victims, and they also have easy access to modern technology that helps elevate their phishing tactics.

Top 8 Phishing Scam Tactics

To protect your data and your business, you must build awareness of these scams at all levels of your organization. Here are the top 8 indicators of phishing scam tactics and what to do when you encounter them.

Spoofed Emails

Upon getting an email from a trusted source, many people would open the email without a second thought. Hackers know this and use it for their Phishing Scam Tactics. They make the email look like it came from a reputable source by indicating a trusted sender name, although the email address is not correct. Before opening an email, check that the sender and the address are the same.

Sense of Urgency

Receiving a message that threatens to close your account or bring you legal action can easily cause you to freak out. Because of your panic, you could rashly click on the links as instructed in the email. Of course you would…you don’t want to be sued or go to jail! Stay calm when you receive such emails. Verify the information before taking action.

Malicious Links as a Phishing Scam Tactics

Malicious links are among the oldest phishing methods, but they are still very effective. Sometimes, these links appeal to a person’s natural curiosity, and at other times, they come with the promise of a reward. Either way, it led the unwitting victim to click the link or open the attachment. Again, always check before clicking.

Password Requests

Have you ever received an email from your bank or credit card provider asking for your password or other sensitive data about your account? Never! Legitimate companies do not ask for these kinds of data from clients. In case you get such a request, this is a phishing scam tactics so make sure to block and ignore it. They are almost certainly hackers trying to get into your account.

Misspellings and Poor Grammar

Although many hackers have sharpened their grammar skills by now, many phishing emails are still easily identifiable by wrongly spelled words and typographical errors. Yes, they make you cringe, but these emails can wreak serious havoc on your business. Therefore, you must not even reply or make grammatical corrections.

Personalized Content

It sounds like a legit email if they address you by the correct name and position, right? Hackers are very resourceful. They can get their hands on publicly known information with little effort. They can also access so much more if you engage in their attempts. So before you take any action, make sure to verify the source of the message.

Fake URLs are used in Phishing Scam Tactics

Using fake website URLs is another phishing scam tactic with a very high success rate. Hackers send out emails that look like they came from a trusted source, like a service provider, containing a link to what looks like the actual page of the provider, and they will ask you to log in. Of course, thinking that you are at a legit site, you enter your login details, unknowingly giving them full access to your account.

Unexpected Emails

If you suddenly receive an email out of nowhere that raises an alarm, be immediately wary because this is likely to be a scam. Do nothing they are asking you to do. Don’t even reply. Verify the source of the email to see if it is legit.

Final Thoughts

If anyone in your organization receives any form of these phishing scam tactics, encourage them to speak out so others will be doubly vigilant. If someone thinks someone has already hacked them, it’s not necessarily too late. There are things you can do to minimize the damage. We have outlined the steps in an infographic called “The Top 10 Steps to Take If You Think You Have Been Hacked”. You can download it by clicking right here.

To learn more about protecting your business from phishing scams and improving your company’s cybersecurity, call us. We will be happy to set you up for a free consultation!

The Top 7 Mobile Security Threats to Address in Your BYOD Policy

BYOD or Bring Your Own Device is a modern practice where employees use their personally owned gadgets – smartphones, laptops, tablets, or whatnot – for work. This is opposed to the traditional method of using company-issued equipment exclusively for work stuff which can have mobile security threats.

The BYOD policy has several perks, such as more flexibility in remote work, a healthier balance between work and personal life, and reduced equipment expenses. However, some challenges arise from this practice, particularly in terms of business mobile security threats.

When employees use the same device for all their dealings, this could create several mobile security threats that the company must address in the BYOD policy. Here are seven of the top threats and our recommended solutions.

Mobile Security Threats – Device Theft

In the event of stolen or lost devices, unknown entities could have unauthorized access to sensitive information stored on the device. To guard against these mobile security threats, there must be a way to delete data from the device remotely.

Malware Infection

Malware can quickly lead to a data breach and security problems. Your company can avoid this if all personally owned devices have reliable, updated antivirus software to guard against malware infection.

Unsecured Wi-Fi

Encryption is necessary for maintaining the confidentiality and security of data, so most work and home networks have this. However, public hotspots are common for mobile security threats. If you need to connect to an uncertain network, use a VPN to guarantee data security.

Mobile Security Threats – Phishing

People are more relaxed when using their mobile phones than when they use a company computer. Because of this, many are prone to becoming victims of phishing attacks. Constant reminders would help instill a natural sense of caution in employees.

Outdated Device

Not all employees are gadget fanatics who would immediately fall in line when the newest iPhone is released. Many would stick to their old gadgets until they fell apart. While we might applaud their frugality, outdated devices can put corporate and personal data at high risk with mobile security threats. You can state in your BYOD policy that there must be a mandatory regular upgrade of all devices employees wish to use for work.

Risky Apps

Personal phones and laptops often contain games or other apps that might not be completely secure. These apps sometimes request permissions that could put your device’s contents at risk. To avoid these risks, the BYOD policy must prohibit the installation and use of these unverified apps.

Encrypted Data

When sending digital correspondence from a work computer, all data is automatically encrypted to keep it confidential. Public hotspots and some home networks might not have sufficiently secure levels of encryption, which will compromise your data. Mandatory use of proper encryption before sending out any business data will help prevent such compromises.

Creating Your BYOD Policy to Prevent Mobile Security Threats

If it is your first time drafting a BYOD policy for your company, it can get intimidating, considering all the issues that need to be addressed. For instance, the mobile threats we have listed above are just some of the potential problems you would have to deal with, and we are sure you would think of more as you go along.

To ensure you do not forget any crucial aspect, we strongly recommend you use the BYOD policy template we have created specifically for this purpose. It is a comprehensive but concise document, including everything from permitted devices and security specifications to restrictions and sanctions. Of course, you can customize it as you see fit by adding or removing items to make it appropriate for your organization’s security goals. Call us now if you need additional help!

Why Cybersecurity Insurance Matters

As businesses move forward into a digital environment, cybersecurity insurance becomes even more crucial as online threats grow more advanced. Before, hackers only targeted large, high-revenue corporations since they had the money and the valuable information. But statistics show that over 40% of recent cyberattacks target small businesses. But what’s even more alarming is that only 14% of these small businesses are prepared for such an attack.

Cybersecurity Insurance is a Wise and Necessary Investment

Organizations are already taking more stringent measures to protect their businesses against online threats. Despite these efforts, malware and ransomware can still make their way into your system, and data breaches can still happen. To protect your business from the many ramifications of these attacks, you must invest in a good cybersecurity insurance plan.

While cybersecurity insurance cannot prevent or undo cybercrime, there are many ways that it can help your business recover in case an online attack takes place.

Reduce Financial Setbacks

Dealing with the consequences of a cyberattack can be expensive. Depending on the severity of the attack, it can set your business back by millions of dollars! You will pay for legal services, IT support, damage control, and more. A comprehensive plan can cover all these expenses and much more.

Cover Downtime Losses

Getting your business back on its feet can take a long time, again depending on the gravity of the situation. During rebuilding or while operations are on hold, insurance can tide you over until your business is fully recovered.

Fill the Gap Liability Insurance

When purchasing a general liability insurance plan, many business owners assume that this covers cyberattacks, which is typically not the case. Standard policies might offer coverage to some extent, but it is rarely enough. A separate cybersecurity insurance policy will give you the widest possible coverage to protect your business.

Recovery Assistance

Many cybersecurity insurance plans today offer so much more than just financial help. Many providers offer a complete recovery package that includes legal services, PR damage control, and IT forensics. You can get all these services from separate providers, but why stress yourself when you can get them all in one place?

Competitive Rates for Robust Security

Insurance carriers usually offer very competitive rates to clients with a robust cybersecurity system in place. This is to encourage companies to prioritize cybersecurity and implement better strategies. If you wish to avail discounted rates, it would be a good idea to level up your protection as early as now.

Best Practices for Improving Cybersecurity Insurance

There are many ways to boost cybersecurity in the workplace, as many of us know by now. For starters, you must train your employees regularly, as lack of awareness still ranks at the top of how hackers break into systems. You must also secure your networks, constantly update your anti-malware tools, and implement multi-factor authentication.

Bring Your Own Device Policy

Another excellent way to improve your company’s cybersecurity is to implement a sound Bring Your Own Device or BYOD policy in the workplace. The policy should clearly define the responsibilities of the company and the employee when using their personally owned devices to access company data and other uses of the device within the workplace.

To guarantee that you include all the vital elements in your company’s BYOD policy, you can use our BYOD Policy template, which you can download by clicking right here. You can customize it any way you need to make it align with your organization’s operations and goals.

Final Thoughts on Cybersecurity Insurance

A business needs to do everything necessary to boost cybersecurity. But no matter how strong your defenses might be, one must never be complacent. Investing in a good cybersecurity insurance plan is one of the best things you can do to protect your business. Call us now so we can help you with any questions you may have about cybersecurity insurance.

Why Are Managing Passwords So Hard?

We do most of our business online—emailing, shopping, banking, and much more. But before you take any action, you must log in with a name and password. It’s pretty routine, but with the rapidly growing number of online services that require passwords, it can get increasingly difficult when we are managing these passwords.

Managing Passwords Can Be Difficult

We all know that passwords are necessary to ensure that only you will access your accounts. But managing passwords can become somewhat hard, especially when you already have so many that you need to remember, and we can all relate to this, right? Here are some reasons why password management is a challenge.

Too Many Passwords to Remember

Many people write their passwords in a notebook or digital file. Others have high confidence in their memory and choose to memorize them. This would work well for passwords you use frequently, but for those you seldom use, you will probably forget it when you need it next.

Constant Password Changes

Changing passwords every so often will help ensure the security of your accounts. With all the changes, it is easy to become confused, especially if you forget that you have already changed the password and the one you remember was the old one.

Need for Unique and Complex Passwords

Because of the frustration of remembering so many passwords, most people use the same password across different accounts. We can’t emphasize enough just how dangerous this practice can be! The moment one of your accounts gets infiltrated, the hacker will have a field day because they can access all your other data! Thus, there is an absolute need for different passwords for each of your accounts. This is crucial for security but does make managing passwords a bit more of a challenge.

How Managing Password Applications Can Help

There is something that you can do to manage your passwords better while enhancing their security at the same time. It is done by using a reliable password management application.

Password managers are commonplace these days, but you have to choose carefully. Consider the level of security they offer, the ease of use, and their suitability for the needs of your business. We have listed five of the top password managers in last week’s blog, which you can read here.

Alternatively, you can take advantage of modern technology that enhances data security and user experiences, like biometric login and multi-factor authentication.

Biometric Login

Biometrics is a modern way of logging into an account where you no longer need to enter a password. Instead, a physical trait that is particular to you serves as proof of your identity. Fingerprints are the most commonly used, but some applications also use other biometrics like facial recognition, voice recognition, and iris matching.

Multifactor Authentication

Along with a traditional password, this login method requires additional proof of identity before allowing access to an account, thus multiplying your protection from unwanted access.

Importance of Managing Passwords in Digital Estate Planning

Biometric login and multi-factor authentication are valuable for improving security for businesses, but they can also spell new problems, especially regarding gaining access to your business passwords after the owner’s death.

Let’s say the successor or inheritor of the business gets possession of the computers, gadgets, and so on. If all accounts are set up for biometric login using the owner’s attributes, getting access to the business accounts can prove very difficult. Hence, despite these modern tools, efficient password management should still be implemented.

We invite you to Watch our Cloud Webinar and discover some new insights on the topic. You can also learn about managing passwords, which can add to protecting your business information.

10 Reasons Why Businesses Need a Digital Estate Plan

In the last two weeks, we have talked about digital estate plans and why it is crucial for businesses today to have one. Since most business data is now stored digitally, it makes sense to protect these digital assets in the event the business owner passes away.

If you still don’t have one and are still on the fence about whether creating one is worth your time and effort, we have listed 10 excellent reasons to encourage you to get started soon.

1. Protection of Digital Assets with a Digital Estate Plan

This step is the primary purpose of planning—it ensures that your business and all its digital assets are adequately protected after the owner dies, especially if they are the only ones with access to the business accounts and other online information. Instead of being lost in cyberspace, they will pass the digital assets on to the owner’s chosen successor.

2. Business Continuity with a Digital Estate Plan

The death of the owner doesn’t mean the end of the business. With a well-prepared digital estate plan, you can show your long-term goals for your business and assign individuals to carry on these goals. Hence, your business can continue to prosper years after you are gone.

3. Better Control of the Business

Sometimes a business may carry on after the owner’s passage, but in a direction that differs from what the owner had originally intended. You can prevent this so your business follows your intended path by specifying how you want your digital assets managed in the digital estate plan.

4. Legal Compliance

The law requires businesses to follow specific regulations regarding data protection and privacy. Compliance with these legal requirements is one of the high-priority items in a digital estate planning checklist. When creating your plan, check for local regulations that might apply to your business.

5. Intellectual Property Protection

Most businesses own several digital assets that are intellectual property. These include company logos, brand names, trademarks, and patents. Digital estate planning ensures the protection of all these intellectual properties by enabling the business owner to decide on the manner of their eventual management or distribution.

6. Identity Theft Prevention through Digital Estate Plan

When a business owner dies, the company’s digital assets might become susceptible to data breaches or identity theft unless there is a proper delegation of management roles, which a digital estate plan can help ensure.

7. Dispute Prevention

Just like in a regular will, those left out sometimes fight over the inheritance. The same can happen in a business when the owner passes. As a business owner, you can prevent these kinds of disputes by creating a digital estate plan that shows the roles you want your business partners, stakeholders, and family members to play in the business after you have gone.

8. Tax Liability Reduction

Turning over the ownership of a business can come with hefty taxes, but a plan can significantly help reduce these taxes.

9. Legacy Preservation

Even if you completely trust your successor to do well in your business, it is still something else to preserve your legacy after your death. A plan lets you specify the direction you want to go with your business and gives your successor a guide on managing the business how you would have wanted them to.

10. Smooth and Seamless Transition

With everything laid out in the plan, transferring ownership can go on without hiccups. There will be no wasting of time, money, and other resources. All that has to happen is the execution of the estate plan.

Create Your Digital Estate Plan with Our Help Today

There they are – 10 compelling reasons to prepare a digital estate plan for your business. If you are ready to take the next step, we are always here to assist in any way we can.

For more information, download our free Digital Estate Planning Checklist and Password Cheat Sheet right here. Contact us if you have questions! We will help you ensure that your business stays protected, now and after your passing.

Business Cloud Migration, The Best Move to Make Today

The past few years have been all about business cloud migration. As the needs of businesses continue to grow, it has become more tedious and expensive to keep up if you rely only on your on-site business resources. But thanks to cloud technology, you can outsource many business processes to cloud-based providers. This freedom means you can grow your business with less effort and expense!

Why Some Business Owners Are Reluctant to Migrate

The more courageous business owners have immediately leaped since the cloud was first introduced in 2019, while many others have gradually followed suit. But to this day, many businesses still stick with their on-premises resources for their operations. Why is this so? It’s because of fears about the cloud, many of which are unfounded.

The most common fear is that the business cloud migration might put security and privacy at risk. Many business owners think the cloud is a public domain where hackers roam freely. While there are cybercriminals everywhere, cloud providers have tight security measures to help keep you and your data protected.

Other business owners hesitate because they fear cloud services will be costly to maintain or too confusing to use. Again, these fears are speculative. Cloud solutions are much less expensive than investing in on-premises equipment and services. Most of it is very easy to navigate, particularly when you work with a reliable MSP.

What Businesses Can Gain from the Cloud

Once you get past your fears, you will see the wealth of opportunities you can gain from business cloud migration. For many who have already migrated, the number one advantage is scalability. Scaling your business up or down is so much easier with the cloud. Because of the flexibility of the cloud options, you won’t have to worry about having insufficient funds or resources.

There is also the matter of cutting back on significant spending. A cloud service provider will typically charge you for the services that you use. You won’t end up paying for a whole package, most of which you don’t even need, which is what often happens with conventional operations.

Also, there is perpetual access to the latest software, hardware, and infrastructure. When a new version comes out, you can ask your provider to upgrade you, and you don’t even have to pay extra fees. In addition, the cloud also gives you better data and network security, more efficiency for your business, and improved overall business performance.

How to Go About Business Cloud Migration

Cloud migration is moving all your company’s digital resources, applications, databases, and servers into the cloud. Yes, it can be a colossal operation, especially if you go for a full migration. But the good news is that you don’t have to do it alone. If you have a trusted MSP, you can sit back and let them complete the process for you. That is exactly what we can do for you.

Whether you want to go the whole nine yards and do a full cloud migration, or just partially, we will help you with the transition in a way that meets all your business needs.

To learn more about the cloud and find out more details on how it can benefit your business, download our FREE Infographic, “5 Fears and 5 Benefits of the Cloud.” Are you afraid of the Cloud, or are you open to cloud solutions and how to use them to grow your business?

Moving to the Cloud Promotes Business Growth

The number of companies moving to cloud operations is rising each year. This is not a surprise because cloud solutions are now a vital instrument for the growth and development of businesses in today’s digital world. If you have been looking for a way to scale your business and haven’t tried cloud technology, there is no better time to take the plunge than now.

How Moving to the Cloud Affects Business Growth

A multitude of businesses all over the world will attest that cloud computing has helped them grow. But how did it help? What areas of your business can benefit the most if you move your operations to the cloud? Here are the most notable positive changes that you might expect.

Scalability

This feature ranks as one of the best advantages of moving to the cloud, which people look forward to the most. Before the cloud, business expansions were almost always massive and tedious operations that required heavy investment in terms of infrastructure and hardware. But with the extensive selection of cloud resources available, growing your business has never been easier!

Should you need to downgrade for any reason, it is just as easy on the cloud. You can cancel your subscription to services you don’t need so that you can operate on a smaller scale without having to incur unnecessary losses.

Financial Savings

It is interesting how many people assume that cloud services are expensive when the opposite is true. The prices vary, as this depends on the provider. But they will only charge you for the services or resources that you use. How can you be more cost-efficient than that?

Also, moving to the cloud means you no longer need to purchase expensive on-site equipment, which can also be costly to maintain. So, businesses really can save an incredible amount by shifting their operations to the cloud.

Efficiency

A distinctive feature of cloud applications is that they are accessible from anywhere if you have the internet. So, employees don’t need to go to the office to work. They can just do their jobs from home or any other location. There is also the benefit of using automation tools, which you can set up to lessen the demand for and reliance on manual labor.

Security when Moving to the Cloud

Whether you are just starting or are well on your way to conquering your industry, there is no need to worry about security in cloud-based solutions. Impressive security features abound on the cloud, including high-tech encryption, advanced threat detection, and multi-factor authentication, which protect your data and ultimately speed up business growth.

Innovation

The cloud gives easy access to all the latest innovations in technology as soon as they come out, which is vital for growing your business. Everything, from the latest versions of applications and operating systems to the latest hardware releases in the market, will be right at your fingertips if you are on the cloud.

There you have it—the top reasons cloud technology is crucial to business growth. Through cloud computing, growing your business can be faster, simpler, more cost-efficient, and perfectly aligned with your organization’s goals.

If you would like more information, you can download this infographic of ours called The Benefits of Moving to the Cloud.” Here, you will see everything that you will miss out on if you pass on this opportunity! Do also contact us today where we will have thorough and very enlightening discussions with your businesses today.

Why Are Business Owners Afraid to Move to the Cloud?

It has been years since cloud technology was released. While thousands of businesses all over the world have eagerly upgraded their operations with cloud solutions. Thousands more still remain wary of this new technology to move to the cloud. Many people are still reluctant, despite the many proven benefits of the cloud for business. Why is this so? That is what we are going to talk about today.

Reasons for Holding Back to Move to the Cloud

We’ve asked around and come across some common concerns from hesitant business owners about why they are still holding back, even though there is now insurmountable evidence that the cloud presents many viable opportunities for business growth. Here are the reasons for holding back to move to the cloud.

Security

With the continued rise in cyberattacks and data breaches, it makes sense to be highly concerned about security. These attacks are rampant, even on in-house servers and data storage. How much more would there be if you stored the data in a cloud, outside of your company’s security controls? Won’t the data and the entire company be more at risk of being infiltrated by hackers? If any information gets into the wrong hands, there’s no telling what kind of damage your company will face.

Privacy If You Move to the Cloud

In the same way, companies fear the loss of data privacy. This fear is a specific concern for businesses in industries that collect and store confidential information. Health and medical records of patients, financial transactions that contain bank accounts and statements, and even personal data of clients and employees are examples of sensitive data that are frequent targets of online attackers. Putting these in cloud storage might seem risky in the minds of many.

Reliability

Another fear owners have about when they move to the cloud is that it might not always be reliable. What if the internet connection is too slow or erratic? What if the cloud provider experiences a period of downtime on their side? Surely, these events could be highly detrimental to business operations.

Cost If You Move to the Cloud

Cloud technology these days is very high-tech and diverse, which causes many business owners to think these services are expensive. Because of this assumption, they choose to stick to conventional systems rather than take a chance on modern cloud solutions, which can ironically pave the way for massive financial savings.

Complexity

There has always been a historical fear of new things, especially related to technology. When computers first became popular, many people were afraid to even touch them because they seemed too complex. It happened again a few years later when email and online messaging became popular. Now, the same fear of complexity applies to the cloud. Companies are worried they might not see the benefit to their operations.

The 5 Benefits of the Cloud

These fears make sense and are all perfectly valid. But the good news is that the cloud technology we have today has these issues covered. So if your hesitation to move to the cloud is based on any of these reasons, we can ease your mind.

We invite you to download our Free Infographic on the Cloud. You’ll discover a wealth of information, including the vast benefits of moving to the cloud and how the migration can be made simpler with the help of a reliable MSP.

A whole new world is waiting in the cloud for businesses, and we are very excited for you to take control of it. Call us anytime! We will guide you in transitioning so you can finally enjoy all the benefits and opportunities this new technology has in store for your company.