Data and Security

The arrival of martech was heralded as the next stage of marketing. These platforms enabled marketers to gather endless reams of data so they could reconfigure their approach and boost their conversions. The theory was that the better businesses got to know their customers, the more appealing they could make their offers. What actually happened […]

The good news is that data breaches appear to be declining in 2018, according to the Risk Based Security Q1 2018 Data Breach QuickView Report. The first three months of 2018 witnessed 686 breaches compared to 1,442 breaches in the same quarter in 2017. The bad news is that numerous breach strategies still work, including malware, phishing, […]

If you scour the internet for your personal data, stop. It’s already out there in the hands of companies, and no number of removal requests will change that. What you should be worried about is whether executives at these companies are asking themselves the right question: What constitutes ethical use of consumer data? What if you […]

More enterprises are investing in mobile applications on platforms preferably iOS. The 2016 enterprise mobile apps report brought out by Adobe reinforces the growing need for enterprises to invest in mobile apps. With Apple constituting a major share of the world smartphone market, iOS tend to be the most preferred platform in enterprise app development. […]

Although FCC Chairman Ajit Pai stated, “I strongly support a free and open internet,” the FCC officially repealed net neutrality on June 11th. The original net neutrality laws protected the internet by referring to it as a common carrier. That meant it fairly provided a service like utilities to everyone. However, repealing net neutrality laws […]

GDPR is coming and many organizations are changing their ways – you must have noticed getting emailed from your favorite websites about their new policies. One of the most sensitive data pipes in every big organization is the CRM (Customer Relationship Management), which contains all of the private information of both the company and their […]

There’s no getting around it: the way marketers and retailers harness the power of big data can be a little on the creepy side. An innocent Google search on a specific subject can often result in you seeing nothing but targeted ads on that subject for the rest of the week wherever you turn.  Yet […]

In 2013, hackers managed to access the AP twitter account and posted a fake tweet implying that there was an explosion in White House and the then President Obama had been injured. Following the Tweet, the stock market went into panic mode with the Dow plunging over 150 points and the S&P 500 shedding $135.6 […]

The big data trend continues, and more and more companies are hopping on the bandwagon. While many organizations assume they need big data’s wisdom, often the “small” operational data they already have will do just fine. Operational data is internal data, such as the data that gives Uber its ability to dispatch cars. Big data, […]

Every time you’ve installed a piece of commercial software, you’ve invariably been presented with what must have appeared to be legal gibberish- a seeming difficult to read, needlessly long, solid block of text that was almost impossible to understand. Most people never bother to read the information presented- quickly scrolling to the bottom of the […]

For a business in digital transition, data architecture is a big decision. Selecting the right model is one of the first and most important choices of any such initiative. But given the breadth of options and confusing terminology, choosing a solution that meets the company’s needs without blowing its budget is no easy task. Two […]

For all of the “isms” supposedly being felled by enlightened Americans, the U.S. economy remains stunningly unfair. Take racism. On one hand, interracial marriages have grown fivefold in the 50 years since Loving v. Virginia, which legalized the practice. On the other, the average median household wealth of African-Americans declined by 75 percent between 1983 […]

The smart city began as a science fiction dream, but it’s very quickly becoming a reality. Municipal infrastructure, integrated with smart technology, will transform the aesthetics, utility, and sustainability of urban landscapes from here on out. To see a smart city in action, just look to Washington, D.C., which has embraced a top-down approach to […]

Companies may be well aware they’re sitting on a gold mine of data, but most of them have no idea how to exploit its value. Case in point: According to research by Forrester, up to 73 percent of corporate data goes unanalyzed. Information is collected, then neglected. That’s as unproductive as living with Superman and […]

In February 2017, the Transformations Autism Treatment Center learned that one of its former behavioral analysts had breached its security. According to his indictment, Jeffrey Luke illegally accessed a TACT Google Drive account and stole protected health information from more than 300 current and former patients. TACT’s cyber breach is especially concerning because Luke had […]

In 2006 Google’s acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion, and Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in 2012.   Many dismissed these purchases as indulgences of cash-rich tech behemoths, and federal regulators took no action.  But, these acquisitions were far from frivolous.  They shut out potential competitors, strengthening Google’s market dominance in search and Facebook’s in social media. And, now […]

Data has never been more critical to marketing success. Companies are striving to employ the latest analytics to drive improvement in all areas of operations. The good news is that the majority of consumers are willing to provide data, given the right conditions. In fact, a 2018 survey by Acxiom found that 58 percent of […]

The debate about companies’ use of location data has gained a lot of traction this year. However, that shouldn’t make you shy about using it. In the right hands, used the right way, location data is an invaluable tool in any market. Your competition knows this, and the debate isn’t slowing them down, either. According […]

The majority of cyberattacks aren’t large-scale, coordinated efforts to break through tough defenses and acquire valuable data; instead, they’re simple and opportunistic. A “hacker” might stumble upon someone’s password because they left it written on a sticky note, or they might take advantage of an account that was left logged in on a public computer. […]

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation is the most significant advance in data privacy in history, but little about the actual end-user experience of data privacy has changed. Here’s why tech companies need simpler terms of service agreements. Terms of service agreements are too long and too complicated for the average user, tech-savvy or […]

The benefits of cloud migration are well-documented. Despite that, many business leaders remain anxious about moving their legacy systems away from on-premise hardware and into the cloud. That apprehension is reasonable. Companies that invest a significant amount of capital in their on-premise hardware may be reluctant to commit more funds to a similar deployment despite the […]

Today we navigate our way across cities, pull up electronic tickets, purchase items, monitor our health, and, of course, stay connected with friends and family on our smartphones. The smartphone is one of those innovations that make us think,  “how did I ever function without it?” Smartphones revolutionized our personal lives, but there’s a megatrend […]

Big Data analytics have helped the organization to double its revenue in no time. An intelligent analysis of data is what you need if you wish to succeed in the coming years. Success is why almost all the top MNCs have adopted and started implementing big data practices for their databases. Today we will see […]

Imagine you have to buy new headphones, what will you do: go to the nearest store or open a browser or jump on your mobile app? More and more people today tend to choose the second variant since it takes less time and effort. The number of online-shoppers will keep growing, as e-commerce — online […]

It was almost two decades ago that VPN industry saw an upgrade in the tunneling protocols. The upgrade came in the form of OpenVPN, an open-source protocol that dominates the market to this day. I feel that with the development of WireGuard some significant progress and a breakthrough in online security has occurred. WireGuard is […]

For years, Chinese telecom giant Huawei has been dogged by allegations that its products contain backdoors designed to facilitate Chinese espionage operations abroad. In the U.S., long-simmering tensions came to a head this May, when the Trump administration banned the use of Huawei equipment in U.S. telecom networks. Now, the future of Huawei’s relationship with […]

With the global explosion of technology, the traditional methods are being challenged, whether it’s about identity verification for account opening, accessing your social media accounts or even making online payments. Online businesses and brick-and-mortar organizations are going to need more advanced and secure systems to incorporate consumers’ demands. Passwords and Pin codes are well-intentioned and […]

Almost inevitably, your company will become a cyberattack target, but you can control the extent to which your company is at risk.

Whether you are a techie or not, there’s a fair chance that your life is highly reliant on the internet and its wonders. Your social media accounts are likely humming, and you know your way around the IoT devices you use. All of these devices connect you to the cyber world in one way or […]

Disruption is happening everywhere! It is the new world mantra. Everyone is thinking about new things, innovation as we come to know it. We are in an age where new technologies are replacing old ways of doing things; nothing is the same again. From self-driven cars to electric cars, from video marketing to AI-powered service-based […]

Why can’t products be designed with consumer privacy in mind? A recent controversy surrounding FaceApp collecting its users’ images has brought to light several data privacy issues. We only need to look at FB terms and conditions agreement to see that consumers are signing away rights to their personal information. The fact that the designed product, Facebook, […]

Is there a real choice between privacy and safety in surveillance? As artificial intelligence continues to advance, we’ve seen an increased focus on privacy. A 2019 report from the American Civil Liberties Union contains an ominous warning: Artificial intelligence-enabled video surveillance will soon compromise our civil liberties in a dangerous way. Consider a false choice between […]

Employees can be your greatest defense against security threats. These security threats abound because it is our nature to trust many different people with sensitive information. A security threat even has a loophole into our employee logins. There will always be human error, which is something companies must take into account when strategizing security. All […]

Small businesses are the backbone of the economy. They employ the vast majority of Americans, keep communities thriving, and produce the lion’s share of innovations. Small business is the backbone of our way of life; that’s why it’s so troubling that SMBs often underestimate the risk of cyberattacks. Managed Service Provider’s (MSPs) should ask customers […]

Large-scale domain name system hijackings — usually in the form of DNS spoofing or DDoS attacks — have been on a steady rise for years. But the unprecedented number of DNS hijackings in 2019 has prompted the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre to alert and advise organizations on the threat. Learn how to protect your domain name system […]

Information security leaders and professionals are not clear on the differences between platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service solutions. We need to offer precise information about these differences — otherwise, we merely end up with the troubling issues. The confusion between PaaS and SaaS can have some serious security implications. Are you making a major security mistake with […]

Speculators are eyeing several firms that could grow into colossal profit makers as the femtech market flourishes. A growing number of employers and insurers encourage employees to use family-planning apps, such as those developed by Ovia Health. In femtech, we see startups changing women’s health technology. In the last few years, there’s been a phenomenal […]

Those who remember the old days without the global network can still recall the feeling of not being available all the time. However, Generation Z will never have that privilege as the Internet has been a part of their lives almost since the day they were born.   The Power of the Internet of Things A […]

Digital parenting has got its importance over the last decade. Today kids and teens are getting used to cell phone devices, social media apps, instant messengers, and the internet. Hackers and unsafe individuals are present in the current hyper-sexualized world. Young people today have been taught and watched closely to protect them against internet issues. […]