September 11, 2018
Oz
In Security

The Best Protection Against Ransomware

Just under 950,000 unique users were victims of Ransomware in 2017, with 26.2% of those being business users. So just what is the best way of preventing this vicious piece of malware?

Ransomware is a type of malicious software which hijacks the user’s machines and typically prevents access to data and files through encryption. To retrieve access, users have to pay a fee (or ransom) which could reach the thousands of pounds. Upon payment (which is paid in Bitcoin), users are given a decryption key to then access their files again – although this is not always the case. While falling victim to ransomware may result in lost data, if you put preventative measures in place to begin with, this is not necessarily a huge problem… Continue Reading

August 28, 2018
Oz
In Security, Technology

Embedding IT Security in Your Company Culture

IT security should be a priority for your company, but helping your employees to this is not an easy task.

You will need to make changes to your entire working culture by introducing set rules and structures in the form of a comprehensive IT policy, but ensuring this is carried out, and becomes an integral part of your company ethos can be difficult. Here are some key ways that you can manage a shift towards good IT security practice, while making it as simple and effective as possible for your whole organisation…

Continue Reading

August 21, 2018
Oz
In Security, Technology

Back Ups and Disaster Recovery

When catastrophe strikes you need to be able to rely on a robust disaster recovery strategy, and backing up your data is the best way to ensure your business keeps going.

Disaster Recovery is about ensuring your business is back to full operational capacity in the smallest time frame possible, should something go wrong. Businesses hold so much valuable and crucial information, that should it be lost, could result in dire consequences.

If you do suffer any data loss, a reliable back up allows you to retrieve your information quickly and get your company operational again. It’s important to remember that there’s more than just data at stake when disaster strikes. Time, money and productivity are all on the line, with the potential for damaged business reputation should your clients’ suffer as a result.

Here’s why data back ups for your business should be a priority… Continue Reading

August 20, 2018
Oz
In Security, Technology

Developing an IT Policy in Your Organisation

Yours and your clients’ data is only ever as secure as your company’s IT policy.

By creating a comprehensive and thorough IT policy for your company, you should be aiming to address at least some of the more obvious ways your company could be compromised through your use of IT. Thinking about the way your team uses technology, and the data that you store, you should be able to bolster your security while reassuring clients that their private data is safe with your organisation.

Here are some starting points for you work from when creating your own company IT policy…
 Continue Reading

July 9, 2018
Oz
In Office365

Why Office365 is The Perfect Tool For Accountants

Office365 contains numerous pieces of software to help you bring your accounting operations up to date…

As of April 2019, the government plans to introduce Making Tax Digital (MTD), a scheme which aims to help businesses better organise their records and streamline their accounting activity by digitising the process and making it more efficient. Digital financing is gradually replacing physical receipts and documents, and accountants need a digital platform capable of recording, managing and analysing the data. Here are some core features that Office365 offers to businesses in the financial industry.

Continue Reading

June 25, 2018
Oz
In Uncategorized

Why Your Company Needs Encryption

Encryption adds a much needed level of security to your organisation, but how does it work in practice?

Encryption has always been important for businesses, especially where personal data is being transferred between servers, or physically transported via USB or laptops. For companies in the financial and legal industries, encryption is an excellent tool for protecting sensitive data. The ICO has been issuing fines to businesses for mishandling of data for a number of years, however GDPR has put a bigger spotlight on the issue of data security. GDPR has fundamentally changed the way companies handle their clients’ data, and has prompted most businesses to re-evaluate their day-to-day security practices. Encryption is a practical and nonintrusive way of protecting data, and hides content behind lock and key. Data that is encrypted is scrambled and is only decipherable by individuals who have the matching key code. With so much information being stored online in the cloud or on shared servers, it’s vital that you have a system in place to keep track of this information and keep it private – especially when handling information that doesn’t belong to your company. Continue Reading

May 22, 2018
Oz
In Technology

Collaborative Working with Office 365

As we touched on in an earlier blog about the benefits of Office365, one of the key selling points of the software platform is the capability it provides businesses with for collaborative and cooperative working. There are a number of tools designed specifically to help teams work together on projects, whether they are in the same room, or on opposite sides of the world. We want to highlight some of the key offerings from Microsoft in Office365 to help your company become more flexible in its working habits, as well as more productive…
 Continue Reading

May 22, 2018
Oz
In Security

Adopting Best Password Practices in Your Business

Bad password etiquette could spell trouble for your organisation…

Despite increased warnings and growing threats to businesses from hacks and data breaches, many people are still failing to adopt strong password practices. This isn’t just a matter of being unaware either – 91% of people surveyed by LastPass said they know that using the same password for multiple accounts poses a security risk, with 59% saying they still did it anyway. 53% also said they had not changed their passwords in the past 12 months, even when a data breach had made the news. Continue Reading

April 30, 2018
Oz
In Security

Keeping Your Company Network Secure

In a business with multiple people connecting to the company network, keeping your data secure is a tough, but not impossible task…

We have discussed the importance of promoting security among your team in a previous blog, but we want to look at some of the tangible ways you can increase your network’s security. The best way to ensure your company is as secure as possible is to take a multifaceted approach, working in different ways to bolster your defences. Here are some practical ways to tighten up your network and make sure you are as safe as possible. Continue Reading

April 30, 2018
Oz
In Security

Promoting IT Security In Your Business

Your IT security problem may not actually be with your hardware…

No matter how many pieces of security and anti-virus software you have installed, your business’s data could still be at risk due to one fundamental aspect of your company – your staff. Communicating with your team and having an IT policy in place will go a long way to ensuring that you have the best chance of protecting yours and your clients’ operations. Many company data breaches come as a result of human error or a lack of security awareness, so we’ve put together a brief checklist on how to take significant steps to reducing the risk of a data breach. Continue Reading