WordPress has been offering businesses an easy way to build corporate websites for years. And with over 58,000 plug-ins, it’s never been easier to improve functionality. If you use WordPress, we recommend adding these six must-have WordPress plugins to level up your business website.

1. Contact form: WPForms

Your customers should never struggle to contact you. If they can’t easily find a way to get in touch, they’ll bounce and you’ll lose a potential sale. Make it easy for them to reach out with the WPForms plugin.

WPForms is easy to install, and the drag & drop feature makes it simple to build contact forms, conversational forms, email subscription forms, online order forms, and payment forms. You can even create surveys and polls.

2. eCommerce integration: WooCommerce

Most Americans (around 91%) shop online or start off researching products and services online. If your website and the online experience are not up to scratch, customers will shop elsewhere.

Turn your website into a professional eCommerce store with WooCommerce, the most popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress. There’s also a suite of WooCommerce plugins that will elevate your customer’s experience, including:

• WooCommerce Wholesale Suite for bulk buyers.
• YITH WooCommerce Compare to allow customers to compare products.

●      YITH WooCommerce Quick View has a pop-up window so that customers can see product details and add to the cart without clicking through to the product page.

• YITH WooCommerce Wishlist plugin so customers can save products to their wishlist.
• WooCommerce Multilingual for translation into other languages.
• WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips.

3. Building landing pages: SeedProd

A good landing page can increase conversion rates by 2.35%. That’s the average rate, but some top-performing sites see conversion rates of between 5.31% and 11.45%. Even at 2.35%, imagine how much more revenue you can snag if you use landing pages to promote existing products or launch new products.

SeedProd is the number one WordPress plugin for creating effective fast-loading landing pages without hiring a website designer or programmer to write code. SeedProd has over 100 templates, color schemes, and font pairings. It features a drag-and-drop builder, section blocks for easy customization, and eye-catching headers and call-to-action buttons.

The premium subscription allows integration with several email marketing services like MailChimp and Constant Contact.

4. Customer support: Zendesk

Just as quickly as customers come, they can go. Poor customer service will drive them away. Long wait times, slow response times, lost tickets, and being shuffled from one department to another leads to frustrated customers. Inefficient customer service can kill all the good work you do in attracting and converting customers.

Every business should invest in customer relationship management software. A CRM system will centralize your customer data so that agents can easily view a customer’s history. WordPress has partnered with Zendesk to provide seamless integration between the two platforms.

With Zendesk, whether a customer uses your website’s contact form, live chat, or posts a query in the comment section of a blog post, all queries flow into Zendesk’s ticketing system. All tickets are accessible in your WordPress dashboard, so you won’t have to leave your website to handle queries on a separate platform.

5. Boosting website speed: WP Rocket

WP Rocket is a caching plugin designed to speed up your WordPress website. Customers don’t like waiting for a website to load. Fifty-seven percent say they will abandon a site that takes more than 3 seconds to load. WP Rocket offers page caching, browser caching, cache preloading, and compresses Gzip files, which help boost website speed.

High-resolution images are notorious for slowing down websites. WP Rocket offers Imagify, which compresses image files and lazy loading, which defers the loading of off-screen images until the user scrolls down to them.

This plugin also speeds up eCommerce sites by automatically excluding conflicting pages like the “cart,” “checkout, and “my account” pages from the cache.

6. Website security: Sucuri

Online security is a concern for every business and WordPress offers a solution for this too. Install Sucuri and benefit from immediate protection from website hacks and DDoS attacks. Security breaches can result in customer information being accessed, or your entire customer database could be lost instantly.

Sucuri’s firewall will monitor your website at all times, alert you to threats, and automatically remove any malware. Sucuri can also perform regular backups and restore your website should an attack occur.

Upgrade your WordPress website and boost your business

Competing in business is tough. Without the right tools, it becomes even tougher. Providing a fast, user-friendly, and seamless online experience is no longer an option. It’s a must.

If your website is slow and clunky, now is a good time to upgrade it. These six simple plugins are easy to install and can kick your business up a notch in 2021.

Image Credit: keira burton; pexels

The post 6 Must-Have WordPress Plugins for Business appeared first on ReadWrite.

Even though driving is an essential life skill, doing so at night has its own share of risks and problems. Issues become more compounded when driving is done at night. One must take whatever precautions possible when engaging in night driving. Here is the Lanmodo Vast Pro Night Vision System that is integrated with a dashcam. All of this will safely drive along with you.

About the Lanmodo Vast Pro

One brand that has been working tirelessly to provide safety gear for night driving is Lanmodo. It has introduced a range of products in the market which is beneficial for your car in general as well. The Lanmodo protective tent and the external Night Vision System are examples of it. The more recent and advanced Lanmodo Vast Pro is another useful and upgraded addition to the field.

Features and functionality of Lanmodo Vast Pro

The technologies and features associated with the Lanmodo Vast Pro are the top draws. It has 5-megapixel 7-layer full glass cameras with a viewing angle of 45 degrees and a distance of night visibility of up to 300 meters.

It can record for up to 14 hours continuously when both the front and rear cameras are engaged and if the rear camera is turned off, it can shoot up to 28 hours. A 7.84 inch IPS screen displays whatever the camera captures and the conversion is done using superior CMOS sensors.

The images are of high-quality as well as a resolution of 1920*1080 is maintained in both picture and video mode. An 850 cd/m2 brightness ensures that everything is seen clearly along with an illumination of 0.0001 Lux. Whatever is recorded can also be stored for future references as the max shortage supports 128G, which again makes it very useful.

The utility of the Lanmodo Vast Pro device is multifaceted and can be used by a number of people who have to involve in night driving frequently. It is all the more applicable for truck drivers and policemen who have night duties. In case someone has weak eyesight, they can be benefited from it as the display is crystal clear.

It can also be used by the residents of suburban areas where the roads are not well-lit. The device has gained so much popularity because of its multiple functions as well.

Not only does it serve the purpose of being a Night Vision Device under dark conditions or with inclement weather but also for being as evidence later as the videos are recorded and to facilitate easy parking by using the cameras judiciously. Thus, once you buy the device and fix it to your vehicle, you will have to worry less about the risks associated with driving at night.

Package content and installation

The package of Lanmodo Vast Pro consists of all the necessary equipment including the cameras and the IPS screen along with the accessories to mount it. The display screen can either be placed on the dashboard in front using a suction cup or it can be rested on a stable seat as well.

It also comes with an OBD Adapter and Cigarette lighter plug that acts as a power source for the device. It can utilize the battery of the car for functioning.

Comparison with an in-built system

There are some luxury car models that come with an in-built Night Vision System. However, the external Night Vision System by Lanmodo has been proven to be better in many aspects. For starters, the display of Lanmodo is in color when compared to the black and white of the inbuilt system. Moreover, a resolution of 1080p and a 45 degrees viewing angle are definite improvements.

It fits perfectly for 99% of the car models and you do not have to go to an automobile specialist for the same. Lanmodo also records whatever it captures in real-time and assists with parking, two additional features that are absent in the inbuilt ones. To add feathers to the cap, Lanmodo is also cheaper by almost 2000$ making it a very good buy for the price.

How to buy the Lanmodo DashCam

The Lanmodo Vast Pro could be purchased from its official website. You can even become a golden member just by paying 10$ after which the device will be made available to you at only 199$ with a 128G TF card.

You will also be given the preference for placing the order. In case you do not use the perks of being a golden member within the stipulated time, the invested amount will also be refunded. Also, the company states that Lanmodo Vast Pro will be launched on Indiegogo in October. You can subscribe to a newsletter if you want to get notified about its availability.

Overall of Lanmodo Vast Pro

Looking at the detailed description given above, it is easy to surmise that the device is a complete value-for-money package and the dashcam can make night driving safer and easier for you and your loved ones.

The post Lanmodo Vast Pro: Night Vision System Integrated with DashCam, Safely Driving Along with You appeared first on ReadWrite.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks pose a serious threat to an organization’s ability to serve its customers. A DDoS attack can knock a company’s web presence offline, making it incapable of responding to legitimate requests from customers. And as DDoS attacks become cheaper and easier to perform — an attack or threat of this type — is growing. Here is law enforcement response to DDoS as a service.

Cybercriminals are increasingly offering DDoS attacks for hire, expanding the number and types of businesses that could be targeted by these attacks.

Law enforcement has acknowledged the problem, and some organizations are actively working to take down DDoS marketplaces. However, they are fighting a losing battle as new sites are created when others are taken down. Companies must protect themselves from this threat by deploying DDoS protection (imperva dot com). solutions.

The Growing Threat of DDoS Attacks

DDoS attacks are relatively easy for an attacker to perform. Unlike many types of cyberattacks, they require no vulnerabilities or security errors on the victim’s systems.

Instead, DDoS attacks take advantage of the fact that all systems have a finite maximum number of requests that they can process or data that they can store, transmit, and process. A DDoS attack involves sending more data or requests than this maximum number, either degrading the system’s ability to respond to legitimate requests or knocking it completely offline.

In order to achieve the amount of traffic needed for these attacks, DDoS attackers use multiple Internet-connected systems. These often include Internet of Things (IoT) devices (known for their poor security), cloud computing instances (which offer computational power for lease), and mobile devices (infected via malicious apps).

As the adoption of these new technologies grows, so does the potential threat of DDoS attacks.

In recent years, attacks have grown in number, scale, and sophistication as cybercriminals take advantage of the ability to transform a simple vulnerability (like the use of weak passwords on IoT devices) into a chance to impact an organization’s operations and potentially demand a ransom to stop an attack.

Cybercriminals operating DDoS botnets have also taken advantage of another opportunity to monetize their attacks by offering DDoS as a Service.

The low cost associated with performing a DDoS attack (thanks to modern technology) means that cybercriminals can offer attacks at a very reasonable price while still making a tidy profit.

As a result, the range of organizations potentially targeted by DDoS attacks has expanded dramatically as anyone with a grievance and the willingness to break the law can target an organization of their choice.

Law Enforcement Takedowns Aren’t Enough

DDoS attackers’ pivot to offering attacks “as a Service” provides some advantages to law enforcement. With a cybercriminal operating completely on their own and pursuing their own goals, there may be little or no opportunity for law enforcement to target their infrastructure.

While a DDoS botnet requires command and control (C2) servers, the use of domain generation algorithms (DGAs) and similar tools could allow an attacker to move their infrastructure faster than law enforcement could identify it and take it down.

With DDoS as a service, on the other hand, law enforcement can take advantage of single points of failure in the business model. For customers to be able to engage with a DDoS service provider, they need a means of contacting them and providing payment. These marketplaces provide a target for law enforcement takedowns.

Some law enforcement agencies have worked to address the DDoS threat by shutting down “booter” sites and arresting their operators. The Dutch police have made multiple efforts to take down booter sites, including shutting down 15 sites and making an arrest in April 2020, and the FBI made a similar effort in December 2018.

Despite all these efforts, the DDoS as a Service industry is still going strong.

The reason for this is that the targets that law enforcement can access (i.e., the booter sites and the people that operate them) are not essential to the service. Service providers can easily set up a new website when needed. Arrests and incarceration are intended to be a deterrent, but the poor track record of convictions for cybercrimes (and the jurisdictional issues) mean that many DDoS service providers are undeterred.

These takedowns rarely impact the actual botnets used in the attack, making it easy for the cybercriminal (or another one who compromises the same devices) to continue operations with a new domain.

Protecting Against the DDoS Threat

DDoS attacks are an ever-growing threat to organizations’ ability to maintain the availability of their web services and maintain “business as usual.”

The pace of adoption of new technology, such as IoT, mobile, and the cloud, is outpacing the ability (and potential willingness) of their manufacturers to properly secure them against exploitation. As a result, the number and size of DDoS botnets in operation continues to grow.

Law enforcement organizations, such as the Dutch police and the FBI, are making an effort to fight DDoS attacks, but trying to stop DDoS attacks via booter site takedowns and arrests is a losing battle.

Attribution is difficult, and websites are easy to replace, making it possible for attackers to quickly continue business as usual.

Organizations must take protection against DDoS attacks into their own hands. As DDoS attacks become more well-known, widespread, and affordable, the range of organizations targeted by them is likely to continue to expand.

Deploying a DDoS protection solution that is capable of identifying and blocking attacks with extremely high traffic and data volumes, is an essential component of any organization’s cybersecurity strategy.

The post Playing “Whack a Mole”: Law Enforcement Response to DDoS as a Service appeared first on ReadWrite.

There are many people around the world for whom driving at night is inevitable. Even though there are many risks associated with night driving, there will be times when you have no choice. Having an additional eye helps in this situation. Some cars come with an internal Night Vision System, but it is not so efficient and becomes costly as well.

Lanmodo Vast Night Vision System is a similar device that excels in providing excellent night vision for driving safely, especially when sight is impaired.

An excellent characteristic of the Lanmodo Night Vision System is the fast delivery that it guarantees. It generally reaches your doorstep within a week, and the packaging is pretty sturdy and of superior quality. On unboxing, the components that are found inside include-

• A manual that has all the description of the working of the night vision system.
• An HD screen of 8.2 inches with camera in-built.
• OBD adapter.
• Input cable of 12V.
• One mat of non-slip variety.
• A screwdriver and some small accessories.
• A cup that can be used for suction.

When you unbox, you should make sure that all these components are included in your package.

How does it work?

The Lanmodo Vast night vision system is flexible in the sense that it can be stuck to the dashboard as well as the windscreen. The location is determined by the utility of the driver and at what level he or she wants it.

Sometimes, it becomes difficult to keep an eye on the road as continuous attention is needed. Therefore, you should take that decision based on your viewing convenience. For the same purpose, a non-slip mat is present. You can place it on the dashboard for stability. You can put it on the windscreen with the help of the suction cup.

How good the device is can only be judged by the fact about how good it functions. It has a superior quality camera that captures the images, providing a lot of colors, even in low lights. Even the contrast is so good that it feels like the image is taken in the morning.

The viewing angle is 36 degrees, and it can capture images of up to 300m in front. This is a testimony of the fact that not only is it aesthetically pleasing and easy to use, but it is also an excellent overall judge.

The utility of the Lanmodo Vast can be appropriately specified only when it is tested in challenging conditions. Doing so at night and during a rainy day is recommended. It will show High Definition images with a variety of colors. Even when the light is low, the image does not reflect that in any manner.

It is because of an active infrared system that uses a low-light-level component to illuminate even the darkest portion, something that is desirable for a Night Vision System. The situation is even more challenging during the rainy season. Not only is it dark at night, but the rain also compounds it significantly.

Looking ahead with naked eyes is almost impossible. However, when you look at the screen, you will be amazed by the kind of clarity it sports. You will be distinctly able to see every object.

Thus, if there is any obstruction in front, or any animal or human comes in front of the car suddenly, you will have advance notice, avoiding accidents wherever possible. This is one of the significant advantages of using the Lanmodo Vast Night Vision System.

Who needs it?

The usefulness of the Night Vision System is mainly for people who drive quite frequently at night. It is primarily for them as they can see and drive better.

• People who have difficulties in seeing at night will consider this Night Vision System will consider it as a blessing in disguise. It compensates for the compromised vision with a high-quality image on the HD screen.
• It is also particularly crucial for people who drive quite frequently through the countryside or the suburbs, especially during the night. Not only are these roads poorly lit, but animals also tend to jump in front of the car without any prior warning. Having this device will alert you prematurely, and you can maneuver accordingly.
• Some truck drivers and police officers have to be on duty all night, and they also need assistance while driving. This Night Vision system is ideal for its purpose.

Why do you need it?

A few advantages of the Lanmodo Night Vision System which makes it favorable in comparison to other external systems are-

• The images displayed on the screen at High-definition, and the contrast is more to increase the clarity of it.
• You can be alert during night driving as you will be able to see far ahead and pre-plan your route.
• This external night vision system is compatible with almost 99% of the car models that are available in the market right now. This shows its versatility.
• It is effortless to set up and can be done by the individual itself without the expert assistance of any sort.

Lanmodo Vast night vision camera is worth a second look for people who often drive at night. To check more details, please click on Lanmodo or Amazon. It is adequately priced, considering what it brings on the table for a driver at night.

The real test video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLLkK7YmBmc&feature=youtube

The post Lanmodo Vast 1080P Night Vision Camera appeared first on ReadWrite.

There has been a rise of the smart home, apartment, and condominiums. No mater which place you call your home — living arrangements in urban areas and vacation hotspots have definately become “smart.” Especially in tech, most people are willing to spare no expense to deck out their apartments, homes and condos in the latest high-tech gadgets and gizmos. If you want to jazz up your space, here’s a look at the type of technology available to turn it into a “smart” home, apartment or condominium.

The Internet of Things (IoT)

Integrated technology has a term — it’s called the Internet of Things (IoT). Connected cities and connected homes are fast becoming the way of the future. Research shows that 50 percent of renters own a virtual personal assistant (VPA) like Google Home or Amazon Echo. These devices link to other devices like your smartphone, tablet, and smart TV.

Once connected, you can play music, podcasts, videos, or search for information on the internet, all through voice command. You can also connect various parts of your home, such as the lighting, doors, and appliances, to the VPA and instruct it to switch lights on and off, turn on the TV, lock doors, and set the alarm system.

The latest home technology allows you to use your smartphone to see who’s at the front door when you’re not home. You can even take it one step further by unlocking the door to allow a handyman or contractor in to complete work while you’re away. All of this can be done remotely by the touch of a button on your smartphone.

Smart Appliances

Home automation is a rapidly growing industry. From smart thermostats that allow you to control the HVAC system remotely to smart kitchens. Smart appliances have shown steady growth since 2016, and the smart appliance market is predicted to hit $37.2 billion by 2020. Voice-activated coffee makers and refrigerator doors that display what’s inside the fridge are just the starts. Technology is already in place that can connect every kitchen appliance to a smartphone app or VPA like Google Home.

The smart kitchen of the future, with the help of artificial intelligence, will even cook meals for you. CookingPal recently launched the innovative Julia Smart Kitchen Machine that can chop, knead, weigh, mix, emulsify, and steam — all in one machine. It connects to a smart kitchen hub with over 500 preloaded recipes and can be voice-controlled via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

Eco-Friendly Technology

Condos that feature energy-saving technology is becoming increasingly attractive to renters, especially environmentally-conscious millennials. Condominium buildings can become more eco-friendly with solar panels, green roofs with organic gardens, water tanks to collect and recycle rainwater, and a gray water system that uses the water from sinks and showers for irrigation.

To reduce energy use inside your condo, install appliances with the ENERGY STAR label, switch to low flow showerheads, upgrade to a smart HVAC thermostat, and install a water leak detection system.

Insurance companies say the majority of household insurance claims are linked to water leaks. A burst water pipe or a slow leak both result in a considerable waste of water and damage to property. Your condo insurance will cover the cost inside your condo and should water seep into a unit below yours; you will be liable for the damage to that unit as well. You can avoid a catastrophe like this altogether by installing a water leak detection system like Water Hero.

The Water Hero system will alert you to a leak and automatically shut off the water. With a system like this in place, you’ll prevent water wastage and avoid damage to your property and surrounding units. Plus, by lowering the risk of water leaks in your condo you can also lower your condo insurance rate.

Security

A survey by Software Advice reveals that safety is one of the main deciding factors for tenants when considering an apartment to rent. Security measures like video surveillance cameras are not new but have become more advanced. Access to live footage is now literally in the palm of your hand via an app on your smartphone. You can keep an eye on your kids, pets, and the nanny remotely and in real-time.

Smart door locks have also become popular. The excitement of smart locks increased, in part, thanks to Airbnb owners who started using them to avoid the hassle of finding time to hand over keys to renters. A smart door lock uses a keypad with a number combination to unlock the door. If you’re a property owner who rents out your condo, with a smart lock, there’s no need to replace locks when tenants change. Just change the keypad code when a new tenant moves in.

Intelligent Buildings

Buying a condo means you’re buying into a building with several other units that are managed by a board or homeowners association. Communication, inquiries, updates, and maintenance requests can be done in one central website or intranet.

You’ll know how long building upgrades will take or why the elevator isn’t working. It also allows you to track the progress of any requests you put in for maintenance and see when the work will be carried out.

Security at the front desk also benefits from smart technology that includes facial recognition. When residents walk through the front entrance, the system analyzes their face and matches it to their name, thereby quickly confirming that they live in the building.

This type of technology is useful for new or temporary security staff who aren’t familiar with all the residents, another improvement to building security.

Robotics

Condominiums are often tall buildings. In the past, when a building needed to be assessed for damage by having an envelope inspection done, it meant having a human hoisted up by an aerial lift or on swing staging to circle around the building and take photographs painstakingly.

Today, drones with mounted cameras are used to fly around a building to take photographs and collect data. Drones are the most effective way to collect data quickly, and without the risk of injury, a building inspector or engineer can suffer from a fall.

Home automation is no longer the stuff of futuristic movies. It’s a reality, and high-tech homes will soon become the norm. Smart condominiums offer comfort, convenience, extra security, and a luxurious lifestyle. Upgrading your home, apartment, or condo with smart technology also ups its value as these tech features are set to become more desirable in the property market in the future.

The post The Rise of the Smart Home, Apartment or Condominium appeared first on ReadWrite.

Data breach, the bane of many security experts. Anybody can fall victim to a data breach at any time. The damage is usually extensive and expensive if not utterly debilitating. Breaches are a cancer that never knows remission and a significant cause of concern in the connected world of today. What is a data breach to begin with? Well, you need to know your enemy, and there are about five different types of data breach.

Here is a quick and straightforward analogy. If a burglar picks your lock or breaks your window and enters your house, that is a security breach. If the burglar steals your documents and personal information and then leaves, that is a data breach.

According to an article on Wikipedia, “A data breach is a security incident in which sensitive, protected or confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen or used by an individual unauthorized to do so.” A friend might steal a couple of your randy pictures to expose or prank you on Facebook; data breaches usually happen on a colossal scale involving millions if not billions of records. Big companies (you know, the kind you’d never imagine would fall victim) such as Yahoo, and Equifax among others aren’t safe either. When you think of it, attackers seem to love big and blue-chip companies because of the more significant the impact, the fatter the paycheck.

The stolen information is then used to commit credit card fraud, identity theft, and a host of other heinous crimes. Some attackers will even sell the information in bulk on the dark web, giving even more bad guys the chance to commit abhorrent atrocities ranging from espionage to blackmail and the list goes on. Data breaches are a severe problem that mandates organizations to prepare beforehand.

The first step in preparing is awareness about the 5 different types of data breach. If you know how the enemy operates, you can put countermeasures in place.

For each of the five types of data breach, you’ll learn a couple of preventative measures so that you can bolster the security of your systems. Keep in mind that attackers hardly rest, so don’t you sleep either. Keep learning and implementing the best security practices and stay ahead of the bad guys. Always remember to share your concerns about security and give each other the best security tips you hear about.

5 Different Types of Data Breach 2019

This list of data breaches is in no particular order, but they are all serious areas of concern for any organization or person looking to stay safe from data breach.

Physical Theft

Who has ever watched the Mission: Impossible film that was released in 1996? If you haven’t seen it — find it and watch it. For those who watched the film, I think you’ll agree when I say: We should laud the director, Brian De Palma, for that one famous scene where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) rappels from the vent of an incredibly secure CIA vault to steal the NOC list that contained the real names of agents in the field.

THAT PEOPLE is a classic example of data breach by physical theft, but we celebrated Tom Cruise for the act. In the real world, things might not be as dramatic, but data breach by physical theft is very much a reality for many organizations. It could be as simple as someone plugging a USB drive into a server containing sensitive and business-critical information, or as brazen as someone carrying a hard disk out of your business premises. If anybody can walk out of your premises with sensitive business data, you’re in deeper trouble than you would like to admit.

Leaving confidential documents in plain sight or disposing of sensitive information improperly (yes, a determined data thief won’t have qualms about going through your trash) can also expose you to a data breach. It’s the main reason vaults (but clearly not that CIA vault in Ethan’s case), shredders and furnaces were invented – to protect and get rid of sensitive information that mustn’t fall into the wrong hands.

To protect your organization from physical theft of data, implement stringent security protocols that ensure only authorized people have access to privileged and sensitive data. Have you ever heard of chit-key vaults and safe deposit boxes? Well, you might need to school yourself up on such secure storage options if you’d like to keep physical data breaches at bay.

What about your prized server room? We recommend you invest in military-grade security, laser sensors, motion detectors, sentry guns, the Death Star, the Infinity Gauntlet; whatever works for you – just ensure you leave nothing to chance. Pardon all the movie references, but we all know what happens when hackers release nude pictures of female celebrities and media files that were meant to stay private. The fallout if often nasty and people lose face and jobs, but I digress.

Cyber Attack

Cyberattack is one of the most prevalent forms of data breach since the attacker needn’t be physically present on your business premises to steal your data. All a cyber attacker needs is a computer with internet access and a couple of hacking tools to grab your data without your knowledge.

Data breach by cyber-attacks can go on for months or even years without anyone noticing, especially if the hacker did his/her job well. Often, the intrusion is discovered when the damage has already been done, i.e., after the data breach has taken place.

But how does a criminal hacker on the other side of the globe gain access to your system? The attackers rarely reinvent the wheel unless they have to. They use old hacking methods that are known to work. If they devise a new tactic, it’s mostly a combination of old tactics meant to exploit vulnerabilities in your system.

Common mechanisms hackers use to break into your systems include malware, keyloggers, fictitious websites, trojans, backdoors, and viruses, among others. Usually, they trick users into clicking and as a result, install malicious programs on the system, which is how they mainly gain access to your data. Others will intercept the information you send and receive over an unsecured network in what is commonly known as the man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack.

An attacker may dupe an unsuspecting staff member to steal login credentials. The attacker then uses the login credentials to login to the staffer’s computer, from where they launch a lateral attack on the rest of your system. Before long, the attacker has access to restricted areas of your network, and BAM – your data is gone, lost or rendered useless.

With criminal cyberattacks making up over 48% of data breaches according to the Cost of Data Breach Study by IBM, how do you protect yourself from cybercriminals looking to harvest your data? Preventative measures to keep cyber attackers at bay include:

• Encourage staffers to use strong and unique passwords. Never use the same password for different accounts. If you can’t remember many different passwords, considering investing in a password manager such as LastPass and Cyclonis, among others. And please, never ever use “123456,” “password,” “admin” and such easy-to-guess passwords
• Invest in a state of the art VPN to secure your network. A VPN encrypts your data such that it’s unreadable even if attackers manage to steal it
• Redesign your tech infrastructure with a security-first approach in mind
• Enable two-factor authentication to protect your servers and other storage devices containing sensitive data
• Use an antivirus and firewalls
• Update your software to seal security holes and improve functionality. Best is to keep your software updated at all times

To learn more about protecting your organization and yourself against cybercrime, here is a list of relevant posts for further study.

• 6 Emerging Cyber Threats to Lookout for in 2019.
• How IoT has Exposed Business Organizations to Cyber Attacks.
• 11 Ways to Help Protect Yourself Against Cyber Crime.

Employee Negligence aka Human Error

Have you ever sent out an email blast and be like “No, No, No, No, Nooo!” Yeah, most of us have been there, and it’s one of the worst feelings ever – especially if you send confidential or sensitive information to the wrong recipients. Or what happens when you send the wrong attachment to the right recipient? That photo you mean to send to your significant other?

Both scenarios constitute data breach, and when it happens in an organization, it can cause unprecedented chaos and unrest. But perhaps the above examples don’t cut it for you, so here is a fun fact. Did you know networked backup incidents and misconfigured cloud servers caused by employee negligence exposed over 2 billion records in 2017? According to the 2018, IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index published on itweb.co.za.

The point is to err is human; we all make mistakes, and it’s inevitable. But mistakes that could take your company off the pivot can’t be taken lightly or for granted. To mitigate this type of data breach, you must educate your employees on the essential elements of information security, and what will happen if they aren’t vigilant when performing their duties. It might sound like a weak point, but a little training could go a long way in combating data breach due to employee negligence.

On top of that, educate non-technical staff members on data security awareness procedures and policies. At the end of the day, you should embrace a zero-tolerance policy to data breaches that result from employee negligence. Inform your employees on the importance of keeping data safe and the repercussions should the unthinkable happen.

Insider Threat

While most organizations focus on mitigating external threat factors, insiders pose a more significant threat than you’d typically imagine. According to an Insider Threat study by CA Technologies and Cybersecurity Insiders, 53% of organizations faced insider attacks, with the main enabling factors being:

• Many users have excessive access privileges
• An increased number of devices with access to sensitive data
• The increasing complexity of information technology

From the same source, 90% of organizations feel vulnerable to insider attacks, and 86% of organization already have or are building insider threat programs. According to IBM Insider Threat Detection, insider threats account for 60% of cyber attacks. Wow, just wow – quite the staggering figure if I must point out the obvious, which also means you must be extra vigilant or one of your employees will drive a steel stake through the heart of your organization.

Data breaches resulting from insider threats are quite common nowadays, and extremely difficult to detect. Network protectors can quickly combat malicious outsiders, but the job becomes harder when threats come from trusted and authorized users within the organization.

The job becomes 10 times more challenging since there are different types of insider threats, namely:

• Disgruntled employees – This category of criminal insiders commit deliberate sabotage or steal intellectual property for monetary gain. It’s common for employees to steal information before and after quitting or being fired. Some harmful elements sell trade secrets to competitors, but others want to take down the enterprise.
• Nonresponders – Some employees never respond to security awareness training, no matter the resources you invest. These are the people who usually fall prey to phishing scams repeatedly because, well, you can stick your security awareness training up your (you know where).
• Insider collusion – Professional cybercriminals will go to great lengths to steal your data. They scout the dark web looking to recruit your employees. If one of your employees collaborates with a malicious attacker, you will have a severe security and data breach, and you don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you that. In some cases, an employee may even cooperate with another employee in the same organization, exposing you to all types of cybersecurity problems. If you need a little prodding in the right direction, just think how insider collusion can expose your enterprise to fraud, intellectual property theft, and plain old sabotage.
• Inadvertent insiders – Ignorance is not bliss as far as cybersecurity goes. Negligence on your employees part invites all manner of trouble since attackers are savvy to vulnerabilities that inadvertent insiders cause. Negligent staff members expose your organization to malware, phishing, and man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, among other forms of attack. Attackers may take advantage of negligence in your organization to exploit misconfigured servers, unsecured/unmonitored microsites, and so on.
• Persistent malicious insiders – Criminal “second streamers,” i.e., employees seeking supplemental income maliciously, won’t protect your data. Instead, they will commit a slew of malicious acts such as exfiltrating data for financial gains. And this category of people will remain undetected for long periods to maximize the benefits of data theft. And since they are aware of network monitoring tools, they will steal data slowly instead of committing data theft in bulk. As such, they can operate under the radar for months or years.

How do you prevent data breach caused by insiders? How do you protect your data when the threat comes from the same people you trust. To protect your data from insider threat, you need to implement measures such as endpoint and mobile security, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), data encryption at rest, in motion and use as well as Identity and Access Management (IAM). You can even adopt behavioral analysis and reduce vulnerabilities. These measures will combat, among other things, unauthorized access, negligence, and data loss in case of a breach.

Ransomware

What comes to mind when you see the word RANSOMWARE? WannaCry? $700,000 of losses? Laws? The HIPAA perhaps? CryptoWall? CryptoLocker? Ransomware can constitute a data breach depending on the malware that attacks your systems. Other factors such as the type of data stolen, the current status of said data and – again – laws. Anybody who puts your data at risk of loss has committed data breach to some extent. If some hacker somewhere holds your data hostage, your organization will surely experience losses in all fronts. And you determinedly would instead carry on as usual – plus money doesn’t just grow on trees.

The attacker who hijacks your data has demonstrated that they can steal or destroy your data at will.

Clearly, they are talented, and ransomware comes in a million shades of nasty. Could take over your system right this minute considering there are more than 4,000 ransomware attacks per day according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It’s one of the reasons the US government has a $15 billion budget for cybersecurity. The majority of attackers use ransomware to cover their tracks. Just think about it for a minute. Some guy breaks into your system steals your data, and if that isn’t enough, holds your data hostage for profit as they cover a data breach.

Ransomware ruins your reputation. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to build a name, so say “no” to ransomware.

You can avoid ransomware of you’re cautious enough. Plus, you can always ramp up your defenses. And please install a powerful antivirus program (my favorite is Eset Nod32), and ensure you activate web file protection and firewalls to combat malware-laden emails and messages that pass spam filters. Additionally, invest in a clever backup plan so that you can simply wipe the drives to eliminate ransomware, and then restore backups. That way, you can beat ransomware attackers at their own game, instead of paying a ransom.

Final Words

Security goes beyond mere awareness, so don’t take data breach sitting down. You can effectively protect yourself, and if the worst happens, rise from the ashes stronger than before.  Keep learning and implementing the best security policies and procedures to protect your business against the various forms of data and security breaches. Keep the conversation going until you have everything you need to safeguard yourself and your organization against all five of the data breach of types.

The post Know Your Enemy: The 5 Different Types of Data Breach appeared first on ReadWrite.

It’s tough to have an engaging blog in an internet age full of content and consumers who crave something new regularly. Business blogs can be just as fun if you know how to present your information and findings in refreshing ways. How to start a blog? You can create a successful business blog with just these steps:

Establish yourself as an expert

You want people to read your blog eventually, so you will have to strategize and come up with ways to make sure you present yourself as a business expert. Being an expert at anything, usually means actually learning and gaining the knowledge concerning the informaion you are talking about and imparting. Being a business expert might mean interacting with local business owners as consultants. If you started or currently run your own company, you can use your experiences there as a starting point for your content and as a basis for your authority.

Whatever your expertise, make sure you have established it on your website and established yourself as the figure behind it. Then, think about your first blog post: consider making it about your idea to share your knowledge as you learned your business, and as the industry shifts.

Being a blogger that people want to listen to is a sure way to cultivate a following quickly. You will need to have hot ideas and updated takes about the business world from the past, present, and future.

Get a variety of perspectives and content

Having your own business blog takes on business trends that are crucial to your blog in the beginning. After a while, you’ll want to branch out in to other business areas. Conact other influencers in business and interview them or writing articles highlighting their influence. Mix-it-up in your writing and show that your blog has different content which includes alternative people’s varied opinions and information.

You want more than one persons’ takes on trends; you will wish to include new types of content. For example, video is huge right now. Take the time to make a video to go along with some of your blog posts. You might need the help of a video expert and a producer, but it will be worth it when your videos get recurring views.

Another way to mix up the content is by creating infographics to tell stories about business. You can hire a graphic designer to make a comic strip about a recent news story about another company, founder, or business sector, that you know will be of interest to your readership. Branching out from a boring blog is a fun and unique way to cover recent business news.

Create a content calendar

When making a blog, it can be challenging to stay on top of posts. Working on a content calendar early on is an organizational tactic that allows you to keep your blog updated and hold yourself accountable for those updates. Without an editorial calendar, you could fall behind on posts and lose sight of your goals. The Google calendar function is a tool that you can use to set reminders for publishing.

With that being said, you also will need to have the content aggregated to post. In the instance that writing becomes too time-consuming, you could look into something like a writing service such as Ultius essay writing service. Online writing companies have ghost writers specializing in various topics that are there to serve your blog.

Use search engine optimization

Optimizing your on-page SEO is a must when looking to build a successful blog. Not only will it get you more page views, but it will give you another topic on which to share your business knowledge.

Business owners, bloggers, and professionals will see how highly ranked your pages are when searching on Google. Ranking is a strategy that gives you some industry street cred, as well as more traffic. You can’t have an excellent business blog without having an SEO strategy in place, even if it takes some time to build momentum. You will fail a lot, but you can also win.

After that, the only thing that’s left is picking a catchy and fitting blog name. Remember to pick something memorable, unique, and instantly tells the reader what your blog is about.

The post How to Start an Engaging Business Blog appeared first on ReadWrite.

Many people continue moving to urban centers for all kinds of different reasons. The logic and reasoning may include looking for employment, seeking a change in lifestyle and a variety of reasons that couldn’t possibly be listed, let alone guessed.

As migration from rural to urban areas increases, cities must become efficient if they want to support the increasing populations. As such, we all become smarter with the Internet of Things (IoT) and so do cities. Smart cities will become a norm in major metropolitan areas in the world; it’s all about connectivity which will ultimately change our communities.

So, what’s a smart city?

Well, smart cities use IoT (Internet of Things) devices like connected lights, meters and sensors to collect and analyze data. The cities make use of this data to improve public utilities, infrastructures and improve quality of life for their residents.

Governmental agencies should consider adopting a smart city concept in their urban areas. Implementing big data applications in support of smart city components allows IoT to reach optimum sustainable levels.

Smart cities make use of different technologies to raise performance. Greater achievements in health, energy, sanitation, education and transport performance change and are enhanced to improve comfort levels for their citizens.

One of the common technologies with a potential to improve smart city services is the big data analytics. As time goes by, digitization becomes an essential aspect of everyday life. Data collection results in an accumulation of huge data amounts and the diverse data can be used in each of the differing city application domains listed above. Effective analysis and utilization of the big data is essential for the success of the smart city domain in influencing all sectors of business under city jurisdiction.

Consider examples of big data applications that serve smart cities. They include the following:

Smart Infrastructure and Architecture

Construction engineers and managers are looking for ways to incorporate IoT solutions into their architectural designs. In this way, they’ll be able to reduce the project costs and increase the quality of the infrastructure.

For instance, a recent study in the United States intimate that at least 60 percent of building managers are conversant with IoT technology. In fact, 43 percent believe that IoT will be shaping how they construct and operate their buildings in the next few years.

One area with massive potential for growth is in lighting. Building managers are more likely to change from conventional lighting methods to LED bulbs in the attempt to save on energy and money.

Elevators are another area that needs greater efficiency. A research by IBM shows that people waited for 22.5 years for lifts during their lifetime. As a result, the elevator market is likely to grow to about $23B in by next year (2020).

The biggest application of IoT in architecture and infrastructure is the use of smart grids. These grids can help considerably to conserve resources. The European commission expects 72 percent of all consumers in EU will have smart electricity meters in their homes by the end of 2020. At least 40 percent will be having a smart gas meter in the same year.

Amsterdam, for instance, has been offering solar panels and energy storage units for households connected to City’s smart grid. With these batteries (holding panels), home owners can relieve stress on the grid at peak hours by storing energy and using from the storage at peak usage times.

Smart Education

Education is the backbone of every society. Information and communication technology helps enhance the educational efficiency, effectiveness and productivity using smart educational services. These services are intelligent and flexible and offer maximum use of information — enhancing control and assessment.

Using smart education applications helps engage people in active learning environment. All these allow learners to adapt to rapid changes in the environment and society. In addition, relying on big data that has been collected and processed in the field will help to generate required information. All these have a positive effect on teaching/learning tools to acquire and deliver knowledge.

Technology can avail opportunities everywhere including rural and remote areas especially where commuting to learning institutions may be impossible. At times, the economic status of people in some areas doesn’t allow them to afford other expensive education models.

Using big data and ICT technology will create a knowledge based economy. All these help enhance the nation’s capacity and competitiveness. Educational big data, is generated by collecting data from people. The data is collected from students, teachers, parents, administrators, infrastructure, and economic surveys.

The data can help deduce useful trends and reports and uses them to create models that facilitate a better and increasingly enhanced education. It has been useful in identifying and observing educational shortages to enhance learning curriculums.

Smart Traffic Lights

A major aspect of smart cities is how well they control their traffic flow within the town. All these additional enhancements of the transportation systems improves the overall traffic pattern flow within the city. With an increase in population, pollution, and traffic — economic problems are likely to happen. Due to economics most smart cities makes use of smart traffic signs and signals to deal with huge traffic and congestions. This control in turn cuts down on the pollution involved in sitting at signal lights for a length of time. All timing in traffic can improve with smart traffic lights.

For efficient results, smart traffic lights and their signals need to be interconnected across the entire traffic grid. This connectivity helps to offer more insights and information about traffic lights and patterns. Each of these sensors detect a varied parameter of traffic flow. Such information includes the number of cars, their speed, and waiting time at the lights as well as any traffic jams. The systems will then make decisions depending on the respective values of each parameter.

The higher the availability of data, the more informed the decisions of the smart city capabilities. In order for the smart traffic system to work to greatest efficiency, it needs to collect data from all traffic lights in the city. The smart city information will then be able to make an intelligent decision that depends on this changing data. Traffic patterns, as well as all other data in a city are forever changing — some times the changes are minute by minute and can be taken into consideration an acted upon by smart city automation.

Conclusion

The potential for smart cities is limitless. Further, the growth of these cities will only accelerate in the coming years.

When evaluating smart city applications based on big data, its important to address special requirements that address the special nature of smart cities. For instance, data capturing and collection from users, sensors, and electronic data readers may pose a challenge as data volume grows.

Storing, processing and organizing this data is crucial in generating useful results for the coming issues on this topic. Essentially, for any system to work, its important to select a number of developmental designs and priorities in a planned manner. In this way, you’ll be able to generate more interconnections and intelligence to keep your smart city running smoothly and with the best results for your community.

The post We get Smarter with the Internet of Things (IoT) and so do Cities appeared first on ReadWrite.

The emergence of latest technology and use of remote devices in every field of life has changed how  businesses tend to their marketing needs. Instead of printing an advertisement in newspaper, business marketers are more likely to utilize social media marketing. This is as a direct result of people, customer’s and clients that reach out to each other on social.

Social Media is how effective marketing works these days.

The recent increase in the use of mobile phones made QR codes one of the best marketing strategies. A few companies, blogs, and newspapers claimed that QR codes are out of trend. With the advent of the mobile phone usage explosion — these QR codes have become relevant again — big time.

Top-tier companies are still using them as their primary marketing strategy and smaller companies and entrepreneurs are witnessing the resurgence of this technology.

Today, these Quick Response Codes (QR codes) aren’t the same black-and-white squares.

• They have been innovated upon and have emerged with great customized QR codes.
• With customized QR codes, you can embed customized designs, colors, images, and your logo within code.
• The design, logo, and colors are aimed to complement your business types.

How can these QR codes work for you?

QR codes have been made compatible with almost all remote devices that have a camera.

Some mobile phones even come with a built-in function to scan a QR code. And some older devices may require downloading the QR code scanner from App Store.

A QR code scanner scans the code, analyze, and process the data to showcase the stored content in the code. A QR code can contain:

• A URL to a landing page
• Business information i.e. contact, email, logo, customer reviews and more.
• A VCard that showcases your business contact information
• Media files i.e. mp3, photos etc.
• Wi-fi credentials. You can also connect the Wi-Fi just by scanning the code.
• Redirect to a certain application.

There is a difference between static and dynamic QR codes.

While the static QR codes can provide loads of information to the users, dynamic QR codes can help you tracking data of the users as a marketing campaign. You can get the location, time, device type etc. of every user who scans your QR code. Moreover, Dynamic QR codes also works best when you want to redirect the user to a different webpage.

Benefits of QR Codes

As discussed earlier, QR codes have evolved much and offers greater benefit than just providing information to the users. Here are few benefits of using QR codes are a marketing strategy

• They offer secured data transmission
• They are compatible with almost all smart phones
• QR codes provides an easy way to reach to your customers
• You can determine your targeted audience by keeping track of data i.e. location, time, device type and more.
• Visual QR codes are more likely to appeal users

Best QR Code Generator

There are several QR code generators with logo available on the internet – each one having and upper hand over the other. Looking forward to generating QR codes for your marketing campaign? QRzebra is one of the better QR code generator with logo as you can customise your qr code colours and shape for free. The user-friendly interface and quick results makes it one of the best QR code generator available online.

Conclusion

The high-end features of QR codes today, provide instant accessibility and user-friendly atmosphere. Usage of the QR Codes will be an exciting part of your new marketing campaigns. Many companies are using these QR codes to great advantage and you can too. Use your QR Codes to sell your products or services, increase website traffic and create greater brand awareness. All a perfect fit to your marketing strategy.

The amazing features that allow your clients and customers to connect to your own Wi-Fi using a QR code instead of password, let’s them feel a part of your very special tech world with ease.

The post How Do QR Codes Work? appeared first on ReadWrite.

Search engine optimization is a familiar term in the digital marketing world. Most business owners know the main benefits of SEO. But not all businesses know how to maximize the use of SEO to their advantage.

Such companies will require help and assistance from SEO companies in the market. As a startup, it is important that your business has a good SEO ranking. Remember, your website will be competing with other businesses in the industry for ranking.

You’ll need to fight hard for various users to notice you on search engines.

The experts you engage should help you improve your SEO rankings. These tips will help in your site ranking by attracting a huge traffic to your site. The tips will be able to generate leads to your business.

1. Create Your Content around a Keyword

Well, probably you know of this already! Great! There is an SEO analytic tool that’s able to examine your content for a given keyword. In most cases, this is the keyword that most users in the industry are searching on the search engine. The more keywords that the tool notices on your content, the higher it’s ranking.

Remember, don’t spam the keyword. If you do, the analytic tools used by search engines will know.

As such, it is evident that keyword is the foundation of a successful SEO strategy. Always use the right keyword on your content.

2. Publish Regularly

Posting content regularly to your site helps establish it as a credible resource. As such, if the content you are creating is of high quality, the SEO ranking tools will place you higher.

You may add a blog page to your website. Update content regularly to this blog. Say at least once a week.

Also, remember to write about things and subjects that matter in your industry. While at it, make an opinion on how your readers will benefit after buying your products and services.

Don’t forget to use keywords on all the content you publish.

3. Optimize Your Website

Well, SEO analytics will not only focus on the content you publish. Further, they’ll look at the user-friendliness of your site. For instance, they’ll check, is your content readable? What’s the loading speed? What’s your pop management strategy?

If these factors are not in a good working condition, your website ranks poorly.

You may consider using a Site Performance Test to gauge the performance of your website.

4. Use Social Media Pages

After creating the content, ensure it is shareable on Social media platforms. They’ll have a wider reach than any other platform out there. Just make sure you’re using them well.

You can target all demographics here to drive the requisite target to your site. If the content is good, the social media users will be willing to share the content to their pages.

Using the social media platforms correctly will increase traffic to your site. It’s also the most efficient and cost-effective marketing strategy your business can adopt.

The post SEO Tips for Startup Businesses: How to Get a Competitive Advantage appeared first on ReadWrite.

Starting an online business requires you to be extremely smart because 9 out of 10 startups fail and just 10 percent are lucky to enjoy the sweet taste of success. But there are essentials your online startup needs to follow. There are certain things that most of the startups fail to recognize. They either follow a wrong approach or don’t do the things in the proposed manner.

I have listed 7 important essentials that every startup needs to follow in order to increase their chances of success.

1- Build The Right Product

Your product is the fulcrum around which your entire business rests. Hence, it is extremely crucial to build the right product.

Follow the below essentials to get started:

• Understand your users and make sure that your product solves the problems of the customers.
• Conduct a research and validate whether the proposed solutions actually solves the problem.
• List down your USP after analyzing the product features offered by your competitors.
• Launch your products in different versions and A/B test each version separately.
• Get appropriate feedback from your audience with each iteration.
• Try and improve your product with every new version and continue the process.

2- Design a Great Website

The success of your online business depends largely on your website.

You must pay very careful attention to it. Share your understanding. Follow the below steps to design the perfect website:

• Create a design plan and list down the features you need in your website. Think about your audience and make sure your list is user friendly.
• The next step is to choose a platform to design your website. Here are some great website builders to get started.
• Decide on the layout and menu navigation.
• Choose a color template and fonts.
• Add content and images and start testing your website.
• Create AMP pages for mobile users.
• Check the performance of your website on Search Console, Google Page Speed Insights, Google Analytics and fix problems if any.

3- Get Appropriate Funding

It is always good to have extra money in your hand so that you can utilize the funds as and when needed. Online startup will surely need time to succeed and an appropriate amount of money is needed to get the dice rolling.

Here are some great ways to continue generating regular funds for your startup:

• You can continue to bootstrap your business until it becomes profitable. Taking the help of your family and friends can prove to be extremely beneficial in this regard.
• Crowdfund your startup using platforms like Kickstarter.
• You can take the help of venture capitalists or angel investors. Platforms like co allows you to network with angel investors with just one application.
• You can also look for partners who are willing to invest in your business in return for shares.

4- Build a Financial Plan and Project Your Revenues

Financial projections are really important when you are starting out your business but achieving accuracy is crucial.

Always list your expenses first.

Each and every expense should be listed including fixed and variable costs. Forecast your revenues considering both conservative assumptions and aggressive assumptions. Decide on the gross margin, operating profit margin and total headcount per client.

5- Market Your Business Smartly

As a startup, you will always face the problem of budget.

You can’t spend lavishly because you need to be certain about the returns before you think about investing. This is where smart business marketing becomes essential. Here are some powerful ways to market your business smartly:

• Search engine optimization is far the best technique to generate organic publicity for your business.
• Email marketing is not dead. It is infact one of the best ways to generate leads. You can take the help of semantic email marketing to invoke user actions.
• Socialize on social media platforms especially LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Running an advertisement campaign on relevant social media sites where your niche audiences are present can be a great method of generating publicity and leads in a low budget.
• Chatbots are one of the newest ways to boost your lead generating efforts. You can add chatbots in your site and allow users to interact with them so that they are able to move deeper into the sales funnel.
• You can also take the help of text message marketing in order to reach your prospects easily. Mobile devices are present in the hands of your customers 24×7 so there is no better way to reach your prospects other than text message marketing.
• Create useful content and promote them across your entire social network. Content marketing still remains one of the most ROI friendly ways of generating branding and conversions.
• Don’t forget offline marketing because you need to make sure your business is seen everywhere. It is wise to invest in billboard marketing, pamphlets, newspaper ads, seminar marketing etc.

6- Build a Great Team

You need to great team to effectively manage your tasks. Your company can grow bigger only if you have an efficient team.

Here are some tips to build a strong team:

• Focus on roles and assign the right responsibilities to the right person.
• Adopt a tough selection process that automatically filter out inefficient or inappropriate people.
• Value the role of each and everyone in your company.
• Follow a smart company policy that consists of both rewards and punishments.
• Improve your team communication using apps like Slack because this will help to streamline your entire workflow.
• Always assign targets and follow up with your team regularly.
• Meetings with a reason. Focus on solving problems rather than discussing them.

7- Offer Exceptional Customer Support

Customer support is extremely important to the success of your business.

It is not about talking politely with your customers but rather it consists of an entire process that makes the task of interaction smoother. A set of policies must be followed by your employees whenever they interact with the customer. Here are some steps that you need to follow in order to provide an exceptional customer service:

• Develop and implement customer service policies that caters to each and every aspect of customer experience.
• Hire the right people in your customer support team and train them thoroughly.
• Survey your customers regularly and implement the revisions in your policies based on the survey results.
• Try and solve the problems of your customers immediately because people tend to share their complains directly on social media and being lazy can prove costly to your brand’s reputation.

Conclusion

Managing a startup is not easy and you need to follow the right practice from the very beginning. The above listed essentials can prove to be extremely beneficial to convert your business from a startup to a brand. Always remember, your customer should be your main priority and you must make every effort to solve their problems and keep them happy.

The post 7 Essentials Your Online Startup Needs to Follow appeared first on ReadWrite.

When British technologist Kevin Ashton coined the term “Internet of Things” in 1999, little did he knew that this term would become so popular in the coming years. Now, we are living in the age where IoT is already a reality.

It has been estimated that by 2020 around 50 billion IoT-enabled devices will be in use around the world. The notifications that you constantly receive on your smartphone based on your current location is a great example of IoT in action.

Other IoT action.

As per Statista (see below graph), the IoT market is expected to reach $457 billion by 2020. This is a phenomenal increase from just $194 billion in 2017. So, how does IoT became so popular? The answer is due to its ability to connect things together.

The new age of the web designer. 

We are entering a new age of web designing where websites are designed keeping in mind the functioning of smart devices. IoT is set to take ecommerce website designing to a new level.

1. Web Design Will Become More Complex

Website design will become more complex because now the designer will have to think about designing front end interfaces where people can easily communicate with other smart devices. Clean interfaces would be required so that the users can easily communication will devices like cameras, sensors, refrigerators, washing machines and other smart devices.

More time would be spent on testing the design, configuring the network and managing the server. The design should be flexible and easy to adapt across an array of devices that would be connected via IoT.

2. Strong Framework For Back End Communication Will Be Needed

The back end database needs to be strong as the data obtained from IoT devices corresponding to every individual user will have to kept securely and accessed according to the needs.

Knowledge of any of the top frameworks like The Physical Web, Open Remote, Open Hab, Lelylan, Eclipse, KAA IoT, ZETTA and Open Connectivity Foundation would be extremely necessary to build a strong framework for effective data, user and device interaction.

3. Desktop Will Die and Mobile User Experience Will Be The Key

User experience will be the key and desktop design will die making way for mobile only interfaces. Simplicity will be the key as simple design will be easier to load on mobile. Hence, lesser yet important features that can augment user experience and aid in personalization will be preferred in design.

In the future, every IoT devices will be connected via Smartphone, hence, designers must create designs that can be accessed smoothly across every smartphone screen irrespective of the size and feature for the smart device interactions to occur easily.

4. Website Speed Will Play a Decisive Role

Page loading speed will be the key because communicating with IoT devices will not be easy and the interaction will take a lot of time. Designers will have to keep the page load time as fast as possible in order to provide time for device communication and data sharing.

Here are some steps that the designers must take in order to improve the page load time:

• Minimize the number of redirects.
• Create and test AMP pages that loads faster on mobile devices.
• Reduce the number of images.
• Minimize the number of JS and CSS files.
• Leverage the power of browser caching.
• Disable hotlinking of images.
• Remove all the plugins that are not in use.
• Enable Keep-Alive by adding the following code in the .htaccess file:

<ifModule mod_headers.c>
Header set Connection keep-alive
</ifModule>

• Fix all broken links to improve the user experience and keep the crawl budget in check.
• Make use of CDN to reduce the load on server.
• Take the help of caching plugins and keep the database clean.

5. Security Will Become a Primary Design Consideration

It will become easy for the hackers to hack smart devices and place false orders. Hence, security will become a primary design consideration.

Adopting a security by design approach is necessary so that every design is started keeping the security in mind. Here are some steps that one needs to follow in order to have a secure website design:

• Plan the design and identify the processes that can invite vulnerabilities. The idea of the website design should be perfect where defining the goal of the website and sketching out the customer journey is extremely important.
• Start running tests from an early stage so that any errors or flaws should get fixed as early as possible.
• Adopt a Model-View-Controller Framework for efficiently relating the user interface to underlying data models.

• Design a simple website and minimize the use of add-ons and plugins.
• Make use of a web application firewall such as Cloudflare that helps to strengthen the security of your website even before the attack starts.
• Use SSL certificates to create an encrypted connection and build trust.

6. JavaScript Will Make Front End Interaction Easier

JavaScript would be the most sought after language that will enable designers to effectively interact with smart devices and also make the front end interaction as smooth as possible.

JavaScript is an event driven language and this is the reason, it can used to execute commands that happen at exact moments when interactions happen with smart devices and data is captured in the database. In the case of an event driven language, every other connected device will listen to the other events and respond accordingly.

Moreover, several tasks can run together at the same time without the need to wait for one task to finish.With better memory management and an extensive set of libraries and plugins, JavaScript is the language that every web developer should target in the era of IoT.

Conclusion

A website designer should definitely remain aware about the different aspects of IoT for designing a website. Flexible, user friendly and clean interfaces is the demand for today’s design where the information can be displayed using minimum text. Considering the rapid growth of IoT, we can safely assume that a whole new generation of web designers are required who are capable of designing the web of the future.

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Are a business owner that regularly asks yourself: “How can I expand my company to gain more clients, make more sales, and earn more revenue?” If so, you’re not alone. This is something business owners all over the world, in various industries and niches, struggle with on a daily basis.

Maybe you’ve only tried marketing your brand through paid ads on Google, or perhaps you have only attempted to target new customers through Facebook and Instagram. Fortunately, technology and the internet have opened a world of opportunity for marketing your company and reaching potential new clients in different, effective ways.

Here is how to expand your business through multi-channel marketing:

First things first, what is multi-channel marketing?

According to SAS, multi-channel marketing “refers to the practice of interacting with customers using a combination of indirect and direct communication channels – websites, retail stores, mail order catalogs, direct mail, email, mobile, etc. – and enabling customers to take action in response – preferably to buy your product or service – using the channel of their choice. In the most simplistic terms, multichannel marketing is all about choice.”

In short, multi-channel marketing means to market your company on as many different, appropriate platforms. This in an effort to place it in front of as many people within your target audience and demographic as possible. This means expanding beyond your current marketing strategy and testing out various new strategies. It’s a means of communication for websites and all types of channels.

Why is multi-channel marketing so important?

Multi-channel marketing is vital to any business for many reasons. If you’re only using a single channel, you’re limiting the potential of how many people (customers and clients) you’re reaching. If you have found success in marketing via Facebook, then you should obviously continue to use this channel. However, incorporating different types of social media platforms into your marketing strategy will only help to expand your visibility. Try Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. Watch your analytics and see which channel may work just as well for you. Yes, it takes more effort and time, but the amount of new sales that could arise as a result will be worth it.

It’s imperative for you as a business owner to place your brand in as many places as possible for this very reason.

So which channels are available to you?

Mobile.

Because 80 percent of all internet users own a smartphone. Optimizing your marketing strategy to include mobile marketing is not a choice in 2018, but a necessity. If you already have a website, then it should already be optimized for mobile phones. If not, then Google is likely not favoring your company. This mean not placing you as high on search engine results pages as you may deserve (due to all of the algorithm changes centered around mobile-first user behavior). First, make sure your website is mobile-friendly, responsive, and readable on all types of cell phones, size phone screens, browsers, and software systems.

In addition to optimizing your website, there are several mobile marketing strategies you can try to acquire new business and make more sales. From SMS text message updates and coupon offers to developing a mobile app to complement one of your company’s products or services, the options are limitless.

In-Person Events.

Have you tried event marketing yet? Have you participated in any trade shows that are relevant to your industry? Have you signed up to display your brand at a kiosk during a conference that thousands of your potential clients are attending? Whether your company offers online services or you sell teddy bears — in-person events enable you and your team to put a face in front of your brand. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with people who may be interested in learning more about who you are and what you do.

As long as you have a portable payment system or attachable POS device, you can take your ecommerce business anywhere in the world and still have the ability to make sales while on the road. Certain brands like Shopify offer a POS device that accepts payment and enables you to manage your inventory, access customer data, and process orders as well.

Online Marketplaces.

If you sell individual products as an ecommerce brand, then you may be trying to figure out how you can expand. Start selling in more locations, both online and in stores. You may think that it is smart to keep your customers coming to your website for SEO purposes, and you are correct. However, you are missing out on the opportunity to bring in new business from all over the web. Millions of potential clients and customers are already browsing for products similar to yours.

Two of the most popular online marketplaces are Amazon and eBay. eBay is the best choice for individual products like antiques or clothes. Amazon is a great choice for everyday items and recurring subscription-based products. You may have to pay a small percentage fee every time you make a sale, it is in your best interest to utilize these platforms. Pay each fee, considering those are sales you would not have earned without being on the platform to begin with. Reach out to various online marketplaces to see which ones have the lowest associated fees and make the most sense to sell your product(s) through.

Radio, TV, and Podcasts.

Do you think your ideal customer or client is listening to certain radio stations while commuting to or from work every day? Maybe he or she is watching a specific TV channel when they are home relaxing while the kids are asleep? Radio and TV ads are the perfect opportunity for you to advertise your business when your target audience is relaxing or on-the-go.

Podcasts are another new and effective way to promote your brand. People who listen to podcasts are typically a very targeted niche. This means you can boost your brand awareness and make sales by using the owner of the podcast to announce a specific message for you. Celebrities and influencers have a strong voices and influence on their listeners. Place an advertisement with a special offer on a podcast that relates to your company. Benefit the podcaster’s audience may be an extremely profitable marketing channel for you to try.

Direct Mail.

Yes, digital marketing is the modern way of advertising. Digital has proven to be an extremely profitable (and necessary) strategy. However, direct mail still serves as a viable option that is worth a shot if you have not already tried it. Direct mail is a cost-effective marketing strategy that allows brands to target potential clients and customers. You will want to have your mailable different. Sending ads, coupons, or information directly to their home or mailbox has to be unusual.

Although you may run the risk of your direct mail ad getting thrown in the garbage as it can be considered spammy. You could just score yourself a new, engaged customer if you get the timing, offer, and recipient right.

Print Ads.

Print advertisements are another effective channel of marketing. Similar to direct mail, print ads have the capability of reaching a very targeted audience if appropriately placed in the right industry newspaper or magazine. A simple Google search for newspapers or magazines in your business’s niche will show you a list of relevant publications for you to contact. Upon compiling a long list of platforms, visit each publication’s website to locate the editor’s email address or phone number so you can contact him or her with your unique story, coupon, or advertisement.

The costs associated with promoting your business via print ads range from very inexpensive to fairly costly. Depending on your budget and the amount of money you are willing to pay to advertise your business through this channel, the results you receive will return accordingly. The more money you are able to spend directly correlates to the visibility you receive and the amount of sales you can make as a result.

Full-page advertorials price will of course be higher, but the return-on-investment could be worth it. If you don’t think your target audience is going to be reading the newspaper or magazine you plan to advertise within but you are open to trying this new channel. Try a small ad on a business listing page within a smaller publication may be a better option for you.

 Multi-channel marketing is clearly beneficial for various reasons, but ultimately it all boils down to expanding your outreach to target more people within your ideal customer or client demographic/audience. No matter which channel you choose to place your next advertisement, be sure to choose an important message and communicate it in your brand’s unique tone.

By conducting your research you’ll figure out where your audience is You’ll find out what they listen to, what they read, and where they hang out. You’ll be able to take advantage of that opportunity to boost your business, increase your brand awareness, and make the new sales you have been hoping for.

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Cars that drive itself — it’s no longer fictitious. General Motors, Waymo, and Tesla are just some companies that already have prototypes of self-driving vehicles. It’s just a matter of time before they’re brought to market.

This raises the question of how it will affect DUI laws.

A driving under the influence (DUI) charge has a long-term impact.

It goes on your criminal record and the costly attorney fees and higher insurance rates can severely dent your finances. In theory, a self-driving car should eliminate DUIs. For now, though — hang on to your portable breathalyser. The day you can drink and drive without worrying about the consequences of a DUI hasn’t arrived yet. However — it may be a reality in the near future.

Can You Be Charged With a DUI in a Self-Driving Car?

While tech and auto companies focus on the mechanics of self-driving cars, governments and lawyers are questioning the legal implication. If the definition of a self-driving car means it operates without the intervention of a driver. Surely you cannot be charged with a DUI if you’re riding in a car — but not actually driving it.

The answer, however, isn’t that simple. Fully automated vehicles are not a reality yet. Therefore, in terms of the law, we are navigating unprecedented waters. There is no clear answer at this time.

How Does the Law Define a DUI?

In the United States, the term DUI is commonly used. However, some states use driving while impaired (DWI) — operating while intoxicated (OWI). Operating while visibly impaired (OWVI), and driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII).

While the various terms differ slightly in meaning from state to state. In general, they refer to operating a vehicle while intoxicated or impaired by alcohol or drugs.

A DUI charge requires proof that the driver was in “actual physical control” of the vehicle. This includes steering, navigating, accelerating, decelerating, and stopping a vehicle that is in motion.

In a driverless car, an occupant is not doing any of those things.

However, don’t crack open the champagne just yet. It’s not as clear-cut as you think. DUI laws also take into account situations when a car is parked with a driver seated in it. If the car was running, and if the keys were in the ignition even if the car was not switched on.

This means it is possible for an intoxicated occupant of a self-driving car to be charged with a DUI. It also means that the law will have a harder time proving that a person in a self-driving car was in “actual physical control”.

Different Levels of Autonomous Vehicles.

Autonomous vehicles are not new. There are various levels of autonomous cars. Most cars today are semi-autonomous and still require a driver to operate it. Therefore, DUI laws apply to all semi-autonomous vehicles.

The debate around DUIs and self-driving cars arise in the case of fully automated vehicles.

Cars fall into six automation levels — starting at level zero (no automation). Gradually this will be increasing automation capabilities up to level five (full automation). Fully automated cars are not available yet. At this level, the car can drive itself. No human control, steering, brakes, or pedals are required.

A level five car can monitor the road.

These will maneuver and respond to road conditions — and park itself. In a fully automated car, all you’ll need to do is enter your destination and the car will do the rest. Tesla’s Autopilot takes intelligent automation further.

If you don’t tell the car where to go — it will look at your calendar and take you to your next appointment. It can also take you home if there’s nothing in your calendar.

How Are Other Countries Approaching This?

Australia is leading the way on amending driving laws to support automated vehicles. The issue of self-driving cars and DUIs is being hotly debated. The outcome may influence drink-driving laws in other countries.

The National Transport Commission (NTC) in Australia is pushing for DUI legislation to exclude drivers of automated cars. They say drink-driving laws should not apply to a person in a dedicated automated vehicle — as they are not operating the vehicle.

The NTC also argue that allowing a person who has consumed too much alcohol to use an automated vehicle can improve road safety.

As such — it will reduce drunk driving accidents and make the roads safer. They make a good point. It’s much safer for intoxicated people drive home in an automated car than to drive themselves. There’s also no need to call a taxi or Uber when your car can safely transport you home.

The predictions.

It is predicted that fully automated driverless cars will be on the road within the next 10 years. Lawmakers need to prepare for the day they make their arrival. It will also influence other laws, such as seat belt use, having open containers of alcohol in cars. In a world of driverless cars — will we even need a driver’s license? And what will happen to motorcycles?

The post Can You Get a DUI in a Self-Driving Car? appeared first on ReadWrite.

If you’re searching for your next career a great place to look is for a job in cyber security. Why? Because the demand for cyber security experts is going up, up, up.

Keeping digital assets secure is a vital skillset.

As our world grows ever more dependent on the Internet and digital technology — keeping digital assets and personal information secure becomes a vital skillset.

Here are a a few reasons why getting into cyber security could be a great career move.

Data Breaches and Cyber Attacks on the Rise

As we read the news — we see data breaches, identity theft, and other cyber attacks are on the rise. Identify theft alone claimed over 16 million victims in 2017 alone. Over 30 percent of American consumers learning of a data breach involving their personal information.

The high monetary loss is bringing cyber security value to light.

The monetary loss from identity theft runs into the the billions. There’s already a growing industry of identity protection services working to keep consumers safe. Entrepreneurs and contractors work with everyone both individuals and major corporations.

This year, the United States government has allocated over a billion dollars to fighting the threat of cyber crime.

Heavy Demand and High Salaries

The ever-increasing demand for cyber security experts has currently left a “skill-gap” in the IT work force. Every year, hundreds of thousands of postings for cyber security jobs go unfilled.

There are not enough experts to go around.

This demand means big salaries for security professionals — making cyber security one of the most lucrative careers in IT.

This doesn’t come without a cost. Cyber security is a constantly-changing and highly demanding career. Staying ahead of the curve means more than just updating antivirus software every once in a while.

A cyber security expert must expect to constantly work on keeping their skills relevant and up-to-date.

Education is Beginning to Catching Up

Why are cyber security experts are in such high demand?

Education — teaching cyber security hasn’t yet caught up. Fewer schools offer computer science courses now than in past years. There are only about 19 percent of highest level courses offered in education.

This means a shortage of good personnel in the area of cyber security. This means overworked staff and out-of-date skills. These facts tell us the risk of cyber crime  will be growing.

Many universities are stepping up to the challenge.

Colleges and universities have been exposed by the lack of good cyber security infrastructure. More and more universities are now offering courses in cyber security.

Many corporations are making it a priority to safeguard user data and guard their customers against data breaches and identity theft. This takes a knowledgeable and trusted person to take the reins in your business.

Starting a Career in Cyber Security

So where do you start if you’re interested in a career in cyber security?

• Cultivate an interest in IT.

  To get started with cyber security, you’ll need a broad knowledge of data networking, systems administration, and scripting languages like Python. An online course or self-education regimen can get you up to speed quickly.

• Realize the conditions that a company will require.

  Most companies will require at least a four-year degree in cyber security or an associated field.

• If you’re already working in an IT job — you may have an opportunity to focus on security in your workplace.

  Become the “security guy” at your work. Who has the expertise that others don’t? This can be you. Study, and learn the new techniques. Get better at your job, and stay ahead of the game.

Think about an advanced degree.

Even with a degree — you’re likely to benefit from getting advanced training and certifications. Think about investing in such as the Security+ certification or CISSP.

Conclusion

There’s no one right path to a career in cyber security If you don’t have a strong background in IT or data — you might have a lot to learn.

The challenges of a cyber security career can lead to big rewards in the current job marketplace.

The post Why There’s a Bright Future in a Cyber Security Careers appeared first on ReadWrite.

If you use a computer to conduct business, then you’ve probably heard of cloud hosting. Also called “cloud computing,” cloud hosting is a digital network that lets business owners save their files, computer applications, and other resources on a remote server.

The most obvious advantage of cloud hosting is that you can access your data from any Internet-enabled device. Other benefits include:

• Project teams can collaborate in real-time using the same files and computer applications;
• Cloud storage tends to be cheaper than buying several high-end hard drives;
• And if your computer or hard drive gets destroyed or stolen, you will still have access to the data you saved on the cloud.

Depending on how you intend to use the cloud, migrating to cloud hosting is relatively easy. However, some business owners make mistakes that cost money, prevent them from taking full advantage of the cloud, or worst of all, cause them to lose their data.

Here are four mistakes to avoid if you plan to migrate to cloud computing:

Mistake #1: Choosing the wrong cloud hosting service provider

It is critical that you choose a reputable cloud hosting service provider. Before you transfer all of your files to a remote server, read online reviews to find out if past customers have lost their data.

The demand for cloud computing has motivated plenty of fly-by-night entrepreneurs to offer inexpensive cloud hosting. But if your provider doesn’t back up your data and something happens to the server, you could wind up losing your saved resources.

Ask your cloud hosting provider if it backs up its servers – and how many backups there will be of your work.

You should also find out if your data will be encrypted when you upload or download it from the cloud. The most secure hosting providers require that the browser or app you use to access the cloud has an encrypted connection before you can download or upload content. Look at the padlock next to the URL to confirm that is says “https://”.

Another important question is, “Will my data be encrypted?” You can probably find out by reading the hosting provider’s terms of service. You should not store sensitive content on the could unless it is encrypted.

Mistake #2: Not taking full advantage of cloud hosting

The cloud is a versatile system, but many business owners fail to take full advantage of its benefits. Cloud hosting can help you save time and reduce expenses by optimizing your business processes.

If you choose a reputable cloud hosting provider, then you won’t have to back up content you save on the cloud. So be sure to transition every possible digital resource to the cloud to minimize your storage backup responsibilities.

If you work from both your home and office, then you don’t constantly need to transfer data from one computer to the next. Your content will be readily accessible on the cloud using any Internet-enabled device.

Also, keep in mind that you can give clients and employees access to select files and applications on your cloud server. This offers a range of benefits – for example, employees can collaborate in real-time, and clients can monitor the progress of digital projects.

Mistake #3: Underestimating the amount of bandwidth you need

 If you don’t purchase enough bandwidth, then your applications will run slower. Fortunately, cloud storage is cheap, and you can scale your bandwidth up or down depending on your specific needs. If you really want to cut costs, then you can compress files and use data deduplication, which eliminates redundant data.

Mistake #4: Not making a full transition to cloud hosting

Many business owners are reluctant to abandon their tried and tested business processes. It’s not easy to trust a third party hosting provider with your sensitive data, but if you do your research and ask the right questions – as outlined in “Mistake #1” – then your digital resources will be secure.

Whether you manage dozens of employees, run a brick-and-mortar store, or work as a freelancer, you could probably improve efficiency and reduce your expenses by migrating to cloud hosting. Be sure to avoid these four mistakes, and you’ll be able to enjoy the many benefits of cloud computing.

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