The Internet of Things has become somewhat of contentious topic in the IT world. While many are excited at the prospect of a world controlled by the Internet of Things, others feel that IoT could be an over-hyped technology. Some IT professionals are skeptical of Cisco’s prediction of there being 50 billion IoT devices in use by 2020. Could IoT enthusiasts be overly optimistic in their predictions?

IoT: Is It All Hype?

Many tech enthusiasts argue that the Internet of Things is an over-hyped technology. Those who have this opinion may not be aware of the recent advancements in IoT infrastructure.

IoT can potentially help industries, enterprises, and consumers systematically make better decisions based on data generated from IoT sensors. While IoT hasn’t caught on yet, many forget that IoT is still in its early stages of product development.

In fact, IoT appears to be one of the main components of the impending Smart Device Revolution. Current IoT deployments span many key markets such as wearables, security monitoring, home environment control, automatic vehicles, and even healthcare diagnostics.

Devices capable of communicating over cellular networks using SIM cards are available in these markets. An even more feasible method of communication for some in-house IoT devices is the use of local wireless protocols such as WiFi or Bluetooth.

These recognizable developments provide evidence to contribute to the fact that IoT adoption is making significant progress, and the 50 billion IoT device prediction by Cisco may not be as far-fetched as it seems on paper.

Interoperability in IoT

It is important to take a step back and consider what the Internet of Things is before discussing it. The roots of this technology lie in embedded computing, and that means that even the simplest of devices require processing capability. However, that’s not all what IoT is all about.

IoT is more than just embedded processing combined with wireless IP connectivity. If it were just that, then it would merely create isolated islands of control or automation within different vertically integrated sectors (like home security).

IoT’s true value can be realized when consumers and enterprises connect different devices to one another that work autonomously. Even though interoperability is not widely happening on a global scale, it is happening nonetheless. The major hurdle for IoT is the lack of standards in these areas. Let’s take a look at notable enterprises that have achieved IoT interoperability:

• Freescale, a US embedded systems developer, recently developed a telehealth gateway that is available to all third-party app providers for coordination and data collection from every diagnostic device in a home.
• British Gas, an energy & utilities company, plans to offer IoT technology to help consumers monitor and control the efficiency of home appliances.
• Google’s Nest launched a developer program that could link intelligent thermostats to other IoT connected devices in your smart home.

IoT is rapidly embracing smart energy, home automation, consumer electronics, and security monitoring. These advancements help bridge the gap in making consumer IoT a real possibility in the coming years.

Examining CompTIA’s Survey on IoT Deployments

An online survey was conducted by CompTIA back in 2014 when the phrase “Internet of Things” first became popular. Nearly 300 IT professionals in the USA took part in this survey which reveals the general thoughts and opinions of IT professionals on IoT. The survey queried small-to-medium sized businesses (SMB) as well as Fortune 500 companies. CompTIA’s report concluded:

“Overall, IT industry executives are nearly evenly split on their view of IoT hype. Specifically, 51% of respondents believe IoT opportunities justify the hoopla, while 48% see more hype than substance at this point in time.”

Surprisingly enough, the survey also found that only 8% of IT executives indicated that they had explored the potential of IoT products in their enterprise. That small percentage will likely grow exponentially in the coming years, especially when you consider the fact that many tech forecasters are predicting that IoT could become a trillion dollar industry by year 2025.

If you have questions about this emerging technology or need help with other network or computer support problems, give us a call at (833) 482-6435 or click the banner below to contact us online!

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Thanks to the endless possibilities that the web provides today, there are no longer any borders and limits for your business. Even if your company operates locally, you have the chance to be present in everyone’s pocket in your town (most of us have smartphones, don’t we?).

Needless to say, keeping in close contact with your prospects and customers is a marketing luxury that drives businesses across the country. It is the base of “lovable marketing,” a digital relationship so rewarding that your fans just can’t get enough of your awesome services and campaigns. Moreover, a lot of the companies base their customer acquisition processes entirely on online lead generation, which can be more cost-saving and efficient.

But a pleasure like that comes with a serious cost; taking your business or marketing online requires a secure Data Protection Policy.

What is Permission Marketing?

Do you get annoyed when you receive emails from sources you never contacted or subscribed to? Do you get even more annoyed when you cannot unsubscribe from the load of spam that comes your way?

In the global digital marketplace, you can find everything on sale, and if you can’t buy it, you can hack it. This is the exact opposite of permission marketing, which is the future of ethical communications between brands and their customers.

Permission marketing means:

• No spam. The CAN-SPAM Act of the United States regulates and defines the mailing requirements all businesses must comply with.
• A promise to protect the data your visitors provide when visiting your website or signing up for your offers.
• The right/ability of your visitors to opt-out of your database.

When your users hand their information to you, especially if you’re an ecommerce business or require sensitive data on your website, your number one priority should be data protection.

It’s Not Just About Marketing

Data is not just about marketing. If your business has a client base, you definitely have data you dearly protect from competitors and other parties that might exploit it. Unless you execute your mailing strategy with the help of owls, your information is most probably on a computer-based database that can be easily leaked if it’s not properly protected.

Why Do You Need Data Protection?

Data breaches are becoming more and more common; these are digital disasters that can happen with local businesses, online marketplaces, and even powerful corporations.

Take the biggest data leak of all times, the Panama papers, add a spoonful of Wikileaks, a slice of regular contact leaks from Gmail and Ebay, and you have the perfect recipe for a disaster that can ruin your brand reputation in a heartbeat.

Here are 4 reasons why data protection works in your advantage.

1. Competition: Sure, it all depends on the industry, but the number one party interested in your data is always your competitors. Whether your company operates ethically or not, any company, in or outside of the United States, can technically hijack your customers or damage your brand reputation if they have free access to your internal data.
2. Loss of Data: Data leaks are only one side of the coin. All PC users and companies lose data in a certain time period, but a loss of sensitive or crucial data can be so harmful that it can put you out of business within a year. It’s not surprising that 60% of companies that lose their data will shut down within 6 months of the incident.
3. Avoid Penalties and Fines: Businesses that have discovered data leaks must begin relevant investigations, as well as pay fines and penalties that can range from $500k to 2 million dollars (or more), depending on the types of “willful neglect” that the company has demonstrated. The sad truth is your hackers might get off scot free, and your company will be the one who pays.
4. Save on Emergency Marketing: There is no other way of saving the remnants of your reputation and rebuilding trust than emergency operations. These activities are usually very costly and there is never a guarantee for success.

Now You Know …

The best way of practicing permission marketing, providing excellent customer care, and gaining the trust of your customers is to guarantee that the data you collect from your visitors will be under secure protection. A data leak emergency doesn’t call in advance before dropping in, check your systems and make sure -your IT protection is at the highest level.

Is all of this marking chat making you think? Give Waypost Marketing a call at (864) 288-6162 or contact them online today! If you aren’t ready to chat but still want to learn more, click the banner below to download their free E-Book How to Win the Zero Moment of Truth!

The post Guest Post: A Disaster That Knocks Once — Permission Marketing and Data Protection appeared first on Wolf TG.

If you’re a victim of an information breach, more than your financial information could be at risk. For example, consider the Ashley Madison data breach, which resulted in its member’s dirty laundry being aired for anyone on the internet to see. Here are some internet safety best practices that will ensure your systems stay safe and secure:

Managing Your Online Identity

Most hackers aren’t using password cracking utilities to gain access into your online accounts; they’re targeting the password reset feature in order to generate a new password for your account (yep, it’s that simple). If a hacker has gained access into your primary email account, you’ve essentially given up the keys to your kingdom.

How you manage your online identity can help keep you safe from such attacks. Here are a few guidelines to go by when managing your online identity:

• Utilize two factor logins whenever possible
• Be mindful of the personal information you share on social networking websites
• Never use the same password for all of your usernames
• Always setup text alerts on accounts involving financial information
• Request to be removed from public information websites such as ZoomInfo
• Consider creating a throwaway email account for non-essential website signups
• Utilize a password manager program, such as KeePass (it’s free!)
• Pay for items using online wallets such as PayPal
• Never enter your credit card number on websites that don’t have a valid SSL certificate

Social engineering is a large part of today’s hacking culture. Several successful attacks have been formulated by harvesting information that is freely available about a person online.

For example, if the secret answer to the challenge question you setup is “What is my pet’s name?” and your Facebook picture shows you holding your dog named Fluffy, a hacker could easily deduce that the answer to your challenge question is Fluffy and just like that, your personal information could then be at risk.

Always Use Antivirus and Antimalware Products

Malware is maliciously coded software that disrupts a computer’s normal operation. Malware is a favorite tool of hackers because the malicious code will typically scan your system for sensitive information in efforts to send it back to the creator of the software. Systems can get infected by malware using a variety of different techniques, but it is most commonly distributed through:

• Hacked websites
• Exploitable out-of-date browser plugins
• Malicious advertisements on websites

Sometimes, the terms malware and virus are used interchangeably but they are, in fact, different. A virus is a type of malware that attempts to send copies of itself to other computer systems. Malware and viruses can be embedded within programs that you may believe are safe to download and execute. Even if you believe a program is coming from a trusted website, you should always virus scan every file you download from the internet before opening it. If you do happen to open a questionable file and your virus scanning suite finds no detections, you may want to run a malware scan on your system just to be safe.

If you have any worries about your network security, please call us at (833) 482-6435, or click the banner below to schedule an IT security audit so we can find the best security solutions for your business. Preparation for threats like this is a small cost compared to repairing the damage of an actual infection.

If you enjoyed this IT Support article, please check out other posts on our blog and join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ to see how else we can help your Greenville, SC or Atlanta, GA area business succeed!

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