Deftjobs

Stop Wasting Money On Unused Software Licenses

Deftjobs — Tue, 14 May 2024 05:37:29 +0000

IS YOUR COMPANY WASTING MONEY ON UNUSED SOFTWARE LICENSES?

The universal nature of information technology (IT), or tech as it is also called, makes it easy for businesses to use and enjoy massive transformation, as it is convenient and affordable to adopt. Or is it?

Your company may be wasting thousands of dollars monthly on unused software licenses and software. This cost rises depending on your company’s level of tech implementation, and number of staff.

My team has seen companies in Nigeria with up to 12 staff spend hundreds of dollars on unused licenses or underutilised subscriptions.

In a 2016 report by 1E, a digital employee experience company examined 1,800 software titles on 3.6 million computers in 129 companies across 14 different industries. The study found a 37% waste per company at $259 per computer.

A 2024 report by Nexthink looked at 30 popular software on 6 million Windows devices, across 12 global regions (including Africa), put the number of unused licenses at 50% costing $44,743,651 monthly.

How Do You Stop Software Licensing Waste

Avoid wasteful communication: Improved communication & collaboration between IT departments and business units on their software needs will result in solutions that fit into IT’s tech setup & policies. This will also solve problems for the department that need it. Better collaboration will provide a win-win solution and help companies save money.
Conduct regular software usage audits: Software audit will give a snapshot of licenses that are installed. An audit will also show how licenses are being use, so companies can take action that will make the best use of licenses or cut back & save costs.
Dynamic monitoring of workers software usage: Use patterns change, due to reasons such as projects at hand, change in job role, etc. Dynamic monitoring should work transparently to know which software is being used, so that IT staff can work with users to utilise software as intended.
Gather employee feedback: Employee feedback will give insight to why licenses and software are not used. Do employees know what software are available for their use? Perhaps licenses are unused because they do not solve business needs of intended users. It may even be that licenses are unused because employees do not have the technical skills to use them.

Conclusion

Take Action, Save Money Without Compromising Perfomance

Software licensing waste can be tackled, and your company can save money.

The tips above can help you eliminate software licensing waste.

Do you know how much your company spends monthly or annually on software licensing and subscriptions? What percentage of employees use the licenses and software paid for?

Account Takeover

Deftjobs — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 13:20:56 +0000

Account Takeover: Don't Let Fraudsters Takeover Your Social Media & Online Bank Access

According to IT security leaders, the top three riskiest entry points for ransomware are: (1) Unpatched vulnerabilities (2) Phishing emails with malicious attachments/links (3) Unmanaged devices accessing the network.

SpyCloud

Account takeovers (ATOs) have had devastating effects on individuals and businesses. However, an effective risk management and security policy can reduce chances of occurrence.

What Is Account Takeover?

Have you ever got calls or messages from friends or colleagues who had their Facebook, Instagram or other online account taken over? Account takeover is a type of cybercrime where a person or criminal gang gains unauthorised access to someone’s account, by obtaining their login credentials. This is done under false pretences or forcefully.

When we consider our dependence on many types of online accounts, it can be disturbing when you are locked out of your social media, email, bank or other online account.

We Can Secure & Manage Your Computer Network

Our business is to make technology work effectively for your business

Cloud Assessment: We assess your business requirements in order to provide the best cloud & security options.

Cloud Application Backup: Protect your Office 365, G-Suite etc from accidental deletion, malicious attacks by disgruntled insiders or external elements.

IT Support: Get top-notch support & keep your business running smoothly

Some Account Takeover Statistics

A 2021 study by Security.org found that over 24 million United States households have been victims of account takeover with an average loss of $12,000. You may say “oh, this only happens in the US.” The study was conducted on US households, but I dare say that a good number of people reading this know someone who has lost control of one of their social media, bank account, bank cards, emails, or work-related accounts.

I know people who have had their internet banking taken over and lost lots of money.

Two other findings from the report are:

60% of the victims used the same password across multiple accounts.
Social media accounts made up 51% of the accounts taken over. Banking was 2^nd at over 32%.

Consequences Of Account Takeovers

These include:

Financial loss
Reputational damage
Increased malware and phishing emails
Fraudulent credit applications

How To Prevent Your Account From Being Taken Over By Fraudsters

Here are some tips on how to prevent online account takeover. Please note that there is no absolute prevention tip, but a series of actions that severely hamper account takeover.

Awareness: Organisations should have training and awareness campaigns. Users should be able to detect phishing emails or calls, and how to use the internet safely. This is especially important as more companies allow staff to access work resources from their mobile devices and personal laptops.
It is convenient to use the same password for all your online accounts, but don’t do it! Instead, use a password manger. Businesses should have password policies that will help staff use ‘best practices’ for password management.
Use two-factor authenticity (2FA) or multi-factor (MFA) authentication.
Have identity theft protection.
Install internet security.

How Should Companies Fight Account Takeover?

Companies should develop risk management processes to fight ATOs. This can centre around a protect, detect and respond approach. The Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team also gives advisory and updated vulnerability alerts.

The bottom line is that every company that relies on technology should have systems and organisation controls in place.
Follow guidelines on how to keep your business and digital assets safe.

If properly setup, you will reduce the likelihood of account takeover. Get help if you or your organisation or are unable to secure your network on your own.

4 Essential Tips To Get More From Your IT System

Deftjobs — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 07:47:44 +0000

Sometimes, businesses do not get returns on their information technology (IT) investment that match their spend. Such costs can run into tens of thousands of US dollars or millions of Nigerian Naira.

If you have invested in IT systems, there are benefits you should get to justify your money. These include:

Being able to access your information whenever you need it: This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised at how often some organisations have downtimes. In some parts of the world, system downtime has become so normal that many businesses do not bother to say “we’re sorry, something is wrong” when such downtime occur.
Only the people you have authorised should have access to your data and IT systems
IT systems & information should be secure while stored and when it is being sent to others

Your business processes should be up and running with negligible downtime.

So how do you ensure the money you have spent on IT brings good returns and makes your more processes more efficient & productive?

A friend in the industry recently told the story of a client who spent a few millions on a server and other hardware and software. The company bought all they were advised to get Everything seemed okay, until they had problems with their “state of the art” server. Despite their best efforts they lost sizeable and important transaction data. She had to count her losses until she called-in Ade and his team, who were able to recover part of her “lost” data, bought the right equipment, installed, and tested it.

Problems with your IT systems can cause a major disruption to your business, costing you time and money.

Deftjobs can add significant value to your business

Information Security: Our team will help provide security & prevent the unauthorised use of your private & confidential information.

IT Support & Management: Get support for your critical IT systems. Enjoy business continuity & improved efficiency of IT dependent processes.

Here Are 4 Essential Tips To Get More From Your IT System

1. What Is Cloud Storage?

Cloud storage refers to the storage of data and files in remote (offsite) locations that can be accessed through the internet or private networks. With cloud storage, you can start work on your home computer and continue on your laptop in the office without the need to transfer files with a usb drive. But what happens when you do not have internet connection? Some of the cloud providers have offline features where local copies of files are made available offline access. This option is useful for those that are in remote areas or places with unreliable internet connection. Your work will be synced (updated) to the cloud when your internet connection is restored.

Cloud storage services with free storage options include Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, Dropbox and Degoo. All these services offer free storage allowance, where you only pay when you exceed your free allowance (usually).

With cloud storage, you don’t have to worry about your computer crashing, getting stolen or lost. Your work ‘lives in the cloud’. Internet connectivity is also cheaper around Lagos, Abuja and other major cities around the world. Some broadband providers in Lagos, Nigeria now offer unlimited data at unbelievable prices. Using cloud services will save you the cost of buying a server and other running costs. There are several cloud storage options to choose from and many offer free allowance.

But what if your cloud storage provider gets hacked or someone gets access to your offline files? Encryption addresses this security concern.

2. What Is Encryption?

Encryption is a way to hide information by translating data into a form that appears to be random but can be understood by authorised persons. You can encrypt private and confidential files, such that, even if an unauthorised person gets access to them, they will be unreadable and remain confidential. There are several encryption services for cloud storage that use 256-bit AES encryption to secure your files. This is a strong encryption standard adopted by many including the US government.

Some service providers allow you to encrypt files locally on your computer before storing them in the cloud. This is different from services that only encrypt files when they are stored on their servers. A few service providers have chosen to implement Zero Knowledge encryption. This means they do not know anything about the files you store on their servers. Examples of providers that encrypt files locally with zero knowledge encryption are Boxcryptor, Cryptomator and ODrive.

When choosing an encryption service, it is important to note where the company primarily operates from, as government policies can affect the kind of service they provide. There are other factors to consider when choosing zero knowledge encryption software.

3. What Is Access Control?

Access control is a selective restriction of access to data. In order to decide who should be restricted, users need to provide authentication that proves they should be allowed access to various data and systems. The credentials to be authenticated are pre-registered and matched to data provided each time anyone tries to gain access.

Authentication methods include:

Providing a username and password
Providing a PIN
Biometric
1. Registering your fingerprint
2. Providing clear voice samples for voice authentication
3. Registering a scan of your eyes (iris scan)
4. Providing a scan of your face (facial scan)
Token based authentication
Certificate based authentication

These credentials are checked for accuracy (authenticated) before allowing access to authorised persons. Very secure systems may require a combination of some of the authentication methods listed before access is granted, such as internet banking where up to three types of authentication methods are sometimes used.

Ensure your computers and mobile devices restrict users by enforcing access controls. Popular authentication methods for computers and mobile devices are usernames & passwords and fingerprint scans. If you use username and password, ensure you use strong passwords. Strong passwords are passwords that contain a minimum of 12 characters. These characters should be a combination of upper case, lower case, numbers, and special characters for example “%2Y0U&sAbi”. You can read more about how to create secure passwords and best practices to managing passwords.

4. Information Security

If you have a computer or mobile device that accesses the internet, you need to consider security. If you share data with family, friends, and colleagues, you also need to consider security. Get an ITsecurity professional to do a security audit Make sure your computer is always running a security software.

Computer viruses, malware, ransomware are threats that exist and affect devices, whether they belong to individuals or organisations (small, medium, or large). Without proper security you are at higher risk of viruses, hacking or other malicious software. Windows computers are shipped with Microsoft Security (formerly Windows Defender), and this should at the very least be enabled. There are several free and paid alternatives available that will provide better security than pre-installed Windows Security.

It is advisable to get information security from ‘reputable’ providers. Whichever one you get, make sure both the security software, operating system and applications are up to date. Some information security tools can check for outdated software and update them.

Implement the tips above and you will see higher productivity and better information security.

If you need help applying any of the tips above, reach out to us and we’ll be glad to help you.information

Information Security: How To Create Secure Passwords

Deftjobs — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:31:52 +0000

How To Create Secure Passwords

Using simple, easy-to-guess or common passwords is like living in a rough community and using the same key as your neighbour to open your front door then keeping the key under the footmat.

Although it can sometimes be a minor annoyance, passwords have become a normal part of what we do. These days even televisions require passwords, as well as many other products and services. Passwords are now a critical part of our digital lives and many times the only barrier between our valuable assets & those trying to steal them.

It is therefore interesting to see some of the passwords that are used around the world to secure sensitive data. Many people naturally (or by default) use easy-to-guess passwords such as their names & dates of birth, names of close family members, mother’s maiden name, sequential numbers, dictionary words and others. These passwords may be easily broken/cracked by friends, family members or work colleagues, not to mention professional hackers using either brute force or a process called social engineering.

Passwords To Avoid

Learning how to create secure passwords begins by knowing what makes a password difficult to hack, and what types to avoid. Avoid simple, easy-to-guess passwords like those that use your name, date of birth or other publicly available personal data. Also avoid passwords that use sequential numbers or letters on the keyboard. You should also not use dictionary words for your password, as these can be hacked by brute force. Some of the five most commonly used passwords in the world that should also be avoided are:

123456
123456789
qwerty
password
12345

Unfortunately, using these type of simple passwords means they can easily be guessed and cracked – somewhat like using a piece of cardboard for your front door.

Password strength checkers exist as standalones or part of password managers. You can evaluate your passwords now to see if they are secure, and avoid losing valuable data. Kaspersky gives the result in the image below when “123456” is tested as password.

What Is A Secure Password?

A secure password is one that has a significantly long number of characters and contains a mix of uppercase letters, lower case letters, numbers & special characters. It should have a minimum of 12 – 16 characters. The longer your password is, the longer it would take for an intruder to guess what it is (brute force attack). Secure passwords are a vital part of your information security.

As humans, it is difficult and stressful creating a password like “b$k2VY?ne9BF”. It can become more stressful trying to repeat the process multiple times for your personal email, work email, social & business networking accounts, bank account, satellite tv account, and more. Most people simply create one or two passwords and use them everywhere they are required. This is not recommended.

The image below shows about how long it would take to hack a strong password of 12 characters.

The password becomes significantly longer to crack when four characters are added, making it 16 characters as shown below.

How To Create Secure Passwords That Can Be Remembered?

Creating secure passwords that are easily be remembered is a challenging task for most people. A team of people we once worked with used to ‘worry’ whenever it was time to create passwords. The passwords created were strong ones that were hard to remember, but difficult to crack.

But what is the use of good passwords if they will be written on pieces of paper or stored in unprotected files that are easy to find and access? Some organisations enforce password policies across their systems to make computer users create strong passwords and change them periodically.

Password managers are one of the best ways to securely generate, store and manage passwords. They offer more advantages at creating and managing strong passwords securely than trying to remember them ourselves.

Examples of popular password managers are

Keeper
LastPass
Dashlane
Bitwarden

Using password managers is also better than reusing passwords. Don’t be part of the over 73% of people who reuse passwords, as the cost of data loss using this unsafe practice can be high.

The Cost of Data Loss

Deftjobs — Mon, 31 May 2021 13:30:09 +0000

The cost of data loss could be few thousands of dollars, millions of dollars, or even permanent closure of a company.

The scary thing is that it can happen to any company anywhere, and at anytime.

The good news however, is that your company can plan for it, and mitigate its effect on your business.

If you store data on computers, you should have a plan to to reduce the impact of data loss on your operations.

A 2023 report by IBM put the average cost of data breach at an all-time high of USD 4.45 million.

Data is so key in its different contexts that a mobile phone operator in Nigeria ran an advertisement campaign with the theme “data is life.” Although “data” as used in the Airtel advert referred to internet content delivered to mobile cellular network, it is as important in other contexts globally.

Several organisations capture, process, and store data digitally. The World There are estimates that 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is produced daily (that is 2.5 followed by 18 zeroes or 2.5 billion billion – a lot of data).

Hard drive failure, USB drive theft or loss, accidental file deletion, software error, virus infection, ransomware, data overwrite, insider & external file theft and fire incidents, are some of the things that can cause data loss. Given enough time, everyone will lose data. The question then becomes “what is the cost of data to you as an individual or business”. Another question is how much will data loss affect you as a business or personally?

Some Real Data Security Statistics

Data loss is real, whether you lose information stored on your mobile device, computer or server.

There were 20million breached records in March 2021.
Over 40% of data breaches in 2021 was targeted at small businesses.
63% of all company internal data breach was because of compromised usernames and passwords.
73% of people use the same password across multiple platforms.
58% of small businesses are unprepared in case a data breach or loss occurs
93% of companies that are unable to recover data within the first ten days wind up

The statistic above is a view of data breach incidents around us and evidence that it is more real than some may think. Not taking steps to limit the impact of data breach is perhaps one of the reasons why it keeps happening. Data loss occurs daily to different persons and organisations in one form or the other. It is one of those things many believe will only happen to “the other person” until it is too late, and they lose vital personal or business information.

Deftjobs can add significant value to your business

Business Continuity: Your IT infrastructure is a critical part of your business & needs the right attention
Information Security: Our team will help protect you from the unauthorised use of information.
Data Loss Prevention: Monitor, detect and block sensitive, private and confidential data from leaving your network

The Cost Of Data Loss

Many years ago, my team lost data that was ‘safely’ backed-up on 500GB Western Digital external hard drive, when it crashed without warning. That was many years of data we had laboured to create. Fortunately, were able to save the ‘lost’ data, and all was well. However, it does not always end well when there is data loss, as valued information is sometimes never recovered!

The cost of data loss varies from a few thousands to millions and even bankruptcy. It depends on the organisation, the type or sensitivity of data lost, which geographical region they are registered in and others.

The Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019 (NDPR) is the current national law on data protection in the country. It is aimed at protecting the right to privacy, creating the right environment for digital transactions, job creation and improving information management practices in Nigeria. Running afoul of this law carries fines of up to N10million or 2% of annual gross revenue in cases that deal with data of more than 10,000 people. The fine is N2 million or 1% of annual gross revenue in cases that deal with data of less than 10,000 people.

Asides the fine by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) data loss or privacy breach may affect the reputation of your company. Clients may lose trust in your organisation and move to your competitors. Lastly, if the data lost is key or foundational to your business, like losing the formula of Coke, it may as well be the end for your business.

How To Prevent Data Loss

While it may be impossible to altogether prevent data loss, having a properly implemented, managed, and monitored information systems, process and data security will limit the likelihood and impact of a breach. It will also limit the frequency of data loss

Classify stored data based on sensitivity and handle accordingly
Use strong passwords: Your company should have a password policy in place. Users should avoid reusing the same password across multiple platforms and devices. User training and a password policy will be useful to avoid huge costs involved in losing data.
Install an antivirus and antimalware software. Keep them updated
Be wary of email attachments. Treat all email attachments with suspicion until proven otherwise. Do not open attachments from unknown sources
Ensure your IT systems are properly configured to avoid security breaches
Staff training and awareness: Train staff to follow best practices.
Carry our regular vulnerability assessment and ensure policies & procedures are adequate.
If it is important, back it up! Backup your data securely and safely. This ensures business continuity in the event of data loss. Note that not not all back-ups are created equal. Test recovering your data from backup to see if it works.
Setup access control to your IT systems and information. Insider threat is a constant threat that is often overlooked.
Encrypt your data. This protects the integrity and confidentiality of valuable information.

Conclusion

The cost of data loss can be high, depending on what is lost. The threat is real and it can happen to anyone. Both large corporations and small businesses are prone to data breach with the resultant loss of valuable data. However, following best practices will reduce the chances of a serious breach and limit the impact that such a security incidence would have on your business.

Is your Information system professionally planned? Have you implemented security measures to counter a potential data breach? Let me know what concerns you have about your IT systems and security. Please let me know in the comments below.

Run a security audit to see how you stand.