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Small businesses are at considerable risk of cyberattack. With fewer staff resources available to maintain and monitor networks and fewer defenses in place, small businesses are an attractive target for hackers and other criminals.

The risks of a cyberattack are considerable. Companies could spend tens of thousands of dollars just to recover from an attack. There’s also the reputational and regulatory downsides if businesses allow data to be compromised, stolen or accessed by unauthorized parties.

To help businesses better understand the risks and solutions, this guide serves as a comprehensive introduction to cyberattacks and how to prevent them.

Defining Cybersecurity and Cyberattacks

Cybersecurity is a collection of preventative measures designed to defend computers, data, mobile devices, servers, networks and users from malicious attacks. Cybersecurity generally focuses on issues that arise from internet-connected devices and systems.

Cyberattacks are criminal activities designed to disrupt networks, prevent access to data, websites and systems, or extract valuable information. Some cybercrime is done solely to wreak havoc on websites and computer systems. Other activities are intentional attacks designed to steal and sell personal information, company secrets or intellectual property. Other cyberattacks are done for geopolitical reasons to disrupt governments, elections or economies.

What Are the Types of Cyberthreats?

Each day, there are new techniques, threats, codes, programs and approaches used to commit cybercrime. Businesses need a firm understanding of what these threat types are in order to choose the right defenses. Below are definitions of the most common threat types.

• Malware. Malware is a portmanteau of “malicious” and “software.” It is an umbrella term that covers programs designed to cause harm once installed on a targeted computer or server. Malware includes:
  • Trojans – Programs that hide a virus or other malicious program. Many “free software” offers trick unsuspecting users into downloading and installing other apps that are actually Trojans.
  • Adware or Spyware – These programs can take over web browsers and redirect activity to other sites, usually e-commerce pages. These can be difficult to remove and frustrating, as they often use pop-up windows or pages that appear behind another. More nefarious adware can monitor which websites you visit or track keystrokes.
  • Viruses – Often spread by using removable devices on otherwise clean machines, visiting malicious pages or clicking on email attachments, viruses are designed to damage or destroy files stored on a network.
  • Worms – A kind of virus that replicates and propagates itself from computer to computer connected to a network. Typically, worms consume computing resources, slowing or stalling your machine.
• Advanced Persistent Threats. Most hackers do not break into systems in one fell swoop. Instead, they stage their attack in phases. These advanced persistent threats (APTs), one embedded in a computer, may lie dormant for a period before they are activated. The program may also embed itself differently in different parts of the system, so if one threat is detected and eliminated, others can continue to cause harm.
• DDoS. A distributed denial of service happens when outside players overload a server with requests for access or connection. Quickly a DDoS can shut down a target’s networks or websites.
• Rootkits. Rootkits are a small piece of software that’s installed by another, larger software program or attacker that’s gained access. While rootkits may not be malicious, they can harbor malicious operations. Using rootkits, an attacker may be able to monitor activity, access information, change programs or use your computer to complete other actions.
• Botnets. Botnets are networked, automated programs that can be controlled by one or many outside persons. Botnets are used to spread spam or viruses or to facilitate a DDoS.
• Ransomware. A form of malware, ransomware infects your computer system and disables access or functionality, usually to your website. The cybercriminals usually demand a ransom in the form of bitcoin or other difficult-to-trace cyber currency in order to release control of your systems. If the ransom goes unpaid, the hackers usually threaten to release or sell information about your company, customers or employers.
• Phishing. Phishing is a common way hackers steal personal information, logins and credit card information. Phishing attacks usually begin with an email urging a user to visit a known website. Once there, a user can unwittingly reveal information that compromises their identity or finances.
• Fake Anti-Virus. An unsuspecting user may see an email from their anti-virus provider and install a fake update or upgrade. Instead, the installed software begins to make system modifications (including issuing false threat alerts) that make it difficult to eradicate the program.
• Corrupted Files. Even common file types, such as those used for word processing, spreadsheets, images, videos and presentations, can be corrupted by malicious code that’s embedded in a seemingly legitimate file. These programs can execute malicious scripts that consume memory or bandwidth, add or delete files, allow attackers access to your computer or use your computer to attack other machines.
• Zero-Day Attacks. When attackers unearth a security flaw or vulnerability in a piece of software before the developers do, it’s an incredible opportunity. Hackers exploit the vulnerability that can extract information or cause damage. The scope of a zero-day attack can be staggering as it can take months or years before the flaw is detected and a corrective patch is built and deployed.
• Password Attacks. The more characters and choices your company requires of users when creating passwords, the less likely you’ll be to fall victim to a password attack. A brute-force attack occurs when a hacker uses programs or guesses until they are successful in gaining access. Other attacks include the use of dictionaries to find common words used as passwords and keylogging, which captures keystrokes to steal login IDs and passwords.
• Email Spoofing. It is far too easy for hackers to create an email that looks to be from someone, even a known colleague or leader. However, these programs instead are imposters, looking to steal passwords or financial information. A recent series of spoofing emails asked employees at colleges and universities to purchase gift cards for their “colleague,” scratch off the protective coating and send the card authorization codes. If spoofing is used to contact your customers or partners, you may find them leaving to do business with someone else.
• Insiders. There’s a good reason to limit the number of employees who have administrative privileges. Inside attacks are often conducted by employees with administrative rights. They use credentials to get access to confidential information and use it for their own benefit or sell it to the highest bidder. Other inside threats manifest themselves when companies fail to remove access rights or user accounts of employees who leave the organization.

Cyberattacks can take many forms: targeting your users, your networks, your devices, your software or your websites. That’s one of the critical reasons why you need cybersecurity solutions that can address all of the potential threats.

Who Commits Cybercrime?

Many people imagine cyberattackers as hoodie-wearing, sunglasses-toting bad guys in their basement inflicting harm for personal gain or “fun.” While there is an element of truth in that stereotype, there are other players in the cyberattack realm. The criminals may be:

• Single actors or groups looking to disrupt or steal
• Political operatives looking to steal information for nefarious means
• Nation-states authorizing attacks that cripple electronic systems and defenses, disrupt communications or infrastructure, or corrupt or steal data
• Corporate actors or individuals looking to steal information that allows for an economic, strategic or military advantage

While there may be many players involved in cybercrime, the common theme is that your business needs to be protected.

Are These Threats Overblown?

No. Consider some of these statistics from the Ponemon Institute’s global 2018 Cost of a Data Breach study:

• The average data breach costs $3.86 million, a 6.4 percent increase from the previous year
• The cost per stolen record is $146
• The mean time it takes to identify a data breach is 197 days
• The mean time to contain a data breach is 59 days

When looking at the impact of cyberattacks on small businesses, the 2018 HISCOX Small Business Cyber Risk Report notes:

• 47 percent of small businesses had at least one cyberattack in the last year
• 44 percent had two to four attacks
• 67 percent of business owners and executives indicated they were concerned or very concerned about cyberthreats
• The average cost to a small business for a cyberattack is $34,600
• Small businesses incur indirect costs from a cyberattack, including customer loss, difficulty in attracting new customers, brand damage, distraction and productivity loss and staff hours committed to a resolution

Small businesses have other characteristics that contribute to their vulnerability, such as the lack of available budget and qualified personnel to manage the protective measures necessary.

What Kinds of Cybersecurity Tools Are Available?

The number and type of threats are constantly changing. That’s why small businesses need to be vigilant about how to address the potential attacks.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released a helpful and clear framework that can help companies understand the layers and purposes of different cybersecurity solutions.

The NIST framework lays out five cybersecurity functions:

1. Identify – Asset management, business environment, governance, risk assessment and risk management strategy
2. Protect – Access control, awareness and training, data security, security processes and procedures, maintenance and protective technology
3. Detect – Anomaly and event detection, continuous monitoring and detection processes
4. Respond – Response planning, communication, analysis, mitigation and response improvements
5. Recover – Recovery planning, improvements and communication

Another way to look at the scope of solutions is to group them into categories based on the type of security they provide. These broad security categories of protective measures collectively provide your business with a comprehensive cybersecurity solution.

The categories and the protections that fall within those groupings are outlined below.

Operational Security. Processes and procedures for handling, storing and securing data, including user permissions, data locations and sharing guidelines.

Cyberthreat Assessment. Companies looking to provide blanketed cybersecurity protection should first conduct a thorough assessment of their existing IT infrastructure. Managed IT providers usually begin their engagements with new customers with this deep dive, which provides a baseline understanding of the data, processes and protection in place and the vulnerabilities that need to be corrected.

Security Policies and Practices. There needs to be a collection of well-defined and articulated policies and procedures that address what data is available, what its business function is, how and where it is stored and who can access it. These cybersecurity policies, and the consequences of not following them need to be spelled out for employees, taught and reinforced. Policies should also include the use of personal devices, peripheral devices, home computers, public WiFi and corporate credit cards or purchasing cards.

Access Control. Small businesses should have clear guidelines in place for who determines access to files and servers. Administrative rights should be limited as noted above. Access should be requested and approved using a clearly delineated process that presents clear business reasons for allowing permission. Access should be provided on a need-to-know or need-to-use basis. Access policies should also consider physical access to servers, data centers, data closets, physical media and off-site locations.

Regulatory Mandates. Many industries are subject to government agency or sector-based requirements for the storage and usage of data. These mandates are especially critical to those companies that collect or use personal health information, collect payment information, manage legal documents or do business with certain federal or state entities. Knowing these mandates is critical, as they inform the decisions about what solutions are used and what reporting is required to demonstrate or maintain compliance.

Insurance. Purchasing cyberattack insurance helps to reduce the financial risk of a potential assault. Like with other insurance products, demonstrating the existence of protective measures may result in lower premiums.

Information Security. Ensures data integrity and privacy when information is in transit or at rest.

Data Backup. Backing up your data (and applications and operating systems) is essential to making sure it’s protected and accessible in the event of an attack or natural disaster. Data backups should be done for information stored in the cloud or physical servers. Backup services should use most advanced security measures and best practices, including backing up data in out-of-region locations, automating backup functions and scheduling backups at regular intervals.

Encryption. Encrypting your data while it’s being backed up and when it is stored in the cloud or on-premises makes it that much more difficult for hackers to use the information, even if they can access it.

Network Security. Secures your computer network from intruders, attackers and malware.

Wireless Network Security. Protecting your wireless network is an absolute must. Next-generation firewalls secure your network’s perimeter, detecting, containing and destroying unwanted activity before it can cause significant harm. Network security should also include continuous monitoring with automated alerts if suspicious or unusual activity is detected. Wireless network segmentation and segregation can also prevent the co-mingling of use by employees, visitors and web visitors.

Passwords and Authentication. Your small business needs password creation guidelines, multifactor authentication procedures, guest access policies that make it difficult for hackers to break in and access systems.

Website Security. Maintain your website’s security with limited privileges to the web server and content management tools, multifactor authentication, aggressive password changes, application whitelisting, adequate resource availability, web firewalls and dynamic security scans.

Application Security. Protects your software applications and the devices that use those apps.

Hardware and Software Updating. Providers regularly distribute updates and patches that address important security issues, fix bugs and remove emergent vulnerabilities. The challenge for small businesses is making sure each connected computer, mobile device and server has the required updates installed. Automated updating is much easier with managed IT services and cloud-based applications and servers.

Mobile Device Security. Mobile devices enable employees to access information and networks from anywhere and at any time. However, mobile devices are especially vulnerable, especially when employees are required to provide their own equipment. For example, employees may not install the necessary updates, access information on unsecured public WiFi networks, or have devices stolen or lost.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. Plans and policies to recover from a cyberattack and ensure business operations are up and running with little to no downtime.

Business continuity is the overarching guidance, policies, methods and protocols that ensure that a business can continue operations during and after a natural or manmade event. Disaster recovery is a subset of business continuity, focused on the procedures used to restore systems, access data backups and deal with the incident at hand.

End-User Education. Training and awareness programs for employees and other users.

In many ways, education and awareness are the first lines of cyberdefense. Employees need to understand the scope of cyberthreats, how those threats appear and what they can do to defend themselves and the organization.

Cybersecurity is an absolute must for small businesses today. Knowing the types of attacks and the available solutions is the best defense against criminals looking to do harm.

Microsoft Excel Training

 

Excel is one of the most versatile and most useful programs in the Microsoft Office suite. It’s also one of the trickiest to master without a little help from someone who understands the ins and outs of Excel.

Join us for a special three-part online Microsoft Excel training session, available on-demand.  Tune in from the comfort of your office, learn about Excel over your lunch hour or just check it at home. Our Microsoft Excel training is available, FREE of charge and around the clock.

• Session 1 – Introduction To Microsoft Excel
• Session 2 – Intermediate Microsoft Excel
• Session 3 – Advanced Microsoft Excel

Register online by clicking here.

Microsoft’s spreadsheet program has a wide array of features that make it a handy tool for just about any project, and a host of functions you might not even realize have been there the whole time.

Learning how to use this amazing program to its full advantage and put it to use for your business starts with getting an up-close look at how Excel’s features work.

Have questions? Send me an email by emailing {email} or phone me at {phone}.

 

Did you know? Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 in January 2020. Beginning this April, Microsoft will start displaying pop-ups on all Windows 7 computers alerting the users that their support for Windows 7 will be ending.

Don’t be alarmed.  Microsoft also did the same thing with Windows XP before shutting down their support for the Windows XP Operating System.

Read More

{company} is in the process of discussing upgrade options with every one of our clients and local companies. We’d like to schedule time with you to discuss your options. Feel free to connect with us by calling {phone} or sending an email to {email}.

 

While you hear the term frequently and see the images of puffy whiteness illustrating the concept, you may still be wondering, “What is the cloud?”

Despite being a standard technology solution for many years, it’s still a good time to understand the basics of what the cloud is and how it can benefit your business.

What Is the Cloud?

Simply put, the cloud is a global network of servers accessed via the Internet. Many people incorrectly assume the cloud is a non-physical computing solution, when in fact the cloud consists of physical locations that house hardware, software, applications and services. Cloud computing delivers on-demand computing services on a pay-as-you-go basis.

There are three basic types of cloud computing services:

• Software as a Service (SaaS). These services let users access software applications from an internet-connected device. Perhaps the most common is Microsoft Office 365, which provides access to the popular Office application suite.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS). These web-based solutions are offered by third-party providers and deliver hardware and software, often for application development.
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). In this type of cloud, the cloud provider hosts infrastructure that would typically be stored in an on-premises data center, such as servers, networking hardware and storage.

How Prevalent Is the Cloud?

The cloud is becoming increasingly common in business today. According to IDG’s 2018 Cloud Computing Survey:

• Nine out of 10 companies expect to have part of their applications or infrastructure in the cloud by 2019, with the rest expected by 2021
• 89 percent use SaaS in their IT environment
• The average cloud spend for small- and medium-sized businesses (less than 1,000 employees) has doubled since 2016 to $889,000
• Businesses are moving to the cloud to address the following:
  • Improved IT services deliver speed (71 percent)
  • Flexibility to react to changing market conditions (63 percent)
  • Business continuity (58 percent)
  • Improved customer support (57 percent)

Why Is the Cloud So Beneficial to Businesses?

Using the cloud has multiple advantages for businesses of all types. With the cloud, multiple users can leverage the infrastructure and services available in the shared space. At the same time, businesses can control and customize what is used and how it’s used.

Here are some of the major advantages of cloud computing:

• Cost. Cloud services come at a predictable monthly rate, based on what’s selected in terms of capacity and services. Businesses will not need to purchase as much hardware and software. Companies also save on the costs of housing the hardware in on-premises data centers, maintaining those data centers and the hardware, and the power and cooling demands.
• Convenience. The cloud enables your employees to access data and applications from nearly any device that’s connected to the Internet from anywhere. Files, work materials and applications are readily available securely from anywhere in the world.
• Scalability. As businesses grow, so too does the need for additional storage capacity, processing capability or users. Cloud solutions allow for rapid scaling without the need to purchase, configure and maintain additional servers or to manage and staff large on-premises data centers. If the business has seasonal fluctuations, demand can contract similarly.
• Security. Cloud service providers offer enterprise-level digital and physical security, ensuring your data is protected and monitored constantly. If suspicious activity is detected or unwanted threats are discovered, they can be identified, isolated and resolved before any serious damage occurs.
• Recoverability. Natural disasters and cyber attacks can cripple a business. That’s why cloud solutions provide an added safety net for your data, applications and systems. Automated data backups, housed out of the region, ensure that if an incident does occur, your business can be back up and running with minimal if any downtime.
• Collaboration. Cloud solutions allow for better collaboration, especially among teams in different locations. Collaborative tools like Google Drive, Salesforce and Basecamp allow users to create, edit, comment on, share and save documents in shared workspaces that can be accessed at the same.
• Testing. Cloud computing allows companies to test concepts and move faster on special projects without having to wait for cumbersome procurement procedures or incur large up-front costs. New services, products and tools can be tested in the cloud and deployed faster via the cloud’s scalability features.

The cloud is likely to continue to be a source of innovation, efficiency and productivity for businesses large and small.

In previous years, the first clue that your corporate email has been compromised would be a poorly-spelled and grammatically incorrect email message asking you to send thousands of dollars overseas. While annoying, it was pretty easy to train staff members to see these as fraud and report the emails. Today’s cybercriminals are much more tech-savvy and sophisticated in their messaging, sending emails that purport to be from top executives in your organization, making a seemingly-reasonable request for you to transfer funds to them as they travel. It’s much more likely that well-meaning financial managers will bite at this phishing scheme, making CEO and CFO fraud one of the fastest-growing ways for cybercriminals to defraud organizations of thousands of dollars at a time. Here’s how to spot these so-called whaling schemes that target the “big fish” at an organization using social engineering and other advanced targeting mechanisms.

What Are Whaling Attacks?

Phishing emails are often a bit more basic, in that they may be targeted to any individual in the organization and ask for a limited amount of funds. Whaling emails, on the other hand, are definitely going for the big haul, as they attempt to spoof the email address of the sender and aim pointed attacks based on information gathered from LinkedIn, corporate websites and social media. This more sophisticated type of attack is more likely to trick people into wiring funds or passing along PII (Personally Identifiable Information) that can then be sold on the black market. Few industries are safe from this type of cyberattack, while larger and geographically dispersed organizations are more likely to become easy targets.

The Dangers of Whaling Emails

What is particularly troubling about this type of email is that they show an intimate knowledge of your organization and your operating principles. This could include everything from targeting exactly the individual who is most likely to respond to a financial request from their CEO to compromising the legitimate email accounts of your organization. You may think that a reasonably alert finance or accounting manager would be able to see through this type of request, but the level of sophistication involved in these emails continues to grow. Scammers include insider information to make the emails look even more realistic, especially for globe-trotting CEOs who regularly need an infusion of cash from the home office. According to Kaspersky, no one is really safe from these attacks — even the famed toy maker Mattel fell to the tactics of a fraudster to the tune of $3 million. The Snapchat human resources department also fell prey to scammers, only they were after personal information on current and past employees.

How Do You Protect Your Organization From Advanced Phishing Attacks?

The primary method of protection is ongoing education of staff at all levels of the organization. Some phishing or whaling attacks are easier to interpret than others and could include simple cues that something isn’t quite right. Here are some ways that you can potentially avoid phishing attacks:

• Train staff to be on the lookout for fake (spoofed) email addresses or names. Show individuals how to hover over the email address and look closely to ensure that the domain name is spelled correctly.
• Encourage individuals in a position of leadership to limit their social media presence and avoid sharing personal information online such as anniversaries, birthdays, promotions and relationships — all information that can be leveraged to add sophistication to an attack.
• Deploy anti-phishing software that includes options such as link validation and URL screening.
• Create internal best practices that include a secondary level of validation when large sums of money or sensitive information is requested. This can be as simple as a phone call to a company-owned phone to validate that the request is legitimate.
• Request that your technology department or managed services provider add a flag to all emails that come from outside your corporate domain. That way, users can be trained to be wary of anything that appears to be internal to the organization, yet has that “external” flag.

There are no hard and fast rules that guarantee your organization will not be the victim of a phishing attack. However, ongoing education and strict security processes and procedures are two of the best ways to help keep your company’s finances — and personal information — safe from cyberattack.

The information that no business owner or technology director wants to hear: there’s been a data breach. These chilling words can put your brain into overdrive, trying to triage the problem before you even know the full extent of the problem. What will be the impact on customers? On staff? On vendors? Is this simply a temporary bump in the road, or will your business never truly recover? How you’re able to react and your level of preparedness will be the deciding factors in the level of devastation that a data breach can wreak on your business. A recent report from TechBeacon shows that it takes an average of 191 days — over six months — for companies to even identify a breach, much less begin remediation on the road to recovery. Even more frightening, with as many as 7 in 10 of all organizations in the U.S. suffered some sort of data breach over the past several years, with the average breach costing upwards of $3.6 million.

What Are the Immediate Impacts of a Data Breach?

Once you find that your organization has been the target of a cyber attack, your technology team and external vendor partners immediately create a plan of attack. This could include everything from launching an effort to stop the vulnerability that allowed the breach to ensure that your data is restored from external backups as needed. Each of these steps can take time away from your daily operations, while also negatively impacting your overall customer service, manufacturing, eCommerce and staff productivity in general. Plus, there are the additional costs associated with external consultants who are working quickly (and expensively!) to restore your operations and data access. There are also expansive regulatory issues to handle such as technical investigations and regulatory filings about the breach and impact on the public. You can quantify these costs with a little work, but there are some hidden costs that lurk behind the scenes in an extensive data breach. Organizations are reporting thousands of hours required by forensic analysts who are attempting to put together the true nature of the breach.

Loss of Data = Loss of Reputation and Loss of Business

Your customers trust you to be a secure citadel for their sensitive personal, health and financial information. How can you explain to the public that data breaches happen every day? Customers are much less likely to be understanding of your business challenges when they’re personally affected by a data breach. You need to have a plan in place to respond to data breaches urgently, transparently and with empathy, or you could lose a significant amount of business due to lack of consumer confidence in your organization. Finally, you’ll need to put a communication plan in place that includes informing all of your stakeholders about the data breach and how it could affect them. These costs and the time required to get your business back to full operations may make it sound appealing to consider cyber insurance.

Should I Invest in Cyber Insurance?

Just as with other business risks, it makes sense to protect against known threats such as fire, flooding — and cyberattacks. Unfortunately, cyber insurance can be incredibly confusing and there are no guarantees that the expensive investment you make in insurance will cover the specific incidents that could occur at your organization. Even comparing different benefits and offerings can be extremely complex and off-putting for business owners. Instead of buying this questionable insurance, many small to mid-size businesses are instead investing in cybersecurity solutions and comprehensive backup and data recovery strategies.

How Can I Protect My Business From a Cyberattack?

If you don’t have a plan in place to handle data breaches or other cyberattacks, it is never too late to get started! With an average cost per record of $148, according to the 2018 Cost of Data Breach Study, a little prevention against a cyberattack can pay major dividends in the future. Are you confident that your organization has all the safeguards and protective mechanisms in place to maintain adequate security or quickly discover a breach in the event of a cyberattack? A comprehensive cybersecurity solution provides you with a high level of protection that includes:

• Active monitoring and reporting
• Vulnerability assessments and remediation
• Intrusion detection
• Behavioral monitoring
• Compliance reporting
• Agile integration with internal platforms
• Asset discovery
• IT and business user training
• Best practices and process recommendations
• Extensive backup and disaster recovery planning

When you fail to plan for a cyberattack, you’re essentially planning to fail! In today’s world, it’s rarely a question of “if“ your business will be targeted and more a question of “when“.

What Are the Benefits of Active Monitoring?

Working with a partner who offers active monitoring of your systems means you have a cybersecurity professional on your side at all times. Someone who is familiar with the footprint left behind by intrusions, and intimately knows the steps required to heal the breach and regain secure control of your systems. Your technology services partner should invest in ongoing education and recommend an aggressive security posture to protect your business. With active monitoring, you may still experience a cyberattack, but you may be able to limit the intrusion to certain systems or records — effectively saving as much of your data as possible through quick action in executing a pre-defined strategy.

As you can see, the effects of a data breach can be far-reaching and extremely expensive. It’s crucial that your business is fully prepared for any eventuality, and that includes an extensive data breach. The faster you’re able to identify the breach and heal it, the better your chances are for long-term business viability. Your technology services partner can provide you with customized recommendations to help protect your business from this pervasive problem.

Back in 2018, Apple once again upgraded the iMessage app to include new messaging effects. Apple added these effects to enhance the messaging experience for iOS users. There are 13 different effects that you can use to add an attractive feature to your messages when using iOS 12 or later on an iPhone or an iPad. The bubble effects will also show up on iMessage for Mac.

Let’s look at the special effects that you can apply in the Apple Messages App.

How to Access the iMessage Effects

First, with messages open, enter some text. Type an easy message such as “Hello”. Then, force-press the blue arrow to the right. The effects screen appears. The effects screen is divided into categories that are posted at the top of the screen:

1. Bubble effects
2. Screen effects

Bubble Effects

There are four bubble effects:

1. Slam: Stamps the bubble down and makes the entire screen ripple
2. Loud: A giant bubble that shakes then settles
3. Gentle: A tiny bubble that subtly slips into place
4. Invisible ink: Covers the bubble in an animated blur – the blur disappears once you swipe the message.

Screen Effects

There are nine screen effects:

1. Echo: The Echo duplicates text that floods the screen of the recipient.
2. Spotlight: The incoming message is highlighted by a spotlight.
3. Balloons: Ascending balloons burst onto the recipient’s screen.
4. Confetti: Multi-color confetti sprays down from the top of the screen.
5. Love: An expanding heart pops out of the message.
6. Lasers: Lasers with sound effects shoot from one of the screen to the next.
7. Fireworks: Multi-color fireworks explode from the center of the screen.
8. Shooting stars: A starburst shoots from the left on the screen, blowing up as it reaches the right side of the screen.
9. Celebration: Fireworks and other celebratory effects spread out across the screen.

Once you’ve decided which effect you want to apply, touch the blue upward arrow to send your message with the effect. You can also press the ‘X’ to return to the message screen.

By adding these effects, you can enhance your iMessage experience.

After literally changing the world through technology, what does a retired billionaire Microsoft co-founder do for an encore? If his name is Bill Gates, he changes the world yet again. This time, Gates is exploring advanced cutting-edge technology to find healthcare solutions for the world’s most pressing issues. Serving as guest curator for the annual “10 Breakthrough Technologies” list published by MIT Technology Review, Gates revealed his top picks for 2019 – five of which happen to be healthcare technologies.

In introducing the list, Gates explains his choices and expresses optimism for how we can invent the future. “We’re still far from a world where everyone everywhere lives to old age in perfect health, and it’s going to take a lot of innovation to get us there,” he writes. “For now, though, the innovations driving change are a mix of things that extend life and things that make it better. My picks reflect both. Each one gives me a different reason to be optimistic for the future, and I hope they inspire you, too.”

Here are the top five healthcare technologies for 2019, as curated by philanthropist Bill Gates on his quest to change the world through innovative solutions.

1. Customized Cancer Vaccines

Things are getting personal in the world of cancer care and treatment. In a collaboration between German startup BioNTech and the biotech behemoth Genentech, researchers are conducting clinical trials with technology that customizes cancer vaccines for each individual. The approach attacks only cancerous cells rather than healthy ones using mRNA-based therapies, taking into account the patient’s genetic profile and specifics of the personal diagnosis.

2. Predicting and Preventing Premature Birth

Considering the millions of mothers giving birth to premature babies every year, Stanford University bioengineer Stephen Quake decided to do something about it. He has developed a genetic blood test that can identify which women are likely to deliver a premature baby, thereby increasing the likelihood of effective care and prevention. The test works by detecting fluctuations in specific genes related to premature births. Quake states that quick and easy test costs only about $10.

3. Ingestible Gut Probe for Easy Disease Screening

Harvard Medical School professor Guillermo Tearney, MD, PhD, who is also a pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, has created a swallowable gut probe that can capture images and screen for diseases such as environmental enteric dysfunction. The condition inhibits the absorption of nutrients, which adversely affects children in developing countries who are susceptible to malnourishment. According to the MIT Technology Review, the device has the potential to replace endoscopes and anesthesia, which can be cost-prohibitive for many people.

4. Wearable ECG Device for Everyday Use

Wearable devices such as the Series 4 Apple Watch are receiving advanced ECG technology that aims to equal heart monitoring done in a traditional physician’s office. The goal is to detect arrhythmia sooner and thereby reduce the potential for a heart attack.

5. Voice-enabled AI Assistants in Health Care

Artificial intelligence systems with voice-enabled technology, such as Alexa from Amazon and Siri by Apple, are being configured for HIPAA-compliant use in clinical patient care. Hospitals and clinics will be able to utilize the devices for things such as post-surgery care, checking blood pressure and increasing efficiency.

With today’s businesses moving a large portion of their information technology operations to the cloud, having holistic IT services management is more important than ever before. Making this shift provides organizations with an unprecedented level of flexibility, and cloud solutions are generally more affordable. However, you may find that you’re introducing a greater level of complexity as you bring on additional integrations and cloud-based solutions. Having a trusted IT services management partner allows you to focus on the core growth of your business while shifting the bulk of responsibility for IT operations to your services management team. See how making this move helps local businesses thrive.

What is ITSM?

Information Technology Services Management (ITSM) goes by a variety of different titles. You may hear this referred to as managed services, IT outsourcing, IT consulting and more — but it all boils down to finding a partner with the technical expertise to support your organization’s IT operations. Internal IT teams often retain responsibility for setting strategy and oversight, while the more tedious daily processes and larger integrations are moved offsite to your partner’s teams. This allows you access to a broader team of professionals with expertise in a variety of different platforms, infrastructure setups and methodologies.

How Does ITSM Help My Local Business?

As businesses grow, their technical challenges become increasingly complex and are often more than one or two IT professionals can handle internally. Working with an IT services management organization allows you to reduce inefficiencies in your business and reduce the workload on key technical staff. You’ll find enhanced operational efficiency and reduced operating costs, along with a vastly improved customer experience for your internal users and customers. With an external review of your software implementations, you are likely to enjoy enhanced access control and governance of your crucial business systems. Your IT services management professionals are also able to help bring consistency to your process and automate them whenever possible. You’ll find that your teams are able to collaborate more fluidly — both internally and with your customers or vendors.

What Types of Services Does an ITSM Offer?

The wide scope of the landscape — where there are thousands of solutions for each IT project — simply requires knowledge that is too broad for a single, small team. ITSM helps your local business by helping weed through some less-than-ideal solutions to find exactly the options that are right for your business.

This could include providing a range of platforms and services:

• Cloud-based storage
• Backup and disaster recovery procedures
• Antivirus and anti-malware solutions
• Office 365 and productivity software licensing and implementation
• Active monitoring of your network for data breaches
• Remediation and resolution management
• Help Desk support
• Software Integrations
• Universal control dashboards
• Threat assessments and staff training
• WiFi and endpoint management

These are only a few of the solutions that a full-service ITSM partner can provide for your organization.

Will an ITSM Team Understand My Business?

Sure, it might take your technology professionals a bit to get up to speed on your specific core competencies and the challenges that your organization offers, but these individuals are accustomed to working with a variety of organizations and will quickly learn what makes your business unique. Plus, they’re able to leverage all of their knowledge of past engagements to help see what works, what doesn’t — and how to make the most out of the teams that are available. Your IT services management team will look across the organization at people, processes and technology in order to help visualize your work and understand where changes can be made to wasteful processes.

If your organization is embarking on a digital transformation project — or even if you’re simply trying to get your technology team out of the weeds with daily help desk requests — ITSM offers some true benefits for your business. You can increase the agility and responsiveness of your business while ensuring that daily business processes are interrupted as little as possible. See how ITSM concepts can help provide the cement that you need between your business and technology teams to lead your organization into the future.