On the surface, TikTok is a popular video sharing app where cool kids gather virtually to share the latest viral content, from dance videos to memes and challenges.

It is as seemingly trivial as a socially enabled app can be.

Yet, after the Canadian government’s decision to ban the app on all federal employee devices, businesses everywhere must ask themselves a simple question: should their employees be allowed to use TikTok on their company devices? Or, should they follow the government’s lead and issue their own removal notice? 

A major ransomware attack Sunday kicked the majority of Italians off of the internet before administrators were able to restore service.

Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency, ACN, said the attackers targeted a known vulnerability in VMware’s ESXi servers. VMware encouraged customers to install patches.

If it feels like you’ve heard this story before, that’s because you probably have. In fact, you’re forgiven for thinking this feels like Groundhog Day.

That’s because the vulnerability was first detected almost two years ago, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security issued its first security advisory – known as AV21-093 – on February 24, 2021. The Canadian cybersecurity agency issued a second advisory, AV22-689, on December 9, 2022. 

Forgive us, but here at STEP Software, we’re optimists, and we believe the dawn of a new year brings all sorts of opportunities for renewal and growth to employers and their employees.

Optimistic doesn’t mean we aren’t realistic, though, and as 2023 dawns all fresh and clean and shiny and new, we also recognize that cybercriminals remain as threatening and dirty as they’ve always been. Actually, even more so.

So, as we’ve been reviewing our own cybersecurity plans for the upcoming year, we wanted to share some recommendations with you so that you can consider incorporating them into your own workflow. Because it’s always a good time to focus on cybersecurity.

Nine months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the cyber front in this war is every bit as consequential as the military one. And organizations far outside the war zone can’t afford to ignore the cybersecurity lessons being taught on this brutal battlefield.

It’s easy to understand why most of us might not have immediately dropped everything to update our iPhones, iPads, and Macs after Apple recently confirmed that researchers had helped uncover a serious vulnerability in the operating systems that power its devices.

We already know the COVID-19 pandemic has rewritten the rules around where work gets done, and how; but there is a frightening cybersecurity angle to COVID-19 that most organizations fail to recognize.

Teleworking: Information Security Essentials for Organizational Leadership

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations to rapidly develop and implement policies and procedures that enable their employees to work remotely. As time has passed, many companies have begun to recognize the monetary benefits associated with teleworking, including reduced utility costs as well as a decline in the need for office space, furniture, and conference rooms. Corporate management teams are now considering making telework a permanent part of their businesses. One primary concern is maintaining the security of information systems and networks and the sensitive data residing thereon.

Using Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) for secure remote capabilities

If your organization already utilizes VDI and you have enough licenses to accommodate your teleworking staff, you are ahead of the game. VDI users can be provided role-based access, giving them access to only the resources they need to perform their jobs. All of those resources remain secured inside your organization's environment or in the cloud; thus, physical security and unauthorized access concerns are reduced. VDI also uses less bandwidth and is easier for your IT staff to manage than Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections.

For an online business, it's difficult to stand out from other competitor businesses, but an API can make it possible. An API can passively spread the word about your business and give developers a reason to integrate it into client software. Once integrated, it can be a long-term revenue stream that continually generates income opportunities for the business.

Creating a new API for your business is a task that's not to be taken lightly, and it comes with a considerable upfront investment. You need a developer to create the application programming interface (API), quality assurance (QA) people to test it, and penetration testers to ensure that it meets cybersecurity standards. You might wonder if it's worth the upfront time and money investment, but APIs can increase your organization's revenue and get your brand name recognized through word-of-mouth. Even with the upfront cost, your own API can be an impressive revenue stream for your business.

Many of the biggest technology companies (like Google and Microsoft) are investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) technology that will someday soon reshape business. According to Fortune Magazine, companies will invest over $50 billion/year by 2023 - and artificial intelligence will add more than $13 trillion in economic growth by 2030. This massive growth in AI spending will transform the way that companies do business.

1. New Capabilities Will Get Added to Existing Job Roles

Despite all the hype about AI eliminating millions of jobs, most human jobs will be fine. For example, before 2020, AI has created 2.3 million new jobs while only eliminating 1.8 million jobs. According to experts, AI removes repetitive tasks to allow employees to focus on more productive tasks. Therefore, new roles are being created for human workers to perform that increase productivity.

2. Companies Will Hire More AI Professionals

In addition to most human jobs being safe, many businesses will have to hire more AI professionals. For example, most machine learning platforms are built and run on Python. Therefore, the demand for computer programmers with Python experience is growing. Other new job opportunities will include data analysts who can manage massive amounts of enterprise data.

An IT service provider offers a variety of benefits for business owners. Outsourcing your IT support is one of the best ways to save money while maximizing uptime for your company. However, not all IT providers are the same, and it is a wise idea to perform thorough research before you decide to outsource your IT services.

Here are a few things to consider before you choose to invest in a managed service provider: