Phones are kind of a big deal these days. Whether you’re mindlessly swiping away on Tinder, wandering the streets at two in the morning looking for Pokémon, or sending out your 348th text of the day, your phone is right by your side living life with you. But your phone isn’t just for building fictional kingdoms and taking selfies from rather unwise locations.
Even more than social media, games, and trivial back-and-forth communication, your mobile device is about working on-the-go, managing personal finances, and tracking family members, purchases, and private information. It’s like your little black book – but instead of tracking just your love life, it tracks every last piece of your life.
If someone were to snatch this little black book of everything from you, things could end poorly – both professionally and personally. You could suffer from the likes of identity theft and credit card fraud, as well as data loss from a business perspective (such as client records and private emails). So to avoid all of that, here’s how you can keep your phone safe (or, at the very least, safer).
We’re going to start things off simple here. Make sure your phone is locked with a passcode at all times. Think of it as your first line of defense. If someone does steal your phone, you don’t want this person to have easy access to the contents inside it; therefore, you need to make this as difficult as possible for them – even a 4-digit pin code is better than nothing. Plus, with Apple’s fingerprint reader, the process of locking and unlocking your phone should only get easier (but only for the rightful owner of the phone).
When it comes to apps and websites you visit that have access to personal or financial information, you should always use a strong password and you should always log out of the app or site completely when you’re done with it. If you allow your passwords to be “remembered,” then it’s like having a phone with no passcode. Anyone can simply open an app or visit a previously opened tab on your mobile browser and log into your account. They wouldn’t even have to bother trying to crack your password; it’s already there for them.
If someone does steal your phone (or if you simply lose it somewhere), the sooner you can find it, the better off you’ll be. There are a handful of phone-finding apps available that can help you do this rather efficiently. With these apps, you can log into your account from any desktop or another person’s phone and track down your phone via step-by-step GPS directions. If you feel it’s been stolen, you can even turn on your phones peripheral features (like the camera) to scare the thief into ditching your phone. A few options for phone-finding apps would include Lookout, Find My iPhone, and Where’s My Droid.
It is possible to access the contents of your phone without anyone ever physically touching your phone. All it takes is one malicious app or one corrupt link inside an email, and – bam – your phone is hacked, infiltrated, toast, gone baby gone. To avoid this, always confirm the legitimacy of any links and apps prior to any clicking or downloading. For links, you should verify the giver of the link. For apps, you should research the maker and read any available reviews.
You need to be careful with public Wi-Fi connections. Yes, these are life-savers. But at the same time, they can do some serious damage if you aren’t cautious of which ones you’re connecting to. There’s such a thing as fake Wi-Fi hotspots. These connections are established by cyber-criminals, and once you connect to it, a hacker can easily tap into your phone and view everything and anything you do. A good rule of thumb is to stay away from private and financial information when you’re on-the-go and connected to public Wi-Fi. So even if someone does tap into your phone, all they will see is you on your quest to become the ultimate Pokémon Master.
Everyone is always so worried about shopping online… that one innocent purchase on the wrong site will lead to your eventual financial downfall. A hacker will spin his web, and swing from the darkest corners of the web – bigger and better than Spiderman ever could. He’ll swoop up your data, and use it to travel the world. He’ll buy a fancy car and an even fancier house. And meanwhile, you’re left to squat on some dark, dank corner in the middle of nothing good and no one nice.
And unfortunately, you should be worried about all of that. Not that anyone will be able to buy a house or travel the world equipped with nothing but your credit card data – but they might buy a really fancy pair of shoes. But things get more unfortunate because that’s not the only thing you should be worried about. In fact, some identity theft experts say there’s something else you should worry about more than online identity theft…
Credit card skimmers.
It takes a skilled criminal less than 60 seconds to install a nearly undetectable credit card skimmer on an ATM machine. Once this minute is up, anyone who swipes their card on this machine will be placed on a one-way path headed straight towards identity theft. Not only can a thief swipe your credit card number, but they can swipe your pin number, as well, making this data fully operational and incredibly valuable.
But if you caught it earlier, a credit card skimmer is nearly undetectable. In other words, if you pay close enough attention to the machine itself, you have the opportunity to sniff out a credit card skimmer before it ever has the chance to skim your credit card. You just have to know what to look for.
Many sources say it’s a useful habit to pull and prod at any ATM machine you visit. Yes. You’re going to look really strange doing this. But looking strange for a few minutes is a whole lot better than dealing with credit card fraud.
Most credit card skimmers are attached to the top or front of an ATM machine. It might be glued on, but most likely, it’s simply clipped onto the device or attached to the card reader. For this reason, you should pull on the pin pad and tug at the card reader (or any other parts that stick out). Make sure nothing wiggles or looks like it could potentially come off. If anything does appear to move, do not use that machine.
Take a look at the entire machine and consider the colors. If you’re around multiple ATM machines or if you’re at the gas station using the pump, compare your machine to the other ones. This can be a dead giveaway – for example, your card reader has red material surrounding it but none of the other ones do. That’s a sign your machine has been messed with.
However, if there’s only one ATM machine, you’ll have to use your best judgement. Say there is red material surrounding the card reader, and you can’t tell for certain if it goes with the machine or not. This is when you should pull at the card reader and see if the red casing moves. And keep in mind, just because it doesn’t move, doesn’t mean it’s supposed to be there. If you’re at all hesitant, then find another ATM machine at a different location.
If someone affixes something to an ATM machine, there’s a chance that certain graphics on the machine might be partially hidden because of it. This is good, because it can help you identify ATMs that have been tampered with.
Oftentimes, ATM manufacturers will put graphics on the machine to serve as directions – arrows, dots, text, images. If any of these graphics are concealed by parts of the machine, then these “parts” might not belong there.
Time has this really exasperating tendency to change things. One day you’re something, and then ten years later – bam – that something is completely different. And in all likelihood, that something is a little less toned, a little less firm, and a whole lot plumper.
But time doesn’t just change people. It changes life itself. How people interact, work, eat, commute… it’s all changed, is changing, and will continue to change until life itself is over. And if we were to give any one thing credit for all of this perpetual changing, it’d have to be technology.
Technology has the propensity to change everything about anything – usually for the better, often without any conscious recognition (it just kind of happens), and typically with a buildup. It’s not like the transition from poorly lit caves to data-infused smarthomes occurred overnight or that the leap from horse-drawn carriages to a Tesla Model S was a leap most could predict. These changes are accepted by society and then they gradually become part of the everyday norm. And this integration is so gradual that people don’t even realize what’s happening or that it did happen or that they even accepted it to begin with.
However, it seems this might not always be the case. With the rise of the Gig Economy and the not so subtle introduction of Millennials into the workforce, the ‘Uberfication’ of life as we know it has begun. And not only have we recognized this particular shift in how society does things as it’s occurring, but it’s also not as gradual a shift as we’re accustomed to.
With Uberfication, many companies have – as you’ve probably guessed – started to think more like Uber, and as a result, society is starting to do things differently – from the way we make and spend money to the way we manage our work and personal lives. But what exactly does it mean to think more like Uber? It means that to own a successful transportation company, you don’t necessarily need to own any cars. To have a flourishing culture, you don’t really need employees. And to have a big business, you don’t actually need a physical business.
For example, Airbnb owns no property, but they’re quickly becoming one of the most popular sources to rent a place while traveling. And Etsy doesn’t exactly make any products, but they’re overflowing with unique, homemade, handcrafted items.
Uber, Airbnb, and Etsy all function in the same manner. They created the hub, they deal with the marketing, and they handle the operations, but individuals – not employees – make them profitable. These companies have become incredibly successfully in such a short amount of time – not just because what they’re doing makes sense, but because the public genuinely likes the idea that they can work for these companies when and how they want.
But people don’t just like these companies because they can make extra money off of them; they also like these companies because the platforms they build allow for lower costs, less hassle, and on-demand services. For instance, Uber has cut down on both the wait times and the cost for a traditional taxi. And Etsy has given many people the opportunity to compete in a market with high barriers to entry and to sell to people who may never have been able to purchase from them without the platform.
But what does all of this really mean to the run-of-the-mill business who isn’t exactly looking to Uberify their dental practice, law firm, furniture store, or coffee shop? Well, if you learn anything from the sensational leap that companies like Uber and Airbnb have made, it should be something along these lines…
Never fight the way that technology is going. Don’t try and sidestep it or prolong your acceptance of it. The longer you put off new technologies, the further behind your business will be – behind the times, behind the competition, and behind the needs of consumers. For example, some taxi companies are attempting to fight Uber because Uber is shutting the door on the traditional notion of a transportation company. But does the public care? Not a chance. They love Uber, they want Uber, and they will stay behind Uber. Why? Because Uber is giving the public exactly what it wants and never even knew it needed. In the meantime, all of these companies that are trying to shut Uber down are missing out on the chance to become just as successful as Uber is.
These companies all know the business world really well. But do you know what else they know really well? Technology. They’ve hired the best of the best, and they’ve been successful because of it. They’ve each created an international business that operates solely within one central app or website without hiring a single person to produce the actual product. It’s genius. And while your business might not have the capital to hire internal IT people or the need to build your business around one central technology, it is still incredibly important to partner with people who know technology. Find an outlet and stick with it.
Technology is not stagnant. It’s not done changing, and it never will be… which means part of your job is to make sure your business never falls too far behind technology. You can look at this negatively – that your business will always have to change to compensate for new technologies. Or you can look at this positively – that your business will always have the opportunity to change into something better, bigger, and more valuable.
At this point, most of the general public should know how to use a computer in the most basic of situations. Turn it on. Open up the internet. Write a document. Print something. If you expect to be somewhat successful or, at the very least, considered a normal functioning human being, computer know-how is simply a must.
However, while it is possible to glide on through to success on computer basics, it probably won’t be all that easy for you. You’ll struggle. You’ll waste more time than you should. And you’ll definitely feel the need to throw one or two computers out the window at some time or another.
So, if you’re adamant about sticking to the basics and you don’t feel the need to make ‘geek’ your second language, then here are a few tricks to make you more efficient in the land of computers. And if even you do consider yourself to be above the basics or somewhat of a computer aficionado, some of these tips might be new and rather useful for you.
Holding down the backspace button to delete multiple letters at once is such a waste of time. If you need to delete one whole word, hold down CTRL and Backspace simultaneously. To delete multiple words, hold down the CTRL button and continue to tap on the Backspace button until you’ve deleted everything that needs to go away.
If you use a laptop, this tip can be rather handy. When you need to switch to another open window (say you have Word, the internet, and Excel open at the same time), then hold down ALT and TAB. This will allow you to quickly cycle through to the next open program without having to look to that dreaded touchpad for assistance.
When you have multiple sites open at once, you can close one at a time by holding down CTRL and W. This action will cause the tab you are currently on to close and will send you back to the next open tab – no magnifying glass and little ‘X’ button required.
Again, if you’re not willing to reach for your mouse, this trick is incredibly useful. Hold down CTRL and L to highlight the address bar. You can immediately begin typing to go to a new website.
If you have multiple programs open and you don’t like a lot of background noise, use the cursor to shake your active window. This will automatically minimize all other open programs, leaving you just with the program you want.
If you need all programs minimized – including the program you’re currently on – then hit Windows and D. This will bring you back to the desktop.
When you’re on the internet and you need to open up a new tab, hold down CTRL and T. This trick will get you there quicker.
This is a great tip for anyone, anywhere to use. Whenever you leave your computer, hit
CTRL and L to lock it. Hopefully, you have some sort of passcode protecting your device… if not, shame on you.
Many of us have watched movies like Minority Report, Total Recall, and Back to the Future. Movies like these tend to stick with you for a while, and they’re usually worthy of a Friday night movie binge. Maybe it has a little something to do with all those memorable and anatomically-incorrect scenes, but odds are, it probably relates a little more to the public’s general fascination with far-off, futuristic technologies.
But if you haven’t noticed, these “far-off” technologies aren’t as far-off as they once were. In fact, many of them are here already – like the virtual vacations the Terminator takes in Total Recall, the motion-controlled screens from Minority Report, and the hoverboard Marty McFly rides in Back to the Future. The really cool part about all of this, though, is that not only are these technologies here, but many of them are entirely accessible to the average Joe – which is great news to the business world.
With these recent advances in technology, come the opportunity for business owners and professionals in all industries and at all levels of growth to innovate and expand in ways never thought possible. Data is rich, efficiency is at its highest, and new business models are taking over faster than the zombies did in World War Z.
But how exactly is this happening and where can you see these innovations play out firsthand? Just about anywhere. Here are a few notable examples you can check out for yourself, and maybe… just maybe… something on here will click for you and the future you envision for your business.
Larger companies such as Amazon and Facebook have part of their colossal, Sauron-like eye on drones, and, as a result, they have some rather impressive projects in the works. For Amazon, this means a guaranteed 30-minute delivery, and for Facebook, global internet connectivity.
But for smaller companies, the possibility of drone integration is mostly centered on cost-efficiency and safety. For example, CyPhy Works is actively pursuing drones for a variety of services like pizza delivery and firefighting, and other companies are currently employing drones to monitor farmland or follow traffic conditions.
While drones can be considered more of a necessity and looked at as an effective way to take the human element out of dangerous or time-consuming activities, virtual reality is all about the experience – improving the interaction a consumer has with a business. Take Lowes for example. This Fortune 500 Company recently built virtual reality rooms called Holorooms inside a few of their stores. Inside a Holoroom, a customer can design a room, build it from the ground up, and walk through the final layout. From here, they can get a physical feel for their future kitchen or bathroom, making it considerably more likely for expectations to be met.
Virtual reality is also being used to treat people with social anxieties, brain damage, and PTSD, to educate children in subjects that are difficult to visualize, and to train employees and law enforcement. While these types of integrations can be seen as just another way to cut costs, its primary function should be viewed in terms of ‘experience.’ A police officer training in a virtual world produces entirely different results than a police officer training at a shooting range. And a child experimenting in a virtual science lab is considerably more effective than a child reading about science in a textbook.
Biometrics has been around for a while now; however, small business owners still consider it to be a technology designed for corporate environments. But as Network World puts it, “Biometrics isn’t the stuff of Hollywood, the CIA or Fortune 500 firms trying to stop corporate espionage.” It’s more commonplace than you might think it is, and these days, it’s a very basic piece of security, privacy, and employee verification processes.
From retina scanners to fingerprint readers, these forms of biometrics are good for business. They secure data better; they keep your brick-and-mortar business more contained, and they can verify an employee’s physical presence more effectively. You can purchase a fingerprint reader for a few hundred dollars and use it to secure individual devices or to track employees clocking in and out.
Whatever it is you decide to do, technology is a very important piece of your business. It can make you more efficient, more productive, and all-around more successful. If you have any questions on how to implement modern technologies into your daily operations, give us a call today. We’d be happy to chat technology with you.
