The Internet of Things: Boon, Bane, or Both?

You've probably heard a lot of talk lately about the Internet of Things (IoT) — the idea of connecting objects ranging from medical devices to kitchen appliances to the Internet so they can collect, use, and share data for better performance and greater efficiency. The IoT could change our lives dramatically, but experts have some serious questions about how to handle the amount of data the IoT will generate, who will own that data, and how to keep it both secure and private.

The evolution of the IoT is going to create new security vulnerabilities at home and at work that we've never had to consider before. Where will our data end up, and how will it be used? It's something we're thinking about a lot at Xantrion, and we think you should be, too.

The Health Care Industry Needs a Security Booster Shot

In early September, a Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate in upstate New York revealed that hackers had compromised 10.5 million patient and business partner records in a data breach that had continued, undetected, for almost two years. It wasn't the first health care industry breach of 2015, and it probably won't be the last. It wasn't even the largest: back in January, hackers hit Anthem, the nation's second largest health insurer, and stole as many as 80 million people's records.

Medical records are a juicy prize on the black market, selling for as much as $70 each, as Jim Trainor of the FBI Cybersecurity Division told CBS News in February. NPR's "All Things Considered" even reported recently that it found a "value pack" of ten Medicare numbers selling for about $4,700. So if your company is in the business of health care, you are almost certainly in a hacker's sights, and your data security is due for an immediate check-up.

Your Bank Account's Safety is Your Responsibility

When fraud siphons cash out of your individual bank account, the law requires your bank to cover your losses in most cases. That's not the case for business accounts, even for one-person businesses. For the small business owner who gets stung by a cybercriminal, that can make a bad situation far worse.

We've discussed basic steps for avoiding cyber fraud before, but these recommendations bear repeating:

• teach your employees the early warning signs of fraud
• change passwords frequently
•  require two people to approve any funds transfers or changes to your list of authorized payees
•  perform all your financial transactions on a computer that's both password-protected and not connected to the rest of your network

If you have questions, or if you think you're being targeted, our security experts are here to help you protect your network — and your bank account.

Shortcut Keys for Windows 10

For those of you early adopters wanting to dive into Windows 10, click here for a two page guide from Microsoft that lists shortcut keys that you can use from the desktop in Windows 10.