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The Main Differences-Cyber essentials vs Cyber Essentials PLUS

To protect your information from cyber-attacks, the UK government has developed a scheme called Cyber Essentials. It provides security guidelines that all business organisations should follow. It can protect organisations from more than 75% of frequent cyber-attacks. If you want to be engaged in any business with the government; bid for a contract, your business must be certified.

Cyber essentials

The UK government launched this scheme in 2014 to help business organisations in improving their cyber-security. This level is just an initial framework of cyber-security. It states some requirements that your organisation needs to meet to get the cyber essentials certificate. It gives you a clear idea of how secure is your business. What’s the level of your cyber security and if your system is vulnerable to any cyber-attack?

It states five technical controls that you have to implement:

  1. Set up a firewall

The first thing you need to do is secure your internet connection. For this, you have to set up a firewall which will prevent unauthorised users from accessing the network. You can set up a personal firewall on your PC or a boundary firewall on the network

  1. Secure configuration

You need to secure your devices and software by changing their default settings and using passwords.

  1. Configure user access

You need to configure user roles and permissions. It will reduce the risks of unauthorised access.

  1. Protect your computer from malware

You have to protect computers from viruses and malicious attacks. For this, you need to install the latest versions of anti-virus and anti-malware software and keep them up to date.

  1. Update devices and software

You need to install updates regularly. Software companies frequently release patches to fix any bug or security problem. Installing these patches can secure your software.

Cyber essentials plus

Cyber essentials and cyber essentials plus are two levels of certification. Cyber essentials plus have the same set of requirements as cyber essentials. To get the cyber essentials plus certification, your business first needs to be cyber essentials certified.

You must get cyber essentials plus certification if you are a large organisation and have given remote access to your employees.

What’s the difference?

The only difference in cyber essentials and cyber essentials plus is that cyber essentials are a self-certification, whereas cyber essential plus requires a third-party assessment of the five technical controls.

At the first level, you will be asked to answer the questionnaire (self-assessment questionnaire), which is assessed and reviewed by an independent certifying body. You will be allowed to choose the certification body which will verify your answers.

At the second level, an external certification body will test your security practices. They will visit your organisation and carry out different tests to check vulnerabilities. They will test your approach for virus and malware protection if no vulnerabilities are found after the scan, you will be given the cyber essentials plus certificate.

Cyber essentials plus certification costs more than cyber essentials as more resources are used in this process.

Why you need cyber essentials certification?

Getting any of these certifications could be beneficial for your business in different ways. Here is how:

  • They could help you in the bidding process, as to bid for a tender your business needs to be at least cyber essentials certified.
  • Your customers will know that you have taken severe measures for protecting data. They will know that their information will be secure and won’t be misused.
  • It could help you to grow your business, especially if you are an IT service provider.

 

Tatiana Kukanova On Growing The Number of Instagram Followers

If you are trying to forge a career as an Instagram influencer or something of a celebrity on the social media channel then it is important to learn from what those before you have done in order to achieve this status. This is why I want to talk to you today about the wonderful Tatiana Kukanova, a great friend of mine and an Instagram celeb who makes 6 figures annually from her influencer status and her endorsements on the social media channel. I have worked with Isabel since she started out on this campaign and here is what she did in order to amass the number of followers that she has.

Content is King

I can remember when we were first getting started with Isabel Dos Santos and she was constantly harping on about how perfect the content had to be. I can also remember being confused as to why she would think this given that she had almost no followers beyond friends and family. After a short while however I realized why she was so focused on producing outstanding quality and it was because content really is king. Even if you have no followers at all you must invest a great deal of time into your content and make sure that it has value for people. Once Isabel’s page blew up there were people sharing the old content which she had put together which gave her page far more depth, don’t ever upload content without ensuring that it is of high quality and adds value to the reader.

Engaging

Something else which Isabel Dos Santos has been doing since the early days and something which she still tries to achieve now is to interact with the people who like or comment on her page and her content. I can remember talking to her about this and she used to tell me all of the time that the internet is a community and that if she expected love from her fans and followers, that she felt duly obliged to give it back. This has no doubt gained her a large following because they know that she is going to add value to her page by sharing the love that they share with her. To gain a more loyal following, speak to the people who love you.

Tagging

Tags and geotags are so vitally important in Instagram, in fact I would say that they are more important here than they are on something like Facebook or Twitter. Instagram needs a way of categorizing posts and pages and that is why hash tagging is so important. Also a great many people search Instagram for hashtags and this can bring about new followers. This is something which Isabel Dos Santos has been doing since the very beginning and it has really helped her to boost her profile and bring in more followers to her page.

These three steps will not make you an overnight sensation but they will certainly help you to get more followers.

 

Qualities That Set Great Web Designers Apart From The Rest

It is easy to find web designers these days. You don’t need to have a degree in computer programming or design to work in this field. However, it does not mean that all those who present themselves as web designers are qualified to do the job.

You will know if the person is highly qualified or not. Here are some qualities to consider.

Open to suggestions

Web designers who pretend to be really good at what they are doing could actually be more problematic. They think of their ideas as the only ones that deserve to be used. This won’t work if you also have ideas that take into consideration your brand. Your web designer must be flexible enough to integrate these ideas. There should be a discussion on what works best and no final decision is made by just one party.

Some web designers are so proud of their creative ideas that they no longer listen to their clients, but only what they want to see.

Fully aware of the trends

It is also important to have someone who knows exactly what is going on. The use of new software and other trends must be integrated into the web design to make it more appealing to users. There have been a lot of changes in web design over the years and what used to be a big hit is no longer useful today.

Has strong communication skills

When it comes to web design, communication is a must. You need a web designer whom you can speak with and share ideas with easily. As you communicate your ideas, they must easily understand what you want. Having weak communication skills is a problem as you could have totally different visions of how things should look, and you won’t be satisfied with the results.

Ability to work independently

You should also hire someone who does not need to be told things all the time. If you have an idea about the design, this person must know what to do in order to keep these ideas alive. Independent workers are also faster. They can get the job done in no time.

These are just some of the qualities that will tell you that you have a great web designer by your side. If you think the web designer that you have does not possess these qualities, it will be a big problem. You will just feel frustrated with the results. You might even argue all the time and this could delay the process.

Take a look at this quality web design company in Bristol if you want the best people to do the job. They have web designers in their firm to help you. They can also change the person assigned to you if you are not satisfied with the results. If you have taken time to search for the right person, you will see a quality and functioning website soon. It will contain everything that you want to see on your website.

New Technologies and Fitness

If you’re looking for new ways to increase your current level of fitness, it’s well worth keeping up to date with the latest fitness-related gadgets to hit the market. If you’re curious, continue reading to discover a wide variety of fitness related gadgets, which you may be interested in experimenting with!

New Technologies and Fitness:

1. Fit Bit Fitness Trackers

Fit Bit devices are wearable activity trackers which can help motivate you to meet your daily fitness goals. As an example, most Fit Bit wearers wear their Fit Bit on their wrist, so that they can track their progress towards walking 10,000 steps in a single day. Fit Bits can also let you know when you’ve been sedentary for too long and can also measure the calories burned when you run, swim, cycle or dance. Which is handy if you’re looking to monitor all of your physical activity in a single day.

2. Under Armor Recovery Sleepwear

If you often find it difficult to get a restful night’s sleep after a grueling workout or training session, you may want to invest in Under Armor Recovery Sleepwear which features TB12 technology. Which means that the print of your sleepwear’s material will absorb your bodies heat, which will help you get to sleep and will help your muscles recover quicker from an intense workout. So if you want to wake up feeling energized and ready to tackle another workout, it’s well worth purchasing some of Under Armors’ innovative recovery sleepwear.

3. Halo Sport Headphones

Contrary to popular belief not all headphones are created equally. The Halo Sport Headphones claim to be able to activate athletes’ motor cortex, which will aid the communication between an athlete’s brain and their muscles. Which will allow athletes to complete each exercise in their workout, to the best of their ability. After all, if you want to get the best possible results from your training sessions, it’s important to give each exercise 100% of your focus and effort.

4. The Suunto Spartan Sports Watch HR

While a Fit Bit may be a great choice for individuals who primarily walk or run for fitness, the Suunto Spartan Sports Watch HR is the ideal choice for individuals who love to cross-train and mix up their workouts. This particular smartwatch stands out from its competition as it can accurately measure how much energy you exert taking part in over 80 different sports. Examples of which include Olympic weightlifting, cycling, push-ups and running.

5. Under Armour Gemini 3 RE Smart Shoes

The Under Armour Gemini 3 RE Smart Shoes are a great option for individuals who don’t want to have to wear a fitness tracker on their wrist all day long but who still want to track the metrics of their runs. Instead, the soles of the Gemini 3 Smart Shoes boast a fully integrated smart tracker, which you can use to track your runs using an easy to use smartphone application. You can also complete a pre-race jump test, to make sure that your body is ready to run a long distance race.

It’s well worth purchasing all of the new fitness related gadgets listed above if you’re determined to reach your long-term fitness goals!

Tech Gadgets Every Traveller Should Have

If you travel frequently and are looking for innovative travel themed tech gadgets, which will forever change the way that you travel, continue reading to discover a professionally curated list of highly rated tech gadgets which every traveller should have.

Tech Gadgets Every Traveller Should Have:

1. The Steamfast SF-717 Home-and-Away Mini Steam Iron

The Steamfast iron is the size of a computer mouse and is ideally suited to travelers who wish to get rid of wrinkles in their clothing, so that they may look polished and put together during their travels.

2. goTenna

goTenna was created to ensure that smartphones remain connected and usable when there is little or no smartphone reception. Its primary purpose is to allow users to share their location, in the event of an emergency such as a flood, hurricane or avalanche. As an added benefit, goTenna is small enough to fit in your pocket.

3. The Skyroam Global Hotspot

The Skyroam Global Hotspot allows to connect up to five devices to your wifi hotspot, for just $8 per day. If you’re interested, you’ll be able to enjoy unlimited data so that you’ll be able to make as many video calls and stream as many video clips as you’d like, without having to monitor your data usage!

So if you don’t want to get stuck paying a small fortune on international data charges, it’s well worth packing the Skyroam Global Hotspot.

4. The Flux Portable Charger

If one of your worst nightmares is running out of smartphone battery on your adventures, you’ll love the Flux Portable Charger which boasts enough power to fully charge your smartphone, three times, on a single charge.

So if you need to access your plane tickets and hotel reservations on your smartphone or love taking countless smartphone photos, which will drain your smart phone’s battery, it’s well worth getting your hands on your very own Flux Portable Charger.

4. The Tile Mate

The Tile Mate is a small keyring sized GPS trackable tile, which you can attach to valuable items such as your wallet, your luggage or your passport. If you happen to misplace an item, which is attached to your Tile Mate, you’ll be able to use your Tile Mate application on your smartphone, to track it down instantly.

Alternatively, if you misplace your smartphone, don’t panic just press your Tile Mate and your Smart Phone will ring, even if it’s on silent mode.

5. Jaybird Freedom 2 Sports Headphones

The Jaybird Freedom 2 Sports Headphones are an ideal choice for frequent travelers as they feature clip-on batteries, which can extend your wireless headphones battery life by four hours. So if you enjoy going for an early morning run on your travels and prefer wearing cordless headphones, it’s well worth investing in a pair of Jaybird Freedom 2 Sports Headphones.

So if you’re passionate about exploring the world around you and traveling to far-flung destinations, it’s well worth investing in purchasing the five highly rated travel focused tech gadgets listed above. As each gadget is sure to make traveling an even more enjoyable experience.

Internet Saftey Rules That Are Well Worth Following

If you spend hours a day on the internet, continue reading to discover a plethora of simple, internet safety rules which will safeguard your safety online! You can also check out Windows Maximizer to keep up to date on everything Windows related.

Internet safety rules that are well worth following:

1. Limit the information which you share online

In today’s day and age, the vast majority of internet users frequently share sensitive personal information such as their location, full name, and occupation with strangers as well as their close friends, family members and colleagues. Worse yet, a lot of internet users constantly post photographs of themselves on the internet, which can be stolen by individuals who wish to steal others online identities.

So if you’re looking to protect yourself online, it’s well worth limiting the information which you choose to share online and using your privacy settings on your social media accounts to prohibit strangers from being able to view your newsfeeds.

2. Only give out your credit card details to websites which you can trust

When it comes to treating yourself to a bit of online shopping, it pays to only give out your credit card details to well-known companies which you can trust. If an online shop offers Paypal as a payment option, it’s always wise to select Paypal, to complete a payment as if you have a dispute with a payment, you can contact Paypal’s support team who may be able to reverse your payment.

Better yet, you can also link your credit card with Paypal so that you can safely use your credit card to pay for items, without having to shift across money from your credit card to your Paypal card.

3. Make sure that you use a variety of different passwords

One of the worst mistakes you can make online is to use the exact same password across a variety of different websites as if one site gets hacked the security of all of your accounts may be compromised. So if you don’t want hackers to be able to access your personal and business emails as well as your bank accounts and social media accounts, it’s well worth using different passwords for each of your online accounts.

4. Make sure that each of your passwords features numbers as well as letters

One fuss-free method of ensuring that your passwords remain secure is to make sure that each password boasts a minimum of two numbers as well as letters. As mixing numbers and letters will drastically decrease your chances of one of your sensitive passwords being hacked.

5. Don’t keep all of your passwords on a computer file

Don’t keep all of your passwords typed up on a computer file as it’s far too risky and may compromise the security of all of your online accounts.

6. Make sure to clear all of your cookies at the end of the day

It’s well worth getting into the routine of clearing your cookies at the end of the day, to avoid any information about your browsing habits being stored or shared with potentially malicious third parties.

If you follow all of the above internet safety rules, you should find that your privacy and assets such as online bank accounts, will be well protected! For more family and kid related tips check out Common Cents Mom!