The start of 2020 isn’t pleasant for all of us. Lots of strange things have happened from the last few months alone. Most of all, the whole world is still battling the Covid-19 pandemic that has crippled economies worldwide. Few weeks to go and Thanksgiving 2020 will be here! The question is, should thanksgiving be celebrated this year or should we just cancel it?

In the United States of America, thanksgiving is celebrated every 4^th Thursday of November. Traditionally, thanksgiving celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest. This tradition of giving thanks for the annual harvest can be traced back to the dawn of civilization and is one of the world’s oldest celebration. However, in the US, the success of this holiday has been due to it being seen as an occasion to give thanks for the foundation of the nation and not just a celebration of the harvest. Thanksgiving 2020 is on Thursday, the 26^th of November.

Thanksgiving 2020: A Brief History

The American tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving dates back to 1621 when the pilgrims gave thanks for their first bountiful harvest in Plymouth Rock. The settlers had arrived in November 1620, founding the first permanent English settlement in the New England region. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated for three days. The settlers feasting with the natives on venison, boiled pumpkin, turkey, dried fruits, and much more.

Thanksgiving was proclaimed to be a national holiday in 1789 by George Washington on Thursday, 26^th of November that year. This proclamation sets the precedent of the last Thursday in November. Despite this, the holiday was celebrated on different days from state to state.

This special occasion didn’t become a nationwide holiday until President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863. In 1939, President Roosevelt switched Thanksgiving from the final Thursday in November to the next-to-last Thursday in November. This is because he wanted to create a longer Christmas shopping period to stimulate the economy which was still recovering after the Great Depression.

The switch has caused widespread confusion with many states ignoring the change until Congress sanctioned the 4^th Thursday in November as a legal holiday in 1941. The Thanksgiving celebration we now know today has now evolved into an American tradition as a day to gather with loved ones, celebrate, and give thanks for the bountiful blessings, and of course, eat. The traditional American Thanksgiving meal includes mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, stuffing, turkey, and pumpkin pie. The meal stems from that eaten by the pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving.

Helping Your Local NGO Raise Funds for Thanksgiving

Since the dissipation of Covid-19 is still uncertain, Thanksgiving 2020 may never be the same again due to government restrictions. This may mean that the celebration may or may not be canceled but hopefully, things will slow down by then.

If you are a part of an NGO or are running an NGO, it’s equally important for your organization to stay afloat. Around 25% or more of the annual giving in the U.S. occurs during the last 3 months of the year. It is estimated that 43% of higher-income donors donate more during the holidays. However, running the same events every year can get old for you and your donors.

How are you going to change the game?

• Key Principles of Fundraising

1. Connect with Existing Donors – Thanksgiving if the perfect time to connect with your existing donors. Mobilize volunteers to write ‘thank you’ emails or handwritten ‘thank you’ cards if your organization is smaller. If you’re running a bigger organization, consider organizing a Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t ask for more donations immediately.

This does not only encourages your donors to keep supporting your cause, but it shows you care about your supporters. Appreciate your donors throughout the year and not only for Thanksgiving.

Other interesting ways to thank your donors:

• Send them photos from the field
• Invite them for a tour of your organization
• Ask major donors if they’d like to get involved or serve on a board
• Send them a “thank you” letter written by someone the donation helped
• Include an interactive infographic in your ‘thank you’ letter

2. Work With the Sentiment of Gratitude – Gratitude is a positive emotion that affects generosity and willingness to help. The key this Thanksgiving is to work with the sentiment of gratitude to increase giving but without inducing guilt or manipulation. A good way to do this is to be thankful to your donors and to remind them of what they helped you achieve the previous year.

Instead of emails or social media posts, make it more personal by writing letters showcasing impact for your organization. With a focus on community, warmth, and cheer, ask your supporters to give tastefully instead of guilt-tripping them because of all they have.

3. Showcase Stories – We donate when we feel sympathy and giving is essentially an emotional decision. Instead of just throwing statistics around, one powerful way to help your organization is to showcase individual stories of the affected individuals your organization is helping. Individuals connect with individuals, so make sure to present a single identified story this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Fundraising Ideas

• Thanksgiving giveaway on social media
• Thanksgiving gift catalog
• Thanksgiving virtual bake sale
• Gift baskets
• Fall foliage tour
• Pumpkin sale
• Pumpkin carving or decorating contest
• Yard cleanup

Conclusion

The single biggest fundraising opportunity of the year for Thanksgiving 2020 is just around the corner. Use your creativity and think outside the box and try some interesting ideas you haven’t tried before. Segment your donors based on their communication preferences and how they prefer to give. You can use an email marketing campaign to make this work for you.

Don’t forget to be grateful to your donors and supporters and set yourself off to a good end of the year.

The post Thanksgiving 2020: Helping Your Local NGO Raise Funds for Thanksgiving appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

A bill of sale is a document that transfers ownership of goods or property from one person to another. It serves as legal evidence stating that full consideration has been provided in a transaction and that the seller has transferred the rights to the assets stated in the bill of sale to the buyer. It is used in a wide variety of transactions: people selling their goods/exchanging their goods, give their goods or properties as gifts (donation), or mortgage them to get a loan.

Bill of sale can only be used:

• To transfer ownership of goods or properties that people already own;
• To transfer ownership or moveable tangible goods; and
• By individuals and unincorporated businesses.

In England and Wales, a bill of sale is regulated by two Victorian pieces of legislation: the Bills of Sale Act 1878 and the Bill of Sale Act (1878) Amendment Act 1882. This area of the law was subject to review by the Law Commission, which published a proposal for change last 2017.

Bill of Sale: How a Bill of Sale Works

Depending on the type of transaction, a bill of sale can be quite complex or quite simple. Since details of the specific goods that have been sold to the buyer and the specific price that was agreed to and paid for are being clearly stated, a typical retail receipt can be considered a bill of sale. For example, the holder of the futures contract is usually given a delivery instrument, which serves as a bill of sale, in that it can be exchanged for the underlying asset or property when the futures contract expires.

When conducting transactions for assets is worth a good amount of money, such as an automobile, it is important to ensure the bill of sale is completed properly and obtained at the time of sale.

General types of the bill of sale

• Absolute Bill of Sale

An absolute bill of sale does not represent any form of security, but rather, are simply documents evidencing transfers, assignments, and other assurances of personal chattels. These are substantially no more than mere contracts of sale of goods or assets covered by the common law of contract.

• Conditional Bill of Sale

A conditional bill of sale represents any assignment or transfer of personal chattels to a person by way of security for the payment of money. This form of a bill of sale creates security in favor of the grantee of the bill whereby the grantee is given personal right of seizure giving a right to a security interest of a possessory nature.

Bills of Sale: A Brief Overview

The term ‘bill of sale’ originally referred to any writing by which an absolute disposition of personal property for value was evidenced or effected. Because the bill of sale is technically independent of any legislation under the United States Common Law, they were vulnerable to fraud and deceit before advancements in contract law and digital record-keeping systems.

The evolution of various bills of sale laws within the United States was to curb the use of the bill of sale as a means of defrauding unsuspecting victims. The first of such being the Bills of Sale Act 1854 which was re-enacted by the Bills of Sale Act 1878 which was almost on all fours within the 1854 act. Further developments led to the enactment of the Bills of Sale Act 1882.

Generic Bill of Sale Inclusions

A generic bill of sale includes the following information:

• Amount paid for the transfer of ownership
• Date of purchase
• Name and address of buyer and seller
• Description of the assets or goods being transferred
• Warranties or representations
• Guarantee that the item is free from all claims and offsets
• Signatures of the buyer, of the seller, and a notary public

Drafting a bill of sale isn’t difficult and can come in handy when you need proof you’ve sold an item of value. One thing to remember when drafting one is to make sure it complies with your state requirements, which will vary by state.

Vehicle Bill of Sale

In the US, a vehicle bill of sale is not required in all states. Illinois and Tennessee don’t require an auto bill of sale, but some do require that you use a bill of sale from your state’s DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). Other states will only let you draft your own as long as it complies with your state’s legal requirements.

Keep in mind that a bill of sale does not prove ownership – only a title transfer does that. It only serves as a record that a sales transaction took place between two parties.

A vehicle bill of sale also includes:

• Engine serial number
• Vehicle identification number
• Vehicle registration number
• Vehicle type (i.e., motorcycle bill of sale, car bill of sale, boat bill of sale)
• Make, model, and year of vehicle
• Hull number
• Odometer reading

Regardless if your state requires you to obtain a bill of sale, it’s a good idea to have one ready for your personal records.

The post Bill of Sale: What is a Bill of Sale and How Does It Work? appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

Learning a new language isn’t easy. If you’re a traveler and is in constant worry that the locals to a country you’re visiting might find you intimidating because you can’t speak their language, it’s time for you to do something about it. If you’re into an industry that requires you to learn the Chinese language, it would be better to study it as your second language. If you’re someone preparing to take the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) exam for university or employment requirement, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s talk about learning the Chinese language!

HSK Exam Preparation: Simple Tips to Learn the Chinese Language

The Chinese language is what they call a tonal language. This is because people use 4 different tones. It has a well-defined set of characters and has a simple grammar system with no conjugation. In general, mastering the 1,000 characters of the Chinese language is enough for you to handle yourself in daily conversation, both in and out of a professional context.

To make a comparison with another widely spoken language, the English language uses 26-letters Latin alphabet while the Chinese language has no alphabet. However, the Chinese language uses a set of 214 strokes (or radicals) which makes it possible to find a word in a dictionary and to write the characters.

The pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese is helped by pinyin. Pinyin is a way to write Chinese using Latin characters. Thanks to the pinyin system, speaking Chinese easily is now possible. Mandarin Chinese should not be confused with Cantonese Chinese. Cantonese Chinese is considered a different language and is spoken mostly in Southern China (Hong Kong, Guangdong).

The HSK Exam Survival Packages You Can Make Use Today

The HSK or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì, 汉语 水平 考试) word list is the name for the international Chinese standard test. HSK exam is to assess how well someone has mastered the Chinese language. It is also known as the “Chinese TOEFL”.

If you’re looking for the right resources that can help you prepare for your HSK exam and mastery of the Chinese language, we have the right tools for you.

We provide the following resources for:

• HSK Vocabularies with all HSK Chinese characters, Pinyin, English explanation.

The following resources are a complete HSK Chinese characters list with all the words and vocabulary you need to master and are the most relevant learning tools to learn the language. These include radicals, words, and characters. It’s very important to familiarize the right vocabulary.

•    HSK1 Vocabulary

•    HSK2 Vocabulary

•    HSK3 Vocabulary

•    HSK4 Vocabulary

•    HSK5 Vocabulary

•    HSK6 Vocabulary

One of the most highly efficient methods to learn a new language is by using flashcards. We provide flashcards for each character for your reference.

• HSK Flashcards
• HSK Official Test Exam(s)
• HSK Practicing example sentences
• HSK Pinyin Pronunciation
• HSK Chinese Character Radicals explained
• HSK Checklist
• HSK Registration form

• HSK1 Flashcards
• HSK2 Flashcards
• HSK3 Flashcards
• HSK4 Flashcards
• HSK5 Flashcards
• HSK6 Flashcards

HSK Official Test Exam(s) Sheets

Below are resources that can greatly help you understand better the question types and general format for the HSK test:

• HSK1 Official Test Exam
• HSK2 Official Test Exam
• HSK3 Official Test Exam
• HSK4 Official Test Exam
• HSK5 Official Test Exam
• HSK6 Official Test Exam

HSK Practicing Example Sentences

A very easy to use practicing tool to in order to put the words in perspective, by getting to know easy to use sentences made out of other HSK words will enable you to improve your reading skills.

HSK Pinyin Pronunciation

This HSK Pinyin pronunciation chart will explain to you how to pronounce the Pinyin Chinese characters.
HSK List of All Chinese Radicals

This template explores all Chinese radicals and explains their meaning.

HSK Checklist

The basic steps to follow to start doing your exam.

HSK Registration form

The standard registration form you need to fill in once you start with HSK.

Facts and statistics about Mandarin Chinese

• Over one billion people speak standard Mandarin Chinese worldwide (Putonghua)
• 4 tones apply to all or part of the syllables
• 214 strokes make up Chinese characters
• 400 syllables are enough to pronounce the words
• Over 1.000 characters are necessary to speak fluently
• Over 5.000 characters are necessary to understand 100%

Try out our online free and premium educational learning templates now!

The post HSK Exam Preparation: Learning the Complexity of the Chinese Language appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

Nowadays, communication is mostly done via tablets, smartphones, computers, etc. and handwriting, in general, is no longer a very common practice as it used to be. Since the introduction of the Pinyin system in China, handwriting has become less common for daily life activities and communication. So why do you need to take an HSK exam and why it’s necessary?

For those who are learning Chinese and are wondering if it’s still necessary to use handwriting to obtain your HSK exam, we’d like to clarify the possibilities. Even if you cannot write the Chinese characters yourself as long as you can recognize them, yes, it is still possible to successfully obtain your HSK1, HSK2, HSK3, and HSK4 certificate.

Ways You Can Take Your HSK Exam

There are 2 ways to take HSK 4 (and HSK 1, HSK 2 and HSK 3):

1. Pick the computer-based HSK exam. This requires you to type in the Chinese characters via the computer keyboard. Since this is the way you are used to writing the characters, this is the best option for you.

• Take the HSK exam that requires handwriting. Out of those 4 HSK exam levels, HSK 4 is the most challenging.

HSK exams start with a writing section. In this section, you will need to re-arrange sentences. This means that the Chinese characters are already there. But if you can draw strokes, you can finish the exam with little writing ability.

Lastly, will encounter 5 questions that require you to write the Chinese character based on a picture. If this one is difficult for you, we recommend to practice current exams and learn to write those characters. For you to pass this exam, you have to be able to write around a set of 100 characters. If you’re good at HSK 4, you might want to consider skipping the last 5 writing questions.

The maximum score for the HSK 4 exam is 300 with a passing score of 180. The last writing sections account for 100 points each.

To obtain HSK 5 and HSK 6 certificates, you have to learn handwriting Hanzi as the extra tasks might be too difficult for you without handwriting ability.

4 Commonly Asked Questions about the HSK Exam

HSK exams can be generally taken in two ways; in person or online.

Here are 5 commonly asked questions about the HSK exam to help you prepare:

• Where Can I Find Out the HSK Exam Dates?

To keep updated on the exam schedules, you can visit the official website for the HSK exam dates. You can find a link on the homepage that leads to the test dates of the year. You can also check out the exam results at the official website.

• How Can I Obtain My HSK Exam Certificate?

While the official HSK exam website doesn’t mention anything about receiving the physical HSK certificate, just contact your test center where you took your HSK test if you have inquiries. They will help you with everything related to HSK exams.

If you look over the website, you’ll see that the test results are announced about a month after you take the test. Be patient for your certificate to arrive.

• What’s the Difference Between the Old and the New HSK?

If I have to sum it up, I’d say that the new HSK is easier than the old HSK!

This is because the old HSK test was often criticized for using too many esoteric words and for being impractical. As for the new test, it’s major focus on practicality and contains less uncommon words.

Why the new HSK test is easier than the old one? It’s because new test formats have been introduced, grading system re-designed, and

New test formats have been introduced, the grading system re-designed, and writing has a much heavier weighting in the new test.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the new HSK test also spans smaller vocabulary lists than the old HSK. Compare the equivalent grades of Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of the old HSK at 3000, 5000, and 8000 words to Levels 4, 5, 6 of the new HSK at 1200, 2500, and   5000 words.

• Where is the HSK Certificate Applicable?

The HSK test certificate is frequently used in an academic context if you want to apply to Chinese universities. The Chinese level required of you in a Chinese university is usually higher than HSK Level 6), but you’ll have to check with each university to see.

For Fudan University in Shanghai, they require a level 6 for various degrees. For high school exams such as SAT, IB, A-levels, a level 5 is required.

If you’re taking the HSK exam for employment purposes, please don’t expect employers to know the HSK test is. The truth is, most haven’t even heard of it. However, taking the HSK exam will be a good testament to your Chinese proficiency and you can always explain to your employers what it is if they aren’t familiar.

Want to Learn More?

Find here the test exams HSK Official Test Exams and other suitable learning materials. Also, we provide special Chinese Language Survival Kits for all HSK levels!

The post HSK Exam: Can I Take It Without Being Able to Handwrite Hanzi appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

If you’ve ever been interested in selling products online, the term “dropshipping” may sound a bit familiar to you. If there’s one place we’d want to be right now especially at the height of the Covid19 pandemic, it’s at home with our family. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and worldwide lockdowns, work from home has become an apparent trend globally. May individuals especially those who have started their businesses online have turned to dropshipping. This is because working from home gives a lot of business owners’ flexibility, new time-management skills, and a work-life balance that working in an in-office 9-5 job can’t give them. But what does dropshipping truly mean? Why do we hear a lot about it? Our dropshipping guide will walk you through the basics of the business model that you can try for yourself.

In a more simplified term, dropshipping is a business model that allows an entrepreneur to start an online business and sell products to their customers without ever having to deal with stocking the items themselves. In dropshipping, a third party is greatly involved and is tasked to ship the item directly to the customer. When a dropshipping store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and the latter will take care of the shipping and handling of the items.

Basic Dropshipping Guide: Why Dropshipping is a Convenient Business Model

What entrepreneurs like about dropshipping is that the business model saves them a significant amount of money. Before dropshipping was created, entrepreneurs have to spend money on inventory before they can start selling. With dropshipping, it reduces the amount of time, money, and gives businesses an accessible way to connect with their customers without the need to stockpile inventory.  

When a customer orders a product from your business and a dropshipper is involved, you then pass the order and customer information along to your dropshipper. Once the dropshipper receives the order, you will then be charged a price for the product sold (usually wholesale) plus a shipping fee. They then package the goods and ship them directly to the customer.

The Advantages and Pitfalls of Dropshipping

Just like a traditional retail business, dropshipping also has its advantages and disadvantages. Dropshipping eliminates the need to keep inventory on hand and freeing your business from having to maintain your own warehouse to store your products. It also allows you to offer items to your customers that would be normally impossible to ship to your location’s limitations (e.g. perishables and large goods).

Packaging, shipping, and fulfillment is a huge logistical headache for many business owners. If you want to take your business to a more comfortable and convenient route, dropshipping is the way to go. You no longer have to deal with the entire physical process of packaging and shipping your goods.

• Advantages of Dropshipping

1. No need for capital to get started
2. The convenience of working anywhere
3. Scalability
4. Endless Selection of Products

With the advantages, comes the disadvantages as well. The business model of dropshipping sounds appealing to everyone and that’s exactly what the biggest drawback is. Since the barrier to entry for dropshipping is low, this means that if you’re using the same dropshippers as everyone else, you’re entering a market with very high competition. In this case, you are not just competing for the sale itself but for the search engine and AdWords to get people to your website and convert them into customers.

• The Pitfalls of Dropshipping

1. Low-profit margins because of its high competition
2. High risk as all physical aspects of the business is out of your control
3. Slower shipping times as you don’t manage your own logistics

Expect the competition to be fierce in the realm of dropshipping amongst the eCommerce merchants. What else can you expect? Well, always consider quality. The product quality of overseas manufacturers can be hit-or-miss. You can’t truly know the quality of the product you’re selling without validating it yourself. Order the product and have it sent to yourself first. Verify that you’re satisfied with the order as manufacturing houses may try to skimp on the packaging to save costs, update a key material for a cheaper option, or may have a faulty quality control process.

How to Maximize Your Chances of Success

If you’re ready to take the plunge and give dropshipping a try, there are a few guidelines you can follow to increase your chances of long-term success. First, though dropshipping requires zero capital to get started, you shouldn’t treat it as a risk-free business. You still have to spend a lot of time building your website and outsourcing the right dropshippers.

Take time to properly research what you’re going to sell, the niche competition, and how you’re going to acquire customers. Dropshipping success is also about identifying a specific niche and curating products like a pro. Make sure the products you’re selling is a good fit for your niche audience and your brand.

After building your list of prospective dropshippers, think like a customer and perform test orders. This will give you the perspective about the unboxing experience, product quality, and how long do each order takes to arrive. This can help you narrow down the potential dropshippers and validate the ones that provide good customer experience.

Conclusion:

Your work is far from over. Even though a third party does almost all the work to get your products to your customers, you have to know how to successfully run your business. Continue to update your website and make it user-friendly. No one wants to deal with a website that looks spammy and hard to navigate. Work on creating high-quality content and SEO to bring in traffic from potential customers.

Last but not least, no one wants a lousy customer service. Always be attentive in answering emails and product inquiries. Also, refine your ads and run contests to keep your customers engaged. Hope our Dropshipping guide help you create an empire in the near future. This dropshipping guide just shows the basics of the business but this will help you on your fresh start. Besides this, to limit risk, always make sure to use a Drop Shipping Agreement when you start dropshipping.

The post The Dropshipping Guide: The Concept of Dropshipping appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

Recovering from a cybersecurity breach isn’t easy especially for smaller-sized businesses. A cyber-attack could be deadly for smaller-sized businesses as they don’t have various revenue streams or financial resources that large companies have. This is why a solid IT security system must be implemented in small and large-scale organizations.

The potential risks of cyber-attacks should not be taken lightly as the consequences would be massive. Remember, your brand image and business reputation are at stake here.

People may have reached the point of desensitization to news citing a data breach, but protecting user data has become increasingly crucial amid stricter regulation implementation. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements, companies are required to announce that their systems have been breached. They are also required to pay fines that can reach up to 4% of their annual turnover should they deal with the data belonging to the European Union (EU) citizens.

IT Security: What is a Data Breach?

A data breach occurs when a cybercriminal effectively extracts sensitive information and infiltrates a data source. This can be done by accessing a network or computer to steal local files or by remotely bypassing network security protocols. Stealing local files is often the method used to target companies.

The following information are the steps usually involved in a typical breach operation:

• Attack – The perpetrator makes initial contact using either a social or a network attack.
• Social/Network Attack – A network attack occurs when the attacker uses the system, infrastructure, and application vulnerabilities to infiltrate an organization’s network. An employee can be tricked into sharing his/her login credentials or maybe duped into opening a malicious attachment.
• Research – The attacker looks for vulnerabilities in the company’s security (network, people, or systems).
• Exfiltration – Once the perpetrator gets into one computer, he/she can then attack the network and tunnel his/her way to confidential company data. Once the attackers extract the data, the attack is considered successful.

Why Data Breaches Occur?

A data breach can be a disaster for many businesses and can be the end for some. The compromising of important customer information and internal business data such as transaction history, inventory lists, and other privileged information is an event no business wants to go through.

The first step in preventing a data breach from happening is to know what causes a data breach. These are the top reasons why data breaches happen:

• Old, Unpatched Security Vulnerabilities

Information security specialists have been collecting information for years on the exploitations that attackers have successfully used on companies in numerous countries. These exploits are sorted into hundreds of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) to identify them for future reference.

Unfortunately, many of these security mishaps go unfixed for long periods. According to Verizon’s 2015 Data Breach Investigations Report, “99.9% of the exploited vulnerabilities had been compromised more than a year after the associated CVE was published”.

Leaving these old, unpatched security vulnerabilities unfixed gives attackers a free pass to your company’s most valuable data.

• Human Error

One of the biggest sources of a data breach is a human error. Human error accounts for 52% of the root causes of security breaches. Some scenarios of human error include:

1. The use of weak passwords
2. Sharing sensitive information to the wrong recipients
3. Sharing password/account information
4. Falling for phishing scams

Many of these human errors can be prevented by making sure employees are aware of their basic data security measures.

• Malware

Malware isn’t just an issue for personal computers at the homes of employees. It’s a continuous threat aimed directly at your company’s systems. According to the Verizon DBIR 2015, “5 malware events occur every second.”

There exists a huge amount of variation between malware samples and the sheer number of malware events can be worrying.

• Insider Misuse

While this one is closely related to a human mishap, this cause of company data is more insidious in nature. While human error is an innocent mistake or accident, insider misuse is the deliberate abuse of your company’s systems by an unauthorized user.

The main problem here is that someone in whom your organization has placed trust is doing the malicious act. Unfortunately, catching insider abuse is not easy. Usually, insider abuse is discovered only during a thorough examination of user devices after individuals left a company.

While preventing an inside job is nearly impossible, damage can be minimized through compartmentalization of information on your cloud or network. Limit files and system access to a single user to make it harder for them to abuse their access.

How Can You Help Minimize The Damage Caused by A Data Breach?

To lessen the impact of cyber-attacks, being prepared is the best way to do. Compile contact information of IT specialists and/or technical experts to assist you in creating a plan in preventing a cyber-attack.

Here are some steps you can take to prepare for a potential breach:

• Communicate and notify clients and employees that were potentially affected.
• Since normal communication services may have been impacted by the breach, make sure to have an alternative communication strategy. Educate your employees about cybersecurity so they know how to handle the situation.
• Enable encryption on all devices including laptops, phones, tablets, external drives, and desktops.

Need More Information About IT Security Issues?

There’s no concrete way to deal with IT security issues but there are certain things you can do to prevent further damage. If you need more information about how you can improve your IT systems better, we have tons of IT Security resources that can walk you through the process.

The post IT Security: Why Data Breaches Happen and What Can You Do About It? appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

Cyber-attacks have become a common occurrence of everyday business for large and small organizations worldwide. Unfortunately, despite growing awareness of the consequences of a successful data breach, many organizations still downplay the associated risks. This is true especially when additional spending on IT security is laid out on the table. Cyber-attack can have long-lasting and devastating effects for the entire organization.

You’ve probably heard the quote “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently” by Warren Buffet. When it comes to your business, this quote is truly one to live by. Building your business to where it is today may have taken you years or even decades. Keep in mind that a simple mistake that could lead to a cyber-attack could ruin everything you’ve worked so hard for, in a matter of seconds.

IT Security: The Dark Side of the Internet Era

Cloud solutions and web applications continue to improve public administration, business, and other areas of life. But with global access to information comes global exposure to cyber-attacks. Hackers and cybercriminals are increasingly going after data rather than money. This only means that every institution and business has something valuable that makes them a viable target.

A cyber-attack that’s been carried out successfully can affect the entire organization on many levels and in many ways. This can range from minor operational disruption to a total business meltdown. The worse thing is, consequences of the said attack might still be felt for many weeks if not months later.

How a Cyber-Attack Can Internally Affect Your Business

Several studies indicate that despite the potential risks of cyber-attacks, business owners and executives do not perceive cyber-security incidents as a major risk to their organization’s reputation. Large companies like Sony and eBay have recovered from the negative effects of cyber-attacks. While they did have to spend a great deal of money to redeem their brand image, they were certainly never at risk of going out of business.

Unfortunately for small and medium-sized businesses, they do not have the financial resources or various revenue streams that will help minimize the effects of damage to their reputation. For smaller-sized businesses, cybersecurity is very important because a cyber-attack could bring their business to a dead end.

What are the main areas of your business that could be greatly affected by a cyber-attack?

#1. Financial Losses – The most obvious consequence of many cyber-attacks is direct financial costs especially when money is the main target. Common examples of this are ransom payments after a ransomware infection or unauthorized or fraudulent transfers. Damage payments and fines also fall under this category.

• Cost of response and recovery
• Cost of investigation
• Cost of lost productivity
• Lost revenue
• Decreased company valuation
• Legal and PR costs

#2: Loss of Productivity – The main impact of a cyber-attack is lost productivity potentially all across the organization. This begins with staff time directly affected by the incident following an attack. Routine IT work is likely to grind to a halt. You still need your IT staff to perform cleanup even after normal operations resume. This is to determine the root cause, assist external assets in this process, fix vulnerabilities, and reinforce IT security.

Even IT staff are dealing with the technical side of the business, other staff may be left without access to business-critical processes and systems. This can mean anything from minor disruptions and delays to a massive failure of all business processes.

Aside from ongoing financial costs, lost productivity can certainly affect future growth or even disrupt business continuity.

#3: Reputation Damage – A cyber-attack can cause long-term consequences related to reputation damages. Many organizations try to hide information about data breaches and attacks to reduce damage to their reputation. Unfortunately, this strategy can easily backfire. If the attack is exposed anyway, initial attempts to cover it up can worsen reputation damage and eventually, loss of trust.

The most crucial yet fragile aspect of any customer relationship or partnership is trust. If your relationship with your customers and business partners is affected, persuading them to stay or return would be challenging. As with any PR crisis, a cyber-attack may also tarnish your brand image with all the associated consequences.

#4: Legal Liability – The highest-profile cyber incidents in recent years is large scale data breaches. While the direct cost and operational impact of a data breach may be minor compared to a ransomware infection, organizations must consider the risk of civil and regulatory liability and data breaches. Potentially hefty fines for non-compliance may be imposed on organizations that fail to report breaches or suspected breaches.

Apart from any regulatory fines and obligations, your organization can face civil lawsuits from affected business partners and customers. In the event of a system breach and customer data is stolen, you may be forced to provide proof that the incident was not caused by negligence and that you did everything to maintain your best-practice security measures and procedures.

Conclusion

The technical side of business recovery must be efficient with transparent communication. This can help minimize the negative consequences of data breaches and outages.

The post IT Security: How Vulnerable IT Systems Can Ruin Your Business appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

Keeping financial information, passwords, and other personal information safe from intruders has long been a priority of businesses. It’s increasingly critical for consumers and individuals to heed data protection recommendations and apply sound practices to keep your sensitive personal information safe. IT security experts recommend securing your passwords to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.

Many of us still ignore the advice of adhering to the basics of password security. It is highly recommended to use a strong password and avoid using the same password on different sites. But apparently, password security advice seems too complicated for many of us to follow. One thing we must understand about securing our passwords is that they are as important as other applications we use to verify our identities like passports, social security cards, and driver’s licenses.

IT Security: Basic Tips in Securing Your Passwords

• Password Length – The recommended password length is at least 12-15 characters long. It can contain letters, numbers, and symbols. This may sound a lot but the important part is the length. Create a password by using a short sentence that’s easy for you to remember.
• Use Different Passwords for Different Accounts – If you use the same password for accounts that contain sensitive or personally identifying information, once it’s been cracked, all your accounts become vulnerable.
• Use Password Managers – Many of us just choose to use the same password over and over again because it’s just too hard to remember all of them. Luckily, password managers can help! These tools can also create passwords that are incredibly hard to crack.
• Use Two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication – This may sound pretty easy but aside from entering your password to log in to your account, you will also need to enter a second piece of information. Some emerging technologies employ a retina scan, a facial recognition scan, a thumbprint scan, etc.
• Don’t Share Your Password With Anyone – Sometimes, we want to share everything with our partners especially in new relationships. But surely, you wouldn’t want them to carry your identity documents around in their wallet. This also applies to your passwords. It’s important to keep your passwords private and not share them with anyone.
• Don’t Let Browsers Remember Your Passwords – While this awesome feature in many browsers may make it super easy for us to access our accounts, it also makes it easy for someone using the same device or computer to access those accounts.
• Remember to Log Off – Your account may remain open indefinitely on computers and devices unless you actively log out. Getting into the habit of logging out on your devices makes it less likely for you to accidentally stay logged in to your accounts on devices that aren’t yours.

Why Strong Passwords Is Crucial

Unauthorized access to computers and mobile devices is a potentially major problem for anyone. The consequences of these unauthorized break-ins for victims can include the loss of valuable data such as music, emails, and presentations. Victims may also have their identity, bank account information or even their money stolen. Unauthorized users may also put the victim in legal trouble by using their computer or mobile devices to break the law.

Commonly used passwords enable hackers and intruders to easily gain access to a computing device. Hackers break into computers by guessing passwords. A password that is difficult to guess makes it difficult for common hackers to break into a computer or mobile device. To lessen your likelihood of being the victim of an unwanted intrusion, use a more difficult password.

Recommendations

If you find it difficult to remember all your passwords, consider using a password manager to secure all your passwords. Another technique that you can use is to build a strong, unique password that incorporates something about the website.

Security measures such as passwords are crucial when it comes to preventing unauthorized logins to one’s mobile device or computer. Cybercriminals and hackers are continuously finding new ways to gain access to these devices.

If you are looking for Cybersecurity Standards that can help you upgrade the security of your organization, make sure to read this topic too: IT Security Standards.

The post IT Security: Basic Strategies in Securing Your Passwords in 2020 appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

Providing IT security can be an expensive investment. But if you think about the possible losses caused by a significant breach, you will realize your investment is worth it. Hackers are getting smarter, therefore, the need to protect your network devices and digital assets is even greater. Large breaches can jeopardize your business badly.

IT security threats can come in different forms. Malware or malicious software is the most common. It comes in different variations to infect network devices, including ransomware, spyware, and viruses.

IT Security: What You Should Know About Cybersecurity Hijacking

When a cybercriminal is trying to hack an organization, they’ll make use of common types of hacking techniques that are known to be highly effective. Top 3 examples of these are malware, phishing, or cross-site scripting (XSS). Whether you’re trying to analyze an incident in your organization or you’re trying to understand the latest data breach headline in the news, it’s crucial to understand the different attack vectors.

What is internet hijacking? Hijacking is a type of network security attack in which the attacker takes control of communication. In one type of hijacking, the perpetrator takes control of an established connection while it is still in progress. In this case, the perpetrator intercepts messages in a public key for the requested one. This makes the two original parties still appear to be communicating directly with each other. A program is used by the attacker that appears to be the server to the client and appears the client to the server. This attack is mostly used to gain access to the messages or to allow the attacker to modify the messages before transmitting them.

What Is Browser Hijacking?

Another form of cyber hijacking is called browser hijacking. This type of hijacking takes a user to a different site than the one requested by the user. There are two types of domain name system (DNS) hijacking:

• A DNS hijacking in which an attacker gains access to DNS records on a server and modifies them so that requests for the genuine web page will be redirected elsewhere and it’s usually to a fake page that the attacker has created. This attack gives the user the impression that the web site has been compromised, when the truth is, only a serves has been.
• The second type of DNS hijacking is when an attacker spoofs valid e-mail accounts and spams the inboxes of the technical and administrative contacts. This type of DNS attack can be prevented by using authentication for InterNIC records.

In another type of web site hijacking, the attacker simply registers a domain name similar enough to a legitimate one that users are likely to type it. Could be by mistaking the actual name of the website or through typo. This type of website attack is currently being employed to send many unsuspecting users to a pornographic site instead of the site they requested to visit.

Getting to Know the Most Common Cybersecurity Attacks

A cyber-attack is any type of malicious activity that targets computer information systems, personal computer devices, computer networks, or infrastructures using various methods to destroy, steal, or alter data or information systems.

Examples of common cybersecurity hijackings are:

• Malware

Malware refers to various forms of harmful software, such as viruses and ransomware. It can wreak all sorts of havoc once it is on your computer. From monitoring your keystrokes and actions to silently sending all sorts of confidential data from your computer or network to the attacker’s home base.

If you happen to come across an antivirus pop up on your screen, or if you’ve mistakenly clicked a malicious email attachment, then you’ve had a close call with malware. This malicious software needs a user action to be installed on your computer. This can include clicking a link to download a file, or opening an attachment that may look harmless, but has a malware installer hidden within.

• Phishing

Attackers are fully aware that there has to be a compelling reason for you to click a link on any email or open a random attachment. When an attacker wants you to divulge sensitive information or install malware, they turn to phishing tactics. Phishing attacks can be difficult to stop since they rely on human impulses and curiosity. This tactic will make a user take action on something they normally wouldn’t.

In a phishing attack, the perpetrator may send you an email that appears to be from someone you trust, like from a company you do business with or your boss. The email may seem legitimate and have some urgency to it (for example fraudulent activity has been detected on your account). The email will have an attachment to open or link to click. Once you open the attachment, you’ll thereby install the malware on your computer. Clicking the link may send you to a legitimate-looking website that asks for you to log in to access an important file. The website is actually a “trap” used to capture your credentials when you try to log in.

To not fall into the phishing trap, understand the importance of verifying email senders and links/attachments.

Have You Been a Victim of the Abovementioned Cyber Attacks?

If any of the abovementioned attacks happened to you, you must take action now. It can jeopardize your business, organization, and private accounts, and data. Strengthen your IT security defense today and protect your business’ date, customer information, and organization’s reputation.

The post IT Security: Different Types of Cybersecurity Hijacking appeared first on Templates Blog | AllBusinessTemplates.com.

If your organization is trying to establish a strong defense against intruders, understanding the different sectors of IT security would significantly help you. Both small businesses and larger entities need IT security to prevent possible losses from cyber hijackings. We’ll create two separate checklists for small and larger businesses. Many of the small business recommendations apply to larger firms as well.

The checklists may seem overwhelming at first but understand that the goal here is to take tangible steps to further improve security. Security checklists help overcome the information overload of simply updating yourself on current security concerns and reading about security best practices.

IT Security Checklist for Small Businesses

Although both large and small companies both deal with internal breaches, smaller companies tend to have more vulnerabilities to such kinds of attacks. Take for example if an employee unknowingly downloads a malicious link for a supposed free trip using a company computer. It’s easy to make such mistakes especially when you have no idea what you’re looking for.

However, since smaller companies often lack the resources to quickly combat and recover after the attack, they must double the effort in combating internal security risks. So what can small and medium companies possibly do?

1. Educate Employees

Set a priority to create an IT security plan and disseminate it to all employees. Your company’s education awareness training policies should include general security practices, password guidelines, and external download procedures. Your team must know about cybersecurity education.

Likewise, create a policy directed at vendors or contractors. Including vendors and contractors may expand the security policy but it is vital. This is because consumers will likely still blame a small company for a breach even if the vendor was actually at fault. Establishing a proper and clear third party cyber risk assessment policy will assist entities facing repercussions in the aftermath of a security breach.

• Data Redundancy

First of all, analyze how information is stored. Is critical information stored in only one location? If the answer is yes, consider how this information will be affected in the event of a ransomware attack.

One thing to know about ransomware is that it could cripple a business if data is only stored in one central location. To ensure smooth operation without interruptions from a hacker or malicious code that can compromise a system, store essential data backups in a secure off-site location. Aside from that, such backups should be updated regularly. If in any case data is stored in an off-site, it is again crucial to verify such off-site servers and utilizing encryption.

• Hardware and Internet Security

Whenever new security patches become available, make sure company computers are updated. The company security policy should outline password management requirements. Encourage your employees to use complex passwords or paraphrases and to change them from time to time. Consider using a password manager if passwords are difficult to remember.

Some other steps you can do is:

• Establish a procedure for downloading/installing new software
• Monitor internet connection points
• Consider using a virtual private network (VPN)
• Invest in internet intrusion software

• Upkeep

Secure an audit system to test your cyber incident response plan, evaluate any areas that may need improvement, and review current security status. For small businesses, auditing every six months is a general good practice.

Checklist to Follow for Larger Entities

Larger businesses tend to deal with massive cyber-attacks. A 2017 Clutch large business survey found that the common type of attacks is phishing followed by Trojans.  General concepts like monitoring compliance, informing employees, and enforcing security policies apply to large businesses as well.

1. Policies on Remote Work

Larger companies increasingly offer work from home options for their employees. This reduces overhead costs, cheaper for them, and it also appeals to both young and old workers. However, though remote work is favorable by many, it also expands threat environments which makes it more challenging for IT departments to control.

Every company can take a few steps to improve the safety of remote work. First, educate employees on the difference between password protection and suspicious emails. Also, emphasize the importance of using a work computer only for work.

Second, provide a VPN for remote workers to use to help mitigate WiFi breaches and install the ability to remotely delete the computer in the event the device falls into the wrong hands. Lastly, make use of cloud computing. Using cloud computing application offers another layer of security as cloud service providers like Google and Amazon have significant resources to allocate for securing their cloud platforms.

• Investing in New Technology

Larger companies have a greater number of employees to monitor. This also means they have to invest in more extensive defense mechanisms. To reduce the manpower needed for constant monitoring, use automated security tools.

Need Help With IT Security?

Every business, large or small, should implement IT security measures. Coordinate with your IT security team to work on any possible issues and how you can strengthen your data and information safety. Make sure to read all about IT Security Standards and start implementing them in your organization where possible.

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