An Incident Response plan provides your team with a roadmap on how to proactively protect your data. Complying with regulations is also important when dealing with sensitive data. If a data breach occurs, you need to know how to deal with that situation and establish what data has been compromised quickly.
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What cyber security policies and procedures do you have in place?
The Auditor General’s report has highlighted areas that are often not defined in many audited local government (LG) entities policies or procedures
In 2020, What is Good IT Culture? (Part One)
In 2020, the challenges for effective IT governance are different than at any time in the past. The rate of change of technology, threats and the shifting world of governance can be challenges to developing and maintaining good IT culture.
Information Security and the Australian Privacy Principles
The 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) regulate the handling of personal information by a broad swathe of private, governmental and not-for-profit organisations – known as “APP entities”.
Cyber and Information Security: Good Practice and Severe Consequences
As we’ve discussed over a number of weeks, good information governance provides a platform for other things, including both cyber security and information security.
The Essential Eight Maturity Model
The Federal Government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre has compiled The Essential Eight mitigation strategies as a starting point to improve cybersecurity. The Essential Eight are split into three categories: Preventing malware delivery and execution Limiting the extent of cyber security incidents Recovering data and system availability.
The Dangers of Shadow IT
Shadow IT is a real threat to effective IT governance in your organisation. It represents systems adopted within your organisation without approval and, more importantly, without consideration or understanding of the broader impact of those actions.
The ‘Scary’ Obligations of Information Governance
IT governance is about responsibilities and consequences. To ‘non-IT’ people, its value is often only highlighted when something goes wrong – when an IT governance failure has real and negative impacts on the organisation and those stakeholders.
In 2020, What is Good IT Culture? (Part Two)
In 2019, the challenges for effective IT governance are different than at any time in the past The rate of change of technology and threats and the shifting world of governance are particular challenges to developing and maintaining good IT culture.
Leading Cybersecurity Risks: The Essential Eight
IT governance is about managing information as an asset consistently with organisational strategy and organisational culture. It is about practices, supported by policies, processes, and procedures, that are subject to continuous improvement as new trends emerge internally and externally.
Why So Many Businesses Are Turning to Managed IT Services
As a business, you should always be looking to see how your business can become more efficient, and at the same time save on resources. Simply moving along with your business continuing to run things the way that you’ve always run them is an easy way for a competitor to step in and one up you - due to a more efficient process, product, service, or package.
Understanding the Importance of IT governance
Modern organisations need to understand the importance of IT governance and the valuable role of the IT department as an enabler for the organisation. A well-developed IT governance framework is central overall good governance. IT governance is about responsibilities and consequences.
Driving the IT Narrative
In a previous blog, we covered the importance of an IT governance framework. Ensuring that your IT Manager can drive the narrative about IT within your organisation is a critical tool in maintaining an IT governance framework. A well-formulated IT narrative or strategy addresses your organisation’s ‘holistic’ IT needs.
How to implement good IT governance
You’re a CEO. Your organisation has multiple objectives, broad responsibilities and competing priorities. Governance is a key requirement for every organisation. It is likely that your board and executive do not have a developed awareness of the importance of IT governance.
Protecting IT governance through the IT budget
IT governance is a critical initiative for your entire organisation. However, responsibility for the implementation and maintenance is delegated to the IT department. Often as organisational budgets are developed, insufficient funds are provided to the IT department. This prevents IT from providing the organisation with robust IT Governance systems.
Entrepreneurs and Startups Drive Future Work Trends
Startups. They’re popping up thick and fast and they’re shaking up the way we do business. Startups are highly connected, innovative and they’re not afraid to use the latest technology to benefit their day to day business, customers and their employees. We’ve identified some of the ways startups are changing the workplaces of today. Take notes – we’ll all need to get on board to stay competitive.
Future Business Trends You Need to Know About
Regardless of industry, to retain a competitive edge and a thriving organisational operation, keeping up with business and technology trends should be an integral part of any business’ strategy. Technology has come a long way since the desktop computer, fundamentally changing the way we operate.
IT Governance in Local Government
Information technology systems are embedded at the core of every project and every aspect of work, from correspondence between parties, timeline constructions to even the community’s first point of access, the website. The numerous interconnected and networked features of IT systems, mean a small problem with one system may have an unforeseen complication with another, resulting in waves of disruption to future workflows.
Office 365 vs. Hosted Exchange – which is better for your business?
One of the many decisions small to medium sized businesses face when implementing operating systems and processes is around email and document management – and the question usually comes down to Office 365 or Hosted Exchange. Hosted Exchange basically means renting an off-site sever in a secure location that will enable office processes to occur on-site.
Why Managed IT Services?
Many businesses today are increasingly turning to managed service providers, with IT one of the most popular services being outsourced. And it makes sense. IT is an integral part of your business operations and it is imperative it is managed effectively, is secure, and safe from threats.
Microsoft’s Vision for Enterprise Collaboration
Changing technologies mean changes to workplaces and how we work and interact with each other. Physical workplaces are becoming virtual, with people logging in to work in different time zones and locations around the world. These changes to the traditional workplace have seen a growth in enterprise collaboration tools, with Microsoft’s Office 365 at the forefront.
Staying strong on IT security
Big data is abundant, and it can provide companies with enormous competitive advantage in terms of marketing and research. Yet once you’ve got that data, the challenge is to keep it secure. The increased adoption of web based, mobile and cloud based applications means data is accessible from a number of different platforms and therefore vulnerable to hacking and security breaches.
Technology and the employee of today
In the digital landscape of 2017, businesses that want to maintain a competitive edge are implementing new technologies as soon as they hit the market, realising it impacts every element of their day to day operations. Most businesses understand technology will the affect operating systems and processes of their organisation - clever businesses are also realising technology affects the employees they attract, recruit and retain.
Top Tech Trends in 2017
Technology has changed. Instead of consumers rushing out to buy the latest must have product, technology is now adapting to our needs. We are now in the drivers seat, using technology to get more out of work and life. Every year, there are new and exciting technologies available to use.
In the event of a disaster
Does your business have a disaster recovery plan? A network failure due to cyberattacks, power outage, natural disaster, or loss of key personnel can be catastrophic for your business without a managed and tested disaster recovery plan.
Office 365 vs G Suite: A Definitive Guide
All your applications stored on company servers? Still struggling with a Word meeting agenda template? Pop down the hall to see if Sasha is at her desk or not? Swimming in a sea of emails and documents? If your business isn’t yet up to speed with cloud productivity suites, then, in 2017, you are lagging behind the 8 ball.
The wait is over, Microsoft Office 2016 arrives!
On September 22, Office 2016 will be released to the public and the anticipation is high. A preview version was released earlier in the year allowing Office enthusiasts to try it out and provide feedback – constructive or not. The pattern of the official release will differ between consumer users and businesses, as well as depend on the type of licence you have.
The Arrival of Windows 10
Many of you would’ve heard about, if not already upgraded to, Microsoft’s last full Operating System – Windows 10. New about Windows 10 is that it now works across all Windows-powered devices, from smartphones and tablets to laptops and the Xbox One console.
Cisco warns Australian businesses to prepare for hyperconnectivity
Based on results from its new Visual Networking Index (VNI), Cisco predicts hyperconnectivity will arrive in Australia sooner than expected. Hyperconnectivity refers to connectivity as a cultural condition, as our lives become more intertwined with technology. This is brought on by the ever-evolving internet, mobile devices, and applications that are forcing businesses to either adapt or perish!
Why IT is not a cost
As a society we have come to the agreement that electronic offices are far more practical than the old pen and paper offices we have left behind. This begs the question: If IT was purely a cost, why would everyone have it?
Saying goodbye to Windows Server 2003
"WE EXPECT ATTACKS WILL PEAK AROUND 14 JULY WHEN SUPPORT OFFICIALLY ENDS, AS [SERVER 2003] WILL THEN BE ONE OF THE LEAST SECURE SYSTEMS IN EXISTENCE.” It’s official – on 14 July 2015, Windows Server 2003 reaches its end of life, no longer receiving support from Microsoft.
How to migrate from Win Server 2003 in 4 steps
Microsoft announced that all versions of Windows Server 2003 would go out of support in July 2015. If you haven't thought about it yet, this is the moment to develop a migration plan. What does end of support mean for you
How outsourcing provides better value than in-house attempts at IT management
Many in-house IT teams are under-funded and understaffed, leaving the in-house team destined to become a jack of all trades, master of none. As a result, the work they do ends up being mediocre rather than adding to the efficiency of the company.
Microsoft Office 2016 now available for public preview
This is a great opportunity to get your hands onto the new Office 2016. Don't forget to provide feedback to Microsoft at the end of your testing. Visit the Office 2016 Preview site to learn more about the Preview program to see if it's right for you. New features in
ManagedDocs – the better OneDrive for Business alternative
Many small businesses in Australia should be fairly familiar with OneDrive for Business as Microsoft includes it as part of their many Office 365 business plans. It offers generous amounts of online storage space at a low cost with extensive support for sharing files and folders.
The antivirus industry is struggling
The malware situation has become a source of real stress. Not just for businesses, but even for those in the antivirus industry. The rate at which new malware is discovered has increased from 300 to a staggering 350,000 a month in the last decade.