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Business Tech News That Happened This Week and How Do They Affect Your Business

Technology in the hands of businessmen

We’ve written this article to give you two major changes in technology that happened recently. You’re also going to find out how will they affect your business, if, at all.

McAfee – the Internet of Things comes with 74% malware

The December threats report shows that the digital culprit makes right now 480 new dangers, the Internet of Things comes with 73% of malware. The digital currency that was mining malware made up about 71%, in spite of the fact that the estimations of many cryptographic forms of money were declined. What’s more, McAfee reports showing that cybercriminals have better approaches to avoiding law authorization.

How’s that helpful?

The fame for monetary standards has started to advance, and the Internet of Things rises every day..of course, so does the malware that’s related to it. The innovation is ought to include machine-learning security programs that can deal with these changes, preparing you for a decent online reinforcement app, that can re-establish information if it’s contaminated.

Facebook – “association” attached to Bitcoin

Facebook came to one conclusion: there are many clients that make counterfeit records with their profile pictures, and that also make the most out of bitcoin mining company, Bitmain. These frauds make untrue records and they remark on original strings from Facebook, promoting a type of “association” that is attached to Bitcoin, in trying to make clients use digital money.

How’s that helpful?

People will try to take your cash by using exchange demands. The most recent way to so it is Facebook. You need to make sure you’re careful, as your business takes its first steps in the computerized money universe.

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Affordable Investment Opportunities are Encouraging More People to Invest in Buy to Let

The UK property market has been undergoing large shifts, due to many factors like changes in legislature, stamp duty and new technology. Property investment is no longer for just the extremely wealthy and affordable property investment opportunities are attracting a new kind of investor.

Affordable Investments

Property is considered a safe bet by many UK investors, who typically enjoy having brick and mortar assets. Recently there has been an increase in affordable properties that are perfect for buy to let property investment. For new investors, affordable investment opportunities provided by firms like RW Invest are perfect for an entry into the world of property investment. From student properties in bustling city locations to off-plan investments in brand new developments, there are an increasing number of affordable options. For less than £60,000, investors can purchase sought after buy to let properties in a range of UK cities. Many of these cities in the North are benefitting from large investments in infrastructure like the Northern Powerhouse Project. These Northern properties have incredibly affordable house prices, less than half of the UK average, allowing people to invest with less initial capital.

Easier Access to Property Investments

The online property market has provided access to UK properties for potential investors from a wide range of backgrounds. Investors from abroad are snapping up opportunities to invest in the growing UK property sector, with affordable opportunities a great way to start in the market. The internet has provided access to show apartments for off-plan projects, online 360 tours of apartments and round the clock access to property information.

An Increasing Range of Properties

Another factor has been an increase in the variety of properties available. Smaller properties like studios and apartments allow investors to get hold of valuable city centre property at a lower price. Properties such as new build apartments, renovated studios and one-bedroom flats are easier to access by these new potential investors.  Larger investors have been using a multi property strategy, investing in different types of properties, including apartments and studio accommodation. The diverse range of properties available for buy to let investment caters to a range of different tenants too. From young professionals to recent graduates, the demand for city centre rental property is huge.

Increasing Value

With lower initial costs, investors have seen huge returns on investment. Apartments have been one area that has experienced a huge rise in value in the past five years with increases of £1251 per month adding up to a huge £75,074.  Property continues to be a sound investment, and an increasing number of people are looking to enter the market with an affordable property that provides monthly rental income, as well as the potential to grow in value.

Though it has had its ups and downs, the UK property market continues to attract new investors. There is an increasing demand for rental properties and potential returns of 7-8% a year. Compared to other investments, the UK property market has remained on a steady course, with growth focussed around UK city centres.

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New Android Trojan Can Steal Money from A PayPal Account

A major piece of malware is affecting Android users. An Android Trojan is able to steal money from PayPal accounts. The Trojan managed to bypass the 2-factor authentication as well. Many users were put at risk.

What we know for now is that Google Play is not the source of this Trojan. Instead, it appears that the victims installed a battery optimization app which is available on third-party app stores. Once the app is opened, it will immediately close as well.

The user is asked by the app to “enable statistics”, which allows it to access Accessibility options. After this is enabled, the user also receives a notification prompting them to open the PayPal app. The user opens the app and signs in, going through any authentication prompts.

However, once the user has signed in the Trojan uses the accessibility service. It copies the taps needed to transfer money to another address. Usually, 1000$ are sent to the PayPal address of the attacker. This doesn’t take more than a couple of seconds for this to happen.

Every time the user tries to open the app, the process repeats itself one more time. It is impossible to stop it, and it will only come to an end if there is no linked card or account AND if there aren’t enough money in the PayPal.

Stay safe

At the moment the source of the Trojan is unknown. Nonetheless, PayPal has been notified of this issue and we expect a fix for it coming soon. If you want to stay safe, it is recommended that you avoid third-party apps. Make sure that you download just apps from the Google Play Store, as those are verified and (usually) safe enough to use.

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VoIP Systems Costs, Usability and Equipment

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems are ideal for businesses for a number of reasons. First of all, they end up being cheaper and they offer you plenty of opportunities that are not available when it comes to traditional phone systems.

If you are ready to make the transition to VoIP, you should take a look at what we have prepared for you below. We have laid out the basics so you can learn everything you need to know before you switch to VoIP.

Costs

The price is always an important factor. You should know that for VoIP phone systems you will find various options available on the market. However, the cheapest ones usually start from around $25. If you want something more complex, or if you need something extra, then the costs will go up as well.

The price is influenced by various factors. For example, extra equipment or phone equipment will definitely make the costs go high. The number of users is another factor, as well as the level of subscription and the broadband.

Decide where to host it

It is up to you whether you choose hosted or on site-hosting. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. If you want it hosted, the costs will be smaller and you won’t have to handle maintenance either. There won’t be much to pay for equipment, but this alternative does not offer you too much flexibility.

On the other hand, if you choose on-site hosting and you already have some equipment, you can use that. It allows you to have more autonomy and you won’t have to rely on your provider, which can be a good thing. However, on-site hosting is a lot more expensive, and it could cost somewhere between $500 and $1000 to set it up.

Setting it up

Setting it VoIP up can have its costs as well. That happens only when you host your own VoIP system though. You will need to pay a specialist to set up the system and you need to pay for the equipment as well. The costs will vary based on how large your business is and what type of system you choose. On the other hand, if you choose a hosted VoIP system you usually don’t have to worry about set up fees.

How many users?

You should know that the costs will be influenced by the number of employees as well. That is because the VoIP providers will charge you for each user. It doesn’t matter if you are a large company, this won’t be a problem for this system. However, the price will go up if there are many users. The good part is that you might get a discount for large numbers of users.

Subscription level

There are different types of packages available for VoIP services. It is up to you to decide which kind of features you need. For example, as a smart business, it is usually enough for you to purchase the starter package. Those who want more functions will need a higher tier, that is more expensive as well.

Equipment

Once you make the VoIP switch you need to have the right equipment as well. If you don’t have what you need you should know that you can also purchase the device that you need directly from VoIP providers. If you prefer to buy VoIP phones by yourself, you should know that the prices for them vary. The usual starting price can be somewhere around $80, while if you need something more advanced you might have to pay hundreds of dollars for it.

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How to Use Cloud Computing as a Virtual Infrastructure for Business Development

Nowadays, we spend a lot of time online. Here we can find a lot of space for storing all our personal and professional documents. In this case, people have started to see Cloud as a big and professional infrastructure. It’s no wonder, since the virtual space has evolved a lot lately.

Cloud computing is becoming a tool for developing a business

When it first appeared, Cloud was used as personal storage space. Companies realized that they can make more out of this virtual resource, so they started to look at it as a facility for keeping their data and computing the enterprises’ requirements.

The first company which started to use Cloud computing services was Amazon Web Service. They introduced Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 in August 2006. They were followed by Google and their App Engine released in 2008. Due to the method’s practicability, other companies soon joined the club.

If you want to start using Cloud as storage space for your business, learn more about it!

Cloud Security

Online security is an important aspect, especially considering the cyber-attacks which took place only in 2018. Hackers are not going to stop here, so cyber security needs to take steps further, especially in what Cloud safety is concerned.

IT specialists are developing higher security practices and expert strategies which can help them fight against such attacks. They are aiming at securing public, private and all government sectors. This means massive investments in malware detection, security information or systems for managing events.

The GDPR states the challenges which security solutions will have to address. As an example, we will mention breaching or processing personal data in the exterior of the European Economic Area. Data ownership, processing it and risk managements are others area of concern.

How the increase the containers’ usage

Cloud computing cannot function without containers in our days. Kubernetes is becoming one of the software developers’ favourite tool and, thanks to Cloud, they can easily manage their work. Containers help them a lot; developers can migrate their codes faster and without worrying about online security.

Serverless technology can be more accessible than ever

Cloud technology comes with a major advantage. It allows users to make use of their resources and extra resources faster and without paying additional costs. Thanks to serverless technology, the measuring unit become smaller once functions stepped in.

By functions we can understand a small part of a code which runs automatically. It’s easy to start them, because they require a minimum configuration and users can choose their working language from a lot of options.

What does hybrid and multi-Cloud strategy mean

A recent report from the International Data Corporation mentions that 85% of all industries active in the IT business will adopt multi-cloud strategies by the end of 2018. This means that you can use more than one Cloud account for storing.

The best part is that you can customize each account according to your needs. Each account will have its functionalities and will provide the best service. The multi-Cloud strategy helps you save a good part of your virtual infrastructure, but it comes with a disadvantage: users need to have experience and knowledge in the area of Cloud platforms and migration. Re-architecting your system requires a lot of care and attention.

Micro-services could be a smart move

The Cloud is not as impersonal as it used to be in the past. Developers are trying to replace the closed application with human interaction. It’s no wonder that they are trying to develop APIs and micro-services which would allow users to make innovative combinations.

Cloud can facilitate the IoT

Since the number of IoT devices is constantly growing, the Cloud computing functionality is rapidly changing as well. Soon, we’ll all need a personal Cloud account for keeping our important files.

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