How to make sure your website comments don’t get you sued
If you don’t moderate comments on your blog or website you could be held legally responsible for any offensive posts your users make, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled.
The future is here: FREE Cloud Webinar 7th August 2013
Are you considering moving to the cloud? Over the past decade, cloud computing has revolutionised the IT industry with new innovations emerging on an almost daily basis. A recent Spiceworks global state of small and medium-sized enterprises survey found that 48% of respondents were using cloud services. For small businesses, the rewards of the revolution are vast. For this reason, on Wednesday 7th August 2013, 123-reg hosts it first interactive webinar with Daniel Hagemeier, our head of Cloud business unit. Daniel will shed light on all you need to know about Cloud. In this webinar, Daniel will cover: what Cloud actually is the technology underlying Cloud how your business can benefit from using a Cloud server Whether you are a Director or an IT Professional, there is something in the webinar for you! The full details of this FREE webinar are as follows: Topic: An introduction to Cloud Server and the underlying technology Date and time: 3pm (BST), Wednesday 7th August 2013 Panellist: Daniel Hagemeier, Head of 123-reg Cloud BU To register simply click here
Interview: Fighting Malware with Anirban Banerjee
2012 continues to be a year of great excitement for 123-reg. We are thrilled to announce the release of Site Scanner, powered by Stop the Hacker. For those not in the know, Site Scanner is a SaaS based malware monitoring tool that scrutinises a user’s website, notifying the customer when malicious code/viruses are found via email and in the 123-reg control panel. Furthermore, the software provides the user information on where the damaging code is located (the line of code it starts and ends on) and provides steps on how to eradicate it. Protecting your online business against malicious code couldn’t be more important in 2012. This year has seen the issue of internet security rise to the front pages of the national newspapers. Whilst events such as the Linkedin security breach are unfortunate, they are helpful in educating the market. 123-reg spoke to Anirban Banerjee, Co-Founder of StopTheHacker Inc., in a bid to help inform website owners of the growing threat of malware and detail how purchasing Site Scanner can give you peace of mind. A blacklisted website can have serious implications for any online business in terms of lost revenue, potential customers and credibility. We asked Banerjee about the threats to 123-reg customers who run websites with little or no malware detection service. ‘Malicious hackers are targeting websites in order to compromise them. If your website gets compromised and is misused to distribute malware to innocent visitors, the infected website is put on a blacklist by Google and other search engines.’ The potentially spiralling affects could be disastrous for your online business as Banerjee explains. ‘If your website is blacklisted, users will be blocked from coming to your website. This could lead to a loss of revenue. Moreover, this could result in an irreparable loss to the reputation of your website and business.’ The threat of being blacklisted by Google is one that is not only very real but one that every website owner needs to protect against. Once malware infects a website, it harms both the company and its customers. Website owners typically have no idea they have been infected, and many do believe that anti-virus protection software is enough. However, it is not. ‘9,500 websites get added to the Google blacklist every single day. Given the UK market is quite big; this represents a substantial number of UK businesses. It takes 7-10 days for a blacklisted website to clean up its act, on average, this process can cost thousands of pounds in lost revenue before even considering the potential revenue lost from your brands’ reputation being tarnished.’ Prevention is better than cure, but having said that, Site Scanner also acts as a quick reaction, something users can take heart from. If malicious code is found on the user’s website at any time, they are sent an email detailing exactly where the code is, and just as importantly, how to delete it. ‘Site Scanner incorporates the best of breed technology when it comes to malware detection, Antivirus engines, signature databases and reputation monitoring. It will help 123-reg customers by providing them with peace of mind. Together, we will help fight the battle for them!’ Central to seeking a partnership, 123-reg looked-for a provider with a real passion for the online security industry. What 123-reg customers should also take from the partnership is Banerjee’s passion for helping people secure their websites as well as the quality of product that his company provides. ‘Our goal is to make website security ubiquitous. Having a secure website and not worrying about hackers installing malware on your site and getting blacklisted shouldn’t be a luxury, everyone should have access to a high quality, reliable and accurate malware detection prevention like Site Scanner.’ Releasing a product like Site Scanner highlights 123-reg’s commitment to helping its customers secure their websites. 123-reg is working with everyone involved with Site Scanner to bring website security to millions of users. Remember, you don’t have to be a high traffic website to be targeted. Even if you see yourself as a small site, you are attractive to hackers because your site will have more vulnerable openings for hackers.
6 Tips on adopting Bring Your Own Technology in your workplace
In the modern world where your employees may often own newer technology than you as a company, the temptation to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD / BYOT) and use it for work purposes are great and many employees are eager to do so. In certain industries it is being embraced too creating a wave of interest across cash-strapped industries who see it as a way of avoiding investment in the latest IT. However, BYOT is potential minefield in terms of liability, so here’s our top 6 tips on making it work within your company. 1 Make sure you have a written code Setting the parameters now will make it much easier in the future. While it might seem a bit draconian to have codes of conduct for everything, it is also common sense and heads-off a multitude of problems before they arise. Remember codes of conduct can be amended – tightened up or loosened according to feedback and requirements – but having something in place before you start promoting any scheme is essential. 2 Encourage but don’t insist If you are going to embrace BYOT, do so correctly. Allow your staff to use their equipment within parameters but don’t insist upon it. People can be very protective over their personal goods and being forced to blur the edges between work and personal may be a step too far for many. Don’t risk losing your best people just because they won’t let you take advantage of their superfast new computer for your business gain. You wouldn’t expect an employee to lend you their shiny new supercar just because you are their boss, so respect the same in terms of technology too. 3 Don’t forget your own obligations Even if your entire workforce embrace the idea and are happy to be using their own equipment, don’t forget to invest in your own IT. Firstly, you have an obligation to make sure the infrastructure people are connecting too is up to scratch, both in terms of performance and safety, so focus your attentions on making sure it is up to the job – especially if more and more devices are connecting to your WiFi network for instance. There is still a need for you to invest in your own devices too. People will forget their own devices from time to time, or they will be lost, stolen or in need for repair. You can’t afford for your business to stop for those sort of reasons, so have facilities for people to do their jobs adequately without having to bring their own devices. 4 Security is paramount If you thought protecting data was difficult within your own environment, going down the BYOD route multiplies the risks. Who else has access to the personal device when out of the office? It’s great that employees encourage their children to use technology but not if that is technology that holds sensitive data. For example your customer is not going to be too happy if they receive a telephone call to their personal mobile at 6am on a Sunday morning because your employee’s child was bored and was playing with a parent’s personal phone that is also used for business. Viruses and malware are also a bigger risk. Consider regular checks and encourage good housekeeping. Make sure your network alert infrastructure is also up to date. 5 Separate work from personal It may sound like common sense, but it is easy to loose sight of it when work and personal definitions blur. It is worth ensuring separate email and communication clients are installed to keep business away from personal. That way you can ensure the correct and required email footers always go out with company communications. Be particularly careful with smartphones and tablets. Multiple Twitter accounts on a single device for example could risk a potentially embarrassing ‘night-out’ photographs being shared on your corporate account. Consider 3G usage too if you encourage BYOD’rs to use their equipment for business beyond the office. If they go over their personal account limits, they may expect you to foot a very expensive bill. 6 Check insurance Things will go wrong, so make sure you know how to act when it does. Those using their own phone or laptop are possibly less likely to lose it than they would a company issued one as they have a vested interest in it, but if it is stolen or lost, who is liable? Many personal covers won’t include the full value of a multitude of technology items and many more are likely to refuse to pay-out if they learn the loss came about when on business use. In which case check your own policy, if you don’t own the item is it insured when it is on your use? It might sound scary and something to avoid adopting, but the truth is, in ten years this will probably be the norm. Bring your own device isn’t actually new to most workplaces anyway. The majority of firms already probably encourage employees to use their own cars for company business. Think what procedures you have in place for that – insurance checks, MOT checks etc. Make sure you at least replicate those in terms of other technology. Do you encourage BYOD? What measures do you have in place?
123-reg Reliability and Value helps to Drive Growth at my1login
Launched in March 2012, Scotland based password manager my1login is making a name for itself as internet users switch onto the critical need to protect their online passwords. The company, which uses 123-reg for domain, hosting and email services, has been making serious strides in the technology sector, with CEO Michael Newman interviewed on the BBC’s online technology section after just a month in business, showcasing the brand’s password management software. So what problem does my1login solve and why is it important? In simple terms, the business offers a solution to users having too many passwords stored in different locations. The company has experienced fantastic traction in their user numbers and is already protecting in excess of 10,000 online accounts. ‘my1login employs military grade encryption, using stronger encryption technology than many online banking platforms. Users’ keys are never stored on the servers and therefore not even my1login employees can see or access users’ data’, Newman said in a recent interview with 123-reg. The incredible start to the business is something that 123-reg is proud to be a part of. Speaking with Newman, it is clear that my1login values the assistance that 123-reg offers his business. ‘We’ve been delighted with both the domain, hosting and email services, together with the responsive support provided when needed most’, he said. In the security industry, reliability issues have to be considered and it is a positive endorsement of our services that such a company chooses 123-reg. ‘Any reliability issues with domain and email provision would have been an obstacle to continued use. 123-reg’s high availability services have ensured this was never an issue’, Newman said. With this is mind, it is no surprise that when asked what services my1login valued the most, reliability was again fundamental to Newman and his team. ‘As an always-on cloud-based password manager it’s vital that my1login are continuously available for our users. The reliability of 123-reg’s email and domain services is of great value in enabling us to provide an uninterrupted service’, he stated. 123-reg prides itself on providing a service that is both price competitive but also gives users control. We are delighted that our philosophy has helped my1login and other customers grow. ‘The speed with which services can be ordered and initialised, the easy-to-use and feature-rich control panel and the competitive pricing model of 123-reg are the perfect ingredients for any business’, Newman concluded. It is our belief that my1login will continue to be successful and we are committed to providing a service that meets the expectations of Newman and his team. It is a wonderful reward for 123-reg to be playing a small part in the success of British entrepreneurs in such challenging times for start-ups. Moreover, the success of my1login should inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. To find out more about my1login please follow the link to their website.
Forget 3D here’s 5D!
Just as 3D technology begins to become more familiar in our homes, so somewhere in the world has to go another step further, well actually two steps further. Unsurprisingly, that place in the world is Japan where Sharp has revealed details of new theme park attraction dubbed “The 5D Miracle Tour”. The dutch-themed, Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan is to play home to a new installation made up of 156 60-inch LCD TVs set out below the feet, above the heads and surrounding visitors on three walls. Yet, while the claim is 5D, and there is all round action, we can’t quite see how they can truly claim it to be 5D technology. The screens used aren’t 3D and from the initial press literature it appears there are no plans for smell-o-vision or even extra special effects. We guess it is all about the experience. The installation will open this Friday (A Japanese public holiday) running an 8 minute long specially prepared video.
The internet is here to stay – hopefully
The internet really is part of our every day lives. Even your technophobe gran or principled uncle would probably be surprised to learn how their own lives even indirectly are reliant on the use of the internet. This week that has been even further highlighted by two stories. Yesterday, the BBC were reporting the possibility of the first mobile phone into space. Scientists have tested mobile phones at high-altitude but the plan of one set of British Engineers is to send and android-based handset on-board a satellite to take pictures of the Earth later this year. The other story had was on US magazine site PCworld.com with the quirky headline of: Puppy Cams Threaten Internet, Cisco Says. Yes, that’s right, the trend to use webcams to keep an eye on your puppy when you are away from home, could risk the future connectivity of all of us. Perhaps not the only reason but the story came from the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) in Hawaii where delegates from the Americas and Asia Pacific regions discussed the future of the internet. While smartphones, smartTVs and even fridges that connect to the internet are great additions to our daily lives, the number of devices jumping online every day is putting massive pressure on the infrastructure. IP traffic is set to rise over four-fold in the five years from 2009 meaning something needs to be done to expand networks, improve cables, etc before we all just grind to a halt. It might be the feature of Science Fiction films, but realistically if capacity continues to be used up at the current rate and nothing is done to improve infrastructure, then the whole world really could grind to a halt and be left in darkness. Have a think. How many items in your house connect to the internet in some way or other?