Info Tech Inc

G Suite has grown to become one of the most reliable and popular suites of productivity products on the market, used by millions of businesses and individuals all over the world. With solutions for email, document creation, collaborative remote work, and more, G Suite’s affordable prices and robust coverage are certainly impressive.

But if your organization handles sensitive data, in the form of customer information, financial information, and internal trade secrets, you also need to think about security. Google has a long history and a strong reputation in the tech industry, but is G Suite truly secure?

G Suite Security: Basic and Advanced

First, understand that G Suite does offer some built-in security features. However, these may not be enough to keep your organization or its data fully secure. In addition to G Suite’s core features, you can invest in Google Cloud Security to provide an extra layer of protection for your work. Google Cloud Security allows you to automate your framework for security and compliance handling, making your organization safer and your security responsibilities simpler.

What Security Measures Are Inherent in G Suite?

That said, G Suite has significant security built into it. For example, your data is stored in multiple locations, with redundant backups, at one of Google’s 15 data centers around the world. You can control where your data is stored, to some degree. Storage is both encrypted and distributed, so you probably won’t need to worry about a hacker gaining access to your information by taking over a data center. You also don’t need to worry about a data center being physically destroyed, since there are multiple redundant backups around the world.

G Suite also offers a number of different tools for security administrators to use to keep their organization secure. For example, you can create and maintain secure logins for your employees. You can also enable two-factor authentication, which forces users to submit two different verifications of their identity—usually a password and a confirmation code from a mobile device or email address. On top of that, you can enable encrypted messaging and a host of other tools.

The Limitations of G Suite

That said, there are some limitations to the security coverage that G Suite can provide. For example:

• Knowledge and access. G Suite may have lots of built-in security features and options for administrators, but if you don’t know those options exist, or if you don’t go out of your way to activate or use them, they’re going to be useless to you. Some administrators keep everything as default, without ever going out of their way to improve security.
• Strict security and compliance regulations. Certain industries are required to maintain strict security and compliance protocols. For these industries, G Suite’s basic coverage may not be enough.
• Phishing. In a phishing attack, a malicious actor disguises themselves as an authority, then tricks a victim into providing sensitive information, like login information or credit card numbers. If your employees see an email from Google, they may be fooled into providing their login information—and once that information is obtained, no amount of security can protect your account.
• Ransomware. Ransomware is becoming more common, in part due to its accessibility. Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents the use of a machine, or sometimes an entire network, until a ransom is paid. If your employees aren’t careful, their devices could be infected, compromising productivity and potentially jeopardizing your sensitive information stored in the cloud.
• Other software and hardware vulnerabilities. Understand that any of your company devices could be rendered vulnerable by a single vulnerability in their hardware or installed software; if someone gains control of the machine, or if malware is installed, it could eventually lead to their control over the entire device, or the entire network.
• Human errors. It’s also possible for a simple mistake to lead to catastrophic results. If one of your employees chooses a weak password, or forgoes two-factor authentication, or if they do something foolish like leaving their password written on a sticky note by their desk, it could allow a cybercriminal to work around whatever other security measures you have in place.
• Insider threats. Don’t underestimate the possibility of an insider threat. Many security issues originate inside the company—with the people who already have access to your data. Maintain strict internal operations policies, and restrict access to sensitive data if necessary.

Even though Google generally does a great job of protecting the data of its customers, G Suite isn’t a perfectly secure bundle of productivity tools—and you shouldn’t rely on it to keep your organization secure. It needs to be considered as part of a robust series of tools, policies, and protective measures to keep your organization secure.

There are few proven paths to building wealth in modern society. If there were, everyone would be clamoring for the same careers and jobs. But if you study the art of wealth building in this nation, you’ll find that real estate is well represented. A significant percentage of Americans have either built their wealth by carving out careers in real estate, or they’ve taken the money they already have and strategically invested it in real estate assets to exponential increase their net worths.

The good news is that you can, too. And thanks to technology, you can get started from the comfort of your own home. Here’s a look at some of the top ways technology can help you become a bona fide real estate expert:

1. Immerse Yourself in Authoritative Real Estate Resources

The internet is essentially a rich library of educational content that you can access at any time. The key is to find the right information and to drown out the rest. Here are some good industry resources:

• BiggerPockets. There’s arguably no better online resource for informal real estate education than BiggerPockets. It’s an online community where people come together to share ideas, engage in conversation, and immerse in cutting-edge education. There’s a blog, forum, podcast, educational resources, and more.
• Inman. If BiggerPockets is casual and approachable, Inman is more of a news website. But despite it’s more clinical approach, it’s a very useful resource for staying up to date on the latest news in the industry.
• ActiveRain. This blog has a primary focus on real estate agents, but also appeals to investors and other professionals. Not only is there a ton of content on the site, but it’s also a great place to connect with others and build a network.

Spend some time marinating in these resources. Make it a point to spend at least one hour per day reading content from these reputable websites and blogs. Record notes on what you learn and take deep dives into topics that interest you.

2. Follow Industry Leaders on Social Media

Social media is more than a distraction. You simply have to learn to use it well. One of the biggest benefits to using networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube is that you’re able to follow experts in your field and learn from them around the clock.

For best results, create new social media profiles and make them dedicated real estate education profiles. In other words, you don’t follow your friends, relatives, or coworkers. Instead, you only connect with authoritative figures in the world of real estate. This eliminates distractions and helps you gain more from your time online.

3. Get Your Real Estate License Online

Trying to become a real estate agent? In many states, you can actually complete the majority of the real estate licensure process online.

Take New York, for example. Getting your New York real estate license online is as simple as signing up for a course and completing the coursework. The only thing left to do is pass the state exam.

4. Study Market Trends

Whether you’re an agent or investor, you have to stay current with the market. Falling behind on what’s happening – locally and nationally – will render you obsolete.

Websites like Zillow, Realtor, and Redfin make it easy to track what’s happening so that you can understand inventory, values, and everything else that’s happening in the market at any given time.

5. Listen to These Real Estate Podcasts

Podcasts are a super convenient way to learn. They allow you to take downtime that would otherwise be wasted – like driving, cooking, or sitting in waiting rooms – and use it as precious time to learn and improve. Check out this list for a rundown of the best real estate podcasts of 2020.

Build a Career You Can Be Proud Of

Real estate has the potential to open a lot of doors for you. Thanks to the power of the interent and modern technology, you can begin building your career from anywhere. Eventually you’ll need to get off the couch and get some real world experience, but for now you can sit down, kick up your feet, and start learning.

We’re living and operating in a technology-fueled business world where even the smallest companies are required to build out IT infrastructures in order to stay current and competitive. But with the high cost of IT, many small business owners are left wondering how they can afford to continue without depleting their financial reserves.

5 Ways to Lower IT Costs

If your business is in a position where IT costs have become exuberant and oppressive, you aren’t alone. But thankfully, there are some rather simple steps you can take to slash these expenses while still adding value to your organization.

Let’s explore a few of them in further detail:

1. Try Contract Staffing

People are expensive. Go ahead and review your IT budget right now and you’ll see that salaries, wages, and benefits represent a big piece of the pie. In particular, it’s challenging to control costs when you fluctuate between busy periods and slow stretches.

“To save money, you can turn to contract staffing. You can maintain adequate staffing levels to handle the company’s slow periods. Contract staffing can then fill in the gaps and help you manage higher-demand periods,” staffing expert Courtney Gakman writes. “It may make sense to outsource contract staffing recruitment to save time and money. When a new project approaches, a technical recruitment company can quickly find contractors for you. When the project ends, you can let them go. This flexibility can help you keep your personnel costs under control.”

The more scalable you make your IT investments, the less you’ll waste on resources you don’t need, just so you can weather the slow seasons and wait for the busy periods.

2. Consider Forgoing Software Updates

Software maintenance can get expensive. After just five years, the average company spends more money on maintaining and updating software than they did on the original purchase price of the software. And it’s for this reason that a lot of companies are opting to perform fewer updates. (Cloud SaaS is obviously another solution. When you’re operating on the cloud, most updates occur automatically and don’t cost you a dime.)

3. Leverage a GPO

As you know, small businesses often face a disadvantage when it comes to purchases. Because of your small size and limited purchase needs, you don’t always qualify for the same bulk discounts that larger organizations do. This increases your costs on IT expenditures and limits your ability to generate the necessary ROI. But what if there were another way?

Consider joining a Group Purchasing Organization, or GPO, which works a lot like a Costco or Sam’s Club. A GPO is basically a network of businesses that band together to maximize their purchasing power in order to receive significant discounts and savings on the products and services they purchase – including hardware and software.

4. Try Telecommuting

IT is one of those fields where you don’t always need your team to be physically present in the same environment. This makes it the perfect industry for telecommuting.

When employees telecommute, you don’t require the same square footage, which allows you to save on office space. You also consume far fewer utilities. Then there’s the added benefit of more satisfied employees, which theoretically results in greater productivity and less turnover.

5. Automate Certain IT Services

Be mindful of how your employees are using their time. Are there certain tasks you can automate to better utilize time and save money?

“Automation and machine learning tools could reduce or even eliminate these huge ongoing IT costs,” IT pro William Goddard writes. “Algorithms – even chatbots – can be used to personalize permissions for new hires and existing employees. Machine learning solutions can be utilized to monitor events and automatically refresh printers and other IT equipment without staff having to get involved.”

Depending on your industry, you may find half a dozen or more tasks that can be automated. In doing so, you’ll increase efficiency, lower expenses, and add more value to the bottom line.

What’s Your Game Plan?

As you can see, it’s possible to lower IT costs and still add value to your business. The biggest challenge is determining which methods you’ll implement and how you can strategically shift your approach so that you continue to maximize operational efficiency while simultaneously enjoying lower expenditures. It could take months to figure out the perfect blend. Slow down and patiently wait for the right results.