More Data Security Issues

I came across an article this week which has alarmed me.  It is about a speech expected to be given by Richard Thomas from the Information Commissioner’s Office, regarding the use of ‘Giant Databases’.

It highlights the fact that there has been a significant increase in data loss and that the databases getting lost are holding more information than ever before.  In fact, most of them are in breach of the Data Protection Act!  He is currently investigating 30 ‘serious’ cases where this has been the case within companies, councils, government agencies and central government.

These larger databases increase the risk of the information getting into criminal hands.  Much of the information is irrelevant and should be removed and the risk is significantly increased when the database is moved between different agencies.

As we are all aware, there have been a number of reports of data losses in the news lately and I found some new statistics listed in the article.  Apparently around 100 incidents were reported to the Commissioner’s Office between November 2007 and April 2008 and there were 277 in total in the year.  These include breaches in website security and the theft or loss of computers and electronic storage media, such as memory sticks and CD ROMs.  The NHS has reported the most incidents, 65 in total, 27 of which were lost or stolen computers.  This number alone is as many as were reported by the whole private sector.

Here’s the really alarming bit.  There is no legal requirement to report losses of personal data so, as bad as all these statistics are, the real figures are probably much higher!

Richard Thomas is expected to say that he believes companies who hold personal data should hold less of it if possible and take greater responsibility with the data they do hold.  He also believes that companies who lose data should face tougher penalties.  His comments are likely to be seen as a direct criticism of the Home Offices’ announced intension to record details of every phone call, email and text message sent in the UK.

To read the article, please use the following link:

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=10478193

More information on the Data Protection Act can be found here:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Computer Hacker appeals to Home Secretary

Lawyers for a Briton accused of hacking into secret military and NASA computers are asking the Home Secretary to ensure that he is not jailed in the US.

Glasgow-born Gary McKinnon, 42, who last month lost his appeal against extradition, could face life in jail if convicted of accessing 97 computers. He says he acted out of curiosity, not malice.

His lawyer Karen Todner asserted that his human rights would be breached if he did not return to the UK after a trial. The Home Office said his case was “receiving consideration.”

A spokesman for the Home Office said “Further representations have been received today from solicitors against Mr McKinnon’s surrender to the USA which are receiving consideration.”

Mr McKinnon, from Wood Green in North London, is currently out of work. He was said to be “distraught” after losing his extradition appeal at the European Court of Human Rights. He has admitted breaking into the computers, but says he sought information on UFOs and only got in because of lax security.

In America, the government insisted he committed a malicious crime - the biggest military computer hack ever. They say he stole passwords, deleted files and left 300 computers at a US navy weapons station unusable immediately after the September 11th terrorist attacks.   Clearly it is time to re-think summary extradition when US prosecutors threaten to ‘fry’ a non-violent computer hacker.

Ms Todner said she had written to the Home Office asking for an intervention on her client’s behalf.  She said: “We have requested that the Home Secretary obtain an assurance from the United States Government that Mr McKinnon be returned to the UK immediately on receiving a sentence in the US, should he be extradited.”

Derrick Cameron from Luton based IT firm Eximium comments “McKinnon first lost his case against extradition at the High Court in 2006 before taking it to the highest court in the UK, the House of Lords. Clearly he is running out of time and places to go. I understand that his lawyers want his case to be tried in Britain, arguing that the alleged offences were committed on British soil.  This will make a significant difference to the outcome if he is found guilty.”

‘Fight the Credit Crunch with IT’

Due to overwhelming demand, two extra sessions have been added to the FREE workshops I am leading for business people, in conjunction with EEDA and the TakeITon programme, entitled ‘Fight the Credit Crunch with IT’.

The interest in these workshops has been extensive and I’m very proud and excited to be leading workshops in such a topical and vital subject area.  There will now be an additional afternoon session on both the 18th and 25th of November, starting with lunch at 1pm and running until 4pm, enabling more people to discover the hidden benefits of making greater use of their existing IT systems during this difficult time.

For more information, please see the following article on the TakeITon website:

http://www.takeiton.org.uk/362.asp

To book onto one of these FREE workshops please email your details to takeiton@eeda.org.uk

Tips for getting the most out of a consultant

Give them deadlines to work towards, otherwise things might take longer than is necessary and this will cost you more money.  They might change later but it is always best to have something to aim for, otherwise your project might just flounder.

Government report plans IT exchange to help business

The Innovation in Services report is designed to help UK businesses innovate through the use of internet services.  . The report said the government will work with the Technology Strategy Board and the British Standards Institute to take forward the report’s recommendations.

“Innovation is critical to the UK’s future prosperity, our quality of life and future job prospects,” said Innovation Minister Ian Pearson in a recent statement.

The report is based on industry-led reviews of sectors including internet services, environmental service sectors, retail, construction and logistics.

A key conclusion drawn by the report is the extent to which the internet has transformed the power of consumers. “Innovative businesses have responded by adapting their business models to meet customer expectations,” the report noted.

The government said in its response that an independent review will look into barriers of next-generation broadband networks in the UK. The review will support Ofcom’s latest research and will be led by former Cable and Wireless Chief Executive and current Vice Chairman at Lehman Brothers, Francesco Caio.

The report also found that a lack of international agreed standards is holding back innovation. The government stated its intention to work with the British Standards Institute to develop a more strategic approach to standards, particularly in areas such as logistics and carbon footprint.

Derrick Cameron from IT firm Eximium comments “It’s good the government has recognised just how vital the infrastructure surrounding the internet is and is pre-empting the need to upgrade it in the future.”

Good News on Fighting the Credit Crunch

The government has announced that it will channel more funds into small businesses in order to help them through the credit crunch.  There will be £350m of funds from a pre-existing training programme diverted into training the employees of small business over the next three years. The training will be aimed at improving their business management techniques.

They have also pledged to pay any government suppliers who are small businesses within 10 days as opposed to the usual 30 days.  This is to help with cash-flow, which is the biggest cause of businesses failing in more buoyant economic climates and exacerbated by the credit crunch.

Small businesses have been hit very hard by the lack of credit available due to the crunch.  Three of the banks which accepted government assistance have given their assurance that they will continue to lend money to small businesses at the same level as 2007.  The government has said that it will be talking to other banks in an attempt to ensure the continuation of the credit and lending they had previously offered to small businesses.

The government feels that all these measures are necessary and they are designed to help small businesses survive the credit crunch, as they play such an important part in our economy and employ the majority of our work force as well as provide valuable services.  The Skills Secretary John Denham said in a statement, “Small businesses are an important engine of our economy and we must make sure that we support them during tough economic times”.

Conservative leader David Cameron has called on the government to give small businesses six months longer to pay their VAT bills.  He believes that tax breaks are an important way in which the government could be helping.

We are very aware of the credit crunch ourselves and are doing what we can to help our customers.  A great way to use your IT during this difficult time is to make sure that your systems are running as efficiently as possible.  A small change could increase your efficiency and your profit margin.  We offer a free, no obligation, evaluation of your systems - a service we call ‘IT Fact Find’.  For more information on this service, please use the following link:

http://www.eximium.net/factfind.asp

We also believe that training is a great way to improve efficiency and provide training for business people to help them get more from their IT.  For more information on the training services we provide, please see this link:

http://www.eximium.net/training.asp

Also, our MD, Derrick Cameron, is leading some workshops in November entitled ‘Fight the Credit Crunch with IT’, aimed at business owners and managers, in conjunction with EEDA and the TakeITon programme.  This session is designed to demonstrate how the IT you probably already have can help you boost your business when times are tight and you need to make the best use of your resources.

The workshop is being held at three venues across the region.

• 17th November – Peterborough Holiday Inn
• 18th November, Wyboston Lakes – Waterfront Centre (Beds/Cambs border)
• 25th November, Hethel Engineering Centre, Norwich

To book your free place on one of these workshops, you can email your request to takeiton@eeda.org.uk

Tips for getting the most out of a consultant

Encourage an open and honest approach to communication.  If you tell it like it is and ask them to do the same, you’re much more likely to get the work done and at a quicker pace.  Too much diplomacy takes time and effort, and could cripple the work altogether.

TakeITon Business IT guides

For those of you who don’t already know, there is a website with some fantastic Business IT advice on which we want to make you aware of. The website was created by e-skills UK and TakeITon, which is a programme run by Business Link.

The website is bursting with useful business information. The Business IT guides particularly impressed us. There are almost 100 of them, which you can browse by business function, technology area or by commonly asked questions. The guides are well written using plain English, enabling business people to understand their IT and their IT needs. This is something which we believe in very strongly and forms the basis of our business approach.  There is a link which you can follow to access help from a Business Link advisor, should you feel the need to speak to somebody, as well as some tips and facts.

Follow the link below to take a look for yourself:

http://takeiton.businessitguide.com

American Mobile Web Surfing set to Surpass UK

The popularity of mobile web usage in America is gaining momentum and is poised to soon overtake use in the UK, where consumers have accessed the internet from phones for years, according to data released by Bango, Marketing Charts reports.

The top five countries accessing the mobile web via Bango in July 2008 were the UK at 19.35 percent, the US at 18.88 percent, India at 10.82 percent, South Africa at 8.82 percent and Indonesia at 4.08 percent. 

The top 10 countries accessing the mobile web together constitute 74.5 percent of all mobile web usage; 91 other countries make up the remainder.

Bango identifies users by country and network of origin. The ranking is produced by measuring the number of user visits to mobile websites from each country.

“The USA share of the browsing market has grown as an increasing number of phones come with bigger screens and service contracts that include unlimited internet access,” said Adam Kerr, VP of Bango North America. “We fully expect the US will overtake the UK in this ranking as early as this month.”

“We predicted 2008 would be a pivotal year for the mobile web in the US, and our data is backing that up. Clearly the rate of growth and acceleration is getting faster in the US and around the world,” Kerr concluded.

“The huge popularity of the iPhone in America must be making a difference to mobile web surfing rates,” comments Derrick Cameron from Luton based IT firm Eximium.  “Combined with ever reducing prices and a more mobile workforce, it was inevitable that America was going to overtake the UK.”

McAfee Announces Major Acquisition

As a McAfee partner, we were delighted to hear news of a major strategic announcement from them at the end of last month.   David DeWalt, President and CEO of McAfee, announced their intention to acquire the Secure Computing Corporation, who are a leading provider of network security to businesses of all sizes. 

When Secure Computing and McAfee are combined, it will reinforce their position as the largest dedicated security company, and a leader in security risk management industry.  Once Secure Computing’s products and services are added, McAfee will be able to deliver the industry’s most complete network security portfolio.  This will cover intrusion prevention, firewall, Web security, email security, data protection and network access control.  These will benefit small and medium-sized customers up to the world’s largest organizations.

Other benefits for McAfee customers, and channel partners such as ourselves, also include:

• broader product offerings and a comprehensive set of solutions that can help customers protect their critical Web, email and network assets
• the industry’s most complete network security solution to businesses of all sizes, extending the success of its total protection strategy through best-of-breed technology suites
• the resources of a global security company with enhanced research capabilities
• increased investments in technology and development and continued support for customer’s existing investments

We are very excited by this news, as it will enable us to expand our offering to customers, whilst remaining secure in the knowledge that we are protecting them with the best dedicated security available.

For more information about our managed security services, please use the following link:

http://www.eximium.net/managed_security_services.asp

Tips for getting the most out of a consultant

Be open to surprises and new ideas as the work progresses.  There is a possibility that what you are trying to achieve, or how you thought you were going to get there, might need to change as more information comes out.  That is a vital part of the consulting process and you need to embrace it as a positive move forward in achieving your goal.

Arrest made over data-stuffed eBay laptop

Police have made an arrest in connection with the recent eBay sale of a council laptop computer containing personal data.

The latest information security lapse took place in Charnwood, Leicestershire, where taxpayers’ personal details were found on a computer which was sold for £6.99. The details are said to include bank account information and sort codes.

Charnwood Borough Council has said that it is investigating the incident; it has traced the hard drive of the computer and is awaiting its retrieval.

The council stated that it has reported the matter to the police, who have now arrested someone in relation to the sale of the machine.

“The case has been referred to Leicestershire Constabulary as a criminal investigation and we can confirm that an individual has been arrested and is assisting the police with their enquiries,” said a statement from the Charnwood Borough Council. “We have traced the hard drive and are currently retrieving it. The purchaser is co-operating with Charnwood and has stated that the data has not been distributed to any other parties.”

Leader of Charnwood Council Richard Shepherd promised that a review into the data loss would be held.

“I regret the concern caused to Charnwood residents by this serious matter,” said Shepherd. “We will give every assistance to the police in their further investigations and I will personally ensure a thorough review is also completed by the council to find out how this happened.”

Last week a machine was taken from a company which stores bank records. The laptop contained banking information on up to a million customers of the Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest and American Express.

Derrick Cameron of IT firm Eximium comments “Organisations should create a privacy protection policy for every new system they build because they are storing more and more information on individuals.”

He goes on to add “For years I have suggested that companies consider the impact on individuals’ privacy before developing new IT systems, but often this gets overlooked. Individuals cannot be blamed when lapses occur as it is often the whole system that is at fault.”

Tips for getting the most out of a consultant

Have regular reviews to see how things are going, and make yourself and your team available to be interviewed. Ensure you all provide as much input into the process as you can - the more you put in, the more you will get out. It will also enable you to keep track of what is being done before it gets out of control.

IT seminars for business people in conjunction with EEDA

I’m delighted to announce that we’ve been selected by EEDA, from a list of 4 potential providers, to deliver a series of IT seminars they want to run, which will form a key part of ongoing publicity for the TakeITon development programme.

EEDA launched the TakeITon campaign across the region in November 2007.  It is aimed at helping businesses improve and increase the use of their information and communication technologies.  The campaign is driven by a recognition that a strong IT infrastructure for the region is critical to improve the productivity and efficiency both of individual businesses and the prosperity of the region as a whole.

New research suggests that businesses in the East of England are limiting their success due to poor IT.  Just 34% of businesses in the region have a website and 44% of the region’s employees feel that poor IT is stopping them from doing their job well.  Such results reinforce the need for better awareness of how IT can boost the bottom line for businesses across the region.

I’m working out the contents of the briefings with their PR people at the moment, but they will be aimed at helping SME business owners benefit from using IT more effectively, and will complement the seminar programme we are running for Business Link.

Watch this space for further details!

For more information about the excellent TakeITon programme, and how it could help you and your business, please follow this link: http://www.takeiton.org.uk/

Tips for getting the most out of a consultant

Expect to be challenged.  If they aren’t challenging you, they won’t be doing a good job for you.  Equally, you need to challenge them - their approach, opinions, results, etc.  This way, you will both get the most out of the process.

Demand for Web Technology work continues to grow

As a key part of our work to help customers get more benefit from their IT systems, we’re often asked to work on systems that use web technologies, such as Microsoft ASP.NET, for either internal (’Intranet’) use, or external (’Internet’) use.

However, we’ve noticed recently that the number of requests for web technology work has increased by a factor of 20!

What has caused this change?  Well, we see a number of external factors that are affecting a lot of our customers, and forcing them to revitalise their current websites, revamp their Intranet systems, or embark on new projects using web technologies.

Aside from the obvious pressure we’re all experiencing to find new ways to maintain our margins, caused by the current economic climate, here are the top ten reasons we believe have caused the increased need for web-related skills:

1. Web technologies are very useful because you can build systems that can easily be accessed anywhere in the world.  With the move towards more home-based and remote working, this is becoming even more important for many businesses.

2. The Internet is an important sales channel for almost all businesses, and the amount of buying that is happening online has been growing rapidly.

3. The advances in functionality and features available on the Web have been increasing at an exponential rate.  Normal HTML (HyperText Markup Language, the original standard of the World Wide Web) based ‘online brochure’ style sites are looking a little tired now compared to feature rich sites. Users expect more and businesses need to deliver or stand to lose face and business to their competitors.

4. An increasing number of businesses have fallen foul of website developers that profess to be web designers, and need to undo the problems this has caused. Designing websites and developing them are not the same thing, much the same as designing anything and building it is not the same (think of architects and builders - you wouldn’t want one doing the other’s job!).  A good deal of good web design is firmly in the court of graphic designers, who know what makes promotional material look and feel aesthetically pleasing.  Pure developers on the other hand often make things look technical and cluttered, which is usually the opposite of what people are trying to achieve.

5. The search engine rating processes have changed to an extent where websites that stay the same are not being prioritised like they used to be. It’s now important to have lots of changing content on your site, to interest both your customers and the search engines.  Hence the reason that business blogging has become so popular.

6. Internet users have now broken the 5 search term barrier so, instead of searching simply for ’shoes’ or ‘brown shoes’, they are entering complex terms such as ‘brown leather size 9 oxford brogues’.  This makes it essential that search engines know the specifics of your product or service and businesses are having to revisit their websites to deal with this change.

7. Location has also become a big thing now for search engines like Google, so sites now need to be optimised for localised results.

8. Using systems that only require browsers, like Internet Explorer, to be able to gain access, make them simple to implement and change, as all the clever work is going on at the server end of things.  Changes can be made without needing to re-deploy the application onto individual computers.

9. Technologies such as Microsoft ASP.NET are providing increasingly powerful facilities to integrate with back office systems, and integration is a vital way to increase efficiency and get more value out of IT - something that we all need to be doing more of.

10. There is a continuing move towards ’software as a service’, i.e. the provision of applications that are not installed locally on your computer or server but are managed and charged for centrally.  For example, providing Microsoft Office via the Internet.  Web technologies provide a very efficient and cost-effective way to deliver software applications on this basis.

Of course, we don’t mind the current trend at all.  In fact, it’s quite helpful to us because it makes keeping the right skills available for our customers easier.  Not to mention that we’re getting very good at delivering web technology projects now, with all the practice we’re getting!

If any of these issues are affecting your organisation and you would like some free advice about how to proceed, please just drop us a line from our contact page http://www.eximium.net/contactus.asp.

Massive rise in popularity of online banking

Confidence and busy lifestyles seem to have lead to a rise in banking on the net.  There has been a 505% increase in the number of Britons using online banking during the past seven years from 3.5 million users in 2000 to more than 21 million last year, according to banking industry body APACS.

The body says online banking is becoming more secure.  In 2007 fraud figures reveal a 33% drop in online fraud losses despite the record rise in usage.

Sandra Quinn, director of communications at APACS, said: “Online banking has changed the way we access our bank accounts, and is now second nature to many of us. The fact that the number of people banking online now exceeds 21 million is testament to how easy, convenient and safe this way of banking is.”

However, banking fraud has not gone away. Though they are becoming less successful, phishing attacks became far more frequent this year with the latest APACS data showing more than 20,000 reported phishing incidents in the first half of 2008 – an increase of more than 180% from the same period last year.

Derrick Cameron, MD of IT firm Eximium comments “It’s interesting that at a time showing problems with security in American Banks, UK Banks report this amazing rise in popularity. I think it shows just how convenient we find on-line banking and that many view aspects of traditional High Street banking as old fashioned as travelling by stage coach or living by candle light” he adds.

Eximium engaged by Denplan to help improve key IT system and processes

I’m excited to announce that we’ve been engaged by a major new customer, Denplan in Winchester, to help with their systems development work.

Denplan is the UK’s leading dental payment plan provider, with approximately 80% share of the dental payment plan market.  There are 6,500 treating dentists across the UK (approximately a third of practising dentists) treating over 1.8 million Denplan patients.  They are rated 6th in the ‘Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For 2008′, recognised as an Investor in People, and are an appointed representative of AXA PPP Healthcare Ltd.

We’ll be complimenting their existing IT department, and their other IT providers, by supplying help, advice and development effort.  They use a package for their insurance processes that we have a good deal of experience of.  We will be spending time working with their business people to help them improve process efficiency and generally adding value to the business by getting their system doing more for them - a key part of what we are all about!

As always, there are plenty of niggly issues with the current systems and processes that we’ll be able to help them sort out.  More importantly, we’ll also be helping them expand the system to support their strategic plans and objectives.

Obviously, we’re always delighted to take on a new client, but large customers like Denplan are even more exciting as the possibilities for us to increase the business benefits of their IT systems are extremely far reaching.

Watch this space for news of successful projects!

For further information about Denplan, you can view their website from this link: http://www.denplan.co.uk