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    Change your password to a passphrase for added security

    Have you ever created a login, been prompted to enter a password featuring symbols, capital letters, your next door neighbour’s maiden name and at least one number, only to completely forget it the next time you login? Which means you have to go through the whole painful process again? Well, you’re not alone.
    Passwords are a pain, but Ward Solutions is all about removing complexity when it comes to information security. We’ve put together some helpful tips from Edward Snowden, the man notorious for leaking classified information from the US National Security Agency to the media!
    John Oliver, an English writer and comedian with his own show in the US, journeyed to Russia to interview Snowden about information security, data protection and cyberattacks, and this is what he discovered.
    Password security
    Both Oliver and Snowden agreed that as hacking is a huge concern for businesses and consumers globally, it is vital that internet users are educated on password security.
    Remembering logins and usernames for various accounts and devices isn’t easy, which is why people often use an easy to remember word with five to eight characters as their password. According to Snowden, this is a big mistake.
    “Bad passwords are one of the easiest ways to compromise a system. For someone who has a very common eight character password, it can take less than a second for a computer to go through the possibilities and pull that password out,” he explained.
    Passphrase, instead of password
    What to do? Well if your password is “Password123”, “passwerd” or some other variation, change it immediately!
    “The best advice here is to shift your thinking from passwords to passphrases,” Snowden continued.
    “Think about a passphrase that works for you, that is too long to brute force, and that is also unlikely to be in the dictionary.”
    Margaretthatcheris110%sexy
    Many logins require a mixture of characters, numbers and capital letters, but as Edward Snowden points out, it can be difficult to recall these.
    “It can be a lot harder to remember a password that is 13 characters long, with upper case and lower case letters, characters and numbers, than it is to remember a simple phrase like maragaretthatcheris110%sexy,” he said.
    Go on, make the change
    So if you think your weak password could compromise the safety of your personal or business data, change it to a passphrase you can remember easily! It’s one easy step that will help protect your IT systems. Remember, if you need more advice on protecting your IT systems, get in touch with the team at Ward.
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    Insights

    Doing the right thing by your customer

    If you search through stock photos for the term “business”, results will mostly show people in various states of professional attire, pointing at charts, spreadsheets and probably sharing a serious cup of coffee while examining some very serious documents.
    It is hard to capture the deeper intricacies of business through stock photos, one of these being building and maintaining a relationship with your customers.
    Keep the customer in mind
    The mantra underscoring every key decision we make at Ward, whether it is adding a new service or increasing our team, is “do the right thing”. We keep the customer foremost in mind when it comes to decisions big and small, and this has been critical in maintaining our integrity and in driving our 98% customer retention rate. When it comes to solving a problem for our customers, we assess their needs, and do what’s right for them. This doesn’t mean new hardware or software if there’s no need for it. Every customer is different and we tailor our solution for the client.
    Happier workers, better customer service
    Ward Solutions is not alone in doing the right thing by our customers.
    Last month in the US, a virus swept through offices throughout the country causing a high volume of sick leave. The US has no laws requiring paid sick leave. In a timely manner, as Americans were sneezing onto their desk-phones and keyboards, Microsoft announced plans to require its US contractors, with a minimum of 50 staff, to give employees a minimum of 15 days paid holiday and sick leave.
    This is a great example of a company doing the right thing by its customer. Happier workers provide a better service and are more productive. Employees who have better benefits are more motivated to provide a great service for customers. By removing the pressure of losing pay due to being sick, Microsoft is increasing the likelihood of employee retention and in turn, increasing customer satisfaction who know they will have long term relationships with Microsoft contractors.
    Owning up to security breaches
    Another example of a company doing the right thing comes from social media management platform, Buffer. It suffered a security breach in October 2013 and, immediately, it owned up to the problem and told its customers. Instead of hoping nobody would notice, Buffer opened up lines of communication, explained what had happened and kept customers updated on the problem. Owning up to an issue and letting the customer know what is going on, even at the risk of losing clients, is a key trust creator.
    Complete transparency
    Chipotle, a fast-food chain that operates more than 1,450 restaurants across the world, has voluntarily began labelling ingredients in their menus, including GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms. It is the first fast food chain to do so, at the risk of losing customers. The company said being transparent with its ingredients engenders more trust with the consumer.
    Ethical responsibility
    Well-known clothing company TOMS has made the purchase of its products an easy ethical choice for its customers. For every sale of TOMS shoes, eyewear and bags, it gives away a matching product to someone in need. Globally, more than 2 million children in need have received TOMS shoes. Its One for One programme also funds maternal health care, medicine for children and health screenings in developing countries.
    This dedication to giving back to the community means TOMS customers never have to think twice about the ethical background of the products they are buying. TOMS does the right thing by the customer, by the environment and by the community.
    More than spreadsheets…
    It is easy to associate business with boardrooms and briefcases, but the big picture encompasses the customer, environment and whole communities. If a company treats its employees well, gives back to the community and makes sustainable choices for the environment, the customer will always have peace of mind that they have made the right choice and that they are doing the right thing.

    Insights

    Ward Solutions educates NUIG and secures the campus in…

    Ward Solutions, Ireland’s leading information security provider, is implementing IT security systems and awareness training across National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), to manage information security and ensure compliance. The two year contract is worth in excess of €170,000.
    Based in the heart of Galway, NUIG has more than 2,700 staff and provides undergraduate and graduate degrees and diplomas to 17,000 students each year.
    NUIG aims to have best practice information security, safeguarding its data and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations. As part of a complete IT infrastructure overview, the university wanted to enhance its security processes, policies and systems.
    Ward Solutions won the security partner competitive tender to help the university proactively manage and monitor the university’s IT security landscape and help implement new policies and procedures to protect against vulnerabilities. Ward initially carried out a risk assessment on a number of systems that provided a complete overview of the critical data held on these systems. It also identified and tested potential vulnerabilities and measured security controls.
    Ward Solutions has now developed a set of security awareness training programmes as part of the new security policies and procedures. The online training provides advice and guidance on information security for every member of staff and insight on the role each individual plays in protecting the university. It is also providing face-to-face training for all members of staff who have responsibility for business critical and sensitive data.
    John Lavelle, head of strategy architecture and security, NUIG said, “Ward delivered what they said they would deliver and this has led to a true collaborative partnership. We cater for thousands of new students and alumni each year and as a result have a vast amount of data we wish to secure.
    “Ward Solutions brought the breadth of information security expertise and knowledge we needed. The size of its team means it has the ability to assign the right expert to each task, all of whom are certified to the highest levels. In addition, its experience in the education sector meant it understood our unique challenges and it could quickly develop policies and recommendations which we immediately implemented.”
    Brendan Molloy, business development manager, Ward Solutions commented, “Working in partnership with NUIG, we helped to classify and prioritise data on key systems to focus security spend on the right areas. Our combined offering of managed security, consultancy and training, coupled with leading vendor technologies, has helped to reduce the complexity of IT security for NUIG and ensures the university is protected at all times.”
    The next phases of Ward Solutions’ security programme with NUIG will be to enable students to securely embrace BYOD. The upcoming project aims to expand the current Wi-Fi access by implementing further secure networks across the campus through server hardening and the deployment of Web Application Firewalls.
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    Photo caption – Pictured at the NUIG campus in Galway are (L-R) John Lavelle, head of strategy, architecture and security, ISS, NUIG and Brendan Molloy, business development manager, Ward Solutions