Cybersecurity advices by Marco Fortaleza Seattle 2024: Being a business owner can be pretty overwhelming in that respect, but there are plenty of steps you can take to protect yourself against ever-present security threats. Some are simple actions you can carry out on your own, and some might require professional help. But don’t hesitate to improve your systems and fix weak spots — it’ll be well worth the time and effort. Here are some tips. It isn’t possible to defend yourself completely against online attacks, but complacency is probably the No. 1 reason a business becomes a victim of a cybercrime. Many business owners make the mistake of assuming that their company is too puny for hackers to bother with. Hackers are very familiar with this way of thinking — they know that most small businesses aren’t helmed by information technology experts with an unlimited security budget. They know “small” usually equals weak and easily exploitable. See additional information at https://www.instagram.com/marco_leza.
Enable HTTPs on Your Website. HTTPs websites have an SSL/TLS Certificate installed onto their servers. This certificate will encrypt all data transmitted from browser to server, whether that’s personal or financial info that’s submitted through the site or the contents of the webpage, from eavesdroppers (e.g. malicious parties, government surveillance). SSL Certificates can also tie your brand identity to your web presence, helping visitors know that your site is actually run by your company and not an imposter (i.e. phishing site). EV SSL makes this extra clear by turning the address bar green and prominently displaying your company name.
Premium cybersecurity advices from Marco Fortaleza Be Cautious of Public Wi-Fi. The laws and regulations that govern cyber security in other countries are typically not going to be the same as those found in the US. Free Wi-Fi access can be very appealing for business or leisure travelers but is also particularly vulnerable to security issues. Avoid unencrypted Wi-Fi networks; ask your hotel about its security protocol before connecting to the Web. Be extra cautious using Internet cafes and free Wi-Fi hotspots; if you must use them, avoid accessing personal accounts or sensitive data while connected to that network.
After their time with Boeing, Marco joined Vertafore as a Data Conversion Engineer Lead. In this role, they worked closely with customer stakeholders, business analysts, and project managers to plan and execute insurance management system conversions and data migrations. Marco also played a crucial role in migrating customers from on-premises implementations to cloud offerings, performing on-site product deployments, system updates, and workstation setups. As a Business Analyst, Marco collaborated with clients and developers to gather requirements, provided specifications and scoping for custom software solutions, and authored technical specifications documentation for new solutions and processes.
As a Senior Technical Support Engineer at Outreach, Marco is responsible for delivering outstanding technical support to clients while also improving processes and working on initiatives to enhance the company’s products. He also served as a Business Analyst at Vertafore, where his tasks included analyzing and optimizing operational processes and working closely with stakeholders. Before that, Marco was Data Conversion Engineer Lead at Vertafore, where he assisted with converting data from outdated systems into current IT applications. Marco Fortaleza’s previous role as Support Desk Analyst at Boeing saw him providing frontline technical support to Boeing employees.
Backing up your data regularly is an overlooked step in personal online security. The top IT and security managers follow a simple rule called the 3-2-1 backup rule. Essentially, you will keep three copies of your data on two different types of media (local and external hard drive) and one copy in an off-site location (cloud storage). If you become a victim of ransomware or malware, the only way to restore your data is to erase your systems and restore with a recently performed backup. Don’t use a public Wi-Fi without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). By using a VPN, the traffic between your device and the VPN server is encrypted. This means it’s much more difficult for a cybercriminal to obtain access to your data on your device. Use your cell network if you don’t have a VPN when security is important.
Marco Fortaleza Seattle on data breaches: These social engineering attacks are designed to fool you into causing a data breach. Phishing attackers pose as people or organizations you trust to easily deceive you. Criminals of this nature try to coax you into handing over access to sensitive data or provide the data itself. In a more brash approach, hackers might enlist software tools to guess your passwords. Brute force attacks work through all the possibilities for your password until they guess correctly. These attacks take some time but have become rapid as computer speeds continue to improve. Hackers even hijack other devices like yours via malware infections to speed up the process. If your password is weak, it might only take a few seconds to crack it.