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The Serious Job of Protecting Client Information

6 Important Small Business Cyber Security Tips
Chances are, you think twice before entering your credit card information online to buy something, watch out for malicious links in emails and keep your PC updated against viruses, spyware and hackers.

However, how much thought do you put into your small business data security and protecting client information?

Hopefully a lot, because according to Microsoft: • An attacker resides within a network for an average of 146 days before detection • The average cost of a data breach to a business is $3.8 million • The total cost of cybercrime to the global community in 2016 was $500 billion • 63 percent of attacks are the result of compromised user passwords and usernames

As these threats continue to become more sophisticated, legislation must too. ]

In Canada, many government departments such as the Department of Justice, RCMP, Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada work together with international, federal and provincial law enforcement agencies against cybercrime. That’s great, but you want to stop any potential attacks before your clients’ data security is breached!

And, if you’re thinking that your site is too small to appeal to hackers, think again. Sometimes a cybercriminal’s intention isn’t to gather sensitive content, but to relay spam emails from your server. Let’s use the example of a membership site for these small business cybersecurity tips.

A membership website has specific resources available for members who generally pay a one-time or recurring fee to get content such as videos, eBooks, articles or tutorials. My AMPLiFY! Business Academy is an example of this type of website. Because people are entering sensitive information such as email addresses, passwords and payment information to access my content, we need to be vigilant about how we keep them safe from online threats. (A secure site is also more likely to earn trust, which in turn can increase revenue.) To help safeguard your clients’ data security, I suggest that you:

1. Choose a reputable web host. Don’t just go for the cheapest! I compiled a list of web hosting providers that I recommend; you can view it here.

2. Install an SSL certificate on your site. This means having HTTPS vs. HTTP in the URL. This is the prefix to your web address, and the SSL provides additional security and makes it harder for hackers to access.

You can often add this service to your web hosting package for free, or for a small cost. An added bonus: a secure site can actually rank higher in Google.

3. As soon as you see a new software update, install it. Many membership sites are built in WordPress, which lets you simply click the ‘Update Now’ button. This helps keep cybercriminals from taking advantage of security flaws in older versions. Similarly, look for plugins to help manage online security. 4. Enforce complex passwords. Request or even demand that users create passwords with a combo of upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. This will deter people from using ‘12345’ as a password. You can also install a plugin on your WordPress site that only gives someone a number of tries to log in to before they’re locked out. 5. Approve comments manually. Spammers love unattended comments! They can post links there that a) may drive traffic back to their site and b) may trick Google (however briefly) into thinking that their site has valuable content.

6. Clean up information that’s no longer relevant. Previous members, people who have cancelled, those who have completed your course… get rid of user info and payment info as often as you can. By following these small business cyber security tips, you can minimize the risk that your website is going to be targeted by scammers or cybercriminals.

Don’t cut corners when it comes to protecting client information, and you can create a safe space for loyal fans who feel comfortable handing over their personal and payment info.

Of course, there are many more components to maintaining a secure website. We’re experts at keeping our clients’ data secure so that they can focus on running an effective business.

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Courier Work and Mental Health: Beating the Stigma

Society has come a long way in terms of how well we talk about and deal with mental health problems. But there’s still a long way to go, and too many people suffer in silence. What’s more, many factors can make the problem even worse for those doing courier work. Read on to find out how you or your colleagues may be at risk, and how to beat the stigma in a healthy and positive way.
Mental Health in the Industry

It’s easy enough to speak of mental health issues in the industry, but what evidence is there? A lot, as it turns out. Informed observers agree that psychological issues are especially difficult for drivers to talk about, with the Mental Health Foundation’s Chris O’Sullivan noting ‘widespread’ stigma in those who do courier work.

A recent survey by Mercedes-Benz Vans found that 56% of van drivers and owners believe there is a stigma attached to discussing mental health at work. Less than a quarter of managers report employees coming to them with issues – and the figure is even lower for male managers. Things are slightly more encouraging when we look at conversations that do happen, with over half of those who have talked about a colleague’s mental health problem with them saying they felt glad the colleague could confide in them. This at least suggests that starting a conversation is a good step, although a quarter felt uninformed and a fifth embarrassed in the same situation.

These statistics paint a worrying picture about mental health in courier work, especially as the job has so many elements that can put workers more at risk of problems.

Risk Factors

The level of understanding of mental health is improving among professionals as well as in society in general, and that extends to its causes. The link between stress and a variety of illnesses is increasingly well documented, and Mind’s Emma Mamo notes that people who drive for a living are far more likely to experience many of the things that can lead to stress. These include long working hours, working alone, lack of support and irregular sleeping and eating.

Drivers will recognise all of these as par for the course on the job. Spending a long time at the wheel is in the nature of courier work, and varying and inconsistent demand for services makes it especially difficult to establish strong routines.

What do I do?

The first and most important step is to do some research on what you’re feeling. Organisations like Mind provide a variety of materials tailored to various different jobs. At the same time, research doesn’t have to mean spending two hours staring at a computer screen. You can and should take the time to ‘check in’ with yourself – ask questions like how am I feeling, have I been eating right, have I been sleeping enough and so on.

Next, you should know that a problem shared is a problem halved. Mamo recommends not just speaking to friends and family when you’re struggling, but letting them know what warning signs to look out for. Research from Ford, meanwhile, suggests that taking a drive can help, as two thirds of those who do courier work said they were more comfortable talking to colleagues while behind the wheel.

All in all, mental health is something everyone struggles with at times. Past attitudes, that struggling made you crazy or even weak, are thankfully fading. The travel industry isn’t special, but drivers need to recognise when they’re at risk and look out for each other. Because the best way to beat the stigma is by sitting down and talking it through.

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world’s largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.

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Trademark Registration for Stationery Products

Trademark Registration serves to preserve your business authenticity and goodwill around the world. With the trademark, one can make his or her company manageable to the target market. In this article, we will analyse about Trademark Class 19 and its process.
Before viewing the Trademark class 19 sections, you require to learn about Trademark and its importance.

Explain about Trademark
A trademark is a sort of intellectual property concerns of a recognizable sign, form, or character which selects products or services of any accessible source from those of others, although, with a different Trademark, buyers can certainly know your goods or services among multiple competitors’ products. Now, we know the Importance of Trademark Registration -

The Importance of Trademark Registration
Trademark Registration aides to play a luminous role in such situations and preserve brand owners against such trademark violation.

Trademark Registration is vital for many causes such as:–

• A different Brand logo is the most vital asset of any organisation. • The buyers can speedily know your product or services. • Preserve your brand logo against perversion or duplication by others.

Various types of Trademark that can be registered in India
There are particular types of the trademark which is registered in India. Some of them are-

WORD MARKS
A wordmark is built up of one or few words, or a mixture of words, e.g. QRS, XYZ or ABC Sales.

LOGOS
Logos can be consisting of a symbol or a shape covering a word, colours, e.g. Nissan’slogo.

COLORS
You can appeal for adding a distinct colour on your trademark. For this, you must recognise the appropriate colour in the TM application.

3D MARK
A Mark creating 3 dimensional can protect with a 3D trade

Now, we will know about Trademark class 19.

Trademark Class 19

Trademark Class 18 concerns to the construction materials, non-metallic certain pipes for building a road, pitch and bitumen, on-metallic transportable buildings, buildings, not of metal. Know more about Trademark Registration for Class 19.

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