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How to make your passwords strong to prevent backdoor entry? 

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One small flaw will eventually prove to be harmful in the long run. If you are careful, you can prevent the breakout of these viruses. The hackers may use a backdoor password to break into your system and use it negatively. Once they break into your system, they will exploit the entire system and have a negative impact. 

The entire world has gone online, but we have still had a huge time to detect the password. One strong password will eventually offer complete protection. Online passwords aren’t any jokes and need to be secured and used with complete clarity in mind. You may prefer using secure passwords such as abcde or 12345. These are easy to remember. But are they secure? No. 

Keeping such passwords will make your entire system prone to attack. Moreover, it will be susceptible to attack if these passwords are used for multiple accounts. One small vulnerability can pave the way for different attacks. Reports have found that around 92% of people have been using the same password for a long time across different platforms. Hence, your entire data is at risk. 

If you don’t have any idea about making your password strong, you will need to take steps. Some of the prominent ways to increase the strength of your password include the following.

  • Use a long password

There isn’t a more strong password than a longer one. The hackers will use different methods to break into your system. If the hackers know you, they will try to use your personal information. But, if not, they may use the “brute force attack” for breaking in your system. As a result, you may prefer using symbols, letters, and numbers for a better idea. The longer the password, the lesser will be the chance of any intruder breaking into your system. 

  • Choose a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters

The combination of uppercase and lowercase letters can be one of the best ways. Apart from using a combination of symbols and numbers, you also need to interchange the case of letters. Also, if you are using a phrase as a password, make sure to capitalize the first and alternative letters for each. Whatever is easier for you will be beneficial for you. 

One of the most important aspects that you should be avoiding for attacks is personal information usage. Using personal information will make your system more prone to hacking. 

 

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In Business

Are You Ready to Ride the Waves of Change?

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Emerging Prepared with a Plan in a Post Pandemic Economy

It’s April 2020 and as I wake up and start my day, there is always the nagging questions lingering in my head. What the heck will my business look like in three month or even six months from now? Will I still have a business to run or will the way in which I earn a living cease to exist and will I end up doing something entirely different?

It’s hard to know what state my business will be in one month from now, let alone three months later. Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball that will predict the future for me or anyone else I know for that matter.

One thing I do know for sure is that things will never be the way they were four months ago. If you’re one of those people waiting for the ‘old economy’ to return or bounce back, then you’re in for a rude awakening, because it’s not going to happen.

I’m guessing that most people don’t want to entertain the idea that they could be out of business in a matter of months. Heck, it’s not something that I wanted to think about either. To be put out of business because of an invisible predator that has spanned the globe and disrupted peoples’ lives and the global economy, just seems unfathomable.

As my husband and I watched what was going on within our own country and around the world and the impact it had on our businesses, we did a financial assessment of how long we could sustain our current standard of living. For some reason I felt okay knowing that we could get to a certain period within the year. It never occurred to me that I wasn’t allowing myself to think about what would happen if we did run out of savings.

My husband on the other hand had thought about it. Hearing him verbalize his ‘before we get to that point’ plan of action forced me to finally go to that place in my mind where I needed to have the internal conversation, ‘what would happen if I could no longer maintain my business?’

The AHA Moment

When I did finally ‘go there’, I had a major AHA moment. Suddenly I realized something that had never occurred to me before. The voice in my head said, “Pam, you’ve been here before!”

Oh my God, yes, that’s right-I have been here before. I have had to unexpectedly close a business due to circumstances beyond my control-an economic crisis.

It was 18 years ago. I had a women’s fashion retail store in a major mall in Singapore. The store was in operation for a good part of 3 years, and just one year at the mall premises. Business was good. That is until we got hit by the Asian Financial crisis of ’99.

My clientele tended to be expat women along with residents and tourists. As we moved through the year 2000, we witnessed the decline in the daily number of shoppers. People began to hang onto their moneydue to the uncertainties that lay ahead. Much like what we are experiencing today.

Eventually it reached a point where there wasn’t enough business to cover the monthly overheads and the tough decision was made to close the store. Yet it wasn’t as simple as just closing the doors. While the landlords could see for themselves that there was no foot traffic for all tenants, they still demanded to receive payment for the remaining months on the lease. Thatresulted in a painfully written $40,000 cheque to the landlord. Making that payment just added insult to what was already a very difficult moment of having to close due to an economic crisis.

When the premises were vacant and the doors shuttered, I allowed myself to have a private pity party. I gave myself permission to feel sorry for myself for two weeks. When the pity party was over, I knew it was time to get up off the ground and get busy contemplating what the next plan of action would be.

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In Business

Isn’t It Time You Jump on the Video Marketing Bandwagon?

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If you’re not using video marketing, you’re not maximizing your brand’s marketing potential.

The great thing about it is that you can see results much faster than with SEO and other marketing channels.

So what’s stopping you from boosting your sales by leveraging video? The truth is that there is one small problem.

It’s not obvious how to best use video to market successfully. Unfortunately, it’s the type of content that can most easily go awry if you’re not experienced with it. It also tends to be more resource-intensive. So, if your video marketing misses the mark, it can be a costly mistake.

Foolproof Steps to Great Video Marketing

The most important tip you can get with most marketing practices is to keep it simple. Learn and apply these methods and you’ll see how big of an impact video marketing can make.

Map out the Strategy

In other words, have a plan and stick to it.

It’s OK to improvise a bit along the way, but you should have most of your decisions made ahead of time.

 

Don’t think of videos as contained marketing devices. Think of them as part of a broader marketing campaign. You need to track your results if you want to see growth.

Make specific goals for each stage in your marketing campaign. Make those goals as specific as possible and track them accurately.

Just Start Creating

Your first videos won’t be that good.

Even if you have experienced staff and a great plan, there will be a learning curve. Don’t let that hinder you.

The only thing that matters is that you learn from every video you make. The knowledge you accumulate is more important than the immediate results.

A long-term video marketing strategy is bound to hit some snags along the way.

Don’t Sell, Tell Stories

There is a time and a place for the hard sales pitch, and your video is not it.

Videos create a uniquely emotional response. If people feel like you’re selling too hard, they will think that you’re trying to hijack those emotions.

Instead, focus on telling a coherent story in your videos. Every video should transmit some value and a piece of the bigger story to the audience.

Know What You’re About

To make good videos, you need to know what your strengths are. The kind of content you should make corresponds with your brand’s overall image.

If you’re trying to get people to switch to your solution for an everyday problem, use educational content. If your core offering is a better quality of life, maybe an inspirational video works better.

Don’t try to stuff too much into a single video, however. Figure out the angle of your approach and commit to it for the best results.

Humor Is (Almost) Always a Good Idea

It’s very difficult to come up with a brand that can’t benefit from a bit of humor in its video marketing.

There are situations and topics that need to be navigated carefully, though. But as a brand, you should always strive to remain lighthearted and self-aware.

Nobody wants to see a solemn cola ad, it just doesn’t work. It’s more difficult for some brands to manage humor than others but on the whole, it’s a powerful tool.

Keep Your Basic Marketing Principles in Mind

Just because it’s a video, doesn’t mean the basic rules don’t apply.

Every video will have its target audience. If you want to reach your entire audience in every video, you’ll be wasting resources.

Figure out which platforms work best for which videos. You’ll need to do some research and know your target segments for this.

For instance, if your target is young adults going to college, Instagram is a great choice. For the same population, you probably won’t get very far with Facebook ads.

Keep It Simple and Focus on Your Strengths

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In Business

How To Grow And Scale Your Business Quickly

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Do you want to scale your business quickly? Then it’s time to recognize what your customers want and give it to them.

A customer-centered “outside-in” perspective is a great way to rethink and redesign your business. It allows you to stay ahead of the competition and respond to changes. This approach will help you understand the evolving needs of your customers and come up with innovate ideas to serve their needs.

Working From The “Outside-In”

Often, business owners get caught up in internal matters and lose focus on the changing market. However, by working from outside-in, you’ll bring a new perspective to your business. You’ll have different insights and experiences that will help you approach your marketing from a different angle. An outside-in approach will infuse your marketing strategies with fresh and unexpected ideas.

It’s common to get the tunnel vision, and sometimes this is unavoidable. It happens especially when we’re very close to a project. You invest your time, emotions, and money in your business, and it becomes hard to see things clearly.

Although you may have a clear idea of who your target market is, one small change in the way you segment your target market can significantly improve your revenue and profits. The new perspective brings improvement.

Break Out From Your Comfort Zone

It’s clear that if you want to build something great you have to break from your comfort zone, and an outside-in marketing perspective will definitely disrupt that comfort zone. It’ll shake things up and change the assumptions you have about what will work and what won’t work. It’ll help you market your business in a different, unique way and you’ll truly stand out.

It’s normal to take certain things for granted and these things could be the differentiators that could make customers line up to purchase what you’re offering. Also, it’s common to be having a differentiator that isn’t setting you apart. However, breaking out of the comfort zone by adopting an outside perspective will help you see your company more clearly and you’ll do everything possible to create a more effective strategy.

Understand Your Customers

Adopting an outside perspective can help you fully research your customers and you’ll be able to understand them inside and out. You’ll be able to speak the customers’ language instead of using the words you use internally. And you’ll be able to showcase the benefits of your products and services in a manner that will help you land your ideal customers.

When working in an organization, it’s often hard to show the value of your products or services to those outside your organization. But a customer-centric perspective can help you solve that issue. This is the best approach to rethink and redesign your company. So if you want to build a successful and sustainable business, it’s time to adopt an outside-in perspective.

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In Business

Business Financing Cash Flow On Auto Pilot?

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Business cash flow financing for many firms in the SME sector involves the necessity to turn receivables into liquidity for the company, in effect we’re talking about ‘ invoice cash ‘, that is the sort of financing that clients here at 7 Park Avenue Financial are looking for – i.e. cash flow lending That term is synonymous with cash flow challenges that hit many firms all the time. How then does the use of an AR finance company assist in meeting that challenge?

Sooner, rather than later is the need for business owners who want cash flow to support their company requirements. In many cases certain industries demand a lot more cash for companies that participate in the sector. That might mean more focus on capital assets or even research into new products and services.

What happens though when you can’t get the credit financing you need from traditional banks / business-oriented credit unions, etc? That’s where an AR Finance company comes in.

Your ability to quickly and efficiently set up a receivable discounting facility allows you to immediately remove the problem of waiting 30, 60 or even 90 days for receipt of client funds for your goods and services.

To receive full funding for your receivables from a Canadian charted bank there is of course an extensive loan and business application, with a lot of emphasis spent on historical cash flow analysis, balance sheet analysis, income statement and operating ratios, etc! Invoice cash services eliminate 90-95% of that type of waiting and negotiation.

So why then does ‘ factoring ‘, the more technical name for invoice cash work and in fact showing more popularity every day when it comes to ‘ cash lending ‘ solutions. The answer is simple, an immediate flow of funds based on your sales revenues. That becomes most of the solution to what the pros call your ‘ working capital cycle ‘. That cycle, simply speaking, is the amount of time it takes a dollar to journey through your company and makes it back onto the balance sheet as cash.

When you finance through an invoice cashing – also called invoice discounting facility, you are not borrowing funds on a long term basis. Your balance sheet does not accumulate debt; you are simply liquidating current assets in a more efficient manner.

Is there one type of facility in the area of ‘ invoice cash ‘ that works better than others? We’re glad you asked! We constantly recommend Confidential Receivable Financing, it’s the ‘non-notification’ part of this solution, allowing you to bill and collect your own accounts, bank your own funds, and choose how much financing you need on an ongoing basis. It’s classic ‘ pay for what you use ‘ financing when you’re working with the right partner.

What Is A Cash Flow Loan? What Are My Firm’s Options Financing Cash Flow?

A/R Finance is not always the ‘ only ‘ way to fund cash flow needs. Other strategies might include:

Working capital short term loans

Sale-leaseback strategies

Inventory finance

Tax credit finance ( sr&ed refunds are financeable)

Mezzanine Financing – (Unsecured cash flow loans)

Longer term solutions of course involve scenarios such as new equity.

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In Risk Management

Managing Industry Compliance

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Compliance is a buzz word today that goes right along with Regulations, Oversight, Rules and Standards. The questions are; does compliance really matter and how do we manage our industry’s compliance?

As a member or prospective member of an industry association we all hold ourselves to the standard of Compliance. Whether it’s an associations own rules and standards, or a compliance group or code like Occupational Health & Safety Association (OSHA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), International Fire Code (IFC) or one of the other international groups, we believe that association members are the best qualified to provide industry specific services to the market.

Many of the challenges we faced by a national organization that has uniform standards throughout the United States is that the Regulations, Rules and Standards that govern each jurisdiction may not be uniform. The lack of a nationally accepted standard for many industry associations lends to the inconsistency in the quality of work provided on a national level, sometimes even among industry members.

Helping to fuel this issue is that industry non-compliant companies compete with compliant companies and cut corners that can allow them to offer lower prices on products and services that generally to not meet the standards expected by most associations.

Another issue facing many of us is that we have looked the other way with some compliance issues that may not have been required by the jurisdiction, but is required by a standards organization; then the jurisdiction adopts the latest national or industry standard and we have to present the customer with a new requirement. Even though many industry associations have been beholden to larger national or international associations, we may not have felt it was necessary to keep a customer compliant if the jurisdiction did not require it; a potentially difficult discussion to have with a long standing customer.

Finally there is interpretation and definition. Most standards documents is in some ways ambiguous and gives the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) leeway in the determination of Compliance. The issue here is what one AJH deems compliant, another may determine does not meet the definition. One example of this is NFPA96 8.1.1.1 that states that Upblast Fans will have a “Service Hold-Open” retainer. There are AHJ’s that deem a Chain sufficient as a Service Hold-Open Retainer and others that say the Retainer must actually hold the fan in place. This and many other interpretations put at risk the validity of solutions and us as providers if there is a loss at our client’s business caused by an issue defined so broadly.

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In Risk Management

Cross-Cultural Challenges In the International Business Management

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The company where I was working was taken over by a British multinational company in the mid 1990s. The newly appointed Managing Director from UK, during one of his visits to the plant, inquired how Gujarati people eat food at home. Having heard the response, he decided to sit down on the floor and have Gujarati food, along with all the senior colleagues of the plant.

What was the Managing Director trying to do? He was trying to appreciate the cultural norms of the new place and show his willingness to embrace. Such a behavior by the Managing Director obviously helped the local management open up more during subsequent discussions.

In the last 2 decades, cross-cultural challenges in the international business management have become prominent as the companies have started expanding across the territorial boundaries. Even leading management schools in India have started incorporating cross-cultural challenges as part of the curriculum of the international business management.

“Culture” being one of my interest areas, I recently had accepted an invitation to educate the students of a Diploma program on the International Business Management, on the topic of cross-cultural challenges. For my preparations, I browsed through many books on the subject. My knowledge-base got enriched substantially as the treasure of information contained in these books, was invaluable and highly relevant.

This article is an effort to present, some of the relevant issues related to the cross-cultural challenges in the International Business Management.

What is “Culture”?

Culture is the “acquired knowledge that people use to anticipate events and interpret experiences for generating acceptable social & professional behaviors. This knowledge forms values, creates attitudes and influences behaviors”. Culture is learned through experiences and shared by a large number of people in the society. Further, culture is transferred from one generation to another.

What are the core components of “Culture”?

Power distribution – Whether the members of the society follow the hierarchical approach or the egalitarian ideology?

Social relationships – Are people more individualistic or they believe in collectivism?

Environmental relationships – Do people exploit the environment for their socioeconomic purposes or do they strive to live in harmony with the surroundings?

Work patterns – Do people perform one task at a time or they take up multiple tasks at a time?

Uncertainty & social control – Whether the members of the society like to avoid uncertainty and be rule-bound or whether the members of the society are more relationship-based and like to deal with the uncertainties as & when they arise?

What are the critical issues that generally surface in cross-cultural teams?

Inadequate trust – For example, on one hand a Chinese manager wonders why his Indian teammates speak in Hindi in the office and on the other hand, his teammates argue that when the manager is not around, why they can’t speak in English?

Perception – For instance, people from advanced countries consider people from less-developed countries inferior or vice-versa.

Inaccurate biases – For example, “Japanese people make decisions in the group” or “Indians do not deliver on time”, are too generalized versions of cultural prejudices.

False communication – For example, during discussions, Japanese people nod their heads more as a sign of politeness and not necessarily as an agreement to what is being talked about.

What are the communication styles that are influenced by the culture of the nation?

‘Direct’ or ‘Indirect’ – The messages are explicit and straight in the ‘Direct’ style. However, in the ‘Indirect’ style, the messages are more implicit & contextual.

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In Risk Management

Dealing With some insurance provider for Freelancers

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Like a freelancer may well be a great decision for many workers available. They might make use of the freedom which fits together with becoming your own personal boss. However, these self-employed men and women have to get off to secure their unique insurance. Consider the simplest way to find the proper insurance package that may really meet your needs or perhaps the requirements of all of your family people. This can be frequently difficult, however employee monitoring software comparison most generally it’s simpler if you can for the greatest freelancers insurance company. Since self-employment is quickly like a popular option, this is often encouraging these insurance agencies to supply more insurance deals directed at them.

First, you will need to consider just what it technique to get these insurance deals on outdoors market. Many people will question what they demand to complete to get coverage whether they have any special conditions. It’s really aa bit more difficult to secure this kind of offering, since some insurers typically choose to provide packages through companies. But you may want to consider another ways you can setup a coverage deal utilizing a private market. You could have the insurance coverage package that meets your needs in case you shop carefully enough.

There’s additionally aa couple of different selections for those who might be wondering what they demand to complete. This really is frequently easy if you wish to have only a coverage deal on your own. There are a variety of non-public insurers available on the market that you will want to supply a coverage package to anybody such as this. You might must on the web a few in the options which exist to suit your needs. Search for a handful of ofindividuals quotes to find out what package features the cost range that you might want to get. You might be surprised to find out what exist better deals than you may have utilizing your employer. This really is most likely the main benefits of getting your individual health care insurance package.

Should you prefer a family based plan, it may be somewhat trickier to obtain the right health care insurance package on your own. You will need to make certain the non-public insurer has the ability to cover everybody in your family. This method that you will have the support are looking for or no individuals comes lower obtaining a clinical issue. These packages may additionally possess a inclination to cost a little more money. Anticipate to talk with a number of health insurers when you select one option or any other. Many people can negotiate cost structures once they buy family plans. You will observe a freelancers insurance company awaiting you, but it might take aa serious amounts of discover their whereabouts.

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In Change Management

Generate Earnings Switched Getting Fired Towards the Best Ingredient That Ever Increased to get Of Me

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20 years ago, I had been fired from my corporate job. After being walked within the building carrying out a selecting my boss along with the HR director, I sitting within my vehicle and burst into tears. I had been devastated.

True, I did not need to be in corporate. True, I understood that selecting to feed my boss before her boss a few days before may be within the best employment-restricting move, at worst will be the reason I acquired fired.

Still, it felt humiliating.

It’s a measure to want work was different. It’s another to obtain told, you cannot work here anymore. We do not want you. Rejected.

Much more, I had been afraid that people would judge me harshly. I wasn’t prone to tell my parents, who’d only fuel my fear employing their own. I had been scared regarding the future, and exactly how I’d support myself. I felt absolutely by myself.

I had been enticed to put low, can be found out once I’d had an opportunity to lick my wounds. Fortunately, I’d centered on meet several buddies appropriate, i spilled my story. I had been baffled for your support.

A couple of days later, after i was escorted to my office after-hrs to retrieve my possessions, I stumbled upon notes from individuals in the audience I managed. Words of caring and encouragement.

I tear up even today remembering how completely supportive they were. They did not notice as being a failure. They found it when you more way in which I’d show a couple of a few things i includes. They saw something inside me that people was getting trouble seeing in myself in individuals days.

Well, I felt more courageous once i faced the appearance days.

I’m given convenience sources inside an outplacement firm, plus 6 a few days salary as being a parting gift. Well, I felt I’d somewhat room to move, and recover.

I desired a few days and went west. A change of scene and perspective.The street within the pioneers.

Next, I proven up at outplacement, similar to basically works. My assigned consultant examined me like I had been a fool when she described that what I’d carried out in confronting my boss will be a bad political move. No kidding! And she or he was completely perplexed since i have understood ahead of time it wouldn’t be.

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