The Wonderful Blog Which You ve Never Seen

Today more than any other time in history, protecting company privacy is essential. Unfortunately, the number of cases associated with identify theft have not only risen but also moved from personal to business. Over the past few years, a number of large companies and even government agencies have been in the news for having laptop computers and vital information on employees and the organization itself stolen. What makes this so uncomfortable is that usually, the privacy is being threatened from within the very organization that is supposed to secure it.

Keep in mind that while some organizations are at greater risk for thefts, such as credit card companies, banks, or government agencies, even the small mom and pop shops are at risk. Remember, it would only take one instance of information leaking out to put a company completely out of business. The problem is that not only is data being stolen, but often sold to criminals that know exactly how to extract what they want to make a profit - at your expense.

More than ever, it is crucial to do all you can to protect your organization and employees. In today’s flat work force, many employees use laptops rather than desktops. A laptop enables employees to work from any location eliminating downtime for the field employee and increasing the efficiency of communication. However, every time an employee takes the computer out of the office, the potential risk of privacy is increased. Let us say an employee had a laptop with no logon protection. This employee worked in the financial sector of the business and after going to dinner while on a business venture, he returns to the hotel room only to find the laptop gone. Now, without the computer having any type of password protection, anyone can gain access. However, professional criminals can hack anything with or without protection.

In addition to accidents such as this, other situations could arise putting your organization in danger. For instance, if there were a disgruntled employee, perhaps someone passed over for a promotion, or someone who knows his or her job were ending, this individual may feel there is nothing to lose by leaking out or taking vital information. If this person were unstable or just angry, he or she could cause damage to the company through the sharing of trade secrets, personal data or other sensitive information. Then of course, you have people who go to work for companies specifically for the sake of stealing private data. Although this is not as common, it does exist and this practice is growing.

Yet even with Identity Theft and Privacy being spotlighted in the media, companies remain surprisingly vulnerable. Organizations around the globe have no clue to the quantity of sensitive information being leaked out but even worse, no tracking system is in place to find out or to correct the problem. While we often focus on the computer as a source of theft, private data can be taken out of a company in many other ways. For instance, iPods, USB sticks, or any portable device makes downloading information easy and covert. What happens is that in addition to the company and employees being at risk, customer relations could be severely damaged as well due to lack of trust and confidence.

To give you an idea of just how data is being taken out of organizations, 75% is with the use of a portable device, 63% via email attachments, and 59% from content within emails. Sadly, a number of companies were recently surveyed and of those, just 50% stated they had any concern. If you are working hard to build your organization, you need to take this risk seriously. With so many possibilities for privacy to be robbed, it is crucial that you understand the risks and then take appropriate action to correct them. If major data leaks can occur within tightly secured companies such as AT&T, National Audit Office, Veterans Affairs, and Google, then surely you too can potentially be at risk.

Take steps to protect your trade secrets and sensitive private data. This is an area worth making an investment. With the sheer volume of information that is produced daily within a company, it is challenging to ensure security. However, taking time to understand who has access to important data and how to best protect it is well worth the investment of time and money. After all, what would it cost you if your valuable data was lost or stolen?

Richard A. Hall is founder and President/CEO of LexTech, Inc., a legal information consulting company. Mr. Hall has a unique breadth of experience which has enabled him to meld technology and sophisticated statistical analysis to produce a technology driven analytical model of the practice of law. As a busy civil trial attorney, he was responsible for the design and implementation of a LAN based litigation database and fully automated document production system for a mid-sized civil defense firm. He developed a task based billing model built on extensive statistical analysis of hundreds of litigated civil matters. In 1994, Mr. Hall invented linguistic modeling software which automatically reads, applies budget codes, budget codes and analyzes legal bill content. He also served as California Director and lecturer for a nationwide bar review. Mr. Hall continues to practice law and perform pro bono services for several Northern California judicial districts.

Share This

No Comments »

A lot of us are starting to shop more and more on the internet. We may have been initially reluctant or resistant to shopping on the net, but, after making a few purchases, we’ve become more confident. Well, that’s good isn’t it? We’re now moving into the millennium. Yeah, it is good, but, we could still use some helpful tips while we’re trying to shop, so here they are!

1) Do your research on the items you’re thinking about buying. You will find there are lots of companies vying for your money so make sure you check a few to get the best deals! Just key in the item you’re looking to purchase via your internet service provider and voila you should be able to check the prices, features and compare the items overall.

2) Before purchasing the product you plan to buy, check the company’s policy on how they will handle returns if you need to return the item you have ordered. How long do you have to return the item and how soon will you be credited or refunded your monies paid.

3) Be careful about how you are paying for your purchase. Make sure the provider company or payment servicer taking your credit or debit card is legitimate and well known! This will alleviate future problems down the line if you have a return and need a refund. A good way to check out the provider, company or payment servicer, is via the internet. Do a search to see if there are any complaints listed for the company.

4) Check on what you’re being charged for shipping costs! Make sure you’re getting a good deal on the product you’re ordering overall including any shipping costs being charged. It is noted that some companies don’t charge shipping costs if you order a certain amount product, are a new customer, or maybe they have a special promotion going on at the time where no shipping costs are charged.

5) When you are considering purchasing a product from a company, look on their website for business seals of approval from companies such as; Bizrate.com or the Better Business Bureau. This usually means that the company you’re thinking about purchasing from has a good customer satisfaction rating.

6) Make sure when you place your order that you keep copies of your online purchase receipts and any email confirmations of your order. Keep these records at least until you have obtained confirmation from your credit or debit card company showing a confirmation of the purchase made.

Shopping on the internet has made it possible for the consumer to have access to literally millions of products at your fingertips. It’s time saving and easy to do in most cases! So, go ahead and enjoy your internet shopping experience today!

Nocita Carter is a writer that designs websites providing informative tips at http://www.personal-finance-tips-for-you.com; http://www.mydating-tips.com and http://www.ebook-corner-for-you.com

Share This

No Comments »

The word is not just a sound or a written symbol. The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life. - Don Miguel Ruiz

One New Jersey woman, “Maria,” read at a third grade level. She held a job and fudged her way through everyday tasks without reading. When she would go to a restaurant, she would order what she knew was on the menu - a hamburger, salad or grilled chicken - or point to someone else’s plate at the next table and ask “for what he’s having.” Maria even went so far as to keep her illiteracy a secret even from her husband of ten years. Because she could not read the mail, she would pretend that she forgot her glasses at work or say that she had been too busy to open the mail and ask her husband to do it. One day, they were walking past a shop window with a sign in it. As they looked at the display, the husband suddenly realized that his wife could not read. Maria was embarrassed and humiliated. But she sought help and now reads, works on a computer and teaches others to read.

In 2002, before the Subcommittee on Education Reform Committee on Education and the Workforce, United States House of Representatives, actor James Earl Jones testified: “92 million Americans have low or very low literacy skills - they cannot read above the 6th grade level. To be illiterate in America - or anywhere for that matter - is to be unsafe, uncomfortable and unprotected. For the illiterate, despair and defeat serve as daily fare. Can any of us who do know how to read really understand the sadness that is associated with the inability to read? Can we truly relate to the silent humiliation, the quiet desperation that can’t be expressed, the hundreds of ways that those who cannot read struggle in shame to keep their secret? The struggle out of illiteracy is still a part of the story of America.”

Today, our nation faces an epidemic that is destructive to our future. The disease is functional illiteracy. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), it has overtaken one-third of America’s children by the fourth grade - including two-thirds of African-American students and almost half of all children in the inner cities.

The basic definition of literacy is the ability to read and write. So the basic definition of illiteracy is the inability to read and write.

Beyond the basic definitions, there is significance in the shocking statistics about the functionally illiterate. What illiteracy means is that millions may not be able to understand the directions on a medicine bottle, or be able to read their telephone bill, make correct change at a store, find and keep a job, or read to a child.

Illiteracy has long been viewed as a social and educational issue - someone else’s problem. However, more recently we have come to understand the economic consequences of the lack of literacy skills for America and American business.

Illiteracy has a significant impact on the economy. According to Nation’s Business magazine, 15 million adults holding jobs today are functionally illiterate. The American Council of Life Insurance reports that three quarters of the Fortune 500 companies provide some level of remedial training for their workers. And, a study done by the Northeast Midwest Institute and The Center for Regional Policy found that business losses attribute to basic skill deficiencies run into the hundreds of millions of dollars because of low productivity, errors and accidents.

In addition, as reported in the 1986 publication entitled Making Literacy Programs Work: A Practical Guide for Correctional Educators (for the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections), one-half of all adults in federal and state correctional institutions cannot read or write at all. Only about one-third of those in prison have completed high school.

Evidence indicates that the problem begins at home. A National Governors’ Association Task Force on Adult Literacy reported that illiteracy is an inter-generational problem, following a parent-child pattern. Poor school achievement and dropping out before completing school are commonplace among children of illiterate parents.

The reasons for illiteracy are as varied as the number of non-readers. The adult non-reader may have left school early, may have had a physical or emotional disability, may have had ineffectual teachers or simply may have been unready to learn at the time reading instruction began.

Because they are unable to help their children learn, parents who can’t read often perpetuate the inter-generational cycle of illiteracy. Without books, newspapers or magazines in the home and a parent who reads to serve as a role model, many children grow up with severe literacy deficiencies. Clearly, there is no single cause of illiteracy.

Adults have many reasons for requesting reading help. Many are prompted by the need for increased levels of literacy in their jobs. Others may wish to read to a child, read the Bible or write to a family member for the first time. All express a hope for a better quality of life through higher levels of literacy.

According to Barbara Bush, “It suddenly occurred to me that every single thing I worry about - the breakup of families, drugs, AIDS, the homeless - everything would be better if more people could read, write and understand.”

Let us all do what we can to make illiteracy not a part of the story of American today but a part of America’s past.

About The Author

Penni Wild is the Executive Director of New Jersey Reads. New Jersey Reads was established in 2002 by a group of literacy advocates dedicated to encouraging literacy among adults and children throughout the state. Currently, almost 40 percent of New Jersey adults cannot read medicine labels, roadway signs, or job applications, and illiteracy rates in six major New Jersey cities are more than twice the national average. As a champion of literacy for all in New Jersey, New Jersey Reads seeks to obtain funding and resources for literacy initiatives from individuals, corporations, and foundations. For more information about New Jersey Reads, visit www.newjerseyreads.org or call 609-394-5416.

Share This

No Comments »