Have you been wondering how those companies that place targeted ads or “helpful” suggestions find you? Well, you probably know that part of the answer comes from these companies, and social media sites you visit, collecting data on websites (and social media sites) you visit, then use this information to figure out what ads would interest you. This practice, as annoying as it can be, has been going on for more than a decade. But now there is another online tracking method marketers and advertisers are using, and it come with some serious cyber-security concerns.

Auto-Complete (Auto-Fill) Passwords

Do you know how many online accounts you have? Probably not. It turns out that in 2015, the last year for which this information is currently available, the average internet user had signed on to an average of 90 accounts. Think about it: if you started using the internet seriously in 2000, that 18 years or five accounts per year. Admittedly, most would have come in the past 10 years, but if you are like most people, you have probably signed up for retail accounts, research accounts, social media accounts, financial accounts, medical accounts, greeting card accounts, just-for-fun accounts, etc., etc., etc. They add up. And the fact that your computer allows you to quickly auto-fill the online applications for these accounts makes it easier to do so, results in many people signing up for more accounts than they otherwise would have. But unbeknownst to many of us, this can be risky. And this risk can extend from someone’s personal accounts to your business. A good step forward is a discussion with a managed IT support company that can monitor, manage and maintain your IT infrastructure and protect it against cyber intrusion.

Why? Because it is surprisingly easy for a cyber-thief to trick your browser or your password manager into letting them have your information. Once they have compromised a webpage (social media, retail, medical, etc.) they can place an invisible form on that page that can collect the user’s login information, personal or the company’s. Security professionals have known for some time that marketing companies have been using similar techniques to collect non-sensitive data for marketing analysis, but have more recently become aware that bad actors are using these techniques to steal passwords and other information.

One way to beat them is to turn off auto-fill in your browsers.

Chrome: open Settings, then click Advanced, then Manage Passwords.

Firefox: Options, then Privacy, and under History “Firefox will: Use custom setting for history. A new window will open where you can disable “Remember search and form history”

Safari: Preferences, then select the Auto-fill tab, then turn off all username and password options.

Internet Explorer: Google “turn off autofill in Internet Explorer” as it changes based on your version.

Cyber-security is a complex subject, and getting more intense daily. We’re here to answer any questions you may have. Just give us a call at 678-373-0716.

 

It’s been 25 rewarding years since DynaSis started helping businesses succeed through their technology. In all that time, we’ve searched diligently for a way to simplify and improve how companies look at their IT as a whole.

While most business owners don’t actually care about how the behind-the-scenes technology works, they do care about knowing why it’s helping them succeed.

Naturally, any business that is hindered by their IT will suffer massively. Modern businesses must consolidate and focus their IT as a whole to attain boosted business performance, enhanced productivity, and improved collaboration.

But that’s all jargon. Here’s the simple truth.

To reap those benefits, you must put forth effort. Transforming your IT as a driver of success relies on focusing your efforts on four key categories, including:

• IT Strategy
• IT Organization
• IT Operations
• IT Infrastructure

IT Infrastructure and the ASM Framework

While the four key categories are all equally important, IT infrastructure is the best place to start putting forth effort.

Why?

It’s the easiest step to understand from those that are not tech-savvy. It’s also where we apply our secret to success – which frankly isn’t a secret at all. It boils down to three key components:

Availability, Security, and Mobility. We refer to it simply as “ASM”.

Availability

Of course, all businesses rely on constant availability to conduct business operations. Without uptime, businesses suffer tremendously. Downtime costs small businesses up to $8,600 per hour.

To keep your applications and productivity tools running through anything, you must invest in your hardware and software. That may mean choosing a more robust brand-name piece of equipment rather than going with a no-name that lasts significantly less.

You must also take proactive maintenance into consideration. Without adequate upkeep and optimization of your existing IT resources, you’re gambling on it working properly.

Security

Security is a chief concern among companies around the world. Global spending on cybersecurity products and services are predicted to exceed $1 trillion over the next five years, from 2017 to 2021.

With so much data flowing freely in the digital realm, it’s important to prevent malicious actors from accessing and exploiting security weaknesses. Many organizations must also adhere to stringent regulatory compliance laws, which can bring unique challenges of their own.

Mobility

When we say mobility, we’re talking about the ability to work anywhere, at any time. For example, voice over IP (VoIP) has quickly garnered a reputation as a reliable and scalable voice service option. It keeps you connected to your work via physical phones, mobile applications, and web services.

VoIP works in unison with messaging applications, such as Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams. They both keep communication channels open and direct and allow people to reach out from anywhere, as long as they’re connected to the internet.

Using ASM for Success

When all of the facets of your IT infrastructure meet the ASM philosophy, you’ll achieve IT nirvana. Together, everything functions as a unit to propel you towards success in your business goals and beyond.

 

 

If you follow our weekly DynaSis blogs, you know that we regularly put out some very important information. As much as we would like to believe that you eagerly await each Tuesday’s post, read every one, and even save many of them, realistically speaking, in today’s impossibly busy work environment, we know that’s just not true. Consequently, we have decided to recap some of those from the past year that we believe can be most helpful to you, and give you links to the full posts.

Cloud Back-up for Business Speed & Efficiency

Mobility and efficiency have been given much greater emphasis by businesses over the past ten years, all made possible by the tremendous advances we have seen in technology. Employees can now remain fully connected to their offices and peers while they are on the road. This post will help bring you up to date on how these technologies can make your business more mobile, and will also let you know how cloud technology can protect your business from data loss, corruption and theft while your people are traveling or working from home. See the full post here.

Solving Major Problems Before They Become Major Ones

This addresses a partial list of problems that may erupt, including your network going down and along with it your email, phones, and internet; printers and other devices not working; computers freezing; slow performance; corrupted files; recurring viruses; and so much more. The basic concept of solving these minor problems before they become major ones has long been one of our major driving principles and in this post, we discuss why. See the full post here.

Making Technology Work for Your Company

We always say that “today every company is a technology company” and we find that becomes more true with every passing year. Technology is great in so many ways, but when it moves so quickly, it can be very hard to keep up. In this blogpost, we look at how managed IT support companies in Atlanta, like DynaSis, can keep you up to speed on the latest developments for both business productivity and cyber security. See the full post here.

Myths About Managed IT Support Managed IT support (or managed IT service) means outsourcing some or all of your IT support to a third part provider. For some business executives, this seems a bit scary, like you are giving up important control. In this blog post we address concerns such as: “Outsourcing is more expensive (it’s not)”, “Outsourcing will make us less secure (not true)”, “Service levels will suffer (the opposite is true)”, “Outsourcing only works for large companies (it’s best for small to mid-sized firms)”, etc. This post is a great way to begin a conversation with us that can lead to a complimentary IT service and security assessment so you can better understand where your IT network is today, and where it can be in the future. See the full post here.

VoIP Training for Non-Technical Employees

This blogpost addresses modern VoIP telephone systems from two perspectives: first, most end-users (your employees) are unaware of most of the great features that modern phone systems provide. For some, productivity and efficiency can be significantly improved, and boredom and fatigue reduced, when they become more familiar. On another level, employee failure is still the leading cause of cyber security problems and this post also discusses how employee training can have a positive effect. See the full post here.

Speeding Up Slow Running PCs.

This is a problem we hear about fairly often, and one that can be prevented and/or fixed. In this post we explain how pre-installed software and bloated registry files, among other things, can cause slowdowns, and how this “clutter” can be eliminated. We also discuss the importance of installing software manufacturer updates on a regular basis. See the full post here.

…………

We hope this “reboot” of some of our recent posts is helpful. And remember, at DynaSis we have been working with small to mid-sized businesses in Atlanta for more than a quarter century and would love to begin a no-obligation conversation and IT network and security assessment with you, so give us a call at 678-373-0716.

 

 

 

No one is perfect. Mistakes are made. Some are big; some are small; most importantly, many can be easily averted. Technology in particular is a place where easily avoidable mistakes happen every day, so here are a few things you should look at within your organization.

Skipping (or not doing) Backups

Backups are about the most important thing you can do to protect your business. Stuff happens. No matter whatever else you do to protect your data, stuff happens. Cyber theft, ransomware, fire, flood, weather, employee error. Stuff happens. As a managed IT support provider, we consider it so important that we have written a whole white paper on the subject, and we STRONGLY suggest you read it. We also have more information on our website. Then call us so we can provide a complimentary IT network security assessment

Skipping Updates

Big mistake! It’s a war out there with hackers and software developers hard at work fighting with each other. The hackers are trying to break into your network (and everyone else’s) by seeking out vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the programs, while the software people work like beavers patching and fixing so they can protect their customers, including you. If you aren’t taking advantage of the hard work they do by installing their updates, you really have no one to blame but yourself when things go haywire. Again, the IT pros at a qualified managed IT support company will monitor, manage and maintain your IT network, including 24 x 7 installation of patches and updates.

Understanding What You Are Agreeing To

We all do it. We see this mountain of text that we are supposed to read before we hit “OK” or “Next”, or “Continue.” Admittedly, most of the time there is nothing noxious in there, especially when dealing with large reputable companies…most of the time. However, by not reading what is in front of you, you could be agreeing to terms and conditions you may not like, or may potentially put your company, or at least your computer, at risk. You may inadvertently be giving permission to download bloatware and/or other software you really don’t want on your device. Some downloadable software will have a blanket “I Agree” box at the bottom, but will give you the option within the document to opt-out of these downloads. If you skip to the bottom, you miss this opportunity. Our thinking: it’s always better to have your IT pro do the installs, anyway.

Surge Protection & Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS)

Electricity is great, can’t live without it, but it is also inconsistent. It goes out. It surges. And surges can cause a lot of damage. Many surges are caused when lightning hits power lines. The lines may not be damaged, but the increased electrical flow can fry computer components in a split second. The easiest way to avoid this is by simply using surge protectors. What’s that? You have them throughout your company? Wanna bet! You probably did at some point, but as time goes by, you added new equipment, or someone needed a protector and the only place they found one was at someone else’s work station. It’s not uncommon to do a survey of a growing company and find 10% of equipment unprotected.

If you want to take it a step further, use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). In addition to protecting your equipment, they will supply a brief amount of battery power so you can save your work. Note, however, that most UPSs are not intended for long-term use, but they will give you enough time to finish and save what you are doing.

Not Working With an Experienced, Qualified IT Support Provider…

…like DynaSis. We have been providing managed IT service in Atlanta for small to mid-sized businesses for more than a quarter century, so if you would like to speak with us, give us a call at 678-373-0716.

 

For the past few years, we have published an annual white paper on Cyber Security, and, as we continue this tradition for 2018, you can expect to see this year’s version within the next two weeks. This year, however, we are expanding our focus to include a number of topics both directly and indirectly relating to cyber security. These include cyber security regulations, the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, crypto currency, fake news and biometrics. Why? Because in the world today, these things all impact cyber security.

If crypto currency hasn’t given ransomware life, it has certainly enabled it to move to the forefront of cyber crime. It has made the payments of ransoms relatively easy and profitable for bad actors. Unfortunately, it has also paved the way for “amateur” criminals who can end up causing way more damage than they actually planed.

Advanced government cyber regulations are coming into effect in Europe and we expect other countries will follow (hopefully the USA). The problem may be in what some are calling the “Y2K effect”, meaning that many, if not most, companies seem to be way behind in preparing to augment required policies. This could be a problem for US companies doing business overseas.

Artificial intelligence will be used by criminals in highly sophisticated ways that will target governments, companies and consumers. Huge amounts of personally identifiable information (PII) has been compromised in the huge data thefts will have heard about this year, including Anthem and Equifax. We believe that this information can and will be used to psycho-graphically and demographically target consumers, governments and companies.

Fake news ties in with the use of artificial intelligence by cyber criminals to affect the behavior of people. (We are not going to look at fake news from a political perspective.)

We have long been proponents of multifactor password encryption, and still are, but it is also time to take a good hard look at biometrics. Apple has brought biometrics to the consumer forefront with the introduction of facial recognition, and with the cyber bad guys getting more clever every year, biometric recognition is probably in your future.

And then there is the Internet of Things (IoT), the technology that allows you to close your garage door from across town, control you're a/c or heat from your smartphone, or ask Alexa to play something by Frank Sinatra or Bruno Mars. It’s great stuff, but the security of these devices is quite questionable.

As a lead-in, we would suggest reading last year’s piece on Cyber Security 2017, and look for the upcoming update.

Ransomware has been the big cyber security news story during the past year, and with good reason. It is extremely aggressive and is capable of locking down files, only freeing them up when a ransom is paid. Importantly, however, you must understand how ransomware works and avoid certain misconceptions. Below are some misconceptions and the truth about them. (Note: if you want to learn more about how ransomware works, and how a managed IT support provider can be effective in stopping an attack, read our article “Attack! How Two Companies Prepared for Ransomware.”

Misconception: Ransomware will only affect the computer it initially infects and, while causing damage there, will also stop there.

Reality: Understand this – cyber criminals are really smart and are constantly working on new ways to get into your files. Think of it the same way you think of a program like Microsoft Office.  Office started with limited features, lots of bugs, and got better and stronger over time. Ransomware is going through the same transition. Early versions of ransomware generally infected a single machine and stopped there. Today’s ransomware is much more aggressive and will not only attack the computer in which it lands, some versions can quickly migrate and lock-down an entire network. Some versions will also steal data and credentials from throughout your network.

Misconception: Cyber criminals who use ransomware are only interested in on-premises networks.

Reality: In a recent survey, 35% of infections spread through well-known SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Office 365. They found that infected files that were synched on Dropbox, for example, were not automatically wiped clean of the infection. If colleagues use such files on Dropbox, they can bring the infection back to their own computers and in this way, the infection can rapidly spread throughout the network. Some advanced ransomware does not trigger the lockdown until some time has passed. This allows the bug to migrate throughout the network.

Misconception: Ransomware infections are easy to detect and can be stopped before they spread.

Reality: It can take even experienced users several minutes to realize and diagnose the problem. Ransomware is usually designed to encrypt files very quickly and in the few minutes it takes to realize what happened, it can spread throughout the infected device and into others.

Misconception: Antivirus software will stop all ransomware before it can do real damage.

Reality: By necessity, antivirus software is reactionary, meaning that until there is an attack by a new virus or a new form of an existing virus, the antivirus manufacturers cannot produce the antivirus to fight it…they need to see it to beat it. Consequently, you need to do several things to protect your company:

• Educate your entire staff.
• Make sure all your software is up to date and the latest patches are installed.
• Establish proper backup and recovery protocols based on recovery point objectives (RPOs) and recovery point times (RPTs) that work for your company.
• Speak with us about our proprietary Crypto Containment System (CCS), developed in conjunction with 12 other managed IT services from across the country. CCS quickly detects and locks down infected files, dropping them out of the network and preventing the spread of the virus. This also allows rapid re-upload of locked files and restores your network to 100%

Misconception: Once the ransom has been paid, your files will definitely be freed up.

Reality: We have seen cases where the cyber-criminal was unable to unlock the files that his ransomware encrypted. What happened? The perpetrator apologized and walked away, leaving years of data permanently locked and essentially destroyed. (Read the article “Attack!” Mentioned in the note above.)

DynaSis has been providing managed IT support and IT security to small and mid-sized companies of all types throughout the Atlanta metro area since 1992. For a complimentary IT assessment, or to just start a discussion, give us a call at 678-373-0716.

You may not know it but the US Department of Commerce has a bureau called the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST for short) that developed the password standards we have been using for quite some time. The one sure thing you can count on from technology, however, is that things never stand still. After gathering and analyzing a serious amount of data, and looking at the fluid and evolving world of cybercrime, NIST’s researchers have come up with some new thoughts about what techniques work and which do not in terms of safe passwords. As a managed IT support company, we pay close attention to their reporting and as we now know, much of what the public has been assuming were best practices in password security, may not be that way anymore. Here are the newest recommendations:

Passwords 8 characters long are now the minimum, although MUCH longer is suggested. Shorter passwords are just too easy to crack. The researchers found that length of passwords are the single most important factor is keeping them safe.

Hang up those %s, and #s and @s. Yes, most websites these days insist upon you using “special characters”, but the NIST folks discovered that they just don’t help. To the cybercriminal, that special character is just another letter to run through the cycle…and they make it much harder to remember your passwords.

Use multiple words. Single long words (antibacterial, hippotamus, influenza) are not as good as several unconnected words strung together (cantaloupegluenose, concreteparrotphone) work better. These are called “passphrases” instead of passwords. Super long words like FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION may work, but then you have to remember them…good luck.

The use of sequential or repetitive characters is still a no-no. 1234abcd, qwertyuiop…seriously? The bad guys figured out how to get past those a long time ago.

Using your username, or the name of your website, as a password is too easy to guess. Yes, it might add complexity and length, but cybercrime algorithms will see through them.

“Hints” just make it easier to figure things out. Mom’s maiden name, daughter’s birthday…it’s just too easy to steal public and non-public records and let complex programs piece things together.

This one will surprise you: your passwords do NOT need to be changed all that often UNLESS you think you clicked on a suspicious link or if your computer got infected, etc., etc. Why not change them often? Well, changing them in and of itself isn’t a problem, except that when people do, they tend to begin to take the easy way out and make them shorter, or similar, and that defeats the purpose. Example: first password: n#we$12, next time: n#we$13, etc.

Use a good password manager. If you really want to do it right, use a password manager. As a managed IT support company, we strongly recommend Kasaya’s AuthAnvil, which provides complete identity and access management solutions, including credential management along with password auditing and reporting. This will give you complete control and you can rest assured knowing that the “keys to the kingdom” are safe and secure.

As always, we are here to assist. Give us a call at 678-373-0716

if you have any questions, visit our website: www.DynaSis.com.

It seems that all but the largest cyber-attacks are now fading from the news. It’s certainly not because there are fewer attacks these days – the number of cyber-attacks are increasing both in number and severity. As a managed IT Support company highly focused on cyber security, we keep on top of these things, but the reason you aren’t hearing about the increased volume or severity is simply that we, the public, have already heard so much about cyber this and cyber that, that we tend to become desensitized so the media stops reporting. That’s unfortunate because the fact is, virtually every business is at risk.

Somewhere between 43% and 91% of cyber-attacks are against small to mid-sized businesses (depending on how you calculate “small to mid-sized business”.) In spite of this, a recent Better Business Bureau report shows that 70% of small to mid-market (SMB) owners believe that they are not likely to be targets of cyber-attacks (stealing banking credentials, ransomware, etc.) although these are the companies in cyber-criminals’ sights.

It’s the old “it may happen to someone else, but not to me” syndrome. It’s a disconnect from reality. And this same BBB report showed that 80% of these same business owners were aware of the disastrous potentials of cyber-attacks, but, of course, it couldn’t happen to them! The report goes further to explain why the lack of urgency and why the commitment wasn’t there:

Lack of Cyber-Education

On the surface, cyber-education is easy to understand, but when you start to dig deep, the complexity really shows. Most small to mid-market companies do not have the trained IT professionals they need to properly protect themselves. Hiring an IT staff is a big step and continued training of these individuals, while critical, is expensive and time-consuming. Retaining the services of a managed IT support company is a great option, but selection is difficult because, quite frankly, most of the people within an organization who make the IT support selection, as intelligent and experienced as they may be in business, simply do not have the background to make the very best choice. Selection may be left to choosing which ever company offers the best price. (See our article on Has Managed IT Support Become a Commodity?)

If you have an in-house IT department, on-going cyber security education is a must. It should also be required for every employee.

Lack of Resources

A recent article in Forbes stated, not surprisingly, that many small to mid-sized businesses lacked the resources to implement the level of security precautions that they require. Also, not surprisingly, cyber criminals know this and that’s why they attack small businesses. Their “reward” for breaking into a large corporation may be substantial, but difficult to achieve, so why not go after a large number of smaller prizes?

But there are many things an SMB can do.

1: Education – there are a great number of online resources that can help with cyber security education. Use them

2: Be on the lookout for malicious “phishing attacks”.

3: Avoid bookmarks and shortcuts. Criminals can actually modify these.

4: Never use public WiFi. The hotspots at cafes and coffee shops are not as secure as you would like to think.

5: Use spam filters, content filters, and email encryption.

6: Have an in-depth conversation with a Managed IT Service provider, whether to managed your entire IT infrastructure or to provide valuable assistance to your in-house team (learn about DynaSis Co-Managed/Co-Sourced IT Assistance.)

Lack of Time

No one doubts that running a small company is very time-consuming and we understand that overlooking something that’s “invisible” like cyber security is easy to do, especially when it’s not high on your comfort level scale. But consider this: the most basic goal of cyber security is to keep criminals out. Would you leave your office for the night without locking your front door, even if you were pressed for time? Think about this: going back to the BB report, 80% of consumers would not make a purchase, even though they wanted the product, if they suspected their data was not protected. This is why a large percentage of SMBs whose data is compromised go out of business within six months of a cyber-attack, especially if it is reported in the media.

Learn More

If you want to learn more, check out our Managed Security webpage and White Paper, or give us a call at 678-373-0716.

 

While the Summer vacation travel season has pretty much come to an end, this is the time of year when business travel starts to move into high gear, and since on-the-road mobile device security is an important part of managed IT support, we thought we would share some insights as to how to keep your Internet usage safe when on the road. (Some of these suggestions apply just as well to vacation travel.)

Mobile Device Security - Free Public WIFI

There is almost no end to the number of ways to screw up. Sorry about that, but it’s true. Using free public WIFI at a coffee shop or restaurant is one. Don’t assume that they are providing adequate protection. Instead, assume that someone sitting nearby in the same establishment is “sniffing” around collecting the information that you are passing back and forth, including your email, bank accounts, etc. Capturing that information is not that difficult when proper protections aren’t in place and these people can walk away with your login info, account numbers, email contacts, etc. If you’re working on business documents, they can also be grabbed. (The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides some great cyber protection insights on their website.)

This writer’s email account info and contacts were once stolen and I received an urgent email message from a dear friend stating that he had taken a last-minute weekend vacation trip to London and in a terrible misunderstanding, he had been arrested and needed $2,000 for bail. There was no way to call him, but he provided the routing number and account information for an international money transfer. In an odd twist of fate, this dear friend had passed away just two weeks before and, if he ended up in “the bad place”, no amount of bail money was going to help him! So, no, I didn’t send the money. But there are bad people committing cyber-crimes every minute of every day.

Securing Your Internet Traffic on Public WiFi.

By using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) every time you log in to a public network, you are protecting yourself. And it’s easy. CNET’s VPN referral page is a great resource for finding a VPN you can use. (CNET is a great technology referral source, in general.)  Once this is done, all your traffic, both in and out, will be encrypted. You can also check with your internet provider.

Another step in protecting yourself is to make sure that the sites you use are visiting are “padlocked”…look for that little green padlock. These sites have enabled HTTPS for “secure socket layering”.

Geo-Tagging Travel Photos

While geo-tagging is a bigger problem while traveling with the whole family, you can still get in trouble when traveling for business. The photo of the great restaurant you took a client to, or the cute doggie your five-year-old would love, can also tip off strangers that daddy (or mommy) is not home. And the incredible images of that family of tigers can tell criminals you are in Africa and away from the house for two weeks. Wait until you get home to post photos from your travels.

Leaving Phones, Tablets, and Laptops Unattended

Just turning your back for a few seconds, or walking away just a few feet, even in a “safe” neighborhood, can give an accomplished professional thief the opening he/she needs. Devices that are used for business, even those that are privately owned, should be managed by a Mobile Device Management program and through Multi-Factor Encryption. Multi-Factor Encryption makes it much harder to break into your device and Mobile Device Management enables your office back home to wipe your device clean of sensitive company information if it is lost or stolen.

Safe Travels!

Yes, following these mobile device security protocols can be a royal pain in the butt, but only a tiny fraction of the pain and anguish you can go through if you get caught up in one of these schemes. Be smart. Be safe.

At DynaSis, we have spent the past 25 years keeping our clients and their employees safe and secure. Our more than 55 IT Professionals are experts in virtual every aspect on Internet security, both in the office, at home and on the road. Contact us at 770.569.4600 or visit us at www.DynaSis.com.

 

It’s not that long ago that 2G wireless was the best service around for your mobile devices. Then came 3G, and what an improvement that was! Now, it’s all about 4G and, yes, it is really fast, so much so that if you are still on 3G, the pain is almost overwhelming. Well, as it turns out, and maybe not surprisingly, 5G wireless may soon giving us the same pangs we now feel over 4G.

Red Chalk Group, a Chicago based telecommunications consulting firm, tells us that 5G wireless is nearly ready and that it will mean major changes in the way people consume media on their mobile devices. If you have a teenager in your house, you probably find they prefer using their smartphones to tablets or laptops. While you and I may not be happy watching a major motion picture on a 2.5” x 4.5” screen (and that’s about the largest cellphone screen out there), the folks who will soon be young adults are very happy to do so. These people will also be very happy to learn about 5G because it will change the way their smartphones, and other mobile devices, interact with the entertainment world.

5G stands for the 5^th generation mobile network,

and from a technical standpoint (although exact technical standards have yet to be determined), it means a greater number of mobile broadband users will be able to user the same network at the same time, with each having much greater download and upload speeds.

Although we are still waiting for exact tech specs, Nelson Granados of Forbes believes that we will be seeing dramatic advances:

“Download speeds are bound to increase at least tenfold compared to 4G, and for true 5G standards, it could be up to 100-fold. So, if an HD movie takes six minutes to download in a 4G network, with 5G it could take a handful of seconds. Also, in the era of user-generated content, photo and video upload speeds will improve, fueling social media content.”

Why An IT Assessment

Whitepaper: A Digital Business in a Digital World

In addition to faster download speeds, with 5G wireless the quality of streamed media will also see a huge boost, which is a big plus for live events of all types, including concerts and sports. It is expected that the quality you will see on your mobile device will be the same as you get at home, and buffering will be a thing of the past.

But while better video quality while steaming is a big plus, the super-fast download speeds will also make downloading and saving movies, TV shows, etc., more practicable. Since you will be able to download in six seconds what it would have taken six minutes, and with increased storage capacity, why risk streaming, especially while traveling, and worrying about erratic coverage? Expect streaming services such as Spotify, Amazon and Netflix to offer more downloading purchase and rental options.

DynaSis has been serving the technology needs of the Atlanta small to mid-sized business community for 25 years. In addition to our complimentary IT Network & Security Assessment, we also offer a 15-minute one-on-one webinar to explain how your technology can become a powerful force, driving your business forward.